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Jan
11
Meet my Grandma Bonnie. Isn’t she beautiful? Yes, she is.
My grandma is 94 years old. She’s tiny, not quite 5 feet tall. But you don’t want to mess with this one. She’s a spitfire. And we love it that way.
At 94, she lives by herself in a senior apartment complex in a tiny tiny Kansas town. Everyone knows her and watches out for her, which is nice. But she does pretty good on her own. In her small town, she can walk to the post office, bank, grocery store and the lone restaurant. She drove until just recently,when the battery died in her car my uncle decided to take his time fixing it. But she doesn’t sit at home.
Her little apartment complex had a New Years Eve party in their recreation room. Guess who was in charge of unlocking the room, getting it set up for the party and staying there until the end of the party? Yep, my grandma. She welcomed 2010 at midnight, and headed off to a casino with friends the next day.
She also writes for the local newspaper. A little column called Bonnie’s Blog. When I expressed interest in reading what she wrote, she bought every back copy of the paper since she started writing her column and mailed them to me. What a treasure!
We visited her over my kids’ Christmas break, and it was a much overdo visit. I was worried about how much she would have changed since I saw her last. But the only way you can really tell that she has gotten older is that she’s quite hard of hearing now. Otherwise, she’s just as busy, active, and opinionated as ever. My kids are still laughing about her telling a story about how during hunting season,every jackass in town has a gun. She doesn’t mince her words, never has.
She has worked hard all her life, and while I like to consider myself a hard worker, I’m pretty sure the work I do can’t begin to compare to hers. In her day, work was cleaning houses, cooking meals at the cafe, and working at the local nursing home, while raising four kids. Hard, back breaking work that she did until she was 77 years old.
When I was a shy, lonely outcast of a kid in a new town, at the most awkward of ages, my grandma was my best friend. Her door was always open. I’ve always felt close to her, and while I was thrilled to see her doing so well, I do worry that our visits are numbered. One of my resolutions is to see her more often this year.
Another unspoken resolution of mine is to be more like her. Sometimes I look in the mirror and I see a tired, worn out shell of the woman I should/could be. What do you see when you look at my grandma? No tired shell there. You see a beautiful, full of life, vivacious woman who has had lots of good times and plans on having many more. I want to be like her.
Who do you want to be like?
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Sep
23
My youngest son wants a cell phone. He has wanted one for awhile, but now that he’s in sixth grade and everyone has a cell phone, he is especially desperate for one. I offered to let him carry one of our old ones and just always say his phone died, but he didn’t go for that 
Unlike his teenage brother, whose method for getting what he wants is limited to asking then wailing when the answer is no, my little guy knows the subtle art of persuasion. In other words, he is trying to manipulate his mama with his cuteness. Oh yes he is.
For instance, puppy dog eyes. He does it well, and he does it often. Tell me this face is not irrestible-
(I had to include the actual puppy with the boy and his puppy dog eyes, so you see the full irrestibility)
I am particularly vulnerable to this boy and his puppy dog eyes, because he is so desperate for a phone that he drops his manly attitude and is all “hug me mommy”. He knows what works, the sly dog.
He went on a campout last weekend and used one of his friends’ phone to text me. Often. I guess to show me his fine texting skillz… Which are so fine that I have to share the texts with you:
Nolan: Hi mommy yer stil at the church (translation: we’re still at the church)
Me: Hi honey, have a good time.
Nolan: Dont text me again im on davids fone
Then my older son sent him a text, because when someone tells you not to text them, you must respond!
Nolan: david is taking hi fone awa so dont text me but i dont think that os fairatall (translation: david is taking his phone away so don’t text me, but I don’t think that is fair at all)
Nolan: member to call att (translation: Remember to call AT&T and ask how much it will cost to get him a phone)
Nolan: Seriousli
Nolan: U better
Nolan: Seriousli before o get home (translation: seriously before I get home)
Nolan: Davids fone is dying dont text again (notice that I have NOT been texting him!)
Nolan: hi mom imon dads fone now (translation: hi mom I’m on dad’s phone now)
Nolan: dad wants his fone back already wich is totaly ufair by (translation: dad wants his phone back already which is totally unfair. bye)
Well. I think we all can agree that the child is a texting prodigy. Seriously, I was laughing so hard getting those texts from him.
Adorableness and texting genius aside, that boy is still not getting a fone. Wich is totaly ufair.
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Apr
16
Last week was my 1 year blogging anniversary. I can’t believe it’s been a year already, I’ve loved every minute of it. The blogging community is incredibly kind and welcoming, and I hope to celebrate many more blogiversarys!
To kick off my blogiversary celebration, I’m giving away an awesome necklace from Superhero Designs. I’m so excited about this giveaway, it’s just a wonderful prize! If you haven’t checked out Andrea’s beautiful jewelry, you are missing out. She has lovely colorful bead necklaces and some very cool pendants, as well as beaded bracelets.
They are all so pretty its hard to pick, but my favorite is the bulls eye pendant. On the back of it is the word “superhero”, which I love. Thestarburst pendant says “joy” on the back. Both are beautiful, so I’m not going to choose which one I give away. The winner gets to choose either the starburst pendant or the bulls eye pendant. You are so lucky!
Here’s how to enter:
In order to do this blogging anniversary right, I want to give you as many chances to enter as possible.
- Visit Superhero Designs then come back here and tell me 2 things. 1-which pendant you would choose and 2-which beaded necklace is your favorite. Leave 1 comment for each answer, so that gives you 2 entries.
- Any comment you leave on any upcoming post, from now until the giveaway ends, will count towards the giveaway. So any comment on any post dated 4/16 until 4/30 will count as an entry! Please leave relevant comments, not just “enter me in the giveaway”, and one comment per post. I will keep track of all comments on posts between now and 4/30.
I will post at least daily so you’ll have many chances to enter this one, come back often!
And there are even more ways to enter:
- Subscribe to Unexpected Bliss.
- Mention this giveaway on your blog. (include direct link in your comment)
- Follow me on Twitter (@UnexpectedBliss)
- For an extra entry, sent a tweet on Twitter about this giveaway. Leave your Twitter name in your comment. This may be done as often as you want, leave a comment for each tweet.
- Stumble this post
For each of the above that you do, leave 1 comment on THIS giveaway post, ie 1 comment if you subscribe, 1 comment if you follow me on Twitter, 1 comment for each tweet, 1 comment for a Stumble, 1 comment for mentioning this on your blog)
Open to US addresses only.
This giveaway will end Thursday April 30 at midnight CST. I will notify the lucky winner via email and once the winner responds with choice of pendant I will post the winner here. Please make sure to put a valid email address in every comment that you leave.
The giveaway has ended, I will email the winner and post here once I hear back from them. Thank you everyone who entered!
This giveaway is sponsored by me, to celebrate my year of blogging. Enjoy!
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Apr
8
Last night a dream came true for me. Thanks to my husband scrimping and saving to surprise me for my 40th birthday, we were able to see my dream concert - Bruce Springsteen. I think the last concert I went to was at least 2 decades ago, but even if I was a regular concert goer, this show blows everything else away. The BOSS came to town!
Before I tell you what an incredible concert this was, let me clear one thing up that I know you all are asking:
Yeah, that. At 59, the man is still THAT GOOD.
And the music was awesome too. Going to a concert is a huge deal for us, because it’s not in our budget. So our seats, well, nosebleed section doesn’t quite describe it. We were in the next to last aisle. Up so high and crammed in so tight, don’t even think about getting out to the bathroom once the show starts, and going down all those tiny steps in the dark. But I didn’t care. Mike had borrowed some binoculars and between those and the big screens, I could see fine. And more importantly, I could hear everything. And I’m sure, even as far away from the stage as we were, that he was singing directly to me. You can’t convince me that he wasn’t!
He played some from his latest album, Working on a Dream
My favorite album of his right at this moment is The Rising from 2002, but there’s a special place in my heart for Born in the USA . I was probably 15 the first time I heard The Boss, away at summer camp. One of the girls in our cabin had the tape – yes I said tape. She played it constantly and I loved it instantly. I was hooked on Darlington County and the raspy voice of Bruce. I remember being at a school dance as a sophomore, and I was dancing with a SENIOR boy to Glory Days. Who can forget important life events like that? The list of things that I love is ever changing and evolving, especially as I get older. But my love for Bruce has remained constant since that first time I heard Darlington County at summer camp.
The man not only gave an unforgettable show, he donated some of the ticket proceeds to the Eastern Oklahoma Community Foodbank. Be still my heart. Tulsa was an early stop on this world tour, so there’s still plenty of chances to see him.
Last night is going down as one of my Glory Days, for sure. Bruce Springsteen, you rock. Thank you for coming to Tulsa. We love ya ~ I love ya, so come back soon.
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Nov
19
I mentioned last week that I had recently taken a donation to my church, to give to a local family that is having some financial problems. I did that despite my own financial issues, which mainly consist of a constant shortage of funds, made worse by being out of work for several weeks earlier this year. My point in mentioning that was how great it made me feel to be able to help someone.
Well, something amazing has been happening since I took that donation to the church. People have been giving me, and my family, things. Random people, random things. I respect the privacy of these angels, but I can tell you that someone my husband works with gave us concert tickets for a local concert. Concert tickets are not in our budget, that would go way over in the luxury column, which we don’t even use. So this was a huge gift for us, and for my 13 year old son, who has been dying to go to a concert but knows better than to even ask. He got to go with my husband, and it was a great concert, but even better, they shared a wonderful father/son experience that they’ll always remember.
Some other angels that I’ve only met online sent me some wonderful things for Christmas gifts for my sons, and since I don’t want my sons to know the surprise, I won’t go into detail on that. Just know that these are wonderful gifts for my boys, and again, not in my budget.
There were some other things that happened last week that I won’t mention, but those things can only be chalked up to me being very lucky, or something else at work. I know I’m not lucky, that’s been proven. So I have to believe that because of the good thing I did, no matter how insignificant I thought it was, no matter that I wished so badly that I could do more, because of that good deed, now good things are coming back to me.
I believe in karma, I believe what comes around goes around. But more than that, I believe that if we trust, in whatever God we believe in, then we will be taken care of. It took a huge leap of trust and faith for me to give money to a family I don’t even know, when my own family could certainly use that money. I trusted, I had faith, and even though I did waver a little, I am being taken care of. I should never doubt that.
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Oct
7
I had Parent/Teacher conferences today for my 5th grader. Nolan is many, many things. He’s helpful, he’s a quick learner, he’s opinionated, he’s a cutie. But it never fails to surprise me when his teachers use a different word to describe him.
They say he is quiet. Quiet. Hmm, I’m not familiar with that word. As the mom of 2 boys, I rarely find myself thinking, it’s so quiet around here. No, quiet is not something I get alot of.
And Nolan is that child who will follow you around, talking constantly, completely unconcerned with whatever you’re trying to accomplish, because what he needs to say Must Be Said. And heaven forbid you tell him No to something he wants to do. Because he will not quit asking you why until you are cowering in the corner, begging for mercy and telling him that he can do whatever he wants if he’ll just quit talking about it! The boy has won every debate he’s started. We are all afraid of him, his cuteness is very deceiving.
So when the teachers say he is quiet, I’ve learned to bite my tongue and not blurt out “Are you sure you’re talking about my Nolan? Possibly there’s another Nolan who is quiet?” I just smile and nod, like I actually know this quiet boy they’re talking about.
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Sep
6
I will have some Saturday giveaways posted later today, I’m just not moving too fast this morning. It’s dark and rainy here, very quiet and peaceful. I’m trying to soak that up.
I got to take calls for Stand Up 2 Cancer donations last night. It was such a rewarding, yet humbling experience, and I’m so glad I was able to do it. A perfect way to spend my Friday.
It was great to talk to so many cancer survivors, and people donating in memory of loved ones. We had been advised that the calls might be hard, talking to people about this can be so emotional. So I thought I was prepared, and for the most part the people I spoke with were upbeat and hopeful, very happy to be contributing to cancer research.
Towards the end of my night I got a call that shook me. I answered and a young boy spoke. He wanted to make a donation in memory of his daddy, who died a couple weeks ago from cancer. From the minute I heard his tiny, strong voice, I was fighting to hold back my tears. He was very proud to be giving money. What an incredible kid.
When his mom got on the phone to finalize the donation, she was clearly struggling, crying as she spoke. My heart aches for her, and her 2 small children, as they try to find their way without their beloved dad and cherished husband.
I haven’t stopped thinking about that call since then. I can’t. I feel like I have no right to even say that the call shook me. For me it was a phone call. But it’s their life. I can’t even imagine their pain right now. When I try to imagine what they’re going through, I can’t bear to even think about it. So many people have lost so much.
That call, which lasted probably 2 minutes, was one of those moments where the world stops, for a heartbeat. And I could see clearly, maybe for the first time, that all the things that keep me up at night, that make my head spin with worry, that cause me to be cranky with my family, all those things are nothing. I got nothing.
Nothing to worry about. Everything to celebrate.
Be grateful today.
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Jun
28
My son got home from camp today. Finally life is as it should be.
I’m glad he got to go, we were getting to that point in the summer break where the boys were snapping at each other more often, and everyone was tired of being stuck inside during the seemingly constant storms lately. He was ready for something different, and a week of good old fashioned outdoor fun was just the thing to break the monotony.
But it did my heart good to see how happy Nolan was to have his brother home. He missed Tanner right away, maybe more than I did. Ok, that’s not possible, but he missed him alot. I warned him that even though Tanner missed us too and was ready to come home, I knew he’d also be worn out from such a busy week and that his good mood might not last for long.
But I was wrong. He was worn out, but he was so happy to be home, happy to hang out with his little brother all day. Not once did I hear any bickering, yelling, tormenting. Just laughter. What a sweet sound.
I know that the peace and love flowing around our home tonight probably won’t last long, but I’m soaking it up for now. Everyone is tucked into their bed where they belong, and all is right in the world.
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Jun
14
My husband is the strong silent type. Seriously. The boys and I see his goofy side occasionally, but typically he’s pretty reserved. I balance that out well, with my extra helping of goofy. But reserved or not, he’s hands down the best father I know.
When I was growing up my dad was either traveling for work, or working 12 hour days so I rarely saw him. When I did see him, he was always fighting exhaustion, with not much left for his 2 rambunctious kids. And that’s ok, he was still a good dad. Just a different kind of dad.
My husband is actively involved in our boys’ day to day, minute by minute lives. He has been front and center since the day our first child was born. He never met a dirty diaper he couldn’t handle, and when I was exhausted with a 1 week old that wouldn’t sleep, he took over even though he had to be up for work. With both of our boys, he would take the 5:30am feeding, so I could get a little sleep.
He’s been a hands on dad through all of it, preschool, t-ball, cub scouts, everything. And the greatest part is, he absolutely loves every minute of it. I’ll admit, I get tired of all the running around, places to be every weekend. When I start to complain, he reminds me that it won’t always be this way, soon they’ll be driving and won’t want us around. We have to enjoy this while we have it. He’s right, of course.
He’s the cub scout leader for our youngest son, has been for several years. That’s fine, but when he also agreed to be assistant coach for the baseball team, I questioned his sanity. How many obligations does he really need?! His response:
But I love it.
And I love him for that. For loving all of it, the good, the bad, and the crazy.
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Jun
9
Are you one of those people who is always cool and collected, even keel, pretty steady? Well, let me admit something about myself, I am not one of those people. I try very hard, but I’m just not.
I’m a pretty upbeat person, but when things start to pile on, like things inevitably do, I start to falter. I get anxious, jittery, and preoccupied. I noticed earlier this weekend that as I was watching the most exciting baseball game of our season so far, I was thinking about everything but baseball. That’s when I knew I was starting to worry too much.
I really struggle with this. I can deal with my own anxiety, but I don’t want my children to have to deal with it. I hate looking into my sons eyes and seeing a reflection of my own concerns. And I hate that when I get anxious I also have a tendency to get short with my kids. I don’t want to play or chatter, I just get lost in my worries. I’m like a dark cloud, hovering over everything.
I’m very lucky that I’m married to a man who is steady and even. His response, to every worry or concern, is always “We’ll get through it.” Those four words mean so much to me, because I desperately need that anchor.
As a parent I struggle with so many things, lack of patience, lack of organizational skills, just to name a few. I hope I make up for my shortcomings by being completely and totally in love with my kids. That’s why, when I have a day like today when my mind is a million miles away from the happy boys in my house, I make a point to stop, grab the closest child, and hug them tight. I tell them, mom is having a rough day, but it isn’t because of anything you’ve done. And I smile and laugh with them, so they know it’s really ok.
If you’re having a dark cloud kind of day, I hope you can find the sun through the clouds. It’s there, you only have to look at your loved ones to see it.
And hopefully tomorrow the clouds will be gone.
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