The other night when our family was at the Frisco Family Fitness Center for Family Home Evening, things just weren’t going our way.  Bryan forgot his shoes, so he had to wear flip flops with his gym socks.  The power kept going out in the treadmill area, so I had to keep moving from machine to machine.  And just when I was getting in a groove, a worker from the Kid Zone sought me out because Vivi had come unglued and was sobbing uncontrollably.  When I went to reclaim and comfort her, I noticed a big mass of stickiness in Ariana’s to-die-for hair.  I think that we both almost started to cry when she told me the sad story of accidentally getting a wad of gum in her hair.  Thank goodness for Goo Gone!

I’m at a swim meet, waiting, waiting, waiting for my events. And then I have to go to the bathroom. BAD! Rush there, rush back . . . and then realize that I’ve missed all three of my events.

With a bad dream like this, you’d think that I was the one swimming in my first swim meet the next day. Thankfully, Guppy seemed to get a better night’s sleep than I did. And her performance at the Flower Mound B/C meet showed. I couldn’t have been more proud of the progress that she’s made and the effort that she put forth as she swam her events:
4 x 25 yard relay (2:15.12)
25 yard freestyle (29.35)
25 yard backstroke (36.39)
50 yard freestyle (1:12.36)
It was a family affair. Bryan got off work early enough to see Guppy swim all of her events, and Vivi chanted “Go! Guppy, Go!” halfway home that evening. Very cute!

I’ve got the bug,
And I don’t need another hobby,

And this hobby is now bordering on an obsession,
Because every Thursday I start to check my email even more often than usual.

And as I do, my heart beats a little faster . . .

As I wait for a message from Bryan . . .

About the next round of estate sales in the area.

I’m not talking about junkie yard sales masquerading as estate sales. These are REAL treasure hunts with genuine antiques and other keepsakes from bygone eras.

But despite the thrill of finding the perfect antique copper tea kettle to add to my collection, I become melancholy as I wander through the rooms of a beautiful house and wonder about the people that used to call this place home. I wonder if there are grandchildren and children left behind to mourn their loss. Certainly there is evidence of this, at times, in rooms still made up in ruffles and frills just waiting for a little girl to come and visit . . . or perhaps left like that by a mommy not ready to admit that her little girl has long since moved away. (I think that I will be that kind of mommy). And yet, if there are loved ones left behind, it’s hard for me to understand how they could just let perfect strangers rummage through grandma’s drawers–both kinds, if you know what I mean.

I wonder if anyone noticed the reminder card on the counter and called the dentist to let him know that grandma wouldn’t be at her appointment next week. Should I take the card and call, just in case?

I notice things that my own grandmas had in their homes, and as I miss my grandmas terribly, I remind myself that they are in a better place, free from pain, where they serve as my guardian angels at times.

I reflect on the evidence piled all around reminding me that there is really so very little that you can “take with you,” and I recommit myself to prioritize those things that are eternal.

And I wonder, do any of these other people at the estate sale think about these things, or is it just me? Am I weird?

Don’t answer that!

And to church . . . and to swim practice . . .

Vivi is sporting a “big girl” hairdo these days.

Someone recently commented Vivi had a “mullet” hairdo–short in front, long in back.

This was definitely not the look we were going for.  I had a very unattractive pouf semi-mullet cut in the 80’s, and I would never wish that upon my child.

Unfortunately, she’s follicularly challenged at this stage of her young life (as I was at her age).

So, we’re trying out an alternate “do.”

There, I said it! I love Craig! But don’t worry. Bryan loves Craig, too.

Ok. So maybe he doesn’t LOVE Craig, but there’s definitely an infatuation there. In fact, Bryan actually introduced me to Craig.

Before you conclude that I’ve lost my marbles, let me explain . . .

Have you ever heard of craigslist? (dallas.craigslist.org/) Among other things, craigslist has a ‘classified’ section where people sell their junk. But guess what! It’s not all junk. Some of it is perfectly wonderful stuff. And if you’re a savvy shopper, bargains can be had. Take our “new” table, for example:

A wealthy couple living in the swankiest of Frisco subdivisions was storing this at a local storage warehouse. When their even swankier house was finished, they decided that their perfectly wonderful Country French table and chair set would not be coming with them. So, they gifted it to the managers of the storage facility who then, in turn, listed it on Craigslist.

And how ’bout our “new” couch? A change in decorating styles prompted a nice couple to place this lovely sofa and these end tables on craigslist.

A few weekends ago, the girls even got some much-needed bedroom furniture from Craigslist.

Craigslist doesn’t just have furniture either. We have a pile of landscaping bricks in our backyard that Bryan scored on.

So the next time you’re in the market for something that doesn’t necessarily have to be brand-spanking new, check out craigslist. Who knows . . . you might just fall in love with Craig, too.

I’m sure that you’re familiar with the fable of The Tortoise and the Hare. The slow, steady turtle wins the race against the speedy yet distracted rabbit. I really try to remind myself of this as I raise my dear Ariana.

To say that I am a Type A personality is an understatement. I thrive on competition and despise inefficiency. And so I often ask myself how my own flesh and blood could be so unlike me.

Homework assignments that should be completed in 15 minutes take over an hour. And it’s not like she’s not smart. She gets it. She just seems to enjoy the journey more than the destination. Admirable, in theory, but not in practice. At least not for me.

And so rather than go into the room yet another time to try and light a fire under her, I type.

And I press the keys HARD.

And I move my fingers FAST.

And I take DEEP breaths.

And I press my lips SHUT so that I don’t say the wrong thing . . . something that I will regret after the hustle of the bustle of the day is past . . . and she is sleeping sweetly in her bed . . . and I am left to my thoughts . . . engaged in a GE Six Sigma Black Belt plus/delta session in my mind.

GOD, grant me the
Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change
Courage
to change the
things I can
and the
Wisdom
to know the difference.

One of the most beautiful and enriching things in my life is to watch my two girls interact. The bond that they have with each other is amazing. In fact, one night last week we had Vivi sleep in our room because she was running a fever. In the wee hours of the morning, Vivi woke up and fussed a little bit. Instead of calling for Mommy or Daddy, she called out for “Guppy” (or “Buppy” in Vivi-speak). And last night as the girls went to bed, Bryan and I overheard the sweet sounds of Ariana singing her sister to sleep.

These are the moments and memories that buoy me up when the other demands of motherhood seem too great.

Thank heaven for little girls!

Miss Vivi has become quite the talker in the last month or so. Not to brag or anything, but I’m convinced that she must be a genius. 😉

Of all the words and phrases that she can say, none is more dear than this one:

[audio:http://tolberts.org/lori/Audio/vivitalk.mp3]

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll let these speak for themselves.

P.S. She may look like her daddy, but she’s got her mommy’s sweet tooth.