I read this article and I’m seriously wondering what is wrong with our world. Has hero worship really gone this far? Are the youth of today ready to turn a blind eye to the cover up of sexual abuse just because a guy has helped a team win some football games?

“I think the point people are trying to make is the media is responsible for Joe Pa going down,” said a freshman, Mike Clark, 18, adding that he believed that Mr. Paterno had met his legal and moral responsibilities by telling university authorities about an accusation that Mr. Sandusky assaulted a boy in a university shower in 2002.

No, no, no. The media is not responsible. The people in power at the university who did nothing to stop the abuse are responsible. The media would have nothing to report on if they had done the right thing before all of this. Sandusky would have been the only one in the news. Joe Paterno could have easily avoided this by properly reporting this abuse.

“We got rowdy, and we got maced,” Jeff Heim, 19, said rubbing his red, teary eyes. “But make no mistake, the board started this riot by firing our coach. They tarnished a legend.”

No, I’m sorry Jeff, but the board did NOT start the riot. YOU STARTED THE RIOT. They tarnished a legend? Seriously? Joe Paterno tarnished his OWN legacy by allowing this abuse to continue. HE COULD HAVE MADE IT RIGHT. Imagine how much MORE of a legend he would be if he had put an end to this the minute he knew of the abuse. He would have been heralded as not only a great coach, but an advocate for the protection of children.

…Justin Muir, 20, a junior studying hotel and restaurant management, threw rolls of toilet paper into the trees.

“It’s not fair,” Mr. Muir said hurling a white ribbon. “The board is an embarrassment to our school and a disservice to the student population.”

No, Justin. The demonstrators who decided committing crimes of their own to protest against someone being fired for committing a crime are the embarrassment to the school. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU. Where are the protests to show support for the boys who had their innocence ripped away from them? Where is the outrage over THAT?

They flipped over a news van. They damaged other cars by climbing on them and dancing on them. Police officers were assualted. All because someone covered up sexual abuse of young boys.

Mixed in the crowd were a few dissenting opinions. Dan Smith, 21, a junior studying secondary education, said he thought the board was correct.

“The hardest part, because he was a hero to me, is coming to grips with what he did, or actually what he didn’t do,” Mr. Smith said.

I love how they saved this part until the end of the article. At least SOMEONE gets it. Thank you, Dan, for that. Thank you for pointing out that he did something wrong. Thank you for making some sense.

I have way more to say. But my children can read my blog and I don’t want to use the words that are in my head right now.

Apparently, some people sent it to Matthew, the manager at the Mall of Georgia Apple Store. He read the blog and commented. And then, he called. His simple apology was exactly what is missing in customer service today. He acknowledged that things went poorly. He said those two little words that hold SO much weight with someone who feels they’ve been wronged: “I’m sorry.”

At that, I was satisfied. That was all I really wanted. He did offer to replace my phone, but just the night before, SuperDad had listed it on eBay and within a minute it was bought and paid for. The purchase price covered the cost for an upgrade to the 4S, so I was happy with that.

I explained that we had sold it and my plan to upgrade and my hopes I could get through the reservation process this evening. My attempts at that on Monday evening were futile. Matthew asked what kind I was wanting, called his store and had them set aside one that was in stock for me. I really appreciate him doing that for me.

We are on our way to the store now. I’m actually posting this from my cracked phone, which we ship off tomorrow to the eBay buyer. Matthew, by just acknowledging the issue and apologizing, made things right. He went above and beyond by setting aside the phone for me. I have a very real expectation that other customers at his store will be treated with more respect now.

Edit: Wanted to add that I was treated very well by Brooke and Monica when I was in the store to purchase my upgrade. (Monica gets bonus points for complimenting my glasses.) I’m hoping my experience on Friday was just a one off thing and it won’t happen to another customer again.

The lesson retailers should learn from this? Treat your customers with respect. Learn how to say no without being rude or condescending.

A chain of events has occurred which I wish I could completely erase from my memory. I just got home from the tail end of it and I’ve got a headache and feel nauseated from the stress. Tears have been shed and angry words have been spoken.

All because of my iPhone.

It all started yesterday afternoon. I came upstairs and plugged my iPhone in to charge and set it on my nightstand. I went and took a shower. I had somewhere to be at 6pm. I wanted my phone charged before I left so I could keep in touch with SuperDad, who would be staying home with our three girls. He kept the girls downstairs with him so I could bathe uninterrupted. Not a common thing around here these days.

I got out of the shower and came into our office, which is right off the bedroom. I sat down at the computer and pulled up Facebook. A friend from high school had posted a funny picture of her daughter and I commented on it. So did a bunch of other people. I could hear my iPhone vibrating from the notifications from all the new comments. Since I was at the computer, I was reading them from my browser. After a few minutes and many new comments on that photo, I heard a slight thunk in the bedroom. I got up and walked in to find my iPhone on the floor. I went to go pick it up and that’s when my stomach dropped. The screen was shattered. Not just cracked. The glass looked like I had decorated it for Halloween with a massive spiderweb. There were tiny chunks of glass missing and I even got a shard in my hand just by picking it up. There were slivers of glass on the laminate floor of our bedroom.

I screamed. Loudly. SuperDad thought I’d seen a huge rat or something. I was sick to my stomach. How could this have happened? I took the phone downstairs to show him. I took HIS iPhone and took a picture, which didn’t even begin to capture the true damage to the screen. I posted the picture to my Facebook. I got a bunch of comments and messages from people who were trying to help me figure out what options I had. I heard from three different people who had something similar happen and they all told me to make an appointment at the Apple Store and take it in. They had had their phones replaced at no cost when they accidentally dropped theirs. One of those people dropped theirs off a 7th floor balcony. Seeing as how I wasn’t even touching the phone when it happened and it was a function of the phone itself that caused it to fall, I thought it would be covered by the warranty.

We made a 3:40pm appointment at the Apple Store at the Mall of Georgia. We got up the next day and chaperoned a field trip for CityGirl’s class. After school, we took an hour drive to the Apple Store and even got there a little early. I checked in and waited. And waited. I was told they were running a little behind. I finally got called up to the Genius Bar, where a guy whom I believe was named Chad, shook my hand and then immediately started looking at his computer screen. I explained what happened with my phone when I checked in and they put notes in the system. Chad didn’t even look at my phone when I sat down. He just looked at his screen and said, “Oh, good news, I can offer you a reduced price on a replacement, it will only be $149.” I looked at him and said, “I’m sorry, you haven’t even looked at the phone. I wasn’t touching it when it fell. I wasn’t even in the same ROOM with it when it fell. It vibrated off my nightstand. As far as I’m concerned, that’s normal usage, which should be covered under the warranty.” That is when he finally looked at my phone. LOOKED AT IT, mind you, he never touched it. “I can tell from looking at it that there are multiple points of impact.” I said, “Well, unless it hit the floor a couple times after it fell, maybe. But I wouldn’t know since I wasn’t in there.”

That’s when he looked at me and said, “That does not look like damage caused from falling off a nightstand.” I looked him straight in the eye and said, “Are you calling me a liar? I’m not trying to pull a fast one here. I have spoken with THREE people who have had their screens cracked by their OWN NEGLIGENCE and they had them replaced. I set my phone on a flat surface and the vibrate feature in your product caused it to shimmy off my nightstand. There has got to be another answer.” He then started the broken record treatment, “The best I can do is $149. The best I can do is $149. The best I can do is $149.” At this point, SuperDad was at the front of the store with the girls. I couldn’t text him, obviously, as my phone was sitting on the counter and a simple swipe of the screen would get me splinters of glass in my fingers. Chad then said, “So, are we going ahead with the replacement? Let me get that started.” I said, “No, we are not. I am not paying $149 to replace a phone for which I paid $75.” This is when he lost me completely. He laughed and then scoffed, “The iPhone 4 has never been that price.” I said, “Again, you are calling me a liar?” I got up, took my phone and walked out. I was livid.

(Point of fact: I upgraded to the iPhone 4 in December of 2010. Radio Shack was offering a trade in of $75 for an iPhone 3G with a $50 instant rebate, bringing the price down to $75. So yes, I did pay $75 for my iPhone 4. It was my Christmas present from SuperDad. I had to be put on a wait list for it and got it on December 31st.)

At the front of the store, I asked to speak to someone else as I was very unhappy with the treatment I received from Chad. The young lady asked me if I had an appointment. I said yes and she said, “Did you miss your appointment time?” I told her I had not, I was there early and they were running behind and I had already spoken with the Genius. A guy in a black shirt was called over and I explained the situation and the treatment I received. He just said, “Well that’s not covered by the warranty.” I said I understood that, but knowing that people have received replacements for instances that were their fault, I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t being offered any kind of assistance and was being treated so rudely. He said, “We’re not saying this is your fault.” So I asked, “Who’s fault is it then?” He repeated, “We’re not saying this is your fault.”

I despise the broken record treatment. DESPISE IT. I looked over at SuperDad and said, “Let’s go, this is ridiculous. I don’t want to sit here and continue to be treated like this.” We walked away from the store and I sat on a bench and called Apple. After a 15 minute hold, the representative on the phone asked me how I was doing and I said, “Well, not good after just spending the past hour in one of your stores.” He said he was sorry to hear that and asked me to explain what was going on. I told him and he said he was sorry for the rudeness and repeated that the damage isn’t covered by the warranty. When I mentioned the people I know who have had a free replacement, he said, AND I QUOTE “Well, maybe you just got someone who was having a bad day.” I couldn’t believe my ears. I asked him, “So, basically what you just said is that because one of your employees is having a bad day, it’s ok to treat me with disrespect?” He said no, but maybe that’s why I wasn’t getting more help and maybe I could try to come back another day. Seriously. So if I had come in and Chad had seen a double rainbow on the way to work that day, I might have gotten my phone replaced? What kind of customer service is that?!

SuperDad had gone to talk to AT&T (our carrier) while I was waiting to see Chad and they told him I was eligible for a discounted upgrade to a iPhone 4s. After discussing it, we decided to go ahead and do that. So I went BACK into the Apple Store and told them I wanted to upgrade. I waited again for someone to help me. The young man who helped me asked me how I was doing and I showed him my phone and said, “Not very good.” He laughed and said, “Oh that sucks.” I cut my eyes at him and said, “I’m really not in the mood for jokes, I am not happy about spending this money.” He put in the request for the phone and then said someone would bring it out to us. He continued to make lighthearted comments about my broken phone and said, “Guess you’ll be more careful with this one, huh?” Again, I said I wasn’t in the mood for jokes. It was at this point that he told me that Apple Care made some changes recently and NOW it covers accidental damage. About 10 minutes later, another employee came up and that’s when I was told they were out of the 16GB 4S in both black and white. Would I want to go ahead and upgrade to the 32GB for $100 more? Uh, no. He laughed AGAIN and said, “This day keeps getting worse for you, huh?” At this point, I started to cry. He kept poking fun at all the misfortune I was experiencing and I had enough. He AGAIN laughed and said, “Well you can always reserve one online, but you have to do it at 9pm or else they’ll all be gone.” I was in shock at this point. I just walked out.

I was called a liar twice and laughed at on multiple occasions. I just can’t understand how so many people told me how great Apple customer service is and this is the treatment I received. I was willing to pay money to upgrade and then felt ridiculed while trying to do that! Ridiculous and completely unacceptable.

An open letter to other adults who are older than me:

I understand that you think that I’m “only 31″ and I’ve still got a lot of living to do. I sure hope that’s the case, to be honest. While I understand you think I’m young and inexperienced, I’d like to explain to you why your dismissal of my thoughts and opinions is not only hurtful, but could be detrimental to others.

I’m a firm believer that God allows us to go through certain things in order to strengthen us. He puts situations in some of our lives and teaches us things from those that He wants us to use later on to help others. When you have received a very clear calling from God in this area, it’s foolish not to take heed and follow through. I know this because I’ve lived through something and received that very call. And while I’m “only 32″, I feel I’ve lived a lot of life in that time. I was forced to learn lessons and gain wisdom on matters that some people NEVER learn because they, quite thankfully, never go through something like I did.

So when I speak, please don’t think to yourself, “She has no idea what life is really all about.” I don’t claim to know that. But God has shown me things and brought me through things in order to be a light for Him – and if you snuff out that light, you’re hurting God – not me. I’ve got things to say. I’ve got things to share. I know from experience that “more mature” adults can learn a thing or two by listening to my life stories, as I’ve been told that on several occasions.

This isn’t a prideful thing either. It’s just the truth.

Ok, first of all, let me get this out of the way: I have VERY strong opinions on adultery. The people I love and care about the most in this world have been deeply affected by it. I do not take it lightly. If you are a friend of mine and you do it, chances are we won’t be friends after I find out about it. Yes, I know all about forgiveness. Yes, I know it’s a sin like any other. But once trust is broken, whether it be in a marriage or a friendship, it’s hard to regain that trust.

With that said…

Are you KIDDING me?! I’m sorry, but Facebook is NOT the cause of these affairs. The hearts and minds of the people committing the adultery is what is causing it. Personal responsibility has apparently gone the way of the dodo bird. I have a very good feeling that these couples would be in the same exact position had they had Facebook accounts or not. There are entire websites specifically devoted to helping MARRIED people find someone with which to have an affair, so I know it’s not just Facebook causing the issue.

If a marriage is going to be affected by adultery, it’s going to be affected by adultery. Not using a particular website is NOT going to stop that. Those marriages obviously had issues BEFORE these old flames were reconnected with on Facebook.

Full disclosure: Both SuperDad and I have Facebook accounts. Neither of us has the other one’s log in information. We both have former boyfriends/girlfriends on our accounts. Neither one of us cares and we know this because we have openly discussed it with each other. If one of us was to become uncomfortable with someone on the other person’s account, we would just ask them to delete that person. It’s called mutual respect and it is VITAL to a marriage. If I have specific communication with an ex I tell SuperDad about it out of respect to him as my husband. He has done the same with me.

This pastor forcing his church leaders to give up their account is totally missing the target when it comes to dealing with marital issues. Yes, I will admit, there are probably some people who should not have Facebook accounts because it can lead to trouble. But, I will say it again: The problem is NOT Facebook. The problem is that these people have hearts and minds prone to that kind of distraction in their marriage. Address THAT issue, Rev. Miller. Focus on healing the issues in the marriage that cause these spouses to be looking elsewhere to begin with and then you might actually make a difference.

And shouldn’t he be forcing ALL church leadership, not just those that are married, to give up these accounts? If you’re going to make that demand of the married folks, why not the single? Why not be concerned that Facebook could connect those single leaders with someone with whom they could have a premarital sexual relationship?

One of the comments on the article pretty much hit the nail on the head. What is right for some is not right for others:

“Facebook doesn’t cause marital problems anymore than guns kill people. People are the ones responsible and saying social media is the cause of something takes away personal responsibility. Anyone who can’t deal with the temptation of an ex’s friend request shouldn’t accept the request in the first place. If they accept the request and things start getting too personal, they should unfriend them. If someone just can’t take the temptation at all, they should delete their account. And maybe cancel their internet service as well since there are plenty of other sites, not just facebook. In 1 Corinthians 10:27-30, Paul talks about listening to your conscience and considering others. Some things might be wrong for me but not for you, and vice versa. Someone who struggles with alcohol shouldn’t drink at all, and (I think) others should not drink in front of them. But (I also believe) enjoying a glass of wine or beer isn’t wrong. Everything in your personal Christian walk is not an absolute, although a lot is. I think the pastor has his heart in the right place, but I think he should focus on the personal responsibility of his members and trying to show that they need to walk more closely with God.”

(For some good reading on the scripture referenced in the comment, see David Guzik’s commentary on it.)

I understand that Facebook can make it a lot easier for people to reconnect with their past flames. But not EVERYONE who reconnects with an old flame is going to spark a fire. For a lot of people, those embers died out long ago and there’s nothing left to be sparked. For the old boyfriends I have on my account, I also happen to have their wives friended as well. It’s good to see people happy in their current lives and share in that with them.

If SuperDad ever wanted to see messages or anything else on my Facebook account, I would log in and give him carte blanche to look at it. Again, I have nothing to hide, so why wouldn’t I? I can say with utmost certainty that he would do the same for me. Again, mutual respect, trust and openness along with a close relationship with God – all keys to a healthy, thriving marriage. This is what works for us.

I think the pastor making such a blanket recommendation for such a large congregation is a bit on the foolish side. Making this particular demand of his married leadership, while within his rights as the pastor, makes me wonder about his own trust in that leadership. If you think a website is going to be the downfall of marriages in your church, focus on strengthening the foundation of those marriages FIRST. Then maybe the “temptation” Facebook’s ease of connecting with others presents to those already headed down that path wouldn’t be such an issue.

When I was a little girl, I got an Easy-Bake Oven for Christmas one year.  I was SO excited.  I could not wait to make some baked goods with the heat from a 100-watt lightbulb.  It wasn’t just about baking, it was almost a science experiment at the same time, which was fun for me.  (Yeah, I was a weird kid.)  I put the little orange oven into my closet and daydreamed about the day I would get to use it for the first time.

This is what mine looked like. I will never forget that orange plastic.

Not long after Christmas, I went to use my Easy-Bake Oven.  I pulled it out and then went to get the instruction manual so I would know what to do.  (I still have a thing about reading the instructions for things even when I know what I’m doing.  I got the engineering gene from Dad and can basically reverse-engineer almost anything.  So it’s not like I *need* the instructions, I just like knowing they are there.)  One problem – the instructions were no where to be found.

At this point, we had a housekeeper who came in once or twice a month to clean our house.  Best I can figure, she accidentally threw away my instruction booklet.  It was there one day and then she came to clean and it was gone.  I had no idea what to do with my little orange plastic oven.  I was mortified.

Being the rational young kid that I was (SisterFriend, stop laughing), I decided to write to the company and ask for a new instruction booklet.  So that’s what I did – in crayon.  I waited and waited, yet my instruction booklet never came.  (Is your heart breaking yet?  No?  What are you, made of STONE?!)

I mourned the uselessness of my Easy-Bake Oven.  Time passed, and I would walk by displays for the wonderful toy at the store and sigh wistfully.  Years passed and I yearned for a daughter, who would give me an excuse to buy this fantastic little plastic oven and give me back my chance to actually USE one.

The other day, we were spending time at our friend’s house.  The kids were playing outside and I put BittyGirl down for a nap.  When I walked outside, there, sitting on the front steps in front of me, was an Easy-Bake Oven.  SuperDad looked at me and said, “Hey, look what it is!”  Instead of snatching the thing up and yelling, “MINE!” like I wanted to do, I just nodded and said, “Yeah, that’s cool.”  Our friend said, “So your husband just told me this sob story about you and an Easy-Bake Oven…  That’s for you.”  SuperDad said he was hoping for more of a reaction out of me and I told him I hadn’t wanted to ASSUME it was for me.  But when I got confirmation, I jumped up and down like a little girl and squeeled.

They sure have come a long way in 20 years, don't you think?

Last night, CityGirl was asking to use it.  I opened up the box, checked to make sure there was a lightbulb in it… and realized there was no instruction booklet.  Thank God for the internet. There was also no tiny little cake pans, but I know they sell replacement ones so we’ll go pick those up later this week.

The point is, I’VE GOT AN EASY-BAKE OVEN!  WOO HOO!!!  Uh, er, I mean… CITYGIRL GOT AN EASY-BAKE OVEN!  WOO HOO!!! 

Edited to add: Even more reason to thank God for the internet!  The friend who gave us the Easy-Bake Oven saw my blog post and informed me that she has the pans for it at her house.  Most excellent. 

This is not a blog about all the different filters out there.  This is about MENTAL filters.  You know, the things that catch those comments that are best left INSIDE your head before they turn into words and come pouring out of your open mouth and then are promptly replaced by your foot?  That’s the kind of filter I want to address today.

I like to think I’ve got a pretty decent filter up in there.  *taps on her head*  I’ve come across some people in my time that, well, let’s call a spade a spade here.  Some people just have NO filter.  And it’s rather embarrassing to be around them.  They say something completely inappropriate for the situation you’re in and you can’t help but cringe.  You just wish you could take out your filter and give it to them, am I right?

I have different filters for different occassions because I’m advanced like that.  Sometimes, I’m like a collander, just letting stuff pour out when I’m with my friends.  Only the really private tidbits stay neatly inside my noggin because that’s not needing to get aired out.  Other times, I’m more like a coffee filter, keeping even the tiniest details in my brain, but giving out JUST enough information to get the point across.

While there are some people who have no filter, there are others whose filter only allows them to keep the focus on them.  Narcissists, if you will.  You come to them with a problem and all of a sudden you’re hearing all about how horrible things are going for them or how they had something JUST LIKE THAT (but totally different) happen to them and this is what they did.  They always find a way to take every scenario and make it about them.  They’ve got this nifty two way filter.  It won’t even let anything about anyone else in, so it’s ALWAYS about them.

Just something to think about.  What kind of filter do you have?  Do you HAVE one?  Do you NEED one?  Do you need a better one?

In kindergarten, I got in trouble for “doodling” on my dittos (who else calls them that these days?) when the teacher was reading the instructions to the class.  Except I wasn’t doodling.  I was starting the exercise because I had read and understood the instructions on my own.  The teacher realized this after a bit and recommended me for the gifted program.  Except they didn’t have a class for kindergarteners, so I was placed in the class with the first graders.  I felt smart.

Ever since, I have HATED feeling dumb.  But sometimes, you can’t help feeling dumb.  Sometimes even the smartest people do things that are DUMB.  I have definitely had my moments.  Let’s go over a few, shall we?

• In either 5th or 6th grade, I misspelled the word “ugh” in the spelling bee.  I was so confident.  I stood up, and said, “Ugh.  U-G.  Ugh.”  And I smiled.  And then I heard, “I’m sorry, that’s incorrect, please take your seat at your desk.”  I was mortified.  I missed a three letter word.  I felt DUMB.
• In junior high, we had a geography bee.  My first question was, “What state is surrounded by water on three sides?”  Again, with the confidence.  I smugly answered “Hawaii” and then immediately was struck by my own stupidity and put my face in my hands.  FLORIDA, you idiot, FLORIDA.  You know, the state I lived in!  My geography teacher even felt sorry for me, but I was still out of the competition.  Again, I felt DUMB.
• I was hanging out with a small group of people in high school and I thought it would be funny to pretend to push the most popular guy into the pool.  Only thing is, I didn’t just pretend to push him in, I did it.  Oops.  And he was wearing expensive shoes and had his very expensive pager on him.  I thought I was being funny, but I ended up looking DUMB.  And I also stopped hanging out with that group shortly thereafter.  I just couldn’t handle the DUMB feeling.

Those are just three examples that come to mind right now, but I’ve felt DUMB many times before.  And I can’t stand it.  To me, feeling dumb is worse than showing up to a public event in just my underwear.  Seriously.  I’m not even exaggerating.  SuperDad likes to say that I always have to be right, but he acknowledges that I usually AM right, because I don’t speak on a subject unless I’m very certain what I’m saying is correct.  I don’t like to be wrong because it makes me feel DUMB.

It’s not that I think I’m incredibly intelligent.  I just like knowing the facts.  I like knowing the truth.  And the truth is, sometimes I am just dumb.  And that’s a tough pill to swallow.  So, what had made YOU feel dumb?

Why yes, I do believe I’ve managed to catch the stomach flu that’s been making its way around our church.  FUN TIMES.  But God is good and he worked it out that I would have this fun stuff while SuperDad was on his work-from-home day.  And we usually go to a Bible study on Tuesday nights, so SuperDad loaded up the kids and left me home in a quiet house.  I got a NAP, can you believe it?

He’s a good man.  He brings me citrus flavored electrolytes.  And I love him for it.

Last night at church, we had a “Souper” Bowl event for the ladies.  Each home fellowship group was represented by a soup, one of which I made.  (Thank you, Paula Deen, for the yummy corn chowder recipe!)  It was an evening of chatting, eating and fun.  I really enjoyed myself.  The highlight of my evening though, was completely unexpected and totally awesome.

As I was chatting with some friends before we started, I glanced down at a table and saw something that brought back a flood of memories that had long been forgotten.  There, sitting on the table, was a Betty Crocker New Picture Cookbook from 1961.  It was even the binder.  Y’all have no idea how happy that cookbook made me!

I had to know who it belonged to and when I found out, I started talking to her about it.  You see, that cookbook is what started my love of cooking.  When I was home alone, I would take out that cookbook and see what I had the ingredients to make.  It’s how I learned to make substitutions (by trial and error) and started to create my own recipes.  I studied the How To section.  I read about how to be a good housewife (even though it didn’t sink in).  I learned that putting on some makeup and splashing on some cologne could not only lift MY spirits, but that of my family as well.  Seriously, it’s all in that cookbook.

As I was talking to the owner of the cookbook, I started to cry.  She asked if I was ok, and I told her I was the happiest I could possibly be at that moment.  All the happy memories of my time spent with that cookbook were fresh in my mind and I couldn’t help but smile.  Happy memories, all from a cookbook that was from an era I never knew.

I called my mom this morning to tell her about my evening and the happy memories conjured up by seeing that cookbook.  She told me she still has it, and she’s giving it to me.  Who cares if the cover is missing (from the abuse I most likely put it through)?  That’s my childhood right there, in book form.