Happy birthday to our wonderfully climatic Loretta!
Loretta is a tornado of activity,
A tidal wave of emotion,
An electrical storm of energy.
Loretta's bark is a thunder clap,
Her bite, a frigid blizzard,
Her laughter, wind blowing through the leaves in fall,
And her smile a perfect blanket of snow.
Loretta is a torrent of feelings and extreme conditions, but her love and joy is pure sunshine.
Every once in a while I receive a wonderful gift. I'm given the rare opportunity to spend one on one time with one of my children. When these moments happen, I'm always a little bit surprised and amazed to be reminded how cool they each are. You see, when you have all three of them 24/7 and you're just trying to keep everyone clean, fed, and where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there, when they are begging for drinks, snacks, books, shows and fighting over toys and attention, when you are begging them to do their homework, get their coats, put away their shoes...the truth is their individual awesomeness is sometimes forgotten.
I treasure having our one on one time and it doesn't happen as much as I would like. Having uninterrupted conversations and being reminded how their mind works is fascinating. Each one of my children is strong willed and confident, intelligent and funny. You can see this when they are together, but you can appreciate it so much more when you have them alone. The other day I was thinking about some of their unique qualities that I admire most, those qualities I wish I had possessed more of myself at their young age and here are a few I'm most envious of.
Loretta will always fight for her right to party. She looks at everyday life and sees something spectacular, something worthy of celebration and will lobby endlessly for that celebration. Loretta sees beauty and drama in everything around her, from her collection of rocks to the spent helicopter seeds she turns into pixie dust. If it were up to her, every single day would be a recognized national holiday. Loretta knows how to celebrate every moment, every breath.
Caroline has conviction of self. When she is faced with a decision, she makes it quickly and with adult like confidence. She doesn't ask for or want your opinion. She believes in herself and her ability to choose what is right for her. So, when she tells you she doesn't want to ride the pony at the fair, you can be sure she won't change her mind on the drive home and cry and beg to be brought back. The truth is, she won't waste another second thinking about it, she won't doubt herself. And, when the time comes that she is ready to ride that pony, she'll ride with no preamble.
Sam has an iron will and zero fear. He believes that he can do absolutely anything he sees anyone else do and that he can do it; faster, harder, higher, messier, sillier, ....you get the picture. Sam is always game to play, no reservations, no glances back to see if mom approves, just all out "let's do this!" enthusiasm.
So, here's wishing you and me the ability to have confidence in our decisions and ourselves, to not be afraid that we can't do something AND do it well and to have the ability to find a reason to celebrate every single day.
I've always been amazed at how crisp and clear a moment can come back to you when prompted by scent. Why is it so much more powerful than a picture sometimes? Perhaps it's because we take our sight for granted, we glance at a picture and move on to the next as we filter all of the billions of visual images that bombard us throughout our day. But a scent must invoke a completely different part of our brain - it's almost like our own personal time machine.
So many wonderful memories are tied up in scents. Some of these are universal, of course, but some of them highly personal.
- White Rain shampoo = our cabin on the lake of the Ozarks
- Black label chapstick = my dad. The kids love this now too and recently Loretta said "Best smell ever!"
- Vanilla = baking with my mom
- Freshly cut grass = practicing our half time routine with the THS band
- Jean Nate = my mom
- Black licorice = grandma Loretta
- Mixes of different perfumes - like walking through a department store = grandma Clifford b/c she would let me "test" all of the perfumes on her dresser while trying on her jewelry.
- Pillsbury raw cookie dough = sleepovers with Liz and Susan
- Reeses peanut butter cups = my short time serving frozen yogurt at Yummy Yogurt. I think I ate my weight in candy toppings that summer
- Sunflower seeds = my dad
- Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific = mom washing my hair in the kitchen sink
- Neutrogena body wash = John, it was the best for removing the smell of a kitchen shift at Union Street
- Bactine = summer scraps from climbing trees and road burn from falling when roller skating
- Chlorine = joining the diving team at the Meadows when visiting the Heplers and Hennessy's in Lisle
- Calamine lotion = summer run-ins with poison ivy or getting the chicken pox
- Lily of the valley = Mom and Dad T's house
- Freshly baked cakes = mom letting us eat the cake tops
- Christmas Tree Pine = Growing up we always had artificial trees, so real pine always makes me think of getting our trees from Dad T since I met John
There are so many more that are eluding me at the moment, but I have no doubt that one of these days soon I'll catch a scent and it will magically transport me to a distant memory. I love how that works.
