Things I’m Loving Right Now

1. Turkey, stuffing, and as much pumpkin pie as I can stuff in my face = only nine days away!


2. Everything Glee — but especially this part.
http://www.youtube.com/v/E46BhMIRujI?fs=1&hl=en_US


3. The fact that Pioneer Woman will be here tomorrow. And I’ll finally get to meet her. Is it weird that I’m a little anxious about that?

4. “The Author’s Prayer:


Our Father, which art in Heaven,

And has also written a book…

– Anon

5. Of those who applied, every single one of the people whom I had the wonderful pleasure of working with in Philadelphia this summer were accepted into the Teach For America corps last week. They’ll be going all over the place, including Charlotte (North Carolina), New Orleans, and Baltimore. And with my application, I found out that I’ve been invited to the final interview (and get to skip the phone interview step). So excited!

. . .

“If you trust in yourself . . .”
“Yes?”
“. . . and believe in your dreams . . .”
“Yes?”
“. . . and follow your star . . .”
“Yes?”
“. . . you’ll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren’t so lazy.”

-The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Bloody Brilliant

So I may or may not be obsessed with greeting cards. All cards, in fact. When I’m somewhere new, I’ll drop five dollars on postcards easy. And I can’t even pass the card aisle without buying something, which means I usually avoid that part of Walmart instinctively. Hey, I’m not made of money.

I’d like to think I have good reason to purchase ungodly amounts of greeting cards though. I keep in contact with so many people through the mail these days (who doesn’t love a traditional letter?), that I can easily buy a pack of ten cards and send every single one of them fanning out across the country the next day. Yup. I have that many friends. Be jealous.

And if you are one of those friends, get excited. I feel a splurge coming on, of which you’d be the lucky recipient. Please admire the brilliant, absolutely hilarious cards at foxyblunt.com. The deadpan humor kills me.

Can’t wait to share the sarcasm with others.

Taken from the blog of my beautiful friend Geales…

“When I look at the lives of the people I most admire it’s these daily decisions I honor the most. The tiny choices, the kind you make over your cup of morning coffee: Put your mug in the sink and go to the studio, it’s time to get back to work. Get out of bed and make the kids breakfast, after cereal we’ll work out what’s next. Forgive him, he’s sorry – this will set you both free. Be yourself because there is no one better.

The grand prize is that we all get to do this – we get to live here and love here and make our own way. We get to choose who we will be and what kind of bold beauty we will leave behind when we go. It takes real pluck to choose kindness and freedom and art. It takes balls to show up for your life. So I may think you’re rad if you are up for a bungee jump but I think you’re miraculous if you are up for today.”

-Anne Carmack

From here.

To Continue with My Obsession…

Pioneer Woman is coming to OU! 

http://www.ou.edu/content/gaylord/home/main/newsroom/pioneer_woman.html

Gah! So excited.

Fireworks in November!!!

Photo stolen from my friend Megan’s FB page.

Still not sure why that just happened… but that was officially THE COOLEST thing ever. Random fireworks in November? Yes please. 

    Best Firework Show I’ve Ever Seen

    Brisk, Beautiful Evening

+ The Company of a Good Friend 

An Awesome Saturday

Update: Apparently we just watched the firework show that was supposed to have gone off on the 4th of July. But since it rained on the 4th this year, they postponed the show. Until tonight. 

I love surprises!

For All You Music Nerds Out There…

You’ll love this.

http://www.youtube.com/v/5pidokakU4I?fs=1&hl=en_US

(Dad, I posted this gem with you particularly in mind. Enjoy!)

Pioneer Woman, Oh How I Love Thee

Cristina introduced me to Ree Drummond, Pioneer Woman, this summer. I will never be the same again.

Not only is she a prolific writer, but she:
– cooks (and sells awesome cookbooks with delicious recipes)
– goes on talk shows and cooks from said cookbooks
– takes fantastic pictures (and gives you tips on how to do the same)
– has a killer sense of humor
– gave up city life for love (when she met the man of her life– who just happened to be a cowboy)
– has a very romantic story about how she met her husband, Marlboro Man
– home schools her kids!
– and SO much more (It’s impossible to channel that woman into one blog post).

Not to be one of those creepy people who think they’re the exact right person for a certain celebrity or anything… but Ree and I really do have a ton in common. Maybe we could be friends…?

Anyway, on the loooong list of things we have in common…. We love to write (though she’s funnier than me). I was homeschooled (as she does with her kids). Our parents seperated when we were the same age (and we, oddly, had very similar emotional reactions to it— reading her story was like a verbalization of my own thoughts). Like her, I wanted desperately to leave small-town life for the big city (though unlike her, I’m still hellbent on doing that). I love photography and want to start incorporating it more into my blog (like hers currently does swimmingly).

Read her stuff and tell me she isn’t amazing. I dare you.

If I could be that funny, and create that kind of empire out of my writing, I would be one very very very happy person.

Aaaaaaaand…. she is currently holding this awesome contest where four lucky winners, and friends, are invited to her home for a weekend to learn to bake holiday goodies, feed cows with Marlboro Man, sip coffee on the porch in the countryside, meet her kids, etc. My friend Cristina– also in love with Pioneer Woman– sent me a text telling me about it, and of course, I immediately put my name in the hat. If I win, she’s coming with me, and visa versa. And even though there are already over 20,000 people in the contest (!!! – stiff competition), I remain hopeful. After all, we already live in the same state and share a gazillion of the same interests. Is that too much to ask? 

The Best Part About Halloween…

… is not all the readily-available Kit Kat bars or the fact that this is the one time a year it’s okay to dress like a slut.

Nope. Not even close.

The best part about Halloween is that all these adorable little kiddos (who you think couldn’t possibly look any cuter) manage outdo themselves in tiny pumpkin and animal costumes. 

It is impossible to be sad when looking into the fresh, soulful eyes of a little sweet pea.

(my beyond precious niece)

Love This!

At some point, I’d love to make a short film or music video featuring dancers. They’re so beautiful!

http://www.youtube.com/v/G_1Zz9ud83I?fs=1&hl=en_US