My Mom

My mom is an amazing woman. I remember as a little girl my mom taking hours to fix her hair and put on makeup. She would also spend a fair amount of time fixing my hair while I sat in the little wooden chair in front of her. I hated it when she would thump my head witg the hairbrush for squirming. I loved all the books she would buy me from Scholastic and my set of Charlie Brown encyclopedias. She would hold me and rub my hair when I was sick. She had the sweetest voice. I loved when she would sing to me. My mom can do anything. She can quilt, sew, paint, embroider, crochet, build, do household repairs, decorate, shoot a gun with precision, and cook. She is very creative and very resourceful. Whenever I had strep she would take me to Wendy’s for chili and a frosty. She taught me that if I had everything I wanted, what would I have left to wish for. She came to college to visit me and bring treats such as my Valentine’s basket. She taught me everything I need to know to run a household and entertain. When I was getting married she worked hard to pay for my wedding. She made sure I had everything that was important to me for the wedding. She trusted me and in return she gave me a lot of freedom. I was careful not to break her trust. She supported me when I didn’t want to have a baby for 5 years, when I didn’t want children at all, and finally when we decided to only have one. She loves and supports me no matter what I do.

My Dad

When I was little my dad seemed huge and a little bit scary. Now I know he is just a big teddy bear. He is my constant, my thermometer. He is the one I turn to when I need a fair assessment of the situation. What will always remember of dad is Old Spice and mackeral soup. In kindergarten he would take me to the same restaurant for grilled cheese (and to see a boy). He was kind enough to let Santa borrow his red Dodge truck. He let Brian and me keep a pony he found in our woods. He sat up all night with Thunder that cold night in February when he died. He would let me have a cat even though he hates cats. Outside of his unconditional love for me, his life lessons mean the most.

1. Family comes first.
2. Don’t cry over spilled milk.
3. If you can’t pay for it now, how are you going to pay for it later?
4. How do you feel when other people gloat?
5. Be nice to your husband, he is a good man.

These are the big lessons-some I am still working on. I feel so blessed to be chosen to be the daughter of such an amazing man.

Bucket List

I received an e-mail today about the Bucket List.  It made me think about the movie and what it is I want to do before leaving this earth.  So below is part of my bucket list–both my answers to the e-mail and the ones I added.

(  ) Been to Europe 

(  ) Been on a cruise

(X) Gone on a blind date

(  ) Skipped school,

(X) Watched someone die

(X) Been to Canada

(  ) Been to Mexico

(X) Been to Florida

(X) Been on a plane

(X) Been lost,

(X)  Been on the opposite side of the country,

(X) Gone to Washington, DC,

(  ) Been to Vegas

(  ) Climbed a lighthouse

(X) Swam in the ocean

(X) Cried yourself to sleep

(X)  Seen the Cherry Blossoms in Washington , D.C.

(X)  Played cops and robber

(  ) Flown a plane

(  ) Owned a boat,

(  ) Watched grandchildren grow

(X) Recently colored with crayons

(  ) Been to the Kentucky Derby

(  ) Been to Key West

(X)  Been to a rodeo

(X)  Sang Karaoke

(X) Paid for a meal with coins only

(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t

(X) Made prank phone calls.

(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose

(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue

(X) Danced in the rain

(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus

(X)  Been kissed under the mistletoe

(X) Watched the sunrise with someone

(X) Seen the green flash at sunset

(X) Blown bubbles

(X) Gone ice-skating

(X) Gone to the movies

(  )  Owned a convertible

(  ) Been to France

(  ) Been to London

(  ) Been to Hatfield England

(  ) Been to the Hatfield/McCoy Reunion  

(  ) Been to all 50 States

(  ) Gone to a SuperBowl

(  ) See Curtis’ Grandchildren

(  ) Celebrate my 50th Anniversary

Sick Day

Today was a sick day for Curtis. At 6:00am I am awakened to the beloved sound of him barking like a seal. This sound is so distinctive that it has allowed me to jump from my bed to his bed in a single movement. He has croup. I am not as scared this time as in previous times. Is this because of experience? Have we encountered this situation so much and survived that I can remain calm. Now I am able to act, following the protocol. Give him cold medicine to treat the symptoms, start the humidifier, take him into the bathroom after a steamy shower, call the doctor so he can start prednisone, pace all night to make sure his airway hasn’t completely closed. So far this time we have been lucky. Curtis hasn’t coughed a lot today and I think we caught the croup early enough that he will be back at school tomorrow. He hasn’t had croup since last February, so hopefully we will get lucky and this will be it for this year.

Happy New Year!

Wow! It is hard to believe another year has gone by so quickly. 2008 was all in all a good year personally. Socially–bankrupties were up, home forclosures were up, the banks required a bailout, the auto industry nearly collapse, the stock market drastically fell, gas was over $4.00 and now back down to a $1.50, factories are closing, unemployment is high, crime is up. So how do we see hope in such bleakness? Well first, God is with us. We aren’t going through this alone. This is also an opportunity for us to re-evaluate our priorities. I am as guilty (if not more so) of getting caught up in a booming economy. But when it comes down to it, family is a beautiful gift that we have received and we need to take time to enjoy each other. We need to remember the simple pleasures of life again and reconnect, build relationships. So as we start a new year, what a wonderful time to set new goals.

Thanksgiving Lunch

Today was Curtis’ Thanksgiving Lunch at school. We had so much fun. The families attend with their children and it is a great opportunity for the parents to talk to each other while the kids play. I am a little sad because this is Curtis’ last lunch. The past five have brought such wonderful memories.

Election 2008

Obama elected president! What an election year. The democratic primary season was very intense between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The intensity only increased between Barack Obama/Joe Biden and John McCain/Sarah Palin. As Election Day drew nearer, people’s emotions only grew. Regardless of which candidate you supported, people could not see both sides of the story. Somebody was wrong. Yard signs were everywhere, even in my yard. The one thing we could all agree on is Bush has ran this country into the ground and we desparately need someone to start building it back up. I don’t think the job can be done in four years, but the next four years are very important to start laying the foundation to put this country back on track. Fortunately the emotions surrounding this election has resulted in record turnouts at the polls. How nice to see the majority of citizens care about the people leading our nation!