Teenager No More

Twenty years ago it was pumpkin spice and chocolate layer cake to ring in one year of life.

Twenty years later it's a cheese cake hauled down the highway to college...along with a gift and a pumpkin for carving with your roommate. 

I'm super excited to see what life has in store for my baby. I'm certain what ever it may be will be sprinkled with pixie dust.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEMI ANNE! xoxo  

Weekday Morning Ritual

I have a morning ritual-- on Monday and Friday I stop at Starbucks before work and grab a grande skinny vanilla latte (with hopes of spotting the affair couple, for pure entertainment).  On Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday I brew English Breakfast tea to sip at my desk.  On the drive to work I always pop in a CD that D made and advance it to track five--and I sing.  I sing because I know all the words and because it makes me happy to sing.  Regina Spektor's Folding Chair is my morning happy song. I don't care who sees me singing my heart out in the car.  If I'm not exactly happy, or I'm loathing the impending work environment, this song cheers me up.

Lately I've needed this song!

If you just happening to be thinking of me tomorrow...at say around 6:40am....feel free to sing along

Little House of Memories Tainted

 While we were out in the city on Saturday, shopping at Soulard Market and eating at Bogart's, 

we decided a trip down memory lane was in order. We twisted down city streets, stopped to take in the river view

before finally arriving at the little house at the edge of the city that holds so many memories for King Ralph.  Its been fourteen years since King Ralph's grandma passed and that he's been to the house where memories linger.

Memories of King Ralph and his sisters living in the converted attic with his very young parents.  Memories of being a mischievous boy--climbing on the roof (at age five, when no one was looking) freaking the neighbor who spotted him. Memories of locking his grandma's cat in a chest, and his grandma very mad at him.  Growing up, moving away, coming back for holidays or to mow the grass. Living once again in that converted attic to save money and keep his widowed Grandma company.  Right there in front of the hydrangias King Ralph and I built an eight foot snowman, when we were dating. Memories flooding the mind, until....

he looked past the yard of shit and saw goats in the backyards. GOATS! Not one, but TWO GOATS! Are the goats a lawn mower or dinner? BUT GOATS! Why? 

Memories stalled and only texts of goat spotting was shared. Little house of memories has been tainted.

Never One to Throw A Crutch

I believe the greatest gift I've given my girls is I never threw them a crutch. They are who they are, who God made them. Flaws and all. Sure, I could have gotten them the ever popular 504 plan to aid them in school with longer testing time, but I didn't. I never even mentioned the flaws to school till a teacher noticed or medical intervention creeped into their lives. No crutches. Learn to adapt. Life will not always be able to make exceptions for you, so embrace who you and flourish--that's what I taught my two girls. They did what they wanted and always succeeded.

So here we go again with our M. This time it's more difficult for me because I'm not in her presence to reassure her she is perfect in our eyes, in the eyes of God. To just give a confronting hug to ease her anxiety. God made her eyes for tweaking so she could go into the world and show--see there world, nothing can stop me.  All M's struggle will, or have, made her a more compassionate person. She knows how to jump the hurdles of life. She will take that trait into her one day classroom, where heartfelt understanding is a key tool. 

My M is resting.  I am right by her side, and I'm not going anywhere. 

My Day

I had three adorable girls sitting by my desk

Student: Are the high school cheerleading coach?

Me: Oh my gosh no, if I was the high school cheer coach the cheerleaders would be a hot mess!

Student:  Well you have a cheer jacket on your chair.

Me:  Oh ya, on the occasion that I am cold (which is often) I become Crys-tal, middle school cheerleader.

Student:  Do you have a daughter who is a cheerleader?

Me: Oh no, my daughters are all in their twenties (well D will be twenty in 17 days, close enough)

Student:  WHAT?!

Me: Do I look to young to have daughters in their twenties?

Student; No!

Me: So how old do I look? Like I am in my thirties?

Student:  Uh ya!

Me: Mr. Principal be nice to these girls they think I look like I'm thirty.

Mr. Principal:  (Looks at me and shakes his head)

Me:  Hey now be nice or....

And that my friends is when middle school is a great place to work.

So The Weekend Plans Got Revamped, Who Cares

This is the year of work that I've vowed to fill my weekends with fun. If my weekends are fun then I have something to look forward to all week long...making myself believe it's worth going back every Monday. I don't know why but I just had a negative feeling about this work year, and my feeling seems to showing some truth. Sigh.

Our plans were all laid out till the Cardinals turned on their "October Red," turning a dinner and movie theater night into a pot of soup and a baseball game on the TV. Long game! Fantastic game! The Boys of Summer just know how to stretch it into the Fall. We really are nerds--Princess A, King Ralph and I, whooping and hollering at the TV, cheering and texting player thoughts to relatives and friends. High fiving in the living room. Maybe not needs, but fans?! 

Saturday's first stop: The Pond Unvailing Party, was moved to Sunday for better weather.  The second stop remained in check. By 5:30pm I had a home brew beer in my hand under a dimly candle lit tent, with polka music blasting from our Jaw Bone speaker. Princess A baked up a themed treat for the annual Octoberfest. 

Before beer and treats there was laundry and the movie Gone Girl to fit in. Which never got fit in. I just hope I won't be disappointed when I finally do fit it in. I get that way when I've read the book, then I ramble angry thoughts under my breathe the whole time. I'm not a fan of changing the characters into anything other than what the author gave us in type. Okay so the movie never happened. The beer did happen 

The chocolate porter on tap was the best chocolate beer I've ever had! I found a delicious blue berry ale in that lid popping cooler of craft beers.

The Princess A cookies where gone before I had my first bite of brat. But haha 

Sunday came and we had breakfast with Lin and her men at Blondies on Wash Ave. Then it was off to the pond party...

where pond gazing was the acceptable entertainment...

followed by gorging on delicious foods, sipping vodka punch, and finally topping our stomachs off with yummy desserts...that sent us into food comas

It's weekend memories filled with time spent with friends and family and loaded with fun that made Monday with a headache doable. 

Four more days and I can do fun all over again! 

Of Few Words

When I'm having a week of frustration I let my mind slip to places of tranquility

Then I have a coffee with pumpkin spice creamer. 

And the day seems like a much easier place to navigate.