On May 4th, 2003, the sky shot from gray and blah to green and eerie in a matter of minutes (that kind of change you only see in the Midwest.) My mom was at work; Will, Dad, and I had just been lying around the house, being lazy. We knew we were under a tornado watch, as we had been for the past few days. Once we noticed the sudden change in the sky, we headed down to our walkout basement (the storm shelter was in the back, away from the backyard/walkout part.) My dad flipped on the TV, as that’s always been his main method of news-gathering… at least, ever since TVs became popular and we stopped relying on the weather radio with the creepy jazz music. (Sometime after our entire basement flooded up to the first floor in 1998, WHILE WE WERE UNDER A TORNADO WARNING. Yeah, we had to choose between drowning and being sucked up by a tornado.) So, my dad, being my dad, has the TV on SO FUCKING LOUD that Will and I can barely hear ourselves talk. We’re still in the walkout part of the basement at this point, right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, because it’s just a watch, not a warning. I’m still staring at the sky thinking… hmm… here’s the wind… here’s the hail… here’s the rain… uhhh… a tornado is going to appear any minute… and all the sudden, I think, hmm… I hear the faint shrill of the tornado sirens.

So, I’m like, “DAD, TURN THE TV DOWN, THE TORNADO SIRENS ARE GOING OFF!” And he’s like, “nah, they are not, it would be on the news if we were now in a warning, and besides, there’s one right next to us… it’s loud.” And once again, I’m like, “DAD, JUST LOOK OUTSIDE. THEY’RE GOING OFF. AND YOU HAVE THE TV UP SO LOUD YOU WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO HEAR IT ANYWAY.” And he STILL doesn’t believe me, at least not until the newscasters and meteorologists say, “alright, we’re going off-air and into shelter, there’s a tornado right next to us.” At which point, my dad JUMPS up, and starts FREAKING out, and is like, “RUN GUYS OMG RUN WE HAVE TO GET INTO THE STORM SHELTER OMG THE TORNADO IS COMING OMG!” like this is the first tornado warning he’s ever been in. Me being the caring, unselfish one, goes, “WAIT, we have to go get the cats so they don’t get sucked up and thrown around and die!” My dad is like, “YOU GO, YOU GO GET THE CATS! THE TORNADO IS COMING! YOU AND WILL GO FIND ALL FOUR OF THEM AND BRING THEM DOWN! GO!”

Hahahaha. We found the cats and didn’t die. In fact, contrary to my memory, apparently the May 4th tornado warning wasn’t even the one that spawned the tornado that destroyed part of Lawrence… it was the May 8th one that did. Both our junior high and the montessori school got ripped apart (for the third time in like, three years… someone hates education!), as well as some houses and the apartment complex that seems to be a magnet for natural disasters. (It’s been hit a few times by tornadoes as well as burned down by being struck by lightning.) I don’t remember the May 8th one being that big of a deal, even though it should’ve been since that one got closer to our house than the May 4th one… I only for certain remember the May 4th one because of my dad missing the sirens and almost killing us and because May 4th, 2003 was my friend’s 12th birthday.

Here’s some snazzy pictures from our newspaper from the May 8th tornado…

(the tornado about to touch down next to our junior high)

(the magnet apartments, plus some homes)

(our governor at the time, now US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, in front of the apartment complex)

Prayers to the Tennesseans as they battle this flooding. We’re lucky in that most of our flooding only affects downtown Lawrence (where our old house in 1998 was) and don’t have to worry too much about the majority of our businesses having to shut down for months on end. Kansans are pros at dealing with tornadoes and all the cleaning up after… but I doubt dealing with being underwater was on anyone’s radar in Tennessee.

My cousins are hilariously amazing. Not a day goes by that I don’t appreciate being so close to them, getting the chance to be a part of their family. But? The rest of the people I love are in Kansas. I left to get away from them… but was that the best idea? What about the saying, “you can run away, but you can’t ever run away from your problems”? I’ve loved the distance from the drama, the distance from the people in general. Now, though, I’m having a hard time figuring out if I want to stay in Tulsa or move back to Kansas.

There are some pressing issues in my life that would pretty much need me to move back. I honestly think that’s the best course of action for my current situation. I’d love to elaborate, but others deserve to know before the rest of the Internet. The deal is, I’d come back here, finish my vet tech degree by Fall 2011/Spring 2012, and when my parents move… maybe I will, too. At that point, both Will and Amy will be off to college somewhere. I don’t know where I’d go yet (obviously.) Or even if I will.

The only, ONLY thing that is REALLY holding me back from moving to Kansas again is leaving my cousins. This is going to crush all of them, not to mention me!! I wish, so badly, that they would move up a state, instead of just moving to a new house in Tulsa. I love being close to them. I love being Amy and Erin’s sounding board, their rock, their big sister. I love how Logan knows me, can say my name. I love playing football with Jason and mercilessly teasing him about his girlfriends. I love fighting over the TV remote with Kelsi and eating late-night bagels with Sarah.

And now, writing that paragraph… now… now, I’m even less certain than I was earlier.

—-

I password-protected a post I wrote about two weeks ago. There are no juicy secrets in it, sorry, I just don’t want that information about me available to the general public. Future protected posts will more than likely be coming, and the password will be the same for all. If you want the password, comment on this post or send me an email.

—-

The House passed the healthcare reform bill tonight. Remember when I wrote this, about my friend who freaks the fuck out at anyone who could be remotely liberal? Yeah, guess who wrote a Facebook status almost immediately, sparking debate (not bad) and namecalling (bad.) WHICH PISSES ME OFF ALL OVER AGAIN. Shit, I don’t care if you hate the bill. Honestly, I’m not quite fond of it myself. But to write “FOR ALL YOU IGNORANT LIBERALS….I’M SURE THIS IS ALL GEORGE BUSH’S FAULT.”? Really? Do you really need the “for all you ignorant liberals” part? As I recall, there were plenty of conservatives blaming Bush 24/7. So shut the fuck up. *P.S. Just for you, one-who-wrote-Facebook-status, I’m not-so-secretly glad that someone poked a hole in your credibility and commended a liberal for taking the high road. HA!*

—-

To the surprise of no one, I’m pretty sure I’m failing approximately half my classes.

—-

My mom hit a deer last week, driving my dad’s car. We took it to the dealer, along with my car (scheduled maintenance), to make sure nothing was technically wrong with it and to order new parts. The service technician propped the hood open to check the engine, stuck his hand in there, and pulled out… OUR HOUSE PHONE. From the engine. All my mom said was, “THAT’S where that went!”

—-

I bought a new LCD HDTV. It is gorgeous and the most grown-up thing I have ever bought myself. I’ll be living off Ramen and water for the next thirty years, but who cares? I HAVE A FUCKING SWEET TV! Also on the home-y note, I’m painting my rooms dark blue and dark green, a definite upgrade from the current dingy, contractor-painted colors.

—-

Get ready for tomorrow… where I detail everything that I’ve been feeling toward MFH for the past, oh, ever! (Oh, and in case anyone noticed, I didn’t do a first of the month post for November. Because absolutely nothing is happening in November.)

I’ve decided that from now on, I’m celebrating each year with my cousins. Normally our birthdays in my immediate family are so blah and eh whatever, but with all the kids it’s like YIPPIE YEAHHHH!!!

Before everyone asks… my main present was a new iPhone (upgrading my 3G 8gig to 3GS 32gig… which I have yet to get since everywhere is sold out), and then my dad is buying yet another MacBook so I get his other newest silver one. I love my poor old white baby MacBook, but the processor is soooo slow and I ran out of memory a long time ago.

My momma bought me some real black opal earrings, and my cousins gave me a picture frame with all of them together in it to put in my apartment. =)

Nothing else has been happening in my life that’s remotely interesting that I can publicly blog about.

I used to watch the sky before I finally fell asleep each night. At least once a week I’d see a shooting star, which is totally cool given that people complain all the time about never having seen a shooting star. But this meteor shower? Those meteors left big, long streaks of light after them.

It was tight.

—-

Will officially started high school yesterday. He says it’s just school, lame, sucks, whatever (that scarily sounds like me), but he’s finding the fact that he can leave campus for lunch quite liberating. They only have 25 minutes for lunch, and the only places near the school are fast food, so I’m fully expecting him to gain 24,290 pounds by the end of the year.

Anyway, I’m the one that gets to pick him up after school until my mother hires someone else to, and the two times I’ve gone remind me just how much I loathed seeing that school every day. I can’t believe kids deal with that for three years. Sometimes I wonder what it would’ve been like if I had stayed, and then these haha-yeah-right moments come along where I laugh at myself for even contemplating that possibility. I really am happy with the choice I made.

—-

My two best friends moved into the dorms today, a full two days ahead of the normal incoming freshmen due to rush. I haven’t seen either; I figure they need time to settle and get adjusted. I feel weird that I’m not sharing this time with them, not getting used to freedom and flexibility and living on your own (well, with another person), since I already went through all that.

However, I am ECSTATIC that my (term used loosely) graduating class is finally in college. And I could not be happier that both Len and Erin decided on KU, even if it will take some adjusting to have all three of us together permanently again.

—-

I’m here at the beach in North Carolina, after a lovely two-day drive complete with nasty fast food, creepy rest areas for Arabella, and my Mom’s awful incessant singing to her CDs (after she fumbles around with the CDs for a good ten minutes because she refuses to join the 21st century and get an iPod.) We stopped in Louisville overnight, where Arabella lived quite the good life in the Sheraton. I have pictures of her all comfy in the hotel room, but I’m too lazy to upload them tonight so I’ll post them later.

—-

Pretty much nothing stellar exciting has happened to us yet, except for the awesome rain and the fact that our air conditioner went out about two hours ago. My mother called the rental company, who sent out a maintenance man this late at night even though the owners of the house apparently don’t have a maintenance plan with the rental company. And all I have to say to that is, HAHA, you are SCREWED you cheap people! Because this house is booked solid till September and there is something very wrong with the central AC. Very wrong meaning they’re likely going to have to get it replaced. In the meantime, the maintenance man gave us two snazzy window AC units, the two best ones he had in fact, because we are “such nice people”.

Duh, Kansans rock, man.

OH OH! Speaking of Kansans. We were at a restaurant today, and guess what we saw out the window? A guy walking to his car wearing a KU shirt! And getting into a car with a Kansas license plate! A Johnson County license plate (gag), but nevertheless, SOMEONE ELSE FROM KANSAS COMES HERE! This is such a small world.

I can hardly believe you turn fifteen years old today.

I have fleeting memories of your birth. I was six weeks shy of turning four years old. Mom and Dad left me at Nana & Pop-Pop’s off Lawrence Avenue with Aunt RoRo, who french-braided my hair before taking me to the hospital to see you. I got to sit on the bed next to Mom and hold you. I was so excited to be your big sister.

For years, you were my constant companion and partner-in-crime.
When we lived in England in 1996, I got angry with Mom and decided to run away. Obviously I couldn’t leave you with The Enemy, so I took you with me. We ran away to our backyard. Mom laughed and took pictures.
You made fun of the annoying kids in daycare with me and had my back when I fought (both verbally and physically) with them.
We ‘spied’ on Mom and Dad when we lived in Topeka by sneaking out to the living room, where we watched Mom read and Dad type on his laptop. Sometimes I miss that, the thrill of getting yelled at and then trying to smother our giggles when we got back into our room.
Neither of us wanted to move to Virginia. After two years, you were okay with staying there, but you didn’t put up a fight when I lobbied for coming back to Kansas.

I taught you manners and how to chew with your mouth closed. I taught you how to ride a bike. I taught you how to deal with switching schools. I taught you to argue for what you believe in, and how to keep fighting, no matter what.

You start high school, tenth grade, in two weeks. Guess who gets to teach you how to drive!

I have many pseudo-brothers and pseudo-sisters who I’m sincerely concerned for as they enter high school, but I’m not worried about you. You have a good head on your shoulders, and I know you aren’t going to be one of the trashy high school students walking around town. Yeah, you’ll make mistakes. You’re smart, though, and you’re going to be fine.

I love you, baby bro.

-Your Sister

Lawrence KS, Halloween 1995

Cambridge England, 1996… running away

Cambridge England, 1996

Cambridge England, December 1996

Maine??, 1998

Disney World… the first year they started doing Leave a Legacys, 1999

France, summer 2004

Williamsburg VA, 2005

Lawrence KS, Christmas 2005, with Jack the Dog

Sugarloaf ME, February 2006

Disney World, Spring Break 2006, with Brigid

Princeton NJ, October 2006, with Mom

Faribault MN, January 2007

Emerald Isle NC, Spring Break 2007

San Francisco CA, October 2007

Dulles Airport-Washington DC, April 2008

Lawrence KS, Thanksgiving 2008

Lawrence KS, May 2009, with cousin Logan

Old Orchard Beach ME, June 2009, with cousin Jason

and the family portrait…

(Princeton NJ, October 2006)

Amy dragged me, her (boy)friend Lucas, Erin, and Erin’s friend Lana to this pool out in some place called Glenpool Saturday afternoon. Apparently, it’s the biggest public swimming pool around them, which is just plain sad because it was the size of most neighborhood pools around here. So we get there, to this place like 20-30 minutes outside of where my cousins live, AFTER we turn around to pick up Lucas off the side of the road ’cause his car broke down. Erin and Lana jump in, even though it was oh, I don’t know, seventy degrees out??? They had JUST gotten out when all the lifeguards yell at everyone to get out of the pool.

Some fucking kid threw up in the pool. THREW UP. IN THE POOL. WHO DOES THAT?!!??

The lifeguards made everyone leave for the day. Not even ten minutes after we got there. Clearly a wonderful experience in Glenpool fucking Oklahoma.

—-

Blahblahblah, Saturday night, the kids wanted to come to the Doubletree (my hotel down there) to swim. This is a ritual of ours, where Amy, Erin, Jason, Kelsi, and anyone’s friends spend a good two hours in the water. I was already exhausted from a four-hour drive, entertaining people, etc etc. Oh, did I mention I’m the one who gets to watch all the kids while our parents go drink up in the bar?

Jason and Kelsi ALWAYS fight. And it always results in Kelsi screaming her head off. ALWAYS. I ended up falling asleep on one of the chairs by the pool for I don’t even know how long, and I woke up annoyed and pissed off… so I left them all, bitched at our parents, and went up to my room.

So as I’m getting on the elevator, these two old guys (like 50-60 years old old, and possibly drunk) get in with me. We stay on the executive level, and you have to enter your card into the elevator slot to be able to get onto that level, so I did that. A wonderful conversation ensued.

Old Guy #1: “Ooohh, look, she’s on the special floor!”
Old Guy #2: “Yeah, oh what it’s like to be young and beautiful!”
Me: “…Hah.”
Old Guy #1, getting off on the 3rd level: “I’m on the floor right above the lobby… I’m just old and stupid.”
*Old Guy #1 leaves*
Old Guy #2, getting off on the 4th level: “Well, have a good rest of your night! Looks like it isn’t over yet!” (winky face)

Umm… yeah. I WISH I COULD MAKE THIS STUFF UP.