Grocery Shopping and Internet Dating

After almost seven years of shopping at the base grocery store you think I would learn to avoid payday. Today I drove on base for what was going to be a peaceful shopping trip only to find an insane parking lot when I remembered it was payday. Payday at the commissary is nothing short of organized insanity. Well today like many trips I have taken before was no different. As I grabbed my cart and entered into the fruit and veggie department I heard a recorder. Remember those from middle school band? The things they give you before you can be trusted with your real instrument. Not that I was in band or played the saxophone ;) Well a boy about 5 years old was playing his recorder. Not really a song just a lot of high notes. Well he kept it up for most of the fruit and veggie area then on to the meat area. I was thinking maybe this was my sign that I should become a veggie. High notes coming from a recorder could be nothing short than a sign from God at this point. The little boy ended up sticking his "recorder" in the meat packages and breaking the plastic on about all the hamburger and was starting on the steak when his mom finally noticed. The lady looked at her son and words were exchanged before the meat covered recorder was taken away. I wanted to tell her it was going to be ok and it wasn't that bad, but since I didn't have Isla with me I felt I would be like an enemy in the battle field out of uniform where she wouldn't know if I was an ally aka: another parent or the enemy a stuck up person thinking watch your kid. So I kept walking and put my meat on my need to get at Safeway list. I heard the lady tell another woman that she was new to the base and things had just been really crazy because she didn't know anyone yet. I think this is one of the hardest parts of military life when you have small kids is moving to a place where you don't know anyone. When you have small kids it is so hard to get out and meet people.

I guess a series of instances like this one pushed me to either my lowest point socially or the best thing I have done in a long time............. I am internet dating. Now don't freak out and check my relationship status I am not talking E-Harmony I am talking about meeting other mom's. Now don't get me wrong I truly love all my friends with older kids, no kids, younger kids, but there is just something about having a people you can talk to about day to day issues going on with your baby. A person that totally understands how it feels to be Cinderella showing up for the ball one minute with the cutest, sweetest baby in the world, only to later look at your watch to see how close to nap time it is to have to make a quick stage left before it all falls apart. So a few weeks ago I went out on www.meetup.com and connected with a great group of mom's in a baby group here in the Springs. I went into my first "meet up" not really knowing what to expect. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a group of crazy internet people (might I add that I was now one of them) meeting at a park like total strangers? I am happy to report that I actually met some really great nice people and I am very excited to get together with my new "internet friends" more often.

Did I put myself out there for any one reason? A part of me didn't want to be a mom in four years having a break down in the meat department with my child playing a recorder. Another part of me knows that Isla needs to be around other kids and yet another part of me loves having people I can laugh with about all the crazy mom stuff. So yet another new adventure coming my way, but I am very excited about this one. :)