Excuse me?

I beg to differ!

It most certainly is!

Birthdays, anyone?

I’m kind of avoiding starting my homework for the week, so I’m going to talk about birthdays today!  Birthdays are on my mind because we went to a birthday party last night of a good friend and neighbor.  He turned the big 6-0 and had his party at Classic Skating!  (Utah friends, we don’t have those in Iowa, so I need to explain what it is to the Iowa friends.)  Classic Skating is a big roller rink with lots of other fun things to do.  They have a bounce zone full of inflatables, a big climbing thing for the kids to run around and climb, and laser tag.  It’s a great place to have a kids birthday party.  I thought it was great that he had his party there.  All the kids had a ball and so did the adults!

I’ve also got birthdays on the mind because I’ve got two birthdays coming up in the next two weeks - my mother and Squanner.  Those of you who know me well, know that when it’s my birthday, it’s a big deal to me, and should be to everyone around me as well.  Well, I had to learn that behavior from somewhere, and that somewhere would be my mother.  I had better remember and make a big deal about my mother’s birthday every year, but this year is extra important.  This year she turns (well she is telling people, so I might as well blast it all over the internet) 60.  Now if you think that is not that big of a deal, boy do you not know my mom!  I don’t want to make it sound like she is being over the top or anything about making a big deal about her birthday, but, well… that might be kind of close to the truth.  That’s alright though, because I have everything firmly in hand.  Let’s just say, I don’t think she will be disappointed this year.

Squanner’s birthday is exactly one week after my mom’s.  This year she gets her first party.  Mostly just because my brother is going to be here, so we thought, “Why not?”  She has been wanting a piñata for a while now, and my niece and nephews will be here, so we thought that would be a good time to do it and have a little party for her.  You should have seen her when we told her she was going to have a party.  Man, those genes (mine and my mother’s!)  kicked in and she was planning out every detail.  It was hilarious.

Hopefully all these parties go down as I have envisioned.  If not, there’s always next year, right?  Right?  Oh dear, I hope it all works out!

A Day in the Life…

 

And you wonder why we call him a tornado?

Goodbye my friend

Yesterday afternoon I heard a familiar voice on my voicemail.  I had a message from the mom of my best friend during middle school and high school.  This was the woman that I used to refer to as mom #2.  I spent so much time at her house growing up, that sometimes it felt like I lived there (I’m sure she would agree). 

I called her back wondering what she wanted, since it had been several years since I last talked to her.  When she answered the phone, she gave me some news that nothing would have ever prepared me to hear- my best friend, from the ages of 12-18, was gone.  She had a blood clot that had traveled to her lungs.

I have gone through many emotions since receiving that phone call yesterday.  I have felt shock, disbelief, a bit of anger, but mostly sadness.  I’ll have moments where I start thinking about her and remember the fun times we had and break down into tears.

Our lives have taken different courses since graduating from high school.   She took the career path, getting her master’s degree and working in Washington DC for the government, while I took the family route and had kids.  For as much as our lives were different, we still kept in touch.  We would email or send cards once or twice a year.  Even though we weren’t as close as we once were, the news still hit me like a ton of bricks.  Nothing can ever prepare you to hear that someone you knew and loved is gone.  I take a bit of solace in the knowledge that I have that she and her dad are together right now, probably telling dumb blonde jokes.  Rest in peace my friend, till we meet again.

She’s at it again!

Sometimes I think this blog should be called “Cassie’s life… with a side of her crazy grandma’s exploits!”

My grandma is at it again.  Apparently she has a wild turkey running loose in her neighborhood.  I should probably explain a bit of what her street looks like.  She lives on a very picturesque street with a view of the Mississippi river at the end, and forest lining the back of her yard.  Deer are not an uncommon sight (along with Irish Spring soap in net bags hanging from all sorts of posts and stakes around her yard to keep the deer from eating her plants) as well as other rodents like squirrels.  She lives pretty close to nature, so she’s seen most little creatures at one point or another scurry across her yard.

Well, a few days ago a wild turkey started hanging out in the neighborhood!  No one knows where it came from, but it likes to eat the bird seed underneath the bird feeders that the birds have dropped.  This turkey is so talented that it even took flight once.  She said that she saw it up in the tree one day when the temperatures got pretty cold.  Apparently my grandma and one of her neighbors decided that this turkey is going to be a welcome addition to the block, so they named it.  Welcome to the neighborhood Matilda Grace!  I truly hope you enjoy your stay!  

Wordless Wednesday

Here’s some pictures to help you remember what it’s like to be warm!

You’re welcome.

Everybody dance!

I had to get some pictures of G-man and Squanner dancing with the X-Box.

They got their grove thang on!