Girly Girls And Tea Parties!

I wasn't always a girly girl. My earliest memories of playing with my friends was in Colorado. Our house sat on a gravel road, had a huge lot, front and back, and a lane of cherry trees. It became the popular place to play, not because I was so delightful, but because of space and cherries. You see our favorite game back then was cowboys. We had a lot of space to run, and hide out, and we had good guys (white hats, and bad guys (black hats). We had Bank robberies, and stagecoaches with our wagons, and we had cap guns, and vests, and boots. As a bully girl of five, it was my house, my rules, my way! I honestly would not have wanted to be my friend.

Luckily as I got older and we moved to Sioux city, I stopped being a bully, and had good friends I enjoyed. My play time switched to dressing up in Mother's old clothes, having favorite dolls, and endless tea parties. I spent hours dressing my dolls, combing their hair, and yes, I occasionally cut their hair. I read Nancy Drew mysteries, and it was the best of two worlds. It is possible to be girly, and still self sufficient, and adventurous. As a teen, I loved clothes, jewelry, shoes, and pink. On the other hand, I loved learning about cars. My Daddy always worked on his own cars. My favorite times were to sit on the driveway and watch, but the best was when I crawled under the car with him and he explained what he was doing. Under the hood was a world of engines, and things to make a car run. As I hung over the front to see under the hood, Daddy told me what everything was, and how it worked. 

I still love cars, especially old ones, and especially ones with loud mufflers! I was not very good, but I have shot guns, learned how to shoot with a bow and arrows, and I have sat in a duck blind. So I guess I am still a mixture of girly girl and tomboy!  Most of the time I am still all girl, and still love pink, tea parties, and ballet. Several years ago, my husband John and I were blessed to go to California to meet two of my sisters for the first time. I found my birth family and had met my siblings except for the ones in California. It coincided with my sister Carol's 50th Anniversary. Since my husband is a pastor they wanted to meet us, but also have him renew their wedding vows.  While we were there, our great niece who lived accross the street from my sister, planned the ultimate Tea Party for my sisters and me.

She figured we never got to do that together growing up.

Talk about a girly girl rush of pure joy! Several days before, she had her son, dressed as a Dickens character, hand deliver the invitations. They were scrolls with script,rolled up and ties with fancy ribbon, and a tea nag attached. The day of the party, we followed a path of Rose petals up her sidewalk. Her home is filled with antiques, and Victorian accents. She had rearrange it, so we had the round table by the window, a sideboard loaded with good things to eat, and small white lights and candles everywhere.  The table was set with lace, delicate tea cups, and our names framed in small gold frames. We got to dress up with hats, boas, shawls, and gloves. We were waited on, and were treated to scones, chicken salad, and little tea cakes. It was a delight for any little girl, or any older girl. We shared our lives, pictures, and were in our own world for hours. At the end we each received a Victorian doll, our tea cup, and our hats.  It was the best tea party ever, and a special bonding with my sisters.

It doesn't matter if I prefer girly to tomboy. What matters most is that God gave me the ability to enjoy a little of each. God made me exactly the way He wanted, and I am grateful that I can enjoy getting my hands dirty, drink tea out of a china cup, enjoy a car race, or go to the Ballet. I like having a foot in each world, and being able to adapt to the moment. I don't fish, but I enjoy sitting in the places fish are caught. God has blessed me with a girly girl heart, a tomboy attitude, and many tea party moments that make me glad to be exactly who I am!