Another Year Older?

A certain day is coming soon. It is a day in which I wish my body will age in reverse.

For like the next 6 years, and then stay there.

And for the "celebration" today for this coming certain day in which another dreaded number creeps up, I decided to spend it with my husband. Today is his day off from work, and all my kids are in school.

I just got paid from my job. I put a huge chunk of it into a vacation savings account. Cha-ching for the bank.

eep.

And yesterday my printer died.

eep.

When do I get to spend anything on myself? Especially on my "celebration" with another dreaded number?

So today my dear hubs and I went to Best Buy. I found a printer I wanted for 30 dollars less than I originally thought it would cost. Cha-ching? (that doesn't really count as something for myself) Nope.

Then I happened to meander over to the photo area. I think my hubs knew that my cha-ching was about to disappear. So after the Best Buy took apart the entire display area so I could play with check out the new lens on a camera similar to mine, I ended up with a decision to finally buy my 55-250 Canon lens for my camera. It only took me a year to finally buy it. Cha-ching? Yep! I finally got what I wanted!

Then my hubs took me to Chipotle across the street for lunch. I will forever say it wrong: Chip-po-tay. Good food. Too crowded and noisy for a good visit with my hubs though. Cha-ching? Nope.

Then we headed nearby to the mall. Cha-ching for hubs? I finally got to use my Bath and Body Works gift card a dear friend gave to me. Cha-ching for me!

Then I decided I MIGHT want to check out the Sears clearance rack. Then I saw Payless Shoe Store and ran as fast as I could meandered over because I have been looking for ballet shoes my daughter needed to replace the ones blistering her feet. Size one ballet shoes always seem to be out. And today the PSS at the mall of all places! finally had them. Cha-ching for me! (and my dear daughter!)

Afterwards I come out of PSS and my hubs is missing! I think he might have suffered from mall shock. I texted him like 6 times:

Hey, I am done. 


Where are you? 


Where r u at? 


I am done, I don't want to go to Sears. 


I am done with Payless.

I am waiting and waiting. Like 18 WHOLE minutes!! I am tired. The mall is hot and humid in the hallways.

Cha-ching?

Texting again:

Hello?


Where is the car parked at?


Como estas? Do I need to call a cab to get home?

Then dear hubs finally shows up, looking a little too relaxed.

He didn't die from mall shock!

"Soo...where were you at?"

"At Oriental Chi"

"Chi?"

"Getting a chair massage."

"Really? Where?"

(walked over to Oriental Chi)

"I want a massage too!"

Cha-ching!

"By the way hon, ignore the last text."

Thanks for a great day hubs.

By the way, I will be forever 30!

P is for Pearl

Today my son found a wood lid stuck behind the dresser.

It has fancy scrolled letter P on it.

I was missing that lid for a really long time. I really wanted that lid back!

This old varnished cracked lid with a "P" on it is my jewelry box lid. I am guessing that my jewelry box is about 30 years old.

My mother gave me this wood jewelry box to me when I was 12 years old. It used to be her Aunt Pearl's. I didn't really know Aunt Pearl. She was my great Grandpa Busby's companion. I remember the cool 70's beads in their kitchen. That's all I remember about Pearl and Grandpa Busby.

But getting that jewelry box was the coolest thing ever. I used to share a small bedroom with 4 other kids. A brother in the crib. A sister in a mattress pulled out from under the crib. A sister on the bottom bunk. And me on the top bunk with my "secret stuff" stashed under the mattress. Lots and lots of "babyish" stuff and Barbies in my room, ugh!

I didn't have any the latest teen stuff at the time. Just a few Kirk Cameron posters on the wall, and my very non-babyish jewelry box with the letter P on my dresser.

Yep, I was real proud of my jewelry box with a letter P. I polished it once a month with my Mom's lemon polish.

I smacked my siblings hands if they dared touched my jewelry box.

A year later I was looking at the letter P thinking that it was too bad that it was not a letter M.

A year later I was really wishing I had a reason to have a letter P! No cool nicknames for me that started with a letter P. And "pumpkin" from my Dad as a little girl does not count.

A year after that I thought to myself, "I really really want my last name to start with a letter P."

A year after that I thought to myself, "I am pretty sure that I will have the last name with a letter P"

A year after that, I went to Lake Powell for the first time. And I LOVED it. I loved that name of the lake so much. Lake Powell sounds so cool. It IS so cool and beautiful.

Almost 3 years later I was standing by a large bonfire introducing myself in sign language as a one of the counselors at a summer camp for deaf kids. "Hello, my name H-E-A-T-H-E-R M-C-N-E-I-L"

Soon afterwards there was a hand towards my right shoulder. I could only see the hand. I thought it was a very nice looking hand. And I saw the name being spelled "R-Y-A-N P-O-W-E-L-L"

Well two weeks later, and the rest is history.

Now I have a good reason to have an old varnished cracked wood lid with a fancy scrolled letter P on it.

And I am still proud of it.

I smack my kids hands if they dare to touch it.

And to this day I still introduce myself as "My name is Heather Powell, Powell as in Lake Powell"

(otherwise they write my last name down as Powers)

PS My husband is quite possibly related to John Powell, founder of Lake Powell.

Thanks son for finding my  jewelry box lid!

And P is now for Powell. (Sorry Aunt Pearl!)