Tuesday Titter

There are things that light a little fire of excitement in my belly that usually make absolutely no sense to anyone else. These things make me smile, give a little jolt to my guts and sometimes a titter to my lips.

Take for example the word, “titter”. It is not a word seen in print very often. It is usually neglected, replaced by the more common “snicker” or “giggle”. While I love seeing this word, I love hearing it even more. Say it out loud – I dare you. The word actually sounds like a stifled form of laughter. The other day, a coworker said, “my daughters have a bad habit of tittering uncontrollably during church”. It was a delicious treat for my ears.

Some other belly jolting examples:

~HUMMUS~ My pallet has become so sophisticated (read big city) that I am enjoying things like hummus. I feel all grown up and healthy when I scoop into this delectable mash of chickpeas and olive oil. It is mushy. It is tasty. It is wonderful on a wrap with some sprouts and cucumbers. And best of all, the particular brand I enjoy comes from Weyauwega, WI. Weyauwega! We all know the best things are made there. Isn’t that right Mom and Dad?

~NEW SHOES, BY PAOLO NUTINI~ see it here The butterflies can’t help but flutter in my tummy upon hearing this little tune. I get all keyed up and my buns wiggle to its rhythm. But, the best part…the part that makes this song worthy of this post is that he says, “wardrobe” instead of “closet”. I wait patiently with my dork breath held so I don’t miss him saying this one word. Oh non-Americans… your funny language is priceless.

~TEENAGERS~ Since I live in the land of the Mall of America, I am sometimes subjected to those crazy beings that make the journey from the east to shop, play and eat. I am talking about my cousins, K and M, 13 and 14 respectively. Last weekend, they along with M’s mom visited our fair land. I decided to crash in their hotel room with them and spend the day at the mall. All my trepidations about being trapped in a small room with two pubescent moody girls were squelched when they gave me hugs in greeting. They are actually pretty cool – and much like me when I was that age.

K is a middle child who is just discovering boys and has a sense of humor much like mine when I was 13. She was without her parents this weekend and you could see the spark of independence in decisions she made over what she should spend her money on. She is sporty and loved trying on high heel shoes – I dig that paradox about her.

M is an only child who is tall and lanky. She has an amazing imagination and is wise beyond her years. She is at the age where boundaries are being tested with her parents. I noticed a few “shits” and “damns” slip out. She had a clear idea of what she wanted to purchase at the mall, complete with pictures from magazines – I remember doing things like this.

~ZITS~ you heard me. I loves me a good pimple. The best are the soap and puss and hair filled ones that hide under their little black heads on my tummy or my thighs. Blissful satisfaction warms my cheeks when I tackle one of those babies. It is seriously like Christmas because I don’t know I am growing them. I don’t know when they will decide to ripen. Umm… yeah, was that too much?