7 Things You’d Only Understand If You Were Raised In Ada, Ohio.

7 Things You’d Only Understand If You Were Raised In Ada, Ohio.

Every small town has their quirks, but you don’t really know them unless you’ve lived there your whole life.

I was extremely excited when I first saw the links being shared on my Facebook page for an article about my hometown.  However, I was quickly disappointed.  Whoever wrote this could not be from Ada.  Not only was there some misinformation, but also, there was so much missing.  So, this is my list of the 7 things only those of us born and bred in Ada can truly appreciate.  Of course I couldn’t include everything, however, I think I hit some of the main things.

Disclaimer: No offense to ONU students, we love you…most of the time…and we know that you have enjoyed and or experienced many of these aspects of our small town. But remember, though we loan it to you for a few months every year, this place is our home and part of who we are and nobody can talk crap about our town but us.

1. There may not be much, but there’s pizza. 

Pizza has always been a staple in our town and we have ALWAYS had an array to choose from.  Currently we have at least the following: Padrone’s, East of Chicago, 3 Brothers (Ada owned woot woot), Norada Lanes, and Viva Maria’s—plus there’s gas station and bar pizza.  Of course there is absolutely no need to have so many pizza places in a town so small that it’s still considered a village but that has always been the Ada way.  Also, if you grew up in Ada, you know that McDonald’s is new and still kind of a novelty.  Instead, when you think of fast food restaurants and Ada, you’ll think of the good old days when Hardee’s was the center of your food universe.  Sure they never got your order right (ketchup only gosh darn it) but they had killer breakfast bowls and if you had the Hardee’s mug you got your coffee for 25 cents (my dad has still never found a true replacement).  Also, you’ll always remember the parking lot full of car wash fundraisers and vintage car shows—and the time that your brother swallowed the gold fish at one.  Ada natives still expect to see Hardee’s where Rite Aid now sits and they will always be a little disappointed that its gold star is gone. 

(Photo Credit: Google Search)

2. We have three bars, and one place that may count some day.

If you were raised in Ada you know that there are three bars and that each has a specific function.  Little Mexico is the not authentic Mexican Restaurant in town that has great breakfast, locals singing karaoke, and cheap drinks.  This is the place where you run into your old high school teachers and friend’s parents when you come back to town to visit.  The Beagle (cause nobody calls that place by its full name) is the college bar.  You can’t get in until you’re 21 and it feels like the forbidden fruit in town.  That is until you’ve been inside a few times.  The sticky floors and puking college students get on your nerves pretty quickly but you always come back for a hug from Pops.   Finally, John and Toni’s is the straight up townie bar.  If college kids find their way in there they are out the door fast, never to return again.  It’s only for a select few and you know if you’re one of them pretty quickly.  Some people might think that The Cask Room should be on this list, but if you’re from Ada you know that it hasn’t been around long enough for you to count it as anything but a passing fad.  Ada is known for its always-revolving storefronts and until something has stuck around for more than a few years we always keep it at arms length...Stromboli’s, Bella Rosa, the dance studio, the beanie baby store…it’s just not worth the heartache.

(Photo Credits: Google Search)

3. If life gives you a barrier…drive around it.

Trains are a nuisance but if you’ve lived in Ada all your life you know how to get around them.  Locals know that when a train is loading at the Grain Elevator we can make it to the next road over, weave around the gates, and be on our way with very little time lost.  Also, if you’ve lived in Ada your whole life you’ve probably gone all the way out into the country to avoid a train at least once.   We know that this isn’t very safe but we also know that a train may sit there backing up and moving forward for 30 minutes and we’ve got places to be!

(Photo Credit Heather M Scholl)

4. The Polar Bear Effect.

If you grew up in Ada you know that ONU has a strange effect on our small town.  Our population almost doubles in the fall as the students fill the dorms, condos, and rental houses and the town begins to come to life.  As a teen, life instantly gets more interesting.  There are new people to meet, flirt with, and lie to. If you were raised in Ada you probably lied about your age to an attractive college student at least once in your life.  It’s a rite of passage and a guilty pleasure for us townies.  ONU makes it possible for unrealistic things to become commonplace: entire football teams hang out at the local pool flirting with high school girls—making their entire summer, Men’s Cross Country Teams rescue a Damsel in Distress by pushing her car out of a snow bank, and there are keg parties that seem to rival any 90’s teen movie.  However, there does come a day when the novelty of ONU wears off.  We often don’t realize it has happened until we find ourselves muttering under our breath at the hordes of kids walking across the street, or when the boys on the ONU basketball team suddenly look like children instead of the men of your young dreams.  Maybe it’s the first time you complain about the loud kids down the street playing their music and hollering into the night.  Whenever it happens, you stop for a moment and realize you are now an adult and you can’t wait for the silence of the summer months.

(Photo Credit: Google Search)

5. Our school is tiny and we love it.

Growing up in Ada often means that the people you meet in your kindergarten class will be the same ones that you will walk across the stage with on graduation day.  And the girl who sat next to you at the blue table is probably still your best friend more than 20 years later.  We usually graduate with numbers less than 60.  We know every single person in our class and at least the three classes above and below.  And I mean we know them.  ALL.  We were in the band, choir, FFA, and played sports.  We didn’t misbehave in school because our teachers knew our parents personally.  We fought with our friends and we made up.  We dealt with life and death together.  We celebrated and cheered our Bulldogs on no matter how long it had been since we won a championship and we cried together when we lost one of our own.  We still remember our teachers and still call them Mr. or Mrs. We know that they loved us and sacrificed for us and we know that they helped shape who we are today.  We may have complained about our small town school but we also know that we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

(Photo Credits: Neisha Ulrey and Amy Miller)

6. The NFL Footballs are made here…by my mom.

We don’t have a passing pride in the footballs that you see being thrown on a Sunday afternoon by the greats we have an actual connection.  My mom checked that ball.  My brother designed that panel.  My cousin tied those laces.  We all have a connection to the factory that through sweat, blood, and leather produces the balls that are thrown by Brady and Manning.  We know that after the Conference Championship, as the final two teams are decided, the factory fills with people who will work all night to create the balls that will be shipped to the Super Bowl.  We know that it is our family members and neighbors that make it all possible.  We know that our little town is a part of something big.  We know that we are a part of history.

(Photo Credit: Google Search)

7. Swimming in fields of gold

Growing up in Ada you probably had one of two summer jobs (or both); working for a local farmer or at the swimming pool.  Whether you spent the summer months detasseling corn or telling little kids to stop running, you had a job and that meant money and power.  What did you do with that money?  You probably wasted it on gas so that you could drive from one end of town to the other, turn around and drive back again.  You didn’t always stop at every stop sign because you knew that if both cop cars were parked at the station you were free to break the rules.  Maybe you went into Taco Bell (remember when it had a Pizza Hut express inside?) and flirted with the kids from USV on a Friday night after the basketball game.  Maybe you went to the Midnight Swim and flirted with the Hardin Northern kids there.  Maybe you lay out on your best friends roof or hung out in their basement.  Maybe you went for a walk and bought some penny candy from Pepper’s or looked at the Precious Moments figurines at Gardner’s.  Maybe you sat in the garden at the Depot or fed the ducks while avoiding the evil black swans at ONU.  You might have gone to the park to watch a soccer game or swing.  Maybe you went to the ice cream place whose name you still don’t know or went into Four Seasons for a frozen Mountain Dew or to a movie at the theatre. You might have rode your bike or roller skated around the Green Monster or stopped into 302 after getting some Suter’s Sweet Corn.  Maybe you just sat on the porch and breathed in the cool air while chatting with friends.  Whatever you did, you usually remained in Ada: because as much as you complained about it, you loved that place.  And you still do.  You may have stayed there, chose to raise your family in the safe neighborhoods where you could let your kids play outside and run uptown.  If you left, you have probably found yourself comparing wherever you are to Ada and realizing that it comes up short.  Sure other places have malls and super centers and a few more culinary choices, but not everywhere has heart.  And if Ada has nothing else, it has heart…and a lot of trees.

(Photo Credit: RichM2007 Flickr)

Date a Girl Who Reads

Hmmm....I like this way too much not to share.

Keep this in mind boys...

Source: Unknown

Tonight I Did...Well Something!

I may not have done it, you know "it", the life changing, end all, be all, best decision of my life thing, but I did do something!

I began a new Blog "Me and My Broken Brain" (check it out) and I'm super proud of myself! 

I know, I know. How am I ever gonna keep up with a third Blog when I spend so many hours on this one (insert sarcastic voice here)?! However, not only have I posted more blog posts this month than almost ever (combined and multiplied by three), but this one actually really means something to me. All of my writing is pretty personal, this blog reveals the intimate parts of me or will and my other is dedicated to the little loves of my life, but the journey through my seizure disorder has been the center of it all. So, I'm going to explore it, open it up, and try it out for all of the world (or the four friends that see this and actually read it...and my mom of course). 

I'm hoping this will lead to something. 

Maybe it will help me relieve some of the stress, maybe it'll help someone else understand their disorder, maybe it'll become a book, maybe I'm dreaming. 

No matter what, it's a step. 

It's something.

Tonight I did something and I'm pretty happy about it.

New Year, New Resolutions

Happy New Year! 

2013 was great in a million ways and horrible in a million more.

I had my first officially old birthday, I still live with my parents, I'm back in school (Grad school this time), I am working part time barely making any money, I did not lose that jobless/student loan debt/where am I going in this world 25lbs (much worse than the freshman 15) and my writing has practically stalled. 

Enter 2014.

That's all gonna change in the next 365 days. 

Or so I hope.

I've got big plans for this new year, and a somewhat solid plan to make them happen. Let's hope! 

Good luck to you and your new year!

The Darkest Cave

We just want love! 

It used to seem like a given, like as a human it was a right, a step in the process of living. 

But it seems like the older we get the more we realize we were tricked, lied to. Love isn't a part of the deal, it's a secret passageway into a cave. 

And it's getting dark and cold and lonely down here. 

Tonight I want change.

Tonight I want out.

Tonight I want light.

Tonight I'll say it.

Horror Find Me

I need to write something scary. Horrifying.

Maybe I should describe myself without makeup. I know it scares me every morning.

That's the problem with assignments, I can't ever follow them. My body, or maybe my mind, physically rejects them.

Perhaps the bigger problem is that I have a different opinion of what scary is. 

For example, 

Creepy guy with a big gun? Meh. It happens.

Girl with back fat hanging out? Scarred for life.

Besides I'd probably be the girl that fell in love with her abductor, I'd see some Heathcliff-esque quality and find him irresistible. (I may have a few problems, we'll dig into that another day.) Besides, what's worse than a demonic psychopath? My last couple of ex boyfriends.

So anyway, back to this horror story I need to write.

I'll probably go for a sexy woman. I've always loved the villainess who has a thing for the superhero, and of course the superheroes always return those inappropriate sexual feelings, think Poison Ivy and Batman.

Hmmm...maybe I can make this work.

I'll let you know!

Goodnight.

Two Years

That sad, awful, truest of truths is that time can change everything and nothing at all.

I am older and filled with a need to follow my dreams but held back by the realities of life. I need a job, the big kid kind. Which I found, at a lovely place filled with lovely people, that makes me want to scream in pain. It is not the jobs fault, it is my searching soul telling to get out there and find my true path. Sadly, that path does not come with money, insurance, or security. The path I want to follow is a creative one. It is dangerous, because it is unknown and student loans are creeping around every corner demanding payment to pass. 

Frankly, it sucks. 

However, I have decided to attempt a multitasking of life. I will pursue my creative path, wherever it may take me, but I will keep the big kid job in the real world until I find myself secure enough to let go. 

Or I may just marry a doctor. Ha. If it was only that easy! 

So, what should you expect from this log? I suppose it will be filled with my thoughts, my silly struggles, my ridiculous ranting, and the occasional jokes. It may be for no one but me, but I suppose that's a wild enough audience. If you do stop by, I hope you enjoy and respond with opinions, advice, and maybe a little laugh of your own. 

Thanks for taking me back, I will do my best not to let you down. 

Goodnight.

Nice To See You All Again

So, if you haven't noticed, I Haven't posted a new blog in, we'll, forever. Broken computer, lack of Internet access, straight up laziness, blame it on whichever you'd like, but either way, I'm back!! 

I hope.

Seriously, I am setting some goals to get my bum writing and this is number one. So I'll see you all later tonight!

Laughter, Love, and Lollipops

I have been blessed with three gorgeous nieces and one adorable nephew and two days ago found out a fourth niece will be joining the bunch in January.  I love these babies so much and as time passes it is so awesome to see the little people they are becoming.  Each is so unique and completely their own person already.  I am torn between wanting to freeze them at their adorable ages right now and keeping them toddlers forever and with wanting to continue to watch them grow.

When I think about these beautiful little girls I realize I was once that innocent.  My days had also been filled with laughter, love and lollipops and all I had needed in the world was a pretty dress or a doll to bring me happiness.  Suddenly, a terrible thought comes into my head, these babies are going to grow up and that innocence will be lost.  It makes me a bit sick to think that they are living in this same world where I have felt so much pain.  I instantly want to lock all of them up in a safe place and let them live a naive life of perfection.

Obviously this can't happen but man, it'd be nice.  So now I'm trying to think of a more reasonable tactic for saving these precious souls from the horrors of this world.

First, there are the girls.  What heartache's lay in front of them and how in heaven can I help prepare them if I've failed so miserably myself?  I know they have to learn on their own and I know there will be tears but I'm going to find a way to make it easier on them.  I've considered threatening any mean girl or game playing boy but I'm not sure that's really allowed.  Plus, I want them to know love and even more I want them to know passion.  I want them to see all the good and in this life a lot of bad has to come along with it.  Ugh!

Then there is my nephew.  He's the only boy surrounded by a sea of women and at only eighteen months old he's already a heart breaker.  He is adorable and strong and plays games like you wouldn't believe.  He's going to have girls in love with him left and right.  Now as his aunt I'm already under his spell and think he can do no wrong...well except for this need to bite people...but you know what I mean.  However, as a women I keep thinking, this boy is gonna be trouble.  I want to teach him to use his charm for good and not evil.  In a world where I've been charmed into a broken heart more than once I keep wondering if it's even possible.

So the mission I have placed on myself for the next few years (hopefully it won't take that long so I'm prepared whenever I am needed) is to figure out a way to explain life, love, friendships, and family to all of these tiny human beings so that they can avoid so many of the pitfalls I've faced but also experience the joys that are possible.  Love is an amazing blessing that I want each of them to experience to the fullest, and though heartbreak is necessary to truly appreciate love, I'd sure like to spare them some of this pain.

I need those giggles to keep me going.

So Much

So much can happen so fast. 

A year ago I was just beginning a vacation that would include a lake house on Lake Norman in North Carolina and a house boat on Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee.  The trip lasted two weeks and was made up of more than a dozen people including six solidiers from the US Army just returning from their deployment.  One of those Army boys was the hilariously funny, incredibly sweet, painfully charming person who had dragged me along for this crazy fun ride.  The stories I could tell would make anyone laugh out loud and the time we all spent together was wonderful. 

The reason why this memory is so important and this year seems so strange is that that funny, sweet, charming guy isn't here anymore.  He was killed in a car accident four months ago.  It happened so fast.  One moment he was here laughing and then he was gone. 

In a heart beat the invincibility of everyone I knew was showing it's cracks.  Everyday is precious and what we don't say today may never have a chance to be said.  I'm in this scary place where I fear the loss of everyone I love.  I want to lock my self in a room with my Friends and Grey's DVD's, a lifetime supply of Reese's and Dr. Pepper, and the love of my life.  I don't want to waste another second.  Sounds good right (believe me if you saw this guy you'd think it sounded like heaven) but the problem is the rest of the world isn't in super seize the day mode like me.  My bosses think I still need to go to work, my landlord and electric companies still want paid, and my body still requires more suppliment then caffeine, chocolate and peanut butter (I'm wearing it down though) and this beautiful guy I love, well he's got all kinds of responsibilities too.

So how do I make every second count when most of them are spent doing things I don't enjoy and the chance of making any actual changes is about as high as me going 24 hours without candy?  I guess I just keep looking for the moments where I can tell people I love them and the opportunities to accomplish my dreams.  On that note, I'm going to order that new pair of shoes...who needs electricity anyway? 

Exquisite Pain

There are quotes, and sayings, stories and lessons that all try and teach us how to deal with this life.  These words of wisdom are often uplifting, reassuring and helpful, the only problem is they are also almost always contraditions.  We are told that love is never ending, but then told that when our heart is broken to be patient because it'll heal.  We are told that if you love something you should let it go but also that love doesn't run.  We're told to fight for love but that love shouldn't be so hard.  We're told to put those we love first but to protect our hearts.  How do we do all of this at the same time?  How do we know which route is the right way to go?  And how on earth do we survive in a world where whatever path we take leaves us aching?

As women we learned early that to be a good friend you pull out whatever word of wisdom will make our friends stop hurting.  So if the cute guy on the basketball team smiles at her we tell her that he obviously wants her because that's what she wants to hear, and then when he breaks her heart by dating a cheerleader we tell her that he's shallow and a jerk, even if he isn't.  We all also require this reassurance.  We want to hear that the guy we like is a catch, and then when he hurts us we want to hear that we deserve better.  We are one messed up group.

Obviously, this is not the first time I've thought about this twisted confusing philosphy of holding tight to the inspirational quote that gives us what we want.  However, a combination of the choices I need to make in my life right now, and (a little embarassingly) last nights episode of The Bachelor Pad 2, I can't get this frustration out of my head.

The quick rundown of the BP2 situation is that exes are on the show and while they are both sad about the situation one is beginning to move on while the other is realizing just how much they should be together.  The question keeps coming up, why do we not realize what we have until it's gone?  Both contestants are sweet people who genuinely love(d) each other (they met outside of the show) and it is heartbreaking to see them hurt.  But who's side do you take in this situtation?  The girl who was and is heartbroken who meets someone new and is trying to mend her broken heart or the guy who was scared and ended the relationship but is just as heartbroken and aching to have her back?  Ideally they would forgive each other and begin again both learning from their past mistakes, walking off into the sunset together, and never again taking their love for granted.

But lets be honest that happens what like never?  The precentage is probably in the negatives.  People don't easily forgive and never forget.  Past mistakes resurface in arguments and things are never quite the same again.  So can we make mistakes, we are all human and are going to make them, and still honestly live to love another day?

I'm begging, pleading, bartering, and praying that it's possible.  I'm honestly not sure I want to be a part of this game if there can't ever be a winner.  I'm a romantic to the core.  I believe in the kind of love that moves mountains and I have never even considered settling for less.  Problem is I'm there.  Mountains are moving, heavens are singing, hearts are a flutter, and souls have found their mates.  However it's not as easy as starring blissfully into each other's eyes or holding hands and skipping into the moon light (the image of him skipping just made me giggle out loud).  We've got life to deal with and it ain't easy.  We've tried about every route we can, believe me we've fought so hard for this love that we've both lost our voices.

So what is left to do?  I believe 100% in putting it in God's hands but there's no place to wait patiently.  We still have to live everyday with the pain and uncertainty.  I'm a living example that things work themselves out but we do have to make choices each day that help that happen.  Deciding to let someone go doesn't mean that you stop loving them.  Moving on doesn't mean you ever really got your heart back.  And once those souls have met, you sure ain't getting that thing back.  And who would actually want to? 

One quote that's stood up through it all...
"If love was a choice, who would ever choose such exquisite pain?"
~Anna and the King  

"Tonight I'll Say It"

Well I might as well tell you the story behind my blogs name...
A few weeks ago I couldn't sleep, the whole brain not stopping thing always causes problems with that, so I grabbed my laptop and just started writing.  "Tonight I'll Say It" was the result.  It's a pretty rough poem/declaration and probably could use a couple of edits but for being written at 2am it isn't so bad.  So enjoy and let me know what you think! 

Tonight I’ll say it.
I’ll tell you that I loved you the first moment our eyes met.  You’ll say you don’t believe it, just like you always do.  But I’ll still tell you that you changed me in that moment.  That you’ve had me since that day.  I’ll tell you that I’m yours.  That I always was.  And that I always will be.

Tonight I’ll say it.
I’ll tell you that I remember every day. You’ll say that can’t be true.  I’ll tell you that I remember every touch.  Every laugh.  Every way you changed my life.  I’ll say it only took a smile.  That you changed it with one word.  That your eyes inspired me.  That your presence made me complete.  I’ll tell you that you have my soul.  That you didn’t even have to steal it because I gave it up willingly.  That you were meant to have it.  That it was made to be in your hands.

Tonight I’ll say it.
I’ll tell you that I want to find a new word for love.  I’ll tell you that the word is used too much and that what I feel isn’t something that happens every day or even to everyone.  I’ll tell you that you deserve more than a word like that.  But since I have nothing else, I’ll tell you that I love you.  That I always will.  Forever.  I’ll tell you that even that doesn’t seem long enough.  You’ll say you love me too.  I’ll say I know.

Tonight I’ll say it.
I’ll tell you that I’m sorry.  You’ll say I don’t have to be.  But I’m telling you that I am.  Sorry for breaking such a beautiful gift.  Sorry for every moment I ruined.  Sorry for every moment you’ve ever hurt.  Tell you I would do anything to take that pain.  Tell you that I’d give anything to keep you from the ache.  I didn’t do my best.  I’ll tell you I failed.  Failed you.  Failed us.

Tonight I’ll say it.
I’ll tell you that you’re beautiful.  That your smile lights up my soul.  That your eyes make me melt.  That your hands are what lead me.  That your arms keep me safe.  That your voice is what makes my heart beat faster.  You’ll tell me I’m wrong.  You’ll try and say that you’re nothing special.  But I’ll tell you that there’s more to your beauty.  That your heart is so big.  That your soul saved my life.  I’ll tell you that you’re my hero.

Tonight I’ll say it.
I’ll tell you that I’ll never regret us.  That I’m glad it was you.  I’ll say that every day was a blessing.  I’ll say you were a gift.  A gift I didn’t deserve. You’ll say that you’re not.  But I’ll say that you were my best friend.  My favorite person in the world.  I’ll say you were wonderful.  That you got me through.  That you saved me.

Tonight I’ll say it.
I’ll tell you that this is the end.  The end of a beautiful journey.  I’ll say that I don’t want it be like this.  You’ll tell me that I’m being silly.  I’ll say that you know it’s the only way.  That maybe we aren’t supposed to be this lucky.  That maybe it’s not right for this world.  I’ll tell you I wish it was.  I’ll tell you I’d fight if there was a chance.  I’ll ask you for that chance.  You’ll say we can go on like this.  I’ll know that we can’t.

Tonight I’ll say it.
I’ll tell you this isn’t the first time I’ve said these words.  I’ve whispered them into your ear as you lay sleeping beside me.  Your only response was your breath softly warming my skin.  I’ve screamed them into the dark as you’ve walked away.  My pleas lost in the anger of those late nights.  I’ve let them tumble out along with the tears streaming down my cheeks.  But all was lost in those moments of salty defeat.  I’ll tell you that I’ve tried to think of another way.  I’ll tell you that I’m out of ideas.  That I’m out of strength.  That I’m out of my mind.  You’ll tell me that I am.

Tonight I’ll say it.
I’ll tell you that I’ll still think of you.  That I’ll whisper your name late at night.  That I’ll hope my words will sweeten your dreams.  Where ever you may be.  I’ll say that my prayers will always include you.  I’ll tell you that when I look at the stars my wish will always be for you.  I’ll tell you to keep my heart.  That every piece of it is yours.  I’ll tell you that my soul has always belonged to you.  That my smile will never be quite the same.  That my eyes will lose their luster.  That I was my best when I was yours.  You’ll tell me that’s not true.  But I’ll know that it is.

Tonight I’ll say it.
I’ll tell you that I believe Heaven has a place for us.  You’ll tell me Heaven doesn’t want you.  That you’re no good.  I’ll tell that you’re more than good.  That you’re the best there is.  And that I’ll be there waiting.  Waiting for you to bring my soul back to me.  Waiting for yours.

Tonight I’ll say it.

And tonight you’ll let me.

Hello World of the Bloggers!

I'm going to make this short and sweet. 

This is my first blog and I have no real inspiration for it or theme to follow.  I'm a wanna be writer with about a million different things going on in my life (not to mention my mind) at once.  I figured this would be a good way to let some of them out and maybe even help inspire some writing.  So for now I'm going to leave it at that and hopefully come back with something profound and amazing...or at least tolerable.  See ya soon!