Treasure Hunt

Good news and bad news:

The good news is that this week, my grandma, my mom, my little sister and I are staying at the beach. The bad news is that we are helping relatives clean out storage rooms. Three to be exact.

All three storage rooms are being paid for by my great-grandmother to house stuff she doesn't have space for. The thing is, my great-grandmother tends to keep things that have absolutely no purpose or value whatsoever. These storage rooms have not been opened since hurricane Charlie hit Florida. They are tiny and have no air-conditioning. Get the picture?

We spent all of today wading through rotten cardboard boxes, plastic cups wrapped in newspaper (weird, right?), clothes from the 70's, and much, much more. I don't mean to make it sound completely miserable though. Every so often we would find something worth keeping or something important. Whenever we happened upon something worth saving, my cousin would say, "We've found some buried treasure!"

None of our "treasures" would be of any value to someone outside the family. But to us, some of the things we found are priceless. We found: a Confederate dollar bill (worthless on eBay or Amazon but cool for us), lots of my great-grandmother's paintings (she is a fantastic artist), and my personal favorite-> old pictures. Lots and lots of old pictures.

I have a deep fascination with family history. I'm the grandchild who will sit and listen to any and every family story ever told. I enjoy looking through photographs of great-great-grandparents. I love rereading letters that were written years before I was born. If my great-grandmother doesn't want them, I'm going to ask to keep some of the photographs. So in my opinion, all this cleaning was worth it.

Who knew that buried among all those 70's clothes and cardboard boxes were so many family memories?  

Fore!

“They say practice makes perfect.' Of course, it doesn't. For the vast majority of golfers it merely consolidates imperfection.” -Henry Longhurst

I'm an okay golfer. When I practice, I'm pretty good. Most of the time though- I hate to admit it- I'm awful. I'm constantly yelling, "Fore!" and "Look out!" to nearby golfers.

Does this bother me? Absolutely not! I simply go out in a skirt and sleeveless collared shirt. I pull my hair back in a cute pony tail and top it off with professional looking hat. My shoes are always spotless, and my golf bag looks fabulous. I put on some eyeliner and mascara and I'm good to go. The key to golf is looking like you know what you're doing. 'Cause let's face it. Who is really any good at golf except the pros? We all have bad days. 

So that's my trick for golfing. But I was thinking the other day about how familiar that approach sounds. 

"Just look like you know what you're doing, that's all that really matters."

Is that how most people view life? Let me just dress this way, talk this way, or have this 'hobby' and people will accept me. It doesn't matter if I yell "Fore!" all the time, I just need to fool people into thinking I don't. Look fabulous on the outside and who cares about your personality, your attitude, your feelings? That's what society has communicated to me anyway. The sad thing is that that's not true in real life. (And as much as I want to believe it-> it's not exactly true in golf either.) 

"If you watch a game, it's fun. If you play it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf." -Bob Hope

Can You Hear Me?

What teenager isn't dying to be heard? Heard by friends, family, or just the 'popular' crowd?

 Who wouldn't give to have some influence? Influence on things from parties to world issues?

What if the things you said were actually heard by others? Who cares whether they agree or not, so long as they hear it.

That's why I'm so passionate about writing. I'm not your typical 'people person', but I will except just about any challenge when it comes to writing. I wish my school had a newspaper... but it's such a small school, printing a 'newspaper' would be a waste of time.

Aren't there magazines that let 'unqualified' writers publish articles in them if they're good enough? Rarely teenagers... but then again, how many teenagers even attempt something like that? Hmmm... sounds like a Rebelutionary sort of thing. (www.therebelution.com- check it out!)

I don't know how many people look at this blog, or even come across it unintentionally. But if you do, and you have any thoughts on this, please let me know. And hey, if you ever notice a book or article written under the pseudonym of 'No One In Particular'... then the girl who was constantly asking 'Can you hear me?'- is finally getting an answer(:

Summer Is Here At Last

You know it's summer time when you go to the beach and when you come home, half your body is bright red.

Ouch!

My face is comparable to a tomato, or a strawberry. Then today I was out in the sun again. Even though I slathered my face with sunscreen this time, my mom was certain that I was going to get sun poisoning. Her outrageous diagnosis consisted of my face turning purple, me passing out, and/or having to be rushed to the hospital. Thankfully, none of these events have taken place(; my face is now merely a dark pink. (oh, and it hurts to sneeze...) Other than that I'm completely fine.

Maybe this awful sunburn will turn into a nice tan? haha

Either way, summer is here at last!!! :D

Something Much Better

I get my heart set on things, big and small.

When I was little, and I wouldn't get something that I wanted, be it a toy, a lollipop, (or the correct color of lollipop), it would break my heart. 

Even now, in highschool, I still get my heart set on things. They aren't as juvenile, but some are still pretty small. Because in the grand scheme of things, certain stuff is very unimportant- just like a lollipop. Going to the beach for instance, or having a certain group of friends over for a movie night. When things don't work out- when a beach day gets rained out, or my friend bails and doesn't come to a movie night, it breaks my heart. 

I remember what my mom used to tell me when I was little (at, you know, the lollipop stage). She said, "If you don't get something you want right now, trust God because he's got something much better in store for you." I remember those simple words of wisdom when small things happen. But what about when I get my heart set on big things and those don't work out?

I have had many crushes on guys throughout my young life. But never has a boy I liked... actually liked me back. Boy's I've gotten my fragile heart set on, end up breaking it. Although it has almost always been unintentional, it still has hurt. 

It's not as easy as it sounds to say, "There's someone better out there for me," again and again and again. Adults tell me, "Oh honey you're just in high school, you'll find someone much better when you're older!"

Thank you for that lovely advice. As annoying as it is, it's true. 

I guess.

 I hope...

"Trust God, he's got something much better in store for you...."

Dream Big

I'm the kind of person who likes to dream big. Somedays I picture myself rocking out in Madison Square Garden, or becoming America's best selling author. Other days I'm meeting my favorite movie star, or I'm inspiring a revival for Christ.

Sometimes though, I enjoy dreaming "small." I see myself speaking at my school, raising money for some great cause, playing in a band made up of highschoolers.

It drives me crazy, because everything I've heard, (be it from tv, music, celebrities, whatever), tells me to "follow my dreams" or "follow my heart." What if I don't know where my heart or my dreams want to go? How can I pick just one? 

But, there's theme that reappears in all my dreams. In my dreams, I'm leading. 

In my dreams, whether big or small, I'm always the one whose jumping in head-first. I'm the leader. People look up to me. They follow me. I'm always the bravest one there. I think that's my real dream. To inspire others, to be the brave one, to be the one leading the pack. No matter what I'm actually doing, thats what I want. Maybe that's not the same for you, perhaps your personality is different than mine.

You know those kids that adults point to and say, "That one was born a leader." You know the kids who may appear 'bossy,' but they know how to direct others efficiently? That's not me. Once put in charge, leading comes naturally to me. But I don't like putting myself in charge.

I don't enjoy being the center of attention... yet I dream about being The hero. The star. The leader. Why?