Trade

Emma always
Liked to share
So
When she died
We felt no guilt
At taking the flowers off her grave
And selling them door to door
Until we had
Enough to buy
Ice cream

Take me out to the ball game!

You want to see a kid get the biggest smile you have ever seen? Take him to a Royals baseball game and watch as a player coming off the field tosses a ball up to him!

Advice at a price..

Taking a tissue from the box on the table besides her, she wiped her tears. Looking up for the first time since she entered his office she watched as he slowly turned his chair towards where she was sitting on the sofa and said, "Aren't you really just hurting inside?. I want you to understand it comes out as anger, because that's the safest way to express your pain." Pushing the strand of blond hair away from her eyes, she looked up at him and listened. He continued, saying "because if your pain comes out as anger, nobody can hurt you, because your doing the hurting." She nodded her head acknowledging what he said. There was silence for a moment or two, then he smiled and leaned forward in his chair and said, "The pain will go away, remember he let something that you both valued, slip through his fingers." He turned his chair towards his computer and began to look at his schedule. Knowing that meant her session was over, she stood and stepped towards the door. Taking the appointment card from his hand she said, "You know, it seems like we tend to hurt those we are closest too." He nodded in agreement as she left.

Angry

There are times when I am very angry
and I say things that are mean
and nasty
but I am just so hurt inside
and my heart is so sad
that
There are times when I am very angry

We caught the big one!

The big day! Free fishing day! On Saturday our State Lakes offered free fishing for kids. This is a yearly event. Arrive at lake 3,sign your name, they give you a prize, a pole and a bag of worms.
Reed and I have participated 4 years now and he looks forward to the thrill, the outdoors, the free hot dogs and pop! He brought his friend Noah who also enjoyed the hot dogs (4 to be exact). So in a nut shell it went like this. Check in, get our prizes, oh thank you for the bag of chicken liver in blood. We will save that for another time. Are you sure we didn't win that fine fishing pole instead? Down to the waters edge. Bait Reed's hook with a worm, help him cast it out, take the hook out of Noah's coat sleeve. Cast out again. Bait Noah's hook, cast. Turn around and Reed has reeled his in already with large quanities of moss attached. Cut a worm in 1/2 (hey we need worms over here) bait, cast and before I can wipe the worm... uummm..stuff on my pant leg, Noah's line is caught on a stick. This went on for maybe... 15 minutes when I suggested they hike around the lake to see if anyone is catching anything.

Aaaahhhh, peace and quiet..I actually enjoy fishing. I sat in the chair holding the pole, remembering the days when our whole family would load up in the Buick LTD and park right along the highway and fish in the creek. I remember it like it was yesterday, catching catfish, having Dad take it off the hook. I, being a bit of a Tom-boy enjoyed fishing more than my brother. I felt some kind of silent bond with my Dad because of this.

I am suddenly awakened from my thoughts as I feel a tug on my line, I mean Reed's line. Just as I was hollering "I got a bite" Reed and Noah run up with hot dogs in hand and ketchup on their faces. I hand the pole to Reed and he reels in a Enormously small Bluegill. Now we have a small group gathered as 2 of the neighbor kids and their Dad run over to help. (Stand back, I may be a woman but I can take the fish off the hook by myself!!) So I get out some heavy brown construction worker gloves to man handle this mighty fish. The photographer for the newspaper runs over and snaps a picture of Reed holding the fish and his buddy Noah with his arm around Reed. Proud fisherman! After a few failed attempts to get the hook out, I hand the fish to my neighbor, Scott and he takes the hook out. The fish falls to the ground and 4, eight year old boys clamor to pick it up. After a bit a excitement, Noah grabs my glove, puts it on, picks up the fish and holds it high like a mighty warrior with his sword. Then throws it back...

WOW..a few seconds go by, and I hear Noah say, "Now what? I'm bored".

So as I pack up my fishing gear in the tackle box I have had since I was 11, the boys run off to get another hotdog. They bring one for me and after wiping some slime off my hands onto my pants, I savored my hotdog and free fishing day. For kids of course!

Some Voodoo for you!

Read with caution!

About 10 years we went to New Orleans. Saw many sites and experienced much. They are big into Voodoo there. I went into a shop. Yes, As evil looking as it is I bought a Voodoo doll. We laughed about it, made fun of it and the whole Voodoo thing. But I am telling you...It works..I am serious. It has a couple black pins with it. The note that came with it explained that as chant the person's name,your suppose to poke the pins in it. Evil will come to them. ooohhhhh are you scared? Maybe your on my list. A little tennis elbow, your knee ache today, twist your ankle? Hhuummm beware of the Voodoo doll.

Don't make me mad! Or beware!

Occasional Affirmation

A commitment is more than an agreement.
You make an agreement from your mind.
You discover your commitment in your heart.

Get Your Kisses Here!

Smooth..and nice. My teeth that is...
No more metal in my mouth.
A guy at work today asked me what it was like for me to kiss with braces on.
He's been wanting to ask.
Wow, kinda personal huh.
So I grabbed him and laid one on him..
HA! Just kidding.

Off they go!

After 18 months, my braces come off tomorrow. I am looking forward to this. Once again I will be able to bite into something. If your polite you don't do that with braces because, well I'm sure you can figure that out. No more sore teeth, or ripped up insides of your mouth. Nice smile instead.

Out to In

Due to the Utilities Company installing radio frequency meters, I am now in an office sitting at a desk with no window. I have now gone from the great outdoors, and walking 6 miles a day, to fluorescent lighting and sitting on my butt at a computer. Quite a drastic change wouldn't you say? Even though I am pleased that I am employed, I am displeased that I don't know what the weather is like, and I am certainly going to have to buy my tan this year. Of course, now I get to blog while I'm working and e-mail my friends and that's all well and good, but I do miss the sun on my skin and the wind messing up my hair.

Baseball

A poem by my 8 year old son Reed

baseball baseball, pow, bam, slide
baseball is so awesome
I really like to play
run the bases, don't get me out
hit the ball, whack!
Hey batter, batter..
strike! your out!
baseball baseball, pow, bam, slide.

Quiet memories of past

Exhaustion had become a permanent fixture in her life, Becca still awoke feeling...tired. Unfocused and out of sorts. Most of the time she contributed it to the hectic life she was living, many times she wondered if it wasn't clinical depression, she had a few of the symptoms... "lethargy, without reason or cause." Well she did have a reason...
What she really needed was a little quiet time down at the beach laying in a beach chair sipping a margarita, without facing any decision except whether or not she was going to walk along the waters edge a little longer.
She was tired of being alone, of waking up in an empty bed. In the first months after Joe left, Becca couldn't even imagine loving another man again. It was as if the feelings for male companionship didn't even exist.
Time passed and eventually so did the numbness she had grown accustomed to. In it's place, reality settled in. As much as she tried to move on, Becca always found her thoughts drawn to Joe. It seemed as if everything reminded her of him.
She loved the way Joe looked when he slept, one arm resting above his head, the rise and fall of his chest when he breathed, and he always smelled like...well, he smelled like him, and now it was getting even harder to remember what that was like. That..saddened her most of all.