Thursdays are for stories.

Throwback Thursday Story time.

I know the usually throwback Thursday is for photos but I thought it would be fun to do a story time memory instead. Maybe I can try doing one every Thursday but I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

One of my favorite stories starts off on a cold, foggy, morning when I was getting ready to go to school at Alta Murrieta. I was in the third grade with nappy hair and bottle cap glasses. I would walk about a mile or so to school with friends but some mornings could be pretty chilly so my mom would put my jacket in the dryer before I headed off so that I was warm. My jacket was a huge, over-stuffed, cotton candy pink jacket that I wore every single day.

On this particular morning while eating breakfast my family and I smelled the worst skunk smell in the house. This wasn’t really uncommon as there were plenty of skunks around the neighborhood and a lot of dogs in the yards. We knew it must have been really close as the smell was so pungent. We ate breakfast and my mom went and fetched my jacket. While walking to school I realized the skunk smell had lingered on me from home and still smelled pretty strongly. Figuring it would wear off by the time I got to school I kept on going.

I had Mrs. Shannon who was your stereotypical ‘mean’ elementary school teacher that had no sense of humor. Looking back, I wonder if she was really that mean or if I just really hated fractions and math. The school wasn’t fully developed yet as the city was just new so all of the classrooms were mobile buildings.

I arrived at class, sat in my little desk, and put away my backpack. About 30 minutes into the lesson I heard my classmates whispering about how bad it smelled in the classroom. I didn’t really think much of it at this point but wondered if they were talking about the skunk stench. About five minutes after that, Mrs. Shannon picked up the phone and I could hear her asking for the janitorial office. About 10 minutes after that she announced that,“There might be a skunk under the building”.

I remember thinking….so maybe this is about the skunk smell. I was nervous but I also didn't want to say anything because I was so embarrassed. I can still remember it so clearly; just sitting there not knowing what to do. The janitor came and asked the class to evacuate so that they could look under the building. We all lined up against the building while the grown-ups discussed what actions would be taken to get the skunk.

This is where my memory fades me….for the life of me I cannot remember how it came about that everyone realized the smell was coming from me. I don’t know if a classmate told on me or if I finally confessed. I don’t know if Mrs. Shannon pulled me aside and said, “You stink”…but whatever happened in those dreadful 10 min I have no recollection. I just remember after the fact standing away from all of my classmates while the janitor went to get a plastic bag for my jacket. I remember standing there with my fluffy, pink jacket all bundled up in the bag and I think I may have been crying softly which was steaming up my bifocals. My mom came and picked me up and we headed home.

I remember the shenanigans at the house trying to figure out what had occurred- such a mystery. Well, a few days later my dad solved it. He took apart the dryer and pulled a scorched- crispy- black-burnt skunk corpse from the motor of the dryer. Turns out the little rascal had climbed up into the dryer and when my mom went to dry my jacket she scorched him sending his entire potion spray onto my jacket.

We couldn't believe it! It was really something out of a movie. It has always been one of my all time favorite stories to tell people. Sometimes I don’t mind when embarrassing things happen to me because they are always the greatest stories to tell afterwards. My mom felt awful for sending her 7 year old to school covered in skunk juice but what are you gonna do? Happy Thursday. 

You belong somewhere you feel free…

Yes, it’s a line in a Tom Petty song. It was also framed and given to me by my sweet friend, Kelly. I have it in my house and look at it almost every morning if I am not running late.

                                                                          

It got me thinking this morning on my way to work about things/places/experiences that really make me feel free. There are of course tons of things that make me happy, comfortable, content but free is a special one. That feeling when you are taken aback and have your breathe taken away from the freedom you are feeling in that very moment. You kind of take a look at life and think, wow. I thought I would make a list of these things so that I could always go back to them and see what it is that gives me this freedom feeling.

1. Walking along an empty beach.
2. Driving on the freeway when there is no traffic and listening to Tom Petty (preferably  "Wake up time").
3. When I see the sun shining through a bunch of trees.
4. Dancing. Anytime, anywhere, any song….well maybe not any song but you get my drift.
5. Swimming. 
6. drinking coffee on a patio looking out at morning fog.
7. riding my bike.
8. painting.
9. writing.
10. Taking a bath in the dark with a bunch of candles all around. 
11. Riding a horse. 

It’s comforting to see that all of the things I listed are for the most part free of monetary cost. I guess that makes sense why free is in freedom. What makes you feel this way?  

Why my mom is special.

There is an obvious reason why I am glad my mother was born (she was able to have me!) but aside from that there are several other reasons why my mother is special to me. My mom's quirky, loving, fun, silly, and caring ways are what shaped me into the person I am today and I couldn't be more thankful. Here is my top ten list of my most thankful qualities my mom has passed on to me:

1. My love for animals. My mom loves every little critter in the universe; she even saved a tarantula from a wasp and kept it alive in a little dirt pot until it was mobile enough to leave. I think we have owned every kind of legal animal and brought home way too many puppies without my dads permission.  She has nursed back wild animals who were left by their mother and always tried returning lost dogs to their owners. My mom has passed on this love for little critters to me and it is something that is very fulfilling in my life.My brother and I both love animals and are always looking to help them. It's not just about loving a creature of this world but it has also taught me responsibility and what it means to love and care for something.

2. My selflessness. My mother is the most selfless human being I have ever met. Every single thing she has been given she would give to me or my brother without a second thought. She is always putting others before herself in everything she does. Having your number one role model be this type of person is one of the greatest gifts. I always strive to be like her in this way and it isn't always easy!

3. My creativity. My mom can make something out of nothing. Anytime we go somewhere and we see something she says, "We can make that!...how can we...let's think". She has passed this creative ability down to me and I am always taking joy in making things.

4. My weirdness. My mom is definitely weird (but in the best kind of way). She will do anything to make my brother or I laugh. She is always willing to play silly games and do funny things so everyone has a good time. I can't even list examples because I wouldn't know where to stop. As I grew up (and still to this day) I was always the weird one in the group (in the best kind of way) because I did silly, embarrassing things so I could see those around me laugh. My brother is the EXACT same way...it's funny how these things pass on.

5. My love for dancing. I am not a professional dancer by any means but I love turning music up loud and dancing around by myself making up moves as I go. My mom grew up dancing and then she was the coach for my cheer team for 4 years. She has always loved dance music and coming up with good routines to go with the beats. Growing up we always had music on and would dance around. I remember in 9th grade my brother and I made a dance routine to Michael Jackson. I wore my moms wedding dress and danced around while my dad filmed. We had Amira and her boyfriend over and my mom served them hors d'oeuvres and cookies...did I say I was in 9th grade?

6. My gratitude. My mom is thankful for every little thing she gets. She grew up with seven brothers and sisters raised by just her dad who had to work multiple jobs to raise his family. My mom never had much growing up but she always talks about the best memories and how much fun she had with so little. It has given me the great pleasure in realizing that you need a minimal number of material things in order to be happy. It's funny because these days it seems like a child's happiness is based off an expensive computer game or smart phone. My moms life was filled with barely any money or material things but adventures beyond your wildest dreams. When I raise my children I hope to pass on the privilege to be grateful for the little things in life that don't cost a cent.

7. My imagination. This stems from what I mentioned above about her wild adventures; my mom can make something that seems pretty boring be really, really fun .Growing up she has always thought of fun games or adventures we could go on. I remember one time she got my neighborhood friends together and had us all make different animal masks of who we wanted to pretend to be...then we had a little play as those characters. I think I was 10 or 11 and I still remember how much fun that memory was.

8. My confidence. My mom loves me more than anything in this world; I know this without a doubt. I know she thinks the world of me and she would do absolutely anything in this world for me. She thinks I am the prettiest person in the world and that I should have been a model. She thinks I am smart and creative and crafty and silly. My mom is my greatest fan and her love and support is what makes me the confident person I am today. Do I think I am the prettiest person and should have been a model? Heck no! ha-ha but I know she thinks that of me and it feels really good.

9. How to have fun working as a team. I mentioned before my mom was the head coach for my cheer team for several years. Our team was always placed in the top spots. We were kind of that team you would see in the movies where we goofed off entirely too much but when it came down to it we worked hard and pulled it off. We picked on my mom all of the time but she loved it.We called her Tracy Brown Terd and she would yell at us...but her yell was like a little mouse so then we would just laugh. She loved cheering, dancing, music, and our team. She would drive us around in her little, bright blue pinto and we would toilet paper the football player's houses. It was some of the best years of my life and I made some ever lasting friendships. My mom was the one who got me into cheer leading and she was the one who motivated all of us to do our best and work hard but always have fun doing it. She never really punished us for goofing off because she knew we were young girls and that it was all part of living life, growing up, working together, and having fun.

10. How to dream. My mother is a dreamer. I could tell her I was quitting my job and opening up pig wash stand and she would think that is really awesome. Let's see some of the businesses my mom was going to open....she was going to have a biscuit and gravy car stop off where people would pull up in their cars and get this tray that would basically be under their chin so that they could drive and eat biscuits and gravy. She was going to have a hot dog stand right outside of the high school because what hungry teenage boy wouldn't want a hot dog? She thought about writing a book about a new exercise she thought of to lose stomach pooch...the exercise was to scoot yourself around on the ground for 30 minutes. When I first met Matt my mom was on speaker phone telling me how she had been scooting around the house for 45 minutes testing her theory...he stayed with me? I mean the list is endless...I always give her a hard time and say, "You dream too much", but then I find myself at home thinking...hmmm...I could do this...or I could do that. The truth is, just because you dream it up doesn't always mean it's going to happen...but to me the fun is in the dreaming. It's a way to keep your mind going and explore every possibility;  even if it's jumping up to touch the moon- it's a fun dream to have. I am thankful my mom has given me this trait in life.

One day if I am lucky enough, I will have children of my own and I think its important to remember that who we are reflects the lives our children will lead. I hope to take every single trait my mother has instilled in me and teach it to my children so that they can live happy, fulfilling lives. My mom makes me want to be the happiest person I can be because when I see my happiness in her eyes it becomes 1,000 times more clear. It's my mom's birthday today and she means the world to me. Happy Birthday, mom.