9/24/25

 The older I get, the more I think about how easy it is to die. That’s morbid right? All of the car crashes I read about lately are devastating. It just seems like any activity I drive to, could result in an accident. It isn’t something that will keep me from traveling by car, it just makes me respect defensive driving. 

I don’t mind letting people in front of me. I don’t mind waiting my turn or even being overly cautious. I may have a potty mouth for other drivers in my own car, but would never take to road rage because people may not be mentally stable and retaliate in an unfavorable way. It’s just not how I want to go. 

Years ago we (mostly me) started collecting quotes from people we love. I started writing things down with the intention of making a compilation of sayings from people our family loves. It is actually great fun. When someone says something off color or what we think is funny, I will hear “add it to the quotes”.

We have had many times when we were sitting around the campfire and I will read them out loud.  

“When I turn into a girl, I will wear earrings like Mommy” Ethan 2007 (age 4).

Craig swatting and killing a mosquito and saying “bet he won’t have the guts to bite me again”

Avery on a rant “why does dad use so much hairspray? He doesn’t even have that much hair. He is single handedly destroying the ozone.”

Avery has a list in her phone too. Some of them were from when I was driving and I had potty mouth. But again, not something I would ever say out loud in a road rage event. That is not what I want my last words to be. I call these quiet road rage events, because the goal is to not let the other driver know the obscene thing I just said. Ha!

We have pages of these quotes over the past 20 years. Sometimes they are just a funny situation we found ourselves in. If you aren’t doing this, I strongly encourage you to start. Some of the stuff the kids said when they were little is just plain funny. Being silly just brings people together.

Tonight Paul discovered he had a swollen lymph node. I told him it was gout. Whenever he has an ailment, no matter what it is, I say “it’s probably the gout.”  Just to make him laugh at the ridiculousness.

I spoke with Avery tonight. She is doing well. We are probably going to get together at her homecoming event this weekend. Sarah will be there too. Win!

Sarah came over tonight. We sat outside and enjoyed the noises of nature. We also got out the plant app to identify some suspicious trees growing. We are nerds. I love the plant app. 

Ethan goes for his bloodwork this weekend and I told him afterward we could stop and get some apple fritters. I am hoping to see his bloodwork come back stable since we have adjusted his medications. Apple fritters seem like a good reward regardless. Yum!