Throwback Thursday #55: Some Days You Gotta Dance....

"You don't need an invitation to your own life." ~Parenthood

First off, don't tell Little Brother that I titled a blog after a Dixie Chicks song. He's not a fan and I don't want to hear that lecture again.

Second, this post started out as this deep thought I had about living life, but honestly, it turned into a throwback to some awesome wedding receptions I've attended. Prepare for picture overload, which will probably kill the point I'm trying to make. But they're funny pictures, so whatev.

And now...to the point. I recently read a great blog about how a girl was at a wedding reception and she noticed that there were some people who were up dancing and having a ball, and others who were sitting at the tables surrounding the dance floor just watching. She said that she realized she needed to live her life dancing.

I love this entire idea. I mean, I am a girl who LOVES a good wedding reception.

I'm talking the ones where everyone just dances and dances even if they look like total idiots and no one cares because everyone is having fun.

The ones where the wedding party practices for weeks to get the choreographed dance down. (Oh yes we did!)

The ones where you end up with pictures that are beyond awesome, and make no sense whatsoever!
{White girl cannot dance, but what in the WORLD was the move I rocked out below? Stick with the swim, Tiffany. Stick with the swim.}The ones where some random guy (usually my date, dad and/or brother) becomes the center of attention and life of the party.

{Date}

{Dad}

{Brother}

The ones where you end up partying with the band on the bus in your wedding attire afterwards.
The ones where you leave exhausted and sweaty and a little sore, but wish you could do it all again tomorrow!


And I love the idea of translating this over into real life. What if we lived our lives every day the way we do a good wedding reception? If we just got out there and danced.....not worrying about what other people thought, not worrying about what all we are supposed to be doing, not worrying about how we looked.....just getting out there and living it up. I don't know about you guys, but I don't do this enough. It's time to change that.

WILW #6...AND....A Giveaway!

“People love others not for who they are but for how they make them feel." ~Irwin Federman

Oh guys...I'm loving LOTS of things this Wednesday! Be sure to check out what everyone else is loving here!

* My photo for the theme "vibrant colors" made the list of "favorites" (not top three....but still something!!) at the LEM challenge! I am so excited...this is only the second time I've ever been chosen as a favorite photo in any challenge, and the first time at LEM!
* Remember my blog about my future dream proposal? Well a family friend sent me an email with another related suggestion. Check this out:
Love love love it. Mr. Right---you have options now! Cow pasture, or sheep shearing. Good thing for you that I'm not picky. :)

* My dear, sweet, wonderful friend Flintstone called me over the weekend concerned after seeing this picture on facebook:

He said that I looked too skinny and that he thought I needed a couple of double quarter pounders. He is clearly (a) blind; (b) biased; and (c) dilusional.....but I love his guts for this comment!

* And while I'm talking about my friends, I am also loving my chats with ND Friend. I tell you, that girl is awesome. No matter what we're issue we're discussing (or what boy we're complaining about...you all remember Pancake Boy, right??) somehow after we talk, everything seems like it's going to work out okay....she must have a gift!

* And one more friend shout out... I love Blonde Oklahoma Girl and our Friends dvds.
BOKG and I both watched our Friends dvds this weekend. We ended up both watching the episode right after Ross said the wrong name at the wedding to Emily and afterwards Rachel was saying how she kept making bad decisions in her love life and decided that Monica would make all of Rachel's love life decisions? (I just realized that those of you who watched Friends are totally following me...the rest of you wonder if I'm speaking Engligh!) Anyway, BOKG and I both emailed each other and said that we were going to let the other one make our decisions! Ha! Go figure. Talk about the blind leading the blind as they say!

* I've stumbled across a couple of Red Dirt songs that are old, but new to me that I am absolutely in LOVE with. (Notice that I've added a few new songs to the playlist over on the left. Feel free to enjoy.)





* And I saved the best for last. I'm loving the number 100. That's right---I have hit 100 followers. I just cannot tell you guys how much I appreciate the fact that you read my blog. It's so much fun for me to write, and I have even more fun reading all of your blogs each day! And, as I promised.....I'll be doing a Tiffany's Favorite Things Giveaway!

What are my favorite things, you ask? Well...take a gander:
Sexy Little Things Perfume, Dried Cherries, an Eli Young Band cd (which is brand new, but will arrive opened because I do plan to download it to my iTunes before I give it away!), a beautiful leather journal, a three piece travel set of Coconut Lime Verbana from Bath and Body Works, the best chocolate chip toffee cookie you will ever taste... and some OSU face stickers (football season is just 3 months away you know!)

How do you enter, you ask? Simple!

Just leave a comment below! I'd love to know if you have any blog ideas...what do you want to read more about? Any fun ideas? Any questions?

If you want 5 extra entries, become a follower of my blog (leave a separate comment letting me know that you are). Be sure to enter by Friday, June 10 at 6:00 pm. I will announce the winner on Saturday!

Both Are Gifts

"There are no leftovers with a sovreign God who purposefully plans our futures and who graciously gives us good gifts like singleness." ~Carolyn McCulley

Before I write this, I have to tell you that any time I read a book that is in any way self help-ish, I think of Charlotte on SATC. After she got divorced and was sort of a mess, she went to a book store and to the self help section. There, she finds this pathetic looking lady in sweats, crying, eating donuts or something, who tells Charlotte that the book Charlotte was looking at really helped her. Charlotte throws the book down and looks lost repeatedly saying, "Travel? Travel?" to make clear that she was not needing any self help!

No one wants to be THAT lady in the bookstore....but, I thought that there might be other people who are in my same boat that need to hear this, so I wanted to share.

I am reading a book called "Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye?" One of the points that the author makes is that she views being single as a gift, just like being married is a gift. "Singleness ought not be viewed as a problem, nor marriage as a right. God in His wisdom and love grants either as a gift." While they are both different gifts with different purposes and benefits, both are gifts just the same.

As soon as I read this, I knew I had to adjust my attitude. Have I gotten it all figured out? Not hardly. But am I really trying to focus on this idea of both being gifts? You bet.

Don’t get me wrong here—I want to get married. I want the ring and the wedding cake and the honeymoon to Europe. And then I want the his and her sinks, the fights over the remote control, and weekend afternoons curled up together on a front porch swing. And because I want that, but don’t have it yet, it’s easy to feel like I am being left out. Like everyone around me is being given this gift that is being withheld from me.

But if I look at my single life as a gift too, my outlook is greatly improved. There are benefits to not having to share a bathroom with a boy. And to being able to spend my money on whatever I (not we, but I) want. There are benefits to having the time to volunteer with organizations that are important to me, to go on a 4 mile run after work, to be able to hop on plane for a birthday celebration, a bucket list football game, a race full of naked people or a steeplechase.

Like I said before, I'm am not even close to having this all figured out. It’s not like I see someone with a ring on their finger and think, “Wow, that poor girl didn’t get my gift.” Usually I think, “Lucky (curse word), I want one of those rings!!” But I feel like if I can make a conscious effort to focus on the gift of being single right now—on the experiences I am having and the lessons I am learning and the person I am becoming—I can see the value in that.

And I think one day, I’ll be sitting on my porch swing wearing my ring watching some stupid tv show that only boys like and I’ll realize that it took these single years, that gift, to make me into the right person for the boy sitting next to me.

Meet the Cast Monday #21: Law School Partner

I'm really excited about today's Meet the Cast, because for the first time, you'll get to meet someone who I met in law school! I was looking back over prior MTCMs and realized I had introduced no law school friends yet. Lest you think that I HAD no friends in law school, today you get to meet Law School Partner.

Law School Partner and I met our first year when we were in the same section. Our second year, randomly, we took every class together. No lie, we were like attached at the hip. Then we decided to be partners in Advanced Evidence and Trial Practice (a class where you prep all semester and then do a mock trial at the end) which meant we were not only together at school all day, but on the phone for like hours at night. This was the same time she started dating her now-husband (also in our class), and we joked that he had to start out dating both of us!

Anyway, Law School Partner is amazing--she's fun and brilliant and a great runner and an amazing writer and one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. With that...let's get to it.

Meet Law School Partner!

What is your favorite law school memory?

There are so many good ones to choose from - my favorites would include working with you to prepare for our Advanced ETP trial and then actually having the trial; hanging out with Kelly and Jackie and going to crazy parties our first year; and meeting Tim in class and then starting to actually talk to him for the first time in the forum. {You left out our journal meetings where we got in trouble for not paying attention EVERY week, and planning your entire wedding in our clinic cubicles! Talk about a useful class.}

What was the worst part of law school?

All the reading! Do you know how long it takes me to read through a Con Law case?! Let's just say that I often fell asleep before my reading was done. I was also always a little nervous at school because a teacher could put you on the spot at any moment.

Tell us about your honeymoon.

It was amazing! We went to Kauai and New Zealand and they were both incredibly beautiful. I think we took a thousand photographs while we were gone. We snorkeled and hung out on the beach (and ran a half marathon) {love that this is just a sidenote--like oh and we went for coffee...and ran a half marathon!} in Kauai and then we went to New Zealand and rented a camper van and toured all over both the North and South islands. We had so much fun - I would love to go back to both places!

Give us one piece of wedding advice.

My one piece of wedding advice is to remember the most important thing about a wedding - it is the celebration of your marriage to the person you love and are going to spend the rest of your life with. You have to keep all the planning and food and guests and dress and stress in perspective. If you get too caught up in the preparations, then it's not as much fun to plan and it's time to re-prioritize. Because at the end of the day, you are going to be married and that is going to last far longer than the wedding itself!

What's it like living in Bend?

Bend is a great town. It is smaller - population is about 80,000 people. Bend is in central Oregon and is located along the Deschutes river. The views of the mountains/volcanoes to the west of Bend are incredible! It's a pretty outdoor-sy kind of a town, but also has some really fun urban and shopping areas. It's a high desert climate so it's pretty dry and gets a lot of sunny days. {Dying to go visit! Definately on my list!}

If you could have your dream job, what would that be?

My dream job would be the combination of about half a dozen careers - lawyer, writer, teacher, designer, and traveler. As you can tell I haven't really decided what I want to be when I grow up! A little bit of all of these things would be great!
What is one (or more) item(s) on your bucket list?

I love to travel and I would love to see so many places: Scotland, Ireland, Costa Rica, Chile, Japan.... and the list goes on! I would also love to learn Spanish and get my pilot's license. This list could go on and on, but those are a few good ones!

Photos of the Week: Week 22

Another week and lots more pictures to share! I'd love to hear which ones are your favorites! :)

Theme: Project 64 - Salmon

I struggled with this color ALL WEEK! Fortunately, I had this picture from the steeplechase a couple of weeks ago and these silks were the perfect shade! Be sure to check out all the other entries at Project 64!

Theme: Anything (Quotography)

I love that this week's theme is "anything" for Quotography. I chose one of my favorite quotes and paired it up with a picture I took of the sun setting over the lake last weekend. I think it turned out pretty good! Check out the other quotes and photos at My Perspective!

Theme: Yellow

I am SO excited that the theme at Live Every Moment is yellow. I shot this photo while I was in DC and went to mass at the Washington National Cathedral. (Totally a bucket list item....I think I forgot to blog about that!) Anyway, this picture is one of my favorites I've ever taken and I've been dying for a theme to use it! To see the other "yellow" entries, go to Live Every Moment on Friday!

Theme: Line

I decided to use this photo of a tree lined street in Georgetown. I love DC, and I have decided that Georgetown is my favorite neighborhood! So quaint and green and beautiful!

Theme: Joshua 1:8

Stick with me here a minute....when I read this Verse of the Week, I knew I would take a picture of my Bible. Well, as I mentioned before, I'm doing a project called "God Speaks, We Listen" where I listen on my iPod to the entire New Testament in 90 days. I've read the New Testament several times before, so I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this project. I have to admit, there is something about HEARING God's word that has been really wonderful. If you want to check this out for yourself, here is the link. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Theme: Beautiful

I got this picture of the Canadian River just as it flows into Ute Lake near my hometown. This view is about two miles from my house on my neighbor's property. It's one of my favorite anywhere and I thought it was perfect for "beautiful." I love the windy river and huge blue sky.

Theme: Night Photography

Here we have another picture from my time in DC....clearly I shot a lot of them that I am trying to show off for different themes! I thought this picture was really fun, and I actually don't know how I caught it and probably could not do it again. But it was dark and dreary and I love the leaves with the bench in the background.

Theme: Looking In

I saw this gate with the beautiful flowers growing on it and thought it would be great for this theme of "looking in."

Family Farm Friday #55: The (Future) Proposal

"My eyes on a piece of land, a ring for her hand, a little heaven on earth, a little piece of red dirt..." ~Josh Abbott Band, End of a Dirt Road

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.....we ag kids do things differently. Whether it be compliments from boys or favorite smells or buying snack foods, we sort of have a different take on things. Apparently, this applies to marriage proposals as well.

I was never that little girl who planned her wedding all out. I don't have any idea what kind of flowers I will want. Until I was a bridesmaid myself, I didn't have any thoughts whatsoever on bridesmaid dresses. Never considered the best wedding songs. And I don't even know what a freaking sweetheart neckline is. Get the picture?

Well, I did get one thing figured out....the perfect proposal. I had actually thought before about this when The Bride got engaged in Hawaii. After a lot of analyzing, I decided that it would be cool for someone to propose to me either on the farm or on the football field at OSU. Sigh....agriculture and football. My two first loves. :)

After reading my friend Crystal's blog about how her boyfriend proposed last weekend, the deal was sealed. Crystal's boy got down on one knee with a beautiful ring in the middle of a pasture full of cows. (Sidenote: This boy is an OSU alum...would you expect anything less?) How perfect is that?

I say all this so that if you guys find my Mr. Right before I do, you tell him how we want this to go down. And if he wants to be wearing an OSU football shirt or somehow play the fight song, all the better!

Guest Blogging....Get Outta Town!

"San Francisco has only one drawback. ''Tis hard to leave." ~Rudyard Kipling

Today I'm really excited to be a guest blogger at A Suitcase and Stilettos. I love the idea of this weekly theme of Get Outta Town that Megan has going on, so I was so excited to write a post about a city very near and dear to my heart.....San Francisco!

As you hear about frequently on my blog, I had the most fun summer of my life while living in San Francisco 3 years ago. I fell in love with the City and the people and the atmosphere and everything else!
So....head over and check me out on Megan's blog and pick up some San Francisco travel tips!

For those of y'all who might be visiting from A Suitcase and Stilettos --welcome! I'm happy that you stopped by and would love for you to become a follower and join along in my random musings on a daily basis!

Oh...and sidenote....and because we all love Cousin Kevin....tell him Happy Birthday!! He's old...again. :)

Living The Story (30 Day Challenge #1)

"Live your life fom your heart. Share from your heart. And your story will touch and heal people's souls.” ~ Melody Beattie

Yesterday I joined a writing challenge where I'll write on a different prompt each of the next 30 days. I don't plan on posting all of the topics on my blog (we do have Family Farm Fridays and Meet the Cast Mondays to get to!) but I figure I'll share the ones that I really enjoy.

So here we go.....Day 1. The assignment: You discovered you have 15 minutes left to live. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Write the story that has to be written.

I thought about this for a long time. And you know what I decided? I will never be able to write the story that I want to write in 15 minutes. Or in 15 days. Or in 15 years for that matter.

The story I want to write will take so much more than words on paper. Fancy transitions and topic sentences won't do what I want them to. Instead, I want to LIVE my story. I want to look back at the end of my life and have written a story with my actions and not just with my words.

I look back on the people who I have lost that have had the biggest impacts on my life. Nothing that they could have written in 15 minutes would come close to the things that they did to inspire me and to make me the person who I am.

Gran couldn't have written any words to teach me to be strong and independent in 15 minutes. Mr. Franklin couldn't have taught me to go after my dreams and to believe in myself in a few paragraphs. Levi couldn't have shown me how to truly be kind to everyone I meet on paper. Dathan's laugh couldn't be captured with a pen. A 15 minute story from Miss Pink Boots could not have connected me to my best friends. First Valentine's willingness to help anyone at the drop of a hat would never show up in a few words.

Nope. Writing my story will not do. Because I want to have a story full of laughter and friendship. Full of kindness and adventure. Full of love and excitment.

I want to make a difference and live my dreams and love on people. I want to do my part. I want to watch sunsets and dance under the stars. I want to cry with a friend who is hurting. I want to do something crazy just because I can. I want to see the world and enjoy time at home. I want to walk down the aisle. I want to scream my head off at every football game I can get to. I want to take pictures and hold babies and dance at wedding receptions. I want to fulfill the purpose that God has planned for me.....the one that is bigger than I can even imagine.

And if I can do these things.....if I can live my life in this way....well, I won't need to spend my list 15 minutes writing. Instead, I'll continue to spend them living the story.

Photos of the Week: Week 21

Well this long weekend, glorious as it was, has me all discombobulated on blogging. We'll get back to our regularly scheduled programming next week. For now, here are my photos for last week!

Theme: Project 64 - Yellow Orange

As soon as I saw this week's color, I knew I wanted to shoot a sunset. I really liked this shot with the barbed wire fence in the foreground. Be sure to check out the other entries here!

Theme: Memorial Day (Quotography)

I looked through a lot of photos to decide which one to use for this quote....the Santa Fe National Cemetery, the Vietnam Wall....but I just couldn't get away from this shot I got at the Korean War Memorial in Washington, DC earlier this month. The wreath you see was a gift from South Korea. One country thanking another for its sacrifice. I love the soldier's face in the background. Please remember to say a prayer for our troops--those fighting now and all of those who have ever fought--and their families. To see the other Quotography entries, click here.

Theme: Temptation

I'm here to tell you that I'm nowhere near ready to have kids. But hanging out with my friend Little Cowboy makes me want to have one to take home with me!

Theme: Summer Days

I got this shot of Little Brother at the lake this weekend and just loved the look. A cowboy's a cowboy no matter what he's doing.

Theme: Metal

I really like this shot of one of our windmills with the sun shining in the background.

Theme: Isaiah 54:12

I'm a New Mexican girl, so when I saw turquoise in this week's verse, I knew I had to use some jewelry! Check out Verse of the Week here.

Theme: Happiness

Nothing like a brand new baby calf to bring a smile to my face. This tiny little guy was taking a little nap in the sunshine.

Theme: Furry

I loved this photo of one of our ewes that I snapped this weekend and thought it would work well for this week's Happy Monday theme!

Theme: Food

I had to get a little creative on this one since I didn't take any picutres of the food I ate this week. But I did snap this photo when we were feeding cows over the weekend and I thought it would work. You can check out the other entries on Friday at Live Every Moment!