The Must List, November 10

1. The Cherokee Animal Care Clinic
Cats and dogs run rampant. Children play in the corner of toys or inspect the newly  arriving animals. The building itself is large, spacious, and open. There's no scary smell of vet. The employees are friendly, relaxed, and professional. We took our new cat here to get his rabies vaccination. They took him back and handed him over in less than five minutes. They even gave us his rabies tag --- no tag fee, no mailing it in!! Gaston County, you make things too complicated!! We're staying here, thank you! What a wonderful vet clinic. We were very pleased. Oh, and... $8 shot!! Heck yeah!!

2. Helium balloons
What fun! My puppy birthday balloon is over two weeks old, and it's still floating against the ceiling. The other two, sadly, have passed on! But, that's when the fun part begins. That's when you get to make a small incision in the side of the balloon and suck out all the helium and talk in a squeaky voice. I find myself extremely hilarious when I talk like that.

Starting to die...!

3. Paint your own dishes
I took another trip to Claymates, our local paint-your-own-pottery, last month and decided to spice up my dinner dishes. I painted a plate to look like you're eating your spaghetti or steak or pizza out of a pond with lily pads. I think everyone should paint their own dishes. It's creative and original. If I have kids, I think I'll take them to a paint-your-own-pottery place and have them paint their own dishes. They'll be masterpieces!

My finished plate

4. The Prince of Egypt DVD
I loved this movie as a child, and now, it's just as good but for all different reasons. First of all, Ralph Fiennes as Ramses is just brilliant! He has the perfect voice for animated films. Secondly, no matter what you believe about the story of Moses or if it even happened this is still an amazing film about faith and hope. The songs are beautiful and moving. The animation was unheard of at the time. Look carefully at the plague scene and appreciate the animated magic!

Pharaoh's wife finds Moses

5. Creative clocks
I'm very obsessed with decorating. I wish I had a bigger house just so I can keep decorating. As for this place, I've kind of run out of wall space. However, when I picking out what I needed for my Cullowhee trailer, I realized... "My gosh, I've never had a wall clock! To the Clock Section!!!" AWAY! And there, I found my adorable chef clock. He's perfect with his fork and knife hands, "Good Food Served Here!" phrase on his belly, and the wire outline of the man himself. Aside from being cute and fitting in the kitchen, Stuart gets a kick out of him, too! Yes, clocks are meant to be practical objects of telling time. That doesn't mean you can't have a little fun with it!

6. Leftover Halloween candy
You know you're still eating it... you even bought more now that it is on sale, didn't you? Yeah, admit it!!

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

In the style of the other family conversation I wrote about, here is what happened on Tuesday afternoon at my grandparents' house. Pawpaw baked me a pumpkin pie for my birthday, and there was an interesting conversation that followed! KFC buckets litter the dining room table. Pawpaw and I are scarfing down delicious pie.

Pawpaw: You can buy that pizza crust in a package like a cookie thing. You just add hot water to it and mix it up and let it sit.

Stuart: I know what you're talking about. We haven't done it.

Pawpaw: It will almost make a 12 inch, but I think it call for a 10 inch to make it right, but it still - as thin as I pressed that out - it was still a real thick crust on it.

Stuart: You ever seen that, baby?

Me: Mm, no!

Stuart: It's like a... yeah, it's like a dough. You just add water to and mix it together.

Pawpaw: I think it's Betty Crocker. It's about like a (holds up his hands) about that size!

Stuart: We did make pizza at home awhile ago. It turned out really good. We just got the Pillsbury dough in a can, you know, and popped it open and pressed it out onto a rectangular baking sheet, and it turned out pretty good. She liked it. I was actually surprised. We just used the same --- are you making a video?

Me: (whisper) Yeah.

Stuart: Ok. We just used the same...

Pawpaw: This is good! You can almost call this pumpkin pudding with crust!! Good, good, good!

Me: Well, if you had put it in the fridge! It didn't have to be pudding!

Nanny: I don't know why he didn't.

Pawpaw: What?

Nanny: Put that in the fridge!

Stuart: Well, mine's going in the fridge. I like my pumpkin pie cold!

Pawpaw: I just done the cooking. I can't think of everything!

Nanny: Everything he cooks falls apart.

Me: Just like the lasagna.

Nanny: Mhmm!

Papaw: (To Stuart) Put it in the freezer!

Nanny: And the meatloaf. Even though I mix it up and put it in the oven, he'll take it out and cannot wait two seconds for it to cool before he cuts it, and then you got one meatball mess to eat and it makes me ill! (Points at me) Uh oh! She's got taking ---

Me: Oh! No!

Nanny: I SEE THE GREEN LIGHT!

Pawpaw: Green light!

Stuart: She's learned not to mess with my cooking. She's learned to stay out of the kitchen.

Pawpaw: It's a good thing I've got a spoon!

Nanny: (To Stuart) Well, it's different. You two aren't married. I can't get rid of him!

Pawpaw: It is good though, wasn't it? Regardless, it's good! You want another piece?

Me: I ain't finished yet!

Stuart: So?

Me: (To Pawpaw) You want another piece?

Pawpaw: Not yet! I'm gonna put it in the freezer cause it's still warm.

Nanny: Well, no wonder it fell apart. Now we know.

Pawpaw: Meh, I'll stick it in the freezer!

Photo of the Day January 9

Happy birthday to Stuart!!! He turns 23 today!

Photo of the Day October 28

This is where I club my mother in the head and stuff her into my new suitcase! The best part... she has no idea!

Happy birthday, Ma!!! 

Kodak Moment: Birthdays

I can't believe I'm turning 20 next weekend! It literally blows my mind. I hope, I hope, I hope that Stuart will be able to get off work, so I can see him. The plan is to go to the NC Zoo with him and my family. It would be the perfect birthday present if he could come along, too. In the mean time... here are some snapshots from birthdays past!!

19! I had Stuart in my life. <3

My 18th had a rocking cake!

I got Little Honda for my 17th birthday!! She was my biggest present yet!!

Kodak Moment Birthday Week

My birthday week!

Thanks Nanny and Pawpaw for this awesome gift!! It looks amazing in the living room!

And one morning Cody rearranged the furniture!

Sparta just loves Grandma's homemade ottoman!

Piddy Paws had a special gift for me!! Thanks, cat!

Created Cried Laughed Loved

****This post just might make my mom cry. In fact, it could get the whole family. It made me cry. You have been warned.

I don't dwell on this thought a lot. It's hard to remember most days. It's hard to remember to remember there should be another face in the family photo. But, I think about this during this time of year, around my birthday.
Did you know I have a brother? Most people don't. He's not here to speak for himself so most people assume my parents only had three children and I'm the oldest sister of two little girls. But I have a brother, too.

His name is Israel James. He would have been eight this year.

I am extremely imaginative and have to put my thoughts into pictures. So when I say I have a brother named Israel James I need to make it clear: I don't really know if my unborn sibling was a boy or a girl. And, he or she was never given a name. But this is who he is to me, a little baby boy who I get to meet in the next life.

The day after my birthday in 6th grade, Ma broke the news to Kate and myself that she was pregnant, and just in time for Christmas when everyone is celebrating the baby Jesus, the virgin Mary holding an innocent, sinless babe in her arms, Ma found out she was no longer carrying a living child due to no fault of her own or anything else. It just happens. And, our family members quietly took back their baby item Christmas presents for more appropriate gifts like a bigger, fancier coffee maker or like my dad's mother did... an blue-cloaked angel ornament for the Christmas tree. It has a white halo, glittery wings, and our German blonde hair.

Then, I didn't understand that my baby sibling. How did it affect me? I had never heard the heartbeat. I had never seen his face. I had never felt him kick. Instead, I sat back bewildered as my parents crumpled away and apart.

Now, I know better. As the oldest, I live my life as an example to Kate and Anne... and I live my life for my baby brother who didn't get to see this world. In my past 18 years, I have made mistakes. I have a suitcase full of a regrets. But there's not one I didn't survive and learn from.

Israel would be eight... learning how to play football from Father, telling me stories about elementary school and how girls are gross. I would teach him how fragile little girls are, how breakable their hearts one. To remain true and faithful to the ladies he would date in the future. How never to lie. How to make and keep strong friendships. The importance of creativity and sportsmanship. Being who you want to be even if it doesn't fit in the box society wants to put you in. I would teach him things I have taught Kate and will teach Anne. I would teach him a few other things I don't want my beautiful sisters to know about, things I've done that I fear would make them look at me different. I would tell him (when he was much older) the story of The Viking. And afterwards, I would make him promise on his life to never go down that road.

I've never been outside of the United States. I've never eaten octopus, shark, or a live worm. I've never gone skydiving or bungee-jumping or para sailing. I've never given life to another small human being. But I have lived. I have created something new for nothing with my two hands. I have laughed until tears ran down my face. I have helped a stranger. I have cried, heartbroken, then pieced everything back together. I have discovered a God worth living for. I have loved so strong and so deep!

As I turn 19, I will continue to live, laugh, love, cry, and create and when I stop having birthdays, I will meet Israel James or whoever he or she is and tell him or her all about it.

Fairy Godmother

I am officially a godmother of a beautiful, 8 pound baby boy named Aiden! He was born this morning (on Labor Day of all days) at 10:44 a.m. I was FOUR MINUTES off my predication. I told Jude he'd be born between 10:30 and 10:40. FOUR minutes off!!!! I couldn't believe it!
I was kept updated all night long by Adam. While I'm exhausted, I'm sure it can't compare to what Adam and his girl are going through right now. When I wasn't getting text messages, I was having dreams of being in the delivery room so it felt like I was there either way.

Soon, I will be getting a photo, and I can't wait to see my little godson! He is perfectly healthy and I am perfectly happy! Can't wait to meet him! And holy crap, Christmas is just a few months away! I must begin my all-powerful godmothering duties and get this baby something amazing for Christmas.

Happy birthday, Aiden!