A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words - Dance

Newest blog segment - A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words, for those days when an image can say so much more than a sentence.


On this very chilly Thursday morning, when winter is knocking at my door, I find myself longing for the days when I would rush to the dance studio after school to practice for The Nutcracker.  I mean I am really, REALLY missing those days right now.  So for all of the dancers at heart out there, these are for you.

Once a dancer, always a dancer.

Live with love,

-JD

My Kind of Romance

Something you should know about me - I am a hopeless romantic.  Blame it on Disney, blame it on fairy tales, blame it on chick flicks. It doesn't really matter why I am this way, the fact of the matter is that this is part of who I am.


I am a right brain type of girl, influenced entirely too much by my emotions. I am an idealist to the max - an optimist, a dreamer, and so on. But here is the deal...I kind of like unconventional romance. I don't like roses or overly done candlelit dinners.  I prefer Barn Party or a silly date party over a fancy formal any day.  I like jewelry, but I think I would prefer getting tickets to a concert or something like that.  I like gifts that are given because the person who loves you was paying attention to something you wanted, not just candy and flowers because they think they are supposed to.

One of the sweetest things Alex has ever done for me is something that was seemingly insignificant in the grand scheme of things.  It happened the summer before our junior year of college.  I was in a show that had rehearsal in Farragut, and I was driving there and back every night.  Clearly, I was driving a lot, and gas prices were rising almost daily.  Alex and I had been hanging out at my apartment, and I made a comment about how much I was having to spend on gas and that is was draining my funds.  Later that night, he said he needed to run to get something from his house, and he wanted to borrow my car to go and get it.  I didn't think a thing about it.  But when we went to my car later that night to take him back home, my gas tank was full.  He had taken my car and filled it up...just because.

I know that it wasn't extravagant, or anything particularly special.  But it was such a kind and thoughtful thing for him to do for me.  It wasn't hard, it didn't take a lot of time or planning, but it was something I will never forget.  I'm a simple kind of girl I guess.  Give me a date night on the couch with a movie and a pint of Ben and Jerry's, and you've got one happy camper.  I think we should all appreciate the little things a little more - that's the stuff that memories are made of.

Live with love,
-JD

Things I Love - Puppies

Puppies. Puppies. Puppies. Puppies. Puppies. PUPPIES.
Quite possibly my favorite topic of discussion.  I want a dog SO bad.  It is probably unhealthy how much I want one as a matter of fact.  I think I can originally trace my love of dogs back to 101 Dalmatians.  I wanted a dalmatian farm - just like the movie.  Until my mother informed me that dalmatians had a tendency to be temperamental and even mean.  So I let that dream go, but I moved on to many others, don't you worry.

As a child, I was very imaginative.  I loved creative writing.  I also loved puppies, as has already been established.  Well, I was in a multi-age classroom for kindergarten through second grade and had the same teacher all three years.  Turns out that I had enough imagination to create puppy themed creative writing stories every time we had an assignment - for all three years.  When my parents came to one of my parent/teacher conferences, my teacher handed them a stack of papers and said, "I really think you should consider getting her a dog."  True life.  I did not make that up.


We brought home a dog named Biscuit from the pound a few years later.  That didn't last long.  We still don't know exactly what breeds created the psycho dog, but she eventually had to go live on a farm.  She is happily rounding cattle now.  I feel sorry for the cows.  Then, on a Saturday in November of 1999, my parents surprised my brother and I with a gift.  (We really needed the pick-me-up.  Tennessee had just lost to Arkansas.  It was not a pretty sight.)  They had a little poem entitled "The Month Before Christmas".  It was a play off of "The Night Before Christmas" for those of you who didn't catch that.  So, Mama D brought out this green and red box with a bow on top - the kind they have on TV where the lid just lifts off - and Reed and I opened it together.  Inside, sat the cutest little puppy I have ever seen.  But we thought it was a stuffed animal at first - until she moved.  Reed and I screamed, "IT'S REAL!!" We named her Holly and she is still the cutest little dog of all time.

Sweet Holly

So, what it boils down to is this.  I once again want a dog so bad it is a joke - a dog of my very own, of course.  A little puppy would make my life here at school a crazy, mixed up, busy, frustrating, time-consuming mess.  But it would be the happiest little mess.  That's the thing I like most about dogs - they are totally worth the trouble.  They love you unconditionally...no matter how many mistakes you make.  They think you're the best even at your worst.  Hey, who doesn't want a little bit of that action?  So, on this lovely fall morning, I would like to share some of my favorite puppies with you.  Everyone loves a good puppy picture.

Yorkie Poo

Yorkie

Weimaraner

Labradoodles

Black Lab

Maltese - aka Hipster Dog

Goldendoodle

Yorkie

Goldendoodle

Chocolate Lab

Maltipoo

Yellow Lab

Beagle

Maltese

English Bulldog

Chocolate Lab

You're welcome.  Happy Friday!


Live with love,
-JD


P.S. Dogs rule, cats drool.  Yep.  I went there.

Love Conquers All

I had the opportunity to spend some time with my grandma this weekend.  "Ahma Cille" as she is called (my pronunciation of Grandma Lucille when I was a kiddo) is one of the more sentimental people that I know.  But Friday, she shared with me a story I have never heard before.  Allow me to go back to 1952, the year that my grandparents were married...

They were each living in Johnson City.  Ahma worked at the Social Security office downtown, and Papa worked at his restaurant, Rainbo Corner.  They had been "courting" for a while, and Papa had asked Ahma to marry him (she said yes, if you didn't already guess that).  Before they were married, my great-grandfather, Gus, got very sick with cancer.  He lived in Greenville, TN, and so Ahma would go home on the weekends to spend time with him and to help take care of him.  This was the only time Ahma and Papa (Bill and Lucille back then) really spent apart.  And so, Ahma has two letters from my Papa, only two.  And she decided to share them with me.


My grandfather was a witty man.  Incredibly clever and funny.  He had eyes that always, always smiled.  So, to hear the sweet words that he wrote her was like seeing a whole new side to the man I always knew.  The letters were not long or drawn out, but the words had depth and breadth.  The letters were simple, much like their love.  The second one was sent after Ahma's father had passed away.  In the letter, Papa said he wished he could take Ahma's pain and heartache and make it his.  And that he would always take care of her.  He signed it, "With all my love, Bill".  Then there was a P.S.  It said that Ahma had promised him all of her happiness, but to not leave him out of her unhappiness as well - he wanted to be part of it all.  This was signed "Same as above, only more,  Bill."  I couldn't help but tear up as she read them to me.  The words were few, but they were resolute and strong.

My grandparents were married almost 58 years.  And I can honestly say, that they loved each other as much, if not more, at the very end as they did when those letters were written.  Love like that doesn't come around very often, so I think that when you find it, you better hold on tight.  My grandfather used to joke when my mom would sing a solo or my cousin and I would have ballet performances that we had done "just like he taught us".  Of course, he never danced or sang a day in his life.  But he taught us all so much more.  He taught us all how to laugh and love.


I have realized from these new stories that I have heard, that life is about the little things.  It is the small, simple kindnesses that we share with one another that make a difference in the end.  It is not about buying outrageous gifts or going on elaborate vacations - although neither of these things are bad.  It is about living in the here and now - making a difference today.  So, say what you mean, and mean what you say.  Make someone smile.  Be bold.  What are we all waiting for, anyway?  Let's just do it now.


Live with love,
-JD

Life Lately

So, on this rainy Wednesday morning, I am feeling particularly philosophical.  Maybe it's because I am a senior, and practically all of my classes require me to ask myself tough questions.  Maybe it's because I am on the brink of starting the next big chapter of my life.  Maybe it's because in movies, days like today are when people sit on the couch in cozy clothes, drinking coffee from huge mug, and reflect.  Who knows the reason - but I am reflecting nonetheless.

I have learned that life is like one of those picture collages where a million tiny little pictures make up something bigger.  Our lives are not linear.  They are, rather, a combination of memories, relationships, joys, sorrows, and experiences that shape us into who we become.  The funny thing is, it seems like the things that truly change our hearts are not the things that we expect.

I have been blessed by grace and love, more so than I deserve, and I am so thankful for the way my life has been shaped by people and places who have loved me.  I wonder, what if we all lived with the mindset of positively impacting each other's lives?  Of considering, in any given moment, if a snapshot of that point in time would be a good part of someone's "bigger picture"?  I'm told I'm an idealist - someone who sees the good in just about anything, even to an extreme degree.  I think this is about the best compliment I can be given.  Call me a dreamer - I can live with that.  I think we could all use a little more beauty in our lives.  So, let's all look for the best in each other...it certainly can't hurt.

Live with love,

-JD

Pomp and Circumstance

When I was little, my brother and I had our fair share of, shall we say, disagreements.  Of the ones my parents knew about, my dad would say, "Jenny, when you grow up, there are going to be things you can tell your brother that you can't tell anyone else.  He will be your best friend."  Granted, Reed and I got along better than most siblings, and we have always been close.  But I can honestly say I never truly believed my dad's statement.  But as we grew up, started driving around town together, and even after I left for school, Reed and I became closer and closer.

On May 28, my sweet little (but much bigger than me) brother graduated from high school.  He played varsity baseball, was president of the Topper Nation sports club, and was an official Flag Runner at the football games.  He was given an award for most School Spirit and the Principal's award for best all around student.  I know I'm bragging, but whatever.  That's my job.  But something that made me most proud was that he was elected by his classmates as Senior Speaker.  This was especially cool because my dad was elected as Senior Speaker when he graduated from our same alma mater years before.

Sitting there watching my little, baby brother address his classmates, friends, family, and hometown, I couldn't help but tear up a little.  Seeing him grow into a young man of integrity, faith, and loyalty has been such a blessing in my life.  I am so excited for him to come to UT in the fall.  (17 days, but who's counting) I could not be more proud Reed, my little brother and more importantly, my best friend.

Can't wait for the fall!

People say you can't choose your family and that is true, but I got the brother I would have picked anyway.

Live with love,

-JD

MIA - Sorry for the Delay

First of all, BOOM - a rhyming blog title.
Second of all, sorry I've been AWOL.  I have had a whole lot go on in the past couple of weeks, including but not limited to, my brother's graduation, a trip to Chicago (I almost didn't come back), and a new-found love for crafting.  Needless to say, these are all the makings of a fabulous blog or two.  So get ready, cause they'll be coming at ya real soon.


Live with love,
-JD


P.S. I hope your summer looks a little something like this:

I hope mine looks like this too!