So Princess has been asking for several weeks to have some friends over for a small Halloween party. And after last year's gigantic one where it looked like a concert had let out when parents picked their kids up afterwards, a small party sounded a-ok to me.
So after a long day of work for both the Daddy guy and the Momma, we come home to eight children in the house...six of which are teenage girls. The volume level was at a maximum by the time the pizzas were delivered. So we load them full of pizza, soda, and candy. What to do after that? Load them into two vehicles and head to the "Haunted Jail" in hopes of scaring the shit out of them.
I got all the girls in the van ride (I think I lost a bet somehow) and Frank had the two boys. A van of six teenage girls versus two preteen boys? Frank, you owe me! lol
Anyway, by the time we hit the parking lot of the place, the girls are all riled up and a few were on the verge of quitting. So we stand in what we thought was the line for tickets for like five minutes before the front door of the place opens up and a friendly face pokes out and says "If you are here for the Haunted Jail, come on up." Duh! So in we went. The Daddy guy paid for all the tickets and even bought the kids (plus himself) glownecklaces. Then we stood in the little waiting room with dim lights as they played a documentary of what the jail is all about...just enough to scare the crap out of us again!
So the Daddy guy and I each had to go in with one of the boys since anybody under the age of 13 has to be with an adult. We get split up from the girls and sent in ahead of them. The first part, you are put into a jail cell and the door shut behind you.
Bear and I head into one cell and Frank and DJ into the one across the way. The famous murderer is "Killjoy". As Bear and I are shut into our cell the creepy guy who escorted us in says "Cell number seven, the home of Killjoy." Oh super! We huddle in the cell against the far wall so we can keep an eye on the door. Some creepy ass noises go off and then the strobe effect starts and we notice that the back of the cell is not a solid door like the front but metal bars...and there is a dude with a mask and jailbird outfit creeping around behind them. Bear and I wiggle our way back to the front of the cell and into the corner. He starts to whimper that he doesn't want to be there anymore and wants to leave. I try to comfort him and tell him it will be ok and then Killjoy starts howling "I want the boy, it's not ok. Get out of me home. I want the boy."
This sends Bear into full panic mode and he's trying to get inside the corner of the cell, like literally in the wall to escape the murderer. Killjoy wanders away from the back and we can't see him anymore and figure we are safe. So I hug Bear and tell him it's all ok, it's just pretend...and all of a sudded...the front door opens and Killjoy is face to face with Bear howling in a very ominous voice "It's not ok. I want the boy. Come here boy. This is my home boy. It's not ok. I want the boy." Over and over. I comfort Bear the whole time and keep one eye on Killjoy. Poor Bear was petrified! I think the actor knew it and so he slid out of the cell. As I comfort him and tell him it's ok, from across the hallway I hear a little voice say "Wassup?" I tell ya, I thought DJ had balls of steel for saying that to the person as they came into his cell to scare his ass.
Then we are all asked to exit our cells after a few more minutes of terrifying noises and the creepy Killjoy wandering behind the metal bars. I tell ya, Bear and I thought it was a joke! So we stayed put. We knew Killjoy was just in the hallway and there was no way we were walking out into his trap. Then we heard the other cells open and the guide tell people to please shut their doors behind them so we could continue to the upstairs attic. Must be safe! So we crept out and noticed that all was good. We exited into another little hallway area before being escorted upstairs...and thank goodness for that! This hallway was the safe haven for DJ and Bear, they both said they were NOT going any further! So I took the brave ones outside while the Daddy guy continued on with his fright fest.
While waiting outside we discovered that DJ had actually had his eyes covered pretty much the whole time!
After Frank came out, we waited for the girls to exit. I was positive one of them was going to atleast bail after the first part. But they all toughed it out and went thru the whole thing. They came out...laughing! The excitement of it all had all of us talking about our experience for the next hour. Seems the girls were scared pretty good, but chose to act tough and turn it into fun and laugh at it.
There was so much fun had, I'm sure we will do it again next year...I think.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Some tit for tat ya might say.
Our lovable Josie has a "One Question Wednesday" where anybody can ask her a question and there are no limits. The only catch, and it's a fun one, is that she gets to ask one in return. I finally made it to her site on a Wednesday and got a chance to partake in the fun. Here's my question from Josie...
""If fate had taken you down a different path, and you hadn't met up with the infamous Mr. Frank, what dreams did you have for your future, and what do you think your life would have been like now? "
Wow! I'm not even quite sure. We met when we were in High School, the 10th grade to be exact. I can honestly say that I had not planned anything for my future. I had no thoughts on what I wanted to do or who I wanted to become.
I believe that if we had not met, I would most definately not live in the hellish state that we currently live in. I would probably still be living in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I can see that I would have gone to college and would have found myself somewhere in the medical field as science and living creatures have always interested me. A veterinarian, medical assistant, medical transcriptionist, or possibly a zoologist. I can see that I would have gone in that direction. As for relationships, I'd probably still be single as it was Frank who "got me out of my shell" and taught me that it is ok to just be me.
That might be an odd response to the question, but it's the truth. Other than what I put, my mind is a blank. So it's possible I would have just become a damn bum! lol
""If fate had taken you down a different path, and you hadn't met up with the infamous Mr. Frank, what dreams did you have for your future, and what do you think your life would have been like now? "
Wow! I'm not even quite sure. We met when we were in High School, the 10th grade to be exact. I can honestly say that I had not planned anything for my future. I had no thoughts on what I wanted to do or who I wanted to become.
I believe that if we had not met, I would most definately not live in the hellish state that we currently live in. I would probably still be living in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I can see that I would have gone to college and would have found myself somewhere in the medical field as science and living creatures have always interested me. A veterinarian, medical assistant, medical transcriptionist, or possibly a zoologist. I can see that I would have gone in that direction. As for relationships, I'd probably still be single as it was Frank who "got me out of my shell" and taught me that it is ok to just be me.
That might be an odd response to the question, but it's the truth. Other than what I put, my mind is a blank. So it's possible I would have just become a damn bum! lol
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Frank's retirement To-Do list
Master grocery shopping, without bringing home any live critters in the brown sacks.
Serving dinner, without having to take it out of the take-out sack it was brought home in.
Be my accountant, without me having to remind you what a due date is.
Become a laundry professional, without us having to get dressed out of the "clean" basket.
Massage me regularly, without me having to beg.
You get those five things down to a science and we'll talk retirement. But ya know, if you want I'll buy you a new car in a few months. That do anything for you? How about if you keep working, save your entire paycheck, and then use that for your "Frank needs video games" fund?
Screw it, if you honest to God want to quit...we can discuss it. lmao
Serving dinner, without having to take it out of the take-out sack it was brought home in.
Be my accountant, without me having to remind you what a due date is.
Become a laundry professional, without us having to get dressed out of the "clean" basket.
Massage me regularly, without me having to beg.
You get those five things down to a science and we'll talk retirement. But ya know, if you want I'll buy you a new car in a few months. That do anything for you? How about if you keep working, save your entire paycheck, and then use that for your "Frank needs video games" fund?
Screw it, if you honest to God want to quit...we can discuss it. lmao
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Since Frank is lazy
How Patches came to be in our family...since Frank is lazy and just says "look for it." lol Ya shithead!
Patches O'Fluff
Patches O'Fluff
Interview's last lovin' Part 5
5. Your husband is a colorful character, to say the least. Tell us about your craziest adventure with him. What does he do that makes you laugh? What does he do that makes you cry? Why don't you like his cat? What is your secret to making this marriage work?
Colorful, huh! That says a mouthful all in one word. We have had so many adventures, where to even begin and better yet how much to actually share?
One adventure, if you want to call it that, was when he was teaching me to drive. On one trip around town it started to rain. So he explained how to turn on the wipers. Then it started to pour and I simply couldn't see no matter how fast the wipers went. So as I drove extremely slow while crying that I just couldn't see and could not continue, he lovingly supported me while I came to a dead stop in the middle of the road to switch seats with him so he could drive my crazed ass to the comfort of our house.
Another adventure was buying our house. And that one seemed like it would take forever! We applied. Were denied over a credit report mistake. Cleared up the mistake. Got approved. House hunted. (There's another story for ya.) Found the house of our dreams. Made an offer. Had the offer accepted. Waited for the final paperwork. Signed a butt load of money over. Moved in.
House hunting is fun, but especially when you go to a modular home lot with Frank! So we go to a modular home lot that looked like it had some nice houses on it even though Frank was dead set against getting a modular home...I insisted we atleast look. One of the sales guys greets us and we explain to him that we are looking and had already been pre-approved for a home loan in $X amount. So he writes a list of houses on the back of a business card that were in our price range, tells us to go look around at those houses, and says he will meet up with us in a bit. We set off looking at the ones on the card. Frank sits on every toilet and lays in every bathtub in each of the houses! I holler at him each time he does it because somebody could come in and see him being a screwball and embarass me. Frank? He thinks it funny! As we make our way around the circle of homes we are right in front of the office and see one that is huge for a modular home. We decide that even though it is not on the list we should take a peek in and see why it's so huge. The door was locked! But we noticed there were people in it so we wait for one of them to open the door so we could go inside. BUT before we get that chance we hear from behind us "Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank. Is that one of the houses on your list?" Ok, at the time the salesman's tone was quite humiliating and embarassing. But later on that day it led to many laughing fits as one of us would repeat his mocking tone. We never did buy a modular, that one guy soured me on the idea.
Ok, for the next few there needs to be a full out WARNING! WARNING, IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR OR READ OF SEXUAL ACTS BETWEEN THE HUBBY AND I DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!
So before we were married and were teenagers in love, sex was something we lived for and made time for numerous times a day...everyday. Well, when Frank was at my house visiting, sex was a no-no as my mother just could not know that we did THAT! Being a teenager quickly got the better of us...well me, he's just like that. We were out front of the house and Frank convinced me to go inside and take off my panties. (I don't think it took him long to convince me either, I was pretty giving of the panties for him.) When I came back outside he slid me onto the hood of my mother's car, stood in front of me, pulled my legs to either side of him, slid my shorts off to the side, and we did what teenagers do...right there on the hood of my mother's car! Soooooo...we did it many more times. Once, my neighbor came over to ask if I needed a ride to school the next day and we had to mask what we were doing by pretending to be just hugging and cuddling. On another ocassion, one of which my sister later informed my mother of, my mom walked into the garage, turned the light on, saw us out front, and waved at us. FRANK ACTUALLY WAVED BACK! Who the hell waves at somebody elses mother while having sex? That man ain't wrapped too tight!
Then there was the adventure that nearly killed us, and I mean literally. Way back when Frank's neck was broken and I had to drive him to the Doctor's office for checkups and such, we noted a little porn shop on the outskirts of the town where the Doctor's office was. So one day we decided on our next trip we would stop in and see what was what. Like good sex crazed people, we dropped in after the next Dr. visit. Oh my lord! The things in that store made my head swim. Frank encouraged me to find a toy that I thougth I would like. Far too many choices, so I asked him to help find something. So we wander around and around and then Frank spots it...a butterfly. Now I had no idea what in the hell it was so Frank the sex expert explains that it's a vibrator that is shaped like a butterfly and doesn't actually get inserted. Ya see, it has these little straps that you wear around your legs so that the butterfly thingy sits comfortably between your legs and massages you in all sorts of heavenly ways. The kicker...it has a remote! SOLD! After they do the usual of making sure it works by putting batteries in it and turning it on before you leave the store (I hate when the cashier plays with my toys before I do) we head out of the store and get in the van. Now, I must note that with Frank's neck injusy he is not able to drive so I did all the driving back then. As I turn the van on, Frank says in his lovable voice "Pull into the back and put it on." After about two seconds of arguing with him, I did just that. I pulled behind the store, slid out of my panties, put my new butterfly friend on, and then started to drive us back home. The first part of the trip home was a tingly, heavenly trip as Frank sat next to me and operated the remote for my butterfly friend and sent me into realms of pleasure that just should not be experienced during the day and in public. Now with me being in that state of mind and Frank being lost in his world of complete control over my body without even having to touch me...we hit the S-curves...at 70 mph! Now it wasn't the S-curves nor the speed that almost killed us, it was Frank switching it to full blast as I rounded one curve with an on coming semi truck barreling towards us and me not being able to focus and swerving into the other lane! I swerved back into our lane, we gained control of our senses, pulled over onto the side of the road, and placed my butterfly friend back into it's box for the remainder of the trip home. And you bet your ass on every trip to the "goodie store" after that, we just salivate over the toys until we get home...except for the time we bought flavored lube and I made him tatse it before we left the parking lot! lmao
OK, enough of the adventures for now or we will never get done with the interview.
What does Frank do to make me laugh? What doesn't he do might be easier! Frank lives to entertain and make others laugh. He has damn near killed Spot with laughter before, several times. He makes sarcastic comments. He walks funny while distorting his face. He pokes fun at himself. He lives life to it's fullest, and that often drags those around him into entertainmentville. He just enjoys life and laughs at every moment he can, which is quite contagious.
What does he do to make me cry? Not much, believe it or not Frank actually goes out of his way to make me not cry. But when it happens, he comforts me and holds me close to his chest until I am done. When we were younger we would fight, and it often got ugly. I will admit that I would sometimes cry intentionally because I knew that it would end the fight right away. Frank is just not the type of person who can see somebody he cares about cry and not fix it for them.
Ahhhh, his freakin' cat! Patches O'Fluff to be exact. Patches is a Maine Coon, or however you spell that damn breed. Part of that breed's nature is similar to a dog, well a puppy to be more exact. They need constant love and often mimic dog behavior. When I had my dog, Caesar who was half German Shepard and half St. Bernard who weighed about 150 pounds, Patches wanted nothing more than to have Caesar love him. Caesar? He wanted nothing to do with that cat. Patches would sit by Caesar as he drank from the water bowl and watch the waves in the bowl as Caesar's overgrown tongue lapped at the water. Then when Caesar was done, Patches would stride over to the bowl, swat at the water with his furry paw to make similar waves, then lap at the water until the waves stopped, and then repeat the above actions until he was done drinking. And then he'd sit on my lap wet paw and all! Patches also doesn't like to bathe, I think it's because he never saw Caesar do it so why should he do it. So Patches is kind of a skanky and long haired "puppy" who has an insane obsession with getting and maintaining Frank's every waking moment of love and attention. He'll stop at nothing to be loved by Frank. Patches will sit next to him and tap Frank until he gets love. He'll slam his head into our shut bedroom door until we let him in for some Frank love. He sneaks under the covers just to be close to Frank. He lets Frank cuddle him like a stuffed teddy bear. I guess as much as I give Frank shit over his damn cat, I love the little fluffy thing for loving Frank so much and making him happy. Frank will have to share his story on how Patches became part of our whacky family.
Our secret to making our marriage work? Love and understanding. We both do things that annoy the other, but we understand that it is just how the other is. We don't try to change one another, we just accept the other...faults and all. That's another thing, don't point out the faults. Trust me, that just makes it worse. Willingness. You have to both be willing to help the other out and do things you might not really want to do. But it has to be returned in kind. Marriage is really a two-lane road. You have to be willing to travel both sides of the road, take detours when needed, stop at stop signs, hit the gas to get up the hills, and roll the windows down to enjoy the breeze that passes you by. Other than that, I'm not real sure what we are doing that makes it work. I just know I enjoy it and am all the better for it.
Josie, thank you my friend for the chance to answer some loving questions. I enjoyed every moment of it. I hope the answers were worth the time and thought that you put into the questions.
Colorful, huh! That says a mouthful all in one word. We have had so many adventures, where to even begin and better yet how much to actually share?
One adventure, if you want to call it that, was when he was teaching me to drive. On one trip around town it started to rain. So he explained how to turn on the wipers. Then it started to pour and I simply couldn't see no matter how fast the wipers went. So as I drove extremely slow while crying that I just couldn't see and could not continue, he lovingly supported me while I came to a dead stop in the middle of the road to switch seats with him so he could drive my crazed ass to the comfort of our house.
Another adventure was buying our house. And that one seemed like it would take forever! We applied. Were denied over a credit report mistake. Cleared up the mistake. Got approved. House hunted. (There's another story for ya.) Found the house of our dreams. Made an offer. Had the offer accepted. Waited for the final paperwork. Signed a butt load of money over. Moved in.
House hunting is fun, but especially when you go to a modular home lot with Frank! So we go to a modular home lot that looked like it had some nice houses on it even though Frank was dead set against getting a modular home...I insisted we atleast look. One of the sales guys greets us and we explain to him that we are looking and had already been pre-approved for a home loan in $X amount. So he writes a list of houses on the back of a business card that were in our price range, tells us to go look around at those houses, and says he will meet up with us in a bit. We set off looking at the ones on the card. Frank sits on every toilet and lays in every bathtub in each of the houses! I holler at him each time he does it because somebody could come in and see him being a screwball and embarass me. Frank? He thinks it funny! As we make our way around the circle of homes we are right in front of the office and see one that is huge for a modular home. We decide that even though it is not on the list we should take a peek in and see why it's so huge. The door was locked! But we noticed there were people in it so we wait for one of them to open the door so we could go inside. BUT before we get that chance we hear from behind us "Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank. Is that one of the houses on your list?" Ok, at the time the salesman's tone was quite humiliating and embarassing. But later on that day it led to many laughing fits as one of us would repeat his mocking tone. We never did buy a modular, that one guy soured me on the idea.
Ok, for the next few there needs to be a full out WARNING! WARNING, IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR OR READ OF SEXUAL ACTS BETWEEN THE HUBBY AND I DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!
So before we were married and were teenagers in love, sex was something we lived for and made time for numerous times a day...everyday. Well, when Frank was at my house visiting, sex was a no-no as my mother just could not know that we did THAT! Being a teenager quickly got the better of us...well me, he's just like that. We were out front of the house and Frank convinced me to go inside and take off my panties. (I don't think it took him long to convince me either, I was pretty giving of the panties for him.) When I came back outside he slid me onto the hood of my mother's car, stood in front of me, pulled my legs to either side of him, slid my shorts off to the side, and we did what teenagers do...right there on the hood of my mother's car! Soooooo...we did it many more times. Once, my neighbor came over to ask if I needed a ride to school the next day and we had to mask what we were doing by pretending to be just hugging and cuddling. On another ocassion, one of which my sister later informed my mother of, my mom walked into the garage, turned the light on, saw us out front, and waved at us. FRANK ACTUALLY WAVED BACK! Who the hell waves at somebody elses mother while having sex? That man ain't wrapped too tight!
Then there was the adventure that nearly killed us, and I mean literally. Way back when Frank's neck was broken and I had to drive him to the Doctor's office for checkups and such, we noted a little porn shop on the outskirts of the town where the Doctor's office was. So one day we decided on our next trip we would stop in and see what was what. Like good sex crazed people, we dropped in after the next Dr. visit. Oh my lord! The things in that store made my head swim. Frank encouraged me to find a toy that I thougth I would like. Far too many choices, so I asked him to help find something. So we wander around and around and then Frank spots it...a butterfly. Now I had no idea what in the hell it was so Frank the sex expert explains that it's a vibrator that is shaped like a butterfly and doesn't actually get inserted. Ya see, it has these little straps that you wear around your legs so that the butterfly thingy sits comfortably between your legs and massages you in all sorts of heavenly ways. The kicker...it has a remote! SOLD! After they do the usual of making sure it works by putting batteries in it and turning it on before you leave the store (I hate when the cashier plays with my toys before I do) we head out of the store and get in the van. Now, I must note that with Frank's neck injusy he is not able to drive so I did all the driving back then. As I turn the van on, Frank says in his lovable voice "Pull into the back and put it on." After about two seconds of arguing with him, I did just that. I pulled behind the store, slid out of my panties, put my new butterfly friend on, and then started to drive us back home. The first part of the trip home was a tingly, heavenly trip as Frank sat next to me and operated the remote for my butterfly friend and sent me into realms of pleasure that just should not be experienced during the day and in public. Now with me being in that state of mind and Frank being lost in his world of complete control over my body without even having to touch me...we hit the S-curves...at 70 mph! Now it wasn't the S-curves nor the speed that almost killed us, it was Frank switching it to full blast as I rounded one curve with an on coming semi truck barreling towards us and me not being able to focus and swerving into the other lane! I swerved back into our lane, we gained control of our senses, pulled over onto the side of the road, and placed my butterfly friend back into it's box for the remainder of the trip home. And you bet your ass on every trip to the "goodie store" after that, we just salivate over the toys until we get home...except for the time we bought flavored lube and I made him tatse it before we left the parking lot! lmao
OK, enough of the adventures for now or we will never get done with the interview.
What does Frank do to make me laugh? What doesn't he do might be easier! Frank lives to entertain and make others laugh. He has damn near killed Spot with laughter before, several times. He makes sarcastic comments. He walks funny while distorting his face. He pokes fun at himself. He lives life to it's fullest, and that often drags those around him into entertainmentville. He just enjoys life and laughs at every moment he can, which is quite contagious.
What does he do to make me cry? Not much, believe it or not Frank actually goes out of his way to make me not cry. But when it happens, he comforts me and holds me close to his chest until I am done. When we were younger we would fight, and it often got ugly. I will admit that I would sometimes cry intentionally because I knew that it would end the fight right away. Frank is just not the type of person who can see somebody he cares about cry and not fix it for them.
Ahhhh, his freakin' cat! Patches O'Fluff to be exact. Patches is a Maine Coon, or however you spell that damn breed. Part of that breed's nature is similar to a dog, well a puppy to be more exact. They need constant love and often mimic dog behavior. When I had my dog, Caesar who was half German Shepard and half St. Bernard who weighed about 150 pounds, Patches wanted nothing more than to have Caesar love him. Caesar? He wanted nothing to do with that cat. Patches would sit by Caesar as he drank from the water bowl and watch the waves in the bowl as Caesar's overgrown tongue lapped at the water. Then when Caesar was done, Patches would stride over to the bowl, swat at the water with his furry paw to make similar waves, then lap at the water until the waves stopped, and then repeat the above actions until he was done drinking. And then he'd sit on my lap wet paw and all! Patches also doesn't like to bathe, I think it's because he never saw Caesar do it so why should he do it. So Patches is kind of a skanky and long haired "puppy" who has an insane obsession with getting and maintaining Frank's every waking moment of love and attention. He'll stop at nothing to be loved by Frank. Patches will sit next to him and tap Frank until he gets love. He'll slam his head into our shut bedroom door until we let him in for some Frank love. He sneaks under the covers just to be close to Frank. He lets Frank cuddle him like a stuffed teddy bear. I guess as much as I give Frank shit over his damn cat, I love the little fluffy thing for loving Frank so much and making him happy. Frank will have to share his story on how Patches became part of our whacky family.
Our secret to making our marriage work? Love and understanding. We both do things that annoy the other, but we understand that it is just how the other is. We don't try to change one another, we just accept the other...faults and all. That's another thing, don't point out the faults. Trust me, that just makes it worse. Willingness. You have to both be willing to help the other out and do things you might not really want to do. But it has to be returned in kind. Marriage is really a two-lane road. You have to be willing to travel both sides of the road, take detours when needed, stop at stop signs, hit the gas to get up the hills, and roll the windows down to enjoy the breeze that passes you by. Other than that, I'm not real sure what we are doing that makes it work. I just know I enjoy it and am all the better for it.
Josie, thank you my friend for the chance to answer some loving questions. I enjoyed every moment of it. I hope the answers were worth the time and thought that you put into the questions.
Part 4 of my Josie lovin'
4. Your mother-in-law died of cancer long before you had a chance to meet her. Your own mother has twice battled cancer and won. In a wonderful post entitled,"Why Do I Relay?" you spoke of your dedication to finding a cure for this horrible disease. Tell me what it felt like to be the daughter of a parent battling cancer. Do you now live in fear of it returning? How has this experience changed you?
Being the daughter of a parent battling cancer made me feel completely helpless and out of control. There was nothing I could do to make it better for her. I went with her to have surgery, hugged her everytime I saw her, told her how much I love her, massaged her when she felt ok to be massaged, helped take care of her cat, and helped with her bills while she was out of work. None of that compared to how miserable I felt that I just simply could not make the pain go away. There was nothing I could do to make it better and making it tolerable wasn't ok with me. My mother is the person who gives and gives and gives without ever asking for anything in return or expecting anything in return. How unfair was it that this was happening to her...and twice! I was angry that it was her it happened to. I would have gave anything to trade places with her, anything. And there was nothing I could do to save her when she needed somebody to save her. My sister and I shared with her and put her life in the hands of God and her doctor. They saved her and I couldn't. I wanted desperately to hug her and make it all go away and yet I couldn't. I was helpless and pissed off at being helpless. I kept all that from her, I had to be her strength for she had none during all of the treatments. So I stayed by her side and was her support until she once again had her own strength. I know there was nothing that I could have done to help her more than what I was doing, and that feeling was miserable. I'm glad it's over and she is healed.
I worry that her cancer might come back yet I don't live in fear of it. She sees an oncologist regularly for check ups to assure she is still cancer free and so far things are looking pretty good. We spoke on the topic of "living in fear" and I told her that if we looked at life in that manner we might miss living our lives. Fear is not something that we should live for. For all the worries she has had about cancer returning, I know that she does not dwell on the matter. As she says "if it comes back, we'll deal with it then." I'm with her on that one, so if that day comes we will deal with it then...but not until that day.
That experience definately changed me in one way. I make sure to tell everybody that matters to me and that I love exactly that. I make sure to let those who I care about know that I do indeed care about them. I don't ever want to lose somebody special and worry that they didn't know exactly how much they meant to me. I want to cherish everybody while I still have them.
Being the daughter of a parent battling cancer made me feel completely helpless and out of control. There was nothing I could do to make it better for her. I went with her to have surgery, hugged her everytime I saw her, told her how much I love her, massaged her when she felt ok to be massaged, helped take care of her cat, and helped with her bills while she was out of work. None of that compared to how miserable I felt that I just simply could not make the pain go away. There was nothing I could do to make it better and making it tolerable wasn't ok with me. My mother is the person who gives and gives and gives without ever asking for anything in return or expecting anything in return. How unfair was it that this was happening to her...and twice! I was angry that it was her it happened to. I would have gave anything to trade places with her, anything. And there was nothing I could do to save her when she needed somebody to save her. My sister and I shared with her and put her life in the hands of God and her doctor. They saved her and I couldn't. I wanted desperately to hug her and make it all go away and yet I couldn't. I was helpless and pissed off at being helpless. I kept all that from her, I had to be her strength for she had none during all of the treatments. So I stayed by her side and was her support until she once again had her own strength. I know there was nothing that I could have done to help her more than what I was doing, and that feeling was miserable. I'm glad it's over and she is healed.
I worry that her cancer might come back yet I don't live in fear of it. She sees an oncologist regularly for check ups to assure she is still cancer free and so far things are looking pretty good. We spoke on the topic of "living in fear" and I told her that if we looked at life in that manner we might miss living our lives. Fear is not something that we should live for. For all the worries she has had about cancer returning, I know that she does not dwell on the matter. As she says "if it comes back, we'll deal with it then." I'm with her on that one, so if that day comes we will deal with it then...but not until that day.
That experience definately changed me in one way. I make sure to tell everybody that matters to me and that I love exactly that. I make sure to let those who I care about know that I do indeed care about them. I don't ever want to lose somebody special and worry that they didn't know exactly how much they meant to me. I want to cherish everybody while I still have them.
More Josie interview lovin' Part 3
3. I know very little about your life as a child. What is your happiest memory from that period? How do the childhoods of sons and daughter differ from your own? What personality traits did each of them inherit from you? If you could give each of them one piece of advice to carry with them in life, what would it be?
My happiest memory from childhood is also one of my saddest that quickly turned into my happiest. When I was 9 years old the only thing I had my heart set on getting was a stuffed Strawberry Shortcake doll that had long, braided red hair tucked under a strawberry scented hat. I had spent hours staring at her when we would go to the store and knew exactly what I would be asking Santa for that year. Christmas time came and my sister and I tore into our presents. I can not even begin to tell you what she got, but I know what I got. Shirts, socks, five records, a record player, and a pair of roller skates. My mother always tried so hard to get us everything that we wanted and I know now that the look on my face must have broke her heart because she asked what was wrong. Holding back the tears of sadness for not having anything that I considered something I could "play" with I told her nothing. She looked around at what I had gotten and asked "Where's your doll?" I told her I didn't get a doll but my sister had indeed gotten a barbie. Mom didn't quite believe me so she looked around, under the wrapping paper, and then gasped as she ran out of the room only to return a moment later holding the most cherished doll that I had so desperately wanted. Mom hugged me with tears of apology for forgetting to wrap her up for me as I hugged the doll I had so lovingly adored at the store. I thanked her to no end for my doll and she apologized. That day we both made a mistake. She forgot to wrap a simple present and I forgot to be thankful for what I had gotten instead of being miserable for what I had not gotten. So that Christmas turned out to be the happiest day of my childhood for I knew then more than I had ever that my mother loved me more than anything...and I got the doll that I went on to cherish for years.
The thing that stands out the most as being different between my children's and my own childhood is that my children are growing up in a home with two parents and don't have to split their time between parents. My parents were married until I was 11 or so but with a father in the Navy, were they ever really together? I felt that I had to always reassure the other parent that I loved them equally and not one more than the other. I don't know that either of them actually knew that tho. Which brings me to the other thing that is drastically different between their childhood and mine, freedom of speech. I was told that I could tell my parents anything, but I knew they didn't mean it. There were just some things I knew they didn't want to hear. But in our house now, my children can say anything to us and I am pretty darn sure they know it.
Princess inherited my attitude...good and bad. She also has my looks. Bear inherited my compassion towards others. DJ inherited my competitiveness.
There are so many things I want to advise my children on in life. I want them to give love freely but I don't want them to get hurt by doing so. I want them to choose paths in life that they want and to not feel forced into a particular path. I want them to have jobs that make them happy. I want them to live for themselves. Do things they want to do. Experience the things they want to experience. I want them to live life, not just watch as it passes them by.
My happiest memory from childhood is also one of my saddest that quickly turned into my happiest. When I was 9 years old the only thing I had my heart set on getting was a stuffed Strawberry Shortcake doll that had long, braided red hair tucked under a strawberry scented hat. I had spent hours staring at her when we would go to the store and knew exactly what I would be asking Santa for that year. Christmas time came and my sister and I tore into our presents. I can not even begin to tell you what she got, but I know what I got. Shirts, socks, five records, a record player, and a pair of roller skates. My mother always tried so hard to get us everything that we wanted and I know now that the look on my face must have broke her heart because she asked what was wrong. Holding back the tears of sadness for not having anything that I considered something I could "play" with I told her nothing. She looked around at what I had gotten and asked "Where's your doll?" I told her I didn't get a doll but my sister had indeed gotten a barbie. Mom didn't quite believe me so she looked around, under the wrapping paper, and then gasped as she ran out of the room only to return a moment later holding the most cherished doll that I had so desperately wanted. Mom hugged me with tears of apology for forgetting to wrap her up for me as I hugged the doll I had so lovingly adored at the store. I thanked her to no end for my doll and she apologized. That day we both made a mistake. She forgot to wrap a simple present and I forgot to be thankful for what I had gotten instead of being miserable for what I had not gotten. So that Christmas turned out to be the happiest day of my childhood for I knew then more than I had ever that my mother loved me more than anything...and I got the doll that I went on to cherish for years.
The thing that stands out the most as being different between my children's and my own childhood is that my children are growing up in a home with two parents and don't have to split their time between parents. My parents were married until I was 11 or so but with a father in the Navy, were they ever really together? I felt that I had to always reassure the other parent that I loved them equally and not one more than the other. I don't know that either of them actually knew that tho. Which brings me to the other thing that is drastically different between their childhood and mine, freedom of speech. I was told that I could tell my parents anything, but I knew they didn't mean it. There were just some things I knew they didn't want to hear. But in our house now, my children can say anything to us and I am pretty darn sure they know it.
Princess inherited my attitude...good and bad. She also has my looks. Bear inherited my compassion towards others. DJ inherited my competitiveness.
There are so many things I want to advise my children on in life. I want them to give love freely but I don't want them to get hurt by doing so. I want them to choose paths in life that they want and to not feel forced into a particular path. I want them to have jobs that make them happy. I want them to live for themselves. Do things they want to do. Experience the things they want to experience. I want them to live life, not just watch as it passes them by.
Some Josie lovin' Part 2
2. You have written that "It's best to make a decision, stick with it, and learn from it if it was the good decision to make or not." We all have a few regrets. If you could have one "Undo" in your life, what moment in your past would you use it for? What is the worst decision you have ever made, and what did you learn from that experience? What has been the best decision? If one of your children was making a decision that you strongly disagreed with, at what point would you intervene?
Hmmm, if I could have one "undo". I honestly don't think I would use my "undo" for any moment in my life. Everything I have done or experienced helped make me who I am today, and I am pretty comfortable and satisfied with who I am. Sure I have said things in the past that I probably shouldn't have said, but were they things that were true? Yes, and rose coloring things just are not necessary at times.
The worst decision I ever made? When Frank and I were both 19 we bought a car that we should have never bought. We had no apartment and were still living with his father. We should have gotten an apartment and then a car. Deciding to do a voluntary reposession was a hard decision to make, but it had to be done. We just didn't think things thru on that one...but it was a nice car while we had it.
As for one of our kids making a decision that I strongly disagree with, I'm not sure at what point I would say something. I would most likely offer my opinon. If they wanted it, I would share it in a polite way so they would not think that I was judging them. If they didn't want it, then I would caution them to seriously think things thru. However, if it were something that could cause somebody harm or be in any way against the law, then all bets are off and I would definately offer up my advice to them and encourage them to choose wisely. Forcing them to do things "my way" I think would make them resent me and possibly just force them into doing as I would like them not to do.
Regret is something that we all live with. The biggest regret that I feel people face is the regret of not doing something when they should have. That's why I feel it is best to make a decision and go with it. The worst that will happen is you will have learned that you made the wrong decision, but that's how we learn. I feel that if we don't make decisions and go for them we might one day realize that we lived to regret that we didn't regret to live. That make sense to anybody but me?
Hmmm, if I could have one "undo". I honestly don't think I would use my "undo" for any moment in my life. Everything I have done or experienced helped make me who I am today, and I am pretty comfortable and satisfied with who I am. Sure I have said things in the past that I probably shouldn't have said, but were they things that were true? Yes, and rose coloring things just are not necessary at times.
The worst decision I ever made? When Frank and I were both 19 we bought a car that we should have never bought. We had no apartment and were still living with his father. We should have gotten an apartment and then a car. Deciding to do a voluntary reposession was a hard decision to make, but it had to be done. We just didn't think things thru on that one...but it was a nice car while we had it.
As for one of our kids making a decision that I strongly disagree with, I'm not sure at what point I would say something. I would most likely offer my opinon. If they wanted it, I would share it in a polite way so they would not think that I was judging them. If they didn't want it, then I would caution them to seriously think things thru. However, if it were something that could cause somebody harm or be in any way against the law, then all bets are off and I would definately offer up my advice to them and encourage them to choose wisely. Forcing them to do things "my way" I think would make them resent me and possibly just force them into doing as I would like them not to do.
Regret is something that we all live with. The biggest regret that I feel people face is the regret of not doing something when they should have. That's why I feel it is best to make a decision and go with it. The worst that will happen is you will have learned that you made the wrong decision, but that's how we learn. I feel that if we don't make decisions and go for them we might one day realize that we lived to regret that we didn't regret to live. That make sense to anybody but me?
A little interview lovin' Part 1
I recently volunteered to be interviewed by Josie from "Picking up the Pieces". (One day I'll learn how to link, I swear.) Josie put some time and some love into the questions, so I will do my best to return the thoughtful favor. And with that being said, here we go!
1. I heard a rumor that in some ways your childhood was deprived... something about not ever tasting a S'more until your adult years! Can you tell me about your first experience with S'mores? What other amazing things have you encountered for the first time since officially becoming an adult?
Ahhhh...S'mores! I believe I was 21ish when I had my first yummy s'more. Many years ago we spent like every weekend over at Spot's house having some BBQ critter, chillin, and hanging out. The kids were all pretty young and got along pretty darn good at their ages...well, DJ had not blessed the world yet but the others had. One weekend we were around the firepit and they whipped out graham crackers, marshmellows, and chocolate bars. I pondered the ingredients that sat next to us by the fire, then I was told just what in the hell they were for. Me being the sweet toothed junkie that I am exclaimed that I had never had one of the so called "s'mores" but I was up for an experiment. My announcement over never hearing of nor having a s'more brought about much teasing...then I tried one and was hooked. Those damn things are yummy as hell! I ate more s'mores that night than I care to ever tell anybody about. lmao I was so sweetly full that I felt sick. But worth every moment of it. The kids and I often make them now, even if it is s'mores by candle light. =)
Some other things I didn't try before being an adult...
Camping. The first time I went camping in anything other than a cabin was when I was 22. Different, borderline fun, but nothing I would go out of my way to do again.
Seafood. Blech!
Driving a car. I was 18 when Frank took it upon himself to teach me how to drive. So anytime he bitches about my driving, I kindly remind him who my teacher was.
Having a job. I was 20 when I got my first job. I left that job within four months but returned many years later and am still with the company, just different ownership than before.
Ummmm...I think that's it. If not, Frank and Spot will remind me and I'll add to the list. lol
1. I heard a rumor that in some ways your childhood was deprived... something about not ever tasting a S'more until your adult years! Can you tell me about your first experience with S'mores? What other amazing things have you encountered for the first time since officially becoming an adult?
Ahhhh...S'mores! I believe I was 21ish when I had my first yummy s'more. Many years ago we spent like every weekend over at Spot's house having some BBQ critter, chillin, and hanging out. The kids were all pretty young and got along pretty darn good at their ages...well, DJ had not blessed the world yet but the others had. One weekend we were around the firepit and they whipped out graham crackers, marshmellows, and chocolate bars. I pondered the ingredients that sat next to us by the fire, then I was told just what in the hell they were for. Me being the sweet toothed junkie that I am exclaimed that I had never had one of the so called "s'mores" but I was up for an experiment. My announcement over never hearing of nor having a s'more brought about much teasing...then I tried one and was hooked. Those damn things are yummy as hell! I ate more s'mores that night than I care to ever tell anybody about. lmao I was so sweetly full that I felt sick. But worth every moment of it. The kids and I often make them now, even if it is s'mores by candle light. =)
Some other things I didn't try before being an adult...
Camping. The first time I went camping in anything other than a cabin was when I was 22. Different, borderline fun, but nothing I would go out of my way to do again.
Seafood. Blech!
Driving a car. I was 18 when Frank took it upon himself to teach me how to drive. So anytime he bitches about my driving, I kindly remind him who my teacher was.
Having a job. I was 20 when I got my first job. I left that job within four months but returned many years later and am still with the company, just different ownership than before.
Ummmm...I think that's it. If not, Frank and Spot will remind me and I'll add to the list. lol
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)