"What will survive of us is love."

~Philip Larkin

Steven F. Forcht

4.22.1953 ~ 9.16.2004

if, one day, my washing machine fails to operate...

Why can I never remember to check pockets before I do laundry? That was rule #1 when my mom taught me how to do laundry...and now?...

I swear to you that this is what I pulled off the bottom of my washing machine after one load!

No lies. It's ridiculous.

I think that maybe I realize, that if I did I would spend the rest of my life going through pockets of dirty clothes. How much do you think it costs to remove a light saber from the inner most workings of a washing machine? I shudder to think...especially if the repair man is from the dark side...

stay with me, people...

My husband will tell you that it takes me three times as long to tell a story as it does anyone else. I come by this trait honestly...just ask my mother, she'll explain it to you in great detail.

Chris likes the facts. Who, what, when, where and how. No adjectives, thank you very much. In other words, talking to him is a bore...(just kidding).

Now...where was I? Oh yes...I was gonna tell a short story with lots of finesse. Creative writing was one of my best subjects after all. If you are like Chris, you may want to stop reading here...

When I was little, one of my favorite things was the Nutshell Library by Maurice Sendak. So much so that I've kept it all these years. I love Maurice Sendak. His stories...his artwork...and especially my Nutshell Library, which consists of four small books: Alligators All Around, Chicken Soup With Rice, One Was Johnny, and Pierre.

Pierre is the story of a boy who answers "I don't care" to everything said to him. His mother and father leave him at home alone one day because he doesn't care. He meets a lion. He gets eaten by the lion. YES, this is a children's story... with a moral...if the consequence for not caring were not horrifying, then why care? So..., he's inside the lion but gets saved and then he cares! Pierre was a happier boy because of it. Good moral, no?

I grew up in Nebraska. For that reason alone I'm a Corn Husker. (GO BIG RED!) Until I moved to Iowa, I had no idea that so many people hated Nebraska. Including Chris. Sad for me. If I dared to utter a word about Nebraska or wear clothing that represented Nebraska I was shamed by almost everyone I encountered. I am now a "closet" Nebraska fan. I got tired of all the tormenting.

(This is all gonna make sense here in a minute).

Today is the Iowa State vs. The University of Iowa football game. The "Iowans Super-Bowl". I used to say..."I'm a Husker fan...I don't care who wins this stupid in-state rivalry". But then I'd see how excited everyone was about the game, I'd see all the good-natured teasing, and after 10 years I decided to care...because it would be more fun if I did...that's what happened to Pierre after all. So, I chose a team. I based my decision totally on the fact that Iowa has a dental school and Iowa State doesn't. I am in the dental field so that made total sense to me. GO HAWKS!

So, I could have just said, "IA vs. IA State is on today and we are going to watch the game as a family and eat junk food. The End". But that would not have been as exciting of a post nor have a moral... which is, of course, CARE! Life is more fun when you do! Gotta run...game is on...Go HAWKS!

letting go

Every year, right around September, I enter into some kind of reflective state of being. I am more apt to clean, organize, cook and dream than any other time of the year. My own personal New Year is, for some reason, in September. This year has been no different...I feel the urge to sit back and reflect on my life...the good, the not so good, the ways I can change, the things I should change...my resolutions, I guess.

My first realization has hit me.

I need to let go. I need to let go of all the stuff that has been weighing on my mind...what I need to get done...what I should be getting done...what I want to get done but can't afford to do right now...etc.

We, me and my little family, are right smack in the middle of a huge transitional phase. And that, my friends, comes with a big, fat "pause button". Eden has begun scooting around...putting clear Lego pieces in her mouth ( God help me), Ty is going to preschool (sniff, sniff), Colin just lost his front tooth (sniff, sniff, sniff)...

My life as I know it has changed. A small shift, but with huge repercussions. My kids are growing so fast. I can feel them slipping through my fingers...and yet at the same time, I feel like our "pause button" will be forever activated. When can my life go back to my "normal"? And every time I have that thought I feel so guilty! How can I be wishing that things get easier? Because that means my kids have to grow...and isn't that essentially wishing my time with them away?

So, when I get frustrated that I can't go on dates with my husband as much as I'd like to, go out with my friends, talk on the phone, blog, clean... I have to remind myself to let go... just for a while. Sit back and appreciate the time with my children...these little gifts, who have enriched my life so much...because before too long, my life will be easier and my kids will be bigger and I know how much I will miss this time.

So, my dear friends and family, forgive me if I seem to be in my own little world...because I am.

And, that's right where I want to be for now.

Q:

Is there anything cuter than bare baby bottom?


A: No.