What I'm Loving Wednesday #17

“I must learn to love the fool in me the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries.” ~Theodore Isaac Rubin

Is it really only Wednesday? I don't know about y'all, but I've had a weeks worth of crap already! To attempt to have an optimistic attitude, let's focus on some things I'm loving this week, shall we? (Check out the other bloggers and their loves here.)

This week, I'm loving......

1. This challenge from The Crazy Canadian. Since Leap Day comes only every four years, she challenges people to write a letter to themselves or to make a list of 10 things you hope to accomplish by 2016. Then, you save the letter and open it in 4 years. I'm totally in!

2. That my friend Pharmer Girl just started a blog. Go follow her. She's funny and adorable and will probably have more followers than me in like a month.

3. My BFF. And the fact that we can have a conversation in which he compliments me, and that basically ends with him suggesting that I go to a foreign country to get a boob job. And that I didn't even blink--par for the course with us. I think that's how you know that you really can talk to someone about anything!
4. A fantastic blog by Ashley at Run With Me asking some great questions.

5. This amazing song. It's called My Best Friend's a Girl. It's my new current favorite. And BFF's Baby Brother has been instructed to learn it for my future wedding. I need to hurry up and get married so that the list of songs that he has to learn doesn't continue to grow making it a 4 hour wedding!

6. That we have now officially booked our tropical summer vacation to.....drumroll please...Costa Rica! That's right....for a glorious week in May the Blonde Oklahoma Girl, The Bride, Cousin Swiss Mister and I will be headed south for some fun in the sun. I'll have more details on this tomorrow and will be asking for advice from you all about what to do if you've been. (Pease note this is in no way related to item number 1 on the list. Just so we're clear.) 7. This quote below by Ryan Gossling. He hit that nail right on the head if you ask me! Of course, when the guy who is saying this looks like Ryan Gossling, does it sort of kill the effectiveness? 8. This Means War. Went and saw this movie over the weekend with College Roomie and one of her cousins. I thought it was super cute. I'd die to have two boys that looked like that fighting over me. Shoot, forget two, I'd take one. And forget fighting over me, I'd settle for knowing one in real life and stalking him! My favorite line from the movie came from the one and only Chelsea Handler: "Don't pick the better guy. Pick the guy who makes you the better girl."

9. This blog by a man who was recently diagnosed with cancer asking what are your regrets, and what are you waiting for? I don't know him, but he's friends with Cousin Swiss Mister. He says, "Wow, I am 46 years old, in good health, run 4 miles a day, read my Bible and I have cancer? One of my initial thoughts was… what are my regrets? The first thing that came to mind was that I have lived life to this point with a governor on my engine. At times I feel as if I haven’t gone 100%. Instead of diving into the moment I have throttled back and cautiously considered why I shouldn’t…"

Playlist Motivation

"Your biggest challenge isn't someone else. It's the ache in your lungs and the burning in your legs and the voice inside you that yells "can't." But you don't listen. You just push harder and then you hear the voice that whispers "can." And you discover that the person who you thought you were is no match for the one you really are."

Okay, y'all. It's time for me to get serious about this running thing. I've got an 8k (5 miles) coming up in March and a 10K (6.2 miles) coming up in April. How much have I run in the last month? Probably 5 miles. Total. Yikes! Remember when I found my inner runner and finished a half marathon? Yea....I'm not sure how that happened, but I'm trying to make it come true a second time! Not that I've been being some lazy blob on the couch--I've discovered this beautiful thing called spin class, which I love and has really been great for my weight loss goal. But....it's not going to do me any good when I'm dying along Lake Michigan and making ND Friend carry me for the last half of the St. Patrick's Day Run!

So...in an effort to gain some motivation, I've made a new running playlist. You're going to laugh at my list---who ever thought they'd see Nelly, Bon Jovi, Reckless Kelly and Miranda Lambert on the same playlist? That's sort of my musical taste though--anything and everything.

What songs are must haves on your running mix?

New Running Playlist

Stronger - Kelly Clarkson
Mama's Broken Heart - Miranda Lambert
Angel Eyes - Love and Theft
I Won't Back Down - Blake Shelton and Dia Frampton
Ridin Solo - Jason Derulo
Every Girl - Turnpike Troubadors
Super Bass - Nikki Minaj
Mama, I'm Alright - Miranda Lambert
This Ain't Rock and Roll - Steve Monker
Good Luck and True Love - Reckless Kelly
19 and Crazy - Bombshel
Wild and Young - American Bang
Even if it Breaks Your Heart - Eli Young Band
Girls Run The World - Beyonce
Chicken and Biscuits - Colt Ford
Hurt So Good - John Mellencamp
Born Free - Kid Rock
Rainbow - Colbie Caillat
My Cowboy - Jessie James
Texas To You - Johnny Cooper
We Danced Anyway - Deana Carter
Batter Up - Nelly
Like The Way Love Looks - Easton Corbin
Born to Follow - Bon Jovi
Unwritten - Natasha Beddingfield
A Guy Like Me - Reckless Kelly
Right There - Nicole Scherzinger
No Reins - Rascal Flatts
Gotta Get Through This - Daniel Bedingfield
Firework - Katy Perry

Saying Yes To The Dress: 5 Thoughts from an Outsider

"Shopping is a woman thing. It's a contact sport like football. Women enjoy the scrimmage, the noisy crowds, the danger of being trampled to death, and the ecstasy of the purchase." ~Erma Bombeck

Well since my blog about an outsider's thoughts on childbirth was such a hit, I figured I might turn this "Thoughts from an Outsider" thing into a series on my little ol' blog here. Today's topic: wedding dress shopping.
Don't adjust your browser or go looking back through archived posts. I'm not the shopper---I'm the outsider. Last week I went with my future sister-in-law to try on some dresses.
1. All the crap you see on tv really happens. I wasn't expecting too much drama. I mean, this is David's Bridal in New Mexico, not Kleinfelds for crying out loud. Apparently that doesn't matter.

As I walked up to the store, I heard some chick yelling at her apparent fiance on the phone. (This corresponds nicely with the thought I have every single time I watch Say Yes to the Dress on tv, "HOW is someone marrying her and I'm sitting here alone eating popcorn for dinner in my sweatpants?").

Next, I walk inside and see one girl surrounded with who I can only assume is everyone related to her in any way, shape or form including her long lost 15th cousin. Do you really need THAT many opinions?

Finally, I found a crier. There had to be one, right? It was this chick--just before I snapped the picture she was fanning her face saying, "I swore I wouldn't cry." Unreal. 2. Are they serious with these bridesmaid dresses? Look, okay, I've seen 27 dresses. Shoot, I think I may be living it myself. But never in my life had I seen so many HIDEOUS dresses in one store. Who would actually buy these and what exactly is their wedding theme? And now, some samples for your viewing pleasure.
3. Prices. Okay, now I know that I'm cheap. I know, I know, I know. But when the future sister-in-law picked up a little flower clip for her hair and it cost $97, I almost had a heart attack right there. How can they get away with putting hte word "wedding" in front of it and multiplying the cost of something 10 times? And this headpiece didn't even contain the "fishnet" that Little Cowboy insists his mom wear because it's cool.

4. Sizes. Look, people. Most girls are not a size 4 or a size 18. Why would you only have dreses in those sizes? Apparently so people can awkwardly try and decide if their boobs actually will fall out of the dress, and walk around with big ol' honkin vice grips on their backs while trying to look lady like and make the three other women with them fan their faces to hide the tears that will no doubt come.

5. I really hope blogs like this don't jinx me. I really do want to get married one day. And I'll even bring everyone I know to the store and wear the vice grips. Regardless of the nonsense and expense of it all, there really is something sort of magical about the perfect white dress. Of course, I can't show you the dress that was decided upon, but here are a few fun snapshots.

Letters to Mr. Right: Letter #10

"Standing together in an angry world, one boy fighting for one girl..." ~Loved Like That, Shenandoah

Dear Mr. Right,

I've got a photographic memory. I think I have all those years of judging to thank for that. Just in case you're a visual person too, I wanted to show you this.


A boy and a girl. Square toed boots and high heeled shoes. Standing together.

That, my dear, is what we're looking for. One day, our very own picture like this will be worth the wait.

Waiting for that day,

Me

*Photo courtesy of my friend Stef in Oklahoma....I may have to move....

**I am linking up with Friday's Letters for the first time today! If' you're new to my blog and want to read the other 10 letters to Mr. Right (which are better than this one if you ask me) just click here!

Invisible Ashes

"If I am ruthlessly honest, I may have said yes to God, yes to Christianity, but really, I have lived no." ~1,000 Gifts

Today stumbled across a great article about a photographer, Greg Miller, who loves taking pictures on Ash Wednesday. And although I love his photos and most of what he said, one thing that he said really struck me. He said that one of the reasons that he appreciates Ash Wednesday is because people "exercise the simple act of wearing their faith for this one day a year."

Don't get me wrong--I, too, think it's cool to see people with ashes on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday. I actually love seeing people at the gym, in the grocery store, or in the elevator on their way to the office with ashes in the sign of the cross on their foreheads. I find it inspiring and comforting and awesome.

But the quote above really struck me and made me realize that we may be doing something really, really wrong as Christians if it's true that to outsiders (and to each other) people do not identify us as such the other 364 days of the year. We should not have to wear our faith in a physical way in order for people to recognize us as followers of Jesus.

Jesus calls us to "wear our faith" every day. Maybe not in the form of ashes on our forehead, but in how we live our lives. It should not take a Wednesday in February for people to know if we are Christians. We should be living, and treating others, in a manner that shows this every day of the year. We are called to be a light--a city on a hill--the salt of the earth--Christ's hands and feet. This has nothing to do with wearing outward signs of faith, but everything to do with living our lives in light of what we believe.

The title of the article that started this all is "Excuse Me, You Have Something On Your Forehead." I heard that more than once today. I wish that I could say that once during the rest of the year someone stopped me and said, "Excuse me, you are acting a lot like Jesus."

So last night, when I washed the ashes off of my own forehead, I couldn't help but resolve to do something tomorrow, and then every day after that which would show my belief and my faith in Christ to others....to live my life as though I were wearing invisible ashes.

*Photo via

What I'm Loving Wednesday #16

"Your journey is unfolding exactly as it should be." ~Pinterest

Well Wednesday means we're halfway through another week. Hallelujah! I'm linking up with Jamie again this week to share some things that I'm loving.

1. Loud Oklahoma Girl has officially asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. Holla! Best part--we get to pick our own dresses so long as they are teal/turquoise and short. So....who has suggestions!?!? Seriously, y'all...we know I'm fashion challenged!

2. This song, called Ring, by the Casey Donahew Band. BFF's baby brother introduced it to me when we hung out back in OK a few weeks ago and I'm in love with it. And BFF's baby brother has been informed to brush up on this song because if I ever have a wedding one day, he will be playing it! Favorite line: "You're still with me. All those memories, from our first kiss to me down here on my knee."

3. Mr. and Mrs. Chocolate Brown's Chocolate Cake. When I was in Oklahoma for work a month ago, I got to spend some quality time with my dear, adorable friends Mr. and Mrs. Chocolate Brown. And they made me a chocolate cake that was To. Die. For. Y'all have to try this.
A couple weeks ago I blogged about fashion. Today, I'm sharing a recipe. Who are you and what have you done with Tiffany? Listen--if something is easy to make and healthy (relatively) I'm all for it. This is the best chocolate cake, I mean I'm seriously in love. And the best part is that it has no butter or oil. Check it out.

Mr. and Mrs. Chocolate Brown Chocolate Cake

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
MIX DRY INGREDIENTS

In blender mix:
¾ cup water
½ cup frozen blueberries
1 egg
STIR DRY INGREDIENTS INTO WET INGREDIENTS

Bake at 350 degrees in an 8x8 pan for about 30 minutes.

Frosting: Mix 1 cup frozen whipped topping and ½ cup chocolate chips. Microwave on 50 percent power for about 1 minute. Cool about 5 minutes pour over cake.

4. Lent started today, which means I'll be kicking off my morning at Ash Wednesday Mass. It also means that I will be having no chocolate until Easter. (Ironic that #3 involved making a chocolate cake...). Of course, it also is an important time of reflection and repentance, which I wrote about last year.

This year, I plan on doing a reflection called The 7 Last Words of Christ, which I'm really excited about. I also plan on watching the Catholocism DVD set that my dear ND Friend gave me.....please note she basically stars in it. Okay, well Jesus really stars in it and ND Friend is not actually on the screen, but she did all the behind the scenes work, so that makes her a star in my book. And I'll be making sure that EVERY morning I do my devotional before I leave for work. Every. Single. Morning. No excuses.

5. Making travel plans. Y'all....I've got travel fever BAD. Here's what I've got lined up so far. March: Chicago; April: Stillwater; May: Vegas; June: Dallas; July: Tulsa. And the big news is an amazing tropical vacation that I'm in the midst of planning with two of my favorite people! Stay tuned for details on that one...

6. This song called Waiting for Tomorrow by Mandesa. Favorite line: "Can't live my whole life wastin' all the grace that I know you've given cause you've made me for so much more than sittin' on the side lines."

7. This great blog written by Blonde Oklahoma Girl about guys being gentlemen. Love love love it.

8. My friend Flintstone. He reads my blog (allegedly every day, but I'm not sure I buy that) and he requested a "heartfelt note" this week. So...here we go.

Dear Flintstone, I think that it's safe to say we've got one of those friendships that's a forever thing. Ten years ago, I don't think anyone would have guessed that the goody-goody, straight A student and the crazy party animal would hit it off like we did. And here we are....we've been through good and bad and really bad. Football rivalries, weddings, law school acceptance letters, broken hearts. There have been tears and yelling and times I have wanted to strangle you....but through it all you've always been there for me. Thanks for being you. And for being my friend. I love you, buddy!

That's as freaking heartfelt as it gets around here, folks.

Typical Tuesday

"Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out." ~Anton Chekhov

I've seen several bloggers doing these "day in the life" type posts, so I thought it might be fun to join in. Now, mind you, my every day life is not very exciting....I always tell people that I do what I do during the week to be able to afford to do what I want to do on the weekends! You know--Fiesta Bowl, wine tasting in Napa, trips to Europe, football games at Notre Dame....you get the idea. Anyway, here's a little sample of my typical Tuesday. (Dear any crazies out there, please don't become a stalker after reading this!)

5:30 am: Alarm clock goes off.

5:30 (and two seconds) am: I smack the snooze button and hate my life.

5:35 am: I get up, brush my teeth, throw on some work out clothes and head to spin class.

6:00 am - 6:50 am: Spin class. (Don't be too impressed, I only do this on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the week...other days I sleep until 7 or so.)

6:50 am - 7:40 am: Go home, shower, get ready, try to look presentable enough to go to work.

8:00 am - 8:30 am: Arrive at the office. Check emails. Read a couple of blogs. Get myself going.

8:30 am: Eat breakfast. I always bring it with me...the food varies. I really like peanut butter and honey sandwiches, or smoothies, or cereal, or granola bars, or yogurt and granola.

8:30 am - 12:01 pm: Work. You know, boring legal stuff. The day I am writing this post, I've worked on a response to a petition filed in the New Mexico Supreme Court about election districts; an oil and gas class action; a class action against a bank; and a slip and fall. Yes, before noon. I'll say this much--it's something new every day.


12:01 pm - 1:15 pm: Lunch. Today my boss took the attorneys out to a great restaurant where I had an awesome salad with turkey and avocado and chicken/curry/rice soup. Most days I bring my lunch....eating out is expensive and high in calories. Usually leftovers. The occasional Lean Cuisine. Sometimes a sandwich.

1:15 pm - 6:10 pm: More work. On pretty much the same cases you see above. A couple of phone calls about the Law School Alumni Board that I am on and to set up a Make-a-Wish interview.

6:10 pm: Leave work and head for Bible Study. (This is only one night a week--usually I work later and head to the gym after work on days that I don't spin.)

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm: Bible Study. It's a woman's study of a great book called The Promised One: Seeing Jesus in Genesis. I'd highly recommend it--as I've described it, isn't not an easy read, "Rah, rah, God!" kind of study--it's pretty deep and academic, but I'm really enjoying it.

8:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Talk on the phone (I'm totally a talker), read some more blogs, eat dinner.

9:00 pm - 10:00 pm: Watch Parenthood. I'm not a huge tv person, but there are a handful of shows I don't miss and Parenthood is one of them!

10:00 pm - 10:30 pm: Get ready for bed, do some reading (I've got this goal of reading 2 books a month this year).

10:30 pm: Off to bed to get up and start it all over again in the morning.

And there ya have it....a typical Tuesday in my life. It's no solving world hunger or galavanting around Europe, but all in all, I've got it pretty good!

Love In My Life Awareness Day

"Because I realize now that I might be single, but I am not singular. I am joined on my journey by the most incredible cast of characters…my precious family, and the most amazing friends a girl could ask for." ~The Single Woman

Well Valentine's Day was quite the event to follow on facebook. (Sidenote: I honestly think I get the majority of my news from facebook by the way...Whitney Houston died--found out on facebook; it's snowing out side, found out on facebook; Gabby Giffords is resigning from Congress, you got it, facebook again.) Back to Valentine's Day. People were either super excited bragging on the wonderful people who love them and posting pictures of flowers and gifts, or else they were total haters talking about how this is a Halmark, consumer-oriented holiday that means nothing. Okay, haters....

Just so we're clear, I'm 100%, both feet in the single boat. I haven't had a "real Valentine" since a sweet boy snuck a card and stuffed animal into my locker when I was 16. As you see below, that was about 100 years ago. So I get where people are coming from.

But here's the deal. Whether the holiday is driven by Halmark or not, can't we appreciate a day to show love toward other people and to celebrate those in our lives who love us? And if Halmark profits off of it, well welcome to capitalism. Don't you think this world would be a better place if we had more days to show people that we loved them? Be it by flowers or just a smile in an elevator, by candy or opening a door for someone. More love can only be a good thing in this screwed up world if you ask me.

A lot of people commented that they refused to celebrate because every day should be Valentine's Day when people love each other. Yea, maybe it should. But let's be honest--it's not. There are days when everyone is so busy that they just don't have time to be the kind of husband, wife, friend, sister, daughter, whatever they want to be. Valentine's Day is a day that the calendar reminds us to stop and do that. If you ask me, one day is better than no days, even if Halmark plants the idea.

And lots of people referred to February 14th as Single's Awareness Day. I get that. I really do. But the day doesn't have to only be about people in relationships. We can send flowers to our girl friends and get crazy excited phone calls when they arrive. We can take a minute to thank our best friend for being an important part of our lives. We can do something nice for people in our family. We can send gifts to people who we know are having a hard time.

We can take a minute just to thank God for all of the love that we have in our lives...even if that love doesn't *yet* include a cute boy in square toed boots taking us to Valentine's Day dinner. Instead of being aware of my singlness, I chose to be aware of the love in my life. And let me just tell ya, it made the day so much better.

So, haters, you've got about 359 days until Valentine's Day comes around again. Let's use those to enjoy and appreciate all of the love in our lives--regardless of the source. Maybe if we all treated Valentine's Day as "Love in My Life Awareness Day" we would all be better off.

Friday Book Club: The Other Wes Moore

"Life and death, freedom and bondage, hang in the balance of every action we take." ~The Other Wes Moore

One of my goals for 2012 was to read at least 2 books a month. (Check out my book lists on Goodreads.)

I recently found a great link up with Blonde...Undercover Blonde (how cute is that for a blog name, right?), so I figured why not share my books with you all! Here is Book #1 for February.

The Other Wes Moore

I first heard about this book from Christin's blog and knew I had to read it. I'm a total non-fiction fan...it's just about all I read. I could describe the book to you, but I can't do any better than the first paragraph of the book. So here ya go:

This is the story of two boys living in Baltimore with similar histories and an identical name: Wes Moore. One of us is free and has experienced things that he never even knew to dream about as a kid. The other will spend every day until his death behind bars for an armed robbery that left a police officer and father of five dead. The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his. Our stories are obviously specific to our two lives, but I hope they will illuminate the crucial inflection points in every life, the sudden moments of decision where our paths diverge and our fates are sealed. It's unsettling to know how little separates each of us from another life altogether.

I loved this book from the get-go and could not put it down. I read it in 5 days and I am a slow, slow reader. It was fascinating to read about the obstacles both of these boys faced growing up in the inner city and the small choices that they made that turned their lives down totally different paths. It's amazing how the smallest decisions that we make can have huge impacts on the rest of our lives. This book was a great reminder of that for me.

In addition to the quote at the beginning of this blog, here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the book:

"But even the worst decisions we make don't necessarilly remove us from the circle of humanity."

"When it is time for you to leave this school, leave your job, or even leave this earth, make sure you have worked hard to maek sure it mattered you were ever here."

"Pray that when the evening comes and the night falls, I will have done something during the day for others that I can present to the Lord so that I might not feel so ashamed."

"Small interactions and effortless acts of kindness can mean the difference between failure and success, pain and pleasure--or becoming the people we loathe or love to become."

It's Okay Thursday!

“You don't need a lover in your life to have love in your life.” ~Jenny McCarthy

Well after a week of me yapping about mostly serious stuff....you know like waiting for true love and cherished moments (my worst Valentine's Day ever story being the exception to the seriousness)...I decided we'd mix it up and do a little It's Okay Thursday!

It's okay that....

...I didn't have a Valentine on Valentine's day. Like Jenny's quote says above, I may not have a lover in my life, but I've got a lot of love in it!

I have a best friend who always has my back. And this week, that meant he sent a big ol' bouquet of hot pink flowers to my office with a super sweet card. BFF has been my best friend for over 10 years. Obviously, you see why.

And I've got an Uncle Buddy who suprises me on the day after Valentine's Day with another bouquet of flowers for no reason other than that he's awesome. A girl could get used to this, folks! (It's possible that the girls at the office all hate me now....)
...On Saturday I went to the movies to see The Vow. By myself. In my sweats. And smuggled in a purse full of snacks. Which I offered to share with the nice young couple sitting next to me. Yes. My name is Tiffany, and I'm apparently 28 going on 80. (And I wonder why I didn't have a Valentine??)

....I'm a completely single lady who plans on spending the weekend with a couple of different babies, crashing a date night, and shopping for wedding dresses. Look, y'all, when Mr. Right appears, I'll be ready!

...I've spent a good part of the week daydreaming about quitting my job, selling my house, buying a one-way ticket to Europe. But never fear, becuase I'm practical, this has included some figuring of how long my money will last before it runs out and I have to come home.

....I am signing up for a 5 mile race over St. Patrick's Day with my dear ND Friend in Chicago, and I haven't run 5 miles since last fall! Look, there will be Bongo Room pancakes after the race, so if that's not motivation to finish, I don't know what is.
....the surprise Valentine's Day flowers that I sent to my friends caused Blonde Oklahoma Girl to get in a fight with the UPS man and insist these were for the girl next door who HAS a husband (read story here) and that ND Friend blogged about not liking tulips on the same day that a bouquet of...you guessed it...tulips arrived from me.

...I was really rooting for the whole Bob Little/Amber Braverman thing to work out on Parenthood. Yes, I know he's older and politician and her boss, but they're so cute together! Dang Aunt Christina for ruining it!

...I loved this little picture, courtesy of College Roomie.

Moments

"It's surprising how much memory is built around things unnoticed at the time." ~Barbara Kingsolver

As I mentioned before, last week I judged the State FFA junior high speech contest. It brought back memories of me being 14 years old and giving a speech wearing that royal blue corduroy jacket.

Of being nervous and excited and naive all at the same time. Of notecards, and gold medals, and after-contest burgers at Dick's cafe. Of dances and discussions (usually one sided) about skirt lengths and sneaking out early to beat the lunch rush at Nelly's. But mostly, it brought back memories of him...Mr. Franklin...being there with me for all those moments for all those years.

As I watched the students at at the contest, I wanted to tell those kids to listen to every word that their ag teachers were telling them. And to appreciate the hugs and the smacks on the back after their speech was over. And to take in the grouchy old men's eyes welling up when results were posted. Because one day, those grouchy old men won't be there anymore...and those moments will mean more than they ever realized at the time.

3 Step Program for Valentine's Day

"We might not have Prince Charming kneeling in front of us with a glass slipper, but we can afford to buy our own sassy stilettos and escort ourselves to the ball." ~The Single Woman

It's Valentine's Day, folks. Which means that on this blog, we'll continue with a couple of annual traditions.

Step 1: We'll all go read my blog about my favorite Valentine's Day and my dear friend, First Valentine. (You'll also want to read about how he kept me from failing Home Ec several years later and a blog about our favorite First Valentine stories.) Bottom line....In my mind, I won't write a Valentine's Day post better than that one, so I'm not going to try. Today I always think of him...love that I get to share my memories with you guys.

Step 2: I'll reveal my new Valentine's Day shoes! Curious? See, because I'm single and let's be real, this day can be hard sometimes for a single girl, several years ago I started buying myself a pair of Valentine's Day shoes. I make sure they are super fun and I wear them on Valentine's Day. Best tradition ever if you ask me! Two years ago, I did zebra stilletos. Last year, red 4 inch pumps with gold zippers. This year I went a little more practical with open toed snake-skin patterned nude heels. Happy Valentine's Day to me! Step 3: since Step 1 involved you reading about my best Valentine's Day story, I figured I'd share my worst. (I'm linking up with Miss Cait today....she asked about worst Valentine's Day gifts, and although mine is a date, I think it counts!)

I was a senior in college and one of the guy friends (who shall remain nameless for his own safety) told me he was taking me out for Valentine's Day. Now, we were just friends, but because I'm a girl...I (of course) read too much into this and set my expectations far too high. He picked me up for dinner and took me to.....Blue Cow Burger. Never heard of it? Don't worry. Picture a generic McDonalds but crappier. In his defense, he did pay for dinner---a burger and a milkshake (I don't like fries) that cost him $4.02. Yes, I remember the amount to the cent to this day. Don't judge me.

After dinner, we head to, where else, our bar...The Copper Penny. Quite a few of our friends were at the bar that night (probably does not say a whole lot for the crowd I ran with.....especially since it was a Tuesday night....) and I was having a great time. One of the Animal House Boys (who shall also remain nameless) proposed that night and to celebrate brought his new fiance to the Penny. Where else would you go to celebrate something like that? Anyway, there we are, hanging at the bar, having a great time, and my "date" comes up and whispers to see if I'm ready to go. I looked at him funny..this guy NEVER left the bar until the lights came on at 2am. I thought he was sick. Finally he explained that some other girl who he had a crush on had texted him and said that she was coming to the bar and asked if he wanted to meet up.

No need to re-read that last sentence....you got it right the first time. Here I was, being taken home early from my bar so that my Valentine's Day "date" could meet up with another girl. AFTER he had bought me a $4.02 dinner. Yea. This happened. Only in my life.

Am I still bitter? No. (Okay...maybe just a little.) Did it all work out for the best? Absolutely. He ended up married and I ended up with a great story. Did he marry the girl who he met up with that night? Turns out...she was being a total tease and didn't show. Valentine's Day Karma via Cupid? I think so.

Worth Waiting For

"But groundless hope, like unconditional love, is the only kind worth having." ~Anon.

When my Aunt Midge and I were at the hospital last week with Aunt Elaine and Uncle Larry, I saw it. The kind of love that I'm looking for. The glimmer of hope that makes me think that holding out and being picky is the right thing to do. Even if it means no flowers on Valentine's Day this year.

After not seeing each other since being air lifted into the trauma rooms the day before, we convinced the nurses to wheel Uncle Larry's gurney into Aunt Elaine's room just for a couple of seconds. When they did, he looked over at her--her head halfway shaved, face covered in stitches, arm in a cast, hospital gown attire--and he said, "Hello, Beautiful." And he meant it. In his eyes, she is beautiful, period. Circumstances don't matter.

And you know, that was a moment I'll never forget. Because what I saw? Well it was love. In its purest, truest, most unconditional form. And if it exists in a hospital room in El Paso now for Aunt Elaine, it just might exist for me somewhere someday too. And that, my friends, is something worth waiting for.

Blog Star: Hi, I'm Tiffany!

Hey y'all!

My name is Tiffany and I'm a 20-something, single, farm girl turned lawyer. I'm a proud Oklahoma State alum (GO POKES!!) and I am the biggest college football fan you'll ever meet. I love reading, running, two-stepping, traveling, and livestock shows. I have the best friends and family in the world, and you'll hear about them a lot on my blog.

What do I blog about? You name it pretty much. I write letters to Mr. Right (who has yet to appear). I update you on my bucket list adventures....like going to Europe or rushing a football field or running a half marathon. I write about faith. And about current events. I introduce you to the important people in my life. And on Fridays, I usually write about something farm related.

Most recently I did a three part series on a trip to Oklahoma where I ran Remember The Ten 10 K, watched the OSU Spring football game, and then experienced an emergency landing on the flight home!

If you want to check me out, here's a post I did of my best blogs in 2011 and in 2010.

So....thanks for stopping by! Feel free to follow me...if you leave a comment, I'll return the favor! Hope everyone has a wonderful week. Looking forward to reading your blogs!

Family Farm Friday #68: Thank You FFA Speeches!

"A speech is like a woman's skirt: it needs to be long enough to cover the subject matter but short enough to hold the audience's attention."~Author Unknown

I realized that I talk alot on this blog about the benefits of FFA and 4-H in the form of showing and judging. Recently, I had an experience that made me thankful for another part of 4-H and FFA that I sometimes overlook....public speaking.

I was in court and a judge stopped me during my argument and said, "I wish you could give lessons to some of the other lawyers in my courtroom about how to speak up and ennunciate." I wasn't sure if he was meaning this as a compliment or if he was telling me to tone it down (no lie, I have had a judge literally turn down my microphone before....), but the judge assured me that he meant it as a compliment. All I could think was, "Thank you FFA speeches!"

Both Little Brother and I started giving speeches as soon as we turned 9 years old in 4-H. That means that for about 9 years, we were giving at least one (if not two or three) speeches in contests every year. We would memorize our speeches--no notecards for us!--and practice them COUNTLESS times to my parents. We had a fireplace in the trailerhouse that I grew up in, that we would always stand in front of for speech practice. I guarantee you if walls could talk, that fireplace could rock a speech contest.
(Sidenote: Apparently while I was learning to speak in public, I was NOT learning about fashion....seriously???)

Mr. Franklin didn't really like speeches. He'd listen to us a handful of times before a contest and always come up with some off-the-wall question to make us feel stupid, and he'd get choked up if results were good and smile big in pictures. But mostly, he left this one up to our parents, both of whom were obsessed with speech contests. My mom was the queen of proofreading and bibliographies. You couldn't touch her. And my dad was in charge of presentation. You know--voice inflection, hand movements, you name it.
Our hard work paid off. When we were kids, Little Brother and I won the District public speaking contest like 8 years in a row or something crazy. When we got older, we were both State Champions in public speaking. He won the FFA prepared contest his senior year, and I won the 4-H extemporaneous contest my senior year. We're a family of talkers.

We talked about everything you can think of. My winning extemp speech was about drinking and driving. Little Brother's winning speech was about the beef check-off program. I was second at State FFA my junior year (to ND Friend) with a speech about marketing our products. You've read my first speech here, and Little Brother's was something having to do with the phrase, "Make my day" by Clint Eastwood. In the middle there were speeches about game plans and cattle breeds and cowboy hats and water conservation...you can pretty much name it and we talked about it.

What did we learn from this? I'd say confidence and a lack of fear mostly. I have read about people who have a horrible fear of public speaking. I feel fortunate to have had such a great experience in 4-H and FFA growing up that I have honestly never had that experience. Sure, I get a little nervous before a speech, but nothing like the fear that some people describe.

Chalk another one up to 4-H and FFA! (Ironically, tomorrow I'll be judging the Junior High State FFA Speech Contest....my how the tables have turned!)

Letters to Mr. Right: Letter #9

"I like being a strong, independent woman, and to be honest, I was never afraid to be on my own." ~Dido Armstrong

Dear Mr. Right,

While you're off hiding in whatever forest you're lost in, I've learned to take care of myself. I'd like to think I'm a pretty independent gal. But there are some things that really make me wish you would show up already.

Like putting together bookshelves. And always having to worry about finding a wedding date. And changing light bulbs with my little step stool. Ugh...moving furniture. Going to church and watching a girl sit next to a boy with his arm around her shoulders. Or when I have to change my dinner plans because I can't get the stupid spaghetti sauce jar open.

Don't worry, I've got this on my own thing pretty figured out....but it'd be really great if you'd show up soon and take over some of it.

I'll make spaghetti if you open the jar.

Waiting for that day,


Me


*(Photo via)

He Went to Jared....I Went to Oklahoma!

"There is only one happiness in life,to love and be loved." ~ George Sands

I'm just going to get this out there right now---no one went to Jared for me. Sorry to rain on your hopeful parade, but I don't want the snazzy title to give anyone a false impression. Now that we've got that out of the way, you're probably asking, who did go to Jared? That would be Speedy--who is now officially the Loud Oklahoma Girl's fiance. Here's how it went down.

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from LOKG's cousin telling me that this proposal was coming and asking if I wanted to come for the surprise engagement party that was being planned for the night of the big question. Um....yea!! You know I love surprise trips to Oklahoma! So I loaded up and set off for the big event.

We had to lie to her. All of us. For weeks. She was told that she was going to Tulsa for her cousin's birthday party. All his friends would be there. And his wife made clear that it was going to be dressy--everyone in cocktail attire. At a steakhouse. And I was spending the weekend reading and working at home. Big, fat lies. Every. Single. One.

Two nights before the big event, the wheels appeared to be falling off the wagon. LOKG dedided she couldn't find any dress that she liked and she decided she didn't even want to go to the stupid birthday party. NOT in the plans, LOKG. Not in the plans. Fortunately she ended up going shopping the day of the big event and finding something. Phew! (Ladies...lesson....if you guy is insisting that you wear a dress, DO IT!)

So I got to spend Saturday with BOKG and her mama. And we were lucky to have this adorable fella grace us with his presence. This would be BFF's baby brother, who we'll just call Kiddo on my blog. Anyway, Kiddo got stuck hanging out with us and driving us around all weekend. He's also a rock star guitarist and Red Dirt Music player, so for literally hours he had to sit in Blonde OK Girl's house and play requests. It was like a live concert in the living room! BOKG officially booked him for her wedding one day.

So we listened to live guitar music while we got all dolled up...and proceedd to take prom-ish pictures. :) Anyhow....as we were getting ready, Speedy took LOKG into a hotel room under the guise of getting ready to go to the fake birthday party and proposed with a beautiful ring. And, of course, she said yes! After that, they headed down to the restaurant for dinner and met up with all of their friends.In the meantime, Kiddo, Blonde OK Girl and I were all hiding out at the bar trying not to be seen until it was time for our surprise. And if you want to fit in at a bar and not look suspicious, you drink. So we did. Flirtini's to be exact. We were hiding out next a couple on their first date which was totally hilarious to listen in on. Ahh...first dates. So painfully awkward.Anyway, so we're hiding and freaking out about being seen and all of a sudden, Kiddo rocks out with this tone of voice that BFF pretty much uses with me all the time that basically says, "Stop your crazy acting like a girl, take a deep breath, clam down and order another drink." It's apparently genetic, that tone.

When they finally seated the group. BOKG went over first to join in the fun.

And then I sauntered up. Cue screaming and jumping up and down and crying and she kept saying, "No wonder you didn't call me back today!" Ha!

I'll skip all the dinner details, except for the one edamame debacle. Have y'all ever eaten this before? Looks like snap peas to me. So I grab one and eat the sucker. It was pretty chewy and hard to swallow. About this time, someone points out that you don't actually eat the shell, just the beans on the inside and everyone gets a good laugh at my expense. Here's a photo to commemorate that disaster. Note that Kiddo looks terrified in the background. He ate his the same way as me. Ha! (FYI, in order to avoid this, BOKG and Kiddo were instructed that if someone throws me an engagement party, we better be at a steakhouse where I know what/how to eat!)

So after an amazing dinner and surprise party, BOKG, Kiddo and I headed out to do a little dancing. Listen folks, this girl does not pass up a live band playing Red Dirt music and a boy to two step with.

My favorite part of the dancing portion of the evening was when an old guy--seriously must have been 85 at a minimum--came up to Kiddo and asked if he had two dates, and then proceeded to hit on BOKG. She always gets the attention! They danced and then he whipped out a Werther's Original hard candy to give her. Talk about a sly move there, ladies!

And there you have it....one of the Gossip Girls is engaged and we had a great weekend celebrating!