Wearing Out "Biggest T-Shirt"

 

I'm wearing out the new song

"biggest t-shirt"

by Avery Anna

written by

Avery Anna, Lori McKenna, Chris McKenna, Colin Healy

                                                                

woo hoo

It’s a song that allows you to “sit in your feelings”…

but I suppose you could also drive.

  Sometimes driving and reflecting is cool too.

As I listened to “biggest t-Shirt”…

it made me reflect on daze gone by.

anywhooo…

My roommate my freshman year of college and I were the byproduct of 

an “arranged match.”  

We  were put together by our parents. 

My parents had good friends whose relatives 

were her parents and so 

instead of rolling the random roommate dice…

we hedged our bets and went for the safest roll.  

At least she was vetted.

We didn't have the luxury of checking each other out on Facebook.

Instead, we met face-to-face on move-in day in our dorm room.  

We were a good match, 

as far as roommates go.  

We got along….

no problems…no issues.

We were friendly…

studied in the room together, 

chatted about our day and 

occasionally went to the dining hall together. 

  I had made friends with other girls on my floor and 

I assumed she did too.  

She often talked about high school and her friends and family from home.  

She started going home on weekends… 

I looked at it as time that I had the room to myself.

After class she would come back to the room and put on her bathrobe.  

I don’t always notice things…

but I I did take note that it was the afternoon and 

she was walking around in her fuzzy pink bathrobe.  

It was a cute robe…

but it was also the middle of the day.

After her freshman year she left college and 

went to a school closer to her home.  

Looking back now after decades of life…

I’m pretty sure she was extremely homesick and 

didn’t feel comfortable being at school.

Her fuzzy pink bathrobe was her 

“biggest t-shirt."

It was her refuge…

her safe space;

a place to hide from her insecurities.

I’m guessing her bathrobe gave her the 

big warm hug

that she needed.   

If I was smarter back then and 

not the clueless freshman that I was….

I would have given her a big hug. 

I could have given her that big hug.

 I wish I was smarter.

Sometimes songs make us think…

and this song did that for me

and

thanks to you 

Avery Anna 

I’m wearing out… 

"biggest t-shirt."

PaluA + Kat = 40 +1

 41 is an EXTRA special anniversary.  

You would think EXTRA special 

might involve an anniversary ending in a 0 or a 5…

but every year for us past number 40 

is BEYOND special.

40 + 1

Anywhooo…

Last year we were excited about celebrating our Big 4-0 anniversary in Asheville, NC.  

The plan was to take in the mountains, breweries, 

restaurants, Biltmore tours, foliage…

maybe even stop in Pigeon Forge on the way.  

(My idea…Love Dolly…hehe) 

Instead, 

the venue where we ended up 

celebrating our 40 years 

was very sterile,  

and 

 the food was a tad on the bland and boring side 

with a sprinkle of blah.

But 

it was a hospital 

and as hospitals go…

Vanderbilt EXCELLED

 with its wonderful docs and nurses.  

Go Vandy.

Although I wasn’t able to wear my wedding dress 

(which if you know, you know...

 is my anniversary tradition) 

and dance to our song...

at least one of us 

was wearing 

a gown.  

Sorry, PaulA

Thankfully we were able to dance to our song....

at Brianna and Christian’s wedding

3 weeks later. 

It’s a blessing to be able to grow old together …

and watch the years roll by...

waves roll by…

low tide to high tide…

flat rock appearing and disappearing. 

I am so grateful.  

Happy Anniversary to 

the curly haired boy... 

                                                                     (my semi-formal college date 😂)

I married 41 years ago.

PaulA + Kat

40 + 1

Happy 5th Birthday Ansley, our Whole Hand Girl

 Ansley is FIVE today.

She is a whopping whole hand.

applause, applause

No more show of fingers for Ansley 

to show her age...

Anywhoooo....

I'm not sure how a whole hand has passed already.  

BOOM, she's five.

We've watched our lil grand baby girl grow and

grow into the sweetest

little girl.

Our lil Miss who

  loves to dress up…

and who

ALWAYS appreciates a Princess dress.

Ansley telling Brianna 

she loves her dress and she "looks like Elsa."

But Ansley will also get down on the ground;

pick up bugs and ants and

make homes for them.

No problem getting her hands dirty.

ummm...please keep your little friends outside, Ans.

Ansley is always ready to 

give a helping hand in the kitchen

and be the Big Sis...

ready to hold her sweet lil sissy's hand.

We thank the dear Lord for Ansley and putting Ansley 

in the BESTest of hands.

Let’s give Ansley a hand on her 

5th birthday.

👏

You are so loved 

(whole-handedly)

my sweet Whole Hand Girl.

You won MeMe and Hop over 

the day you were born.

The Katillac

                                                                     There is an Art 

                                                           to logging beach time.  

Let me paint you a little picture:

First.. you need a smidge of time off 

followed by a dab of good weather...

but the key stroke 

to logging great beach time 

is the beach chair.

got the picture?

I have tried lying on a beach towel...

which allows for maximum recline,

 but minimum comfort. 

The sand gets pretty hard on the back and the behind ...

especially after 5 or so hours. 

Plus it's  hard to keep the sand off myself

without looking like a 

cinnamon sugar donut.

Anywhoooooooo

A couple of years ago PaulA gave me 

THE grand dame of beach chairs...

a deluxe model with all the bells and whistles. 

Woot Woot.  Toot. Toot.

It’s wasn't your stripped down entry-level Ford 

of a beach chair. 

It was a Cadillac

or as I call it....

The Katillac

(ack, ack, ack, ack)

 

Everyone has their own preferences 

when it comes to their beach chair...

but the features of The Katillac that work for me:

Wide bamboo arms 

that don’t burn my arms in the hot burning sun.

Pillow and ottoman 

for an occasional seaside siesta.

A drink holder 

for my apple juice. hehe

A towel bar 

for my beach towel...der.

And a comfortable strap to carry it...

over PaulA’s shoulder.

you da man

This beach chair has Kat written all over it...

okay...so I may have written

 "Katillac" 

on the wood arm.

But just because I have my name written on it 

doesn’t mean I wouldn’t let someone else sit in it 

for a few seconds.

Be my guest

Alice and Ansley

(My late mom and my 1st grandchild)

I have noticed, however, that 

no one else ever sits in The Katillac.

PaulA will set up the beach and when I get there... 

the Katillac remains open.

 

Hmmm...

I don’t remember threatening anyone?

It's not like I think I'm the

 Queen of the beach...

and require royal treatment.

Anywhoooo.....

See you on the beach...

JUST NOT IN MY CHAIR.

got the picture?



Proud to be an American

                                                                               I'm 

proud to be an American...

proud to wear  red, white, and blue..

and

proud to fly the 

red, white, and blue.

So with every July 4th birthday...

we celebrate this 

great land with 

a feast.

A feast 

for the eyes with

booming fireworks...

and PaulA's cannon

on the 3rd of July...

(The 3rd is a Manomet thing.)

and a feast for the belly

with a barbecue of

burgers, beans and beers.

Tell me more...

I'm  all ears.

Anywhooooo…..

I love love love 

singing our National Anthem.

Nothing makes me feel prouder

and feel more patriotic

than facing our flag and singing the national anthem...

standing with other Americans and singing…

"O'er the land of the free 

and the home of the brave."

I sing it loud.

I sing it proud...

and

singing it 

with a large crowd...

I am always wowed.

Happy 4th of July

my fellow Americans.

We Need You, Elon Musk

 We're back

in the air

flying the friendly skies...

although some flight attendants might attest to 

some not-so friendly passengers.

I suppose a path for a smooth ride, 

with less bumps...

can be found in a little alphabet soup...

by 

following the 

ABCs of passenger etiquette…

minding our P's and Q's…

having no Xcuses…

and

getting some ZZZs. 

I may not be the perfect passenger…

especially after getting reprimanded by TSA 

for not using the “bins” correctly. 

huh?

I used to be in the zippy TSA Pre-check line, 

but I forgot to renew my TSA clearance 

(dumbo mistake)..

hence,

 I was back in the security line that wraps around the terminal…

adding stress and wasted time to my experience.

A DD line wrapped around the terminal, however, 

is not a waste of time. 

Will wait for coffee.

 

However, I have to say waiting months 

for my TSA clearance interview

has been particularly tough…

especially watching PaulA 

speed skate through the short TSA pre-check lines…

while I’m stuck behind first time fliers…

a family of 6 with 

12 shoes to remove…

not to mention

backpacks, luggage, laptops and 

stuffed animals and pillows for days.  

Adorable to watch tho, for something to do.

The question remains 

why are we all 

hoisting our carry-ons into bins, 

removing our shoes, 

emptying pockets,

removing coats and 

pulling out laptops

?

Can’t someone with AI intelligence and  $ resources help us? 

Enter...

Elon Musk…

we need you on this.

If 

(and that's a big if)...

Elon, or one of his equally smart and successful cohorts, 

Bill and Jeff had to fly 

cattle car moooover style 

and  be subjected to all the human gymnastics 

that we do to get through security…

things would be different.

They would have figured out a better solution 

in a nano 

of a nanosecond.

Anywhoo…

Here’s a big picture idea to get Elon Musk started.

 

Create people movers through security...

a human conveyor belt.  

The public gets on the people mover

 wearing their shoes …

and keeps their carryon and belongings with them

 as they proceed through a scan.

Elon, you figure out the technology 

that scans for illegal possessions.

Do I have to think of everything?

I'm pretty sure Elon reads my blog

and will want to help.

Anyway,

after waiting months for my TSA interview, 

I finally have TSA clearance.

Yahoooooie

So now

I’m back with PaulA 

speed skating through the Pre-check line.

To those back in the security line…

“It’s been real

standing cheek-to-cheek with ya.

I’ve tried to help…

but until Elon is 

"on board"...

I’ll see you on the plane.

This Kat has got some 

speed skating to do.”