For Lauren

I'm done pretending that any of these blogs have cohesive meaningful thought. I'm just gonna tell you it as it comes. So, if you want to come visit me, which you should, you'll need to come before Wednesday the 25th. If you come after then, which you totally can, you won't be seeing me cause I'll have moved to my new place, which I am forever referring to as Cheshire Mansion. Yes, that's right I'm moving! I'm sure I'll write more about it later, but if I forget the short of it is; my brother's family is moving in which means I'm moving out. Want more info than that, stay tuned, drop a message, or give me a ring on the telle. Y'all know I'm an open book!

None the less, if  you're coming to visit me, you should know some things before the trek. First, you should know how much I adore guests. Second, you should know that the streets leading to my house are all speed traps. Third, you should know that I will probably challenge you to a face off. That's right a face off! A favorite past time of mine is making silly faces in the mirror. Any of you who speak to me in person on the regular obviously know this as you tell me all the time how "expressive" (code for crazy) my faces are.

You should also know that a new hobby is developing, but rarely occurs outside of my car. I'm developing my mad skills as a beat boxer. Go ahead, reread it b-e-a-t--b-o-x-e-r. So tonight, driving home after a great time at house church and catching up with Lo (see title) I was a beat boxing fool. I was kind of impressed with myself, not as good as this guy but I'm a rookie. Turning on to my street a sweet beat started rumbling through my lips and I turned down the air (cause it's gone from 50-90 in the STL) so I could hear it. Wrapped up in my own rhythms I didn't notice that I was going 25 in my lame 20mph neighborhood. Well, I didn't notice that is, until the police car parked on my right turned on his lights. My beats weren't so awesome right then, however my heart beat was rockin out! "Dang, why my beats gotta be so dope?" I asked myself. I didn't actually ask myself that, I was more like "Shoot! I definitely deserve this one."

Do you want to know what happened next? He just sat there. Lights on. Parked. So I hesitantly kept driving, not wanting to make him think he was going to have to high speed chase me down. I knew I was wrong, I was ready for my ticket. I went over the hill, staring through my rear view mirror, fully expecting a patrol car to come barreling over the hill meeting me just as I pulled up to my house! He didn't. I got out and went inside. What grace! Totally knowing what I deserve, but not receiving it. Mmmmm. That's good stuff.

So, I'm thinking, I might need to move my mad skills to the house, where distraction is welcomed, maybe not so much on the road.

January 30th

Tonight as I sat in a cozy home, listening to the silence of 2 sleeping little boys, outside my windows came the boom of fireworks. At first, I thought they were gun shots but they were so rapid my mind leaped with the excitement that it just might be my favorite! Yes! FIREWORKS! Beautiful ones, lighting up the sky in an array of color. Annie laid on the couch as though it's everyday someone paints the sky with these vibrant dots of color. Or that it's everyday someone interrupts your peaceful evening with booming brilliance. Well, Annie, that may be your life, but it surely isn't mine.

My life, at this point, is forecasted to have 12in. of snow with a sweet little bit of ice before hand. Blah. I'm ready for spring and summer. I'm ready for picnics and flip flops, for flowers, and outdoor concerts. I'm ready for bike rides and long walks, and the hope of a budding romance. I've enjoyed this winter for all of it's snow and mess. It's been unusually bright and cheery in the sky this year. But I'm so ready for NEW. New grass, new hopes, a clean car,and new peek-a-boo shoes.  

So, to whoever you were, celebrating January 30th like it was the last day on earth, thanks for sparking a little hope in my heart for spring and summer, love, and all things beautiful.

I hope that as these last storms of winter blow through we can enjoy them with the expectation that new is just around the river bend.

Post 100

So yesterday was just one of those opps days. Where all I can say to any given thing is oops!

• I called my Alderman (woman) to take care of my $1401 tickets. To find out out that indeed 789.0 and 612.0 are the ordinances I violated, not the ticket amounts. Oops!
• I called to make sure I still had a job with Special School District and because I had never called to unblock my number for them I wasn't receiving any jobs. Oops!
• I went to Clayton to register my car a year late. Oops!
• I paid to park at the wrong building. Oops.
• In getting in and out of my car I ripped my tights at the butt, which led to what you could imagine as butt-less tights. (so sad and embarrassing but true.) Oops!
• I wore ear rings that sounded like wind chimes in my ears on a night where I need to be able to hear other people speaking. Oops!

Yes, a day filled with "oops" but it was a great day! Hope your Tuesday is great one!