Wednesday, December 17, 2008

What Are The Odds?

Since it’s that time of year again/already, I thought I would tell a little tale about my oldest daughter and the Christmas gift.

One year while roaming around the shops searching for something she would like, I wandered into a bookstore. Although I knew she loved to read, I had never bought her a book since she was an adult, but I thought I would have a go at it and maybe come up with one she would like. I love books, too. I can spend a heck of a lot of time browsing around in a bookstore. And I can usually tell after reading the first few paragraphs or pages if it would be something I would like. Not always, (I have ended up with a few clunkers) but most of the time it does work. In fact I try to do that with these posts. Try to grab your attention at the beginning so you keep reading instead of sighing with boredom while moving on to someone else. Maybe I should go back to the top and start over with “It was a dark and stormy night…” but no, it’s too late now, you’re either going to keep reading or you’re not.

So there I was checking out all the books, seeing a lot that I would like but not quite sure if she would. After looking around for a while trying to find something really different and interesting, I ended up in the back of the store where the books were just in a pile on a table. No best sellers here. No authors that I had ever heard of. Books just scattered here and there. Books that nobody else was probably interested in, and there it was. A book about Dragons. It immediately caught my interest (“Flydragon”? ). I thumbed through and loved it. All about dragons, no photos (don’t know why) but lots of great colorful drawings, lots of fairy tale and dashing knights info, so much fun, what’s not to like?

After debating with myself for awhile, “would she, wouldn’t she” I decided to buy it pretty sure that she would like it but on the off chance that she didn’t, I would tell her she could give it back and I would get her something else. I mean I knew she wouldn’t sit there and say “I hate this book”, but would instead just smile and say thanks whether she meant it or not, and she could always give it back with some excuse like “Oh I love it but I don’t have any room left on the bookshelf”, or “Oh I already have this one”. ( Well, she wouldn’t try that one because she would know there would be no way I would ever believe that cockamamie excuse, although she did come up with some weird excuses when she was a kid that she thought I would fall for.)

So, it’s Christmas. After much eating and drinking (sodas) it was time to open the gifts. When she removed the wrapping from the book, she starting laughing. Really laughing. Okay, she liked it! That was a relief!! Then I opened the gift she had given me and I found out the real reason she was laughing. Yep, believe it or not, she had given me the exact… same…. book. Now the odds on that happening with a book about dragons by an author that neither one of us had ever heard of have to be astronomical to say the least. To this day, I don’t know if she liked it or not, but at least it still causes laughter.

I course I can’t end this post without a little picture of her for all the world to see…. maybe not the whole world but at least the 12 or so people that read this post….. well at least the 6 people (family) that made it all the way through to the end.

This was taken when she was about 2 1/2 years old, and although she has her little party skirt and hat on, she does not look too happy. Maybe because she found out we were just telling her a little story and there really wasn’t any party? And although she tells me that she reads and likes this blog, she has never once left a comment. If this post doesn’t bring forth a comment from her, then maybe she is just telling me a little story………….

19 comments:

Rudee said...

This post made me laugh out loud. Did you both keep your books?

Should I leave a report to prove I read the whole thing through to the end? I could. She may not have been smiling in her picture-but she looked cute despite the look.

TC said...

"It was a dark and stormy" comment...er...sorry 'bout that. I'd say the odds of y'all gettin each other the same gift again are beyond measurement. How strange that it happened the first time! Could it have a deeper meaning? Oh hush TC! Do you have to read something into everything when it ain't really there??

That's one very precious photo! It looks like she were a goldie locks; I were too. ;~)

flydragon said...

Rudee,
I actually tried to find mine a while back but couldn't. I think it's stashed around here somewhere. I don't know if she still has hers, maybe she'll let us know when she leaves a comment...
Ok, I believe you did read the whole thing:)

TC,
LOL. And after seeing a picture of you I find it hard to believe you were a goldie locks. Maybe a bear, but a goldie locks?

Anonymous said...

lol - she still has it and she looks like grace

Anonymous said...

What a cute post. I once did something similar choosing a birthday card for a friend. We exchanged the exact same card! Your daughter's pic is sweet. And another coincidence, no body I know EVER leaves a comment on my blog - friends, relatives TELL me they read it BUT NEVER A WORD! Weird. Anyway, I love your blog and I will leave comments! Have a great afternoon.

beckie said...

Great minds think alike! And yes, I always read your post all the way to the end. You never know with you, you might put in a total surprise at the end.

Loved your Christmas story.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

RURAL said...

I think that you have a few more than 6 readers. LOL.

Great story, read it all the way through. Loved that you both gave the same book to each other. It is a funny coincidence.

Or maybe fate??? LOL

Jen

Anonymous said...

They say "Like mother, like daughter". You know why she looks so sad? It's because she knew she wasn't going to a party without any shoes. Do you guys still have the dragon books? Middle sis

Nunya said...

i will bet you $30 she will not leave a comment on this post.

she might not open a present and say "oh my god, i hate this!", but her daughter would. and did.

and re: the "soda"??? were we at the same party?

Far Side of Fifty said...

Great blog! I always read you through to the end, who knows what is lurking in the next paragraph!
The same dragon book..scary?
My daughters both read my local blog, one never comments. I am still embarassing her I guess.
On blogspot I have two gals that comment once in awhile, one I have known for years and the other a new blogging acquaintence. Some people are just readers I guess.
Great B and W photo, love the hat, twirling skirt and the bare feet. She is beautiful, after your yum..photo in the robe .. I am guessing she takes after someone else:)

flydragon said...

Hi Nicole,
Did your mom tell you to leave a comment because she wasn't going to? Is that the way it is? Tell her that won't work and she has to leave one herself.

Mildred,
It's just so strange when that happens.
Maybe you should also write a post about friends and relatives that read it but never comment. Probably won't work in your case either, though:)

Beckie,
That's what it was!!! Great minds!
I like the way you think:) And surprise! No surprises in this one, Ha.

Jen,
Or maybe something really scary? Ohh just gave myself goosebumps.

Betty,
She always went to parties shoeless. Even when she was older. I have no doubt she still does. Nicole said she still had her book, and mine's hiding in a closet somewhere.

NVAM
I will not be taking that bet.

I had to put that little rub in there just to embarrass her, again.

That was soda in my cup, what was in yours?


Farside,
Don't you love it when you embarrass your kids? I do. Sometime not even on purpose:)

She was a cutie wasn't she. And were you hinting a little something about my appearance? Something negative perhaps?

Susie said...

Oh what a cute story and you know I'm always going to finish your stories. I decide about books the same way flydragon. If I can't get into it within the first or second page I ain't reading it!

What a cute pic of your daughter. Love that little skirt with the bare feet.

flydragon said...

Hi Susie,
Are you sure you didn't just read the first paragraph and then skip down to the bottom?
It's funny how you can pretty much tell if you're going to like a book just by the first couple of pages, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

Oh my God! She WAS adorable. What happened???????

FD#3

Anonymous said...

Why Pat, you do DO Christmas. What was all that "H.H." stuff? Great post, adorable picture. Would love to see more pictures of your kids and sisters.

flydragon said...

Fla brat,
The same thing that happened to you.

Di,
This was way before the HH. You might like to see more of the sisters and kids but I'm not sure they would. But it's gonna happen so they should be prepared.

Rose said...

This is such a funny story, Flydragon! It just shows you have a real mother-daughter bond:)

Your daughter looks so cute in her party hat; isn't it fun to go back and look at their baby pictures? You kept me reading even without the "dark and stormy night" intro:)

Roses and Lilacs said...

Some kind of ESP thing;)

The photo is so cute but she doesn't look real happy.
Marnie

flydragon said...

Rose,
Either we have a close bond, or we're both nuts. I think it's the latter:) Glad you kept reading:)


Marnie,
Wish I would have had more of that ESP thing while she was growing up:)
And even tho I've seen that picture a hundred times over the years, it still makes me laugh.