Satisfyingly Surprising...Welcome to Greer, Arizona

If you weren't at the Greer family reunion, this post will probably seem a little odd.  But I simply don't have time to elaborate.  So here is a post for all you Greer attendees:

One of the great things I love about reading a good drama is the satisfying surprise.  What I refer to is the moment wherein something totally surprising happens that makes absolute sense.  "Oh my gosh," you think and then say, "I didn't see that coming, but it fits so marvelously that I wouldn't have it any other way." (yes, apparently you speak to yourself and use words like marvelously).

This sometimes happens in real life, and the pay off, like in a drama, is also pretty awesome.  It is, like I said, satisfyingly surprising.    

So here are some satisfying surprises that I got at my latest family reunion:

1. Troy is an animal at jump rope.

2. Adam gave me a big hug.

3. During our Biggest Loser Competition, Breckyn kept up with the boys with 100 push-ups.  It was one heck of a gutsy performance.

4. Lana and Porter sang a perfect duet with impeccable comic timing (actually, that one isn't surprising at all.  Just satisfying.)

5. Quinn's big entrance to Conner's magic act.

6. Tony encouraged Mya to employ eye-for-an-eye morality. The conversation: 

    M: Tatum just threw a ball at me.  

     T: Well, what about that?

     M: (blank stare)

     T: So what could you do about it?

     M: (slowly smiles as an idea falls upon her) I could...throw a ball at her?

     T: (throws hands in the air) Well, there you go.  

7.  Livy ran an entire mile and discovered what it means to be sore.

8.  Troy is an animal at jump rope.

9. Dian, I hear, walked all the way to the other cabin, and then had to do dishes while she was there.  

10. I (Shane Dixon, novel snob) liked reading "Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites."  I actually learned stuff from it.  Holy crap. 

11. Adam can totally do squats.

Feel free to add to the list!

Smooth Like What?

So I really want a haircut. Nearby is a barbershop. Harmless enough. I enter said barbershop. Great. Sit in a chair. Awesome. Then, after several minutes, I start to notice details. For example, every barber in there looks 16. A bad sign, I'm at a barbershop school and these guys obviously don't know what they are doing. But my barber seems nice enough, and hey! Five dollar haircut. Frugality often overrides reason in my book, and today seems like adventure day.

I DO THIS KIND OF THINKING A LOT: I've never done this. Could be fun.

MY WIFE DOES THIS: I've never done this. There's a reason.

He drapes me, cleans some instrument or other, and I notice that everyone around me, seems, well, ethnic. That's cool with me, thinks I, I'm ethnic myself (don't laugh). I'm just hangin' with my homies at the barbershop. Some other barber dude gives me a look while he blows kisses to his hot latina girlfriend. She is too busy looking in the mirror, but that doesn't seem to effect his ego. He does some kind of pucker thing with his lips and struts his sagging low riders out of view.

My boy-man barber then points me to a chart (see above), and I further realize I'm in a place that caters only to black hairstyles. If you put on your thinking cap, you might think that this would be the appropriate time to back out. But you're wrong, sparky! Adventure time has called. I pick hairstyle number, well, you wanna guess what I went for?

Actually, I tell him to surprise me, cause I'm smooth like that. And today, I'm doing something I've never done.