Archive for the 'Family & Life' Category

May 3, 2006 | Family & Life

Miss me? I looked up and found the month of April had passed by in a blur, no less. Last time I blogged, it was about JGirl graduating in May. Well May is here and the big event is next weekend. We visited JGirl last weekend, in soggy Des Moines. As Maya wrote, she’s grown up and I should enjoy our new mother – daughter relationship. We did, especially the shopping in DSW shoe store. JGirl is absolutely beautiful and afraid to take on the real world. JGirl, if you read this, please make a note that your rent is only paid thru May. Now that she’s about to become a college graduate, she will take on adult responsibilities and I believe this can become quite frightening. After all, she’s had her parents to lean on. Her father is under the riduculous fantasy that once she finds a job, she’ll be on her own and we won’t be fiscally responsibile for her. I’m allowing his allusion only to save his sanity.
As for my writing, I’m doing a lot of reading this month because of all the family activities. I’ve discovered Octavia E. Butler and am reading Parable of the Talents. It’s really good and once I’ve finished a couple of her books, I’ll post them on my website. I also have an article this quarter’s Passionate Ink’s newsletter, entitled “What About Me?” I blogged earlier this year about making the time to write. Hmm, I think I’d better reread the article several times.

Also, next week, Simone Elkes, a soon to be published Young Adult writer, will be answering questions on my Writing Page. I know the majority of us don’t write young adult, but the market has changed and Simone will be addressing those changes and how she got in the YA market, which is very hot.

As for my other passion, tennis. My team made it to the semi-finals. The other club brought out their big guns and clobbered us. Nevertheless, we had a GREAT run and I’m very proud of them. Oh yeah, I’m hosting our year end team party in two weeks.

Apparently, I’m very busy. Hope you are too. Keep writing.

April 10, 2006 | Family & Life

I’m sitting here, looking at a box. This box contains college graduation announcements. JGirl is graduating May 14, 2006. I’m pretty sure we just sent her away to college. The four years have passed so quickly. When JGirl left for college, it was a traumatic and upsetting time for the hubby and me. Her behavior, the final couple of months in high school, came very close to her being asked to leave home. We figured we had until the first day of fall classes to cancel her student loans, if her behavior didn’t improve. Fortunately, we didn’t have to. Now, after four years, she’s returning home on improved relations with her parents. Not necessarily with her fifteen year old brother, but hey that’s to be expected. He’s matured, developed his own sense of self, and is not use to have her home. Well, none of us are, but here she comes. Even in our new home, we don’t have enough closet space. I got a good look at her shoe collection. She’d rival the local DSW shoe store! But that might be because she shops there.

We’re quite proud of JGirl. She’s smart, attractive, more self-assured, and values the support we’ve given her. She’s been my rock when my parents died. The love she had for them, was demonstrated over and over. I remember watching her kneel at my mother’s casket, and pray. I knew then, my mother was pleased. She adored JGirl. So did my father. She is their first grandchild. My Mommy said she wanted to live to see her granddaughter grow up. Well, Mommy spent her final Christmas in our home when JGirl turned twenty-one.

But now, I have to address these announcements and send them to friends and family. People who have been through the fun and crazy times with this girl. People who have listened to me whine, cry, and laugh about the things she’s done. I’m excited about graduation. So is her dad, but he’d be even more excited if she came home with a job! That’s the next phase, living with this twenty two year old, while she looks for employment. Right before I finished grad school, my mother asked me if I could find a job in Washington, DC. “Don’t you want me to come home?” I said. “Yes, on the weekends. If you came home to live like your father wants you to, I’ll have to kill both of you. You’re use to staying out, and you know how your father is.”
Smart woman. I was able to find a job, and come home on the weekends to visit.

My relationship with my mother changed when I finished school. Just like my relationship with JGirl, it’s more open, mature, and close. Of course, Mommy still didn’t want to hear about my sex life! I’m looking forward to her coming home, and I’m really looking forward to her moving out! So, it’s back to the announcements, a few tears and a few laughs as I remember her as a child and how much my parents loved her. Uh, JGirl if you read this, don’t forget honey, your grandparents were crazy about your brother too!

Love Ya, Smooches!

April 3, 2006 | Family & Life

Well, for a quick moment we had great weather! JMan’s Boys Tennis Team has begun playing, and this means traveling time. Life intrudes on writing, it’s part of living. There are some advantages of tagging behind the team. I get to see parts of Illinois I might not ever willingly travel to. This state does have some beautiful areas and the citizens are very friendly.

JMan played on the Varsity team, and with his doubles partner he was one win, two losses. Not a bad start to the season. I know the boys were expecting better results, but they were playing against high school juniors and seniors with more experience.

This season means an adaptation on my part. I have to pack snacks and beverages for long afternoons, and bring reading or writing material. I use to bring stacks of stuff, but I learned I only will look at one thing. The rest of the time I’m watching him or the other boys play. It’s hard to accept my son will be graduating from college in two years. I figure that’s about the time JGirl will be financially able to move out on her own.

March 30, 2006 | Family & Life

I’m still recovering from Cell Hell! Again, I spent two hours at our friendly cell phone store, trying to replace JMan’s lost phone. Before we left home, I told him we had to have lunch. This visit could take awhile. So after we ate, we went to the store. Walking in, I noticed there weren’t many customers. Good sign, or maybe they’d just removed all the dead bodies from having waited for days. I recognied the employees, and they recognized me. Do you think that’s a bad sign? It took five minutes for my name to be called. Good sign? Then it took fifteen minutes to find a phone, another ten to pay and set it up. Hey, not bad! I’m a pessimist, cause I’m not out the door yet. I figured I get them to look at my PDA. Bad move. Thirty minutes pass. I get a call on my PDA, don’t recognize the number, answer it anyway, it’s JMan sitting in the car. I tell him I’ll be out shortly. By summer I suppose. Then realize, he wasn’t calling from his own cell number! I go outside, and yep they had programmed in another number! Back inside we go. Now, the technican has to take the suspension off of JMan’s account, reprogram his phone. Guess how many techs it takes to do this? THREE! Another thirty minutes, and the technical service department is still having problems. I’m happy to report that when they call their own company, they get placed on hold just like us. So, JMan and I go to the Mall. Thirty more minutes, we’re ready to leave the Mall. Shortest visit I’ve every had. I call his cell number, it rings! Yeah! Then it goes to voice mail. Hot Damn! It’s working. We go back to the cell phone store. I say goodbye to all my new friends and leave. I learned a lot about cell phones and I really started to feel sorry for the employees. Just a little. One man came in, ranting about how the back of his cell phone came off, the maker of the phone couldn’t get him a new one, but he found a third party vendor who sold him a new back. He wanted to know why said cell phone manufacturer made such faulty backs? As my new friend explained, they only sell the phones! They have no control over the parts. He didn’t buy that! She told him to go to hell. Naw, she didn’t say that! She said she’d pass along the information to the cell phone manufacturer. Along with his name, address and picture for their paid assasin. Naw, she didn’t add that last part either. That’s me being a writer. So, I invite you to post your cell phone trauma as a break from writing today.