patience is a virtue

Well, well, well. Here I am waiting (not so) patiently to get back home after a few days in Dahlonega, GA for "tourism camp." I'm not famous for my patience - I've been known to get feisty when waiting...be it at a football game when I'm really hot and hungry, waiting to be served in a restaurant, wishing for 5:00 or at an airport on standby. My flight was canceled (with no announcement from the gate agent, by the way), so I scurried around the concourse trying to get booked on another flight. The dear ladies I'm traveling with let me have the last flight available today (so I can visit with some Taiwanese students) while the three of them are departing tomorrow. I immediately felt terrible...not only because I was so angry at the ticket agents for little reason, but also because my coworkers were so kind. Thanks, girls. And now I get to listen to the ladies next to me who want to re-open Alcatraz and overthrow the government. Cheap/free entertainment is often the best!

Also, congratulations to my friend Lindsey for finally tying the knot! Her wedding was almost as beautiful as she was. And I got a chance to visit with my Louisiana buddies!

Later, gators. I'll (hopefully) be back soon!

lizards beware

OK, so the other day, Olive the Huntress spied a wee lizard up high on the wall near our back door. And because Kell decided to encourage her kill-or-be killed instinct, he hoisted her up so she could get a better look. Well, she got a good look alright, because she’s been trying to climb the walls ever since. Thanks, Kell.

And the chair her paws are digging into so delicately is my new chair! Do you like? One recliner down, one to go.

me again...

Stolen from yaya's blog: 70 confession questions...

1. The phone rings. Who do you want it to be? 94.7 Jack FM asking me what the Jack Jackpot is. They are on a break now, so I can breathe easy.
2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart? I do. We do live in a civilized society, after all.
3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener? I suppose you’d have to ask those around me
4. Do you take compliments well? Like yaya, I’m working on it, too.
5. Do you play Sudoku? No, I am horrible with numbers in any form or fashion. I can’t even tell time, remember? The Cryptoquip, now, is another story.
6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive? Probably not. I do watch Man vs. Wild though. Maybe I could fashion a fort or something with some twigs and a dead camel skin.
8. Did you ever go to camp as a kid? Camp Tik-A-With a once. And I was miserable every second I was there.
9. What was your favorite game as a kid? Clue, paper dolls (I’m counting it), Pictionary, Scattergories, Monopoly
10. Would you slow dance with someone that you knew was married? Huh? Stupid question. Next.
12. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you? Depends.
13. Do you like to pursue or be pursued? Chase me, baby.
14. Use three words to describe yourself? I. Am. Cool. haha – just kidding. That one is hard.
15. Do any songs make you cry? Sure.
16. Are you continuing your education? I’d love to.
17. Do you know how to shoot a gun? Never even seen one in real life outside of like hunting rifles or whatever.
18. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed? The twins! And probably my computer if I could carry it.
19. How often do you read books? I’m always reading a book.
20. Do you think more about the past, present or future? Yikes. All 3, I guess. My mind is a crazy thinking machine.
21. What is your favorite children's book? Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle. I also love The Great Alphabet Fight and The Rainbow Fish.
22.What color are your eyes? brown
23. How tall are you? 5'3"-ish
24. Where is your dream house located? Probably on a mountain somewhere. Or in downtown Charleston, SC.
27. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth? Yes, I have. Why? I do not know.
28. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden? Years. Kell and I were talking about it this weekend – when did Olive Garden become synonymous with lame chain restaurants? I remember it being a big deal to get to go to one as a kid.
29. Where was the furthest place you traveled today? To Jackson for work.
32. Do you like mustard? I guess. In small doses, though.
33. Do you prefer to sleep or eat? They are both really fun to me.
34. Do you look like your mom or dad? Dad for sure.
35. How long does it take you in the shower? 17 min., give or take.
36. Can you do the splits? Probably not. I did do a cartwheel in my backyard the other day. It hurt.
37. What movie do you want to see right now? Away We Go. I don’t think it ever came to my theater.
40. Do you think The Grudge was scary? I don’t even know what that is.
42. Do you own a camera phone? No.
44. Was your mom a cheerleader? Nope.
45. What's the last letter of your middle name? N
47. How many hours of sleep do you get a night? Well, that depends on if Charlie is having a particular anxious night or if kell is particularly snore-y.
48. Do you like care bears? LOVED them. We had the movie on tape.
49. What do you buy at the movies? Gummy bears and/or Diet Coke. Whatever is least offensive to WW.
50. Do you know how to play poker? No.
51.Do you wear your seatbelt? Yes I do. It’s a habit now.
52. What do you wear to sleep? T-shirts
53. Anything big ever happen in your hometown? I’ll go with yaya’s answer – Johnny Cash was arrested in Starkville for picking flowers off the side of the road.
54. How many meals do you eat a day? 3 plus a 3:00 snack.
55. Is your tongue pierced? no thank you.
56. Do you always read MySpace bulletins? Don’t know what that is either.
58. Do you like funny or serious people better? Funny, but I like a serious conversation now and then.
59. Ever been to L.A.? I’ve been to Anaheim, home of Gwen Stefani. Does that count?
60. Did you eat a cookie today? No, but I would love one.
61. Do you use cuss words in other languages? I know a couple…
62. Do you steal or pay for your music downloads? Pay. I don’t even know where to steal music anymore.
63. Do you hate chocolate? No. I wish I did.
64. What do you and your parents fight about the most? I don’t fight with my parents.
65. Are you a gullible person? Yes, probably.
66. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy? No – I have dogs!
67. If you could have any job (assuming you have the skills) what would it be? I always kind of wanted to be an image consultant. Or a host on What Not to Wear. I could be Stacy’s back-up for sure.
68. Are you easy to get along with? i'd like to think so.
69. What is your favorite time of day? 5:00 on Friday!
70. Do you have a crush on anyone right now? YES! Kim Kardashian, Roger Federer, Scarlett Johannson, Ray LaMontagne, Ryan Adams, Stacy London, Giada DeLaurentis… need I go on?

two wands up

Oh Harry, you’ve done it again… Another great movie.

A+ from this humble reviewer!

finally!

Muggles, tonight I'm going with Katy to see the 6th installment of the Harry Potter movie franchise - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! Even bought my ticket yesterday! I'm so excited I don't know what to do with myself! I spent all weekend and earlier this week watching the movies so I'd be caught up, though I wasn't able to get through reading the book a second time. I cannot wait!

monday again

Welcome to another week, readers. I trust everyone’s weekend was enjoyable?

Kell and I had supper club at our house last night, and it was a blast. We desperately needed a reason to get to work decorating and arranging the house. And I must say, it looks pretty good.

Also, I’ve got a book review for you! I finished The Help. (Actually I finished it a week ago, but I was waiting on my next book.) It’s the story of Skeeter Phelan, a recent idealistic Ole Miss graduate who comes home to Jackson during the Civil Rights era and strikes an unlikely friendship with the black maids who work at her friends’ homes. Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny together throw a wrench in how Jackson perceives its “help,” and turns the Jackson social scene on its head.

I’m truly sorry to everyone out there who was moved so deeply by it, but I didn’t love it. I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but I do know that I thought it dragged and was a little lengthy and predictable. And if you’re sensitive to racial issues, let this be your warning. That portion of the book was very difficult for me to get through. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good book, but I didn’t think it was wonderful. To be fair, it’s very different from the other kinds of books I read, so perhaps I wasn’t in the right mindset. Just read the reviews on Amazon, and you’ll see how many people disagree with me, though! I am glad I read it, having been written by a Mississippi author and all. I give it a B.

Now it’s on to I’m Down, a book about a white family living in a black neighborhood in the 70s. This memoir is written by Mishna Wolff, the daughter of a man who truly thinks he’s black. He says things like “hells yeah” and “keepin’ it real” while playing dominos with his black buddies. I’m not too far into it, but so far, it’s really funny. I mean, just look at that cover! Review to come!

Have a great week. 3 days until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

hey, it's 7-8-9!

I hope everyone had a great Independence Day. We did and were actually pretty productive in the process. Well, if you consider hanging curtains productive. Yes, my curtains that have been ready for nearly a month now finally went up! And thanks to Amy at Latitudes, they’re pretty darn cute if I do say so myself.

And as I tend to do on holidays, I tried out a new recipe. This one is thanks to my sweet mother-in-law and intimidatingly good cook!

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk (I used skim)
1/2 cup bottled Key lime juice
1/2 cup whipping cream (I used fat free half & half)
Dash of salt
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
6 graham crackers (1 1/2 cookie sheets), coarsely crushed, divided (I put in 2 full sheets)
Key lime wedges (optional)


Combine first 5 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Pour mixture into freezer can of an ice-cream freezer, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Stir 1/3 cup graham crackers into ice cream. Spoon ice cream into a freezer-safe container, and cover and freeze for 1 hour or until firm. Sprinkle each serving with 1 teaspoon graham crackers. Garnish with lime wedges, if desired. **I also garnished with a little lime zest!


Deelish!

america the beautiful

I’ve always been patriotic. I get choked up at the National Anthem and especially Ray Charles’s version of “America the Beautiful.” I have to fight back tears each time I hear inspiring stories of our courageous men and women overseas – they make Independence Day possible.

So you can imagine how touched I was to read this article about a naturalization ceremony here in Jackson. Our new fellow citizens embody all that makes our country great – vision, perseverance and a dream of a better life. They came from places like Nigeria, Morocco, Portugal, Vietnam and Yemen to become something we often take for granted. The judge presiding over the ceremony even brought his own children to demonstrate how blessed we are to have been born of such a great country.

I remember my dad telling me that the day is father became an American citizen was one of the greatest days of his life. He’s since passed away, but I will never forget those words. We should all be so grateful.

Happy Independence Day!

woof

Have you seen this commercial? It's probably my new favorite:

Ray LaMontagne music and a pup? Perfection.