Wordless Wednesday

Thank you Shawna for sharing this- a video every teenage girl should see:

Pseudo-Mom

So, naturally people are uncertain as how to address our family unit now. Friday's was the first that I didn't see coming and really made me laugh.. there was no stifling it. "Pseudo-Mom" Very original.

Well, below are some of the pictures take on our first family vacation. We had so much fun and I definitely wouldn't trade my pseudo-Mom blessing for absolutely anything. Vacation is even more fun through a 'pre-teen'/(child)'s eyes. Plus, the relaxation was well-overdue!

Shannon LOVED the towel animals... and Blake and I did too!

Shannon displaying where our little voyage took us:

In Cozumel, we spent the day snorkeling along the shore in a National Park called Chankanaab Park. Although the snorkeling pictures haven't been developed yet, some of our adventures elsewhere in the park have. For example, Bingo, the sea lion, was my boyfriend for the day. I received both a kiss on the cheek and then a kiss on the kisser!

Our second port was Calica, just beside Playa del Carmen. We were a little more adventurous here in that we met a great couple from Asheville, NC just off the boat and decided to rent a jeep together. The day was spent at Tulum, Mayan ruins, as well as eating and shopping in town.

Food, sun, expeditions, food, pool, chess, room service, turn down service, family time, fun and FOOD all made it a great trip and oh so hard to return to reality!

Women vs. Wild

Scene: Kroger

People:  Dana, Shannon, 2 Kroger customers, 3 Kroger employees.

Action:

Shannon: (standing in line, looking at candy) A grasshopper?! Would you like a grasshopper Auntie?"

Aunt Dana: (checking out) Well no, no I would not.  (thinking: But the better question is, what is a large grasshopper doing inside a box of spearmint gum)
                     (speaking to cashier, holding the box): Ma'am, do you have a trash can or other way for me to dispose of this grasshopper?

Cashier: Oh my goodness. Umm.. there's one behind me (pointing).

(Aunt Dana tries to pass the box of gum & grasshopper to cashier)

Cashier: Umm, no. I don't do those.

Aunt Dana: Well, I'll just go outside and release him then?

Cashier: Do you want buy all that?

Aunt Dana: No thank you. I do not want to buy the gum nor the grasshopper. Just want to release this guy.

Cashier: Give it to her. (points to another coworker)

(Aunt Dana assumes this must be a manager who can act more appropriately and take care of the nature inside of the grocery store)

Aunt Dana: Ma'am, a grasshopper...

Non-manager employee: Ahh! (picks up the grasshopper and drops it on the floor) He can just make his way out eventually.

(3 other employees stand behind her and watch and make no comment)

WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!?!

After checking out, Shannon and I obtained an extra Kroger bag and picked the poor sucker up, who kept trying to hop away from me, and released him outside... into nature and out of a grocery store. OH MY GOSH.

If I were to pick one song that held the most meaning to me, without question I would choose "Don't Laugh At Me" recorded by Mark Willis for several reasons:

• It was one of the first songs that pulled on my heartstrings.
• My middle school girlfriend, Ryan L., gave me one of the most thoughful gifts I have ever received- her personal cd for a Christmas gift.
• It was the song that I always sang to Shannon when rocking her to sleep as a baby.
• It still holds my thoughts on a regular basis to this day.
• And then today there was a man that reminded ,e of the truth to these bare country lyrics and humbled me once again...

I'm a little boy with glasses
The one they call the geek
A little girl who never smiles
'Cause I've got braces on my teeth
And I know how it feels
To cry myself to sleep

I'm that kid on every playground
Who's always chosen last
A single teenage mother
Tryin' to overcome my past
You don't have to be my friend
But is it too much to ask

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

I'm the cripple on the corner
You've passed me on the street
And I wouldn't be out here beggin'
If I had enough to eat
And don't think I don't notice
That our eyes never meet

I lost my wife and little boy when
Someone cross that yellow line
The day we laid them in the ground
Is the day I lost my mind
And right now I'm down to holdin'
This little cardboard sign...so

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

I'm fat, I'm thin, I'm short, I'm tall
I'm deaf, I'm blind, hey, aren't we all

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

Boys & Girls

What are little boys made of?

Snips and snails, and puppy dog tails,

That's what little boys are made of!

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice and everything nice,

That's what little girls are made of!

Together, only fun and crazy memories are made..

I have been ridiculed by, well, everyone who knows I “have” a blog for my lack of blogging. Take this my friends (and husband), twice in one night!!!:

Wrinkles

In January (I think) I realized that at the young age of 24, I, Dana Chambers, have real wrinkles. I flipped out. It’s not so much that wrinkles are on my face, that is inevitable, it’s the age part. This wasn’t supposed to happen for at least another 4 years. That was my estimate at least.

My wrinkles are composed of four lines across my forehead from the constant wrinkled forehead that I hold in all facial expressions. After my discovery, I made a good faith effort to restrain from forehead-wrinkling expressions, then from all facial expressions for the reason stated before, then gave up. They are there. No lotion will do.

Here’s the best part, I was still dealing with this fact until about two minutes ago when my adorable husband came rushing down the stairs with “Look. Dana, stop what you’re doing and look.”

What was I looking at? Well he finally had the same awkward discovery in our small, ill-lit bathroom that I had nearly 5 months ago. He has the beginning creases of crow’s feet and they will be full form probably within the year…

Fortunately for us both, I have always endeared people with “happy lines”. I think people look very favorable with crow’s feet. So haha to him for having wrinkles, but boo to the fact that mine make me look old and his just make him look joyful.

Not fair at all.

Sidewalk Art

I wish I had our actual image to post, but perfectly timed, my camera was dead. Today Blake was disciplined by our rental property’s maintenance man. He’s a very friendly, cheerful individual but Shannon’s colorful display of sidewalk chart art was not well received.
See, I was under the impression that everything would wash away with rain like it did in my personal childhood memories. Therefore, Blake and I allowed our newest addition to the family, Shannon, to decorate not only our front stoop to the townhouse, but also the brick wall that contains it.

So… fast forward to when maintenance decided not to ask us to rub it off or spray it off with a hose. He instead brought a pressure washer and proceeded to pressure wash the entire complex- brick wall and stoops!

I felt very guilty when Blake shared this with me via a text message today. In fact, I decided to write a note of apology to pass along with our rent check. After coming home this evening though, I might also pass along a thank you note because the white sidewalks sure do look nice! J