Spring is Here

My top ten clues that spring is here:

1. Muddy Feet

2. Evening Rain Showers

3. Itchy Throat and Watery Eyes

4. Emma picks me little flowers

5. Bug Bites and Poison ivy

6. Can't Remember Why I Ever Bought that Heavy Coat

7. Waking Up to the Serenading of Birds Way to Early in The Morn

8. Jon Comes Home Covered in Dirt and Mulch and Grime

9. The Laundry Hamper Gets Filled Twice as Fast

10. I Start Feeling the Overwhelming Need to Shed my Winter 15 (lbs that is)

Ahhh! Soon sweltering heat and swim suit shopping under fluorescent lighting. The joys of the season.

Ciao, Areli

Judy's B & B

I woke up in a charming little room snuggled under a floral coverlet and the sun shining in through white lace curtains. Immediately my mind brought it all back- Judy's house. The charming old house decorated in white lace, hatboxes, guilded mirrors, pearls and Sherman-Williams pinks, yellows, and greens. I got up and walked into the new upstairs bathroom which was much like walking straight into the pages of a shabby-chic magazine. I felt pampered as I brushed my teeth while admiring a statue of a Roman godess under the warm light of a crystal chandelier.

Then I realized that my children would spend the day chasing Judy around asking her for what ever treat and wonder they desired and I, well I would nap on the front porch swing. I would eat lunch under the pergola in the back garden. I would enjoy a delicious early evening meal prepared by the hands of someone other than myself. Each day would end with a rich and sugary homemade dessert. I would have a great spring break relaxing and enjoying the view. I bet if I hinted just a little I could even get a mint on my pillow. I absolutely love coming to my mother-in-law's house in the springtime!!!

I think I smell dinner...
Ciao, Areli

My Treasure

Jonathan and I have had our ups and downs in the nine years we've been married. Recently we decided to start seeing a love guru, Anne, who is really a christian marriage counselor. It has been wonderful, sometimes hard to hear truths but mostly fabulous. During one of our first visits she asked us if we could name three things we each liked abut the other person- we both spouted our answers fairly quickly which made Anne smile. Apparently, this is a good sign that Jon and I were not as messed up as we thought-PHEW!!!

Anyway since then I catch myself taking note of things I love about Jonathan every time he does something neat. I guess it reminds that I am lucky and that I love him. So here are a few things that I love about Jon lately...

1. His spur of the moment marshmallow roasts.

2. The sincere and awestruck look on his face when he tells me that I am beautiful.

3. The way lately he says "I love you just as you are and this is a safe place for you." when I am being difficult.

4. He always replaces the toilet paper and leaves the seat down.

5. He makes the best vanilla latte.

6. He loves to do yard work.

7. I say, "Do you think you could make some elaborate whatchamacallit" and he can-always!

8. His bike rides of death and hikes that lead to glistening waterfalls.

9. The way my little girls look at him.

10. How he always catches me and lifts me straight in the air like I'm light as a feather, even after I've eaten a pint of Haagen-dazs.

Thanks love guru! Lucky me!

Ciao, Areli

Dream Jobs for a Day

I have a list of jobs I think are cool. I have a strong urge to learn these trades and preform them but only for a day- you know like Paris and Nicole on that old television show. Here is my list of dream jobs for a day:

1. Meat and Cheese slicer in a deli- those are the coolest machines and so dangerous looking. I wonder if they get hazardous pay?

2. Number changer at the gas station- You know the guy that uses that long stick to change the price of gas on the tall signs out front- that is interesting and a little powerful.

3. Movie player at the theater- You get paid to eat free popcorn and watch movies.

4. The security guy who controls the velvet rope at a prestigious nightclub- "You may enter, but the really hot skinny chick- NO!"

5. Wrecker-ball controller- a little stress reliever.

6. Museum Guard- "No pictures please and don't breathe directly on the Van Gogh, really."

7. Barista at a hip little coffee joint- not Starbucks.

8. News Anchor- "And this is Today with Areli Glenn."

So if you happen to stop by your local deli and find me asking you if that is a pound or a half you ordered of Sara Lee's Honey Ham don't worry it's probably just for the day.

Ciao, Areli

Life's Announcer

This posting is a day late because my dear husband was in the middle of a several hour long fierce battle involving evolutionary processes and creation of life. I think it's called Spore.

Yesterday began with Abigail waking up chipper and bouncing right out of bed which you should know only happens on days of special occasion. What was so special about yesterday? Well obviously it was the last day of winter and Abby woke up with heartfelt wishes for all to have a happy last day of winter. She is so beautiful. Every moment of life is a time to celebrate according to Abby and she has a special way of making you aware of the greatness of each day. "Look mom it's the eighth blue bird of spring!" "Only 15 more days till we go see Grandma Judy!" "Sleep well. We go to the dentist tomorrow!" "I think it's supposed to be a full moon tonight!" Having Abigail in my life makes each day a joy and I love how she helps our family celebrate it's every next event no matter how small. Oh, she also has a thing for the weather lately. She watches the meteorologists on the weather channel and then will tell me in the morning, "I can't wear that it's supposed to be 50 today with a 17% chance of rain." Man, I love that girl and I have two more just as cool isn't life grand. So hope you all had a blessed last day of winter yesterday and Happy first day of spring!!!!!

Ciao, Areli

Daddy

I love my daddy and I miss him very much right now. You see I received a phone call from my sister a couple of days ago telling me she was rushing dad to the hospital. That four worded phrase "dad to the hospital" sent my heart back fifteen years and my dad became daddy and all I wanted was to be in his lap with my head laying against his strong chest. It turns out that my dad has a gall stone the size of a golf ball- OUCH! He will have to have surgery next week, but he is on some take-you-straight-to-la-la-land medication and sounds just peachy on the phone. I am over-joyed that daddy is going to be well again, but I wish I could hug him tight and tell him that I love him so much. I am jealous that both my wonderful sisters got to run to his side and his aid in his time of need while I waited by the phone to hear the news. Even now that we know he's going to be alright, the drama has subsided, and my sisters have gone back to their families I still just want to see him and hug him to know for sure he's okay. I really, really miss you daddy please be well.

Love, Areli

Captured on Film

Today is a fabulous day in the Glenn household. It is Picture Day!! The girls and I both love picture day it's almost like playing dress-up. We pick out clothes the night before, decide on the pose together, and sometimes sleep in curlers or braids for a more flouncy hairstyle. Then we get up early to make sure we have enough time to get it all right, practice our smiles, pin-up our hair, and throw on a little lip shimmer for good measure. We love being girls. I have to admit the girls were quite glossy and smiley when they pranced out of the house this morning and I can't wait to see the results in a few weeks. Only if we could be assured that the camera would capture our best moment and leave our worst undeveloped.
It was 1987 I am ten years old. I was such an adorable ten-year-old; a few missing teeth, and others (of the adult variety) that were too big for my face, but overall a fifth grade hottie. Also, I had a rockin' closet due to my mother's diva issues. She took my sisters and I major overhaul shopping at the beginning of each school year- you know the purging and rebuilding of a wardrobe. So my cuteness was only enhanced by a very "Modonna-ish" au courant attire- you know leg warmers, bangles, jellies, and oversized shirts with funky belts the whole nine yards. Predictably, I received several check yes or no love letters since the start of fifth grade. Ahhh, this was a good year... that is until the "incident" a picture day never to be forgotten.
I loved being a Girl Scout, learning clever songs, doing silly little tasks to earn badges, and camping. It was during a Girl Scout camping trip that I happened to share a hiding place with a cozy batch of poison ivy. And it's just like this plant variety to be true to its reputation. My hands and arms became covered with oozing blisters that itched so bad I had to scratch although I was warned not to. This, of course, caused the rash to spread to my face. My mother and all her "education is the most important thing" ideas left me to a merciless fate. I showed up for school with my face looking as if I had participated in a failed medical study and lo and behold all my admirers vanished. You can't depend on those fickle ten-year-old boys. My face was covered in pink splotches (calamine lotion was supposed to help dry up the oozing) that hardly concealed the crusty blisters surrounding the features of my face. The eruptions had spread to the corners of my mouth, which made it difficult to open my mouth wide enough to speak. Not only was I a freak, I was a mute freak. Oh, but to make matters worse I am able to remind myself of this experience any time I choose. As it so happened, this day was picture day and the photographer did a brilliant job of immortalizing this memory onto film then paper for all remembrance. A class picture, to be exact, and I was ushered right to the front lines, another consequence of my short stature, looking very flustered with a crooked smile. The truth is that memory along with the name-calling and teasing that followed is one of my worst. I hated that picture for years, but now at age 31 I love it. It reminds me truly of what it was like in the fifth grade and how fragile my girl's egos can be. I wish I had a scanner and I would post it for all to see. That picture captured a moment in my life, but it did not define it. We all grow and change through the years and we must take the good with the bad and appreciate all the experiences, because they collectively make us who we are.
That is why my girls and I love picture day and even if they come out bad we never do a retake we relish in who we are today and who we were yesterday. Jon loves looking through the lens of a camera, and he has always taken many pictures of me some are beautiful and some torturous. I used to beg him to destroy all the "ugly" ones and he would look at me with disgust and say, "No, they look like you." I would get red in the face and my feelings would be crushed, but I understand now that he meant he wanted to look back and remember me "real me", "everyday me", and I can't always hide behind a pretty smile. The truth is I don't smile everyday- somedays I have an oozing rash.
Ciao, Areli

Elective

Today is a very special day. Something I have been wanting to do for years will be done today. It makes me excited and a little bit nervous. I hope all goes well, and I promise to share details soon. Wish me the best. I can't believe I am really going through with this. Okay, Okay deep breath and be happy.

Ciao, Areli

Sweet Lies

Liar, liar pants on fire... this is how we grow up viewing the idea of untruths, deceptions, and deliberate omissions. But, is there such a thing as a "sweet lie"? These Fleetwood Mac lyrics come to mind: "Tell me lies. Tell me lies. Tell me sweet little lies." You see there are those brief periods in life when we think we have it all figured out. We are doing everything we ever wanted to do, married to the person of our dreams, have the greatest of intelligence, and are just plain too cool. These delusions last but mere moments but in those moments you are happy, even powerful. Then comes the truth. We don't have it figured out. How dare we even think that? Utter shame and sadness follow this new consciousness. I think this is exactly where "sweet lies" exist. That bubble of exhilaration and accomplishment will eventually burst, but the waiting just a little longer before the revelation can be considered a "sweet lie".

Emma thinks she can whistle. She thinks she is an expert whistler. She squeals "whoo-whoo" in a high pitched voice with her lips puckered tight and then smiles wide, "Did you hear my whistle?". "That was an amazing whistle!", we all say. Then Emma says, "I can do it with two fingers." She opens her puckered lips just wide enough to get two fingers in her mouth and lets out an even more shrill "whoo-whoo". An even bigger smile spreads across her face and I applaud. I couldn't dare tell her the hideous truth that those were not whistles just noises and anyone can make them. No, she will figure that out soon enough. Today, she is an amazing whistler all due to a little "sweet lie".

Ciao, Areli

The Promise

Today was a gorgeous day. No, that word "gorgeous" isn't quite right it sounds to rough for this day- this day was sensational.

7:30 am - I open my eyes to the glorious sunlight flooding my otherwise unlit bedroom. The beginning of a promise.

08:30 am - Panera Bread for breakfast with family in tow.

09:30 am - Indoor swimming in a perfectly heated pool with only the company of dear friends.

11:00 am - Walk along river, family still in tow, sun still shining, and Jon camera ready.

12:00 pm - Grab lunch to go and head to Laurel Creek Park for a "pink-nic". Sun still shining.

02:00 pm - Light shopping: new bath-mat, lotion, hair product, and sour lollipops.

03:00 pm - Sonic for slushes and limeades.

03:30 pm - Bays Mountain for the most beautiful waterfall hike ever as the sun is still shining.

Home by 05:30 pm and the acknowledgment that the morning's promise proved true.

Ciao, Areli

It is a wild yet lovely ride.

As I briskly scoot the girls out the door this morning just in time to catch the big yellow school bus, I let out an accomplished sigh. Task 'numero uno' done! Now, I re-enter my kitchen where my husband, Jon, is dutifully make two very tall and yummy cappuccino's. Always return duty for duty, I say, so I ask him if I can make him anything special for breakfast. He teasingly replies, "Cherry Cheesecake sounds nice." It's funny, but I then realize I have all ingredients needed in my cupboards to produce a cherry cheesecake, and so task 'numero duo' is set in motion. As I put the mini cheesecake bites into the oven to bake I become aware that I haven't seen Emma-loo or her daddy for a precarious amount of time.

I go down to the garage/workshop to take a look-see. I find my silly little dumpling prancing around the yard in her sisters 'way-to-big' dress shoes carrying a newly made walking stick; she skips and hops all the way to my side. I am smiling big and thinking it must be wrong for her to be so cute. Then she starts babbling on about her newest dilemma, "What is the difference between peddling- like a boat, and peddling- like a bike?" Instead of trying to figure out her brain I just explain one is actually "paddling" and the other "peddling". She is satisfied and hops on her big wheel racing off to the nearest adventure in the land deemed "Glenn Backyard".

I then search on for my other MIA and I find him just as suspected in the "Great Man's Workshop" or his half of the garage. I am immediately impressed at what I see. It was only days ago that I suggested Jon make the girls a small doll armoire to hold all of their American Girl doll clothes and accessories. I showed him a picture of one I find online that was way overpriced and with that he nodded and bid me adieu. Now, before me I see a freshly painted beautiful piece of furniture that I would rather hold my own treasures than some measly doll clothes. I know the girls will be so happy and proud. I am immediately impressed and in love with this man who often takes me to the edge of my sanity only to swing the pendulum all the way back to bliss. It is a wild yet lovely ride. And don't forget there's cheesecake to boot.

Ciao, Areli