Anniversaries Archives - Insanity Is Not An Option

Today, The Brightest Soul I Know Turns 9

What do you do when your youngest child suddenly turns nine? You celebrate, you buy XBox games, and you cry a little inside. Today, the brightest soul I know turns nine!

My Bubby, my baby, the last of a lineage, turns nine today and as proud as I am of this brilliant and funny boy of mine, I can’t help being a little melancholy. Watching him grow and become the wonderful person he is has been a life-altering experience for me. He, quite literally, amazes me every single day with his wealth of knowledge, his beautiful sense of humor, and his obvious lack of common sense.

He can pass a STAAR test with ease at grade levels well above his own, he can spout random facts (that his teachers and I often have to Google to verify) about ancient Egyptians or sea creatures, yet when you point to something “over there” that you need, he can’t figure out where that is. And don’t even get me started on his “punny” sense of humor. He’s such a little old man wrapped in such a beautiful package and I love him to pieces.

But he’s growing up on me…way too fast…and I’d love for time to stop for just a bit so I can just enjoy his little self just a little bit longer. Yes, he’ll always be my baby and I believe that “huggy time” will always be a thing, but his independence is starting to shine, which I encourage, and that’s a little hard on this doting momma.

Enough of my whining though. Time to celebrate the brightest soul I know. He’d give you the shirt off his back, he’d gladly give you his last dollar (but probably not his last XBox game), and he’s always there to lift anyone up when they’re down. He’s as perfect as I’d hoped he’d be nine years and eight months ago when I found out about him, and he’ll do amazing things in this world. Watch him, you’ll see!

So, today, Zachary Alexander Gossett turns nine years old. He’s growing into a fine, caring, productive human being and I couldn’t be more proud of my little man. Thank you, Bub, for making my life complete and allowing me to be your mom. I love you more than the world is big, more than the sky is blue. Enjoy your last year in the single digits and always remember, enjoy being a kid for as long as you can. It all goes by in a flash! You’re doing a really phenomenal job at this life thing and I’m oh-so proud to be your mommy!

When Your Baby Girl Turns 11…Let Her Shine!

By Christy Leave a Comment

This little girl of mine, I’m gonna let her shine. Let her shine, let her shine, let her shine. Bug turns 11 today and it’s a big deal. I’m just trying to figure out where the time went. What do you do when your baby girl turns 11?

There’s no real reason for writing this post, I guess. Maybe it’s just for me. Maybe it’s for my Bug some day. I don’t know, but I’m drawn to write it. Bump SEO, bump pageviews, forget about who even reads it at all. This is about my youngest baby girl and I. You see, it’s a bumpy road with her and I. It always has been. I wanted her more than life itself when I conceived her, yet as the years go by, I’ve wondered what in the HECK I was thinking when I made the conscious decision to have another child when I did. All in all, I wouldn’t change a thing, in fact. Today, this baby girl turns 11 years old and I’m just happy (more times than not) to just let her shine and call her mine.

See, my baby girl hit the streets running, figuratively (OK it would have been literally if she could have run then, but let’s go with figuratively here) on September 14, 2006. She was the youngest of five children and the apple of all of our eyes (except baby girl number three, she was not entirely sold). She was THE princess from day one and I worshipped her. Literally. She was perfect in every way. Still is in her own right!

Once this “baby” found her way into the world…watch out. She owned it; and us. Sassy, frustrating, the very bane of my existence at times, the biggest talker you’ve ever met, and just so much of a handful at times, I wonder how I make it from day to day. But I see her beauty (even on her bad days) on the outside, but more importantly from within. She might be a hot mess at times, but she’ll do big things some day…mark my words!

Kylee can be difficult, dramatic, and sassy at times. So difficult. So dramatic. SO SASSY. Sometimes (oh who am I kidding, a lot of the time) she makes me want to pull my hair out. Heck, I think she pulls my hair out when I sleep!

She’s silly and adventurous!

And she’s (almost) always fun. Almost. But above all else…she’s 11 today and that’s all that matters to her. Did you know that officially, without question, she can go up to all of the chain restaurant buffets by herself…without me…to get her own food now? The signs all say so and she was quick to remind me this morning. I see a lot of buffets in our future (and a lot of Airborne in mine so I can handle the buffets since I still have to walk Bubby up there!).

All in all…Bug might drive me insane. I might spend a whole lot of time in the school office for her. She may be my biggest challenge in life…for real. The very bane of my existence? Perhaps. But that smile. The sheer joy and love she feels and exudes when she’s feeling her best? It’s amazingly infectious and I love it!

You see, when Bug smiles…when she really, really smiles and means it…to say she lights up a room is a gross understatement. It’s a complete and total illumination. An amazing aura like nothing you’ve experienced. It’s nothing short of magical! My unicorn (the one with the black horn most days) turns 11 today. I love her. I’m proud of her. She drives me crazy, but I just can’t wait to watch her change the world!

If you see this nugget today, wish her a happy 11th birthday. She’s pretty impressive with her drive-her-mom-crazy, talks-too-much, lives-on-the-edge, she’ll-do-amazing-things self. She deserves a happy birthday! Although she drives me nuts, I’ve resigned to let her shine…this little Bug of mine.

Happy birthday, baby girl! I love you more than the sky is blue. This life? It’s tough, but you’ve got this. You’ll rule it in fact! All my love forever and always (yes, even when we fight), Mommy!

The Birthday Jinx: On This Day In History

By Christy 5 Comments

On this day in history, April 19th, a lot of horrific events have happened over the years. Events no one wants to associate with celebration, certainly not this birthday jinx. Tragic events. If you share a birthday with this historically jinxed day, do you celebrate, or hide and hope that nothing else bad happens?

Fact, today is my birthday. I’ve been somewhat in hiding all day trying to avoid the birthday jinx. This has nothing (OK, almost nothing) to do with my age. I don’t want the birthday jinx to hit again. On this day in history, April 19th, a lot of horrific stuff has happens and I’d like to skip that this year. So, I’m skipping my birthday and I hope everyone can respect that in light of all of the bad shit that happens in the world these days.

Dramatic?

Not really. Let’s review.

April 19, 1775 – It was the Shot Heard Round the World and that didn’t really work out well. War, in my humble opinion, never does. (BUT, that was a long time ago; it was a one time thing, and I wasn’t alive. It has no bearing on present day life. Right? WRONG.)
April 19, 1993 – The FBI’s siege on the Waco Compound leaves 76 dead. I was at work, getting ready to celebrate.
April 19, 1995 – The Oklahoma City Bombing kills 168 people, including children. Way too many children. I was sitting at a tanning salon waiting to get my tan on before heading out to celebrate.
April 20, 1999 (OK, it’s too close not to mention) – A mass shooting at Columbine High School leaves 15 dead. I was hung over from celebrating the night before.

So, here’s the thing. Other than the first one (come’on, I’m not that old), I’ve lived through these events. On my birthday. I’m not trying to make this, the mass loss of life, about me. All I’m trying to say is that maybe if we skip this day, my annual day of celebration, nothing bad will happen. Let’s skip today. Let’s skip the violence and ugliness in the world. At least for one day; let’s make today that day so that we can possibly break the chain. It’s a bad day in history that I don’t care to celebrate.

So, I removed my birthday from Facebook. I removed it from my calendar. We aren’t celebrating. Instead, we’ll remember the many loses of life that happened, horrifically and needlessly, on this day in history, and we’ll celebrate the lives they lived instead.

Not your typical “Happy Birthday to Me” post, but this is not your typical day in history. Today, let’s celebrate being the change and do something about this fearful world we live in for our children’s sakes, shall we?