I am legitimately scared....

So the new thing on the block is that bill that passed for transgender people to use certain bathrooms.  Been causing a big uproar and many people are mad about it.  Now that it's happening, there's also news that people are using that to try and attack women and whatnot.  What the fuck??  I mean, really??  Is this what our society is coming to?  I get that a lot of these people could have a mental illness and may not act like this if they didn't.  Or maybe they would, I have no idea. Anyway, it makes me super scared for me and my girls.  Growing up, I didn't have any troubles with anyone around me.  I played in the park by myself, I went for walks around the "long block" in my hometown of Mapleton, ND, I rode bike all the way to the Coop with absolutely no troubles.  Nowadays, it's like everywhere you turn, there's some story about some person either watching, or trying to approach kids and attacking women.  I want to give my kids the freedoms that I had growing up.  My parents trusted that I wouldn't do anything stupid when I was out playing.  But now, I'm not so sure that I'll be able to.  Maybe none of the things I see in the news will affect us.  But I'd be remiss to actually think nothing like that could touch my life.  Things happen all over, and it very well could happen in Fargo.  Seems like as the years go by, people get more and more dangerous. It just makes me sick.  What happened to people leaving each other the hell alone, and actually being nice to one another.  With the age of technology advancement came all the bullshit too.  Nothing seems to be sacred and it's so much easier to prey on people.  As always, I know times have changed.  Nothing is as it used to be, and that makes me sad.

Thank you to those that respond back to my daughter.

Dear people who indulge my 3 year old when she decides to talk to you.  Thank you.  To the man who was stopped next to us at the stoplight, to the Walmart cashier who did his/her best to have a conversation with her while we were checking out, to the random people that walk by and she says "hi" to you 40 times.  I know it can get a bit annoying, but thank you....really.  My little girl loves talking to people and it just makes her day when someone talks back to her.  She gets so excited and always tells Grant or I that she "said hi to peoples".  The smile that lights her face just makes me happy.  Rest assured, if she starts getting to be a little much or she just wont stop, I will ask her to stop.  I love that my little girl is so social.
When we were leaving the park yesterday, there was a mom who was standing right next to her.  As she got into the wagon, she said bye to this mom.  The mom didn't even bat an eye.  Izzy, being herself, just kept saying it in hopes she would look at her and say bye back.  But she didn't.  To you I say shame on you.  You have kids yourself, even ones that are older than mine.  You know how they are and you know how they can love talking to people.  I know it's not your "duty" to say anything back, but it is common decency.  I don't ask you to carry on a 5 minute conversation with her.  I was just hoping you would say something back so she knows that you aren't ignoring her.  But you didn't.  You just stood right next to her, watching your child on the playground (which I commend you for making sure your child was safe), letting her say bye to you over and over.  I'm trying to teach my girls that there is good in people and to always be nice, and you didn't help.  So thanks for that.  You're not helping.

Political Debates

Grant got into it tonight with a friend on Facebook about politics...well got into it isn't the right phrase. He actually debated with this guy. I was a little surprised because I don't see an actual debate anymore. Now, it seems like any political post that's done on Facebook is met with insults, name calling, and just being straight up disrespectful. I don't get why is so ungodly offensive for someone to have a different view or opinion from someone else. I kept up with that conversation because it was entertaining, plus I liked the different views.
I don't usually post anything political because of the risk I'll get slammed for it. But I have an idea...ready? If someone posts something that is a different view than yours, and you plan on commenting something that isn't much more than insults or saying it's stupid, how about you just keep scrolling....k?

Hot Cars

Now with the weather starting to warm up, albeit very slowly, I see a lot of posts on Facebook about leaving babies and pets in hot cars.  Along with some of those are comments that the person wouldn't feel bad at all for breaking a window to let the animal out.  Now, for the most part I'm with you.  But I just hope that before any window smashing or calls to CPS, you'd actually check to make sure the child/pet is in danger.  I know times have changed (and by a ton!), but sometimes the child/pet is in absolutely no danger and doesn't need to be rescued. It almost saddens me that people now have to put a sign up on the window that says things like "My mom/dad just ran in quick and left the AC on so I am just fine. Please don't break the glass!". It makes me think that the phrase "it takes a village..." is taken a bit too seriously.
Before we had kids, Ace came with Grant and I almost everywhere we went when we ran errands.  He loved coming with!  But we only did it if we weren't going to be in the store for very long.  Trips to the grocery store or the mall, he stayed home.  But if we went to the gas station, or the bank...places like that, he'd come with.  When we went into the store, we'd always make sure to leave the car running with the air conditioner on or a window open if it was a cool enough day to not need the AC.  Now that we have the girls, it can be a huge pain in the butt to lug them in and out of stores if I'm only running in for 1 or 2 things.  Sometimes it would take longer to get them out of the car than it would for me to just run in quick.  They usually want to bring a toy or stuffed animal with to entertain themselves on the way and it just makes more sense to leave them in the car while I run in quick.  But I'm so worried some nosy Nelly is going to see me go in, see the girls in the car and immediately call me in...even if they are not in any danger at all.  I don't like that feeling.

I guess what this whole post boils down to is this:  If you see an animal or a child in the car and you know the parent is in the store...make sure they are in danger before you take action.  Sometimes it warrants intervention, and sometimes it doesn't.

I dont get it

It's probably not much of a secret that when I drink wine, I get really reflective.  That happened again tonight.  I was trying to put that I went to a certain college, but it posted to Facebook as though I had just started.  Someone who I thought was a supremely close friend of mine commented that she was really happy for me and that she hoped it was for teaching or something.  The first thing I thought was are you actually happy for me? because I haven't talked to said person in a long time.  I left the place we worked at, and our friendship went downhill from there.  Friendship is kind of a hot topic for me because I cant seem to keep any friends that I've made after high school.  I can only seem to keep two friends, and even one of them seems to be dicey here and there.  I don't like that someone who I thought was a great friend of mine, only to decide someone else is a better friend, comments on just some of the things I post.  Especially when I see them at a store, and it seems like they cant get away from me fast enough.  ok it probably wasn't me personally, but it's still how it seemed.  We had so much in common and we got along so great, and I seriously thought I'd have this friend in my close circle forever, and it just doesn't seem to be happening.  And I hate that.  I hate that we drifted so far apart to where we don't even communicate outside of the Facebook world.  That makes me sadder than she probably knows..or even cares.  She has her own little world now and I just don't seem to be apart of it anymore.  I hate that, but I guess that's how it's going to be.  I can either deal with it, or just delete her and say fuck it...but chances are I'll get a request from her later on if I delete her anyway...sigh.  I hate my friendship status some days.