The Saturday Six (Five)

1. On Monday, I spent the majority of my day with Jack again.  It was fun.  We ran some errands with his mom while his siblings were at school, and since he works at a store, he seems to get similar quirks as I do since I worked in a library.  He made sure products that were put back, were put in the correct area, and put away more than one shopping cart.  I admit, things like this should have cued me into knowing I would spend my entire day in laughter.
   
   We spent some time with his mom, who I really enjoy talking with, and he taught me how to play Stratego.  Capture the flag, board game version.  Yeah, I suck at it, which some of my friends from college would probably balk at.  Me, the one who is the one that comes up with game plans, goals and steps, studies weapons, is creative, etc, cannot do a board game dealing with maneuvers.  Oh well.  I enjoyed it, and I really am not the kind of person that gets upset if I lose a game.  I may have a little bit of a competitive spirit, but I know how to be a good loser.  And besides, it was my first time, so it’s all good.
   
   I learned more about Jack, and I had a fantastic time, and by the end of the day, my cheeks ached from the amount of laughter and smiling that I had done for hours.  I cannot remember the last time I exuded so much happiness.  I don’t know, but he does pretty well at making me not think about the bad things and just give flight to free, while still keeping it all low-key and simple.  It’s wonderful.
   
   Singing Disney songs with him and his little sister in the kitchen, albeit a bit off key, was fun, too, just saying.  Granted, I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to watch movies like The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, or even two of my favorites, Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas, due to him pretending to sing like a girl.  Oh my, I’m trying not to dissolve into a fit of giggles just thinking about it right now.
   
   
2. Okay, so since it was my favorite part of the day I had with Jack, this is getting it’s own point.  At one point, Jack got out his acoustic guitar and played for me for a good while.  Including singing.  While he made me laugh hysterically when he went out of his vocal range, his playing was damn good.  And there was just something when he did a few songs, that were within his range, that…I guess you could say got me.  I’m not going to share exactly my thoughts completely, or what I felt, but it was amazing…it just, struck me I suppose you could say?
   
   I also did something rare; I sang for Jack.  I’ve sang for my recordings, and for my female friends, and a few small performances (which actually go better with some of my own reaction to my doing this), but never for a single guy.  I sing A Capella of course, because I don’t play an instrument and that would need more practice for the future, but I decided to sing “Soldier” by Anna Nalick to him, since it’s the one I know and do best (go to my youtube page if you want to hear).  I closed my eyes and tried, and I nailed the tune, but I was so caught up in the moment I suppose, that I couldn’t remember most of the lyrics for the life of me.  It was strange.  I also was barely breathing, and it was different for me.  Not like the anxiety I feel for my performances, but I still did get extremely hot like I do at times, which is completely obvious due to my porcelain skin.  Seriously, I’m sure, that with the way my blood flows at times, I’d look like a bottle of wine to a vampire.
   
   Poor Jack, I’m afraid I’ve confused the guy.  He’s got to figure out the look I gave, which he told me later on in the week in a text as he described it went like this: "After I finished a song, I looked to you for approval. I asked 'What?’ perplexed by the look I saw. You slightly shook your head and gracefully closed your eyes and said 'Nothing' as you smiled and your eyes opened with a radiance that shone through the room like sunlight."  I’m not sure what to think, but I know I don’t know how to respond; no sensible words want to form.  And yeah, that smile creeps back.
   
   I figured something out during the music, something I guess you could say took me by surprise and that I didn’t expect.  It’s kind of like magic brewed.  It was something that fits into the indescribable I suppose.  I know from then, that some things are going to be interesting.  Let’s see what life gives.
   
   
3. I also got a chance to chat with some of my writer friends.  M. R. Bryant has a new blog and she’s getting a lot written for her books!  She’s also wanted me to brainstorm a name for a small character, which makes me feel shiny.  Can one feel shiny?  Well, if you couldn’t before, I say you can, because I do. 
   
   I talked with Jess Russell, but then again, when do I go a week without talking with her?  Random and important things, but no matter what, we are there for each other and there’s love.  What else matters?
   
   And yes, I joked and the sisterhood of the traveling pen connection between Michelle Anderson-Picarella, Dawn Kirby, and myself is pretty awesome.  It’s been decided that some would probably pay for the conversations that can occur between us.  We’ve also agreed that we are going to have to do some long talks, either through private webcam or telephone.  I’ll need to get my parents and any children out of listening shot though, never knowing what will come out of my mouth with those two.  Funny, you’d think that we were closer in age and not from different points in the country.  Whatever happens though for communication, going to need fully charged batteries.
   
   Dawn, Michelle, and I also talked about traveling, and my favorite city, Nashville.  And performances.  Michelle has never been to Nashville, but Dawn and I have, both standing upon the Ryman stage.  I’m glad to know I’m not the only one to have felt the magic that seemed to be there, the amount of emotion and inspiration and awe standing where the greats have stood.  I went when I was fourteen, and seven years later, that memory feels so much more recent.  It was powerful.
   
   I’m thankful that I can have writers like these four women to turn to for writing as well as for life.  No matter how different we are, there’s a high acceptance from them, and so much love.  It’s a foundation and air to help wings to soar and float.  You don’t stand still, metaphorically speaking.
   
   
4. Wednesday morning, bright and earlier, my oldest sister and niece arrived.  I was already up because I was having trouble sleeping, but when I saw the text reading that she was here, my mama laughed at me.  Why?  Because I walked up to our living room hallway to cock my head and peak through the kitchen sink window out at our driveway.  When I saw my sister, I squealed and ran in my nightgown to the door.  I love my family, can’ you tell?  Haha.
   
   The girls went straight to bed after giving us naps, and I even took a small nap myself (high rarity of this in my life).  Later on, dad took us around town to run errands with him, and we went out to eat with our sister Ash, her boyfriend, and Camerin.  Camerin seems to really love his older cousin, because when we left the restaurant, he told Madison that she was riding with him.
   
   We then went to my sister’s house, where Camerin decided he had to show his cousin all of his toys, while we looked at photos in the living room, and chatted about various things.  Mom even found a Dear Abby article in the newspaper that had us all laughing, and I tried a straw-ber-rita in a can.  It was strong….  After the tomfoolery there, and because we had to get moving since my dad was falling asleep on the couch next to me and Marci was bound to fall asleep next to Ashley, we told the kids to pick up.  Took a little time, but it happened, and then Camerin didn’t want Madison to go!  It was adorable.
   
   When we got home, Marci taught me how to play Phase 10, and her, Madison, dad and I played.  Madison chose our names…and I don’t know about that kid sometimes, because they were some odd names!  Dad was Silly Cat who then named her Goldilocks, and then she named her mom Angry Syrup, and I got to be Funny Apple.  My niece has an imagination.  A slap-happy one, but a good one.  We played until about one in the morning, and during the game, Madison pulled out….dad won, and Marci and I somehow tied for second place.  Not too bad.
   
   
5. On Thursday, I had Marci go through some of my old tops and a few skirts that I can’t wear anymore.  It made her feel wonderful, because being the oldest she never got hand-me-downs.  Thanks to me, she got to have what we decided to call hand-me-ups!  I’m happy that I was able to make my sister smile and feel good with that.  And it meant some of my clothes that I loved were going to a good home, and are now going to be worn by a beautiful woman.
   
   After supper, Marci, Madison, dad and myself, all went over to one of his friend’s from the VFW, to help count poppy money.  We ripped the bottom of the boxes open and had a pile of green covering the gorgeous granite table top.  Madison was very helpful, helping sort and collected all of the change.  We all chatted and laughed, and Cindy, our hostess, got the men beers, my niece a soda, and us women some nice wine.  A wino!  Ah, how that makes me smile.  And I actually felt like I was being treated like an adult for once, especially when I made a comment to Cindy that you’d think the money was from a different thing, due to the amount of ones.  Her response was yeah, someone must’ve had a really good night!  The stripper joke went over my niece’s head, thankfully, while everyone else enjoyed it.  It was good to see how much money was raised through the poppy sales though, for the VFW.  And to lend a helping hand.
   
   Afterwards, we got home, and I was a bit worried when I got into the house, because I knew my mama was home but she wasn’t down stairs.  I went up to her room, to find that she wasn’t feeling good, so I went and brought her some Tylenol and water, and let her rest.  When I was back downstairs, Marci and dad proceeded to teach Madison and I how to play euchre.  Many people have taken upon this challenge since I was probably eleven, and have failed.  And our sister Ashley could tell you how shocking it is that I’m from our area, am twenty-one, and still didn’t know how to play euchre.  It’s a big thing in our county, and I guess you could say it’s the main card game around here.  Well congrats to my sister and my dad, they managed to teach us and have it sink in.  There’s a chance I shall forget a bit, but I’m slightly more sure of myself in regards to this game than I was before.  I think my dad was also more patient with me learning this time, because my niece was there, too, and he wanted her to learn.
   
   Madison and I were a team, and for beginners, we did decent.  We brought in about five points.  Huzzah!
   
   
6. Yesterday, was an…interesting day, I suppose you could say.  I got a lot done, even though mama had been sent home to rest, and I didn’t want to wake her.  I did most of our laundry, washed and put away dishes, baked brownies for dad to take to today’s euchre tournament (see, I told you it’s a big thing around here), made my niece breakfast, and worked a little on my writing.  Oh, and the stuff that I did have ready to go into storage for my future apartment, etc, I sent up into the barn.  You can now see our living room floor a bit better thanks to that!
   
   Marci, Madison and I had to get some stuff at Walmart, and since Jack wanted to see me, he hung out with us as we shopped.  My sister thinks he’s pretty awesome, and he thought she was hilarious, score for me!  He kept playing the songs he knew without an instrument while we were walking around, and it made me smile.  He also found out how handy my sister is, and the discussed possible ways to have a Scarecrow costume (from Batman) be made.  I love that they connected, and that they liked each other.  In some ways, my sister thought it was sort of like having our mutual friend (her friend first of course) Barry around.  I’m just happy it went well and that we were able to make even a little trip to Walmart fun.
   
   When we were in the parking lot I also got to see my friend ‘Trix, who, I daresay almost leaped out of her van shouting “Lily!” to say hi to me.  I love how friends are at times.

So I know that many more good things happened this week, small and big, but it’s so hard to choose what to talk about when that happens, because I can’t recall the last time I had such a positive week, and felt as happy as I do.  I’ve gotten to see old friends, I’ve gotten to be with my family, I’ve gotten things accomplished, and have had so many smiles and laughs that is makes my heart swell.  Other little tidbits about this week: ran into an old friend at the YMCA who was lifeguarding as I watched my family play in the water (haven’t had time to try on my old suit yet); I got to watch my niece help with my nephew at the store last night; family dinners of us all together; watching my oldest niece read to my youngest nephew; and my Uncle Russ came out with my cousin, Tonya, for a surprise visit this morning.  Good week, wouldn’t you say?

Well, now that I have watched everyone head out for euchre tournament for the kids to hang out with my sister Ashley, I can head up to my bedroom and get some more much needed work done, so that way I can put it out of the way and just plain have it done!

~Count your blessings, and whether things are bad or you’re doing well, find something good and hold on!

Much love!

~*~Alyse~*~