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.”

it just comes natural

I, like any other normally sane person will tell you that I do not yearn for treacherous events to occur in my personal life, and would typically never intend to cause that in anyone else’s life for that matter. (Of course I do enjoy a good dose of trashy “reality” television, which is usually oozing with crude, overly emphasized situations. It’s always easier dealing with compromising situations as they arise in my own life, knowing that it will never be as bad as that of a real life reality star.)

I hope you noticed that I did not use the word “drama” in the above paragraph. That is because I hate the negative stigma that we have tagged to the word. If someone is dramatic, they must be crying over spilled milk or a few gray hairs. If a situation is dramatic, you’d better stay away because there’s either going to be a fight or a meltdown. The word drama in the dictionary is explained as “vivid, emotional, moving, highly effective, striking”…these are words that I have always found to be positively perfect to explain myself on my better days. Some people are born to cause drama. I was born to live it. Therefore I have decided to embrace the words “dramatic” and “drama”, and fill my life with them, just like the movie-esk dream that I have deiced that it is…now if I can just get a little better lighting…

My parents will roll their eyes and laugh at my honesty when they read this blog about my love of drama…but let me just share with yall two simple ways I come by it easily…

It was referred to by my close friends as the “Lisa-look”, and I knew it all too well. One cut of my very own eyes looking back at me and it was enough to make me weak in the knees. My mother has never been very good at hiding her emotions. Nor have I. And apparently I can even convey emotions that I didn’t even know I was feeling without ever moving a muscle. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been doing something as simple as eating a sandwich or picking out which shoes to wear when someone asks me “what’s wrong?” Turns out I don’t need facial muscles to show the world exactly what I think- I’ve got Lisa’s eyes instead. Curse or a blessing; I’m still deciding. [Dramatic facials and gestures: check.]

“Like hell it’s yours.” The uniquely audacious phrase used by my dad (along with the infamous “you’re burning daylight”) to ensure what it his. The first time I heard the phrase, he was saying it to my brother, Spence, who decided he wanted to wear dad’s cowboy hat. Dad is protective over few things- his hat is one of them. I’m not a super bold person when it comes to voicing my opinion, as discussed in the previous post, but this is one phrase that if given the right moment, I would say with all the zest and gritty smiles I could compose. [Dramatic phrases: work in progress, but good exposure.] (Note: though dad is less dramatic than mom and I- probably due to his lack of estrogen in our case- he has earned the name “Diva David” on special occasions. I won’t go into detail for his sake….he doesn’t even like his name or pictures being made public. Hence why he doesn’t have a Facebook, refuses to let us post pictures of him on OUR Facebooks, and will probably not like this post very much.)

Now onto “More Dramatic Topics by Addie”:

I realized last night that my toenails have had chipped paint on them ALL WINTER. (No, seriously-they haven’t been properly painted since early November, and in Mississippi, winter doesn’t start until December.) I have had time to take care of them, but apparently I found something better to do with my time (not likely) than take care of my gnarly looking digits. For someone who bites their fingernails and depends on the prosperity of their toenails to boast new nail trends, you’d think I’d be a little more up on the times down there. I imagined a giant and very sad Buddha (like the ones in the nail salon) shamefully shaking his head at my feet…so I quickly polished them up. Whew, that was more than a close one!

Some people get inspired by nature or music- quiet places in the mountains or under the sun. Some people need alone time. Some people need a giant break down in a room full of noise and throwing things and jumping around. I used to like to think I was one of those people. I could just run away with myself to a place as quiet or not-quiet as I wanted it to be and draw out all the “juices.” How hip of me…but I don’t think that anymore. I need people. The play of conversations, the bouncing molecules, the edge of emotions, the waves of differences, the chemistry. That’s where it is, for me. Besides, without someone else to share your inspirations with, it’s just not worth it.

Sometimes if I am allowed to think without being expected to speak anytime soon, I start the weird “what-ifs”. I will look around me and think of every possible weird what-if situation, probably just for self-entertainment. Or probably my ADD. What if I could swim down a well and look around the water table? What if I asked the person next to me at the restaurant if I could try her pasta before I order it for myself? What if the book I’m reading has a crappy ending? What if my dog suddenly started talking? Some people suffer from what-ifs. I think I suffer from weirdness.

Meaningless things don’t stick with us. Or me, anyways. I’m no good at remembering something unless it was really awesome. I usually can’t immediately tell you what I did on a given weekend and we’re lucky if I remember what I ate for breakfast. If something doesn’t impress me, I let it go. But we aren’t super stars. We aren’t supposed to have outstanding moments every day. We are supposed to take the moments that we are given and appreciate them enough that they become outstanding to us. Another new years resolution to tack onto my list: hold MY moments with more weight. Give the regular days more accountability. Afterall, that’s what the majority of our lives are made of. If we can find more glitter in our regulars, we will never waste a day.

I’m done for today. My shoulder hurts from shooting a whole box of skeet yesterday..and I feel like being dramatic about it.
Maybe I’ll go throw some glitter in the air and then whine because it hurt my shoulder.

Love always,

Addie

“Be the person you want to meet.”