Memories

I grew up in a great family. There was always a lot of laughter and more than enough love to go around. I don't think I quite realized at the time what a blessing that it was, but now I realize what a super big blessing it was...it is. So, because I have a few minutes, I thought I'd share some of the moments that I remember. It may also explain my sense of humor.

Once, when I was 12 or 13, we went with my dad on a business trip to Torrance, California. We had a lot of fun doing sightseeing things while my dad worked and it was just a great, happy vacation. Until the last night. We went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant...I can still see it in my mind...and for some reason I got the giggles. I wasn't loud, I was just sitting there giggling to myself....just because I was happy. Well, my dad was none too pleased by this abnormal giggling. "Why are you laughing?! Stop laughing right now!" The more upset he got, the more I laughed. I couldn't help myself. It was just funny. Well, he was so ticked that he didn't talk to me the entire next day....including the flight home. It's one of those moments that we still bring up, much to his dismay, and laugh over quite hysterically.


When we were kids and my dad was a patrolman, he did a lot of midnight shifts. Well, he'd bring home all sorts of things...including monkey brains. Not real monkey brains, but my brother and I didn't know that. They're the fruit from some weird tree here and they actually look like small brains. Hence, monkey brains. It warped me from an early age.


We went on a trip one year with my dad's parents to Gettysburg. We were oohing and aahing as we drove through town and all of a sudden my grandmother says, "Hey, look! A donut shop!" Out of everything we could possibly see in Gettysburg, she points out the donut shop. Apparently, my daughter takes after her.


I had about ten billion hamsters. And I think they were all named Buttercup.


When I graduated college I thought it would be such fun to get a small parrot. We had had parrots growing up and I was a big fan of birds. Until I got this one. Sunny, the Sun Conure. Who just happened to HATE women. Seriously despised. He was devil spawn, I tell you. Anyway, one morning as I was getting ready to go to work teaching kindergarten, I tried to pick him up to get him back in his cage. Well, Sunny wanted no part of this and leaped from the cage and attached himself firmly to my left nostril. One half of the beak inside my nose, one half outside. I couldn't get the little s**t off to save my life. (I still have strong feelings of animosity toward this bird, can you tell?!) Finally, I pried him off and had to go to work with a bandaid on my nose while applying an ice pack. Try explaining that to a group of 5 year olds. Sunny was so aggressive toward me that if Dan and I were sitting on the sofa, the bird would jump off Dan's shoulder, run across the back of the sofa to bite me, and then run back to Dan. Seriously. Devil spawn, I tell you.

And now, I'm off to watch Mall Cop. Because I can.

xoxoxoxo to you all. =)