The Original Long Baby

Joshua David Briggs, born March 22, 1980, 2:56pm, weighing in at eight pounds, seven ounces, twenty-one inches long.  I remember every detail like yesterday, but it's been thirty four years. This is the day that the trajectory of my life radically surged in a new direction.  I know now, I was headed for disaster and this child saved my life. He forced me to seek truth and become the best person I could be. And while I assume my kids will need some sort of therapy after surviving a mother like I was, I know I did the best I could. I loved this child and his brother with every fiber of my being.  I still do.

 

This is the day I brought him home from the hospital. There were no car seat laws, and he rode home to Matchwood Place safe in my arms in the back seat of Ginny's big old yellow Cadillac wrapped in the blanket that would become his "blankie" for many years to come. I still have that blanket that Fran Wenzel from the Trails made for him, and he loved so dearly as a baby. Some day if he has a child, I will give it back to him. I did not know his gender when I packed my bag. No one told me not to pick something yellow in case the baby was a bit jaundice, and it makes them look even more yellow, but Josh was pink and perfect.

Probably one of my favorite baby pictures of him.  Digital had not been born and film was a precious luxury.  I feel lucky I have as many pictures of the kids as I do.

This is definitely one of my favs.  This was the day we brought Raymond home from the hospital and his life was never the same again. 

 

He's about 7 here, taken at the Santa Anita Racetrack. Yeah, we took our kids to the track.  That's what happens when children raise children. We sat on the grass in the infield and had a picnic.  There was a playground there, but not usually very many kids.  But I love this picture.

Here he is today, his selfie recently posted on Facebook.

 

Josh is a man now, 34 today, living in Portland.  He seems happy on the few occasions we speak and I hope he is loving life as much as he can.  Today on his birthday, I will call him, and chit chat, it will be good, but he will never understand the depth of influence he has had on my life, maybe not even after he has children of his own, and that's OK, but today as I honor his place in my life, my heart, I looked at his pictures and remembered all the joy he unknowingly blessed me with.  Challenges too, but, oh so much more joy.  I wish him peace and love with every breath today and always.

 

Happy Birthday Josh.  I hope you have a great day.

Wise words from Gandhi



Random Reminders

 

When I opened a roll of pennies last night, there was Ray's name right on top.  Guess I better call him.

Heart Reflection

 

When I woke up for work the other day, this reflection was on the ceiling.  I loved waking up to a heart made from the sun's reflection.  It was a good day.

Winter Flowers

Thought I'd better get busy before the Spring flowers show up, lol.  This is a Christmas cactus that Maryke and Jeremy left at 353. I think of her as Maryke's cactus, ( no offense, Jeremy, lol).  She's lived a series of pots, over the last 5 years, but seems to be thriving in this one on the dresser next to my bed. Might be time for a bigger pot this year, we shall see.

 

 

 

Good Bread

I rarely eat bread.  I'd rather eat a tortilla most days.   I do love a good sandwich every once in awhile and some really good sandwiches require bread.  I take my lunch to work and this week it was sandwiches.  I like a nice nutty bread, and recently tried one they had at WinCo.  It was cheaper than the Oat Nut brand and organic as a bonus.  This is the best bread I have ever eaten, then I read about the guy and will be a fan for life. His story follows below, I copied it from his website.

 

 

Born into a family bakery, Dave Dahl grew up watching his father work hard to create innovative and healthy breads. Resentful and unappreciative of his father’s accomplishments, he turned to the dangerous life of drugs and crime. He was arrested for numerous violations including drug possession and distribution, burglary, assault, and armed robbery, eventually landing him in state prison for a total of 15 years. During his last sentence, he realized that his path was one of destruction. With a newfound desire to make a positive impact in the world, Dave returned to the family business.

Upon his return to the family bakery, Dave was determined to prove his worth and be a part of the company that his family had built. He worked tirelessly to develop the highest quality, best tasting breads imaginable using only the finest ingredients. Once the public got their first taste of “Dave’s Killer Bread” in 2005, it became an instant success. Since then, the company has grown from 30 employees to nearly 300 (one third of which are ex-cons), and has received multiple awards recognizing the positive contributions it has made to the community. Now a successful baker, Dave has never forgotten the path that led him to where he is today, and is continually working to help inspire others with his story of transformation.

 

http://daveskillerbread.com/breads/

Long Babies

I realize that these children carry the names Badik and Christian, however, they still file under Long Babies for me, as will the Briggs and Reyes children who have yet to join us. There was a Welcome Courtney gathering yesterday at Jenn and Richard's House, and I tell ya, it was a parade of cuteness all afternoon.  The weather was rainy and a lot of people did not show up which suited me just fine.

 

Cora did not slow down much, I took a bunch of pictures, and these were the best of them...gotta be quick with her.  And I decided next time I would have to take some video because her narrative is hilarious.

 

 

 

 

 

Courtney was not as impressed with our nonsense.

 

 

 

And bless her heart she slept just fine in the middle of the noisy living room.

 

Indiana took a quick nap...

 

 

...But the rest of the time he was the party boy to be sure, loving all the movement and entertainment of the adults. The kid never stops moving.  Amber and Kevin are in trouble once he's mobile.  And if he walked at 6 months old, I would not be surprised.

 

He loved being clothing free

 

 

Then Courtney stopped by the blanket to play

 

 

 

 

 

In the next three Indiana was looking at Amber and actually broke into some bonafide giggling.and there's few sounds better than a giggling baby...

 

 

 

A perfectly lovely Saturday afternoon. I am so lucky to live here right now.