That Crap is for the Birds

I have lots of random connections to the romance romeo novelist Nicholas Sparks.

When I was 14, The Notebook came out and my boyfriend at the time took me to see it for our first date. Like everyone else who saw that movie, the whole "If you're a bird, I'm a bird." became "our thing." I remember when I had my wisdom teeth out, he borrowed money from his mom to buy me a pair of Roos, those shoes with the zipper pocket on the side. The shoes didn't fit, so I exchanged them. He told me later he had written "our quote" on a piece of paper and stuck it in the pocket. I still laugh when I think about whoever ended up with those shoes and them finding that piece of paper.

I also have some very special friends who live in the quaint town of New Bern, NC right down the street from Sparks, and they even drove me past his house once.

I'm also a fan of his lovey dovey stuff, so when I heard Sparks was speaking at the SHE Expo in Chattanooga, I thought it would be fun to go and get a book signed. Luckily, so did my friend Sarah, and thanks to the kindness of a friend of a friend, I had my nifty new scooter to help make the adventure easier.

I rolled right up to him on my decked out Hello Kitty scooter and got my book signed.

So what do I say to the man who can bring me to tears with words on a page and writes about the type of love women around the world swoon over? Well based on the picture the TFP snapped, my face said...

"I love your books, but I kind of think they're full of sh*t."

 (Photo cred. to TFP. Sorry, but I'm not paying $5 for this)

What I really said was, "I love your town, New Bern." They had warned us not to strike up conversations, so I tried to resist, but you can't just stand there awkwardly and say nothing. But I'm sure he will forever have ingrained in his mind, the vision of that girl in lovely, riverside Chattanooga on her scooter, and just knowing she had a Sparks worthy love story hidden deep inside. Okay, so now I'm full of it, but a gal can dream!

So there you have it. My meeting with Nicholas Sparks in true Kerri fashion.

“The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that heals it...” ― Nicholas Sparks, At First Sight

not a bird,

scoot

Big Girl Panties

"Put your big girl panties on and deal with it."

That's a phrase that's stuck with me since college. While images of walking around in granny panties was the first thing that came to my mind the first time I read it, this phrase has come in handy for me, especially the past week or so.

Long (really long) story short-I'm unattached and so is my fibula...

Yep. A broken ankle. I'd rather not get into the "why and how" of the previous events, because that's not the point, but there you have it.

I hate crying, but I do it a lot when I'm frustrated. For example, recently the following inconsequential events led me to tears:

1. Seeing the nurse bring crutches in my room. I suddenly realized that I actually broke a bone. I'm not sure why this was Earth shattering, as the break was pretty obvious, but at the time I felt pretty pathetic.

2. Falling/tripping...a lot. I realized that if I'm not graceful on my own two feet, I'm sure as hell not graceful on crutches.

3. Doors shutting in my face because I can't hold them open is the ultimate "screw you."

4. While I've been incredibly blessed to have family and amazing friends (Todd Shirley shoutout!), those late-at-night moments when I was truly alone just kind of sucked.

Bucket Lists and Blue Lights


So as you can see, lots of stupid stuff has just brought on the waterworks lately. Luckily, Sunday night I had my "come to Jesus."

A local news station reported around 10pm that due to some rare solar flare, it was possible that states as far South as Alabama may be able to see the Northern Lights. Considering that's on my bucket list, I figured why not knock it out in my hometown if I could?!

So at 10:30-ish, I grab my crutches and jump in the car....alone. Not really knowing where I could get a great view without having to get out, I decide my best bet is to just head up Lookout Mountain.

Halfway up, I realize how dark it is up there at night (I know - no shit, Sherlock.) I start driving rather slowly, making sure I find the road that heads to Point Park - my first idea for a good view. It's so dark that I miss the right turn, but see it last minute and do that thing where you sort of stop, but realize it's going to require a turn-around. I also realize there's a cop sitting at the stop sign.

Of course, I take off slowly, trying to decide my plan of action, which is immediately screwed when the cop turns and starts to follow me. I've only been pulled over twice in my life, so this quickly made me a nervous wreck.

I try to act cool and decide I'll just drive and act like I know where I'm going, that way I don't seem so shady cruising the fancy neighborhood in my Saturn Ion...surely my bike rack makes me rich and preppy, right? Well, maybe it did, until I ended up driving straight into the parking lot of Rock City. Shit- nowhere to go from here.

I just stopped in the road - lost. Not terribly lost, but obviously lost. Sure as hell, he turns on those dreaded blue lights. Double shit.

He comes to the car, flashlight on, and asks me if I'm lost.

Just imagine this cop's face when I try to explain to him I'm driving up Lookout Mtn. to see the Northern Lights. As the words come out of my mouth, I felt the quick grip in my throat, the one signaling I was about to cry. Cry because I've got a broken ankle, broken heart and I just wanted to see the freaking Northern Lights...in Tennessee...and now I drove my hobbling ass up here alone and got lost...and I realize the whole thing sounds ridiculous.

But suddenly, that quote about pulling on large panties jumped in my head. I knew if I started crying and blubbering about the Northern Lights, this cop was likely to send me on the next bus to Moccasin Bend. So I pulled up my big girl panties, pushed the lump in my throat down and just told him I got turned around in the dark. Sure, he was skeptical of my astrological scavenger hunt at first, but he eventually just pointed me in the right direction and let me be on my way. Whew.

I wrote this whole long thing to say this-  while it was probably crazy to drive up there to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights, it made me realize that alone or not, broke ankle or not, that's life sometimes-and life can be tough (and definitely a hell of a lot tougher than this), but you just have to pull up your big girl panties (or boxer briefs) and deal with it.

Is it okay to have a 60-second-pity party and cry all alone on the couch when shit hits the fan? Oh yeah! But only if you dry it up, swallow your pride and move on.

I never did see the Northern Lights thanks to the clouds blanketing the city, but I'll mark it off the list one day, either alone or with whoever God has picked out for me.

Gimpy K