
Anyhow.... we had a fun day taking a road trip to Southern Oregon - which was about seven hours round trip. I'm pretty lucky that I have two kids that will sit in a car like that - and be pretty happy.
We went to Southern Oregon because lately (again slightly obsessed) with Twilight stuff -I've been working on collecting some of the Twilight Barbies. Okay..... first I should explain.
Growing up, one of The Bubbie's best friends was my Aunt Robbie. My Aunt Robbie was essentially orphaned when her parents died in her early twenties. We were kind of her only family until she later married.
My Aunt Robbie was around a lot when I was younger and we were very close - when I turned 5 she gave me a beautiful blue Barbie case from the 1960's. Inside was a near perfect Barbie and her best friend Midge. It had two plastic blue doors that opened up together and made a closet between the two standing dolls. Inside, on tiny plastic hangers, hung a sweet blue corduroy jumper-dress, an a-line black and white chiffon evening dress and many other outfits.
Each one had a read zipper, or buttons and snaps - and it even had all the shoes, including these pink, fluffy high-heeled slippers that matched a bathrobe and had tiny little round 'powder boxes' complete with soft blue 'puffs' for Barbie to use when she was getting dolled up for a night on the town.
I love it. I love the box. The way it opened up wide, the top swinging open wide with the dolls on side and two giant plastic pockets: a treasure trove of shoes and belts and hats. It was amazing and I would sit for hours and hours dressing and re-dressing Barbie and Midge.
I had other, more contemporary, Barbie's which I played with allt he time. But my most *special* childhood prize, was Barbie, Midge and their giant blue Barbie case, which was old and splitting a little at the joint where it opened and closed. It wasn't the Barbie's or the case, or even the fantastic vintage clothes, it was that is had been important to my Aunt Robbie. It had been her childhood toy and of allll the people she could have given her precious Barbie's to: she chose me.
It's an amazing thing to give a child, the feeling of being *special*. Often, as children, we are singled out in a negative way - we're too loud, not behaving, not 'keeping our hands to our self', or my favorite.... 'not using our inside voice'.
To be singled out for a *good* reason - the one that say's, "You matter to me" - is amazing... and I was blessed to have that feeling from my Aunt and while Malibu Barbie had a run in with the scissors (she lost), and Night & Day Barbie had a some personalized eye-makeup tattoo's with permanent marker..... Barbie and Midge were never harmed in the making of a 5, 6, 7 year-old's 'good time'. Never.
I never brushed their hair, still perfectly formed. I never pulled out the earrings, even though on Barbie they had started to tarnish the plastic a bit, I left them there: in tact. Every time I took them out of their box I was careful not to pull the seams, or lose the pieces, I treasured the dolls, but I also treasured how they made me feel: loved.
I still have the blue Barbie box, complete with dolls and clothes, and I have put them away for The Girl. She's not ready for them yet... but one day she will get to play with them. I will share with her about my Aunt Robbie, for whom she is named, and how wonderful and kind and amazing my Aunt Robbie was. How special it was that she chose me to have her sacred, vintage Barbie collection - and how special The Girl is to be the next little girl to get them.
As my Twilight obsession has grown.... I noticed that the Twilight Barbie's were starting to disappear from the shelves..... and even in my sad financial state - I started to dream of owning them. lolol... silly, stupid, First class First World Problems... but there you have it. Silly girls... silly little girl dreams.....
So, I did what I usually do: hit ebay. But, ebay wasn't cheap enough..... some of the Barbies were already going for three figures! What the heck!?!?!.... so then I started going for Craigslist. There weren't too many listing for Twilight anything in Portland, so I started branching out and looking all around Oregon. Every two or three days I signed on and searched - emailed a few people, but I didn't find anything great.... until I did.
Yesterday I found a listing for a HUGE Twilight collection: Twilight Edward and Bella, New Moon Jacob, Eclipse Victoria and Eclipse ALICE - all in Barbie form. There were also New Moon buttons and magnets, dog tags, and Edward key chain and some posters - and they only wanted $100.00. I emailed them straight way and waited.... and ok - I actually might have prayed a little, too.
Let me preface by saying that I always do that thing Moms do - where they use their birthday money, their gift cards ...to buy stuff for their kids. So much so that my brother will give me a gift card for my birthday and write on the card: DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FOR THE KIDS THIS IS FOR YOU! lololol but I think every Mom does that.... I'm always seeing things they need more than I do.
However, The Bubbie has been holding onto some money that my Tante Louise sent me. Tante Louise is another childhood best friend of The Bubbie's who has held an immensely important place in my life - and a few months ago she sent me some money for some photos I took and The Bubbie held the money for "something special" for me. I used most of the money to pay bills and health insurance and whatnot... but The Bubbie held a little back for when I found that something special that I just *had* to have.
I couldn't believe my luck when they emailed me back and I made plans to drive three hours South to buy the collection.... oh, and I dragged my brother with me because I didn't want to drive there and accidentally wind up living in someone's basement for several months eventually becoming their 'skin suit'.
It was a man who called... so even though I was worried he would back out of selling the collection, I dared to ask.... "Where did you get all this?"
There was a pause and then he said......"Well, umm..... it was my wife's collection... but she left for someone else and took everything she wanted... like - everything. She told me throw out the rest and I found this box... so I thought may be I could sell them instead."
Oh... irony.
I asked him... against my better Twilight judgement lolol - "does she know you're selling them?"
"Yup", he replied, "she said she doesn't need them anymore."
Oh.... so she's DUMB AND she's a cheater..... Edward and Jacob are worth about $30 together, Bella is worth $40, Victoria is worth $40 but Alice..... ALICE is a collectors item. Alice is worth *at least* $100, but frequently goes for $150 - $200 on eBay.
sigh.
New - each doll was $24.99 each, and as they were *all* still new in their boxes, this was an *amazing* deal... I literally couldn't drive there fast enough - hoping that the man didn't go online to discover the eBay value of Alice - and then feeling bad at the same time that I knew I was 'under-paying' him for them. The thing is, I don't want to sell them or flip them.... I was to collect them and keep them, for The Girl.
Twilight, in a nerdy (but not at all crazy-cat-lady-kind-of-way) has *really* helped me through this hard chapter of our lives.... being able to collect a piece of that to pass on to The Girl (who will face heartbreak of her own) - AND it adds to the all important Barbie collection from Aunt Robbie - OH - and it's paid for by Tante Louise.... phew. That's a mouthful... and it's a wonderful thing to have for The Girl.
So we drove there, listening to music and talking the whole way. We arrived to buy the Twilight Barbie's - and the guy was really nice.... and i noticed his house seemed a bit picked over. :(
Then we turned around and drove back over Mt. Hood, this time singing Christmas songs - which seemed appropriate because the tree's were white with frost and a thick fog hung around the road - which was also *very* Twilight... lololol
We got home and I was so excited to show the kids - The Girl was especially excited - she loves Victoria and her red hair.... and she saying, "Pretty Mommy's Twilight.... no touching brother."
They learn so quickly.... lololol
We snuggled on the couch, watched a movie and right about the time I was thinking how wonderful today had been - how great it was to snuggle under the blanket and watch a movie and relax.... how blessed I am to have such two sweet, sweet babies........
The Girl sat up and puked everywhere.
EVERY. WHERE.
sigh. oh well... it's still a perfect day, even it if was laced with brink pink, smelly vomit.... because kids who puke and don't feel well just want to snuggle more.... which is exactly what we did. (While Alice, Jacob, Edward, Bell and Victoria all watched from a safe distance at their place on the upper shelf.... thank f*&k I put those away *just* before the projectile started..... silver lining!!!!!)