Stranger Danger

OK, fine, some days I go to Fat Burger for lunch.

Today was one of those days. It was also one of those days where I became completely obsessed with some strangers. Weeks and weeks can go by where I don't even notice the people around me and then "BAM!", someone piques my interest and I'm enthralled with figuring them out.

So today it was this cute little family sitting a few table over. I have had a steady stream of wedding announcements, baby showers invites and photos of pregnant bellies as of late so maybe my brain is just extra tuned to families lately. I have been studying alot of them lately-observing the way the parents interact, the way they talk to their kids, how tired the moms look-just gathering information and filing it away.

Enter adorable Aliso Viejo Fat Burger family. Dad was super cute and casual in jeans and a t-shirt with square black hipster glasses, mom had long blonde hair and fresh looking makeup, and was clearly in good shape. Their little girl was wearing itty bitty Chuck Taylors and lit up when the jukebox lit up and started playing old Stevie Wonder songs.

I fell in love with them. They had newspapers and stuff strewn all over the table and were alternately talking to each other, to the baby and reading. It seemed like they were at home having breakfast. But they weren't. They were at Fat Burger on a Monday at 1:30. This made me like them even more. They didn't look like they eat hamburgers everyday or anything but I liked that they were letting the kid eat fries. Raise your hand if you got a Happy Meal now and then and still turned out to be a healthy adult. It made them seem reasonable and fun.

We got up to leave at the same time so I watched them go to their car. Silver Acura, very cute. She drove. So I've decided they came to take Daddy to lunch before they went home for a nap and some Mommy time. I was going to make him an architect (because I am obsessed with architects. I have always wanted to marry one. A creative career that requires smarts and can actually pay well? D-r-e-a-m-y)but he was dressed to casually so I turned him into graphic designer. She's staying home with the little one right now but she does some freelance writing. They live in a cute little pre-fab modern house in Mission Viejo with their Alaskan Malamute. Right now they are saving up for a trip to Iceland in August. They still haven't decided if they will take the baby or not but they do like the idea of encouraging interesting travel at a very young age.

I could go on and on but suffice it to say, although I like my life plenty, sometimes it's really fun to let yourself into someone else's for the afternoon. Even if you are making it up.