I know I am behind on posting for May. I have come here several times to generate the perfect post. Yet here I am…still lost for words, trying to figure out how to convey my thoughts and experience in just the right tone. Do you ever get writers block? If this is what it feels like, I don’t like it!
There was only one fear challenge accomplished on my Life List this month but that is not what this post is about. I know! I know! That is what this blog is all about right?! Well, we will get back to that but I wanted to touch on something a little more personal and little more important. Family and the ability to share and celebrate their milestones.
First, we had the Tidewater Comicon, which coincidently, coincided with my birthday again this year. It has become tradition now with four years running. Actually, I guess you could say that I started a tradition (#7). That would account for a “Bucket List” item. There were several items I should have completed but didn’t. I could have dressed up in a disguise for the day (#72). I let this one slip off my radar again. Time was not on my side. My fault, indeed, I did not properly plan. I knew it was coming up. I just could not figure out the best costume to wear. If I am being honest, it probably has more to do with me having this aversion to dressing in a costume. I don’t know why but I find it kind of weird and I am really self-conscience and judgmental of myself. I’m not totally against it. I’m just not creative enough to figure out a disguise that would work for me. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear your favorites. Then I can start planning for the next Comicon or maybe even Halloween!
Back to the celebration piece, my husband and three of his friends have a podcast, ManPoints!. The ManPoints! team was accepted by Tidewater Comicon for conducting a live show at their event. This was a huge ordeal as they thought they were banned from the Comicon. Last year, they were almost ejected because other Comicon merchandizers found them to be offensive and did not want to be located next to them. If you want to check your Sally meter you can check them out on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play.
Speaking of birthdays, I was suppose to throw myself a birthday party. Since Tidewater Comicon was on the same day and given that it was Mother’s Day, that would not have worked. But stay tuned…Karen and I are planning to throw ourselves a birthday party. Karen? You remember Karen, right? She is my friend that is supposed to be writing this blog with me. Yeah, she is still caught up with life and its happenings. We won’t hold that against her. She is too good a friend to do that. I love her to death! Anyways, we are choosing a date that meets in the middle of my birthday and her birthday! I found out that she has NEVER had a birthday party. Hers is December 12. I have only had ONE birthday party in my lifetime. My then ex-boyfriend, now husband, threw me a party. Yes, it was one week after I broke up with him. That is tale to be told…to be told at another time. Ok, you pressured me into it! Here’s the tale.
You see, I’d never had a boyfriend. Never really hung out with boys. I didn’t know much about life in general. I was literally raised in a closet. There was an unknown world out there that I was dying to discover. That world accepted me with open arms! I was scared and really didn’t know what it meant to be a girlfriend or how you were suppose to act around boys. I decided to break up with him…because I was scared! He had planned this surprise birthday party in advance and decided to have it anyways. I knew I made a mistake the moment I broke up with him. It didn’t take me long to realize I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I just had to make things right with him! So I asked…in a bathroom while playing a Meatloaf song! How crazy is that?! See, I told you I didn’t know much. Surprisingly, he said yes. I later found out I was the ONLY girl that had broken up with him that he took back. I am one lucky girl! This is a story that has been told several times over the last 25 years and I know it will go down in our history book to be passed on to grandchildren.
Once we got through Tidewater Comicon, my birthday, and Mother’s Day; we moved on to more important celebrations. GRADUATIONS! We traveled to Mississippi for Allyssa’s, my niece, high school graduation. She is an amazing young woman. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to watch her grow these last 18 years. We have taken her to several comicons with us. She is a blast to hang out with. The weekend was over and we had to travel back home to get in a weeks worth of work. Then we traveled to Texas to Megan’s, my niece, high school graduation. I am so excited to see her graduate. She is such a smart young woman. She was accepted into Baylor University this fall. I know that she will achieve greatness in anything she does. I enjoy spending time with her as well. I just wish she didn’t live so far away.
- Allyssa – Graduation
- Megan – Graduation
When you marry, you marry into a whole family. I have heard horror stories from others about their experiences with their in-laws. I just cannot relate to those stories. I married into the greatest family. My father-in-law, Mike, treats me as his own daughter. If I need anything, he is only a phone call away. I cannot say enough about my brother-in-law. He has shown me what it is to have a real brother. A brother that you can rely on. One that has his sister’s back; no matter what the issue. He will drop everything to attend to the needs of his family. My sister-in-law, Theresa. Wow! She is amazing! We have the greatest time together. I just wish we lived closer. I love hanging out with her. She just makes me feel so at ease. I can laugh around her and feel no judgement. She is always there to listen to my craziness and is not afraid to put me in my place. She lets me know how it should be. Then there is Rumiko! She is my sister-in-law. She always laughs at my quirkiness. She is so much fun to be around. She teaches my sons a few Japanese words but I could never catch on to what they were. It’s probably a good thing. There is no telling what “bad” words my sons may be asking her about. I’d love to learn Japanese but I can barely speak English. It would not be right, if I did not include my mother-in-law in this post. Debbie, has taught me so much. Every time we get together, she teaches me something new. She taught me how to sew curtains for my kitchen windows. This past visit, she taught me how to make a really quick and simple soup and potato salad. There has been countless things that I have learned from her. She is like an encyclopedia full of knowledge waiting for someone to open the cover! Lastly, there is Wes’ mother. She passed away many years ago. She showed me that it was possible to love unconditionally. Her interactions with her family told so many tales. She once asked me how my visit was going. I told her that I had learned a lot. She asked me what things. I told her that she showed me “what love really is.” I guess you could say, there really is no “in-law” at the end of our names. We are just one big family, with everyday peoples dilemmas, standing ready to help where needed.
You could say that May was not a total wash on my Life List because spending time with family will always be number one. I didn’t have much family around when I was growing up, therefore, I never take those opportunities for granted. Family is my everything!
“Family is just accident…. They don’t mean to get on your nerves. They don’t even mean to be your family, they just are.”
Marsha Norman
Revealing Character True 