Pictures for Laura

My lifelong friend, Laura, asked that I post pictures of the kids. Here they are.

Long time CASA volunteer

I came across this interview on the CASA website. This woman has been volunteering almost as long as there has been a CASA program.

Hippo life updates

* Cory/Adam will be playing Sir Dandiprat in HHS Snow White performance in the next week or two.

* Aurelia has a pair of very glittery red shoes (a la Dorothy) that she doesn't mind wearing to school with sweatpants. (photos to follow)

* Daniel is in a holiday funk to beat all funks.

*I am detoxing from the computer. (It is really hard to do)

* Christmas is about loving and sharing time with loved ones. I have asked all potential gift givers to my children to spend their money elsewhere. The more they receive, the less they are aware of what they received. My preference would be they donate the money they were going to spend to feeding the homeless or donating warm clothing to those who don't have any.

* Holiday music (at least the peppy ones) make me happy.

* Aurelia is obsessed with Christmas (pronounced cwithmath), when he is going to come, if he is going to play with her, bring her a doll, eat her cookies, etc.

Memories

By

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Hiatus

Staggering into the daylight, the Happy Hippo took a long breath of clean, crisp autumn air. Disheveled and tired, she realized somehow six months have gone by. But then it dawned on her. She was finished. Done. No more pictures to sort, no more worrying about getting it done for Christmas. The project was uploading and headed for the printer. So now, for today, she will breathe in the smell of autumn and wait for the agonizing between print and delivery. Tomorrow is soon enough to worry. Today is for enjoying.

The next several days will be internet, computer, and possibly telephone free. I am exhausted of this computer screen. It makes my eyes hurt. But I will be back to babble soon enough. Happy Turkey Day! I am thankful for you all.


I am also going to give that little slideshow thing a try with Blogger. Hope it works.

So......

I went to the conveniece store and bought five copies of the newspaper. Only to discover the article was actually in FRIDAY's edition. Such is life.

BUT, tomorrow is the best day of the year!!! My local radio station begins playing only Christmas music 24/7 until after Christmas. Oh, JOY!

Many chances throughout the day to sing at the top of my lungs the bestest song in the whole entire free world-----THE HIPPO SONG.

For those of you who still do not know this wonderful tune, I have provided this handy link. Learn the words, sing it loud and proud. Embed it into the subconscious of those around you. Happy day, happy day.

Fifiteen miliseconds of fame

My baby girl and I are in the newspaper this weekend.

Have a look-see for yourself....

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x2105970211

A minute of happy

From the corner of my street to my driveway, there are beautiful trees whose leaves turn bright gold and orange in the fall. We had a bit of a delayed fall this year and the leaves have fallen quickly. For the last two weeks, these brightly colored leaves have drifted down onto my van as I come home every day. The trees are so tall that they drift a long way and pile up in vibrant heaps. The instant I turn onto my quiet little street until I pull into my own treeless yard it is a little like a sweet movie. There should be a soundtrack. It fills me with peace and happy glowing feelings. Those feelings drift away when I get into the house and begin refereeing yet another kid fight, but for those 60-90 seconds I can float away in my mind. Everybody should have a quiet little street to drive down once a day. Try it, you'll like it.

Edie Brickell - Good Times, Bad Times

I love this artist. Thought I would give a little audio/visual to go with the previous post.

Edie Brickell lyrics

These are the lyrics to the song Edie Brickell has been singing in my head all week:

The title is IN THE BATH:


In the morning in the bath
Water pouring from the tap
I don't want to go out
Lie back
Relax
Ever lazy never free
What my conscience does to me
Always something I should do
Something I should be
Run around
Put me down if you want to
I can't hear a sound
'Cause I'm not listening to you
I've taken today to be off and away
Unwinding
In the morning in the bath
I'm restoring from the past
The mistakes I made
Never seem to fade away
In a wash of memory
Everything is coming clean
Run around
Put me down if you want to
I can't hear a sound
'Cause I'm not listening to you
I've taken today to be off and away
Call me Freda
Freda day
Going down a busy road
Looking out of my window
In a taxi backseat
Out of control

Perception, Reality, Disillusionment

This particular blog is the mixture of the last couple of entries that I have meant to do, somehow today they seem to come together. Enjoy.

PART ONE

These past months I have been actively working on the photobook. I live, breathe, eat, dream these pictures. They are always on my mind and I have begun to feel like I was present at these events from long before I was born. The progress of those I love from birth, adolescence, adulthood, and golden years spills out before me to examine. What was that glimmer in their eye? Can I imagine the surroundings as the camera flashed? Could this young version of this person have possibly imagined themselves as I know them now? Are they disappointed, relieved, happy? When I was a kid in this gigantic family (and this is only my father's side of my enormous family), I wanted to be left alone at the same time I wanted to feel like a part of it all. Nothing brought more joy than quiet time with a book, unless that something was feeling with it for a second. There always seemed to be a vibe I just couldn't tune into. I wasn't extroverted or socially skilled. I couldn't glide into a conversation with ease. There was no doubt I was loved by these people I was always with, but I didn't feel like I fit. But the more I have looked at these pictures, the more I think to myself, that maybe none of them felt like they fit. Maybe they felt the same way, from kids to the dream of what growing up would bring. Because, surely, growing up would bring some comfort with our own skin, with an identity strong enough to be claimed. None are as good or as bad as we may remember. The distance and knowledge with which I look at their faces now, allows me to see the flaws, sweet human flaws, that we all have. But those flaws are what make us whole.

Part TWO

So I grew up. Now I am the mother of three beautiful kids and the wife to a sweet and loving husband. I don't have to work, I have time to volunteer for other kids, I will finish my degree when they are all in school. Life for me is good. But at the same time, that bit of kid left deep inside me knows this wasn't the dream. Seven kids... that was the insanity I wanted. Four girls, three boys. As a sane adult with perspective, I know that I was never cut out for that. I pictured a house where I would be patient, kind, gentle, nuturing to each and every one, each and every minute. Well, that my friends, is a crock. I yell, I lose my patience, I frown, I curse, I pray daily for their little tongues to fall out of their little heads so they will be stricken mute. I love them deeply, no doubt, but I know that the happiest moments are far between and I have to fill in the rest. I wonder what their memories of me will be. Will they have the same days where they are disillusioned by what they believed was true, what they dreamed would be? Bless their hearts, I know they won't look wistfully back on the days of mom's good ol' cooking (cause mine is crap), but I wonder what they will wish back for. In the meantime, I will keep doing the best I can, taking pictures of as much good stuff as possible, to build on what illusions we all have.

Part Three