“The state fair is in town, and tonight, there’s a big concert.
Fergie married North Dakota’s favorite hometown movie star, Josh Duhamel, a few years ago, which cemented her as North Dakota’s favorite pop singer pretty much as soon as the vows were exchanged.
And North Dakotans are nothing if not fiercely loyal, so when Fergie and Josh are in town, people go a little bananas.
“Are you going to Fergie?!”
“My sister saw Josh while she was at the mall today!!”
“I can’t wait for Saturday!”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard versions of these excited conversations over the past few days, or the number of pictures shared on Facebook of “our” A-listers around town, arms slung around grinning fans.
And why not, right? It’s fun to say a movie star is from your humble hometown, and when his rock star wife schedules a concert at the grandstand on a perfect summer night, you go.
You go unless you’re firmly planted in mom life like I am.
I’ve got four kids. Mosh pits and twentysomethings spilling beer and sweating all over aren’t really in my wheelhouse, even on a Saturday night.
Are they having a great time over there at the concert tonight, rocking out to a talented singer and reveling in the intoxicating funnel-caked air?
You bet. And I know more than a few moms who are in that crowd tonight, loving every second, I’m sure. Heck, Fergie herself is a mom to a young son.
And you know what? More power to ’em.
We live near enough to the fairgrounds to hear the concert pretty well from our yard, and when the wind is right, it’s almost like we’re there. Minus the sloshing beer.
So tonight, my middle daughter and I climbed into a lawn chair together, ate cotton candy ice cream, and talked about freckles.
We breathed in the scent of summer and the sound of the wind rustling the leaves mingled with that boom-boom-boom from the fairgrounds.
We lived one of those countless little moments that add up to an entirety of motherhood.
Is it as memorable as a Fergie concert, or a run-in with a movie star? Nah. I’m sure neither one of us will remember this particular night a few years down the road.
That’s OK.
Because these little things? They keep me home from the big concert and leave me sitting in a lawn chair analyzing eye color with a three year old instead.
How lucky am I.” 💗
Credit: Assignment: Mom