Last week of school...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 05:07PM This week has been a hurried, hasty blur of end-of-the-school-year obligations....choir concerts, class parties, yearbook signings, sports practices, games, etc. School always ends in May, so I shouldn't be so under-prepared and last-minute about all that it entails. The most ominous of all obligations are the gifts. I'm sure I will, in the future, reserve an entire blog to my gifting disorder. I could go on and on about my "problem", but let's save that for another time.
It is our custom, mine to be exact, to get each of our beloved teachers some type of gift at the end of the year. The kids also write a thank-you note to accompany the gift, which I'm sure the teachers enjoy reading. Personally, I think this gives the teachers a glimpse into how they performed during the year with spelling and writing. Our first grader wrote, "You are the best at teacher and fun at math facts. Have good summer." He was, in his defense, right in the middle of a one-on-one basketball game with himself when I made him stop and write his note. Grammar and spelling were not nearly as important to him as the speed in which he completed the task so that he could get back to his game. (He won, by the way.)
Along with teacher gifts, we also get gifts for the office ladies, the school nurse, the principle, the bus driver along with a few of the kids' friends. This started years ago at our charter school, where everything is smaller and more intimate. We know these people and they truly care for and about our children. Anyway, it's a lot of shopping, bagging and note writing. I enjoy it but I'm exhausted.
Here's where my friend comes in. It was yesterday, I was tired and unfocused. I felt as though I had been wandering through the desert in search of water. Everything looked the same and I was down to finding my last gift. It was eluding me so I decided to drive just a teeny bit further than my immediate neighborhood to see if I could find that last memento of gratitude. Shuffling through the store, I heard my name. I knew immediately who it was. Aren't there people in your life who just make your heart happy? This would be Melissa!
There she was, looking as bedraggled as me but in a much more glamorous way. I am typically running around town in my grey t-shirt, black gym shorts and flip flops, which is exactly what I was wearing. I only wear flip flops because they won't let me in barefoot. Which is why I like southern CA, along the shore. You can really walk anywhere there without shoes. Most of your clothes are optional, too. I like it there. Anyway, my friend Melissa always looks like a million bucks. Very "put together" as my mom once complimented.
Put together is right - she always, always has her hair done perfectly, her makeup on, her clothes ironed to crisp perfection (I do not own an iron) wearing her strand of pearls with matching earrings and she is ALWAYS happy. This is probably what I love most about her. Melissa is just bubbly, funny and joyful. (I'm not going to mention anything about her abrasive tendencies.) She and I can go on, literally, for hours. Joking, laughing, story telling and giggling like school girls. She is a hoot! Any day is entirely better after an encounter with Miss Melissa, as we call her.
My husband is equally fond of Melissa, but for very different reasons and they all have to do with food. This is where I am probably deficient as a wife, or at least his wife. I cook just fine and I do feed my family, but they have a little name they call me that would insinuate that they're just a little irritated with my zest for pointing them in a healthier direction. My husband, most specifically, lovingly refers to me as "the food Nazi". This is because I tend to prefer healthier food and less of it. It's mostly my portions sermon that I'm known to preach,"You can eat almost anything, just in the correct, smaller portion". He's more of a generous portion guy who also likes to partake of seconds, which is a no-no to this food Nazi.
My husband has figured out that Melissa is a wonderful cook who encourages people to eat until they are full. He's never heard her utter the word portion. Melissa also adds things to food, which I usually discourage, as it also adds unnecessary calories. For example, the three of us went to Chick-fil-A years ago and had breakfast together. There we were, enjoying our Chicken Mini's when Melissa said to Wade, "You know, you should really put honey on that. It's delicious." I'm pretty sure that he unintentionally blurted out, "I love you," to her. I didn't hear as I was busy counting the extra calories honey added to his meal.
We've sat through softball games and she's offered to take him home, out of the dust and dirt, to bake muffins. I would pick a softball game over baking a muffin any day. Not my husband and not Melissa. I, too, am mesmerized by her cooking abilities. She is a whiz and makes it look so easy. She could easily have her own cooking show on The Food Network. I'm thinking ESPN could use her, too, now that she's learned that each team needs to get three outs before they get to bat again. This is funny because she has been to a bazillion games and we had the following conversation just this year..... Me - "How many outs are there?" Someone standing off to the side - "There are two outs." Melissa, whispering quietly to me - "How many do we need?"
So, as my friend shopped for a new outfit to wear to her daughter's promotion and I searched for that last remaining gift, my day was instantly better. Thanks, Melissa, for always being a bright ray of sunshine and tons of fun. I - we - love everything about you.
I'm so glad it's the last week of school....happy summer everyone!
Reader Comments (4)
Sheila.....Funny!!......My face completely ran off from laughing so much!!!! I love that your blogging! A great way for all the people that love you and your wonderful family to stay in touch. Melissa
YOU are so funny - glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your encouragement, you are a gem of a friend!
Greetings Sheila………Okay, I know you’ve probably never heard this before, but you are a wonderful writer. I love your writing style!! So, can I have a piece of the action when you sign your first book deal? I look forward to reading about the adventures and misadventures of the Pettit family this summer :-) Randall
You are so sweet, Randall! Thanks for checking in and for your very nice compliments :) When I get to the post about the world's best Sunday school teacher, I will need to attach your photo. Thanks for being special to ALL of us.