Picture this

showing up to a theme party

and wondering if you got the theme right

the "Welcome, Fabulous Forty" ribbon on your cake

goes up in flames before the singing is over

realizing you may be the last person on the face of the earth

that doesn't own a smart phone

and while we're on the subject of parties and smart phones . . .

do you find phones a little distracting at get-togethers?

I keep having these surreal moments when I look around the room

and realize that nearly everyone there is staring at their phone.

What happened to the here and now?

Have we forgotten how to interact with the person sitting next to us?

It drives me

ca

ray

zeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I know, I know.

I sound like an old fart.
(sorry I used the word "fart" mom.)

Trendy Pinterest Tragedy ~

Valentine's Day wrap-up

He was mighty proud of his creation - first ever Valentine's Box built entirely from Legos.  He knelt by his bed that night and prayed that he would become a "trendsetter" then he prayed that we could all be trendsetters someday 

______________

and apparently everyone can become a trendsetter 

with Pinterest

Three different girls in Allie's class showed up with heart hair.

Haven't caught the Pinterest bug at our house yet.

(Just not pinterested enough I guess.)

__________________

"Comedy is tragedy plus time"

Carol Burnett

If this is the case

Brayden is going to have a real rib tickler of a story

 . . . in about 10 years.

Unfortunately for now it remains a tragedy

involving cake, heart attacks, comparison lists,

his girl and his best friend

Recipe for disaster.

 it is not my story to tell

but it's definitely "one for the books."

Speaking of Heartbreak -

if you've ever experienced it

(and I know you have)

you need to get out your ironing

and listen to this

 this

____________________

Tweeted by comedian Jim Gaffigan on Valentine's Day:

"And here's your Valentine's Day forcast: 

disappointment with intermittent pockets of candy eating."

Hope you enjoyed lots of candy!

 

well hello there 40

I've been expecting you.

I'm sure you're aware that there are many who dread your presence

some who may even fear it

but not me

I believe you and I
will get along swimmingly.

Time to let go

I don't remember when exactly I purchased the board shorts but I do have photos that suggest they've been with us since late 2007.  My husband has been begging me to retire them for years.

"It's time," he sighed.

"I know, I know" I answered as I threw them into my suitcase.

Change can be hard.

Headed for Maui on Friday.

I'll be leaving my board shorts and my 30's there.

19 year old me

I can't tell you what age my grandma was.  Older people don't have an age when you're 19.  They're just . . . older.  I was headed full bore down the path to nowhere when she offered to take me on a trip.  Just her and I.  Anywhere I wanted to go (within reason of course).  It was an idea cooked up by my parents, I was sure.  A temporary deterrent from my great plan of unhappiness.

I chose St. George, Utah.  Close (so I could get back quicker) and it was home to real, live palm trees.  A sight I had not yet seen in my 19 years.

We were not yet 10 minutes out of town when "the conversation" began.  I was not one to shy away from asking personal questions and she was not one to shy away from honesty.  We were on the topic of her youth, a subject we hadn't ever really discussed, or at least one I hadn't taken the time to listen to.  She shared some surprisingly intimate  things.  It was the first time I can remember an adult trusting me enough to share adult information.

I stared at the freeway stretching before us and worked to digest the matter at hand.  A frantic blur of flapping wings, a thud and a feathery figure thrown to side of the road.  She didn't scream, or slow down or swerve.  I settled down further into the passenger's seat and thought about adulthood and dead birds.  My head ached.

My headache turned out to be a raging sinus infection and the beginnings of bronchitis.  Although the over the counter drugs I was taking turned my first palm tree sighting into a medicated haze my time with her remains wonderfully clear.  That was the weekend my grandmother became a real person to me.  Not just a grandma, but a woman with hopes, dreams, desires and disappointments.  The weekend my great plan of unhappiness was interrupted.

______________________________________________

She was dying of pan-creatic cancer when we gathered around the Thanksgiving table to share our favorite memories.  "Our trip to St. George," I said smiling across the room at her.  The light reflected off her snow white hair giving her the distinct appearance of a modern day angel.  My grandma had an age then.  She was 81.

I will be seeing palm trees this weekend

and thinking of her.

Losing teeth can be a bloody ordeal

her tooth had been flapping in the wind since mid December

a source of great anxiety for our youngest.

while I was helping her brush her teeth it flopped forward, 

drooping like dead foliage against her bottom lip.

Giant alligator tears began to form.

"Push it back towards your tongue," I encouraged.

It didn't work.

"Use toilet paper to get a good grip."

It didn't help.

"Grab it by the base and pull."

It stayed put.

"Wiggle it from side to side."

No luck.

"Twist it."

She twisted it clear around until it faced perfectly backwards.

It was still in place.

after more blood, sweat and tears ~

Our official tooth fairy container:

A gift to teenage me from Aunt Jan living in Peru

It fits 4 quarters perfectly.

And wouldn't you know it,

that's EXACTLY the amount the tooth fairy leaves.

clever her.

almost home