#37

I did it. I won a bet with myself. I said that I couldn't blog every day for a month without missing one entry. And now, entry #37, I won. That's a reason to act silly, isn't it?! (I love this picture of my friend, R's little girl. This is an old one, but so silly I can't help but smile when I see it!)
It's great to look back and see what I did this month. That's one thing I love about blogging. The memories you keep by writing them down. Silly little things like my Friday Night Lights obsession (no it's not gone, I've just refrained from writing about it cause some of you...G...think I need help...) or my love of the Twilight books or the cold I had for a few days. I won't remember these things 5 years from now without this wordy reminder.

And so I close post #37 with a short update to remember in the future...

We have a bathroom sink, ladies and gentleman. It's official. It's not installed, yet, but blessed be it's name, it's here! The whole room should finally be painted and done by Wednesday. Then comes the fun decorating part. I have a super cool mirror from the 100 year old farmhouse on our property. I've been wanting to hang it forever!
Life is actually SLOW here right now. Work wise. I LOVE these 2 slow months that we have. LOVE. But then again I'm so ready for them to be over come the end of January and get the ball rolling for camp 2008. It's weird to be so slow. Usually we have a million things to get done yesterday. It's takes a little getting used to. But it's so vital to our sanity.
I'm doing another photo shoot tomorrow for one of my faithful readers (and friend, I should say that first cause it's more important). I'm super excited and nervous at the same time. It's all four of them. 2 little peanuts with lots of energy. Can't wait to see how they turn out!
I've been enjoying The Office (British version) as of late. I've seen it before, but my brother hadn't. I convinced him to give it a try and we've been laughing over it for a couple days now.

And so with that, dear readers, I close out the month of November 2007. I hope you have all done something to remember your own time whether it's a picture or a journal entry or a scrapbook page or even your own blog posts. I leave with you one quick link. Post Secret. It's a blog favorite of mine and a fellow Blogger. So inspiring.

Happy Friday Night (Lights 9pm)!
***sorry, G, I couldn't help myself...

stupid sink

Bathroom renovations are going slowly.
The sink seems to be our waterloo.
Everything in the stores is too big.
This one is the only one I can find that will fit.
One problem...
it costs almost as much as sending 2 kids to camp for an entire week.
Yeah, that's not really an option.
We may be using our bathtub as a sink for longer than we thought...

Jacob's wife

My friend Leah is a super talented artist. She creates in so many different forms. Painting, knitting, fashion and jewelry. Just recently she opened an Etsy shop. Etsy, if you haven't enjoyed it's pleasures yet, is an online "store" where 1,000's of different crafters sell their masterpieces. It's highly addicting. You can find the coolest stuff that is very one of a kind.
Here's her shop:

And a couple of her pieces:

This one is beautiful. I got to see it a couple days ago.

And another...

And one more...

Perfect Christmas presents. You won't be disappointed.
Congrat's Leah! I'm so very proud of you and the amazing work you do. I promise to hold up my end of the pact. The book will be done on time....

Mardi

Remember this? Tomorrow it's getting a much needed face lift. New walls, new sink, new faucet. So exciting!

I am just in awe of this guy's photos today. You have to look at all the pictures titled dfl collection. They are unbelievable. Isn't the dress the model is wearing in the shopping cart to die for?! And the one with the tulle? And this skirt! I love the mood that his photos have. I'm so jealous of his talent!

Been listening to Adventure in Odyssey since I heard this on Focus. I admit that I cried. I have so many memories of Odyssey as a child. It was so cool to hear that other people do too.

I'm getting super excited for Disney. I can't wait to ride Peter Pan. And I hear they changed Pirates of the Caribbean (we got stuck on this ride for about an hour one time. We were in the boat at the part where the "cannon balls" were slashing all around us. Robotic pirates on repeat for a hour. Now that's a good time.).

Really need to finish my Christmas shopping.

The Word has been alive lately. Isn't that the best?! When you feel like everything you read is directly from God for you. I love times like this!

And one more of these. There are so many that I love. The light was so perfect that day.

my worth

"you are worth Jesus to God"

I heard that statement from a pastor at our church during one of his sermons a couple years ago. On those days when I don't feel very good about myself or wonder why God even loves me, this phrase always pops into my head. Before he said this statement, he asked the questions "what is the length that God pursues you? How much does He love me? What am I worth to Him? How valuable am I to God?"

" For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
John 3:16

That verse that I had heard my entire life took on a whole new meaning that Sunday morning. I "knew" what it meant, but it's was like God decided to reveal a whole new aspect that I had never considered before.
So, if you are like me, and you have those days when the evil one seems to discourage you beyond what you can handle. You feel unloved and small and unimportant. I hope you remember these words and are encouraged.

"YOU are worth JESUS to God."

Josh sings

My love of Josh Groban goes way beyond this CD, which will become a Christmas staple for years to come. It started back in 2001 when I heard this guy singing on a promotional video for Best Buy in one of their stores. The song was "To Where You Are" from his first, self-titled CD. No one knew who he was back them. Me, being one of those people. The song gave me chills and his voice stuck with me. I bought the CD a couple days later.
Then, I heard In Concert the next year, and I knew. His voice is almost ridiculous in the fact that it is so good. That CD remains one of my favorites. (my brother bought me the DVD a couple years ago and it's one of the only live music performances I will watch on TV. Usually I hate them, but this one...it gets me every time.)
When Closer came out, I ran to the stores on release day and that CD didn't leave my player for months. It is one of my top 5 favorite CD's of all time. Almost every song is a favorite, but #10 deserves repeat at least 2 or 3 times during each full listen thru.
He did his first US tour after Closer came out. I desperately wanted to go. DESPERATELY. The tickets sold out in about an hour, so I figured my chance was gone. On a whim, I went on ebay to see if anyone was selling theirs at a somewhat reasonable price. I couldn't believe it when I found 2 tickets for $100 each (some people paid up to $500 for one ticket). I grabbed them and invited a friend, who loved him as much as I did to come along.
The concert was in the city that my sister was living at the time. We went up a day early and stayed with her. The morning of the concert, we woke up giddy with excitement for the wonder that was coming that night. We listened to his CD all day in anticipation. We shopped during the day, willing the hours to go by quickly. Finally, we couldn't wait anymore, got in the car and headed to the arena. It was downtown in a city that neither of us were familiar with, so we left a little early knowing we may get turned around or a little lost. After a couple turn arounds, we finally found the street that it was on and could see the building in the distance. Even now, typing this, my heart beats a little faster thinking about how excited I was. I think I screamed "there it is! Now we just need a parking spot!"
We pulled up to the front of the arena, looking for a parking sign. I could see his name in big bold black letters: JOSH GROBAN CONCERT. When I read the next word, I screamed again. CANCELED. What?!! No...wait...WHAT?!!! I had read it right. I asked my friend to verify that I read it correctly and she groaned and mumbled yes. CANCELED. Big, bold letters again. We verified it with the arena staff just to be sure.
It was one of the greatest disappointments of my simple, little life. I had been so excited for this, anticipated it for months, dreamed about it and now...nothing. We drove home that night in the rain, calling everyone that we could think of to tell the horrible disappointment that had befallen us. Even now, when I listen to "Remember When It Rained" I'm back in that car with the windshield wipers swishing in the rain, and both of us glumly looking out of the rain splattered windows in disbelief.
Anyway....off of my JG tangent. This CD is delightful. A wonderful Christmas CD. His voice is just a magical as ever. Even if it will always hold a hint of disappointment for me...

sneak peek

D, I'm having so much fun with these! Lots more to work on...

Razor, Razor, cut, cut, cut...

When I did Sweeney Todd (props backstage) my junior year of college, that line got stuck in my head. I still say it sometimes. Weird.
The reason it re-surfaced today? Well, it's the premier of RAZOR, the brand spankin' new Battlestar Galactica mini-series on Sci Fi tonight. I was lucky enough to get an advance screening and let me tell you it's fantastic. It did what it was supposed to do...left me wanting more. But, alas, Sci Fi has decreed that I must wait until April of 2008. Sheeesh.
It's almost comical how sad (most of) the rest of TV compares with the writing on this show. BSG doesn't believe it's viewers are stupid. It weaves the fantastic (spaceships, robots) with the mundane (a game of poker, a drink of water) and the relevant (war, population control). It's characters are 3 dimensional and flawed.
Razor was a delicious appetizer for the 4th and final season to come. And I think I may just have to watch it again tonight because it was just that good...

Black Friday

I bought....

THIS!!! (so excited about this! It's a cheap one, but will work perfectly for what I need.)

and this ($2.99! I want Kate Winslet's rainbow hair.)

and couldn't resist this. ( $5. My VHS is about to die cause I've watched it so many times. It's one of my all time fave's that I've seen at least 100 times.)

That's it.

Did you give in a buy anything?

red warmth

I love GAP's photos, even if I'm not a big GAP shopper. This was on the back of one of my magazines this past week.
I LOVE Will Arnett. Comic genius. He doesn't have to say anything and he can still be hilarious. His character, GOB, on Arrested Development was one of my favorites. I love how goofy he is in this picture with his adorable wife, Amy Poehler (of SNL fame).
Doesn't it make you want a fun red coat and hat and warm striped gloves?!!

***I think my computer may be done with it's moodiness. I finally got to upload a picture. Hallelujah!

Turkey day

Just a quick pop in to say hi. No, I'm not traveling. This is from a trip in Sept. 06. Astoria, Oregon (i love you). My parent's laptop is friendly and will let me upload pictures.

I hope you are all enjoying your Thanksgiving day. I watched the parade and part of the dog show. I ate too much at lunch and am ready for leftovers for dinner. Enjoy your day!

Wednesday

I watched this movie last night. I LOVED it. How can you not love a movie called PAIS, JE T'AIME?!! There were so many shots of that gorgeous city. I kept making little "oh!" noises when I saw something I remembered, much to the annoyance of Leah. (We will go someday. I'm putting it in print...) I missed the city the instant I saw the Eiffel tower.
It's 18 short films smashed together. None of them intertwine (like Love Actually). Each one has different actors and directors. Almost all of the shorts are in French (English subtitles, of course). But I just loved it. The bro didn't really like it, so I guess it's one of those that you love or hate.

I liked Elijah Wood's story. (It's totally weird though. It's nothing like the other ones, but I love the colors and the creepiness/absurdnesses. And I'm still on my Twilight kick too. Vampires...)

I loved Natalie Portman's story.

And Steve Bruscemi's was hilarious.


***I still can't upload pictures. It's starting to drive me crazy!

the bad and the good

My computer is not playing nice today.

Computer not working means I'm behind in my proofing. Bad, bad.

I had to re-send my passport renewal.

I took all the wallpaper in my bathroom down yesterday only to find tons of mold. Now it has to be entirely re-drywalled.

I've watched too much Prison Break Season 2.


But I have also:

Slept in. (and entire week off!)

Watched Prison Break Season 2. (it's both a good thing and a bad thing. Wentworth Miller = good...no, make that VERY good. 3 hours wasted = bad)

Got Harry Potter #7 on CD at the library. (Ready to put it on my Zune for the trip next month!)

Watched Oprah (2 days in a row. that's unusual. I usually can handle her only in small doses.)

Started reading Twilight again. (i miss Bella and Edward.)

Watched one of my favorite episodes of West Wing season 2.


That's a quick summary. Sorry there are no pictures. I had a fun one to share, but it will have to wait until my computer and Blogger start talking to each other again.

dark

I hate that it's this dark by the time I get home at 5:30pm everyday. If I want a picture with sunshine, I have to wait until the weekend.
I'm ready for spring already, and it's not even officially winter yet.

Cool

This article by Steven King made me laugh. Now, of course, I don't agree with all of it. Here's a good example of the "not agreeing" part:

"Friday Night Lights? Good, but not cool. Because it tries too hard to be cool. Battlestar Galactica? Was cool; last season started out cool, then warmed up. It may regain its coolness factor, but probably not; that rarely happens. Lost has stayed cool because it's so weird."

I'm sure you can all guess why I don't agree with two of those things, and Lost lost it's cool factor episode 1 of season 2. This, however, I do agree with:

"American Idol was never cool. It says sad things about the coolness quotient of our young people that any of them like this warmed-over Las Vegas meatloaf."

What would be on your "cool" list? And it doesn't have to be TV or entertainment related at all. Here's a couple of mine...
Joss Whedon (any other person who tried to make a space traveling/old west/the characters speak Chinese show would have been laughed at. not him. plus he created Buffy. ultimate cool.)
Elsie Flannigan (whatever she does, paint, photograph, wear...is just cool because it's her. if I did it? not cool.)
Alaska (the state. can't explain why, which makes it even more cool)
Bear McCreary (I'm sorry, but if you could write music like that, you, my friend, would be cool too.)
her and her (they are the definition of cool in my book.)

Fall on the river

The view from my living room window. Tweaked a bit to make it look old. It's called "through the viewfinder." You take a picture with your regular camera looking through the viewfinder of an old camera.
Mine is totally fake though. I got the "viewfinder" on Flickr. Fun stuff. I'm slowly learning Photoshop. Seems like a snails pace sometimes.
Aren't the Fall colors so beautiful! They really are that bright and bold.

Did I mention...

...it's Friday night?

I didn't?

Well, it is.

And it's freezing cold outside and crazy windy,
so staying inside to watch TV sounds just about perfect.

I will keep bugging you until you realize
what a gem this show is.

photography field trip

Bodie State Historic Park has haunted my thoughts since I first saw pictures of it on Flickr a couple months ago. I've always been fascinated by stories of the old west. There's something so delightfully horrible and beautiful about the stories it holds.

I found this article today, which bumped it up on my list of places to go. Doesn't it just look creepy and delightful. It reminded me of Hatcher's Pass, which I just loved. (thanks, Steph, Luke and Jack!) And Bodie has photography days where you can go into the buildings and even be in the town at sunrise and sunset.

One plane ticket to California, please!

Simple

Sometimes the little things make life so happy.

Dinner tonight at the brother's house. He cooked. They came too. Along with a couple other late comers.

We all spent over an hour just sitting around the table talking and laughing. Simple. Not planned. Just perfect.

And I thought I could multi-task

Watching my recent season 2 purchase. The writing is at it's peak. The actors sparkle and shine in their roles. And, again, I am reminded why Bradley Whitford is one of my favorite actors of all time.

Still have my CD on repeat. All day. I couldn't even open the brand new Season 1 soundtrack because 3 is just that good. I just keep hearing parts that make me close my eyes and enjoy the moment. Does anyone else think violins make the most perfect sounds in the world?

And 3 cheers for an entire day without Advil Cold & Sinus!!!! I feel human again! Hip, hip, hooray!

new for you

I added a new section on the right------>
It's bits and pieces of fun things I find throughout my search of the web. There are so many things I find that I think I should post about, but that would take too long. Instead, I'll update this when I find something "oh, my!" worthy.
Enjoy! Don't forget to pass along things you find too.

I can't think of words to describe it.

It's not going to leave my CD player/Zune for a couple weeks. I can see it now. I can't even use words to describe how absolutely gorgeous this music is. I've teared up about 5 times, repeated almost every track, and put on a sweatshirt cause I kept getting chills and I'm not even halfway done with my first listen through.
Have you ever heard music that seems to be pouring out of your soul? Something inside just clicks and you almost see yourself in the mirror of the sounds that surround you? The instrument's sounds are an extension of you like your arms and legs? The emotions that you feel are not only coming because of what you are listening to, but they have been hiding inside of you for a long time and finally have a reason to come out? I know this all sounds really stupid, but I just don't have the proper words to describe what I feel when I hear music like this. It resonates with my very soul and I can't get it out of my head. I have to hear it over and over and over to try and figure out what it is that "gets me" when I hear it.
BSG Season 2 soundtrack is one of my all time favorite soundtracks in the whole world, and I have a lot of instrumental soundtracks. I fell in love with them when I was in jr high/high school. I replayed my Jurrasic Park tape (yes, a cassette tape) so many times I think it finally wore out and I re-bought it on CD. John Williams was my first love in movie soundtracks. A couple years ago, a friend, who loves him as much as I do, got her and I tickets to see the National Symphony Orchestra play his music for over 2 hours at the Kennedy Center. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. On New Years Eve in 1999, I saw John Williams, live and in person, (conducting a piece of music he had written for a short film being shown that Steven Spielberg had made about the 1900's) at the Lincoln Memorial during the big 1999/2000 celebration. Another dream come true, even if it was bitter cold. He's written so many of my favorites from Hook to Harry Potter to Far and Away to Stepmom. If you've never hear him, this CD is a great one to try. It's at our library. Maybe, it's at yours.
Well, when my brother told me that he had the soundtrack to Battlestar, I asked him to let me hear it, pronto. You all know how I rave about this show, right?! Well, after listening to that CD I realized the music was one of the main reasons why. I haven't stopped playing this CD even though I've had it for months. I listen to it non-stop at work. I passed it along to friends. It's incredible.
After season 3 ended, I wanted some more of his music so badly (even though I still didn't have season 1 yet, silly girl). I ordered it on Amazon last week (along with season 1) and it finally came today. It's everything I expected, but so much more than that too.
The composer...he's a genius, I'm tellin' you....Bear McCreary has a website. And not just "some website" but a totally cool one with lots of samples of his stuff. You MUST go and look around and LISTEN. Click on online demo on the left. (Be sure to click on video demo at the top before you click on the audio samples. It give you a taste of how cool the show is with the music behind it.) One of my favorites (and it's impossible say it's better than the rest) is under drama and it's called Something Dark is Coming, but again, all the Battlestar pieces are incredible. You can open another window and keep doing the internet thing while you listen if you can't just stop and just enjoy it. Try it. It will give you just a little window into how amazing this guy is and maybe even convince you to try the show too, hint, hint...
Now, I've gone on much longer than I wanted to. I just wanted to say that I'm LOVING every minute of this CD. It.is.un.real. I still haven't finished my first time through cause I keep repeating tracks. But that's even better. There's nothing like the first listen to a CD you know will be one of your all time favorites 20 years from now. These emotions are just too fun to want to rush.

Thank you

This movie give me chills every time I watch it. It makes me cry every time I watch it. It reminds me again and again how much I have to be thankful for, these the freedoms I have. It's hard to watch. It's violent. The war is ugly. It's not for the faint of heart. It's not a feel-good 2 hours.
But it is astounding. Last night, I was in awe of the colors and the grit and the dreariness of it. The greens and greys and sharp contrast throughout. Just the whole feeling of it. The shots are Speilbergian. The performances are Oscar worthy. I love Tom Sizemore and Giovanni Ribisi and Adam Goldberg's especially. And the music... John William's score is so very emotional. He's at his best in this one.
I am reminded how much I owe to the men and women who even today sacrifice their lives so that I can be free. To all of them I give my deepest gratitude. I am humbled by your sacrifices. And a special thank you to those in my family who have served. My uncles, grandfathers and my dad. These are the heroes of our time.


***this post brought to you by Advil Cold & Sinus. Me and my mitro-valve pro-lapse love you for fighting my cold and not making my heart explode! You are my cold medicine of choice, even if I have to get you behind the counter now.

Yucko

My eyes are still burning. My nose is still running. My throat is still dry and annoying. And I think I may have a hint of a fever. Yes, ladies and gentleman, I'm still sick.
What have I done with myself the last 2 days....well, I've still been out and about cause life can't stop even if you're sick. Went to lunch with my parents cause they were in my neck of the woods yesterday. Mailed off my passport to be renewed cause it will probably take months and months to get it back. Went to church this morning with the bro. Went to Best Buy, cause it's on the way home from church and it's our "thing to do" on Sundays. (I did buy seasons two and three of West Wing cause they were dirt cheap, and I love me some West Wing.) I must say that I am very glad he's home, even if he was only gone for 4 days. I missed him so much!
I've also been on the desktop proofing some pics. I've been morning my loss of Twilight books to read. Listening to Harry Potter #3 on CD (Jim Dale is amazing). Taking naps. Talking to friends (both of my bestest college friends in the same day! magic!). Planning a trip to the west coast in the spring (oh my gosh, I can't wait, can't wait to see them! I love that when I asked her how long I should come for she said 5 months. I MISS her SO MUCH!) Eating. Grocery shopping at Trader Joe's (i "heart" that place). Reading blogs. Getting lost in Flickr world. Planning Christmas presents.
Yup, that's my exciting weekend. I'm so bummed that I felt too awful to take some pictures cause the leaves are at their peak right now. And it's weird, but I feel really thankful to be sick. It makes me appreciate my health so much.
Please tell me that you had a much more exciting weekend than I did....

***this is my phone's screensaver. Took this on my phone at one of my favorite places in the world. Cannon Beach, OR. I love seeing Haystack every time I open my phone.

Two

"Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;"

-Shakespeare Sonnet 116

The best medicine while I have a cold....

I can't believe I remember all the words to these songs! My favorite Shirley Temple movie. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Hopefully it will cure this yucky cold I seem to have contracted.

1 week ago

my sister made these shoes for him. They are cuter than any I've ever seen in any store.

with grandpa. Such a cute smile.

I had to get a picture of this even though my mom yelled "no pictures!!" in between pages. I firmly believe this is the reason that I love to read. My mom read aloud to us all the time when we were growing up. Chapter books as we got older while we were waiting in the car for our bus to come. I love, love, love that Lukey is sitting in the same room as we did being read to by mom/grandma just like we were. It give me chills a little bit!

A card and a story

A birthday card I made for a friend. Haven't posted a picture in a while. Guess I've just been rambling too much.
Found out it's National Blog Posting Month. And, even better, National Novel Writing Month. Doesn't that just make your fingers tingle?! One of my life long dreams is to write a book. I was so inspired by Stephenie Meyer's entry about how she wrote Twilight (I'm still living in that world. The story hasn't left my brain since I closed the book.) There is still hope. Maybe one day I will get that elusive idea and the story will just flow out of me. I'm always on the watch for it.

I'm off...it's Friday Night. My other current favorite obsession is calling at 9pm exactly.

Either Or

Google or Yahoo (I'm a Yahoo girl. Loud and proud.)

Lined or unlined journal (unlined, but my last 2 have been lined because I liked the covers so much I couldn't say no)

Beach or Ski (Beach, duh.)

Gloves or mittens (fingerless gloves, please.)

Pen or pencil (Pen with blue ink)

Pink or Purple (pink. don't like purple in any shade. Oh, wait I'm staring at my purple Nalgene. I'm a lier. I guess some shades are OK.)

TV or Movies (do I even need to answer that one?)

Soda or Tea (Yuk, soda. Tea? Yes, but only by the gallon. I loves it!)

High School or College ( you seriously couldn't pay me to re-do high school. And I mean millions wouldn't be enough to tempt me. College, on the other hand, I would re-do in a heartbeat. To quote author Stephanie Meyer, "don't ever let anyone tell you that high school is supposed to be fun. High school is to be endured. College is fun.")

Edward or Jacob (please, don't make me choose! Today, it would be Edward. Tomorrow, who knows....)

Star Wars or Star Trek (Um....Star Wars. But Next Generation puts up a good fight)

Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie (mix of both with a large gift card for each)

Cheese or Bread (actually, can I just have the cheese on the bread, and we'll call it even?)

Stars or Hearts (Stars, stars, stars. My obsession as of late. I'm wearing a shirt covered in them in multiple colors)

Flickr or TV (now that's just mean. Can we just put my Flickr on the TV?)

Tim Riggins or Matt Saracen (Oooo, now that's interesting. Again, I don't know if I can pick. I do love Tim, but Matt makes me turn into puddle of mush. Then again, Tim....)

London or Paris (Paris, but only because I fell in love with it a teensy bit more than London)

Jane Austen or L.M. Montgomery (L.M. We would have been kindred spirits. Anne is a real person in my world. And for goodness sake, I went all the way to PEI just to "find" her.)

Anne Shirley or Harry Potter ( I love you dearly Harry, but Anne holds a special place in my heart.)

Dinner out or Dinner in (about 85% of the time it's dinner in. I eat out more now that I ever have in my life and that's still only 1-2 times per week, tops.)

Katie/Tom or Brad/Angelina (I despise celebrity gossip. I could care less.)

Edward Ferrars or Mr. Darcy (I'm definitely more like Elinor. Edward, it is. Hard choice though.)

Music or silence (this is actually a tough one for me. I've found that lately, I prefer no music. The silence lets me think more. Even in my car. But then again, I've been loving the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory soundtrack the last 3 days. And I just ordered this and this from Amazon.)

Nikon D50 or Kodak Z740 (D50 has all my love)

Bionic Woman or Battlestar Galactica (Hah, hah, hah, hah. Now that's funny. It should be more like Battlestar or anything else on TV. The answer will always be Battlestar. Even if I have to wait until freakin' April 2008....stupid Sci-Fi channel.)

Psalms or Proverbs (Psalms. Especially 139. Anytime day or night, but especially when I'm depressed.)

Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia (LOTR are the only ones I've read completely. Are you shocked? Tough choice.)

Paint or draw (If I could actually do either, I would pick draw. Always draw. Since I was little. Like this or this. I'm totally jealous.)

Blog friends or real friends (what's the difference? I love you all!)



These are all arguments that I've had in my head. Yes, sometimes out loud because I talk to myself more than I should. Anyone else do that? Anyone, anyone? Bueller?
Play along, if you dare. It's so fun!

Edward or Jacob

I sat down to just read for a half hour when I walked in the door from work. Only a half hour. I looked up and it had been an hour. By then I only had about 1/8th of the book left. Okay, just 30 more minutes and then I'll put it down and proof some pictures. I looked up at the clock when I thought 30 minutes was up. 1 more hour had passed.
Forget it. I just finished the book. So, friends who are waiting for their pictures, my apologies. It's totally Edward, Jacob, Alice and Bella's fault. Her choice was too overwhelming to put down and move on to the next thing. In fact, after I finished, I literally walked around my kitchen for a couple minutes because I couldn't think clear enough to decide what to eat for dinner (yeah, I hadn't eaten because of all the reading). I couldn't get the story out of my head.
The end wasn't as dramatic as my beloved Harry Potter's was (what could, honestly), but my goodness. I don't know how she chose. (and there is also one more book to come in Bella's world. i had to say goodbye to Harry forever. and that still chokes me up just writing it...)
Yes, I tend to get wrapped up in my books. When I was younger, I would literally almost raise my hand when my teacher asked for prayer requests, to give her the names of the characters I was reading about. I get lost in the stories....and I LOVE it.

Fash-tastic

I found this site yesterday by way of another blog friend and links on her page. The Sartorialist. So addicting! No, make that very, very addicting.
Fashion intrigues me. It's like walking artwork. I claim no knowledge on the fashion front. Mine is severely lacking to say the least. Dull and boring is more like it. I'm am in awe of people who can throw an outfit together with whatever is in their closet. Not to mention actually pick things out at the store (or even better thrift stores) that seem completely illogical to me, yet look fantastic when paired with other elements.
And then there is all those crazy people on Project Runway who make clothes out of a pile of nothing. Anyone else super excited for season 4 to start?!! Re-runs of previous seasons are showing now on Bravo. Check it out if you've never seen it. And this coming from someone who hates reality TV.
Anyway, back to The Sartorialist, I love how the pictures are of normal people on the streets, not fashion models. I have to admit that I stare at what other people wear. It fascinates me. It's an outward extension of their personality. Now, yes, I'm sure money does come into play, but not always. Example on his website is her. LOVE this outfit. LOVE his description. This one too, but I'm pretty sure it's a bit more expensive.

My fashion heroes:
Elsie. Her style is exactly what I would want to copy. If that was even possible. She mixes old with new perfectly. Check out more here.
Leah. (you know I would hire you as my personal stylist if I ever became wealthy.)
Sienna Miller. I always picked her out of fashion magazines even before I knew who she was. Love her random picks and Boho syle.
Gwyneth Paltrow. Classic.

Now after thinking about this all day, I want you to also know that I also know how silly and superficial it all is as well. I know that God doesn't care what we wear. I also know He want us to spend our money wisely (example: $300 purse - not wise. thrifted clothes - much better choice). It's a struggle at times. I purposely don't spend a lot of money on clothes because I feel guilty that I could have used it for more Kingdom-minded things. But it is fun to dream and look.

because you asked nicely

I have had a couple questions about "trash the dress." Here's the deal:

A "trash the dress" session is done after the wedding. The bride's dress doesn't have to be perfect anymore. It can get a grass stain here or get a little wet there. I LOVE looking at these sessions, so I was totally excited when T asked me to do one with her and her husband. She was up for just about anything. I love how her dress looked in the water. It floated on top and created this canvas around her. It got dark really quickly, but we got some great shots. Anyway, the idea isn't to destroy the dress (her's wasn't). The idea is to take shot that you wouldn't have considered on your big day because you wouldn't want to mess up your dress.

Also, I had a question about my vegetarian kick. I knew going into it that it would only be for 1 month. I just wanted to try it. I wanted to see if I could do it. I did. It wasn't as hard as I thought. I did go through a couple of days of craving protein (or at least in my head that what I thought I was craving), but I settled that with nuts and eggs. I finished back in September, but it has really changed my whole view of veggies. I MISSED them so much when my month was up that I continue to eat much more than I used to. I substitute them on sandwiches for meat. I eat them for snacks more often. I eat more meals that don't center around meat. It's been a wonderful experience and I'm really glad I did it. I'm also really glad to eat Chick-Fil-A again. Give it a try if you never have before. It's surprising how much you CAN eat. It really didn't limit me like I thought it would.

Happy November

This is the picture on our calendars that we made for our staff this summer. I had to laugh when I flipped the page. Kinda creepy, huh?! Let's just say that it's very hard for anyone here to be serious for any length of time.
This is the whole clan except my brother, who didn't know he would be living here at the time we took this. Oh, and a couple of the people in the picture left at the end of the summer. So, us...minus 4 of these people...plus the bro....and their new baby. One big, crazy family.

I love them.

Lovely Sunday

Such a lovely day today.

Went to church. Great praise and worship. Humbling message.

Then off to the mall. A HUGE new wing opened. H&M. Pottery Barn. Sephora. Janie and Jack. So very dangerous!

Back home to read. I'm trying to read slowly to enjoy the last book. Girls, it's so delightfully good!

Then, off to do another photo session. Trash the dress. My first time doing one of these. It was so*much*fun! I can't believe that my friends keep asking me to do this (take pictures). I'm so honored.

Then home to laze about and watch one of my favorite movies. Don't you always want to go to Austria after watching this? I have so many favorite scenes. I think I want to throw a movie sing-a-long party. Watch and sing. I can't help but do it when I watch. Why not have everyone else over to do the same?!!

Then off to a new restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday. And laugh. There is always laughter with my camp friends/co-workers.

And finally back home to watch some more of the movie and then post for all of you.

And so, goodnight....

Exactly

When I read this yesterday, I was saying "exactly! that's me too." Here's the reason she's my favorite TV critic. And the fact that she loves Buffy too.

.....and Friday Night Lights was A-mazing last night. It's, by far, the best show on TV right now. Darn those writers and their strike! It could be a very messy season.

.....and one more thing, I got to see the munchkin tonight. He's in town (well, his mom and dad are too, but I didn't get to see them. Sorry guys....) cause his uncle (not my brother) got married. He was enjoying some quality one on one time with grandma, grandpa and auntie. The kid got some serious attention and love tonight. But he is the cutes kid ever, so he totally deserves all of it.

another session

Last weekend. Spur of the moment. 2 of my favorites. More on Flickr---->

New Music

Links on the right -------->

These are what I've been loving at the moment. What about you?