Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

I thought I'd share my journal entry from tonight because it makes me happy, and it might make you happy too.

1. Falling asleep to rain and thunder

2. Finding money in last year's coat pocket

3. Feeling pretty

4. Holding hands with a boy

5. Towels straight from the dryer

6. New haircuts - that actually look how you imagined

7. Opening a new book

8. Playing your new fav song on repeat --> with the windows down

9. Wishing on a star

10. Waking up at 2:30 am and realizing you get to keep sleeping

11. Pretty packages

12. Coffee shops + friends + time to kill

13. Holding a warm mug on a chilly day

14. Pretty handwriting

15. Vacuumed floors - especially if I didn't have to do it

16. Flowers

17. Random texts from friends

18. Walking my dog

19. Painted fingernails

20. Glitter

21. The smell of cookies baking

22. Thunderstorms

23. Clean sheets and freshly shaven legs

24. Gorgeous autumn trees

25. Gorgeous autumn light

26. Mail from a friend

27. Inside Jokes

28. Encouragement at just the right moment

29. Winks ;)

30. Laughing to the point of tears

31. New socks

32. Good hair days back to back

33. The first swim of the summer

34. Picking out produce at the grocery store - or better yet, at the farmer's market

35. Handmade quilts

36. Running into an old friend while running errands

37. Decorating for a season or holiday

38. Sudden weather changes

39. Surprising a friend

40. Long road trips

41. That feeling just after brushing your teeth

42. Trying a new recipe- and loving it

43. Blog comments

44. A pen that writes really well

45. Nostalgia

46. Snap shots framed and on my desk

47. Quotes

48. Taking off my bra at the end of the day

49. When the clock reads my birthday (10:17)

50. Even numbers.

:j

P.S. Please excuse the fact that this is a cell phone photo.

Exciting News...

I'm going to be an aunt again!!

:j

A Fridge Update

Sharpies and I are a dangerous combination. There's just something alluring to me about the permanence of the ink. Plus they can write on almost any surface. The inventor of Sharpies might be my hero. Do you think his name is Mr. Sharpie? Or maybe it was a woman. Or a teenager who was really into graffiti, but allergic to spray pain. Regardless they should get a prize. A plaque maybe. But instead of being engraved it should be written in Sharpie. Or you could just give them my fridge door because it has been Sharpie-ed. See for yourself...

I may go back and add more details to the frame later. I wanted to do something more baroque, but this is what happened when I started free handing it. (Note: I did use a ruler to keep the lines straight, but I din't really measure.) I'll keep you all updated if I make any changes.

:j

P.S. Remember the last time I took a Sharpie to my kitchen?

28 Before 28

Yesterday I reviewed the goals I wrote for my 27th year. No, it did not go well. In fact I was a little embarrassed by them, but I still posted them because I feel like it made me a better person. That's not true. The real reason I posted them was because I had nothing else to write about. Since I am doing my best to come up with blog material so that my cousins will stop bugging me on Facebook to keep updating my blog, I thought it would be best to do another list for this year.

I told Momma that my goal this year was to go from being a "hot mess" to "hotness." It's only one letter difference, so it can't be that hard. Hopefully these 28 things will help me get there.

1. Sew a dress or skirt
2. Watch the movie "What About Bob" - seriously, I'm going to watch it this year
3. Get married - I'm claiming it. :)
4. Finish decorating my back patio
5. Get in the habit of sending cards to friends
6. Start using reusable bags 100% of the time at the grocery store
7. Hit my weight loss goal
8. Go on vacation some place new
9. See a shooting star
10. Build a snowman - yes I put it on again this year. :)
11. Get a new camera
12. Go a month without sugar - yep, this one's back again this year, too.
13. Get into a regular work out routine
14. Read Pride and Prejudice again
15. Learn how to drive a stick shift - need to find someone who owns a stick shift
16. Bake bread from scratch
17. Figure out how to solve a Rubix Cube
18. Photograph my whole family
19. Bake something new
20. Deep clean my house
21. Makeover my blog
22. Make a photo book of my college years - I will get this done some day!
23. Ride a roller coaster
24. No fast food for a month
25. Do a puzzle
26. Do not complain about anything for a week
27. Make 4 new friends
28. Have a girls weekend

Wish me luck, Internet. Heaven knows I'll need it.

:j

Twenty-Seven

This blog post is for Kristen. If you beg enough on my Facebook wall, I'll update my blog. To be quite honest, Internet, I just haven't felt very inspired lately. I have had a lot going on, but I do want to be better. So for now, forgive my intermittent posting, and maybe someday I will be a regular blogger again. :)


This week I turned 27 years old. Typing it brings a whole new reality to it. Some of you may remember that I was keeping a 27 things to do before turning 27 list. Here are those things with my accomplishments....and of course the failures. To be honest more failures than I'd hoped for.

Watch the movie, "What About Bob?" - FAIL - You'd think this would be an easy one. Some day. :)

Visit Chicago - FAIL -  I had the chance, but chose my gap's birthday party instead.

Knit a scarf - FAIL - I did however, crochet a hat.

Start my doctorate - FAIL - I'm too undecided about what to study or if I even want a doctorate.

Get photography business onto The Knot - FAIL - In fact, I'm kind of pulling back on photographing weddings. I prefer to shoot with Cherish as a second shooter instead of being the main.

Enter a 5K - FAIL. Although I did start to run....a little.

Memorize a book of the Bible - FAIL - But I've been memorizing a verse a week with my small group girls

Sew something pretty - ACCOMPLISHED - I've sewed a few little things, but I'd like to sew a dress or something cool like that.

Finish decorating my mud room - ACCOMPLISHED - And thanks to my amazing Momma it is now organized to a T

Clean out my linen closet - ACCOMPLISHED - Now if only I could say the same about my office....

Take 1 picture every day - FAIL - I want to try to pick this one up again

Go camping - FAIL - We were all geared up and ready to go in April, but we ended up at my uncle's house both nights.

Blog every day for a month - FAIL - Sorry, Internet, I know how important this one was to you, too.

Make a photo book of my college years - FAIL - I'd totally forgotten about this one!

Read 50 books - ACCOMPLISHED - I can't list them, but I have read at least 50 books this year. One of the joys of being a librarian.

Try Yoga for a month - FAIL - I did however try a class.

Donate 10 inches to Locks of Love - FAIL - I'm hoping to get a few more inches before I donate.

Try a new restaurant - ACCOMPLISHED

Make my bed every day for a month - FAIL - I just don't have the desire to make my bed daily.

Fast Facebook for a week - ACCOMPLISHED - Although not on purpose. It was a matter of busy-ness combined with fasting.

Memorize one verse of the Bible each month - ACCOMPLISHED

Build a snowman - ACCOMPLISHED

Give up sweets for a month - ACCOMPLISHED - And I'm doing it again soon.

Teach Kody a new trick - FAIL - He is terribly trained. Some day I'll get my act together. :)

Clean and decorate my back porch - SOMEWHAT ACCOMPLISHED - I hope to continue sprucing it up

Play in a poker tournament - FAIL - I don't even think I played poker this year

Taste a new fruit - ACCOMPLISHED - Kumquat. It was decent.

Okay, so I got 11/27. Not my best work. But here I did a lot of unlisted things in the past year, like take a road trip to Colorado, start leading a small group for freshmen girls, grow a garden with pumpkins....I'm sure there are other things, I'm just not thinking of them right now. Regardless, it was a good year, and I know that God has big plans for my 27th year. Tune in tomorrow for 28 things to do before turning 28. Heaven knows I need goals to keep me going. 

:j