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.

days 5, 6 & 7

siblings, happiness and movies. i'd say those three things go together nicely.

#5 - the sisters.

baby sister/princess anna, middle blond sister becca, and bossy oldest sister

love these ladies. we used to fight like cats and dogs, but now i talk to one or both of them at least twice a week. anna is my little doppleganger, while becca and i are night. and. day.

becca - blond, funniest person you'll ever meet, lover of fun times, traveling and kitty cats.
anna - sassy, prissy and sweet, fashion guru/clotheshorse and a sucker for puppy dogs on the side of the road.

they are my two most very favorite people, and i miss them lots.

#6 - picture of something that makes me happy

image courtsey of lisa dearing photography

a horse, of course! i. love. horses. always have. model horses, my little ponies, black beauty, horse wallpaper border in my room, drawing horses, owning horses, riding horses...i'm obsessed. like i've stated before - if i could be a horse, i would. i think they are the most beautiful, elegant, powerful and respectable animals in the world. there is something equal parts mysterious, gorgeous, sensitive and wild about them.


#7 - favorite movies

for you, readers, a list.

-father of the bride, I & II
-french kiss
-the lord of the rings trilogy
-the goonies
-a christmas story
-jaws
-star wars IV, V & VI (you know the old ones)
-can't hardly wait
-10 things i hate about you (can't really explain this one, but there you have it)
-and pretty much anything with john cusack

there are, obviously, other movies i enjoy but these i can watch over and over.
the law student doesn't really like to watch movies more than once.
i think that is weird.

day/item 4

well, i'm glad to see i can stick to something for at least 4 days...besides ice cream. i've worked out AND blogged for four days straight. this is good news for everyone involved. i'll consider you impressed.

#4 - the parents

my parents were married for 25 years, but now divorced. it makes for hectic holidays. but i love them all the same.

mama first. my doppleganger and wielder of undue influence over my neurotic tendencies and general life habits, much to my occasional chagrin. she's tiny and cute. she was a delta gamma, like me, but quit, also like me. she cheered in college (me again). so many things about her i either already do, or want to do, like not looking my age, grow huge bushes of basil (hey! new use for the glass jars!), decorate (and redecorate) homes, cook fabulous meals... mom, this is weird. stop it.

and then there is daddy - fun-loving, wise-cracking, stubborn and cynical daddy. he loves his lab rowena, back rubs, traveling with his daughters to see baseball parks, and is always up for a good time. he taught me to ride horses, wash cars, and work ethic.


wouldn't be here without ya, folks. love you very, very much individually, even though i wish things were different sometimes.

day 3

ok, i think i'm going to stop titling these posts as "day..." because i can imagine i won't keep it up daily. just a little foresight/knowing myself.

#3 - my first love.

hmmm....horses, obviously. drawing horses, more specifically. but i doubt that is the point of this post. i don't remember the first guy i thought was cute, but i know these guys were included.

leonardo dicaprio, naturally
ben savage
jonathan brandis
damon from the mickey mouse club

don't judge.

while i was making that list, the lightbulb went off. how could i forget him?

imave via thezaz.nationallampoon.com

zack morris, you were many a girl's first true love.

imave via justjared.buzznet.com

but my first real, honest-to-goodness true love? the law student, of course.



hollywood, you're my favorite. forever and always.