Family Reunions and How to Survive Them

The fact of all family reunions is this: you are traveling an x number of miles to see people that you don't know. This is, at least, the fact of all of my family reunions. For example, yesterday my mom, my dad, and I got in the car and drove an hour and a half to a visitors center at a park we used to go camping at, and I swear to God (sure wish we could leave God out of this), 75% of the people there I had no clue who they were. Of course, this may be because my dad comes from a family of ten, and his mom and dad each come from a family of 12 (or 13 - something like that). Really, I shouldn't have been surprised, and I wasn't, I just kept thinking "so we came all the way here to awkwardly maneuver around people I at least haven't seen before?" The other 25% I could have seen in a 10 minute drive, considering they all lived near by. BUT. Oh well. Which, really, is what you have to say to yourself, because you're there, and you won't be leaving anytime soon. In the meantime, you can at least enjoy the food. And make a list of awkward situations a teenage girl in a chair is bound to come across, and simple ways to survive them.

1. Your great uncle (who you've never met before) telling you how beautiful he thinks you are ("even prettier than your mom").
Thank the old man! Considering that you have just gotten back from the bathroom mirror, and are thinking that today maybe wasn't the day to wear your hair down, this is a grand compliment, and indeed, a grand self-esteem booster, even if you already have enough self-esteem for 1000 other teenage girls. However, this is not a topic you want to linger on, especially with your great uncle you just met. So, smile a dazzling smile, say thanks, and quickly change the subject.

2. Your great aunt's second cousin once removed has just asked you your plans for after high school.
You have two choices. You can tell the truth. "I want to go to New York University to study play writing." No fun. And more importantly, this will lead to more discussions of what you like to write about (controversial matters), if you've written plays before (yes), and what they're about (a teacher falling in love with his student, a girl killed by her parents, and a lesbian who is happier than her straight friend, who attempts suicide 1/2 way through the second act). Or, you can lie so outrageously that they'll be left there to blink and wonder what went wrong with your upbringing. "I'd really like to work as an over-the-phone adult entertainer in New York City, and go to school to become a sting agent." (Ok, so not entirely a lie, BUT, this answer is bound to leave them speechless).

3. The entire clan has just stood up to pray a Catholic prayer that you don't know because you're not Catholic.
Look down at the floor, and mouth "cantaloupe" over and over. No one will know the difference. When it comes time to make the sign of the cross, don't worry, because your arms aren't strong enough anyway.

4. General Boredom
First and foremost, go and explore the building the family reunion is being held in. Look at the pictures on the wall, stare through the windows of locked rooms, and smell any object that looks exciting. Next, go outside. Walk around the entire building, twice. Contemplate the wildlife. Gaze adoringly at the sky. When you get too hot, go inside for a glass of cold water. When inside, group people into categories based on anything and everything. What they're wearing, what Star Wars character they look most like, how many apples it would take to fill your shirt to make your boobs as big as theirs. Be creative. Then, if you still haven't satisfied your lethargy, think about how 1 out of every 5 people have herpes, and pick out which of your relatives have the hurps.

SMA Awareness Month on Etsy

I logged into etsy two minutes ago to pay my monthly bill, and was told that my work had been featured in a treasury! For those of you who are not etsy-educated, a treasury is a member curated page featuring items from different shops in a similar theme. This particular treasury is titled SMA Awareness Month, in honor of August being SMA Awareness Month (happy August!), and was created by BusyBeeSewingForSMA, whose neck pillows I featured in an earlier post.

Some other neat things featured:
SMA Awareness Ribbon Inspired Bracelet, which can be found at LuLuBChicBoutique

Hot Pink and Black Tutu Wreath, which can be found at Aidensmommy75

Bronze Owl Earrings with Cognac Crystals, which can be found at PurplePansy333

And of course, my beautiful A Sign of Spring artwork, which can be found at my etsy shop, HavannahSoy

Check out the treasury at http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTUzMzczMjh8NTE3Mjc1NzYx/sma-awareness-month

A Cure for SMA, found on ETSY

For those of you who are not familiar with the site etsy.com, it's an online marketplace for all things handmade. I am a huge fan of this site, even when I use it just for inspiration. There are some absolutely amazing things out there - there are some amazingly talented people in the world. Some shops even donate all their proceeds to charity (brownie points, baby) and some of them even are exclusively devoted to finding a cure for SMA!

As an etsian and SMAian, I would like to share a few of my favorite "SMA Cure" shops with you!


From the shop SayWhatCreations, this necklace was inspired by a little boy with SMA, and can be customized with your own phrases and names. For all things bought from this shop, 10% will be donated to help find a cure for SMA.
The shop can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SayWhatCreations?ref=seller_info


This neck support was inspired by the same little boy who inspired the necklace above, Nathan. This shop is called BusyBee Sewing for SMA and features neck supports and oxygen tank covers. 100% of proceeds go to funding SMA research.
The shop can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BusyBeeSewingForSMA?ref=seller_info


This little owl necklace was inspired by a little girl with SMA, and $5 from this pendant sale will go to SMA research. I believe this is the only pendant in this shop, JubilantWares, that is linked to SMA.
Her shop can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/jubilantwares

There are many others out there! I would recommend spending some time on etsy to check things out!

Here are some links to other SMA themed shops:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/arimart?ref=seller_info
http://www.etsy.com/shop/oneblessedmommie?ref=seller_info

Harry Potter and the Deathly Accessible Seating

Two days after the release of the last Harry Potter movie, my wonderful friends and I finally made it to the theatre to see it. One of my friends has a broken metatarsal and because of her cast, is in a chair. Another one of my friends has a sprained (possibly broken) ankle and because of the extreme pain, is in a chair. My friend's boyfriend recently had surgery on his foot and because of his cast, is in a chair. Because of my crippling disease (say it with me... "duhhhhh-zeeeze"), I am in a chair.

I am guessing that the majority of you, not being in chairs, and not being all too bright, have never really noticed the accessible seating, or lack thereof, at a movie theatre. In my town, in a typical theatre, there are two spots for people in chairs. Two. Four of us were going to the theatre in chairs. Did this mean we would have to pile on top of each other? Massive orgy, perhaps? Sadly, no.

Thankfully, we had another friend with us that was perfectly capable on her own two feet, and was able to help my two friends and my friends boyfriend into a movie seat. She then proceeded to move the three chairs off to the side. And of course, because it was Harry Potter, the theatre was packed anyway, so we had to sit in the very very very front row.

Now. Harry Potter. You are wondering if I liked it. Well of course. It is, after all, Harry Potter, one of my dearest loves. However, I was slightly disappointed, as I am with every movie, because it does not follow the book. For example, Snape was never fully explained! And Harry's grand coming-back-to-life was nowhere near as glorious as in the book. Alas, it was still Harry Potter. And I do find myself slightly sad that there will be no more... :(

The question is, will J.K. Rowling write more books about Harry and Ginny's son, Albus Severus? Look here to find out! http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959323/ns/today-wild_about_harry/t/finished-potter-rowling-tells-what-happens-next/