It’s been an almost constant downpour here since last Friday. I know, I know, you might be thinking, “So??? You live in Oregon?!?” Yes, we do get our fair share of rain here, but generally in the winter. Most years by this point in the spring we are seeing many more beautiful days than rainy ones. We do need the rain as we got much less than normal in January and February this year, but nevertheless, it is hard to reconcile the environmental need for rain with the human expectation of sun!
Driving Alice to school this morning during what was practically a monsoon, it would have been easy to let the gloom take over. Instead, Cory Hart’s “Never Surrender” came on the radio and happy memories of 1984 came flooding back.
(Yeah, my stupid party trick is the ability to name the year a song came out — I think it’s due to the fact that we were moving constantly so I always had different surroundings to associate a song with). Memories of trying to be really cool and getting a bobb (perhaps not one of my better hair moves), buying those really cool deep v-neck sweaters from the Limited, wearing lots of rubber bracelets and a swatch, listening to Madonna, Duran-Duran, and Oingo-Boingo and really wanting a cool pair of Ran-Ban sunglasses to wear at night!
When Cory finished singing, Alice asked me, “Mommy, can you play the song that makes you happy?” She meant “I’m a New Soul”, by Yael Naim. Next thing I know, Alice and I are both car dancing and seriously, how can you not be sunny inside when car dancing with your sweet 4 year old?
Here’s a few photos from this weekend when we went to a pancake breakfast at the fire station. It’s an annual event to raise money for a local version of the Ronald McDonald House, the Mario Pastega House, and it has become one of our favorite traditions to go each year. Are there many things that are more fun when you are a kid then getting the chance to eat pancakes with firemen and climb all over firetrucks? And I do have to confess, all those young, cute, fit firefighters make great eye candy for mommy!
Alice never misses a chance for a good hug.
Fireman Jack driving the fire truck.
And Alice along for a ride.
*****I have redone the playroom as promised, however, the light has been so bad, I haven’t been able to get any good photos. Just as soon as the sun shows itself again, I’ll post those here. Now I’m trying to figure out what my next house endeavor should be….
