Deluna-fest-ivous is for the rest of us...finally!

Maybe it was the excitement. Maybe it was the frustrations of the past two years mounting up. Whatever it was last night at the painful hour of midnight, I somehow managed to stir
From my sleep and roll over enough to find/read/drop my phone. After two more phone drops, exiting the page once, and ending up on pinterest; I found it! It was beautiful. It was all I imagined it to be. It was the Deluna Fest 2012 line-up.

Deluna Fest is the baby of the American festivals. Born in 2010, this event claims its spot on the beautiful white sands of Pensacola Beach, my hometown. The festival proudly presents themselves as "America's Original Beach Party.". But in its first two years of learning to walk on its own two legs, this baby has fallen down alot. If slow ticket sales and lost money weren't enough, the success of neighboring Gulf Shores music festival "Hangout Festival" had to be salt in the wounds. Deluna acts took the stage last year to little or no audience. VIPs felt let down with expensive accommodations that were far from grand. Locals felt ignored when the event, far more concerned with catering to out of town guests through pricey hotel packages, seemed to forget about its local supporters.

But somewhere in this tiny festival was a fighter. They took the kicks, criticism, and taunts. They listened to what wasn't working. Most importantly, they did something to be respected more then the rest, they admitted they were wrong and made changes.

This year Pensacola Beach will play to home to the festival for it's 3rd year, and it promises to deliver! With headliners such as Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters (a Pensacola Favorite and Hangout Fest alum) and the highly successful Florence and the Machine; Deluna is already off to a good start. Throw in DJ Jazzy Jeff, Bed folds five, Dwight Yoakam, Joan Jett, and many more; and this festival just might have a chance of not only walking, but running away with our hearts!

My one request: If all goes well, and there's a next year show. Could we maybe announce the line up during the day. I'd rather not explain how confusing my dreams are with Dwight Yoakam in them. Thats a blog for another day.

Southern by birth, loud by breeding.

"For my mother, being Southern means handwritten thank-you notes, using a rhino horn’s worth of salt in every recipe, and spending a minimum of twenty minutes a day in front of her makeup mirror so she can examine her beauty in “office,” “outdoor,” and “evening” illumination. It also means never leaving the house with wet hair. Not even in the case of fire. Because wet hair is low-rent. It shows you don’t care, and not caring is not something Southern women do, at least when it comes to our hair."

Recently a good friend reposted this article on her Facebook. There was much more to it then just this part but the overall message was the same: "The reason we Southern women take care of ourselves is because, simply, Southern women are caretakers."
Although the overall message of the story was pretty on point for many southern darlings, I couldn't help thinking loudly and with a strong twang..."girl your southern belle is nothing compared to my southern spark!"

I firmly believe in being presentable, living a god fearing life, and showing respect to everyone around you whether they have earned it or not. I believe in thank-you notes and making sure you are dressed appropriatly for whatever the occasion may be. But more importantly I believe there are things in my upbringing that many of these southern darlings miss out on while making sure their hair was perfectly quaffed.

My south sits on the sandy beaches of a beautiful gulf. But my mother is no beach bum. She's a loud, hardworking southern woman who's voice can be heard from across an arena (I know this for a fact, it's happened). She raised me on please, thank you, and a list full of idioms. Quirky saying such as "it's cold as a witches titty." It took years for her to finally add the "in a brass bra" ending to this saying. Another favorite was always "I don't know him from Adams house cat." We had a neighbor named Adam, he didn't have a cat. You can imagine the confusion that came with this as a small child. Even though I hardly understood the woman sometimes i loved her ideas as to how a southern woman should be. "Why comb your hair when the 4 wheelers just going to mess it up anyways." "Why put on makeup in a mirror when the beach gives you the perfect shade of blush." I was told to be respectful, be presentable, but if a boy tries to beat you to the river rope swing you run on ahead and show him how its done first sugar." Her actions showed me not to be afraid to sing Garth Brooks or Alabama at the top of my lungs, even when i'mlooked at funny.

All of these things were taught and sometimes spanked into me early on. But the most important lesson, and the one I took away from the article was when they referred to us southern charmers as "caretakers." My mother has raised hoards of children, only 3 of which were hers. I have friends who have called her mom since the first day She came loudly into their lives and even as a teacher I've watched her "mom" her way through work, paying for students prom tickets, SAT fees, and study guides. If a southern woman is anything, it is surely a caretaker. We love with all we have in us and we don't give up on a lost cause. This is the model I was raised on.

Whether I'm a southern bell or sparkplug is up to fate.

This is a test, this is only a test...

I recently decided to purchase an iPad. Mostly because It would be a great addition to my classroom for my dear wee students. I also thought that this pad would make a great addition to my vast computer collection. This consists of an toshiba that it seriously on its last leg and a MacBook. Neither of which I can count as reliable. The toshiba, poor thing she is, is honestly so old she has hot flashes and shuts off on me. The MacBook is not actually mine. It's a tattered loaner from work that I'm
Terribly afraid to upload anything personal on for fear I might forget to clean it off later. So this leaves me with my new $400 love child.

The iPad I adore! The accessories that laugh each time I pull out my credit card are not as loved.

And then the worse battle, picking a cover. Why most of these covers cost more then my cell phone is beyond me. The more simple they seem the higher the price tag. Then the worst part, how do I have pretty and functional?! I've purchased this $100 dollar gem which comes standard with keyboard and camera plug in. But then I stumbled across a lusty little number with tweed threading and a silly little sign reading "life's a beach." This blog is my test. And yet, while I'm typing on my nice handy keyboard.....I'm thinking about tweed and beaches. Oh how cute we will look together while walking pad and hand together through a downtown store.

Where did I put my keyboard receipt?

30 in 3 years

Hard working and working hard!

Aside from teaching and testing, I've also had an amazing Mardi Gras season and birthday to tuck under my belt in these past few weeks.  But I have been thinking hard on my next post.

 Ok.....thats a lie. 

I have actually been spending a disgusting amount of time on Pinterest and in Joanns buying craft supplies.  Lucky for you all, a good friend recently threw an idea my way that I just had to steal.....um....borrow!  Because of her recent realization that this year puts her one step closer to the dreaded 3-0, she decided to build her 30 before 30 list.  It holds some things she would like to revisit and others she would like to experience for the first time.  Looking over her list I began to go back to all those "I'm going to do that one day" moments. 

I think some of my favorite promises in life begin with that simple phrase, "One day I will...."  But life has quickly shown me that one day is to short and to many of my moments I hope to have also rely on having some wonderful people around me. 
So here is what I have built as my own 30 before i'm 30.

30. Ride a cable car in San Fransico
29. Find more lost treasures up the other part of Route 66
28. Shower in a waterfall
27. Parasail
26. See the beauty of Ansel Adam's Yosemite National Park, up close and personal.
25. Spend an entire day, 12 full hours, doing nothing but reading a book.
24. Be in another musical.
23. Line Dance- just once, get it out of my system, just enough to embarrass myself
22. Take down my family's history and memories in their own words, before I regret not taking the time to.
21. Disneyland!
20. Spend at least a day a week during my summer off, reading to kids at Sacred Heart.
19. Grow as a Photographer and make time for it again.
18. Scan and save all the photos of my grandparents and great grandparents.
17. Dive into a cruise buffet!
16. Give up a holiday to serve food at the mission.
15. Visit the snow in Colorado
14. Climb another mountain, hopefully not in flip flops this time.
13. Visit the Florida Keys.
12. Drive coast to coast.
11. Give more then I get, Find a charitable group to volunteer my time too.
10. Visit the Smithsonian
9. Ride on a train.
8. Get remarried in the cheesiest Vegas wedding possible! Think tall hair and powder blue tuxedos.
7. Ride a mechanical bull.
6. Visit Savannah, GA
5. Experience the Grand Canyon
4. Stay at a cabin in the Smokey Mountains
3. Learn how to make my nannies lady finger cookies.
2. Spend an entire day watching the classics.
1. Share the gifts and memories of my childhood with my own child.  Look at places I have spent my whole life loving through their eyes!


As I take on this list I hope to also take on the world.  I don't want the regrets that follow that phrase "One day I will...."  I don't want to look back one day and make excuses for missing out when the only reason would be that I never tried. And through this project I want to grow as a person, as a daughter, as a grand daughter, and as an adventurer. 


Fingers Crossed!

Keep those bridges flame retardant.

And now for something completely different.

I've made it a life choice to not burn to many bridges along my path in life. This has had its benefits along the way as I've stumbled across old friends an relationships. Today I took in my pretty new teacher mobile to have a little Prius pampering. The only toyota dealership in town just happens to employee and old flame of mine. This isn't a "we dated in high school and he bought me a happy meal" flame. It's more like 3 years of my life of growing up, living together, and learning the hard knocks of life until we drifted and crumbled away. The split was painful and hard but over the years we managed to take what had been a big part of our lives and build a friendship. Anyways, when I arrived to pick up my precious pile of Prius he was in the lobby finishing up with a customer. He saw me, asked how I was enjoying the car, an bantered back and forth about how my old car was a coffin on wheels and breaking off piece by piece. I waved my goodbye and was headed out the door when he stopped me. He quickly asked the associates in the lobby to check and make sure my new (but used) car was up to date on its recalls. Everything was seen about and I headed on my way. Driving home it hit me how grateful I was to have good people around me. Even though there were many breaks and cracks in the history of our friendship and he could have found 100 reasons to hate me just because, he took the time to make sure I was in a good place with a good car. It's something so simple but says so much about the person I want to be and the great person he always has been.

Be aware of the people you let go in life. Burning bridges leaves you with nothing but an empty feeling and no way to go back to the wonderful friends you have made along the way.

Good friends are hard to find

Sitting around one of my friends loudly declared while reading Facebook, "everyone knows I don't have a sense of humor. I'm blunt and too the point."

The friends I have been blessed with in life are all unique. They are all amazing. And are all crazy beyond belief! But I can love them for the fact that I understand they are all their own person! No matter how crazy that person that may be, I know she's always standing behind me with a bat if I need it saying "alright, who needs a talking to?"

Gleek at heart

"The one thing those drama groups don't have is the hot star football player who can sing and dance."

Oh glee, I hate to pop that bubble but I assure you my school drama group had the guy you described.

I know this for a fact because he stuck his tongue down my throat during a production......;)