Happy Birthday My Beautiful Ruby

I've been meaning to mention...

Kid turned the big 1-0 yesterday.


Every time I sit down to compose a post about it, I start to cry.

Not because I'm sad she growing up, on the contrary, every year she grows more and more into the most loyal and loving friend I've ever known.

I cry because my love for her, and her impact on my life, is too overwhelming to verbalize.

She's had a hard load to carry physically and mentally and emotionally.

She's had epilepsy, a cataract, two eye surgeries, abdominal migraines, OCD, she's had two major out-of-state moves leaving all her friends behind, been in a car accident, witnessed a hold up, and lived through a tornado... and she's only just ten years old!

So maybe it is no surprise that she is wise beyond her years.

Or that she watched Pride and Prejudice last weekend and totally got it.  I mean she was laughing hysterically.  And that's with the satire, sarcasm, and the old fashioned British dialogue and the fast mumbly delivery!

God, I love that girl.

If you lived nearby you'd totally want to come over and park yourself on the couch near her station (the good chair and ottoman under the good light where she seemingly speed reads a novel a day, her spent books and used kleenexes littering the ground around her feet) and let her cheer you to no end with her witty and bitingly sarcastic remarks about anyone who may have wronged you that day.

When you laugh she will suppress a prideful smile behind her book, but her eyes will glint like diamonds.

This girl is smart and fiercely loyal.

She didn't get a lick of my physical genes but as she says...

"Thank God I got your personality!"

Through nature or nurture she does... but infinitely better.

She has a confidence, sense of self, and a pure motiveless and selfless spirit of giving and kindness that I can only play act at.

I hope that the fact that she has never had to fight for, or question, our love and support, or our firm belief that she is a gift to our lives, coupled with our acceptance and enjoyment of her nature, has helped develop that strong sense of self and confidence in her being and her abilities, and that it will sustain her as life unfolds its challenges around her.

Childhood hasn't been a walk in the park for her, but I have a feeling adulthood will suit her quite well.

And I fully intend to live next door, so I don't have to miss a minute of it.

Hope Everyone Is Okay... Because I'm Certainly Not

I was huddled up having a major tornado PTSD anxiety attack as the wind speeds picked up to something insanely ridiculous last night.

And, people, I know what 140 mph wind speeds look like.

Last night wasn't looking (or sounding) that much better in comparison.

Me no likey.

It was no f'ing joke at our house last night.

Who knew it was going to be like this all the way in the middle of Michigan?!  For the love of God!

We still have one massive tree outside Baby's window, so we moved her to my room and Mr F slept with her while I went and lay hyperventilating all night long in Kid's guest bed.

I felt like a wild animal with all my instincts kicking in... and people... they were not telling me to go to sleep as Mr F had suggested.

They were telling me to WIG THE FUCK OUT.

(and for the record the cats' instincts were also telling them to wig the fuck out... so I think I may have been onto something there)

Thankfully the wind speeds didn't really pick up until the girls' were in bed so they didn't have to know what was going on.

We thought about keeping them home from school today because the wind speeds might make the highway commute we have dangerous.

But Mr F also worried leaving them home with me all day might be dangerous to their psyche.

Hopefully things will die down before I have to go pick them up.

Because what would be most damaging to their psyche is what might happen with me + minivan + wind gusts + semi-trucks + highway merging.

Just saying.

The Matrix