Thursday, December 23, 2010

Snow for Christmas?

Every year I get a "Christmas Letter" from at least one or two people. You know the type, everything in their world is so perfect that it makes me want to run to the bathroom and pluck my eyebrows so that I can hear myself scream out loud. They always name every person and all their accomplishments for the year and their grand adventures and if that was not enough they even write their upcoming plans for the new year. Well, I thought I would take the time to just BLOG my Christmas letter, so here goes...

Merry Christmas Everyone, 
This year has had it's ups and downs but thankfully more ups than downs. It is funny that I used to be a person that could name the downs faster than the ups, but now I see how those downs are always a path to the ups. My life has changed quiet a bit since last Christmas.  I have married my prince charming, gained step-children, turned fifty, have had some come to Jesus moments with learning to let go of the past. I have held my breath as my first born joined the military, and watched with pride as he became an amazing soldier. I have cried buckets of tears watching my daughter face heart ache and counted to ten knowing that at ten things would be better. I have rejoiced in the new feeling of being completely in love and having someone completely love and adore me. I have prayed many a prayer for a Brother struggling with health issues. I have watched with envy and glee as friends become Grandparents for the first time. I went to three funerals in the past year and thought how Heaven is blessed with new angels. I have stood on a mountain top and literally felt the presence of God and been in total awe of his art work. I have had moments when I did not know how to pray, and times of anger when I did not want to pray. I have laughed and smiled more than any other time in my life. I have accidentally tasted Wasabi and realized that it was not for me as I was wiping the tears from my eyes and screaming at the same time. I have stood on my feet (in cute Cowboy boots) for two and a half hours straight with 30,000 others screaming my head off at a Garth Brooks concert, only to be at the fox theater two nights later dressed to kill and acting like a Lady seeing Amy and Vince.  I have learned that not everyone is going to love you or even like you, just realize it is their loss!!  You still have to live loud and live large because you only get one shot at this thing.
I have made a new home, lost an old home. I have realized that you don't need twenty "sometimes" friends, but those that would come running may be few but priceless.  I  have held hands more than I did even as a teenager. I have learned to use a GPS system and not scream at it ever five seconds as it tells me to re-calculate. I have become a little wiser and realized patience really is a virtue. As for the New Year, who knows what could be ahead. I already know that we have some tough challenges ahead, but as Garth sings, "our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain, but I would have missed the DANCE"... 
God Bless Each and Everyone of you and Merry Christmas!!! 
Love,
S. Sugarbaker

PS. I'm not sure if I should tell you this but I did kidnap a pig wearing a pearl necklace and pearl earrings, the pig was wearing the pearls, I only commit crimes wearing diamonds!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Where did Sixteen Go??

Oh to be 16 again but know what I know now:
  • First of all I would realize that ninety eight pounds is certainly not fat, and to treasure every second that you weigh that amount.  
  • I would go back and become a nerd, study hard, chase boys less and pay attention to that really smart shy boy on the annual staff, not only because he would one day be my future but I might just end up in the yearbook a little more.  
  • I would not be so jealous of that beauty queen and realize that she is just as beautiful on the inside and would later in life become someone you admire with all your heart. 
  • I would know that the boy that was so popular, that did not give you the time of day, would become a lifesaver and a treasured friend.  
  • I would realize that my Mother is not my enemy but in reality my biggest fan. 
  • I would spend a few more Saturdays watching college football with my Dad and not be in such a hurry to leave the house. 
  • I would not be so afraid of my own shadow. 
  • I would say Thank You a lot more and I would pray not just when I had a crisis.  
  • I would realize that I looked darn good in that bikini and I certainly would not cover myself in baby oil and fry in the sun.  
  • I would be in the school chorus and I would try out for the school play.
  • I would listen to my Mom and not put so much in writing....well maybe. 
  • I would treasure every time my Dad kissed my sleepy forehead as he left for work and not think it was corny. 
  • I would spend more time playing with my baby brother and less time fighting with my sister. 
  • I would start wearing high heels and never take them off.  
  • I would be a giver and not so much of a taker. 
  • I would not be embarrassed that I was madly in love with Donny Osmond. 
  • I would not lie and say that I was already 17 just because everyone else already was. 
  • I would go to the Prom with that goofy, nerdy boy. 
  • I would spend some time with my Grandparents and learn my history. 
  • I would not worry so much about being short and instead be proud to be petite.
  • I would ride that roller coaster and throw my hands up in the air screaming with delight as I did it.....NOT.
Oh, to be sixteen again. I lived through it, I guess the things we would do different really do not matter, we are who we are because of the people we were. We live, we learn, we hopefully grow. We can  learn from all our stupid  mistakes and we can rejoice in surviving them in spite of ourselves. If we are really lucky we can say we have a friend from every decade of our lives.  Some of my greatest friends at sixteen are still some of the greatest people I know. Now, THAT, is just pure sweetness.....  I will turn the big 50 on Sunday. Fifty and Fabulous is the way I am approaching it. I am celebrating the fact I survived my teens, my twenties, my thirty's and the dreaded forties....  fifties are going to be FANTASTIC!!!!