As a child I could get pretty moody when things didn't go my way and I would become...oh what's the word?....Bratty. That's what happened on the night I created my own childhood regret.
I was at a girlfriends house for her 7th birthday and we were playing a game that involved clues. She probably had about 6 or 7 friends running around finding them along with me. Her mom would read the clue and we would have to figure out where this clue was leading us to and that's where we would find a prize. EVERYONE found one but me. I was so upset by it that I hid under her dining room table and pouted until her mom found me and tried something to make me happy again but I had made up my mind to be mad, so that's what I was for the rest of the time there. If not outwardly then inwardly.
When it was time to leave I climbed into the back seat of our station wagon where Mom, Jeff and Becky were waiting. Mom saw that I was pouting so she tried to make me happy by giving me a stuffed monkey she had bought at the store for me. I took it grumpily and didn't say a word. No thank you, no I love it, just grab and pout. Seeing her disappointment with me made me regret my attitude right away however, there were no apologies from my mouth and no cuddles for the monkey. I had started this foul attitude and I was going to finish it out for the rest of the night.
Ever since that night I've felt bad for my selfishness and wished I could take that moment back. If I could I would lovingly take the monkey from Mom's hands and give it a big squeeze telling her thank you and that it made my day all better. But I can't do that so I guess I'll keep wishing I had done the right thing. I still have that monkey packed away somewhere to remind me of that night. I think I named him Tony after a boy from elementary school.
I guess my point would be, be nice to others even when you're in a funk because you just might regret it later.
Showing posts with label Childhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Childhood. Show all posts
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
When I was in Elementary school my best friend in the whole world was signing up for piano lessons. Quite naturally I wanted to too, so I did.
We started our first lesson by standing in a row and one by one located middle C with our index finger and on it went all the way to G. I remember thinking that learning piano was going to be a piece of cake. I was dreaming of composing my own master pieces and playing in front of hundreds of adoring fans. A few lessons later however, we were only learning scales and to my horror and extreme disappointment my best friend in the whole world left me for an advanced group. I was left alone with a bunch of babies playing boring old scales. Piano lessons had lost it's appeal.
My mom played the piano a little and always wished she had lessons so when I asked to play she was all for it, so no I couldn't quit. BUMMER
I stuck with it through all the scales and in my second year played that Yankee Doodle song in my first ever recital. I was very proud and excited until some little kid played something by that Mozart guy and then my confidence fell like a rocket out of space. I wanted to be playing his piece not my level 2 piece!!
That night I threw in the towel or at least as much of it as a 3rd grader could. I walked a bit slower to lessons each week, my little fingers lost what little pep they had when tapping the keys and I didn't practice like I should have.
One day I decided I was going to "forget" about lessons. When the bell rang for the end of the day, instead of going to piano lessons I went to the playground where I hoped Mrs. Heater my piano teacher would forget too. As I was swinging by myself I saw Mrs. Heater not walking but rather marching over to me. It was a rather long march from the school building to the swings which gave me plenty of time to work up my nerve as best I could. BOY she did NOT look happy at all. With a big frown and lots of irritation she asked why I wasn't at lessons.
"Oh! was that today? I forgot!" I totally lied. She told me we would pick up our missing lesson next week and gave me a piercing look before turning and marching back in.
A lot of wishful thinking happens as kids. Like the whole hiding behind polls and thinking that no one can see when in fact the only part they can't see of you is your eye balls. Same thing with this lie I told Mrs. Heater. I lied to her to get away with the naughty thing I did but all along she saw my lie and knew exactly what was going on.
I didn't skip any more lessons but it wasn't too long after that, I stopped taking lessons and instead I rocked on the piano at home to my own tunes.
We started our first lesson by standing in a row and one by one located middle C with our index finger and on it went all the way to G. I remember thinking that learning piano was going to be a piece of cake. I was dreaming of composing my own master pieces and playing in front of hundreds of adoring fans. A few lessons later however, we were only learning scales and to my horror and extreme disappointment my best friend in the whole world left me for an advanced group. I was left alone with a bunch of babies playing boring old scales. Piano lessons had lost it's appeal.
My mom played the piano a little and always wished she had lessons so when I asked to play she was all for it, so no I couldn't quit. BUMMER
I stuck with it through all the scales and in my second year played that Yankee Doodle song in my first ever recital. I was very proud and excited until some little kid played something by that Mozart guy and then my confidence fell like a rocket out of space. I wanted to be playing his piece not my level 2 piece!!
That night I threw in the towel or at least as much of it as a 3rd grader could. I walked a bit slower to lessons each week, my little fingers lost what little pep they had when tapping the keys and I didn't practice like I should have.
One day I decided I was going to "forget" about lessons. When the bell rang for the end of the day, instead of going to piano lessons I went to the playground where I hoped Mrs. Heater my piano teacher would forget too. As I was swinging by myself I saw Mrs. Heater not walking but rather marching over to me. It was a rather long march from the school building to the swings which gave me plenty of time to work up my nerve as best I could. BOY she did NOT look happy at all. With a big frown and lots of irritation she asked why I wasn't at lessons.
"Oh! was that today? I forgot!" I totally lied. She told me we would pick up our missing lesson next week and gave me a piercing look before turning and marching back in.
A lot of wishful thinking happens as kids. Like the whole hiding behind polls and thinking that no one can see when in fact the only part they can't see of you is your eye balls. Same thing with this lie I told Mrs. Heater. I lied to her to get away with the naughty thing I did but all along she saw my lie and knew exactly what was going on.
I didn't skip any more lessons but it wasn't too long after that, I stopped taking lessons and instead I rocked on the piano at home to my own tunes.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Christmas Traditions
Christmas Traditions
Everyone has family Christmas traditions. In our family they weren't big and high scale, they were a bunch of small special moments that when put all together made up our own unique tradition.
Our first sign of Christmas as kids was when a very BIG very special piece of mail came. Drum roll please....................the "J.C. Penny Catalog"! Oh yes. We each grabbed our own color marker and turned the pages very carefully to the toy section. There on those beautiful glossy pages we circled and circled and circled some more until our hands cramped and the markers went dry. We knew we couldn't get all those toys but it was so much fun to wish and let our imaginations go. After all Santa needed lots of ideas and who knew maybe Santa would run out of a certain toy and would need more ideas. After we were done circling we would go back and look again throughout the days before Christmas. Our next order of business was to watch as many Christmas specials on TV as possible. Now when we were Christmas rookies we didn't have VCR's to tape shows and we only had about 13 channels to choose from and no remotes. So we picked one at a time. Our favorites were "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and the Little House on the Prairie Christmas. Then there were all the old classics.
Now the real anticipation starts with the last day of school before Christmas break. Everyone delighted in their Christmas parties and dreamed of our two weeks of vacation. That weekend Mom and Dad would bundle us up and stuff us in the car at night and we'd drive around aimlessly looking for Christmas lights. To make it more interesting Dad would have us all ooh and aah at all the pretty lights. The more we liked them the louder and longer the "OOOH" and "AHHH"s became.
Next came Christmas Eve Every year we went to Mema and Pop pop's house for our family Christmas party. Everyone brought their gifts for the exchange and put them under the tree. It was soooo beautiful! All the reds and greens and all kinds of bows. Once our eyeballs were tired of taking over our senses our nostrils were overcome by smells so sumptuous our mouths began to water. Mema is the best cook in the south! She made Roast Beef, Ham, and a Turkey. Sweet potatoes,green beans, black eyed peas, mashed potatoes, and all kinds of deserts. On top of all that were the dishes all the Aunts and Uncles brought along. It was a FEAST! Soon after dinner it was time to open presents and we all gathered by the tree. After everyone had a gift in their lap it was time to open them at which time a lot of joy was heard around the room. A little while later we said our good byes to family and headed home. We didn't mind because we knew the faster we fell asleep the faster Santa came:) Once we were dressed for bed the phone would ring. Mom would answer and tell us it was Santa from the North Pole! Mom would pass the phone to Jeff, then me and then Becky. We couldn't wait to say hello! That done we would run to our rooms and snuggle under our covers and try our best to fall asleep quickly.
I think the best part of Christmas is that moment when you first crack open your eyes and it dawns on you, "It's Christmas morning!! PRESENTS!" I remember being a little afraid of going out all by myself so I would wake up Becky and then go get Jeff. Then we would all peek at the presents under the sparkling tree. Then we ran and jumped on mom and dad so they would wake up:) They would always act like it was too early but we knew they were just as excited. We saw their smiles and we knew they were watching us. It was a time of joy and fun and most of all LOVE. When all the gifts were opened mom and dad would repeat the love story about baby Jesus so we would never forget why we celebrate Christmas.
Now we've started new family traditions upon our old ones. We still drive around to look at lights and give our ratings of "OOH" and "AHH", Christmas movies are in plenty, Santa still calls and most importantly Jesus is loved.
Everyone has family Christmas traditions. In our family they weren't big and high scale, they were a bunch of small special moments that when put all together made up our own unique tradition.
Our first sign of Christmas as kids was when a very BIG very special piece of mail came. Drum roll please....................the "J.C. Penny Catalog"! Oh yes. We each grabbed our own color marker and turned the pages very carefully to the toy section. There on those beautiful glossy pages we circled and circled and circled some more until our hands cramped and the markers went dry. We knew we couldn't get all those toys but it was so much fun to wish and let our imaginations go. After all Santa needed lots of ideas and who knew maybe Santa would run out of a certain toy and would need more ideas. After we were done circling we would go back and look again throughout the days before Christmas. Our next order of business was to watch as many Christmas specials on TV as possible. Now when we were Christmas rookies we didn't have VCR's to tape shows and we only had about 13 channels to choose from and no remotes. So we picked one at a time. Our favorites were "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and the Little House on the Prairie Christmas. Then there were all the old classics.
Now the real anticipation starts with the last day of school before Christmas break. Everyone delighted in their Christmas parties and dreamed of our two weeks of vacation. That weekend Mom and Dad would bundle us up and stuff us in the car at night and we'd drive around aimlessly looking for Christmas lights. To make it more interesting Dad would have us all ooh and aah at all the pretty lights. The more we liked them the louder and longer the "OOOH" and "AHHH"s became.
Next came Christmas Eve Every year we went to Mema and Pop pop's house for our family Christmas party. Everyone brought their gifts for the exchange and put them under the tree. It was soooo beautiful! All the reds and greens and all kinds of bows. Once our eyeballs were tired of taking over our senses our nostrils were overcome by smells so sumptuous our mouths began to water. Mema is the best cook in the south! She made Roast Beef, Ham, and a Turkey. Sweet potatoes,green beans, black eyed peas, mashed potatoes, and all kinds of deserts. On top of all that were the dishes all the Aunts and Uncles brought along. It was a FEAST! Soon after dinner it was time to open presents and we all gathered by the tree. After everyone had a gift in their lap it was time to open them at which time a lot of joy was heard around the room. A little while later we said our good byes to family and headed home. We didn't mind because we knew the faster we fell asleep the faster Santa came:) Once we were dressed for bed the phone would ring. Mom would answer and tell us it was Santa from the North Pole! Mom would pass the phone to Jeff, then me and then Becky. We couldn't wait to say hello! That done we would run to our rooms and snuggle under our covers and try our best to fall asleep quickly.
I think the best part of Christmas is that moment when you first crack open your eyes and it dawns on you, "It's Christmas morning!! PRESENTS!" I remember being a little afraid of going out all by myself so I would wake up Becky and then go get Jeff. Then we would all peek at the presents under the sparkling tree. Then we ran and jumped on mom and dad so they would wake up:) They would always act like it was too early but we knew they were just as excited. We saw their smiles and we knew they were watching us. It was a time of joy and fun and most of all LOVE. When all the gifts were opened mom and dad would repeat the love story about baby Jesus so we would never forget why we celebrate Christmas.
Now we've started new family traditions upon our old ones. We still drive around to look at lights and give our ratings of "OOH" and "AHH", Christmas movies are in plenty, Santa still calls and most importantly Jesus is loved.
Loose Change
Loose Change
This is an old school story that my parents have told us a few times and I think that most of us could commiserate with them in this moment of their newly married life.
It was a HOT summer weekend when Bruce and Rosie were two newly marrieds. They lived in an itsy bitsy teeny weeny (not bikini) house. Apparently it only took one step to get from one side of the kitchen to the other. It was a one bedroom with a small living area and tiny bathroom. Rosie was a new teacher in the public school system teaching middle school hellions. She did her best to keep the kids in the classroom. Like angling her desk in front of the door so they would have to run directly past her to get out. Kids still managed to jump out the open second story window in the summer time. With no air conditioning she wasn't able to keep it closed. See I told you they were Hellions. When kids were disrupting the class too much she would have to send them to the principles office. One day the janitor approached Rosie and told her, "Don't send the kids to the principles office when they're bad. They like it there because he has a window unit, send them to me in the boiler room." So from that point on that's where the kids went. Needless to say her class improved after that. Bruce worked at a print shop running press. It's a very hard and loud job. So on this particular Saturday Rosie and Bruce decided to treat themselves to a cold fizzy soda. They looked all over the house which wasn't a lot for loose change. They finally found what they needed in the couch cushions and headed off to the convenient store. They bought an ice cold coke and walked home with it laughing and excited to get in the house to enjoy their treasure. Bruce held the coke in one hand and got his keys out with the other. As he moved his hand to push in the key the coke bottle slid out from his hand and onto the cement porch crashing and gushing fizzy coke by their hot feet. OH! the HORROR! What disappointment! Somehow they made it through the weekend and lived many happy years together. Some days with a Coke some days without.
This is an old school story that my parents have told us a few times and I think that most of us could commiserate with them in this moment of their newly married life.
It was a HOT summer weekend when Bruce and Rosie were two newly marrieds. They lived in an itsy bitsy teeny weeny (not bikini) house. Apparently it only took one step to get from one side of the kitchen to the other. It was a one bedroom with a small living area and tiny bathroom. Rosie was a new teacher in the public school system teaching middle school hellions. She did her best to keep the kids in the classroom. Like angling her desk in front of the door so they would have to run directly past her to get out. Kids still managed to jump out the open second story window in the summer time. With no air conditioning she wasn't able to keep it closed. See I told you they were Hellions. When kids were disrupting the class too much she would have to send them to the principles office. One day the janitor approached Rosie and told her, "Don't send the kids to the principles office when they're bad. They like it there because he has a window unit, send them to me in the boiler room." So from that point on that's where the kids went. Needless to say her class improved after that. Bruce worked at a print shop running press. It's a very hard and loud job. So on this particular Saturday Rosie and Bruce decided to treat themselves to a cold fizzy soda. They looked all over the house which wasn't a lot for loose change. They finally found what they needed in the couch cushions and headed off to the convenient store. They bought an ice cold coke and walked home with it laughing and excited to get in the house to enjoy their treasure. Bruce held the coke in one hand and got his keys out with the other. As he moved his hand to push in the key the coke bottle slid out from his hand and onto the cement porch crashing and gushing fizzy coke by their hot feet. OH! the HORROR! What disappointment! Somehow they made it through the weekend and lived many happy years together. Some days with a Coke some days without.
What Ever Happened to Bob White?
What ever happened to Bob White??
When I was in the sixth grade the forest we would go for walks in was cut down. A developer bought it and built 100's of homes clumped together. That meant no more family walks to the 7-11 to buy treats. In the forest we had our own monkey vine to swing on and Dad would always make calls to Bob White and Bob White would always answer back. In case you don't know who Bob White is...he is a bird:) Dad whistled one long flat note followed by a quick short high note. Sure enough Bob White would whistle back and sounded just like Dad. We would try our hand at it but Dad was the only one who had the knack for it. I still don't know how to whistle...I can suck air in and it sounds like a whistle but technically I guess I'm not actually whistling.
Anyway....It wasn't long before we saw the neon orange and yellow markers tied to the trees and soon after that we heard machines pushing over our trees. It was very sad but we made do. After the trees were gone and it rained there were acres of MUD!!!! Dry mud and wet mud. This was awesome for riding bikes! Mom would walk down with us and stand by as we wheeled our way around and tore up earth. One day after it had rained there were mud puddles galore. Jeff and I begged mom to let us jump in and being a country girl herself she said, "Yes." So we took off our shoes and socks then stood on the cracked edge of heavenly bliss. Jeff and I held hands and counted to three. Jumped as high as we could and came smashing down into the cool fantastic muddiness that was mud! We were in mud above our knees. Such giggling and joy we had that day...it was a kids dream...at least these two kids. We tried our best to walk but didn't make it too far so we picked it up in our hands and squished it through our fingers, made balls and plunged our arms into it. When it was time to go Mom pulled us out and when we got back home she hosed us off which was another kind of fun.
It's sorta like that saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." except this would be, "When developers tear down your forests, make mud puddles."
When I was in the sixth grade the forest we would go for walks in was cut down. A developer bought it and built 100's of homes clumped together. That meant no more family walks to the 7-11 to buy treats. In the forest we had our own monkey vine to swing on and Dad would always make calls to Bob White and Bob White would always answer back. In case you don't know who Bob White is...he is a bird:) Dad whistled one long flat note followed by a quick short high note. Sure enough Bob White would whistle back and sounded just like Dad. We would try our hand at it but Dad was the only one who had the knack for it. I still don't know how to whistle...I can suck air in and it sounds like a whistle but technically I guess I'm not actually whistling.
Anyway....It wasn't long before we saw the neon orange and yellow markers tied to the trees and soon after that we heard machines pushing over our trees. It was very sad but we made do. After the trees were gone and it rained there were acres of MUD!!!! Dry mud and wet mud. This was awesome for riding bikes! Mom would walk down with us and stand by as we wheeled our way around and tore up earth. One day after it had rained there were mud puddles galore. Jeff and I begged mom to let us jump in and being a country girl herself she said, "Yes." So we took off our shoes and socks then stood on the cracked edge of heavenly bliss. Jeff and I held hands and counted to three. Jumped as high as we could and came smashing down into the cool fantastic muddiness that was mud! We were in mud above our knees. Such giggling and joy we had that day...it was a kids dream...at least these two kids. We tried our best to walk but didn't make it too far so we picked it up in our hands and squished it through our fingers, made balls and plunged our arms into it. When it was time to go Mom pulled us out and when we got back home she hosed us off which was another kind of fun.
It's sorta like that saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." except this would be, "When developers tear down your forests, make mud puddles."
Dogs, Flyswatters and Soap. OH MY!
Dogs, Flyswatters and soap oh my!
Let's see my 30th blog...that's a lot. I still have a lot to write about and it's hard to pick just one thing. I have SO many memories of my childhood because it was so much FUN! Life was good. It still is but now that I'm an adult with a family I have a lot of responsibility and I know what's going on in the world around me. So we try our best to still have fun and I think it's going pretty well:)
I thought about our babysitter today and with that thought came a lot of memories. Her name was Charlotte and she had a husband named Donny and three teenage kids, two girls and a boy. There was also an old old old old (did I say old?) lady...well more like dragon that lived under the floor boards...okay okay in an apartment in the basement. Charlotte's house was not fun. She had old plastic toys most of which were dull and brown and missing pieces. Looking through the toy box is comparable with you as an adult looking in the refrigerator several times within seconds hoping to find some new delicious snack that magically appeared while you shut the door. Same outcome at Charlotte's...sigh and shut the lid. Thankfully we were not the only inmates. There were others! some younger some older. Some kids were lucky and only had to come after school. Besides the lack of toys we also had a sweltering backyard to play in. Her backyard was fenced in and once again was devoid of toys. I think I remember a tennis ball and a racket. There was only one tree in her yard and that was next to the neighbor's 6 ft. fence. On the other side of this fence lived a snarling barking dog that wanted to eat us. So we would sit under the tree in the shade and listen to the dog next door scratch at the ground and fence trying it's best to get to us and rip us to shreds. We would make up stories about the dog or dare each other to throw something over the fence. I'm happy to say that no one was ever eaten. When Charlotte was done making us suffer in the heat she would call us in for lunch that our parents packed in lunch boxes. Inside those lunchboxes were our thermoses full of heavenly Kool-aid tropical fruit punch. We were dieing for a drink! Charlotte made it very clear that we had to eat all our food before we could drink and if we drank it all before our food was eaten we weren't' allowed anything else to drink! (I do believe this is why I don't drink until I'm done w/my dinner to this day) There was a girl named Terry who was Jeff's age so like 7 and she was fearless. She wasn't afraid of the old lady in the basement but we were. Sometimes Charlotte would make us go down into the basement where all her shelves were stacked with stuff. The old lady lived on the other half and if we weren't quiet she would come out and hold up her fly swatter and threaten us with it. One day Terry rebelled and knocked on the old lady's door. We all ran behind some shelves and out came the lady and chased Terry around swatting her legs. Talk about Frightening:) Another time we were put in the basement I had to go pee really really bad but I was afraid to go upstairs to the bathroom because Charlotte had told us to stay put. All the kids were urging me to go up...I made it half way up the basement stairs and then couldn't hold it any longer:( poor me...I had to go up and tell her what I had done. So she huffed at me but said I should have gone upstairs. I think I should have told my parents all this stuff a long time ago but I didn't.
Overall Charlotte was a nice lady but times were different and that was normal...I guess. Charlotte's husband was tall, thin and white haired. He LOVED to tickle me and I HATED him tickling me. He thought it was the funniest thing. I remember one time my parents had to leave us there over night because Nanny had died. I remember wanting to cry my eyes out or wish myself into my parents car as they pulled away. I clung to my mom's leg as Danny stretched his arms out for me as he sat on the couch making tickling motions with his hands and laughing. (TRUST ME MEN, If you are teasing a little girl or boy and they don't smile or they look afraid...it's because THEY ARE! so don't do that.) For some reason he thought I liked him tickling me. He didn't mean any harm by it but it bothered me. That night Charlotte gave us a bath:( I still remember the smell of the soap she used...it was a big blue bar of soap...and later in life when I used it again I had flashbacks of seeing that Coast bar coming at me in Charlotte's hand. She got us squeaky clean and ready for bed. We slept on the floor of her son Kevin's bedroom floor. After church we came back to her house where the girls Donna and Lisa were painting their nails and watching the Dukes of Hazard (that was the only thing we liked about the weekend) Lisa had a sewing needle in her hand and she showed me how she could put it through her skin without it hurting her. She threatened to hold me down and put it through mine next. Somehow we managed to last the weekend and we were never so happy to get back home. I'm thinking that Nanny Cam was a great invention:)
Let's see my 30th blog...that's a lot. I still have a lot to write about and it's hard to pick just one thing. I have SO many memories of my childhood because it was so much FUN! Life was good. It still is but now that I'm an adult with a family I have a lot of responsibility and I know what's going on in the world around me. So we try our best to still have fun and I think it's going pretty well:)
I thought about our babysitter today and with that thought came a lot of memories. Her name was Charlotte and she had a husband named Donny and three teenage kids, two girls and a boy. There was also an old old old old (did I say old?) lady...well more like dragon that lived under the floor boards...okay okay in an apartment in the basement. Charlotte's house was not fun. She had old plastic toys most of which were dull and brown and missing pieces. Looking through the toy box is comparable with you as an adult looking in the refrigerator several times within seconds hoping to find some new delicious snack that magically appeared while you shut the door. Same outcome at Charlotte's...sigh and shut the lid. Thankfully we were not the only inmates. There were others! some younger some older. Some kids were lucky and only had to come after school. Besides the lack of toys we also had a sweltering backyard to play in. Her backyard was fenced in and once again was devoid of toys. I think I remember a tennis ball and a racket. There was only one tree in her yard and that was next to the neighbor's 6 ft. fence. On the other side of this fence lived a snarling barking dog that wanted to eat us. So we would sit under the tree in the shade and listen to the dog next door scratch at the ground and fence trying it's best to get to us and rip us to shreds. We would make up stories about the dog or dare each other to throw something over the fence. I'm happy to say that no one was ever eaten. When Charlotte was done making us suffer in the heat she would call us in for lunch that our parents packed in lunch boxes. Inside those lunchboxes were our thermoses full of heavenly Kool-aid tropical fruit punch. We were dieing for a drink! Charlotte made it very clear that we had to eat all our food before we could drink and if we drank it all before our food was eaten we weren't' allowed anything else to drink! (I do believe this is why I don't drink until I'm done w/my dinner to this day) There was a girl named Terry who was Jeff's age so like 7 and she was fearless. She wasn't afraid of the old lady in the basement but we were. Sometimes Charlotte would make us go down into the basement where all her shelves were stacked with stuff. The old lady lived on the other half and if we weren't quiet she would come out and hold up her fly swatter and threaten us with it. One day Terry rebelled and knocked on the old lady's door. We all ran behind some shelves and out came the lady and chased Terry around swatting her legs. Talk about Frightening:) Another time we were put in the basement I had to go pee really really bad but I was afraid to go upstairs to the bathroom because Charlotte had told us to stay put. All the kids were urging me to go up...I made it half way up the basement stairs and then couldn't hold it any longer:( poor me...I had to go up and tell her what I had done. So she huffed at me but said I should have gone upstairs. I think I should have told my parents all this stuff a long time ago but I didn't.
Overall Charlotte was a nice lady but times were different and that was normal...I guess. Charlotte's husband was tall, thin and white haired. He LOVED to tickle me and I HATED him tickling me. He thought it was the funniest thing. I remember one time my parents had to leave us there over night because Nanny had died. I remember wanting to cry my eyes out or wish myself into my parents car as they pulled away. I clung to my mom's leg as Danny stretched his arms out for me as he sat on the couch making tickling motions with his hands and laughing. (TRUST ME MEN, If you are teasing a little girl or boy and they don't smile or they look afraid...it's because THEY ARE! so don't do that.) For some reason he thought I liked him tickling me. He didn't mean any harm by it but it bothered me. That night Charlotte gave us a bath:( I still remember the smell of the soap she used...it was a big blue bar of soap...and later in life when I used it again I had flashbacks of seeing that Coast bar coming at me in Charlotte's hand. She got us squeaky clean and ready for bed. We slept on the floor of her son Kevin's bedroom floor. After church we came back to her house where the girls Donna and Lisa were painting their nails and watching the Dukes of Hazard (that was the only thing we liked about the weekend) Lisa had a sewing needle in her hand and she showed me how she could put it through her skin without it hurting her. She threatened to hold me down and put it through mine next. Somehow we managed to last the weekend and we were never so happy to get back home. I'm thinking that Nanny Cam was a great invention:)
Prince Charming
Sun shining, green pastures passing by and my face an inch away from the car window with big eyes staring and mouth open. That was my usual position when in the car. I was always daydreaming. I still do all day long while washing dishes or picking up the boys my mind never stops wondering. From a little kid on I could day dream so well that I would make myself sad enough to cry. In elementary school I was usually day dreaming about prince charming. Sometimes my prince charming was a boy from school and sometimes he was a frog that I needed to catch and kiss. This particular day it was another slimy critter.
I was in the woods behind my elementary school with my brother Jeff. We were playing while mom graded papers and met with other teachers. That's when I spotted my prince charming. He was in the form of a slimy grey slug:) I had tried kissing toads and frogs but they never worked so I figured I should at least try kissing a slug. I picked him up with my fingers and watched him hug my finger. Jeff ran over to see what I had. I told him I was going to kiss it. He gave a disgusted look which was quickly replaced by a look of intrigue. Jeff watched as I brought the slug up to eye level. I inspected my prince looking for the perfect spot to kiss. "nope, no dry spots anywhere here goes..." I thought and then puckered up and touched my lips to the slug. Turns out my prince slug was just a slug. I quickly scraped slug off my finger and wiped my lips with my shirt a few times and wiped my fingers on my shorts. Well that was over and I would never kiss another slug again. Jeff and I decided to run up the dirt hill and then run down it as fast as our little legs would let us. After a few times of doing this I stubbed my big toe on a small tree stump. No big deal it didn't even hurt but we were tired so we climbed the hill to go back to the school building. Once I reached the top I said to Jeff, "Man my foot is all sweaty" I could feel my foot slipping around in my sandal and hear it squish. Jeff and I looked down at the same time and we both screamed. My right foot was covered in blood!! My sandal was filled with it. That's what I felt squishing between my toes and under my foot. I was frozen in that spot screaming. Once I saw the blood pumping out of my big toe the pain came rushing through my body. Jeff sprang into action and ran to get help. Then I saw "Him" running towards me concern and fear on his face. It was Ricky Taylor! I was in love with Ricky Taylor. He was Mrs.Taylor the sixth grade teacher's son. He was in the sixth grade and I was in first but that didn't matter to me. He was tall, athletic, artistic and he was nice to me and oh yeah...cute:) Ricky ran right up to me saw my bleeding foot and then wonders of all wonders he scooped me up into his arms and carried me across the parking lot to the school where he passed me off to my mom who had just gotten to the door. Mom carried me to the bathroom and sat me on the counter top. Teachers surrounded me as mom turned on the cold water and put my toe under the rushing water. It felt SOOOOOOOO good. Blood and dirt washed away and down the drain. Mom took my foot out of the water and I started balling again as the pain started to pound my toe. They wrapped my toe and off we went to the hospital where they gave me a butterfly cast.
I had to sit a lot and couldn't play kickball in PE but it wasn't so bad because I could day dream about Ricky Taylor coming to my rescue. I didn't get prince charming by kissing a slug that day but I did get a prince charming by stubbing my toe. To me the pain was worth years of reliving the moment Ricky Taylor scooped me up and carried me.
I was in the woods behind my elementary school with my brother Jeff. We were playing while mom graded papers and met with other teachers. That's when I spotted my prince charming. He was in the form of a slimy grey slug:) I had tried kissing toads and frogs but they never worked so I figured I should at least try kissing a slug. I picked him up with my fingers and watched him hug my finger. Jeff ran over to see what I had. I told him I was going to kiss it. He gave a disgusted look which was quickly replaced by a look of intrigue. Jeff watched as I brought the slug up to eye level. I inspected my prince looking for the perfect spot to kiss. "nope, no dry spots anywhere here goes..." I thought and then puckered up and touched my lips to the slug. Turns out my prince slug was just a slug. I quickly scraped slug off my finger and wiped my lips with my shirt a few times and wiped my fingers on my shorts. Well that was over and I would never kiss another slug again. Jeff and I decided to run up the dirt hill and then run down it as fast as our little legs would let us. After a few times of doing this I stubbed my big toe on a small tree stump. No big deal it didn't even hurt but we were tired so we climbed the hill to go back to the school building. Once I reached the top I said to Jeff, "Man my foot is all sweaty" I could feel my foot slipping around in my sandal and hear it squish. Jeff and I looked down at the same time and we both screamed. My right foot was covered in blood!! My sandal was filled with it. That's what I felt squishing between my toes and under my foot. I was frozen in that spot screaming. Once I saw the blood pumping out of my big toe the pain came rushing through my body. Jeff sprang into action and ran to get help. Then I saw "Him" running towards me concern and fear on his face. It was Ricky Taylor! I was in love with Ricky Taylor. He was Mrs.Taylor the sixth grade teacher's son. He was in the sixth grade and I was in first but that didn't matter to me. He was tall, athletic, artistic and he was nice to me and oh yeah...cute:) Ricky ran right up to me saw my bleeding foot and then wonders of all wonders he scooped me up into his arms and carried me across the parking lot to the school where he passed me off to my mom who had just gotten to the door. Mom carried me to the bathroom and sat me on the counter top. Teachers surrounded me as mom turned on the cold water and put my toe under the rushing water. It felt SOOOOOOOO good. Blood and dirt washed away and down the drain. Mom took my foot out of the water and I started balling again as the pain started to pound my toe. They wrapped my toe and off we went to the hospital where they gave me a butterfly cast.
I had to sit a lot and couldn't play kickball in PE but it wasn't so bad because I could day dream about Ricky Taylor coming to my rescue. I didn't get prince charming by kissing a slug that day but I did get a prince charming by stubbing my toe. To me the pain was worth years of reliving the moment Ricky Taylor scooped me up and carried me.
My Salvation
No story has more meaning to an individual than their "Jesus story". So here is my crystal clear memory of when I asked Jesus into my heart in the summer of '84.
Nanny wasn't feeling good and hadn't been feeling good for a while so our family made the four hour drive to Pennsylvania. All Jeff and I knew was that Nanny was sick. We didn't know that she had cancer and was dieing. It was a beautiful day. We pulled into the hospital parking lot around noon and dad parked the car under some trees for shade. Dad got out of the car and walked into the hospital while we waited in the car. Mom told us that children weren't allowed in to see Nanny so we waited quietly in the back seat. I remember looking at the hospital dotted with windows and wondered which one Nanny was behind and I started wondering how sick she really was. I asked my mom if Nanny would be okay and she told me that Nanny was going to die. I asked "Is Nanny going to heaven?" Mom said, "Yes." I thought a second and then said, "I want to go to heaven too and be with Nanny." I had been raised knowing God and so to know that Nanny was going to heaven and not "that other place" satisfied me and made Nanny's passing easier. She was going to be well again and see Jesus and she would be there waiting for us. So there I was in the backseat with Jeff and Becky on either side and Mom turned in the front seat looking at me. Mom asked,"Would you like to ask Jesus into your heart?" I shyly said, "Yes." Mom had me tell her the salvation story to make sure I knew what Jesus did for us and what that meant. I told her that, "God sent Jesus to earth to die for our sins on the cross so that we could go to heaven to be with Him and that he rose again on the third day and went to heaven." We assumed our prayer positions of folded hands with head down...I made sure Jeff had his eyes closed too. This was a special moment and I didn't want Jeff interrupting it:)
I repeated these words after my mother, "Dear Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave on the third day. Please forgive my sins Lord. I ask you into my heart Lord. I love You, Amen." The Lord filled my heart that day. I knew it. As one life was ending and going to be with the Lord mine was beginning. Can you believe that is all God asks of us? To believe in Him and then say a prayer asking Him into our heart. He didn't give us a list of things to do. It was so simple and true that even as a kid I got it. I understood Jesus, I knew that He loved me. Thank you Lord for loving even me. Thank you Lord for saving me. I LOVE YOU LORD!
Nanny wasn't feeling good and hadn't been feeling good for a while so our family made the four hour drive to Pennsylvania. All Jeff and I knew was that Nanny was sick. We didn't know that she had cancer and was dieing. It was a beautiful day. We pulled into the hospital parking lot around noon and dad parked the car under some trees for shade. Dad got out of the car and walked into the hospital while we waited in the car. Mom told us that children weren't allowed in to see Nanny so we waited quietly in the back seat. I remember looking at the hospital dotted with windows and wondered which one Nanny was behind and I started wondering how sick she really was. I asked my mom if Nanny would be okay and she told me that Nanny was going to die. I asked "Is Nanny going to heaven?" Mom said, "Yes." I thought a second and then said, "I want to go to heaven too and be with Nanny." I had been raised knowing God and so to know that Nanny was going to heaven and not "that other place" satisfied me and made Nanny's passing easier. She was going to be well again and see Jesus and she would be there waiting for us. So there I was in the backseat with Jeff and Becky on either side and Mom turned in the front seat looking at me. Mom asked,"Would you like to ask Jesus into your heart?" I shyly said, "Yes." Mom had me tell her the salvation story to make sure I knew what Jesus did for us and what that meant. I told her that, "God sent Jesus to earth to die for our sins on the cross so that we could go to heaven to be with Him and that he rose again on the third day and went to heaven." We assumed our prayer positions of folded hands with head down...I made sure Jeff had his eyes closed too. This was a special moment and I didn't want Jeff interrupting it:)
I repeated these words after my mother, "Dear Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave on the third day. Please forgive my sins Lord. I ask you into my heart Lord. I love You, Amen." The Lord filled my heart that day. I knew it. As one life was ending and going to be with the Lord mine was beginning. Can you believe that is all God asks of us? To believe in Him and then say a prayer asking Him into our heart. He didn't give us a list of things to do. It was so simple and true that even as a kid I got it. I understood Jesus, I knew that He loved me. Thank you Lord for loving even me. Thank you Lord for saving me. I LOVE YOU LORD!
Naked Squirrel
Naked Squirrel
It was that time of year again when teachers and kids stood behind a big truck unloading boxes upon boxes of chocolate candy bars for our elementary school fund raiser. Jeff and I took home our boxes and gazed longingly at all the varied chocolate bars. On the weekend Jeff and I made the rounds around the neighborhood.
Wood edge Drive was in the shape of a Y and had no outlet. This made it easy for us to know all of our neighbors so we were allowed to go ring doorbells on our own. We had all kinds of neighbors and just about all of them were friendly. We stayed away from the ones who weren't. Like the lady who always seemed grumpy even when she was happy. She had three ugly Scottish terriers that wore kerchiefs around the neck and yapped and chased us the length of her chain linked fence. Another one we stayed away from was a man that lived on the left end. He never drove a car. He would come walking up the street sometimes always smoking a cigarette and stand by the telephone pole across the street from our house. He was waiting for his ride. Looking back I would say that he may have been a drunk living with his mother. To us back then he was creepy and we stayed far away while we spied on him. On one particular day while he was waiting by his pole my sister and I were playing with the girls across the street. This pole was right next to their drive way and we were playing in the back. When we saw him we all ran and hid behind a huge tree trunk and peeked around to see what he was doing. We saw him put out his cigarette then turn around in our direction. Quickly we ducked back behind the tree our hearts racing. I peeked out again and saw something streaming from his lower body… "He's PEEING!" I yelled in a whisper. At this point we all RAN into the basement and giggled until our cheeks hurt. One of the most interesting neighbors we had was named Roy. He lived by himself two houses down from ours on the right. He wore a black leather vest and oily jeans at all times. He had long thin golden hair that he wore in a pony tail and a thick goatee. When we saw him it was usually just his legs sticking out from under a car or bike he was working on in his garage. It is Roy that made it in our family history book that candy selling day.
Jeff and I walked up his front porch steps and stood in front of Roy's screen door and knocked. We heard rock music coming from the kitchen and then we heard Roy's voice saying he was coming. He showed up at the door smiling and said hello. We gave him our rehearsed plea to buy candy bars and he said , "Sure, come on in and I'll see what you got." Roy opened the door and we saw in his one hand a knife but that wasn't the memorable part it was the dead, limp and half peeled squirrel he was holding in the other hand. He saw our faces and quickly explained to us how he hunts squirrel and eats them. Jeff and I were amazed! We never knew that people ATE squirrel. To us they were cute furry critters that we chased up trees. We followed Roy to the kitchen where he stood by the sink and we watched as he slid the knife under the squirrel's skin and peeled off the fur as if it were an apple peel. I don't know about all squirrel's, but this one had a light brown or cream colored skin and it looked wet. Jeff and I stood and watched as he finished with the squirrel and plopped it on the counter where it lay naked. When Roy was done washing up he picked out his candy bars and then Jeff and I raced home to tell Mom what we had just seen. I've never seen a naked squirrel since and I'm okay with thatJ
It was that time of year again when teachers and kids stood behind a big truck unloading boxes upon boxes of chocolate candy bars for our elementary school fund raiser. Jeff and I took home our boxes and gazed longingly at all the varied chocolate bars. On the weekend Jeff and I made the rounds around the neighborhood.
Wood edge Drive was in the shape of a Y and had no outlet. This made it easy for us to know all of our neighbors so we were allowed to go ring doorbells on our own. We had all kinds of neighbors and just about all of them were friendly. We stayed away from the ones who weren't. Like the lady who always seemed grumpy even when she was happy. She had three ugly Scottish terriers that wore kerchiefs around the neck and yapped and chased us the length of her chain linked fence. Another one we stayed away from was a man that lived on the left end. He never drove a car. He would come walking up the street sometimes always smoking a cigarette and stand by the telephone pole across the street from our house. He was waiting for his ride. Looking back I would say that he may have been a drunk living with his mother. To us back then he was creepy and we stayed far away while we spied on him. On one particular day while he was waiting by his pole my sister and I were playing with the girls across the street. This pole was right next to their drive way and we were playing in the back. When we saw him we all ran and hid behind a huge tree trunk and peeked around to see what he was doing. We saw him put out his cigarette then turn around in our direction. Quickly we ducked back behind the tree our hearts racing. I peeked out again and saw something streaming from his lower body… "He's PEEING!" I yelled in a whisper. At this point we all RAN into the basement and giggled until our cheeks hurt. One of the most interesting neighbors we had was named Roy. He lived by himself two houses down from ours on the right. He wore a black leather vest and oily jeans at all times. He had long thin golden hair that he wore in a pony tail and a thick goatee. When we saw him it was usually just his legs sticking out from under a car or bike he was working on in his garage. It is Roy that made it in our family history book that candy selling day.
Jeff and I walked up his front porch steps and stood in front of Roy's screen door and knocked. We heard rock music coming from the kitchen and then we heard Roy's voice saying he was coming. He showed up at the door smiling and said hello. We gave him our rehearsed plea to buy candy bars and he said , "Sure, come on in and I'll see what you got." Roy opened the door and we saw in his one hand a knife but that wasn't the memorable part it was the dead, limp and half peeled squirrel he was holding in the other hand. He saw our faces and quickly explained to us how he hunts squirrel and eats them. Jeff and I were amazed! We never knew that people ATE squirrel. To us they were cute furry critters that we chased up trees. We followed Roy to the kitchen where he stood by the sink and we watched as he slid the knife under the squirrel's skin and peeled off the fur as if it were an apple peel. I don't know about all squirrel's, but this one had a light brown or cream colored skin and it looked wet. Jeff and I stood and watched as he finished with the squirrel and plopped it on the counter where it lay naked. When Roy was done washing up he picked out his candy bars and then Jeff and I raced home to tell Mom what we had just seen. I've never seen a naked squirrel since and I'm okay with thatJ
Sweet Suzie's Devilish Deeds
Sweet Suzie’s Devilish Deeds
When I was a little girl everyone thought I was the sweetest little thing and for the most part they were right. I said please and thank you at all the right times. I was quiet and soft spoken and never talked back, but just like Achilles I had a week spot. My taste buds.
I loved sweets! My mom was a third grade teacher at the school I went to so after school my brother Jeff and I would wonder the halls and play outside. This left plenty of time to get hungry and thirsty. On most days our mom would give us change for the snack and soda machines. I would push the rectangle for an ICE COLD COCA COLA mmmmm and push in the number for my choice of snack and enjoy. Sadly my mom couldn't give us change every day for a snack so while she wasn't looking I would wonder around her room and glance into the kids desks for loose change. (gasp! I know) I was a good thief and never took all the money from one kid. I would take a quarter from Jim and a dime from Sally until I had enough for a soda. I knew what I was doing was wrong and so would feel guilty. To ease my guilt I would think to myself, "I'll bring some money from home tomorrow and put the money back" but I never did. At least not that I know of. I figure I owe my mom's third grade classes a few hundred dollars from over the years. Maybe "tomorrow" I'll donate a few hundred bucks to the third grade class.
When I was a little girl everyone thought I was the sweetest little thing and for the most part they were right. I said please and thank you at all the right times. I was quiet and soft spoken and never talked back, but just like Achilles I had a week spot. My taste buds.
I loved sweets! My mom was a third grade teacher at the school I went to so after school my brother Jeff and I would wonder the halls and play outside. This left plenty of time to get hungry and thirsty. On most days our mom would give us change for the snack and soda machines. I would push the rectangle for an ICE COLD COCA COLA mmmmm and push in the number for my choice of snack and enjoy. Sadly my mom couldn't give us change every day for a snack so while she wasn't looking I would wonder around her room and glance into the kids desks for loose change. (gasp! I know) I was a good thief and never took all the money from one kid. I would take a quarter from Jim and a dime from Sally until I had enough for a soda. I knew what I was doing was wrong and so would feel guilty. To ease my guilt I would think to myself, "I'll bring some money from home tomorrow and put the money back" but I never did. At least not that I know of. I figure I owe my mom's third grade classes a few hundred dollars from over the years. Maybe "tomorrow" I'll donate a few hundred bucks to the third grade class.
Crouch of Shame
OK so after I write this blog don't think badly of me ok? this is a confession of sorts. It goes along the lines of my last blog about Blockbuster and avoiding potentially embarrassing moments.
Once again I had a case of "just say no" issues. There was this guy let's call him Sam. Sam was among my friends from church. Sam was a guy. Same started to come to my work while I was working. Sam started coming in a couple days in a row. It actually got to the point where my boss was giving me looks. So I told Sam that I might get in trouble if he keeps coming in because I had work to do. Sam didn't get the clue. Instead of leaving he says he can help. He started putting video's back on the shelves for me. Can you see how I would feel annoyed and SMOTHERED?! It was clear that I had a problem on my hands and I had to do something. I had my chance the very next day because as I was standing in the front of the store I saw him crossing the road to come into the store. My first thought was "$*@" (normally I don't curse but I was panicked) In the blink of an eye I pulled my managers chair out from his desk and crawled underneath). So there I was crouched in the fetal position on the floor with my manager looking at me like I had lost it. I quickly said to my manager, "It's him, he's coming in. Tell him I'm eating lunch in the back." As soon as the words were out of my mouth the bell on the door jingled and in walks Sam. I heard him come up to the counter just four feet away from me and ask,"Is Suzie here?" My manager tells him I'm eating lunch in the back and then...silence. I had no idea what he was thinking but I was praying he didn't see me dive under the desk on his way over. I heard him mumble something and walk out. It didn't sound good. It sounded like he knew something was up. For a brief second I thought about popping out and laughing it off as a joke but what could I possibly say to explain why I was under a desk and not eating my lunch in the back room. So I let him walk out and I didn't come out until my manager watched Sam drive away. Silly me. Sam never talked to me again after that. I think Sam knew I was hiding...maybe he saw my rear sticking out on his way out the door. I still feel a little bit of shame when I think of that but then again it also makes me laugh. I mean the lengths I would go to just to avoid awkwardness. In my attempt to keep him and I from being embarrassed I obviously only made matters worse.
Once again I had a case of "just say no" issues. There was this guy let's call him Sam. Sam was among my friends from church. Sam was a guy. Same started to come to my work while I was working. Sam started coming in a couple days in a row. It actually got to the point where my boss was giving me looks. So I told Sam that I might get in trouble if he keeps coming in because I had work to do. Sam didn't get the clue. Instead of leaving he says he can help. He started putting video's back on the shelves for me. Can you see how I would feel annoyed and SMOTHERED?! It was clear that I had a problem on my hands and I had to do something. I had my chance the very next day because as I was standing in the front of the store I saw him crossing the road to come into the store. My first thought was "$*@" (normally I don't curse but I was panicked) In the blink of an eye I pulled my managers chair out from his desk and crawled underneath). So there I was crouched in the fetal position on the floor with my manager looking at me like I had lost it. I quickly said to my manager, "It's him, he's coming in. Tell him I'm eating lunch in the back." As soon as the words were out of my mouth the bell on the door jingled and in walks Sam. I heard him come up to the counter just four feet away from me and ask,"Is Suzie here?" My manager tells him I'm eating lunch in the back and then...silence. I had no idea what he was thinking but I was praying he didn't see me dive under the desk on his way over. I heard him mumble something and walk out. It didn't sound good. It sounded like he knew something was up. For a brief second I thought about popping out and laughing it off as a joke but what could I possibly say to explain why I was under a desk and not eating my lunch in the back room. So I let him walk out and I didn't come out until my manager watched Sam drive away. Silly me. Sam never talked to me again after that. I think Sam knew I was hiding...maybe he saw my rear sticking out on his way out the door. I still feel a little bit of shame when I think of that but then again it also makes me laugh. I mean the lengths I would go to just to avoid awkwardness. In my attempt to keep him and I from being embarrassed I obviously only made matters worse.
Blockbuster Dayz
For about two years I worked at Blockbuster Video store in Westminster or Eldersburg. I have had a few strange things happen concerning the customers. Here are three of them that stand out the most.
We were located directly next to Burger King and one of the ladies that worked there had two children that would come into our store and pick out video games. On one of these days she came in after her shift was over so she was very sweaty and smelled very much of sweat and burgers. bleh. Her two boys were always very noisy and when they were done would throw the games on the counter. She came up to the counter....oh I forgot to mention that she is also VERY BUSTY! I rang them up and told her the total. She reached for her money which wouldn't have been so bad if it had been in a purse or a wallet or even her pants pocket but NO it was in her CLEAVAGE!!! and not just any cleavage. It was a deep cavernous cleavage the kind of cleavage that one digs around in for forever and is not able to locate lost bills. I stood there staring while she plunged her hands deeper into the abbys dreading what she would pull out. I was hoping for a gun but alas she found what she was looking for and placed it on the counter top and there it sat. I looked at the heap of dollar bills drenched in sweat and saw the moisture ring forming on the counter. She used her hands to flatten each of the bills and then handed them out for me to take as if they hadn't just come from her sweaty bosom. I saw my hand as if in slow motion reach out and pinch the money in the corner and place it in the cash register. After the dirty deed was done I ran not walked back to the bathroom and scrubbed my fingertips. I had another money issue happen that was similar to this one only it was a man and his money was in an index card box. When he opened it to get the money out a whole bunch of trash fell out of it all over the counter top and by our feet. His hands scrambled over the counter top shoving the trash back into the box and pushing the wadded up money to the side. After all the trash was collected he started to unwad the dollar bills and give them to me. This took a while because of how tight he had it balled up. So people if you ever wonder where all those creases on the money come from or why it has a funky smell remember that you never know where that money has been so handle it with care and wash up.
My last story begins in the morning when a goofy looking guy walks in and checks out his movies from a co-worker. Around lunch time the same day I notice this same guy come back in. He kept shooting me glances as he was checking out movies near the front of the store. As I was checking out other customers I saw him getting closer and closer to the front. I had an idea of what was to come and I wanted to bolt but I was the only one in the front of the store. SO here he came looking all nervous and there I stood chanting in my mind, "just say no, just say no, just say no" He said "Hi" I said "Hi, did you need help with something?" He stood right in front of me and said, "Yeah, I'm looking for a movie but I don't remember the title" so I asked, "Do you know what happens in the movie?" He starts to look a little more comfortable and says, "It's about this guy who goes into a Blockbuster Video store and sees this really pretty girl that works there and he asks for her number. Do you know what she said?" I thought "Oh my, no he didn't just say that! Oh yes he did...get it together and pretend you don't understand..sounds like a plan." So I said to him, "Really? I've never seen that movie before, that's pretty cool they used a Blockbuster store." I was realllllly hoping he would just loose his nerve and give up or else just think I was too stupid to pursue any longer. I had no such luck. "No, I was wondering if I can have your number." I looked around the store and saw no one. I was alone and desperate for him to leave so I said, "Sure." My brain was reeling at my mouth, "Why did you just say sure?!?! you were supposed to just say NO!" So then I thought as I was given pen and paper "Just change one number. But he knows where I work he could come back in angry" ahhhh so I put down the right number and when he did call I told him that I was sorta in a relationship with a co-worker but we hadn't made it public yet so I didn't want to start up with anyone else. He fell for it thank heavens. I found out later from another co-worker that new him that he was angry and was going off about it to him. So I had to inform my boss (who was my pretend boyfriend) that he was my boyfriend in case anyone asked. HA that gave me brownie points. Too bad I couldn't just say no. What a mess I could have avoided but like my green thing says on my myspace I don't like confrontations.
We were located directly next to Burger King and one of the ladies that worked there had two children that would come into our store and pick out video games. On one of these days she came in after her shift was over so she was very sweaty and smelled very much of sweat and burgers. bleh. Her two boys were always very noisy and when they were done would throw the games on the counter. She came up to the counter....oh I forgot to mention that she is also VERY BUSTY! I rang them up and told her the total. She reached for her money which wouldn't have been so bad if it had been in a purse or a wallet or even her pants pocket but NO it was in her CLEAVAGE!!! and not just any cleavage. It was a deep cavernous cleavage the kind of cleavage that one digs around in for forever and is not able to locate lost bills. I stood there staring while she plunged her hands deeper into the abbys dreading what she would pull out. I was hoping for a gun but alas she found what she was looking for and placed it on the counter top and there it sat. I looked at the heap of dollar bills drenched in sweat and saw the moisture ring forming on the counter. She used her hands to flatten each of the bills and then handed them out for me to take as if they hadn't just come from her sweaty bosom. I saw my hand as if in slow motion reach out and pinch the money in the corner and place it in the cash register. After the dirty deed was done I ran not walked back to the bathroom and scrubbed my fingertips. I had another money issue happen that was similar to this one only it was a man and his money was in an index card box. When he opened it to get the money out a whole bunch of trash fell out of it all over the counter top and by our feet. His hands scrambled over the counter top shoving the trash back into the box and pushing the wadded up money to the side. After all the trash was collected he started to unwad the dollar bills and give them to me. This took a while because of how tight he had it balled up. So people if you ever wonder where all those creases on the money come from or why it has a funky smell remember that you never know where that money has been so handle it with care and wash up.
My last story begins in the morning when a goofy looking guy walks in and checks out his movies from a co-worker. Around lunch time the same day I notice this same guy come back in. He kept shooting me glances as he was checking out movies near the front of the store. As I was checking out other customers I saw him getting closer and closer to the front. I had an idea of what was to come and I wanted to bolt but I was the only one in the front of the store. SO here he came looking all nervous and there I stood chanting in my mind, "just say no, just say no, just say no" He said "Hi" I said "Hi, did you need help with something?" He stood right in front of me and said, "Yeah, I'm looking for a movie but I don't remember the title" so I asked, "Do you know what happens in the movie?" He starts to look a little more comfortable and says, "It's about this guy who goes into a Blockbuster Video store and sees this really pretty girl that works there and he asks for her number. Do you know what she said?" I thought "Oh my, no he didn't just say that! Oh yes he did...get it together and pretend you don't understand..sounds like a plan." So I said to him, "Really? I've never seen that movie before, that's pretty cool they used a Blockbuster store." I was realllllly hoping he would just loose his nerve and give up or else just think I was too stupid to pursue any longer. I had no such luck. "No, I was wondering if I can have your number." I looked around the store and saw no one. I was alone and desperate for him to leave so I said, "Sure." My brain was reeling at my mouth, "Why did you just say sure?!?! you were supposed to just say NO!" So then I thought as I was given pen and paper "Just change one number. But he knows where I work he could come back in angry" ahhhh so I put down the right number and when he did call I told him that I was sorta in a relationship with a co-worker but we hadn't made it public yet so I didn't want to start up with anyone else. He fell for it thank heavens. I found out later from another co-worker that new him that he was angry and was going off about it to him. So I had to inform my boss (who was my pretend boyfriend) that he was my boyfriend in case anyone asked. HA that gave me brownie points. Too bad I couldn't just say no. What a mess I could have avoided but like my green thing says on my myspace I don't like confrontations.
Stubbornness,Pride and Lies
stubbornness, pride and lies
Life certainly is a learning experience. I've learned a lot of things the hard way because I wouldn't listen the easy way. Here is a good example from my childhood.
Growing up I watched my mom and the ladies on TV put on make up. It didn't interest me very much until I hit the sixth grade. That's when I started to want to be more like a girl and fit in with the pretty girly girls (but not too much). I swiped mascara off my mom's bathroom sink and took it to my room. I was really excited to put it on so I went into the bathroom by my bedroom and closed the door. I stood on my tip toes and leaned closer to the mirror as I studied the area the mascara was to go. Alright time to begin, I pulled the wand out and began to apply the mascara very carefully and artfully onto my eyebrows. That's right. I said eyebrows. I brushed it on nice and thick and made sure it didn't smear. I had two eyebrows that were perfectly black and perfectly hard and I was happy with it. When Mom saw me she told me I put it on wrong, but what did she know? I KNEW they were supposed to go on my eyebrows. Can we say stubborn and prideful? I seriously thought I looked good and I wasn't going to admit I was wrong so I wasn't going to take it off. Mom didn't scrub my face instead we went to school like normal (except for my eyebrows). Before we had to be in our homeroom I went to the bathroom to give my eyebrows another look. I was starting to second guess my decision. While I was looking in the mirror two girls from my class walked in to wash their hands. When they noticed me they stopped talking and asked, "Suzie, what's that on your eyebrows?" I could tell by the smirk on their faces that my mom was right and I did something silly so to make things better I said, "It's dirt. I was playing in the dirt before school today. I have to wash it off." They kept the smirk as they walked out of the bathroom. While I washed off the gunk they were probably getting a good laugh. I never did that again and it was a while before I ever tried to put on make up again. When I think about it now it just cracks me up that I told them it was dirt! ha! Who would believe that? Well I could have listened to my mom in the first place when she told me I messed up but if I had I wouldn't have a story to tell.
Life certainly is a learning experience. I've learned a lot of things the hard way because I wouldn't listen the easy way. Here is a good example from my childhood.
Growing up I watched my mom and the ladies on TV put on make up. It didn't interest me very much until I hit the sixth grade. That's when I started to want to be more like a girl and fit in with the pretty girly girls (but not too much). I swiped mascara off my mom's bathroom sink and took it to my room. I was really excited to put it on so I went into the bathroom by my bedroom and closed the door. I stood on my tip toes and leaned closer to the mirror as I studied the area the mascara was to go. Alright time to begin, I pulled the wand out and began to apply the mascara very carefully and artfully onto my eyebrows. That's right. I said eyebrows. I brushed it on nice and thick and made sure it didn't smear. I had two eyebrows that were perfectly black and perfectly hard and I was happy with it. When Mom saw me she told me I put it on wrong, but what did she know? I KNEW they were supposed to go on my eyebrows. Can we say stubborn and prideful? I seriously thought I looked good and I wasn't going to admit I was wrong so I wasn't going to take it off. Mom didn't scrub my face instead we went to school like normal (except for my eyebrows). Before we had to be in our homeroom I went to the bathroom to give my eyebrows another look. I was starting to second guess my decision. While I was looking in the mirror two girls from my class walked in to wash their hands. When they noticed me they stopped talking and asked, "Suzie, what's that on your eyebrows?" I could tell by the smirk on their faces that my mom was right and I did something silly so to make things better I said, "It's dirt. I was playing in the dirt before school today. I have to wash it off." They kept the smirk as they walked out of the bathroom. While I washed off the gunk they were probably getting a good laugh. I never did that again and it was a while before I ever tried to put on make up again. When I think about it now it just cracks me up that I told them it was dirt! ha! Who would believe that? Well I could have listened to my mom in the first place when she told me I messed up but if I had I wouldn't have a story to tell.
Good Times
My brother is going to be married in a few short weeks and so I've been thinking about our childhood a lot lately. Jeff and I were best friends growing up. We did everything together. It wasn't until we both started to date people that we started to loose that closeness, then we grew up and got jobs and went to college. So I treasure my memories of our growing up years.
We lived in a Rancher in Bowie before Bowie started to really grow crowded. Our yard was large with a driveway that wrapped around the house like a L. My dad always had problems with the newspaper man delivering two papers, one at each end of the driveway. We also had several trees that were perfect for climbing. Bushes lined the property and acted like a fence. It may have looked nice but have you ever heard of Bag-Worms??? They are these nasty worms that build themselves a nest out of the leaves on the bush and hang from the limbs. There would be hundreds of these things hanging from just one bush and every summer our dad had all of us out there picking bag worms filling several large trash bags. Jeff and I would pick some off the bush and then stomp on them. Green guts from the worm would squeeze out of the bag casing like play-dough in the perfect shape of the worm. We would put our shoes on for this summer activity.
Our L shaped driveway was a hot-wheels oasis. We went Dukes of Hazard on that driveway! I had a Barbie Hot-wheel and Jeff had a G.I. Joe Hot-wheel. We would spend hours racing from one end to the other skidding into a 180 right before the road. Our mom soon got used to us doing this and it no longer caused her to yell out of the window.
We would climb trees mainly to dangle from the branches and drop to the ground just to climb back up and repeat the process. Sometimes we would sit in the branches and feel the breeze and imagine we were a squirrel or chipmunk. We had electrical wires that ran through the branches of our favorite tree and we knew to stay away from it. I was always a little jealous of the birds that could sit on them and not get fried. We had a tire swing that hung from this tree and I could never get on it for long before I felt sick. This was also the spot of many mud pies and mud balls. We played G.I. Joe's in the mud and made our tanks bust down walls and run over downed men. Mom lost a few silver spoons in this same mud much to her aggravation. It was our mud paradise.
On special days Mom would take us for walks through the forest to Grandma's house...OK not really but we would walk through the woods to 7-11 where we would buy a nice ice cold soda or Slurpee. My favorite Slurpee was Cherry! There was one special day that I can remember very well and it still touches my heart. We had just bought fountain sodas. It was a very HOT day and this was a BIG treat. We rode our bikes ("Dirt bikes" to Jeff and I) and as I got on mine my soda fell out of my hand and into the dirt. I was so upset but just like that my mom gave me her soda. She didn't drink most of it first and then give it to me and she didn't go back in to get herself another one. She didn't even scold me for dropping mine she just gave me her drink. I wish I could call her right now and say "thanks again mom. I love you." It was one of those moments in life that show us how to lead by example and how to just love. I love that memory.
We had a basement that smelled like "basement". You know a old musty moldy smell. Jeff and I would go down and play to cool off or just get a break from being outside. The floor was half carpeted and half linoleum. Jeff and I would get a running head start and slide across the floor in our socks and then fall to our butts and slide some more. This brought many giggles and bruises. I do believe it was in the fall and winter that we would get brown crickets and they were UGLY! We hated these things! I still get the creeps thinking about them. Jeff and I would take shoes and/or books and throw them at the crickets hoping to smash them. Mom said they were attracted to white socks...I still wonder if she was making that up???? Basement steps were perfect for falling down. I did it many times and never broke a bone or neck Jeff and I would play "Chipmunks" this involved speaking in high squeaky voices and we were of course Chipmunks. Our favorite names were Charlie and Henry. Charlie was the favorite of the two. Our girlfriend in this pretend play was a painting of the ballerina. It's the painting you see everywhere but I can't remember what it's called.
At bed time we would go to our separate rooms and fall asleep with one eye open because it didn't take long for one of us to sneak into the others room and jump up from the floor and scare the pee out of each other. Dad worked nights so it was also our time to torment mom if we so chose to. She waited until we were in bed "asleep" to make phone calls. So Jeff and I would meet in the hallway and sneak to the kitchen where we would giggle until she shooed us away and we would run back to our rooms laughing and do it all over again. Then she would threaten to tell Dad and we didn't dare do it again. If that got boring or if we got threatened we would drink a belly full of water and lay on the ground. We would then start to flop around on our backs and listen to the water slosh around inside. Those were probably the nights I wet the bed:) ha We were good kids that had a great childhood playing life to it's fullest the way it should be for every kid. Good Times.
We lived in a Rancher in Bowie before Bowie started to really grow crowded. Our yard was large with a driveway that wrapped around the house like a L. My dad always had problems with the newspaper man delivering two papers, one at each end of the driveway. We also had several trees that were perfect for climbing. Bushes lined the property and acted like a fence. It may have looked nice but have you ever heard of Bag-Worms??? They are these nasty worms that build themselves a nest out of the leaves on the bush and hang from the limbs. There would be hundreds of these things hanging from just one bush and every summer our dad had all of us out there picking bag worms filling several large trash bags. Jeff and I would pick some off the bush and then stomp on them. Green guts from the worm would squeeze out of the bag casing like play-dough in the perfect shape of the worm. We would put our shoes on for this summer activity.
Our L shaped driveway was a hot-wheels oasis. We went Dukes of Hazard on that driveway! I had a Barbie Hot-wheel and Jeff had a G.I. Joe Hot-wheel. We would spend hours racing from one end to the other skidding into a 180 right before the road. Our mom soon got used to us doing this and it no longer caused her to yell out of the window.
We would climb trees mainly to dangle from the branches and drop to the ground just to climb back up and repeat the process. Sometimes we would sit in the branches and feel the breeze and imagine we were a squirrel or chipmunk. We had electrical wires that ran through the branches of our favorite tree and we knew to stay away from it. I was always a little jealous of the birds that could sit on them and not get fried. We had a tire swing that hung from this tree and I could never get on it for long before I felt sick. This was also the spot of many mud pies and mud balls. We played G.I. Joe's in the mud and made our tanks bust down walls and run over downed men. Mom lost a few silver spoons in this same mud much to her aggravation. It was our mud paradise.
On special days Mom would take us for walks through the forest to Grandma's house...OK not really but we would walk through the woods to 7-11 where we would buy a nice ice cold soda or Slurpee. My favorite Slurpee was Cherry! There was one special day that I can remember very well and it still touches my heart. We had just bought fountain sodas. It was a very HOT day and this was a BIG treat. We rode our bikes ("Dirt bikes" to Jeff and I) and as I got on mine my soda fell out of my hand and into the dirt. I was so upset but just like that my mom gave me her soda. She didn't drink most of it first and then give it to me and she didn't go back in to get herself another one. She didn't even scold me for dropping mine she just gave me her drink. I wish I could call her right now and say "thanks again mom. I love you." It was one of those moments in life that show us how to lead by example and how to just love. I love that memory.
We had a basement that smelled like "basement". You know a old musty moldy smell. Jeff and I would go down and play to cool off or just get a break from being outside. The floor was half carpeted and half linoleum. Jeff and I would get a running head start and slide across the floor in our socks and then fall to our butts and slide some more. This brought many giggles and bruises. I do believe it was in the fall and winter that we would get brown crickets and they were UGLY! We hated these things! I still get the creeps thinking about them. Jeff and I would take shoes and/or books and throw them at the crickets hoping to smash them. Mom said they were attracted to white socks...I still wonder if she was making that up???? Basement steps were perfect for falling down. I did it many times and never broke a bone or neck Jeff and I would play "Chipmunks" this involved speaking in high squeaky voices and we were of course Chipmunks. Our favorite names were Charlie and Henry. Charlie was the favorite of the two. Our girlfriend in this pretend play was a painting of the ballerina. It's the painting you see everywhere but I can't remember what it's called.
At bed time we would go to our separate rooms and fall asleep with one eye open because it didn't take long for one of us to sneak into the others room and jump up from the floor and scare the pee out of each other. Dad worked nights so it was also our time to torment mom if we so chose to. She waited until we were in bed "asleep" to make phone calls. So Jeff and I would meet in the hallway and sneak to the kitchen where we would giggle until she shooed us away and we would run back to our rooms laughing and do it all over again. Then she would threaten to tell Dad and we didn't dare do it again. If that got boring or if we got threatened we would drink a belly full of water and lay on the ground. We would then start to flop around on our backs and listen to the water slosh around inside. Those were probably the nights I wet the bed:) ha We were good kids that had a great childhood playing life to it's fullest the way it should be for every kid. Good Times.
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