February Photo Challenge…only a month late

One of my favorite things about the iPhone is that I always have a camera. I take multiple pictures on a daily basis, and thanks to the iPhone app Instagram, you can make your regular iPhone photos look pretty decent. Another thing I love about Instagram is that you take pictures of the everyday things that surround your life and bring to light that they really are the special things. Each month there is a challenge to take pictures of specific things every day. And since this is Friday and I usually make confessions, I will admit that I was not very good about keeping up with the challenge everyday. Many of my pictures were not taken on the exact day they were suppose to. Another confession that I confessed last time is that I am extremely slow about putting pictures up on the Internet, and this post is proof. Have a great Friday everyone.

 

1. Your view: Buddha texting at the bar at Hey Joe’s on Trivia Night.

2. Words: Isaiah 26:3

 

3. Hands: Carmen, Bailee, and my hands

4. Stranger: Ethan Frome

5. 10 a.m.: Driving back to Cleveland and getting on the Tunica exit

6. Dinner: Salad in a to-go box from the cafe

7. Button: My Jane Austen and Shakespeare buttons given by the Fords that currently reside on my backpack.

8. Sun: Sol beer. In Spanish “sol” means sun.

9. Front door: My door at school.

10. Self-portrait: Myself in my favorite jacket.

11. Makes you happy: My McArthur Study Bible and Jesus Calling.

12. Closet: My messy closet at home.

13. Blue: The one blue wall in my dorm.

14. Heart: I am all the time getting invitations to ethnic parties. Obviously, they have heard about my ghetto dancing skills. In this heart it says “no sagging pants,” “no baseball caps,” and '”no handcupping" (whatever that means).

15. Phone: This is Dr. Ford’s phone. Look at that thing. It is one of the old Nokias that could probably survive an atomic bomb, and you can play “Snake” on it.

16. New: New shampoo that makes me happy for two reasons: 1. I like the exotic smell 2. The blue color and the fact that Moroccan is in the title makes me feel like princess Jasmine.

17. Time: My favorite time of day simply because that is my birthday.

18. Drink: My National Guard water bottle that is always on my desk in my dorm.

19. Something you hate to do: Leave these sweet kids on Monday morning.

20. Handwriting: One of my daily note cards for American Lit.

21. Favorite photo of you: Me in a clown outfit that my Mamaw made and all of the grandkids wore for their first Halloween.

22. Where you work: The Writing Center at Delta State.

23. Shoes: My new glittery gold shoes

24. Inside bathroom cabinet: Bathroom cabinet at home.

25. Green: Green notebook made out of papyrus paper that Sydney gave me for Christmas. I absolutely love it!

26. Night: Writing my Ethan Frome book review.

27. Something you ate: Celery

28. Money: Leftover Mexican currency that will be put to use this year when I go to Mexico.

29. Something you are listening to: Dandy and (most of) the Lions at the Sadie Hawkins Dance.

Maybe I will be more on top of things with my March photo challenge, but I doubt it. Happy Friday! :)

Confessional Friday

Oh, I am so, so behind. Spring break is the time to catch up on life, right? Well, I must admit, I have not done a single thing to get ahead on school work or improve my blog. But, I have been having an amazing time and making wonderful memories up here in Pennsylvania with some of the most loving people: the Cook family. I am so grateful for this time and opportunity, and I must confess that I love them and kinda, sorta want to stay here for a while or just move off from Mississippi. Who knows what the future holds.

So here goes the real confessions:

• Goldie Hawn movies such as First Wives Club, Overboard, and Protocol are some of my guilty pleasure movies.
• I enjoy learning new facts about people.
• I have always wanted to be a tour guide at a historical place such as a plantation or old home.
• I have recently realized that for almost every phrase said by someone else, it makes me think of a song, and if I do not start singing out loud then I sing in my head. I also realize that my entire family does this.
• I can eat and enjoy raw sauerkraut from a can.
• Anything having to do with World War II fascinates me.
• I do not like shopping for specific things; it never works out. Like with most things in life, when you are not looking for it, you find it.
• While driving on Wednesday to Greensburg, I must confess that I was very confused and concerned for a cow that had its tail sticking up. I freaked out thinking the cow had a mutation, only to be informed by Leah and Sarah that the cow was merely using the bathroom. I felt stupid.
• I am fascinated by people who live in seclusion such as nuns, Amish, fundamentalist Mormons, and princesses locked away in towers.
• I love magazines and have a secret desire to work for one.
• I wish I was a better piano player and could play by ear. I do realize though that the only thing stopping me is myself.
• Usually, when packing for a trip, I pack the night before, and I am still packing even up until the last minute before walking out the door.
• I love the fact that I have a constant camera with my iPhone. I am all the time taking pictures.
• I have never seen any of the Peanut’s holiday movies.
• These past few days in the Cook’s home surrounded by six kids has only affirmed that: 1. I love children and want some of my own one day 2. There is very few sounds better than kids laughing 3. It is one of the sweetest things to have kids who love you and love on you.
• Before coming to Pennsylvania I had never heard of, nor worn “snow pants”.
• I am terribly slow at putting up pictures on Facebook, and this fact drives my mother crazy. It will be a miracle if I get my pictures of Pennsylvania up any time soon.  But here is some for all of you, because generally, I confess, I like the blogosphere much better than Facebook:

 

        This is Arrena and Zeb. They are pretty spectacular.

  Leah and myself riding up the incline to snow tube.

 

Even though this picture is blurry, I still adore it because this shows five of the six little Cooks and myself playing “Crack the Egg”. This picture has a very Lord of the Flies vibe to it as heathen children jump and scream in a circle.

This is yesterday at the Carnegie museum in Pittsburgh with the ever wonderful and oh-so-lovely Sarah and Leah Cook.

And as these Pennsylvanians would say:

“Have a great Friday, yinz!”

Ok, one last confession: I think the word “yinz” is much more impractical and ignorant sounding than “y’all”  :)

Technorati Tags: Confessions,travel

Confessional Friday

• The opening monologue from Sabrina is one of my favorites.
• The closing monologue by Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream is also one of my favorites.
• I want to read the Hunger Games.
• I find it sad when people do not try their best and give up because things get too hard.
• One of my first memories is spilling chocolate milk on my arm when I was about three. I remember wiping off the milk and screaming and crying because there was a spot that wouldn’t come off. I thought I had stained my skin, but in reality, I had discovered a birthmark.
• I get angry and frustrated when I do not fully understand something. I will keep asking questions until I get sufficient information, and then after I know what I need to know, I usually forget about it or don’t think about it again. This can be a blessing most of the time, but it can be a curse with class work.
• I do not handle scary movies well at all. The only slightly scary movie I have seen is Signs, and I wasn’t right after seeing that for months.
• My favorite color is red, but I mostly buy turquoise things.
• I really prefer to have other people drive me, because I get nervous while driving.
• Speaking of driving, I thought I was going to die yesterday while driving home. There were streamline winds, and myself and several other cars had to pull over while our cars shook and objects were being thrown against them.
• Also, when I am in the car and I get scared I tend to cuss. I’ll admit, it is usually the “s” word.
• When I am scared I get mean.
• If I could, I would wear a dress everyday.
• I have a collection of heart shaped rocks.
• Photo booth pictures are some of the best to me. I love the spontaneity they capture.
• I like men with talent.
• To further prove my above point, as a child I wanted to marry men like Aladdin, Luke Skywalker, and Robin Hood. They were the best of the best, and I now realize this is a pattern. I like when a guy is the best at something, no matter how insignificant it may be.
• Now, I would really like to marry Gilbert Blythe. What is his talent you may ask: putting up with one of the most difficult women in the world, Anne Shirley, all with a smile on his face and love in his heart.

Technorati Tags: confessions

My Week, Instagram Style #6

I am yet again late for the weekly link up with Jenni. Despite my tardiness, I hope you enjoy my week in pictures!

1. On Tuesday, the sweetest couple came to my Spanish Conversations class and spoke to us entirely in Spanish about themselves and their travels. They are SO in love after more than forty years of traveling the world and being missionaries together. And guess what, the man happens to be my professor’s brother! Also, sorry the picture isn’t that great. I had to be super sneaky and covert so I would not get caught using my phone in class.

2. Wednesday after trivia there was a Sadie Hawkins dance, and Dandy and (most of) the Lions gave a performance. True to the their folksy style, they wore nothing but overalls. It was pretty grand.

 

3. I worked at the annual Farm and Gin show all day Friday and Saturday. I remember as a kid loving to go with my dad to the gin shows to crawl on farm equipment, meet people my dad worked with, and get free stuff. Needless to say, I experienced some nostalgia.

4. Myself and a sweet girl from my church, Karah, behind the pre-registration area. Actually, almost everyone who worked this area was from my church. I very much enjoyed working back there because of all the interesting people we got to meet and assist. Also, if you look in the distance you can see my father in a blue shirt checking in and chatting at the Presenter’s registration area. He worked at his company’s booth on Friday, and I got to slip away a couple times to visit with him. :)

 

5. This is an example of the farm equipment on display. I mean seriously, look at that monster. As a kid, who wouldn’t love to come crawl around on one of those?

6. Pretty flowers my dad got for mom on their 40th wedding anniversary.

7. My grandmother had a stroke on Thursday, and Sunday night I went up to Baptist hospital and spent some time with her. I enjoyed talking to her and hearing old stories. She is doing pretty well, but she does not have full control over her left side. Please keep her in your prayers.

8. I picked this book up again on a random whim this weekend. I read it on a trip to Canada in the summer of ‘09, but I was definitely in a different place than I am now. I think I am more open to what this book has to say than I was almost three years ago. Back then, I was trying to fit the book’s message into my circumstances and resisted some basic truths that I did not want to see. Now, I realize the book’s message of God’s sovereignty over every aspect in our lives and relationships  is pertinent at all times, no matter the circumstances.  While being encouraging and real, this book also makes me see God’s glory even more and the fact that no matter what, I am to trust and praise Him.

Happy 40th!

Today is a day of celebration. My parents have been married for 40 years! I realize that in today’s society the idea of a couple staying married for such a long time is relatively unheard of and, for most, quite shocking. When asked how they managed to stick it out so long, both readily admit that if it was not for God saving them and never letting them go, they would most definitely not still be together. I have been a first hand witness to the ups and downs for half of their married lives, and I can testify that God has truly been gracious and good to our family through preserving their marriage.

Who would have thought that a 16 year-old girl and a 19 year-old hippie would still be together and become the wonderful people they are. Forty years ago, my mom told her parents that she was going midnight bowling with some friends and spending the night with her best friend Rita. Needless to say, that was a lie. My parents and their best friends, Rita and Terry, all went to Arkansas so that my parents could  elope.

As to specifics: Apparently, mom “borrowed” (without telling) one of Rita’s mom’s dresses that was white, black, and fabulously hippie. Dad’s hair was longer than mine. My parents were trendsetters: several other friends of theirs eloped soon afterwards and used the same preacher. The preacher actually threatened them after about the third time. Also, they managed to keep the marriage a secret from my mom’s parents for about three months afterwards.

Again, I am so thankful that God managed to take what seemed like a set of unpromising circumstances and precarious beginnings and turned them into something wonderful. He took these two hippies and made them some of the most loving, generous, and supporting people: my parents.

Here are some pictures from over the years.

I think this is the earliest picture we have of the lovebirds. It was taken in 1973 about a year after they were married.

Look at those outfits? I love this picture because it just screams the 1970s from mom’s floral dress, to dad’s baby blue tux, to the wooden paneling, and the hideous brown and mustard color curtains.

This was taken about five years after my parents were married. My mom was the maid of honor and my dad was the best man at Terry (yes, the same Terry from the above conspiracy) and Marie’s wedding. Believe it or not, my mom was my age in this picture.

This picture is from about 1992 when my parents had twenty years together under their belt, and I was one going on two.

I dare not put up anymore pictures out of fear of my mother’s wrath when she finally sees this.

1972-2012

Congratulations Billy Joe and Beth!

Also in their honor, “When a Man Loves a Woman” by the great Percy Sledge. No matter when or where, if this song is on, they will dance together.

My Week, Instagram Style #5

So, I am little,wait… let me rephrase that, REALLY late on linking up with Jenni for the “Best of Instagram”. I put aside blogging this past weekend and week because of school work, but now things are starting to slow back down. I thought about skipping this week, but decided that I had too good of a time last week not to share.

1. You probably cannot tell from the picture, but in front of that car is a  vehicle moving farm equipment and another truck with flashing lights that says “Caution: Wide Load”. They took up all the lanes, and myself and several other cars were forced to follow them for a good 20 minutes or more. At some points we were only going 40 mph. Surprisingly, I did not get too frustrated but just turned up my music and enjoyed my drive back down to the delta. Traffic issues due to farm equipment is the norm down here.

2. Mine and Amber’s new shoes: my sparkly gold flats and her new running shoes.

3. The Confidante hosted a poetry night Wednesday, and pictured above is the English department chair and my American Lit professor reading a poem.

4. I read my professor Mike Smith’s poem, “Grief,” on his behalf. It was so lovely and moving that I actually teared up a little.

5. On Thursday my sweet girls spent the night, and Bailee and I decided to get beautiful by applying an avocado face mask. Adorable. I know.

6. I woke up Friday morning and found Cooper and all his cuteness playing in the kitchen. I simply could not resist taking some pictures.

 

7. & 8. Mom and I took a quick trip to Oxford on Friday night to shop at Belks. We did not find what we were looking for, but we did have a wonderful time wandering on the square for a little bit. We stopped in the famous Square Books. You know you are in Oxford when they have a whole entire bookshelf dedicated to William Faulkner (who is pictured at the top of the stairs).

9. South Depot Taco Shop: one of my favorite places to eat in Oxford. People were lined up to the door and it was extremely crowded. Needless to say, we did not eat there. However, that gives us another excuse to come back to the lovely city of Oxford. We ended up eating at Old Venice, which was delish. I recommend the eggplant parmesan.

10. Bop’s. The best frozen custard and tamales around. I got my usual: Amazin’ Grace full of raspberry and cheesecake goodness. Let me tell ya, I was one happy girl.

11. A view of the square at night from the top floor of Square books. Eventually, Mom and I will have an Oxford day so she can fully experience the city and see it in the day time.

12. I saw this fabulous, colorful sign at Target, and it made me very happy. I couldn’t agree more, Target.

13. Mom and I stopped for a quick photo shoot at a local cotton gin. That story and those pictures will have to be for another day and blog post.

14. Niece lovin’ with Bailee.

15. Saturday we celebrated my youngest niece’s 2nd birthday at her Dora the Explorer themed party.

16. I don’t know why, but I adore this picture. I think I like the innocence that is captured in her face as she is offering me her orange sucker. And, I felt like her cuteness needed to be shared.

Happy March 1st, ya’ll!