15th Birthday Pics

Letter to My Daughter on her 15th Birthday

Dear Willow (a/k/a Willow-Bean; a/k/a Beanie-Baby; a/k/a Twerp2; a/k/a Huggle-Squish):

It is amazing how our relationship changes with time.  The most amazing part of being your mother is watching you mature and change and slowly find yourself as the individual that you will become. 

The past few years have been tough, and being a teenager is so fraught with so many obstacles and stumbling blocks, and battling Depression and Anxiety adds such a heavy burden to you that I worry you will break from the weight.  But, like the Willow Tree, you bend, but do not break. Even in the darkness, I have seen your light.  Even in the worst of times, I have seen your resilience. I wish I could lift your burdens, but part of growing up and becoming an adult is having to struggle through these things.  I hope that I am at least a safe harbor for you.

I have found that we have reached a new level in our mother-daughter time, where we have become more like friends and co-conspirators in life. I like being able to share adventures large and small with you.  I love how you have ambitions to travel (with and without me) and take in what the world has to offer.  I love your eclectic and adventurous nature that peaks through the gloom and self-doubt.

And the more you grow, the more often I see bits of myself and your father in you--your sense of humor and over-the-top (and sometimes inappropriate) declarations and statements---obviously more of your father.  Your sense of empathy and macabre sensibilities--I see myself reflected in you.

I hope that this next year, the clouds begin to lift for you and that this coming year is one that gives you as much love, light, wisdom and adventure as there can be.

I will always love you!

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30 Years...

Seems like a long time, yet it also seems like a blink in our eyes.  Sometimes I can barely remember those college years when we met--its all a blur of sights, sounds, tastes, emotions.  When you are first in love it is like a HUGE upheaval in your life.  Everything revolves around your emotions and your time with that person is so limited and limitless.  I remember thirsting to have enough time to be with Chewy.  I remember hurting so much when we had to be apart.  

It seems so naïve/desperate/love struck/YOUNG....

Now, we go about our days, sometimes feeling like we go from one crisis to the next...or, if we are lucky, the daily grind makes the days and weeks swim past us while we just go about our lives.

It is nice sometimes to be able to take a breath and stand still for a bit...and just BE with the person you have spent more than 30 years with....

And that is what we did a few weekends ago...

Coincidence or Luck...

This week has been a doozy...but it has also been one of those times when things kinda fell into place for a reason...so, is it coincidence or luck?

• Last Sunday, we saw a rat leaving our basement...and realized that they had burrowed a hole into our foundation....

• Which meant that we went down into the basement and cleaned up the huge pile of laundry (sending some to wash/fold) putting the overflow into a couple of plastic storage tubs...
• Meanwhile, Willow was out sick most of the week, seeming to get better, then towards the end of the week she started having coughing spasms (sinus infection suspected)....
• Which meant that we were up at 2-3 a.m. trying to help her out and overall distracting her with television...
• Which meant that we heard some type of thump/bump/crash in the basement...
• (which we ignored for about half an hour...for me, because I thought I mis-heard where it came from...and if it was in the basement--rats??)....
• Which meant that we then discovered half an hour later that we had no hot water...
• Which that we went downstairs to the basement to find a burst pipe to the water heater, spraying water everywhere....

The conclusion of it all is:

Because we had moved the clothes into tubs, most of them did not get wet;

Because we were up early with a sick child, we stopped the water from flooding our basement and only ended up with about an inch or so of water.

A side benefit is that the basement has needed to be organized, and now the water restoration people have moved all our stuff into a nice pile (the downside is how much it will cost...but we won't focus on that right now, shall we??)

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Now that things are stable, Chewy and I are going to get away for a day to enjoy celebrating our 30th Wedding Anniversary...so, lets hope the kids can keep the house from falling apart for one day/night!!

Ending with a cute picture of Lucifer!