mishmash: march

Things have been c-r-a-z-y, y'all. Phew. I feel like I don't even really have time to catch my breath lately, both physically and metaphorically.

Why, then, do I have time to write this today? Well, I shall tell you: currently I am rapidly getting myself ready for another rousing day as an art sub. Yesterday morning I subbed for a pre-K class until 10:45 and in the afternoon I subbed for an art class at 1 (same classes I'll be working with today). Awesome.

And because I don't have too much time left until I have to be at school surrounded by a swarm of first graders demanding to be taught how to draw a horse (seriously), I'll just share the following recent tweets from my Twitter feed. Ohhhhhh yeaaaaaaa. I'm full of gems like:

@andreaaaaa09andrea bamf townsend

Today a 3rd grader showed up to picture day wearing a three-piece suit, winked at me and whispered "call me, babe" as he was leaving. PIMP.

23 Mar via Echofon

An 8th grader was a dick to me when I asked him to take off his sunglasses, so I didn't tell him his fly was down before I took his picture.

24 Mar via Chromed Bird

Second year interviewing with the principal at Furlough Middle School. Here we go again. Better luck this time??

26 Mar via Echofon

The Unit. AND LOKOS.

26 Mar via Echofon

I love that Clark is the favorite at our vet. :) But I mean, duh. Sweetest dog in the whole world!

28 Mar via Echofon

Cranium, mandible, clavicle, scapula, ribs, vertebrae, pelvis, coccyx, femur, patella, tibia. Ulna. Humerus. Thanks, 7th grade science.

29 Mar via Echofon

Thing I Just Learned The Hard Way: how not to spit out the window of a moving vehicle.

29 Mar via Echofon

Not quite sure why we're blasting house music while the kids jog and warm up, but I just watched a third grader hump the ground. #ummmmm

30 Mar via Echofon

Pre-K has already been quite the adventure this morning, complete with a stray dog on the playground that followed me INTO THE SCHOOL.

21 hours ago via Echofon

There's a good chance my fly's been down all morning.

19 hours ago via Echofon

"I'm drawing a baby killing a devil worshipper!" - a second grader in my art class. My response? "Wow! That's...specific..."

16 hours ago via Echofon

Yes, I accidentally let a stray dog into an elementary school yesterday. I hope whoever reviews their security cameras gets a nice laugh outta six minutes of me chasing a fucking dog around the atrium while silently praying to God that no one would come out of the office and see me. Not exactly the way I'd like to be remembered here.

And yes, I apparently rocked the open fly all morning. I'm actually pretty grateful none of my preschoolers pointed it out as that would have been possibly more embarrassing. Instead, they remained oblivious and clung to me with Play-Doh and ink-coated hands, meaning that I, too, was coated in Play-Doh and ink. And while we're on that note, why in the world would you ever give four-year olds a giant ink pad? Seriously? THIS was your idea of a great activity? Because instead of let's neatly make caterpillars with our fingerprints!, the activity instantly became let's stick our entire hands in the huge pad of lime green ink and then touch everyone & everything other than the paper in front of us!

I have green ink on my face. IT WON'T WASH OFF.

Sorry, Glenhope Elementary. I let rogue animals wandar your halls while looking sloppy and irresponsible. Interested in hiring me full time?! Yea, I thought so.


PS: Feel free to join me in breathing a sigh of relief for breaks not being break-ups. A-whoooooooooop. Kisses!

PPS: Stayed tuned for more quality blog shit, including even more obxiouslly boring sub stories as well as an anniversary shout out. Also, writing "stay tuned" made me feel like an arrogant asshole. My bad.

PPPS: Thanks for all the love, support and encouragement, y'all. I really am touched and blessed by each and every one of y'all. :)

happy hour

My blog friend, Joelle, over at Where We Love Is Home has this really fun blog party on Fridays called Happy Hour. You're already interested, right? Just because it's called Happy Hour and that makes you think of booze, right? I KNOW.





Anyway, every Friday over at Where We Love Is Home you can link up, talk about what you're drinking (or what you'd like to be drinking) today, and also find some other neat-o bloggers. It's simple to participate, so I definitely recommend that you click on over and join. While you're there, go ahead and wish her a happy belated birthday, why don't ya?


So. Some highlights from my week?

• My little blog here turned one on Tuesday!

• I forgot to take out my eyebrow ring* at a sub job one morning this week and the bitchy assistant principal came down to my classroom and called me out while giving me the stank eye. Womp womppp.

• Mitch bought me this adorable painting (by Lindsey over at Paint Me a Picture) for Valentine's Day and yesterday I ordered him a matching one (in different colors, of course). Our plan is to hang each below our framed diplomas since the hearts are painted near where our college towns are located. :) Cheesy? Whatev.

• Pete continues to be a pervy-pervert.

• Obedience school ended and I finally posted a picture of Matthew Broderick trainer.

• Last night I went to the movies with my friend Kelsey and we saw Just Go With It. Y'all. This was so cute. We both really loved it, and it has such a badass soundtrack. I'm currently in the process of trying to track it down (you know how I do).

• I'm way obsessed with this picture of the four of us (even what with Clark Kent looking like a roaring dinosaur and all).

Is it 4 o'clock yet? Bring on the after-school margs, y'all. And don't forget to stop by Joelle's blog! :)

*Eyebrow rings are awesome and I don't care what anyone else says. SUCK IT, HATERS.

i'm alive, i swear: post-birthday edition

Let me just start off by saying that between substitute teaching, living in Forney during the week and my birthday festivities, I have spent only two nights in my own bed over the course of the past three weeks. Say what??

Things have been crazy, y'all, but crazy-good.

I had so enjoyed getting into the practice of writing nearly every day and, let's face it, as a writer, that's beyond important, but with everything that's been going on, I've found literally no time to even check anyone else's blogs let alone post on my own. I don't care if it's weird, but that's been tough. Anyway...

This will just be a mishmash post since a lot has happened during my brief hiatus. Let's get on with it:


Substitute Teaching...
...is a total dream. I love it. The more I sub the more I'm convinced I'm supposed to be a teacher...but the less I'm convinced I'm supposed to work for a district. What I mean is I've started worrying over the past three weeks that maybe I'm too out there to be a regular ol' teacher. I definitely don't like being put into a box, wading through red tape, etc. I just want to be able to do what I want when I want and blahblahblah I'm apparently a rebellious sixteen-year old all over again and YOU'RE NOT MY REAL MOM SO JUST LEAVE ME ALONE OKAY GOSH. Being a substitute teacher is so freeing because I don't have to be regular; I can let the kids sit on the floor while they work. I can hug them when the day is over (okay, I'm technically not allowed to do that, but when a sweet kid runs at me full-force and throws their arms around me, I'm not going to push them away, duh). I can say "suck it" in casual conversation. I can have a tattoo. Okay, so, again, technically maybe I'm not allowed to do any of those things either, but I do and the kids love me. And the other teachers love me. And I'm doing a great job. No, Mom, that's not me being full of myself; that's recognizing when I'm good at something, which is rare, so let me have my moment. Jeeeeeez.

I could honestly go on and on and on about all this (seriously, ask any of my annoyed friends), but I'll save it for another day. Besides, I can already feel myself getting all worked up and it's too early in the morning for a stress rash.


Obedience School...
...is over! And, yes, Pete graduated! So what if it was a pity, you-paid-the-money-so-I-guess-we'll-pass-him kind of graduation, it still counts. And he even wore one of those totally lame and adorable mortar boards. Duh, I took a bazillion pictures. Way to go, Pete! You can roll over, but you still swipe food off the kitchen counters and rip my mom's plants out of the ground.

We just really wanted to make this whole get-a-picture-while-Pete's-wearing-a-graduation-cap thing work.

Awkward.

What an adorable family pic, complete with what appears to be Clark Kent having a goddamn seizure. Way to ruin it, CLARK.

MATTHEW BRODERICK TRAINER! Thanks, Scott, for indulging our creepiness and taking a picture with us.

Oh yea, and a picture of the infamous Mia. Bitch.


My Birthday...
...was last Wednesday, the 16th, and I am officially (not) old. What up, 24! Show me what you've got! No, but seriously, so far being twenty-four is all right. The weekend before, a bunch of my friends got together for an impromptu house party which made us all feel like we were in college again, followed by (even more?) drinks and karaoke. I'd never realized I actually knew all the words to If You Wanna Be My Lover until we sang it because, let's face it, the Spicegirls are total crowd-pleasers. Then later I fell off a curb by a valet stand and into a muddy ditch. Mature. This past weekend, however, I trekked down to visit my best friends in Austin for a little post-birthday celebration. That's what happens when your actual birth day falls on a shitty Wednesday -- you get two birthday weekends. Anyway, it was pretty chill, but we did venture out to West 6th Street on Saturday night where I only spent eight dollars because some thirty-two year old Persian dudes came out of nowhere and bought us shots. One of them's birthday was the day after mine and he only hit on me a little, so I felt like it was okay to hang with them. No worries, Mitch has been informed and dare I say he's proud of me? Later while stopped at a red light we screamed out the car windows at an awkward couple until they made out. I repeat: mature.

And since I am still camera-less (read: DEPRESSED), I have no pictures from this past weekend. Instead please enjoy this throwback picture of my BFFs and I from our graduation night, December 2009:

We only deceptively have our shit together.

So, in a nutshell, that's what's been going down in Texas, y'all.

Howdy. I'm Andrea. I'm a twenty-four year old substitute teacher in Dallas, girlfriend to a man who should never under any circumstances be left alone with hair clippers as he will forget to leave himself sideburns, friend to bangin' yet equally immature twenty-somethings, and mother to two of the world's most thieving, conniving dogs.

And this is my universe.

a collection of facts & feelings

If I lived alone, I'd probably spend less time wearing pants.

Being a middle school photographer makes me feel like a rockstar when the kids are excited to see me and remember my name.

I wish I could eat Taco Bueno party burritos like, all day, every day.

This absolutely cracks me up.

Sometimes I resent my dogs. And by my dogs, I mostly mean Pete. And that makes me feel like a bad person.

I like that I like beer.

To paraphrase Mandy Moore in License to Wed, I'd marry Mitch Baker tomorrow in a potato sack dress in the middle of a rainstorm if it meant spending the rest of my life with him.

And on that note, I have an inexplicable fascination with all things Mandy Moore.

I really believe in this.

If there's a Law & Order SVU marathon on somewhere, I can kiss all thoughts of productivity goodbye.

Yum. To both.

I wish I took myself more seriously and gave myself more credit.

I waste a lot of time here. And here. And here. And I never get tired of reading this.

My friends are so effortlessly cool and hot at the same time that it makes me feel a lot cooler and hotter just being known and loved by them. Not that looks are the most important thing in the world; I just happen to have really bangin' friends.

Briarwood. My bad for ruining this picture.

Which reminds me of the time in ninth grade athletics that our teacher asked us what was the most important thing to look for in friends and I answered ummmm...they have to be good looking? No one laughed and I was sent to the principal's office. I went to private school where no one was funny. IT WAS A JOKE, BITCHES. Whatev. I'm over it.

Anyway, it's Tuesday. I love Tuesdays. Happy Tuesday, y'all.

mishmash: january

While this was one of the most fun and relaxing weekends I've had in idon'tknowhowlong, I find that I don't have a ton to say about it. Ha.

Mitch ended up spending the weekend in Grapevine with me (yay!), which involved a lot of snacking, movie-watching, and napping. On Saturday afternoon we saw Black Swan (wtf...) and were forever scarred. And then Saturday night we went out with friends to a place in Dallas called Barcadia. Have y'all ever heard of it? Basically it's this neat bar that's filled with old school arcade games like Miss Pac Man, Donkey Kong Jr., Centipede, etc. They also have a giant version on Jenga out on their patio (which the boys apparently played without us).

via

It was insanely crowded, but I really liked it.

So...ummmm...yea. That's really all. It's not even noon on a Monday and I'm sitting in my pajamas watching Knocked Up on E!. Great omen for a great week ahead?

i'm alive, i swear

I feel so out of touch with the real world.

And by the real world I, of course, mean the internet.

My parents, Mitch and I just got back last night from a family hunting trip out in Hickville, USA (aka. West Texas) where there is absolutely no cell phone service. Also, coincidentally, there was absolutely no hunting for me as I prefer to read and nap. Hunters, hunt your hearts out. Just leave me out of it.

But isn't this a great look for Mitch?

I promise that in real life he looks much hotter. And less like Elmer Fudd.

Anyway, since Christmas Eve is tomorrow (tomorrow!!) I'm spending this evening quietly enjoying a homemade facial mask and tons of free foodstuffs from my Neiman Marcus assistant buyer friend, Eileen (who, in case you couldn't tell, has the coolest job ever).

Happy almost Christmas! Enjoy this picture of my two (TWO!) puppies, please & thanks. And no, it never makes me feel pathetic to talk about my dogs as much as I do. It's fine.

Hello, we're the Townsend-Baker dogs and we're pretty damn adorable.



Oh, and PS: just to be totally anticlimactic, my big "secret" of last week was that my two very dear friends Kelsey and Harrison got engaged this past Saturday. I was overly excited to find out a week before Harry proposed and despeartely wanted to tell the world; however, I am pleased to say I was able to keep it to myself. Look at me, I'm growing up. Anyway, congratulations, Kelsey and Harrison! I can think of no two people more deserving of true love and happiness. :)

mishmash: december

Y'all, basketball picture season is upon us and, let me tell you, I'm exhausted.

Running around the set for nine hours straight, trying to herd together a bunch of screaming pre-teens really takes it outta ya. And for the life of me, I don't remember being that wiggly at twelve and thirteen, but maybe I was. I swear to God, these kids cannot stand still for longer than a split second. And quiet? HA. Maybe in another universe. I lost count of the number of times today I stood on a table and screamed CLOSE YOUR MOUTHS. What a joy.

I have so many blog posts I've started but not finished over the past few days. It's like I can't stay focused (or awake) long enough to get a complete thought out. This has just been one of the most scatterbrained weeks I've ever had, seriously. For example, on Tuesday I dropped off my resume at the front office of one of the middle schools we do pictures at (you know, just so they'd have it on file, just in case) and accidentally wrote "also available for tax tutoring" on a Post-It instead of TAKS. Then I schlepped out to the parking lot, crawled into my car, and died of embarrassment. Hello, Frisco ISD! I'm completely incompetent! HAHAHA!

Ah, good times.

Anyway, Friends re-runs are calling my name (one of my many comfort activities...as opposed to, you know, comfort foods), but before I go, I wanted to share a few pictures from (an impromptu) girls' night out last weekend.



Kelsey, me and Diana met Big Al Mack from Kidd Kraddick in the Morning and squealed like little girls. This was also before I decided to start using my cute mustard yellow scarf as a towel. Yikes.

My new friend Eileen. She just moved here from Chicago a couple months ago and I think it's safe to say she's slowly but surely falling in love with Dallas. And me.

I just love it when old friendships are rekindled. Here I am seen obnoxiously clinging to my little (or rather, tall) loverbugg, Diana.

Tomorrow's Friday which means only one and a half days left until Kelsey's bumpin' White Elephant party on Saturday night. I. Can't. WAIT. I love holiday parties!

Oh, and did I mention Mitch moves home tomorrow? No big deal. :)

All right, peace up.

A-town down. And out.

rap songs & pablo neruda

I had a lot on mind earlier than I was really excited to write about...but now it's 6:30, I have to be somewhere in a half hour, and my hair is still in a side braid. Not cute.

Two things before I rush off to dinner with an old friend (note: I love mentioning things like this because it makes it seem as if I have a social life during the week...which, in actuality, I don't):

1. Mike Rod - "Like I'm Tannehill"
Someone posted this video on Facebook today and I was floored. Hell. to the. YES. I bet Ryan Tannehill feels like an even bigger badass now that he has his own rap song. I know I would.

hullabaloo caneck caneck, son

2. I was feeling like a sappy lame-o when I got home and made this (while inwardly mocking myself):

from Pablo Neruda's love sonnet xvii (a personal favorite)

In related news: only one week left until Mitch moves back!

mishmash: november

In the spirit of echoing everyone else in the world, it's November!

Can you even believe it?

There's something always strangely exciting about starting a new month; perhaps it's the thought of a new beginning, the possibility of a fresh start. Whatever it is, it's already put a spring in my step.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I ordered these earrings from an Etsy shop called Milk Money. They arrived early last week and, yes, they are perfect! I thought about taking a picture of them on my ear(s?) but, to be frank, was too lazy. Anyway, they look just as lovely in person as they did in the picture and I am beyond pleased. Seriously, Milk Money is a ridiculously fabulous little shop. This was my second time ordering from Bethany, the creator, and she was sweet enough to give me a 15% off discount for being a repeat customer. Yes! Even without such a thoughtful gesture, Bethany genuinely seems (from the little information shared via her Etsy profile) like she has a love of people and creating (something I really respect). Oh, and she's speedy -- I got the earrings only a few days after I placed my order! As someone who's notoriously impatient, I love this.

I think these will be my next two purchases (and very soon...I just can't help myself):


Czech glass bead stud earrings - I actually bought these for my friend Kelley's birthday back in May, but I like them so much, I want a pair of my own.

We Make A Great Pear locket ring - ummmmmm...LOVE this.

Oh, Milk Money, you are so adorable that I don't even mind spending the little money I have on your pretty things that make me feel pretty in turn. :)

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween weekend! Mine was spent in Nacogdoches with Mitch and some friends, tailgating (Saturday) and recovering (Sunday). Neither Mitch nor I could come up with any great costume ideas, so we were pretty lame. To be fair, however, our friend Hogan was dressed as a male hula dancer and there was really no way anyone was going to top that.

Currently I'm trying to find a way to get the pictures off this camera. Halfway to Nac I realized I had forgotten mine, but luckily I was able to borrow Hogan's...which means I don't have the right cord(s) for uploading. Damnit. Don't worry, I haven't given up yet. I'm really hoping I can figure this out myself without having to drive (an hour away) to Hogan's.

Oh, and I wanted to share a link I saw yesterday on a blog I read, My Teacups in Peony. Apparently The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click/donate daily so they can get enough free food donated for all the abused and neglected animals they take in. All you do is head over to their website and click on the purple box that says, "Click Here to Give - it's FREE!" One click provides roughly enough food for six animals, and you can visit/click every day! Anyway, I'm totally an animal (read: dog) person, and this really broke my heart. I've already visited yesterday and today! I'm so glad Nicole posted this for others to see.

All right, back to the task at hand: figuring out a way to get these damn pictures uploaded to my computer. Happy Monday, y'all, and happy first day of November!

mismash: october

I have been having a very terrible, no-good, oh-poor-me two weeks.

People have turned out to be selfish, inconsiderate, and flat-out rude, and I don't take too kindly to being treated so poorly. Rejection sucks, yes, and I've been throwing myself plenty of pity parties, but I need to be a big girl and move the hell on. I'm not great at endings. I guess I'll just have to get better.

Work has slowed down considerably since picture day season is officially over (boo), and I'm quite bored (not to mention purposeless-feeling). I'm already fighting off the wintertime blues, and it's only October (and lately the weather has been so bi-polar and consequently so have i rings too true).

Sooooo today I ordered these earrings from this super adorable Etsy shop to cheer myself up.


Seeing as how I've had all this free time, I've finally been able to finish up a few books I'd been working my way through. For the record, Nabokov's Lolita is a. slow, b. longgg, and c. one of the creepiest, most uncomfortable books ever. I'd heard people and my professors make references to this novel for years, so I finally bought it and thought I'd give it a go. In a nutshell, it's the story of (and narrated by) an imprisoned child molester who had fallen in love with his landlady's twelve-year old daughter, etc. It's so awkward and I keep accidentally bringing it with me to middle school sports shoots. That's not okay.

I did, however, recently finish an incredible book called Thin is the New Happy by Valerie Frankel.

Amazing.

I know it sounds silly and cliche, but this memoir has literally changed my life. Val had spent her entire life (since she was 11!) as a chronic-dieter, completely obsessed with her weight and suffering from bad body image issues (story of my life). Anyway, she decides to give up dieting and decides to deal with her emotional baggage, confront the demons in her past, eat when hungry, stop when full, and simply work out to remain healthy instead of focusing on dropping a dress size. Ummm...totally inspiring. And, okay, those may seem like the most obvious things in the world to do, but something about this book and her words clicked with me and changed the way I look at myself. I'm psyched to be on day 4 in a row of working out simply because of the good I know it'll bring to the one body (and mind!) I'm ever going to get. Val, I repeat, you're an inspiration.

I'm not even kidding, read this book.

Now that it's (already) Friday (afternoon), I'm (begrudgingly) off to tackle production and shipping (ie. the parts I don't enjoy about my job...I would much rather be out at shoots all day). But here's to a happy weekend?

mishmash: september

So, I'm currently on my way to yet another fall picture day at yet another middle school. And while I basically enjoy what I do, this morning I am in the grumpiest mood ever and totally dreading it. Once I get there and see all the kids, hopefully I'll perk up...but so far all I want to do is crawl back into bed. Calling in sick doesn't exactly work, though, when you live with AND work for your parents. How would that even work? "Sorry, Dad, I won't be coming downstairs today." Yea. Right.

I realllllly need to begin all my applications to substitute teach, but I'm having a hard time getting motivated (surprise, surprise).

My "new" medicine makes me SICK AS A DOG and I hate whoever created it.

It's becoming rapidly apparent that the last three months of a long distance relationship are the hardest. Now that we're so close to Mitch moving only an hour away, it feels like the days are dragging by. And I'm getting increasingly impatient. I miss him so much. C'mon, December!

Yes, I realize this is just a mishmash of information and complaints, but I started the morning off with nausea, a bad hair day and burnt toast. If this any indication for how the rest of the day is going to go, I'm screwed.

Oh, and my father is possibly the most annoying driver in the world. You served in two wars, Dad. Can't you drive a little faster?

mishmash: june

I can't stop watching HGTV and the World Cup and this it's because I got fired a little over two weeks ago and, therefore, have nothing else to do.


Whaaat?


I know. I knowwwwwww.


This is surprising, no? Especially since I had just gotten a raise and a promotion, like, ten days prior? To be completely honest, I'm still not entirely certain why I was let go. Our CFO, Brian, came into my office, and said "Hey, ummmmm...sorry, but it's not working out. We're letting you go. Ummmm...we love you as a person, but...yea. Sorry." HA. Honestly, though, I'm assuming they just realized that I wasn't going to be staying with them long-term, and so it was easier to let me go now and hire/train someone who was more permanent. Which is fine. I understand, and I actually agree that that's probably what's best for the company. However, it would have been super if they could have not given me incredible job security and then, BOOM!, out of the blue fire me. Handled. So. Poorly.


I could teach them a thing or two about effective & proper communication.


So, that being said and that being the scenario, I find myself once again at square one. It's frustrating, yes, and pretty overwhelming when I consider all the bills I have rolling in (which are, weird, difficult to pay without any income). But I'm comforting myself with a few realizations:


a. I totally hated working there
b. All my favorite writers/bloggers have also been fired from shit jobs
c. Perhaps this is God giving me a second chance at SUMMER!
d. Things could be way worse


Admittedly, it's taken me these two+ weeks to get to this place, the accepting place where I breathe and sleep and function normally. A lot of things had hit me all at once (ie. a huge speeding ticket, major car repairs needed, getting fired, laptop completely dying, Clark medical issues/vet bills, losing my Aggie ring, etc.). And it's not that any of these things have been solved (I am still laptop-less, dealing with my Louisiana speeding ticket, and up to my ears in vet bills & repair estimates). I guess I've just realized I can't do more than I can do, and I'll just have to be optimistic that help will come in the nick of time.


I've been here in Nac with Mitch since Tuesday because, I mean, why not? I can look for a job on his computer just as easily as on my parent's computer in Grapevine. So Clark and I have been camped out in his apartment, sleeping late and watching a lot of TV while Mitch works tennis camps and teaches lessons. Three of his best friends are coming to visit this weekend and they'll be here tonight, so that should be fun. Then tomorrow night is Caro's sister Elizabeth's wedding in Silsbee! I'm terribly excited to see Caro for the first time in two months (sickkk) and to celebrate with the Sweatt family. Monday means back to Grapevine and back to reality, but meh, that's three days away. :)


In the meantime, when I'm not sleeping, HGTVing, or World Cupping, I'm looking for teaching jobs. The same thing I've been doing since December. Ugh.


I keep reminding myself that most districts don't require their teachers to file resignations until mid- to late-July, so there's still plenty of time for me to hear something. I've literally applied for over four hundred jobs in the past six months. That's not depressing at all, right? Haha. Anyway, keep your fingers crossed for me that I get a call from a school in the next month or two so that I won't continue to be destitute.


For now, I think I'll call the wonderful sheriff's department in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana and excitedly learn how much money I'll get to pay them. Awesome!




PS: Oh, and my mom called yesterday afternoon to say she found my Aggie ring!! Maybe this is where my luck starts! :)

mishmash: may

I honestly don't enjoy being moody, despite popular belief.

I don't like not liking my work. I don't like acting irritable when I get home because I'm frustrated by living with my parents. I don't like literally living for the weekends alone. That's silly and it's stupid. I try to give myself pep talks in order to remind myself that I do have the ability to adopt a more positive mindset. I really do.

...

take a good look at yourself & know

you've got yourself a ways to go

but difficult is not impossible

you can take back all the lost control

...

The words to the bridge of Relient K's Hope for Every Fallen Man (above) always bring me such peace and comfort. From time to time I need a reminder that yes, I've got a ways to go but no, difficult isn't impossible and I can take back all the lost control.

And besides, there really is so much to be grateful for. The next several weekends are going to be busy and wonderful. College Station for my best friend Kristin's graduation. Briarwood Semi-formal. Yoga classes. Roadtrip to Mandevilla/NOLA with Mitch over Memorial weekend. :) Free Press Summer Fest music festival in Houston. My brother's wedding/open bar reception. DrUncle Sam 4th of July Party Barge on Lake Conroe. Family reunion. Briarwood floats tha rivaaa. There will be wonderful times with wonderful friends and I am most definitely thankful for that.

In other news, today I am especially grateful for weekends spent watching my boyfriend kick ass in tennis tournaments. I was such the proud fan. :)

mishmash: march

Today was so beautiful, even if I did spend 75% of it doing laundry. No matter! It needed to be done and clean sheets are a delight.

I've been really enjoying Boys Like Girls' cover of Let Go, orginally by Frou Frou, all day (listen here).

Since the weather was so nice today, I felt like being outside and planned on buying flowers for my little flower pots. Jennifer and I had the prettiest flowers on our porch when we lived at Briarwood. My pots have been sad & empty ever since I moved back home.

Can you believe it's already 7:30? Where has Sunday gone? Oh well, I'm off to make a paper heart chain! Yay!