Happy 3rd Birthday Glennie Rae

Mommy Daughter & A Webcam

Fly to heaven

At 2:35am on Tuesday Sept. 22, the first day of Autumn, my step-father peacefully flew to heaven to spend his first day with our Lord Savior God. My mother and I were at this side and watched him draw his last breath in this world. He was an amazing man.

Last week, I spent lots of time talking with him and he even allowed me to video tape some stories. I plan to speak about those stories at his memorial service. I am a horrible public speaker, but I am prepared. It will be a wonderful release and also a feeling of honor. Here's an excerpt.

By this time, Tom’s voice was starting to get a little hoarse, but he insisted he tell me one more story…He sat up on the couch and moved a little closer to the camera and he told me how he fell in love with my Mom and how he had promised her that he would never ever make her regret marrying him. He used the word mystical when he described their relationship. They were loving towards each other all the time! No bickering, no harsh words were ever spoken between them. Their marriage is a testimony to me. It makes me want to love my husband better.

Tom’s had more than his share of heart break and trials. Even to the end of his life being stricken with this monstrous disease. It doesn’t seem fair. Any of us might wonder how did he endure all of that? We might ask Why Me? But he did not. Tom knew, without a doubt, that God was in control and had a special purpose beyond our comprehension. He told me he was not afraid to die. He told me that he knew he would soon touch the hem of Jesus our savior. So, it was not Tom that endured those hardships, but it was God through Tom. Tom never stopped giving God the glory. That is Tom’s greatest legacy to us.

Day by Day

Well it's been ages since I've written and I'm not going to write much now either. I've been riding this dismal cancer carnival ride along with my step-dad and the rest of our exhausted family.

Here's the time line, thus far, of Tom's cancer story:

July 10 - Diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer, followed by ct of brain, and a bone scan, both came back clear

August 4 - 1st chemo treatment

August 9 - severe reaction to chemo and is taken by ambulance to hospital, spent 12 days there several of which he was in a coma-like state. kidneys failing, no food, infection etc.

August 20 - strong enough to go to rehab, still on oxygen, but eating normal and getting stronger

August 31 - looking forward to going home in 2 days, but severe breathing problems occur abruptly and he is taken again to the emergency room. ventilator is needed., new ct scan of chest reveals that cancer is worse and has now invaded his bones (note that there was no sign of bone cancer just a month earlier)

Today - Sept. 2 - ventilator is removed and he is breathing on his own with hopes of coming home in another day or two. hospice will be called to help

This is just a brief description of what we've endured in just a short time. I can't express right now, all the emotional turmoil that has gone along with each new crisis. It's a roller coaster that I hope I never ride again! Cancer is a vile thing!!

Yet, we continue to praise God and to rest assured that His plan has a purpose. Here's a picture from Sunday. Tom is joyful even through the storm. What a lesson he teaches us all!

However Long

Wondering if I’ll be on my blog very often over the next
“however long.”

As I write this, I am sitting in a hospital room next to my Step-Dad, Tom. He has stage 4 lung cancer. He went for his first chemo treatment on Aug. 4th and on Aug. 9th was admitted into the hospital having had severe reactions. We weren’t prepared for this. We didn’t consider that within just a few weeks of learning of his cancer that he’d be here, as sick as I’ve ever seen anyone. Sure, I’ve had skin cancer. Just the pesky basal cell. Not life threatening. Not serious. This is stage 4, Incurable. We were told that he would never be healed. We were told that without treatment he would have just months to live. But there is no way that we could have grasped the reality of it all. I’ve never watched anyone die.

Tom is not dying today. He is “fragile” they say. He’s developed an infection. His kidneys are struggling. He is lethargic. He opens his eyes, but I wonder what he sees. His stare is completely blank. He wouldn’t take his medicine tonight. He clinched his teeth as I tried to feed him the crushed pills mixed with applesauce. The machine next to him signaled that his fluid bag was low. Tom reacted to the beeping. He was alarmed. He groaned, he opened his eyes! He reacted… He’s in there!!

Day by day we wait. The doctors can’t give any prognosis right now. He may recover from this “bad reaction.” He may not. We may get him back for a bit, but eventually we will lose him.

Less then 2 weeks ago I was sitting in paradise. I saw rainbows every day. I know God is watching over all of us. I understand that I'm not suppose to understand. I only know to acknowledge Him in all my ways and in return He will direct my path.

More Hawaii pictures... Aren't I blessed?! Hard times will come, but it makes the good times that much sweeter!

Here we are under the banyan tree in maui. It's one of the oldest banyans in the US and it takes up an entire city block. It's amazing!

Not a good connection

I'm here in Hawaii! I've had time to get on the computer in the evenings, but just don't have a great connection. Just wanted to say what a great time we are having. It's been relaxed and fun. Today we traveled the Road To Hana. Unfortunately it was closed at the halfway point so we didn't see it all, but 2 of my boys did get to jump off a cliff!! (yeah, there was water below.)

I only have time to post one picture (because this connection is so lame.) So here is Chris, his dad, brother and sister. To the right of them is the small creek that we released Glennie's ashes. It was a beautiful sight. Tears flowed and her ashes were carried away, but smiles followed. God is great! Glennie will always be with us.

Tomorrow we're going snorkeling. I will post pictures when I can, but again... I don't have a good connection here. :(

Blessing to all!

Monday musings and another birthday

2 out of my 3 boys jumped out of bed this morning, eager to get this week over with. The last day of school is Thursday. (It seems like the rest of the country's kids have already gotten out of school.) But then there is Carson. He has had trouble all year with getting up in the morning. His alarm will ring and ring and he won't even budge. After the alarm goes off, my husband will go speak with him, then his brother will try and lastly, I'll run into his room yelling..."Carson! you have to leave in 15 minutes!" He always makes it. =)

The sweet hostess of the Not Me Monday carnival is having a rough day with her son Stellan. Please say a prayer for her family. In the meantime, I've only got one "Not Me"

I most certainly did not have to pick up Glynis' poop off the floor on her first day of potty training. She only got out of bed one hour ago and she had been on the toilet just 10 minutes earlier! I know we can do better than that! Wish us luck and I'll keep you posted as the day goes on. Watch my twitter.

Ok, the real news for the day is that it is

June 15th!!

Yep, another birthday! My cutie for a husband is turning 42. Born in 1967, he's a child of the 80s. Here's a few pics of him through the years.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTOPHER!

Don't forget to toot your horn tomorrow! Come by my blog every Tuesday for a big pat on the back!

Photostory Friday - Music in his blood

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Happy 17th Birthday Cole

I love you!

A Day In The Life

Well, at least this family gives me plenty to blog about...

It all started a couple months ago. Cole tried out and made it to All-District Chorus. He also tried out for All-State, but was selected as an alternate. Alternates almost never get to actually participate, but... jump to this past Tuesday. The phone rings in the middle of the day. Caller id says it's my kids' high school. I'm thinking, "uh oh, what now?" It was Cole. "Mom, they need me for All-State Chorus! I made it! Can I go? Can we afford it? Can you drive me up there in 2 days? The concert is this Saturday!" The excitement in his voice was loud and clear. So I had about 2 minutes to come up with a "Yes" to all his questions. No problem. It'll be fine. I've got plenty of time to shop for his concert attire and run a couple other errands. The other kids will be fine. It'll all work out.

Jump forward to Thursday, today. All goes smoothly, packing, getting Glynis ready for a day in the mini van, making sure the other 2 kids are out the door for school, etc. We leave the house right on time and we're merrily on our way. THEN...45 minutes into the drive and my cell phone rings. The high school number again on my caller id. "Hi Mrs. T. This is the school nurse. Your son, Carson seems to be fine. I'm sorry I had to call you while you"re driving blah blah blah, Carson's had an episode of some sort, he's looking much better blah blah blah. I think maybe he passed out....blah blah blah....His teacher said she thought he might have had a seizure, but he probably just fainted...." WHAT?! I'm driving 65 mph down the highway and this woman just told me that my son may have had a seizure?! Ok, so she doesn't win the tactfulness prize this year, but I definitely should win a composure award. I kept my cool and didn't run off the road. I asked the nurse a few questions. "Did he hit his head? What class was he in? Oh, health class? What was today's subject matter? Oh, first aid? They were discussing puncture wounds? Ah Ha!" I'm still quite frightened at this point, but I immediately said a prayer. I felt the tears start to well in my eyes. Mom's are suppose to handle these kinds of emergencies, but God reigned in my peace. I called my husband and let him kick into action. He got Carson right over to the doctor who ran blood work, gave him the once over and decided that Carson must have gotten queasy from the subject matter in class. He's passed out once before in a similar situation. Still, a mother's nerves aren't completely calmed until her child is in arms reach after such an incident. Thankfully, traffic was in our favor, Cole made it safely to his destination and Glynis was a superb traveller. We made it back home safely by 4pm. But we all know that the day does not end at 4pm. There's always soccer practice, dinner, baths, homework and of course my blog. :)

It's 10pm. And as you can see, I am still holding it together. Good night!

Goodbye Spring Break

There was just no way for me to get on my blog last week. 4 kids at home, rainy days, illness, dentist appointments, and a few fun excursions.

I'll show you some of what we've been up to.
The break started with a back yard cookout for the kids' praise band. The group is always so busy practicing that they never get time to just chill together. So that's what this night was. They've got a big event coming up in just a couple of weeks so this was a nice breather for them.

Sunday, of course, was Easter. And I'll forever remember that this is the year that I developed allergies. My whole family went to church without me. Seems that I now have eye allergies. I could barely see! We were still able to enjoy our family that afternoon though. Chris grilled the most delicious steaks ever and the kids (big kids too) had an egg hunt. Our special guests were my parents and a college kid, Cody, whose parents were out of town for Easter. It was a nice day.

Then the rains set in and hours of video games and television. We did play a few cards games in between, but this was mostly lazy time. Not to mention, 2 trips to the dentist! Glynis, age 21 months old, had her first visit with the dentist. I'd like to say that she enjoyed the experience, but that's just not the case. She was fine in the waiting room with the train table and plenty of books. She was even happy to follow the nurse to the exam room, but once in that chair, I think she knew that nothing good could happen. Needless to say, we held her down and the dentist got a good look at her little teefers. Looking good. The bad news was that Carson needed to get a filling so we went back the following day. UGH!

It got better...when the bad weather lifted, I took 7 kids to the zoo. My mother came along too. It was chilly, but fun. The teens took off on their own, so my mom and I just had to manage two hyper boys and Glynis.

Saturday, Glynis got sick! Running a fever and just plain cranky. Chris got another sinus infection too, so the two of them stayed home while I managed the others. Chandler had a soccer game and Cole was a soloist at a wedding! His first paid singing job!

So that rounds out the exciting break. Would have been nice to have gone on a trip, but our big trip is coming soon enough.

Yes! We are going to Hawaii in July! My father-in-law is taking the entire extended family to Maui. This is not just a vacation. There is a special reason for the trip. For those of you that do not know, my mother-in-law, Glennie, passed away in a car accident 3 years ago. As you can imagine, it was a horrific ordeal and our family still mourns the loss of a beautiful wife, mother and grandmother. As she is a West Coast native, she made several visits to Hawaii with her husband over the years. It was a special place for her and although her death was very unexpected, her family knew that she wanted her ashes to be taken there.

So, 99 days and counting till Hawaii!

I'm no fool

Here it is, Wednesday night. It's late. I've been surfing the web, looking at other blogs, watching a few videos. Really nothing at all. My husband is also glued to his laptop on the couch next to me. Thought that I'd write a quick post before retiring to my soft inviting bed. Went to church tonight. Practiced with the choir. Sunday we'll be singing a song called "Hosanna." I was singing it in the car on the way home. Ho sa a na... Ho sa a na... Hosanna to the King. Ho sa a na... Ho sa a na.......
My middle son started singing the same melody along with me, but changed it just a bit...Lasagna Lasagna Lasagna tastes so good....

Did any one of you get an April Fool's prank? Well, my youngest son got me. Apparently he got the trick from Nickelodeon. This morning when I went for my regular bowl of Strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats, I opened the box and started to pour the cereal when I realized that it wasn't my cereal! I got a bowl full of Frosted Flakes! Chandler had switched the bags before he went to sleep. Cute huh?!


And here's Glynis yet again. We went to Costco yesterday. Needed to stock up on some meats and a few other things. Wasn't planning to buy anything else, but look at this. It's a Step2 play sink with a working (battery operated) faucet. Glynis loves water, so we just couldn't pass this up. It's obviously an outdoor toy, but how could we not let her try it out last night?! How many of you would let you child play with 2 gallons of water right in your living room! Yes, we're a little crazy. It all turned out ok. Most of the water stayed in the sink.

My Husband

Well here he is. I haven't written much about my husband recently so I thought I'd start off the year with a post about Chris. In case you didn't notice, he's a police officer. Before we married he was living in California and working for the State of California. He was medically retired when he was injured on the job. He was awarded the highest honor, the Medal of Valor. I won't go into details, but let's just say that he not only stopped a bad guy, he also protected an innocent person from grave danger. His retirement ended a career that he loved, but also opened up doors he couldn't have imagined. For instance, reconnecting with me. Chris saw plenty in his line of work. Some he shares with me, but also things he won't share. I'm happy that he's out of harms way now.

After retirement, he moved here to marry me. He returned to college, completed his bachelors degree and started working for our children's school system. He is now in an administrative position at a local university police department. He trains other officers. It is such a blessing that he is able to continue a career he loves.

On top of his professional accomplishments, he is a father to 4 children. He's been the most wonderful, loving Dad to my three sons and, as you know, Glynis was born over a year ago. Another of his most important positions is Husband to Me! I don't know how I got so lucky. When we first married, he had lots of changes to make. After over 5 years of marriage now, he has accommodated all of my demands and more. Did I say demands? I meant needs. heehee

I love you Christopher!

Chandler Vaughn

Chandler was born 11 years ago today. If you're a mother than you know the feeling that your child's birthday brings. 4 times a year, I sit and reminisce about those 4 magnificent days. I was built for having babies. All four pregnancies were wonderful. Of course, my body shows the wear, but all the deliveries went smoothly and 4 precious babies were born into this crazy world.

Chandler is my baby boy and no longer my youngest child, but a big brother himself now. When he was born, my marriage was rocky and ended when Chandler was barely 4 years old. Oh what a joy he brought to my soul during that uneven and ardous time in my life. That little blond baby strapped to my hip. I carried him everywhere. He was light as a feather. He loved to climb, and was in perpetual motion. His wonder of the world kept his brothers and I in stiches. He made friends where ever he went. I remember when he was about 4 years old. We would often go to the park. It would only be a few minutes before he would have organized all the kids there and started a game of tag. He is still the same way. He's a leader who is compassionate towards others. In kindergarten, he had plenty of friends, but one little girl who was often teased by the others for her weight, came straight up to me one day to tell me that she was going to marry Chandler when she grew up. Chandler had defended her many times from the bullying. I have a feeling that she will always remember that.
He's growing up now I suppose. He's changing every day like kids are suppose to do. His party is planned for this Friday. We'll have pizza, play some games and maybe even watch a movie. His friends will be his focus that day. I'll just sit back and watch my son turn 11.

Once upon a time

Everyone has a story. How many people take the time to write it down? For the sake of all my busy readers, this is a condensed version of my life, but we're talking 39 years here, so get your cup of coffee.

It all started "back in the summer of '69." That's when I was born. Into a semi-dysfunctional household. It wasn't all bad, but my parents divorced when I was a teenager. Although my immediate family had some issues, I had 2 wonderful sets of Grandparents. I always had a feeling of home with them. Despite the divorce, my parents still managed to instill some values in me. At age 12, I was baptized and became one of God's children. This turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. Throughout my entire life, during my sane and insane times, I've always had the sense to turn to Him.

High school was difficult for me. Without enough support at home, I ventured into the "bad girl scene." I wasn't exactly strung out on drugs or anything like that, but I definitely made some poor choices. I didn't stick with college. I was too anxious to get my life started. At 18, my good friend Donna and I got an apartment. I worked in a bank. Made decent money. We were too cool! We were making it! Parties every weekend. Under-age drinking, boyfriends, and "fun." God was still speaking to me, but obviously I wasn't listening.

Then I met Clay. He was also a product of divorce and in some ways, just like me. I think we both longed for a real family. We got married when I was 22 and he 24. I was madly in love and thought that nothing would ever come between us. We had our first son just days before our first anniversary. Life was good, but unfortunately for us, it turned sour. Becoming a mother was a wake up call from God. I was working my way back to who I was suppose to be. Clay and I still had a lot of growing to do and it didn't seem that we were growing at the same rate. But we kept it up for 10 years. We had 2 more beautiful boys and then finally it collapsed. Clay had a serious alcohol problem and eventually drug addiction. I feel comfortable sharing this, because Clay has been sober now for just over a year. He credits his sobriety to his involvement with NA - Narcotics Anonymous.

So, how did I get here, Nov. 2008? The next chapter also starts "way back when."

The summer of '85, when I was 16 years old. I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to California with a girlfriend's family. It was a sad occasion, because my very best friend was moving away, but what an adventure we had that summer. I live on the East Coast. So we're talking far far away. Her parents and I spent almost 2 weeks touring the country. We stopped every night at a new hotel. And I spent the rest of the summer on a West Coast beach. It was so fun. The important part of this story is that I met a boy. I actually met several boys that summer, but only one was special. You'll never guess where I met him! Yep, Disneyland! We exchanged phone numbers, but who would have thought he'd want to fly all the way to Virginia to see me. Well, he did. He was 18 and his name was Chris. For several years we kept up our long distance "friendship." Chris was the kindest person I had ever met. He was a comfort to me during my hard teenage years. He was a good listener and his letters kept me believing that someone really cared. I had fallen in love with him, but in my mind, nothing more could ever be between us. California was basically a different planet to me. It was just a friendship... and it came to a halt when I decided to marry Clay. Chris and I totally lost touch. I prayed for his happiness and knew that he'd have a great life without me.

Fast forward now to the year 2001. I was going through my divorce from Clay and now living as a single mom. Life was hard. Legally, our divorce was easy, but it ripped my soul apart. If it weren't for my God, I may have lost my mind. I don't think I'll ever truly get over that failure. And I'm teary now writing about it. There is something to be thankful for though. I'm proud to say that I was able to shield my children from any painful blow-ups between Clay and I. And for having a father with a drug addiction, the boys came through without ever having to witness his (or my) insanity first hand. The boys are compassionate and understanding towards their father, but they miss him. He has since moved out of state and is trying to get his life back together.

So, it was on some lonely evening, after the boys were tucked in, that I found Classmates.com.

And wouldn't you guess that one of the first names that I typed in the search block was Chris, the boy from California. When his name and location actually appeared, I was in shock! I was so excited I couldn't stand it. After all these years, I knew he had gotten married and that he was a police officer, but I didn't know anything else. How in the world could I email him without upsetting his wife, or embarrassing myself. I just did it, I had to take the risk. Curiosity would have killed me.

I suppose you can say the rest is history, but I'll give you the quick scoop. Chris was also divorced and actually about to be medically retired from the police force for an injury on the job. He was in limbo so to speak. Going to college. Not attached to anyone and best of all, happy to hear from me. We began another long distance friendship. About a year later, he sold his house, had a huge garage sale and packed a Uhaul. He moved into an apartment just down the road from me and finally, after all those years, we dated! 6 months after that, we married, as if it was always meant to be.

Here's where I get teary again. Chris and I have been married 5 years now. The boys call him their other Dad and last year we cemented the family when Glynis was born.

I'd like to write another post soon about what I've learned. This one was exhausting so I'll save it for another day.

My Heartbreaker

Here's the teenager that's been giving me a hard time recently. You've probably seen this video before. I love him so much and get so sad when he makes life harder on himself. Growing up can hurt. There are so many distractions and temptations especially in the year 2008.
God gave him this beautiful voice and I'm thankful to know that he uses his talents for God. Take a minute and listen to Cole again. The song is amazing and he picked it to sing at his high school. A public school! It's by Third Day.

I really need to post, but I can't post today, oh wait, that's what I'm doing...

Hi Everyone,
I feel terrible for not writing the last few days, but time has slipped away from me this week. I get on the computer every day and I've had time to check out some other blogs and my emails, but my brain has been too busy to write.
I just got home from the hospital where my Step-Dad had an angiogram this morning. That's the procedure where they stick a little camera up into your arteries and see if they are clear. And his of course, are not clear. He'll be looking to have a stint or regular surgery in the next week or so. We're talking carotid artery by the way. Lucky for us he has not had a stroke and this was caught in time. I'm so grateful to God for that.
Please pray for Tom! He is worried about his health, but even more so he has been struggling with some of life's hardest hits. He is in his early 70's and by the time you reach his age, you've seen a lot. Most recently, his son (my younger step-brother, Travis) passed away suddenly last December. It is still horribly painful for us all. He left behind a young daughter. And this is not the first child that Tom has lost. About 20 years ago, Tom's oldest son, Tony, passed away from ALS. Can you imagine the feeling of losing a child and then another?
I can't bear to even imagine it.
Anyway, that's it for my post. I suppose it's more of a prayer request and a reminder to go home and hug your children. Love your parents, kiss your husband and thank God for your life.
Hope you all have a blessed weekend.

Are there dishes in your sink?

Am I the only mom in America with dishes in my sink? I think not...

Hubby just got a promotion which is wonderful, but he's on the evening shift now. I have to deal with sports, clubs, homework, dinner, baths, and tucking them in.

So tell me... is your house clean? Is the laundry piled up? Are your bills all paid and checkbook balanced? Have you sent out the birthday cards and made all the appointments that need to be made?

Join the club!

Brain Injury

This is by no means to make light of a serious injury that someone may have had. I'm just using "Brain Injury" as a metaphor for what I've experienced since having my 4th child. Or maybe the brain injury occurred before I had this 4th one and that's why I had another one. I don't know.
I just know that having 4 kids is insane. And if you have more than that you don't deserve a medal, you deserve a straight jacket. (I'm Kidding for goodness sakes, lighten up!)
But for real, my kids are the best thing that I ever did. I want to tell you about them...
My first son was born when I was 23 years old. He's 16 now. He's handsome, he's a wonderful musician and singer. He's intellectual and is a great conversationalist. He's helpful around the house. He's thoughtful when he's not being selfish and he's a great dresser, but his room is a mess.

Son number 2 was the sweetest little baby! He is 14 and getting taller every day. He's my quiet one. He resembles my side of the family more than his older brother. He's super smart and oh so Witty. He also is a musician, but he wouldn't sing if you paid him. He is my hugger, but he is sandwiched between 2 others so it's no wonder he gets a little irritable sometimes.

And on to son number 3. Even though he's not the baby in the family anymore, he's still my baby. He's gorgeous! Blond hair and big brown eyes. In kindergarten a little female friend of his told me that she wanted to marry him. He's going on 11 now. He's a leader and I look so forward to seeing what kind of man he turns into. Also a musician and aspiring singer. Being the social butterfly that he is, he has always had a little trouble with containing himself.

And lastly, my sweet little Glennie Minnie. I hadn't prepared myself for a 4th child until just recently after I remarried 5 years ago. And wasn't God good to give me a daughter! I so look forward to having a special bond with her. At age 1, she is much like her Daddy in looks and well as personality. She loves music and bops her head every time she hears a beat. She says, Momma, Kitty and Doggy. She blows kisses and makes our blended family complete.

School Daze

Oh yes! School started today. Here's how I prepared... First off, I made sure that everyone was in bed by 9:30-10 last night. Then I got to work! I had to make sure the house was cleaned and ready to be destroyed by the rush of 3 boys and a man all trying to leave the house around the same time. I set up the coffee maker for hubby, straightened up the cereal boxes on the shelf so they'd be easily accessed, made sure that all the cereal bowls were clean and ready to go, checked for clean towels, made sure everyone's clocks were set in intervals so that there wouldn't be a traffic jam in the hall, and lastly I colored my roots and watched some t.v. all by myself! Around 11:30 I was asking myself the obvious question, "Why am I staying up so late, when I have to get up so early?" I answered myself with another obvious question, "When do I ever have this kind of solitude?!" Duh!
Well, I'm paying for it tonight. The morning went smoothly. Everyone reached their destinations on time, looking snappy in their new back to school sneakers. I totally enjoyed the day spent with my daughter, playing, doing a few light chores, a little shopping. When the troops started filing back in the door this afternoon, we filled out back to school forms, talked about their day, passed out snacks and headed to the soccer field.....As the other parents screamed and cheered all around me at the scrimmage, I almost nodded off. Oops, I forgot dinner. McDonald's dollar menu it is! Now, 9:15pm. I'm Done!!! Must Sleep!! Night Night!!!

Back to school tradition

For the past 8 years, our family has had a back to school tradition. We pick a day, usually during the Labor Day weekend, to get up at 4:30 in the morning, drive to the ocean front and watch the sun rise. Most people that I explain this to think we are completely bonkers. I think that actually they are jealous of our craziness. It seems that so many people now-a-days get caught in a rut of unimaginative laziness. OK, most of the year, I fit into that prototype too. I owe my spurts of spontaneity to my Mother. I grew up with a Mom who allowed sleeping on our roof and having indoor banana wars. I remember her visiting me at school once with our pet snake in her purse. Now that's crazy and that's how I want my children to grow up. (Although, I won't be handling any snakes!) What's more important? Making memories with my kids or a few extra hours of sleep?!