Tag: love

feelings

trick or TREAT

abby mumford

given the fact that every single tooth in my mouth is a sweet tooth, i’m partial to the whole TREAT aspect of halloween.

i don’t care much for tricks.

so, with that in mind, here are a couple of treats from me to you. (well, specifically, they’re from my sister/BIL and brother/SIL to me, but i’m passing along the cuteness.)

may i present you with the ladybug…

and her cousins in the form of luigi, the TV with Super Mario Bros game on it, and mario.

and while i’m doling out the treats, here’s another one.

and the last one…this one courtesy of one carrie harris.

feelings

love (just beginning).

abby mumford

i’m a sucker for a love story. a good one. a cheesy one. a sappy one. a romantic one. a cute one. an old one. a new one. one that’s been a long time coming. it’s probably because i don’t have one of my own.

yet.

i especially like to hear the stories of how people met in case it gives me an idea of something new to try.

oh, you met in college? darn, i’ve already graduated. from undergrad AND grad school.

oh, you met at the laundromat? the only guy i see is the homeless man who offers to carry my laundry in. i’ve just carried it 3.5 blocks, sir, i can manage these last 15 feet. maybe i’ll try the one in your neighborhood?

oh, you met while you were abroad? i was just in italy! i didn’t meet any single men under the age of 40.

oh, you met at the bar? i went bar hopping last night/last weekend/last month. didn’t come across any winners. but did you know the octoberfest beers are out now? yeah, goodbye summer, hello fall.

oh, you met at work? everyone i work with is married. or is old enough to be my father.

oh, you met online? which site? yeah, tried that one. ok, i’ll try it again. maybe could you read my profile before i post?

oh, you met in the produce section of the grocery store? my friends are due back soon, so i’ll have a reason to go to that section of the store again.

oh, you met on the airplane? i have a few flights coming up, surely i’ll get a good seatmate. or at least one that will STOP CALLING ME, SHIRLEY.

but what i really adore are the stories of lasting love. and couples laughing together. and supporting one another. the latest story to melt my heart is here. it’s EXACTLY the type of story i want to cuddle up in bed with. it contains love. humor. sauciness. a couple just starting out. and how they entertained each other when they had nothing to rub together but their imaginations.

so while i continue to search for my love story, tell me yours.

feelings

mama dearest

abby mumford

today is my mom’s birthday.

she is cruising around alaska with my dad and a bunch of other couples, so since i can’t talk to her directly on her big day, i got to thinking about what i would have said to her had we been in the same state at the same dinner table raising our wine glasses in a toast to the lady that raised our family so successfully.

first, i would have sang to her. incredibly pitchy and off-key and horrible sounding. but with the best intentions.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MOM.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.

then, i would have apologized.

after that, i would have told her thank you. thanks for being there on days when i needed her. thanks for being there on days when i all i wanted to be was alone. thanks for not being there so i was forced to learn and grow on my own. thanks for pushing me to be better. thanks for allowing me to fail. thanks for putting up with my teenage anger. thanks for being my role model. thanks for laughing with me. thanks for yelling at me. thanks for her respect. thanks for listening to my opinion. thanks for asking for it. thanks for knowing when to call, when to write, when to visit. thanks for opening her wallet. thanks for supporting my dreams. thanks for letting me sleep in. thanks for cooking even though it was the last thing she felt like doing. thanks for being my drinking buddy (once i turned 21). thanks for her understanding. thanks for her intelligence. thanks for passing along her blonde hair and blue eyes. thanks for teaching me how to read. thanks for complimenting me. thanks for sticking around. thanks for putting up with me. thanks for loving me always even if she didn’t always like me at the moment. thanks for teaching me. thanks for learning with me. thanks for being in my corner. thanks for making me roll my eyes at her. thanks for making me want to hug her. thanks for encouraging my individuality with words in a family of numbers. thanks for making me go it on my own. thanks for letting me come home. thanks for being proud of me and informing me of such. thanks for being my friend. thanks for being my mom.

then, i’d go into the kitchen and do the dishes because no birthday girl is supposed to do that.

happy day, mom. cheers to a fabulous year and the start of an even better one.

feelings

library bound

abby mumford

i’ve always had a mini love affair with libraries. i mean, come on, you get your library card (a fun, bright color) for free and you have instant access to millions of books. for free. for me. for you. for him. for her. for them. shelves and shelves of delicious books waiting to be read. and the library doesn’t get jealous when i go to the bookstore instead and purchase my own copy. what’s not to love?

the cambridge public library recently re-opened its renovated doors and my love affair has blossomed into a full on romance. i go to the CPL at least twice a week. i go to pick up books on hold. i go to search for something new. i go to write. i go to research. i go to read the smutty gossip rags i refuse to pay subscriptions for. i go for the comfy chairs. i go for inspiration.

and the hope that one day i’ll be able to find my book on the shelf.

i was in the library on saturday trying to figure out why my account kept saying i had IT’S RAINING CUPCAKES by lisa schroeder checked out when i had returned it weeks ago. because it’s an MG book, it was located in the kids’ section on the third floor and they needed me to go up there to see if it actually was on the shelf. once i finished climbing the seemingly endless flights of stairs, i stood in line to wait for the next available librarian. and man alive, i could have waited in that line forever. the one librarian was so sweet with two little girls, sky and rachel, who were signing up for their first library cards. and to watch those little girls listen to the librarian and lean on the counter to look at the gerbil and pick out a seed ball and clap with excitement over their first card just about melted my heart. as a lover of books, it made me so happy to know that someone gentle and caring and enthusiastic was taking care of these little bubbles of joy. and while those little girls probably won’t remember, the librarian was instilling a love of books and reading with such a strong foundation that the love is sure to continue into adulthood.

another librarian was soon available and i had to tear myself away (but not before realizing what i want. i want a little kid who is PSYCHED to get their card to check out one of my books. i know how excited i get when i find a book i want. and i want someone to want my book like that. I WANT. i do.) anyways, it turns out the book they said i had checked out was sitting there patiently waiting for its next reader. so all was squared away.

and then i swung by the library yesterday to pick up a book they were holding for me (SEA by heidi kling). as i was waiting in line, i spied one of our books from work on the shelf waiting to be taken home. this was the first time i’ve seen a harvard book at the library. sure, i see them in bookstores all the time, but there was something about seeing it at the library that delighted me. i don’t really know why, but it did. and also, i saw HUNGER GAMES sitting on a cart waiting for the next patron to pick it up. i know what that book holds inside and i can’t wait for that person to get their hands on it and dive in.

it seems that no matter the day, the library continues to charm my pants off. do you have a love affair with a library? or, perhaps, with something other than a person?

spill it.

feelings

happy blogiversary, self

abby mumford

it’s been a FULL year since i transformed my OLD to a live blog with real readers (you, and you, and you, thank you!) and grown up thoughts and immature ramblings. what a ride it’s been. thanks for listening and commenting and reading. cheers to another year of writing deadlines and whimsical musings and wondering how to get more of you to speak up. cause i heart you, readers, talk to me.

hey, what’s an anniversary without presents?

boring.

i got permission from his parents…and so, without further ado (dear readers), my present to you, live on-stage, performing for the first time as a solo artist (with a little help off-screen from his older brother):

LIAM AND HIS AIR GUITAR.

but first, turn on your speakers. ok, GO.

p.s. sorry about the quality. it’s from my sis-in-law’s phone to my phone to my email to youtube. i’m not so sure this little video was supposed to traverse the interwebs. but how could i not share this guy with you?

p.p.s. thanks to brother G for all the tech help. i couldn’t have done it without your help. on many levels.