Today I am liking Mayberry. Today. The tides turn fast around here, so next week I may be perusing a North Carolina Real Estate website.

Yesterday was our school budget vote. Of course it has been the talk of the town for weeks. It passed. I thought it would, but there are those moments when you hold your breath before you know the outcome. I am glad. Of course that means tax increases but nothing much you can do about that. Our kids will play sports, sing songs, learn instruments, take the classes they need for college so it's all good.

We have a school district art festival on voting day and kids have art displayed and sing in their chorus, or play in their band for all. My Diva sang with her group for the last time at the festival, so that was bittersweet. I stayed for the elementary school chorus and they were adorable. Up and coming HS Musical stars.

I have decided to step up and be the PTA President of my little one's school. It was not in my original plan...but we plan God laughs, right? Yeah right. Had a lovely meeting with the school principal and I think we will work well together. He is the only principal in the district that I didn't really know. (this is a newish school to my family) But I did see a principal I have know for years last night as well...it's nice to reminisce with her since she has known my kids for 13 years.

Junior was with me this morning when I dropped Mike at school. (he was going in late...home studying in the morning for the Italian Regents) and he laughed as we drove to and from the school at how many times I waved or stopped my car to talk to "random people". He wanted to know if I thought I was in a parade waving to everyone on the street. (wiseass... I don't know where he gets that from). I never realized it but I guess I do that everyday. I wave to other parent friends dropping off their kids, to kids on the street walking to school, my friend who walks her dogs, the custodian who directs morning traffic.

These are the little things I take for granted every day that I would miss terribly if I moved to a big brand new house in a cheaper warmer climate. I like that everybody knows my name, knows my story, cheers for my kids as I do for theirs. I like that I will go get my hair done today in the back shop of my friends house. I will get my "do" for a reasonable price, have a few laughs and compare "notes". Then maybe I will pop down the street when I'm done to see my friends' new pool.

It's good to be a "townie". Today.

Just say no to cheaper warmer climates - there is something good about high oil, high taxes, freezing your ass off - at least you have good friends to share all that fun with!

Last night was opening night for "The Wedding Singer" Mayberry's High School Musical. The kids were awesome of course.  Their talent is amazing. I have spoken before about these "children of my heart". This time though it really hit home since these kids I have known for ever. They are the ones that sat next to my kid in kindergarten. They were my kid's "rival" all through school, and now, all grown up they are close friends, partners in crime. They are the "little kids", the freshmen in their first HSM, nervous, excited but always looked after by the "old" kids.

We parents working side by side, doing hair, makeup, making hot tea for singers, feeding them spoons of honey to soothe their voices. We are their "moms" backstage while their real moms sit in the audience nervously waiting for the curtain to open.

If I am being honest I have not been a fan of Mayberry the past few weeks. The "dark" side of small town life had reared it's ugly head. It does now and again. But after a few weeks of that, last night wiped out all my evil thoughts, and I have stopped my plotting of people's demise (for now).

The next two days as the show continues, I will pin hair with bobby pins, do stage makeup, calm nervous Stars, then sit in the dark audience, crying happy tears for my Diva and for the little boy who sat next to her in Kindergarten, who no one knew could sing, belt out his solos. I will exchange pats on the back with parents of other Divas and be truly happy for each others kids.

I am hoping Mayberry's evil head with chill for awhile. All this fun is exhausting but battling evil is draining. I am rooting for future fun!

Yes, Jenn I am going there. C'mon, did you really think I wouldn't? It's too good to pass up. Besides my last post was cranky and I wouldn't want people the think I am cranky all the time.

OK, so I wrote about the Hookah Bar comes to Mayberry a few months back. (Side note: it's still there...I never seen anyone go in or out...but I hear they have a belly dancer... wtf?) As if that's not enough, later on we had a "city-esque" waxing place open up on Main Street. That's fine. Whatever. I am not paying 3x what the nail place charges to have my eyebrows waxed though. (Even if the girl at the nail place ends up waxing what turns out to be my whole face when I go in for a little maintenance, which in turn leads me to believe I have been walking around looking like Abraham Lincoln...but I digress) I even found it amusing when they had their sign outside for the week long special on "Backs, Cracks and Sacs" (I cannot make this up) But their latest special takes the cake.

I do pride myself on being relatively hip for a 40something year old mother of three. I know the words to most pop songs. on the radio even if they make my 15 year old son cringe when I sing them in the car. I try not to wear "mom" clothes all the time. Was it not I, that explained what the Po-Po was to my other 40something friend? Seriously. But this one slipped by me. Apparently I live under a rock, but I was in the dark when it comes to Vagazzling.

Yes, you read that right. And yes it means what you think it means. There's the Bedazzler. You can buy one and bedazzle your t-shirts, jeans. Vagazzling means in a nutshell Bedazzling your vajayjay. Good grief. Now I have heard everything. And people are getting their vajayjay's bedazzled on Main Street????

You can Google it yourself to get a visual, but seriously. But if you are of the faint of heart, picture crystal jewels semi-glued (on the outside) in any pattern you would like. Butterfly, peace sign, flower (no pun intended).... Hmmm. Yeah, no thanks. I simply don't get it. Do you drop your pants and show your friends like you do a new tattoo? Unless there's a pole and lots of dollar bills where you work, I don't get it.

And in case Vajazzling is not for you there's always Betty Dye.  Brown, auburn, purple, pink, red, green, blue, blonde, and orange.  And while we are at it how about a stencil? Custom shaped hearts (for your lover?),stars (if you take it out at night?), money sign(for the money shot obviously), a bow tie(for formal events?), lighting bolt (I have no idea...) etc...WHAT???????????????????????? Why?????????????

I know I am old but seriously??? And while we are at it again, who the hell does this for a living? I am not sure I could get out of bed in the morning if my day was going to consist of vajayjay adorning. Really. When I die, if there's a bedazzler and a line of vajaysjays waiting for me....I'll know which way I went.

Jenn's two cents:  I think you are very interested in this whole vajazaling business since I brought it to your attention...just sayin'. 

Cara and I have both talked about living in Mayberry, Small Town, USA, call it what you will, but we call it home. Last night was Homecoming. Each class of the HS makes a float and parades it down main street with the band playing and the cheerleaders from all the schools cheering and the students all dressed in school colors and hair colored purple. My youngest is a cheerleader this year and this was her first homecoming parade. At 7 years old, the concept of homecoming is not one she really gets, but what she did get was the people cheering and the girls screaming their cheers and the camaraderie of it all. I kept seeing her and her friends hugging and high-fiving. Whatever they were doing, this homecoming thing, they knew it was fun and they were having fun doing it. My oldest was off with his friends somewhere, I knew he would show up at home by 7 - when I told him to be there. He kept texting me, letting me know where he was and what he was up to. He didn't really need to bother with the texting - small town has it's advantages. He was seen by many, I got the reports. I know when he is at the pizza place or the deli or crossing main street in the middle of the road and not at the light. My middle girl was with me - some of her friends were going to the Football game - but she didn't want to - she was happy hanging with me and my friends - wonder how much longer that will last. She is my homebody though and would rather be home than anywhere else. Her girlfriends kept texting her the score of the game - of course our town crushed the other - I guess they make sure they have a weaker team to play on homecoming. Tomorrow is the homecoming dance - something I don't have to worry about until next year when my oldest enters HS.

My niece and nephew, who live in the big city will never get to experience homecoming and I am sad for them. I was a city kid too - I never got to go to homecoming. I thought it was something that only happened on TV during those mushy Lifetime or Hallmark movies. Homecoming is a tradition in so many small towns across our country and it is good to give our children a sense of home, of belonging, of community. Last night the town got together and celebrated, it was a great feeling and I am happy to be a part of it. I am glad I live in Mayberry.

Cara's two cents: And topping off an evening of dinner at the local pizza place and the hometown parade with hot chocolate at your new place (a stone's throw from the parade route) was memories in the making. Yes, yesterday was a great day to live in Mayberry.

OK so it wasn't THAT bad. It was a gorgeous day to be sitting outside from 7:30 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon.

People actually bought most of my crap. Of course we gave some stuff away...yeah big surprise. The adorable twin girls across the street have recently begun to play with American Girl dolls. We had AG stuff for sale. So we let them pick what they wanted. My favorite set of twins needed a new picnic table and much to my delight their mommy took that home when she stopped by for a bit. To be honest I would much rather give my stuff (this wasn't crap this was good stuff...just had it's day in my house and needed to move on) to someone who can use it.

That's what we told ourselves all day. It's a little weird to me to see someone I don't know walking away with my stuff. I almost want to say goodbye to it. (issues again, I know! I know!) But really? What good are those cute little beanie dolls Sam had that were sitting down in the basement on a high shelf never being played with anymore? Yes she used to love them. But no one even looks at them anymore. Isn't it better to see a little girl walking away hugging them? Now they will be loved. No more sitting down in the dark basement on a shelf. I like to imagine them with their little cute faces sitting on that little girl's bed.

I sold all my mugs too, except for one! No more puppy mugs! The woman that bought them was going to let her grandchildren use them when they came over. Isn't that better than being cursed at every time I opened that cabinet? (which by the way is breathing a sigh of relief now as I type). Friends stopped by to shoot the breeze (and to secretly check and see if the mugs were gone too I think!) We all ate pizza for lunch sitting on the curb with our neighbors and laughed at each other as we definitely got swindled by a few savvy garage sale experts. Not to mention the Iced Tea Sale was a big hit. Kids made about $25.....not bad at 25 cents a cup! How could you resist those faces? What a racket!