My Journey

 

I never really understood the importance of storytelling and its significant addition it made on our lives.  Without stories from the past the future would be most mundane.   Taking this course and learning how we can take the written word and bring it to life was an amazing journey and one that will live on.  I hope to pass this same journey on to my children and then theirs.  I want them to enjoy and appreciate what has happened before them.  As myself and others look back there will be smiles on their face recalling all the memories and those memories will be so much more vivid told digitally.

Mom's Backyard

Sitting in my mom’s backyard brought back many memories of when I was a child and I can remember that the others kids congregated here.  The backyard has changed through the years, but the interaction from when I was young has not changed much as I watch my daughters and their friends enjoying the pool.  My mom had a pool put in back in the 70’s.  It was an in-ground pool and had all the extras, diving board, slide, deep end and shallow.  We had some great times there.

When summer comes we always wanted to be the first one in so we could claim the bragging rights.  This has not changed as I see the same competiveness in my children as she saw in us.  Her greatest concern was that we learned to swim.  I truly cannot remember not being able too.  She has always told us that we could swim before we walked, my sister and I.  I can understand her concern as my two daughters were introduced into the water world at a very young age.  Teaching them young to appreciate the water and respect it is the best lesson to learn. 

From the time were babies she had us in the pool as I have heard her tell the stories many times.  We had baby floats and she would take us in and let us float at her side, sometimes even as we slept.  We were always protected from the sun.  As we grew she bought us “floaties” for our arms and this to us was a big deal.  She would now let us venture into the deep water when she was in the pool.  “Floaties” led to life jackets and then finally freedom, no floatation devices at all

I have seen this same sequence of events take place in my daughter’s lives.  Being a swimmer myself I hoped that my children would take to the water as I did.   And low and behold they swim like fishes and enjoy this sport immensely.

Years have passed, the backyard has been altered, but the feelings and the enjoyment are there and I am sure they will be there in our memories for a long, long time. 

Philadelphia

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Surgery

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

                                                 A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

We were all set to go.  Car was packed, reservations made, and all the extra gear we need was safely tucked away in the top car carrier.  This was my husband’s and children’s first camping trip.  Camping in a tent was old hat to me, but for my husband and children it was a whole new experience.  The weather forecast was for sunny, warm weather during the day but a little cooler at night, so a couple of extra blankets would come in handy.

It was a short drive to the New York State Park and I was optimistic that it would be a great weekend for all.  My cousins and their families were all going to the same park so we would have companions for the girls and lots of time around the campfire together. 

My husband’s concerns were the safety of our girls.  He is a city boy and the idea of camping in a tent, sleeping on the ground, and wild animals was foremost in his mind.  Needless to say he did not sleep very well the first night.  The night sounds when you are in the woods are deafening.  A night owl hooting, a deer foraging for food, a squirrel scampering through the campsite, all kept him on edge. 

Early the next morning I awoke to find him gone.  Looking out of the tent I saw him wrapped in a blanket sitting near the fire with a baseball bat in his hand.  I just had to laugh at the picture before me, but the funniest part was that sitting next to him was an albino skunk.  As quiet as I could be I spoke in soft even tones telling him not to move.  Between my wanting to giggle, I tried to make him understand what was happening.  I told him to slowly turn his head to the left and look downward.  The look that overcame him was one for the picture books.  I was by now laughing so hard I could not contain myself. 

The sun was finally coming up and the skunk kind of looked up at him, wiggled his head and ambled slowly away from his chair, stopping to turn and look at him.  It seemed to say to him, “You’re no fun so I’m leaving.”

After that night my husband, when the sun went down, sat and slept in the car for the rest of our camping experience.  To this day he refuses to go camping.  I wonder why?  (giggles)

Our Best Friend Moves In

It was the 13^thof August, right after my oldest daughter’s birthday.  I had a doctor’s appointment and my mother was staying with my two girls, Sharon and Sarah.  Finishing with the doctor’s appointment I called home to see if they needed anything and how things were going.  My mother sounded kind of hesitant when she was on the phone and assured me that everything was going ok.  I was a very warm summer’s day as I drove home.  My mother had asked me to call her when I got closer and I thought it odd but told her ok.  My thoughts of what they were up to at home ran rampant with ideas.  Broken window? 


 Flooded bathroom? 

Smoke filled house due to them cooking? What ever could it be? I made the call anyways.

As I pulled into the driveway I could see through the front bay window a scurry of movement in the living room.  As I parked the car in the garage my mother was heading down the short flight of steps from the hallway. She was carrying a small box that I had gotten from the pet store the previous week. 
 My daughter had asked for a puppy for her birthday but my husband had always said emphatically, NO!  He was not a dog lover, he tolerated cats but whenever the girl’s asked for a dog he was adamant that no dog would live in our home.  Anyways, I recognized the pet carrier as the one we had brought the guinea pig home in.  My heart beat faster thinking that something had happened to the guinea pig we called Vanilla, as I knew my daughters would both be brokenhearted.  They had made all kinds of promises to my husband on the care, feeding and cleaning of the guinea pig until he finally relented and allowed them to get it. 

Her words to me were, “I’m leaving and will call you later.”  She said this to me as she thrust the carrier in my hands and headed for the garage door with her keys jingling in her hand.  I knew she was trying to hide something she had done. My next word caught her off guard and she stopped dead in her tracks. “Stop it right there mother.”  She knows when I address her as mother instead of mom I as serious. “What is going on and what is in this box?”

As she stood in the doorway with her head kind of bowed I could see an inkling of a smile on her face.  As I peeked into the box all I could see was a black ball of fur.  Fully opening the box I lifted out a very tiny puppy that I instantly fell in love with.

My next though was what would my husband say?  I didn’t have long to wait because he was pulling into the driveway at that moment. 

As he got out of the car his gaze went to the box and then our two guilty faces.  It was at this moment that my mother looked up at him and repeated a saying she always uses with her grandchildren, “If daddy says no ask grandma, she will get it for you.”

Needless to say he was not immediately happy with what she had done, but I could see the delight in his eyes when he gazed into the box and held the puppy for the first time.  I can truly say that this was the day that our, the whole family, best friend moved in with us.

                                                        Midnight Our Best Friend

A Trip to Fantasy World

I will never forget my first impression of Walt Disney World.  First impressions seem to last the longest and for me this is true.

Imagine yourself in a fantasy world where the fantasy comes alive at the turn of every corner.  That was my first impression of walking through the opening gates of Walt Disney World, Main Street, USA, where all the colorful characters and animated scenery come to life. 

 People were everywhere walking the pristine walks that were lined on both sides with flowers in every color of the rainbow.  I could smell the mingling aromas of candy floss that other children held like sticks of fluffy spun cotton.  The dark sweet fudge they were eating greedily came from the lollipop decorated candy shop that had the shape of Mickey Mouse.  All these smells mingled in the air and I felt as though I was in a field of wild flowers.




The sounds of tinkling laughter coming from the little children hold tightly to their mother’s hands, and the faces pick with excitement waiting for the Disney characters to appear from what seemed out of nowhere.  In the background I heard the thunderous sounds of a train riding its rails towards the station.  I was one of those happy faced children as I walked quickly down the street towards the music that seems to float on the air from every crook and crevice.                                                



In front of me I encountered Cinderella’s stately castle.  It’s pink and blues hues on the man-made stone of the castle blended it perfectly into the surrounding scenery.  The beautiful castle was glittering in the sunlight and throwing shadows onto the hordes of people below waiting for the regal princess to show herself to the throngs of people anxiously awaiting her arrival. 

 The anxiously awaited moment came when she seemed to float onto the log hewn drawbridge in all her regal glory.  She was a beautiful sight in her baby blue gown covered with the tiniest of sequins and most precious of pearls lining the square cut bodice of the gown.  Golden rings of curls were hanging from beneath her crown.  The crown made of what looked like gold, was intricately cut like a precious diamond.  Each steeple peak ended with a small dainty star, oh how enchanting she was.  As she moved forward her movements were so very soft, like she was walking on a white cloud made of the softest, satiny material.  Watching her gave me chills up and down my spine and when it seemed like she was looking directly at me I could feel the gentle fluttering of butterflies in my stomach and the rosy color and warmth rush to my cheeks.  As she began to speak to the enormous crowd that was gathered before her, there came a sudden, complete hush to the crowd.  Cinderella’s skin was like fine porcelain kilned to perfection.   My eyes were riveted on her; I could not draw my eyes from this vision of loveliness.  I was mesmerized waiting for her to speak; not knowing her voice would be like hearing angels singing in the choir at Christmas.  It was a melodious voice that brought calmness from within and caused a riveting of all eyes on her.  As she raised her white gloved, graceful hand into the air, she waved towards the hushed crowd. 

She was welcoming us, my family, to her fantasy world, to enjoy all the sights and sounds put there for our enjoyment.  This was my first taste of a world where children reign supreme and I had only been in the beautiful park for only a few minutes.  I will never forget the sweetness of the smells that assaulted me as I entered the gates, no will I forget that amazing beauty that welcomed me.  Never will I have such a wonder feeling of enjoyment as I did that day when I took my first steps of my fantasy trip into the World of Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom.  I will never feel the enchantment that I felt on that first sunny day in Florida, when I entered into another world.