Christmas Traditions

As Christmas approached this year, I felt a little different than in years past.  With our parents gone, my siblings and I are "the eldest generation."  I now feel pressured to ensure that family traditions are maintained.   I recalled how my Mom used to save money for months so that she could take us all to see, "The Nutcracker" each year.  Even if we had unexpected foster kids for Christmas, she would somehow come up with enough tickets for everyone.  I had a momentary vision of the girls dressed in velvet, eagerly watching dancers perform on stage.  Well, maybe next year. 

I continued struggling a bit over which traditions should be saved and which traditions we have already created.  Cassie is enormously sentimental.  Family is very important to her and she wants to make sure that Lacey understands tradition.  As Les and I were discussing plans for Christmas, Cassie interrupted and asked if we could make some new traditions this year.  I asked if she had anything specific in mind.  "Well," she hesitated, "I don't want to hurt your feelings.  But, do you think we could have something other than cod for dinner on Christmas Eve?"

Oh, the dreaded cod.  The tradition of the cod began decades ago.  After moving to Colorado, my Dad anxiously embraced the customs of his new Italian friends.  And so, we were introduced to the tradition of having cod for dinner on Christmas Eve.  The cod was purchased from "Joe's Deli."  It came dried, which was quite a novelty to us as we frequently consumed fresh fish.  My Mom tenderly basted that cod in butter and then broiled it.  During dinner, we ate without speaking because we had been taught not to criticize food.  But, we were all thinking the same thing, as we downed glass after glass of water.  I remember the four of us crammed in the back seat of the car after dinner, en route to our Christmas program at church.  That cod was just bloating in our stomachs.  I don't know when I've ever been so uncomfortable from food.  (Okay, Beth, Chuckie Cheese runs a close second!)  It turns out that dried cod is supposed to be soaked in water to remove all the wonderful salt that is used as a preservative. 

My parents continued to cook cod every Christmas Eve and it soon became a Good Friday tradition as well.  Once my siblings and I had left home, dried cod arrived in our mailboxes twice a year, lovingly wrapped in white freezer paper and labeled in my Dad's handwriting.  Over the years, I tried various ways of cooking the cod.  I even found the traditional Italian recipe that was for pasta sauce with crab and other seafood.  However, my Mom preferred her recipe.  Last Christmas, we still had a bit of cod saved in the freezer that we cooked.  But, because I will always have the memories, that's one tradition that I'm willing to change.

My parents loved Christmas.  One of my earliest memories is of a trip we made to Santa's Village in Chicago.  This was at a large department store, most likely Marshall Field's.  We all took the commuter train and my Dad was delighted to show us how he got to and from work every day.  I remember waiting in line to see Santa and being fascinated by the displays.  Of course, there was music playing and when the song, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause," came on my Dad just lit up.  He was beaming from ear to ear and kept nudging my Mom and laughing.  I must have been about six years old and I couldn't understand why my Dad was so thrilled with the idea of Santa kissing my Mother.  I don't remember much else about that day.  But, I've never forgotten how happy my Father was.  Now, if I'd started this paragraph by saying that, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," was my favorite Christmas song you would have thought I was crazy. 

I've extracted my own traditions from this memory.  Every December I take a day off and pull the girls out of school.  They get dressed up and we go to Pentagon City.  We walk around the mall and admire the beautiful decorations.  I still make them pose for a Santa photo, and I'm grateful that Cassie's willing to help make these memories for Lacey.  Then, we have lunch out and do a little shopping.  After that, we go to church and sort the toys that have been donated for the adopted families.  This has been our tradition ever since Cassie was in kindergarten and I hope it continues for many more years.

My parents also loved Christmas trees.  Every year they would try to find the tallest, but also least expensive tree in town.  You can imagine what a challenge that was.  For a number of years, J.C. Penney's had a tree lot.  I remember one year when my parents picked us all up early on the last day of school before break.  This was a double treat.  Not only were we getting out of school early; we didn't have to ride the bus.  We headed over to Penney's and got our 12-foot beauty.  Once at home, the decorating traditions began.  My Dad was the only one who could place the antiquated strings of lights.  Of course, it took hours to get all the bulbs working.  We would all sit on the floor watching for awhile and eventually get discouraged.  Then, once the lights were up, it was time for my parents to place the ancient tinsel garlands.  These were actually made from metal.  I can see my Dad on his rickety wooden ladder, carefully wrapping the tree with the faded tinsel.  Ornaments were then placed with precision - heaviest ones at the bottom; interior branches filled first so the tree looked full.  Hours later, we'd finally get to the icicles.  These were placed individually, certainly not in clumps.  Finally, my Dad's toy electric train was placed around the base of the tree.  No wonder we had to get out of school early for this ritual!

I'll admit, to my kids it must seem that our decorating process is similar.  It typically takes us a week to put up the tree.  But, that's because we are scheduling it around dozens of other activities.  We put the tree up and string lights on it one day.  The next day, we do a couple of boxes of ornaments.  We continue with a box of ornaments a day until we are finished.   This year, we carefully placed ornaments that had previously decorated my parents' trees.  There are no garlands of tinsel on our tree.  Neither are there icicles! 

Music was always a huge part of Christmas for us.  Back when I was in first grade, schools still put on Christmas shows.  My class sang, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas."  My Mom had never heard the song before and sacrificed money to go to the local piano store and buy the sheet music.  She had always wanted to play the piano, but didn't have the space or the money to get one.  Instead, somewhere along the way she had acquired a plastic, tabletop organ.  She would plug this thing in and pump out wheezy tunes.  Every time I hear, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," on the radio, I can see my Mom sitting at her organ.    

Another part of the music tradition involved all of us playing our instruments at church.  A church member, who was a band director at a local school, would gather an ensemble a couple months before Christmas and start rehearsing.  The mix of instruments was different each year and was probably pretty terrible. We practiced the same carols every year and we would perform in the narthex on Christmas Day.  For some reason, although we had been listening to the tune since we were born, not a single member of this ensemble could every play the correct rhythm for "Joy to the World."  Our director would be wildly waving his arms and articulating, "Joy TO THE WORLD," while Mary Lee and I stifled our giggles and ducked from the flying spit.

Of course, music has to be a tradition that we preserve.  This year, Lacey has joined chorus.  So, the girls were both in holiday programs at school.  They were both in the Christmas program at church too.  And, this year, Cassie played her violin in the program.  As I recorded the girls' numbers, I did wish that we had just one video of music performances from Christmases past!

One final tradition that I will share was our Christmas Eve trip to the firehouse in Louisville.  Santa would arrive on a fire truck and hand out bags filled with fruit, nuts, and ribbon candy to the waiting kids.  This was a tradition that we were eager to share with our foster brothers, Matt and Stephen.  The first year they participated, their picture with Santa was on the front page of the local paper.  Another year, when a few of us were teenagers, we opted to stay home from this event to be Santa's helpers.  We tied ourselves up with ropes and informed Matt and Stephen that Santa had tied us up so that we wouldn't grab their presents!

Above all, I believe my parents taught us the values of family and generosity.  We were always able to make space for one more person at our dinner table and my mother could always find one more gift to wrap.  Maybe these are the best traditions to preserve.

The wise men from my parent's nativity scene grace the top of Grandma Schneider's dresser.

Home Alone - the Sequel

Recently, Lacey has become more aware of current events and realized that she's not invincible.  She has expressed concern about kidnappings and has said that she doesn't want to be left home alone.   Last night we watched, "Home Alone,"  because Lacey had never seen this movie before.  Sensing that the movie was making her nervous, I suggested that we change the channel.  Lacey insisted that it wasn't bothering her.  After awhile, though, it started to bother me.  I knew that the girls would be home alone today while I was working.  This certainly wasn't the first time they'd been home alone.  But, what if something happened?  Would they know what to do?  Would they be able to defend themselves?

Midway through the day, I turned on my phone to check for any messages from the girls.    Thanks to technology, there was a video message waiting for me.  Maybe they were sending me evidence that they'd cleaned their bedrooms! 

After watching the girl's documentary, I was so glad that they were home alone because I wasn't the one cleaning up the mess!  (You might need to be on a computer to see this video . . . )

Christmas Cards

I'm working on my Christmas cards and, as usual, I'm late.  Yes, I should be working on them now instead of doing this.  But, because the cards will be late, I decided to give a preview.

Ever since Cassie was born, we've done a photo Christmas card.  We were so thrilled to have a child that we had to show her off to everyone.  For Cassie's first Christmas, I had the cards made at Walmart.  I remember arriving at the store and panicking when I realized that her feet were going to show in the photo. She didn't have any shoes!  I had to buy shoes from the baby department and then try to convince her to wear them.  The following year we had a beautiful, vintage photo done by an award-winning photographer.  The picture was gorgeous but expensive.  I ended up going back to Walmart for cheaper cards.  The next year I wised up and realized that I could snap my own photos.  As Christmas approaches each year, I've always been able to find a cute snapshot to use on a card.  The only year that I actually staged a photo was Lacey's first Christmas here.  That year, Cassie had wanted them to have matching outfits for their first year together.

This year, as Christmas-card season approached, I was a bit stressed because I couldn't find that perfect photo.  When I asked family members for help, Cassie said that matching outfits were out of the question.  But, maybe we could find similar outfits for the girls and take a photo in the backyard.  She thought it would be fun to take a picture of herself and Lacey covered in leaves.  While we were debating whether we needed to buy new outfits if they were going to be covered with leaves, Les paid to have the leaves removed from the yard. 

I went back to the cloud, looking at hundreds of photos.  I first considered this one:

Sisters!

I took this photo down the street at the reservoir.  Looking at this picture makes me so happy.  We had met Gladis, Julio and Gaby at the park and the kids were feeding the ducks. It was near the end of summer and it was one of those days when being grubby and sweaty was completely acceptable.  But, upon closer examination, I realized that the photo was a little washed out.  And, it was very similar to last year's card, which featured the girls wearing shorts with a water backdrop.   

The following photo was my next choice:

I snapped this photo when we were sight-seeing with Dave and Beth.  So, I'm not sure if it's really a great photo or if it's the memory of their visit that makes me like this picture.  Upon closer consideration, I decided that it would be a really compelling photo to have posted for Veteran's Day.  But, maybe it didn't send the right message for a Christmas card.

As I continued searching, I found this one.



Hey!  Mom finally let us get a dog!

I took this photo down the street at the park.  It makes me happy because the girls are still willing to walk to the park with me.  This photo also makes me happy because it shows what tremendous willpower I have exercised by not letting the girls have a dog.  Maybe that's not a good sentiment for a card.

I started to ask myself what message I really wanted to convey with a photo.  Well, maybe I wanted to show how gorgeous the girls are and how they're growing up.  I considered this next photo:

Hmmmm.  It was fun when I snapped it.  We were doing our back-to-school shopping.  But, what does it actually convey?  First, an observer's eyes would be drawn to the soda in Lacey's hand.  An informed observer would wonder why I let my kid drink soda when she's had to have two teeth pulled in recent history.  And, what is this, some kind of ad for Nordstrom's? 

I kept searching.  Maybe this next one would be a good choice:

When I look at this photo, I can still smell the roasting peppers and taste the green chili that they produced.  But, that is only meaningful to immediate family members.  Plus, I realized, Cassie's gorgeous locks don't show.

Moving on, I considered this one:


Greetings from Downtown Disney!

I scrutinized this photo carefully.  It just screams, "Hey.  We made it to Orlando this year!"  Maybe that's an okay message to send.  I mean, it does say that as a family we set aside time to take a vacation together.  And, the girls look pretty nice in this picture.  But, did I really want to send a picture that highlighted a bunch of plastic figurines?

I began to give up on the idea of finding an appropriate picture of the girls together.  Maybe I would do something different this year and make a card featuring photos of them alone.  The girls really are such individuals.  Take a look at these shopping photos:

Yes, I'm a diva!

Hey, look what I found!

And, what about these photos from Orlando?  They definitely show personality.


The Princess!

 

The Minion!

 



 

 

Yes, I look fabulous!



I look fabulous too!

We had some cute restaurant photos . . .

 

Seriously, Mom?  You're taking another photo?

 

Can you say Butter Beer?  And, no, I don't need a napkin.

As cute as those photos were I didn't really want solo photos.  I wanted a "sisters" photo.  I spent some more time thinking about want I really wanted the Christmas card to say.  And, while I was snapping photos of the girls goofing around up at the cabin, I found it.  With a fast shutter speed, I captured one brief second of their lives that says it all.  It's not just the perfect photo, it's the message too.  Here is what  our card really needs to say.  "Merry Christmas!  We are happy and healthy. We wish the same for you."

So, may I present. . . . our 2014 Christmas card photo!

Christmas 2014

 

 

Thanks Giving

The day after Thanksgiving, we drove up to our cabin.  We only planned to stay overnight because we had a lot to do.  It was beautiful.  When we got out of the car, I felt as though I had been transported to another world.  There were about 4 inches of snow and, because there are so few residents in the community, most of the snow was untouched.

I should probably go back a step.  Les and I had an appointment with our accountant that morning.  I made a short list of things I wanted the kids to do before we left the house and then ended up doing most of the things myself.  All they had to do was fold their laundry and pack for one overnight.  I asked them to be ready by 10:30 so we could leave as quickly as possible after our appointment.  We wanted to stop at the potato chip factory on the way and get to the cabin in time for a late lunch.

We stopped for gas and headed down the parkway.  The kids had convinced Les to put Christmas music on the radio.  The car had finally warmed up and we were enjoying the ride.  Suddenly, Cassie said, “Oh, no!  I forgot my glasses and my contacts.”  To his credit, Les turned the car around without saying a word.  Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the driveway.  Cassie jumped out and headed toward the house.  Then, Lacey jumped out too.  She took off for the house so quickly that she forgot to close her car door.  Not wanting the heat to escape, I got out to close the door.  Since I was out, Les decided to get out to.  He went into the house and returned with his Kindle.  The girls came back and burst into the car. 

“All I forgot was my glasses!” exclaimed Cassie.  “Lacey forgot her toothbrush, toothpaste and hairbrush!” 

As we were backing down the driveway, Cassie tapped me on the shoulder.  “I forgot my pajamas,” she whispered.  In response to my glare she continued, “I’ll just sleep in my clothes.”

By the time we reached the potato chip factory, the kids were starving.  But first, we had to park.  “Don’t park in the snow,” pleaded Cassie.  “I’m wearing moccasins.”    Again, to his credit, Les didn’t say a thing.  Luckily, there were plenty of free samples available inside the factory.  We watched the chip-making process for a while.  Then, we each picked a favorite flavor to buy and we were off.

Back to our arrival at the cabin. . . When we arrived, Cassie tiptoed down the path to the cabin, with Lacey running behind.  Lacey wasn’t in much better shape.  She was wearing sneakers and ankle socks, and her jeans had holes in both knees.  In response to my question, she explained that she had only been able to find one of her boots.  We unpacked the car and cooler.  I didn’t know how long the snow would last.  I asked the girls to come outside and pose for a few pictures.  They laughingly obliged.  Ten minutes later, they were soaking wet.  But, I had some awesome photos.  One will end up on our Christmas card.

Les had purchased another new gadget to improve our TV reception.  We spent about an hour fiddling with it and couldn’t get a single channel to come in.  What was happening?  First no cell reception and now no TV??!!

“Well,” I declared.  “I’ve got a book and my knitting.  I’m set.  But, it looks like you will all have to find something to do.”

“Why don’t you play with me, Cassie?” Lacey asked.  And she did.  The girls spent the next couple hours with Cassie showing Lacey how she could build a coffee shop with her Legos.

I went into the little kitchen to start my pot of turkey soup.  The ceiling light kept flickering and I couldn’t get it to stay on.  After puttering with the fuse box, Les declared that we could have either a stove or the lights.  I opted for the stove.  Les ran an extension cord from the family room into the kitchen and clamped a floodlight to the top of one of the cabinets.  Then, he hung a flashlight to the top of the medicine cabinet so we could have light in the bathroom.   The largest burner on the stove wasn’t working.  So, dinner took longer than it should have. 

While the soup was simmering and the girls were playing cards, I went for a walk.  It was just before sunset and the surrounding woods were beautiful.  Along the way, I met one of the few fulltime residents.  He hadn’t been out of his cabin in the three days since the snow fell.  He inquired about the road conditions and I assured him that it was safe to drive.  As I walked on, a little piece of me envied the simplicity of this guy’s life.

We had dinner around 8:00, ate leftover pumpkin pie, and watched the VCR edition of “Toy Story 2.”  The girls enjoyed every second of it.  I got up once during the night to stoke the fire and then Les took a turn. 

In the morning, Les turned on the TV and, like some kind of Thanksgiving miracle, it worked.  We were able to receive three channels!  Okay, we had PBS in both English and Spanish, and the valley religious channel. But, the real miracle was that Les would no longer be able to convince me that we needed a new TV.

It was truly a day of miracles, as the girls slept until 9 a.m.  Then, we discovered that the toilet wasn’t working.  We had to bundle up and walk down the road to our friend’s cabin, where we have a standing invitation for just such events.

As I was tidying up the cabin, I turned on Cassie’s cell phone.  She had 184 unread texts!  Truly amazing.  She did have cell reception and was willingly going without her phone to spend time with us.  Yes, I agree, receiving 184 texts in less than 24 hours was also amazing.  But, in spite of the many frustrations the trip had caused, we have many reasons to be thankful. 

 

48 Hours Without Cassie

First, I had to survive 24 hours without my phone.  Then, I had to survive 48 hours without Cassie!  She left Friday afternoon for a two-day church retreat.  We had been preparing for this since August.  We made sure she had hiking boots, got a new winter jacket, dug out all her long-sleeved shirts.  But, I just wasn't ready for her to be gone this long!

Cassie had reluctantly gone on this trip last year.  That was the first time that she had been away from us for more than an overnight and she was worried.  This year was different.  She was thrilled to be going.  It's not that she was thrilled to be away from us. But, she wasn't sad or nervous about leaving us.

The day before the trip, the pastor called to give us the landline number to the retreat site, reminding us that there was very limited cell coverage.  Oh yes, I recalled that we wouldn't be able to communicate with Cassie while they were up in the mountains. 

That evening, we dug around the attic trying to find a suitable duffel bag.  Cassie didn't want to be laughed at for bringing too much.  But, on the other hand, she didn't want to look suspect if she didn't bring enough.  We didn't want someone to think that she might be wearing the same jeans two days in a row!

We stood in the church parking lot waiting for the kids to get in the vans and said our goodbyes.  Cassie came back and hugged me a second time.  I tried not to be overly emotional.  I looked at it as strength training for when I leave her in a college dorm a few years from now.  We waved goodbye and realized we had the rest of the evening in front of us.  Well, we couldn't exactly drop Lacey at home and go out for a romantic dinner.  So, we went out for pizza.  I kept my phone on the table, just in case Cassie texted during the two-hour drive.

Back at home, we settled down with the TV.  I took advantage of Cassie's absence to work on a Christmas present for her.  I kept my phone nearby, in case she texted.  I even slept with my phone next to me, in case there was some kind of emergency.  What if the heat didn't work in their cabin?  Would she remember my earlier advice about how a person loses so much heat through their extremities and remember to put her hat on?  Had she remembered to pack a hat?

Saturday morning I got up early, made sure that the stray cat Cassie's caring for was fed, and went to yoga class.  During meditation, all I could think about was how I might convince Cassie to go to college locally.  After class, I decided to go straight to the supermarket.  Without the kids along,  I got my shopping done in record time.  I did feel guilty that I had forgotten my recyclable bags.  Cassie would have never let me forget.  Meanwhile, Les and Lacey made their weekly supply run to the pet store.  They also got through in record time.  Did Cassie really slow us down or are these shopping trips just less interesting without her?

Les and I went down to the basement and talked about renovating it.  Cassie is so social now.  Maybe if we fixed up the basement, Cassie and her friends would want to hang out at our house. 

I cleaned the kitchen while Lacey moped around her bedroom.  Then I heard a strange thumping noise and saw her dragging a basket of laundry down the steps.  She explained that she wanted to surprise Cassie by getting the laundry done.  We got a load going and I asked her if she'd like to go to the mall.  Lacey needed some new clothes, including a warm jacket and a Christmas dress.  Lacey wasn't sure we'd be able to make good choices without Cassie.  "Are you kidding?" I asked her.  "Who do you think taught Cassie how to shop?"

Lacey and I had a great time.  We went to Pentagon City and had lunch out.   I was even able to get her to try on two items of clothing!  We sent Cassie a picture of Lacey in the mall but couldn't tell if she received it.  Back at home, Lacey decided that she was going to leave everything we got in the bag so that she could show it all to Cassie.

I still hadn't heard from Cassie and worried that maybe she was outside freezing on a hike or sitting in a dining hall being forced to eat food that she considers unhealthy.  Suddenly, her text tone sounded.  I grabbed my phone and read, "Wish I was shopping."  I breathed a tremendous sigh of relief.  Even though she said she wished she was shopping, she wouldn't be shopping alone.  She did miss us!   
  
Now, it's Sunday morning and I'm up early, counting the hours until I go sit in the parking lot, waiting for the vans to arrive safely.  How will I ever let her go off to college?  But, the truth is that once Cassie gets home I won't have time to worry about this.  She will have photos to show us, homework to finish, her violin to practice and Lacey's clothes to admire.  And, I will recognize more than ever how precious all this time is.

Lacey sporting her new jacket.  Yes, she's a "Style Evolution in Progress!"

A Day Without a Phone

I recently survived 24 hours without my cell phone.  Here's what happened.  I got home from work,  walked into the kitchen and plugged in my phone.  My phone did not buzz and the screen did not light up to tell me that it was charging.  I pressed the power button.  No response.  I tried again and again.  Still no response.  I hollered for Cassie to come.  She advised that my phone appeared to be dead.

I began further diagnostic steps.  First, I plugged my phone into my computer.  My computer couldn't even recognize the poor bugger as a device.  Next, I took my lifeless phone out to the car and tried to activate Bluetooth from my car radio.  My radio display spewed the message, "No device available."

"No,"  I wailed.  Denial, the first stage of grief was setting in. This was immediately followed by a wave of isolation.

Les suggested that I take it to the AT&T store for a possible diagnosis.  Cassie went along for moral support.  Of course, the store was closed for the evening.

Cassie said that she was sorry, but that this situation was kind of like a person's heart.  She gently explained that sometimes, when a person's heart gets out of rhythm, doctors can stop the heart and then start it again.  But, according to Cassie, this wasn't the situation with my phone because it had stopped by itself.

Realizing that I would be without a phone for the next 24 hours, I sent up a warning flare on Facebook.

The reality of my loss overwhelmed me as I entered the second stage of grieving - anger.  How could my phone do this to me? 

How was I going to wake up on time without my phone alarm?  How would I know what to wear to work if I couldn't check the weather?  What if one of the kids' teachers needed to contact me during the day?  Les is not allowed to take a cell phone into his office.  And, for some reason, he's never able to answer his work phone.  My mind was really racing.  What if one of the girls got hurt and the school nurse couldn't reach me?  How was Cassie going to contact me to let me know she was up in the morning? 

Thus, I entered the third stage of grief - bargaining.  I convinced Les to set an alarm on his cell phone.  I told Cassie that she wouldn't be able to contact me in the morning.  I would call her from a land line once I got to work.   Les suggested I start researching phones so that I was prepared to buy a new one. 

The next morning the alarm on Les' phone woke me up, even though he had left his phone down in the family room.  As I left for work, I dropped my phone into my purse, just in case it decided to start working.  Without my phone, I was forced to listen to the radio as I drove.  I called Cassie after I got to work and reminded her that she wouldn't be able to text me when school was over.

I didn't miss my phone until lunchtime.  Depression, the next stage of grieving set in as I searched the Internet.  The prices that I'd seen listed for the iPhone 6 were actually the monthly service costs, not the cost of the phone.  Then I realized that Cassie's phone was about the same age as mine.  What if hers died too?  We'd have to buy two new phones.  That would really increase our monthly phone bill.

Acceptance, the final stage of grief, arrived as I was walking to my car.  I took my phone from my purse and stroked it gently.  There was a brief flicker on the screen and suddenly, my phone sprang back to life!  I shouted joyously across the parking garage to one of my colleagues.

I sent a text to Cassie, letting her know that my phone was back.  Immediately, my phone chirped and an emoji blowing a kiss filled the screen.  Yes, my phone was back.

As I neared home, the robot ringtone sounded.

"Hello, Lacey," I answered.

"Hi, Mommy.  I'm home," she said.

"My phone's working!" I told her.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes, how do you think you called me?" I replied.

"Oh, yeah," she said.  "Well, I'm going to hang up now.  See you soon."

"See you soon," I answered.

I could survive without my phone alarm, without the weather app and without being able to check email day and night.  But, I love my phone because it lets me know that my girls are okay.  When my phone gives out for good, I will replace it.  And, when that new phone dies, I will pay to replace it with whatever the latest technology might be.  Staying in touch with my kids is priceless.

Boys versus Dogs

Last weekend I almost adopted a dog.  The girls and I had gone grocery shopping and happened upon an animal fair.  There were mobile veterinary clinics, dog obedience schools, dogs parading in Halloween costumes, and dogs waiting to be adopted.  I am sympathetic to the girl's desire for a dog.  Cassie, especially, regularly attempts to negotiate with me.  Will a clean basement earn a dog?  Will a promise to do homework immediately after school every day be enough?  What if she promises to be the one walking the dog at 5:00 a.m. every day?  So far, I have resisted because the reality is that I will be the one taking the pre-dawn walks and the one cleaning up the back yard.
 
Then, we saw this dog that was so cute.  He was a cross between a Pit Bull and some rare hunting dog that I'd never heard of before.   The woman who is fostering him described all his wonderful traits and I agreed to take him for a walk.  Although the dog nearly tore off my arm, I still thought he was pretty cute. 

I called Les and explained that the adoption fee included shots, neutering and a cage.  Les told me that he would trust me to make the right decision.  We had just put our oldest cat to sleep and a dog might be what the house needed.  Then, Les called me back and said that he still trusted me to make the right decision.  But, he wanted me to think carefully.  I took the nice doggie back to his cage, thanked the woman and got her contact information.

This week, I thought about that dog every day, wondering if I'd made the right decision.  Maybe we do need a dog around the house to keep us busy.  Cassie is gorgeous and I know it won't be that long before boys discover her.  So, maybe I should call and see if that dog was still available. . .Which did I really want hanging around the house, a stray dog or a stray boy? 

Friday evening, Cassie told me that a boy at school had written a poem about her.  "Oh, geez," I thought.  Here we go.  Where did I put the number to the animal shelter?"

Then, Cassie showed me the poem.  I heaved a tremendous sigh of relief.  I could so easily have burdened myself with a dog.    For the near future I'm safe.

Here is a reprint of the poem:


"Cassie is obnoxious.
She is really mean to me.
She beleaguers me.
She is a redhead with braces.
But, she is bad!
Her verbal attacks impale and explode my crimson heart.
Her stern look shows that she's dauntless."

How Was Your Evening?

Les has been out of town for the past several days on business.  Last night he called and said, "How was your evening?"
 
"What do you mean 'how was my evening?'" I demanded.  "My evening has only just begun."
 
"Well, then, how is it going?" Les persisted.
 
"We just walked in the door from the fund-raising dinner," I began.  "You know, we never finished discussing what Cassie and I learned at the high school information night.  Do you want to hear about all that now?"
 
"Sure," Les agreed.
 
"Well," I continued, "after spending 30 minutes learning that almost all the specialty programs are lottery-based, and that the county now has a big agriculture program, we decided to speak directly to the instructor from the fine arts program.  The school just announced a major change to the program.  Students may now apply in only one content area."
 
"Uh huh," snuck in Les.
 
"Don't you remember that Cassie has only been planning for about three years now to apply to both the creative writing and the visual arts programs?  Now she has to pick one.  It will take a lot of conversations at Starbucks to sort out this challenge.  Then, this afternoon I had to take Cassie to the allergist and then to her violin lesson.  Because you aren't home, Lacey had to go along.  Now, both girls have homework to do and I have lunches to pack.  And, speaking of homework, Lacey brought home a note from her teacher that I had to sign because she forgot to turn in her homework.  We finally found her homework mixed in with a bunch of bills."
 
"Uh, well, I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening.  Love you guys," said Les.
 
I hung up and headed toward the porch to feed the stray cat.  As I pushed three pair of Lacey's shoes out of the way, I wondered how I was going to get through the rest of the week.
 
Later, as Lacey headed up the stairs she called, "Good night, Cassie."

"Good night, " Cassie answered.  "I love you, Lacey."

"I love you too," Lacey responded.

That was all it took for me to realize that my evening was just fine.

Embracing Fall

A few days before school started I treated the girls to Starbucks.  As Cassie puzzled over what to order she said, "I don't know whether to savor summer with a cold drink or embrace fall with a warm, spicy drink!"
 
I understood exactly what she was feeling.  At this time of year, I want to cling to the relaxed summer schedule.  At the same time, I'm eager for the new school year, the freshness of the changing seasons and the excitement that upcoming holidays bring to our house.  It was with this bittersweet mindset that we began the new school year.  Here's a recap of our first day.
 
I was up and in action early, packing the delectable lunches that we'd made the day before - spring rolls for Lacey and Greek salad for Cassie and me.  I went upstairs to wake the girls.  They no longer use a night light so I ran into 3 half-empty laundry baskets in the dark hallway.  I paused in surprise because I didn't even remember owning that many baskets.  I thought back to a time when I used to stand contentedly on the same spot, simply listening to them breathe.
 
My day at school went well with many new and returning students.  The day flew by and before I knew it I was leaving for home, prepared to carry out the detailed plan that Les and I had put in place.  The AC in my car had gone out over the weekend and it was about 98 degrees out.  Step 1 of my plan had entailed packing the battery-operated fan/water bottle that we had used while visiting Universal Studios.  I pulled out of the parking garage and hit the road, one hand on the steering wheel and the other spraying water directly into my sweaty face.

Cassie had to be at the allergist by 4:20 and at a violin lesson by 5:00.  Les was supposed to pick her up from Taekwondo at 3:05 and go home to meet Lacey's bus.  At 3:45, he called to let me know the bus had not arrived and he was going home.  I got to the Taekwondo studio at 4:00 and still had to wait.  I plopped down in a chair, grateful for the air conditioning.  Cassie's bus finally arrived and, although we missed the allergy shots, we made it to the violin lesson.

Back at home, I settled down with the stacks of forms the girls had brought home and listened to them chat.  Lacey was thrilled by her first day because her teacher had given her a new pencil bag and she now owns two pencil bags.  Cassie was happy with her classes but annoyed that she has to sit with her homeroom for lunch. 

 Then, Cassie announced that she needed to print some pictures to decorate an algebra notebook.  She began searching through her phone for pictures.  Exclaiming that she didn't have enough, she turned  on her computer and began searching.  After Les and I ran in circles for awhile looking for photo paper, Cassie tried to print a few.  But, the printer was low on ink.  While Les grumbled about how unrealistic it was for a teacher to expect everyone in the class to have a working printer and Cassie declared that she was going to fail the assignment, I suggested that she draw some pictures.  Well, that wasn't a good idea.  I next suggested that she put some pictures on a thumb drive and we go to the drugstore to print.  Off we went.

We waited our turn for the machine and, after we scrolled through all 86 pictures on the thumb drive, Cassie explained that she only needed 4.  Of course, it was going to take 30 minutes to print 4 photos.  Cassie and I agreed that if she had to get up even earlier to shower in the morning, she would get black smudges under her eyes.  So, I took her home to shower and thought about how lucky I was that my glasses cover the smudges under my eyes!

 I used the 10 minutes that I had at home to continue working on the school-related forms that were still waiting for me on the kitchen table.  Then, I retrieved Cassie's photos from the drugstore and grabbed a few more essential school supplies.  Back at home, Cassie and I flipped through the photos. 

"What's this picture of the cats drinking out of the toilet?!" I asked.

"Oh," Cassie explained, "I thought that would be a good picture to represent family."

At least I got to end the day with a good laugh.  And, since I don't know when I'll have time to get my car repaired, I can now embrace fall without regrets.

First Day Photos

Just a Two-Hour Flight

Last night, I was at an urgent care clinic about two miles from the Magic Kingdom. As the doctor put drops in my eye to numb the pain he said, "We're pretty much 'Vacation-Horror-Story Central' here.  So, what's yours?"

Here's the story I told:  I had convinced Les that we should fly to Orlando this time.  After all, we were so recently in Florida and I really wasn't excited about making that drive again.  And,  it's just a two-hour flight.  We booked a flight for a reasonable departure time.  The taxi arrived a few minutes before 8:00 a.m. and we loaded up.  Just as the driver was pulling out, Cassie had to run back inside to get her phone. The driver agreed to turn off the meter, which kept Les from getting too angry when I also had to go back inside to help look.

Everything went smoothly at the airport, if you want to consider Jet Blue's policy of, "Okay, everybody, let's board!" smooth.  We had seats together; but, we were behind two toddlers who screamed the entire time while their parents nodded and smiled.  Two hours began to feel like a long time.  When we finally landed, the entire back half of the plane erupted in clapping and cheering. 

We got our bags and went to Hertz for our rental car. They didn't have the car we had requested and upgraded us to a Cadillac SUV.   Les and the girls were thrilled.  I should probably mention that my left eye had been sore when I woke up and by this time was almost swollen shut. Although I could barely see, I managed to get us headed toward the Shades of Green military resort.  We couldn't check in our Marriott condo until 4:00 and had planned to go purchase discounted tickets to Universal on the way.        

About five miles from the airport there was a huge clunking noise followed by a scraping noise. Les pulled over and, with my hand shielding my left eye, I circled the car and kicked the tires. They looked fine.  As it began raining, I bent down and looked under the car. 

"Oh, my!" I declared. "There's a big piece of rubber caught in the tires and there's something dripping!"

Les got out and decided  that something called the "front air deflector" had fallen off.  As we looked for the Hertz emergency number, a friendly police officer pulled up.  He stuck his head in Les' window and asked, "What seems to be the trouble, folks?"

We explained and he smiled and said, "Good thing this is a rental.  I ran the plates and they're registered to a Ford Mustang.  On top of that, they're expired!". 

The kind officer waited with us until our taxi arrived.  He then offered to stay until the tow truck came.  He wanted to get to the bottom of those license plates. 

The kids were being great, even though it was 3:30 and they hadn't eaten lunch.  In fact, Lacey was thrilled that we got to have two taxi rides in one day.   It took Hertz about 45 minutes to process a refund for our taxi ride. Then, we were packed in an identical Cadillac and on our way to our condo. We had decided the tickets would still be there tomorrow.

I will skip the details about how it took Les 45 minutes to find a clinic that was 1.5 miles away. After a two hour wait, I was given a prescription for conjunctivitis, which must be the adult name for pink eye, and sent on my way. 

When we got back to the condo, the girls had just finished preparing dinner. We had barbecue chips for an appetizer, spaghetti for dinner, soda and even coffee.  While we complimented their efforts, Cassie explained that they had gone to the hotel marketplace and  figured out how to charge everything to the room.  They had to make more than one trip to the market and Cassie was worried that the cashier was starting to think we had abandoned them.   Cassie had never cooked pasta before and I asked how she knew what to do.  She said that first, she had broken the noodles in half because they were too big for the pot.  Lacey added that the noodles had flown everywhere but that we shouldn't worry because she had picked them all up from the floor.  Then, Cassie had googled the boiling point for water.  Finally, to see if the noodles were cooked, she had thrown one at the wall, the way she had seen it done on "Modern Family."

At the end of the day I was thankful for my two fabulous kids and thankful that it was me with the eye infection and not one of them.

School Supplies

I've blogged about school supplies for the past few years and can't let this annual event pass without comment.  As usual, I am annoyed by the requirement that Lacey bring 48 pencils.  I stated emphatically that she would bring her own supply in her own pencil box and would not supply the rest of the class.  Cassie then reminded me that I had uttered the same edict last year and that Les had happily delivered Lacey and 48 pencils to her teacher on the first day.  Ah, well. 

As we downloaded supply lists and sorted through unused supplies from last year, I recalled how much fun it was to have that new backpack and those new shoes for the first day of school.  I decided to relax a bit and just let the girls have fun making some purchases.  They are well trained, though.  Cassie reminded me of the Virginia tax holiday.   She then printed relevant coupons from Target.  Lacey ran to retrieve a Target gift card that had been a birthday gift.  She was sure that it had at least .99 left on it and wanted to contribute that to the cause.

Bright and early on Day 1 of the tax holiday, we set off for Target.  We joined the herd of parents and kids making their way to the back corner of the store where school supplies are traditionally located.  Then, my kids whizzed through that madhouse like true pros.  One read from a list while the other grabbed for the item.  They ignored all the extras - exotic book covers, scented  highlighters, mini kleenex packages, erasers shaped like flowers - and stuck to their task.  When they got to "four pocket folders" on Lacey's list, she selected the ones that were only .15 apiece.  We finished in record time and were quickly checking out.  Lacey was delighted that her gift card still contained 2.99 and was sure that would free up enough money for the monogrammed backpack that she wanted.  I congratulated the girls as we came in with a grand total of 82.09.  If that seems like a lot to you, you're not familiar with the requirements of Northern Virginia schools.  Just imagine what our total would have been if we didn't already have a calculator, composition books, spiral notebooks, pens and graph paper left from last year.

Shopping at Target

Day 2 of the Tax Holiday found us taking advantage of Nordstrom's semi-annual shoe sale.  I promised each girl one pair of shoes.  We began in the kid's department with Lacey.  We tried everything we could think of to attract her to the boots, flats, high tops, loafers and Mary Janes.  Nothing doing.  All she wanted was a pair of pink Converse sneakers.

Cassie's choice took more time.  While her feet seem to have stopped growing, her collection of shoes can now expand.  Lacey and I watched and waited patiently through the first few rounds of trying on.  Then, Cassie's eyes lit up as she spotted a distant pair of boots.  Look what happened. . .

I'm not sure - which ones do you like?

OMG!!  Do you think those come in brown?



Seriously Cassie?
 

Hmmm....

These are the ones!

I consented to the boots, but stipulated that there would be no horse to follow!