Polka Dots & Protein Bars

Just a Splash

2012-02-16T09:01:00.001-05:00

I've recently developed a "get ready" routine that I'm pretty in love with. Dose of vitamins and zinc, shower, deodorant, a few spritzes of Philosophy's Inner Grace, Rodan & Fields Unblemish 3-step routine, make up, blow dry, out the door. Clothes and bed-making are somewhere in there too. But beauty-wise, this is the pattern of activities

A small non sequitur here, I have a pattern that I repeat verbatim every morning when I get to my desk. I open 7 internet tabs and pull up in this order: People, EOnline, Cupcakes & Cashmere, Southern Weddings, Facebook, Wells Fargo, and Kassel & Kate. I never, ever read them in that order, but it's how I open them. Only when I'm finished with Cupcakes & Cashmere do I also open tabs, always in the same order, for Us Weekly, The Glamourai, Eat Live Run,Making It Lovely, Day Old News, Style Me Pretty and Can You Stay For Dinner. It may take me hours to read them all, but it's the same routine. Every. Single. Day. OCD, much?

Another fun (or actually not that fun at all) fact about me: I love to throw away empty bottles. I wish I could figure out where this stems from, but I find a personal victory in completely finishing a product and throwing it away. I got extremely excited recently when I realized that my Inner Grace was nearly depleted (probably both my perfume and actual inner grace seeing as my love for people has been nearly tapped out this week). I started adding an extra squirt to my morning application to quickly get to the bottom. Once I had gotten to the point where I wasn't able to spray any out, I simply removed the applicator, poured a small amount in my hand and splashed it on myself. Obviously my enthusiasm to empty the bottle outweighed proper discernment as I've spent the past two days in a bath of Inner Grace (a terrible thing, really?). But this morning, victory was mine as the empty bottle landed in a clank and thud of joy in the bottom of my trash can. It really is the little things, is it not?

To 'Do or Not To 'Do

2012-02-15T10:28:00.000-05:00

This past Friday I ventured to my local salon for a trial run of my wedding hair. Naturally, even the fact that I called it a "trial run" was misleading, since I really didn't have a specific direction of what I was looking for. My biggest wedding day concern is that I feel like myself, but I want to feel gorgeous, as well.

I always thought I'd wear my hair down and loose on my wedding day, but after trying on my dress with it both down and up, I realized that I liked it much more with my neck bare. Although I wear my hair piled in a messy bun on top of my head fairly frequently, I've never had an actual up do done. In fact, I never once got my hair professionally done for any of the four proms I attended or any sorority formals in college.

Before going to my trial I decided that I wanted to see both up dos and half-up-half-down styles. Unfortunately I intentionally didn't bring any pictures (I wanted to see what my sweet stylist would do without just replicating a photo) and didn't communicate very well. Ultimately we didn't land on a style that perfect, and I also left without much clarification about the type of coif I want on April 14. I definitely feel more myself with my hair half-up, but up dos can feel special. Here's my ultimate pro's/con's list as well as a few picture inspirations (Thanks for the all the help with your prettiness, Dianna Agron). How did you wear your hair for your wedding? How do you wish you'd worn it? How do you want to wear it on your wedding day?

Up Do Pros:

Feels formal and elegant

Feels special and unique

Stays out of your face

My post-veil reception headband will frame an up do nicely

Up Do Cons:

Can feel very prom-y

Can feel very stiff and overly sprayed

Doesn't feel natural for me

Half Up Pros:

Tends to look relaxed and natural

Feels feminine and romantic

Feels like me

Half Up Cons:

Could look very stringy by the end of the night

My tendency for heavy sweating could cause it stick to my neck and be very uncomfortable

Could feel too every day

A Better Butter

2012-02-14T09:47:00.000-05:00

Long ago when I first launched PD&PB, I was consuming protein bars on the reg. I'm a creature of habit, and that applies largely to my eating patterns. When I find something I love, I stick to it. I ate a protein bar almost every single morning and loved every bite. This summer when our office competed in a weight loss challenge, I altered my eating to include more whole, clean foods and fewer processed ones. Protein bars were on the non-clean list, and I gave them up (mostly) cold turkey. Since then I've fallen head over heels in love with a toasted whole wheat naan every morning (do you eat naan? If not, you are SERIOUSLY missing out. Get thee to Trader Joe's ASAP to grab a pack or four) and top it with a delicious combo of Target's Archer Farm natural peanut butter with flax seeds (I also love Trader Joe's almond butter with flax seed, but there's just something about good ole peanut butter that's hard to beat) and Trader Joe's fig butter (a recent discovery). I apply the butter duel when the naan is still piping warm from the toaster and let them semi-melt into a glorious gooey-ness. Never will I ever go back to a singular bar for breakfast. Now I just need to figure out an alliterative, catchy pairing for "Whole Wheat Naan with Natural Peanut Butter and Fig Butter" to retitle this now misnomered blog.

Gray Area

2012-02-13T10:30:00.002-05:00

I decided in the past couple of days that I'm going to do my own makeup on my wedding day. I'm by no means a pro at cosmetic application, but being a self-confessed control freak means that I'd rather look like a slightly jazzed up version of my everyday self than like someone that neither the fella or myself has ever seen (and will never see again). That said, I'll spend the next few weeks working with some upgrades of my norm, which usually includes some Bare Minerals base and blush, a few swipes of neutral or metallic Cover Girl shadow, perhaps some brown eyeliner (black on date nights... bowchickwowwow), a sweep of Maybelline mascara and some conglomeration of gloss.

Yesterday will traipsing through Target I realized I had a coupon (dang, I love coupon'ing) for a percentage off a Maybelline eyeliner. Knowing that I was running low on my brown staple, I swung by the aisle to snatch up a fresh one. Instead I grabbed a pewter pencil. When I got home I was pretty skeptical that I could pull it off without looking completely '80s. Instead I was shockingly surprised at how much it enriched my eye color (predominantly green with some blue and a ring of gold) and made my whole look pop with softness. Anyone looking for a subtle change should definitely scoop up a gray 'liner. What are some of your favorite makeup pieces?

Circus Act

2012-02-09T15:28:00.002-05:00

The circus was in town recently, and while I didn't attend, I realized that much of the last few months has left me feeling like a lion tamer, tight rope walker, juggler, clown, ringmaster, and heck, even a side show act all at the same time.

Thankfully this week I was able to find a happier balance and figure out my life. Well, at least somewhat. With the fella's new job (which he LOVES! Praise the Lord for His timing and plan!) taking him away for the evenings, I've had plenty of free time to catch up with the wonderful friends that God has placed in my life. And while I know I could do that any week, with our very limited free time I usually end up prioritizing my time with D ahead of other relationships. This week, though, I spent a refreshing many hours (and several glasses of wine) hearing about the lives of some of the greatest ladies in my life.

I am so thankful for the gentle ways that God uses the people in my life to restore my soul as a microcosm of the way that He does. In this season of crazy, one of the greatest blessings I have is the opportunity to take a quick breath in the company of my favorite people. Wine is another one.

The List

2012-02-07T09:09:00.002-05:00

With our wedding swiftly approaching (a mere 67 days according to our Knot site), we're quickly finalizing our guest list. I've started addressing envelopes, and naturally everyone who received a Save the Date will be also receiving an invitation; however, we compiled a secondary list of possible invitees who didn't receive a little STD from us (teehee) but were still in the running for an invitation. The list included old friends from high school, close acquaintances from church and various and sundry other miscellaneous relationships. My first instinct is to invite everyone - I want our wedding to feel warm, inviting and welcoming, but budgets tell me otherwise.

Last week, Little and I had a meeting with our florist and chased that with a trip to our favorite tapas restaurant for wine and a quick bite. Immediately upon entering I spotted an old friend who was solidly on our maybe list, with perhaps a bend toward the "Yes" column. My immediate reaction was to hide from her. I didn't want to do stilted small talk, and for some reason the thought of an interaction with her made me cringe. So. I hid. And hid. Until she'd left the establishment. I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Little. "I guess the basic guideline is not invite someone I'd prefer to hide from in public." So, we have that to go on now.

A Little of This, A Little of That

2012-01-29T08:14:00.002-05:00

Life is sprinting along right now in the most hectic but delightful way. Our church hosted a twelve night revival in mid-January, with twelve of the world's best preachers coming to church to speak life and truth over our church. We had people come all the way from Canada, California, England and more just to attend. It was a whirlwind, and by the end of the twelve nights (that ended up feeling like one super long day... I don't think I saw the sun for days) I was drained and exhausted but so humbled and honored to have led our production teams through such an incredibly epic (and I hesitate to ever call anything epic, but in this case, very little else applies) event.

Since then, I'm finally starting to feel like a human again. We're nailing down more wedding plans - we've picked the linens (a mix of burlap and slate gray pintuck!), started collecting ladders for our reception space (one of the details I'm most excited about), attending our Dave Ramsey classes each week, AND I finally received the call that my dress is in! I'm so in love with my gown and can't wait to try on the one that I'll be wearing down the aisle. Next Friday I'm so excited to head to J. Major's to slip it on with my mom and mother-in-law-to-be accompanying me. I can't wait to spend this special day with two such extraordinary women! We won't start fittings on Friday, but we will make sure that there's nothing wrong it and take a look at what tweaks we will need to make before April.

On Friday night, the fella and I took a dance class at the Y with dance extraordinaire The Lobster and her He-Lobster. We had such a blast learning the East Coast swing and Rumba. Our first dance will be to Ray LaMontagne's "You Are the Best Thing," and being two of the whitest people around we're more than happy to learn a move or two, so we don't stand swaying prom-style at the reception.

This weekend I've been busy work, but the highlight has been the fella landing a new gig as a chef at a fabulous privately owned, high-end restaurant in town! He starts Thursday, and the opportunity is really incredible. We are so excited for this next step in our lives and his career. Goodness, I love this man!

My New Obsession

2012-01-21T12:40:00.002-05:00

Right now salads are my best friend. Not because I'm on a greens-only wedding diet (less than 3 months now, y'all), but because I can't get enough of the symphony of textures and flavors. I've rediscovered Dean & Deluca this week and spent a solo lunch there this morning relishing my new favorite - field greens, chicken, chickpeas, goat cheese, pine nuts, roasted red peppers, dried cranberries and avocado - and people watching while the rain drizzled outside. I caught myself jealously watching a lady in her 80s chug a glass of wine before excusing myself to head into work. Odd to me how much I enjoyed a few minutes of decompression eating alone and savoring a salad. A pointless post, really, but I want to remember how utterly relaxed I felt in that moment and remind myself that sometimes a few deep breaths and leafy greens are all it takes.

Satisfaction

2012-01-04T08:39:00.002-05:00

After posting my to-do list on Monday I got a spurt of motivation and knocked out our wedding site from The Knot. Check it out! There's still information to be added, but I'm thrilled to be able to highlight it off the list in my notebook.

Checking It Twice

2012-01-02T09:24:00.002-05:00

Wedding plans have been coming along swimmingly. I took a break for a few weeks to work my way through 30 extraordinary Christmas worship experiences at work (we had Christmas attendance of more than 21,000 people and saw 2,182 people give their lives to Jesus) followed by a glorious week off in which the fella and I moved him into my condo, and I moved home until the wedding. We don't want to live together before gettin' hitched, and his lease ended, so it made sense to let him get settled into our home and save some money while I live with mom and popsicle. I have a long list of bridal to-dos awaiting me in 2012 that look a little something like this...

- Groomsmen socks (pink and gray argyle are not so easy to find)

- Rehearsal dinner (we're nearing a final decision on this)

- Invitations (we're nearing a final decision on these too, and I love that they're being custom made by a talented friend)

- Parental gifts (again, we know what we're doing, we just need to pull the trigger)

- Linens

- Alcohol (our reception will feature an open wine and beer bar, but we're opting not to serve liquor)

- Reception art being done by a sweet friend

- Collecting ladders

- Purchasing the fella's wedding band (we're nearing a final decision on this)

- Considering day-of coordination (so far I can't stomach spending money on this, although I have no doubt that the peace of mind it will provide is priceless)

- Finalize the registry

- Finalize gift baskets for out of town guests

- Finalize music selections for the ceremony

- Decide on programs

- Finish tweaks on my mom's veil

- Find someone to do my day-of hair and makeup

- Find shoes

- Decide whether or not we want a videographer

- Create our site on The Knot

- Decide on a layout for the reception (our venue is a 10,000 square foot refurbished warehouse, so it's a HUGE blank canvas)

- Guestbook

Twenty Twelve

2012-01-01T10:19:00.002-05:00

My only resolution this year is to become a missus. I'm thinking my odds are looking pretty good.

What They'll Wear

2011-12-22T17:37:00.004-05:00

My biggest fear when it came to choosing bridesmaids dresses was that my lovely ladies would loathe my choice. Honestly, I'm still worried about it. My five maids represent a wide range of style choices, so finding one frock to embrace all of those different opinions made me feel pretty nauseous. The only things I knew for sure was that I wanted them to be gray, I wanted them to be short, and I didn't want them to be dupioni silk. I also knew I wanted each girl to have a chance to express themselves a bit and not be too matchy matchy. I took my little sister with me try some on, and we both ended up with the same favorite - something that isn't a naturally common occurrence, so I knew we'd chosen a winner. I instructed my 'maids to also pick out a pair of bronze-ish peeptoe pumps to complement the look, and I'll decorate them with cluster earrings and a different cocktail ring each. So, how did we do?

STDs

2011-12-17T00:26:00.003-05:00

This week we finished mailing our Save the Dates (yep, we gave all of our loved ones an STD). I was so excited about how they turned out. My sweet photography intern gifted us with an engagement session, and another talented friend gifted us with the design. I couldn't wait to hear the feedback since the fella and I love them so much, and it's been nothing but wonderful. I still have to pinch myself that in less than four months I'll have the honor of being Mrs. The Fella.

My Sunshine

2011-12-15T14:55:00.001-05:00

I adore these people.

The Inedibles

2011-12-11T09:41:00.003-05:00

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for finger foods. I would rather eat my weight in cheese and crackers, Goldfish, and appetizers than a full meal. So I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that my eager spirit to dip my hand into a bowl of munchies would, at some point, become a liability. In fact, not just once, but thrice...

1. While at the fella's parents' house, he grabbed a bowl and made a trip into the pantry. As he exited the closet of tasty delights, he shook the bowl and held it out to me. Excited to have snacks offered to me I immediately reached in, grabbed a morsel and popped it in my mouth, and cringed. "BABE!" the fella exclaimed, "That's dog food! I just wanted you to put it on the floor." Thoroughly embarrassed, I quickly spit the kibble back in the bowl, silently counting my blessings that I wouldn't have to pretend that my future mother-in-law had invented a savory and delicious new treat.

2. I stopped by my parents' house the other day to drop a few things off for Little. She wasn't home when I swung by, so I opted to scrounge through the house to create a delicious (free) lunch. After prepping my whole wheat naan, hummus and feta, I decided I needed a sweet bite to finish it off. Sitting on the counter was a cookie jar filled with small chocolate rounds topped with peanut butter. Excitedly, I threw two in my mouth and crunched down. Foiled again! Chocolate-peanut butter goodies quickly turned into puppy training biscuits upon a taste bud examination. Trust me, even the sweetest dog biscuit does not equal a dessert.

3. To improve the atmosphere of the production studio of the church campus I oversee, I asked my intern to pick up some niceties, including reed diffusers, lamps, etc. When I entered the studio the following weekend I was ecstatic to find two small bowls full of my favorite Gummy Bear flavor - that pineapple-ish, semi-clear one? How sweet of my intern to know those were my favorite. With an odd amount of flourish I tossed two in my mouth and nearly cracked four teeth as a I bit down on the scented rocks, posing as... well, scented rocks. Upon closer inspection it was clearly that these were dummy gummies.

One would suppose that after my first, um, slip up, I would be more observant about what I was eating before I actually tried to ingest it, but, that would be a poor supposition.

Not a Creature Was Stirring... EXCEPT For a Mouse

2011-12-05T22:36:00.003-05:00

I was so excited to decorate my condo for Christmas with the fella this year. Last year I didn't decorate at all, and with the hustle and bustle that working for a church brings around Christmas, I woke up on Christmas Day wanting to start the season over and relish it. I knew this year would be different, and I would spend every moment soaking up the holiday. It was also fun (although, a little touchy, if I'm honest, from time to time) to combine our traditions, ornaments and miscellaneous Christmas decor. There were definitely a few moments of tension deciding whose to use and whose to toss, but thankfully we compromised over a lovely glass of wine and pushed through and got to work.

As we pulled out a skinny faux tree of the fella's to adorn the foyer, I saw something small and furry drop onto my living room floor. "That's a mouse!" I shrieked... more out of amusement than terror. A mad scramble ensued with the fella trying to trap the mouse, me trying to restrain Sadie and find a bowl or cup to house the little critter... all while I laughed hysterically. When we finally restrained and contained our new friend we rushed it outside to find a new home in my flower beds. The fella quickly followed with the tree and discovered a nest of the rodent variety consuming an entire side of the tree that had previously been stored in his shed. As he batted the nest into the bushes we heard an ominous squeak and discovered yet another mouse being housed inside. We noticed quickly that both of the mice appeared to be babies.I wondered aloud where the momma might be. "Well," the fella mused, "probably my car since the tree has been in there.." I nodded that he might be right. Slowly, however, my nodding and laughter turned to head shaking and a groan as I realized that in actuality, the tree had been housed in my car. Nothing says "Our First Christmas" like mouse droppings and phantom squeaks ringing through my vehicle. Cheers, y'all!

A Family Feast

2011-12-01T12:26:00.005-05:00

While belated, this photo recap of my Thanksgiving says it all... family (mine + the fella's = a full house at my parents'), laughter, So. Much. Food.

Marry-Ment

2011-11-29T13:52:00.004-05:00

The Friday before Thanksgiving my parents threw the fella and me a glorious engagement soiree. We toasted and celebrated with some of our closest friends with a "Confections and Cocktails" party. We had tasty desserts, flowing wine and bubbling prosecco. I swathed myself in gold sequins and soaked in each moment of the wedding season kick-off.

It's a Date

2011-11-27T10:47:00.004-05:00

Sunday night is a dedicated date night for the fella and me, as I believe I've mentioned before. This morning I found the greatest tool to enhance these romantic and rejuvenating evenings. Restaurants.com has piqued my interest before with their $25 gift cards for $10. As I was perusing the selection, I decided to check and see if they were listed on Ebates. Sure enough, they promised 30% cash back and a valuable coupon code for an additional 80% off the gift card price. Want to know how I racked up?

$25 to our favorite Thai restaurant

$25 to an excellent, upscale Indian restaurant

$25 to a swanky Uptown eatery

$50 to a mediterranean wine loft

Grand Total... $9.00. Yep, $125 worth of date night bucks for single digit dollars. Best ever. Can't wait to hit the town with my love!

Aggressive Recognition

2011-11-22T08:35:00.003-05:00

I get incredibly excited when I see someone that I know out in public. Even if it's not someone I particularly care for, my instinct is to excitedly wave, shout out their name and engage in some small talk. Perhaps it's an off-shoot of my need for people's approval. How popular must I be to engage in multiple conversations whilst out and about during my daily errands?

Unfortunately, the downside of assuming you will know everyone and that they'll be thrilled to see you is the occasional miscue. A couple of weeks ago in Harris Teeter, I approached a woman and bear hugged from behind thinking it was an old friend. Notsomuch. She assured me it was okay and continued with her meat order.

This weekend, I had the lovely pleasure of my old friend and bridesmaid, Georgia Peach, staying with my to celebrate our engagement party. On Sunday morning I met Georgia at a local cafe for Sunday brunch after church and saw her waiting for me in line. I approached slowly, wrapped my arms around her neck, and nuzzled her a bit. When I felt her stiffen, I backed away and realized that the object of my affection wasn't, in fact, my sweet Peach but rather a stranger who looked more than peeved and ready to mace me.

Clearly, there is a time and place for guerilla affection, but that is not, I have discovered, in public places approaching people from behind.

A Wonderful Weekend It Has Been

2011-11-20T08:57:00.001-05:00

ChocoWine

2011-11-11T22:53:00.002-05:00

This morning at 9:30 my personal training made me try a couple of swigs of chocolate wine in between push ups and abs. It was every bit as incredible as you're imagining. Best endorphins I've ever gotten from a workout. Ever.

Unplugged.

2011-11-09T00:08:00.003-05:00

Admittedly, the title of "wife" carries an incredible weight with me. I've always been a great girlfriend, and, as it turns out, I've got the fiancee thing down pretty well. The obligation I feel as the fella's wife is considerable, and something that I welcome with open arms, with the knowledge that I'll feel an overwhelming responsibility to be a wonderful partner for the man whose life I'm pledging my own to. Part of the way, I've realized, that I can prepare for this major life transition - and that I can be best able to serve him selflessly - is to learn to take care of myself and manage my own life well.

I constantly feel the need to do-do-do and go-go-go... from juggling an insanely hectic and harried work schedule, to maintaining my own side business, continually pouring into my family, actively staying plugged into friendships, I feel the pull of many different roles and hats - as many of us do. I realize that there are days, if not weeks, at a time that I don't spend one second intentionally inhaling, exhaling, being. I manage my sizable stress and anxiety well, but when I hit a wall, it's at 120 mph, and the debris can scatter far and wide.

The best thing I can do before entering my marriage is to learn how to take those breaths, prioritize myself and decompress healthily. Today on my to-do list, I included, "RELAX." Odd, but helpful. After a whirlwind day at the office, fast and furious workout, quick stop by Little's accessory showcase (delightful swig of prosecco included, natch), some rah-rah-rahs in the stands of the fella's softball game and squeezing in a quick bite to eat, I settled in to teach myself to relax.

The first step was to tackle some laundry (a strange step in the process, but a great way to ease my anxiety about household chores being behind), then to pour myself a glass of wine, break off a square of Ghiradelli extra dark chocolate, run a hot bath, grab the newest Marie Claire out of my to-read mail pile and sink into the tub. I forced myself to stay in the bath for 12 minutes (10 seemed too cursory but 15 seemed impossible). I set a timer for myself and coached myself to sip, read, luxuriate and repeat. Magically the final 7 minutes melted away as I sunk deeper into my tub (the first 5 seemed an eternity and extremely wasteful).

I was fabulously energized to tackle my next big project - cleaning my closet. With a new mindset of taking care of myself, I quickly filled six bags with old clothing and shoes and swiftly began emptying my bathroom cabinets as well. I'm in bed now with an insane sense of accomplishment. I still have so much to do to ready my condo for the fella to move in (we refuse to live together pre-marriage), but I learned so much about myself tonight. Active, productive tasks can be counted as relaxation exercises when paired with passive, indulgent ones. There are still many, many, many things I can learn before officially becoming a wife, but I'm excited to spend the next five months getting reacquainted with myself, so that I can be the best version of "for better or worse" when I become Mrs. The Fella.

To the 'Moon and Back

2011-11-07T13:11:00.003-05:00

With most of our major wedding decisions made, we're carving out time to discuss the honeymoon. We knew early on that we wanted a location that was tropical and out of the country... if you remember back to late May before we departed as a family to Turks & Caicos we jumped through mega hoops to secure the fella a passport, and we want to put it to good use, dang it! We also wanted to find a locale that afforded us the option be active when we wanted and relaxed and lazy when we wanted. Another 'moon criteria was a short travel time. To us, there's not much worse than having to dedicate two full days of a trip to travel. Finally, we don't want to break the bank in order to, ummm, consummate things and enjoy one another.

Enter... COSTA RICA!!! We are so excited to plan our honeymoon now that we've decided on our destination. A mere two and a half direct flight from Charlotte, Costa Rica boasts active city life, remote rain forest and pristine beaches, and we can't wait to partake of it all. We'll depart our wedding and spend the night at the Ritz in town, then board a plane to La Rica, as I have just this second opted to call it. We'll spend a night in San Jose, two nights in a honeymoon cabin in a rain forest lodge (hiking and zip lining are a must on my list) then the remainder of the time we'll be at Tamarindo Beach where we can lounge, surf and be together. Have any of you been to Costa Rica? Is it as magical as we're picturing?

Sayin' Cheese

2011-10-30T10:00:00.004-04:00

A couple weeks ago the fella and I had our engagement pictures taken by my intern who happens to be an incredibly talented photographer. We're trying to be as budget conscious as possible (which seems to be fairly impossible while planning a wedding), so we were thrilled and honored that this sweet girl gifted us with this session. We'll be incorporating some of our favorites into a Save The Date being designed by another talented friend. Here's a peek at some of the shots.

Making a List. Of Presents. For Ourselves.

2011-10-26T10:04:00.004-04:00

The registry.

It is muy fun to pick out presents for other people to buy you. It is also muy overwhelming to create a home for yourself and your fiance armed with a laser gun.

We actually had a blast picking out pieces that will adorn the next many, many years of our lives together. I didn't expect to be so excited about china or crystal, but, lo and behold, after being briefed on the importance of said dishes by a terrifying East German registry Nazi at Belk, I fell in love with our choices (Lenox Vintage Jewel for the finery and Vietri Lastra white and gray for the every day and Waterford Colleen Essence for our gorgeous crystal, which although extremely fancy and breakable, I will probably insist on using every day... particularly for 'ritas).

We rounded out the registry with stops at Sur La Table for some Le Creuset ware, Pottery Barn for every day flatware and glasses and decor and blankets and goodies, Crate and Barrel for bedding (which we have now discovered is discontinued... boooo... back to the drawing board) and other miscellany. We still have a few things to add to our wishlist... towels, sheets, silver, some pretty dresses (teehee).

A Maine Idea

2011-10-25T09:08:00.005-04:00

There was nothing about our jaunt to Maine that I didn't love. From sleeping in on heated mattress pads, to stuffing myself with lobster, to gallivanting around the coastline with my fiance, to living in silly hats, our vacation was ideal. Here are a few shots from the trip...

Gettin' Snippy

2011-10-21T09:15:00.003-04:00

I have a love-hate relationship with my bangs. Basically a tolerance-despise relationship. Love the idea, hate the execution. On their best days I'm happy I have them... any other time I want to cut them off to little nubbins. On Wednesday the fella and I went to visit his grandmother - my first time meeting her. The cold, dry air up here is doing a number on my locks, so I opted for a messy updo with a headband and my bangs down... shaggy and equally a mess. After chatting on the couch for several minutes and calmly trying not to have a panic attack because of my bangs, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. My plan was simply to pat them with a hint of water to tame them into place, but something shiny and glinting caught my eye... several pairs of small, decorative scissors. I hesitated wondering if I was going to actually do what I was thinking about doing, but proceeded. I grabbed a pair and without even looking in a mirror grabbed my little clump of forehead hair, made a few awkward snips and voila! I quickly cleaned up the aftermath as best as I could and hurried back to my spot on the visiting sofa. The fella gave me a quizzical look after I was seated, but I kept my lips sealed and my bangs coiffed.

Nine

2011-10-19T10:30:00.005-04:00

This week the fella and I are traversing through New England - a trip I bestowed upon on him on his birthday... the night he proposed. We spent Sunday night and Monday in Boston where we got to enjoy the charm and shops along Newbury Street, pumpkin beers with one of the fella's oldest friends, and a delightful and equally delicious dinner with Queen Bee Swain in Harvard Square. We also stole a couple of smooches in the Public Garden.

We're now comfortably settled in Alfred, ME enjoying the beautiful views and chilly temperatures with the fella's sister. We took a tour of the fella's hometown of Portland yesterday, and I have no doubt that the next few days will be equally relaxing, cozy and wonderful. During our trip the fella and I celebrated our nine monthiversary. Had you asked me a year ago what I thought the ideal length of a relationship prior to an engagement should be, I probably would have scoffed at anything less than a year. The Lord, however, works in magical ways, and in less than six months I'll tying the knot with this gift and blessing. In the meantime, I'll be relishing every last drop of homemade "LOBSTAH" stew I can devour.

Les Maids

2011-10-18T21:12:00.003-04:00

Honestly the least amount of fun thus far in the wedding planning process has been the selection of my merriest of maids. I asked my sweet little sister within about six minutes of the actual proposal to be my maid of honor, but the process of choosing who will stand beside me on April 14 has caused a bit of anxiety, dread and frustration. While I feel like all of the wonderful, lovely ladies I chose were locks for their respective party positions, there was still some reluctance about the whole process. While some of my bridesmaids are fairly recent friends who have quickly won a steadfast place in my heart, others have weathered many a storm with many over the years but I have grown apart from.

The fella and I knew rather quickly that we wanted a fairly small bridal party. We opted for 5 total - a maid of honor and best man and 4 other attendants each, and we spent quite a lot of time discussing what was special to us about each fellow and lady we chose. I didn't want to send a text or make a cursory call to my girls, so I purchased simple 2-photo picture frames for each one with a picture of the two of us in one slot and a pretty note requesting their presence in my party in the other. Hopefully in the spring they'll remove the note in favor of a shot from our wedding. No matter what the future holds for my friendships with each of these chickadees, it's an honor to know that they'll be celebrating with the fella and I as we celebrate our marriage this Spring!

The 'Zines

2011-10-09T16:56:00.002-04:00

True Story: I've purchased exactly two wedding magazines. A sweet friend gifted me with a year's worth of magazines that she accumulated. I've looked through one. I honestly believe that by reading three, I've essentially read every one in publication. Am I missing something here? Is there something magical in a 'zine that I'm missing?

Defining "Us"

2011-10-08T21:30:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite parts about planning the wedding so far has been perusing wedding blogs and Pinterest with an actual purpose. Instead of browsing from afar, I feel connected and relevant to the gorgeous imagery.

The fella and I haven't had so easy of a time nailing down how to describe the type of day that we're looking to create. The church we've found is gorgeous, traditional, perfect. The reception venue is industrial, rustic, airy and a blank canvas. So. What does that mean? The best we can do is describe it as Classic With Touches of Whimsy... Whimsically Classic, if you will. Or perhaps, Classically Whimsical. Who knows.

We know what we like; we know that we want to feel like ourselves; we know that we want our day to be anything but stuffy. We don't want a seated dinner; we want our guests to have the freedom to float and mingle, munch and sip. We don't want the awkward middle school dance feeling that tends to appear until the group feels comfortable enough to brave the dance floor, so we'll offer alternatives (read: homemade cornhole sets for some indoor revelry). We want tasteful, classy, laid back, fresh, young, elegant, warm, airy and "us." We don't want to be cheesy, cliche or overly trendy, but we want personal touches to fill the day. It's hard to define ourselves, but we have had a good time discovering each other together. The only things we're different pages about at the moment are a reception photo booth (the fella would love one, I am not convinced yet) and a first dance song (we're not in disagreement about this, necessarily, we just don't have "A Song"). We'll keep searching, and I know that in 189 days, I'll walk down the aisle and into the ceremony and be blown away, but for 188 more days, the searching is keeping me occupied and happy.

He Put A Ring On It

2011-10-08T21:19:00.002-04:00

My sweet fiance fella proposed using his momma's ring. A center diamond flanked by sapphires and surrounded by two diamond bands, it was vintage, unique, beautiful, and about four sizes too small. I spent a couple of days with alternating between wearing it on my knuckle or sporting an altogether attractive bulging lower finger muffin top (there are several body parts that can be sucked in, and several that can't... ankles, back o' the arms, and fingers, as it would seem) . Finally, after it seemed that an appropriate number of people had seen it, we took it to be sized. It finally came back yesterday, and I couldn't be happier to see it resting prettily on my left ring finger.

Ye Olde Wedding Planning... Part 1

2011-10-03T23:04:00.002-04:00

Wedding planning began full force no less than 36 hours post-proposal. We've now been engaged for 10 days, and I'd say that we've made excellent progress.

We both knew that we didn't want to be engaged longer than a year, so that narrowed our date choice to somewhere before next September. I've been adamant that I didn't want a summer wedding, so that further limited our date to sometime before June. For various and sundry other small details, we decided quickly on April... so, a seven month engagement. Certainly not the shortest of engagements, but it meant we needed to act quickly to secure venues.

Since le fiance and I are both members (I'm on staff, and he's a volunteer) at a multi-site church (only two of our six locations are permanent campuses, and neither is conducive to a wedding... seriously. Trust me on that.), we knew that in addition to a reception venue, we'd need to find a church.

Perusing this GORGEOUS wedding on our friends' The Schultzes' blog gave us beaucoups of inspiration, and led us to the exquisite church where the lovely couple wed. With God favoring us greatly, the church was available for our first choice date of April 14, 2012. We're awaiting word from the church's staff approval of our wedding being held there, but from every indication, it's ours.

The next order of business was the reception. We knew early on (heck, it's only been 10 days... it's still early on), that we didn't want a reception venue with carpet - so no hotel, country club, etc. We wanted a cool, rustic but industrial feel. After a few starts and stops on research, back and forth on availability, today the fella and I visited our first choice of venue and fell in love. All that's needed is a signed contract and deposit, and BOOM, it's ours.

The small time frame also meant that I didn't have time to dilly dally about a dress, since most require a 4-6 month lead time. With my day off on Friday, Little and I arranged a gown expedition, and to say that it was a special day is an understatement of extreme proportions. We began our trip at J. Major's, just a few blocks from my condo. I pre-selected about twelve gowns and was blown away by how surreal it felt to put them on for the first time. It took almost two hours to cull down the selections, but with the absolutely incredible support, love and encouragement from my amazing mom, it wasn't hard to choose the perfect dress. I'm being vague since my sweet fella peeks around in here from time-to-time, but when I tell you that I love this gown, please trust me. I can't wait to post pictures in a few months. In all of my dreams about my wedding dress, I never pictured anything so gorgeous.

So in 9 days, we've knocked out four majors...

Church

Reception Venue

Dress

Colors - Gray with pops of pink and peacock blue

Remaining big points on the list...

Photographer - we're meeting two this week!

Florist - a meeting scheduled with one this week!

Bridesmaids Dresses - I'm sending gifts to my 'maids-to-be (fingers crossed) this week, and my wonderful sis (the best maid of honor in the kingdom) is coming to town on Friday to search for the ideal one

Invitations/Save The Dates - no clue where to start!

Cake - YUM!

Caterer - DOUBLE YUM!

Decor - SOOO many fun ideas... I can't wait to get my hands on this part

6 months and 11 days until I become Mrs. The Fella!

What Had Happened Was... (The Proposal)

2011-09-29T10:17:00.003-04:00

So. Friday. Well.

In my mind, Friday was going to be a day to celebrate my fella. We had friends and family coming over to my parents' house to join us for a mini taco bar I created, an abundance of the fella's favorite sides, mini cheesecakes, Madelines, TCBY cake, an assortment of pumpkin beers, etc.

Guests began trickling in around 3:00 to fill their plates and our hearts with their company. I was begging the fella to open his gifts, because I knew mine was going to blow him away. He hails from Maine, so I'd gifted him with a trip to Boston and Maine in mid-October and wrapped a Hot Wheels plane for him and this sweet Etsy print. He was perfectly excited, and it inspired a small musical number. We had a delightful soundtrack of Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman serenading us in the background, and I may have been overly excited about it... (yep, stone cold sober. For real). Even after that moving performance, the fella decided he still wanted to be with me.

Performers get both exhausted and sweaty (you can see the upper lid sweat beading up during the chorus)

, so I excused myself to freshen up in my parents' bathroom. The fella stopped in to admire my golden pipes, tell me I was beautiful and affirm his love for me. Thinking nothing much of it, because, let's face it, all the things he said were true, I took a few more minutes before rejoining the party.

When I got back the opening chords of Amy Grant's "I Have Decided" were ringing through the speakers, and y'all better know that that's one of my all time favorite songs, so I began to summon my inner songbird once again. The fella tried shushing me gently then increasingly firmly after I refused to listen to his authority. He finally told me to be quiet because he wanted to say something. He began to thank our friends and family who were gathered in the kitchen for coming to spend his birthday with him, then he turned to me to thank me for hosting and planning the shindig. His tone shifted as he thanked me for honoring him and blessing him. Finally, he told me that there was only one thing I could do to honor him more, and he sank to his knee, choking up and asked me to be his wife!

Tearfully, emotionally and excitedly I said yes, yes, yes. My sister, in the chaos, had managed to grab her camera and snap a few pictures when she realized what was happening. I'm so thankful that she was able to be home for it, and that she kept her wits about her long enough to take these shots.

An Engaging Party

2011-09-24T14:46:00.002-04:00

So when I said that I would particularly relish celebrating the fella's birthday yesterday, I had NO idea that that would celebrating our ENGAGEMENT the same night. Yep, he proposed! And I joyfully and tearfully said YES!

You see, while I was busy prepping and cooking, the fella was whipping up a surprise of his own. Details to come, but I can't believe I'll be saying I DO soon!

Today Today Today

2011-09-23T00:18:00.002-04:00

Today is the fella's birthday. My sweet, wonderful, funny, strong, handsome fella. I have been counting down the seemingly endless days until I could celebrate him as I plan to today. We'll have a party with our friends and loved ones, and I'll finally get to give him the gift I've been carefully planning for months. I adore birthdays, and I know, although the day is not about me, this is one I'll particularly relish. Fella o' mine... I love you.

Loving.

2011-09-20T10:34:00.004-04:00

Things that are making my heart race right now (besides work-related panic attacks) include but are not limited to...

- Essie's Chinchilly nail polish (the most perfect gray)

- My el cheapo colored skinny jeans from Forever 21 (seriously considering a second pair)

- Adding pops of red to my fall wardrobe (I rarely wear red)

- Planning the fella's birthday party on Friday

- Planning the best way to present the fella's birthday surprise to him on Friday (I LOVE finding the perfect gift for someone, and I've been dying to tell him about it for months now)

- Organizing my apartment (these spurts are few and far between, so I'm doing my best to make this one count)

- The Great Food Truck Race (the fella and I were in Atlanta when they were filming the final three, so we knew before the season aired who the finalists were and have been loving watching this season)

- Rodan + Fields Unblemish Skincare System (I have heinously oily and acne prone skin, and I'm also really self-conscious about it. I started using Rodan + Fields last week, and I am loving the look and feel of my face right now. I highly, highly, highly recommend it)

- Margaritas (because, really, when are they not on a love list?)

Commmmments

2011-09-13T09:23:00.003-04:00

I was just emailing with my lady Queen Bee Swain who let me that she'd been trying to comment on some recent posts with no luck. I was trying to develop a complex that I'd lost all my readers in my months-long absence. I've updated some settings, so hopefully commenting will be a happier experience all the way around.

A Jaunt

2011-09-11T12:00:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, the fella and I traversed to the beach for a quick getaway. I don't work on Fridays, and the fella is a hardcore surfer, so he's been itching to get down to the waves for ages. We were finally able to fit in a trip, and Lord only knows what a series of misadventures it was.

Our plan was to camp at the state campgrounds in Wilmington on Thursday night, spend Friday at the beach and then drive home late Friday. We left Charlotte about 5:30, made a stop at the gas station and grocery store for some vittles (protein bars, fruit, water, Diet Dr. Pepper, and wine... natch). Thanks to a small construction detour we pulled into the campsite at 10:04. To find that the gates seal tightly shut at 10:00.

Undeterred we found a beach access and decided to wheel the fella's mighty Dodge Caliber directly onto the sand. With bated breath we inched across the beach until we found the perfect plot of sand. We set about setting up his tent only to discover that the tent he had lent a church student trip was not the one he'd received back. In its stead we found a structure capable of housing the Duggars, Gosselins and von Trapps at the same time comfortably. As we struggled to erect this monstrosity it was decided that the wine needed to be opened. Quickly. So we did. And proceeded to drink straight from the bottle. Cause, you know, we be classy.

As we secured the final pole, sweet fella went to grab the lantern, so we could properly decorate the interior of our beach mansion. But, oh, the lantern was broken. We scooted the tent directly in front of the fella's car and took turns resetting the headlights every 6 minutes. Beautiful. We took a short respite to dip our feet in the sand and continued slugging our vino.

When we got back to our homestead we realized that we didn't have the rain shield on properly, but after our grape beverage and other mishaps, we decided it didn't really matter because it surely wouldn't rain, and to sleep we went. Me on my air mattress, the polite fella on his mat. It rained. All night.

Nothing could squelch my little fella's excitement to surf, though, and he was up with the dawn to hit the waves. He briefly walked me through how to surf, and I happily paddled around on the board and rode a couple of waves into shore (while lying on the board... standing? Notsomuch). The fella's joy was dampened by a lack of rideable waves, however, so we took a snack break. Not long after we began session two, and the surf began picking up considerably, my beach bum boy had an accident with his board, nearly severing his bicep and leaving him swollen, bruised and in immense pain.

Bless his heart, he made his way to our tent and lay there moaning (and he's not a weenie boy when it comes to pain... well, not much of one anyway) - more from disappointment than pain, methinks. He decided he was done for the day, and a mere 13 hours after our arrival I began closing up shop while trying to pepper my conversation with as much surfer lingo as I could think of to cheer him.

Although, a seeming "wipeout," there's no one "gnarlier" I'd rather "hang ten" with.

Simple Math

2011-09-06T19:42:00.001-04:00

2 Dozen Cupcakes = Good

Functioning Brakes = Good

2 Dozen Cupcakes + Functioning Brakes = Heartbreak

Rule #43 - Listening Ears

2011-08-28T12:08:00.002-04:00

When your fella advises you not to spray paint a plastic lid for church on your sidewalk without something underneath it (because contrary to what you think, paint is not like sidewalk chalk, and not even the torrential downpours of Hurricane Irene will wash it away), you should probably listen. If you choose otherwise, you shouldn't be super shocked to come home to a friendly little note hanging on your the front door of your condo from your neighbors outlining how upset they are that you left a lovely little spray paint graffiti behind you. You should probably begin baking some cookies immediately to appease the anger of your neighbors.

Where the Sun Don't Shine

2011-08-22T14:42:00.002-04:00

So despite my vow to start fixing my hair again, here I sit with a bun today (albeit a lower than usual bun to mix things up a bit). It was at one point today secured with two bobby pins. My fine, thick hair is none-too-friendly with the bobbies, and spits them out on the reg. In fact, one was just spit out and fell down the back of my pants. But herein lies the tricky part, I cannot find it in said pants. Now I'm terrified that instead of a bobby pin in my bun, I have a bobby pin in my bum.

Sunday Switch Up!

2011-08-22T13:57:00.002-04:00

My weekends are the busiest part of my week. I enjoy Fridays off but work on Saturdays from 1:30-8:30 (approximately) and Sunday mornings from 4:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. (approximately). I wouldn't change a thing, but it does mean I tend to feel like I have an abnormal social life, and I miss out on a lot of social functions (like a surprise party for a sweet friend this past Sunday afternoon). Date nights tend to be on Thursday, but I'm usually so overstimulated from a crazy week that I have a hard time unwinding and enjoying them.

Yesterday was another long but amazingly satisfying day of celebrating how God is working in our city. For my birthday my pastor generously gifted me with a Bonefish Grill gift card. I'd never been to Bonefish but was excited to try it. The fella and I decided to switch up our Sunday routine of sweats and The Office reruns over a thrown together mishmash of dinner and use the gift card for a Sunday date night. I don't go into the office until 10:30 on Monday, so not having a "work night curfew" is freeing. I threw on a pair of heels and cute top and swiped on some lipstain I had in my car and late night date night was a go.

We had the most perfect date night unwinding from the weekend over Bang Bang shrimp, salmon for me, grouper for him, bananas foster and a delicious bottle of pinotage. We had time to enjoy one another's company, breathe, reflect on what we've seen God doing in our lives, understand how better to pray for one another and better carving out quality time. I couldn't ask for a better way to decompress from the weekend and recalibrate for the week ahead. Sheer perfection.

Ready, AIM, Fire

2011-08-19T21:27:00.002-04:00

Back in the day, if I wasn't signed on to AIM, then my day wasn't complete. I worried and stressed for weeks about an appropriate screen name for my friends' buddy lists and agonized to write the perfectly passive aggressive away message to pull at the heart strings of the boy with unrequited feelings for me or the friend who had done me wrong. In middle school, I was HiMain1Ons (loosely translated to "high maintenance," although, fittingly, AOL wouldn't let me use a zero for the ten, so it was actually a capital "o"). Briefly I was Dreams2519, reflecting my home address and head in the clouds.

In high school I matured, so I upgraded from AOL to strictly AIM and named myself ApostrofeeS because of my affinity for grammar and the ironic misspelling of "apostrophe." I used ApostrofeeS through all of college then graduated to GChat to waste some (read: lots) at my old employer's office. Last week, however, my supervisor was on a cross country flight and had wifi and needed to chat with me about some ongoing projects. He emailed asking me to get on iChat with my AIM screen name and requested it. Begrudgingly I responded that he should add ApostrofeeS to his buddy list and to please limit his judgement for another day. He agreed to one and not the other.

And now we're AIM friends. Emoticons, away messages and all.

:-)

;-)

:-*

Upgrades (or the Honey, Do List)

2011-08-17T22:44:00.004-04:00

The fella has found himself with quite a bit of free time on his hands of late, and rather than sit and twiddle his thumbs or watch more of The Office - neither of us has ever really watched this show, but we are so hooked on the reruns. I have everyone DVR'd, and we watch them like crazy... hysterical! How did I miss that memo - he has decided to help make a few (a lot) of major... errr... minor tweaks around my townhouse. The list runs the gamut of new fixtures, crown moulding, insulation, etc, etc. Being the ambitious lad that he is, he decided to tackle the biggest project first: My bathroom.

My bathroom is none too grand... a mere 36 square feet or so, but it housed a major problem - peeling ceilings. I don't mean a little flaking here and there, but major holes. My townhouse was built in the '30s, and one of the things that was most appealing was the charm and character - original hardwoods, plaster walls, the slanting foundation (ha) - the bathroom has zero ventilation, so the ceiling has begun to fall away in places due to the steam and moisture from 80 years worth of showers. Add to that that my once pristine Carolina blue (GO PACK!) walls are now enjoying speckles of white and nastiness, precisely zilch in the storage department, and it was time to call in the big guns. Enter the fella.

He has spent this week scraping, plastering, spackling, sanding and painting. I can't wait for the finished product, and I should have taken more (read: any) before pictures, but alas, I have not. The progress so far is impressive - smooth ceilings, primed walls, a shelving plan (I'm obsessed with shelves at the moment... and, apparently, parentheses) and more. Last night we ventured out to the hardware store. I had in mind a smoky gray-blue color for the new walls with white, lacquered corner shelves adorned with baskets and mason jars. Every time I ran my eyes over the paint chips, they kept falling upon a bright yet dark and bold turquoise color. Such a tiny space deserves some pop, so I caved, and now I can't wait to see Benjamin Moore Peacock Blue coating my tiny toilette. Pictures to come, assuredly, but for now, a few shots of Peacock Blue in other afters (please note that even Blair and Serena approve):

Stain'd

2011-08-16T20:34:00.002-04:00

I make precisely zero claims to be a beauty blogger. Other than my Bare Minerals foundation and cheek color, I am a diehard convenience store make up customer. I'm pretty much devoted to Maybelline and Cover Girl for eye shadows, bronzer and mascara. I do make a brief departure to Physician's Formula for eyeliner. And then, there's lipgloss. I probably have 15 different brands and shades of lip product in my bag at any given time. Kiehl's, Bella Fiore, LipSmackers, Maybelline, Burt's Bees, Revlon and more (don't get me started on my Vaseline obsession). I love the sheer hue that gloss gives my lips, but I get tired of the endless reapplication and wind-factor (you know, when it's breezy out, and your hair gets stuck in your gloss?). I am no fan of lipstick, however. I love the saturated colors, but it feels so mumsy to me. It seems heavy, and it can make your lips dry. I don't know, it's just not for me. But then I discovered Maybelline lip stain. It can be applied light or bright, isn't sticky, isn't drying and doesn't need to be reapplied throughout the day. It's become a daily staple for work or evening festivities. And, no, Maybelline isn't sponsoring this post. I am just beyond excited about this new cosmetic product. I've tried stains before, but applying them with your fingers can leave your digits equally stained, and even coverage can be nearly impossible. Not with this stick stain. I'm in love. In love. The end.

Maternal

2011-08-15T14:16:00.004-04:00

One of my first Hems & Hers Return pieces I made was this lovely little trapeze frock with a deep-V back accented with a sweet, little bow and quirky ampersand print. I wore it to Little's surprise fete, and I loved how light, breezy and comfortable it was. Today I'm wearing it at work topped with a white denim jacket and long gold necklace.

One of my amazingly fabulous coworkers who is eight months pregnant (and seriously the cutest pregnant lady I've ever seen. Ever.) immediately commented on how comfy that would be for housing a baby bump. She's right. It would be perfect for the maternity set. Later in the morning I asked her if/when she'd be getting maternity pictures taken. Conveniently, she and her sweet hubs are getting them today, but she was fretting about what to wear. Jokingly, I told her she should try on my dress and wear it. So, away to the bathroom we went for a little fitting. The dress was perfect on her. PERFECT. I was so excited that she would be able to wear it for the shoot and told her to keep it as a baby gift from me.

I slipped it back on to wear for the remainder of the day (I work for a church. Nudity is not work appropriate), smiling that I could be a little part of this special experience. Then I realized that my non-maternity dress perfectly fit the bod of a woman eight months pregnant. Le sigh.

Cobweb Dusting

2011-08-14T11:46:00.003-04:00

Okay. This absence from the blog is done. Finished. Over. I'm back, and even if I have nothing to write about, I'm going to write. So. There's a fair warning.

Here's what's been happening since the last update.

- I turned 25.

- I lost 18 pounds.

- Joined in on a surprise party for Little.

- I decided that I hated fixing my hair, and I started wearing it in a bun every single day.

- I decided that was lame and tried to start fixing it again.

- Gave that up after two days.

- Started trying again. I'll keep you posted.

- Agonized over whether to cut my hair or learn to love it long.

- Had many thoughts that had more depth than that.

- Fell in love even more with the fella.

- Started making life plans with the fella.

- Got to spend lots of time with my sis over the summer.

- Bought some new clothes.

- Started making clothes again after a months-long hiatus.

- Celebrated the Lobster's engagement last week!

And because people comment more when there are pictures... here are a couple from my mom's birthday dinner!

Kassel & Kate!

2011-08-03T08:58:00.003-04:00

Two of my sweet friends have brainstormed, worked and created their own corner of the interwebs called Kassel & Kate. This sweet site is as refreshing as it is fun. Hurry over and give them a follow! And while I piece together a little entry recapping my wonderful 25th birthday, check out this message from Kassel (aka Lobster, for those who have been around my blog for a bit) herself:

Greeting from Kassel and Kate! We are so excited that our good friend at Polka Dots & Protein Bars suggested we reach out to all you fabulous readers! Here’s the scoop: we started an online magazine in hopes of raising awareness about real life questions that boggle the minds of everyday women.

Stop on by and read our daily blog plus our monthly issue featuring three articles based on a central theme, and look out for other fun stuff like giveaways! Check out our August Issue that just came out where we discuss that old back-to-school feeling of starting over. And you’ve got to enter our giveaway, especially those in Charlotte, for a $50 gift certificate to Fresh Salon!

We are thrilled to be taking this journey and are just as excited to share it with you. With that, we will leave you with our mission statement, and hope to see you soon!

As two professional women, we have been overwhelmed with the hypocrisy of our culture in all seasons of our life. From dating and marriage, to children and work, women across our area not only try to live up to a standard set by an imaginary body, but hold each other to a standard that we ourselves cannot reach. We are here to present the truth, to dispel the myths, and encourage women of all ages to be real. Join us in this crusade of love for the pure and genuine.

Around the House

2011-07-19T08:55:00.003-04:00

I love my little condo so much, but it's just that... little. I'm constantly trying to figure out ways to maximize space since I only have 3 closets in the place - my bedroom, the guest bedroom, and a small linen closet - and no attic. Little and I have been contemplating ways to declutter the kitchen, living and dining areas for a few weeks now, and this weekend we enlist the help of my sweet fella to turn our idea to utilize some shelving units into actuality.

The fella and I headed to Ikea on Friday while Little went to pick up her new puppy, Amos (is he not the sweetest thing you've ever seen?) and spent seemingly ages picking out just the right shelves for my tiny spaces. Industrial-looking for the kitchen and bold for the dining room. Little stumbled across this green hutch-ish unit on Saturday, and I'm so thrilled with the resulting new aesthetics.

Well

2011-07-17T10:22:00.001-04:00

It's been over a month, and I still don't have anything to post about.

So lame.

Ooo Heaven Is A Place On Earth

2011-06-13T11:51:00.004-04:00

I got back to Charlotte last week after five days in the paradise that is Turks & Caicos. We had a revolving door of guests ranging from Little, Daddy, Sis and myself, then my brother and his girlfriend for a short visit and then the fella joined for about three days. I relished the time away (once I finally relaxed about not having phone service). It was such a good chance for the fella and I to spend an extended amount of time together and make sure we still like each other (success... we do... even more than ever) and to recharge my batteries surrounded by the people I love.

Lately

2011-05-22T09:56:00.006-04:00

Life has been especially crazed of late, but you won't hear any complaints from this girl. Between bridal showers, celebrations for friends, time with the fella, body refining (I'm down 10 pounds in 3 weeks... perfect for our trip to the Caribbean in a few weeks), cooking and grilling, working for the Lord, working for myself and socializing with the family, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind, but I can't stop smiling.

Here's a peek...

It's The Thought

2011-05-09T13:26:00.002-04:00

They say it's the thought that counts, which is extra helpful for me, since I had a thought to do something nice for the fella, but my actions didn't exactly follow it through. You see, he happens to be as fond of coffee as I am of Diet Dr. Pepper. I, on the other hand, can't stand the stuff.

I decided, however, that brewing an excellent cup o' joe for him was a lovely little gesture. Several weeks ago when we ventured to the zoo we began the day with a late morning brunch at home. Having never actually used a coffee pot I guessed about where the grounds went, poured some (several scoops?) in and hit brew. He was tickled that I would think to make a pot, so we sat and waited for the caffeinated treat. Approximately 7 minutes had elapsed when I mused, "This sure takes a while." "Yes, this is above averagely long," he replied. "I wasn't supposed to put water in, right?" I asked. He laughed, asked me how much coffee I'd put in and explained the correct proportion of water needed. Unfortunately, "Some to a lot" isn't a very good measure of grounds, so we took an educated guess about the water needed. We sat and waited, and he continued to chuckle at me. It had been quite a while longer when he went to investigate why there was still no coffee in the pot. Well, you see, apparently it's necessary to put the lid on the pot to release the brewing beverage. As soon as he secured the top, "PLOP!" a mess of coffee-scented sludge dropped right into the pot. He was a sweet sport, though, and forced down several sips before waving the white flag between guffaws.

I decided to retry my luck more recently when I discovered that my former roommate had left her pot behind when she moved out. I purchased some grounds and filters, threw some in the appropriate place, poured in some water and went to find the pot. Unfortunately, there wasn't a pot to be found, so I wisely placed a mug underneath the mouth of the maker and found a wooden spoon to push the release open. As I stood there holding it with hot coffee alternately filling the mug and running down my arm, the fella entered the kitchen to silently witness my attempts at this business. Once again, he sweetly sipped the resulting drink while shuddering at the grit and thickness.

After throwing the remainder out he gave me a big hug and told me that I was welcome to just buy him a Starbucks drink next time I wanted to treat him to a java surprise and thanked me for my heroic efforts. Then picking up the grounds I'd purchased to help with the clean up, I heard him snort. "Folgers INSTANT Coffee," he read. "Just add hot water." Well, who knew instant didn't require a jimmy rigged pot brewing? Apparently everyone but me. Someone pass my a diet soda and be done with it.

Hoppity Hop

2011-04-26T12:44:00.004-04:00

Easter was an incredibly eggs-hilirating whirlwind! My church had worship experiences Friday, Saturday and all day Sunday, so I worked around the clock, but I am so thankful that I was able to experience it. We saw over 19,000 attend our church in a single weekend, and even more staggering, more than 2,200 salvations. I am awe-struck by God's mighty power. He is risen indeed, y'all!

I was also able to schedule some time in with the family and fella, and between Sunday worship experiences we were able to stop by for a tasty meal that Little whipped up. I had yesterday off and spend the day being productive. Thursday marks the first day of a 90 Day Weight Loss Challenge we're doing as a staff. We're paired as teams, and the win team pair each receives a 5-day trip for two to Aruba. I have my game face on, and I spent yesterday cooking and freezing meals for my partner and I. I can't wait to post pictures throughout the process. Our plan is foolproof, and I'm about to get my best bod on!

Rod Iron Revamp

2011-04-17T18:33:00.003-04:00

Daddy and Little were kind enough to pass down a sweet little set of patio furniture to me the other week. It was white, rusted and in need of some love, but a quality set with lots of potential. During my Friday afternoon off I was able to give it just the attention it needed. I'm still planning to recover the seats, but I think this minor facelift gives it new life. I purchased a grill and The Fella and I have already had so much fun breaking it in. In fact, tonight's menu features rosemary pork chops, zucchini and corn and black bean quinoa. I can't wait to have a patio party with my turquoise table and pink and glittery chair (yes, they are covered in glitter). Good thing I now have a personal chef to help plan the menu!

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

Twenty One

2011-04-12T13:28:00.003-04:00

My sweet sis turned 21 on Sunday... unbelievable. Since I wasn't able to attend her epic throw down, I opted to travel to Chapel Hill on Friday to grab some lunch and time with her. Although it was a short visit I was thrilled to squeeze in some wonderful sisterly bonding. I just love this little girl so much. We grabbed a quick pictorial, and despite describing it as "not our best," it's a sweet memory of a lovely day.

He Gets Me

2011-04-07T16:59:00.002-04:00

While deciding whether to watch Devil Wears Prada or The Hulk:

Me: You do NOT want to see me get angry.

Fella: What is that? Like the other side of glitter?

While tasting each other's TCBY creations. Note: he is a chef and apparently has a much more refined palate than I do...

Me: Isn't it delicious?

Fella: No. It tastes like a Care Bear. Seriously, it's like a My Little Pony threw up in here. It's perfect for you.

Those Three Little Words

2011-04-06T11:26:00.002-04:00

There comes a point in most boy-girl (and heck, some boy-boy and girl-girl) relationships, where the epic phrase, "I love you" is uttered. I may or may not be speaking from recent experience, but here are things that will most assuredly ruin the sentimental and romantic mood in that first moment of golden, spoken affection.

1. When it's whispered, reply, "Huh?"

2. When it's whispered, reply, "What'd you say?"

3. When it's whispered, ignore it.

4. When it's spoken audibly, reply, "Huh?"

5. When it's spoken audibly, reply, "What'd you say?"

6. When it's spoken audibly, stare blankly at the speaker, blinking rapidly.

7. When it's whispered or spoken audibly, laugh.

8. When it's whispered or spoken audibly, reply, "Yeah right."

9. When it's whispered or spoken audibly, reply, "Gee, thanks."

10. When it's whispered or spoken audibly, reply, "Are you just saying that?"

11. When it's whispered or spoken audibly, reply, "I love Zaxby's."

12. When it's whispered or spoken audibly, start crying.

Fat Fingers. Flat Tires

2011-03-23T09:06:00.002-04:00

Doors are weapons. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise. On Monday night my poor right index and middle fingers fell victim to a heavy door being swung open as they reached to grab the handle on the otherwise. The collision let my poor digits bruised, battered, and the size of a 300 lb. man's.

I arrived home that evening to find the sweet fella waiting to tend to my injury with Rice Krispy Treats and Diet Dr. Pepper (he knows the way to my heart, I tell ya). When I stepped out of my car to give him a hug we both heard a steady and distinct hissing sound coming from behind me. Sure enough my car's front tire was slowly pancaking.

Never fear, of course, for the strapping lad expertly and deftly switched out that flat for a shiny, new one - not a new flat... a brand new tire. Quite an eventful night to be sure, but it's never ever dull around these parts.

Zoo Sunday

2011-03-21T09:57:00.004-04:00

When you work for a church it's pretty rare that your weekends are free, but this past weekend I was blessed with an open Sunday. I worked our worship experiences on Saturday night but was able to sleep in and enjoy my Sunday. Typically I arise at 4:30 each Sunday morning to be at my campus by 5:15, so waking up after the sun was a welcome change.

I wasn't really sure how I would cope with the empty hours. I was afraid that by lunchtime I'd be rocking in a corner from the lack of activity. Instead, the sweet fella decided to take his Sunday off too, and we spent a glorious day of togetherness.

We both slept in, and he headed my way for a breakfast/brunch of chocolate chip pancakes, strawberries, cheesy eggs and my attempt at making coffee. I loathe coffee, the fella loves it, so I decided to try my hand at brewing a pot. What came out was pure sludge, but he claimed it was exactly how he likes it and drank it anyway - stray grounds and all.

After a leisurely meal, we headed about an hour and a half south and spent the afternoon at the Riverbanks Zoo. I have been dying to go to the zoo forever, and this trip was perfection. The weather was warm and a bit overcast, and we spent several hours wandering from exhibit to exhibit. I really couldn't have imagined a better trip. The time in the car was filled with singing, laughter and conversation, and really added an extra layer of enjoyment to the day. He forgot his camera, and mine was officially dead, so we purchased a disposable one (I can't wait to get those shots back) and snapped a few on my phone. I wish we had better mementos of the field trip, but these will have to do. If you follow me on Twitter, you probably rethought that decision as I tweeted picture after picture of #zoosunday.

When we rolled back into Charlotte, we got spruced up (again, no pictures... le sigh) and went to an exquisite dinner at Ruth's Chris. Starting with sweet chili calamari, petite filet for me, ribeye for him and shared sweet potato casserole and sauteed mushrooms, luscious and perfection are really the only words to describe the meal.

I feel so blessed that someone would go so out of the way to make me feel pampered and appreciated, and the fella managed just that. I'm beyond excited about where this relationship is headed. I've gotta good one.

As Good As It Gets

2011-02-26T17:51:00.003-05:00

Y'all. My job? Wow. The things I get to do are just mind boggling. Please sock me in the face if I ever complain. Last night our worship team had a live recording for their upcoming worship CD and DVD. To say that it shook the house would be an extreme understatement. I just kept looking around and pinching myself that I get paid to produce these types of events. If you need a little musical inspiration or encouragement, please hop on iTunes and check them out as soon as possible.

Party Pooper

2011-02-22T09:57:00.002-05:00

Someone is attacking me with crap.

Seriously.

Someone is continually leaving me gifts of feces. I can't seem to understand why I've been blessed with such presents of friendship, but quite frankly, it's worn out its (non existent) welcome.

It started with bags of crap (Crapbags) and as of this morning has evolved into poo. on. my. door. unbagged. smeared. disgrossting. I just seriously don't understand why this is happening or who's doing it, but I'm about to catch that joker brown handed and make him/her pay. Dearly. Crappily.

Accidentally In Like

2011-02-21T14:00:00.002-05:00

So it seems that I have unintentionally narrowed my list of suitors from three until roughly one. And I also don't feel exceedingly alarmed at this result. Here's what I'd been working with.

The Pilot - sweet, handsome, generous guy. Potentially homo- or a-sexual. We've been spending time together since Thanksgiving, and he's yet to so much as hold my hand (although one night after a margarita or two, I guess he was feeling frisky and planted a big ole smooch on my cheek). He flies a lot, so he isn't in town often but asks me on great dates whenever he is. However, I think he will land safely (har har) in the friends zone.
The Chemist - funny, witty, tall, cute, albeit geeky chemistry professor with a penchant for velcro orthotics. I've enjoyed my time with him, but clearly the velcro has repelled former paramours, and he is overly enthusiastic for some lovin'. Purely the opposite of the Pilot, as it so happens, and also a major turn off for this girl. He's being shelved for now.
The Chef - I don't even really like that classification for him, but since everyone else is being categorized by occupation, that's what it will be for now. This fella has emerged from the pack as a reluctant front runner. When we first started fraternizing, I expressed bluntly that I had no desire to be interested in him. He'd dated several girls from church, and I didn't want to be another underline in his Bible, so to speak. He respected that, and thusly we began spending time together. And then more time together. And then he started winning out when I had multiple offers for dates. So without meaning to - in fact, actually meaning to do the complete opposite - I've fallen in like with The Chef. Funny, sarcastic, smart, driven, and kind, it appears that he's won out.

Sproutin' Flavor

2011-02-09T09:35:00.003-05:00

Anytime I blog about food I'm surprised that I don't do it more often. I love cooking. I love baking. I do both frequently, but rarely do I record my ventures here. I love cooking produce and seafood, in particular. My most recent obsession happens to be Brussels sprout. If you follow me on Twitter you'll see that I devote at least one tweet a week to this magical vegetable, and I truly believe that I have perfected the art of cooking these mini-cabbage delights.

As a church staff we recently (as in today) completed a five day juice (consuming juice and water only) fast in celebration of what the Lord has done through our church in the past five years (11,000+ salvations... unbelievable) and to develop a spirit of expectancy of what He will do in the next five. I was surprised that I didn't have more trouble on the fast. A self-confessed caffeine addict, I only experienced one caffeine headache despite dropping that habit cold turkey on day 1. I was not nearly as hungry as I expected I'd be, but what I missed the actual action of eating. And I discovered that I got really tired of sweet, fruity flavors really quickly. I didn't crave anything in particular... except these sprouts of goodness. I can't explain to you how badly at the end of day 2 I wanted just a bite of a Brussels sprout.

I hadn't grown up eating these sprouts. My mom abhorred them as a child and didn't make them for us. I just assumed I'd hate them because common kid-speak would advise that they were disgusting, and my mom's distaste for them only cemented that idea. A few months ago after tapping out the different ways I could eat asparagus, zucchini, squash, and broccoli, I happened upon a lovely little bag of Brussels sprouts in Harris Teeter and decided to give them a whirl. Try them. I promise you will not be disappointed. I just made up this recipe on the fly, but I'm thrilled with the results.

Roasted Brussels sprouts:
Chop tough ends off of Brussels sprouts then slice in half. Place all sprouts in an oven-safe casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Coat with liberal amount of white balsamic vinegar (this is the secret, in my opinion. I think regular balsamic vinegar would be too strong, but the white is sheer perfection and gives them the ideal bite. I tend to put a lot on mine, but do it to taste). Sprinkle with black pepper and Tony Chachere's cajun seasoning (the other secret ingredient. I adore Tony's and put it on e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g). Top with liberal amount of coarse sea salt and one thin pat of butter (optional... I make them with and without butter and can't usually tell a difference. I think the butter just adds a nice finishing note). Place in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until centers of sprouts are softened. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.

Seriously, I'm drooling for these right now. I eat them almost daily and could really go for a big ole bowl as I type. It's 9:54 a.m.

Stinger

2011-02-08T09:24:00.002-05:00

This morning I hopped in the shower as I do every morning. I felt my foot hit something almost papery and assumed it was a Band-Aid that had washed off the previous day (clearly I love leaving trash in my shower). All of a sudden I felt a pain coursing through my foot. Looking down I realized I had managed to step directly onto a wasp, which was now violently attacking my ring toe. I shook it off and down the drain, but really? Who else does that happen to? My foot is now swollen, and my leg is partially numb. I kind of feel like Macaulay Culkin in My Girl. Let's hope my ending is a little less tragic. The Vadas in my life need me.

Called Out!

2011-01-24T21:14:00.002-05:00

Today I got called out by my sweet friend The Shabby Princess. She totally held me accountable for not having updated this little cobwebbed corner since January 2nd. That is pretty ridiculous.

So here's what's been going on with me: lots of work and little downtime. And I don't mind one bit. Not one tiny bit! Y'all, I am in love with my new job. It's intense and overwhelming and tough, but I'm thriving in the environment. Being able to work in an insanely creative environment with fantastic people bringing glory to God? I mean, it's phenomenal.

My dating life hasn't been all that shabby either. I've been spending time The Pilot, The Chemist, The Cook and a few others who haven't been given nicknames as of yet. Nothing significant but lovely nonetheless.

Life is just all around good right now, but I can't help but feel some days like a bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper that some jerk cashier leaves on the rotating belt so that when it reaches the end it falls over. When you open it, it fizzes out and then falls flat. I am certainly full of bubbles these days, but I can help but let the excitement fizz out and feel a little flat. Does that make sense or just whiny? And is this the worst comeback post ever? More than likely. Buuuut it's what I've got tonight.

How to Make an Entrance

2011-01-02T22:11:00.002-05:00

Following an incredible week of Christmas worship experiences at work, the staff of Elevation was given the week after Christmas off. It was so nice to just unwind and relax and decompress. After spending a few days at home being lazier than lazy, I jetted to New York to spend time with The Supermodel and ring in the new year in the city. I'll post pictures and a more comprehensive recap this week, but the trip up there was just much too exciting to share.

I arrived at the Charlotte-Douglas airport with little trouble. Checked in, checked my bag, made through the metal detector. Following my body scan, however, I was pulled aside and asked if I had anything concealed in my left pocket. Immediately I reached in to grab the bobby pins hiding inside. "No! Do not touch your pocket!" my TSA comrade demanded. I explained that I merely had some hair accessories in there, and she let me slowly and cautiously pull them out to show her. "Because you set off our system," she explained, "I will need to search your lower body thoroughly." She made hand motions as to what that would entail, and she was right. It was thorough. I passed.

Following that nerve-jangling ordeal I made a pitstop at the airport bar for a quick libation before boarding my flight. A woman came and sat next to me at the bar with her book Emotional Unavailability and How to Combat It. She was clearly battling it with some strong liquor. I quickly finished my beverage and dashed over to my gate to board.

I'm generally not one to chat with my airplane seat mate, but on this flight I befriended my neighbor - a cinematographer who not only has a documentary currently on the Oscar short list, but also worked on The City. He educated me on both honor killing in Iraq and what Whitney Port is really like (thumbs up). As we were chatting, I noticed the man sitting in front of me starting to get a bit agitated. Before I knew it he had turned around and begun angrily telling us off in a mix of Russian and broken English. From what I gathered, apparently we were disrupting him. A flight attendant intervened to calm Stalin down, and normalcy resumed.

After landing at LaGuardia my bladder decided it was past due for a potty break, so on my way to baggage claim I pit-stopped at the ladies' room. When I got to baggage claim I made a quick search for my phone and realized that it was nowhere on my person. Frantically I dashed back to the bathroom hoping I had simply left it on the counter when I washed my hands. It was nowhere to be seen, so I peeked into the stall I had exited, and sitting daintily at the bottom of the toilet bowl, covered in commode water was my phone. I plucked it out, and miracle of miracles it worked! For precisely 30 seconds. Then it gave up life and died. Excellent start to the journey.

After gathering my bag, I headed out to grab a taxi. On previous visits I've used a car service, which is less expensive and more convenient than a cab, but with the holiday and a slew of reidrected flights, the company was sold out. I figured it would be no problem to just hail a taxi and make it to The Supermodel's apartment. As would be my luck, however, the cab line wrapped around the building, and we were informed to expect to wait for hours. Panic started to set in as I realized I had a dead phone, no transportation and no way to let my hosts know I would be delayed.

My eyes settled on a city bus, and I assumed my best option would be to take the bus to a stop and catch a cab there to hop over to the Upper East Side. I entered the first bus armed with cash and was told Metro Card or change only. I traded several bills for approximately $2 worth of change with a sweet homeless woman who directed me to the proper bus line. As it happened I was still short on change, but between my flustered movements, incessant chattering and huge suitcase, the driver told me I was fine and insisted I just go ahead and get on.

As we started moving on the overly crowded vehicle, I realized I had no idea where to get off or even what I was doing. I befriended a very competent (almost frightfully so) 12 year old who happened to be a bus regular. She told me that lots of people she knew use the Astoria Boulevard stop. As soon as I reached that one I knew it wasn't for me. The next stop was 125th & Lexington. "LEXINGTON!" I thought excitedly. I know that avenue, so it must be a good choice. Yeah. Not so much. Unless you can picture me in Harlem after dark. Let's just say that I received lots of helpful offers from the neighborhood crowd.

Finally, an unmarked car pulled up and offered me a ride. I was dubious of whether or not it was actually a taxi, so I requested to see his registration, and he obliged. Although I saw it, I'm still not positive. He charged me an arm and a leg, but deposited me safely on the Upper East Side. It only took me two and half hours and a few gray hairs, but where would the fun be in making it easy, right?

The Punchline

2010-12-27T17:41:00.002-05:00

This morning I received a text message from my friend The Joker announcing that he's seeing someone. And, as it so happens, that someone is not me. He declares that he loves spending time with and talking to me and would love to continue doing just that, but he wanted to be honest and upfront about the situation.

So. There's that.

I'm definitely bummed, but I completely respect him for just telling me. He didn't owe me that, and he wasn't obligated to give an explanation. I applaud him for being a truly good guy. Now on to the next!

On deck? The Pilot. A sweet, handsome, Southern gentleman a couple of years older than me who went to Auburn and flies corporate jets for a living. We've done coffee and lunch and tonight is the natural next step... dinner. Cheesecake Factory. I'm pretty excited. I was also pretty excited when he asked me to fly with him on a private jet he was piloting to New York on Sunday, but alas, snow and wind made me nervous, and I declined. I felt like I'd turned down an opportunity to star in my very own Bachelor episode, so hopefully he'll bring a rose tonight to get me back in the game.

In other news, I hate roses.

And So It Goes

2010-12-21T08:31:00.002-05:00

The next time I signed onto Match following the Kevin/Michael/Kevchael/Mikevin name debacle I had a new message from a new user named "Kal El." He'd sent me a lovely email that was, of course, signed "Kevin."

Clearly it's fate.

Rule #42 - The Name Game

2010-12-17T23:10:00.002-05:00

After several days of exchanging Match messages, I was given a phone number. Today, I decided to text it.

Me: "Hi Kevin! It's Polka Dots from Match. Happy Friday to you!"
Response: "My name is Michael."

Well played. I see a long, happy future for me and Kev.

Rule #41

2010-12-14T19:46:00.001-05:00

When preparing to bake cookies for your new coworkers, it is important to remember that there is quite a difference between chocolate chips and chocolate flavored chips. No matter how hard you try, mockolate and chocolate do not taste the same.

What Had Happened Was...

2010-12-10T23:56:00.002-05:00

So this Match thing is growing on me. I'm actually really enjoying going on dates and meeting some fun people. Or, I was, until tonight.

You see, early, early on in the Match process it was suggested that I would be soul mates with a guy whose brother I "went out with" in middle school. Let me just say that that 7th grade romance was intense. In fact, upon breaking up, his brother announced that I was doomed to divorce in my adult life since I couldn't handle a real relationship, and that I convinced him to kiss dating goodbye until he got married. It was fantastic.

Anywho, fast forward to Match's suggestion. It's amazingly awkward to be matched with someone I know from real life, and when I was matched with the older brethren of my juvie-ex I just laughed. I was embarrassed because I knew he was seeing me, but I felt overall okay about it knowing that 1. he most likely didn't remember me (he's several years older) and 2. I would never see him in real life.

Well, seeing as how my life is like a poor man's Friends or other happy-go-lucky sitcom, our paths crossed. You see, this fellow (who doesn't even get a nickname right now) happens to volunteer with my church, and tonight we just so happened to be attending the same party at a mutual friend's house. CLEARLY, and I mean CLEARLY, we were both acutely aware that we knew the other one's secret. We were "Matched." So, I did what any one who is me would do in a situation that is less than pleasant: employ maximum avoidance techniques.

But as I should have predicted, these tactics were completely ignored, and he approached me directly. "Polka Dots, right? It's been like eight years! What have you been doing???" "Filling out online dating applications much like you, my friend," I nearly replied. Instead I couldn't even muster my fake, enthusiastic voice (and if I can't even pretend to be excited to be talking to you, which I am typically spectacular at doing, then you should give up) as I described the past few years. Then he went in for the kill, "Didn't you and my brother have a weird middle school thing?" "And by 'weird middle school thing,' I'm sure you mean 'wasn't my brother a psycho in middle school,' and in that case, yes," I struggled to internalize. He went on to tell me that his brother is now happily married, which just proves that he's some sort of demon prophet, and I haven't been able to hold down a relationship into matrimony, and he has.

I suddenly have this really uneasy feeling that I'm destined to either a life of loneliness, or worse, fated to become his sister-in-law.

The Cows & The Bees

2010-12-03T10:56:00.004-05:00

The Bible describes the Promised Land as a place flowing with milk and honey. Utter decadence. But milk and honey are produced by cows and bees. Buzzing, stinging bees and stinky, patty dropping cows.

If you feel like you have arrived in the Promised Land that God has led you into, but you can't help but notice a faint odor, some stink on your shoe, or a sting on your arm, don't be discouraged. A promised land isn't a perfect land. There will still be trials and frustrations (the cows and the bees), but they serve as a reminder that even in the palm of God's will, reliance on the Father is necessary to receive the reward of milk and honey.

Remember James 1:2-5, which reminds us to, "Consider it pure joy, brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

And when you're in the midst of a field of cow patties, which assures one false step will be a "crappy" one, be encouraged by Philippians 4:8-9, which urges, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

Milk and honey surely flows in the land where God leads, but don't be surprised when you have to battle a few bees and cows in the same place. When you see them, you know that the reward will follow shortly.

Suckered

2010-11-30T22:01:00.002-05:00

I guess I just can't quit it.

I got suckered into extending my free trial of Match for another 7 days. Turns out I enjoy being winked at, so here we go again. I've been out a few times with The Joker and have really enjoyed spending time with him, so we'll see where that goes. In the meantime, these options, well, they're wide open.

Here are some thoughts I've gathered on my second first day.

1. Don't make your user name "LadiesMan173." If you're on Match, you clearly aren't.
2. Don't post a shirtless picture of yourself unless you really have something to be showing off.
3. Don't expect a response to a message that simply says, "Sup." Particularly when you don't even bother to make it into a question. "Sup" on its own is merely a verb, which makes this message an imperative sentence with an understood you for a subject, meaning you're imploring that I go "sup." My response will be to go get an apple and keep browsing.
4. Sunglasses on a guy can be very deceiving. Very. Deceiving.

What That Means

2010-11-21T23:11:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow morning I'll get up, work out, get dressed, pack my lunch and head to my first day of work at Elevation Church. I'll officially be a producer, which means absolutely nothing to most people. And if you aren't very familiar with Elevation, 1. you should be and 2. it'll be hard to explain.

Elevation is a contemporary, multi-campus church wrapped around an audacious vision and old school message. Creativity, innovation and technology (oh, and of course, God's favor) are keys to what has propelled Elevation to see over 8,000 people in attendance in fewer than 5 years of existence. As a producer, I'll be helping to oversee the planning and execution of the worship experiences seen at each of the four campuses every week.

The job is creative and tech-y (the tech piece is admittedly not at all a strong suit of mine) and intense and time-consuming and overwhelming and exhausting and fulfilling and gratifying and thrilling and undoubtedly unlike any other role I think I will have.

I can't wait to report back on my first day. In the meantime I'll be taking my autographed Nicole Richie picture to decorate my my new desk, praying I'll have a friend to eat lunch with, and finding my favorite stall in which to bring back Bathroom Aerobics!

Excitement Abounds

2010-11-16T15:01:00.002-05:00

Y'all, I feel like I've been waiting for two years to share this exciting news, and truthfully I kind of have been. Starting next Monday, I'll be starting my new job as a producer at Elevation Church!

I've been volunteering at Elevation for almost two years, and I've interviewed for several different positions over the course of that time. For one reason or another God closed each of those doors much to my disappointment; however, looking back, I know exactly why the timing was wrong for those opportunities. This time I am absolutely confident and thrilled knowing that it's the right time and the right fit. I'm scared and insecure, without a doubt, but I am beyond honored, humbled and utterly giddy to dive even deeper into this incredible move of God.

Hems & Hers will still be alive and active, and I can't imagine not being able to spend the past four months building it to the level it is now. It will always be a part of me, and I'll continue posting new styles on the website and Facebook page. I'm so blessed to be able to take such an active role in two of my passions. The Lord is mighty and good.

The P-Cock

2010-11-15T10:46:00.005-05:00

This weekend I had the pleasurable experience of channeling my inner trophy wife and escorting my sweet little Sisquatch to her sorority's parents' cocktail at Chapel Hill. We had all too short of a visit together as I had to dash back to Charlotte early Saturday morning, but we were able to document the event and my natural gift of being delectable arm candy. Hems & Hers was even represented! I made a dress for Sis to wear, but the fit was off. Luckily her sweet friend snatched it right up and looked PRECIOUS (see the cutie sandwiched between us in the last picture).

The Candy Count

2010-11-06T10:03:00.002-04:00

The title of this post would have made so much more sense if I'd posted it on Monday, right after Halloween, like I'd planned, but life got in the way (I can't wait to share more about some new directions I'm heading in!), and I'm just now getting to it.

I left you all hanging after Day 6 of The Match Project, but never fear, just because I cancelled my subscription on Day 7 doesn't mean the fun was cancelled with it. Oh no, friends, there's been more. Much more. And not just in online dating. In real life too... cuhrazy, I know.

You know after a long night of trick-or-treating you'd come home, empty your pumpkin and inventory each and every piece of sugary goodness you'd received (and try to trade the sub par pieces for something more appealing)? Let's do empty my pumpkin and see what's been dropped in over the last couple of weeks.

The Joker: I mentioned The Joker in a few of my Match Project posts. Appropriately named for his love of the funnies, he seemed to be the best prospect to come from my cyber venture. When I cancelled my subscription, I gave my real email address to my top 3 candidates, and The Joker was the top of the totem pole. We ended up trading numbers, and our ensuing banter proved that the kid could keep me laughing - my favorite part? He wasn't afraid to be sarcastic and even a little biting. We agreed to meet for lunch, and we decided upon a delicious little Thai spot in town on Monday. Now, let me say that I had basically zero expectations for the date (actually I texted Lobster on my way and told her I didn't want to go). I assumed that his humor would translate into obnoxiousness in person, and while his pictures online were cute, I knew that he'd be less attractive than the photos. Oh. My. Word. was I wrong on all counts. He was much more subdued in person, which was refreshing, and he was noticeably nervous, which was endearing. And lastly... boy was about 10 times more good looking in person than his photos. I was floored. We had a great (albeit a smidge awkward since, you know, we met online) lunch and have been texting ever since trying to plan a second outing.

The Yankee: On Saturday night, Lobster, He Lobster and I donned our best Halloween garb and traipsed Uptown to see Ke$ha play and do a little costumed partying. By the time we'd arrived, Her Royal Garbageness had fled the premises, but we weren't deterred. As you know, I loathe Halloween, so I didn't put much planning into my costume. Sparkly heels, tutu skirt, corset/slutty thing, hair in a bun = Slutty Ballerina/Fairy Princess/Sex And The City Someone? Clearly, I wasn't the only one unsure of what I was dressed as since quickly after getting a drink in hand and hugging a free space of the cramped bar I heard a voice from overhead ask, "Soooo what are you?" My answer, truthfully, "A slutty fill-in-the-blank." "You seriously don't know?" He inquired. "Well," I explained, "Halloween is just a chance for girls to get away with dressing like sluts, so I figured, why not just own that instead of trying to be clever about it?" He was clearly blown away by my sharp wit and sensible logic, and we spent the next half hour or so engaging in delightful conversation. The Yankee was noticeably cute and very, very, very tall. Originally from Long Island, he's been in the South since his college days at Elon, and he zero plans to head back to the tundra. Thumbs up. As he left he grabbed my number and promised to call me soon. I doubted it, but whatever. One Monday night my phone chimed its grating ring, an unknown number popped up on my screen. It was The Yankee! He was calling to see if I'd be interested in grabbing some drinks later in the week. He promised to have a full set of teeth and clothing without bloodstains on it (he was dressed as some character from The Hangover, but since I've never seen the movie, I had no idea). I told him that I promised to wear more clothes, but he assured me he would be fine if I chose not to. Clever. And mega points for the call versus the more convenient text. We met at a local watering hole on Thursday night and immediately fell into fun, comfortable, easy conversation. Three and a half hours later we realized we should probably call it a night. Thumbs up.

The Banana: Once The Yankee vacated our Halloween Haunt, Lobster, He Lobster and I decided to make our way around the bar a bit (actually, someone's noxious gas forced us to give up our corner). We got trapped in a traffic jam and decided that the best way to cope would be to dance. We had a fun little group jam sesh, when I looked up and saw a fellow in a legit banana costume staring me down. I don't mean just a little above average eye contact. I'm talking LASER BEAM EYES. He was clearly intent to grind against my slutty self, but thankfully I had the best body shields ever in Lobster and He Lobster, and as The Produce circled, so did they, keeping themselves between us. After making the lap a few times, The Banana changed strategies by walking away for a few minutes and returning with the hood of his costume properly in place. You know, just in case the costume adjustment would adjust my feeling on the situation. Around and around again we went like a well choreographed synchronized swimming posse. Eventually BananaMan gave up, "peeled" himself away (har har) and tried his luck with some one else whose slutty outfit wasn't quite the costume that mine was.

The Penguin: I'd made less sketchy eye contact with a neighboring penguin during the dancing-go-round with The Banana. He seemed cute enough, so I decided a dance wouldn't be terrible. He introduced himself as Chaz, and while I try to steer clear of real names on the blog, I just had to share, because there are very few names that repel me quite like Chaz. Ick. Anyway, I decided in the spirit of Halloween I would try to withhold judgement. Bad idea. Penguin Chaz was much more intoxicated than originally deemed, and he was also battling an extreme case of halitosis. I frantically searched for the best exit strategy since Lobster and He Lobster had ducked out for some air (apparently He Lobster's chicken suit was much steamier than my suit of, well, nothing). Whether he was mistakenly reading that I was interested or sensing that I was trying to duck out, The Penguin began whispering sweet nothings in my ear, which really meant slurring questionable things loudly at my face. When I told him I needed to go he begged me to let him drive me home. In the morning. He emphasized "morning" with a wink. Or a facial spasm. Hard to say. I told him I really needed to be up early for church in the morning. I clearly offended his feathered heart at the mention of church, and he brusquely urged me to have a nice life. I probably will.

The Enthusiast: When I left Match, The Enthusiast was one of the fellas I shared my contact information with. He immediately emailed me and friended me on Facebook. Not too bad, really, and we shared emails back and forth for a few days before I mistakenly shared my cellular digits. He became over eager with the texts. I mean OVER EAGER, texting several times a day regardless of whether I responded or not. I finally thought he took the hint when I hadn't heard from him in several days. On my way to meet The Yankee on Thursday my phone rang with an unknown number on the screen. Once I share with you about the madness that's been going on, you'll understand why I answered, but for now, let's just go with, I answered. "Welllll heeey there, sexy lady!" a high pitched, nasal, thick Southern accented squealed down the line. "Ummm, hello?" I replied in fright. "You don't know who this is do you??" "No." "It's your favorite guy from Match Dawt Cawm!" he enthused. Well, I knew it wasn't The Joker, so that basically left The Enthusiast. "Oh. Hi." I replied, hoping that my curt tone would keep this conversation short. It didn't. "I was just riding over to see my brother who just caught MRSA." "Ummm, your brother has MRSA?!?! That's not good!" I was genuinely concerned. Side note: I have quite the phobia of MRSA, and the paranichea currently residing on my left pinky is currently suggesting to me that I may, in fact, be infected. "No, it's not. He may not make it, but I wondered if you wanted to come over later because I may need someone to comfort me," he rattled on clearly unconcerned by his brother's precarious predicament." "Oooh, um, I can't, but thanks." "I just love a good shoulder." .......... I didn't even know what that meant. Shoulder fetish? Shoulder to cry on? A different word morphed into "shoulder" by the accent? I really don't want clarification. "Yeah, well, listen I have to go, but thanks for calling." "I know I'll be hearing from you soon, hottie." Yeah. That'll happen. I hung up and immediately saved into my phone: DO NOT ANSWER MATCH STALKER.

And that, my friends, is my current candy count.

The Journey

2010-11-02T00:10:00.002-04:00

When I adopted Sadie everyone told me, "Shelter dogs make the best pets because they know you saved them." That doesn't make dogs from breeders or pet stores love you less, there's just a greater appreciation a dog who has been pulled from a dirty kennel or the brink of euthanization feels for its owner than a dog bred and raised in a mostly pleasant environment. Today on a drive back from Athens, Georgia, where I presented a Hems & Hers trunk show to the fine ladies of Chi O, I realized that I'm sort of like a dog from a breeder in my faith.

Now follow me on this very rough analogy. I love my Lord with every fiber of my being, in every way I know, but basically as a Christian since birth, I don't know any other way to live than with Him in my life. I don't know the desperation that some people felt before finding salvation. I don't know the aching, longing and yearning for a better home. And while those who have been in that state of despair might count me lucky, I would argue that it almost puts me at a faith disadvantage.

You see, without ever knowing what it was like to wander WITHOUT God, I tend to grow very complacent of my time spent WITH God. Like a sweet friend or family member that's just always there in the background - steady and comforting - the Almighty is a constant presence, but not necessarily always mighty in my day-to-day.

I realized as I was driving and the words of the song by my church's incredibly talented worship team's song "Give Me Faith" washed over me, that I don't get it 9 times out of 10. "Give me faith to trust what You say, that You're good and Your love is great," the song goes. Simple in words, but so powerful in meaning. This complacency that so often dominates my relationship with the Creator dulls His sheer greatness in my life more often than not. The song continues, "I need You to open my eyes and see that You're shaping my life." How cliche is it to say that you can't see the forest for the trees? I've spent so long feeling like my eyes are focused on Jesus that I completely miss everything He's doing to draw me to him and shape me for His ultimate glory.

When I get discouraged or feel like my life is adrift and in a continual state of flux, as it often is, I tend to quote Jeremiah 29:11 to myself, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future." It's a crazy amazing verse, but yet again, I have become so numb to the power of those words that I don't even think about them anymore. God's word is TRUE. It is ALIVE and ACTIVE. None of His promises go unfulfilled. He promises to not only give me a hope and a future but to PROSPER. For me to not react powerfully and dynamically to that assurance every time I hear it is a travesty.

"I may be weak, but Your spirit's strong in me; my flesh may fail, but my God, You never will," the lyrics of "Give Me Faith" proclaim, and no truer words have been spoken or sung. I can get caught up in berating myself for falling short of the mark in my walk with God. In criticizing myself for not "feeling" my faith enough, for being too lax or cerebral. In analyzing and searching and listening and not doing. But His power that conquered the grave is IN me.
There's no room for stagnation and self-doubt when there's that kind of might waiting to be unleashed in me.

So back to the dog analogy. I may never feel that same urgency that the "rescued pet" feels, but that doesn't mean that the Lord hasn't rescued me also. That doesn't mean I don't strive with the same intensity to obey and serve my God, Protector and Provider, and as my path is murkier than ever, I can promise you, that I will cling to Him with all the ferocity of a creature that is lost without its Master. I'm just glad I know who's guiding me.

The Match Project Day 4-6

2010-10-25T23:41:00.003-04:00

I didn't actually intend to lump day 4, 5 and 6 into one post, but I got lazy over the weekend because Sweet Sis was home for Fall Break and it happened. Actually, it's probably not too bad, because these three days can be summed up in three words... sketchy, shady and sleazy. I'm not even going to break the days into stats and observations because it's just not worth it. Here's the lowdown.

Just for you fine folks I spent part of Thursday night on the chat feature of Match. One onomatopoeia for that experience: Ew. I received IMs from six different winners. Two of the six were fine. I guess. The other four gave me the heebiejeebies. One was 46, retired, independently wealthy and looking for a little friend to shower with gifts. One was 27 but asked instantly for my number. One was 31 and felt very, very alone in his life and needed someone to hold on to. The fourth was 26 and had a child molester mustache.

After about an hour I decided that it was beyond time to disable that feature, but much to my surprise no less than half an hour after shutting it down, I received Facebook friend requests from two of less fortunate chatters. Ordinarily not a huge issue, but I didn't give away ANY personal information to these creeps... not my first name, not my last name, nothing. Depsite ignoring the requests I've received various and sundry messages from them. Hey, guess what? I think I know why you're single and lonely. And secondly, I mean, I know I'm pretty great, but I'm not THAT awesome, so clearly, clearly, clearly you're just THAT desperate.

But these last few days haven't been all bad. In fact, tomorrow's post will fill you in on some closing thoughts from this whole experience and maybe some details about an upcoming date or two??

The Match Project Day 3

2010-10-21T16:57:00.003-04:00

Stats:
- My profile has been viewed 181 times.
- I've been winked at 42 times.
- I've received 23 emails.

Observations:
- The male attention that comes along with online dating isn't as enjoyable as I thought it might. It sort of makes me feel skeazy. Mostly because it's from skeazeballs.
- People with names like "shank_a_potamus" will never find a life partner. Not a human one anyway.
- "shank_a_potamus" likes to look at my profile.
- Most of the profiles of my female competition are very suggestive.
- Mine is not.
- I am instantly unattracted to with men that have children and are on Match.
- I'm even less attracted to the guys that say, "I have kids, but don't worry, they only live with me some of the time." Everybody loves a good part time dad.

I got asked to go on my first actual Match date yesterday. I'm sort of on the fence about going. On one hand we have a couple of mutual friends - namely, God and Jesus - on the other, I feel weird about truly meeting someone face to face. Lots of opportunity for extreme awkwardness. Maybe I'll send my sister instead and have her pretend to be me.

The chap in questions seems really normal, nice and down to earth, but he's on Match, so he clearly can't get dates in real life. Granted, I am too, but since I'm not paying for the service I don't think I really count. Eh. We'll call it a wash. I guess I'll go. It is all about journalistic integrity after all.

I've been messaging fairly regularly with the Limp Biscuit joker. I have to hand it to him, he's pretty clever. The kid loves himself a joke, but a fair number of them are pretty funny. And even more impressive, he has an insane knowledge of late '90s boy bands. I'm not just talking *NSYNC and BSB, he's pulled out 98 Degrees, Five, and West Life. He has also seen and appreciates the cinematic genius that is Mars Attacks.

I got an IM last night from a guy asking if I had more pictures I could send him. I'm pretty sure it was Kip from Napoleon Dynamite. Maybe he thought I was LaFawnduh 'cause, you know, I have "sandy blonde hair, pretty nice face, but" he's probably "just T.O.ed because I haven't sent him a full body shot yet."

Also, after trading a few messages with the guy I went to high school with, I finally said, "I think we actually might know each other. Did you go to our Our High School?" I haven't heard back. Clearly that was not a good move. The collision of cyber life and real life is rarely a smooth thing. Just ask Tiger Woods.

The Match Project Day 2

2010-10-20T14:46:00.004-04:00

Stats:
- My profile has been viewed 122 times
- I've been "winked" at 34 times
- I've received 17 emails

Observations:
- There are very many unfortunate looking people occupying the online dating space.
- I've become very self conscious that browsers think I'm more attractive than most people online.
- I've become very paranoid that I need to show that I'm not a boring loser.
- I actually am kind of boring.
- I'm terrible at writing an appealing online dating bio.
- I don't necessarily feel all that bad about that.
- I feel really bad when I don't respond to someone's "winks" or "emails."
- I'm learning that ignoring them is crucial to not being inundated by creepy messages.

Day 2 has been interesting in this Match Project. Most of the messages I've gotten have been really lame. Such as, "Your face is pretty." Duh. "I'm from Charlotte too." Yeah, I see that on your profile, but thanks for letting me know. "I'm single." I would hope so.

The fact that I'm fairly normal and don't have any obvious facial deformities seems to be a plus in terms of cyber popularity. I've been asked four times if I like playing video games. I have to dance lightly around this subject. Sure, I enjoy video games (Wii and original Nintendo), but I know that answering yes will open myself up to a whole world of Halo and Dungeons & Dragons that I'd much rather avoid.

I have gotten two fairly quality correspondences going. One with the guy I went to high school with that doesn't seem to remember me. I have since decided that that's a good thing. I went and looked at some pictures of myself from high school, and I have upgraded greatly. I haven't told him that we know each other yet. I feel like that's some sort of set up for a generic rom-com. I hope so. Everyone loves a good romantic comedy plot twist.

The second legit-ish message went something like this:

"What do you call a gingerbread man with one leg?
Limp biscuit."

If he were less attractive it would probably hit the trash, but I'm pretty shallow, so I'll appreciate the humor attempt. And it is kind of funny. Not "LOL" funny, but crack a smile funny. His profile says that the last book he read was a joke book. I guess he's just proving that? If he's a joke cracker in real life, that will get old reallllly fast.

There's been no reappearance from my friend with the equestrian fetish, so things are looking up.

The Match Project Day 1

2010-10-19T10:47:00.003-04:00

The Match Project is an experiment in which I will spend seven days trying out Match.com. My goal is to be as realistic and candid in my efforts as possible, and I'll document the journey here. This should be a good time. The reasons for embarking on this venture are severalfold:

1. This is the first time I've been single in quite a while, and although I'm not looking for a relationship, one can never argue with a free dinner or drinks every so often.
2. It's free, and I'm out of blog ideas, and this should be more entertaining than random factoids about myself or long monologues about the difficulties that accompany launching a business.
3. I work from my house now, so the chances that some perfect soulmate will come knocking on my door is just not reasonable. The only people who knock on my door are the UPS man and the exterminator, and neither packages nor roach killing is an aphrodisiac. Actually, given the problem I've had with roaches lately, that's more and more attractive.
4. Documenting each day will remind me to cancel my subscription on day 7, so my card won't be charged for a month's fee.

Last night whilst perusing my typical regimen of online sites I was distracted by a blinking banner ad for Match.com. I wasn't even tempted by eHarmony, because, well, it's called eHarmony. Several people have suggested that I give the realm of online dating a whirl (most recently the lovely Lobster). I shrugged it off as being for people who can't survive in a world beyond their computer screen who post fake pictures of themselves, but alas, I was taken in during a moment of boredom and weakness and inspired to just give it a go. If nothing else than to prove my point that it doesn't work.

I create a user name for myself (like naming my blog, this process was much more anxiety ridden than need be. I wanted to be clever without revealing my real name or being gross or cheesy like xxcutiepiesnugglekissesxx or something of the sort). I settle on SadieMay3rd (I would have preferred simply SadieMay, but apparently that was taken, so SadieMay3rd in honor of my sweet pup, Sadie May Jr. the 3rd, it is). I'm prompted to fill out a profile, so I can be accurately matched with Charlotte singles. I resist the urge to shut the computer down and go to sleep and instead press onward.

I also resist the urge to say that I'm looking for heavyset, overweight and obese males, therefore pegging myself a chubby chaser. I want to be accurate, so I force myself to answer the questions as seriously as possible. I complete the profile and am immediately matched with candidates I may be compatible with. I'm truly intrigued to see who (or what) I might fit with, so I start scrolling the list. It's ranked by percentile of compatibility, and I once again almost shut my computer off when I see that ranked at 99% compatibility with me is a true douchelord I went to high school with. Ummm, no. If that's who I'm being matched with, forget it. Before starting this I was dubious at best but now all of this site's credibility is out the window.

Still, I press on, send out some obligatory "winks" (similar to Facebook pokes) and call it a night.

When I woke up this morning I had several alerts from the Matchmakers themselves letting me know that over the course of my sleeping hours I had received 4 winks and 3 messages. I scroll through the emails and am pleasantly surprised to see one from a rather attractive guy who seems normal enough. Upon further observance, though, I realize I know this guy. We also went to high school together, and I was pretty close with his sister. Wanting full confirmation I Facebook who I think it is, and not only are we Facebook friends, but both of his profile pictures are the same. I respond to his message without letting him know that I know who he is. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing that he doesn't seem to recognize me.

I was just starting to feel a little optimistic about this whole ordeal when I received the following IM from LowCountryBoy: "Hey there, do you like rodeos, cowboy boots, horses, horses races, Wrangler jeans? Do you have cowboy boots?" Oh, Lord, I am in for a long seven days.

Furry Friday

2010-10-15T11:13:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite things about working from home is getting to take cuddle breaks with this fluffy cutie.

Trivia Thursday

2010-10-14T20:31:00.002-04:00

- I hate Jimmy Buffett.

- I'm not all that fond of The Beatles either.

- I much prefer doing my own nails to having them done in a salon.

- I have a secret crush on Steve Levy from SportsCenter.

- I had a terrible speech impediment as a child, and it still rears its head regularly.

- I have a "thing" for watches.

- I have no ideas for a real blog post.

Tuesday Tidbits

2010-10-12T00:07:00.003-04:00

- I cannot watch TV if the volume level is not on an even number or multiple of 5. 7, 13, 17, etc, are all no-can-dos. My dad thinks it's hilarious to up the volume to 23 and see if I notice that it's such an unfortunate prime number. I always do.

- I felt like the whitest white girl in the world when I drove to the grocery store tonight listening to Taylor Swift and left with a trashy magazine, frozen yogurt and a Diet Dr. Pepper.

- I followed that up by roasting Brussels sprouts for a midnight snack. They were divinely delicious.

But What I Really Want To Do Is...

2010-10-09T10:05:00.002-04:00

I had the pleasure of dining at Firehouse Subs this week with my sweet friend (and new mom!) J. J and I are former co-workers, and she introduced me to the steamy, melty goodness that is Firehouse, so it was only fitting that we meet there for a life catch up and some girl time that including her precious baby girl.

She asked me lots of questions about my ongoing business venture, and I explained to her that the biggest challenge of operating Hems & Hers (aside from, you know, making money) is describing it to other people. When I run into acquaintances or old family friends while I'm out and about running errands or when they come into the stationery store where I work, I see the question in their eyes, "Soooo, this is what you do now?"

It took me until recently to not act either (A) defensively or (B) apologetically to the inquiry. Instead of "Yeah, I do. Wanna make somethin' of it?" or some mumbled response, I had to learn to start explaining that while I had the incredible opportunity of working at a great local ad agency for two and a half years, I was able to springboard off what I learned there and launch my own company - a clothing line, no less! And God really provided for me by allowing me to work part time at the shop to keep some steady income and save my sanity from spending toooo much time alone in my house.

Regardless, though, as I explained to J, I still trip up on the "my clothing line" part. You see, I don't view myself as a fashion designer, and even if I did, I would feel very much like I was saying the equivalent of "but I'm going to be an actress!" or, "I'm just here until Maxim decides to run the shots I sent them!" or, "You should hear me sing. American Idol, here I come!" or, "I'm playing at some golf courses when I'm not here. The LPGA is beating down my door." Not that the world of fashion or apparel is an uttainable dream by any means, and neither are those others, but I struggle with the notion that I won't be taken seriously with such a whimsical vision. In any event I'm getting used to it and feeling better day by day, but in the meantime I'll keep my aspirations for that Oscar under wraps.

Happy weekend!

We'll Solve Any Crime By Dinner Time!

2010-10-03T21:59:00.003-04:00

It's no secret. I love Mary Kate & Ashley (no, they are not "The Olsen Twins" any longer). From their time on Full House to their detective series to their short lived TV returns (Two of a Kind and So Little Time) to their on-location films. Heck, even their feature films It Takes Two and New York Minute. Below, my top five MK&A productions...

5. Holiday in the Sun. I've been dying to go to the Atlantis resort since this movie came out. I also love knowing this was one of Megan Fox's first roles, and that I was semi-in love with Austin Nichols before he was famous.
4. Getting There. Mary Kate and Ashley's last straight-to-video film. Sweet sixteen + Winter Olympics + new car = amazing hijinks ensue. It is so unbelievably terrible, it's good. Magical.3. The Challenge. The oft-forgotten Olsen release based loosely on the Survivor series, this was the twins take on reality television in film form. To die for.2. Double, Double, Toil and Trouble. This 1992 classic is a scary departure for my sweet MK&A, and it made me obsessed with moonstones for a good seven years. Heck, I still am.
1. Winning London. I think I've watched this movie no fewer than 47 times. I have the entire film memorized, and I will always have a crush on Jesse Spencer thanks to his role in this movie. "Just don't jimmy riddleoo in the back of me jamjah!"

Three Hundred Sixty Five

2010-10-01T23:34:00.003-04:00

On October 1, 2009, the world lost a great man. Papa passed away, and so began an extraordinarily life-altering 52 weeks.

In 1 short year, 365 days, things took a turn for a place I never dreamed. It went a little something like this...

Papa dies
End a three and a half year relationship with B
Meet T
Fall head over heels and enter a relationship quickly
Become more strongly committed to my church than ever before
Expand Hems & Hers to include inventory, not just custom orders
Bid a bittersweet adieu to a best friend following her dream in the big city
Aunt Adrienne passes away following a battle with lung cancer and unsuccessful double lung transplant
I begin seriously entertaining the thought of leaving my ad agency
Interview for various positions
Visit Papaw for the last time
Fall more deeply in love with Hems & Hers
Papaw passes away following a grueling war with melanoma
Grow closer and closer with my family
Decide to take a leap of faith and employ myself
Give my two-weeks notice
Lose Mimi
Spend an incredible few days in Louisiana saying goodbye to an incredible woman
Walk out the doors of the agency for the last time
See Hems & Hers hit boutique racks across the Southeast
Feel more fear and trepidation than I knew was possible
Let go of my relationship with T (previously, the Beau) indefinitely as I tread cautiously, yet confidently in a direction of faith, humility and blessing

If 365 days can have this sort of impact - from goodbyes to hellos and everything in between - there's no telling what the next batch holds.

Fun Fact Friday

2010-09-24T12:07:00.002-04:00

I actually have several post ideas today. That's a new one! Looks like I'll be scheduling some for next week (woot!), but in the meantime, here are a few snippets that have passed through my noggin this week that I couldn't shape an entire post around but needed to have a little moment.

- Whenever I tell people I took archery class in college they laugh at me or don't believe me. Here's the deal: I LOVED archery. I couldn't wait until I could fit into my schedule. I had dreams of being a bowmaster. Unfortunately archery didn't love me back. I was in the remedial bow & arrows group along with the kid who thought Star Wars was real (I swear he'll name his first son - you know, if he makes it that far along in the relationship process - C3PO) and the girl who had never met physical activity and therefore possessed not a single ounce of upper body strength. Regardless, I still long to be a bow hunter when I grow up.

- While The Mummy made me squirm out of my seat and spend an hour and a half in a movie theatre restroom hiding out, I believe that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is one of the most horrifying movies of all time. Ironically, I've watched it several times, and I enjoy the other Indiana Jones movies (clearly I'm not referring to the more current versions, because... come on), but I spent years having nightmares about organs being ripped out of my body as I became a burnt sacrifice... you know... pleasant. I mistakenly caught a snippet of it this week thinking I was watching the Last Crusade. I wasn't. Cue recurring nightmares.

- I played the keyboard in my middle school band. Yeah, I was that cool. I'm not exactly musically (or rhythmically... and as a point of interest, rhythmically is a very difficult word to spell) inclined, but a small sampling of piano lessons made me musically literate. I loved our band teacher, and he took pity on me and made me the band's keyboard player. Basically I just played the same whole note over and over for each and every song. I was a beast. And now I know you're ridiculously jealous.

Happy weekend!

Back to Good

2010-09-20T22:18:00.003-04:00

What a weekend I enjoyed! My sweet, wonderful friend Y'all & Yanks returned home to the South for an all-too-quick, but ultra-fabulous weekend. Spending time with her is so refreshing, rejuvenating and just... good.

The festivities began Friday night when I swooped over to the airport to find the ultra-stylish jet setter waiting on her car service (ahem... me). We dashed back to my house to drop her bags and hopped on over to Bricktops for some Prickly Pear Martinis, fresh guacamole and a shared order of fish tacos. Despite the fact that we chat almost constantly throughout the week, there was so much to fill each other in about. From her Manhattan life to my Charlotte schedule, we got a lot of words in over a yummy meal. A trip to Yoforia (hello, pineapple + taro frozen yogurt topped with chocolate chips and strawberries!) finished the meal with a sweet ending, and the double batch of cookies we baked when we got home was the perfect chaser.

Saturday morning dawned bright and warm and was the perfect chance for us to catch up with another former coworker and friend over steamed bagel sandwiches at Owen's. Mmmm. This was one of my favorite lunch spots when I was at the agency, and I've been missing its steamy deliciousness. Following the brunch it was time to hit some shops around town. Now, Queen City shopping, while great, doesn't compare to New York, but Y'all & Yanks was able to find some Southern treats, and I had the opportunity to show off some Hems & Hers creations on the racks of Buckett's.

We headed over to Little and Daddy's for an M&M buffet (Daddy is the ultimate mixologist of M&M types... plain, peanut, peanut butter and pretzel) while we watched the Tennessee-Florida battle. Y'all & Yanks was such a trooper to let me watch and humor my sports geek side. The day finished on the perfect girly note, though, as we met two great girlfriends for drinks and tapas at Soul Gastro Lounge. We had so much fun catching up on our lives, families, interests, favorite infomercials and the uber-icky Diva Cup (more to come on that in a future post).

Thankfully, the Supermodel's (yes, pre-getting her own blog, Y'all & Yanks was known around here as the Supermodel) flight didn't depart until late Sunday, so we got in another full day including an emotional, encouraging, challenging and uplifting worship experience at Elevation, lunch at Zaxby's and a spin around Concord Mills.

Parting is indeed such sweet sorrow, and my heart is definitely sadder without the Supermodel here. However, it is so much fuller from the time we spent together this weekend. Nothing beats time with a best friend, and Y'all & Yanks never fails to deliver. Love you, sweet friend.

12 Days

2010-09-13T11:26:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I popped in to update about life. Even with a 12 day delay, though, I still don't have much that's interesting to the reading public on which to update. Life has been a blur of fabric, sewing needles, iron burns, DVR, stationery, email outreach and boutique orders.

Little, The Intern and I are hitting the road this week for our first Hems & Hers collegiate trunk show. We couldn't be more excited! We'll be in Columbia visiting the Tri Delts at USC, and we've been hustling and bustling creating garnet and black frocks, skirts and tunics as well as other fun pieces of inventory AND filling orders for THREE boutiques all due by mid-October. PHEW! God certainly is blessing this business venture, and I'm just hanging on enjoying the ride.

I've been squeezing in time at the Y anytime I can between my part time job at the stationery shop and appointments with my beloved Bernina machine. I've taken to working out beside an elderly woman whose workout ensemble of choice is a one piece bathing suit and jeans. I giggle everytime I watch her trucking it on the treadmill or bike in her sweat-ready outfit. Maybe we should start some Hems & Hers athletic wear. I'd gift it to her, because it's just so ridiculous.

In other random news, in the wee hours of the morning this morning while preparing to retire to bed I watched a baby cockroach scurry across my bedroom floor. While I am none too paranoid about bugs or insects, I cannot deal with roaches. Disgrossting. Quickly trying to determine the best weapon I could yield to exterminate this little monster (and not in the fond Lady Gaga-sense of little monsters), I considered dropping my scale on top of its body, but felt like that would make me too Kathy Bates a la Misery (truly one of the most disturbing movies of all time, closely followed by The Mummy), and swiftly rescinded. When in doubt, a shoe is always efficient and delivers a quite satisfying crunch.

This week will be a whirlwind one, so I'm prepping my lungs to be able to catch my breath when I can, but I am immensely looking forward to Friday evening because my beloved and amazingly-sorely missed Y'all & Yanks is flying down from the metropolis of Manhattan to spend the weekend with me. I can't adequately express how excited I am to see her and catch up on life, girl talk and the like. I love this lady so very much, and I can't wait for the fun in store!

My goal this week is to squeeze in some time to update Polka Dots & Protein Bars a few more times and chat about my feelings about the new Tennessee Vols head coach Derek Dooley (love) as well as my favorite parts of college football season (everything) and various and sundry other topics I formulate while pleating, hemming, tailoring and stitching.

Dearly Beloved

2010-09-01T21:15:00.006-04:00

If you've been reading my blog for a little while you'll know that the past 11 months have been extremely difficult for our family. I have lost three grandparents and an aunt, but this weekend was a fitting family celebration of a marriage in Dallas, TX. We've seen this side of the family for three of the four funerals we've attended, so we were all itching to let loose and just have some carefree fun. And that we did. I think all of us would say it was one of the best weekends we've had in a long time, and I'm still trying to re-hydrate from the 10 gallons of sweat I lost on the dance floor. One words sums it all up... amazing. I am so grateful and blessed to have the family I have.

And Some More

2010-08-30T21:21:00.003-04:00

While I work on a post about my amazingly wonderful weekend, check out the Hems & Hers winners! lookbook

Lookie, Lookie

2010-08-26T00:20:00.002-04:00

I posted some shots from last week's Hems & Hers' look book shoot on the H&H blog. Check 'em out!

Je Suis La Jeune Fille!

2010-08-23T22:55:00.002-04:00

Growing up I guess I watched a lot of TV. Or I have an incredible memory. Or both. Either way, I saw the wondrous commercial for Muzzy multiple times a day and always secretly hoped our household would be blessed with a set of Muzzy learning sets. I even took French all through school, and I think the young girl from the Muzzy commercial influenced that decision pretty mightily. While Y'all & Yanks was once again discussing the finer points of being multi-lingual and needing to find a copy of Rosetta Stone tonight, I proffered Muzzy to her yet again. Several months ago I had a similar Muzzy flashback and found the old commercial on YouTube. I immediately sent the video to my brother, who, liked me, remembered each and every word. If the commercial verbiage can stay with me for almost 20 years, I can't even imagine the brilliance that the full course could provide. Please tell me that I'm not the only one who was obsessed with this linguistic cartoon commercial. Anyone? Anyone?

False

2010-08-19T23:16:00.003-04:00

So I guess I was under the impression that once I started working for myself that life would slow down, and that I'd have more time to relax, breathe, blog... you know, the basics. Oh how wrong I was. Life, as it is wont to do, has continued to accelerate 1200 mph, and while I am truly and sincerely LOVING every second of it, my head is spinning.

I started some part-time work last week at a local stationery and gift store because I really felt the need to continue some sort of regular income. God really blessed me by opening the door, and I'm loving it so far. When I'm not at the shop I'm busy, busy, busy working with Little to keep Hems & Hers growing, and growing it has. We just had an order placed yesterday by our third boutique (this one in Chapel Hill... more on the Hems & Hers blog later this week), and we couldn't be more humbled by the feedback... and thrilled!

Over the weekend we took some time out and went to Knoxville for a family reunion... our first time back since Papaw's funeral in April. After the reunion on Saturday we headed up to his farm and started going through some of his things to decide what we wanted to remember him by. I can't explain how emotional I was to be there. I hadn't been to his house since Sis and the Beau and I visited him for the last time in March... just a few weeks before he died. Being there again, but knowing he wasn't there, and going through all the things that made him so Papaw was just overwhelming, and the grief felt brand new. After shedding my tears, I was so grateful for the opportunity to choose some things I wanted to keep of his including some amazing hats (seriously... his collection was unreal) and cowboy boots (he was a true equestrian). He wasn't a big man, and the boots fit me perfectly. I will be so proud wearing them this fall.

As soon as we got back it was back to the grind, shooting a look book for Hems & Hers on Monday. I cannot wait to share some pictures from the shoot. My sweet friend Swankypeach did so much to pull it together. I am continually blessed by the people God puts in my life!

Yesterday I bid a sorrowful adieu to Sisterectomy who moved back to Chapel Hill for her junior year. I adored every second of the time we spent together this summer (and what a conglomeration of seconds they were), and I will be missing her terribly while she's on campus being a professional Tar Hole.

Polka Dots & Protein Bars has been a lonely space over the last few weeks, but I have a list of fun incidents to share over the coming days... that is, unless this little life whirlwind scoops me right back up. I am such a happy and fulfilled girl right now!

Introducing

2010-08-12T00:15:00.003-04:00

The Beau!
I've been keeping too many details secret about the fella that's been making this girl grin for the past few months, so without further ado, meet my beaufriend!

Hometown: Kannapolis, NC
Age: Younger than me (Gasp! I'm a cougar!)
Pets: Boxer-ish mix pup named Layla Lou!
Met Each Other: At Elevation Church (we are both production volunteers) last fall
Food He's Trying Really Hard to Tolerate For Me: Sushi
Food He'd Rather Be Eating: Anything else... especially Zaxby's chicken fingers
Best Features: His baby blues, his specs, and his smile!
Favorite Movie: The Emperor's New Groove (am I kidding? Or not?), 300, The Blind Side, other masculine action flicks and more...
Occupation: Loan whiz at one of the largest financial institutions and my personal patron saint of patience
Hobbies: Church, puppy training, working out, cooking, vodka tonic and margarita mixing, music, losing to me in Wii bowling, doing amazingly thoughtful things for yours truly
Pretends to Enjoy: Say Yes to the Dress, The September Issue, Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, Project Runway, Celebrity Gossip
Would Say I'm: Not high maintenance, stubborn, or overly independent
Would Really Mean: The exact opposite of all of those things
Always: Goes out of his way to encourage me and let me know how special I am to him.

Dear Beau of Mine,
You are wonderful.
XO