Two Letters in One Day

I skipped Saturday due to unforseen circumstances. I was supposed to write a letter to my parents yesterday, and one to my closest relative or sibling today, so I shall do both.

To Mom and Dad,

You never taught me to ride a bike, to rollerskate, to write, to read, to macrame, to sew, to iron, to drive, to put on make-up (you’re excused from a few, Dad), to style my hair, to care for myself.

You gave me the tools, and told me to figure it out. And for that, I am very grateful!

Love,

Your number one kid!!!

The next letter is hard, since I am close to all of my siblings, but if I have to pick one, it should be my brother.

To my brother,

I was seventeen years old when you came into the world. You were so adorable! You were barely a toddle when I left for college, but always loved it when I came home to visit, because that was our “special time”. We played games, and watched cartoons, and I rocked you to sleep, and it was bittersweet to come home every holiday and find you had grown taller and wiser, and no longer had time for your older sister. But you remembered, and even as a young boy of ten you made the effort to have time for me, and would include me in your adventures (FYI: never play ball next to the canal). I watched you grow into a young man, and come to me for advice, and felt like I was a second mom to you. And now you are almost 28, making your way in the world, and I still have issues offering you a beer. Thank you for giving me the chance to help you be the man you are today.

Love,

Your big sister 🙂

A Letter to My Crush

Well, this is easy. My obvious crush is Hubby. And since I wrote a letter to him yesterday, I guess I should make an ode to a different crush…

Oh, sweet childhood friend,

You were always so sweet to me. It was refreshing to meet you on Sundays, when my grandmother would treat us to a visit with you. The visits were short, but it was quality time to spend cooling our heels. Your bubbly personality always helped to soothe me on a hot tropical day. But above all, you brought color into my world. Gazing upon you was like gazing into a happy Sun. You brought happiness to my life, and I hope to see you once again, toasting to the joys of summer.

Your biggest fan 🙂

A Letter to My Best Friend

My friend and blogger Mel has thrown a rather hard gauntlet. The challenge   is to write a letter each day for thirty days to one specific person in your life, current or in your past. Some of the letters I will not be able to write, and some will be written to the same person, but at least it will provide plenty of laughs let y’all get to know me a bit. So, here is Day One, a letter to my best friend:

Dearest,

Our relationship has weathered many storms in the quarter century we’ve been together. Laughter, tears, sickness, health, life and death have intertwined like a growing vine through our hearts, making us one. I know sometimes you are surprised at the things you find out about me, like the blogging thing, for instance, but even vines need a little room to grow. And though I grow, I shall also grow with you, until I’m old and gray….wait a minute…

Anyway, I never say it enough, but you are my bestest best friend, and I love you, and I can’t imagine living without you. You accept me, warts and all, just as I accept you. And I think that makes us whole.

Your wife 🙂

Sur La Table, Sithy Style

A friend of mine sent me this, and my first thought was, “You could toast your bread at the dinner table with this.”

All I need is Waterford crystal

I love the pattern on the plate, too. Very simple, and direct, and handy for those days when someone tries to pull a Jedi mind trick and hide their vegetables.

Creatively borrowed from SanyoSoup.

Hairy Situations

A few weeks ago I took my son to get his hair cut. This was not only momentous, but timely, since the awards assembly was coming up. It was important that he would be able to see where he was going when accepting his awards. As I was wating for him to be finished, another  hair stylist came in and asked if I needed to be seen. Disclosure: we were at Sports Clips. I smiled and said no, that I was waiting on my son. She smiled and said that if I needed to have my gray taken care of, she could recommend a salon for me.

I was not amused….

Approximation of gray, not of beauty. Scars not included.

I politely said thank you, and left it at that. But after a few weeks, it came to mind that some people are rather presumptive over women’s vanities. True, we get bombarded by Madison Avenue’s version of what a woman should look like and act like. Some advertisers are moving away from the “triathlon-gourmet-supermodel” template, like Dove™ and their Campaign for Real Beauty. And though I admit to dyeing my hair over a decade ago, I have to say, I do love my gray, and embrace it like spun silk, even though it tends to feel like wiry wool. I like to think of them as God’s Highlights, and I know for a fact I earned each and every single one 😉

In Remembrance

In honor of those who have died protecting our liberties.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

For the brave men and women who died while in service to this great country.

Cheers to Life

A friend of mine is in the hospital, fighting for her life. She is strong, and I pray that she pulls through. I have no doubt God is holding her in His loving arms right now. But a while back, she had spoken of several family members who had passed away, and had made a request: she asked several friends that when her time comes, everyone who attends her funeral must wear their most comfortable robe, PJs and slippers.

Y’all know I wouldn’t fail at honoring this request.

But it got me to thinking…. what would I want at my memorial service? I say memorial service because I wish to be cremated, at least, whatever is left after donating organs and so forth. I just want a big party with plenty of food and booze and for everyone to wear something red, and the gals to wear red lipstick, and the kids to have a petting zoo complete with goats and ponies, and maybe a llama, and a band that plays Big Band music.

A llama??

Well, yes. One of my fondest memories is driving up to Hubby’s grandparents, and passing a beautiful dairy farm. The kids would get all excited and yell “COWS, MOMMA!!!” and Hubby would say, “Not cows…LLAMAS!!!” And the kids would look again, and look at him like he was an idiot, and say, “Daddy, those are cows. Llamas have long necks.” And he would say, “Llamas drink beer???” And they would just die laughing at him.

And that’s why I would want a llama. Because the best way to celebrate someone’s life is to recall fond memories. Hubby would probably say it would be easier to just dump my ashes in a river. I would be ok with that, too.

As long as there’s a llama!!!

Redneck With Class

Last month I was shopping for Christmas gifts when I ran across the funniest thing to ever scream “BUY ME!!!!”:

Yep, I ended up buying a few for gifts as well. And before y’all ask, no I didn’t drink wine from a box last night.

It was bottled, with a screw top 😉

Where’s My Aqua Net??

You would think hairspray is a staple in her dressing area.

A Study in Contrasts

On the left, Benjamin Netanyahu. On the right, Barack Obama. Both of them in their twenties:

Who is the true leader???