I've Been Away So Long

     I know I've been a little AWOL these past few days, but I thought I might take a small break.  Plus by the time I've been thinking about blogging I already feel too horrible to even think about doing anything but going straight to bed.  However, I couldn't miss a "Five Things" posting, even if it is a day late.  These posts are so important to me because it's easy to get caught up in the negatives and though I try to think positively on a day to day basis. Saying things like "at least I don't have hives" can only get me so far, particularly because I'm a little superstitious about those things and I'm not 100% sure they aren't going to come back.  Which makes these posts just as important as Thanksgiving.  We all need to take a little time to think about how we've been blessed and as much as I sometimes don't want to, counting my blessings every week helps remind me to look on the bright side of life and remember to be thankful for God's little blessings.

5 things I'm thankful for this week:

Babysitting sleeping children

Mostly because it means I get to catch up on my "Family Friendly" movies without any shame

Successfully keeping up with both of my 365 photo projects

You can follow my progress on Flickr (I also have a Flickr feed in the sidebar)

Being able to take the weekend off

I had a pretty wonderful staycation this weekend

(P.S. I promise I'm not strangling Oscar and he's enjoying being loved on)

(Photo Credit)

Ole Miss conquered their bowl game

And we're supposedly getting some extremely awesome recruits for next year's season

(Photo Credit)

My internship is almost done

I'm definitely ready to close the whole "working for free" chapter of my life... If only I could figure out what I wanted to do next

Title: "Keep You Right" by Blind Pilots

We All Change in Our Own Pretty Ways

     I can't believe this week's vacation is almost over.  It feels like it just started.  I had so much I needed to get done this week.  I'm not quite sure why, but I definitely had expended a good bit of energy before the holidays leaving me feeling not so great Christmas Eve and I feel as though I still haven't quite caught back up on my rest.  I guess it's just a feeling I'm going to have to learn to live with.  There is just a fine line between me being tired and feeling completely ill, I just have to figure out how to balance everything.  I'm super frustrated because I feel as though I never will find that balance.
     I've been thinking about the new year and I know I want to take on a 365 photo-a-day challenge.  I'm debating on how I want to tackle this challenge, whether I'm a bigger fan of the self-portrait challenge or a specific topic each day.  It has occurred to me that I might want to do both, which then only leaves the question of where am I going to keep these photographs?  I've downloaded 2 different applications but we'll see if I like them.  I could always use Flickr or Instagram (I know I'll try and upload at least once a week to Instagram), just so you guys can follow along.  I'll post some on here as well, but not all of them.
     365 days of self-portraits interests me the most because of the challenge of originality it presents.  Looking back through my pictures, I do have a good many self-portraits throughout the years.  None of them particularly creative and all of them pretty embarrassing.  I'm sharing them with you now so I can go ahead and move past the comfort zone of my bathroom location, equally boring bathroom shots, and using iPhone applications to make a regular photograph seem better and more artistic than it really is.  So I guess this is a challenge to myself:  to step out of my comfort zone and become a better photographer and model.  But don't expect to see my face in every photograph because a self-portrait doesn't always have to taken from the most obvious of angles.

Titles: "Our Own Pretty Ways" by First Aid Kit

When I Look Back on Those Neon Nights

     I guess it's just about that time of year again.  Time to reflect on the past year--learn from the mistakes we've made, remember the fun we've had, laugh once more at those inside jokes, and in general take a moment to be thankful we've been given another year to do things differently, better--to prove to ourselves (and others) that we've grown through one life experience after the other.  It's fitting that soon after Christmas we start a new year, even though this year it seems to have caught me by surprise.

     New Year's resolutions for me never really pan out.  I'd prefer not to make a resolution that I know I can't keep just because society tells me that's what I'm supposed to do.  Every day should really be about making a resolution to do better than the day before.  Then again I still have a little less than a week to make any solid decisions concerning any sort of resolution I will or will not be following.  That's less problematic than the music I want to listen to while I'm ringing in the New Year.  Playlists set the mood for everything.  I am a firm believer that you should have a soundtrack to your life and I want my soundtrack to be amazing and perfectly curated--like always.

     So I guess it's also time for me to get my little bottom into gear and find some rockin' music.  That is unless I want to ring in the New Year being serenaded by my not-so-little puppy Oscar--I'm sure he'd love to howl at the moon for me.

(P.S. that's him howling at me)

Title: "Miss Atomic Bomb" by The Killers

Ten Thousand Words Swarm Around My Head

     In college I took three creative writing classes, two for short stories and one for screenwriting.  For the most part I enjoyed all of them.  It gave me the opportunity to do what I really love, a chance to write.  Sharing however was always nerve-wracking.  It was only in screenwriting class that I actually enjoyed sharing.  We read aloud our scripts to the class and it was the first time anyone had ever read/heard it.  I was getting first hand the initial reactions.  I especially enjoyed getting a few chuckles (sometimes at parts I didn't even think were that funny).  I would make the notes on my scripts (this part got laughs, this didn't read as I expected).  It made it easier on me as writer.  That is one thing I am definitely going to miss about college.   I am no longer a part of a community where I am one among many similar people.  I am now a singular person (as isolated as I want to be and then some).
     About a month ago, I was having polite conversation with a complete stranger talking about my writing and my far off dream of wanting to be a novelist.  I made the off-handed comment pertaining to my inability to stick with one idea to the finish.  (I have about 3-4 novels "in the works.")  He suggested I send part of what I had written to a publisher just to see if there was any interest in what I was writing.  (I don't know much about the publishing business, but I'm not sure that's how it works for first time novelists.)  But instead of that idea I have merged it with another and come up with this.  How about I post a scene on this blog every Saturday.  If you like it, hopefully you'll comment or maybe if you know me away from this blog you will tell me that you do.  I'm also hoping that it will help me to get back to writing because "my public" is waiting for the next scene.  This is just a tentative thing on the blog.   I'm just testing it out but if I don't get any feedback, then I'm not sure I'll continue posting.  (I am not going to set a certain date for me to decide by at this time.  It is just going to be a constant wait and see.)
     I do hope you will enjoy my "Scene Saturdays" as much as I will enjoy posting.  Some scenes will, of course, be longer than others.  If you do comment, please be kind.  I do not mind constructive criticism, but please remember I am only human and my work is very dear to me and something I take pride in.  I would not be sharing it with you if I was not passionate about it.

Resolution #5: Share a scene of my story every Saturday.


On another note, my brother and some of his friends came up from Oxford to go to Memphis in May (Beale St. Music Fest).  I finally got a picture for my mom.  I am so glad I just learned how to properly bounce my flash so I can get awesome pictures like these.

Title: "Ten Thousand Words" by The Avett Brothers

Instant Happiness

           Music can instantly change a mood.  It can make the dullest day sunny, no matter where you are, especially when it's the right music.  I am not embarrassed to admit that at least half of my time driving my car is spent dancing.  (But I usually am too embarrassed to have a dance party with actual passengers, so I'm not sure what that actually says about me.)
          Starting in high school, I made my friends mixes.  I was always a bit proud of them.  I liked to think of myself as a music connoisseur (p.s. I did just look up how to spell that correctly and one thing that popped up was Wiki How to Become a Wine Connoisseur... because of course I looked up "wine connoisseur").  But back in the day (because I'm so grown up now) I definitely thought too much of myself and instead of actually spreading the word about the band, I always got a little defensive when other people had heard of the song/band.  I guess it meant that I wasn't so special?  I don't know (so glad I grew out of that these past 4 years).
           I always glean songs from TV shows, I don't know who has the awesome job of picking out music but the best (and most addicting shows) have really amazing people who do their job wonderfully.  I used to actually have a few running playlists for One Tree Hill and Grey's Anatomy (my two favorite shows still).  I would get so excited when I recognized a song on the show, it always felt like I was apart of this special club.  Like I got the scene so much better because I knew what song that was and I already liked it... I didn't need an "awesome" stamp of approval (but I got it anyway).  I know I'm way cheesy and get excited a little too easily, but it's the little things (like I've said before) that mean the most.  So when Peyton Sawyer (from One Tree Hill) said this quote it was like she got me (and was speaking directly at me).
"You know I've got this theory, there are two kinds of people in the world. There are lyric people and music people. You know, the lyrics people tend to be analytical. You know, all about the meaning of the song. They're the ones you see with the CD insert out like 5 minutes after buying it, pouring over the lyrics, interpriting the hell out of everything. Um, then theres the music people, like Brooke. Who could care less for the lyrics as long as its just got like a good beat and you could dance to it. I dont know, somtimes it might be easier to be a music girl and not a lyric girl. But since Im not, let me just say this. Sometimes things find you when you need them to find you, I believe that. And for me its usually song lyrics." -Peyton Sawyer, One Tree Hill 

<--- Peyton Sawyer  (Photo Credit)

        But then again, I believe in fate (to a degree) and if you look for meaning in song lyrics, you're going to find them.  This quote (her artist angst, love for Lucas, blonde ever-changing hair, and numerous other things) made me believe that Peyton and I were kindred spirits.  If I was any character from One Tree Hill I would be Peyton, no questions asked.  (You know you compare yourself to characters on TV all the time, or hey I may be the only one.)  However, the older I get the more I realize I'm Brooke.  I love some songs for their lyrics, but sometimes all you need is a song that has a good beat to cheer you up. 
       Anyway, I completely got off on a tangent.  What I was really going to say, is that I quit making mixes at one point.  I'm not sure when it happen, but I found one of my old mixes at exactly the right time.  Just by playing certain songs I became energized in a way I haven't been in a while.  My spirits were lifted.  It was a few days before Valentine's Day so I immediately started planning a Valentine's Day themed mix.  And I immediately started looking for more music.  
        I'm a person that is pretty much against the radio.  I hate how much the radio DJ's talk, how many commercials play on a regular basis, and especially the fact that the radio will play a song out.  I'm a huge fan of plugging in my iPhone and listening to my music.  I want to have completely control over what I'm listening to.
        This school year, I finally gave into the Pandora craze.  And honestly, I don't mind it when I'm not really paying attention to what I'm listening.  I love just putting it on my "How I Roll" (yes, by Britney Spears) station while I'm getting ready if I need to be pumped up or putting on my "Pride and Prejudice Soundtrack" station (the latest one with Keira Knightley) while I need to concentrate.  
       However, just today I joined the Spotify trend (it's all over Facebook... So-and-so listened to this on Spotify fills up my newsfeed).  I have been reluctant to use this application because I do not want everyone on Facebook to see what I am listening to.. if I want to try out someone else's playlist I think that should be my business and my business only.  But I joined and am IN LOVE.  It allows you to find new music while playing what you want to listen (not like Pandora).  I'm definitely going to use it to make all of my mixes from now on.
      Which brings me full circle, from now on I want to make my boring days more fun by having Holiday Themed mixes...  And of course I'm not going to make this simple because that's not how I roll.  Here's an example of the mixes I've made so far:  
                The Five L's of Valentines:  Lewd, Lust, Like, Love, Loss
                Drink, Drank, Drunk & For the Hangover (2 separate CD's for St. Patrick's Day)
In the process:
                Refreshed, Renewed, and Easter Bunnied
I love the CD's I've put together.  (7 CD's altogether) But now I'm running out of ideas for mixes.  The Easter mix totally reflects that.  I'm not going to lie, I'm not 100% certain how this next CD is going to turn out, but I guess we'll see.   


Resolution #4:
Make a mix for every U.S. holiday (except maybe memorial/labor day?)

Rethinking but Not Quitting

The more I think about my third resolution the more I worry that I am taking on too much.  After all, since the 40 Loaf Challenge hasn't exploded all over the interweb... I think I'll make the challenge into something that will be more manageable.  This way I won't get upset at the end of the year because I haven't made 40 different loaves.
Also, after this year is over I'm still going to want to continue to bake loaves, etc.  I just have to come up with a catchy tag so you can eventually find all of them once I've gotten a few months under my belt.

Edited Resolution #3:
To make 2 loaves of "bread" every month for as long as possible.

40 Loaf Challenge

I grew up eating my mother's homemade bread.  I love cutting open a warm loaf of bread straight from the oven (that's been cooled a little of course).  I started baking desserts when... well I can't exactly remember when I started.  But when I returned home from college, I took over baking the homemade sourdough bread.  (My mom's starter had died, so we started completely from scratch.)

The process of making bread takes about 3 days. Simply broken down it ends up going something like this:
Day 1: Feed the starter.
Day 2: Split the starter into two parts-- one you put in the fridge for later and one you use for your bread. Add ingredients and then knead loads of flour into the dough. 
Day 3: Split that risen dough into three parts.  Knead each part further into loaves and let those rise for a few hours before actually cooking.
(P.S. I know that's not a real recipe don't worry, if you really want a recipe I'll post one later.)

To challenge myself and keep me baking/cooking items that weren't just sweets (my parents had started to complain), I decided I was going to do something like the 40 Loaf challenge found on my favorite blog (of course). I thought I had seen it in other places, but maybe not.  Anyway, I'm debating on how I am going to go about this challenge.  I want to make it my own, so I'm not just copying everything Elise does.  (Although her blog is mighty inspiring.) If I wanted to make 40 loaves in 2013 then I would have to bake roughly 5 different loaves every month, which might be challenging but wouldn't be completely difficult (that is if I did my math correctly).  But I might want to make it something a little more manageable.  However, as of right now, I'm thinking 40 loaves is a nice number to shoot for.

Resolution #3:
Bake 40 loaves in 2013.

New Additions

If you read my list of five things that made Spring Break bearable you might remember an adorable picture of a puppy. I have finally convinced my parents (whom I am living with) that we need a playmate for our current puppy Jack.

Jack is a 3 year old Golden Retriever, who is a loving dog.  However he sometimes has problems with being hyper and bouncy (he's the dog in all of the pictures I've posted on here and he is pretty much the star of my Instagram feed).  Jack will walk around the yard with his toy bone in his mouth whining because he doesn't have anyone to play with.  It's really sad.  So we're getting him a puppy!

After much consideration and research we've decided to get a Goldendoodle.  We want a dog that will stay outside (something that usually hinders us from adopting a puppy from animal shelters) and my dad would prefer to get a dog that is just a puppy.  (Jack was found in vet's parking lot when he was 6 months old and there are clear signs of abuse that will probably last his whole life.)  

I've been searching and searching for the right puppy for us.  I know that whatever puppy finally makes his way to us will be puppy we're supposed to have.  (The situation with Jack and the Golden Retriever we owned before him proved that-- they were both dogs that needed a good home and literally through one way or another found his way to us.)  We think we might have the right puppy in our sights, but time will tell.  

One thing I want to make sure of is that I document this new puppy's growth and development.  I want to be able to look back and see how much he grew, etc. I recently came across pictures of Dante as a teeny tiny kitten that made me wish I had more pictures.  (Dante was so small he could fit into the palm of your hand and now he can barely fit into your lap.)  

As I've said before I fail at scrapbooking, but straight from the blog that inspired me to start blogging again comes a new way to Scrapbook.  Mini Books.  It's just made from paper held together with book rings and completely left up to your imagination.  The best blog post explaining it that I could find is found here.  But there are so many different ways to create a mini book.  And Elise Cripe has post after post of what she has created.  Each one can be as unique and different as you want it to be.  I think I'm going to start one when we get our new puppy (maybe just not put it together for a little while as I don't really have any workspace).

Elise Cripe with just a few of her mini books. 

(Photo credit: Elise's Blog)

 Just another picture of a mini book.  

If you want to see more check out Elise's detailed posts about how she puts them together.

(Photo Credit: Elise's Blog)

Resolution #2:

To create a mini book centered on the new Goldendoodle puppy and his new life in our family.

I Do Solemnly Swear

Resolutions.  The word/idea that comes up every New Year, even sometimes on the Chinese New Year for those people who did not quite get their Resolutions rolling the very beginning of January.  It's what makes the gym packed full of people for the first two months of the year... not that I would really know seeing how I haven't exactly been to the gym in at least 3 years (my summer classes in Ole Miss's Turner Center do not count).  As I was saying Resolutions (yes it is important enough to have a capital R) normally happen about once a year and about halfway through the year I usually become extremely lazy about the effort I put into keeping my Resolution (because I've done so good for 6 whole months! I deserve a break).  However, this girl (inspired by this girl) has decided to start making Resolutions at the beginning of each month.  I know for this month I am a little late to the party (we are 11 whole days into the month), but better late than never.  


My Resolutions for the Month of March:
Update this blog at least twice a week


Okay, so right now I only have 1 Resolution, next month you just wait and see.