Old memories

My family found out this week that our old home on N. 30th Ave., Yakima, WA is up for sale. One of our family friends is moving back to Yakima, looking for a house and the realtor showed him this one.

What a small world? This, of course, brought back memories. We had a garage that was set away from the house on the back of the lot. Behind the garage was a tree house and LOTS of dirt. My brothers would spend summers digging a big hole back there just because it would make a good trench or to see how big they could make it. My mom says that it was her job every year before the first snow to fill in the hole so we wouldn't fall into it during winter.

There is a secret hiding place in this house on the second floor. Only small children can crawl into it. There was a crawl through space between the eves between my brothers bedroom and my bedroom. They always found ways to terrorize me when I had sleepovers.

We haven't lived in this house since 1982, and have lived in many other houses throughout our childhood. However, when people ask me what my childhood was like, my memory always goes back here and it hasn't changed at all from the outside.

Inclement Weather

Until I was 9 yrs old, I lived in Yakima, WA. We got tons of snow every year sometimes before Halloween. I remember bundling up in my bibs and moon boots to play in the snow for hours. We never actually had "snow days" off from school, but would race home in the afternoon before dark to have snow fights, play in our snow forts, and make snow angels.

As an adult, I love taking the day off work when it snows. Okay, maybe it's just a good excuse to play hookie. It satisfies my childish side. Even if I never actually get outside to make snow angels, I enjoy myself immensely. I either stay under my bed covers and sleep and watch Oprah while drinking some hot cocoa. It is blissful to take a break from my busy life.

Characters along the way

One of the outcomes of traveling for me is meeting the interesting characters along the way. I remember when I was in Australia in 1994, I was traveling by train from Perth to Melbourne and had a 6 hour stop over in Adelaide. Well, I hunkered down with my deck of cards and my headphones and played a ton of solitaire. As I was between games, a woman sitting next to me struck up a conversation. Well, before I knew how we got there, she says that she's traveling to Melbourne to crash her ex-husband's wedding. Here's where it gets tricky; her ex-husband was engaged to her mother.

I find people fascinating. I always seem to hear confessions from people's lives; "I feel guilty for not spending much time with my son," said one frequent traveler. Other's tell me of their engagements, philosophies on life, working with the Bush administration to prove that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, heading to Chicago to play in a professional soccer game for the first time, visiting with family, etc. One guy gave me 3 novels and his card.

You may be wondering if I am one of those annoying people on flights who talks incessantly, but I'm not. I promise. Most times I'm trying to mind my own business, bury my head in a book, or listen to music, and these folks just find a way to strike up the conversation. And because I'm fascinated, it's like a moth to a flame.

I noticed an increase of these conversations especially after 9/11. I think there are more nervous people flying, and figure if they are going down, they better know their seat-mates, just in case. So, who are your "seat-mates?"

What would your sitcom be?

I was asked on my Date Lab profile, "If we created a TV show about your love life, what would it be?" This got me thinking...

My first reaction is "Comedy." Maybe even a new show all together that hasn't been done before. "Tall, 5'11" woman seeks a 6' man, but only finds the 5'8" men interesting." What is it with height? All of my life I have been called the jolly green giant or amazon woman, and when I have dated men shorter than I am, other women say, "I don't know how you do it. Dating someone who only comes up to your chin?" Men have been doing it for centuries. In fact, I see more men who are above 6' dating small woman (4'11" or 5'). I have been conditioned to think that a tall man is better for me. That we would look more evenly matched. But when it comes down to it, does it measure how wonderful a person is? No.

I think back to the a story in my family that takes on unconventional stereotypes. It's about 'Big Sug," (Lola Warren Walker) who was married to Jay Walker. They were opposites in terms of body type. She was overweight and diabetic. He was stick skinny. He used to say that Big Sug was big, but it was just more of her to love. They were very quirky and maybe a little crazy, but very much in love.

When I was in my 20's, I was looking for someone who looked good on paper; 6'5" with brown hair, blue eyes, great smile, and fantastic forearms. Clearly, those men were out there, but their personalities were not a match with mine.

Now that I'm in my 30's, I'm changing my tune. Looks are going to wane as we get older. Heck, even my eyesight is going to go at somepoint. So, why not be with someone who is your best friend. Who has seen me through my worst and best. Someone who may not be Matt Damon or Brad Pitt, but who makes me laugh. I think my TV show looks more like "Ed" instead of "Beverly Hills 90210" now, and that's just fine with me.

The winds are changing

A good friend told me this morning that age 33 is supposed to be the year of enlightenment. I wonder what sort of enlightenment I should pay attention to? Is it that I have started remembering my dreams again, eventhough my last dream was of me in a tatoo shop picking out designs. Does it include doing things that I have never done before? Like going out with the guy that I wouldn't normally find attractive, taking a trip, or just not doing the same thing on a Friday night like dinner and a movie with a select few friends.

2007 started off with figuring out how to shake up my life, in a good way. I went to a New Year's gala for the first time and drank myself silly on cranberry vodkas and kissed some twenty-something guy on the dance floor. I flew to Houston, TX, which I've never done before, and found that on the surface Houston is one giant, sprawling strip mall. I still don't know what there is to see in Houston. I signed up for the Washington Post Date Lab, which seems risky, so it's worth it. And I am making travel plans to go to Vegas with friends so I can say, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

Many times I start off the new year with a goal like losing more weight, spending more time with family, exercise more, but this year I decided that it's time to shake it up. I need to make some change in my life, and it all starts with choosing a slightly different path doing the opposite.