Running Around in my Dreams

Good morning.

This blog post is brought to you by this great country we live in (Happy Birthday, USA!) and is powered by Starbucks (thank God you can get ANY tall coffee free today, not just Indivisible Blend (ick)).

So, here I am with my coffee and my banana I snuck in from home (who pays a dollar for a banana?) and a piece of very berry coffee cake in my tummy. I have my James Morrison Pandora station pumping into my headphones, but I still hear the sound of espresso grinding and ice being blended in the background.  I have a whole list of blog stuff to take care of.

I love the smell of Starbucks.

And I absolutely love doing this. I love writing. I love connecting with all of you.  I love hearing YOUR stories.  Thank you for sharing your lives with us.

Have you heard the song, "Running Around in my Dreams," by Tyrone Wells? I love it. YouTube it. It's sweet and romantic and make-you-smile acoustic. To me, there's something about just a guy and a guitar singing that makes me smile. It makes lyrics so easy to imagine, to write your version of story of the song in your head, and play it as the guy and the guitar make music.

It's been a great couple of days. 

Princess go her hair did.  

I made various foods on a stick for a picnic dinner.

Yesterday, Michael came into work with me.  We met some friends for lunch and enjoyed talking with them about life, politics and disability.  It was yet another example of how God is using this little blog to connect people.  It really is amazing. 

Then, last night, Michael, my friend Tracy, and I headed out to the West Front of the Capitol to watch the rehearsal for the Capitol Fourth concert. That's where the flag picture at the top of this post was taken. Hilarious side note: the flags they passed out for us to wave came from Oriental Trading Company. Wow. We really need to get to making stuff in America. 

Okay. Not going to go there because this is a happy slice-of-our-life post, right?

Right.

Going on July 3rd to the concert rehearsal is a tradition for DC area locals. Because the rehearsal is just like the concert, minus the fireworks, and the crowd is way smaller.

I packed up our picnic dinner and supplies, and T, M and I took the metro.  You should see the looks we get rolling through the metro like this.

People stare anyway.  But usually, they just stare once.  When I load Michael down like this, they look at least twice.  There was a time that people staring really bothered me.  But, when I make him this much of a pack mule, I even stare! So, it doesn't bother me.  I figure they either think I'm a horrible, lazy person who is taking advantaged of the handicapped, or I'm smart! :)

It was really humid out, and about 100 degrees and sunny, so I was a hot, sweaty mess in about 0.5 seconds. But I ate lots of ice, sprayed M down a million times, and we enjoyed our fruit and chicken and italian kabobs, as we waited for the concert to start.

Have any of you who have a wheelchair in your life ever been to a free community event with a "wheelchair seating area?" If you have, you have been there, too. Hoveround central, right? We were, as usual, surrounded by old people. But, they were really sweet. The 90 year old man beside Michael in the Hoveround offered some of his popcorn, as he spilled 1/3rd of it on to the ground.  Sweet veteran mushiness. These dudes and their wives are the cutest.  

Side note: As Tracy and I were coming in and setting our chairs down a woman glared at us and informed us that that is the handicapped seating area so we needed to move.  I said, "my husband is in a wheelchair," then I wondered exactly where said husband was.  I looked back and realized he was stuck in the grass. I may have been a little too eager to bust into the kabobs.  Oops.  I went back to get him and then the lady moved. Haha. I didn't mean to make her feel like a shmuck, really, I didnt'.

Michael went to find his friend Jason who was there working. I was worried when he left us to find Jason that Tracy and I would be kicked out of the wheelchair area.  Michael told me if we were questioned to "make a stroke face." Hahahahahaha. That is so offensive, and so wrong, and so funny. I love this man and his sense of humor.  For the record: No one said anything to us.  Besides, our 90 year old friends in Hoverounds would have had our backs anyway, I know it.

They didn't make it through the entire rehearsal because a thunderstorm was coming in, so the Capitol Police ordered everyone to leave. We did get to see Josh Turner and Javier Colon and John Williams and what we did get to see was great!

It was a great evening with my husband, and seeing friends made it feel like we live in a small town.  I guess that's what living in the same place for 5 years will do.