Say cheese!
No matter what kind of day I've had I can always count on my buddy
to make me laugh. Weiner Dogs are s0000000 funny!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mother's Day
Today, like many, I celebrate Mother's Day with my mom. I hope you are all able to enjoy this day with your moms as well.For those who have lost their mothers, I give you this Dennis Franz quote from Allison Gilbert's book, Always Too Soon: Voices of Support for Those Who Have Lost Both Parents:
"Though I miss my parents dearly, I'm so glad that I miss them. If I didn't, it would mean that they didn't have as much of an impact on my life as they do. I would like to have the same sort of impact on my own children."
Happy Mother's Day!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Memory Lane, Small Town USA
I recently received an email from a childhood friend that took me down memory lane so quickly and so aburtly it unleashed a torrent of memories that I can't seem to now turn off. What this email did for me though was to make me realize that blessings are almost always in disguise. It took this letter from an old friend and nearly 20 years to realize how blessed I was to have "grown up" in a small town. I lived in a town of 100 people and "going to town" meant to drive 15 minutes to a larger town of 2000 people. At the time- I lived there from 3rd through 9th grade- it seemed torturous. Now I realize, I was so lucky to grow up in such a place.
I share with you the excepts of this email:
From: Layne
To: Christine
"I looked at your pictures on flicker and there are two kids, a boy and a girl. Are those Seans kids? He's married right. I heard that once upon a time he did get hitched. I think the only person not married is Darin McDonald. He lives in his dads old house in chamberlain. Just him and two cats. Ones name is Jackie and the other one doesn't have a name. He just calls it the white one because Jackie is all black. I bet you miss cruising up and down south main on the weekends in chamberlain. Down main street to the stop sign. Go left down the truck route and left up the hill. Stop, take a right at McDonalds and go down south main street at 25 miles an hour. Pull into the road that goes up to taco johns and make a u-turn and go back down south main until you get to the stop sign by the bank clock. Repeat as many times as you can before mid-night. They removed the bank clock a few years ago. Everyone was in a big uproar over that one. Someone had their kids set out on the corner with a dry-erase board one weekend and they kept writing the time on it every five min. or so. There was a kid on the corner for 4 or 5 days with that board. Really. When ever I go back there I can't recognise anybody. I don't know where everyone I used to know went. "
From: Christine
To: Layne
"Yep, those are Sean's progeny. You'll *LOVE* this: He married the sister of the local prosecuting attorney! Awesome!! Her dad owned (he died last year) the only hotel in town and they are related to everyone in town.After moving to Washington, Sean continued the same antics--as we ALL did--and was drinking alot and smoking pot and crashing his cars and motorcycles (that one actually cost him part of his arm!) When he met his wife he totally changed. Now he spends his time in the forest, either for work or to play, and with his family. He doesn't have email or I'd give you his address. I'll tell him about Darren for sure, he'll get a kick out that. I loved you trip down memory lane- thank you! My most vivid memories of you, besides being the friend that always flirted with and "sweet-talked" my MOM, seems to revolve around music. I can remember you coming over to the house and watching MTV with me. I loved that basement- cool and quiet in the summer, satellite TV, comfy recliners. First, it was MC Hammer. " Oh, you've got to see this guy! He wears weird pants and does a funny dance" you said. I think you even got up and tried to show me the "dance". Ohhh, Ohhhh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Can't Touch This....Then it was Faith No More and the crazy fire-fish-piano exploding-crazy guy>video that was "soooo coool!"- And it was. It's funny. While I lived their, I hated it. I couldn't wait to get out. Small Town, USA, nothing to do, only old people as the majority population- this sure lent itself to what, in the moment, seemed like "suffering", but now seems to be some of my fondest memories. To THIS day, when I smell Lilacs in the the spring, I am instantly transported to the Brooks' backyard where there were a line of huge Lilac bushes. I can see, as if looking down upon it all like a bird in flight, their house- big, white, 2-story colonial style house with a huge yard. I can see Joe and Sarah playing basketball outside on the court. Terry is in the garden and Kathleen is mowing the lawn. As fly further, I come upon the Hubbard household. Through the kitchen window I can Denny, staring at Kathleen and commenting about her shorts and long legs. Carla is in the kitchen baking, something, and Michael is in his basement bedroom doing "god knows what". Mandy is out in the yard kicking a soccer ball. Their freaky cat that was struck by lightning and live through a fire, is lying in the sun on the cement slab that was to be their garage, half finished for 10 years. As I cut across, I see the Mayer's house. The whole brood is on their way back in-doors because one of them got in trouble. Otherwise, they're all in that immense yard, riding on the motorcycle or swinging on the tire under that beautiful enormous tree. I think I see Billy crouched in the weeds across the street, aiming his .22 or B B gun at the Mayors house. I swoop around and pass the Keiner house. Here I see Bill Sr. out front mowing his lawn. He's wearing shorts, socks, and no shirt- His round belly directing the actions of the mower more than his hands. Mrs. Keiner ( I can't remember her first name) is yelling at Billy about something and he's ignoring her. I see your house out of the corner of my eye as i circle back around and come to the heart of the city, Main Street. There's the Bar, the Hotel, the Ballroom, ahhh I loved the Ballroom, the Fisher's hole, errr I mean house,>and the Coop. Of course there were all those empty, condemned buildings that we all love to play in so much, all along the way. Somewhere out there are you and Sean. Probably driving my dad's electric golf cart, beer in the back, through some mud hole like it was a 4X4. That>is what small towns do to you though, you get very creative and you do>things like "Mud Bogging with Golf Carts"! As much angst as it caused me at the time, including the travesty of living in a town with a name like Pukwana, it was actually a beautiful thing. That small town was my world and it was a beautiful world. I wouldn't trade it for anything!"
Today, I remember to count my blessings. Even those that I don't recognize yet.
I share with you the excepts of this email:
From: Layne
To: Christine
"I looked at your pictures on flicker and there are two kids, a boy and a girl. Are those Seans kids? He's married right. I heard that once upon a time he did get hitched. I think the only person not married is Darin McDonald. He lives in his dads old house in chamberlain. Just him and two cats. Ones name is Jackie and the other one doesn't have a name. He just calls it the white one because Jackie is all black. I bet you miss cruising up and down south main on the weekends in chamberlain. Down main street to the stop sign. Go left down the truck route and left up the hill. Stop, take a right at McDonalds and go down south main street at 25 miles an hour. Pull into the road that goes up to taco johns and make a u-turn and go back down south main until you get to the stop sign by the bank clock. Repeat as many times as you can before mid-night. They removed the bank clock a few years ago. Everyone was in a big uproar over that one. Someone had their kids set out on the corner with a dry-erase board one weekend and they kept writing the time on it every five min. or so. There was a kid on the corner for 4 or 5 days with that board. Really. When ever I go back there I can't recognise anybody. I don't know where everyone I used to know went. "
From: Christine
To: Layne
"Yep, those are Sean's progeny. You'll *LOVE* this: He married the sister of the local prosecuting attorney! Awesome!! Her dad owned (he died last year) the only hotel in town and they are related to everyone in town.After moving to Washington, Sean continued the same antics--as we ALL did--and was drinking alot and smoking pot and crashing his cars and motorcycles (that one actually cost him part of his arm!) When he met his wife he totally changed. Now he spends his time in the forest, either for work or to play, and with his family. He doesn't have email or I'd give you his address. I'll tell him about Darren for sure, he'll get a kick out that. I loved you trip down memory lane- thank you! My most vivid memories of you, besides being the friend that always flirted with and "sweet-talked" my MOM, seems to revolve around music. I can remember you coming over to the house and watching MTV with me. I loved that basement- cool and quiet in the summer, satellite TV, comfy recliners. First, it was MC Hammer. " Oh, you've got to see this guy! He wears weird pants and does a funny dance" you said. I think you even got up and tried to show me the "dance". Ohhh, Ohhhh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Can't Touch This....Then it was Faith No More and the crazy fire-fish-piano exploding-crazy guy>video that was "soooo coool!"- And it was. It's funny. While I lived their, I hated it. I couldn't wait to get out. Small Town, USA, nothing to do, only old people as the majority population- this sure lent itself to what, in the moment, seemed like "suffering", but now seems to be some of my fondest memories. To THIS day, when I smell Lilacs in the the spring, I am instantly transported to the Brooks' backyard where there were a line of huge Lilac bushes. I can see, as if looking down upon it all like a bird in flight, their house- big, white, 2-story colonial style house with a huge yard. I can see Joe and Sarah playing basketball outside on the court. Terry is in the garden and Kathleen is mowing the lawn. As fly further, I come upon the Hubbard household. Through the kitchen window I can Denny, staring at Kathleen and commenting about her shorts and long legs. Carla is in the kitchen baking, something, and Michael is in his basement bedroom doing "god knows what". Mandy is out in the yard kicking a soccer ball. Their freaky cat that was struck by lightning and live through a fire, is lying in the sun on the cement slab that was to be their garage, half finished for 10 years. As I cut across, I see the Mayer's house. The whole brood is on their way back in-doors because one of them got in trouble. Otherwise, they're all in that immense yard, riding on the motorcycle or swinging on the tire under that beautiful enormous tree. I think I see Billy crouched in the weeds across the street, aiming his .22 or B B gun at the Mayors house. I swoop around and pass the Keiner house. Here I see Bill Sr. out front mowing his lawn. He's wearing shorts, socks, and no shirt- His round belly directing the actions of the mower more than his hands. Mrs. Keiner ( I can't remember her first name) is yelling at Billy about something and he's ignoring her. I see your house out of the corner of my eye as i circle back around and come to the heart of the city, Main Street. There's the Bar, the Hotel, the Ballroom, ahhh I loved the Ballroom, the Fisher's hole, errr I mean house,>and the Coop. Of course there were all those empty, condemned buildings that we all love to play in so much, all along the way. Somewhere out there are you and Sean. Probably driving my dad's electric golf cart, beer in the back, through some mud hole like it was a 4X4. That>is what small towns do to you though, you get very creative and you do>things like "Mud Bogging with Golf Carts"! As much angst as it caused me at the time, including the travesty of living in a town with a name like Pukwana, it was actually a beautiful thing. That small town was my world and it was a beautiful world. I wouldn't trade it for anything!"
Today, I remember to count my blessings. Even those that I don't recognize yet.
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