Off to War

01May09

Early Tuesday morning ::

my brother left with his Army unit on their long trip to Kandahar, Afghanistan ::

Last week, my dad wrote these words on his blog: “It somehow rolls off your lips different [ly] when you say, ‘I am sending my son off to war.’ God be with them all.” He was talking about the last few moments he had with my brother before leaving the bus station in Greenville, SC, from where Chad traveled back to Fort Bragg to report back in from his leave. 

Chad’s tour is for one year. He will see places I’ve never seen. He will do things I’ve never done. And I will never understand the magnitude of of his experience. It doesn’t feel real.

Filed under: Home   |  4 Comments
Tags: brother in the army, family

Easter Dress

02Apr09

Most little girls ::

get pretty little dresses for Easter. It’s  coming out attire for a little girl in the Spring. I used to get a small bag and even white gloves with mine. And I still have one of my favorite Easter dresses from when I was around 10 or 11. Someday, I’ll let my little girl wear it. An Easter dress isn’t quite as big of a deal as the wedding dress, of course. But for most girls, having any occasion to dress up in a new dress is exciting. 

Here’s my Easter dress for this year:

It has a cherry blossom design on it! I ordered it online today, and I can’t wait for it to arrive.

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Tags: fashion

What is Goop anyway?

30Mar09

I found this on dictionary.com. 

 

 

 

 

That’s probably how most of you would define it (apart from the gamma hydrozybutyrate bit). Gwyneth Paltrow is trying to redefine the word, it seems, in her classy little webzine, which bears this word as it’s title. Here’s the front page of the website:

 Each week, Paltrow updates the newsletter with an article in one of the 5 categories listed above. She takes tidbits from her life and shares them with the rest of us.

I find most of the content mildly interesting. I have subscribed to the email updates, so I suppose that makes me a “reader.” I’ve always admired Paltrow’s acting, and it’s not hard to fancy her incredibly talented husband.

What I’d really like to know are the other kinds of people who read the GOOP material. Her celeb friends, perhaps?

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Tags: celebrity, review

Mental Imagery

26Mar09

Currently, I’m in love with this Tiffany’s advertisement ::

I saw it in the February edition of VERANDA, an interior design magazine that I picked up one day. I actually tore the page out and posted it up on my bedroom wall. I did this because this photo reminds me of some of the things I really want in life: a ring from Tiffany’s and a baby. That’s not really in the order of what’s more important, though. 

I put the photo on my wall for two reasons: the advertisement is really a lovely piece of art, and the other reason is that in order to achieve your goals, you often times have to have something in front of you reminding you of what you want. Mental imagery is a technique used by many people who are striving to meet certain goals. I’ve heard of it referenced to athletics. Athletes need to visualize what they’re supposed to do. But it goes for everyone. You need to see yourself as who you want to be before you are ever that person, before you can ever become that person. 

So, now every time I walk out of my bedroom, on the wall next to my door, I see this photo, and I see myself as the little red-haired mother with a Tiffany’s ring on her finger.

Filed under: Home, The Arts   |  3 Comments
Tags: babies, dreams, photography

GIF Files

02Mar09

GIF files are awesome. Go here.

Filed under: Technology   |  1 Comment
Tags: gif files, photos

Favorites this week so far

18Feb09

Monday was President’s Day, which meant I didn’t have to go to work. Not going to work on a weekday and it not being caused by sickness or appointment or anything else is a very good thing. This leads me to my first favorite:

The Apples in Stereo song “Go”

I can’t listen to it without getting this goofy smile on my face.

– –

I went to my husband’s facebook profile earlier tonight and saw this:

 

 

 

 

 

Do you see what I see? I had a very “wow-it’s-cool-when-random-things-in-life-line-up” moment.

– –

I hung my roses from Valentine’s Day up in our bathroom to dry.

 A dried, dead rose is just as beautiful to me as a vibrant, living one.

– –

I watched the movie The Science of Sleep last night. I loved it. From the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, french native Michel Gondry, brought a sense of child-like innonence to the way we view our dream world vs. our reality. I loved this movie. And a quote from Gondry tops my favorite list:

Every great idea is on the verge of being stupid.

It might be stupid first before it’s brilliant.

Filed under: Culture, The Arts   |  1 Comment
Tags: favorites, music, quotes, screencaps

It’s bound to melt your heart.

15Feb09

Lots of heart melting going on the past two days. Here’s why: David had flowers sent to me at work on Friday. I took photos when I got home.

The bouquet is exactly what I would have picked out: classic and elegant.  I also got a box of chocolates and a pink teddy bear that night.

Today, we slept in really late and then went to the new PF Chang’s that opened near us a couple months ago. Absolutely to die for food! And overall, quite an interesting place.

Then, the big surprise of the night was going to the Asheville Symphony Orchestra’s performance FIRST LOVES, which featured pianist Angela Cheng. My favorite was the last number, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet. Although, I couldn’t help thinking about cartoon characters during the main theme.

Filed under: Culture, The Arts   |  1 Comment
Tags: dates with my husband, food, music

Making a Dream Come True

09Feb09

I’ve realized that in order for my dream of publishing a book to come true, I’ve got to have a plan. Of course, it would be fabulous to write a perfect novel within a few months, have it picked up by Random House immediately, then be dashed away to every major talk show in the country promoting my new book and my charming personality.

That’s just a wish. A dream, however, is much more powerful and requires legitament work.

I mentioned my newfound love for podcasts recently. (Sroll down.) Well, one of them I’ve subscribed to is the popular “Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.” Back in December, Mignon Fogarty’s show highlighted a 5-step plan of action from author Scott Sigler. I think it’s so amazing that I’m going to implement that plan today.

Here’s why I’m so estatic about this. The plan is based on failure.

You’re probably wondering why I’m happy about that. Well, to be successful, you first have to overcome your failures. Step 2 is “write a bad book first.” It’s brilliant, because if I’m setting out to write a bad book and finish it, I’ll be doing exactly what it takes to write a really good one later. Writing a bad book gives me the freedom to mess up, learn from my mistakes and weak points, and get better. I have been way too hard on myself even over just one little sentence. Sigler’s 5 steps made me realize I can release myself from that kind of perfectionism. After all, if I wrote perfectly already where would the reward be?

And secondly, referencing Step 1, the plan is based on persistance, and that just makes sense.

So, for you fellow aspiring writers, I hope this helps you as much as me. I’m aware these 5 steps could take 2 years or more, but I’m okay with that. I’ve got a plan now.

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Tags: podcasts, writing

About this photo…

09Feb09

…some people on facebook wrote this:

A little boy’s charm will melt your heart.

Filed under: Points of Interest   |  1 Comment
Tags: hair, humor, me

Screen Caps and Podcasts

08Feb09

Some time this past week, I read in someone’s flickr photostream that “screen caps are the new poloroids.” I love taking screen captures, or screen shots, especially of stuff online, so I think I’ll implement them more on my blog.

Take this for instance. Today was beautiful.

It was like Spring! We ventured out to get our car that had been being worked on for the past several weeks. We now finally have both our cars. It’s incredible how mostly in America two people in a household need two seperate cars, but in England, where David’s family live, they share one car among three people. Sometimes, I fancy the idea of living in a big city where public transport is  more available. But mostly, I love my life here in Western NC.

Recently, I’ve subscribed to several podcasts on iTunes.

I’m really very excited about each of them for different reasons. Of note, I found a podcast called PODRUNNER. Each week or so, this DJ puts out a mix for your workout. I’ve mentioned my love for getting in the zone during my workouts by listening to loud music before, so now I’m excited to get in the gym again and try this music out. It’ll be great not having to flip through several songs my iPod while I’m doing my cardio since the podcasts are about an hour long!

Everyday, I find a new reason why I love the internet and technology and living in this generation.

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Tags: podcasts, screencaps, Technology, the gym