My Light

Today my oldest niece turned fourteen. I can hardly believe it! Sometimes it seems like yesterday when I looked into those big blue eyes for the first time. I would run into my Mom's house, where they lived, after I was done with work saying "Where's the baby?" I would hear the colic scream and say "Oh, good-bye baby!" Other times it's hard for me to remember that she ever was that small!

Ashlyn was the first Grandchild and niece on our side of the family. To say she was doted on would be a huge understatement. She was rather rotten between the ages of two and four, probably because of it, but thankfully she grew out of it. That more than likely occurred when her younger sisters started appearing on the scene and she wasn't the "center" anymore. However, people would comment about how she moved between all of us with such ease, and it's true. She was very comfortable being with any one of us, because she new how much she was loved. She is still that way, while the other kids "belong" more to their parents, Ash has always been joint property. :)

Ashlyn knows how much she meant to Grandma Ruthie, they were like two peas in a pod. She knows how much she means to Ti-Ti, because she'll always be Ti-Ti's baby. Uncle Jerry? Well, he puts up a good front, but she knows. :) Aunt Jenny loves her enough for them both anyway. Uncle Tom has probably forgiven her for trying to kick him out of his own wedding....... ( Screams of MY TI-TI and MY WEDDING filling the church) I'm fairly certain she knows I love her, because I tell her all the time, as I do the others. What she doesn't know is this.

Ashlyn Arlene, you are the light of my life. I used to tell you that when you were a baby and a very young toddler all of the time. You know my story, well a good part anyway (you still have to be older for the rest), and times have not always been easy. It was then that I held you, then that I played with you, then that I dragged you kicking and screaming out of Target. :) No matter what hell I was living at the time you were the one bright spot I could hold onto.

It's hard to pick a favorite memory, there are just so many! It's possibly when we took you to the circus. Watching you skip down the sidewalk, holding Uncle Steve's hand, in your navy blue dress, long red ponytail boppin' along. You were so happy and excited, and I was just happy being a part of it! That or when you had the divorce talk with me in Grandma's car, assuring me that I'd be o.k. :) I think you were four. Oh lets not forget when you conned a trip to Santa and then refusing to go near him, and dissed the reindeer, which were in fact real.... Oh, or the time when you were slamming your bedroom door continually at Grandma's in a fit over something. I walked in and heard three or four slams, bellowed "Ashlyn Arlene slam it one more time and I'm coming in there!" and all we hear is the door open and then click shut softly. Surprised to find out I had arrived were you? lol See, just too many to pick from. Remember standing 45 minutes for the hayride? Good times. :) ♫ The man with the hairy scary chest. ♫

Ashlyn is still the light of my life. I love hearing about what she's doing, what she's learning, what she's reading, and what she's writing. Although our personalities are very different we tend to like the same things. We spent two hours just hanging out at Perkins last spring after her orchestra concert. It's wonderful being able to have some grown up talk time, although I've never been anything other than straight with her. Words can not describe the glee I felt watching a young gentleman desperately try to get her attention. You know you like him, you KNOW it. (just kidding)

It has been so exciting and fulfilling to watch her grow, this little red devil child, into a strong, (semi) confident young woman. I'm very blessed to have had a hand in her upbringing. She starts at the High School on Wednesday, and for her shier self I know it has to be tough. I have no worries though, I know she'll do fine. Plus, I am one minute away. ONE MINUTE! :) Two if I get lost in the circle. The point is, no matter what, no matter where, I'm there.

So Happy Birthday my boo-boo bunny, rojo diablo, baby pig nose! No matter what the nickname you are still, and always will be, the light of my life!

All my love, Auntie Pig Nose ♥

Goover Girls

If I can ever get the picture to LOAD on here, you will see the goover girls. :) It is not the most flattering pic to be sure, but there we are! Ashlyn is the teenager behind me, attempting to not be taller, Caitibug is the littlest on my left and Hannah is the goover with the missing teeth on my right. They belong to my youngest brother David, and his wife Elise.

The name goover comes from last Christmas time, when Caitlin was trying to upset her oldest sister by calling her a goober. It came out "Ashlyn is a goover, Ashlyn is a goover!" Hannah gleefully joined in, so I started calling both little girls "goovers", and it stuck. I have included myself and Ash in the title "Goover Girls", but WE know who the real goovers are!

Yesterday was my last half day Friday of the summer! This means, dear readers that the summer is almost over. I began them Memorial Day weekend and ran them through the end of August. It's nice to have enough vacation to do something like that, and it really doesn't take too much if you just use half days. Who would have thought at the beginning of June that this is probably my last summer working for the Y? After next May there very possibly wont even be a Y daycare in Superior anymore. Twenty five years down the drain, twenty two of them belonging to me. Alas, not the subject of THIS blog.

My half Fridays have been full of fun, family, and relaxing. Only one of them was a bad day, but I'm grateful I was home to handle things, instead of waiting to get out of work to deal with it. The best one was actually the whole Friday I took in June, where my entire family went to the zoo. That needs to be an annual outing! The most fun I think I had was yesterday, on my last day, with the goovers.

For Caitibugs birthday I gave her a picnic set. Real dishes, cups, silverware, and place mats in a pink tote. Perfect for playtime, but able to transition into the real thing if you want, and want she did. "Auntie, when can we go on a picnic?" So the girls packed a picnic and I stopped over at their house after my last half Friday at work. I had bubbles and a bug catcher in tow, and they had the usual picnic fare packed up in the tote. We didn't travel to a local park, they are so crowded at lunch time with the summer lunch program and the park and rec programs. We settled right down on the backyard picnic table. The little goovers helped me set the table and pass out lunch.

So my last half day Friday was spent having a goover picnic! Lots of talking about the new school year coming up, I can't believe they'll all be in school this year. Ashlyn at the high school no less. There was hornet killing, chocolate and pb bugles, soccer challenges, bike riding, bug catching that turned into slug catching, and bubble wars!

The best quote of the afternoon was Hannah's..... "The bubble army is going to ATTACK....your kitten." ♥ Thanks for a great time goover girls!!

Baby Steps

Toward the end of nap time at the daycare today I picked up my yellow writing pad and a pencil. Usually that means a blog is bursting to get out of my head. This time, to my surprise, it was a character in one of the stories forming in my brain trying for her chance in the limelight! Ok then, here we go!

I have known this gal for years, and somewhere in this house there is the start of her novel. It could be with some old writing I have in a box deep in the closet. I thought maybe it was on this computer, but that's a totally different story. Now I'm afraid it was on my old computer. Not really a big deal, I know how it's supposed to go. Actually I know how most of the story goes. Learning how to take the storytelling skills I have and putting them into an actual book is going to be the difficult part.

So I spent about ten minutes sketching out some of the other characters that I didn't really have a good handle on up until today, and the story took on a little more depth in my mind. I guess you could say I have taken the first baby step toward giving her story it's wings! It's very exciting, and at the same time absolutely terrifying. Ah who cares? I know I can do this if I put my mind to it and find a little discipline. If I'm the only one who likes the finished product, well.... so be it. At least I can say that I gave it a try, and it certainly wont be the first (or last) time I've fallen flat. :)

Coffee

"Variety is the spice of life." ~ William Cowper

I will admit I had to google it to find the author of that particular quote. Now I'm curious as to just who this gentleman is, so I guess I'll be doing a little reading as I write this noon. Ok, he's an English poet, and here's the actual quote.

"Variety is the very spice of life. That gives all it's flavor." That's even better!

Today we'll be having some "coffee talk". Don't worry, I wont get "verclempt" or ask you to "talk amongst yourselves." No where other than here will Barbara be mentioned. This is a blog about actual coffee!

I am addicted to coffee. I have no problem admitting it. You don't want to deal with me on a morning without it. Hell, I don't even want to deal with me on a morning without it! As far as addictions go, having dealt with people battling other things, I'll take this one thanks. It's warm and flavorful, and helps me keep up with 16 four and five year old children at 8 am Monday through Friday. Although, at work I have to lower myself to drink "Maxwell House". It's barely acceptable, and usually way too bitter (that's due to who's making it, not the brand), but when I have weekday coffee it isn't for enjoyment, it's for the caffeine.

The weekends are another story. I look forward to planning my weekend coffee. I'm an odd duck, I know, but it's the little things in life that get you through. Every time I'm at the grocery store I check the little coffee packet samples to see if something new and exciting has arrived, or if an old favorite has returned. My all time favorite? Toasted Southern Pecan. Nothing has topped it in all these years. The very first flavor I ever tried? Chocolate Raspberry. That's my old standby if nothing else appeals. Summertime brings raspberry and blueberry, and I look forward to them all winter long. Fall brings pumpkin spice, and if I'm lucky I'll snag some Cranberry around Christmas. In the dead of winter I usually treat myself to new flavors that will break up the monotony of winter existence around here.

I was raised on "Folgers". My Dad could make the best cup of coffee ever. I'm still not sure how he did it, honestly I think they've changed the "recipe". If you try to make that brand as strong as he did it will just be bitter. In fact, I asked work to stop buying it a few years back. I probably drink the most coffee, and it was literally eating me from the inside out. I thought it was an ulcer, which would have been understandable at the time....but it only happened at work. Again, understandable.... However, I traced it to the coffee. We changed to "Maxwell House" and no more "ulcer".

I have been drinking coffee since I was a child. My Grandma Meys lived next door, and she would pretty much give you anything you wanted. :) If I wanted a cup of coffee, I had a cup. Back then it was full of milk and sugar though. I was probably seven or eight when I started that, and my parents were none the wiser at the time. I started drinking coffee with my dad when I was a teenager, although my caffeine in those days mostly came from "Coke".

So yes, I'm a coffee snob. I also drink, and enjoy a good cup of tea. Yes, I have flavored teas too, but nothing beats "Lipton" with honey in my book. I live on iced tea in the summer, and that's straight up, maybe a lemon slice, but no sugar. Oh, my coffee is straight up too. I don't add cream, or sugar. I have tried flavored creamers, and they're ok, but nothing like the taste of flavored coffee. Oh, and I also confess to owning an espresso machine. :) Although it's a bit dusty at the moment.

So, I guess coffee is the variety, or spice, in my life. At least the pg version of my life. ;) What's yours?

Lemonade

Awhile back I wrote a blog entitled "Changes". I (who incidentally hate change) changed the name of my blog, the look of my blog, and the focus of my blog. In that particular piece, and perhaps in a few others I mentioned that I could feel change a comin'. It has been creeping up on me for some time now. I couldn't tell what, or when, but it has been doggin' my steps for months.

The last blog I wrote (Wow) was joking about the wishes I've made recently that have almost immediately come true. So after joking with you that I should play the lottery, I instead went to work the next day and hand to God, this is what I said to Tom and Christy on the playground. "I need something to happen with my work situation. Things have to change. It could be good fortune for others to take them out of my path in life, or something good for me to move me along. I don't care." I need to start putting duct tape over my mouth!

The very next day we are all pulled into a meeting, half staff at a time, with "Y" staff coming over to help cover us. This is highly irregular. So much so it has only happened one other time, in the 22 years I have been there, for a health insurance meeting. The point? The university is evicting us, and every other business in the building. Their dorm capacity is full, and the two dorm buildings left with business' in them have to be converted back to dorms before they can build new ones. There isn't much concrete information at this point, but the rumors were flying, so admin needed to let us in on it.

From what I understand, we have until June 2011 when our lease runs out. So my full time/full benefit job will exist until then. A task force is being formed to go over options from there. I assume they have three choices: Add on, rent new space, fold 'er up. The answers to those questions will come from the board, and wont arrive until the new year.

So now it is hard decision time for me. I heard the footsteps of change and here it is. While I am surprisingly sad, I know it's just a grief thing you normally go through with any "loss". What is really bothering me is that I have to make good choices that will keep a roof over my head, and staying in this profession is very possibly not an option. Benefits at any other center just aren't going to happen. People pay good money for daycare, but fail to realize that the teachers aren't getting much of it. As a business in general it is rarely a money maker. Home daycare is the way to go if you want to make the cash, but is so NOT an option for me. I'd go nuts. However, this is what I do, and I'm damn good at it.

To quote my favorite brown eyed man: "It's all good". At least I have some time. I guess my first decision is: Ride the ride til it's over, or get while the gettin' is good. Life has just dumped a big ol pile of lemons in my front yard. Anyone for a nice cool glass of lemonade? Now, where is that bottle of vodka???

Wow

Last week I wondered about the Scholastic book order mags coming in so I could get them ready for fall.........and not 10 minutes later my boss hands them to me. Something else like that happened the next day and I said to Tom, my assistant, that perhaps I should direct my wishes toward bigger things!

Well, if you read the snow day post, I did not want to close on Monday and lo and behold power to the entire college went off, shutting down the daycare for the day. I have been complaining (on facebook, I haven't blogged about the hillbillies yet) about my next door neighbors, and since I'm big on doing instead of griping, I've just about saved enough to move away from them. Although I do love my neighborhood and my apartment. They just drive me banana's backwards. When I got home from work today there is a FOR SALE sign in their front yard!!!

I think it is time to start playing the lottery! (secretly listening for the other shoe)

Snow Day!

Yes, I know it's August. No, it isn't snowing.

Yesterday I woke up to the sound of the telephone at 7:15 in the morning. I usually work at 8, but was filling in for someone and was going to work the 10-6 shift. I appreciate the late start, but not so much the staying til the end part. Although when I was younger I loved that shift. I closed three nights a week for most of my first ten year stint at the daycare. So back to the phone call. "We're putting you on stand-by. There's no power at the daycare. It has been out since 2am, and they don't know when it will be back on."

What? No work? Could it be possible? This is Monday right? This just does not happen. Even when the north wind blows and schools close, this almost never happens. It has to be a blizzard of major proportions to cause a snow day at the daycare!

I had my alarm set for 9am, although I had already been up at 6:30 when Leon left for work and the animals immediately demanded breakfast. (Why can't they ever ask him?) This was my sleep in Monday, so of course, like any child who is anticipating school closing, I couldn't go back to sleep. I lie awake giddy, dreaming of the possibilities!

At some point I dozed off, then the alarm woke me at nine. Hmmm..... no one has called back yet. Could it be? I called the daycare, no answer. I called a co-worker. No firm close yet, still waiting. Waiting for what? The parents had all been called, no one could even go in the building. Chances are they had to either stay home or find other care for the kids. Rats. Evil.

So I got dressed, ate, and watched a little of the Today Show. Kathy Lee gets more irritating every time I see her. I don't know how her co-anchor refrains from choking the life out of her. Now it's 10 minutes til my shift starts. I call my co-worker again, and she calls the boss. The ticks of the minute hand on the clock are loud in my head. It feels just like early winter mornings as a kid. Staring into the cool darkness, hearing the wind howling through the eaves while you listen to the clock radio as the dj runs down the list of local school closings.

The phone rings. YES!! No daycare today! Immediately the work shirt comes off, the tank top goes on, I grab my keys and head for the car. A good friend just happens to be visiting for a few days and there is girl talk, coffee, and banana bread waiting for me on Lisa's patio! Unfortunately I forgot to put on my sunscreen. :( I have quite a burn on my shoulders and upper arms, even though I was sitting under the umbrella. I don't recall THAT ever happening on a snow day before!

References

When I began writing this blog months ago it was supposed to be kind of an internet dating "How NOT to", tip blog. I shared some stories about my foray into the horror that is online dating, and tried to stick my toes into the murky pool once more. It didn't take too long for me to realize that isn't what I wanted to write about, or what I wanted to do, but I still do have some good stories, and excellent tips to share. I guess if someone could benefit from my mistakes then I should continue to share.

I had to go back and check to see where I was on the tips, and I will review them for you now. They all have stories attached to them, but for that you'll have to go back to the start of the blog and check it out!

1. Meet fairly quickly face to face.
2. Always meet somewhere neutral and very public.
3. Always have an "out".
4. Hold back on the personal info until your gut tells you it's o.k.
5. If his profile says "self employed" 8 chances out of 10 it's really UNemployed.
6. Keep moving if there is no pic posted. That goes for blurry, or far away pics too!

Bringing us to tip number 7! When you find out his last name start sharing it with people you know. In other words, CHECK REFERENCES!

I haven't brought you up to speed with my stories to get you from May 2007- now, but lets just say I LOVE this tip. I'm going to use Leon as an example, because when we met in 2008 he is the first guy I used it on. When I mentioned his last name to a friend her husband brought up the fact that his Mom owned a business with Leon's Mom years prior. I also knew from conversations he and I had that Leon used to work with a guy I know, and who's opinion I trust. Two phone calls were placed, and excellent references were shared. :) They were right, by the way.

If you have any way at all to check "references" use it! My friend Lisa just met this guy a few weeks back. I mentioned to a mutual friend "Ted" that Lisa was seeing "Pablo Valdez". I did not like the look on "Ted's" face, or the way he repeated the name "Pablo Valdez." I looked him deep in the eye and said "Spill it, and spill it now." He was reluctant, but shared the facts that: A. Pablo is very "clingy", and B. Pablo tends to be VERY moody. Coming from a man, those are probably understatements.

So I shared what I knew with Lisa as soon as I could. It turns out she was getting some odd vibes from the guy, and what I told her confirmed what her gut was already screaming. So after two outings it was done. I must tell you that she was with some friends of his a few nights after ending things, and the group was talking about "Pablo Valdez". All of the sudden things got quiet and one of them said to Lisa. "Oh, you're the one." "One what?" "The one who broke Pablo's heart."

Yes, after two meetings she broke his heart. What a gal! Dodged a bullet with that one. One of his pals, who is actually married, can't believe that a woman wouldn't want someone who was "clingy". That might work for some, but definitely not for Lisa. So if anyone out there is looking for a clingy, moody, possible stalker, have I got the guy for you!

Tater

We have a little spud in our family who goes by the name of Tater. I can only imagine how she got the nickname. I think it's a spin off of her actual name, which is Caitlin. I don't usually use that nickname though, I prefer Caitibug, or just bug for short.

Tater is turning five tomorrow, and she will be joining her older sister Hannah at Lake Superior Elementary in the fall. Yes, our baby is going to Kindergarten! Cierra is also going to kindergarten, but she is not technically the baby of the family. The girls are exactly one month apart in age. So there are no more Meys family babies. That is a sad thing. I tried to plead my case that perhaps they should try for just one more..... but that fell on deaf ears. Ok, there were actual swear words and the polite suggestion that I have my own baby if I like them so much. :) Elise and David are young though, so I still hold out hope!

What can I say about Caitlin Ruthmarie? She was named (middle) for her Grandmother, and looks very similar to Grandma Ruthie at the same age. The only child who does out of all of us. She does not, however, act like her. Tater's Grandma Nancy seems to think she is the payback owed to Elise for all the trouble she herself caused as a youngster. Nancy is probably right. I love listening to the "Tater" stories. One day when she was two/three she came into their living room singing ABC's, swinging a large knife her father had accidentally left out in the kitchen. There are murals of permanent black marker on walls/furniture, it is her favorite medium.

My favorite memory of Tater is the first time I ever spent any time alone with her. She would have been two or three days old, and had just come home from the hospital. Ash, Hannah and Elise were all napping, and I was looking out for the baby. Such a tiny peanut that I held in my arms, and we talked of many things. Then she pooped, and I panicked because it had been some time since I changed that tiny of a diaper. I didn't want to wake Elise, so we muddled through it, Caitibug and I. Snuggled back together to finish our chat, and she did it again! Troublemaker.

The day I actually met her for the first time there was a tornado warning, which are rare here. Omen? Perhaps. There is another side to her though, that is so sweet it brings tears to your (well my...and that's hard to do) eyes. Sometimes she will send me a surprise picture in the mail, which I love! The last time she was here she came right up to me and gave me a rose. It was just the very top of the flower, in bud form. I kissed her and put it in water right away. Turns out she had snapped it off of some flowers her mother had gotten and stowed it away to give to me. First her mother knew of it was when she saw it floating in my dish. Hahahahaha

Happy 5th Birthday Caitlin! My wild, wonderful, willful, sweetheart child! You are going to set this world on fire, and Auntie Jo will always be right in the front row cheering you on! All my love always little bug. ♥