My Newest Best Friend

Not that I don't still love my old best friend, I use her every day, but this.....miracle in a bottle deserves some attention. I have very fine, very straight hair. Hair that's always short, because I look like a corpse with long hair. You see, it clings to me, limp and lank. I love having short hair, I feel sassy and cute. I realized, however, after posting this picture, that I've had more or less the same hair style for over 20 years. And I'm not old enough for that yet. I've tried mousse, wax, expensive styling mud that makes my hair a stiff sculpture, I've slept in velcro rollers, in short, I have done everything I could think of to have the fuller, sexier hair that has eluded me. Until now. My friends, I give you:

TIGI Bedhead Super Star Thermal Blow Drying Lotion

After I get out of the shower, I squeeze out a nickel-sized amount in my hand (it's a liquid) and I work it through my hair. Then I blow dry. I'm still trying to get the hang of the whole round brush thing. Sometimes I just wish I could take my head off, plop it on the counter and blow it dry there. Until I can do that, I'll keep practicing. This ambrosia leaves your hair light and bouncy, not sticky. It makes me want to cry tears of joy.

ABC Tag

I'm a tardy tag answerer. I honestly mean to, then I get distracted. I think that's where my kids get it. So here I am, answering my sister's demand for personal information on my life and psyche. Here you go, Kristy.

A--Attached or Single? Attached. And I have a mental block about spelling that word. I always want to spell it attatched. And it's always wrong.
B--Best Friend? Easy. My kind, patient, forgiving, even-keeled husband. Best girlfriend? Hmmm. My sisters and the gals I'd let see my birth photos.
C-- Cake or Pie? Cherry pie. With vanilla ice cream.
D-- Day of Choice? Friday night. I have the whole weekend ahead of me. Anything is possible!
E-- Essential Item? Candy or gum in my purse. I get scared and anxious if I'm somewhere without a little snack. People always think I'm pregnant at church because I'm always the one in the back to the class sneaking food. I actually snuck chocolate chips up to the stand to sooth my nerves when I spoke in Sacrament meeting.
F--Favorite Color? Green. It's my signature color. (see Q)
G-- Gummy Bears or Worms? Worms. There's just something deliciously gross about them, the way they seem to slither around in my mouth.
H-- Hometown? The city I live in. I was actually born here and lived here for a whole three weeks! It's the one constant place in my Air Force brat life. I live next door to the house my mom grew up in. I never want to move. Ever.
I-- Indulgence(s)? Popcorn. I have an illicit relationship with the stuff. My favorite is air popped with Orville Redenbacher's popcorn oil on it. Yum.
J-- January or July? July. It's my birthday!
K-- Kids? Yeah, lots. My kids, neighbor kids, kids I don't even know....
L-- Life is Incomplete Without? That blissful feeling we have as a family in just being together. I often think that maybe we're taking up way too much happiness. If we took yours, I'm sorry. We'll try to cut back.
M-- Marriage Date? In a couple of days it'll be FOURTEEN YEARS! Yes, my son just turned 13. He was 6 days old for our first anniversary. We were pretty darn quick to reproduce.
N-- Number of siblings? 4
O-- Oranges or Apples? Oranges do really, really terrible things to me, so I'll say apple. Pie. With ice cream.
P-- Phobias or fears? Besides being stuck in a meeting and hungry without anything to eat? Shy people. Because I'm sure that they're thinking I'm an idiot. That gets me nervous and I talk more to fill the silence and remove any lingering doubts they might have.
Q-- Quotes? My favorites are from Steel Magnolias. Most of them I can't say aloud, I just think them and snicker. One of them is "He's a real gentleman. I'll bet the takes the dishes out of the sink before he pees in it!" Classic.
R-- Reason to Smile? I have my own bathroom. That's a huge reason to smile.
S-- Season? Late spring. That's garden planting time, when the little fruit babies are emerging, nice and fuzzy, and the flowers are blooming.
T-- Tag 5 People? Sorry, I can't actually tag anyone. It's against my religion.
U-- Unknown Fact? I don't have a cell phone. Or caller ID. I know, it's shocking.
V-- Very Favorite Store? Hmmm. That's a tough one. I think I'd have to say Fred Meyer. There's one a mile or so from my house, and it's a place I go to get happy.
W-- Worst Habit? It's a little known fact that I don't have any. I don't spend too much time on the computer, and I don't have a bad temper sometimes (pms) and I'm a total neat freak, I have no hidden closets and storage rooms that are dens on disaster. Yeah.
X-- X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound. Those are so much fun! Except for the one where all my hopes were pinned on having a girl. The book said there was a 95% chance. I bawled my head off in front of everyone in the room. I'm a very private crier, so that was traumatic.
Y-- Your Favorite Food? If you don't count popcorn, then fresh salsa and restaurant chips. With tons of cilantro. I have a sneaking suspicion that I was supposed to be born Mexican.
Z-- Zodiac? Cancer.
So there you go. More than you ever wanted to know.

Times they are a'changing

Last week I had a frightening realization. I am a grandma. How did this happen, you ask? Don't worry, my oldest son is only 13 and isn't interested in girls. Here's how it went down:
A decade ago, my husband was the scoutmaster of a certain smart mouthed kid. This kid was so obnoxious that my husband decided that either he was going to kill him, or learn to love him. Love him, he did. Thomas worked for my husband until we moved, and after he turned 18, he came to live with us. Thomas and I butted heads, engaged in pitched battles of will, but we became family. He left on his mission to Argentina, and returned soooo grateful for all the grief I gave him over table manners and what not to say to a lady. Example: "Wow, I'm surprised, this dinner is actually good!" is not a compliment. He's been a fantastic big brother/uncle to our boys. In fact, he's been our boy's scout leaders at times. How's that for irony? He and my sweety are tight. Next to me, he's my husband's closest friend. The three of us have had more late-night story-telling, laughing-till-you-cry times than I can count.

Last week, he left the nest for good. He married a fantastic gal. With an adorable daughter. So after the wedding was over, I was cheered to see him back here doing his laundry and asking me to babysit. That's a grandma, isn't it?