Winning the Lottery

"So after we win the 640 million dollars tonight with the Mega Lotto, I'm thinking we should build our bunker."

The bunker is the imagined garage-of-the-future Nicolas dreams about. One where we don't have to worry about bumping one car door into the next car, and where he can rebuild more Land Rovers. Or maybe an Aston Martin. It will be built into the hill at the end of the driveway and have a garden on top, so you don't even notice it.

"First we should build a second story on the garage for a teen-wing, to quarantine the sass."

"Oooh. Good idea."

We sipped our drinks - made with the Roundhouse Gin our awesome friends Mark and Carly had hidden in the wood pile for Nick to find - and fantasized about what we'd do with the ridiculous sum of half a billion dollars. After sharing with family and friends and donating to our favourite causes, it centered around making little tweaks to what we already had.  Add a mud room when we enhance the garage... build a great art studio... finally get blinds (!) - but keep this wonderful cozy home. Get a Master's degree in world religions. And travel. A lot.

But never did either of us say we'd change what we had - and I really believe that we wouldn't. I know Durango would remain our home and our home would remain right here on Timberline. Sometimes it takes a little fantasy to realise that your reality is pretty damn good.

The odds of winning tonight were 1 in 175 million, about the same as my meeting someone like Nick. I guess the chances of winning twice are not very good...

My Leprechauns

You know how sometimes your kids can do something sooo bad, it almost makes you laugh? When Acacia was only five, she was so mad at Nick she cut a hole in our sheet on his side of the bed. That is so naughty it floored me she even thought of it.

My Mom once told me that when I came home from school with a letter from my 3rd grade teacher saying she finally figured out that all my book reports had been totally made up - title, characters, plot - that she and my Dad had a good laugh about it. Personally, I'm appalled it took the teacher so long... but I guess they didn't have Google back then.

So when I first saw that the gorgeous indigo glass in the girls' bathroom cabinet was shattered I wanted to wring someone's neck. I'd had to work for a few hours and Nick was flying, so the girls had a list of chores to do to keep them out of trouble: Laundry, which they did, with half the clothes inside-out, washed with Shout; Bring in firewood from the garage, which they did, leaving a trail of dust and bark through the house; and Clean their bathroom, which they were working on when Cayenne got annoyed with Acacia - who was sitting on the toilet reading a Calvin and Hobbes book - and she slammed the cabinet door. Crack!

But then I looked more closely and noticed all the shards had been crudely super-glued back together. My mind was instantly overtaken by the image of the two of them looking at each other aghast, trying desperately to come up with a plan, and furiously piecing the door back together, mumbling a ten-year-old version of the mantra: "Oh shit oh shit oh shit."

Nick made that cabinet. I love it. But I can't stop myself from giggling every time I think of the girls banding together to fix a disaster.

Just don't tell them that!

   

Her Glass is Half Full

I just read this and have to share it with you. Those of you who've been tuning in since the beginning might remember an amazing little girl called Annelise. She's the one with Cystic Fibrosis. Her family just learned of another family who recently discovered their baby has CF, and this is what Annelise sent to them:

She's something special. Remember her name, because you'll probably be reading about her when she grows up and discovers the cure for CF herself, or something equally awesome.

 You go, girl!! ♥

 

My Unfavourite Thing

I never hate my children.

And I never hate being a mother.

But I hate that to raise responsible daughters

I sometimes make them hate me.

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March 3rd Post Script: Saw my in-laws tonight for dinner, they asked about what I'd written and then suggested I add an explanation/conclusion. Acacia called me from swimteam practice, asking me to come back to the pool to bring the goggles she had forgotten at home. I had, over the previous two days, reminded her that her goggles were on the stairs, and suggested she put them in her swim bag lest she forget them. So I said no. She would have to swim without them.

Tears. Big crocodile tears and sobs about how she couldn't swim without them. Too bad, my love. I warned you. Perhaps next time you'll listen.

When they arrived home with Nick from practice, both girls ran to me, gave big hugs and said, "I love you." A little nudge from Papa, perhaps? He read my mind? Or my blog?

In any case, they've been very agreeable ever since. I hope when they're teenagers it self-fixes as easily!