~ Memorial Day

On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty nation.

~ Thomas Williams Parsons

~ Mopey Murphy

Look at this face . . . how adorable is he? Admittedly, he’s a bit spoiled. Not like a child and in the sense that he gets absolutely everything, but in the sense that he’s so loved. He’s used to being home with just me, as KJ travels a lot. He’s used to KJ coming and going and that’s okay with him. It’s okay with him because his little world revolves around one person and one person only. Me. He’s not used to me leaving and being gone for days on end. And, as I’ve been gone since the 16th, KJ has changed his name. He’s now known as “Mopey Murphy.” Poor thing misses his momma!!

Just a few more days, Murphy . . . .

~ Grins & Giggles

I wonder.....if I click my heels together 3 times, will my fairy godmother show up??

I’m off to find my red slippers . . . .

~ Happy Anniversary

May 15, 1982 . . . . the wedding that almost wasn’t. Well, let me rephrase that. I should say, ‘the wedding that was almost held at the hospital chapel.’

That’s right....hospital chapel - I had been admitted to the hospital 4 days before KJ and I got married. I had come home from work on Monday whining to my mom that my stomach hurt. And, it really wasn’t my stomach, it was this constant pain right under my breast bone. Later that night, my dad called our doctor and the doctor said, “Now Glenn, she’s getting married this weekend, it’s just nerves. Or, maybe she had something for lunch today that didn’t agree with her. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” So off to bed I went and spent the next few hours talking to KJ on the phone. I mean hell, we were getting married in less than a week - we had lots to talk about!!

About midnight, I couldn’t take the pain any longer. I went upstairs to my parent’s bedroom and they were both still awake, reading. I was in tears as I told them how much pain I was in. My dad was in the process of getting up when my mom said, “No, I’ll take her.” Now, this was coming from a woman who seriously hated driving at night. She’d have rather had a root canal than have to drive at night. That night, she was the best mom in the world.

Once we got to the ER, it was quite obvious to the doctors that I was in immense pain. They got me hooked up to an IV and immediately gave me Demerol. Which I immediately proceeded to throw up. Finally, at 2am, they decided to admit me. My bloodwork came back fine but they had no idea why I was in such pain.

My mom, along with my future mother in-law, sat with me at the hospital all day. About 4pm, my dad called to see what the doctor had said. Well, the doctor hadn’t been in to see me, but when we were in the ER, they had told my mom my doctor knew I was there and would be there later on that morning. My dad immediately called my doctor who had no idea I was in the hospital. He came up after his office was closed for the day, ordered some bloodwork and did an exam on me. He immediately had me sent to the OR to be prepperd for surgery...my appendix was ready to burst.

While I was in surgery, KJ and my dad were checking out the hospital chapel, thinking we’d have to get married there! No way, I said. I begged my doctor to let me go home. So, on Friday, the day before I got married, he sent me home and KJ and I got married at 2pm the following afternoon . . . 3 days after I had major surgery. It was the shortest Catholic wedding in the history of Catholic weddings.

Those few days before our wedding should have been KJ’s first clue about what a whirlwind of chaos our life together would be. Instead of running away screaming in the opposite direction, he met me at the alter, ready to say “I do.”

28 years and two kids later, we’re still going strong. It’s been a lot of work but it’s also been a lot of fun. We’ve laughed and we’ve cried and yet it’s been worth every milestone and every speed bump we’ve had along the way. Marriage is never easy, it’s not always pretty and it’s not always pure bliss. But if you really love each other, if that person is the one you’re meant to be with, then you do what you have to do to make it work, to make the marriage as fresh as it was on that beautiful spring day when you said, “I do.”

Happy Anniversary, KJ . . .I love you.

~ Simply Said . . . Happy Mother's Day

To those who make it a seemingly effortless job . . .

To those who mother not only their own kids, but the friends of those kids . . .

A mom is a doctor, lawyer, cook, teacher, taxi driver, secretary, pet walker, laundress, seamstress, personal shopper, maid, nurse, accountant . . . all rolled into one.

To all of you . . . Happy Mother’s Day.

~ Remember When

Being home this week, staying with Lynsay and being able to hang out with the kids, I’ve been able to watch how they navigate through their lives. I have to say that I’m somewhat in awe of the seemingly effortless way that they have both taken control of their lives. Awed and proud. Very proud.

I watch them interact with not only each other but with their cousins and their friends. I listen to them talk and giggle. I then sit back and remember when they were small and growing up. That then takes me back to the days of my own childhood and the simple days of growing up without the worries and concerns that we have now.

Things were different when I was growing up. I grew up in a time when our parents weren’t afraid to send us out the door and let us walk to and from school. We played outside at all hours of the day, no matter what the temperature was. If we got hot and thirsty, we’d head for the nearest garden hose and drench ourselves before quenching our thirst. There were times when I’d leave the house in the morning and not come home til dinnertime.

When I was in grade school, my aunt and uncle lived around the corner and oftentimes that is where I could be found...with my Aunt Joyce. Summers with my cousins were spent playing outside, having peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches for lunch with gallons of Kool-Aid to drink. With sugar added to the pitcher. Vitamin D milk was always on the table and pop was a special treat.

In junior high, we moved to a neighborhood where our backyards flowed into a community greenbelt. We had a community pool and during the summers, that is where I spent all of my time; we weren’t afraid or aware of the dangers of the sun. OUr house was where all the kids seemed to gather and all of my brothers friends had a built-in radar.....they seemed to know the exact moment when my mom took chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. And they were homemade chocolate chip cookies.

At night, we’d all gather after dinner and play kick the can and never worried about the fact that it was dark and we were hiding in a cornfield. Our parents weren’t haunted by the thoughts that there were bad people in the world and someone might be waiting for the perfect opportunity to snatch us from the sidewalk. They were confident in the fact that we all had a built-in compass and when the street lights came on, we knew it was time to go home.

We seemed to do things with a reckless abandon. We weren’t afraid to go off and explore our surroundings. Bike rides were an every day adventure.

You would think that after growing up in a seemingly carefree world, I would have been more confident as I got older. But looking at my kids, I don’t know that I would have been able to do what they’re doing now. They’ve made lives for themselves and they’re surviving in a world that is totally different than the world that I grew up in. They have a confidence that I don’t think I possessed at their age. At Ryan’s age, while I was married and pregnant with him, I don’t know that I could have been single, working and living on my own and with the confidence and ease that Ryan and Lynsay seem to possess.

I’m awed . . . . and a little suspicious at how they do it.....

~ Surprise, Surprise

Nothing brings a smile to my face faster than the laughter of my children. The sound of their voices and their laughter filling a room puts me in a total state of bliss. Needless to say, I’ve been in heaven this week.

We flew into Omaha on Friday to surprise Lynsay for her birthday. She knew we were coming to town for my niece’s graduation party, but she wasn’t expecting us until the following Friday .

The minute our plane touched down at Eppley on Friday afternoon, KJ’s phone started ringing. It was Lynsay. A few minutes later when we were waiting for our luggage, KJ’s dad called. I didn’t dare answer it while in the airport because they had no clue we were coming to town. They’re terrible secret keepers so we had to keep this visit a secret from them, too.

I stepped outside to call him back and he wanted to inform me that Lynsay had been trying to reach us all day. I made up this huge story about a wind storm and how power was knocked out, blah blah blah. I thanked him and told him I’d give Lynsay a call. I then sent Lynsay a text message, giving her the same story, apologized for worrying her and then told her I’d give her a call later that night.

Imagine her surprise when we walked into Brix 45 minutes later. Talk about the best surprise ever. We were able to celebrate her birthday with her and her friends on Saturday night (we were the drivers...lol) and omg, have you guys ever been to Club Patrick??? Good Lord . . . .

But the surprises weren’t over. I had told Erin that we wouldn’t be able to be here for her graduation party. Have you guys ever seen her pout when her Aunt Mickey can’t be in town for her? Hell, now that I think about it, she’s been pouting ever since I left! Ha! Imagine her surprise when I went to school on Monday morning. I don’t think she knew whether to laugh or cry so she did a little bit of both. God, I love that child.

It’s been a week of surprises, a week of laughter and smiles and the good thing is....I’m here for 3 more days.

(The picture is of Lynsay and my niece, Erin’s sister Kristin at their first bar stop on Saturday night)