My name is Katie Hendricks McCranie....
I do not understand some people's thinking. I do not
understand how some people can just believe in something JUST because their
parents, family, or friends told them that they should.
First, there are some things about me you should probably
take into consideration.
From the very first moment I can remember, my parents have
always been deeply in love. I love the love my parents share for one
another…they have never had a single fight in their 44+ years of marriage…and
they’ll testify to that.
My dad was in the Army for 20 years...and he did some pretty cool things; the kind you only see in movies.... After his retirement in
1990, he became the 911 coordinator for Pickens County, SC. He is the reason we
have 911 here. He then went on to filling the role of County Administrator. My mom was an English/French teacher for 35 years until she retired.
I love the smell of Autumn and wet leaves…I love the first
frost on Winter…leaving your comfortable 70° home in the morning to
feel the icy chill paint your face with bitter cold air…I love brie cheese and
a crusty sour dough roll…cold butter on hot bread…I love going to a restaurant
that understands why you prefer your salad on a cold plate and not a plate
that’s piping hot from the dishwasher. I love the freedom I feel by not being
bound to some silly social norm…
I have an older sister whose actions while a teenager
changed my life forever. (That is another story...)
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| That's me...looking at YOU! |
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| Our House~~Huyn van Rodenbroeckstraat, 6413 Heerlen, Limburg, The Netherlands |
I grew up attending a NATO air force base American school in
Geilenkirchen Germany. While attending school there, I learned German. Thanks
Frau Frankenberg. We lived in Heerlen, Netherlands, a 40-minute drive to
Geilenkirchen for school. While I played with the neighborhood kids, I learned
to speak Dutch. My first word, taught by a boy who would bite the top of his
hand when he got mad, was "kijk" (cake-uh)...Means "look!"
NOTHING was censored when we lived there. When family members came over from
Six Mile, SC…they found Naked Ballet very interesting! There was a late-night
movie review show called, "The Fuck Off Show", where the host would
either say "fuck yeah!" or "Fuck OFF" to movies he had
seen. On Dutch TV, the only English speaking shows were seen 6 months later
than shown in the United States. When JR. Ewing was shot...we didn't know about
it for 6 WHOLE MONTHS!! Falcon Crest, Airwolf, Knight Rider and The Dukes of
Hazard were the only shows. When I watched Dutch TV, they always had subtitles
in English on. That was another way I learned to speak Dutch.
We moved to South
Carolina in 1986, I started the 5th grade at Liberty Middle School. Attending school in America was quite a change. Things were
NOT talked about, as they should be. I remember I wrote a poem about a dead
dog, and was quickly counseled on how it was not appropriate. Really??
Discussing the loss of a pet is "not appropriate"?? WHOA!!.... I
remember a classmate of mine; I will use her first name only, Jennifer, came up
to me and said, "My parents are getting a 'divorce'!" My response and
the shape of her face is something I will never forget; "What kind of car
is that?"....Yeah, I had NO CLUE what divorce was, BUT I watched the
"Fuck Off Show"!! Neat, huh? I felt like my 5th grade year was sort
of like an interview that lasted 180 days.
I also learned how
friendships would follow you the rest of your life. EXAMPLE: Overseas, I had a
multicultural-mixed-bag of friends...all colors and shapes... As kids, we never
called each other racial names...it never occurred to us that this should even
be an issue. When I came here, one of my very first friends was Daryl and his
cousin, Naomi. Thomas soon followed. I remember being called names by my other
classmates because I was friends with them, that I didn't understand..."Nigger-Lover"
and "Fag-Protector" were a few. I actually had to ask my parents
about the "N" word...Never knew about it until then.
Ok, let’s move on.....this all boils down, I guess, to some
of the Facebook posts I read. Take into consideration that I have never judged
anyone for anything that they believe is true...I have only questioned it. I
have a scientific brain....I think I am smart, never knew I was smart...until I
had my daughters.
I am a learning junkie ...I have been attending college since 1995...I am currently studying Criminal Justice and love the law... I also run 2 blogs...this one and one about my grandpa's journey through the southern textile industry...You can see it here...Linthead Tales ~ A Forgotten Era
When I was pregnant with my first daughter, Barrett, I
thought long and hard about what kind of an adult I would like her to be. The
thing that stuck in my brain was; AN INDIVIDUAL. Happy, respectful, kind, sweet
and just an all-round good person. That's not asking TOO much ...is it?
My family's background is Jewish. We were never pressured
into this...never asked to "practice" it...Just respect it. Since my
children had both Jewish and Baptist backgrounds, I wanted them to be old
enough to make a choice, if any, when they were older and could understand BOTH
sides...or ALL sides...or none at all. I never PUSHED anything, other than
respect for other humans and animals alike. I see how religion, throughout
history, has been used as a weapon.
Brainwashed
too much? If my daughters, either one of them, came to me and told me that they
are homosexual...should I turn my back? NO...as long as they aren't hurting
anyone else...LIVE my daughters, LIVE! The religious ones...think about how you
would react if it were YOUR child.... would you judge?? Turn your back?? Or
love them just the same? I would opt for "love them just the same".
If they came to me tomorrow and wanted to worship Q-Tips...ok. If they wanted
to discard everything people have "believed in" and find their own
way...ok.
I dislike shaking hands due to my OCD. I look funny naked
and have a deeper voice than most females….My daughters have inherited this
trait thanks to DNA…. I find it comical that the most vicious mouthed people in
school are now SUPER JESUS-ee…They speak about how gay people shouldn’t get
married but are too blind to see that their own child is unable to tell them
that they’re gay…almost bursting at their seams in fear of how their parents
would react..I dislike it that people don’t comment on a status that they
hate….for fear of a healthy debate… I love it when people comment with
wishy-washy opinions instead of just saying the 1st thing your
sheepish mind said to you ...I love being friends with people for
years and have never met them…I look weird naked...I love my husband because he
doesn’t give a shit about that….the fact that he looks great naked trumps that!
I dislike family gatherings because I know that it’s all an act…My Aunt Nan (
my dad’s sister) is the matriarch of our entire family…she is the glue that
holds us all together….when she dies…we will all scatter in the winds of life…and
go months or years without seeing one another… I say a lot of things that
offend people or rub them the wrong way….little do they know how twisted my
words were before I censored them
For the past 23 years, I have been a "chaser"....I can find anyone that tries to hide...I am a Repo-Chick and I hunt humans for fun and sport....If you need me to find out information...I would be the person you'd call....
I could go on for days on this...but I won't. I will lay my
head upon my pillow and sleep like a bear, knowing that I have given my
children OPTIONS in their lives. I love them very much, enough to allow them to
grow, learn and think for themselves. Just remember, be yourself...whatever
that may be. =) I hope this lets you have a better view of who I am or who you thought I was....
