Birthday Weekend: A Summary

Premium Rush.  Sleep in.  Lemon poppyseed pancakes.  Netflix.  Home Slice Pizza.  Friends.  Laughter.  Peru memories.  Kids chosen.  Nap time.  Grocery shopping.  Hunger Games.  Productivity.  Mandola's.  Errands run.  TOMS shoes.  Wasp in house.  Cake baked.  Dishes washed.  Early to bed. 

All in all, I'd consider it a successful weekend.  A smidge of work balanced with a heavy dose of doing whatever I want to.  Just what I needed to refresh and prep for week two of school. 

Did you notice that I bought a pair of TOMS this weekend??  I'm so excited about them.  I've always been interested in the cause, but I decided I needed to be more proactive in my support after I found out that TOMS visited my kids in Peru!

Check out this video.  Those precious little boys in the blue shirts are the ones I work with each summer!!! :)

Favorite Things Friday

So.....I had really good intentions of blogging this summer and that didn't happen.  Now that I'm back at school and I have less free time, maybe I'll start posting more often. ;)

Let's start with something easy: My Current Favorites

Day of the Week: Saturday - sleeping in!

Thing at Work: checking things off the to-do list (before I add 10 more things)

Pizza: Double Dave's Chicken Bacon Ranch w/o bacon

Thing at Home: getting things in the mail, like an early birthday present!

Song Stuck in My Head: Home by Phillip Phillips (bonus - it makes me feel like I'm watching  the Olympics again)

Website: dog-shaming.com  Try to read it without laughing so hard that you cry...

Purchase for this Year: Mr. Potato Head - to use as a class reward


Well, that's a good start.  Hopefully I'll be back soon!  

Excess Guilt

Tomorrow I will begin the trek back to one of my favorite places on earth.  Each year I return to Peru with a number of overwhelming feelings. Here are my thoughts as I embark on this journey.

I moved to a new apartment this summer.  Two thoughts plagued me during that chaotic time:

1. Why didn’t I choose a career that would allow me to afford a house sooner?

2. Why do I have SO MUCH STUFF???

With every move (and throughout the year), I make a genuine effort to pare down what I own.  I still manage to keep much more than I need.  Over the past few weeks I’ve been working to find a place for everything in my new apartment.  Once the cabinet and closet doors are closed, I tend to forget all that is behind them.

Until I visit these bedrooms

Cesar Vallejo Casa

Baby Casa

and see these shoes

and compare work environments.

the school at the Community 

classroom

Even my "necessities" (A/C, grocery money, electricity, running water) seem excessive in light of what the rest of the world has.  That's when the true disparity sets in and guilt isn't far behind.  Which leads to a time of discomfort and questioning.  

Should I sell all my possessions and give them to the poor?  Yes. 

Am I actually going to?? Not likely.

How can I continue to live like this???

When I take a moment to step back from my guilt, I am able to more clearly see the good that can come from excess.  Without my extra income (and the generous donations of friends and family), I would never have traveled to Peru. 

And it was in Peru that I met Ever.

Elias & Ever

Two years ago Ever was a helper for the casa that I worked with.  Although his English and my Spanish were limited, I was able to see his kind spirit.  Over the course of the week we managed to form a special bond.  I don't know Ever's story.  I hope to someday ask him.  

Last year it took me two days to track him down.  He was so busy with chores that he wasn’t able to participate in the activities with the rest of the kids.  On the last afternoon, he wasn’t at the farewell party.  I started asking about him again, determined to see him one more time before we left.  I looked up to see him running across the soccer field to find ME.  We hugged and danced and laughed and took pictures.  That’s when I realized the good of what my excess has done.  You see, there’s this precious teenage orphan who lives in a different hemisphere, but he knows that I love him and will to everything I can to return each summer.

So when I check my banking account or go shopping for new clothes and the wave of guilt comes back to me, I face it head on.  Don’t get me wrong, I can still be caught up in consumerism as much as the next rich person, but there are bigger things at work in my life.  And there is no room for excess guilt.

New York City - Part 3

Porgy & Bess

After dinner we headed on over and got in line for the show.  When we got inside and saw how close our seats were to the stage, we may have geeked out a little.  Okay…a lot!  I don’t think I’ve ever been that close to the stage before.  Afterward, I felt like I actually knew the performers.  I’m not sure if it was our proximity to the stage or the powerful story or the unbelievably amazing talent, but I shed a few tears during the show.  Actually, I straight up cried…more than once.  The plot is for mature audiences, but the entire cast was incredible.  Perhaps that’s why it’s received TEN Tony Award Nominations.  I will be watching the Tony awards (on June 10^th) and I’ll gladly tell anyone who listens that I saw Audra McDonald in Porgy & Bess.

Tracy’s Tip: Go see Porgy & Bess and take some tissues.

Dessert

After the show we walked over the Sardi’s for some dessert.  The place was packed, but we walked right in and got a seat.  We shared the crème brulee.  How have I not had that before?   It was so delicious.  I would have ordered a second one, but I didn’t want the waiter to judge me. ;)

Tracy’s Tip:  Find some crème brulee and eat it.  Trust me, it’s awesome.

Night Life

Our return bus choices were 11 p.m. (too early) or 1:15 a.m. (ridiculously late).  When we left Sardi’s it had started to drizzle a little.  Thankfully Laura had brought an umbrella for us.  Our first mission was to find the Port Authority, where our bus was leaving from.  After wandering around looking for the MegaBus sign, a homeless guy directed us to the alley between two buildings.  He was right, but we didn’t feel comfortable waiting there so we started to look for a place to hang out.  Unfortunately most of the restaurants in the area closed at midnight.  We finally found a McDonalds, bought a coke, and just sat there and watched people for 45 minutes.  Did I mention that by now we had been going for 15 hours straight in NYC and that my feet were killing me???  Between the rain and the waiting, this was my least favorite part of the trip.

Around 12:30 we decided to walk over to see if the bus was there.  Thankfully it was and we hopped on and tried to sleep while we waited to leave.  Unfortunately, the bus was full of rowdy college students headed back to Philadelphia.  I tried to drown them out with music, but was unsuccessful.  Where were earplugs when I needed them?? This was my new least favorite part of the trip!

Tracy’s Tips: Be extra careful about the shoes you choose for a 15 hour day of walking.  Bring earplugs just in case you’re on a bus full of noisy people!

To Sum It Up

It seemed like before I knew it I was on a plane back to Austin and back in the classroom teaching.  What I really want to know is, when can I go back?  I’ve got at least a week full of NYC adventure in mind for my next trip, now I just need to start saving!

New York City - Part 2

On to Battery Park

From there we walked along Wall Street (past the sad three Occupy protesters and tons of tourists), by the Bull at Bowling Green and over to Battery Park.  I was beginning to feel a little peckish, so we stopped for pretzels and cokes at a street vendor. 

There were two lines to get on the ferry: one for those who bought tickets online ahead of time and one for the poor saps that waited until they got to the park to buy tickets.  At 12:30 we walked through the gate and were quickly merged through security with people who had been waiting over two hours in line. 

Tracy’s Tip: Buy your tickets to Liberty/Ellis Island in advance!

Lady Liberty

 I still can’t believe I’ve stood at the base of the Statue of Liberty.  It was everything I anticipated it would be and more.  It definitely helped that we had the most PERFECT weather.  The sky was clear blue, there was a nice breeze, and the sun was shining.  I took a ton of pictures just trying to show the how impressive the statue is.  I’m not sure I can adequately sum up the experience.  You’ll just have to go visit yourself!

9/11

After making it back to shore, we started walking north in the direction of our next subway stop.  We had planned it so that we could walk past Ground Zero.  You have to really plan in advance to see Ground Zero so that they can do a background check, but we had opted not to do that.  There was a lot of construction going on and tons of people wandering around just like us.  Even though there were huge construction barriers that blocked the view of the memorial, there was a very solemn atmosphere around the place.  It was hard to believe that such a monumental event happened 11 years ago.

Times Square

We rode the subway back to Times Square.  I’m going to go ahead and say it…Times Square was the only part of NYC that I really didn’t care for.  It was just WAY too crowded.  I was legitimately concerned that Laura and I were going to be separated.  We stayed long enough to take some pictures and figure out which street our musical was going to be on then we headed out.

Central Park

We walked past lots of famous places – Rockefeller Plaza, FAO Schwartz, Trump Tower (How many buildings does that guy own?) – on our way to the Park.  By the time we got there I was exhausted.  Laura bought a coke and I got an ice cream cone and we found a bench to sit on by the pond.  Again, it was the most beautiful day ever and I could have stayed there for hours, but we had places to go!

Tracy’s Tip: If you want to experience all that Central Park has to offer, plan on spending one (or maybe two) days there.

Dinner in Hell’s Kitchen

In planning out the day, we looked for somewhere close (but not too close) to Times Square for dinner.  We hoped to find a reasonably priced place since we wanted to save money for things like musical tickets.  We did a little internet hunting, randomly picked two places with interesting names, and went with our gut.  Vynl’s was the perfect pick.  It was a small restaurant with clean restrooms, a fantastic waiter, and an entire jug of water waiting for us on the table.  We both loved our meals.  In fact, I’d go back just to have another chicken parmesan sandwich.  I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a reasonably priced place to eat in that part of town.  

New York City - Part 1

Remember that trip I took to New York City?  It was only a month ago, but it seems like a lifetime.  I wanted to share my adventures (and tips) from my day in NYC.  I’m sure mom (and my three friends that read my blog) will appreciate it. J

You may ask, why only one day?  Was it worth it for such a sort trip?  Yes, yes it was.  Going to NYC was on the top of my list of things to do in life and I was determined to seize the opportunity.  And that’s what life’s about, right?  Taking advantage of those crazy moments.  Kinda like that weekend in college when we took a roadtrip from Abilene to Gatlinburg.  (But that’s another story…)

Getting There

After weighing our options – driving was out of the question and train tickets were too pricey – we opted for the MegaBus.  It was $50 roundtrip and actually quite comfortable.   Just in case you’re ever planning to take a MegaBus from the White Marsh Park & Ride in Baltimore, I highly recommended getting there extra early.  The parking lot is not very big and was already full from Thursday/Friday passengers.  It would be possible to walk over from the IKEA parking lot if needed, but we got there an hour early and were able to find a spot.  Our bus left at 6:30 a.m.  I was determined to stay awake to see all the state border signs (which I did), but I managed to catch a few catnaps in between.

Tracy’s Tip: Take the MegaBus and get there early to park.

On the MegaBus!

Making a Game Plan

Laura had been to NYC before, so she let me choose what I most wanted to do.  I narrowed it down to three things: see a Broadway musical, go to Liberty Island & Ellis Island, and visit Central Park.  We mapped out a route the night before and decided that we would take two subway trips and do the rest of our traveling on foot.

The Arrival

I was practically bouncing in my seat when the bus arrived in NYC.  The MegaBus dropped us off by Madison Square Gardens, so we decided to hop on the subway at Penn Station.  Finding a booth that sold Metro tickets in the train station was a little more difficult than expected, but we finally managed to get tickets and find the right train.

Buying Broadway Tickets

 Securing tickets to an evening musical was first on our list of priorities.  After extensive research, we figured out that it would be much smarter to go to the South Street Seaport TKTS booth because evening tickets went on sale at 11 a.m. (instead of 3 p.m. at the Times Sq. booth.)  We got there around 10:30 and joined the line.  While we waited for it to open, we tried to narrow down the potential choices.  Laura’s the musical expert, so I asked her to pick her top three choices.  We decided that Porgy & Bess was the best option because it starred Audra McDonald.  No one around us was even talking about it and we were thrilled to get tickets in our price range. 

We got the tickets

Tracy’s Tip: Buy discount Broadway tickets on the day of the show at the South Street Seaport TKTS location.

A Year of Hope

Part 3 is about looking forward.  Here are some hopes for 2012:

1. A New Degree – Optimistically, in the next few months I’ll finish my thesis, create a portfolio, take the last of my classes, and graduate with a masters of education.  There’s a lot of work involved, but think of the reward!  Everyone will call me Master and I’ll have all the power & riches.  (muah haha!!)  Okay…none of those things will happen.

2. A Deeper Faith – God’s been working on me for a while.  He’s clearing out room in my life and has made it obviously that he intends for me to fill it up with Him.  If I had to pick a word for the year it would be DISCIPLINE.  I would be the first to admit that I’m really good at procrastinating.  Why do now what you can put off till later??  Ironically (or not), discipline was my word for last year too.  I’m definitely feeling the nudge to get some of my priorities in order.  And that involves some uncomfortable soul-searching and a commitment to more time with God.

3. The Unknown – As I mentioned before, there’s a lot of “openness” in my life right now.  I’m not sure what’s in store for me, but I’m earnestly praying for some good friends.  Actually, I have lots of great friends, but I’m looking for some LOCAL girlfriends.  If nothing else, I’m looking forward to 12/12/12.  Besides being a cool number, my friend Tamara is fairly confident that’s going to be an important day for me.  ;)

The Story of Christmas

A few weeks ago I attended Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God concert.  I have heard the story of the birth of Christ many times, but he ended the concert with a powerful scripture that seemed to really bring together the whole picture.

Colossians 1:15-20

 “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
      He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
   for through him God created everything
      in the heavenly realms and on earth.
   He made the things we can see
      and the things we can’t see—
   such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
      Everything was created through him and for him.
   He existed before anything else,
      and he holds all creation together.
   Christ is also the head of the church,
      which is his body.
   He is the beginning,
      supreme over all who rise from the dead
      So he is first in everything.
   For God in all his fullness
      was pleased to live in Christ,
   and through him God reconciled
      everything to himself.
   He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
      by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”

So there you have it.  God wrapped himself up in flesh and came down to earth.  To bring peace & joy and to die to save us all.  And that, my friends, is why we celebrate Christmas.

A Year of Adventure

 1. My new job – My only request when I knew that I would be moved to a new school was that they try to find me a position at the same grade level.  I’m pretty sure I said that I would go to any school in order to stay in first grade.  While I love first graders, I was actually thinking that my graduate school workload would be increasing and I’d like to know what I was doing in one area of my life!  Even though I’ve got a full class of little ones, this year is going so much more smoothly than last year.  Anyone who knew about my class last year knows that it was a bit trying.  It’s always hard to adjust to a new environment, new administration, and new teammates, but I feel that the transition is going well. 

2. Research – I’ve been thinking about my thesis topic since the day I started graduate school.  (Mostly because they told us to start thinking of one on the first night of class.)  When my research class finally rolled around, I had narrowed down the field that I wanted to study.  A few dozen articles later, I tossed out a few topics and really tried to hone in on my subject.  Here’s the best part: I actually enjoy it!  Let me clarify…reading, re-reading, trying to figure out how to cite something, and deciding how to organize thoughts so they flow nicely are not that much fun.  However, it is great to feel like I’m a mini-expert in a particular area that interests me.  Or at least I’m familiar with the names of the experts in that field!

3. The AMAZON – Last year on my second trip to Peru, the leaders started tossing around ideas about other potential end-of-trip vacation spots.  We love our little side trip to Cuzco/Machu Picchu, but there are many other places to see.  I was psyched that the first one on the list was the Amazon Rainforest.  Now those who know me best can tell you that my idea of camping is staying at a Motel 6.  But I was eager to overcome the fear of the unknown (including a yellow fever shot & malaria pills) in order to see one of the most fascinating places in the world. 

It did not disappoint!  I rode in all varieties of water craft, walked on gang planks, hiked through muddy jungle trails, wore multiple layers of bug spray & sun screen, whistled at pink dolphins, trudged carefully through the jungle in the pitch black, talked to Pedro the macaw, fished for piranha, and came home with only two bug bites.  And that’s only part of the story.  While there are many other places I would rather visit first, I’m not opposed to going to the jungle again.  I know exactly what to pack now! ;)

Stay tuned for part 3!

The Year in Review

My last blog post was in July.  Not for lack of things to say, or even from lack of time, but because I’ve chosen to do other things.  The good news is I’ve got lots of free time for the next few days and plenty to talk about! 
Since end of the year is rapidly approaching, I’ve been reflecting on some of the changes in my life.  Here’s part 1:

A Year of Loss

1. My job – This was a rough year for educators.  As our district considered the best way to reduce expenses, my name was put on the bottom of the “might be moved to a new campus” list.  I felt very confident that I would stay in the district and pretty certain that I was one of the last on the list to go from our school.  Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.  I won’t go into the sordid details, but I was told that I would be moving to a new campus.  I would miss seeing my kiddos from previous years, but even more I would deeply miss my grade level team.  Our cohesiveness was very rare in the education world.  There’s more to this story, so stay tuned.

2. My financial safety net – On the same day that I found out that I would be moving to a new school, I went to a last minute dentist appointment to see what was going on with a continual toothache.  Guess what – root canals and crowns are expensive!! This just happened to be in the midst of conflict with my apartment complex over an obscene rent hike.  I juggled some money around, tightened up the budget, and got ready for a year of more rice & beans and less eating out with friends.

3. My free time – Who knew that writing a thesis would take so much time and effort???  I’ve pulled some late nights and cram writing sessions this semester that are reminiscent of undergrad days.  I probably SHOULD be analyzing data right now, but I’m giving myself a little vacation!

4. My church community – I jumped full swing into the young professional group at my church as soon as I moved to Austin 6 years ago.  It’s been a rocky ride.  I’ve seen people come and go, numbers swing drastically for the better or worse, and experienced some amazing friendships.  Over the last year or so, a lot has changed with the group.  It’s not bad change, but things are different.  And I’m finding that I just don’t seem to fit anymore.  A lot of it has to do with grad school eating up my Wednesday nights and weekend free time, but it’s more than that.  It was unexpected in the midst of a chaotic year.  I’m sure a lot of it had to do with loss #5.

5. My friends – I’ve had many wonderful friendships in my time here in Austin, but nothing really compares to my friendships with Rachel, Allison, & Laura.  I’m not really sure why, but we just seemed to mesh well.  We met at church and we bonded through favorite restaurants, movies, Rock Band, road trips, and lots of laughter.  This year, God had big plans for them.  Amazing opportunities opened up and they each moved on to new jobs and new adventures.  But seriously, did they all need to move out of the STATE?!?! 

I know this list is super depressing, but I feel that it is essential to what is shaping me right now.  I was telling a friend the other day that God seems to have opened up a lot of space in my life.  I’m looking forward to seeing what He has in store for me next year. 

But wait, there’s more! Stick around and I’ll share some of the great things that have happened in my life this year.

Cookie Capers - A Reflection

Here are my thoughts about making cookies:

1. Royal Icing is not cool. It takes a long time to make and has to be just right and it doesn't even taste good. I mean, what's the point if the icing doesn't taste good!?!?!

2. Making cookies requires lots of supplies - plenty of bags and icing tips (probably the ones you don't have) and lots of toothpicks

3. Making cookies requires space. I've dealt with less counter space before, but I'm pretty sure there are no one bedroom apartments with kitchens designed for the cookie making process.

4. Polka dots are fun! I probably will make more fancy cookies in the future, if only to make more polka dots. It's really neat to see them melt into the semi-set first layer of icing. It's hard to tell because my colors are so similar, but in real life they looked awesome.

5. I made these for Leo's six month birthday, but he didn't even get to eat them. Next time I'll make them for an older audience. ;)

That's all of my cookie capering for this summer. We'll see what free time I have in the fall. (haha!)

Cookie Capers Part 2

Again I will direct you to bakeat350.blogspot.com for tips because I am NOT an expert in the field of cookie making.

Step 1 - Make some super tasty cookies

Step 2 - Mix up some royal icing and dye it.

I needed two shades of yellow, a little pink, and a little black.

Step 3 - Outline the design on the cookie with the darker yellow.

Can you tell what it is yet?

Step 4 - Thin the icing so you can flood the cookie. I can tell that this is a process that takes many attempts to perfect. I had only two attempts so mine wasn't quite thin enough to flood nicely, but I still made it work.

Step 5 - Flood the mane with the darker yellow on a few cookies. Flood the face with the lighter yellow on a few cookies. Do a few more manes, then stop to go back and add darker yellow drops to make ears on the first few faces. (Side note: Don't accidentally mix up the colors. Side note #2: Polka-dotted cookies are my new favorite thing!)

Step 6 - Let everything sit for a few hours. (Or a few days if your life suddenly gets really busy like mine did.)

Step 7 - Use pink to make the nose and black for the eyes, mouth, and whiskers. Again this is is few days later and I was not in the mood to make more royal icing, so I cheated and bought the bottled Wilton's stuff from the grocery store. It worked great, but I realized that I did not have the right size tip. This would have been good to know when I was at the baking store looking at all the icing tips!

Step 8 - Take lots of pictures and savor the accomplishment!

...and choose to ignore the flaws ;)

Summer 2011

Summer’s over! Well, not really, but as soon as I return from Peru it will be time to get back into the groove of school. The kids may not show up until the end of August, but my job starts when I get the key to my classroom.

Here’s what I’ve been up to:
working on Peru stuff
swimming
house-sitting
dog-sitting
watching New Moon (Alamo pancake style)
eating snow cones
waiting in line for the last Harry Potter (well…I will tonight)
organizing and packing Peru supplies
creating English camp
finishing two grad school classes
hanging out with friends
touring Blue Bell in Brenham
making tough life choices
more Peru packing/organizing
baking delicious treats
eating those treats
sleeping in
reading lots of Kindle books
hanging with my friends

Here’s what I have NOT been doing:
working on school stuff (yay for a break!)
updating my blog regularly (sorry about that)
working out

There are still a few more things on the summer to-do list, but they’ll have to wait until later. For now I’ve got orphans to love on and the Amazon to experience. Lots of pictures and stories to come! :)

Simple Summer Make-Up

I’m not a fan of make-up. It wastes precious morning time and costs too much. Unfortunately, I’ve been brainwashed to feel “naked” without it. During the school year I wear it faithfully, but in summer my face is free!

Here are my basics for when I need to be presentable in the summer:

Cetaphil Facial Moisturizer

No smell, lightweight, and SPF 15

Clinique Airbrush Concealer

This stuff is the BEST! It’s worth every penny.

CoverGirl Loose Powder

Helps reduce the glisten effect of summer heat

Maybelline Great Lash BIG Mascara

Cause you can’t see my eyes at all without it

That’s it. 4 easy steps to looking less scary each day.

Of course there are still days when I go without anything. :)

When I need to be fancier? I throw on foundation, eye shadow, and occasionally eye liner.

Cookie Capers Part 1

I stumbled across this blog a few months ago. I’ve been day-dreaming about making some super fancy cookies ever since.

Here we go!

1. Pick a cookie design to make (I’ll reveal my choice later)

2. Mix up some Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies – recipe below

3. Roll them out and use a glass as a cookie cutter since you have every kind of animal, Easter, Valentine’s, and Christmas cookie cutter, but not a single circle one.

4. Bake them on parchment paper. Why have I not used parchment paper before?!? This stuff is amazing!

5. Roll the leftover dough into balls to freeze and eat later. :)

6. Admire the fresh, warm cookies and try to resist eating them so you’ll have enough to decorate tomorrow.

Stay tuned for part two – Decorating the cookies!

Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies

from bakeat350.blogspot.com

3 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 c. sugar

2 sticks (salted) butter, cold

1 egg

¾ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350. Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and extracts. Gradually add flour/baking soda and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.

The dough will be crumbly, so knead it together as you scoop it out for rolling. Roll onto a floured surface and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Freeze on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then bake for 10-12 minutes.

This made 21 cut-out cookies and 10 leftovers (not counting the dough that may or may not have been eaten in the process.)

Pretzel Rolls

So much to blog about and so little free time. Actually, I just choose to do other things with my time. For example, tonight I made some Pretzel Rolls. That’s right...this delightful treat can be made in under 2 hours with minimal hands-on time. Even at the end of a long school day.

For the recipe, check out the Tasty Kitchen Blog. I highly recommend adding that blog to your reader. Lots of delicious recipes!

Here’s my twist:

I halved the recipe because I didn’t have enough yeast for a whole recipe. This was a probably a good decision because I don’t need to eat them all.

The most exciting (and very essential) part was poaching the rolls. Be prepared for some major fizzing when you add the baking soda to the boiling water.

Wax paper is not a good substitute for parchment. It gets a little cooked in a very hot oven.

Make yourself some ASAP. You’re welcome. :)

Vintage Pearl Giveaway

Have I mentioned my love for The Vintage Pearl?

They're having an awesome giveaway today. But don't enter...cause I want the $100 gift certificate. ;)

I Won!

I've been slowly adding blogs to my google reader over the past few months. One that I follow is Nesting Place.

Last week I entered a contest and won a pillow cover from Blessings Unlimited:

Yay for prizes!

Maybe someday I'll be a famous blogger and give away prizes of my own. :)

Your Love is a Song

In honor of the Grammy's and Valentine's Day, here's my list of top 10 love songs.  I broke it into two parts to make it more interesting.  :)

 

Top 5 Saddest Love Songs

5. Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler

You loved him, but now you don't.  And, there are some powderkegs.  And, the music video is really disturbing.

 

4. My Immortal – Evanescence

Beyond the lyrics, the pain in her voice just makes you want to cry.

 

3. You Could Be Happy - Snow Patrol

Letting go of someone you love because it's best for them.  Always hurts.

 

2. Breakeven (Falling to Pieces) - The Script

This is the ultimate break up song.  Doesn't it always seem like you're stuck with the raw end of the deal?  They're moving on and you're still miserable??  Ugh...

 

1. Grenade - Bruno Mars

Bruno is gold in the pop world right now.  The hyperbolic (...I hope) song is about being willing to give everything for someone, but they don't return the feeling.  Oh, the pain of unrequited love. 

 

Top 5 Best Love Songs

5. The Way You Look Tonight - Tony Bennett & At Last - Etta James

I know I picked two, but they're classics.

 

4. I Will Be Here - Steven Curtis Chapman

This song still makes my heart sigh.  Did you know that he wrote it to his wife after her parents got divorced?  

 

3. The Other Side of Me - Michael W. Smith

This song is actually part of a trilogy.  It's always stuck with me as a very genuine song.

 

2. The Only Exception - Paramore

I know this one is popular and will probably be destroyed by being overplayed, but it resonates with this generation.  Choosing to love is hard, but worth it. 

 

1. Head Over Heels (In This Life) - Switchfoot

This is not a traditional love song, but it's been my favorite since their Oh, Gravity album was released. Here's a little excerpt for you:

 

In this life, you're the one place I call home

In this life, you're the feeling I belong

In this life, you're the flower and the thorn

You're everything that's fair in love and war

 

 

Do you agree/disagree?? What songs would you have picked?

 

P.S. The title is another Switchfoot song I love. In fact, it's my ringtone. J

 

Guilty Pleasure

I ordered myself a little Valentine's Day present today:

double pearl drop earrings

I mean, no one else is going to be giving me a present this year. AND I'm obsessed with Vintage Pearl and have been every since I bought this necklace for myself a few years ago.

initial on a chain

They have awesome giveaways, so I suggest following her blog.