Now I've Got My Tailypo

The story of Tailypo goes something like this: An old man is starving. He goes hunting with his beloved dogs. They don’t find anything. On their retreat home, they come across an odd looking animal with a long, furry tail. He tries to kill the animal, but misses the middle of its body. Instead, he severs the animal’s tail from the rest of his body. Overjoyed by the prospect of having a meal, the man runs home to stew the tail. He eats it, and stuffed to the brim, begins to fall asleep.

            But sleep doesn’t hold him for long. Outside of his house, he hears barking and whining from his dogs. He thinks he hears a voice say “Tailypo, Tailypo, all I want is my Tailypo!” The old man does not like this voice. He yells at his dogs to be quiet. They don’t obey. He hears scratching at the door. All the sudden everything is quiet. Baffled, the man goes to check on his bloodhounds. They are gone. The man goes back inside, stunned. His dogs have never run off before, and he does not know what to make of it.

Should he look for them? It’s dark outside, and the man does not want to get lost. As he debates what to do, he hears scratching from within his home. What could be scratching? He looks across the room and sees an odd looking animal, the same odd looking animal from before. The animal looks at him. “Tailypo, Tailypo, I’ve come to get my tailypo!” The old man is terrified. A battle ensues. In the morning, all that’s left of the old man’s house is the chimney. But when you go out to the old man’s property late at night, you can still hear a voice saying, “Tailypo, Tailypo, now I’ve got my Tailypo!”

Call for Family Photographs.

The last time I remember getting professional photographs taken of my family, I was 9. They were horrible. They were always horrible. My father never smiles in photographs, so my Mama decided to take a few years off of the professional photograph part of life.

A few years after that, I discovered photography and the rest kinda goes like this...

My family is CUTE.

Months of Tradition

Okay so I didn't print off well scattered pictures of the year. They're mostly from the summer. But that's only because I switched computers back in June and I saved some pictures from my old computer, but not a lot. So most of my winter months are stored on CDs, not this cute MacBook.

Today in class we had to map out things we celebrated annually, every month. It wasn't to turn in, but I thought (and heard others around me decide) it would fit in well with the Almanac. Plus it looks cooler with pictures. So Here. I. Go.

January: 8th: My childhood best friends birthday. In high school, we always went to Japanese steak houses. By the time we were juniors, we lived the high life and went alone. We were usually grouped with a table of approaching-30 years old men. One year one of them was also celebrating a birthday, and when we asked how old he was he said "Old enough for dad to be mad". Ew.

    Other celebrations/every year occurrences include Martin Luther King day, the start of a new semester, and lots of real and paper snow flakes.

February: 14th: Valentine's Day. The day everyone hates to love or loves to hate, depending on your relationship status. My most memorable Valentine's Day was my freshman year of college. My grandmother sent me a card saying "It's okay to be alone on Valentine's Day". Little did she know I was vaguely involved with not one, but two boys whose names started with "M's". Still, I didn't have a boyfriend and the card made me mad. It's also now infamous in my family history.

     Other days: My little brother David's birthday (2001). My cousin Caralyn's death day (2005). I usually go home during the weekend of David's birthday and spend a few days with my family, which I love.

March: 5th: I always remember March 5th because in 7th grade it was the day I got my ears double pierced. A few weeks later in general conference, President Hinckley said that double pierced ears were not the way to go. I took them out, but for some reason the holes in my ears are still there and waiting to be stuck through with a diamond or a pearl.

    Other days: SPRING

April: Finals. School gets OUT.

May: 5th: The past few years either I or my friends have Cinco de Mayo parties. We chalk the walkway up, throw up streamers, have all kinds of food, and play Mexican music. They have always been way fun, and they have always led to some kind of drama for me or one of the other girls involved.

    Other: I usually go on a trip with some of my friends in May. It's not always the same group, but it's usually in the beginning of the summer... this past year, however, it was at the end. I also usually have a boyfriend. It's also the month of my cousin Katy's birthday.

June: Spring term of school ends. the first 2 years of college I started EFY in June, but this past year I went home instead. It is my niece Sophie's birthday, but so far she is only 1.

July: The LAKE with the fam. This adorable child in the picture below taken at the lake this past summer is my one and only adorable niece, Sophia Joy. She looks just like my brother and exactly like my sister in law and I LOVE her. Yesterday I became the first person she ever spoke to on the phone (I think). 

    Other: the 4th!!... I have always liked to blow things up. 

August: I usually go home for a few weeks in August. (Home is KC, Missouri). It's the most relaxing thing in the world. I spend a lot of time down in Arkansas with my brother and his wife and child, but I also hang out a lot at home with my old friends and my adorable family. This past year we went to World of Fun, which is so fun and one of my favorite hang outs (like all kids) when I lived in fun. Roller coasters are always good for a scream. This picture is of Anna and David on the ferris wheel in August 2008.

    Other: August starts out the months of birthdays in my family. My mom's is the 19th (1960) and my brother Josh's is the 10th (1984). My Aunt Sandy and Uncle B. also have birthdays in this month.

September: School starts in September and my sister and I always turn a year older. Her birthday is the 5th (1990) and mine is the 12th (1986). When we were growing up, I loathed her for her early birthday. I did not like to share it. When I was in high school, one of my best friends, Katie LeVota, had a birthday on the 9th so we usually celebrated our birthdays together. Now that I'm in college, my good friend Jayne Herrscher has a birthday on the 10th and so now we celebrate together.

October: Dad's birthday is the 8th (1950), my sister-in-law Joy's is on the 7th (1982). It's also the turn of fall and Halloween. We LOVE Halloween! We each got to carve our own pumpkins growing up and I think we must have usually ate pizza because every Halloween that I've been outta the house I crave pizza more than anybody else.

November: Thanksgiving! My brothers Nathan and Noah also have birthdays. Noah's is the 1st (1998). My  mom was SO glad he was not born on Halloween, but now that he just turned 10 I think he often uses it as a birthday theme. Nathan's is the 24th (1982) and is sometimes on Thanksgiving and sometimes not. Nathan and Noah are a lot alike, only 16 years apart. In Kansas City, the plaza has a light ceremony for Christmas every Thanksgiving.

December: No birthdays... but there is CHRISTMAS. And finals and the end of school, thank heavens. (I love to learn but November and December...and even October are often killer killer months... especially this year. Holy Heck.) The picture below is of a little boy I used to nanny and his Christmas tree. He loved the ornaments!