we can be…intense.
in Funny Stuff, Loved Ones, Thoughts and Feelings
as candy, dodgeball, family, Farms, glasses, hot dogs, hunt, Jess, jonathan, late night, mine, pink dress, reason, Repeatedly, siblings, sort, spending, spending time, suitors, time, way
I spent some time with a brother of mine tonight.
It was really good.
It’s easy to take it for granted when you’re little.
Spending time together, I mean.
But then you become what the world likes to call grown up.
You don’t see each other with bed head nearly as often anymore.
You don’t get as many late night talks.
You don’t sing songs to your parents about how they broke your tv.
Sometimes being grown up is sad.
And it’s definitely not the way we thought it would be.
We always dreamt of being able to drive.
For pretty much one reason alone.
“Cause then we’d go to Landhope Farms all the time and get as much candy and hot dogs as we want!” we promised each other.
I’m sort of glad that didn’t come true.
Turns out I don’t want as much candy and as many hot dogs as I thought I did, after all.
But, like I said, it was really good to be with each other.
And he sure does make me laugh.
“It must be so weird!” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“Being single.”
“I guess…” I acknowledged.
“Are you, like, just always on the hunt? Always thinking of every guy you meet as a potential, you know, guy for you?”
“Hmmm…sort of…but that sounds more intense than it really is, I think.”
“But, Jess,” he said, “You always have to bring your A game–I mean, it’s like a constant interview process for you!”
…
Well, thanks, Jonathan–cause, if it wasn’t before, well, now it’s weird!
Just kidding.
I just think he’s funny.
And intense.
It tends to run in my family.
Did I mention playing dodgeball out in California with a couple siblings of mine?
We played mostly with kids.
And, let’s just say I sure didn’t mind informing seven year olds when I got them out.
Informing them repeatedly.
Or at least until they walked off the court.
CAUSE THE GIRL IN THE PINK DRESS AND GLASSES WAS OUT, GOSHDARNIT!
We had a good laugh over that.
Like I said, intense.
And I can assure you, I brought my A game to dodgeball.
But it had nothing whatsoever to do with possible suitors and everything to do with possibly winning.
sometimes.
in I Lift My Eyes Up, Thoughts and Feelings
as Auto, brother, car, dark, deal, direction, Draft, fea, feeling, fist, girl, ground, hand, house, jenna, jonathan, lake, laugh, legs, monsters, night, right, rocks, rustling, something, sound, sprinklers, standing, tank top, thud, victim, weapons
Sometimes the monsters you fear are just sprinklers.
And you’re standing there in the dark, clutching a fist full of rocks you’ve scooped from underneath your feet; you’re not wanting to get close enough to whatever it is that’s terrifying you to actually throw them, but at least you’re armed now, and if not dangerous, well–you’re no longer just an innocuous girl. You’re not waiting to be a victim, legs and arms exposed because you were running and wearing shorts and a tank top and you never did expect to be so scared and vulnerable.
Not tonight, anyway.
But then your brother laughs just a little. “It’s just the sprinklers going off!” he says. And you laugh at yourself too and you let go of those rocks and they hit the ground with a thud, respectively, until you’re no longer feeling so weighed down by the weapons you clutched while you were fearing the worst.
Sprinklers, that’s what they were.
And now when you pass those sprinklers, you laugh a little inside your head. And you remember that what you feared so badly was something that couldn’t hurt you, after all.
So you don’t need to walk around with rocks in your hand; you don’t need to run away so fast; you don’t need to fear that every sound you hear is the worst.
Because sometimes the monsters you fear really are just sprinklers.
oh, man.
in Funny Stuff, Performance, Thoughts and Feelings
as american idioms, brother jonathan, chicken, cut, Delaware, dress rehearsal, Esther, fancy footwork, head, Henry VIII, jonathan, king henry viii, Pat, rehearsal, Shane, Tim Gunn, week
One time I overheard my mom trying to use that old expression, “running around like a chicken with its head cut off.” And I know. It’s not the most poetic of our American idioms. But my mom failed to mention the chicken, and so she simply told someone that she was “running around with HER [...]
beach. sister. cards: these are a few of my favorite things.
in Loved Ones, photography, Thoughts and Feelings
as beach, brother jonathan, card, Delaware, delaware beaches, fantastic family, jarna, jenna, Jenna Veronica, jonathan, something, sun glasses, today, Vern, wind
I like cards a lot. Especially ones that are perfectly square, not necessarily rectangular. Though, I would never turn a rectangular card away. But there’s just something about the symmetry of a square that makes me happy. And then when you add some good words on top of a square card? Well, it’s real, REAL [...]
my brother and his banana. seriously.
in Funny Stuff, Loved Ones
as Alex, Andromeda, banana, brother jonathan, Christian, clash of the titans, course, cream, face, Gin, greek mythology, ice, ice cream sundaes, Io, Jess, Jim, Joe, jonathan, Perseus, perseus and andromeda
Oh man, where to start? So I saw a movie tonight, in the theater. It was me and some really cool guys. I actually crashed a guys’ night out I’m pretty sure, but I think my brother Jonathan feels sorry for me an awful lot, so I got an invite too. Anyway, we saw Clash [...]
the fresh start room.
in I Lift My Eyes Up, Thoughts and Feelings
as America, brother jonathan, dear god, Delaware, fresh start, God, honeymoon, jonathan, little trip, lot, question, reason america, start, Tiger
So my brother Jonathan has a new blog up and running. I just read his post about a first that he recently experienced. And um, it’s one heck of a first, I’ve got to say. Which reminds me of today. As if I really need a reminder. As if the email I got from outofyourlife.com [...]
and it’s the future who gets to know life’s secrets, I guess.
in Thoughts and Feelings
as april 1st, brother jonathan, Don, earth cause, God, gonna, husband, jonathan, least count, lot, showmance, something, way
You know, I’ve heard, If you weren’t married…But then the thought stopped there because, well, I was married and quite frankly wasn’t into exploring the whole arena of if anyway. But now it’s not if. Whoa. It’s. Not. If. And it kind of terrifies me, I guess. See, I liked the certainty of marriage. Took [...]
firsts: thestrals and snow shoveling.
in I Lift My Eyes Up, Loved Ones, photography, Thoughts and Feelings
as brother jonathan, caption, Christian, E. You, gortex gloves, Harry, Harry Potter, jonathan, kid gloves, Luna Lovegood, nube, part, snow, Thestrals, time
And here’s the part when I tell you that I shoveled snow for the very first time in my life this weekend and you gasp. And then you tell me that it’s about time I took off my kid gloves and replaced them with a pair of gortex gloves. Oh, and a shovel. But see–and [...]
effing.
in Funny Stuff, Thoughts and Feelings
as Arthur, bikini, bladder infection, change, Guinevere, home, Jesus, jonathan, kind of hurt, New York, plastic flowers, something, tattoo artist, Tiger Woods, wicker basket, world
Even tattoos aren’t permanent, you know. People always warn you about getting that gnome on the inside of your wrist; that maybe you won’t want to be holding your grandchild someday and reminded of the night you took those awful shots and then thought it was a good idea to get inked. And that somehow [...]
the thing itself
in I Lift My Eyes Up, Loved Ones, Thoughts and Feelings
as bed, bed clothes, box, box spring, bridal train, demons, fear, God, jonathan, little rabbit, rabbit, sentimental/inspiration, sleep, smell, spring, thoughts/life, white rabbit
Lately sleep has been somewhat of a white rabbit for me. And I’m tired of chasing it. Heck, I’m even tired of laying down in a bed, waiting for that stupid little rabbit to stop it’s incessant running. Bottom line, I’m just plain tired. It seems that I am no better at fighting off the [...]
