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.