If I Must Go, I'm Going Out in Style

I recently gained myself three new fish to make Fernando less lonely, so I thought I should take time to honor one of my favorite pets, now lost to our family.

At least four years ago, we bought Papaya from "Bird is the Word", a hand-raised bird store in Batavia, Illinois. She was just a bunch of pink skin with some bitty, yellow, baby feathers, and I loved her right away.

Papaya quickly became a real member of the family. She's the best bird I've ever encountered, let alone had as a pet. She lived a few months in my bedrooms until she was finally allowed to live in the kitchen, and that's how Papi really joined the family. By the end of her life, I think she was more Hendricks than bird. She'd always rather sit on us, try desperately to have conversations with us, eat the same food as us, play with whatever our hands were using, and explore the things we liked.

She also learned her limits. Well, to an extent. She liked to give me kisses, nibbling my cheek or lip, and she liked "knocking" my cheek, too. With Mom, who I still think she liked best, she would chew on her hair and, as much as Mom hated it, her skin, sometimes, too. She tried to avoid Dad for the most part, but occasionally would land directly on his face or his head. I still haven't figured out why she ever thought that was a good idea. And Sami and she loved to play. Sami got as close as sniffing her multiple times; quite brave for our little Courage the Cowardly Dog.

But when it came to the things our hands were occupied with, Papi had no limits. No keyboard would go unchecked, no magazine page unchewed. If we had crackers in our right hand, she'd eat them. If you got a new, sanitary one for your left, she'd eat that, too. Cheerios in our bowl would be devoured. Anything that wasn't meat or spicy was free game as far as Papaya considered, and that honestly probably attributed to her shorter-than-average lifespan. Especially cheesy products. Of course, she also loved more natural foods, like house-plants and flowers. I'm not sure if she'd rather have a Dorito or a Daisy, but the choice would inevitably be a tough one.

And Papaya made the best noises. Unlike our previous budgies, that let us know they existed by screaming almost constantly, Papaya would only chirp happy gibberish. She also had the remarkable ability to "purr", particularly when she found an inanimate object she loved. Her favorite toy, the decorative plate above her cage, my dangly necklace from Forever21; she had quite the array of favorite things. She'd nuzzle them, chew on them, or just play with them and always purr in delight.

Sometimes, we would swear we could hear actual words amid her babble, and she did completely pick up on her favorite expression, "Pretty Bird" (and its many variations, such as "pretty pretty pretty birdy"), and "Papaya". She was getting fantastically close to "Merry Christmas" as well.

I read once that birds, especially budgies, will copy the squawking and words that their mates say to try and solidify their union and make sure they can find each other. I'm certain Papaya tried desperately to say English words because nothing would make her happier than to solidify her union with our family.

But I can't possibly forget her love of showers. My biggest regret of our years together was never filming her showers- I have a recording on my phone of her eating a peanut-butter sandwich, but never the America's Funniest Home Video (or at least Cute Overload) worthy practice of her using the sink faucet to bathe. She'd sit in our cupped hands, turning her head as to douse her entire neck, lay down to wash her belly, stretch her wings to dampen her feathers, and prance through like a duck. We always knew when she wanted one, because as soon as the faucet went on, she'd start squawking and as soon as it shut off, she'd go silent.

The day I walked by her unusually quiet cage to say hello and saw her on her back, I felt my blood run chill. I ran into one of my parents' arms and began to sob...I don't even remember who it was holding me. Papaya's death was the most unexpected pet death I've ever had. She was literally chirping, flying, and singing to her last day, just as cheerfully as she had been two years before. She never showed a feather of aging.

Mom helped me make the best casket for her imaginable, and she was laid to rest with her favorite toy in her feet and her ball alongside. Her pine box was decoupaged with all her favorite foods, people-toys, and flowers. I'm positive that, had she been alive to see her finished box, she would have nuzzled and purred to it, or maybe even tried to eat the food pictures, as she's prone to do. The idea made her burial much happier. Such an amazing bird didn't deserve a shoe-box, she deserved her own idea of a heaven on Earth.

I still miss her. But mostly, I'm just glad I got to raise her. And she is going to frelling love all the things to chew in heaven.

"Going out in Style" can be found by Kellie Pickler

It's May! That gorgeous Holiday (MHU)

It's another Monday, so more that means more MONDAY HOLIDAY UPDATES! (are you getting the boomy announcer voice in your head yet?)

Unfortunately (yes, I know you're all broken hearted), this is the fifth week of April, and Holiday Insights is just off enough to not have a holiday posted for this week. Shame, really!

And they're not improving their record with Today's holidays, either. I found out from a board of Graphic Designers I like to spy and read on that today is actually National Graphic Design Day! HOW AMAZING IS THAT?!? A holiday, just for my dream profession! And Holiday Insights didn't even mention it.I kind of even feel like I've been celebrating it well, as I've been working on my sister's wedding announcement and tweaking it closer to perfection. How apt.

I recommend you start preparing for Tuesday's holiday ASAP, as it is definitely up there on the list of romantic unpopular holidays. Tomorrow is both Great Poetry Reading Day as well as Kiss Your Mate Day. Awwww! So, gentlemen, make sure you read your lovely lady some poetry and then bestow upon her a kiss. Hopefully last Thursday was a good Take a Chance Day for those of the single sort so you can celebrate today. But remember! No kissing until you're married, and only for a few very chaste seconds! (says the girl who has neither been kissed nor knows anyone she'd actually want to)

Wednesday is looking absolutely lovely for me. Even if you don't have anyone to celebrate Tuesday with, I'm sure you'll LOVE celebrating Shrimp Scampi Day! You can go out to Keywester (that's like a delicious version of Red Lobster for all you floundering in confusion) for a plate of perfectly prepared shrimp, make your own (I've heard it's quite easy!), have California Pizza Kitchen's delicious (but oniony) Shrimp Scampi Pizza, or bum some scampi off a friend. But make sure you enjoy them!

And for those of you who don't love seafood quite so much...well...looks like more for the rest of us.

Thursday is a plethora of fun. First of all, it's National Honesty Day, which is AMAZING. Who WOULDN'T love a day of nothing but honesty? Sounds like the perfect day to spend some time in Washington.

Ironically, Thursday is also Hairstyle Appreciation Day, a lovely day to toss your tresses and get loved right back by the masses. Remember that your lady friends sometimes spend hours on their hair, and more and more gentlemen are taking their time as well, so if you see a good 'do, tell that lovely stranger or wonderful friend that ya think that thurr hair looks purdy!

Now, bear in mind that these two days should live in perfect cohabitation...so...keep Thumper in mind. If you can't say anything nice, don't say nothing at all.

Friday is exciting. It's the ~First day of May~ which means a lot of things! The most important being that now this schedule gets an intermission to hear this week's celebration!

The first week of May is Nurse's week, which is also apt for my foot condition. My foot is purple, guys. And the nurse called not fifteen minutes ago...she certainly deserves a week celebration! As do all the wonderful nurses! They get kind of short-handed with this whole "Friday and Saturday count as the first week" garbage, so make sure you make a big deal about it being Nurses' Week this weekend to make up for it.

Friday is actually host to five holidays, and they're ALL legit (I consider legit to be when Holiday Insights actually knows who made it, or if the President gave it his golden seal of approval). So buckle up, because you'd better be celebrating Astronomy Day, Mother Goose Day, Loyalty Day, and Save the Rhinoceros Day this May Day.

You can start the morning by promising your kids, friends, parents, and pets, and any small children you meet that you're going to celebrate ALL FIVE holidays. Before you go on your way to work, school, and other boring things, run around the maypole a few times with some shiny ribbon.

Then, when you get home, make sure you head out to the zoo and look at some Rhinos eat some hay. Make one of those plastic rhinos that cost about $5 and thusly donate to help replenish that hay you just watched buddy-boy eat.

When you get home that evening, find a small child and read them a Mother Goose Story. No Aesop's fables- just good ole' Mother Goose. I personally suggest "Puss in Boots"; it's my favorite. Not the Zorro-tastic Cat with Antonio Banderas' voice (though he's a favorite of mine, too), the story I read at Oma's house. I never get over how crafty that darn cat is!

Once you've charmed the small child, you and your buddies can head outside. It should be dark by now- if not, learn some patience and learn to spend more time at the zoo. You can watch the stars, ponder on your eternal nature, and look for some comets. Maybe even a floating Mufasa head or two. And if you find your sky is too polluted by lights, I suggest visiting a local Planetarium. Did you know Illinois only has twelve, one of which is at WVHS, just seven minutes away? Maybe THAT local is a bit hard for a lot of people, but I still suggest trying. I'll have you know that 2009 is also the International Year of Astronomy, so all the more reason to look for a planetarium.

Now it's about time to head to bed. Gather your kids, friends, parents, and pets, and that poor small child you frightened this morning. Tell them of your celebrations and rejoice! You were LOYAL on top of all of those amazing Friday/May Day activities. You kept your promise!

I know you're probably going to be burnt out from all that fun Friday, so Saturday is going to be quite welcome. Get your favorite newspaper (local or not) and sit down on a rug, because today is World Press Freedom Day. And Lumpy Rug Day. That first holiday kind of kicks the second one's trash (why would you want to celebrate a lumpy rug?), so I suggest making a point to read some fine journalism. Other than A Missalanius Life, as fine quality as my journalism is.

Sunday is Renewal Day, which reminds me of Easter. But it has nothing to do with Easter. However, since it is Sunday, I do suggest remembering the Renewal of life that He brought to us. You can also renew your nails, your hairdo, your pantries...whatever suits you for a mentally cleansing and renewing Sunday. And Papaya would eat me alive if I didn't mention it's also Bird Day, which was started by Animal Rights Activists who don't like caged birds. They should talk to my dad- he says the only place for Papi is her cage.

Now, I know this is already a long holiday post and you're all ready to hop up and give some graphic designers some appreciation, love, and money. Especially the seventeen-year-old, 5'3", high-school attending, crippled, aspiring graphic designers. But just one moment!

May is also---

Date Your Mate Month (This is something to keep in mind especially if Tuesday didn't go so well...or if it went really well)
National Barbecue Month (I think ours still has the cover on it)
National Bike Month (I guess that means I should pull it off the garage ceiling and see if I can still ride it after these past few years...the expression "just like riding a bike" has to mean something, right?)
National Blood Pressure Month (Woot.)
National Hamburger Month (Woot!)
National Photograph Month (This should make Moms everywhere happy. I mean that seriously if they're the one behind the camera, sarcastically if they're in front of it.)
National Recommitment Month (How wonderful for the First Sunday to be Renewal day!)
National Salad Month (It's Blood Pressure Month AND Hamburger month...I guess we need SOME kind of balance)
and Older Americans Month (I'll refrain from the jokes here, I guess. :P)

"The Lusty Month Of May" can be found in Camelot

Meet My Family

I know you're probably thinking I'd give you an EFY post right now, but that's going to take awhile.


Instead, I figured I'd show you all the letter I wrote to Celia, my foreign exchange student, yesterday afternoon. It always amuses me to hear other people describe me or my family, so I thought you all might enjoy it too.

To let you know, I put in the same pictures I sent Celia, but these are uncropped, and Sami lacks a photo. I figure y'all know what she looks like and I didn't want to have to write two entries just to suit Blogger's photolimits.

Without further ado- the Hendricks Family!
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Okay, so here’s my family-

This is my mom and dad. My dad, Robert Hendricks, is bishop for our ward, which is pretty much being a priest over a congregation for our church. Therefore, he’s very, very busy. When I get to see my dad, he’s a lot of fun. Very nice and always able to make you laugh, even if it isn’t on purpose. If he had free time, he would spend it golfing. He also loves to try and spend time with us, usually playing dominoes, Nintendo, or some other kind of game. My dad’s a great singer, too.

My mom, Susan Hendricks, already gave you her blog. My mom is a seminary teacher during the school year, which means she has to get up really early to teach a bunch of teenagers religion every morning before school. This year, I’m lucky enough to be in her class. My mom doesn’t have a job, but she’s always busy. In the summer, she’s usually working on seminary preparations, doing favors, cleaning, or other things. She’s very kind and also very fun and super easy to get along with.

This is my brother, Mark Hendricks, and his wife, Emily Hendricks. I would be absolutely shocked if you met them while you’re here, but they’re part of the family, too. Mark and Em live in Logan, Utah where Mark attends college. He’s working his way up to being a pilot…it’s a very expensive job. Emily works as a medical assistant and they both have a job as “house parents” for some men, which is pretty complicated to explain. Emily used to live on a farm, so she’s pretty rough, but in a fun, charming, Disney Princess sort of way. Mark is kind of weird, but he’s my brother so I have to say that. He’s very talented and sweet. Mark and Em have been married for a little over a year.

This is my sister, Emily Hendricks. No, I’m not talking about Mark’s wife…I really have both a sister and sister-in-law named Emily Hendricks. This Emily also lives in Utah, but in Provo, where she attends a different college majoring as a Vocal Performance Major. As you can probably imagine, that means she sings simply amazingly. She’s really fun, but you probably won’t meet her either. She does call home more often than Mark and Em though. Emily is an absolute sweet heart, and I’d be very flattered if someone said I remind them of her.


Then there’s me…I don’t really know how to describe myself. I’m a junior next year in school, and I spend a lot of time drawing, writing, or going out with friends. It would probably have been more beneficial to introduce you to my friends than my siblings, but oh well. Um…I’m pretty nice, I guess. And funny…like my dad, not always on purpose, but my friends tell me I’m funny a lot, so yay. If I had a steadier job (I babysit mostly…very unstable money, but very good money!) I’d like shopping more than I do, but it’s something I really enjoy to do with my friends. We also like to go to the pool (when its not too miserably hot) and movies…we’ll do anything if we can talk whilst doing it! (By the way, I’m preparing for a musical in this picture)


I decided I’ll tell you about our pets, since they’re part of our family too. This is Sami, our little old lady dog. She’s eleven years old and starting to show her age, but for the most part she’s as crazy and energetic (and skittish) as she ever was. Sami’s breed is called “Papillion”, but I don’t know what you would call that in France. Here, we don’t have any issues with getting her confused with butterflies. Basically, she looks like a Chihuahua with long hair. She’s very friendly once she knows you, but at first she just begs for attention and then proceeds to run away from anyone who dares touch her.

This is my sweet bird, Papaya. She’s a budgie, but we just call her a parakeet. She’s got quite a personality and loves attention. She’s very smart and knows how to say “Pretty Bird” and “Papaya”. It’s always amusing when she says what sounds like “Papaya is a Pretty Bird” or “You’re a pretty bird” or even a “pretty, pretty, pretty bird”. She also loves to take showers and baths in our sink and try and steal our food if she’s out when we’re eating.

That’s basically my family. I’m so excited for you to come and meet all of us, and I’m absolutely ecstatic to meet you!
It was surprisingly hard to find pictures for you…most of my best individual pictures are on my phone, including of the pets. Not sure how that happened…you’d think a camera would take better pictures than a phone.