Elisa's Makeover

Yesterday my 4yr old niece Elisa and I had such a fun and sweet memory. We were doing our usual...me hanging out in my room and her taking full advantage of my costume box (everyone has one of those right?) and putting on a new pretend character or music video with each find. She's hilarious, completely crazy and wild, and fearless when it comes to her dancing and signing, such a beautiful sight. She found an old make up bag I had in there, and we had fun figuring out where all these weird powders went, she found that she preferred the 10 layer multicolor lipstick look as well as the eyeshadowed eyebrows. We agreed it was a good look on her. Well, I made the mistake of leaving for awhile, only to come back to her completely naked, with lipstick lines from her lips to her toes, and a lip-stick colored-in bikini top, where she even drew the strings!! HAHAHAHhahahaha!! All I could muster up to do was laugh and say, "Well, it's important that you're creative! So when your mommy sees this, you just tell her that!" So we practiced her line, then, like clockwork, she went down stairs and immediately I heard a big gasp from her mom, and with all the certainty and confidence I heard in her sweet little girl voice, "Mom, it's important that I'm creative!!" Ahahaha, I about lost it. Then my sister's typical response, EMILY!! We had to soak her in the tub for awhile, it turns out cheap old lipstick really sticks well to the body, and the carpet, ohh well, definitely worth it!

Don't Do It

PEDESTRIANS. You're driving along, progressing at a completely legal speed and it happens...

V=T/D + several thousand pound vehical + steel + 6 cylinders + you in the car + blur in the shape of a human walking + split second = BRAKES!

This person, after what must have been a flash hypnotizing from the road's striped lines, dives directly into your path. I do mean dives, you've all seen it. It makes you half-way wonder if, as part of the human moral code, you should stop, give them a hug and tell them they have so much to live for, or at least find a way that's less messy. I'm only kidding.

Then, after slamming on your breaks and screeching to a halt, your forehead to the window, and your mom arm extended, you take a moment to awe at this human wonder. As they progress at the speed of snail in front of you, you have plenty of time to size them up. You realize they appear as a logical person, how could this have happened? Where did their educational experience do them wrong where it told them that it made more sense to demand to go first before a bone crushing machine weighing X1000 times their weight? Could this be the consequences of an educational system too bent on positive reinforcement and confidence boosting? Not to mention this machine also posses the ability to pass this small section of road in split seconds, but you're right, we should all watch your malleable body stroll across the path and admire that you have the ability to make time stand still.

The best is when you've had to come to an obviously abrupt stop to save their life, and they give you this look as they roll their eyes, ... I mean, how dare you enter their space like that?

I'd like to think we could all learn from life when it was simple and the rules of life were basic: T-Rex is on direct route to his prey, little baby raptor is in a hurry to pass him, what happens? Baby raptor goes to the Land of No Time, aka eternity.

I mean, maybe there's more to it than I understand. Maybe people just aren't getting the adventurous rushes in life they desire, I get that. Maybe they think they look really cute that day and just need someone to notice. Maybe they've always wondered what it would feel like to be flat? Quickest way to fit in those jeans again? I don't know, maybe it's not something I will understand until I get older.

Problems I Love Having

I can’t stop one kindergarten boy from sneaking a kiss on my check.
Can’t get another to stay seated when I walk in because he has to run to give me a hug and say good morning.
I can’t get a second of free time because another wants us to put the dinosaur puzzle together …again.
I dont have a break at recess because I can’t turn down one's invitation to Duck Duck Goose.

I've been thinking about real problems at my job too. Days when I question whether the meager salary and exhausting responsibility of my job is worth it. Long days of kids with all their gusto refusing to follow directions, violent tantrums and out of control emotions, which easily can turn my world into a frusterating chaos. I realized what a good feeling it was though was to be able to look back and see... we were there, remember that awful day-- but we survived, ...we were dedicated to support,... we kept coming,... we had a lot of rough spots but we are still here now, and things are a little better,... and the kids are still being taken care of and loved the best we can, ...and they are making it through life with the best we have to give,... and its been a journey, and we were apart of it, ...and its good.

Notice the bottom of the swing says "Miracle"