11.22.2010

Give thanks.


Happy Thanksgiving week! This is my second favorite week of the whole year... I'm so happy it's finally here! I'll be visiting my family for the next week- sooo excited to see all of them, eat turkey & dressing, & score some great deals at 4 am on Black Friday (yes, I'm one of those people)!

Here are a few things that I'm incredibly thankful for: my Heavenly Father, my love, my weird family, my even weirder friends, cold weather, Tetris, the blogs I read daily that give me so much inspiration, sweet tea, red lipstick, & all of the silly little things that I take for granted every single day.

What are you thankful for? Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with the ones you love the most!

11.15.2010

update.

i have kind of fallen in love with my state this autumn. especially the mountains- the views here are so beautiful. and the trees! i have never seen such beautiful reds, golds, oranges, and yellows on fall trees like the ones we've seen this year.

thanksgiving is so soon. i'm so excited to eat fried turkey (yesss, fried) and sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes and casserole and all of grandmother's cooking and pumpkin desserts.... i make myself so hungry sometimes.

i have exactly 14 classes left until the end of the semester. bring on the winter and snow and christmas (and good grades, please)!

i'm happy that i have friends who will play apples to apples with me all day & night, watch youtube until 3am, and wander around walmart looking at baby clothes & kitchen gadgets. yes.

i love taco john's queso and churros. the end.

11.01.2010

Is it really only Monday? It must be at least Thursday, right?

Today I am:

*thankful for hot tea with lemon and honey, Nyquil/Dayquil, Robitussin, Vick's Vapor Rub Patches (have you seen those? brilliant!), warm blankets. It's my third time being sick in a month, and I've got a serious smoker's cough (and I don't smoke).
*thankful for my love. This has been one bad month, and I'm not certain that I would still be sane without his love, support, and kind words.
*thankful that my love doesn't make fun of me for saying funny things in my sleep.
*thankful for soup, sweet tea (always), Wendy's Frosties, Momma's Mexican cornbread.
*thankful for the new Taylor Swift cd. Yes, I'm one of those people.
*thankful for the movie Elf. Sophomore year, I watched it every single day for about a month. While getting ready for school in the morning, after school, late at night, middle of the night...- oh yeah!
*thankful for my family. All of them. Momma, David, sisters, brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. They are hilarious, supportive, honest, wise, caring, selfless, beautiful, and I love them very much.
*thankful for health insurance and Obamacare (on my parents' insurance until I'm 26? Thank you, sir).
*thankful for answered prayers. Nothing is more important or more amazing than that.

9.28.2010

On the Road to L.A.: Route 66

And the road trip posts begin! On the night of July 12th, Kristal, Jaime and I loaded up Jaime's brand new Honda Pilot (and I do mean we loaded it up... pack rats, we are) and rolled out of town just before midnight. Before we even made it 60 miles to the state line, Kristal had a new nickname, and clothes started coming off (I promise, this is not as risque as it sounds). We drove all night, thanks to Red Bull, gas station coffee doctored up with just about fifty packs of sugar and ten ounces of half and half, and good music. We drove all the way through Oklahoma, stopping at sketchy gas stations throughout the night, and made it toAmarillo, Texas just after the sun came up. And we made sure to sing "Amarillo By Morning."

After a little nap and a shower, we slipped on our sundresses, grabbed ourselves some Starbucks (Starbucks will be a common theme in this road trip story) and hit the road. Oh, and Kristal made sure to sing "On the Road Again" every single time we hit the road! Before getting out of Amarillo, we stopped at the Cadillac Ranch, which is a sad, rundown, muddy place, but we loved it.

We only drove 400 miles that day, because we took Route 66 for much of the way and stopped in lots of cute nearly abandoned towns to photograph old motels and restaurants. Route 66 is magical! It's such a unique part of history, and I'm so happy that I was able to experience it. We drove through the rest of Texas and made it to Tucumcari, New Mexico before dusk. Tucumcari is such an intoxicating Route 66 town. The motels and restaurants there are classic, picture perfect little places.

We continued to drive through New Mexico. We ate the best burgers and fries of our lives at a gas station in New Mexico. We also met a mean old man at a gas station and saw a crumbly, broken old church in New Mexico. We saw the lowest clouds ever in New Mexico! We stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for some necessary iced coffee and treats in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We really just loved New Mexico.

We stopped at a hotel in Gallup, New Mexico very late that night for some much needed sleep and a shower. Ohh, that's right, our shower DID NOT WORK. Insignificant things like broken hotel showers are what make life interesting, eh? I do believe so.

The Cadillac Ranch

Pssst. Don't let them fool you. They're not Caddies!

The Vega Motel in Texas

There was all kinds of pretty antique furniture outside of the Vega Motel. I wanted to take it all home with me!

The halfway point between Chicago and Los Angeles on Route 66.

Ugly Crust Pies!

This place was not so fabulous anymore. :(

"And this, dear friends, is how you do a cartwheel." Kristal, myself & Jaime in Texas.

Cutest motel I ever did see. Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Another abandoned Tucumcari motel. The beds were still made... very eerie. And the pool was full of grass.

Feetsies.

Busted church. Creeeeeps me out, still.

Oh, New Mexico.

(Sorry this is so long and detailed. I just love experiencing every moment of this wonderful trip all over again, and I feel like it's one of those stories where you NEED to know all the details to understand just how perfect it really was!)

9.27.2010

Road Trip to Los Angeles

In July, I went on the road trip of a lifetime with two beautiful, hilarious, smart, sassy ladies: my sister Kristal and her cousin Jaime (yes, it is possible for Jaime to be my sister's cousin, but not MY cousin... we come from a silly family).

We drove 1,580 miles to Los Angeles, taking Route 66 for much of the trip, passing through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and sunny California.

All we expected was to spend a few days in Los Angeles, visiting the Hollywood sign, soaking up the sun on the beach, and exploring the city. But it kinda ended up being a V.I.P. sorta thing when we were invited to work on the tv show Plain Jane and stay with the show's director.

I've never been on such a trip- we saw so much, laughed so much, ate so much, drank so much (Starbucks, duh), relaxed so much, and experienced so, so much. I have tons of good memories, good photos, and good stories to share, and I can't wait to finally be putting them all on this little thing! I will start posting road trip recaps this week.

9.24.2010

Weekend!

I'm trying to be a good person. Really.
I am always nice to old people. I attempt to care about what's on the news. I take my vitamins when I remember to. I have (almost) managed to control my temper.

But this week I ate a dozen cupcakes all by myself (at least they were tiny!). I skipped three days at the gym. I stayed up all night, every night, and as a result, I was really grouchy. I ate fast food every day. I did poorly on two tests at school.

Luckily I only have one obligation this weekend: writing an article that I'm convinced is never going to come together. I plan on spending the rest of it visiting with my family who will be in town, taking long naps, watching my little sisters perform as Oompa Loompas in Willy Wonka, and reading the giant stack of magazines that my bedroom floor has accumulated.

9.21.2010

What do you do on the day your love leaves for a month?

You crawl back into bed, pull the covers over your head, & skip your class to sleep for hours because you are cold, sad, & sleepy. When you finally wake up, you immediately start shopping for plane tickets to go see him in a few weeks. Then you leave the house only to go get a gigantic cup of iced coffee which you drink while reading a stack of magazines on the couch. You fill the living room with flowers so you won't be sad every time you walk in the front door. You paint your nails, go to the gym, clean the kitchen. You wash, dry, fold & put away every piece of laundry in the house. You drive aimlessly, go to your parents' house twice, eat three cupcakes.

That's what. And that's only half of it.

There are 733 miles, 4 states, & roughly 30 days between us. I am not a fan of business trips. Not at all.

*photo via weheartit

9.17.2010

Have a happy weekend!


This weekend is going to be really good because:
a. I get to see my lover for the first time in three long days.
b. I got a 98% on the really awkward play I wrote for my theatre class.
c. I have no homework.
d. We are (hopefully) going to the mountains!
e. Weekends > weekdays.
f. We've been working out a whole lot lately... so we're going to reward ourselves with lots & lots of unhealthy food. Like cupcakes, pizza, a burger & enchiladas. Yay!

My love leaves for Michigan for a whole stupid month on Monday. So we will definitely be cramming as much as possible into two short tiny days. I miss that handsome fellow already.

I hope you all have a happy, safe, relaxing weekend with someone you love!

*photo of one of our favorite places in the whole state, Petit Jean Mountain. We're obsessed with those views!

9.14.2010

flowers from my dear

I kind of think gerber daisies are the loveliest things on this earth.
Thank you, darling. You're my favorite.


*And yes, that is a hamburger phone. It is maybe one of my most prized possessions.

9.10.2010

a love letter

Dear Lover,

I love your back rubs. back scratches. back massages. and foot massages, too.
I love it when you wear that blue v-neck shirt I got for you. It is very sexy.
I love your bed time prayers and words.
I love that you never, ever complain about always being the big spoon.
I love your silly songs, and I love that you love my silly songs, too.
I love it when you play with my hair while I'm driving.
I love it when you load the dishwasher/take out the trash.
I love how much you love my parents, sisters, grandparents, aunts, etc.
I love how much they love you, too.
I love how excited you get about cooking on the grill.
I love that you know how to fix everything.
I love that you don't mind having tea parties with me.
I love that you talk British sometimes.
I love your gigantic shoe collection, even though they're huge (size 15) & take up too much space.
I love how you tell me that I'm a good singer, even when I try to sound bad.
I love that you are always up for a spontaneous road trip.
I love that you are big and manly and tall and tough and strong.

I love your faith. I love your sweet spirit. I love your weirdness.
I love your kisses. I love your face. I love your hands.

And really, Lover, I just love you.

7.07.2010

hello, hello!


it has just been brought to my attention that i never, ever blog anymore. sorry guys. i am probably the worst blogger in the history of blogging.

this summer has been quite uneventful in the sense that i've taken no fancy vacations, nor have i done anything terribly worthwhile. in a way, this makes me a happy lady. at the same time, i feel lazy & boring! but i cannot remember a summer that has been so relaxing.

i have seen lots of rainbows. gone on lots of picnics & mountain drives. spent so much time with each of my sisters. met an octopus (!!!). learned to cook an array of fancy desserts & made my first roast which got rave reviews & made me a happy lady.

i went bowling lots & lots of times (and my highest score is still 84... embarrassing). had weekend guests. went to a lovely friend's wedding in a field in missouri. went rafting & i got big-time injured. went on a tulsa adventure with my baby sisters & boyfriend.

i spent a friday night in a garage on a ranch with my big family in louisiana, playing instruments & singing gospel songs. saw the biggest fireworks display of my life while laying in a field next to the river with some of my favorite people. ate lots of barbie snowcones with my boyfriend.

these little things have brought immeasurable happiness into my life as of late. my life is bursting at the seams with love.

next week, i'm road tripping to california with two of my favorite women. hopefully i'll remember to blog with lots of stories & photos of what is going to be an amazing trip!

4.13.2010

it makes me sad that these don't stay in bloom all year.

it also makes me sad that i waited until a cloudy day to photograph them. :(

4.05.2010

easter weekend.

i think i'm even more tired after this busy weekend than i was before it started.

on saturday, my baby sisters had a convention for church in which they performed in a play & received gold medals for pretty little sculptures that they've been working so hard on! after the convention, my family headed down south to grandmother & grandaddy's house to eat lots of good food & celebrate such a special day. i went to richard's church, & it was easily the best church service i'd been to in a loooong time.

after a huge lunch on sunday with both sides of our family, my cousins, siblings, richard & i played with guns & grenades, watched my cousin robert play on the roof in a ghillie suit, & had a full-on brawl with confetti eggs in the garden & in the street. my family is crazy. i love them.

4.01.2010

spring break twenty ten.

my spring break was pretty uneventful in comparison to last year's trip to the bahamas. i did close to nothing, but it was unbelievably lovely to have an entire week to relax. it was certainly full of up's and down's, but i'm very thankful that i had some time to regenerate.

good things:
a foot of snow on the first day of spring! yes, i consider that a good thing.
birthday party in little rock. i love the loony bin comedy club.
visited some family friends in texas for a few days!
watched about a million movies. read about a million magazines.
finally read david sedaris' me talk pretty one day.
actually got to spend some time with my family. sister & nieces included.
lots & lots of good food. grandmother's cooking (the best food ever), la huerta in russellville, & lots of junk. this is enough in itself to make my week.
after the snow melted, things started to turn green & the pear trees & dogwoods started to bloom! hooray!

bad things:
got SUN POISONING! do not ever ever ever get that. it was the worst pain i've been in since my rib cartlidge got inflamed & infected (yeah, how does that happen?)
school meeting on my first day of spring break. (seriously. who does that?)
aaaand, it was way too short. but school ends in 27 days!

3.17.2010

a very long list of happiness!

So, maybe I forgot that I even had a blog. Maybe I have been so swamped with school that I have utterly neglected this little thing. Maybe I should be studying right now instead of blogging. Maybe I don't care.

I found this list tonight that I made when I was going through some rough times a couple years ago. I had just gotten my heart broken. It was very hard for me to realize that I still had so much to be thankful for. When I found it just a few minutes ago, it served as a beautiful reminder for the lovely things in this world that I enjoy so much.

Things that make me so happy I can barely stand it:
Delicious coffee (particularly iced).
Writing something satisfying.
My little sisters and the things they make for me.
My gorgeous, loud, supportive family.
Good food: home cookin', sushi, cheap dirty fast food.
Feeling classy/glamorous.
Kisses with boys that I actually want to kiss.
Vacations.
Praying out loud.
Pretty desserts.
Cute socks, comfy pjs.
Bike rides in summer dresses.
Little animals.
Being spontaneous and frivolous.
Reading fashion magazines more than textbooks.
Love!
Things that smell like sweets.
Feeling skinny.
Thinking of all I have to be thankful for.
Finishing something.
Novel covers.
Exploring unfamiliar places.
Singing loudly with Spice in the car.
Baths in Mom's jacuzzi.
This list.
When my internet decides to be fast.
Laughing my head off.
Feeling cozy.
Cities- especially Chicago, Denver, and Atlanta.
Beating old games on my Super Nintendo.
The fact that I got out of Alabama.
Feeling like a guest in my own house.
Clean, crisp, white sheets and fluffy beds.
The views in the country and mountains.
Parle-ing some francais.
The fact that my future is promising.
Feeling accepted and welcome.
Smiling at strangers.
Babies and their clothes.
Sassy, classy, nice old ladies.
Skydiving.
Grandmother's cooking.
Forgetting bad memories.
Older men with good style.
Making pretty things.
Conversations with older, wiser people.

What things make you so happy you can barely stand it?

2.28.2010

ice skating!


Let me just begin by saying this: I was definitely not meant to be an ice skater.

Richard & I took Maci & Hali ice skating, and I don't remember this last time I saw my little sisters laugh so hard. It was Richard's first time, and he is a natural like Maci. They're so cute spinning around on the ice as Hali & I literally can't force ourselves to let go of the side.

And all those blurry pictures? That's us falling. Whoops.

And do you see how beautiful my sisters are? It amazes me. I love them.

2.21.2010

weekend love.


What a wonderful weekend. My love and I spent it in his hometown at his parents' house.

We played with my sister & niece Hannah on Friday night & laughed at The Hangover for the millionth time.
We spent all day Saturday with Richard's best friend David. We played arcade games, drank chery limeades, went on a mini-road trip & toured an abbey/monastery, stopped for chocolate malts & fries in the town where I grew up, gorged on greasy Mexican food, and went to Richard's cousin's 20th birthday party out in the middle of nowhere.
Today we slept terribly late, had lunch with Nanna (which ended up being an all-day event), and visited my grandparents before heading home.

I love simple weekends like this one! I'd have to say my favorite part came at the very end, sipping Earl Gray tea & reading magazines. Ahhhh.

2.18.2010

a few thoughts

1. richard & i agreed to keep our valentine gifts minimal. he surprised me with two perfect bouquets (he said one was simply not enough!), the silver nailpolish i'd been dying for, & some sugar scrub which was also on my wish list. the flowers are still so pretty & have served as an excellent pick-me-up this week.

2. i've had christmas music stuck in my head for the entire week. i'm sure richard must be so tired of me singing & dancing round the house to "jingle bell rock" & "rockin' round the christmas tree" especially because i don't know all the words & i keep repeating the same part over & over.

2.17.2010

An Education


I finally got around to seeing An Education last week, and let me just say that I was utterly in love. The story was beautiful, yes (although I wish it had ended a bit differently), and I love a good British accent, but it was the early 1960's London fashion that really sent me head over heels. There is nothing more lady-like than feminine florals in shapely silhouettes paired with red lips, a chic up-do, and pearl earrings. I left the theater yearning for false lashes, vintage florals and cardigans, and the perfect school-girl outfit. I could also stand for a cigarette holder and for my boyfriend to suddenly adopt a British accent.