A Goddess in a Cave in the Woods

Tomorrow is my 35th birthday. I never imagined what 35 would feel like, or look like, but if 34 and 364 days is any indication, 35 is fantastic!

So, in honor of my 35 years, I decided to post a list of some of my favorite things. Nary a rain drop or a whisker among them.

(in no particular order)
35 of Jenny’s Favorite Things

1. The movie “Better Off Dead”

2. The smell of someone’s neck, whether that neck is new to me or dear to me

3. Homemade lemonade

4. They Might Be Giants’ Flood album

5. Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” (the original version, not the crappy incomplete version I hear on the radio sometimes)

6. Breyer’s chocolate ice cream

7. The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

8. The rush of emotion I get when a plane takes off (or, to a greater extent, when a Space Shuttle takes off)

9. Jane Austen’s novels – Pride & Prejudice, Emma, Sense & Sensibility, and Mansfield Park especially

10. The 1995 BBC miniseries Pride & Prejudice starring Colin Firth & Jennifer Ehle

11. Depeche Mode

12. Tulips

13. The scents of vanilla and lemon

14. Lush bath and body products

15. The movie “French Kiss”

16. Hammocks

17. Swimming in the ocean and jumping the waves – it feels like I’m flying

18. Good, fun sex (may or may not include laughter)

19. The Colorado Rocky Mountains

20. Singing songs in harmony with my Dad and sister

21. My mom’s cooking (and my Nana’s cooking) (and my Yiayia’s cooking)

22. Knowing the answer and being right

23. Rain outside, good book inside

24. Turkey, stuffing & cranberries (always whole berry sauce, not canned)

25. Being the oldest of three crazy kids (hi Keri and Ernie!)

26. Playing The Angry Vagina in “The Vagina Monologues” (and saying the word vagina)

27. Singing really loudly in the car, especially Barenaked Ladies, or the Indigo Girls’ “Get Out The Map” and “Galileo”

28. Being known as a fun, cheerful, happy person

29. Looking up at the stars and contemplating all of the big questions

30. Traveling – London, Ireland, New York City & Paris are my favs so far

31. My wonderful, dear friends

32. Crafting, scrapbooking- making something & telling my story

33. Being called Mommy or Mama or even Mom

34. Being married to my best friend

35. Going to bed with my down comforter, pleasant thoughts and other infinite possibilities of tomorrow

Here’s to 35!!

Pros:
Hunting Island, SC. Gorgeous. Right on beach. Large wooded campsite. Kids around to play with. Cool dead trees on beach for climbing and photos. Large bathrooms with heaters. Nature center and salt marsh walk. Good friends who know how to camp in comfort (tip-electric griddle. Who knew?)

Cons:
Cold. So very, very cold. Freezing. So many layers of clothing. So many pitches of whiny voices complaining about the cold. Did I mention really, really cold? Like, uncontrollable chattering teeth cold? Five blankets and you’re still cold?

So here I am, braving the cold by sitting across from a roaring campfire, sighing as I slowly digest tonight’s scrumptious dinner.

And then, I am informed by husband that I have fallen asleep mid-word as I’m typing this post. Apparently full tummy + freezing cold = falling asleep in front of fire. I awaken to recommit myself to blog excellence, but I don’t know how long I can keep this goi

I am used to being looked at with a bemused expression. It happens more often than I’d like to admit.

But recently, it’s been occurring daily, sometimes several times a day. And I’m being asked to answer some specific questions.

Why does this shuttle mission feel so personal?

Why do NASA and the space program seem so vital to me now?

Why did I ignore my friends for an hour this morning while I sat, glued to my iPhone, following every tweet with a mixture of longing, jealousy, excitement and pride?

Why did I cry (well, sob) when Atlantis finally touched down, my relief and joy mingled with a sense of sadness at the completion of the mission?

The answer to all of these questions is straightforward- all because of the STS-129 NASA Tweetup.

But the explanation is more complicated.

The truth is, I don’t quite understand it myself. I’m a reasonably intelligent person. I’m a self-professed Geek. But I’m no rocket scientist.

I can’t really explain how a homeschooling mom who loves space and science turned into a Space Tweep. I can’t account for the seemingly magical honor of attending the tweetup. I just don’t get it- why me?

But I know I’m grateful. I know I’m humbled. I know I’m honored to have met the amazing people I did. I know I’m lucky to have seen the things I did. I know I’m happy to have felt the emotions I felt.

I don’t profess to have the knowledge, the expertise or the years of passion of my fellow NASA Tweetup attendees.

But I do have one thing now: a deep, personal and abiding love for our space program. And I also have the excitement and the dedication and the energy to share that love with everyone I know.

So, my friends and family will have to get used to my obsession. They’ll have to just accept that this is part of me now. I’m a geeky space fangirl. And I love it.

No turkey.
No cranberries (usually my favorite part of the feast).
No pre-Black Friday perusal of ad papers (thank goodness!)
No extended family gatherings, with their inevitable awkward moments.

Instead…
A feast of charred & blackened meat & potatoes.
An emergency back-up feast of hot dogs & oranges.
Sticky smores, smoky with burnt marshmallow edges.
Laughter, wind-blown hair and feet caked with dirt.
And the sound of the sea….

All that I love, all that I am thankful for every day, seems to feel closer to me here, hundreds of miles from home.

With the stars peeking through the trees, I pull my children close for a hug, put my arm around my husband, and laugh with my friends.

I am so grateful for this moment.

You suck!

We are going camping for Thanksgiving.

Disclaimer: This is an honest, uncensored post about this geeky goddess named Jenny Wadley. If you are my Dad, or uncomfortable hearing about some of the real-life details of my personality and habits, please stop reading (or listening, Dad) and come back another day. Deal?

I had, some, ahem, technical difficulties, yesterday.

Which explains why there was NO BLOG POST!!

Go ahead, let the shock sink in.

Yes, good. I can hear your gasping. Thank you for acknowledging my pain.

But, honestly, I had such a fantastic evening babysitting my sweet godson (whose mother taught him to say I was the best godmother in the whole wide world!) and hanging out with a friend that I didn’t even remember my blog post until it was after 3:00 AM.

And you know what? That doesn’t make me a bad person. Just a failure. But only at NaBloPoMo.

So, fine. I’ll embrace the failure. This feels just like Mrs. Levine’s 11th grade English class. Sigh. Look how far I’ve come.

(My geeky smarty-pants pride forces me to add here that I only failed her class, and my Algebra II, because I had too many absences. Though refusing to finish The Grapes of Wrath didn’t help. That book was really depressing me, people.)

I’m going to keep going with the blogging anyway.

That’s what we Little Engines do. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.

Yes, we do have a slightly manic household. Especially on the weekend, time seems to be compressed and I try to fit way too many things into 2.25 days (obviously, Friday night is part of the weekend).

My birthday is fast approaching. (It’s November 30th.)

I’ll be 35 (remember, 35 is the new 18) and I’ve decided to ask for what I really want this year.

Now, don’t everyone run out and buy me something. I want exactly zero somethings this year. I’ve given this a lot of thought, and what I would like is: love, kindness, peace, tolerance, acceptance, chocolate ice cream and a huge influx of cash for NASA funding.

Since that’s a tough list for the individual to accomplish, I came up with some specific suggestions for your birthday gifts to me. I’ve even organized them into categories, for your gift-giving convenience. Please choose from the options below.

Option 1: 35 Kisses

I will be very happy to receive a nice kiss from any or all comers. Kisses are underrated, and they certainly spread love and affection (and possibly weird viruses – kiss healthy, people).

I love kisses.

The location of the kiss is completely up to the kisser, though please keep in mind that only kisses placed on my person will count as a birthday gift. No kissing my ring or shoes or any such nonsense. Top of my head is iffy – if you’re my dad, it counts. If you’re my 23-year-old neighbor, I think you can do better.

Those of you who should include tongue will hopefully know who you are.

Except for you, Colin Firth. You probably don’t realize that your kiss should absolutely include tongue, and if it doesn’t, you’re just being rude. And you know that the British don’t enjoy being rude.

Option 2: 35 Spankings

I will also accept spankings. Spankings can be fun, and I’m very sorry that the age-old practice of one-spank-per-year-plus-one-to-grow-on has generally been abandoned by popular society.

Of course, said spankings need to be the playfully naughty variety, not the Pa’s-gone-to-get-the-belt variety.

Option 3: 35 British Slang References To Yours Truly

This option is especially useful as a gift from some of my online friends, who might not be able to travel the distance to kiss or spank. Essentially, it involves addressing me using some lovely (in)appropriate British (or Scottish, or Irish, you get the idea) slang words.

So far, I’ve been called a cheeky strumpet, a right cheeky strumpet, a pert little trollop, a minx, a hussy, a wench, a saucy wench, a tartlette, and a strumpetty minx.

Those are all wonderful, but feel free to mix and match to create your own colorful label for me. Then, call me by that sexy label as often as you like. The more frequently, the better. If you happen to have an accent (British or otherwise), get yourself some sort of recording device. Now.

Extra Special Bonus

If you really want to make my 35th amazing, and earn terrific birthday bonus points, you’ll snog me, give me a slap & tickle on my bottom, & call me a cheeky strumpet. But watch out, you’re playing with fire with that combination.