Randomness...Part Trey =)

For some reason, I just love that we call my BIL Trey.  It's not his given name, just what he's called because he's a III.  I keep trying to come up with a cool name should he have a IV, but words for four don't have any good rings to them.  Four, Quatro, Cetiri, Fire (I promise it's 4 in Danish), Nelja.  Although Quatre is 4 in French and that could be kind of cute.  But he'd probably have to become a boxer because he might get teased.  And just yesterday I came up with a name for my next daughter (should God bless me with one)....Marchelle.  I love MLPs real name, Marshal, but he dislikes it.  But I love it.  So with Marshal and Rachelle (my middle) she'd be named after both of us and have something different and unique.  PLUS I could again name a girl after favorite aunts in a way.  One of my favorite aunt's middle name is Marie and then one of my daughters' aunts is Michelle.  So it works.  If I had my way, I'd have a son and MLP would let me have a Jr and then I could call him MJ and he'd be named after both of us too.  But I did mention previously that he isn't all in love with his name.  But a girl can hope....for a son to name. =)

Another thing thats been going through my brain is people who don't turn right on a GREEN light.  I'm telling you, yesterday this lady sat there for a FULL MINUTE while the light was green before she turned right.  I was thiiiiiiiis close to honking my horn at her when she finally went.  And no, it wasn't because she wasn't paying attention because she kept looking to the left and right at the cars to see if she could go!!!  THE LIGHT IS GREEN LADY...GREEN MEANS GO!  In almost any language or culture... I know because my humanities teacher told me so. 

Speaking of Humanities, I am really hating that dang class.  Which is very upsetting to me.  Thats supposed to be a class that is right up my alley.  But all she is concerned about is some damn hero model complex friggin project.  I didn't even get to talk about how the author of the text book should have mentioned that without Marius or Sulla, we'd have never gotten a Caesar.  Marius and Sulla gave their soldiers a reason to be loyal to their general and not necessarily to the State.  But noooo.  She does have some interesting music videos that she's made.  And she's really knowledgable about it, which is more than I can say for that last class I hated.  I just hate this stupid hero project. 

Thats about all I gots.  Maybe later I'll drop more randomness...

LFGN!

My Next Thirty Years

I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

The lyrics from this song are so spot on.  As I sit here on the morning of my last day at 29 (I refuse to stay 29 forever), reflecting on life so far, I think I might be ok with it.  I've been known to say in the last year "You can't call me a baby anymore after this.  I've had my big girl panties on for quite some time and dang it, I'm not a baby!".  To which all those who consider me a baby/youngster/kid, fondly shake their heads and pat me on mine.  Not physically, but I can totally see it in their eyes that that is what they want to do. 

To give a quick recap, my first few years were eventful and gave me cause to be a little adult in very many ways (sometimes I thought I was waaaay too big for my britches.  Thank you for parents who reminded me very quickly I wasn't.  I've made better choices as a grown up because of it).  I'm an only child to parents who were young parents too.  I'm the second oldest grandkid on both sides and I am blessed to have had some of them grow very close to me, so I did get to experience bits and pieces of having little brothers and sisters.  (And yes, I am still very mad that you two made me get me clubhouse taken down just because I didn't want you to come play with me.  And sorry if I freaked you out because I told you there were dinosaurs under the bed ;D )  I was kind of boring as a kid because I liked to read...A LOT.  But I had my moments, no worries.  Fast forward to 17 and.....commence big girl panties.  Aleisa came along and changed everything.  My Mom was there for the first 6-10 weeks or so and then she went back to work with my Dad and it was just Lance and I.  Alone being parents.  Thank you sweet baby Jesus for letting Aleisa live through that!  Although....maybe that fall from the couch has something to do with....nevermind. ;~D

Lets fast forward again, through living in our first apartment, my first telemarketer job (I think almost everyone should try it at least once. You'll still give them crap when they call but it will be funny crap instead of mean), working at the daycare...I think I'll stop here for a minute.  This job probably did more to prepare me than any other.  I learned that sometimes, you're kid can be a brat.  And it's ok to admit that.  It has nothing to do with you as a parent and you shouldn't get defensive and try to say "Not my little Johnny".  Every child on the face of the planet has been a brat at least twenty times.  They're kids, it's what they do.  I learned a LOT of patience.  Sometimes talking softly gets you further with a conversation than yelliing (now is that something I practice a lot...um NO).  A wooden spoon can strike enough fear to qwell any rebellion (Thank you Melissa and Jane!).  Anything can be learned in a song (Go poopoo in the pooootty, go poopoo in the poooootty sung to the Blue's Clues song was the hardest to sing with a straight face and at the mall bathroom).  Check lists are a MUST.  Plan, plan, plan.  Start Monthly, Go Weekly and the days fall in place.  ALWAYS have a back-up plan.  A good game of kickball can do wonders.  And most importantly....shaving cream cleans anything ;~). 

I met so many wonderful people working there and my life was changed in ways that I'll probably only realize as I'm reflecting again after my next thirty years are the beginning of the next twenty.  I am where I am because I met them.  Because of the J's, I'm a firm believer that, other than transporting, it IS easier with more kids.  Transporting....eh not so much.  A car plus 4 kids...someone pass me a bloody mary from the Casa (not that I ever had one, but I have it on good authority that they are the best!).   If not for the R's, there are some weeks of life that would have been so very difficult to manage.  Some very special non-birth children that I'll probably always peek in on: MN, EJ, SJ, JJ, JR, JR and TB; Miss Jessica will always have time to sit down and give you her full attention to whatever you have to say!

Skip to the loo a little bit and we're back to 29!  MLP and Miss A have made life an adventure.  Granted sometimes that adventure has taken me to Hades but we always make it back.  Miss A has shown me that it's ok to be outgoing and talk to strangers.  Because I promise you, I was NOT like that when I was her age.  The Me I am now is very different.  I took the saying "Fake it til you make it" to heart.  Plus I realized that so what if you don't like me.  I probably don't like you either.  If you're not in my realm of caring, then well...I don't care.  It can be harsh at times but its so much easier to be happy with yourself when you don't tether that to what others think. 

So...to do list for the next thirty:
1. Graduate, possibly to a Masters
2. Watch Aleisa graduate from college
3. Walk where Jesus did
4. Walk where Caesar did
5. See pyramids
6. Jump from something really high and try to get over my fear of falling
7. Finish one of my stories
8. Speak Italian
9. Create the perfect holiday dinner
10. Perfect a recipe that is all my own
11. Do the splits
12. Shake hands with a President
Thats enough for now =)

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Finish raising my family and being a wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years
*Thank you to Phil Vasser for writing this great song and Tim McGraw for giving it the vocals needed for impact!

LGFN!