Candy Girl

As the oldest of 6 kids, there wasn’t much extra money for things. But being in 4-H had extra expenses that went above and beyond what we could afford. I was active and lively and wanted to do every activity possible and my mom knew we had to find another way to pay for it. She had had some experience running candy fundraisers for my gymnastics team and knew there was money to be made. She had also gotten a great tip on the best place to sell candy fast.

She gathered a little seed money and purchased a supply of assorted candies from Costco. She set my sister and I up with boxes of assorted king sized candy bars had us learn the spiel. “Hi, my name is Larissa and I’m selling candy for 4-H.” We used all the money for our 4-H activities so even though the fundraiser wasn’t specifically organized by our 4-H club, it wasn’t a lie either.

She made phone calls to every bowling alley in a 15 mile radius and found out when their leagues played. We’d eat dinner, sometimes in the old station wagon, on our way to a bowling alley just in time for the 7pm league. She’d call ahead to get the okay from the owner and we’d set out, little sibling in tow, and win the hearts of nearly every bowler there. My little siblings we’re definitely the secret weapon and my sister and I would fight over who got my brother who was the youngest. We could finish a whole bowling alley in 20 minutes and we’d be off to the next one. We’d often cover 3 bowling alleys in a night, have time for a candy break, and then go back to each one in reverse order for the 9pm leagues. On a good night, we’d make over $300. The best part about being homeschooled was not having a bedtime so we could sleep in as late as we needed to the next day. We were always night owls anyway so there really was no adjustment.

We’d go out a couple times a week and we had a blast. Sometimes my mom would give us quarters to play air hockey and sometimes we’d get tips of candy bars or even money. Once my sister got a tip of 8 king sized candy bars. Those candy bars sat on the top shelf of our refrigerator until she could finish them and every time I opened the fridge, they taunted me.

In high school, I was getting g to old to look cute selling candy to adults so my mom set me up with a cooler to take to high school. We got permission from the principal who said that as long as it wasn’t a distraction, it was okay. We downgraded to regular sized candy bars and included air heads which actually made the most profit per unit. I got known by everyone in the school as the Candy Girl. I always had the candy. I dealt with a few people who would try to take candy or a couple dollars here and there but no one ever tried to rob me.

All that money did so much good for our family. We were able to attend camps on Catalina island, in Big Bear (summer and winter), go to the State Capital, and have all the supplies needed for every project we ever wanted to try. We’re we poor growing up, yes. But my mom always found a way for us to have what we needed. It’s one of the best lessons I learned growing up. There is always a way.

Lice for Everyone

Caitlin had lice. Considering I had only been dating her dad for a few months, I was under no obligation to dive in. But her mother had been MIA for so long that at 12 years old, she had had to do so many things on her own. I wanted her to feel like she had a support system. So there I was, 8:30pm on a Monday night in my boyfriends bathroom. I had purchased all the necessary treatments and combs after she found the first one crawling in her sink. She said her head had been itching for a couple weeks but since she struggled with dandruff, she had chalked it up to her dry scalp. I never imagined how one little misidentification could have such a drastic result.

We treated her hair and for the next 3 hours I slowly combed through her long dark strands. She had been mostly cold toward me up to this point but spending 3 hours on something so embarrassing brought us together just a little bit more. She was desperate help and I could never pass up a moment to help.

I combed and combed. Each section had to be carefully run through. I had every intention of removing even every nit. When we finally finished, there were easily over 150 individual lice. With so many there, I knew we were all in trouble. I checked myself and found only 1. Cody had a couple but Brian was still at school so he would have to wait till he got home. We then washed all the sheets in the house. We scrubbed every surface that any head could have possibly touched and then sprayed down everything with the special spray.

When Brian got home, i found a couple so I treated his head and continued cleaning. By the time we finally finished, it was 1:30am. We were so exhausted I knew the next day would be hard on all of us.

After the ordeal, I felt closer to everyone. We had been through something together and had faired ok. Or at least that’s what I thought.

Unfortunately, we did not heed the instructions on the lice shampoo and Caitlin never retreated her head. It took 2 weeks after the first treatment to discover another one. Luckily, she was the only one with any this time and there was only a couple. But there I was, again treating her head. I wanted her to feel that she was important enough for me to drop everything and help her. I wanted her to know that she was loved and she had a support system that extended further than her father and brother.

I don’t wish for anyone to ever have to go through a lice ordeal. The process is long and embarrassing and it makes you feel dirty. But I’m so lucky I got a few hours to bond with Caitlin so early in my relationship with her father. I can’t say that our relationship has always been perfect but there is no doubt that she knows I care.

Dreaming of Ice Cream

My sisters were notorious for talking in their sleep. There were several fun instances growing up but the one that takes the cake was the ice cream incident. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I probably wouldn’t have believed it myself.

My sisters slept in 2 different bedrooms that shared a wall and the bedroom doors basically met in the corner of the hall. I was still up doing homework when the rest of the kids went to bed. I had been at the kitchen table so the back of the house was nice and quiet. I turned on the hall light and noticed both bedroom doors were open but I didn’t think much of it. When there are 5 kids in 2 bedrooms, you learn to sleep through anything.

I went through my nightly bathroom routine and just as I was headed into my bedroom, I heard Chental yell, “Who stole my ice cream?” I started toward her door when Pam yelled, “It wasn’t me, it was Larissa!” Knowing full well that we had been out of ice cream for a couple days I was stumped. I peaked my head into Pam’s room and Chental replied, “It was you. I know it was you!” That’s when I realized that Pam was still asleep. Dumbfounded, I crawled up to Chental on the top bunk and she too was asleep.

My sisters just had an argument from 2 different bedrooms in their sleep.

The Couch

As a broke newlywed trying to furnish our new apartment, we spent some real time in several thrift stores before we stumbled upon the perfect couch. It was made up of 5 separate sections each with a giant pillow to sit on and one for behind the back. It was long and could be kept straight or L shaped or even a small U. The armrest wasn’t really an armrest but more of a semicircle of wood that kept the pillows in place. The wood was a little outdated but the couch was very comfortable.

Our first night in the apartment we had slept on a wet floor. As our first real piece of furniture, we had to use it for everything. We got creative and pushed the 2 ends facing each other. This way, the wood at the arm rest could create a box to hold our pillows in place. We pushed the next two together continuing the box. With our feet still hanging off the end, we took the remaining piece and put it in the center at the end to share. It wasn’t perfect but it was definitely an improvement on the wet floor, which ultimately made us sick.

I lived with the couch for several months before I finally decided to refinish it. I invested in an electric sander and smoothed off all of the ugly finish. It took several days and a lot of elbow grease but it felt so good to do something all my own. I went with a darker stain for the body of the wood and decided to inlay thin bamboo within the bottom pangels of each section. I then continued the inlay design through the arm rest wood. By the time I was done, I had created a whole new piece of furniture. It was truly beautiful. If only I had a picture.

3.6.2021

Friendship

As a child I was shy. It took me a long time to warm up to any kind of change. So when I found myself at a new public school in 3rd grade with more kids than I had ever seen in my life, I was overwhelmed. I knew a couple people from church who were at the school but none of them were even in my class. I didn’t like my teacher which didn’t help matters and all the kids seemed like they’d known each other for a long time. I was really sad.

Playing by myself on the playground got old real quick. I actually made friends with the teachers who watched the playground. I’d spend my entire play time talking to them because they were kind. One teacher would do magic tricks for whoever would watch.

Months went by and I still didn’t have any friends. I was to shy to talk to anyone. I try to be approachable but approaching someone myself was out of the question. I spent many days at home with a tummy ache. My mom was desperate to help but wasn’t really sure how. Then I overheard her on the phone one night. She was asking a lady from church if her daughter would play with me. She actually called 2 people. I was embarrassed but wanted a friend so badly.

A few days went by and no one approached me. I had all but given up when everything changed. I was swinging on the swing during recess and a girl I knew from church asked me if I wanted to play with her and her friends. I immediately said yes and she introduced me to the 3 other girls. They asked me a bunch of questions and were all very nice. When the bell rang, I started walking back to my classroom when Tiffany stopped me. “Hey, she said. “You can play with us anytime.” I never got another tummy ache for the rest of the year.

Princess for a Day

I always felt more at home in San Diego than anywhere else and every time I visited, I called Rocky and Paige to see if they were free to hang out for a bit. Our meetups were always very casual and mostly consisted of staying in their place and talking but I jumped at every chance I got to spend time with them. They had been my best friends while married to Chad and I longed for our friendship to remain the same.

I headed over to their house after lunch. They only had a couple hours to spare and I wasted no time. We said our hellos and they introduced me to their nephew. Instantly, he got a shocked look on his face. “I know her!” he replied. We were all all a little puzzled but he wouldn’t let up.

“I know her! I know her! She’s in my movie. You’re a princess.”

After prodding him for more explanation, we figured out that he thought I was Anne Hathaway’s Character in The Princess Diaries. We tried for several minutes to convince him otherwise but it was no problem use. He was convinced the Princess had come to say hi to him. In the end, I pretended to be her. I didn’t want to break his heart and it felt good to be treated like a celebrity for a moment. It’s not the only time I have been told I look like her but it

Christmas Moon

Christmas morning is magical for most every child but in our house we were thwarted by my mom’s need to document. Trapped behind a hallway door we desperately tried to catch a glimpse of the gifts that lay ahead while my mom squeezed through to set up her shot. We’d sit there as patiently as we could muster and waited for her signal. When she finally gave her ok, we’d open the door and she’d capture our reactions via camera or occasionally camcorder. It was a tradition we all dreaded but complied with so as not to stir the pot right before the best part of our year.

As adults though, the tradition continued. As the oldest of 6 kids, I’d drive to my parents house Christmas morning and even though I had to walk past the Christmas tree in order to get to the hall door, the tradition lived on. I still had 3 siblings at home and she thought it necessary to hold to the surprise even if it wasn’t much of one for all of us.

By 2009 we had had enough. Pam was married and pregnant with her first and my youngest sister was now a teenager. So as we stood behind the dreaded door, my pregnant sister and newly adult brother decided they were going to pull a fast one on our mom. When my mom gave the signal, I opened the door and she had 2 bare butts staring back at her. Auto pilot took over and she snapped the photo before her brain registered what her eyes beheld. Her reaction was everything. With eyes full of shock and her face tied up in knots, she was stunned speechless. We all busted out laughing and it was the last time we ever had to stand behind that door.

Alone with a New Baby

We came home from the hospital at 1pm on a Saturday afternoon. After pushing for 2 1/2 hours my body wasn’t working quite yet and I could barely walk. It took everything in me to make it up the stairs to our apartment and that was with my husband’s help. I was exhausted from 2 sleepless nights in the hospital. The first night, Brian slept on the uncomfortable bed chair next to me and his snoring kept me awake the whole night. I made him go home the next night but the baby had other plans. He fussed all night and as a mom to a brand new baby that hadn’t done this before, I didn’t know how to help him. It turned out he had a bubble and I didn’t know how to burp him properly.

As we walked through the door, I headed straight to the rocking chair. My mother-in-law offered to take our teens for a couple weeks so Brian decided to drive them over. My church had people sign up to bring us meals but that wasn’t coming till the next day. My mom was planning on coming to help for a couple weeks too but her back was bothering her so she opted to stay home for one more day.

So there I was, baby in hand, barely able to stand and all alone. It wasn’t planned that way, it just happened. As the sun went down my hunger increased significantly. With a constantly nursing newborn, calories are of the utmost importance. I had a water bottle but it just went cutting it anymore.

I placed the baby in his rocker and slowly made my way to the kitchen. He started fussing but i just had to eat. My fridge was severely picked over and I needed something easy. In this moment, I learned the importance of preparing for after the hospital. I found a can of soup and by leaning on the counter, managed to get its contents into a bowl. With the food in the microwave, I sat on the linoleum and cried right along with my baby. He just wanted his mom and I couldn’t be there. With my soup in hand, I struggled back to my chair. While my food cooled, I picked up my baby, willing him to know that I loved him and would always be there for him.

Wedding Sickness

Chad was an East coast surfer so when we decided to get married in my home state of CA he had to check out the waves. While my family was finishing up wedding plans, he was at the beach. Unfortunately, this ultimately lead to riding in a small convertible for several hours in chilling temperatures with the top down to accommodate the surfboard. Needless to say, he got sick.

He got so sick in fact, that I stead of attending our family dinner the night before the wedding, I had to take him to the ER. His fever had spiked and he needed quick relief. They shot him up with antibiotics and sent us on our way. We ended up eating pizza on my parents couch at 10pm that night.

The next morning he was feeling better but decided against breakfast. Unfortunately, the wedding day didn’t go as planned and an 11am ceremony got pushed till after 1. By the time we were headed outside for pictures, he could barely stand.

We got through the pictures taking as many breaks as he needed and by the time we we were done, we had to head straight to the reception. Luckily, my best friend had picked us up some smoothies so we had something to hold us over.

The reception started at 5pm and we arrived just in time. We lined up to greet our guests while Chad took a seat in the line. We couldn’t afford a whole dinner for the guests so there were hor d’oeuvres and fruit. There had been food for us for dinner but we never got a chance to eat it. By the time we left the reception at 8:30pm, we were famished. We ran to my parents house to change our clothes and set out to find some food on the way to the hotel. We needed to stop by the store for a few things and I knew there was a grab and go pizza place inside the Super Kmart so we killed 2 birds with one stone.

The craziest part was I ran into someone I knew I side the Kmart. She noticed the train I still had in my hair and said, “didn’t you just get married?” I told her, “Yes but we were starving!”

So, that’s how I found myself eating pizza in the middle of a Kmart food court on my wedding night.

2.26.2021

Wisdom Teeth

My friend needed his wisdom teeth taken out and had heard that he could get it done in Utah for a great price. So his best friend Kenny decided to make a road trip out of it and roped me into coming along. Kenny’s dad rented us a car since we were all still under 25. We were under a time crunch since I worked on the week days so to maximize our time, we decided to drive all night on Friday night. Chris’ appointment was for 9:30am on Saturday and with a 10 hour drive and a 1 hour time change, we didn’t have much wiggle room. We did manage to drive the Las Vegas strip which I had never done before. We didn’t have time to stop but seeing the lights from the car was still very exciting, even at 2am.

We rolled into the parking lot of the oral surgeon around 7am and took a short nap in the car until the appointment. Kenny and I hung out in the car the whole time while Chris underwent the surgery. We mostly slept. The trickiest part was we were staying in St George that night but we were in Provo so we still had a lot of driving ahead of us. By the time we finally rolled into his friend’s house around 2pm, we were exhausted. We all chose a random piece of furniture and slept for a few hours. It happened to be his friend’s birthday and his family invited us all to go bowling with them to celebrate. Chris chose not to go so Kenny’s friend got in the back seat of the rental and I sat in shotgun. The bowling alley was only a couple miles away and Kenny’s friend chose not to wear a seat belt (we weren’t aware until later). Getting to the bowling alley required an unprotected left turn at a signal. Kenny waited for the cars to pass and as the light turned yellow, decided to turn. Unfortunately, there was a driver who must not have seen us and decided to try and beat the light. By the time Kenny realized what was happening, it was to late. The other driver slammed into the engine right in front of where I was sitting. As the car spun around, time stood still. I could see every little thing and hear every sound. The airbag exploded in my face and rug burns started forming on my face. By the time we stopped, there were 3 cars involved in the accident. Our car sustained the most damage. Kenny was in major panicked mode. I tried to calm him and made sure everyone was ok. Honestly, I was shocked I was the worst injured given the no seatbelt. My face was scraped and there was a bad pain in my chest but we were talking and breathing and I knew we would be ok. They tried to talk me into going to the hospital but I did t think it was necessary.

We went back to the house and let Chris know how lucky he was for not being there. That night we went to bed early so that we could be rested and refreshed for our road trip home. Kenny’s father somehow managed to secure us with another rental car. We went to church and with packed lunches, set off for home. Our trip home was surprisingly uneventful.

I had pain in my chest and shortness of breath for nearly a month after the accident. I didn’t have insurance but my dad finally convinced me to get checked out. Kenny’s dad gladly paid for the doctor’s trip. The doctor said my ribs most likely detached from my sternum temporarily and it would just take time. He was right and I was happy when the pain finally subsided. Kenny felt so bad about the whole ordeal but ultimately, I never blamed him. It really wasn’t his fault. I’m just glad no one got really hurt.