Found on Facebook

I joined Facebook about a year ago because I knew it might be a good way to locate old classmates for our upcoming 20 year reunion. Since then I have managed to find not only old classmates but most recently my “boyfriend” from preschool. It was called nursery school back then. PPNS – Paradise Point Nursery School. We were inseparable. My report cards all had comments on how I needed to depend less on Kenny and become my own independent person. He asked me to marry him and we were planning to honeymoon in Hawaii and Walt DisneyWorld. I moved shortly before my 6th birthday and we kept in touch through letters and postcards (I still have them!). When I was in 3rd grade Kenny and his family came through town on vacation and spent the afternoon with us. We went to see Superman and we had a “romantic” spaghetti dinner (we sat at the dining room table and ate off my mom’s good china) while everyone else ate in the kitchen. I haven’t seen Kenny since that day. My Senior year of high school his picture fell out of the family Christmas card… it was actually an ad from a newspaper he modeled for. He still made my heart flutter. We’ve never really lost touch as I’ve always had contact with his mom and she has helped me locate him numerous times over the years. We’ve chatted by phone and emailed from time to time but its been years since I’ve talked to him. But now he’s my Facebook friend. Seeing his name made my heart flutter. Oh I’m not in love with him anymore… that would be silly. Its been 30 years and that puppy love of yesteryear is just that. But you see, Kenny was my first love. And first loves are special. They leave a mark on your heart that just never goes away. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death.  I was planning to spend the evening at Graceland but that was before the heat wave set in.  There is no way I would sit out in this heat in that crowd of people tonight.   However, you can watch the vigil online and there is plenty of Elvis info out there to check out if you just feel like learning more about the King.

Our newspaper has a special online section  www.goelvis.com.

Then there is the official Elvis Presley Enterprises website www.elvis.com.   which leads you to www.elvisweek.com.

Those of us who live here in Memphis know about Graceland Too.   If you ever come to visit me here, I'll take you.   This article describes the experience perfectly.   I've been there twice and only need one more visit to get my lifetime membership card.  Seriously.

ETA my friend Ted's website - www.epexpress.net.   He does the jumpsuit, the scarves, the whole deal.   Its a hoot. 

Larry King is here to interview Priscilla tonight at Graceland.   I think its on right now but will repeat again later this evening if you just feel lthe need to TIVO it.   I admire her grace and her genuineness.  She knows she will always be the wife of Elvis (even though they weren't married anymore) and she welcomes the public with open arms. 

Truthfully, I'm an Elvis fan.  I loved him as a child and I love him now.   I often wonder what music would have been like had he lived... if gansta rap would even be in existence.   Lisa Marie and Priscilla do a lot for the city and especially St. Jude and I know Elvis would be proud of them.   I'm just sorry drugs cut his life so short.   Such a waste.

I am not a traitor!

We, as a family, had a rough decision to make today. Since the day I met him, my husband has been a die hard- born and raised in Milwaukee – can’t take the Cheesehead out of him- Green Bay Packer fan. Some who know him may say he’s one of the biggest Packer fans ever. He created the Packer Fan club here in our city and although he has not attended the gatherings in a few years (since having kids and acquiring DirecTV Sunday Ticket), the club still goes strong. He wears jerseys with numbers of players both past and present. He wears foam cheese on his head and both of our young daughters are well aware of the importance of the Pack in our household. During football season our typical lunch (or dinner depending on gametime) consists of cheese, sausage, and various football snacks. We own Packer books, Packer DVD’s, Packer bobbleheads and numerous Packer Christmas tree ornaments. We have an entire room in our house devoted to the Packer franchise and he was more than excited when he realized our daughter’s initials would be G.B.

Today one of the greatest players in Packer history (maybe the greatest) was traded to the New York Jets. In his press conference he said “I am not a traitor”. We believe that. We believe that when Brett played for the Packers he gave that team everything he had… that he loved the franchise as much as they loved him. We believe he’ll always love the Packers and we believe they will always love him. We, as a family, will always love Brett. We wish him and the New York Jets well. I think we’ll even still be Brett fans.

But ultimately we aren’t traitors either. We were, are, and will remain Packer fans first and foremost. Godspeed Brett and Go Pack Go!!

Gracie Girl

For my birthday the year Gracie was born, my Mom gave us (it was for Don for Father’s Day too) a Ben Folds CD. Ben Folds of Ben Folds Five (he lost the other four and now its just him). I was confused because never in my life have I said, ” Mom, I really really LOVE Ben Folds!!” She made us open the CD and pop it in the player and hit track 5 where these wonderful lyrics were recorded….

“Gracie”

You can’t fool me I saw you when you came out
You’ve got your mamma’s taste but you got my mouth
And you will always have a part of me
Nobody else is ever gonna see
Gracie girl

With your cards to your chest
Walking on your toes
What you got in the box
Only Gracie knows
And I would never try to make you be
Anything you didn’t really want to be
Gracie girl

Life flies by in seconds
You’re not a baby
Gracie, you’re my friend
You’ll be a lady soon
But until then
You gotta do what I say

Nodding off in my arms watching TV
I won’t move you an inch even though my arms asleep
One day you’re gonna want to go
I hope we taught you everything you need to know
Gracie girl

And you will always have a part of me
Nobody else is ever going to see but you and me
A little girl
My Gracie girl

All three of us were in tears by the end. I call Gracie my Gracie girl. Have you ever seen a more perfect song? Ok, I’m sure everyone has their own “perfect song” but this will follow Gracie through her entire life. Don was even saying it will be the song they dance to when she gets married. He’ll be nothing but a bucket of tears on that day.

Slipping thru my fingers

I went to see Mamma Mia last night with a bunch of girlfriends. My mom had wanted to go with us as well but it just didn’t work out. She kept telling me I’d wish she were there due to the mother daughter wedding scenes. She was right. When Donna was helping Sophie get ready for the wedding and started to sing Slipping Through My Fingers, tears flooded my eyes. I saw myself 20 (15?) years from now with my own daughters at their weddings. I thought about how quickly this summer has passed and all of the things we meant to do together but didn’t. I thought about my 10 year old and how quickly those 10 years have flown by. How quickly will the next 10 fly? How quickly will that be me and her sitting in some room getting her ready for her own nuptuals?

Then I thought of my mom and saw life for just a minute from her perspective. How quickly I must have grown up right in front of her eyes. How often she must have wanted to freeze the picture. I will be leaving home soon. I’ve already left her house but not too far down the road I’ll be leaving the city I’ve lived in the majority of my life. I’ll be leaving the security of having my mom not more than 10 minutes away. I’ll be leaving the ease of just calling her up and meeting for dinner or a movie. We’ve had a really hard time over the last year coming to terms with the reality of it all. Now I see how painful it must be for her to see me slipping through her fingers.

I’m thankful that we live in times of email and Skype and free long distance through cell phones but I also realize that when I leave, things won’t be the same. Sometimes I wish I’d left home at 18 like my siblings did. But mostly I’m glad I’ve had the 37 years of having my mom so close at hand. I’ve only just begun to grieve the loss of the day to day relationship and I know I still have a long way to go. But for just one second yesterday, in a dark movie theatre, I stood in her shoes and had a moment of clarity… all because of a chick flick and an Abba song.
Slipping Through My Fingers – Abba
Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile
I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I’m losing her forever
And without really entering her world
I’m glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what’s in her mind
Each time I think I’m close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake, I let precious time go by
Then when she’s gone there’s that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I can’t deny
What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
(slipping through my fingers all the time)
Well, some of that we did but most we didn’t
And why I just don’t know

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what’s in her mind
Each time I think I’m close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time
Slipping through my fingers…

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Schoolbag in hand she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile…