To Pierce Or Not To Pierce

I have asked myself that question many times over the last 15 years or so. I have my ear lobes pierced and the cartilage at the top of both ears pierced. And once upon a time I had my tongue pierced for many years and my belly button, too. I’ve let those two piercings go over the years, but there was one more piercing that I sat on for many moons, and that was my nose. After 10 years of debate, I finally made the decision (with the support of some amazing people) to finally have it done.

I had some reservations about it. At first, my husband wasn’t on board, but after having a long heartfelt discussion recently, he gave me reassurance that it would be ok with him. Then I was also back and forth on how big of a hole would be left behind when I do take it out (I researched that topic and was satisfied with what I read) and most importantly, would it offend anyone in my family. I made the decision to use a temp for a few days just to give my kids a visual of what I would look like with my nose pierced. Surprisingly, my kids were not very inquisitive about it. In fact, it didn’t bother them at all. If it would have been something that would have freaked my kids out, I would never have done it, but they definitely gave me a bright green light. In their own way, it was like they said, “Mom, we will love you anyway. Just do what makes you happy”, and so I did.

I have my reasons for having it done, mostly because I personally think it’s cute and unique to me. I have always been one to express myself through my appearance whether it’s been piercings, coloring or styling my hair a certain way, make-up or my clothing choices. I’ve tamed it down a lot since I have gotten married, but I started to feel like I wasn’t being completely true to myself. My punk rock goddess has been screaming to come out for quite some time. Granted, I can’t go running around dressed like my inner Gwen Stefani anymore because I am getting older (blah), but there are things I can do to tap into my edgy side and still show the world that I am a loving wife and mother despite my appearance. It really does sadden me that people base their judgments of others solely on how they choose to look.

I am loyal to my role as wife and mother, but I also have a very significant need to not forget about who I am and what makes me tick, so with the support of my loving husband and amazing friends, I finally gave into my edginess and got my nose pierced. It’s not about rebellion or being out of control or losing my mind or even trying to relive my “glory days”. It’s all about showing the world the woman that I am…A fun-loving, edgy, Christian wife and mother who happens to still thoroughly enjoy rocking out to 90’s alternative while cooking dinner, cleaning the house and rocking my daughter. It doesn’t make me a bad person in any way shape or form. It just makes me, well…me.

Thanks to all who played a role in this little adventure of mine, whether I have had deep heartfelt conversations with you about it or if you actually showed up for the occasion to either cheer me on or just happened to pierce your nose with me (couldn’t have asked for a better person to do this with than YOU), y’all know who you are, and I love you deeply for being so accepting of me and not casting judgment just because I want to be myself. You guys rock my socks!!!

You've Got A Friend

I was recently reminiscing with a friend about “the good old days” back when we were in high school. It’s amazing that it’ll be 15 years this month since the Class of ’98 walked out of Assumption together for the last time. So much has transpired over the years, and social media has been a key player in keeping us connected. Thanks to social media, we were able to plan a fun weekend and ended up with a fantastic turnout for our 10 year reunion, and in just a few more years, we’ll be planning our 20 year…That’s almost painful to say! So in the spirit of remembering dear friends, I figured I’d dedicate a post to some of my favorite stand-out high school memories.

• Decorating for dances our Jr. year – We would work ridiculously late into the night, but I think we had picked out some pretty good themes. The most memorable would have to be Homecoming ’97. We worked so hard on that backdrop! And who could forget those antebellum dresses?! Anything to make it all come together and look authentic. I think by the time court was over and the dance started, we ditched the dresses for some much comfier attire.

• Ring Ceremony – That was a very special night. We were all so excited to finally get our rings. As soon as everyone had their rings we were turning them and signing each other’s cards, and of course saving that last turn to “lock” our ring for that special someone. We also had the opportunity to break bread together for dinner after. That really was a nice time.

• The Bread Van – If you went to Hanson during our “era”, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You could always find the bread van near the football field during games. I believe it was our Sr. year that we decided (for whatever crazy reasons) to decorate the bread van and use it as our class display for homecoming on the front lawn of the school. We got into some trouble for that and had to serve Saturday detention, but it was definitely worth it. We all had a blast!

• Homecoming Week – This one was especially special for seniors. Us girls had a whole week to spoil our guys with treats and decorating their rooms. Decorating lockers was fun for the girls and their moms. I’d be willing to bet that there is still some glitter lingering in the hallways from our lockers. The girls enjoyed a luncheon at The Forest and we had the pleasure of being “interviewed” on Teche Talk. I remember Sara Baudry, being the jokester she is, saying that she was a Varsity Statistician and it took off from there. Everyone was a “varsity” something. The best part was that no one knew what in the world we were talking about except for us. The camaraderie was wonderful!

• Mr. Miller – The math teacher that everyone loved to aggravate, myself included. By the time he left Hanson, almost half of the classroom’s tile had been peeled up off the floors! We were constantly throwing things across the room when his back was turned. And, boy, did he love to throw people out of class. I’d got thrown out on a few occasions for talking. He’d send me to the guidance counselor, for whatever reason. She’d laugh and send me right back to class which would further infuriate Mr. Miller. As an adult, I feel kinda bad, but I won’t lie, it still makes me laugh…”You guys!”

• Sr. Retreat – This one holds a particularly special place in my heart. It was a very emotional weekend filled with God’s love and our love for one another. I remember our last day there we sat down in our own personal space to read letters from our parents. I still have my letters stored someplace. After we read our letters, we came together in the center of the room and  sat in a large circle. We took turns standing up and talking with everyone about our years together. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. I think it was the first time that we really shared with one another just how special our class was. It’s a beautiful memory that I’ll always cherish.

• Sr. Last Mass – That was another tear jerker! I remember I read the 1^st reading that morning. It took all I had not to sob all over scripture. Then came the class flower exchange and slideshow which sends the entire school assembly, faculty and parents into the ugly cry. It was definitely a bittersweet day, but still so very special.

I hope that this brought back some fun memories for my classmates, and perhaps brought up their own favorite memories! "Come on and fight them, you Tigers…"