Halloween checklist

1. trick-or-treat. Took candy to neighbors.
   
2. watch Today Show costumes. Some of my favorites! Matt's was hilarious.
3. Read Eclipse. Of course! Perfect time of year to read that story.
   
4. dress up. Halfway. Pink wig. Fun makeup.
5. hang with friends. Best part of taking the candy to neighbors.
6. watch scary movie. 28 Weeks Later. The walk home was freaky tonight because of it. I HATE scary movies!
   
7. no nightmares from said scary movie. That remains to be seen....
   

I posted yesterday

...but I deleted it this morning. I really had nothing of consequence to say. Just that I watched Mansfield Park and 50 First Dates yesterday. I was in an unusual "romantic movie" mood. It was the first time I had seen Mansfield and I LOVED it. But then again, Jane Austen is just perfect for any occasion.
So today, I was hoping for some kind of inspiration to write something interesting. And....i have nothing. So here's the boring facts of my life at the moment:

I'm super excited for Halloween tomorrow. We ride around the neighborhood on Camp's Ranger and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters. We are too far back down the road to have anyone come to us. We get to see lots of our summer campers dressed up walking around with their mom's and dad's. Our neighborhood is really cute on Halloween too. Lots of people decorate their front yards and sit out on their front porches to watch and hand out candy. We've been doing our tradition since I moved here. It's my favorite holiday here.

I had inspiration yesterday and worked on my art journal for a long time. So fun. Love looking back over what I've made.

Fell in love with this picture today. She is one of my photography heroes. And you have to see how young she is and her other cool talents too. If only I had a 10th of the talent she does. I'm totally jealous.

Took another bike ride today and listened to the Garden State Soundtrack on my Zune. I've never listened to music on walks or rides cause I usually go with someone else. It was wonderful. And this time I wasn't as exhausted.

I looked through my Hawaii photo album. I went there a couple years ago and fell in love with it. Sometimes I watch 50 First Dates or Blue Crush just to see it. I want to go back SO badly! It truly is paradise and you can't understand it until you've been there.

I didn't read my book for 1 whole day. But I broke down today. I finished #2 in just 3 1/2 days. They are delightfully dark and addicting.

I am NOT loving Heroes this season. In fact, I'm bored. Anyone else? Isn't it January yet? I miss Jack Bauer.

I love these veggie burgers. They are yummy.

And that is my life. No wonder I didn't post yesterday. And I can't believe you are still reading......

The past 2 days

1. The sun finally broke through in a glorious day yesterday. Breathtaking sunset.
   
2. Took lots of pictures.
3. Fell in love with this music (good gracious, I love violins in movie soundtracks. It makes my breath catch in my throat is a quiet gasp.) and this scene from an otherwise very long movie (the end shot of "Will"...he's dashing, isn't he? And I'm not usually an Orlando fan.)
4. Worked. and worked again.
   
5. Finished this...and already started this after buying it today at Sam's. I'm a reading machine. I also think that my Edward looks like him....

but has his voice. And my Alice would be her. And I agree that Esme could be her.
6. Went on a bike ride and could barely finish. I am just exhausted today.
7. Had the scariest nightmare I've had in years. Totally freaked me out and had me awake in the middle of the night for a while. Thankfully, I can't remember what it was about.
8. Watched FNL, of course. Yeah, for no more Swede!
9. Sang some great praise and worship at church this morning.
10. Wore a jacket and was still cold. Sniff, sniff. Fall is here with a vengeance.
11. Found out I may get to do a "trash the dress" session with a friend. soooo excited!

Words of Wisdom

"May all of your expectations be frustrated. May all of your plans be thwarted. May all of your desires be withered into nothingness, that you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child and sing and dance in the love of God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit."
(given to Henri Nouwen by his spiritual mentor)

One of my favorite quotes. It was given to me by a friend a long time ago. She wrote it on the envelope for a card she sent me. It's now on the wall next to my alarm clock. Every once in a while, it still gets me, and lately it has been speaking to me again.
Can we truly know God and see Him when everything is perfect? I'm sure we can. But sometimes it's much easier to do when the world has crumbled down around us. When I realize I have nothing is when I see that He is everything. Learning through the tough times is never easy, but I won't forget the lesson anytime soon either.


On another note, I realize that I've posted a lot about TV lately. Are you sick of it yet? I wouldn't mention "the idiot box" (as my mom used to call it when I was young. I was obsessed with it even back then!) tonight, except it's Friday Night, and we all know what that means. Or should I say we all know where I'll be from 9-10pm tonight....I'm OCD, I know.

tonight on NBC

It's back. Finally. So excited for my weekly laugh attack. I can't believe it's the last season. What will I do without my weekly Zach fix? And a world without Dr. Cox, Elliot, Turk and Carla, Ted, and Dr. Kelso? Say it isn't so!

Oooo....

It's positively delightful. I bought the first book in the trilogy a week ago today. I finished it this morning cause I just haven't been able to put it down. My hour long flights this weekend just weren't long enough. I've been reading, reading, reading.
I debated whether or not to buy the second one while I was out running errands today. Then I couldn't find it anywhere - Borders (sold out), Sam's Club (nope), library (out again). Finally, I was frantic and went to what should have been my first stop. The black hole . It has rained all day here (no big deal to you, maybe, but we haven't had a rainy day in months), so I figured that it was okay to spend the afternoon curled up with a book. So perfectly wonderful. Everyone needs one rainy, book-readin' day, right?! And this one is just a delicious as the first.
It's a curious mix of Buffy, Angel, Everwood and Veronica Mars in book form. And it's just perfect. Fitting time of year to read a haunting tale too!
See I do do other things besides watch Friday Night Lights (which by the way was A-mazing last week. One of the characters got saved over the "summer break" and is witnessing to the "bad boy" aka my favorite. Took him to church and everything. Plan of salvation spelled out for all to hear on NBC prime time. I was kinda shocked!)

I know I'm biased...

but I think he's absolutely adorable. A few favorites from this weekend.

Being an auntie is one of the best things in the world.

There's no place like...

home.....

I love to travel. Love it. Love it. Love it. But there is nothing better than coming back home. I love when the airplane touches down and I walk through my familiar airport with nothing but home waiting for me. I love the drive home, looking at all the sights and seeing what has changed no matter how short the time may have been since I was gone. (I love this place where I live. It has always held some magical spell over me. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved it and would dream of the day when I might live here. The magic hasn't dwindled since I've gotten older either.) I love driving up to my house and seeing the water (river) again. It seems to have missed me sometimes, too. If I'm not in the car with someone else, sometimes I'll yell out a merry "hello" to it like an old friend. I love walking into the cottage and just drinking in the familiarness of all of it, even my tiny little bathroom. I love plopping my suitcase down at the foot of the bed and kicking off my shoes . And there is, of course, nothing better than climbing into my own bed after being away from it for several nights.
Tonight, the bugs are chirping and the breeze is blowing. My perfect night time lullaby. It was a wonderful trip. I loved it. But, my goodness, it's wonderful to be home....

Not at home

But I am with family. I swiped this picture from my sister's computer. I'm so enjoying my time up here. Luke is so very kissable and adorable. This is a fun picture from his last day at camp this summer, so he's changed quite a bit. I will post some pics when I get home.
I started reading this book on my way here and haven't been able to stop. It's delightfully addicting. Why are kids books so much better than adults?! It's so silly, yet fun.
Got the sis hooked on FNL too! Oh, yes, my addiction is being passed on to anyone who will give it a try...
And a big hug and congratulations to my friends who had their little one today! I cannot wait to see her when I get home tomorrow!
Off to Target and more kisses for Lukes.

I write because...

I've had this blog for 2 years now. About 430 posts. Here's why:

• Fun, fun, fun. It fun to just write and not care who is reading it.
  
• Writing: it's is a huge creative outlet for me. I'm not a big talker, but I can write for hours. I have a bookshelf full of journals of my thoughts and prayers, heartaches and joys. But my blog is where I post the little things. There are lots of things I want to remember. The small moments and thoughts that make up my life. I re-read them all the time.
  
• Travel: it's so fun to post when I'm away from home. It gives my family and friends and taste of what I'm doing. The pictures tell the stories much better than a phone call or postcard could. And phone calls aren't my strong point...
  
• Photos: It gives me an outlet to share a hobby I love dearly.
  
• Contact: I can post something instead of writing an email to each person I know. It lets my friends and family know what's going on with me.
  
• Me: let's face it. I enjoy this more than most of the people that read it. I mean, it's me, written down and spelled out. If I die tomorrow, there is a little piece of me out there in the world that anyone can find.
  
• Friends: I love the people I meet through blogs. I love learning about them and finding out who they are. I started this blog because of a lady who blogged about her adoption from China. There is a connection between those of us who put our thoughts out for the world to read.
  
• Inspiration: blog world is nothing but inspiring. The question is "what do I do with all that inspiration I get?" For me, the answer is write it down. Create my own little "book" of ideas and images.
  
• Simple: it's so easy. You can spend as little or as much time as you want on it.
  

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Sometimes I wonder if anyone ever reads this and then I realized that I would still do it even if they didn't. It's a creative outlet that I am so thankful I found.

This post is here cause I read this blog today and was inspired.

It's her birthday

She was there on one of those days in life that could have been terrifying. I stepped into my college dorm room for the first time as a scared 18 year old freshman. This was the first face I saw. She said, "hi, my name is Jessica!" and gave me a big hug. That was the beginning of a life changing friendship for me. We roomed together all 4 years of college.
She is so much "cooler" than I am. I always wanted "cool" friends. You know, the kind that know all the other "cool" people and do all the "cool" stuff. She had the "cool" handsome boyfriend in the band.
I never understood why she chose to be my friend. My life always seemed so simple and ordinary. But she loved me for who I was. She made me laugh and thought I was funny. We had so many similar passions in life. We shared the same major and took many of the same classes. She introduced me to one of my favorite musicals, Les Mis, by singing the entire thing to me without music while we were in the dark room developing film for our photography class.
I remember vividly leaving our college apartment for the last time after graduation. There were LOTS of tears and hugs.
Her greatest desire in life is to be a Godly woman, someone who follows hard after Jesus. It's so evident in the way she lives her life. She's a wonderful wife now and mom to two little ones.
She has taught me so much and helped me grow. She is kind, truly caring and compassionate. She is one person I know I can depend on no matter how long it is between our talks. She means the world to me. And for the next few months, she's older than me!

I.LOVE.YOU, Jessica!

***this picture is from one of our visits to our other best friend, Rachel's, corner of the world. The 3 of us were peas and carrots our last 2 years of LU. This was our hike up Mt. Rainier. And the picture doesn't do the mountain/volcano's beauty justice.

Guess what night it is?

Friday.
Which means
a
brand
new
Friday Night Lights
tonight
@
9pm.


Good thing.
I've watched the clip
I posted on my
blog
about 10 times
since I
posted it
the other day.

Are you
watching
yet?

I warned you
I was
obsessed....

This is....

...Louie. He's pretty much the coolest dog in the world. I LOVE him. He seems to love me. He has the sweetest eyes and the biggest nose and the squishiest face of any dog I know. He's a person wrapped up in a dog's body. The kind of person I would love to hang out with.
One slight problem. He isn't mine. Boo-hoo. I only get to "hang out" with him when his family is away. He comes to stay with me or someone else at camp (yes, I secretly try my hardest to make sure it's me or at least one of the cottage girls).
Well, this weekend, his family is going away and all the cottage girls are pretty much gone for the weekend. That means the bro gets to watch him. Lucky duck. Kinda wish I was home weekend to play with him. But only kinda. Cause I get to see them.

it's a sickness...

...this I know. But my OCD kicks into high gear when I'm in love with something new. I obsess over it. I have to live and breathe it and daydream about it. Right now it's FNL. Don't worry. It won't last forever. Just a few weeks more...

Here's one of my favorite scenes. It's one of those "rewind and watch over and over" ones.

In disguise

Anyone else watch this tonight? Man, it takes me back to being a kid. I can still sing the theme song...
"transformers more than meets the eye,
transformers robots in disguise"
Shia is so perfectly adorable in this. Good fun. And seeing them transform kinda gives me a little happy feeling in my heart. It's nice to know the things we loved as kids are still cool...well, at least when Michael Bay re-tells their story.

work duds

Yesterday, at Bible study, we were laughing at ourselves and our lack of fashion when we go to work. One of our friends works on Capitol Hill and always looks so nice when she comes to BS at night. Another is a sub-teacher, so she looks so cute too. Working at camp, we wear "whatever" cause you never know what you may be doing that day. I've learned the hard way to never dress nicely for work. So here's a small sample of my "outfit" from today.

My favorite new tank with delicious stripes and colors over top of a tee and jeans to match. My favorite new shoes. I just LOVE them. So comfy. I wore them to the Late show, so now they are forever my "David Letterman" shoes.

I realized how much I miss my camera. Before yesterday, I hadn't had it out in a few days. I missed the shutter click and the Photoshop fun. I'll have a good excuse to use it this weekend! Ready for the paparazzi, Lukes?

Attention all you lurkers out there who refuse to comment....the time is coming where I may lure you out of hiding. Be watching.....

like a kid in a candy shop

My new toy. It arrived on Saturday. Got an AMAZING deal. The bro told me about it and I asked him to get me one too. Now we are "matchy-matchy-green-square." No, it's not an ipod. It's a Zune. It's basically the same thing except you don't have to sell your soul to Apple to load stuff onto it. It plays video and holds pictures and does all that fun stuff too.

A little Sigur Ros for listening

A little 30 Seconds to Mars for watching (hello, Jordan Catalano...he really can sing)

No, I wasn't at the ER this weekend,

but I wanted to post a picture and I found this one of the boys of my family and I at the ER set on the Warner Brothers lot. Every time we see it while watching the show, we still have to say "I was there!" Stupid, yes, I know.

Good weekend.

Ikea trip. So much inspiration there. It doesn't take long to spend an hour there or 3.

Spent some quality time "in" Dillon, Texas catching up with the Panthers and their hometown crew. I'm now completely caught up and waiting like the rest of the world for Fridays, 9:00pm. I'm officially addicted.

Officially became a member of my church. So cool. Had a great talk with one of the pastors. So encouraging. Just what I needed. God is always using that place in my life!

Got a super cool new toy in the mail. Will post a pic. I think I love it.

Went to the farmer's market. Got some pumkins and tomatoes. There was a fun blue grass band there. Banjo and all.

Washed my car and vacuumed it. Did all that amidst a GORGEOUS sunset beside me over the water. Fall is here and the sunsets are proving it. They are putting on their best shows every night.

Off to bed. Another week awaits. Going to see the fam in the north this weekend. Can't wait to see how much the munchkin has grown! Night, all.

when the barista gives you caffeine instead of de-caf

What to write tonight....what to write....
I've been wanting to write all day but just don't know what to say. Ever feel like that? Like you have a million things rolling around in your head, but you just can't seem to get them down on paper. I feel that way a lot. I've always felt like I should write a book. It's another one of those things on my "to do" list before I die. I have journals upon journals full of stuff. But sometimes it feels like I should be writing something else.
I've always been fascinated by writing and storytelling. I wrote stories all the time growing up. I would write continuations of my favorite TV show characters and the lives I imagined that they lived after the show that I had just watched. I would write about inanimate objects and how they had feelings like humans do. Like trees and beaches and random things like that. I filled up notebooks with stories and "scripts." I dreamed of the day that I would really write for TV, after I had my degree and moved out to Hollywood.
Well, I got that degree, but God had other plans. I never regret where I am in life. I love my job and my friends and where I live so very much. But sometimes, in my daydream world, I wonder what would have happened if I had pursued TV more seriously. Would I be writing and shooting and editing on a network like NBC? Would I be living in LA where the beaches are huge and beautiful and there are palm trees and warm weather? Who would I be? Who would my friends be? Did God protect me from a world that I couldn't have survived in?
TV shows, good TV shows, make me think about that world a lot, that other parallel universe, that other me. When I watch something with really good writing, with amazing characters who are so well written, with truly inspiring scripts, I think about it. Maybe that's why I have always loved TV so much and books and stories. There is something in that world that truly gets me excited like nothing else can.
***And yes, I was just watching Friday Night Lights. Freakin' good TV.
****And yes, the barista got me good tonight. It's late. I should be asleep, but no. So annoying!
*****And one more time. If I wrote TV characters, I hope they would be as fantastic as:
Alright...signing off to watch Dave. I still get giddy thinking about that night we saw him! Sorry for the rambling, but hey, you are the ones who choose to read my ramblings. For goodness sakes, I don't ever have anything important to say anyway!

Recent loves

1. Friday.Night.Lights. I just stared watching season 1 and I am addicted! I have her to thank yet again! (and I guess my bro too..) You can watch them online (click the link) or buy it at Best Buy this week for $15.

2. Warm weather...still...it's unusual, but I'm not complaining

3. Fall evenings = cooler weather, no humidity, spectacular sunsets

4. Zune 30 on it's way....

5. Flickr (Elsie, LuLu, Amanda, Mariah to name a few)

6. Emma

7. new jeans. you have no idea what a HUGE deal this is. Jean shopping is torture for this 5 ft 2 inch girl. torture!

8. the blues of the twilight sky

9. the basket on the front of my bike

10. cereal for breakfast

11. Halloween costumes

12. Galatians

13. Laying around my parents house talking

14. Sweeney Todd trailer is finally here!

15. Garden Salsa Sun Chips

16. NBC Thursday Night line up (30 Rock, The Office, ER and Scrubs next month!)

17. My shampoo and conditioner

18. Tim Riggins (aka the "bad boy" on Friday Night Lights) I seriously love this show...

19. Winning a bet against my brother.

20. a new sweater from Forever 21

21. Her blog, pictures, scrap pages, processing...

22. my church

23. emails from friends

24. Photoshop

25. Balsamic Vinegar

26. quiet time to just think

27. learning from the hard things in life

28. God's patience

29. my journal - writing in it, reading the past

30. Chocolate

1 week and counting

on the bay
Originally uploaded by cottagegirl1.

Their little one is due in only 1 week. They asked me take some photos of them this past weekend to which I quickly and happily said "yes!" There are more on my Flickr page ----------->

my addiction

favorites sept 07
Originally uploaded by cottagegirl1.

I LOVE the second line. I had to save it in this exact form cause of that line. Thanks everyone for the inspiration!

Click to see bigger and truly enjoy these!

kingdom come

Really enjoyed this movie. Saw in on Saturday. I had heard "so..so" reviews, but I really liked it! Totally cool to sit there as the lights went down and Jamie Foxx's face came onto the screen and realize that I had just seen him live and in person (at Letterman) only 5 days before that. Kinda gave me chills.
Anyway, it has 4 of my favorite actors...Jennifer Garner (i totally loved Alias. Season 1 and 2 are great rentals if you've never seen it!), Chris Cooper (there is something totally believable about each character that he creates. some of my favorites Seabiscuit, The Patriot, the Bourne movies. his voice is amazing!), Jeremy Piven (i'm so lovin' him right now. Serendipity was my first introduction. strikingly handsome and hilarious. double threat.), and Jason Bateman (seriously! i know your thinking "what? the kid from Teen Wolf 2?!" well, obviously you haven't been introduced to the wonder that is Arrested Development. it's a gem above just about any other sitcom ever on TV. Need something to rent and want to laugh? Pick up Season 1, but beware: you will want to keep watching one disk after another. jason is perfect in this series. he was the best part of The Kingdom. he makes me laugh with a two word line. sarcasm genius.). Jamie Foxx was really good too.
There you go...my little movie critique for the week. I'm off to watch Bionic Woman, the only new show I've allowed into my TV schedule (which is getting pretty sparse lately). But, hey, it's by the guy who re-created Battlestar, and we all know how much I love Battlestar. Just clicking over to the site to get the link for this post gave me happy chills and a "boo-hoo" that this last season will be over too fast. I love it more than anything else on TV. And I know there are those of you that read this that think I am just crazy because I love a show called Battlestar Galactica. Well, my dear sweet sister, who absolutely hates sci-fi (she HATED when we watched Star Wars, which we watched over and over, and Star Trek, which we watched Next Generation and Voyager and Deep Space Nine every week with my parents), is also hooked on it. Right, K?! Why not trust me for this one time and give it a try...The bro and I have gotten a couple of our friends to try it and they are hooked too!

Okay, I'm done with my TV/Movie rant...

Listening to William Fitzsimmons while I type. He's been on repeat since I bought his CD on itunes earlier this week. Good stuff!

re-do

I desperately need to re-decorate my room. I moved in at the end of 2001. My little cottage, and I do mean little, has slowly had some updates. The kitchen and living room have been re-decorated. The bathroom desperately needs to be done. And my room has just seemed to be stuck in '01. Needs a fresh coat of colorful paint, some new artwork, and just a little love. I found this picture in a magazine a couple months ago and the colors and tones just seem perfect. I'm going to go with a pale yellow wall with white trim. I want to get some of my photos blown-up on canvas (expensive, but worth it). Maybe one small new decorative piece. A new warm blanket for my bed. What do you guys think, especially those of you who have lived in this room!??

Good Mornin'!!!

Woke up singing this song this morning. One of my all time favorite of favorite movies. If you've never seen it, you are missing out!