Friday, August 27, 2010

Kick Up My Heels For A Little While And Do It Country Style...

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I've been MIA this week mostly due to two things:

1) School is happening again this year (but luckily, only for one more semester!)
2) My week has sucked.

Sucked.
Sucked.

Oh yeah, SUCKED!

Good gracious. I spent the whole weekend fighting off indigestion and cleaning up the apartment. This is honestly the cleanest our apartment has been since we moved in *almost* a year ago. I felt great and it was good to know I was starting my last semester on my journey to my bachelor's degree with a clean slate. Then it happened...

Now granted, my classes are not bad at all. In fact, I have 3 English classes back to back to back from 9 to 12 in the morning MWF, then a night class, Business Ethics, on Thursday nights. The classes are interesting, since they're all electives, and I really think it's gonna be a good semester. However, having 3 English classes, I'm already behind on my reading. Not severely behind by any means, but enough that I'm already a little worried.

However, then you throw in everything that happened this week. Things like, being left alone at the office and feeling unhelpful and incompetent 95% of the day; realizing my emotional pain from my miscarriage is finally surfacing now that my physical pain is finally gone; ordering a hot beverage and receiving an iced one; discovering the ants from spring/early summer are back and are not only attacking your trash, but also your cats' food dishes; having such bad digestive issues you have to LEAVE SCHOOL to avoid using the public restroom; have a huge fight with your husband; take a new supplement to FINALLY get so rest and wake up groggy and less rested than before... I think you catch my drift. It's literally one thing after another. I can't keep my head above water. The interesting thing is, my apartment is still clean. Can I really not have it all? Do I really have to be strong so much that it hurts? Can I not have it all together? Can I not enough my final semester?!

The short answer is "yes." The answer I feel like I'm getting is "Heck No!" However, I'm hoping a relaxing weekend full of fun activities will be just the key to get me prepped up to conquer next week head on. I have to trust that God knows what he's doing. I mean, I wasn't there for creation or anything so he seems to have a handle on it ;)

So for my Friday Five today, I'm doing the five things that never cease to make me smile :D

1) My family. My extended family is such a hoot, but it's really my immediate family, which now includes my amazing husband, that make all the difference in my life. They all mean the world to me and whether it's just listening, or finding ways to make me laugh, the four of them have the magic touch :)

2) My friends who will tweet, comment, and contact me in some way just to let me know they're thinking about me. People like Carrie, former-co-worker-lady-ma'am-before-she-left-for-texas-and-a-big-girl-job, my Venus, and several of my KD sisters. It's always nice to know that people love you because of who you are :)

3) The weather lately. Not only is it similar to what I'm told SoCal is usually like, but it's also showing the beginnings of fall weather and I canNOT tell you how excited about that I am!!! :)

4) Cuddling under my favorite blanket and watching movies like this, this, or even this :)

5) Listening to my iPod on a swing in the park, sipping on a Coke and just reminiscing about "the good ol' days" :)

p.s. On of my plans for the weekend is a bachelorette party/personal shower for one my best friends Abbey! Tonight I'm dressed in my hot pink tank top, turquoise skirt, (I purchased in NYC in 2004), and my cowboy boots :D Anytime I put these boots on, this song gets in my head and that makes me smile too! (Nerdy, I know... but hey, you know you like it =P)


What can always make you smile/happy when you're down?

Happy Friday y'all!

Peace to you,

"Boots On" by Randy Houser

Friday, August 20, 2010

Sittin' On The Porch Drinkin' Ice Cold Cherry-- Coke...


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Happy Friday everyone! Before I do my Friday Five, I want to announce something. No, I'm not pregnant. In fact, I scared my dad when I was telling him this. Sorry daddy-o! HAHA After what happened this past June, being pregnant isn't even on my radar! My body is still healing. Before I tell you, you need to understand something about me.

I am the youngest of two children and the only girl. From the time I was little, I loved attention. Not necessarily from other people, but definitely from my parents and brother. Growing up with my family was always fun. However, during baseball and football season, the attention of my dad and brother was always focused on the TV set. Not just for the game mind you, but for the commentary before AND after about it. I still don't really get this concept. Why not talk to your friends about it and not listen to other people chat together on ESPN. Oh well, I digress. With this stealing my attention from the men in my life, I rebelled the best way I knew how: I complained. I'd complain about the game, I'd complain about them hogging the TV and I would lock myself in my room and sulk for hours on game day. Sounds pleasant right? Again, I was an attention deprived girl. What else could I do? For years and years I hated both sports. I wouldn't even think twice. I'm thankful they didn't like basketball too, I'd NEVER get attention!

In junior high, I was required to have a p.e. credit to move on to high school. Well, I had several other classes I wanted to take instead. Something you could do that counted as a p.e. class is either play a sport or be a sport "manager", aka help out the coach. Well, even though I played volleyball my 9th grade year, I still needed to do something else, (I don't remember why this was, but I had to deal). I opted to be a baseball manager since I like it better than soccer. I would help load equipment for games and keep score. Once I learned more about the game, the more I started to enjoy it. To this day, I still like baseball best when I'm at the game instead of just watching it on TV.

My senior year high school, I dated a guy who played football. Coming from a relatively small town, I assumed we'd probably get married eventually as long as nothing too upsetting came our way. He wanted to be a high school coach once he was out of college. Well, being in the band, I had to go to several games anyways. The few we were not required to go to, I road tripped with a few band girls who also had boyfriends on the team as well and went to the games. I still didn't understand what was going on completely, but I figured I had to learn if I'd end up being a coach's wife. Well, long story short, he tells me that after his birthday in December, we can run off to Arkansas and get married. Umm... no. I was going to college and I wasn't ready to be married just yet. So we broke up. However, after that, I was a little more interested in football than I would ever admit out loud.

Now, to understand this part of the story, you have to understand this fact about me: I NEVER like to do or enjoy things that I'm told to do or enjoy. In fact, I'm in the habit of doing the opposite just to prove you wrong. I don't know why that is, but it's just who I am. In high school, I didn't mind rooting for our team too much, but I hated being forced to love them the most. Same story when I went to TU for college. Why should I like them the best just because I go to school there? I didn't come for the team, I came for the music program and to earn a college degree! Even today, with a husband and MIL who love their alma mater, I can't seem to get too into the games. Sorry...

Well, for the past year or so, I've been keeping this to myself. I am really starting to get into football. HOWEVER, and this is important kids, I have to personally pick the teams I want to root for! Well, with the new season coming up, I decided to finally tell my family about this. My husband laughed and my dad wasn't surprised, (though he laughed mostly from relief I believe). My brother of course, doesn't really care. I mean, he cares about me, but my life choices are my choices. Maybe that's why we get along so well ;)

So here's the announcing part, the two, (yes two), teams that I have chosen to cheer for all season long! I've being doing some research, (I'm still a little nerd even though I like football now =P), and they are in different conferences anyways. I have a preference between the two, but I'll explain that in a moment. The two teams are: the Oklahoma State Cowboys, and the University of Arkansas Razorbacks! Make fun if you want, but I don't care :D

Now, if you've read my long winded about me, you know that I lived in southwest Arkansas for a good portion of my life, (just under half my life now... wow I'm old! HAHA). Well, for whatever reason, I've always had a little more state pride for Arkansas than Oklahoma. Sure I swell up with pride when I hear the song "Oklahoma" by Rodgers and Hammerstein or when I see stories about neighbors helping one another during times of crisis, (aka tornado season). However, having lived in Arkansas most of my early childhood, I've always had a bigger spot in my heart for Arkansas. In fact, I didn't know until I was nearly 8 years old that I was born in Missouri instead of Arkansas! So, obviously, my preference is for the Razorbacks :) I've already learned the fight song and I know the coaches names! If I'm going do something, I do it right ;) Phil is teasing me because I already have sweatshirts, and other "gear" I'm wanting to show my pride. What can I say... I'm still a southern girl! haha

So that's my announcement. Sorry it has such a long back story, but I felt it was important to know why I was "announcing" this :)

For my Friday Five, I'm doing the 5 albums I'm looking the most forward to purchasing soon

1) Maroon 5 - Hands All Over
I've already admitted to my love for all things Maroon 5 and I'm just obsessed with their song "Misery" from this album. It releases September 21st!

2) Sara Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart
I only recently purchased the entire Little Voice album, but I just love it! I can't wait to see what gems her sophomore album will bring :) It releases September 7th!

3) Belle & Sebastian - Belle & Sebastian Write About Love
I have several other albums by Belle & Sebastian so I have no doubt this could be an awesome album. It releases October 12th!

4) Sugarland - The Incredible Machine
Sugarland is a great country group. They are definitely an easy listen for anyone who is on the fence about country music. It's like Lady Antebellum, sometimes you forget their a country band :) It releases October 19th!

5) Rascal Flatts - Nothing Like This
I can honestly say this is one of my favorite bands in the world of all time. I can't get enough of these guys!! It releases November 16th! This is a great lead into my....

Music Day 16


Day 01 - Your favorite song

Day 02 - Your least favorite song
Day 03 - A song that makes you happy
Day 04 - A song that makes you sad
Day 05 - A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 - A song that reminds you of somewhere
Day 07 - A song that you know all the words to
Day 08 - A song that you can dance to
Day 09 - A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 10 - A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 11 - A song that makes you think of your best friend
Day 12 - A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 13 - A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 14 - A song that describes you
Day 15 - A song from your favorite album
Day 16 - A song from your favorite band
Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io
"Mayberry" by Rascal Flatts
Day 17 - A song from a band you can't stand
Day 18 - A song that makes you laugh
Day 19- A song that you wish you could play
Day 20 - A song from your childhood
Day 21- A song with great lyrics
Day 22- A song you love with no lyrics
Day 23 - A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 24 - A song that you could never get tired of
Day 25 - Your favorite song at this time last year

I have been feeling very nostalgic lately. I'm sure part of it is my announcement of being a Razorback fan. It's made me think of my old hometown and how I long for the small town, simple life lifestyle. Though, I know I wouldn't be 100% happy like that. I love this song and how it reflects that yearning for a slower world. A place where everyone is kind to one another and no one is in a hurry for nothing. Plus, I love the Andy Griffith Show references. I used to watch it with my dad all the time growing up :) I love this song, and I hope you do too!

Happy Friday y'all!

Peace to you,
"Mayberry" by Rascal Flatts

Thursday, August 19, 2010

So Let Me Be, I'll Set You Free...


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I've decided to do a Recipe Thursday!
Why Thursday? Well, 1) it's the end of the week and I know I usually start feeling like I'm at a loss as of what to make for dinner and 2) Thursday is listed as the letter "R" since Tuesday is first... so to me R = recipe!

So here's my recipe for the day! Phil and I actually made this for dinner tonight and it was delish!!

5 Spice London Broil with Sweet Potato Fries and Coghill Dipping Sauce*

For the main course, you will need:

16 oz lean beef eye of round (around 1 pound)
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Sweet Potato Fries, you will need:

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Allspice (Season All) to taste

For the Coghill Dipping Sauce, you will need:

2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cajun spice

Directions:

1) Preheat broiler. Spray broiler rack with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

2) Mix together chili powder, paprika, cumin, pepper, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Place beef on wax paper and sprinkle both sides with spice mixture. Let it sit for 15 minutes on the wax paper.

3) Cut sweet potatoes into bite size wedges. Place in either a large ziploc bag or a large mixing bowl. Coat evenly with olive oil, then sprinkle season all until covered with spice. Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake in oven for 3 minutes, then turn sweet potatoes and cook for 3 minutes more. Once they are soft in the middle, take out of the oven and set aside.

4) Take beef off of the wax paper and place on broiler rack. Broil for 7 minutes per side. Set beef on cutting board and let it stand for 10 minutes.

5) Combine sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder and cajun spice in a small bowl.

6) After 10 minutes, slice steak against the grain and serve with fries and dipping sauce.

Here's a picture of what we had as the end result.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! The beef was a little dry, but that's what A1 sauce is for right ;)

If you have any questions about the recipe, just let me know :) Happy Thursday y'all!

Peace to you,
"Misery" by Maroon 5 (LOVING this song because I love this band!!!)
*I just came up with the dipping sauce on my own as I was thinking about something besides ketchup to dip the fries in. I'm quite proud of myself :D Plus, it's a Coghill trait to love garlic and this can be garlic-y depending on how much you add to the sour cream

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

And I Can Smell Hot Asphalt...


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While most of my friends on Blogger are participating in Wordless Wednesday, I will have a Wordful Wednesday post ;) I have lots to talk about today! We finally have lower temperatures lately, (as in high 90's), and it's been nice! I feel like I finally have energy again :)

My weekend did NOT go according to plan. Two years ago in October, Phil and I had to purchase a car. Phil was in an accident in September and we are very much a two car family since we both commute 30 minutes everyday. We did some research and I chose the Jeep Patriot. It has served us well and includes 4 round trips to St Paul, Minnesota.

On my drive home from my last trip to see my parents, I got about 45 minutes from home when a light on my dashboard popped up. I did not recognize it so I looked it up when I got home. Apparently it is the Transmission Fluid Temperature warning light. If this comes on, you must slow down to let the transmission fluid cool down. After it turned on, I noticed the RPM meter stayed around 3 1/2 & 4. I don't know a lot about cars, but I do know that when the RPM hits 6, that's the red zone of the meter. So anyways, I got home and the light didn't come back on again.

Fast forward to 2 weekends ago, where I drove the car 2 hours to the Oklahoma/Texas line. On the way there, the RPM was still kinda high, but the light never came on. Granted, it had been over 100 degrees for several days when this was going on. My dad didn't make any comments when we drove home on Sunday (he took over because we both are better drivers than riders =P).

So Friday I made a date to spend the night with bestie Annette, then hang out Saturday and see Abbey before leaving town. Well, I get to Kellyville on the turnpike, (30 minutes from downtown Tulsa), and the light comes on. Ok, well, I can't really slow down so I'll just hope I get all the way to Claremore. I slow down a little, but there's not much I can do. I jump on the Creek turnpike which takes me around the south part of Tulsa before it curves back up to Claremore. Here's the fun part... the CAR decided to slow itself down. As in, I had the pedal ON THE FLOOR of the car and it would NOT go any faster!!! It slowed me down to about 40 mph! Luckily I was in a construction zone so I didn't endanger myself as much as I could have. I tried to exit, but turns out it's only a toll booth. Great. So I turn off the car for a moment, then turn it back on to see if it got cool enough to continue. I mean, I'm in Tulsa... I'm SO close to Claremore! When it turns on, the check engine light turns on WITH the transmission fluid light. It will hardly accelerate and I and borderline hysterical at this point because I'm all by myself and I cannot control my own car! On Phil's advice, I drove the city streets to my in-laws and I was there most of the next 20ish hours. I did get to go to dinner with Annette, but I was asked to stay at the in-laws so we could take it to the dealership nearby to look at around 7:30 in the morning.

Essentially, the dealership couldn't find anything "wrong" so they didn't really fix anything. This after the car sat in their garage all weekend because they didn't even LOOK at my car until AN HOUR before they closed on Saturday. Awesome. So Phil and I met the in-laws in Stroud to get Virgil (the car) back. The restaurant and company was great, but I'm still a little mad they didn't do anything. I just don't want the car to break down again.

So that was MY weekend. Fun huh?
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Sunday was my last day as the youth director at Midwest City. Now that I have moved my membership to Central, I now have no ties to the church. I still love everyone there and they will always be my church family. However, knowing that we'd be moving no matter what in the near future, I need to slowly start prepping myself to leave. It's hard for me to let people, places, and things go. I feel I need this to make moving a little easier emotionally.

The service was actually run by the youth group. They did the readings, lead the prayers and did a skit for the sermon. I wrote the skit and thought it was pretty good ;) The kids did an amazing job and I couldn't have been more proud of them. I did receive a card before the service started and waited to open it until I got home. I read the card and it had a $50 bill inside! I thought that was very sweet and the note brought a tear to my eye. Then I felt the envelope and figured there were letters from the kids inside. Boy was I wrong... in total, there was $375 in checks and cash. I was overwhelmed!! I didn't even know what to say! I did this job on a volunteer basis and I feel like this job has blessed me more than I blessed the church. I was so grateful and just in awe of the generosity! We are using it for miscellaneous things that we've needed for awhile, including using it to buy my books for the semester. I am so touched by this church and they will always hold a place in my heart :)
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For my Wedding Wednesday post, I'm going to talk about the photographer.

Whenever I have friends getting married, I always tell them to think of the top two things they care about most. Since it is your personal wedding, it can be anything. It can be your dress and the DJ, or it could be the location and your cake. Whatever it is, those are the two things that you can splurge for without feeling guilty. Just stay in budget with everything else and let those things slide if they don't work out perfectly. This way you're not so focused on every. last. detail and you can focus on the fact that you're getting married to your best friend/love of your life. My personal two were 1)the photographer and 2)the cake.

The reason I chose the cake is because, originally, we were only serving cake. Plus, I worked in a bakery for a few months and I became very particular. That, however, is another post for later ;)

The main reason I chose the photographer as my priority is because I know that you cannot go back and take more pictures of a life-changing event. You get one chance to capture that moment. This is why I opted to not do bridal portraits before the wedding. All brides are beautiful, but I felt like I wouldn't look the same like I would on our wedding day. I also knew that my grandmother, as well as other family members, would not be able to make it to the wedding. I wanted them to feel like they were right there with us whenever they looked through the photos.

I did lots of research about the type of photography I wanted. A journalistic point of view was very appealing as well as artistic. I looked at several vendor websites and just wasn't entirely sure who I wanted. None of them really told a story in a creative way like I was envisioning. I can't even remember exactly how I found them, but I found a company called Colorband. I checked their website and looked them up on the BBB website, (a must for any vendor!). They seemed to check out well so I scheduled an appointment with Phil to meet them.

It didn't take long to realize they were awesome! Roy Groat, the owner of the company, and his assistant Jamie Chen were very easy to get along with. I felt at ease around them and I could tell that photography is their passion. I explained to them that I want my pictures to tell a story since my grandma can't make it and they completely understood. They showed us some of their work as well as a price list for their packages. Even though this was a splurge item for us, their prices were just perfect! I picked one that included an engagement session and $400 worth of credit for purchasing prints or a photo album for after the wedding. I also would own all the negatives which was important to me!

We quickly booked them and never looked back. Our engagement session was lots of fun and I couldn't even begin to tell you how pleased I was with our photos! The day of our wedding, I was having a slight out of body experience. I didn't feel like a bride all day because I was just so calm and collected! I received a link to our photos just a month after our wedding and I felt like I was reliving the entire wedding. I got to experience all the emotions I didn't on that day. As I flipped through the photos, I got excited as the ceremony got close, I teared up when my dad walked me down the aisle, and I got so giddy when we kissed and walked down the aisle as husband and wife. It was well beyond my expectations. I was told for the first year anniversary, I could request the negatives. Because I loved the photos so much, I asked them for it after I saw them online. Knowing it was full blown wedding season, I told them I didn't expect it very fast. I received the photos on a high-resolution CD 6 weeks after our wedding day.

Again, these people were just wonderful to work with and their talent & passion show in every photo. I'm not suggesting to any brides that photography should be one of their priorities, but I can safely say that I did not regret the decision to make it mine :) Here are a few of the pictures from engagement to the ceremony. Enjoy!


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I don't know about you, but I love hot drinks! Tea, coffee, caramel apple spice... It's one of my favorite parts about fall. I love to hold a cup, (preferably a HUGE coffee cup because I have a strange fascination for them), between my hands and just smell the drink while letting the steam warm my lungs. It's a beautiful thing :) However, I will NOT drink it until it's just the right temperature. The main reason being that I can burn my tongue really easily. It never fails. Phil says the "right temperature" is too cold, but it's just warm enough that I can drink it quickly.

With this in mind, here's a fun anecdote from this morning. I was running a little behind this morning and I barely finished my bowl of cereal. Phil always has a cup of coffee and a cup of juice waiting on the table for me. I usually make time for the coffee, but I don't always get around to the juice. For whatever reason today, I wanted both even though I was already 4 minutes behind schedule. I grabbed my purse and walked to the table. Phil watched on as I chugged the OJ, then picked up the coffee and just downed that sucker too. What can I say, it was the "right temperature." Phil apparently found it funny because he just couldn't stop laughing as I kissed him goodbye and ran out the door. I'm glad I could brighten his morning since I'm usually a little grumpy ;)
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Music Day 15

Day 01 - Your favorite song

Day 02 - Your least favorite song
Day 03 - A song that makes you happy
Day 04 - A song that makes you sad
Day 05 - A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 - A song that reminds you of somewhere
Day 07 - A song that you know all the words to
Day 08 - A song that you can dance to
Day 09 - A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 10 - A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 11 - A song that makes you think of your best friend
Day 12 - A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 13 - A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 14 - A song that describes you
Day 15 - A song from your favorite album
Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io
"The Sun" by Maroon 5
Day 16 - A song from your favorite band
Day 17 - A song from a band you can't stand
Day 18 - A song that makes you laugh
Day 19- A song that you wish you could play
Day 20 - A song from your childhood
Day 21- A song with great lyrics
Day 22- A song you love with no lyrics
Day 23 - A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 24 - A song that you could never get tired of
Day 25 - Your favorite song at this time last year

This is the one album that I can have in my CD player for MONTHS and never get tired of. It was in my car stereo the entire summer after I graduated from high school. What can I say... I love me some Maroon 5 :D My favorite part of the song is one of my favorite musical moments to date. It's the part where they sing "Hate to love her love to hate her, like a broken record player..." I just LOVE the way they sing it - similar to a barber shop quartet. Yes, I'm a little nerdy, but give me a break ;)
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Tonight my brother is coming over for dinner! I making Hot & Sour soup. It's one of the first dishes I made as Mrs. Coghill in our small apartment in Norman. Sometimes I miss that apartment, though Phil disagrees. I just miss it because it was the first place we ever lived together. I'm sentimental :)

Hope y'all have a great Wednesday!!

Peace to you,

"The Sun" by Maroon 5

Friday, August 13, 2010

Got A Couple Rips In My Jeans...

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I've had a rough past couple of days. It's mostly my own fault for being too overly sensitive. I had a whole post planned out and decided it wasn't really worth repeating. Besides, it's Friday.... the 13th. Ok, that's not great, but it's still Friday none the less :) Today I'm going to start a new tradition my brother actually did years and years ago when he first created a blog his freshman year of college. We call it, the Friday Five! It can be about anything, but today in particular, I'm going to list my top 5 things I'm looking forward to over the next few months.

1) Going back to school for my LAST SEMESTER EVER!!! Oh my! I've been a senior for awhile now and it's going to feel soooooooooooooooooooooooo good to finally get that piece of paper :D

2) My recital I'm giving in December. I had a voice lesson yesterday and now I'm super motivated to make my recital awesome! I have so much music to learn, but it'll be worth it. I'm sure both sets of parents can come, but I'm hoping more people will come too :D

3) FALL FALL FALL FALL FALL!!!! My favorite season.... the falling leaves, boot wearing weather, coats, scarves, college football, pumpkins, Halloween, caramel apple cider from Starbucks... It makes me smile every time!

4) There is going to be a Diabetic Student Association Fair thing at OSU Stillwater in September. Even though I'm not an official diabetic, due to PCOS I've decided to treat my body that way. Since I'm prone to develop type II because of PCOS, I want to be prepared. Plus, after much research, this is the best way to take care of my body right now. It's not fun feeling really sick and having digestive issue just because I wanted alfredo pasta AND a creamy cake. Not worth it for sure. This fair will have LOTS of different stations to teach diabetics how to take care of themselves. I know I'll get lots of great information

5) Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday period. No further explanation needed :D

Now to the music...
Day 01 - Your favorite song
Day 02 - Your least favorite song
Day 03 - A song that makes you happy
Day 04 - A song that makes you sad
Day 05 - A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 - A song that reminds you of somewhere
Day 07 - A song that you know all the words to
Day 08 - A song that you can dance to
Day 09 - A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 10 - A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 11 - A song that makes you think of your best friend
Day 12 - A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 13 - A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 14 - A song that describes you

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

"Fireflies" by Faith Hill
Day 15 - A song from your favorite album
Day 16 - A song from your favorite band
Day 17 - A song from a band you can't stand
Day 18 - A song that makes you laugh
Day 19- A song that you wish you could play
Day 20 - A song from your childhood
Day 21- A song with great lyrics
Day 22- A song you love with no lyrics
Day 23 - A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 24 - A song that you could never get tired of
Day 25 - Your favorite song at this time last year

Just read the lyrics :)

Happy Friday!

Peace to you,

"Free to Be Me" By Francesca Battistelli

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Oh, Nothin' Sweeter Than Summertime...

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I have lots to share today! First I have my song for the 25 days of music. Then I have a video, and a few pictures to share :) I'm having an iffy day so far so I thought I'd share these fun things today. Enjoy!

I want to forewarn you that this song is the original version with no editing. (Sorry mama and daddy-o) If you don't want to listen to it, but want the lyrics, go here.
Day 01 - Your favorite song
Day 02 - Your least favorite song
Day 03 - A song that makes you happy
Day 04 - A song that makes you sad
Day 05 - A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 - A song that reminds you of somewhere
Day 07 - A song that you know all the words to
Day 08 - A song that you can dance to
Day 09 - A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 10 - A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 11 - A song that makes you think of your best friend
Day 12 - A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 13 - A song that no one would expect you to love

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io
"P.I.M.P." by 50 Cent
Day 14 - A song that describes you
Day 15 - A song from your favorite album
Day 16 - A song from your favorite band
Day 17 - A song from a band you can't stand
Day 18 - A song that makes you laugh
Day 19- A song that you wish you could play
Day 20 - A song from your childhood
Day 21- A song with great lyrics
Day 22- A song you love with no lyrics
Day 23 - A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 24 - A song that you could never get tired of
Day 25 - Your favorite song at this time last yea

Today's song was hard to pick just because I don't know what kind of music you think I like. Though, 9 times out of 10 you'd be right. I like just about every type of music because I feel that it has a place in the world. What I did was ask Phil about what type of music he was surprised to learn that I liked. He answered with explicit rap. Now, in my defense, I don't listen to a lot of it. However, my senior year of high school, my BFF Jess and I would hang out ALL the time, especially in the car since we had so much marching band stuff to do. Well, I had recently purchased the 50 Cent "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" CD and we would listen to it. Every day, we would listen to it. Why in the world would two 17 year-old white girls like this? I don't know how to answer that. I do know that one day, we decided that the song "P.I.M.P." should be our theme song. That day, after band practice, we sat in the parking lot of our high school and played the song over and over until we learned all the lyrics so we could sing it all the time. Again, I don't know why. So... I still like it and it reminds me of my senior year. However, with it being explicit, many people don't understand why I like it. *shrugs* That's why you can't judge a book by it's cover :)

Moving on, I saw this video at Theresa's blog yesterday and I just loved it! I agree with her that it's definitely one of the most creative things I've ever seen. Plus, I may be purchasing the song soon... I liked that too!



I don't know about you, but I've always loved buttons. My mom used to keep a small box of spare buttons for the various coats, blouses, etc. we had in the house. I love seeing what creative things people can do with buttons! Here are a few button pictures for you that I found here.

Happy Tuesday!

Peace to you,
"American Honey" by Lady Antebellum

Monday, August 9, 2010

Mama, You're The Queen Of My Heart...

Due to my blog break thanks to a busy schedule, I missed a special day in the life of a special woman.
On July 31st, my mother was born. She shares a birthday with Dean Cain, Wesley Snipes, and Harry Potter :) She is a great piano player and also knows how to play the oboe and recorder. She is a good alto singer in the choir and is one of the best preachers in the world IMHO. She is loving, generous and always knows what to say that makes me feel better. Her hugs can cure the deepest pain in your heart and her smile is contagious. She does every task with grace and dignity. She is one of the most patient people I've ever known, (and trust me, I tested this theory MANY times =P). I can honestly say my mother is one of my best friends and I'm so blessed to have her in my life.

Mama, I love you very much. I can't wait until I can see you face to face again. Video chats online are nice, but it's nothing like be in the same room as you. I hope your next year of life is full of all the wonderful things you deserve.

Infinite X's and O's
Nenay :)

I'm told we look alike... what do you think? ;)
Peace to you,

"A Song for Mama" by Boyz II Men

I Will Redeem Myself...

{via}
I will be doing two posts today since I missed a very special day a few weeks ago. It's just been hard to find time to sit down and just focus my thoughts into a readable format.

For this post, I did my first video blog ever. Please be nice :) Also, excuse the horrible face I have as the icon of this video. I wish I knew how to change it! :-/




Now for the music...
Day 01 - Your favorite song
Day 02 - Your least favorite song
Day 03 - A song that makes you happy
Day 04 - A song that makes you sad
Day 05 - A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 - A song that reminds you of somewhere
Day 07 - A song that you know all the words to
Day 08 - A song that you can dance to
Day 09 - A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 10 - A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 11 - A song that makes you think of your best friend
Day 12 - A song that is a guilty pleasure
Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

"See You Again" by Miley Cyrus
Day 13 - A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 14 - A song that describes you
Day 15 - A song from your favorite album
Day 16 - A song from your favorite band
Day 17 - A song from a band you can't stand
Day 18 - A song that makes you laugh
Day 19- A song that you wish you could play
Day 20 - A song from your childhood
Day 21- A song with great lyrics
Day 22- A song you love with no lyrics
Day 23 - A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 24 - A song that you could never get tired of
Day 25 - Your favorite song at this time last year

In my defense, it is a very catchy tune. I'll hum it to myself every so often. Sorry, no Bieber Fever here...

Happy Monday y'all!

Peace to you,
"See You Again" by Miley Cyrus

But I Know What It Feels Like

This post is going to be awfully vulnerable and hard for me, but I really want to finally say it out loud. I got permission for my daughter ...