The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

Last Saturday was one of the most fun-filled days I've had in a long time. It began with Jen's bachelorette party. We went to a Sox game (and I really did try to be open-minded, but it was just not fun to me), then out to dinner at Rock Bottom. Then we walked over to Howl at the Moon, where I was supposed to be meeting Rachel and some other friends. It worked out well because my friend Kris was also there with a bunch of her friends who were visiting, and her boyfriend and his coworker. It turns out the coworker, Ryan, just moved to Chicago and lives in my neighborhood. I gave him my number in case he needed anything or just wanted to hang out, and me, Rachel, Stephanie, and Trevor left to go to a party. The party was not that exciting, mainly because a friend of mine was annoyed with me. It's so hard because I feel like, at this point, she genuinely dislikes me, but won't say anything about it. I miss her, but I miss the way she used to be, not the way she is no

I had such a lovely afternoon yesterday. I went out to my parents' house for a late lunch. Usually, I look forward to spending time with my family, and then I get there and remember that the reality is that my dad is grouchy and my mom's a little crazy and my brother is mean to my mom. But yesterday was different, maybe because my brother moved out. Everyone got along and actually enjoyed being together. And it was a nice bonus that we watched the Cubs win, which put them in first place. We had a feast of sweet corn and tomatoes and chips and salsa and these roasted red peppers that you wrap cheese in and then grill. We had strawberry pie for dessert. Delicious. I know this is not a very exciting post, but I pretty much had to write about our lunch just so I could post this pic of my dad and brother. I told them to smile, and this is what I got. My dad is hilarious.

My grandma is an amazing seamstress. However, I have failed to inherit this skill. I don't like focusing on details, and sewing involves a lot of that. But I am determined that this is something I will share with my grandma, who is one of my favorite people in the world. So we are making a quilt. I bought the kit over two years ago. It is going to be adorable. It's like a Sunbonnet Sue pattern in shades of blue. But there has been one problem after another, the biggest obstacle being free time, followed by a broken sewing machine and her 60 year old sewing machine that doesn't do fancy stitches. So finally this summer it occurred to me that my grandma is 89, so we can't let this go another few years. I arrived at her house today armed with a new sewing machine, thinking we were ready to go. First, we realized we had no black thread, so I had run to Meijer. Then we had to learn how to use the sewing machine, because it was pretty complicated. Finally, we fell

When I placed Jacob for adoption, I was worried that he wouldn't want to know me as he got older. I know that boys are not usually as interested in that as girls are. My brother wants nothing to do with his birth family, so that was probably my biggest fear. I'm realizing I worried for nothing. Whenever Marilyn (his mom) and I would chat in the past, she'd put him on the phone and we'd talk for a few minutes. But the last two times I've talked to him, he's called me. The last time he called a few months ago, he wanted to know about genealogy. Tonight he called just to chat, and that boy kept me on the phone for 35 minutes! And I was the one to end the conversation; he would have kept going. He definitely comes by it honestly. My birthmom and I can go on and on. So he talked a lot about Harry Potter (he's reading the 6th book right now), and I told him to call me back after he sees the movie. I'm hoping to get out to Iowa before the end of the

I just realized I haven't written about Florida yet! It was the perfect vacation. I would wake up around 10 and go right to the beach. On the way home, I'd stop at Sonic for a half-price cherry limeade. Then I'd go home, shower, hang out for a while and read or watch stupid shows on TV (which I never have time for), then head over to my uncle's for dinner. I always eat so well when I'm in Florida. I discovered that I like rhubarb pie, at least the way my Uncle Joel makes it. One night I offered to make my grandma's recipe for lemon pie for dessert, and my offer was met with complete silence. They had no faith in my kitchen skillz. Luckily, the pie turned out all right. We watched several movies together, too- Ghostbusters, Little Miss Sunshine, Fly Away Home, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I really enjoy the time I get to spend with my family in Florida. I also spent a lot of time with my kind-of cousin Amber. (I'm not really sure

Nancy and I went to Memphis several weeks ago and had a fabulous time. On Thursday night, we went out on Beale Street, ready to party. Unfortunately, it was all college kids. Some of them even looked younger than that. And the whole scene just seemed kind of lame- go get a cup of beer and stand on the street drinking it. Not very exciting. After one drink, we decided we were too old for this scene and would have more fun at the TGI Fridays in our hotel lobby. (This is so embarrassing to admit; the only reason I'm doing so is because it's important to the rest of the story.) So we're drinking margaritas and Nancy comments that the waiter seems into me. We ask him how old he is, and he's only 22. But I think, hmm, the whole Mrs. Robinson thing could be fun. (I'm pretty drunk at this point.) At the end of the evening, he tells me he'll be working room service the next night, and I should order a drink if I want to hang out. Perfect. The next morning we we

I love to read random people's blogs, and I particularly love this girl Azucar's blog. I love this post she wrote a few weeks ago. If you don't feel like clicking on the link (which you really should, because it's a great story and well-written), she writes about an encounter she has with teenage bullies who are harassing people from their car. I love it because she does what I would have done and gets to see justice served. But I also love her sympathy for the goth kid. I hate when people are made to feel like outsiders. There was a really sweet moment tonight at DC's (the place where I go line dancing) that reminded me of her post. A guy was there who looked really out of place; his friends had probably dragged him there. He was wearing the baggy black jeans with lots of chains (and he was actually really cute). The band members often shout things at the dancers and make jokes, and tonight one of the guys singled out this alternative-looking guy. I was a

So far this summer, I have: - Gone four-wheeling - Made a friend in a rural area - Been to a rodeo - Gone hiking - Been to Devil's Lake - Been to Memphis - Eaten a blue sno-cone - Gone for a motorcycle ride (inspired by Bella in New Moon) - Eaten raspberries right off the bushes - Climbed a tree I have plans to: - Go on the Weird Chicago tour (tonight!) - Play in a waterfall - Go on a road trip - Go on the architectural tour I still need to: - Learn guitar - Go ghost hunting - Read a Georgette Heyer book - Play baseball at the Field of Dreams field - Go whitewater rafting - Have a water balloon fight - Nap in a hammock - Get a badminton set for Mom & Dad's yard - Finish the quilt with Grandma - Make vegan Rice Krispie treats - Swim in my parents' pool - Get married in Vegas - Make chalk drawings on the sidewalk in front of my apartment - Go on a neighborhood tour - Go to an observatory and look through a telescope - Go tubing - Slip 'n' Slide - Go to where the M