March 1, 2008

Lucky

My amazing husband is a personal injury lawyer. I know what you’re thinking and you can stop rolling your eyes right now. Personal injury lawyers have a terrible rap, but I swear that it’s completely unfounded, at least in M’s case. He truly chose this field of law because he wanted to help the underdog, and frankly it’s a risky business; they only get paid if they win the case, and for each win there are an awful lot of losses.

On any given day M and his boss hear any number of terrible stories; people who have lost everything except for their lives, people who have survived accidents only to be forever changed, people who have lost limbs, memory, and any hope of ever regaining past abilities. They struggle to have their expenses covered by the insurance companies who are desperate to give them as little as possible. Money can’t fix a brain, but it can offer peace of mind.

But not everyone has a valid case. For instance take the man who called this morning. While on a ski vacation, his car skidded on a patch of ice and barrel rolled. M pulled out a pad of paper and started to ask questions.

“Who was in the car with you?”

“My wife and kids,” the caller answered.

“Was anyone hurt?”

“Well, no, but the car was totaled.”

“No one was injured at all?”

“No, no, we’re all fine. But the car was completely totaled.”

“Oh, and is the insurance giving you grief about the car?”

“Well, no, they’re going to cover the cost of the car.”

“OK. Then I’m not sure I follow. Why exactly do you think you need a personal injury lawyer?”

“I want to sue the makers of the car.”

“I’m sorry. Why?”

“The anti-lock brakes didn’t work. It’s their fault we skidded and rolled.”

“But no one was hurt.”

“Right, but still, it was their fault.”

M was incredibly polite and told the man he didn’t have a case.

That man is doubly lucky. One; that his family was in that car, a car that was sturdy enough to keep his family safe while they barrel rolled over ice. And two; that I’m not the one who took his call. I wouldn’t have been polite. I would have had a few choice words for that guy. He should be writing that company to thank them for building such a sturdy vehicle rather than trying to sue them for a minor glitch. And then he should go home and hug his wife and kids and thank his lucky stars that he’s not visiting them in a hospital, a home, or even the morgue. But, then again, some people just don’t get it.

This was a guest post written by Rose at It’s My Life… in honor of this month’s blog exchange.

When I’m not busy working, cooking, running after my toddler, C, or nursing Little L, I’m usually hiding in the bathroom thinking up my next blog post or trying to read a chapter or two of the book I’m currently wading through. When I do come up with something witty to write about, you can read it here where your usual blogger extraordinaire is blogging today.

Go on over and read her post and don’t forget to check out all the other blog exchange posts this month!

February 2, 2008

It doesn’t take much to change your prespective

My to-do list ran the length of a whole page and Little L and I cuddled the morning away as I chipped away at my endless list of tasks.

- Order meds for C – check
- Email work re:Sick leave – check
- Write blog post for Your Jewish Mother blog – Check (going up Thursday!)
- RSVP to friend’s wedding – check
- Menu plan for the week – check

When I broke for a shower and lunch I was quite proud of myself. Granted there were still some pretty big items on the list (Write a query, take a walk), but still, I was getting somewhere! I had a quick shower, ate a healthy lunch (WW day three, still going strong. Yay, me!), and sat back down to nurse Little L some more.

All of a sudden it was 2:30 and I realized there was no way I was going to make it through the whole list. I debated for all of thirty seconds and opted to procrastinate a little more on writing my query and go for the big walk, but first I had to get a week’s worth of groceries. I never look forward to exercising, but I know that I have to get my duff off the couch if I want to drop these pregnancy pounds. (Plus, I know how to walk, whereas I’ve never written a query, and right now that seems more insurmountable than getting back into shape. Go figure.)

Fast forward a half hour later, Little L is in the Bjorn and I’m ambling up and down the aisles of the supermarket, list in hand. My groceries are piling up and I’m starting to really believe that I might actually have to exercise. And that’s when I noticed the little old lady. Really, it would have been hard not to notice her; she was blocking the aisle and walking at snails pace. I squeezed around her and kept on trucking.

Around the next aisle there she was again, shuffling her way towards the end display. I pushed past, throwing groceries in the cart. By the time I was shoving bell peppers into a plastic bag I’d run into her at least three times, so when I turned my head and saw her again it would have been really rude not to smile. I’m many things, but I’m not rude, even if it means that I’ll have to chat with a little old lady.

It was her first trip out of the house alone since a heart attack and heart surgery. She’d been in the store two hours and was just getting done with her shopping. She’d had to empty her cart once because it was too heavy to push. She’d left her cell phone at home knowing her daughter would be mad at her for heading out on her own. I chatted with her a little more and then moved away. I gathered some peaches and a pear, chose some herbs, and watched her out of the corner of my eye. Shuffle, shuffle, pause, shuffle, shuffle, pause.

“Are you going to be ok to drive home?” I asked her.
“Yes, yes. I’ll be fine. I’ll leave the groceries in my car and my son in law will bring them in later.”
“Are you really sure? I could drive you home if you wanted.”
“Where do you live?” She asked, not exactly the answer I expected.
“I live around here, but that’s ok, I don’t mind driving you home, really. Your children can come get your car later. I don’t think you should drive yourself.”
“Maybe that would be nice.”
“Ok. I’m going to get a few last items and I’ll meet you at the cash register.” I raced off as she shuffled towards the registers.

She didn’t argue, and I was floored. She must have been exhausted to accept help from a complete stranger. I’m sure the fact that I was carrying an infant made me seem a little less like a serial killer, but still, it takes guts to admit that you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.

The cashier loaded her groceries into my car while I loaded mine into the trunk. I drove back to the store entrance and picked up my new friend. We chatted some more as we drove to her house; she seemed tired and frustrated by her new limitations.

“A year ago I could walk as fast as you.”

The quiet way she said this stopped me in my tracks. Sometimes getting older doesn’t happen gradually. Sometimes you lose abilities overnight, and that has to be terrible.

I brought in her groceries and made sure she was ok, then I jumped back into my car and drove off. A quick glance at the clock showed me that I only had enough time to go home, unload my own groceries, and head north to pick C up from daycare. No walk for me today. But it’s ok, I got a little exercise lugging all those groceries, and now I don’t feel like complaining about walking anymore. I have a hunch it will be easier to motivate myself tomorrow.

This was a guest post written way back in the day (you know, all of a few months ago) by Rose at It’s My Life… in honor of this month’s “Rerun” themed blog exchange.

When I’m not busy working, cooking, running after my toddler, C, or nursing Little L, I’m usually hiding in the bathroom thinking up my next blog post or trying to read a chapter or two of the book I’m currently wading through. When I do come up with something witty to write about, you can read it here where your usual blogger extraordinaire is blogging today.

Go on over and read her post and don’t forget to check out all the other blog exchange posts this month!

January 1, 2008

Best of 2007, Bloggy Style

Two-thousand-seven is officially O-V-E-R.

At the beginning of a new year, I’m always optimistic about the great things I hope to accomplish and then I’m amazed at how quickly time flies. To commemorate all things 2007, here are some “Best of” highlights I’d like to present, month by month:

January

• Best Winter Activity – Sledding with Dawson was quite fun. Although I spent most of the time pulling him on the sled, up and down hills, sweating my ass off underneath the long johns, jeans, turtleneck sweater, coat, hat and mittens I was wearing. I didn’t realize this activity was actually considered exercise. January was also the month that Karen created my current blog design that I love, love, love. (It almost won a Blogger’s Choice Award. I was only short 687 votes. Hee hee.)

February

• Best Valentine’s Gift – A fabulous steak and shrimp dinner my husband cooked for me. I’m giving him and award for his culinary masterpiece. He even made twice-baked potatoes – my favorite – and he hates messing with stuff like that. February was also the month I busted my ass at the gym nearly everyday. (That reminds me, I need to get back into shape!)

March

• Best Birthday Present – Since my birthday is March 17th, and I sort of freaked out about turning twenty-eight, my husband made the wise decision not to sing “Happy Birthday” to me. Instead, he bought a plain cake from the bakery and had the cake decorator write, “Forever Young” in the icing. It was the sweetest thing, and not just because of the butter creme frosting.

April

• Best Spring Activity – Puddle jumping with Dawson. After several rain showers, we put on some grubby clothes, galoshes and rain jackets and stomped around in the lake at the end of our driveway. It was the best fun I’d had since I was three years old. The neighbors thought we were completely wacko, but I didn’t care. We did a lot of biking this month, also!

May

• Best Mother’s Day Gift – A trip to the Milwaukee Zoo with family. I hadn’t been to the zoo since I was in preschool and it was wonderful to spend time with my mother, father, brother and of course, Dawson. Our favorite animals were the penguins because we had watched the movie Happy Feet a million times. I bought Dawson a stuffed penguin from the gift shop. He loved it so much he went to sleep with it each night, until our dog got a hold of it and chewed it to shreds. I suppose this is a great excuse to revisit the zoo next May.

June

• Best Field Trip – Visiting family in Allenton, Wisconsin and then heading to Milwaukee Polish Fest. We danced, we laughed, we sang, and we ate a lot of authentic Polish food, such as Polish sausage (kielbasa), sauerkraut, pirogies and ponczkis. Yum!

July

• Best Vacation Month – This is the month I attended a Polka Festival; Pulaski Polka Days — and I went to my first BlogHer conference in Chicago. I met so many wonderful people and had the best time talking to old and new friends. This month was extremely busy, but so worth it.

August

• Best Month to Read Books – This was the month I read three wonderful novels. The sad part is I can’t remember a single one. I may have to read them all again.

September

• Best Party – Dawson’s Birthday Bash. Even though I cleaned the house for five straight days, we all had a great time. Dawson received so many wonderful gifts from our family and friends. We are so grateful — and so very lucky.

October

• Best Anniversary Yet – Doug and I celebrated six years of marital bliss and again, my beloved made an amazing dinner of BBQ spare ribs and shrimp. I swear I gained twenty pounds that night, but we found a way to work it off. (We went for a very long walk, and reminisced our courtship along the way.)

November

• Best Thanksgiving Holiday Moment – My mother told the story of the deck falling off my parents house, and when my younger brother heard the noise, he ran to see what the big crash was and walked into thin air — he didn’t realize the deck was not there and fell straight down. We all laughed so hard because as he fell he was saying, “What the….(hell was that noise?)” It still cracks me up as I type this! Sadly, I never blogged about it because I was frazzled about NaBloPoMo.

December

• Best Christmas Moment – Watching a video of the Christmas we celebrated in 1989, when my grandmother was still alive, and realizing how wonderful it is to gather together to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

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This post is part of the January blog exchange, in which the theme is “Best of 2007 Awards”. Dana couldn’t think of actual awards to give out — probably because she was very lazy after all the Christmas chaos. If you’d like to participate in the February’s blog exchange, click here for details.

December 1, 2007

Gifts

Make new friends
But keep the old
One is silver
And the other gold

I remember walking down the sidewalk with a dozen or so other girls in brown smocks singing this verse. At the time, all of my friends were new. Only six years old, I hadn’t had the opportunity to acquire old friends. Today I count myself among the lucky ones to now have a veritable treasure chest of friends.

There is Jen, from back in the days of big hair and tight jeans. We’ve made it through high school drama, boyfriends, college distance, vacations, weddings, babies, divorces, you name it. You hold one the dearest places in my heart, now and forever.

Carrie and Chrissie, who became indispensable to me during the first year of college. We grew from children into adults together. I’m proud to have had you both lend a hand in shaping the woman I am today.

Susan and Lora. My baby mama friends. Can you say ‘instant rapport?’ Without these ladies, I doubt I would have made it through my pregnancy and Sam’s first year with my mind intact.

High Heeled Mama, Jenn and Courtney aka My Hotlanta crew. It’s not secret I didn’t love it down there, but if I hadn’t met them, I would have hated it!

And finally Stephen. The best of them all. You know me better than I know myself sometime. Loving you has made me a better person. Not a day goes by that I don’t look at our children and think of how wonderful you have made my life. You’ve been with me at my lowest times, and even when I pushed everyone away, you stayed by my side. You held me up. You are my one truest love.

I can only to give thanks for having received the love and friendship of the people in my life. They are ever more valuable than silver and gold.

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This post was brought to you by Amy Jo. Consider it your official invitation to join Dana over at The Cheese Party, where she’s hanging out in honor of the Blog Exchange!