Letters to Mr. Right: Letter #2

"She ain't right...but she's just right for me." ~Lee Brice, She Ain't Right

Dear Mr. Right,

I think that you should probably know what you're in for.

I will have times where I don't sleep for a few days. When I'll probably keep you awake with my tossing and turning or my organizing once I realize that tossing and turning will not solve the problem. And I will squeeze the toothpaste from the middle of the tube. Every. Single. Time. I'll embarass you watching college football games in public because I'll scream at the tv like a crazy person. And I'll always be cold, even when it's hot outside. I'll shed all over the bathroom floor. I will leave my heels out and you'll step on them and probably yell. And sometimes, I'm going to want to just eat Wheat Thins for dinner. Oh, and when I get on the phone with one of my girl friends, you can bet on me being busy for a minimum of an hour. It's just a fact.

But I'm really going to love you. And hopefully that will make up for all the other stuff.

Waiting for that day,

Me

Still Have A Shot At Average

"It's a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy." ~Lucille Ball

I loved growing up in a small town. I talk about that a lot on this blog. I honestly don't think there is a better place to raise kids. So with that disclaimer, let's get to today's blog.

Let me tell y'all something about being from a small town. If you're not married by the time you're like 20, people start to look at you funny. By the time you're 24, they are talking behind your back. By the time you're 26, they're willing to say rude things to your face. I turn 28 next month. I'm scared to see what comes next. I fear they might buy me a habit or a bunch of cats.
And then, just like that, yesterday this blog came along and gave me hope. (Sidenote: the majority of that blog was about average costs of weddings---which did NOT give me hope---completely insane if you ask me!)

The average age that a woman in the US gets married is....drumroll please.....29. Hallelujah--music to my ears--I still have a shot at average! Ya hear that, small town? I'm not destined to be an old spinster forever! (At least not for another 2 years anyway!)

Now, for those of you who found your husband at 20, more power to you. I'm jealous that you get to spend more time with him than I will with mine.

But....and I've got a letter to Mr. Right planned about this in a couple of weeks, so I won't go too deep into this....let me just say that I would have had NO idea who I was or what I wanted when I was 20. Thinking back to the guys I would have wanted to to marry between the ages of 18-22 makes me shudder. (Note: I thought about putting pictures here, but decided better of that idea.) :)

I think some of us are slower than others at figuring out life and ourselves and what we're looking for. I've always known I was one of the slow people. But today, I learned that instead of being one of the slowest people, I've still got a shot at being perfectly average. Oh happy day!

Now we just need Mr. Right to show up and for me to purchase a billboard in the next 2 years and 21 days and this average thing will be in the bag for me!

Too Much Fun....What's That Mean?

"Too much fun, what's that mean? It's like too much money, there's no such thing." ~Daryle Singletary

Apparently for this girl it means that she does NOT want to get out of bed to go to work when the real world starts back and the weekend ends. Here's a little run down of the weekend...

First off, when I got home from work on Friday at 5:00 I zonked out on the couch and slept until 8:00 like some old lady. I woke up and thought for sure it was midnight. Not the best start to a crazy fun weekend....although it may have been the saving grace come Sunday!

On Saturday morning, College Roomie and I headed out to watch the high school football team that McCain coaches. I also met his parents for the first time....both are psychologists....and I think I managed to play it off well enough that they didn't think I was crazy and tell McCain he had to dump College Roomie due to her taste in friends. Phew! Back to the game. There is nothing like sitting in the bleachers on a cool, crisp fall day and watch football. I. Love. Fall. The field is beautiful and you can see the mountains in the background dusted with snow. You heard me...SNOW! Made for some beautiful pictures though. Sadly, the team lost.....we won't go into details.

Then I spent Saturday afternoon parked on the couch watching college football. My Pokes put up 70 (no, that's not a typo) on KU this weekend to move to 5-0. Love my cowboys! The perfect fall weekend continued.

Then on Saturday evening I headed out to see my friend Joseth's band play. He's yet another example of friendships that you make when you're like 12 years old in 4-H and FFA lasting years. I met up with one of my showing friends from back home and a couple of her pharmacy school friends and convinced College Roomie and McCain to come along as well. It was a lot of fun getting to catch up with Joseth and watch him be the super star for the night. Back when we were kids, he hadn't even learned to play the guitar, and now he's this rock star that everyone is cheering for.
And he even pulled off free shots, playing my favorite song (which he does not usually play), and a shout out from the stage. I'm a fan. You can bet I'll be at every show he does here from now on with that treatment!
I also learned, based on the fact that I had a headache before we even left the bar that lasted for about 24 hours afterwards that I can mark "rock star" off of the potential life callings I may have missed. I'll leave that one to Joseth---he seems to have it under control.
And after getting about 4 hours of sleep, I crawled out of my warm, comfy bed at 5:30 in the morning to head to the Balloon Fiesta with one of my fello OSU alums who was in town. I hadn't been to the Fiesta before (maybe I went when I was a really little kid and just don't remember) and I have to say it was pretty darn impressive. There were people and balloons everywhere. And really yummy breakfast burritos full of green chile. Of course.
In case you missed it, I posted my best photos from the Fiesta on Sunday....just click here.
And that, folks, was my weekend. I think I'm still trying to get caught up on sleep. I'm not sure when I turned old, but apparently I'm there. But I'll take too much fun over being well-rested any time!

Meet The Cast Monday #34: Top Gun

Today you guys get to meet one of my favorite people from law school (and one of the smartest people I know) If I ever get in trouble, I want this guy sitting at my table in court! Top Gun and I were trial partners, which means basically that you spend like insane amounts of time together talking about a pretend murder that took place in a pretend kitchen. And, if you're Top Gun and I, it all culminates in a very real almost-fist fight with the other side on the steps of the courthouse. No lie. Ask me about it sometime.

Anyway, Top Gun is a Navy pilot who married Mrs. Top Gun (also a law school class mate) and lives in DC (where he invites his friends to fun things like steeplechases!). They just had an adorable baby boy and are pretty much the cutest people that you'll ever meet.

With that, Meet Top Gun.

What is your favorite law school memory?

Hanging out in the basement of the library (the dungeon) during our first year studying with the gang, and ping-pong with Mrs. Top Gun and Lucero. {Notice he did not mention the fist fight.....}

How long have you been flying for the Navy?

Nearly 16 years. Crazy they've let me do that so long.

What is your dream job?

Grounds keeper Wrigley field. {I had never thought about listing groundskeeper as a dream job, but I may change my answer from "Being the next Erin Andrews" to the groundskeeper at Boone Pickens Stadium!}

Best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten.

Listen.

Tell us how you and Mrs. Top Gun met.

In law school (the forum). She was friends with my study bud (Bree--who basically got me through my first year). Found out that Mrs. Top Gun was from Chi-town, and only had one question: Cubs or Sox? {You can guess from the dream job above that there was a right answer to that question!}
What is something about life that you know how that you did not know when you were 18?

How important we are to our parents.

Best trip you’ve ever taken?

This is a tough one for me because I'm not much of a traveler. However, there are a couple trips that are very memorable for me: going to the farm in Iowa when I was little, our wedding in Chicago, and golf in Las Cruces with Mrs. Top Gun and my folks. {Let's sidenote and chat about this wedding briefly.....take a look at these pictures below and tell me this doesn't make you want to marry a Navy guy just to get this kind of wedding pictures? Back up girls---if Top Gun has any single Navy friends, I've already got first dibs.}

What is one (or more) item(s) on your bucket list?

Well, I always wanted a family. If that happens as planned, I think I'd like to be a teacher. {Since Baby Top Gun, who made his appearance quite early but is clearly quite the little fighter, has made this goal come true....I suppose now it's on to the teaching thing!}

Photos of the Week: Week 40

Okay, seriously, can you guys believe we've been at this photo thing for 40 weeks? Time flies, huh? Well several of the photos this week give you a little taste of part of my weekend at the Balloon Fiesta. You'll hear more about that on Tuesday. For today, just enjoy the photos.

Theme: Autumn (Quotography)

I realize that for most of you guys, when you think of autumn, you don't think of hot air balloons. But when you live in New Mexico, the two go right together. Starting in about September, you'll start seeing balloons in the sky every morning. And during the balloon fiesta, there are literally hundreds of them in the sky. It's amazing! To see the other entires, go to My Perspective.

Theme: Autumn

Well since I already explained this above, I don't have much to add. I shot this picture from the balloon fiesta field this morning about 7:00. Amazing. Check out the other entries at LEM.

Theme: Colors

Well I was in the right place for this theme! I really liked this shot of the balloons taking off from the field. So many beautiful colors in the fall sky!

Theme: Show Off Your Shot

I am seriously in love with this picture. I didn't realize it until I got home and got it on my computer, but I think it turned out awesome. Hot air balloons are crazy things, no? See the other shots at And Then She Snapped.

Theme: Brick Red (Project 64)

Everyone sick of balloon pictures? Well here is a red barn from Tennessee for y'all. You know how much I love old red barns, and this barnwood looks like the perfect shade of brick red to me! To see the other brick red photos, click here.

Theme: Reflection

Dug back into the archive just a bit for this photo as well. I shot this at the river just down the road from our house over Memorial Day as the sun was going down. I love the reflection of the sun on the water.

The Mundane

"My life is not a to do list." ~Unknown

I don't know about y'all, but sometimes, I get really caught up in the mundane part of life. The laundry. Dishes. Bills. Lists. The projects at work that seem like they have to be done by Friday at 5. It's easy to focus on the exciting part of life when you're on a trip or having a fun adventure or crossing a bucket list item off. But the majority of our lives are not spent doing those things. The majority is just every day life. And we have to try and overcome the mundane and find the exciting in that too.

Sometimes, like this week, I need to step back and look at the bigger picture. Because.....this is it, baby. This is life. It's a moment I'll never get back. Tomorrow is a day that will only happen once. In 50 years, I will not care at all if I got my laundry done tonight or if the dishes sit in the sink an extra day. Hell, I won't care about that in 5 days! Sometimes, I just need to be reminded of that. Thankfully, Sarah posted a great quote yesterday that was great and I wanted to share with you guys in case you find yourself in the same boat as me.

If I had my life to live over, I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax. I would limber up. I'd be sillier than I have been on this trip. I know of a very few things I would take seriously. I would be less hygenic. I would take more chances. I would take more trips. I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers and watch more sunsets. I would burn more gasoline and eat more ice cream and less beans. I would have actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I'm one of those people who lives sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments. And if I had my life to live over, I'd have more of them. In fact...I'd have nothing else. Just moments one after anoher instead of living so many years ahead each day.

I've been one of those people who never goes anywhere without a theremometer, hot water bottle, rain coat & parachute. If I had my life to live over, I'd go places and do things and travel lighter than I have. If I had my life to live over I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would play hooky more. I wouldn't make good such good grades, except by accident. I'd ride more merry-go-rounds. I'd pick more daisies.

~Nadine Stair, age 85

We don't get to live life over.....but we get to live life now. And hopefully if we do a good enough job at it the first time, we'll have everything covered.

Letters to Mr. Right: Letter #1

"Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be." ~John Ortberg

Anyone ready to mix up our typical blogs a little bit? I am...so for the rest of the year on Thursdays, I'm going to start a new little series that we'll call Letters to Mr. Right. I totally stole this idea from the Brunette Bombshell, lest you think I was actually this creative myself. With that intro......we'll get started.

Dear Mr. Right,

You may not have met me yet....it doesn't seem like you have. But I hope that you don't give up on me too soon. Because I'm doing my best to be worth the wait.

And I'm trying to be patient when I keep wearing bridesmaid dresses and have no white dress of my own in sight. And I hope that you are watching for me so that you don't miss me when the time is right. I'll do my best, when we meet, not to call you "buddy" or punch you in the arm, which I've learned lead to this place I'm well-familar with called the "friend rut." We don't want to go there. Until you arrive, I'll just keep living my life...because I've learned that there are lots of really great things happening while I'm waiting. And I hope that you're doing the same thing, but that you wrap it up soon.

Oh, and I'm learning to cook more than one meal, so there's that.

Waiting for that day,

Me

*Photo via Marianne Wilson Photography

WILW #10

“I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.” ~John Burroughs

Hello Wednesday! I'm excited that the week is halfway over and the weekend is on its way! I'm loving lots of things today, so let's get started. Check out other things being loved today on Jamie's blog!

1. This song.

My Texas - Josh Abbott Band and Pat Green. Have y'all heard this song yet? I'm in love. Seriously, I bet I played it 50 times yesterday at work. It's all about red dirt music, stock shows and sunsets. Sigh. It makes me want to fall in love with a boy from Texas. Lord help me!

And somewhere in a pig pen near Amarillo, there is an Animal House Boy who will be celebrating the fact that I have finally realized how great Texas is once his wife tells him about this blog.

2. And this song.

You can thank Cousin Kevin for this one. He dj'ed all the way to College Station when we went for the game and this was a song that he deemed "the epitome of red dirt music." It's by Brian Keane and it's called "I'll Sing About Mine." Of course, I loved it too! He's good good taste, that cousin of mine!

3. The Amazing Race.

SO glad this show is back. It's totally my favorite. Seriously, I love it. I'm not sure yet which teams are my favorite....maybe the football player and his wife or the cute dating couple. Oh, and it's on my bucket list to apply. Who will my partner be? That's still a little up in the air. I've got it narrowed down to a couple of boys....I'll keep you informed. Maybe I'll do a blog analyzing their potential.... :)

4. New Breakfast.

So Miss Jenni over at Story of My Life posted this blog last week. (If you don't follow her, you should. She's awesome!) I am NOT a morning person, at all. So trying to get something for breakfast that's sort of healthy and filling and quick is tough. But this oatmeal thing works great. On Sunday I made a big pot of Quaker Oats. I put it into 5 tupperware containers (2 cups each--fill them almost full). I add a little brown sugar (Jenni does cinnamon but that gives me heartburn), some fruit, and some whey powder (for protein...Jenni does walnuts) and pop those babies in the freezer. Easy, peasy, AND oatmeal helps to lower cholesterol. Yes, I'm becoming old and worried abou those kind of things.

5. John Corbett.

I watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding this weekend and fell in love with John Corbett all over again. I mean seriously, he falls for the former frumpy girl and says that he remembers her and she says, "That was my frumpy stage" and he says, "I don't remember frumpy, but I remember you." Melt this frumpy girl's heart. And Carrie Bradshaw, I still think you're an idiot today for breaking up with him. And now he's back on Parenthood. He's everywhere. And I love him. Fact.

6. This blog idea.

I think that as far as quality of writing goes, The Brunette Bombshell is one of the best I read. She posted this blog as a way to commemorate a birthday and I love it. The idea of looking at who you are each year and keeping a record of that is awesome. Be looking for my blog about this next month when I become old! ;)

7. LEM's photo challenge this week.

Theme: Your Favorite Color

I didn't know the theme to include this one in my photo blog yesterday, but I was not about to miss this week's photo challenge of "your favorite color." Is there any question what color I chose? I shot this picture last year (I know, I know...cheating a little) at an OSU game and I just love it. See the other entires at LEM!

8. This quote.
Well...now that we have that figured out, I think I'm ready for Mr. Right to show up and to get my billboard. Hello? Is this thing on?

Photos of the Week: Week 39

First off, it's BFF's birthday today!! He does not have a blog or facebook, but if you know him in real life, be sure to tell him happy birthday (and if you're in College Station, buy him a drink!) Here is a little shot of us 6 years ago today on his 21st birthday. Wish we were all still in Stillwater so we could celebrate birthdays together like the good ol' days!

Second, thank you guys for your sweet comments and emails about yesterday's post. It always amazes me how we all go through the same things and that by sharing something helpful to me, I can manage to help other people too. I love that about blogging!

Third, I'm happy to announce that Holly is the winner of my Fall in New Mexico giveaway! Yay, Holly! She's a NM girl who is in college at Auburn, so she'll probably fully appreciate the NM flare! Be sure to visit her over at Hey, Hey Holly.

Anyway, I've pretty much accepted that Sunday posts are a thing of the past and Tuesdays are becoming the official photo day! I'm going to confess that none of these photos were taken this week (hard to take pictures when you're at work until after mid-night) but I they were all taken this year, so I didn't break any self-imposed rules.

As always, I'd love to hear which picture is YOUR favorite!

Theme: Anything (Quotography)

I love "anything" week over at Quotography. It always means awesome pictures and amazing quotes. So be sure you check it out! This picture was from my trip two weekends ago to the Oklahoma State v. Texas A&M game in college station. I found this quote by the legendary Bear Bryant and knew it was perfect. I realize this is not the kind of picture that will win any awards, but if you're a college football fan, I think you'll enjoy it! Oh...and Go Pokes!

Theme: Show Off Your Shot

As you guys that follow my blog might guess, this photo came from my trip last month to Tennessee. I made Cousin Swiss Mister load up in the car to take me for some bbq, and then made him stop so that I could photograph every horse, cow and barn in Tennessee. This is totally oen of my favorite shots from the trip. There was a whold herd of cows that didn't care much for me taking their pictures and headed behind the barn, but this lady struck a pose instead! To see the other shots from people this week, visit And Then She Snapped!

Theme: Periwinkle (Project 64)

I knew as soon as I saw this color that I wanted to use this picture. I took this at the lake back home while we were water skiing over the Fourth of July. I love the blue sky and the way that it fades from darker blue up high to lighter blue along the horizon. Surely one of the shades in the progression is Periwinkle, huh? See the other photos at Project 64!

Theme: A Photo of a Pet

Was there ever any doubt that I would use a farm animal for this theme? No, I didn't think so. This beauty lives behind Cousin Swiss Mister's parents' house in Tennessee and he was quite curious what I was doing out there with a camera. When I first saw horses just beyond the back yard, Cousin Swiss Mister informed me they were Tennessee Walking Horses. FYI--they were not. Jerkface. But they were still beautiful anyway! To see the other pet photos, visit Allie's blog for A Photo Challenge!

Theme: Tools

I wasn't sure I would have a photo for this theme, but then I remembered taking pictures of some old equiptment when I was home earlier this year. I came across this photo of part of an old wagon and thought it would work perfect. I'm a sucker for old timey stuff!

Fighting for Joy

"Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud, and the other stars." ~Frederick Langbridge

Last week was a rough one for me, on several different fronts. On Saturday I tried to just rest up and get back into a better mood. And it didn't work. I woke up on Sunday morning and was thinking that I had no idea what to blog about this week because I was just in such a bad mood and nothing seemed right.

And then.....I went to church. And, like He seems to have to do all to often in my life, God smacked me upside the head. The sermon today was on Psalm 3, and one of the main parts of the message was that we have to fight for joy. See? *Smack*

The first thing I thought of was a scene from the movie Bridesmaids. (Strange for that anaolgy to come to mind in church, I know!) I wish I could find a video, because it's so darn hilarious, but since I can't, my description will just have to do. So the main character, Annie, has all sorts of things going wrong inher life. She's basically at her rock bottom. She's all down and out and depressed.

And at this point, one of the other bridesmaids (the big, butch, scary one I might add) confronts her. She says, "The world isn't the problem. You are your own problem, Annie, but you're also the solution." And then she proceeds to tackle Annie and pin her against the couch while smacking her around. Annie asks what she is doing, and the other bridesmaid says, "I'm your LIFE, Annie. FIGHT BACK!” and this goes on and on and on until finally Annie smacks the crazy bridesmaid in the face. She learned that she could fight back.

The same thing is true with fighting for joy. Sometimes we forget that we can fight back. We don't know what to do or how to start. We need some scary friend to tackle us, or a good sermon to smack us around.

It's not just a good idea...this fighting for joy thing....it's our obligation. If we don't--if we let our circumstances or our emotions win, then we're missing out on the purpose that God has for us. And it's one that I'm taking pretty seriously. So that's what I'm doing this week. I'm fighting back. I'm making a conscious effort to be happy and be grateful and put my trust in God. Does that mean the problems go away? I wish, but it does not. The problems are still there--we can do nothing to control that. But the joy? That's something we can control. Something for which we can fight. So bring it on.