What's In The Bag

Did you ever have to really think about who you are?  Really looking inward and saying something more than my favorite color is blue. Are you what you do? or are you defined by life experiences?  Are we the sum of our thoughts and actions?  How do you properly define yourself in 2-5 minutes to a room full of people that don't know you?  This is the task that I have been given.  A 2-5 minute speech introducing myself using 5 objects that best describe me.

Hi, my name is Kaloni Rose.  Kaloni is Hawaiian for "something of heavenly beauty" or "beautiful".  So essentially I am a "heavenly rose"!  Before you ask, you should know that I am not Hawaiian.  My heritage actually traces back to Denmark.  I actually got my name from Gilligan's Island.  There was a girl that rode in on a log to the island and her name was Kalani.  My mom liked it, looked up what it meant, liked it even more and that became my name.

The first thing that I would use to describe myself would be a butterfly.  Butterflies symbolize change to me.  They change from ugly and crawling to beautiful, colorful, and flying.  Butterflies are a hope and a reminder to me that all things are made beautiful in their own time and that life is a process.  We are continually changing and evolving in the way we think and act based on our beliefs and experiences.  I feel like as long as I continue to be teachable by choosing to learn from both the good and bad experiences in life that I will continue to become a better person.

 Next up is running shoes.  I love to run.  I have been running since I was a kid.  I have always been active (except for those few years after my last baby).  Running is more than exercise for me, it is therapeutic.  Running clears my head of all the thoughts that seem to get stuck there.  Running helps me to relax with the added benefit of keeping me healthy and fit.

Third item out of the bag is a picture of my family.  I am a mom and a wife.  I take my job seriously and try my best to take care of my family.  I try to teach my kids how to be capable adults one day, I try to balance giving them freedom to make their own decisions with keeping them safe from stupidness.  I try to show them that it is possible to have fun and be responsible at the same time.  I am not Susie Home-maker (just ask my husband), but my home is a home. A place to be comfortable and accepted, a place for love and family.

Number four is a tattoo.  I have 10 of them so far.  Though I don't really think that they really define me as a person.  I like them and I like to use them to tell my story (when I have the money).  I have several butterflies.  The word grace and the symbol for 'everlasting love and friendship' is on my wrist.  There is a mostly black heart on my other wrist that is a Song of Solomon 1:5 reference.  I also have roses, a stargazer lily, ants, a wedding ring, a sparrow and a t-rex.

Last but certainly not least is a unicorn.  Steve started calling me a unicorn while we were dating.  I am like the unicorn being the rare and mysterious creature that it is.  I do not act or react the (stereotypical) way he expects me to. I am unique and awesome. A few examples: I like looking good, but I don't stress about it; I know that I am beautiful (inside and out).  I am real all the time (even if that's weird); I don't pretend to be something that I am not to gain approval.  I figure it's better you love me or hate me for the real me.  I didn't want a wedding ceremony and I didn't care about a ring.  Now he likes to say that even though I am a unicorn, I am still a female unicorn, because every now and then I fit into a female stereotype.  Like, I ask him how I look in an outfit (he says I look great like always) then I change anyway.

Over the years, I have become a confident person.  I know my strengths and my weaknesses.  I try to live my life out of a place of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Some days I succeed and some days I fail, but everyday is part of the journey and I try to remember to enjoy it.

You are you and that is true, there's no one in the world who's you-er than you

-Dr. Seuss-

Chili and Communication

Tonight we went to a chili dinner as part of Steve's "retail" campaign.  Don't ask me what retail campaigning is because I don't know (this is just what I heard him call it).  The gymnasium of the school the rally was held at was packed with people.  It seemed everyone was having a good time eating and socializing.  They had chili dinner for everyone and a gospel band singing.  The main candidate gave his speech and then let any other candidates who were running for office announce themselves.  Steve got up and spoke a little bit then started introducing himself around the room.

I am not comfortable doing this.  What do I do with myself?  I can't inject myself into any conversation because I have no idea what they are talking about.  Talking about the weather doesn't feel appropriate, besides I really hate small talk.  I can't just hang on his arm and smile, I am more than arm-candy (Ha!).  I've really got to work on my communication skills.  I'm jealous of my husband.  He can walk in to a room and talk to anyone about anything. He is genuinely interested in what people think and what they have to say.


Steve appreciates me coming to events with him and he is proud to be seen with me.  He likes that I am next to him when we meet people. For myself, I'd like to be able to go to these meetings and have fun meeting people because that is what it is all about right?  I love standing next to the love of my life and watching him do what he is best at (talking lol), but I also want to feel like I am an equal part of him and contributing in some way.  I think that I will be making a concentrated effort to just talk to people.  Maybe I will start at work with the patients that come to the pharmacy and practice small talk even though I really really really hate small talk.  And if that fails, maybe I will just start taking selfies with politicians unknowingly photobombing in the background.. it would make for some interesting posts anyway.

Overall I had a decent time tonight.  Steve is working so hard, I am so proud of him.  Every day that goes by, I just see more and more potential and momentum building for the campaign.  I really think he has a shot at winning and I'm not saying that just because I love him.

The Trees Inside City Hall

My daughter's art was entered into a competition that the city held for the local schools.  Rachel's art was selected to hang in Murfreesboro City Hall!!!   I received an email that her art was going to be displayed there and the information that I needed to attend a reception and the announcement of the winners for each category.  Unfortunately, because I was not able to get home in time, we missed the announcements but we were still able to walk around and see all of the art that had been submitted to the competition.

We found Rachel's masterpiece and took pictures, spoke with her teacher and took more pictures.  The kids wanted to stay for a while and wonder around looking at all of the art.  Watching them made me so happy, it was also pretty funny to see them acting so big.  They were drinking lemonade and eating cookies while looking very intensely at the pictures like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I am so proud of Rachel.  She felt so honored and mentioned several times how awesome it was that her art was in City Hall and would be there for

almost a month.  She was so excited to know that the people who work there would be walking by and seeing what she had created every day.  When we finally went back to the car to leave, she asked, "What do they do at City Hall anyway?"  I told her government stuff and she was like oh cool.

A week later, to Rachel's surprise, we had arranged for her to see what happens at City Hall.  We were privileged to get a tour of the council chamber and how the cameras work in the control room and the kids were able to sit in the mayor's seat and bang the gavel.  They acted bored but I could tell that they were having fun.  We stayed for the meeting and Rachel was introduced and congratulated for having her art chosen to be displayed.  She felt so special.  She kept saying, "Mommy, I am getting all this special treatment".

It meant so much to me to see her honored like that.  She is such an amazing girl and (like most girls her age) she struggles with confidence and is still looking for the place she fits into.  I am so thankful for Eddie Smotherman for making my daughter feel as special as she is.

It doesn't matter what it is.What matters is what it will become.

-Dr. Seuss-

Did I hear that right!?

I have to take some social/ behavioral science classes to get my degree so I decided to make the best of it and take something that might help me in my personal life and it couldn't be helped this semester (it was the only thing that fit into my schedule since the calculus class that I wanted to take is full).

Politics holds no interest for me.  Not only do I not understand it, but it seems that behind every "good deed" is a scandal: Someone lied, misuse of money, selfishness, and greed.  What was once meant to help maintain people's freedom, has more often than not taken freedom away.  Good intentions lead to empty promises and then to blatant lies.  Mostly, I don't really have time to keep up with it.  I have work and school and kids and all that entails. Yet, liberty can not be preserved without general knowledge among the people (John Adams). That quote pretty much says it for me, I am responsible for my own freedom.  Right now, I don't know enough to know that something is going to be taken away until it is already gone.  I was looking for a specific quote (that I still haven't found) but I found a few that I really like, and Steve says that I am starting to sound like a libertarian.  LOL

All of that being said; I am actually looking forward to my spring semester.  I will be taking my first American politics class.  That's right, I'm actually pretty excited about it.  Steve shared this clip from the show Newsroom once a few months ago and I have to say.. it really touched me.

"This is America.  Why are we settling? We can do better." 

-My Husband-

I'm excited because I hope that I will learn about some of the things that Steve talks about or at least know where he is coming from.  Hopefully, I will learn things that will strengthen what I already believe and be able to form (even more) opinions of my own, and what it is that Steve will be doing when he wins.  At the very least, it will make for some interesting conversation at home!

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.

-Dr. Seuss