Soooo wha' had happen'd wuzzz.....

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where something that you do every day, sometimes multiple times a day, suddenly becomes attached to a particular memory? All of a sudden you find yourself in an innocuous situation laughing hysterically at something that is merely meant to be part of your routine? Well, here is the reason why I giggle EVERY time I put on a pair of jeans.


Timeframe: Spring of Sophomore year.
Who was involved: Kaitlin, Jessie, Jenna, Raney, Kendra, Ellie, Caitlin, and me


Okay, so photographic evidence proves that this night started out at Chili's, which was most likely for somebody's birthday, though I can't remember whose. This was the semester after my Theta Alpha pledge class had taken littles (in a sorority a big sister takes a little sister from the next pledge class and is like a mentor to her. In Christian sororities, a big sister does biblical mentoring, called discipleship). Well my little, Raney, and Kaitlin's little, Jenna, are really good friends and Jenna was playing intramural softball that semester because she rocks at sports. A bunch of us went there after Chili's to cheer for Jenna.

It was a ton of fun. Somewhere among the innings of awesomeness, the silliness started when Ellie made Kendra, who was sitting closest to the fence, wear Jenna's extra batting helmet.

In the process of putting the helmet on her, Ellie knocked her Diet Coke from Chili's upside down onto the bleachers.

Undeterred by the precarious placement of her thirst quencher, Ellie went into panic mode as her precious soda dribbled into the dead grass below. This turned into the first hilarious situation of the night.

Now, here comes the jeans part. While we were clutching our sides recovering from the laughter caused by Ellie's antics, a frantic looking boy sprinted up to us looking like he was about to wet his pants.

"Have ANY of you EVER played softball before??? We are gonna need to forfeit if we don't find another player!!"

(this may seem trivial until you add into the factor that UF is out for every penny in your pocket. There is a fee for forfeiting intramural games)

Raney pepped up and revealed that she had played softball before. The boy, clearly relieved, begged her to play in their 10PM game. Problem? It was 9:45. Raney was wearing jeans and a cute shirt. Jenna, however, had just finished her game and came jogging towards us.
Within 60 seconds we had formulated a plan that involved multiple people using whatever clothing they had to get Raney in gear and out on the field. Jenna gave Raney her entire outfit, so Raney was set. Jenna put on Raney's shirt, but here we came across a problem. Jenna is a good six inches taller than Raney. So, we all trooped into the girls bathroom to find a pair of pants that fit Jenna.

When we walked out, five of us were not wearing the jeans that we had gone in wearing. Jenna wore Ellie's, who was next tallest. Ellie wore Caitlins. Caitlin wore mine. I wore Raney's. Raney wore Jenna's gym shorts and sweats.

So, thats why I laugh every time I put on my jeans. Because I think of five girls throwing clothing over stalls in a ball park bathroom. One of those nights that did NOT end the way we predicted. The night ended with a video that I am tagged in on facebook but for some reason will not post on this blog, in which Raney busts out and narrates it in her best Jacksonville accent, which is where the blog title came from. Sometimes, although it is three years later, someone present that night will interrupt an awkward silence with the phrase "wha had happn'd wuzzz"... and those in on the secret will roar with laughter.

I am so blessed by my friends. My life has been turned upside down more times in the past four years than I care to keep track of. But no matter how many times life has knocked the wind out of me and swept my feet from underneath, I have had multiple people there to catch me. And for that, I thank God each and every single night. Those true friends who will laugh with you, cry with you, rejoice with you, and need to be restrained in order to prevent them from mutilating the ones who cause you pain.

Thanks guys

:)

It's not a bad little tree... maybe it just needs some love

Greetings friends. I hope the holidays are treating you well. The inspiration for this post is not too hard to figure out- this is the story of the 422 Family Christmas.

You see, at school I live in a house with 7 other girls. The astronomical amount of estrogen contained in that tiny house is enough to drive most people bonkers, but I absolutely adore it. I am the kind of person who would chose company over solitude about 99% of the time. I moved into the 422 house my sophomore year with 7 other girls in Theta Alpha and by my junior year, 5 of them had either graduated or moved to a different apartment. We were blessed with 5 amazing new roomies who were found in random and various ways, but we quickly became a family.

 

This is the first and only (I think) picture of all 8 of us. This was from our Harvest Party, which will be a blog post later.

So, this story takes place in early December. It was the last week of classes and the Monday after all of us returned from a fun, yet disappointing trip to Atlanta where our beloved Gators had lost the SEC Championship game. Needless to say with exams looming, we were all in depressed moods. So, on my way home from WalMart, wracking my brain in attempts to find some way to cheer everyone up, I spontaneously decided to stop at a Christmas Tree tent. You see, I had never owned a real tree before (my brother is allergic). So I had the bright idea to bring home a Christmas tree for my Gainesville family. I had budgeted about $45 to give my roommates Christmas gifts. I decided to spend that money on a Christmas tree, a stand, and decorations for it. 

At this point, anybody who has previously purchased one of these iconical cones of piney goodness sees the flaw in my naive plan. I sauntered up to that yellow tent and walked up to the first perfect tree that I saw, my only negative thought being "how am I going to get this through the door?" So I asked the tree man how much this beauty would be. 

$75

When I returned to my senses approximately 30 seconds after receiving that shock, I told the man what my budget was and was laughed at. Then Mr. Lumberjack led me away from the tall, full beauties, away from the plump medium sized ones, and even past the slightly respectable modest ones. He led me out of the tent to the back, where I was shown the only tree on the lot that was within my price range.

Meet Charlie, named after everyones favorite lovable idiot, Charlie Brown. This tree was straight out of Chuck's Christmas special, and the good ole' lumberjack took pity on my naive good intentions and sold me the tree and stand for $40. It had almost no branches on the back and was leaning so far to one side that we had to put four DVD cases under one leg of the stand to make it look upright. Charlie stood at about 4'10" without the stand and was so small that he fit in my trunk. No need to strap him to the roof of poor Wanda. Just shut him in the trunk. 

I brought him home like a mother bringing home her first child and ran through the house like a kid on Christmas morning shouting for my roommates to come outside. The few that were home and not holed up in Library West grouchily left their piles of textbooks and trooped outside in the rain as I popped my trunk and revealed my precious cargo. Their reaction was WAY better than I expected. Within ten minutes we had Charlie set up inside and were on our way to Walmart to buy decorations. Pooling our spare change we bought one strand of lights, one pack of garland, and, instead of ornaments, we picked up styrofoam balls and sequins, a trick my grandmother taught me when I was little. We brought everything home and spent all our free time that week making homemade ornaments and watching Christmas classics while eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate.

Our star for the top

Everyone's mood improved as we came home to decorations in the living room and the wonderful aroma of pine wafting to all corners of our humble abode. As the week went on, more decorations appeared, courtesy of Gainesville Dollar General and creative websites.

It was so perfect. And, just like Charlie Brown's homely Christmas tree, a little love was all it needed to shine.

I really do despise how commercial Christmas has become. It is all about what one can or cannot afford and how many useless toys we can collect. And I know I sound like a broken record or an Andy Williams Christmas special, but there really is so much more than that. I am so blessed, and the holidays are a good time to reflect on that. Over 2000 years ago, the God of the Universe chose to come to Earth as a baby. The ultimate humble blessing in disguise. No matter how many times my life has been turned upside down in the past four years, the things that always seem to keep me grounded are the simple ones- like this tree. An overall comical situation united 8 stressed girls under the notion that bigger isn't always better. When it comes down to it, friends, family, love, and grace are the greatest gifts of all.

Buddy the Elf! Whats your favorite color?

Well, the season we are in makes this a fitting first entry.

Event: Not Studying Party

Timeframe: December of freshman year

Who was involed: DeAnne, Ellie, Sadie, Caitlin Morrow, and Kaitlin Clark

Well, I am first to admit that I fall into that category of the overambitious freshman. I came into UF with plans to conquer the academic world and graduate with a 4.0 having never changed my major. Screw overambitious, I was actually insane.

About halfway through that semester, I realized this. I set forth plans to change my major from zoology to communication sciences and disorders. Unfortunately, I was stuck taking bio 1, bio 1 lab, and calc 1, three of the most difficult entry level classes at UF. And bio and calc had their final exams on the same day. Of course. So, what is a girl to do the night before those two extremely difficult exams??? Certainly not study.

It started out with a movie at DeAnne's- Elf. One of my absolute favorite Christmas movies. Then we decided to go to Sonic, I had never been before (R.I.P. Gainesville Sonic. I miss you) Then we decided we wanted to go find Kaitlin Clark, who was studying in her dorm (like I should have been). Strawberry Limeade in tow, we hide behind Broward Hall and text Kaitlin to go to the back door. She poked her head out, we surprised her, and then proceded to take about a thousand pictures in a multitude of poses. Rock Band, America's Next Top Model, and the traditional jump. And at one point, DeAnne climbed in the bushes and scared everyone. Good times with good friends. And I passed my classes. Barely, but it doesn't matter. I think I laughed more that night than I did the entire month of November. And only one of many late-night adventures that seem to characterize the typical college experience.

Memiors of a Do-It-All

Hello again friends... or possibly just me. Who knows, I certainly don't care who reads this. It just seemed like a good way to collect memories

The idea for this blog was sparked by a conversation that took place on the way to Cedar Key, FL with the girls I intern with at Anthem Church. We were talking about our favorite memories of our college careers (all four of us are graduating). The topic marinated in my mind for weeks as conversations amongst myself and fellow seniors seemed to constantly turn to the past (perhaps this is because the future seems so uncertain and scary right now?). So, I made a list.

Over the next five months, I am going to highlight the best of the best. The days, nights, and moments that made everything worth it. The laughs that made me forget the tears. The joy that overwhelmed the heartache. The things I will never forget.

And, just in case someone actually reads this, I dedicate this blog to the people who made these memories happen. I really know that God has blessed me with amazing friends and family, both near and far. So, thank you.

Disclaimer- I know it is a week before exams. Please do not use this blog to distract you from schoolwork like I am doing right now. And if you chose to take that risk, don't blame me for grades.

Love you all
Kelly