Friday, March 20, 2009

The color green

Long before having kids and years before getting married a young couple escaped the hectic tone of graduate school to relax and unwind over Memorial Day weekend 1998.

They dreamed about a wild weekend in Miami, or a lazy couple of days in Napa, or a dining extravaganza in NYC but alas the college students with holes in their pockets settled for an overnight trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to go hiking. Their first official purchase together was a portable green cooler from Pick n' Save.

The couple, already in love, walked passed quaint fudge shops and dreamed of what laid ahead of them in their lives. The weekend was spent enjoying the simple things in life and there came a moment in time that the drop dead gorgeous girl stopped to think that perhaps this man would be the one she would marry, the father of her future children.

What would they be like? Who would they resemble? How many would they have? She didn't dare to share the thoughts she was having with the man that walked beside her on the sandy banks of Lake Michigan. Would they have all boys? Or all girls? Or maybe a set of twins? The man purchased some fudge for her as a token of his affection. What would she call them? Would this man make a good father? A good husband? The man let her board the ferry first. Would she make a good mother? Even to a dwarf? What if she didn't know how to parent a dwarf? The man, completely unaware of the inner monologue took his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders and held onto the portable green cooler on the ferry ride off of the island.

Completely exhausted from the day's relaxing hike the girl quietly fell asleep in her their Howard Johnson room with a view of the parking lot. Would her children appreciate the simple things in life? Would they be happy? Would she be happy? She slept that night and envisioned two children with heads of brown curls, like she once had as a child, a boy and a girl with rhyming names in monogrammed sailor suits. What if they weren't able to have children? Would they, could they adopt? But from where? Poland or Panama or perhaps even Portugal? Portuguese children have heads of brown curls. So do the Panamaese though. She tossed and turned all night long and then remembered that it was just a weekend hike with a portable green cooler and a very great man. The future was unknown and so incredible as it was filled with questions.

"Why do you like green so much, Mama?" Jay asked as I emptied his green galoshes free from the sand of the Chagrin River.

"It's the color of the cooler Daddy and I bought together for our very first hike."




Completely and utterly unrelated.... On Cleveland.com how I foster my children's independence through everyday "chores" around the house.

43classy comments:

Kirsten said...

Oh that's so sweet. What a priceless memory.

My husband and I used to say we wanted a boy followed by twin girls. We had twin girls followed by a little boy.

I swear it's true.

Cecily R said...

Ah, that is just so perfect. What a great little piece of writing this is OH!

Chelsea said...

That is such a good story. And I think most of us can totally relate. :)

carrie said...

I have some of those images of my own, tucked away, that I haven't shared yet! It's amazing being able to look back and recollect, isn't it?

Thank you so much for sharing! :) I'm sure your mom won't be upset!

Beth said...

I think those are perfect photos to go with this story. =)

The Daily Stroll said...

Great story! Love the pictures. I remember having the same inner conversations with myself when I was dating my husband in college and wondering about our future after knowing he was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with! It's probably a good thing they can't hear that inner monologue. Then again I wonder if they secretly have the same conversations with themselves.

Indy said...

We too stayed at a Howard Johnson back in the day together. Ahhhh. Sweet memories of HOJO.

Jessica said...

Now if you 2 had shared a SINGLE bed...now that would be my early memories with my husband. Which is funny b/c anything smaller than a KING seems SQUISHY now :)

Where do you enter the Chagrin? Any good suggestions on exploration locations for my kiddos?

Jen said...

and now I shall spend the rest of the morning remembering all of my inner monologues with myself while hubby and I were dating. Great Post!

Unknown said...

I wonder what was going through SWMBO's mind on that first date, where we went to the Paul Stukey concert at Concordia College, oh those many years ago. I wonder if her thoughts were anything like yours. And I wonder if HIS thoughts were anything like MINE. Hmmmmm.

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

We have GOT to get to the creek for some pictures like those...

Lisa said...

I. Love. That. Post.

I did all of that over-thinking while we were dating too. Wanna know the cool part? It's turned out better than I dreamed. Wanna know what else? I still do all of that silly daydreaming ;)

Scary Mommy said...

That felt like a chapter in a novel rather than a blog post. You are a REALLY good writer, P!!!

Becca said...

I have to agree with Scary Mommy. That really sounded like the very first chapter of a beautiful story. <-- Oh, but it is!

Jaina said...

What a beautiful and wonderfully told story. :)

Kelly said...

Beautiful! :)

Michele said...

so sweet! I used to dream about my children too. I think you do that when you know you are with the "one" you are meant to be with.

Maggie May said...

Very sweet remembering. And lovely, relaxing photos of those cuties :)

Rachel said...

What a great story! Isn't it funny what we as girls (or women) think about which men just have no clue!

Your writing is beautiful and the pictures of your kids are great.

Have a good weekend.

Tyne said...

I love it! And I love green, too. It is so great how a green cooler can make such great memories...

tiarastantrums said...

so lovely -

love the golashes - we have the same ones!!

Hey it's Amy Benson said...

What a sweet story! No wonder you love the color green. I loved this post! Great job getting it down perfectly!!! You are so awesome :)

Jessica said...

I love memories like that! I remember some of the most random things too! So sweet...

Dziadek said...

Pieknie napisane.I'm proud of you

Ashley said...

I used to daydream about the same things...so sweet...

Laura B. said...

Beautifully written Ohmommy. It's interesting where we let our minds wander in the early days of a relationship. I love the pictures too!

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

How sweet! I just love it.

And, love the kids walking in a line like little ducks.

Kat said...

ACK! Bawling!
Seriously. Crying here.

Just. So. Sweet.

Stephanie said...

Fascinating! I love your stories.

Unknown said...

It's so funny that you remember the color of that cooler. It's crazy sometimes the little things our memory sets aside.

What a sweet story...

Amy said...

What a wonderful memory!! The kids will love reading this one day! (Still have the cooler?)

McMommy said...

You don't have to lie to me....I know green is not your favorite color because of a cooler....

It's because it's the color of money, silly.

I kid, I kid.

But I'm not joking about knowing the color burgandy IS REALLY your favorite color. Well, with your love of wine and all... :)

Heather said...

what a wonderful memory.

Nan Patience said...

Is your next favorite color taken from the Howard Johnson logo? tee hee

Quarantine Hobby said...

Oh, that is a beautiful reason to have a favorite color!

the mama bird diaries said...

What a sweet answer.

I love green too.

Anonymous said...

Lol, I just have to know where the dwarf thought came from? But I suppose a common thought to more people than I thought. I'd take curls of any color! Big mops of curls. My son has the thinest hair ever. =(

Kari said...

That story sounds OH s familiar to a story I have! {except the location..even though my husband is from Michigan...our trip was in SC.} But, I remember having almost those very same thougts on our first "adventure" together! But, in my thoughts, I called him a midget, and he looked a lot like Mini-Me from Austin Powers. {not poking fun, I am just sayin. TRUE STORY! ha ha. I love how you tell a story! And, I adore those pictures!

Val said...

What a wonderful post. The little things that stick with us, like our favorite color, or song,book or movie.

Karen MEG said...

This was so lovely...it's wonderful how you weave your story through to today.... and those awesome green galoshes. Great post, OHM!

anymommy said...

I loved this post. A beautiful piece with the past woven into the present. I love the simple theme that tells us so much about you.

Yeah, I just really enjoyed it!

Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional said...

How very sweet!

Courtney said...

What a great piece. I always thought I'd have 2 boys followed by a girl. I have 2 girls, I wonder if I would've had the 3rd if it would've been a boy?

 

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