Thursday Thirteen #29

You know you've thrown your whole heart into doing something when you feel it break just a little bit once that thing is over. Today was the last day of school. As a PTA President AND mom of four, I should have been dancing in the streets. Instead, I spent most of the day choking back tears. I didn't think I could love 400 kids at once, especially without knowing all their names, but it turns out that I can and I have. I will miss them, especially those 5th graders. Still, it's nice to have summer break upon us and for today's TT, here are:

13 Reasons Why I'm Glad School is Out

1. NO MORE GETTING UP AT 6:00 A.M.!!! (I wish I were a morning person, but I'm not.)

2. No more fundraiser hassles! (At least not for three more months)

3. No more carpool lane! (You have to get there at least 40 minutes early to get a good spot in line. That's fun to wait out with a two year-old in the car.)

4. No more racing from work to school to get a good place in the carpool lane.

5. No more worrying about who's going to do the School Store on the Fridays that I have to work.

6. No more calls from irate parents.

7. No more walking into the school only to be accosted by at least one teacher and three kids when all I came inside for was a drink of water or to check the mailbox.

8. No more tearing the house apart for permission slips, Thursday folders, etc...

9. No more phone calls and 'special meetings' with Tristan's teachers. (It happens at least twice each school year.)

10. No more constant exposure to germs and (my favorite) head lice.

11. No more daily 20 mile round-trips to and from the school.

12. More time for trips, sleeping in, and cleaning the house.

13. More time for us to be together as a family, though I am looking forward to leaving all FOUR of them with Dave when I go to work each day. He is used to only having one at home with him. Hee! Hee! I can't wait!

For more TT's, check out the Thursday 13 website.

Summer Plans

Now that school is almost out for me and the kids, here comes the inevitable question for a travelin' gal like me. Where am I headed this summer?

July 26-29: San Antonio! This will be a road trip with my kids and my older nieces. We'll be meeting up with Selena, Scott, Janet, and possibly Matt J after their cruise to Puerta Vallerta (and no, Janet isn't encouraging him, he bought a ticket anyway. Silly boy!)
I'll get home just in time to pack a bag for FRED!!

August 2-5: Denver/Salida, CO!! I've been in an online parenting group since shortly after Natalie was born. We've been wanting to meet for years and it looks some of us just might manage it here! We'll gather for a girls' night out in Denver on Thurs., then head up down to Salida (which I only recently learned to pronounce and clearly can't find on a map) for the rest of the weekend. Shannon Jo? Are you going to be in town?

August 31-Sept. 3rd-Crusing from L.A. to Baja and back for Lanie's Bachelorette party!!! We've talked about taking a cruise together since high school and now we're actually going to do it! Whee!! I'm sure I will blog about this ad nauseam once it happens. I can't wait...

iPod Shuffle Pt. Deux

Sooner Scotty didn't tag me, but I'm playing anyway. I've done this before, and the rules are the same. Hit shuffle and list your first 10 songs:

1. Danny's Song by Kenny Loggins
2. Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell
3. Your Ex-Lover is Dead by Stars (as featured on the 2006 season finale of Degrassi-don't ask me where this year's season went. I'm looking too.)
4. Cherry Bomb by John Mellencamp (and what do you know, 17 HAS turned 35, and she likes 35 a LOT better)
5. When the River Meets the Sea by John Denver and the Muppets
6. Love is a Battlefield by Pat Benetar
7. I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash
8. Goodbye My Lover by James Blunt (I LUV this one way more than "You're Beautiful," it's worth listening to)
9. Just Can't Get Enough by Depech Mode
10. Only the Good Die Young by Billy Joel

Sorry for the meme, but the last few (busy) days of school are upon us and I will be scarce.

Week In Review

Reading-

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott-It's been a busy week, so I only got a few more chapters in-but I am feeling more inspired to write, and that's the whole point isn't it?

Watching-

Veronica Mars-I am so very sad not only that the season ended like it did, but also because the series is over and Dawn Ostoff and her friends at the CW didn't even have the guts to tell us that. They hailed last Wednesday's two-parter as the "season finale" because (according to insiders) they fear the hostile fan backlash. I've been trying to write and email in protest to the good old CW all week, but find myself unable to start it with anything more cordial than "Dear Ms. Ostrum, ARE YOU A FREAKIN' MORON?!" Then again, this is the same network exec who HAS renewed One Tree Hill for next season and made the brilliant decision last year to pull the plug on Everwood for one MORE season of 7th Heaven AFTER their stellar series finale that included cameos from Barry Watson AND Jessica Biel. So, I'm thinking that being a big TV exec is not exactly her strong suit anyway. (Oh, and like I was going to watch anymore 7th Heaven after its real finale last year. I hadn't watched in years until those supposed last few episodes. I had my closure after that and I was done. The question is, did anyone watch this year? That's what I thought.) Anyway, the word on the street is that VM isn't officially gone until June 15th, and we are supposed to overwhelm the CW with our emails and snail mails until then begging for more. I really want to believe that will help, but with a TV whiz like Ms. Ostrum at the controls...I just don't hold out much hope. And that's really too bad. I think I'll just boycott the CW instead-not that it will be difficult for me.
BUT, if it had to end, at least the last two epsiodes were chock-full of Francis Capra as Weevil. It was good to see him working with Veronica again, and good that they NEVER softened his character. Also cool to see Jake Kane again, even though the opening credits let me know it was coming. It was an amazing show, and again the fools at the CW are just that for letting it go.

*Updated to Add that I did, indeed, send my email and managed not to use the word "moron" once. If you would like to protest similarly, click here.*

Robin Hood-Now THAT'S the way to end a season! Good, good stuff. I was shouting at Marian's Dad "go right! go right!" during the 'interviews' and I LOVED the Crusades Era Mrs. Robinson scene there towards the end. It was a great episode and hands-down the best season finale I've seen this month. If you aren't watching this show, my only question is "why." (And I guess not having BBC America IS a valid excuse-but the videos come out June 5th.)

Extracurricular Activities-

So far, we've had Natalie's Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony, the last day of the school store, Elisa's birthday; and we're gearing up for even more this week. It's a holiday weekend and I'm exhausted already. BUT, I am almost caught up on both washing AND putting away the laundry for the first time in months. (Hey, sometimes you've got to celebrate the small victories along with the big ones.)

Happy Birthday Elisa!!

You are finally "Fwee"!

Friday Flashback

This Thursday Thirteen post at This Eclectic Life reminded me of a Fourth of July camping trip long ago. It was one of the Seattle summers that I spent at FavoriteUncleBob's house. My mom had come along this time and Bob thought it would be fun to spend that weekend on the Oregon coast-WITHOUT MAKING ANY FREAKIN' RESERVATIONS. We had a lot of fun at Sea Lion Caves (can't remember what the actual name was) and riding a dune buggy, but the problem came when it night fell and there was 'no room in the inn' or anyplace else in the itty-bitty town where we found ourselves. Finally, Bob found one at a place called The Ragan Inn, which FavoriteCousinEric and I promptly dubbed "The Ragged Inn," and we weren't kidding. The place was "rustic" if by that you mean "filthy." The proprietors were missing s few teeth and more than a few brain cells. There was an old and terrifying pipe organ in the library, surrounded by shelves of kids' games missing all their key pieces. My grandmother walked inside, took one look at the place, and promptly refused to stay there. Bob had already paid for it, so they got into a huge cussing, screaming argument out in the parking lot in full view of the owners who, if I remember correctly, were not happy with what she had to say. Finally, Bob pointed out that it had an attached liquor store and she reluctantly agreed to stay. (Unfortunately, it was closed...) We re-entered the lobby just in time for the owners to open the door to their private quarters and release three or four small dogs who went romping and barking through the hotel lobby. Eric and I squealed "Ooh! Dogs!" and chased after them as my grandmother resumed cussing and my mom looked for the nearest hiding place. We got our room key and Eric and I were delighted with how all the lights were operated by pull-strings, but the light switch was what turned the T.V. on and off. Grandma was not nearly as impressed. When night fell we realized that the glare of the neon sign had completely removed any need for a nightlight-or any lights for that matter and our attempts to cover it only resulted in the roller shade falling from the window the first time it was touched. We gave up any further attempts at 'spinning' the place and just laughed at our own misfortune. And as we lay in our lumpy beds covered by our tattered blankets that night, Grandma bemoaned the fact that she wanted us to remember the beauty of this trip and that all we would remember was this awful motel. And since I'm writing this almost 30 years later, I guess she was right. At least it's a good memory.

Thursday Thirteen #28

To lighten things up here, I thought I would list my 13 favorite Harry Potter quotes. Of course, I have far more than these; but here are 13 I barely need to check the books to quote correctly.


1. "NEVER INSULT ALBUS DUMBLEDORE IN FRONT OF ME!" -Hagrid

2. "It's our choices, Harry, that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities." -Albus Dumbledore.

3. "Dear me...Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!" -Albus Dumbledore

4. "Don't let the Muggles get you down!" -Ron Weasley

5. "Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of out of other people's business." -Marauder's Map

6. "You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us?" -Albus Dumbledore

7. "Tripe, Sybill?" -Professor McGonagall

8. "Twitchy little ferret, aren't you Malfoy?" -Hermione Granger

9. "Give her hell from us, Peeves." -Fred and George Weasley

10. "It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom." -Albus Dumbledore

11. "The trouble is, the other side can do magic too..." -Cornelius Fudge

12. "What do I care how 'e looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave!" -Fleur Delacour

13. "To Harry Potter, the boy who lived." -Wizards and Witches everywhere at the beginning of Book 1

For more Thursday 13's, click here.

They Aren't Really Gone, I Promise

There were a lot of kind comments and observations regarding those two recent posts about my marriage. I took those posts down because, while I felt strongly about writing them and sharing them at the time, I decided they would serve me best moved into my writing folder on my laptop. Don't worry, the good comments were saved along with them. I didn't get a chance to reply to all of them before deleting, so here are the answers I didn't get to:

Jen M. said:

"I think in all marriages there comes a time when you each change. Things that are important when you're 20 are different when your 30 and so on. I know that it's a hard process when you change in different directions and you wake up one day and think "who is this person laying next to me and what happened to the man I married?" Me and my hubby are just recovering from that problem and personally, I think the reason why the divorce rate is so high is because people just give up too soon. (Of course, that's not including all those who are abusive and mean--totally different situation.) I've always prided myself on the fact that our marriage was as strong as an oak tree, but then I learned that marriage must bend when the wind blows and even if the tree looses a branch or two, it recovers and keeps growing.(How's that for an analogy?) ;0)"

My reply is that I had to LOL at the tree reference because just this morning I heard a smack on our dining room window. Further investigation showed that one of our favorite backyard trees split in the high winds we've had and Dave and I spent half the morning figuring out whether or not the tree could be saved because the whole family loves it. Very appropriate, no? Jen, you have been married the longest of any of my close friends and I've appreciated every word of advice you have given me in all of your comments. Thanks, friend.

Katrina Stonoff said...
Hmm. I've stayed out of the this conversation because I don't know Dave and have only seen your marriage via this blog (which I understand is a place to vent).However, you've made a couple of statements here that shocked me into commenting.1) "We haven't been miserable the whole time." Yikes! My marriage isn't perfect, and we've had some horrible times, directly resulting from awful things he did to me. But if I were to characterize it, I'd say, "It hasn't been all good," meaning it's been mostly good, with some balance. Do you really mean to say your marriage has been mostly miserable, with some balance?

No. I meant the first one. It's been mostly good with a lot of tension since I went back to school and he started working nights. The year his mom died was the only other bad one we had, and I can forgive that.

2) "Fortunately, Dave is not home when they are awake." Again...YIKES! I cannot imagine ever feeling grateful my children rarely see their father (actually, I can imagine it; that's how my first marriage was, but as you know, I got out of it specifically to protect our son).Not to mention, if he's never home when they are awake, how can he possibly dote on them?Did you mean fortunately they see little of him around you?

Again, you figured out what I meant. They don't see us interact since we work opposite schedules. He is with them when I am not. Sorry, I didn't clarify that.

Melessa, I know this is SOOO none of my business. Please forgive me for butting in. I respect and honor your right to make your own choices, and I am not trying to influence you to do anything. I was just shocked by these two statements and wondered if perhaps I misunderstood them.

It's not so much that you misunderstood, I'm just not the best writer when I'm trying to say something emotional on less than 8 hours of sleep.

Sandy said...
You know, I remember being taught there are three sides to every marital story - hers, his, and the truth that lies in the middle. The problem comes in when neither party is ready to step back and see the other two sides. I think what you wrote here goes a long way to prove you're trying to see the big picture. Dave sounds a lot like my brother - only my brother can be a screamer when he's done ignoring you.

So can Dave.

We had a major blow out on Mother's Day which did center around the fact that he was mad at me for something and was planning on ignoring me until he felt 'ready' to get over it. Yeah, not working for me. Once he understood that I wasn't backing down he heard me out. My point? Wait there is one. ;) I kept saying to him "I don't need you to answer now. I just need you to listen. I just need you to hear what *I* have to say. You can do with it whatever you want as long as I can say it first."Maybe Dave needs that from you. A chance to just be present while you talk without having to respond until he's ready. I've found with my brother things sink in more than you'd think when we reach those points.

During our better days, this is what we used to do. Thanks for reminding me. I think I've forgotten that in all the tension and stress. It works for us too.

Perhaps what you need to say is something you bring up in the end of this post - that maybe never really connecting all the way seems like a way to not hurt when it's over BUT the truth is it's just a way that it'll one day be over perhaps before you're ready and you'll be left with the regret of knowing you never gave it a chance.

Dave has always said I'm the only girl he ever loved. Of course I am flattered by this, but in a way I wish he had gone through one or two really big heartbreaks along the way. Then, he would already know this (and a few other things about conflict-resolution) without me having to explain it to him. I have mentioned this in the past, but his typical response is to say "so what you're saying is that you're still in love with that guy and regret messing things up." Umm...'No' to the first part. 'Yes' to the second. Someday he will clue in, I just know it.

TrudyJ said...
Melessa, unlike many of the other people commenting here, I don't know you IRL, only through the blog, and don't know your husband at all. Still I feel so sorry for you reading what you've written. I am a firm believer in making marriage work and taking commitments seriously, and I'm NOT a believer in eternal fairytale romance. I know marriage takes work and all marriages go through rough times but I still find it hard to believe God wants any woman to live in a situation like you are describing -- feeling unloved, feeling like your husband is not a true friend or partner and isn't interested in you as a person, or supportive of your accomplishments. That is so very sad and I hope and pray you will find a way through this to a better relationship that is more rewarding to you and more reflective of what God ordained marriage to be.

Trudy-Thanks for commenting. As you may have noted, between work and school, Dave and I haven't really spent time together as a married couple in almost a year. I finally graduated and he is switching back to the day shift once summer vacation is over and I don't feel like it's fair to make any major life decisions until I have a full picture of how things are when life has gotten back to normal. Don't misunderstand, IF things don't improve in the next few years, I may be forced to move on, but I'm not ready to do that yet and I think there is still a lot of hope and potential. We just need to get back on the same page.

Christina said...
Melessa,Just wanted you to know that I'm not ignoring you or not sympathetic. I'm just staying out of it because I've already told you how I feel about things. I love you and as long as you are okay that's fine by me and if you ever need things to change I'm here for you.

Chris-I didn't think you were ignoring me for the very reason you mentioned. I love you too and 'ditto' to being here for you if you need me. Mwah! (That's how the young'uns blow kisses to each other online.)

Week In Review

Reading

New Testament: Acts-I know I've read this because I remember spending most of my college Winter Break reading through the entire NT, but it's as if I've never read it until now. Currently, I just finished Peter's account of his revelation to extend the gospel to the Gentiles. Sure, it's OK for Peter to change his mind while leading the church; but if we Latter-Day Saints do it we're either "hypocrites" or "bowing to political pressure." Revelation has NOTHING to do with it. Yeah, right. But seriously, reading that was very inspiring.

Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley-I got several gift certificates/gift cards to bookstores as graduation gifts and had a LOT of fun with them over the weekend. I get a little tired of all of the FlyLady emails, and I thought buying the book and unsubbing from the list might help with the strain on my Inbox at the end of the day. (It's rare that I can check it at work, and I hate coming home to chores, dinner, AND 50-plus emails each afternoon.) I really like the book and even though I thought I had read everything during my early days with FlyLady, it turns out I had forgotten quite a lot. We're going to try baby-stepping and FLYing once again.

Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook-This may have been a little more homekeeping info than I can handle. I've wanted this book for awhile and ordered it sight unseen. It's a little overwhelming, but once I get rid of the clutter, maybe I will be happier with my purchase. Right now, it scares me a little.

Real Simple: The Organized Home-This was much more my speed. Fortunately, neither book cost me anything, so I will keep them both for the moment.

And lest you think I spent it all on housekeeping manuals, I saved the best for last:

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott-I promised this to myself for finishing grad school. I spent most of Saturday reading it and now I understand why it is my friend Toni's must-read for aspiring writers. Definitely the best gift I could have given myself!

Watching

Gilmore Girls-Yes, it was a worthy ending and yes, I started crying about ten minutes into the show. And I was wrong, I was NOT ready for this show to be over...but that's usually the best time to end things. I always thought I would want the show to end with some kind of reconciliation between Emily and Lorelai, but seeing Richard be the one to acknowledge Lorelai's accomplishments was that much better. Besides, we've watched Lorelai and Emily take steps in that lifelong mother/daughter reconciliation dance for just about every season of the show and since it usually takes a lifetime for those kind of relationships to resolve themselves, it would have been unrealistic to expect a "you are anything but ordinary" moment here.

Speaking of that...

Grey's Anatomy AND Veronica Mars are still waiting for me to watch them. I'm dreading Grey's in a BAD way. (And dreading even more that we've seen the last of Veronica. How dumb does the CW have to be?!)

In My Netflix Queue-

PeeWee's Big Adventure-My sisters and I have had a rough week. My place of employment was broken into over the weekend (we found it Monday), money went missing from the school store cash box on Thursday, I had to pull a tooth, forgot to tell the tooth fairy...you name it-it went wrong. One of my sister's is in the middle of a divorce she didn't want and the other has a two year-old, a husband who works long hours, and fertility problems. Most recently, soon-to-be-divorced sister's soon-to-be ex has found a new girlfriend. As this sister once said to console me "that girl's not just a step down (from you), she's a leap off the Empire State Building." In my case, sis was just saying that to be nice. In this case, it really is true. (Chris, Lanie-I will gladly link you to her MySpace page if you're curious.) Some of ex-BIL's many complaints about my sister center around her weight and that she smokes. This girl is about a foot taller than him, smokes, and outweighs my sister by quite a bit. All of this to say, we are all in pretty rotten moods by Friday when we got to Gran D's house. And then, while flipping channels aimlessly, we saw it. Pee Wee was coming on in 15 minutes!!! There was no better way to turn a room full of stressed-out bitter mommies into teen aged laughing hyenas than to watch PeeWee wend his way to San Antonio and back.

We laughed when he did this:

We danced the "tequila" dance with him.

And we rejoiced when we found his bike. And all was happy for awhile. Until my mom noted the mood had brightened and did all she could to irritate us into bad moods again. Oh well, at least we had those 90 minutes with PeeWee, Large Marge, Speck, Dottie, and of course; Mr. Breakfast. I'm not sure what was more entertaining, the movie or the looks Juliet gave us every time we laughed. She did not "get" PeeWee. Victoria and Tristan could not have loved it more. And if you know the kids in question, you will know how appropriate that is. I tried to embed the "tequila" dance from YouTube, but I guess I'm not that talented. Anyway, it was a good ending to a long week.

As Promised Pt. 2

After making such a big impression on my daughter's the night before, I just KNEW Tristan had to be there for the Liberal Studies ceremony. It was going to be indoors, there was little chance of a late start, and it would likely last only an hour. Since Dave's Dad (who is notoriously grouchy with the grandkids) was watching Elisa, it wasn't too hard to convince him to come. Also joining us were Namaw and Pawdad who made a special trip from Tulsa, and who surprised me by bringing along my Aunt Margie. (She is Pawdad's sister-in-law the widow of one of his brothers who everyone in the family adores.) My sister Janet made it after working her usual night shift at Norman Regional, and my cousin Jonathan came along as well. Between them, my parents, Dave, and three of the four kids; I had quite a cheering section.

It was nice to line up on the inside for a change, and anticipating a shorter wait, I wore my heels. I said hello to a lot of friends I had made in line the night before, but had to stand with the other Master's students instead. As I moved over there, I located two girls I had begun the program with (everyone used to come to campus for an opening seminar-I'm sad for the newer students who don't do that anymore) and as an even bigger surprise, my former advisor who retired last year was there too. It was wonderful to see her. I told her I had been officially hired at The Agency-it was she who suggested I intern there in the first place. In fact, she used to work there herself. We traded stories about the place until she had to take her seat so that we could take ours. In a smaller, more personal, setting; I felt much more emotional. So much so that I didn't look for my family as I marched in, even though it was a much smaller venue.

The keynote speaker was good, but he used a lot of mild profanity during his speech. I appreciated what he said about how hard it was to get your degree while juggling family responsibilities, but cringed at his language because I knew my grandparents were seated somewhere behind me. Fortunately, he only spoke about 15 minutes. Then, the graduate college dean took the podium and gave a speech of her own. She used excerpts from the application essays that many of us had written two or three years ago. She included a large part of mine. Yep, I cried and before I could really compose myself, they called us up to get our diplomas. To keep from having another outburst, I made a very deliberate attempt not to look for my family when they read my name, though I could hear them cheering and could see Dave a few feet in front of me taking a picture. Most of the pictures taken of me are incredibly unflattering as I was doing my best not to lose it. Then, we were seated and waited out all the B.A. diplomas before being dismissed. I found everyone seated near the top as we exited. The shining eyes of my kids and my sister were something I will never forget. We were all so happy (and so ready for pie at Marie Callendar's) that we almost forgot to take any other pictures, so I stopped for a quick one outside the parking garage just before we left. (That's the one that I displayed a few entries ago.)

All in all, it feels wonderful to be finished. I would like to say that eventually my husband admitted how proud and happy he was, but that day hasn't come and I'm not holding my breath. But, my children were impressed and I agree with Kate and thatgirl in saying that perhaps that will help them understand how very important education should be to them as they get older. Most importantly, I am proud of myself. I can think of few other moments in my life where I've been this happy for something that was my own accomplishment. I guarantee that this degree will not make me rich or improve my social status, or earn me any kind of fame or notoriety. But, that's not what I was looking for in the first place. All I wanted was some career/earning potential as the kids get older, the chance to read "grown-up" books (in fact, that was part of what they quoted from my essay), and to prove to myself that I really was smart enough get a Master's degree. Overall, I would say that I succeeded at all three of those goals, and I can't ask for more than that. You know, I started this blog as a way to cope with all the stress that juggling school and family was causing me. So, where do I go from here? Stay tuned...we'll find out together. Thanks for being with me for this part of the journey.

As Promised Pt. 1

"Mommy, you look just like Rory Gilmore!" That's what my 9 year-old said when I emerged from my bedroom last Friday, clad in my cap, gown and hood. (Now I know why you have to have a Master's to wear that hood, you need it just to figure out the instructions.) Of course, that week she had just seen Rory graduate from Yale, so I guess the comparison made sense to her. I was just glad to hear the excitement in her voice. The Daddy half of this marriage doesn't see the benefit in a college degree, and I worry on a pretty consistent basis that he's going to talk our children into feeling the same way. (Because I watched his Dad do it to him throughout the first years of our marriage.) So, Natalie was excited. That was a good start. Dave, however, was not. He poked around getting ready, insisted that the four o'clock rain showers were going to drive the ceremony from the stadium back into Lloyd Noble (which I didn't want, having already done my previous graduation there in 1994), and didn't see why I wanted to get there "so freakin' early." So, we went on his timetable, and got me there in time to line up, but before he had dropped off any of my kids at my grandmother's. Of course, this led to many arguments between our house and Owen Stadium, and I was almost in tears by the time he dropped me off. Not an auspicious beginning.

It turned out that he had all the time in the world. Between confusion over where the ceremony would be (at the stadium-woo hoo!), extra security for Mayor Bloomberg (our speaker), and who knows what else-the ceremony started 45 minutes late. I bonded with people in line, many of whom were like me: in their 30's, married with kids, and over the moon about having really accomplished this. I must really look like a mom too because an amazing number of 22 year-olds kept asking me where the bathroom was, where they could get a drink of water, and if I could hold their program, cell phone, etc...while they straightened their robe. (And I must actually BE a mom, because I knew about bathrooms, bottled water, and held each item for anyone who asked.) I'm just glad I didn't wear heels given the extra hour I spent on my feet. Finally, Pres. Boren (former Governor and Senator of OK-if his name sounds familiar) and Mayor Bloomberg made their way through the crowds of graduates (which really seemed to annoy the mayor's security detail) and we began marching into the stadium. We walked down the same stretch of road where I parked each semester to pick up my pre-ordered books. As an online student, it was the only part of campus I ever saw regularly besides the Liberal Studies office, it seemed appropriate to walk that way one last time.

On our way inside, we each had to be searched. It was kind of funny. The event staff went from person-to-person saying "Congratulations, can I see inside your robe, please?" How they kept from laughing, I do not know. Meanwhile, we could hear the band, hear our families clapping, and stayed busy with many boisterous shouts of "Boomer Sooner." One very proud husband kept running ahead of his wife (about my age) to videotape her. I was a little jealous...mine was probably in the stands with some of our kids griping to my parents about the delay and what a hardship it was to give up some of his leave time at work to attend the Friday night ceremony. (He had originally planned not to go at all, but I put my foot down.) We went through the gate where I enter when I'm lucky enough to get to use one of my parent's season football tickets, which I also thought was pretty neat coincidence. As we walked onto to field, I looked up into the crowded stands and, to my own surprise, spotted Dave, Natalie, and Caroline right away. (Tristan and Elisa stayed with my grandma who feared bad weather and opted to attend the individual college ceremony on Sat. afternoon instead.) I hadn't managed to spot any of my friends and family back in 1994, so I was really happy about this. Even better was seeing how proud and happy my little girls were to see me. We all managed to get seated, and the ceremony began.

I have to say that Mayor Bloomberg was possibly the best Commencement speaker I have ever heard. He surely beat Thomas Stafford who spoke at my first college graduation. I really like the ceremony happening outdoors even though I was amused to note that OU graduation only commands about a fourth of the crowd that turns up for an OU football game. He was funny, he had done his homework very well and managed to work O'Connell's, Classic 50's, Adrian Peterson, and the OU/Oregon game into the text of his remarks. (He said he knew he was third choice as speaker with Adrian Peterson and Sanjaya being the first and second.) He also made liberal use of Will Rogers quotes even though he began his speech with the promise "not to quote Will Rogers just to get on (our) good sides." I wish I could find a YouTube of his speech to post here or even a link to the text because he was just that good. There was a good Norman Transcript article about it, but I suspect you have to register to read it. Once he had finished speaking, it occurred to me that the girls probably hadn't eaten dinner and I spent most of the PhD hoodings alternately worrying about that and wishing there was a Museum Studies PhD program closer to here than the (only) one in England. (I only know one couple in England, and THEY didn't like it there. So they moved here a very, very long time ago. Sorry, couldn't resist.)
During the hoodings, I was pleased to see one of my fellow Norman High graduates get his PhD. He was in honors classes and his last name started with a "K," (and mine was an "L") so we became acquaintances by default. (Chris, it was Glenn K. from church.) I don't know if he would have remembered me, but it was nice not to be the only Norman '90 grad in attendance.

After all the hoodings and closing remarks by Pres. Boren, there was a "surprise" fireworks display. It was amazing. As they played "Boomer Sooner," "Oklahoma," and a lot of other favorites, I cheered and wiped tears from my eyes simultaneously. This may not have been the journey I thought I was starting when I left for Arizona in 1996, but for the first time since then; I do actually feel like I've completed it. As I watched the fireworks and thought about how much my kids were enjoying them, I remembered the million moments of difficulty and disappointment I went through to get here. I thought about Dave telling me "my job is HERE, but you do what you want" back when I was three months pregnant and talking to him over the phone about what size apartment he wanted me to find for us in Tucson. I thought about finally getting accepted into OU's MLS program only to find out I was pregnant with an unplanned fourth child a week after classes started and how I had to withdraw from all but one of them when it became clear that there wasn't a pre-school in all of Norman that would keep Tristan so that I could effectively navigate dealing with 18 month-old Caroline, morning sickness, and class work every day. I remembered writing paper after paper while nursing a baby or breaking up fights between the bigger kids, because Dave made a "temporary" switch to the night shift at work. (We'll hit the two-year mark next October.) I'm not sure how many I shouted "Be quiet!! Mommy's writing a paper." But since each of the kids have asked me "Does this mean no more papers?" I guess it was a lot. I thought about all the creative ways I had managed to pay tuition and I am proud to say I made it through without taking out one single student loan. And as I reviewed these things, I cried because I had survived them, gotten through them, and had finally made it to that light at the end of the tunnel. A light that, in this case, turned out to be red and white fireworks.

When it was all over, it took forever to find everyone; but the pride shining in the eyes of both my daughters is something I will never forget. I think any ceremony that runs late should always end in fireworks because I don't think either one of them will ever remember anything about that night except for getting Cracker Jacks for dinner, watching fireworks, and knowing that their mom had really accomplished something wonderful while she was dressed up "just like Rory Gilmore." And while Ms. Gilmore's fictional degree may have come from Yale, I know that mine was the real accomplishment. And, more importantly, my little girls know it too.

Thursday Thirteen #27

When I had the iPod Shuffle, I used it mostly for exercise and since it had limited space, I only put fast songs on it. When I got my Nano, I had the space and memory to add songs to my heart's content. In addition to some kiddie CD's to appease the kids, I also put on some of my all time favorite love songs. Here are 13 songs on my iPod that make me weak in the knees.

1. "Sometimes When We Touch" Dan Hill-An oldie, but a goodie. I initially uploaded it from one of my Singers and Songwriters CD's. (Between that collection and the Muppet Show videos, TimeLife used to LOVE me.)

2. "Somebody" Depeche Mode-I think I already covered that story in this post.

3. "Take My Breath Away" Berlin-I got my first kiss slow-dancing to this one. 'Nuff said.

4. "She" Elvis Costello-I'm not even sure if it's Notting Hill that I like, or just this song. It's a good one.

5. "Mystery of Love" Nick Kelly-Caught this one watching the last few minutes of Y & R on SoapNet (no doubt waiting for either Days or AMC to start), I only heard a snippet of it and searched iTunes for about half an hour looking for it. It was worth the effort.

6. "Kissing a Fool" George Michael-Let's face it, there was nothing about that Faith album that I didn't like.

7. "An Innocent Man" Billy Joel-I think I've recently covered my love for this song too, but I guess I just need to reiterate it once more.

8. "And So It Goes" Billy Joel-This was a favorite my freshman year in college, but if I hadn't bought the cassette single (rememeber those?) I never would have heard Billy's original cut of "Shameless," it was on the flip side of "And So It Goes." Also good and seldom-heard by Billy Joel is "This Night" from An Innocent Man. It's not on my iPod and can't be on the list, but I couldn't leave it out either.

9. "Really Not That Different" Collin Raye-I still think this should have been the "first dance" song at my wedding. But heaven forbid I get my way if it involves Dave and a country song. Oh well, at least we weren't dancing to that other song.

10. "Non Ho Piu Catene"/"Unchained Melody" Il Divo-Whether in Italian OR English, this song never gets old. It's even more beautiful in Italian, but I think they must not have translated the lyrics until AFTER Ghost came out because in that version, the singer is definitely dead and missing his loved one in heaven. This song was also glorious when performed by Bono at the U2 concert in Dallas long ago (1992).

11. "Same Auld Lang Syne"-Another one I've loved since I was a kid and never outgrown. This one probably came from Singers and Songwriters too.

12. "I'll Have to Say 'I Love You' in a Song" Jim Croce-Oh yeah, this was DEFINITELY a Singers and Songwriters addition as was the last one...

13. "Me and Bobby MaGee" Janis Joplin-It's not much of a knee-melting ballad at the end, but what woman wouldn't "trade all my tomorrows for one single yesterday" with someone. Even if they only feel that way for the duration of the song.

*BONUS* I'm cheating again because this isn't on the iPod either, but no list would be complete without mentioning The Dance by Garth Brooks. So now, I've mentioned it. I am an Okie girl, after all.

Remember Karnac?

The answers are:

1. Getting the house in order after a long season of comp exams, thesis-writing, and children's birthday parties.

2. Making sure out-of-town visitors get to spend some quality time with me and the family.

3. Helping to write a museum grant for the first time. (A government grant, no less. Scary!)

4. Dealing with the aftermath of a five year-old, a pair of scissors, and how those things don't mix with shoulder-length hair. (Thanks to Lanie's friend Heidi for the cute little bob she's now sporting. Also, it really isn't as traumatic when your third child does it. I laughed and shrugged it off-something previously not found in my behavior repertoire.

5. Pulling a 7 year-old's tooth to make room for the adult tooth behind it. (And remembering to let the tooth fairy know she should come. I forgot that a few weeks ago, woe unto me!)

6. Getting through a party and two commencements, all fun and worthwhile events, but definitely time-consuming.

7. Complicating all of that with the annual Mother's Day trip to Tulsa. (Also worthwhile, but time-consuming)

8. Finishing up a very full calendar of school field trips at work.

9. Finishing up this year as PTA President so that I can (sigh) do it again next year.

And the question is...

Why haven't you blogged about graduation yet?

It's coming...I promise.

(Sadly, I typed this without a big purple hat or an envelope to my forehead. We miss you, Johnny.)

Week In Review

Reading-

New Testament: Acts-I've read this many times before, but this time what I'm most impressed with is the spiritual growth that Peter has experienced in such a short time. He went from denying Christ three times to leading the early church with commanding authority very quickly. I don't know why I never noticed that before this reading.

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix-This is the last week that I will be reading it aloud. I remembered last weekend that we had in on CD and the kids are now much more impressed by Jim Dale's rendition than mine. That's OK by me because it made the drive to and from Tulsa go much more quickly yesterday. But I do fear that listening to it during my morning commute will make me less sensitive to little excerpts like this (p. 122):

"What were you saying about Scrimgeour?"

"Oh yeah...well, we need to be a bit more careful, he's been asking...funny questions..."

Of course he has, he's going to become the next Minister of Magic. I didn't even realize his name appeared in Book 5, though. I love the J.K. Rowling, even if she does make me want to take a match to anything I've ever written.

Watching

Gilmore Girls-I changed my mind, I don't want it to be over. WAH! I can't believe tomorrow night ends it all. To recap last week: I'm glad Rory nixed Logan's proposal, but I am kind of sad that it's over for them. I loved Richard telling Lorelai that this was almost as much her accomplishment as it was Rory's (about darn time you noticed Papa Gilmore), I'm glad Chris and Lor are still close; and I loved the look between Rory and Lorelai as she accepted her diploma. I'm sure the tears will be flowing tomorrow night.

Veronica Mars-Please, please, please don't cancel this show. And while we're at it, I don't like the idea of next season jumping ahead four years either. BUT if it saves the show, do whatever you have to do. I loved Paul Rudd especially with the teacher at the end. Still not buying Veronica and Piz...sorry. And poor Logan just can't get a break.

AND CAN YOU BELIEVE I FREAKIN' MISSED BOTH AIRINGS OF GREY'S?! ME EITHER. THANK GOODNESS FOR TelevisionWithoutPity.com.

In My Netflix Queue-

Footloose-Yes, I am properly embarrassed. But John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest totally rocked even with the lousy writing and weak plot. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't loving all the crazy dancing at the end. Some things just don't get old and this movie is one of them. And did you see the baby face of Kevin Bacon?!

Extracurricular Activities-

Well, there were, of course, all the graduation festivities. The party at work went well, even with all the rain. I want to post separately about both of the Commencement ceremonies, so for now just know that it kept me busy last week as did Teacher Appreciation Week. I had fun delivering the gifts, but it was those Girl Scout moms who came up with the good ideas and the work behind them. Our teachers got personalized notepads, pens, bookmarks, B&N gift cards, a luncheon, and some cute candy jars last week. Nothing can really compensate for all the hard work they do, but it was fun to give some small rewards just the same.

I Made It!

The Party's Still On!

In response to a few emails, I'm just re-stating that the big graduation party will be tomorrow from 6-8 p.m. at The Harn Homestead. It's a come-and-go affair, though I will probably give tours for one or two of the buildings over the course of the evening. The E Barn is a casual venue and the party will be casual as well. I hope to see you there! (Regular blogging should resume sometime after this crazy week and weekend, I promise!)

Two New Circles

I filled out a couple of online surveys yesterday. While I admit that clicking on my new "35-44" demographic was a little tough on my ego, I was more than compensated for it when I reached the 'education' section and made my choice for the highest level of schooling I had obtained:

x) high school
x)some college
x) college graduate
AND MINE) Post-Secondary degree!!

I must admit, that felt GOOD!

Week In Review

Reading-

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix-Harry has now arrived at the 'Noble House of Black' and as he and his guard entered the house, I caught this little blurb: "The others' hushed voices were giving Harry an odd feeling of foreboding; it was as though they had just entered the house of a dying person."
J.K. tells us what she's going to do, we just have to be observant enough to read it.

While Book 5 is, admittedly, not my favorite; I have to give it props. This was the Harry Potter book that finally hooked Dave into reading the series. As much as I hated Harry's constant outbursts and Umbridge-baiting, Dave said he was amazed that a 30-something female writer could capture the mood swings of a 15 year-old boy so completely. This is his favorite book and without it, he would still mock me and my adoration for the HP series.

New Testament: John-I finally finished the fourth gospel. It only took four full months to get through them. But, now that all my schoolwork is finished and my hours are about to get a lot fewer at work; I'm sure I'll have more time to devote to reading. I look forward to it.

Watching-

Gilmore Girls- I finally got caught up on the last two weeks and I have to say that it looks like the series will end on a good note. I loved Doyle being willing to go wherever Paris decides (my own husband was not that accomodating and cringed a great deal while we watched this), I really loved Lorelai telling Luke that maybe he needed to eat something because he was getting cranky (I'm hypoglycemic, it was funny to me), and while I really thought I was a Christopher fan; Lorelai winding up with Luke won't be the worst thing in the world. In fact, after the "I Will Always Love You" moment, I'll be glad if it does. And I kinda thought the series would end with Logan proposing, even if my cynical 35 year-old self does think that they're too young to live happily ever after. Incidentally, I'm also glad the series is ending. After an awful slump, it's finally in a good place again and I want it to end on a good note.

Veronica Mars-After such a long hiatus, after all the rumors of its imminent cancellation, I was worried it wouldn't be good anymore. No need to worry...it rocked as usual. I do love me some teenage drama. I am really worried about next season though...

Grey's Anatomy-I am not going to watch Addison's new show and I felt like the juxtaposition between the two was a little confusing. I also don't like them toying with all my favorite couples at once and trying to make me love George and Izzie at the same time. I'm sure I'll love it again by next week, but right now Grey's has some 'splainin to do.

Robin Hood-I managed to remember that it comes on Saturday night AND Sundays. The thing is, I'm not sure if I should root of Robin or Sir Guy when it comes to Lady Marian. Oh, and I LOVED the sheriff's "business as usual tomorrow" line at the end. I think what I like best about this show (besides it feeding my Robin Hood obsession and the quirky British humor) is that I can watch it with my kids without feeling like it's dumbed-down OR worrying that it's too adult for them. How many shows can you say that about?

In My Netflix Queue-

Dreamgirls-If it weren't for Alan Arkin, you would have NAILED that Oscar Eddie. Keep taking good parts and you'll get one yet! (I reviewed this more thoroughly when I saw it at the movies and I'll spare you all the re-hash.)

Extracurricular Activities-

Billy Joel in Concert!!!-I have wanted to see him since he came here in 1984 and I finally managed it. I went into the Ford Center hoping for four songs and I got them all:
1. An Innocent Man
2. We Didn't Start the Fire
3. Keepin' the Faith
and
4. Piano Man

He didn't disappoint and Piano Man was his final encore number. Even though we were at the very top (which Billy thanked us for) it was a great show. There was much dancing in our seats (especially since we didn't have to worry about the people behind us), singing along, and laughing by Lanie and I when I realized I had put "An Innocent Man" on mix tapes for two different guys I had dated. But hey, it's a classic and it is that ONE SONG I think that Billy is singing to me every time I hear it. He even sang his version of "Shameless" which is also known as THE ORIGINAL since he wrote it and passed it along to Garth. I guess he thought we Okies would appreciate it.

In addition to the concert we also ate at P.F. Chang's (a first for me) and I stayed at a cute little B&B close to where I work leaving Dave to drive home and deal with the kids during the next day's morning rush.

All in all...it was a great birthday and a very good week!

What I Really Wanted for my Birthday

I had an awesome birthday and was debating the use of some birthday money on a redesign for this blog courtesy of Everyday Mommy, but maybe I will get one for Mother's Day instead.

Click here for more details and you own chance at winning.

Now That's Funny!

Dave is constantly on a quest to get JUST the right litter box for the cats. We tried the automatic one (someone gave us a free one) and it worked, but then it broke. We tried one with a hood, but they fought over it. We got a bigger one. They peed on the wall behind it. So today, Dave came home with a deluxe corner-sized box with a hood. It covers the wall, it's big enough for both of them, and it's covered. And...both the cats think it's a pet carrier and refuse to go inside it. Dave's in there right now trying to show them that it's really a litter box.

I am so easily entertained...

Friday Flashback

First of all, I want to thank Sandra, Lanie, and Chris for guest-blogging this week. It was so fun to check Bloglines and see if my own blog had been updated along with everyone else's. I am touched by what Sandra had to say and I had no idea Lanie and Chris still had such an extensive photo collection. But I enjoyed seeing them again. I love that Lanie posted her infamous "catching the bouquet" picture. It's a classic. I do have one thing to say in my defense and that is that I'm 40 lbs. lighter than I was when that pic from Chris' wedding was taken. I still think I look pretty good for someone 3 weeks post-partum though and I'm glad it was part of the post. I mention this because losing that 40 lbs. wasn't easy and I take my credit for doing it wherever I can get it. If only I could lose the last 20, we'd be good...

My friend Jen M. mentioned that she likes to be included in blog posts and that's good because I had already been planning to write this one. I guess the April awareness post has brought back some memories for me that I usually keep buried. But, amongst the bad, I found a really funny one. Now that Jen is back in touch with us, it's that much more amusing. So, I think I will share it here and I hope it doesn't make anyone feel sorry for me because thinking back on it always makes me laugh.

Many of you who have read this blog for awhile know that I had a jerky boyfriend in high school who I continued to date through my first semester in college. What I don't make wildly public is the fact that I lived with him through most of those first few months at school, the dorm room my parents were paying for notwithstanding. By the end of our relationship, we pretty much co-existed through the week and fought all weekend long. This weekend was no exception. It started out well enough. The Jerk left for work (he delivered pizzas) and Chris came over to hang out with me. (I guess there were no Friday night dances.) We were having a good time playing Super Mario Brothers and listening to the radio when The Jerk showed up back home unexpectedly. Apparently, they didn't need as many drivers that night. That made him mad because he needed the money. It made me mad because I preferred him to work on Fridays so I could goof off with my girlfriends at the apartment. As he changed out of his work clothes, I must have gone in there and said something a sarcastic about the least he could have done was to bring home a pizza when the next thing I knew he lost it and began smacking the cr@p out of me. (As I mentioned, that was a weekly occurrence at this point.)

But this time, I was tired of it and started hitting back. I delivered a couple of girly hits and ran back into the living room where Chris was. He came in right behind me and I grabbed a 3 ft. plant stand behind me to defend myself. Dirt, plants, and flowers flew everywhere; but I didn't care. I began clubbing him with it. Then, he wrestled it out of my hands. Meanwhile, Chris was trying to intervene and calm things down. I saw him with the plant stand thinking something like "I sure didn't think THAT through very well, this is really gonna hurt..." But then, he must have realized that Chris was there because he tossed it aside and ran off. What we had all forgotten that Jen was planning to come over later. As Chris and I sat on the floor crying amidst all the dirt, broken pots, and mess; we suddenly heard Jen's sweet, cheery voice calling "Hey Guys!" and, surveying the damage but keeping that same lilting tone, she continued with a "What the hell happened here?" Her calm sweet voice amid all the chaos made us all laugh 'till we were crying in a good way as we gathered my stuff together so that I would be gone before The Jerk came back.

As we packed my stuff, there was a lot of accidental dropping, tearing, and otherwise damaging his property-but only with a little rip here, a little dirt there, or an 'accidental' toss of something into the trash. Nothing so obvious that it could be pointed out, nothing so harmless that he wouldn't notice and be annoyed. Chris and I were still pretty shaken up, so Jen was the instigator that night. Her final act of vengeance was when she went into his closet and hooked up the yellow blinking light off the parking barricade he had stolen so that it would, according to her, blink in his eyes all night and drive him nuts so he couldn't sleep. (It's not exactly boiling a bunny, but she was trying to get back at him.) We drove away from there laughing and even though most parts of my life with him were dreadful, that memory of sweet Jen the Avenger and her blinky light of doom always makes me laugh. I hope it's OK with her that I posted it here.

Happy 35th Birthday Melessa!!!

Today's Thursday 13 is a tribute to Melessa on her 35th birthday. Since we are not writers (Christina doesn't have a blog and Lanie's hasn't been updated since August 2006), we decided to do a pictorial retrospective of our years together.

1. We met Melessa when we were 13 and she was 15. She was an innocent and shy girl. This is Melessa in her early Rainbow Years at Grand Assembly... at the yearly pizza party.

















2. We had dresses for every occasion. This one was her "Kyle" dress. She was 16 and going to meet a boy she liked at Conclave (the big DeMolay state dance) in July. She was so excited about her new dress that she had to show it to us at Grand Assembly in May. Doesn't Melessa look sweet?





















3. Melessa began breaking out of her shell with all of our encouragement. We danced and sang "Happy Birthday" in Mexican restaurants with regularity, wore sombreros and sometimes napkins on our heads (inside joke for Melessa.. hee hee).

















4. As hard as we tried to corrupt her, she still had enough sweetness and innocence to play Smurfette on our Christmas float.





















5. Prom night 1990- Melessa arranged for Christina and Lanie to have tickets for the junior/senior prom. We did everything together, this year we all even wore the same color. Melessa looked beautiful, especially now that her date has vanished (thanks to modern technology).





















6. Melessa was Worthy Advisor (president) of Norman Assembly #18. These were her faithful subjects...
















7. Melessa as Worthy Advisor in her "Beauty and the Beast" Dress. (We just loved this dress.)





















8. Prom 1992- Melessa was at OU but still had time to be Christina's date, since the boys were intimidated by their overwhelming attraction to her.














9. Hola Senoritas... another Mexican restaurant, Tulio's. Election night 1992, Melessa was the only person to actually vote for Ross Perot. Melessa, John, Fergie, D2 and Christina met to celebrate being able to vote and Christina's birthday.



















10. Melessa and John at the Shrine Mosque in the hallway. Look how red John's hair is!!





















11. At Grand Assembly every year, we went to Eskimo Joe's for lunch on Saturday to celebrate Wendy's birthday. What most of you don't know about Melessa is that her life is a musical... all of our lives are. Aren't yours? Is that just us? You don't break out in song at inappropriate times? Hmm...
















12. Fast forward a couple of years, Melessa married Dave. She looked beautiful in her dress.



And for those who have heard about Lanie catching the bouquet at Melessa's wedding... pictures are worth a thousand words. (Look at Aunt M's face.)















13. Three years ago, Christina got married and had Melessa and Lanie as attendants. Melessa looks great especially considering she had Elisa two or three weeks before the wedding.














AND ONE TO GROW ON..... Happy Birthday Melessa!!!
We love you and are so proud of you!!




Love,

Lanie and Chris

P.S. We tried to get everything to line up (and it did in the preview) but IT LIED!!!

P.S.S It's fixed now. Yeah!

Top Ten Reasons I’m Wishing Melessa The Happiest of Birthdays

1. She’s inspiring. She’s got her relationship with God, and that’s who she is. You can take her or leave her, but she’s not changin’ just to please you, to quote Billy Joel. She’s happy with what she believes, which in turn makes others want to be happy with what they believe. Inspiring, I tell you.

2. She’s sincere. She always has something good to say about someone. And you can trust what she says. If she doesn’t mean it, she doesn’t say it.

3. She’s a cool mom. She puts her kids first without indulging them – a difficult balance to strike. Believe me, I’m taking notes.

4. She’s loyal. Melessa has been a better friend to me than people who have professed to be so. And she doesn’t let her friends get stepped on on her watch.

5. Her politics, or more specifically, her lack thereof. She subscribes to the belief that there are far more shades of grey than black and white. Kind of brilliant and brave, really.

6. She lives on a street that is canopied by beautiful blossoming branches, creating such an inviting archway that playing Rainbow Connection for my daughter as we drove through it felt perfectly appropriate.

7. Instead of allowing an imperfect parenting model to compromise her own mothering skills, which would have been the easy way out for so many of us, she used it as a blueprint for how not to be. And have you seen her kids? It shows.

8. She got her master’s in a field she loves and believes in while parenting four kids (and a husband), taking care of the house, and volunteering all over the place. Can you say “my hero”?

9. She’s got polite, warm, conscientious kids. That ain’t no accident.

10. She watches Degrassi* with me. Really, ‘nuff said.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Melessa! Love you lots!

sandra

* What in the world happened to the rest of the season?

Gone Concertin'

OK, that's so not a real verb. But I don't care because I've got Billy Joel tickets in my hot little hands and I'm going to see him at the Ford Center tonight! Happy Birthday to me!