Keepin' It Real

I believe the last time I wrote on here was the end of July and now it is the end of August. Realistically I am making significant progress with this blog compared to those in the past where months or eternity went in between blogs. SOOO much has happened in one month that I don't even know where to begin. I will not bore you with all of the details but will sum it up with the fact that I love my life.

I went on to spend time with my very good friend Sascha in Holland and what a wonderful time we had. I was blasted with very bad news while there about the death of my grandmother. I was her "doll baby" and her favorite grandchild, I am sure of it. She was my favorite person as well all of my life. I chose to stay right where I was and capitalize on the quality of life I can still have that she could not. She would have wanted it that way. If only grandma would have known that on the day of her funeral I would be sipping a chardonnay while sunning myself in the nude at a co-ed nude day spa. I will go to my grave believing she would have been proud of me. I may sound like an evil person but you should also know, this was post having a good cry on the shores of the North Sea and visiting a church to light a candle in honor of her.

I then ventured to Denmark to visit my friend Nicolai, whom I met on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Visiting the land of the Little Mermaid gave me a juvenile sense of joy although in the end, we never even made it to the bloody statue. He did however give me a good test of reflexes...we rode bikes through Copenhagen to the amusement park, Tivoli Gardens. It is where Walt Disney actually went to get inspired for the creation of Disneyland. I enjoyed every moment of my bicycle with a bell and basket that his aunt let me borrow. What a wonderful city and time I had there.

And then I had to come back to reality here in the "real world." Back to work with 19 screaming 9 year olds put a very big smile in my heart actually. I truly love my work and although it can be just a little too much at times, the love of a child can mend any stressor in one's life. We haven't had air conditioning though for 8 days now...August in Florida mind you. It has been awful for everyone!

I was really looking forward to a very special person in New York coming to see me this weekend but with the outrageous airfares, it looks like it may not happen. I still have hope but if anyone knows of a cheap way to get from LGA or JFK to MCO(Orlando) for this weekend, please let me know! He is the reason that I have been so inspired to move to NY at the end of this year. We have so much fun together and I just feel so alive with him. It is great to be with someone that you can totally trust and be yourself with. No secrets, no lies or deceit. Just being real and I cherish that with him.

I suppose this has turned out to be more of a diary entry but, hopefully I will have more to talk about on a specific topic. I am not very good at this, but I will learn.

Blossom

Perhaps the title may inspire one to consider the show from the 90's and inspire you to wear your favorite floral hat. By all means, let your inner blossom out if the spirit is moving you. Unfortunately I have another direction with this. Currently I am sitting in my friend Tom's 2-bedroom flat in the heart of Baker St. in London. I spent the day walking through the area and a few hours in the nearby Regent's Park. Flowers were in full bloom everywhere showing off their vibrant contributions to this world. Even the sky appeared to be a brighter shade of blue. My favorite tree hung solemnly near the canals, the weeping willow tree. Growing up in Minnesota a long, long time ago, I can remember one situated in our front lawn. My brother and I would play on it's branches daily and swing and call out in our best Tarzan impersonations. Then the movie My Girl offered another thought provoking approach to my precious weeping willow tree which tied in directly to some experiences of death of which I could identify with completely. They have always been a part of me somehow.

To end my perfect day, I sat at the Garden Cafe in the middle of the park and decided to taste the British version of a Bloody Mary. I watched him pour in the Lea and Perrins and I just knew it would be tasty. Fresh celery added and it was all mine. Although it was a completely different taste, I paired it with a cream and preserve filled scone. Sitting outside in the fresh air--humidity free, thank goodness! I basked in the warmth of the sun but was quickly cooled by the brisk breeze that perfectly balanced the weather today. Not too hot, not too cold...perfect.

So why did I choose blossom? Maybe you think it is the flowers. But overall, the feeling I have had in the recent weeks is just a sense of blossoming. My essence is evolving into a flower unseen to this world so far. It's scent will soon fill the nostrils of the world around me. I can't wait.

Tell Me How You Really Feel

So when my friend Adam was Google stalking me, he happened to come across my name as a comic! My alias is "Spoiler" but I could not believe it. Below you will find "Stephanie Brown." One of my biggest highlights this week.

Okay, so I already have run into the same problem with this blog as with the other 2 I tried to create. It is now almost a week later and I am finally following up with the last one. I am not really a person of habit so adding in a daily ritual of my "blog hour" will be a difficult addition. We will start this slowly with perhaps a weekly blog of highlights. In advance, I will tell you that things may come out in a very scattered way and so I may tell you what happened Thursday and then go back to something crazy on Monday morning and then holy shit you have to hear about Friday. Sorry for that.

So starting with Friday, which I deemed National Radical Honesty Day. It all started when my friend Adam forwarded to me an article about a man in Virginia who subscribed to the idea of Radical Honesty. Imagine, sitting in a coffeeshop and the waitress asks you about the coffee she just served you and you can't stand it. Most people would suffer through it or kindly ask for another cup. Not this guy. He would tell her that is tasted like shit. He believes that relationships become very real and it is extremely liberating. Adam added that this philosophy would not work for him and I agree. Adam is arguably one the funniest people I have ever met. No one would ever think he was serious anyway even if he did walk around practicing Radical Honesty. In a way it could work for him I suppose. Anyway, I tried it and found the most liberating moment while enjoying a few beverages in downtown Orlando. His name was Steve and he was one of those lingering guys when a group of girls go out. We didn't shoo him off because he was semi-interesting. Until he laughed. My friends Aarti and Kristen seem to recall the laugh vividly and for some odd reason, I have no recollection of this "girly laugh" that he presented to us. Apparently though, when they told me about it, I commented how they should tell him. You know, in honor of National Radical Honesty Day. So evidently I did but no one can seem to remember how he reacted to it. Regardless, I can't help but wonder if he went home and was experimenting with various laughs. Or he could of course be at home with his computer and the various laughing sound effects, mimicking them to see which sounded best. I wish him the best of luck on his search for the perfect laugh.

Last night, I went to a friend's family party and had a great time talking to a girl I had met in passing a few times. It is funny because we talked for hours and similar to the way things would go with a guy you meet, I was hoping to exchange numbers and hang out again. Although I have had momentary lapses of reason and considered becoming a lesbian after numerous difficult break-ups, this was purely a friendly thing, I swear. With no sexual attraction getting in the way, we were able to have a real conversation that lasted for hours. No alterior motives, just friends and I have to say, it was quite refreshing. It is hard for me to meet girls and so this was so great. We laughed as we left and were still leaving with a phone number.

I will try my best to write again sooner than a week but no promises.

I'm A Blogger!!

Welcome to ESSENCE! Ok, so I am officially a blogger now but am not quite sure what I need to do to make this as cool as my friend Adam's amazing page. I guess I just have to unload all of life's drama onto this site daily and all of you get to read it! Lame. I will try to make it exciting guys, don't worry! Let's see, tonight I had dinner at my former principal Mike's house with his fantastic wife Linda. Three and a half hours later, I am reflecting on how amazing it is to meet people like them in life. He reiterated two key points I need to consider as I build the definition of my "essence" in life. (P.S. I plan on using the word "essence" in every blog I write. Consider it your where's Waldo fun as you read about my exotic life). He said that in love, you need to be sure to marry your best friend. He also then said that when making important decisions, it is essential that you consider only your spouse and children if you have them. DO NOT let others outside of you, such as parents, friends, etc... influence the decision making process. Some heavy talk for my first blog, but read on tomorrow when I continue with more on what I think makes a great mate!