Could Hold You Forever

2009 is going to be a FANTASTIC year!

Half Past

It's finally Christmas time! I was a good elf this year. I sent Christmas cards, baked Christmas cookies, drank egg-nog, brought clothes to Goodwill - and it's not even Christmas Eve yet! But, all of it is for the real spirit of giving and being with the people that give you strength. That's what makes it fun.

Even though Christmases are changing in my family, new beginnings are just as exciting. So cheers to you and cheers to Christmas!

Breath Before the Phrase

I used to think it was too soon. I used to think that I met him too soon. I didn't have time to live the life that was standard of a college co-ed. How silly I was to think that way.

Now I know, that I met him at the perfect time. He pulled me from the past where I lived in memories, to the present where we grew up together and now to the future when I look at him and see home.

Sweeping romances are for movies. My romance was slow, step-by-step, steady. We didn't have intense kisses in the rain, but we had millions of good-bye kisses and hello hugs. We didn't sweep each other off to foreign countries, but our hearts broke when separated by continents and oceans. We fell in love slowly, weekend by weekend, song by song and prayer by prayer.

And we are falling slowly still, into a lifetime of commitment. I admit I want to rush sometimes, want to experience everything I've dreamed of, but I forget that God is teaching me along the way, that by spinning so fast, you lose the rhythm of the song. You miss the most important beat.

It's almost my turn. Our turn. And then it will feel fast. But, if I've learned anything, it's that we didn't meet too soon, we met at the perfect time. It gave us this much time to realize God's amazing blessing.

Have You Ever Felt This Way?

Have you ever thrown a fist full of glitter in the air?
Have you ever looked fear in the face
And said I just don’t care?

It’s only half past the point of no return
The tip of the iceberg
The sun before the burn
The thunder before lightning
The breathe before the phrase
Have you ever felt this way?

Have you ever hated yourself for staring at the phone?
You’re whole life waiting on the ring to prove you’re not alone
It’s only half past the point of oblivion
The hourglass on the table
The walk before the run
The breathe before the kiss
And the fear before the phrase

Have you ever felt this way?

There you are, sitting in the garden
Clutching my coffee,
Calling me sugar
You called me sugar

Have you ever wished for an endless night?
Lasooed the moon and the stars and pulled that rope tight
Have you ever held your breath and
asked yourself will it ever get better than tonight?
Tonight...

-- "Glitter in the Air" Pink

Look A Lot Like...You Know

Christmas has come to Baton Rouge. The snow has actually fallen, I've shopped at Macy's and Christmas tree found its way into my apartment and little elves have wrapped their hearts away to fill it with presents.

I love buying and giving presents. I could do it all day. Buy, wrap, give. Buy, wrap, give. I love the rush of finding the perfect present for someone. Putting the extra thought into an otherwise mundane "chore."

Jason thinks I should puruse this idea for a business. So, if anyone has more Christmas shopping to do and wants my help buying, wrapping and giving, I'm open for business!

Something I Rely On To Get Home

Stephanie's Top 5 Things to Do This Weekend

5. Recycle all old magazines

4. Address and send all Christmas cards

3. Bring bags to Goodwill

2. Clean off my desk (yikes!)

1. Get a Christmas tree!

Christmas through the years at LSU:

Smiling's My Favorite

Not much to write about lately. Am I uninspired? Or uninterested?

Either way, it's finally Christmas time. And I took the opportunity to decorate my apartment tonight and even though it's not finished, it is definitely well on it's way. I want my house to look like a Christmas workshop, because what other time of year can decorate like crazy, and be considered normal?

Filling Up the Room

It's Thanksgiving time! It's a holiday that is often overlooked by Christmas approaching, but it's a great chance to be with family and to remember exactly what keeps us thankful and grounded. I love fall decorations and have tried to make my apartment as festive as possible.

But Christmas is close behind, and I'm very proud to say I've already finished a lot of my shopping. Hopefully, I don't forget what I bought everyone and then buy another present. That would be a typical move on my part. :)

Still Need To

I still love you
I still want to
I still need you
After all...

For better or worse
Sickness and health
Til death do us part
After all...


-- After Afterall, William Fitzsimmons

To Show My Love

From BrandChannel.com, Church Brands See the Light of Branding

Just like private organizations, churches have specific missions, particular atmospheres, and diverse but often unique congregations. Churches must promote their brands to the rest of the world, and do so via websites, fliers handed out on street corners by volunteers, church-sponsored coffee houses, movie nights, and Bible study groups. But unlike other organizations, branding efforts go beyond advocating the church's name and reputation—they are a part of the holy mission itself...

Read the full article, here.

I'll wait

Even though I don't feel like we should be told what to do by celebrities, and even though I don't agree with some of their views in this video, it is a good video reminding you that no matter what you believe, or how you want this election to go. You have the right to vote.

Don't listen to the celebrities, listen to yourself, and resolve the choice for you. Even if the election doesn't go the way you planned, by voting you give yourself the right to continue to fight for what you believe in.

And remember, God is in control of this election. He knows exactly what is happening and how it will better his children. I have faith that no matter the outcome, we are safely and securely in the arms of the only leader that truly matters. So pray, and then vote.

As Long As

I was thinking about my favorite songs the other day. And I realized that out of my top 5 favorite songs of all time, I've seen ALL of them LIVE! That's a pretty good record.

1. All For You - Sister Hazel

2. Counting Crows - Rain King

3. Jewel - Foolish Games

4. Love Song for a Savior - Jars of Clay

5. Let Her Cry - Hootie and the Blowfish

Midnights in Winter

Did I walk away, or was I pushed?

I've Got My Memory

It's really strange how self-aware I have become lately. Maybe it's the book I am reading, or maybe because it's starting to get really cold, either way there is a crispness to how I feel and think. I sometimes feel like I'm watching myself from the outside in. Instead of me being the person sweeping the porch, it's like I'm watching myself sweep the porch. I'm very aware of every action and every movement. I think it might be because I'm finally to a point where that matters. I'm no longer self-absorbed, but more so aware of the fact that every action there is a reaction. And my own personal actions, can cause some strange reactions.

Stephanie's Top 5 Things To Do This Week
5. Get Sadie a bath and a haircut
4. Work out at least once
3. Clean out my work emails so that I have less than 100 in my Inbox (I've deleted 4,000 this week already)
2. Finish The Dive From Clausen's Pier
1. Become less self-aware, and more blissfully ignorant of this crazy world

Chinese Dr Pepper?

From AdAge.com - G N' R delivered the rock, now Dr Pepper has to deliver the pop.

Earlier this year, Dr Pepper promised to give one can of soda to every American if Guns N' Roses delivered its latest album, "Chinese Democracy." It seemed a safe bet to observers at the time. The album had been so long in the making (17 years) that it was more a punch line than a realistic expectation. Now, it's official. The album will be released at the end of November, meaning Dr Pepper's promise is coming due.

The event is already garnering plenty of buzz for both the band and the soda. Then again, from a business point of view, the deal raises as many questions as it answers. The album is being released exclusively at Best Buy on Nov. 23. Dr Pepper just happens to have 23 magical flavors. Further, PR shop Ketchum also represents both Best Buy and Dr Pepper. Numerous calls to Dr Pepper were unreturned. Ketchum directed calls to its client.

Time to honor pledge

"We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, VP-marketing at Dr Pepper, said in a statement. "But now that it's here all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us." Dr Pepper plans to give out the soda through a couponing strategy.

Consumers will need to register at the brand's website for a coupon that can then be redeemed at any retailer that sells Dr Pepper. The coupons, which are limited to one per person, will only be available for 24 hours beginning after midnight on Nov. 23. A back-of-the-napkin equation would put 300 million cans of soda (which wholesales in the range of 55 cents a pop) at about $165 million.

They Tell You To Be Patient

Things are clear. Conversations about me and Jason's future together have continued. And they are good. They are great and wonderful. God has a plan, and there is a reason we have waited this long, and there will be reasons for why we continue to wait. But things are clear, and wonderfully moving forward.

All I See

There comes a time
A time in everyone's life
When nothing seems to go the way
When nothing seems to turn out right

There may come a time
You just can't seem to find your place
For every door open
There seems like you get two slam in your face

That's when you need someone
Someone that you, you can call
When all your faith is gone
You feel like you can't go on

Let it be me
Let it be me
If it's a friend that you need
Let it be me...

-- Ray LaMontagne, Let It Be Me

Too Good to Be There

Start over again

So....LSU took a little tumble this weekend, well, a big tumble. But we all fall and I know this will be a wake up call proving to this team that, (and to quote It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium) they "don't walk through the rain drops anymore." And congrats to Florida for being as classless as they claim LSU to be. I hope you sink in your swamp. The end.

Today is Sadie's birthday! Two years ago, she was born, one of 6 to a mother under a fruit stand, and today, she is the spoiled chia pet I call my roomie. She has kept me company through a very lonely summer and a year after that, so here's to more years of frantic hydrogen peroxide nights and Kashi cereal bar-eating days.

Uncommitted Voting

I bought a pumpkin! I haven't decided yet if I am going to carve it or just draw on it. But I like the fall decorations that I've put around my apartment. It adds a little flavor and a lot of calming vibes.

Work has been non-stop lately. It seems like we turn one page and complete a project, you have 20 more waiting for you start, or finish, or work on, etc. It gets a little tiresome, and I'm finding new ways to calm my anxiety -- starting with deleting all 4,000 emails in my inbox. It might be a good start.

I've also decided to get one chore done everyday. Not overwhelm myself with getting it all done on the weeekends, but taking one day at a time, focusing on one task, and slowly cleaning my way through the clutter.

Yesterday, I went to the grocery store. Today, I washed and folded all the mounds of dirty clothes. Tomorrow, schedule Sadie for a grooming appointment. The list can continue, but it doesn't feel as overwhelming if I take it one day at at time.

Ladies and gentlemen, my pumpkin:

Never ends

I love this weather. Cool in the mornings but warm in the afternoons. It's niiiice.

We went to the Jewel/Brad Paisley concert last night and it was great! Jewel was amazing as I thought she would be. But her voice is ten times stronger than you would htink. She's got some pipes. And Paisley was really great too, he played all the good ones. So we had a good time and great seats!

I Suppose I Always Will

Sway with me for one more dance
And holding me closely, meet my eyes
And I would ask for nothing more

I'm asking for another chance
To my own infiinite surprise
I've never moved like this before

It only remains to say I love you
And I suppose I always will...

-- Blues Traveler, What Remains

Filling Up the Room

[No Time To Stop For Sunsets]
9.27.08

Through the door, and past the window
Behind the screen and above the floor
Around the world and up the street

Click, click through the day
Send, receive, repeat
Ring, beep, ring, take notes
You'll probably miss it all anyway

Down the stairs, on the sidewalk
Drive by the river for the fastest way
Don't forget to remember this is everyday

Wash, scrub, sweep and mop
Walk, dust and reply-to-all some more
Plan, post-it and track
Remember the dollar that it's all for

Keep going, keep driving, pedal push
Run the yellow light so it won't slow you down
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go

There is no time to stop for sunsets.

Move it Like That

Communicating and Connecting

Date 3 of 10 Dates Before You Say I Do...all about how to communicate best with your partner. I think me and Jason have this down already, we talk more than you could imagine about our "feelings." Let's just get married, dangit. :)

I have a busy couple of weeks coming up, but all fun things. LSU game, 2 concerts, BBQ, New Orleans trip, and so on and so on.

It's nice to have things to look forward to lately. More than just "oh hey, that report is due tomorrow" or clocking in over 30 hours of overtime in the last few weeks. Coffee shops and fall nights remind me that I am still fun and carefree at heart, even if I wear heels and sport a day planner during the day.

I have also fallen in love with Corporate Express, office supplies heaven!

Crazy Loco!

From SI.com:

AUBURN, Ala. -- Gary Crowton looked at the clock late Saturday night and figured he could call one more pass. Sure, the LSU offensive coordinator could have kept feeding tailback Charles Scott, could have kept the ball in the middle of the field, could have kicked a nice, safe field goal and beaten a top-10 opponent in its own house. Instead, he chose to beat that top-10 opponent and post a warning sign big enough for the defensive coordinators at Georgia, Florida and Alabama to see.

With a little more than 70 seconds on the clock, Crowton ordered Jarrett Lee -- the tosser of one crippling interception already -- to look for Brandon LaFell in the flat. Auburn bunched tight, waiting for the inevitable Scott burst up the middle. It never came. Lee hit LaFell, who boogied into the end zone and ripped out Auburns' still-beating heart. Doubtless, Willie Martinez, Charlie Strong and Kevin Steele, the aforementioned coordinators, took note. "The next time we get in that situation," Crowton said with a sly grin, "they're going to have to play more defense."

Translation: In a tight clash of SEC heavyweights, be prepared for anything, because LSU is loco.

We really didn't need Saturday's 26-21 heart-attack inducer to figure that out. Last year's win against Auburn, when LSU, down one, declined a reasonable field-goal attempt for a shot at the end zone that easily could have sapped the remainder of the clock, told us all we need to know about Crowton and his boss, Les Miles. No, Saturday taught us more about the beast of a conference Crowton and Miles hope to slay. That lesson is this. The meek shall inherit the earth, but they will not win the SEC.

Saturday began with five SEC teams in The Associated Press top 10. Now that No. 6 LSU has dispatched No. 10 Auburn, that number will drop to four. Now, pull out your day planners and get ready for some viewing recommendations.

Sept. 27: Alabama at Georgia, Oct. 11: LSU at Florida, Oct. 25: Georgia at LSU, Nov. 1: Florida vs. Georgia in Jacksonville, Nov. 8: Alabama at LSU.

This is going to be an absolute bloodbath. We should expect no less from a conference that embraces the spectacle of a War Eagle flying into a stadium, landing at the 50-yard line and gobbling two live mice while 87,541 people go berserk. The SEC is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. The tree- and mouse-huggers can stay over in the Pac-10.

First-year Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin should know this. He once coached at Kentucky, which occasionally played against the league's power teams. But when Auburn got the ball with a 21-20 lead and 5:32 remaining Saturday, Franklin played it safe. Auburn needed to move the ball down the field and drain the clock. If Auburn couldn't score again, it at least needed to bury LSU so deep on its own end of the field that the Bayou Bengals could hear the hiss with every shake of the blue-and-orange pom-poms Auburn fans receive at birth. Franklin called handoff, safe (albeit incomplete) pass, handoff. After a shanked punt, the defending national champs had the ball on its own 46 with four minutes to play.

Miles, whose team won a few of these games en route to the title last year, never had a doubt. "Our guys play in tight quarters," he said. "That's this league. That's how we were raised."

Lee, the redshirt freshman quarterback, was raised rooting for John Elway. Now he'll always be remembered for a Drive of his own. But before we get to that flat pass to LaFell, let's revisit the first time Lee threw into the flat Saturday. Trailing 7-3 in the second quarter on a night when it seemed the first team to double-digits would win, Lee called for the snap quickly before the defense could get set. He'd expected Auburn to unleash hell, because, well, this is the SEC and that's what SEC defenses do. Instead, most of the men in blue dropped back. Lee looked downfield, but he never saw defensive end Gabe McKenzie peel away from his blocker and retreat. Lee threw a pass that should have been slathered in orange sauce. "I guess it was just little butterflies," Lee said. "I was a little anxious." McKenzie thrust a paw into the air and speared the ball, returning it 24 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead.

Starter Andrew Hatch returned immediately. LSU coaches would say later that they fully intended to bring back Lee at some point, but it didn't seem that way when the third quarter began. It looked as if LSU would pin its comeback hopes on a defense full of genetically freakish former seven-star recruits and an offense led by Hatch, a Harvard transfer whose last start on the road came against Yale. Yale's JV, that is. But Hatch didn't get the chance to make the Ivy League proud. Midway through the third, Auburn cornerback Jerraud Powers rang Hatch's bell after a 5-yard run. Any comeback would have to be led by Lee. "The great thing about competitive people is that it's not about the last play," Miles said of Lee. "It's about the next play."

On Lee's next play following the interception, he fired a 16-yard dart to Richard Dickson to convert a third-and-4. Three plays later, Lee stood tall as Auburn linebacker Spencer Pybus targeted him. Lee couldn't see Pybus, but he certainly could feel the impending crunch. Still, Lee waited. Finally, a fraction of a second before Pybus tattooed him, Lee lofted a 39-yard touchdown pass to Chris Mitchell to cut the deficit to 14-10. Minutes later, Lee flicked an option pitch to back Keiland Williams, who stopped and tossed a rainbow into the waiting hands of Demetrius Byrd to give LSU a 17-14 lead.

Down 20-14, Franklin's spread offense -- which is available to high school coaches for the low, low price of $3,495 -- began to look like something worth buying. Auburn had managed to exploit LSU's aggressiveness a few times in the first three quarters, but never more than once in a possession. That finally changed midway through the fourth quarter. As quarterback Chris Todd ran for his life on the drive's first play, LSU's defensive backs relaxed, confident they'd just assisted in a coverage sack. They never saw Auburn receiver Tim Hawthorne drift beyond them until after Todd ducked a tackle and fired for a 58-yard gain. Two plays later, Todd's fade pass dropped over the shoulder of safety Danny McCray and into the hands of Robert Dunn for a 15-yard touchdown that gave Auburn a 21-20 lead with 6:40 remaining.

As Auburn fans filed out of the stadium, several complained at high volume about the chances of Franklin's offense succeeding in the SEC. They should relax a bit. The same offense that produced a whopping three points in a pitcher's duel win last week at Mississippi State scored two touchdowns and gained 320 yards Saturday against the nation's most athletic defense. That's quite a one-week improvement. "We took a major step forward," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said.

If Auburn's offense continues to get better, the Tigers could make life miserable for the rest of the teams on their schedule. In fact, by the time Auburn goes to Tuscaloosa for the Iron Bowl on Nov. 29, the Tigers may be back in the top 10. That's something else LSU taught us last year. Though SEC teams throw haymakers at one another, the league is not a knockout pool. One loss is not the end.

But in this series, it does leave the losing team with a considerable climb. Since 2000, the LSU-Auburn winner also has won the SEC west title six times. Want some more history? LSU's Scott, who finished Saturday with 132 yards on 21 carries, is the first LSU player to ever rush for 100 yards at Auburn. "Right now, I'm thinking it was the hardest 100 yards of my life," Scott said. "They have a great defense."

Any rational coordinator would, out of respect for that defense, have told Scott to keep running the ball between the hash marks. But this is LSU, and Crowton would have drawn the ire of an entire team had he played it safe. On the sideline during that final offensive possession, LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson watched and waited. Asked later if he'd hoped his team would just kick the field goal and hand the defense the lead, Jackson was emphatic. "No way," he said. Jackson wanted Crowton to go for the jugular. And so, with an eye toward a future that he hopes will include a shot at a second consecutive national title, Crowton told Lee to look for LaFell in the flat.

"It was just pitch-and-catch from there," Lee said.

He Brings Peace to Our Madness

I found this link today on 2theadvocate.com about the Cinderella Project, which is an initiative to collect "gently used" prom and formal dresses to donate to girls who can't afford a prom dress.

I think it's a great idea! I have a ton of dresses that I could give away, they are only collecting dust in my closet, so why not give it to someone who would appreciate it a lot more?

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/28605389.html

Along the Way

I took my first deep breath of Fall last night. There is always a moment when the seasons change to cooler weather that you can take a very big deep breath and feel the air changing. It was so great!

I have been cleaning out my closet, finally. I accumulate so many things over the year that I don't need and it feels nice to get it all out of there. I don't have much space to work with in my apartment anyway, so the less junk the better.

I Tried to Improvise

My recent playlist:

Only Get Worse

There's a distinct feeling in the air. The hurricane winds, so different than normal wind, are still blowing through the hot, sticky September air. You drive down historic roads, and see tree after tree twisted to the ground. Hanging power lines and four-way stops litter the traffic-filled roads.

Hurricanes used to be fun. There was a type of adventure associated with them. No school! No worries! Just watch it rain, and wait for the go-ahead to get back to normal life. The mystery is gone. Now, hurricanes only mean long lines at the gas station, waiting your turn at the blinking traffic light and stress about what if I get caught where I can't get away?

I guess this is part of how life turns from fantasy to reality. Hurricanes are just one roaring way that life reminds you that it's sometimes unforgiving. Just as the wind is unforgiving to shallow roots, so is life unforgiving to fragile hearts.

But God is faithful, and he will plant more trees and return the rabbits to the small forest area by my apartment. He will also watch as the wind whips the storm-weary trees, and he will watch over me as I take it day by day, work hour by work hour until I find His plan for my life. Who knows, maybe hurricanes are another way he reminds us that he is control. He is in control of even the scary things like hurricanes, not making the rent payments and facing another day in a place that quiets your creativity.

God is faithful, and you can almost hear His voice in the distinct rush of hurricane winds.

Shouldn't Have Worn That Dress

How cool is this!? RENT has closed on Broadway, but they filmed it and it is showing in movie theaters all over the country -- including film from the closing night!

Such a great idea -- who wants to come with?

Gustav, Going, Gone!

So Hurricane Gustav, the long lost bastard brother of Katrina descended upon Louisiana in full force and left us scratching our heads (in the dark) about why the heck we still choose to live here.

Well, so many answers come to mind with that question. And it all boils down to, there is no where in this world that someone can go from a packed 92,000-fan LSU football game to a contraflow evacuation within hours -- and that's a pretty cool thing. Plus, the food is pretty amazing too.

Louisiana has been hit again, but we'll bounce right back up, just as we always do. It has been an interesting past week, working out of make-shift offices, driving between here and home, surviving on a generator. But, it does make you grateful for things we do have and the joy that can fill our lives if we let everything around us be still for just a moment, and we actually listen the people we love.

Stephanie's Top 5 Things to Do this Week:

5. Push Hurricane Ike away from Louisiana
4. See Hamlet 2
3. Run the air conditioner on 50 degrees to forget how hot it has been with no electricity
2. Buy Jason the best birthday present ever
1. Celebrate Jason's big 24!

Three years ago, today

A little journey through time and space, or what I like to call:

Jason and Stephanie: A Tale of Aweseome-ness

First real event as a couple, freshmen year at LSU:

One year anniversary:

First year together:

Last game in Tiger Band:

Junior Year Formal:

Almost 3 years together:

And now, four years later:

Waiting for the Tide to Turn

I wasn't looking for a lifetime with you
I never thought it would hurt
Just to hear, I do and I do
And I do a number on myself
And all that I've thought to be
And you'll be the one who just left me undone
By my own hestiation

For the million hours that we were
I'll smile and remember them all
Then I'll turn and go
Our story's completed
Mine, it's a long way from done

I'm on a champagne high
Where will I be when I stop wondering why
On a champagne high...

Spring turned summer, then winter turned mean
Distance seemed right at the time, it was best
To leave, and to leave behind
What I once thought was fine and so real to me
And while I'm still down on my quest for my song
I'm at your clebration

And for the million hours that we were
I'll smile and remember them all
And then I'll turn and go
Our story's completed
Mine, it's a long way from done

-- Sister Hazel, Champagne High

I Say Hello

It's game week!

The faithful tigers are gearing up for the first battle of the season. It's a blood line here, how deep the love for LSU goes. Also, how it's amazing how stressful football season is for everyone. Well, for me. My heart lives in knots during the Fall watching the games of a lifetime. I have faith that this season will be no less than extraordinary, once again and it's always a GREAT time to be an LSU tiger.

In other words, I'm working out again and it does feel good. No more buying bigger pant sizes for me!

I've been at LED one whole year - feels like a lifetime.

This YouTube clip from Scrubs was played in church Sunday morning in conjuction with the service about lasting friendships. I thought it was pretty great.

Wild and Crazy

Long time, no talk right?

Life has been going fast lately. Work all day, try and be productive at night. After all of the goodbyes, those that are left standing still have to go day by day and make it through what's left.

So what's left in Baton Rouge?

-- a new football season!

-- a 10-week dating guide before you say "I do"

-- girls nights to ease the pain

-- no promotions at work - but maybe next year?

-- new books

-- renewed leases

-- the smell of magnolias and oak trees

Geaux Tigers!

Goodbyes and Goodnights

Life goes fast.

Don't let it slip by you.

Leave Today to Yesterday

"Nothing matters more than knowing God's purpose for your life, and nothing can compensate for not knowing them - not success, not wealth, not pleasure. Without a purpose, life is motion without meaning, activity without direction and events without reason." --Purpose Driven Life

Paninis

I want a panini maker. I find myself always ordering a panini or a pressed sandwich almost everywhere I go. I could save a lot of money buying one for myself and making them at home.

Saw an old friend this week. Made me miss friends from back home. I moved away and made friends with a group of people that were all friends in high school. Listening to their stories all the time make me miss those people who knew me before LSU. It's good to stick to your roots.

Treasured Over All Creation

You’ve been waiting on an answer
To something that’s been on your mind
They tell you to be patient
That all will be revealed in time

So you keep on treading water
waiting for the tide to turn
and wondering all the while
when will it get easier?

Come tomorrow
Come tomorrow
Come tomorrow
and leave today to yesterday

You’re well aware of what you’re missing
You count up every sacrifice you’ve made
But don’t you ever stop believing
that it’s worth it all someday

Come tomorrow
and leave today to yesterday...

--Juliet Lloyd, Come Tomorrow

All Those Boys

The National Fatherhood Initiative:

More than 79% of Americans feel "the most significant family or social problem facing America is the physical absence of the father from the home." Research shows that the lack of a father in the home correlates closely with crime, educational and emotional problems, teenage pregnancy, and drug and alcohol abuse.

In an effort to show dads the critical role they play in their children's lives, the Ad Council has partnered with the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse and volunteer ad agency Campbell-Ewald to create a new PSA campaign that communicates to fathers that their presence is essential to their children's well-being. The campaign provides fathers with the information they need to become better dads.

I think this one of the funniest commercials I have seen in a while:
Fatherhood - Cheerleader

www.fatherhood.gov

It's Laundry Day

I am in a constant state of moving. Me and Liza have always joked we lived in nomadic existence, moving in and out of the dorm, sorority house, apartment here, apartment there, and so on. Even though I'm not the one technically moving this time, everyone around me is, which always leads to nostalgia and teary moments in empty rooms.

I have been immensely blessed in my life. I have been surrounded by a great family, amazing friends and have been lucky enough to find those friends that become your family. LSU was a scary place to go alone, but I walked into the right elevator and sat by the right friend in Biology class. And from then on, I was introduced to the most wonderful people. I have girlfriends that are there for the girls nights, and there for the girl talks. I have guy friends who pick me up when they hug me and are my saving grace when I have to pick up heavy things.

I have a very hunky and loving boyfriend, who teaches me how to be happier and happier everyday. And I have an amazing family, who as I grow older, I realize are now not only family, but friends.

This is a crazy world we live in, so I hope everyone has the anchor to hold you down to this spinning rock of a world we live in, just like I do.

Love Can Be

These Harry Potter movies get scarier and scarier:

http://news.aol.com/entertainment/movies/article/let-the-potter-hysteria-begin-again/108108

But it looks very good :)

Ten Feet Tall

Time flies. Even when I try to stop it by filling my days with fun activities and remembering every moment, it still goes fast. It's almost the end of July! Crazy!

I've been cleaning out my new office, trying to get everything ready for the new girl coming to the office and it's amazing what can be thrown away. I think it's a good lesson to me, that the world doesn't end when I throw away a box of things I thought would be important. Just chunk it, get rid of it, cleanse your space. I should take notes and move this cleaning spree over to my apartment - or better yet, my room back at home.

I would create a new Top 3 things to do this week, but last week's to-do has rolled over.

Hello Dolly

As terrible and catastrophic as hurricanes are, I can't help but really like the moments right before the storm hits. It is very quiet, very eery and you can just feel the power of the storm on the horizon. Growing up in Louisiana, hurricanes became commonplace, always around, forcing plans to change, Homecomings or weddings to be moved. It's a familiar catastrophe. I was never truly threatened by them living far from the Gulf, but as we saw with the storms of 2005, hurricanes are not quiet things. They are strangely poetic, as close to a world-wide bath as you're going to get.

Leaves No Doubt

It's already Wednesday and it still feels like Monday. It's been a tough week. I feel one step behind at work, almost as if I can't keep up. I know I'm smart and can do my job well, but sometimes it gets to be too much.

I have cut back on my TV viewing this week. I have only turned it on when I'm going to bed, which I think is a vast improvement. It's amazing what you can get done when that thing is shut off.

Stephanie Top 3 Things to Do This Week:

3. Clean out my closet for goodwill
2. Go to LifeWay to buy a new devotional book
1. Re-budget my monthly expenses - I've only brought lunch once in two weeks!

In honor of Mamma Mia, here are my new favorite lyrics:

So I say thank you for the music,
the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty?
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me...

Since You Went Away

"There are people on this planet whom only you will be able to reach, because of where you live and what God has made you to be. If just one person will be in heaven because of you, your life will have made a difference for eternity."

--Rick Warren, "Purpose Driven Life"

"The best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it."

--William James

Absolutely Positively

More wedding time! Had another great weekend in New Orleans at yet another wedding, but thankfully no caught bouquet this time.

Friends are fun. Even though I complain about being out late a lot, and being sweaty in over-crowded bars or clubs, I know that I would rather be there with my good friends than alone in a cold apartment. I'm just bah-humbug too much, and I'm working on it.

Stephanie's Top 5 Things to Do This Week:

5. Dust
4. Buy trash bags (this one is getting interesting)
3. Organize my desk at home
2. Order personalized stationary
1. Go see Mamma Mia with Liza!!

Stephanie's Top 3 Things NOT to Do This Week:

3. Stress about wedding talk
2. Leave late for work
1. Skip breakfast - most important meal of the day!

Sometimes Gentle, Sometimes Wild

[Wildflowers in February, 7.13.08]

Like wild flowers, gentle in the sun
You stand taller than all the rest and
No sooner do I step forward for you
Do I realize that you are already there
Waiting for me at the end of the aisle
In the gentleness of the sun
And in the wildness of the flowers in my hand...

Wal-Marks

Looks like Wal-Mart is jiving to a hip new groove...

http://creativity-online.com/?action=news:article&newsId=129515

Melted Ice Cream

I've got my memories
Always inside of me
But I can't go back
Back to how it was

I believe you now
I've come too far
No I can't go back
Back to how it was

Created for a place I've never known

This is home
Now I'm finally back to where I belong
Where I Belong
Yeah, this is home
I've been searching for a place of my own
Now I've found it
Maybe this is home
This is home

Belief over misery
I've seen the enemy
And I won't go back
Back to how it was
And I got my heart set on what happens next
I got my eyes wide it's not over yet
We are miracles and we're not alone

And now after all my searching
After all my questions
I'm gonna call it homeI
've got a brand new mindset
I can finally see the sunset
I'm gonna call it home...

Switchfoot, "This is Home"

In Faith

Back to reality. Back at work. Back before I knew it.

But what a great vacation. I've found the secret of fulfilling vacations. Take a vacation the week of a Friday holiday, starting the Friday before. That way, you are really only taking 40 hours of leave, but you get an extra day for free! And you feel like you are gone for two weeks because you have two weekends in between. Brilliant!

Found this fun website where you can build your own robot from Wall-E. A good time waster!

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/wall-e/buildabot/index.html

Stephanie's Top 5 Things To Do This Week:

5. Completely un-pack
4. Bring lunch every day to work
3. Celebrate Katherine and Stacey's birthday!
2. Vacuum
1. Exercise at least 3 days

Word of the day: veto

When I Wake Up

Wedding time!

I had a great trip to West Palm Beach for the beginning of my vacation and to see Jason's family and cousin get married. It was a really fun time - definitely a lot of family time, but really, really wonderful people.

So I'm still on vacation, which is a wonderful feeling. A refreshing, a recharger, if you will. July 4th is this Friday. We can't forget to stop and remember why we celebrate. This country is safe and secure because of guys my age that went to war to protect little 'ol me. I don't want to forget why we are lucky to be American.

Song of the Day: "Not as We" -- Alanis Morissette

We're So Glad You Came

Happy birthday to me!

I have a late birthday, so I'm finally caught up with my friends at 23, soon enough though they will be 24 and that's just getting up there in age...

It's raining on my birthday, is that some sort of good luck too, like rain on your wedding day?