Stolen Heart

I've admired this heart bookend at the local Barnes & Noble store for several years now. This morning I knew I wanted it today. I don't mean I wanted it as in "buying" it. I wanted it for today's blip.

Last time I stood admiring it, it was displayed a distance from the front checkout. So I thought I could go there today, pull my cheapie camera from my pocket, find the correct angle, the necessary distance, steady the camera, focus, and it would be mine.

Plans . . . my how they get disrupted. The bookends, I learned when I finally located them, are currently displayed right next to the cashier/checkout area. I stood there silently staring at them, glancing over at the clerk, who was busy with customers, and wondering just how I was going to manage clicking that big gorgeous red heart. I actually thought about picking it up and hauling it to some remote area of the store to get my photo.

After several moments of serious contemplation, (remember when life before "Blip" never had these dilemmas), I reached into my purse, casually lifted out my phone, turned it to "on" and opened the camera app. Trying to be oh so subtle, oh so nonchalant, and with the phone silenced, I aimed and captured this view.

This is a stolen heart. I wanted it today for 10-10-10.

Actually, I wanted the heart so I could explain who stole my heart years ago.

A blip friend commented yesterday when viewing Mr. Fun in my photo that she didn't think she had ever seen Mr. Fun. I read that comment and in an instant I was down the path thinking about all my views of Mr. Fun.

I first met him when he was 17 (my favorite number); I was 13. He gave me and my girlfriend, Dede (who we named our daughter after) a ride home from a party in the autumn of 1963. I rode in the front seat of his 56 Ford station wagon and thought he was real cool.

A year later, I was vice-president of the sophomore class and in charge of the 10th grade homecoming float. We were building it just down the street from Mr. Fun's parents' house. At some point during that week he arrived driving a motor scooter and gave me a several mile ride as I held tight to him with my arms around his waist.

Later that winter we started going together and before summer we were married.. To mention that both sets of parents were unhappy about that would be an understatement.

Somehow, miraculously, we became each others' best friend. We had few, if any, married friends, so we became each others' closest friend.

He was the class clown. He loved and still loves to make others laugh. Over the years I have realized how his ability to make me laugh gave balance to our lives.

Possibly the first time I included him in a blip was here and then again the very next day.

I'd like to say that he is the light of my life, but actually he is the laugh of my life and I mean that in highest definition of laugh. Surely I'd be dead from stress by now if he had not continually and spontaneously over all these years caused me to laugh. I love him so much.

Since those blips in May 2009, I have included photos of him occasionally.

In the past year I have mentioned numerous times how thrilled I am that he started a weight loss program. The compare & contrast that I love to look at comes from a photo at family camp a year ago and then a blip from this year's family camp.

I was thrilled when he posed with me for "Blip-together" this past January. He is such a good sport.

Maybe my favorite blip of Mr. Fun is right here and there is no special reason, I just like the way the camera captured him that day.

But actually I like yesterday's blip with him.

There are several blips of him in the last few days of May each year because we love celebrating our May 29th anniversary.

He stole my heart years ago and he's never given it back. So today with my camera I stole this big red heart; it was the visual I needed so I could write about Mr. Fun.

He is all throughout my life and throughout my blips.

As 10-10-10 comes to a conclusion, I promise not to steal any hearts tomorrow.

Good night from Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol

P.S. Thanks to my Blip friend ~~Odd Days for sparking the idea for this blip.