I love...not being on fire.

Today my hair dryer tried to kill me.

Seriously.

I plugged it into the bathroom outlet...nothing.
Hit the reset button...nothing.
I tried a different outlet...nothing.
Then I tried yet another outlet...success! The hairdryer turned on. I flipped my hair over and started the drying process...until 10 seconds later when - "sizzle, sizzle, crackle" - my hair dryer stopped running.

Not only did it stop running, but some small orange sparks flew from the dryer, through my hair and toward my wooden floor. As I watched the sparks in slow motion, these thoughts went through my head:

• I'm not wearing shoes, how will I stomp out a fire?
• Is my hair on fire?
• Guess I'm wearing my hair wavy today.

In the end the sparks did nothing; they went out before even hitting the floor (phew!).

I survived, but alas, my hair dryer is about to meet the dumpster.

Better luck next time, hair dryer!

I love...lightning bugs.

There are a lot of things that remind me of when I was just a wee little Jenny.

Cookie dough reminds me of licking the mixers clean.

Making the bed reminds me of how my mom used to stand at the foot of the bed while I stood at the head of the bed, and she'd throw the sheet up into the air so I could run under it.

Wheelbarrows remind me of my dad pushing me around the house in our wheelbarrow when he was outside doing yard work.

Then there are lightning bugs. When it got dark on a summer night - there they were. Tiny, blinking lights flying through the air. My grandparents had given my sisters and I a couple of small, wooden lightning bug houses and if you caught a lightning bug you could put it in there and hold the blinking light in your hands.

You had to stand still, set your sights on a lightning bug and follow its path. Light on - light off - light on. Usually I'd manage to catch several of them and they'd climb all over that little lightning bug house. Then when it was time for me to go inside I'd let them all go.

My favorite part wasn't necessarily catching the lightning bugs and it wasn't necessarily watching them climb around in the little house. My favorite part was letting them go and watching them light up the night sky together. It was like an awesome ending to an awesome movie, and the awesome movie was my day. There was something so hopeful about it, something so "until next time, lightning bugs".

Tonight while walking home, I saw a couple lightning bugs and realized it had been a while since I'd seen one. Or maybe it had just been a while since I'd noticed one. I held my hand out and the bug quickly landed and then took off again, blinking into the night. And I loved it just as much as I used to when I was little.

So until next time, try to take some time to sit and watch for lightning bugs. They could be anywhere, just waiting for you to notice them as they fly higher and higher...

I love...dancing.

According to thefreedictionary.com, "dancing" is defined as:

1. To move rhythmically usually to music, using prescribed or improvised steps and gestures.

2.

a. To leap or skip about excitedly.

b. To appear to flash or twinkle: eyes that danced with merriment.

Well, I love to dance...so I guess that means I love appearing to "flash" or "twinkle"? And I can guarantee that my steps are always improvised.

Some people may think that dancing should be kept on a dance floor, at weddings, at clubs, etc. But personally, I think dancing works just about anywhere. If we learned anything from "Footloose" - it's that dancing can't be stopped!

So you may find me dancing at a bar, at the grocery store, in my car, or at my apartment (on my couch). And I'll probably be dancing to songs like this:

Or this:

Or this (yay, Prince!):

Orrr this:

Hope to see you "leaping or skipping about excitedly" sometime soon on the dance floor...or in the frozen food aisle...or on my couch.

Ready, set, DANCE!

I love..."Once Upon a Time."

I’ve been thinking about this blog for a long time. I knew I wanted to write about life and all the crazy, funny, random, great things that I love about it, but how to start it? Would people like it? Would people love it…would I love it?

I love writing, but every time I sat down to start on this blog-venture I’d freeze up: That one is too cheesy. That one is too long. That one is too “whatever.” It was like the Goldilocks of blogs.

I was stuck in the process of write, delete, wait, repeat.
Then I sat down and wrote this: 

“Once upon a time there was a girl named Jenny Chalk, and this is her blog.”

And it was just right.

So, I’m Jenny (you can call me Chalk), it’s nice to e-meet you. And this is my blog - from me, to you. I hope you like it, or even love it.

Love,
Chalk