Thumbprints

Tatum has been in art for years and we are simply amazed at the gift she has and the talent she comes home with.

Her last project at school was to duplicate a picture with just ink and thumbprints. This was all done in thumbprints.

I am asking her to make one of each of the children's baby pictures now, seeing how very cool it turned out!

Say

I had a friend from my teenage years get a hold of me.

She and I lived through some times, I'll tell ya. She knew me like no one did at that time of my life, and loved me still. We had heartache and coming of age. Raw learning of life and laughter and tears. We worked together and shared toothbrushes and clothes. We dated guys and snuck out of windows, pushing unstarted cars down moonlit roads. We did stuff that would make my Mama cringe, and as a Mom makes me cringe now, but oh it was fun.

We kept it up through my evolution of marriage and a baby and even to the point of her having her first child, but for me it grew hard. I felt torn being a young teenage mom, and at some point wanted, a clean break into a new life? How can I put that graceful. I guess I can't. But, I didn't fit in with my old definitions, and she almost made me fell guilty of my new ones.

I clunked into trying to keep house and be a wife and as the kids and responsibilities grew, I did to. I had...I had to turn a blind eye to all of the other kids my age. They were living at home, or in college, or living with guys. They were smoking pot and going to parties, and going to concerts, and SURE, I could of too, but I wanted to make a niche into the new life I was trying to live, and I guess somehow, she made me feel bad. I remember she would say "oh my gosh, you're like Martha Stewart now!", and that probably was MEANT to be a compliment, but a part of me felt like a betraying to the cool Becky. I just felt misplaced and bad, and therefore....moved on with my life without her :(

It wasn't really her, I guess it was how I felt about me...or how she made me feel about me, or how lame I handled the whole transition...

Apparently, it still is.

I've been afraid of getting back together with her. I haven't wanted to. I wanted to a}} know how special a time it was then, and b}} be okay with where I am now. What I need to learn to do, and what she is asking me to do it combine the two.

We Are The Griswalds

{{My music player and I are in a fight at the moment...this blog is NOT worthy of reading unless you read it while being serenaded by the Chevy Chase vacation theme song "Holiday Road". Please scroll to the bottom and click on the arrow to PLAY and then you may proceed. Thank you....}}

We are baaaaccckkk.

From Disney. And I am going to tell you, not only the state of Florida has GOT to be relieved...but they CANNOT be as relieved as I am.

We bonded. We had fun. We trudged waist high in the muck called teenage angst, and family turmoil...but mainly we did the mandatory princess trip and awesome togetherness, that only we can pull together.

Jake at one point did grab the hand of someone **ELSE"S** preschooler and try to take her in to the seating of the The Little Mermaid, thinking it was Summer, only to be boxed in the head by her mother. (rightfully so! We laughed hard about that one)

Summer did get to attend a princess breakfast (well we ALL did, but the boys were not impressed ) only to FREAKOUT when Sleeping Beauty came up to table and then proceeded to cry. Luckily, she pulled it together for Snow White, Belle, and Cinderella. Oh! and Mary Poppins...who is NOT a princess at all, and who is INTIMIDATING as heck! She told us to "spit spot!" and to "stand up straight!"

We lost Matthew for a moment in the Orlando International Airport, only to find him way ahead, standing upon the the luggage carousal, throwing our suitcases out onto the floor one by one. Heart attack, followed by relief, followed by irritation, followed by pride. Typical Matthew.

At one point we all kind of fell apart with the heat and Mike got like a flu, and Jake had a pulled muscle in his stomach, and Matt had an infected hand, and blah, blah, blah, so we left to go back to the resort to sleep some during the day, in which it seemed unfair to Tate. I encouraged her to stay at Epcot! She was almost 18 and could pretend she was an exchange student or something. Go explore! She had her phone. Be Brave! She was worried to be alone and have to ride rides alone, but she did! I'm so glad! What adventures she must have had!

We had alot we saw and did, still hand down...HANDS DOWN.. Soaring is my favorite ride. Love that feeling. Flying free. Siiighhh. Wish I could do that ride over and over. Matt's was Tower of Terror. Mike...the Arrowsmith RollarCoaster.

Definitely BEST place to eat was the Japanese place Tepan Edo. Really good. Oh my. Really good. Never had such awesome noodles.

Love Disney. Think we are Beach people though. Frozen Drinks. Sun. Lounge. No agenda. Sleep. Salty air. Breeze. Kids Laughing. Oy...I need a vacation...LOL!