A Very Lucky Girl

I am so thrilled to be roadtripping to North Carolina in August. Not only will I get to stop in Nashville and see childhood friends, but I also will be spending time in Wilmington with one of the most incredible women I know, Emily Bell. I will also dine on Bojangles, but that's another daydream. I met Emily at BayLeaf Baptist Church when we were both a part of the youth group. I don't remember why, but we didn't exactly immediately hit it off. For whatever reason, we weren't best friends right from the start, but Canada changed everything. BayLeaf Baptist sent a team of members to Port Elgin, Canada and my family joined them from Texas after our move. Emily and I shared a bed that barely fit in our tiny room. We took turns making free calls to our American crushes from the outdated phone in the stairwell.  The first trip to Canadian turf rekindled our rather dim relationship and by our second trip to Canada, we were inseparable.  So much so in fact, that I felt e...

I've known Mimi and Didi for almost 21 years. Their house in New Orleans was one of my favorite places. They had a perfect climbing tree in the front yard and a neighbor pond just next door. I earned the name "Pond Splasher" on a fishing expedition gone wrong when I slipped into the water. I went armadillo hunting in the backyard with Didi, armed with flashlights. I watching hummingbirds at the feeder from the back patio and read the comics at the island in the kitchen. I walked along the levee by the Mississippi River and ate beignets at Cafe du Monde at least once every trip.  My father's parents have always been insistent on teaching me about my Cajun heritage. When I was younger, I was more resistant. After all, splashing in the pool at English Turn country club was far more appealing to a grade school kid than listening or learning about history. But now, I'm far more appreciative of where I come from. I'm looking forward to visiting them in a week ...

First. Finest. Forever. I cannot count how many times I've been asked "are you in a sorority?" since continuing school at OU instead of TCU. Yes. But it's complicated.  I went through rush during my freshman fall semester at TCU. I wore the dresses, pulled at my strapless bra, and sweated through my perfume as we rushees waited to file into each house. I sipped the cucumber water and discreetly licked the sugar rim from the glass on the fancy lemonade day. I spilled my drink TWICE at the same house. They didn't ask me back after the second accident. I don't blame them.  On Pref night I had two houses left: Gamma Phi Beta and Alpha Delta Pi. Both had beautiful pref night ceremonies, but I felt most at home in Alpha Delta Pi. They presented each girl with a giant fake diamond that represented something about her the chapter valued. I don't remember a whole lot about my TCU semester, but I remember my trait being "independence." The fact t...

The guys unwind from their long flight in an abundance of muted toned hoodies on a subway in Munich, Germany. Ben shares one of his many ulterior motive for applying for this show in his confession of never crossing the ocean before. He's checking two boxes off of his bucket list at once: travel, be a  jackass, and wear a womanly tank top. Oh wait, that's three! He's a go-getter.  Chris Harrison welcomes the gang, sharing Des' excitement for her first time in Europe to be with such great guys, and announces the dates for the week. The guys feel their plane food trying to make a second showing as they hear about the dreaded two-on-one date in store this week.  Chris heartlessly plants seeds of false hope by proclaiming, "see you all at the next rose ceremony!" Such a rose tease. At least one man will not be there to witness Des' sparkly dress choice of the week. Date One: "Chris, *insert words in German*..." The couple wanders the streets and...

casual laughter on the floor Cuz we're the three best friends that anyone could have! Yep, it's time. The post about my two best betches, Megan Hunter and Hannah Whorton. I met Hannah during my senior year at Heritage Hall. We bonded over bugs on the wilderness trip. I met Megan during my stint at Jamba Juice. We bonded over strawberry surfriders and Prince Hot Ginge  Harry. Introducing two of my best friends and expecting the relationship to be magic is risky. All sorts of things could go wrong. What if the chemistry isn't there? What if they are complete opposites? What if they've already secretely hated each other just from seeing Facebook posts?  But this relationship...It blossomed from the beginning. Maybe it was the alphabet game, maybe it was the midnight trips to Ihop, or maybe it's because these two were meant to be friends even if I didn't exist.  But I'm glad I do so I can share life with them. Usually just summer life since Hannah likes to...

I began my babysitting career as a mother's helper to a darling little one year old named Caleb. That is, I took care of Caleb while his mom worked from home. It was probably the best way for me to learn how to care for such a little guy.  From there I moved on to looking after the kids of the couples in my parents' young marrieds Sunday School class. I cuddled with Aubrey and Georgia Mae, while the adults carved pumpkins or exchanged White Elephant Christmas gifts.  I eventually took my talents to the Brubaker family. I loved my regular nights with Emily and Grace. We played board games, watched movies, and ate frozen pizza. They lived only a few miles from me and the convenience made for an enticing first real babysitting job. Combined with the evenings with the McAteer kids, I was rich for an 8th grader.  We made cookies for the neighbors down the road when they first moved in. They turned out to be the McAteer family and they were wonderful. Kevin, Pamela, Kevin Jr...

Love always Protects. The way the protection of real love makes sense to me is to think of an iPhone case. Just your standard otterbox, nothing fancy or overdone. An accessible and affordable option to keep the phone sheathed.  Even with an easy grip case, I drop my phone regularly. At least once a week it hits the floor at a medium to high intensity.  But the case does its job. My phone is crack-free. The vulnerability of the iPhone is countered by the sturdiness and shock absorbency of its blue jacket. In a similar way, loving someone in a real way involves striving to protect their vulnerability from the "falls" of life. It doesn't mean they won't fall, because they will. Everytime I think I've hit rock bottom this summer the bottom suddenly falls out again and I'm back to free-falling. But the love of people like Megan and Mimi and Didi breaks the sudden drop and keeps me from completely shattering. A Very Lucky Girl is scuffed, but love is a migh...