My Dreams Realized 100 Times

It is always a very different reality for our family than most may imagine. We have a special (needs) son. I was young once, dreamt of 100 children and being the epitome of the perfect mom serving gourmet meals and sewing matching clothes. Yes, I really had these visions, but remember I had a southern mother who grew up doing this with her Mama for her family and I wanted to do this too. It was a secret of course as it would have taken all of the fun out of my rebellious years if she knew I wanted to be like her.
But one thing has been true in my life, I have No Clue what to expect, planned or unplanned. No control. Sigh! I leave that to the Author. So for me I take the day as it is presented and move that way. So for me, a wonderful husband and a single child who is forced to fulfill my dreams for 100! I say forced lightly as I believe he has dreams for 100 lives so it is a good fit! His world is neither predictable nor dull. He lives for the adventure, could get that from me just sayin.

So we spent the first dozen years discovering him. What makes him tic, favorite characters, songs, clothes, foods, colors and things to do. It was clear, for example, that I was going to share my every waking hour with a purple dinosaur, having 100 songs stuck in my head ready to sing at the drop of a hat. On a positive note by 5 he had learned colors, numbers, days of the week, please and thank you. And that was just the beginning.
We also spent that same dozen years living on the edge of anxiety, up all night, illness, treatments, hospitalizations, emergency rooms, insanity a 100 times telling the same story and having the same tests where I sang the same songs to calm the same precious child with a 100 lives.
It would be a random fact that drove me to the doctors and tests and discoveries that moved us to the second act. Yes my life is a play, or possibly a good movie. In this half we have poured our every drop of energy into making up time leaving no tape behind. Crafts or costumes created almost daily with cardboard, pipe cleaners and tape. As a matter of fact if you ask him what he needs from the store, tape is usually on the list twice. The bleary eyes of days gone by are replaced by eyes that sparkle with imagination, details and inventions.
See it, make it, watch it, act it! We have drums, guitars, a full Oklahoma and Outer Space wardrobe, and art lining the walls of my house. Each creation enters the living room whether in hand or grabber and is presented with full description of the artists work. And it is then taped up on display. Marvelous. Who needs the Smithsonian, I have Master Gates.


Sports, not his favorite always but always willing. And when he won he did it big. Football with a pass and a touch down, basketball with a score in his game as well as in an adjacent game, track running alone or with the entire unified partners and AZ Cardinals mascot. Cheer leading and bowling and bocci and soccer (wore the uniform well). No matter what it was he liked to be present even if he did it 'his way'.
And that creative talent knows no limits. He loves to dance. ballet, hip hop, remix, Up Town Funk and so much more. And do musical ballets, productions. Sign language with or without music, ASL, BSL or GSL (his own language). Karate and photography (he is excellent actually) and art and costume design and story writing and story telling! It is amazing.
It is as if 100 talents have been given to one young man with 100 ideas a day. I am blessed. I never tire of his mind and love to live with and through him. When this gig started 19 years ago I thought how blessed I was 'even though'.....shame on my unbelief. There is no lack to the fulfillment of my dream. And as long as I can be in the plays, or make the costumes, or wear the tutu, or scream loudly at his performance or cry with joy or post a zillion pictures, I am good with my 1 in a 100 gift. I have more than I dreamed of loving every minute and looking forward to the next 100 grand adventures.

Things I Learned on my Summer Vacation............

I gotta tell you, I have a great family and had a great time. I have not traveled for quite some time with the pure purpose of vacationing! Wow, I see why folks enjoy this. HA! Having spent the last many years with work, school and life it was a true blessing to enjoy the open road.

Because of the outrageous price of plane fare, I opted for a short flight and road trip. Wonderful idea. We saw things, stopped whenever we wanted, ate when we wanted, perfect. I got to see and share places from my childhood like Mt Rushmore, Wall Drug, the Farm, Plainview Academy, Corn Palace, Prehistoric dig, Cabela's, Fort Cody, Air and Space Museum, drive through Domino's and so much more. Good stuff.

Cody sang across the countryside while looking out the window. I don't believe in videos or books while driving as there is so much to see out the car window. Cousins and Auntie joined us at the farm for parade, food, games and lots of talk. We are a small but gabby bunch.

As we poured through old photo albums I learned I was named after a cat. True! My sister says that's not it at all, that the photo of mom holding two cats named Sally and Judy outside her first apartment was not the inspiration for my name. Sure. I think another sister would have been named Sally, just sayin.

Cody gots game! He is excellent at playing Fuzzy Peanut.  Well that's what they call it. It is a great game, lots of twists and turns based on your own inability to draw, or read. LOL Cody did great shaming some of the rest of us.

With a stack of paper equal to the number of players:
1. Write a word (object or character) turn the stack over and slide left
2. Turn over the stack look at the word then move it to the back of the stack
3. Draw the word turn the stack over and slide left
4. Look at the picture then move it to the back of the stack
5. Write the word for the picture you saw turn the stack over and slide left
Repeat this process until you get your stack back. Turn it over, move the page to the back. You should see your word. Now for the fun................
Lay the pages out in order starting with your word (should alternate word, pic, word, pic, etc) and let the fun begin.

Cody read all the words well, and his art was quite good out drawing many of the others at the table. A near XXX drawing was averted when he asked what the 'word' was. I told him I couldn't tell him. 'Is it a body part?" "NOOOOOO! Don't draw that!" "Ok." Phew!

Given enough days and gas in the rental car I can still find my way around Redfield. The Plainview Academy is still standing, still locked up, still full of books and still owned by Seventh Day Adventist Research Institute. I lived directly behind it in Redfield prior to moving to Phoenix. Would love to 'tour' but alas no open doors.....or windows:-) Not that we tried but we might have, just sayin.

I have a competitive family. This was very clear during the outside games with a rigorous bunch of discussion around rules, points scored or not scored for different things, and that whole points thing. I had to get a non-partisan reunion attendee to validate the scoring system and award the winning popper! OK, well Cody was on the winning team, but I had no control over how cute he is or how well he counts during croquet. Point is, CODY and MARSHA WIN!!! Enough said.

I still got the moves to snatch candy from children at the parade. Cody needed candy, I got him candy. He eventually got all in and did fairly well. But I still won the parade candy game. Cody shared his 'caught' red hat with a little cutie who gave him the doe eyes. Nice boy. I did not share my candy.

The ER is very efficient on the 4th of July in a small town. I am guessing the person who arrived in the room with flip flops, daisy duke shorts, a bandanna around her hair and party beads was indeed some medical person. No introduction, no ID badge, no frank alcohol on her breath, and definitely in a hurry. Glad no one was in labor. Sprained ankle, no drugs needed. We did score an ace wrap. Sweet.

I love old cemeteries and found some cool headstones in the tiny town of  St Lawrence. And if that wasn't enough Miller has MORE! No one enjoys a good epitaph like I do but the masonry and my imagination are very entertained by the smallest things. The very slippery mud road left me thinking about a horror movie where they are trapped in a cemetery. That might be MY movie, can't recall.

Pre-historic in Mitchell is 900 A.D. Not sure why, unless civilization did not occur in South Dakota until a millennium after Christ. Hmmmm Anyway, cool digs. LOL Saw the turrets being moved to place on top of the Corn Palace. That was new. And apparently it is taking about a harvest season for that to occur, that is the word from the local farmers. Very cool art created every year! And inside, could there be more? Why yes it was a treasure show; i.e. souvenirs, books, food, all corn themed and unnecessary. Yes Cody had to have it and yes, I bought it. Like you would have to ask!

I am in awe of being able to see miles away, smell manure, hear sounds other than cars and swearing in traffic to which South Dakotans say 'Whats that'? I love trees, open roads, driving with abandon and seeing family and friends! And Dad would have been pleased I inherited his skills for using a map, tracking miles per gallon at each refill and finding each landmark long enough to snap a picture and resume adventure.

We had dear friends wait very late for dessert, played with Ewan who we just met at his 2 year birthday and talked to Cuddles aka Aiden Daniel who arrived after we left and now shares birthday with big brother. I hope HE is not 2 before we meet. Sigh!! I think we all had a gas! And we were energized on that last leg when God showed us there is a Red Robin .....Yum in every state and a Dollar Tree to find that last minute 'something' Cody needed.

Finally, I love to travel! Did not know how much I missed a real road trip adventure. I had a gas and might have been chastised for walking too far, fast or to places not interesting to my travel companions a time or three. We used to take trips and had so many giggles and fun memories. It was great to make this one in the parent seat!

Advice: Just Do It! Live, Laugh, Play, Enjoy, Share, Stop, Look and Drink it All In! I love my life!!