Dry Shampoo

Have you heard of it?
I had quite a few compliments on my hair today and guess what?
It's three days, two workouts, and one very windy outing this morning into it's last washing.
I owe it all to a can of dry shampoo.

Maybe I am too lazy, time deprived or hold to the belief that washing and blowing out my hair too often will add to the damage that may inflict to shampoo everyday.
Maybe I am just excited about an appointment tomorrow.
This stuff is wonderful.
Few shots of aersol magic &  the grunge is refreshed.
It's a lesson for all.
And now you know.
Tomorrow I shall cut and dye.

(FYI-it comes in expensive "product" brands or you can get less expensive ones--that's the one I use and I really am happy with the results.  Like I said-compliments-with an s-today-how about that?  And I was using this stuff before I heard the professional recommend it to someone in his chair. Woo for me.)

Sunday School

Picture from here. (It's not an official LDS site, but it has good info.)

This is Elder Dallin H. Oaks.  He is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
(The organization of twelve apostles who are chosen as special witnesses of Christ to all the world. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles becomes the presiding body of the Church in the event of the death of the prophet, until a new president of the Church is chosen and ordained.)

Our lesson in Relief Society was based on a talk given by him last November.
It was titled "Love and Law."
You can find it in it's entirety here.

This is the very first thing he said:
"I have been impressed to speak about God’s love and God’s commandments. My message is that God’s universal and perfect love is shown in all the blessings of His gospel plan, including the fact that His choicest blessings are reserved for those who obey His laws. These are eternal principles that should guide parents in their love and teaching of their children."
(I'm not going to talk about the teaching the children part today, just wanted you to see it so you knew Elder Oak's main theme.)

And FYI- I believe God's choicest blessings aren't a nice house or an easy life. I believe they are eternal life and getting to life in His presence after our time here on earth is finished.

Earlier this week, I listened to a dear woman who said some things that were difficult to hear.
This woman who is almost at "wit's end." She is living in very difficult circumstances and has been for a few years. Her life is not turning out how she had "hoped or dreamed" it would. The situation she is in is not totally of her making. She feels that God does not answer her prayers and that He has abandoned her.

I wish she could know and understand the following:
"God’s choicest blessings are clearly contingent upon obedience to God’s laws and commandments. The key teaching is from modern revelation:


'There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

'And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated” (D&C 130:20–21).

This great principle helps us understand the why of many things, like justice and mercy balanced by the Atonement. It also explains why God will not forestall the exercise of agency by His children. Agency—our power to choose—is fundamental to the gospel plan that brings us to earth. God does not intervene to forestall the consequences of some persons’ choices in order to protect the well-being of other persons—even when they kill, injure, or oppress one another—for this would destroy His plan for our eternal progress. He will bless us to endure the consequences of others’ choices, but He will not prevent those choices."

If a person understands the teachings of Jesus, he or she cannot reasonably conclude that our loving Heavenly Father or His divine Son believes that Their love supersedes Their commandments."

Our choices have consequences. We can choose how to deal with what we have been given to deal with in the life we are living right now.
God loves us & wants us back, we just need to be willing to do what He asks of us to get there.

I wish you could have been there for the lesson. It was very good.  Go read the article (linked above).  It's got a lot of "meat" in it.

(The D&C is the Doctrine and Covenants--visit here to learn more about that.)

Maggots, The Second Year Anniversary

Picture from here.

Because I may be feeling morbid this week.  Because you need to know what happens when little mammals die in your walls or floors or somewhere near you.  Because I am trying to stay at a certain caloric limit today.

This post shall be about maggots.

Two years ago, I had a run in with the maggots.  Big, big creepy maggots.

Backstory:   Two years ago, my mr. was living in Oklahoma working and I was living with four children (and apparently some other things) in Texas because of a work, school, and selling the house situation.  It lasted for 7 months. I believe we have overcome the trauma that this time wreaked on our family, but at the time it was quite an adventure (code for "oh my word, are we going to survive this?").

More Backstory:  Many, many adventures took place right before and during this time period.  Too many to tell you all, but here's a couple that have to do with the house-

Let's just say that it is no longer code for water heaters to be placed in the attics of two story homes without some expensive attachments and you had better be sure that the drain pans don't have holes and if a certain teenager's bedroom door (right below said water heaters) doesn't seem to open and close as well as it used to, then there might be a problem. 

(And it happened with both water heaters--I know-two water heaters-it was Texas, give me a break.)

And all of my homes now and in the future will have lever type faucets so as to make it easy for little hands to be able to shut off the faucet easily because when a faucet is left on in the upstairs bathroom draining into the drain that the airconditioner runoff also drains and that drain is clogged with the yuck that grows when the person who (or whom?) is in charge of the maintenence decides to skip the monthly pouring of the bleach that kills the yuck, the resulting flood is not nice to deal with. (That one happened before our 7 month adventure.)

I believe it all started with the snake that got stuck in the outside airconditioner fan. Or maybe it was the rat that was the target of the snake that got stuck, but didn't die.  Until a neighbor (or my mr.) took a shovel to it.

But it pretty much ended with the mouse that I thought was a rat that was the host of what this post is really all about.

The maggots. Back to the maggots.

I was sorting laundry in my first floor master bath (because we had a lot of laundry and I could fling dirty clothes and the floor was tile and if anyone came over, I certainly was not going to invite them into my bathroom, so they wouldn't see the mess--lucky them).

At a certain point, in the jeans pile, I saw a cream colored half-inch, thing that didn't look like it belonged. So I walked over there to get it, to throw it away.  I began grumbling because when I finally figured out what it was, I knew we had a situation to deal with.  The clothes had come from someone's upstairs closet and that room wasn't clean.  The house was going on the market very soon.

Oh baby. 

Mommy was not looking forward to dealing with this.

Then I saw more on the floor.

Then I felt I tiny tap on the back of my head that was looking down at the floor.

Then I put my hand to the back of my head and just about threw-up right there.

Then I looked up.

Those little creepies were falling from my ceiling!

EWWWW!

Then I laughed.

I went and got a garbage bag, tape, and step stool.

Very carefully, and tightly, covered the fan and the vent with the bag hanging down.

Those little guys dropped right into the bag & I was so glad I taped it tight, because-those little squirmers could climb.

EWWWW!

Then I laughed.

When I would come in the room, they would writhe around and make the bag crinkle.

And it was a white bag, so you could see them wriggleing around and trying to escape.

I laughed.

And then we figured out how to solve the problem.

And then when the problem came out from between the floors, all evidence of the maggots having squirmed away, with a couple of really huge flys trying to escape out the window, it was a tiny little mouse.

Then I laughed.

Here is what I've learned:

-there are some very gross pictures of maggots out in the internet world, I found a nice one for you-don't go looking-they are just gross

-I shouldn't judge my children's laundry

-nature has a way of dealing with life and death (yes, I knew this, but when I was tapped on the head, it hit home)

-you can find a solution to most problems if you look hard enough

-the trials you go through before others prepare you for what might come next

-once you are able to laugh, it gets easier

Parenting & Three Stooges

"Maybe it's not a good idea to let him watch 'Three Stooges' right before bed."
---my mr. as he was getting the 4 year old ready for bed after some television bonding.
little mr. j was acting out what he had seen.


Nuck, Nuck, Nuck

Sunday School

Picture from here.

Here's a story a young mom gave in her talk in Sacrament Meeting:

FYI-This is not going to be as good as when she told it, but I hope you can see through it to the message.

When she was a little girl in Colorado, their family had a creek that ran through their property.  The parents instructed the children to stay out of it when the snow was thawing and the creek had a lot of water in it and was running fast. This creek led to a larger river that sounded like it had a lot rapids in it.

She and her brother went down to the creek and yes, the snow was melting and there was a lot of water.  She decided that she could cross the creek & ventured in.  Sure enough, she got to a point where the current knocked her feet out from under her & the water started washing her downstream. She knew she needed to get out, but just couldn't.

Her brother grabbed a tree limb, ran down stream and stuck it out to her.  She was able to catch it and get to safety before she reached the river.

She related this story to how we all need help sometimes.
How we can be the person who reaches out a branch to help another.
It was a great talk.

I also think that sometimes we get in situations that are too difficult to get ourselves out of & we need to accept that limb from somebody else. Sometimes that's not an easy thing to do.

I know I am very greatful for all the limb givers in my life.
Hopefully I'll be able to stick out some limbs someday.



What is Sacrament Meeting? Click here for a definition.

The Little Girl With A Curl

There was a little girl who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead;

When she was good, she was very, very good,

And when she was bad she was horrid.

(Thank you, Grandma Dodie)

Tonight I miss my little girl with the little curl. 
Tonight she is a young woman. 
Tonight she was not horrid, but our interaction made me sad.
(Just as much me as it was her.)
When they are little, life is a bit less complicated
even though there are some adventures.

"This actually isn't a nursery rhyme. It is a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The line "she was very, very good" should actually be "she was very good indeed". Longfellow's second son Ernest says of this poem: "It was while walking up and down with his second daughter, then a baby in his arms, that my father composed and sang to her the well-known lines .... Many people think this a Mother Goose rhyme, but this is the true version and history"

--Susan Wichlett
quote above found here.

THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL

There was a little girl,

And she had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good

She was very, very good,

And when she was bad she was horrid.

One day she went upstairs,

When her parents, unawares,

In the kitchen were occupied with meals,

And she stood upon her head

In her little trundle-bed,

And then began hooraying with her heels.

Her mother heard the noise,

And she thought it was the boys

A-playing at a combat in the attic;

But when she climbed the stair,

And found Jemima there,

She took and she did spank her most emphatic.

--HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

Found something interesting while trolling around the internet with the curl reference:

"Help girls figure out the source of their anger. Because anger is a frightening and potentially dangerous emotion, it is often displaced. The real sources of anger may be hard to identify. Mothers are the frequent targets of their daughters displaced anger. In many cases, mother/daughter relationships are experienced as the only relationships where girls can feel safe enough to express their anger and know that they will still be loved.

Adults can provide a constructive outlet for angry feelings by helping girls to talk through their emotional responses. By creating opportunities for girls to be heard and responded to, adults assist young girls to become more balanced and genuine. Encouraging the healthy expression of anger is not an invitation to uncontrolled rage. It is an invitation to self-discovery and empowerment - a message that one can acknowledge true feelings and take constructive action to make a difference."

You can find the entire article here.

something I am thankful for....

dictionary.com

thank you and goodnight

Learning to R-E-A-D

The Preschooler at my house is bored.

Probably because he isn't enrolled in Preschool. or mom's day out. or gymnastics. or any other myriad of activities that I could have him signed up for.

Am I too {choose your own adjective from the list provided, or feel free to think of your own} lazy, frugal, self involved, etc., etc.? 

No.  I am selfish.

I love this age.

Four year olds are awesome.  Especially when they are your own.

They are pretty much toilet trained.  Play independantly.  Have super fun imaginations.

And they still like you (me).

They don't back talk (at least the ones I have been around--no, I take that back-there was one of mine that did at that age, but I have blocked that memory fairly well-I fear I may have many blocked memories).

So, when said preschooler said, "I want to read." 
I said, "Go get a book & we can read." 
And he said, "No, I want to read."
And I said, "OK. We can make that happen."

Thank goodness a friend of mine in the great state of Texas once told me about her work with her last little preschooler and how they did it.

Find it here.

We are on lesson 13 tomorrow.  He already knows the sounds that correspond with the symbols (yes, letters are really just symbols or codes-think about that)  s, e (as in see), m, r, a (as in apple), t, and d (as in dog--who, if she is not given more attention by our family has threatened to dig out and find some better people).

Just so you know, I recieved my degree in elementary education in the era of "whole language."  Please come back after you click that link and read what "whole language" means.

I have problems with "whole language," but I do believe it is useful at appropriate times.

I like phonics. Please come back after you click that link and read what phonics means.

My opinion was not a popular one-but I believe it was a correct one.

(I also had a professor tell me that we couldn't teach values in the classroom.  Ha-I so wish I had the confidence and voice that I do now, so I could have told her what I really thought about that.  So many years later, just look at the programs that are running in the schools.)

I believe that to become educated in something, we (meaning all humans-and probably even our pain-in-the-neck dog) all need to have a firm foundation to lay the new knowledge on.  Think of it like a house.  If your brand new, rockin' awesome house has a crumbly foundation, is it going to stay strong? Most likely not. You will have to spend a lot of valuable time & effort that you could have used decorating that rockin' awesome house figuring out the problem and getting it fixed.

So, why not do it right the first time?

And so, I am working with a very cute little guy & he knows seven sounds & he especially likes the word "rat."

After we have the phonetic foundation, then we will start exploring the great big world of words (whole language).

                                                                                                                                                                   

PS-building that foundation also takes practice.
and...
Please don't feel bad for the Preschooler. 

He is currently on a soccer team.

We are looking for swim lessons.

And he is going to Preschool next fall.

I am preparing to be lonely and to take a nap.

And the Preschooler and I talked about how, that when he is in real school, the teachers will be using a lot of time teaching the other kids to read & how he might get a little bored.  We talked about how he would handle that & I hope it turns out alright.  I think it will.

Sunday School

For a friend.
Thinking of you today.
You will see him again.
Click here, 
Sunday will come.

My Conferences!

If you are familiar with this little blog world, I am sure you've read a lot like I have about these blogging women who are jetting off here and there going to conferences & parties & shopping & dinners, ect.  It makes me feel uncomfortable.  All this stuff minus the families that are an integral part of their blogging.

I've quite a torn opinion regarding this.  I am happy for these women to "get a break." It just seems like they are getting a lot of breaks.  Lots of conferences.  I haven't "wished I was there" or been interested in what those conferences are about.  I am not envious of getting to stay in a fancy pants hotel or going to different restaurants and parties & having my picture taken (heck no on that one for sure).  I don't envy the expense or time away from the fam.  But it just seems weird. 

Anyhow, I got my first invitation to a conference since beginning to blog.
How exciting!
Here it is:

You are invited

to the 4th Grade

USA Convention

Thursday, March 11

3:00-3:30

4th Grade Classrooms

RSVP to: {I'm not telling you his name}

Come!

And I was asked to please bring some oranges by the invitee (& ok, technically, it was a convention & not a conference, but hey--they are very similar).

It rocked.  I got there early. I brought the oranges.

The convention presenters had prepared brochures on a specific state within this beautiful United States of America. They had a specific rubric they were to follow, so they all looked very similar, but had so many different details. Many choose to bring something to display or to share with convention attendees. (Oh my goodness--somebody's parent even went to Old Chicago and brought pizza. Guess which state that one was?)

I visited with many of the presenters and true to my nature, I asked them what they learned about the state they were representing.

My favorite answer came from this young person:

When I asked her what she learned about this great state the first thing she said was, "It is beautiful."

And I said to her,"That is the best answer I have heard all day and you are totally correct!"

I spent so much time with the various presenters in one classroom, I almost ran out of time to hunt down some of "my" other states.

I found them and with just minutes of the event left, I snapped these photos.  Here is a shout out to "my" other two states:

(It seems very appropriate that I can't get this state to the center--it really does lean to the left- at least the left side does.)

This presenter had cotton balls and beef jerky.

And this is why I was asked to help with the oranges:

When I asked this presenter what he learned he told me, "I should have put Disneyworld on my brochure."

I didn't tell him that the stickers on the oranges said, "Sun Pacific." 

                                                                                                                                                                   

I should really just stop writing right here, but there's more I want to tell you--

I got to go to another conference today.

A parent teacher conference.

It rocked.

These are totally my kinds of conferences.

The End.

What I've learned in the past 15 minutes using facebook

Don't worry-I'm not going to spill anyone's facebook beans.
This won't be anything juicy.

I have learned that the photos you add go public really fast.
I have learned that you can have a lot of conversations in a lot of different places.
I have learned that when you hit that share button, your message is sent typos and all.  (Paige-I meant your birthday, not you're birthday.  Please forgive me.)
It's not forgiving like blogger where I can come back and edit.
Yuck.

It's good to still be learning.

Oh, I have to share some (not all--it would just be too much) juice--

Shari's grandchild is walking!
Kimberly talked to me!
Christina's husband won't get a FB account (you go C's hubby)!
Amy is going crazy!
Lisa & Kristi always make very kind comments!
Alyson is fun!
And....... my favorite.....


Lots of people are becoming friends!
(Should I proof read this now, or just be brave and hit publish?--Read it through and figure out what I did.:) ).

Sunday School

Picture from here.

Our Relief Society President rocks.
She is an incredible woman, who has lived an incredible life and done incredible things.
And she's quiet & humble about it.

So today, it was her turn to teach the lesson.  When we walked in, guess what the centerpiece on the table in front of the room was?

Yes- a surf board!

And remember, we live in Oklahoma. Kind of knew it was going to be a good lesson right off.  So, of course, I have to share--especially since someone went home early from church today and missed it.
(You know who you are. We missed you!)

She started the lesson talking about the surf board. 
She had a plaque to go with it that said, "You can't control the waves, but you can learn how to sur."
There was some brief discussion about the missing "f," but little known to us flatlanders, surf is referred to as sur in some places.
She reeled the converstion right back onto topic and started in.

She talked about how in surfing, if you allow the waves to hit you sideways, you'll get knocked off and the things under the water that are making the waves (coral) will beat you up.  So, you want to hit the waves head on.  You'll be able to stay on your board. 

(Please forgive me on this next part--I've never surfed & might mess up the details a bit.)
She said that after you row out and it is time to catch the wave, you kind of do a push up on the board, then stand up & lean forward.  She talked about how it is a bit disconcerting to lean be leaning forward & a bit down.  (Kind of similar to leaning forward when skiing downhill.)  She also said that to slow down, you just lean back.

She talked about how we have to have hope to do anything.  Hope that the food you are going to put in your mouth will taste good, hope that (and now I am making these next ones up because I can't remember the exact examples) your car will start, hope that the sun will shine tomorrow.

She talked about how hope is the only way we can face our adversities head on and not get toppled off our boards.

Her analogy was "hope to anchor our souls."

She used the following scripture, Ether 12:4:
4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.
(This is from the Book of Mormon, which you can read online if you 'd like right here.) 


Her main points were:
-peace comes through hope
-to choose hope is to choose Christ
-to choose hope is to choose love.

She also talked about how in our lives, we have a thought, followed by a feeling, and then a behavior follows.
She talked to us about what a blessing those feelings are (good and bad) and what we can learn from them.  Also, we can choose our behavior.  We can choose how we will deal with the waves.

It was an awesome lesson with some very special personal stories shared by her and some of our RS sisters.  There was a beautiful spirit to the meeting. There were a lot more details that I can't add here. 

So, I am thinking that it would be wonderful for every Sunday to start with a surf board.

(Relief Society is the women's organization in my church.  The woman who gave the lesson today is in charge of our congregation's group. On Sunday's we meet for for about an hour for a spiritual message and sisterhood.  The Relief Society is the largest organization for women in the world -I believe.  If you would like to know more about it, go here.)

Because I love you, you must know this. . .

Chocolate covered cinnamon bears are YUMMY!

Post edit--read the comments, Carissa shared some very awesome knowledge with us!

Article on how to be a happier parent-really it looks like publicity for a book

Find the book here or at your library.

A book that I'm going to look into. 
(because you see, I am still traumatized by the events that unfolded in yonder post yesterday & the dramatic behavior by two people immediately after arriving home from school today)
(and I'm not saying I'm not happy-I am-I would just like more inner parenting peace)

Two Simple Ways to Be a Happier Parent.


By Nancy Shute , USNews.com

When Christine Carter became a parent, she realized that her work as a sociologist who studies happiness gave her a head start on being a good and happy parent. Rather than trying to solve problems in her family, she wanted to prevent them. That got her wondering what makes for happy families and children. The result of that questioning is Raising Happiness (Ballantine Books).


The book is chock-full of words—gratitude, forgiveness, optimism, and inner peace—I associate more with meditation than parenting manuals. But it's not at all woo-woo. Carter grounds her path to happiness in solid science, including behavioral psychology, which explains why praise is much more powerful in getting children to behave than punishment or nagging. Many of the findings are surprisingly simple. For instance, would you like to know the one thing that will make children do better in school, help them have fewer emotional problems, and make them less likely to become obese or have drug or alcohol problems? Eat dinner together as a family.


Science and simplicity in the service of happier families: That sounds like a winner. So I called up Carter, executive director of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California-Berkeley, and asked her how I could start making my own family happier.

She said to start off by asking two questions about your life as a parent:

1. When are you happiest with your kids?

2. What part of the normal day with your family routinely causes suffering?

Then make sure your day is structured so that you get routine, habitual happiness and so that you're eliminating habitual pain.

Carter says that when she asked herself the second question, she realized that she hated getting her two daughters out the door for school. "Every single morning I was yelling at my kids [at] approximately the same time and for the same reason," she says.

So she decided to restructure those mornings so they'd be a shared joy, or at least neutral. The science of changing habits says you have to start off supersmall and build over weeks to a bigger result. So she had the kids put their shoes by the door the night before. In the morning, "I ended up setting a timer," Carter says. "It goes off twice. The first time it goes off, it means clear your dishes and go brush your teeth. The second is walk out the door to the bus." By the next morning, she says, "we didn't have such a bad morning. We had taken the first step."

Just as she changed the family's daily routine to make that one stressful period less miserable, Carter also focused on amplifying the moment that gives her the most joy in parenting. "For me, the most joy always comes at the end of the day when I'm putting the kids to bed" and they're telling me about their three good things [that happened in the day]. That's my most luscious thing, the thing I enjoy the most." To make sure that she didn't miss out on that moment when she had to work in the evenings, "we just moved [that bedtime routine] to after school. They sit on the couch with me and cuddle, and we read a book and they tell me about their three good things."

Carter says that despite her deep knowledge of the science of happiness, she doesn't always do the right thing as a parent. "It's part of the journey, an incremental improvement process. But it's amazing to me how much this stuff works when you have the intention to have a happier morning," she says.

That's my challenge for the week: Make a happy moment with my child part of our routine, and engineer out one annoying bit of parenting. And I challenge you do to the same, too. What will be your happiness moment? What suffering will you avoid?

Miscommunication #2

My oldest child is a wonderful young woman.  She's talented. She's loyal. She's responsible.  She can work hard when she wants to. She is tough.
But her trait that has brought me here today is a biggie:  she is dramatic and when she has something to express, most often it is done very passionately.

What do you do when your mr. tells you that a certain child texted him and then called him, very freaked out about a light that came on on the dashboard of the car she is so priveledged to drive?

What do you do when your teen driver speaks to you and says, "The check engine light is on" in the car she is so priveledged to drive? (Imagine the passion.)

Well, my mr. told her to drive it home.
So she did.
And nothing happened.
And nobody did anything.

What do you do when the light is being ignored and it is the next day and said daughter is going to get in that car and drive away?
I checked her oil. Full.
Then I let her drive off.

OK, one big lesson that I have learned about motor vehicles is that when it's telling you something wrong, something usually is.

So, I called the mechanic & arranged to have the child take the car there & they would hook it up to the computer to see what was wrong.
"Is the car making any funny noises?" asked the mechanic.
"I don't know, I'm not the one who drives it- but I think she would have told me if it did." (See dramatic comment above.)
"It's probably nothing big." said he.

Flash forward to daughter coming home.
"It was nothing...the guy said it just needed an oil change. He said 'your mom made it sound like it was big problem-the check engine light on.'  You were wrong."

Me, "You told me (in your ever so dramatic way) the check engine light was on."
Her, "No I told you the needs maintenance light was on."
Me, "No, you didn't"

And once again, I look like a crazy woman and I am not happy about it.

We need some maintenance.
And somebody needs to go get their oil changed.


If you liked this little diddy, and you might like to read this miscommunication where I had a much better attitude about the day's happenings.
(FYI- In the girl's defense, the text she sent to her dad did have the words needs maintenance light-it was just not communicated to me.)

Why I Liked Grocery Shopping Today

(This was written Saturday night, but I'm not posting it until now because I just didn't want you to miss it.--PS-and now, after I accidentally hit post--you do get to see it--it's like visiting the future becomingversed (as long as you're reading it before Monday)--how about that?)

Before we begin, I must tell you that I do not like the grocery shopping situation that I have here in the area where I live.
It stinks.
Oklahoma needs to change it's liquor laws.
We need some good groceries and a Costco.
Oh how we need them.
Not that I buy liquor.  I even had to look up how to spell it, but here at the bible belt's buckle, the situation is dire.
Stores make their most profit on the liquor.
Nothing heavier than beer at the stores here and I don't think I've seen any wine.
You see what I'm dealing with.

(OK, I am thankful that people do turn the covers of the more risque magazines around and that so many people are concerned about my salvation here, but if those people only knew the joy a beautiful grocery or Costco could bring them...)

So I did my shopping at the dreaded WM.
And this is why I liked it:

1.  I was just coming off a Pinewood Derby High.  (went shopping immediately after the festivities)
2.  Smiled because I always have to remind my mr. when he finds "the people of WM" while we are shopping, that we are shopping at WM, therefore-we really are "the people of WM" (see reference here).
2 & 1/2.  Saw a Menonite mom and kids arguing over getting all the kids strapped in in the van. (I love seeing them-arguing or not.) They make me think about how simple life really can be. Was reminded that no matter who we are-we all go through similar situations.
3.  My list was fairly short, except I forgot to get wax paper and hydrocortizone (which I had forgotten to put on the list).
4.  Saw my girlfriend from the gym (who's always beautiful), stopping off after the gym, and I-for once-didn't look like I do when I see her at the gym.
5.  I stealthily avoided the girl scouts selling cookies at the doors. Not one talked to me!
6.  Found pretty much all I needed -except lowfat Feta-had to buy regular-glad the recipe doesn't call for too much.
7.  (Read reason #2 again and then come back here.)
And then, when I was done with the foodstuffs, realizing that I had forgotten the vitamins, I took the long road past kitchenwares, and came across the most wonderful sight:
That I didn't get a picture of because I am not sneaky (I also can't lie, fyi) and I have moral objections about poking fun at people, but as of right now, I need to share this life experience with you or life will just not be as meaningful.

I saw three people dressed in colorful midevil garb loudly discussing the pros and cons of some kind of kitchen container. 

I walked past their isle and stopped.  Would it be right to get out my phone, take a picture without asking and walk away quickly?  Should I just walk up to them and as if I could take their picture?  I decided to do nothing and was too shy to walk back by and have a second look.  I don't know how to get pictures off my phone to anywhere, so that was moot. 
So, I enjoyed the moment and giggled.
And giggled some more.
There's not even a renaissance fair going on around here today-that I know of.  I guess I should be careful, because maybe there was.  Maybe I just don't know. 
So, I just giggled somemore.
I was so not in the running as a "person of WM" today.

8.  When I thought my little trip could get no better, in a check out lane that I was passing up, I saw a woman in scrubs --with a bunch of Elvis pictures on the top.
Oh, the joy.

9.  My checker was sane and clean and quick.

10. Then, in the parking lot, when the wonderful Oklahoma wind blew something light and noisy out of my cart some guy laughed when I said, "oh crap" and chased it down.

And I laughed, too, because sometimes that is all you can do.