happy birthday, anna banana!

it's the baby princess's birthday. 24. time to stop counting and start lying!

birthday girl

isn't she pretty? she looks like reese witherspoon a la june carter cash.

right now she's stuck in dallas in a cold weather-sponsored state shut-down. apparently texas responds to snow much like mississippi does.

so, in honor of her day...a birthday post.

she was the biggest baby of the bunch, and had toooooons of fat rolls, but no hair. til she was 2.

her name was supposed to be marshall stephen if she was a boy, and elizabeth anne ("annie") if she was a girl. however, my grandmother insisted on calling her "elizabeth," so our mom changed her name. after she was born. true story.

she's prissy, and sassy, and loves to laugh. where rebecca and i are like midnight and high noon, anna and i are more early afternoon and late afternoon.

she's determined and smart, and sets a high personal standard for herself, her friends and her precious students.

and, her closet.

she's a fashion maven/addict, and loves all things expensive and stylish. i did not get this gene. she really must be with me whenever i make more than one clothing purchase. where i'll hem and haw, she's decisive and confident. and she's always put together to the nines. nines, i tell you!

two of anna's favorite things: couture purses and henry man

obviously, a post about anna would be incomplete without mention of henry, anna's other other half. he really is the cutest little thing, and, as you can see, always well-dressed.
when anna is at school, he likes to play dress-up. also, he refuses to potty outside when it's cold. kind of like anna. diva much?

anna's other favorite

conner is pretty much the only person who can tell anna "no," mean it, and she listens (how do you do it?!). he's really tall, so she can wear her highest heels no matter what. he also may or may not be the instigator of her bulldog betrayal. but she's been forgiven, since he actually did play football at ole miss, and how can you not cheer for your boyfriend?

so, happy birthday baby sister. you're worth every penny. i wish i lived in dallas so i could play with you all the time. i know you wanted to be an aunt for your birthday, but how about a visit from your oldest sister instead? love you so much!

untitled monday post

first and foremost, i would like to publicly thank my new followers, katie and jessica. new followers always make me happy. seriously, if you're secretly stalking me, be brave and publicly follow me. i love to know who finds me mildly entertaining. come out, come out, whoever you are!

me and jess, some years ago--reuniting soon!

so, goings-on with the langs: msu football, miami dolphin football, mother-in-law's birthday (and getting to see sweet niece olivia-bonus!), new small group, the swearing off of hard liquor (or at least whiskey), baby showers, visiting old friends and of course, waiting out the bar exam results. we get them thursday! thank you for all of your prayers and thoughts. i'm more than certain the law graduate passed, but it's nice to know for sure. i'll keep you updated.

i think back about him studying for the LSAT. he was so disciplined! then, he graduated and we got married the next weekend. i quit my job, because who wants to work the week of their wedding, and then after their honeymoon? and then, we just had to get up here to small town, so we packed up our horse trailer (yes, horse trailer) and moved completely in 24 hours. that was when we discovered this town does not sell cold beer. rebels, and hot beer? oy vey.

it was exciting and a bit scary here at first, trying to find jobs and our little niche. if you were my friend then, you heard all about it. but life puttered along here and picked up speed. we found jobs, friends and a church, and all the little secret things i love about this town. and life just sort of happened. the last three years have been great and i think we've both learned a lot--wow, just thinking about it is kind of cool! and now, at the beginning of our 4th football season here (can you tell i'm a happily converted sports fan?), we are waiting. waiting for bar exam results. waiting for a job offer. hell, even an interview would be nice. waiting for...what? i hesitate to say waiting for our life to start, because it already has. three years of school, growing, new friends, life routines, work. all these things happened, and were good, and are valuable and memorable. so while we wait, and i feel like the big door of life is almost open and i too often get caught up in the whirlwind of our future, i struggle to remember that today counts, too. we are not in limbo, we are in motion, and we have two hands and two feet to do the work of the gospel. "waiting for a job offer and subsequent new life direction" is no excuse to be idle. i'm trying to think of this as a time to sow, and to be still, and to learn and prepare.

i've mentioned we are reading the bible all the way through, haven't i? i love it. we get up early, which i hate, and pray together, and then read the chapters for the day, and then pray again. and as much as it physically pains me to get up earlier than i would like, i really crave that time with the law graduate to pray together and be in the Word together. granted, we are a week behind because of football weekends and a certain sleepyhead, but i'm glad we are doing this together. it's hard to stay mad at someone when you have to hold hands and pray with them every day.

hope this monday finds you all well. i'll be back later!

my other mother

happy birthday "mom"!

thanks for all you do. stories about other people's mothers-in-law make me want to squeeze your neck.

love you!

happy birthday, becca boo!

it's my little sister's birthday! 25 years old--man, you're almost catching up to me!
happy birthday, bubba. hope it's fabulous and can't wait to see you soon.

isn't she just gorgeous?

fun things you may already know about rebecca:

-i was the one who decided to call her "rebecca," which is actually her middle name.
-she's the funniest person you'll ever meet.
-her laugh is infectious. you can't help but laugh with her. or at her. whichever.
-she looks better with blonde hair than brunette. please don't ever do that again.
-she's always fashionable. looooooves a headband.
-she hates to be late. i think i contributed to this in high school. sorry, bec.
-she is always so hungry she could throw up. just once, i'd like to see her do it.
-she looks way cuter in a baseball hat than i do.
-she loves little kitties, but is a bit allergic to them.
-she has a million and one funny sayings that she just blurts out.
-her nickname in elementary school was laffy taffy. she hated it. and probably still does.
-she's sweet as pie, but can cuss like a sailor.
-she might possibly be the best professional babysitter ever - b-rec and the biz.
-her tan is something to be envied. she got all the dark skin in our entire family. what i can accomplish in two weeks at the beach with some serious sunning strategy, she can outdo in 2 hours at a pool. anna and i look like irish sisters, while becca could pass for another nationality in the summer.
-she's so much fun, and i miss her so much!

winding down and gearing up

well, summer is almost over. not that i get summer break or anything, and not as if mississippi weather recognizes the passing of months as incentive to adjust temperatures and humidity levels accordingly. it is so hot, and so humid you could drown outside if you break a sweat. hello, august.

the law graduate's social life has come to pretty much a screeching halt. at least while he was studying for the bar he got out of the house a little bit. okay, he only went to the library, but there were other people there. but now his routine is pretty low-key: running the trails with the roxy, job searching, reading sports chat forums, finding new low-budget historical drama series in the on demand, and completing lists of emailed househusband tasks from yours truly. that's. about. it. the couch is involved a good bit in this routine.

we are about to take our last vacation together before the new school year starts. oh wait, no one is in school this year. weird. anyway, we are headed to the hills of carolina to visit the brother-in-law and his family. our niece olivia is, in just the past few weeks, already crawling, teething and pulling up. she'll be in high school by the time we get there this weekend.

olivia

i've enjoyed the general laziness that comes with summer. it's actually too hot to do much anyway. but as it winds down, other things gear up. namely, SEC football (and in-town traffic.)

i'm so very excited. i'm throwing a shower for my friend kayla and her unnamed unborn son, and my very bestest friends, jules and mandi, are both coming to the first game the same weekend.

mandi and jules - party animals

i'm already on the hunt for the perfect game day attire, but there is a serious lack of cute maroon out there. i can't wait to see old friends, endlessly tailgate, cheer on the bulldogs and ring my cowbell illegally. and if you have anything to say opposing that, kindly skedaddle. go dawgs!!!


i've also managed to agree to teaching more pilates and/or cardio classes at the studio. why?? i taught my first cardio class last week. one girl left early, and another almost passed out at the end. fail.

speaking of gearing up, i sure hope the job market does soon. the law graduate would prefer to stay in mississippi (i'm a bit less than ambivalent), but is applying all across the lower portion of the country. right now we are waiting bar exam results (september 16), and will reevaluate after that. stay tuned for more updates.

and last but not least, today is my daddy's birthday! the big 5-5. happy birthday daddy, even though you don't read this blog. i'd love to be able to go to bristol with him this weekend to celebrate, but the niece is just too cute.

birthday girl!

so, today is 4/20. a bit of history:

it's a stoner's favorite day and the 11th anniversary of columbine. in 1853, it was the first day of the underground railroad. sales tax is due today. it's the birthday of several famous people like adolf hitler, carmen electra, napolean and shemar moore (swoon).

but more importantly, it's my friend holly's birthday!

holly and her hubby chad

holls is one of my oldest friends, and one of the few i keep up with from high school. she's loud, blunt, and knows what she wants, but is also incredibly sweet, is a country girl at heart and loves a date at little tokyo. we've been known to put away more than a few pieces of sushi. love you holly!

it's also the birthday of one of my new friends here in small town. i found this picture on facebook and think it's too funny not to share.

happy birthday, stevie! don't hate me for this picture!

survey and a side note

The Best of '09--thanks, new follower joeli.

feel free to copy and answer for yourself!

1. what did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? started nfp
2. did you keep your new year’s resolutions in '09, and have you made some for '10? can't remember 2009, and the only for 2010 is to not get pregnant, and lose these 5 pounds that came out of NOWHERE.
3. did anyone close to you give birth? jessica and sweet harper belle, and sara with olivia amy.
4. did anyone close to you die? ben's grammi, bless her.
5. what countries did you visit? none. poot.
6. what would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? more motivation and a real-world job for the law student.
7. what dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? oct. 10--little olivia!
8. what was your biggest achievement of the year? not getting pregnant or fired.
9. what was your biggest failure? not staying in shape, learning spanish or painting enough
10. did you suffer illness or injury? an infected cat bite.
11. what was the best thing you bought? yoga pants, plane ticket to tampa and wine.
12. whose behavior merited celebration? can i be generic and say tim tebow? also katie in uganda.
13. whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? that would be you, tiger woods, speidi, mel gibson, imaletyoufinish west and jon gosselin.
14. where did most of your money go? wine and gas
15. what did you get really, really, really excited about? probably something by rihanna.
16. what song will always remind you of 2009? michael jackson, duh! and lady gaga for some damn reason.
17. compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier, cause the law student only has 5 more months and i discovered textsfromlastnight.com
(b) thinner or fatter? fatter. :(
c) richer or poorer? probably poorer.
18. what do you wish you’d done more of? good, painting, sacrificing
19. what do you wish you’d done less of? talking
20. how did you spend christmas? same as this year--the starkville-columbus shuffle, and then rick's with friends.
21. did you fall in love in 2009? already there
22. what was your favorite tv program? oooh! new favorites LOST, true blood and criminal minds
23. do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? don't know. probably not.
24. what was the best book you read? franny & zooey and animal vegetable miracle.
25. what was your greatest musical discovery? ida maria and the black keys, rediscovered ben harper
26. what did you want and get? skinny jeans and a mirror for the wall, and awareness.
27. what did you want and not get? a more cooperative gi tract, awesome job and family peace
28. what was your favorite film of this year? it really might be sherlock holmes. also, food, inc., the hangover, milk and the spirit
29. what did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? i was 27, and i worked 10 hours and had a dinner i didn't really like and can't even remember what i got from the law student
30. what one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? seeing more of my friends more often, and a personal shopper
31. how would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? "anna, i have nothing to wear!"
32. what kept you sane? wine. ha! coming home to the law student, and working out.
33. which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? whatever.
34. what political issue stirred you the most? the food industry, adoption and health care
35. who did you miss? jules
36. who was the best new person you met? marty and friends from pilates! anne, stevie and jessica
37. tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. you are what you eat.
38. quote a song lyric that sums up your year. ok, i googled that. and still i have nothing.

side note: just a little insight into the female mind. when i say, "honeeeeey, i wish you wouldn't do that on that nice buffet," what i really mean is, "oh my gosh, why in the free world would you do that there? that's a nice piece of furniture! come on, ben, think! think! i know you think you just HAVE to stand in front of the tv, and can't really bear to tear yourself away from it for even just a second, but really? don't tear up the furniture. that stuff scratches."

birthday post--edited, because i've lost all track of time

today is my birthday! 23 with 4 years of experience, as i like to say. the law student gave me my birthday present last night. so now, a birthday present comparison post.

here's not-last year's present:roxy hart lang, affectionately known as
roxyface
foxy roxy
roxycontin
roxymoron
roxygirl
the rox

here's this year's present:

the humidifier

ok, so it's not the sexiest present ever. or the snuggliest (like the previous). but it's kind of awesome, in its own way. i did actually want one. it adds moisture to the air, which really helps with the law student's sinuses/allergies and our collective dry skin. it's programmable and can detect your room's humidity, and has a permanent filter (that necessitates washing, but it seems lately like that's all i ever do, so what's another?). and it makes that beautiful white noise. i also got an xm radio, but i got one for christmas from my dad (gonna have to start asking for different things from different people), so that's going back. all in all, the law student kind of rocks (rox! ha! sorry.) at birthdays.

so, happy birthday to me! and, in true fashion, it's not without its incident. i have managed to "follow" myself on my own blog. i have no idea how i did it or even how to undo it. and thank you, joeli, for becoming my 7th follower. it was a nice birthday present.

edited to add: the rox was not last year's present. i actually can't remember last year's birthday present (shhhhhh). but the comparison still stands.

best sunday ever

did that post title make anyone think of jessica simpson and her terrible song "you're my sunday?" just me? ok then. moving on.


today is a fantastic sunday, for a few reasons.

1. um, hdnet concert sundays are awesome. ben folds with guster was concert numero uno, and i'm currently rocking out to o.a.r. with a paintbrush in hand. 'cause that's how i roll. not really--i just like painting to music. more on this. (i fear, dear readers, this will be a lengthy post, as it's been unattended for too long)

2. breakfast at bbb's (big bad breakfast--overpriced and crowded, but so worth it) with the law student after a wonderful lounge-y morning in bed, of which there have been too few. my personal favorites: the with signs following, which i enjoyed today, and the dear american airlines, which features all your breakfast stars--eggs, ham, cheese and bread--cooked together, eaten with a spoon out of a little tin cup. and the fresh-squeezed o.j. is a must.

3. i'm still in my pajama pants.

****************
just want to share a few thoughts and goings-on with you on this lovely, 75-degree-july-in-mississippi-what? day. heck, it's been like this all weekend. first we get an actual spring, and now breezes in july. i must bring this up with those in charge of such things.

-there is no decent place in this forsaken little college town to get a decent hair cut, which, with all its vanity plate citizens and undergrads, annoys and confuses me. so i have to drive all the way home just for a wash and a trim. vegas, possum town, or bust. it's true. i'm so tired of hairstylists here who are able to mess up a hairstyle that consists of long layers and bangs that hit my cheekbone at an angle, and a husband who ends up looking like lloyd from dumb and dumber. seriously. the law student deserves better, don't you think?



(aaaand there's my attempt at uploading a photo into blogger. thanks for all your kind praise.)

-so, on my way home from possum town last night for above-mentioned ear-lowering, i pass the golden triangle's little gem and favorite strip bar, the pink pony. and i noticed there were a lot of minivans in the parking lot. we all know who drives those. gag me with a spoon.

-ever wonder what it is about the united states post office that drives all those female workers to get the mullet haircut? is this in their manual? take a look around next time you wander into that time trap.

-the song "whip it" is now playing on hdnet. whip it good! (ha, now it's in your head too.)

-the law student had a birthday! he's 29. i'm still 23, with a few years of experience. neither of us look even 25. so on his birthday, i promised to paint him a few canvases of his favorite sports teams and gave him a card (it was really a sweet card). on this card i write a few things, one of them being, "enjoy your last birthday in your twenties!" poor thing. he's handling it well though. i tell you that to tell you this: my mom wrote him the same thing. it's true--i am becoming my mother, and at a young age too. this is not the first occurance. once last winter, i tucked my camisole into my pantyhose (man, i hate those things. a man must have invented them). two thoughts went through my head: now, that looks better, nice and smooth, followed immediately by oh my GOD my mother does that! i also now listen to NPR programming and enjoy it, and a little AFR (american family radio) just to agitate me.

speaking of...on AFR last night on my way home, stephen baldwin and some other dude (ken mccullough or something) were duking it out over the religious conflicts of harry potter. really? harry potter? please. it's children's literature, not the paperback handbook of satan. ken doll took his wife to see it, posted it on facebook, and received assaults and judgements over his faith. and everytime a caller called in with a comment, mr. not-alec-but-stephen baldwin put words in his mouth and took it five steps to the right. no, stephen, that guy did NOT say parents could use harry potter books as a substitute for the Bible. he just simply said parents can use this, as they can use other situations with their kids, to teach them about God and what is real versus what is not. this debate issue was preceded by the topic of racism. racism and harry potter in the same conversation. which is more important? the more you fear something, the more power it has, and as christians, we do not have a spirit of fear. Christ has defeated all.

*disclaimer: i have not read the books (simply because i did not want to give in to trends or sensationalism--same goes with that whole twilight series, which seems far more sinister for a few different reasons) but have seen the movies and talked with others who have read the books, and seriously doubt these stories are evil/the gateway to the occult. i also do not have problem with parents being careful of what their children see/read.

(ahem...stepping down from soapbox now)

-it's 4:37 p.m. and i am still in pajamas. aaaaaahh.....

******************
hobbies

two current hobbies are pilates and the mid-town farmer's market on wednesdays and saturdays.

pilates is my new exercise of choice. it's fantastic for toning. you should see my arms, and i have abs again. my sisters are jealous. and i'm totally into it and would love to get certified. i'm teaching a class this summer, along with a dance class, so i always have to give the disclaimer and ask the class to please not hurt themselves. i hurt myself. i have a jammed sacral-iliac joint on my left side, which will now involve a few weeks of hydroelectric therapy (feels awesome) and some stretching to get me back on track, literally. dad (steve, the life professional) took me to his "bare-bones" chiropractic (fitting description) after my hair cut for a second opinion. i got adjusted all over the place--my back, my sides, and worst of all my neck-i'm always afraid of getting paralyzed. cowboy chiropractor literally had his knee on top of mine and jerking me back and forth. and then i got buffed. he had this large hand-held vibrating massager that he rubbed all the way up my back to my head. it all felt nice, and that little spot doesn't hurt when i bend over anymore, but i'll take that heated massaging water bed any day, thanks.

i try to go to the farmer's market every week. i'm really into eating locally grown food and eating healthy, non-hormoned, non-pesticided, non-processed foods, after reading animal vegetable miracle (see post here). at the market there is a large selection of fresh vegetables (way fresher than anything you'll find at the grocery store), pasture-fed beef, pork and poultry, free-range eggs (free-range as in chickens running around the yard, not free-range the legal definition which only allows for a door to the outside), herbs and now straight-from-the-cow, home-pastuerized sweet jersey cow milk. whole milk, with cream on top. it's like drinking a milkshake. it is sooooooooo good. a bit expensive ($5 for a half-gallon) but very comparable to organic milk* at the grocery store.

*which, by the way, is only called organic because they feed the cows organic feed, not because they let those cows roam around and eat grass like they are supposed to.

well, it's 5 o'clock here, which means i need to get on with a few things: canvases, cleaning up a bit after the law student and myself, and maybe dinner. dad always sends me home with meat and yesterday it was steaks and jumbo shrimp. i'll try to eat us out of house and home until friday, when we head to chicago with dad to see wrigley field. maybe i'll finally give him his father's day present.


hope you enjoyed catching up! now you can go rest your eyes.