Free Spirit

Free Spirit

They can't chain my Spirit! My Spirit runs free! Walls can't contain it! Laws can't restrain it! Authority has no power over it!

--Bill Watterson (author of Calvin and Hobbs)

I love these pictures and quote of my very unique daughter, Markelle. Last night she came into the living room where I was reading "Eclipse" (I finally succombed to the "Twilight Mania") in her latest get-up: white pants, white tee-shirt w/mock tie and lapel screen-printed on, white oxford shirt over that, dark black long mangy wig, punked out with a white bandana. She was modelling this for me, as it was to be her costume for a upcoming play (A Midsummer's Night Dream) when she remembered that she left something out in her car that she needed. She donned on a pair of fuzzy pink slippers and went out to get it, and when she came back in, she was chuckling to herself. She proceeded to say, "Our neighbors cannot figure me out. They are constantly seeing me in the weirdest get-ups (very true)." I guess our across-the-street neighbor, Heath, had just arrived home as Markelle was walking out to the car, and he just looked over at her in amazement. All of my girls have an offish sense of humor, which I love, but Markelle is very comfortable to take it to a whole new level. During her first year of high school, she began dressing to celebrate different holidays. It got to be so common and expected that the yearbook teacher would send his photographers out to find Markelle on the days there was a holiday to see what crazy outfit she had on. When Woods Cross played the cross town rival, she talked a group of her friends to dress up, and they went above and beyond outrageous. Recently, Steve and I had to jump start Markelle's car. When we opened up the trunk, it was stuffed full of her props and outfits for any occasion. We just shook our heads, rolled our eyes up heavenward and said to ourselves, "That Markelle!"