HAPPY 20th TAYLOR BAYLOR

Tail was my little girl

She was born with so many curls

20 years ago today

She popped out and lay

In my arms and cried for two frickin’ years!

Non-stop

Day in and day out

And there was nothing cute about her

Til she turned 6 months old

Then she was the cutest thing ever

Never learning how to crawl she used her enormous little butt to bounce around the house.

Her butt…a source of conversation even to this day. Would she ever grow into her butt?

That question still lingers

She was a funny little person even back then, with a smile as infectious as her laugh and her one never-ending  dimple .

While in the high chair, she would take her plate of chicken and rice and lift it high above her and turn it over right on the top of her head. Have you ever tried cleaning up an entire plate of rice from the floor, let alone from a mop of curls? And she would laugh and giggle while I cleaned it up. 

She had a determination that never gave out. She taught herself to ride a two wheeler, to tie her own shoes, to swing on a swing. Independent from day one. No one could match her…bar none.

She sucked her thumb until age…hmmm…I’m not sure what age, but I know she was too old to be sucking.  She could still be a closet sucker for all we know. But I do believe it was somewhere around 8. After her front teeth were parted like the red sea from sucking, she decided it was time to give it up. (Thank god for orthodontists!)

As she grew, she just got smarter and funnier, but never lost that innocence and naivete. To this day she still takes things literally. When she came back from the doctor’s office one day, I wanted to know what he said was wrong with her so I asked, “Tail…what did the doctor say?” Her answer was “He said ‘I’m going to push on your stomach now’.”

One day at school she was sitting in on a mock trial. I didn’t know what the trial was about so I said “Tail….what did you sit in on”…her answer, “the floor”. Gotta love this kid!

A temper like no other, but compassion and love that is never ending.  She always cares for the less fortunate and makes sure they are taken care of.

An athlete, a comedian, a student, a friend, a loving sister and daughter, and a do-gooder.

Tail…you are the light of my life. We know what each other is thinking, and laugh before the punch line.  

I love you every second of every minute of every hour of every day, with all of my heart.

HAPPY 20^TH Taylor Brynn. I adore you!

Listless?

I make lists. I have a list for every single part of my life. If I didn’t have lists, I don’t know what I would do with myself. My lists are what plan out my life. I have my weekend list of things to get done,  I have my grocery list, I have my errand list; which consists of sub-lists,  my blog list; which consists of subjects I want to write about, a pharmacy list…and so on and so on. I don’t understand people who don’t have lists. How do they stay organized and on top of things? I have my ‘pop-up’ reminder on my Outlook calendar. That helps me enormously. But…if I am not on the computer for a day…ok, who am I kidding. I am never NOT on my computer for a day. But just say for argument’s sake I wasn’t…then my pop-up wouldn’t help me at that point. So I keep lists. I try to keep them all in the same place, but that doesn’t work out too well. I have lists by my bed, a list on the side of the fridge for the market; lists on my desk; because when I get bored working…I make a list, and lists on the coffee table in the family room.

Many times I am overwhelmed by my lists. I try to condense them so as not to psych myself out about how much I actually have to do on those lists, but sometimes that’s just not possible. Some of them do overlap. That kind of bugs me. For instance…if I need toothpaste…I can put it on my market list and I can also put it on my CVS list. That makes each list longer but I figure it depends on which store I am going to get to first. But the great thing is…once I buy the toothpaste, I can cross it off TWO lists. Ahhhh…[sigh of satisfaction].

Unfortunately, lists can cause stress…especially those that have deadlines attached; for instance, when you’re having a party and have to get everything done by a certain date. Yikes! And if that includes manual labor, forget it…double stress and panic mode. I am not a fan of manual labor. I have become a manual laborer since the economy has taken a turn for the worse. So I do my own cleaning, my own gardening, and my own everything, basically (except for cooking…Mrs. Stouffer still does that part). Therefore, ‘The Manual Labor list’: clean the house, clean the patio, pull the weeds, set up for the party, pick up the food, etc, etc. I wish I could have a ‘Hired Help’ list. I would thoroughly enjoy crossing items off of that one; housekeeper – check, gardener – check, caterer – check. The only check I can do is check myself in at the door. I’m an all-in-one multi-tasking personal laborer.

As my daughter’s graduation party day closes in, I realize the difference in the ‘To Do’ lists I have now, as opposed to lists I’ve had in the past, when money was no object.

Then: Call Beverly Hills caterer, call bartender, call housekeeper/servers, order wine and champagne, call rental place for chairs and tables, have gardener clean up backyard, call pool man to clean pool, confirm DJ, buy party dress and shoes

Now: Call Subway to place 6 foot sandwich order, go to Costco for cheapest wine and beer, get ice for coolers, spray Round Up and pull weeds, clean bathrooms, set up table and plastic chairs, set up ipod and speakers, check to be sure outfit is clean with no holes

In spite of the discrepancies between then and now…I do know the party will be a success no matter what. The players haven’t changed, just the venue [and my attire].

My bucket list was a fun list but I had crossed most things off it quite a long time ago: graduate college, have a great career, get married (I got to cross that one off twice), have kids, sky dive, travel, plus various other accomplishments. I haven’t traversed the Himalayas yet…but who am I kidding. That was never on there.

The main thing left on my list is to write a book. I have yet to accomplish that but it’s in the works.

I find it almost orgasmic when I am able to cross something off my list. And having multiple lists... there are many times…I’m having multiple orgasms. Ahhhh…[sigh of satisfaction].