LAST DAY - SPECIAL MEMORY . . .

One Story Of A Memory You Have

When I was little, some of my favorite memories are of the weeks we used to spend down at Nolin Lake.  We would pack up the cars and trucks, and then head down to the lake for a week of sun, fun and relaxation.  There were usually 4-6 families that went down with us. 

The cabin we stayed in had 2 bedrooms, a sunken family room, a kitchen and dining area, and 1 bathroom.  All of the kids slept in the sunken family room.  The adults used to call it "the pits".  Nice huh?  It also had a nice large deck and was just a short walk down to the water. 

The men used to cook breakfast in the morning, we'd have sandwiches and chips down by the lake for lunch, and then each family would take turns cooking dinner at night.  We'd spend the days on the lake, fishing, skiiing, tubing, and swimming.  At night we'd just hang out and play games.  One of our favorite games to play was spoons.  If you've never played it, you're really missing out!  We used to play it for HOURS.  Here's how it works:  Depending on the number of people playing, you put one less spoon in the middle of the table.  Everyone is dealt 4 cards.  The dealer then pulls out other cards from the deck and discards a card and passes it around.  The goal is to get 4 of a kind.  The first person that gets 4 of a kind tries to grab a spoon without anyone noticing.  Once the first spoon is gone, then it's a free for all, and everyone can grab them.  The person that doesn't get a spoon is out, and you keep playing, taking out a spoon each time you lose a person, until there's only 1 person left standing.  It might not sound like fun, but believe me, when you're 10 and 11, it's A LOT of fun!

Some of my greatest memories are of our times at the lake.  It still brings a smile to my face every time I think about our summers spent down there. 

Now, we go to Rough River Lake because that's where my FIL lives.  We spend almost every weekend down there.  And my kids LOVE it.  And so do we.  Sometimes we go by ourselves, and other times we go down with our friends and their kids.  But no matter who we go with, we always have a good time.  We always look forward to our weekends at the lake.  I'm really glad my kids are able to make some of the same types of memories that I have.

DAY 6: TWO THINGS YOU WANT . . .

Two Things You Want

• I want for my kids to have a good life.  I want them to be happy, but I also want them to be good citizens.  I want them to make good choices.  I want them to be a good influence on the people they meet and come in contact with in their lives.  I want them to leave a positive footprint on the world.  I will ALWAYS be proud of them.  No matter what they do.  But I still want them to grow up to be good and respectful adults.  And I want to know that maybe, just maybe, I had something to do with that!
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• I want to stop worrying so much about what other people think of me.  I am who I am.  Warts and all.  And I'm 40 years old.  I'm not just going to wake up tomorrow and be a different person.  So why can't I stop worrying so much about what other people think?

DAY 3 - I MISS YOU . . .

Three Things You Miss

• First and foremost, My Grandma. She's been gone 12 years, and yet some days, she's all I think about. I've been thinking about her a lot lately. I'm not really sure why, but I have. I remember freezing Cokes in cups when Cyndi and I would go stay with her. I remember writing about her all through high school and college. I remember the letters she used to send me while I was in college. I remember the first time I introduced her to Ryan. When my dad called her that evening she told him I was going to marry him. We'd only been dating a couple of months, so I'm not really sure he was happy to hear that! I remember my wedding day. She couldn't come to the wedding because she was sick, but she was living at Mom and Dad's and she got to see me in my wedding gown. She told me how beautiful I looked and how much she loved me. I have SO many happy memories of her. So why do I cry when I think about them?
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• This is going to sound selfish. But sometimes I miss being single with no kids. I LOVE my husband and kids. But if you're married and have kids, you probably understand where I'm coming from. Remember when you could do WHAT you want, WHEN you want? Not having to check with your spouse to see if they're okay with it. Not worrying about whether or not you have a babysitter. Not being able to just get in the car last minute and do something, even if it's just running to the store for a diet Coke! I wouldn't trade my family for all the money in the world. But sometimes, just sometimes, I miss that freedom.
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• Believe it or not, China. I LOVE being home. SSOO glad to be home. But there are parts of our year in China that I miss. And I will always miss. I made some great friends. Friends that I saw when I went back and it was like we'd never even been apart. Our style of living was different there. I think it made us closer as a family. We spent more time together. We only had 1 room with a working TV and that room had the satellite, dvd player, and Wii on it. So that's the room we congregated in. We took walks together. We didn't have a car, so we HAD to walk. We walked to the store. We walked to dinner. We walked to school. It was just a different lifestyle. I REALLY miss my Ayi. Not having to clean or do laundry for a year? Let's just say I got pretty spoiled while I was there. And now we're home, and guess who's the Ayi?   You guessed it - ME!   NOT happy about that!
  

DAY 4: WISH I HAD THE COURAGE . . .

Four Things You Wish You Could Say, But Might Never

• I'm not sure what I ever did to you, or why you don't like me, but I'm tired of worrying about it.  I'm sure you have your reasons.  I'm also tired of hearing about how the world is against you.  You get what you give.  Please don't spout to me about friends or family, when it's only convenient for you.  If you aren't going to act like a friend to me, then please don't try to lay a guilt trip on me about how I should act.  I know I don't fit into the "mold" of what you think I should be, but just because I don't look a certain way, it doesn't mean I'm not a good person.  I've spent too many years trying to be someone you would like.  I'm done trying.  If you don't like me, that's YOUR problem.  Not mine.
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• I think you're both being goofy.  You've both said things you shouldn't have said.  You've both done things you shouldn't have done.  Now get over it!  I think it's pretty crappy that it's gone on this long.  But honestly, I'm done worrying about it.  And you should be too.  You've both made it very clear that you're never going to forgive each other, which I also think is pretty stupid, so why keep dredging it up?  I do however think it's pretty crappy that 2 grown adults can't be civil to each other.  I've spent most of my kids' lives telling them that they are not going to like everyone they meet, but they at least have to be respectful to everyone, whether they like them or not.  Why is that THEY know that, and you don't?  One more thing, I also think it's pretty crappy that it's affected more than just the two of you.  That's very childish and should NEVER have happened.  
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• I love you very much.  But you really hurt my feelings.  And it's not something I'll probably ever forget.  It's been almost 18 months, and it still bothers me.  And when I tried to tell you that it hurt me, all you wanted to do was tell me more things that I did wrong.  I'm not saying what you said was wrong, because it wasn't.  But your timing was awful.  And instead of agreeing that you could have timed it better, you just told me about other things I've done to disappoint you.  How would you have felt if that was the last time you saw me?  What if something had happened to the plane I was on?  Is that REALLY the last thing you wanted me to remember? I spent the whole plane ride thinking about what a disappointment I am and that if something happened to the plane, at least I wouldn't be a disappointment anymore. 
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• Sometimes you make me SO angry.  I don't feel like you respect my feelings.  I feel like I have to justify so many things I do and I have to censor a lot of the things that come out of my mouth.  Just because we don't like the same things doesn't mean my things are stupid.  They're just different.  So why do you have to keep making fun of them?  Why can't you just accept that we are different?  I don't make fun of the things you like.  Why can't you respect me enough to do the same?

DAY 3: MY FAVORITE SONGS . . .

Five Songs You Like

I already posted a few songs I like, so I'll post five DIFFERENT ones this time.

1. I Believe
2. Butterfly Kisses
3. The Climb
4. Right Field
5. Loser Like Me

DAY 2: HOW MANY THINGS DO YOU LOVE?!

Six Things You Love

(I'm going to cheat a little)!

1. Ryan
2. Jason, Andrew, Sarah Beth
3. Mom, Dad and Scott
4. My friends
5. My family
6. Being a Mom

A NEW CHALLENGE . . .

I sort of spaced out on the last challenge and didn't finish the last few days.  But in my defense, we were in China and then the kids were on Spring Break, so things got a little hectic!  Anyway, I liked the idea of doing the Challenge, because it gave me something to write about everyday.  So I found another one to do.  And after this one is over, I might even find ANOTHER one! 

So here's this one.  This one is a 7 Day Challenge.

Day 1 - Seven things that cross your mind a lot.
Day 2 - Six things you love.
Day 3 - Five songs you like.
Day 4 - Four things you wish you could say, but might never.
Day 5 - Three things you miss.
Day 6 - Two things you want.
Day 7 - One story of a memory you have.

 

I'll go ahead and start Day 1 since it's been so long since I've written anything.

 

Seven Things That Cross Your Mind A Lot

1. Ryan and the kids.
2. My parents and my brother.
3. My wonderful friends.
4. My amazing Grandma and how much I miss her.
5. Wishing I would win the lottery so I could do WHAT I want, WHEN I want, with no concern about how much it costs.
6. Being thankful that I have such amazing people in my life that love me just as I am.
7. Wishing I was a Size 2.