Paranoid? Or cautious?

Growing up in the era of America's Most Wanted, Unsolved Mysteries, Law and Order, and Crime Stoppers, I was taught to be on guard at any moment. Each face in the grocery store was possibly a criminal still on the loose. Was I paranoid? Or just being cautious?

This has followed me into my adult years.

One dark winter evening a few years ago, I pulled into a very busy grocery store parking lot. I had to park very far away from the doors, and earlier that day I had fallen down the stairs and twisted my ankle. I was limping pretty bad, but I needed a few ingredients for dinner that night.

I got out of the car, and as I was limping toward the doors, I noticed a man walking toward me. He started asking me if I could give him money for gas. I said "No!" a little too loud and shuffled as quickly as I could to the drive leading up to the store.

If only they just looked like a typical hoodlum.

I knew he was watching me hobble away.

Inside the store I figured I had better get a plan together. He knew where I parked. The lot was full, so it would have been easy to hide. He knew I was injured. If he wanted to attack or steal my purse, I would have been an easy target.

Along with my grocery items, I bought a set of knives that could easily be opened without scissors. As soon as I left the store I stood out front opening the set. I held the biggest one blatantly in my hand as I walked back to my car in the dark.

Sure, I looked crazy, but I will not go down because of stupidity.

When we moved to our small mountain community I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. People leave things open around here: Cars, garages, doors... My neighbor comes over and tells me if my dog gets out of my yard. My other neighbor told me she is a busy body that watches the neighborhood from her second story condo. He seemed annoyed, but I was grateful.

On Sunday, Dan granted me 3 exquisite hours of solo alone time. I needed to run some errands and do some shopping before our upcoming trip.

As I headed to Target, I noticed a big white truck riding pretty close behind. Close enough for me to worry when I hit my brakes extra hard approaching a yellow light. As I approached the next stop light, yellow again, I went through it and watched it change to red. The white truck, following ever closer, was still on my ass. There was no mistake that he ran the red light.

I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, making me pay attention. I veered over to make a left into Target and he was right behind me.

I turned quickly, while he waited for cars to go by. Our target parking lot is split into 2 different areas. I pulled into a spot and waited to see what he would do. Sure enough, he pulled into a space close to mine, and I sped off to the other end of the empty lot. I sat there waiting to see what he would do. He got out of his truck and watched mine.

With my heart racing, I left target. I circled back around and parked in the other lot, far from view of the white truck. I spent a long time perusing the isles and an additional 15 minutes just reading greeting cards. All the while, watching the people around me. I didn't see him again.

I don't know what would have happened, had I not noticed him, maybe it would have been innocent. However, I will never ignore my internal warning system, because crazy is everywhere. Even a small mountain community. Maybe even more so...

http://www.summitdaily.com/news/12041459-113/vanmatre-victim-according-mountain

Do you have any stories about that "feeling" that something isn't right? Did you protect yourself, or ignore it?

What's in a name?

long hours and hard work!

We are playing the name game again with baby #2. When I think we've settled on a name my husband comes home with 3 more to consider.

With Kenzie it was pretty easy. Consulting my pregnancy journal with her, confirms that we had her named before the gender ultrasound. If we were having another girl, we already had another name picked out.

Boys are tough. Not for everyone, but for some reason we just can't pick. We want something unique but not too unique. The first thing I do when Dan tells me a name, is to picture it on a resume. I have done HR for multiple companies and a first impression starts with a name.

One of our agreements to having kids was that Dan gets to pick the name. However, I have full veto rights. His middle name will be James, after Dan's father.

What's in a name? A lot of hard work and hours spent looking up meanings. Here are a handful of names that were ultimately vetoed: (and the images that pop into my mind when I hear that name)

Henry - this is a great name, but it certainly doesn't have the uniqueness I wanted.  It is still in the distant running, but only if the baby comes out with a crown and scepter.







Quigley -  seriously I am not joking.  I laughed when he said it, because I thought he was joking. He wasn't. I promptly vetoed it. I don't know who this guy is... but it seemed fitting.









Finch - I can't picture anyone other than David Spade in Just Shoot Me. When I think of Finch I think of junior high swirlies. Not gonna happen!

Fitz - I don't know why, but every 3rd name or so, he tries pulling out Fitz. He has tried Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick, and Honeyfitz. Honeyfitz?  Really? This poor boy wouldn't stand a chance unless he was wearing a top hat and monocle.

Kilian - This one is still in the running, but I picture a dark haired, brown eyed boy. If he looks even a fraction like Kenzie, this name won't work. She has blond hair and blue eyes and is alabaster white. Plus it is a little more unique than I wanted to go. If the boy comes out with any facial hair this will be his name.

 

Cullen - I do like the name, but 98% of my female peer group, and younger, would think we were naming him after the twilight vampire family. It's actually an Irish name and it's one of the better ones he picked out. Maybe we will still use this one if he is born with hazel eyes and fangs.



If you are reading this to see what names we have picked out, sorry to disappoint! I am saving our top 2 names at the moment. One is pretty much set in stone. The other is saved in the event that he comes out with red hair. Red runs in both of our families, so it's possible. We figure we should go with a good Irish name if that happens. Hint: it's not O'doyle.