Come on get Higher...

I've been thinking lately.. it may be time to admit that I'm a little teensy weensy.. High Maintenance. * Gasp* I didn't used to be. I grew up with lots of boys and games of "kick the can" and "jump off the cliff and try not to break something". I owned camo's and BB guns and dirt bikes... However, I remember a day when we were driving to church and Joel (my brothah from another mothah) rolled down the window. We live in Georgia, it was summer, it was hot, no air conditioning... and I remember thinking "OMG, my hair"..  Now, if you knew me then, It will not be entirely clear what I was worried about.. as it was, "Special" looking, but still, in that moment I knew.. I would rather suffer for the love of fashion and die of heat stroke... it was pivotal.

I noticed that I've been  slowly adding of things over the years. I admitted to myself that I was never going to grow my nails out, so I pay someone to glue fake ones on. I went to three stores last week looking for THE BRAND of hairspray that I can't live without. Obnoxious? Yes, but necessary...  ( frizzy hair is the WORST) I have special facial creams that are supposed to keep you young and radiant etc... Do they work? I have no clue but I am certainly not going to STOP using them and see what happens.. oh the HORROR.  When I went to get my hair blown out the other day, the lady asked me where I was going.. "Um, nowhere, but it was TOTALLY worth ten bucks to not have to do it myself.." Did you know that you can hire someone to GLUE eyelashes on, one by one? It's true, it's a whole complicated "tape your eyeball down, Hilteresque kind of thing".. and something new I probably can't live without.  So, after careful consideration of the facts at hand, I've decided, I'm High Maintenance.. Ladies, Come and get Higher.. it's fun and there are really cool hair products. Oh,  and I have no guilt. Guilt was for my twenties, in my thirties, this stuff is COMPLETELY necessary. I'm jus SAYIN.

An open letter...

An open letter to Winter..

Dear Winter,

    I think you should know that I am entirely over you. I find the charm of a fire and a chilly night has worn off, and I long for the days when I can go outside at night and not be in danger of losing a digit. Your required footwear is on my nerves.. I get pedicures... for WHAT?.. my toes are ensconced in socks.. and boots.. and lots of Black. I seem to bruise for NO REASON during your awful reign and my skin... my gosh.. it's so darn dry.. There isn't enough Jergens in this WORLD to make this okay...  So, I am respectfully asking you to GO AWAY.. We need to break up. I don't like you and your butt face. I don't like it when you drizzle on me. I don't like it when I have to wear jeans ALL the time. Jeans are BORING Winter.. BORING.. I tell you. I don't like it when you start blowing your freaking wind, I don't like it when you ice me in my house.I don't like the PALENESS.  I HATE needing four layers of clothing before leaving the house.. And snowing twice... REALLY? Is that ENTIRELY necessary? I live in the SOUTH Winter, you are supposed to be a mere shadow here.. a softer gentle side of what you show them northern folks. I'm a Texas girl living in Georgia.. I need warmth.. Get yourself together, have some self respect.. and know when you are wanted. You are NOT. Go 'way.. K thanks...

Sincerely,
A Southern girl who is longing for a white dress and a lounge chair.... Amen.

Randomness....and Happiness...My Thoughts..

My Kiddo

Silliness

Shoes..the higher the better

Silly pictures..

Sunglasses

Spinny things...

Sand.. at the Beach only. Moon sand is the devil.

Mornings... Sometimes :)

A good underused word thrown into a great conversation

A great conversation...

Bar B Q - The real kind.

People acting like grown ups

People knowing when to stop being so darn grown up

Music.. the good kind

Dancing..randomly.. in the car, in the kitchen, in the hallway

A good deal... on something girlie

A credit card, for when it's NOT a good deal, but it's necessary to own anyways

Meeting someone new, that I will not be able to live without. Ever.

The times I humiliate myself so completely, that it's a goofy story.. Pride is always overrated and ALWAYS boring.

A truly funny, excellent story

Bubbling fountains of laughter.. the kind that can't be contained..

Carefree moments...

Convertibles.. I used to have a red one.. I want it back.

Bubbles

Alcohol

Chocolate

Chocolate Alcohol

Chocolate Bubbling Alcohol

Make-up

Being absolutely certain that blue eyeshadow is, on ME, a tragedy

Modern eye care, for without it, I was certain to be a spinster with a hundred cats..

A well written book

A horribly written book with lots of doofy romance..

Not caring what other people think can be/is hard.. but worth it.

Love. The kind that makes no sense and makes you smile for no reason. That is all.. The end..

My Perspective

I find myself sitting in my room... and listening... to all the sounds that make up my world. I can hear the steady beating of the hammer from the basement. (My husband is determined to build an entirely different house down there, and I spend my time wondering who is going to clean all this new "space" being created.) I can hear my oldest darling son... and he's talking.. to no one in particular.. about computers, and legos and occasionally he stops.. to get a breath.. and then continues.. My youngest is making sounds of silliness. Some sort of game he made up, with a full cast of imaginary characters.. and there is the sound of silly, and a touch of crazy coming from his direction tonight.. I listen and realize.. These are special days. These are Moments. The kids will eventually grow and I will eventually return to sanity (hopefully) and the Mister will finish one empire and then start on another. The boys will grow and they will be amazing.. in EVERY way. I will do my best to ruin them for whatever girls may come along. Because, afterall that's my job!

     I talk a LOT, but I find myself listening too.. there is a certain ring to a child's voice or a certain pitch in a mothers tone.. ESPECIALLY when we have been pushed too far!

Sometimes when we listen..though, we hear things. Things that are not really directed at us. but MEANT for us. (That may not make sense but go with me here) I was sitting in my favorite salon the other day.. waiting for girlie things and the sounds of hairdryers and beloved styling tools. A woman came in and asked her stylist to "Please cut my hair VERY short" Now, apparently this stylist has been with her for sometime and she reacted with " Nooooo, you have been working so hard to grow it all out" and the woman.. in a very calm still voice said " I have cancer, it's all going to fall out, I would prefer it be short when it happens."  In that moment, all the rough edges of stress for the day faded away. I didn't hear pity, but through my averted downward "OMG, I have nothing to complain about ever" stare at the floor and through my tears that come unwelcome (crying in public is sooo NOT my thing) .. I heard PERSPECTIVE.  And.. that's what I really needed to hear for the day, week, year. Happy New Year Ya'll. I hope it's the very best one yet to all whom I love and adore. :)

Love, actually

This is the season of one of my very favorite movies. "Love, Actually" Sooo... I got to thinkin...

    To love someone. To really love someone, makes you care about the dumbest things. I worried that the boys were cold yesterday, that I hadn't sent the right jackets. I worry that the boys need to be tough and strong.. which is weird because I'm OBVIOUSLY the girl. I worried that dinner wasn't going to be ready and everyone would get hungry while I was driving too and fro. I worry about making Christmas perfect for my family.  I had a straight up PANIC the other day worrying about the forgotten ice cream money. I worry about my loved ones health, the silliest little details of a medical report... which is mostly of the boring kind. (Thankfully) The whole "I'm allergic to cats and dogs" threw the oldest one for a loop, but it soooo wasn't the end of the world. I worry that the youngest will realize that with "charm + dimples" you can get a lot.. and I worry that he will use that as a teen or young adult.... ack!

    
 I worry. I love. I just do. It's how I'm built. Sometimes it would be so much easier to shut that valve off. There is a lot of grief to be had for loving people... it gives them power. The power to hurt you, the power to exasperate you, the power to worry you, the power to enrage you.. but in the end. I dunno.. I'm just guessing here... if you love them... then you care. You are. That's what it's all about. Ice cream money, and cat dander...and warm jackets... That's what love is, actually....I think, and I'm jus sayin.

That's Life...

     I'm in a Frank Sinatra mood tonight. I love him, and although there are many great artist.. no one says it quite like him. That's life.. It is. In one of my favorite songs the line goes " Each time I find myself flat on my face, I pick myself up and get back in the race" It makes me smile.
                                             http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avU2aarQUiU
      Sometimes we don't want to.. but it's always the right choice to keep moving. Forward.  Whilst in Vegas recently, I played some slots, learned how to play craps, rode a free fall from the tallest point in Nevada, and was a good luck charm for some stranger for a while.. rolling the dice until he lost..( Sorry Angelo) But, that's life. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose.. but as long as we keep going. Forward motion... That's life. Everything is not perfect. I laugh when people tell me that everything is perfect in their life.. They are SOOO LYING.  You and I both know that NOTHING is perfect.. but, Life, is what we make it... and that's why the line "But I don't let it , let it get me down,  'Cause this fine ol' world keeps spinning around"  makes me so happy.

        There are so many people that I know, that are quite fabulous. I don't know how I got the good fortune to know them all, but I did.. and perhaps that's just the "luck of the draw" Vegas style, if you will. So, yeah, that's life, and the whole world keeps goin around.. and most days," I pick myself up and get back in the race". I like it.. most o' the time. " It's life, and I can't deny it, many times I've thought of quitten baby, but my heart just won't buy it"  Not a bad plan overall.. because that's just life....I'm learning and, I'm jus sayin. :)

Better Nate than Lever

     There was a joke.. about a guy named Nate. His job was to watch a lever and make sure it was never pushed.(World Destruction or something)  One day a bad guy came and Nate died in defense of the lever... Long story short.. " Better Nate than Lever".. (I credit Terah Chowning Tucker for this A-mazing joke)

     I remember the day. Clearly. I remember using humor to deal with something embarrassing.. My belt fell down as I was walking to my high school class and... I laughed it off. It worked. From then on I  found I prefer to laugh then cry any day. If I can find humor I will. It can be surprising how often I find humor in my every day life.. It keeps me from being hysterical. At this point, Iv'e decided to go with it.  

     I found myself eyeball to optic nerve with a sheep's brain today coated in formaldehyde. I fought the gag reflex and could see the humor... this is where my life is. Odd though it may be. Looking at a sheep's brain. On a Tuesday. Poor sheep.. but his brain.. wow..How ludicrous. I can find it funny. I forgot my jacket in a class today. Didn't remember till I had walked to mah car. Had to go back. Walk through a class full of 50 or so kids who were learning something.. important...They looked at my funny. The professor looked at me funny. I had to to tell a particularly non-reactive 18-20 year old boy to move his sprawling legs... but I needed mah jacket. Soo... in I went . Like it was normal. I could see the humor. It was funny. They were talking about deathly important things.. and in I went. Needed mah jacket. 'Scuse me.... K.. thanks...  I find it better to not take yourself too seriously... especially me. In all the RIDICULOUS situations I put myself in on a regular basis. I thought it might decrease with age.. but nope. Still RIDICULOUS... but.. I can see the humor in it... and most days I'm okay with it...I'm Jus sayin.