A Story For Princess Madison

Once upon a time, there was a princess. For entertainment purposes only, we will call this princess Aunt Michelle. But she was a princess, and quite beautiful, to boot. She should also add that her sister was a mermaid:


Princess Michelle and Mermaid Angela had an older brother, not quite a prince... as you can tell by past family pictures:


As Princess Michelle, Mermaid Angela, and Backwoods Brother Matt grew up, they always wished there would be another addition to their family.

Years passed and Backwoods Brother stopped crossing his eyes long enough to learn how to play music. He was good, though Queen Patty would also say that his playing stage presence left something to be desired.


Those sick musical skills came in handy when he met and wooed a Fair Maiden from a different royal family. Some would say it was love at first sight. Though, Princess Michelle worries for the sanity of the Fair Maiden. I mean, look at Backwoods Brother!


But, love is blind (or cross eyed) and soon enough, Princess Michelle, Mermaid Angela, Backwoods Brother, Fair Maiden, and the rest of the gain (Queen Mum Nanni, Queen Patty, King Al, and Duchesses Phil and Jo-Jo) were excited to welcome the newest member of their clan!

One cold day in January, King Al took Princess Michelle out for her first driving lesson on Nanni's old steer. He was quite terrified because Princess Michelle had just received her driver's permit and had never been behind the wheel before. It was also not a bright or sunny day and there was still snow on the ground from Christmas. But off they went...


Soon, King Al received a call on the royal cellular phone.

(It was only 2002... cell phones were obviously not as small or functional back then)

It was Backwoods Brother calling to say that the new Princess was arriving at that very moment! King Al panicked and forcibly pulled Princess Michelle's horse over and took over the reigns. Off they went to the hospital!


After King Al's crazy drive over (which included almost being pulled over by the kingdom's sheriff), Princess Michelle was super happy to see that all of the royal subjects had gathered in the comfortable waiting room. "Any minute now..." she thought, "Any minute and we will finally get to meet the newest little princess!"

Well, minutes passed... and then hours... Princess Michelle became restless and resorted to reading hospital pamphlets and watching old episodes of Maury.

But just when she thought she couldn't wait any longer, the newest Princess arrived. Princess Michelle could have sworn that moment she knew that Princess Madison had arrived, trumpets sounded and parades went by (but it turned out it was just Mermaid Angela practicing). Either way, everyone in the Kingdom were so happy to welcome such a beautiful baby- maybe one of the fairest she will ever see. (she got that fairness from her mom)

As Princess Madison grew up, Princess Michelle could only love her more. She knew that one day, she would grow up and do great things. Maybe be a pilot of a huge plane:

Or a famous dancer:

But Princess Michelle knew that she could do anything because, on the day she was born, Princess Michelle knew that she was special. Princess Madison was everyone's wish come true. And, even when she was too young to speak, she could make anyone smile, even the often grumpy Mermaid Angela.

Today, just happens to be Princess Madison's birthday. And even though Princess Michelle is ruling over another kingdom far away, she thinks of Princess Madison every day and counts down the days till she gets to see her again. But, in the meantime, she knows that Princess Madison will always be kind to others and take care of those in need- including Prince Alex. She will be a good student and an even better friend. And in the next 9 years, she will learn to drive, go to high school, look at colleges, figure out long division, and maybe even meet a worthy boy to take to dances.

So here's to Princess Madison's "Happily Ever After!"

Christmas

I'm sorry for the delay in blogging. I actually wrote a pre-Christmas blog about a week ago, but the draft was lost and I'm too lazy to come up with that material again.

Call it post-Christmas-trauma disorder.

In reality, my Christmas went well. I'm too poor to purchase a Christmas tree and space wouldn't allow it if I had the $90 to fork over for plastic cinders. I improvised by re-purposing a vase of plastic daisies. Brendan provided the homemade ornaments. And just to make it even more authentic, I took one of my many couple-less socks and used it as a stocking. Here's the evidence:


All those presents are unfortunately not for me. I ended up stuffing everyone's stocking:
Dad-newest XRT cd
Melanie (step mom)- Elvis wine holder
Mom- tickets to see Million Dollar Quartet
Grandma- new outdoor thermometer
Aunt P- a personalized dessert carrier
Aunt J- a pajama set and a hand knitted scarf
Niece- gift card for target, bonnie bell lip smackers, and an Angel necklace
Nephew- two onesies and some diapers (what more does a 5 month old need?)

In return, I ended up getting:
-4 sweaters and a corduroy coat (mom)
- hoop necklace (mom)
- A new metal bed frame (aunts)
- Mattress cover, pad, and pillow topper (aunts)
- Easel and paint set (aunts)
- Two pairs of boots that didn't fit (aunts)... they are getting returned and replaced by new running pants and a new Nike hookup for my running shoes
- Large pots and pans set (dad and Melanie)
- New silverware (dad and Melanie)

What about darling boyfriend? Well, we decided to save money and make gifts for each other. I made him a tie-dye tshirt and painted a picture frame to match. He gave me an entire cd worth of songs from our relationship, but instead of it being the original artist, it's actually him singing and playing all the parts! He also played Santa and stuffed my stocking (ha!) with candy and a new candle.

Of course, Christmas wasn't without drama. This one, while sort of not unexpected, knocked everyone out. Instead of being a fight between who's gift was better or which Christmas we would attend, this year's Christmas woe was full of fear, tears, and unbelievable anger and regret. I really, really wish I could blog about it here. I have so much to say, so much anger and sadness to express that it seems unfair that I cant just come out and say what happened. My nightmares over that night have not ceased, and every day, the confusion and guilt have just increased to a boiling point.

This is not what Christmas is supposed to be. And frankly, I will never forget this Christmas night, that phone call, or the events leading up to it. I cant imagine the next couple of years not having that scar on it.

Anyways, I was blessed to have the happy moments I did. I am blessed by an amazingly resilient and giving family. And to the friend who texted me throughout the night and day, thank you. The same goes to the boyfriend who tried his best to comfort me and to make my Christmas as normal as possible.

I've been without a solid support group since I've moved to the city. My friendships have been dwindling to a precious few I can count on to have a complete conversation with. And in times like this, you understand how much you have and how much you miss. But that's part of being an adult. There's no tree back at home waiting for you to be decorated. There are no line of friends waiting to hold you or willing to drop their lives to see you. And there is certainly not a real Santa around to eat your cookies and leave you the mass amount of things you need for the apartment.

This is growing up. I'm glad to be at this part of my life because: "Try as we might, happy as we were, we can never go back."

And now, because this became a complete bummer of a post... ADORABLE CHILDREN! (credit goes to my brother's girlfriend and my sister since I was without a camera):

Niece opening up her build-a-bear. I swear she has a bajillion of these things.

Nephew and brother opening gifts. I just love this picture.

Santa "baby"!

Motivation

Recently, there was a crisis in my family. It was one that completely shook me to my core. Of course, it was totally unexpected and I heard about it from the worst source possible. And obviously, because this is deeply personal, I will not discuss this here.

However, this event did spark something in me that I have been secretly struggling with over the past couple of months- motivation.

Before I moved out to E-town for my year as a teacher, I became extremely dedicated to exercising. I ran a 5K, tracked almost everything I ate, practiced yoga almost daily, and was at my lowest weight in 5 years. Being active gave me confidence to end a going south relationship and to make several important life decisions.

Only, it didn't last. I moved to a neighborhood where a gym wasn't free and I wasn't making enough to pay for it. I tried to run outside, but my neighborhood was occasionally dangerous, hilly, and was located right next to high schoolers who could be quite cruel to passers. I stopped working out, I drank more, and I went out to eat like crazy.

That ritual pretty much summed up my entire last year. And obviously, my body has paid for it. And this is where I am going to be brutally honest. I gained back the 15lbs I lost when I was at my peak and then gained about another 7. I haven't felt good or comfortable in my skin, and those around me or close to me have seen this change.

A couple weeks ago, I decided to be pro-active. I started up running again, but my previous problems with shin splints hindered me. I finally bit the bullet and joined the Y. Not only does it provide me with a ton of free or low fee classes, I also get to use this activtrack fitness helper. And of course, I'm back on sparkpeople. Find me if you use it because I love spark buddies.

Yesterday was my first spin class, by the way. Oh man, it was insane. I had taken a couple of spin classes here and there, but never full hour sessions at high intensity. But there was something great about channeling all of my anger and hurt in pushing my body to the limit.

Anyways, I might post more about my fitness as time goes by and I may just forget or be unwilling to post about it period. But, if you want to motivate me with emails, facebook messages, and the occasional phone call... that would be great.