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What’s Your Dream?

23 Sep

It’s a question I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I don’t consider myself much of a dreamer but I’ve been hearing the man in Pretty Woman asking that question more and more in my head. It seems I don’t know how to answer it though. 

I’ve been throwing ideas at it. Not short on those. 

  • Beach rental investment properties
  • Mountain rental investment properties
  • Landscaping ideas 
  • Home renovation ideas
  • Self renovation ideas that include a complete body cleanse and better sleep habits — and more stretching
  • That one book idea I have
  • Volunteer compulsions
  • Donation compulsions
  • Adult volleyball
  • Reading more
  • Travel budget plans
  • Debt free budget plans 

Anyway. Lots of ideas. 

I’ve decided to get busy on that book one. I’m going to try to kill two birds by writing each time I feel like late night snacking. This novel and self renovation will be accomplished in no time. 

I plan to start tomorrow. (It’s ok to laugh. Stand up comedian is another dream I have.)

Kids These Days

21 Apr

I’ve given this a lot of thought during the thinking parts of my day. (That equates to short commutes, mile runs and right after some select conversations with my two children. In other words, I’m an expert.)

Here’s what I believe kids these days need:

  • An instructional dose of ZZ-Top music videos to teach them about how to treat jerk faces after getting a makeover. It all leads to them riding off into the sunset with a crush. 
  • An older sister’s Cosmopolitan magazine to help them solve all of life’s love riddles and self-diagnosis.  
  • Soap operas. How else will they learn how complicated life can be and how glamourous people live?
  • Enough rock love ballads to make them ugly-face cry and wish for a love like that as they call the area radio station and make anonymous dedications to their crush of the month. (Getting through the phone line will teach them patience at the same time.)
  • Speaking of patience, how about they learn about the BUSY SIGNAL on the telephone? Remember what it was like before call waiting and getting a beep? How many times we would redial the number until we heard a ring. How many times we’d get yelled at by our parents because they couldn’t get through to us. 
  • Horror classics like Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and Halloween need to be watched without permission at a friend’s sleepover and feared for weeks after exposure. That’ll teach ’em to not listen to mom or dad – and give them a healthy amount of the creepiness in the world. (It’s not all rainbows, unicorns, puppies and scratch-n-sniff stickers like Trapper Keepers make us believe.)
  • More cereal box toys. Because. 
  • Hugs and support from parents – especially after the list above fails them.

Like I said. I’m an expert. 

Perpetual Wedgie

3 Dec

Man, I have been really annoying myself recently. Ever feel like that? When just the sound of your own voice aggravates you? Looking at yourself in the mirror makes you snarl?

I’ve been caught in a stress maze that kept leading me back to the start for the past two months. I would attempt to climb over the wall to get out of the dead end but all I did was exhaust myself. I felt like a buffering YouTube video – stuck on something I couldn’t shake and repeating it over and over again to my friends and family. I was finally able to break free and have been living in a lovely state of normal ever since. (The cause of the stress mess is for another share. I just got over talking about it and thinking about it all the time so I don’t really want to do that right now.)

What I can share is that it feels so good to be “me” again. To only worry about all that other “normal” and overwhelming day-to-day life stuff. I can handle that. Especially since I’ve started equating worrying to wedgies. So uncomfortable and thought-stealing  – all the focus turns to thinking about picking it out. You can’t concentrate until the underwear is free and you can escape somewhere to hide and snag it without someone noticing. Once you’re all adjusted, relief.

Worry is a wedgie and it needs to scram – I have things to do.

(Disclaimer: It is my belief that people who wear a thong or g-string have an exceptional stress tolerance. Buns of steel, for sure.)

Is It Cold In Here?

17 Aug

Why do people get so annoyed with each other? Especially when it surrounds a fun way to do something good and create a buzz to encourage others do the same? So what if people are dumping ice water on their heads and it’s clogging up your Facebook feed with redundant videos of people dumping ice water on their heads? Other than making you roll your eyes, what harm did it do to you?

I admit, I am an eye-roller. Big time. But while my eyes were rolled this time they saw that my brain had very little knowledge about the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Other than knowing it is also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease, I didn’t know what it was. Something so silly as an ice bucket challenge educated me. Sure, I’m only one person. But I’m one person who also donated to a cause that I likely never would’ve donated to before my family was called out in the chilly challenge to raise awareness and money for ALS.

Some are saying it’s all nonsense. Just donate. Don’t waste your dollars on a bag of ice. Don’t record yourself getting iced. Don’t tag others on Facebook to do the same. Just donate and keep any antics you may attempt to yourself.

Maybe they don’t want to dump ice on their heads or feel pressured to give. (I know Andrew sure didn’t want to do this. He doesn’t even wish people happy birthday on Facebook. Gasp.) Maybe they feel they do enough with their good deeds and kind living. Whatever they feel – fine and good. But why criticize those who feel they are making a difference with their antics? It seems they really are too. The donor dollars are on fire at the ALS Association.

Here’s where you can help too: Donate to the ALS Association. (That is, if you can access the site. It seems there are quite a few people trying to become aware and charitable.)

Also, watch this story about the man – a baseball player named Pete Frates – who’s daily challenge with ALS inspired this awareness and charitable challenge.

It feels good to be cold.

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A New Leaf

5 Aug

A little more than a year ago, Nia was plagued with worry. She obsessed and fretted about the smallest thing. For a 10-year-old, the worries were heavy and I — a natural-born stress case myself — didn’t always know how to help her. It also started to — get this — worry me. I felt like I was absorbing her feelings and carrying them around with me.

Naturally, all this lead me to venture into the dangerous world of web searching. I found several articles that made me worry more but I also found a few that offered relief. To make sure I covered all my bases, I also took advantage of a work program that offers employees a free counseling session. I came away with two things to help us both manage our anxieties:

  • The counselor told me to picture my worry as a streaker. (Yes, a naked person.) You may see one run by but you never chase after the bare body. We agreed to modify this to be age appropriate for Nia. She suggested an animal that Nia would never chase. The streaker thought is pretty funny though.)
  • One bit of online information I learned said to visualize a tree with a leaf about to break free. Place your worry on that leaf and then watch it fall and gently land in a stream. The stream then carries the worry away. I told this to Nia and she asked, “Could an animal also eat my leaf?” I’m thinking, sure. Whatever works. (Here’s a blog that has more about the leaf relief.)

Both of these techniques have helped us both but now it seems it’s Nate’s turn to worry and he just doesn’t relate to those. His little heart is filled with concern – so much so that I wonder if it’s been contributing to him sleepwalking. A few nights ago, I actually caught him opening his bedroom window while sleeping. We’ve since child-proofed his windows but the thought of him accidentally hurting himself while we all sleep was too much for me to take. I told him about the ways Nia and I have used to ease our hearts. He asked, “Huh?”

With that, I tried something different. My own thing. Last night, I cuddled with him before he fell asleep and I put my hand on his heart. I told him I was collecting all the worry from his heart so he wouldn’t have it anymore. He giggled as I gathered but then really let out a laugh when I told him I was going to eat all his worry. “I also have room for dessert,”  I told him, “so let me get that worry from your head too.”

Sure, kind of twisted. But you know what? I think it helped some. He went to sleep with a lighter heart and didn’t sleepwalk.

Of course, it could be because of all the other techniques we researched online and tried too (earlier bedtime, consistent sleep and wake time, quiet time before bed, earlier dinner, more water throughout the day …) but I want to claim the giggles as the victory.

I know it made us both feel better. (And me quite full too …)

 

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Mad Mix

18 Jul

Mix TapeLike many young guys wooing a girl in the 90’s, Andrew knew the swoon power of a good mix tape.

The first one he ever made me arrived in my dorm room mail – along with a catalog for BMG CD’s and a deal for a long distance phone card. It was 1996. I was a freshman at West Virginia University while he was a junior eight hours away at West Point. I thought it was the best mix tape I ever received. Not only did HE make it for me, it held some of the most heartfelt and rockin’ songs – especially since we were just friends “with potential” (Who knows that movie?!) at the time.

At least, I thought it was the best mix. My feelings about that tape would all change a few years later when (after successfully winning me over — with mix tapes of course) I was helping him pack up his things before he moved to Georgia to start his Army career.

I’ll get back to that in a paragraph or two, but first I need to tell you about what would become my most favorite mix tape of all.

We never really did become a couple that year. He came to visit me at college once and we both had a wonderful time but my heart wasn’t quite able/ready/sure of itself to be fully his then.  If Facebook existed at the time, I would’ve been guilty of “It’s complicated.” Because of that and the cold way I acted toward him, I received what I have since dubbed the “I Hate You” mix tape. It was filled with songs of agony and heartache and anger. It made me roll my eyes and huff and puff when it was first sent to me because I knew I was wrong. He now tells me he borrowed the CD’s of friends to make it because he needed to have just the right songs.

A few of them included:

Nine Inch Nails – “Something I Can Never Have”
Pearl Jam – “Better Man”
Tonic – “If You Could Only See”
Counting Crows – “A Long December”
Nirvana – “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?”
Soul Asylum – “Promises Broken”
Smashing Pumpkins –  “Crush”
Radiohead – “High and Dry”
Guns ‘N Roses – “Patience”
Tim McGraw – “Don’t Take the Girl”
Spin Doctors – “How could you want him when you could have me?”
Radiohead – “Creep”
Jewel – “You Were Meant for Me”

He must have forgiven me and I must have made the right choice because here we are now, about to hit our 14th wedding anniversary. Even after all that AND it turns out that the first mix tape was actually not the first mix. You see, when helping him pack, I discovered his song list on an index card and that he had made that same mix tape for another girl before me.

Stupid mix tape.

That’s why I really love that Mad Mix. It’s all mine. I earned it. And, as he would say, it worked.

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One Thing

16 Jul

So many lists these days.

17 things to say to your daughter
12 things to explore with your son
5 things never to say to your daughter
7.5 ways to raise a son
10 life hacks to make things easier
14 things your kids should know before they’re teenagers
11 parenting FAILS
30 ways to have more energy

Too many lists.

I have one thing I want my kids to keep safe and keep always as they grow up through this crazy, overwhelming and amazing world we call life.

A sense of humor.

Not at the expense of others but for the well-being and sanity of others and themselves. Don’t take life too seriously. Don’t worry their hearts about the things they can’t control. Find a way to smile. Find the healthy memory in what seems like a miserable or sad situation and make a lighter heart.

Joy is something we can control no matter what we are going through. We can determine whether we mope or grumble through any given day. I’m not saying they shouldn’t ever be sad or mad or throw a fit, I’m just hoping that their humor finds a way through and lifts them up and out.

I see signs of their great humors now. They deliver lines to me that make them seem smarter than I ever was or will be (not in a smart mouth way, just their pure and light perspective).

It makes me feel so great knowing they get it — without a list to follow.

20140716-071903-26343717.jpg

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Gone But Not Furgotten

15 Jul
The Joey picture Andrew carried in Kosovo

The Joey picture Andrew carried in Kosovo

We met him on a September day soon after we were married. His name was Martis and he was one of many who needed a loving home. We were told he was part Chow Chow and were shown his brother who was a puff-ball of fur.

We lived in a two bedroom apartment on the second floor of a complex at the time. Having a dog in the apartment meant a pet fee and multiple walks a day. That, mixed with all that fur, meant work.

Besides getting hitched and picking out the washer and dryer, he was our first real decision together. He was a good one.

We named him Joey – Andrew’s middle name and the name of a special doll I had when I was a little girl.

We spoiled him with toys, treats, a huge crate, his own food table and love. He spoiled us with destroyed toys, lots of trips to the nearby woods because of all the treats, a messy crate and house with clumps of fur everywhere and the sweetest unconditional love we could ever imagine. He kept me safe and sound through Andrew’s military deployments and kept things interesting with all of his eating adventures. (He must have hated that hardback book about the First Ladies. Tore through it like it was threatening him.)

Loved to Play

Loved to Play

People would remark what a pretty pup he was – some even asked if he was a dog model. They wondered what breed he was and as he grew up he started to look more like a shepherd/collie mix to us so that’s what he became. He certainly exhibited the herding traits of those dogs. Always under our feet and near the person he felt needed it most (babies, little kids, pregnant friends, our moms). He always had to sit right by us and when we got up for even just a glass of water, he followed.

He traveled through states with us – feeling both snow and sand. He moved three times with us and got to spend seven years of his life in the big fenced yard he deserved. He knew the comfort of our bed and couches and left his fur mark and warmth all over them. He loved to be Andrew’s pillow and my foot therapy. All of that fur he had was so fluffy and soft and he would  let me rub my feet over him as he rested near me.

Bean and Joe-Boy

Bean and Joe-Boy

He impressed people with the tricks Andrew taught him. Barking when Andrew would just open his mouth, low crawling when Andrew pointed to the ground and sitting just by Andrew moving his pointer finger up and down. Joey cared for our guests and family – escorting them around the house as well and often “baptizing” them with his dripping mouth after a drink of water. He earned nicknames like: “Joe-Boy,” “fuzz buckets,” “fuzzy butt,” “Joe-do Baggins,” and when he was in trouble “Joseph Martis.”

Joey and Andrew in downtown Savannah

Joey and Andrew in downtown Savannah

He was as old as our marriage – 14 years. He was Andrew’s first dog and the first dog who was truly mine. Our first dog to have to decide it was time to say goodbye and give him peace.

There are a lot of ways to help determine you’re officially a grown up — getting married, picking out a pet together, buying a car or a house, paying bills, replacing a roof, that kid stuff, having another life you love in your hands … He helped us grow up. I hope he liked growing up with us.

That dog. That good dog.

Sweet Boy

Sweet Boy

I’ll never forget you, Joe-Boy. Especially since I have a feeling our dark blue couches will never free some of the fur you shed. I remember when that drove me nuts. Now, it brings me to tears.

I’ll be thankful every day of my life for you.

Pretty Boy

Pretty Boy

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Papa Talk

23 Mar

“We talked for 41 minutes!” A happy Nia processed in her brain as she looked at her phone after hanging up with her Papa.

She couldn’t wait to call him that night. She wanted to talk to him about what she learned in class about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. She knew Papa is better than google or any book she could read when it comes to history. Forget about playing a game with trivia with him, unless he’s on your team.

I know she will always treasure their talks. I think he will too. After their history lesson, he sent me a text. “Thanks for letting Nia call. Were you trying to get her sleepy by talking to me?” Silly, smart Papa.

Papa

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Jacked Up

19 Nov

I had a flat tire after work this week. Here are some things I learned from it:

  1. I prefer the kind of flats that are waiting for me – as opposed to the ones that happen as I’m driving down a busy interstate. This one was safely hanging out for me on Level 4 of the parking garage. Swell!
  2. I shouldn’t refuse the kind offer of help from strangers. My stubborn “I got this” personality caused me to turn four people away. I gave some line about being “woman, hear me roar” and immediately felt dumb after it.
  3. Glad I admitted defeat and reluctantly accepted the fourth offer of help after trying to loosen the lug-nuts with my cute purple pumps. Andrew had tightened those lug-nuts with the “intensity of the sun” as I heard him once use to describe Nate. During my attempt to break the lug-nuts free, I called Andrew, out of breath, verifying, “It’s lefty loosey still, right?!” He responded yes and told me he was on his way to help. That’s also when the fourth person to offer help showed up and didn’t take no for an answer. He just started fixing it.
  4. People who don’t directly offer to help feel the need to give advice or just make an acknowledging comment as they pass. “Did you call someone?” “Don’t forget to use your emergency brake because your car could roll backward.”
  5. There’s a special place for the jack under my car. If you don’t use it, you will bend the area near the door frame. That happened. I now need new tires and some body work.
  6. It’s very difficult for me to drive slower than 55 mph. Thank goodness for cruise control. Glad I had that padiddle light too. That really added to the comedy of the situation.

Dough-no

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