Just Because

Because of my affinity for lists, and because my feet still hurt from my shift, and because my week was a roller coaster, and because my fingers are bandaged (making typing rather difficult), and because work was a nightmare, and because I am simultaneously writing while watching My Cousin Vinny, and because I want to, I am turning this post into a charming little list of my favorite things from this very long week.

• This advice from one of my new favorite blogs. Sometimes I think my entire life is one big calculated risk.
• This exquisite picture of something I very much hope to experience in my life time. And with any luck everything around me will be sepia, looking like it came straight of the 1930s.
• My first of many 4 day school weeks.
• This quote from Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones: “If you are never anyone’s girlfriend you can never be anyone’s ex-girlfriend.” (Amen)
• Finally finding an adorable dress to wear to Will’s wedding. And a second adorable one, just for the heck of it.
• Making plans to visit Tucson next month.
• Purchasing my very own car! Pictures, name, and details to come.

And because every yin must have a yang, here is a list of my not so favorite things from this week.

• My first of many 4 days school weeks.
• Sandy’s return to Michigan.
• Natalie’s return to Boston.
• Being told to leave work, go home, and wrap myself in bubble wrap so I would stop screwing things up, breaking glass, and cutting myself.

And there you have it. 7 vs. 4. Maybe this week was not as terrible as I originally thought.

But then again, maybe it was.

Another Song, and A Little More

I love this song. I love it because it sounds so personal. I love it because it is honest. I love it because I image it is the story of Gillian Welch’s life. I love it because it is heartbreaking. I love it because it makes me feel gloomy. I love it because I can image that parts of it are talking specifically about me. I love it because her voice is so haunting and unique. I love this song because it makes me hope that someday I will be able to write something that will make other people feel all of the same feelings I just described.

I worked last night. I work tonight. I work tomorrow night. Thus, this semester begins. I don’t have any other plans. This school year just started but already it is enough to make we want to spend the entire day in bed and ignore the world. And if I get enough time to actually do this, I will probably be listening to Soul Journey. So melancholy. So perfect. Thank you Gillian Welch. Even when no one else is, at least you are honest with me.

Song Of The Day (I Know Your Type, Boy You're Dangerous)

{I chose this song for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is Leighton Meester. GG is such a guilty pleasure, and Blair is my absolute favorite. Don't judge me.}

Happy almost weekend :)

There Is No Such Thing as Standing Still

“To be misunderstood can be the writer's punishment for having disturbed the reader's peace. The greater the disturbance, the greater the possibility of misunderstanding.” – Anatole Broyard

My week has been colored by misunderstandings. This just comes with the territory, I suppose. Part of me is angry any of this happened in the first place, but a much smaller part of me realizes those feelings are not justified. I still get sad when I stop to think about it, but it is mostly out of my hands at this point. Things will work themselves out eventually. They always do. Always.

When I made the decision a few months ago to stay here for school this is not at all what I thought I was getting myself into. I had a clear idea in my mind of what my life at ASU would be like. Eventually it became obvious that the life I envisioned for myself would not, could not, exist. After much initial resistance on my part, I slowly began to form a new mental picture of this semester. This new image was certainly different, but not bad. In fact, there were several exciting and comforting things about it. And yet once again, my expectations were still rather far off the mark. I decided to stay home, to ground myself at least for awhile once again in Gilbert, Arizona. I decided to keep my job out here in the east valley. I made decisions which would make it more difficult for me to be with my friends, but in that I decided to once again rely on old friends. They have been remarkably patient with me.

I don’t know what I would do without them.

I hope I don’t ever have to find out.

Things I Forget, and Some I Remember

Every now and then I like to spend some time here. It’s nice to have a friendly reminder once in a while. Whenever I see posts that stand out to me I steal them and save them on my computer, for no real reason. Specific posts stand out to me for a variety of reasons. Usually because the advice is something I am failing miserably at, something I have been trying hard to improve about myself, something I am proud of myself for remembering, or something that I just think is beautiful. Anyway, today I am posting my recent favorites (in no particular order as to why I chose them).

Patience is a Virtue (Just Not One of Mine)

{This picture was taken by me, courtesy of my camera phone, 365 days ago, on my very first day at U of A, before my very first class. The caption with the accompanying text message read 'college.' I hadn't really slept the night before and apparently that was the best I could come up with. I remember that with the text I sent a message that basically went something like this- My first class starts at 9 a.m. What time should I get there? The response, of course, was 9 a.m. There was so much I didn’t know, and so much I still do not know (how to read a campus map, for example). I tried to figure out after I was done with my classes today whether last year’s first day was better or worse than this one. I’m still not sure. All I know is this morning I looked probably about as excited as I do in this picture.}

I had to drop my mom off at work this morning (read: I am still without vehicle) at 8 a.m. Consequently, I arrived on campus long before I needed to be there so after finding the route to my first class I headed over to the institute. Finding myself uncharacteristically without Jeeves, a book to read, my IPod, or anyone to talk to, I cracked open my Book of Mormon and started my day in Ether 12. It has been so long since I have started my day with the scriptures (meaning I legitimately cannot remember the last time I did) and it was exactly what I needed. As I studied the first half of the chapter grand plans of getting to school early every morning to read the scriptures started to form in my head. Granted, they left almost as soon as they arrived (who am I kidding, sleep and I cannot get enough of each other these days) but the notion was nice. And I will definitely make room somewhere in my day for a few minutes of scripture study. I have a feeling I am going to need a lot of help to get through this semester in one piece.

And now, for what it is worth, I’ll leave you with some of my favorite words from this morning.

“…faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him; it must needs be that some had faith in him, for he showed himself not unto the world. ” (v. 6-7)

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” (v. 27)

“It does no violence even to our frail human logic to observe that there cannot be a grand plan of salvation for all mankind, unless there is also a plan for each individual.” –Neal A Maxwell

Song Of The Day (Oh My My)

"Well I don't know but I've been told, you never slow down,
you never grow old.
I'm tired of screwin' up, tired of goin' down,
Tired of myself, tired of this town,
Oh my, my, oh hell yes - Honey put on that party dress.
Buy me a drink, sing me a song,
Take me as I come cause I can't stay long."

Hope your Sunday was lovely. I know mine was.

Be Careful What You Wish For. OR... Mission Accomplished.

This has been the oddest day I have had in a very long time....






In other news, I was able to spend the afternoon with Miss Natalie and Miss Krystal. And I am extremely happy Krystal accepted her birthday present without much resistance. I was a little worried there for a minute that I would have to end up apologizing for our gift. But her ears now look fantastic, if I do say so myself. Today did make me realize that I am going to be seriously bummed when Natalie leaves on Tuesday. We have had too much fun this summer, eaten too much crap, and talked entirely too much about our complicated love lives. This will be much more difficult over Facebook chat, but thankfully not impossible. I am not going to talk anymore about her leaving it until our Monday goodbye ice cream, however.

Starting now.


{P.S. You’re crazy if you think I am ever gonna learn to shut my mouth. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.}

happy.happy.

So many things have changed in the past year. I am an ASU student. I am living at home rather than just moving out. I am not crying every time I think about school. William is home from his mission. He is engaged to be married. So is Sandy. And I am not celebrating August 22 with a French toast breakfast, and Italian dinner, and the entire season of Arrested Development on dvd.

So many things have changed since one year ago.

And so many things have stayed exactly the same. I am apprehensive about school. I am nervous about making friends. I don’t love myself as much as I should. And I would love nothing more than to celebrate August 22 with a certain boy in the form of presents and kisses and balloons and affection.

I have been trying remarkably hard over the past month. I have attempted to distract myself to no end. Maybe tonight I’ll give in and allow myself to drift to sleep with thoughts of being in his arms again, my own little acknowledgment of the day. It’s not the best I can do, but it is the best I will allow.

“Remember on Lost, When They Met ‘The Others’?”

I had some errands to attend to on campus today.

ASU’s campus.

The other campus.

The place was teeming with helpful volunteers and parents and students.

The other students, I couldn’t help but think, as I watched them rush about in their maroon and gold t-shirts.

They are Sun Devils, I mused, as I walked by.

They are Sun Devils and they are walking around campus and not receiving dirty looks from incensed Wildcats.

But then again, I am a Sun Devil too.

I don’t feel like a Sun Devil yet, but I was definitely mistaken for one when a tired and sweaty mother and daughter asked me for directions to the book store.

And I definitely passed for one when I confidently gave them directions and stated “You can’t miss it!” Like I had not been hoping I was headed in the right direction a mere 30 minutes before.

So I don’t feel like a Sun Devil, but I don’t feel like a Wildcat either.

I am in a weird, mascot-less limbo.

It’s not too terrible of a position to be in. I’m sure Sparky will win my allegiance sooner or later, most likely at the first sporting event I attend.

Provided we win.

We.

The Sun Devils.

See, I’m swaying already.

Anyway, as I was walking around melting in the heat, I couldn’t help but think; I’m not ready for this.

And then I thought; But it’s not like I have any other choice.

I followed my heart. My heart led me here. Here to ASU. And now here is demanding that I am sitting in class at 9:40 am on Monday morning.

So ready or not, here I come.


So long, sweet summer.

With Baited Breath

Today I worked my first double at Red Robin.

Today I also received a rather hefty refund check in the mail from my Dear Ol’ ASU.

Why do I mention this, you thoughtfully ask?

As I so tactfully noted last month, I have spent the last 20 years of my life as someone who did not own a car.

Well, my dear world, times are changing.

And I am changing with them.

In just a few short days time {fingers crossed} I will be making the transition from a non-automobile-owning-mooching-sycophant, to the proud owner of my very own car.

Paid for in full.

by.my.self.

{And the financial aid department.}

You may direct your congratulations to the comment box below post.

Please and thank you :)

This is Becoming an Art Form

I cannot stand the thought of losing you, so soon after losing him.

I was counting on a couple of months, at least.

{Or I was selfishly hoping for them anyway.}

But I don't know why I am surprised. Our timing has never been anything but dreadful.

Love is the Answer, At Least for Most of the Questions in my Heart.

I’ve started keeping a list of all of the things I need to blog about. If I don’t the ideas get lost in my cluttered and overcrowded brain. The list is getting long. I went through it this morning and realized that I don’t want to write about any of it. Not right now anyway. I don’t want to write about how I saw (500) Days of Summer twice and absolutely loved it both times. I don’t want to write about how I finally finished The Time Traveler’s Wife and did not really enjoy a moment of it. I don’t want to post pictures of my newly painted bedroom. I'm just not feeling any of it. This past week has been charming and I do want to share it eventually but I’m putting it on the list because I simply don’t want to talk about it now.

I want to talk about how I’m falling in love with this song all over again because it is part of the Red Robin Song Loop and I hear it multiple times every shift.



I want to talk even more about how I am loathing this dusk of summer and dawn of a new school year.

I want to talk about this adorable pictures and how it makes my heart smile and ache at the same time.


I want to mention how umbrellas seems to be a ridiculously popular subject in photography, and how I am apparently a sucker for pictures featuring umbrellas, and how this fact doesn’t surprise me in the least.




I want to talk about how I went shopping yesterday and did not want to buy a new dress, even though I found several lovely ones and someone other than I was footing the bill.

I want to talk about how two men secretly picked up the tab at work yesterday for a mother and her two daughters because they knew them from church, and how that astonished me.

I want to talk about how I don’t want Sandy to leave Phoenix yet.

I want to, but alas none of these topics are on my list.

What’s a girl to do?

Wit vs. Will

"The heart asks pleasure first; And then excuse from pain..."
-Emily Dickinson

{Photo}

Epiphanies and Promises

Michael and Tommy went back to school this week. I haven’t really stopped thinking about it since I woke up Monday morning to find the house empty, everyone gone away to start their new lives, lives which will dominate the next 9 months of the year. In the past “back-to-school” has consistently been one of my favorite times of the year because there are a few things I love which coincide with the beginning of a new school year.

1. I love school supplies. I am not going to try to explain why crisp white paper and unsharpened pencils, all stacked neatly next to each other and then placed carefully into an equally clean backpack, make me all giddy inside. But they do.

2. I love fall. And I know what you might be thinking; Arizona never gets a proper autumn. This is sadly the case. But at least if the temperatures aren’t going to drop for months to come, at least we can pretend fall is coming on the calendar. My birthday and Halloween loom on the horizon and I can think happily about corn mazes and orange leaves and pumpkins and sweaters. I can pretend fall is coming while the entire state waits for the mercury in the thermometers to go down. The end of these days plagued by insufferable heat is coming. At least in theory.

3. I love rain, and early August is always when the monsoon picks up. Enough said.

4. I love the idea of Tabula Rosa. A clean slate. The promise of a fresh start. I am a sucker for that kind of thing. There is always the hope of amazing teachers and fabulous classes, new friends and reconnecting with people I have not seen for months. The rose colored glasses usually come off after the first couple of days of school, but it is nice to hope. “The poetry is all in the anticipation, for there is none in reality.” Nicely put Mark Twain.

With all of these beautiful reasons to be happy that my summer is speeding to an end, then, I must wonder why I am in such a funk about the idea of school starting. And I think I finally figured out why. The other day I was talking to my mom and all of the sudden I blurt out “I hate college.”

I hate college?

It has never come out quite like that before. But I realized once I said it that it was undeniably the truth.

I hate college.

Last year was anything but fun for me. Most of my classes were miserable. I was homesick and hating Tucson the majority of the time. I was missing people I loved. I was somewhat friendless. I was unhappy. And I hated college.

So here goes another year. One I am not looking forward to at all. But there have been some big changes in my life over the past year; namely, the college I will be attending. That’s probably not a bad place to start fixing things. I have 3 years left of this and I do not want to spend another semester hating something I have always loved. School is my thing, and it is high time I take it back. Hand me the rose colored glasses please.

The Time Has Come

The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright--
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done--
"It's very rude of him," she said,
"To come and spoil the fun!"

The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead--
There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"

"If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose," the Walrus said,
"That they could get it clear?"
"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"
The Walrus did beseech.
"A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each."

The eldest Oyster looked at him,
But never a word he said:
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head--
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat--
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more--
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,
"Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!"
"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,
"Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed--
Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed."

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
"After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!"
"The night is fine," the Walrus said.
"Do you admire the view?

"It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf--
I've had to ask you twice!"

"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,
"To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"The butter's spread too thick!"

"I weep for you," the Walrus said:
"I deeply sympathize."
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.

-Lewis Carroll

Happy Wednedsay!

30 Miles Later

I spent my weekend hiking the Grand Canyon. Hiking Havasupai, to be exact. In short, it was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Of course this is my writing we are talking about and “in short” does not quite cut it. I have been thinking about how to write about this experience since about halfway through the 11-mile hike out of the canyon. It started as a way to keep my mind on anything other than what I was doing but quickly devolved into a struggle to come up with the right words to describe what I was going through. Luckily I have lots of pictures to call upon when my words fail me, a fact I have already accepted.

I expected to be exhausted after this trip. I did not, however, expect to be both physically and emotionally drained. I did not expect to be so moved by hiking though the Grand Canyon at midnight. I did not expect that standing in the freezing cold spray of a 200-ft. waterfall would in all honesty be one of the most amazing things I have ever done. I did not expect to want to quit so badly during that last mile of switchbacks I did not expect to feel so discouraged and so triumphant and so exhilarated in such a short period of time. I did not expect any of this, but I am so grateful it happened.

Thursday night was spent hiking from about 10pm- 2am. When we first arrived we were told night hiking was “discouraged” and to not go any further than the first mile of switchbacks. Oh, and we were also told to watch out for Rattlesnakes. Lovely. We listened politely to the advice and then set off, fully determined to hike the first 8 miles that night, sleeping right outside the Indian Village Supai. So that is what we did. I probably did not get to experience to complete beauty of the canyon this way but I am so glad we hiked in the dark. At this point I know I could have done it with the sun out, but I am glad I did not have to.

Friday morning we hiked the last 3 miles through the village to the campgrounds. All of Friday and Saturday was spent hiking to the falls, playing in water, and lying around in the heat, too exhausted, sore, and sunburned to move. It was fantastic. Late Saturday afternoon I started to get extremely worried that I literally would not be able to make it out of the canyon in one piece. My legs screamed in pain with every step. My shoulders hurt even with out the pack on them from careless sunburn. My toe was sore from a giant blister. My head and neck both ached. My body was protesting. If there had been any other way out, I would have taken it. If there had been a big, red, “I quit” button I would have pushed it. Had I been one extremely pathetic D-list celebrity on one pathetic reality show I would have yelled “I’m a celebrity, get me out of here.” If any of this had been an option, I would have done it. Thank goodness it wasn’t.

The hike out lasted me from about 6pm-11pm. Some people in the group took considerably less time, others took considerably more. I did not truly want to give up until I hit the switchbacks, the never ending ascent up the mountain. I was warned they would be brutal, but either I did not take the warning seriously enough or people were sugar coating the experience for me. Brutal does not even begin to cover it. If I ever learn a word that does do the experience justice, I will make a note of it and amend this post.

After we were done hiking one of the boys on the trip remarked “once we got to those switchbacks I just wanted to run up them as fast as possible.”

Funny. I wanted to throw myself off the mountain. To each his own, I suppose.

By the time I finished and sat down, I couldn’t move anymore. I was drenched in sweat, shaking, short of breath, and in more physical pain than I can remember in a long while. I was laughing to keep from crying. I finished by myself, but I could not have been more proud of what I had just done. It was miserable. It was perfect. I am a little beat up, and my body hates me today, but I am no worse for the wear. I’ll be good as new in a few days time.

And now my futile explanation is over, and I present you with thousands of words that might actually mean something.

This is Mooney, the first fall we visited. I did not get any pictures of this one; mostly because I was too busy concentrating on not falling of the mountain on the way down. So I did not take these pictures, but I am sharing them because this is exactly what I saw.




And now we move on to pictures I actually did take, starting at the beginning.


{My smile is deceptive. My shoulders already hurt from the weight of the pack, and I had yet to go anywhere. I knew I had a long trip ahead of me.}

Scenery around camp.




Havasu Falls, the sight of the first jump. It was a small jump, but climbing up those moss covered rocks with the spray of the waterfall pounding in my face, making it difficult to breath or see, made the jump more exciting than it would have been otherwise.






Elyse & I


One of the new falls created by last years flood, perfect for jumping from the top. This was one of the best parts of the entire experience.




The Fourth Waterfall we saw. I did not have the chance to get close to this one, but it was beautiful nonetheless.







I only wish I had a picture of what I looked like when I was finished with the hike. Death, pride, relief, exhaustion, pain, life and joy personified.

Olvidamos.

We forgot how to be silly together.

We forgot how to fight.

We forgot how to appreciate.

We forgot how to forgive.

We forgot how to play.

We forgot how to compromise.

We forgot how to kiss.

We forgot how to laugh.

We forgot how to trust.

We forgot how to hope.

We forgot how to dream.

We forgot how to care for each other.

We forgot how to put each other first.

We forgot what mattered.

We forgot what didn’t.

“Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.... we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.”

{I never once forgot I loved You. I sometimes forgot to show it.}

Song Of The Day

Little Letters

Dear Brain,
Do yourself a favor and give it a rest so I can get some much needed sleep. You are in overdrive and it is entirely unnecessary.

Dear Family,
Why so many marriages? Anyway, I am very happy for all of you.

Dear Boys,
Desperation ain’t a good look on you. Trust me.

Dear Havasupai,
Go easy on me this weekend. I am beyond nervous but also terribly excited.

Dear Feet,
Please carry me in and out of Havasupai in one piece. I don’t care what you do when it is over; just get me through the weekend. Please.

Dear The Time Traveler’s Wife,
Am I the only one who thinks you are not all that great? Granted, I am still a little less than halfway through, but I have yet to find you “enchanting” or “dizzyingly romantic.” I can only hope you get much better or the movie outdoes you.

Dear Monsoon Season,
Where did you go? Wish you were here.

Dear (500) Days of Summer,
Come to a theater near me. I am dying to see you.

Dear Summer,
Tread lightly on your way out. But if you must go, please take all of this insufferable heat with you and for once let us in Arizona enjoy a real autumn.

Dear Brand New Bedroom,
I can only hope the makeover I decided to give you will pay off. Right now I am not so sure. Right now you look a little strange, to be perfectly honest. I am not sure what to do about that.

Dear Journal,
I apologize for neglecting you in favor of my blog. You don’t deserve to be shunned. You have treated me exceptionally well for the past 9 years.

Dear Stomach,
Quit belly aching, won’t you? As I told my brain, I need some sleep.

{Thanks Rockstars}

A George Costanza Moment

I have been living in mild chaos the last couple of days. Chaos which has forced me to sleep downstairs on the couch. Chaos which has made the simple act of getting ready for the day nigh impossible (Yay pajamas!). Chaos which has stressed me out.

Stress which culminated in this.


My adorable skirt, ripped right in half.

I have spent the morning scouring Youtube (what a productive use of my time) looking for the clip from Seinfeld where George is in his therapists office and the zipper on his coat gets stuck. Since I could not find the clip anywhere, you will have to do your best to remember it. If you have never seen it, you have to close my blog right now and start watching Seinfeld. Seriously. Right now. Anyway, back to my story. So my zipper gets stuck half way up, and I cannot for the life of me get it to budge an inch. If you have ever had a stuck zipper, you understand that there are few things in life more frustrating. I yank and yank and yank on it, becoming increasingly flustered because today of all days is the one day I must get to church on time, as I have been asked to give the opening prayer. I finally concede and slip the skirt off of me, even though I have nothing else to wear. Still upset however, and at a loss for what to do, I continue to pull at my skirt. I pull until it rips. And then I just continue ripping it because I suddenly hate the sight of the darling skirt and never ever want to wear it again. I step on it and rip the attached slip almost to shreds. I continue to tear until all my stress has been released in the form of demolishing a perfectly good (minus the zipper) article of clothing. Good riddance. I take a deep breath. And I feel a little bit calmer.

Unfortunately though this episode took longer than anticipated. My hair was still undone and I still had nothing to wear. Hence, I was late for church on the one day I couldn’t be. And I am never late for church. I also ended up in shoes that did not match because by this time I did not care. They were cute. And sometimes that is all that matters.


Excuse me now. Someone needs to go skirt shopping.

Enjoy the videos. (Not the ones I wanted, but still entirely fabulous.)

Saturday Night.

Meeting new people is exhausting. Truly, physically exhausting.

Natalie reckons I am the laziest person she has ever met.

But, really. After a 6 hour shift of non-stop running back and forth, just making conversation with strangers for an extended period of time is enough to tire me out.

Whew. Time to put the brakes on.


Time for bed.