Thirteen Years Ago, I Fell in Love

Thirteen years and several days ago, I fell in love.  She arrived in mid September of 1995 and stole my heart immediately.  She has spent the past thirteen years solidifying that love and I am immensely grateful everyday I get to be her mom.  Sometimes I look at her and marvel at how much she is like me. . . 

• her quick wit
• her dry sense of humor
• her ringing laugh
• her love of words and the stories they weave
• her ability to get in there and get things done, no matter how boring or mundane the task
• her reaching out when she sees people in trouble
• her fierce loyalty to those she loves

Other times I marvel at how she came from me, how she could be a part of me because there is so much that is foreign to me. . . 

• her passion and drive
• her acute sense of responsibility in all aspects of her life
• her need to make everything ok
• her wanting to please
• her wisdom
• her picky taste in dessert
• her sensibility
• her athleticism-she can do lay up and sink a free throw
• her Boy Scout attitude-always be prepared, as evidenced by the contents of her pockets

The teenage years will be a true test of my ability to see past myself and appreciate all that is different in her.  I know that because of her, because of who she is, we will come out on the other side stronger, more solid, and I will emerge more in love than I ever knew was possible.

My Life as a Man

Last weekend, Sept 20-21, Mel and I headed off to our second of four festivals for this fall.  We have worked our hiney's off getting ready for the festivals and my family has been neglected-to say the least.  I spent Saturday (Micaela's Birthday) at the festival and met Brandon and the girls at Chili's for dinner to celebrate along with Mel and Randy and their kids.  Micaela was opening her presents and with each present I would ask "Who is that from?"  Brandon then looked at me and replied "Us"!  He had done all the shopping and wrapping for her birthday and I got to ooh and aah as she opened them.  Sunday I spent the morning home with Iz who was sick while Brandon went to church and then I headed off to the festival in the afternoon.  I came home to a cooked dinner and Brandon had made a birthday cake for Micaela.  I was happy and fired up from a good festival and Brandon looked and felt like he'd been run over by a truck.  He had spent the weekend schlepping the girls to the 8 million commitments on the calendar, caring for, and feeding them, temper tantrums and all.  I was thinking my life as a man was pretty cool and should be extended beyond a weekend until I realized I was missing the most important part, my "business" does not have to keep the lights on.  The small profit I made last weekend was spent at the festival before I even arrived home.  I am grateful for a man who was willing to swap out for a weekend or two and who loves me enough to schlepp off to work each day to a legitimate business that does keep the lights on.

The Game of Catch Up

At the Reynolds house we're playing the all too familiar game of catch up and the good news is we're finally to the catch up the blog phase.  That means one of two thins,  I've caught up on a long list of other things or there is something that I'm avoiding.  It's probably a little bit of both!  Micaela has helped me out and done some blogging and writing about our summer fun that we will post soon!