Bruises, Dead Cats, Friendly Campers, and Old Friends

I haven't posted in a few days for a few very good reasons. I knew that I wouldn't be home much this week due to the fact that I agreed to essentially run my parents' campground and canoe livery business while they went to their cabin in Canada with one of my aunts and uncles, my brother Garrett, and his girlfriend Arika. It was supposed to be easy. I wasn't having to fully run it, just supervise a relatively seasoned staff, watch my parent's house (and the campground), etc.

Somewhere along the line, it all changed. As I was taking care of a few last-minute things on Sunday (I was trying to get a few personal things out of the way), I received a frantic call from my Grandmother, the Grandma With Whom I Lunch (my Dad's Mom). She had had a bad attack of vertigo and needed my help right away. I had never heard her that talk way, ever. I panicked and fought the urge to speed while heading north on I-75. I had no idea what I'd find.

It turns out that she became so dizzy that she fell and hit her cheek on her kitchen chair. It happened during the middle of the night, and she ended up spending the rest of the night on the floor. She wasn't able to call me until 12 PM the next day (she had made her way to her bed and called me when she woke up several hours later). In the end, she was extremely lucky and is now doing much better. I ended up spending the night with her Sunday night, just to make sure that it wouldn't happen again soon (the best I could, I suppose). That set up things for the next round on Monday.

Monday morning I called my other Grandma, who lives nearby, and went to help her with some errands, etc. She fell almost a week ago, breaking her nose, blacking both eyes, and hurting her knee. Well, we went through her ER discharge paper and it stated that she needed to get her wounds rechecked. She finally did that today, but it doesn't sound good. Her knee is one of the most painful things I've ever seen. I'm going to help her much more tomorrow. Of course, each Grandmother was worried about the other.

Also, the eight year old cat of an elderly family friend of Brian's died recently. It is hard enough to lose a pet, but doing so when that cat was a direct tie to your deceased husband, not to mention your one constant companion after he passed away, has to be infinitely harder. Over the last few years, I have grown to know this woman and her cat well. Brian and I paid her a visit, but what can you say?

All of this took place against the backdrop of dealing with the day to day business of the campgrounds and canoe livery. I swear, my parent have some of the best customers. Most of the business is built on groups of people who come year after year. Many have come for decades. This was the case with a group I dealt with this morning. The woman who organizes this particular group looks no older than her mid-40s, but she informed me that she has camped with us for 19 years. After she found out that I was Bob and Leslie's daughter, she insisted that I must have been one of the little kids running around when she first started coming. Quite frankly, it made me feel old, even at 27.

As if I didn't feel old enough already, I headed to the main location in Omer to see just how things were going and to see an old friend. A childhood friend of mine, who is now 26, now comes camping not only with her parents, but her infant daughter as well. We became good friends (indeed, at one time I considered her my best friend) through the canoe livery. Her family camped with us every year pretty much from the time she was born. As we sat, reminisced, played with her daughter and the baby girl of one of the canoe rental employees (also in her mid-20s), etc., I couldn't help but wonder, exactly when did we became the adults? When did it happen? The mothers shared stories of birth, labor, and future baby plans (and/or lack thereof). I sat in awe. At 27, I am nowhere near ready to have kids, as much as I love and want babies. It amazes me that my Mom already had two kids by the time she was 27; both of my Grandmas had had three by age 27.

All of a sudden my childhood friend started talking about all the things we did as kids. We swapped baseball and football cards (she still has the ones I gave her), she was there when I got my braces off, and she once snuck out of my bedroom (she once spent a week at our house one summer) to hang out with older boys in the campground. We used to tube, canoe, and sit around campfires. I was hurt when she and her family stopped coming for a while, and she changed into a moody teenager (to put it mildly).

I now realize that she was hurting too. She lost her best friend back in Windsor under extremely tragic circumstances. In many ways, it still affects her. Today, however, what struck me was just how selective memory can be. I don't remember ditching my little sister or playing in the display case in Omer (we had to be all of five years old). She probably doesn't want to remember sneaking out and defying her parents. She found it strange that "baby" Garrett (my now 6'3 17 year-old little brother) is now the one taking her canoeing.

There is so much to take away from all of this, but I have to admit, I'll be glad when my parents come home.

Lindsey

What is on the Soundtrack to Your Life?

If you ever watched Ally McBeal (I'm dating myself here) or Grey's Anatomy, then you're familiar with the idea of the personal soundtrack - a soundtrack to your life, if you will. Recently I reloaded my MP3 player, and as a result, I've been listening to some of my favorite songs. Here are songs and artists that would be on my personal soundtrack.

1980s - For me, the 1980s was my childhood. I was born in 1980 and have been a music fan practically since I was born. The following songs remind me of my childhood.

"Eight Days A Week" by the Beatles - You will see a lot of songs by the Beatles, but this particular song will always remind me of my Mom. She is the one who introduced me to the Beatles as a child.

"Brown-Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison - This song will always remind me of my Dad. My sister has blue eyes like my Mom, but I got my Dad's brown eyes. I spent a lot of time with him as a young kid (he's self-employed). Every time this song came on, he'd give me a hug and say "You're my brown-eyed girl, right?" This song always gives me the warm fuzzies.

Anything by CCR, Bob Seger, Three Dog Night, Neil Diamond, the Beatles, or Motown - Quite simply, my Dad introduced me to CCR, Three Dog Night, Neil Diamond, and Bob Seger (he was a fan of 70s music back then). My Mom introduced me to the Beatles and Motown, among other things (she introduced me to a lot of 60s music really).

Anything by Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Paula Abdoul - Some of my favorites were "True Blue," "Like a Virign" (long, long before I knew what a virgin was or knew about sex), "Cherish," and "Material Girl" by Madonna. All of these artists reflect my cousins' influence. They were older, and when I started choosing what I wanted to listen to at a young age, I looked up to them. I actually was born in the same town as Madonna (I live in Bay City, Michigan today). My favorites from Paula Abdoul were "Straight Up" and "Cold Hearted Snake." Anyone who was alive during that time period loved Michael Jackson.

1990s - In the 1990s, I was a junior high and high school student. In 1996, I got my license. My interests in music varied greatly. My CD collection was growing by leaps and bounds.

"I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston - This song reminds me of a childhood crush. It was rightfully a huge a hit. It is still spine-tingling. Of course, I always joked that my Mom's version should be "I Will Always Love Shoes." Sadly, it is all too true for many women!

"Love Shack" by the B52s - This song will always remind me of my sister and high school. There were a few mornings on our drive to school during which we belted this one out when it came on the radio. It will always be a fun song. It was the one time when she didn't yell at me for singing with the radio.

"Spiderwebs" by No Doubt - I still love No Doubt. They introduced me to to Ska music.

"Last Dance with Mary Jane" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Who can forget the video? As a high school student, this song and video riveted me.

"Ruby Tuesday" by the Rolling Stones - I really could relate to this song. It is all about not being labeled, changing for the better, and being yourself. It is a great message for any high school student.

Anything off of "Nevermind" by Nirvana - It is probably a generational thing, but I remember grunge all too well thanks to this album.

New found popularity of Aerosmith, Rod Stewart, Meat Loaf, and the Eagles - All of them released new albums and had new hits in the 1990s. I ate it all up.

Anything by the Eagles - Thanks to an album release in the 1990s and the movie "Desperado," I was introduced to a whole new back catalog. I still love them a lot!

There are a lot of additional bands and singer/songwriters that I fell in love with during this time (way too many to list here). Honorable mentions include: Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Selena, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Prince, U2, Garth Brooks, and so many more.

Stay tuned for part two, which covers college and today.

Lindsey

What Books and/or Authors Inspired You as a Child?

I recently posted this question to a small forum of writers and aspiring writers. The answers were great! You can read them here.

Now for my own answer. The biggest inspirations for me were the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Nancy Drew books (old and new), the Anne of Green Gables books, and many more. My Mom also really inspired me as she read to me just about every night when I was a small child (before I could read). She also signed my sister and I up for a children's book club when we were very small. I loved the book "Mrs. Nelson is Missing." My Mom actually used the idea in that book on her class once. Funny stuff!

Well, now you know what my inspiration was and continues to be.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Lindsey