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!

What I’m Loving Wednesday

There has been some blog neglect lately due to schoolwork, but now I have finally caught up and am able to breathe. Hopefully, tomorrow I will make up for the “Best of Instagram,” and I am also cooking up some other blog ideas for later in the week. Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope it is grand!

First off, I am loving the sweet card that arrived in my mailbox today. My mom sent me my proof of insurance for my car in the mail, and my oldest niece, Bailee, picked out a lovely card to go with it. Mom said she chose it because she said I would “love the flowers and the chair”. Well, she was right; I do love it. I also love how it says “Sow seeds of love and kindness”. What a good reminder :) Also, look at that cute five year-old writing. You know it is precious.

I am loving the amazing sandwich Amber made for me today for our writing center meeting. It was absolutely delicious, and it looked as good as it tasted. Spinach, tomato, mushroom, sundried tomato pesto, and basil pesto all slapped together on whole wheat. Brilliant.

I am loving that my book review of Ethan Frome is practically done, and I don’t have to spend tonight and the earlier morning hours finishing it up! It only requires a little bit more editing, and then that sucker is getting printed and ready to turn in. I have been working tirelessly all week between studying for midterms to get ahead on my assignments so I can enjoy tonight and relax. And I have ever intention of doing just that.

Having said that, I’m loving that tonight is trivia night at Hey Joe’s! This has become a weekly ritual with some of my dear Cleveland friends, and it is a perfect way to get through the week and celebrate the fact that the weekend is just on the horizon.

Moreover, Hey Joe’s! is having a Sadie Hawkins dance tonight after trivia that I am super excited about. I am a firm believer in men initiating interest with women (including in dancing). If a man wants to dance, he should have enough guts to ask. But, I might just have to make an exception tonight because of the rules that go along with Sadie Hawkins. Also, a band that was started up by some people that I went to high school with is playing. I am looking forward to hearing them and doing something a little different on this Leap Day.

Once again, I hope you have a great Wednesday and are embracing the little things that you love and that make this Wednesday and your life that much better. Oh, I almost forgot... HAPPY LEAP DAY!

Confessional Friday

Today I am properly linking up with Leslie for “Confessional Friday”. I hope you enjoy this beautiful Friday and have a lovely weekend!

• Given the choice, I will almost always have my photos in color than in black and white.  I love color way too much, so why take it out of life?
• Speaking of color, if I could, I would decorate everything in multicolored/rainbow palettes.
• I have a long lost dream of being a ballerina.
• I am usually very oblivious. I feel like I go through life seeing, but not really seeing people and details.
• I wish I could have met either of my grandfathers.
• I am terribly obsessed with lace.
• I want to slide on a ladder in a library like Belle in Beauty and the Beast.
• I adore the smell of books, new or old.
• I am really particular about my books. I like them to be in the best shape possible, and I will cut you if you tear or fold a page.
• I cannot walk or cut in a straight line.
• I judge men by the type of shoes they wear.
• For an English major, I am terrible at grammar.
• I would rather read a paper of value with a clear and meaningful message/argument than a paper with perfect grammar and no real thought.
• I have always wanted to play the cello or violin.
• I think a man kissing a woman’s hand is one of the most romantic gestures.
• I think this quote from Edith Wharton’s “The Other Two” pretty much defines my life: “Waythorn was an idealist. He always refused to recognise unpleasant contingencies till he found himself confronted with them, and then he saw them followed by a special train of consequences”.
• I cannot see a pineapple without thinking of Psych.

Valentine’s Banquet

Every year my church decides to have a Valentine’s get-together for the married couples. They are usually organized by several married individuals, and there are absolutely no children allowed. Well, this year someone decided it would be a good idea to have a formal dinner where the kids serve the adults. I am not sure who came up with this idea, but it was definitely a success. I think from now on, a formal dinner is in order.

The evening was a great experience all around. The adults were provided with an extremely cheap night out where they could eat good food, socialize, and be entertained and served. The kids got the opportunity to experience serving, working as a team, and exhaust themselves to help  others. There were SO many people who helped out in various capacities such as providing decor, loaning china sets, cooking food, cleaning dishes, etc. All I can say is that after last night I am overwhelmed by how much God has blessed our church. He has given so many people creative minds, hard working spirits, and serving hearts. And for all of that, I am very grateful.

I have just a few pictures that barely cover what all went into the event last night. I wish I had a picture of every person that contributed so much of their time and energy. I wish I had a picture of the beautiful place settings and food. I wish I had pictures of all the lovely couples in attendance. I wish I had pictures of more decorations and details. We really needed a designated photographer, but I managed to steal a few shots between all of the craziness of preparing and the kitchen duties last night.  Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy the photos! They certainly do not do justice to the real experience.

1. & 2. Sam and Mark practicing the day before the big event. Not pictured are multiple people setting up the hall and decorating.

3. Laura found these adorable mini flowers to decorate the place cards. Are they not precious?                                                                                    4. My parent’s place cards. These are a sampling of mine and Laura’s efforts at the art of place card making.

5. The map of the Server’s Hall.                                                                      6. The schedule.

7. Anna Kate Minyard. This is the lovely lady who orchestrated last night. God has certainly blessed this young lady with multiple talents (organizing, managing, and singing to name a few), and everyone who she comes in contact with is in turn blessed. I am so thankful God put her in my life!                                                                                                         8. Myself, Anna Kate, and Laura. The “Kitchen Queens”.

9. The servers. I am not sure that this is everyone, but I cannot express how much they helped and did so with serving and willing hearts. They were definitely another one of God’s blessings last night.                           10. The Drop Bears: Mark, Anna Kate, and Sam were the entertainers for last night.

11. Decor.                                                                                                         12. The hall.

13. & 14. The Drop Bears giving a wonderful performance. Sam and Mark started off the evening by playing various selections from Jack Johnson to Elvis. However, Anna Kate surprised everyone half-way through and joined the boys. These guys did a FANTASTIC job. I wish everyone could have heard them. I honestly think they did just as good or better than the originals.

Here are a few of my favorites that they performed. If these are not in your music library, you need to remedy this infraction asap! I promise, if you are anything like me, you will not be able to stop listening to the catchy lyrics and beautiful music.

“The Girl” by City and Colour

“The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson

“Forget Me Not” by The Civil Wars

Again, I am so thankful to everyone who helped make last night a success. It was a wonderful experience, and I am ready to do it again next year.

What I’m Loving Wednesday

So, yesterday was Valentine’s, and I must admit that I absolutely love this holiday. I remember as a child being incensed at the fact that the public school system did not recognize this as a holiday that validated a day off. This holiday also promoted my favorite color red and hearts. I also think that I loved this holiday so much because my dad in many ways took over the card and gift. I mean, let’s be honest. Usually, every other holiday mom would do the shopping, but for some unknown reason my dad would decide to get involved. He always picked out the best cards and wrote some of the sweetest notes. He would also choose gifts that showed me he really understood my personality and put a great deal of thought into the gift. I think as a young girl and teenager I enjoyed the reminder that my daddy was forever my biggest fan and a guy who would never stop loving me. And, now as a young woman, I realize this fact without the reminder of Valentine’s day. All that said, I have some very fond memories of this holiday, and I have some fun pictures to share that describe my Valentine’s experience this year and why I’m loving it.

 

1. & 2. Remember these? Well, Sunday night I decided to make cookies that said “Happy Valentines” and “Lots of Love”.

3. This was one of my best cookies. It is actually legible. I decided it should go to my professor/coworker, Mike Smith, because he always complains about how no one considers him on Valentine’s. Well, by-golly, I was considerate and gave him the best.                                                       4. This picture depicts what the majority of my cookies looked like: a hot, unreadable mess. They definitely do not look like the cookies on the box cover, and I will most definitely have to do some internet research before I attempt another batch. Needless to say, everyone else received failed attempts at cute Valentine’s cookies. Myself and the recipients all got some pretty good laughs at my pitiful cookies.

5. & 6. This was a craft I found on Pinterest. I used paint samples and a heart punch to make this threaded garland. I sent this little Valentine’s happy to one of my best friends, Sydney, who is working her tail off at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. I could not think of another person who better deserved a happy.

7. This was my Valentine’s present from my parents. They know how much I love trees and got me this cute pendant!                                          8. This was a Valentine’s gift from Amber. She was so thoughtful, and like a good English major she gave me a card with a cheesy pun: “Look it is Cupig”. You know it is funny.

9. Dr. Ford brought Dove milk chocolates to all of the Writing Center workers at today’s meeting. When I opened the first one, all I saw was “Exercise today”. I was taken aback. Then I read further and it told me to “Exercise your heart today”. We all got a good laugh out of it, and Amber decided to make some minor adjustments to the message. Jerk.                 10. Here was some of the other sayings that my coworkers gave me to make me feel better. One told me that “The best things in life are chocolate” and the other told me to “Believe in those you love”. They were definitely better than the chocolate telling me to go exercise.

I hope your Wednesday and Valentine’s Day was wonderful!