You love your pink doggy. Your faithful companion who comes to life just for you, sharing secrets and kisses. You love to snuggle. With thumb in mouth, pink doggy tucked under your arm and your blankie trailing behind, you make your way into my arms. You love trains. Thomas, Chuggington, the Monorail at Disney World, the Metro train, any train. You could challenge Tommy from 94.7 with your knowledge and love of pop songs. You shimmy your hips and belt out “Fancy” by Iggzy Azalea, “Lips Are Moving” by Meghan Trainor and “Sugar” by Maroon 5, the Kidz Bop version of course.
Our Everyday
Sharing our stories, big and small.
In an ideal world all of our favorite people would live close enough to have monthly Sunday dinners, meet for coffee on a Tuesday, drinks on a Thursday, celebrate every birthday and see every playoff game and recital. In my children’s ideal world every cousin and friend would live next door. It isn’t an ideal world but every once in awhile we get to not just be neighbors but live under one roof. Our weekend in New York allowed us to have Friday, Saturday and Sunday dinner and be there for two very special celebrations.
Jonathan’s First Communion
For one day of the year our children are trained to keep whining to a minimum, direct demands at Dad and shower Mom with handmade gifts, hugs and kisses. It is the one day of the year we can selfishly require our children to be well behaved, any misdemeanor greeted with a reminder of the name of the day. It is the one day of the year my family spoils me rotten and in return I linger; I linger in a conversation about video games, I linger in a game of tetherball, I linger after the stories are told, looking at their sweet faces as sleep comes.
Austin is the state capital, home to the University of Texas and lays claim to being the “live music capital of the world.” Some Austinites have adopted the unofficial slogan “Keep Austin Weird” referring to a desire to protect small, unique, local businesses from being overrun by large corporations. Originally known as Waterloo, Austin is situated on the Colorado River. Congress Avenue Bridge, the first bridge across the Colorado River, is home to the world’s largest urban bat colony.
Stripped of the distraction of routine, blissfully ignorant of the people, politics and pace, three hours behind home we can live in the past and in the moment all at once.
The first time you drive somewhere you know every street name, the distance between every turn and notice each building and discernible landmark, mentally dropping bread crumbs so you can find your way back. The first time you drive somewhere the journey is long in comparison to each one after.
During our vacation in Southern California we drove the Pacific Coast Highway, taking in the unending scenery of sun, sky and sea. Some places we intended to stop, some places made us stop. We didn’t stop enough and never long enough. But I dropped as many bread crumbs as I could so that I could find my way back.
The patina on a well worn bench, the yellow-tinged pages of a book, the fray of a couch cushion. Someone else sat there, touched this, lived here. It may have very well been an ordinary someone on a very ordinary day or across a series of ordinary years but the wear that remains is the permanence of time, the permanence of life. Each mark of wear holds a story, each story leaving with those that carry them. Many have come and many more will; these objects will catalog this history. These objects will bring that history to our today.
“When I grow up I’m not going to have babies, Oliver will be my baby.”
– Penny
On March 5, 2015 my baby turned 8. He received the best birthday gift, six inches of snow and no school!
Ingredients
2 heaping cups of humor, and not just farts and yo momma humor, but self-deprecating humor
2 cups confidence
2 cups thoughtfulness
1 cup of observation like noticing a haircut, a new necklace or the biggest slice of cake
1/2 cup tenderheartedness
1 cup smart, like street smarts
1/3 cup empathy
4 tablespoons sensitivity to cold, to hot, to sweating, to criticism, to losing, to meanies
2 tablespoons rhythm (if buying pre-packaged rhythm be sure beatboxing and rapping are included)
2 tablespoons smart, like fractions and double-digit subtraction smart
1/2 teaspoon sentimentality
1 large, cozy lined baking pan
Directions
- Preheat oven with lots of big warm hugs and if its still not warm enough toss in a few foot stomps and huffs and puffs followed by a door slam
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir gently
- Slowly pour all ingredients into baking pan, being sure to coddle
- Place in preheated oven and wait ten years for it to rise and leave you for college
