The Continued Adventures of the Gabbie Lady Part the Second

Lately I have taken up my second love of swing dancing again.  I found a club in Austin and I have been trying to go a couple times a month.  It really is a great group because the dancers there range from beginners to far more advanced than me.  This means I can mix my time in teaching as well as learning.  This makes me happy.  

I was asked out twice in one week in October (a feet that has not happened since I was graduating from college) and even more surprising is I gave one a chance.  I took him swing dancing with me and he did not really listen to my instructions.  He ended up pulling my arm in a direction God never intended it to go and... let us just say I will not be seeing him again.  (This paragraph is more for the benefit of my parents and grandparents who are no doubt still wondering when I will be supplying them with an endless supply of grandchildren to spoil.)

An opossum got into the garage and was happily sitting in the cat food bin, eating his heart out.   (This is the correct spelling of the word.  Most Americans spell it wrong but the only "possums" live in Australia.)  Steven cleverly closed the case (after carefully sliding the opossums tale into the bin) and then I carried it out.  It took us a minute to get the airtight seal open again and I was beginning to worry that the opossum might perish from asphyxiation.  Luckily for him (and unluckily for us) when we opened the bin he was still quite alive and not "playing possum."  He was not too happy with us but he still did not want to leave.  Some gentle "nudging" convinced him otherwise and we have not seen him since.  Tia cracked some jokes about "how many people does it take to get an opossum out of a cat food box"?  Tio pointed out that she was little help standing on the front porch and taking pictures.  I enjoyed the event thoroughly.  I know.  This makes me weird.  One of these days I am going to introduce myself, "Hi, I'm Gabrielle "I kill my own spiders" Tempest" and wait for the reactions to follow.

I had a birthday.  Captain Lindbergh has been asking me ever since how old I am and what age I would prefer to be.  I have been nice and have not answered.  The day itself was very pleasant but I will probably be celebrating it more next month. 

Halloween recently passed and with it came our annual week of insanity as we tried to get all costumes ready for the All Saints Day Festival as well as entirely different costumes for Halloween itself.  I think part of hell has frozen over because I had the opportunity to wear my sword and did not.  Or maybe this is a sign of personal growth.  I also dressed up as Saint (and not one pre-conversion as I have threatened, Jilana) on the day of Halloween.  Several people warranted a guess as to who I was with guesses ranging from "Joan of Arc" (really?) to a "Flower child" (I glared.)  My favorite incorrect guess was the Princess Bride from the movie.  I think I like that priest more because of his guess.  For the record I was Saint Brigid of Ireland... and no, I did not wear a habit. 

Queen Victoria has taken to repeating her favorite Gabbie quote whenever we are baking or cooking or making something edible.  The line is as follows, "Look, Gabbie!  It is your favorite! Food!"  Sadly, she is remarkably accurate.  I like food... but really I just like good cooking.  My Godmommy is a great cook. 

Looking back over the last few months I realize that I have been dwelling on the past.  I cannot say that this will change in the future but I hope to be better about dealing with it.  Maybe some day I will get to the point where I may laugh about this as well.  Is there more change in my future?  Probably.  Do I know what it is?  Not so much.  All I know for sure is that whatever the future holds for me... will be an adventure.