Out of the Box

Growing up, I never liked having attention drawn to me. I shied away from most sports and never really found something I excelled in. As a tot, I tried different genres of dancing and pageants, but nothing ever seemed to catch my fancy. I always had a hard time “tooting my horn”; as my mother liked to say it. I never had a competitive bone in my body and I didn’t mind letting others go ahead of me. I did everything I could to not stand out and loved when others around me succeeded. To my recent knowledge through swing and blues dancing, it is time for that boring pattern to end. It is time to break out of my box. I no longer want to stay crammed in my ‘don’t stick out-make sure everyone else is happy box.’ I am ready to BREAK OUT! Through blues and swing, I have learned more about myself than since I became a Christian when I was in middle school. I am learning to express myself and let loose. I would usually never dance in public to anything that wasn’t a routine, or previously taught (like electric slide or cupid shuffle). I now can no longer be still when songs like “do you love me” and “how sweet it is to be loved by you” come on. Dancing has become a new ‘release’ for me. It’s not only a way for me to have fun, but also a way to let stress out; in a positive manner. Not only are my mediocre dancing skills improving, but it has helped me socially as well. I have never been a ‘Chatty Cathy’, but I am learning how to interact on a more personal level. Happiness. This new found love makes me happy. There aren't many other things right now that make me happier than I am while I am dancing. Several nights, my cousin Jess and I have come home 'dancing on clouds.' We are on this 'happy high' for days and are so eager to go again!

While on my boundless path to self-discovery I have found a new fitting theme song. “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross:

I'm coming out I want the world to know Got to let it show

I'm coming out I want the world to know I got to let it show

There's a new me coming out And I just had to live

And I wanna give I'm completely positive I think this time around

I am gonna do it Like you never do it Like you never knew it

Ooh, I'll make it through The time has come for me To break out of the shell

I have to shout That I'm coming out

I've got to show the world All that I wanna be And all my abilities

There's so much more to me Somehow, I have to make them

Just understand I got it well in hand And, oh, how I've planned

I'm spreadin' love There's no need to fear

And I just feel so good Everytime I hear:

I'm coming out I want the world to know Got to let it show

It's just Puddin'

There are two muy bueno recipes for banana pudding. We use the powder mix to make the puddin.

This one is very simple:
1 3.4oz box French Vanilla pudding
1 12oz tub of Cool Whip
2c milk
Vanilla Wafers
3-6 medium sized bananas

Cut the bananas into small slices. You mix the puddin and 2c of milk first. Then, add the tub of cool whip to the puddin. Then you can either mix the bananas and wafers into the puddin or you can layer it. (1 layer of puddin then 1 layer of bananas and wafers then 1 layer of puddin then 1 layer of bananas and wafers….so on and so fourth.) And that’s it!

The other recipe is a little more time consuming. It’s a Paula Deen recipe!!

1 bag of Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 bananas sliced
2c milk
1 5oz box French Vanilla pudding
1 8oz package cream cheese (softened)
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 12oz tub of Cool Whip

First, line the bottom of a dish with cookies and place bananas on top. Blend milk with puddin mix. Beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together in a bowl until smooth; fold in Cool Whip. Add to puddin mixture, stirring until well blended. Pour mixture over cookies and bananas; cover with remaining cookies.

Give Me Your Eyes

For the past month or so I have been majorly inspired by the song "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath. This song puts many things in perspective for me. I find much comfort in the song because it is about a guy begging God to let him see the world as God does. It consistently reminds me that even though most people don’t notice or care about others, God does. He sees everyone and everything. I love how this song refers to common people dealing with everyday problems.

“There’s a man just to her right,
Black suit and a bright red tie,
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He’s out of work, he’s buying time.”

Those lines are a great example of a major problem America has right now. Because of the economy, thousands of people are losing their jobs daily. This song makes my heart ache. The chorus is a daily prayer of mine:

“Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see.”

Look this song up!!!!! Until I heard this song, I didn’t think to look at those around me beyond the surface. I hope the lyrics to “Give Me Your Eyes” will open up your eyes and heart to humanity as it did mine.

UP UP and...

I went flying with my friends Craig and Dan to Okeechobee today. Lets just say... I AM THE WORST COPILOT EVER! It was such a nice day to fly and i completely ruined it...I got super sick! I have flown dozens and dozens of times in small planes, but I guess today was just not my day. I was sick the whole entire time. I felt so bad for the guys...I was such a burden. As soon as we landed in Okeechobee I laid down on the tarmac. I didn't want to move. I was so sick I was afraid that if I moved my eyes too quickly, that it would be the end. I was doing okay on the way back. I kept my eyes shut the entire flight. Poor Craig kept trying to talk and check on me but all I could manage was a head nod. We finally land in Winter Haven and I begin to get so excited that I actually had made it all the way back without vomiting. And then....as soon as I stood up out of the plane it happens....it was so embarrassing! So, to Craig and Dan, I AM SO SORRY and thank you for putting up with me today!!

"Honey, were in Alabama"

Beware of Tazo Berryblossom White Tea!! I recently went to the Whole Foods Market in Orlando with a friend. While I was there, I bought a glass of Berry Blossom White Tea. I should have thought more about it when Chris asked me if I realized something was floating in my tea. I simply thought "Its no big deal" and said it was just loose leaf tea and continued to drink it. Later on that day, I became extremely tired and passed out on the couch. When I awoke, I had no idea where the heck I was. I look over to the other couch and my grandmomma was sitting up looking at me. I asked her where we were and she replies, "Honey, were in Alabama." I began freaking out...what was I doing in Alabama? How did I get here? A few minutes later my mum walks in and immediately begins laughing. My grandmother has Alzheimers. She has no short term memory and when she stays at my house, she always thinks she is back home in Alabama. This tea messed me up! I went from feeling like I had just taken sleeping pills to extremely giddy. I could not stop laughing. I went to a church group that night and laughed the whole time. If you didn't know me, you would have thought I was either mental or seriously dopped up. The next day when I woke up, I felt like I had a hangover. It felt like I had been sleeping under a pile of bricks! I was so out of it, that my literature professor pulled me aside after class to ask if I was okay. She said I seemed "disconnected" and "in another world." I promised her that I wasen't on drugs and tried to explain that it was the result of this yummy tea that I had drank the previous day. So, if you decide to buy a glass of berryblossom white tea, do not drink it if there is something floating in it. I am completely conviced my tea was "weed-infused." haha.

It's a Decession...

I was completely awestruck today over a very intelligent conversation I overheard while at COLLEGE:

"So were in a recession because we aint got no money?"

"No, it’s a decession stupid."

"Decession’s what I said."

I could not believe my ears! Lets just say that hopefully, they decided to merge the words recession and depression to over exaggerate the point that our economy is in a big dilemma!

Would you fancy a chat?

Within the last week I have made some new friends. (yes, I do actually have friends) I work at a coffee house inside the Winter Haven Airport so I come in contact with people from all over the world everyday. This past week I met some lovely people from the U.K.! It is so exciting to learn about different cultures. But, what I have found to be very interesting, is their accent, and the different phrases they say. I have been walking around speaking British all week! To them, I am sure I look and sound like an idiot, because every time they speak, all I can muster out is a very loud chuckle! "Would you fancy a chat?" "That's rubbish" "car park" "Could I ring you later?" "Brilliant!" "Idunno" (please dont imagine me saying this, imagine someone british..haha) Not only does their accent fascinate me, but their manners do as well. We all went out to eat and I was blown away when I noticed one of the guys was eating a hamburger and french fries with a fork and knife. When I explained that "we" (as in Americans) eat hamburgers and french fries with our fingers he replied with, "But then my fingers will get dirty." So I finally talked him into eating the burger and fries with his fingers and he says, "Do you realize this goes against everything I learned growing up?" I laughed so hard I could hardly breathe! (BTW, I am not making fun, I was simply amused) Anyway, it has been great fun to learn a little about someone outside of Polk County.

Have a lovely day!