SO True

I think this may be one of the best descriptions of love/marriage I have ever seen.  Funny, but true!  :D

Let Me Tell You What You Should Do

I am very proud to say that I raised two very conscientious daughters.  However, this allows them to be taken advantage of in far too many ways...

The Oldest has seven kids.  She is very active in many things and they attend quite a few pot lucks.  Having seven kids causes her to worry that people won't/don't want her family to attend these events because they are afraid there won't be enough food for everyone.  (As far as I know, this is all in her head.)  And so she compensates.  One day she listed the food she had already made for the pot luck they were having at their church:  a casserole, two salads, deviled eggs, and two different desserts.  She had three more things that she was going to make and wanted to know if that would be enough!  I got a bit angry with her and made it clear that she didn't have to provide food for the ENTIRE CHURCH.  I honestly felt as if what she had already made was far more than she needed to do and the rest was just a bit of overkill.

The workplace is where The Youngest gets taken advantage of.  Within the last two weeks she gave me two great examples.  One evening--the clinic closes at 7:30 PM--she called me after 8:30+ as she was driving home.  She got left at work when everyone else went home because she couldn't stand the thought of leaving the towels unwashed, wet, and not put away until the following day.  She was the only one to think about the laundry and the need for it to get done.  And so she stayed and finished up what needed doing.  A few days later they had quite a terrible snowstorm and the clinic was so dead that the owner/vet went home after noon--and most of the rest of the employees had never even gotten to work to begin with.  The Youngest was left to man the phones and take care of anything that came up, as she was the only one who knew how to do everyone else's job and could be trusted to do what needed to be done.  And so she stayed until quitting time.

While I am happy to have daughters that are reliable, I also wish they would stand up for themselves at different times.  And there is the dilemma:  WHEN do you voice a complaint and when do you stay silent?  I am able to rein The Oldest in a bit--she is starting to realize that she has the tendency to go overboard at times.  However, I wouldn't want her to go too far in the opposite direction and have people run screaming whenever they see her family showing up.  ;)  The Youngest has to be careful because her job could possibly be in jeopardy if she says the wrong thing.  She has co-workers that she has to deal with on a daily basis, so it is harder for her to voice frustration.

If my girls ask for advice--and, at times, when they don't--I try to do my best and steer them in the right direction.  This time I really don't have an idea what to say to them and I will have to trust that they know how to handle their own lives.  And this is often the hardest part of being a mother...

One More Off Of The List

As we age, our 'first time' experiences become less and less.  Yesterday I had a 'first' that I would have been happy never to experience.  I got stopped by a cop for the first time...

We have gotten quite a bit of snow over the last few weeks, so our snow banks are substantial.  This, of course, makes it a little difficult to pull out of parking lots onto the road, as it is hard to see if other vehicles are approaching.  I was leaving the gym yesterday and pulled out in front of another vehicle, so I sped up so that the other driver wouldn't have to slow down.  This was all well and good, as I wasn't going over the speed limit, but I WAS too close to the intersection to be going the speed I was.  As I approached the intersection, the light turned yellow.  I didn't know whether to slam on my brakes--NOT an option, as far as I was concerned--or just continue on through the intersection.  Despite the fact that I wouldn't get through before the light turned red, I couldn't see braking and possibly be rear-ended by the vehicle behind me.  And all would have been fine except for the fact that a cop was stopped at the intersection, waiting to make a left turn.  As I passed her, she pointed at the light and I knew what was coming.

Never having been through this before, I really wasn't too sure what to do.  The street I was on is quite busy and with all of the snow, there isn't a shoulder to pull onto.  I thought of going into the parking lot of a business, but just went as far to the right as possible.  The cop pulled up behind me--with lights flashing--and came over to the window.  Just before she asked, I realized that I needed to give my proof of insurance and registration.  --DAMN!!!   $$%*)((&^^$#@@%^%^&!!!!!--  I instantly realized that my new proof of insurance was sitting on the counter in my kitchen--I had neglected to put it in the Envoy!  NOW I'm in trouble!!  I explained what was going on and the cop took my documentation to her car.  And I sat and waited to find out how much this fiasco would cost me.

I must have been pretty convincing with my story--I guess the truth IS pretty convincing--because I got off with a warning.  She believed that I DO have insurance, as my old proof was only a couple of days expired. I am very lucky that she was a university campus cop and not a state trooper or city cop--I think she was a bit more willing to give me a break.  This very much was a lesson learned and it will be a long time--if ever--before I willingly go through a yellow light again.