Trip Across the South

One of the great blessings of my life is to have so many friends that live in so many places. It almost seems that anywhere I need to go, I know someone in that city and I can't crash at their place. I love visiting friends and having them show me around their lives.

Hooray for being a teacher and having summers off! Free to do whatever I want. This year, I'm traveling around the South to see some of my best girlfriends.

The itinerary is this:

Meeting Mare in Atlanta, GA
Staying at her house in Athens for a bit
Meeting Nellene in Chattanooga, TN
Visiting her place in Nashville
Back to Mare's
Road trip with Mare to DC
Mare drops me off at Joy's in Richmond, VA
Meet back up with Mare in DC to visit Audrey
Travel down to Savannah, GA
Find Trishelle in that charming little town
Spend a few days with Trish and fam in Jacksonville, FL
Then...

I am yet to buy my ticket home, so who knows.

Glitter

my favorite gift for my last birthday was a pink, glittery bouncy ball. it was from my sister. possibly i loved it for its sharp contrast from my then-boyfriend's gift, which revealed all too clearly that we needed to break up; possibly it was because i liked that on my 31st birthday--an "old woman" birthday--i was given a child's toy; possibly it was because i appreciated that Kaylee understood why that particular present was the perfect thing to give me.

probably it was simply something that i have left over from my childhood: a thing for bouncy balls. and, as with most things, the glitterier the better.

i also as an adult woman still love twirly skirts. i even brought two with me on my little trip.

this tendency for girly things explains why, when at dusk Nellene in Nashville said, "Heather, go look out the door. You will love it," she was right. out side her sweet little farmhouse, the fields that spread in front of it were sprinkled with twinkling fireflies. such a sight is purely delightful to me.

not to say that boys can't appreciate fireflies. but i will venture to say they don't like them for the same reasons i do.

from that night on, we went on walks in the night as often as we could, just to be in the fireflies. besides the people here, these just might be my favorite things about the South.

there are many wonders to behold about modern technology. it's amazing how much convenience is added to our lives because of it.

facebook, for instance, definitely comes in handy beyond just checking up on old friends. it can also prove your identity.

one night Nellene and i went to a club in East Nashville to listen to music. much to my chagrin, i realized right before we went in that i'd left my ID back at the house. Argh! #1: listening to live music is one of the purposes to Nashville, and to do that one actually needs to get into the club; #2: who leaves their ID hanging around by itself? bad babysitter.

not willing to give up easily, we ventured into the club anyway. oddly, the "bouncer" at the door just nodded at us and let us pass. he was more concerned with his laptop and cigarette than us. besides, we look like good girls.

i was confused. what?-- no cover? what?-- no ID? seeing the large bar that took up the majority of the little room, i knew that wasn't possible. so, much to Nellene's chagrin this time, i went back and spoke up.

"um...are we going to have to show ID? because i don't have mine."

the bouncer looks at me like i'm an idiot. "of course i have to see your ID."

then ensues a conversation about how i'm not going to drink, how we are obviously over 21, how we came clear from Salt Lake City, how he wasn't going to ask us anyway, and how all of this really didn't freaking matter; i still needed my ID.

eventually, he goes and asks the manager. it was to no avail.

i think because he once played music himself at some club in SLC and Nellene started talking to him about it (even though neither of us knew what place he was talking about), he eventually agreed to at least let me through and try to sway the manager myself.

now, i know i have a certain level of skill in the use of my feminine prowless. it has come to my aid on a few choice occasions and i am positive there have been jobs i landed due to flirting. the Teach for America gig I definitely did not get based on my academic background. my final interviewer had a mini crush on me, and i definitely milked that. this is not bad, it is survival. if ya got it, use it.

so, when i walked up to the manager and saw his response to me, i knew all would be ok. a few little tricks, him sighing in feigned exasperation, and finally, the solution:

"Do you have a facebook account that will show your age?"

victory.

and that is how i got into the club in Nashville with out my ID. i knew i wore that red lipstick for a reason.

The Farm House

Nellene is one of my best friends from college. she was my advisor for a service club i directed. despite her best efforts to keep her relationship with her students professional, i won by making her my friend as well. eventually we were roommates in Logan, she road-tripped to me in Denver, flew to me in Philly, and let me sleep in her SLC bed a few years ago when my mom was in the hospital down the street from her. that is a true friend: someone willing to share their bed for 6 toasty summer weeks.

i value many things in Nellene. one of the greatest is her ability to help me understand myself. she's taught me much about patience, about relationships (a piece of her advice still rings in my ears: Let go of people who are bad for you), and about who i want to be as a woman.

Nel is recently married and now living in Nashville, TN with her husband Brian. they have a charming little farmhouse that belongs in Anne of Green Gables Land. AnneLand.














Perfect little Dream House!

Sammy

not only do Nellene and Brian have a perfect little home in Dreamland, TN, they also have a very pretty baby. Samuel. i know you aren't supposed to call boys pretty, but he is. he can talk to me about this adjective when he's older.

Pretty, Pretty Tennessee

I can't get over how dang pretty it is here. Behold:








Don't be alarmed by the baby on the railroad tracks. We were feeling for the train. Like good, responsible people.

Error Tonto

yesterday we made a mad dash for the Athens-Clarke County Library in between play dates. Jonah, Ryanne, and Savannah each got to pick one movie to check out. as are most procedures involving three tired children, the check out was a bit hectic. we pushed the movies through with out checking them much beyond making sure they were meant for little eyes.

on the way out, Ry and Jonah were walking ahead of us having a conversation. Jonah, the Super-Reader, looked at Ryanne's movie and informed her of some bad news. she turned around, and in an exasperrated/panicky voice says, "My movie's in Spanish?!" Sure enough, Prince of Egypt was actually El Principe de Egipto. I didn't know they spoke Spanish in Egypt. I held in my chuckle and suggested to Ry that she might as well learn a new language. It's best to do it when you're young. She was appeased.

we got to the car and Ryanne showed Mary Ann the movie. finally, we both started laughing like crazy. ¡Pobrecito! Ry was confused at why this was so funny, but shrugged it off and said, "well now is a good time for me to learn Spanish. i've been wanting to anyway." this morning, much to our amazement, the kids watched the entire movie.



a few hours later Jonah said, "Mom, i really didn't get what that movie was about."
Mare: "That's because it was in Spanish. It's about Moses."
Jonah, enlightened: "Ooooh, that's why there was a burning bush!"

turns out, they really did learn some Spanish. well, they learned something. Savannah spent the day speaking to herself in tongues, and when i noticed she hid behind Mare's legs. she did, however, sing me a song in her new language as she held my face between her two little hands.

what a sweet little girl! ¡dulce niñita!

Road Kill

there are many little creatures here that roam around as if unafraid. this guy was in Matt's mom's swimming pool, where we go every afternoon. it's a mole. a dead one. he should have watched his step.

the other day matt and mare and i were driving back from town. in the road ahead of us was a HuGE opossum. huge. ew. matt tried to miss it (or so he says), but to no avail. thunk, thunk.

i was distraught. matt!!! mare told me that we don't have to feel bad about hitting opossums, because they are so ugly.

matt says, "man that probably hurt. how'd it feel to get hit in the head with the bottom of the car?"

even spoken in the southern drawl, it's gross. i made matt turn around to go hit it again to make sure it was dead, so it wasn't suffering. he did, since he says he has no problem running over opposums.

much to my chagrin, when we got back it was gone. that is what i was freaking out about in the first place, that we didn't hit it hard enough and it would just crawl away and suffer. sigh. next time i'll ask him to speed up.

Jubal T.

i haven't posted anything on here for about ever. i would not be good at running my own business, with my tendency of a short attention span for projects. you should see my kitchen walls.

i am grateful today for family. my Uncle Jubal died last week and this has made me realize not only how much i love my family, but especially how significant is my mom's new borrowed time for life.

Jubal was Jubal Troope Ritter. he was named after a character in a Western novel my Grandma was reading when she was preg. when he referred to himself, he called himself Jubal T. he is really tall and skinny, with very dark skin. we all wondered (though never out loud to Grandma before she died, unfortunately) if Jubal was really from the same father as the rest of our aunts and uncles. i think he is Mexican. or Native American. he also has this incredibly thick, wild hair, which he often wore in a red bandana. he recently got dentures and they were bright, bright white. he was always excited to talk about his job, and he told me recently that he got a life insurance policy and he put me as the beneficiary. then later i heard that he told my cousin Jill the same thing. basically, he just liked to make people happy, even if it didn't always make sense. today is his 51st birthday. Happy Birthday, Uncle Jube.

it is not news to anyone who reads this that my mom has been sick for the past few months. that is actually the main reason i haven't updated the blog--the illness was the only thing going on in my life and it was difficult for me to talk about. i still really dislike discussing it. 'not sure why. but, i still appreciate the love and concern and the effort of inquiry that so many people have shown.

Mom was supposed to die in April. then, she was supposed to die before Mother's Day. well, today she is still alive and kickin'. walking, actually, which is significant as there was a time that she couldn't even get out of bed, couldn't even open her eyes, couldn't even recognize me. hooray for a healing body! she is now on schedule for a transplant, as long as she can last 6 more months. fingers are crossed.

her illness has been hard on me. but, i am very grateful: 1. to be able to serve her so intimately 2. to have a chance to be a better person. i like that my mom is giving me this chance to become better. it's a chance to love someone completely selflessly. there's not a person that one should/could love more selflessly than one's own mother. i committed a while ago that despite the hardship, i will not let myself be annoyed, bitter, or regretful. but, that i'd let my mama teach me one more lesson on loving.

this morning as we were talking about Uncle Jubal, Mom said, "Maybe he took my place in dying." Sad. Maybe he did. It is his last sacrifice. i am sorry for his life ending, but will continue to be ever grateful for hers extending.