Anticipation.....New Moon

Anticipation, anticipation is making me wait.....is keeping me waiting......



The best thing about life is anticipating. You get to imagine just how wonderful something is going to be once that event takes place, or once you attain that prized possession. Most of the time, the anticipation is better than the actual event or attainment of that prize that we so wanted. For some reason, things just don't fill the hole that desire creates. Maybe our expectations were too high, or maybe things were not meant to fill the holes in our being. Whatever the reason, we are usually left to dream of another situation or possession that we long after.



Last night was one of those nights that Number Two Son had been anticipating for at least 6 months. It was the midnight premier of New Moon. For a week, he had been begging me to go online and get tickets. I didn't see the need to buy tickets far in advance. After all, how many people actually want to go to a movie at midnight? Who wants to fight a crowd? Who wants to sit elbow to elbow with people that you don't know? Not many, was my thinking. After all, wasn't that the reason the vcr was invented? Isn't that why dvd players are still selling? Isn't that why Netflix is so popular? I was not sweating getting tickets. Finally, two nights before the premier, I decided to go online and purchase the two tickets....one for him, and one for me (after all, there IS a curfew for teens in our town.....on weeknights, they cannot be out without an adult after 11). To my surprise, two theaters were sold out and they were working on a third.

I told Number Two Son that he had to take a nap after school. That was the one condition I was placing on us attending this event. He was very unhappy about this.....you would have thought he was two. (McKenna says "no no" every time you say the word "nap") He came up with the solution that he had to go and help his best friend make a video for one of his classes, and he couldn't do it without my son. I didn't want Alex to make a zero, did I? I gave him until 6 to finish, and then brought him home. He then protested the nap with the fact that he was starved and couldn't sleep until he ate, so I got busy cooking supper. We were finished by 8, and grudgingly, he trudged off to his room for his "nap". I didn't check to make sure he was asleep, but there was no noise coming from his closed door, and I figured if he didn't obey me on this one simple little request, he would be the one to pay for it today, and would probably listen to me the next time I wanted him to sleep before staying up very late and getting up early the same morning. I went into my room, and at eight o'clock, my husband was already asleep with the football game on.....typical. I lay down beside him, trusting in the fact that he ALWAYS wakes up when the news comes on.....how does he do that?

Ten o'clock rolled around, and, just as I had predicted, my hubby was awake, gently nudging me to awaken me. He requested his two cookies and milk. As I pulled myself off the bed and planted my feet on the floor, my son appeared in my doorway with clothes he wanted ironed. Why??? No one was going to SEE him! I did as my two guys requested, and then proceeded to make myself a tiny bit presentable, just in case someone he knew was there. I didn't want him to be embarrassed. At 11, we set out for the theater.

As we pulled up to the parking lot, my son gasped. I turned my head to look, and was totally shocked to see the parking lot FULL.....spilling over into other parking lots......are people MAD???? It is a school night! People have to work! We parked in one of the adjoining lots and scurried inside with countless other late comers (I found out as soon as we entered that we fit in that category)

As we entered the doors, I saw that there was a line of people, at least two abreast trailing as far as we could see on both sides of the mall. I asked if this was the line to buy tickets.....no, it was the line to get in.....oh, no......we walked and walked on up the mall, amazed at the number of kids and adults that were in line. Not since the opening of Mary Poppins in 1965 have I seen this many people lined up to get into a show. There were at least ten policemen on duty controlling the mob, and there were four employees of the theater lined up to the entrance, blocking anyone from trying to get in. I had a feeling there was a plan for getting this crowd in orderly, and there was.

As we joined the line halfway up the mall, I heard a policeman asking as he walked the line, if anyone had tickets to theater one. I stopped him and asked him where the number was on our ticket. He looked, and pointed to the number sixteen. SIXTEEN! I wasn't even aware we HAD that many theaters! I discovered at this point that they were going along the line, and allowing you in by the theater, checking the tickets as you entered. Okay, good. This was great. (they had sold out sixteen theaters!)

Everyone was so excited. There was so much chatting among strangers, and laughter, that it just put us in a great mood, even with this atrocious line we were standing in. Number Two saw group after group of kids (without parental supervision) that he knew. Suddenly, I noticed in the line ahead of us, were two women that I work with. We started chatting about the movie Twilight, and Number Two was getting a kick out of my co-workers,because one of them was saying Edward is not too young for her.....he IS 108 (she is 60). All of a sudden, I was really having fun. Before we knew it, it was our turn to enter. We went and found our seat, right next to some of Number Two's friends, both girls and guys. I excused myself to purchase some drinks and popcorn.....how else would I stay up til 2???

As I re-entered the lobby, I wondered why NO ONE was in line at the concession counter.....could I truly be this lucky? NO! As I approached the counter, my eye caught the sign that read "this side for refills only". On the opposite side of the counter, before you enter the theater, there were about 300 people standing in line. Forget it. I went back to my seat with my tail tucked between my legs. I began to weep (not really, but my mouth was so dry, I wanted to). At midnight, I decided to go check the lines again, and to my surprise, there were only 5 lines with 6 people in each line. I decided it would be worth missing the first few minutes. Luckily, the kids that were working filled those cups and sacks with lightning speed, and I was back in my seat before the lights went out. To my surprise, a policeman accompanied by a theater employee entered and stood before the crowd.....there was a hush across the audience. The theater lady announced that ALL cell phones were to be turned off at this point. If you were observed with your phone on, you would immediately be ushered out of the theater with no refund and no chance to re-enter. I thought this was strange, because of all the movies I have ever been to, this had never happened before. As I sat and pondered on this announcement, I came to the conclusion that this must be how some of those pirated movies are made, and that is why the quality is so bad....cell phone videos. All of the kids were going to go into texting withdrawal was my next thought. They would have to have ambulances lined up outside the mall to revive the kids after the movie. The darkening of the lights made me come back to reality, and the previews began.

One after one, my son would turn to me and say, "we gotta go see that!".....and I would shake my head yes.....there was one, (unfortunately my secretary was asleep and so I don't remember the title) that everyone was laughing out loud at the preview.....hope they just didn't show all the funny scenes! Then the light of a full moon shone on the audience, and New Moon began.

I am not going to spoil this for you. You need to go and see it for yourself.....with an entire theater full of teenagers and moms.....but, I will tell you that in this case, the anticipation will not let you down. We left that theater loving the movie and wanting more. My son has read all the books, and he told me this movie was nearly like reading the book itself....they left very little out. If you haven't seen or read Twilight, see it first. They did very little history for people who didn't see the first in the series. Also, if you go expecting gore or horror, you WILL be disappointed. This is a love story, pure and simple. You will leave the theater feeling just as Bella did at the end, torn between Edward and Jacob. Number Two Son and I talked about it all the way home.....even as we drove through McD's for a sausage McGriddle, arguing about which one we thought would be better for Bella. I thanked him for allowing me to accompany him to this important event in his life (he will remember this like I remember Mary Poppins). He told me he wouldn't have wanted to go with anyone else (this makes a mom feel very special). It was 3 am when we climbed into bed....I had dreams of Bella, Edward, and Jacob. What a wonderful night....er.....morning!!!

Two Hours at Chik Fil A

Today was a special day for my daughter, McKenna, my mom and me. We were blessed with a visit from my niece and her two sons, Brody and Barrett. McKenna immediately fell in love with Staci, and after a few minutes of encouraging Brody to play with McKenna, she fell in love with him. We visited at my mom's house for a few minutes, then decided to go to Chik Fil A to eat. We let the kids go play inside the play area as soon as we arrived there because it was easier to order our food without them tugging at us trying to pull us to the playroom. We chose the table adjacent to the playroom door, and sat down with our food, chowing down and conversing as we kept a watchful eye on the three kids.....yes, little Barrett went right along with McKenna and Brody.

I had begun preparing my salad for my consumption, when I notice Barrett was nearing the top of the playroom climbing gym. I excused myself from the table (my daughter was the only one seated at the time.....Staci and Mother were still ordering) and hurried into the room to check with Brody to make sure Barrett was used to climbing up that high.....it is at least eight feet high. Brody told me he was okay, so I just stood there watching him climb up a step, then scoot back down on the step he had just come up from....he did this several times, seeming to be unsure of himself. McKenna scurried by him, and he decided to go on up to the top. There is netting all around the top of the gym so the kids don't fall. I think Barrett was looking at the table where he had left his mom before she left to order her food, and he realized she wasn't there, and he began crying. I decided he probably needed her, so I ran out of the room to the counter where Staci stood, and told her I thought he needed her because he was crying. She ran to check on him, and climbed up and brought him down. He didn't seem to mind. By this time, Staci and Mother had their food, so we sat down and kept a watchful eye on McKenna and Brody.

The two of them were having a ball, chasing each other around the room, falling on the floor, sliding down the slide and screaming out loud.....we only heard muffled screams because that room is fairly soundproof. In walked four little kids that were older and were playing really roughly, so Ginger and Staci got their kids and encouraged them to eat while those kids played. After about ten minutes, they sat down to eat, and Ginger and Staci allowed McKenna and Brody to resume their play. They were happy again and were having so much fun when another little boy, accompanied by his mom, entered the room, and McKenna lost her new playmate.....Brody and this new little boy were instant friends. McKenna stood around a lot, sucking on her thumb as she observed the boys falling on each other, rolling on the ground, then shooting up the steps to the top, then zooming down the slide. They were going so fast, they looked like a blur most of the time. McKenna would get tickled once in a while, and then try to join in. Soon, another little girl and her sister, around 12 came and the two of them joined in the fun. The older girl made sure to include McKenna and soon they all seemed to be enjoying each other. We certainly were enjoying watching all of this!

We all chatted about the kids, movies, Number One Son, and adoption. Time just flew by. Before we knew it, two hours had passed. I couldn't believe we had been there that long.....and I sure couldn't believe the kids had played so much! I had to leave to pick up Number Two Son, so we said our goodbyes and told them we would see them after a while at Mother's. Ginger and I talked about how much we had enjoyed our visit, and Ginger said she wished Staci lived in the same town so we could do this more often. I said I agreed.

At Mother's, McKenna and Brody played with cars and tennis balls, while Barrett sat stoically in his momma's lap (he had just awaken from his nap and was still groggy). McKenna wanted Brody to go with her in the living room, and Brody was resisting, so McKenna put her arms around Brody to hug him, and they fell off balance and onto each other on the floor. This was so cute. Barrett finally came alive, and brought over a book for me to look at with him.....a book of animals....his mom had just read it to him, but it must be his favorite, because he wanted to hear it again. After another hour, McKenna started crying more than normal, so we told them we better go home.....we would see them tomorrow.

It was a wonderful day. I know Mother is enjoying them as much or more than we did. I am thankful that we live close enough that she can bring the kids every once in a while....and I know Ginger is glad, too. Thanks, Staci, Mother, Barrett and Brody for a fun day!

Flashback......

Travel back in time with me to 1963, November.....I was in Mrs. Harris' third grade class at Jefferson Elementary. She was a wonderful woman whom I loved as much as my own mom. She had that comforting quality about her. It was in the afternoon when Mrs. Lipscomb, the principal, came over the intercom, telling us that President Kennedy had been shot. Mrs. Lipscomb was a tall, over-bearing woman who could get us to pick up our fork and start eating that nasty cafeteria food just by coming up behind us and pausing behind us for a second.....she would scare us to death just by placing her fingers on the backs of our necks.....she never had to say a word. She was the authority figure to beat all authority figures. (She was really a kind, gentle woman, too, but we feared her like the Devil, himself) Because of this horrendous, unthinkable crime that had been committed, they sent us home to be with our families. I remember walking home that day, a beautiful, crisp November blue sky led me home. The sidewalks were full of crunchy leaves that I kicked off the sidewalk. Every now and then I would jump on some that had been raked into piles just to feel them crumble beneath my feet. This was my town. I felt safe walking home. I knew every crack in the sidewalks along the way, and I knew most of the people who lived around me. It was a safe Haven, even though this crime had been committed less than a two hour drive away. When I arrived home, I was met by my parents and brother who were watching the news coverage of the assassination. At that point, they didn't really know much, except that the governor and president had been shot. My mom was weeping. My dad was speechless. We felt safe together, our little family. Soon the news came that the assassin was a Russian immigrant. This seemed logical since the Russians were our arch enemy at the time.

Jump to August of 1966. I was sitting alone in my house watching tv, eating frozen strawberries.
They interrupted my program with the news that there was a sniper on top of the University of Texas tower.....I had no idea what that meant.....it seemed terrible....then the news kept rolling in, and they began telling people were being shot and killed by a lone gunman on top of the clock tower. Fourteen died that day.....31 were injured before the clean-cut engineering student, Charles Whitman, was taken down by police. I sat in my living room stunned and empty feeling. I put the strawberries up. I was glad that I was here in my parent's home, even if I was alone and this was happening about 45 miles from my home. I felt safe once my parents and brother returned home from work. It turned out Charles Whitman was an ex-Marine. He had also killed his wife and mother. He definitely had mental problems that helped us explain away this lunacy.

Leap forward in time to October of 1991. I was on South 31st street by the mall when the news came over the radio that a pick-up truck had driven through the window at the Luby's in Killeen. The driver, George Hennard, had exited his truck, methodically pointing his gun at people crouched under tables, shooting them in the head. Some were able to escape, but before the police were able to shoot and kill him, he had managed to murder 24 people. My little baby was in the back seat of my car. I wept. My first thought was to find out if my mother-in-law was okay, because she liked to eat at Luby's when she went to Ft.Hood to get her prescriptions filled. I was relieved that she was at home. I cried again when I picked my daughter up from high school that day and relayed the news of the shootings to her. Then we found out the man was from Belton. He wasn't some monster from some far away big city. He was a hometown man.....he had grown up right here in this area. He lived on the very next corner from my daughter's boyfriend. She had passed his house many, many times, and had seen him outside. We went home and felt safe together, even with all the evil that lurked outside the doors.

Yesterday, after picking my daughter up from work and turning McKenna over to her, I returned home to crash on my couch. It was a gorgeous afternoon, blue skies, cool breeze. I had the windows open to air out the house. Just as I was falling into a deep sleep, my daughter called. I ignored the ring of the phone because I was half-asleep still. Next, my cell phone started ringing. Then the house phone rang again. "Ginger is calling" Number One son called out from his room. "She texted me that there has been a shooting at Ft. Hood and they have locked down the schools." This made me sit up. They did what? They locked down the schools? I picked up the phone and called my daughter. She said there had been a shooting at the PX on Clear Creek at Ft. Hood, and that there were 7 people killed, one woman, one child, and that they were locking down all the area schools. I called the high school to find out if this was true, because we are 25 miles from Ft. Hood. I couldn't believe they would lock the kids in. Yes, they had. I asked if I could come pick him up. She said I would have to be escorted in by police and show my drivers licence. WHAT? She told me he was safer there than anywhere else . WAS SHE CRAZY? I got in my car and headed for the school. All I could think was how was this "locking down" scaring the kids there? When all these tragedies had happened in my life, I wanted to be with my FAMILY, even though I might have loved my teachers, there is no place in the world where I felt safer than my own home. I sat in that office for 30 minutes while the phone rang literally non-stop with parents asking about the lock-down. How had everyone found out about it? The lock downs were announced on tv. There was one young woman about to hyperventilate because her dad was overseas and what if these were terrorists and what was going to happen.....(I didn't know the real story yet).....I tried to calm her by telling her it was probably just some angry soldier going to kill his wife in the px.....she glared at me and informed me that there were 7 people dead and more injured and it wasn't at the px. She gathered her brother, who kept asking if someone was dead in their family, and they left. I felt about two inches high, and couldn't wait for my son to come so I could crawl out, hiding my face. I kept thinking to myself that the news has gotten so out of hand that they elaborate on all the facts and exaggerate things so much that I just hear, "the sky is falling" every time I hear the news these days. We got in the car and drove home, turned on the tv, and started hearing all the details. We got a call from the hospital we work at, and found out it had been "locked down"....meaning no one could enter that was not an employee, and no one could leave. I thought the world is going crazy. We left to take my son to get his hair cut, and at the barber shop, we heard more had died, more were wounded, and that the shooter was alive, after being reported dead. When we arrived at home, my son told me the school had only been in a "soft lock-down". A "hard lock-down" means no one can leave, no matter who comes to get them. During a soft lock-down , students are allowed to be picked up by their parents. They practice these all the time. They just thought it was a practice yesterday. They are not told if it is real or not. We went to bed later feeling safe at home, but feeling the world is going mad.

At what point did the school system decide it would be best for my child to stay at school.....that it was safer there....I was never informed about this decision. Each time someone does something horrendous like this, the rest of us suffer....not only emotionally, feeling the scars of fear, grief, uncertainty, but also giving into these emotions, and allowing a little more of our freedom to be taken away in the name of safety. Let's pray for our country, the newscasters that are reporting these incidents that they will be more responsible in reporting accurately, and the victims of these crimes.

Halloween, 2009

Halloween, 2009, was going to be the first time for my granddaughter, McKenna, to go door to door trick-or-treating. I had planned on leaving work two hours early so I could accompany my daughter and McKenna on their rounds to visit her grandmothers. This is a tradition that I started when my daughter was a child. This way she could show them McKenna's ladybug costume. As fate would have it, the lady who comes in on second shift to take my place in my most important job was running late, so I didn't get off on time.....I was fifteen minutes late leaving. This would be the first omen of the evening.

When I arrived at my most humble abode, I dragged myself into my room and collapsed on the bed for 5 minutes, only to be startled by the ringing of my phone. "McKenna won't let me put her costume on her" wailed my daughter. "I've been trying all afternoon, and she won't let me put it on her!" McKenna is not even two yet. Think about this for a minute. Just sit here and let that statement flow through the deep recesses of your brain. I will wait.


Did you get the full effect of that statement? We will continue.....

"Ginger, she is only two.....she doesn't know what Halloween is yet.....just paint some whiskers on her face and put that outfit that you had on her yesterday on her, and let her go as a cat." "It is dirty and at the bottom of the dirty clothes....it will smell." "Wash it." "I don't have time..... and besides, I wanted her to wear her costume." She started crying......she is hormonal.....she is in her 8th month of pregnancy. With this, I gently placed the receiver in the charger, and got up and started dusting my furniture. After all, my Number Two Son was having his "friend that is a girl" come over for Halloween.

As I started preparing a roast for supper, I called my mom to let her know that we wouldn't be coming to show off McKenna after all, which was met with disappointment, understandably. I told my mom that if circumstances took a turn for the better and McKenna gave into her mommas pleas, I would call ahead to let her know. We had not told my hubby's mom we were coming, so I didn't have to make that awful phone call to her. My mom told me that she was going to turn off her light and stay in her back bedroom so that people wouldn't come up to her door. We exchanged "I love you"s and hung up. I vacuumed the carpet. My hubby came in and said his goodbyes, as he was leaving for hunting.

Five o'clock came, and I sat down at the computer to read my email. The front door opened, and in walked McKenna, dressed in Jack-o-lantern pajamas with an orange and black bow in her hair. She looked adorable, smiling as she entered, shining from her first victory in a struggle with her mom. My daughter looked whipped. She was followed by my son-in-law, who never lets anything bother him, so he was grinning ear to ear. "I had to just put this on her," my daughter lamented. "It's fine" I replied. "But I wanted her to wear her costume" my daughter whined...... Again, I will pause her just to let all this settle in......

A few minutes later, Logan, our might-as-well-be-Number-Three-Son, entered the front door, asking my son is if he was ready to work on their creation......a "frobot" that Logan was going to don in order to "scare the little trick-or-treaters". (he is so mischievous) My son was very enthusiastic as he told him he was ready, but that Candace was coming over so he needed to wait for her.

Again, the screen door opened, and in walked my son's friend-that-is-a-girl (I say this because my son told me that she isn't his girlfriend), Candace, followed by her mother. Her mother looked around, noticing how many guys were there, I guess, and looked at me, and queried, "What do you have planned for the night?" Nonchalantly, I nodded my head towards the kitchen and said I had a roast cooking, so I would be sitting here, passing out candy....that we would watch some movies and talk.....I introduced her to everyone in the room, trying to soothe her concerns. Apparently the aroma of roast has a placating effect on persons of our age, because this is what seemed to calm her fears...."I told Candace I thought I smelled a roast cooking," she replied with a smile on her face. "What time do you want me to pick her up?" "It doesn't matter, "I assured her. "I'll be here. I am not going anywhere." She told Candace she could call her, and left. Number Two Son then noticed Candace had movie dvd's in her hand.

My son asked her what movies she brought, and when she told, my son-in-law had a begging puppy look on his face, which my daughter then responded with, "you and McKenna can stay and watch the movie. I will go and pass out candy." Jesse asked if she was sure, which she replied she was. Number Two Son got the remotes and started the movie. I snatched up the left-over movie popcorn that I had in gallon storage bags, passed them out, and the terror began.....

Number One Son was at work, but his girlfriend, Kalee, lives with us, and since it was Saturday, she was at home. She usually holes up in their room and doesn't poke her head out until my son comes home, but this was Halloween, and she wanted to help pass out the candy, so she had emerged from her den and joined the rest of us for the fright-fest. She and I had seen this movie within the past two weeks, but we both wanted to watch it again. McKenna was in love with Candace, and kept going over to her and leaning on her legs, placing her chin on her hands, and staring up at her. We thought this was extremely odd, because usually, McKenna is very shy with strangers.

The doorbell began ringing, and Kalee would get up to pass out the candy, Number Two would press the pause button, and McKenna would shadow Kalee to the door. We would start the movie back up, and round two would begin.....up and down, up and down. McKenna wasn't interested in the movie (fortunately), so she would pull on Jesse to try to get him to go to her toy box in my room, which he faithfully would do, and this made me feel sorry for him that he got stuck babysitting when he wanted to watch the movie, so I would tell him to sit down and I'd go with her.

We played in my room for a while, but then Jesse got a phone call from my daughter. She wanted to try to take McKenna down the street to trick-or-treat because there were so many kids, she felt sure that McKenna would go now. He left with McKenna in hand. We continued the movie. It was a disappointment, because this version of the movie had a different ending than the one that Kalee and I had watched. It was not as scary as the other ending.....more believable, but not as frightening. So, my son and his girlfriend didn't scream like we knew they would have if they had seen the same ending that we had seen.

The doorbell rang once more....this time, I rose to distribute the treats. To my surprise, there were our old neighbors that had moved a year ago, accompanied by their now three children (when they moved, they only had two). I was excited to see them, but with my 54-year-old mind, I could not remember their names.....not one of them.....and my secretary was apparently away at a costume party (remind me not to give her a raise!). I chatted with them, took their pictures, and told them my hubby would be severely disappointed that he missed them. I prayed that they didn't notice that I had not used their names.

My daughter soon appeared at the door followed by McKenna and Jesse, reporting that McKenna had actually gone up to the doors and said "thank you" after she was given candy. I asked her if she had seen our ex-neighbors, which she replied she had, and they had chatted....I asked if she remembered their names....yes, "CINDY, John, Macey, Aubrey, and the new little baby was named Wade." (remind me to FIRE my secretary) Somehow she and Jesse left and forgot to take McKenna with them. McKenna walked over to Candace, staring longingly at her, then took Candace's hand, reached over and took Number Two's hand , and placed them together. (little match-maker) Kalee and I burst out in laughter.

Logan left to retrieve some supplies and soon reappeared with more aluminum foil for his "frobot" costume. Logan has naturally curly hair. He normally looks just like a young Weird Al Yankovich.( really!) Just for this occasion, he had not put any product on his hair to tame it, and ouila! he had an Afro.....a very long Afro, but an Afro, none the less. Number Two Son and Logan had taken a large boxes, cut holes for Logan's head and arms, and attached a smaller box to the front. They then wrapped the box with aluminum foil. They had taken a smaller box for the head, wrapped it in foil, and attached "horns" made from foil to each side....they cut a slit for the eye holes. They placed the boxes on Logan, then began wrapping his legs, feet, and arms with foil, almost like a mummy. They place the head atop Logan's head, and pulled his hair through the top.....and you have a "frobot". It was unique, and hilarious. Logan left to terrorize the little kids......not that any were frightened.....Logan is just too kind-hearted to really try to scare them.....but it was fun watching him follow them, chanting robotic sounds. We stood outside to be his audience for several minutes, laughing and clicking pictures. Everyone in our cul-de-sac was laughing, because most of the people who pass out candy sit outside and wait for the kids instead of making them come to the door like I do. So, there was plenty of laughter.

My hubby came home and reported he had run into John and Cindy and their kids down the street and stopped and talked to them.....at first he didn't remember their names, but he remembered before they went on their way. I helped him get his things in as he went on about the coyote that he shot (you have to realize after 36 years of this, I feel like Archie when Edith was telling a story.....he would take his hand, take his pointer finger, make a fist with the rest of his hand, point it at his head, act like it was a gun going off, then drop his head like he was dead).....I escaped by taking McKenna to check on the roast. It was finally done, so I mixed up the taters, browned the rolls, and announced it was time to eat. We began our little Halloween feast....tender, juicy $5.41 roast (that was the entire price, not per pound), instant mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, and rolls. Candace wouldn't eat, but Kalee did, and we all thought it was the most delicious, delectable roast I had cooked in ages. While I was in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes, Candace's mom came to pick her up. Kalee and I walked McKenna across the street to her house (Ginger and Jesse were watching a movie). We kissed McKenna goodbye, and talked about the night as we walked across the empty street lit by the full moon. We closed the door and turned off the light on one more Halloween. After a less-than-perfect beginning, it turned out to be one of the most fun we had in years. (We can thank the "frobot" and Candace for the entertainment)

Foozball is the Devil, Bobby Boocher!

How I agree with this statement made by Kathy Bates in the Waterboy!!! Unfortunately, here in Texas, the schools put WAY too much emphasis on sports, but particularly football. Here in our hometown, they have not built another high school since 1965, and everyone in town knows the reason they keep adding portable building after portable building onto the school is they don't want to split up the football team. So, the kids just have to keep bumping into each other on the way to class.....it is so crowded in the halls, one of my co-worker's daughters told her just the other day that somebody grabbed her booty in the hall on the way to class, but there was no way to know who did it because there were just too many people jammed into the halls. This is just a total shame.



When I went to high school here, my sophomore and junior year, NO ONE in the entire town, with the exception of parents, cared about the football team. People are very wishy-washy....they will only support a team that is actually winning, and I don't remember our team winning a single football game either year. It was just fun. It was fun for the kids playing and the kids watching. No one got bent out of shape because we had a lousy team.....no one cared about winning because it seemed like an impossibility. Then came the new coach my senior year....and miraculously, we won several games.....and the "fans" started showing up at the games.

The next decade would take our team to district, then to state. All of a sudden, football was the most important thing in this town. The reason? Football means a lot of money will be coming into town.....people coming from out of town will be eating here.....some even spending the night in the motels here.....more people attending the games meant more money from the ticket sales and concession stands for the school district.....so all of a sudden, instead of building a new high school, we built onto the stadium.

The next decade would see wins and losses for our team, and with the losses, the crowds would lessen. When the distinguished coach retired, and the team started losing more than winning, the tiny crowds would look pitiful in that gigantic stadium. People started moving into the next little town so that their kids could attend the district that put more emphasis on education instead of football....they actually were building more schools, both elementary and secondary. People heard how their kids were actually coming out of high school prepared for college. Then that school grew enough that they were put into the same district as my home town school. This is where we decided to move so that our boys could attend a school that prized education.

Unfortunately, the district kept growing, until a few years ago, it fell into the same football district as my old school. And with growth and change came a change in values. The football team started winning more than losing, and all of a sudden, football has become the almighty sport once more.

I have said all of this to tell this tale: These two schools have become fierce rivals, probably, in the beginning, at least, because so many of the kids left one school for the other. Number One Son is shift manager at a local fast food restaurant that supports all teams in the area. They decided to have a week to raise funds for both of these schools.....one day would be for the drum teams, one day for cheerleaders, one day for dance teams. They distributed tickets at both high schools and told the kids that if they would present the ticket to the cashier at the restaurant at the time of purchase, ten percent of each purchase would go to the respective school. The owner of the store allowed both school's cheerleaders to come into the store and choose a side and decorate it as they saw fit for the big rival game. The cheerleaders from both teams worked together face-painting for children, and they all had a lot of fun promoting their own teams, getting along quite well. Around 7 that evening, there was a phone call asking for the manager. It was an adult that used to attend the high school that I attended . They were enraged that the manager had allowed the opposing team to write and upside down "T" on the side of the store facing my old school. She told my son that if they didn't remove the writing at once, she would never eat at this store again. (just to let you know, my old school had written "kill the tigers" on the opposite side of the store facing that school) My son tried to explain how this promotion was to help both schools and really wasn't about football. The cheerleaders had been allowed to decorate, and he didn't feel like they should have to remove this because it was all in fun. It was at this point the woman cussed my son out and said it would be a miracle if no one burned down the building. (that almost sounded like a threat to me) Later the same evening, someone (again from my old school) came through the drive thru and lashed out at my son, again with profanities. It makes me so proud to be associated with these people(note my sarcasm).

All of this reminded me of when I used to sell tickets to the football games on game night at the stadium. There were always fights, with police hauling grown men off to jail because they wouldn't stop cursing at the police officer....even though I distinctly heard the officer warn the men not to use that language. It also reminded me of going to the basketball games and hearing the parents there cursing and lashing out at the kids that were playing and the referees that were calling the games. Not once did the kids ever get in a fight at the basketball games, but the parents were constantly mouthing off and making ugly remarks to each other. The games are supposed to teach our kids good sportsmanship. They are supposed to help them accept defeat with dignity or triumph with humility. After the basketball game, the kids would line up and each member of each team would shake hands with the other team.....and my son would tell me how he respected the members of the other team. He had really good coaches, who valued the kids. Their coaches taught them to pray before every game for strength to do their best. I think they might should have thrown in a prayer or two for the "fans" and parents.

Maybe someday our society will place more value on scientists than on football "heroes". Maybe when that day comes, the scientists will be paid millions....if that happens, maybe they will find cures for cancer, lupus, muscular dystrophy......and maybe some of the shouting will cease. Until then, foozball is surely the devil, Bobby Boocher'!

This Is It

For at least a month now, Number Two Son and I have been anticipating the movie, This Is It, a documentary put together from bits of footage taken of the rehearsals for what was to be the final tour of Michael Jackson. This footage was taken for Michael's own personal library....they explain this in the beginning of the film. The producers of the film put the movie together with footage of the actual practice and footage that was shot of the dancers and other scenes to enhance the concert experience. That footage was to be shown behind Michael. I believe they said some of it was to be shown in 3-D.

Today, I took my son out of school an hour early so we could beat any crowd at the theater (but we forgot about the big rival football game going on tonight, and there was no one in our town left that wasn't at the football game!). My daughter and granddaughter decided to go with us, taking my granddaughter to the movie for the very first time. Now, I know you think this is not the type of movie to take a 22 month old to, and you would be right.....BUT, her father did play in a band, and her mother did aspire to be Madonna, so how could she not love music?
We bought our tickets, popcorn, sodas, and nachos and took a potty stop before going in. McKenna seemed right at home, climbing up into the seat between her mom and me. Unfortunately, we arrived a whole 20 minutes before the movie was to begin. McKenna was restless, and my daughter asked her if she would like a booster seat, so I took her out to choose her booster.....she picked red, which she carried it into the theater all by herself. After sitting in it for a whole minute and a half, she decided she didn't like this one, so again, I accompanied her to the lobby to pick another seat. This time, she chose yellow. Again, she carried it in by herself (it was nearly as big as she was).....This time, I worried that she might fall forward onto the seat, because the aisle sloped towards the screen, and as she walked, she was gaining speed. I knew if she fell, she would start wailing, and I figured the other adults in the theater would moan, wondering why we brought a toddler into this movie. I was relieved when she made it to her seat unscathed. She climbed back into the booster and began chowing down on nachos.
The previews began, and the first one was a Disney movie called "The Princess and the Frog". She actually laughed out loud at the antics of the frog on the screen. I thought to myself, "We need to take her to this one!"
Then they previewed 2012, which looks very depressing, and Avatar, which looks pretty good, but I don't think it is for a two year old.

The moment we had waited for had come. This Is It began. Number Two Son and I were completely immersed in the film, being distracted only temporarily by McKenna getting out of her seat and rolling around on the theater floor (ooooh......I know......who knows what kind of germs and filth were down there!). My daughter, on the other hand, became irritated by the fact that McKenna didn't sit quietly so that she could be immersed, also. McKenna would become distracted by the movie once in a while and actually dance and sing along.....it was really cute.

The movie begins with the auditioning of the people who were to be his dancers. The man in charge of the auditions explained to them that they were to be an extension of Michael. All of them told how they had always dreamed of performing with Michael, most with tears in their eyes. After the selection, the rehearsals began. They took footage from what I think was four or five different rehearsals and put them together, going from one rehearsal to another as if they were the same rehearsal. It was amazing to me how they did the green screens and took 5 or6 dancers and made it look like thousands for They Don't Really Care About Us.

There was a new cemetery scene with ghoulier ghouls for Thriller. They showed the ghosts that were going to be flying over the audience in the arena. They looked awesome. At the end of Thriller, the lights were to go out completely, and the producer told them to be sure to have a flashlight ready to hand to Michael as he went behind the backdrop.

For Smooth Criminal, they took a black and white Humphrey Bogart movie and put Michael in it along with the original cast. They showed how this was done, having Michael in a club first, then sliding down stair rails, ending up jumping out of a window with the glass shattering with bullets trailing behind him. This was totally cool! I loved seeing the process and the end results.

For Earth Song, the background screen was of a little girl in the Amazon rain forest and a butterfly flitting around her (at this point, McKenna became mesmerized). She lay down on the rain forest floor, and dreamed of polar bears, whales, dolphins, seals, and other endangered species. She awoke to the rain forest smoldering and a bulldozer pushing down what remained.....at this point, you are transported to the actual stage with a cut-out of Michael (for practice) facing the arena floor, and behind him, a huge door opens and and actual bulldozer drives out onto the stage. Michael stopped the music here,and told them how the piano should played to an exact certain spot here, and then dead silence.....it was a very powerful ending to the song.

I thought it was really impressive that he told the guitarist on Beat It that her solo was her time to shine....he wanted each and every one involved to shine, not for his benefit, but for their own, and the benefit of the audience. He was kind to all of the people involved, saying "God bless you" several times during the rehearsals. Not once did he seem irritated when they didn't get things right...he just encouraged them to do better. He seemed very patient.

Michael didn't actually sing in most of the rehearsals.....he was saving his voice....although at times he would get so involved in the production, he would break out into song. But the dance moves he so smoothly pulled off were amazing, especially when you take into consideration that he was 50 while these rehearsals were going on! He looked even better than he did when he was 30 when he did his steps for Billie Jean and Beat It.....not missing a beat, adding more twists and turns.

If you go to see this movie, take it for what it is.....a behind the scenes movie of the greatest concert event that would ever have been by the king of pop. You won't be disappointed.I had no idea so much work went into one of these concert events or how many people were involved making sure that it would be perfect for the fans. It is a shame that the concert never became a reality.

I have read that Sony is monopolizing on Michael's death in releasing this, trying to scrape up every last bit of money they can from the movie and a soundtrack. I disagree. I believe this would have been what Michael would have wanted. They all had worked so hard to put on the best concert for the fans, and it will be the fans who will go to see this movie. I hope there will be a dvd later. And I hope some of the proceeds will go to his children. I see no difference in this and all of the Elvis concerts cds and dvds that came out after his death. These things can help to keep their memory alive for generations to come. Long live the king.

There's No Place Like Home

Here it is October....I have not blogged since July 4. For some reason, I felt like I needed to end my blog to make a book, and then start a new blog. But, you know, there is just no place like home. I never felt a bond with my second blog.....guess there was no way for me to since I only entered in it once. It was kind of like moving into rental property because your house had burned down to the ground. It looked nice and all.....but it just didn't have the same feeling about it. I didn't like living there. So, here I am home again. I feel the need to blog because soon we will be experiencing the birth of our second granddaughter. I went back and read about McKenna's birth tonight, and I am so glad I wrote about it, even if that book never really gets printed. I just hope Blogger never goes out of business!
I also have noticed that since I stopped writing down the many blessings that I have in my life, I don't feel as happy as I did when I was writing them down. So, this is therapy for me. Even if no one in the world ever reads it, I know it is here, and I can come back anytime and sit and read and be thankful all over again.
I felt like I was repeating myself sometimes. I guess that is just what happens when you have a joyful, thankful heart.....you appreciate the small things and the large things everyday. Sometimes it may be something new....sometimes you just are thankful that the sun is there everyday to greet you. So, here I am again. Home. I am thankful that my blog is still here. I am thankful to myself for writing this all down. Most of all, I am thankful that soon we will have another little girl to oooh and aaah over.....to laugh at when she does something cute.......to take millions of pictures of, then be thankful we did because a year and a half later, we don't even remember her ever looking that way. Time goes by so fast. It helps to remember that time if we record it some way, whether by pictures, video, or written word.
The nicest thing about home is it always feels the same.......welcoming. I love coming home.

The end

This is my last post. I love my family. I wrote this for McKenna. Someday, she may read it, or she may not. I love you, sweetie. May you have a wonderful, happy, full-of-love life. Love, Grammy

George Strait, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton and Lee Ann Womack concert pics

Fun in Staci's pool

McKenna and Jesse have fun with Brody

while Steve helps Barrett float around in his shaded float

See the three waterfalls at the far end of the pool....so calming, so beautiful!

Visit at Staci's

Staci and Audrey in Staci's beautiful kitchen.....Mike was cooking burgers outside.

Number One Son and Kalee look at the ascension skylight in Staci's soon-to-be-office....right now it serves as the home for Brody's house (see roof in background)

This is their gorgeous front door. I love the Texas star.

This is their beautiful Texas star rug in their living room. Unfortunately, my batteries died and I couldn't take anymore pictures with my camera. I took some with my phone which I will upload next.

George Strait, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, and Lee Ann Womack

Yesterday, I was treated to a concert at the brand new Dallas Cowboy Football Stadium. I received my ticket from my son-in-law as a token of his appreciation for babysitting my granddaughter. I had been looking forward to this day since last January when I heard that tickets were going on sale. My daughter had manned her computer on the first day of sales, and the first minute they were to go on sale, she started trying to buy them. Sometime during the first 12 minutes of sales, my daughter got through and she purchased us tickets in section 207, row one of the new stadium. I asked off for June 5 and 6th months ago, and couldn't wait for these two days to come.


We left yesterday morning around 9:30, after much ado from everyone and everything involved. After a hectic beginning, we had a very pleasant 2 and a half hour drive to Arlington, at which point, the story changed. We got lost looking for my niece's new house. After going north for too long, then turning around and going south, then going west back to Ft. Worth, we got smart and called my brother and he met us at the Wal-Mart just off Little Road. From there it was about a ten minute drive east to my niece's house. We enjoyed a burger than Mike, her hubby, was nice enough to cook for us, then we watched the little ones (and little ones at heart) play in their serene pool. It was quite relaxing listening to the waterfalls coming out of the pool. At 3:15, Joan decided we probably should leave to go to the stadium because it was to open at 4. She was kind enough to drive us over, using her car (and gas) and took us to an ATM so that my daughter could get some cash for a t-shirt.


Joan took us through the UTat A campus so we could see where Number One Son would like to go to college after a year or two here at our hometown college. The landscaping was so pretty. Joan showed us a building that she and Steve went to when they attended there.


After driving what seemed like 30 minutes through the streets of Arlington, we arrived at the stadium. Joan told us she would make sure that someone picked us up either at Panda Express or Pay-Less shoes when the concert was over.....we were just to call and let them know when it was just about over.


We walked towards this massive building in awe. Everyone was so excited in line......but we heard that Julianne Hough had cancelled because of strep throat. I called my brother to let him know because he wanted us to take some pics of her.....he was disappointed. We, however, were not, because we heard that Lee Ann Womack was taking her place. We had seen her before, and knew we were going to love her part of the concert!


We entered through glass doors, and saw section 230. I figured we were on the right floor. We turned to the left and started walking with the thousands of others who were entering along with us. After walking for a while, we saw section 242, and decided we were going the wrong way. We turned and asked a guy if he knew where 230 was, which he replied he didn't, so we found another lady in a stadium uniform and asked her. She told us to go up the escalator to the next floor. We went up the escalator with around 30 or so others, and got dizzy going up because it seemed so high and steep. After landing, we noticed it was extremely quiet on this floor, and there was no glass.....just doors that had suite numbers on the outside. After walking to the left for quite a while, we found someone else to ask.....again, we were going not only the wrong direction, but found out we should have been on the floor that we just came from. We found an elevator, boarded along with around 10 others, and we told we could only go down on this elevator because it was for VIP's only. (well, la-tee-da) (at $120 a ticket, I felt pretty VIP)


Back on the floor we started on, we went back the direction we came from. This time, we just kept going, weaving our way in and out of the masses of people. Finally, after an hour of misdirections, we found section 207. Now we had to find row one, seats 12 and 13.


We descended the stairs, holding onto the railing, glancing around at the huge building and marveling at how high this place is. We found out it holds 100,000 people. There were going to be over 60,000 people there that night to share in this experience with us.


Lee Ann Womack entered the stage around 5:30. She told the audience that she was on the beach Friday and received a phone call from the man, George Strait himself, asking her if she could fill in for Julianne Hough (sp?). It seemed she had come down with strep throat and was not going to be able to perform. Lee Ann Womack stepped up to plate and wowed us with her beautiful voice and enthusiasm. The largest hd screen in the world allowed us to see every little blemish on her face (there were not many).



Next came Blake Shelton. Unfortunately, we were in line for a drink when he started his part of the show. We didn't miss much, though, because there were tv's stashed here and there along the walk and we were able to watch while we were in line. Blake has a great sense of humor, and made us laugh a lot.



After Blake, we sat and watched all the people below us gather around some football player (I didn't know who he was ) to get their picture taken with him.....then we could see others gathered around the Dallas Cowboy owner and a former Dallas Cowboy player that I cannot remember the name of (I hate football) getting hats and other things signed.



Then came Reba!!! More pep than Dr. Pepper! She was wonderful. She, too was very witty and entertained us with her charm and interesting tales of each song. She is so tiny and doesn't look 50 at all! We loved her!



Finally, the man himself, George Strait made his appearance. He sang for a solid two hours. I couldn't think of a song that I loved that he didn't sing. He stopped the show and had us chant, open the roof, and we saw the roof of the new stadium open for the first time for a paying crowd. The hd screen made it seem as if George was singing to us only........I will remember this night forever! Thanks to my daughter and her husband for the tickets, to my son and his girlfriend for the ride up and back, to my brother and his family for the hamburgers and chauffeured ride to and from the concert and for putting us up for the night.



And thanks to George for making it all possible!