sniff sniff...

My sense of smell is acutely strong...I think. I mean, how in the world is such a thing measured? Who knows...but, here are a few of my most favorite scents:


perfume: elizabethW Sweet Tea.
I found this is in a little boutique several years ago. When I ran out, said boutique wasn't carrying it anymore. So, I order it now. I'll admit...I picked it up because of the name, thinking of course, "What in the world does sweet tea smell like?" Glorious, let me tell you. So...it's my perfume. Indeed, I aspire to be like the description of the perfume, which is: "gracious, spirited, elegant. An enticing marriage of oriental black teas, juicy fresh Amalfi lemons, and the sweetness of almond honey." Well...except for the black tea part...


candle: Votivo, Red Currant.
Again, boutique find. Fortunately, said store still carries line. AND...just the other day I discovered they're now carrying a travel version of the candle. Just in time for our trip to the beach!


Summer night air.
Come on...you can smell it, so, no need for the scratch-n-sniff picture. I gladly volunteer to take Scout out for his evening jaunt so I can take as many deep breaths of that muggy yet magnificent scent. I'm pretty sure I love this smell as much for all the memories it makes me think about. But also, there's just something about the smell that makes me think about all the fun shenanigans one can get into on perfect summer nights...

Tramps Like Us...

I am attempting to be a runner. At this point, I'm not sure what this is going to mean for me: recreation or racing, treadmill or outdoors, etc. And, as much as I love running, it's still trying to decide how it feels about me. So, while I wait for my charms to work their magic and cause running to reciprocate my feelings, I amuse myself by observing the various "types" of runners that run on the treadmills next to me. They are:

Malodorous Runner: stench coming from either
-rank breath (buddy, can't you taste that nastiness?) which of course is exerted with brute force and inevitably tangles with the air my lungs so desperately need.
-voracious body odor, generally a result of "natural" deodorant. seriously, your Tom's deodorant wears off while you shop for groceries, did you honestly think it would keep you smelling rosy while you ran a 10k?
-old, musty, mildewy towel that runner wipes their sweat with. yuck, yuck, yuck.

Psycho, Freak-Show Runner:
-this type likely varies according to ones gym/running environment. In my case, there's a lady that hikes the MPHs up to some ridiculous level then literally grips the handrails with white knuckles and skips across the raging belt below. if she were to lose her handle on the rails, she would be hurled at mach speed across the entire room and slammed into the mirrored wall smashing into a zillion pieces. Her theatrics are quite the distraction and it seems as though 90% of the people in the room have decreased efficiency in their workouts when she's "running" because of the need to gawk at her ridiculousness.

Noisy Runner: noise coming from either
-clomping/stomping on the treadmill because unlike Frieda Freakshow above, the MPHs are far too low. Said runner is attempting to "run" at the pace of a turtle (rather than just walking) and literally the amount of time the legs of this runner are in the air is so long that when they finally hit the treadmill, the noise is loud enough to be heard over my fully turned up iPod blasting the none-to-quite Foo Fighters, disturbing whatever tranquility I had mustered and shaking their treadmill violently.
-Out of bounds running/walking. Noise in this case is caused because this brilliant athlete seems oblivious of the fact that the walking/running surface of the treadmill is designated by the fact that it's um...MOVING. The rest of the treadmill is you know, the structural apparatus, not an extension of the running surface. So...when you run onto the front of the structure the resulting pounding sound should signal you that you're OUT OF BOUNDS!

Perfect Runner:
-little to no sweating, perfectly paced breathing, appropriately suitable athletic attire, excellently coordinated use of iPod and water bottle. This runner generally gives the impression that running is the easiest, most fulfilling task ever and that you too, could be Prefontaine with little to no effort.

Perfect Runner of course is the one that I usually notice the most because I am...sweating to the point that my clothes are more wet than dry, gasping for precious oxygen, accidentally yanking the headphones out of my ears when getting the cord tangled in my flailing arms, dripping more water onto my shirt than I'm actually drinking and always wishing I had worn something tighter/looser, more colorful/less colorful, etc.

If I ever become any of these types of runners, other than Perfect Runner of course, I plan to hang up the sneaks!

30-A...

Tie and I just returned from a little jaunt to Seagrove Beach. This will hopefully be our first of several trips there this year.

I would like to think that if money/time/effort were no object, I'd be on the first plane to a truly exotic beach location like, say, Fiji or the Maldives or someplace similar. You know, glass-bottomed tiki-hut with burly, tan man paddling up with a platter of island sweet meats and something tasty in a coconut...

But, maybe I wouldn't head for such a location. I'm pretty sure my heart belongs to 30-A (the 20ish mile county highway that Grayton, Seaside, Seagrove, Seacrest, Alys and Rosemary beaches are situated along). And here's why:

1. Beeeeutifaul beach: seriously, no trash. All the beaches in Walton Co. have received some environmental commendation certifying their cleanliness, and all that other stuff that makes them environmentally pristine. Sorry I don't know what it is. But I know that in 4 trips, I've literally seen less than 5 pieces of trash on the beach or in the water. I've seen more wildlife than trash: nurse shark, jellies, crazy fish, dolphins...

2. Little commercialization: no obnoxious condo complexes to ruin the horizon line, none of those ridiculous, trashy tourist shops that sell skeeze and not a nasty, over-priced, kitschy restaurant in site. Instead...

3. Uniqueness and originality: in the form of eateries, recreation, etc. Not one chain dining location on 30-A (that I know of). Rather, smallish, eclectic or wonderfully simple locales like the Shrimp Shack or Pizza by the Sea or one of several Airstream pit-stops selling fresh-fruit daiquiris or BBQ. For fun of the non-eating variety, how about one of the numerous funky art galleries showcasing local talent or a evening on the lawn listening to some lesser-well-known-but likely-way-more-talented musical acts under the stars? All of this is available to you while listening to the waves roll in and smelling that unmistakable sea side air, which you can also do whilst...

4. Biking: like most of the rest of Florida, 30-A is super flat. The sidewalks that line the highway up and down the beach are wide enough to accommodate bikers and pedestrians. There are numerous crossing paths and a large majority of the time, vehicles kindly stop to allow bikers to cross the paths without having to stop and start. There are several bike rental shops in the area that rent the standard beach-comber bike. The bikes are certainly not made for true "cycling" or really much of anything but riding leisurely on flat roads. However, if you really get ambitious, you could take them on a longer jaunt: Tie and I rode 16 miles for a trip just the other day. But, easy strolls are the norm for visitors and many, many get to and fro along the coast on their bikes, stuffing beach bags in the wire baskets on the front and carrying beach chairs on your back. Easy living indeed!

5. Global flair: In addition to the good ole' American patrons of 30-A, there always seems to be a fairly significant number of globe-trotting visitors. There was the Russian waiter at Bud & Alley's (most famous eatery in Seaside). The British ladies working at the new shop in Watercolor (Fuss). And then several other visiting Europeans (I believe) taking in the beauty of 30-A. I really noticed them this time as the cooler weather necessitated their black garb that while certainly keeping them warm, also caused them to stick out a little amongst those of us determined to wear the standard beach attire regardless of the temperature.

Really, there are TONS more reasons why I'm smitten with 30-A. But I think all of them go back to the mellow, quaint and simultaneously cool vibe that imbues everything about the area.

You should go...really, do. Just don't take my beach house from June 26-July 3...k, thanks!

Love & Hugs

I must preface this by saying that indeed, warm blood does flow through my veins, I promise.

However, if I hear one more "I love you" or see another hug exchanged betwixt the high school students whom I am so privileged to teach, I might ralph right in the middle of the floor. At this point, I'm just throwing up in my mouth a little. One more though and it's projectile FOR SURE!

Hugs are exchanged literally for no reason at all. The hug is the new "Hi!" Seriously, it's almost like a glancing blow: going from class to class, instead of "Hey, how's it going? Cool, see you in World History!" It's, "Hey, love you!" whilst hugging and pressing bodies together.

I'm not sure why it bothers me so much. I mean, on the one hand, I think sometimes I'm just sickened by the fact that some of the boys take advantage of (often) innocently given hugs from their friends that are girls. And, there are NUMEROUS ways to express affection, care, concern, coolness, etc. without saying "I love you." Probably, if I'm being honest with myself, I think sometimes I just kinda get embarrassed for them. I remember things I said to people I thought I cared about and looking back, I cringe thinking I was so flippant with my affection.

Really though, it's probably not that big of a deal. It could be worse of course. They could be kicking each other in the chins and saying "Bite me!" every time they see each other.

I guess I'll just have to make peace with love...:)

Up to the Mountain...

I know so many people that admire Martin Luther King, Jr. Certainly said people admire him for various reasons that likely represent values or characteristics that really resonate with them.

I think I admire and respect him for everything he did and said but above all, I admire him for his determination and the decision he made every day, multiple times a day, to live by example, to embody and represent what he desired to have most: love and peace. It is no coincidence that his impact and influence are so great because he lived his mission. He lived the life he wanted others to live. He was genuine and humble and saw each human as a creation of God and deserving of the love and respect that we all owe each other, at Christ's command.

A few years ago, I heard the song, "Up to the Mountain" by Patty Griffin (my favorite artist). It was inspired by Dr. King and his last speech. The lyrics convey the meaning of his life for me: he was obeying God's command for him to bring peace and love by living a life of service and love for others. Thank you Dr. King for your example. Here's the video. The lyrics follow below.



the lyrics:
Up To The Mountain (MLK Song) lyrics

I went up to the mountain
Because you asked me to
Up over the clouds
To where the sky was blue
I could see all around me
Everywhere
I could see all around me
Everywhere

Sometimes I feel like
I've never been nothing but tired
And I'll be walking
Till the day I expire
Sometimes I lay down
No more can I do
But then I go on again
Because you ask me to

Some days I look down
Afraid I will fall
And though the sun shines
I see nothing at all
Then I hear your sweet voice, oh
Oh, come and then go, come and then go
Telling me softly
You love me so

The peaceful valley
Just over the mountain
The peaceful valley
Few come to know
I may never get there
Ever in this lifetime
But sooner or later
It's there I will go
Sooner or later
It's there I will go

So, I went back to school this week (Monday for teacher in-service; Tuesday with the kiddos). After a mere 2 days in the trenches, we have a snow day today. So far, I've seen about 2 flakes. Typical Nashville weather. A lot of bark but rarely any bite.

However, I'm not complaining. In fact, a whole day of nothing (not really) to do leaves all sorts of options for amusement.

Option 1: Sleep late
-a no-go because somehow Tie locked Scout out of the bedroom after he took him out this morning. so, I wake to Scout snorting and grunting at the bedroom door to get in. He comes in...proceeds to root around in the covers and burrow himself into a little, cover-consuming ball of fur.

Option 2: Play in the snow
-also a no-go. See above.

Option 3: Enlightenment
-read Foreign Policy's first annual 100 Global Thinkers of 2009 edition whilst listening to "On Point" on NPR.
-result: I feel stupid, uninformed, pessimistic and hungry. solution? see Option 4.

Option 4: De-enlightenment
-watch E!
-result: guilt, increased hunger.

Option 5: Sudoku
-from a book from Dollar General
-result: winner!

Games...

I lahahuve games! Board/card games that is. Board more than card really.

I have many: Apples to Apples, Mad Gab, Scattegories, Bananagrams, Cranium, Smarta$$, Party Playoff, "Office Trivia", Boggle, etc.

Today, I played Settlers of Catan for the first time. I highly recommend letting someone that has played before explain the directions/rules to you. The instructions are a treatise of confusion! I started sweating reading them.

We played the game thrice. The first time was practice: I won. The second time was for realsies: I lost. The third time was for realsies realsies: I won!!!

Do you like games? Which ones and why come? I'm always in the market for more...