My hometown, Richmond Hill, GA, is home to the Ford Plantation. It was once a vacation home to Henry Ford; now it's a historic landmark with a lot of development around it (it's basically a ritzy neighborhood/resort now - they call it a "sporting community"). Henry Ford turned the backwoods, nothing area (formerly known as Ways Station) into a thriving community. He constructed several public buildings, including a chapel (still standing today) and a school. His farms brought jobs and tons of money to the area. He later renamed the town Richmond Hill. His legacy still thrives in the town today; they constructed a life size statue of him in front of city hall and several developments throughout town are named after him.
Even after living in Richmond Hill for almost my entire life, I never really thought twice about Henry Ford and the fact that everything was named after him. I knew he was the "father of the assembly line" and he made cars... but not much else. But apparently there has been some drama over the past few months back home about the city signs put up in the past year or so that say "Richmond Hill; a Henry Ford City" as you enter town. A resident, Dick Kent, (who has always been the center on some controversy for as long as I can remember) has been a resident of Richmond Hill for many years. He is a Jewish ex-school board chair and retired military colonel that claims he takes offense to the city endorsing Henry Ford. It's been all over the news lately and has sparked a curiosity in me to read and learn more about him.
Any opinions out there on Henry Ford? Is hean "anti-Semitic, anti-labor, pro-Nazi bigot" or simply a man that helped a small, nothing town flourish into existence?
Today is St. Patrick's Day, and it's the first one I've not been home in Savannah for - ever. I have to miss the parade this morning for the first time in 7 years. People up here ("up here" being Kennesaw/Atlanta) don't really understand why that's such a big deal to me. I remember my freshman year talking about going home for St. Patrick's Day and being so excited about it and asking everyone what they were doing for the big day - and people would ask me, "When is St. Patrick's Day again?"!! I couldn't believe that no one else understood my excitement!
Quoted from Wikipedia:Savannah, GA, boasts the unofficial largest attendance with 750,000 in 2006.Unlike other cities, the parade in Savannah takes place on the actual day of Saint Patrick's Day, even if that day is during the work week. ... Since the parade travels through Savannah's Historic Park District, one tradition that has developed has been the official "dyeing of the fountains" which happens several days before the parade. It has also become tradition for women spectators to kiss the Armed Forces Units and other military organization's male members. Savannah does not have an open container law so there is a proliferation of alcohol on River Street, Bay Street and in City Market.
The whole city, as well as the entire surrounding area, shuts down for the parade. Schools are canceled. People don't go to work. Everyone is at the parade (or at home watching it on TV). It's one of my favorite things about being from Savannah, being able to participate in such a fun, exciting tradition.
Here are some memories and pictures from some past St. Patrick's Day parades: That's Kristina and I in 2006 with our red lipstick, getting ready to kiss the military and other service men that were marching in the parade.And then that's me kissing a NY Firefighter from one of the units that responded to 911.
This is a picture of the green dye they spray into the river. Yes, they actually do dye the river green - it's not a joke! :) And that's a huge leprechaun in the 2006 parade.
Below are some group shots of Parade Day 2007. I believe this was this year that we were talking to some drunk NYPD guys in City Market and one of them was asking us what we were doing that night, blah blah. We said we were going to a party, and one guy replied, "Well the party's in my PANTS!" And the guy with him, with a straight face, not kidding, said "No, man. The party is in my cheeseburger." Aaand we walked away... lol.
Here's a picture of River Street at just 3pm that day - canyou imagine what it looked like that night??
Below is a crazy old drunk man from 2008 that stopped in front of us and blew us kisses for a good 3 minutes before moving on... pretty typical. Keep in mind this picture was taken probably around 11:30am and everyone is already so drunk. But I guess that's to be expected when you start drinking at 8am...
And this is me and my 3 best friends - Annie, Claire, and Kristina - on Parade Day 2008. That's one of my favorite things about the parade, seeing all of my friends from home. We have this one block that we all gather on with our parents. Some of us get there reallly early in the morning, like 6am, to get a spot for us and set up chairs. Drinking begins around 8am, the parade is from 10-12ish, depending on where you are sitting along the route. Then we all start walking towards City Market and Bay and River Street for live music, dancing, drunks, and more drinking. We're all really bummed we couldn't go this year.
Aaaand... my all time favorite parade picture is this one. This is me circa 1989. That's my Uncle Phil rockin' a thick mustache and drinking some green beer from a green mug. I obviously couldn't handle all of the excitement and felt it was a great time to take a nap... in the dirt. Haha.Below, I guess my dad clued in and thought it might be better for him to hold me than leave me in the dirt... Or who knows, maybe that was taken first then he laid me in the dirt..?? Needless to say, anyone that has never been to Savannah to celebrate St. Patrick's Day is missing out! Book your hotel now for 2010 - they fill up fast!
The parade starts in 25 minutes...
Click here to see some news coverage of the day's festivities.
I wish hate would be eliminated from the world. I understand not everyone is going to get along with everyone (though that would be great). We just weren't made that way. People have different opinions and likes and attitudes. But the feeling of hate towards another is unacceptable. Differences should be celebrated and cherished. How boring would it be if we were all the same? I wish people would take the time to learn about the people they hate and try to understand them rather than judge them. Even if you still completely disagree with someone's choices or beliefs, respect them and yourself enough to accept it and move on. Patience and open-mindedness are keys to accepting others. They are definitely two things I continue to work on in my life daily.
Here are a few quotes on hate... just some food for thought: "Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated." - Coretta Scott King
"Hatred is the coward's revenge for being intimidated." - George Bernard Shaw
My second wish would be for a happier next 10 years for my family. The amount of drama and hardship my family has gone through the past 4 years was enough for a lifetime. I've been blessed that I have not had any big catastrophe in my life, but watching literally everyone else in my family hurt for the past few years has been heart breaking. For my sister, I wish a speedy and peaceful end to this divorce 2 years in the making. I wish for my nieces to be safe and protected and for others involved to understand that need. For my brother, I wish a lifetime with no more relapse and a bright future with his latest big decision. For my nephew, whom I may never meet, I wish a life full of love and happiness, regardless of who it ends up being with. For my mom, I wish continued strength and health and for her career to turn back around.
My third wish... man, I really don't know. I think I would use my third wish to re-wish my first two to really come true. Can you do that? Either way, I think that's all I could ask for is those two things to happen. Oh, and maybe a guaranteed job after I graduate... lol.
Allena is 5!! Well, she will be in a few days... We celebrated with friends and family today at Monkey Joe's. It was a ton of fun but very overwhelming - tons of kids everywhere! Allena had her girl friends from daycare there, as well as all of Joy's friends' kids. We played for a few hours before we had cake and ice cream. When we sang Happy Birthday to Allena, she covered her mouth and plugged her nose... no one really understood why.. haha! Here are some pictures from the festivities:
That's the girls coming down a huge slide in their matching princess/ballerina outfits. All of the other parents at Monkey Joe's commented on how adorable they were. :)
The birthday girl couldn't leave her party without sticking her hand into her huge piece of cake! Haha Gotta love kids :)
Mikayla and I outside waiting to leave. I can't believe how big they are getting!!
A friend of mine recently blogged about a site he found with writing prompts. I checked it out and found a few that I might want to write about, this being the first one. It's #2 on the website. It says to dig through a photo album and write about photo #14 - you can count however you like, but choose the 14th one you come to and write about the feelings the photo makes you think about. So, here goes...
I love old photos, especially my baby pictures. So, that's where I went to get the picture. #14 just happened to be this one:That's me and my older brother, Scott, on my neighbor's horse. The lady on the left is Mrs. Gravley, my best friend from childhood's mom - the friend's name was Heather. They had two horses that they kept at a stable in town. One day they brought one to the house... I can't remember why. But this picture was taken in my driveway... now that I think about it, it was probably an odd site to see for anyone driving by at the time.
I was totally into it at the time, but I honestly can't stand horses today. They scare me to no end. They are just very large, powerful creatures. I guess the fear could be contributed to the following incidents: My uncle lived on a ranch and had a lot of horses. One day, he was guiding one out of a trailer and the horse's foot slipped off the ramp and he fell on my uncle, shattering his leg in 4 places. The next incident was at the stable with Heather. I'm not sure how old I was, maybe 8ish?, and they let me ride a pony. Well, the pony apparently wasn't in the mood and bucked me off, and as it jumped around while I was still on the ground it came a tad bit too close to stomping on my face. It seems silly, but I vividly remember that day and being so scared. It wasn't until after I graduated high school that I ever got on a horse again. My best friend, Kristina, and I went to St. Maarten as a graduation present from our parents (our moms went with us). To say Kristina loves horses is an understatement. So when she saw a flier in St. Maarten for beach side horseback riding, she wouldn't stop talking about it and begging that we do it. Being a good friend and all, I finally agreed to go with her on the last day we were there. Big mistake. It was rainy that morning, but they still let us go. It was me, Kristina, her little sister, and two guides. They gave me the biggest horse I have ever seen in my life and insisted that he was the nicest one and the easiest to control (I beg to differ). We went up steep mountains, all in the woods. You couldn't see 10 feet in front of you. It was really foggy with the rain. The ground was muddy and the horses kept slipping. And I was crying the whole time. No joke. Then we finally get down to the beach and we literally went into the ocean on the horses! I must admit, that part was pretty cool... I have pictures of it somewhere. But then one of the other horses had a difficult time getting out of the water and fell over on top of Kristina's little sister (she was okay) and it startled my horse, who then took of running. Then all of the joy I got from being in the water on the horse was gone and I was crying again. Needless to say, I don't think I'll be jumping on any horses ever again in my life. The other thing that came to mind when I looked at this picture was how I got the scar on the inside of my elbow. I went with Heather and her mom to the stables late one night to check on the horses after it had been storming all day. One of the posts at the gate entrance into the stable had fallen off so the barbed wire was just dangling. And, long story short, Heather and her mom had already gotten back in the car to leave and I had bent down to tie my shoe. Her mom started backing the car up and I freaked out that they were leaving me and just started running and flailing my arms. And RIP! The loose barbed wire caught my arm and slit my arm open right on the bend of my arm on the inside of my elbow. P.S. That's one of the worst places to have a gash - ever. It hurt every time I bent my arm for the longest time. I still have a scar there.
1. Refusing to give up or let go; persevering obstinately.
2. Insistently repetitive or continuous
Persistence seems to be the theme of my life these days. Nothing lately has happened easily or on the first try. It's both big things and small things, but everything has been so frustratingly hard to accomplish.
For example, I was trying to figure out when and where my loan money would be dispersed to me. It being my first time taking out a student loan, I didn't know and nothing during the process of accepting the loan told me when and where to expect it. It doesn't seem like a difficult thing to figure out, right? I read through a ton of material online and couldn't find the answer, so I called the Financial Aid office. The guy said he didn't understand my question... ??? Really? That seems like a pretty standard question to ask someone in the Financial Aid office... Anyways, he told me to read this 8 page document on the website and hung up on me. I read it. It didn't have the answer to my question. I called back. He told me to read this other thing and hung up on me again. I read it. It didn't have the answer either. I called back a third time and the guy finally had a light-bulb-moment and answered my question (and then hung up one me again). I called the same guy - three times - with the same question - and finally got the answer. Ugh.
And that example of having to be persistent was really the least of my worries. I've been planning this huge event for months - I've had 10 different people telling me 10 different things, others not keeping their word in regards to deadlines, and others telling me one thing and then taking it back, all while I'm trying to finalize the details for the event, making me have to go back and change things and start over. I'm finally getting somewhere now after countless hours of research, way too many phone conversations and emails, days and nights typing stuff up, and one too many emotional break downs. Ugh.
There's a long list of other things that have been so frustrating lately, but I'll end my rant there. I just wish one thing would go the way I want it to the first time.
Trips home are always bitter sweet. Of course I love seeing my family, my fat TommyCat, old friends, and my old stomping grounds - but it's such a different way of life down here. I've realized I have completely outgrown the small-town mentality that is my hometown. From the ridiculously low speed limits to the very apparent narrow outlooks on life, sometimes I wonder how I made it out of here with all of my sanity (well, at least I like to think I'm a pretty sane person). I'm just grateful I made it out of here at all. Not everyone does.
I made a last minute trip home this week for a few days. I bummed a ride home with my friend, Claire, yesterday. On Monday, we drove from Athens straight to Tybee for a few hours on the beach before going home. It was a little chilly with the breeze, but it was so nice to sit on the beach with the wind and the sun and just be outside on a beautiful day. We listened to music and laughed about old high school memories. Claire threw some raisins from her trail mix that she didn't want, attracting about 923 seagulls to hover around us for the next hour. We all took off our bathing suit cover ups... and quickly put them back on when the wind picked up and it got chilly. But we laid there and enjoyed the day and each other's company.
When I finally got to the house, I was greeted with a million gnats in my driveway. Atlanta doesn't have bugs like Savannah does - I love that about Atlanta. My mom was cooking dinner; she's a great cook. Dad was watching TV, like always. I went to my brother's room to say hello, and we ended up getting into an hour long heart-to-heart about everything he's been going through the past few months. My heart breaks for him. I know he wants to do better; for the past 10 years he's been trying to turn things around for himself. He told me that he's going to enlist in the Army, pending the results of his court date tomorrow. I couldn't help but cry and feel so scared for him. I'm really trying to be supportive of his decisions; he really just needs support and love right now.
Last night I was hoping to tell my dad that I'm for sure going to China. Back around Thanksgiving when I first mentioned it to him, the conversation didn't go too well. Dad blames a lot of the US' problems on China and thinks me going on a trip there for study abroad is supporting their economics, politics, and culture. He can't look at it as an educational experience. Hopefully I'll get to talk to him about it tonight and get it over with. It probably won't be a pleasant conversation.
My mom and I stayed up talking for hours late last night. I love my mom; she's such a strong woman. I hope to have half the emotional and mental strength she has when I am her age. I wish I could see her more often. She's always been my rock and my #1 fan.
I feel guilty talking to my family about all of my accomplishments and all of the positive things I have going on in my life. Everyone else in the family has some kind of drama going on, big stuff that I can't help them with. I feel like every conversation I have with my family is me listening to what's going on with them. I don't mind it; I want to be supportive and be there for them. And I don't want to "rub it in" with how well I'm doing in school or anything, but I do want to celebrate my accomplishments with my family. They are a huge part of my success; I hope they know that.
It was a short trip home, but I'm glad I came. I'll be leaving here in the morning, just in time to enjoy the trip without getting too stir crazy.
the ajc sent a reporter to ksu today to talk with students about the escaped convict that ran loose across campus yesterday. he stopped by a table that my sorority had set up for a service project and talked to us for a while. he asked if he could use me for his article - and he actually did! i don't know where the "that waffle house?" part came from... but i did say the part about a meal being named after the guy. wouldn't that be cool? i think whatever that cop ordered should be made into a special combo meal and be named "the houdini" - which is what they have nicknamed the guy after yesterday's stunt. i should go pitch the idea to the waffle house manager...
as many people have heard, ksu had quite the eventful day yesterday. a convict from coffee county, tennessee was being escorted back to tennessee by a deputy yesterday afternoon and escaped when the officer stopped at the waffle house across the street to grab something to eat. the convict got out of his hand cuffs and ran from the car over to ksu. he was seen in the science building at one point but they still haven't found him. i do have to commend ksu for their security alert system - they sent out immediate emails, phone calls, and texts to every student and faculty member about it, warning everyone on campus to stay put and those off campus to stay away.
the convict, chris gay, was under custody for larceny after stealing a walmart truck and was being taken back to coffee county. the depuity that was transporting him is said to be a 40-year veteran... but really? who stops at waffle house while transporting a convict? either way, it caused quite a stur on campus yesterday. luckily, i was at work because they put the entire campus on lock-down. they weren't letting anyone leave buildings or walk around at all. they also canceled all classes for the rest of the day - which meant no midterm for me last night!! so... i guess one good thing did come of the ordeal.
the other day i received news that an old friend of mine was killed in a car accident late saturday night/sunday morning. tiara harn, just 22 years old, was driving back to gainesville from work in atlanta on 85 when someone hit her car and killed her instantly. i wasn't all that close to tiara, and i honestly hadn't spoken with her in over 4 years - but the news hit me pretty hard. i've known tiara since middle school at least. we were in the same social circle; we had a lot of mutual friends and a lot of classes together. it's just so surreal that she's gone, that someone my age is dead now. i think a lot of my reaction to the news was the reality that one day i could get a phone call that something happened to one of my closest friends... and how devastating that day would be. and not to devalue the loss of tiara by any means, but if that had been one of my best friends in that car - i don't know what i would do with myself. it prompted me to call my mom and talk to my closest friends and tell them i love them. you can never tell someone that enough. i later found out that the driver was suspected of DUI at the time of the accident and the police found cocaine in his car. the articles i've read online have all also noted that there were several phone calls reported on the vehicle prior to the accident - that the guy was speeding and driving recklessly. could the accident have been prevented? what if a cop had responded to the phone calls and tracked the vehicle down? would tiara still be alive today? who knows. the whole situation is so shitty.
after i heard the news, i googled tiara's name to see if anything would come up. i found a blog from a coworker of hers. the girl had written the next day after hearing about the accident - she wrote about how she and her friends at work didn't like tiara. they thought she was annoying, and they all used to make fun of her and teased her at work. now, after hearing the news, the guilt was setting in for how they had treated her even just that night before they all left work to go home. i'd link to it, but she has since removed her blog from the internet - i'm guessing after a friend and i commented on the blog. i simply asked if the girl knew any more details about what happened (at the time i only knew she was in a car accident), but my friend decided to leave a few choice words responding to the fact that the blogger was mean to tiara. the blog was gone the next day.
i hope the coworker learned a lesson on how you should treat other people. i know it's not realistic for everyone to get along with everyone else; we just aren't made that way. but you should be able to respect others and treat them humanely. it saddens me to think that tiara could have spent her last few hours on earth being picked on by some idiots at work.
A resident, Dick Kent, (who has always been the center on some controversy for as long as I can remember) has been a resident of Richmond Hill for many years. He is a Jewish ex-school board chair and retired military colonel that claims he takes offense to the city endorsing Henry Ford. It's been all over the news lately and has sparked a curiosity in me to read and learn more about him.
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