There are shortcuts to happiness.. and dancing is one of them!

My Sister and I just got done watching Dirty Dancing and I wanted to share something with yall...I LOVE DANCE PARTIES! Now I am not talking about the kind of dance parties where there are tons of folks grinding all up on each other.. which now that I think about it I've only seen that on tv.. I am talking about the spontaneous dance parties  that happen in every day households. Hmm.. but now that I think about that too there is a good chance that dance parties do not happen in every day households either (in fact I know it doesn't but I will share that story later). So whether we are talking about large dance parties or small scale ones..they may not happen somewhere else but they happen in my life and some of them have turned in to moments I will never forget. Tonight's dance party with my sister made me think of one of my fondest memories of my Mother...one Saturday we were watching Dirty Dancing  and I remember the two of us dancing like we just did not care to "Now I've had the time of my life...." we kept rewinding it and rewinding it ( I believe this is where my love of spontaneously dancing like a fool started)...there was a lot going on in our house but for that moment when we were having our own little dance party it all really just did not matter because we were having the time of our lives.. and we owed it all to the dance party..and Patrick Swayze's back muscles of course! So obviously if that movie is played in the Fede household there is a good chance that a dance party will break out at the end. Tonight's party included dancing on the spiral staircase and couch jumping  see... we do it up right. But anywho.. I brought this love of impromptu fun to college with me and we had them regularly. When we lived in Athens we use to open up the front door on a nice night and dance our rear ends off.. it did not matter to us that we lived on Milledge Ave. and everyone and their brother went by on this street. I remember one night we had all gotten ready for bed and had our pj's on and our retainers in (yeah we wear retainers.. can't waste all that money our parents spent on braces) and this might by TMI but since we were ready for bed we might not have had a certain undergarment on..but I have to share this information for the sake of the story.. which is.. one of us was in borderline breakdown mode and so the only possible cure was of course.. a dance party! So we jammed out to some American Bang minus this certain undergarment so needless to say this particular dance party turned out to be one of the most hilarious things I have ever witnessed..by the end of the song we were all rolling on the floor laughing and I'm pretty sure whatever it was that had caused the almost breakdown had been all but forgotten about. I have a lot of fun times with my two best friends that I lived with in college that I will remember and this is ultimately one of my favorites! But back to how I know dance parties do not happen in every day households.. a close friend of mine was at our house the other day and we were talking about a trip we have planned to go to Athens and he asked if my sister was going to go dance it up with us that night.. I of course being the loving sister that I am had to do a little poking at her let's just call them.. umm creative dance moves...which then in turn led to a dance off of course. He was playing dj and picked "get low" when I said oh good choice this is a Fede favorite my Dad loves it...he was a little baffled. Now this friend comes from a very Southern Baptist family.. and don't get me wrong I'm not saying they don't have fun.. I'm just saying it is pretty safe to say they do not break it down around the island in their kitchen to Lil Jon.. and he confirmed this.. he could not think of a time he has ever seen his parents dance.. so after he left..probably thinking WOW..my sister and I asked each other how are we suppose to ever bring a boy in to this crazy house? And I think we both decided that it did not really matter.. we like that there are attempts to do the gator across the kitchen floor by a 50 year old man and broken toes because someone got a little crazy with their moves and kicked a stool... it's what makes us "us." So not only have I shared with you that I love dance parties.. and a few stories to let you know why.. I hope I have shared some wisdom and you have gained a valuable lesson .. JUST DANCE..IT'LL BE OK! Seriously.. go grab your friends and family and let loose.. it may turn out to be a lasting memory!! :)

And how does that make you feel?

I got to thinking today.. What are feelings and where do they come from? This just spiraled in to a lot of deep thoughts and raised more questions about these things that we all have. What makes our mind decide that we are embarrassed and not happy when you finally realize that the reason the guy at the counter had a huge smile on his face and almost laughing was not because he was dazzled with your smile and charm but because your dress was indeed tucked in to your underwear? What is it that makes us feel something for one person but not the other? What connects them to what we hear, see, smell? Think about it.. Matthew McConaughey is famous because just the mear sight of him makes women feel all hot and bothered.. and they don't play MmmBop during a funeral scene in a movie..music makes you feel too. Who named feelings or emotions.. (whatever you want to call them)? How did sad and excited get to be sad and excited? I had an emotion the other day when eating the most delicious donut that was filled with fresh strawberries and cream cheese that was frankly indescribable. If I want to name that emotion who do I need to notify? Do turtles feel emotions?  How can something that is just a feeling make you do crazy things and how do some of them just take over you? I mean you have to admit.. we are talking about things that are really really powerful. Everyone has them.. not everyone shows them as much as some people but they have them.. it’s how we express them that makes us unique.  

I have always been a curious person.. if I want to know something I am usually set on finding the answer. I knew I had to start with the brain. I remembered in one of my college classes having to memorize parts of the brain and in order to remember anything I had to make up funny little ways to remember it… and this popped in to my head.. amygdale.. amy has feelings for dale.. I couldn’t remember what the amygdale did I just knew it had to do with feelings so I looked it up. Amygdale- a pair of neuron groups located deep within the medial temporal lobes—when strong emotions are triggered this area becomes especially active when we have intense emotions and such as passion, anger, fear etc. Ok.. cool this is triggered when experience emotions.. but where the heck did they come from in the first place?? Obviously this triggered an emotion.. aggravation!  I decided that I didn’t have time to ponder on such things as this so I got back to work.

Wouldn’t you know though that someone else had an answer for me not even ten minutes later. Do yall know that old song “Turn, turn, turn, for every season…” well it came on my Pandora and it made me think of the Bible verse Ecclesiastes 3:4 there is.. “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” Jesus Himself Wept as well. After I thought about this verse some more  I think I got my answer for these powerful things that I had no logical explanation of where they came from.. they are a gift from God. That is a lot to take in if you ask me… not all of them are hunky dory feelings..I mean there are several feelings and emotions that make us uncomfortable. But I’m pretty sure He gave us these emotions as guides. There are things that we do that make us feel guilty, anxious, angry, sad etc and when we feel this way it teaches us to do the right thing. I think He uses feelings to guide us to understand His purpose in our lives and His plans. How could we ever even begin to understand what Jesus did for us  and how much love and selflessness it required if we were not our selves able to feel these things? If you think about emotions in this way it kind of makes you appreciate them a little more and not hide them.  But I’m pretty sure that it would take someone a little more.. we will just call it well-adjusted.. than me to really wrap their head around this. It did not answer all my questions because frankly I started to feel overwhelmed.. but there it is.. just sharing some thoughts… And how does that make you feel? J

Mama.. I'm alright

A couple of days ago I was sitting in my Grandmothers kitchen and started to really just look around… I have been in this kitchen over a thousand times.. and for those of you who know my Grandmother and know about her specific talents would know this is the most logical place to be in her house because there is always something delicious in there.. but back on task.. she was preoccupied with making a casserole for something she was going to that night and as I was enjoying a piece of banana bread she made me eat.. I started looking around her kitchen and noticed that there were at least ten different little vases filled with sprigs of plants or flowers.. she had taken the time to put these sprigs that had fallen off one of the thousand plants she had in her yard in to their own vases  so they could grow their own roots and live again. I have to say noticing this kind of got to me on this particular day because.. she really and truly makes the word benevolent have meaning…you see.. I know lots of people think their grandparents are the greatest..but allow me let you in on a little secret.. mine really are! ;) After losing all three of their children they really have faced tragedy after tragedy and somehow they are still able to selflessly continue to see the beauty in everything or everyone and take care of others without expecting anything at all. If you want to know more I am sure you can just google them because there has been article after article published about their philanthropy. But back to the reason why these little plants got to me.. that day I found myself up at her house because I had been struggling with some things going on in my life and really not handling it well and I knew the only thing that could make it better was my Mama. I had told her what was wrong earlier that week on the phone and of course she said she just wishes she could just fix it for me but did not know how…little did she know that not only did her hug make me feel better but she really did fix it by teaching me a lesson… Quit being the only attendee of this little pity party you are throwing… there really is no use in wallowing.. there are things and people to be taken care of. The truth of it is that I know if I even turn out to be half the person she is then I will be doing good..but people use to tell me I am just like her and I think I had lost touch with that person for a while. And that day I was reminded that  If she can take the time to give life to a little ol’ sprig then I can certainly pull myself together and do what I have always done best.. taking care of others! So I’m back.. ready to Mama yo ass in a minute!

Hey Garth.. you owe me $5

So tonight I was telling a friend about how a little girl I was baby sitting had to "call" Justin Bieber to tell him she was having a new baby brother.. and to say good night of course.... after we laughed about it he said he wonders if he ever did anything like this.. like try and call Hanson or something? This hit a raw nerve with me because to my dying day I will love me some Garth Brooks but he completely broke my heart when I was 9....and those of you who know me pretty well have already heard this story a million times but I am just hoping that Ellen or someone like that will get wind of it one day and help me find retribution. But  anywho.. one summer before I went to camp I wrote Garth Brooks a letter (how I found his address before the days of the internet is beyond me.. but I have always been resourceful)... but anywho.. I distinctly remember sitting on my floor next to my tape player listening to my Garth Brooks tape and writing him a letter that said how much I love him and how I was fixing to go to camp and not need the money I made selling "wrapping paper" (now this was no ordinary wrapping paper.. it was printer paper that I took the time to draw on and sell  to my family and neighbors to wrap presents with.. yeah impressive.. I know!) so I was sending him $5 so he could send me a signed picture. I  then humbly informed him  that I know its not much but I am only 9 years old so it would have to do. All summer I waited patiently for my signed picture of him.. my parents worked at the camp so I would call and ask my grandmother if I had gotten any mail at the house. Camp had passed that summer and it was right before school was about to start (I really honestly and truly cannot remember much from my childhood but I remember all of this) and I know this because I was secretly "testing" out my new school tennis shoes after I had been asked not to...got caught.. and had to spend some time in my room for this horrible infraction... but this punishment was totally eclipsed when the letter.. from Garth Brooks arrived. I opened it with more anticipation then anyone has probably ever had and there was NO picture. What I held in my hand was a letter from a lady thanking me  for being such a great fan and that Garth would love to write me himself but he is on tour at the time. I was in shock.. and there might have been a few tears shed but then I pictured this woman being his good friend and that she must know him so that is kind of cool but then I suddenly realized that wait a minute.. she STOLE my $5. Who steals money from a 9 year old that is trying to start her own wrapping paper business? Ludicrous.... I know! I obviously have never fully recovered from the disappointment that happened 16 years ago...but I know Garth is a kind and fair man and if he knew that someone in his camp took my hard earned money to probably later buy a hamburger or something  he would make things right.. what he doesn't know though..... is that I have been charing interest!

Priiivate eyes.. are watching you..

I love that song by Blake Shelton that goes.... "who are you when I'm not looking" and when it came on the radio today I turned it up and started jamming out. So here I am coming home from work jamming out to this song that is asking..who are you when I'm not looking when I get stopped at a traffic light and look over to my right only to see a woman walking around in a parking lot talking on her cell phone.. while pulling her hot pink thong up out of her pants for everyone to see...and I don't mean just a light tug on them.. she was literally wrapping it around her fingers.. now I am no expert on thongs but I can imagine that pulling your little g-string thong up that far and twisting it can not be that comfortable..or maybe it was just an old worn out favorite of hers and it was not responsible for the worlds worst wedgie.. who knows.. all I know is that it got me thinking while listening to Blake's song.. what do we do when we forget that other people are looking??? I know in this particular case this lady that looked nice and normal enough was probably in a deep conversation with her bff and had no clue that she was exposing her G-string talents to everyone passing by. Just like the guy I saw yesterday that was standing out in the wal-mart parking lot talking to his friend about the tent he obviously just purchased and forgot that other people sitting in their cars could clearly see him reach down in his pants and adjust himself...I mean getting a new tent is exciting and all but you just made eye contact with me 10 seconds ago so you know I am there..But the truth is I guess I can not talk.. I am a repeat offender when it comes to forgetting other people are around sometimes.. but if you think about it we all have those moments where we think...shit I hope no one saw that. Like the other day when it was cold I wore tights with my dress to work and when I got there I just got out of the car and pulled and adjusted the darn things til they were comfortable..(being lady-like and not lifting my dress of course) completely forgetting that everyone else arrives at this time and is usually in the parking lot with me...I was quickly reminded that even though I forgot... one of my co-workers was in fact looking.. he asked me if I was ready for work now that I got everything situated..I just told him I was going to charge him a dollar next time for looking. I would say I am the worst in my car though.. aren't you? I get in there and sometimes wish I had illegal tinting on all of my windows.. personally I do not know why anyone would feel the need to laugh at my dance moves but alas they do..seriously though.. you have to get creative while trying to drive and dance at the same time and when a Hanson song comes on the radio it is impossible to remember that there are other drivers that can see you. I always wonder what people are listening to when I see others doing this.. One of the funniest stories of disregard for people looking happened to me at work...again...but my boss is completely blind so you kind of get use to not really paying attention to what you are doing in front of him and one day at lunch I was eating some yogurt that...let's just say got away from the spoon and landed among the mountains below.. I am accustomed to eating lunch with other women and a blind man so naturally I just reached down there and took care of that yogurt..totally forgetting that we had a volunteer eating with us that day.. I'm pretty sure he did not mind my obliviousness but I was embarrassed when I realized what I had done.. I could go on and on with stories but I will stop and answer Blake's question.. no I do not poor a little something on the rocks.. or sink to my nose in a bubble bath.. I pick wedgies.. dance in car like an idiot..and give out free shows involving yogurt thank you very much..What have you caught yourself doing when you forgot someone else was looking???

My First Blog...

So for the longest time I wanted to start a blog but thought my life is not exciting enough for one...and then today it hit me...hold up there poncho it really does not matter. So here I am in the blogger world! Just a few warnings for you readers out there.. I type like I think..which means there is going to be lot's of these ........, random thoughts, and probably a few run-on sentences. I once sent a "secret" letter of encouragement to a friend that was going through a tough time and I really went all out to disguise who it was from  because sometimes I like to revert back to my Harriet the Spy days and I felt like being all secretive about it...never the less he apparently immediately knew who it was from because "there was a terrible run-on sentence at the end." So obviously that means I am a notorious run-on sentencer and that my old english teacher was right when she said I could be a great writer if I just took the time to learn grammar.. I tried to explain to her that I do not do details well and that the only thing that I enjoyed grammar wise is madlibs... which by the way is still one of my favorite things to do to this day. They are always a beach essential and recently on a 13 hour train ride down to New Orleans myself and 3 other 25 year olds spent hours laughing hysterically at the worlds greatest word game.. if you play your cards right I might share a page with you one day! But anywho.. if you can deal with all of the very unnecessary periods and the run-on sentences I promise to keep you entertained while sharing my daily happenings. Aaaannnddd drum roll please... here I go pressing the button and publishing my first post!