Just a couple of outfit photos from a day toying around downtown in Richmond. It was so hot, pretty much as awful hot as the Kentucky summers i'm used to. Meanwhile, back home, I've been working on moving out of
my little shop and putting some awesome stuff up on the
Revival Vintage Wear Etsy. Also, I've been eating. A lot. The farmer's market is back and kicking so there is plenty of good stuff to fill my tummy with.
Sunday Phi and I finally went to the little Mexican grocery store that is literally a half minute walk from my house. It's so close, I can't believe I haven't been going there all along! They have awesome spices and they make tacos that are a $1.50 on weekends. On top of all that, they sell the glass bottle Coca Cola's from Mexico that have less sugar and calories and no high fructose corn syrup. Success! Will definitely be frequenting this place for the next few months before our move.
I've also been spending a lot of time with my family since this will be some of our last months together for a while. Hanging with my grandparent's has been really fun, enlightening, and a bit disheartening in a way. They are not exactly supportive of my move, and now, just when we get close and have these great conversations and they tell me all of these stories, they usually end every conversation with a sad and remorseful tone about my leaving. I know, they will miss me, and they want me around, but still. It gets really frustrating to hear their sometimes pessimistic attitudes about big cities, leaving home, and in their opinion the sameness of everywhere you go. My grandfather lied about his age and joined the air force when he was 16, so he's been all over the world before returning the to the farm in Kentucky he grew up on. My grandmother was 15 when she left her home in South Carolina to be a wife and mother hundreds and hundreds of miles away. She had no phone to call anyone from home. She said she would cry for days. I'm sure this sounds a bit ignorant, but speaking as someone who has barely lived away from home for 23 years, this type of attitude and discouragement only makes me sad and scared. My grandmother actually said today, "Do you know what homesickness feels like? It feels like you're dying." Gee, thanks grandma. I guess it should be mentioned, they're last name is Overcast. Haha. But, seriously, it is. How fitting. They're both in their 70s now and have been trying to impart a lot of life lessons on me these last few months. I've been hearing stories from their youth and early marriage and it is one of the most alive and connected feelings, hearing the beginnings of the people you came from, you know?
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| hot kentucky hair next to a photograph of my grandparents as young teenagers in love. don't i look so happy? |
Anyway, this is way too much personal info, but it's what i'm going through right now, and I thought i'd share.
About to go for a bike ride now and forget all my troubles.
Yikes! Grandparents can be such downers! My grandfather likes to say "it's a terrible world you kids are inheriting." My boyfriend's grandparents have not supported any of his moves, but he obviously keeps going. Old people definitely have that special brand of pessimism that it's hard to argue with because, you know, they're so much older and know so much more. You'll be fine. Homesickness sucks, but it doesn't, in my opinion, feel like dying. Haha.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I wrote this post about living away from home/living abroad. You might find some of it relevant, I'm not sure.
http://rubyslipperjourneys.blogspot.com/2010/09/all-yellow.html
Oh, P.S. You had me blushing furiously over my morning cup of tea yesterday. Thank you for your kind words. I kind of like to be called awesome!
What you wrote almost exactly captures what my move from rural Missouri to Chicago was like. (And what parents—who are are old enough to be my grandparents—thought of it.) Soldier on, and experience the world.
ReplyDeleteSP
I laughed really hard when I saw the "it feels like you're dying" comment. Homesickness is a strong feeling, but definitely not crushing. You find ways to power through it, and you realize most of homesickness is nostalgia and idealization. It's good though that you can still filter through the negativity and leave feeling alive and refreshed after a grandparent session.
ReplyDeleteThis post makes me want both a rolling rock and a Mexican cola. Maybe I will chug them simultaneously on the next Murray trip. I'm sure it's been done before
kelsey! so proud of you. you're a little wildflower, gotta grow where the wind blows you, gal. i hope moving from murray is good for you, as i'm sure it will be.
ReplyDeletetell moon dog i say hi!
love, jessie
Hey, this is Julia (fellow Richmonder/Etsy friend!) (I followed the links on your etsy profile here, creeepin). Did you ever find a place in the Fan? Hope so/the Fan is awesome.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't let your family get you too down. Moving's always hard (even if it's just down the street), but I hope you'll find Richmond to be a welcoming and friendly city- I know I did!
-Julia Topaz