Paying it Forward

I loved this movie. The concept that the little boy came up with is genius. So, today I had an opportunity to pay it forward. I was on the trolley 2 stops away from my destination when the trolley Officer hopped on board asking for tickets and passes. I pulled out my wallet and showed him my pass for April. He brought this to my attention and so I pulled out my April pass and showed him the one for May. There was a teenage girl sitting across from me who pulled out her pass and showed it to the officer. He said, "That is for last month. Today is the 1st of May." She was clearly taken by surprise. He went on to explain to her that she needed to get off at the next station and by herself a ticket and that she needed to realize that the citation would have cost $125. After the trolley officer went about his business, her eyes welled up with tears as she called her dad. She explained to her dad that it was a new month and she only had $1 on her and that she didn't know what to do. I tapped her on the leg and asked her how far she needed to go. She said America Plaza (4 stops away). I told her that I would buy her ticket. She told her dad and got off the phone. We got off the trolley and I pulled out my bank card but the ticket machine didn't take credit cards. So, I ran across the street to the 7-eleven ATM machine. When I came back with my new crisp $20 bill I put it in the machine. The trolley Officer standing nearby explained that the largest bill the ticket machine took was a $10. Argh! So I ran back to the 7-eleven and bought a pack of gum and ran back across the street to help this poor girl. Success! I bought her a $5 day pass so that she wouldn't be stranded in the afternoon. She said that if she ever saw me again that she would pay me back. I told her "No, you'll get to help someone else out someday." I gave her a hug and bounced off to work. Nothing like doing a good deed to start your morning off right! So, I say, pay it forward. I hope that I made an impression on this girl and I hope that she never forgets to help people in need. I'm not talking about just giving money to a homeless person on the street. I'm talking about recognizing a situation when someone really needs help and it's the type of help that you can provide.

Love & Marriage...Horse & Carriage

I was talking to someone today and telling him that he should just marry his girlfriend already. They've been together 5 years and he is still 'thinking about it'. I said the problem with that is that either one of them could get up and walk away at anytime with no legal obligation or consequence. His retort was 'That's the beauty of it. You don't have to get married. You can live together, have kids and never have to be married.' Well, I didn't know exactly how to respond so I didn't say anything. But, it got me thinking. Why do I think that this is wrong? I'm not a very religious person so I can't say that's the reason. I do consider myself relatively conservative, though not as conservative as my husband. So, my reason for this being wrong is this: The children. That's it, just the kids. What kind of example are we setting for our children if we don't get married and just get up and leave when things get rough? The underlying message that they receive is that they don't matter enough for you to stick around and work it out. The only legal obligation we have is to pay child support. There is no law that says you have to 'raise' your children (although there should be). Of course our legal system has made it pretty simple to just get up and leave a marriage anyway. It just seems like people don't put the effort into marriage anymore. They look at the wedding as a great big 'look at me' party and expect the marriage to be 'perfect' afterwards. You know, knight in shining armour/princess in the castle. Real fairy tales aren't like this at all. You either create your fairytale or create your nightmare. It really is what you make it. I got married and always told myself that I would never have the option of divorce no matter how hard things got. Because I knew how damaging it was to me as a child. At the beginning of my parents separation/divorce I just thought I was a bad child. I behaved badly and made lots of poor choices that at the time I attributed to being a bad child. In hindsight I know that it was the lack of focus on my parents marriage that was the real problem. Don't get me wrong, I don't wish to change anything. I'm glad things turned out the way they did. I learned a lot about independence and how to deal with things on my own. I'm now able to look back on that chapter of my life and feel ok about it. And, it could've been worse; much, much worse. Granted, I took the 'scenic route' but I think I turned out OK. At least Ty thinks so. It really all boils down to choices. You can choose to be happy or choose to be sad. You can choose to work honestly or you can choose to steal. You can choose to live within your means or you can choose to acquire debt. So, I choose to be happy, work honestly, live within my means and to stay HAPPILY married no matter what.

Does it hurt?

I wonder if being tired as a child causes physical pain. Last night, during Emma's shower, she screamed and yelled giving me a deluge of complaints. From missing me while I was at my cake class to not wanting to take a shower to not wanting to wash her hair to her lip hurts, her tummy hurts, her leg hurts, etc, etc, etc. After her shower, I was helping her put on her pajamas. Of course the complaints continued with big fat tears. She complained that her sides hurt, her lip hurt, stc, etc, etc. At this point I knew she was exhausted because this is completely out of character for her. I had her sit on the stool in front of her vanity so I could dry her hair. All the while she complained. The she finally said, "Mommy, can I have a pillow please?". So, I grabbed one of the throw pillows from her bed and gave it to her. She put her head down and was asleep before her head hit the pillow. It just makes me wonder if al of her complaints about pain were real. Does it really hurt to be that tired?

Will it ever end?

January 23, 2009
Had emergency surgery to have a foreign object removed from my abdomen. Four days of pain medication.
February 14, 2009
Took Emma to the Doctor because she was complaining of a sore throat. Turns out she had strep throat and pink eye. Ten days of oral antibiotics and five days of eye drops.
February 21, 2009
Emma breaks out in a terrible rash. A trip to the doctor and we find out that this is an after effect of having the strep infection. Three days of antihistamines.
February 26, 2009
While at our friends going away party, Ty is suffering quietly with a very sore throat.
One night and seven beers.
March 4, 2009
Sent home by my boss because I have a terrible cough and fever. Call the Doctor and make an appointment for the next day.
March 5, 2009
I stay home from work because of my cough and fever. While at home with the kids, I notice that Tommy is warm. Thermometer reads 102 so I call the Doctor and get him in for an appointment. Two Doctor's appointments and four prescriptions.
March 5, 2009 (evening)
Emma has a low temperature.

I should invest in the pharmaceutical companies.
Please let it end soon....

Check out Buttercups

New cupcake posted on Buttercups.
http://buttercup-cakes.blogspot.com/

What's wrong with this picture?

Can you find it? No, it's not the missing parrot piece. No, it's not the Koi fish in a too small bowl.

This is a child's toy. Obviously a child would not point this out. A 2 year old doesn't know the first thing about procreation. Only their parents whose minds live in the gutter would point out something like this on a child's toy.

It's almost as bad as the bowl that Emma used to have that had a cow on it. I won't go into details but it was clearly a phallic symbol. Darn marketing companies...I've heard that sex sells but this is ridiculous.

By the way, it's the mice. Maybe the next puzzle we get will have hundreds of little baby mice to put together.

A swing in a tree

My dad visited us for the holidays. We had a wonderful time and thanks to him we were able to get a few projects done that had been on the back burner for a while. Emma and Tommy have so much fun on the swings that have been hung on the tree in our back yard. Yes, swing sets are fun but there is something nostalgic (for me) about a swing in a tree. It reminds me of my Granny and Poppy (I miss them both terribly) in Breaux Bridge Louisiana. There was a huge tree in their back yard. I cannot remember if it was a Pecan or Oak tree. But, I do remember the swing. It's long ropes hanging down from the branch way up top. It seemed to me at the time only someone as magical as my Poppy could get up that high to set it there. I can only wonder if Emma's perspective is the same. Though the tree looks average size to me, does it look monstrous and impossibly huge to her? I remember the fig tree with it's plump purplish fruit hanging from the branches that also adorned huge leaves that looked like something from Jurassic times. There was a rain gauge on the fence in the backyard that I loved to investigate after a weeks worth of rain. Adjacent to the carport, there was an apartment-like kitchen that was used for storage and extra space for large family gatherings. We used to make homemade ice cream there. As clearly as if it happened yesterday, I remember the sound of the machine as it whined with each turn of the paddle and the taste of the rock salt that I couldn't help but put the beautiful sparkling crystals to my lips. I remember the sound of their laughter and the way it made me feel. I used to sit and watch 'Young and the Restless' with my Granny. I wonder if the green floral print blanket that I used to wrap myself up in is still around. There was something so comforting about the smell of that blanket.
A very dear friend of mine gave me a much different perspective on memories. She said that when you think of people you miss the most, it's their way of visiting you when you miss them. Ever since she told me this, I have stopped being sad or lonely when I remember them. I cherish the memories I have with them and I hope that I am able to impart this valuable knowledge on my children.