If the Shoe Fits...

I took my shopaholic son on a quick trip to Sam's Club tonight. I took him with me because he has told me many times that he loves to shop at Sam's Club, and I get a kick out of the fact that my 4-year-old knows his retail. As we were browsing through the giant shampoo aisle (the shampoo is giant, not the aisle), an employee breezed by, and in a most unpleasant tone said:

"I assume you know that he has his shoes on the wrong feet."

As I was forming the words to a witty and apologetic reply, I glanced over at the woman and noticed that she looked kind of agitated. A few things occurred to me at that moment:  (1) I don't care that my son has his shoes on the wrong feet; (2) I was proud of my son for getting shoes on his feet; and (3) I don't care that someone else doesn't like that my son has his shoes on the wrong feet.

So I let the idiotic remark linger so we could all hear the crickets, and I continued my shampoo conversation with my son. As I continued to shop, however, I did wonder--sociopath? Other personality disorder?

I cannot tell you how many times someone has informed me that my son, or another one of my kids has their shoes on the wrong feet. Ever since the first time I heard it with my oldest child, I have been perplexed as to such a remark. I'm not talking about the people who playfully bring it up with the child or the person who says, "I remember when my such-and-such used to do that." I'm talking about the people letting me or my child know that such a faux pas has been made, as if (a) I don't know; and (b) it actually matters.

That's right. I don't care that my kids have their shoes on the wrong feet. My oldest is six and she doesn't do it any more. The other ones are young enough that, once again, it doesn't matter. Now, say, if you the reader wore your shoes on the wrong feet, that could be an issue. Bur we're talking about toddlers here, people.

So here's another side to this coin. When my sister was a baby and through toddlerhood, she had issues with her feet and legs that required her to wear corrective "shoes" and also to wear her shoes on the wrong feet. That's right I said required to wear shoes on the wrong feet. Hmmm...who sounds like the insensitive buffoon now? But closer to my heart, (sorry Jessica!) my son actually has fine motor skill issues and as his mother, I am pleased as punch that he put his velcro sneakers on his own feet by himself!

I suppose my message here today is threefold:  (1) If you tell me or my child that my child has his shoes on the wrong feet, I will assume that there is something wrong with you; (2) If you tell me or my child that he has his shoes on the wrong feet, consider yourself lucky if you only get a, "Yes they are," as a response; and (3) If you are four years old and your shoes are on the wrong feet, there is nothing wrong with that.

Let me be clear:  I don't care that my son has his shoes on the wrong feet.

Thank you.

Southern Comfort

As many of you already know, we are embarking on a new adventure. After two or so years of searching, we finally found the right job. It happens to be exactly what Jake wanted and we are absolutely happy about his new career. There is, however, one condition. We have to move. I have had a difficult time wrapping my mind around this move, but as the move looms closer, I am feeling more and more positive. Read on to see why.

I don't know if you have ever heard of Monroe, Louisiana. I hadn't heard of it until Jake came home a few months ago and informed me that if we wanted any chance at this job, we would have to accept the idea of moving there. OK. The truth of the matter is that we both kind of came up with this plot together. If Jake's company wanted someone out there, why don't we just go out there? It was the right job. So we set out to find out more about this place. Keep in mind that I have never spent time in this part of the world--except for a brief layover once in Atlanta. I don't think that really counts.

Here is what we discovered. It is the home of this awesome show. Reason enough, right?

I hope you recognize this scenery, because it is a great show. If you don't recognize it, I highly recommend Duck Dynasty on A&E. It takes place more in West Monroe, which is the small town next door to Monroe.

Jake's company was kind enough to fly both of us out to their headquarters in Monroe to see the town and meet some people before we made the final decision. That was my first time ever in Louisiana. I was amazed at how different things are there than here in Denver. That was really my main impression after our short 3-day visit.

Jake accepted the job, and they gave him one year to get moved to Monroe. (Currently he works out of their Denver office.) So we have been busy preparing to sell our beloved home, selling our home, looking for a new home, etc.

We realized that my bro was probably not going to handle this gigantic transition well, so we took him to my sister to hang with her while we take care of all this. We made a fun trip out of it.

In case you're wondering, I get a kick out of recording Jake trying to photograph our kids. So here's Jake trying to get a group photo of the kids and Superman. Ha ha ha.

We put our home on the market and were fortunate enough to go under contract pretty quickly. We close in just a couple of weeks. 

Last week, Jake and I went on a house-hunting trip to Monroe. I told Jake that if the company's people had taken us to eat at the places where we ate this time around, I would have been more positive about the move from the start. It is crawfish season in the South right now. It is awesome. The local cuisine is awesome. Here is a sampling:

This is a shrimp po' boy with fries and gravy. Amazing. The food is reason enough to at least visit this place.

Most important, however, is that we came away from this trip with this.

I can hardly believe it. We are officially under contract on this lovely home. It is not completed yet, so we get to move into a brand-spankin'-new house. It will be our Southern Home. We are very excited about it.

I will let y'all know when Hotel Ross is once again open for business.