skipping

There are a few things in this world that as goofy as they may appear when one does them they bring me back to my childhood and make me forget for however long the troubles of this world. Skipping is one of them.

I was sitting up in my apartment thinking about all the stuff I needed to do to clean up in here and stuff I needed to gather together for the car wash tomorrow and generally feeling overwhelmed and stressed out by so many things, when I decided to make a journey down into the main house to get a suitcase and wash the leftover dinner dishes. As soon as I stepped outside and felt the coolness of the air (I'm really trying had here to not get all mushy gushy and oh gosh I'm searching for the right word and it is so not coming, but I think my meaning is pretty clearish.) and saw the beautiful dark clouds rolling in immersing (sorry) me in, well, darkness, I completely forgot all the stress I'd been feeling up until then.

Have you ever had that urge to skip for no reason at all? I had that urge right then and instead of doing what I normally do and dismiss the thought and continue on with whatever I was doing I acted on it and took off in the backyard by the field around the house and ended up by the pool. Kicking my filp-folps (intentionally misspelled...you have to be related to me to get that one) off I sat on the diving board and dipped my toes into the cold water. I felt like I could dive in with all my clothes on and swim forever sitting there bouncing on the board. That's another great feeling. Not caring about what might happen to my hair or clothes just acting on a spur of the moment decision to let it all loose. Long story short...I didn't but instead went inside to face the dishes.

Almost as soon as I began to wash the dishes the phone rang and I looked at the caller ID to see a French looking name that at first I didn't recognize, Laverdure. I was about to dismiss it when I realized that it was Rachel R.'s fiancé Mike. So I picked up and talked to Rachel about her wedding shower which I'm planning. You know that good feeling I had felt just about two minutes ago after skipping? Gone. Enter stress galore.

Okay, so it's not all that bad, but this is the first wedding shower I've planned and it's fast approaching at the end of May. Being the expert procrastinator that I am, I intend to do a lot of the preparations last minute possibly causing multiple heart attacks on all the motherly women in my church. But you know what...they were the ones who asked me to do this so whatever.

I've got a lot of ideas about skits to do but the problem is I don't know Mike too well and I don't know his family at all. All I know from hangin out with him and Rach is that he comes from a military family of all boys and he's the oldest (I think) and he was always pulling pranks on his younger brothers like making them run around the house outside, naked, and in freezing Chicago temperatures. Then there's my favorite story about his brother sitting by him and being annoying until Mike finally took his pencil and stabbed his brothers leg multiple times. When Mike's mother asked him why he did it he told her that his brother was annoying him. After hearing that his mom immediately told Mike's brother that he got what he deserved. HA! I love that! Then there are all the stories about his family making multiple trips to the Emergency Room in just one day because of injuries brought about by him and his brothers wrestling or falling out of trees.

So I guess I know Mike a little better than I thought. I think one of the signs that two people are meant to be together is not only if their parents approve but also if their friends do as well. The guy that Rach dated for a really long time before Mike never felt right to me. I met him multiple times but just never connected to him the way I have to Mike. He was always giving us all the cold shoulder and never trying to get to know all of Rachel's friends. Mike on the other hand after having met him only once or twice I saw him at school and he recognized me (even though he couldn't remember my name) and gave me a big bear hug. Now that's a special guy. I'm so incredibly happy for Rachel and Mike. Prepare yourself for a big cliché...I don't feel like I'm losing a friend at all but actually gaining two even closer friends. Good feeling back.

Another good feeling...LOST is on!!! whoo-hoo!!!