Growth and Change (An Editorial)

This was published today in our school newspaper, the Kishwaukee Kaleidoscope. Enjoy :)

       The other day I ran into my seventh grade home economics teacher. We stopped and chatted for a while about what was new and how college was going. We talked for about 15 minutes and then went our separate ways.

Later that night as I was falling asleep I did what I always do when I think about that class and that teacher. During the year she would ask us questions that were meant to make us think about something bigger than ourselves and one of them has always stuck with me. "Are you really the person that you think you are?"

When she first asked, I must admit that I was mystified by this obscure question.  What could that possibly mean? "Of course I know who I am", I thought.  "I am Grace Martin. I live in a tiny town in the middle of a cornfield. How could I not know who I was?" The answer seemed so simple. As I looked around the rest of the class I could see the other confused and awkward looks on the faces of my classmates. No one had any idea what she was talking about.  

Luckily for us dumbfounded seventh graders it was a rhetorical question and she continued on with her lesson but, for whatever reason, I never forgot her asking it. Every once in a while I come across a situation that makes me think about it and what it means. Could you ever really possibly know who you are? 

As I was looking back to seventh grade I began to think about how much I've changed as a person and about everything I went through in Jr. High and High School. I'm definitely not the same person that I was in  seventh grade or as a freshman or even as a senior in high school. Those experiences shaped the person I was then into the person that I am now. 

In Jr. High the answer to that puzzling question seemed so simple. I was Grace Martin who grew up in the middle of a cornfield.  Though now I realize that the answer was much more complicated than that. There is so much more that defines who you are. The experiences you go through in life change how you view the world. Sometimes in big dramatic ways and other times in small, almost insignificant ones. But they still change you and that change is constant.

So this makes me wonder. What will I be like in a year? What about in five years? How much will I have changed from the person I am now? What will I think of myself when I look back? This probably sounds strange but when I look back, I hope I see all kinds of things that I could have done differently. Not that I will regret them, but I hope that will mean that I have grown for the better.

First Weekend of Fall

I had the most wonderful weekend :) I love the beginning of fall don't you? I love being able to dig out sweaters, jeans and boots and snuggle up in big soft clothes. I love when the trees just start to change color. I also love the light. It is great for taking pictures. :)

So Saturday I spent the day with Bobert in Madison shopping around for antiques. We had a good time getting lost.  When I got home I checked my email, and low and behold my POTTERMORE EMAIL HAD FINALLY ARRIVED! I was SO excited! For those of you out there that think Pottermore is just  a way to tease die hard fans, or get more money out of them, you are sorely mistaken. Even with all the hype, Pottermore did not disappoint this fan. I have been waiting SO LONG for something like this. I got to go shopping in Diagon Alley, my wand chose me (Alder with Unicorn Core, 12 and a quarter inches, surprisingly swishy ) and got sorted into a house. I've always known that I was a Gryffindor, and it has finally been confirmed. :) That was SO COOL.

That is my excited face on the left. I bought just a plain red tie and painted yellow stripes on it, and my robe is just an old nun costume cut down the back so that it would open up. I made the badge by copying one out of a Harry Potter poster book and printing it out on Iron On Transfer paper. The rest of the costume I bought in different places.

I haven't really gotten much farther in the game yet though, since I had SO MUCH OTHER STUFF TO DO! (AH!)

 Sunday I went with Austin to a family get together of his. The town where he grew up had their fall festival this weekend, so we watched a parade and walked around up town. Then we went home so his cousin and him could get some shooting in while the weather was still nice.

They kinda destroyed the target.....

Then my sister Audra, Austin, and I went to go see the Lion King in 3D. It was cute. :)
Audra was pretty pumped because she got the special edition 3D glasses.

So that was my weekend in a nut shell. What about you?

Austin's little helper

So I spent the day on the farm as my boyfriend's (Austin) little helper. I rode around with him on the tractor all day, and then helped do all the regular chores. It is exhausting!


The calves eating away. They are so cute :)

A weekend of craziness, otherwise known as "The Pec Thing"

So this is a moment where you get to  learn another fascinating aspect of my complicated life.

I am the child of divorced parents. My dad isn't really in the picture anymore. He just decided one day that he didn't want to come get us. However, that is another story.

I was in Jr. High, and for whatever reason I had two male sunday school teachers. (For those of you who don't know, that practically never happens) When they realized what was going on in my home life they stepped in to be my dads. They are possibly the greatest people on earth. I call them my "adopted dads".

John Kessinger is one of my adopted dads. I call him bobert. which at first he thought was embarassing, but now I think he secretly likes it. Bobert and I like to do antiquing together. Actually, we are a whole lot more obsessed than just that. We are what is commonly known as "Pickers". We buy and sell antiques. It is TONS of fun. Not just the antiques, but the adventures we have going picking. They are crazy and insane and we spend hours laughing, and when we get home and try to explain it, the stories are never quite as funny as we thought they were. But again, a story for a different time.

So this last weekend was one of our picking adventures. The Pec Thing at the Winnebago County Fair grounds is one of our biggest weekends. Twice a year we pack up the truck (and yes, we always look like hilbillys) and head over to the fair grounds to set up our booth and sell our stuff. (Booth A16. Check us out in May)  This weekend was nuts, and we sold a ridiculous amount of stuff and made pretty good money. It sounds pretty easy when I say it like that, but it was really a lot of work. We did really well, but there were a lot of people who didn't. I talked to one vendor who said they didn't even make the $100 mark.

Saturday we had beautiful weather. It was cool, but it wasn't cold. I was fine in my sweat shirt. But Sunday was the complete opposite. It was cold and rainy and everything was damp.  It ended up being a pretty good day for me though when my boyfriend showed up with a present for me. A brand new Ipod Touch. :) I love that guy.

Well that was my weekend in a nut shell. How about yours?