I often have strange dreams. I swim, fall, fly, yell, and talk. Most of the time it is with blobs of people around and not people that are non-distinguishable. Last night...oh man....last night was different. Brett Michaels of Poison popped up. Apparently I was in love with him and him with me.
Brett: Kristin, Oh how sexy and hot I think you are. Kiss me!
Kristin: You are so hot!...and what is up with your hair? Wait....what are these other women doing here?
Brett: You know....We are on my show...Rock of love 100. :)
Yup....I love Brett Michaels...but I think we just need to keep that love from afar.
Dreams...
Friday, May 28, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Commencement 2010
This time of year brings up so many fond memories. It was a short 14 years ago (well...maybe that is a long time) that I walked across the stage of Yukon High School to graduate. I did not get to speak to the masses that day and more than likely I will not be called to speak to the masses any time soon. But, if I was, this is I would say.
Graduates, Parents, Fellow Teachers, Administrators, Families, and Friends,
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Remember from this day on, the path you choose is yours. Your parents, family, and teachers have gotten you this far and now it is your turn. Choose wisely and I hope you have the time of your life. Congratulations and good night!!
Graduates, Parents, Fellow Teachers, Administrators, Families, and Friends,
Today is a special day. For the last 18 years graduates, your parents, family, and teachers have nurtured, cared for, watched with much anticipation, and pushed to get you to this point. You have not gotten to this day alone. It really does take a village to raise a child and so this day not only belongs to you the graduates, it also belongs to all of those that have helped get you to this point.
The times have changed since I graduated just a short 14 years ago. If I needed to call home I found a pay phone that took quarters, the internet was just a figment of everyone's imagination, gas cost $.69 cents a gallon, we only had 100 channels on cable and I still had to get up to change the channel, and we could eat at Taco Bell for under $3.00 for lunch...OK...so the Taco Bell part is still the same. Now everyone has cell phones, the internet is the place to be, connect, and go to for just about everything, gas is on the rise daily, and now cable has hundreds of channels and I don't have to get up to change the channel and can "tape" any show I want simply by pressing a button.
However, for as much has changed socially, much has remained the same when it comes to the lives of graduates. Every graduate that walks across the high school stage to receive a diploma in the next few weeks all have their lives ahead of them. All of you have basically the same goals, same dreams, same aspirations. Most of you have really no clue how you are going to achieve all that lies ahead of you and more than not, most of you have no clue what life is really like...and that is OK!
I thought of a song that I think is poignant for graduations. I Hope You have the Time of Your Life by Green Day.
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why.
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial.
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
If we break down these lyrics into a few short segments you will see that this truly is the perfect graduation song. Today is graduation day....a fork stuck in the road. You must make a choice. You alone must choose what path your life is going to take. Oh sure your parents, family, and friends will have some influence on you for a while, but the choices are truly yours from this moment on. If you succeed in college it will be because you got up, went to class, and did well. If you flunk out, it will be your failure alone that got you to that outcome. If you decide after high school that college isn't for you and you are going straight to work, know that the choices you make are also your own. You must get up, get to work on time, do what is asked of you, and at the end of the day choose if you will be successful. Everyone on a daily basis makes choices and you as well will be making them. Choose wisely.
The fork stuck in the road is also here today because starting today you will be having to choose a new path. Most of you will have to decide what seems right now to be a dark and unlit path. The path of the unknown. Life from this point is unknown and it is what you make it. It is what you decide. It is up to you to be successful, it is up to you to be who you think you should be. No longer will the path be lit for you by parents, family, teachers, or the state of Arkansas. No longer will there be people along the way to light your path. You will have to do that yourself. Choose wisely which path you will take and how and who you will light your path with.
Also know you will have other forks in the road. Leaving high school is a very small fork compared to some that will come at you. Life is a journey, a process, and there will definitely be other forks. Be prepared for those forks. Sometimes they will come gradually and you will see them long before you get there. Other times, the tree in the middle of the road will hit you right in the middle of the forehead and you will wonder how and why did that happen. If you know and understand that life will have other forks, you will more than likely be prepared to handle what is ahead.
Take photographs and still frames in your mind. Life goes by so quickly. It doesn't seem like 14 years ago I walked across the stage to receive my diploma...sometimes it seems like just yesterday that happened. Life flies at you and by you faster than a speeding bullet, slow it down by cherishing memories and mile markers on your path. Leave little lanterns on your path with those photographs and still frames so when you get lost (and you will get lost), you can come back to those moments.
Cherish where you are on your path at that moment. For most of your life you have always wanted to get to the next mile stone or the next mile marker and your parents probably couldn't wait for you to get there as well. Sitting up, rolling over, crawling, walking, talking, going to kindergarten, going to high school....all of those things most of you couldn't wait to do and your parents pushed you to do. Life is truly over in the blink of an eye so slow down along the way and take those photographs and still frames. Cherish where you are in that moment and be happy that you have that moment because it will never be there again.
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
However, for as much has changed socially, much has remained the same when it comes to the lives of graduates. Every graduate that walks across the high school stage to receive a diploma in the next few weeks all have their lives ahead of them. All of you have basically the same goals, same dreams, same aspirations. Most of you have really no clue how you are going to achieve all that lies ahead of you and more than not, most of you have no clue what life is really like...and that is OK!
I thought of a song that I think is poignant for graduations. I Hope You have the Time of Your Life by Green Day.
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why.
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial.
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
If we break down these lyrics into a few short segments you will see that this truly is the perfect graduation song. Today is graduation day....a fork stuck in the road. You must make a choice. You alone must choose what path your life is going to take. Oh sure your parents, family, and friends will have some influence on you for a while, but the choices are truly yours from this moment on. If you succeed in college it will be because you got up, went to class, and did well. If you flunk out, it will be your failure alone that got you to that outcome. If you decide after high school that college isn't for you and you are going straight to work, know that the choices you make are also your own. You must get up, get to work on time, do what is asked of you, and at the end of the day choose if you will be successful. Everyone on a daily basis makes choices and you as well will be making them. Choose wisely.
The fork stuck in the road is also here today because starting today you will be having to choose a new path. Most of you will have to decide what seems right now to be a dark and unlit path. The path of the unknown. Life from this point is unknown and it is what you make it. It is what you decide. It is up to you to be successful, it is up to you to be who you think you should be. No longer will the path be lit for you by parents, family, teachers, or the state of Arkansas. No longer will there be people along the way to light your path. You will have to do that yourself. Choose wisely which path you will take and how and who you will light your path with.
Also know you will have other forks in the road. Leaving high school is a very small fork compared to some that will come at you. Life is a journey, a process, and there will definitely be other forks. Be prepared for those forks. Sometimes they will come gradually and you will see them long before you get there. Other times, the tree in the middle of the road will hit you right in the middle of the forehead and you will wonder how and why did that happen. If you know and understand that life will have other forks, you will more than likely be prepared to handle what is ahead.
Take photographs and still frames in your mind. Life goes by so quickly. It doesn't seem like 14 years ago I walked across the stage to receive my diploma...sometimes it seems like just yesterday that happened. Life flies at you and by you faster than a speeding bullet, slow it down by cherishing memories and mile markers on your path. Leave little lanterns on your path with those photographs and still frames so when you get lost (and you will get lost), you can come back to those moments.
Cherish where you are on your path at that moment. For most of your life you have always wanted to get to the next mile stone or the next mile marker and your parents probably couldn't wait for you to get there as well. Sitting up, rolling over, crawling, walking, talking, going to kindergarten, going to high school....all of those things most of you couldn't wait to do and your parents pushed you to do. Life is truly over in the blink of an eye so slow down along the way and take those photographs and still frames. Cherish where you are in that moment and be happy that you have that moment because it will never be there again.
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
Life is unpredictable, crazy, insane, and at times really scary. Whatever your life will become, know that it is the right path for you and I truly hope you have a great time. I hope you had a great time in high school. I hope you will look back with fond memories and great times. I hope you ceased the day. I hope you got everything out of high school that you wanted and deserved. I truly hope that you had the time of your life. If not, know that you can't change those moments or go back in time, but you can change the rest of your path and where life will take you.
When you look back some day in 10, 14, 20, 30, 45, 60 years on where your life has taken you, all the forks in the road, all the photographs, and all the twists and turns that you didn't even know would be there, I hope you look back without regret. Take chances, do things that aren't conventional, take that path that is less followed. I hope you truly have the time of your life.
I would like to leave you with a poem by Robert Frost. Most of you have read it or heard it at least onc, if not a few times in your life, The Road Less Traveled. Sometimes forks in the road will be there and there will really be only one way to go, but on a few occasions there will be two forks. When there are, go with the fork that doesn't seem to be the most withered, the most walked. Know that that path has been walked before by others but it has been awhile. Know that in the darkness you will find your way. Know that the road less traveled is often times the best path that you truly can choose.
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Remember from this day on, the path you choose is yours. Your parents, family, and teachers have gotten you this far and now it is your turn. Choose wisely and I hope you have the time of your life. Congratulations and good night!!
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Easter Bunny?
Yesterday was Easter and our first really hard questions about how "things" get in the house arose. Here is the conversation.
BigG (Big Girl): When is the Easter Bunny going to come?
BG (Big Grasshopper): He has already come...you got baskets?
BigG: Yes...but then how did he get in our house?
BG: Magic!
BigG: Magic? What kind of Magic?
BG: It is just magic.
BigG: Like Santa?
BG: Kinda...
BG looking at me, "You know this "magic" thing would be easier if there weren't Walmart tags on everything."
Me: "Yup....Walmart magic."
BigG (Big Girl): When is the Easter Bunny going to come?
BG (Big Grasshopper): He has already come...you got baskets?
BigG: Yes...but then how did he get in our house?
BG: Magic!
BigG: Magic? What kind of Magic?
BG: It is just magic.
BigG: Like Santa?
BG: Kinda...
BG looking at me, "You know this "magic" thing would be easier if there weren't Walmart tags on everything."
Me: "Yup....Walmart magic."
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Recycling
OK....So I do it...but I don't have to like it. I think recycling is ridiculous. Sorry to all my tree hugging friends but I really, really do. It is stupid that I stand at the sink rinsing out containers of syrup, peas, milk, etc. so that it can go in the trash? HUH? I mean...IT IS TRASH! I get it...I get that this trash that can be taken and turned back into whatever it was or done something else with, but why do I have to wash trash? I mean really....do you think it really matters if there is a pea stuck to the bottom of the pea can that is going to be sent to be melted down to make another pea can? Does it matter if my milk container has 1 drop of milk left? Really?
We live in a town that has one bin for recycling everything. They have some rules about what they will and won't recycle but that is complicated and time consuming so if it has a recycling logo on it I throw it in the bin and let someone else worry if it is a #2,4, 5 or something else. The only thing we don't put in there is glass and this is the one thing I wish they would recycle because it is the easiest (or so I have heard).
So why recycle? Does it even go to where they say it is going or do they just take it to the landfill and it is just supposed to make me feel better because I am "saving mother earth"? I don't really know....but I sure would like to find out.
Now until then.....excuse me...I have some peas to scrub out of my cans.
We live in a town that has one bin for recycling everything. They have some rules about what they will and won't recycle but that is complicated and time consuming so if it has a recycling logo on it I throw it in the bin and let someone else worry if it is a #2,4, 5 or something else. The only thing we don't put in there is glass and this is the one thing I wish they would recycle because it is the easiest (or so I have heard).
So why recycle? Does it even go to where they say it is going or do they just take it to the landfill and it is just supposed to make me feel better because I am "saving mother earth"? I don't really know....but I sure would like to find out.
Now until then.....excuse me...I have some peas to scrub out of my cans.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
National Geographic Boobies
My poor children - girls...I am sorry. You won't know this for a while (please God, not for a L-O-N-G while) but you will have National Geographic boobies some day just like your mommy (National Geographic boobies are the boobies from pictures of women I remember seeing in the 1970-1980's National Geographic. Normally The pictures were from Africa where the bra had apparently not been introduced or they have realized what we all know...bras are not comfortable, are designed by a man to make boobies do things they should not do, and should be burned when ever possible.).
How do I know the girls have no shot at small, pretty, perky boobies (unless they buy them)? The power of observation is amazing. I have big boobies, my mom is not small, Big Grasshopper's mom is on the larger size, and BG's sister also had big ones before she had them flopped, chopped and pulled up (I am so jealous by the way).
So there you have it. They have NO chance EVER to know what it is like to have small, pretty, perky boobies. One minute they will go from flat as a board to D size and not even hardly blink an eye. There will be no Victoria Secret, no pretty colors, no pretty patterns for them unless they are just starting out (oh who's kidding...I am never buying my children Victoria Secret bra's or pretty bra's for that matter). There will be plain white, nude, and black bra's in their futures. So how do you tell a 9-10 year old girl that one day she will have National Geographic boobies and she can never shop at Victoria Secret? That is one more question to add to my list of things to figure out before I have to explain puberty. (please Dear God, let that be a L-O-N-G time from now as well!)
How do I know the girls have no shot at small, pretty, perky boobies (unless they buy them)? The power of observation is amazing. I have big boobies, my mom is not small, Big Grasshopper's mom is on the larger size, and BG's sister also had big ones before she had them flopped, chopped and pulled up (I am so jealous by the way).
So there you have it. They have NO chance EVER to know what it is like to have small, pretty, perky boobies. One minute they will go from flat as a board to D size and not even hardly blink an eye. There will be no Victoria Secret, no pretty colors, no pretty patterns for them unless they are just starting out (oh who's kidding...I am never buying my children Victoria Secret bra's or pretty bra's for that matter). There will be plain white, nude, and black bra's in their futures. So how do you tell a 9-10 year old girl that one day she will have National Geographic boobies and she can never shop at Victoria Secret? That is one more question to add to my list of things to figure out before I have to explain puberty. (please Dear God, let that be a L-O-N-G time from now as well!)
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Rich Famous Men....Here We Go Again!
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/03/18/jesse.james.ppl/index.html?hpt=C2
So here we go again....Yesterday it was Tiger Woods, Charlie Sheen, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, etc...today it is Jessie James. When will beautiful women, ugly women, fat women, skinny women, funny women, hateful women, young women, old women, middle aged women, short women, tall women, christian women, agnostic women, faithful women, and any other women not covered in any of these catagories rise up and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!! This is getting ridiculous!! I know it is human nature these days to see and want, but when does taking a vowel and saying I love you, trust you, want to be with you, remind these men that you CAN'T have everything they want?!? (Thanks for letting me vent...go back to your regularly scheduled programming.)
So here we go again....Yesterday it was Tiger Woods, Charlie Sheen, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, etc...today it is Jessie James. When will beautiful women, ugly women, fat women, skinny women, funny women, hateful women, young women, old women, middle aged women, short women, tall women, christian women, agnostic women, faithful women, and any other women not covered in any of these catagories rise up and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!! This is getting ridiculous!! I know it is human nature these days to see and want, but when does taking a vowel and saying I love you, trust you, want to be with you, remind these men that you CAN'T have everything they want?!? (Thanks for letting me vent...go back to your regularly scheduled programming.)
Saturday, March 6, 2010
For The Best 5 Year Old Ever!
Dear Big Girl!
Wow! What a year you have had! It doesn't seem possible that you are 5. I feel like it was just yesterday when I was screaming at Dr. Hannah to get you out of my body. :) Your labor was probably the hardest thing I have ever been through physically in my life. I was in labor for 14 hours with 3 1/2 hours of pushing (some day you will know what that means). You changed my body and my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.
You have grown up so much this year. You are not my timid little girl any more. I think you will always be more reserved than Little Lady, but you definitely are not a scared one that is going to sit on the side lines while everyone else is having fun. You are always going to be in the thick of things, you just won't be as vocal about it.
You know most of your letters and can spell anything I tell you letters for. You are starting to put together letters with sounds and I know it won't be long before you are learning to read. You can count to 20 and can count to 100 with help. You know all of your colors and shapes. You can write your first and last name without help, your sister's name, mommy, and daddy. You love spelling and writing. You always want paper and pen or pencil to write and love doing crafty things.
You love watching TV and playing on the Wii. You are so good at the Wii and have even beaten me a few times at bowling (sad I know). You also love making a tent, hiding so I can find you, playing baby and reading books. You love playing outside, riding your scooter and bike, writing with chalk, and blowing bubbles.
You love Nylah. I think that has been the biggest surprise I have had since getting Nylah. You love picking her up, carrying her around, and having her lay on you when you are on the couch. You wish she would sleep with you at night but complain she makes too much noise and snores. :)
You are becoming such a big helper. You are good at putting the silver ware away and doing small chores like feeding the dog and putting your laundry away in the right drawer. You don't like helping all of the time to pick up the messes you make but you are trying harder to help when asked.
You are so ready to go to Kindergarten that you can't stand it. You thought when you got your shots back in September that you could go the next day. When I told you that I had registered you for kindergarten you thought you would go tomorrow. You are going to have a blast...and I am going to miss you something terrible. We found out that you won't be going to the elementary that is near our house but one that is across town. I pray you don't know the difference and will have fun no matter where you end up.
You have become a little girl that I adore and admire. You are thoughtful with your sister and loving with the people around you. You are so smart and I am SO proud. I miss holding you, kissing your little head, and those sweet little moments that I had with you when you were little. You aren't little anymore and that alone kills me. I know this is the journey of life and I can't turn back time but I wish I had a few more of those moments. Those cuddle moments are becoming less and less and I know before long you won't even want to have me in the same room. That will also be a part of our journey. But for now, I will hold on to the moments that you sit in my lap and we have cuddle time together. I will also cherish more the moments that you let me help you and do things for you because that too, I am sad to say, will be going away before long.
I love you my girl! I love you more than life. I love you like I love breathing. I LOVE YOU from head to toe and in between. Your my baby that isn't a baby...just don't grow up too fast. It is already killing me that you are 5!
My prayer for you is that each day you don't take yourself too seriously, you learn that you are so special, and that no matter what mommy and daddy are right behind you cheering you on.
Happy Birthday Big Girl! You are the best! :)
Wow! What a year you have had! It doesn't seem possible that you are 5. I feel like it was just yesterday when I was screaming at Dr. Hannah to get you out of my body. :) Your labor was probably the hardest thing I have ever been through physically in my life. I was in labor for 14 hours with 3 1/2 hours of pushing (some day you will know what that means). You changed my body and my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.
You have grown up so much this year. You are not my timid little girl any more. I think you will always be more reserved than Little Lady, but you definitely are not a scared one that is going to sit on the side lines while everyone else is having fun. You are always going to be in the thick of things, you just won't be as vocal about it.
You know most of your letters and can spell anything I tell you letters for. You are starting to put together letters with sounds and I know it won't be long before you are learning to read. You can count to 20 and can count to 100 with help. You know all of your colors and shapes. You can write your first and last name without help, your sister's name, mommy, and daddy. You love spelling and writing. You always want paper and pen or pencil to write and love doing crafty things.
You love watching TV and playing on the Wii. You are so good at the Wii and have even beaten me a few times at bowling (sad I know). You also love making a tent, hiding so I can find you, playing baby and reading books. You love playing outside, riding your scooter and bike, writing with chalk, and blowing bubbles.
You love Nylah. I think that has been the biggest surprise I have had since getting Nylah. You love picking her up, carrying her around, and having her lay on you when you are on the couch. You wish she would sleep with you at night but complain she makes too much noise and snores. :)
You are becoming such a big helper. You are good at putting the silver ware away and doing small chores like feeding the dog and putting your laundry away in the right drawer. You don't like helping all of the time to pick up the messes you make but you are trying harder to help when asked.
You are so ready to go to Kindergarten that you can't stand it. You thought when you got your shots back in September that you could go the next day. When I told you that I had registered you for kindergarten you thought you would go tomorrow. You are going to have a blast...and I am going to miss you something terrible. We found out that you won't be going to the elementary that is near our house but one that is across town. I pray you don't know the difference and will have fun no matter where you end up.
You have become a little girl that I adore and admire. You are thoughtful with your sister and loving with the people around you. You are so smart and I am SO proud. I miss holding you, kissing your little head, and those sweet little moments that I had with you when you were little. You aren't little anymore and that alone kills me. I know this is the journey of life and I can't turn back time but I wish I had a few more of those moments. Those cuddle moments are becoming less and less and I know before long you won't even want to have me in the same room. That will also be a part of our journey. But for now, I will hold on to the moments that you sit in my lap and we have cuddle time together. I will also cherish more the moments that you let me help you and do things for you because that too, I am sad to say, will be going away before long.
I love you my girl! I love you more than life. I love you like I love breathing. I LOVE YOU from head to toe and in between. Your my baby that isn't a baby...just don't grow up too fast. It is already killing me that you are 5!
My prayer for you is that each day you don't take yourself too seriously, you learn that you are so special, and that no matter what mommy and daddy are right behind you cheering you on.
Happy Birthday Big Girl! You are the best! :)
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