Mmmm Candy!

What's your favorite kind of candy? Remember all the crazy candy you've had over the years? I was talking to the girls about candy and started remembering some really old stuff.

When I was very little (preschool age) there was a corner store in our neighborhood. I think it was called Dousous (do- so's). When you went in the door there was penny candy at the counter on the left side of the store and there was even more candy near the front windows on your right. I remember when we were very good we got a nickel and got to "go shopping". My Mom would always say "hurry up and choose", but she didn't understand what a major decision this was! Do I get the pretend cigarettes, the dots on paper, fire balls, fake wax lips, licorice, there was so much to choose from. It got me wondering and remembering the stuff from back then and what there is now. So I went to check out the latest candy...

Today's candy is much smaller to begin with. There is very little loose candy, most is wrapped and boxed now. Not back then! I know today's world is more safety conscious than when we were kids. Some times it's sad though. When our girls were small and we would go to Ohio to visit Willie and Becky, we would let the kids take money to the store and buy whatever they wanted to get. They have some crazy memories of that. One time they bought giant Pixie Sticks and decided to have a race to eat them. Rob was there and in on it too. He had a bad reaction though because I think he had asthma or something and got sick. We never really did the candy trip after that, did we?

I decided I will be taking the girls to the store. They will each have a limited number of coins to work with and they will have to choose what they want as their treats. Mom and Dad will be the "keepers of the candy" and decide when they get to eat it. I just want them to have a memory of going to choose their treat. I'm taking them to Cracker Barrel because that's the only place with "old candy" to choose from and they still carry loose stuff.

So here are a few more candies to remember. Feel free to comment and add to the list: bubble gum cigars, root beer barrels, Mallow bars, mints, candy bracelets and necklaces, Bit-O-Honey, chocolate gold coins, Juicy Fruit gum, shoestring red licorice, ribbon hard candy, salt water taffy, real Carmel's, gold nugget gum in a little white cloth bag, Carmel's with a white middle, circus peanuts, chocolate covered peanuts, Pixie Sticks, candy corn, Starks, Sweet Tarts, gum drops, Juju beans, Good and Plenty, and the list goes on!

What's your favorite candy? Share the memories!

Summer's Coming!

OK, it's time to remember the bright side of school. As a kid the first semester was always the fast one. There were tons of holidays and vacation days. Then came second semester... no holidays until Valentines Day, and then you didn't even get that day off. You did get a party though! This was the pre-MLK days. He wasn't famous yet or hadn't even made his famous speech.

Hence, I didn't like January because there were no days off. I'd pray for snow days! I hoped that if I was getting sick that winter it would happen in January. But then, one day when I was bored out of my skull I remember looking at a calendar on the wall of my bedroom. You know those little symbols of the moon on the calendar? It got me thinking... HAH! I had my answer on why to like January. Think about it, the longest day of the year falls in January. So what does that mean?

WHEN THAT DAY IS OVER, YOU ARE HEADING FOR SUMMER!!!

It's over, and now we can wait for the warm summer days 'cause they're on the way! Can you tell I love summer over winter? Hmmm, time to plan a summer vacation...

The Rock

Unfortunately, when you don't live near relatives, you sometimes only have photographs to help stimulate a memory. I found this photo and remembered something we used to try to do with our kids when they were little.

Every time we went back to Ohio to see family we would decide on a day, and whoever was there that day was in our special photo. The Ohio folks will recognize this as the rock outside Grandma and Grandpa's apartment. We put all the kids on the rock and here was our special photo from that trip.

As an Aunt or Uncle it would sometimes be the only photo we would have for years, or until the next time we all got together. I love all my nieces and nephews, from both families. What's hard is trying to remember a lot of times spent with them and realizing there really weren't that many. So now I'll shoot for more vacations, or emails, or calls...

Maybe a family get together?
Kids in photo Left to Right:Julie, Tyler, Kristy, Monica, Jennifer, Brittany, and Tricia

Too Much

Some days your head is filled with so many memories and your heart is filled with so much lonliness that it hurts too much. Today is that day for me. I'll post more another day.

Playing Waitress

There's nothing more fun for kids than getting to play waitress/waiter. Did you ever do that as a kid? We're not talking tea parties, we're talking real food with real people. Two things made it fun" 1) you get to write it all down in a notebook just like the order books the real people use 2) if you did a good job you got a tip! Yep, real money! Now we all know it's no way for kids to support themselves, but hey, in a jam you can clean up OK.

Our favorite time to con the grownups was at big family gatherings. I'd say "We're bored. Can we play waitress for you guys?" It was more fun with bigger groups because there were other kids to play it with you. The adults were usually easy customers too. Get simple things like another drink, chips, napkins, more potato salad; you know, easy stuff. We'd clear the table as they ate so they could keep grazing as they talked. When the parents had company over to play cards it worked great. If the grownups drank beer it was good, but if they drank mixed drinks you were in trouble. I didn't know how to mix the drinks, so I'd just offer to carry them to the table. Drinking by them meant bigger tips for us. Kids learn early. (I guess as a kid we didn't realize the part about how grownups were getting us to wait on them, clear the table, and do the dishes without us complaining about it.) One time my Great Uncle Carl gave me a paper dollar! It was the 60's and that was big bucks! Whew, we talked about that for a long time!

This past week we were at a real restaurant celebrating our friend Terry's birthday with a cake. She's the Manager of the place. After we cut the cake Terry asked Kaylie and Makenzie to serve some to they customers in the restaurant. Now that was big time! A real restaurant with real customers! They loved it! Everyone thought they were so cute! They would do anything for Miss Terry, she's the best! This one was a freebie too cause she's an awesome person. Happy Birthday!!!

I remember making $3.13 at one family gathering! I was rich! I went to the store and got my Barbie a new outfit and thought I was the best waitress in the whole world! I remember at the end of the night or the end of the party, we'd sit down and count our "pay". Somehow we all ended up with the same amount of money, regardless who worked harder???

Thank you Terry for letting the girls "waitress". They loved it! And it gave me a chance to remember some fun times a s a kid.

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Drive In Movies

Why am I remembering this right now? I have no idea...

I was just remembering when we would go to the drive in movies as kids. My parents would have everyone eat dinner, take baths, then get into our pj's. We still had to wear shoes in case we had to get out of the car.

We would pile blankets, pillows, popcorn, and kids into the back of the car. When we got our first station wagon we thought it would be especially fun because there was so much room! Did you know you can't really see anything from the very back of a station wagon when you are at a drive in? Heck, you can hardly see anything from the back seat either! Especially when there are 6 kids in the car!

I don't remember a single movie from when I was real little. I just remember that Marcia and I were the only ones still awake at intermission. Dad or Mom would take us to the concession stand so we could go to the bathroom. It was weird walking around outside in our pj's, especially with shoes on!

Then came the teenage years. Hey, I behaved! (Remember, I'm the boring one!) Occasionally Marcia and I would go to a movie. She loved the scary ones! She'd try to sneak back from the concession stand and scare me, but most of the time we would go there together to see who else was there. No pj's then! She actually got a job at a drive in so she didn't get to watch movies that often then. She sure let a lot of us in for free though... hehehe...

When Dan and I took the girls to their first drive in, they were 3 and 1. It was challenging as an adult because you had them in car seats until they got tired and fell asleep. Then you'd get out, cover the dome light, and lay them down on the seats. There seemed to be more mosquitoes as adults too? By the time we went to a drive in there were no more bucket seats which really killed any romantic stuff. They didn't have drive ins in England, Spain or the California desert. The kids first experience was when we were on leave back in Wisconsin.

The sad part is, there are hardly any more drive ins left in the country. Although they are gone, their memories will always stay with me. What were your drive in memories?

Appreciating

Think back on all the times when you had someone or something that you just took for granted. It/they were always there to the point you almost didn't even see it/them anymore. I've been spending the past few hours thinking about this.

The most obvious person for me was Dan. He was always there for me, good or bad times. We were so in tune to one another that we didn't have to talk to know how we felt or what we were thinking. Evey night we'd get into bed and discuss the day. We'd guide each other through the rough times and hold each other through the good times. Or was it the other way around, heck it was both, all the time. He did everything for me when both cancers came. I mean everything. Celine Dion had a song "Because You Loved Me" which became my tribute to him and my family. I never would have made it through that without them.

What about family as a whole? Your children, sisters, brother, parents, in laws... You knew you could call and there would be someone to talk to, to listen to, to just hang out on the phone with. (You have to hang out on the phone when you live far away.) I've never been the type to want to call anyone when I was depressed or upset. I could be there to help them, but I didn't like dumping my woes on others. Yet everyone would say I'm here to listen too. And they would be.

Friends. People that started out as acquaintances became major people in your lives. For example: Grandpa Ed. He started as Tricia's bus driver when she was in grade school in Wisconsin. Some people are true living saints. That is Ed to us. You meet people that inspire you to your soul. That is Ed. Today I have a friend Terry who is that type of inspiration. She is goodness to the core. I thank God daily for the friends, family and new people who so change my life.

As for things, let's talk jobs. We whine when we have to work and whine when we are unemployed (me lately). What's the saying "The grass is always greener..."? I long for the day when I don't spend hours job searching, filling out applications, and interviewing. But hey, you can't get a job without the process. Here's my latest kick on material things: what if you didn't have your cell phone, TV, computer, microwave, DVD, or ... CAR! We are so spoiled!

What I think this experience of being unemployed has shown me is that I have a lot, and I don't appreciate it or people the way I should. So for the next few hours I'm going to sit in my chair and just think about all my blessings and how to appreciate them more.

AMEN!

Meeting new Family

Remember when you were a kid and your parents would introduce you to some new relatives? Meet so and so , he's your cousin from your Dad's side twice removed. What??? What did you do to get removed twice? Did it hurt? Where have you been until now? Who are you really?

I was thinking back on the times when we had to introduce our kids to new relatives. Heck, half the time I didn't even know some of them. You'd think your spouses family would be the ones you didn't know, but when they were from your side you felt really stupid. I remember meeting my cousins, the Surings, when we were little. They were four girls and an Aunt and Uncle. Nice people. But for some reason we were "kissing cousins". What the heck is that? We would always give kisses and hugs when we said goodbye, but we did that with most relatives. Here's an interesting fact abut kissing cousins: Kissing cousins are third cousins. This kissing bit came about because the law says you cannot marry anyone unless they are third cousins or further out. Hence, the third cousins were allowed to kiss by law. Now that's a bit of wisdom for your memory banks!

Anyway, this is really all about meeting more new relatives just this past few weeks. I have a new niece Hollyn Haynes who is absolutely adorable. But I also got to meet my other new nieces Kristia and Kairstin. What a nice family. Brian and Chris have a big family now, but they are all so good together. I loved to see them all smiling. Good family!

Now I miss all my other nieces and nephews. It's so hard, because being in the military or living out of state really robs you of time with them. We got nice photos of most of them for the holidays, which helps fill that empty spot. I'll have to get back to work so I can save for more trips to see family.

The Even Years

As I think back over the years, it seems the even numbered years were the best, except for 2004. So now we are starting 2008, even, and destined for goodness.

Great even years:
1976 got married and moved to England
1978 got pregnant with Kristy
1980 got pregnant with Tricia
1990 we retired from the military
1992 we moved to Florida
1996 beat the hell out of breast cancer. (Looked pretty "different" with the Kojak hair.)
2004 beat the hell out of colon cancer.

So here I am facing 2008 with the following goals:
1. Find employment that I love.
2. Achieve financial security.
3. Finish losing the weight I began losing already.

No specific job, no specific money amount, and no specific weight. Just a better year this year.
I'm game, how about you?

Back In The Groove

Remember when you had to do something and it seemed like every time you started doing it you got side tracked? I'm finally back at this blog and ready to keep it going again. Since returning from Philly (which was a great way to start the new year) I've gotten the "Rocky" bug and am ready to beat all of this chaos.

So here we go again...