{et cetera}

We're moving!

2011-04-07T00:02:00.003-06:00

As most of you know, I'm graduating in two weeks. (cue the hallelujah chorus). So I'm here to make another big announcement:

I'm relocating to another blog!

You're shocked, I know. But I figured it was a good time to start fresh, with graduating from college, moving to the city, and all. So my other blog is up and running. And maybe I've been secretly writing on it for a while now. This blog will remain active so you can go back and read anything you want to. There will be a link to this blog on my new one to make it easy for you.

Now my desperate plea to my dear followers:
It would mean the most if you would follow my new blog. It's so easy. Follow the link at the end of this post, scroll to the bottom and click "follow". And remember, if you follow me, I'll definitely follow you.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you for your reading pleasure,

The Postmodern Archive

bi-polar weather = bi-polar alyssa

2011-04-03T20:20:00.003-06:00

In a word, Friday was gorgeous.
During a work break I laid out in the sun with two fellow lifeguards.
It was sunny, warm, and in the 70s.

Saturday was equally as beautiful.
Overcast, but warm.
I wore a skirt, short-sleeved shirt, and flip flops.
Bliss.

Sunday, we woke up to a foot of snow.
No, I don't really want to talk about it.

I am livid.

2011-04-01T18:40:00.002-06:00

OUTRAGE! A DISGRACE!
I'm ashamed at our society.
Where are it's priorities?!?

Read the article here:
http://tinyurl.com/4x86xgq

The fact that Snooki earns a higher speaking fee than Toni Morrison makes me physically ill. {Not to mention outraged} Toni Morrison is perhaps the greatest living American author, if not one of the best to have ever lived. She won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1993, among many other prestigious awards. What has Snooki ever done except be a trashy reality star? Oh, that's right, nothing. I am so mad about this. Really, I am.

stomp, stomp, stomp

2011-03-31T13:40:00.000-06:00

We named our upstairs neighbors the "McStompersons": Man- Stompy, Woman-Thumper, Kid-Clomper.
Thank goodness the baby can't walk yet.

We currently live in a ground-floor apartment in Provo. For the first month we lived here, the apartment directly upstairs was vacant. Oh, blessed silence. Then, once upon a time, a family moved in. We don't know them, nor their names, but we have dubbed them the "McStompersons". They stomp. Endlessly. Sometimes I think they run laps around their apartment for fun. Yet sometimes they mysteriously disappear for a day or two. I like to think that they are a part of a secret, underground organization characterized by their stompy nature. But seriously, they'll just disappear and only one McStomperson will be home for a pretty long period of time. We saw them once leaving their apartment, and they're actually kind of fat, so perhaps the come by the stomping honestly, but you'd think they would be more careful about stomping because they know they're fat. Nope. No such courtesy exists in my life. The thing that really gets me is that the parents just allow their kid to run around like a wild banshee (who sounds like he's the size of a large elephant). I understand that kids need to run and play, but if I was on a top floor with a kid with people living below us, a top priority would be to not annoy the downstairs neighbors.

I've yelled at them from my living room, but I don't think they heard me. I've contemplated going upstairs to ask them to walk more quietly, but I'm pretty sure that conversation wouldn't work out too well:
- "Hi. We live downstairs. Every time you walk around and let your kid run laps, it sounds like you're going to come right through the ceiling." -
You can see the flaws.
I usually get the urge to go up there when they're being particularly annoying, but I'm never in any kind of state to deal with them civilly at that point. I've also considered tapping the ceiling with one of Husband's golf clubs, but that just seems a bit too passive aggressive.

At least we're moving in less than a month!

she married him?

2011-03-28T10:40:00.008-06:00

Apparently, in 1992, these two got married.

via

{and}

via

This blows my mind for a few reasons.
1. How did I not know this until almost 20 years after the fact?
2. Wait...they've been married for almost 20 years? Does.not.compute.
3. Just look at them. Would you have pegged them as a perfect match?

But then look at this:
via

They're adorable.
And {what the what?} they have an equally as adorable 11 year-old daughter.

I hope this blows your mind as much as it did mine.

i heart this color

2011-03-25T09:55:00.001-06:00

via pinterest

It is my dream to have a red, white and aqua kitchen.
Someday I will have cabinets like this. I will.

little truths

2011-03-22T07:26:00.000-06:00

Sitting next to Husband on the couch (as he is looking over at me and making silly noises) I keep thinking of this quotation and how true it is.

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into a mutual weirdness and call it love."
- Dr. Seuss

:: books ::

2011-03-21T13:05:00.003-06:00

"A book is a gift you can open again and again."
- Garrison Keillor

In the midst of the E-book revolution, I have a few things to say regarding the matter. I own a Kindle, and I think it is the most fantastic thing I have. No matter where I go, a have, at my disposal, over thirty books that are currently on my Kindle. I love the convenience of it, but at the same time, there's something to be said for real, tangible, bound books. I love the smell of paper. It sounds silly, but books have such a lovely, unique smell. I love the satisfaction you feel when the pages you hold in your left hand become greater than the number of pages in your right hand. I love the anticipation of beginning a new book; the anticipation for the friends I will make in the characters; the places I'll visit. I also love bookstores. I love that there are so many characters living in those books that I have yet to meet. I could wander around a bookstore for hours, and not be bored. I know that my own children will probably laugh at the fact that I love to wander around bookstores because everything will be so digitized by then, but they will know the joy that comes from holding bound books. They will.

{another} work story

2011-03-19T19:25:00.004-06:00

Remember how I talked about my job a few days ago and said that lifeguarding is a three-ring circus extraordinaire? Here is a snapshot of my day.

Work began at 7:35 am. We found a legitimately crazy man swimming in the pool. (We weren't open yet.) All of the lights in the pool area were off, and nobody was there. But he told us not to worry about him because he's "an Olympic swimmer who loves to swim in the dark". {riiiiiighhhht} I asked what his name was, and he ran out of the Rec Center. So, I just looked it up in the computer because it keeps a backlog of everyone admitted that day.

Work ended at 6:00, and just before that, a woman took her 2, 3, and 4 year old sons to the deep end to teach them how to dive. Really, lady? They can't even swim yet. That's like teaching someone how to run before they can stand up. It didn't work. Not to mention I was on the edge of my chair ready to leap into save-the-kid mode because I was extremely concerned one of them was going to topple into the water.

I'm happy to be home.

want.

2011-03-18T10:54:00.002-06:00

via etsy

Too bad that it was so expensive and someone bought it this morning, but is this not the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T14:44:00.000-06:00

:: a work story ::

2011-03-15T21:43:00.007-06:00

I work at a pool as a lifeguard and swim lesson instructor. It's a pretty good job while I'm in school. But as I've said before, "Lifeguarding is a three-ring-circus extraordinaire".

For your reading pleasure:
{1} a list of things life guards wish they could tell you
{2} two stories from a {semi} normal tuesday night

1. Rules are rules. No, I don't care what the "other lifeguard" allowed you to do. I will enforce the rules because it's my job. I'm sorry someone else wasn't doing theirs.

2. Did you look in the mirror before you left the house? I don't know who told you that (tight/skin-colored/skimpy/too small/too big/old+see-through) swimsuit was a good idea. Really, I don't.

3. While on the topic, a bra+tank top/underwear+shorts is never a good idea. The second you get in the water (regardless of the color) your clothes will be immediately see-through. This is not fun to look at. Clothing material ≠ swimsuit material. It never will.

4. Yes, I just yelled at you/your child. No, I don't feel bad about it. Not one bit. Follow the rules, and I won't yell. It's as simple as that.

5. Parents: do us all a favor and just put your children in swim lessons. It's such a pain to try to un-teach the incorrect technique you instilled in your children.

6. If you come talk to me while I'm on stand, I'm not listening to a word you say. I'm supposed to be watching the pool. I can't stop, turn, and carry on (what I'm sure is an extremely important) conversation with you. If you need to talk to a lifeguard, go to the guard room.

7. Don't feed your children right before you come swimming. I really don't like cleaning up puke.
7a. Put swim diapers on your little children; i.e. 3 and under (even if they are potty trained). I also don't like cleaning up poop.

8. The people who do funny things (like trying to make out underwater and singing/whistling while swimming laps) make longs shifts ever so much more entertaining. Thank you for doing amusing things. We appreciate the laugh.

9. We are not babysitters! I have the whole pool to watch, not just your children. That's your responsibility.

10. Most parents are idiots. They say things like, "I left my five year-old to look after my three year-old while I read/sunbathed/exercised/etc..." And then they wonder why we had to jump in to save the both of them.

Two brief anecdotes:
one: a man cut his hand pretty badly playing basketball. he fell on the gravel outside and had gravel and dirt stuck in the cut. i scrubbed it out a la dad+uncle foy style*. success.
two: there is a really large, really hairy man who regularly frequents the pool. we call him the "whistling man" (self-explanatory). today, he was alternatively backstroking and breaststroking, and singing at the top of his lungs. i could not stop laughing.

*both my dad and uncle foy are doctors. when they scrub cuts/scrapes it hurts worse than when you actually cut yourself because they open the wound back up to scrub out all of the nasty stuff. it hurts like the dickens, but it won't get infected.

End.

:: teh internets ::

2011-03-13T15:26:00.002-06:00

I love the internet, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite sites with you.

Besides the normal Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, here are a few that I frequent.

reddit (all things funny and awesome)
lolcats (the cutest/funniest kitteh pictures ever)
Pinterest (a virtual cork-board of everything that is classy/trendy/beautiful)
Taste Spotting (pictures (and recipes) of yummy food)
New York Times (where I get the news)
Hyperbole and a Half (the funniest blog you will ever read. ever.)

What are some of your favorite sites?

p.s. youtube search "Maru" if you want to see a really adorable cat

"Do You Hear the People Sing?"

2011-03-11T10:23:00.002-07:00

I will on May 25th.

We have, in our possession, tickets to this:

ever have one of those days?

2011-03-10T22:10:00.000-07:00

It feels like Spring!

2011-03-10T13:07:00.003-07:00

{the view from my perch on the fourth floor of the humanities building}

The sun is shining.
The sky is blue.
The weather outside is beautiful.
All I want to do is have a picnic.
Any takers?

truths

2011-03-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

"Follow the man, follow the man, with his pockets full of the jam."

2011-03-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

I borrowed this idea from my dear friend over at The Carolina Housewife.
She and I share a love for all things musicals, so I decided to share with you a few of my favorite numbers.

RENT - "Christmas Bells"
I love all of the intertwining parts. It's fantastic on stage when everyone is running around and singing.

Chicago - "Cell Block Tango"

I love the raw energy of this song. It is amazing.

The Sound of Music - "The Sound of Music"
It's Julie Andrews. End of.

RENT - "Over the Moon"

I feel like Mrs. Davis said it best: "If you're a real fan of RENT then you can recite this entire song." I can. I sometimes break out into random performances of RENT songs. It's epic.

Les Mis - "I Dreamed a Dream"
It's such a sad song, but so compelling.

Mary Poppins - "Feed the Birds"

One of my all-time favorite songs. Again, it's Julie.

The Phantom of the Opera - "The Point of No Return"/"Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer"/"Final Lair"
The whole ending of this show gives me chills. My heart always breaks for Phantom, and I think Raoul is a pansy.

:: part two ::

RENT - "Finale B"

Can't even explain how much I love this song. It's so beautiful - in musicality, in meaning, in everything.

It was so difficult to pare this list down to so few numbers.
I could go on forever about this.
What are some of your can't-live-without-it musical favorites?

day thirty: movies i love

2011-03-03T08:47:00.001-07:00

i can watch these over and over and never get tired of them.

not even one bit.
what are your favorite movies that you can watch over and over?

And thus ends my thirty days of blogging. It was fun. I highly recommend it if you're in a blogging funk.

day twenty-nine: television

2011-03-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

:: shows i can't seem to get enough of ::

what are some of your favorite shows?

day twenty-eight: words

2011-03-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

I like these words:

1. coterminous
2. plenum
3. indicative
4. sockdolager
5. grammar
6. poignant
7. doppelganger
8. love
9. literature
10. mythopoesis

just a wee break from the thirty days because...

2011-02-28T05:27:00.001-07:00

:: happy birthday to me;
happy birthday to me;
happy birthday, dear alyssa.
happy birthday to me! ::

today i am twenty-two.

huzzah for birthdays!

day twenty-seven: jobs

2011-02-27T08:04:00.001-07:00

The day job:

{vs}

The passion:

day twenty-six: thankfulness

2011-02-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

ten things i am thankful for right now
{in no particular order}

:: spencer, my lovely husband ::
:: the rest of my family ::
:: sunshine and blue skies ::
:: my church ::
:: cute, fuzzy animals ::
:: semester = halfway done ::
:: gilmore girls ::
:: books ::
:: good music ::
:: you, the readers ::

day twenty-five: my mary poppins bag

2011-02-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

day twenty-four: favorite quotation

2011-02-24T08:08:00.001-07:00

"You are an adult. The old one, the wise one. Stop thinking about saving your face. Think of our lives and tell us your particularized world. Make up a story. Narrative is radical, creating us at the very moment it is being created. We will not blame you if your reach exceeds your grasp; if love so ignites your words they go down in flames and nothing is left but their scald. Or if, with the reticence of a surgeon's hands, your words suture only the places where blood might flow. We know you can never do it properly--once and for all. Passion is never enough; neither is skill. But try. For our sake and yours forget your name in the street; tell us what the world has been to you in the dark places and in the light. Don't tell us what to believe, what to fear. Show us belief s wide skirt and the stitch that unravels fear's caul. You, old woman, blessed with blindness, can speak the language that tells us what only language can: how to see without pictures. Language alone protects us from the scariness of things with no names. Language alone is meditation."

- Toni Morrison, from her Nobel Lecture

Have you ever read anything so beautiful? I cannot get over how fantastic her prose is. It almost kills me it's so gorgeous. Her books are all this beautifully written too. That's partly why I love them so much.

day twenty-three: cravings

2011-02-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

I need this right now.
It's my absolute favorite. There's nothing quite like it. And you can't find it outside of the South.Which, of course, makes me want it even more. I even found it in sherbet form at this store.

day twenty-two: i am unique

2011-02-22T08:45:00.001-07:00

What makes me different from everyone else? Here area few things {I think are} unique to me:

:: my freckles ::
:: i love all things lemon-flavored ::
:: i got a full night's sleep the night before my wedding ::
:: i hate pickles and watermelon ::
:: i can't whistle ::
:: my obsession with all things books and cats ::
:: i am the only person who is exactly like me ::

day twenty-one: happiness {in picture form}

2011-02-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

day twenty: write a letter

2011-02-20T08:46:00.001-07:00

This will be short and simple.

Instead of writing a letter to someone, I'm going to tell you about a time when I wrote a letter.

The night before I got married I wrote a letter to Spencer. You know the kind. A good, old-fashioned love letter. I gave it to him about an hour before we were married. He loved it.

I wish more people engaged in letter writing. It is rapidly becoming a lost art, but it shouldn't be. Who doesn't love getting mail? And hand-written notes/letters/etc are just so much more personal and meaningful. A challenge for you all: write a letter or note to someone this week and deliver it somehow. You'll love it. I promise.

day nineteen: a sweet memory

2011-02-19T08:44:00.001-07:00

This is one of the last times I saw this adorable kitty:
About two months after this picture was taken, Rhubarb had to be put to sleep. She was really sick and really old. I was out at school when it happened, and here comes the sweet memory. Rhubarb was in a little bed in the bathtub the day she was put down. Early in the day, my mom called me, put the phone on speaker-phone, set the phone down by Rhubarb and left the bathroom. I had a chance to talk to her and say goodbye. Rhubarb even meowed at me over the phone. That made a really sad day just a little more bearable.

day eighteen: plans/goals/dreams

2011-02-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

In LIFE Club we talk a lot about our plans and dreams. Specifically, there's something called a "dream in a drawer". As in, "What's your dream in a drawer?" It can be anything (real or outrageous) that you want to do.

Here are {some of my} dreams in a drawer:

:: spread happiness ::
:: travel to Europe ::
:: create something beautiful ::
:: be remembered for something ::

What are your dreams in a drawer?

day seventeen: freaky friday

2011-02-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

The post for today is all about who I would want to switch lives with for a day and why.

Isn't she glamorous?

This is pre-botched vocal surgery, of course. I just want to know what it would be like to be able to sing like that. To be able to open your mouth and yield these results:

How incredible is she? So incredible. End of.
I also not-so-secretly want to be like her when I'm old, too. She's such a classy lady.
link.

day sixteen: a picture of yourself

2011-02-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

Who :: Me, of course.
What :: Bridals and Groomals by Christy Peake
When :: December 2010
Where :: Kershaw-Cornwallis House, Camden, SC
Why :: Who doesn't want professional pictures of yourself wearing a fabulous dress?

day fifteen: iPod shuffle {the new dance craze}

2011-02-15T08:39:00.003-07:00

one: "cemeteries of london" - coldplay

two: "a new machine part 2" - pink floyd

three: "ask me why" - the beatles
four: "sometimes a fantasy" - billy joel
five: "it's still rock and roll to me" - billy joel
six: "i got nothin" - darius rucker
seven: "inner city blues (make me wanna holler)" - marvin gaye
eight: "that's not me" - the beach boys
nine: "i wouldn't be a man" - josh turner
ten: "minuet" - idina menzel

day fourteen: the family

2011-02-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

My family that I grew up with:

The family I live with now:

day thirteen: books. i love books.

2011-02-13T08:37:00.001-07:00

I can't even begin to describe how fantastic this novel is. Everything about its characters and story lines is pure perfection. Morrison's prose is impeccable. Beloved is the story of newly-freed slaves who struggle with their past when Beloved returns from the dead to seek revenge on her mother for the life she was not allowed to live. Favorite part: the Afro-Mystic undercurrents throughout the text.

Everything about Paradise is equally as amazing as Morrison's other works. Here, she presents the stories of the people in Ruby, all the while giving a discourse on race, and the relationships between men and women. Favorite part: The Love Sermon.

The Road is the struggle of a father and son in the post-apocalyptic world. It is a story of postmodern redemption and the bond between a father and a son. McCarthy's unique writing style lends itself to these themes, and ultimately parallels the setting and the situations in the novel. Favorite part: The ending. {if i tell you more, it will give it all away, and that wouldn't be any fun}

Fugitive Pieces is an extremely unique book in that Michaels writes in an almost poetry-prose style. It is the story of a young boy amidst World War II; it's a story of love and healing and finding yourself.
It is absolutely gorgeous.

There is no writable topic not included in Crime and Punishment. It is a beautiful story that forces you to reexamine how you view people and their behaviors. It is a triumph.

day twelve: write a poem

2011-02-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time I wrote a poem, but also once upon a time, I am a chicken.
So instead, here's a poem by one of my favorites.

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

ee cummings

day eleven: bucket list

2011-02-11T08:27:00.001-07:00

one. pet a big cat
two. teach dr. cronin's class
three. travel to europe
four. get a cat {or two or three}
five. get something/anything published

*there are more, but i can't think of them.

day ten: songs for happy/sad/bored/mad

2011-02-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

{there is a song for every emotion}

day nine: being proud

2011-02-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

I've not really much to be proud of in the past few days, although the only thing I can think of is feeling confident in my school work. I am a good writer, and the papers I've written recently have been pretty good, in my opinion. I guess this sense of pride in school can be meshed into the feeling of pride that I'm almost done. I'm proud of myself for surviving college. It's been quite the feat.

I Tweet Now

2011-02-08T15:30:00.003-07:00

Attention all followers:

You can now follow me on Twitter if you'd like.

Link is here.

day eight: goals {short-term}

2011-02-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

:: be happy ::

:: do awesome things ::

:: feel good about myself ::

:: read fantastic literature ::

:: try doing something new ::

:: visit somewhere new and exciting ::

day seven: changed my life

2011-02-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

day six: favorite super hero

2011-02-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

I've never been too interested in super heroes. Perhaps because I'm not a boy. But I really loved Sesame Street when I was small, so Super Grover wins by default.

day five: i've been here {and i love it}

2011-02-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

Edisto Island, S.C.

Happy birthday, Jonathan Larson.

2011-02-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

Thank you for sharing your talent with the world.

We only wish you had the chance to share more of it with us.

day four: bad habits

2011-02-04T08:02:00.001-07:00

When it comes to waking up early, I struggle. I mean, I really struggle. I can do it if I absolutely must, but I do not enjoy it. I wish I could train myself to enjoy getting up early and liking it. There's a reason we got married at three o'clock in the afternoon. I needed the chance to sleep in and lounge around the house that morning. There's a reason I cannot attend a class that begins earlier than nine-thirty in the morning. editor's note: even nine-thirty is pushing it a little bit. Perhaps I'll enjoy waking up early when I'm old. But until then, I'm convinced that there's nothing that will make me enjoy waking up earlier than my body naturally wants to.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make waking up more enjoyable?

day three: vintage me

2011-02-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

To read a feature about vintage A., click here.

day two: "what's in a name"?

2011-02-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

The name of my blog is "et cetera" because this is the place where all of my random thoughts, feelings, and ideas end up. It only seemed appropriate.

Book of the week:
Hawaii Pidgin New Testament? Yes, please.
Matthew 7:3-5 "How come you try spock one small piece junk inside yoa brudda's eye, cuz you know, awready get one big two by four inside yoa own eye. Eh, an how you goin tell yoa brudda, 'Eh, try let me pull da small piece junk outa yoa eye,' wen you get one big two by four inside yoa own eye? You say one ting an anodda! First you gotta take da big two by four outa yoa own eye. Den you can see good fo take da small piece junk outa yoa brudda's eye."

day one: a picture+fifteen items of interest

2011-02-01T09:32:00.002-07:00

one :: i love african-american literature
two :: i'm pretty sure my hair is turning gray
three :: i'm terrified of octopuses
four :: i am a cat person
five :: butter pecan ice cream is my favorite
six :: i love swimming laps
seven :: i hate chalkboards
eight :: i love having my nails painted, but hate it when it chips
nine :: i have very distinct (and neat) handwriting
ten :: i own over one-hundred books
eleven :: summer is my favorite
twelve :: my freckles are my favorite feature
thirteen :: i prefer pens over pencils
fourteen :: my favorite colors are red, aqua, yellow, and purple
fifteen :: i grew up thirty minutes away from my husband, but we met at school two-thousand+ miles away from home

must.keep.looking.

2011-02-01T07:43:00.002-07:00

Newest obsession:

pinterest {dot} com
essentially a virtual bulletin board of awesome

My poor hard drive is suffering so because of all the pictures I've saved.

Visit it once, and you'll be hooked.

Consider yourself warned.

but you'll thank me later for the awesomeness you find there.

30 days of blogging challenge.

2011-01-31T21:23:00.002-07:00

This begins tomorrow.

day 1: recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
day 2: the meaning behind your blog name
day 3: a picture of yourself as a child
day 4: a habit that you wish you didn't have
day 5: a picture of somewhere you've been
day 6: favorite superhero and why
day 7: a picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you
day 8: short-term goals for this month
day 9: something you were proud of from the past few days
day 10: songs you listen to when you're happy/sad/bored/mad
day 11: write a bucket list of things you want to do before you die
day 12: write a poem
day 13: your 5 favorite books and why
day 14: a picture of you and your family
day 15: put your iPod on shuffle and list the first 10 songs that play
day 16: a picture of yourself
day 17: someone you'd want to switch lives with for a day and why
day 18: plans/dreams/goals you have
day 19: write about a sweet memory from your past
day 20: write a letter to someone
day 21: a picture of something that makes you happy
day 22: what makes you different from everyone else
day 23: something you crave a lot
day 24: post your favorite quotation and why
day 25: what would I find in your bag
day 26: list 10 things you are thankful for
day 27: my day job vs. my passion
day 28: cruise a dictionary and pick out 10 words you like the sound of
day 29: favorite TV shows and why you like them
day 30: movies you can watch again and again

Join in if you'd like.

throwback

2011-01-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

You know if you grew up in the 90s, you secretly love these.

pizza+photos

2011-01-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

New life goal courtesy of E. and A.: Be awesome.

I had lunch with one of my best friends on Wednesday.
She told me stories of Indonesia, and I told her stories of back home.
We talked for two hours, and left feeling like we could conquer the world.
And we can. Watch us do it.

P.S. Did you know that in Indonesia you can {illegally} buy a baby tiger for thirty American dollars?

guilty pleasure confession:

2011-01-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

I.love.this.movie.

'C' is for cookie

2011-01-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

Somebody get me some of these.

inspired by a missing potato

2011-01-25T14:23:00.003-07:00

My friend Candice over at The Carolina Housewife wrote a post today about a missing potato. It reminded me of this:

Once upon a time, when I was probably about ten or eleven years old, my family sat at the kitchen table. I was writing/drawing something with a lovely sparkly gold pencil. You know the kind - gold glitter. You only use it when you're a kid because the glitter gets everywhere and it's pretty uncomfortable to hold. But I was a kid, so of course I loved every minute of that gold pencil. Long story short, I dropped that gold pencil as I was doodling, heard it hit the floor, but we couldn't find it. We looked everywhere, but it had vanished. We never saw the pencil again. Ever since that day, when someone in my family can't find something, we say it must be with that pencil.

So, Candice, perhaps your missing potato is wherever that gold pencil of mine vanished to.

today i am thankful for

2011-01-25T11:18:00.005-07:00

:: husband staying in bed and cuddling with me for an extra ten minutes this morning
:: warm ~~weather~~ clothes
:: good books to read
:: the pasta i will have for dinner tonight
:: getting all of my homework done so far this week
:: afternoon dates
:: the bleu-bacon cheeseburger i had a few days ago

What are you thankful for?

Randomness times five

2011-01-22T21:09:00.008-07:00

My brain is still reeling from all of this critical theory. edit: critical nonsense that I have to read. Up next, Saussure, who I'm sure will provide pages more of cryptic, jumbled mess. So to help save my brain after all of this insanity, here are the five random thoughts that have been going through my mind lately.

1. The lame-o cable we have at our apartment is really starting to get on my nerves. I guess I can't complain too much because it's free, but can someone please explain why we get five Spanish channels and three shopping channels, but no Food Network and no TBS or TLC?

2. I miss having cats around. I want a kitten. When we move to Salt Lake, the only thing I really care about is that we move into a place that allows cats. Seriously, who doesn't love cuddling with kittens?

3. I will never understand the fascination people have with video games and similarly related computer games. Maybe it's because I never had them as a child.

4. The Cosby Show is perhaps the funniest family sitcom in existence.

5. I love the color combination of red and turquoise. End of.

theory.

2011-01-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

Modern critical theory officially makes no sense. I'm convinced that the critics are just making things up and then backing themselves up with themselves. {Editor's Note: That sentence didn't make any sense. See how easy it is to be a modern critical theorist?} It also doesn't help that my professor has a hook for a left arm, and I sit in class imagining up incredibly fantastical stories as to how it happened.

In other news, I'm thinking about writing an essay about how fiction is not real life and the damaging effects it has on people when they accept fiction (and fictional characters) as real, and substitute that for their own reality.

Spoiler: It never really works out.

Honesty

2011-01-15T10:18:00.007-07:00

Definitely stole this idea from my friend, Mrs. Davis. Read her wonderful blog here.
Here are some honest thoughts for your weekend.

We're about halfway through watching Band of Brothers, and I don't know how many times I've seen it, but it's still just as life-changing as the first time.

Up until recently, I'd never be able to tell you what my favorite books/authors were, but I think I've decided. Modern and Postmodern African-American and Haitian-American fiction. (Specifically Toni Morrison and Edwidge Danticat). It's all so incredible.

Winter here makes me completely unmotivated. I don't want to go anywhere or do anything. It's the cold that does it, I know. Why can't Spring be here yet?

Sometimes I wonder what (or what doesn't) go through people's minds before they open their mouths to say things. Some people have absolutely no tact or care for what they say or who hears it. It astounds me. (And infuriates me). What a lousy way to be.

I think this zodiac nonsense is just that.

I really hate the idea that I'm going to have to get a Utah driver's license and license plates when we move to Salt Lake this spring. I mean really hate it. I'm in denial, and will hold out as long as possible.

Most people I've encountered/observed are inconsiderate idiots. It really makes me appreciate the people in my life who aren't.

I keep finding more gray hairs on my head. It's causing me a lot of concern.

All I really want to do right now is go live in South Carolina. Anywhere in the state is fine with me.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

2011-01-13T13:41:00.003-07:00

I've nothing to report because I've been terribly busy trying to get into the swing of a new semester whilst putting together our apartment, cleaning, and a whole slew of other things. Hopefully soon there will be something exciting to write about. Oh! There is one exciting thing. My cute husband got me a Kindle for Christmas. I've been reading things on it like a maniac ever since. I love it. It's wonderfully fun. So until I have better things to write about, here's a song that's been stuck in my head for the past few days. There's just something about it.
{Also, people who pace while they talk on the phone make me very uncomfortable}

Major Richard D. Winters

2011-01-10T12:35:00.003-07:00

21 January 1918 - 2 January 2011

They just announced his death today.
I couldn't be much sadder.
We salute you, Dick Winters. You were an inspiration to all.

Read more about Dick on my blog here, here, here, and here.

A story of haves and have nots

2011-01-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

Monday: no luggage. no electricity. no heat. {luggage came that night} no food.

Tuesday: electricity+heat come on. no furniture. still no food.

Wednesday: morning grocery shopping. still looks like we have nothing, but at least there's food now. bought a table and chairs for the kitchen. bought a mattress set. now we have a place to sleep. had dinner with some good friends. we had ribs. it was delicious.

Thursday: we opened a lot more of our presents that were mailed to us here. now we have almost everything we need.

Selamat!

2011-01-06T13:01:00.003-07:00

This means all things happy in Indonesian.
I learned this today from my dear, dear friend Elizabeth.
She's been there for the past year and a half.
But I saw her today because we happened to be in the same building on campus.
We talked for an hour.
It was so wonderful.
Huzzah!

:: 2011 ::

2011-01-01T18:35:00.005-07:00

We brought in the new year in full South Carolina style - 72 degrees and balmy.

We had a roman candle war with friends at midnight. This involves running around a wooded park shooting roman candles at each other. Then we set off our other fireworks. They were quite lovely until they fell over and started firing right at us. We hid behind the car.

I drove through Lugoff and Camden with the windows down, and the country music up.

We ate steak with blue cheese sauce {courtesy of my lovely husband} and baked potatoes.

We had Cheerwine sherbert for dessert. Oh, how I love Cheerwine!

We became sophisticated adults; we bought our first piece of original art for our house. The painting is beautiful.

We will graduate in April.

Mostly, I'm excited for my first full {married} year with my Spencer. It will be amazing.

Happy 2011!

here's to happiness: wedding edition

2010-12-21T17:14:00.007-07:00

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Robinson

All photos by the incredible Christy Peake.

A Love Sermon on the Day of My Wedding:

2010-12-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

"Let me tell you about love, that silly word you believe is about whether you like somebody of whether somebody likes you or whether you can put up with somebody in order to get something or someplace you want or you believe it has to do with how your body responds to another body like robins or bison or maybe you believe love is how forces or nature or luck is benign to you in particular not maiming or killing you but if so doing it for you own good.
"Love is none of that. There is nothing in nature like it. Not in robins or bison or in the banging tails of your hunting dogs and not in blossoms or suckling foal. Love is divine only and difficult always. If you think it is easy you are a fool. If you think it is natural you are blind. It is a learned application without reason or motive except that it is God.
"You do not deserve love regardless of the suffering you have endured. You do not deserve love because somebody did you wrong. You do not deserve love just because you want it. You can only earn - by practice and careful contemplation - the right to express it and you have to learn how to accept it. Which is to say you have to earn God. You have to practice God. You have to think God - carefully. And if you are a good and diligent student you may secure the right to show love. Love is not a gift. It is a diploma. A diploma conferring certain privileges: the privilege of expressing love and the privilege of receiving it.
"How do you know you have graduated? You don't. What you do know is that you are human and therefore educable, and therefore capable of learning how to learn, and therefore interesting to God, who is interested only in Himself which is to say He is interested only in love. Do you understand me? God is not interested in you. He is interested in love and the bliss it brings to those who understand and share that interest.
"Couples that enter the sacrament of marriage and are not prepared to go the distance or are not willing to get right with the real love of God cannot thrive. They may cleave together like robins or gulls or anything else that mates for life. But if they eschew this mighty course, at the moment when all are judged for the disposition of their eternal lives, their cleaving won't mean a thing. God bless the pure and holy. Amen."

- "Divine" from Paradise by Toni Morrison

It's tomorrow!

2010-12-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow at 2:50 pm I am getting married.
Oh, happy day.

I have one last post scheduled for tomorrow, which is absolutely worth reading. It's an astoundingly beautiful passage from a book by my favorite author. After that, I will be unreachable (by any means of communication) for the next two weeks. Blog posts to come about our trip after it's over.

cannot sleep.

2010-12-15T00:41:00.003-07:00

I really should be asleep right now. I even came home early to try to go to bed early. I have to open at work in the {really early} morning. I just have so many things running through my mind right now. I keep thinking about everything that we need to get done tomorrow...get key to apartment, move our stuff, clean old place, go buy Spencer's things before the place closes at six, get in car, drive to airport...I even made a list because supposedly that helps get your mind off of things. Yet here I am, wide awake. Somewhere in there I need to eat some food. Hoping for a nap is senseless at this point. I'm going to be busy doing things all day long. Also, here's something interesting about myself that I believe ties into this whole situation. I was that kid who could never fall asleep on Christmas Eve and would then wake up ridiculously early on Christmas morning because I was so excited for the day. I think part of why I'm awake is that I'm so excited to be going home. Fast forward to Friday night, and I'm going to be so excited I won't know what to do with myself. If tonight's inability to fall asleep is any indication of what Friday night will be like, looks like I'll be in for a sleepless night unless I pass out from fatigue or take some sort of sleep inducing something. I've rambled enough. Goodnight.

Moving Day {almost}

2010-12-14T17:12:00.002-07:00

Finals are over (for me, at least). Oh, happy day. Today I packed up everything I own because tomorrow morning I get to move it into our new apartment. That's right, our new apartment. I am so excited that our stuff will all be in the same place. Tonight I'm going to help Spencer pack since he still has another final to study for. I actually enjoyed packing up everything today. I've never been so excited to move. And then tomorrow night, we're homeward bound. I am so excited to come back to South Carolina.

Because I'm just so excited...

2010-12-13T11:51:00.001-07:00

My brain has involuntarily had this playing on a constant loop since yesterday.
All I can think about is this Saturday.

A To-do list:

2010-12-12T10:40:00.003-07:00

Monday:
Poetry final
ASL final
put finishing touches on poetry paper

Tuesday:
turn in poetry paper
pack everything

Wednesday:
move stuff into our new place
fly home

I am so beyond excited that only a few things stand in my way of going home for Christmas. Also, the wedding is officially less than a week away! We are getting married on Saturday.

One week to go.

2010-12-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

One week from today I am getting married.

We are incredibly excited.

End of.

This makes me very happy.

2010-12-10T12:54:00.005-07:00

Remember way back in 2002 when Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped?
I've been following her kidnapper's trial recently because it's heavily featured on our local news here. Today they jury reached a verdict: Brian David Mitchell was found guilty on all counts in the case, and they also determined that he is not insane.

Read all about it here.

If only I could write this well...

2010-12-08T17:37:00.003-07:00

If you haven't read Toni Morrison, please, I implore you: stop whatever you are doing and pick up one of her books. She is the most fantastic, brilliant living author in America. I just cannot get enough of her writing. Even her Nobel Lecture is fascinating. Here is my favorite passage:

"You are an adult. The old one, the wise one. Stop thinking about saving your face. Think of our lives and tell us your particularized world. Make up a story. Narrative is radical, creating us at the very moment it is being created. We will not blame you if your reach exceeds your grasp; if love so ignites your words they go down in flames and nothing is left but their scald. Or if, with the reticence of a surgeon's hands, your words suture only the places where blood might flow. We know you can never do it properly--once and for all. Passion is never enough; neither is skill. But try. For our sake and yours forget your name in the street; tell us what the world has been to you in the dark places and in the light. Don't tell us what to believe, what to fear. Show us belief s wide skirt and the stitch that unravels fear's caul. You, old woman, blessed with blindness, can speak the language that tells us what only language can: how to see without pictures. Language alone protects us from the scariness of things with no names. Language alone is meditation."

Mind = Blown

2010-12-07T08:09:00.001-07:00

This is an instrument made out of PVC pipes.
Your mind is now blown.
You're welcome.

And so it begins: the last week of class.

2010-12-06T10:00:00.001-07:00

I have two due tomorrow, and this is how I currently feel:
All I have to do is make it through until next Monday afternoon, and then I'm home-free.

slow dancing on a sunday evening

2010-12-05T23:59:00.002-07:00

Yes, that is how we spent our Sunday night. It was incredibly fun and romantic. It was the perfect ending to an awesome weekend. Everything was great. Saturday-day I spent working on my papers and spending time with Spencer. Saturday night was a girls night with my cousin Sarah. We ate lots of junk food and watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Sunday, we finally got all of the necessary paperwork for our marriage. (oh, happy day.) and then spent the rest of the day relaxing. We watched some Gilmore girls, ate cheeseburgers, cuddled, and then slow danced the evening away.

I hope everyone else had a fantastic weekend!

Go Cocks!

2010-12-04T12:21:00.001-07:00

Who else feels my end-of-the-semester pain?

2010-12-03T14:29:00.005-07:00

Why, oh, why do I have absolutely no motivation to do school work? Perhaps it's because I'm halfway through my senior year of college, and am ready to graduate. Perhaps it's because I'm getting married in two weeks. (yes, yes, that's probably it). Perhaps it's because Christmas is right around the corner. Regardless, anything and everything is infinitely more entertaining than the papers I should be writing right now. Currently, Blogger is much more engrossing than my papers. In the next ten minutes it could be my bookshelf, or the ever-so-tantalizing box of Rachael Ray pots and pans my mom bought for me that I'm dying to open and play with. The topics for my papers are incredibly interesting, and I know a lot about them, but I just have no motivation to sit down and work on them. Alas, I shall. Back to work on "So it goes: Why We as a Society are Unable to Move on from Tragedy" and "Mama Day, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Beloved: Purging the World of its Toxicity and Regaining Your Voice".
Good titles, no?

Bring on Christmas!

Wonderful Wednesday

2010-12-01T13:34:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I came home from school and then went over to Spencer's place. To my surprise, he had gone shopping and bought me two sweater vests. One is dark blue with pink, gray, and white argyle, and the other is gray with the same argyle pattern. They are really cute, and fit perfectly. He's so good at picking out clothes for me, and it was such a great surprise to have some unexpected new additions to my wardrobe.

In other news: in two and a half weeks from today, we'll be married.
It can't come fast enough.

A perfect Thanksgiving.

2010-11-27T19:38:00.003-07:00

Aside from the stress of actually getting to my Thanksgiving break, here are the things I'm most thankful for:

:: Spencer
:: my family
:: getting our marriage license
:: extended family
:: fantastic food
:: bridal showers, and all of the extremely generous people who got us things
:: warm, warm weather
:: and last, but not least...

I am so proud.

As promised, a story.

2010-11-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

We flew overnight on Tuesday night to get from Utah to South Carolina. We needed to get to Columbia no later than Wednesday morning in order to get our marriage license. In order to get it, we both had to be present, and there was no time to do it in December. It had to be today. The journey begins like this:
We drive in a blizzard (no joke) from Provo to Salt Lake City. Visibility was zero. Not kidding. It was so stressful. You couldn't see one foot in front of the car.
We were originally supposed to fly from Salt Lake - Las Vegas - Atlanta - Columbia.
The first flight was delayed, so we were rerouted from SLC - Denver - Atlanta - Columbia.
Denver flight = canceled.
Standby for a full flight from SLC to Atlanta (that leaves at 12:50 am). If we don't make it onto this flight, we won't be home in time to get our license. (insert panicking and stressing out here). We both got onto the flight at the last minute, were able to make our original flight from Atlanta to Columbia, and got our marriage license without any problems. It was definitely the most stressful flying trip I've been on, but these the way things worked out are definitely things to be thankful for.

Everyone remember to give thanks today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We're here.

2010-11-24T18:13:00.001-07:00

We made it back to South Carolina.

Harrowing travel story to come.
It includes a blizzard, canceled flights, and standby stress.

my eye is twitching

2010-11-18T08:00:00.001-07:00

1 paper about The Secret Agent and the tradition of tragedy, due 29 November
1 paper about the literary and social implications of Vonnegut's phrase "so it goes" with regards to postmodern literature, due 9 December
1 paper about the importance of the Afro-Mysticism ideal of purging toxicity in Morrison, Hurston, and Naylor, due 9 December
1 paper about the importance of culture and racial identity in African-American poetry, due 15 December
1 group project for ASL
3 final exams
3 oral presentations
pack my stuff
move my stuff

This is all that stands in the way of me and my Christmas break.
Wish me luck that I don't reach any breaking points before then.
Thankfully, I love the topics for all of my papers, so they should at least be enjoyable to write.

I love this bird

2010-11-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

The Road

2010-11-16T17:16:00.002-07:00

Have you ever read this?
I'm not generally a fan of Cormac McCarthy, but this novel is fantastic.
The movie is positively excellent as well.
I recommend it (even if you don't like McCarthy).

NPR

2010-11-16T07:00:00.001-07:00

My favorite professor was on NPR yesterday. It was fantastic. You can listen to it here. It's an incredibly interesting program.

i am so busy

2010-11-14T23:20:00.002-07:00

So sorry for the lack of posting that will occur between now and Thanksgiving holiday. This is crunch time for the end of the semester. After Thanksgiving, all of my school work will essentially be over. Then it will be back to (semi) normal. Until then, here's a great find. Simon's Cat. They are these delightful animated shorts about a man and his always hungry cat. The website is absolutely worth checking out, and all of the videos are delightful. Here's one that I particularly like:

brrrrrrrr......

2010-11-10T13:40:00.004-07:00

It's really cold here today. I mean, really cold. The high here today is thirty-seven degrees with a wind chill of thirty-three degrees, but I swear it feels like it's in the twenty's outside. It's been trying to snow all day - little spurts and flurries, but nothing serious. The ground is still devoid of all crystallized water. I can't get warm, so I'm piling on the layers and huddling under blankets. I'm blaming my inability to maintain a pleasant body temperature on dragging myself out of my incredibly warm bed and going outside way too early this morning. So as I sit here trying my hardest to not turn into a frozen version of myself, please send some warm weather vibes out my way. I'm planning on getting a Caramel Apple Spice from Starbucks on my way home from work this afternoon. It's the most delicious apple cider drink on the planet, I'm convinced.

In other news: I'm going home for Thanksgiving in exactly one week and five and a half days.
(which also means that I need to start drafting all of my research papers)

not too long

2010-11-09T17:10:00.004-07:00

In the grand scheme of things, I do realize that I'm having a pretty short engagement. We started planning everything in June, but he officially proposed in September. Actually, we had almost our entire wedding planned before he actually proposed. But honestly, I'd rather have the shorter engagement. Because once you've decided that you're getting married, wouldn't you want to make that happen as quickly as possible? I sure do. I have several friends from high school who are also engaged and none of them are getting married until next year. (And they've all been engaged longer than I have). Yikes. That sounds like pure torture to me. I don't know how they're doing that. I got on a few of their wedding websites today to look at their cute stuff, and couldn't help but notice the countdowns at the top of their pages. 249 days...298 days...crazy long amounts of time. That many days seems like forever away. I got this slightly panicky feeling inside until I figured out that I only have 39 days left.
That's right, folks, thirty-nine little, ole days.

I just can't hold out any longer.

2010-11-08T14:10:00.004-07:00

I keep seeing little bits of Christmas everywhere I go. There are Christmas displays in stores and Christmas lights are going up. Christmas is my favorite time of the year; it's just so magical. I usually don't start listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, but for some reason* I can't wait that long. Today I bought this:
And it's fantastic. I've been listening to it all day.

*It feels like Christmas outside - cold. I'm getting married, and somehow I think that listening to Christmas music will help time go by a little more quickly.

today will be a good day

2010-11-06T12:38:00.002-06:00

:: it's saturday
:: i have plans to go swimming with my best buddy, melanie, every friday afternoon
:: wedding invitations are mailed so now it's hurry up and wait time
:: no more swim lessons until next saturday
:: it's warm out
:: i found an old target gift card i forgot about, and went and bought a few movies
:: it's "fall back" tonight, so we get an extra hour of sleep
:: i get to spend the rest of the day with my most favorite person in the whole world

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

some changes to the old blog

2010-11-05T15:19:00.003-06:00

Currently I've been making some changes to my blog. Most of these changes are due to the fact that I'm getting married in a month and a half. I'll still provide you with all of my musings about the random events of life, but come December, it won't just be me anymore. I'll have a husband, and it'll be all about us. Don't worry, though. This blog isn't going to turn into one of those nothing-but pictures-of-me-and-my-husband blogs, but there will be fun depictions of our adventures as a young, married couple. Basically, I'm just changing some things to include more of us and less of just me.

FAQ

2010-11-05T13:40:00.000-06:00

December is nearing more and more quickly. [Editor's note: Apologies in advance for all the impending December/wedding talk that's to come. The closer we get, the more there will be. I'm just so excited!] Just in case any of you were wondering, here are a few questions (and the answers) to some common questions surrounding us and our wedding. I got this idea from my ever-so-lovely friend, Autumn. Check out her blog here. She's getting married too (and on the same day as me, no less!) Her blog is so much fun, and a delight to read.

How did you meet each other?
We met through a mutual friend when we both ended up at a dinner outing with a bunch of people from home. It turned into a date when everyone else saw we were hitting it off, and left us alone at the restaurant. Read about it here. (If you want the whole extended story (because it's a good one) you can email me or call me, and I'll give you all the details.)

Where are you from?
I'm from Lugoff, South Carolina, and Spencer is from Columbia, South Carolina.

When/where are you getting married?
We are getting married on 18 December in Columbia, South Carolina in the LDS temple there. The reception will be later that day at the country club in my town.

How did you get engaged?
He left the ring box on my bathroom counter and waited for me to find it. Inside was the ring and a hand-written note asking me to marry him. You can read the story here.

What are your wedding colors?
Dark eggplant purple and champagne

Where will you live after you get married?
We'll be in Provo for our last semester of school. I get my undergrad in April, and he'll get his masters. Then we'll be moving to Salt Lake City.

Where are you going on your Honeymoon?
We're going to stay in a cabin up in Boone, North Carolina.

Mostly, I just love the fact that in six weeks I'll be Mrs. Robinson, and married to the most amazing man in the whole world. The more I think about it, the more excited I get.

2010-11-04T15:53:00.003-06:00

I've always known that The Daily Universe* was a joke. Especially when they do things like this:
Yes, that actually happened.

But when in class yesterday, my professor referred to it as "The Daily Unifarce", I couldn't help but laugh and take comfort in the fact that I'm not the only one who feels this way.

*BYU's newspaper publication

a little change

2010-11-03T13:34:00.003-06:00

Attention readers:
I changed the name of my blog {though many of you probably already noticed}. Never fear, though, it's still me, and I'll still be {hopefully} entertaining you with my musings. I'm also thinking about changing up the header-picture-thing at the top of my blog. I'm open to suggestions.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

counting down

2010-11-02T15:22:00.005-06:00

Seeing that it's November and my wedding is getting closer and closer, I figured I should probably tell you how we're managing the countdown to the big day. We haven't been counting down days (though I'll probably start once we get down to about twenty or so). Rather, we've been measuring time with expiration dates on food. Any time we go grocery shopping, we search the store to find the food that has expiration dates around 18 December. We've even found things that expire on the very day we're getting married. We're slowly progressing toward more perishable foods. Currently we are on refrigerated Jello cups, fancy (Milano) cookies, store-brand pastrami, and a random jar of honey mustard that we found. It's so much fun counting down this way because we aren't getting caught up in the number of days. (I'm a firm believer that counting days makes time go by slower, and who wants that?) We're excited for when we're finally on meat and milk and bread, and other really perishable foods. Also, any time we find an expiration date for 18 December, we buy that item. We're saving the labels and are going to make a collage out of them with a wedding picture, as well as clippings from newspapers that have our wedding date on them.