Ms. March: Part Three

I totally skipped posting about my favorite women last week. Packing swimsuits inspired me to bust out my 30 Day Shred DVD. Jillian Michaels is definitely not going to make the list this week.

Tracy Chapman

Singer. Story Teller. Activist.

On poverty...

On violence...

On love...

Why she is great…

Her songs just move me. Her voice is so incredibly beautiful and that she uses her gift to advance social justice just makes me love her more. I love that she has one so many awards and sold millions of albums and never compromised who she is as a person. When my little social worker heart gets tired, (as little social worker hearts sometimes do) this music nourishes me.

Fun fact…

Her first album was released the week I was born. This adds more evidence to my friend’s theory that everyone becomes obsessed with the music they just barely missed.

Tina Fey
Writer. Actor. Funny Lady.

On where she wants to go..

“I want to go to there.”

On romance…

"Lovers.. oh, that word bums me out unless it’s between meat and pizza."

On her worldview…

"Can I share with you my worldview? All of humankind has one thing in common: the sandwich. I believe that all anyone really wants in this life is to sit in peace and eat a sandwich"

Why she is great…

Because she makes me laugh my butt off every week! There are many more reasons to like her, but I think this article explains it better than I can. Enjoy!

Fun fact…

Tina is short for Stamatina.

My Friends

My real favorite women are the ones I am lucky to call friends. From the time I was very young, I have enjoyed deep  friendships with wonderful girls. Now that I work at a high school, I can appreciate how good I had it back then. Strong positive friendships like I grew up with are rare and I really believe it shaped a lot of who I am today. I still think that these girls are the most beautiful, genuine and sweet girls I have ever met.

One of the benefits of being in a long distance relationship in college was having so much time and energy to devote to my friendships. I still call the Frankie ladies “my roommates” when I talk about them and I think that causes some confusion. Derek is my roommate now, but I can’t get comfortable calling them my “friends from college.” It’s just not close enough. The Frankie ladies and my (gulp) friends from college, are so creative, funny, talented and kind. I will love them forever.

 (Since Becka missed the snow day, she gets her own super old pic)

I’ve never had sisters, but in the last five years I’ve gained 4 through marriage. Each one of is dear to me and I love them them all for different reasons. And there is something nice about friends that I’m guaranteed to have in my life until I die.

Yay ladies!

Every 6 Months or 100,000 Miles

Thousands of miles ago, it was my 18th birthday. It was also the morning after our senior prom. Derek and I swung by my parents house so I could change shoes before church. Derek punched in the garage code and we accidentally ruined a surprise my parents had planned.

 

This was sitting in the garage. I was pretty excited, as you can see.

I drove it to Main Street, windows down the whole way. It was the beginning of many adventures.

 

This is the car I loaded up and moved away to college in. I put too many miles on it driving up and down I-35 to visit Derek at OSU. Ryan Adams and mildly speeding one direction. Patsy Cline and quietly sobbing going the other. 

The last time I drove it up there, he asked me to marry him. I had to ride shotgun on the way back because I was on Cloud Nine and therefore unfit to drive. My mom and I pretty much planned the wedding on that drive.

On Friday, this happened.

We passed this milestone as I was driving southbound on I-37 through Atascosa County. We were headed down to Port Aransas for the weekend to celebrate the fact that six months ago, this happened.

As the numbers rolled over, I looked to my right at my sweet husband with our little dog on his lap. I thought about Little Kass and Little Derek in their prom dress and rented tux. I couldn't have imagined then that we would actually end up here. Of course I had hopes. Big expectations about college, new friends that I would make, and someday marrying him. But it all seemed a little too good to ever come true.

I wish I could tell Little Kass that it does. After saying goodbye to Derek, it was my ritual to pull into a gas station, put my forehead on the steering wheel and cry it out. It hurt so bad. I think it would've been easier if Little Kass would have known about these past six months. I wish I could tell her how she and Derek are going to drive that Jeep right up to the ocean, roll down the windows, and eat breakfast tacos. I wish I could tell her how happy she will be.

I know this will not be the last time I sit in my car and think, "How did I get here?" 

Someday, I will  put it in reverse and look over my shoulder and there will be a baby sleeping in a carseat.

Someday, I will notice my first gray hair in the rearview mirror.

Someday, I will notice that hundreds of thousands of more miles have gone by.

I will count a blessing with each one.

St. Patrick's Day Limericks

I heard that today is St. Patty's Day.

And rhyming games seemed like a fine way

To honor the Saint.

Hope you have no complaint

'Bout the corny things I'm gonna say.

There once were two awkward ninth graders.

With faces so oily and cratered.

He thought she was pretty.

And she found him witty.

They married just eight short years later.

I have a sweet husband named Derek

So great he is almost Homeric.

90 million infinite.

Is how I'd describe it,

If my love for him were numeric.

We have a wee doggie named Maddie.

With our mailman she's often quite chatty.

She loves peanut butter.
JIF makes her heart flutter.
We hope it won't make her a fatty.

It is hard when your nickname is Kass

To write a poem that doesn't sound crass

Avoid jokes and good puns

About fannies and buns

To remain a fine lassie with class.

Ms. March: Part Two

This post is one day late. I have no excuse except that Derek had the best hair day of his life yesterday and we decided to celebrate by making fried rice. Seriously, not a hair out of place. AND it was a windy day.

Here we go...

Ann Richards

Second Female Governor of Texas. Straight Shooter. Comedienne.

 On being a woman...

"Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards in high heels."

On sexist politics...

"They blame the low income women for ruining the country because they are staying home with their children and not going out to work. They blame the middle income women for ruining the country because they go out to work and do not stay home to take care of their children." 

On hair...

"I get a lot of cracks about my hair, mostly from men who don't have any."

Why she is great...

I was a toddler when she was elected and most of what I know about her I learned from coverage of her death when I was in college. It all seemed kind of unreal to me. Texas elected a Democrat? Wait, Texas elected a feminist? And she was committed to helping people of color and women gain more representation in government, creating substance abuse programs in prisons, and increasing funding for education? It gives me hope to think that this state I love so much used to be different. It's getting pretty scary out there and so I hope that Ms. Richards was not the last of her kind.

Fun fact...

She got a motorcycle license for her 60th birthday.

Sandra Cisneros

Author. Poet. Chicana Activist.

On poverty...

"It is no disgrace to be poor - just inconvenient" 

On simplicity...

"But I deal with this meditating and by understanding I've been put on the planet to serve humanity. I have to remind myself to live simply and not to overindulge, which is a constant battle in a material world."

On feminism...

"My feminism is humanism, with the weakest being those who I represent, and that includes many beings and life forms, including some men."

Why she is great...

This is hard for me to explain unless you have read her books. House on Mango Street rocked my fourteen year old world when I read it as a freshman. Woman Hollering Creek did the same when I was in college. Her shifting perspectives give voice to the many identities that a woman can simultaneously embody.  

Fun fact...

We live in the same city! Her house is a famous landmark that I keep meaning to drive by.

Tillie Burgin

Missionary. Visionary. Servant Leader.

I’ll have to break from my traditional format in order to describe this woman and jump straight to why she is great. Tillie Burgin founded Mission Arlington over 20 years ago as a caring community of people who give sacrificially to meet the spiritual and physical needs of the poor in their city. Today Mission Arlington serves over 800 people per day through a variety of programs such as bible studies, after school clubs, crisis counseling, medical care and basic needs assistance.

I met Ms. Tillie when my Acteen group spent a week volunteering at Mission Arlington. Ms. Tillie makes a point of praying with every group that comes through her organization and I just so happened to be standing next to her when we circled up to join hands. I know that it sounds kind of crazy, but I really felt like she was a woman who walked closely with God. She just had so much joy and peace in her and it felt like she had boundless love to give.

Mission Arlington is admittedly not exactly a church or a social work agency. It’s exactly the kind of organization that I would like to be a part of someday. I am just starting out in my career and sometimes I feel overwhelmed by trying to figure out how to get a job like that. But, Ms. Tillie started Mission Arlington after she retired from a long career in foreign missions. It gives me hope that there is time for everything.

Meet Maddie

We got a dog!

On Saturday, Derek and I took a road trip up to Waco to meet a little dog looking for a good home. We found Maddie on petfinder.com and fell in love at first sight.

Her foster mother told us that the dog was abandoned anonymously at the Waco Humane Society about a month ago. Life in the shelter was way too stressful for her, so one of the employees took her home for foster care. We are incredibly grateful that someone noticed what a sweetie she is and worked with her so much to get her ready for our family.

After a long trip back home in the car, Maddie was happy to explore her new home. She smelled every inch and quickly found her favorite spot for snuggling and watching the cars go by.

Cute, right? Maddie is definitely mostly poodle but she is the littlest one we have ever seen. She is 3 years old, so this is as big as she will be. We are pretty sure she may have had a run in with Rick Moranis at some point, but we will never know for sure.

The first day we just cuddled non stop and got to know each other. On Sunday, we decided it was time for a walk in the park. It started like this...

And ended like this...

She got a little tired. No shame in that!

Currently, Maddie is snuggled up between us on the couchbed watching House Hunters and enjoying a tummy rub. It doesn't get much better than that.

 

Ms. March: Part One

As you probably know, March is Women's History Month and I'd like to acknowledge it here. Since no 4th grade teacher is making me give a report on an important woman in history, I've made up my own assignment. Every Monday this month, I will write about three of my favorite women from history. Beginning with...

Jane Addams

Mother of Social Work. First American Woman to be Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Pacifist. Feminist. Christian.

On social work
"The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life."

On feminism

"I do not believe that women are better than men. We have not wrecked railroads, nor corrupted legislature, nor done many unholy things that men have done; but then we must remember that we have not had the chance."

On faith

"That Christianity has to be revealed and embodied in the line of social progress is a corollary to the simple proposition, that man's action is found in his social relationships in the way in which he connects with his fellows; that his motives for action are the zeal and affection with which he regards his fellows."

Why she was great
She was intelligent, compassionate and revolutionary. She was passionate about the poor, the advancement of women, and world peace and not only gave her life to these causes but powerfully persuaded others to join her.

Fun fact 
Addams was so involved in her own community that in addition to being on the Chicago Board of Education, she also accepted the official post of Garbage Inspector of the Nineteenth Ward.

Loretta Lynn

Songwriter. Coal Miner's Daughter. Wife, Mother, and Jack White's BFF.

On a drinkin'

Don't Come Home A Drinkin'

On genetics

You're the Reason Our Kids are Ugly

On marriage making it work

You Ain't Woman Enough, Your Squaw is on the Warpath, Fist City

Why she is great

Loretta was not afraid to speak her mind. She wrote about Vietnam, the double standard of divorce, and the pill. Some of her stuff was even banned from the radio. She also was never ashamed of where she came from. The woman was born in Butcher Holler had four kids by the time she was 18. Today, she has written over 160 songs and has a whole generation of female artists who owe much of their success to her.

Fun fact

She is still doing her thing! She released Van Lear Rose a couple of years ago with Jack White and it is excellent. This is my favorite song off of the album. This is Derek's.

Your Grandmother

The Best Person You Know. Mimi. Gran. Emmie.

On your latest achievement...

"Oh my lands! Well, oh my stars!"

On the speed at which the family loads into the car...

"Off like a herd of turtles!"

On something she finds unpleasant...

"I'd rather be nibbled to death by ducks"

Why she is great

I don't know your grandmother, but I bet she is great because grandmothers just are great. They always love you no matter what. They make the best banana pudding/carrot cake/four layer desert. They still give you a little pat on the bottom you are still two years old. They are strong women who have seen a lot of changes and it makes them wise.

Fun fact

She's really proud of you.

Winning

Derek and I went to the driving range together today. It was a beautiful day for that sort of thing and after a huge breakfast of cheesy chilaquiles a little exercise seemed like a good idea. It mostly was until we were about half way through our bucket of balls.

And then I felt it creeping up. I whiffed the ball right as Derek had a gorgeous shot. Our lazy Saturday was suddenly a competition. One that I was losing.

It reminded me of a really silly argument that we had around Christmas time. I had a bad day at work but beyond that I don't remember exactly how it started. However, I remember the tipping point. Very sincerely and with tears in my eyes I asked Derek, "Why do you have to be so much better than me at everything?"

As he often does when I am being very sincere and have tears in my eyes, he laughed in my face. Then gave me a hug and he rattled off a list of things that I do better than him to make me feel better.


Things Kassidy is better at

1. Being nice to people.
2. Cooking creative things
3. Folding stuff
4. Eating vegetables
5. Planning and executing fun times

Things Derek is better at

1. Driving
2. Keeping the house clean
3. Scooping ice cream
4. Keeping in touch with friends 
5. Being patient

And now we can definitely add golf to that list. Maybe there is a place for competition in a marriage. As long as you know where you stand and it comes out in tie.