My little big Captain America

My son's Montessori preschool had a Halloween parade today. All the kids came to school dressed up in their costumes.  There were superheros like Spiderman and Batman.  There were policemen and astronauts.  There was a flock of fairies and several princesses, as well as an assortment of animals, including a lamb, crocodile, dragon, and a tiger. And then there was my little Captain America, Tres. 

Dressed in a red, white, and baby blue unitard complete with superhero muscles, including a six pack of abs to die for, was our little Captain America.  After vacillating for weeks between Spiderman, Batman, Soccer Player, and a pumpkin, Tres finally decided he wanted to be Captain America for Halloween.  

Why Captain America? I asked.  Did he want to save people, capture villains, or just simply run faster than his little friends on the playground at school.  He couldn't quiet articulate a specific reason why, but it was clear he wanted to have unspecified super powers for unknown reasons.  

At 9:00am, all the children lined up in a row with their respective classes, walked outside, paraded around the school, and then sat in class formation for all the mom and dads to take pictures.  Thirty minutes later, all the superheros, fairies, and animals were transformed back into preschoolers by their parents.  The kids started school and the parents went about their day.  

I was all set to drive into the office when my husband seized the moment and suggested we go get some breakfast instead.  I quickly seconded the idea and off we went to a little French Bistro down the street.  There, over some yummy crepes, and bacon and eggs, we reminisced about the parade and how much our little big Captain America had grown up over the last year. After we finished eating, we sat there in silence for some time, savoring the moment, as well as our delicious cappuccinos and I couldn't help but think to myself: Que Buena Onda!      

Questioning Commitment

As part of the gift of this blog to myself, I have vowed to myself to write everyday. Well, as you may have noticed (or not)...within my first week, i have played catch-up twice (i.e. posting two blogs in one day so as to average one post per day since the inception of the blog). As a working mother of two energetic children (4 yr old boy and 15mos old girl) and one cat and as a wife (as well as a sister, Aunt, friend, etc...), my spare time is just that: spare!  So I ask myself: Is the goal of writing everyday realistic?

My friend who inspired me to start my own blog has made a similar vow and although she has expressed similar doubts about her commitment, she has been true to it. So I ask myself: If she can do it, can I? 

I would like to think that the answers to these questions would undoubtedly be Yes! and Yes! but the truth is i think for now my answer to these questions is a definite maybe!

For Me!

There are many reasons why i am starting this blog. In addition to the reasons previously posted, namely for Mia, Tres, and Gage, I am doing this for me!! In fact, it is, in part, a gift i am giving to myself in celebration of turning 40 this year (you read that right, 40! the big 4! 0!; That's 10*4=40! Crazy! I remember when my mother turned 40! It seems like only yesterday! Anyway, i digress... Where was I?)

Since my birthday in June, we have been celebrating my 40th birthday by doing something special each month. It is/has been/will be/sort of like a year long celebration of turning 40.  To kick off the celebration, in June we went on vacation during the week of my birthday and on my actual birthday, Gage and I went out and had an amazing dinner (at Brewster Fish House) and he surprised me with "an afternoon of beauty" at a local Spa. Then in July, we went out with my twin sister and her husband and had another amazing dinner (at City Zen) to celebrate our birthday since she and I were apart on the big day.  Ditto in August: Really amazing dinner (at 2941) with my in-laws (we were also celebrating his birthday and their anniversary too).  To shake things up a bit (i.e. no celebrating over food), last month while traveling on business in Brazil, i bought some Brazilian art (wooden sculptures/objects) in celebration of...you guessed it...my 40th birthday!  And as you now know, this month, October, I've decided to give myself another gift, this blog.

The year isn't over yet, but i think that this gift (the blog) potentially could be the best gift i get this year -- for at least a few reasons. First, it is a gift that has the potential to keep on giving well after i am 40. Second, it is a gift i can share with you (or anyone else i want to). Third, it is free! And some of the best things in life are free! Seriously though, it is a rare and precious gift that will recount and reflect,  my past, present, and future hopes, dreams, experiences, and thoughts regarding me, my family, friends, and events of the day. A priceless gift indeed!

I must confess that the idea of giving the blog to myself as a "gift" was not an entirely original idea. In fact, a friend of mine inspired me to do so.  She gave herself "the gift" of a blog when she turned 37.  As part of this gift to herself, she vowed to write on her blog everyday for at least one year and has invited her friends, of which i am blessed to be one of them, to join her on this journey and I am on that journey with her.  So i would like to thank her again for the inspiration. I hope the experience for me will be as rewarding as it has already been for her. So far, so good!

For Him...

Another reason why i want to start this blog is that i want to be able to record and share important moments of my life with my best friend, husband, wonderful father of my two chitlins, and all around great guy, Gage. 

Although we normally talk throughout the day and in the evening after the kids are asleep, we don't always have the time -- or frankly the energy after a long day -- to sit around and reflect on the days events or our lives more generally. I'm not saying that we don't ever do this -- in fact, i think we probably do it more often than not -- however, i hope this blog will provide a unique. complementary, and meaningful medium for reflection and sharing with Gage.

On that note, i would like to share on this post, "The Top Ten List of Reasons Why I Love Gage".  As background, Gage's mother recently suggested that Gage and I share with one another the top 10 reasons why we love one another.  We were all on vacation together in August and were discussing the subject of marriage when she suggested the idea.  We had never made this kind of a top ten list (or at least i couldn't remember doing it) so we thought it was a great idea.  Of course Gage wrote his list and gave it to me almost immediately.  Of course I promised to do the same, but never got around to it....until now that is. So here goes:

Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Gage:  (Actually, i came up with many more "Reasons Why I Love Gage" but stopped myself at 15!)

1. You love and respect me for who i am

2. You are a great father!  

3. You are my best friend

4. We compliment one another 

5. Your are passionate about the things you love to do and believe in

6. You are a hobbit

7. You not only like to eat second breakfast, but will make it and share it with others

8. You are a great cook

9. You appreciate the "Bennett Dance"

10. Your well read and love to read to your children and me

11. Your love of LOTR

12. Your taste in music

13. Your sense of adventure (and willingness to go on adventures with me)

14. Your love of the outdoors and hunting/fishing and sharing that with us (and others)

15. Your masculinity and sensitivity

For them...

Another reason why i am starting this blog is for my children, Tres and Mia. I want them to be able to read, albeit through my eyes, about themselves growing up and the events of the day. 

You see, despite my best efforts to keep current on their photo albums and daily journals, i haven't been able to do so. I think this medium which can combine photos, writing, and video may prove to be more successful for me. At least I hope so!

The other added convenience is that i can do this anywhere! All i need is a computer with internet access! So when we go on vacation, when i travel for work, etc... i will be able to write a journal entry and post photos on a real time basis. At least I hope so!  

Que Buena Onda!

The title of the blog, "Que Buena Onda", is an expression in Spanish that means something like What a great moment! How cool! I learned this expression when i was traveling with Gage in Mexico during our "summer sabbatical" before we started graduate school. 

Gage and I had traveled by train from Nuevo Laredo to Mexico City that summer. While there, we traveled around the City and met up with a friend, Lori Gillen (now Klein), who had flown in from Washington D.C. in July to join us on our travels.  From Mexico City we took a bus to San Miguel de Allende. One evening while we were in San Miguel de Allende, we went to this restaurant/lounge/cafe called Momma Mia Bar Annexo and ate a fantastic bowl of tortilla soup, drank a few bohemias, and listened to a great local band play.  We also met a local named Alejandro. Later that evening, we walked all over town with Alejandro, exchanging views on music, Mexican culture, the evils of war, the politics of the "Americas", etc.... At some point -- well after midnight -- we ended up in the town plaza which had a beautiful fountain and overlooked the town. We were all sitting there in silence taking in the view and thinking about what a great evening we had just had when Alejandro broke the silence by saying "Que buena Onda!"  I asked what the expression  meant and he said it described this great moment. We all agreed that it was indeed a buena onda!

So long story short, i have decided to title my blog -- at least for now -- Que Buena Onda as sort of a tribute to that great moment Gage, Lori, Alejandro and I had one night long ago in San Miguel de Allende and to all the other great moments (including those that aren't so buena) in the past, present, and future, that make up our lives and that i hope to share with you on this blog.

My Very First Blog Post!

Who? Me, myself, and I!

What? My first blog post.

When? Today! 

Where? http://tlbm.blogspot.com/

Why? I want to be able to record my goings-on and thoughts on a daily basis to share with my family and friends.

How? Rebecca! Many thanks for getting me started! She has been my big inspiration...not only because she showed me how to start this blog, but because she is a so many things rolled up into one person: she is a great writer, legal mind, mother, wife, beautiful, fun, and friend of mine! Thanks again Rebecca!