Cemetery Adventures, Take 1

My parents are probably laughing if they read this.  When I was little, I absolutely hated going to cemeteries and looking for graves of ancestors.  I mean the whining, crying, complaining, "let's go home!" kind of hate.

Sunday, Nic and I took off the Cheatham County, TN (about 45 minutes from home) to find an old cemetery where one of his distant relatives is buried.

This adventure started back on Christmas Eve, when Grandma and Grandpa Teasley uncovered these things in their home:

A photo of some Teasley ancestors.

A genealogy book put together by one of Nic's distant relatives.

This book told us that Nic's ancestors came from Virginia to Dalton, GA (carpet capital of the world) where they had a cotton plantation.  Somewhere along the way, Nic found out that others lived right here in middle Tennessee, so we went on a cemetery hunt.

This place was in the boonies.  Not just out in the country, or down an old country road. We're talking real, live, legit boonies -- where you've gotta be careful to not hit the cattle grazing on the side of the road!  The roads are "paved..." if you get my drift.  Boonies.  Soon after I lost 3G coverage on my iphone, we stumbled upon the small road where said cemetery was located.

Of course, we met a car along this one-lane dead-end road. We wiggled our way around to get two cars on the road and asked about the Teasley Cemetery.  The nice lady we passed informed us that we were on her property and that we'd need take a different road to get to the cemetery.  She told us who owned the cemetery land, where that lady lived, her maiden name (Teasley, sure enough!), what she did for a living, etc. etc. etc.  Side Note: It's really true that everyone knows each other in small towns like this... it was to the point of SCARY!

This kind lady (yes, we're friends now!) was on her way to town when we passed her, and she offered to show us where we'd find the cemetery. Of course her directions included things like "a road grown over" and "a huge log pushed to the side of the road" but we found that huge log and the road grown over. Too bad Teasley Cemetery sat at the top of a steep hill... and I was hearing heels from Sunday church! We went to town to find me some shoes, but had no luck.  I'm so thankful my sweet husband didn't make me hike the mountain in heels.

Ok, so maybe, just maybe I was a little scared off by the neighbors... you know, the ones who have chickens running wild, dogs chasing our car, confederate flags flying everywhere, and giant spray-painted signs reading "Mind Your Own Business!"

Needless to say, we didn't make it to Teasley Cemetery on this trip.  But don't worry, we'll be back!

blogging blues

Are there such things as blogging blues? I remember my friend Jen talking about this back in the fall.  With disorders likes SAD rampant this time of year, I vote that we give a name to the blogging blues... something like SBLAD (Seasonal BLogging Affective Disorder). Maybe you've experienced these symptoms:

• You say, "I have nothing to write about."
• You revisit your blog mission/purpose over and over and over.
• You stare at a blank box that's waiting for you to write something.
• You read every blog in your reader looking for ideas.
• You google blog topics you're curious about.
• You revisit the list you made previously: "Things to blog about when I have nothing to say."
• You hate that list, and delete most of the content.
• You read articles telling you not to chase readers/followers/comments.
• You go back to your blog's purpose again. And again.
• You ask your readers what to blog about.
• You write a blog and then delete it because it stinks.
• You redesign your blog or tweak a couple of features. 
• You read a few more blogs in your reader.
• You go several days/weeks without posting or even looking at your blog.
• You post once, and then wait several more days.
• You stare at the blank box again. Still nothing.
• You start to type... maybe this time you'll deliver a little piece of yourself? Maybe not. 
• If not, repeat.

Did I leave any off?  Thanks to all you bloggers who faithfully post, even when behind your posts you're experiencing SBLAD symptoms... we would have never known!

Elevator Etiquette

I'd like to propose a change to common elevator rules, at least at work.

I guess I should back up and say that I've had more than a few awkward elevator entrances, rides, and exits in the past couple of years.  Yesterday, I experienced the most awkward elevator exit of the year, as chronicled on Twitter.

Here's my proposed rule change.  Elevator rules state that you should let the women exit first unless you are blocking the door. I say, just go ahead and get out of the elevator please.  Here's why:

1. What "blocking the door" means is up for debate.  Do I think that you think you're blocking the door? If I don't, will I run into you if I try to exit and .25 seconds later you try to exit?

2. While it's nice and polite to let us women out first, only about half of men do that. How do I know if I should go first, or if I'm going to awkwardly collide with someone who forgot to let the women out of the elevator first?

3. If I'm stuck in the back corner of the elevator, PLEASE don't make me march in front of everyone to exit first...

4. ...because once I do exit, if I'm waiting on someone else, I just stand there causing a road block for everyone.

5. It makes sense to just exit in order, beginning with those closest to the door.

Thanks again for trying to be polite. I appreciate the thought, but not the awkwardness. Just go ahead and exit.

why I don't like the iron bowl

HATE is a strong word, but I'd venture to say that I'm pretty close to hating to Iron Bowl.  Here's why:

If you lose, it stinks.  You sit in the agony of your team's loss with half your friends who are moping for hours, weeks, and even the 364 days until the next Iron Bowl.  You also have to listen to, watch, and read all your friends' twitter posts and facebook statuses from both sides of the ball.  You resent the ones who won't shut up about their win and continue to dog your team.  You roll your eyes at the ignorant ones who lost but still hate on the other team, just because - even when they don't really have anything to say. And then there are a few who say "great game, Bama!" or "both teams played so well," which is all great and good but seriously? C'mon!  You know that deep down inside you're thinking, "War Cam Eagle!!!" and other pseudo-expletives against Alabama, and you realize that neither team played a GREAT game for both halves in this year's Iron Bowl.

And then, I reflect on how difficult it is when you win (which we did as recent as last year.)  Don't get me wrong, it's exciting and fun and all of that, but it's not fun for your conversations with Auburn friends, acquaintances, and even total strangers for the next 364 days. You can cheer, but you make people bitter.  You want to be sympathetic, yet you can't help but remember that was the year we broke Auburn's Iron Bowl winning streak, and that was the year we won our 13th National Championship. Let's be honest, those conversations are just a little awkward. You again read all the facebook posts about how the other team shoulda won, or was completely robbed! I don't know how to explain, but it's just a weird feeling even when you win. 

In a strange way, the Iron Bowl brings out the mean, ugly, proud, and bitter side of people, and I don't really like it.  Don't get me wrong - I love competetion.  I love my team.  I love cheering for them in good times and bad, when we win and when we lose.  I'll still say, "Roll Tide!" today and everyday. But deep down, I really don't like the way the Iron Bowl affects our culture, at least in the state of Alabama.  Am I way off here? Anybody with me? Can't we all just be friends?

Oh, and when you lose by 1 point, it stings that much more... Maybe next year, Bama.  Maybe next year.

Five Benefits of Moving

My Old Office... I'm back but with a NEW name!

So we moved this week... no, not Nic and me.  My office team had to move offices again.  While I kinda liked my old office and had gotten quite settled into a good work space and routine, I discovered this past week that there are at least 5 benefits to an office move.  

1. Its an excuse to rearrange furniture.  If you like to switch things up, being forced to move is a great chance to move furniture around and hang pictures at different places on the wall.

2. You get to purge!  I threw away about 5-10 pounds of paper this week as I went through my files.  I also got to give hand-me-down treasures to new office friends... you know, those things that someone else gave you that you don't really need.  I may or may not have been a "secret santa" to some folks on my team this week!

3. Organization ramps up.  When you rearrange the furniture and throw out the stuff you don't need, you automatically get more organized.  I got to put my stationary in the drawer just like I wanted it and neatly line up all my favorite pens.  I also got to re-alphabetize my reference files in the file cabinet.  Fun times.

4. The view is better.  In my case, we moved from 2nd floor to 5th floor, and while I don't have a window, I work directly across from a window office.  The view of Nashville from the 5th floor is much better than before!

5. Its a rare chance to meet new people.  Let's be honest, it can sometimes (most of the time) be just plain awkward to introduce yourself to people you don't know at the company you've both been working at for some time now.  But you are, for some reason, supposed to know all the people on your floor.  When you move to a new floor, it's a great chance to say hi in the copy room and put a name with a face... and it'll save 78 more awkward passings in the hallway in the months to come.

Things I wonder from the dentist chair

Yesterday I went to the dentist... and came home cavity free!  In the interim, I sat while they hygienist yanked on my teeth and I wondered many things...

Why do they try to talk to you with your mouth wide open?

Every time you talk back, you're essentially slowing down the poking/cleaning process.

Are you supposed to swallow, ever?

If you do swallow, is that stuff going to hurt you?

If you don't swallow, do you just let the saliva build up in your mouth?

If you are supposed to swallow, what good does the suction do?

What's the hygienist thinking? "Swallow already you crazy person!"

I always feel the need to help them reach the back of my mouth by moving my jaw around.

Does my tongue get in the way of all those utensils poking around in my mouth? I never know exactly what to do with it.

What's the worst teeth they've ever seen?

Is it harder to floss someone else's teeth than your own?  She told me it was easier!

How many people actually floss twice a day, once a day, 5 times a week?

...what things do you wonder from the dentist char?

In search of IZZE Clementine

Today I had to go in search of Clementine Izze Soda. Now, I've seen it before, but I don't drink Izze. We were shopping for some other folks. I had no idea said soda would be so difficult to find.

First stop, Wal-Mart neighborhood market (only because we were buying a bunch of other stuff)... no Izze to be found.

Second stop, Shell station. No Izze.

Third stop, different Shell station. No Izze.

Fourth stop, Kroger. Lots of searching, found FUZE and Jones Soda but no Izze.

Fifth stop, Publix. Sadly, no Izze.

Really five stops?

Sixth stop, home to check the internet. Izze.com...they tell me that in the southeast, Izze is available at target and whole foods, among others.

Seventh stop, Target. The website said it'd be there, but no such luck. Seriously? Is this really happening? The closest target with IZZE in stock is over 30 miles away.

Eighth stop, Whole Foods in Green Hills. Who knew that EVERYONE and their brother went to Whole Foods on Mother's Day? Wow. Once I found my way to the parking deck, actually found a spot, and got in the building, I felt like I was swimming up stream. The MASSES were at this store. Five or six aisles, and I FOUND IT! Spotted the Clementine IZZE... SCORE! I head up to check out, weaving my way through the strange organic foods and reusable shopping bags. Scan my 4-pack of IZZE, and...
crash to the floor... fizz everywhere... "spill at self-checkout." And the cashier is on the run to get help! "SOOOO Sorry," I tell her, leaving her my 3 remaining bottles. What do they do with those anyway? Swimming upstream once again, I head back to the IZZE. Note to self - always hold it on the bottom, not by the cardboard handle on top. Finally, I make my way back to self-checkout. I look once again at my spill, untouched on the floor, quickly scan and pay for my one item, and I'm on my way!

Who knew such a small task could be this difficult? I will forever appreciate the quest for Clementine Izze. No, really.

still mayday?

We all know I got married in September. My last name is not "May" anymore. Can I still be called MayDay? Can my blog still be called heymayday.com?

HELP! Give me ideas for a new name... or tell my why I need to keep what's already up!

chef wear

Really? Did this just get delivered to my house for me? I'm perplexed! I'm not a chef, nowhere close, actually. Who do they think I am? What do they think I'm going to buy out of the "Chefwear" catalog? Hmmm...

super bowl soap box

this may sound harsh, but I hate the super bowl. Seems like an excuse to get together (which is not a bad thing), eat a lot of food, and cheer for one of two teams that you prooooooobably don't care about that much (unless you're Brian Miller or Amanda Brenneman, to name a few). The rest of us are forced to become bandwagon fans to an extent, if we choose a team. And, I'd guess that a good portion of super bowl viewers just watch for the commercials. I grew up in a home where the MUTE button was hit each time commercials ever came on, so it's hard for me to get into a 3 and 1/2 hour event for the commercials. The whole world seems to shut down on SBSunday. Grocery stores put up crazy sales on things like SALSA, and I stand in the checkout line for 20 minutes, as if it were thanksgiving or something. I guess this all stems from my dislike of pro football. Oh well! Here's to you, Mr. Super Bowl Watcher!

self

warning... deep thoughts from Meredith, at least deeper than the past few posts...

I've been thinking a lot lately about the word self and it's derivatives... other words like selfish, self-seeking, selfishness, etc. I've been plagued by these words, probably because I've been plagued lately by the realization of just how much I'm motivated by self. God's really begun to work on me with this one, and it's so much bigger than I ever realized. I think it's even the root of what we've always called deeper issues -- things like pride -- that we never want to talk about but really motivate us. Is anyone else motivated by self? Have you ever thought about how many of your words/thoughts/actions during the day stem from selfishness? I don't even want to begin to list mine! The good news: Christ has rescued us from the darkness of self! I want to be motivated, not out of selfishness, but out of love for God and for others!

...end deep thoughts.

supermarket sweep

Remember that show, supermarket sweep?  I love that show!  If I had to pick a game show to be a contestant on, that was always the one!  I especially loved the collared sweatshirts... those looked awesome, but you better get the red one because that means you're headed into the sweep in first place.  And I also love how they toss their limit of giant hams or turkeys into the cart... like anyone would ever buy that much meat at one time!

Last night I helped a friend scurry thru the store over the phone, trying to figure out what aisle certain foods might be found on before the store closed.  It felt like a big game of grocery store aisle trivia, but reminded me of my favorite show!  In honor of the show:

never have i ever

i love that game, "never have i ever..."  my answers are usually things like: had a pet, gotten a tattoo, etc. etc. 

until today, never had i ever tried to color a barbie doll's hair using real hair color.  now i have.  note to self - it DOES NOT WORK!  the blonde hair that I was trying to turn brown turned right back to white.  please note in the picture that the head is off this barbie (actually it's Ken), and i'm standing in the bathroom at work with a purple Ken head.  i set my 20-minute timer, came back, rinsed the head off and all the color fell straight out. boo.

until today, i had also never cut a barbie doll's hair.  my mom never let me, and looking back she was very wise.  today i cut a Troy Bolton doll's hair to look like Stu Hodges' hair.  it was way too fun.  note to self - men's hair wax works wonders!  why was i doing all this, you ask?  well i guess you'll just have to come to Waters Edge Church on Sunday and see for yourself!