weekend of personal bests

for you, loyal readers and new followers, a new post. i feel energized. lord knows why, as i just saw the most roundabout movie i've ever seen: how do you know. no question mark in that title either. that should have been a tipoff. it had absolutely no plot, and no real resolution to a problem that doesn't really ever materialize - merely a long display of the cuteness that is reese witherspoon and paul rudd. and owen wilson, if you're into that sort of thing. so on that point, i can't complain, but wait for a boring day and order from netflix or something when you're sick or alone. just a personal comment from me to you.

1. i got all the shopping done, AND thought of a supercuteandmeaningful gift idea. yay christmas.
2. the house is sparkly and the laundry is done. not folded though. but done.

3. i danced with the law student to an avett brothers concert on tv. in pjs again. it's getting to be a habit.

4. speaking of pjs - i haven't put them on yet today. and it's after 7 pm! i've stayed dressed all day! i consider this a victory and a variation of normal routine for me.

5. we actually made it to church. football season keeps us out of town a lot, and on the weekends we are in town, we tend to be lazy and self-indulgent and skip church. it's always so refreshing to worship.

6. i didn't eat like crap and ruin a week of good decisions. well, minus that pack of twizzlers at the movie. why are twizzlers so good? i don't think they are real food, and they don't have much flavor. i guess i shouldn't question these sorts of things.

7. i managed not to puke when i cleaned up roxy's, but i did gag. the law student laughed at me. i was cleaning up yellow bile and foam and deer bone fragments violently expelled onto the rug (not the tile, of course, that would have been too easy) from the bowels of my dog, gagging, and he's laughing.

8. i organized our christmas cards. they now reside on our buffet and nestled in our tree. looks like even after going to all that trouble for that shutterfly promo for free cards, we'll be sending out new year's cards instead of christmas ones. because by then, maybe i'll have a shiny new camera.

now, it's off to put on my neglected pajamas and wrap some goodies. i hope all of you who have an extended christmas break get to enjoy it, 'cause i have to work tomorrow.

thoughts on marriage

wednesday night:

the law student and i decorated the tree together.
then we drank wine and danced to christmas music in our pajamas.


thursday night:

the law student leaned in for a hug, then burped in my hair.

why, hello there

say hi to my new follower meghan, number 22!

thanks for inflating the ol' ego. smiley face.

any other readers out there? would love to know you...

just sayin'. think about it.

look out behind you

...it's christmas! does anyone else feel like the big day is creeping up on them? in 3 fridays it will be christmas eve. 3. i'm actually going to put up my tree early this year - by early, of course, i mean before december 20th. i'm also determined to find a christmas wreath to replace the autumn one and toss the autumn gourds.

and there's a little peek into the inner workings of my mind. autumn in december? sigh.

so, naturally, i'm starting to think about gifts. decisions, decisions! if i could, i'd buy everyone just what they wanted, with no thought to cost. but i can't afford to do that - shocker. but even if i could do that, should i? is that really what christmas is?

what is christmas to you?

honestly, i fantasize about a norman rockwell-esque christmas: warmth, decorations, joy, general community peace, meaningful gifts around a big tree, all with family, the perfect blend of old-world charm, modern moderate consumerism, appropriate christian reverence and the warm fuzzies like all get-out that don't fade after the presents are opened and dishes are washed. like nothing bad could ever happen.

but that is not life. that is not our story.

modern-day christmas is different. money money money, want want want. gifts mean you care. bigger gifts mean you care more. budgets are blown, lives are hustled and bustled, hurried and scurried and scattered. that apprehension i have about christmas coming too fast overtakes us all, so much that we worry about getting ready for christmas that it blows by us and we sit down after christmas day, wondering where all the season's joy went. my personal christmas involves strategic budgeting, decoration agonization and above all, travel. i call it the starkville shuffle, because we are never one place for long. go home, unpack, sing songs, get up, pack, drive 20 minutes, eat, unwrap, unpack, drive 20 minutes, eat more...you get the idea. not to complain - i don't mind driving one bit, and i'm willing to do it to see friends and family. i just wish work and distance and time weren't always plotting against me.

gifts are another sticky spot. common courtesy implies gifts = love, and bigger gifts = bigger love, and who's against showing more love? but it's a false standard. i'd love to get baby sister every (expensive) thing on her list, but i can't. and i don't feel that i should, either. while gifts are in no way bad in and of themselves, the Gift has already been given, and the mindless madness of christmas consumerism threatens to overtake it at every sale sign, and hardly any of us need anything. so i struggle to stay in God's story of hope and redemption and caring for the poor amid the chaos of lights and layaways and gross extravagance, while still wrapping presents that will bring joy to their recipients. because what is more important than re-aligning ourselves with the true story of the hope for all the world? God gives us good gifts, and expects us to do the same.

that's what i love best about christmas - bringing joy to the ones i love, being thankful that we are able to do that, and a collective festive spirit and season of reflection where we can all find some good in the world, even if only for a short season. so if you're looking for something more eternal than wrapping paper and shiny new things, consider giving a gift with a ripple effect. i like these sites:

amazima

147 million orphans

sari bari

angel ranch

compassion international

or you could check with your local outreach programs for more ways to serve.

law student is getting out the tree today. whooo! can't wait to sip hot chocolate with only the christmas lights on, and to watch a christmas story over and over.

the end.

yep, the end of this little blog challenge thingy. i got kind of bored with it. i'm ready to get back to undictated blog musings that are funny to me, but not necessarily anyone else.

#27 - pets

awww.
of course there is the roxy. but my most memorable pets are my cat cookie,
my dog nellie and my pony almond.

#28 - something that stresses you out

making decisions, like when i'm shopping.
tax season.

#29 - 3 wishes

job for the law student
peace for several friends and their families
that this adult acne thing would quit it.

#30 - a picture

on our way to the honeymoon!

so, there you go. 30 day blog challenge complete.

days 23 - 26

#23 - favorite vacation

boston, probably. on this same vein - realized yesterday's #21 used the same picture as #1.

#24 - something you've learned

i'm not always right, but i think i am.
also, how to correctly use the + and - signs on my adding machine and that i had the alligator and crocodile mixed up.

#25 - put your ipod on shuffle, first 10 songs
this takes too long. veto.

#26 - picture of your family

our little house.

days 19 - 22

day 19 - something you miss

oh, wow. what a loaded question. in no particular order:
my memory, being skinny, msu pom, being with my friends all day long, stressless christmases that didn't involve bad feeling, fbc youth group, riding horses every weekend, being able to hang, skipping class, visiting my boyfriend in LA, my cat cookie and my dog nellie, my sisters (remember the email! you know, kind of like remember the alamo!), spring break, lost friendships, abercrombie and fitch's kid jeans, sleeping in, my grandfathers, and being called by any of my college nicknames.

day 20 - nicknames

nice segue, huh? i'm awesome that way.
my nicknames are very special to me. no one here knows them. it makes me sad.
certain friends use certain ones. very few actually call me by my given name.

lu or lulu
lala
kissey or just kiss
mckissack
little bit
lil frien
tiny one
little lauren

day 21 - picture of yourself

me in my favorite city. again, no recent pictures of myself.
i want a camera for christmas. hint, hint.

day 22 - favorite city

BOSTON! i've told you this before.

days 15 - 18

day 15 - bible verse

"see, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."
- isaiah 49:16

day 16 - dream house

don't even get me started.
i love bungalow, cottage & craftsman-style homes. must have a huge porch.
dream house is in the mountains, quiet, comfortable and liveable and impeccably decorated, completely paid for, and full of love.

day 17 - something you're looking forward to

christmas, of course! seeing the family and hopefully some friends,
and 24 hours of a christmas story, coming to a tbs near you.
also: mississippi state's bowl game over new year's with the law student.

day 18 - something you regret

hmm...usually it's something i say. also found here: my senior year of high school's haircut, not spending enough time with my grandfather, not studying abroad in college, and a few select college-era fashion choices and/or alcohol-induced antics.

day 14

#14 - a picture i love

well, i don't have these pictures scanned in anywhere. but there are two pictures that i love.

one is a baby picture of me at my grandparents' house, i think. i'm about 2. i'm wearing a t-shirt, a diaper, my daddy's cowboy boots and his red state termite trucker hat, with my passy in my mouth. i was so cute.

the other is with my pa, my mom's dad. i'm in a dress (rare), standing on the hood of a car, and squeezing his neck for all i'm worth. i had never seen that picture before this year and it's the most precious thing i've ever seen. hopefully my mother will make me a copy of that picture and frame it for me for christmas. hint, hint.

day 13

hello, my name is kissey and i'm a blog slacker.

#13 - goals

i always hated having to list goals, because that meant coming up with goals, and while i have been accused of being a type-A person, my goals are vague and modest at best. it has just never interested me in the least to think of goals and then write them down.

short-term goals - to not get pregnant in 2010, be the wife of an employed husband, control my tongue and to get in awesome, 19-year-old-self shape. oh, and visit graceland. seriously.

long-term goals - to document my life consistently in pictures, walk closely with God, not screw up my kids, paint more, watch my words, and improve my home-decor skill set.

basically, be happy and healthy with a strong family and close walk with God and do His work, all while staying skinny, of course.

shutterfly shout-out

well, apparently i jumped the gun a little. round 2.

again i say, shutterfly is giving away 50 free cards to bloggers! which is, in my one-word opinion, awesome, because i actually a) store pictures on shutterfly, b) order pictures from shutterfly, c) send out the proverbial southern-custom-required-upon-marriage christmas card, or d) all of the above. the law student begrudgingly poses, as does the roxy, but neither is happy about it.

it's super easy! sign up using this link.

here are a few favorites. obviously, i can only use cards that require one picture, because we don't have kids and trying to take 3 separate pictures of our little family might be detrimental to my marriage. also, i procrastinate and lose interest quickly.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/vintage-merry-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&fa=2&storeNode=93479

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/vintage-frame-holiday-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&fa=2&storeNode=93479

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/joy-peace-love-holiday-4x8-photo-card-4x8-photo


now, i'll tell you a little family christmas card history. this rite is, i think, required in the south. the idea has never fazed me or seemed cheesy - it's just what we did. every year, and often in matching outfits. and everyone else did/still does the same thing - they cover the fridges from thanksgiving to new year's. i remember mom signing those hundreds of cards in gold paint pen year after year, endlessly addressing them with address stickers. and now i do the same thing - one more clue that i am not, in fact, 20 anymore.

and then, there was one lady - mom's friend from high school or college or something - and she would send an entire letter - 2 pages - with updates and pictures of her kids. and it was so braggy!!! we always waited for that envelope so we could make fun of them. we still call it "the braggy letter." can't wait for this year's little treasure.

day 12

#12 - what i believe

i always say people behave the way they really believe.
but it's not always true.

John 11:27
She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son,
he who comes into the world.”

i believe God is Who He says He is.
i believe His promises and the redeeming power of His blood.
i believe the world rejects Him.
i believe my sin nailed Him to the cross.
i believe He rose and conquered the grave.
i believe He is sovereign over all.
i believe He rejoices and mourns with us.
i believe He is here with us, and He is good.
i believe Jesus saves.

it is hard to be in the world, and not of it. it is hard for me to follow God sometimes and show Him to others, like when i am tired or angry or stressed or even just lazy and selfish. i have so much sin in my heart.
it's hard to trust God when life comes crashing down around us, when i see so much pain and suffering in the world, or when i don't understand.

but He still loves me so, even with all my failure and all my doubt.
so i will choose each day to believe in the One who knows my sin and remembers it no more.

day 11

#11 - favorite tv show

our nightly activities often revolve around our favorite shows. nothing like snuggling up on the couch in our jammies with a good meal, some wine and the remote.

criminal minds, law & order: svu and law & order: criminal intent are our favorite crime dramas.

thursday nights are exclusively 30 rock and the office, unless the dolphins are playing.
like last night.

L O S T stole a lot of our free time.

our sunday nights are devoted to frozen pizza and hbo's series.
true blood, eastbound and down, big love, bored to death, entourage, boardwalk empire, curb your enthusiasm, the sopranos, the wire, treme, sex and the city (ok, just me)
can't wait for the new one! a game of thrones.
it's based off that fantasy series i'm hooked on now. see yesterday's post.

i love i love lucy - how appropriate! - and scooby doo.

but my absolute favorite show of all time? i'm pretty sure i've told you before.

the golden girls
image courtesy of television.gearlive.com

i have all 7 dvds and watch them in order repetitively.
make fun if you will. i'm not ashamed of this behavior.
jules and i often stayed in with a bottle of little penguin and these ladies instead of going out.
i miss that. for some reason, with the law student, it's not the same.

blog vomit

i feel like i've been holding back all the things i really would like to blog about, but can't because of the effort i'm putting into this blog challenge. have you seen the pictures i've put up on here?? time. consuming.

i've got to get this stuff off my chest.
so, in no particular order, general musings/rants about life incidents.


i've joined a gym, in addition to the pilates studio. here's to getting my skinny on.

the law student is still cleaning like cinderella as we wait on job leads to ripen. i'm not complaining, but i still feel kind of usurped.

i made 160 dream cookies last night. i'm going to have to frost those suckers tonight. find the recipe on my blog by clicking on the label "dream cookies."

i'm already getting excited/anxious about the upcoming travel schedule and workload for the next week, with our last home football game and thanksgiving, then back home for one more football game. we are road warriors!

i'm a little pissed at small town and its recent dog leash law incidents. just because someone fell over and broke their wrist doesn't mean my little roxyface is in any way capable of malicious, unprovoked bloodlust or general rowdiness. and who are all these people that think the park is a dangerous place because of dogs? where did y'all come from? i've been going to this park daily for over 3 years - you must be talking about some other place. they're dogs, not hellhounds from the seventh circle. they like to run. i'm pretty sure i can manage my own dog, without a police officer in a golf cart riding around to see if roxy's off her leash or not, thankyouverymuch.

i've always been sort of a closet sci-fi fan, but chose instead to tease the law student about his extensive fantasy book collections. until i started reading one series. consider me out.

whew, i feel better.

day 10

#10 - something i'm afraid of

i'm pretty sure everyone will get a kick out of this.

spiders.
being left behind after the rapture - seriously.
the thought of sky-diving or bungee jumping.
taking pregnancy tests.
the thought of childbirth.
small spaces from which i cannot run from screaming escape.

day 9

#9 - a picture of my friends

well, my camera is in ICU but thank heavens for the facebook and shutterfly.
which means, these pictures are old.

oldest friends first! ber, holls, lu and court

lil' frien' paige - wish i had pom squad pictures scanned in!

kayla and amanda, who are also bffs

beautiful blonde skinny kristi - msu spirit squads and dorm buddy

pretty sure that's the cutest picture ever of my old roomie jessica

dear andrea, who loves to have deep conversations with me

marty party picnic

favorite gchat friend (and pom squad alum!) elizabeth

cousins melanie and lauren - msu spirit squads. were. awesome.

beautiful marsey and her little bit

teeny tiny sheena! she makes me look tall.

laura and i being silly - typical

"cause we're the three best friends that anyone could have"
mandi, jules and kissey

these ladies light up my life every day. couldn't make it without you.
wish all of you didn't insist on living so far away, durn it!

thank you for being a friend.

...and can't forget oxford friends!
anne (whom i've lost to tampa), stevie, crystal and new friend megan.
shelby, you are missed.


speaking of shuttefly, let me tell you....
they're giving away 50 free holiday cards to bloggers.
true story.
use this link to sign up!

day 8

#8 - a place i've traveled to

well, there's been a few. my blog, my rules

upstate new york and gloucester, massachussetts

grammi's house

gloucester fisherman's memorial

quechee gorge, vermont

saratoga race track (have i mentioned i love horses?)

new york city with my besties

baltimore with college friends for the preakness

talladega super speedway
(also known as redneck central)
chicago with dad and the law student

wrigley field

boston

fenway with the fam

los angeles and santa barbara wine country for vacation and our 3rd anniversary
santa ynez hills

brander vineyard, santa ynez


but my very favorite place ever was
costa rica
our fabulous honeymoon destination
san jose

guanacaste province on the pacific

rainforest in arenal

the arenal volcano

best. vacation. ever.
did you know the law student planned our entire honeymoon himself?
i want to go back.