for kelley

A week-ish ago, one of my very best friends, Kelley, turned 24.

DANCE DANCE DANCE DANCE

I'm awful because I didn't make time (here) to recognize it, but I'm making up for it now even though I'm 99% certain she doesn't even read this blog. It's okay. It's the thought that counts.

Dancing (like sluts) to "Pour Some Sugar On Me" (obvi) at MSC Hospitality's semi-formal, 2008.

Kelley and I became friends way back during the summer after my freshman year of college. I was in the middle of transferring to Texas A&M and busy buddy-ing up to my new BFF Kristin when I met this gem of a lady. They were counselors in Fish Camp together (and so cool I could barely stand it) and, oh my, I was so intimidated. Just look at her! She's so cute! And funny (although I guess it might be hard to tell THAT from just a picture)! And she dances like a black girl!

Am I allowed to say things like that?

Y'all know what I mean.

BTHO t.u., 2009.

It actually look us a little time to become close, probably because we were both friends with Kristin and there's always going to be some rivalry in that situation. I'm so happy it didn't last long, though, because by our sophomore year I really considered her one of my best friends and have ever since. Kelley's one of the sweetest, most precious people you'll ever meet. She's a wiz in the kitchen, craftsy & handy with just about anything from making pillowcases out of cloth napkins to scrapbooking, and really just a genuinely kind person. I love her more than I can ever truly express.

In College Station for May graduations, 2010.

So today (and this post!) is for you, Kelley. I miss you, but I'm proud of you for working so hard in Austin. Your never-ending optimism (even when you're sad!) inspires me. I'm sorry this isn't appearing your birthday as it should have, but all the same, I love you and I hope today is better than the 18th, meaning I hope some kid doesn't poop his pants again. That sucked.


PS: I really wanted to embarrass you but then realized I don't, in fact, have a copy of that picture of you drunk crawling on your hands & knees through the streets of Italy. You know, the one where you can see totally down your dress? Man. That would have been neat..

land of the free because of the brave

Nothing says America like the Constitution, Ol' Glory, bald eagles and Clark Kent.


I just wanted to stop and wish everyone a happy Memorial Day. Three day weekends and BBQs aside, I hope we all take a second today to remember those brave men & women who have selflessly given their lives for our own. Thank you. :)

stop it, you're making me blush

The absolutely precious Amanda over at The Beginning of Everything awarded me this stylish blogger award because she's either never read this blog or she's just too sweet for her own good. Either way, thanks, lady!



Apparently I'm supposed to list seven facts about myself and, even though I feel like I've done this before (?), here ya go:


1. I'm 24 and I'm trying really hard to enjoy every second of my "youth."
2. My eyes are HAZEL, thank you. Not brown. I could tell you thought otherwise.
3. If I could change one thing about myself, it would be to make myself a more active, athletic person. I wish I loved running. Instead I love pizzas.
4. I'm a gypsy vagabond substitute teacher which sometimes I love and sometimes makes me feel like a loser.
5. Mitch and I torture ourselves by drooling over houses in Uptown we know we can't have. Damn you, Google.
6. I play kickball (badly) and, yes, I think that's very cool. My team is a blast. :) Go Bad Decision Bears!
7. I'm blessed beyond measure, something I don't recognize near enough. All the same, it's true. I'm a lucky girl.


Now, blink back those tears I know I've moved you to and check out the following ladies' blogs that I would like to pass this award onto:

Carrie Jo at Life of the Liles (because she's precious)
Julie at Tri-ing to be Athletic (because she's an inspiration)
Heather at Blonde...Undercover Blonde (because she's the best tweeter I know)
Vanessa at {the best is yet to be} (because she's beautifully honest)
Alex at Mutual Weirdness (because she's my pal, plain & simple)

Thanks again, Amanda! What a cute way to start my Friday. And seriously, check out the above blogs! They're all written by pretty wonderful women I feel privileged to call friends (even if it it's only through the blogosphere). :)

Happy Friday and HAPPY WEEKEND, y'all!

so you need to wait out a tornado warning...

Hello, friends! If you:

• have stupidly gone out to a bar on Tuesday night even though your kickball game is canceled and there's the threat of bad weather
• find yourself not only twenty miles from home, but also in the heart of a major city that's in the middle of a storm path

Or if you just like to laugh in the face of danger, ignore sirens and be an idiot, here are some things you need in order to expertly brave your way through a tornado warning.*

1. a 5th floor apartment with a sliding glass door and lots of windows
...because it's perfect for making you feel as unsafe as possible. Bonus: when it thunders, the doors and windows shake! Awesome!

It's just like a bomb shelter, only safer.

2. no TV or internet
...because when weathering a terrifying storm, it's ideal not to have access to any kind of news source. Bonus: if you try to listen to the radio via your iPhone or Android, you'll probably have to sit through six minutes of commercials before it'll tell you that a tornado's heading straight for your part of town. Goody!

Fuck it. We don't need this shit.

3. jugs of sangria
...because you're bored and there's nothing fancier than drinking booze you've found stored in someone's bathroom. Tip: best when consumed from the actual jug (there's no need to class it up).

Relax. It's just a tornado.

4. Apples to Apples
...because it's the greatest game ever invented. Seriously. That's not an exaggeration, and to all the people out there who think it's stupid, YOU'RE STUPID. And wrong. Tip: winning cards include Helen Keller, Anne Frank, Brad Suggs and, you would think, the JFK assassination. Warning: There are some people who think that running a goddamned marathon is more horrifying than the JFK assassination. These people are terrorists.



5. Homies
...because no one likes to brave this shit alone. Warning: some homies may not be able to handle the dramatic combination of severe weather, sangria & card games and may become belligerent, arguing that Jack the Ripper is more graceful than (my well-played choice of) Eleanor Roosevelt because he "had to be limber to murder all those people," all while sloshing fruity wine on you.

pictured: people with a plan but who will still forget their keys & cell phones in a crisis; not pictured: Mitchell and the beer he carried everywhere he went


There you have it, y'all. If nothing else, this'll entertain you for the several hours you're trapped away from your homes and give you a few stories to tell later as your friends sober up and can't remember all the Eleanor Roosevelt/lesbian comments they made.

PS: Seriously, though, everything's fine here. All have been accounted for and no serious damage was suffered. Thanks for the tweets and prayers. :)



*You should NOT do these things if you sense any extreme danger in your future. Just go sit in a stairwell or something.

can't stop, won't stop: may

Same ol', same ol', y'all. A little preview at some of the songs I can't and won't stop playing on repeat until Mitch hates them & threatens to leave me if I don't please for the love of God play something else:

• Rhythm of Love by Plain White T's
• Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song by Matt Hires
• Boomerang by Mae
• Last Friday Night by Katy Perry (oh hell yes)
• And I'm really loving the soundtrack from The Switch (starring Jason Batemen and Jennifer Aniston). I recently Netflix-ed it, and please just stop what you're doing right now and rent it. Netflix it. Buy it. Whatever. It was so unexpectedly wonderful. I can't wait to buy it. But anyway, the soundtrack is also unexpectedly wonderful (especially songs like All the Beautiful Things by Eels and Lovers' Carvings by Bibio). Check it out.

middle schoolers: they'll straight up hit on you

Today I hung out here:

pictured: your typical social studies classroom

It goes without saying that 8th graders are a handful. I've subbed for this age plenty of times (reluctantly, I admit) and they always offer such unique challenges, ie. if I turn around for even a minute, lo and behold I'll turn back around to find some class clown standing in the corner, taking his shirt off. Whaaat?

Uhhhhh...it was an accident. You're not going to tell my teacher, are you?

What do YOU think, big shot?

Ugh. Kids.

So it's safe to say I understand that kids this age are a bit crazy, always pushing the boundaries to see how much they can get away with or what it will take to shock me. And, all right, occasionally I've encountered a strange comment, but man oh man, nothing like 6th period today.

Sixth period came in loud, and I mean LOUD. I've raised my voice to classes before, busting out the stern, disappointed teacher voice nearly daily in order to regain control, but today I had to yell. Literally. SIT. DOWN. CLOSE YOUR MOUTHS. My words was ringing in my own ears from the volume, but it worked. They sat. They closed their mouths. And for the ten minutes that lapsed as I took roll and rattled off some basic annoucements, they were quiet, but as soon as I turned to walk from the podium, it began.

The roar.

The clamor.

Thirty middle schoolers talking talking talking all at once. It was enough to drive me out of my mind, but that wasn't my problem with today. My problem was the boys. For whatever reason, I have become attractive to tween boys? Cue confusion and vomiting. For forty-five minutes, it was a string of silly lines that went from funny to downright creepy after a kid asked me, Hey, Miss Townsend, you ever tried a fourteen year old before?

...

I was litearlly stunned. Usually when kids says silly, flirty things to me, I laugh them off and remind that I'm not only too old for them, but way out of their league. This was different. After that moment, I was just... Uncomfortable. I found myself in a moment where I felt lost, unsure of what to do next, something that has rarely happened to me in the classroom, thank God.

In order to play it off and not give him the reaction that he wanted (ie. any), I ignored the comment and went about my business. It's funny how such a small moment can change your whole mood. I felt on edge, and for the rest of the period, I didn't feel like myself. I felt like I should have done something more: had him sit out in the hall, written him up, sent him down to the principal's office. Something. But I didn't know what, so I let it go.

As class was wrapping up, another student, a sweet boy about thirteen, came up to me and asked, Miss Townsend, do you know karate? 'Cause your body is KICKIN'! I laughed becasue it was funny. It just was. And it reminded me that these are just kids. They have absolutely no idea what they're saying. Even though a small line was crossed today, I know there will be other moments like this in the future as students and I map out our boundaries. As a sub, I don't have the time to establish myself as anything more than a temporary figurehead, and while most of the time that's enough, I realize now that there will be days I'm tested, days kids will come at me from out of nowhere and I'll have to handle it, have to think on my feet and figure out the best course of action.

But that's kind of the great thing about substitue teaching: I'm never really sure what will happen next. Every day is a brand new adventure and while sometimes it's hard, it's always worthwhile. I've learned so much in the past four months, so much more than I ever though I could. And I'm grateful for that.

I'd still like a Big Girl Teaching job, though.

Anyone handing those out?

I'll be glad to tell you your body is kickin' in exchange.

doneskies

He did it, y’all.

Five years and countless beers later, Mitch finally walked across that stage, shook hands with the dean, and graduated (diploma to be mailed at a later date…LAME). The ceremony was long and I guarantee there’s not a slower speaker to be found than the man who gave the commencement address this past Saturday. Kuykendall arrived early, three shotguns in and ready to do the damn thing (typical). Hogan, Mario and Trevor came still rocking the night before’s duds (typical). I was cranky because I was running late (atypical). The coliseum was a madhouse of family, friends and various other loved ones, and if there’s one thing I hate, it’s fighting my way through a crowd. By the time the last empty diploma tube had been handed out and the last hand shook, the alma mater sung and the caps tossed, everyone was ready to get the hell outta dodge.

But I couldn’t be more proud.

The new best picture of us because I can actually stand myself in it. I'm going to be cramming this down everyone's throats.
It’s true that I had a couple selfish, ridiculous reasons for being excited about Mitch graduating (ie. our age difference is now less creepy and I can stop saying my boyfriend is in college while feeling like a pedophile...holla!), but honestly I’m just happy for him and beyond impressed by everything he’s accomplished. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, you’ll never meet a harder worker than Mitch Baker. There’s never been a doubt in my mind that he’d finish school or anything like that, but regardless, Saturday was one of the most special days I’ve ever been a part of. And I’m just so thrilled. :)

Congratulations to Mitch and all the other spring graduates! You did it!

Forneytown. And Tommy.

one through honorable mention

Welp, my sweet friend Heather over at Blonde Undercover Blonde tagged me in her 10 Favorite Things post, which was just so thoughtful of her. :) And so here ten of my favorite things:


1. The World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA) and my incredibly fun kickball team, the Bad Decision Bears.
This gets a huge shout-out since we finally had our first game last night and, okay, we lost, but it was a blast! I'm so excited for the season to really get underway and to spend even more time with my new friends & teammates. Also, flip cup and karaoke follow games (which are every Tuesday night)... Yes, please!

Hangover Wednesdays on the other hand? No, thank you. Ugh.

Christina, Kelsey and I show off our little teeny bear ears with pride.

2. New planners
I have a not-so-secret love for all things organizational, especially planners. I buy a new one every eight months or so simply because I get excited and CANNOT HELP MYSELF OH MY GOD LOOK HOW CLEAN AND NEAT THE PAGES ARE!!!!!! See what I mean? I bought myself a new one this past Sunday and relish in slowly writing in my plans. It makes me feel so orderly and in control.

Wow, that wasn't uncomfortable at all.

Please keep reading my blog.


3. Naps
If I could nap every single day (guilt-free), I absolutely would. Why? Because my bed is one of my favorite places in the world. It's soft, cozy and full of pillows just the way I like it. Laying in bed, drifting off to sleep in the afternoontime is relaxation at its finest.


4. Live music
The past two summers Mitch and I had made it a point to go to a lot of live shows and we were loving it. However, somehow in 2011 that has falled to the wayside and, well, we are not fans of that. We finally went to our first concert in nine months a few weeks ago, on a Wednesday night in Deep Ellum. We saw Freelance Whales play in such a sweet, intimate setting and we were in heaven, pure & simple.

I'm not going to shut up about Freelance Whales until everyone loves them as much as I do.

Sidenote: Driving out on a Wednesday night to see a band we both love made us more anxious than ever to get jobs and move out to Dallas for real. As we walked down Lamar to our parked cars, we daydreamed about what it would be like one day when we live just down the street and, for that matter, can drive home together without having to say goodbye. Ever. And then Mitch peed on a tree next to my car.

End sidenote.


5. Taco Bueno party burritos.
The flame has been reignited, y'all, and I am once again helpless to my addiction.


6. Rainy days
Mostly I love rainstorms and cloudy days because they give me an excuse to do nothing. Plus, they go great with Favorite Thing #3.

Double plus that when it rains in Grapevine, my backyard looks like this.


7. Mitchell Stanley
Besides being my boyfriend and, thus, an automatic favorite, Mitchell Stanley is pretty much the bee's knees. He's funny, adorable, and kind enough to jog four feet in front of me for over half of Warrior Dash because I refused to run anymore and was totally being a puss about everything, but when I pouted and yelled JUST LEAVE ME OKAY I'M HOLDING YOU BACK GOSH WHATEVER, he just kept slowly trotting along and told me, "Nope, no man left behind." Thanks, dude. :)

Nothing says love and respect like a backdrop of day-glo orange port-o-potties. Romantic.

8. My homies. 'Nough said.


9. This blog.
More specifically, having the freedom and platform to say what I want to say is one of my favorite things, without a doubt. And while at times it may feel overwhelming, I'm so lucky to have a place that's mine and people who give enough shits to read my words. Wow. How amazing is that?


10. Clark & Pete
You knew these were coming. I would be a terrible owner if they didn't make it onto every single Favorite Things list I ever make. And while Pete has moved on from my underwear to the crotches of my Nike running shorts, I try to love him. It goes without saying that Clark is as perfect as always. :)

Whatta bastard.

Honorable Mention: summer, mix CDs, nostalgia, disposable cameras, my mom's chicken & rice casserole, and 4 Lokos.
Seriously, one time Mitch and I ate an entire double batch of my mom's chicken & rice casserole and we were sick for two days. Gluttony, anyone?

Also, yes, 4 Lokos.

And I am of course referencing the original recipe.

Thanks so much, Heather, for thinking of me when you posted! It was fun to do the same. And in keeping with the pattern, I would like to tag the following to share with us ten of their favorite things:


Joelle of Where We Love Is Home (because she is my most honest friend)

Jennie of Well, Shut The Front Door! (because she is my funniest friend)

Hannah of heart to heart (because she is my sweetest friend)

Hugs, kisses and rainbows to everyone. And hey, it's almost Thursday which means it's almost Friday which means it's almost SATURDAY MORNING AT 9:30AM WHICH MEANS IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR MITCH TO GRADUATE.

Hell.

Yes.

No apologies for the all-caps. :)

shit-talking up all night

Lately this blog must give the impression that my life is completely devoid of anything even remotely interesting or fun. If it was otherwise, I'd be writing about all the cool things I do, right? RIGHT?! Y'all, I promise I do cool things. Maybe not all the time and okay, yea, I STILL LIVE WITH MY PARENTS which is the opposite of awesome but hey, just last week I saw a quality community theatre production of Bat Boy: The Musical and if that's not cool, I just don't know what is.

Things have just been busy and I've been all sneezy and do you know how bothersome it is to write when every six seconds you're recuperating from the Mother of All Sneezes?

Answer: extremely.

And while that's really just a ridiculous excuse, the truth of the matter is that I've been so consumed with subbing and looking for a Real Teaching Job and freaking out about looking for a Real Teaching Job that all the fun, cool things I do (and want to write about) fall by the wayside (much to my own personal disappointment). On top of it all, I had (have?) become a bit overwhelmed by this whole blogging universe. As much as I once enjoyed reading posts every day, it started to feel more like a chore and GOD FORBID IF I FELL BEHIND BY A DAY because I just felt like I was drowning in words and holy shit I'm such a failure if I don't catch up, like, yesterday.

Can you tell I suffer from anxiety? More specifically, anxiety over meaningless things which in turn turns them into personal failures that I'll never recover from?

I repeat: anxiety.

Let's not pull at that thread.

Mitch and I were driving back from a quick jaunt over to Nacogdoches a couple Friday afternoons ago, talking & bopping along to the radio when a song came on that we both stopped and really listened to. The words felt so applicable to both of us and the place we're in in our lives, a place of complete uncertainty with a side of Fear of the Unknown. Something about the lyrics gave me peace because they mean that other people in the world have navigated these same waters and you know what, I bet they made it out just fine. So we will too. And even though we're facing huge obstacles (the education job market, bills that have to get paid, skyrocketing gas prices, and very little money in our pockets to boot), it's okay because this is what our twenties are for: figuring this shit out one day at a time, occasionally with the help of a cheap bottle of wine.

But until we get back to our regularly scheduled programming, please enjoy this picture Mitch and I's matching watches we bought on completely different days at completely different Wal-Marts (cha-ching!) and completely by accident.

Yea, it's love.

she's all laid up in bed with a broken heart
while i'm drinking Jack while alone in my local bar
and we don't know how, how we got into this mad situation
only doing things out of frustration
trying to make it work but, man, these times are hard

she needs me now but i can't seem to find the time
i got a new job now on the unemployment line
and we don't know how, how we got into this mess
is it God's test?
someone helps us 'cause we're doing our best
we're trying to make it work but, man, these times are hard

but we're going to start by drinking on cheap bottles of wine
shit-talking up all night, saying things we've haven't for awhile
we're smiling, but we're close to tears
even after all these years we just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time

she's in line at the DOLE with her head held high
while i just lost my job but didn't lose my pride
but we both know how, how we're gonna make it work when it hurts
when you pick yourself up, you get kicked in the dirt
trying to make it work but, man, these times are hard

oh, these times are hard
yea, they're making us crazy
don't give up on me, baby