Stop Pulling Your Hair OUT.

The coolest thing happened last night; I met Patti for dinner and then I stopped to get gas at Meijer. I was driving past Julie's house on Pole Lane and I was thinking about Jenny, wondering if Madi had practice for Cheerleading or what was going on..if Jenny was resting at Julie's or whatever, and then right in front me...There she is! I was so excited to see G.G.

She pulled over at McKinley Park and I got out and sat in her car for ten minutes so she wouldn't be late getting Madi from practice. I hugged her and said "You have no idea how much I love you" and then I heard something rustle in the back seat and it scared me TO DEATH. I screamed. Ahhh! What is it??!!

It was just Gage! I am a paranoid freak anymore. So then, G.G. had to show me her latest development with her hair...as she pulled out a handful...I cried the whole way home.

I have other issues going on as well, but I think I am more upset about her hair falling out than she is. I wish I had her mental clarity and toughness. I guess that's what you get when you grow up on a dairy farm where you have to work from dawn to dusk every day in the barns. I always loved doing chores and Geege hated it. I guess if I had to to do it every day too, I would hate it.

Imagine how messy my room was...can you imagine if my parents owned a barn?? Not a good thought.

I hardly get on Baeleigh for her pig pen of a room, I just close the door...

Steph called me this morning and said "Hey, I'm not going to keep you" and then we both started laughing. We don't know why that was so darn funny. But we laughed because the other one was laughing and finally, after ten minutes of laughing and remembering that Steph's not "keeping me" she finally says: I want you to speak at my funeral when I die.

DIE??? Is there something YOU'RE NOT TELLING ME!??!

I said, I can't watch you die! I thought all of us girls would live together at the nursing home, where we can sit around and do group therapy and then partake in Jack Kevorkian's group euthansia! Then we all go at the same time!

We laughed and laughed and then she had to get all serious on me again.

"Seriously. If I die, you have to stand up and tell everybody all the great stories."

What the heck!!?? I thought I was the funeral singer? Now I'm the funeral singer and the funeral talker??

Good grief. How do these people expect me to pull this stuff off.

My friend Gigi (not to be confused with G.G.) said something that is sticking in my brain: "It is what it is. You have to accept it." I hate acceptance of anything that i don't want to accept. Why can't everybody just act and do as I say and love me all the while? Why do people have problems and issues and baggage and drama and all that nonsense??

It is what it is.

We all die. We all have problems. We all fail in some area of our lives. We are ever changing every day.

So, okay, Stephanie Norton Rayburn aka "Information Station" I will do your funeral. But I hope more than anything, that I go first...because I can't stand the thought of losing one more person in this life that I love.

On that depressing note...I'll make sure at your funeral that I tell everyone about the night we went to the popcorn festival and you laughed so hard water came squirting out your nose! And then you tried to wipe your nonsense on me and I said "Don't get that on my shirt!" What a good friend I am! Friend of the Year for Natalie Powers! I accept this award with humbleness and great honor!

You guys keep me around for free comedy, admit it.

xoxox
N.R.P.