Mine

One of my favorite people in the world is my beautiful niece Abigail Grace a/k/a/ Abby G. She is a tiny bundle of attitude and I mean that in the nicest way possible. She is saucy and precocious and amazing! I love her so much.

I just spent the morning with her and one of my other favorite people, my nephew, Easton James. We have several nick names for him. The most common is probably E.J. but we also lovingly referred to him as our chunky monkey and my favorite little Fatty-Fatty-Boom-Ba-Lat-y. I am not being unkind; he is adorable. At less than 1-year-old he is also heavier than his 2 and a half-year-old sister. I believe he is an all-star football player in the making.

Abby G’s newest “it” phrase is “Mine”. It started with a sippy cup of milk that she refused to drink. As soon as her brother started to drink it she went five-alarm.
Mine, mine, mine!!! She didn’t want it, but she didn’t want anyone else to have it either (especially not her pesky baby brother).

The whole thing made me stop and think.

1. Do we learn to do that or is it a built-in instinct?
2. Do we ever unlearn the behavior or grow out of it?
3. Why is it so important to us to have stuff? Particularly stuff we don’t want or need?

I know that throughout my life I have metaphorically chanted “mine” because of various periods and people in my life. I am still trying to learn to let go. To let go of the all the things that I just had to have and rarely ever use. To let go of the perceptions that cause judgments about people I don’t really know and hold me back from realizing real happiness and peace.

What do you hold on to? Does it ever hold you back?

 

When and if the fast food apocalypse occurs, I shall be prepared.

 

They’re calling to me… They should have a good home and I know just the place.

I am sure that it is somehow an indication of my mental malfunction, but I steal condiments. I can’t seem to help myself. You know the fast food condiment buffets where they display an array of sauces, spices, and paper products to enhance your dining experience? I love those. I stuff my purse full of napkins, ketchup, and salt and pepper. You never know when you will need a single serving of convenience or flavor. My purse, my car, and my home are stocked with wet wipes, straws, sauce and spices. When and if the fast food apocalypse occurs, I shall be prepared.

 

As long as we are discussing spices, did you know that if someone asks you to pass the salt, you should always pass the salt and the pepper? Etiquette dictates that the salt and pepper are “married” and should remain together, even if someone only wants one or the other. It may seem strange, but I also kind of think its sweet and comforting. Think about it – if Mr. & Mrs. Salt and Pepper can stay together after all this time, we all have a fighting chance.

 

One last spice related tangent – have you ever heard that you have to taste your food before you add salt? I have frequently been criticized for spicing before sampling. I say, spice according to your preference.  While, I understand the argument that you cannot possibly know if the food needs salt if you haven’t tasted it, I do not agree!  I believe that I know myself better than anyone and I know I like a lot of salt. I like more salt than a “normal” person. Therefore, when I pick up the salt shaker before I pick up my fork, I know what I am doing. I am a professional. Don’t get me wrong, there will be times that I enhance a dish beyond even my own salty predilection. It happens. But if that does happen, I suck it up and eat it anyway.

 

I think there are several lessons to take away from dining with me.

 

1.  Always be prepared (and steal as many condiments as you can).
2. If you’re in a partnership- be all in! Make the commitment and stick together no matter what.
3. Know what you like. Know what you want.
4. Don’t let someone else tell you what you do or should like/want.
5. If you make a mistake, own it. See it through even if it makes you cringe n(and it will most likely make you cringe!)

Leave me a comment letting me know what I’d learn if I was dining with you.

 

Hello world! Let’s dive right in…

So, it appears that I am starting a blog.

I have recently become a casualty of a number of unforeseen circumstances (more frequently referred to as life) that have led me to a place of transition. I am currently unemployed and trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up. I’ll keep you posted if I figure it out. In the meantime, I plan to blog. I am going to blog the blog out of this blog! Just you wait.

Hmmm…where to start. How about I start with today?

Today I am in Hackberry, Louisiana hanging out with some of my favorite women.

I am from an amazing family – the kind of family that really and truly enjoys one another and chooses to spend time together beyond the standard holiday “obligations.” In fact we started a tradition of girls’ weekends.

We’ve had all kinds of adventures where the sisters, aunts, moms, and daughters have enjoyed getting massages, traveling to the baths in Arkansas, antiquing in Texas, and relaxing in Louisiana.

The best souvenirs are always the stories and jokes we share, learning about where our family started and how far we’ve come. It’s fun to learn who your aunt, cousin, sister, or mom is as a women and a friend, rather than just as a relative. I highly recommend that you all try it.

We are currently enjoying our latest and greatest girls’ weekend in Hackberry. Today, I even swam with dolphins. At least, I attempted to swim with them. They weren’t really that keen on the idea.

Come on in, the waters great

I jumped in the water, and they took off. The problem was getting back into the boat. Apparently fishing boats don’t have ladders. As the waves washed me to and fro, I attempted to get my footing and launch my less than petite form back into the boat. It may have taken a while and it may not have been graceful or attractive but it happened. To me, that’s the important part.

Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten in without an exit strategy, but I guess, sometimes in life, you just have to jump and hope you can work the rest out as it comes. That’s what I am doing here and now.

Welcome to my blog. I hope I can figure out the rest of my life as needed. Wish me luck and stay tuned to see how it all turns out.

Drop me a line and tell me about a time that you jumped in without a plan.