Over the years I have had many nicknames and as I changed they have change- or maybe I just grew into different nicknames.
My dad called me Baby Doll because he thought I looked like a doll when I was a born.
As a kid my grandfather called me stretch or green-bean, because I was constantly growing and looked like someone took me and stretched me out.
In high school I would buy a corn muffin every single morning for breakfast so my friends called me Muffin Queen
In college my one of my BFFL/housemate Heather (fondly known as Eather) saw me across the green and called out for Hoolianne. This was because she had just watched Romeo and Juliet and the Maid called for Juliet across a field (and pronounced it Hoooliettt). And thus a legend was born.
When I hangout with my cousin in New York everyone calls me Connecticut because... Well because that's where I am from.
Throughout my life I can pinpoint traits that have remained constant, and traits that have changed. My dad's and my favorite story to recant is when I was two and had just mastered the art of walking. He used to joke that I went from crawling to running and skipped the walking around phase. He would take me to the mall where I would full on run around the mall as fast as my little legs would take me, and he could just walk next to me seeing as he was a tall grownup. He said that I would run, stop, look to at a widow that caught my eyes then keep running. My mom used to say it was a miracle that she didn't lose me because I would be standing next to her one second and bolting off the next second without another word. It wasn't that I would try and ditch her or anyone else - I am just curious and what I wanted to see might not be there later. She attempted to use a child leash to keep track of me but I got out of it so fast that it was useless. Honestly - not much has changed since then(except I am taller now and can talk about what I see). I am always running off somewhere to see something, those are the times when I am truly happy. Sometimes what I see are what people categorize as fantastic sights like the Grand Canyon or the canals of Venice, and sometimes they are things like a street light or the way a set of trees look like out my window. There are so many beautiful things to see in this world, sometimes it feels like people take for granted the natural beauty that is in their surroundings be it urban, suburban or rural.
There is so much to see and do, and I just want to do it all. Realistically, I know that I can't possibly do everything - but that will never stop me from trying. Every opportunity I find to do something new I try and take. This weekend I learned how to salsa and it was fantastic. This type of adventurism helped me to go to Vegas by myself where I made friends with a band from California, talked to a woman with a B.A who turned to stripping because she couldn't pay her bills, and hung out with a new set of people each night. I had a great time. I may not have a defined plan of where I want to be in 5 years(or even know what I am doing next month) but I know that I am going to meet good people and see amazing things where ever I am. I hit the ground running and never stopped.
