So Fast

Alexis Katherine. My niece. Born on September 24, 1991 at 10:13pm. She used to ask me to tell her about the day she was born and then she would listen eagerly as though she hadn't heard the story a million times before. Today is her last day of High School. Where did the time go? And how did it go so quickly? As I type, memories are flooding through my mind. The lifetime of an angel. Our heart-to-hearts. Trips to the park. Sleepovers. Our own amazement at our similarities. Walking along the beach. Reading her stories. Pulling her sled. Taking her pictures... hundreds and hundreds of pictures. Making her a hideous yellow outfit- and then watching her wear it with pride (poor thing!) All of the times people mistook me for her mother... even when her mother was standing next to me. And the fact that she and I have simply gotten used to sharing eachother's names. She's this amazing, amazing kid. Except she's not a kid anymore. So where did the last 18 years go? It just wasn't that long ago. I won't lie- it's hard to watch her pack up her childhood years and march into the next phase of life. But isn't this what my sister has spent the last 18 years preparing her for? To me, Alex has always seemed like a little piece of her Mom- also this completely incredible person. And so there's absolutely no concern or worry about where she'll go in life. And whatever she does- she'll do it with passion. Besides, her excitement is downright contagious. So what's there to be sad about?
I just hope I didn't miss too much... Congrats Ali. xoxo

A weekend reunion...

Corey Lake. It was the place we went every summer- at least twice a summer- along with 2 other families (and usually more). It was exactly what you picture when you think of summer lake trips: Old cottages. Fishing. Paddle boating. Skiing. Bonfires. Lots of laughter. And not a worry in the world. It was an amazing set of friendships and we made our own rulebook. It was the kind where 11-yr-olds have suprpise birthday parties at the local pub... and campfire songs glorified alcohol and were littered with profanity. And despite the stark contrast from the rest our lives- it was never, ever, anything less than innocent. Or maybe it was just us who were completely innocent.

Either way, the owners of the cabin's stopped renting and life happened and over time and distance, we all lost touch. We still saw one another at weddings or funerals or other such special occasions from time to time- but we never got the whole group together for the simple purpose of reconnecting with eachother. And last night, well- we did. And it was fabulous.

The next generation of kiddo's had never even met one another- but you'd never have known it. They all got along beautifully together from the word go... not so different from us, when we were little. (Though we're definately a little more, eh-hem, "protective" of the little one's now) :)

After an awesome evening of reminescing (and a rediculous game called "Ship.Captian.Crew") we parted ways... but only after scheduling a weekend to go Pontooning on Corey Lake. Come on, August!!

Yougest of Three

I'm the youngest of 3, by several years. And let me tell ya- big sisters are big fun. Some people think of the youngest as a pesk who feeds off of annoying the older sisters. That was never an issue for me- I loved having older sisters. I always had someone to curl up with while we watched my shows in front of the only color television (their shows were "too mature" for little ears- I'm sure they didn't mind). And when I was too young to have my own friends come over, it was ok because their friends were more than sufficient for me. Sibling rivalry and arguments really weren't much of an issue. After all, they were "old enough to know better" (... in almost every situation). And then of course, there was the protective factor. Sister's look out for eachother. I did so through my "spy journal", which was promptly handed over to Mom & Dad- to ensure their best interest, of course! And they looked out for me too. Take, for instance, the following example:

"Meg, come here"
"Not now", I anwswered simply, as I played with my barbies.
"Megan, Please, I want a hug."
"I'm busy", I calmly explained as I continued to comb the golden locks of the miniture doll in front of me.
"MEGAN." Her voice rose- not with anger, but with panick. Then with hushed urgency: "Seriously. Come here. Now."
My head jerked up and my eyes locked with my sister's. I was well aware of that sound- that look- and it could only mean one thing...

Medusa.



Yep. That wild-eyed, snake-haired evil entity who, by the Grace of God & my sister's alone- I had never actually seen. Without fail- they were always in the right place at the right time- and for that, I was eternally endebbted to them.

Each time they so dutifully warned me of her presence, I would carefully and slowly pull myself up onto my 3-yr-old legs, careful not to take my eyes off off hers, and only when I caught my balance would I take off across the room, leap into the extended arms, bury my face into that brave neck and cling on for dear life. I'm almost certain there were tears (and probably nightmares too!).



I don't remember exactly when I finally understood that this cruel joke was entirely self-serving on their behalf and the absolute, most heartless way to get affection!! Imagine the insecurity of growing up, believing that at any given second, something akin to the epitome of the "boogy man" could come and turn you to stone with no warning!! I mean, what kind of rotten kids could get any satisfaction this way?? Heathens.

But eventually I got over the trauma and I have to admit, if only to myself, that there was a valuable lesson about faithfullness and protection and sisterhood. Growing up, I understood that, ultimately, my sister was my protector. And even now- when panick sneaks up behind me, I know exactly what to do. I dial the number, wait through the ring tones until I hear her voice and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding...

"Kar?- It's Medusa..."

Happy Birthday Ma Jessup!!

♪♫ Will you still need me? Will you still feed me? When Im' 64...♫♪


Friday was Ma Jessup's birthday and we met her at Martino's for a surprise. (One of these days, she may figure out that Martinos + Birthday = "Surpise" welcome by family... maybe.)

(My favorite part of this picture is her protective "Grandmom" instict as she holds the hands of the youngest ones away from the candle flames.) :)

Happy Birthday Grandmom!!!

Chicken Nuggets & Parking Garages

It was a good indication of how the next 24-hours would go when, within 10 minutes of picking up my 4 & 8-yr-old nieces, we began identifying all of the things that go good with Chicken Nuggets. You know- ranch, honey, mustard, honey-mustard, ... umm.
So that game QUICKLY evolved into- whatever popped into mind, really. Chicken Nuggets & PIZZA!, Chicken Nuggets & STREET SIGNS!, Chicken Nuggets ON THE EAST SIDE- WHOOT! What a fun & silly day filled with laughter and songs and ice cream sunday's so rich we couldn't even finish them.

Started off with a fun day at the zoo with our friends Austin & Mrs. Green. We watched the dolphin show where it was none other than the splash section. We rode ponies and pet sharks and what's a trip to the zoo without the infamous train ride down- well, Washington Street.







Thebutterflies were a huge hit. But even though we assumed the proper butterfly-inviting-stance, we just couldn't get them to land on us.
Some of us showed some major perseverence... but no luck.

After the zoo- it was an afternoon of porch-swinging, park-playing, and ice-cream making!






And at the end of the day- I had two very sleepy little girls. One of whom couldn't even stay awake long enough for me to go to the other room and get the camera. How blessed am I?


(Oh- and here's a little clip of the song birds themselves- scroll down, mute the tunes, and enjoy the show!)

Left My Heart In San Francisco

Just home from spending 7 days in Sunny California!!

Flew into San Diego where I met my Aunt & Uncle, whom I hadn't seen in about 11 years!! I stayed with them in their temecula home- which is apparently (and appropriately) considered "wine & horse country". We spent a few days touring wineries & vinyards and riding at the ranch. They have wonderful property with lots of fruit trees. It was so great to pick breakfast each morning. I also learned how to play cribbage and, I must say, gave Uncle Tom a run for his money (ok, with lots of help from Aunt Jeep!)














I rented a car and spent the next couple of days driving up Highway 1 through Cambria, Big Sur & Monteray. Talk about a beautiful, breath-taking drive!! I'll be honest though, I didn't get pictures from the highest point on the cliffs though because I couldn't stop or even look over. In fact, I could do nothing but white-knuckle it through. The yellow signs with little stick people under falling rocks along the way were NOT helpful. I spent the night in a great little town of Cambria on Moonstone Beach.

I finally ended up in San Francisco where my cousins live across the Bay in Sausalito. I absolutely fell in love with the city. It's a big city feel on a really small scale. It's beautiful, and colorful and full of character. It's an outdoor city and, let's face it, the weather is awesome. It totally rocked my socks off. Since my cousins had to work, they shipped me off on the ferry each morning with directions to different neighborhoods and districts. Then I walked and explored and took pictures. Great place for people-watching. Marcus & Susan usually met me in the evenings for dinner or a play or something. In fact, they thought it was great fun and suggested I "stay and play longer". They would just continue to deposit me in different sections of the city and come and find me later. Their own interactive version of "Where's Waldo". Any excuse to escape to the city for another evening. Since they both work from home now, they don't make it over there nearly as often.

The week was great and I love California. But the best part was reconnecting with my awesome family. Marcus & I hadn't seen eachother since we were little, little kids and I think was about 12 the last time I saw Scott. I can remember, at one time, feeling especially close to my Uncle Tom. That was lost somewhere along the way- and it was so great to get reconnected. I've missed them and am, again, reminded of the importance of making family priority.

If you want to see the rest of the trip pics- go to http://sliceoflife1.shutterfly.com/ and request access. I'll need to approve you, if you aren't already a member. :)

Pottery & Paint

Last weekend I got some great girl time with Miss Paige at Creative Escape. After some monical's pizza (yum!!) we were off to light our creative fuses. What is it about a little paint and pottery that is so fullfilling? Paige got super funky with a fabulous purse!! I was less creative and had the ladies show off their talent by painting the words on mine. Loved catching up on all the latest at with science fairs, teachers, youth group and, of course, all the happenings with Taylor and Madison and Claire: the BFF's.

Was definately a reminder of the importance of taking time out of busy schedules and making family a priority. They grow up way too quickly. Seems like this one was just two!!!

What's in a name, really?

What is easily thebest conversation of 2010:

Me: So have you ever flown out of San Francisco?

My Mom: Actually I have- ummm... oh, no wait- that wasn't me- that was Julia Roberts.

(Hey- go easy on her, I see a definite resemblance. Besides, I often confuse myself with Demi Moore... oh wait, sorry- that was 3 posts back- and I was supposed to let that go!)

New "Do"

I finally got around to my bi-annual hair cut. See, I'm not really one of those girl's who gets a cute cut and then goes in every 6-weeks to keep it maintained. I go in, get a cute cut, and immediately let it grow back out (which, for me, happens REALLY fast!) Once I get back the point where I find myself wearing pony tails more often then not (about every 7 or 8 months)- I go back in for another cut. Usually- I let the stylist pick what she thinks would be a good look. Ironically- every stylist for the past 8 years has had the same general opinion of what that might be. This time- I decided to go different and get bangs. This is a BIG step for me. The last time I had bangs, I was 11. It was traumatic. I suppose this warrants the full story.

The year was 1990 and I went to Ball State to stay with my older sister Kathy for "Little Kin Weekend". Kathy and I were both excited... (for totally different reasons, I found out later!) The hit movie "Ghost" had just been released starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayzee. Demi had a very short, but very "hip" boy cut. Kath was dying to try it- but couldn't muster up the courage to actually go through with it. And then (gasp!) "I have an idea!!!- why don't YOUget it done, Megan?!?! It would be SO cute and SO much fun to dotogether!!!" (and so on and so forth).

I was having NONE of it. I thought she'd finally given in after many failed manipulation tactics. "Well- just think about it while we run some errands." (Ok, so I should have known better- but I was 11!!) As it turns out,"some errands" happened to be showing me a spot on campus she once had been during thepast year, which was conveniently located just steps from the Salon. Kathy looks up, feigning a shocked "Oh,Look! Well-while-we're-here" expression.

"Let's just go in and talk to them, Meg. they can show you what it wouldlook like and if you don't like it- you totally don't have to do it. Wehave to go inside anyway to cancel the appointment- we can't just not show,these people depend on this." (One can easily deduce the insinuation here-what she really meant was- "what kind of person are you anyway?!?). She was quick to add "and you're NOT staying in the car- there isno way I'm leaving my little sister alone in a parking lot on a big collegecampus!"

Once inside- there's some greeting and chatting and then "just go talk to her Megan, please? You don't have to do anything you don't want to"(knowing full and well she'd effectively removed every defense from my grasp- and there was no way I was going to find the courage to actually speakup for myself to this (gulp!) stranger.) Needless to say- 30 minutes later Kathy left the salon with an 11-yr-old brother. It was NOT "hip". (I should mention, Kathy opted out of the Demi-Moore look after that.)

So here I am- 20 years later- with bangs for the first time since I was 11. I sort of felt like it makes me LOOK like I'm 11. But it's growing on me...