Painted fingernails

Don’t worry – the title will be explained – I just need you to be on board with reading the post in its entirety.  Got it?  Ok.

For quite awhile now (as in over 10 years), I’ve had an idea in the back of my mind to write a book titled “Painted Fingernails.”  It would be a non-fiction book about being the only girl in certain situations…the only one with painted fingernails.  : )

This idea originated back in middle school when I was the only girl in the trumpet section of three.  (Those of you who know who the other two were…you know what it was like.)  This wasn’t the first time I’d been the only female in a situation, though:

On my dad’s side of the family, I’m the only granddaughter of 10 grandkids.  I’m the third oldest, so my aunts would always jokingly (but somewhat seriously) promise to keep trying for a girl for me.  It didn’t happen, but I think everyone’s pretty ok with it – we got some pretty great guys out of the deal!  : )  On my mom’s side of the family, I’m the oldest cousin, the next oldest is a boy, and the next is my brother.  I think interacting with the males of my family from such a young age created a basis for the future male-dominated situations of my life, such as…

…my elementary school gifted class.  From 2^nd-6^th grade, I was part of a gifted class that met once a week for an entire day of fun, random, and memorable educational activities.  (Perhaps I’ll dedicate a post to this class someday…if you were in it, and have any specific memories, send them my way!)  Anyway, I was one of few, if not the only girl in this class of 12.  We continued to have a couple special classes together in jr. high, too.  I’m pretty sure this is where I learned to understand boys of all types and interact with them in a variety of situations.  Hopefully, they learned a little bit from me in return.  haha

I continued to be the only girl in various trumpet sections throughout my school years.  This meant some quality time spent in sectionals and on tours.  In high school, my name got misspelled on a couple occasions…the “s” was mistaken for an “n,” so I was “Kenny.”  The nickname stuck, due in part to the fact that it fit in a little better with the rest of the boy names.

Call me crazy, but I believe all these experiences molded me into a girl who appreciates guy time more than girl time, on occasion.  Please don’t take this to mean I don’t value my girlfriends or the time I spend with them – I do more than words can express.  Rather, I just think I get along with and appreciate guys more than your average girl, and that this is a result of the quantity and quality of guy time I grew up with.

Interestingly, I’ve discovered that this appreciation/phenomenon occurs whether I’m in a relationship or not – I’ve enjoyed guy time just as much when I’ve had a boyfriend as I do now.  I think I just appreciate it more when I’m single, because it’s not so readily available. : )

So, this post goes out to all the men in my life – past, present, and future.  I value you, our friendships, and the time we’ve spent together.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!  I'm off to pull out the red fingernail polish.  : )

Love,

K

P.S. I’d love to hear your thoughts about any and all of this!

P.P.S. This blog allows me to see how many times each post is viewed.  At this point, the leader is the “There’s a new man in my life…” post.  Just FYI.

Favorites of the day:

sunshine (and opening the sunroof and wearing a skirt!)

playing on a Trumpet Fest concert today

this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqfsto6mJ_4