instead of packing.

i seriously need to be packing right now. i'm leaving tomorrow for a cruise with my family and i haven't even started packing. i just can't seem to think "summer" on newyears eve. my mind is confused.

instead of packing, i have been sitting in my room talking to emmaline. we were looking at her possible bridesmaid dress which i LOVE. she also introduced me to this song- she said she thought it was "beachy"- i just really like it. this is an uofficial video but i think it is so so cool...


short post for today- i really need to be locating my swimsuits in my disaster of a closet! more later...

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!
hart

meet naomi!

This is Naomi! Today, I had yet another family Christmas. We are very close with my Chacha's sister-in-law and her family. (Chacha's twin brother died about 10 years ago). My cousin Wesley has this precious little girl, Naomi! Wesley and his wife Charlotte are really neat- Wesley went to seminary for years and years and now just moved back to Memphis from Savannah. His wife Charlotte is so cool- very free spirited (a modern-day "hippie" if you will)... i spent much of the afternoon listening to what she feeds and gives Naomi- all 100% natural products. She gives her probiotics and the Naomi has YET to be sick... she also likes beets.. (not the kind from "Doug" but actual beets...).

Charlotte was the one who got me started on Kombucha (for those of you who I've made try it). If you've never heard of it, check it out. You can find it in any Natural Foods store, but don't get grossed out... you can see the white bacterial culture floating in it. Looks not so good, but Kombucha is a Chinese tea-like substance that is supposed to be SUPER SUPER healthy. It's definitely a taste to get used to, though!

Last night was spent in good ole Fulton. I spent the night with Chacha. We had my HiDan's classic meal of steak and baked potato. The original plan was to watch "Gone with the Wind"- which is mine and Chacha's favorite, but we ended up watching "Ghost" with Patrick Swayze. SUCH a good movie (even though nothing compares to "nobody puts baby in the corner!"). Thank goodness for the bit of comedy provided by Whoopi (or should i say Oda-Mae), or else it would be entirely too sad!

Now it's off to a wedding shower! I could probably blog for hours about the number of my friends getting married this year... but I'll save that for another day!


hart

such a musician... see for yourself.

let me introduce to you... ben rector. so so talented. i had the privilege of working at the same summer camp as him a few years ago...he had just gotten started then, but now, you can purchase any of his music on itunes- and you won't be disappointed!

its over... and some old love

i feel like sometimes we all get in such a rush for Christmas that we can almost miss it. so much anticipation... however, my Christmas festivities go on a bit longer than the average person. have you ever seen the movie "Four Christmas's"? That is pretty much the story of my life minus "beer-mosas." I do have a very interesting family- but they are absolutely wonderful... ALL of them. I just feel remotely sorry for the person who marries me one day. by then i'm sure i will only go to some of them, but i'll pick up a couple more.

One of my favorite quotes this year was from a man i had never met before- you never really know who is going to show up at my step-mom's family christmas. this year there was this 70 year old man telling us about when he first met "his jackie."

"Oh, when i first started courting jackie, i thought she was the cutest thing i'd ever seen- i could have just eaten her up. after about a year of being married to her, i wish i would have."
I seriously could NOT stop laughing. he was DEAD serious!

OLD LOVE

My favorite story, however, was Mrs. Libby's. She was telling us about how she fell in love with her 1st cousin at a family reunion when she was 23. I love hearing old people tell stories... they are just precious and so romantic. She "fancied" him a bit more than the other boys, ,but she knew she couldn't love her first cousin... blood was keeping them apart. After the reunion, she left Maine and came back to Memphis... a few months later her mother told her they were having a visitor... it was Richard, her first cousin. They were out on the town one night romancing and such (of course they didn't lock lips). She finally said to him, "Richard, don't you think this is a bit odd? Us having a fancy for one another but being first cousins?" Richard said, "Now I hate to break it to you darlin, but we ain't kin to one anotha... I don't know why noone has bothered to tell you, but i reckon i will... you were adopted." Mrs. Libby said the first thing she did was scream, "Well let's get married!!!" She said she completely forgot to be mad at her parents for going 23 years without telling her she was adopted because she was so in love with Richard. I thought that was the most precious story! She's almost 90 and quite a hoot...

crafty christmas

So this year, instead of actually swapping gifts with each and every person, my friends and i decided to not only draw names, but MAKE our Christmas gift. Of course this wasn't my idea... it was Emily and Elena- my two craftiest friends. At first i was not too fond of the idea, but i realized that it didn't mean i had to draw or paint a picture, but i could actually do something that i enjoy doing. I drew Allison's name and I made her name out of pictures. These weren't just any pictures, though. The A was her brother and sister-in-law, the L was made of pearls (because she's a hard-core tri-delta), the O was made from a stain glass window at her home church, etc. I actually had a fun time making it- painting the wood turquoise (which you couldn't even see), and making the frame. Here is a picture of the finished product (the lighting is horrible in the picture- forgive me).

I was lucky enough for elena to draw my name- she's one of my most artistic friends... she made me hanger for my new house! It's very "ME". It's my favorite color, green, and has a vintage style to it. The hangers are made from a vintage handle and hangers on an old door-hinge. Its basically awesome and I'm super excited about it!

I'm thinking crafty Christmas will probably be a new tradition to go along with BAKE DAY. Anyway- time to go detox from my 5+ family Christmas's!

Until later,
HART

oh today

i like this video:) My posts haven't been very detailed as of late. There is a lot coming later... but for now, i will entertain you with yet another video- this is just so different from the norm.

i'm wishing

i'm wishing... (i'm wishing)
for the one i love
to CALL me.... (to CALL me)
today... (today)



i really do wish i could explain to you how frustrated i get with international calling cards. you pay a lot of money for a card that takes about 10 times to work and then gives you a false number of minutes to talk... my favorite part? ... the little lady that comes on at the end "you have one minute remaining." my heart seriously breaks every time i hear her- i have actually come to seriously dislike her even though i have never met her... but now that i think about it, i highly doubt that there's anyone who likes her- she has a miserable job making such horrible recordings.
if none of this makes sense, my boyfriend is in africa- there will be much more to come of that later- yep the whole nine yards with the cute African kid pictures and all... get ready!

MERRRRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!
hart

bake day

So I am a little behind on my update, but the few days before Christmas just tend to get so busy... As you can see, yesterday was the 3rd Annual Bake Day. My friends from high school and I always make a point to have "bake day" each Christmas Break... we all bring our own recipe and ingredients and make a treat to share... this year i decided to take on the challenge of Bottle Tree Bakery and make their very own Whole Wheat Triple Berry Muffins! They are my favorite breakfast item (or really anytime item) in oxford. Mine were pretty good, i will admit- i put extra berries... strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

And there can't be a bake day without a gingerbread house...we don't use a kit. We make it from nothing- or should is say, Leah and Laura make it from nothing... quite a process but that's the whole point, right?


We ended up with quite a spread... the rest of my day was devoted to "crafty christmas" which will be discussed soon- but that's for another day...

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!

hart

beautiful. absolutely beautiful.

this is so beautiful. got it from my one of my favorites (withoutmelissa.tumblr.com)

Listen. indulge.

i was just thinking- teitur

I was just thinking that I have been missing you for way too long
There’s something inside this weary head that wants us to love just instead
But I was just thinking, merely thinking I’ve got loads of pictures
I’ve got the one of you in that dancing dress
But man I feel silly in that dim light just after doing you by the sight of My Kodak delights
I am sinking, merely sinking
I think about long distance rates instead of kissing you babe
I’m a singer without a song
If I wait for you longer my affection is stronger
I, I was just thinking and thinking, merely thinking
That this boat is sinking
Yeah I'm tired of postcards
Especially the ones with cute dogs and cupids
I'm tired of calling you and missing you
And dreaming that I've slept with you
Don't get me wrong I still desperately love you
Inside this weary head
I just want us to love, just instead
But I was just thinking and thinking, merely thinking
I think about long distance rates instead of kissing you babe
And time is running me still
If I wait for you longer my affection is stronger I was just thinking
Babe, I was just thinking
That I’m tired of calling you once a week
And thinking of long distance rates instead of kissing you
Baby I’m sinking, merely sinking

ahhh i just love song lyrics.

he's half a century.

So today, my dear father turned the big 5-0. I drove to Chattanooga (in possibly the worst weather ever) to surprise him at his surprise party... he was pretty shocked that I was here after talking to him for a while today telling him my fictitious "dilemmas" with Christmas shopping. My step-sis, Erin, sneaked me in the front door without him even noticing it.

You see, the new thing is no longer a birthday cake, but CUPCAKES. Some friends
brought over the most delightful gourmet cupcakes.... I chose to have the Strawberry one with green icing, but there was everything from mocha, peanut butter, carrot, coconut, chocolate chip, and more! The icing was stacked about 2 inches high on each of them- AH-MAY-ZING.

Anyway- now that you see what I have eaten tonight... you can understand my need to indulge in my giant gray sweatpants and partake in some much needed catch up with the dear seeeester, who you will hear about very soon... I am introducing her to the blog world as we speak- i think she might become addicted.

until later,
Hart

no chuckie cheese, please.

Wow. So I can remember when it was a "big deal" to be on a church trip or something of the sort when i was younger and to be able to go eat at CHUCKIE CHEESE'S. I mean come on, what's better than a a million kids running around a in a giant arcade, an indoor playground, extra greasy pizza, and an over-sized talking rat? My thoughts exactly. Oh, and we can't forget the opportunity to be on "tv." Yes, my Thursday night was spent at none other than that glorious place where childhood dreams come true for Anne-Daniel's birthday.

Anne-Daniel is my little cousin who turned 6 today. Her mother just so happened to turn 50 today, also- needless to say, Anne-Daniel was a little surprise. Oh, and for future reference on my blog, when I refer to Austin or Anne-Daniel, I am referring to my two cousins who are basically my little sisters... we all live right by each other and see each other atleast twice a day! But back to Chuckie Cheese... I am amazed at how entertained 20 little girls can be in such a place... well make that 19 little girls- one of them was absolutely terrified of Chuckie.... which I can completely relate with- a giant dancing and talking rat who loves "birthday stars" and making music videos- pretty scary.

Anyway- enough about Chuckie. Off to bed- got a little drive to chatty tomorrow..
Goodnight!

Hart

pickin it up and puttin it back down

...whew. So, as I mentioned earlier, a couple of friends and I are training for some form of a race- eventually leading to a half-marathon. Today was a good day for sure except for the fact that I realized how out of shape I actually am. I used to run quite a bit, but this past semester was so busy with school, I was the ultimate slacker and didn't run hardly at all. Now, I am paying. I will say, however, there is no feeling better after the little high you get after a good run. A run that you might have run slow, but you didn't stop. The most important part is that you FINISH STRONG. I mean, that's even biblical!

I think its almost time for some new running shoes. I've tried a variety of types. I used to be an asics girl. I would go through a pair pretty quick because eventually, the side of my foot would just start killing (this is because I tend to run on the outsides of my feet). I thought it was because I would wear down the outside of my shoe... however, come to find out, it's because my feet are too narrow. I have skinny feet, so the box in the asics shoe was too wide and did not support the side of my foot.

Now, I am a Mizuno girl. They have a much narrower "box" and support my feet just wonderfully. I have had this pair for almost 9 months and the side of my foot feels better than ever. Unfortunately, they are about to be dead- I can feel it when I run. I have always thought it was ridiculous to by running shoes so often, but depending on how much you run, you are supposed to renew your running shoes every 3-7 months. I think the general rule is somewhere around every 300 miles. According to most sources, the main cause of running-related injuries is due to running on worn-out shoes. For my running habits as of late, I've been able to make it 9 months- may be able to make it to a year...

*Here are a couple of links to see how often YOU should replace your running shoes and what kind of shoes you should purchase!
http://www.therunnersguide.com/howlongrunningshoeslast/
http://running.about.com/od/shoesapparelandgear/f/replaceshoes.htm

*Also, if you are interested in running, check out Runnersworld.com or subscribe to their magazine. I don't get it myself, but its basically my boyfriend's secondary Bible.

Anyway, that's all my running talk for now. Off to Memphis for a little Christmas shopping!

Hart

SIMPLY having a wonderful Christmastime

I have started my Christmas break not with the typical ONE annual Christmas program, but with FOUR Christmas programs (I'm from Mississippi). I normally always start my Christmas holidays with the Nutracker Ballet- It was a huge part of my life, dancing in it for 15 years, so now that I'm in college, its a must do to actually watch it.
I can't however, forget that I live in Mississippi... so you've got to love the typical Southern Baptist tradition of the CHRISTMAS CANTATA. Saturday night, I accompanied a friend to the First Baptist Jackson "Carols by Candlelight." The only word I can use to describe it is the simple word BIG. BIG Christmas trees, BIG choir, BIG lights, BIG crowd, BIG church, BIG everything... I came home from Jackson last night to see aChristmas Festival at Harrisburg Baptist Church, and tonight, I am going to see Mayberry Christmas at West Jackson Street Baptist Church to see a friend... and yes, Mayberry as in Andy Griffith- like I said, I live in Mississippi. What's not to love?

On another note...

I was just recently over-joyed to find that most of the items I coveted in my Real Simple magazine can actually be found at anthropologie.... unfortunately, that means they are rather pricey. The good thing about anthropologie, however, is that there is always SOMETHING on sale.

my best buys of the weekend include these super pretty mulberry mugs for a grand $3.95 a piece- yes quite the bargain...Also in the "sale" section, I came across an item featured in Real Simple- a book called "A Year of Mornings." It is a collection of photographs taken by two friends over 3000 miles apart to represent each morning.




It truly inspires me to become a morning person. I have made a good bit of progress on the matter... I have started to take a liking to coffee (not straight black, of course... my coffee consists of half coffee, half milk, a spoonful of creamer, and 2 splendas). One probably doesn't consider "my coffee" as actual coffee... but I'm making progress.


.... kind of.



Waking up early is actually a goal of mine that I am working on for the holidays.... one of my many habits to pick up along with starting my half-marathon training. Now as far as the running, if I was doing this alone, I highly doubt it would happen, but with the accountability of 2 friends, I hopefully will have run one within the next year. We'll see.


That's all for now.

Off to Mayberry Christmas... starring none other than Wilson Joseph Nettleton IV.

Hart

Happiness. And my frustrations with tweeting.

I just recently got a twitter. I mainly got the twitter so that I could read everyone else's, but I have found that tweeting is somewhat addicting. I find myself wanting to inform everyone else about my day ONLY when its one of today's quality... So, I find myself in great disappointment that all of my happiness will not fit in one tweet. I have tried in every way to fit my day's description into one "tweet"but I went oh, about 300 words over the limit. It frustrated me because i have realized that tweeting is something you do every half-hour or so, or every "i really like what I'm doing" moment. Unfortunately, I enjoyed all of those moments too much to stop and tweet about them. So, now, when I'm attempting to inform the world of my wonderful day, I find that I have a word limit.

This brings me to the blog. I have decided that I am much more of a blogger than a tweeter. My boyfriend will give me heck about having a blog, but I think it is more my style than a facebook status or a twitter. I enjoy life's moments too much to stop in the middle and tell someone about it. I would much rather live through the moment, take every part of it all for myself.... THEN share it in long detail at the end of the day... so here is my happiness for today..

After starting my day at 5am, I successfully completed my ALMOST LAST pharmacy final of the semester. (I have one next Wednesday, but I don't count it). After fostering my competitive nature with fourth graders, I spent a good two hours wondering around the Mustard Seed (if you don't know what the Mustard Seed is, its a heaven of antiques and vintage style decor)- I did make a purchase... a housewarming gift for myself and two roomates.... because the next best part of my day was moving out of the sorority house. It's been real, it's been fun, but it is time to peace out. We moved into what we call the GO. We broke the grounds with a new addition to the flowerbed- a green vintage bird house :) What started as decorating my room ended up as a two hour long catch-up talk with my bff emily (who will be referred to as either em or emmaline for the remainder of my blog life) in her new GIANT walk-in closet. We almost missed celebrating the upcoming birth of Lila Grace at a baby shower for my good friend Sarah Love who is home for a few months before returning to her STINT in Italy! After 2 giant pieces of homemade strawberry cake, Emily and I found ourselves at sonic- Cherry Limades of course.... although it is absolutely FRIGID outside. Hot chocolate would have probably been a better option, but that is of no concern now that I am nestled in my favorite green blanket and newly discovered sweatpants of my bf. I am about to indulge in one of my most treasured form of literature- REAL SIMPLE.

Yes its been a good day.

H.