Frozen Biscuits are Awesome.

I wish my job was to write blogs. Because, which is obvious based on my lack of blogging for the past two months, there clearly isn’t enough time in the day to work, do laundry, go to the gym, make breakfast, lunch and dinner, watch my favorite TV shows, cuddle with Bob, Char and Justin, sleep, AND have time to write a fabulous blog. Today I’m lucky to have a few minutes to spare so I thought I’d write another quick life update. And my goal is to try to start writing again at least once or twice a week. We’ll see how that works out.

I am a fan of bulleted lists (duh- have you read the rest of my blog?), and they always seem like the perfect way to sum up three months of life.

• We had the best weekend in New Orleans! We spent time with fabulous friends and saw parts of the city we’d never had the chance to explore before. A ride on the street car, drinks at Margaritaville and a delicious seafood dinner made for a fun-filled weekend. I am in love with the culture, food and lifestyle of New Orleans, and I can’t wait for our next trip back.

• We went camping. Yep, camping. We packed up the car and headed North to Arkansas for a nice night at Lake DeGray State Park. After a quick 2.5 hour drive we arrived at the park and picked out our perfect campsite in the woods. On the way there I asked Justin if he thought we would fight while trying to put up the tent. His answer was simple: yes. Well, shock of shocks, we didn’t fight once. Our tent was up in no time, which meant time to play in the water and grill down on the beach! That was until we realized a big part of the tent was missing- the rain cover. So, it was back in the car to Walmart where we found a giant blue tarp and made our own rain cover. Problem solved. After a delicious dinner on the grill, we spent the night listening to music, eating s’mores and trying to stay warm. I slept like a baby in our comfy tent, and to finish off the weekend Justin took me to Cracker Barrel. And I loved him for it. Camping trip = success!

• I went down to South (and I mean SOUTH) Texas to work on a project, and Justin came down to spend the weekend with me. We met in San Antonio and had the best night on the Riverwalk, complete with delicious Mexican food, cups full of Cactus Juice and lots of singing at our favorite piano bar. The next day we met up with our friend Anne and floated down the Comal River- a blast! The water was freezing, but the fun day was totally worth it. After a delicious dinner at another friend’s house and a quick trip to the Alamo the next morning, the weekend was complete.

• We road-tripped it to South Florida for Memorial Day weekend, and it was fantabulous. We got to spend time with my family, celebrate one of my best friends birthdays (yay Kat!), and spend lots of time with the Future Mr. and Mrs. Andrews! Lizzie’s bridal shower was a huge success, and the 34 wine glasses that I hand-painted (yes, hand-painted) as favors were a hit…I think. We made a quick stop in Niceville on the way home to see Justin’s parents, and ended up spending time with friends that he hadn’t seen in many, many years. All in all a GREAT weekend!

• I proceeded to keep working in South Texas (seven weeks total!) and doing lots of traveling on the weekends. I flew in town the day before Justin’s birthday with just enough time to re-pack my bags for our fun weekend in Houston and to give him his birthday present, which was being stored by our wonderful friends Donny and Lea. Justin saw a globe bar in the SkyMall magazine on our flight to England in 2009 and has been talking about one ever since. So, I decided this was the year to get it for him. Stocked with his favorite liquors and two glasses engraved with his monogram I think he loved his gift.

Then we were off to Houston to spend the weekend with our friends Patty and Travis in their brand new townhome. We did a little shopping, ate a LOT of great food, stopped by the aquarium and finished the weekend off with Justin’s last birthday surprise- the Tool concert. I’m not going to lie- I was a litttttle nervous about my first Tool concert. But despite my ringing ears, I had a great time and the look on Justin’s face while watching his favorite band made the experience totally worth it.

• Lizzie and Ryan tied the knot!! What a perfect weekend. Well, almost perfect. I spent HOURS upon HOURS working on the slideshow for their rehearsal dinner. Being the perfectionist that I am, there were many late nights and frustrated moments, but eventually I had the ideal slideshow. We made it Florida around 11:30 p.m. the night before the rehearsal and it was time to put my creation on a DVD since I had a busy day ahead and wanted to be prepared. Well, in a moment that I still can’t explain and have just chocked it up to pure idiocy, I delete the ENTIRE thing. There were tears. Hysterical, the-end-of-the-world-has-come tears. My lovely, kind, patient boyfriend finally calmed me down and told me to focus. So I did. And by 4:00 a.m. I had recreated my masterpiece (which was great until I realized that I had to be up at 6:30 to be ready for our spa day…mizzy). But the slideshow was a hit, and from our girl’s spa day at the Breakers, the fantastic rehearsal dinner and the gorgeous ceremony, everything was beautiful and fun. I felt lucky to be part of the wedding party and even more blessed when I got to play the piano during the ceremony. I think it went pretty darn well, and that little moment when I caught Lizzie’s eyes while playing her song will stay with me forever. It was amazing to watch my friend who I have known since 1993 marry the boy she met in 3rd grade. It was a true fairytale weekend, and despite the few hiccups, it was, in every sense of the word, perfect. Congratulations L & R!!!

• We hit the road again for a fun 4th of July visiting Justin’s grandparents in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The weather was gorgeous, and I was as happy as a pig in mud with all the scrumptious home cooking and local eateries. We spent lots of time relaxing at the lake, visiting with family, and, of course, EATING! My perfect weekend :)

• We bought the best vacuum the world has ever seen. It’s true. I never thought that spending so much money on a vacuum would make us so happy. But alas, our new Dyson Ball Animal is possibly the best thing we have EVER purchased. After just one time around our apartment we filled that thing up THREE times. And then we vacuumed again. And once more the next day. Our carpets and rugs look amazing, and I now love vacuuming just to see what it will pick up that day. I wish there was a market out there for cat hair because we could have clothed a small country in Bob and Charlotte hair sweaters just after day one…

• We celebrated our two-year anniversary!! I still can’t believe it has been two years since we saw each other at that wedding in New Jersey and never looked back. Our relationship has been wonderful, fun and incredibly exciting every step of the way. It brought us to Shreveport, sent us on trips around the world and made us best friends. I can’t wait to see where the next two years take us.

• I discovered the best biscuits ever. We always have a big breakfast on Saturday and Sunday if we’re at home. It’s fun to cook and it’s even more fun to eat the final product. Well, we were standing in the biscuit isle at the grocery store debating, as we usually do, whether this week we should by flaky layers or homestyle. A nice man offered his opinion of buying a bag of frozen biscuits and just popping them in the oven. Frozen?? I wasn’t so sure. But, we decided to step outside our comfort zone and try them. HOLY CRAP. They are amazing. You take them out of the bag and they look like stupid little crap biscuits- I was so disappointed. But then, miraculously, 26 minutes later you have the most amazing, fluffy, giant biscuits ever. Thank you random man at the grocery store. We are forever indebted to you.

• It got really, really hot in Shreveport. Ungodly hot. The heat index has been between 105-110 degrees every day this past week…insane! The good thing is that we’ve spent some quality time at the pool and I’m starting to get my tan back. Phew.

2010 has already blessed us with so much fun, friends and traveling, and I can’t wait for all the adventures we still have in store for this year. I got a fantastic birthday present from my friend Tracey that included (as well as fab gold sandals, the best inappropriate postcards ever and an awesome CD) an adorable book of quotes. I super love it and thought I would share one of my favorites: “I have always wanted an adventurous life. It took a long time to realize that I was the only one who could make an adventurous life happen to me. “- Richard Bach

Happy Birthday, Emerald Belle!

Today kicks off the birthday weekend of one of my favorite new friends from this chapter of my life. I was blessed and fortunate to land a position with a great company out of Fort Worth when I first made the big move to Shreveport, and despite the ups and downs it has been the perfect fit for me.  I’m thankful to this job for many reasons (i.e. I get to work from home, I’m learning lots of new things and I get to buy fun things with the money I make), but I’m mostly thankful because I met Taylor. They say that you meet people in life at certain times for certain reasons, and I am SO glad Taylor came into my life when she did. I’m pretty sure she’s my long lost kindred spirit, and there might be a slight chance that we were separated at birth (which would be cool because then it would also be my birthday weekend too!). In no particular order, here is why Taylor is awesome:

1) She makes my job MUCH more fun that it should be. I’m very happy she told me to sign up for Gchat.

2) We have the BEST conversations. It’s hard to find people that can keep up witty banter as well as Taylor can, and I think I’ve become wittier just by talking to her every day. One time we had a 2-hour conversation about all the words and phrases in the English language that we liked and hated, making up some of our own words in the process, and I think that was the best conversation ever. Eggs benny are ab fab and Ding Dong is a great name for an Asian baby.

3) She can quote the entire movie of Elf back and forth with me. And the fact that her favorite part is about the baby asparagus who is self-conscious about his pee smelling funny is super.

4) She has fabulous fashion sense, and she always gives me outfit advice. Plus, she showed me my new Steve Madden boots, and I love her for that.

5) She loves cake just as much as I do.

6) Actually, she loves all food as much as I do. A trillion brownie points there.

7) She understands my sarcasm and funny jokes through a computer. THAT is impressive.

8) She is super sweet and sent me ghost books for my birthday.

9) She sent me wigs when I didn’t have any.

10) She lets me vent about things like work, boys and when I’m having a fat day.

11) She is SO motivating. And she’s going to run a 5K with me, which is the most exciting news ever.

12) She is really pretty and has pretty hair…but not too long that it looks like she has extensions. Oh, and she is the smartest person I know. Taylor, I hope you’re getting the funny joke here.

13) We read fun blogs together. And without her I wouldn’t even have this blog.

14) We discuss dinner plans every night and help each other decide what recipes to make.

15) She still likes me even after that day when I knew about a picture of her on facebook before she did. I’m sorry that I’m such a good stalker.

16) She knows I understand why she got upset when she accidentally dropped her strawberry plant before work and it shattered everywhere. I totally would have cried too.

17) She loves books, and I LOVE books.

18) She loves quotes, and I REALLY LOVE quotes.

19) She is one of the nicest and funniest people I’ve ever met, and she always makes me smile when I’m having a crap day.

So, Mrs. Taylor Green, I hope you have the best birthday weekend ever!! I hope you get lots of fun presents (including a certain purse), eat lots of red velvet cake (and maybe even a cake ball!) and are showered with love alllllll weekend, because you definitely deserve it. Happy birthday!!!

49.5

I am not entirely sure where the last four weeks of my life have gone.  Some days I wish I could go to the land where my days go...must be a fabulous place.  I plan to write an excellent blog in the next couple of days, but in the meantime here is a brief update on my quickly fleeting life:

• For all of you that I'm sure have been wondering, my cruise luggage was 49.5 pounds.  I have truly got that weight limit down to a science.  Justin waited until they put it on the belt because even he was skeptical of my fantastic packing skills.  I wore maybe 4 things that I brought, but everything in there was absolutely necessary.
• The cruise was an amazing, unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I will cherish every memory for the rest of my life.  I truly have some of the best friends a girl could ever ask for.  That cruise is a post in itself.
• We have...scratch that, HAD....two baby birds on our balcony who have the smartest mother bird I have ever seen.  Not that I've seen many mama birds up close and personal, but when a bird lays her eggs in a comfy hanging flower basket, she wins smartest bird in the world.  A pre-made nest?  I wish I was that smart.  Anyways, our adorable new bird friends were happily chirping away and cuddling with each other until SOMEBODY tilted the basket a little too far and the frantic birds flew away. Although I don't think they were quite ready to fly away considering one of them sort of fell out of the basket and the other flew into a light on the side of the building and fell to the ground.  It was a terrible, awful moment, and I kept hoping they would have the strength to get themselves back up to the nest.  Alas, Lloyd and Harry (named lovingly by me after 'Dumb and Dumber,' despite our friend Ben's suggestion of Bob's Breakfast and Charlotte's Lunch) have not returned and I no longer have two pet birds.
• One of my very best friends Kristin came to visit me from Tampa, and we had a fantabulous time.  You don't realize just how different life is without your best friends around until they come to visit you and then they leave. We played lots of beer pong, watched plenty of Sex and the City and ate an entire funfetti cake.  Perfect weekend.
• We went to Gainesville and had the pleasure and privilege of seeing Justin's dad, Colonel Griffin, retire from the US Air Force.  It was a touching, impressive and emotional ceremony, and one that I'm sure will not be forgotten quickly by any.  It was wonderful being back on our old stomping grounds and visiting with friends and family, and I got my fill of cheap college drink specials and my favorite Mexican restaurant.  What more could I ask for? 
• I found out that my parents and little sister are moving back to England in October.  It was a shock at first and a little difficult to grasp, but I am excited for them and glad that they are moving back closer to family and for a new start.  Now we have an excuse to make a trip over that giant pond a little more often.
• I cleaned out my closet and you can actually walk inside it now.  GINORMOUS accomplishment.
• I ate a 3 lb bag of gummy candy in 2 days.  Sort of disgusting, I know, but I just couldn't stop.  Have you ever seen a bag that included gummy bottles, frogs, worms, fruit shapes, ribbons, bears AND sharks??? Me neither- I had to have it.
• I discovered and fell slightly in love with Absolut Acai Berry Vodka. 

Stay tuned for more posts in the very near future, and enjoy this quote...I think it describes me pretty perfectly.

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read and all the friends I want to see."

50 lb weight limit? Who are they kidding.

In an attempt to actually be organized ahead of time for a trip, I woke up at 5:15 a.m. to complete my dreaded task of packing. I am, without a doubt, the worst packer in the world. In fact, I’m probably the reason why there is now a 50lb weight limit and a ridiculous fee to check baggage. I am terrible at making decisions and even worse at only taking one of something. With one of my very best friend’s bacherlorette parties this weekend, I am obviously going to need everything in my closet that I might possibly even consider wearing. Plus two back-up possibilities for each day and night. Oh, and extras in case anyone hates what they brought themselves. Needless to say, this is why I’m up so early.


Anyways, as I start packing I thought back to a conversation I had yesterday where I realized that the title of my blog “A Perfect Ride” may be a little presumptuous and misleading. My life isn’t necessarily perfect. Not by any means. There are days when I want to scream and pull my hair out, and there are times when I wish I could just sleep the day away to not deal with things. I have worries and sadness, arguments and bad days- we all do. Even millionaire celebrities hate their lives sometimes (and it’s way worse for them because their bad days end up in front of us in line at the grocery store). But I’ve learned through my life that I have to find and focus on the positives, because we all have SO much to be thankful for. I am thankful for my loving family around the world. I am blessed to have a truly great boyfriend (who seems to love me even when I accidentally turn all of his white shirts pink. Oops.) and his wonderful family that has started to feel like part of my own. I am beyond grateful for the friends in my life; those that saw me in my roller figure skating days and are still friends with me (I really love them) and those that I’ve met along the way. Some days I really just feel lucky to be living “The American Dream,” with a good job, sunny blue skies and my two lovable (one fat and one fluffy) cats.

Could it get better? Absolutely. Would I change a thing? Absolutely not.

I equate my “perfect ride” to a roller coaster (and I LOVE roller coasters). Who would want to ride a roller coaster that was always on its way up? There would be no thrill, no excitement, no momentary panic when you’re convinced that your head is going to smash into the ground. It’s the ups and downs during the ride that make it so exhilarating and so much fun. I’m living my own personal roller coaster. I have days when I feel on top of the world and days when I’m pretty sure I should be wearing a helmet. Things speed up and I find myself trying to catch my breath, and other times things slow down and I spend a quiet night on the couch with my best friend. I laugh on the ups, I want to scream on the downs, and sometimes life just sucks all the breath (and sometimes the spit- ew, gross) out of me.

But to me, that is perfect. I’m not perfect, life isn’t perfect, but the ride is.

I hope that everyone is able to realize that no matter who you are, where you are, what you’re doing or who you’re doing it with, your ride is perfect too. Without making it through the drops, enjoying the rises and sometimes losing your sunglasses, life just wouldn’t make sense. So find happiness in something every day. We are all surrounded by it, but sometimes we just need to look for it in new places. Eat a cookie (or 12), read a good book (I totally recommend Chelsea Handler if you need a good laugh), watch your favorite movie (Elf is great any time of year), call your parents- there is happiness ALL AROUND YOU!

Even tomorrow when I’m standing at the airport at 5 a.m. and the man tells me my bag is overweight, I’m still going to smile and try to be happy because a) my bag is full of very cute and important things- of course they weigh a lot! (oh, and I have an extra emergency carry-on to shove things in) b) I’m on my way to see some of my best friends in the world for what is sure to be an epic and unforgettable weekend, and c) frowns are ugly and in the infamous words of Jimmy Buffett, “wrinkles only go where the smiles have been.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Spring is in the Air...in the Form of Snowflakes

I am, apparently, a terrible blogger. Every day I wake up thinking about what I want to write about and then before I know it the entire day is gone and all I have are three lines. I have a head full of ideas and some witty lines in the works, but there just never seem to be enough hours in the day to post them.


In the meantime, I’d just like to say that I am SO excited about spring. Although, I can’t even express my disappointment when I woke up on the first day of spring to 40 degree weather and on the second day to I woke up to snow. Snow. Seriously? Unless I can practice my new-found love of snowboarding or throw a snowball at Justin's head, I’d rather not have it. Especially when it ruins fun barbeque and outside concert plans. Thank goodness that the next day was full of sunny blue skies and not a single drop of rain…or snow. I’m ready to pack up all of my coats, my ridiculous amount of sweaters, my cute collection of scarves and, yes, even my boots, which I am slightly in love with. I’m ready for sundresses and white pants, gold flip flops and brightly-colored tops. I’m ready for green trees, waterskiing on the lake and Saturdays wasted away at the pool. Winter, I loved you, but it’s time for you to go.

I actually love the change of seasons because it’s like opening a whole new closet of clothes you forgot you had. There are few things better in life (after cake, of course) than finding a fabulous dress or pair of peep-toe heels that you forgot you had because it has been so long since you wore them. Living in Florida, I could pretty much wear my wardrobe year round. Even the nights when it was a “cold” 50 degrees we’d still put on our cute party dresses (no tights necessary) and run as quickly as possible from the car until we were inside. Living in Louisiana has given me a chance to have a “winter” wardrobe, and this season I really had fun with it, but I literally can’t wait to break out my Rainbows and my favorite denim mini.

So, welcome Spring! I can’t wait to see what fun we’re going to have together (and all the fabulous blogs I'm going to write about you). Let’s hope the snow stays away and the blue skies make a daily appearance. Here’s to longer, sunnier days and warmer, brighter outfits. And Steve Madden boots, even though I love you, it’s time to go away until at least October.

Here's to you, Mr. Jameson

I’m feeling nostalgic today as I think back to where we were this time last year. During a random conversation on a drive home from Arlington, TX, Justin brought up the fact that among his many interesting and diverse life goals, one was to be in Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day. Our genius minds quickly pulled together an ingenious plan. We would go on a trip to England to see my family and make a quick stop in Ireland while we there. Within two weeks our tickets were booked and our two-day trip to Dublin was in the works, with my brother and two other friends along for the ride. We arrived in Dublin on March 16th, and could already see the celebration that was about to ensue.

Justin has, how should I say, a strong affection for Jameson Irish Whiskey. And when I say strong affection I really mean that he once told me he wished he could marry it. Needless to say, the first stop on our whirlwind trip was to the Jameson Distillery, and you can imagine how excited Justin was. After a trip to the gift shop, a drink in the bar and learning that he could have his very own bottle of Jameson engraved with his name, I think he was in heaven. Another feat crossed off his bucket list. After leaving the distillery, and after a quick run-in with a very affectionate leprechaun, we made our way to the Guinness Factory, another one of Justin’s favorite creations.

I can’t say that we saw the inside of the factory, because we didn’t. I can’t even say we had a drink in the bar because it didn’t happen. Due to our lack of a foreign cell phone and our terrible planning skills, we became well-accustomed with the sidewalk and the front door as we waited outside the factory for two hours for our friends Tim and Jon-Erik. Craving a pint and some good Irish food, we gave up and headed to a local pub, only to find out that they had also been waiting for us the whole time. Inside the factory. At the bar. Maybe next time, Guinness Factory. We finished our first night with a trip to the Hard Rock and the purchase of a sparkly, rhinestone-studded green cowboy hat, ready for St. Patrick’s Day.

We heard rumors and had numerous people warn us that “they don’t really celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland.” Let me just tell you that whoever thinks that is beyond confused. With more than a million people in the green sea that was the streets of Dublin, I’d say that they celebrate it better than anywhere else in the world. We purchased our leprechaun top hats and our Ireland scarves and headed to the parade, which was, in itself, a unique and unforgettable experience. We spent the day journeying through the Temple Bar district with countless pints of green beer, an endless desire for Irish stew and kisses for everyone, Irish or not.

This was a trip that so many will never have the opportunity to make and something that I would have never done by myself. I will always be thankful to Justin for making it happen. I feel extremely fortunate to have found someone who also has a strong sense of adventure and a serious case of the travel bug. Although, it’s also slightly frightening because we’re both full of ideas and up for anything, and before you know it we’ll be stuck in our car at the top of a mountain in the middle of a blizzard because we thought it was a good idea at the time. Justin does come prepared though. You’ll never find him without his camping toilet paper and fire-starter sticks (which come in handy more than you would think).

So, today I am going to live vicariously through my pictures from last year, put on my Ireland scarf and hope that Louisiana knows a thing or two about green beer. And while we can’t be there in person, I’ll make sure to have Jameson and Guinness in stock when Justin gets home so my lover of Irish drinks will be well-equipped to make his infamous Car Bombs and feel like he’s right back in Temple Bar.

I believe in luck, and the engraved ring that I wear on my right hand is a constant reminder of that. I bought it when I first decided to move to Louisiana, and while it’s now a little bent out of shape and scratched all over, it has brought me nothing but the best. I’ve been blessed with all the luck and all the love in the world...what better day to celebrate it than today!

That Takes the Cake!

I’ve been hard at work on a fantastic travel post for the past three days, but a terrible realization I had on a recent trip to the refrigerator stopped me in my tracks. Everyone knows I love food. I love eating, and I typically eat more than most people would deem acceptable. Adam Richman from Man vs. Food would probably become my best friend if I ever get to meet him, which I plan to, because among my dreams is a strong desire to start my own show, Woman vs. Food.

On my birthday, which was exactly nine days ago, Justin brought home an incredible double-layered chocolatey, dreamy concoction from a local bakery. We sang happy birthday and I devoured my first slice, proclaiming it was the best cake I’d ever had (which I’m pretty sure I say after every piece of cake I eat). Justin, unlike myself, does not really eat cake, so I figured I would just eat a little then reluctantly throw the rest away so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat the whole thing. Especially considering the fact that I still have Valentine’s Day red velvet cake in the freezer waiting for me. About five days later, Justin opened the refrigerator and said “Oh my God, you’ve eaten half a cake.” Ummmm I have? I guess a little slice here and there can really add up quickly. I took that as a bad sign and decided that day to throw away my cake.

But who can throw away a perfectly delicious cake? If that is what will power is made of, then I have none, clearly. Because when I opened the refrigerator today and looked at the cake box, this is what I saw:



I’ve done it. I’ve had my cake and eaten it too. After today’s breakfast and minus two small pieces eaten by friends, I will have eaten an entire cake in nine days, foregoing the nicely cut slices I was making last week for a fork straight into the box. I think Adam would be proud, and I think a cake challenge will be the first episode of my new Travel Channel show.

Kevin's a Girl?

If any of you have seen the movie “Up,” (cough, cough Bekah), you’ll understand the title of this blog. We rented “Up” after hearing rave reviews from multiple friends and family members, and we loved it…which I think is perfectly clear from the fact that we still haven’t sent it back to NetFlix and we received it on January 3rd. Whoever determined the “no late fee” rule deserves a medal. Anyways, I actually want to devote an entire post to this movie, which is centered around love and adventure, two of my favorite things, but I’ll save that for another day. During their travels, the characters in the story run into a giant, colorful, fun-loving creature who is promptly named Kevin, without much thought being given to species or gender. Some might say, including myself, that Kevin resembles a peacock.

Which brings me to the point of this post. Last night I had the opportunity to try my hand at painting, which is something that in all my years of living I have never tried. And I was the girl who tried everything. Among other activities, I had attempted to be a synchronized swimmer, a gymnast and a roller figure skater all by the age of 12. I’m thankful now that playing the piano is the one thing I stuck with because I don’t think there’s much out there for a professional roller figure skater in the real world. When my friend Kendall invited me to “Painting With a Twist,” the first thing that crossed my mind was “there’s no way I can paint and not be completely embarrassed with the end product.” Then she mentioned that they served wine during this two hour class, so I swiftly accepted the invitation.

“Painting With a Twist” is a ingenious concept for a fun, creative and unique night out with your girlfriends. For two hours you are given step-by-step instructions to create your very own masterpiece, and each night is a different theme. Not only do you get to let your creative juices flow (which is especially exciting when you didn’t even know you had them in you in the first place), but they also serve wine and have a fantastic playlist including “Living on a Prayer” and “Love Shack.” What wasn’t to love? Last night the theme was a peacock, and when I saw what we were supposed to be “creating,” I had a momentary panic attack. Having never really picked up a paintbrush other than those paint-by-numbers kits when I was a kid, I was a more than a little nervous and convinced that mine would be the worst in the class. When they sat us at our blank canvas and said “Okay, now draw the head and body” with no further instruction, my heart started to sink. But, low and behold, two hours and three bottles of wine (between us, not by myself) later, we had all painted, with our own two hands, a flock of magnificent and beautiful birds, each different in its own special way. Success! We finished our paintings with a rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing” and remembering that anything is possible- even becoming a fabulous artist. We’re already planning our next trip back.

When I first told Justin that I was going to a painting class and asked him where we could hang my creation when it was finished, he looked at me as if to say “You really think you’re going to want to put something you paint on display?” You should have seen the surprise and pride in his eyes when I came home and showed him my glorious work of art. Well, maybe it was more a look of sheer relief that I didn’t come home with something a 4-year-old had made, but either way, I know he was impressed. This weekend we are helping our friends Lea and Donny paint their new house, and I’m hoping they want a flock of peacocks in their living room so I can practice my new talent.

I’m a big believer in dreams, as most of you know, and maybe now that I’m capable of being an artist I can finally fulfill my dream of starting my own Hallmark card line. A lofty goal, but anything is possible. And stay tuned for more creative ventures, because I’m pretty sure that in the midst of our wine, singing and peacock painting I convinced Kendall to take a cake decorating class with me. I’ll be the next Ace of Cakes before you know it.

So, here’s my peacock in all his glory, with his crazy eye and messy feathers, which I have fittingly named Kevin after a movie that should inspire everyone to believe in love and where it can take you, and remember that “adventure is out there!”

26 and Fabulous!

The idea for this blog came from a brilliant conversation with my incredibly clever and witty friend Taylor over Google chat. That’s not to say that all of our conversations aren’t brilliant and witty, but this one ended up in both of us starting a blog so it gets special mention. (Side note: I think it’s safe to say that Google chat has preserved my mental stability. Working at home has a million perks, but sitting by yourself all day is not one of them. Thank you, Taylor, for your fabulous chatting skills, without which I would not make it through a work day).

Anyways, we soon came to the realization that if we enjoyed reading other blogs so much, why wouldn’t everyone want to read ours? They would obviously be clever, well-written and full of good ideas. I already have a slightly unhealthy addiction to reading Taylor’s blog, which is an adorable collection of “All Things Fabulous”- I highly recommend it to anyone who also loves fabulous things. I decided that my blog would be an entertaining and memorable collection of stories and pictures of the events in my life. I thought I’d begin with my 26th birthday weekend, before it becomes just a fleeting memory and I start to accept the undeniable fact that I’m now at the end of my “mid-20’s.”

Growing up my parents would ask me where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner, and my favorite response was always “Shoney’s!” Everyone thought it was a strange choice for a 10-year-old, but if I had a Shoney’s right here in Shreveport, I would have been there as an excited 26-year-old for a delicious all-you-can-eat feast. When Justin asked what I wanted to eat this year, I thought long and hard and decided to go with a Louisiana tradition: crawfish. A year and half ago I couldn’t have told you what a crawfish looked like, but we have quickly become “mudbug” connoisseurs. You just won’t find me sucking the guts out of their heads like most people here like to do…

My birthday continued with an exciting night at one of our favorite casinos, The El Dorado. When we first moved to Louisiana and didn’t know anyone else here, Justin and I spent many weekends at the casinos, learning to play roulette and craps and never quite learning when it was a good time to leave. There are five casinos in Shreveport along the Red River, each containing gorgeous hotel rooms and unbelievable buffets, and the actual casinos are boats attached to the building since gambling can’t take place on land. Imagine my surprise when I realized about four months later that every time I walked into the casino I was actually walking onto a boat. I’ll blame my lack of observation skills on the free and unlimited bourbon and gingers they give me while I’m there.

In the midst of my chocolate cake and Riesling high, I suggested a trip to Little Rock, AR the next day to continue the celebration. Justin and I made a spontaneous trip to Little Rock last January and had a blast. We have been to Arkansas now five times in the past 18 months and have loved every trip. We saw spectacular, breath-taking views as we hiked to the highest point in Arkansas at Mt. Magazine, celebrated the 4th of July at a water and amusement park in Hot Springs and spent a long, hot day digging for diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park (which, may I add, was much harder than I was lead to believe it would be). On our first trip to Little Rock we sang the night away at a fantastic piano bar called Ernie Biggs, and I couldn’t wait to go back. For any of you who have known me for even five minutes, you know that a night singing along to songs I know all the words to and listening to dueling pianos is my idea of a perfect time. Ernie Biggs didn’t disappoint- I quickly forgot about turning 26 and instantly felt like an 18-year-old at Alligator Rocks my freshman year of college. Perfect.

To finish my birthday weekend, I ate until I literally could not eat any more at one of my favorite places: Cracker Barrel. Many of you probably know that while I love Cracker Barrel, Justin hates it, and if you’ve heard the story of our first drive to Louisiana together and the Cracker Barrel fiasco, you’ll know that him going with me on Sunday was a BIG deal. But I couldn’t have asked for a better end to an already wonderful weekend.

I have to make a quick note of all the amazing presents I received from my friends and family all over the world. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Gorgeous jewelry engraved with quotes (so perfectly me), a new collection of books with topics such as cakes and ghosts (yes, I have very strange and differing interests) and an economy-sized box of Mike and Ikes…I loved opening every single one. And I wanted to make a special note of two of Justin’s gifts that really hold a special place in my heart. I opened two jewelry boxes to find a stunning Fleur de Lis necklace and bracelet. As the state symbol of Louisiana, the Fleur de Lis is everywhere and a constant reminder of the fascinating French culture that we’re living in. After he gave them to me he said “When we leave here, wherever we go next, I just want you to have a reminder of where we started.”
Shreveport, Louisiana…who would have ever thought. But my gorgeous Fleur de Lis reminds me that it has been the perfect beginning on this awesome adventure.

Here’s to being 26 and fabulous. I can’t wait to see where it takes me. And now that I’ve written a short novel, I have some Google chatting to do.

Some Kind of Ride

There’s a lot to be said about watching the sun rise over a new and unfamiliar town. While driving through New Mexico on a road trip the last day of 2009, saying a silent “thank you” for coffee and watching the thermometer drop to single digits, I thought about how lucky I am and about how much one year can change your life.

This past year has taken me to new horizons in every possible way. From my incredibly exciting, constantly growing relationship, my new and consistently challenging career and my unbelievable travel itinerary, 2009 truly changed my life. For the first time I was able to see that there is a fantastic world outside of Florida and there are places to visit other than Disney World. My eyes have been opened to unique cultures, new friends, true love and a winter wardrobe full of incredibly cute scarves and boots. I have seen presidents carved into a mountain and tasted my first crawfish. I drank a Guiness in Ireland on Saint Patrick’s Day and caught my first Mardi Gras beads. I bruised every part of my body in attempt to ride a board down a mountain and realized that sometimes there is nothing better than being at home with a bottle of wine, a good movie and the love of my life. I have learned that I have so much more to see, so much more to do, and that life is so much bigger than I ever thought it could be.

So, this is the story of my “perfect ride.” This is my journey, my account of where I’ve been and where I’m going. This is for all the people who are too far away to know just where life has taken me and how it changes me with every trip, every new experience and everyone I meet along the way. Life is a gift; I plan to treat it that way.

Before I go to start the dreaded task of packing for yet another adventure, I leave you with one of my favorite StoryPeople from the remarkable, ingenious and ever-inspiring Brian Andreas…

“Feels like some kind of ride, but it’s turning out just to be life going absolutely perfectly.”