you're getting old Pops

but you're just as awesome as ever.

Thanks for making me laugh so hard that I spew whatever beverage I've been drinking.

Thanks for the gentle teasing. It's made real criticism easier to swallow.

You'll always be the best storyteller I know. I wish I had inherited your joke delivering skills.

Thanks for being proud of me.

Thanks for holding me when I cry.

Thanks for sharing your love of ice cream with me.

Thank you for your patience. I know I can be trying and a little slow to learn sometimes.

Thanks for showing me that you can get choked up and still be the manliest of men.

Thank you for loving mom the way you do. Because of you I know what real love looks like.

I feel sorry for the man I'll marry, because I'll probably expect him to live up to you. I'm thinking that's a good thing though.

Happy birthday, Dad. I love you.



P.S. Woah, I just read that and it was a little too sappy for my liking. So let's just add that he also has this amazing talent of pissing me off to the point that I mutter things under my breath completely opposite of what's mentioned above. Annnnnd then he weasels his way back into my heart.

That's a man for ya.

it's been a good day.

a good. good day.

It all started by getting up only half an hour after my alarm went off. Which, by my standards, is pretty amazing.

I was then dressed and ready an hour BEFORE I needed to leave the house to meet my best friend Taylor for lunch. Miraculous? Yes. Most definitely.

I got EVERYTHING done on my to do list. Heck, I made a to do list. And didn't lose it. That in itself is a victory.

This is completely out of character for me. Who have I become?!

And my truck? It's like this morning God looked down upon it and said "heal thyself."



I also wore my new vintage (a bit of an oxymoron) suit jacket for the first time this afternoon. You know the best part about it? I highly doubt anyone has the same one. Pretty sure I'm in love with it. Wish my hair wasn't in the way so you could see the collar. Cause it's pretty sweet.

music for your Monday

wish I knew what they were saying.

But then, that's part of the beauty of music, isn't it? It transcends all cultures, one language that we can all enjoy.

Sigur Ros - Við spilum endalaust - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

a glimpse into my Christmas

Dog piles were a major theme that morning.





I snuck up on all the men standing around the back of my cousin Robby's truck.





This one makes me laugh. When you're five years old, like Toby, underwear is the worst possible Christmas gift.



Every year that someone gets a new soccer ball, it inevitably gets kicked into the wrong place. This year? The freakishly tall well that stands about 9 or 10 feet above ground and goes 6 feet underground. Nice one, Jason. Obviously, this isn't the greatest photo, but it gives an idea of our predicament. Danny jumped in and saved the day. Good thing the pump wasn't on!





The last few years the boys have put lights up on the windmill. From the road, if you squint, it almost looks like the Eiffel Tower. Pretty cheap fix for the real deal.



As for our ugly sweater contest photo, it's on my dad's camera. I'll have to steal it sometime this week so you can see it!

P.S. My favorite thing about Christmas this year? My wrapping jobs. I opted for the cover-it-with-a-towel-then-yank-the-towel-off-while-yelling-TA DA!!! method.

My family seemed to enjoy it too.

my sweet guitar

What do you say? Time to get reacquainted?

I think YES.

Merry Christmas!

I'm one of those people

who, in the company of good friends and family, will sing along with a song even though I only know one line or a few words from the chorus.

Yep.

In other news.

On Sunday my cousin and I went to a glassblowing studio. It was amazing. What I enjoyed most was not necessarily seeing the ridiculously hot glass coming in and out of the kiln or how the guy twirled the stick thing (real technical, I know) up in the air. It was seeing his passion. You could just see how much he loved his craft in his eyes. It was completely awesome and it made me wish I was as passionate about something.

On Monday I went to a friend's for a potluck dinner. I made a delicious pasta dish and a scrumdiddlyumptious dessert. And I planned to take photos of this glorious feast to share with you. My sauteed vegetables looked heavenly and my trifle dessert looked straight out of a Martha Stewart magazine (if I do say so myself). But by the time I had remembered I was already out the door and driving as fast as my little truck could take me. Sorry I couldn't share the tastebud extravaganza with you.

On Tuesday I decided to tackle the ever growing heap of laundry that has been spilling out of my closet.

Today? I am still trying to tackle the laundry. Hoping my dad's Christmas gift comes in the mail. Hoping my mom's Christmas gift comes in the mail. Hopefully wrapping said gifts. And meeting my best friend for lunch.

Guess that means I should go take a shower.

these blackberry leaves

are most definitely in the Christmas mood.

music for your Monday

If I was ugly and evil then I would pull an Ursula on Priscilla Ahn and steal her voice. But since I'm neither of those I think I'll just sit back and listen.

You should join me.



I think her future children are oh so fortunate. I mean, wouldn't you want that voice to sing you to sleep every night?

Yeah, I thought so.

meet peggy and glen.

28 years ago today, on a Sunday much like this one, my parents began their life together.





I love that they kiss in the kitchen. I love that my mom still lights up when dad calls her while he's at work. I love that they know when to push each other and when to let things go. I love that they have modeled to me what a wonderful marriage should be. I love that they don't take each other too seriously. I love how they support each other. I love that they take drives to nowhere together. I love how my dad makes my mom laugh. I love how the perfect evening for them is just for them to be together.




Basically, I love how they love each other.

gearing up

for this years ugly sweater non-contest with two of my favorite cousins.



And you know the real funny/sad part?

My grandma doesn't realize it's a joke. Last year she thought our sweaters were just the cutest thing. I'm sure she wanted to steal them to add to her growing collection of ugly Christmas sweaters.

golden tones

It's been quite some time since I've posted some regular old photos, so here's a few. I took most of them sometime last year, sorry there's nothing recent!

wow Grandpa

Nice pants.

music for your Monday

Jackhammers by The Spinto Band.

Just to warn you. The video gets a little crazy at times. Crazy as in "what is going on" and then crazy as in "ooh that's neat."

ramble on.

last night, at work, my boss told me I needed to ask my friend Jeff out. Apparently she talked to his mother who doesn't think he goes out enough. And apparently they both agreed I should be the one to solve this problem. Then she gave me next Friday off. Sneaky.

I just caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and noticed ANOTHER shimmery silver hair. So much for being young.

Finally found the courage to wear my new bright red lipstick outside of the house. Then woke up to find a huge zit right next to my pucker. Man...

Not gonna lie. My hair smells GOOD.

I really want to wear/devour that strawberry ring pop I bought to mail to my friend Karissa. Self control, Courtney, self control.

I don't think I've ever gone this long with unpainted toenails. I don't even know how long this long has been.

Does anyone else get sucked into those ridiculously predictable/corny Lifetime channel movies? I've already seen 12 Men of Christmas about 2.5 times. (Okay, it might just be to look at the twelve men. The cop guy? Yes please).

I am sick SICK sick of hearing about Tiger Woods and his infidelity. Isn't there something more important America should be talking about? (Although I won't lie, the joke about the difference between santa and him did make me laugh. Haven't heard it? What's the difference between Tiger Woods and Santa? Santa stops at three "ho's").

Sorry. That was cheap.

I feel as though it's time

for some polaroid action.

letters to various nouns

dear little paper airplane,
I made you in the hopes that you would fly into the garbage so I wouldn't have to get out of my chair. You failed. But, I must add, you failed spectacularly.

dear mrs. f,
good thing you're my the mom of my childhood best friend. Because if I had met you for the first time tonight as your server and you as my customer, I don't think I would've liked you. Scratch that. I know I wouldn't have liked you. I'm sorry but I cannot control the noise coming from table 16 and table 10. People typically don't come with volume buttons. Besides, they're only having a good time. Maybe you should try.

dear thrift store,
you were so awesome that it wasn't until I walked out the door carrying four bags that I realized I had forgotten to even look for what I meant to find.

dear table 8,
thank you for the generous tip. You are my new favorites.

dear book,
i was reading you slowly in hopes that you wouldn't end. You ended. How could you do that to me?!

dear future husband,
please do not snore like my dad. I don't know how my mom sleeps at night.

dear anthropologie,
you know, if you stopped making your catalogs so cute then maybe I could actually throw them away instead of having them stacked around my room.

dear anthropologie,
throw away that last letter. I'll deal with the clutter.

dear dad,
thanks for making me laugh so hard that I nearly choked on my chocolate chip muffin this morning.

dear plane ticket to anywhere awesome,
please find your way into my hands.

Dearest Truck of Mine,

For the past five and a half years, you have been the best piece of junk truck a girl could ever ask for.

You've taken my friends and I to San Francisco countless times, and even made it through the grapevine into Los Angeles so I could go to a taping of the Price is Right.

You've given me freedom.

I've blasted music from you, singing along with the windows down and the heat turned up. Perhaps I shouldn't have played the music so loud, seeing as how only one speaker is still in working condition because of it, but that was the soundtrack of our time spent together.

I'm sorry for crashing you into the back of that red mustang. I know you went through a lot of cosmetic surgery because of it. Must've hurt.

I'm sorry for ruining your grill. In my defense that turkey came out of nowhere!

I'm sorry for the times I've pushed you a little too hard. I'm sorry for yelling at you sometimes. You know I really love you.

I know I didn't wash you very often, but it was only because I thought it would add more character (not that you needed it). Sorry I didn't clean your insides very often either.

I'm sorry you've had to help so many of my friends move. Just so you know, I didn't enjoy moving them either. I'm also sorry for driving around corners too fast. I'm sure that you didn't enjoy having all those beverages spilled in you.

Thank you for being there when I was pissed off at the world. Just a drive with you on quiet country backroads would calm me down. Thank you for giving me a place to nap between classes. Thanks for dealing with me in my teen years when I drove somewhat recklessly to impress my friends. Thanks for listening to me vent about the other people on the road. Thanks for letting me use you for impromptu tailgate parties.

And your seats! Your seats are the most comfortable trucks cushions I've ever sat in. Seriously. I wish I had been a passenger more often so I could've fully enjoyed them.

Now your power steering is going out, your speedometer does crazy things and is very unpredictable, and your transmission probably won't last long (this I know, because driving is getting scary. Everytime I accelerate you go "ga gung ga gung ga gung" and shake and jerk). I can't lock your driver side door from the inside, and I have to do some special jiggling with the handle. But that's okay. I think of it as our secret handshake.

Here's the thing, Truck: thanks for being there. Thanks for taking me where I needed to go. Thanks for keeping me on my toes but never actually breaking down on me.

I know our time together is rapidly coming to an end, but I just wanted to let you know, I've loved the time we've had. And I'll remember you always.

And in the future, when my children see photographs of you and say, "Mom? YOU drove THAT?" I will defend your honor. Because I know good things don't always come in pretty packages.


on the drive home from my previous (and most likely last) daytrip to San Francisco in the truck

whaaaattt...

last night I dreamt I had a red headed illegitimate love child named Lucas and I was about to break the news of his existence to his birth father who was a waiter at Applebee's.

I just don't get dreams sometimes. What's the weirdest dream you've ever had? Are yours vivid? Mine are.

I think one of my all time favorites was when Matthew McConaughey (Wedding Planner era) was my best friend that I was secretly in love with. We were in the army. The Burger King army.

And, wait for it, we were in a war against McDonalds.

We attacked McDonaldland that night. Right as Ronald McDonald was giving a speech. Matthew fell in love with some McDonaldland widow with a child. I think she eventually died. Then I saved Matthew's life by pulling him out of some quicksand with a rope.

It was then that Matthew realized he had been in love with me all the time too.

Like I said- whaaaattt...

seemingly insignificant moments to remember

while I was reading a book this afternoon, my dad came up to me and said "we're going to change the oil in the truck."

Let me just say, I am completely lost when it comes to the goings on under the hood of a car.

By the end of the tutorial, not only had I crawled underneath the car and helped changed the oil, I also checked the tire pressure and added more air, I learned about radiators and antifreeze and things I'll never remember, and wore really awesome coveralls. My nails still have motor oil and grime beneath them. My hair still has hints of leaves that were on the garage floor.

In a moment of frustration with the tires I let out an- "ugh. I am SUCH a girl."

My dad just laughed and said "that you are."

I'm pretty sure I saw a hint of pride in his smile.

And I'm pretty sure it was one of those moments that I'll remember forever.

I wish I may,

I wish I might,
Find these under my tree Christmas night!



1. A sweet little Emerson Made clutch.
2. Abydos Dress from Anthropologie.
3. The Satorialist by Scott Schuman.
4. Pictorial Webster's, A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities . Seeing as how I'm both incredibly visual and curious.
5. Leather Jacket . Yes please.
6. Abydos Dress from Anthropologie. Pretty.
7. Happy Tape from Etsy.
8. Jacquard Screen Printing Ink . I would like yellow-green, turquoise, and yellow. What the heck, why not orange too!
9. Blackbird Camera. Cute and useable. I'm all about being versatile.

music for your Monday

I love the progression...

about last night...

Thankfully I wasn't needed at work and was able to go to a friend's bachelorette party last night.

I think I had a little too much fun... and it all started with the champagne.

As mortified as I was, I managed to win our game of Pin the "HmHm" on the Man. How the only virgin at the party beat everyone while blindfolded and dizzy is beyond me.

After a few games, we walked out of the apartment on a mission to get as many signatures and "advice" from men on marriage for Kristina's bachelorette party notebook. That's when things got really entertaining. I don't know that anyone wrote down any real advice, but it was fun walking up to random strangers (especially the good looking ones) and striking up a conversation.

My only regret from last night? When a very handsome young man wanted to give me his number.

Do you know what I said? Do you?

"Oh I'm really bad at calling people. Ask my friends."

And then I turned and walked away.

Stupid!

But in my defense, I didn't have my phone or anything to write his number down. Besides, I'm old fashioned, and I think it's the man's job to call the girl.

At least that's what I've been saying to console myself.


some of the girls


we may be slightly inebriated

been busy

this week I've been busy deciding on which photographs to use for my portfolio review in class next week. The teacher gave us specific assignments to fulfill, and I pretty much hated most of the topics. Although I'm not too wild about what I'm turning in, I decided to share them with you anyways! Oh and half of the portfolio had to be in black and white, so that's the reasoning behind the inconsistency.

1. Creative Speed Shot

Pretty blurry and a little vibrant, but that's what I like about it.

2. Creative Depth Shot


3. Portrait of Another Person

My big brother on the family farm.

4. Environmental Self Portrait

Not a fun one to take. The requirement was that you had to take it indoors at your home. I had all these ideas to make it cool and reflect my personality, but when it came down to it, my parents bedroom had the best light, my room was too messy, and I just ran out of time. So this one worked.

5. Landscape

I am by no means a landscape photographer. For the most part I like up close shots, and it seemed like none of my photos would fit this assignment, they all had some kind of man made structure. So in the end I just went with this one.

6. Composite (using 3 images in one)

I had grand ideas for this one too, but they didn't work out either. This is the assignment that really got to me, it seemed like all the other students were combining photos that shouldn't be combined, making them unrealistic. I don't know if you've gathered this about me, but I like things to be real. I'm not into making a tiny dog into a towering giant over a small town (as one of my classmates did). I based this image off of some of my double exposures that I've done with film, and I haven't decided for sure, but I think I kinda like it. All I can say is, it's different.

7. Field Trip Photo

When people started printing their field trip photos, most of them looked alike. I chose this one because it was most different from everyone else's, although it wasn't my favorite shot of the day.

8. Low Light


9. Flash

I hate HATE hate using flash.

10. Free Choice

This is the only photograph in this portfolio that is a cheater. Meaning, I didn't take it this semester. However, I'm okay with using it seeing as how I haven't used it in any other portfolio. I actually took this photograph while walking around in London, last winter.

consumed

it's seems as though lately I have been consumed with thoughts. Thoughts that go nowhere.

Thinking of all the places I could be instead of where I actually am.

And when I step outside of myself, and see how much time I have wasted away, thinking when I could be doing, I begin to feel slightly pathetic.

Have you ever been in that place?

I guess you could say I'm in a bit of a funk. Don't worry though, these funks always come with winter, and soon it will fade away.

On a much happier note, in one afternoon/late night, I managed to complete an entire semester's worth of classwork (with seven hours to spare before class began in the morning, no less)!

I am procrastination GOLD!!!