Last week was a sad one for me.  I had to watch my kids head back to school and I have a kid who is a senior in high school.  How did that happen?  I still remember high school quite vividly, has it really been that long that I have my own kid that will be graduating?  He was just born yesterday or so it seems.  I didn't even get to really spend any time with them this summer.  Guess I better get used to that, but I hate it.  I love being with my family, so enough is never enough.

Got to see a Boston concert this summer and it was amazing.  Just me and my 14-year old son on the 4th of July, the rest of the family went to watch fireworks.  But it was soooo worth it and I love fireworks so giving them up wasn't easy.  I was totally deaf when we left and we were heading down the hallway like cattle going thru a chute.  So I was "mooing" as we went along.  Yeah, I really was.  Then I got to see Blood, Sweat & Tears with the girls.  It was outdoors and "bring your own seat" which I didn't know.  So we sat on our tushes on the blacktop and had to kneel now and then to actually see the concert.  So I got a few photos and they sounded great but I'd rather pay and have a place for my @ss.

What else did we do?  Went to the drive-in a few times to watch some movies, a little bowling, playing at the park, the usual.  No baseball games cuz neither son played on a team this spring/summer or for summer/fall league either. 

Yesterday the girls and I went down to California for the State Fair in Sacramento.  We had a fabulous time,.  The little one got to ride a zillion rides so that made her day.  We had gone to the Reno Rodeo a few months ago and she really loved that.  At the rodeo she also had a ride wristband and several times she was the only kid on a ride.  I tried to tell her that the Cali State Fair was humongous, but now she knows for herself.  Only we decided that for what we spent, we'll probably make do with only going every other year.  We could've spent the money we took there on the whole family but the fair is my ONE time a year to get-out and have fun.  It's don't take vacations, the fair is my form of a vacation.  I could've stayed and gone a second day (had enough tickets I bought online before the Fair started but I didn't make any arrangements and didn't feel like dropping in at the last minute, even on family.)  So I gave away 2 tickets at the gate when we left to total strangers.  But even better than the fair food and the fun was the ride home.  The 3-year old zonked out after 7 (their wristbands were only good until 7 and we got there at 10:30 a.m.).  The 13-year old and I had time alone for girl talk about boys and stuff.  I filled her in on her mom not ever having a boyfriend in high school and the few romantic encounters that I did have in jr high and high school.  I think I had 2 whole dates in high school.  I was unattractive and a brainiac nerd on top of that.  I can't remember my first kiss.  I had a boyfriend in kindergarten named James (he was in 1st grade) and I had one in 3rd grade when we moved.  Actually heard from James about 3 or 4 years ago via email.  He became a graphic artist and recognized my sister in an office where he was installing some art.  That's crazy cuz our families used to live on the same street, then they moved, then we moved.  We ran into each other as preteens at a camping place (and he was fat) and I was totally ga-ga over this guy there who was older and really handsome and who treated me like a queen.  We would play cards and he talked to me when it was raining and it was just great hanging out with him for the 3 days we were there.  His name was Forrest but his nickname was Forrey.  I was crushed when he got killed in a car wreck the next year, I cried when I found out.  Then hadn't seen each other again since then.  So for him to recognize her was weird, but he thought she looked like my mom and she is named after her so maybe.  The 3rd grade boyfriend ended up gay.  But he was really sweet at the time, I remember he made me a crocheted ring and bracelet and he'd bring me stuff like toys from cereal boxes and stuff.  Forrie's younger brother ended up going to the same high school as me but I was always uncomfortable around him, knowing his brother had died and how I'd had a real crush on Forrie.  Plus I didn't know if his family was still keeping in touch with James' family. 

I always had a thing with older guys.  I remember that the Catholic church we went to used to have penny fairs.  One of the older guys at my church latched onto me and took me on rides.  My sister still teases me about that.  He took me home to get more money and I met his older sisters.  He was a friend of my brother's, but I wouldn't recognize him if I saw him today.  I think he was blonde.  Always had a thing for white blonde guys probably cuz they are so opposite of me with my olive skin, brown eyes and black hair.  We moved from there when I was 7 so it was when I was really young.  This was early 60s, 70s so most people were Caucasian and anyone with darker skin was still a minority and didn't quite fit in anywhere

Now I didn't tell her quite everything but I did tell her about most of it.  The stuff when I was a little older was racier activities (although I never did sleep around, saved that for the husband).  And it was probably why I didn't have a lot of dates, I was one of the prudes.  Would barely hold hands and trying to kiss me was the perfect excuse for me breaking up and putting some distance back in my life.. 

Her'e is another sad fact of my life.  I have never been asked for my phone number (that tells ya how ugly I am) or been propositioned.  Well, I don't count "do you wanna smoke a joint?" offered from a car window on my way to school from a middle-aged creep.