Elementary FriendsI'll never forget being 9 years old in the 3rd grade. I just returned from my 30 year High School reunion and had so much fun seeing "old" friends. Some of which I knew from the 3rd grade and it was so great to have a group photo of some of us .We missed those not present. I moved to Houston, TX in 1972 and began 3rd grade and making new friends. I hold those friendships near and dear to my heart. All of them were special and helped me not just then but have (more than they know) since. Why? Because we day dreamed together, we plotted and planned. And of course we laughed, thought up mischievous things to do (okay, I thought them up and talked them into it). We learned about being friends, having friends and making friends. We thought we would just build doll houses and play house, but come to find out we were building the foundation of our lives, together....for years to come. We held plays in my backyard and in some of their homes (clearing the living room out to make room for "the guest" Parents who were instructed to "bring their own chair" and at least a quarter for entry. After all we made costumes, rehearsed and our time WAS worth something! I made sure they paid at the door! Everything I learned I turned around and taught someone else. If I was learning ballet, tap, baton or math...ugh, did I learn any math? I don't know, I hated it...but everything I learned I loved teaching someone else. My family still laughs about my "classroom" under the stairs. It was REALLY huge - or seemed big enough to me at the time and could fit me and 2 or 3 other students. Of course their parents were also charged for "private tutoring" - heck, they got out good and cheap! Free babysitter, jump start on their education and a built in mentor. Well, that was my sales pitch and it worked and I had fun learning as I taught also.
I'll never forget being 9 and fascinated with someday being "30" and "40" and "50" ... Those were futuristic, far off thoughts and I wondered how rich and famous I'd be. Surely all those quarters would end up making me a millionaire OR the "liquid soap" I invented would. I got to thinking one day how convenient it would be if one could "pour" soap in their hands or squirt it out. So I gathered up some of those friends and ALL the soap we could get our hands on in our mothers cabinets .Then we boiled them in water and Smashed them with a potato smasher and filled up bottles! Yep, those bottles were also our mothers...perfume bottles (some of which we emptied because they were so pretty), mason jars (used for canning until we began inventing - I had to think of SOMETHING to put this in) and any tubes we could find that we THOUGHT we could put the soap in. Then we went around the neighborhood selling it. Now I would have thought my mother would have said; Let's find a way to market this! Some of it smelled so wonderful, especially being put into a perfume bottle! But instead of hearing that... I heard "REBEKAH! GET DOWNSTAIRS" .My goodness, I thought I must be getting an award. Surely I was going to get a pat on the back. Another good idea. NOT....I think I had to give up ALL the money I made for all the soap, perfume and jars I stole....I mean borrowed. Well, even despite the "trouble" I still thought it was a good idea. But I didn't do it again.
I also "organized" as long as I can remember and yes...I was one of those kids that thought about what I was going to wear the night before (jewelry, shoes, books to take) and laid it all out. I recall also calling friends because we bought clothes to match and purposely wore the same thing or as we got older purposely avoided wearing the same thing. Girls, Girls...funny.
Me, Kim & Stephanie!
So for a birthday present to myself this year I am redecorating our Master Bedroom and Dining Room. I also thought it would be fun to write down 49 things that pop into my mind that I would like to do, or accomplish from today, 9-10-11 to 9-10-2012. Wow, I also remember thinking when I graduated there probably would never be "A Class of 2000" ~ and that was only 30 years ago!
So here's the 49 things that pop into my head:
1. Franchise Extra You
2. Go to Israel
3. Go on another cruise...somewhere we haven't been
4. Spend more time laughing and being with George doing things we haven't done..yet.
5. Reconnect with one or more of those "old friends" and be "new friends" again
6. Spend more time studying "The Word"
7. Change the carpet in the house
8. Jazz up my office a bit....
9. Put sheers on the French doors to my office
10. Lay down a wood floor in the office
11. Buy "skins" for rugs (I already have my eyeballs on a few I want)
12. Get rid of my desk and get something not so large
13. Scan papers into electronic files and ...
14. TOSS the paper!
15. Sign on a few Salons for services
16. Get more Property Management clients -- house sitting for those who live aboard or travel a lot
17. "Disciple" someone...
18. Reach out to a local shelter to be a mentor to a young person
19. Welcome someone into our home/lives.
20. Give more (money, time) to charity
21. ...Something I haven't thought of but GOD has that won't be on this list
22. Loose 5-8 pounds
23. Maintain the weight
24. Exercise more
25. Repaint my mother in laws quest room
26. Take my mother in law the VHS player and movies we won't use anymore
27. Buy another house...
28. New drape toppers for kitchen windows and living room window
29. SELL the stuff in consignment!
30. Get someone to open up and heal....
31. Spend more time at home during the week....
32. ....learn how to work smarter not harder
33. Get a "blind" for the "closet" in my office. I know what I want I just need to DO IT!
34. Potty train Tipper? No...I don't think that's going to happen (Tipper's the cat)
35. Take another art lesson
36. Paint more modern art
37. Take another drawing class
38. Focus and work on "Sign Language" --- urrr...I NEED to use what I have and...
39. Use what I learn, so I don't forget!
40. Go see Skye again
41. Get to know my sisters as adults and they me
42. Plant more
43. Cook more
44. Take a dance or yoga class
45. Work with a wardrobe consultant (I have the name of the person I want to use)
46. See one of my "3rd grade friends" come see me in VA! Kim and Robert Stokes.
47. Would love to have the back splash in my kitchen done .... with the vision I have for it.
48. Would also love to have the kitchen/dining room repainted (bricked..not lit. in paint)
49. Gear up for the next chapter of life of what "God" wants from me...which may have NOTHING to do with this list!
