Winter Wonderland

The older you get ,the faster time seems to go, (with the exception of time spent at work of course.) I mention this because in addition to it being the holiday season, it's also the birthday season at my home. Kelsie is celebrating making it to her 6th birthday today, and Lyndzi will be turning 8 just one week later on the 18th; so naturally I've been reflecting on how quickly these incredible years have passed and looking forward to all that I will share with my family in the years to come. As a parent it is bittersweet to watch your babies grow. In some ways you want them to remain small and always in need of your help and in other ways, it is delightful to think of all the endless possibilities that lay await and all of the new experiences that we will encounter at each different stage of their lives.
I think back to when I was Nicky's age and try to remember what I was like and what I was thinking then and it's hard for me to believe that we have already gotten to that point with our amazing boy; but we have. Nicky's grade recently had "THE Talk;" and it just doesn't seem possible to me that it could ALREADY be time for that, and yet it was. A few weeks after "THE Talk," Nicky came home and was very excited to tell me that he was going to be bringing home an invitation for the 5-8th grade Winter Wonderland, school dance and I was smacked in the face with the reality that my babies are no longer babies by any stretch of the imagination.

Nicky was really looking forward to going to the dance and protective mom (ok OVER protective mom) that I am, feared this dance would be his ruination, for despite the fact that Luis and I can both bust a move; our boy has no coordination whatsoever. To say that Nicky is rhythmically challenged might be going too far, but suffice it to say that my memories of the spasmic displays that I've seen during holiday parties and other dancing opportunities were not inspiring my confidence. I wanted to coach Nicky without insulting him and so I recommended that he subtly bounce to the beat and keep his hand gestures to a minimum. Thankfully he was receptive, as I explained that I knew first hand how cruel kids could be and that if anyone found a reason to make fun of his dancing, they'd probably never stop. And for those of you who are fans of psychology and may think that I was transferring my own stuff on to Nicky, so be it.

I was teased mercilessly as a child and pre-teen and if I could do anything to help my child avoid that; psychology be damned; I'm gonna do it!! Now, don't get me wrong, I certainly didn't want Nicky to be scared to go to the dance; just PREPARED; I mean it's what I would have wanted someone to tell me, if they knew something that could possibly protect me from a world of hurt; and luckily Nicky and I have the type of relationship that he knew I was trying to help him, not hurt or intimidate him.

I told Luis about the dance and he too was concerned that Nicky might not use the best judgment about dancing and ultimately do something to embarrass himself; so we agreed that one of us might volunteer at the dance just to give him some encouragement and keep a watchful eye. I asked Nicky if he'd like one of us to volunteer at the dance and though he is usually happy to have us on his field trips, he said " That's OK; I got it." And so we had to let him go.

Nicky got dressed for the dance according to the Winter Wonderland dress code: Black, Navy, White, Silver, or Red. He wore black pants, a long sleeve, stone grey, knit Henley shirt and black shoes ~ And my boy looked GOOD!! When we dropped Nicky off, we couldn't help but notice how grown up all of the kids looked and how excited they all seemed to be. Luis even commented on different kids outfits; in particular this one little girl in a red, shiny,shirt. Leaving Nicky at the dance was definitely taking a leap of faith for us, but we drove off hopeful that he would have a wonderful time.

The 2 hours flew by and we went back to pick Nicky up. Luis pulled up to the curb content to wait for Nicky to come out, but when I saw some other moms going in; I wanted to do the same. Luis felt confident that Nicky would come out on his own but I reminded him that I had friends inside that were teachers and I could try to find out how it went and Luis responded with a typically male "Do what you want to do." So the girls and I were off like a shot.

Upon entering the building we were greeted by Nicky's teacher; who told us that the dance had gone very well and that Nicky had danced with a girl (I will call "B") for most of the night. I said that I didn't know B and his teacher said that she was in the other class. His teacher told me that so many of the kids had come up to her and said how surprised and happy they were to see Nicky dancing, because he is SO shy and she told them to leave him alone so he could have a good time and reminded them that you can't judge a book by its cover. Well, of course I was on the verge of tears; but just then Nicky came over to me and I held it together. I asked Nicky if he'd had a good time and he said "Yes," and promptly gave me my change for the evening. There couldn't have been more than 2 minutes left to the dance so I asked him "Are you ready to go or did you want to finish up?" And he said "Can I finish up?" so I said "Sure," and with that, he went back out on to the dance floor and proceeded to put his arms around the waist of the little girl in the red, shiny, shirt. Her arms were around Nicky's neck and they danced slowly to the last song of the evening. I was frozen in my place as I watched my baby dance like a young man, in the arms of this pretty, little girl with hope on her face; and Nicky's teacher leaned over to me and said "That's B." Once again I was almost in tears, but in a way they were tears of joy, because I can now look forward to a new phase in Nicky's life. He had made it through the dance without incident and was beaming with a confidence that I rarely see in him. He said good night to B, and thanked his teacher and we got into the car. I whispered to Luis that the dance had been a success and that Nicky had danced with B most of the night and then pointed out that she was the girl in the red,shiny, shirt; to which Luis replied "Well, I noticed her first."

Nicky regaled us with all of the details of the dance and it turned out that B had asked him to dance and he gladly accepted her invitation. Nicky had the time of his life and his new found confidence was thrilling. I told him that I was so, incredibly proud of him and that he probably made B's night; (because I totally can remember what I felt like after my first dance;) and I commented that he seemed so confident that he might even score a goal at soccer on Saturday; and HE DID! I actually heard one of the mom's say; "Nicky should go to a dance every friday night;" and I honestly wish that he could.

It is such a fantastic feeling to witness the growth of someone you love; whether a child, a spouse or a friend. To watch a person strive towards their potential and realize who they are, what they can do and what is out there for them. Life really is a wonderland!!!

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

Discovering HOPE

Although I am NOT the Queen of Self Confidence, there are a few things that I believe that I was born to do ~ be a mother, be a writer, and a contributor to the betterment of this world; and I can honestly say that I do believe that I am currently doing all 3 and I will continue on this path for as long as I draw breath. To be a mother was my hearts desire, there was no way that I was going to miss the opportunity to share my life with children, and all that entails. I believe that it is my calling to be a writer; to communicate and share ideas both for the purpose of entertaining and for being socially responsible; which lends itself as well to contributing to the betterment of this world; and I don't mean that arrogantly; I mean that EVERYONE should do their part from picking up garbage in the street, to showing compassion for man and animal kind etc. Now all 3 of these things require a certain amount of courage; and a certain amount of courage is about all I've got; but yet I am putting myself out there.

It is intimidating to say the least to actually share your thoughts and feelings and risk criticism and disapproval; but when I receive your thanks and your praise; it is the SWEETEST reward; so PLEASE keep those cards and letters coming; and by cards and letters I mean comments on "TBR" on Facebook and your emails. I am on a literal high from the outpouring of encouragement and support that I've received over my last post and it only fuels my fire to write, write, write; so I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

May's theme for the "Scrapbooking From The Inside Out" kit club was Hope. Now although the kit was delightful, I have currently made zero lay outs with it due to an extraordinary lack of time. Nonetheless I have come to realize that if you don't have HOPE ; you don't have anything and that ALL THINGS are possible if you have HOPE. I have also discovered that hope can be contagious and it is something that people love to be inspired to feel. Now, I don't necessarily write my posts to share constant sweetness and light; and I've told you before that Mary Sunshine I am NOT; but when I feel things, I feel them strongly and therefore I can be extremely positive or a caustic biotch and that's just how I roll. It seems that the people that I'm hearing from love to read about accentuating the positive and pursuing your dreams and if that makes you happy; then I am more than ready to take this journey with you.

When I was growing up, Paige was NOT a popular name; in fact I was teased mercilessly throughout elementary school and junior high. Of course I'm sure that it didn't help my cause when one day (in I can't remember what grade,) someone asked where my parents had gotten my name from and I replied "in a book." OK, well of course I meant a book of baby names, but it was TOO late; the damage was already done and would linger for many years to come. (Now of course I can't go into a play place or store without hearing 10 moms calling out "Paige, Paige;" Oh if only those Paige's knew how easy they had it... They're the new Stacey's and Brittany's.) Interestingly enough; my ENTIRE life, if someone called me by the wrong name; they ALWAYS called me "Hope." I always thought that it might have had something to do with the fact that both Paige and Hope were old English names; but now I'm starting to think that there may be something more to it. Maybe people were seeing something what I've been waiting to discover. I have mentioned before that writing a book at this point in time seems a bit too far out of my reach and part of this belief stemmed from the fact that I am my character. I write about ME and I believe that I need to find a way to develop a fictional character who has my traits; and thus today "Hope" has been born and I couldn't be more thrilled. I have often wondered if there was any rhyme or reason as to how authors decide what to name their characters but for me this is an obvious choice for I AM HOPE. And so this is another step in my journey and I feel so blessed that you are coming along this Bumpy Ride with me.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

What A Wonderful World

Remember when I said that "The Bumpy Ride" was NOT becoming a scrapbooking blog? Well, it's not. I just thought that I would share my latest layout, completed with the September "Comfort" kit from Scrapbooking From the Inside Out ." I truly went WAY out of my comfort zone for this layout, and did things that I NEVER do; and you know what... I loved it. Now, I am NOT fishing for compliments, but I will say that I think this is one of the best lay outs that I have ever done. Not only because of the design, but because of the message. It is GREAT to remind yourself of what you have to look forward to; ESPECIALLY when things aren't feeling so hopeful.

The journalling says:

I see trees of green... and I think to myself What a Wonderful World. I'm comforted by the endless possibilities of what has yet to come: Becoming a professional writer, watching my children fulfill their destinies, growing OLD with my husband (my Love) and living in a world that is safe and peaceful; where EVERYONE is free to be who they are. I take a deep breath and I hold these dreams close and tight; and I think to myself - What A Wonderful World!

In this campaign season, it is often hard to believe that we have a future to look forward to. Luis and I watch CNN all the time and we actually get panic stricken when McCain and Palin seem to be doing better than we can afford them to be doing. Luis has been a HUGE Obama supporter from day one; and at this point I invite anyone who has any question about Obama and what he stands for or what he intends to do for this country to "Ask Luis;" he is SO informed that it's actually a little scary. He told me the other day that he thought he might be watching TOO much CNN because he was getting physically ill when McCain and Palin would speak. I myself was a Hillary supporter but when she didn't get the nomination, there was no doubt that Obama would be my candidate; as I do believe that he represents all of my families best interests.
We are so hopeful for the changes that are SO necessary in order for us and our friends to continue pursuing our American dreams. We truly want to believe that the WONDERFUL WORLD that I have described in my layout is possible; and I believe it can be if you VOTE OBAMA / BIDEN!!

Now, IF by chance you are a McCain / Palin supporter; we can still be friends, but I don't want to know about it - so PLEASE no comments talking smack about Obama and Biden; and definitely no Pro- McCain / Palin BS either. Sorry folks but that's how I roll.
Till Next Time...
Queen of EVERYTHING