mermaid cake and the magic guy

Excitement. One word that can lead to a multitude of outcomes.

I received a birthday card from Aunt Laurie (currently hanging over my desk) that shows a more than excited little girl and the words “…and the mermaid cake and the magic guy and the swirly ice cream and the piñata and the…” I can completely relate to this little girl- (especially over the fact that she wants a mermaid cake. And a magic guy.)

Excitement fuels the intensity for which we live. It kindles our very being and pushes us. It fills the gaps between dreams and reality. It’s the zest for a life worth living and something to look forward to, and gives your heart a natural cardio workout that’s much better than going to the gym. It’s also easy to spot because those that have it in their blood seem to be on fire. On the other hand it can also cause you to overreact, have accidents, and let your nerves get the best of you.

I think that some people see excitement as a one-size-fits-all kind of deal: when you’re a child your body is smaller and thus is much more easily overtaken by excitement, but as you grow, your body becomes larger and much more able to withstand or contain the excitement and anyone that cannot contain it is either confused or just plum crazy.

I disagree. I believe excitement grows in direct proportion with the body, but some find it more comfortable in a serene, less stimulating adulthood and choose not to acknowledge their zeal. Eww.

I want to be intoxicated by everything. If there are no fireworks, I don’t care to waste my time.

Recently I have been excited about healthy lifestyle changes. (Temporary until I decide which ones I like the most.) I have always been an advocate of chiropractic wellness and hot teas. So I decided to start researching health benefits of tea, which led me to vitamins and supplements, and the next thing I know, I’m shopping for a reasonable fruit and veggie juicer for the “casual juicer” like myself. (I’ve never juiced anything, but I like a good spinach smoothie on occasion so why on earth wouldn’t I also be a fabulous juicer on occasion? note: sarcasm)

A couple weeks ago I landed in a yoga class where I was thoroughly enjoying myself in all the toe spreading and pelvic stretching goodness, and absolutely considering making it a weekly routine. So I started searching for other fitness classes in my area and eventually caught myself reading about ballet classes- of which I am definitely not cut out for.

I am the worst about letting my excitement carry me away to over-the-top-ness. But I think that’s why I like it. I look at fashion magazines and fall in love with weird tutus and head pieces and immediately picture myself wearing them to Walmart and the gas station and all the other usual places I attend, none of which seem fitting at all. I can stand staring at my closet all morning asking “what do I want to be today?” and the answer will usually always be the same because I don’t think the venues that I frequent are up to par with the visions in my head. I guess I could stand to be a little more daring when it comes to certain choices like what I feel like wearing, but the excitement is still there, none the less.

Another excitement that I felt recently (and forgot to blog about) was that of “sitting on a turkey.” I grew up in a family of hunters, however the sport never grew well on me. Mostly because spiders in the woods are way bigger than house spiders and after sitting for 30 minutes looking at the same trees, my attention deficit gets the best of me and I start thinking about things that completely distract me from the whole point of being there in the first place. But I can now say that I have had a rich and exciting turkey hunt, without the attention deficit (for the most part).

Before I tell the story, here’s a little turkey hunting vocabulary in case you’re like me and didn’t know:

On a turkey: You’re not really on him, you’re just tracking him closely and can guess his whereabouts.

Cut: No knives involved. This actually is the verb used when you call a turkey.

Roost: The noun form is where the turkey rests. To roost a turkey (verb) means to scare him up into the roost spot (noun), typically at the end of the day, so you know where to find them in the morning when he starts moving again, making the hunt much easier.

Now back to the story….

After trekking through the woods all morning listening for gobbles and trying my best to step only when Alex stepped in order to make as little noise as possible (something I’ve never been good at), we finally got to….eat lunch! I know that’s not what you were thinking I was going to say but at that point it was probably the second most glorious part of the day, right behind hearing the first turkey of the morning, which also happened to be the first turkey I’ve ever heard. Ever. Weird, but they don’t sound like what I thought they would, making the whole experience even more surprising. (At one point we were “on one” and I admit that I did get a little excited, but when we rounded the corner, he had vanished. These birds are magicians- literally. No other explanation.)

Finally, after eating my ever first order of Church’s Chicken (two thumbs up) for lunch, we set out to check out the woods with no real hopes of seeing or hearing anything since most turkey movement is in the early morning. We stopped once for Alex’s dad to “cut”. The second time we stopped for a “cut”, only about 40 yards or so from the previous spot, we heard one call back! Following Alex’s lead, we bailed off into the ravine and quickly found a tree to sit against. I pulled my face mask on as fast as I could and just as I got my gun up, the ole Tom (turkey) came strutting out. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I slowly put my bead on him just as he popped his head up but I couldn’t think fast enough. He strutted past a tree, which ultimately blocked my shot and as soon as Alex realized, he took it for me. Turkey down. Apparently I wasn’t the only one not breathing because after the shot, Alex couldn’t seem to catch his breath either.

A strutting turkey is actually a funny thing to watch, but in moments like that when excitement creeps up on you out of nowhere, it’s almost magical, and definitely breath taking. One minute I’m walking down a dirt path, smelling like chicken, and being annoyed that I don’t have my sunglasses. The next minute I’m trying to think and gain enough focus to simply pull a trigger. Excitement has a way of capturing and paralyzing me in those moments. Time slowed down while my heart raced on. And after the dust had settled, I finally understood the hunter’s addiction. Rushes like that are intoxicating and drug-like. Similar to finding the dress you’ve been eyeing on the clearance rack- in your size!

It’s those times that make life so full of life. Embrace excitement. Celebrate every single day and all that it holds. And know that even the attention deficit woman can find as much of a happy place in the woods as she can on a yoga mat or at a clearance event.

Namaste.

Love always,

Addie

“I like living. I have sometimes been wildly despairing, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.” –Agatha Christie

sweet, sleepy dreams…

When I came home for Christmas break I never had any intentions of taking a break from this blog…however the negligence is obvious in fact that I only have one blog for the entire month of December as well as the comment made by Aunt Laurie last weekend: “Everytime I go to your blog it’s the same hair flipping one.” That said, it’s time to get back to business…

I could bore you with my endeavors over this seemingly endless break, or tell you all about my Christmas presents, but I would rather skip the junk talk. I don’t figure anyone really cares that much anyways. But I do have to give a shout out to a very reminiscent Christmas Eve dinner with the cousins at the “kids table”: we all laughed for about an hour over the goofy things we used to all do as kids. A few of the notable memories were the ridiculous games we used to make up and the extent of the holiday madness that fell upon Nan’s house with 12 grandchildren all under the age of 10. “Spence is the Monster”, “Around the House Tag”, “Lego Wars”, “Hide and Seek in the Basement”, “Yahtzee Pool”, and “Disappear” were among the favorite games we coined (aren’t the names so original!?). As for the holidays that we experienced growing up in my family, I cannot simply explain them in one sentence. Instead, let me paint a picture for you:

Christmas Eve night at Nans approximately 1998: KIDS EVERYWHERE. Presents stacked as tall as the giant Christmas tree in the tiny living room that was bursting at the seams with stressed out parents, hormonal teenagers, groups of little heathens in a panic over the excitement of the presents, and one set of overly active grandparents (Nan and Papa). The energy in the room was indescribably amped and the parents forced each child to sit in their “designated area” on the floor and wait patiently while the gifts were dispersed. There was always a little dispute when one  kid got to climb under the tree to get the presents in the very back…of course that was always the “favorite kid” which tended to cause a bit of hostility among the overly stimulated youngsters. Then all at once, the paper shredding began. Sparkly bows, pretty paper, and nametags were flying through the air while screams of joy and well-practiced “oohs” and “ahhs” rang throughout the room. Parents pretended to be excited about the noisy new toy that their child just opened, while figuring out to do with yet another tractor (or in my case, Barbie doll) that will obviously not fit into the already overflowing toy box. After all the toys were open we were all forced to be silent while Papa called “Santa’s secret phone line” and one by one we all took turns listening to Santa. Eventually we would all make our way home where Aunt Laurie would call with an update on Santa’s whereabouts according to the radar and we would all tuck into bed, secretly scheming ways to catch the fat man, until sleep overtook us and ruined the plan.

This was the typical Christmas for us for many years until we finally moved the holiday festivities to Aunt Sandy and Uncle Marks (at the time) new house. By this point, the heathens were all a little bit older, however no more mature- meaning that they now fought over who got the privilege of passing out presents. After opening the gifts, instead of calling Santa we played one of the most infamous original “cousin games”- Around the House Tag. It actually began as a game we played inside the house, which was absurd considering the number of people that filled the house, leading to multiple collisions and accidents. Needless to say, we were forced outside in the freezing cold, but everyone knows the resiliency of a kid is out of this world so the temperature was no threat to us. We would run as far and fast as we could for hours on end, eventually having to create very specific rules and guidelines because homemade games always present those tricky “gray areas” where no one really knows who is “it” anymore.

I know that was a little much to take in, but I thoroughly enjoyed our reminiscent moment and just wanted to share just one of the many crazy experiences that I had growing up as a child in an over populated family.

I will throw this out there one last time: sitting at home in Sikeston while everyone else has already returned to Stark really makes me sad. But in the end, I know that I only have one more semester at dear ole’ Murray, so I better get excited and soak it all up while I still can. (I promise I’ll eventually stop complaining about this….a surprise visit from Kelly last week helped get me excited for the return as we considered all the trouble we can get into our last semester in the MKY!)

Martin Luther King’s birthday is coming up so get excited….whoot whoot…

“Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace” and “When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.” Look them up…love them both.

Ok, now that I got all the BS out of the way, it is time for the list of the memorable moments of 2010:

1. SEC brought home the national championship
2. Alice in Wonderland, Twilight Eclipse, Inception, Toy Story 3, and Facebook finally gets a movie!
3. Antione Dodson- “Hide ya kids, hide ya wife”
4. All of Katie Perry’s songs and Jason’s new album
5. Rescuing the Chilean coal miners
6. H1N1 epidemic is declared over! (or at least back to normal)
7. The International Space Station surpasses the record for the longest human occupation in space
8. Lady Gaga’s outfits
9. CERN scientists actually trap antimatter…Angels and Demons flash back
10. BP oil spill
11. Earthquake in Hati
12. Bret Michaels and Hugh Hefner get engaged (not to eachother, of course)
13. Oprah’s last show…
14. WAYNE IS REALEASED FROM JAIL
15. Lynard Skynard came to the rodeo…yeah, I said it
16. Murray is a buzzer-shot away from the Sweet 16
17. State makes it to the Gator Bowl
18. Prince William popped the question…finally, a royal wedding in my lifetime!

I’m sure there were many more noteworthy events that I am overlooking, but I am drawing this blog to an end. Sleep is creeping its way into my body and is quickly taking over. I promise to write again soon!

Love always,

Addie

“You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you, Peter Pan. That’s where I’ll be waiting.” -Tinkerbell

traditions

There is something to be said for traditions….I’m not sure exactly what because to me traditions come with more of a sense of pride. It’s a feeling you get, all swollen up inside you, that makes you so excited and proud at the same time. Or at least that’s how I feel for most of the traditions that I have been a part of. Some things are so special that they cannot and do not need words of explanation; they can only be expressed through feelings.

I have been a part of and witnessed many traditions over the years. One in particular, I got to re-live last night: “the Schindlers trip.” Ever since we were old enough to drive ourselves, a few of my friends and I have been making trips to Schindlers, always sitting at “our” table and ordering the exact same thing to eat: order of skins and baloney burgers all around. Our names were written on the wall several years ago, and have recently been covered by a “Boulevard Brewery” sign about a year ago, permanently (and now secretly) designating that area for “our” table.

In high school we typically visited “the hill” about once every two months, but now that we’re all in school and spread out all over the map, we can only go when it fits into our schedules. Every time the door opens and the smoke of the bar fills my lungs, my heart begins to sing, knowing that I will shortly be singing my favorite songs from the juke box, trying to play pool, and chowing down on a deliciously greasy baloney burger…and more than likely, finishing off the afternoon/night with a short road trip over the “sisters” and wherever else Mamie the navigator decides to take us. The simple word “Schindlers” brings up some of the best memories that I have ever made and always makes me anticipate the next trip. Last night’s trip ended in an obvious trip of “sisters out on the sisters” (inside joke), levee riding, bed surfing, and running through a pivot. Nothing short of anything I would expect to experience on a typical Shindlers night. I guess you can take the girl out of the Bootheel, but you can’t take the Bootheel out of the girl.

I was also really happy to see some familiar faces in the smoky, little hole-in-the-wall, last night. A small group of girls from Sikeston high school were gathering as we were leaving. The thought that they might be continuing our tradition made me smile.

I cannot believe how fast summer is flying by. It seemed like it was going to last forever until July hit. Now I will be leaving for school in a short four weeks. I haven’t even been to the river yet this summer! AHH! Guess I need to get on that soon, along with moving furniture from Murray, and picking out decorations for my new room in Mississippi. I bought some throw pillows the other day, but that’s as far as I have gotten. I found a rug that I liked, but of course it was $600, so I think I’ll pass. I have learned that my latest hobby is home décor, but it is a depressing hobby because I usually find that the things I love the most are the most overly priced. That’s when inspiration strikes and I get my “I’m pretty sure I can just make that” ideas. So far I have made three pieces that I fell in love with, and saved almost $100! Yay for creativity, sewing machines, paint, and glue!

I’m so happy with the way that this summer has turned out so far and I still have one month left, that if all goes as planned, will surely top the rest of the summer by far! I love where my life is heading and can’t wait to see how it all turns out. Not that I don’t ever run into setbacks, but I always try to stay positive about life and understand that without the bad, we couldn’t appreciate the good. Resiliency and humbleness are some my favorite words to live by. I love when I can feel the joy in my bones…today is definitely a good day! Keep smiling!

Love always,

Addie

“Dating is like trying to make a meal out of leftovers. Some leftovers actually get better when they’ve had a little time to mature. But others should be thrown out right away, No matter how you try to warm them up, they’re never as good as when they were new.” –Lisa Kleypas