A Very Lucky Girl

I mentioned before that I deep-cleaned and organized my room over Christmas break. Whilst going through my bookshelf I discovered a composition book that I wrote in for Mrs. Purvis' 5th grade Language Arts class at St. Timothy's-Hale school (prior to it's St.David's name change) in Raleigh, North Carolina. August 21, 2002  So far it has been okay but I don't understand math much and I'm really upset about it. Everything else has gone okay though. This year I want to make all As and understand math really well and I don't want to be late for a class and I want to remember bring my homework home, do it, and then bring it back to school the next day.  5th grade was considered middle school at St. Timothy's Hale so I was extra nervous for my first year on the big campus. I still don't understand math but I have learned when run-on sentences are appropriate. The answer is rarely.  September 9, 2002 This is what I have to be thankful for: candy...

One particular detail of the human memory fascinates me. The ability to commit hundreds of songs to memory, so much so that one can recall all 3 verses, the chorus, and the bridge of a track after hearing only a few musical notes. Tyler was mesmerized in awe (or maybe something akin to car wreck curiosity in standstill traffic?) as I nailed most of the words to Wiz Khalifa's "No Sleep" during a drive to OKC. It's unfortunate that my knowledge of every Taylor Swift song will not be able to help me with my next HES test. The endocrine system just doesn't have a catchy tune to commit various hormones to memory. Where's Miley Cyrus when you need her? Oh yeah, trying on wigs to cover up that monstrosity of a haircut. I'm going to have to get back to y'all; "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line just appeared on iTunes shuffle and all of A Very Lucky Girl's focus is on belting out every single word since roommate is go---BABY YOU A SONG YOU...

Eric Church points out that it's "funny how a melody sounds like a memory." I couldn't agree more. There are certain songs that just take you back in time. Whether it's kicking and screaming, or willingly. For instance, Sadie Hawkins Dance by Relient k? I'm back in middle school with Sarah, screaming "do you like my sweeeatttterrrrrrr?" at the top of our lungs. Everytime We Touch by Cascada? Transported to carpools to Crabtree Mall with Marianne, Penel, and Astrid. Our Song by Taylor Swift summons images of Moriah and I interpretative dancing at our sweet 16 birthday party. I'm sure there are songs that touch you like that too. Probably in a more meaningful way than the ones I just described. Even just a few music notes can remind me that I'm A Very Lucky Girl. 

Americans will take any holiday and turn it into a drinking fest. Even ones that aren't ours. Exhibit A: Cinco de Mayo. And during the summer Memorial Day, Flag Day, The Fourth of July, Canada Day, etc become another day on the calendar to mark with a beer, a tan, and some Zac Brown Band while the stars and stripes fly subtly in the background.  I had to work from 4 to close at Jamba to celebrate the day (somehow people don't think "hell yeah Amurrikahh, let's grab a Strawberries Wild!") and was frustrated about it. But then I thought about what I was really sacrificing. Maybe some pool time, nap time, or blogging time. But that is a ludicrous comparison when contrasted to what the men and women honored on this day sacrificed. I could surely blend smoothies for 5 hours without complaint.  I entertained the idea of being in the Air Force ROTC program at Tulane or TCU during my senior year of high school. I decided on Air Force because planes are the coolest. Fl...