The Legend of Kermit....

Once upon a time....many, many moons ago....I had a slight, ok maybe it was a little more than slight, but I had a large fascination with Sesame Street and more over Kermit the Frog. I had the Kermit the Frog doll that I wagged around with me everywhere. I had to fly out to Michigan for a wedding when I was about 6 or 7 and Mom suggested I pack him in a suitcase for the flight. It really upset me because I was afraid he would have his feelings hurt to be squished in there and not get to see anything. So he went along with me...through the xray machine and on to the plane where he was buckled up beside me and served by the flight attendant. I had a big attachment to him second only to the Kermit the Frog Stocking holder that I had. Every year at Christmas it had to be the first thing unpacked and hung up and I had to be the one to do it. It was in it's orginal box and I can still remember the smell of it now. (I know corny but I relate a lot of things back to smells.) It had been mine since I could remember and I used it every year even as I got older. My Kermit the frog doll was pirated by a couple of jerks at church one year and his eyeballs were ripped off. I cried for days over it because I wasn't able to "save" him. But I still had my stocking holder. Now, most of you who know me, know that I am not a very sentimental girl BUT this is one area that I was very very sentimental in. When I moved out of the house I refused to take him with me because I knew we would be moving a lot and I didn't want to chance anything happening to him. So every year he went back on the fireplace at my parents. Then about 6 years ago I purchased my house and that year at Christmas Mom gave him to me so that he could hang on the fireplace at my house. Well, Micah thought that it was intended for her and unpacked it only to accidently drop it and shatter it. I was absolutely sick over it but did not want her to know. It was beyond fixing. Over the years I looked everywhere. Ebay, the Muppet Shop, Halmark stores, you name it. As a matter of fact just last weekend I even stopped and looked through the Halmark section at Kohl's but no luck. Then my sister comes up for the weekend for a wedding and while she is here we host a prebirthday celebration for her. Before she opens her gifts she hands me what she calls an early Christmas present. Ashley is a very giving person so I was not surprised. I opened it to find the Kermit the Frog stocking holder box and for a moment thought she was teasing me until I realized it was not my box. Surely enough she had found an exact replica of my Kermit!! I was very excited but more than anything just shocked. Needless to say Micah has been warned that I am the only one allowed to touch Kermit. :) Kermit is currently hanging out on my dresser, I was not ready to put him away until Christmas. It's funny how something so small and silly can mean so much to you. But it really did. More than the actual physical thing I think it was that Ashley had taken the time to hunt up this important piece of the past for me. Thanks Ash!! I love you! Watch for Kermie's Debut pics to come soon!