Beyond My Years

Recently, I came across a letter hidden in the back of my desk. It was a letter to myself that I had written at the end of elementary school as one of my last assignments. I received the letter in high school when my 5th grade teacher passed away after a battle with cancer. I had been so surprised that she had kept the letters, but then, I wasn't surprised at all.

When we wrote the letters, she told us she would mail them to us when we were in high school, so that we wouldn't forget who we were as kids. I should have known that of all the people to follow through on their word, it would be her. My teacher was an incredible woman with the patience of a saint, and I am so grateful for the words she left with me, not least of all being the small note she had attached, reading, "Elizabeth-a quiet, thoughtful girl with a gentle spirit..." along with a few other memories from our class. I only hope if she were here today, she would think the same of me.

After a few moments of reflection on her class and my childhood, I opened the letter and began to read. It was all I could do not to laugh. The letter began with this:

"Dear Elizabeth,
I hope you are doing well. I hope you are happy. Are you behaving? Are you doing drugs? If you are, you should stop. They are very bad for you. Be nice to your sister. I hope you are getting good grades..."

Wow. I must have had some really high hopes for myself as a high schooler. It's nice to know my 10-year-old self didn't have much confidence in my future character.

Granted, since I was young, I was always accused of being "motherly" for my age. I acted as a miniature mom to kids who were crying in preschool, bringing them tissues and giving them hugs (or so I'm told; I don't remember this). After my sister was born, I was convinced I knew exactly how my mother should be raising her, and I shared my opinions on her upbringing freely. (Disclaimer: my mom has always been an amazing parent to my sister and I--as has my dad-- and always made us feel loved and cherished) I'm not sure why I felt I knew better than they did how to be a parent.

Regardless, I'm happy to report that, no, I am not doing drugs, nor have I ever. Oh, and yes, I am aware of the dangers of drugs. I managed to keep my grades up, even though math has always been my enemy. I don't have much hope with physics either. I am happy, thank you very much, and other than my old lady knee that creaks when I go up a set of stairs, I am doing well.

Oh, But The Leaves

I have an announcement.

It's hugely exciting.

Are you ready??

The leaves are turning color!!! I love this time of year. It's beautiful here in Michigan during the autumn months, and even more exciting is the fact that fall means winter is just around the corner, and do you know what that means? Christmas. I love absolutely everything about Christmas. The lights, the music, the gently falling snow glistening under the street lamps, the hot cocoa by the Christmas tree..everything.

My boyfriend took this photo on Michigan State
University's campus last year--beautiful!

I'm getting ahead of myself. Fall. As a kid, I looked forward to packing up all my new school supplies, unpacking, and then repacking them and heading off to school in the morning. Fall also meant my birthday had arrived (even though now it means I'm getting older, apparently), and that provided an excitement all its own. Plus, what's more fun as a kid than raking up the leaves into a huge pile and promptly throwing yourself into them, effectively destroying the newly raked lawn?

This year, fall meant a new beginning for me, in a way. It felt a little strange not packing up my possessions to move back into a cramped dorm room, but not doing so also began to solidify the thought that if I so choose, I could be done with school forever. Very strange feeling, indeed.

I'm officially not a student now, though I believe I will always be a student at heart. New things fascinate me, and I thoroughly enjoy soaking up the information contained between the binding of a brand new book. The amount of books I read increases tenfold as the weather turns cooler, I think. To me, there is nothing more satisfying than being surrounded by the beauty in nature with my nose in a book, curled up in a cozy blanket, and something warm to drink. Ah, perfection.

Rainy Days Aren't Meant For Kids...

Those of us over the age of 16 felt a little bad for the kiddies today after waking up to dreary skies. The adults began to load up on coffee, preparing for a day cooped up in this little cabin, and the kids were ready for adventure from the moment they woke up. Since their grandma had arrived in the evening yesterday, it was still exciting for them to see her.

Seizing this opportunity, the older cousins all got ready at record speed and set out for the neighboring town to do a little shopping. Of course, this meant stopping in the stores with free food samples, and not actually purchasing anything. After walking for a time, we concluded lunch was in order, and realized that perhaps our indecisiveness was a family trait, not just individual, lovable (we like to think) traits. Needless to say, a few hours away was a welcome treat, and nothing could have reminded us of that more than the events of the ensuing hours.

Shortly after stepping foot back in the cabin, we were greeted with "Moooom!! Mommy!! MOM, SHE HIT ME! SHE WON'T SHARE THE SQUEAKY DUCK!" Ahhh, the joys of motherhood. I took the opportunity to relish in my ability to return any and all children to their respective mothers. Yes, that was a comforting feeling, to be sure. A few hours later, as we finished dinner and were entertained by chanting of the "ice cream and cake, cake, cake!" variety, we coulbdt have agreed more as an exhasperated 6-year old looked desperate to quell the arguing and fussing, and complained, "I'm just over all this noise!"

A quick nod around the table and the adults agreed, yes we were as well, and so to bed the kids were sent. Overall, all the kids did well for being stranded inside all day, and each had her moment as the little angel we know they each are. Sometimes, even on the cranky, no-nap, rainy days, it's just as funny to see them so concerned over such trivial things... Well, at least it is with the luxury of a child return policy ;)