Five things I’m really glad I got to do

You know, Blog, sometimes it’s fun to look back on your life and be happy about some of the very cool things you’ve gotten to do. The other day I posted about getting to spend time talking with my idolized celebrity crush, Guy Carbonneau. But I don’t necessarily mean those kind of amazing occurrences--just things that you’re happy you experienced. Just like you, Blog, are grateful you were there the day I decided to start writing a new, more random blog. Well, I’ve come up with a few of examples from my life to share with you:

Watching the premiere of the original “Star Trek.” Yes, I was there at 7:30 on Thursday night, September 8, 1966, glued to Channel 4 and thrilled beyond belief that the show I’d been awaiting for weeks was finally starting. I was ten years old. That first episode, “The Man Trap” (the one with the salt monster) was the scariest of the entire series to me, but I loved it anyway. A couple hours later I was in bed, pretending I was a member of the Enterprise crew. Little did I suspect (especially when my heart was broken by the show’s cancellation) that it would still be a phenomenon 44 years later.

Learning to make my own clothes. As an early teen, I took sewing lessons at Sears (and still have the same ancient machine, a 1960s Kenmore). The first dress I made was purple with a red scarf with a purple pocket with a red button. Yes, a pocket on the scarf. The 60s were a very funky time. I made my junior prom dress during the freak blizzard of April 1973, and here you see me with Bob my date. Have prom dress styles changed or what? They take a lot less fabric these days. Anyway, it is no longer cost-effective to make one’s own clothes but is a most excellent skill to have if you like making costumes. Which I do.

Making a hot air balloon with my family. This photo shows my dad (squatting down) and my mom (in red) circa 1970, launching our hot air balloon. We ordered the kit from the Edmund Scientific catalog. I pitched in with gluing the immense paper pieces along their many seams. As you can see, people of all ages came from all over the neighborhood to help and watch. We sent our balloon up a total of 13 times. The 13th launch landed irretrievably in a tree, ill-fated just like Apollo 13.

Being a part of the folk movement. When I was in grade school I loved the New Christy Minstrels and the Seekers. Kind of liked the Kingston Trio, too, and in college was obsessed with Peter, Paul & Mary.  (So yes, I adored the movie “A Mighty Wind”--it was spot on.) Every summer during our week at camp, my friends and I constantly sang folk songs and if you could hear the tapes of us, you’d be amazed at how good we were. I was also fortunate enough to belong to a campus church (Calvary Lutheran Chapel at U.W. Madison) during the heyday of Christian folk music. So I was in the Allelu Singers, and I even took part in the creation and performance of a folksy musical review called “A Treeful of Owls.” Being good Lutherans, we ended the first act with a drinking song and served beer during intermission. It was a very cool cultural phenomenon to experience firsthand.

Seeing that Davie got exactly the wedding he wanted. My (second) husband Davie, whom I met in 1992 and married in 1994, did not have a very successful romance life before he met me. In fact, he was wondering if he’d ever find Ms. Right. In spite of his doubts, he still had a wish list for his wedding. Along with a willing bride, he wanted (1) the song “Walk Forever by My Side” by the Alarm in the wedding service; (2) pizza at the reception; and (3) music by Milwaukee entertainment icon Pat McCurdy. Turned out (1) I loved “Walk Forever by My Side” when he played it for me, and a friend of mine sang it in the ceremony; (2) we had our reception at an Italian place called Salvatore’s II and served pizza, mozzarella sticks, wings, and other treats; (3) Pat McCurdy and his band played three sets and I even got to duet with Pat. Here’s one of the songs he did that night, which was a theme song of mine...

Today is Davie’s 49th birthday and I’m still his disaster girl! Happy birthday, awesome Davie!