However Although Thus Several Several

Lordy, Lordy

Where has all the time gone? (My grandmother used to say that. She started lots of sentences with "Lordy, Lordy.")

Quick update from my fabulously exciting life:

We had a grand time at the beach last weekend. If you sneak over to the 365 blog (I finally updated it!) you might see some photos from the quick trip.

I'm back in school. I saw you roll your eyes. I'm taking two classes this semester - one infinitely more interesting than the other - in pursuit of a PhD in Higher Ed. Again, I saw you roll your eyes.

I survived the back-to-school book rush at work and so far (knocking on wood) I don't have swine flu. I'm actually off for the three day weekend, and I had hoped we could go visit Hank, but Smudge has flu and mono (She never does anything half ass) so I'm staying as far away from that house as possible.

Football starts tomorrow. It's a strange feeling to simultaneously dread and love something so much.

I'll be back one day soon - assuming my Cultural Psychology professor does not succeed in his plan to make me throw myself off of Bibb Graves Hall.

Trash talking

I decided to get a manicure and pedicure today in preparation for our beach trip even though I knew the salon would be crazy busy on a Saturday. It wasn't so busy when I first arrived, but started to fill up soon after I got in the chair. A little girl who appeared to be about five years old was there with her mother and her grandmother, and was quite proud of her little mani/pedi.

When I walked over to the drying station I could tell the little girl was eying my feet and thinking about my black polish (OPI Lincoln Park After Dark), but she didn't say anything about it. Pretty soon all three of them ended up at the drying station beside me. (See? Always people in my back pocket...I can't shake them!) Anyway, I had my feet and hands under the dryers and the little girl was busy staring at the wall of polishes beside us for quite a while. Suddenly she spotted a bottle of the black polish like mine and pointed it out to her mother. "I want that color next time," she said. The mother picked up the bottle and read the bottom, "Lincoln Park After Dark. OK. Next time you can have that." The grandmother made a face, and said, "No you aren't getting that color. It's slutty." (Keep in mind Mother and Grandmother have no idea what color my toes are at this point.) Of course, the little girl immediately asked, "What does 'slutty' mean?" Horrified that the grandmother would use the word "slutty" in front of her child, the mother quickly corrected her, "Trashy. She means 'trashy.'"

The little girl thought about it for a second or two and then pointed directly at me and said, "Her toes are that color." Mother and Grandmother lost all color in their faces but didn't say a word. I pulled one foot out from under the dryer and held it up. "Yep," I said, "Just getting ready for the beach."

And then I left. This slut's gotta get busy packing.

Remedy

I have a suggestion for you. If you ever want to be reminded of your blessings or of the good things in your life, write a blog post about how bad your life sucks. I've spent the last couple of days thinking that I'm a big baby and that I need to get over myself. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought that about me lately.

Truth be told - lots of good and downright wonderful things have happened over the last twelve months as well. Just to name a few:

My little bro, Matt, and his girlfriend, Shannon, got engaged! Remember them? We're really excited for them...big wedding and lots of Chattanooga fun coming up the weekend of July 11th.

PJ's parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. We had a fun weekend away at Callaway Gardens with the whole family at the end of the summer to celebrate. I'm supposedly working on a scrapbook about their marriage, but I haven't had the time to finish it yet. I'm so looking forward to spending some hours putting it together this summer. I love looking at their photos from over the years. They've got a sweet story that needs documenting.

In other travel news - I got to go to the Scrap, Etc. Event in Nashville last spring. We took a really fun vacation to our favorite beach spot in July. And I was able to attend Blissdom'09 this past February. There I got to meet Jen Lancaster along with hundreds of other amazing women. It was also there that I met and discovered the music of the one and only Chris Mann.

In crafty news, I made the Scrap, Etc. Design Team after creating this rocking (if I do say so myself) album all about me. (Narcissistic much?) BTW, I just got the word that Scrap, Etc. is closing. I'm really sad about that, but totally get the decision. I can't imagine the stress of trying to run a retail operation in this economy and with such competition. Oh wait, yes I can. It's what I do. And as I said, I totally get the decision. Lucy, I wish you nothing but the best - and lots of time to play tennis and love on Emma and John Connor and hang at the beach. You deserve it.

I also started a blog of photos. I'm taking one photo every day and then posting those to However365. Not only has it been challenging and fun, but watching our days in photos has made me more aware of the little things we have and do that all come together to make one big life.

More times than I can count over the last year, we have heard some kick ass music live and in person. I blogged in October about our experience at Kentuck, but there's been more...like hearing Emmylou Harris sing at Phill's memorial service and then chatting with her about the brownies at the reception later. Just last week we had to chance to hear Robinella again. She always blows me away.

I count the time I get to spend with our nieces and nephews as some of the best days of my life. And because so much has happened in our family this year, we've been together a whole lot more often. I like that. Nothing makes me feel better than snuggling up to that precious Addison and breathing in her baby sweetness. She, Koo Koo, Smudge and Banana have made dealing with my mom's death easier and have reminded me more than once that this is not about me. And of course, I can't wait to meet Hank. As worried as I have been about my sister and her life and how in the world she is gonna pull this off, I'm filled with giddy anticipation. I cannot wait to have this little man to love and spoil. BTW, Koo Koo, Smudge and I are hosting a baby shower this weekend for my sister. It's going to be over the top with cuteness. I can't wait to post photos and a recap here next week. Meanwhile, take a look at the invitation. See? I told you. Cute.

So I would venture to say that what I have lived over the last twelve months is called "life," and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has ever experienced its ups and downs. Through all of this good and bad I've had PJ and amazing friends to pick me up, push me around, and love me. There's no way I could have made it without them. Maybe becoming more aware of that is what the last year was supposed to be about...who knows. What's any of it about?

In the words of Robinella, "Life is beautiful and sometimes grim. But it's now and forever. Amen."

Amen. Can I get a witness?

Scrap Peeps Pay Attention!

Lucy is giving away 5 spots to the Scrap, Etc. Event! No April fooling! This thing is gonna be so much fun. Look out, Atlanta! Here we come! Go to the Scrap, Etc. site now & enter: http://www.scrapetc.com I want you to be there with me. So go forth and win.

The Blissdom recap I almost didn't write

I'm neurotic.

I am fresh back from a conference about blogging and I'm scared to blog about it. At least I think I'm scared...I'm not sure what to call it...overwhelmed, maybe? Freaked out, maybe?

So.

Blissdom'09.

Wow.

I had been there 10 minutes when I texted PJ to say, "They're all young and pretty." I was completely intimidated by them...these sexy geeky girls who seemed to know so much more than me about so many sexy geeky things. I wasn't prepared. It had not occurred to me before that moment that I might not be the smartest person there. I was out-numbered, out-dressed, out-teched. And it was not a good feeling. I clammed up and hardly spoke to anyone for several hours. Why had I wanted to go to this smart girl summit in the first place? What was I thinking? What had I hoped to accomplish? And why didn't I bring along one of my bloggy friends? Why didn't I bring cards? And why the hell don't I have a MacBook?

Somehow I resisted my urge to crawl out of the room, and I listened and I watched. And pretty soon I was into it. Really into it. But even as into it as I was - I didn't make new friends there. Not because people were rude, but because I didn't really try to make new friends. I was too busy trying to process all of the information while making sure no one discovered I wasn't making new friends and felt like they had to make small talk with me. Luckily it's easy to avoid the whole small talk scene if your head is in your laptop or your iPhone for two days.

I learned so much from every aspect of the weekend - the speakers, the panels, the eavesdropping, the observing of everyone else. There were many highlights: I met Jen Lancaster, but couldn't think of a thing to say except, "I'm a big fan." And "I love your writing." And "I'm a big fan." I learned way more about twitter than I ever imagined possible. (You can follow me @howeveralthough, by the way.) I discovered Chris Mann. (Hello, he is adorable.) I met a marketing dude from Wal-Mart. (And yes, I was nice to him. I liked him.) I got some cool swag. I consumed about 7,000 calories in Little Debbie 100 Calories Snacks.

Eventually (maybe two hours before the weekend was over) I realized I did fit in (sort of) and I got more comfortable (sort of). But by then I was also on tech overload and completely exhausted. Then it was time to go. All in all - I loved it. Next year I'm making Virginia go with me. (And I'm taking a MacBook even if I have to steal one on the way there.)

OK. There. I blogged about it. Attention sexy geeky girls - leave me a comment. Much preferred to small talk.

There's gotta be something more...

Today I am sad. Again. I was thinking of that song, "Something More" by Sugarland on the way home today..."I need a little less hard time. I need a little more bliss."

My friend, Jennifer, is hurting. Her dad died of a massive heart attack this morning. He was a great man. She is a great woman. They are a great family. I don't get it. Please don't try to explain it to me. I won't believe you when you say that there's a reason for everything. What reason is there for such sorrow? Seriously? He was only 67. When my mom died more than one person told me that things happen for a reason. I think that's an absolutely ridiculous thing to say. Things happen. And sometimes things suck. Do I doubt that God is in control? Not really. But I still don't get it. More and more I am wondering what it's all about. When I talked to Jennifer today I could hear in her voice that same thing I heard and have heard in my voice ever since my mom died. Just complete shock and disbelief. Why? Why now? Why us?

I can't even discuss it. I just needed to say (write) it. You can read about Jennifer's dad here. Dr. Corts left a huge mark on life.

Speaking of the Sugarland song...I got that one in my head because I'm looking forward to Blissdom '09 this weekend. (Bliss? What's that?) Anyway, I'm really excited about sharing the weekend with these amazing women and getting to hear Jen Lancaster live and in person. (I am, as you know, a HUGE fan.) My ticket to the conference was a gift from Bobbie Jo, and I think it was the perfect gift for me in lots of ways. PJ is going to Nashville with me so I'm also looking forward to a weekend away with him. I hope we get to see my little bro and his fiancee while we are there...and we might even take in the Opry one night.

Blissdom '09 is all about blogging...and more and more I'm realizing that blogging is a huge part of my life...both the writing of my blog and the reading of other blogs. Blogging is how I will leave a part of me here when I am gone. It and scrapbooking, for me, are about leaving a mark. I saw this quote on the Scrap, Etc. event site recently and thought it summed up my perspective quite nicely:

"Above all else it is about leaving a mark that I existed: I was here. I was hungry. I was defeated. I was in love. I was afraid. I was hopeful. I had ideas and I had a good purpose and that's why I made works of art." - Felix Gonzalez-Torres

outta here

I'm taking a much needed break from reality to spend the weekend with my peeps at Wrapper's Delight, a fun and creative event hosted by Scrap, Etc. I can't wait to see my girls, chat, snack, cut, and paste for 36 hours! I plan on just soaking in the creativity and ideas that will be swirling around the room. Surely this will get my butt in gear for holiday preparation. If not, then I don't know what will. We may have to call the whole thing off.

I'm mostly looking forward to being away from the sea of crimson and the 72,000 things to do and no time to do them because of the ceaseless questions and the trying to predict the number of t-shirts and the what if that and the what if this and the what about the shakers and so forth and so on that has become my life over the last several months. So, let us not forget the importance of a big Bama win against LSU this Saturday. But dear God, please let me forget about the importance of a big Bama win against LSU this Saturday. Please let me not give a flying rat's ass. Thank you.

So I will be back next week. Hope you enjoy your weekend, too.

50 years = a very long time

Yo! Long time no see. Sorry about that. I really have nothing much to tell...just photos to share.

We went on a little road trip over the holiday to Callaway Gardens to celebrate PJ's parents' 50th wedding anniversary. I had forgotten how much I like Callaway Gardens. My grandparents used to love to go there, so I was reminded of Gran Gran and Wilbur everywhere I looked. I sent Gran Gran a postcard to let her know how much I thought of her, and it made me wonder what places will remind people of me after I am gone...maybe Seagrove, maybe New Orleans, maybe Chicago? More likely Target or Starbucks. Sigh.

Anyway, I think it's downright amazing that Jim and Elaine have been married for 50 years. Quite an accomplishment! (And I mean that in the nicest way, PJ...I will happily spend 50 years with you if you'll just continue to follow my orders...)

So here's the card I made for them using a copy of one of their wedding photos and a little portion of sheet music from one of the songs from their wedding:

And here they are now. Such a cute and sweet couple!

And here's the whole fam...well, almost the whole fam. Ashley wasn't there. Maybe we could Photoshop his head in there somewhere. Don't think we haven't used that trick before.

Umm...check out PJ's white bucs in the above photo. 22 years old. I swear. And see that guy on the far right? That's PJ's nephew, but it cracks me up how much he looks like PJ did back in the old Zeta and Lambda Chi days at Samford. Good times.

And here we are acting very silly in the hotel room mirrors. Because we are often very silly.

FYI - that's mouthwash he's about to knock back, not whiskey. (I'm the one that shoots the whiskey.)

Seems like there was something else I wanted to share...oh, this t-shirt I "embellished" using fabric from the first Scripts kits. I'm not sure what I think of it yet.

OK...on that note - Peace out.

Edited to add:

Did you notice I changed the banner? And I updated my picture, but I'm still looking for the right one to go there. The one there now is one I took of myself in my office. I would rather not be reminded of my office each time I log on here.

And PJ says I should not have written that I shoot whiskey, because I don't really. Not that there's anything wrong with shooting whiskey. Actually, he just doesn't want his mother to think I was serious when I wrote that.

He also made me change the age of the shoes from 16 to 22. He did some re-calculating. Sorry. I didn't intend to lie. He originally told me 16.

Props to myself

I realized today that I never posted this mini album from my Scrap, Etc. Design Team application. I loved making this thing, and I've decided that those Cosmo Cricket Blackboard albums are the greatest.

I promise I'm not this cocky IRL.

Takin' care of bidness and a RAK at the end

I'm pretty sure that we've covered most of these details before, but Lisa tagged me and I do what Lisa wants. Life is just easier that way.

4 places I visit over and over
    Barnes & Noble, Panera (every Sunday morning - Church of the Bagel), the ridiculous excuse for a Starbucks in my building at work, the lame Winn Dixie near our house (grrrr)

4 people who call/email/text me regularly
    PJ (emails and calls), Bobbie Jo (calls when she's not not speaking to me), Noele (we have the email Olympics going on, and she calls when she has a question...like, "Can I leave early today?"), Kala (emails almost daily and calls every now and then) No one texts me. Does this mean I'm not popular? People twitter me. Or is it "twit" me? Either way, I'm probably a much bigger deal than what you're thinking right now.

4 favorite foods 
    (This changes on a quarterly basis.) Reduced fat Cheez-its, thin crust pepperoni pizza, Special K Chocolately Drizzle breakfast bars, Girl Scout thin mint cookies

4 places I'd rather be
    Red Bar on crab cakes night, Seagrove Beach under the blue umbrella, on the Runaway in BVI, Scrap, Etc.

4 movies I'd watch over and over
    Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Dirty Dancing, Pulp Fiction, True Romance 

4 bands/groups/musicians
    Robinella, John Mayer, Emmylou Harris, Over the Rhine 

OK, now my turn to tag: I'm not tagging anyone because I can't think of anyone I want to know four things about. Just kidding. I'm not tagging anyone because I think everyone I know who has a blog has already answered these.

So...do you feel like you know me a little better now? I hope so.

For kicks, leave a comment with four words that describe you, and I will draw a winner Friday night. Winner gets some sorta RAK from me. I will customize the RAK to "match" the four words you use in your comment. How cool is that? Trust me, it's cool.