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...

I saw the movie "Brothers" a few nights ago with Tie and his siblings, Tate and Tory. From the preview, it definitely looked like it was going to be an intense flick. Indeed it was. Perhaps a little too intense if you ask Tie. His exact words after we walked out of the theater were "It makes me want to shoot myself in the head."

However, intense, twisted, heavy, depressing movies are some of my favorite. My top 5 include Braveheart (the redeeming qualities outweigh the intensity), Million Dollar Baby (yes, I know I'm the only person on the planet who likes this movie) and Goonies (oh wait...it doesn't fall into this category).

Anyway, the basic plot of "Brothers" centers around a man who is a captain in the Marines (played by Tobey Macguire). He deploys to Afghanistan and bad things happen. Meanwhile, his wife (Natalie Portman) finds comfort in her growing relationship with his ner' do well brother (Jake Gyllenhal). When Brother Marine gets back from war, he has extreme psychological damage which essentially results in the destruction (figuratively) of his family.

One of the main reasons I like intense movies is because they generally make me think about something more so than I usually would. I am embarrassed to admit that it took this movie to actually make me think more deeply about the soldiers that fight for the United States, on my behalf. Tie and I both discussed how we really don't want anyone's family to be ruined in our name...while they fight for us. Is anything worth someone else's life? Certainly my faith is worth my own life. But aren't I the one who has to make that sacrifice? If someone else is making it on my behalf, then obviously I'm not losing anything. In our 20 minute ride home from the movie theater, our conversation only scratched the surface of the issue, which I guess is if and when war and fighting is appropriate and right.

I repeat, it is embarrassing to confess that I think about this subject far less than I should. But, I'm ok to admit that. My admission makes me accountable. It's on my radar. I'm actively thinking about it. I want to resolve my feelings/beliefs about it.

See the movie. It's worth the momentary and superficial discomfort caused by engineered intensity if it causes you to consider the reality of the lives our soldiers lead and the responsibility that we, as citizens of the country they fight for, bear for their circumstances.

(ha...so long that I forgot my username/password combo. lame.)

I'm back in the game. As much as I'd like to pass off my delinquent blogging as a result of busyness, the honest to goodness reason is that I feel all kinds of pressure to say something witty or compelling or even provocative (in the PG way). Yep, that's why. Why waste everyone's time with something boring? That's my brilliant logic.

So, I'm going to lower the expectations. We'll see how that goes.

"New" blog #1: I've decided to trick myself into feeling less complain-y. The past month of school (which I most thankfully have a break from now) has been pretty...well, terrible. No, not that bad in the grand scheme of things but far less than pleasant. I'm a person who needs to find fulfillment in my profession. It ain't happenin' these days. And, no matter how many different ways I've tried to deal with my feelings about it, my solution of the moment doesn't last through the next "episode".

However, my latest and hopefully final solution to feeling under-appreciated/under-paid/overwhelmed/over-worked, blah, blah, blah is to try to appreciate someone more, value someone more, lighten someone else's workload, etc. You know, try to assuage/alleviate someone else's feelings of dissatisfaction. I'm thinking this will a) help someone else feel better and b) make me feel like a chump for whatever I'm feeling sorry for myself about. Thus far, I've employed said technique approximately one time. With smashing success I might add. I'm going to try to make Scout feel less-tired by playing with him. Yes, this is an excellent plan!