i'm only this far...

Happy Things

2011-01-31T21:01:00.002-05:00

We're coming off an absolutely gorgeous but tease of a weekend here in K-town, and it brought with it that perpetual good mood that only spring can bring. Unfortunately snow is predicted in the near future, which is necessary I guess to remind us all that it's barely February, but regardless, I figured I'd share some happy things while it's still above freezing:

1. Tonight I made this for dinner. And it was sooo good. I used a store-bought thin whole wheat pizza crust too, which it made it pretty darn easy and maybe even healthier too?

2. I just stumbled upon this recipe too, and I'm so pumped to try it soon! I'll give you a hint: it's called Cookie Dough Creme Pie...oh. gosh.

3. Valentine's Day is only 2 weeks away! I know it annoys a lot of people, but I really just love this holiday. And not just because I have the greatest fiance ever to spend it with either, I loved Valentine's Day even before Mr. Right came along too. The happy red and pink colors everywhere...the aisles and aisles lined with candy...the excuse to eat chocolate all day long...and not to mention the little spring in your step and smile on your face that only that diapered baby with wings can bring. (That's my cheesy reference to Cupid, p.s.) But yeah, I love everything about February 14th and am pumped! Benjamin and I are celebrating a little early. We have dinner reservations here for Friday evening, but I fully intend on extending our celebration through the actual day anyway. Yay! :)

4. Yesterday Mom, Ben, and I went up to my aunt and uncle's hilltop property to check out their new pool house and bar that will serve as the location of our rehearsal dinner come the end of May. It is absolutely beautiful and got me so much more excited for the night before the wedding! There are incredible views in both directions, a huge stone fireplace in the corner, and plenty of space to sit any and everyone who wants to come!

5. I finally got my engagement ring sized last week, and it has been so nice to have it actually fit! Turns out I had been wearing it a whole size too big for the past 6 months, and winter's cold temps have caused my fingers to shrink even more. No more worrying about it falling in the toilet at the preschool, hurray!

6. I'm taking an awesome class on Communication Disorders that is totally making me want to be a speech pathologist. What does that mean? More school, of course, but that was in the plan anyway. I've got awhile to think about it, but for now I'm just going to keep learning and feel it all out some more. Got to read for it now, in fact, so I'm out!

Sorry for the lack of pictures...I have got to get better about that.

Happy Monday!

2011-01-24T16:20:00.006-05:00

Hello again!

Well, school must be back in session since the only time I seem to blog is when I have a whole big list of other stuff I should be doing. But who really wants to watch an hour-long anatomy lecture disguised as a YouTube video...not me! So here we go.

Friday night 301 finally had our roomie dinner! We found out last week that sweet Erin will be doing Teach for America in...wait for it...HOUSTON!!! To celebrate, her dad told her to use the credit card and take us all out for a celebratory dinner. And celebrate we did.

With wine flights at Cru! It's a new restaurant in Turkey Creek that serves tapas (small plates) and lots and lots of wine. We each chose a different flight to try, meaning we each got 4 small tastings of different wines, all coming from a similar region of the world. It was tasty and super fun, and when I wasn't in the bathroom blowing my nose (tmi, sorry...), I had a really great time.

That was pretty much the highlight of my weekend however, because the next day I woke up feeling like someone had injected foam into my head. I've been dealing with a nasty sinus cold for four days now and am sooo ready for it to move on out. Benjamin hooked me up with a McAllister's spud, some Sweet Cece's, and a nice hefty box of Kleenex Saturday evening, but sadly it wasn't the end-all cure I was hoping for. Thus the pill-popping will continue.

In other news, I'm on the half marathon hunt again. Do I really want to run my life away all spring in order to prepare? Not really. But I do have a fairly large event coming up on May 28th that calls for a flat tummy, so I figured a commitment might be necessary. I've promised Ben for the last 3 years that I would do the TriDeltathon with him in April, and I'm thinking this might be the year I actually hold that promise, so that will be a nice way to mix up the training...if I build up enough courage to ride my bike anywhere besides my neighborhood, that is. As for the whens and wheres of the race, I'm honestly not sure yet. Last night we looked into this one in Cincinnati at the beginning of May. Looks great, but the only drawback is that it's right smack in the middle of finals...hmm. Let's be real, though, probably wouldn't study that much anyway.

Well look at the time, gotta get ready for meeting! I think I'm finally trying our new Chipotle on the strip tonight and I'm excited! Happy Mondays everyone! Good luck deciding on whether to watch the second half of the Bachelor or Gossip Girl later tonight...I know I'm wishy-washy, hah. Bye!

Snowed In...Again!

2011-01-10T15:04:00.002-05:00

There are about 4 inches of snow on the ground.

School was called off.

I am sitting in bed...and my butt is gradually molding to my mattress.

But it's the perfect way to spend my second to last day of break.

I've been brainstorming ideas for a new blog to document this little upcoming journey called marriage and moving across the country, and today I actually created it...though I'm not sure I'll keep it. I'm really ready for something new and fresh and want to start writing on it now, but part of me just thinks it's too weird to contribute to anything which mentions The Hymans just yet. Maybe I'll talk myself out of that eventually and go for it. But today, it will remain blank and floating somewhere out in the world wide web.

I'm mildly concerned with the fact that I'm still at home (and stuck here, for that matter) with classes starting in less than 48 hours. I've decided to wait until tomorrow, with the hope that the temperature will rise enough to do some melting without adding any additional treachery to the road. I'm a wimp when it comes to winter weather driving...imagine that, hah.

Well, sorry to be brief, but just thought I'd check in...not much else to do! Probably need to go do some ironing and preliminary packing, get the blood flowing a bit. Gotta get everything as ready as I can before I begin my LAST SEMESTER EVERR!! Ahh, too much craziness.

Mish Mash.

2010-12-29T12:26:00.004-05:00

So. I might be on the edge of going slightly insane. A girl can only watch so many Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reruns and House Hunters marathons. And that pretty much sums up all I've done over break. I did get to celebrate a wonderful Christmas with my family (weird to think it's the last one without big changes though...), and I've checked a couple of things off the wedding to-do list (though I need to get going with a lot more), but all in all, I have been the definition of a lazy bum, and I'm trying to just rest and be okay with that, as things will pick up soon and I will surely miss the calming boredom of the past two weeks.

Thus, in the midst of doing nothingness, I turn to the blog in search of a few minutes of entertainment. I think I'll just share a list of the various mish mash on my radar as of late:

1. Houston. Well, duh. As the wedding day moves closer and closer, so does the move. I would be lying if I didn't admit I am super anxious and probably way too concerned with searching for dining room tables and deciding between a king or queen-sized bed. I blame the boredom, hah. Ben and I have decided we will make our first trip over spring break in March to do some preliminary looking and exploring. Can't wait to see this beautiful skyline!! (though I'll likely be living quite a ways away from it...and that's okay)

2. DISNEY WORLD. Honeymoon part 1 will officially be taking place here:

We're switching it up from the normal Value Resort stay and upgrading to Coronado Springs! Very southwest-y and festive:

I made all of our lunch and dinner reservations last night. I know, sounds ridiculously early to be worrying about what we will be eating some 6 months from now. But having never been over Memorial Day weekend, apparently one of Disney's busiest times, I was worried things would be filling up already. And I was right. Sadly enough, my favorite restaurant in the park (which is even going up to 2 table service credits on the dining plan come March), is already completely booked for every reservation time the entire week we will be there. So sad Le Cellier...I guess Benjamin will just have to wait to sample your delicious mushroom risotto filet mignon on the next trip.

3. Snow. and bitter cold...The last week of preschool I only had to work 2 of the 5 days thanks to a whole lot of snow and ice and temps in the teens. That was wonderful, though. Then we received a beautiful white Christmas in K-town this weekend, complete with even more snow and ice. And its still here! Well, not really, but I noticed this morning that my neighbor's roof was still partially white! I guess what I'm getting to is that I'm just really tired of being cold and being confined to indoor workouts. Jillian literally almost put me into cardiac arrest the other day, and the I swear the treadmills at Fort Sanders go faster than any others I've ever used. Ew. I want to sign up for another half marathon sometime in the spring, but I need to make sure I still have outdoor running capabilities first...and 28 degrees is not going to allow that to happen.

4. Solitude. My latest read is called Reaching Out by Henri Nouwen. It's a bit of a break from the traditional Christian living book, but I've found it to be really fresh and insightful as a result. The first section is about leaving behind our loneliness and instead reaching for inner solitude. I love how Nouwen describes this word that denotes such a solitary and even lonely meaning as being the key to our most Godly relationships and the most Christlike community. I liken this solitude to an inner confidence in God's will and Christ's love for us. It is our heart at rest in God's sovereignty. His love is true and thus all that matters. His Son is all we need.

Nouwen says that without solitude, we look to others to fulfill our worldly needs, things we only desire because we think we have to have them to be happy or successful. I have certainly seen such sin in my own life, especially as I continue to struggle with worldliness on a daily basis, but Nouwen's talk reminds me so much of what I learned this summer about relationships. If I am standing on Jesus as my sole rock and foundation, he will change my heart to desire him alone. Thus I don't have to look for fulfillment within my relationships, and my time with others can be pure and loving and selfless. It's all still a little jumbled in my head, which is likely obvious, hah, but yeah, I'm learning and I like that.

Okay, so that's that for now. Off to embark on a little more laziness!

How to Make Your Workout Obsolete

2010-11-12T19:40:00.003-05:00

It's really easy...

Drive to campus or downtown Knox...park your car...get out, start running, and make this your destination:

Mmmm...the famous chocolate factory above World's Fair Park. There's a greenway that leads right to it! So Ben and I have gotten into this terrible habit of running from campus and ending here. Then we go inside and pick 3 or 4 things to try, purchase our treats, and go enjoy them on a bench by the fountains (which are no longer running because it's supposed to be cold outside).

Today we shared a hazelnut truffle, a kahlua truffle, and peanut butter and graham crackers covered in chocolate. Yummm, it was all delicious, and totally worth the thirty minute sweat.

Hope they have good chocolate shops in Houston!! Have a great weekend and happy homecoming! Go Vols!

Materialism at its Finest...my apologies

2010-11-10T19:10:00.006-05:00

I'd say the thing I'll miss the most come graduation in May is a college student's schedule. I do work two days a week, but when you're only taking 12 hours, that still leaves plenty of time to run around town and have afternoons very similar to mine today.

Ben and I both finish with class at 11:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so we met up right away and went for a nice (but very painful) run. After showers and lunch, we headed to the mall to run some errands. Well, "errands" might be pushing it. Basically Benjamin landed a sweet big boy job (that may or may not be on the other side of the country...) and he's so anxious already that we went shopping for big boy job clothes. Mom's credit card and 20% off coupon in hand, we did some damage. It's so fun spending other peoples' money! Belk was having a fantastic sale, though, and he found four new pairs of slacks and four new shirts that will have him looking super sharp! I do enjoy dressing him, and I'm glad he allows me to. :)

After Belk we walked down to Pottery Barn, since it's pretty much my second home these days. I've been spending way too much time on their website's Design Your Own Bed feature lately in an attempt to figure out colors and what not before we continue registering. My chronic indecisiveness does not help in these situations. At this point, our goal is to mimic this entryway (from the PB catalog of course) and somehow use it as inspiration for the bedroom:

I've been in love with this page since I first laid eyes on it. But yeah, great looking wall of frames and cute little skinny side table...now transform into a bedroom--bam! Wish it was that easy. Doesn't help that I'm the pickiest bedspread-picker-outer ever. Oh well, we'll get there! But really I'd just like May 28th to be here now!

Post-Pottery Barn we went to pick up Ben's rental tux for a gala Friday night (which I am sadly not attending), and then stopped for some free samples at the new Teavana store in the mall. I've tried before to like hot tea but have never been successful...until today. The lady offered us this Chai blend of some sort and it was so delicious. I wish I had a nice cup right this second in fact! I didn't even want to ask how much it was, so I didn't, but maybe that will be a nice little treat one of these days.

Then it was off to Bed, Bath, & Beyond to check out the selection pre-registry. And success! We finally found flatware we liked that isn't $100 a place setting. Very exciting, hah. I'd show you a picture but I know nobody cares. Nothing better than good news in cutlery...

So yeah, I looked at a lot of stuff today...stuff that doesn't really matter, but it's still kind of exciting, right? I've struggled through this whole registering thing with my addiction to stuff. Every time I point the gun thingie at a barcode my mind just resounds with "God before possessions." And I can talk all I want about knowing my true worth and identity is in Christ, but I'd be lying if I told you I practiced that all day everyday. I'm learning, though, and I'm glad to at least be aware of all the stuff in my life, but I want my true treasure to be in heaven. I don't want to try and create a kingdom of my own on earth. Someone much greater and mightier and richer already has a kingdom waiting for me that is more exquisite and breathtaking than anything I could ever imagine. And in that shall be my comfort.

Anyways, I just had a really great Wednesday. I got to spend some lovely quality time with the fiance, and that brings me joy no matter what it is we're doing. And I am so thankful for my Bible study tonight. It was a wonderful message and just reminded me of this summer for some reason. I think I just really felt the Spirit moving in me like I haven't in a while, and that was so encouraging.

So I hope everyone else had excellent days too, and here's to a good night's sleep that ranks up there as well! Sweet dreams all. :)

Monday and Memphis

2010-11-08T23:00:00.006-05:00

Dear Monday,

You have been such a Monday. How is that, you ask? Well there was the nice layer of ice on my car this morning, the broken stereo in spinning class, the tennis substitute, the due date for the paper I didn't write, the afternoon in front of the computer writing said paper plus some, the Homecoming pomping, the sub-par Gossip Girl, and the very busy fiance whom I did not get to see...

See what I mean? Typical Monday to a T. Hmmm, and guess what? It's only Monday.

Sincerely,

Me

Okay, so today wasn't that bad. Not bad at all actually, though I did just ramble off a surprisingly long list of reasons to think otherwise.

Anyway, on to this weekend. Thursday afternoon I headed down to Memphis with Benjamin so he could do an on-site job interview all day Friday. Nat, Gav, and Louis arrived a little later and we all enjoyed a nice relaxing couple of days out west. We shopped a little, napped a little, visited a little, and ate a lot...as I always do when I travel.

Mom and I ventured to the Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma outlets, but as soon as I walked in I just got overwhelmed by all the color and style prospects of future room decor. My indecisiveness is not going to come in handy when we have to start choosing paint colors and purchasing sofas. Exciting though, eh? Mom got some glass containers to start her candy table collection for the wedding. She's so thrilled. It's precious. :)

I didn't have much luck at good old Anthropologie either, which is just so disappointing. Sometimes I think I'm just not stylish enough for that store. The manikins all look so well-put together and trendy, but I can never manage the same look back in the dressing room. It makes my wallet happy, though, so that's good.

I did anger my wallet at Dillard's, though, but it was so worth it. I finally found boots! I think I have scoured every single store in K-town, but nothing fit the bill. Memphis did the trick though! Oh I just love them:

While in Memphis, we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant called Salsa and at Huey's, a popular hamburger place downtown. We didn't make it to the game Saturday night, which is fine because it was freezing, but we did take the opportunity to walk down Beale Street before it got too crazy. Took some fun pics!

Dinner at Huey's

Beale Street!

Again...

On the trolley...

Overall it was a great trip! So thankful for such wonderful friends and my terrific fiance. Goodnight all!

Saturday

2010-10-30T23:23:00.004-04:00

Brr. It is freezing in my room! Perhaps not quite as cold as the 35 degree temps this morning at Race for the Cure, but still, I'm sleeping in the socks tonight.

And yes, I already know that at this point because I have indeed donned my pjs and retainers and am currently sitting in bed waiting to watch some SNL and turn in early. The alarm rang at approximately 7 a.m. this morning and it has been non-stop since then.

I think this morning was my most enjoyable Race for the Cure to date. I always love the celebratory atmosphere and huge turn-out, but today I had fun people to run with and it just went by so fast! Likely that was because we were so entertained by the constant weaving . But anyway, despite my red nose and numb fingers, I had a really great time.

I met mom and Ma for lunch at the Apple Cake Tea Room before taking on wedding dress shopping experience #4. And it was a SUCCESS!!! My wedding dress is in my possession, currently hanging from a door in my living room at home. That. is. CRAZY! But so exciting. I love it and wish I could put a picture up, but I guess I have to stick to tradition and conceal all glimpses from the Benjamin. Therefore the reveal will have to be postponed for 7 more months.

We got a ridiculous deal. As in both of my prom dresses cost more than my wedding dress. You'd never know, though! We just got lucky. Finally we score one against the wedding. Woo!

Tonight the fiance and I had a little impromptu date night. We had planned on going downtown to see the band that is playing at the wedding, but then we decided that was way too cool for us, so we opted for dinner and a movie instead. Typical. Our meal at Bonefish made it worth it though. People, you need to try the Swordfish and Pumpkin Ravioli special. It was ingenious. One of my top dishes of all time I'd say. Yum! (The chocolate creme brulee was pretty awesome as well...) Then we went to see the Wall Street sequel. Eh. You could skip it. Especially if you're like me and have no idea how the finance world works. I was pretty darn confused for most of the time.

Alright, I'm gonna go watch Rhianna perform and go to sleep at a decent hour. I apologize for the lack of pictures, maybe I'll have an answer to that soon. Happy weekend! :)

Afternoon in the Basement

2010-10-26T19:12:00.003-04:00

I can recall only two times in my life that I have had to take serious precautions due to the threat of a tornado. The first occurred in the middle of some random night, when a torrential storm sent my family to the downstairs closet to wait out the possible twister. It never came and we went back to bed.

The second time was a little more traumatic. We were on our way to Lexington, Kentucky when we hit a horrible storm. My dad, who had been listening to the radio and learned that an actual tornado was somewhere between the exit we had just passed and the upcoming one, pulled off into a hotel parking lot and we went inside the lobby. Even my mom was crying. I was scarred for life.

Well, today I added a third basement trip to my memory. Only this time, I was at the preschool when it happened, and the adventure included 20-something small children (who were actually surprisingly calm and chipper through the whole event). The threat was rather minimal and we were out unscathed in less than an hour, but still, I'll admit my legs shook the whole time and I checked my phone for the updated radar every 2-3 minutes.

I've been a weather-worrier all my life. I have gotten considerably better since I hit puberty, but I still get butterflies at the sound of thunder. I'm already concerned for my own future children and just really hope they don't share my outlook, because let's face it, mommy won't be much comfort when severe thunderstorm warnings roll across the screen.

At some point during childhood, my worry was somehow supplemented by my love for the weather. I literally watched nothing but The Weather Channel. Ever. Seriously. I knew every person's face and name and could probably even tell you their weekly shift schedule. Jim Cantore was (and remains) my all-time favorite, and it brings me a strange joy to know that the station rewarded him with his own show.

I used to put the tv on my favorite channel, mute it, and then stand next to it and put on my own performance. And I'm not even gonna lie, I was darn good at it too. I was especially stoked when we got our new, huge (at the time) 48" tv for the upstairs bonus room because my maps would be closer to actual size.

Wow. Loser. I know.

Anyways, my certain future as a meteorologist unfortunately died when I realized how much I hated science (and when mom informed me that Todd Howell really didn't make that much money despite his local channel fame), but my obsession with all things weather (especially those that were televised) still offers several swell childhood memories and at least served me well in terms of learning my states and capitals.

I consider myself fortunate to live just east of a plateau that pretty much destroys any form of severe weather that comes its way, meaning I rarely have to fear what is coming from the sky. However, the general East Tennessee population must not quite understand that, because this area responds to bad weather like it is literally the most dangerous threat on this earth. The bread and milk shelves of grocery stores are completely bare when even a flurry is in the forecast. Schools are closed if six inches of road are iced or flooded. Oh, and tonight, a whole slew of college classes and other events were canceled because we were under a tornado watch. It's really rather hysterical in my opinion.

But I can't laugh too much. Because I'll be the first to say it: I'm a slightly obsessed scaredy cat when it comes to the weather, and it comforts me to know someone else out there cares too.

Playing Catch Up

2010-10-20T17:07:00.005-04:00

Hello again blog world!

So I am completely out of practice. I believe I have sat here for nearly 30 minutes picking my brain for something to write about...and I'm not really sure how that's possible with the 327 things going on in my life right now. Oh well.

Sooo...

Let's talk wedding shall we?

After all, it is my favorite things to occupy my time with these days. And I'll admit I'm really good at clicking through Style Me Pretty albums until my eyes are glazed over. In all seriousness though, things are coming along quite nicely. Thus far, we've checked off...the church and venue, the officiant, the photographer, the band, and just today we decided on a caterer!

As of last week I thought I had confirmed the dress, but now I'm afraid the search must go on. See, weddings are expensive. Like ridiculously so. Like my poor parents could purchase a really nice brand new car and ditch my mom's sickeningly screechy brakes, but instead they have to fund an approximately 8-hour event. Dang. Kids are pricey. So anyway, after returning home from my seemingly successful dress search, I started crunching numbers and got a little hopeless. Dress A doesn't fit too well into the budget, and I'm not willing to sacrifice my guest's tummies. Those have to be full and happy! I have no doubts it will all work out, though. Just excited and anxious! :)

Well, sorry to be so short, but I've kind of been at my computer for 5 hours straight now, so I think I'll give it a break and go get some fresh air. In the meantime, I really wanted to share this excerpt from Cedar Springs' preparatory reading last Sunday. It spoke to me big time, probably because the second paragraph describes my life the past month or two. Planning a wedding is fun, but it can also easily take precedence over things it shouldn't...thus I need to hear this:

"For Christians prayer is like breathing. You don’t have to think to breathe because the atmosphere exerts pressure on your lungs and forces you to breathe. That’s why it is more difficult to hold your breath than it is to breathe. Similarly, when you’re born into the family of God, you enter into a spiritual atmosphere wherein God’s presence and grace exert pressure, or influence, on your life. Prayer is the normal response to that pressure. As believers we have all entered the divine atmosphere to breathe the air of prayer. Only then can we survive in the darkness of the world.

Unfortunately many believers hold their spiritual breaths for long periods, thinking brief moments with God are sufficient to allow them to survive. But such restricting of their spiritual intake is caused by sinful desires. The fact is, every believer must be continually in the presence of God, constantly breathing in His truths to be fully functional." - J.F. MacArthur, Jr. in Alone with God

Gotta Start Somewhere...

2010-10-15T01:21:00.003-04:00

Getting back on the blog bandwagon has for some reason been such a trying task for me. However, I really am determined to start things back up as soon as time permits!

Unfortunately for this post, it is now 1:22 am in K-town and I believe I will be playing tennis in t-minus 7 hours...thus I should probably be sleeping and not attempting to perfect my first blog post in 200-some odd days.

But I've been hard at work on yet another website I'm now going to have to keep up with: the wedding website! Here's the link:

http://www.weddingwire.com/emilybealandbenhyman

It is definitely still a work in progress, but I'm so glad to finally have it up and running! Okay. I have got to get myself to bed, but maybe, just maybe, this little trinket of a post will be my motivation to write a legit one tomorrow or sometime soon!

13.1

2010-04-25T16:28:00.005-04:00

Ta dah! It is over. And I survived.

And it didn't even rain on me!! Well, that's a lie. It didn't rain while running. It did however rain while Hales and I were waiting on our trusted ride Mr. Benjamin, as well as while we completed another mini-marathon trying to locate where that trusted ride was parked. I was somewhat miserable at the time, but now that I am showered and dry and much more able to walk, it was all just part of the adventure.

I arrived with Haley and her mom in Nashville late Friday afternoon. Our first goal was to somehow maneuver through ridiculous downtown traffic. Our second goal was to find the Expo and collect our race day numbers and materials. While there, we also paused to participate in some activities...

...like envision the happier times of the following day...

...and pose with some Elvis look-alikes.

Despite the intimidating number of people and vendors spread out throughout the Convention Center, the Expo really got me excited for the race. After once again conquering some traffic issues, we met up with the Benjamin, and he and I were off to some to a friend's house where we stayed Friday night.

Ya know, I attempted to sleep, I really did. I was tired from my week, and we even got in bed at like 10:30 or some ridiculously early time like that. Unfortunately, after factoring in the also ridiculously early wake-up time and multiple crazy dreams my head conjured up involving the morning's activity, I'd say I averaged about 2 hours of shut-eye. Whew, thank goodness for adrenaline.

God blessed us with great weather. The clouds and threatening rain meant cooler temps, but by some twist of fate, not one drop fell on me or Haley the entire run. While I was prepared to venture 13.1 miles in the rain, looking back, I just don't know if it would have happened, and I'm pretty sure I kept my smile much longer than I would have had it been pouring.

I unfortunately have no documentation from the actual race part. Ben was stationed at mile 11, camera in hand, but we somehow missed him, so you're just going to have to take my word for it. I really had a great time. I ran the whole thing and only had to stop once for a bathroom break. I was so proud of Haley, and of myself. I know it was the good Lord who got us across the finish line though! And with no injuries :) Hurray!

I'm already looking forward to the next one. It was just such an encouraging and fun atmosphere. My favorite part of the course was a loop through Belmont's campus and residential area. Everyone was stationed in their front yards with breakfast, coffee, even champagne, and whether they knew a runner or not, everyone had made signs and cheered on strangers for hours. What wonderful Southern hospitality, it was really inspiring and helped me along for sure!

Yesterday I could barely walk, but I've already just about got my legs back again I believe. Now I can run with less pressure, thank goodness. First I've gotta get rid of this awful cold I've acquired, though. I blame the rain...

I also wanna give a shout-out to my sweet sister who was confirmed this morning at church. It was a great opportunity to spend some time with my family after such an exhausting day. She too deserves much congrats and love!

Last week of classes, here we come! Happy weeks! :)

Don't Forget to Breathe...

2010-04-22T09:45:00.003-04:00

That seems to be the general reminder of my life these days...

Yes, I've been busy. Way too busy for my liking. But, things are starting to get checked off...I mean lookie here, I'm even blogging! (Although I'm pretty sure the only reason I have time to write is because I'm currently skipping class...oops!) Like I said though, things are looking up, so the lack of class at the moment is actually just an indicator that I'm pretty much done (with one course at least).

Anyway, here's a brief run-down of the last week or so:

Friday: formal (pics to follow)

Saturday: long run (my last one! documentation of anxiety in anticipation of upcoming race also to follow)

Also Saturday: begin writing 10-page paper and babysit

Sunday: Dream Connections flag football tourney for Chi O (not as bad as I was expecting)

Monday: unfortunate doctor's appointment including finger prick that almost led to disaster

Tuesday: longest day ever

Wednesday: TURN IN 10-PAGE PAPER!! HOORAY! and immediately turn attention to writing speech for Monday and oh yes, the 15-pager I also must achieve at some point

And today: take test, skip class, and breathe (sort of...)

Whew! Makes me tired just recounting it all. Note: I am not complaining. Hah, Tuesday night's Bible study was totally about why I should stop complaining about life. Shoot, I'm really good at that unfortunately. Anyways, just wanted to clarify-what you just read was not me complaining (yeah right...), just me explaining why I've been absent for awhile. Hmm, sure, that sounds good...

Anyways, now as promised...
Formal pics, yay!! The Benjamin and I had a really good time at Downtown Grill and on the Riverboat Friday evening. (And please forgive my Alph-Alpha hair in the first pic. It was super windy but I really love the sunsphere in the background...woohoo for K-town!)

Having formal on a moving vessel=it only lasts as long as the cruise=formal is rather short!!=sleepy Emily is happy :)

Except for that in this case, Quarry Trail had the epic fail because the power was out throughout the entire complex when we arrived home nice and early...meaning the lack of AC coupled with the really mature screams of excited college students outside my window led to an eventual 4 a.m. bedtime. Yeah that kind of sucked.

I was awake the next morning in time to squeeze in one last long run with Hales though! We made it about 9 miles, so it was a nice confidence boost heading into race day this Saturday. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a bit hesitant. Mainly because I'm probably going to have to wake up around 4 in the morning and the 70% chance of rain doesn't sound too appealing. I'm excited though. The Benjamin is accompanying us so he can be the designated picture-taker/banana-holder/emergency ipod-keeper on the sidelines. Those are all very important jobs.

Ok, enough procrastination. Time to work, work, work. And then go to work. And then come home to breathe again.

Whew, yes. Just breathe.

As of Late...

2010-04-11T00:59:00.004-04:00

What a wonderful weekend I've had thus far...and it could not have come sooner. I had quite the crazy week, with a group presentation, big test, and proposal all due this past Wednesday. And let's not forget it was the Wednesday after Easter, meaning last weekend I did not give much attention to school. But hey, it was Easter, I was technically on vacation, it was like 80 beautiful degrees all weekend, and it's over now, so no regrets!

The absolutely gorgeous weather of spring has returned, and I am in love. Don't get me wrong, I love temps in the 80s-they mean quality time poolside-but it was as if we skipped spring's crystal blue skies and perfectly perfect 70-degree afternoons...and I needed that time before summer dropped in full swing. Well Knoxville, meet spring, I think you'll get along just great. :)

Anyway, last night I went out with the roomies to Soccer Taco and to see the new movie Date Night. Let's just say they turned into two of my new favorite things. It was a little chilly once the sun started sinking, so we opted to sit inside at the restaurant, but I can't wait to return on warm summer nights to sit on the outside patio of Soccer Taco and enjoy one of their scrumptious margaritas...mmm mm. And I have to encourage you all to see this movie. Absolutely hilarious...in my opinion at least. I don't think I've laughed that much in quite a while. Now Steve and Tina are two of my faves, but I think pretty much everyone will enjoy it.

This morning I finally slept past 9:00. See, I love the sunshine, but it shines right into my eyes every morning and generally gets me out of bed at like 8:45, which in my opinion nowhere near qualifies as "sleeping in," so after a hectic and tough week, it was nice to get in a great night of shut-eye. I spent some time on my bed watching Freaky Friday on tv while getting some homework done this morning, then the Benjamin and I went out to Chick-fil-a for an outside lunch in the sunshine. Next it was off to the mall for some perusing/formal dress shopping, and finally we made it to Lakeshore for a gorgeous spring walk. Ahh, perfection.

Tonight Ben and I ate in and finished Season 2 of 24. Intense. That's all I can say. Intense and annoying because the finale was a total cliffhanger, which means a trip to McKay's for Season 3 is on the immediate to-do list. Oh TV on DVD, how addicting you seem to be...

Tomorrow I'm headed to the pool with mom, where I will attempt to not get sunburned like last weekend. Oops! Unfortunately the afternoon's reading materials are a stack of psychology journal articles, but oh well, there are like 3 weeks of classes left, so hey, I'll survive.

In other news, I declined my Disney offer this evening. It was really hard to click that button, but I just didn't feel confident enough in my decision to commit at this point, and well, I had to give an answer tonight. I never really felt a complete peace either way, but as my wonderful Bible study leader once told me: if a deadline comes and goes and you don't do anything about it, the date was meant to pass without a big decision being made. I'm sticking with that for now and excited to see what God has in store for me in Knoxville come the fall.

I leave you with a C.S. Lewis quote I saw tonight. It's the preparatory reading for church tomorrow morning at Cedar Springs and I just loved it, so I wanted to share:

"God is not merely mending, not simply restoring a status quo. Redeemed humanity is to be something more glorious than unfallen humanity would have been, more glorious than unfallen race now is (if at this moment the night sky conceals any such). The greater the sin, the greater the mercy: the deeper the death, the brighter the re-birth. And this super-added glory will, with true vicariousness, exalt all creatures, and those who have never fallen will thus bless Adam’s fall."

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope it's as pretty where you are as it's predicted to be here!

Reasons to...

2010-03-29T20:09:00.007-04:00

Haha, sorry, that's kinda creepy now that I look at it, but anyways, despite the cloudy coldness on this dreary Monday, I just have a lot of reasons to be joyful. So I thought I'd share...

1.) Leading off...

Ahh!! Please pay close attention to the high temps for Thursday through Saturday! Want to lay out by a pool? Why of course! I thought you'd never ask... :)

2.) This past Saturday, I made it 10 miles!

I have to give it to the Benjamin, he totally pushed me on when I really, really wanted to give up. And our conversation was way more entertaining than the same old iPod playlist. The poor guy has never run that far in his life, nor has he been on somewhat of a training schedule like myself. But he's such a trouper and was more than willing to be my rock through all the complaining and the stretching and the pain and maybe even through a few really foul words that emerged from my mouth when I was in dire need of a restroom (hah, funny story to accompany that one...).

I feel completely capable of finishing 13.1 in Nashville now. It's quite relieving, and I'm getting really excited!!

3.) And...

Can you read that? It bears good news, hah. Well, some might view it as good news. I'm kind of viewing it as the source of a lot of stressful confusion and big-time decision making.

Yep, at approximately 1:03 am (why that time I have no idea), I received a nice little acceptance letter via email from the Disney College Internship program, offering me a position in Merchandising. I'm aware that it's grunt work. I'm aware that it will be really hard at times. But there's still something in me that kind of wants to throw caution to the wind and say yes!! I have two weeks to decide, and for now, I'm giving it to God and waiting patiently for His answer. Because I'm totally not capable of these kind of decisions, are you kidding me?

I am so comforted by the fact that I can lean on Him in these times. What a beautiful reason to smile...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
-Proverbs 3:5-6

4.) This week is Knox County's spring break, which for me, means two things: one, I get a much needed break from the munchkins, and two, my mom and sis are around for me to go annoy! Unfortunately, in lieu of a beach vacation this break, mom and Maddie are officially (and awfully quickly I might add) kicking me out of my bedroom at the homestead. Apparently Maddie painted over my pretty hot pink walls today all by herself. She's serious about this one! It's cool, I'll allow it, she deserves a bigger bedroom. Tomorrow I'm planning to head out west and check on the damage. I'll probably bribe a meal or two out of mom's wallet while I'm at it. Woohoo!

Well that's really just a snippet of the reasons behind my smile today. Happy weeks everyone! May they be full of joy and sunshine! :)

Thoughts While Driving

2010-03-27T09:29:00.002-04:00

I am in my car a lot these days. Between working two days a week, my refusal to ride the Quarry Trail bus, and those countless cheery trips to the homestead, the Solara and I are pretty big buds. But so much time in the driver's seat lends itself to lots of time to think...and this week I'd thought I'd share some of the stuff that's been flying around in my head on the road:

Firstly, a rant. I have Sirius radio. I love Sirius radio. Because I strongly dislike commercials. And in that respect, Sirius has been very, very good to me. But lately, I've kind of wanted to hurl my Sirius out the window. Why? Because, literally, every time I have started my car all week, I have been serenaded by the same person. Every time. I'm not even joking. And she's not really my favorite. Lady Gaga. Eh. Great songs for the first 5 listens, then I want to run away. Well, Sirius seems to like her a little more than me...grrr, play something else, pleeease!

Anyways, secondly, an expression of dire gratitude. For those of you from K-town, you might have noticed that in recent months, Cross Park Drive over in the Bluff has been a mine field of death. By that I mean severely pot-hole ridden. I took the road home from Bible study a month or two ago and was really just waiting for my car to bottom out and completely fall apart on the side of the road. Terrible!! It put me in the worst mood. (Ask Benjamin, I was on the phone with him the whole time...unfortunate.) Well, this past Tuesday evening, I followed my friends down the trap once again, extremely reluctant I might add. But, to my pleasant surprise, the city of Knoxville had actually done something right and filled all the holes! It was wonderful. I was happy. So thank you K-town road crew, I commend you.

So, I've lived in Knoxville my whole life. Could have changed that up when college rolled around, but I chose not to, because I just wasn't quite ready to leave. I did, however, move downtown to campus, which is a world of different from my suburban west Knoxville beginnings. But, anytime I head back that direction, it's kind of like being in a whole different city, and I love it. I trekked through Turkey Creek earlier this week and it just brought me so much joy. I love all the concrete, I love all the people, shoot I even love all the traffic. I just feel so far separated from campus and I always seem to end up there when I need that most. I think part of the reason for this happiness was the warm weather and accompanying open sunroof and windows on this latest trip. It reminded me of summer, and I have such fond memories of my home and surrounding area during the summer. Needless to say, all of this just means I'm probably going to be in my car even more as the weather warms up.

Alrighty. I suppose I'll stop with the boring nostalgia now. This Saturday is shaping up to be rather gorgeous! Just needs to get past 40 degrees...hmm. I'm off to commence in the usual suicide! (a.k.a. run way more than I'm interested in...) Hope everyone has a beautiful day!

Make-A-List Monday

2010-03-22T22:10:00.004-04:00

1. Just finished watching "Dancing with the Stars." Should be a good season! Though I'm sure I'll lose interest by week 3 or so....but for now, a few shout-outs:

Kate, please stop referring to your kids every 5 seconds. We know your publicist told you to do that, and quite frankly, it's only fueling my frustration with you.

Buzz, you're precious, absolutely precious. Unfortunately there's no way you're going to win. But seriously, precious.

Chad, nice job, hah. But my question: your cute little son they showed, is his last name "Johnson," or does he have to go through life tacking on "Ochocinco" all the time? Poor kid...

2. I register for fall classes tonight at midnight...unfortunately I still don't know what the heck to sign up for. All I really want to take is Tennis and Yoga, so I probably will. Hah, ohh senior year.

3. I'm on a quest to tackle a new hobby: calligraphy. I've always wanted to try it, and today, while viewing some beautiful hand-crafted wedding invites, I decided it's time to start practicing. I'm hoping to get a book and some pens to get going soon!

4. I'm forcing myself back into the running routine this week. I've kind of let things go recently thanks to various injuries and a pretty severe bout with burn-out. But April 24th is looming, and if I don't buckle down, it really just isn't going to happen. So here goes nothing!

5. Season 2 of 24 is r-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s. And as selfish as it sounds, I wish I didn't have to wait on the Benjamin to watch another episode! I'm super-hooked but unfortunately am having to work around the rigorous schedule of the College of Business. Ugh.

6. It's birthday season in K-town! Last week was Nat's, and tomorrow belongs to Hales and Gav! Yay for the big 2-1 ladies! Wine tasting here we come!! (I hope...)

7. And finally, something to chew on:

"For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

-Galatians 2: 19-21

Have a happy (and hopefully warm) week everyone!

Fun with Wontons

2010-03-19T09:41:00.004-04:00

I remember the day I first came across the package of wontons in the Walmart produce section. The possibilities swirling through my head were endless. I threw them in the cart and let the excitement build for my experimentation.

And then they sat in my refrigerator.

And they sat...

And they sat...

And they sat...

And then one day I had the genius to check the expiration date...which I had so wisely let pass. But no worries, the date was not too far in the past, and they sure did look the exact same as the day I bought them, so hey, what the heck? I needed to act soon, though.

Yesterday evening I gave it a go. My original goal for the wontons was to make some cheese ravioli, so that was the first endeavor. I mixed some ricotta cheese, parmesan, an egg, parlsey, oregano, and salt and pepper...

Then put a dollop of the mixture in the middle of each wonton and folded them up! The Benjamin came to help at this part. We had some interesting shapes, haha.

I was having some camera difficulties at this point, so somehow the picture of the boiling pot and final product with tomato sauce disappeared, but it's really quite alright. Boiling the cheese-filled wontons like a pasta ravioli didn't work out so well. Some of them came unglued during cooking, releasing ricotta mixture into the water...ew. And once we removed the successful raviolis, they kind of just splat like dead jellyfish on the plate and got cold really fast. The Benjamin and I still each consumed a full plate, but we weren't satisfied.

Or I wasn't satisfied. I felt as though I'd failed.

But never fear! The fix? Oh you know...a pot, some oil, and the technique that truly makes anything better...

Fried ravioli wontons, eh? Oh yes, a delicious solution to the sloppy mess of the initial go. They stayed hot, they were crispy, they tasted great with the tomato cream sauce, and they were significantly worse for the waistline. Soo much better, yes?

Well, then I got to thinking...what else can I stuff into a little delicate wonton and fry to a crunchy warm bliss? What's that, Em? Chocolate? Ahh, well of course!

Nutella here I come!!

Oh yes, so delicious. I had to save some wontons in the fridge so I could cook up some of these again. Dust with some powdered sugar, and they're perfect!

I'll have to warn you: I don't know if it was the culmination of the week or the long Thursday afternoon with the munchkins or what, but after I ate this meal, I absolutely crashed. Couldn't even keep my eyes open. Yep, I was asleep by 10:00 last night and it was glorious. Kinda groggy this morning after 11 hours of shut-eye, but now I'm all set to go enjoy this absolutely gorgeous day! Thank you Lord for sunshine!!

Thoughts for Today

2010-03-11T21:35:00.002-05:00

I've had these lyrics stuck in my head all day...well, all week really, ever since I downloaded a gorgeous version of "In Christ Alone." I absolutely adore the song as a whole, and I always have, but for some reason this week these words have just resonated so much with me:

"On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand."

Lately I've just been trying to wrap my ahead around the fact that really and truly, all other ground is sinking sand. Do you even know how often I find myself trying to stand on ground other than Christ the solid rock? All the time, unfortunately. I could go into detail, but I'd rather just leave it at that: for you to ponder and for me to ponder.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."
-Matthew 7:24-25

Spring Break, My Style

2010-03-09T23:07:00.002-05:00

Yep, guess what? It's my first spring break after my 21st birthday, and where can I be found? Posted up at the homestead, completing job applications, reading the Pioneer Woman's Love Story, and flying through the second season of 24. And guess what else? It's pretty much exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Let's break it down shall we?

My vacation officially started last Friday at about 12:45 after I turned in my last of like a thousand school assignments flying around last week. I celebrated with a 7-mile run with Haley over at Tyson Park. Yes, that's right-7 miles! As in over half-way to 13.1!! Unfortunately, I've had some pretty awful pain in my left Achilles tendon ever since. I'm not freaking out this time, though, just resting and turning to other forms of exercise for a few days.

By the way, I promise I am not a crazed hypochondriac, just really really unlucky when it comes to injuries and long runs. But the pain is real, I swear...

Friday afternoon I went off with the family to Louisville, Kentucky for the sister's soccer tournament. Eh, it was fine. Probably just what I needed actually, I guess I'm just not ready to accept the fact that what I needed was hours upon hours in a hotel bed watching America's Next Top Model reruns.

Sunday night the Benjamin and I watched the Oscars (all 36,000 hours of them), then Monday I continued to be good and lazy, but did find the energy to make a terrifically delicious dinner for the fam: the Pioneer Woman's Shrimp Pasta in a Foil Package. It was super tasty and flavorful. I give credit to the wine involved. Mmm mm.

Tuesday brought another sunny afternoon with the Munchkins and a trip to the hair salon for a serious chopping of the locks. Yeah...I don't have much hair anymore, but I really like it. See, I read this thing a couple of weeks ago about how walking into an interview with long hair gave the impression that you had yet to grow up. Now, I completely disagree with that, but it somehow stuck with me, and before I knew it, my hairdresser was cutting it to my collar bone. That's short! But it's cute...the Benjamin calls it my new "power hair-cut." Hah, we'll see if it's effective.

This morning I scheduled my phone interview with Disney!! I finished applying for the college internship last night, and now I'm moving to the next step. Whether it's the place I'm supposed to be come August, I'm not yet sure, but I just felt called to look into it, and now here we are! I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Well, I'm off to make some more sweet potato fries! I bought a bunch of sweet potatoes to make risotto at some point this week, but seeing as how nobody in my family seemed too excited about that but me, I figure I'll just make me an easy lunch instead.

So. While I haven't been basking on a beach somewhere in south Florida, I have been engaged in the definition of relaxation, and couldn't be happier! But I do hope everyone who is asleep in the sand is experiencing lots of warmth and sunshine!

Lunch.

2010-02-24T22:45:00.003-05:00

Yummm...

So I've found my new "I could eat this for every meal for a week and be okay" food...sweet potato fries. Made them for lunch today and can't wait to do it again.

My to-do list is ridiculous, so that is all I have to share for now.

But seriously, find some sweet potato fries and eat them. I hear they're the seasonal vegetable at Aubrey's right now...yummy yummy!

Dreams of Late

2010-02-23T21:09:00.003-05:00

Ya'll. I just ate grapes and M&Ms for dinner...how totally typical college student does that sound?

My belly hurts.

But hey, grapes are considered healthy, right? I think so.

Anyway, I've developed this new and wonderful hobby of stalking the shelves of Barnes & Noble while trying to kill time before work. Who knew it was acceptable to waltz right in, pick a random book off the shelf, and sink into one of the super comfy chairs to read it? And when you're done...you put it right back where you found it and leave, no money spent whatsoever. (Unless of course you desire a tasty hot beverage from the Starbucks inside...which today I did.) Yeah, I'm not sure if the store itself is necessarily an advocate of this method, but hey, I figure Barnes & Noble is a big company and must be doing alright, so I'm gonna keep doing it.

Well today I was immediately drawn to the beautifully blue cover of the Blackberry Farm cookbook. A couple of months ago, while randomly contemplating where one should get married in Knoxville...don't judge, lots of girls think about this stuff from time to time...my mind stumbled upon this gorgeous 9,000-acre estate in the Foothills. I'd always heard it was gorgeous and expensive, but then I checked out the website.

Well. It is gorgeous. And it is expensive. Yeah...turns out a wedding at Blackberry can range from $30,000 to (whoa) $80,000. Holy smokes. That ain't happening.

So I've let my wedding dreams somewhat subside since then...but now I have a new goal. I want my own Blackberry Farm. Never thought I'd be a farm girl, but I'm starting to change my mind. Back in the day my dream was to buy a mountain, so it's really the same thing, now I'll just stick a beautiful inn with a five star restaurant somewhere on it.

But first I've gotta find some money to buy a mountain.

Then I've gotta find a mountain...which could be difficult. Anybody got any leads?

But I guess really first I need to go work on my history paper.

Urgh.

Last Night in Review...

2010-02-22T22:31:00.002-05:00

We begin around 11:30 pm...

I read blogs. I blog myself. I probably check Facebook. You know, I fulfill the items on a typical list of "how to waste a lot of time on the Internet."

One hour later...

I am getting tired and realize how late it is. I get in bed. I read my new book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. It is very easy to read and thus incredibly addicting.

Approximately 12:50 am...

I put the book away, turn off the light (which requires an inconvenient trek across the room). And I get in bed and close my eyes.

Another hour passes...

My eyes are still open. Then my smoke alarm beeps. Oh no. This is very bad news. I turn on my tv to find the Olympics reruns. I watch for about 10 minutes. I seem to be getting tired. So I turn the tv off.

Now the clock reads 2:30 am...

And my eyes are still open! I return to the Olympics reruns. Shortly after, I feel the sleep coming on. I turn off the tv. My smoke alarm beeps again! I lie in anxious wait for the third beep, before getting up and removing the battery to ensure no more beeping. Yes, I realize this is breaking rules. I return to bed.

Somehow it becomes 3:00 am...

And somehow I finally fall asleep.

Very, very strange...needless to say, I've been quite tired today.

Untitled...

2010-02-21T23:21:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I really despise coming up with post titles. I often have so many thoughts running through my head when I first sit down to write that I just can't seem to choose a name that can encompass it all. Tonight is one of those nights. So we forgo the title.

What an absolutely gorgeous weekend we experienced in K-town. And good golly we deserved it after weeks upon weeks of frigid temperatures and continuing cold fronts. I don't think I've ever heard so many kids say they're sick of the snow! I sure am. I'm not getting out of class, and I'm not getting out of work, so I wish the sky would just hold it in and stop stressing me out about driving in the possible treachery.

Geez. One little slide at the start of winter and I'm scarred for life. I've accepted it: I'm paranoid.

Anyway, I spent so many hours at Sequoyah throughout the weekend, and I just couldn't be more thankful for it. The sunshine, the puppies, the green, the random men's cross country team parading up and down the boulevard...it was blissful really. I'll confess though, I'm kind of glad it's supposed to start raining tonight and then get chilly again by the end of the week. I just have so much school to deal with the next several days, and it stresses me to be cooped up inside doing homework when the gorgeous warmth beckons. So just let me get this 2500-word history paper written, and then bring on the springtime!

So another confession: I tried to withdraw from the half marathon yesterday...but I failed. Yeah, unfortunately that lofty fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

It's not that I don't think I'll have enough time to train necessarily, it's just that I've realized how I've put the wrong label on this competition from the get-go. It's like an ill omen that I'm dreading and thus have to gear my entire life around getting ready for it. And it shouldn't be like that. I don't want to lose the joy I find in running, and I especially don't want to be droopy and depressed every day until I can start back up again. I need to be able to enjoy and be thankful for every part of every day, whether it includes a wonderful 7-mile run or a gimpy leg and a limp.

Limp...that word sounds so weird when you say it over and over again...hmm.

I just feel like I might be placing this race on a pedestal. It's like we talked about at Bible study a few weeks ago: if you fear something, you will begin to idolize it. Unfortunately my something is a half marathon.

And I'm not going to just give up and quit. Especially since I'm paying for it whether I run it or not...hah. But I am determined to put it in a new perspective. And in the meantime, I'm going to be thankful for what I can do, and just do that.

Speaking of being thankful, I just thought it might be good for me to share a few things I'm especially thankful for on this late Sunday night:

oversized flannel pj bottoms
puppies (especially little black fluffy ones)
grandmothers
families who care enough to call you after they hear about a wreck, just to make sure you're alright
roommates to vent with
McKay's
recipes you're really excited to try out (specifically Chicken Tamale Casserole)
spring-colored M&Ms
the Olympics
worship music
the professional feeling of sitting at a desk
someone in the passenger's seat on long car rides
a 60-degree day in February :)

And so much else...

One last thing while it's on my mind...this morning at church, Mike Kuhn preached and said something that God seemed to be directing right at my heart. I've heard it a million times in a million different ways, but today it hit home a little bit more. God desires nothing more than intimacy with us, and sometimes He lets us know that through pain. Right now, my pain is pain. Straight up. But I know that God is reaching out to me in my literal pain with a purpose, that I would desire Him more and rely on Him more. And it's hard, but I'm learning to do just that.

May you too find meaning in your struggle and pleasure in your pain, whatever that may be.

Happy last week of February!! :)

Struggles.

2010-02-20T09:06:00.002-05:00

Let me begin with an apology...this is a fairly lengthy rant that most will probably find to be really whiney and boring. I think I just woke up this morning and needed to vent, and poof, there lay my computer...

Don't you hate it when you can't do something you love?

I do. And I'm really struggling with it right now.

As you might recall, on New Year's Eve, I committed myself to my new year's resolution by registering for the Nashville Country Music Half Marathon in April. I was a little unsure if it was such a good idea, being so far out, but I knew if I didn't sign up right then and there, I probably would put it off long enough to let the goal once again slip away.

At the time, I hadn't run in over a month in an attempt to nurse a stress fracture in my left shin back to health. It was really hard for me to stop doing something I had come to enjoy so much, but I took December off, knowing once January rolled around, I'd be in good shape to go at it again.

My primary fear in signing up for the half marathon wasn't so much taking the time to train or suffering through an intense training regimen. In fact, I was really excited to watch myself grow in endurance and finally prove to myself that I had the strength and willpower to set such a lofty goal and then see it through. What scared me the most as I spent that $90 to register, which doesn't even go to charity by the way, was the likelihood of another injury cramping my ability to train and reach that goal.

Well, for a good while, things were going great. It definitely took me awhile to get my lungs back in the swing of things, and I struggled at first to even get through a 2 mile run. Eventually though, the endurance returned, and I felt great. My shins felt great too, thanks to my sexy new Asics the Benjamin gave me for Christmas. I call them sexy because the guy who sold them to us did...and I won't even lie, they do look quite good.

Three or four weeks into training, however, I noticed a dull pain in my right quad muscle. It was really strange, and at first I just attributed the hurt to general fatigue...I was running a whole heck of a lot after all. I kept at it for another week or so before realizing that the pain was not going away, and in fact was getting worse. Walking even was becoming difficult.

I guess you could say it all culminated last Friday morning as I ran an early 3-miler on the treadmill. The pain was awful, and I knew I had to stop or the injury, whatever it may be, would never heal. It was terrible. I broke down. I thought it was over. I came back to my room and called the Benjamin bawling. I was so excited about this goal. And I was so on track to achieve it, but my body just wasn't cooperating.

I know it sounds crazy petty for someone to get so upset over some pain in her upper thigh. And I realize that not running for a week or two might not put everyone out there down in the dumps. But it is killing me. I talked with my mom about it last weekend, and she made me feel better about being upset. She herself used to be a frequent and avid runner, until hip problems stopped her from high impact exercise altogether. She told me it is still hard for her to see other people running though, and I can completely understand why. Yesterday the Benjamin and I went walking over at Sequoyah, and every time someone passed by jogging, my heart died a little more.

I had just come to love the activity so much. As much as I dreaded checking the next run off my training schedule, I found myself having a hard time even taking a day of rest. It's almost like I'm addicted to it or something, but not in a bad or harmful way, just because it makes me feel so free and empowered. I love running through God's creation and savoring the strength He puts in my legs. It was such a joy, and I truly miss it...even though it's only been a week. Hah.

And I'm struggling-hard core-with why this is happening. I have been learning in Bible study this semester the joy of simply delighting in life and delighting in the Lord. Delight is my new favorite word by the by... I thought I had reached a strong understanding of God's purpose in everything in my life, and then this hits. Could it be that I was starting to idolize my running and He wants me to step back and see that? Could it be an ever-needed reminder that He is in full control and I was beginning to take too much into my own hands? I really don't know, but all I can tell you is I'm a little frustrated.

I know I don't deserve anything from Him, but I'm just struggling to fully understand that and fully give up control I guess. But I wish I could let things go because it's seriously toying with happiness. I hope I can just continue to come to know a greater happiness that doesn't involve running...

I haven't gone to a doctor, by the way. It just takes so long, and in my experience, the only thing they can tell you is to stay off of it for 4-6 weeks. Well I don't have 4-6 weeks, so I'm hoping for a faster recovery, but we'll see how it goes. It seems like I've got some bigger stuff to take away from this experience, so hopefully I'll be able to focus on that instead. Or I might just run today. That would be wise. Psh.

Next Year...

2010-02-04T22:19:00.004-05:00

Check it out....

I found my new goal in life :)

Unfortunately the 2010 race was held the first week of January, so I will have to wait a year. But no worries, the 2011 event is already scheduled, and I'm already putting it in my planner.

Pumped is an understatement.

Sugar Rush

2010-02-03T21:37:00.003-05:00

Have you ever played the Haha Game? You know, the one where everybody lies in the floor with their heads on someone's stomach and you proceed to say...

Ha.

Ha-ha.

Ha-ha-ha.

Ha-ha-ha-ha.

And hopefully by this point hysterical laughter has broken out. That's the goal. Otherwise it just gets weird and awkward...

But yeah, it's a classic...

Well, let's just the Haha Game is a pretty accurate representation of my mood at the moment. I was trying (and had been for like an hour) to compose a rather serious blog post, and it just wasn't coming. Then Hales decided to comment on her terrifically wired, full-on ADD state, and before you knew it, bam, we were discussing dead cow noises and laughing way more than I've ever achieved with the Haha Game.

Needless to say, at the moment, I'm just not one for intellectualism.

I blame the strawberry shortcake we had for dessert tonight. Bring on the sugar rush, folks. It's been a long week already.

In other news...

I'm seriously starting to resent running. Which is no bueno, considering my longest logged distance is 4 miles on a treadmill...9 more? What?! Ew. Not to mention the fact that I've pretty much come to accept the fact that my quads are just going to be in a constant state of pain for the next 3 months.

Oh, and let's also discuss my wisely planned 9 and 10-mile runs I get to somehow fit in over spring break week. Yessss....

Sorry. I'll stop complaining. It really hasn't been that bad, and I'm totally up for my future long-distance challenges. I'm just tired on this chilly hump day, and I'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning's 7 am wake-up call. That's all.

Whew. And now comes the post-sugar rush crash. Time to hit the hay. Sweet dreams!

And I promise to get back to that serious post on a later occasion. It's a good one.

And another thing...be sure to laugh today. :)

Guilty Pleasure.

2010-02-02T08:48:00.005-05:00

I am pooped. I blame two things:

Abnormal Psychology.

And this chick...Ugh. And to think I sort-of think I liked you after the first episode. Curse you Bachelor for turning me into such a hateful person. AND for hooking me in with your crazed drama and that glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, Jake will come to his senses and kick Miss Princess to the curb.

Doubtful.

And I wish I could channel that frustration into just changing the channel.

But I can't.

So I stay up into the wee hours of the night studying for early morning tests...since the evening was spent glued to the tube, watching Miss Thing desperately and annoyingly throwing herself at our prince.

Wow. I have got to get a more intellectual hobby. I think I'll do the crossword now...

Snow Dance Anyone?

2010-01-06T18:00:00.004-05:00

IT'S GONNA SNOW!!!!

I think at least...

I hope at least!

Probably not this much...(the 10 or so inches we experienced in New York)

But hopefully more than this! (the light dusting sometime last year)

It's not supposed to start until after 3 p.m. tomorrow, so it looks like I'll be at work regardless. I'm ok with that, though, as long as I get home safely and get to see some white stuff on the ground! I mean come on, we deserve something in return for all these frigid temperatures...

So do your snow dances, wear your pj's inside out, sleep upside down, whatever you think will work...cuz I want a snow day!! (For my mom and sis at least...)

Negative Nancy

2010-01-05T21:11:00.008-05:00

Firstly, let me just point out that this is the third day in a row that I've posted. I'm on a roll, people. I deserve a cookie. Or TCBY...oh wait, been there done that today. Oops!

Secondly, I'm in a weird mood. Not the ultra hyper and happy kind of weird mood. The not so good kind...where I'm just really easily irritable and couldn't tell you the first reason why.

But I'll try my best...

The raging bush on my head currently holds enough static electricity to power the entire state of North Carolina. Ick. I despise winter. And seriously, as petty as it sounds, it has driven me crazy all day...and I shocked many a two-year-old as a result. (on accident...)

Another by-product of the season, it's ridiculously cold outside. As a result, when I get home from being out, I immediately throw on my flannel pj bottoms and as many layers on top as I can comfortably handle. Then I can curl up under some covers and carry out the rest of my day from a sufficiently insulated location. Sounds good and great and all, but the problem is, I end up donning the same sweatshirt to prance around the house every single day. And when it's time to come out of hibernation and go out again, my laziness only allows me to change my pants before I'm off.

Sorry. I'm rambling. Basically, every time I've left the house the past like two weeks, I've been in this:

Hah. And yes, I know those of you who see me regularly totally recognize it. It's my favorite sweatshirt, but still, wearing it continuously like I have makes me feel shlumpy, and that makes me feel weird and annoyed.

I also have this annoying pain in the back of my neck that just makes me want to go to sleep even though it's only 9:30.

Complainy Janey...that is my name tonight.

On a positive note though, today was my first day back at the preschool. I was kind of dreading it I'll admit, but it was surprisingly wonderful. I love how two year olds are gone for two weeks and when they come back their vocabulary is twelve times larger and they're totally potty-trained. Plus they're crazy cute. That doesn't hurt.

I hate being a negative Nancy. This morning my devotional was all about my faithful God who always provides. It encouraged me to just sit, be still, and feel the "enoughness" God has filled me with. That was cool. I know it probably deserves a much more sophisticated, deep, and inspirational adjective, but cool is a pretty accurate description. So despite my failed attempt to find my smile on this night, I am not lacking. I am filled with the love of a Lord who provides, and that is all I need.

And at times like these when all I can do is complain, I like to think He fills me with even more. :)

If I Had a Money Tree...

2010-01-04T19:09:00.007-05:00

If you ever get the hankering to see a lot of people, head to Times Square. Trust me, I know from experience, it's packed.

But if you ever get the hankering to see a whole bunch more than a lot of people, I'm talking like squishing a small country's entire population into an area about one-fourth the size of Times Square, take a trip on down to The Pinnacle movie theater in Turkey Creek on any day of Christmas break. It will blow your mind. And they say we're in a recession...psh.

The Benjamin and I attempted to go see Sherlock Holmes the other day, and by attempted I mean failed miserably. Who knew all of Knoxville, its like ten surrounding counties, and their entire extended families, happened to have that same idea of going to the movies? We sat in traffic on Lovell Road for over half an hour, spent another three days looking for a parking space, and eventually ended up facing a sold out sign next to our showing. Terrible. Why Turkey Creek, why??!!

It was too early to head on to dinner, but too close to eating time to go back home. And we really weren't ready to face the shoot-me-now traffic for another hour or so. Solution? Meander through my favorite stores across the street until a sufficient appetite was worked up.

And now for the originally-intended subject of this post...

While killing time in World Market, (which is so wonderfully easy to kill time in) I stumbled across this painting that I became obsessed with!

Don't you just love that quote? "Sometimes the heart should do things without the brain's permission." So true! Oh, I love it. Unfortunately, the price tag showed a whopping $129, so perhaps I can take the quote and paint my own canvas. It won't be nearly as nice as this one, but as long as it says the same thing. That's the part I can't get over!

Anyway, that's really all I wanted to share. Everyone pumped for the Bachelor? I know I am! T-minus 16 minutes and counting! Mainly I'm just really excited for when I get back to school and can join all of my much-missed gals for Monday night Bachelor nights. I am so looking forward to seeing them!

Couch Potato

2010-01-03T23:18:00.007-05:00

What a wonderfully lazy, relaxing, and restful couple of weeks I have had! I mean we're talking the don't wake up until 11:00, don't get out of my pj's until 2:00, and don't really leave the house unless entirely necessary kind of relaxing. Y'all. I love it. And I'm thinking that after one more week of this laying around bliss, I will be ready to hang up the worthlessness and start facing civilization again. Yikes. Could be a rude awakening.

I have managed to make a new best friend amongst the laziness, however. It's name is Dutch Blitz, and it's pretty much the most insanely addicting card game ever.

It's basically a group version of the game Speed, another super fast-paced but wonderful card challenge. I had never heard of Dutch Blitz before this week, and apparently you can only buy it at one specialty game story in the city, but I've already introduced it to pretty much everyone I know, and they're all hooked too. I've been meaning to head to the mall to pick up my own set...I'm just worried that as soon as I do, I will be pestering everyone around me to play at all hours. We shall see!

Guess what else I did from the comfort of my own couch the other night? Signed my life away for the next four months, that's what! By that I'm referring to my decision to just do it, and register for the Country Music Half-Marathon in Nashville this April. Running a half has always been a life goal of mine, and since the stress fracture hindrance of the past couple of months seems to be healed, I decided to go for it. I have concerns, yes. Such as the threat of another injury popping up during training...or the very real possibility of getting totally burned out by the time I build up to 8 or 9 miles...or the complete physical and mental breakdown mid-run one day in which I will have to just plop down on the curb and cry for awhile.

But no, I'm going to be positive throughout this experience, and I will hopefully overcome the challenge. My roomie signed on with me, so that will be encouraging. Plus I spent hours the other day formulating my own customized training schedule on a beautifully-organized and color-coded Excel spreadsheet, and we all know how much I love following regimented plans! I'm sure I'll be providing lots of updates on the victories, failures, and pain involved in the whole process, so get excited! Nash-vegas, here I come!

I also wanted to share a new daily devotional I've started for 2010. I was hoping to find a more Scripture-based book to use this year, and after a couple hours (literally) of milling through the Christian bookstore last week, I finally found one I've definitely enjoyed so far. It's called Solo, and it's based on the the Message, a version of the Bible rewritten in a more readable style. Each day there is a passage from the Message, accompanied by a page of thought-provoking questions and prayers to help you dig deeper into the Scripture. While the entire Bible is not included in the book, it is organized chronologically, and I am excited to encounter new stories and passages that I have not before read. I'm hopeful and ready for what God has in store for me through these quiet times, and I will definitely be sharing my favorites!

Well it's time to go don my onesie, which makes for the most comfortable sleep EVER by the way, and get to sleep before 2 am for once this break. The family is back to work tomorrow, so I'll be the only lazy bum still warming the couch, but unfortunately I have to wake up super early for an unwisely-scheduled dentist appointment in the morning. Ew. And brr...it's gonna be like 15 degrees...

To Be Continued...

2010-01-01T18:37:00.002-05:00

Well I just can't seem to win with any internet connection these days. But the little red Vaio did manage to locate one tiny bar somewhere in the airwaves long enough for me to drop in and promise that I'll be back soon with a legit welcome to 2010. So stay tuned and channel some wireless juice my way if you get a chance...thanks and love! Oh, and Happy New Year!!

Welcome Back! and Merry Christmas :)

2009-12-25T22:54:00.005-05:00

Wow folks...it's kind of like I went out for my post-Thanksgiving shopping spree and disappeared amongst the aisles of Target for an entire month...only to reappear just in time for a Christmas greeting!

It has been a while, and I offer up my apologies. I'd hand out some excuses as well, but they would be a lie, because basically I've just been lazy. Life has been rather crazy this past month, though. Lots and lots of stuff has happened, in fact! Let's see, since the last time we spoke I have...

...purchased and entirely finished Gossip Girl Season 2. Thought you might want an update since I was so excited in the last post. And yes, in case you were wondering, I do attribute much of my recent laziness to this feat...there were like 40 some odd episodes.

...called it quits with classes for the Fall 2009 semester. Thank goodness.

...somehow gotten it together enough to study for and take on my finals.

...totally stuck it to the man, and by man I mean my seriously frustrating history teacher who gave a completely off-the-wall essay question for our final that was super difficult and impossible to study for. However, by "stuck it," I mean I got an A. So take that and bring it on.

...celebrated my 4-year anniversary with the Benjamin. Happy times :)

...gotten a hair cut! Its dire necessity merits sharing.

...moved back to my for real home for break, which is always a welcome experience.

...had a big girl birthday! I'm officially 21!! Although I've yet to do anything exciting, not that I ever really will.

...taken my first trip to the Big Apple! And survived...without looking like a complete Southern idiot.

And now here I am, enjoying the last minutes of yet another wonderful Christmas with my beautiful family. Last night mom's side came over for our annual Christmas Eve festivities, and today we headed over to the grandparents' to spend Christmas day with dad's side.

As lame as it sounds, I think the gift I'm most excited for is the sweet food processor mom and dad gave me. I've always wanted one, and I can't wait to make yummies like hummus and pesto and pastry dough and anything else I can whip up. Oh, and I'm also stoked for the union suit I received. In case you don't know, that's a onesie pajama suit with a butt flap. Ridiculous but still somehow cute.

Well I should probably go to bed so I can get up tomorrow and well, do nothing pretty much. That's what break is best for! I hope everyone had a Christmas as sweet and wonderful as mine, and may you not forget the true meaning of the season!

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

-Isaiah 9:6

It's Coming...

2009-11-24T18:48:00.002-05:00

I love Black Friday. Although I don't even really know why. More times than not I end up sleeping in on that morning, and on the occasion that I do make it out super early, I rarely even buy anything. After all, the lines are always ridiculously long, and in the end, I really don't need anything, even if it is a $3 toaster.

Target has those this year by the way...along with a $3 coffee maker, sandwich press, and slow cooker. I realize they are all probably bogus and burn everything, but still, throw anything at me with a $3 price tag, and I don't care if I despise coffee and already own 2 types of slow cookers, it gets me excited.

As you can see, I've spent a fair amount of time on the Black Friday websites the past couple of days. I've mainly been using blackfriday.info. It has ad scans for all the major stores, as well as product listings and a shopping list creator. Pretty cool, huh? Yep.

The only thing I'm really interested in is the $12.99 Gossip Girl Season 2 offer at Target. That's legit people. It's normally around 40 bucks, which I'm totally willing to pay for hours upon hours of overly dramatic upper East side entertainment, but $12.99?! That's worth waking up early with the masses. Although I'm sure they will be gone within 7.38 minutes, and I am not one to push and shove, but if I manage to roll out of bed on time, that just might be the first goal.

I wish I had more of a need to hit up the sales, but I really have no desire for cheap towels, discount board games, and value luggage. Still, though, it's just a fun thing to look forward to. People go crazy, and I like watching them stress over filling their carts with as much junk as they can. And the stores sure are allowing plenty of time for cart-filling to take place. Kohl's opens at 3:00 am. That. is. ridiculous. I mean like potentially not going to sleep the night before ridiculous. You will not find me out that early, but, I wish happy shopping and lots of caffeine to those of you who do plan to brave those hours. And maybe, just maybe, I'll see ya a couple hours after...

Ouch. Ick. Mmm.

2009-11-22T09:51:00.004-05:00

It's Sunday morning. I wish I could be at church. But I've got a loong day ahead, so I am here. And I should be writing a paper, but instead I am writing a blog post. Typical.

So my original goal of multiple posts this week somehow failed miserably. Nothing really to blame, just life I suppose. Go fig. Oh well, here's at least on an update on the past few days, which have been pretty eventful, so gear up...

Friday morning I trekked way out west (of K-town, that is) to see the doctor about my frustratingly intense leg pain I've been experiencing the last couple of weeks. Although by Friday morning the hurt was really next to nothing, and I feared the doc would think I was crazy, making things up, and wasting her time. Not the case, however. Turns out I have a left tibial stress fracture. Ugggghhh. This means no running or impactful exercise for 4-6 weeks...which kills. Now I have to rely on swimming and stationary biking to burn calories, and in my experience, this does not always work out for me...especially when the temperature begins to drop (which it like just did...). It's ok, though. I'll give up running until the new year, but I just hope when that time rolls around everything will be totally well and I can go at it with no interruptions!

Friday night meant Fall Formal! I went back and forth on whether I was actually going to go all day, especially since my throat was killing me and my lymph nodes were super swollen and tender. Not the most comfortable experience. In the end, I took enough drugs to ease the pain and showed up. Was it fun? At times. Like the point on the bus where the dude across from me puked all over my feet and dress? Not fun. And the really smart decision to only have one bus to transport our entire sorority halfway across the country and back? Also not fun. But the band was good, and the Benjamin and I got some good dance time in before the masses arrived later. Here are me, Gav, and Mel at Gettysvue where it was held:

PS: Gettysvue makes some bangin' chicken fingers in case you ever happen to be dining at the Country Club. That was another perk of the evening.

Ok. Cue Saturday night. Unfortunately I spent all morning and afternoon in bed trying to overcome the sickness so that I could enjoy the football game later that night. It worked, and I got to go with the fam to the Club Seats at Neyland to watch the game. Soooo wonderful up there. There is food everywhere, and we all know that's all it takes to make Emily happy. I'm pretty sure I consumed five thousand calories, but hey, I figured I'm only up here once, so what the heck. And I got to venture up to the skyboxes where I saw Geouque and Erin and Dave. It was overall super fun and I wish I had a money tree so I could sit there every game. Here are me, Benjamin, and Maddie in the sweet leather chairs out above the field:

Alright. I'm really going to write my paper now. It's gotta happen or it isn't gonna happen. Come 1:00 the day is devoted to slating and an early Thanksgiving dinner at the grandparents. It will all be great and grand, but neither involve writing a paper. So here goes...4 days of classes left!!

Week in Review

2009-11-16T22:37:00.005-05:00

Hello friends! It has been far too long, and I apologize for the lengthy delay. I could blame the absence on the test and homework craze that was last week, but really I think the reason for lack of posting is, well...lack of anything to post. Sometimes I think I live a pretty darn boring life, and since I don't have any precious little children running around to spice up my blog posts, I usually just resort to not sharing anything as opposed to sharing the mundane happenings that are actually going on.

Still, though, I have to post something. So here's my attempt to at least try to entertain you folks...a glimpse at a view of the more exciting moments that marked my week:

Monday, as in the Monday that happened a whole week ago...oops, I finally addressed my long-time goal of conquering homemade gnocchi. See, I've become a bit overly obsessed with food blogs over the past month or so, and when all you do in your spare time is peruse through recipe after recipe, it's likely that you'll get quite a hankering to cook. That definitely has happened to me lately, and look what it produced:

Fresh little potato dumplings made with my own two hands. I definitely have a long way to go before I can ever compare my gnocchi to that of the classic Italian grandmothers out there, or even the pre-packaged version available at the store for that matter, but these were at least edible. I'm not even really sure what recipe I used, if I even followed one. I really just read as many posts and recipes concerning gnocchi that I could and then tried to combine all the useful advice into my own creation. But like I said, it needs some work. When I perfect it, I'll let ya know.

Let's see...Wednesday mom booked our trip to New York City for my b-day! That was definitely a highlight of the week! We have a great looking hotel reserved in Time Square, and we also already have Wicked tickets! I've been trying all week to locate restaurants for us to hit up, seeing as how food is my number one priority when traveling, but I haven't had much luck. It's ridiculously overwhelming, so we might be questioning the concierge upon arrival in order to decide on eateries. No worries, though, I have tracked down a few must-go dessert joints, so at least we'll be good in the sugar department.

Moving on to the weekend, Sunday the Benjamin and I headed to Nashville for the Titans-Bills game. We had a wonderful day together, and I'm glad I finally got to see some NFL in action! It was surprisingly warm considering it's mid-November, and I did encounter a bit of a sweat fest on the endlessly long walk to the stadium. I'll admit...the Benjamin had to purchase a dumbly-overpriced $28 t-shirt for me to change into because my nice blue button-down was a wet mess from the blazing sun. I felt bad for him, bit he insisted, and I was disgusting...and miserable. The overall experience was great, though, and the boys even pulled out their 3rd win in a row! Woo hoo!

Fun times, fun times. Well that's about all I can really remember from last week...today's start to this week has been a super long one, so everything else has started fading away. I'm really going to try to post more this week...interesting or not, so get ready!

Holy Smokes, Folks!

2009-11-02T13:43:00.003-05:00

Well, I did it. For the first time in my two and a half years as a student, I finally completed an entire crossword puzzle in the Daily Beacon! And I'm pretty stoked...

I attempt it every day...well, except Fridays that is. See, they get more and more difficult as the week progresses, so I figure it's a lost cause by then. But still, yay!

I guess I'll go to class now...but come on, I figure if I've got enough stuff up there to fill in answers for 78 random clues, then I've got plenty and anything more is just excess.

Hah. Take that college. :)

Weekend Recap and Some Suggestions

2009-10-26T21:45:00.004-04:00

You know that oh-so-wonderous and delightful feeling of having absolutely nothing to do? The type where you crawl into bed in the middle of the day, lay your head down on the pillow and just think to yourself, wow...I am totally caught up on everything...there is nothing I need to do right now, or all day...I can just lie here without a care in the world for as long as I want...

Psych. That never happens in college, are you kidding me? But, sometimes, despite the to-do list that will exist for eternity, I still get in bed in the middle of the day, think all of the above thoughts, and pretend like they're true. This Saturday was a perfect example of one of those times. I really didn't have much to do, little enough actually to totally justify my everlasting afternoon rest, as it was direly needed. After waking up at 7 a.m. for like the 17th day in a row (literally, y'all...) to run in the Race for the Cure, I returned home, stayed vertical long enough to shower and fold laundry, and then cozied up in bed...from about 10 until about 6. Coooool. It really was though.

Then I managed to reveal myself to the world in order to share dinner with the Benjamin and then head to the Ice Chalet for some skating shenanigans with him, Nat, and our friend Will. It was crazy fun. A little cold, yes, but crazy fun. I mean I haven't laughed that hard in a really long time, and it was so wonderful to be able to let loose and be goofy. After all, anyone who can honestly take themself seriously when ice skating is...well, taking themself too seriously.

There's those silly boys trying to skate backwards...apparently "it's all in the hips" (according to the expert dude making his rounds). Telling a boy that something is "all in the hips" just results in a series of hilarious failed trials where the only accomplishment is looking quite ridiculous. Good times, though. Good times.

Now, before I go, there are two suggestions I just have to share. Firstly, for all you Knoxville folk, the Benjamin and I ate at Hard Knox Pizzeria in Western Plaza on Friday night, and it was delicious. Incredibly authentic pizza (but better than any I had in Italy) and a really relaxed local atmosphere. I was so impressed by my simple, fresh mozzerella with red sauce pizza, and the Benjamin's caramelized garlic and salami with white sauce choice was incredible as well. I will definitely be back, and hope others will give it a shot too!

Secondly, for all you It's a Wonderful Life lovers out there, I watched a movie in history class today that was very similar and almost as good. We watched American Madness, a film also by Frank Capra (the director of It's a Wonderful Life), who I'm thinking could be my new favorite film-maker...not that I've ever really considered who that would be anyway. Regardless, if you're ever in the mood for an old black and white film that will totally lift your spirits and just make you smile from ear to ear, try to get your hands on American Madness. It's basically a story similar to It's a Wonderful Life but set about a decade earlier, at the onset of the depression. I know how we love our color these days, but I'm telling you, this is one of my new favorites!

Hold Up.

2009-10-24T19:06:00.003-04:00

Hey Alabama. Congratulations. You barely squeaked out a win over a non-ranked team. Please continue your celebrations and revel in your glory. And enjoy falling out of the number one spot come Monday. Because I love my team...but if we almost beat you, we who were 3 and 3, there is no way you are deserving of a national title.

And you cheated. But what's new?

Roll tide, huh? Psh...

That is all.

Ashe-Vegas!

2009-10-21T22:09:00.006-04:00

I'd probably have to label fall as my favorite season for several reasons: brisk temperatures, beautiful leaves, the resurrection of football season, a parade of pumpkin-inspired baked goods, that tinkling that the holidays are just around the corner...and oh yes, we must not forget the glorious collegiate invention of fall break. Sure it's only an extra two days off from classes...and sure the vacation always seems to fall right smack in the middle of mid-terms, but sometimes just a short leave is all you need, and a nice long weekend as such certainly lends itself to the opportunity for one of my all-time favorite activities: the weekend trip.

I live in a fairly fortunate location, surrounded by many an interesting city, all less than three hours away. Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta...I enjoy them all, and I only wish I had the time and money to visit each of them more often. This fall break the fam, the Benjamin, and I finally made it to one of my favorite mountain towns, Asheville. I'm not really a fan of the intense hippie scene frolicking through the streets of the city, but the mountains, the shopping, and oh yes, the food provide plenty of reason enough to wander across the North Carolina border every couple of years.

We departed on our journey with only a few goals: take in some mountain scenery with a leisurely hike, stroll through downtown Asheville and its many local shops, and let's not forget the Beal family's continuous commitment to stuffing ourselves silly with delicious delicacies whenever we travel. Despite the dreary, drizzly drive on Friday and the sudden onset of frigid temperatures come Saturday, I'd say our little outing was quite successful...especially in the eating department...I may never need to do it again.

We somehow stumbled upon an absolutely perfect hike for Friday, suitable for all parties involved. It was a triple-waterfall-wonder in Dupont State Forest...and it was only about 3 miles roundtrip...which was good for my mom and my own ADD when it comes to endless mountain treks.

There's somewhat dinky waterfall number one...Hooker Falls I believe? We saw better, no worries, but I also enjoyed the struggling "Hey Ben, let me on your back" picture, so I thought I'd share.

That's more like it, eh? Triple Falls, it's called, and I was so not expecting such a spectacle...it was huge! Even my poor little outdated and so not-up-to-par camera got a postcard-worthy shot. I was thrilled...

And last but not least came the big daddy of the three: appropriately named, High Falls. You can't really tell from the picture but it was giant. We trekked down to the bottom of the falls and had to put our hoods up because there was so much mist. Not gonna lie...kinda felt like I was at Niagara...

So yeah...hiking is great and gorgeous and the rest, but let's get to the real deal: the food. I am a die-hard travel foodie. I choose cities for the restaurants and spend countless hours perusing menus in the weeks leading up to departure. My devout devotion to and love of Disney World has firm foundations in the Dining Plan option and all the delicious food the parks have to offer. Asheville definitely did not disappoint when it came to the dining department. Here's a look into where we ate...I highly recommend all of them:

Corner Kitchen...So homey, so cute, so good! Tucked away into a sweet old house in Biltmore Village, I thought this place was so authentic. The dinner menu changes weekly, so there's bound to be a new tasty option every time you go. We sat at a big table right across from the open kitchen, and it just felt like I was at home with a gourmet chef cooking for me. I had wahoo (fish) with a macadamia nut pesto and grilled pineapple salsa. Then for dessert the Benjamin and I split some white chocolate bread pudding...all of it was delish!

Tupelo Honey Cafe...We had lunch here Saturday, and needless to say I stuffed my face. This place is located in the heart of downtown Asheville, and it is quite popular, so expect a wait. We started with fried green tomatoes and fried cheese grit cakes...Southern cooking at its best. I ordered a grilled cheese with tomato soup...classic flavors but super good. No dessert this time...we found a yummy cookie shop instead.

Rezaz...Ok. Y'all. This place is to die for. I mean probably one of the best meals I've ever had. First we had a round of bread and olive oil that totally reminded me of Greece. Then I had a trio of dips as an appetizer: hummus, babaganoush, and muhamara (a red pepper dip with walnut and pomegranate juice). Sounds weird, but soo good. Next up it was sweet potato gnocchi with a parmesan cream sauce and balsamic reduction. And finally, a dark chocolate torte with vanilla ice cream. It was all amazing. I wanna go back. Tomorrow.

Sorry this post is an eternal one. Just had a lot I wanted to share! It was a wonderful weekend and I was not excited about starting back up to school this week...but I got through it somehow. The plan for this weekend? Catch up on sleep! It's a necessity folks...

Wouldn't It Be Nice...

2009-10-12T19:20:00.011-04:00

If I was only allowed to watch one television show for the rest of my life...it would without a doubt be Friends. I was never a big fan when the series actually aired on NBC, but since my roomie introduced me to the wonders of TV on DVD freshman year, I have been hooked. Freshman year in the dorms, little Geouque had all the seasons, so I had free access to any and every episode. Last year in Laurel, little Mims had all the seasons, so again I could borrow any disc any time I wanted. This year, I was not so fortunate to have a fellow Friends fanatic to offer me complete reign over the entire series. Don't worry though, leave it to the Benjamin to come to my rescue. After only a week or two of complaining, he presents me with an early birthday gift: yes, it's true, all ten seasons of Friends. Life is good.

Well, we've been watching Season 5 recently (one of my favorites...I love watching the Monica-Chandler relationship unfold in all its secrecy and scandal). Last night, the Benjamin came over and we watched "The One With the Ball." It's pretty great, as are all of the episodes in my opinion, but this one kind of got me thinking...wouldn't it be nice to live like they do on Friends? I mean think about it...somehow you have enough time to spend several hours a day just sitting around the cutest coffee shop I've ever seen...and somehow all your friends have the time to do just the same alongside you. I guess you do go to work, but let's review your career options: you could be a chef (like Monica), you could work for freaking Ralph Lauren (like Rachel), you could be a television actor (like Joey), or you could be a masseuse (like Phoebe)...and let's be honest, none of them seem to be doing much in the way of working anyway.

You would live in a sweet apartment in the middle of New York City, and all of your best friends live either in your same apartment or the one across the hall. And don't worry, rent never seems to be a problem, so money must be good.

But back to this endless amount of time deal...yeah, if you're familiar with the episode I mentioned above, you would know that the whole storyline revolves around a game of catch begun by Ross and Joey, which continues for an entire day. I only wish I had enough time in life to just stop everything and try to set a record for throwing and catching a ball without it hitting the ground. It'd be nice, huh? Yep...

So that's my enticing thought of the day for everyone. Now I must get back to the pile of reading and studying sitting next to me on my desk. Perhaps in about 7 years I'll get to that whole ball-throwing thing.

Happy Birthday! Love, The Dragon...

2009-10-10T16:43:00.007-04:00

Happy 21st to the Benjamin! He's all grown up now...kind of scary I must admit. Mainly on account of the fact that I myself will be hitting real-life adulthood in only two months from now. Weird. Strange. I don't like it.

Regardless of my fear of growing up however, I still had to help the Benjamin celebrate his special day! We had a nice line-up of events planned...some of which worked out great, others...well, not so much. There's still more to come, though! Allow me to explain...

Breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day, unless you count dessert as a meal that is, in which case breakfast would definitely round in at a close second. But still, a big, yummy, calorie-filled morning meal is my favorite. Thankfully, the Benjamin agrees, so I thought I'd make him a nice breakfast for his b-day this morning. It was quite delicious, too. As a tribute to manlihood in general, I chose a Cheese and Sausage Breakfast Casserole to start. It was almost too manly for myself, but he loved it, and that's all that matters. Came out looking tasty, though...

And I always find it necessary to address the fact that completely dessert-esque sweets are totally acceptable when it comes to breakfast food, which is where these super-easy and super-delicious canned biscuit donuts come in...

Just fry them up, toss in some powdered sugar, and add to a heaping plate of pure greasy protein, and you have one happy camper...

I made him do the cheesy thumbs-up deal...don't judge. So, wonderful, part one of birthday celebration festivities complete. Part two? Well, it was supposed to be a lovely fall hike through the mountains of western North Carolina. That is, until we encountered The Dragon...

Ok, so I've heard of this...The Dragon...a.k.a. the most deathly stretch of road in like the entire United States. It is indeed 318 curves in 11 miles...though it seems like so much more than 11 miles, my goodness. Well, we were just cruising along, following the Mapquest directions, looking forward to our leisurely stroll through brisk temperatures and gorgeous leaves, when bam, vomit-fest in the rain begins. And then continues to proceed for like half an hour. Wow, I have never been so carsick in my life, and I'm not sure the Benjamin's sweet little Civic has ever been so nervous and exhausted in his life either. It was quite intense.

We did survive, thank goodness (which the Benjamin really wanted to commemorate with a tourist-trap t-shirt, but I was too nauseas to agree). Unfortunately, though, at this point we were both kind of dreading hiking 6.8 miles and then having to re-visit The Dragon. Add that lack of enthusiasm to our terribly difficult time finding the trail head, and well, you can guess what happened...no hike in the cards for today.

We did suck it up and keep going long enough to at least run into Fontana Dam, the second largest dam in the country, behind Hoover of course. We both donned our most positive (and nerdy) faces and actually had a great time just exploring the dam and surrounding lake area. We took some fun pictures, ooed and ahhed over the beautiful views, and even had some spitting contests off the side of the dam before calling it a day.

You know what? I'm pretty sure 6.8 miles would have put me in a bad mood anyway. Especially since I so ingeniously left my packed lunch sitting on the counter this morning. Oops! We conquered the dragon a second time, avoiding all of these whipping around the switchbacks...

...and now here I am about to go meet the Benjamin for a birthday dinner at Naples! And we can't forget cake time later...my creation is turning out to be pretty ridiculous. More pics of that to come!

Did Someone Push Fast Forward?

2009-10-04T19:57:00.007-04:00

I was just talking with my roomie about how quickly this semester was flying by. I mean seriously, next week is midterms. We are already halfway done. Y'all. I feel like I'm still getting used to my routine! I truly believe I'm moving in fast forward mode.

I haven't shared any of my own pictures lately, mainly because I'm lazy and don't want to wait for them to upload. But, seeing as how this semester will be over before I even know it, I thought it necessary to show some real life evidence of what's been going on...

**Warning: these go way back...or at least that's how it seems...

There's a look at my bed and sweet cross collage hanging above. I've been meaning to post some pics of my room...unfortunately that didn't happen until two months after I started living in it...

That's me and Geouque over Labor Day weekend in Charleston! We're atop a cannon replica out on the Battery. It was such a wonderful trip...primarily thanks to the food I inhaled on a daily basis.

Thursday nights in apartment 307 have been officially designated "Office Nights." We invite some friends over to watch the show, pick a food theme, and get cooking...which usually results in an amount of food tremendously too large for the number of people present. This is my pesto pizza I made the first Thursday of the season...whole wheat crust, basil pesto, fresh tomato, and fresh mozzarella...yum yum!

I've started doing some morning swim routines at the indoor pool before class this semester. I try to make it once a week, and surprisingly, despite the 6 a.m. wake-up time, I've held to it thus far. It's really quite peaceful and so nice to get my work-out done so early in the day. I also love the gift of seeing the sunrise over campus as I walk out to my car when I'm finished. I took this one morning because it was so calming and beautiful I just couldn't resist!

Last weekend the fam was in Kingsport for a soccer tournament and I volunteered to stay at home and watch Lucky to save boarding money. The Benjamin came to keep me company and even got in a little spooning time with the Luckster himself. I'm just obsessed with this picture...aren't they both precious? :)

There's the Benjamin and me at the Tennessee-Auburn game last night! We had terrific seats...section D, row 4! Unfortunately, the game was a blow and the surrounding fans were annoyingly distracting and obnoxious...for a variety of reasons. This was before the game started though, so we were still all smiles.

Lawhead and Haley made a sweet sign for Nick Reveiz, an injured player who used to play at Farragut, so we felt the need to show some recognition. Fortunately, this sign + good seats up close + ESPN cameras nearby = an ESPN appearance for ME!! I haven't actually seen the recorded show yet, but Lawhead watched it last night and took a picture of the tv when we were on. I saw it on his twitpic this morning and could totally make out my face, despite the distortion. It was pretty exciting!

So there you have it...a little tour of life so far this semester. I hope to have lots of fun fall pictures and stories to share very soon! If only this constant rain and huge to-do list for school would stop preventing that from happening...happy weeks to everyone!

Hype.

2009-09-28T21:26:00.004-04:00

Once upon a time I competed in a Fantasy Football league with a group of about 12 guys...and I came in second. It's definitely up there on my list of astonishing feats in life. I was pretty proud.

Those were the days when football came before a lot of things in my life. I knew the leagues. I knew the players. I knew the coaches. I even aspired to have the Monday Night Football theme song somehow incorporated into my wedding. Oh, and once, I totally predicted the Superbowl match-up in like Week 5 or something ridiculous like that. Yep, as far as the general female population goes, I was definitely considered a pigskin nerd.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned here, that football flame died somewhere along the way, and up until a few weeks ago, football's only role in my life was a possible producer of background noise to be played while I wrote papers during late-night babysitting. Well my friends, I think it's back. And I'm pumped. Check it:

This is where you can find me Saturday night, at 7:45 pm, in the perfectly brisk fall air that screams, "are you ready for some football?" Oh, and if you can't make it to field to see me, you might just turn on the tube and watch you some ESPN...I'll be the one on the FOURTH ROW, just off the 50-yard line. I'm hoping to find some sweet orange overalls to sport...how's that for spirit, eh? Be jealous, UT students, be veeery jealous.

And this is where I'll be come November 15th! The Benjamin's totally not-a-surprise birthday present is a ticket to the Titans-Bills game on that Sunday afternoon. I've never before experienced an NFL game before...it should be quite exhilarating I'm thinking. Especially considering the fact that I will be seeing T.O. in person...well, from the nosebleeds that is.

And now I shall be off to continue pretending to do my homework while devoting way more attention to Monday Night Football and the peanut-butter-chocolate-chip banana bread my neighbors just made...hello deliciousness! :)

Blame it on the Rain...

2009-09-26T20:34:00.004-04:00

When this is the forecast...

This is what I put on...

And this is where I set up camp...
That's pretty much been the story on this super-soaked Saturday. I'm not sure I knew so much rain could fall from the sky. I'm not really complaining, though. Since I've been sentenced to staying at home with Lucky all weekend, I was sort of banking on a fairly uneventful and lazy couple of days. I've done a great job carrying out that plan. Check it out, though. This picture was taken today only like two miles from my house...

Scary, yes? I think so. Needless to say, the Benjamin and I did at least venture out from under the roof today though, in order to run a little errand known as dinner. Now, had the sun been shining and the birds chirping, you just might have seen something the likes of this on my kitchen table this evening:

Yummm. That would be Emeril's Shrimp with Linguine in a Pesto Cream Sauce, and my oh my does it look tasty. However, with the rain comes the laziness, and with the laziness comes the indecisiveness. So even though we had a Target buggy full of all the ingredients needed to create this delicious feast, a second analysis of what we really wanted to do tonight produced this replacement in our cart:

Yep. Classy, huh? It was perfect, though. The only prep required was turning on the oven, and the only clean-up required was tossing plates in the dishwasher. It doesn't get much better than that. Especially on a lazy, rainy day when the only productive activity I accomplished was washing my sheets because I had been in them for so long this morning. Yikes.

Well, here's to continued couch time and hopes of sunny skies for tomorrow. I don't really think I can sit any longer...

Story of My Life

2009-09-24T21:57:00.002-04:00

Leave it to Maddie Beal to speak the most insightful and true statement I've heard in a while...

In her words, "The paragraphs in my chemistry book are like food for the brain...and my brain just isn't hungry."

The family determined it the quote of the day. I'd like to designate it the quote of my semester. Except extend "the paragraphs in my chemistry book" to everything I hear in every single class on each and every day, blah blah blah.

Thanks, sis. Here, I'll even put up a picture of you since you so often complain of blog neglect. Sorry it's from like four years ago. And that you still have braces.

What I Learned This Week

2009-09-17T21:55:00.004-04:00

Longest week ever. Well, actually it seemed like the shortest week ever, but my to-do list sure needed the longest week ever. Tests, research meetings, documentary proposals, history readings...the list goes on, and now all I'm left with is a mind full of mush. Tired mush. But I can manage to remember a few things I learned this week. I thought I'd share...

1.) From Jeopardy. Apparently on the Forbes list of the Top Billionaires of 2009, positions 11-14 are held by Walton family members. Well I've helped that cause out a few times this week...oops.

2.) From a history reading. When Mickey Mouse first came onto the scene back in the day, he starred in nine movies before he actually talked. His first word? "Hot dogs!" Classic Disney. Always memorable.

3.) From my research lab training. I got hired as a research lab assistant last week and learned about the task I'm working with on Wednesday. The really cool part? The Navy actually wrote the experiment, and they are actually counting on the results to improve their system.

4.) From the sky in Knoxville, Tennessee. Sometimes it rains everyday. But it is possible to still have a joyous day despite that.

5.) From Ben & Jerry's. This is absolute, no-joke, for-real best all-time flavor Ben & Jerry's offers. I had never seen it before, but I picked it up yesterday at Walmart as an end-of-crazy-week treat. Now I can't stop eating it.

6.) From The Office. Pam and Jim are having a baby. I think that's weird. The Office is not a baby kind of show.

7.) Again from history. Also back in the day, when the U.S. decided showing movies on Sundays was a bad idea, Knoxville was apparently the last to put the rule into effect. Way to go K-town. Way to be the heathen city.

8.) From my life and the Lord. No matter how defeated you might feel by your day, your week, or your life, God will never give you anything you can't handle. He definitely revealed that to me this week, and I am so incredibly grateful.

Good News and Bad News...

2009-09-12T20:38:00.002-04:00

Oh the Neyland Stadium student section...how you love to make me so exhausted and unhappy. So much so in fact that in recent years I have come to avoid you at all costs...that is if I can do so without committing social suicide. Why UT students, why must you be so numerous and ant-like on game days? And why must you create such crowds amongst those oh so uncomfortable bleachers? Why must you insist on standing the entire game? And why the whiskey-spiked Cokes? They just never end in good times...

I have become very good at rattling off this ranting list when it comes time to present my excuse for not attending each and every home game during football season. It breaks my heart, too, because it was not long ago that college football was one of my favorite things in life. I used to love going to games with my family, tailgating at our usual spot, experiencing the overwhelming rush of excitement that is Neyland Stadium. For some reason, though, as soon as I actually became a Tennessee Vol myself, it was suddenly so much harder to mean it when I cheered how "great" it was to be one.

I must admit, I didn't even really care about the newness and excitement surrounding the new coach this year. The most interesting aspect to me was the cool fact that Lane's oldest daughter attends the pre-school where I work, meaning I kind of have a long and strange but totally valid connection to someone somewhat famous, or at least well-known. Still, though, in keeping with the general trend of what college students are "supposed" to do, I bought a ticket for today's game and tried my best to not completely dread it. And I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there were moments of utter exhaustion. Yes, my legs currently feel like I might have just run a half-marathon. And yes, at times I probably looked like I had just jumped in a pool thanks to the sweat pouring from my body. But those things are to be expected at these things, and overall I still had a really good time.

So that is what I'm calling the good news: the fact that there is still hope for me and my dying love of America's game. I yelled and screamed and cared (which is big), and it made for a great day and a definite thrill. Unfortunately, though, as you can see by the second part of this post's title, there was a bit of bad news on this day as well. And if you turn on SportsCenter right now you could probably hear about Crompton's multitude of interceptions (I lost exact count) and soon after the sad score of UCLA-19, Tennessee-15 will flash across the screen, and there you will find the bad news. We were so close...I mean just one more yard kind of close...but aren't we always, right?

At least I felt a negative emotion as a result of the outcome, however. I'll confess to secretly pulling for a loss on game days during my freshman year, as a win meant people would be crazy happy, which would lead to crazy parties, which would thus make me feel more like a loser and probably have a harder time sleeping in a peaceful environment. But it was still a bummer that we couldn't capitalize on our blowout victory last week. I just hope Kiffin is hot on the trails of many a mind-blowing high school quarterback, because good grief we need a good one. Maybe by next year we'll find one...hopefully I'll still be interested in attending a game by then.

Sometimes it's the Little Things...

2009-09-02T22:34:00.003-04:00

It's official. I am a terrible blogger. It appears when I start to add graded items to my to-do list, my favorite summer activity gets kicked to the curb. And I can't even really commit to a full post here. Although in this case it's not the homework that's beckoning as much as the pillow. I knew the daily 8 a.m. class decision would catch up with me eventually.

Regardless of my need for sleep, however, I just wanted to share the ingredients of my one moment of solace on this crazy day...the pumpkin spice latte has returned to Starbucks, indicating not only the promise of many happy helpings for myself, but also the coming of everyone's beloved favorite: fall. So take heart in knowing the option is out there, and please make a point to go try one. I'm not even a coffee fan, but this little treat probably brought me more joy than anything else today. It's true what they say: sometimes it really is all about the little things.

Look Up.

2009-08-10T19:09:00.005-04:00

Consider for a moment, the tree. Remember back in those preschool aftercare days when you would produce the classic child rendition of the grass+sun+tree with black hole+possible wandering fluffy cloud? We all did it, and we all thought afterward we had created the perfect picturesque scene. In a way we had, because we were four, and to our parents, anything on paper that was recognizable was considered perfect. But in reality, this is not a perfect picture...

Let me tell you why.

A tree's trunk is far more detailed than the skinny brown rectangles portrayed in the classic tree drawing. There are hundreds, no thousands, of branches intricately intertwined, climbing to the sky. And the leaves of a tree do not magically form into a clean-edged ball of green fluff atop its trunk. No, the leaves of a tree are possibly the most fascinating. They are indeed magical, but this beauty is found in their wildness, in their paradoxical perfect patterns that also bring a unique identity to each and every leaf. If you only take the time to look, you will easily realize the intense and unbelievable construction of a tree. It is the work of God's hand, and only God's hand, and a second glance at wonders such as these make me stand in awe of His glory...

I was taking some quiet time on my back deck this evening when I simply looked up. And the beauty I saw, the detail I appreciated, the Creator I admired...brought me peace. Moments like this heighten my desire for thoughtful background music, and I was tempted to go inside and get my ipod...but I didn't. Because it was also in this moment that I realized if I only look up (in my backyard at least) , everything I see is purely God. There are no manmade fences, no harsh iron chairs, no noisy lawnmowers, no electronic mp3 players...just beautiful blue skies, wispy white clouds, and the intricate outlines of tree tops. Things that are merely the result of a Maker who loves us, who wanted to spread His glory throughout His creation. This, too, brought me peace.

My experience tonight has inspired me to strive to find places that are purely God. As a human on this earth, it is nearly impossible to not be at least somewhat materialistic. I can't imagine life without my cell phone, computer, microwave, tv...without my tennis shoes, car, cups to drink from, comfy chairs to sit in...they are all unfortunate necessities to me, and they are all from the hands of man. I encourage you also to seek such peace that is only possible when you surround yourself with pure God. Slow down, sit down, and be in awe of His power and His gift of creation. Words cannot describe.

Just Some Updates

2009-08-07T16:04:00.007-04:00

It's funny to me how you can have nothing really going on and yet have no time to do anything. That seems to pretty much sum up these virtually disappearing last couple of weeks of my summer. The only event on my calendar has been the morning babysitting routine, but I feel like I've been running all over the place and never have a chance to do things like post on my blog. Hence the hiatus. Well, how about I play catch up?

1.) This would be an example of my wonderful new toy so generously given to me by the Benjamin earlier this week. I've been saving up all summer (well, I intended to at least) to buy my own ipod Touch (since I'm obsessed with the iphones but sadly Verizon still doesn't carry them), but let's just say I'm the luckiest gal in the world and had a surprise waiting for me when I came home Tuesday evening. Advice: If you're interested in purchasing your own ipod Touch or any other ipod product for that matter, get on craigslist...you'll be glad you did!

2.) Part of my frantic traveling around K-town has been thanks to the never ending process of gathering items for my new room in my new apartment (that I will be inhabiting exactly one week from tomorrow). And unfortunately I still feel like there's so much left to get! Go figure, right? My solid brown duvet and textured brown shower curtain are currently being monogrammed, for which I am so pumped, but I still need to purchase sheets. I can't decide if I want a nice, crisp set that would probably look nicer or if I want to go for the can't-beat t-shirt sheets that guarantee the best night's sleep of your life. Cute or comfy...it's the age old question.

These are the pillows I've acquired thus far. The orange one is your classic Pottery Barn, the giraffe print is from Pier 1, and the green is made by my grandmother and matches my curtains. I have another green one on the way, and that should be good enough, I'd say! I'm excited to get it all together and see the final product!

I also just wanted to share these towels I found at World Market a few weeks ago, on sale for like, 7 bucks! They were a steal and I love them!

3.) Have I mentioned I have a heavy obsession with all things Walt Disney World? Well, I do. And I think I've decided I want to go for a spot in their College Internship Program sometime in the next 2 years. I had the thought this past spring and for some reason let it slide away...but don't worry, it's back in full force. :) We'll see if it stays.

4.) Don't you love it when you start thinking about the weeks and weekends ahead and can pretty much say what you'll be doing at every minute for the next month? That's kind of how my life is looking, but I'm okay with it. Tonight I'm going with Benjamin to dinner at Lakeside Tavern, for what will probably be our last date for some time. Then tomorrow it's off to see the munchkins for the rest of the weekend. I've never done an overnight babysitting job before, but I think it will go well. Next week? House Party? Next weekend? Move-in and recruitment. Week after next? Recruitment, recruitment, recruitment. Oh, and class-can't forget that gem! And the list continues after that. It's alright, though. I enjoy schedules, and I get to see long lost friends very very soon! :)

Wait, Aren't You Like...20 Years Old?

2009-08-04T12:57:00.007-04:00

Last week, the Benjamin and I journeyed up to Pigeon Forge (in the pouring rain) to do a little outlet shopping. It was friends and family weekend at Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic, and I was fortunate enough to receive one of the prized 30% off coupons, meaning a trip to the already discounted factory stores was a must. Well I regret to report my only find was a belt at Banana, and I probably could have gone without it but I just felt the need to use my coupon at least once. Too bad it didn't work at J. Crew...that didn't stop me, though. Oops.

My number of discount uses would likely have risen significantly, however, if I was still able to fit into the little girls' clothes at the Gap. I was on my way back to the dressing rooms in the store, my hands full of nothing but unneeded basic tees and black stretchy pants, when I stumbled upon Gap's little gem of a girls' section. Gosh, it was precious. I mean really tempting. Well, except that I don't believe a girls size 6 dress would fit over my, ahem, chest, but oh how I wish it would!

I've always been a fan of the children's clothing. In fact, even now that I can in no way wear any of the little girls' stuff, I still strive to make my outfits from the women's section look as childish as possible. Maybe it's my ever-present goal of prohibiting myself from growing up. Maybe it's my being constantly surrounded by munchkins at work. Or maybe it's just one of those things that goes hand-in-hand with my eternal obsession with all things Disney. My dream job is still to marry the prince of Monaco...just so I could know what it feels like to be a true princess. Regardless, I can't hide nor relinquish my love for pint-sized clothes. And I've accepted that. The other day when the Benjamin asked me to describe what I thought to be my style, I made sure to include, "Oh, ya know, I enjoy clothes made for a young adult but that make me look a 5-year-old" in my answer.

Seriously, though, just indulge me for a minute here. Today we received a crewcuts catalog in the mail. And yes, my first response when flipping through it was, "Good grief what kind of mother would dress their mud-loving, dirt-attracting, food-spilling toddlers in this stuff?!" However, on second thought, I realized that I was actually quite envious of these children, because I wanted to purchase everything for myself! I mean, look...

Jealous, yes? I know I am...oh well, I suppose I'll just have to continue my own search for bright tights, frilly tops, and baby doll jackets in the women's department. Should be fun...

How 'Bout a Suggestion?

2009-07-31T14:57:00.002-04:00

I pretty much despise politics. From the local level, all the way up to presidential potpourri, I usually choose to let the Bill O'Reillys and Jon Stewarts of the world duke it out in the political ring.

Although I will admit I flipped to O'Reilly's show the other night after my dad came in my room to inform me the leprechaun in Mobile, AL video from YouTube was about to be discussed. If you haven't seen it, go here, and prepare to laugh hysterically. It's one of my all-time favorites.

Anyway, I'm strongly considering writing to some sort of political mastermind with a new policy that I feel would help make our world a better place. That's their job, yes?

See, I drive a car. Not an SUV, not a mini-van, not a massively huge F-450 super-long truck. Just a car. And while she is only a 2-door, she's still a pretty decent sized vehicle. She's definitely no Smart Car--she's got a butt. Well, I've been having a terrible time pulling out of parking spaces lately because there always seem to be two huge SUVs (or the equivalent) parked on either side of me. And it doesn't matter how hard I try to slowly (I mean snail-pace) inch out of my spot, I always have to pull out blindly, just hoping there's not another car zooming by in the lot.

Therefore, I think it would be a good idea to start getting some designated parking going on. Now I know every once in a while you'll drive through a lot that has, like two spots, for "Compact Cars," but let me tell you, I don't drive a "Compact Car" and yet this is SUV-neighbor-thing is still a huge problem for me. I'm talking about having a special section for SUVs and anything else not considered a car. That way I can see. And better avoid ramming into the side of zippy little VW Beetles wheeling way too fast through the parking lot. Yes, this almost occurred today, but thankfully my guardian angel saved the actual wreck from happening.

I really might do it--write somebody I mean. It's just gotten really bad and today almost culminated in disaster. I want to note though that I'm not necessarily against SUVs. There are three in my driveway right now, so my family is not made up of tree-hugging hybrid-lovers. I simply wish those of you who are SUV-drivers would consider us baby cars when choosing a parking place. Sorry if that sounds complainy-janey. It's just my opinion and small plea, that's all.

Lazy Sunday

2009-07-26T18:52:00.005-04:00

My summer has been defined by lazy afternoons and relaxed evenings. Today was no exception, and I knew that as soon as I woke up. We had a rather nasty, rainy morning in K-town, so even though it was time for my alarm to go off, the lack of light coming through my bedroom window indicated otherwise. I managed to pull myself out of bed in time for church, though, so at least my lazy Sunday involved me leaving the house.

After church and a quick lunch at home, I could be found where else...but the couch. The Benjamin came over and suggested going to see a movie, which we quickly decided required way too much energy, and instead settled on renting a something to watch. And so we were off to the Redbox...

I took this from the car. I had to stay in and babysit this crazy hooligan so he wouldn't start barking hysterically and bite off the hand of an innocent Walgreen's customer passing by.

He was a good little pup, though! There he is waiting patiently for Ben to finish getting the movie. I think he wanted to drive! :)

Yep, the Benjamin thought it would be a good idea to let good ole' Lucky tag along on the short trip down the road. He loves going "bye-bye" and Ben's nice enough to take him once in awhile, despite the layer of white hair on his car seats and dried-up slobber drips on the windows that Lucky leaves behind. But look how happy he looks with the wind in his face...

See? He's precious, I don't care who tells you otherwise. And it's a good thing I like him since mom rudely desserted us for the beach this week (sorry, just the jealousy speaking). Usually she's in charge of making the dog feel loved and what not (and she spoils him to no end...hence why he's fat), but in her absence I guess I'll take on the job as best I can. The Benjamin can help. He loves Lucky even more than me I think. He actually enjoys taking him for runs in an attempt to help him lose that barrel-like belly.

He needs a dog, doesn't he? Yep! Well we ended up watching some movie I'd never heard of called Defiance, which I paid little attention to. Must not have been the best, I suppose. I was too busy switching up my fall class schedule for the upteenth time. I'm now taking some crazy ancient Hebraic traditions course, but it's supposed to be interesting and easy, and it fulfills a requirement I've been stressing over for some time now, so I figure it will be a win in the end.

I'm now back on the couch, anxiously awaiting my evening of reality tv to begin! Tonight's line-up is my favorite...Next Food Network Star followed by HGTV's Design Star! They are both excellent and I highly recommend them to anyone in need of some Sunday night entertainment. Hope everyone has a great start to their weeks!

If I Were in Charge...

2009-07-24T19:52:00.012-04:00

I recently read Emily Giffin's fabulous chick flick in a book, Something Borrowed. I'm usually not a huge fan of the girly beach read genre, but this one changed my mind a bit. I absloutely couldn't put in down, and I am overjoyed to report the conclusion of my time-eating summer class, meaning I can hopefully begin the sequel, Something Blue, as soon as I acquire it!

I am, however, a huge fan of girly beach read books gone silver screen. He's Just Not That Into You, The Devil Wears Prada, Confessions of a Shopaholic...love them all! So as I was reading my latest find, I couldn't help but think, "someone has got to make a movie out of this!" I started visualizing actors and actresses in my mind's eyes as I witnessed the plot unfold. It was quite fun, and I was pretty happy with my cast.

Then last night, when I decided it'd be fun to put my mental movie into a blog post, I thought I'd google any news surrounding a possible big screen future for Something Borrowed. Sure enough, there it was! Due out in 2011, it seems Giffin has sold the rights to both her first and second novels, allowing them to be recreated for theaters! I'm sure for many of you this is old news, but I was a bit late jumping on the bandwagon for this book to begin with, thus I seem to be behind in any excitement about it as well.

Now for those of you who have yet to read the book, I apologize for the boring post, and I'll admit it won't get any better from here. However, for my fellow readers, here are a few of my choices for stars in the movie version. I didn't pay much attention to physical descriptions in the book...ya know, hair color and the like, so a few of these might be off, but it's just a list of who came to mind while I was reading the book.

For Rachel, I envision Katherine Heigl. Now I don't remember if the character's blonde or not, but I feel like Katherine has more of an understated, classic beauty. She's not just drop dead gorgeous and stick-like. Sure she looks amazing in this picture, but on a rainy Sunday afternoon, sans make-up and in sweats, I'd say she's a total Rachel.

Darcy was a more difficult task. The picturesque woman I had envisioned in my head while reading the novel was not a specific actress I had before seen. However, minus the blonde hair, I must say this chick fits the bill pretty well. Her name is Malin Akerman. She was the sister in 27 Dresses, where she played the perfect Darcy. And even though I'm pretty sure Darcy was more of a dark-skinned brunette, this is still my pick.

This guy's been on my blog before...because he's stunningly gorgeous and one of my new favorite actors. Now don't envision The Hangover-version Bradley Cooper, but maybe more of a He's Just Not That Into You-version Bradley Cooper...and poof you've got my Dex. I think it could work. I'd enjoy watching him! :)

I realize there are more characters, but I figure this takes care of the main ones. Apparently Hilary Swank is on the production team, but that doesn't necessarily mean she has a spot in the film. We shall see...can't wait 'til 2011!!

Nerd Fest?

2009-07-20T22:39:00.004-04:00

I am a nerd. It's true. I've accepted it, and so should you.

In keeping with my nerdy tendencies, I thought I'd devote a short post to the amazing feat accomplished on this day forty years ago.

It was one small step for man...one giant leap for mankind.

Yep, we landed on the moon! So very fabulous, United States of America. Way to go!

Look, even Google celebrated:

You know it's important if it's Google homepage title image-worthy. And I would agree, this was quite the legendary event.

I took part in the History Channel's festivities this evening, watching a replay of the original broadcasted moon landing (which was way cool), followed by a made-for-tv movie (I think?) detailing the story behind the Apollo 11 mission. I feel sufficiently patriotic and historically appreciative for the day.

I shall now return to my regularly-scheduled nerdiness. Toodles! :)

Success.

2009-07-18T12:03:00.004-04:00

I don't mean to brag (well, maybe only slightly), but I managed some great culinary success last night, and I wanted to share. I made dinner for the Benjamin, and our meal was so. darn. good. And amazingly simple, too! Please indulge:

For a main course I prepared teriyaki salmon, a dish inspired by my first introduction to the fish, which just happened to be during lunch at Cinderella's castle in Disney World. It was a fabulous place to dine, and the fare was even better. Anyway, I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and decided to give it a try. I also took some time to read the reviews on the dish, and thus tweaked the ingredients as suggested. It turned out perfectly!

Props to the Benjamin for skinning and de-scaling the salmon before it was cooked. I had never bought fresh fish from a counter before, but will next time take advantage of the butcher's kind services. Now for a close up...

To accompany the salmon I served a jasmine-cashew rice (again taking the idea from my Disney deliciousness) and fresh green beans with olive oil (straight from the Benjamin's garden). If you've never had jasmine rice, I highly recommend you try it next time you have Asian. They go so well together! Here's the end result all nicely plated:

And of course I can never forego dessert! This idea came from an episode of Giada's Everday Italian I was watching yesterday after the munchkins went down for their naps. Chocolate-strawberry paninis...yum! They too were super easy. Just slice up some pound cake, spread some nutella (which I had truly missed since using it daily in Greece), and top with sliced strawberries! Then you make a little sandwich and pop it on a panini press...or a George Foreman grill, for those us with less-fancily-equipped kitchens.

Mouth-watering, yes? It tastes like a cross between strawberry shortcake and chocolate-covered strawberries...I mean how could that go wrong?! I strongly recommend these as a late night snack next time your sweet tooth starts craving something delicious. They will not disappoint!

Well now I'm off to begin my Saturday adventures! Ben and I are going to try and go kayaking over at the Cove. Unfortunately there just happens to be some huge boat/band party on the lake out there, so it could be a failed attempt. We shall see...

A Cleaning Confession

2009-07-15T22:27:00.002-04:00

I have a theory when it comes to those of us who consider ourselves "clean people." There are two types: clutter cleaners and deep cleaners.

Clutter cleaners do just that-they focus on clutter. From a distance, their rooms look spotless. Everything has a place, and every night before bed, clutter cleaners make sure the floor is clear and all the knick-knacks, laundry, and other random items have been placed in their proper homes.

Then there are the deep cleaners. These folks share the clutter cleaners' love of a nicely picked-up room, though they also take things a step further. Not only do deep cleaners work hard to maintain clear floors and ordered shelves, they also are best friends with their vacuums and dusting cloths. Deep cleaners desire for their living spaces to appear clean even under a microscope.

I consider myself to be a mere clutter cleaner. My room (pre-apartment explosion at least) stays rather orderly, but I must admit, on any given day, if you were to run your finger across the surface of my dresser, it is likely you'd discover a thin layer of dust. I despise dusting...a dislike I was aware of, but I don't believe I truly understood the consequences until this evening.

I have this old but dainty bookshelf in my room that doesn't get much attention. It's full of books from my younger days and random knick-knacks I've acquired over the years. Tonight, in an attempt to bring some order to the pile of junk that was my sophomore year apartment, I was forced to tackle the state of this sorry shelf. Let's just say I've never quite seen so many dust bunnies in my life. It was terrible. And despite my exhaustion and frustration, I became a deep cleaner for the night and took care of the nastiness. I had to shower afterward, even though I wasn't that dirty going into the project. It was that bad.

I don't want anyone to get the impression I live in a constant state of dust and dirt, because I do take the necessary precautions to avoid this. I guess I'm just quick to avoid the notoriously difficult areas, allowing the dust bunnies to move in and live quite comfortably for long periods of time. I'm determined to be more careful though from now on. I can't take another ordeal like tonight's.

Exhausted...

2009-07-15T07:30:00.002-04:00

Sorry it's been so long...just one of those weeks, unfortunately.

Babysitting every day...sometimes twice a day (like today). No thanks...

And I got approximately 3.5 hours of sleep thanks to the midnight showing of Harry Potter last night. Pretty good movie, yes, though I believe I was only awake for about half of it. I did learn a lesson...really really sleepy people like me should just not go to midnight movie showings, especially when the premiere is sandwiched between two early mornings and full days of babysitting.

Why do I do these things to myself? I'm having trouble functioning at the moment, but by all means allow me to go get ready and spend my morning with three children under the age of four...woo hoo, eh?

Three Things...

2009-07-11T22:06:00.002-04:00

I've got three things to throw at ya on this super sunny Saturday: a congratulatory comment, a caveat of crudeness...and a really terrible and unfortunate realization. So here goes.

Congratulations to my amazing, awesome, and apparently athletic Benjamin, who awoke at 5:30 in the a.m. in order to partake in only his second triathalon, where he seriously crushed the competition and won first in his age group! I'm so impressed, and somewhat inspired to train for my own go at this type of race, though that's easier said than done. Regardless, I am oh so proud of him...and don't worry, I rewarded him with peanut butter cup cookies to re-fatten him up after his morning calorie blast. Tee hee :)

Warning to any and all of you who, inspired by the harsh but hilarious Sascha Baron Cohen flick Borat, are right now thinking it would be a good idea to go see his sequel. Because my friends, I'm not sure there is any worse idea that possibly exists. I had the unfortunate opportunity to see Bruno last night, and well...I was appalled, I was shocked, I was embarrassed, I felt extremely guilty and violated, and when it was over, all I could do was pretend it never happened. I can't really describe details because even a summary would be too inappropriate for my innocent little blog, but let's just say I was awkwardly looking down at my phone for more than half the movie. Please just understand and abide when I forbid you from seeing it.

And finally...today I came to the realization that I have a mere three weeks of summer left. Three. Tres. One, two, three. Are you kidding me? Keep in mind this does not include my week of recruitment-readying house party up in Pigeon Forge, which is not as bad as class, but there is still a lot I'd rather do. Still, though, I can't believe this crazy wonderful gift called summer has been so fleeting, but it's now nearly gone. Sad day people.

Although I will say I'm totally stoked to see my out-of-town friends at the end of those three weeks...that will make everything about 67 times better. :)

My Ever-Plaguing Love/Hate Relationship

2009-07-10T16:36:00.009-04:00

Some folks my age have retail jobs. Some work at restaurants. Some have big-boy and girl internships related to their field of choice. Some have big-boy and girl internships completely unrelated to their field of choice. And then there are some who employ themselves with summer school.

Within these multitudes of summer jobs, career-furthering prospects, and sometimes just "things that take up my time," you'll find those who love what they do and those who really don't find enjoyment in the activity. It's also not uncommon to hear of those who hold a two-tiered opinion of their job. I'd say I fall into this category. For me, it's quite the love/hate relationship.

So what's my job? Oh you know, I just babysit. It's funny, every time someone has asked about my summer work of choice this year, I've responded with, "Oh you know, I'm just babysitting." Like it's some easy, no-biggie, random employment that doesn't require much in the way of effort. Which is true. Almost never. Still, though, there are definite perks.

Do you witness my love/hate reasoning beginning to form? You see...

Babysitting equals time with cute little kids, and I adore cute little kids. I love my job.

But cute little kids require frequent diaper changes, can cry at the drop of a hat, and tend to throw their entire lunches on the floor just for the fun of it. I hate my job.

Babysitting means you can pretty much wear whatever form of clothing you want and you never have to dry your hair if you don't feel like it. I love my job.

Actually, though, the dress code sort of has to be old, raggy clothes since you will experience muddy shoes on your shirt and snotty noses on your pants. Ick. I hate my job.

Babysitting has a fantastic hourly wage, and the word FICA is non-existent on your paycheck. I love my job.

Yeah, there's no downside to that aspect...I once made $15 an hour to watch tv and read a book while the kiddies slept. I really do love my job.

Babysitting is very flexible, because if somebody calls to ask, you always have the option to just say no. I love my job.

But then, having the option to say no means a lazy, busy-doing-other-things-that-cost-money person like myself frequently turns the offer down, frequently making this job one guilt trip after another because the economy sucks and I should be taking these people's money every chance I get. Whew. I hate my job.

In babysitting, your boss is typically a very cute and sweet mom or dad who offers you free access to their excellent kid-food-stocked pantry and usually wears a nice "I'm the parent of three children" casual outfit instead of a stiff and scary suit. I love my job.

These oh-so-innocent-looking parents will then turn around and slide your name to all their friends and family, meaning you now get a phone call every hour from a total stranger wanting you to watch their hooligans screaming in the background. I hate my job.

See what I mean? It's a love/hate thing, and I could go on for hours.

Now in response to this post some might think, "You should just hush about hating your job. Mine is definitely ten-times worse." And they're probably right, which is why I love my job.

But then others might say, "Riding bikes for hours on end with a three-year-old and twin two-year-olds in the blazing July heat? No way, I'd absolutely choose my nicely air-conditioned, easy and mindless desk job where I don't have to talk to anyone but can go chat with intellectual adults if I do so choose." And this I too understand, which is why I hate my job.

And that is all.

Need a Cheap Treat?

2009-07-08T00:00:00.003-04:00

In a bit of a hurry? Just remember you were supposed to take a dish to that cookout tonight? Totally broke and have to go to the expensive grocery store because it's the closest to your house?

Yes? Whew, yeah, me too!

After class tonight I ventured to a cookout at a friend's house where I got to see all my old high school buddies and indulge in the traditional summer picnic fare...both of which are my favorite. Unfortunately, I realized I still hadn't done anything about that side dish or dessert I was supposed to bring until late this afternoon, and my kitchen stores are extremely slim.

Thankfully, I quickly thought back to a delicious dessert displayed at our neighborhood pool's 4th of July picnic on Saturday...the peanut butter cup cookie. They were truly delicious, and I remember wanting to imitate the recipe at some point in the future. Well today was the day!

They are so easy, and relatively cheap too, considering there are only two ingredients. I suppose you could create a fancy homemade peanut butter cookie dough, but I used a nice refrigerated roll a la Pillsbury, and it worked wonderfully. Start by molding bits of dough into the wells of a mini muffin tin, bake them up (it will probably take even less time than the package calls for), and when they come out of the oven, pop a mini peanut butter cup in the middle!

That's all there is to it! They aren't wildly inventive, and they sure aren't impressively complicated, but they are homemade and they are delicious. A guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Enjoy!

Better Late than Never!

2009-07-06T21:41:00.004-04:00

I fell into an unfortunate laziness on Saturday and didn't get a chance to leave some comments on one of my favorite holidays: the fabulous fourth of July! I think my love of the day is primarily associated with the colors displayed across suburban lawns throughout the country. Yes, I'm slightly obsessed with the all-American look of the good ole' red, white, and blue...clearly indicated by my wardrobe, which is really just an assortment of items in various shades of these three hues. I get so excited at the first of July because I can finally put my America-wear to good use.

This year was no exception, and even though I had a fairly laid-back holiday, I still got to sport my favorite colors two nights in a row. Friday evening I joined the rest of East Tennessee in attending the Smokies baseball game up in Sevierville. Despite the horrendous, backed-up-onto-the-interstate traffic on the ride up, I had a great time with friends and saw a wonderful fireworks show following the last pitch.

Here are the Benjamin and myself at the game! Please note that I was absolutely freezing from about the fourth inning on...we've had beautiful weather all week, but it's been getting a little chilly after sundown!

On Saturday, I went to the pool for the traditional GP July 4th fiasco, which was fun, but not as good as in earlier years. There was of course the terribly stressful task of locating a lawn chair upon arrival, but once we solved that issue, I was able to take a seat, relax, and enjoy the delicious potluck lunch. After an afternoon nap and shower, I headed to my aunt and uncle's for dinner and family visit time. Finally, later that night I went with a whole crew to watch the fireworks show over on Pellissippi's campus. We had originally planned to head downtown to the World's Fair display, but upon learning of the estimated crowd of 75,000, we opted for something a bit more low key. It was a good choice.

Hales and me at fireworks fun! I have no pictures of the actual show thanks to my somewhat ghetto camera. I've tried and tried to capture the fabulous artwork of the sky before...and it always results in a miserable failure. So I've stopped trying.

Hah! And there's Thomas looking oh so patriotic. Thank you, Goodwill, for making my night. :)

Techno Toils

2009-07-05T16:50:00.003-04:00

I tend to tire of things rather quickly, particularly in the visual sense. I'll even conjure images of the layout and look of my new bedroom in my head, only to dispose of the thoughts within the week because I'm already on to something new. I've now changed my overall color scheme about four times I think. It all goes along with my extrememly indecisive nature, of which I am oh so not fond.

So lately I've been realizing the onset of a few wearisome thoughts whenever I went to view my blog. Yes, it seemed, after only what, 2 months, that I was in need of a makeover. I had noticed the new designs of a couple of my blogger buddies and decided to check out their source: Shabby Blogs. I browsed for a bit, found me a new background I do adore, and then very easily changed my layout to reflect the find.

I am still bothered, however, by the very dull and very plain default banner sprawled above this post. Why must blogger make it so difficult to actually have a cute font displayed with my title? It's rather annoying. Well, I thought I might try to fix that this morning, so I got to work to find out how.

I found a post on a blog that offered both tons of wonderful font options as well as the informative step-by-step process of how to apply those fonts to your own blog. I toiled for about an hour trying to get this stuff to work, creating new websites, downloading who knows what, and even cutting and copying meticulous pieces of HTML. And as you can plainly see from the continued dismal state of my title banner, I had no luck in successfully executing my task. And it was frustrating...very frustrating.

I'm usually somewhat technologically adept, but in this case I failed. However, I think I might just try to learn how to write HTML myself. It's a daunting endeavor, but I'm a nerd and am up for the challenge. My dad does something along the lines of computer software writing, so perhaps it's in my blood...that would be convenient.

My woeful run-in with computer crap this morning was really just an indicator of things to come on this day, which I've officially assigned to the dogs. It's raining, I'm having to study ideologies of the nineteenth century, and I wasted my afternoon attempting the nearly impossible task of sitting through the movie Year One, which I beg anyone to avoid at all costs. It's positively terrible.

How about a cheery pic despite the dreary day to help out with those smiles and tummy rumbles...

That's a S'mores cupcake courtesy of Martha Stewart...a chocolate cupcake with a grahm cracker crust and marshmallow icing. Yumm, one of these days I'm gonna give them a shot, and for that day, I am excited. :)

Forever Undecided

2009-07-02T23:38:00.002-04:00

As anyone who knows me can attest, I change either my major or career path just about once a week.

Let's see...the college journey began with a focus in Public Relations, which I knew little of at the time, but when my advisor mentioned event planning as a possible direction within the field, I was quickly on board. Well, once I took a course in PR and learned the true ropes and the unfortunate news that event planning did not always mean creatively organizing wealthy women's parties and whimsical white weddings, I decided the field was not for me and moved on to look for other options. Approximate time of career path: 2 semesters.

With the possibility looming of sliding into the dreaded "undecided" status in the university record system, I quickly changed directions and settled on a career path very familiar to me and well within my grasp: elementary teaching. Thanks to the many years of watching my mom perform the feat, I felt I understood the job well and would learn to love it. After all, I did spend every afternoon of my own elementary days playing school in my mom's classroom and purchasing my own lesson plan books so I could get a head start on organizing my solar system lessons of the future. It was destiny, was it not? Apparently no. A few months later I realized perhaps this teaching thing was only a fall-back, my go-to job that I knew I could do, but not actually what I really wanted. And so another switch was in order. Approximate time of career path: 1 semester.

Thanks to UT's brilliantly planned and completely logical path to earning a teaching license (please note the sarcasm), my previous switch had landed me in the department of psychology, a field I had come to love during my freshman honors intro class. Although I was a bit cloudy on an exact path at this point, I felt psychology was still a logical choice, so I remained enrolled in classes with the future plans of possibly working with autistic children. Seems interesting enough, yes? I learned that psychology was indeed a good subject for my major if autism would be the name of the game, but I also started to discover the graduate school requirements and immense amount of research work I would have to do in order to achieve a level of education suitable for my goal. Suddenly I was going to become a scientist. But I hate science. Yeah, this will not work either. Approximate time of career path: I don't know, a month maybe?

Following this latest realization I dabbled in a few other ideas before reaching my current state. There was the human resources notion that called for the business minor, the switch to advertising that required a complete upheaval of major, the child and family studies possibilities that really got nowhere, and yes, I admit, even several returns to that trusted back-up I knew was always there: the teaching license.

Nothing fit the bill. Well great. Halfway through college and no direction whatsoever? It's a lovely situation, really. Except not. I recently, though, stumbled upon a love of mine, resurrected by an English class focused on The Lord of the Rings and the formation of this little baby here: my blog. I love to write. I do. It's crazy, but it's true. And hey, I don't think I'm half bad, either. Pair this hobby with summer's freedom to read my life away, and poof, we decide on the English minor. Great match, if I do say so myself.

And so, the whole point of this endless and probably quite boring and pointless post is to say that as of tonight, I am in serious contemplation of in fact turning my whole collegiate attention to the field of English by switching my major for the upteenth time to the subject. The more I learn about psychology and its scientific hypotheses and theories, the less I like it and the stronger my desire to change becomes. I spent a while reworking my schedule for the next four semesters and found the transition to be completely possible. So now the question is: is it really what I want? Shoot, don't make me answer that.

With an English background, I could choose to write my own novels, possibly work for a publishing company, maybe even be a magazine writer or editor...and the list goes on. If this endeavor continues, I'm hoping to find an internship with a publishing company next summer to get some experience and finally have me a "big girl job." For now, though, I will just continue praying for God to show me what He thinks is best and watching CPO for English classes to open up! Perhaps this latest hunch will last more than a week. How great would that be? :)

My Beef with Boys

2009-06-27T10:44:00.002-04:00

Alright, so I'm sure this does not hold for all boys, but I can at least attest for my boy. He has this true obsession/love of working out, and not just the "look at how much weight I can lift and watch my muscles bulge" working out, but the running/swimming/biking hard-core cardio working out that achieves just the opposite of what most guys are after: weight loss.

Now don't get me wrong, I fully support the Benjamin in all of his crazy triathalon-like endeavors, and I'm lucky to have a boy who cares about being in shape and staying healthy, but there comes a point when a gal like me--who has dessert after just about every meal and gets to the gym only when she feels like it--starts to worry.

And that point occurs when you keep seeing the boy's scale read less and less (no matter how many sleeves of Oreos he eats in one night), while your own scale keeps miraculously rising, no matter how much will power you think you're employing. And then, boom boom pow, right before you know it your boyfriend weighs less than you and suddenly nothing is okay in the world.

And so this is why, my dear Benjamin, as well as all you other fellows out there, when you keep urging us ladies to go ahead and have that fourth piece of pizza, to please come over for a nice french toast breakfast, or to not worry about the massive ice cream cone we're engulfing, we just have to look at you with beady little temper-enraged eyes and clear our throats in disgust.

Because it's like that Slim Quick commercial says: just because a quick jog around the neighborhood somehow dissolves every ounce of those three Wendy's junior bacon cheeseburgers off your tummy pooch, we females have a more rough go at it, and goodness knows it takes more motivation for me to even consider taking that run than it does for the Benjamin to sign up for a triathalon a month and then get right to training. every. single. day.

I still love him, though, and I'm not dismissing his six-pack. :) But come on gentlemen, you do realize how frustrating you make it for us, yes? Argh.

Julie and Julia

2009-06-23T22:41:00.007-04:00

I've been hearing about this movie for awhile, but I finally saw a trailer on a commercial tonight. Take a look!

Blogs...cooking...Amy Adams...what more could a girl ask for?! It shall be fabulous I'm sure.

So yes, summer movies, definite plus of the season. However, as much as I love this time of year, it still has its drawbacks. Case in point: shaving. It's pretty much my least favorite activity. Well, besides drying my hair that is, but still, I dread the yearly call for shorts that sends the shaving frequency up a few notches.

I went for a terrible run this afternoon that culminated in way too much sweat and a very achy tummy that left me rather weak for a good time after I finished. I blame myself...who runs at 3 o'clock in the afternoon at the end of June anyway? It's exercise suicide.

Regardless though, I was forced to take a shower not long after I got home so as to make it to class in time, meaning I was still rather worn out and not up for standing any longer than I had to. Okay, I'm rambling about nonsense.

My point folks, finally I know, is that even though my poor legs are in dire need of a good shave, I was just too lazy this afternoon and am now forced to think up some way to get around showing them off tomorrow, despite the 90-degree forecast. I have a dentist appointment at 7 a.m. (yikes), immediately followed by munchkin time, so there is no time to tidy up in the morning. Good thing they're only two, huh?

I'm off to start the last Harry Potter! I just finished the sixth book this afternoon in preparation for the movie that comes out July 15th. I originally hadn't intended on following up with a reread of the final book, but I just can't help it. They're so good!

Family & Farm Times

2009-06-22T21:16:00.002-04:00

I made the maiden voyage to eastern North Carolina this weekend to attend a wedding with the Benjamin. I felt it was time to finally go meet his extended family, seeing as how he's spent so much time with mine, I think they actually like him more than me at this point. I was a little apprehensive going into the trip, just because I tend to be awfully shy around folks when I first meet them, not to mention the fact that I was out to impress these people. So yeah, I was nervous.

Thankfully, I must say I had a great time and everything turned out wonderfully! Everyone was so very nice and welcoming, and the wedding was beautiful. His grandparents live on a huge spread of land that despite being in the middle of nowhere, was really enjoyable. They have been in the farming business for life, and it was really interesting getting to ride around in the golf cart seeing all the different tractors and buildings and what not, as I've never really been introduced to that style of living before.

There were tons of bugs, though. Ew. Like maybe even worse than in Greece. While riding in the golf cart the first night, I could actually feel them pelting me in the head as we drove along. Again, ew.

The Benjamin also comes from a huge family, which I'm not really used to. My family is not only fairly small, but we have also all lived in the same city for just about my entire life, so he's been able to meet them all somewhat gradually and in more casual circumstances. I, on the other hand, got to meet his five aunts and uncles and their spouses and their children and their cousins and their this and their that...all in about an hour's time. Whew! It was a little exhausting, but I had wedding cake to help me through it, and I loved every person I met.

Sorry for the absence of the Sunday Sweet Spot yesterday. I was on the road from morning til night returning from North Carolina. I'm hoping to make up for it at some point this week, but we shall have to see! I think I will go indulge in some angel food cake with ice cream and strawberries...you should too. :)

Jeremiah 29:11

2009-06-17T21:25:00.007-04:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I am...

...a constant worrier, a frequent perfectionist, a devout planner, a slight control-freak, and an occasional skeptic.

But God is...

...the great I am.

Why, then, do I continue to consistently fret over my life and where it's headed? If I remain a true believer of His ever-reaching presence (which I do), why must I always be anxious for the answers? Why can't I be satisfied with patiently following His intended path and focus on the day-to-day?

Sometimes I am able to conquer this fear of the future. Sometimes it appears perfectly clear to me that right now, my purpose is simply to live in the right now, to follow God's will for the right now, and to not look anywhere beyond the right now. Sometimes I can do this.

I want to do this all the time. I want to be under continued reassurance that the next step is in no one's hands but God's, and the same is true of the next step, and the next, and the next, and the next. He knows what is right. He knows what is best. And in due time, He will make that clear to me as well. And I am to understand this, to know this, and to love Him for this. And that is all.

No constant worry. No perfect plan of my own. No need to take control of my life.

Trust in my Lord. Faith in His plan. Comfort in His reigning glory over all. May these be my only concerns.

After all, He knows the plans He has for me. And they will not harm me, but they will give me hope and they will give me a future.

How's that for reassurance?

Oops...

2009-06-16T22:22:00.004-04:00

See I had this goal...it was an unofficial one, although I should probably seriously consider making it a permanent one. But regardless, I had this goal...to not purchase any clothing until August, maybe even later, depending on how severe the withdrawal. I will say that I have become somewhat more responsible in the clothing-buying department, but I still manage to always have a closet full of clothes that just don't do it for me...thus explaining the piling of random J. Crew sale purchases. Awesome.

Anyway, so it was a good goal. But unfortunately, it is no more. I took my first trip to the mall today since my return from Greece, and well, I just couldn't help myself! I found an adorable dress at Gap that was half off the original price, and with the justification of a potential formal option in the future, I added it to my closet. I would show a picture but I can't seem to find it on their website! Just know it's cute and was a steal. Plenty reason enough to break my rule. Hah.

While perusing the mall, I also meandered into Pottery Barn, just because it makes me happy. However, I managed to find a perfect pillow that will look great in my new bedroom next year.

Love it! It's actually an outdoor pillow, but it will still work great on my bed, and I'm excited to build the room around it! I'm using the curtains that Nat and I had in our living room at Laurel, which are a really cute green and white pattern, also from Pottery Barn. I'm trying my best to not go crazy and buy everything new for the room, but we shall see how that goes...

My trip also included a walk through J. Crew, and let me just express the pain it caused. Every time I step into that store I'm bombarded by the adorable front display and I can't help but to sigh. If only the bank account was endless...

I made a really great decision in agreeing to spend my Wednesday babysitting a little girl with a virus all day. She's precious and I'm excited to see her, but I'm not looking forward to the very early start time, nor the hazardous bacteria...yikes.

And another thing: I really hope someone else is witnessing the incredible catfight that just broke out on the Real Housewives, because words can't explain...hah.

Gooey Goodness

2009-06-14T23:25:00.008-04:00

Hello Sunday Sweet Spotters!

I found a real treat this week. It's definitely a must-try for chocolate lovers! Here's the recipe: Paula Deen's Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Cakes...and boy are they chocolately...and gooey...and buttery. Yum!!

These cake-meets-brownie treats are quite an interesting concoction: the bottom is very dense, made of just cake mix, melted butter, and an egg. It's almost like a chewy crust in the finished result. Here's the first layer after I molded it into the pan:

Lovely fingerprints, eh? :) Atop this bottom layer lies the real tastiness: the "gooeyness," if you will. Let me point out that this upper portion alone contained a whole stick of butter, huge slab of cream cheese, and entire box of powdered sugar. So yes, it was delicious. The mixing process:

Hurray for powdered sugar mess! So worth it though. It bakes for about 40 minutes, and be warned: the toothpick test is not a good indicator of doneness in this case. The key is to keep the gooey consistency the toothpick usually helps us to avoid. Trust me, it's better that way.

Good grief this recipe was so good. I actually had two servings because I just couldn't help myself! Slap my finger I know. I strongly recommend this little gem from Paula, though. It's a new fave of my own.

Prior to the deliciousness that was dessert, I also tried my hand at a bit more cooking in the kitchen. After dragging my poor mother on a serious marathon trip through Walmart this afternoon, I felt I owed it to her and the pops to create a lovely dinner in addition to the weekly Sunday yummy. I whipped out a recipe I've been wanting to try for years now, Giada's Penne with Spinach Sauce. It turned out pretty well, though the goat cheese in the sauce gave an unexpected twang I'm not sure I absolutely loved. Look how pretty the color was though!

I served the pasta with zucchini and squash that I coated in Jiffy cornbread mix and sauteed in olive oil. The veggies were a definite hit, and I will be making them again. So, all in all, I'd say Sunday night dinner and dessert=success. Thank you Food Network.

In other news, I realize it has been a couple of days since my last post, and I will go ahead and warn that there may be a small absence in the future as well. The culprit? Redeeming Love. Amazing. Inspiring. Thought-provoking. And an incredible reminder of just how much God loves us and how far He will go to let us know that. I absolutely can not put it down, and I'm sure it will not be too much longer until it's complete.

I'm off to immerse myself in its pages once again! No munchkins for me tomorrow! My alarm is turned off...

Sobbing...

2009-06-11T23:46:00.002-04:00

I am the ultimate movie crier. Ask anyone. It can get pretty ridiculous. However, I do NOT tend to be a book crier. It must be the added background music that gets me...

Up until tonight, the only exception to this rule was A Walk to Remember. Oh Nicholas Sparks. I now have to add another though, and it was a biggie.

On the plane ride home from Greece, I started My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult. I was looking in the Greek bookstore for a good read that could outlast the dreaded eleven hour flight when Nat suggested this one, mentioning that at one point you couldn't put it down. Uh yeah. While hysterically crying, I might add.

It was a wonderful read, though, and I would definitely recommend it. Just keep some tissues handy. And prepare for some critical thinking, too. It poses some interesting questions that were fun to ponder. Well not really actually, considering the situation. Just read the book.

Now I'm watching Cheaper by the Dozen. Yep, there goes a tear. Good grief Emily...

I'm not sure I'll make it through the movie that comes out in a couple weeks...

My Guilty Pleasure

2009-06-09T22:39:00.004-04:00

As much as I'd love to say I'm a straight-up intellectual and watch nothing but Jeopardy and the History Channel, I have to admit: I'm pretty much addicted to reality tv. I try to only commit myself to the more respectable series out there: ya know, Top Chef, The Bachelor, American Idol and the like, but there is one show on my list that I'm not quite so proud of...

The Real Housewives...of anywhere. Orange County, New York (my personal favorite, I'd say), and even the most recent locale: New Jersey.

Don't judge, people. I promise you'd be addicted too with just one episode. Promise.

Anyway, to express just how classy a move Bravo is making this season, I thought I'd share a trinket. Y'all. Look at this cat...

Yep. That would be the absolutely lovely sphinx cat that belongs to Dina, one of the crazy New Jersey housewives. And get this...its name is Grandma Wrinkles. Ew. I love you Bravo, I love you Dina, but I refuse to make myself love anything about this cat. It's just not right.

Tomorrow night Bravo premieres yet another brilliant gem of a tv show: Top Chef Masters. As I mentioned earlier, I am a Top Chef devotee, always and forever, and I am so impressed by and excited for what they've cooked up this season. Instead of the usual slew of amateur chefs and cooks vying for their shot at the spotlight, this time the show will feature a wealth of five-star chef-celebs, most of which were former judges on the show. Talk about a battle. I am stoked.

Bah hah :)

2009-06-08T21:41:00.003-04:00

I finally made it to a movie today. There are about a hundred I've been wanting to see, but it just hasn't been in the cards lately!

So this afternoon, I joined my whole family, the Benjamin, and a few others actually, and we went to see The Hangover. Hah. It was seriously hilarious. Here's a clip.

I will say this, however. Make sure you are very comfortable with whomever you choose to take along, as it gets a bit inappropriate at times. Example: your mother. Oops...my mistake. And even if you think you're close enough to take it all, I still might recommend making a mad dash before the closing credits. Yikes...even I'm not old enough to see that stuff.

This, on the other hand, is a fantastic reason to go:

Oh yes, he's gorgeous. Mm hmm. And hysterical, I might add...

On another note...we had some major Bachelorette drama this evening. Almost took it too far, ABC, almost. I laughed.

Introducing...

2009-06-07T16:03:00.008-04:00

When I have extra time on my hands, one of my favorite things to do is search for recipes for future use. I then have to find even more extra time to actually try them out, which usually doesn't happen. This time, though, I'm determined. And so...

(cue drum roll and ta dah music...)

Here comes the Sunday Sweet Spot! It's my effort to experiment with a whole new slew of sweets and treats and then share my successes, my failures, and my extra calories. I'm excited, and my taste-testers are excited (a.k.a. the fam and the Benjamin), so here goes!

Today the family came over for lunch to celebrate my sister's upcoming birthday, and she agreed to let me test out a new recipe to be served for dessert: Rachael Ray's fried ice cream. In Rach's own words...yum-o!

I was a bit intimidated by the recipe, as I don't have the best track record when it comes to frying things. We don't really have the appropriate kitchen equipment to fry, but I still wanted to try it out, even though the trial run would be presented to company. Yikes.

No worries, though! Everything went wonderfully! It does take a while to go from beginning to end due to the extra freezing involved at various steps, but I would definitely recommend the recipe to anyone interested in a new spin on the classic sundae!

Here's all the ingredients ready to go! You cover the ice cream balls with pound cake slices, then dip them in an egg mixture, at which point they look like this:

After freezing these for a few hours, it was time to fry!

They only fry for about a minute, so that was nice. As you can see, my very small make-shift frying pot only allowed one to be done at a time, but the oil wasn't deep enough in anything bigger, so I made due! Here's a finished product...they were a definite hit!

So there you have it, Sunday Sweet Spot take one! I would definitely recommend experimenting with some fried ice cream. We just topped ours with hot fudge and whipped cream, but I'm sure you can get more creative than that. Let me know if you try anything else! Now I should probably move my experimenting to the gym to make up for this...

Enough Already.

2009-06-05T22:01:00.003-04:00

I just saw a commercial for strawberry peanut butter M&Ms...

Really?

I mean is that even okay?

Don't get me wrong. I have probably the worst sweet tooth of anyone I know, and I'm all for creativity when it comes to dessert, but I also believe there's a time and place for making changes, especially when it comes to classics.

On that note, Benjamin just walked in with the biggest waffle bowl full of Bruster's Oreo ice cream I've ever seen...classic enough for me! Time to indulge...

The Summer Routine

2009-06-04T22:05:00.002-04:00

I love summer. I mean who doesn't though, right? And since my summer didn't officially start until this past week, I've been doing my best to soak it all in. My mornings have been dominated by babysitting, but I must admit, getting done with my work day at 12:00 is pretty amazing, so I'm trying not to complain about the 7 a.m. alarm on my phone set to the unfortunate "everyday" option.

The munchkins are darling and usually pretty happy. They're 20-month old twins: a boy and a girl, so things can get a bit rough at times, but I'm learning to deal! We just kind of lollygag through the house, playing with anything that can serve as a five or ten minute source of entertainment. Their favorite thing on earth is this little bubble machine they have outside. Girl munchkin is particularly obsessed with it. While her brother proceeds to remove each of the 10 or so riding toys housed in their garage, she just sits there and turns the thing on and off, fascinated by the circular-moving wand, even when there are no bubbles inside. I had mom pick up a few extra bubble toys at the store last night to bring for them today. They of course loved them, but let's just say the back porch of their house should be an interesting spectacle next time it rains, as most of the bottle ended up in a pile on the deck. Lovely munchkins.

Post-work I've had lots of yummy lunches this week. Yesterday Mims and I went to Jason's Deli. I've stumbled upon a recent pesto kick, and my turkey and provolone on multi-grain ciabatta with basil pinenut pesto really hit the spot. And it was so wonderful to see Mims over the summer for once! I'm hoping it will happen a whole lot more!

Today, then, I went with my mom and grandmother to Brixx, a new pizza joint in Turkey Creek. Oh my goodness was it fabulous. I got a half cheese, half barbeque chicken pizza and ate way too much of it. I managed to bring home some leftovers though, and I'm pumped to make another meal out of it, not to mention planning a return trip soon.

Outside of the kiddies and lunch dates, I've just been mixing in a little pool time, nap time, reading time, and oh yes, class time...unfortunately. It's really not as gruesome as one might expect a three hour history of Western civilization class to be though, thanks to my eccentric goober of a teacher. He's just a really great storyteller, and since that's really all history is, it makes for a completely tolerable evening.

Hopefully now that my life is once again falling into a routine of sorts, I will be better about updating posts. Since it's summer and I have more time on my hands, not to mention my new budding career prospect in writing (more on that another day), I'm hoping to shake things up and perhaps get a little creative. My day to day can get pretty boring, so I'm thinking it might be necessary. Until then...

Homeward Bound (Well, almost...)

2009-05-29T10:06:00.003-04:00

In approximately 17 more hours, I will be boarding my eleven hour return flight to the states! It's fabulous really, but I think once I arrive home I'm going to miss this place more than I'm anticipating. It's been a wonderful growing experience, though, and I'm so thankful I pushed myself to do it! That's all the reflecting I can do for now though, as for the past 48 hours, all I've been doing is reflecting, in some form or another, and it was all for a grade. I'm all done now though! Thank goodness. Now on to summer school...boo.

Today has been fairly uneventful. I really just don't have the desire to go walk around Athens anymore, and I only have 5 euros left, so it's not like I need to go blow money. I've just been relaxing in the room, watching Gossip Girl and reading. Tonight we have our big closing dinner, so I figure I'll get out and about for that.

I realize I haven't posted many pictures lately, so I figured I'd share a few of my favorites from the last few days!

Here's Natalie and me at dinner one night! It was probably my favorite dinner of the whole trip...pesto pasta, yum!

Kevin and Grace playing on the see saw! So cute...

And there's good ole' Mindy, all tucked in thanks to the maid's love and tlc :)

Well wonderful, I'm glad those finally worked! This will probably be my last post from Athens! Tonight will consist of more rolling of my clothes to get them all stuffed back in my suitcase. It's amazing how much more space that frees up! I recommend it for any future long-term travelers. Hopefully all goes well with my flights tomorrow! I am so excited to see everyone, hand out presents, get me a delicious caesar salad from an authentic American restaurant, and lie around catching up on reality tv and some sleep! Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? :) See you all soon!

Greecercise...

2009-05-27T14:04:00.003-04:00

I'm back! Sorry again for the absence, the internet has been an issue the last few days, and thanks to my considerable problem with impatience, I have chosen to just avoid it if at all possible. But then people send you emails complaining of blog withdrawals, so I decided to endure the pain to provide an update. :) Don't expect pictures, though. Waiting on that process could move me to tears.

Anyway, I guess I should start with the past weekend...although there really isn't much to report. We had some homework time, some shopping time, some eating time, some napping time. It was very uneventful and I was actually quite bored. When you're running low on money and it's brutally hot out, there's really not much to do in Athens. I did make a pit stop at McDonald's, though, which was an excellent idea. It tasted just like America. And they even got my special order ketchup-only hamburger correct. Those Greeks are so great.

Monday meant a long bus drive to Galaxidi, a tiny (I mean tiny) little port town on the coast. Our hotel was very nice and luxurious, complete with an infinity pool and nice over-sized room. However, I don't think I really understood the meaning of "in the middle of nowhere" until I arrived here. There was nothing around us. Nothing. We had to load back on the bus to drive to dinner, only to sit down at a rather expensive restaurant that drained my wallet. No gelato for me that night!

Tuesday morning we departed from The Boonies, Greece, and headed for Delphi, a.k.a. a pile of rocks on the side of a mountain that I would maybe be more enthusiastic about had it not been 100 degrees. We saw the former seat of the Oracle of Delphi, who breathed in methane gas and rambled out crazed nonsense to those who came seeking her advice. I mean whatever makes you feel better, right? After a rather lengthy hike and quick run through a museum, we boarded back on the bus for naptime. Wonderful.

Today we woke up, presented our lovely group projects to the class, and then Natalie and I ventured off in search of a delicious lunch to fill our rumbly tummies. And what to our wandering eyes did appear, but Subway!! With pizza subs and everything. It was probably one of the best meals I've had, and I didn't feel bad about it one bit! This afternoon we took a group trip to the Hill of the Muses. Thanks to the nice breeze, it was actually quite gorgeous. The scenery atop the hill was very similar to what one might find at Gregory's Bald in the Smokies: very dry shrubbery and desert-looking plants. I wandered around a bit thinking of home, and then we descended for a provided dinner at a taverna, followed by, you guessed it! Gelato. Yummy :)

K-town is calling me like none other. Exciting things are happening at home, and I am stuck here! The Benjamin is currently on his return flight to the States, and I am super jealous. I know I only have two more days, but it's becoming hard to keep a positive attitude. We have two papers due over those two last days, and I'm just really not looking forward to tackling that. I can do it, though. I think I can, I think I can.

Oh, and by the way, I named the post Greecercise on account of the steep hills and multiple steps I have ascended the last couple of days on all our excursions. My legs are sore, and I am out of shape. But no worries! Meredith is teaching the Super Class the Sunday after I return, and I plan to be there with bells on. :) Love to you all!

Better than Chocolate Chip Pancakes?

2009-05-23T07:27:00.002-04:00

This was my breakfast/lunch for the day. Please note the inside was also filled with chocolate. It was amazing! I've been craving some IHOP chocolate chip pancakes the past week or so, and I must say, this came awfully close to satisfying that wish. Now if I can just find some hashbrowns...

It's a mighty hot Saturday here in Athens. I just got done with some shopping and now I'm off to work on a group project. Tonight? Maybe a Starbucks run? And gyros stuffed with french fries. Hello delicious!

Well that is all. Just wanted to brag a bit on my find this morning...

Long Time, No Talk!

2009-05-21T14:24:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the small hiatus. Life is slow here on Spetses, and I've really had a pretty uneventful few days. Just having class, going to the ocean, walking around the island. Nothing too special, but still quite amazing considering my location. :)

The breakfast at our hotel is probably one of my favorite parts of this stay. Each morning I've had warm buttered croissants, yummy peaches, and scrambled eggs! Greek style of course, but the color is really the only difference. They still remind me of home, and that is all that matters at this point.

Speaking of home, I'm getting antsy! I think I've just had a lot of time to sit around and think while I've been on Spetses, and well, I've thought my way into wanting America. Really bad. Only about a week until I get it though! Don't worry, I'm not wishing my time away, I'm just ready to return to some of my comforts. They are oh so comforting. Don't take them for granted!

Today we took a ferry all the way around the island to a secluded beach on the other side. It was very pretty and very relaxing. I neglected to bring my ipod on this trip however, so I must say I'm pretty ADD when it comes to laying out for long periods. I'm kept busy with reading and journal writing though, so that's been good. We got a quick and cheap gyro for dinner tonight, and now here I am! About to shower and pack it all up again to return to Athens tomorrow. There's a crew heading to Santorini this weekend, but I think I'm going to be lame and stay behind. Short, quick trips can stress me out, and it's a little pricey. I still have some shopping to do!

I saw today that Kris won American Idol. Poor Adam. He was so fabulous. I'm sure he'll do fine and still get a great record deal though, so I'm not feeling too sorry for him. And Kris is so very good looking, he makes a good victor as well. Oh how I miss my reality tv! It's killing me that I missed The Bachelorette last Monday! The shows on abc.com don't work overseas, so I will just have to wait until I return to get caught up.

Well that's all for now. Bathing calls...loudly. I would post some pictures but it's being awfully slow. Sad. Oh well!

Pretty Much Paradise

2009-05-18T10:06:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry, am I on my honeymoon?

That seems to be a recurring question amongst us ladies here on the island of Spetses. I have been to some pretty beautiful European beaches and stayed in some very nice quarters, but I'm pretty sure this set up beats all.

Picture this: very small Greek island, very small population, mostly elderly, very quiet and relaxing way of life.

Hotel? Beach-side.

Room? Ocean-front. And the water is so clear I can see straight through it from three stories up.

Balcony? Absolutely, with a tremendous view of the ocean, surrounding islands, and Spetses itself.

I even have my own "reject bed" all to myself in the corner, which may disappoint some, but thrills late-nighters like myself.

Ocean access? There's a beautiful wooden chase lounger just an elevator ride away. And there are plenty to go around, because we have the hotel to ourselves.

Oh, and did I mention our breakfast area is an open-air lounge with yet another lovely ocean view? K, well that's what it is.

Not only all of this, but our trip here began with the best meal I've had yet, a traditional multi-course meal with all sorts of delicious fare. And it was free. Wow, I think I'm gonna like it here...

The Weekend

2009-05-17T13:59:00.007-04:00

Whew, it's been a busy couple of days! Who would have thought our two days off from class were possibly the most exhausting. It's been fun, though! I'll start with yesterday...

Saturday morning a large group of us woke up early on our own and trekked through the city to this huge mountain near its center. I'm not sure I've climbed so many stairs at one point in my life! The hill itself is identical in height to the Empire State Building, so just imagine climbing up that baby. The view at the top was completely worth it, though. You could see everything in all directions, from the surrounding city to the Acropolis, even out to the ocean! It was truly amazing and I am so glad I got to experience it! Here is a view of the hill from the Acropolis and a pic of Kevin and me at the top!

After the hike, we went to the Achaeological Museum for a while, followed by a delicious hotdog lunch at a nearby cafe. I came back for some rest time, followed by dinner with my professor and her family! It was very fun. I had spaghetti (sorry, can't help it) and got to talk with her daughter, which is really all I want in life, because she's adorable! We had some post-dinner gelato (I'm getting fat, by the way) and then I was dragged to this swanky little red velvet cushions club where I sat awkwardly for a little while until someone else was ready to head back. Thank goodness...

Today was a bit more relaxed. I slept until 11:00...yes...and then Natalie and I went to this little hole in the wall bakery to enjoy a couple delicious donuts for brunch. Did I mention they were about the size of our heads? Again, the fatness...it's coming. On our way back from the bakery, we went to this really cool shoe shop where the owner custom fits the shoe to your foot before you buy them. It was so awesome, and I got a pair of perfectly-fitting sandals! Here's Nat and I in the shop and a pic of her getting fitted!

So cool, right? Yes. Anyway, after a two-hour afternoon nap and easy dinner at the Noodlebar, I am left to packing up my suitcase once again for our next destination! Tomorrow morning we are off to the island of Spetses for the week! I am hoping it will fairly uneventful. In other words, I really just want to be a beach bum for the next four days! That and a productive little student...we got some work loaded on us today. Well I'm off to work! Happy last week of school Knox County! :) Love you all...

By the way, when I get home, Wasabi anyone? Cafe 4, Chick-fil-a, IHOP, Aubrey's? The list is beginning, and don't worry, it will continue...

Where Old Meets New

2009-05-15T16:52:00.003-04:00

Acropolis day in Athens! And despite the blazing sun and stinging shoulders, I absolutely loved it! It was fascinating to hear our guide telling us about the ancient battles and history associated with the monuments. I mean I was right there where a Greek soldier once stood...so cool. I think my favorite part of the experience though was looking out over the fortress walls of the Acropolis and seeing the thousands of modern Athenian buildings, yet I was looking up at some of the most ancient history left on the planet! It was a truly rewarding little hike. Here's me at the Parthenon! :)

This evening we went out for a little shopping excursion, followed by a nice authentic Greek dinner...haha, NOT! I'll admit it, tonight we swallowed our pride and headed to the Hard Rock Cafe in Athens. It just sounded good for some reason, so I made the trek and enjoyed a nice big burger and fries-totally American. Nice.

Speaking of America...Our professor has an absolutely adorable six-year old daughter who we get to see and talk to occasionally. Today was one of those opportunities, and let me tell you, she is precious! It made me miss all my little kiddies at the preschool so much! I guess they only have about a week left of school and then they all get to go off and enjoy their summers! Oh how I wish I could say bye to them one more time! I really hope someone calls me to babysit when I get home because I'm going to be needing some little people time in my life!

Maybe tonight I'll actually get a full night's sleep, as that has still yet to happen. Last night I tried the sleeping pill trick, which did work, but seeing as how I took it after 1:00, I still lost a couple hours. It's technically the weekend now though, so late nights are more acceptable. Hah! Big day tomorrow, hope all goes well, will post about it later. Good night!

So Much Cheese!

2009-05-14T15:07:00.004-04:00

Ugh. My tummy does not feel 100% at the moment...I'm attributing it the amount of cheese these crazy Greeks eat. I'm pretty sure just about every meal I've had so far has had some sort of cheese component involved. Normally I love cheese, and I'm sure one of my first meals when I return home will be cheese and crackers, but for some reason the Greek's cheese is just a little unsettling. Oh well.

However, my dinner this evening did not involve cheese, because it was strictly Asian. Last night's quest to the Noodlebar, as it's called, did not pan out as hoped, but tonight we made it! I had chicken satay with peanut sauce over steamed rice. It wasn't what I was expecting and maybe not quite the flavor I was looking for, but it was still a nice change from, well...cheese. Hah. Here we are at the Noodlebar. It was very red.

Today was gorgeous! We visited the Temple of Poseidon at Sounio. It was really nice to get out of the city and sit in tranquility for awhile. I did get a little sunburned unfortunately, but it's not too bad, and I'd say it was worth it. The ruins of the temple were set atop a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was beautiful! Take a look...

On the other side of those columns, it's pretty much straight down and ocean. Lovely! On the ride back from Sounio, we stopped at a little beach cove and waded in the shallow water. It was wonderful as well!

The rest of the trip is starting to get all booked up! Between projects and side trips and outside traveling, I'm going to be busy the next two weeks. It's a good thing, though. When I have nothing else to do, I get homesick, and I don't like being homesick. At all. It's sad. Boo.

Well that's all for now! Tomorrow we're off to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon! Should be exciting, as well as a great opportunity for more pictures of ruins...I know how everyone enjoys those. :) Happy weekend to you all!

This is a problem...

2009-05-13T11:08:00.005-04:00

There is a seven hour difference between home and Greece, meaning there is the potential for some serious jet lag should one be sensitive to it. Well, I have always had trouble falling asleep, it doesn't matter what country or time zone I'm in. Usually, though, on my last trips abroad, I have gotten accustomed to the difference pretty quickly. Well that does not seem to be the case for this trip. Last night, after finising up some homework around 1:00 a.m., I turned off the computer and attempted to go to sleep. Two and a half hours later, after tossing and turning and a serious build-up of frustration, I reached for my computer once again, as the sleep was not coming. Eventually, a little after 4:00 I finally fell asleep, but let's just say I'm glad we had an easy day because I'm only going on 4 hours of sleep. Darn time change...

I had a really great night, though! Sticking to true Greek tradition, a few of us went to dinner around 9:00 p.m. at a cute taverna a little ways from our hotel. The manager stopped us in the middle of the street and promised free drinks and dessert, so we stopped and sat down. Nat and I ordered Greek salads and fried cheese (that was for you, Melissa!). The salad consisted of some chopped vegetables with a slab of feta on top, so that was a bit of a disappointment. I ate the cucumbers though. As for the fried cheese, well...it was interesting. It kind of looked like pizza without sauce or crust.

I also had my first sips of wine while at dinner tonight! It was...alright. Haha, I didn't have much, but hey, maybe there's a hope for me there somewhere. After dinner, we went searching for more gelato, so that made two servings yesterday. Lovely Emily...

After class this afternoon, we stopped at a cheap and delicious sandwich window for lunch and then headed for the tram to the beach! It was some of the most perfect beach weather I've ever experienced! Definitely warm but with enough of a breeze to keep you from being miserably hot and not a cloud in the sky. The beach itself was a bit of an experience, what with the young Greek boys playing soccer and paddle ball all around our towels and kicking sand and rocks up everywhere. They didn't have one ounce of concern that they were totally up in our space! The weather made up for it, though. We stayed a few hours and then headed back to shower.

I think we may go to an Asian flare type restaurant for dinner tonight, which I am very excited about. Then I'm hopefully just going to take it easy and maybe catch up on some homework. And tonight? Oh let's all just pray I can overcome the vicious time change. Grr..

More!

2009-05-12T07:52:00.005-04:00

Day two from Athens! All is still going well. Last night's barbeque was actually quite lovely. I had a totally American hotdog and a skewer of seasoned meat that we're thinking was pork. Everyone just got to mingle and get to know each other better, and I enjoyed myself very much! The best part was probably the location. It was set on a rooftop terrace with gorgeous views of the Acropolis above:

And the surrounding city below:

After the barbeque we went with Dr. Yates on a walk through the Plaka to find some delicious gelato. I got cookies and cream and made mental notes of all the locations we saw, as I am sure I will be returning frequently. Then we made our way back to the hotel, where I pretty much got ready for bed and hit the sack. I was exhausted. Unfortunately, I woke up a few times in the middle of the night and found myself wide awake, which I'm attributing to the fact that at home it was only about dinnertime. Time change...crazy stuff it does.

This morning we had our first class. It went well except for the fact that I was still pretty tired and I don't think the air was on in our classroom. Bad combo. It didn't last long though and it seems like it will stay pretty interesting. After class we went on a walking tour with some student guides from the university. They took us all around downtown and showed us some good places to shop and eat. I had another gyro...it was yummy again, but I really have to find another option tomorrow. I'm already a little sick of them.

We did some exploring post-lunch in the Plaka and around the hotel. I finally got to visit a fruit stand and purchased some apples and bananas to remind me a little of home and to make my body like me better. I'm sure they will be enjoyed thoroughly.

Now I'm just sitting here on a beautiful afternoon blogging and relaxing on my bed. We're a little perplexed as to what exactly we're supposed to do for the rest of the day...it's awfully hot out to just go walking, but what else is there? You'd think I'd know the answer but I honestly don't. It feels too late to go start anything, but then again dinner isn't until around 9 or so. Decisions, decisions...Oh well, tomorrow I'm hoping for a nice beach trip. :) Until then...

Grecian.

2009-05-11T10:16:00.002-04:00

I'm here! After hours upon hours of airport waiting and flight changes, we finally arrived in Athens this morning. That's about 9:00 a.m. Athens time and about 2:00 a.m. my normal time, so let's just say I'm a bit worn out. I took a sleeping pill on the plane which definitely did its job to make me sleepy, but unfortunately the discomfort of the lovely upright seat and basically styrofoam blanket did not allow for much shut-eye to actually occur. Still though, at least the severe drowsiness helped to pass the time, as a nine hour plane ride is not my favorite activity. I have a really great shot of the view when we were landing in Greece but it doesn't seem to want to upload at the moment, so maybe later?

After waiting a while for the second group to arrive, we hopped on a bus and made for our hotel. It's fairly nice. Nat and I get to room together, and minus the non-working tv, paper thin walls, and very loud old men outside our window, it is really quite quaint and comfy. I took a shower earlier and managed to only partially flood the bathroom floor, so hey, I'm doing better than I normally do in Europe!

We went on a small walk today to find some lunch, and I had my first gyro of the trip. It was delicious! I will remember to ask for no onions next time though, as my hands still reek of the stuff after having to pick so many out of it. Still though, I'm sure it was the first of many more gyros to come.

I am so thankful for my computer and the internet at the moment. I already got to email my parents and the Benjamin, check out the Facebook situation, and write on my blog-all from a foreign country! My how I love technology! (well, sometimes...) I might be feeling an ounce or two of homesickness coming on, but I'm hoping it's only first day jitters mixed with complete exhaustion. I always get more emotional when I'm tired. Anyway, we have an opening reception barbeque tonight with a couple other groups of students studying here at the university so that should be interesting! Hmm, Greek barbeque...I'm intrigued. I'll keep you posted!

Thanks everyone for your prayers! I love you and miss you all already! :)

All Packed Up!

2009-05-09T21:45:00.006-04:00

Whew. I'm exhausted. Packing just stresses me out. Therefore it wears me out. It's all done though! Do I have everything I need? Good question, but too late to go buy it now. Plus it probably wouldn't fit in my suitcase, so let's just hope it's all in there.

I really hate the 50 lbs. rule for checked bags. Last time I went to Europe, my bestie's bag was over the limit, so she had to open up her bag right there in the middle of the airport and take some stuff out so it would meet regulations. I do not want to be in that place at 6 a.m. in the morning, so I'm hoping and praying that I kept it light enough. I switched bags at one point in the packing process because I knew I would go over. The bag itself was huge and weighed a ton, so I consolidated a bit and fit it all in a smaller suitcase. I should have an easier time lugging my stuff through multiple airports and international city streets, too. Thank goodness for rolling luggage!

The fam and I went to Litton's tonight for my last meal in the Americas...for three weeks that is. I stuffed myself silly with red velvet cake, so I've got lots in my stores in case I don't fancy the food of the Greeks. As long as I can find a few gelato joints while I'm there I should be fine.

Yum. Anyway, I guess the Benjamin's somewhere over the Atlantic right about now. His flight got delayed earlier because the plane hit a fuel tank before they boarded, and I haven't gotten to talk to him since. I think his group was going to be in a rush to make the rest of their flights on time. I got upset last night after dinner and again this morning when he came to give me a hug goodbye. I'm a weenie, but what can I say? He's used to it.

My goal for the trip is simple: when in Greece, do as the Greeks do. I've been reading a lot about how the Greek culture is very laid-back and relaxed. They live to enjoy life and take the time to soak it all in. Since this is often the complete opposite of my own way of living, I'm hoping to use this trip to lose some of the stress I've become accustomed to. It may not happen, but I'm determined to make a conscious effort. I've just got to take a deep breath sometimes and go with the flow...Yeah. K. Well, we'll see.

Alrighty well wish me luck! Keep Nat and me in your prayers as we venture across the ocean! I'm excited to see what God has to show me on this trip. I know it will at least be a growing experience! :)

Celebrity Sightings

2009-05-07T21:42:00.005-04:00

Cool stuff never happens to me. Tonight was no exception. Nothing cool actually happened, but I saw something cool and that's better than nothing. Also, I know this is my second post today, but this is blog-worthy. :)

Tonight the Benjamin took me to Ye Olde Steakhouse for our last hurrah date night together before we become world travelers. It was pretty good. I must admit my favorite part may have been the processed cheese spread and packaged crackers, but that's typical me, eh? Anyways, we walk in, sit down at our table, and begin eating said delicious cheese. Five minutes later, a bombshell blonde takes a seat at the table behind us. She is accompanied by a man who is being blocked by the Benjamin's head. The owner comes to welcome this mystery guest and says something that makes the Benjamin think it's Dave Ramsey. At this, I take a closer look...

No, it's not Dave Ramsey. It's better. It's Bruuuuuce!! Yes, Mr. Pearl himself happened to be partaking in his first dinner at Ye Olde on the same evening as myself. Oh, and it gets better (in my opinion). Let's not forget that first of all, this bombshell blonde is the illegitimate girlfriend that caused the recent divorce of Bruce and first wife. What's more, I notice bombshell blonde has a pretty bangin and humongous rock on her left hand...engagement ring? Yep, apparently he announced this to the public a few days ago. Oh Bruce...

Anyways, along comes slight celebrity couple number two to accompany Coach and his lady. It's Pastor John Wood from Cedar Springs and his wife. Sorry, he's kind of a celebrity in my book. Well they have a lovely little dinner together discussing who knows what. Here's an interesting point to ponder, though: Bruce is Jewish is he not? Hmm, perhaps bombshell blonde is helping to cook up a conversion? All I can say is I really wanted to take a picture and write a sweet tabloid story...I'd probably read it.

That is all. Not very exciting I know, but hey, I lead a fairly boring life. This was kind of headline news.

Tick, Tock...

2009-05-07T10:47:00.005-04:00

The big day is getting closer! Only three more days in the states, ahh! I started some laundry last night, but other than that, I'm slacking on the packing. It just doesn't seem like I'm leaving this weekend! It will all get done, though. I don't have anything going on tomorrow or Saturday, so I'll have time to hit it hard. And I'm determined not to stress over getting ready for this trip. Psh, we'll see how that goes...

So I can't even really express how lazy I have been since I moved home. I mean it was my goal to chill as much as possible this week, but good grief...it's been me and the tv and the Vaio kicking back on the couch-a lot! It's ok though, check out some of the stuff I've discovered:

Hulu. If you're ever bored, and you want to watch a tv show...I mean ANY tv show, from any season, you can find it here! It's free, it's fast, and it will save me from purchasing every season of Friends on DVD. Last night I watched The Office, and it was fabulous!

Celebration, FL. Everyone knows I'm obsessed with Disney. I mean really obsessed. Well, guess what? Disney has it's own town where you can live. Not only is it the cutest little city I have just about ever seen, but it has it's own special roads into Disney World so you don't have to get caught up in the traffic of everyone else! We already found a condo for the parents to buy when they retire. Look how cute!

And finally, American Idol. I finally got to watch both the Tuesday and Wednesday night episodes this week. Adam is incredible. I mean seriously, even my dad, who is like the biggest Led Zeppelin fan ever, said his "Whole Lotta Love" voice was better than the normal lead singer. Wow. I'm officially obsessed and will be devastated if he doesn't win. On that note, Allison, you deserved to stay longer but I'm sure you'll get a record deal anyway!

Well, I'm off to my last day at the preschool! I'm gonna miss these kids so much this summer! It's sad to think some of them won't be back next year, either. They are so precious and have really helped me see how important it is to look at the world through the eyes of a child. :)

Happy Things

2009-05-04T09:58:00.007-04:00

Just a few things to smile about on this cloudy, rainy Monday...

1. These were featured on the Today show this morning. The company is called hello robertson, and they are handmade by the two girls who own it! Not too expensive and very Gossip Girl, as they pointed out on the show. It was hard to pick my favorite, but I found two I love!

2. I just saw a commercial that kind of made my day...College Jeopardy starts tonight!! My nerdiness is showing through, but I don't care. I'm pumped and will be waiting on the couch at 7:30 tonight. :)

3. I stayed up last night reading my lonely planet Greece guide, and it got me even more excited! I'm determined to find a way to make it to Santorini before I leave...

4. Lunch with mom and her teacher friends today at the Apple Cake Tea Room! Always a happy thing.

5. The Benjamin just surprised me with beautiful pink and red roses from his mom's garden...he's precious. :)

Hope everyone has a very happy day!

Rain, rain, go away...

2009-05-03T18:34:00.006-04:00

It has now rained for three days straight, and I miss the sunshine! Last week, when I was cooped up studying for hours on end, it was of course warm and gorgeous, and all I wanted was to go work on my base tan for Greece. And now that I'm done and have the time, it's dreary and wet. How unfortunate...

On a lighter note, I just looked up the 10-day forecast for Athens, and the first two days look splendid! Nothing but sunshine and mid-70s...perfect!

It's crazy to think one week from today I will be on my way! I should probably go get back to unpacking my life so I can start repacking. I haven't gotten too far because Mean Girls is on tv...oh distractions.

Check out what I have to look forward to in only 7 days! Nat, get excited. Everyone else, be jealous. :)

Kicked to the couch

2009-05-02T23:59:00.005-04:00

Whew. What a day. I drove back and forth between home and downtown three times, moved out of my 6th floor apartment without the use of an elevator, babysat two hooligan boys whose favorite activity is "wrestling" (aka jumping on top of me and clinging til I can pry them off), and now here I am, finally done with it all, but without a nice big bed to fall into. It's covered in the contents of my now empty apartment's closet, a task that requires at least a full day to tackle, therefore it will stay until tomorrow (at least). Thankfully, the couch is actually pretty comfortable, so hopefully I can get to sleep before 2 a.m. for the first time this week. I have to get more sleep or I'm convinced I'm getting the swine. No good.

I had a little treat waiting for me on the kitchen counter tonight when I get home, in the form of a new J. Crew catalog. Woo! It was brilliant, to the say the least. A couple of weeks ago, while on the website, I stumbled upon a wedding dress that made me sad I'm nowhere near that whole process. I found it again tonight in the catalog. Gorgeous. No worries, I ripped it out, so when the big day does come along, I'll at least have the memory. Wanna see?

Ahh, yes. Love it! Anyway, I've gotta get some sleep. Tomorrow? Cleaning, and a lot of it. The apartment, my closet, my bed, the list goes on...Couch here I come! :)

I love you, wildcat...

2009-05-02T00:13:00.006-04:00

Last night in Laurel. Last night we're all together. Last night to sit in silence with computers in lap. It's a night that deserves a final hoorah, a commemorative send-off. How do we do it? We eat. We blog. And we watch. What's new? :)

I must say, it was a pretty great day. Woke up to take a final, which went pretty well. I still have one to go, next Tuesday, but it shouldn't require much in the way of studying, so I'm feeling good in the school department. After the test, I came back for a quick lunch and some chill time, and then Nat, Mims, Mel Pie and I ventured up to Pigeon Forge for a little spring shopping. We hit up the J. Crew, stopped for some ice cream, and then headed back to begin our night's festivities.

Unfortunately, our hopes for looking nice and taking cute pictures in Market Square were somewhat ruined by the May monsoon that descended this afternoon. We still had an excellent dinner at Cafe 4, though. It was my first trip, and I was so impressed! I got a barbeque chicken flatbread, and it was delicious. I'm excited already for my next trip. I think I already know what I'll get...

Back in Laurel, we all piled in Mel Pie's huge, fluffy bed and took some snuggly pics. Gosh, we're so cute...

Once we were sufficiently sick of waiting on self-timers, we plopped into our spots in Mel Pie's living room and popped in HSM 3...my fave. :) Super cheesy, yes, but so great, for reasons such as this: Ahh the Zefron...sorry, I can't help it. Anyway, so now here we are, relishing in what we do best, one last time. It's been a great year, and I will miss these girls so much over the summer! Don't worry ladies, I'll be making some visits, if you'll have me. :)

Thursday nights are always a lost cause...

2009-05-01T00:34:00.000-04:00

It's the truth. Every week, it's the same. I'll say I'll do this, I'll plan to do that, and yet I always seem to end up on the couch with my computer and a muted tv, just whittling away my time. It's ok though, right? Bonding is more important than studying. Friends are way better than cleaning. And I'd always rather look through J. Crew's sale site than read some psych book.

Tonight was no exception. I have a final tomorrow morning, I have an apartment I have to pack up, and I have a bag of chocolate-covered popcorn on my desk that really needed to be countered by a treadmill. Don't worry though. None of that stopped me from the spontaneous trip to Rita's or the random nighttime room hopping, and oh let's not forget the creation of this little number: my new blog. :)

Have I ever followed a blog? Nah. Have I ever even read a blog post? Well, only to search for computer help or self-diagnose my latest illness. Would I have ever thought in a million years I would have my own? Definitely not. But do I love it now that I've been introduced? Absolutely. So I'll end with a big thanks to my lovely Melissa-Pie, I'm sure this is the start of a new obsession. :)

Now about that final...