I’ve Got My Towel, Not That It Will Help

It is officially July. That means in a very short time I will be having a birthday. No, I’m not telling you the exact day. (And Diane, if you blab, I will hurt you.) I dread that day. It has nothing to do with me getting older, though. Truly. I’ll tell you right now I’m turning 42. See, not painful at all–and actually kinda cool that my age will be the answer to life, the universe, and everything .

So why do I dread my birthday?

Remember Arthur Dent’s stroke of bad luck in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?  Yeah, my birthdays pretty much go like that.

Where Did The Time Go?

Look at those pudgy cheeks and milky skin. This picture brings a flood of warm tears and a wave of fun remember-whens. Flashes of naked butts slip-sliding across the kitchen floor with butter and snorts of laughter as they told me a pound of butter tickled if you greased your skin with it. They were making pancakes, after all. Or the smell of nasty when I came home from work to find my husband soaking every toy they had in bleach water in the tub because Nick took off his diaper and the two boys painted the room and each other  with it. The little spot on Nick’s lips that was the only clear place because his brother also gave him a poo-poo facial. Or how Cilla played with the boys by giving them a chunk-chick-slam (Her dive bombing them from any furniture while the boys were on the floor watching television or playing with toys.

It seems like yesterday.

Oh, God, where did the time go?

21 Years of Delight

40 years, 4 months and 24 days ago, a boy was born in Texas. 37 years, 8 months and 28 days ago, a girl was born in Indiana. Over time and circumstances, the two met 22 years, 3 months and 23 days ago. A little more time and circumstance brought them to their very first date 21 years, 7 months and 8 days ago. And almost exactly 21 years ago, the couple became one.

Think for a moment about the years that went by, the months, the days, the hours, the minutes, and the heartbeats. The victories, the defeats, the kisses, the babies, the fights and the lives that are joined so perfectly, their hearts synchronize every night when they rest beside each other. Her staring at the ceiling until the voices and pictures in her mind settle and she can only feel his steady breath tickling her ear. He with his arm and leg wrapped around her… stating to the imaginary foes that they will have to kill him before they can place so much as a finger on her.

Refocus

Past

I twirl my hair between my fingers and giggle at your words. So clever and handsome.

I look at you and see life stretched before me with infinite wonder and possibility. You look back and my breath hitches when the side of your mouth lifts ever so slightly. Do you see the same when you look at me? Love is alive.

Away too long, love. Why haven’t you called? The babies are crying and so am I.

For My Little Beastie

My "Beastie" is actually the most beautiful Beauty in the world!!!!

This week has been hard for me. I had to take my daughter, whom I affectionately call Beastie 2 (my son is Beastie 1), to the orthopedist the other day. She was diagnosed with scoliosis nearly a year ago. She was only eight years old, now nine. If you are not familiar with scoliosis, it is a side to side curvature of the spine and it normally doesn’t show up until around ages ten to fourteen.

I know a lot about scoliosis because I have it, too. Mine was found when I was twelve, though, considerably older than Beastie 2. To stop the curve from progressing, I was put into a back brace. The other day, we found out Beastie 2 will be braced also. I was praying hers would not be progressive, of course. But I am thankful for two things: we caught it early, and the braces these days are nothing like what I had to wear! Mine was like a heavy plastic and metal cage. These days, they are a lightweight, plastic-foam thing, with no metal, that’s completely contoured. Think Suburban vs. SmartCar.

Anyway, the whole experience has had me feeling nostalgic, and more than a bit distracted, so trying to come up with a new post  for today just didn’t work. Instead, I’m sharing with you MY story that was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Just for Preteens.

The easiest way to teach a kid to ride a bike.

I’ve recently discovered the easiest way to teach a kid to ride a bike. I stumbled upon this method with my son and decided I’d repeat the procedure with my daughter. It worked beautifully in both cases.

I’ll call my method the Scooter Method.

There are two major hurdles you have to overcome when teaching your child to ride a bike: balance and confidence. Both of these are addressed with the Scooter Method, and I’d like to share.

Hairy-Vaulter Cheesecake

Art by Madison Graham

All my friends have their versions of cheesecake and they are all very delicious. I am more an acquired flavor. But if you can catch me mid-vault and push the hair to the side, I think you may be surprised.  I have layers that didn’t make themselves known until a little later in life. Not to me, anyways. My Momma will say it was there all along, but Momma is rather fond of me and she may be a bit biased. I know my writing has sure shocked the rest of my family. Writing has become very important to me, but it surely isn’t all I am.

I’ve decided to share a few highlights of my life. Maybe you will learn something about what makes me tick. If you do, will you let me know? I’ve been wading through me for years now, and I am still a bit lost.