Thursday, July 31, 2008

Grandma Kathy turns 66!

My cute mom had her 66th birthday this week. In honor of that amazing little lady (she's shrinking - the doctor even confirmed it), I thought I'd write 6 things that my mom taught me that have helped me throughout this crazy adventure we call life.

  1. No - my legs are NOT painted on! This was a phrase she used to throw at us when we were little and wanted to be lazy and make her do all of the work. Translation - you have legs that work so get up and use them. Use them to work hard, play hard and pray hard and you'll be at peace with who you are.

  2. "Polyester Bendovers" work just fine! Ok, these were the pants my mom used to wear to work because she was in sales. She used to sell CANDY!! How cool is that when you are growing up. Anyway, her job required a lot of building displays and hauling candy and materials around and her polyester bendover pants (with the elastic waste) worked out just perfectly. Translation - It doesn't matter what brand of clothing you wear, what you drive, or where you live, it's what's inside of you that counts!

  3. Honey, we're rich, we just don't have any money! Richness in life comes from what you make with the relationships you have, NOT by how much money you make. No translation needed on that one :).

  4. She (or he) is doing the best that she can with the tools that she has! This one used to and still does gets repeated all of the time, and now I even find myself repeating it in my own mind. Translation - we need to be patient, understanding, and kind with one another. You never know what someone else is dealing with, and they usually are doing the best that they can. This one is still hard for me to remember sometimes. Sorry mom, I'll keep working on it.

  5. Diet Coke runs rule! While I was growing up we used to make a run to the local Maverick (convenience store) ATLEAST once a week to get a diet coke together. We even had our own special orange "Mav Mugs" that we could wash at home and refill for 25 cents on our next diet coke run. We still do these to this day and I LOVE them! Translation - sometimes you just need a break, someone to talk to, cry with or laugh with. Who better than your own mom?

  6. Laughter is the BEST Medicine! Anyone who knows my mom and has heard her laugh understands what I mean by this one, so no translation is needed here either!

Thanks mom! Happy Birthday!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Washing Windows

I've been waiting for over a week now to receive some manifestation of what I should blog about. What in the world am I supposed to be writing here anyway? No such manifestation has been received so I'm just going to have to wing it. Here I go: Yesterday, a man knocked on my front door and asked if I would like to have the windows in my house cleaned. "Absolutely" I replied, I mean, who doesn't like clean windows? So after agreeing upon a reasonable price, he and his three employees went to work. It had been two years since I last had my windows cleaned, and the debris accumulated on all of these glass panes throughout my home was quite astonishing, and definitely disgusting. When they finished I couldn't get over how beautiful it was to see the outside world without all of the water marks, dust, and scum marring my view. For the first time in a long time, I could see! Last night as I was walking through my living room I actually took time to gaze out at the stars and the gorgeous full moon, all shining brightly through my pristine windows. As I went to bed contemplating the difference a clean window can make, I thought, "Wow, if only I could clean my mind's eye view of the world the way these men cleaned my windows". If only I could wipe away the cob webs, dust and scum that clutter my heart and mind as easily. If only I had an internal source of soap and a squeegee that would always allow me to see the beauty and majesty that exists within the walls of my own home no matter the circumstances. If only...

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Becoming a Blogger

Tech Savvy is not the term you would use to describe me. I finally carry a cell phone with me, it actually has a few phone numbers programed into it and I even text every now and then. So when my friend Chelsea told me that she was a "blogger" I just chalked it up to the fact that she is totally hip, and I'm - well I'm totally unhip me. But then I thought - why not me? So here I am, becoming a blogger. Rock on!