Graduation

I had an eye opening experience last night. It was probably the most adorable thing I have ever seen as well!

If you haven't heard about my nephew Caiden... Well, then, you might need to sit down.

Caiden is a five year old bundle of a mess. He is a fast and smooth talking kid who has a mouth bigger than his behind, if you catch my drift. For example- My family shares "Caiden Stories". These stories are normally the product of the phone ringing at my house at dinner time, mom answering it and the following one sided dialogue comes from her:

"What? No."
"No..."
"He did what?"
"Uhuh."
"Yeah."
"HAHAHA!" (If you know my mother then you know her laugh!) Odds are, the louder her laugh the more hysterical the situation.

My sister, his mamma, has decided that the family is going to clean on their beautiful Saturday. Cameron is sent to clean his room and the grudging ten year old saunters off to a room filled with books, toys, and sheets that haven't been straightened since the first time he slept in them.

Keith, her husband, is vacuuming around the house while my brave, brave sister has taken on the task of teaching Caiden how to clean. She has started this by going through the play room. This room is stocked with piles of toys. It contains everything from large motorized toys to broken pieces from an ancient Monopoly set.

"Caiden," she says, "Do you pay with this toy?"
She holds up a toy that is half removed of its color.
Caiden has taken a sudden interest and launches for the toy. "I do now," the then four-year old says.
"No, Caiden. Have you played with it this week? Last week? Any time?"
"Yeah! I love this toy!"
The toy is soon abandoned in sad slow motion as it falls to the ground and watches Caiden grab another, more interesting toy that was forgotten in the clutter.


Imagine three hours of this. My sister has the largest attention span and dedication of the family. I would have given up at forty minutes let alone three hours.

She moves onto the kitchen and leaves Caiden in the play room to revel the memories he won't ever recall. After five hours the house is finished and grocery shopping is needing to be accomplished.

"I'm going to the store. I'm going alone this time."

Keith turns from the baseball game on the screen and gives her a wide eyed stare. Yes, the death sentence. Cameron emerges from his room, disgruntled but alive. "Can I go mamma?"
She looks at Cameron and an idea hatches. "Yes, Cameron. Of course you can go. Caiden has to stay here because he didn't clean his room."

Caiden launches himself at her feet and latches on tight. "Mamma! Please! Mamma, please, take me! I want to go."

The melodrama is too much and she caves. Caiden goes with her to the grocery story and when they arrive she grabs him up to place him in the buggy. If you've ever seen a cat resist a bath in the older cartoons then you can imagine Caiden trying to be pushed into the buggy. Claws are out and he is sucking in his stomach to stay away.

"Mamma, I'll be good. Please, please, don't put me in the buggy. I'll be good. Hands in my pockets, I swear!"

Again, she goes against better judgements but allows him to walk like a "big boy". Well, the short list is completed and within the last three objects to collect, Caiden is in the buggy, slumped in defeat. His "big boy" instincts and promises couldn't be backed up.

While my sister is deciding if she wants almonds or chestnuts a clap resounds behind her. Caiden has his hands clasped over the buggy handle and his forehead pressed on his knuckles. His face is scrunched into pain, begging, and longing.

"Dear God," he begins, "please never have my mamma make me clean my room again. And God, please, if it takes that long again- never let it take that long again. And God, let her know that a messy room is a happy room." My sister has dropped the nuts in the isle and is staring at her youngest son. Cameron is stuck between fits of laughter and absolute disbelief. "Amen."

Caiden looks up, the spiritual moment has passed and he is wondering why the lady at the end of the isle is laughing at him as she puts beans into her buggy. My sister doesn't know whether to beat him leave him to be claimed by some other family.




Whether it is a religious experience or some profane knowledge he has learned, Caiden is not abashed to share it with the world.

Little Caiden graduated from pre-school yesterday and it reminded me of how far he has come. Like many say, it feels like yesterday that I had to hold his hand to make sure he can walk steadily. I remember being only ten and holding baby Kirsten Dawn (my niece on my brother's side) in my arms. She was the first baby I had ever held or taken care of. Then came Cameron, the first baby I ever truly babysat after school. I didn't have much hand in David because I met him a little after he was beyond the bottle.

Last summer was one of the hardest summers of my life. I watched three boys and one girl. The ages were 10, 9, 8, and 4. By five o'clock I was ready to pass out. However, the was rarely a day that I said "I can't do it" or I even considered not having them back. I never second guessed my decision to watch them and play with them.

I grew a lot that summer and I have a feeling I am growing a lot now too. It isn't going to stop. I used to be in the mini graduation robe playing with the foreign object stringing down from my funny shaped hat. I used to be the girl who wanted to be Indian Jones when I grew up. It is nice to see that in my younger family members, it is nice to know that I used to be that and I don't have to stop being that. My need for adventure and pits filled with snakes has adapted. I can now write it or inspire it in other people.



So, here is to you Caiden! I will go into the next years of my life praying to God that cleaning my room doesn't last too long and that people will realize a messy room can be a happy room.



Enough about me! What about you guys out there? I don't like professing myself as if you came here just to read all about me! Ugh, how egotistical. Do you have any crazy family members? Any younger siblings that drive you nuts but speak profane knowledge?

Let me know! I'd love to hear it!

Catch-Up

Catch up! My favorite game... (Insert Sarcastic Laugh Here)

Working with old photographs this late allows me time to learn Photoshop, a beast I haven't tackled very heavily. I can do basic touch ups but nothing too extreme. I have recently made some new backgrounds and photo effects. I also learned some severe touching up skills and after nearly three hours of tutorials I feel like I can actually take a baby step on my own.

Aside from the overexposed clunkery (made that myself) that I see around, I decided to work a bit more naturally with some photographs. As always, you can see the results at my Flickr and the link to the right... Yes, right over there. Click it and you will find all my previous photographs!

Enjoy, comment, suggest, whatever you please!

Post-Apocalyptic Punk

Greetings!

I finally have time to write again! These past few months have been the most difficult of my life. Trying to balance friendships, a wonderful boyfriend, family, internships, normal college courses, and various extra activities is a hard thing to do. In a way I am glad for it because it makes me appreciate good readings and the times I get to read, write, and do some photography.

I have done all three.

First off I would like everyone to take a few days out of their summer and read "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins.



Whether you like young adult or not, this book is sure you leave you satisfied and craving for more of Panem, a post-apocalyptic America. It has reached several generations, both genders, and many different interest ranges. I haven't met a person yet who has walked away from this series without satisfaction or an absolute love of the characters in it. Suzanne Collins is stunningly creative and high visual. What is on the page really comes alive! Do yourself a favor and pick this up at the local bookstore.

I have also had a chance to write a short story inspired by a certain song!

"Give Us a Little Love" by Fallulah



I will ago ahead and apologize for the typos and rough style. I have not had a chance to edit. As always I would LOVE to know what you think of it! Any help, editing, and critique is loved!

The story is:

The Desert

The little hand clasped inside of mine trembled. The wriggling fingers expressed what his words will never be able to tell. His fear was my fear. His excitement was my absolute dread. So much had been left outside so many years ago. We turned our backs on that history, turned our backs on that way of life, and ran inside. Now, after years beneath the surface we were allowed to return. No. We had to return. We had to see what was beyond. We were being forced by some invisible hand to the threshold of our disdain and our ruin.

“It’s an adventure, right?” The little voice said to my hip. I had to concentrate hard to pull my eyes away from the hatch.

My brother, Michael, stood staring up at me with eyes that were my father’s and pouting with lips like my mother’s. His fingers gripped tighter, feeling now like a bird was landing in my palm. An adventure? To him the game was not over. We started this game before- when the sirens wailed like wolves through the alley ways. The only way to get Michael to budge from the house was to tell him that we had to run like the other people. We had to get away from the ghouls and the wolves to a safe place. Only he could lead us there.

That began the torturous game of running through the streets with Michael on my shoulders. He was guiding me left and right, urging me to follow his directions as my feet padded deafly to the bomb shelter. Some of us in the city had prepared for this, others were blind. They believed the government would save them and that this was simply a drill.

They were the first of many casualties that day. The first of many casualties of a war I knew so little about.