Lately I've noticed that my activities with James comprise a new element - he's been playing and interacting, goofing around in such a way that it's just fun to watch him have fun.

I can say now, "James, we're going to the park!" and see something click in his head. Going for his shoes, he knows he's in for a good time. Once he sees the playground, another light goes on in his little head. It's play time!

He's playing much more with "big kid" equipment. Climbing the steps in the tots play area, and going down the tiny slide. But it's all still completely novel, and he approaches it all with some awe and reticence.

He's also just a goofball. He likes to stand and stomp his feet in place, doing a little dance. When he sees something he's really excited about - a truck, or another kid maybe - he babbles some gibberish in an authoritative squawk and points to the sky with his right arm thrust up in the air, and keeps it there while walking toward the object of interest. He also prances around the kitchen now with his hands clasped behind his back, or just one tucked behind there - our little Napoleon.

It's a whole new thing to watch him having fun like this, and our activities are much more geared toward getting him out and letting him explore. No longer content with the limited movement the indoors' provide, he's a boy on the move. And, I suspect, the adventuring will only continue, reaching heights for which I'm not ready!

James "chasing birds" at the school field.

Nostalgia

Two weeks ago, Ted and I had the chance to "walk down memory lane" together. Actually, it's more like we ran laps around it!

The location for this nostalgic jog: Elk Grove Park, just about 35 minutes from Carmichael. The occasion: 105.3's free mega pet event Pet-a-Palooza.

Wait a second, you're rightly wondering. What does a pet event in Elk Grove have to do with YOU, Katharine Oswald?

On the surface, nothing. Except that the final flourish on Pet-a-Palooza's day-long event was a (free) concert by HANSON. Yep, as in the Hanson brothers, from Tulsa, OK: Isaac, Taylor, Zac. The three males that took up oodles of my time and creative energy in junior and high school :)

Sixteen years after ripping their posters off my bedroom wall, I got to revisit Hanson's music at an outdoor concert with my One and Only.  He good-naturedly went along, and we turned this into a outing that involved some special Oswald nostalgia to top it off.

First - Hanson. My obsession with the Tulsa trio lasted way too long and was infamous among close family and friends. I don't recall now how many times I saw them in concert (again, 16 years have passed), nor how many times I met them in person. (You could say I stalked them... if visiting their hometown and chasing them around L.A. counts as stalking...), but my immersion in the world of Hanson fandom was complete. I was a high school student by day, and a Hanson junkie by night (I built and curated my own Hanson fan website - 'nuff said :)

This is where the title of the post should be changed to "Confessions of a Former Hanson Fanatic." But, we'll save some of those soppy and hysterical details for another time. Suffice it to say, I had all their music memorized; I knew their birthdays by heart; their favorite colors, songs, etc. I loved them from Mmmbop (13 for me) till wedding bells chimed for their lead singer, Taylor (18), so it's no wonder that their music and personalities played a big role in my teenage "upbringing." It's also no wonder I needed a 16-year break to get "sober!"

But our afternoon in Elk Grove Park was a fun one. The music they write continues to be fun. It's got a lot more funk mixed in with the pop/rock. I told Ted that probably the biggest reason Hanson isn't considered "cool" is because they don't appear grungy, unhappy, or addicted to drugs. (That, and that they looked and sounded like girls when their first songs flew to the top of the charts worldwide. That's a hard image to shake.)

The park holds other memories near and dear to me. It's in this park, nearly 9 years ago, that Ted and I had our Faux Wedding celebration. Orchestrated by mother-in-law Lee Ann, it was a hilarious affair complete with washer wedding rings and a golden retriever "ring bearer." I wore a thrift store "wedding dress," and it was all just absolutely goofy.

More important to Ted's childhood is the location of the park. He ran through Elk Grove park as a teen, and his childhood home is just a mile or so away. Elk Grove Jr. High and High School, where he attended, are just across the street. We don't often get to visit this place as a a couple. But each time we have, it's been full of sweet and wacky reminiscences. 

A post-concert "selfie" at Elk Grove Park.