Was Life Really that Simple?

Bear with me cause this entry has a lot of random details…but there is a point, I promise.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I’m not a huge fan of children. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few in this world that I adore, but in general, children just aren’t my thing. This detail is important for you to know if you’re going to find this entry remotely interesting. It’s because of children I remembered how important the simple things in life are.

In the past few weeks I’ve had two random encounters with children…and when I say children I mean a group of ten or more. The other day, my friend Lindsey and I were running errands on campus and were using my office’s golf cart. We parked the cart outside the Campus Center, went in, did what we came to do and walked back outside. Now, the day we were running errands just happened to be a day when the university was having one of their kid day camps, so the campus was buzzing with kids of all ages. As we walked out of the CC, we noticed a group of first year campers…we’re talking a group of five year olds…little bitty things. And as we walked towards the golf cart, we noticed a little girl sitting in the back seat. As I got closer I said, “Do you want a ride?” She quickly ran away. But, as I started up the cart and began to drive off, she ran up to the cart and said, “I DO want a ride!!!” So, this little bitty girl with blonde hair jumped into the back seat and took about a 30 second ride with me and Lindsey around the mall area. Little did I know I had opened up a can of worms! As I pulled the cart back to the Campus Center to let the little girl off, another little girl came running up to the cart. She was probably one of the cutest kids I had ever seen. She was TINY, with brown pig tails with pink bows in each one, little round glasses, little camouflage capris and a pink shirt. She rushed up to me, pulled on my shirt and said “Can I have a ride?” How could I say no?

Within seconds, we were bombarded with five year old girls climbing onto the seats. One of their troop leaders got on with us, held the little girl with glasses in her lap, and we drove off. I made this ride a little longer…we took a longer route around campus. So, for the next two minutes I heard nothing but five year old voices screaming “yay”, “wow”, “faster”, and “ahhhhhh” at the top of their lungs. When I say screaming, I mean a high pitch squeal that only dogs can hear. It was hilarious! Lindsey and I were laughing so hard! These little girls thought that riding the golf cart for two minutes on the campus sidewalks was the coolest thing ever. So simple. Something I do everyday gave these kids such a thrill. Why can’t everything in life be that simple? Why don’t the little things thrill us anymore? A golf cart ride? So fun.

My second encounter with children came just this week. I was at church Wednesday night standing outside just waiting around and I caught myself watching a group of kids playing some silly game in the grass…running around, carefree, not a thing bothering them. In the 10 minutes that I was standing outside I got a text message, a phone call and a calendar reminder of a meeting I had the next morning. I suddenly became envious of the kids playing outside. They had no cell phone in their hand, no palm pilot attached to their hip. They weren’t worried about an alarm going off to remind them of a meeting. They weren’t concerned about receiving a phone call. They weren’t waiting for a reply from a text message. They were simply engulfed in laughter, the simplicity of a summer Wednesday night after church.

Do you remember those times? Before computers were your gateway to the world. Before cell phones, palm pilots, text messages, MySpace, Facebook, blogs, etc. ruled the majority of your time spent awake. Do you remember when you didn’t have a cell phone? When you couldn’t be reached? When people just couldn’t find you? When you weren’t 100% accessible? I do. I sometimes miss those times.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my cell phone as much as the next person…probably a little bit more. I love the convenience of high speed internet and text messages. I love being able to stalk people on MySpace and Facebook. Maybe not stalk, but “keep in touch with.” But, I sometimes long for the simple way things used to be. Do you think you could go away to a somewhat secluded area for a week without a television, cell phone or computer? Afraid you might miss something? Afraid someone might need you? Afraid you might need someone? Can you believe that people use to not worry about things like that? People actually took trips, drove cars, and went to work without cell phones. It’s definitely a different world. I’m a fan of technology and today’s modern conveniences. I’m just also a fan of simplicity. I’m a fan of the random, simple, fun times like riding around in a golf cart with ten squealing little five year olds…pig tails and all!

Ready to Set "Sale"

Garage Sales are from Satan. I hate them, and yet for some reason, still unkown to me, I signed on to contribute to and work a garage sale. It was the largest garage sale I've ever been apart of in terms of merchandise and profit. For those of you who remember the big GATA garage sale at my house a few years ago, you can imagine how big this one was.

It was a "four family" garage sale and let me just tell you that only crazy people have garage sales in July. 102 degrees in good ole' Abilene yesterday and 97 today. Oh yes, we had a Friday and Saturday sale. Was it worth my time you ask? Basically, with the money I made and the time I spent, I figured that I made about $5.25 an hour. Now, I'm not complaining about the money...it's more than I started out with. I'm merely wanting to state how tiring and high maintenance garage sales can be. And I only worked Friday and Saturday. The other people involved worked on it all week. CRAZY!

Other news...hum...not really a whole lot going on right now. I got to see my friend Jamie last night and meet her fiance for the first time. They're getting married in two weeks, so I'm glad I got to meet him before they said "I do." Super nice guy and they make a cute couple! We went to Buffalo Wild Wings which is one of mine and Jamie's old "rest stops." Fun times. I'll be traveling west the next two weekends. Going to visit my pals in Lubbock next weekend and then the following weekend I'll be traveling to Jamie's wedding. And, other than my weekend trips, nothing else is very exciting in my life. Sad? Maybe. But, I'm enjoying the break because in a few weeks...it will be crazy again.

So, my friends...my basic message is this: Don't host a garage sale in July and Don't host a garage sale in July...or August for that matter. Simple.

Random Information

Just a little bit of random information...I've recently been harassed for not updating my blog, so here's a few tidbits.

I've joined the craze of..........MySpace. It's actually quite interesting. I haven't quite figured out every detail of this new adventure of mine, but I'm learning. Within the last 24 hours, I've got 20 friends on my page. So interesting!

This weekend I'm going to see three of my best friends. I'm so excited! It's been a long time since I've seen two of them and I'm totally pumped!

Searching for jobs can be both gratifying and exhausting. Job interviews can be exhausting and scary. My current job ends in September, so I thought I'd get a head start on the job search and apply for positions this summer. Within the last two weeks I've had 2 inteviews and have two more this week. I'm interviewing in places from Malibu to Massachusetts, including Dallas and Abilene. Which one do I really want? Who knows!? Basically, it's a God thing now.

My sister and mother have spent the last three days at my house. They're here for Passport, which is orientation in my alma mater's terms. I can't believe that my sister will be a freshman in college in less than 6 weeks. Seriously! For the first time in over six years, my siblings and I will live in the same town. And, for all practical purposes, my parents will too!

My cousin just had her second child this morning. A baby girl, Jadyn Lynn. I haven't seen her yet, but my aunt and uncle say she has a full head of hair, has beautiful eyes and is perfectly healthy. I can't wait to go visit them. Basically, since neither of my siblings have children(and won't for awhile) I treat my cousin's kids as if they were my nieces and nephews. I am now the proud aunt of Camden Micheal and Jadyn Lynn. PRECIOUS!

4th of July is exactly one week from today. At the exact moment I'm writing this, in one week I'll be watching spectacular fireworks in Abilene. 4th of July is my 2nd favorite holiday, next to only Christmas. LOVE IT! This will actually be the first time in my life I have spent the 4th outside of Van, away from my family. I plan on swimming all day and watching the show at night. LOVE FIREWORKS!!!!

So, that's really all I've got. I really am going to try to update my blog more often. However, the summer isn't exactly full of worthy posts! Have a great week!

This is Me Emotional

The last few weeks have been emotional for me. Not all sad moments, some have been really exciting, but even a few of the exciting moments have caused me to tear up. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the lack of sleep I'm getting. Things tend to bother me more when I'm tired. Plus, I'm coming off of an adrenaline rush from the entire school year. We spent the year going 90 to nothin', barely had time to stop and now that the school year is over, things are calm and quiet. No adrenaline flowing here.

I guess my emotional state really began in late March(see last post) but I didn't have time to deal with it, so maybe things are catching-up with me. Anyway, I guess I actually realized I was emotional a few weeks ago when one of my best friends told me she was pregnant. I cried right along with her...not only because she was crying, but because this is something she and her husband have wanted for almost three years. It was an exciting moment and I'm thrilled for them. I really feel like I'm going to be an aunt!

The next two reasons for crying are actually stupid when I think about it. Several of you have posted entries on the Grey's Anatomy season finale. Well, the really emotional episdode for me actually came two episodes before the finale when the pregnant mom was in a car accident with her family. The mom dies, baby lives and the father is left holding the infant's hand in the incubator. Now, this episode came the week after my friend told me she was pregnant, so of course, all I could think about was, what if this happens to my friend!? Then, two weeks later came the season finale. I didn't cry during the finale, but I probably could have. Hello!? I was just able to accept the fact that Dr. Shephard was going to stay with Addison for this season and Meredith would be with the vet. But no, they mess with our heads, have sex in the OR, and then leave us hanging until next season where she'll probably choose to go home with the vet. Wow. The next stupid emotional moment came last Thursday when I said good-bye to four long-time friends. Karen, Jack, Will and Grace. I've watched them since the beginning. For eight seasons now I've been a devoted watcher and all I have to show for it is re-runs on Lifetime. Will & Grace has been one of my all-time favorite shows and there will never be a new one again.

Now, for what is causing me to be emotional this week. My sister will graduate from high school Thursday night. I remember it like it was yesterday seeing her a few hours after she was born in the hospital. I remember the first day she came home. I remember her begging me to play Barbies with her. I remember teaching her how to play tennis. As I sit here, I'm overwhelmed by a flood of memories. Summers spent swimming and laughing, Christmas mornings in our pajamas, trips we've taken. She and I are different in so many ways, but very much the same. She is truly one of my best friends and I am so proud of who she has become. She's an amazing young woman. She's strong, courageous, witty, bold, intelligent and sassy. She has flawless fashion sense and a heart of gold. I am blessed to have her in my life. She'll be moving to Abilene in August and will begin a new chapter in her life. For the first time in seven years, all three Ellison children will once again live in the same town. So, here's to my little sister. May she continue to grow in the Lord, experience the wonders of college and live life to the fullest.

An end in sight...

My three months of rest and relaxation begins in four days. I'm tired. I'm ready for my head to stop hurting. I'm ready to breathe. I'm ready to get a decent nights sleep.

The insanity will end on Saturday. My last event for the semester will end Friday evening, or actually Saturday morning, around midnight. There are 2800 people coming to this event and it has been, by far, the most labor and mind intensive so far this year. I'll write about this event next week when I'm in a more positive mood because it has the potential to be an absolutely amazing evening. We shall see...