the mixed up files of the grandma and the cat

so, for the past several years, i've felt like i am intrinsically not a family person. maybe it's that my family dynamic is not a tightly-knit, big-fat-greek, family-night-every-night, let's talk on the phone twice a day, bunch of relatives.

today, i realized that i like my family. a lot.

for years, it was just hard for me to relax and enjoy them. for the first time (possibly ever... at least in the last few years) my surroundings are quiet enough to listen to the things that whisper, reminding me that they're there. things like: books, making art, writing letters, family.

it's so hard to slow down and appreciate these things when life is moving at an irrational pace. i am to blame. the job is to blame. the pressures of living the american dream is to blame. the fact that everybody else is so dang inspiring is to blame.

yet, it wouldn't be so sweet to slow down, if i didn't know the hazard that comes along with living too fast. maybe?

today, i enjoyed looking at my grandma's friends faces. sitting out in front of their home, waiting on lemonade, one of them joked. then another one mentioned he didn't like living there anymore, he didn't like living so much anymore, he said. as mention of this caused the ladies to respond, "oh, i don't believe that. you're thankful to be alive," he didn't seem to agree. he still had a dry sense of humor and responded that he's lived there for 7+ years, off and on; married two women, moved to florida(not at the same time, he clarified), buried them. the name of his first wife, annie, came to him easily... but the other one never did. he was obviously embarrassed, even though his peers told them it was really okay. "it's alright, but it's not acceptable" he was torn. another old man, who didn't really seem that old walked over to him and pulled out a datebook and showed him that he had written in it, his name his address, his birthday, the code to his safe.... things that he was likely to forget.

as long as he doesn't misplace the little black book, i think he's going to be alright.

tomorrow morning i'm having breakfast with my dad, i can't wait. we've done our best to try and remember that we were father-daughter as well as employer-employee throughout the years, but the hours we shared at the restaurant far, far exceeded our cups of coffee before work. i like him.

so, although my grandma's getting older, she's looking good and doing amazing. rewind// fast forward: what does the cheerleading captain, class president, summa cum laude do when she gets old? revamps her old people's home library and makes sure it's up do date, starts book club and a green room, for recycling. yep, i'm pretty proud of her.

my cat, on the other hand, cori... not doing so great. on my way home from visiting the grandma, the mother pointed out the cat's acupuncture's office. crazy.

lemons, lemons. life.

i'm finally on summer break (for two weeks) heading down to nashville on tuesday to shoot a music video for my friends jenny & tyler. camping with some cool ladies, visiting some dear friends. don't have a lot of expectations, but i have a feeling that we'll be pleasantly surprised.

from our last house show, pillars and tongues.