Need a hug?

There are huggers in the world,
And I am one.
There is not any question that I am.

Ask anyone who knows me.
The reactions you get to hugs are many and varied.

Because,
Not everyone is a hugger!!
Now this is beyond my scope of Comprehension,
But…it is true.

There are those who melt into your hug,
Those who power back with a bear hug.

Those who are NOT huggers who stiffen,
And impatiently wait for it to be over.
Those who give you a removed tap, tap on your back
While enduring and making it as short as possible,

Then those who are also huggers and will happily hug back.

Hugging is warm, and loving.
Hugging says,
I am so glad you are in my life.

Now if you give or get a kiss on the cheek
To go along with the hug….
All the better.

I come from a long line of huggers.
When Russell first started meeting my aunties
My mom’s sisters,
They would give him that good old Hanson bear hug,
And he would be looking over their shoulders,
Eyes wide…with that “HELP!” look.

See the Holmes were not always huggers,
But with me around for the last 30 years,
THEY ARE NOW!
At least they are when they get a hug,
Cuz they know “ready or not, here I come”
Now a days, I just feel their love in return.
Sometimes it is with a giggle, knowing it’s inevitable.

Now many of my family know that if you are REALLY lucky
Along with that hug, you get a little tickle to the ribs.
The wiggle giggle soon comes after.
Nephews and nieces, inlaws, and newly acquired sons and daughters
Are the beneficiaries, cuz they are not resistance quite yet.
My kids still have their spots where I can still get em!
Sometimes with a little extra effort, oh but worth it!

I realized how much this is part of my life when I ran into a friend
at the grocery store. It is the only place I see her these days now that
our kids have grown. After we visited, I walked over and gave her
a hug before I said goodbye. From behind I hear "I want a hug", and there
was this elderly man, probably in his 80's, looking quite unkept, and I walked over
and gave him a hug. My friend looked at me like I was crazy, but hugged he got.


So next time I see you, you can come give me a hug, or get
Ready to be hugged, cuz you know, a hug is coming your way!!

Happy Birthday Randi and Garen!

(I tried really hard to scan a few pictures of when my kids were babies, but it keeps telling me they are read only, so here goes with out, maybe later!)

My two oldest kids were born 1 year and 4 days apart. Crazy huh? I kinda believed my mom and mother in law when they said nursing was a great birth control, but when I was puking in the toilet, and my baby was just four and a half months old, it just felt toooo familiar. I called my mom, and she said "well, ya know you never really went thru a blue-sy period after Garen was born" I wished so hard, because I remembered all too well the 9 hours of induced labor, which exhausted me, which I was deliriously losing my controlled.....breathing? what breathing? Who says you can control your breathing???? Oh, as you can see it was (maybe still is) all too fresh in my mind.

But true it was. So before my second anniversary, we had two babes that blessed our home. Garen just turned 29 on Saturday, and today, Randi is 28! Yes, it's true. That is why my being 50 is such a reality!

Garen was a 6 lb 3 oz baby, but today at 6'6" is a big teddy bear! He has a heart for his friends and family, and is fun to be around. You see here at Jordan's wedding all the boys were supposed to pick up Breana, but no help needed when you have Garen around!

Garen tends to be a bit camera shy, so we often get him in passing or looking like this, a bit embarrassed to pose.

Garen's life is a fun adventure, and always seems to be in a bit of transition, because he has many interests, and many talents, and he takes periods of time to devote to the talent and interest that is the most engrossing at the moment. Example: his Graphic design work, he enjoys designing t-shirt art, and company logos. He loves to play the drums when he has enough friends in town to make a band. He is always looking for the most current music to listen to and view at their shows. He is back in school to pursue a teaching credential as a History teacher. Garen would be a hilarious teacher of history and help it come alive for teenagers, we are excited about this. And his current way to spend time is with one of our favorite people - Christianne!
My Randi is sunshine personified! Randi has every adventurous bone in her body that is lacking in mine. She may look like her momma,but she is her dad's girl. She can and will do everything that is beyond the realm of safe in my book. She loves the outdoors, and all the adventure it brings. She can't wait to go skydiving, she is in school to be a physicians assistant. I remember when she did her first dysection in school, and how thrilled she was. Telling us about that frog that was splayed open and getting pinned to the board. Then came the cat, and now she just can't wait for the cadaver....eewwww!

This is what she asked for for her birthday.... A PLASTIC SKELETON MODEL! WITH ALL THE ORGANS, AND MUSCLES! what did you get for your 28th birthday?

She is the best friend anyone could have...she will go out of her way for you, if ever in need, and is as loyal as they come if that could be a fault. She doesn't have many others so we would have to count that one I guess. She is giving and loving and every mom wants her to marry their son, and everyone who meets her knows that her smile will not be soon forgotten.

Randi has been a delight her whole life. She threw a few tantrums when she was a baby, but she got that out of her system early, and has been a dream to raise & watch turn into the beautiful woman of God that she is today! She is not only my daughter, but I admire her as a person. I think she is a favorite of all her siblings, she is just as giving as you could imagine.

I love you two more than you could ever know, and I am so proud of the people you have become. You add so much to our family and to your friends lives, and I know we couldn't have made it thru without your light and your love!

9/11/08 - What a day!

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I woke up to a very lovely "Good morning sunshine!, Happy Birthday!" from my lovin' man. What happened after that is now indelibly etched in our memories and heartfelt by the world. 9/11 as we now know it to be, brought so much pain and sorrow, and then a rallying of a nation to stand up, look around, share love and patriotism, smile at a stranger, visit a neighbor, fly OUR flag, shed a tear or more. That day my birthday took a backseat to all that was sadly horrific, and all that we now recall as evil at it worse.

Each September 11th since, I have been able to witness first hand at the school I love, that I work at, a heartbeat of gratitude of appreciation and loyalty that permeates through all that are privileged to participate. Today was such a day.

We invited the Governor, our congressman, each branch of the armed services, the firemen, police, ambulance service that do their amazing jobs every day, to come and let us thank them for all they do to make sure our freedoms are preserved each day that we live. The Governor sent his best wishes, but had a full calendar(probably something about a budget or something) . The congressman sent a representative, and each of the armed forces were represented. We were able to sing their songs of duty, and applaud them for their sacrifices. The students in each one of the classes made "Thank you" cards and presented them to our honored guests.
This gentleman Johnny Griffitts, in Civil War attire, sang our National Anthem, and shared that he wear this uniform to represent all that is wonderful in our past and present as our great men and women sacrifice and serve . He is a Viet Nam Veteran, and proud to be an American. So touching. Our own Landon Luko, a blind student who was the only survivor of a set of triplets, sang "Your a Grand Old Flag" and touched our hearts and wet our eyes.

My good friend Sue Goudy who I work with, proudly stands next to her son, Officer Jason Goudy of the Corona PD. Jason grew up in Corona, and came to Victress Bower as an elementary school "ambassador" and was a peer tutor and volunteer working with our students. He has a love for our kids. His momma is so proud of the man he has become.

What an amazing experience. As year after year our staff and students come together and unitedly stand and say "I'm Proud to be An American".

Happy Birthday Tara!

When I was turning 19, two days before actually, my mom and dad gave me and my family a wonderful gift. Her name is Tara. We had a bonus baby come into our family, and life has never been the same. She is quiet and still amongst chaos, she is music and laughter and love.

When Tara was born, my mom was in her 40's and so when we would go places, often people assumed she was mine. And I would proudly say, nope - she's my baby sister. For the 14 months to follow before my wedding, she was my little companion. I often took her wherever I was going, and had alot of fun doing it. I loved buying her clothes and toys, and taking pictures of her.

At 14 months, she was my flower girl in my wedding. I took her with me to the florist to do some final selections, and the florist said "oh, she is way too young to be a flower girl, don't you have someone older?" But as baby Tara walked up to a bucket of flowers on the floor, and breathed in deeply, and said, "mmmmm, pretty" the florist had to take a shocked look off her face, and reply "oh, she can be a flower girl any time she wants!"

Tara has spent most of her adult life as a nanny. Helping to raise beautiful children of other families. Those families know how they have been blessed to have her sweet and quiet ways, her fabulous sense of humor and her spirit and love influence their childrens lives, and help them become who they are today.

She is a favorite of everyone in the family...of course she is! She always puts a smile on my face!

Being in our musical family, Tara surpassed us all in her gifts and talents. She is a singer and dancer extraordinaire, choreographer by profession, accomplished pianist, and actress. Her smile lights up any stage that she graces, and her voice like an angel, clear and bright has amazed, and delighted both family and audiences everywhere.

Today is her birthday! Happy birthday baby sister. You are amazing. Your love and gifts stretch out so far. We are all beneficiaries of you - You are a gift from Heaven, and life would not have ever been the same without you in it!

Skyler and a new kind of "hawk"

"Mom I cut my hair today..." says Skyler under baseball cap as he is headed out to go to the skateboard park. " I used a '1' on the clippers" . I can see that it is quite short, and Skyler says he just wants to have it real short, and stay cooler for the last few days of summer. Off he goes.

Garen - "Mom did you see Skyler cut his hair today?" "Yes I did."
"You saw the mohawk?",

"Uh, no....he was wearing a baseball cap"

"Well he has one."

An hour or two later....."Hi mom, just checking in, I will be home in about an hour".

"Okay, we'll see you then, and you can finish your hair cut, Mr. Mohawk"

"Did Garen rat me out?"

"He sure did...but you knew that you would be cutting it off anyway right?"

"Yeah....are you sure I can't just keep it for tomorrow?"

"Yep, I'm sure"

In walks my boy, and he takes off his hat. mom is at the kitchen table, and the camera is close by.

He was not amused that I took pictures of the removal of the Hawk!

Now, that's my boy!