BFF Questions with Tom Harrison

So tonight I got to have a wondeful long Skype conversation with my favorite sister.

(Yes, I did just single out a favorite sister. And I can do that because 1) She is the only one of my sisters who reads this blog--and quite possibly the only one who knows how to operate a computer. 2) She is the only one I claim to be related to. And 3) Reba wrote this song about us.)


Anywho, in our true B.S.F--Best Sisters Forever--style, we talked endlessly about absolutely nothing of any importance at all. And during all the rambling, we somehow got on the subject of a certain parent (and step-parent) of ours who randlomly own handguns these days...

I (being the daughter with an exciting actual life 4,000 miles away) did not know about this until my BSF* filled me in. And What the ... was my initial reaction. I mean, why? And who actually deemed a certain one of these people physcilogically/socially fit enough to carry a handgun? And why does it seem that the people who have no business carry a weapon are the ones doing so?! ...I had so many questions, and to answer them, I decided to go straight to the source...
*Best Sister Forever

So I called Tom Harrison.

And thus, a new chapter in our lives began. I like to call it the BFF chapter. For you see, I didn't just call up Lowell and blurt out "Why do you have a hand gun?" and "Can I have two tickets to the gun show?"... Instead, I was strategic--or as the 43rd president of the United States might have said, I used strategery. And when I called him, I made a proposal that went a little something like this:

"Hey Dad. So I've decided that you and I should be new BFFs. Okay? Because you and I essentially don't really talk about anything other than the essentials in life, and thus, we don't know each other so well anymore... Right? So I've made a plan for us to become BFFs. Basically, everytime we talk, I get to ask you one question about you or your life, and you have to give me a straight answer. And in turn, you can ask me a question about me. That way we learn about eachother and can be BFFs. You're up for it, right? You wanna be my BFF?!"

Tom agreed to our BFF status. ...And after he agreed, I explained to him what a BFF was.

After that, the rest of the conversation went a little something like this:
*Please not, this is just a condensed re-cap.

Me: Alright, so as your new BFF, my first question for you is: Why do you find it necessary to own a handgun?
Tom: Well.... As the chief security officer of Eagle Motors and all it's properties...
Me: Dad, seriously.
Tom: Serisously, I am a home and business owner and it's a means of protection.
Me: But you do realize that you are living half-way between Sharon and Martin, right? It's not like your growing up in the streets of Hotlanta or Compton...
Tom: Well, do you know what one of the first Ammendments is? ...It's because men and women who carry guns that you have freedom today.
Me: Yes, I get it. I understand that as a collective country, our military needs weapons. And I am fine with that... But that doesn't mean every citizen needs to carry a gun just for the heck of it.
Tom: But do you know who fought to make us a country today and why we aren't part of England?
Me: Yes. Homeowners. Regualar everyday men. ...Mavericks, if you will. But we are an established country today and don't all need to bear arms to protect ourselves. We have militray forces for that. Besides, we aren't living in the 18th century either. While I do understand the need to feel security and protected in todays world, I do think that technology has advanced in such ways that you can take other precautions. Like security systems... By a taser, even. At least if you get into a squirmish and pull out a taser, you--or someone else--isn't likely to die. I mean, we're talking fatalities...
Tom: Yeah, well... [I stopped listening here]
Me: And you're grandfather. And a preacher. Aren't you suppose to set an example? Aren't we suppose to strive to follow in Jesus's footsteps?! And Jesus never carried a gun... Granted, they didn't have guns in his day, but still. Jesus didn't carry any kind of weapon. And he had alot of haters. Alot more than you have, I am sure. Lots of people wanted the worst for him. But he knew that he had God on his side and he trusted that God's plan was right... Shouldn't we exhibited that same kind of faith?!
Tom: Ummm.... Mmmm... Well, you just started a conversation that would last more that 5 minutes.
[His phone conveniently dies here]

So there you have it: My first BFF question session with Tom Harrison. And don't think it was just a big argument, cause it really wasn't. It was just a calm conversation or questions and rebuttals...

And of course, I will be sure to keep you all updated on future BFF discussions. Cause we are for real about our BFF status. He even signs his emails as "BFF Dad"--no joke...

So until next time...

Just To Gloat

...I can now play the intro to Billy Joel's "Piano Man" on my harmonica. And it might just be one of my life's greatest achievements thus far!

Places to Go:

So I came across this today on a friend's Facebook status regarding their recent/upcoming travels. And I decided to rip it off because I, too, need to visit all these places. And until I get my map of Europe--which I am picking up today--mounted on cork-board and marked with push-pins, I am going to post this so I will at least remember these places.

Prague
Vienna
Barcelona
Seville
Berlin--check
Budapest
Lyon
Brussels
Amsterdam
Valencia
Dublin
Florence--going to live there for a month!
Venice
Rome
Porto
Lisbon
Madrid
Marrakech

(Of course these are not all the places I want to visit by any means, but they do make for a good start!)

My Big (Harmonica) Debut

1) My hair is a hot mess, I know. Long story short, I let it dry on its own after getting out of the shower.

2) I am in Sara's room. (It was the best room (with shelving-and-chair setup) that I could find for my awesome video shoot.) So know I am not sleeping in the unmade bed with Dolphin sheets. ...I only sleep in an unmade bed.

3) Yes, I have been practicing, and yes, I can play the song even better and faster now. So don't judge me on my beginner's skills shown in the video! As a matter of fact, just don't judge me!

4) ...You know you're jealous.


So without further ado... Enjoy! Haha.




So until I order my new Harmonica for Dummies book off Amazon--which I am being totally serious about--that is all you get to see. But trust me, I'll keep practicing my one song wonder until then!

Oh When The Saints!

I just want to take a quick moment to brag about the fact that I can now play Oh When the Saints Go Marchin' In on my brand new Hohner harmonica. Oh, I've got it down pat, alright. (And by down pat, I mean somewhat, remotely similar if-you-listen-just-right to the actual melody of the real song...)

So look out Faith Doster! Cause tonight, you're getting a Skype call of nothing but pure, melodic, When the Saints Go Marchin' In goodness!

Why I Love Ian

At this very moment, he is explaining to me what a "boob" is. He keeps simply explaining that a "boob" is a breast. This whole conversation was brought on when I asked if the bras in the laundry belonged to his mother or sister. (Trust me, I am a completely terrible judge of which clothes belong to who in this household.) So he proceeded to inform me that they were definitely his mothers because Rahel doesn't have breasts yet. Didn't I know that?! And he must have then assumed that I, being so clueless about the bras, also needed to be taught the definition of a "boob". ...Just hearing him talking in his 6-year-old-European-English accent about "boobs" cracks me up.


Every kid in the house loves to read. On any given afternoon or morning, you kind find at least two of them with nose buried in a book. The latest craze of books around the house is Daffy Duck cartoons. All three of them love the books. Ian especially... So many times when we are riding to school, Ian passes the time with Daffy. Those are always good drives because he and Sara are actually quiet--AKA, not fighting. Even better (in that calm silence), are the mornings when Ian has picked up a particularly funny volume of Daffy Duck, and thus while reading along, laughs out loud. In the backseat to no one in particular, he will retell Daffy's latest escapade, and the whole time, he won't be able to stop laughing. It is the cutest thing...


Ian is definitely the "clown" in the family. He is silly. He cracks himself up. And he loves it. He is also the one who can crack me up on the toughest of days with just his innocent dinner-time "one-liners". I swear, there is never a dull moment with that kid! And I love him for it.

If Richard Gere Can Do It...

So today, we had a sick kid at the house. When Ian woke up this morning, he was running a fever. So instead of going to school, he got to stay home with me.

Piece of cake, right? I mean... Just monitor his fever, let him get some sleep, make him some tea and soup, and so on... Well, I thought so until I had a conversation with Esther.

Just so you know, Esther is a doctor. So she always knows how to handle any illness that comes along. And before she left to go to the hospital this morning, she gave me a briefing.

...Long story short, the conversation was peppered with words such as "rectal", "suppository", and "anis".... Ummm, yeah, about that... I was silently freaking out to say that least.

Luckily, though, Ian's fever didn't start rising til after dinner, and by that time, Ian and I both agreed to wait for Esther to administer the medicine. So I did not have to put on the latex gloves, grab the baby oil, and.... Ugh! I don't even want to think about it!!

However, I did get to "witness" how it was done. ...And that was awkward enough.

So here is hoping Ian feels better tomorrow. Not only for his sake, but also for my sake... Cause I'm not sure I can do it...

One Woman Show

Good news!

My next post might just be a video of me playing a harmonica to the tune of Judy Garland's greatest hits while wearing a patriotic T-shirt and Elton John socks...

(Hang with me...)

And that will be possible because of the package I received in the mail today!! Some of my loyal blog readers--AKA, my sister and cousin--sent me a box of sheer awesomeness...

Included was:
A harmonica, because I (for real) really want to learn to play the harmonica and accordion. So one down, and one to go...
Elton John socks... Cause I loooove Elton and he rocks my socks off!
An extremely patriotic Star Spangled Banner T-shirt that my niece Maddie brought me back from her Washington, D.C. trip. (And you best know I have been wearing all day!)
Judy Garland's Greatest Hits--because Sarah loves Judy.
The book entitled "When Catherine the Great and I Were Eight!"--no doubt just because of the simple fact it mentions my name.
Oh, and did I mention a Flip Video Camera?!

Woo hoo! I am set! Not to mention there were other small and equally awesome--except the Ipod case from the Dollar Tree that doesn't fit any iPod I own or ever have owned--gifts as well.

...And just think, it is not even Martin Luther King Christmas* yet!
*MLK Christmas is a Faith Doster reference essentially meaning the exchanging of gifts two months after Christmas because you can't afford to during the actual holiday season.

My Goals for the Next Few Months

1) Norway
2) Pay off college loans
3) Italian Photography School (for Summer '10)
4) Legit new Digital camera with Manual Settings (for my Italian Into to Photojournalism class)
5) MacBook Pro


...With all the money I'll save on bar tabs thanks to my new-found notion to sober up, I think it just might be doable!! (Well, all but number 5 for sure!)

What To Do? What To Do?

So... The family and I have recently realized that with all of the kids' summer activities--camps, visits to grandparents, etc.--and both Esther and Stefan's vacation schedules, I am going to have a whole 6 weeks off work this summer. Flippin' Sweet! In talking more about it tonight, Esther suggested the idea of possibly studying abroad. (When she was younger, she took a 6-week course in France and learned French.) And I really liked the idea...

So I've been Google-ing some of the possibilities and this is what I have come up so far...

Should I study French in France? Maybe Paris, or the South coast?
Should I take cooking classes in France?
Or maybe learn more about wine?
Or should I spend that time in Italy?
...Maybe taking a photography class?
There offer Italian cooking and wine courses, too...
Or should I dust off my old Spanish skills from Marcia Darnell and head to Spain?
After all, if I study in Spain, there is a course that combines learning to scuba dive with Spanish.
Or maybe I should do some volunteer work somewhere?
Or....

What, oh what, should I do this summer?!
(I am so ecstatic to have such a "predicament"!)

If you have any ideas, suggestions, or dreams of your own that I could borrow for a summer, please let me know! I am so open-minded at this point, and I can't wait to figure something out!

Every Woman Should...

So in my funk of this weekend, I've been unable to coax out the blogger inside me. I've been a downer to say the least. So instead of a real post, here is instead a word from Maya Angelou.

Every Woman Should...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
a youth she’s content to leave behind….

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age….

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who lets her cry…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
a feeling of control over her destiny.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to fall in love without losing herself.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that her childhood may not have been perfect…but its over…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t take it personally…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…
or a charming inn in the woods…
when her soul needs soothing…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…

"Modern Spiritual"

Okay, so I came across this today somehow, and I think it is the funniest thing ever...

...Almost as funny as VT.*
*Don't worry if you don't get it. The person it is meant for will understand.

Heartbreak Warfare

I'm not ready to move on yet...

So I think I will just sit here and listen to John Mayer's Battle Studies. ...Because he and I are on the same page.

Hello Darlin'

So I've decided that my (love) life at this point is pretty much the makings of a classic Conway Twitty song. ...And I say that after have YouTubed his songs all day. (No joke...)

So, because this song reminds me of good times with [you] and thus cracks me up--and makes me smile--, I shall post it for all of you readers.

I'd Love To Lay You Down
Performed by Conway Twitty

There's alot of ways of sayin'
What I wanna say to you
There's songs and poems and promises
And dreams that might come true

But I won't talk of starry skies
Or moonlight on the ground
I'll come right out and tell you
I'd just love to lay you down

Lay you down and softly whisper
Pretty love words in your ear
Lay you down and tell you all the things
A woman loves to hear
I'll let you now how much it means
Just havin' you around
Oh darlin', how I'd love to lay you down

There's so many ways your sweet love's
Made this house into a home
You've got a way of doing
Little things that turn me on

Like standin' in the kitchen
In your faded cotton gown
With your hair all up in curlers
I still love to lay you down

Lay you down and softly whisper
Pretty love words in your ear
Lay you down and tell you all the things
A woman loves to hear
I'll let you know how much it means
Just havin' you around
Oh darlin', how I'd love to lay you down

When a whole lot of Decembers
Are showin' in your face
Your auburn hair has faded
And silver takes its place

You'll be just as lovely
And I'll still be around
And if I can't I know that
I'd still love to lay you down

Lay you down and softly whisper
Pretty love words in your ear
Lay you down and tell you all the things
A woman loves to hear
I'll let you know how much it means
Just havin' you around
Oh darlin', how I'd love to lay you down


Oh, Conway, I love you!

...And I (still) love [you], too.

A Little Louis Armstrong For Ya

The past 5 nights, I feel asleep to the sight of the snowy Swiss Alps outside my window...

The past 4 mornings, the first sight I saw was the sunlight gleaming over those same snowy peaks...

...And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

(AKA, God is good.)

Au Pairing Means...

...having to leave the bathroom door unlocked when taking a shower because at least 2 (out of 3) kids will conveniently have to use the restroom at that exact time.

And you can be almost certain that 1 of those 2 children will leave behind the loveliest of aromas for you to take in the remainder of your shower...

Becoming an Accomplished Ski-er

Remember how in my previous post, I said that the next time I went skiing, I was going to try a slope other than the bunny slope...

What was I thinking?!

Today was our last full day here, and that meant the last oppurtunity to ski. So while everyone else in the family was excited about the day ahead, I (woke up on the wrong side of the bed and) was not quite as thrilled, to say the least.

So after a morning of--oh, how do I describe this??--immature-Catherine-who-refuses-to-talk-and-only-gives-yes-and-no-answers-by-shaking-her-head-cause-quite-frankly-you-are-bugging-the-hell-out-of-her-just-by-existing, I think everyone got the point, and I was left on my own for the first fews hours on the slope.

So I proceeded to ride the cable car to the very top slope and enjoy the views from the 360-degree-view skybar. That coffee with Cognac was just what I needed...

And after taking that in for a good half hour, I rode the cable car back down to the next slope. And there, I yet again sought out the closest bar. This one was much more my style, though... less sophisticated, outside, and with music blaring. So I plopped down on a snowy barstool and this time opted for a stronger dosage of medicine: whiskey and coke. Oh, how wonderful it was to just sit outside in the falling snow and ease up a bit.

And thank goodness I did ''ease up''. Because another half an hour later, I was spotted by the family. AKA, I could not avoid skiing any longer. Stefan called me out immediately and led me to the nearest (and ''easiest'') slope. I took one look down and freaked out. And no, it didn't help that at the very moment we were approaching the initial drop of the slope, a helicopter was flying in to our right to haul off some poor injured soul... In my mind, this was a foreshadowing of my fate to come. So as I started to panic, Stefan promptly said, ''Oh, this is just the steepest past of the whole slope''.

...Steepest part of the whole slope, my great aunt Fanny!!

Getting down the first 100 yards I did on my own! The majority of the rest of the slope I was not so independent... Basically, if I hadn't had Stefan there to hold out his ski sticks for me to hold most the way down, I would have died a cold, snowy death. If he hadn't been in control of stopping me, I would have started going downhill and never have been able to stop again...

And even with all his help, I still managed to fall multiple times and slide only inches away from the drop off. ...Not my most fearless moment in life, to say the least.

But approximately and hour later after stop-and-go skiing down one blue* slope, I was back at the bunny slopes and--more importantly--still alive!
*Blue slopes are the easiest level of slopes.

So like I said, suck on that Swiss Alps! Better luck next time... if I can ever muster up the courage for a next time.

Bring On The New Year

So did anyone else usher in the New Year sporting a stank-nasty ponytail, UCHS T-shirt, and a fake mustache*, or was it just me??
* Oh, how I miss DTC.

Needless to say, my Paris-for-New-Years plans fell though. Basically, I got lazy, cheap, and extremely sore from skiing. So instead of even catching an hour and a half long train to Zurich, I slummed it up here in the Hasliberg holiday house.

Don't get me wrong, we had some fun times here. Nothing says ''2009 Grand Finale'' like the traditional Swiss games of ''flour eating'', ''cotton-ball soccer'', and another one that I never quite learned the name of, but (it) involved a newspaper-wrapped chocolate bar that you had to open with a knife and fork while wearing snow gloves, a scarf, and a tobagen. ...Pretty much, I was just in a funk all day, and never quite managed to recover. And especially by the time Swiss-German Pictionary got underway, I was just not a team sport. (Nothing pisses me off more than yelling the correct answer out in English only to be trumped by someone who yells out the exact same thing in Swiss German two seconds later and wins... Uh huh. I wasn't having any part of it.)

So less than an hour before midnight fell, I was completely homesick. I don't know of it was my lack of productivity the whole day that brought it on or just the closing of the holiday season and beginning of a New Year in general... But either way, things were just ''off'''.

All in all, New Years wasn't quite how I had envisoned it to be...
I didn't look sexy...
I didn't party it up...
I didn't kiss anyone at midnight...
And because I forgot my Schick in the Netherlands, I had the legs of a grizzly bear.
(That last part was TMI*, I know, but I just had to get my point across.)
*Too much info.

However, not all was lost when the church bells on the radio* chimed 12. Because after the champagne toast with a family that wasn't mine and all the cheers and toasts in a language I didn't speak, I stepped outside for a breather... (Notice, the choice of wordage, breather.) And with every intention to just get away from it all and get my bearings, I looked out across the field, and mesmerized. The view I saw was breathtaking. There, standing in front of me, were the snowy Swiss Alps gleaming under a full moon. And when I looked up, there were stars. It was the only night here that the clouds weren't hiding them...
*Church bells are how they ''count down'' to midnight here.

So standing outside, my glass of champagne still in my hand, I took it all in. I stood out there forever and had my moment of solitude. Although I wasn't starting off the new year with some of the people I hold dearest my heart, I couldn't deny the fact that I was starting off the year truely blessed. How many other people in the world have half the oppurtunites that I do this next year?!

So while things can get tough and hard to process being away from home, my simplest goal for 2010 is just to appreciate the oppurtunities I have. And to take all the gifts God has given me less for granted.

There are many more ''resolutions'' on the list--if you will-- for the next year, but I think the one mentioned above is a good place to start.

=)