jimmy

And then comes the snow day. That we dreaded. But because it’s allowing me to sit on the couch with a cup of hot tea and my better half, I digress. Not to mention, there’s not many things more humorous and intriguing than the wonderment of a Southern boy in an ice storm.

We are no longer Mississippians, but Kentuckians. After living in two separate states for two months, we finally both got settled in our new jobs and our brand new, first ever home! So even though it’s Kentucky- the place I never thought I’d live again- I’m happy to be here.

I have finally made the decision to fulfill one of my new year resolutions and sign up for a half marathon. I can’t take all the credit, though- Kelly, one of the reasons I run in the first place- decided we would all participate in one for her bachelorette party. A unique but very exciting and extremely encouraging idea that I can hardly wait for! After the snow cleared last week, I decided to start my training and got in about 2 miles for two days…not a very big dent in the whole 13.1, but it’s a start. And then snowpocalypse hit again…so no more running for me until we can actually see the roads again. At least it’s progress…

Not having blogged in quite some time, the “notes” on my phone and in my email are piling up once again…so without further adieu, here we go:

Have you ever heard a song and not really understood it or had any connection to it, then sometime later- maybe even years later- you hear it again, and all of the sudden you know exactly what it means? I think that’s another one of those subtle God things. He’s reminding us that He knows the plans He has for us long before we can see it.
Earlier this year, my very dear friend, Bobby, introduced me to Jimmy. I was unaware, but apparently Jimmy is the angel that God has put solely in charge of putting songs in your head. Walking through the store humming a song? Thank Jimmy. Mindlessly nodding your head to a beat on your mind? Thank Jimmy. Randomly dancing while you carry out daily tedious chores? Yep, that’s him again. I imagine Jimmy to look like a tiny little Rastafarian (I’d give him 5’2 max with dreads down to his elbows), always wearing sunglasses and spinning beats in the heavens…and how cool that he works for God?! So next time you wake with a strange song in your head that you may not have heard in years, or maybe you don’t even like, take time to listen to it a little closer. It may very well be another one of God’s subtle messages.
And on a side note, Jimmy was playing Christmas music in my head on November 1st this past year. That sneaky little dude sure does love some Christmas!

I have realized that I think more when I drive alone. Not simply because of the “alone time”, but because it’s the only time I can play MY music as loud as I want and sing it as loud as I want without worrying if the neighbors can hear me. Singing gets me on my “frequency” and gives me goose bumps. (Getting goose bumps and highs from small life events is known as your “frequency” because that’s when God can speak to you the easiest. Just like tuning the dial for a radio station.) The dopamine kicks in, just like it does in a perfectly warm shower, and everything is right….and so my brain begins to roll.

Remember me saying I need to be more open minded with my style? Yeah, well, turns out I may need a little help with that. On a recent shopping trip, I found a very unique dress that I thought just might be my ticket to the “stylish yet eclectic” vibe I was pulling for. After fighting for over ten minutes in the dressing room to decide where it should fall on my shoulder and whether or not it was on backwards, I realized that it was four sizes too big. Likely the reason I couldn’t get it to fit “just right.” Oops.

And remember how I constantly look for patterns, especially in my home addresses lining up my future? The last house I lived in before moving to Mississippi was number 524…and Alex (who became a permanent part of my picture shortly after I moved to Mississippi) was born on 5-24. Whoa.

That’s all I got for today. Gotta check on the stew on the stove. Deer stew. Eww. Our freezer is filled with two whole deer anyway-you-can-process-them. And I’ve learned that I am not really a deer meat fan. So I’m trying to be creative. But mostly, I’m just trying to get rid of it.

Cheers to snow days that allow cooking experimenting time for musky deer meat. Hurry up turkey season.

Until next time…

Love always,

Addie

“Don’t die before you’re dead.”

land-locked

Well my theme-of-the-days were a good idea…but obviously didn’t last long. I like making plans but I’ve never been big on limits and restrictions. So this is me, breaking my own rules. Some things will never change.

You know what is not a good idea? Milk in a to-go cup that’s not ready to go. I’m perpetually running frantic in the mornings because I sleep until the very last minute, completely disregarding the notion that an extra three minutes are not, in fact, going to help me feel more rested when I rise. And unlike most non-morning people, I love breakfast. And milk. Meaning that I typically take mine in the car.  Cups with lids are great, but considering that I have a limited number of cups with lids that actually fit my cup holder (one to be exact), they don’t get washed as frequently as I need them, leaving me with lid-less cups or to-go-cups-that-aren’t-ready-to-go. I’ve spent several mornings wiping milk out of my console after a surprise pot hole encounter, but the worst to-go milk experience left my lap covered in a sticky, smelly film all day until I couldn’t take anymore and finally left work to go home and change clothes. Moral of the story: invest in lids and wet wipes if your love for milk is greater than the potential risk.

I used to believe tornadoes to be a threat only to Midwesterners- like a club which grudgingly invited land-locked states only, leaving the coast-lined states to combat hurricanes. I thought it was an either-or, never both. That is, until I moved out of the Southern Midwest into the Northern South (please don’t tell any locals that I used the word Northern as an adjective for this area—it was a directional reference only). Anyways, I can now say that from where I live, I experience hurricane weather during Isaac and tornado weather last week when Noxubee (a neighboring county) was hit. Guess that’s just one of the lovely things about growing up in a small town in the corner of a land-lock (excluding the river): you live in a bubble- a bubble that feeds and functions on local media sensationalism and agenda pushing, grocery store happenings, and high school sports. Thus, weather patterns outside my bubble were irrelevant to me. Can’t lie, I loved my bubble, but I’m learning so much more since leaving.

I finally found frames that weren’t too formal/boring to don my college diplomas. Now they’re just a cute/funky reminder of the huge debt I’ll be paying off for a while. Ask me if it was worth it…yeah, it was. “If you didn’t LOVE college, you did it wrong.”

I’ve decided to treat people like marshmallows. Just go with me for a minute….they come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. But each one brings something new to the table. Tiny ones add fluff to hot chocolate, big ones are good for adhesion and ooze in smores, and different flavors and colors are the zest to our taste buds and eyes. Some are hard and wrinkly, but they make for great chewing. Some are turned into cream, making them great for dipping. All the marshmallows are different, but each one offers something new. Together, we never have boring marshmallow days. Remember that when you meet someone that’s not exactly like you. You may not see eye to eye, but together you’d probably garnish a sweet potato very well…or something like that.

Have you heard about the NRA 500 that’s been established in the wake of Congressional consideration for stiffer laws on firearms? Oh Texas, how I admire you sometimes. That’s all I’ll say about that…

My lineage consists of women that cook well, and women that cook well-done.  My momma jokes that she likes a lot of her food a little on the burned side because that’s how her granny fixed things. Consequently, she occasionally overcooks things on purpose. (The difference in overcooking and burning is that burning is accidental.) I burn and overcook, but I’m learning. I overcook popcorn because that’s how my granny cooks it and I prefer it that way. In the past I’ve always burned anything I attempted to fry, typically leaving little to none of the fried coating which aparently dissolves off under too high heats. Last week  I attempted to fry Alex’s trophy turkey breast and instead opted for medium heat. And guess what…I didn’t overcook or burn it! I fried some turkey, yall! And it was damn good. Breaking the curse one meal at a time…

Apparently there’s a new black market for knock off prom dresses. They’re cheaply made and fall apart easily. Kinda makes the old saying “off like a prom dress” take on a whole new meaning…watch out!

That’s all the awkwardness I can fit into this blog.

Until next time, rock on- from inside or outside of that bubble. Just take a lid if you decide to leave.

Love always,

Addie

“Some choose to accept the limitations of a small town to become part of a community- and it’s not even a hard descision.”

a purpose

Couldn’t even follow through for my first week of scheduled blogs. Shame, shame. But I don’t feel bad…I have been very busy. That’s how it goes, ya know? You make plans to do something and something else comes along. This is my life.

Last week was Fat Tuesday, the epitome of Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday (no I didn’t get my ashes, and no I’m not Catholic if you’re wondering…I just like to celebrate Mardi Gras and give stuff up for Lent. Oh and drink wine…I gave up soda and sweet tea, in case you were wondering.) It was also the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Valentine’s day, and the National Peanut Buying Point Associations annual meeting in New Orleans. I didn’t go to the farm show (I’m saving my money for the gin show in March instead), and didn’t go to the peanut meeting, though Brian and Misti did…and I made sure to remind her to scope out Channing Tatum’s restaurant, Saints and Sinners while she was there, and I spent Valentine’s day alone because my Valentine was in MY hometown. (In his defense, I got beautiful flowers sent to work and it’s only fitting for us to celebrate on February 15^th because that’s the anniversary of the day we met.) You’re probably wondering why any of this is relevant to my “busy” week if I didn’t even participate in them…well they aren’t. But I just felt like throwing it all out there. The busy part came from an employee’s hand being smashed in a semi-trailer door at work, leading to surgery and post ops…which means paper work, paper work, and more paper work for me. I also was on the road literally every day last week…running work errands. And I played nurse for Alex, whom I drove to Meridian on Tuesday for his eye appointment. He has decided to get Lasik surgery so he had to go in for pre op, which means lots of dilation, drops, lights, and prodding into his eyes. He looked like a cartoon when he walked out of the room: eyes fully dilated, no color at all-just big black dots. So playing on the iPad on the trip home was quite a feat for him…tilting his head one way and angling the tablet the other way…it was quite amusing to say the least. Since I’m talking about road trips, I must also mention that we took a trip to Livingston last Sunday for Andrea’s birthday, where I ate my first ever, yes that’s right, first ever piece of King Cake. I’m becoming a true Southerner every day! Rainer got the baby…which was ironic since he was the one who stuck it in the cake in the first place. Weird how that works.

This weekend, while at home, I attended my cousins baby shower and am excited to announce that she has reached full term and baby Kason will be here before we know it! I am also unhappy to announce that there is such thing as “prego nose”. As if the thought of being pregnant isn’t scary enough, now we have to worry about our noses getting wider along with everything else on our body! Fingers crossed that won’t happen to me. Oh, and don’t worry Lauren, it doesn’t look that bad!

I also had the special privilege of visiting my new baby niece, Ginnie for the very first time! Though she is much small than I ever was, I think I can see a resemblance! Or maybe I’m just biased. Anyways, she’s basically the sweetest, most precious baby ever. Ever. Got it? I already can’t wait to get home and see her again. I know my brother will be such an amazing daddy and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for them. What a blessing! God works in mysterious ways, sometimes we just have to sit back and enjoy!

Baby Ginny and Aunt Addie

In lieu of my farming theme for today, I will share one of many beautiful pictures that Alex has taken. No matter how hard or tiresome his days in the field are, he never ceases to take moments out to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation around and through us all. The true nature of agriculture is something that can only come from God: the rich soils, the sun and rain, the work ethic of those that provide for us all- it’s only by God. Let us be thankful.

Corn Harvest 2012

And since I didn’t get to do my faith/funny from yesterday, I thought I would share this video. I may have cried a little when I watched it…it’s a little boy who called in to his local Christian radio station to share some very inspiring words.

I wish you all a very outstanding, productive, fun-filled, and blessed week.

Love always,

Addie

“You are only helpless when your nail polish is wet. Even then, you could pull a trigger if you had to.”