Project Scripture: Week Thirty-One (and our weekend!)...

It's Monday, and I'm sleepy, but what else is new? :)

First, here's this week's Project Scripture verse:

Acts 2:21 "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

**********

Apart from the fact that I was up at the office until 9:00 on Friday evening (and had to miss the dadgum opening ceremonies of the Olympics), our weekend was fabulous!

On Saturday, we spent the day with my best friend and her hubby.  I just LOVE them, and it was nice that the boys had each other (and a few fishing poles) to entertain them while Lauren and I visited, cooked, and snuggled. ;)

And can I just say, for the record, that we are some lucky girls?  Look at our handsome boys! (And don't mind the fact that they squeezed themselves into our chair-and-a-half together... apparently they like each other.)

Yesterday, we went to Micah's parents' house to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday.  (Happy birthday, Diana!)  Miraculously, I managed to avoid the multiple flavors of bundt cake they had ordered.  This no sugar stuff really sucks when I'm confronted with cake.  Cake's my favorite.

After lunch, we dropped by my brother and Faith's house and played with Stella for a little while.  Then we all met my Dad and stepmom for sushi (delish!).

And in between friends/family time, we squeezed in as much Team USA as we could!

via

I LOVE the Olympics and am so thrilled about them that I'm contemplating skipping The Bachelor Pad tonight to watch the swimming and beach volleyball events.  That's dedication, y'all.

Thankful Thursdays (Link Up!)...

Hi, loves!

This week is speeding by (as usual), and it's time to think about all the good things in our lives.

{I'm thankful} that my firm doesn't skimp on its season Rangers tickets.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have found myself sitting two rows behind this guy last night.

Can you guys tell who it is?

How about if I show you who he was sitting next to?

Figure it out yet?

That's right y'all.  I spent the entire night last night ignoring the Rangers (who happened to play a phenomenal game) and listening to George W. and Nolan Ryan shoot the breeze and entertain the other important people in the owners' box. 

At one point, an adorable little girl approached President Bush's secret service guard with a note she had written him on a paper napkin.  When it made its way to President Bush, he put on his glasses and read it, burst into a beaming smile, and then turned around to wave to the little girl.  Melted my heart.

{I'm thankful} that this week has been fairly low-key at work.  I'm taking advantage of it now while I can, because we go to trial in November, and things are about to get insane.

{I'm thankful} for cherries.  I've gone through a bag and a half since Sunday.

{I'm thankful} that I've taken Kristin's challenge to give up candy until September 1.  I'm honestly not a huge candy fan, but there are candy jars everywhere at work, and lately I've found myself grabbing a piece nearly every time I go to the kitchen.  I can only imagine how many silly calories that adds up to each day.  Kristin's also giving up Starbucks until then, too, but since I can't, in good conscience, deprive myself of my bi-weekly skinny peppermint mocha, I've decided to give up all sweets until September 1.  No cookies.  No cake (except on August 22, my birthday).  No sugar at all apart from fruit and my latte.  I've become entirely too lax about treats, and I just feel better when sugar's not racing through my bloodstream.

{I'm thankful} for you guys, my sweet blog friends.  I continue to be amazed at how encouraging and welcoming this community has been and how much I enjoy my little corner of cyberspace. :)

Hope you guys are having a fantastic week! 

Also linking up with black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four, First Day of my Life, kate says stuff, and  a punk a pumpkin and a peanut.

It's London, Baby! (Part III)... FINALLY!

(First thing's first.  Go check out Established: 2008, where I'm guest-posting about my hatred of bottled salad dressing and an absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS two-for-one recipe!)

***********

What?  Just because I'm not posting this until two and a half months after I got back, you assumed I forgot to share my final London post with you guys?

Truth be told, I sort of did.  But mostly, I've just had heck with my personal laptop and only recently got a few pictures transferred over to my work pc.  So let me just remind you where I left off (see Part One and Part Two). 

I had managed to set aside an entire day for site-seeing (which was a miracle considering that I had five depositions to take and prepare for while I was there and expert reports to finish the week I got back).  And I saved the three things I was most excited for for that day:  Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and St. Paul's Cathedral.

I got off the subway (or the "tube") at the proper stop and was utterly bewildered when I saw multiple people dressed up in bizarre costumes like this to pose with tourists (for a small fee, of course).  I successfully managed to convince them that I wasn't interested in their services and carried on (after snapping a picture for you guys, obvi).

I immediately came upon Parliament and Big Ben up close and just marveled.  I had seen it on my bus tour on my first day there, but it was even more impressive than I had remembered.

I wasn't able to take the time to go in and observe anything, as I really wanted to be able to take my time at Westminster Abbey.

And when I finally caught my first glimpse?

I cried.

It's just so incredibly beautiful and moving, and there was so much history everywhere I looked. 

Unfortunately, pictures were prohibited inside the church, but I did manage to sneak a few with my iPhone.  (I know that that makes me a terrible person, but I just couldn't help myself.)

This is inside King Henry VII's chapel, which was incredible.

This was in the main part of the church.  Truly, y'all.  I couldn't get over how gorgeous and sobering this place was.

If I posted all of the pictures I took of Westminster Abbey, you guys would be here awhile, so I'll move on.  After I grabbed London's finest attempt at BBQ (which was actually pretty decent), I headed to go check out the Tower of London.

If you don't know much about the Tower of London, check out the deets here.  Basically, it's a castle that was built in 1066 and has served as a royal residence and a prison (it was where Elizabeth was held before she became queen and where Anne Boleyn was beheaded), among other things.

I felt very small and young standing there, where so many things I'd read about took place.

After I wandered through all of the buildings (including that holding the crown jewels... amazing, but no pictures allowed), I left and took a stroll across Tower Bridge.

It was windy, but worth it.  Check out the view.

The juxtaposition of old and new was so fantastic to me.

After that, I headed toward the center of town where St. Paul's cathedral was located.  I missed visiting hours, so I couldn't go in, but I did snap a picture or two.

As nearly everything else in London, this place was gorgeous.

At this point, I was pretty much spent.  Thankfully, I remembered to pack my Converse (when I went to NYC, I only packed cute shoes.  Never again...), so I had enough energy to take a stroll in search of a delicious Italian restaurant.  I found a cute little hole-in-the-wall place, grabbed a seat in the back and made friends with some locals who were convinced they could never come to Texas because they didn't know how to ride a horse.  I tried to convince them that we have roads and cars, but they weren't buying it...

I came home the next day.

I was so ready to come home to my love, but I won't lie, you guys...  I definitely left a piece of my heart in London.  I doubt I'll go back, as I don't think Micah would really appreciate it the way I did, and I don't thing any subsequent trip could compare to the magic of this one.  But it was definitely the trip of a lifetime (and paid for by work!), and I'll treasure the memories I made for many years to come.

Rom-com fail...

If you knew me in real life, you'd know three things for sure.  First, I am impossibly clumsy.  I am known for tripping over nothing at all and falling down in the middle of the street at random. 

Second, I crinkle my nose when I laugh.  I like to think it's cute and endearing, but my best friend used to tell me that it makes me look like a werewolf.  So there's that.

And lastly, I am a hopeless romantic.  I just love love. 

via

From the time I was a little girl, I watched movies like Robin Hood and Ever After and dreamed of the day when I would meet a boy who wanted to sweet me off my feet, plop me on the back of his white horse, and ride me off into the sunset (after he slayed the Sherriff of Nottingham/rescued me from indentured servitude, of course).

Unfortunately, my sweet prince had no idea how to handle a girl who longed for movie moments and grand gestures.  Micah's family, while incredibly loving and giving and wonderful, doesn't express love with words and emotions the way mine always did, so I was an enigma to him.  To be fair, he has come a long way in trying to show me love in the over-the-top way I understand it best (evidenced by this grand gesture). 

But mostly?  I just finally learned that real love isn't a roller coaster.  The Notebook (which, I'll admit, I absolutely adore) teaches us that you must not be in love if your relationship isn't a revolving transition between on-top-of-the-world and bottomless pit.  That you have to overcome some life-defining adversity together to know that you're meant to be. 

via

Honestly, I just don't buy it.  And, truth be told, I think this misconception is the reason that so many relationships (particularly in Hollywood) are so short-lived. 

I'm certainly not saying relationships don't go through ups and downs.  Micah and I have had our fair share of struggles, and I do think we're stronger because of them.  Nor am I saying that chemistry and passion aren't important.  They totally are, and my drop-dead gorgeous husband still makes my heart go pitter-patter.

(seriously... so handsome)

But I never want to crave drama, and I definitely don't ever want to define my relationship by it.  And the couples that I've known in real life that remind me most of Allie and Noah... aren't couples anymore.  Because they were fire and gasoline, and that much intensity, while exhilarating at first, is too exhausting to endure for the long haul.  (The endless string of failed Bachelor/Bachelorette relationships prove my point precisely.  Yet I still keep watching.  What is wrong with me?!)

This was a lesson that took me years to learn, and I still struggle with it at times.  But we have found our way to a pretty perfect middle ground in which he challenges himself to express his commitment and devotion in my love language, and I do the same for him (nothing says love to Micah more than me taking care of a credit card bill or folding the laundry.  Socks are romantic, right?).  Y'all just make sure and remind me of that the next time Valentine's Day rolls around, would you?

Project Scripture: Week Thirty (and our weekend)...

First thing's first.  Here's this week's Project Scripture verse:

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  Matthew 28:20.

Happy memorizing! :)

**********

We had a pretty busy weekend, actually.  On Friday night, Micah drove over to Noteworthy Home's warehouse to pick up our entertainment center for the game room.  Unfortunately, it had started raining as he got there, so he had to drive back over on Saturday morning to get it.  While he was gone, I had to stay at the house to be there to let the electricians in.  (Although technically, because my stepdad is so wonderfully precious, I could have left while he took care of everything, but we had a fun day hanging out and visiting.) 

We had them (1) install four new recessed lights in our game room, (2) re-wire the cable from an external wall to an internal wall, and (3) install outlets on the wall so we could mount our TV.  So we now have all of the bare-bones pieces up there (couch, TV, entertainment center, pool table, dart board) and just need to get to the pretty stuff!  I'll post pictures soon so you guys can see our progress.

After they finished, we met friends for sushi, which was delicious as always.  Yesterday after church, my mom and stepdad came back over for lunch and brought this little cutie with them.

(This little girl is on the move!  Getting pictures of her that didn't look like this was darned near impossible.  And pardon my $.50 socks from Gap.  Believe me... I do understand that socks with leggings isn't the cutest.)

My brother and sister-in-law are in Cheyenne to see some sort of rodeo championship, and all the grandparents are getting a day or two to keep Miss Stella.  I was so glad to have gotten a whole afternoon with her (and my sweet momma) while the boys worked on mounting the TV.

And I'm sure you can guess what I was doing last night...

***SPOILER ALERT***

Unfortunately, because so many girls were out of town/busy, girls' night sort of fizzled out at the last minute.  So poor Micah had to keep me company.

I am so happy she chose Jef.  I was rooting for him and wondered if she'd be smart enough to look past the steamy kisses with Arie to see how perfect Jef was for her.  Way to be a grown-up, Emily!  (But let me just state for the record that I don't actually harbor any delusions that this is an always-and-forever kind of relationship.  Maybe they'll make it work and maybe they won't.  But that doesn't change the fact that I love watching it all unfold.  Or that I hate myself for loving it so much.)

This week looks to be fairly light and breezy at work (a rare luxury), so I'm planning on taking it easy before things start getting crazy again.  Hope you all have a fabulous Monday!

And the winner is...

Thank y'all so much for the feedback you gave me this week!  It'll help me streamline/prioritize content, and it'll also help a ton with the project I mentioned.  You guys are the best!

So, without further ado, the winner of the Sweet Tea candle is...

... Annabelle from The Carolina Country Girl!

So excited for you, Annabelle!  I feel certain that a fellow country girl will appreciate and love it as much as I do. (Although I promise I picked randomly.)  Shoot me an email at ryanahargrave{at}gmail{dot}com with your mailing address, and we'll work out the details.

*****

In other news, I walked into a deposition yesterday with glitter nail polish.  As I noted on Twitter, apparently my transition into Elle Woods is complete. :)

And since the project I've been slaving away on all week is now moot (as the case has essentially been dismissed), I have a feeling that today is going to be a pretty low-key, wonderfully breezy day.  I mean, a girl can dream, can't she?

Here's to a fabulous Friday!

Thankful Thursdays (Link Up!)...

This week is seriously FLYING by.  How can it be Thursday already?

In any event, I'm glad it is, because that means I'm counting my blessings with you lovely ladies!  (I suppose that's a very sexist thing for me to say, but I'm thinking there aren't a whole lot of guys who want to read about Pottery Barn and makeup tips involving bikini chafing gel.)

So here we go... 

{I'm thankful} for summer.  I can't even believe I'm saying that because I detest summer.  I hate the heat, I hate the sweating, and I hate the fact that I'm forced to wear shorts and subject the public to my translucent skin (which is currently stripedly tan from my sunscreen mishap).  But I'm thankful for summer because that's when Micah's dad sends us home with armfuls of these beauties, fresh from his garden, every time we see him.

via

I know I've written about these before, but just in case you've never had an Israeli melon, let me just tell you that you really should.  It's like cantaloupe on crack.  Sweeter, less grainy, juicier.  So, so yum.  Almost makes this summer heat worth it...

{I'm thankful} that we're finally getting more lights installed in our game room upstairs.  It's super dark and depressing up there now, so we're getting four more can lights installed.  We're also having the electrician re-wire the TV cable so that it's on a different wall than it is now.  We'll hang the TV up on the wall above this piece I scored this week (which is currently being painted black, lightly distressed, and converted for use as a media stand):

It's not really the style I'd usually go for, but I actually love it and think it'll work great with the pool table and other black things in the room.

{I'm thankful} that The Bachelorette finale is airing on Sunday!  I'm planning on watching with a couple of girlfriends, and I've somehow managed to avoid Reality Steve this season, so I have no idea who Emily picks.  If I was a betting woman, I'd say that she's going with Arie, although I really WANT her to pick Jef!  Arie started out as the front-runner for me, but then I realized that if she picks him, they're going to go the way of every other Bachelor/Bachelorette wherein the fire and spark fade after a couple of months because all they have is the zsa zsa zsu (a la Carrie Bradshaw) and no commonality or foundation.  But don't even get me started... I actually have a whole post on this topic planned. :)

{I'm thankful} that this month's Birchbox was totally awesome!

The full-sized liquid eyeliner, alone, almost justified the $10 price tag!  Plus, how fun are those ear buds?  I've been needing a new pair to keep in my laptop bag (for when I'm working outside my office and in the same room with other people and need my jams.  It's sort of alarming how unproductive I am when I'm working if I don't have Pandora.), and these are presh.  It also had a full-sized container of ginger pear mints and travel-sized containers of a facial mask, color protectant for my hair, and Harvey Prince Hello perfume (which smells divine).  Well done this month, Birchbox.

Alright, y'all.  That's what's floating my boat this week.  What are y'all thankful for this week?

Also linking up with black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four, First Day of my Life, kate says stuff, and  a punk a pumpkin and a peanut.

"Me, Myself, and I" Link-Up...

New link-ups are always fun!  And this one is a monthly, About Me-ish post which might be nice for newer readers who haven't been exposed to all the crazy yet. :)

1. What is your biggest phobia?

I have a weird fear of alligators/crocodiles and mice/rats that aren't in cages.  I can handle caged rodents just fine, but field mice scrambling across my bedroom in the middle of the night (I used to live on 200 acres in the country, so it definitely happened once or twice) are decidedly not okay.  Alligators in any context horrify me.

2. If you could relive any day of your life, what would it be and why?

This is such a good question.  I think it'd probably have to be the day after our wedding.  I absolutely adored our wedding day, but it wasn't really until the next morning that it hit me that I got to keep my handsome husband for the rest of my life.  That feeling was pretty indescribable.  Plus, we left for our honeymoon that day, which couldn't have been more perfect.

3. If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be and why?For some reason, I think this answer will probably change as I get older, because life just keeps getting better and better.  But I'm pretty in love with 26 right now.  I'd be okay with staying here for awhile.

4. Which celebrity do you get mistaken for?

When I was in college, I heard that I looked like Amanda Bynes and Kelly Clarkson every so often.  I think it's the face shape.  I also had three or four different people tell me that I remind them of Lauren Alaina when she was on American Idol.  (Although I can confirm that I do not have her musical talent...)

5. What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life?

Hardest question ever.  But I think I'd have to say All-American Girl by Carrie Underwood, as I was, in fact, supposed to be a boy when I was born, and I did marry the quarterback.  I also sort of feel like Blessed Be Your Name exemplifies what I want my faith to be.  I want to bring Him glory, even when I'm in the midst of life's storms.  But a song that represents Micah and me? I'd definitely have to go with When You Say Nothing At All by Alison Krauss.  That's us.

A favor, our weekend, and a giveaway...

Oh, Monday.  There you are.  Again...

It's a good thing we had a pretty great weekend around the Hargrave house, or else I'm not sure I could have dragged myself out of bed this morning.

But before I get to that, I have a teensy favor to ask.  It's for a little project I'll be sharing with you guys in a few weeks {I hate to be obnoxiously vague, but it won't be nearly as much fun if I tell you beforehand}.  If you'd oblige, I'd love to know the answer to three questions, specifically the ones I posted below.  (Although it's totally cool if you want to share any other answers you might have weighing on your mind, but I must confess that I never was very good at Jeopardy...)

{1} If you're a new or new-ish reader, what was your first overall impression of what my blog is all about?  Did you, perhaps, think that I was being paid to promote Pottery Barn (I'm not, but it wouldn't have been an unreasonable assumption... ;)), or did you pop over while I was traveling so much and wonder how I ever had time to hang out with my gorgeous husband?

{2} If you've been around for awhile (God bless you - I still don't really feel like I'm very good at this whole thing, but I do adore getting to know you guys), what kinds of things do you think I talk about most often?  (And if you can't neatly characterize my ramblings, join the club.  I really can't either... that's why I'm asking you guys.)

{3} Is there anything that you wish I'd share more of?  More pictures of my socially awkward dog?  New recipes or decorating ideas (dare I say, more Pottery Barn?)?  Weight loss/running stuff?  My adventures as an attorney?

I'll love you forever if you'd shout out any thoughts you have to any of these questions in a comment or in an email to ryanahargrave{at}gmail{dot}com.

And if my eternal devotion isn't enough motivation (and I suppose as a celebration of the fact that I've somehow managed to hoodwink over 130 of you to follow along with our silly little life), I'll select one comment/email at random {on Friday morning} and send the winner one of my favorite products in all the land.

via

It's the Sweet Tea candle that I gushed about awhile back, and you're seriously going to love it.

So get to sharing. :)  And if you feel compelled to facebook/tweet/blog about my little giveaway, come back and leave a separate comment letting me know that you did, and you'll earn an extra entry.

... in other riveting news, I painted my nails this weekend.

I also made use of our new treadmill for the first and second times.

Apart from the fact that my dog becomes inconsolably frightened every time I turn it on, I'm in love.  I can go farther because it's less jarring on my knees/ankles (and, let's be honest, it's definitely easier than real running), and I can blast my music as loud as I want using the iPod connection.

As a reward for my hard work, I lathered myself with SPF 50 (did you forget that I am a vampire?) and headed to the neighborhood pool with some sunglasses and the best piece of mail I got all week.

We also sold our hand-me-down entertainment center on Craigslist.  We got a new TV for the game room, and Micah wants to mount it on the wall, so we decided that it needed a new home.

I also had fun at a friend's baby shower and got to spend some time with this cutie!

   

I spent the rest of my weekend with my butt planted on the couch, right where it belongs.

Hope you guys had a restful, relaxing weekend! :)

Project Scripture: Week Twenty-Eight...

Well looky here... I'm actually getting the verse posted on Sunday!

Matthew 5:16 - "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Weekend update coming soon! :)

I ran today...

... for the first time in exactly three months.

And it was awesome (and slightly awful). Someone please tell me why it has taken me so long to get my butt back in gear!

In a perfect world...

... I would have gotten my crap together and scheduled a Thankful Thursdays post before I left today for Tyler (Texas) for an all-day hearing tomorrow.

But I clearly lack that kind of foresight. So here I am, the night before (well, technically the morning of) with no post. So, if you (like me) have something to be thankful for today, shout it out or link up in the comments. Because God is good and worthy of praise, even when I suck! His goodness, in contrast to my suckiness, is, in fact, what I'm most thankful for today. (Holy comma, Batman!)

So what are you guys thankful for?

I swear I'm not crazy...

I feel certain that you're all going to think I'm insane after I share this secret with you. But I'm going to tell you anyway because it'll be worth all the crazy looks you're going to give me once you figure out how genius this idea is.

Ready for it?

I keep a tube of this stuff in my makeup bag.

Before you hate on me for going way overboard on the TMI scale, hear me out. 

This is not the . . . ahem . . . medication sold by Monistat. This is just a chafing relief gel which is supposed to help with irritation of the bikini area from shaving.

And I use it as my foundation primer.

First, if you don't use a foundation primer, you should definitely try some version of one.  You put it on before you apply your foundation, and it helps smooth out the surface of your skin and keeps your foundation on longer.  I haven't always used it, but my skin definitely needs it.

Second, here's why I'm not crazy.  As an initial matter, I'm not the only one who discovered the genius of this product.  There are TONS of reviews/commentary on the use of this product as a foundation primer.  Apparently, it contains ingredients which are very similar to the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer.  Having used both of them, myself, I can tell you that they function identically, at least on my skin.

And the best part? 

The Monistat product costs $6.79 on Amazon, while the Smashbox product costs $36 (and only contains 1 oz. compared to the 1.5 oz. in the Monistat tube). 

So basically, you'd be silly not to make the switch. Even if you would technically be putting va-jay-jay gel on your face. :)

Project Scripture: Week Twenty-Seven (and Twenty-Eight!)...

I'm going to totally blame vacation for the fact that I completely forgot to post last week's verse last Sunday.  (And I'm going to blame these banana bars with browned butter frosting for the fact that I didn't get this week's verse up last night.  Holy cow, you guys.  I can't convey the depth of my love for these things.  Make them yesterday.)

So, if you guys are up for it, I propose that we challenge ourselves and try and memorize two verses this week.  Who thinks we can do it? :)

But before I post the verses, I wanted to take a second and celebrate the fact that we're halfway through a year's worth of verses.  It's honestly one of the most rewarding things I've ever done, and I can't wait to celebrate at the end of the year!  Truth be told, a few have slipped out of my brain, and I'll be spending the next few weeks refreshing my memory so that I'm ready for the second half.

I hope that if you've been following along, you're loving it as much as I am.

On to the verses...

Week Twenty-Seven

Hebrews 4:16  "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Week Twenty-Eight

Jeremiah 29:11  "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

(And I must confess that this is my life verse, so I've already got this one down pat.  If you don't have it committed to memory, I'm so excited for you to learn it.)

Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Things my Daddy says...

If you're new around these parts, you may not know that I'm from a super small town where my parents and grandparents grew up. 

via

I love my sweet town for a million reasons (a few of which I wrote about here), but one of them has to be the fact that we tend to phrase things a little differently than city folk do. :)

After having spent almost a week straight with my dad, I learned a few things I hadn't heard before and I thought I'd share the love.  And the redneck. 

"of a morning"

E.g. "I like to have my coffee of a morning."

My dad didn't even realize that he'd been saying this, and he couldn't explain why he didn't just say "every morning."  It makes me giggle every time I think about it.

"plum nickel"

E.g. "I wouldn't give a plum nickel for that overpriced shrimp."

Does anyone know if a plum nickel is a real thing, or is this something we Josephineans made up?  To Google I shall go...

"Vie-een-ey sausages"

E.g. "I could go for some Vie-een-ey sausages right about now."

Nope, not Vienna.  It's Vie-een-ey.  We're really classy, y'all.

"loofie"

E.g. "I'm sure as hell not going to use someone else's loofie when I shower."

To be fair to other southerners, I think Daddy just didn't know that it was really called a loofah.  But I laughed at him (loudly) nonetheless.

"agern"

E.g. "Those squirrels keep throwing those damned agerns down into my yard."

Again, not acorns.  Agerns.  This is probably another Daddy original (and I've made fun of him about this one for years, actually), but it might be my favorite. 

I feel certain there are more, but I'm afraid I might overwhelm you if I don't stop now.

Now, go enjoy some Vie-een-ey sausages, would you? ;)

A confession...

... I don't actually think Channing Tatum's all that attractive.

I know, I know--I'll probably get death threats for that, but it's the truth.  His features are just a little too rugged for me. 

Nor do I think he's a particularly talented actor.  He seems to play the exact same guy in every movie, and I mostly just don't buy it (although he does seem like a super cool, down-to-earth guy in real life).

Having said that, I'm super excited to go see Magic Mike with my girlfriends at Studio Movie Grille tonight.  Because I do love Matthew McConaughey (his VOICE just slays me... so yum), and I always love having quality girl time, though I could take or leave the male stripper concept (the idea of male strippers has always just seemed so awkward to me).

So wish us luck - we're headed to go fight the cougars for seats to the gun show. ;)

Thankful Thursdays (Link Up!)...

Well, we made it home from Padre!  And I thought it'd be super fitting to dedicate this week's Thankful Thursdays post to our much-needed and fabulous vacation!

{I'm thankful} that, although, the 10-hour drive was L-O-N-G, we all made it down safely.  And we may or may not have enjoyed a few Round Rock donuts on the way.

{I'm thankful} that we didn't have to rent a U-Haul to get all of our Pottery Barn Outlet purchases back to Dallas. 


In fact, we didn't buy a SINGLE thing, which was shocking.  I guess we really don't have very many big things left to buy for the house, and the discount really isn't worth it for smaller items.

{I'm thankful} for seafood.  Seriously, y'all.  I ate more shrimp in the past five days than I have in a long time.  So, so, yummy.

These boys loved their boiled shrimp.

{I'm thankful} to have made so many memories with my sweet family.

I have the best dad, brother, sister-in-law, niece, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins a girl could ask for, and we had a BLAST playing in the waves together!  And, on that note, {I'm thankful} that, even when we're on vacation, my family remembers the important stuff...

{I'm thankful} for sunscreen, even if I apparently don't know how to apply it evenly.

Seriously, you guys.  What the heck?  I've got stripes down my legs and on my shoulders.  I'm going to look so ridiculous when they finally tan over... (although I suppose I probably already look pretty ridiculous).

{I'm thankful} for this picture.

Oh my goodness gracious, we have all gotten SO many laughs from this dadgum picture.  I was trying to take a picture of my hair (to show what a hot mess it had been the whole week), and my sister-in-law looked over right as I was making this ridiculous, serial killer face and just lost it.  It is a true testament to how much I love you guys that I'd show you the crazy. :)

We had SO much fun on the beach and in the waves, and I'm so thankful for the rest and relaxation.  But most of all?

{I'm thankful} for all the time I got to spend with this sweet girl.

Miss Stella LOVED the water and sand, and she was such a good girl.  I'm already missing her like crazy and am going to need some more quality time with my niece very soon!

So that was our vacation!  Is it wrong that I'm already looking forward to the next one? ;)

Also linking up with black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four, First Day of my Life, kate says stuff, and  a punk a pumpkin and a peanut.

Life is good today...

South Padre has been so good to us, y'all!

I can't do much more than pop in and say hey, but I did want to share some pictures. Hope you all had a fabulous Monday!