Uhhhh, No

I haven't written for a while and today I realized why...My house is chaotic. We just got home from Church and the two smallest are fighting, the oldest is trying to get out of the chores she is supposed to do once a week, the husband's bass voice is echoing through the house and I can't think...and if the bass voice isn't here, the air hogs, the constant jumping, battling, etc. is here.

Today, I thought I would write but my mind couldn't form a coherent thought to save my life, Mrs. Jones, my 7th grade teacher would be so ashamed. Mrs. Jones always gave us a topic every day and we had to write...okay, a nerf gun was just fired and the "bullet" just whizzed by my ear...there went the vacuum. Husband enters office and uses the paper shredder, those things are noisy. Where was I? Oh, yes, Mrs. Jones...I thought I would try this approach and I googled "journal prompts" and what do you know...there are a slew of sites. I chose the first one and selected March, it is March after all. Topics: How I learned about sex. WHAT??? Yeah, I am going to write about this in a blog that my aunt reads and my daughter reads and a few people from church...How does this tie into March, anyway? Is it because it is almost spring and farm animals are giving birth?

So, for the crazy person that thought I should write about how I learned about sex, there are three answers...When I asked my mom she told me married people mate, my dad gave me a set of books called the "Life Cycle" and the way I really learned about sex...friends...just like everyone else.

Pictured above the author...thrilling, ain't it?

Just Wondering

Fluttering hearts...Or should I say, fluttering tummies...did anyone else feel this way when they had their first crush? I was thinking today about being in school and having a big crush on the cute guy in school...It was the end of 7th grade and I should have been in my science class but for some reason I was out in the hall...my girlfriend, Cindy, pointed out her new boyfriend and next to him was the cutest guy I had ever seen (they weren't in class either, hmmm). That summer, the crush continued...I remember sitting on the cold tile of my bedroom floor on one hot afternoon, listening to music and drawing a heart around his yearbook picture. The next year in eighth grade we had assigned seats and I was put at the table across from him, everyday I would come to class I would get butterflies...the great big Monarch kind that just took over the whole mid-section of the body. One day, he asked me how to spell something, I am surprised anything actually came out of my mouth, come to think of it...I think I wrote it on a piece of paper for him, I was that tongue-tied. I attended the school Christmas Dance that year with some friends and was so excited he was there...I almost dropped on the spot when he asked me to dance. I think that was my favorite dance ever...just one wonderful slow dance but it was enough to keep my heart flying over Christmas Break. I have always wondered how he figured out I liked him...I am sure he knew from someone/somehow...was it my Piute Mafia girlfriends? (Those girls kind of ran the school) Did he see the doodling on my Pee Chee folder with our initials and a heart drawn around them...Was I stupid enough to take the doodled folder to class where he could read his initials from across the table? I know he had to know I liked him because not long after Christmas Break, he called out of the blue and asked me to go steady...Talk about butterflies...hearing his voice on the other end of the phone was what young girls dream about...

Do kids still feel that way today, do tongues get tied? Do butterflies swirl? Do hearts still skip a beat when the phone rings and the object of affection is on the other end of the phone? Teenagers looks so much more sophisticated with their cell phones and laptops but does the fear of rejection terrify them as much as it did me? How different is falling in love today from 30 years ago?

Miss You

This time of year is so bittersweet for me...It is the beginning of Spring and new beginnings, the beauty of God's Creation, the death and resurrection of our glorious Savior and the sad loss of a friend seven years ago. Rick has been on my mind this past week. He died on Good Friday seven years ago.

I met Rick and his wife, Diana, when my husband went to Test Pilot School at Edwards. Diana was pregnant with twins and Rick was a student in my husband's class. Rick was often seen tinkering on his Corvette or cruising his baby down Sharon Drive. (and by baby, I mean the car). Rick had a certain style all his own...Who else would wear a tie and combat boots with a toga (yep, I'm talking military officers here and not a fraternity). Who else would have the nerve to push me in the pool? Ha, got him back...along with his wallet...I do believe he is the only person I have ever pushed into a pool.

The Class had a "field trip" for two weeks and Rick stayed home since Diana was due with the twins. He had the luxury of spending two glorious weeks with a group of TDY widows. We kept him busy drinking Masucci "Beer-garitas" and hanging out at the pool with the women. (See picture to understand how much he hated this...his wife, Diana took the picture...they both had such a great sense of humor!)

A few years later, Diana passed away from breast cancer and Rick had four boys to raise. He ended up in Ohio with us and not long afterwards was diagnosed with leukemia. He had the best attitude. I went to see him in the hospital and he told me "the body is weak, the spirit is strong." There was no bitterness at God for being sick, for having lost his wife or for having four young boys to raise on his own.

Rick met Susie while working in FL. As soon as Susie heard Rick was sick, she took leave and came to Ohio. She was a blessing. They were married a few months later and spent a wonderful year together before he passed away. I will never hear The Dance or I Hope You Dance without thinking of the love these two shared together. They enjoyed every second together laughing or slow dancing. They didn't waste a minute of life.

Good Friday is coming and it is bittersweet, it is all about death and new life.

Caution: Imploding Brain

Little Gremlins somehow changed the layout of my blog...I have no idea what happened...my sidebars with blog links, Shelfari, and "about me" dropped all the way to the bottom of my blog without any help from me. I spent the morning trying to put them back. No luck. It looks easy, drag and move the items to the area you want them...okay, I can do that. I did it. I still have this long stream of entries with an odd looking void right margin...I looked up tutorials, help menus, and googled my little fingers down to the nubs. Nothing.

I apologize for the odd layout. I tried. I really tried. I need to find myself a computer geek. I have Julio to meet my reading/tea/leisure needs. I need to find his brother, Juan, to do my computer work.

All is not lost, I did manage to successfully set my DVR to record U2 on the Letterman show last night. I just watched it and the frustration headache is beginning to ease away. I am going to add it as a little present for my four readers...OH MY GOSH...I did it! I did it! I really really did it!!!! My Sidebars are back! Hallelujah!!!! SIDEBARS and U2, how sweet is this???

It's a Beautiful Day!

How Can a Girl Love this Song for 20+ Years?

So in Love

Today I ran errands with my little boy and I couldn't help being in awe of this Little Guy. He got in the car, buckled up and announced "Mom, I love you." Wow, what a feeling. Our first errand was Starbuck's (shocking, I know) and we got out of the car and the Little Guy reached up and took my hand. He continued to hold my hand for the rest of our errands. He said thank you for his new Crocs and for his lunch...I am head over heels crazy in love with this Little Guy.

Spring

A little glimpse of Spring today...the sun is shining, the pond is sparkling, buds are popping out on the trees and the bulbs are peeping out of the ground. Finally. It has been a long winter for this desert rat living in the Land of Moonlight and Magnolias.