Growing Up

Today I spent thinking a lot about my family and growing up in Alaska!  I can remember waiting every year for my birthday and anticipating getting older and what came with that next age. When I hit 10, I was double digits and then I couldn't wait to be 13 because then I'd be a teenager, then sweet 16, and then 18 when I was considered an Adult... I was always looking ahead to the next stage.. That in and of itself is great, but thinking back now... I wish I could go back and just LIVE and ENJOY being a little girl under my parents roof. 
In life we tend to think ahead and live in the tomorrow and what may come or may not come.. I guess the lesson learned for me is to live in the TODAY..  to live and laugh... to cry and love... to appreciate the many blessings I have been given in life and most of all to slow down and appreciate every moment I get with my own family and my friends...
I have great memories of growing up with Mikey and Laura... Of course, we didn't always get along and I traumatized Laura because she would always want to sleep in my room and me being 6 years older than her.. DIDNT WANT MY LITTLE SISTER sleeping in my room!  Boy, I wish I could go back and let her sleep with me! :)  I also remember shortly after I had gotten my license, I was driving Laura down the hill to town for something and we hit ice and the car spun completely around and landed facing the right direction... She screamed and I got mad at her for screaming.. Poor thing couldn't have been more than 10 or 11 and I had just scared that POOP out of her.. :(  However, not a dent or scratch and I don't think we ever did tell mom and dad that one! :) Most of my favorite memories of my sis are from more recent in the past several years... The middle of the night phone calls, the Christmas memories each year, the packages and emails, the laughs the tears, the attempted baking, movies and drinks!!     Mikey and I are a lot closer in age and so I have memories of us when we were little... Like painting his nails, putting hair clips in his hair and letting him run around in my bra.  One memory I remember quite well is when I had gotten in trouble for something (probably wasn't my fault.. ha) and dad took me to the bathroom to get a spanking and when we opened the door to walk out, and I'm in tears... Mikey was sitting on the floor beside the bathroom door laughing!!  TURD! I also have wonderful memories of Mikey's middle of the night phone calls from college.. hahaha He was always scrooge at Christmas, but then he married Laci... and she was the best thing to happen to him! :)  We moved here because Mikey and Laci were here.. Laci said to just come look.... Well, that is like sending me into a shoe store and saying.. JUST LOOK!..  We came up from Oregon, looked, made and offer and came home all in the same day!  Now, my kids get to spend time with their Uncle Mikey and Auntie Laci a lot and I am so thankful... Mikey will bring the Fire Truck down to the house or the kids up to the fire station and let them climb on the firetrucks and blow the horn.. He wrestles and plays with them and it makes me remember playing with him when we were little..  Auntie Laci takes the kids shopping and bakes with them and takes them on walks and lets them just be kids.
My parents were different people back when we were kids.. However, I wouldn't trade my growing up years for anything.. I had parents that loved unconditionally, never yelled or hollered, never fought (at least that we ever heard), never cursed or screamed....  They were amazing examples of parents and of marriage...  Dad would make us orange juice and bring it down to us as kids to wake us up for school in the mornings... He'd make us home made french fries which were amazing and he'd make a bed in the living room with couch cushions and garbage bags, have us lay down and he'd wash our hair for us and massage our heads when we were sick... Mom, wasn't a fan of cooking and yet we had 3 meals a day, she was the first to hold us and comfort us when we were sick, and would bring us a "TREAT" from Eagle..  My parents are so special to me and just like my siblings.. Once I was out of the house... the importance of my relationship with them has become more apparent.  I am very close to them.... My mom is not only my mommy she is the best friend anyone could have! I enjoy talking to her and sharing life with her.. We have many good memories and I look forward to so many more!  


I guess all this is to say.....  Today being Valentine's Day, a day in which the local dentists are thankful for their job security, I am reminded of how important it is to LIVE IN TODAY and APPRECIATE AND LOVE!!