13 July 2011

a taste...

whenever i complain, the weirdest thing happens: the universe shows me i'm wrong.

as disgruntled as i was yesterday morning at weirdo-competitive parents and creepy dads who tug on skirts and ask for a sick kiss of their own after you've just given a sweet one to your daughter, it all slowly disappeared throughout the day.




there were a lot of small moments that added up to wonderful. lillie asked to run to the pool to practice her turns, which is major for a girl who glides through the water with the most graceful stroke but, really, is in no rush whatsoever to finish quickly. she just loves to swim.

i was telling them yesterday that all i really want for them is to grow up to be strong swimmers. i have nightmares about this not coming true. i really do. because sometimes, life is all about saving yourself and anyone else around you who's drowning.




i met a mom at lacrosse who. made. my. flipping. day. she was interesting, she was enthusiastic about her daughter for all the right reasons, and she clapped really hard when her babe ran fast or tried hard or just tapped sticks with another girl after a particularly good play.

my kind of mom.

and it was the cutest thing! she had so much to say, and she'd start to...but then she'd wave her hand and shake her head at herself and say to me "oh, you don't want to hear that!"

but i did. i really, really did.

lillie made her first goal, and after that, grae must've bruised the hell out of the goalie trying to get her own. i'd hear a thunk and a groan and an exasperated growl from my grae-girl, and i'd do my best not to laugh. i was unsuccessful, mostly.

on our way home, lill told me i was right about scrabble, and that it applied to swimming and lacrosse, too. she got a taste, and it tastes delicious.


let me explain that one.

on our last beach holiday, the girlies were playing scrabble with their nona. they're just beginners and don't have the arsenal of words that my mother-in-law does, so i suggested that nona didn't exactly have to take all the triple words positions.

"they're never going to learn to win if i just let them win," she said. and i agree with her, mostly. i mean, i love how pat and his siblings turned out, so i have mad respect for how she raised her five.

but i also think that we all need to taste winning before we really crave it.

same goes for happiness. thanks for sending it my way.

oh! and i almost forgot the nicest part of yesterday...i was invited to
design a bracelet with this very cool company! the process was so addictive and thrilling that i may have told uncle sugar last night that i want to be a jewelry designer. he may have rolled his eyes. humph. just wait until you see what i made, mister. i'll show you, too, as soon as it arrives. better news than all that nonsense? you'll get a chance to design your own, too! details coming soon...xoxo. first three things that stopped me on pinterest: here, here, and here.

9 comments:

raleigh-elizabeth {bunnyvictorious!} said...

i feel like i haven't professed abject love nearly enough recently (i've been so swamped, but no less in adoration) so i wanted to make sure i did so this morning. i love this. also i think you should make a fab bracelet i can wear when i get married. i'm wearing the pretty ribboned silk dress from bhldn (as soon as my mother will hush up with the big church gown thing, which i love, just not when we're not in a big church... and we've decided to get married against the pacific.) that being for our other wedding. because... on the 29th, on the beach, i'm busy. i guess i'll just leave it there. and you probably can't do that in time, can you? i asked bill if i could invite my imaginary friends to my wedding and he pointed out that on our budget, i'd better be hosting an imaginary teaparty for the lot of us. it's the only way anyone'll get fed. : )

And Kathleen said...

Posts like these remind me why I want to be a mom one day. xo!

Caroline said...

ditto what And Kathleen said. and i love it when the universe proves us wrong by showing the best parts of humanity... and designing your own bracelets? yesterday was a good one! xoxoC

Ana Degenaar said...

I love it when your posts sound like this. I loved the stories and the photos and the amazing news, am I buying that bracelet? Yes!

Simply Mel {Reverie} said...

karey ~ you always set me straight.

last night, after i vented on your beautiful space about those parents, i felt horrible. i'm not good at venting when it comes to bad stuff, it's better to gush about the good.

as my beloved constantly tells me, "pass them by and move on. it's not worth it." he sets me straight too.

and yes, one must "taste winning before we really crave it"...

may i be the first in line to wear a karey-inspired bauble?

kate said...

"but i also think that we all need to taste winning before we really crave it."
About the truest thing I've heard all week.

Laurel said...

I just hope that when I become a mother, I raise my children as gracefully as you do.

Nicole (coastal family living) said...

Love this, every part of it. We do need to taste a win to crave it. My Dorian gets crushed by big sis constantly when they race and play games, i am going to share your analogy with miss ry tomorrow. Thank u!!! And the lacrosse mom is totally my kind of mom too, love it when u see the healthy supportive type and not the stuck in their phone on the sidelines type, or the speak up to late type. I am rambling and need to go to bed. Thank you again for the fun words! Nic

melissa loves said...

Love your stories...I really do. That mom sounds like my kind of mom too. Exactly. That is awesome! Love that we get to see what you designed! I second the you "becoming a jewelry designer" You would ROCK at that. Get going! :)
xoxo
Melis