A Memoir by Lisa Vaughn


Lisa was conservatively raised in a Catholic family in no-where middle America, where excitement is scarce and dreams are for sleeping. Little did she know, at age thirteen, she would suddenly find herself on a totally different path.

Through an unlikely chance meeting of a fellow classmate, she's surprisingly mesmerized, almost consumed, to befriend a girl who is obviously from the other side of the tracks...the cool side. Lisa does whatever she has to just to be accepted into this small club of coolness. Little did she realize, she was signing up for a lot more than social status. The two best friends find themselves innocently taking their relationship to a foreign level neither had experienced or saw coming.

A rollercoaster ride littered with choices and challenges Lisa never fathomed facing, especially in no-where middle America. She will find out what she is made of as she faces the consequences and struggles that come along with going against the grain.

Throughout their six year relationship, you will witness a touching story of human nature at its best...and at its worst. Showing just how far the human spirit can be challenged and pushed to a point where your “fight or flight” instincts naturally kick in. Struggling just to survive in a world where you are not like everyone else, but at the same time you really are. The daily struggles - both internal and external - are exhausting, yet necessary in their quest for one simple human need....love.

Finally breaking through all constraints that hold them back, reaching levels of one-ness that few actually obtain in a lifetime with their partner...only to find once they've reached that special place, it's not quite the right fit...for one of them, at least.

This contemporary story, told in the voice of the teen that lived it, will lead the reader through highs and lows, giving insight to the everyday challenges of the socially unaccepted, which will no doubt leave them rooting for the underdog. A true story of human resilience and the power of love...plain and simple.

*Please be advised, this memoir is real, honest, and raw. If you're looking for your typical 'sterilized' read, I'm not your girl - but if you're looking for a read that is written from the heart, certain to impact you on a human level, follow me! Have I got a story for you!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Lucky Spoon/Burnt Plate~Memories of a Childhood Game..What?

Long before Nintendos, X-boxes, and i-whatevers, there was a period where imagination was your toy of choice, in fact, you had no choice, as that was really it in the toy department...remember those days? If you're a child of the seventies or before, you know exactly what I speak of - when a pile of bricks in the backyard magically 'became' a bat-mobile and tinker-toys ruled. 

This year a lot has changed in my life, as the passing of one generation (my parents) gives way to the next (mine).  I've had many private 'reflective' moments here recently, and one is so simple and so expressive of the times I speak of, I thought I would share it with you.
It's a game my sister and I played called 'Lucky Spoon/Burnt Plate'.

The rules of this game were simple, and only known between the two of us.  
In our cupboards housed two pieces of kitchenware that made up the game.  An odd-ball spoon that did not match the rest of the patterned cutlery, and a melmac plate that had a burned edge on it - probably absentmindedly left by the gas stove too long one day.  Each day at 3:30pm sharp our small family of four gathered around our round kitchen table for dinner, as my father worked the nightshift and this was our only opportunity for 'family' time. We each had assigned seating, with my sister and I facing each other, my parents on either side.  My mother would always set the table beforehand, as we listened to the clanking of dishes from upstairs in our bedroom, anxiously wondering if we would be a 'winner' or 'loser' that day.  Of course my mother was not privy to this game, as that would put a biased spin on it, which we didn't need.  When we heard her calling out 'Dinner's ready!' we'd race downstairs to check our standings...if your place setting included lucky spoon:You WIN! Burned plate:LOSER! Or worse, 'the combo' - lucky spoon AND burned plate..still a loser, as burned plate trumped everything, but more painful, as you HAD lucky spoon and could of won.  
I laugh now at the simplicity of this daily routine, but we really took this seriously, as if reading our horoscope or tea leaves to discover our fate for the rest of the day.
It truly was an era when you really used your mind to discover and develop unique creativity - merely through boredom, if nothing else.

While I was up north this past year helping out with my ailing father, I took the liberty of cleaning out some drawers - discarding useless items, and guess what I came across? There it was, tangled within a bunch of junk, but sitting pretty in the drawer after all these years...lucky spoon!  My heart skipped a beat, and a smile instantly came to me as I snatched up my long-lost friend - no way was this treasure going to the landfill, oh no!  It went straight into my suitcase to travel home with me, where I  envisioned it safe within MY cutlery drawer, living out the rest of it's life with ME.
And now, back with me where it belongs, I smile every time I reach in and pull it out  (randomly of course, as searching for it would be cheating). That silly spoon still holds the same magic for me today, somehow making me feel a little more 'lucky' the days I get to use it.
I only wish I could of saved 'burnt plate' too, but I think he met his fate long ago.  And really, of the two, I think I'd rather have lucky spoon, but don't tell burnt plate if you see him, as I don't want his bad karma on me ever again!

What were your kooky childhood games? 



THE highly sought-after 'lucky' spoon

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like a fun game.

    My brothers, sister and I made up a game with one roller skate, a football and the basketball net. Lots of injuries occurred during that game, but we loved playing it.

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