The good, the bad and the super ugly...

I really enjoy cleaning. Maybe it's not the literal act of cleaning rather than actual cleanliness. There is a sense of accomplishment at the final result of it all. I guess that's why my new vacuum is my hero at the moment. I won't tell you how much it picks up every single time I vacuum, that would be sort of embarrassing (Peyton sheds her weight in hair daily, I seriously don't how she isn't bald). Anyway, I usually end up cleaning at the store for the reasons mentioned above. There are definitely things I don't mind cleaning, like the chairs that have milkshake dripping down the legs, trays with sauce puddled in the corners, trash cans that have collected juice from a leaking trash bag, spilled and sticky Hi-C fruit punch and much more. But there are some areas where I draw the line. Last week I covered a shift for one of our team members and incidentally (as Regis would say) was the dining room cleaning attendant. Not having checked the bathroom in a while (and having only one stall open due to plumbing issues) I figured it could use a check up. Cleaning the bathroom is not usually something that would scar me, but on this night that changed. As I entered the restroom I noticed the smell. There were crumpled paper towels on the counter with a hint of brown substance. Unusual, I thought. Then I entered the stall. Without going into detail, I will tell you I gaged. There, on the surface of the toilet, the toilet paper, the toilet paper holder and the waste basket 'it' was smeared, with the source still obviously in the toilet (unflushed). Everywhere. Lovely. Some unaccompanied he/she child had left me a present, that I did not want. Let me just say I do not handle 'poop' situations well. I have a hard time changing diapers (as my sisters would tell you I don't do very often, with just a hint of resentment in their voices) so you can imagine how thrilled I was in this instance. Who was going to do deal with this, though, if I didn't? So, I donned my gloves, cleaner and sanitizer and attacked the contaminated bathroom stall with all my might. A major sense of accomplishment at it's sparkling finish, and the fact that I saved the rest of those in the restaurant from the evil lurking in the bathroom, made me feel a little better. It's clean now, but let this be a lesson to those who have small children. You never know what has been left behind by someone else's child or what yours might leave behind (not on purpose, of course) . So please, for the sake of us all, chaperone your little munchkin to a public restroom or teach them how to wipe effectively.

welcome to my blog, I think

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?

I don't remember growing older
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?

Wasn't it yesterday
When they were small?

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

What words of wisdom can I give them?
How can I help to ease their way?

Now they must learn from one another
Day by day

They look so natural together

Just like two newlyweds should be

Is there a canopy in store for me?

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

So this is all new to me and I felt like I should maybe explain the title of this little window into my world. It's pretty simple really. I love this song. I wish I had chosen to have it played in my wedding. I grew up listening to my aunt Julie (with such a familiar, beautiful voice) singing it to the sound of her guitar, rippling waves and the clinking of my grandfather's sailboat mast on the screened in front porch of my grandparents house overlooking Palmetto Creek. Takes me back there every time. This is where I have spent a majority of all my summers and holidays since before I can remember. This is my favorite place on earth; my little piece of heaven. Perdido Beach, Alabama is where my dad spent endless hours tubing us behind the boat, and teaching me how to slolum and cast a net for catching mullet (not what you're thinking...they're bottom feeding fish that are simply delightful when my dad slices them up and fries them ;). We spent entire days in the murky water until the tips of our fingers and toes were wrinkly. This is where I feel I can most remember my beloved grandmother because she quite literally helped to build the house we all consider to be home. This is where I grew up, along with my sisters and cousins. With this song a flood of memories from throughout my life thus far overwhelm me. I ache for those days that are long passed but they have come and gone, just as other seasons of my life. I think this song reflects this sentiment brilliantly. Time goes by so fast. Although I long for days gone by, I look forward to what the Lord has in store for me and cherish the memories I'm making now. In so many words, this life, in so many of it's aspects, is bittersweet...laden with happiness and tears. I suppose that's what I'll share with you here, my moments of happiness and tears. Hopefully I'll make you laugh more than I make you cry (although, I seriously doubt I am capable of either). So here's to new memories, a new season, sunrise...