Rest in Peace Grandma

Paula Ann Clark

Des Moines

Paula, 62, passed away December 27, 2011 at Iowa Methodist Medical Center after a lengthly illness. Born in Ottumwa she had lived most of her life in Des Moines. Until 2009 Paula had worked for TMC Trucking in Des Moines. Preceding her in death are her parents Paul and Gloria Harris. Surviving is her husband of 46 years Bud Clark; daughters, Gloria Clark (Chuck), Shannette Williams (Tim), Carrmann Uhl (James), Toni Lopez-Santos (Antonio), Danielle Clark (Nathan), and Brenda White (Doug); 20 grandchildren, three great- grandchildren; brother Tony Harris (Kristin); two sisters Candy Avila (Daniel) and Angel Lisk (Matt). Funeral services will be held Saturday December 31, 2011 at Faith Independent Assembly of God Church located at SW 14th and Payton Ave. in Des Moines. Paulas' body will lie in state from 5 to7 p.m. Friday at Peterson funeral home in Carlisle. Burial will follow in Elm Grove Cemetery in Des Moines. Memorials may be made to the family of Paula.

My mom's mother passed away 2 days after Christmas. I have many cherished memories of my grandma.

The one that really sticks out in my mind was in the summer of 2010. Grandma and Grandpa had a membership to a campground and spent most of the summer in the camper. I came out to my parents in August of 2009, by Christmas that year only one of my aunts knew. In February of 2010 I started dating J and after that everyone else knew too. I had heard from one of my aunts that my grandma was not happy that I'm a lesbian. She believed that homosexuality is a sin. I was upset but at that time she and I weren't particularly close. That summer I was visiting Grandma, Grandpa, two of my aunts and several of my cousins at the campground. I was talking about my fairly recent break-up with J and after that conversation Grandma realized that my relationship with J was just like any other relationship. We broke up for similar reasons that any young couple would break-up over and it still hurt the same. That day she told me that I changed her view of the gay community and that she loved and accepted me because I was her grand-daughter and she loved me. When anyone asked her about me she told them that I was happy and that's all that matters. If anyone said anything about me, she defended me. On LGBT spirit day in October 2010 she wore her purple flannel.

She always wore a flannel shirt with pockets on the front. Even in her casket she was wearing a purple flannel and had her tube of chap-stick and bottle of "nitros" in her pocket. Grandma had heart problems. When I was little she had a quintuple bypass surgery. More recently she had kidney problems. She was on dialysis a few days a week. Within this past year her kidneys completely shutdown and she was on dialysis seven days a week and had the equipment for home dialysis. I'm going to miss her but I know she isn't sick anymore. The hospital visits and the suffering are over.

Hurt and betrayed

Nikki, the girl I like, admitted to me tonight that she likes me but she chose Aaron because he's the safe choice.
She asked me why I was so distant and seemed upset that she is with Aaron. This was my response: "I'm glad that you're happy. I'm not upset that you're with him. I'm not jealous either. I'm hurt. You flirted with me. You cuddled with me. We talked all the time. We told each other some pretty personal stuff. You slept next to me on the couch. There's pictures of us from the cast party. Before you said that you like Aaron everyone thought you liked me. What was I supposed to think?"


Her response: I'm very sorry Taylor. I didn't mean to lead you on. And I do like you. I just didn't think it would be fair to you that I couldn't tell my parents about you if anything happened between us. I thought you deserved better than to be someone's secret."
Then why didn't you just say that?!?!?!?!?! I told her about Jessi for a reason. I let her know that I had been hurt in the past hoping that she would try not to hurt me. I wish she would have been honest with me. Families who don't approve of homosexuality come with the territory. I have dealt with it before. I would have understood why nothing could happen between us. Being a secret is a deal breaker for me. I won't do that again. Instead of being honest with me, she decided to continue to lead me on because she didn't know how to tell me that her family doesn't approve.
By trying to protect me, she ended up hurting me. I told her about my past with dating. My heart got broken by the girl I was falling in love with and every time I get close to girlfriend potential it's ripped away from me. I'm an upfront and honest person. I try to be that way so that the girls I am interested in will feel more comfortable with being upfront and honest with me. If you're not into me I would rather find out sooner than later. If you are into me but our relationship would have to be a secret, I would rather find out sooner than later.
Frustrated and pissed off doesn't even begin to cover what I am feeling right now. Knowing a girl is into you but she chose the guy because he is the safe choice is honestly one of the most hurtful situations I have been in. Jessi telling me she didn't really love me, she only said it because I was upset at the time is the only time that I felt more hurt and betrayed than I am feeling right now.

Reassessment

Some things have happened in my life that are helping me reassess where I'm at and where I want to be.
Ever since I transferred to Simpson College I don't feel like I belong when I'm with my friends from Dmacc. They're immature, petty, and all around people that I don't really want to be friends with.
Example: Lance verbally attacked me. I thought he was my friend. No one stood up for me. I thought a few of them were my friends but apparently I was wrong. I was accused of trying to go behind a good friend's back and ruin his love life.
Well, he got the girl so I guess my opinion really didn't matter. It shouldn't!! I know that Nikki and Aaron's relationship is none of my business. I did have an opinion and I let it be known. That doesn't mean that I was trying to ruin Aaron's love life. I want him to be happy, I want him to have a girlfriend. I've offered to go out with him to meet girls. I don't understand why my "friends" think that I'm trying to steal Nikki from him. I just don't think that they are right for each other. I know Aaron very well and he's not the kind of guy that Nikki needs. I'm also not saying that I would be a good option either. Honestly, you guys should know me well enough by now to know that I'm blunt and I tell it like it is. Nikki has low self-esteem issues. Remember what happened the last time I dated a girl with low self-esteem issues? My ass got dumped. I don't even touch that anymore.
Yeah, I liked Nikki but I don't know her well enough to know if I had real feelings for her or if I liked her because we have so much in common. Yes, I'm speaking in the past tense now. I can do better. I don't deserve to be in a relationship full of insecurity. If a girl isn't confident in herself is she going to be confident anywhere else in her life? If you can't love yourself then how do you expect someone else to love you.
Last Thursday we had a Thanksgiving get together. I'm still friends with some people in the group. It's just a few people and my so-called best friend of whom I am no longer a fan. All of us were in the basement of Aaron's place and it occurred to me that I am on a completely different level. I don't fit with them anymore. Alex and I used to be inseparable. Now we sit across the room from each other and if we do speak our words are laced with sarcasm and it's almost like we loathe the presence of the other. I have lost track of all of the things that drive her nuts. It's easier to make a list of things that don't. She's a really angry and negative person. I'm generally not.
I'm at the point where I'm still meeting people at Simpson but I don't fit in with my friends from Dmacc anymore. I'm kinda in between right now. I do have a few good friends at school and I know that if I have trouble adjusting I can go to one of them or I can go to one of my teachers. The faculty at Simpson are wonderful.
I'm maturing and wanting to get away from the pettiness and the drama. I'm finding out who my real friends are. I welcome the growth and the change. Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones (A Des Moines, Iowa native) tweeted me this piece of advice "Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely." I'm choosing to grow. If that means that certain people don't fit in my life anymore then so be it. I don't need them holding me back.

This seriously happened.

No these picture are not from Failbook or Lamebook or any other site that posts funny Facebook statuses. This happened on my Facebook page.






In essence on of my "friends" took what I said way out of context and made an ass out of himself to my own amusement.

My Wish?

I like this girl, N.

N has a crush on a friend of mine who is ten years older and very much taken.

I want to tell N that I like her but I'm afraid that what we have could change. We have so much in common, our outlooks on life are very similar, we have a lot of the same interests and we just seem to get each other. We haven't known each other very long but from Day One we clicked. We are very similar in ways that I thought I was one of a kind. But at the same time we are very different people. We have a lot of common interests but we also have interests that the other doesn't have. Our conversations are never boring.

I feel like I'm stuck. I really like the friendship that we have but I want more.

She likes M. M is ten years older than us and very much taken. N realizes that it will never work with M but she still pines for her anyway.

I flirt with her just to see how she reacts but I'm a naturally flirty person so I'm not sure if she knows that I'm flirting with her. She's the same way. She seems to flirt back but I can't tell if it's flirting or just her being herself.

She sent me a text this morning that reads: "I like how quickly you and I clicked. It's almost like one of us wished for the other and the wish came true, and yes I realize how corny that sounded lol" I woke up to this text. Nothing prompted it unless she was reading past messages or thinking about the conversations that we've had. How am I supposed to react to that? "I've been wishing for the last year and a half for someone like you to come along" It's a little presumptuous if you ask me. I don't want to freak her out. She already has a guy who follows her around and acts like they are just "best friends" even though it's obvious he likes her. She likes girls so he doesn't really have a chance.

She did tell me that before we really knew who the other was, she was listening to me talking to M and watching how I interacted with everyone else around us. I know something is there. I just need her to see it too.

College Excitement

I have survived 2 weeks of classes at Simpson College and I LOVE IT!!!!
I'm making friends in my classes. I have a huge crush on one L.C. She is the most peculiar girl I have ever met and even her name sounds cool. I'm not quite sure what to think of her yet. We are partners for the History of Molecules project that we were assigned on the first day of Organic Chem. We drew molecule names out of a box and L and I happened to draw the same one. She is captivating. I think she'd make a pretty cool friend. We have a break between classes at the same time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Friday she invited me to hang out with her during our break :D
So far I like all of my classes. I have a bigger work load than I thought I would but it's nothing that a little time management can't handle. I cut down my work hours. I've found that working more than 8 hours a week just doesn't work for me. I wish I could afford to live on campus. However, with home being only 20 minutes away I think I would be tempted to sleep at home in my own bed way too often. I wouldn't be able to handle roommates. Upperclassmen dorms and apartments on campus have more than two girls in each unit. The dorms have 2 quads with 4 girls each sharing one bathroom and the apartments are 2 bedrooms with 4 girls and one bathroom. I can't stand sharing a bathroom with my brother at home. I get my own room at home and I don't have to worry about anyone coming and going while I'm trying to sleep or someone snoring and keeping me awake all night. Oh, and paying for gas in my car is way cheaper than paying room & board and paying for a meal plan. I think I made a smart decision by staying home. I also learned that I can put money on my account at the dining hall so all I have to do is swipe my ID card to buy food instead of carrying cash all the time. That is awesome!! I'm there all day on Thursdays so it will be nice to be able to get lunch and stay on campus. There are plenty of places that are very near campus but I think the dining hall might be the cheaper option.
I am loving Simpson way more than DMACC. I see my Biology professor 4 times a week in class but I see her almost twice as much outside of class. I practically live in the science building so when I'm in there I usually run into her. I also like that the faculty interacts with students outside of class and office hours. At DMACC you had to make an appointment, hope they were in their office or make sure you asked questions in class. Never have I had a professor approach me while I was studying and ask me if I had any questions or needed any help. I definitely made a great choice to continue my education at Simpson.

AWESOME NEWS ABOUT MY CAR!!!

My mom talked to the guy who is fixing it for me and it should be fixed by Monday or Tuesday. He got all the parts, and he's painting it for me for $700. I am so excited to get my car back! I miss it so much. The car I'm driving is nicer than mine but I don't like the way it handles and it just isn't comfortable to drive. I want my car.

Summer Recap

I haven't posted since June and I sincerely apologize. My first day of classes at Simpson College is tomorrow so I thought now would be a good time to post a recap of what I did this summer.

June/July was filled with play rehearsals, work and parties.
Rehearsals for Bland Mary and Daisy began May 28th and we ended our run at the Civic Center on July 23rd.

DAISY is a delightful piece about a child’s first social dilemma:
choosing the perfect birthday gift for a friend. The play is not without
reflection, as the gift from this very ordinary child must bring acceptance into the social elite. Provides insight into the social hierarchy of children and the necessity of owning a “Gucci” bag at the age of twelve. Daisy was written by a 10 year-old girl.
I think the casting for this play was ridiculous. This isn't coming from jealousy but I think I should have been Daisy and Alex should have been Bob Yamaguchi. She had the Eastern Asian accent in the auditions and did it way better than any of us. I wouldn't ever say this to her face but I think she was horrible as Daisy. She wasn't interesting to watch or listen to. Her voice did not fit the part at all.

The cast of Daisy with our 17 year old director.

Me as Bob Yamaguchi. He loves his bonsai trees.
BLAND MARY is a comedy which examines how the modern world and its relentless stimulation has dulled our senses; our ability to listen, see, and even taste. Central to the play is Mary, a typical teen-ager, thoroughly immersed in a world of technology. With her companion lap-top, Ipod, and texting, she has become blind to the world around her.

I was the television thief. No one noticed that the tv was gone until scene 3. I stole it in scene 1, right under the nose of a blind man.

One day we decided to have a parade with all of us dressed up in wacky costumes. This is what our 'parade' turned into.

Chain Gang



All of August I have been working like crazy to save up money. Hanging out with my friends pretty much every weekend.

Le Boi Bar for my friend Kollan's birthday!

One of very few pictures of me at a party in Ames.

The Huff Theatre group at the Fourth Street Theatre for The Andy Hartley Show!

And a week before classes start I got caught in a traffic jam on the interstate and this is what happened to my car. I'm completely fine. The only damage was to my car. I hit a truck with a trailer hitch so that's why it looks so bad. There was construction that no one knew about. Stupid people were stopping traffic to merge into one lane. Each time we started moving again we got going a little faster. While I was checking my clock and my mirrors traffic must have stopped again because the truck in front of me was way too close. I slammed on my brakes and turned my wheels to try to drive onto the shoulder. I didn't have enough room and I ended up hitting the truck. I'm borrowing my grandpa's car to drive to work and school. I have no social life until my car is fixed or if one of my brothers lets me drive his car. Actually the no car thing has gotten me out of some stuff that I didn't really want to do but I was too nice to say no. At least something good is coming out of this situation.