Something for everyone...

My internship required me to work 40 hours a week for a 6 month period.  It wasn't paid.  And it didn't really afford me the opportunity to work a job that occurred during normal hours.  So, after some brainstorming and Craigslisting, I saw they were holding auditions for a dinner theater that was pretty much an institution in St. Louis.  With my theme park performance background (still so proud of that, obviously), I knew I was likely to get the job so I went out and auditioned.  The show was a bawdy musical comedy set in Henry VIII's royal court (the script for which had been around for 30+ years) where we were encouraged to joke around with the guests of the show, recommend the alcoholic beverages heavily, and basically have the time of our lives.  It was AWESOME.

That's me in the middle.

I proceeded to work there for the next two and a half years (up to and including my final show when I was 5 months pregnant with TIH - it was pretty fun to wear the costume with my baby bump peeking out of my bodice.)  Sure, the extra money was a huge help and I absolutely loved the job, but the late nights weren't going to jive with the new baby.  Doing the whole show and serving food & drinks while pregnant was hard enough.  I knew I wouldn't have the energy once the new baby was in the picture.  So, a few months before TIH was born, I hung up my bodice once and for all.

In a way, leaving that job was one of the first major parental sacrifices I made.  Giving up something I really enjoyed doing because I knew it would be better for my family in the long run.  I have sincerely missed dressing up, interacting with the customers, and the tips didn't hurt, obviously.  So, when I was contacted by Medieval Times - Chicago who was interested in doing a giveaway on the blog, I literally was pinching myself with happiness.

When I worked for the dinner theatre, we were often asked, "Is this just like Medieval Times?"  At the time, I had never visited a Medieval Times (in fact my only knowledge of it came from this scene in The Cable Guy.)

Kicking myself for not reenacting this.

After being there I can't believe the comparison was ever drawn.  Mostly because this show had a much larger cast, was not a musical, featured staged combat (that was REALLY impressive), and oh yeah, they had actual HORSES.  However, it still was a bit of a walk down memory lane and we had an incredible time.

We arrived at Medieval Times (which is kind of cool to see right off the highway) and followed the long hallway in to get our tickets.  Your seats are pre-determined when you book your reservation, so it's a pretty easy deal.  They also use this cool system with scanners and tickets so they know what you've paid for in advance (there are various upgrades you can add to your order including keepsake photos, etc.)

These tickets also tell you which knight you'll be cheering for.

There is some time in between when you arrive and when you are seated.  There's lots of things to explore, lots of photo ops, fun souvenirs to buy for the kids (TIH obviously got a light up sword), and a a full bar with lots of yummy drink options.  (All of which come in souvenir glasses of sort.)

When we were finally led into the arena, it totally took my breath away.  The lighting for the entire show is SURREAL, and I loved how each section started out being lit in its signature color.

Plus, our seats totally rocked.

We were immediately greeted by our server (who was unfortunately, not Janeane Garofalo), but who was extraordinarily great at his job.  Soft drinks and coffee are included with the price of admission, so he took our drink orders and then it seemed as though he immediately was bringing us food.

(A vegetarian option is also available.)

There are no utensils at Medieval Times (though they will provide a set for the kiddos, so no worries there.)  Not that it mattered, TIH was SO excited to sip soup out of his bowl.  I was shocked by how delicious the menu was.  The food at my dinner theater was great, but in truth, you came for the entertainment not the food.  So color me excited when the food at Medieval Times was just as awesome as the show!

Utensils would have slowed me down too much.

Throughout the meal you are entertained with some competitions between all of the knights where you are encouraged to cheer on your section's knight.  We were sure to show our Yellow Knight pride all night long.

I can totally pull off hats.

There's never really a dull moment throughout the show.  I think our favorite part was when our knight fought in a really exciting battle...and won. You'll hear me say "Whoa" when the swords keep sparking when they hit each other and then cheer like a crazy person when our guy won.  It's really exciting and intense. Too cool.

Spoiler alert:  our knight won the whole tournament!  (Don't worry, it isn't a real spoiler.  The winner changes every show.)  I can't explain how happy this made TIH.  He had been cheering his little heart out and waving his flag and light-up sword for the whole show.

There were moments when the cast actually came in the audience and a little girl in our section was actually named "Lady of the Realm" so the Yellow Knight stood right by us.

He left the horse in the arena, unfortunately.

One of the things I was most impressed by (and I know it's weird) is how much it did NOT smell like horses in there.  Literally these giant, gorgeous animals were walking around right past us and I still didn't find anything unappetizing about it.  I'm sure it is strange that I even thought about that, but whatever they are doing to deodorize those guys - it's working.

Plus, they're really pretty.

All in all, it was an absolutely fantastic night.  We have already discussed a return visit for some of our out of town guests.  I can't even begin to describe how impressed I was by the caliber of the show, the quality of the food, and the excellence of the customer service.  Truly, it was a night we talked about for weeks afterward.  And (in a full circle fashion), having to give up the opportunity to perform in shows like this, just opened up the opportunity to enjoy watching them with my family.

I think I'll take it.

-----

So, I know exactly what you're thinking.  "Gosh, I wish I could take my family to Medieval Times - Chicago."

GOOD NEWS.  Medieval Times has generously offered to give one lucky reader FOUR tickets to see the show here in Chicago!  Ready for the details?

To be eligible to win, all you have to do is make sure you 'Like' Medieval Times - Chicago on Facebook.  Then, leave a comment on this post sharing the first big sacrifice you remember making as a parent.  (If you're not a parent, leave a sacrifice you expect to have to make upon having kids.  If you don't plan on becoming a parent, just say that.  No worries.  We're all inclusive here.)

Good luck to all who enter!  (And don't worry if you don't live here - you get to pick the date of  the performance you'd like to see. Chicago is an awesome place to visit - I'll help you plan your trip!)

(To see all of the photos from our visit to the castle, check out my Instagram hashtag #mt_Chicago.  You can also follow Medieval Times - Chicago to see some really cool behind-the-scenes photos which are sure to get you excited about the prize!  Hurry up and enter!!)

Make this place your home...

It's hard for me to believe, but a year ago at this time, we were throwing the final items into boxes.  (Boxes that I would soon discover were so unorganized that it took us almost this full year to unpack and reorganize.)  It wasn't the most romantic wedding anniversary, but the whole process was symbolic  of the vows and promises I had made on that day four years before.

Moving day was an emotionally confusing day.  Calling it bittersweet just doesn't do it justice.  There was so much sadness.  But, there were also moments of excitement about the long journey that was spread out in front of us.  I remember someone saying to me when they heard we were moving, "It's going to be sad, but there is a certain excitement to going somewhere entirely new and just starting over."

Whoever that was - thank you.  You were right.

I miss my home.  Yes.  There is a hole in my heart where St. Louis used to be and I catch myself aching for some of our traditions we celebrated yearly while still living there.

Cardinals in Postseason has kind of become a yearly thing. Just sayin'.

But, for every second that I miss St. Louis - there is a moment of pure, unencumbered joy and gratitude for the life we are living here and the people that we share it with.  There are things that have taken some getting used to (everything literally shuts down during football games, it's like a ghost town.)  Some things (traffic patterns, for example) I may never enjoy.  But, I truly just LOVE it here.  (So much so that sometimes I feel like I'm cheating on my city a bit.)

I remember on the day we left that I watched The Arch become a tiny little dot in my rearview mirror my eyes blurred with tears and sad songs blaring on my CD player. And yet, every time I started to get scary sad and ugly cry, I would have a message of encouragement from someone back at home.  Messages that promised me it would be okay.  Messages that told me that they missed me already. Messages that allowed me to hope that not only was it going to be good - that it might just be even better.

To all of you who contacted me on one of the most defining days of my entire life - thank you.  And?  You were right.  It is okay.

The past two years that we have been in the process of relocating ourselves here has taught me so much about our strength as a couple; as parents; as people, in general.  And now that we get to live here in the beautiful now - I'm just so grateful and blessed about where this journey has taken us thus far.

So, happy first anniversary, Chicago - I think I'll keep you.
And, happy fifth anniversary to my husband - you can stay too.

Two is better than one...

I can feel the ache in my shoulders as I schluff out of bed hearing the becoming-more-familiar-by-the-day, "Nononono!"  Who knew that a magical milestone of turning two would be the beginning of having nightmares.  I always wonder what happens in those scary dreams of yours and I know, someday, sooner than we think, you'll be able to tell me.

I wonder if tonight will be one of those nights where I only have to rub your back and pile your blankets back on and you'll be back out.  Or, if I'll have to rock you endlessly while, even in the room lit dimly by a full moon, I can see your eyes shining back at me as if to say, "No way in hell I'm going back to sleep, mom.  Go ahead and plan your extra shot at Starbucks now.  It's gonna be a long day."

I wait to see if you're going to ask me, as you sometimes do in the middle of the night, where your dad is.  You do.

"Da?" (Hopeful.)
"He's still in Chicago, buddy."
"Da." (Falling off at the end, your statement a voiced disappointment.)
"I know."

You like us to be together.  You show me when you point to the open front seat in the van and say, "DA." to let me know where you want him to be.

You show me when I have to literally carry you around the house at night to prove to you I'm not hiding him anywhere. 

You show me when the three of us are standing too far apart, so you stretch your little hands and arms with all of your strength to pull us closer together.

You show me when you demand that I join you and your dad in the basement for some popsicles and The Golf Channel even though I have about a million things to accomplish in the short time when I have the luxury of dual parenting again.

I know you want us to be together, buddy.  Mommy is doing absolutely everything she can to make it happen.  And believe it or not - Daddy should probably be in Chicago more often than he is.  The thought of that makes me insanely upset and makes me forever in awe of military moms, single moms, and all of the other parents who consistently have to do it alone.  It really is better when the two of us are together.

And, we're going to be together again soon, buddy.  Thanks for being so patient with us.
Only a matter of days and this chapter of our life will finally, finally be over.

To help me find my place in this world...

For the first time in the history of New Mom on the Blog, I'm writing this post with absolutely no subject in mind.  Not exactly stream of consciousness.  (You better believe I'm using the delete button if anything sounds stupid.)

But, I've been away from the blog for far too long, and I miss it so much.  I write this blog from the perspective of a new mother and therefore try to keep the subject matter related to the many triumphs (and failures) of parenting.  So, usually my ideas just come from what is going on in my life as a mom.

At the moment, so much is going on in my life.  But, none of it really has to do with The Incredible Hulk other than the fact that he's the bright, sunshiny moment of every day.  And honestly?
We could use a little bit of sunshine.

We sold our first home and moved out with no where to go.
I'm currently living in the house where I grew up.  This is supposed to be a temporary situation.
Except there is no end in sight.

I made it very far through the interview process (as in FOUR interviews) of a job I would have really liked to have.

And, in the end, I didn't get it.

I found an even more perfect job working in a hospital part of the time on the psych floor and part of the time in the NICU (!!!!)

Only to find out the funding for the position has been suspended.  Indefinitely.

Listen, I know we're living in the most craptastic of economic times.
I know that they say you should expect 1 month of job searching for every 10K of salary you expect.

Well, if that's the case, I'm gonna be ROLLING IN IT when I finally find a job.

It has been really hard not to get down on myself right now.  We are just weeks away from closing on our dream home in Chicago and we won't even be able to live there until we can find a way to both collect a paycheck in the state where the dream home sits.

All the while, I'm also trying to make peace with the fact that I am preparing to say goodbye to the only place I've ever called home.

One day, I hope my husband and I can look back on this time in our life and tell TIH that we were as happy as we could possibly be.

That even though we were dirt poor, even though we had no idea what the hell we were doing, even though we wished away every bit of the time we were spending in this relocation limbo - that we were still happy.

Because we had each other
And so, we had everything we needed.

I'm gonna give all my secrets away...

I have a confession.  I’ve been keeping a secret since early May.

No.  I’m not pregnant.

A little over three years ago, I made a vow to my husband to be true to him in good times and in bad.  To love him and honor him forever and always.

In May, I had to make good on that promise.

I always knew it was a possibility.  He was up front and honest about it from the very beginning.  He was always supportive of me, my career, of everything I wanted to do with my life (outside of being a wife and a mother) -  how can I help but reciprocate?

So, in October when he officially asked me to make good on this promise I made, I did so gladly.  Without hesitation.  Without fear.

When the man you love tells you he will do everything in his power to provide for his family, you believe him.

When the man you love works his ass off “bringing home the bacon” and doing all he can to help us not to feel the effects of this shitty economy, you’re proud of him.

And, when the man you love tells you he has to move your family to Chicago to keep the job that puts a roof over your head and food on your table, you go.

Without hesitation.  Without fear.

You leave the city you have called home for almost 30 years and you strap on your armor and go into the light.

Dear readers, I’m giving all my secrets away.

We're moving to Chicago.

Stay tuned.