I have a lot on my mind right now... so much that I couldn't even come up with catchy title for my post. So I'm just going to write and see if my mind will let my fingers express what I am thinking right now.
The picture above is my cousin Jenny. She is one of my best friends and we grew up together in Rifle, Colorado. Jenny came to Portland a few years ago to attend Cascade and that was where our friendship really started to grow. Well, we had always been FRIENDS, but this was our first experience when we weren't surrounded by family and familar things. We went to coffee a lot. She stayed the night at my house on Saturdays to do laundry and go to church and we would stay up late just talking and laughing. There are some stories about my childhood that I can't even say out loud with out almost peeing my pants! One of them is the story my sister told in her speech as my maid of honor. But let's get back to Jenny. She went to Cascade for one year and then went back to Colorado to work and figure out what she wanted to do with her life. I was sad to see my friend go. I remember when her parents came to pick her up and when they were getting in the the car I started crying. When I hugged her I didn't want to let go. Her mom joined in the hug, but I think it was just to pry me off of her. I miss Jenny very much. She joined the Army a year ago, or very close to it. I got to see her graduate from basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood (that's in Missiouri.) She is right now stationed in South Korea and has been there for 5 months. It feels like she has been gone for years. I don't e-mail her as often as I should... in fact I am terrible at e-mailing anyone! I am a jerk like that.
Today I made the familar trek over to the Wagners' house to do some laundry before Eric and I leave for Colorado tomorrow for my sisters wedding. I went inside the house and my friend Shauna immediately says "come with me" and we go to Starbucks. When we got back to the house we chatted for a bit.... Shauna and I go way back because I lived with the Wagners for four years and now that I am married I live just one block away. Shauna had to leave the house and before she left she said, "if my kitchen is clean when I get back there will be ten dollars for whoever did it." I laughed.... then I cleaned the kitchen. But while I was doing it I got this funny feeling. I had unloaded the dish washer many times before this, but this time it was different. I remembered where every thing went, but I couldn't describe what my mind was trying to tell me. Then I started crying. That's not really out of my character, being a girl and all.... I just think that I missed living at the Wagners' and all the experiences that I had there.
I've been married for two months now. It seems like longer than that, but I don't mean that in a "man, I've been married for SOOO long and this guy really gets on my nerves" sort of way. I love everything about it! The way we still spend every moment together, getting up at 6:30 to eat breakfast with him before he leaves for work, going to the store to get milk and tooth paste, working on having a Christ-like relationship, commenting on the crazy garden lady in our apartment complex (who seems to be watering every time we go in our out), the intimacy, the silliness, and always taking up the entire bed when Eric comes in after brushing his teeth and turns off the light. We have such a wonderful support system. Great friends and parents who continuously tell us how happy they are for us. What more could a girl want? Well, there is the whole baby thing, but I am patient and will wait as long as I can!
A few days ago I was unpacking some things and realized that I have a lot of musical instruments. They are (in no particular order): Two flutes, a clarinet, a green acoustic guitar, a keyboard, a didgeridoo, a tamborine and various other percussion type instruments. So I think I need to start a band! Will you join me? Pick an insturment from my collection, or bring one of your own! What will you play in my band? What will be called? Will we have costumes?
posted by Niki at 11:51 AM
10 Comments:
You have a didgeridoo?! I would love to learn to play that and beatbox at the same time. I've heard it done, and it's pretty cool!
10:47 PM
it is a hard and strange transition to go from living with friends to living with your husband . . . i remember feeling sort of sad and like i'd lost a part of myself when i moved out of the house i lived in with "the girls." i'd lived with some of those girls for like 4 or 5 years before i moved out and they moved on . . . i was sort of sad. i felt like i was missing out and being forgotten. i really don't feel that i belong there anymore. but i still have this wonderful new home and a great husband who i dig and would never want to live somewhere without him. it's an odd and scary transition . . .
i have a harmonica. i could play that in the band.
our costumes would be the old green dresses from cascade choir, but punkified.
our name would be "too much percussion and not enough talent."
10:16 AM
I have a mouth harp. Andrea won't let me practice, but I have it.
11:45 AM
Tim: Eric got the "didg" when he was in Australia for Pac Rim and although he has no rhythm, it's not a talent required to play this instrument. He's pretty good though and his favorite thing to do is play it really loud when my back is turned... it's kind of a creepy (unexpected) sound.
Tabs: When I got back from Jr. Teen is was really weird to be in our apartment... it just takes a while to get used to. I don't feel this way when I am in Colorado because I've been away from my family for 8 years now... And at first I thought you were talking about the previous choir dresses (that I only had to wear once) that were BLACK like death. Maybe we could combine the two to punkify properly.
James: We can have two harmonicas in the band... the more the merrier! I think we have vocals covered, but what we really need is a wicked bass player. Any one out there????
11:56 AM
I know what you mean about the transition too. I went straight from dorm life (surrounded by friends and exciting activities all the time) to being married and living in an apartment on our own. In many ways I was happy for the changes involved in married life, but it was sad to leave a lot behind.
I don't really have any musical talent, so I don't think I could contribute much to your band. Perhaps I could be your manager or publicist or something...or maybe a back-up dancer. That would be sweet!
12:58 PM
What about WTU? World Travelers Unite? Are you abandoning our unified band dreams to start a different one? Are you abandoning me?
1:44 PM
you can be in more than one band at once. i mean, look at david bazaan. he's in 3 different bands AND has a solo project!
3:14 PM
Spam is lame.
Niki, the mouth harp isn't a harmonica, but that little instrument that just makes a "boing-boing" noise when you pluck it. It was a white-elephant gift along with bubba teeth and a John Deer hat.
9:52 AM
hey, how was your sister's wedding?
9:29 AM
I don't like the transition part either but for different reasons. I am glad that you still remember where things go. That makes me smile.
For an instrument I can play Jell-O. I could try the base guitar thing too. It can't be that hard and I think it would blend nicely with the mouthy stuff. For a name how about "The Mouth Peace"? I just have a gift for creative names I think. Let me know when practice is.
2:50 PM
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