30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She’s 30

For my daughter who is a Senior in High School and has been accepted to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (among others) where she plans to study pre-med. I love you, Kristen!


By 30, you should have:

1. One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you’ve come.


2. A decent piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family.


3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.


4. A purse, a suitcase and an umbrella you’re not ashamed to be seen carrying.


5. A youth you’re content to move beyond.


6. A past juicy enough that you’re looking forward to retelling it in your old age.


7. The realization that you are actually going to have an old age—and some money set aside to help fund it.


8. An e-mail address, a voice mailbox and a bank account—all of which nobody has access to but you.


9. A résumé that is not even the slightest bit padded.


10. One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry.


11. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra.


12. Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.


13. The belief that you deserve it.


14. A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don’t get better after 30.


15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship and all those other facets of life that do get better.

By 30, you should know:

1. How to fall in love without losing yourself.


2. How you feel about having kids.


3. How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.


4. When to try harder and when to walk away.


5. How to kiss in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn’t like to happen next.


6. The names of: the secretary of state, your great-grandmother and the best tailor in town.


7. How to live alone, even if you don’t like to.


8. How to take control of your own birthday.


9. That you can’t change the length of your calves, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents.


10. That your childhood may not have been perfect, but it’s over.


11. What you would and wouldn’t do for money or love.


12. That nobody gets away with smoking, drinking, doing drugs or not flossing for very long.


13. Who you can trust, who you can’t and why you shouldn’t take it personally.


14. Not to apologize for something that isn’t your fault.


15. Why they say life begins at 30.

I miss my baby sister...

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY miss my baby sister...

Reposted from my MySpace blog...

I REALLY, REALLY miss my "baby sister" so much. True enough she's not my blood sister, but there is no other person in the world that has shared more love, laughter, hurt, wonder, pain, joy, loss, hope, determination, or trust than I have with her. Other than my husband, Jeff, my children and my parents (and Mellissa - with 2 "L's" is coming close), I have the deepest, strongest emotional attachment to her than any other person. I love her with all my heart and soul and she just brings pure joy (and pride) to my heart.

She lives so far away and I sure don't get to see her as much as I would love to, but time or distance or circumstance has never been able to change the way I feel about her. I just love, love, love her and I miss her sooooooooooo much. Sometimes, it's just worse than others.

Tonight, for some reason, I sit here with tears just rolling down my face because I miss her and want to see her so badly. I want to hug her so tight!

Life is short and relationships that last are few and far between. Our relationship does nothing but get stronger as time goes on.

♥♥Cheri Katherine Azevedo Lott, I respect you... I admire you... I am constantly amazed by you... I miss you... I love you...♥♥

Rose

I have a wonderful husband.

This is a tribute he made for his mother while we wait on the permanent headstone.

Rose Ganus, you raised a wonderful son and I'm very thankful for him.

We love you, Rose.

It's great to be a Tennessee Vol... Isn't it?

It takes a lot to make me angry - I mean REALLY angry. I might have a flashpoint reaction every now and then, but that's usually all it is. I let it go and go on because I am too busy to waste time on anger. However, if you want to push my buttons, there are three very distinct ways to do this... Ignore the "Do Not" portions of the statements below:

(1) Do NOT assume I'm stupid because I am from the South.
(2) Do NOT assume I can't do something because I am a woman.
(3) DO NOT MESS WITH MY FAMILY - ESPECIALLY MY KIDS.

I say that to say this... In the last couple of weeks, things have been said by two of my very close friends that actually made me "pull up" and just say, "Whoa!" One friend made the statement, "Well, people in your area are probably bothered more by Obama's race than they are here (meaning Jackson) because it's a rural area." The only response I made was to say that no, in general, race isn't even an issue for those that I know who didn't support him. I COMPLETELY resented the implication that because we live in a rural area we were somehow backward or uneducated. I am neither. In fact, I have traveled the world. I have boarded a flight alone (because my co-workers missed their flight) headed for a country whose language I didn't speak, proceeded through Customs, hailed a cab, found a 5-star hotel, and convinced them to give ME the room that was reserved for one of the corporate executives of the company. I’M NOT “BACKWARDS” OR STUPID - nor particulary shy or afraid! LOL!

Then today, I read one of my dearest friend’s blogs and I was honestly insulted at how "everyone" was grouped together in a category of those who were less educated, less interesting, less cultured and who knew of no other way to entertain or enjoy themselves other than with football. I was hurt to be included in this group. I am educated. I have had and still have a very interesting life. I have a Van Gogh (The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night) hanging on my wall - granted it's only a hand-painted copy, but... I THOROUGHLY enjoy a good bottle of wine. I love first edition books - in fact, I have bought three in the last month and they are signed by the author. I work in a field that is dominated by men and I have risen to as high up as I actually want to go - at least for now. I have raised two children with very little assistance from their father. I have started my own business. I have given up a lot of ME because of that, but I don't feel like the line from the old song "I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me." I am a woman, a provider, a mother, and recently, a wife again. I am who I am because of all of this. I still enjoy the things I enjoy. Maybe I'm not scheduled to catch a flight to Costa Rica on Monday, but my daughter does have a ballgame Monday night... My husband will still be happy to see me and hug me tightly... My co-workers will be glad I'm at work. I will discuss my latest business venture with my newest client. I will probably enjoy a nice merlot. And, I will continue to WEAR MY ORANGE! =D

I'm sure I'm thinking about this too much and taking the comments to heart when I shouldn't, but I don't like to be pigeonholed. I try so hard NOT to do that to others. I try not to stereotype because I HATE it when it happens to me.

I am a rural, southern woman who DEARLY loves her Tennessee Volunteers, but I am also a smart, successful, confident, independent woman who appreciates what others call the "finer" things in life.

As I sit here and sip my favorite merlot I have only this to say...

GO VOLS! ;-)

My soulmate...

I love this man.

He is the most wonderful man in the world.

He is my husband, my best friend, my confidant, my soulmate, my sounding board, my comforter, my everything.

I just love this man with everything within me.

Happy Birthday, My Son...

I am up tonight because I've got so much on my mind - mostly work related...

But, it is also on my mind that today is my first born's 20th birthday. I sent him a text message at 12 AM on the dot. I don't know if he got it or not. I don't know if he will respond or not.

I miss him, but I am OK with the little bird leaving the nest. He is going to stumble and fall. Who hasn't? The odds are against him because of the path he has chosen, but if he really is the son I raised, he will be OK. At least that is my prayer.

So, happy birthday, my son.

I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living my baby you'll be. I used to read that to you EVERY SINGLE night for the longest time. You'd say it with me and we would hug and smile.

I read this on another's blog, but I wanted to repost it...

The purest, most unselfish love I have...is for my children. Their happiness is my life's greatest desire. Today, each one called and each one said "I love you Mom." And my happiness is complete.

by Robert Munsch

A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held him, she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

The baby grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house. He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes his mother would say, "this kid is driving me CRAZY!" But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed; and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

The little boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was nine years old. And he never wanted to come in for dinner, he never wanted to take a bath, and when grandma visited he always said bad words. Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo! But at night time, when he was asleep, the mother quietly opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

The boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a teenager. He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes and he listened to strange music. Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo! But at night time, when that teenager was asleep, the mother opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

That teenager grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a grown-up man. He left home and got a house across town. But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car and drove across town. If all the lights in her son's house were out, she opened his bedroom window, crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of his bed. If that great big man was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

Well, that mother, she got older. She got older and older and older. One day she called up her son and said, "You'd better come see me because I'm very old and sick." So her son came to see her. When he came in the door she tried to sing the song. She sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always...

But she couldn't finish because she was too old and sick.

The son went to his mother. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And he sang this song:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my Mommy you'll be.

When the son came home that night, he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs. Then he went into the room where his very new baby daughter was sleeping. He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while he rocked her he sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

My daughter, the gorilla!!!!!

Oh, there is TRULY a very amusing story behind this headline, but I just had to get the picture below posted!!!

I will explain the remark later, but let's just say...

WE BEAT McNASTY!!!!

My son...

It is now the day before my son's 20th birthday.

I haven't talked to him since Thursday when he left his sister's Soccer Banquet without seeing her get her awards or telling her goodbye... I didn't raise him that way...

She was (for the third straight year) chosen Defensive Player of the Year and she made the All District Team. I was so proud of her, but he put a damper on it... I hate it that I allow his actions to affect her celebrations. I love both of my children dearly, but he is really making it hard to show that. She has done everything right. She should be rewarded far greater than I can accomodate. He has chosen a path that I don't understand, I don't agree with, and it occupies so much of my time worrying about him. It's not fair to her.

Anyway, his birthday is in one more day. Last year, he was in Knoxville (at college) on his birthday and it was the very first birthday I had ever spent away from him. I called him multiple times. I cried (and cried and cried). But I was so proud because he was a student at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville!!!!! This year, he is living somewhere in Pickwick. I'm not exactly sure where. I've not been invited there and I honestly don't expect to be. This little boy who clung to his mother and for so many years was her very best friend has outgrown me and chosen to seemingly forget everything we ever had. I don't know him. He very rarely will even answer my phone calls. I don't know why he seemingly doesn't even love me anymore. What did I do wrong? Did I love him too much? Did I trust him too much? Did I assume he was as grown up as he appeared to me but really wasn't? WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

I do know he wants an entire Chicken and Rice casserole for his birthday. It's his favorite. That's all I know. I don't know when he wants it or if he's coming over or what... I hate it that he is going to have to learn about life the HARD way, but I think it's harder on ME than it is on him.

I LOVE MY SON! I just don't know who he is anymore.

I love my nephew!!!

Oh, my. Mellissa and Evan came over today and Jeff and I were just in heaven!!!! I love that baby so much my heart just hurts!!! When you hold him, he just HUGS you!!!! He has done that since he was little bitty!!! I made pictures and I will post some of them later, but I JUST LOVE THAT BABY AND HIS MAMA!!!! Jeff and I want to adopt them BOTH!!!! We love them so much!!!

More thoughts later, but I just had to say...

I LOVE THAT BABY!!!!!!!

I need to scream...

My heart is broken...

I don't know who my son is anymore...

I am sad and my heart hurts...

A new piece of the puzzle...

I have a new nephew. His name is Evan and he is one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen! He was sent here to us at a special time. I'll write about that later, but not now.

Today, I got to hold Evan. I fed him. I talked to him. I watched him completely enjoy being the center of attention. I cherished all of this, but what I cherished the most was the time when I comforted him and he went to sleep on my shoulder. He snuggled my neck like only a sleepy little baby can do. He fought sleep for just a few minutes, but sleep won. And then, I just held him while he slept. Holding a sleeping baby who has complete and total trust in you is just the most awesome feeling. He was loved and he knew it. He was safe and he knew it. He trusted me to take care of him, and I did.

Evan is a joy. He is a healing for a family who is hurting. Evan is a miracle and gives us the promise of hope for the future.

I love that baby.