Streamers of silver and blue, and then at least, I can say, “Look! Something pretty!”
My mind goes nonstop and I’ve wondered more than once if I have ADD of the adult variety.
You see, I used to read – books. Novels. Series. I would devour them and savor them, because? I LOVE to read. Now? I blog. I read blogs. And that is all I have time for.
At first, I blamed my lack of reading on ADD. I started many books, but never finished them. Now, I know it’s my mind. Not only is it occupied by blogging, but also photography.
I have been reading studying books on settings; ISO, white balance, aperture, shutter speed, and f stops. I know! Why not use auto? And I have, but I have to edit the pictures (hours) to come out the way I want them to (which is more time). So, I am using manual. I am learning. I am reading. I am loving it.
Plus, I picked up a novel the other night and guess what? I am enjoying it too. It makes my mind stop whirling and I can enjoy the characters and the writing. My mind can be still.
The future comes one day at a time.
– Dean Acheson
Jason and I have been married two months now.
My wedding bouquet has long been gone. The beautiful flowers faded and died, but frozen in photographs, perfect and fresh. Holding the memories inside their pixels.
It’s December. It’s winter. I wouldn’t expect to see any flowers blooming. Especially, the same ones in my wedding bouquet like Gerber Daisies.
Would you mind telling that to my flower-pot on the front walk? See, I planted pink Gerber Daisies in the spring for the girls. One pot bloomed and bloomed, then died. The other pot bloomed in the spring, then did not bloom again. It didn’t die either. It just sat there in the pot through the long hot summer. I watered its green leaves and thought……well, that’s it. I never have any luck with Gerber Daisies. It was worth a try, and I did try……….. because I love them sooooooo much.
Then…..a miracle.
Two pink blooms in the winter.
Walking to my front door I saw a flash of pink. I thought, no friggin’ way, it couldn’t be. This was November. I took a closer look and sure enough, out of the green leaves was a single pink daisy. Awh! I was delighted. It’s twin sister appeared a day or so later. They have been hanging out through two freezes.
It’s December 12th. I took this picture yesterday.
Texas Garden
What does this mean for my whirling mind?
I don’t know.
Two months have flown by. Two flowers have appeared.
I feel a new direction on the horizon. A new year coming – 2011 (wow).
Maybe it means, getting off the mind spinning merry-go-round, relaxing and enjoying these frozen moments before they are gone.
Do you remember this time last year? What you were doing? Where you were going?
Do you have days when you realize…..Wow, that was a YEAR ago…….really? It stuns you.
You can’t believe the time has flown by, that it’s December, almost Christmas and New Year’s (again).
I have glimpses of those years past all the time. Maybe, it’s just having a good memory, or from the photos I take.
For instance, I came across this photo. Two years ago, bowling with a broken right hand.
This was at the end of the seven weeks casted at my friend Karen’s birthday party. My cast was pretty grimy and I had (almost) mastered being a one-handed (with a non-dominate left hand) typer, writer, hair washer, and eater extraordinaire. Amazing what you can do when you have to. However, my bowling was not so hot – at all. I always remember my cast this time of year, because I could NOT put up the tree one-handed.
Last Thanksgiving, this is what the girls looked like together. Crazy cute, right?
This year.
Still crazy cute!
What’s funny about this is Brownie. Last year, Molly had a death grip on Fred; my mom’s Shih-tzu and our love of Fred is the reason we ended up getting Brownie Poo in July.
A year ago today, was the last day I hugged my dad, and kissed his cheek.
We drove to Ada on Saturday. Sydney made her first loooong driving trip in the driver’s seat under our supervision (notice I was in the backseat). She was fifteen with her freshly printed permit.
Sydney with only her drivers permit driving to Oklahoma.
She did very, very good. We drove straight to the hospital where dad had checked himself in about a week or so before. He had a hernia that perforated part of his bowel and they had done surgery. I had talked to him on the phone, his birthday, and he sounded pretty weak. But fact is, he had worse things happen health-wise in his life. This wasn’t anything. But…in all the hustle and bustle of this time of year, I opted to just stop, and spend the day traveling to Oklahoma to see him. Just in case. IF something happened, I didn’t want to have any regrets, or I should haves….
We arrived to his room and he looked a little more worn than I expected, but better than what he had sounded on the phone. He did look older. Jason, Sydney, and I sat and visited for a while. I don’t like hospitals. I, especially, don’t like Valley View. My grandpa died there, my second cousin, my step-dad…..I just don’t like the place. The only thing good from Valley View was the memory of seeing my favorite aunt, dad’s sister, there. She used to work at the front desk and as a crazy teen I would stop by to see her. But she had moved to Houston many, many years ago.
Dad was watching football.
Dad was a man with nine and half-lives.
Dad was going to be fine.
I left the hospital room with a squeeze and a kiss fully knowing, I would see him again. At home, in front of his big screen TV, watching OU, with his trusty Buddy dog at his side.
We went to the local Mexican food place for my fill of queso with mushrooms from Polo’s. The only place that makes it just the way I looooves it. When we go to pay, I realize, I don’t have my purse. Now, you know what happens when a girl realizes she doesn’t have her purse, and all her worldly possessions on her persons.
Yeah.
It’s panic mode. I searched the car, the restaurant, the sidewalk……everywhere….and came up with only ONE place it could be. My dad’s hospital room.
Huh.
Isn’t that strange? Because, I never lose my purse. Or forget it.
Never.
At first, I was a little irritated. We had said good-bye already. We were ready to hit the road for the long three hours of driving. What was this?
Then, I gathered my thoughts. I listened to my instincts. One thing I wished I had done was brought dad a present, or a card. In our rush, we had just taken off from Texas and came to the room empty-handed. So we went to the local Wal-Mart and I shopped for my dad’s Christmas. I shopped to cheer him up in that dreary white-walled hospital room. And I brought him his favorite things – OU stuff.
I also, picked up a Christmas fern plant in substitute for a Christmas tree, just in case, he was stuck there until close to Christmas.
Dad's OU blanket and Christmas fern.
He brightened up when we returned. It wasn’t just the gifts either. It was the surprise, the second visit in a day. I didn’t even mention my purse sitting on the empty hospital bed in his room. He kept wanting me to hold his blanket up so he could see all the colors (he is color blind like me). Reds he DOES see. The furry bear guy – which I have no idea what he has to do with OU – reminded him of his Buddy dog. He loved it. He had me lay it out on the bed next to where he was sitting. We admired the blanket. We admired the Christmas fern. We watched some football together, talked, and laughed. I left happy I had gone back. I needed that time and his smiles. No regrets. I knew, I just knew, he was going to be fine and recover – like always.
Dad passed away about midnight the next day of major heart failure.
My last-minute trip to Oklahoma. My return to that hospital room. It was no accident. It was a gift. My Christmas gift. From God, from dad, from the world of father’s and daughter’s. It was my last good-bye. My last memory.
Oh, how I cherish my favorite blanket.
Merry Christmas Dad. I miss you. I remember this day…has it really been a year?…and I’ll never forget it.
See, I had ONE kid back in 1994. We blissfully adventured through life. I really didn’t have to worry about dating her, because it was just her; the one and only. No sibling competition, no fights, no complaints. She liked being an only child. We dated a lot. Even at sixteen, we still go on dates. Her favorite place? Macaroni Grill. Her favorite dish? Penne Rustica. YUM.
Two years ago, enter into the picture Jason’s little girls. Two years apart. As the younger one, Bridget, has grown and found her voice – competition is FIERCE. I can promise you….you can’t out talk, over talk, keepupwithtalking to either of them. Can we say the din is a little noisy?
Then, there is lots of tugs of wars over prized purses, who sits on which side of the car, who sits next to Dad at dinner, who got more, who got less..but, but, but it’s not FAIR.
Ensue breakdown and tears.
I have to say to all the parents of more than one – HOW DO YOU DO IT? I mistakenly viewed more than one child similar to more than one pet. You just fold them into the mix and it all works out. Heh! When you have personalities, opinions, and thinkers – that’s not going to happen. It’s been interesting and challenging with more than one. I adore how they are different and I love how they learn to speak up, and fight for their right for attention, but I also learned….they need some one on one time.
So I started dating. Again. Jason started dating. Again.
And you know what? It is sooooo much fun to have that individual time like I had with Sydney.
My first date a few weeks ago with Molly was to the movies. We saw Shrek 3. The movie is GOOD – a little dark for a six-year old and a non-shrek fan. But the popcorn was delicious!
We went to a nail salon after to salvage our date. I was really concerned how she would handle, um, sitting still. We did a pedicure.
Molly getting her first pedicure at the Salon.
Not only did she sit still, but she didn’t complain. She didn’t get bored. She didn’t ask to go potty a hundred times. She loved it. We got our nails done too.
It was a greeeeeatttt date.
Jason at the same time took Bridget to Chuck-e-Cheese. Four-year old at Chuck-e-Cheese nuf’ said.
Enter date number two, which got pushed back by one day due to scheduling conflicts [cough] we forgot [ end cough]. Other factors pushed it to dinner time; me cleaning out the attic, and Jason giving his friend’s brother a lift to work when his car wouldn’t start.
The tea room I was going to take her to? Not open on Sunday. I had to think of another date quick and Chuck-e-Cheese had already been taken.
So, I let her decide. And she picked Purple Cow. Atta girl!
We got to sit at the counter, which was really cool until Bridget needed me to scoot her stool up. Whoops!
She quite enjoyed MY chocolate milkshake. Heeeyyy where is your purple one? Note to self: ONE milkshake shared is PLENTY.
Bridget and I, a night out at the Purple Cow.
Bridget with her purple cow in memory of our “date”.
She ate mac and cheese with a PB&J sandwich. We counted our drinks (six), divided them (3 each), then added them together (6!). We clapped six times. We toasted our milkshake mugs and we thoroughly entertained ourselves.
Afterward, Bridget insisted we had to buy FOUR cupcakes for dessert. One for me, one for Molly, one for Daddy, and one for her, because she is sweet and thoughtful like that. Luckily, there was a Central Market right behind us. We found some scrumptious cakes! AND? She got a green balloon, she named Salem (ha).
The ride home was singing and listening to the same song over and over, no not Hannah (that was earlier) – a rap song, yo. That’s how we roll in the hooptie.
Molly and Jason went to a hibachi grill and had a blast almost catching on fire. That’s hot.
When the dates come to an end, and the girls reunite, it’s always the same. A sweet hug of sistership. No really! It is.
If you can arrange this with your children, do it, it is worth the precious memories.
Living, Loving, Laughing.... 