3:1

I think I'm the luckiest sister in the world. I don't just have one or two sisters but I have three of the most gorgeous sisters in the world. We like to keep things in balance. In fact, we have a good 3 to 1 trend most of the time.

1 lives in Texas; 3 live in Georgia.

3 wear corrective lenses of some sort; 1 has perfect vision.

1 is a teenager; 3 have graduated to the 20s or 30s.

3 are in relationships; 1 is single.

1 is a tomboy; 3 are various stages of girly girls.

3 own cars; 1 just got her license.

3 were ready for this picture; 1 was caught off guard.

1 will probably die tonight when another sister realizes this picture was posted.

The Answer is Blowing in the Wind

*

We had quite a surprise this weekend. Athens received 6 inches of snow. I realize this isn’t much for those that live in snow country, but understand that this is the first time I’ve seen snow since moving here in 2005. It just doesn’t snow in Georgia. Especially not half a foot!

The snow was beautiful. It was refreshing.

It blanketed everything with a perfectly white cover. It was wonderful. It did make driving a bit difficult. ...and it was also heavy. The snow weighed down branches causing full grown limbs to snap like toothpicks. Entire trees blocked roads or fell on roofs. Most of the city lost power for a day.
This confused me. I lived in Utah for 8 years. It always snowed yet this level of damage never occurred. What was the difference? I decided since the trees in Utah face snow each year, their branches grow stronger to withstand the weight and harsh weather conditions. I realize different types of trees grow out west and it's obvious why. I thought of life. How is it that situations can affect people so differently? How is it that one person can handle pressure from life where another person buckles and breaks? The answer is with the trees. The trees that grow where the weather is harsh are stronger. The trees that grow where the weather is usually nice and fair grow but never have to prove their strength. People face storms that will test their very character whether they are ready or not. It's these life storms that show how strong a person really is.

There are days when I feel weighted down and broken like the tree,
and there are other days I choose to see the beauty in the storm. Thank you, Mother Nature, for the snow. And thank you, God, for the storms.

(I don't know who these people are. And don't make fun of Southerners. When it snows, we have to use whatever we have as sleds.)

* My camera is MIA right now. I did NOT take any of these pictures. All are courtesy of Mama Mia, a neighbor, and a coworker.

Virginia is for Lovers. So I went to D.C. instead.

Question: When are broken hearts a good thing?
Answer: Why, on Valentine's Day, of course!

Two weeks ago I received a text from Scottie the Hottie: What are you doing for Valentines?
'I'm single... nothing special. Maybe a movie. You?'
"Going to D.C. Want to come?"
'Driving or flying?'
"Flying. You can use my buddy pass."
'SURE!'

And so the adventure began. Scottie the Hottie needed a break from the city, especially since his most recent ex-girlfriend lives in town. Valentine's Day is tough if you're single but especially rough when a place sparks so many memories - which can be avoided if you travel to a different state and do some sight seeing.

Mission: Get Out of Town
Destination: Washington, D.C.

We spent Saturday walking. The weather was perfect. While walking, a sculpture garden caught my attention.

First there was this guy. Or gal. I'm not really sure of the gender, just that s/he seems to be missing something.

This piece was at the intersection of Peel and Banana.

The Wizard from Emerald City was there.

So was this funky, uh, thing. I loved the curves.

Oh, more curves! I really like how the tree curves to the dirt symbolizing creation and strength...

Speaking of trees, this is the National Christmas Tree. It was planted a few months before I was born. Tell me, which one of us makes 30 look good?!

(Hint: there is one correct answer and it doesn't rhyme with Fashional Mistress Key.)

Oh, and Obama was there. He didn't say much though. I thought he was a bit flat and 2 dimensional, but that's just me. All in all, Mission Get-Out-of-Town was a success. Thank goodness for friends who work for airlines, for buddy passes, but mostly, thank goodness for ex girlfriends!

The Great Generation Gap

I have the most fun with my major. Really, I do. One of my classes, Teaching Elementary Children P.E., has a lab each Friday where we participate in physical activities catered to children. This means I'm encouraged to act like a child. It's no wonder why I enjoy grad school.

One particular morning we learned how to teach and demonstrate different types of traveling. The professor would yell a verb such as jumping, running, skipping, crawling, etc and as a class, we traveled around the gym for 20 or 30 seconds.

"Gallop like a horse."

I began to 'gallop'. To complete the demonstration, I cupped my hands and clapped to imitate hoof sounds.

The undergrads just stared at me.

Oh come on! Just because you were born in 1990 shouldn't mean you don't get a Monty Python reference!

Right?

Right?!?

Never mind.

Come back and I'll taunt you again. Yeah, that's right! I'm talking to you! Icky icky icky pikang zoop boing. You heard me!

P.S. I decided Friday the 13th had to be the luckiest day to start blogging again.

Sooner or Gator

Football season is, well, over.

Until the fall, that is.

Same thing with this blog. Sooner or later, graduate school was bound to demand more of my time.

Don't think of me as gone.

I'm just in the off season.