Imagery

Remember that teabag with Ben's face on it that I made?  Teabag Ben is currently lost in the Columbia Museum of Art.  Either he'll find a new home, meaning that someone bought him at the Contemporary Artists show, or he'll be coaxed back in to an envelope and mailed back to me.  I haven't told the real Ben yet.  I just don't know how to break the news to him.  Maybe over a gallon of tea?

Teabag Ben was a sculpture that was inspired by the association of people with particular things.  These "things" aren't just random things that the person may like.  They're things that involve me, my relationship with that item and that person.  An experience. 

When I was younger I used to go with my dad to see my grandparents every other weekend.  They'd have a long list of things for him to do, mostly yardwork, and a short list of things that I could do.  I always switched out their winter and summer clothes that were in the attic.  I can still feel the heavy, suffocating heat from being up there during the summer.  I'd pump gas for them, and later drive to the gas station for them.  It didn't matter who had the cheapest gas, they were loyal to one locally owned place.  It smelled like smoke, had wood panelling, and a deformed dog behind the counter. My favorite chore was checking their mail.  They had a post office box in town that you had to open with a little gold key.  This was a new experience for me because I was only familiar with a mailbox.  For years I thought that if you lived in town you were automatically given a post office box and that it was a high class "rich person" thing.  It was exciting to open the little door and have mail in there.  Of course I stuck my hand all the way through it because I was fascinated about the goings on on the other side.

Today, for the first time since I first went off to college, I checked my grandparent's post office box.  There was a small cardboard box in it that I could barely get out- a treasure!  I don't know what was in the box but trying to get it out with one finger and then pulling out the envelopes behind it brought back the images and memories from older days.  I had to resist sticking my hand all the way through it.

Diapers

I have a theory that people are either a "baby person" or an "old people person" depending on who they work best with.  I'm not much of either but this last week I've had dealings with both.

Our family grew a little bigger with a new addition, baby Graham.  It's always awkward when you go see a newborn in a hospital.  Do I ask to hold the baby?  Is the mom going  to be funny about it since it's new?  Do I hug her? Is she sore? (What happens down there anyway?) I never know.  Thankfully my cousin asked if I wanted to hold him.  I did and I didn't drop him and he didn't cry from sheer terror.

Speaking of birthdays, May Moo had her second birthday party.  I can't believe she is two. She is  absolutely full of herself at this age.  She's ninety miles an hour and has the biggest smile.  She's also about to be a big sister! 

 Another cousin, Natilyee, came to May's party.  She sat in my lap almost the whole time.  What's with these kids? 

My dealings with "old folks" have been my grandparents.  They're finally in an assisted living facility and I'm so thankful.  I know my papa isn't that happy about it and my grandma has dimentia so she thinks she is going home every day.  It's a tough situation but I know it's for the best.

I've been cleaning up their house and going through stuff.  I came across more pictures.  I don't remember if I've posted these or not but here they are again:

My dad and papa

My grandma would describe her size as "skinny as a minute!"

Baby me and Papa

It's hard to watch a grown person change in to a child again.  I've been watching it with my grandma for a while now.  Papa is starting to get that way as well.  It's worse with him because he is more aware than my grandmother is.  He knows he is aging to the point that he cannot take care of either of them anymore. 

Through all of this I haven't been terribly upset about it because I know what they need and what is going to be the best for them.  Or maybe it's because I can distance myself emotionally in order to get done what needs to be done.  I also don't want them to see me upset because then it's harder on them.  I've been frustrated to the point of becoming "upset" but, thank God, some wonderfully helpful people have been helping me with all of this. 

The sermon on Sunday seemed to really tie in with all that has been going on, new life and old life.  That verse in 1st Timothy about coming into this world with nothing and leaving with nothing was mentioned.  I've thought about that quite a bit and it just makes me want to simplify everything in my own life.  How do we acquire so much stuff, tangibly and emotionally?  Hearing that verse and seeing these lives in front of me has helped me to worry less because what does most of this wordly "stuff" matter in the long run?  One day I too will be in a home only needing a few pairs of clothes and some diapers.

Decision Made

As I'm busy looking online for housing in August, it occurred to me that I hadn't posted my decision about where I'm going for grad school! 

Cue drum roll...

That's right.  I don't want to say I'll be a tiger because that encompasses everything football, which had absolutely nothing to do with my decision.  The list of pros for Clemson simply outweighed the list for Winthrop.  Also, Winthrop was an experience I've already had (remember that darkest year of my life? ...yeah).  When I transferred from Winthrop to Lander in undergrad, I always wished that I'd gone to Clemson instead.  Not that I didn't enjoy Lander but I think now that maybe it was God's plan to keep me at there because he knew I'd end up at Clemson down the road.  And I don't want to get in to why Winthrop wasn't for me because that experience and those opinions are mine and I wouldn't want to sway anyone else's thoughts about the place.  The bottom line is that I went with my gut, with what felt right in my soul.

I'm most excited about the studio I'll be getting, the other students I'll be working with (some of whom I met), the freedom with the kind of work and medium I'll be using, and the freedom to exhibit pretty much anywhere on campus that gets the okay.  While I was visiting last week, I saw a couple sculptures by undergrads that were exhibited in and out of the buildings.  When I asked about this they said that as long as the facility people okay what you want to do, you're free to do whatever.  There is also a lot of collaboration with the architect students because they're in the same building.  I think this will be interesting for me as a sculptor to compare and contrast something that I would create for form  with something someone else would create for function. 

The overall emotion I feel with Clemson is excitement.  I'm excited to get back in a studio and a workshop and use my hands and tools to create something.  It's been way too long!  I'm not scared of MFA graduate school anymore.  And that feeling proves to me that I've made the right choice. 

See ya in August, tigertown! 

Bears & Hippies: Black Mountain

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind!  I finally put in my 2 weeks notice at the hotel and therefore won't be doing the 40 minute drive 5 days a week to go to work.  I'm ecstatic about that.  I came to this decision after a wonderful, relaxing weekend in Black Mountain, NC.  (Probably not a good idea to decide to quit your job while you're on vacation huh?)

One of the reasons I love the mountains so much is because they sneak up on you.  I get giddy like a kid and start yelling, "We're here look at the mountains!!!" when I see this view.

The point of the trip was for Daniel's birthday.  He used to be real big in to boy scouts when he was a kid and went to Montreat NC with his troop.  Or so I thought.

 When I booked the trip I kept it a secret for about a month.  Which was hard for me because when it's a secret that is really exciting I just grin alot and act goofy enough that the secret eventually comes out.  One day he mentioned something about learning to tie knots in boy scouts.  I said, "Oh, you learn that when y'all would go to the mountains?"  You know, trying to be all sneaky.  His response: "No, I didn't go to Montreat with boy scouts.  I went with my ex girlfriend from high school and her family."  Crap. 

We did get a good laugh out of it though.  And some new, great memories were made.  The above picture is of the cabin we stayed in, "Bear Den".  I'd never been to Black Mountain so I didn't know what to expect.  If you haven't been, you should go.  It's a quaint little town nestled in the mountains with great local restaurants, small galleries, and a few local places to shop.  We never had a bad meal and most of the restaurants carried craft beers from breweries all over NC. 

It's interesting that we stayed in "Bear Den" because I'm absolutely terrified of bears.  I've had this dream that occurs every couple of years that I'm face to face with a bear.  It's the only dream that makes me jump out of bed panicked and covered in sweat.  It's a thing, I don't know what it means.  Anyway, here's a picture of the master bedroom with a slide door that goes out onto a back deck.

Here's what you see when standing on the back deck.  The lady that runs the place said that bears use the creek for trafficking down the mountain and not to be alarmed if we see one.  Apparently it's the norm there.  Of course my heart started beating a bit faster after she said that.  It kept me on my toes for most of the weekend.  One day I fell asleep and forgot to slide the glass door shut so just the screen was protecting me and the bear that would stick my head in his mouth and swallow me whole in one bite. 

Shopping was fun because we found these shirts with cool designs like the one above.  Daniel hadn't been shopping in eight years so I was a retail queen, throwing pants and buckles and shirts over the dressing room door.  It was like playing dress up.  (Although I'm sure it wasn't as much fun for him.)

Here's a cool coffee shop/nonfunctional bus in downtown Asheville that we stopped in.  On our last day we walked downtown and mostly people watched.  The sign when you come in to Asheville should say, "Welcome to Asheville, People Watching Capital of the World" because there was so much to take in.  Aside from the homeless people, there were hippies, hipsters, and dogs everywhere.  I was hoping to run in to my hippie friend Cate but didn't see her.  Had to do a double take a few times though. We'd already made friends with a hippie in Black Mountain named Dean who had the same birthday as Daniel and therefore ended up eating lunch and having a beer with us.  He was a catholic that had been living in his car for the last year and was the most happy-go-lucky person I've ever met.  He was cool but I wasn't willing to do that again with the hippies in Asheville.  Although Daniel seems to attract them like white on rice.  It's probably something to do with the fact that he doesn't run the other way when someone comes up to talk to him like I do.

Did I mention that I surprised Daniel by inviting his best friend from high school, Andrew, and his girlfriend Erin to come stay with us for a night?  They live in Asheville so what better time to see them.  I'd never spent much time with Andrew and it was the first time I'd met Erin.  We had a fabulous time.  The boys grilled steaks and Erin and I drank bottles of wine by the fire. 

Before we left, we met Andrew in Asheville for lunch at a local gem called White Duck Taco.  It's outside of the city in what I think they call the Arts District.  While we were eating outside, I saw some hippies come out from under a bridge across the street.  On the other side of us was the silo with graffiti on it.

I was sad to leave but was missing my baby and ready to see him.  That's his happy face when I made it home.

Graduate school

Good news!

While I am so thrilled and excited about getting accepted to Winthrop and Clemson, I am so anxious about making a decision.  Financially, Clemson is the way to go.  In terms of quality, Winthrop is probably the best.  What to do. 

Muddy water

Baptism has been coming up in my life quite a bit recently.  I've been considering getting rebaptized and what that means.  (That's a whole 'nother post.)  Last weekend my cousin "Bruh" (as in "Brother") got baptized in the pond behind Meme's house.  Yes, we get a lot of use out of the land at Meme's.  Our family friend Andrew dunked him which was bittersweet because they've been buddies since they were kids.  Bruh has been going through a lot recently and I couldn't be more proud that he has chosen this step in his life. 

The trail to the back pond is rough so Uncle Crow thought it'd be good to put us all in the trailer and escort us down there.  I told everyone not to smile for the picutre.  Aunt A, Nat, Meme, Andrew, and baby Henry (yes, someone thought that I should hold the baby) 

Easter Recap

Easter is my favorite holiday with the family.  It's more relaxing than Christmas or Thanksgiving and the desserts are always better for some reason.  We set up the field in the back of Meme's house with tables, blankets, and umbrellas.  We'll eat the family gathering essentials then play games.  The kids hunt for eggs and swing at a pinata.  The babies nap.  The kids and adults play three legged race and egg toss.  There was even some singing and guitar picking this year.  It's a lot of fun and the weather is usually great.

Unfortunately I did not get to participate this year.  Here's what I ended up doing all day:

That's right.  In bed, sick with the flu.  At least I had the dogs to keep me company.  Even Simon and Stella stopped by.  Henry is hiding behind Cedar and was not excited about more dogs in the house (he is use to getting all the attention).  I didn't notice before Mama said it, but I look like I'm pregnant with triplets.  To clarify, that's my moose pillow pet over my stomach under the blanket.  And my legs are twisted funny to accommodate the dogs, of course.

 I wasn't completely without human interaction because someone was always stopping by to check on me.  I've got some good eggs in my life.