I was in the store aisle looking at something on the shelf the other day. As I stood there I glimpsed a female my age to my left. I pondered over what to purchase and suddenly a little boy, probably about 5 or 6, appeared at my right. He was holding a toy and chattering away while staring at it. “Mom, look! Mom, can I have this? Mom?” I smirked and took a step backwards so he could pass by me. But he followed me and moved in closer. Still staring at the toy, “Mom, can I have this? Look Mom! Look what it does!” Holding back my laughter, I stepped to the side. He followed. So I quickly stepped around the corner. He finally looked up, noticed he was alone, and padded off towards his mom.

Today I passed a group of girls walking in the opposite direction. I came across a straggler when I rounded the corner and she started talking to me about washing windows. When she finally glanced up, she blushed, muttered “Oops, sorry”, and hurried off towards her friends.

I don’t know about you but sometimes I get embarrassed for other people. Does that ever happen to anyone else?

I didn't learn Blogging in college...

From the world's worst blog updater, me:

These are funny phrases I recently heard around the office:

“What?!! You don’t want to run a marathon? Do you have the Miss Piggy syndrome?”

“Hey, this person on the phone wants to know if we can recommend a way for them to learn typing skills.”

“I wore a mask when I visited all the offices today and for some reason people are freaking out now.”

Birthday Club

Dear Special K,

Today you join the birthday club and are a member for only one day a year. Let's take a quick look back to those beginning years:

I have many great, fun memories with you. I wanted to share some things I have learned

from you along life’s journey. Twenty-five thoughts because you are 25 today!
1. Laugh a lot.
2. Be kind.
3. Forgive others easily.
4. Invest time in others.
5. Always have someone around to fluff your hair before the photo is taken.
6. Laugh some more.
7. Sleepy time is important. Especially when camping – go to bed with the sunset cause the sunrise will certainly wake you up.
8. It’s OK to be selective about who you date.
9. Family will always be there for you.
10. Clothes shop with a friend so you can swap opinions.
11. Be open minded to new adventures.
12. You can go anywhere and have a good time if you are with a sister (brothers too, but it’s a little different).
13. Be honest when someone asks you for an opinion.
14. Sisters can swap clothes but not contact lenses.
15. Sometimes it’s nice to just “go with the flow” rather than create an agenda.
16. Put a little extra time into getting ready in the morning and you can emerge looking like a movie star!
17. It’s ok to have a singing mermaid as your hero.
18. It can be fun to express your personality. Like encouraging me to get a purple lappy-top!
19. Smile at people. It makes them feels significant.
20. Sometimes a good song captures all current emotions.
21. Giggling late at night is acceptable.
22. Pop-tarts are a food group.
23. Constantly texting does not cause thumb cramping.
24. A good memory = sharing funny childhood stories at family reunions.
25. Do your best to make others feel at ease

Happy Birthday!

P.S. For a special treat, here are some photos from the photo shoot you referred to in an earlier blog post (ok, so they aren't the milk ads, but I guess we did multiple shoots):

Love ya, little sis'! ~Your protector, Minnie

Today's political pulse brought to you by a bumper sticker

I saw on the car in front of me on the way to work:

The Birthday Blog

Music

• Curtis has a great love of music. Not partial to a particular genre, he bounces along to most any tune. Subconsciously. That’s right – turn on some music and watch Curtis’ foot start tapping. When he was a wee tot, he would also hum quietly to himself as he enjoyed a delicious meal. My theory is that he was a singing angel in the pre-existence.

Tenderness

• When he was little, he was never shy about holding hands with one of his parents. He was a cuddly little guy. And when he was older, he would take time to lovingly hold babies or play with toddlers.

• I am going to have to draw on Mom’s memory for this next story, as I wasn’t there. But Mom likes to share the example of how Curtis would pick out the best rock everyday when he walked home from school and give it to her as a gift.

Meticulous

• I remember when we lived in California and my parents decided to grow a garden in the side yard. We kids were asked to water the garden and to make sure that the water flow was slow enough to soak into the ground without overflowing from the trenches. Curtis, being somewhere around preschool or kindergarten age, was the most dedicated to the cause. He would stay outside for the longest time to squat by the hose and make sure the water flowed ever so slowly down to the end of the trench.


• During college, Curtis and I lived in the same complex. I would stop by his place for visits and he would be so proud of his clean living space. He went to great lengths on keeping his place clean and orderly.


• I am always impressed by the level of thoughtfulness that Curtis puts into picking out gifts. Curtis will research different gifts for long periods of time to find the perfect present for the recipient.

Humor

• Curtis has always had a great sense of humor. Many times he is our comic relief. Sometimes I will wait to watch a comedy until I know Curtis will be around because he isn’t afraid to laugh out loud at the funny parts of the movie.


• To add to the fun of growing up, Jason and Curtis would often create games to entertain each other. I can’t remember how old they were but at some point they created the imaginary characters Herman, age 2, and Hermetta (commonly known as Etta), age 3. These magical, imaginary characters had all kinds of powers and experienced all kinds of adventures. But mostly I remember how great it was that Herman and Etta flew everywhere.


• One particular memory of Curtis still makes me laugh when I recall it. This memory of him extends throughout a large part of his childhood. Whenever Curtis would make a mistake or do something goofy, he would always say, “I meant to do that”. Trip on a rock? “I meant to do that.” Add an unusual ingredient to a recipe? “I meant to do that.” Instead of dwelling on the blooper, he would laugh at himself and encourage others to laugh as well.

Thanks for your example and all you bring to our family!
Happy Birthday Curtis!