Mama's Words

It's so much easier for someone to drag you down to their level.. than for you to lift them up.


Words I'm learning to live by.

The Planets Bend Between Us

"I will race you to the waterside
And from the edge of Ireland shout out loud
So they could hear it in America
It's all for you"



I want a love like that someday.

Kiki Gigi Papa and MOMMY

The anxiously awaited day is drawing near!
In just seven short weeks I will officially be Aunt Kiki, mom will be Gigi and daddy will be Papa.
But the craziest of all is that sister will be Mommy! I can't believe it. My best friend/sister is going to have a son. It is absolutely insane to me. I can not wait to meet the little man. I never thought that I could love someone that I've never even met, but lo and behold I am already crazy in love with my nephew who isn't even here yet. Josiah Leeland is going to be spoiled rotten by kiki gigi and papa. His nursery is coming together nicely and it's looking like a baby lives in April's house more and more each day. I'm sure the child proofing will begin in my own house soon.
Well I think that's enough baby talk for now.

xoxo

and THAT'S why I love Paula Dean

Ingredients
Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Duke

I am nothing special; just a common girl with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: I've loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough.

Halcyon

Kari and I are at a Coffehouse/bar/lounge in downtown Austin called Halcyon... awesome.
I need to move here. Like, now.
The atmosphere is so chill.
There's indie music blaring and Mac nerds everywhere.
What more could I ask for? Seriously?
xoxo

Well Hello There, Austin

I don't know if I could ever fully describe how much I am completely head over heels in love with this city.
Here's to moving on...

Now let's see what kind of trouble we can get into tonight...


xoxo

Checklist

One more day and my best friend and I will be Austin bound.
I just can't wait.
There's entirely too much that needs to be done tomorrow, but I don't care.
I'm ready to pack up and go on my first legit adventure.

ToDo List:
Wash/clean out/pack jeep
Wash the cooler
Print out the maps
Program the gps
Pack my bags
Last minute shopping at Target
...I think that's all.. for now...

Seventeen Days

2 best friends.

1 Jeep.

320 miles of open road.

Austin, Tx.

Iron & Wine.

William Fitzsimmons.

We could say I'm slightly ecstatic.

I believe this is exactly what I'm in need of right now.

... Just 17 more days...

Taken from Authentic Beauty

I have known him for years. He has been a close family friend. He had many appealing qualities, but i had never really thought about him in a romantic way. It was true that he had a sensitive and tender side that I had seen on a few occasions. But he was also extremely passionate about truth, and I felt sometimes he came across a little too strong on certain points. To be honest, he intimidated me. It also seemed that he was a little too involved with "church stuff." When I thought of him, i was reminded of Sunday school lessons with flannel Bible story characters or gold offering plates-- this was not exactly the atmosphere for true love!

He was one of those people with a piercing gaze that can see straight into the depths of your soul. Because of this, i had gone out of my way to avoid him for the past few years. For some time now my life had been a chaotic mess of compromise and confusion. I didnt want him to see what i had become. If he found out what i had done, i was sure he would sternly reprimand me and remind me that it was too late for me to ever discover anything more. But i soon realized i was very VERY wrong about him.

I found him waiting for me by the apple trees near my back gate one day as i headed out for a morning walk. I was startled to see him there, surprised that after all these years, and all the times i ignored him, he still wanted to spend time with me.

I gave him a tentative glance, and he smiled at me--a tender, intimate smile that made my heart lurch in spite of itself. I quickly looked away.

"Can i walk with you?" he asked in a gentle voice I nodded, still avoiding his gaze, and he fell into step beside me. We made our way in silence for a while, listening for the occasional chatter of a squirrel or high-pitched chirp of a robin. I kept my eyes on the gravel path at my feet.

"I missed you," he told me simply. Though it was obvious to both of us that I was the one who had put the distance between us, there was no hint of accusation in his tone. I bit my lip and nodded again, unsure of what to say in response.

We walked a little farther, and i realized his presence was both refreshing and comforting. I could feel his tender eyes watching me, silently tell me how important I was to him, though i could not figure out why. Nothing else was said during the rest of out time together that day, but i sensed that something more was about to happen between us. I just want sure if i was ready.

Our friendship grew slowly. The more time i spent with him, the more i realized how utterly different he was from any guy i had every encountered. In him, there was none of the sex-hungry glances that i recieved from the guys at school, not a trace of flirtatious teasing that had always surrounded me, not a strain of seductive charms i had grown accustomed to in men. But somehow i knew that he loved me. That he deeply desired me.That he found me beautiful. I had hardly dared to hope that i had finally found the one man that could fulfill all of these long-forgotten dreams of mine. Even if he could be my prince, I was sure i had found him too late.

I couldnt help but wondering wether or not it was too good to be true. The more time i spent around him, the more something inside me just wanted to desperatley surrender and fall into his arms. But i was afraid to let myself trust him, I was afraid of that what decision might cost me.

My guard slowly came down. No matter how many times i tried to pull away from him, i repeatedly fell back into his arms. And never once did he stop lavishing me with love.

One morning, as i was sitting alone on a bench in the crisp spring air, i felt him softly approach me. He didnt have to speak. I took a long look into the unfathomable depths of love in his eyes, and i melted. With tears coursing down my face like a cascading waterfall, i fell into his arms and told him passionately that my heart belonged to him and no one but him. At that moment, my life, my pursuits, my friends, everything i had built my world around, faded into nothingness. None of it seemed even remotely important anymore. Nothing mattered now, but him.

As I whispered my devotion to him, a brilliant peace crept steadily into my heart and began to quietly mend its broken pieces.

Rainin' on Sunday, stormin' like crazy.

Sweet Louisiana summertime rain.

I must say that I have grown quite fond of it.

Deep breath...

Put music to our troubles

and we'll dance them away

No, I Am Not Jewish.

"We don't want our own beliefs, G-d of Peace, we want You"

-mewithoutYou

I get asked entirely too often if I am jewish because I prefer to not fully spell out the name of G-d in most cases. No, I am not jewish. I do not consider myself to be any one particular "religion." My political and religious views tend to be extremely eclectic.

Below I will list just a few facts and or quotes so you can get a glimpse of the way I see it.

Preferring to not fully spell the name of G-d

A jewish tradition- The prohibition is on erasing or defacing the sacred name, therefore jews take care in where writing it. The practice only applies to the Hebrew, but has been extended into english. It has nothing to do with o's or dashes, The purpose is what the practice teaches us.

I am pro-life not because I hate liberty, but because I hate the idea of killing children."

If I should die with more than ten pounds to my name, may every man call me a liar and a thief."

-John Wesley

"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat."

-Mama T

"You guys are all into that born again thing, which is great. We do need to be born again, since Jesus said that to a guy named Nicodemus. But if you tell me that I have to be born again to enter the kingdom of God, I can tell you that you have to sell everything you have and give it to the poor... because Jesus said that to one guy too....... but I guess that's why God invented highlighters.. So we can highlight the part we like and ignore the rest."

-Rich Mullins

Please remember me, fondly

Oh, Sam Beam, You will always hold a special place in my heart.

I believe The Trapeze Swinger will forever be one of my top 10 favorite songs.

There's just something about it...

"My dear, but if I make the pearly gates

I'll do my best to make a drawing

of G-d and Lucifer

a boy and girl

an angel kissin' on a sinner"

Leaves me speechless.

By far one of if not the most subtly beautiful songs I have ever heard.

Hi.

youtube.com/mschristophe

Photography Update

Well... My I was reading a few blogs back and saw where I posted something about sharing my photography with you guys, and I have yet to do so! So here we go... 

I'm still learning and trying to get the hang of finding the right lighting and trying new angles. 

I shoot with a Nikon D80

AF-X DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm F/3.5-5.6G IF/ED Lens

xoxo

Just Call Me "Mrs. Fitzsimmons"

Sister and I went to see Mr. William Fitzsimmons Saturday night in Fort Worth, Texas. My love for him has grown even more after seeing him in the flesh. "Amazing" doesn't begin to describe him in all of his bearded glory. The four hour drive was needless to say- very much worth it.

Check out Williams profile if you get the chance. 

Cheers-

Without a point.

73*F and scattered thunderstorms. I wake up at 7:40AM and going back to sleep is all that my heart desires. It's just too bad that for the first time in ages I woke up completely refreshed, and sleep was the last thing my body wanted. Turn the TV on.

What ever happened to good morning television? Or was there ever any to begin with? There's no reason a person who has no plans for the day, yet can't go back to sleep, should have to choose between cheap talk shows and... well, cheap talk shows. Who really wants to watch reruns (or even new) episodes of Maury as soon as they wake up? Certainly not I. So I lay in bed patiently and listen to the rain, while checking Facebook on my iPhone, of course- as I wait for Ellen to come on (guilty pleasure.) 

5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. Music starts playing, Ellen dances her way onto the stage and the crowd stands and joins her... then it happens- The rain completely stops, the sun comes gleaming in through my window, and the birds start chirping. Finally! But now I find myself at a loss as far as what to do. Do I stay in bed and watch Ellen, or do I get up and start the day? Let's compromise, I'll stay in bed for 15 more minutes, then get up and find something productive to do. 

15 minutes later I find myself sitting here in front of a computer screen, tweeting on Twitter and being annoyed yet again by the new Facebook layout.

This definitely isn't my "something productive" for the day... but I think it's a good start. 

"Hello" -iMac

It's here!

My iMac came in yesterday and holy moses I love it!

It's much more than I expected and I'm so thankful. 

_______

I'm currently listening to the album "Davy" by Coconut Records. 

Still reading A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

You should check them out.

Also:

If you have a little extra surf time, check out this organization: 

Invisible Children

Macnerd.

During February 4th thru the 9th I will be sitting on my front porch awaiting the arrival of some handsome fella dressed in brown. That's right, I'll be waitin' on UPS. There's a good chance I'm one of the dorkiest girls around, but I am a huge Apple nerd. 

It started with the iPod. Five years ago, to be exact- I got my first iPod for Christmas. It was love at first sight. I had no idea what it was or what it was good for, but I sure did love it. I remember it vividly- I didn't know how to use it but eventually I imported a "best of" album by Jennifer Knapp. Oh, those were the days. (Believe me, my taste in music has grown... a lot) 

One to two years later I discovered the beauty of the Mac. My parents generously decided to buy me a MacBook Pro. Once again it was love at first sight. To this day I have yet to experience the first problem with my MacBook. 

Then here comes the oh-so chic iPhone 3GB. Though it's had a few glitches here and there, I love it dearly. 

This brings us to todays big news. I just ordered a 24" iMac and I am ecstatic. Completely ecstatic. The last time I had a desktop computer I was probably 10 years old and it was a Gateway (need I say more?) I'm stoked and I can't wait to see that fella in brown show up at my doorstep. It'll be Christmas morning all over again. 

"Being unwanted, unloved..."

"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat." -Mama T

I'm learning to want you. I'm learning to love you. I'm learning to care for you. I'm learning to remember you. 

One day I hope to post a blog saying that I've finally fully grasped the concept of this wonderful woman's words. To exist completely selflessly. To live on 10% and give you the 90. To love you more than I love myself. I'm not there. I want this desperately. I'm learning, I'm learning, I'm learning to love and to be love. 

peace,friends.

Oh Hello 2009, How Are You?

Changes to be made throughout the course of this new year:

Photo blogging with my new amazing D80. It's neat. 

Jesus help me find an amazing job with amazing people!

College? Jesus school? JHOP, maybe? Who knows... Certainly not I.

Maybe I''ll work on not being so quick to judge and so easily angered.  (But believe me, the girl that was checking me out today in Target definitely could have used an attitude adjustment.)

*sigh* I'll start on that one tomorrow... 

I believe it's time to dust off my bicycle. The weathers nice... 

*I'm currently favoring Tilly and The Wall as far as tunes go.

Reading Skinny B***h. (It's actually a very interesting/informative read if you don't mind the vulgar language. There's a lot we don't know about the food we consume)

The art project I'm currently working on is a mosaic collage.. I'm so excited to see how this one is going to turn out. Pictures will be up as soon as it's finished. 

And last but certainly not least... I've recently started sewing! 

...So far this new hobby of mine isn't my cup of tea, but I love it!