Scenes from a Happy Life

October 1994:

Mom: "We'd like a girl puppy. A sweet one that will love the kids."

Nice Lady in Lake Creek who raised Golden Retrievers: "I only have two girls right now. This one is big and feisty and will be a fun dog for the kids. That one over there is the runt of the litter. She's so small, I almost hate to let her go. I don't think she'll make it."

Mom: "We'll take THAT one. She needs us. We need her. She's
perfect."

Ten Minutes Later:

Nice Lady: "This dog is a retriever. So when your Daddy shoots a duck, this dog will be able to swim out into the pond and fetch it and bring it back."

Kindergarten James (in a horrified tone): "My Daddy would NEVER shoot a duck!"


Summer, 1998:

6th grade Amanda: "Mom!! Cinnamon got out of the yard!! The boys are chasing her down the street!"

Mom (on seeing James, Philip, Zac, Reece, Elizabeth, Sarah and Jeffrey running after a delighted dog): "Guys! Don't run after her! She thinks you're racing! Turn around and run this way!"

She still beat them all home.


Christmas, 2001:

Gulf Shores State Park Ranger: "Ma'am, you may not know this, but there's a state law outlawing dogs on the beach. It's a $500 fine."

Mom: "Oh, I apologize, sir. We didn't know. We'll drag her out of the water and take her on home."

7th grade James: "That's a stupid law."


Thanksgiving, 2002:

Dad: "Let's take Cinnamon out to the beach."

10th grade Amanda: "Dad! Remember the $500 fine!!"

Dad: "I'll pay the damn fine if I have to. She loves walking on the beach."

8th grade James: "It's a stupid law anyway."


September, 2005:

Amanda has just left for college. Cinnamon walks into her room, walks around, sniffs, comes into the office and glares at Mom as if to say: "Hello-o-o? Am I the only one who realizes that someone is missing??"


July, 2007:

College Freshman James: "I wish I could freeze some of Cinnamon's blood, so that when I have kids, I could clone her so they could have a dog like mine."


August 25, 2007:

Randy (in an email to our friends): "As a friend of the family, I wanted to let you know that Cinnamon Sugar Reed passed away this morning just six days shy of her 13th birthday. Cinnamon stayed with us long enough to get both of her kids out of the house, and safely to college. I believe that Cinnamon lived a life that many dogs would have loved, and yet still gave much more than she got."


Flashback to 1994:

Nice Lady: "Now, if this puppy doesn't make it, you be sure and come back out here and I'll let you pick out another pup. I want you folks to get your money's worth."


Oh, my. Did we ever.

Come with me to the Emerald City

Amanda and I just got back from our whirlwind tour of the Windy City! WE SAW WICKED!!!! It was stunning. Just absolutely stunning.

I'll finish this later. Just wanted to get the picture up before we leave - TOMORROW - for Tuscaloosa.

Mercy me.

All Is Well.

Indeed.

Harry Potter and the Lousy, Stinking Spoilers

When James was, I think, eight years old, we were browsing the book aisle at Sam's one day, and he said "Hey! This is the book that Connor is reading. Can I get it?" Seeing as how James was never hugely into reading the way Amanda was, I bought the book since he was so excited about it, without a clue as to the path we were all going to be heading down.

The book was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and it changed our lives.

Perhaps that's a tad melodramatic.

But the Harry Potter series HAS been a source of great pleasure to us all, even Randy, who dutifully goes to the movies with us, and has listened to the audio books on some of his long drives. The kids and I have enjoyed midnights together at Walmart, waiting for them to move the pallet of books to the front and open it to the delight of the waiting crowds. We always buy three books. We each read one, the kids keep theirs, and I send mine on to the Aikin library. We have laughed and cried together, we've shared theories and hopes about upcoming plot points. We have emailed each other articles about J.K. Rowling and the books and the movies.

James always gets both the US version and the UK version, thanks to amazon.uk. This has really been his deal, although Amanda and I really enjoy Harry too. James was about the age of Harry when he started reading the books, and he's sort of grown along with the characters. And now, he's graduating and going off at the same time Harry is growing up and going out on his own. It's pretty much a perfect circle for kids - boys, especially, of James' age.

We have been in a state of great anticipation since the announcement of the release date for the final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and we've made plans for our last trip to Walmart together tonight, then home, where James plans to read all night. Amanda wants to stay up, but poor thing has to work tomorrow, so won't be able to finish it until tomorrow night. I'll stay up as long as I can, but Randy and I need to go to Hot Springs tomorrow for a meeting. I've told Randy he will have to drive, and I will fight my tendency to carsickness the whole way, so that I can read as well. He understands, and even promises to bring dinner in to the condo so that I don't have to stop reading. He's very good about that.

I've been so disappointed in the last few days to see all the spoilers popping up everywhere on the internet, and in the press. What's the point?!? Why can't people leave well-enough alone? Harry Potter is not the Pentagon Papers, nor the Starr Report nor even Dick Cheney's written confession that W. is a robot he's been operating for years. For crying out loud - it's a popular book, and the author and the publishers have asked that shippers and booksellers and reviewers wait until everyone can have access at the same time. I've been afraid to click on anything on the internet, for fear that I'd hit a spoiler...and I want to read the book first!!!! It's just sad when people think that just because they can, also means they should.

Let us have our fun.

Let us celebrate the end of a series that has changed the way young people read.

Let my kids and me have our one last night at Walmart, waiting to read and share with each other the end of the spectacular tale of the Boy Who Lived.

Like ants out of the anthill...so are my thoughts...

I've had all these random thoughts lately that individually aren't enough to constitute a post, but as a list....probably don't constitute a post, either, but whatever.

My thoughts on:

Lindsey Lohan: Lord, but she was cute in The Parent Trap. What the heck happened? AND WHERE IN GOD'S NAME IS HER MOTHER??? Oh, right...partying hearty right along beside her. Little Lindsey has not been well-served by the people who are supposed to love her the most.

Melinda Doolittle: My favorite American Idol. She wuz robbed!! Get this girl into a recording studio YESTERDAY.

Star Wars: My favorite movie. 30 years. Mercy me.

Mike and Mike in the Morning: My new favorite morning show.

Gene Simmons' Family Jewels: My new favorite DVR show. Move over, Dog. Good boy.

Comic Life: My new favorite time-waster. Thanks a BUNCH, Dee. Really.

Amanda: My new favorite Wal-mart cashier!

The Excellent Adventure:



What a strange and wonderful trip this will be!! The fun starts Saturday...

Pomp and Circumstance

They let him graduate!! And I only teared up once.

They (heart) N.Y.

The band kids and grownups just got back from their whirlwind tour of New York City. GREAT fun was had by all.

James called on Sunday morning: "Hey, I'm just walking around Central Park."

That's great! How cool is that! Are y'all having a good time? Everybody being where they're supposed to be?

"Yeah, we're on our way to Strawberry Fields. Thought you'd appreciate that. Did I mention, I'M WALKING AROUND CENTRAL PARK?!?"

You did actually mention that. You can shut up now.

Wishes and Prayers

When Amanda was two months old, we came back to Texas to show her off. See?!? We finally did something good!! We stayed for a few days at Neil and Donna's, where they were getting Barry ready to go on a church skiing trip.

"How can you do that?" I asked Donna. "Put him on a bus to go away to God knows where (actually? Breckenridge) all by himself?"

"You just kiss 'em good-bye, and pray a lot," she answered. Good Lord, I thought, what a heartless, uncaring mother my sister-in-law has turned out to be.

Well...NO. Of course she wasn't. I've thought about that a LOT in these recent springtime days, beginning with the Enterprise tornado, through the...um-m-m...unpleasantness here in Lamar County , and now this week in Blacksburg. How CAN we do that, we parents? Just put our babies on a figurative or literal bus, to go away to God knows where, all by themselves?

How hard was it for me to say to James as I sent him off to dear old P-High, amid swirling rumors that hundreds of protesters waited to block entry to the parking lot, "Be aware. If you see trouble, you be the one to walk the other way, and take all your friends with you." When, what I really wanted to do? Was to say, "this is not your fight. Stay home. Watch Smallville all day. School will be there tomorrow. Or if not tomorrow, then another day."

How much, can you even begin to imagine, do the parents of the eight kids in Enterprise desperately wish for another day, another lifetime to say I love you. Have fun. Be careful. Do your best. See you this afternoon.

Or the parents of the thirty-two in Blacksburg.

THIRTY-TWO. Lord Jesus.

What do they wish for? My mind reels to think of it: A different school choice. A class at a different time of the day. Another weekend at home. One more argument. PLEASE. Just let me see him roll his eyes at me one more time. One more hug. One more chance to say, I am so proud of you. You take my breath away.

Randy is amused that I follow Amanda's car out to the street as she pulls away to go back to Tuscaloosa, and that I will watch until she turns the corner and the little crimson car disappears from view. He DOES understand, albeit in a good-natured, must be a mom thing kind of way, that I just need to see her for those last few seconds. One more glimpse. One more heartbeat.

You just kiss 'em good-bye, and pray a lot.

Keep 'em safe, Lord. And bring them - ALL OF THEM - safely home...

I Want...

...Elizabeth Edwards to be our First Lady. And if she goes ahead and brings John along, so much the better. There is much to admire there.

Please, Lord, take care of them both.

Who Says....

...you can't teach an old dog a new trick!



Here is Cinnamon and her new Carpeted Telescoping Ramp.



The coolest dogs always have all the latest equipment!


At her yearly checkup, we discovered that Cinnamon is suffering from severe hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis. I had noticed that her back legs were giving her problems, especially on stairs, and also just after waking up - trying to get up and move around is tough on her. Dr. White showed me her x-rays, and it was quite obvious even to me that her hips are badly deteriorated. We've started her on Rimadyl and glucosamine, and I think I've seen some improvement in her mobility, although I'm afraid I'm just trying to convince myself that she's getting better.

Cinnamon will be 13 this year. A ripe old age for any dog, but really quite old for a larger breed like she is. We are going to be dealing with quality of life/end of life issues with her soon, and my heart breaks to think of it. I'll notice Randy looking at her, and then he'll look at me, and I'll say, "Stop. Just don't even..." as if not saying it will keep it from happening. I tell Dr. White that she will live forever, and he always smiles gently and says "Cinnamon is such a good girl."

That she is.

And if a silly Carpeted Telescoping Ramp for the van will help us take her along for one more Spring Break trip to the beach, then she will go.

For as many more trips as our Good Girl has left in her.

A Lump in My Throat the Size of a Good Dog

So I'm eating my lunch today in the kitchen, watching Animal Planet, and this commercial comes on. The bite of salad on the fork in my hand never did get eaten, because I dropped it in my search for a Kleenex. I still can't watch this without getting choked up.

Buy Pedigree dog food.

Visit your local animal shelter. Today.

Busy As A Bee

It's good to have time to waste...

Ready or Not...

It's really starting to sink in that we're hurtling faster and faster into the empty nest. James got his acceptance letter to The University of Alabama, and Amanda got her transfer acceptance to The University of North Texas over the holidays, so it's happening.

Whether I'm ready for it or not.

Denise gave me a book for Christmas - Letting Them Go by Dave Veerman. I started reading it this morning, and I find myself saying "Yep - I know what he's talking about" when he talks about the feeling of grief when you realize just how your family structure will change. I was pretty melancholy over the holiday when I'd stop to think about everything that will happen before next Christmas rolls around again. It was bad enough when Amanda left, but now James, too?? I just can't imagine this house without a kid in it. Poor Cinnamon. She'll be the only one left for me to focus all my Mom-energy on.

I sent an email to my brothers: "While I don’t doubt that life with young adults instead of kids will be just as good – and, in many ways, probably better, it’s still going to be…different. It’s the New Normal, and we’ll get used to it soon enough and enjoy it, but right now I’m sad to see this part of our lives drawing to a close."

But, in many ways, I am ready for it. My kids are happy and healthy. They're turning into delightful people, and I do look forward to relating to them on more of a peer-ish level. While still being their MOTHER, of course. Like they'd ever get out of that. Please.

And then there's the reason the kids are here in the first place. Randy and I had a weekend together - just the two of us! - in Dallas just before Christmas that was so great, and I know that's going to continue. Shoot, I married him because he was fun to be around, and he's just gotten to be even more fun as time has gone by. Who in the world knows what the future will bring for the two of us? Driving Route 66? An RV?? A Mediterranean cruise??? More weekends at The Home Depot?!?

More to my brothers: "I have enjoyed the heck out of these years and these children. From the time they were born, at every age they have been, I have looked at them and said “this time of their lives is perfect. This is the BEST age.” And then time passes, and I think “No, THIS is the best age.” And I know that I will always think, no matter the time or the age or the place or the circumstance, that EACH age is the perfect one."

Even the grown-up age.

Perfect.

I've Been Everywhere....

Well, definitely not everywhere! I do see a definite southern-trending pattern in my US visits. I just wish these showed up as blue and not red states...


create your own visited states map

And I counted Hong Kong as part of China, even though it wasn't when I was there.


create your own visited countries map

Band: The Last Waltz

Here they are on the field in Mt. Pleasant at UIL marching contest for the last time.

First Division all the way around. Cheers to all involved. What a grand experience this band thing has been for all of us.

Even I Am Surprised

We have a signed, cash contract on 21st Street! Eight days on the market before the offer came in. Goodness - even I, The Usually Optimistic, am surprised by that.

Hopefully, a harbinger of Things to Come.

Clive? Lisa? Hallooo-o-o-o???

Them "Designed to Sell" folks got nuthin' on us! We just got finished Designing to Sell the house on 21st Street, and it is officially on the market. I'm pretty proud of what we did for very little money that has made a big difference in the house.

We painted the wainscoting in the dining area, tiled both bathrooms, changed out a ceiling fan, a light fixture, and - in a VERY bold move - got rid of the extremely maroon Texas A&M mural in the front bedroom. That mural was a mess. Apparently they used an oil-based paint to make it, because when I went to KILZ it, the paint started bubbling up, then just came off in these big, giant SHEETS of slime. It was one of the more bizarre things I've seen lately. Kinda like stripping wallpaper, except much more...elastic.

So now, in addition to the two Gulf Shores condos, 21st Street is on the market, where the others will also be as they become tenant-less, and maybe (Lord willing, and no risen creeks nor hurricanes) someday soon we'll be out of the landlord business altogether!!!!!!!!

What a day of rejoicing that will be...

Easily Amused

I know I'm easily amused, but I have found the coolest website!!

Try it: Motivator

I made others...wanna see?!?

Young whippersnappers...

I'm getting old.

This week, I've been helping my new aide, Jimmie Nash, with her first grade lunch duty in the Aikin cafeteria. Frankly, I have never cared much for first graders - as a group - because collectively, they are harder to herd than cats, and much less friendly. Getting a group of first graders to all end up in the same location? It's kind of like kicking an ant hill, then trying to get the ants to all go back into that one little hole.

I tremendously admire teachers who do it successfully, because I know there's no way on God's green earth that I could.

But the reason I say I'm getting old? Watching these first graders in the lunchroom, I'm just amazed at the attitudes already on display. I saw so many kids this week, only five or six years old, already coming into school with this unattractive little swagger, a little toss of their head, purse of their lips, or roll of their eyes when an adult spoke to them that shouts to the world, "You aren't the boss of me! You can't tell me what to do!!" And it hurts my heart to see that unwillingness ALREADY to act cooperatively or respectfully or unselfishly.

I had the cutest little kid sass me - a teacher he had never seen before - when I told him to stop hitting - hard - the kid in line in front of him. And I mean sass me in a way that if it had been a five year old Amanda or James, I'd have yanked them out of there so fast on their way to a spanking that their feet would have barely touched the ground.

But you know what? At five years old, Amanda and James already knew better than to pull that kind of crap with ANY adult.

And I guess that's what hurts my heart the most...that these kids show by their actions that they don't have adults in their lives who love them enough to teach them how to act.

One Family's Junk...

We're gearing up for our sorta-annual garage sale. It's been a couple of years, probably, since we've had one, and this one's sure to be a Big One. We've always been good at accumulating...stuff...and I think we're about to get to a place where we're ready to start letting said stuff go.

I find myself looking at things now in one of three ways: Is it something one of the kids might want someday (i.e., a family treasure kind of thing)? or: Is it something we want to take with us into our retirement? or: Is it something we just need for everyday life or conducting business? If it doesn't fall into one of those categories, it's going to the garage. Most of it, anyway. There are still a few things that I'm just not ready to give up yet, but I will be. One of these days.

We're not going to get its total worth, most likely, for some of it - the Fiesta, the Depression glass, that kind of stuff - but it's not doing anything for us just sitting in a cabinet, either, so it's going. Bargains will be found by some lucky shoppers.

Amanda's selling some stuff, and she's throwing some stuff away. I told her that she'll probably do more of that every time she comes home from now on. Stuff she wanted to hang on to after high school will come to mean less to her the more she is away from it. Naturally. She's moving toward a new life, as she should be.

James is also selling some stuff, but his is with a purpose: he wants new stuff. He's buying new furniture with the money he makes. He painted his room (with a lot of help from his sister) and did a great job picking out the colors and all. I told him he should be the next generation's Ty Pennington - cute, handy and soft-hearted.

Sale's coming up Saturday, July 22nd. Get here early, before all the good stuff's gone!!