Mama, Do You Love Me?

Last week in a training I was given the task of identifying one person who had been a consistent and loving support for me throughout my entire life. I was overwhelmed and humbled by the fact that I could make quite a long list of family and friends who would fit that role. My immediate reaction though was to think of my amazing mom. 

There are so many great things I could say about her but it would make me cry if I tried to type them all. And since my super awesome mom and dad gifted me a new computer recently it would be unfortunate to have it get messed up by crying puddles over the keyboard.

So instead I'll share a memory that I shared in the training.  We were asked to give an example of when that person showed us unconditional love and support. A flood of moments ran through my mind: every soccer game, every basketball game, every cross country meet, student council elections, learning to drive (and almost killing her in the process), coming home to tell her I aced a test, coming home to tell her I failed a test, and on and on. No matter if it was good news or bad news my mom embodied Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep" and supported me through it all.

However, an extremely random yet vivid memory came to mind. Growing up I had an affinity for Native American culture. There was a good chunk of my childhood where I was convinced I was Pocahontas. I played in the woods and look for waterfalls to practice my diving but stayed away from raccoons. I'm not sure which grade I was in but somewhere around 2nd or 3rd grade I picked up "Mama, Do you Love Me?" at the school book fair. The cover depicted what young Molly assumed was a Native American or Eskimo family and she couldn't resist.  Here's the cover and text of the book:

Mama, do you love me?

Yes I do, Dear One.

How much?

I love you more than the raven loves his treasure, more than the dog loves his tail, more than the whale loves his spout.

How long?

I'll love you until the umiak flies into the darkness, till the stars turn to fish in the sky, and the puffin howls at the moon. 

Mama,what if I carried our eggs - our ptarmigan eggs! - and tried to be careful, and I tried to walk slowly, but I fell and the eggs broke?

Then I would be sorry. But still, I would love you. 

What if I put salmon in your parka, ermine in your mittens, and lemmings in your mukluks?

Then I would be angry. 

What if I threw water at our lamp?

Then, Dear One, I would be very angry. But still, I would love you. 

What if I ran away?

Then I would be worried. 

What if I stayed away and sang with the wolves and slept in a cave?

Then, Dear One, I would be very sad.

But still, I would love you. 

What if I turned into a musk-ox?

Then I would be surprised. 

What if I turned into a walrus?

Then I would be surprised and a little scared. 

What if I turned into a polar bear, and I was the meanest bear you ever saw and I had sharp, shiny teeth, and I chased you into your tent and you cried?

Then I would be very surprised and very scared. But still, inside the bear, you would be you, and I would love you. 

I will love you, forever and for always, because you are my Dear One.

 So back to my vivid memory.  I'm reading this book in our family dining room and I'm amazed. This mom says she's going to love her daughter no matter what.  Even if she turned into the meanest polar bear she'd ever seen. I called out to my mom, "MOM!" *This was obviously before I got into the habit of calling her MK* I started asking her the same questions. What if I broke something? What if I ran away? What if I turned into a polar bear?! I'm not sure what she was thinking when I asked her those things but it was probably something along the lines of "what did Molly break now? Wait, did she say polar bear?" But each time she said she'd still love me. And I knew that if she'd love me as a polar bear she'd love me no matter what I did for the rest of my life.  And that gave me peace of mind.

I had not thought of that book in close to 15-20 years but somehow it came back to me so clearly when the question was asked.  And even though I haven't turned into a polar bear you might say that moving to DC was the equivalent of the line "What if I stayed away and sang with the wolves and slept in a cave?". I've stayed away, sometimes I sing as I walk around capitol hill, which is crawling with wolves, and I even live in the basement of a house that we often refer to as my cave.  Yet through it all my mom has always been there and always loved me. 

So here's to my fantastic mom. I don't know what I would do without her. Love you, MK!

Also, if you have a daughter who likes to spend time in the woods and thinks she's Pocahontas, I highly recommend getting her "Mama, Do You Love Me?"

Foster Care Sucks: A Success Story.

About six months ago I had one of the most genuine moments with an adolescent client.  With angry tears in her eyes she looked at me and screamed “You don’t understand Miss Molly! You don’t know what it’s like. Foster Care sucks!” We were in my car as I shuttled her from one appointment or another and explained to her yet again that she wasn’t able to return home yet. This was oddly one of my favorite moments of my career.  Why you might ask? Because this child finally said what she was feeling and wanted me to know that her situation sucked and she had no control over it.  And guess what y’all, it’s true. Foster care sucks.

Children in care have no control over their lives. They are in foster care because their families were unable to take care of them. They have been removed from the only family they’ve ever known and thrown into the lives and homes of strangers. And not just one set of strangers.  Because being removed from your family is traumatizing and children typically don’t possess the emotional intelligence, coping skills, or vocabulary to tell you how they’re feeling and address it appropriately.  So that trauma rears its ugly head in the form of ugly behaviors and they move again. And again. And again.  Each new home is a new set of people, a new set of rules, possibly a new school, a new neighborhood and generally a new disappointment and ultimately a new rejection.

I’m painting a lovely picture, I know.  It sounds bleak and awful and why should anyone even try to help or foster if it’s never going to get better?

Six months ago this client was in danger of failing the 7^th grade.  She was regularly getting in fights, bullying other students, being bullied by other students, and having suicidal ideations.  A situation in her foster home required that I move her in the middle of the night to yet another home.  She told me that everyone treated her like a “foster kid” and no one treated her like a “normal kid.”  She yelled at me. She cried. She almost gave up.  

Then something happened.  She was placed in the right home. She was matched with a foster parent who could meet her where she was at and accept her for who she was.  She met a foster parent who understood that this bright, engaging, loving child had infinite potential waiting to be unlocked if someone was patient enough to find the right combination. She met a parent who treated her like her own child.

Six months later and this client has not gotten into a single fight at school the entire quarter.  Instead of getting calls and emails threatening suspension I began getting emails from her teacher telling me how great she was doing.  She got the “Most Improved GPA” award at the end of the year. She tells me how much she likes her friends and boyfriend at school.  She is happy in her home and says she’s treated like a “regular kid” for the first time in two years.

Her situation is not perfect.  She is not able to return to her parents yet.  She still has bad days. But when she has those bad days she has someone at home to help her through it. And more importantly she trusts that someone to be there for her.

Foster care sucks. But the children in foster care rock! 

A Big Thank You from a Small Smile

March is Social Work Appreciation Month. Not too many people know that. Not too many people really even know what social work is. But we know, and we appreciate all the appreciation.

If you asked 1,000 social workers why they chose their field I highly doubt a single one of them would say for the great pay and abundance of gratitude for doing a tough job. If in fact one did say that I am willing to bet they're stealing the good meds from a client.

Every social worker understands that they are in a rather thankless profession. Trust me, everyone tells you so from the get go. From your very first course in college the professors make it clear. "Welcome to Intro to Social Work. You're not going to make any money. No one is going to say thank you. Now open your books to page..."

So needless to say when the thank yous do come they stop us in our tracks. They choke us up. They recharge us enough to make it until the next one.

I've had a particularly rough few weeks at work. One of those "when it rains it pours" kind of months. Or more accurately for this winter "when it snows it blizzards". It seems that all of my clients made a pact to go into crisis at the same time. A judge yelled at me on my birthday. I've worked late more days than not. You know, just one of those months.

Today was shaping up to be another long day. I had a late family visit scheduled and had to drive the kids home afterwards.  The visit was for two of my sibling clients, sisters ages 5 and 1.

*This is where I acknowledge my utter amazement and awe for any parent who gets multiple children ready to go anywhere at the same time without losing one, slamming a finger in a door, or shouting anything stronger than fiddle faddle*

We finally finished the visit and it was time to pack up. I had a 5 year old, a 1 year old, car seats for both of them, diaper bag, my purse, backpack, and a 20 oz diet coke to keep me sane.  Just as I had the whole lot of it balanced and headed to the car I realized the 1 year old needed to be changed. I won't lie, I hesitated. I considered just how awful it would be to wait. But then I sighed, put everything down, changed the baby and packed it up again.  Once we finally got ourselves and everything in the car I pulled into DC rush hour traffic and the 5 year old started asking me a million questions while the 1 year old repeatedly kicked the back of my seat. The following conversation took place:

5 year old: Miss Molly can I eat my cookie?
Me: Sure sweetie, but don't give any to your sister right now. She has a bad cough and I don't want her to choke while I'm driving.
Her: Okay
2 minutes pass
Her: I'm sorry Miss Molly
Me: Sorry for what sweetie?
Her: I'm sorry for feeding sister some cookie
Me: *sigh*

Continue with the rush hour honking, never ending questions and continuous seat kicking. It started getting to me. I was pretty peeved. It's Friday. I just want to be home. Why do I do this again? And then from the back seat:

Her: Thank you Miss Molly
Me: Thank you for what sweetie?
Her: Thank you for seeing my daddy. My daddy smiled at me today. Can I see my daddy again soon?

Oh yeah. That's why. I looked in the back seat to respond and she was just sitting there with a cookie crumb covered smile. Happy as a lark to be in rush hour traffic with a frustrated social worker who had answered her last 15 questions with "I don't know".

So yes, the thank yous are few and far between. But when they come they stop us in our tracks. They choke us up. They recharge us enough to make it until the next one.

Happy March to all of my fellow social workers. And thank you for all you do!

Because We All Need Parents

Today I had the privilege to attend a conference about achieving permanency for older youth in care.  For my non-social worker friends that basically means finding parents or forever families for older youth in the foster care system before (or even after) they age out of the system at 18 or 21 (depending on where you live).  As a professional there were a lot of great takeaways on how to be more creative in this area of my job. But just as a fellow human being my biggest takeaway was that we all need parents. No matter how old we are. 

I'm 25 years old and I call my mom almost every morning. Sure I could say that I do this for her benefit. Citing that my siblings and I have all left home and my dad travels so I should check in on her.  I could say that it's my duty as her child to call and let her know I'm doing well and being a productive member of society (most days). In reality though, that phone call is for me.  That phone call is about me knowing that someone is there to answer it.  Someone wants to know how I'm doing.  Someone cares if I had a great day. Someone cares if my car got towed.  Someone cares if I I have a funny story to share. Someone cares if I slipped on my stairs in my night gown and flashed parking enforcement as I tried to beat them to my car on a rainy day. Someone Cares. And we all need to know that someone loves us and cares for us unconditionally. That doesn't stop with age.  There's no magic age we reach when we no longer need the love of another person.  There's no magic age when family and lifelong connections become unimportant.  So whether we're 5, 12, 18, 21 or 55 we all need someone to pick up that phone when we call.   

You can be that phone call.  The idea of fostering or adopting a teen seems daunting.  Teens and young adults, especially those in foster care, come with a lot of what we like to call "baggage".  But they also come with so much to give and share. So much that they're bursting at the seams to share it if anyone would ask for it.  Have you ever wanted to make a difference in someone's life? What about making a difference in one person's life that translates into changing multiple lives? Because if you change the life of a child you change the lives of their children and their grandchildren.  You can change the course of history for a family for generations to come by investing your time and love into one individual.  What a powerful way to impact the world.

A presenter at today's conference shared this well known quote:  

One hundred years from now,
It won't matter what car I drove,
What kind of house I lived in,
How much I had in my bank account,
Nor what my clothes looked like,
But, the world may be a little better
Because I was important in the life of a child.

In times of joy or crisis, who is the first person you call? Who is the second?  What if you kept calling but no one answered? What if there was no one to call? Consider being the person who cares. Consider being a permanent family member for a teen or older youth. Consider changing their world. Consider changing yours. 

  

Teaching Bible Class with Gymnastics

On Wednesday nights I help teach the 4 and 5 year olds in bible class at my church. My friend Emily does most of the teaching this quarter and I've been assisting her. Last Wednesday night she was teaching the story of Doubting Thomas. While these kids are exceptionally bright it is not easy to convey the meaning of the word doubt to 4 and 5 year olds.

To illustrate Thomas' doubt, Emily asked the class "If Miss Molly told you she could fly, would you believe her?" She quickly realized this wasn't the best example and then asked me, "Miss Molly, what's something you can do that we wouldn't believe?" I took a quick mental catalog of my innumerable hidden talents and for some reason "a headstand" is what came out of my mouth. Emily asked the class if they thought I could do a headstand and much to my dismay they answered with a resounding "No". What? Don't these kids know I took all of 3 months worth of gymnastics classes when I was 6? Don't they know I was Daddy's little gymnast? So that hurt my pride a little, but I was happy to see that they were starting to grasp the definition of doubt.

As fate would have it I was in a dress that night and not able to demonstrate my abilities. I promised to wear pants on the following Wednesday so as to dazzle them with my skills. Which works out perfectly because Thomas had to wait a week to see Jesus after the disciples told him of his resurrection. The only potential flaw in this plan comes if I am unable to actually do a headstand this Wednesday. It's been a while since I've tried. I guess I better start practicing. It wouldn't do to lie to the children. Why couldn't I have said something like "eat an entire box of girl scout cookies in one sitting"? That would have been much more fun to prove.

The Cadbury Bunny Sits on a Throne of Lies

A random blog post about Easter and turning 25. 

First, Easter is evil. 

It is a conspiracy between the fashion world and candy makers. Here are the facts: From the beginning of March until Easter arrives, these two industries prey upon our weaknesses. These weaknesses being our desire for Spring after a long, cold winter and a love of Reese's Easter Eggs. While shoving delicious chocolate in our faces they convince us that we need a new outfit for Easter and other spring wardrobe items. We buy the delicious candy "for Easter" that seems to be in every aisle of the store. Then we have "just a few" until it's all gone. Purchase, eat, repeat for almost the entire month of March.

At the same time we're picking out our new Spring clothes and Easter dresses. Then, just as Easter rolls around all that candy comes back to haunt us and we no longer fit into our new Easter clothes. So we have to rush out and buy something else that doesn't hug our extra fluffy bunny tail quite so much. Which as we know makes us feel bad. And what do we do to feel better? Eat more Easter candy. Especially afterwards when it's on sale. This is the Easter conspiracy. Also known as my absence of self control. 

That concludes the conspiracy, ranty portion of this post. Now, on to the benefits of my latest birthday. 

Happy birthday to me! I turned 25 last week. Quarter of a century. It's kind of a big birthday that comes with a few perks. Here are the top 5 perks of turning 25.

1) I am no longer considered a "youth" by the Federal Government. Which means I no longer qualify for the programs that my clients participate in. A little separation and boundary enforcement is always good for the social work profession.

2) I can rent a car! If you're looking to plan a weekend get away, I'm your girl. My AAA discount and I would love to go exploring with you.

3) I have another year left on my parents' insurance. Maybe that means I'm not fully independent but I don't care. Thanks to federal law and my dad that's one less deduction from my little pay check. 

4) My frontal lobe is fully developed (supposedly). I'm actually still trying to figure out if this is a perk or not. I guess it will keep me from getting that tattoo I've been considering and I'll be happy about that when I'm half a century old. 

and 5) I got another year older! God has blessed me with 24 good years and I'm prayerful 25 will be just as wonderful. 

Happy almost Spring y'all! Enjoy some delicious Easter candy. In moderation of course. We can't let them win! 

But My Only Math Credit was in Word Problems

I am a person of varying interest. This makes it hard for me to find "my passion". I've been told that finding what I am most passionate about will lead me down the right career path. Sounds great! The problem is I'm a privileged, educated female in my mid-20's who has only been a social worker for about 6 months. In other words I haven't had time to become jaded yet, am still slightly idealistic, and become passionate about almost anything that interests me. My brother would also classify me as an bleeding heart liberal but he's wrong and that's a whole other discussion ;-)

My latest interest comes from a combination of watching the West Wing and a past crush on a former econ professor who got closer than anyone else in convincing me that numbers aren't hard or scary. 

*Side note: I'm a little more than 10 years late to the party but the West Wing is a phenomenal show. If you have Netflix I highly suggest watching the series. Granted I'm only halfway through the first season but I'm a full on senior staffers junkie. Also, the Christmas episode made me cry and I'm someone who only cries about once a year. So yeah*

Back to the story. On the West Wing Martin Sheen's character, President Bartlet, is a Nobel prize winner in economics. Aside from me simply loving his character, I find the economics dialogue fascinating. Yes, I fully understand that it's a television show and probably half of it is not factual. However, it made me think back to the only econ class I ever took in college. Economics and Society with Professor Allen Ryan. Economics and Society was econ for non business majors. Or econ for people majoring in social sciences who are scared of words like math and statistics. Anywho, I professor crushed hard on Mr. Ryan because he was smart, witty and made me like economics. 

All this to say it renewed my interest in econ and how it could be paired with social work to lead me further down this road of professional self discovery. So naturally I started googling (seriously spell check? That not a word yet? I'm even using Google Chrome to write this) everything about economics and social work and making grand plans to start taking online classes this summer. Then I remembered that not all economics courses are taught by Mr. Ryan and numbers are indeed hard and scary. There's also the fact that I can barely pronounce statistics correctly, let alone understand them. The only math credit I earned in undergrad was Finite Math. Basically I got a math credit in word problems. So here's a word problem to ponder:

Question:  If Molly has 2 degrees which she hasn't yet finished paying for and idiotically starts researching a third, what does Molly have? 

Answer:  Molly has a mental disorder that she should have been able to diagnose with her masters in social work. Furthermore, Molly should stop going off on crazy tangents and get some rest.

Finding your passion is tough kids. Paying for your passion is even tougher. I guess I can take comfort in the fact that I'm likely to have another late night revelation within a few months that will lead me to discover yet something else to be passionate about. Perhaps I should start watching Star Trek after West Wing and see what social ills I want to solve for deep space. 

What about you? Have any of you found your true passion professionally? Is it idealistic and naive to believe that I will someday? 

Rage Against the Shoe Store

I hate shopping for shoes. Yes, you heard me correctly. I am a woman and I hate shopping for shoes. Don’t get me wrong, I love shoes. I love buying new shoes. I love finding a pretty pair in the store that make your calves look killer and prancing around the store in happiness. But I hate shopping for shoes because I have big feet. The shoe world is not kind to women with big feet.

Many shoe stores don’t carry big sizes at all. Department stores are the worst.  I haven’t been able to buy shoes at a place like JC Penny, Macy’s or Belk since the 8^th grade.  While there are some stores who make an effort to carry a wider variety of sizes, pickings are slim for those of us in the 11-12 category.

One such store is the Payless in my neighborhood. They are at least kind enough to recognize that big feet need to be shod as well.  However, the store is separated by size and the 11-12 section is in the farthest, darkest, saddest corner in the entire place. I guess its best that they keep us away from the people with average size feet. No one wants to see the sadness that happens in that far back corner. We’ll get to that in a minute. First we must take the journey to that corner.

As you enter such stores you start out hopeful. Hey, look! There’s my size…way back there. You look at the shoes in the other size sections as you pass. You can’t help it. They’re so pretty. Electric blue pumps? Of course I need those! But then you start to notice something once you pass the 9s. The shoes are getting less and less cute as you go. Then you think of your past shoe shopping experiences and realize that you are once again on the trek to the back corner. Where ugly shoes go to die. Because if it isn’t bad enough that most people don’t even carry your size, now you realize that of the  pairs they have for you to choose from here only two are halfway presentable. No, I don’t want the granny orthos or the leopard print platforms with a purple heel. 

So you find yourself sad and forlorn as you face your options. You even try to squeeze into a few 10s, knowing full well that it’ll never happen. You’re walking around in them actually saying to yourself “I could get away with these. Maybe hammer toe won’t be so bad after all…” (Side note, it will be awful. Take a look.) Once you’ve moved on past denial you become angry. You begin to curse all shoe stores and shoe makers in general. Then you realize that they don’t even make half sizes past a size 10 and you get even more enraged. Because we all know that once you get past a size 10 your feet only grow in whole sizes. After a quick tear or two you finally enter acceptance. You pick the least ugly pair of shoes you can find, call it day and go look at the purses. Purses fit everyone and they make us all feel better.

So in conclusion I would like to say something to the shoe stores:

Dear shoe stores,

Why do you continue to hate on ladies with big feet? We still need to buy shoes. Our money is still green. And here’s the kicker, we like to shop for shoes just as much as any other girl.  So why then do you continue to not carry our sizes? If one of you would catch on we would flock to you in droves. We would march to your store in our tattered black flats that we’re still wearing because we can’t find replacements.  Then, once we arrived to purchase our new black flats we would become giddy with excitement and buy lots of other shoes that we don’t need or have the money for.  We would buy the electric blue pumps and the red sling backs. We would love you and spread the word of your greatness and never leave you. If you build it, we will come.

Sincerely,

Molly, size 11.5 

P.S. pay attention to us because it hurts worse when we kick you. 

My Continued Exposure to the Force

Yep, I'm hooked on the Star Wars. I just had to know what happened in the next movie. Sure enough the Empire struck back and I completely loved it. As I mentioned in the previous post I stumbled upon the DVD's while looking through my roommate's movie collection.  She was home with me when I watched the second movie and as a seasoned Star Wars fan found my commentary pretty entertaining.  Unbeknownst to me she decided to live tweet everything I said during the movie.  She then showed me the full twitter feed later.  I must admit, I'm a little ridiculous and talk way too much during movies. However, she made my decision to blog my observations much easier. So below are all the things she secretly tweeted while we watched with my added observations in bold. 

*Disclaimer: I do in fact realize that I need to quit using the word totes. I work with adolescents. Judge me.*

• Gonna watch my housemate watch Star Wars II for the first time. To live tweet due to, "Aren't Luke and Layla cousins and kiss or something?" This is apparently what made her decide to start tweeting
• "No more of that Death Sphere! They blew that up!"
• "I would totes not be down to live on an ice planet. I'd like the desert 'cause that's where Obi was. And me and Obi are besties." Truth. I heart Obi.
• "I hope they fix Leia's eyeshadow. It was not looking good in the first one."
• "Sexy tan on Harrison Ford? Thank you. I think their budget increased a little bit."
• Han: "I'll see you in hell!" M: "THAT'S where that came from. Han, you trend-setter, you!" I'm understanding so much more about this world that I live in now that I've seen these movies.
• "Is THIS where we meet Yoda? Oh, Luke is looking all KINDS of purple. Is He about to put him INSIDE this animal? Bear Grylls did that."
• "Ha! I'm riding 'Solo!' Hahaha!"
• At Luke and Leia's interactions: "Ha. That be yo cousin!"
• I'd like to interject with the fact that my roomie is a white girl from Alabama with a penchant for some #RollTide in her life.
• On Vader: "Basically the only requirement for this character was... Be tall. MUFASA!"
• "Chewie overreacts a LOT."
• On Leia: "She's a lot more active than like, Princess Peach. Who just sits in a castle waiting to be rescued." No one likes Peach. Especially when playing Mario Kart. She's a menace. 
• "Can you imagine what Luke could do in a plane with today's technology?"
• "What is this little... Control pad on Darth Vader's stomach?" Um, it appears like a vital piece of equipment. Why doesn't anyone punch some buttons when he's distracted.
• "If C-3PO doesn't wanna get left behind, he better learn to run faster!"
• "I wanna know what this belt thing is that Chewie's carrying 'cause I haven't seen him use it once. It's his murse."
• "Do you think that the people who watch this a lot can actually speak Chewie?"
• "Yoda lives... in a... swamp."
• "Uh-oh. Loch Ness is about to get R2 in the swamp. George Lucas wasn't very original. Loch Ness, yetis..."
• "Uhh, PS, there are no black people in outer space? This seems wrong. Yeah, maybe it's a movie from 1976."
• "Obi-wan Kenobi? That sounds like a good Japanese restaurant." 
• "She's ROCKING that Heidi braid."
• "*Gasp!* Scarlet totally calls Rhett a scoundrel too!" And the parallels continue
• On Darth: "He wouldn't be half as menacing without that cape. Just throwing that out there." I happen to agree.
• On the Emperor: "Now WHO is this wrinkly, hot mess?"
• "Question: how do all these planets have the right amount of gravity?" Right?!
• "Would you rather be taught by Yoda, or Mr. Miyagi?" Tough call. They're both adorable. 
• "Yoda is so cute. I wanna pet him. And tickle his ears."
• "Yoda and Luke are totally Harry and Dumbledore. 'Harry, you must control your emotions!'"
• On seeing Lando: "There IS a black person!"
• "Wait, what?! Of course the black person sold them out! They had to make the one black character a bad guy!" I was pretty upset about this.
• "OK, I know I said I didn't like C-3, but I'm kinda in pieces that he's in pieces."
• "Chewie's hair is kinda like a cross between a mullet and Texas hair. Woah! Chewie has Paula Deen hair!" 
• "Oh my goodness! My friend has a black cat named Lando! I wonder if this is why."
• "Yo, who's the guy with the blinky ears? Just runs around. He's like that kid on the train with the beats going who doesn't talk to anyone."
• "We're already to the fight scene? Talk about daddy issues."
• "Y'all, I am totes being Darth Vader for Halloween." But I'll probably only say Mufasa things. 
• Re: "I am your father." M: "Ohh SNAP. Well, now he looks constipated."
• "Well, the good thing is laser-severed appendages don't bleed."
• "I must say. I didn't anticipate liking it this much." So true! Han and Obi have a lot to do with that. Can't wait to watch Return of the Jedi! 

And now you're all thinking "I never want to watch a movie with Molly. That girl can't shut up!" 

Happy rest of the week everyone!

Hi, My Name is Molly and I am a Reluctant SciFi Lover

I had a million things I was supposed to accomplish today when I got home from work. I did none of them. First I fell asleep accidentally on purpose and then I decided to watch a movie. Oops. All the choices on Netflix were overwhelming so I decided to scan through my roommates' movies. One of the first ones I spotted was Star Wars. I had never seen Star Wars. Yes, I made it to the age of 24 1/2 without ever seeing Star Wars. So I decided that this was the time. It started off kind of slow and I almost turned it off. However, George Lucas must be as smart as everyone says he is because right about when I was grabbing the remote he pulled me in somehow. I get it now, the movie is quite awesome. Congrats Star Wars, you win. I'll now watch Episodes 5 and 6.

So here are the observations of someone watching it for the first time 35 years after the initial release:

• Luke Skywalker is kind of whiney. I hope his manliness develops over the next few movies. Right now he just reminds me of Justin Bieber. I bet Luke Skywalker is Canadian too.
• I don’t like James Earl Jones playing a bad guy.  When I hear him talk all I can think is “Mufasa would never do that!”  I also picture him in full African King regalia like in Coming to America and know that’s not him in the Darth suit. It takes away from the sinister-ness a little bit.
• I have a thing for eccentric old people so Obi Wan was obviously an instafave. His whole dying thing better be a trick and he better resurface later like Gandalf does or I’ll be highly upset. Speaking of Gandalf, I was also extremely late in the game watching LOTR. I didn’t see it until my senior year of high school when we watched it in Lit class. My outrage, disbelief and outburst at his “death” made it painfully obvious that I was the only one in the class who hadn't seen it. What can I say? I’m a reluctant SciFi/Fantasy lover.
• At the end of the first movie it appears Leia has a decision to make but let’s get real, there’s no competition. Luke = Ashley Wilkes and Han Solo = Rhett Butler. And we all want Rhett Butler.
• The death star is a sphere, not a star. That bothered me a lot. It’s a good thing they blew it up or I may not be able to continue with the 2^nd movie.
• I would like to know more about Darth’s childhood. I think we’ll find the answers there.
• Princess Leia’s hair made me hungry for cinnamon buns. Not cinnamon nuns like I accidentally typed when I told my friend Cori this. I’m not even sure what a cinnamon nun would be. Cinnamon buns are sinfully delicious though so I’m sure nuns stay away from them.
• I think R2D2 has a cuddly personality but would not want to cuddle him because he is a robot. Chewy on the other hand looks extremely cuddly but would probably rip me limb from limb. Book and cover kind of stuff.
• Why doesn’t Luke’s fancy, fighter, flying machine have a rearview mirror? He has to turn around a lot while he’s being tailed. That seems highly inconvenient.
• Leia’s pink eye shadow kind of drove me crazy. That is obviously not the best color choice for her. Just saying. 

That's mostly what stood out to me during the first movie. I'll definitely be watching the next one soon. 

·      

Kick off your shoes and stay a little while

Well, its official. I'm going to be staying in the DC area for a little longer than originally intended! While the decision was slightly terrifying I think I'm going to love living here. Mostly I'm going to simply enjoy living without the pressure of school. I still don't think its quite sunk in yet that I'm done. DONE! Enough about school, I'm starting to twitch.

A few people asked me  if I ever thought I'd wind up living in Washington, DC. My answer is yes, but not in this capacity. In high school I was sure I'd be here every now and then getting my next secret ops assignment as I swiftly rose through the ranks of the CIA. Unfortunately I have none of the qualities it takes to be a spy and that dream never materialized. Let's face it, spies are born not made. I can't crack codes, I'm not stealthy and I'm way too loud and talkative. Ask any of my close friends, I don't even possess the ability to whisper. Also when I told my mom about my future aspirations she informed me I'd probably have to kill someone and that was that. I knew I'd never make it. It was the same sense of finality as when my dream of becoming a veterinarian came to a halt the first time I watched Dr. Wallace check my sweet mutt Tanner for worms. I knew it was time for a new plan. So somewhere along the way I became a social worker instead and lo and behold I still made it to the District. And yes, I assume almost everyone I come in contact with on a daily basis is some sort of government operative.

There are a lot of things I like about the city and if you have ever seen my tweets you know that public transportation is one of them. Seriously, I have a love affair with the DC metro and bus systems. Sure they're frustrating, slightly unpredictable and even sometimes scary but that's what makes it fun. Its always an adventure.  If you come visit me rest assured I'm going to make you ride the bus, even if we have nowhere to go. Because like happiness, a bus ride in DC is a journey, not a destination.

Now that I know I'm going to be staying here for a while I've decided to make some permanent adjustments. Like buying little put-it-together-yourself drawers at Target instead of living out of a suitcase. And FYI I did put it together myself. And I'm not talking about the kind of assemble it yourself furniture that comes with an allen wrench. No sir, I successfully used a hammer and a screw driver to put this puppy together. Not a big deal for most people but a big step for this girl. (Add a severe lack of ability to properly use hand tools to the list of why I'll never be a spy).

Another long term decision was to officially become a member at the church I've been visiting while living here. It feels good to add a stability to my spiritual life. Even if the announcement about that stability came at the tail end of the presentation of the new bathroom renovations. Yep, I'll forever associate that moment with the introduction of the dual flush technology. A very funny moment for me indeed.

Have a great week folks!

Supremely Entertaining Morning

I haven't blogged in a while and I will catch up soon but for now I'm just going to write about what happened today.
We got to go to the Supreme Court! It was definitely an interesting experience and for anyone who is remotely interested in law, politics, or the judicial branch of government it is something to check out.  In fact, even if you're simply interested in people in general the court is made up of quite a few characters.  Of course my first thought upon seeing the justices take the bench was John Grisham's "The Pelican Brief." Thank you John for forever changing the way I think of American law and politics (even if its not the most accurate account). 

Since Alabama is in the 11th court district we were there as guests of Justice Thomas.  He read an opinion from an earlier decision at the beginning of court but that was the only time he spoke throughout the course of the proceedings.  He and Scalia would swivel in their chairs and whisper back and forth but he never addressed the lawyers. At one point I couldn't even see them because they were leaned back so far.  I wonder, in the history of the court if any of the justices have ever fallen out of their chairs? Or pulled a Mike Shula.

The most vocal justices were Breyer, Scalia, Sotomayor, Kagan, and sometimes Chief Justice Roberts.  Scalia and Breyer were definitely the most entertaining of the bunch.  They would call out the lawyers on the smallest of slip ups and sometimes interject just to make a joke.  The morning still felt very formal but I definitely didn't expect to laugh out loud during the proceedings.  The two cases we heard weren't very interesting themselves but witnessing the court proceedings has definitely been one of my favorite experiences so far.  We were in the court room from a little before 10:00am to almost 12:45.  That may be the longest I've gone without speaking in as long as I can remember. I know that doesn't shock anyone.  My attention span started to wane towards the end of the second case (it was such a boring topic!).  I'm pretty sure even some of the justices were over it before the lawyers finished their arguments.  So to keep from going stir crazy I started to sketch some of the justices and then wrote a little rhyme about what was going on.  I'm pretty sure the guy next to me judged me pretty harshly for doodling but at least I wasn't falling asleep.  All in all a great experience and if you ever have the opportunity to attend I highly recommend it! Here's the rhyme I wrote while waiting for the 2nd argument to close:

Nine sit, listen and judge
Some talk a lot, others barely budge
Watch out for Breyer and his sassy remarks
Scalia uses humor and adds his own sparks
Is Thomas still awake? I can't really tell...
Sotomayor looks fierce as
Hello Justcie Alito! You're staring into space
Is Ginsberg somewhere under all that lace?


I didn't have time to finish or work in Kennedy and Kagan but its a work in progress.  Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Frozen Phalanges its Cold Up Here!

So yeah, it gets really cold in DC. For the past few days the high has been in the 30’s. I’m sorry, did we say 30’s? That’s not a high, that’s a lesser of two colds. I believe the forecast should say “Today’s least cold temperature will be…” because 36 is not a high my friends. (Mom, it’s a good thing you’re coming in March, you definitely wouldn’t like it right now. Also you better be reading this. It falls under your duties of loving mother.) In related news I need to purchase gloves that allow me to use my touch screen phone. I use Google maps to find my way around most of the time but the phone is no good to me if I can’t touch the screen or my exposed fingers are too cold to function properly. Ok, I guess that’s about all anyone wants to hear of me complaining about the weather.

Something exciting from this week:  I started work at my field placement! I’ll be splitting my time between working in foster care and working in a residential group home for teenage girls. I’ve enjoyed my time in both so far. I think it’s going to take a little bit for the girls to warm up and trust me but hopefully I can prove myself to them without too much trouble. Fingers crossed!

A point of interest to the people I’m meeting in DC is my southern accent. Obviously I have an accent but I don’t consider mine to be that pronounced.  Most of the girls I’ve met at the dorm commented on it originally but didn’t say that much about it. Surprisingly, the one who seems to find it the most humorous is a girl from Scotland. She told me I have a great accent. Well if she loves it that much I’d be down to trade! I could totally rock a Scottish accent with these freckles and not red hair. The kids I meet have a funnier way of commenting on the way I speak. The other day one of our clients told me that I “look like Hannah Montana’s friend but talk like Hannah Montana”. Then tonight I was babysitting and one of the girls said “You talk like a cowboy, well cowgirl because you’re a girl.” The cool thing about DC is there are people from all over and everyone has some type of accent. I probably hear 3 or 4 languages being spoken around me on a daily basis. I love it!

Let’s see, anything funny from this week? Well two of the other students from my program and I decided we wanted to go see the movie Joyful Noise. Everyone else gave us such a hard time about it and couldn’t believe we would spend money to see this movie. We valiantly defended what would certainly be the comedic genius not to mention vocal showcase of Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah and headed off to the theater in Chinatown. Unfortunately no one else headed that way with those same intentions. When we got to the theater they had cancelled the showing time. I’m not sure why but it’s a safe bet it was lack of interest. We considered lying and telling them it was the greatest movie of all time. That we laughed, cried, and lost ten pounds. But we stuck to the truth and got cupcakes instead. DC is full of gourmet cupcake places. I need to learn to avoid them at all costs.

I’ve decided that Saturdays are going to be my tourist days. While I would love to stay in bed and catch up on sleep from the week I only have 4 months to explore and I want to make the best of it. I marked another museum off my checklist today. Museums are great right now because it’s A) it’s cold outside and B) a lot of them are free! Free entertainment for the win! Today’s museum was the Natural History Museum. Pretty stinkin’ cool if you ask me. My favorite attractions were the bones and mummies collection, dinosaur exhibit, the Hope Diamond, mammal exhibit, and the IMAX 3D movie “Tornado Alley.” Here are some pictures I took with my phone:

Elephant you see when you first walk in the main entrance

 

Mummy reamins

T-Rex

(Not really sure why this one is coming out kind of wonky)

 And last but certainly not least, stationary made from elephant poop.

One last thing before I wrap this up. I’d like to ask everyone to keep CJ Nash and his family in your thoughts and prayers. CJ was born prematurely and is struggling to learn how to eat on his own. If he can’t he’ll need to have surgery and his parents are hoping to avoid that. He’s come a long way but still needs to fight a little more. Thanks so much! Hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the weekend!

Michelle Kwan & A Nearly Embarrassing Moment with the Amish

*Quick disclaimer about the last blog post: I was on some crazy adrenaline high when I wrote that and realize that parts of it aren’t even complete sentences. I barely understood it when I reread it later. Many apologies. I promise I don’t use recreational drugs…often*

Well I’ve been living in the city for over a week now and have been on some fun adventures. The week was so jam packed it feels as if I’ve been here more like a month. For the first part of last week I was running around getting finger prints and background checks finished. If you’re looking for a trustworthy employee I’m your girl. I’ve been cleared by the ABI, FBI, and DC Metro Police. Hooray for clean records! 

Wednesday we had orientation and our first class. Unfortunately my Wednesday didn’t get off to the best start. My alarm clock picked that particular morning to malfunction and I woke up an hour and 45 min after my desired time. I had to jump up, splash some water on my face, put my dirty hair into a ponytail and get dressed in only a few minutes. This was highly unfortunate considering I would be meeting my supervisors for the first time that day. All I could think of was my mom saying “Don’t leave the house looking like a Wild Indian” (Excuse the politically incorrect phrase. We love all peoples at my house. Promise)  I threw some cheerios and a diet coke in my purse and pulled myself together as best as possible.

We normally meet for class at the National Association of Social Workers national headquarters here in DC.  Due to some logistical issues involving an award presentation we were bumped from our normal meeting space into the Board of Directors Conference room!  I had fun pretending to be a big shot at the 10 foot conference table until they told us we could not eat or drink in there. There went my breakfast of champions.  Additionally we were trapped in the room for the next two hours due to security issues related to the awards ceremony. There better have been someone super important in that building for me to get through a whole morning with no shower, breakfast or caffeine. Needless to say I wasn’t exactly at my best when I met my supervisor. Hopefully she believes in second chances and I can wow her with my dazzling personality tomorrow at my first day. I fully intend to be showered and well caffeinated for that encounter.  

Since my first day is tomorrow I’ve been acting like a typical tourist and trying to cram in as many monuments and museums as possible. So far I’ve seen the Lincoln, Korean, WWII and Washington Monuments. I’ve also been to the National Gallery of Art and the American History Museum. The American History museum has definitely been my favorite so far. I got to see the original Star Spangled Banner! It is quite huge and awe inspiring. I got chills looking at it. I also enjoyed the First Ladies exhibit. The inaugural ball gowns were interesting. I’m not going to name any names but some of the First Ladies were quite solid. I would be super self-conscious if my dress was on display next to Nancy Reagan’s. She is tiny! Was tiny? Did she die recently? Sorry, I can’t remember and my internet is being too sketchy to Google it successfully. 

I also almost had a disastrously embarrassing moment at the American History Museum. There was an Amish family exploring the colonial exhibit of all things and I mistook them for a group of era-specific tour guides. I was about to approach them and ask about the exhibit when I realized there were children dressed in traditional Amish clothing as well. I figured it was against child labor laws for little Jebediah to work at the museum and stopped myself from asking for a demonstration of early colonial life. 

The second most fun thing was ice skating outside of the National Art Gallery. It was my first time to ice skate outside! I channeled my inner Michelle Kwan and skated with reckless abandon for about 45 minutes. Obviously I didn’t plan ahead or stretch before hand and am paying the price now. I think that was the first time I’ve ever used those particular hamstring muscles and I’m pretty sure I pulled my hip flexer. Ouch! Next time I pretend to be Michelle Kwan or Kristi Yamaguchi I’ll remember to stretch first. 

I guess that’s about it for now. Fingers crossed for my first day tomorrow! 

**I wrote this yesterday but the internet was out so I couldn’t post it. I went to my first day of work today and it was great! I’ll write more about it later this week.**

Miss Graham Goes to Washington

I finally made it! I’m officially moved and settled into my new (although temporary) residence in Washington D.C. My sweet mom and wonderful sister drove me and all my belongings up from Alabama last Friday and Saturday. All 11 hours. We had a great time though so the trip didn’t seem too long. 

I knew my place was going to be close to Capitol Hill but I didn’t realize how close! As in I live directly across the street from the Senate building, a block away from the Supreme Court and two blocks away from the Capitol in one direction and the Library of Congress in the other. I look out my window and look into the office of the Hart building. Somehow I’m going to find out which senators those offices belong to. 

I’ve only been exploring the city for 2 days now but I’ve already learned a lot.  The metro is great and super easy to use…as long as you know which direction you need to go. Ha, I’m learning. Also the city moves at a faster pace but it takes longer to get things done. Take going to the grocery store for example. At home I would get in my car, drive six or seven minutes, arrive at the store, buy what I need and then drive home. Depending on how sidetracked I got or how many other stops determined how long a simple trip would take. Here, I walk to the metro station, ride to a second station where I transfer trains, ride to a third station, get off and walk to the store, figure out what is worth carrying back, and repeat the process for going home.  So it takes a lot longer to accomplish a simple task but I’m sure once I’m here for a few more weeks I’ll figure out how to better plan my days and budget my time. 

I’m also on a new diet. It’s called living in the city and walking everywhere. It’s a new experience and so far I love it. You don’t feel as guilty about stopping to get lunch when you know you’re going to possibly walk a mile to get there and back, if not more. 

Another thing that is different about DC as opposed to Alabama is the temperature and weather. Obviously it snowed here yesterday and didn’t back home but the temperatures feel different. I guess it has to do with the lack of moisture in the air but 35 degrees isn’t so bad here. In Alabama when its 35 degrees it feels like 23. Here, it feels like 35 I guess. Not nearly as bad, I shed my top layer as soon as I got outside. Of course, it could also be all that walking I’m doing. Anyway, I’m not shivering and hiding under a fort of blankets like I thought I would be. 

Tomorrow I meet my supervisors and have my first day of class. Then Thursday I have my first day of work. I can’t wait to see what my typical day will be like and meet some of my clients! 

Oh, and I have to end this with a huge ROLL TIDE ROLL! So proud of our boys for bringing home #14. In a shutout no less! Best defense in the history of Alabama? I think quite possibly so. Although I’m sure Gene Stallings would disagree with me. He’s pretty fond of the ’92 group. That’s it for now. Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!