sounds of summer

I'm reading a Jodi Picoult book a friend recently swapped to me. I've never read her before and while it is a far cry from the literature my mind has been wrapped around for the last few months, I am really enjoying it...it's refreshing to read for the sake of getting lost in a book. Some of her words catch me and pull me into my own memories of when my children were small. Before I know it I've re-read the same paragraph remembering the sweet sounds of Kristin softly singing herself to sleep after she had been tucked in and Erik as he went around the house "fixing" things...tapping on door hinges and tightening screws.

Heaven knows we were always "under construction."

Jodi writes -- Sometimes when you pick up your child you can feel the map of your own bones beneath your hands, or smell the scent of your skin in the nape of his neck. This is the most extraordinary thing about motherhood--finding a piece of yourself separate and apart that all the same you could not live without.

Now that Erik is away at college and Kristin is preparing to leave next month I realize the sounds I have learned to appreciate are the distinct sounds their cars make when they arrive at the house and the sound of flip-flops as they make their way up the walk.

Time certainly has a way of negotiating the simplicity of a smile.

Sprouse Reitz Co.

Do you remember these little 5 & 10 stores?

Sprouse Reitz...they were everywhere

in the western states.

I found this yardstick recently

in an antique store.

At first I laughed.

Then I had to have it.

Now I'm trying to balance my joy

with the reality of finding a part

of me in an antique store.

Sprouse Reitz was my first real job

outside of babysitting and packing

peaches and nectarines in the sticky

hot orchards of the central valley.

Sprouse Reitz employees were like family to me.

We swapped recipes, pulled pranks,

and most of them were at my wedding.

I worked in the yardage department

so imagine where a great deal of my paycheck went!

I remember the popcorn...

the glass dividers on the shelves...

chasing hamsters down the aisles...

those were the days

and now I have a little yardstick

souvenir to remind me!

sweet memories

Here's a couple of pictures that made me smile. Taken from Kristin's Girl Scout days when we took the girls whale watching in Monterey. If you click on the pictures to enlarge them you will be able to see the whale better and the expression on Kristin's face...That water is ccc-o-l-d!

HaPpY NeW yEaR to you...

I am filled with sentiment these last days of 2007. Past experiences and paths I've been on that have lead me to where I am today seem so trivial and yet I know each day has had purpose even if I didn't know it at the time. I woke up this morning and just laid there in bed for awhile...quiet and still...letting memories and thoughts unfold, one into another. The mind is funny that way, it never seems to stop. I think about my children and where they are in life. I wonder if they know how much I genuinely love them, knowing it is a love they cannot fully comprehend until they have children of their own...and then they have a chance of really understanding what I have tried to express. I think about people that have crossed my path. Some, both old and young, have had great influence on me. I am so grateful for even brief encounters that have made me think. I really do believe we are a sum of our experiences, all of which culminate from the choices we make. Every day is a treasure and the past 365 have been no exception. If you have taken time out of your day to read this, then you too share in my days. Some of you I have never met and some of you I know quite well. Some of you comment and some of you prefer to send me emails, but no difference, I value the bits and pieces you share. As the old year merges with the new, there is always a renewable excitement that bubbles up...and it is this rejuvenation that I breathe in that makes me hopeful for the new year and all the sweet memories it will bring with it. May your new year celebration include a few moments to be alone with your thoughts, in the quiet and meaningful recollections of your heart.

Kristin's Journal

The weekend was nice. I was able to visit with mom and dad, then I came home and the house was quiet so I had some alone time in the garden. Sunday morning Kristin left to go spend a week on a houseboat with one of her friends. I think she will be calling me in about 3-4 days to pick her up. I of course, will happily make the long drive because I will be missing her and that's what moms do. She called home last night just to say good-night. I thought that was real sweet. Yesterday I brought the kid's journals out to update them and I only ended up working on Kristin's because I went back and reread entries from when I was pregnant with her and when she was a little girl. Those were fun times and I can't believe how fast they have went by. I use to write down all of the cute things they would say. In one entry, the kids were squabbling and I told them to kiss and make up. Kristin put her hands on her little 4 year old hips and said "I'll put the make-up on, but I'm not kissing him!". That put a smile on my face. It is nice to go back and re-live those times. I am so happy that I kept journals. I wish I would have been more diligent about it though. There are some time spans as long as one year where I did not write anything and then I had to back track. This week I am going to update Erik's book. I think someday they will get enjoyment out of them. In the very least they can be reminded of how much I love them (if mere words can actually accomplish such a measurement). Here is a current picture of Kristin. Hopefully when she gets back I can get both kids together to take more pictures so I can finish up one of my projects!