more like forever 12

If you want a little laugh you can read this totally legit letter.


You're welcome.

let me paint a picture for you

Figuratively, Lord knows not literally.  Because this gal can paint a wall but not a picture.  Anyway, I digress.  For those who are wondering...and those who weren't but you totally love me so you have to read it now...I have maintained this running thing.  (wahooo for me! do a little happy dance ya'll)  Do adults do happy dances?  Oh yes they do.  Heck, I do one every time I eat something that tastes good.

Back to business...I kept up the running throughout the tour of the South.  I did not really maintain my training program because let's be honest folks this belle has not been in the South in the summer in a while and I sure as heck was never running in that heat before.  So the goal on "running days" was to actually run, somewhat, kind of.  In NC my shins bout near gave out on me and silly me I hadn't eaten beforehand and let's just say things got a little woozy.  In SC I waited until 9:00 PM (thinking it would've cooled off somewhat) and 2 minutes in I literally felt like I was suffocating.  Then in TN, bless my in-laws' hearts, they set up their treadmill for me.  My new shoes had just come in so I was real pumped about running (I know, I can't believe I just typed that either).  Then I thought my body was going to collapse.  My shins felt like they were going to break...or pop out of my legs...or I swear I heard their voices plotting my demise.  So I stopped.  And decided to pick it up again once we returned here.  Sorry for the long story...the moral is that I maintained it (and the fact that I'm writing about it in a public place and making such a dang big deal about it is evidence of the small amount of confidence I have in myself for sticking to it) and my shins are finally getting a tad better.

Now for the surprisingly motivating music I listened to today while running.  I recently updated my ipod (last time that happened I was in college) and added like all of the Glee music on it.  While running I shuffled across one of the songs and thought "nope, it's not hardcore gangsta rap or Jock Jams so I'll keep on shuffling" but then I gave it another chance.  And of course I loved the song but then I began to picture the episode in which it was featured.  And next thing I knew the song was over and I had ran a little farther.  So I kept it up for the rest of the run.  See I believe I have a mild case of ADHD and that really comes out when I'm running and looking for like a million and a half reasons why I should stop.  So listening to a song, picturing the episode in which it was featured and thinking up witty lines for the blog while wiping beads (re: waterfalls) of sweat off my face keeps me entertained for a minute or two.  Yep.  So here are a few songs you may like as well:

1. P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)
2. Blame it on the Alcohol
3. It's My Life/Confessions mash up
4. Misery
5. Empire State of Mind
6. Bills, Bills, Bills
7. Rose's Turn (love me some Kurt solos)
8. Dog Days Are Over (what a great song, so uplifting!)
9. Only the Good Die Young (I finished and stretched to this and sent up some thoughts to my cuz Will)

my new running crew

your daily (cake) quote

A slice of cake never made anyone fat. You don’t eat the whole cake. You don’t eat a cake every day of your life. You take the cake when it is offered because the cake is delicious. You have a slice of cake and what it reminds you of is someplace that’s safe, uncomplicated, without stress. A cake is a party, a birthday, a wedding. A cake is what is served on the happiest days of your life.

Jeanne Ray (Eat Cake) 

Bless your heart, Jeanne Ray, bless your little heart.  I love you for this quote.

a few books

This was cute.  It's along the lines of your "recently divorced woman, what will she do with her life, she decides to work for a private eye agency" kind of thing.  Not phenomenal but it was entertaining.  I would probably give it a B if it were receiving a report card.  So yeah, there you go.

Now this is a book I can get behind.  I loved it!  In the words of my sweet niece, "I'm a fan of"...this book.  Ronda Rich definitely speaks truth and has a good sense of humor doing it.  Also, it speaks to the hearts of women who have grown up in churches in the South.  She would tell a story and I would think "yep, I've experienced that" or "yep, I can totally imagine that".  Good stuff people, good stuff.  So if you are a Southern belle and would like to have your heart spoken to, do yourself a favor and pick this gem up.  Also, if you are in my circle of family/friends where we trade books...my mom currently has it so you can take it up with her if you want it next.  Holla.

 And now we jump to a whole different type of literature with this book.  What a great book!  Be forewarned though: this book is dark, kinda twisted and a tad bit creepy.  Like for instance: I was reading it while we were at John's parents' house and it was like hmmm midnight (?) and we were in the middle of a thunderstorm.  The power flickered and I literally jumped in my seat.  John was like "are you serious?" and I said "you have NO idea what I"m reading right now".  So for the first 200-300 pages of this book you're going to have to push through to even have an idea of who this character is and how they connect to that character.  BUT once you've passed the 300 page mark (just guessing here) you want to get nuzzled on your couch with your doors locked, lights on and a generator just in case.  Just sayin.  And in the middle of the creepy parts I was thinking "there is no way I'm reading the rest of this series" but by the end I already knew there was no way I couldn't read the other two books.  I am taking a breather from them for right now.  First of all, they were originally written in Swedish so you have to decipher some of the stuff that doesn't translate (like uh...their names, for instance) and there's just a lot of heavy stuff in the book you'll have to process.  That makes it sound like kind of a pain to read.  But if you're looking for a really good book and not purely lighthearted then you must try it.  A+

your daily (happy) quote

truth.  found here.

technical difficulties

Hello sweet blog readers.  There are some technical difficulties going on up in this blog.  I've tried creating slideshows of our trip, I've tried uploading them and they don't appear on the blog so apparently there are pics of us floating around in some mysterious folder that I'm unable to locate, ughhhhh.  I've pretty much had it up to here and the computer keeps getting really, really hot.  Hopefully this does not indicate old granny (my computer) is on her deathbed because that would just not be good news.  I PROMISE to have some kind of pictures up sometime.  If one day soon you try to visit this site and nothing comes up then you will know that I've lost my sanity.  Until then...

 

The one picture i can get on this stupid blog.  Us enjoying a sunset, wish I was there now :X

love this

found here

your daily quote

They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Carl W. Buechner

(Ain't that the truth?)

housekeeping things

Remember when you would go to camp or day program or really an office in your adult life or somewhere that was organized and they would say, "ok we need to take care of a few housekeeping things" and it would really be about your behavior or conduct or whatnot? Yeah, I hated that. So I thought it was good to use as a title so that I could then explain my thoughts on the phrase. Good idea, I know.

Now back to business, we are officially back in PA. Now that was a loooong drive. And we picked up a car in TN (we now have two cars, yippee!) so that meant no switching up the driving and taking naps. It also meant sticking in many mixed CDs without labels and blasting them because I'm the only one in the car. I think the funniest product of said unmarked CDs was one that had Who Let The Dogs Out (remix) on it. And that was the only song on it. Where the heck did that one come from?

Next, if you can scroll through this page and not smile or think "oh my" then I will give you $100. Or just a hug because we just came back from vacay and I don't really have a lot of $100 bills laying around, I'm sure you understand :)

Also, remember when I posted about classy jello shots? Well, how about this pretty little thing? I'll take it!

(found here)


And lastly, there is a precious girl (young lady, if you will) who is a dear friend of my sister's and a sweet friend to our family. And last night she won MISS NORTH CAROLINA!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS HAILEY BEST!! Now tell me that isn't the proudest, sweetest smile you ever saw...


(pic found here)

I promise more updates will come tomorrow in the form of photos, re-telling of stories and some movie/book reviews :)

your daily quote

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.

Mother Teresa


(Today we hit the dusty trail to good ol' TN, can't wait to see the rest of the Kelly clan!)

your daily quote

You are, and always have been, my dream.

Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook)



So do you think I can get John to say this to me like every morning when we wake up? Yeah, I thought so too. :)

Oh, by the way, we have now moved from visiting fam in NC to visiting fam in SC. We had a great time in NC, thanks to my family for making it so fun! Love ya'll! At the moment we're babysitting our presh littlest niece and I couldn't be happier :)

your daily quote

I'm thinking I-95 S is a good option right now.
(Found here.)

update

We just returned from our vacation in Pass-a-Grille, FL and it was wonderful! We loved the food, the beach, the hotel, the area, everything! I highly recommend it! Now we are off to do our Southern tour and visit family. Sorry for the lack of posting in the past week and what is sure to be continual lack of posting throughout our tour of the South. I promise that pictures, stories, etc. will be posted later. Much love!

your daily quote

(on marriage)

Then Almitra spoke again and said, “And what of Marriage, master?”
And he answered saying:

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

(found here)

your daily quote

sweet quote, spotted here

your daily quote

The circumstances of our lives have as much power as we choose to give them.

David McNally

well i do declare

Now we have Martha posting about local liquors for your wedding. What is up with this woman? First classy jello shots then local liquors? Not that I'm against it. Just a tad surprised. What's next, how to make your own 'shine (umm...pllllease Martha? Can you make it have a nice girly twist? Ok thanks!)??

be my honeypie (the weepies)

how precious is this song? and the video is pretty cute too :)

what is it with macarons?

(image found here)

Seriously, I've been seeing these things all up in the blogosphere. What is so great about them? Better yet, why do I have negative feelings towards them since I've never tried one? Well, if I have tried one it didn't leave a lasting impression. Am I missing out on something here? Because they are all over Pinterest and this blog and this lady loves them. Hmm...do ya'll like them? I hate missing out. Maybe I should buy some...maybe not, then I would have to run more which means my knee may blow out (John informed me that my knee cannot blow out from running, it would have to be a more intense sport for an injury like that. I simply told him he was wrong and was not aware of what's going on in my joints, thank you very much.). But that's a convo for another day.

your daily quote

“All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was.”

Ernest Hemingway

(Aah yes, this explains why I get wayyy too into books. Thanks, Ernest. Can I call you Ernest? Ok, good.)

a few things

1. I ate some watermelon yesterday and decided it was high time to buy one. So I bought an entire watermelon. There are two of us. We are leaving for vacation in a few days. I didn't realize the true girth of the melon until I was cutting it up into bits (re: watermelon massacre) for easy eating and access in a tupperware container. And I may or may not have had to eat a substantial amount for it to actually fit in our largest tupperware. Oops.

2. I took pooch running yesterday. It was a delightfully breezy 70-something day. That part was nice. However, 2 minutes into the run I had to stop because tears were literally brimming in my eyes. I felt like long, large nails were being driven up my shins and into my knees. So...um...it's time for new shoes. I had to give myself a pep talk after the first 2 minutes in order to actually complete my run. Let's just say that on the return home I was cursing any and everything (in my head, of course). Namely my intent to run and my body's lack of ability to be unreasonably awesome. Ugh.

3. I like to bring back phrases. A few close friends and family members are with me on this and I appreciate a good throwback phrase entering a conversation. So look out for these phrases when we chat, they're the ones I'm most recently coining:

• Scamp
• Like a bat outta hell
• What in the Sam Hill?!

If you have any others I'm open to consideration. Just sayin...

4. I. Hate. My. Nose. And no, we're not talking aesthetics here. We're talking about the fact that it cannot whatsoever handle any kind of pollen. Like at all. When I lived in NC I was practically a walking zombie from March-May. Then we moved to PA and I was like "yes! no allergies here, wahoo!". Not so much. Apparently this ol' nose of mine does not agree with the pollen (yes, this is our 3rd spring here) and it wants to show it by sneezing every 5 seconds and draining any ounce of energy I have left. Enter Benadryl comas and glazed over eyes. Ahh spring (summer?) time...

5. Yeah, that's about it.

your daily quote

Yes! I had this same quote on a Starbucks cup in college and I remember loving it! Then I found it here and was excited once again! Such truth.

your daily quote

Nothing ever becomes real until it is experienced. Even a proverb is no proverb until your life has illustrated it.

John Keats