The Second Step

A few things that make me wonder why…

Why do I have to write a thank you card if I just said thank you?

Why do people, when asked, “Who was there?”  They begin with….”me…”?

Why road rage?

Why do I get a kick out of squirting my son with the water hose when he isn’t looking?

Why does mixing play dough colors bother me so much? 

Why do people still have mullets? 

Why is Harry Potter evil? 

Why do I feel the need to tell someone ”I know”?

Why do I stand in line at Starbucks for 20 minutes?

Why do people avoid sitting in the middle seat on an airplane?

Why sort socks?

Why do people call back before they check the message you just sent them?

Why wear make-up if your not going anywhere? 

Why are reality shows so stupid, but yet I watch them?

Why do people watch TV in their garage?

If you have any… I would love to hear them.

I have not always been close to my dad.  Now, we talk on a regular basis. 

This picture warms my heart. 

Thank God for forgiveness.

My husband is from a small town and me, well..I’m not.  I’ve lived in a small town, two actually, but not for very long.  Believe me it is so different when you have lived in a small town your whole life.  In small towns everyone knows everyone as well as every-one’s business.  Which I’m not so convinced is a bad thing.  You have a lot of friends that you have had for a very long time and you know all of their family. 

I grew up with Target, The Galleria, and the Theatre.  Very different stuff. 

When Ryan and I go visit his friends and family back home it’s always a huge learning experience for me.  It was hard for me at first not to be judgemental, not in a bad way, but everyone and everything is so different.  I mean the language is different.  They talk about fishing, bottle feeding their heffers, and grass fires.  They have accents, that sometimes I can’t even understand.  But one thing is for sure, they are not out to impress anyone. 

Recently we met up with an old running buddy of Ryan’s, and he and his wife took us “riding around.”  This is probably one of the biggest hurdles I have had to overcome.  Because all you do is ride around.  It’s not that I’m too good for this experience, it’s just simply something I never did.  Where I was from you got in your car to go to the next destination period.

However, I have noticed something that I love about small towns.  I love the fact that folks (you like that?) just stop by.  Now THAT is something you certainly do not see in the suburbs.  We live our lives here, it seems, inside our fences.  What happened to that mentality of just visiting for the sake of visiting.  Why do I feel the need to ask to see my friends?  I know that we are all busy, but seriously I would love it if my friends felt comfortable enough to just stop by my house…because they were in the neighborhood.

On the flip side of that, if say someone did just come by, I don’t want to greet them with, “Sorry my house is a mess.”  That too is something that is peculiar to me.  Seriously, are houses supposed to be clean ALL the time?  If that is the case, I am doing this stay at home thing all wrong. 

So if any of you out there ever just want to just stop on by.  I have a pot of coffee always ready.  My house, guaranteed, will not be tidy.  But, you are welcome anytime.

A few summers ago my step-dad took me fishing.  I was giggling and asking a ton of questions, not really taking anything too serious.  I’m a city girl in the country and it all just seemed so out there to me.  He gave me a pole, baited my hook and we sat.  I got really bored, but I was enjoying being outside.  Thirty minutes later we went in.  The next day, same thing.  But this time, all I was really interested in was getting a tan.  While he was trying to get out of the sun, I wanted to soak in it.  We did not catch any fish that day either.  The next day he wanted to take me out a little earlier.  So, coffee in hand I stumbled onto the boat.  He drove the boat out into the middle of the wonderfully, beautiful brown lake and in went the poles.  But this time something happened…I caught a fish!  From then on I was hooked, pardon the pun.

Now, I look forward to my summers being filled with days of endless fishing.  We board the boat in the early am and find our familiar spot.  If the fish aren’t biting we head to another one.  I have since learned that there is not a whole lot of talking during this time, just fishing.

Good Times

So, life on the lake has taught me:

1. Ask only yes or no questions.

2. Bait your own hook.

3. Beer tastes good at 10 in the morning.