Why are there no more Ned's?

I adore things that no longer exist. The way characters speak in Jane Austen's books, the days when dressing up didn't need an excuse, ladies always dressed as ladies and gents as gents, the fast wit of black and white movies, the snappy dialogue between silver-screen stars such as Carey Grant and Katherine Hepburn, the characters like Ned Seton who always say the most amusing thing in the most droll, negative way possible, and such and such and such...

I watched this movie tonight, "Holiday", again, which means it has to be one of my top five favorite movies of all times. I love the characters! Linda Seton, the black sheep of the family:

Linda: Well, young man, I hope you realize what you're getting yourself in for.

Johnny: Well, I must admit, I didn't know I was marrying into a house with an elevator.

Linda: Oh, it isn't only the elevator. The place is haunted.

Johnny: You mean ghosts?

Linda: Frightful ghosts all wearing stuffed shirts and mink-lined ties.

Johnny: Any skeletons in the closet?

Linda: You mean to say that Julia hasn't told you about Grandfather?

Johnny: No.

Linda: -leans in- He stole a railroad from the stockholders

Julia: Oh now, that's not true.

Linda: And of course you've heard about me. I'm the black sheep.

Johnny: Baaaaah!

Linda: That's a goat.

And there's Edward "Ned" Seton, the amusingly drunk brother:

Henry (butler): Good morning Mister Ned. Your father has just left for church, said he couldn't wait for you

Ned: Did I get home all right last night?

Henry: Everything is perfectly alright, sir.

Ned: How did I get this bump on my forehead?

Henry: You slipped once or twice, sir, in your bathroom.

Ned: Now listen, I want a drink in my room as soon as I get home from church.

Henry: Yes, sir.

-couple scenes later-

Ned: Who took the bottle of scotch out of my closet?

Linda: I don't know. What happened in church?

Ned: Oh, it was in my riding boots, a full quart.

Linda: Neddie, shut up. Did Julia tell Father?

Ned: -looking around old play room- I haven't been up here in years.

Linda: What did Father say?

Ned: We left Father talking about that guy to Mr. Hobson in front of church. Who's the egg anyway?

Johnny: I'm the egg.

Linda: And he's a good egg too. Johnny Case, my brother, Ned.

Johnny: How are you?

Ned: -slurs- Congratulations! Oh, this place gives me the creeps.

-Another couple of scenes later-

Ned, champagne bottle in hand: Happy New Year.

Linda: Same to you. -pause- What's it like to get drunk, Ned?

Ned: It's... How drunk?

Linda: Good and drunk.

Ned: Grand.

Linda: How is it?

Ned: Well, to begin with, it brings you to life.

Linda: Does it?

Ned: Mhmm. And after awhile you begin to know all about it. You feel, I don't know, important.

Linda: That must be good.

Ned: It is. -motions Linda closer- And then pretty soon the game starts.

Linda: What game?

Ned: A swell game, a terrible exciting game. See, you think clear as crystal, but every move, every sentence is a problem. That gets pretty interesting.

Linda: You get beaten, though, don't you?

Ned: Sure, but that's good, too. Then you don't mind anything, not anything at all. Then you sleep.

Linda: How long can you keep it up?

Ned: A long while. As long as you last.

Linda: Oh, Ned that's awful.

Ned: Think so? Other things are worse.

Linda: Where do you end up?

Ned: Where does everybody end up? You die. And that's all right, too.

Don't forget the lovable Potters, Johnny Case's best friends, who get along famously with Linda and Ned. Oh, to bring back such etiquette that even an insult can sound charming.

Thinking on my own cast of friends, I see clearly how much I've let my love of these cast-off oddities reside in my life. There's the black sheep with red hair... The friend who's always cutely dressed-she doesn't need an occasion... The beauty who doesn't let society rule her words... The pixie who flies towards freedom from the constraints pre-set for her... The calm, collected, thoroughly silly and anti-stereo-type fellow blonde... The playful and pouncing feline who's example of trueness to one's self is needed everywhere... The siren with two opposites attributes, power and peace, coinciding wonderfully together...

I'm honestly confused when I listen to those who speak of normalcy as something to be admired and envied. The reason for my confusion? I can't ever even IMAGINING wanting something so mundane and boring as a normal life. Yeah, I admit to wishing for less drama on occasion, but my reality is pretty darn exciting.

How 'bout yours? :-D

If Ever I Fall in Love...

For any that know me well, you know that I can count on one hand the number of guys I've ever had a "crush" on. I was never one to go ga-ga over the fellas or become a screaming fan over stars or what-not. BUT! The only "famous" crush you could say I sort of had was started on my 16th birthday. A friend gave me a CD she thought I'd like because of the awesome harmonies in it. She was right, I loved it, but more than that, I totally developed a little crush on the male singer, just from his voice! Then I saw his pictures and I "crushed" a little more.



LOL I went and bought more of this groups CD's and when their final one came out I was so sad! Even sadder, in his "thank you's" he mentioned a girl's name and then said something along the lines of *I smile a special smile* and my crush deflated. I can't and won't "like" a guy who isn't available, regardless if I've even met him or not. Years pass to now and I still listen to those CD's often, I love the lyrics and harmonies and just the whole feeling of worship when I listen. Every now and then I wonder if he ever got married to his girl and that's that, nothing more...

Today, searching for a certain song that I have to play for and having never heard it before, I was on YouTube and just had a weird curiosity to see if this group ever made any music videos. So I typed their name in and the first song I clicked on had the MySpace addresses for this brother and sister duet... Yes, I totally went to his MySpace, come on, I was like SO curious! More so because I found out he's gone solo since then and I had no idea AND he's written for and produced some songs for some of my (current) favorite bands (Tenth Avenue North and Brandon Heath). I had no idea that he'd been so busy!

Yes, he's married and has a little girl. Good thing I gave up that "crush", huh? The reason I've been sharing all this is because I really liked two songs in particular of this group, probably because they're so close to my heart in it's contents. While I was looking over some of their stuff I remembered them and how at one point I had claimed them as mine.

Song #1 Lyrics:

I don't know if you're near or far away
But I know that I'm thinking of you today
I don't know if I even know your name
But I know that I'm praying for you just the same
Someday we'll fall in love
You'll be mine and I will be yours
Our hearts will be one
And our love will ever endure

CHORUS
Then I'll need you, and I'll want you
And I'll find you someday
Then I'll love you, then I'll hold you
And I'll be with you always

Our love will be so strong and pure
You will make me feel like I have never felt before
You will be perfect only for me
You will make these eyes begin to see
Someday we'll fall in love
You'll be mine and I will be yours
Our hearts will be one
And our love will ever endure
CHORUS
Your faith for the Lord will be strong
Even though I know the wait is long
And though I'm young I still belive
That you're out there praying for me
CHORUS
CHORUS


Song #2 Lyrics:

What have we done?
We have lessened our thoughts on love
Some say, there is as many as three
But I believe that there's one for me
One for me
If God could make the stars in the sky
Then why can't He make a perfect"you and I"?
And we shouldn't even have to try
Or compromise in our lives
CHORUS
And it will feel like summertime
When I'm by your side, my skies are blue
And I will this every time
Like oceans wide, my love for you
My love for you

I believe in the soulmate kind of dreams
Where even in the trials we'll say it's all worthwhile
And in our lives there's an
Orchestra of things
Both major and minor keys,
butLove will always sing
CHORUS
And through time, our hearts
Will melt and mold together
You know, despite what people say
I'll hold to the promise of that day forever.
CHORUS

I'm a leader for young girls at my church's youth group. They're a GREAT bunch of girls, but they think my view on relationships and romance is weird and beyond old fashioned. I find their comments amusing, but I know God has something wonderful in store for me and I honestly don't want to ruin it. For all I know, I may not have an earthly romance, but my romance with Him will be a life-long journey. I decided when I was thirteen that I didn't want to kiss a man who wouldn't be my husband, and the only way for sure to do that is to wait till you're married, so if I ever get married, that will be my first kiss. I also don't want to have so many relationships that I end up with less than a whole heart to give, so I will not date, and I'm trusting God to bring to me the only man He intends me to be with. The girls laugh the most at this one, they want to know how it's even possible. My reply is God's the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The God who brought Rebeca to Isaac can also bring someone to Nicole, I know! LOL

Anyway, the sister in this group recently wrote another song and it's beautiful... It's a continuation of a love story, one that hasn't ended, is still going, is better than the wait, than the start, and it keeps getting better! Here are those lyrics:

When we first met
When we first kissed
When only dreams had felt like this
Surprised by how I let you in
Boy meets girl it all begins

To say that things were different then
Makes it sound like it’s the end

Love it grows up
It gets old
And it gets better
Time will have it’s way
But these Hearts will age together
I’m determined to let go of
Everything I thought it was
For something stronger
Something deeper
(Something richer, Something sweeter)
For love grown up

I know each line
I love your face
It takes me to my favorite place
Your easy smile
Your tattooed skin
They comfort me & draw me in

You know that I’m completely yours
No matter what the future has in store

The memories
Like the colors in these photographs are fading
But you and I are holding on to all that grace has given us today
For something stronger
For something deeper

It can be a challenge sometimes to still wait, to keep giving my dream of a beautiful earthly romance to Christ, but I don't want to settle for anything less, ever! The days that I yearn for companionship, I've learned to cry out to my Maker. The nights when I want to be held, I'm rocked to sleep in the arms of my Comforter. Those moments when I need to be cherished, my Savior reminds me of His scars. Yes, if ever I fall in love, it will have been well worth the wait!

Some like it Hot, Some like it Cold, I HATE the Wind...

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Text message from work: Can you work 8-7 next week?
Me: every day?
Them: m-f [June 7-11, 2010]
Me: ok

Saturday, June 5, 2010

A client: Do you have brothers or sisters?
Me: Yes! Two sisters and a brother
Client: Older or younger?
Me: One older sister, one younger brother and a younger sister
Client: How old are they?
Me: Steph's 24, Mike's 20, and Jenni's 18, she's a senior this year
Client: Oh! When's her graduation? Will you be able to go?
Me: It's this Thursday [June 10, 2010] and since she lives in Palm Springs [CA] I'll have to drive down there and back...

SUDDEN Realization: I agreed to work on my sister's graduation!

And that was the beginning of my crazy trip that took all of 18 hours of driving (I only drove 12 of those hours) and the whole "she-bang" was barely 48 hours long (including sleep)! LOL

I'm blessed that my work was willing to cover two days for me so I could go! If you think I'm crazy for taking only two days off to travel 10 hours worth of distance each way just for a graduation, you don't know me very well! Last year, I made about 6 trips back and forth to Tehachapi from Sacramento and each was approximately 24-36 hours long, including driving. I even managed to get in some rehearsal dinners and being a bridesmaid twice in those short trips! This is SOO not new for me, I'm actually beginning to believe I might be the queen of short trips. :-D But back to this trip!

I arrived in Tehachapi on Wednesday at quarter to 1, yes, in the morning... What time did I leave? Well... *whispers* 8pm... NO!!! I'm not that crazy of a driver (despite what some might say, and that was FIVE years ago!) and I didn't speed... much... Anyway! My mom forgot to leave the garage door unlocked so I could get in and I was freezing! I didn't bring any sort of sleevage with me, but come on, it's JUNE!! Somebody needs to tell that to Tehachapi. I called her phone, knowing I'd have to wake her up, but figuring that was the better option than becoming a popsicle. Now, her blinds to her kitchen are open, and I see her coming thru to look for her ringing phone. Thinking I'd save her the trouble, I knocked on the window, and apparently scared ten years off her life. LOL, Sorry Mom, but it was funny! Get to bed only to have to wake up five hours later... Sigh... On the road AGAIN we go, but this time I got to be a passenger! Yipee!

Nothing of blog-worthy occurances happen on the drive, so we'll skip ahead to our arrival in Palm Springs. We left pretty early so my mom could go with my sister to her Dr.'s appointment. Ashley (little sister's best friend and just like my little sister as well) and I watched my niece Lizzy while my mom and Steph go into the appointment. I have to admit, I'm feeling OLD! I used to babysit mulitple kids all the time and was a full-time nanny of a two year old boy and four year old girl, but I don't ever remember feeling so exhausted watching any of them... My hope is that I'm not old, my niece just has the MOST energy any two-and-a-half year old could ever possibly have... (I'm wondering if there's another two-and-a-half year old out there somewhere that's incredibly calm because my niece has her share of energy) We were running outside aound the Dr.'s offices (sorry to everyone who heard us!) and making noises and squeals, Lizzie was trying to head for the stairs every moment she could or she'd stop by her mom's Dr.'s door and knock then try to get in. If we let her back in, she'd pull all the pillows off chairs and couches and throw them on the floor, climb over them and say "Good girl!" LOL It was really cute, just hard to keep up with! At one point, we went into the elevator and didn't push any buttons, hoping to just keep her in a confined space for a little bit. We showed her how to jump in it (much to her mom's dismay) and we danced around... There must've been a moment where we didn't see her reaching for the buttons, because next thing we know, the elevator alarm was going off... Yes, Lizzie pushed the alarm button... We got out of there REAL quick and went back to the Dr.'s office, just in time to see my mom and sister come out of the examination room.

Mom: "We have to go to the hospital"
Me: "Now?"
Mom: "Yes."
Me: (hesitantly) "Why?"
Mom: "They want to monitor Steph's blood pressure... Looks like we might have a baby soon."
Me & Ashley: "What about Jenni's graduation?"
Me: "Should I call Dad to have him pick us up?"

This dialoging went on for a bit, and we were all worried about both... Jenni's graduation being unattended and Steph being by herself in the hospital if we went... So, ANOTHER round of Ashley and I watching Lizzie while Mom and Steph went to the Maternity Ward and we waited for my dad and lil' sis to arrive.

"E-I-E-I-E-I-E-I-E-I-E-I-E-I-E" was SO loud everyone in the hospital cafeteria was looking at us! Honestly, we had just been trying to entertain her without letting her run all over. We didn't think they'd appreciate us letting her loose right there. We'd tried food, juice, a plastic spoon (thank goodness she can't wield it right or I'd be missing an eye!), and nursery songs, which worked! Until she started singing along, but only the same two letters over and over and over and over again! Out to the couryard we went... And the moment we got out, she stopped singing. The little... darling! Instead, she went up to every single person out there to say "Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!" until she was brought back to where we were. She has to be the cutest little mischief maker ever!

Finally we were rescued, I mean my dad arrived and we went with him, all over town. To pick up my brother, to get stuff left behind from my sister's apartment, to the grocery store, etc... My mom actually beat us to his house and Jenni and I still had to get ready for her graduation. We got the news that my sister could be released from the hospital which relieved us all and she was able to come with us. I don't think it was the nice relaxed family get together my dad had been hoping it'd be, but all worked out well and everyone made it out the door on time and with no casualties.

Now, again, thinking logically about the weather to choose my clothing before leaving Sacramento, I had brought all of three things to wear: the tank top and jeans I was traveling in, and two dresses, one strapless, the other sleeveless. Assuming since I was in the desert, the black cover up I had would be more of a nuisence than anything else, so I slathered on sunscreen and left the cover up at my dad's...

It... was... so... WINDY!!! and... COLD!!!! My brother jokingly said something about doing Marilynn Monroe impressions, it was so windy... I think he jinxed me! I had to hold my dress the whole time! Walking, standing still, sitting, didn't matter! I got so cold that I went through my niece's diaper bag, found her flannel sleeper and draped it over on arm while smashing the other one against my brother's side. The whole trip I kept wondering why these particular cities and towns had not been informed that it's summer, winter's over...

My sister looked beautiful walking across the stage with grad gown flapping and cap threatening abandonment and I was SOOO proud of her! I even got Lizzie to yell, "Go Aunt Jenni!" :-D After the ceremony, she went off to Grad Night and my mom took the niece and other sister home while she and Ashley went off to their hotel and I traveled again to my dad's abode. We had to stop at Walgreen's on the way back to pick up my grandma's prescriptions and I decided while my dad was doing that, I should get some chocolate sauce and ice cream. While in the store I was incredible tempted by the sight of graham crackers, marshmallows and hershey's bars... Yes, those were included in my purchase! Out the door I walk, bags and purse in hand, only to have the wind greet me so that my other hand must be occupied by taming my dress... The problem with this was there wasn't any available hands to open the car door. Taking a chance, I let go of my dress, grab the door's handle and pull... and pull... and pull... WHOOSH! There goes my dress... Sigh... I manage to slide my body between the door and seat, but couldn't climb up as i was busy fighting the door, the wind, the bags, and my dress... You should've heard the laughter going on at my expense! Finally situated, my dad comes back with no idea that I even went in, so while I thought the whole world knew of my mortification, apparently it was only the other four bodies in the car.

At home and safely in a pair of my little sister's PJ pants, I make microwave smores for everyone and then proceed to make the biggest mess eating them! I had chocolate coating my teeth, on my mouth, dripping down my chin and stringing between my fingers! Mmmmm, it was good! They managed to snap a picture, but hopefully none of you will get to see it! "Alice in Wonderland" was put on the TV in Jenni's room and I fell asleep before Alice even went "around the bend"! LOL

Back to Tehachapi my mom, Ashley, Lizzie (who's staying with my mom till Steph has the baby) and I traverse. From there it's back to Sacramento for me and to my wonderful bed!! Oh, how I love my bed!!

I love seeing my family, and I was thrilled to see so many of them this time, but I have to tell, you, one of these days, I hope they visit me instead! :-D

I Think I Saw a Flying Couch!

Wake up: 6:30 am... On a Saturday morning! To be honest, this is quite normal for me, and it's not because of work. Saturday mornings are the one day of the week where I do not drag myself out of bed but rather wake up excited and wanting to go. To where? GARAGE SALE-ING!!!! I've gone every Saturday since the beginning of May it seems, and yes, I always spend too much money and then wonder what I'm ever going to ACTUALLY do with some of the items I bought, but it's a rush none the less. :-D So, today's... adventure!

We (Melissa, "the room-mate", Rossam, her fiance, and myself) started out around 7am, close to normal. Leaving around then means we have enough time to indulge in starbucks if we want, stop for cash (since our convienent credit cards and debit cards are no good at people's personal homes), or get any directions we might need (for some insanely far out whim we might have) to visit an "interesting" garage sale. The first sale we hit was at an apartment complex, something I've never seen before. Nothing's there that catches any of our attention so we start heading towards the freeway to drive about 30 miles looking for a sale we found in a penny saver ad. Rossam wanted a bike, and that was mentioned in the ad, the ONLY reason we would drive so far when there are ALOT of garge sales right by us! Lo and behold, the bikes were sold before we even got there and we got there at 8:09 am. That particular garage sale started at 8:00am... Yeah, apparently we were slow... Well, the next garage sale we went to told us about this REALLY big garage sale that was held in a field, it's that big! So we follow his directions and find it very easily, less than two minutes from where we were. Apparently this sale didn't start till 9:00am and we got there around 8:27am... But it looked very promising so we decided to wait.

Have you ever seen the Day after Thanksgiving at a garage sale? Seriously, have you? Well, I have, after today that is... When we got there we were probably the 8th or 9th in line. By the time it opened, and they let us in at 8:50am, my count of waiting bodies was up to 87... OMGoodness!!! For a Garage Sale!!! By the time we had been browsing around for 15min, the field was full of parked cars and even more people! I had to take a picture:

Amidst this seemingly large sea of people I found something fantastic! Something I could only have dreamed of finding so perfectly! Something I... Ok, you get the picture!

Let me give you a quick side story. When "the room-mate" told me she was getting married, I realized all our furniture in our apartment was hers, minus my bedroom and the kitchen... Thus the reason I started going to garage sales in the first place. I can't afford to furnish a two bedroom apartment with brand new furniture, but I don't have a problem with second-hand stuff (I grew up in a family of 6, I never had a new outfit till I asked for one on my 12th birthday... :-D). I decided, tho, that I didn't want just mis-match pieces. I actually wanted to carry out a theme, on a garage sale budget none the less! I'm going for a victorian motif with slight modernistic touches. I've found two wing back chairs and an iron coffee table and beautiful frames, some with mirrors attached! I've done pretty well, but I hadn't found a couch yet... Can you tell where this is going?

YES!! I found a couch!!! Not any couch, but one that fits PERFECTLY with my wanted theme!! It's tufted on the backrest and arms and the wood carved legs are so period. The fabric is an ivory background with embroidered floral clusters in a goldish thread that's way elegant and not even tacky! There's bronze/gold tacks all along the top of the back, to put it simply, it's beautiful! Best part? It was only $30!

Ok, so now I have this fantastic couch and absolutely NO WAY to transport it the 30 miles to home... So, I had a fantastic idea! We go to the local dollar store and buy some bungees with full intention to strap the couch to the roof of the car and drive it home. I'd done this before with my wingback chairs when I went out with my friend Michelle and we had no problem... It never occured to me that the chairs were way smaller or that we were all of 5 minutes away from my apartment... I totally thought this was going to work... Melissa was so amused by Rossam's and mine efforts that she took a pic for us!

Now, this was really tall on the top of the car, but I was still confident!! We were actually stopped by someone and asked which direction we were heading. When we answered he breathed a sigh of relief and said something along the lines of "thank goodness I'm going the other way!" LOL! We started driving and I thought all was well, but something was worrying me... I rolled the window all the way down, unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned out the window to see how my couch was faring only to see it FLYING!! Ok, not quite flying, but the wind was picking it up from underneath and lifting it up and down ontop of the car, almost as if it were one half of a pair of wings. We pulled over...

After readjusting for a good 20 minutes, we finally felt satisfied enough with our efforts and went back on the road. I still got scared out of my wits watching it slip down the back windshield but it never fell! We stopped once more to push it back up toward the front, more for my peace of mind than actual necessity, only to have it slip back down again before safely reaching home. It was quite and adventure! My heart was constantly racing because of excitement, delight, fear and anxiety and relief! :-D We (more accurately Melissa and Rossam) decided next time I wanted to buy a couch at a garge sale I needed to make sure I'm closer to home and have a friend with a truck come help me. LOL, I think I made their day!

The Timid First Step...

The timid first step, incredibly true for me and my new blog! My name is Nicole which, if you take the Hebrew meaning over the Greek one, means "truthful one" and I am, bluntly so... So the truth of this blog: My sister has been encouraging me to start a blog for months on end now, mainly a blog with recipes, food tips, cookware, and trial and error of my own self-made cuisine. While I might have fun with such a blog, I dislike immensely the thought of being trapped, and I should feel so if the only means of writing I promised lay in the realms of a kitchen or grocery store. With such reflections in mind I decided a blog was just not for me...

Until I started reading a couple blogs with such regularity that I came to the point where I was wishing for my very own blog so I too could write cute posts and share my insanely quirky moments, give ideas on refurbishing thrift store or garage sale finds (in some cases trash...) or just let you know that your life is not the only one out there with so much drama... I'm not married, I have no children, no romantic relationship or even a glimpse of one coming, but yes, I too, have a life flowing over with drama... It's amazing how the more you try to withdraw from over the top theatrics, the more you're sucked in!

Thus, because of my whim to subject all who are reading to complete insanity and ironic mirth, I invite you to join me on this path. I can't promise I'll step daintily, (as my blog name might imply) nor can I promise to even think thoroughly before placing a foot, (my fingers are starting to type as fast as my mouth works, which is infinitely faster than the brain) but I will promise such honesty that you might just think I'm lying. Those who know me already can and most likely will attest to the truth of the previous statement...

I also plan to travel this path in incredibly cute shoes and with colorful lipstick, so I completely understand if you ask me to wait a moment while you go slip on your adorable foot accessory and shine up your own lips! :-D