Top 5

Last night, a friend asked what my top experience has been while living in Clarksville. So, in the order that they occurred, I give you my Top 5 experiences living in Tennessee (so far):

1. Cookeville Trip (including Ralph's and the Sparta Branch)
2. Blake Shelton at the Grand Ole Opry
3. Nashville Predators Game
4. Free Day at the Clarksville Musuem
5. Ride along on the night shift with some of Clarksville's finest

Piano Dreams

     

                As a child, I remember a lot of my friends complaining about having to practice piano. They hated it. They didn’t like taking lessons. There were so many  better things to be doing than playing the piano. I was so lucky that I didn’t have to do any of those things.

                I was so jealous.
                I even tried a couple time to talk one of my friends into teaching me piano, even though we didn’t have one.

                When I was about 15, my parents had a sudden fit and bought a piano. All my siblings, having music training that included marimba( which is basically a piano that you hit with mallets), all can play the piano. My sister can play pretty much anything you put in front of her. And my little brother, Bruth, is brilliant. He plays the most beautiful music, and all he does is sit down and start playing. He doesn’t even need the music.

                I would think about that piano, and if no one was home and there was no chance they would walk in on me, I would see what noises I could make on it.

                As I’ve gotten older (and let’s face it, I’m still pretty young) I’ve decided that I can’t sit around and pine about things. I can’t say “oh I’ll do that when I have time”. I either do it, or I leave it. And I’ve had some awesome experiences since I’ve started living my life that way.

                So, about three months ago, I decided it was time. I have a steady enough income, and time. I know how to set reasonable expectations and goals. I came up with a goal, and started to look for a piano teacher. I found one who said these magic words:

                “Jaq, it’s not too late for you to become a Great Piano Player.”

                I love her.

                 I have already mastered several hymns from the simplified hymn book and quite enjoy sight reading new ones. My first recital is in 2 days. I love playing. I just love it.

                And I will never complain about having to practice piano.

Bucket List

  People talk about their bucket list. A lot of people seem to have cool stuff on theirs like ‘skydiving’ or ‘blow something up’.  I have given a lot of deep thought to my bucket list. And it is this:

      1.       Gettysburg

       2.       Travel to more countries than my dad. Bonus points if it’s somewhere he hasn’t already been to.

           2b. Travel to all 50 States

       3.       Never pass up an opportunity to have an adventure.

Now for some explanations.

     Gettysburg is the most haunted place in the United States. No further explanation needed. Plans are in the works for this to be achieved. Part of this plan is getting my internship on the East Coast.  

It’s tradition that my dad goes somewhere, and then comes home and tells us about all the wonderful food he’s eaten along the way. Or the cool things he’s seen. Or some story about a person he met. Sometimes he’ll call us and start with “Guess what I’m doing right now.”  My dad’s a bamf. We’ll talk more about this later. As of now, he’s been to 17 countries in the world. (Last time we counted he was at 16.) I figured that instead of specifying things for a bucket list, like ‘go to Cancun’, I would do a more general goal, that was still a challenge.

     So far on this one, I’ve got 6 countries down. 2 of which my dad has never been to. I also have tried to do things while traveling that either my dad hasn’t done, are part of the ‘1,000 things before you die’ school, or a lot of people seem to talk about, or should be talking about.  A few highlights: The two countries I’ve been to that dad hasn’t: Poland and New Zealand. Top pick: Seeing the original Christus Statue by Thorvaldsen  in Copenhagen, Denmark and attending Mass at Sacre Couer in Paris.

     A subset of this goal is to visit all 50 states. (Dad has only been to the lower 48) Top of that list is to see  the Aurora in Alaska. Also, subset of this is to visit as many LDS Temples as possible. So far I have 8 of those. (Currently there is 137 operating temples worldwide, with several being constructed or planned.)

     Now, never pass up an opportunity to have an adventure. Who can come home from work, have their mum say “Let’s get Studebakers for dinner” and totally jump in the truck for an hour and half long drive just to get the best pizza ever for dinner, and happen to see a real life bald eagle in the wild on the way there? Or visit a long time friend of your dad’s only to get back to your hostel at nearly 1 am and ride up the lift with a guy in purple tightie whitie style underwear while a hot Brazilian asks you if you would like a beer? Or wake up at who knows when in the morning in a teepee to listen to a confused bull elk try to find a mate? Ever sheared a sheep? Or fished the Cisco run? Or attended a Testicle Festival? Gone to the park in the middle of the night to swing?  Wild and Crazy Adventure anyone? (That last one was a code, those who know what it means have done it with me or a member of my family.)

     Yeah. Almost anything goes for this girl. And I have a pretty cool list that is growing in size in the back of my journal.

A bit about Me

1.       I’m really really close to graduating university in Early Childhood Development and Family and Community Services.

2.       I used to be a costume design major.

3.       If you can wear it, I can make it. (With the exception of shoes, but let’s be honest, I’d probably try to make them if you asked me to.)

4.       Given the time, I can read a book a day.

5.       I’ve taken care of other people’s kids professionally  for 8 years.

6.       15 if you count babysitting.

7.       I am obsessed with knitting websites.

8.       I told my dad the only way I would get an iPhone was if I could get a “Psych” cover for it. It arrived today.

9.       My Bucket List consists of Three Items. (We can talk about this one later)

10.   I have been ghost hunting. I got totally freaked out.