41. Mom was the one who encouraged me to go out for swim team in middle school. It was way out of my comfort zone. I loved to swim, but joining a team was intimidating. I really didn't love it for a long time. Meets were terrifying. Practice took up my "me" time. In the end, I fell in love. I swam all through high school, and I wouldn't have done it if she didn't push me.
42. This memory is fresh, and I just shared it a few months ago. But,I'll never forget how mom reacts to emergency situations. Fire alarms going off at midnight at our condo in San Diego. Mom is screaming for everyone to get out because there's a FIRE! "I smell smoke!" (there was no smoke, by the way). She even suggested I just keep moving because I couldn't find Daniel. In reality she knew he was with my sister already, but who tells their daughter to leave their child behind!? Haha!
(Of course, I wasn't much better. I couldn't fine either kid at first, until I realized I was literally carrying James)
43. I love when I get to go to craft fairs with my mom. We always have fun sampling food along the way and buying cute things...mom usually buys a million Christmas ornaments. She wants me to go to the big one she and my aunt go to in Wisconsin sometime, but the way she describes it, I think I'd lose it being in that large of a crowd. We shall see.
44. Mom can be credited for my love of pumpkin patches. When they started getting popular and not just go pick a pumpkin, I thought it was so stupid. She got tickets to Bloomsbury Farm one year. I was in my early 20's. I scoffed. Mom and Kendra convinced me to go. I did my first corn maze ( because I was not doing that cliche before then). Now I LIVE for fall so I can go visit my favorite patches and try new ones too.
45. I credit mom for being the well behaved child I was. Sure, I got into trouble. Mostly for my sassy mouth and for fighting with my sister's, but I never did anything really bad. I was a people pleaser by nature, but mom put the fear of God into me. I was the first child. The guinea pig. I was not about to find out what terrifying punishment would be brought upon me by an angry Janet. My sisters (mostly Erica. lol), however, weren't as affected by the fear of God she tried to instill in them.
46. We bought our house a month before we actually moved in. My mom came to Taylorville with me one weekend and we camped in the empty house. She helped me clean and get everything ready. We sat in the living room in camping chairs with a single lamp. We camped on the floor in the bedroom. Actually...I think I got an airbed and her's deflated. Oops. It was a fun adventure though.
47. I loved seeing my mom become a grandma. Before I was even pregnant she bought a Pooh bear and book for her future grandchild. She was the first grandparent to hold him. They came the day after he was born (and she cooked Thanksgiving dinner at the house on Friday when we came home since we were in the hospital on Thanksgiving). And then, she got to be here a few days after James was born, and helped as I recovered from my c-section for a couple of weeks after.
48. She and my dad offered to let Daniel come stay with them for awhile when I was on partial bed rest with James. I had already be hospitalized twice. I couldn't "rest" with a not quite 3 year old. My options were to go to Iowa or send him to Iowa on his own. It was a hard decision because I'd never been away from him overnight. Mom and Kendra drove over to pick him up and he stayed almost 2 weeks. I cried so hard, but I got the relaxation I really needed, and my parents did a great job taking care of him!
49.A favorite memory was from a few years ago, when my sisters and I pulled off the ultimate Mother's Day surprise for mom. 5 months of planning without anyone spilling the beans, including my mom's boss who I let in on it so she could have time off. Her reaction was priceless when I pulled up and Erica popped up in the front seat!
50. Mom took care of both of my birds that I had when I was younger (Minnie Ann and Minnie Ann 2...because when the first died I wanted an identical bird) Our second bird was an escape artist. I can still remember mom chasing it around the house and having to gently use a broom to get her down from a picture that hung in the stairwell.
51. Most summer afternoons as kids, we could find mom lying out in the sun getting a tan while misting herself with a spray bottle and reading a romance novel. I sometimes joined, but never lasted long. I'd get too hot...hmm...apparently I've always been warm blooded.
52. For my 9th birthday, she planned a surprise party for me. Although, I figured it out, I didn't tell her because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. It was so fun though. She had fun games and we went on a "penny walk". Flip a coin at corners. Heads you go right. Tails you go left. Fun times.
53. One winter mom and I were driving down 16th Ave and she hit black ice. We spun right into a snowbank. She checked for damage and told me not to speak of it to dad, but I still remember him commenting about how there seemed to be water dripping from the front end later.
54. All the DQ trips. We loved getting to go in and sit at "our" booth and guess what color the next car would be in the drive thru. When I'd get picked up early from school for an appointment 9 times out of 10 mom's car would magically turn into DQ afterward.
55. No one besides mom and my sisters will understand this one. Said in one word: WhatAreYouGonnaDo?
56. I always got excited if she took E Ave because we were going to get to drive over the big hump in the road (which we later called the "whee"). If you went just the right speed, your stomach would drop a little. I don't know how else to explain it, but it was fun. It was a sad day when they repaved that road.
57. Mom was always a great backup when we didn't want to do something. "Mom...can I go to so and so's house? Say no" "No."
"Yeah, my mom says I can't come."
58. Every Christmas she made dozens of sugar cookies and would frost them and let us decorate them. The best part was when she'd give us a ball of raw cookie dough to eat. (who are we kidding. I always sneaked more out of the fridge...always a junk food addict)
59. My great aunt made us matching watermelon shirts for a family reunion one year. Mom would always make it so we all went out matching in them. I won't lie, I thought it was awesome.
60. Mom was the one who took care of Grandma after her stroke. She was the sister who was close by, and she spent hours at the hospital, looking for care centers, getting her out of a crappy care center and into an amazing one. Settling her into her assisted living. Taking care of selling the house. Dealing with insurance for grandma's meds. It was exhausting and took a toll, but she did it, and I think that was so incredible. I'm really proud of her.'
Here's to a million more memories!
Monday, March 11, 2019
Sunday, March 10, 2019
60 Memories With Mom--Part Two
21. Probably one of my most special memories with my mom was when I was about 4.5. I remember sitting on the couch with her in our living room and praying and asking Jesus into my heart. I'm so thankful that I was raised in a Christian home and brought up in church. Even when I fell away for awhile, I found my way back again.
22. Mom and I have always butted heads. Even though she's one of my best friends now, we still do every time we're together. I will never ever forget the time she took me to get new shoes for church at Westdale Mall. I found a pair of black strappy sandals with a couple inch platform heels. I WANTED them. She said no. She dragged me to every store that sold shoes making me try them on. I'm sure there were some okay ones, but I was not having it and neither was she. It finally ended when I was almost in tears and she was about to explode. She told me if she bought me those shoes, "You are going to live in those shoes. You are going to die in those shoes. And you are going to be buried in those shoes!" And you know what? I wore them all the time...and I kept them for 7 or 8 years before they wore out...so sadly I will not die or be buried in them.
23. Mom always came up with very...creative...road trips for us. Generally they were fun. Places like, Makoqueta Caves, Spook Cave etc. The two most random trips we ever took were to a buffalo farm...that had no buffalo due to flooding. And to a Lock and Dam for a tour. Ya'll...we were the only people on the tour and the guy was so excited that I had a camera so I felt obligated to waste my film on pictures. Pretty sure we were the only people to ever tour that place.
24. Mom always watched soap operas in the afternoons growing up. As The World Turns and Guiding Light (Brought to you by Tide. If it's gotta be clean, it's gotta be Tide). Generally when I was little I had a rest time, but I can remember sneaking out and hiding to watch them. In my teen years I got really into As The World Turns so we'd tape it and watch it together.
25.Growing up there were always exercise fads. We had a stair master, a stationary bike and Suzanne Sommers, Thigh Master. Mom had a couple of VHS tapes. One called Calinetics (or something like that) that I'd do along with her. And of course a staple in every home with a woman wanting to get fit...Richard Simmons, Sweatin' to the Oldies. Those were some good times my friends.
26. The infamous St Louis disaster trip. The one that resulted in me leaving one kid at home who was puking exorcist style. The one that mom fell into a pot hole alone, and then woke me up to tell me she needed help, then proceeded to show me a freaking bloody crater in her arm. Next thing I know she's yelling my name and I'm on the floor because I passed out and hit my head on the wall. The one where Kendra had a horrible run, sobbed and wanted to quit. Where we had to go to Urgent Care, and James was screaming because he was over the whole day. That was the biggest fail day of our lives.
27. The year I was pregnant with Daniel, mom and Kendra came to visit and we went to Arthur, which is an Amish town. We ended up doing a driving tour and having a meal in an Amish home. We gained about 10lbs that day. Not to mention all the baked goods we brought home and ate later too.
28. One year mom and us girls went to Michigan on a trip. Mom was all about getting whatever we wanted because, "We're on vacation!" I was 21 or 22, so I asked if I could order a daquari expecting to get a judgy look. Instead she said to go for it. It was delicious. She asked to try it and had one sip. Back at the hotel, she stumbled over a suitcase and fell on the floor so we teased her relentlessly that she was tipsy even though she clearly wasn't. She was highly offended.
29. One year our family and my aunt and uncle's family did a trip to Wisconsin and we did The House on the Rock with them too. We went in search of supper, and I don't know that mom picked this place out...it was more that we happened upon a place that was open, but we ended up a Narvey's. A podunk diner with one employee. "Mooie: She served us "flies" with our burgers. In the moment we all kinda wanted to run for our lives, but later we laughed hysterically over the whole experience.
30. During our trip in Michigan we visited Cereal City. Mom and I saw it on the Food Network. It turned out to be awesome. We got a tour, our faces on a box of Frosted Flakes and pictures with Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam.
31. The Super 8 Nightmare. I had spent a couple of days with my cousin Heidi when Daniel was about 11 months old. Mom and Aunt Jeanne came on the last night. Mom got Daniel and I a hotel room. I read the reviews and they were sketchy. Our room was pretty ragged looking. I didn't want Daniel on the floor. I figured we'd survive though (after I checked for bedbugs). Mom had earplugs in. Around midnight or later a drunk guy is outside our door yelling at someone. It just kept going and going, so I picked up the phone to call the desk...and the phone was broken! I had to call on my cell phone. Once that stopped the couple next door had some...er...R rated adult time. Needless to say I did not sleep at all that night and mom had no idea any of it went down.
32. Every summer, we'd sign up for the summer reading program at the library and make a weekly trip with mom to check out more books and collect our prizes. Once a summer, we'd go with our neighbors and we'd all ride the city bus downtown. We'd get lunch at the downtown McDonalds, walk to the library and then ride the bus back home.
33. I really don't remember 4th of July's growing up. We didn't have a set tradition that I can recall, but as we got older we started staking out a place on the 2nd Ave. Bridge to watch the fireworks. At one time we had a huge group of friends from church. We'd eat, playing games and even danced in the rain one summer. Of course, my favorite treat mom brought down were the "T--Wizzlers. Ha!
34. One year mom and dad took the 3 of us downtown on New Year's Eve for an event our bank put on, "First Star Eve" There were fireworks, games in the bank, and our favorite part...a carriage ride! As you can imagine, the 3 of us girls were hysterically laughing when the horse kept stopping to poop.
35. We always knew that if we rented a movie we'd almost always get M&M's. My sisters and I could get very competitive and GOD FORBID we one of us have more than the other, so mom would literally stand at the counter evenly dividing them into our bowls. Even after that we'd still count just to make sure it was really equal. I'd just like to offer a huge apology for that one.
36. May Day was always a fun tradition we took part in. I don't think anyone does it here anymore, but on May 1st, mom would have cups for us to fill with candy and then we'd go deliver them to our friends and then doorbell ditch them. Mom always got those Brach's royal candies...can you still taste those like I can? Mmm.
37. Oprah was all the rage back in the day. I'd watch every day with Mom. As we all know, Oprah always struggled with weight and always shared her weight loss journeys. Does anyone remember "Oprah Walking"? It was a thing. And mom convinced me to get up early and Oprah walk with her. Essentially it was power walking, and I'm guessing we did it like 2 times before we gave that one up.
38. Trunk or Treat was always a big event at Valley View and we'd always have skits leading up to it to get people to sign up their trunks. Mom and I put together a Survivor skit. She was one of the castaways and I was "Jeffina Probst". It had to be SO stupid, but it sure was fun to do.
39. Usually once or twice a school year I'd get it in my head that I was going to fake sick the next day to stay home. I'd play it up the next morning. Lay under my blankets to try to get hot. I'm sure more times than not, mom knew it was fake, but she never really said anything. Life was always a little better when you could stay home and watch The Price is Right and The People's Court.
40. My mom is one of the most generous people that I know. She doesn't do things for show. She buys stuff for myself, the boys and my sisters all the time. We get spoiled. I've seen her donate to many good causes, pay for people to go to events they may not be able to afford. If she sees a need, she does what she can to help. She has set an amazing example. Thank you, Mom.
22. Mom and I have always butted heads. Even though she's one of my best friends now, we still do every time we're together. I will never ever forget the time she took me to get new shoes for church at Westdale Mall. I found a pair of black strappy sandals with a couple inch platform heels. I WANTED them. She said no. She dragged me to every store that sold shoes making me try them on. I'm sure there were some okay ones, but I was not having it and neither was she. It finally ended when I was almost in tears and she was about to explode. She told me if she bought me those shoes, "You are going to live in those shoes. You are going to die in those shoes. And you are going to be buried in those shoes!" And you know what? I wore them all the time...and I kept them for 7 or 8 years before they wore out...so sadly I will not die or be buried in them.
23. Mom always came up with very...creative...road trips for us. Generally they were fun. Places like, Makoqueta Caves, Spook Cave etc. The two most random trips we ever took were to a buffalo farm...that had no buffalo due to flooding. And to a Lock and Dam for a tour. Ya'll...we were the only people on the tour and the guy was so excited that I had a camera so I felt obligated to waste my film on pictures. Pretty sure we were the only people to ever tour that place.
24. Mom always watched soap operas in the afternoons growing up. As The World Turns and Guiding Light (Brought to you by Tide. If it's gotta be clean, it's gotta be Tide). Generally when I was little I had a rest time, but I can remember sneaking out and hiding to watch them. In my teen years I got really into As The World Turns so we'd tape it and watch it together.
25.Growing up there were always exercise fads. We had a stair master, a stationary bike and Suzanne Sommers, Thigh Master. Mom had a couple of VHS tapes. One called Calinetics (or something like that) that I'd do along with her. And of course a staple in every home with a woman wanting to get fit...Richard Simmons, Sweatin' to the Oldies. Those were some good times my friends.
26. The infamous St Louis disaster trip. The one that resulted in me leaving one kid at home who was puking exorcist style. The one that mom fell into a pot hole alone, and then woke me up to tell me she needed help, then proceeded to show me a freaking bloody crater in her arm. Next thing I know she's yelling my name and I'm on the floor because I passed out and hit my head on the wall. The one where Kendra had a horrible run, sobbed and wanted to quit. Where we had to go to Urgent Care, and James was screaming because he was over the whole day. That was the biggest fail day of our lives.
27. The year I was pregnant with Daniel, mom and Kendra came to visit and we went to Arthur, which is an Amish town. We ended up doing a driving tour and having a meal in an Amish home. We gained about 10lbs that day. Not to mention all the baked goods we brought home and ate later too.
28. One year mom and us girls went to Michigan on a trip. Mom was all about getting whatever we wanted because, "We're on vacation!" I was 21 or 22, so I asked if I could order a daquari expecting to get a judgy look. Instead she said to go for it. It was delicious. She asked to try it and had one sip. Back at the hotel, she stumbled over a suitcase and fell on the floor so we teased her relentlessly that she was tipsy even though she clearly wasn't. She was highly offended.
29. One year our family and my aunt and uncle's family did a trip to Wisconsin and we did The House on the Rock with them too. We went in search of supper, and I don't know that mom picked this place out...it was more that we happened upon a place that was open, but we ended up a Narvey's. A podunk diner with one employee. "Mooie: She served us "flies" with our burgers. In the moment we all kinda wanted to run for our lives, but later we laughed hysterically over the whole experience.
30. During our trip in Michigan we visited Cereal City. Mom and I saw it on the Food Network. It turned out to be awesome. We got a tour, our faces on a box of Frosted Flakes and pictures with Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam.
31. The Super 8 Nightmare. I had spent a couple of days with my cousin Heidi when Daniel was about 11 months old. Mom and Aunt Jeanne came on the last night. Mom got Daniel and I a hotel room. I read the reviews and they were sketchy. Our room was pretty ragged looking. I didn't want Daniel on the floor. I figured we'd survive though (after I checked for bedbugs). Mom had earplugs in. Around midnight or later a drunk guy is outside our door yelling at someone. It just kept going and going, so I picked up the phone to call the desk...and the phone was broken! I had to call on my cell phone. Once that stopped the couple next door had some...er...R rated adult time. Needless to say I did not sleep at all that night and mom had no idea any of it went down.
32. Every summer, we'd sign up for the summer reading program at the library and make a weekly trip with mom to check out more books and collect our prizes. Once a summer, we'd go with our neighbors and we'd all ride the city bus downtown. We'd get lunch at the downtown McDonalds, walk to the library and then ride the bus back home.
33. I really don't remember 4th of July's growing up. We didn't have a set tradition that I can recall, but as we got older we started staking out a place on the 2nd Ave. Bridge to watch the fireworks. At one time we had a huge group of friends from church. We'd eat, playing games and even danced in the rain one summer. Of course, my favorite treat mom brought down were the "T--Wizzlers. Ha!
34. One year mom and dad took the 3 of us downtown on New Year's Eve for an event our bank put on, "First Star Eve" There were fireworks, games in the bank, and our favorite part...a carriage ride! As you can imagine, the 3 of us girls were hysterically laughing when the horse kept stopping to poop.
35. We always knew that if we rented a movie we'd almost always get M&M's. My sisters and I could get very competitive and GOD FORBID we one of us have more than the other, so mom would literally stand at the counter evenly dividing them into our bowls. Even after that we'd still count just to make sure it was really equal. I'd just like to offer a huge apology for that one.
36. May Day was always a fun tradition we took part in. I don't think anyone does it here anymore, but on May 1st, mom would have cups for us to fill with candy and then we'd go deliver them to our friends and then doorbell ditch them. Mom always got those Brach's royal candies...can you still taste those like I can? Mmm.
37. Oprah was all the rage back in the day. I'd watch every day with Mom. As we all know, Oprah always struggled with weight and always shared her weight loss journeys. Does anyone remember "Oprah Walking"? It was a thing. And mom convinced me to get up early and Oprah walk with her. Essentially it was power walking, and I'm guessing we did it like 2 times before we gave that one up.
38. Trunk or Treat was always a big event at Valley View and we'd always have skits leading up to it to get people to sign up their trunks. Mom and I put together a Survivor skit. She was one of the castaways and I was "Jeffina Probst". It had to be SO stupid, but it sure was fun to do.
39. Usually once or twice a school year I'd get it in my head that I was going to fake sick the next day to stay home. I'd play it up the next morning. Lay under my blankets to try to get hot. I'm sure more times than not, mom knew it was fake, but she never really said anything. Life was always a little better when you could stay home and watch The Price is Right and The People's Court.
40. My mom is one of the most generous people that I know. She doesn't do things for show. She buys stuff for myself, the boys and my sisters all the time. We get spoiled. I've seen her donate to many good causes, pay for people to go to events they may not be able to afford. If she sees a need, she does what she can to help. She has set an amazing example. Thank you, Mom.
Friday, March 8, 2019
60 Memories With Mom--Part One
In honor of my mom's 60th birthday coming up on Sunday, I decided to write 60 memories with mom. I'm sure I've shared some of these before, but always worth retelling. Instead of writing all 60 in one post, I decided that I'll share 20 for the next 3 days.
Here we go, in no particular order because I'm too tired to put anything in chronological order.
1. Growing up, we knew there was one summer event we could always count on. Adeventureland! Mom stuck it out every single year even though she can't ride most rides because of motion sickness. She was the designated bench sitter and keeper of the things. She packed a picnic lunch that we'd outside the park and rest before going back in. She even hung our socks from trees the year that they got soaked on the Raging River.
2. Going to see Garth Brooks together in Omaha. When he "retired", I always said he'd come out and when he did we were going. Mom (and Kendra) was a trooper. Don't think I'll ever go to a 10:00 (which didn't start until almost 11:00pm) concert, but it was amazing and I'm thankful we could be there together.
3. Going to see Casting Crowns once and Reba McEntire twice at the Iowa State Fair. Always a semi good time. Ha! The concerts are great, but the people are many. And this past summer, I dang near died of heat stroke, but Reba was worth it.
4. As kids, mom and dad would take us to different state and county parks to go hiking. In my mind we were epic hikers...when in reality we were just walking on fairly easy trails for the most part. Mom always carried a backpack with water, dixie cups and granola bars or fruit snacks. We'd inevitably be STARVING within 10 minutes.
5. Every summer we knew that we were going to be eating like queens...because mom would take us out for lunch a few times a week. McDonalds, Burger King and Hardee's saw a lot of us. Meals usually ended with, "Don't tell dad what we had for lunch or we aren't going to be able to go as much" Hahaha! Our lips were sealed.
6. Coming to almost all of my home swim meets and in town away meets. Even though I felt more nervous with her and dad there, it always made me feel good too. She drove me home every night from practices. And my favorite one was the year we got back from a meet really late. I called home for mom to get me (pre cell phone days). She picked up the phone, but said nothing. I told her we were back. I heard a grunt and a click as the phone disconnected. I waited in blind faith that she'd show up, and she did.
7. Ahh. The infamous driving lessons with mom. Two. That's how many times I worked on driving with her. The first time resulted in me turning into a snowbank and getting stuck, followed by yelling and crying. The other resulted in me backing up wrong and me getting out of the car and yelling that I was "never driving with her again!" I still make her drive when we're together. (Honestly...I make anyone drive if I'm with them).
8. One year we did a trip up to Wisconsin. I was a bratty pre-teen who didn't want to go look at any stupid leaves changing colors (I know. I'm appalled at young me too), and threw a fit we were going to a place called The House On the Rock. It turned out to be amazing. What was not amazing was the cabin/hotel we stayed at that looked like it came right from a horror movie. We of course blamed mom since she reserved it...and honestly it was fine, but we've never let her live that place down.
9. When Daniel was a baby, Kendra and I declared one Saturday night, "Faturday". We started off alone by getting pre-supper (a HUGE slice of Sabarro pizza). Then went to HyVee to get junk food to eat after supper. We had cake, brownies and raw cookie dough. Mom was so excited, but we decided to wait until after dad went to bed so he wouldn't judge us. Haha!
10. World Changer mission trips with the youth group were the best. Most people wouldn't want their mom's with them on a trip with your friends, but I loved it. Each time was a new adventure. We went to Effingham, IL, Nashville, TN (where mom drove myself and 3 other girls in our Crown Victoria with the trunk sagging because of our stuff.) And of course Youngstown, Ohio. Mafia town. Glad we lived to tell about it!
11. Mom taught us the fine art of sneaking food into the movie theaters. I carry that tradition on. Shh.
12. Every Wednesday night during the school year, you could find mom at church with us girls. We had the AWANA program, and she was always involved as a leader. Because of her, she made memorizing Bible verses and books of the Bible easy. We would work on them all through the week and I was one of the first kids to finish all of the workbooks because of her working with me.
13. In elementary school we had a Fun Fair each year and mom always volunteered to make a cake for the cake walk. She always made something cool to go with the theme. My favorite was her Under the Sea cake that had a whale on it. I thought I was so awesome.
14. The time mom and I literally stalked someone one day for fun. It was as ridiculous as it sounds and we even bought disguises (ie: sunglasses and hats). We sucked at it though, so our PI work fizzled out.
15. The year we went to Florida, there were things at our condo we could borrow like boogie boards. There was also a giant inflatable banana, which we somehow convinced mom to ride the waves on. It was hilarious!
16. When I was little, mom was the Dean of I believe Jr. High Camp at Spring Valley Bible Camp. I got to go along with her, and I pretty much thought I was awesome because she had a name tag that said Dean, and I had one that I proudly wore that said, "Little Dean". I'd stand up on the stage with her. I followed her everywhere. And the best part was when, Ted, the camp director would let me ring the bell for meals!
17. Late night talks. When I first started thinking about it, I was thinking of all those times when I was in high school, and I'd come sit in the dark in my parent's room. Dad would usually be snoring and mom would be waiting to hear about whatever adventure we had come home from. Sometimes, she'd come out to the living room or still be up so we'd chat out there. Those late night talks never have stopped. Every time I'm there visiting we end up staying up way too late chatting and laughing. Even miles apart we chat several nights a week online too.
18. Family walks. Mom and dad both LOVED to go on walks. I didn't always appreciate it, and as I got older got to stay home, but there are good memories from those walks. I once got a puppy to follow me home. I really thought they'd let me keep it. Erica and I would make up games or play "Slug-a-Bug" And the very best times were when people had their sprinklers going and the water would hit the sidewalk. We always were allowed to run through them and cool off. Mom even had her own concoction of bug spray made with vanilla, so we always smelled good too.
19. Summertime meant pool time. Mom got us pool passes each year and I'm pretty sure we spent almost every afternoon at the pool. Rarely could we buy concessions, but she always had fruit snacks or pretzels for us. I'm sure she loved her break from us while she laid out in the sun.
20. Our church did a women's event every year called the Lady's Bus Trip. Generally this was reserved for adults, but mom broke the mold and got permission for me to come along. I know I went on at least 3 trips. She'd usually invite my Grandma Thatcher along too. I really felt like big stuff getting to hang out with all the adults, and I'm glad that I got to be a part of those adventures.
Friday, December 28, 2018
California---Part 2---Fun, Chaos and Fire Alarms
Friday morning, the boys woke up at 7 and played their Kindles quietly until the rest of us got up. I finally woke up enough to go check out the view. I wasn't disappointed.
The boys made themselves at home. James called the condo our hotel. Both boys couldn't wait to go outside and check everything out. Kendra took them out on the patio for a bit, but since it rained they of course got all wet!
Kendra decided to go for a run, so mom, dad and I took the boys on a walk along the beach. Even though I knew it wouldn't be warm enough to swim, I had hoped they could at least dip their toes in the ocean. But, the water was contaminated, and it wasn't permitted. They had fun looking for seashells, and Daniel kept getting himself in trouble by kicking and throwing sand!
We decided to walk down to the pier. Mom kept getting texts from Erica and couldn't read them in the sun, so walked to a shady area near a cement wall. Well, the wall bowed out and she didn't notice, and ended up smacking her head. No luck at all.
The pier was beautiful. James thought it was fun to throw his shells all back into the ocean (and then was upset later when he didn't have shells). Kendra ended up spotting us and joined us for the walk back.
Once back, mom needed to go drop of Kendra's and my dresses at the dry cleaners down the road to get them steamed. She had already talked with someone the week before. She worked at their other location, but was going to come pick up the dresses, steam them and bring them back to the location closest to us. Mom asked me to come along. We walked in, and the girl tells us the lady mom talked to wasn't there. The other store flooded from the rain and she couldn't come. But, she said we could take them to her in Coronado. This did not sit well with mom. She calls the other store. The lady who answered had a thick accent and is telling mom, "No she isn't here. I take your name?" Mom is freaking out. She goes back into the location we were at, and the lady calls the other location and explains what's going on. Next thing you know, a simple task has turned into mom having to drive to another city. She was NOT happy. I volunteered to stay with dad and the boys at the condo. And by volunteered I mean, I texted Kendra and told her, "YOU'RE going to Coronado with mom. I can't handle it!"
Thankfully, in the end the whole fiasco was solved. They came back with steamed dresses. Dad, the boys and I just chilled. Then when they got back we walked back down to the ice cream shop for a treat and then got to hang out on the beach again.
Then back to the condo for baths as we waited for Erica and her friend Gabby to arrive. The original plan was early afternoon. That changed to about 4:00. We planned where we would eat supper, and then just had some down time. I got to watch the sunset, which was gorgeous, and I knew it would be the only night we'd probably be there to see it.
As it turned out, Erica and Gabby were stuck in awful traffic. We kept getting updates and it kept getting later and later. We finally decided we would walk to supper and they could meet us there. We picked some local place. It was...interesting. Mostly good. Kinda odd. Erica and Gabby finally arrived hours later than planned, but it all worked out.
We hung out. I tucked Daniel in, and James ended up passing out.
He slept with me in my bed and we shared the room with Kendra. Got him all tucked in.
Eventually, mom made us go to bed because the next day was wedding day!
You'd think that would be where this night ends (and technically it WAS after midnight), but oh no.
12:30am I am jarred awake by this 2 toned alarm. This high pitch and lower pitch going off and I am in the dark wandering around the room trying to figure out what's happening.
I open our bedroom door and it's ear splitting loud. At this point dad is up and mom is up. We're trying to figure out what is happening. I think we all thought it was a security alarm. One of them finally realizes it's the fire alarm and it's going off in the entire complex.
I'm calm at this point. Just confused. Daniel is next to me. James is somehow still asleep. As I'm going to check on him I hear a voice, which sounded like dad yell, "Fire! Everyone OUT!" Well, my dad is chill, so when I heard that my heart rate picked up. "Holy crap...is this place on fire!?" I go and whip James out of bed. Kendra is yelling that she's going pee first. I slide my shoes on and head out the door only to realize I can't see. I yell for Kendra to grab my glasses. I get outside with James, mom, dad and Kendra. Gabby and Erica already had gone out. I start yelling, "Where's Daniel? Where are the boys? BOYSSS!!!" It's then that I realize James is literally in my arms. I'm still yelling, as mom tells me, "There's no time!" (UM...no time to save my kid!?). In reality she knew Gabby and Erica had him, but that isn't what came out. She did finally come to her senses and tell me and then Erica texted me saying she had him.
We get down the stairs and through the parking garage. The alarms are still blaring, and echoing in the garage. Kendra also takes this moment to tell me that I stole her shoes. I looked down and sure enough, those were not my shoes on my feet.
We finally get outside...but no one remembered the code to get back in or had the key for the gate...so dad is standing there holding it until we could find something big enough to prop it. Erica, Gabby and Daniel ended up on the other side of the building where more people had come out. A lot of the condos weren't occupied and so we're the only weirdos standing on our side of the building.
We kept debating what to do. Will the alarms alert the fire department? Why is no one coming? IS there a fire? We see a police car cruise by and Kendra sprints after him to no avail. It was hilarious watching her try to chase him down though. James was shaking because it was cold. All I wanted was for the alarms to shut up! I was about a minute away from calling 911, when the firefighters showed up to clear the alarm!
No fire.And as I later found out, it was my mom who yelled, "Fire! Everyone out!" We all know mom gets extra hyper, so I'd probably have been slightly calmer. She goes, "I SMELLED FIRE!" to which dad replied, "Clearly, you did not!"
I thought it would take awhile for us to settle back down. James was asleep the instant I laid him back down. Kendra and I chatted for a few minutes. I was like , "Thank God there wasn't a fire. We'd have lost the dresses and mom would've been REALLY mad! Or what if the sprinklers had gone off!?"
I was so scared it would go off again, but thankfully it never did. What a fiasco.
The boys made themselves at home. James called the condo our hotel. Both boys couldn't wait to go outside and check everything out. Kendra took them out on the patio for a bit, but since it rained they of course got all wet!
Kendra decided to go for a run, so mom, dad and I took the boys on a walk along the beach. Even though I knew it wouldn't be warm enough to swim, I had hoped they could at least dip their toes in the ocean. But, the water was contaminated, and it wasn't permitted. They had fun looking for seashells, and Daniel kept getting himself in trouble by kicking and throwing sand!
We decided to walk down to the pier. Mom kept getting texts from Erica and couldn't read them in the sun, so walked to a shady area near a cement wall. Well, the wall bowed out and she didn't notice, and ended up smacking her head. No luck at all.
The pier was beautiful. James thought it was fun to throw his shells all back into the ocean (and then was upset later when he didn't have shells). Kendra ended up spotting us and joined us for the walk back.
Once back, mom needed to go drop of Kendra's and my dresses at the dry cleaners down the road to get them steamed. She had already talked with someone the week before. She worked at their other location, but was going to come pick up the dresses, steam them and bring them back to the location closest to us. Mom asked me to come along. We walked in, and the girl tells us the lady mom talked to wasn't there. The other store flooded from the rain and she couldn't come. But, she said we could take them to her in Coronado. This did not sit well with mom. She calls the other store. The lady who answered had a thick accent and is telling mom, "No she isn't here. I take your name?" Mom is freaking out. She goes back into the location we were at, and the lady calls the other location and explains what's going on. Next thing you know, a simple task has turned into mom having to drive to another city. She was NOT happy. I volunteered to stay with dad and the boys at the condo. And by volunteered I mean, I texted Kendra and told her, "YOU'RE going to Coronado with mom. I can't handle it!"
Thankfully, in the end the whole fiasco was solved. They came back with steamed dresses. Dad, the boys and I just chilled. Then when they got back we walked back down to the ice cream shop for a treat and then got to hang out on the beach again.
Then back to the condo for baths as we waited for Erica and her friend Gabby to arrive. The original plan was early afternoon. That changed to about 4:00. We planned where we would eat supper, and then just had some down time. I got to watch the sunset, which was gorgeous, and I knew it would be the only night we'd probably be there to see it.
As it turned out, Erica and Gabby were stuck in awful traffic. We kept getting updates and it kept getting later and later. We finally decided we would walk to supper and they could meet us there. We picked some local place. It was...interesting. Mostly good. Kinda odd. Erica and Gabby finally arrived hours later than planned, but it all worked out.
We hung out. I tucked Daniel in, and James ended up passing out.
He slept with me in my bed and we shared the room with Kendra. Got him all tucked in.
Eventually, mom made us go to bed because the next day was wedding day!
You'd think that would be where this night ends (and technically it WAS after midnight), but oh no.
12:30am I am jarred awake by this 2 toned alarm. This high pitch and lower pitch going off and I am in the dark wandering around the room trying to figure out what's happening.
I open our bedroom door and it's ear splitting loud. At this point dad is up and mom is up. We're trying to figure out what is happening. I think we all thought it was a security alarm. One of them finally realizes it's the fire alarm and it's going off in the entire complex.
I'm calm at this point. Just confused. Daniel is next to me. James is somehow still asleep. As I'm going to check on him I hear a voice, which sounded like dad yell, "Fire! Everyone OUT!" Well, my dad is chill, so when I heard that my heart rate picked up. "Holy crap...is this place on fire!?" I go and whip James out of bed. Kendra is yelling that she's going pee first. I slide my shoes on and head out the door only to realize I can't see. I yell for Kendra to grab my glasses. I get outside with James, mom, dad and Kendra. Gabby and Erica already had gone out. I start yelling, "Where's Daniel? Where are the boys? BOYSSS!!!" It's then that I realize James is literally in my arms. I'm still yelling, as mom tells me, "There's no time!" (UM...no time to save my kid!?). In reality she knew Gabby and Erica had him, but that isn't what came out. She did finally come to her senses and tell me and then Erica texted me saying she had him.
We get down the stairs and through the parking garage. The alarms are still blaring, and echoing in the garage. Kendra also takes this moment to tell me that I stole her shoes. I looked down and sure enough, those were not my shoes on my feet.
We finally get outside...but no one remembered the code to get back in or had the key for the gate...so dad is standing there holding it until we could find something big enough to prop it. Erica, Gabby and Daniel ended up on the other side of the building where more people had come out. A lot of the condos weren't occupied and so we're the only weirdos standing on our side of the building.
We kept debating what to do. Will the alarms alert the fire department? Why is no one coming? IS there a fire? We see a police car cruise by and Kendra sprints after him to no avail. It was hilarious watching her try to chase him down though. James was shaking because it was cold. All I wanted was for the alarms to shut up! I was about a minute away from calling 911, when the firefighters showed up to clear the alarm!
No fire.And as I later found out, it was my mom who yelled, "Fire! Everyone out!" We all know mom gets extra hyper, so I'd probably have been slightly calmer. She goes, "I SMELLED FIRE!" to which dad replied, "Clearly, you did not!"
I thought it would take awhile for us to settle back down. James was asleep the instant I laid him back down. Kendra and I chatted for a few minutes. I was like , "Thank God there wasn't a fire. We'd have lost the dresses and mom would've been REALLY mad! Or what if the sprinklers had gone off!?"
I was so scared it would go off again, but thankfully it never did. What a fiasco.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
California Trip-- Part One--Barf Bags, and Luggage and Chili Beans, Oh My!
I've thought about this for a few weeks now, and it's finally time to write about one of my craziest adventures to date. Our trip to California was an up and down roller coaster of highs and lows.
For starters, I wasn't quite sure how I was going to get the boys and I to St. Louis since my van got smashed by a tree. I could get a rental, but I could only have it a certain amount of time, and it didn't make sense to just let it sit in a parking lot for 5 or 6 days. My parents ended up driving to Taylorville on Wednesday afternoon, so we could all drive to St. Louis together.
A couple of things you should know. I have anxiety (duh). My mom, although she hasn't fully admitted it, had anxiety. I KNEW we would snap at each other because we always do. She's one of my best friends, but we know how to push each other's buttons.
We arrived in St Louis. It's rainy and cold. Here we are. 3 adults, 2 kids, 3 suitcases, 3 carry-on bags, 2 purses and 2 car seats. I bought these straps to hook the car seats on to the suitcases, which turned out to be the bigger pain than anything. We ended up putting Daniel's seat into the car seat bag and I carried it on my back.
We waited for our shuttle bus, and our driver was amazing. We went up to get the luggage checked, which goes okay. I was bound and determined to gate check my car seats since I wasn't taking them on the aircraft. Dad kept telling me it would be okay, and that they just get shoved in with the other stuff anyway, and did I REALLY want to haul these seats around for the next couple of hours? I'm panicked. These are literally brand new seats. He promised me that if anything happened to them, they'd buy me new ones. Next thing you know, I'm parting with my seats and literally bidding them a safe journey.
Next stop. TSA. There weren't that many people there at all, but dang were they cranky. I'm sorry that I haven't flown in almost 8 years and don't know quite what I'm doing. And I'm sorry that my kid doesn't understand he can't walk through the metal detector before you tell him he can. Thankfully we made it through and could breath, as we had a couple of hours to go.
We walked around and then went to Chili's for a quick lunch. At some point we realized we didn't have James' pilot hat that we had brought along. Mom was sure it was gone because she balanced on a suitcase in the parking lot. Bummer, but oh well.
I was really hyping up the plane ride to the boys to get them excited. We finally got to board. Thankfully we were all able to board together during the family boarding. We got seats across the aisle from each other. The boys wanted to sit by me. We ended up taking off 30 minutes late because they had to deice the plane.
Finally, we start rolling down the runway. The plane picks up speed. The engines are roaring (which sounded a lot like the tornado we had just been through). Daniel looks like he's seen a ghost and starts to hyperventilate. I'm reaching for a barf bag just in case. As this is happening, James lets out the most blood curdling scream, and just kept going and going. I'm literally leaned over trying to calm them down and praying no one pukes.
Things finally calmed down some, but they held onto their bags the whole flight and each time the altitude changed, they'd breath into the bag. Then 4 hours of, "Are we there yet?" I did eventually get James to go sit by dad, and had mom come over with me. I couldn't handle 2 kids landing. Landing went a lot better though.
We touched down in rainy San Diego, and I texted Erica and Kendra to tell them we landed. Kendra was already at the airport waiting for us, so I told her to meet us at the luggage carousel.
As we're deplaning, Daniel wanted to give candy canes to the pilots so we asked the flight attendant if he could. Dad and James were already off, but they let Daniel go into the cockpit and he even got to sit in the copilot's seat and check things out.
After a bathroom stop, we headed to claim our luggage. Dad and I waited, while mom and the boys went to find Kendra who said she couldn't find us. We get all 3 suitcases. I watch as everything starts to be claimed. Less items are coming. The carousel stops. No car seats. I was straight up spazzing out that my car seats didn't make it. In the meantime, mom comes back with the boys and no Kendra. How is she lost and where are my car seats!?
Mid anxiety attack Daniel casually points to a sign and says, "What's oversized luggage?" I look up to see a sign and race around the corner to see my 2 car seat bags! Mom asked the guy standing there were United carousels were. Turns out there are 2 terminals and she was in the other one!
We were FINALLY ready to go find our shuttle to the renal car place. After telling mom that the car seat wasn't strapped right to the suitcase, and her snapping that it didn't matter, we get off the elevator and she's beyond mad that the car seat is falling off. We exchanged words and continued on.
The guy at the shuttle was ridiculous. I watched as he put the car seats on the top shelf as they wobbled around.
We finally get to the rental place. The guy had also unstrapped the seat from the luggage and I decided that was it. I'd just carry all 23 lbs of it. I grabbed the orange strap. Rolled it up. Put it in the suitcase. (There's a story about that coming another day.)
Got our rental. Spent 10 minutes installing car seats. I think it was nearly 2 hours after we landed that we actually left the airport. At some point I realized we didn't have one of the car seat bags. In the shuttle bus fiasco, mom left it on the seat. I get more upset than I should over a stupid bag.
Next, we had to get on the freeway, in the dark and in the rain. Mom starts to get on. Panics and veers off onto a side road. She finally got up the nerve to get on.
At this point traffic is slow as molasses. We're hungry. We still need to go to WalMart for groceries before we get to the condo. James is passed out in his car seat. Mom loves to use voice command on her GPS, but half the time it doesn't understand. As she's getting madder and madder she yells, "CHULA VISTA!" GPS: "Did you say chili beans?" I mean, Kendra and I lost it. Mom is annoyed and we're cracking up. Eventually we make it to an Applebees. James woke up long enough to come in and sit down. Then he promptly passed out and slept through supper.
Next stop was WalMart. By now it's almost 9:00. It's still pouring. Mom, Kendra and I head in to get stuff. Turned out it wasn't a super Walmart, but they had most of what we needed.
Back to the van which is already crammed full of stuff, with a bunch of bags. We had them piled everywhere.
We FINALLY arrive at our condo. Getting in was interesting. We go in, and mom is upset that the beds are different. We were all at each other about everything. By the time I tucked the boys in it was after 1am Central time.
After that, it was off to bed to discover what adventures awaited us the next day!
For starters, I wasn't quite sure how I was going to get the boys and I to St. Louis since my van got smashed by a tree. I could get a rental, but I could only have it a certain amount of time, and it didn't make sense to just let it sit in a parking lot for 5 or 6 days. My parents ended up driving to Taylorville on Wednesday afternoon, so we could all drive to St. Louis together.
A couple of things you should know. I have anxiety (duh). My mom, although she hasn't fully admitted it, had anxiety. I KNEW we would snap at each other because we always do. She's one of my best friends, but we know how to push each other's buttons.
We arrived in St Louis. It's rainy and cold. Here we are. 3 adults, 2 kids, 3 suitcases, 3 carry-on bags, 2 purses and 2 car seats. I bought these straps to hook the car seats on to the suitcases, which turned out to be the bigger pain than anything. We ended up putting Daniel's seat into the car seat bag and I carried it on my back.
We waited for our shuttle bus, and our driver was amazing. We went up to get the luggage checked, which goes okay. I was bound and determined to gate check my car seats since I wasn't taking them on the aircraft. Dad kept telling me it would be okay, and that they just get shoved in with the other stuff anyway, and did I REALLY want to haul these seats around for the next couple of hours? I'm panicked. These are literally brand new seats. He promised me that if anything happened to them, they'd buy me new ones. Next thing you know, I'm parting with my seats and literally bidding them a safe journey.
Next stop. TSA. There weren't that many people there at all, but dang were they cranky. I'm sorry that I haven't flown in almost 8 years and don't know quite what I'm doing. And I'm sorry that my kid doesn't understand he can't walk through the metal detector before you tell him he can. Thankfully we made it through and could breath, as we had a couple of hours to go.
We walked around and then went to Chili's for a quick lunch. At some point we realized we didn't have James' pilot hat that we had brought along. Mom was sure it was gone because she balanced on a suitcase in the parking lot. Bummer, but oh well.
I was really hyping up the plane ride to the boys to get them excited. We finally got to board. Thankfully we were all able to board together during the family boarding. We got seats across the aisle from each other. The boys wanted to sit by me. We ended up taking off 30 minutes late because they had to deice the plane.
Finally, we start rolling down the runway. The plane picks up speed. The engines are roaring (which sounded a lot like the tornado we had just been through). Daniel looks like he's seen a ghost and starts to hyperventilate. I'm reaching for a barf bag just in case. As this is happening, James lets out the most blood curdling scream, and just kept going and going. I'm literally leaned over trying to calm them down and praying no one pukes.
Things finally calmed down some, but they held onto their bags the whole flight and each time the altitude changed, they'd breath into the bag. Then 4 hours of, "Are we there yet?" I did eventually get James to go sit by dad, and had mom come over with me. I couldn't handle 2 kids landing. Landing went a lot better though.
We touched down in rainy San Diego, and I texted Erica and Kendra to tell them we landed. Kendra was already at the airport waiting for us, so I told her to meet us at the luggage carousel.
As we're deplaning, Daniel wanted to give candy canes to the pilots so we asked the flight attendant if he could. Dad and James were already off, but they let Daniel go into the cockpit and he even got to sit in the copilot's seat and check things out.
After a bathroom stop, we headed to claim our luggage. Dad and I waited, while mom and the boys went to find Kendra who said she couldn't find us. We get all 3 suitcases. I watch as everything starts to be claimed. Less items are coming. The carousel stops. No car seats. I was straight up spazzing out that my car seats didn't make it. In the meantime, mom comes back with the boys and no Kendra. How is she lost and where are my car seats!?
Mid anxiety attack Daniel casually points to a sign and says, "What's oversized luggage?" I look up to see a sign and race around the corner to see my 2 car seat bags! Mom asked the guy standing there were United carousels were. Turns out there are 2 terminals and she was in the other one!
We were FINALLY ready to go find our shuttle to the renal car place. After telling mom that the car seat wasn't strapped right to the suitcase, and her snapping that it didn't matter, we get off the elevator and she's beyond mad that the car seat is falling off. We exchanged words and continued on.
The guy at the shuttle was ridiculous. I watched as he put the car seats on the top shelf as they wobbled around.
We finally get to the rental place. The guy had also unstrapped the seat from the luggage and I decided that was it. I'd just carry all 23 lbs of it. I grabbed the orange strap. Rolled it up. Put it in the suitcase. (There's a story about that coming another day.)
Got our rental. Spent 10 minutes installing car seats. I think it was nearly 2 hours after we landed that we actually left the airport. At some point I realized we didn't have one of the car seat bags. In the shuttle bus fiasco, mom left it on the seat. I get more upset than I should over a stupid bag.
Next, we had to get on the freeway, in the dark and in the rain. Mom starts to get on. Panics and veers off onto a side road. She finally got up the nerve to get on.
At this point traffic is slow as molasses. We're hungry. We still need to go to WalMart for groceries before we get to the condo. James is passed out in his car seat. Mom loves to use voice command on her GPS, but half the time it doesn't understand. As she's getting madder and madder she yells, "CHULA VISTA!" GPS: "Did you say chili beans?" I mean, Kendra and I lost it. Mom is annoyed and we're cracking up. Eventually we make it to an Applebees. James woke up long enough to come in and sit down. Then he promptly passed out and slept through supper.
Next stop was WalMart. By now it's almost 9:00. It's still pouring. Mom, Kendra and I head in to get stuff. Turned out it wasn't a super Walmart, but they had most of what we needed.
Back to the van which is already crammed full of stuff, with a bunch of bags. We had them piled everywhere.
We FINALLY arrive at our condo. Getting in was interesting. We go in, and mom is upset that the beds are different. We were all at each other about everything. By the time I tucked the boys in it was after 1am Central time.
After that, it was off to bed to discover what adventures awaited us the next day!
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