the many interpretations of my eyes

people see things differently. my eyes are no exception. i have received much attention in my life because of one, well two, overly pronounced facial features. for better and for worse.

 the honesty of childhood...and some bold adults. here are some conversation starters and then my thoughts and internal reactions below as i remember them.

 

 “can you like, see, really really far?”

-no, they do not give me super powers.

 

 “do you have two black eyes?”

-yes, i am third grader, who got into a fight, with someone who knew how to deliver two equally forceful punches to my face to cause a little discoloration under both eyes. no.

 

“are your eyes going to pop out of your head?”

-well i can't argue with that. that lady on oprah really hurt me.

 

 “i could take a bite our of your eye.”

-that is entirely possible.

 

“let's check your peripheral vision to see if you can see more than other people.”

-your on. (that turned out to be false. in fact, i think i see less than average eyed people. one point you).

 

“hey there bright eyes.”

-finally, an ally. at luby's of all places. one point me.

 

“you look tired.”

-i hate you.

 

done and done

i am finished with school. for good. i am no longer an intern, i no longer will be turning in papers, working in groups, preparing presentations, researching, longing to finish. i am simply done. and it makes me want to do this.

the sky, it might really be falling.

i have felt kinda beat down this semester. there has been big major changes and events taking place. not just in my life, but in the people around me. a lot of unknown, a lot of darkness and a lot of sad. my sweet to the bitter is knowing that god had placed my own personal jack pot with me so we can go through all of this together.

my sweet old car who had gotten me around since high school finally had some major internal issues. so we said our goodbyes and hayden and i embarked on a whole new journey, took advantage of a slumping economy and bought me a new car. a pretty, shiny, dependable, responsible new car. a first for me. after too many trips to the shop, juggling cars with my parents, and driving a slightly scary older car for too long, i drove her happily and so thankfully for ten wonderful days. 

this evening as i was heading home I was running way too low on gas and pushing her limits as it was. so it would only make sense to hit major traffic right? traffic like i hadn't seen on my commute home before. pushing it. after about 40 minutes into the drive and being way past empty on the scale i pulled off the road and filled up. relief. as i got back on the high way for the last 5 miles home the sky looked too creepy. it has already been getting dark, but now the storm clouds were rotating, rain drops were starting to fall. i was relieved to see signs for my exit. i should beat it just in time.

just then the emergency broadcast system came over the radio and mentioned the road that hayden and i live off of. the road that i was about to exit. hayden called at that moment and asked, "are you in the hail yet?" as these words processed in my brain leaves started circling around me. and then it hit. real. big. hail. my car was getting pounded. i tried to find trees, anything to park her under, seeking any kind of shelter for my new friend. other cars had already beat me to it. it was loud. it was so loud that my heart was pounding in my throat. at this point the glass was shattering underneath the blows of the hail and i was praying that it wouldn't come through. all i could think to do was sit on the middle consul, plug my ears and say, oh shit, repeatedly. it was what i felt at the time.

in the aftermath it looked like it had snowed. i have never in my life seen hail cover so much ground. it looked like not a square inch was missed from where i pulled over until i reached my apartment complex. 

i have been looking at the situations of the last few months as lessons. what is god trying to teach me? i believe in his timing, and i do believe that it is perfect. even if it has played out so very ironically in the past few months. and we have been trying to seek out good from the uncertainty of this time.

my car took one for the team tonight. she kept me safe, and has some definite battle scars to show for it. hayden's car was also significantly damaged. thank you for insurance. they say the value of new cars drops majorly when you drive it off the lot. i wonder what that means for a car with texas size hail damage. so much for our bargain.

it was all too personified for me today. literally being beat down. 

so today's lesson that i would like to share is......................................

a car is just a car. 

Never Say Never

there was a time when pointed shoes appeared to me like an accessory perfectly designed to accommodate a contemporary witch costume. the tapered jeans, that some marketing group so cleverly disguised in recent years as the "skinny" jean, brought back images of 80s and 90s unfortunate fashion faux pas. i have worn both. as an adult. now a days you can wear black with the right brown, patterns over patterns, vests, flats, anything nautical, keds, even floral is making its way back.

i realize that fashion is all about perception.

however, i was slightly caught off guard yet again today by what i anticipate in my inbox every week. i received a regular update from the oh so beautiful, makes me want to be rich and/or not care about spending money, anthropologie. to my amazement and shock this is what i saw...

anyone else immediately think slightly conservative hammer pants?

or perhaps this is what came to mind?

i couldn't find the best picture for aladdin, but you get the idea.

for those of you fashionistas who usually wear the styles before everyone else does, i had to send a word of caution. white pants are risky in general. white aladdin pants are a whole other story.

if i happen to eat my words and wear something like this in the next few months i will be sure to post it. in the mean time, never means nothing if it comes out of my mouth.

just like cherry-cola...

we visited my family for the holidays in el paso. hayden is three times the size of my great aunt lola. almost exactly. i will treasure this photo. she usually runs from the camera, but i think even lola understood that this needed documentation.

you don't have to take my word for it

since many of you are on what they call holiday, i have some suggestions for your leisure. we have come across some winners, my friends, and i want to share.

two thumbs up, five gold stars and a partridge in a pear tree. if you have eyes and ears you just might cherish it like we did. pretty sure my heart melted into a puddle on the floor. my ears might have exploded a few times as well with the sweet tunes in this display of musical genius. rental.

if you enjoy the more artsy of films we have another one that had us talking for hours about the story, the direction, the music, the purpose, morality, photography, all good things for a nice and warm conversation. it is intense. don't let my tone fool you. i'm telling all my friends. still in theaters.

if more goodness is discovered over the course of the next few weeks, i will share. peace.

feliz navidad from hunky mustache man

please consider this our formal christmas card. that's right, he is the whole package.