Random Amusement

Because it is a dreary, rainy Monday here in the great city of Nashville, I thought I would share some random fun with you.  Go to the website below, turn up your volume and start clicking on the squares!


http://lab.andre-michelle.com/tonematrix

Happy music making!

Fashion Frenzy

While procrastinating (again) this morning, I was virtually wandering around to various blogs of friends and friends of friends.  Low and behold, I found a blog post that just happened to lead me to some of the most wonderful online shops ever!  So of course, I wanted to share.  Now, some of you may already be familiar with these happy places, but for those of you who are not, I hope they bring just as big a smile to your face as they did to mine.

http://www.modcloth.com/

http://www.shopruche.com/

I'd like to say your welcome and I apologize at the same time because while you girls will look fabulous . . . you may also run out of cash. :)

Happy shopping!

The Cookies Are Here!

Well . . . they aren't actually here quite yet.  But my order of Girlscout cookies will arrive in a little less than two weeks and I am thrilled!  I mean what better way to start a February than with two boxes of Thin Mints and two boxes of Do-si-dos?

Out of curiosity, and honestly because I wanted to delay the start of my workday, I decided to investigate these lovely treats a little bit more.  And because I'm sure you are just as interested as I am in knowing all there is to know about these delicious little guys, here are some random facts that caught my eye:

- There are three mandatory varieties of Girlscout Cookies that have to be produced every year: Thin Mints, Do-si-dos, and Shortbread.

- Girlscout Cookies are sold by weight, which is why the number of cookies in each box varies for each type.

- The best selling cookie type is Thin Mints, which makes up an average of 25% of the sales each year.  Samoas are second, with 19% and Tagalongs are third with 13%

- Girlscout Cookies are kosher

- 70% of the proceeds from Girlscout Cookies goes to the troops that sell them

So there you go; a few little tidbits of knowledge to make you think and hopefully get you as excited as I am about these yummy treats!

And really, would this post be complete without a video demonstrating the excitement Girlscout cookies bring to the lives of people everywhere?  I think not.  So I'll leave you with this . . .

Happy snacking!

The Real Deal

I found this excerpt from The Velveteen Rabbit today . . .

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful.
"When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
 
My hope for the New Year is that I can endure difficulties with a resilient heart, fully revel in the joys, and jump in head first to the unknown in hopes of becoming more REAL day by day.
 
Happy New Year!

Vacation Day

I am NOT on vacation today. 

As we speak, I am at work staring out my window at a dreary rainy Thursday.  I have A LOT to get done today, and yet all I can think about is my warm bed.  Unfortunately, I can't go back and start today over on vacation, but I can dream about all the things I would do (or not do) if I was taking one. 

This is not my bed but it looks just as cozy and I'm pretty sure this is where I would stay until about 10 or 11 just to make sure I squeezed every bit of extra sleep out of my morning off.

I would eat a few bowls of these for my breakfast/lunch.

Obviously, I would have to have one or two of these throughout the day.

Then of course I would spend several hours watching this.  AT&T Uverse has made me a happy girl.  And during my lazy tv-watching afteroon, I would lounge on this:

Again, not my couch but it looks like one on which I could spend several quality hours.

I think I've cooked up a pretty nice little day off for myself.  If only it could happen before 2011 . . .

Thankful

My Thanksgiving was in a place that looks a little like this . . .

I was lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving in Arizona this year, which meant I was able to see a whole bunch of family.  I haven't been home to Indiana since July and before this trip I hadn't been able to visit my brother, who is currently living in Phoenix, so I got the best of both worlds this past week!  And, as an added bonus, I got to see my aunt, uncle, cousins, and all of their kids.

I guess I hadn't thought near as long or hard as I should have in the days leading up to Thanksgiving about all of the things that are so precious in my life.  To try and make a list of all the ways I've been blessed would take hours, and even that in itself is a blessing to be able to say.  I guess the easiest way to sum up all of the wonderful things in my life is to say this:

God has been so incredibly faithful in providing for me, teaching me, developing me, and challenging me to become a woman who is a more accurate reflection of Him each day.

Every person, situation, opportunity, and ability that is a part of my life has a place in the statement above.  And though you may catch me on days when I don't seem particularly "thankful" for His faithfulness, I know I am so incredibly lucky to be loved and pursued by the God of this universe.

I hope I can be more conscious of each and every way in which I am blessed this coming year.  And, I hope each of you had the happiest of Thanksgivings, wherever you spent your time!

195.5

Who knew reflective vests were so stylish?

That's the total distance me and 11 other crazy people ran last weekend.  And let me tell you, it was an experience like no other.

Several months ago, I decided to run in the Ragnar relay, which takes runners from Chattanooga to Nashville.  Each runner is responsible for running 3 legs of the relay, which can be anywhere from 3 to 9 miles long.  My total for the relay: 17 or 8, 4.5, and 4.5 to be more specific.

I'm going to tell you that this race was a blast, but unless you like running you probably won't believe me :)  I'm also going to tell you that only getting one hour of sleep and one shower during the whole 29 hours wasn't that bad.  But, I know you'll think I'm insane for saying that too.

And that's okay.  Because even I have to admit the whole idea is pretty ridiculous.  But, most of the time, it's the ridiculous things I've done that end up being the most fun/exciting/memorable.  And this ridiculous thing just happened to connect me with some truly amazing people that I'm so glad to now call friends.

So here's to all things that are a little off-center.  I say dive in head first.  Life is short and you only get to live it once . . . so why not throw an all-night run complete with reflective gear, headlamps, and a 15-passenger van into the mix?