My friend Janet is a wealth of good books, among other things. Having 5, noooo 6 (as of Wed.!) children, her house is a veritable library of carefully chosen books for children (and adults!). Spanning pre-school to adult level classics of every breadth and width, she's got you covered. It's been really fun to squeal with glee together when we discover how many of our "favorite" books from our early book-worm lives are mutual...we are suckers for Anne of Green Gables, all Louisa May Alcott, The Secret Garden, all the Little House books...you're seeing the pattern?
She recently lent me a book that had never crossed my path before, one of her favorites from her young teen (and even now) years. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase was written in 1962, and is the first of what became known as the Wolves Chronicles. Her description of it had me drooling...think the gothic drama of Jane Eyre, meets The Secret Garden. As she put it, "it's got everything a girls book should have, know what I mean?" I did!
We borrowed a large stack of books for Briana, who's reading like a fiend, and she immediately dug in. I brought The Wolves home with me, added it to my "to read" pile, and went about my reading business...three books away from even getting to it yet. Five days later, Briana has read 3 of her 5 borrowed novels, and I'm ready to read the much anticipated Wolves. I've got a large mug of tea, it's pouring rain...and the day was made for THIS book. I go to my trusty book stack, and... it's not there. Did I leave it in the kitchen somewhere? No...in my library space in the front of the house? No...
"Briana, have you seen the book Janet lent me anywhere? I can't remember what I did with it."
And my 7 year old daughter says in a very off-hand manner,
"Oh sure, I'm reading it right now. You can have it when I'm finished, or I can just tell you all about it now if you don't want to wait."
I can't believe that she budged in my book line and swiped my book! I hope it's the first of many, because it's pretty much the fulfillment of a life-long dream of mine.
Does it get any better than this?! I mean, really...she handed the book to me today and assured me that I'm going to love it, and she can't wait to talk about it...but doesn't want to ruin the surprise by talking about it NOW, before I've read it. OH MY.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Let's go Tulling...
Some of my happiest memories from my teen years are of times spent with the finest guys any girl could hope to know. We'd all bonded because of our shared experiences in our church Youth Group, and Antioch retreat program. Some of us had known one another since childhood, and our families were good friends. Our faith connection helped create a dynamic that was pretty wonderful. These were guys I really knew, I respected them, and trusted them implicitly.
I can still return to those days in my mind, to the moment of fun anticipation when John would say, "Let's go Tulling!", and several of us would pile into a car and drive around listening to Jethro Tull. I remember us us sitting in Jody's car and looking at the moon, from the playground of our grammar school, St. E's...and talking about God, our dreams of the future, and the mysteries of life and our faith. I'd fill them in on vitally important tid bits that they were convinced only girls know, things to help them with "women." I have this vivid memory of Greg really wanting to know what the heck the whole deal was with "periods", fertility, and pregnancy...and the very biological conversation that followed. Our science teachers would have been proud of the complex explanation that Todd, Jody and I threaded together! There was much debate about the specific details..."where do those Fallopian tubes go again?!"...but I think we sorted it all out. That still makes me laugh! I'm not sure that any of my advice helped them at all, but they didn't really need me to unlock any secrets for them. I know I lamented about my various boyfriends, and they always helped me make sense of the challenges of dealing with romance and guys...because after all, "you know how guys can be." I always felt my most relaxed and accepted with these guys...no one cared what you were wearing, how your hair looked...most especially me. I was my most unselfconscious...what a gift to a teen girl. They made me feel so wonderful...the humor was always sharp and witty...the conversation was often hysterical, irreverent, deep, outrageous, and full of all the good things you'd hope for on a warm summer night.
I remember how bittersweet those times became for me, as the summer of our senior year drew to a close. I knew that with everyone heading off in various directions all over the globe, we were making these memories on borrowed time. I was right. Life grew more complicated, busy, and we slowly disconnected as so often happens. But I look back on those years, and those boys, with such gratitude. I was at my best with those brother/friends...I felt safe and powerful as a young woman, validated and enjoyed, by the smartest, funniest, wisest guys I knew. It wasn't uncommon for our evenings to end with someone saying, "Hug Huddle!", and we'd gather in a huddle in someones driveway for a group hug. I remember losing a small pearl earring in Jack's driveway because of a hug huddle...and all those boys earnestly trying to find it for me. We never found it, and I remember wondering why I didn't care more. I still have half that earring set, and I keep it to remind me of a time when we were all on the brink of growing up, of the gifts we shared, the sheer fun and silliness of those times...and the love I felt for each of those precious friends crawling around in the dark sifting through the rocks, for me.
I can still return to those days in my mind, to the moment of fun anticipation when John would say, "Let's go Tulling!", and several of us would pile into a car and drive around listening to Jethro Tull. I remember us us sitting in Jody's car and looking at the moon, from the playground of our grammar school, St. E's...and talking about God, our dreams of the future, and the mysteries of life and our faith. I'd fill them in on vitally important tid bits that they were convinced only girls know, things to help them with "women." I have this vivid memory of Greg really wanting to know what the heck the whole deal was with "periods", fertility, and pregnancy...and the very biological conversation that followed. Our science teachers would have been proud of the complex explanation that Todd, Jody and I threaded together! There was much debate about the specific details..."where do those Fallopian tubes go again?!"...but I think we sorted it all out. That still makes me laugh! I'm not sure that any of my advice helped them at all, but they didn't really need me to unlock any secrets for them. I know I lamented about my various boyfriends, and they always helped me make sense of the challenges of dealing with romance and guys...because after all, "you know how guys can be." I always felt my most relaxed and accepted with these guys...no one cared what you were wearing, how your hair looked...most especially me. I was my most unselfconscious...what a gift to a teen girl. They made me feel so wonderful...the humor was always sharp and witty...the conversation was often hysterical, irreverent, deep, outrageous, and full of all the good things you'd hope for on a warm summer night.
I remember how bittersweet those times became for me, as the summer of our senior year drew to a close. I knew that with everyone heading off in various directions all over the globe, we were making these memories on borrowed time. I was right. Life grew more complicated, busy, and we slowly disconnected as so often happens. But I look back on those years, and those boys, with such gratitude. I was at my best with those brother/friends...I felt safe and powerful as a young woman, validated and enjoyed, by the smartest, funniest, wisest guys I knew. It wasn't uncommon for our evenings to end with someone saying, "Hug Huddle!", and we'd gather in a huddle in someones driveway for a group hug. I remember losing a small pearl earring in Jack's driveway because of a hug huddle...and all those boys earnestly trying to find it for me. We never found it, and I remember wondering why I didn't care more. I still have half that earring set, and I keep it to remind me of a time when we were all on the brink of growing up, of the gifts we shared, the sheer fun and silliness of those times...and the love I felt for each of those precious friends crawling around in the dark sifting through the rocks, for me.
Monday, October 8, 2007
A dream is a wish your heart makes...
We are finally catching our breathe after our vacation in Florida. Disney truly wipes me out! We'd watched some TV show about Disney World before we went on our trip, we wanted the kids to get excited about where we were going. It got them asking a lot of questions, but I think that they didn't really comprehend that we were going to the place they were seeing on TV. We arrived in Florida and spent a relaxing day sleeping and swimming, at a local hotel. It was great to not head right into the whole Disney experience. We had time to recover after the two day drive. (We stopped in a hotel over night, between those two days...the driving portion of our trip actually ended up being great!) On Sunday we moved into the resort at Disney, Key West. It was lovely and peaceful. Very pretty pastel colored buildings with white gingerbread...and we had an oasis outside of our balcony, the pool and hot tub down below. There were very few people there, and it was always quiet. Just what I'd hoped for. Our first day heading to the park, was our Magic Kingdom outing. Briana was playing it cool on the bus. All along she'd been pretty low-key about the impending trip. We came to the conclusion that she didn't want to get excited because she didn't want to be disappointed. She was dead-pan on that bus ride, I wondered if she was going to be happy at all. Brandon was excited enough for both of them. He was gripping my hand, grinning at us...squirming with anticipation. When we spotted the roof line of Cinderellas castle over the trees on the horizon...he squealed like I've never heard him squeal! He was jumping up and down in his seat, totally freaking out! Briana turned to me with big eyes and gravely said, "Mama, if I get to see Cinderella...I'm going to tell her that dreams really DO come true." They she leaned into my arms and stayed there for the rest of the ride. I was so touched by her caution, her awe...I was trying to subtly wipe tears off my face!
Each day brought it's own fun. We had days where we stayed at th resort and just relaxed together...swimming, taking naps, playing. We tried to pace ourselves with our treks to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, MGM. The children were most thrilled with the Magic Kingdom. Briana informed us that it was "really magical." After a few hours at Epcot, she turned to me and said, with some disapointment, "this place is NOT magical." LOL...OH WELL, can't win 'em all, eh? Much of Epcot was under construction, or so it seemed. All the kiosks were closed, and there was not one single performer on the street, no outdoor concerts going on...NOTHING. All you could do was shop and eat. The few rides that we did go on over on the entrace side of the park, were fun...the space "trip" to Mars was our absolute favorite. I would have done it again and again! I loved the ambience of Animal Kingdom, thought the Africa area was super cool. The street performers were awesome, the kids were part of a dancing/drum show...they thought that was awesome. We were pretty disapointed with the Safari, not too many impressive animals...and the scripted banter of the tour guide/driver was cheesey. We had a very close encounter with gorillas in another section of that park, and that was really incredible. My biggest surprise of the week, and Matt's I think, was how much we loved MGM. That was our last day in Disney, and the place was pretty mellow...not too many people. We thought the old fashioned sound-stage type streets were just SO cool. Being an old movie fanatic myself...there was a lot of fun to be had there. The children had a ball...we loved the Beauty and the Beast show, fantastic. The Little Mermaid Show was also great...the Narnia attraction got Matt and I VERY excited for the next film installment in the series...and much more. Our lunch reservations got us our very own 50's kitchen, with "Mom" waiting on us hand and foot. It really was incredible, all antiques and authentic kitchy treasures, cabinets, table and chairs...each kitchen area had it's own color scheme and details...and the vintage tv next to your table on the kitchen counter top played clips from some of the best shows of the 50's. The food was top notch, and the atmosphere and gimick of it all was just so cool! We had dinner that day, in MGM, at the Sci-Fi Diner...the coolest place EVER. You go into a building and you end up "under the stars" in a fax drive-in movie theater that only shows clips from original old-school sci-fi movies. The place is full of vintage looking cars that are actually where you sit, at a table, and eat. The food was really great, and the atmosphere was just amazing.
It's taken about a week for Matt and I to recover from the vacation. Why do we come home to recover from vacation when we've gone on vacation to rejuvenate from the day-to-day at home?! We had a totally relaxing 2-day drive home, stopping to spend half a day in Savannah...one of my favorite places. We ate on the water, walked around in the balmy evening enjoying the jazz musicians, horse-drawn carraiges, and festive energy of the place. We initially tried to get reservations at Paula Deene's restaraunt, A Lady and Sons...but alas, they don't take reservations, and you have to walk in around 3pm to get on a list for dinner. Bummer, but next time we'll know better. It was still rather exciting to see the outside of the place (the kids and I waited in the running car while Matt jogged in to case out the joint), having seen it on tv so many times. We ate where we've eaten before, right on the water, (watching the ships go by was very exciting for the kids, and Matt...) and had a totally delish meal. My mint julip did NOT disapoint...who cares about food at a time like that anyway. :)
I've discovered that one of my favorite things about going on vacation is how much I love coming home. Walking through our front door that night was just the best feeling. We spent this week catching up on house-work, on-going renovation prjects, school work, the kids ballet and tap classes, Nutcracker rehearsal for both of them, their CCD, etc.
Matt goes back to work tomorrow, and we're all VERY sad to see this long time of having him home with us (16 days!) end. Maybe that's the best testament to a successful vacation...after everything, we're still not ready to have less time together back here in the "real world."
Lucky us.
Each day brought it's own fun. We had days where we stayed at th resort and just relaxed together...swimming, taking naps, playing. We tried to pace ourselves with our treks to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, MGM. The children were most thrilled with the Magic Kingdom. Briana informed us that it was "really magical." After a few hours at Epcot, she turned to me and said, with some disapointment, "this place is NOT magical." LOL...OH WELL, can't win 'em all, eh? Much of Epcot was under construction, or so it seemed. All the kiosks were closed, and there was not one single performer on the street, no outdoor concerts going on...NOTHING. All you could do was shop and eat. The few rides that we did go on over on the entrace side of the park, were fun...the space "trip" to Mars was our absolute favorite. I would have done it again and again! I loved the ambience of Animal Kingdom, thought the Africa area was super cool. The street performers were awesome, the kids were part of a dancing/drum show...they thought that was awesome. We were pretty disapointed with the Safari, not too many impressive animals...and the scripted banter of the tour guide/driver was cheesey. We had a very close encounter with gorillas in another section of that park, and that was really incredible. My biggest surprise of the week, and Matt's I think, was how much we loved MGM. That was our last day in Disney, and the place was pretty mellow...not too many people. We thought the old fashioned sound-stage type streets were just SO cool. Being an old movie fanatic myself...there was a lot of fun to be had there. The children had a ball...we loved the Beauty and the Beast show, fantastic. The Little Mermaid Show was also great...the Narnia attraction got Matt and I VERY excited for the next film installment in the series...and much more. Our lunch reservations got us our very own 50's kitchen, with "Mom" waiting on us hand and foot. It really was incredible, all antiques and authentic kitchy treasures, cabinets, table and chairs...each kitchen area had it's own color scheme and details...and the vintage tv next to your table on the kitchen counter top played clips from some of the best shows of the 50's. The food was top notch, and the atmosphere and gimick of it all was just so cool! We had dinner that day, in MGM, at the Sci-Fi Diner...the coolest place EVER. You go into a building and you end up "under the stars" in a fax drive-in movie theater that only shows clips from original old-school sci-fi movies. The place is full of vintage looking cars that are actually where you sit, at a table, and eat. The food was really great, and the atmosphere was just amazing.
It's taken about a week for Matt and I to recover from the vacation. Why do we come home to recover from vacation when we've gone on vacation to rejuvenate from the day-to-day at home?! We had a totally relaxing 2-day drive home, stopping to spend half a day in Savannah...one of my favorite places. We ate on the water, walked around in the balmy evening enjoying the jazz musicians, horse-drawn carraiges, and festive energy of the place. We initially tried to get reservations at Paula Deene's restaraunt, A Lady and Sons...but alas, they don't take reservations, and you have to walk in around 3pm to get on a list for dinner. Bummer, but next time we'll know better. It was still rather exciting to see the outside of the place (the kids and I waited in the running car while Matt jogged in to case out the joint), having seen it on tv so many times. We ate where we've eaten before, right on the water, (watching the ships go by was very exciting for the kids, and Matt...) and had a totally delish meal. My mint julip did NOT disapoint...who cares about food at a time like that anyway. :)
I've discovered that one of my favorite things about going on vacation is how much I love coming home. Walking through our front door that night was just the best feeling. We spent this week catching up on house-work, on-going renovation prjects, school work, the kids ballet and tap classes, Nutcracker rehearsal for both of them, their CCD, etc.
Matt goes back to work tomorrow, and we're all VERY sad to see this long time of having him home with us (16 days!) end. Maybe that's the best testament to a successful vacation...after everything, we're still not ready to have less time together back here in the "real world."
Lucky us.
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