Katie on band camp and other rambles

1. My sister on her first day ever of high school band camp with Mr. Adams: "It was fun. But it was weird, going back to Alto from Barry. I'm so used to relaxing my cheeks to get the big ones out...now I have to tighten them up and squeeze them hard...my cheeks are sore...MY MOUTH, NOT MY BUTT CHEEKS, CHELSIE!"
2. I have a giant chunk of flesh missing from my middle finger on my right hand that appeared out of nowhere while I was reading my book...story of my life? i think so.
3. Everyone in my family is a grumpy pants tonight. Ashley's plans fell through with her boyfriend and the electric bill for this month came back 70 dollars higher than usual because of running the pool, fans and dehumidifier. Daddy is not happy, Bob. Not happy.
4. "Look...it says I have mail..." "Amazing what computers can do these days." "Yeah...look, now I'm reading it."
5. Today I realized I was grateful for the countless tickle fights I fought over the last semester because my endurance has been greatly heightened and my dad has not won since I've been home yet.
6. SPOILER ALERT: SNAPE KILLS DUMBLEDORE!
7. Why yes, Dana and I did take the super super super long way home tonight that required us to drive all of my favorite roads between Londonderry and Hampstead.
8. My mom is great. She's so funny and she has great advice and she is so generous and compassionate. I want to be just like her when I grow up.
9. I still haven't gotten Dunkin Donuts yet and I've been home for a week! I must fix this ASAP.
10. It breaks my heart to see how lonely my kitty is without his brother. Sometimes he just sits in the hallway and cries and cries. It's so sad.
11. Lot's of stars out tonight. I wish Juli was here to go night swimming with me, do our water ballet,  float in the pool hammock with me like the good old days. Life was so simple that summer.
12. My brother forgot his towel in his room and my mom gave him a dish towel to use. Hysterical.

baby, i like it.

Me: "That stupid Enrique song is stuck in my head. It's my sister's favorite, she plays it nonstop."
Allie: "Which one?"
Me: "...The Enrique song. My sister loves it."
Allie: "Yeah, which one?"
Me: "The "Baby, I like it..fiesta...da da da" one."
Allie: "No Chelsie, which sister?"
Me:"...oh..."

I love catching up with friends I grew up with and realizing that somethings never change.
and i really can't shake this stupid song from my head. going on two days now.

family

I am grateful for my family. When everything else is so unsure, I know they are always there to have my back. How comforting. 

Tonight, we sat down as a family and played a game for the first time since December. and it was hysterical! The game is called Telestrations, and it's basically telephone and pictionary wrapped into one. everyone gets a little book of whiteboard pages and a word. They have to draw that word and then pass it to the next person, who guesses what it is. Then they pass it and the next person has to draw a picture from the previous persons guess. make sense?

well, with my mom's artistic skills and my lack of ability to think quick on my feet, you get a good time.

one of my mom's words was bear hug, so she drew this:

which I actually guessed right!

Ashley drew this:

to which my father wrote:

and then you get a picture like this from my brother...

and the final guess from Katie:

my other favorite of the night was Katie's "canned ham":

which mom guessed right:

but I was pressed for time and drew this:

and Ashley looked at it for a while and finally wrote:

to which my father, baffled, drew:

and Jake's final guess ended up with:

Some days ... the whole world seems upside down.
And then somehow, and probably, and when you least expect it, the world rights itself again.


just believe. 

over thinking

i am a pro at over thinking things.
but most of the time, my over thinking turns out to be right.
and i would really really really like to be wrong this time.
just saying.

I got to drive West Road today. and driving those twisty, sharp corners always makes things better.
Ashley has her best friend sleeping over tonight, which means I get my big, beautiful, glorious bed to myself.
and i successfully have down tuned my guitar without seriously messing it up. or breaking strings.

move along. oh move along.

the street I grew up on

welcome home.

hey soul sista

long day at the doctor with no real answers and more tests scheduled for the coming weeks.

i am anxious on so many different levels. my body clock is super screwed up from all of the time zones i've been living in the last week and i am trying hard to stay awake until ten. spotty service in my house means tricky texting.

on the upside, today was a beautiful New England day and a smooth drive into the city. My mom is hysterical and I pretty much peed my pants from laughing so hard when she voiced a flock of geese flying over the hospital. and, my sisters make my life so much fun and it's so great to be reunited with them. we've been making music and dancing the night away. this is my sucky attempt at playing Taylor Swift and us singing just for fun. love my fambly. 

New England Lovin'

fresh cucumbers from the garden, 

the smell of chlorine wafting through my window,

crickets and lightening bugs welcome the cool evening breeze;

New England sets my soul on fire.

home.home.home.

we were driving in your car

your hands grip the steering wheel

mine trace waves outside the window

the thick air rushing past us in the early morning hours 

and all of the lines from our favorite songs

quietly pulsating over the rush of the wind

somehow to say it all.

transformer belt buckle and death rings

i often take for granted how easy it is to be friends with Geoff. there is no judgement, there is no need to explain myself, there is no need to say some things at all; because he just knows me and he knows how i work and how i think. he can tell that something is wrong by the way I bite my lip or the way i scrunch my face. being friends with him is easy; being his sister is effortless.

I'm so grateful that I got to come spend time with him these last few days. I've needed the security and comfort of my brother one more time before I send him on his way to Seattle for the next two years. I'm so grateful for the love his family has shown me and for the beautiful souls i have come to know and love over the last few days. I'm forever changed by the Geddie family and I am so grateful for the new life lessons I have learned by being in their home. They are things I will keep with me forever.

today was wonderful. being woken up by the good morning song and the air being squished out of my lungs. arts and crafts store adventures. olive garden breadsticks. transformer belt buckle and power walking through the mall. movies that make you wanna dance. meeting someone new and feeling like you've been friends for ages. giggles and laughter and making plans for the fall. jamba juice strawberries wild. death rings. heart-to-hearts and pep talks. finding peace. fun pictures. cheese balls and more rat-a-tat-cat. teeth brushing and saying our prayers.

i'm so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life who inspire me and who take care of me and who love me for who i am.

life continues to be beautiful.