Y’all. Where do I even start???

I have a long, slightly convoluted story to tell you that results in CRAZY FUN NEWS for me.

Let me tell what is happening to me next week, that started all the way back in October in Greenville, SC at a little ole’ blogging conference called Allume.

Let me back up. There is this movie … Mom’s Night Out. Coming out Mother’s Day weekend …. you should go see it, really, but that part of the story will come later.

The lovely folks behind this movie were gracious enough to be sponsor a portion of the conference and hosted an open mike night.

I got up and read this story from my blog … I ugly cried all over the place, the stories of my girl, they are carved out of my raw places. In the course of the ugly crying, I may have mentioned that I was an Army wife, whose husband was about to do Army things like go to war.

And a very kind woman who shall go by Mrs. F, who also happened to be the marketing director for the movie, but more importatnly, was a decades long Army veteran and wife herself – she hugged me tight and helped me to wipe my tears away.

Fast forward to Febuary-ish, and the folks at Mom’s Night Out set up pre-screenings for various and sundry ministry and blogging type folks and I had the opportunity to attend one in Franklin, TN. I slogged through a torrential downpour in downtown Nashville, couldn’t find anyone to go with me, and ended up the sad middle aged lady alone in a crowded theater with her breast pump.

And now let me detour a little … the movie is Mom’s Night Out. {Disclaimer: No one is asking me or paying me or otherwise to say anything nice about this movie. All opinions here are my own, and unsolicited. Like most of my opinions}. 

And I sure was having a day where I needed to hear and remember that God designed me to do this motherhood job. I was created to glorify Him in the lives of my little ones. And His grace covers me when I don’t do it well. And I’ll be danged if I didn’t hear just that in between laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe. Go see the movie, really, it’s encouraging, yes, and just plain fun. 

So I may have cried a little, okay a lot, to myself in that movie theater and thought how great would it to be have a little Mom’s Night Out of our own when Mother’s day rolled around. I inquired about group sales at the door for our FRG and did a little explaining of the whole situation – Afghanistan, single parenting, Army wives, etc. He mentioned Mrs. F’s baclground and I said “Yes, well we might have met and yes, I did in fact ugly cry all over her but I doubt she remembers me …” And, he being a gracious young man, took my info and said, “I’ll see what I can do.”

Well.

“I’ll see what I can do” turned into Mrs. F and company arranging a private pre-screening of Mom’s Night Out for the deployed spouses and some other Army wives at Fort Campbell.

I WAS SO HAPPY. Free movie for my ladies, AND I had free babysitting, AND my hair was fixed! {Because I didn’t take a shower so the hairdo was leftover from the day before. It happens, people.}

And folks? When I’m happy, or excited, or both … I talk. A LOT. 

So they had this little interview booth with some nice young men asking questions about the movie and how it got set up and the like. I answered, overshared, and generally spewed all my words out about all the things. They were so gracious and kind in expressing their gratitude towards us and our spouses and all our sacrifice. We talked some more, and by we, I mean me, and I discovered their grandfather was a Medal of Honor winner. OF COURSE I totally geeked out over that and talked a bunch more, being me, and all.

You can imagine my chagrin when, after the movie, they were introduced as the directors. 

What you can’t imagine is my utter shock when they told us that they were picking someone from our group to attend the premiere {all expenses paid} in LA next week. The ultimate Mom’s Night Out, if you will.

Y’ALL. THEY PICKED ME.

Because I am uber-sophisticated, I responded by getting all red and sweaty, stammering something unintelligible, and then having to sit down because my legs were giving out.

Maybe they just read my epic Facebook weekend account and felt hugely sorry for me.

So me, and two other moms {and one guest each, shout out to my baby sister!!} from across the country, are flying to LA on Monday, going shopping with Sarah Drew, getting all dolled up, and walking the red carpet at the premiere.

You guys!!! Stuff like this doesn’t happen to me. I mean, I can’t lie, the thought of all those  cameras makes me want to throw up a little, because it turns out I would much rather be behind the screen, than on it.

But I am so overwhelmed, and so humbled by this gift.

And I am unceasingly grateful to represent a community of which I am fiercely proud to belong. 

So if you need me next Monday, I’LL BE IN HOLLYWOOD. Seriously, there will be TONS of pictures and I’m sure lots of stories of me sticking my foot in my mouth. It’s gonna be AMAZING. Plus, pampering. This poorly groomed mama is so dang happy.

Thanks to my fellow Army wives for being gracious and excited for me. Thanks to my FRG spouses for BEING AWESOME. Thanks to Allume, where I could get an encouraging hug from a fellow Army wife. Thanks to Mom’s Night Out for the trip of a lifetime, and a much needed refresher in the midst of my crazy, beautiful, life.

I CAN’T WAIT.

And go see the movie on May 9. Seriously.

~M.