My mom once said that nothing bad ever really phases me because I just dance through life, nothing ever really touches me. I actually loved that way of looking at it for a long time, but I'm starting to look at it a different way. I've decided that I live in a sitcom. That's the only explanation for my life that I have been able to come up with.
Yesterday started with what I can only call comical in retrospect and kept getting better as the day wore on. I think that must be one of the Gifts that I've been given; the power to walk away, calm down and then laugh. I know plenty of other people who would still be fuming over waking up to a 3 year old screaming at a 14 year old and honey & ants covering the love seat in her living room because the same 14 year old had left it out after fixing himself a midnight snack; but why? Toddler Troll was trying to kill the ants with the honey. He had no way of knowing it would attract more...his 3 year old brain decided it was a good idea so that's what he did.
Later in the day I asked Monster Teen to please empty the dishwasher. I've tasked him with certain chores as he's gotten older and this was one of the first things that I chose to use for his lesson in responsibility. He's done it now for many years and only occasionally messes up the task by putting something in the wrong place, but, for some reason, yesterday he unloaded the bottom part and left the top un-emptied. I again was in a situation where I could either choose to get upset or choose to laugh. I laughed with full on gusto all the way to his room! When I got there I asked him if there was a reason he had unloaded the bottom, but not the top and he looked at me completely baffled. This only got me to dissolve into more fits of laughter which got him laughing as he went to complete his chore.
There are more items like that which have colored my world and I know for a long time I had lost the ability to find humor in them, but over the last year and a half it has started to shift back. I've found my humor again and am enjoying this crazy sitcom that surrounds me. It makes us all a happier bunch because with laughter around you, how can you be upset with anything for long? So next time you're faced with a unusual situation that could leave you upset, try to find the humor. It will only take a moment to let the smile start and then the laughing will follow if you let it.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
One Plus One Always Equals Two
Sorry folks, today you get a little bit of a rant...
After 15 years of marriage I have learned one or two things...I know I still have much to learn, but the years have at least taught me some. One of the things that both Duckie and I agreed to very early on was the need for our own personal space from time to time.
This is something that I have seen a lot of conflict over in other relationships. One or the other person believes that their life must be completely enmeshed with their partner's; that a marriage is the joining of two lives into one. Now this is not to say that some people don't thoroughly enjoy their partner being around them 24/7, I'm sure there is some couple out there right now that it is working for, but the people that I have seen, it doesn't work. One plus one is always going to equal two, no matter how you try to force it to do otherwise. I'm extremely against the kind of "control" that some will attempt in their efforts to prove this to be wrong, though. (And yes, the quotes are there for a reason, there is no such thing as control over another human being.)
You can exert your will on them, brow beat, guilt, manipulate, but eventually it is their decision to either go along with it or not. I don't think anyone can truly be happy in this type of relationship, but that's only my opinion and what I've seen around me. Duckie and I have always kept in mind that we are two different people, living in one space, sharing our lives together, but we remain two people. There will always be things that we enjoy doing with each other, but if we didn't each get our own quiet time, someone would most likely be injured. (That's a joke, but there would definitely be a lot of issues and unhappiness.)
I'm grateful for the time that I get to spend all to myself because it allows me to just be ME--not Mom, Wife, Daughter, Friend--just the Ducked Up Girl. I go to see Higher Briars, to a meeting or just go grocery shopping by myself; without Duckie asking a 101 questions about where I'm going or what I'm doing. Because that is a part of the understanding. I do tell him where I'm going, that's just common courtesy, but he never really questions anything because of our mutual trust and respect of one another. We treat each other well, love each other wholeheartedly and we trust that this is enough...the other doesn't need or want to go do something stupid because we've got someone so amazing right in front of us. If you look at it that way then marriage is really like two roads running parallel to each other, occasionally being blocked from one another by trees, but always knowing that just around the next bend they'll be together again. The twists and turns that our paths take us down on our own make the times together even more appreciated.
After 15 years of marriage I have learned one or two things...I know I still have much to learn, but the years have at least taught me some. One of the things that both Duckie and I agreed to very early on was the need for our own personal space from time to time.
This is something that I have seen a lot of conflict over in other relationships. One or the other person believes that their life must be completely enmeshed with their partner's; that a marriage is the joining of two lives into one. Now this is not to say that some people don't thoroughly enjoy their partner being around them 24/7, I'm sure there is some couple out there right now that it is working for, but the people that I have seen, it doesn't work. One plus one is always going to equal two, no matter how you try to force it to do otherwise. I'm extremely against the kind of "control" that some will attempt in their efforts to prove this to be wrong, though. (And yes, the quotes are there for a reason, there is no such thing as control over another human being.)
You can exert your will on them, brow beat, guilt, manipulate, but eventually it is their decision to either go along with it or not. I don't think anyone can truly be happy in this type of relationship, but that's only my opinion and what I've seen around me. Duckie and I have always kept in mind that we are two different people, living in one space, sharing our lives together, but we remain two people. There will always be things that we enjoy doing with each other, but if we didn't each get our own quiet time, someone would most likely be injured. (That's a joke, but there would definitely be a lot of issues and unhappiness.)
I'm grateful for the time that I get to spend all to myself because it allows me to just be ME--not Mom, Wife, Daughter, Friend--just the Ducked Up Girl. I go to see Higher Briars, to a meeting or just go grocery shopping by myself; without Duckie asking a 101 questions about where I'm going or what I'm doing. Because that is a part of the understanding. I do tell him where I'm going, that's just common courtesy, but he never really questions anything because of our mutual trust and respect of one another. We treat each other well, love each other wholeheartedly and we trust that this is enough...the other doesn't need or want to go do something stupid because we've got someone so amazing right in front of us. If you look at it that way then marriage is really like two roads running parallel to each other, occasionally being blocked from one another by trees, but always knowing that just around the next bend they'll be together again. The twists and turns that our paths take us down on our own make the times together even more appreciated.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
A Worthwhile Day
Being the mom of two boys with a 10 1/2 year age gap can bring new challenges every other second and some days even have me pulling out my hair, ready to just take a nap, by 10:30 AM! Today was not one of those days, though. Today was mostly made of the good things that make life as a stay at home mom worthwhile. One of my best qualities has always been that I can take apart the day and remove the bad things, letting only the good parts stay with me. My mother called it "dancing through life" once...I actually love looking at it that way. It's not always easy, and I don't get it right all the time, but today I did.
Monster Teen refused to get up today when I went in to let him know it was noon already. He is, unfortunately, his mother's son with that; he absolutely LOVES his sleep. I've been known to be able to sleep until 2 pm after going to bed at 11 when I was his age (one of the perks to having a single mom who worked during the day was sleeping to all hours of the day). I left him alone because it's really not that serious how late he sleeps and Toddler Troll and I were having a great day together.
Something that I have noticed about the age gap is that Monster Teen is getting to that age where he doesn't like to snuggle anymore. I still get hugs, but NOT in public. Toddler Troll is still in his snuggly love-bug phase of life, so I don't miss it quite as much. (A snuggle may be a snuggle, but one child never replaces another...so I still miss my snuggle time with Monster Teen) Toddler Troll and I snuggle-bugged, tickled, played games and finished cleaning his exceptionally messy room together. Then came his lunch and quiet time after that.
I was surprised that at the end of quiet time Toddler Troll helped pick up his room with no argument...he was actually laughing and happy until I asked him to pick up his "men" (little knights from his castle set that Grandragon gave him). I let him know that it was okay to keep them out if he was still playing with them and we had instant smiles again. Some time later all heck broke loose because Monster Teen decided to "grace" us with his presence.
After ignoring my request for the trash cans to be brought back to the house from the curb and the recycling to be taken to the outside bin, I gave him an hour to get it taken care of and then I turned off the router so he could no longer play Xbox Live. Yep, I'm that kind of mom. Action (or even inaction) has a consequence and one of the things that I think is a large problem in society is that too many children are not given this lesson. He was not at all happy and began to rain his wrath down upon his brother and me to prove just how angry he was. This rewarded him with a talk from me...there was a little more before this, but the tail end was the important part (to me).
"You do know that if you would do what I asked, when I asked, you would have unlimited amounts of free time after, right?"
"You know I'm angry, right?"
"I'm not too thrilled with you right now either, kid, but why don't we both stop the negativity and get some happy in here."
I then left his room, letting him soak in what I had told him. After about 5 minutes, he came out, looked at me and said, "You know you're weird, Mom, but somehow it works for you. I love you!" I was then gifted with the ultimate teenage reward, a hug and we continued our day with much better attitudes towards one another. Everything that I asked for was done and he played nicely with his brother for a while, too.
We had many little moments during the evening that I enjoyed...there were lots of moments of hilarity today, we all worked well together even when we had an upset to get over and now I'm listening to Duckie and Monster Teen watching one of their ghost shows together after Toddler Troll went straight to bed. Yes, I'm a lucky woman and I'm grateful for the reminders to enjoy the little things in life that I was given today.
Something that I have noticed about the age gap is that Monster Teen is getting to that age where he doesn't like to snuggle anymore. I still get hugs, but NOT in public. Toddler Troll is still in his snuggly love-bug phase of life, so I don't miss it quite as much. (A snuggle may be a snuggle, but one child never replaces another...so I still miss my snuggle time with Monster Teen) Toddler Troll and I snuggle-bugged, tickled, played games and finished cleaning his exceptionally messy room together. Then came his lunch and quiet time after that.
I was surprised that at the end of quiet time Toddler Troll helped pick up his room with no argument...he was actually laughing and happy until I asked him to pick up his "men" (little knights from his castle set that Grandragon gave him). I let him know that it was okay to keep them out if he was still playing with them and we had instant smiles again. Some time later all heck broke loose because Monster Teen decided to "grace" us with his presence.
After ignoring my request for the trash cans to be brought back to the house from the curb and the recycling to be taken to the outside bin, I gave him an hour to get it taken care of and then I turned off the router so he could no longer play Xbox Live. Yep, I'm that kind of mom. Action (or even inaction) has a consequence and one of the things that I think is a large problem in society is that too many children are not given this lesson. He was not at all happy and began to rain his wrath down upon his brother and me to prove just how angry he was. This rewarded him with a talk from me...there was a little more before this, but the tail end was the important part (to me).
"You do know that if you would do what I asked, when I asked, you would have unlimited amounts of free time after, right?"
"You know I'm angry, right?"
"I'm not too thrilled with you right now either, kid, but why don't we both stop the negativity and get some happy in here."
I then left his room, letting him soak in what I had told him. After about 5 minutes, he came out, looked at me and said, "You know you're weird, Mom, but somehow it works for you. I love you!" I was then gifted with the ultimate teenage reward, a hug and we continued our day with much better attitudes towards one another. Everything that I asked for was done and he played nicely with his brother for a while, too.
We had many little moments during the evening that I enjoyed...there were lots of moments of hilarity today, we all worked well together even when we had an upset to get over and now I'm listening to Duckie and Monster Teen watching one of their ghost shows together after Toddler Troll went straight to bed. Yes, I'm a lucky woman and I'm grateful for the reminders to enjoy the little things in life that I was given today.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Shoes Glorious Shoes
I prefer to be barefoot whenever possible, but when I'm out and about shopping, I love looking at the shoes. Beautiful, quirky, eccentric, fun, darling, comfortable shoes...if I had an unlimited budget I would have a closet full of them. I've always loved them and my style has only changed subtly over the years.
Years ago I was a sneaker kid...I wanted to be trendy and wear Keds, but we couldn't afford them, so I got the Walmart versions. It made no difference to me, they looked the same, just no little blue tag on the back proclaiming their "worth" to the world. I was fairly easy to please that way, or so I remember...Mom may remember differently. I didn't mind hand-me-downs or thrift shop excursions...it was actually kind of fun to rifle through the racks at The Second Hand Rose with my mom, but that may have been more about the quality time with her than it was about the clothes. She made shopping, even when we were just window-shopping, the most fantastic experience of my young life.
My style didn't change much as I grew older. I added in a few pieces to my sneaker repertoire such as baby doll shoes, knock off Birkenstock shoes, and flip-flops. I carried variations on these ideas through my life until I met Higher Briars and found out what a true shoe fetish was really about. She brought me into the world of quality shoes with the flair that only she could and I bought my first pair of expensive sandals to go with a dress she'd helped me find. I wear them with just about every dress I own during the summer because they are so versatile and unbelievably comfortable.
What is that makes us love the shoes we love, though? I know that, for me, I have to be careful to buy items that don't aggravate my bunion (thank you, retail in heels) and bad ankle (thank you, clutz that I am), but I love shoes that represent a little of who I am. Thanks to Higher Briars I have a few more shoes to add to that pile. They are still a variation on my favorite styles, but with some fun new twists...they are also well made so they should last me a very long time (another thing that I can appreciate after years of cheap shoes). Thank goodness I got different colors so I can easily pair them with an outfit without having to sit and wonder which one to pick! That FedEx truck better be here early on Wednesday!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Movie Symbolism Wins Again
Fifteen years ago I had a very definitive idea of what good cinema was all about. I didn't care for "childish" comedies, adored romantic movies, wanted to see good acting not special effects and my tolerance for action was extremely low. I had never realized that most of the movies that I adored at the time were predictable at best and lacked the style and substance I thought they'd had. I was extremely naive about life in general back then and that tainted my views on films completely. I was definitely not the kind of person you would call a movie-buff...and then came Duckie.
Duckie's views were a complete 180 degree perspective from mine. He loved action, begged for bigger and better special effects and didn't really care about what kind of story it had, as long as something blew up. I dreaded seeing movies with him in the beginning of our relationship because the Curse of the People Pleasers already had a firm hold on me; I wanted him to be happy no matter my discomfort. A strange thing started to happen as the years drifted along, though. Our ideals began to merge...we each started seeing that the other had a point to their view. As I stared at the screen, watching fight scenes, begging to find anything I could enjoy in it, I started to notice the grace in movement. Yes, it's a very girly thing to notice, but it was the start to not dreading an outing to the movies when it was his pick. It was strange when I started to actually enjoy going to see Kung Fu movies because I noticed the artistry in every little piece. It was more than the action, more than the costumes; there was a deeper story there if you watched it with an open mind. Even stranger, though, was that Duckie started to need more from his movies than just action. He needed a good strong plot line...he still likes mindless-blow-em-up-bang-bang movies from time to time, but he mainly wants to see something with substance now.
That's not to say that we both don't get in the mood for some mind-numbing substance-less movies from time to time, the occasions are rare these days and last night just happened to be one of them. We picked a movie that had gotten horrible reviews...Sucker Punch. Everything we had read on it said that it was drivel...action with very little storyline and absolutely poor acting. Imagine our surprise when we immediately started seeing something more.
Every piece of the movie was designed to tell the story. It wasn't inundated with dialogue, as a matter of fact, there was very little of that in there, but the story unfolded before us in an unexpected way. I have seen very few films that have used everything from the sites on the screen to the music running alongside the action to let you know what lies beneath the surface, but this was definitely one of them. I won't give any spoilers, but I will tell you that if you watch the movie, watch with an open mind. Look for the subtext of it all because it is there and it left us talking until 2 o'clock in the morning about the nuances that made this one of the best movies we've seen in a long time.
Duckie's views were a complete 180 degree perspective from mine. He loved action, begged for bigger and better special effects and didn't really care about what kind of story it had, as long as something blew up. I dreaded seeing movies with him in the beginning of our relationship because the Curse of the People Pleasers already had a firm hold on me; I wanted him to be happy no matter my discomfort. A strange thing started to happen as the years drifted along, though. Our ideals began to merge...we each started seeing that the other had a point to their view. As I stared at the screen, watching fight scenes, begging to find anything I could enjoy in it, I started to notice the grace in movement. Yes, it's a very girly thing to notice, but it was the start to not dreading an outing to the movies when it was his pick. It was strange when I started to actually enjoy going to see Kung Fu movies because I noticed the artistry in every little piece. It was more than the action, more than the costumes; there was a deeper story there if you watched it with an open mind. Even stranger, though, was that Duckie started to need more from his movies than just action. He needed a good strong plot line...he still likes mindless-blow-em-up-bang-bang movies from time to time, but he mainly wants to see something with substance now.
That's not to say that we both don't get in the mood for some mind-numbing substance-less movies from time to time, the occasions are rare these days and last night just happened to be one of them. We picked a movie that had gotten horrible reviews...Sucker Punch. Everything we had read on it said that it was drivel...action with very little storyline and absolutely poor acting. Imagine our surprise when we immediately started seeing something more.
Every piece of the movie was designed to tell the story. It wasn't inundated with dialogue, as a matter of fact, there was very little of that in there, but the story unfolded before us in an unexpected way. I have seen very few films that have used everything from the sites on the screen to the music running alongside the action to let you know what lies beneath the surface, but this was definitely one of them. I won't give any spoilers, but I will tell you that if you watch the movie, watch with an open mind. Look for the subtext of it all because it is there and it left us talking until 2 o'clock in the morning about the nuances that made this one of the best movies we've seen in a long time.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Mirror Of Behavior, Am I A Good Friend?
You never know what you mean to someone until it's suddenly brought to your attention in a grand way. More than that, you never know whose life you're going to touch the most. I've mentioned before that I suffer from the Curse of the People Pleasers and the people that I actually TRY to please end up being the ones that I meant the least to in the grand scheme of things. That's not saying that we don't enjoy each other's company from time to time or that the friendship doesn't mean anything, but we don't fully appreciate one another. The people that I have meant the most to in my life are the ones that I have just been myself around.
Those are the people that I feel at ease around...I never have to be anything other than myself. I believe that is what true friendship is about; being yourself without fear of judgement. I've only got a few of these kinds of friendships in my life and only a small bit of those count as heart family. I shouldn't be shocked when one of them finds me to be the kind of friend that I feel they are. A serious lack of self worth causes me to never see it coming.
Today was such a case. A dear friend started her own blog and wrote about me and what I mean to her. I've never seen such wonderful things written about myself! I had always hoped that I was the kind of person that she spoke of, but to see someone truly feel that way about me was priceless. Especially since I wasn't trying to impress her or leave any kind of lasting impression...5 years ago she requested me on Facebook because her husband went to high school with me and she'd heard a lot about me. A chance encounter that has led to a lasting friendship...one that I am eternally grateful for.
So what is the point of all of this you ask? It's this: are you being the best kind of friend you can be? Write down what you want out of your ideal friendship and use that list against yourself. Be honest...no one else is going to see it, so why not?! Look at the things that are on that list as the best way to be...because isn't that what we are supposed to do? Treat the people around us like we want to be treated? It's what we teach our kids, but are we practicing it? Because if we aren't the best kind of friend they won't ever learn how to be; because young children learn from example before they ever learn from our words.
Think about that: are you the best example of what you want your children to be? They hang on our every word and imitate us when they play. Haven't you ever heard them talking to their toys telling them how to behave? The way you hear them talking to those toys is how they hear you speak. They are the best Mirror of Behavior in the universe...so make sure what they have to reflect is the best you have to offer.
Those are the people that I feel at ease around...I never have to be anything other than myself. I believe that is what true friendship is about; being yourself without fear of judgement. I've only got a few of these kinds of friendships in my life and only a small bit of those count as heart family. I shouldn't be shocked when one of them finds me to be the kind of friend that I feel they are. A serious lack of self worth causes me to never see it coming.
Today was such a case. A dear friend started her own blog and wrote about me and what I mean to her. I've never seen such wonderful things written about myself! I had always hoped that I was the kind of person that she spoke of, but to see someone truly feel that way about me was priceless. Especially since I wasn't trying to impress her or leave any kind of lasting impression...5 years ago she requested me on Facebook because her husband went to high school with me and she'd heard a lot about me. A chance encounter that has led to a lasting friendship...one that I am eternally grateful for.
So what is the point of all of this you ask? It's this: are you being the best kind of friend you can be? Write down what you want out of your ideal friendship and use that list against yourself. Be honest...no one else is going to see it, so why not?! Look at the things that are on that list as the best way to be...because isn't that what we are supposed to do? Treat the people around us like we want to be treated? It's what we teach our kids, but are we practicing it? Because if we aren't the best kind of friend they won't ever learn how to be; because young children learn from example before they ever learn from our words.
Think about that: are you the best example of what you want your children to be? They hang on our every word and imitate us when they play. Haven't you ever heard them talking to their toys telling them how to behave? The way you hear them talking to those toys is how they hear you speak. They are the best Mirror of Behavior in the universe...so make sure what they have to reflect is the best you have to offer.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Turn Your Porch Light Off...Make a Real Difference
This has been a tough week for a lot of people because they aren't happy with a verdict in a trial that they have had nothing to do with other than that they followed it in the news. I will have to agree with my friend, David Wright, that we tend to feel powerless in situations where we have no control and it makes us angry.
Am I saddened that a child lost her life? ABSOLUTELY! Do I think that it is suspicious that the mother told so many lies during the investigation? Darn right! But I didn't hear everything that the jury did and I'm not going to form any full opinions over it. That's just how I roll...sorry if that upsets you, but I refuse to get angry at someone who has an Ultimate Judge to take care of whatever she deserves.
What does frustrate me is that people are putting on their porch lights for remembrance of this innocence lost. It's a nice sentiment, but it doesn't really do anything. David posted a very angry note that describes his feelings on it all...it also gave some very interesting statistics: “Seventy-Three of the One-Hundred and Twenty-Seven (or so) missing American children on helpfindmychild.net have gone missing since the reporting of Caylee Anthony's disappearance in June of 2008.
As near as I can tell, an average of more than 700,000 American Children are reported missing annually (it appears that a large number of these are erroneous, but more than 100 of them are "stereotypical" kidnappings - the kind of stuff you see on Law & Order). Upwards of 200 end in death.
There are CURRENTLY 328 missing children in the State of Florida alone.”
So I'm going to follow his lead and say, turn off the porch lights. If you want to do something to remember that poor baby who was taken far too soon, donate the money that you would've spent if you'd left that light on for 6 months to a year to The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children. (If it's a 100 watt bulb and you leave it on for 24 hours that's 2.4 kilowatts. So if you pay about 12 cents a kilowatt for electricity that comes to 29 cents/day or $52/6 months.) Do something with the anger that you feel that will actually make a difference. Stand up for ALL of the children that need our help, thoughts, prayers. Because I like to think that if we all wake up to what we really can do in this world we'd be surprised at the differences we can make.
Am I saddened that a child lost her life? ABSOLUTELY! Do I think that it is suspicious that the mother told so many lies during the investigation? Darn right! But I didn't hear everything that the jury did and I'm not going to form any full opinions over it. That's just how I roll...sorry if that upsets you, but I refuse to get angry at someone who has an Ultimate Judge to take care of whatever she deserves.
What does frustrate me is that people are putting on their porch lights for remembrance of this innocence lost. It's a nice sentiment, but it doesn't really do anything. David posted a very angry note that describes his feelings on it all...it also gave some very interesting statistics: “Seventy-Three of the One-Hundred and Twenty-Seven (or so) missing American children on helpfindmychild.net have gone missing since the reporting of Caylee Anthony's disappearance in June of 2008.
As near as I can tell, an average of more than 700,000 American Children are reported missing annually (it appears that a large number of these are erroneous, but more than 100 of them are "stereotypical" kidnappings - the kind of stuff you see on Law & Order). Upwards of 200 end in death.
There are CURRENTLY 328 missing children in the State of Florida alone.”
So I'm going to follow his lead and say, turn off the porch lights. If you want to do something to remember that poor baby who was taken far too soon, donate the money that you would've spent if you'd left that light on for 6 months to a year to The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children. (If it's a 100 watt bulb and you leave it on for 24 hours that's 2.4 kilowatts. So if you pay about 12 cents a kilowatt for electricity that comes to 29 cents/day or $52/6 months.) Do something with the anger that you feel that will actually make a difference. Stand up for ALL of the children that need our help, thoughts, prayers. Because I like to think that if we all wake up to what we really can do in this world we'd be surprised at the differences we can make.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Small Town Fourth of July Memories
We moved around quite a bit when I was a small child...it wasn't until we got to the small town of Belton that we stayed put and I got to grow up around amazing people. As I've said before, we picked up some extended family in and around our home. With family, traditions start to form easily. You find these little things that you enjoy so much that you go back again and again each year. One of those was the annual Fourth of July parade for our family.
Believe it or not, there are people all over the state of Texas that know about our small town parade...it's one of the best I've ever seen to this day. They come from all over to participate in festivities of the weekend. But even knowing that, I was still surprised to find that USA today actually included it in their 10 Great Places To Fly Your Patriotic Colors on July 4th article. I have to say that it made me feel extremely proud to see Belton, TX in that list...that feeling of “I came from there” swells up and I can't help smiling as the memories flood through my mind.
We would wake early and head down to the parade route to get a good seat...there were actually people who would sleep in their spots over night or would park their trucks, gate to the street, to ensure they got the best view. It was serious business picking your spot and some of the town actually had “their spots”, a family's favorite place of viewing the parade for years. We usually spread our blanket on the front lawn of First Baptist Church, but we weren't too picky, as long as we could see, we were happy. When the parade would start there were always cheers, clapping and smiling faces from everyone, especially the kids. The candy thrown from floats, the Marching 100 passing us by, the man with the lawn mower towing his family behind him in little red wagons...I could keep going with items/people that I remember as part of my favorite Fourth of July tradition.
Fourth of Julys in Texas, especially Belton, are something that I miss profoundly because of how special they always made it. Our nation's birthday was celebrated to the utmost...I was left knowing exactly why I should have pride in America by growing up in a place where rodeo reigned supreme, there was always some fun at the Festival on Nolan Creek and the Belton parade showed us all what patriotism and good old family fun was supposed to be. I've never found another place that could live up to the memories that my hometown has given to me...I enjoy the fireworks, family fun and friendship that I participate in outside of my home state, don't get me wrong, but nothing beats out those memories.
So what are some of YOUR favorite memories of our country's birthday? Please, feel free to tell me in the comments section what has always given you a sense of pride in our nation.
Believe it or not, there are people all over the state of Texas that know about our small town parade...it's one of the best I've ever seen to this day. They come from all over to participate in festivities of the weekend. But even knowing that, I was still surprised to find that USA today actually included it in their 10 Great Places To Fly Your Patriotic Colors on July 4th article. I have to say that it made me feel extremely proud to see Belton, TX in that list...that feeling of “I came from there” swells up and I can't help smiling as the memories flood through my mind.
We would wake early and head down to the parade route to get a good seat...there were actually people who would sleep in their spots over night or would park their trucks, gate to the street, to ensure they got the best view. It was serious business picking your spot and some of the town actually had “their spots”, a family's favorite place of viewing the parade for years. We usually spread our blanket on the front lawn of First Baptist Church, but we weren't too picky, as long as we could see, we were happy. When the parade would start there were always cheers, clapping and smiling faces from everyone, especially the kids. The candy thrown from floats, the Marching 100 passing us by, the man with the lawn mower towing his family behind him in little red wagons...I could keep going with items/people that I remember as part of my favorite Fourth of July tradition.
Fourth of Julys in Texas, especially Belton, are something that I miss profoundly because of how special they always made it. Our nation's birthday was celebrated to the utmost...I was left knowing exactly why I should have pride in America by growing up in a place where rodeo reigned supreme, there was always some fun at the Festival on Nolan Creek and the Belton parade showed us all what patriotism and good old family fun was supposed to be. I've never found another place that could live up to the memories that my hometown has given to me...I enjoy the fireworks, family fun and friendship that I participate in outside of my home state, don't get me wrong, but nothing beats out those memories.
So what are some of YOUR favorite memories of our country's birthday? Please, feel free to tell me in the comments section what has always given you a sense of pride in our nation.
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