Rosalina is 21.

On this occasion of Rosalina's 21st birthday, it is the only thing that I can think about writing tonight. I think about meeting her as a small child in 1994. I remember going to her sister's baptism in Midland in 1996. One Christmas, she wore matching outfits with her sisters; gasp! I don't know how her mother convinced her to do that!

In 2003 she moved to Cleveland and that gave us the opportunity to develop a deeper relationship. I saw her through the trials and tribulations of the teen years. I even remember one New Year's Day visiting her in the hospital because her asthma could not be controlled. Through it all, I have always seen a beautiful, fun loving person who is willing to work hard for what she wants. We loved working with her when we did festivals, and we enjoyed travelling with her when we could.

I have always tried to develop relationships with my nieces and nephews in order to bridge the generations, but also, because one day, I will not be here, and it is up to them to look after their cousins, my children. I try to share with them my knowledge, and what I think is best, but it is up to them to follow their own path. You will only learn by experience, and sometimes, you need to have the experience yourself rather than be told not to do it. You remember the lessons better that way!

The lesson that I hope that you will always take with you is that regardless of the choices that you make, I love you with all my heart always and know that I believe in you and will always be here for you. Do not ever be afraid to come to me; I will help you if I can, but if I can't, I will listen nonetheless.

Parking in the Garage

Tonight, as I was driving the van into the garage, Reese says, "Ooh, I have never done this before." When I thought about it, she was right. I don't think that in her whole lifetime we have parked cars in the garage. It has always been a storage unit for mostly restaurant things including a 6 foot grill with a trailer hitch. Even though we have not had the grill in the garage for awhile now, the garage still never got clean enough to put a vehicle in last year. We still had kid outdoor toys and other storage items including some of my work crates and boxes that got in the way.  Through dilligent cleaning, storing, and donating in 2011, 2012 is the year we finally accomplished what was for many years impossible.

I did offer the one space that we have in the garage to my husband because he drives the older of our two vehicles (although mine has more miles on it).  He said that it was for me because he has time to warm his truck and scrape in the morning because he has to wait for the kids to get on the bus anyway.  Score for me!

A Van Full of Memories

Today, at just shy of 8 1/2 years, I got to 200,000 miles on my van.  We bought it in mid-June 2003 when Riley was 5 months old, and we were travelling to Cleveland a great deal.  To be honest I cannot remember where I was when the van got to 100,000 miles.  But, I do know that the van was the second vehicle in which I was the original owner and I saw the 100,000 mile mark.  The other was my Ford Escort, who only had five digits on the odometer and so went back to zero.  We traded the Escort in for a Honda Civic that we had for almost four years before we got the Honda Odyssey.

The van has been on numerous trips to Cleveland and around Ohio as well as just the average everyday driving.  It has been the kid mobile as well as a delivery van for the flower shop and Sticks.  The distance trips that the van has seen not in any order are: Orlando = two times, Atlanta, Arkansas, Boston/Maine = 3-4 times, Chicago, Atlantic City, Ann Arbor, Port Canaveral, and maybe a few more that I missed.

Ironically, I ran into an old high school friend this summer who drives the same color, year, make, and model of my van.  Her van is only eight; she has 54,000 miles on it.  I asked her how she was able to keep it so low.  She said that she lives/works on the east side, all of her and her husband's families live in town, and with four kids, they could only go on one vacation a year which would be the only long distance they travel.  More power to them...

Go baby, keep on going!