Keeping it Real

And off I go to copy another blogger friends idea...this post is just about me. Most of my readers know me pretty well, some know just little tidbits...For example, my Great Aunt Muriel (one of my best blog readers) knows when I was little, I loved the crap out of her son Doyle and my friend Anna (who I stole this blog idea from) just knows how much I love to sew and that I have two children a boy and girl each. So here I go...spilling my contents...

I grew up in Alliance Nebraska, clear out in the beautiful, dry panhandle. I lived in a white house whose address I use for my password for everything. My parents threw some bad-ass after school end parties for me and my brother Damon every year. I hope that is one tradition that I can keep alive when my kids are school aged. My friend Amanda Rhoads and I traded charms for charm necklaces, made funny tapes and hung out "where the Owl People lived" for several summers.

My life took a sharp turn when I had to leave my dear friend Amanda and throw away the life of imagination and summers of riding bikes. I moved to Gering Nebraska and sat on the swingset of the park crying and singing "blame it on the rain" by Milli Vanilli missing my life in Alliance. We moved shortly after to Grand Island Nebraska where I spent the majority of my life growing up I guess. My heart will always belong in Alliance though...

My Grandma Dorothy had the prettiest long finger nails. Sometimes adorned with cigarettes but she had to give them up when her MS became too involved and she was dropping her smokes on her beautiful red chair. I can still remember every nook, cranny, color, peice of furniture, and branches on the climbing tree at my Grandma and Grandpa Jensen's house. 987-2103 was their phone number. Sometimes at night when I can't sleep, I "go through" my grandparents house and re-live where the furniture was, where my Grandma's makeup was and how my Grandpa would always fall asleep with the remote on the table, his hand secured to it. If you tried to grab the remote, he would somehow sense it and "snore" you right away.

I was with my Grandma when she died. I am so thankful that I was there rubbing her soft, silky skin as she took her last breaths. She was such a beautiful person. I miss her dearly.

My husband is my best friend. Talk about scoring a serious HOTTIE! I don't know how I did it but he sobered up and came back to me that hot summer night in the beer garden. He is my ultimate best friend. There is nothing that I am ashamed of or shy about telling him. He loves me and I LURRRVE him. He is the father of my two beautiful children, Henry and Julia.

Henry was going to be named Cohen. (yuck) And Juila was always going to be Julia except at the very beginning and she was going to be Harper. (glad we got over that one)

I strive to do nice things for people. I think about calling nursing homes and my old school to see if there is someone that is having a bad day that might be deserving of flowers.

Our family eats dinner together every night and we pray prayers that we have been saying since I knew how to recite a prayer. I don't pray when people other than my parents and Erin's parents come over to eat because I don't want them to think we are bible beaters. That is bad of me I know.

I miss my friends who have moved away, Katie, Michelle, Amber and Andrea. I miss having someone to run errands with, go to Dillards with and shoe shop. Instead I have a two year old that throws his shoes off everywhere we go.

I love Erin's mom's cookies the best. My mom's cinnamon rolls the best. My brother's 5-Alarm spaghetti the best. My husband's coffee the best.

I love my Dad's quirky collection of barometers (he has over 20) and I love walking into Julia's room in the morning to wake her up. She is ALWAYS, ALWAYS smiling and laughing. She is the brightest part of my day for sure.