Archive for October, 2006
October 31, 2006 @ 3:01 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
No man or woman is worth your tears.
The only one who is, will never make you cry.
If you love someone, put their name in a circle, instead of a heart.
Hearts can break, but circles go on forever.
Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say.
Best friends listen to what you don’t dare say.
If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn’t jump with them. I’d be at the bottom to catch them.
Don’t frown, because you never know who’s falling in love with your smile!
It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone and a day to love someone—but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.
Cherish your friends today.
October 31, 2006 @ 11:10 am | Filed under: Uniquely Me
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October 30, 2006 @ 7:08 am | Filed under: Family
"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."
_________________________________
This morning is one of those bittersweet mornings.
A part of me (a large part) is quiet and at peace. I just returned from a wonderfully relaxing weekend where I had all three of my guys all to myself for forty-eight straight hours. My soul is tranquil this morning as I think back over the conversations, the laughs, and yes, even a few tears, of the past few days.
On the other hand, I feel as though the hole in my heart is a little larger than it was when I left town on Friday. It was tough leaving Nate behind and now, more than ever, I realize that when we left him at college in August, I was stoic because I had to be.
Now, with that memorable event fading in our rear-view mirror, it’s tough to give that last hug before climbing back into the car. It’s tough to see the homesickness in his eyes and hear it in his voice and know that there’s nothing you can do to make it better. Except encourage him and begin to plan his week at home over Thanksgiving. He’s almost nineteen and doing fantastic and I couldn’t be more proud. But in my heart he’ll always be my little boy.
The weekend, though, was fantabulous! Mike, Jordan, and I rolled into College Town, USA, around six o’clock, checked into our hotel, and then picked Nate up at his dorm. We went to Margarita’s (they have the BEST chips & salsa) and sat at our table, talking, laughing, and catching up for the longest.
Then we drove to the campus and just walked it in the dark, enjoying one another’s company and feeling no hurry whatsoever. In fact, the catch phrase for the entire weekend was "hey, I don’t have to be anywhere until Monday morning." We ended the night at Starbucks, drinking macchiotas and doing a whole lotta of nothin’. It was great.
On Saturday morning, the brothers spent some quality time together while Mike and I attended a Parent’s Coffee with Administrators. This weekend was also Jordan’s official SH visit (it’s one of three colleges he has applied to) so who better to navigate the campus and point out the highlights than a SH student who also happens to be your brother, right? The coffee was lots of fun. We met several of the deans and talked to another couple who also have two sons. This parenting thing is quite the fraternity. It’s amazing how connected you can quickly feel to people in the same boat as you are.
Later that afternoon we drove to The Woodlands, about thirty miles away, and checked into two rooms in a Marriott there. This was a time we’d all been looking forward to. For twenty-four hours we shopped, ate, walked, slept, and just basically existed as a family. It was beyond magnificent. I didn’t realize how much I needed this time with these three guys until I was in the midst of it. After sleeping in the next morning, we enjoyed a leisurely brunch and then…another good-bye.
We left Mike in the Houston area with the van since he had meetings there this morning (tearful good-bye No. 1) and Jordan and I delivered Nate back to SH in the rental car (tearful good-bye No. 2) and then headed back home.
One thing that made me laugh in the big middle of my melt-down was the armful of unopened and unread newspapers that Nate handed over to Jordan. A subscription to the Houston Chronicle is delivered daily to Nate and his roommate, but neither are paper-readers (but Jorge IS) so Nate saves them for his brother. On the drive home, I think the brothers talked to each other three times! I’ve always known they love each other fiercely, but this weekend meant a lot to them and it was very obvious.
But now it’s the "morning after" and I’m doing my best to shelve my conflicted feelings and press on. I have a major history test tomorrow, as well as a Religions paper to write, so today is pretty much spoken for.
My head will be immersed in Andrew Jackson, the Articles of Conferederation, and temperance; I’ll write a (hopefully) riveting paper detailing what The Sermon on the Mount tells me about Christianity…but my heart will still be a few hours behind my head, still soaking up the time spent with my three most favorite guys on the planet…
Better run…I think I hear ‘ol Andrew calling my name right now…
October 27, 2006 @ 12:26 pm | Filed under: Family
As I type, Mike and Jorge are packing the van and <checking clock> in about fifteen minutes we’ll be one the road…
to visit Nate!
It’s been four weeks since he was last home and I’m so ready to have both my boys together under ONE roof, if only for a couple of days.
It seems like only yesterday that Nate and Jorge were posing in the pumkin patch. But…it’s been fifteen years since this phot was taken.
Amazing…
This is Family Weekend at SHSU so we’re off for a weekend full of fun, food, and just plain ‘ol togetherness.
I’ll talk to you next week!
October 26, 2006 @ 11:14 pm | Filed under: Thursday Thirteen
1. We’ve taken the grandkids to the Pumpkin Patch every October since Carter was a baby.
2. 
There was just something about Carter B and his beautiful red auburn hair up against the brilliant orange pumpkins that made me smile. Every time. Every year.
3. Uncle Nate and Uncle Jordan enjoy the annual event just as much as the kiddos, I think. They might not admit it, but they do!
4. Of course, they have a long history of pumpkin patches too!
5. Some years we do crafts…
6. …or have our faces painted…
7. …and sometimes we just run the mazes with Pops.
8. Madie & Kenzie joined us last year at the Patch.
9. Are these the cutest set of cousins EVER, or what? The girls adore my boys and, obviously, the feelings are mutual!
10.
Pumpkin Season 2006 is off to a great start! Last Friday night Mike and I painted pumpkins with the Carter and Kendall…
11. …and then we baked chocolate-chip cookies…
12. …and decorated them with orange and white frosting. A good time was had by all.
13. And then we did the only thing left to do - we ate them, of course!
October 17, 2006 @ 2:59 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
After enjoying certain perks that Typepad has provided, Glimpses is now moving back here. There’s just no place like home, you know?
Please drop by and visit. We’ve undergone an Extreme Makeover and Susie, over at Bluebird Blogs, is the amazing artist behind our new glam look.
So, while we’re at a different address, Glimpses is still the same ‘ol gal. Still giving you little, um…glimpses…into the windows of my life as a wife, mother, writer, and student.
See ya soon!
October 13, 2006 @ 10:31 am | Filed under: Uncategorized
…but it’s just not happening.
Here’s what I’ve already done today that was NOT bright:
1. I drove right past the little place I was supposed to meet Mike for breakfast. He calls and says, "Hey, was that you that just drove by?" So I had to turn around and try it again.
2. I ironed a pair of slacks for Jordan to wear to a wedding tonight, hung them very neatly, and then went to retrieve a shirt that needed to be pressed. When I walked back into the room, the ironing board was nowhere in sight.
"Honey, did you put the ironing board away?" I call out to Mike.
"No, I haven’t touched it." He walks into the room and stares at me as I stand in the middle of the room, looking (I’m quite sure) dazed and confused, still clutching the to-be-ironed shirt.
Evidently I put it away and have no recollection whatsoever of doing so.
3. I lost my keys. Fortunately, I have spares and, fortunately, I later found them. Still…
You see my dilemma. My brain thinks it’s already five o’clock on Friday afternoon and not just noon. So I’m giving in to it and calling it a day. This blog post means absolutely nothing of importance but it’s expressly for those of you who would email me if I didn’t post something and want to know why!
If I had five minutes to myself today, I’d
1. Go to the mall, just to window shop and chill out for a bit. There’s nothing like a little alone time to clear a muddled mind.
2. Start reading a new book. On second thought, I don’t know that I have the concentration for it today. (Shhh…don’t tell anyone I said that.)
3. Crawl back in bed, pull the covers over my head, and take a nice, long nap.
4. Just sit in "my spot" on the couch, not talking to anyone, not having anyone talk to me. (Can you tell it’s been a tough week?)
5. No. 3 again.
If I were to spend $5 today, I’d
1. Well, duh…buy a Sonic Diet Coke!
2. Buy some stamps from my local Post Net guy and send off packages to my cousins that I’ve had ready to mail for a full week now.
3. Buy Jordan Chick-fil-A at the school today. (They get Chick-fil-A! Speaking of which, I could use a sandwich right now.)
4. Add $10 to the $5 to pay for our weekly cleaning.
5. Buy another Diet Coke.
Five Items I’d love to get rid of:
1. About 15 pounds.
2. All problems. I know it wouldn’t be permanent. But, please, just for a day.
3. My history book. Any takers? Anyone?
4. All the stuff piled in the garage that is in our "to be thrown out, given away, or just destroyed" stacks.
5. Jordan’s printer. It’s a three-in-one and has a very annoying habit of piping up in the middle of the night with all kinds of strange noises.
Five Items I wouldn’t part with:
1. My family. That goes without saying, I know. But it’s always good to remind yourself that in spite of very tiring weeks, you’re family still has top billing in your heart.
2. My computer. For a variety of reasons, but the proper answer would be because it’s my connection to work. (I think the real reason may be email and blogs though.)
3. My bathtub. Honestly, there have been times this week when all that has gotten me through is the thought of fifteen minutes in a hot bubble bath at the end of the day.
4. My work. I’d take a break from it now and then, but writing is in my blood, so…You do what you have to do…
5. My friends. They keep the laughter bubbling, the loads lighter, and the sharing real.
Five Words or Phrases I’d love to hear:
1. "Here’s your diet Coke, miss."
2. "Sweetheart, let’s go somewhere this weekend. ANYWHERE you want to go."
3. "We’d like to offer you a four-book contract with our publishing house. Will that work for you?"
4. "I love you."
5. "You’re the best mom in the world. Not because I have to say it, but because I truly mean it. Really."
October 11, 2006 @ 2:00 pm | Filed under: Family
"Kommen sie hier, bitte."
A simple phrase, yet a very special and poignant one in our home.
Several years ago, as we prepared for our trip to Europe, my husband and I devoured a couple of language tapes, trying to soak up enough French to sound legitimate in Paris and enough German to have some fun in Prague.
Now, almost seven years later, we remember very little of these impromptu language lessons. But this one German phrase, Kommen sie hier, bitte, remains a staple in my husband’s vocabulary. Translated, it means "Come here, please."
But spoken in a hushed voice, accompanied by outstretched arms, it represents nothing short of pure comfort to me.
At the end of very tough days, or sometimes at the beginning of a busy one, I’ll hear those three words. "Kommen sie hier, bitte." I walk into his waiting arms, and know that - even if for only a few brief moments - there is a refuge for me, sheltering me from the winds of uncertainty that sometimes swirl around us.
Like today.
Emotions and thoughts tumble through me, leaving me bone-weary. Is it a bad day? No, just the opposite really. A good day, with just a lot to deal with. But my life is rich simply because I have these people and these things.
People whom I love more than life itself.
And things that I’ve been intrusted and blessed to be a part of.
So even on days like today, when the energy is low and the mood is quiet, I can hear the voice of my heavenly Father beckoning to me:
"Kommen sie hier, bitte."
He has outstretched arms that represent nothing short of pure comfort to me. Instantly, there is a calm. A peace. An unspeakable joy.
A refuge for me, sheltering me from the winds of uncertainty that sometimes swirl around me.
October 8, 2006 @ 12:17 pm | Filed under: Family
"Your siblings are the only people in the world who know what it’s like to have been brought up the way you were."
– Betsy Cohen
_____________________________
On October 8, 1972, my parents presented me with what was, and still is, the best gift they could have given me.
After four-and-a-half years as an only (though amazingly unspoiled:) child, I became a big sister.
"Saucy" became my new name (a cross between Staci and Sissy) and Kevin became my constant.
I hear tales of sibling rivalry, fierce competition, and untold jealousy and, I’m sorry, I just can’t even imagine.
Maybe it’s the fact that there was one of each gender, or maybe it’s the age difference, but with just a few exceptions, Kevin and I have remained in each other’s corner.
He was my constant.
He humored me by taking on the voice of Ken (and Ken’s buddies) whenever I had a whim to play Barbies.
He understood that Linda and Susan were real (well, in MY mind, at least) and made room for them in the backseat of the car on the way to church.
In turn,he somehow very easily convinced me to play GI Joe and Evil Knievel with him. And I’ve sat in on more than one Lego-building marathan, let me tell you.
He was my constant.
When I was younger, he was the one I’d hurry home from school to share tales of my day with.
When he started to kindergarten, I was the big fifth grader who’d routinely peek into his classroom just to make sure he was all right.
I graduated from high school and promptly left him at home to experience the "only child" treatment. But even that separation didn’t sever our connection.
A few years later, when I had two small children and was staying nights alone, Kevin would show up at my place on Friday nights. After tucking Nate and Jordan into bed, I’d order pizza and then my baby brother and I would watch a movie, eat pizza, and bake (I did the baking, we both did the eating) cookies.
Looking back now, I see that, though we were in very different stages of life, it was Kevin that helped me through some difficult times. He was my friend, kept me company, and loved me no matter what.
He was my constant.
And more than that, he IS my contant.
He’s grown up to be a man that I admire on so many different levels. A loving husband, devoted father, and man of integrity, I’m proud to call him one of the men in my life.
While I’ll always be the eldest (though it’s looking more and more like I won’t be the grayest!) he’s now my contemporary.
Life is funny that way, isn’t it? You grow up with someone, seeing spaghetti plastered on their face, hearing their wails of anguish when you steal (or hide or break) a toy, witnessing countless skinned knees and swollen mosquito bites, finding comfort in the soft sound of their breathing next to you on road trips.
Then you wake up one day and you’re both adults. How in the world does that happen, I ask you?
He is my constant, the gift given to me 34 years ago today. A gift that, although I loved him to pieces way back then, I value even more today.
Like branches on a tree we grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one. Each of our lives will always be a special part of the other.
Happy birthday, Kevin!
Love, Saucy
October 5, 2006 @ 1:07 pm | Filed under: Thursday Thirteen
Can I cheat on this Thursday Thirteen?
I need YOUR help in coming up with this list. I am about to embark on a new (though exciting) role - that of contributing columnist for a local paper. I’ll be covering human interest stories, but I also hope to have a regular "slices-of-life" type of column that will run every other week.
Here’s where you come in!
I need help in naming this column and I want to hear YOUR ideas. Imagine that you were sitting down with a steaming cup of hazlenut coffee with a trusted friend. Or maybe chatting over the fence with a close neighbor. Think apple pie. American traditions. Family values. Charming antecdotes.
Those are the kind of conversations that touch the hearts of people and those are the kind of conversations I want to have with my readers. (Isn’t that optimistic of me to think there might actually BE readers?)
Can you help me? I’d love to hear from all of you - even those of you who usually just lurk! (You know who you are, and so do I!) Feel free to post comments as "anonymous" if you want, just please comment! I’ll add to this list as the ideas begin to trickle in.
Thank you, in advance!
1. Backyard Banter
2. The Road Home (thanks, Cheryl!) Wow - this is a great title - for anything!
3. A Slice of Life (again, kudos to Cheryl)
4. Homegrown Chit-Chat (idea courtesy of Jen) Very original!
5. Over the Hedge (Over the Fence is already taken as a column in the Metroplex) This was my original vision. I pictured two neighbors chatting over a back fence.
6. Coffee with a Friend (thanks, Lisa-Marie!) I like this.
7. Coffee with Staci (Lisa-Marie again!)
8. Let’s Talk About You (after three tries, TrainerDude came up with a great one. I think this could spark some back-and-forth conversation with readers which is what I would want.
9. Close to Home (great one, Carey!)
10. Latte Time (Love it, Dawn!)
11. Life’s Treasures (Dawnie, again. I like this one a lot too. It’s also the "feel" I’m going for.)
12.
13.
