Julie & Julia- The Park Wife's Review

Big Buckaroo went to work on our cabin in the mountains, man language for going hunting and pounding a few nails in the siding of the cabin when not hiding from Bambi with the intent to kill.

After a fun day with my friend Dore' and her Divas in Training on my Little Buckaroo's 7th birthday, I put the Buckaroos to bed and got all comfy on the couch to watch a chic flick. Whew, no shoot 'um up movies since my man is off being all manly.

Yep, I watched Julie and Julia last night. I never got to the theatre to see it, surprise.

The movie is a must see for bloggers. The Julie side of the story explores all those blogging themes you’re familiar with: the ease of blog creation, wondering if anyone is reading, the thrill of the first comment, the puzzlement of family over this “blog thing”, craving the approval of perfect strangers, the struggle at times to continue posting regularly, and the dream of a book deal (well, a book deal is not in my future, but maybe for some of my bloggity friends).

But, oh my, the blogging part is not what inspired me the most.

Now, I am not what is termed a foodie, but I love to eat, the extra weight really is not considered baby weight anymore. However, I am not a great cook and have been known to use the smoke detector as my kitchen timer...on many occasions. So, the cooking was not what inspired me either.

So, it was not the blogging and it was not the cooking. What was it?

It was Julia (oh, Meryl Streep WAS Julia). It was Julia Child's spirit, her great love for her husband, her courage, the pursuit of her dreams plus the fact that she used real butter! Julia Child began learning to cook when she was thirty-seven years old, wow, there is hope for me yet, although I am a year behind, I better get going. She started because she wanted to feed her husband Paul. She started because she’d fallen in love with great food, because she was in Paris and because she didn’t know what else to do. I can understand that, well, except for the Paris thing.

It was about doing something--- be it cooking, blogging, exercising, parenting, etc. --- brilliantly and with gusto. I love that and I want that.

Confessions time: I flip flop on so much in my life with the things I am doing, I am not sure what it is that I am passionate about (aside of my husband and kids) and what it is I do out of obligation. I ponder that often.

One of my favorite scenes is when the Child's and their friends celebrate Valentine's Day. I saw an expression of love and trust so deep and enduring and joyous and sexy that it makes most expressions of movie romance feel like whipped cream made with skim milk and Splenda.

I am blessed to have a supportive husband that just smiles and tells me to let him know where to be and what time to be there so he can support whatever it is I am doing. Plus, he adores me and still loves me passionately 10 years into our marriage, I could not ask for more in a husband.

But, I am running in circles, doing what I think should be done, not what makes me come alive. And, honestly at times, I am doing so many things at once that I am doing none of them well.

I honestly am not sure what my thing is. What I do know is that in this season I am to focus on being the best wife and mother I can be. And, hope and pray that I will find what it is that Julia found, something that made her passionate, knowledgeable, and completely fearless.

I am one of the "servantless" American housewives Julia wrote for, now if I can quit burning or serving raw meat, I will be happy. Well, actually Big Buckaroo will be very happy. I better go buy her cookbook.

Bon appetit! (said in my best Julia Child voice)
The Park Wife