Month: August 2009

We are back to Monday and I am sharing another list today, a list of wishes. I wrote a poem in the fourth grade titled if I could have three wishes and it has always stuck in my head, one of those ah ha moments in life I think. I wished for a best friend who cares how I feel inside, a pet that would not give away secrets and, somebody who would always be there. Fairly deep for a fourth grade wish list, while others were reading lists of money, cars, and more wishes. Today’s list is probably a little on the lighter side but it is my wishes just for today.

my 3 wishes for today

1) I wish for a happy healthy school year for my two girls as they start school in the next couple weeks.

2) I wish for peace for my husband as he prepares for his next round of boards.

3) I wish for time to complete not only the things I need to do but a few minutes to do the things I want to do.

Well today is Fun for Friday over at Get It Scrapped and our assignment is to retell a story from childhood or share a memory that will make us, and others smile. So here is mine! (Family members will all remember this well)

I was in about fourth or fifth grade, living in Flagstaff, Arizona. When weather was permitting I rode my bike to school on my own and sometimes picked up a friend on the way. My friend Shannon Madden was the pick up for the day so off I went to gather her up and head to school. I made it to her home in plenty of time and vaguely remember her not being quite ready so I went inside to wait. Shannon is a dear childhood friend and still is a friend today, we lovingly call her Bug. So I sat waiting for Bug, the rest of the family is already gone so the two of us are on our own to get to school. When she was just about ready to go she headed to the garage to get her bike, and here my memory gets a little fuzzy. I follow her out the laundry door into the garage and as she is trying to open the garage door she turns back and yells “Don’t let that door close!” OOPS! Too late, the deed is done. The door has locked behind me, and for some unknown reason the garage door is locked in front of us so we are stuck!
Yep, two young girls around 11ish stuck in a garage trying to make it to school on time. My seance of responsibility kicks in and I am freaking out about not getting to school on time. Bug on the other hand is worried about food and water for the long day ahead. needless to say neither of us are thinking clearly. We try the laundry door. We bang, we shove we even try to pick the lock as I recall. Then we attack the garage door, we pulled up as hard as we could, we kicked and banged some more. Then we both climbed up on the work bench and started yelling with all our might for Bug’s neighbor. All of these efforts were futile, nothing worked, we were stuck! Well almost.
We decided we were getting out no matter what. I am not sure who’s brilliant idea it was but we decided to go out the window. The only thing stopping us was a screen. We could not figure out how to get it off so we literally shoved on one corner until it started bending. Bug and I made the whole big enough for us to crawl through and we escaped and were on our merry way!
We made it to school and as I recall not even very late. (It had seemed like hours in the garage.) And we went on with our day. I am sure we told the story to our friends and laughed over our adventure even then.
So fast forward to about 7pm that evening and my Mom gets a phone call, I remember hearing the one sided part of the conversation “Oh my” “I can’t believe it” “Is everything OK?” you know the kind of call. When she got off I asked what happened and to who? “The Madden’s had a burglary” was the response. GULP!
Pat Madden is the chief of police and nothing gets by this guy! He immediately notices the bent screen and calls in the troops. They were currently fingerprinting and looking for missing valuables. What they can not figure out is why the screen is bent outward, like someone escaping and why all the doors on the house were still locked tight. Hmmm… I think I have the answer!
I fess up right away and tell Mom the whole story. She hurridly calls the Maddens back to set the record straight and call off the chase. No one was angry, no harm, no foul. I can not remember where Bug was during all of this and why she was not the one to tell the tail but boy was it a doosy.
We have all laughed more then once over this tale and even when it happened there was much chucling.

Hope this added a smile to our Friday!

Today’s blogging assignment from GIS is to relate a story. One that could go directly from your blog to a scrapbook page so here are some thoughts with a photo taken only last night.

Baby number two is up and flying! Yep Lori is steady on her wheels too! The photo is a blur because I am running behind her trying to take it! John and I better get bikes, and FAST! What an amazing summer my two girls have had both learning to ride their bikes. There have been other adventures for sure this summer, art classes, dance camp, swim lessons, trips to San Diego and Denver, and lots of parks and play time. But learning to ride seems like such a right of passage. A step into independence and freedom. I remember as a young person riding all over our little community of Flagstaff. Of course on our own to get to the pool, or friends houses and then even to school. The freedom to move yourself to a new and distant location. HMMM I don’t think I am quite ready to send them off on their own but it sure is a gimps into things to come!

OK so I am a day late in posting this but can I tell you that returning home from vacation is WORK! Ha Ha! We had an amazing couple of weeks in San Diego with the whole Weaver/Houghton clan and then back in Denver with the girls and I at my Mom and Dad’s. A much needed break for me so the aftermath is well worth it! But a little catching up on house cleaning, bills and life await.
Here is a typical grocery list for me I thought it would be fun to actually scan it so you can see my mess. Because we have been away it was mostly produce needing replacing (we eat more then a small army in the produce department!) Grapes, peaches, apples, cherries, and blueberries were in there for fruit and then peppers, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli and lettuce for vegis. The circles are all the items I have to go get a different store. Blahhh. I could do all my shopping at one but it is quite a bit more expensive if I do. Any way here it is.