Eight seconds

Kate and I spent our Saturday night at the Shelby County Rodeo, and a good time was had by all. I got to wear my boots, got to play with my camera, and have since managed to get the cow stink out of my jeans . . . a success. I've still got a lot to learn about the ol' camera. I was trying so hard to get my shutter speed just right that I didn't spend time compensating for the bad lighting. Oh well. I got what I got!

Calf roping . . . those little calves were moving.



This large fella was the raffle prize.

Kate: Who on earth would want a giant cow as a prize? Where would you put him?

Me: They're not raffling the cow. They're raffling . . . beef.

Kate: . . . Oh.

And then there was the bullriding. Not many of the riders stayed on the whole eight seconds, but it was fun to watch anyway. One rider did get his arm broken when the bull stepped on it. People around us seemed shocked. Shocked that someone had gotten hurt . . . bullriding. Are you even allowed to be shocked about the outcome when you climb onto an angry, extra large animal who is hellbent on getting you off. his. back?

My pictures of the barrel racing and steer roping didn't turn out at all, but those were my two favorite events. If teaching doesn't work out for me, I may have a future as a steer roper.

I love living in the South.

A hodgepodge of drivel

Drivel. It's what I do. I'm stuffed to the brim with it.

*Tonight is Oscar night. This makes me very happy. My favorite part is watching the red carpet interviews and seeing what everyone is wearing. I look forward to calling Mom 64 times during the red carpet pre-show to see what she's thinking. She told me earlier she's charging her phone so that it can hold up through all the Oscar night calling. I didn't know whether to be embarrassed or proud. I'm also pulling for The King's Speech in a large way. I know they all truly appreciate my support; my thank you note will surely be along in the mail any day now.

*Kate and I went to the Shelby County Rodeo last night. I loved it. I'm almost positive that we were the only ones cruising up to the rodeo in a sweet rental Ford Taurus. Pictures from the night on their way.

*Speaking of Ford Tauruses, I've got a rental car for the week. Reason : I'm buying a new car! Yep, my decision has been made. I didn't realize how excited I would be about this. Although this isn't even kinda what I had planned, I'm rolling with it. After looking around with Daddy yesterday and taking a few test drives, I've almost decided. Pinky promise me you won't tell Mitzy she's a goner until I can figure out how to break it to her. Promise??? Poor old girl.

*My class went to see a Mary Kay lady at Career Day a few weeks ago, and she told me something that I can't get out of my head. According to her, for every night you don't take off your makeup, you age your face 13 days. I'm not sure if that's 100% accurate, but buddy, you better believe I'm washing this mug of mine before it hits my pillow every night!

*Today is this cool kid's 26th birthday:

This is us at Alpha Gam's fall formal our senior year - 2006. I've known him over 20 years . . . almost as long as my own brother . . . and I think he's kinda cool. I'm blessed to be able to count his equally kinda cool wife as a friend, also. These last few years are the first time we've ever not lived in the same city (including college) and I'm not a huge fan. Luke and Adrienne, move back ASAP, 'k? Thanks. Happy birthday, kinda cool Luke.

Overload

Car battery nearly dead because alternator is shot. Headlights won't function . . . thus, all driving must now be done in daylight hours. Who needs to drive in the dark anyway! In serious danger of ending up totally stranded one of these days. Also in danger of going broke fixing old car while "saving" for a new car. Have spent $700 so far this year (and it's, uh, February) on ol' Mitzy. Kinda hard to save boatloads of money when you spend it on repairs faster than you can get it into that dadgum savings account. Dilemma. Continue to funnel money into a rapidly declining car? Abandon original "save until December" plan and buy a new car ASAP? Rent a car to think about it for a few days? Cry? Fret? Worry? Give up and lay in bed for 3 days and eat popcorn and watch Golden Girls?

I'd be lying if I said that last option didn't appeal to me a great deal.

Gah. Sometimes being a gronwup is zero fun. Thankfully, I have a sweet daddy who's willing to give up his Saturday morning on short notice and help me figure this out. Don't know what I'd do without him.

Thanks, DennyJ . . . I owe you one! Next time you have car troubles, you can count on me. You'll probably have to drag me kicking and screaming out of my popcorn/Golden Girls cocoon, but all the same . . . you can count on me.

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for . . .

• the good Lord
• the countless blessings in my life
• my family and friends
• my health, even though I'm currently "cruddy" . . . again. Excellent. My sinuses clearly hate me, and the feeling is becoming more mutual by the second.
• whoever invented the Neti Pot . . . if it's possible to be addicted, yall need to get to planning an intervention
• Excedrin . . . saved the day today and allowed this teacher to continue functioning
• realizing this morning that there were 41 (41!!) grams of sugar in my little bottle of orange juice before I finished the whole thing . . . that's a lotta sugar for this formerly sugar-free but now just kinda sugar-free girl
• above-freezing (heck, above-50 degree!) temperatures
• fun plans this weekend
• that I got to be a child in a much less PC time and got to enjoy the heck out of my Easy Bake Oven
• an uncharacteristically good attitude about having morning duty this week
• getting to see Paul McDonald make it to the top 24 on American Idol . . . see him here and here. He's made a name for himself on the show, but he's still SkyBar-tastic to me. So exciting to see him on TV!
• the chance to laugh off an good idea gone bad this afternoon . . . Since it was a nice overcast, cool-ish day, I decided to take my class outside before dismissal so that we could write in the great outdoors. Mistake. The sun came out and tried to roast us. The wind picked (way, way) up. Nobody got any writing done because the papers were a-flyin'. One poor little fella's essay, four days' worth of pouring his heart out onto paper, got away from him and literally took off like a helium balloon. He was horrified until I told him that would be the easiest A he ever earned in my class. Then we all laughed about it for 10 minutes. I bet that essay's over the Gulf of Mexico by now.
• giving Mama a tiny little somethin' somethin' to look forward to each day this week
• spring break arriving in less than a month
• fun people to laugh with at work
• the safe arrival of healthy, handsome, 9 lb. (!) Logan Evans this week . . . congratulations, Mollie "Can'tBelieveSheBirthedANinePoundBaby" and Andy!

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Missed opportunity

I'm working to backup (back up? back-up? which one is it?) the eleventy hundred pictures I have on my computer, and I came across this jewel from October 2009. In our defense, this was taken when we were in the middle of planning our pose and wholly unprepared to be snapped:

(We're not usually so devoid of pigment. Well, at least Kira isn't.)

It was taken post-AU/Kentucky game, on an unseasonably, unnecessarily cold evening. What happened right after this picture was taken still haunts me a bit.

Kira and I started the hike to my car about midnight, and we were looking forward to thawing ourselves out when we were stopped by a "Hey ladies!" We turned around and a little boy, followed by two gentlemen, was talking to us.

Little Boy: "Do yall watch Cougar Town?"
Us: "Nope."
Little Boy [pointing to the exceedingly attractive, smiling man behind him]: "Well my Uncle Josh is on that show."
Us: (awkward laughter)
Me: "Well, that's neat."

That's neat. Does anybody say "neat" anymore? I could only have been lamer if I'd dropped a "neato".

Then (this is the part that still haunts me) we turned and walked away. Just up and left. How impolite and . . . unsouthern! Granted, we were thinking strange men. midnight. by ourselves. frostbite setting in. must. get. away. now.

I couldn't shake the thought that he looked familiar so I looked him up when I got home. Dear heavens. I knew who he was. He'd been on Brothers & Sisters, of which I was a devoted fan, for most of a season. I'd seen him on TV plenty of other times. And I turned and walked away without so much as a "Nice to meet you!" I left without getting to shake his hand or smell him or have him autograph any of my body parts or offering to move out to L.A. and cook him supper every night.

That could have been my big chance. Sigh. Back to the drawing board.

Welcome back to my life, Kenny

Once upon a time, I was a Kenny Chesney fan. Things were good between us. Then, I began to notice that all of his songs were about island living . . . high school . . . college . . . the good ol' days. Like, to the point where I began to wonder if Kenny was actually a Rasta man with a frattoo and a killer state championship ring.

I swore him off. Done. Well, until I heard his latest song. I didn't want to like it, but I do. I'm willing to let him back in. But Kenny, one more song . . . just ONE more . . . about sand or ocean water or football or nervous first dates with the homecoming queen, and we're done forever. Don't let me down.

Preview of coming attractions

It's been 65+ degrees all week.

The birds are chirping and stuffing their faces and busily preparing nests to house new babes.

The critters are out in full force.



Old plants are coming back to life and new ones are springing forth.

 I just love spring.

Maybe Punxsutawney Phil really does know what he's talking about. After all, he's a groundhog. And is there anything that groundhogs don't know?

Go Mama . . . it's your birthday!

I'm a blessed lady. Every February, I get to celebrate two pretty wonderful ladies : my Mimi and my Mama.

Today is Mama's big day, and I'm kinda crazy about her. She's the one that I want to talk to at the end of the day. She's the one that who always knows exactly what I need, even when I fight her on it. She's the one who gives me the advice that I want and, sometimes, the advice that I need (even if I don't want to hear it). She's the one who never hesitates to tell me how wonderful I am, and she knows when I need to hear that the most. Don't. Know what. I'd do. Without. Her.

I was inspired by the week's worth of valentines to do something in return for Mama's birthday. Here's a sneak peek of the little somethin' somethin' I've had up my sleeve:

It's a little "happy" for every day of the upcoming week. Nothing fancy, just a few simple things I know make her smile. Just wanted to take her birthday and make a whole dadgum week out of it.

Happy birthday, sweet Mama. I love you.

PS--Mom, this is the same video I posted for Mimi. Consider yourself officially hip and "with it". You can thank me later.

Thankful Thursday

I heard someone say today, "Well what do I have to be thankful for?" It hurt my heart because (if I may be totally honest) I've felt like that on many an occasion. That's why I'm a big fan of Thankful Thursdays . . . I almost always feel better when I make myself list out all the many ways in which I am blessed.

Today I am thankful for . . .

• the never-ending, all-encompassing grace of God
• my family and friends
• my health
• my job
• feeling much more encouraged this week than last week
• the chance to celebrate Mama's birthday this weekend
• getting several good, long walks in this week . . . delight
• clean running water whenever I want it, electricity, a roof over my head, food to eat, a comfy bed, clothes, shoes, a functioning car, money to buy things I need and things I want
• that there is absolutely nothing in my life that resembles what Sammi and Ronnie have going on . . . egads
• gloriously beautiful weather this week
• a fun return trip to D.C. to look forward to
• that I'm content to shut my mouth and listen to other people run theirs . . . I may not be a big talker, but I hear everything . . . this saves me lots o' trouble and grief, and for that, I am thankful
• feelings of peace and contentment and excitement
• my papers from last night are graded . . . alas, they waited on me to get the job done
• hopefully feeling a bit "bloggier" next week
• finding this picture . . . photographic evidence of one of the most fabulous nights in my college career . . . so thankful for these chicas

{Kate, me, Laura Allyson, Laura, Kira . . . it won't hurt my feelings if you stop real quick and check your reflection in my forehead}
• some time to rest and recoup and just "do life" for a while

HAPPY WEEKEND!





More drivel

Aren't you lucky? I have absolutely nothing interesting to write about today, so I'll just unload some more drivel. I've got plenty to spare.

*This story saddens me. And makes me angry. And saddens me again. I want to weep. Those trees are over 100 years old. They're beautiful and majestic and shady and leafy and are part of such a beautiful tradition. They never hurt anybody. Whoever decided to do this needs to refocus their priorities and fill up their free time. Go cure cancer or feed starving children or save the whales or something. Or go spend your free time in prison . . . in the time it takes for you to be found, you can be certain that there's a team of folks out there figuring out what to charge you with. Prison = totally worth it, right? Right?? Quit being such a hardcore loser. The only people who think you're cute and funny are part of your hardcore losers club. Oh, man. I feel it coming on . . . I need to go pray.

*The weather over the last few days has been really, really, ridiculously gorgeous. Sunny. Warm. Breezy. Blue skies. Heaven.

*I'm feeling more encouraged these days. Thanks for the prayers and happy thoughts . . . I'm feeling 'em!

*I'm watching American Idol and falling more in love with Steven Tyler every minute. What a fun guy.

*My mama and daddy came up with a fun little Valentine's Day surprise for me. I have a special valentine to open each day this week. I love taking a special occasion and stretching the stink out of it. Thanks, parents. You're kinda awesome.

*I've got a stack of papers that need to be graded sitting on my counter. Any second now they'll start grading themselves . . . I'll report back.

*Mama's birthday is Saturday and I'm pretty excited. She's fairly incredible. Plus, I've got a little somethin' somethin' up my sleeve. I love having a little somethin' somethin' up my sleeve.

*In a rare, fleeting moment of self-control, I took the piddly remains of my 3 boxes of Girl Scout cookies and left them in the workroom this morning. And I only looked back 22 times as I walked away.

*I'm very much looking forward to mine and Kate's rodeo plans at the end of the month. I plan on having the largest of times. I hope it doesn't disappoint!

*Someday, when I grow up, I'll have a house (with exactly zero upstairs neighbors who do step aerobics for 11 hours each day) and a little garden and a hammock and a porch. And I'll sit on the porch in the summertime and smell the rain and take naps and ponder life. If you're really sweet to me, I'll let you come sit on my porch with me.

*Tomorrow is Thursday, which means the next day is Friday, which is a good thing. Is there anybody out there who doesn't like Fridays? If so, I'd like to talk to you about this.

*This picture is my desktop and may be until the end of time. I took it on a riverboat cruise in Chattanooga this past August on my girls' trip with Mimi. It makes me marvel at how creative and artistic God was feeling that night.

If you made it through that minefield of randomness, you deserve a cash prize. I'm going to go check to see how far those papers have gotten in grading themselves.

Go Mimi . . . it's your birthday!

I couldn't care much less about Valentine's Day, but there is something about this day that always makes me smile. Today is my sweet Mimi's birthday.

(FYI- - -That cake weighed seven pounds. Until we cut it, I was convinced it was chocolate-covered concrete. Seven. Pounds. Of cake.)

I'd tell you how old she is today, but she'd probably pinch me on the bottom next time she saw me. I don't like to be pinched on the bottom, so I'll move on.

Mimi will probably be embarrassed that I'm writing about her, but she'll get over it.

I adore Mimi. She's the coolest grandmother on the planet. She calls me Bug. She's my partner in crime. She's my travel buddy. She thinks everything I do is just fabulous and lets me know just how fabulous. She calls me every week just to say hey . . . oh yeah, and to check and see if I'm dating anyone lately. If I asked her to walk through fire for me, she would . . . right after she asked, "What the hell for? Bug, you owe me big time." Everybody ought to be so loved, and I feel blessed every day that I am.

Happy birthday, Mimi. I think you're pretty cool.

PS- - -Meems, if you read this and want to know where the title came from, click here. I just made you a little bit cooler. And it's even the (marginally) edited version. You're welcome.

What did you do today?

The weather was so glorious today. Highs in the 50s, sunny . . . such a beautiful change from earlier this week. I had the grandest of plans. I needed a good day today.

Instead, I ran errands and spent 3 hours working on things for work next week. I then took Mitzy to get her brakes looked at. I logged a good solid 4 hours there. I watched the sun set and this beautiful day draw to a close. I saw other customers come and go. I read 4 auto repair magazines. 7:00 closing time came and went. They test drove Mitzy 413 times. They told me the part wasn't "taking" so they would work on it some more tomorrow as soon as they opened . . . I should call and find a ride home. I called Aunt Dianne and asked her to come; she hopped right in her car. Bless her. They told me 5 minutes later that the part finally "took". Called Auntie D back and told her she could turn around. Thanks anyway, Auntie! I wrote a check for $150 more than I currently have in my checking account . . . savings account, prepare to be pillaged.

This was most definitely not the good day I've been craving. That will come tomorrow, maybe. If not tomorrow, then maybe the next day. HOWEVER, lest I sound negative...I have some killer new brakes, yall! I nearly slung myself through the windshield when I stepped on them for the first time. I'm going to have to learn how to drive all over again! Plus, since I'm such a frequent flyer there, they topped off my oil and filled my (3/4 full) tank up with gas.

Next time you see Mitzy, remember to tell her how pretty her new master cylinder and wheel cylinders are. It'll make her feel special.
**********************************************************************************
PS---My favorite movie of all time is on tonight. This day may turn out to be good after all.

Thankful Thursday

I almost nixed my Thankful Thursday post this evening. I'm tired. I'm grumpy, and have been all day. I'm cold. I can't muster up enough motivation to get ready for work tomorrow. I'm in need of much encouragement. I hope nobody needs anything from me the rest of the night, 'cause I got nothin' left to give. My no-sugar resolution went down in a big, fat, flaming ball of failure. I don't want to get into the ugly details, but Girl Scout cookies may or may not have been involved. Overall, it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

However, I'm forcing myself to carry on with Thankful Thursday because God has blessed me beyond measure and deserves to be recognized. I'm declaring this pity party officially over.

Today I am thankful for . . .

• God's grace and love and guidance and forgiveness and patience . . . oh, His patience with me
• my family and friends
• my health, and hopefully some positive changes around the corner
• my job
• my students and the fact that they provide me with absolutely no opportunities to be lazy at work
• Monday morning prayer group
• Career Day tomorrow at school . . . much-needed day "off"
• fun plans of the rodeo variety for the end of the month
• my new perfume . . . still makes me happy
• warmer weather right around the corner
• a warm, cozy place to go to when I need to get out of this weather
• a car that gets me where I need to go when I want to go there
• living near enough to my family to visit on a whim
• getting to see the beautiful, untouched snow all over the hillsides and trees while driving to work this morning
• surprising the kiddos with a play-in-the-snow party at 8 AM
• some new readers to the ol' blog lately . . . I blog about things that interest me and often feel amazed that anyone else would want to read all this mess . . . glad to have ya, though!
• second chances (and third chances . . . thirteenth chances . . . millionth chances)
• the chance to celebrate my Mimi and Mama over the next week
• a fun science experiment planned for tomorrow . . . I'm boiling some red cabbage right now . . . did you know you can test the acidity/alkalinity of substances by mixing them with red cabbage juice? If you were in my class, you'd get to try it out tomorrow.
• getting to see this last night:

As much as I long for spring, I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing snow pouring from the sky. This Alabama girl still thinks, "Oh my gosh, it's SNOWING!!!!" every time it comes down.
HAPPY WEEKEND,
 and here's to tomorrow being the polar opposite of terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad!

Drivel

I have a nearly constant stream of random thoughts in my mind at all waking moments. I sincerely feel that this is why I can't remember pertinent, need-it-right-this-second information . . . my mind is packed to the brim with utter drivel.

• I'm tired of the cold weather. It's fun and all in November and December but come New Year's, the shine has worn off. I know it's not nearly as frigid here in Alabama as it is across the country, but still. I don't love the blazing hotness of summer, but spring and fall are deliciously ideal.
•  
• Don't know why my bullets are double-timing in this post. Kinda bothered by it, but not enough to investigate.
•  
• I had a dream last night that I went to Heaven. I was waiting in line and singing with the girl behind me. Oh, we were having a conversation, but it was happening in song. As we got closer to the pearly gates, we both got our first whiff of Heaven, and it smelled like cotton candy. Yum. The girl behind me was really disappointed and sang a "I hate cotton candy" song. When we met the good Lord, I got to go straight to the "woohoo, I'm in Heaven!" party, and she had to sit in the time-out chair for complaining. Whiners never win, chica!
• Why would you go to a hotel to get butt implants? Why would you get butt implants everatallforanyreason? Ick.
•  
• I made myself slow down on my Pioneer Woman book. It was going so fast and I'm not ready for it to be over. Love it. Love her.
•  
• I'm glad our walking club met again today. I don't care that there are only two members . . . and we've only met twice. We can call it a walking club if we want to.
•  
• I've been eating cucumbers for snacks. Like, 4 cucumbers a week. Can't get enough. It occurred to me today that this may be strange and excessive. Do other people eat cucumbers for snacks? And love it?
• I watched the premiere of "American Idol" this season to see a guy I went to Auburn with audition (goin' to Hollywood!). I was surprised to find, after all these years of shunning the show, that I like it! I think I liked the concept all along, but just wasn't a fan of Simon or Paula. I love, love, LOVE Steven Tyler on there. He's funny and sweet and genuine and positive. When he hears something he likes, he closes his eyes and just grooves. I love it. I want to go have lunch with him.
•  
• I was in Key Club in high school, and my favorite once-a-year service activity was Kazoo Live. Basically, you got to dress up as one of the characters from popular PBS cartoons, walk around the mall, and hang out with the kiddies. I got to be Clifford the Big Red Dog one year, giant Clifford head and all. My mom came to the mall to see me in action . . . must've been one of her proudest moments.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading my mindless drivel (some of you day after day!). Maybe now that I've unloaded this, I'll be able to do something productive this evening. Maybe. Probably not, though . . . just keepin' it real.

That delightful aroma? Oh, that's just me.

I'm going to have to get used to having this exchange with everyone who comes near me.

My mama and sweet brudder got Olivia and me a fabulous, unique Christmas present: the opportunity to go and mix up our own signature scents. We went to Everyday Indulgence in Tuscaloosa (on Queen City Ave.) and, if you're ever in the area, you owe it to yourself to stop by. They have the most one-of-a-kind jewelry and this fabulous "blending bar" in the back. They have dozens upon dozens of bottles of different oils, and you can mix and match as many as you want. We had to wait for a few minutes behind some other customers, so they brought us this to get started:

This was nothing. We headed back to the bar and had oodles more to pick from. It took a while, but we finally settled.

For Olivia: White Tea Fig & Gardenia lotion, Lavender Eucalyptus bath salts, and Pear Something-Else-Fabulous (don't remember) perfume.

For me: White Tea Fig & Gardenia perfume and Blackberry Sage bath salts. Yall, that perfume smells so good on I can hardly stand it. A student today told me I smelled good, and when I asked her what it smelled like, she said, "Kinda like flowers. But not a lot. Mostly it just smells like 'good' ". I'm fine with mostly just smelling like "good".

Definitely worth a visit if you're ever close by!

Day of rest

Now that I've made it to church and my lesson plans for the week are done, this is how I plan to spend the rest of my day:

Happy Sunday, yall!

{Gorgeous green afghan--affectionately dubbed "Swamp Thing"--crocheted for me by my sweet mama. Isn't she something else?}

A voice from the past

A while back, when I visited with Grandad and got a crash course in Johnston family history, he gave me a couple of things. One was our book of family history, "A Cloud of Witnesses". Grandad's daddy (PawPaw) spent much of his adult life researching and writing that book. It's fabulously well-done and a treasure to have. However, I can't look at it long before I start to go cross-eyed: lots and lots of people, places, and dates to pore over.

Grandad gave me this, too, also written by PawPaw.

Just a simple blue folder. "I Remember".

Look past the humble exterior, though, and you'll find something truly special.

I love that line about preserving family history for future generations: "And if they lose, discard, or even destroy the record, the error will be theirs, for we will have done our duty toward them."

PawPaw wrote down the story of his grandparents and parents (as well as his own childhood) as he remembered it. It's a story full of hardship, perseverance, family, love, and faith in the Lord. Although I never got to meet him, I feel like I'm getting to know him now. What a wonderful gift he left to us.

I found these at the back: poems he wrote as a tribute to his mother and father. For a man who was never able to go to college, he has quite a talent for writing.

Grandad said PawPaw never got to see this printed up; this was done after he had passed on. Such a thoughtful gift to leave behind for your family. I feel so blessed to have this. I'm excited to sit down and read it all the way through!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for . . .

• my family and friends
• my health
• the grace of God
• a weekend (and hopefully a chance to visit with sweet Olivia) on the horizon
• my job, my students, and my coworkers
• maintaining my patience and sense of humor (surely a God thing) on my drive to work this morning: train totally stalled on the tracks about 2 miles from the school, waited for 20 minutes, graded some papers, met a real live train engineer (with one of those nifty striped hats!), called the school to tell them I was going to be late, turned around, drove 20 miles in the opposite direction, arrived at school just after the tardy bell . . . found it a little hard to hit my groove after all that, but you do what you can do!
• getting a call from my Mimi this afternoon . . . it's nice to know that somebody has been waiting all day just to get to chat with you . . . makes a girl feel loved
• a math lesson both sets of kiddos are marginally excited about
• positive experiences for my bubba at RISE and on Peds this week . . . he's better with kids than he thinks
• the fact that I don't live in Egypt . . . or anywhere in the Middle East . . . scary place
• this dismal weather . . . nothing like freezing temps, sleet, and ice to make you appreciate days when the weather is a kajillion times more pleasant
• my doctor's appointment next week . . . I really, really like this doctor. A lot.
• good news today from a friend whose much-deserved "ship" has come in
• the fact that my book arrived today . . . it was shipped to Casa de Parents, so I hope they can keep their grubby paws off of it until I get there! I know Daddy can't WAIT to read it.

HAPPY WEEKEND!

In transit

I'm kind of a fan of Pioneer Woman. Like, I check in with her at least once daily and could probably ace a trivia contest about her life and/or the contents of her website. Like, if I wouldn't seem like a hardcore weirdo, I'd consider her a friend.

 You know, it's just a casual thing.

Her latest book was released today and I just tracked my copy. In transit...on its way to yours truly. Estimated arrival: Thursday. I'm excited in not a small way.

I'm dreaming of spending my weekend on the couch with a blanket, some hot tea, and my sure-to-be-fabulous new love story.

Does anyone else have dreams like this? Does this make me a lame-o? Should I care? Feel free to weigh in. In the meantime, I've gotta go track my book again.