Good Surprises!

Life is full of surprises. I like surprises but it's hard to surprise me. My analytic brain picks up on little things and I usually figure things out even when I don't want to. It does challenge me though to put a considerable amount of thought into the surprises I give to other people.

I have told Tommie that she does not need and can not have a cell phone until she starts Junior High. She's a really great kid, she rarely asked for one. But I would like her to have one in the event I ever become employed. I thought it would be a big surprise for her birthday and I put it in a huge box filled with peanuts and wrapped it. While she unwrapped it, I called it. I thought she'd know immediately what it was and go ballistic on the box but I forgot ring tones are not universal and I think she dared not to hope. With extreme puzzlement she dug and dug as I continued to call it. Daddy ruined my fun though and encouraged her to dump out the peanuts. When she finally found it, there was a look of sheer amazement on her face and I got to be the hero, if only for a minute. It's those brief minutes of appreciation and the few times when the kids actually make the right choices that give me a sense of gratification. Yeah! Here's to the tough times of parenting, it can be worth it!

How does your garden grow?

This is the middle stages of our garden. When you could actually see rows of things. As it stands right now, the zucchini have blossomed into giant green forests, the pumpkins have threatened to take over the entire garden, literally crawling feet everyday. Ironically, we have 2 pumpkin plants and one giant pumpkin on each. One for each kid. The tomato plants have become 3 foot high bushes with more green bulbs than Christmas trees. I hope the weather will just keep warm enough a little longer so they can ripen. We harvested enough beans to get us most of the way through the winter. I hadn't expected much from our fortress because although we brought in topsoil and fertilized, the fact is, the ground in Herriman is a very fine combination of rock and clay and not to mention being overrun by grasshoppers.

I have been pleasantly surprised by the abundance and variety of veggies. But it's not just the fresh, organic vegetables I am serving at the table, it's the "everything" that has come with it. The kids outside with their eyes aglow looking for the first sprigs, helping me weed, checking the plants, learning when to pick and ultimately tasting the fruits of our labor. The best is always right off plant, dirt and all. Often times, the sour face and "yuck" are enough to make me giggle.

Of course a certain amount of satisfaction comes from a fruitful garden and a beautiful yard but even more than that, it's been a place of solitude for me. A place to reflect, to think, or sometimes just NOT think. But the very best part for me is, bringing back loving memories of my grandpa. As an engineer, everything in his garden was perfect and I don't ever remember seeing a single weed, perhaps because he was always working out there. He was so animated and excited when we started gardening at our home in Sandy and I could always count on him to help me with a bug problem or tell me some new method he'd come up with. Reminiscing about it always brings warmth and a broad warm smile to my face. So, even though the season is not over, it has already been successful enough to anticipate the adjustments I am planning for next year.

Twinkies

Given my history, you might actually think this post has nothing to do with Twinkies, but ah ha! I got you, IT IS about the all-American, sweet cream filled, moist golden, could sit in the west desert for a year and not go bad because it's so filled with scary preservatives that I can't even pronounce them, snack. Twinkies in itself is such a funny word that there was nothing else to call this particular post. I have a joke with a good friend of mine who is sadly moving away to California...about yes, Twinkies. And of course there is nothing better to send a friend away with than good memories. So I as I stood dutifully in the store to buy Twinkies it occurred to me that I had no idea where to look for them. It was then that I realized, I've never bought a box of Twinkies in my life. Really, never? Really, never. I bought 3. Two for a Twinkie dessert which I have lovingly named Redneck Delight (just add fried chicken, instant mashed potatoes and gravy from a jar) and one for my friend to take on the road. I think that I have fulfilled my quota for Twinkie purchases for the rest of my life.

Semi-annual Review

Well look at that, it's July, five months since my last post, I don't have a job after all, and there is still dog hair in the corners of the house, I border consistently on not enough sleep (thank heavens for Xyng). But all is not lost, I'm glad to see that I haven't disappointed my last resolution of breaking my resolutions. So in review, it's been a start to another successful year!

Civil War

I recently took a full time position. Doing something virtually new to me...foreign so to speak. I start in late March, I am hoping for the 22nd. This has pros like...getting a steady paycheck, having insurance, not staring at my floor knowing it needs vacuuming at two in the afternoon and cons like...not being here when the kids are done with school, losing out on my Tuesday morning golf league and dealing with office politics and drama. Perhaps though, the biggest con is the fact that I will not be able to blog at 2am without serious drawbacks and my 5 times a week at the gym at 8:45 am will now have to be at 5:45 am. Yes, I did say 5:45, this is where the civil war has occurred. Anyone can tell you I am NOT a morning person. I would rather walk across hot coals on my way to the dentist, carrying a half dozen porcupines on my back than get up before the sun...you get the picture. In preparation for this, my body has gone into rebellion. I fall asleep at horrible hours, I can't get up and I am sleepy half way through the day. I keep thinking to myself, I should start getting up earlier and gradually work my way into this. But take last night for example, I actually went to bed around 10:30. When 7:30 rolled around I pulled the covers over my head and by 2:00 this afternoon I was ready for a nap! Seriously!

Goal Setting

Good grief, where does the time go? 2010 resolutions- 1. Try posting a blog update more often than every 2 months although since Tracy is the only one who reads it may be I should just call her on the phone and let her know what's new. 2. Spend more quality time with the kids. So what if they'd rather play their Nintendo game, force the issue and make them like it! 3. Figure out what to do with my life. Should I know what I want to be when I grow up yet? Is there a job out there that I can like what I do, work minimal hours and make maximum money? I need to find that job. 4. Clean house, after all Superbowl is coming up again and I need to get the dog hair out of the corners so people don't see how we really live. 5. Get some sleep. Maybe then I wouldn't be so ornery. No, then I'll just be well rested and grumpy. 6. Break all my resolutions and try again next year.

Chapter 17

The past is such a funny thing. When I think about mine, I wonder why I didn't apply myself in school, I wonder why I wasted so much time in front of the mirror and I wonder what I was thinking when I made some of those fabulous choices. I really don't give my younger persona much credit because let's face it, kids are just plain self absorbed and inexperienced.

The other day I was digging around for an old picture for a friend and I found something I wrote in 1988. I was surprised at how intuitive it was.

A person's chronological age is not nearly as important as how he sees himself. You can be full in years but young in spirit. How you see yourself is often related to what you do with yourself, and what you do with yourself is often related to how you feel. Although, age has it's compensations you can increase your quality of enjoyment for you are rich in experience. The most important thing is not just to add years to life, but to add life to your years.

Not quite sure what to think about my 17 year old self but maybe I need to take some of my own advice!