Monday, July 21, 2008

Things I Just Don't Understand

Thinking the bottom of the cupcake is the best. Alaina is clearly my niece as evidenced by this photo of the cupcakes she consumed after dinner.

Wearing an overtly sexy bathing suit to the YMCA swimming pool with kitten heels (and with your three children in tow no less).

How an eight year old can have so much energy, and how I seemingly have so little in comparison. When did I lose the ability to go full blast for 15 hours of the day? It's been a long time, so I have no idea when it started.

Why I cry when I know things are not real. I just finished Emily Giffin's love the one you're with and shed some tears. I guess it's better to cry over a book than a Lifetime (stupid stupid) movie.

Why we keep driving when we're tired. In an effort to stay awake while driving on Saturday, I blew bubbles and tried to get a decent photo of them. Ridiculous.

Speaking of tired, why I'm writing this instead of sleeping. Or why you're reading this (and I read your blogs) instead of all of the other things we could be doing.

Why I have so much.

How I'm not more affected by the fact that most of the world has so little.

How I manage to miss so much of the beauty of life despite the fact that it's all around me...in the form of loving friends and family, swings waiting to be sat in, a Bible study group I'm going to miss, walks to be taken....

The fact that I don't take some things for granted (at least relatively), like the the sweetness of my lovely niece, the taste of homemade cream cheese frosting, my great aunt's gratitude for my (almost) daily phone calls, the luxury of a comfortable and reliable car, and the joy of a deep faith that still feels new.

p.s. I'm thankful for water slides. I think Alaina will be impressed by the ones at the Maryland Farms YMCA.

14 comments:

Jacinda said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. I love your post. So cute and so many things to ponder. I don't know why any of us take things for granted. I'm usually more aware of what I'm thankful for when I am in an uncomfortable situation. It makes me remember what I have.

boohoo said...

How an eight year old can have so much energy, and how I seemingly have so little in comparison.

Everyone under the age of twenty has heaps more engery than me! It's depressing!

I adore the bottom of the cupcake! hehehehe.

I love this post :)

Anonymous said...

Alaina sounds like a very special kid. Any way you could let us see a picture of you and her together so we will know she really exists and is not a pigment of your imagination? In what way is she your niece? Brother's daughter,etc? Have a good week if she is staying that long.

Scotty said...

How I manage to miss so much of the beauty of life despite the fact that it's all around me.
I think we're all a victim of this one..

Jennifer Kirby said...

Love the bubble picture.

ella said...

Taking photos of yourself while driving is not the safest thing missy!

Aaron said...

I didn't know you had a double-chin! :P

Pam said...

Fun photo of the bubble!

Ah, I have that Giffin book on my shelf awaitingto be read. I've heard it's a thought-provoker or sorts.

Anonymous said...

I cried reading Love the One You're with - too!!!

Anonymous said...

I love the icing on top...it's the best. What a wonderful post...

Ally said...

Dr. RJJ: Alaina's parents have asked me not to post any photos of her on my blog, or I would GLADLY post some pictures of her. She's adorable! And she is my sister's oldest child and will be here about a week (although she wants to move to Nashville now so she may never return:)

TC said...

This was cute. I think we all take certain things for granted - the beauty of a sunset, children's laughter, etc. - but being thankful for other small, wonderful things is equally important.

Enjoy your time with your niece... ever sleepless minute of it.

Lib said...

well, i suppose i can understand the sexy bikini at the YMCA. i mean, i don't know what kind of bikini we're talking about here, but there's nothing quite like motherhood that sucks any ounce of sexiness you had out of you. sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do to restore some of that.:)

haha--but the kitten heels? perhaps that's getting a bit carried away. that borders on "hoochie mama."

brandy said...

The bathing suit gets me too. I also don't understand people who spend hundreds of dollars on bathing suits that can't get wet. That's like buying really fantastic food you can't eat.

Also.. I understand what you are saying about 'how I'm not affected by the fact that most of the world has so little'. I feel that way sometimes too. And then I feel guilty. My grandfather and I have talked about this and he pointed out that if I cared ALL the time about how unfair or unjust the world is, I would be a pretty unhappy person. Sometimes I think it's okay to forget about the world and live only in your bubble. Not all the time, but sometimes doing it keeps a girl sane I think.