#6 : I Don't Hate Birds

Ok, Here's the scoop on my tattoo. I don't have it out for birds, its based on a nursery rhyme.

There was a little girl

Who had a little curl,

Right in the middle of her forehead.

And when she was good,

She was very, very good.

But when she was bad

She was horrid.

I wanted a tattoo of the sweetest faced little girl doing something really, really naughty. I think that pretty much sums it up. 

#5 : I Miss My Dad

I miss my dad. When I turned 30, the volume on this statement got turned way up. I realized that there about 1 million things that he is going to be missing out on in my life and that make me miss him even more. 

I want his opinion. Isn't that funny? We spend our whole teenage and young adult life fighting against our parents opinion and now I would kill just to hear what he thinks about me. Am I how he thought I would be? or how he hoped?

I want him to come to my wedding. (if there ever is one that is) I'm totally blessed to have a great step-dad that has stepped into my father role in my life and I know he'll have a big role in this, but there is something special about a dad and his daughter on a wedding day. I'll miss that.

I want him to intimidate my boyfriends. That's right girls. If you have an overprotective pops, count yourself lucky. I would kill for my dad, a front porch and a shotgun.

There are probably 1,456 more things I could think of that I'll miss, but all of those things feel OK when I remember that what happens to us shapes who we are. Now don't get me wrong, I would trade everything in this world to have my dad back, but I understand that losing a parent at 7 years old has helped shape me into the person I have become. 

When it boils down to it, experiences are all we have and all that we are. Unfortunately, sometimes tragedy shapes us more that victory and happiness. I hold myself lucky today that I have an amazing mom, a wonderful step-dad and I had 7 great years with my dad. 

#4 : I Think Everyone Should Have a Power Song

power song

[pou -er] [saung]

- noun

1.      a rhythmic melody that will instantly make you smile

2.      the first song you put on when you are in a bad mood to elevate your spirits

3.      a pop song, modern or otherwise, that you think your friends don't appreciate or understand until their iPod is on shuffle and "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys comes on and you both.... just let it play

4.      any song that sounds best sung at the top of your lungs, off key

5.      your jam

Some examples:

Don't Stop Believeing - Journey

Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

Underneath the Radar - Underworld

Danger, High Voltage - Electric Six

Life Magazine - Cold Cave

and of course, any show tune from Rent... or Oklahoma.

Thank you and enjoy!

#3 : Elephants Make Me Cry

Now I need to clarify why I cry when I see elephants... Its not that I'm sad, it's mostly that I can't believe that something so amazing exists. Now, there are a couple of things you should know about elephants. After you know, I dare you not to tear up when you see one. (*note: this happens when any elephant is present... video or live. I'm just warning you so proceed with caution.)

Elephants hug and hold hands (trunks). I want to hug an elephant. They suck their truck for comfort when they are babies. Uh hello, how cute is that?? They look for each other when one is lost from the herd. I can barely maintain my own relationships let alone hunt down every pack member. Elephants mourn the dead. They freaking mourn when someone they know dies. Is that not the most amazing thing you have ever heard? 

It's amazing to me that something so humongous could have such a heart of gold. I think you can just feel their souls and that is enough to bring me to tears. 

#2 : I Love Grammar, But I'm a Horrible Speller.

Ok, here's the deal. It's not all kinds of words I have a hard time with... its those tricky words. You know.... Tragedy, Congratulations, college, succotash... (for the record, every single one of those words was caught by spell check as incorrect before this was posted.)

But as bad as I am at spelling, I'm a freak for correct grammar. Too, to or two? You don't know?? I do and I can tell you how to remember which is which. Effect or affect?? I know that too! Your and you're? Yup. Check, and pretty much any other synonym you can think of.

Want to learn about prepositions? Or better yet prepositional phrases?? Come on over. And after that I'll diagram sentences for you!

I guess you can't have it all. I'll keep my grammar skills and leave spelling to Sukanya Roy (2011 Spelling Bee Champion. Props to you sister. Props)

#1 : I Love 3-Legged Dogs

I mean come on. They are the coolest thing this side of the Mississippi. If you don't believe me, you need to meet one. Here are a few reasons (as if you need any) to fall in love.

1. They have overcome adversity. For the love... they have lost a limb. We give soldiers that lose limbs a medal of honor, the least we can do is give these pups a round of applause.

2. They have a past. All I saying is that you lose an appendage, there is probably some bad-ass or heart wrenching story that comes along with it. Now ladies... be honest... We like that bad boys with a sorted past and the broken boys with a sad story so why not love dog with the same?

3. They play and love harder. And that is never a bad thing.

4. They have a bitchen nickname. Tripod. Nuf said.

When I'm a millionaire or adopted by one, whatever comes first, I'm buying a ranch and starting a 3-legged dog rescue. I have a vision of me,  standing on the back porch, wearing an amazing caftan and calling my pack of tripods for dinner. I really can't think of anything better than those smiling balls of fur and history coming at me ready to play and love as hard as they can. 

Beginnings and Endings Feel the Same

Well, here I am. Melanie Mae Baumgartner.... 30 years old and entering my mid mid-life crisis. So how does one celebrate their mid mid-life crisis you ask?? You start a blog. So here goes. I'm not really sure if there are really 300 interesting things about myself that I want everyone to know about, but I'll start with one or 2 and see what develops. In advance, I'd like to thank everyone who reads this for laughing out loud even if you don't think it's funny and just enjoying my general sense of wackiness.