To understand this post you must first see the photo below with my pal Sunday. Her free spirit coupled with my impending 40th birthday made a deep impression on me today….

I’m serious folks. I feel so much lighter. So much freer. This whole who-cares-if-I-am-inappropriate attitude is slightly intoxicating.  :)

Wasn’t prepared for this conversation.

Was. Not. Prepared.

But of course, that is how it always happens… when you least expect it.

On the way to church youth group last night, my son informed me that he was ready for a phone… and a GIRLFRIEND.

Yep. Just like that he BROKE MY HEART. Over a casual conversation in the car.

SIGH.

Truth be told, I kinda knew this day was coming. I was just hoping he would stay in the video game / stinky-boy / why-do-I-need-to-wear-deodorant / girls-are-gross phase for awhile longer.

But no. We’re moving into a new stage of life.

Damn.

It was called “America’s version of the royal wedding.” Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries’ nuptials were an extravaganza of major proportions costing them over $10 million.

And now it is reportedly OVER. In a mere 72 days. If you do the math it cost them approximately $138,888.88 per day to be wed.

It is laughable.

And incredibly sad.

Whatever happened to real love and real marriage? The death-till-us-part kind? The kind that weathers the storm? The kind that sucks one day and is glorious the next? The kind where two people work together and play together and love together?

What the hell are these celebrities teaching our children?

I’ll tell you what. They are teaching them to be fickle and disloyal and insincere. They are teaching them that marriage is not sacred. That love is fleeting and can be easily replaced.

My husband and I just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary last week. FIFTEEN YEARS.

Are there hard times?  Hell, yes.

Are there glorious times?  Absolutely.

Is marriage easy?  Not even close.

Is true love even possible anymore?  I’m living proof of it.

Now I am sure Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries didn’t envision themselves divorced so swiftly but I am not convinced that they even gave their union a fighting chance. How can you possibly say you “worked” at your marriage when you didn’t even give it three months?

Again, I say… so sad.

BTW – If you are still reeling from the dollar figure I tossed out earlier,  don’t cry for the couple. They’ll be just fine.  Much of the over-the-top event was completely free.  In fact, they were  reported to have made $17.9 million from the resulting E! four-hour, two-part TV special. (Not including the  $2.5 million People Magazine paid them for their photos, natch.)

Update – found this photo on Facebook. No idea who created it or I would credit. What do YOU think? (The cynic in me had to laugh.)

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs 1955-2011

“There may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.” - President Obama

Indeed, Mr. President. That is exactly how I found out.

Hero. Visionary. Legend.

Rest in peace.

Well, we finally got our braces!

September has been an exciting month of change for my middle schooler – new school, new responsibilities and of course, NEW BRACES.

What do you think? Can’t see a thing, can you? Even his teachers didn’t notice the change. (His grandparents had no idea either. Totally floored them.)

Besides the fact that you can’t even tell that he is wearing braces, there are so many things about the Invisalign Teen experience that we love so far:

a. Super easy to use- Pop them out to eat. Pop them back in when you are done. What could be simpler? It took him a couple of tries to learn how to put them on and take them off. After that  it was smooth sailing.

b. Not nearly as painful – Obviously, we can’t speak from experience but every other child that we know with braces needs to take pain relievers after their braces are tightened. My son hasn’t needed them.

c. Totally manageable – One of my major concerns about Invisalign was my little guy forgetting them, loosing them or breaking them. Well, it has been a month and we’ve had no problems.

d. They are great with sports – He is an avid soccer player and frequently comes in physical contact with another player or flyaway soccer ball. I’ve never have to worry about his mouth getting scraped up from metal braces. 

d. They work – My son’s teeth are already moving. It is fascinating. The technology geek in me loves everything about the process.

As you can see, our experience so far has been incredibly positive. As for my son, when asked his thoughts on his new braces he simply said, “They’re way cool, mom.”

Disclosure: I’m part of the Invisalign Mom Advisory Board and my son is receiving free Invisalign treatment so that we could share our honest experiences.