Kristen Welch's blog

Spring Love is in the Air

2008-04-01T11:02:18-05:00

I love Spring. I love the flowers; the breeze and the sun poking thru the clouds.

I love the melody of birds and the awakening of the slumbering earth.

I love the damp ground and the fragrance in the air.

I love it all---

Except for the mildew.

And, my word, do I hate the fine green layer that grows with the winter and rain. It covers everything outside our house.

It makes me twitchy. Really. Before the ground has defrosted, I start whining about it.

This isn’t even seen as a flaw to my hubby. He knows me well. He tackles the green with me.

The other day I returned from the store and I heard a racket in the backyard. My heart started pounding and my palms grew moist.

I opened the back door and saw this:

And nothing says I love you like the words etched in mildew with a pressure washer.

Oh, stop my beating heart.

Is That Bad?

2008-02-27T18:59:57-06:00

A friend and I stopped by Chic Fil A the other day. I needed a sweet tea.

“Uh, yes, I need a large sweet tea,” I said to the drive-thru speaker. “Want anything?” I whispered to my friend. She shook her head no.

“Okay, Kristen. That’s $1.37,” the speaker answered.

As I pulled around, I could feel my friend staring at me.

“What?” I asked.

“That lady, in the speaker, she KNEW YOUR NAME!” she said in disbelief.

“Oh, that. Yeah, I come here. A lot. It’s funny, she recognizes my voice now and . . .” my words trailed off.

Because she was really staring now. Intensely.

“What? Oh, is that bad?”

Obviously it never dawned on me that it wasn’t normal for fast food restaurants to recognize you BEFORE they see you.

This opened up a whole new dimension of thinking. Hmmm, I wonder how many things I do that aren’t normal for other people.

Wow. That’s deep.

I’m a little worried now. Can you help me decide if these things are bad?

Besides knowing my name and debit card number, the Chic Fil A lady frequently comments on how easy it is to make sweet tea at home and how fattening it is.

I still go back. Daily. Is that bad?

My baby’s second and third words were ‘chicken nugget?’ Is that bad?

My one year old got into the pantry the other day while I was in cyberspace. She dumped out a bag of tiny marshmallows. She shoveled them in her mouth. I let her. Is that bad?

I love Carmel Delights made by the lovely Girl Scouts. The other day, my daughter asked if there were any left. “No,” I replied quickly. No, because I’m hiding the last two to eat later. When I’m alone. Is that bad?

I do not enjoy unloading the dishwasher. Every once in a while, when I feel overwhelmed, I pretend they are still dirty and wash them again. Is that bad?

On a full moon, sometimes I innocently hand the baby to my hubby, KNOWING she’s stinky. Is that bad?

I love cupcakes.

More than some people.

Is that bad?

Sometimes I go to Target. Okay, I go 4.5 times a week. When I wear red, my kids wonder if I work there. Is that bad?

Occasionally, I slip a tabloid into my cart at the store and then hide it when church people come over. Is that bad?

When I REALLY need a break, I leave my 8 year old to watch my other kids and go to the movies---

Shoot. I KNOW that’s bad. Just making sure you’re still reading! And I’m completely kidding!

Since I’m starting to see faults in my moral compass, I’ll leave it with just one more . . .

I have been known to hurt people for chocolate. Is that bad?

We are THAT family . . . you know the ones!

2008-02-15T21:39:09-06:00

Through the years, I’ve been in different conversations and either said or someone said to me, “You know THAT family?” They don’t even have to say a name usually. My mind automatically pulls up THAT family. You know the ones. The family that always has troubles. Something is always happening and they are usually followed by disaster.

As I sat in the Emergency Room last night with my little boy, it dawned on me: Oh my word, WE are THAT family. I don’t know how it happened or when, but we became THOSE people that trouble follows.

It’s been a crazy month, even for our family. Let’s just put it this way, our family of five has met individual deductibles and it’s still January. I’ve never had a longer month. It’s been hectic, unpredictable and well, you just wouldn’t believe it!

My son created a swing in between the couch and air hockey table in our playroom last night and lost his balance. Three of his top teeth took the brunt of the fall and are now hanging half-hazardly.

I’ve never seen so much blood.

At first, I thought it was just his cut lip, but once I saw his teeth, I nearly passed out.

Really. I had to put my head between my legs.

It wasn’t so much the blood, it was knowing it was my son’s blood that did it.

My husband was gone, but my family lives close and they helped get the other kids to bed and we rushed to the ER.

As I applied pressure and quieted my crying son, I had my epiphany. I used to gossip about THAT family. I’d quickly pass judgement on the mother who didn’t watch her kids closely enough or the kids who were overly active. We are THOSE people now.

I don’t know if it was adding another child or a genetic mutation, but I know trouble is now a member of the family.

In preparation for upcoming disaster, I’ve adopted a new theme. I repeat it daily.

My kids will break bones. They will need stitches. We are THAT family.

Please don’t be alarmed. Don’t send condolences, although small gifts are accepted. We have come to grips with this and we are okay with it.

Just remember the next time you talk about THOSE people, we have feelings too.