Thursday, August 22, 2013

Sister

Yup. I was one of those girls who grew up in a predominantly male family.  I have 3 brothers.  And about 11 years ago, one of them brought home Joann, and now have this amazing sister-in-law.  This may have been better than actually growing up with a sister, because we never had to fight over toys or the affections of our parents.  Years ago, Joann asked my mom if she could call her "mom" too, and she said yes.
Joann does a great job of nurturing my adventurous side.  To date, we've gone skydiving, parasailing, ziplining and rolled down a mountain in a zorb together.
Mom is constantly finding deals online for us to expand our adventure repertoire.  So last summer she financed our kayaking trip in Newport.
We talked. We paddled.  We laughed. We saw a sleeping sea lion, towards whom the waves quickly pushed me.  I struggled to put my cell phone away and continue paddling in the opposite direction as it woke up.  For a few brief moments, I thought that my brother's speculations had come true: I would meet my fate at the hands of a wild animal whose personal space I had violated.
On my Facebook, I had posted:

Went kayaking with my sister and saw this guy along the way. Thanks Mom!  
To which my mom replied: "You don't have a sister."

Monday, August 19, 2013

The Gasoline Fairy

Since my mom's car broke down, she's been driving mine whenever she's in town. When she got back from her trip this time, I told her that the car really needs gas. So she takes it to the gas station and swipes her card. The gas pump clicks off and she looks up.

Forty-one cents.

She figures something's wrong with her credit card, so she tries another. The pump clicked off immediately. She goes in to talk to the cashier, who says maybe she should just try cash.

Then the cashier was confused.  He had even come out to the pump to help my mom pump the gas.
So my mom decided to just go. And when she turned on the engine, the gas tank was full!
"Did you put gas in the car?" she asked.
"No, I didn't have time," I answered.  "Maybe Jerry did."
So when my brother Jerry got home, we asked him.
"No, I didn't," he said.
"Then WHO did?!?" My mom asked.

Thank you for the tank of gas, whoever you are. Your generosity has confused the dickens out of my poor mother.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Marriage

Today Mom and I went to a bridal shower. As a single person I was asked to contribute a recipe to my friend's collection, since she likes to cook.  Mom, as a married person, was asked to contribute some good marriage advice. She was asked to read it out loud, so I thought I'd share it with you.

1. Praise him for all the good little things he does.

2. If he forgets to do something, tell him it's ok and that there will always be a next time.

3. Make him feel good about himself.

4. Never EVER say the words, "I told you so."

5. Don't make a big deal if he gets lost when he's driving.

She went on to say that she could talk forever, and then handed my friend a book called "How to Have A Great Marriage."