Archive for the 'My old journal' Category

Page 2 of 4

My Old Journal: My Injuries

Published on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 in Are you bleeding?, Drama, My old journal, NaBloPoMo 2007 and Photos. 0 Comments

NaBloPoMo – Day Twenty-one

MY INJURIES: THE FINGER by me (Jan. 2, 1993 Sat.)
Santa gave us a really special gift: a gerbil! We named him Gus. He is so cute!

When we first met him, there was too much confusion and holding him incorrectly (I wasn’t though) and he bit me!

I was just the next person in line and he attached himself to my finger! Dad had to get him off.

Here is a diagram (you can tell I really like those!)

[see picture below showing the drawing of the palm of my left hand– things I’ve written by the diagram: This is where my finger bends. It was very swollen and painful, but I didn’t get any infection. They say gerbil slobber is cleaner than our own! You can tell he has crooked teeth!]

You can click on the picture a couple of times to see bigger and bigger versions…

Okay, the funniest part about the above entry, as found on page 213 of my old journal is the fact that I had to specify which injury I was talking about. As you may remember, I fell down the stairs in September. This was not my first brush with gravity and/or drama, but it’s the first one I’ve had since starting this blog. Never fear; I’m sure there will be more.

The unfortunate part about Gus taking his frustration and fear out on me was that I was holding him properly, but I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was so agitated by the noise, manhandling, and camera flashes, and had I realized just how agitated he was, I would have waited before holding him. He was SO cute, but wow, could he bite! I still have those scars, but they are very faint.

The above journal entry was written during my freshman year in college, while I was on Winter Break. About 10 days prior to that, I have another journal entry that explains how I accidentally got my head slammed in one of the outside doors to my dorm, cutting my ear. No, it didn’t break my glasses (whew!!) and it didn’t require stitches, but looking back, I should have probably had some. I’ve spared you the details (journal entry complete with hand-drawn diagram!) of that incident, but in a nutshell, it involved having a snowball fight late at night while taking a break from studying. In trying to run to safety, one of the guys I was with thought I’d cleared the doorway before he pulled the door shut, but I had not.

Needless to say, the door was heavy and had an automatic closer, and the door cracked me on the side of the head. It all happened so fast; I wasn’t quite sure what had happened. I really didn’t hold my friend responsible, because it happened so quickly. I knew he hadn’t done it on purpose. He apologized profusely, and he did have a fun quote from the night, “It’s all fun and games until somebody loses an ear!”

During my freshman year, I lived in a co-ed dorm. The guys had one wing, and the girls had another. The RA on the guys’ side and the hall director were the ones “on duty,” and they were quite alarmed to see so much blood, but they were both very calm in getting me patched up. The college nurse ended up putting a butterfly strip on it the next morning, and it healed relatively nicely. I still have that scar, too, but you don’t see it unless you know to look.

So, anyway, that’s why it’s funny that I had to distinguish which of my injuries the above journal entry involved. My family was ruthless with the comments, and it took me a while to live that down. In fact, in our main bathroom, we had a MagnaDoodle hanging by the magazine rack. Everyone would take turns drawing parts of a picture and adding to the drawing. One of the funniest ones was a stick figure of me with my ear stuck in a doorway. It wasn’t quite a realistic rendition of events, but I still laugh when I think about that picture.

In fact…look what I found in my old photo album!!

Here is a picture of Gus (right before he bit me…he thinks he’s being accosted by my dad and my brother, so he acts out toward the next unlucky victim…me) and a picture of my fateful encounter with a door, as drawn by one of my sisters:

Fun times. Fun times.

Special Note: Speaking of photos, guess what else I found!? I found some pictures from my car accident!! I’ve posted them over on that post…so, go check ‘em out! They were exactly where I thought they should be. Why I didn’t see them before, I’ll never know. Oh well, had I found them a month ago, I would have never found my old journal! I love it when things work out the way they’re supposed to.

My Old Journal: Yuck!

Published on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 in My old journal and NaBloPoMo 2007. 1 Comment

NaBloPoMo – Day Twenty

For those of you just tuning in, I joined NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), and I wasn’t sure if I’d write about a certain theme for the month of November or if things would just be business as usual here at the blog. Right before the month started, I stumbled upon my old journal, and I certainly couldn’t let such a find go to waste! So, for my NaBloPoMo series, I’ve been reviewing journal entries from long ago. It’s been a lot of fun!

Without further ado, here is the next one, as found on page 176 of my old journal:

YUCK! by me (August 25, 1991)
They may have us trapped, but they don’t have us caught, yet! “Tomorrow the big yellow monster will come and gobble all my children up,” says Grandma [my paternal grandmother, who lived a quarter-mile down the road from us].

Yuck! School is tomorrow. Yuck! We have to get up early. Yuck! 5:45 is not my idea of sleeping in. Yuck! I’ll probably have homework tomorrow. Yuck!

For the first time since 6th grade, [the next sister in line to me] and I will be at the same school. That’s not too bad. I’m sure she will live.

This is my last year at the high school, but since I got accepted on the 17th at [my college of choice], at least I know where I will go from here.

School may have its advantages, but I can’t help thinking: Yuck!

Ah, yes…the never-ending battle between school and summer. On one hand, we had to work as my mother’s minions in her huge garden, so school was a welcomed reprieve from manual labor. On the other hand, we were required to wear socks and shoes, and our lives were taken over by homework assignments. Plus, there was that horrid getting-up-early part. I’ve never liked getting up early. I’ll do it, but I won’t like it. You can make me get up early, but you can’t make me like it.

I can totally picture Grandma talking about the yellow monster gobblin’ up her (grand)children. I spent a lot of time with her as a child, and there are days when I really miss her. I really wish she would have had the opportunity to meet Claire, and vice versa, but it is what it is, and it just wasn’t meant to be.

Grandma always had the best quotes. One of hers that I’ll never forget was, “Everyone brings joy into my life…some by coming and others by going.”

She was quite the character, and I’m glad I captured at least a tiny bit of her in my old journal.

My Old Journal: History Happened Yesterday

Published on Monday, November 19, 2007 in My old journal and NaBloPoMo 2007. 1 Comment

NaBloPoMo – Day Nineteen

HISTORY HAPPENED YESTERDAY by me (August 20, 1991)
Yesterday, the first thing Mom said when she got us up was “Gorbachev just got ousted!” A military group created a coup and Gorbachev is no longer in control.

President Bush ended his vacation at Kennebunkport, Maine early because of the coup and has discontinued aid to the Soviet Union.

I don’t know where this will lead us, but I do know that this is not a good situation. Right now, nobody even knows where Gorbachev is. I hope this works out before there’s another war.

…

THE COUP IS OVER by me (August 22, 1991)
In regard to HISTORY HAPPENED YESTERDAY Pg. 174, here is an update. Mikhail Gorbachev was returned to his seat of power yesterday. Everything seems to be going well.

I’m just afraid that this overthrow-near-success will be an excuse for someone else to try; maybe not only in the Soviet Union.

UPDATE ON SOVIET SITUATION by me (August 25, 1991)
Guess What?! Yesterday was the second day of a communism-free Soviet Union! Yesterday Gorbachev stepped down as a communist leader, but he is still president. As Mom said, “Who would believe this would happen in my lifetime.”

1990’s sure are full of change and so are Augusts. It seems like that if anything happens, it happens in August, but last year it was ol’ Saddam causin’ a fuss.

I wonder what else will happen.

Until I re-read this in my journal, I’d totally forgotten about this. I mean, I know that the Soviet Union is communism-free…but it’s been so long that I’ve taken it for granted.

This makes me think about a lot of things I take for granted, whether it be things that happened before I was born or things that have happened since.

For example, as a citizen of the United States of America, I have the constitutional right to vote. It doesn’t matter that I’m female. The fact that women are allowed to vote in this country seems so logical and obvious, but it really wasn’t that long ago that this wasn’t the case. In fact, I just did a search on the Internet, because I know we won the right to vote in 1920 with the passage of the 19th Amendment, but I couldn’t remember the date…and whaddya know…August 26, 1920. Another August. Another huge change that in a mere 87 years would be taken for granted by so many people.

As a woman, mother, and citizen, I will try my hardest to make sure Claire understands how important and imperative it is to vote.

It does make me wonder what the future holds and what we’ll take for granted then.

My Old Journal: Stars & Stamps

Published on Sunday, November 18, 2007 in Christmas, My old journal and NaBloPoMo 2007. 2 Comments

NaBloPoMo – Day Eighteen

A SPECIAL DESIGN IN THE NIGHT SKY by me (June 22, 1991)
Starting June 16 and lasting for only a few days, was something that was so special that it only comes every 200 years.

In the western sky Mars, Jupiter, Venus are aligned in a triangle just to the right of the moon:

[see diagram in picture below -- I've written, "Mars even had its characteristic red color" by it]

The last time these three planets could have been seen like this was in the 1700’s and it won’t be seen again until 2277 AD. Wow! That’s a long time to wait if you missed it this year!

CHANGES SINCE MY COVER by me (June 22, 1991)
When I made my collage on the cover of this journal I put objects on that were characteristic of 1990. Well, since it is 1991 some of those things have changed.

One of those things that I just noticed today was that “Trident” Gum has changed their wrapper of the “original” flavor from the light blue and white on my cover) to this:

[see pictures below]

I wish I could have had this wrapper and the other one too.

Another change that occurred just after I did my collage was the price of stamps. In the first part of 1991, the price went from 25-cents to 29-cents – what an odd number.

Here is what that change looks like now:

[see pictures below]

[my writing by each example: "Lots of words for such a little stamp. -- I have no idea where they got the “F.” -- Looks familiar doesn’t it – only the “F” grew into a 29. -- Now, the stamps look just like any other stamp."]

Remember, you can click on each picture (a couple of times) to make it bigger.

Planetary observations and the changes in stamps have always intrigued me. I wrote these two journal entries on the same day, so I thought I’d include them both in one post here.

Because we lived out in the country, the night sky was amazingly bright and crisp. I remember lying out in the club house looking at the stars at night and feeling so small and insignificant in such a huge universe. Now, we have to travel hours away to see such brilliant night skies, and gazing at the stars in the cool night air is one of my favorite things to do on our camping trips.

With the advent of the Internet and email, the price of stamps hasn’t affected me as much now as it did back then. The only time of year that we really do a lot of snail-mail mailing is over the holidays. It’s hard to believe that stamps today are 41-cents a piece, especially when compared to the 25- and 29-cent versions in my journal!

Speaking of the snail-mail season, we have a rather extensive Holiday Card List. I enjoy writing our holiday letter, putting together a family holiday photo-card and getting them in the mail as close to December 1st as possible. I know some people like to mail theirs right after Thanksgiving and others wait until later in December, and even others send “Happy New Year!” cards. But December 1st has always been my personal goal. The year I had Claire, I knew this would not be possible, because she was due December 2nd. I actually had her on November 30th, and we came home from the hospital on her original due date. In true casual perfectionist style, I had most of the work done so that all we had to do was plug in the photo of our brand new family, finish up the letters and get them in the mail shortly after we got home.

Because we have such an extensive Holiday Card List, it’s no surprise that we always get a ton of holiday cards in the mail. I love seeing how everyone’s kids have grown and reading about all their adventures. I know Claire will get a kick out of looking at all the holiday cards we get this year, and I can’t wait to see her reaction at getting so much mail!

Claire thinks the stamps on the envelopes we get now are really cool “stickers,” and she loves playing with them. I also love using the holiday stamps on our letters, but I just realized we have a TON of the new “Forever Stamps” with the Liberty Bell on them. Soooooooooo, I’m not sure if I can justify spending a ton of money on new stamps until we’ve used all of these. (Because we do most of our bill-paying online, the rate at which we burn through “real” stamps is quite slow these days.)

At least it’s a bell. Maybe I can just pretend it’s a festive silver bell and call that it.

My Old Journal: Sharing

Published on Saturday, November 17, 2007 in My old journal and NaBloPoMo 2007. 0 Comments

NaBloPoMo – Day Seventeen

SHARING MY JOURNAL by me (May 12, 1991)
Tonight as we were traveling both to and from [a city by us], [my youngest sister and brother] were looking through this journal and trying to decipher some of the scrawled letters that crowd these light blue lines. As I was reading some of the passages to them, I realized that the impressions of the experiences in my life are remembered when I read what I wrote about the experience. (Wow, talk about a complicated sentence!)

I also realize how priceless this journal really is. It is no longer just a book composed of cardboard, wire and paper; it is composed of memories, laughter, hours of ink, and moments locked in time forever. It is no longer an assignment; it is a habit, a friend, a perfect someone to complain to.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this journal is sharing it. So far, the only ones who have read anything in my journal (or had it read to them) are my family, some of my friends, the AP [Advanced Placement Writing class] students who read any journal re-writes and Mrs. [Crazy AP Writing Teacher].

NOTE: Mrs. [Crazy AP Writing Teacher], if you read this could you sign your name on this line? – [and she did!] – since the little “red marks” throughout the pages belong to your trusty pen and you introduced this journal to me. Your name belongs in here, too.

I will continue to write in this journal even when AP Comp. is completed for the year. (This will NOT be thrown in the recycling like some of the paper from my other classes!) The things I write (wrote) about will never come again, but they will never be forgotten – it’s fun just looking back through the things I have already written and a year hasn’t even gone by yet; imagine what it will be like to look back through these pages when years have gone by!

As we were looking through this [my brother] said: “Why don’t you write more about us, you know, when you sneak around and spy on us?”

After I explained to him that I do write about him, I told him that sneaking around again to spy on people didn’t sound like a bad idea. I guess I’ll just have to see where my journal takes me this time!

[This is the last journal entry for my AP class. Mrs. Crazy AP Writing Teacher has written the following note, with her red pen: “May 15, 1991 – You have, indeed, captured many moments…And I’m glad you’ll continue journaling. You’re an excellent student who kept me motivated this year.” And she signed it with her initials.]

Wow. First of all, I said in my initial post about Mrs. Crazy Writing Teacher that although she was crazy, I learned a lot from her, and she was encouraging with her comments. That made writing even easier. Part of me felt a little bad about referring to her as Mrs. Crazy Writing Teacher, but then I snapped back to reality and remembered just how traumatizing most of her class actually was.

And, it *is* amazing to me to relive the moments from my journal so many years later. The above entry is the last one I wrote for that class. From page 137 on, I started writing knowing that others wouldn’t necessarily be reading it. I never hid my journal, but I didn’t have to turn it in for evaluation. I wrote throughout the summer and my senior year and then on into college.

When I first started this blog, I’d honestly forgotten that I’d written for an audience. I remember writing this journal, but I’d forgotten that my teacher read it and commented on most of the entries. I was worried about how my voice would change when I started having “readers” on my blog and what would happen when people actually started following and commenting on my stories.

So far, the response has been positive. I have become hyper-aware of how I sound, and I’m trying to find a good balance between my sarcasm, perfectionism, and optimism. I just assume that everyone I talk about will eventually read it and know I’m talking about them. I don’t use specific names of places or people, because I still feel weird about that. (I’ve had a couple stalkers in my day, yeeeeeeeeeeears ago, but still…once it’s happened to you, you’ll never take it for granted again…) I have quoted some of my friends and family, and I think most all of them know that I’ve quoted them, but I don’t use their full names. (I’d hate to hinder their chances of being a Senator one day…Google finds the most amazing things!) I sometimes edit my posts after they’ve been published for clarity, grammar-related issues, and just because.

Whenever you put yourself out on a public blog, you have to be prepared for the ugly side of the Internet. When I was pregnant with Claire, I posted daily on a certain iCommunity, and the trolls could be ruthless! (Don’t know what an Internet Troll is? Read all about these nasty little creatures here.) It was so hard not to get caught up in all the drama. Because of that interesting experience, I always try to remind myself that there is no intonation in the typed word, and I try to give the benefit of the doubt. But, since this is my game, I have no qualms about taking my marbles home or playing with someone else. Ignoring or deleting comments and/or not responding was one of the hardest things for me to do without boiling over. I’ve come a long way, and I’m much calmer now.

That being said, I really like the people I’ve “met” so far doing this silly little blog thing. I love comments. I love reading other people’s blogs. The sense of community is very real to me right now, and I love it.

So, thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for sharing your comments and your own blogs with me. I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know…

My Old Journal: 100!

Published on Friday, November 16, 2007 in My old journal, NaBloPoMo 2007 and Photos. 0 Comments

NaBloPoMo – Day Sixteen

100 – 100 – 100 – A LOOK BACK by me (April 23, 1991)
I finally reached the century mark in my journal! It would have happened sooner, but I caught a terrible case of procrastination! In the end it turned out to be beneficial, because now I have lots more to write about.

When I first began writing in my journal, I had no idea I would ever make it this far.

There have been many changes since I started filling the lines of this journal. The seasons changed and were captured in my journal; I spied on my family and captured them in my journal; I reviewed the work of [a local newspaper journalist]; I created a new cover.

Now there are other things that have happened that mark changes in my life:

My college choice:

* I visited [one of the colleges on my list – an hour and a half away] Campus

* I visited [another highly accredited] College Campus in [another city – even farther away]

* So far, I’ve received 23 letters and information packets from colleges (I didn’t realize that by shading the oval on the PSAT allowing the College Board to release my scores would cause such a deluge in mail! (I feel so important!)

* After all this, I have made my decision – [Now, my Alma Mater] – it has everything I’m looking for in a college.

* Just making that decision has lifted a great burden from my shoulders

My braces:

* On April 15, 1991 I got my braces off! I have to wear this hideous thing called a tooth positioner. It has three holes in it so I have trouble breathing out of my mouth like I’m supposed to. Since I have to clench my teeth into the spaces, and it fills my whole mouth, I can’t talk clearly – I can only mumble and hope my family understands me. I have to wear it 4 hours in the afternoon/evening and then through the night (usually for a total of 12 hours). Don’t get me wrong…I love having my braces off!

Earth Day!

* Yesterday, April 22, 1991, was Earth Day. I really think that it is neat that so many people are becoming aware about our environment. The first step in doing anything about it is becoming aware – and that is definitely a change for the better! (And now, it’s recorded in here forever!)

I wonder what the next century in my journal will bring!?!

You know what’s kinda freaky about this? Today also marks my 100th consecutive day of posting! When I realized how close I was to 100-days-of posting, I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to put the 100 post entry (as found on page 132 of my old journal) on the same day!? So, I looked at my “schedule of posts for NaBloPoMo” and counted out to Day 100…and it was already there! Day 100 automatically fell on the same day as the 100 entry post from my old journal! Cue spooky music!

Oh, come on…it shouldn’t be surprising to you to find out that I have all 30 of my NaBloPoMo posts outlined and ready to be written, is it? That “Planning to Plan” diagram on the whiteboard in Office Space makes me laugh uncontrollably…not just because it’s funny, but because it makes so much sense! Just kidding.

Just for fun, here are some pictures of the entries in my journal. (Remember, you can click on each picture to make it bigger and then you can click on that one to make it even bigger.)

My college! I love my college, and the four years I spent there were some of the best in my life. They were some of the most confusing, heart-wrenching, and awesome years. (I’ll post some of my entries from that time in my life later…)

My braces! Oh, how I hated my braces. I’m so glad to have had them…don’t get me wrong. My teeth were a crooked mess. I really hope Claire inherited her father’s perfectly straight teeth. (Neither he nor I have ever had a cavity, in almost 35 years, so hopefully Claire is as fortunate when it comes to that as well…) I remember the excruciating pain of my headgear (luckily, I never had to wear it in public. I would have refused and/or died on the spot!!) and my braces, and I remember how awesome and smooth my teeth felt after being freed from all the contraptions. To be honest, it’s something I take for granted most days, but that’s part of the beauty of it all.

One hundred can be a lot or a little, depending on the context. One hundred entries in my old journal and 100 days of continuous posting are both pretty cool in the milestone department, if I do say so myself.

Here’s to the next 100!

My Old Journal: The Word in the Dictionary Game

Published on Thursday, November 15, 2007 in My old journal and NaBloPoMo 2007. 1 Comment

NaBloPoMo – Day Fifteen

As found on page 128 of my old journal:

THE WORD IN THE DICTIONARY GAME by me (April 3, 1991)
I’m in AP [Advance Placement Writing class] right now, and since I’m done with my assignments, I decided to write in my journal. But what do I write about?

It was just about then that I decided to play the Word in the Dictionary Game. This consists of randomly opening the dictionary and dropping your finger to the page. (without looking, of course!) Then you have to make up a sentence by using that word – sometimes it is easy because of the familiarity of the word and sometimes you didn’t even realize that such a word existed.

So, here it goes:

Obedience – I know that one, so I won’t write the definition. Here is my sentence:
*A pet should show obedience to its master.

Electrolyte – A non-metallic electric conductor in which current is carried by the movement of ions.
*Can water be considered an electrolyte?

Vertigo – a dizzy confused state of mind
*After that Chemistry test I just took last period, my thoughts are in a vertigo. (I like this word – maybe I’ll use it today.)

Seltzer – I know the meaning of this word, and I also love the taste!
*I ordered a seltzer, because it is one of my most favorite beverages.

Mongoose – Mammal that feeds on snakes and rodents – I already knew what this was.
*The mongoose preys on snakes and rodents, a fact that comforts some people.

Here comes the trickiest part – using all of these words in a sentence. Here it is:
*After studying ELECTROLYTES in Chemistry, my mind was in a VERTIGO and I thought I saw a MONGOOSE drinking a SELTZER in an OBEDIENCE class.

Talk about an interesting sentence!

As nerdy as it sounds, this was a fun little game to play when I didn’t know what to write. Plus, after yesterday’s heavy journal entry about 1raq, I needed to write about (and read) one that was a little more light-hearted.

Oh, and today marks the half-way point of NaBloPoMo! (It’s also another special day…but you can check out a separate post on that.) Congratulations to those of you who have posted every day (including weekends) since November 1st! I love reading all my favorite bloggers!!

You all make me laugh, especially when I’m supposed to be working, and that’s not a bad thing!

My Old Journal: 1raq

Published on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 in My old journal and NaBloPoMo 2007. 0 Comments

NaBloPoMo – Day Fourteen

OUT BY JANUARY 15 by me (December 30, 1990)
President George Bush has given Saddam Hussein until January 15 to get out of the little country of Kuwait. What will happen if he doesn’t? What will happen if he does?

George Bush said yesterday that he has a “gut feeling” that Hussein will leave Kuwait. Baghdad, 1raq says “never.” Who do we listen to? Which is more reliable – feelings or actions? I guess time will tell.

War – a small three-letter word that can change so many lives. My generation doesn’t know what war is, and uncertainty is frightening.

If there is war with 1raq, will the draft start? When will this happen…after January 15 or now, perhaps? Some Senior guys in my Chemistry class were trying to determine when and how long after the 15th they would turn 18. I can’t imagine them in Saudi Arabia.

If my dad were still in the National Guard – he got out years ago – he would be in Saudi Arabia right now. Kind of makes the whole thing seem a little more real – doesn’t it?

If there is war with 1raq, it would be like no other war in history and yet just the same. In a situation where one side seems to out-number the other — for example, the whole world against 1raq – it makes me wonder if we are being told everything. Why is Hussein resisting? Does he know something we don’t know, or is he bluffing? That’s quite a risky bluff.

All of this comes at a time when Americans are looking back at 1990. Just add this to the end of a list that is full of extraordinary happenings like the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the “return” of Nelson Mandela.

Today is December 30, 1990 – two more days of the first year of the new decade left. I wonder what they will bring.

The above entry is found on page 84 of my old journal. On January 17, 1991, I wrote another entry called I give my Support (page 90) about Desert Shield becoming Desert Storm. The entry starts out with:

Last night around 5:00 PM our time (there’s a 9-hour difference between Central time and Saudi Arabia time) the bombing of Baghdad, 1raq, started. (6:00 PM formal announcement.) …

On page 120 of my old journal, the saga continues…

A NOTE ON DESERT STORM by me (February 23, 1991)
Today at 11:00 AM our time (8:00 PM Saudi Arabia time) was the deadline for an unconditional pull-out from Kuwait by Saddam Hussein before a ground war begins.

Well, at 12:00 PM our time (9:00 PM Saudi Arabia time) the ground war officially started. …

And, one week later…just a couple days after my 17th birthday…I wrote this:

ONE WEEK AGO TODAY by me (March 6, 1991)
One week ago today, on February 27, 1991 President Bush told Saddam and the world that we would have a cease-fire that would continue only if Saddam’s troops stopped forceful action and no more Scuds were fired at anyone.

…

One week later (today), President Bush just gave his “end of the war” speech. Tomorrow some American troops will again be on home soil. I just hope this is good enough to be true.

Just reading the above entries brings tears to my eyes, and I’m having a difficult time typing this post. It doesn’t help that I’m overwhelmed with a big feeling of déjà vu: A President with the last name of Bush, 1raq, and our troops in harm’s way…again…and for what? That, of course, is a rhetorical question, because the answers differ wildly depending on point of view, and I honestly don’t have the desire or energy to fight about it.

I just wish it was over…for real, this time.

My Old Journal: The Nursing Homes

Published on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 in My old journal and NaBloPoMo 2007. 3 Comments

NaBloPoMo – Day Thirteen

As found on page 72 of my old journal:

THE NURSING HOMES by me (December 17, 1990)
Yesterday my youth group went caroling at the nursing homes in [a city near us]. We only went to St. Francis and The Mayflower, because another group went to the Friendship Manor.

Seeing the elderly residents there made me think of a lot of things. Why are these people here? It made me sad to realize that these people had nowhere else to go. Do these people realize what is happening to themselves? Some feel a lot more than what we think they do.

These questions, and more, were spinning through my head as I slowly walked down the halls singing carols. Later, I began to wonder about what would happen when the “baby boomers” would reach the age – or physical state – that would demand a nursing home. That’s a lot of elderly people to take care of. What about me? Where will I go? Will I end up like these people? I certainly hope I will be in good enough condition to make that decision on my own.

I am reminded of the “Riddle of the Sphinx,” which states: What being starts out on four legs, grows to two legs, and finally ends up with three legs? The answer is: Mankind, crawls on four as a baby, walks on two as an adult and walks with a cane with they become older.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the only thing we needed when we got older was a cane?

Nursing homes still have this effect on me. I understand the place they hold in our society, and I’m glad they are a viable option, but they still make me sad. Every time I visit one I can’t help but wonder how each person got there. Do they have family, or are they the only ones left? Has their care surpassed the capabilities of their loved ones? What will happen when more and more of the Baby Boomers reach this stage?

Whenever we’ve taken Claire with us to the nursing home, the effect she has on the residents is amazing. They seem to perk up, and we are followed by a wake of happiness and curiosity. She sparks something deep within their psyches, whether it be memories of a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, or an energy from a different time in their lives. For a moment, though fleeting as it may be, they are in a happier place.

My Old Journal: Through the eyes of…

Published on Monday, November 12, 2007 in Christmas, Claire, Kitties, My old journal, NaBloPoMo 2007 and Photos. 3 Comments

NaBloPoMo – Day Twelve

In my Advanced Placement Writing Class, we were encouraged to view things from another perspective and then write from that point of view. This really was a neat exercise, and I’ve found that it can get the creative juices flowing if they’ve been stagnant for a while.

Here is one such entry as found on page 70 of my old journal:

THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHRISTMAS TREE by me (December 15, 1990)
I have the best view in the whole house. All day long I stand at attention in the bow window of the living room.

When people stop and stare at me, I wink my red, blue, yellow and green eyes at them. The color of eyes that I wink at them with depends upon the mood that I’m in. I’m in a cheerful mood now, but who wouldn’t be? It’s the Christmas season!

I am so proud to be here with this family. I can’t wait to tell all the birds who will live with me when the Christmas season is over and this nice family puts me outside to live, about all the fun I’m having.

You should have seen it; I almost died laughing when they started putting these unique little things held by string – I think I heard the children call them “ornaments” – on my limbs because it tickled so much! I hardly even feel them now, but I laugh just thinking about it.

I have learned a lot about this family by the things that they put on me. They have adorned me with all different kinds of things from glitter and glue Kindergarten projects to wooden figurines to intricate glass icesicles. (I hope I don’t sneeze; this family would be upset if I broke something.)

My favorite piece of jewelry, however, is the homemade silver star on the tippy-top of my head. I am so overjoyed that this family picked me to wear it, so I will wear it with pride.

I’d better go for now, because they will be up from bed soon and the peace and quiet will be gone.

Ever since I moved away, I’ve not had a full-size Christmas tree. We get a ton of Christmas cards every year, and I string them on pretty ribbon and hang them on our banister, or I display them on the wall in our dining room. I really like snowmen, so I set a few of those out, but that’s about all the decorating we do for the holidays.

Nearly every year, we’re never home for the holidays. We’re always traveling to see family that lives out of state. The kitties can’t be trusted with such decoration when left unattended for long periods of time, and I never really had the time or energy to decorate for a season we wouldn’t really be celebrating here, only to take them down before we left.

The year we had Claire, everything changed and we stayed home. That year, we put up a few more decorations, but didn’t get around to doing a full-on tree. We refused to travel with a teeny-tiny baby, and we had one of the best Christmases I can ever remember as an adult.

It’s not that we don’t enjoy being with relatives on Christmas, but it’s rough traveling over the holidays, and our time is always so rushed. Last year, the three of us went on a Tour of the Midwestern Trifecta (not unlike the trip we took this summer), and thankfully we were able to barely squeak by between blizzards. Claire was a rockstar on the trip and handled everything masterfully, but it was so tough on Momma and Daddy. We were exhausted.

We both remember how much fun the holidays were when we were kids. We both remember how exciting it was waiting for Santa and waking up in our own beds and feeling the joy and excitement of the season. We both want that for Claire.

So, this year, we’ve decided to have Christmas at home and start our own traditions. We’ll be picking out a Christmas tree and hanging the ornaments we’ve each cloistered away in our boxes of treasure, and we’ll be picking out some new ones that are just for the three of us. We’ll hang our stockings by our own fireplace, and Santa will know to stop here this year.

For old time’s sake, here are some pictures of Claire on our first Christmas together as a family. (She’s not even a month old!) You’ll see that there wasn’t any extra decoration needed to make the holiday complete…

A Note about the pictures: You can click on each image to make it bigger,
and then you can click on that image to make that one bigger as well…

All of the gifts we got in 2005…

Now that I’m in a more festive outfit, can’t I open just one present?

Opening presents takes a lot of energy!