Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Boo (30 Before 30 #18)

I hate Halloween.  Like seriously HATE everything about it.  Well, I guess I like seeing my nephews in their costumes and eating candy but other than that HATE.
I absolutely hate being scared, or getting scared.  I hate when people jump out at me.
I HATE haunted houses.  I've been to two.  The first time was at my first middle school sleep-over at my new school and I got so scared I cried the whole way through and my Dad had to come pick me up and take me home.  The second my friends dragged me to in high-school and I got so scared just standing in line I left and got in my one and only car accident.


So yeah I'm not participating tonight.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Laziness Confession (30 Before 30 #17)

I confess I am super lazy and a HUGE procrastinator.  Sleeping is probably my favorite thing to do, like ever.  My friend Kim says she wants to clip coupons with me on Sunday mornings, but that would mean I'd have to get up before 11am and that probably won't happen.
I've always liked to sleep.  I used to sleep more.  I remember being able to sleep til 2:30pm.  But now I am a married looser and don't go out on the weekends so 11:30am is about as late as I sleep these days. On week days I have to be to work at 9am and I literally set my alarm for 8am hit snooze as many times as I can and actually end up rolling out of bed between 8:30-8:40.  It's bad.
Moving on to my procrastination.  I am not a procrastinator at work, but in my personal life I am really bad.  Case in point: taking my drivers test.  I have been in MN for almost 3 years and just now took my test and only then did I take it because my Virginia license was expiring.
I need to do better about both of these things.  Maybe these are two things I can work on after 30 Before 30.  We'll see, I'll decide later, maybe...


XO XO

P.S. I've been procrastinating all day about writing this post...sorry it's so late!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Pets (30 Before 30 #16)

The Langwith family does not have a good track record with pets.  We had two birds (Bert & Ernie) but I was allergic and we had to get rid of them.  We've had multiple goldfish...DEAD.  A hamster named Turd...Got lost in Ben's car and was ultimately found dead.  And two dogs Lexus & Baxter.

Lexus was a dalmatian and had ADHD.  You couldn't even take her on a walk.  We tried taking her to obedience school but we got kicked out after the first lesson.  We had trainers come to our house, but ultimately we had to give her to my Uncle to live on the farm.  And no, my parents didn't secretly put her down and tell us they sent her to a farm, she really went to one in Illinois (although she did die there chasing after a big tractor but that's besides the point.

Baxter was a good dog, well Baxter was an ok dog, what I mean to say is that Baxter was a dog that was scared of most people and bit them.  He liked my mom, me, and ultimately Tom but only because Tom always had food in his hand.  It's unfortunate we can't count on our two hands how many people Baxter bit.  We'd need about 50 hands for that.  Really we should have put him down, but man to make that decision...are you kidding me?!?  No matter how bad a dog is I don't think I could ever be the one to make that kind of decision.  It's different if they are sick and dying anyway, but just because they are bad?  I don't know.  Good thing I was the kid and not the adult in those situations.

Baxter and me in one of my Senior High School pictures


Now Tom & I have two dogs, Rocky & Addie, and they are great dogs.  We adopted them from the Humane Society and I would never do it any other way.  It's like they know how lucky they are.  Rocky can be a little shit sometimes and Addie is the sweetest girl you'll ever meet.  I would say their worst quality is they are super excitable.  And really if that's the worst I can handle it.


The story behind getting Rocky is one I hold over Tom's head for sure.  See, I had just moved to Virginia and boughten (I don't think that's a word but oh well) a house.  Tom wasn't living there so he said I had two choices, "A dog or a security system."  I was in the process of starting a new job across town, going to school at night, and planning our wedding so I figured it wasn't the right time to get a dog and I would work on getting a security system.  I went home to Des Moines for 1 week to plan our wedding and when I returned to Virginia Tom picked me up from the airport with a dog in the backseat.  Initially I thought it was our friend Jenny's dog, Brady.  I asked Tom, "Whose dog is this?"  And he said, "Yours".  Literally my face turned red and my jaw dropped.  This was not any sort of dog I was expecting in my wildest dreams.  I was thinking cute little yorkie and got bit ole mutt! 

What I thought I would get                                                                                What I got


Needless to say I was a bit pissed at Tom, but literally by the time we got home I had a named picked out for him and was in love.  Rocky is my boy.  He is by my side constantly, sleeps by me at night (or with me when we're in the guest room), and lays on the bath mat when I am in the shower.  He is the most loyal dog and I am so glad Tom pulled the trigger and got him without my consent.  I can't imagine him not being a part of our lives.

Addie (technically Adrian) was adopted because Rocky was being naughty.  You might think to yourself, "why would you get another dog if the one you have is naughty?"  And I would answer, "Good question!"  But we felt bad because Rocky was alone most of the day and thought if we got a friend for him to play with he would be better.  Really what happened was he dug holes for both of them to escape out of.

When we decided to get another dog we went to multiple adoption fairs (with Rocky) to see if any dogs would fit with our family.  We liked a couple but when we brought Rocky out to play with them they didn't mesh well.  We were feeling defeated when we got a call about a dog that just showed up to another adoption fair we had previously been at.  We quickly drove over there to see "Foxy Lady" (as Addie was named from the humane society).  She was so cute and little.  We brought Rocky out to play and they got along perfectly.  I was scared to make the final decision and made Tom do it and we took Foxy Lady home.  While we were in the car on the way home (Tom driving, me in the backseat with both dogs in case any fights broke out) I noticed Addie had some black spots in her fur.  As I inspected closer I realized they were fleas!!!  Now, Addie had just been spayed/neutered the day before and we were given specific instructions not to bathe her for 7 days.  Tom and I both looked at each other as if to say, "What the hell are we supposed to do?"  Tom basically said F it and gave her a bath in the rain, along with Rocky (just in case).  Now remember we hadn't even had this dog for an hour and we are already trying to give her a bath.  When she started licking Tom's face we knew she was a keeper.  Even after waking up to the smell of diarrhea, going to Wal-Mart at 2 in the morning to buy a kennel and waking up in the morning to a kitchen full of explosive diarrhea we knew she was a keeper.  We love our Addie girl.  And wouldn't trade her for the world.



XO XO

Sunday, October 28, 2012

December 29, 2007 (30 Before 30 #15)

December 29, 2007...a day I will never forget.  Notice how I didn't say the cliche line "the best day of my life"?  Because really, who can honestly say their wedding day was the best day of their lives???  My wedding day was the most stressful, hectic, crazy day of my life!  Yes, I did get to marry Tom and that was the best part of that day, but to be honest here is a picture from one of the best days of my life:



A day where the entire family stayed in bed all day napping, watching TV, and snuggling.  For me, that's the best day I can imagine :)
Going back to the day I will never forget.  December 29, 2007, our wedding day.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:

First Baptist Church in Johnston, IA: Location of the ceremony





They had a hard time getting me in my dress...too many clippy things :)


My mom, me, Tom's mom


Getting ready for Tom to see me for the first time.  My Dad walked me out to him, but we had to stop to wipe tears a lot!


The entire bridal party...the only pic we got of all of us!  The ring bearer was NOT in to taking pictures :)


My favorite picture of Tom and his mom


My favorite picture of me!


Love this one!


Right after the wedding ceremony got over...the photographer was up on the balcony and caught us!


Well those are just a few (out of 1,000's) that I love.

XO XO

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Compliments (30 Before 30 #14)

It's always nice to get a compliment, "Molly you are so pretty."  "Oh thanks so are you!"
See how nice and easy that is?!?
Well, growing up my mom thought it was important to teach my brother and I how to compliment people.  So she tried a tactic she probably read in some book about raising kids.  Every time my brother or I did something mean to someone (usually each other) or said something mean we had to give the person three compliments.  Here's a preview of how they went:
Molly: "Ben your feet stink and we should burn your shoes"
Ben: "Shut up buttface you stink"
Mom: "Now kids those things are not nice to say to each other.  Please stop right now and say three nice things to each other."
Ben & Molly: "fine mom"
Molly: "Ben is good at soccer, smart at math, and runs fast"
Ben: "Molly is good, she's fine, she's well"

Really Ben?!?!  That's all you could come up with????  Pretty much that's all he ever said, so Emily I'm sorry Ben never really learned how to complement people, but if he ever says you're good, fine or well take it...it's the best he can do.



Aww...look how cute we were!



XO XO

Friday, October 26, 2012

*UPDATED* Tests (30 Before 30 # 13)

I hate taking tests.  I am a terrible test taker.
Today I have to go take my drivers test so I can try and get a MN license.  I've been studying, but am nervous.
Say a prayer
I'll let you know how I do
YIKES!


*Update*
I PASSED MY DRIVERS TEST!!!!  Only missed one question and it was the first one!  Whooo hooo!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Firsts (30 Before 30 #12)

I've had a lot of firsts in my days...
First word, first steps, first day of school.  But here are some pictures of firsts that have happened with Tom:

My first EVER picture with Tom (March 2005 Jamaica).  Look how young and skinny we were!

The first house we owned (Midlothian, Virginia).

Our first baby, Rocky!

Our first nephew, Tyler.  LOVE

Our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, by ourselves.  Clearly I'd never made Thanksgiving for only 2 people before.  We had food for days!
Our first official family picture!

Our first BIG Christmas tree!

XO XO

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Hee-Haw (30 Before 30 #11)

My mom has been the Children's Music director at our church forever...literally over 20 years (and is still doing it).  Pretty sure they'll name a pew after her or something when she retires.  She has directed the children's choir, the Christmas pagents, Easter shows, Christmas Programs, Thanksgiving for Christmas, Baptist on Broadway and numerous other performances throughout the years.

Her most memorable directing performance was when President Clinton came to our church one Sunday.  The Children's choir was scheduled to perform and they did...boy did they ever!  I think word got out that the President would be in attendance because we'd never and still have never had so many kids in the Children's choir as that Sunday.  At one point I looked up and saw my brother's best friend Reid in the choir.  P.S. Reid did not belong to our church and had never sung in the choir before.

My mom was not one to shy away from certain songs either.  If she wanted the kids choir to sing them we did.  We sang Feliz Navidad (in spanish), Silent Night with a verse in French, a song from the Musical "Annie", and most notably Heal the World by Michael Jackson.  We also once did a Christmas Program with a chef in it (not sure what that was about).

Now I ALWAYS wanted a solo, or a good speaking part during a performance, but my mom said she couldn't show favorites so Jennie H. would get the solos and Emily T. would get to be Mary.  Me???  Well, I got to be...
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That's right folks...I got to be the donkey.  Hee-Haw...(that was my only line).  I also had to enter crawling on all fours.  My mom tried to play it as a very important role because Mary rode me but really we all know she was pulling at strings.  Oh, and playing favorites???  Yes, that's my YOUNGER brother standing next to me.  Pretty sure he got to be Joseph or at least a Shepherd.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Challenge #1...Also fish are mean and judgmental. (30 Before 30 #10)

I decided that with this 30 Before 30 thing I should also try and challenge myself to do something I've never done before, or something that puts me out of my comfort zone.  So with Tom being gone so much lately for interviews I decided now's the time to challenge myself.  Here is a synopsis from last nights challenge #1 (please don't let me confuse you by putting a number 1 behind it...it may be the only challenge I do so don't hold your breath for a #2!):

I had to pick Tom up from the airport at 8:45 last night and also needed to return something at a store at the Mall of America.  So I decided I would go to the Mall of America straight from work to try and avoid rush hour traffic (mildly successful) and just kill time there.  (p.s. now is probably the time to tell you I had not thought of this challenge stuff until I was actually faced with the challenge.)  As I was making my second trip around the mall (that is like a lot of miles cuz that mall is HUGE) I realized I was starving and still had 2hrs until I had to pick up Tom.  I didn't want to eat at the food court cuz I heard that's where the murders take place (I don't really know if that's true, but the people in the food court looked extra sketchy and I felt like they might want to murder me).  I remembered walking by a few restaurants and decided I would find one that sounded good and go to dinner by myself (Challenge).  I walked by a sushi place, but didn't feel like sushi (plus it was out in the middle of a major walkway and everyone would be able to see me sitting alone).  I walked by a fancy grille place but decided I didn't need to spend $75 on my first dinner date alone.  Then I came across the perfect place.  A restaurant in a corner, a dark place, not too busy, and hidden behind a store.  Now you may be thinking, "Molly this sounds sketchier than the food court!" and by my description you would be correct, however, this was The Rainforest Cafe!  Perfect!  I could duck in with the general shopping population thinking I was going to buy a cute giraffe onsie for my nephew and secretly sneak to the hostess to be seated.  Unfortunately that's not quite how it worked.
I tried to sneak in, but some nosey zit faced kid at the entrance of the store asked if I was here to eat and my rumbling belly answered for him.  He then said, "do you want to wait for the rest of your party or be seated?"  I sheepishly answered, "It's only me tonight".  He kind of smiled and said, "ok follow the green dinosaur tracks to the hostess table and they'll help you out."
Seriously kid, you had to ruin my plan?  You couldn't have just let me walk by?  You didn't even seat me.
As I followed the green dinosaur tracks through the store back to the hostess stand I seriously considered becoming anorexic and ditching the plan, but by the time I made my decision to leave I was at the end of the dinosaur tracks and a fat host man asked me how many for dinner?  Really?!?!  The zit faced kid didn't radio to you already that a looser was coming back to eat all by herself?  Why do you have those ear pieces if you're not going to use them???
First dilemma of eating alone: what do you do when you have to go to the bathroom?  I couldn't leave my purse, but I also didn't want them to think I left.
Answer: HOLD IT!
Second dilemma: but my hands are super dirty and I should probably wash them before I eat
Answer: Hand Sanitizer in your purse
Once my hands were sanitized I grabbed the menu to figure out what to order.  I considered a Monkey Margarita but thought that made the situation even sadder and instead ordered a Sprite and a Chimichanga.
While I was waiting for my food to arrive I noticed the fish in the aquarium had all gathered around.  It was like they knew I was alone.  But then I could see their stupid judgy fish faces and realized they, like everyone else in the restaurant were judging me for eating alone.  Here is their conversation:





Yep the fish were super mean to me :(  BUT I will say the staff (after the zit kid and fat host) were super nice.  They kept me company and even gave me a free dessert (they must have felt sorry for me too).
Overall, I wasn't totally traumatized and could definitely take myself to dinner again.  Although I would prefer to have some friends along!

XOXO

Monday, October 22, 2012

Cookie Dough Confession / Revelation (30 Before 30 #9)

This weekend I made cookies...9 small cookies.
The batch was supposed to make 12-14 BIG cookies.
Secretly I only made cookies so I could eat the dough.
This is not the first, second, or third time I have done this.
Maybe my obsession with cookies and cookie dough stems from this:


Yes...I was Cookie Monster for Halloween until I couldn't squeeze my fat ass in the costume anymore.  My mom made this costume and had to call in sick to work a few days to finish it.  If we can find the costume and it isn't infested with mice or spiders my children will also be Cookie Monster.  Hopefully they won't become obsessed with cookies / cookie dough like I am.  Maybe I should rethink the costume idea.


Sunday, October 21, 2012

Napoleon & Kip vs. Ben & Molly (30 Before 30 #8)







I was recently watching Napoleon Dynamite the other night and noticed a picture hanging on their wall that reminded me of a very similar picture that used to hang on my parent's wall.  I went back through my old pictures and found it.  Really...these pictures exist and are not just a movie prop.  YIKES!!

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Bobby Pins and Pie (30 Before 30 #7)



This memoir was written a few years ago after a recent visit to my Grandparents old farm.
 
In a time where dancing carefree to “Turkey and the Straw” was the highlight of my day, I bring you to my Grandpa and Grandma Cornwells’ house.  Situated in the town of Deer Creek, Illinois, my grandparents lived in an old farmhouse on Cornwell Road.  Right across the street was their white barn with pigs, cats, and a horse named prairie Jane.  
My Dad helping my brother, me, and my cousin Sarah on Prairie Jane.  One of the only pictures of me EVER on a horse due to my severe allergies.
 Across the corn field on the side of their house was my Uncle Boogie’s house.  Uncle Boogie lived in a huge old, creaky farmhouse with a luscious cherry tree in the back yard.
The most recent picture I have of myself and Uncle Boogie.
As I sit under the same old cherry tree as I did fourteen years ago, I am reminded of the day my Grandma, the finest pie-maker ever, chose me to help make the pie that would be served at dinner.
My all time favorite picture of me and my Grandma Cornwell.  This was taken at my pre-school graduation.
 I recall being ecstatic while getting the buckets and step ladders we would use to gather the cherries.  She'd asked me, and no one else; life could not have gotten any better for an eight year old girl.

 During the walk over to the cherry tree my Grandma explained to me how to recognize a good cherry from the bad.  She said, “If the cherry is bright red it means it is still ripe and is too sour,” while making a puckering face.  “If it is dark red almost purple it is old and bad, but if it is red and a little dark it is just right.”

Once we got to the cherry tree my seventy year old Grandma climbed up her step ladder and gracefully plucked three cherries off the overloaded branches.  She came back down and showed me which was the good cherry and which two were bad.  Then she popped the good cherry in her mouth, careful of the pit, and tossed the two bad cherries on the ground.
           
 Quickly, I followed using the same method as my Grandma and got my step ladder under the tree to begin filling my bucket.  Soon our hands were dyed bright cherry red and I started to giggle.  My Grandma looked to see what I was giggling about and told me to lick my finger.  It tasted like a cherry Popsicle cooling my mouth on a hot day.  I never wanted to wash my hands again.  I wanted to remember the taste forever.
           
After filling both of our buckets with cherries we slowly dragged our heavy buckets home, readjusting our grips after each slow step.  Once inside we meticulously arranged newspapers on the table and floor, covering the all important blue carpet, and began to pit our cherries.  My grandma had a technique for pitting cherries using bobby pins.  She would slide the rounded edge into the cherry and then quickly pull it out with the pit.  After mashing the first twenty cherries between my fingers and breaking about ten bobby pins I finally got my first cherry pitted.  For every one of my pitted cherries my Grandma had three and after about an hour we had completed the second stage of the cherry pie.
            
 The next step was to clean the cherries and soak them in a sugar potion.  My grandma never used a recipe, just a dash of this and a dash of that, never worrying how the end result would be.
             
While the cherries soaked in the potion we started making the pie crust.  Everything was made from scratch in my Grandma’s kitchen, to ensure the best quality for her family.  I was the designated measurer and pourer while Grandma stirred, not traditionally with a spoon, but a pastry blender and her hands until the right consistency was attained.  She then rolled it out and cautiously placed the dough into the pie pan.  Once the pie crust was pressed into the pan I got to pour the cherries and potion in.  After the cherries were spread out evenly, so that in every bite there would be a juicy cherry, we placed long cuts of the extra dough on top to make it criss-crossed.  It was the most beautiful pie I had ever seen.
           
That night at dinner I could not wait for the rest of the family to see the pie I had helped Grandma make.  I wiggled around in my chair throughout the whole meal, nerves and anxiety getting the best of my eight-year-old body.  Once everything and everyone was finished, Grandma asked me to help her get the pie ready.  Carefully, I got the pie off the cooling rack and walked it slowly to the table with Grandma shuffling behind me.  I showed off our work from the day and everyone smiled and began to feel the saliva build up in their mouths.
           
It was always a tradition to serve everyone their pieces of pie and then let my Grandpa, the professional pie taster, have the first bite.  As we set the pieces of pie in front of everyone, the aromas floated into our noses making our mouths water for our first bites.  As my Grandpa dug his fork into his piece my heart started racing hoping with all my eight year old might that he would like it.  He slowly lifted his fork into his mouth and began chewing.  At once his eyes lit up and a huge smile appeared on his face.  He looked straight at me and said, “You’ve done very well Molly.  Very well indeed.”  At that moment everyone else grabbed their fork and began tasting the delicious cherry pie, except my Grandma and me.  We kept our eyes locked, Grandpa still smiling and nodding, approving the days work.  I felt more proud at that moment than ever before.  Having the approval of my Grandpa meant a lot to me especially when it came to his favorite thing: pie.
             
As my Grandma watched the scene appear before her eyes, she began to smile.  I looked up at her and smiled back.  The smile on my Grandma’s face, after seeing the approval from her husband, made me so excited.  It is a smile my memory will never forget, it is the smile I think of now while sitting under the old cherry tree.  It is the smile that made pitting cherries the best part of being eight-years-old.

Friday, October 19, 2012

I Can't Think of A Creative Title for This One...(30 Before 30 #6)



This is my all time favorite picture of Tom and me.  It was taken at my brothers High School graduation party.
Please note the big plate of food was Tom's not mine :)
Also, the necklaces Tom is wearing were not my idea but it was 2003-2004 so maybe they were still cool???

XO XO

Thursday, October 18, 2012

The Great Name Change of '91 (30 Before 30 #5)

I believe it was in second grade when I decided to change my name.  All the girls had brown hair and brown eyes and were named Melissa or Jennifer.  Here I was blond hair and blue eyes named Molly.  No one had that name.  I wanted a longer name.  I told my mom about my dilemma and she told me a BIG secret.  She said that I was actually named after her Aunt Mollie and when they named me Molly they thought that is how it was spelled.  She said if I wanted a longer name I couldn't change my name, but I could change the way it was spelled.  So...



But then a few years later (5th grade) I believe I decided I didn't like Mollie any more and went back to Molly.  So...

Don't be jealous of the bangs
 And that is the great name change of '91!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Construction Zone...beep beep

As you can see we went under construction today!
My lovely sister-in-law (which if she ever got her blog started I would link to) got my creative juices flowing when she told me she was customizing her blog.
So we did some serious customization this afternoon, because really who works on a Wednesday at work?
What do you think?  I love yellow...it makes me so happy :)


30 Before 30 will continue tomorrow...I know you all can't wait to see what I will reveal next!

Potlucks = 2 nights worth of dinner (30 Before 30 #4)

For some reason growing up we always went to a lot of potlucks.  Church potlucks, choir potlucks, soccer potlucks, potlucks of every shape and size.  I loved going to potlucks because of the plethora of food desserts available to choose from.  Of course there were the obvious potluck choices KFC (for the lazy people to bring), jell-o fruit salad (for the grandma's to bring), and baked Macaroni & Cheese (for the people with a little bit of time to bring). 
The idea behind the "potluck" is for everyone attending to bring a dish people will love and share it.  People can pick and choose what they want to try.  It's sort of like a redneck buffet if you really think about it.
Now, if you're lucky like I was your mom was super smart about what to bring to a potluck.  She wouldn't be lazy and get KFC, and she wouldn't just run to the grocery store and pick up some potato salad.  No, she would actually make something.  Maybe some wild rice, chicken and mushroom hot dish, or some baked salmon, or some brussel sprouts.  You know totally normal stuff to bring to a potluck that the masses will want to eat.
The idea behind my mom's potluck was...make something for the potluck that no one will eat, bring the entire dish back home and serve it for dinner the next night.  See how smart she was?!?
Now, in all honesty my mom didn't think like that.  She truly thought what she was bringing to the potluck was normal and people would like it.  My brother and I were always so embarrassed when it was time to leave because our dish would be untouched.  Going to potlucks actually became a running joke in our household!  I will say though that my mom has gotten better about what to bring to potlucks...one time recently she actually brought KFC!
Maybe she knew all along what she was doing...who knows!  My mom is often smarter than what we give her credit for!


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

I Poisoned My Entire 4th Grade Class (30 Before 30 #3)

I don't even remember what we were learning about.  I just remember every student in the class was assigned to bring in a cheese for the entire class to sample (my teacher was probably hosting a wine and cheese night and figured she could use our leftovers).  I was assigned a cheese I had never heard of.  My mom and I went to Hy-Vee the night before I was supposed to bring the cheese in, bought it, cut it up and put it in a container to take to school.  I put it in my backpack right away (so I wouldn't forget it in the morning) and went to bed.  I woke up the next morning, headed to school and pulled out my cheese from the container while unpacking my backpack at my hook.  I noticed most kids had their cheese in a lunchbox with an ice pack or something to keep it cool and that's when it hit me.  I'd left cheese in my backpack all night long and was about to serve it to my entire 4th grade class.
Now I was already on the shit list with my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Mataloni (I don't know why she hated me so much) so I couldn't very well say I had forgotten about the cheese assignment.  So I quietly set up my cheese station including a flag from the country it was made in (an extra touch my mom and I had thought of to try and get back in the good graces of Mrs. Mataloni).  I gave my quick little presentation about my cheese and handed out the samples.  Everyone thought it tasted disgusting (I wouldn't know because I didn't eat any because I knew it was rotten).  My teacher said some cheeses had stronger tastes than others and moved on to the next kid while discreetly spitting her sample out on a napkin.
I didn't know if I should say anything or not, but figured I could keep it a secret unless someone actually got sick.  I guess no one ever got sick since this is the first time I'm coming clean :)

P.S. I learned my lesson so you can safely eat cheese at my house...you can find it in the refrigerator!


Monday, October 15, 2012

Dad’s always need Mom’s help! (30 Before 30 #2)



I wrote this in early 2005 for a nonfiction class.  You'll notice Tom makes an appearance in this one!


            Zooming down the entrance road to the Omaha airport at ninety miles an hour, rushing through stop signs and red lights my brother, Ben, and I look at each and shake our heads.  “Not again” we are both thinking.  We quietly hear our Mom say, “Denny slow down a little,” in a frantic yet calm voice.  “If we miss this flight we are not going, we’ll just turn around and go back home,” our Dad replied sternly and kept his foot on the pedal.  It was still dark, about 4:30 in the morning, and our flight for Amelia Island was to take off at 5:00.  The entrance to the airport was as long as it had ever been, with more stop signs then any of us had remembered in the past.  Up a head we all saw a car with something on its hood, and as we got closer I heard my Dad ask my Mom if it was illegal to pass a police.  I knew this was as close as we had come to missing a flight.
            Once we got onto the airport property my Dad started yelling instructions for each of us to do once the car stopped.  I was to get out and grab whatever I could.  My Mom was to run inside to the check in counter and tell them we had made it and not to let the plane leave yet.  My Brother and my Dad were to quickly get all of the luggage out of the back, and Ben was to drag it inside with my help while my Dad sped off to park the car.
            After getting quickly checked in the three of us, my Mom, Ben, and I ran to the gate so they would know we were here.  We waited what seemed like an eternity watching down the hallway for my Dad to arrive from parking the car but there was no sight of him.  The time was now 4:51 and one of the flight attendants came up to my mom and said, “Mam, we cannot wait any longer for your husband.  We have to push back from the gate.  Are you prepared to fly without him?”  Quickly my mother produced some tears and emotionally said, “No.”  Ben and I looked at each other and at our mom and said, “We are, we want to go!”  Without hesitation we got out our boarding passes and handed them to the lady.  Right as we turned our backs from watching the hallway my dad appeared and we all were able to board the plane with out anymore delay.
            Once in the air we all looked at each other and began laughing.  We knew this was our closest call yet to missing a flight.  Every time we go on vacation it starts like that.  Dad never starts packing until at least two hours before it is time to leave the house for the airport.  And as we are throwing the last bags into the car, he is shoving his last pair of shoes into someone else’s bag.  Just recently my boyfriend went on vacation with us to Jamaica and when we arrived we dug into our bags to get our bathing suits out and Tom, my boyfriend, grabbed out some loafers from the top of his bag and asked, “Who the hell are these?”  I just started laughing knowing they were my dad’s.
Once we finally leave the house we usually return twice.  First because mom thinks she has left the curling iron or coffee pot on, and second because dad asks mom if she has the tickets and she panics and doesn’t think she does, even though generally they are in her purse.  If we actually make it to the airport in time to grab some breakfast we consider it successful.
            After we all gave dad some crap for driving so fast and remembered the other fifty times we had been late, almost missing our flights, we turned on our head phones and settled in for a nap, knowing when we arrived we would be met with warm Florida air, and our friends, the Whinnery’s from Texas, who would have landed the night before.
            As the Captain told us to buckle our safety belts and the flight attendants told us to put up our tray tables and seat backs we anxiously awaited the landing.  Once on the ground we were surprised not to see the Whinnery’s who were to be meeting us.  We went to the baggage claim and got all of our bags and decided to wait outside in the warm air.  We waited for about an hour, and finally dad decided we should try and call them.  He got out the hotel’s number and they told him that the Whinnery’s had not checked in yet.  My dad became worried knowing that he and Dr. Whinnery had planned the whole vacation without their wives help, and feared something might have gone wrong.  He then tried to call the Whinnery’s cell phone.  Dr. Whinnery answered and my dad asked where they were.  He said they were in Texas and wondered what we were doing in Florida.  It turned out we should never have let our dad plan us a vacation without any help.  He booked our flights for the wrong week.  We were there a week early!