Goals Columned July 30, 2009
Posted by meigrowstall in Uncategorized.Tags: life list
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Life List is back!
*ride a roller-coaster *see the Great Wall of China *bungee jumping *sky dive*skinny dipping
*have someone throw rocks at my window in the middle of the night
*eat a deep fried Twinkie
*learn to play an instrument
*get a surprise party
*grow my hair to my butt and donate it
*win a real tennis match
*go on a real vacation
*goto DI globals
*win a contest
*get a job
*goto a real concert
*hug a stranger
*paint my room in an actual color
*acquire a vehicle *learn to change a tire *hit multiple parties in the same night
*take a yoga class
*bake from scratch
*goto the Louvre, see the Mona Lisa
*ride in a limo
*go to a drive in movie
*stay awake for 24 hours
*write my phone number on a dollar bill and let it go off into the economy
*take dance lessons with a partner *watch the sun rise
*do a charity walk/run
*learn to play poker
*leave an outrageously big tip for a nice waiter/waitress or one having a bad day
*catch a bouquet
*swim in the ocean
*visit a different country
*be serenaded
*take a road trip with friends
*do a project with habitat for humanity
*goto Italy
*paint a large picture specifically for my wall
*get a good camera
*see Peter Pan, the play
*watch pride and prejudice 20 times
*make wonton soup by myself!
*buy a 24 pack of sharpies.
*See something on Broadway
*learn how to break dance
*snowboard *surf
*learn a jump serve for tennis
*see a four leaf clover
*goto the ballet or an opera
*read 10+ important classic or historical books
*sell a piece of artwork
*use the telescope in an observatory
*go sledding down a super steep hill *perform a genuine, unplanned good deed
*assemble my keepsakes into a book
*finish the others in my short story
*see some serious mountains
*ride a dog sled or horse drawn sleigh
*use snow shoes
*spit from the top of a sky scraper
*walk in a Tuscan sunflower field *dinner theater *canoe/kayak *make a blanket *eat an apple right off the tree *Scuba-dive *ride a camel or giraffe *Drive through a (somewhat safe) portion of a third world country like Mexico or Costa Rica to gain perspective on what true poverty looks like *Ride in a hot air balloon *Buy my own house *camp out at the water tower hill *Get a hammock *See an eclipse *have my portrait painted *Live without email, IM, or a cell phone for a week *build/have a tree house
Crafting Kicks and the Value In Cookin’ Good July 30, 2009
Posted by meigrowstall in Uncategorized.Tags: food, Life, thoughts
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I consider myself to be a fairly strong-willed, independent woman. I believe that women can greater-or-equal the best of men and I have ambitions to strike out into a male dominated profession. These are just facts of life. For these reasons, it makes me chuckle when I get into Susie Homemaker moods like the last couple days. I feel like I’ve mentioned it before, but there are times in life when I get into certain modes. For example, there is fine arts mode and artsy crafty mode. There is also microwave-frozen mode and let’s-bake-with-my-apron mode. Gettin’ the drift?
I’ve been in crafty, bakey, let’s-wear-heels-and-make-cake moods for nearly a month and shamefully loving it. There have been no paintings yet this summer, but many birthday/grad cards, invitations and doodling. I feel like I’m getting the hang of this whole card thing and the last couple turned out especially nice. I used a combination of watercolor washes, sharpie, ink, and acrylic for some texture. The worst part about pulling off a card really well is that I get so proud that I want to show everyone, thereby ruining the surprise and making myself look rather inflated in the head. I’ve been cooking more, done some sewing, and became incredibly excited over buying new yarn at the flower factory. It’s pathetic.
Every other Wednesday at youth group, it’s home cookin’ night. Everyone is supposed to make something and bring it for dinner. I haven’t decided what to make this time, but a lemony chicken is sounding nice. Being housewifely might be ridiculous, but seeing someone’s face after preparing something special for them to eat makes all the silliness totally worth it. I want to write letters, make cookies, and be prim. The 50s housewife feeling is sitting well on my shoulders. Besides, there could be worse things. At least the dresses are cute.
There is only one way to watch Brave Heart July 22, 2009
Posted by meigrowstall in Uncategorized.Tags: movie, pictures, summer, weekends
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I make fire! July 21, 2009
Posted by meigrowstall in Uncategorized.Tags: pictures, summer, thoughts
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Despite the fact that I’m the oldest I’ve ever been, I can say that 2009 has brought me the most pure, summery-summer of my life. It’s been a blissful rotation of bonfires, swimming, random adventures, pizza, fireflies, Chinese food, the zoo, sweating, tennis, crazy hair, pets, grass stains…you name it. I feel closer to my family than I have ever felt. I feel closer to my friends than I have ever felt. I feel closer to Hiro Nakamura than I have ever felt.
It’s not just what I’ve done, though. There’s a subtle difference from my past May-through-Augusts that I can’t quite string a word to. It’s the way the sparks float high at bonfires – how they intermingle with the stars when the sky turns rich navy blue. Smooth heat on my skin from cycles of swimming and drying, swimming and drying. Chlorine smells mixed with ginger and sweat. The way tan sunglasses make the sun brighter, the clouds whiter, and the sky deeply tinged with turquoise. These details have struck me with a finer grain.
The last bonfire was special, because I officially have become an eagle scout, or as close to one as I can become without being a man. I was trained by an eagle on how to build a fire and alas, it is done! Pictured above is the pinacle of my outdoors-man skill. (just don’t tell anyone we had no matches. Justin lit the tinder with a blow torch. It was a small torch!) I did it all by myself.
There’s no place like 5th Street Lane. July 21, 2009
Posted by meigrowstall in Uncategorized.Tags: Life, neighbors, thoughts
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When I came home tonight, I had to avoid my back door for fear of a man and a lady who were shouting obcenities at each other. It was all F-this and F-that, you’re a skank, you’re a bum, never-come-back, I-dont-want-you-anyways. The whole neighborhood heard how he was gonna knock her out, how she didn’t need him, how he only came back because his F-ing baby was in her belly. The woman has a kitty that escapes from time to time, and that’s the most I know of her, besides that she’s unmarried and pregnant to busting. It was ugly. The ugliness hurts me, and I hurt for them because every F-word is like a slap in the face.
Mood: Summer July 13, 2009
Posted by meigrowstall in Uncategorized.Tags: old days, pictures
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I know it’s not a new thought or anything. July 13, 2009
Posted by meigrowstall in Uncategorized.Tags: music, rambling
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I got in a real music mood the other day, and I was thinking about my favorite songs, the friend CDs I have, and memories that go along with each one. I owe that all to Indecision 1 & 2, which spurred the whole thing, because that’s when I decided to pick songs that I love. I grabbed a notebook and listed songs that linger from past and present, listened to them, read the lyrics and wrote notes about why I cared about them. Many were for simplicity – songs that say what the mean without flowery cliches. I love simple, beautiful songs with lots of harmony and smoothness. Guitar, ukulele, box drums. It’s neat to realize an aspect of the music you really like.
I’ve mix CDs that my friends have made me. There is the Josh CDs, the Tia CDs, the Casey CDs, and a Brandon CD which sorta sucks, but he gets props for at least giving me one. ha. Right now I’ve been in Tia mode, listening to such coolies as the Artic Monkeys, Metro Station, and a couple Beatles songs for good measure. It sounds just like her. I’m very impatient for more of these to keep me nice and homesick in the fall, but now I’ve been thinking about the next great Meili CD. It needs a great name and cool cover art.
Believe in Dreams you Love so Much. July 10, 2009
Posted by meigrowstall in Uncategorized.Tags: dreams, Life, rambling
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Last night I dreamed that my jaws were clenched tight – tighter than I’ve ever felt. I was scared because I couldn’t open my mouth, and then I heard my teeth break. I also had a typical DI dream where I don’t feel prepared. I remember that Ian, Cassie, and Tommy were on my team, but tommy had shaved his head bald and Ian was being gay and kissed another male teammate as a joke, but the appraisers saw! Weird. This dream was different , because we were outside a door saying lines and even though I didn’t know what was happening, I thought it was our real performance and the judges couldn’t hear us. Then we have to move inside and I realize we were just waiting, and now we have to do it again, except I REALLY don’t know what’s going on this time. DI is lovely, especially in my dreams.
A few nights ago, there was one were my cousin got a hair cut that looked exactly like her aunt’s rather large, short blonde bob. I thought she accidentally squirted hair gel on my head, so I tried to squeeze and peel it out. Then blood starts running down my face, and I realize that the goopy stuff isn’t hair gel, it’s my own scalp that I’m peeling off. What the heck?!
I don’t understand why my dreams have been more violent lately. Normally, I dreamed strange, off the wall things, but nothing where I’ve been afraid. Not since I was a little kid. I’ve also dreamed some highly personal situations, which have no place on the Internet. It’s hard to forget something and pretend you don’t care anymore, when your dreams are reeling it out for you to watch. Dreams don’t lie.
Heads up June 14, 2009
Posted by meigrowstall in Uncategorized.Tags: rambling
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I feel awake for blogging now, even though it’s been a long while. Summer is my prime time for writing posts because I have more time to plot and less time to clutter my mind with trival matters. There also seems to be more adventure going on. The sort of random, small adventures that are the most beautiful to me. Dixon and England were brimming with random material. I enjoyed documenting those places the most, I think, because I was far away from home and these little love letters made me feel connected to everyone at home.
That mind set is okay, I suppose, but it makes for an awfully boring blog ten months out of the year. When I look back at this last dry spell, there was plenty of funny, random stuff that happened all year. Friendship days, lunch table stories, DI craziness, youth group adventures…that’s so much I could’ve posted on. What have I been doing for months?!
Anyway, I’m back in blogging mode. It feels good have open eyes again. I have a couple planned about Kentucky, the zoo, and what my art is doing this summer. I feel like talking about books or writing poems again. It makes me happy. Stay tuned?
Sweet Memories May 4, 2009
Posted by meigrowstall in Uncategorized.Tags: dance, Life, pictures, prom, school, weekends
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