NYE 5QF

1. How long does your Christmas tree stay up?
Usually, it's up until well after New Year's Day. We took it down last night, though, because our kitten kept climbing it.

2. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve?
YES! My wonderful fiancé and I are meeting my awesome BFF on the Coast tomorrow! We got hooked up with a great hotel room through my work, and we're going to see what we can get into at the casinos. :)

3. Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
Eat healthier, lose weight, and get in shape for the Big Day!

4. How did you spend New Year's Eve when you were younger?
Watching movies until midnight and shooting fireworks with my family while watching the ball drop.

5. What was the best way you've ever spent New Year's Eve?
Up until last year, we've always done the fireworks-and-ball drop with family and friends at my aunt and uncle's house. My favorite was the first year my wonderful boyfriend and I were dating, when we went to light the fireworks and he surprised me with a midnight kiss. :)

Day 13: a photo of one of your favorite movies.

Dirty Dancing. It's just the best.

Day 12: a photo of when you were happy.

This is the moment I realized he was actually proposing, and not playing a cruel joke on me. You can't get happier than that.

Day 11: a photo of a night you loved.

This was the night we saw my FAVORITE band, the Foo Fighters, in Memphis! We got so close to the acoustic stage. I believe this is also the night my best friend and I became best friends! (Btw, this picture was stolen from her.)

Day 10: any photo you like for any reason.

My wonderful fiancé had to put together some shelves for work, and he used the boxes to make a fort. For our cat.

Christmas 5QF!

Oops! I did this Thursday night and forgot to post it yesterday!

1. Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
I always opened presents on Christmas Day when I was younger, and I always loved the anticipation. However, my wonderful fiancé always opened them on Christmas Eve after the get-together at his great-grandma's house. After we started dating, we established a pattern for Christmas Eve: my grandma's that day, his great-grandma's that night, followed by Santa gifts at his house and then my house. It will probably change this year, given the circumstances.

2. What is your favorite Christmas cookie (or candy)?
A friend of mine from high school hosted a Christmas cookie swap, and I went home with about half the gingerbread cookies she made. So, I will say gingerbread!

3. What's the worst Christmas gift you've ever received?
When I was younger and we did those "buy a gift and draw a number" things at school, I would always buy a really cool girl's gift. And I would always go home with a cheap plastic jewelry box. Note to parents: do not buy cheap plastic jewelry boxes for your child's Christmas exchange.

4. Christmas song that you love?
OK, let me just say, I LOVE Christmas music! But if I have to pick favorites, I have to say "The Christmas Waltz," "Baby It's Cold Outside," and "O Holy Night." What, you honestly expected me to pick just one?

5. How many trees do you put up?
Just one. Our apartment doesn't have room for multiple trees. When I moved out on my own, my mom and I split our ornaments, and we have enough to decorate my tree and hers!

Miss

It's a word far too innocent to describe the visceral, heart-wrenching longing that accompanies the loss of a loved one. Somehow, it just doesn't seem like enough to say, "I miss her." It seems too frivilous, too light-hearted, too temporary.

A lot of the time, but today especially, I miss my fiancé's mother. She passed away in June. I never blogged about it because I just couldn't figure out the words at the time. Today is her birthday. Thursday is Thanksgiving, and we would have been subjected to the 24 hour marathon of her favorite movie, A Christmas Story. Friday she would have had a wild story about her early morning shopping trip with her best friend. And then she would have decked the house for Christmas, and everything would have been right in the world.

But that's not what's going to happen. I am going to wake up and still be angry because my fiancé lost his mom way too early.

When old people die, there is some sort of closure, knowing that they lived a long and happy life and got to see their children and grandchildren and sometimes even great-grandchildren grow and succeed. But when younger people die, there is just too much sense of unfinished business. It makes me angry to think about all the things she won't be around for.

Day 09: a photo of yourself when you were a baby.

My mom and me when I was a baby.

Day 08: a photo of something you enjoy doing.

What was your favorite birthday gift?

The car I got for my 16th birthday.

Ask me anything

Day 07: a photo of something you stand for.

Hope for a cure. Hope for equality. Hope for a better tomorrow. Hope for success. Hope for happiness. Hope for love. Hope for peace. I think that's something we should all stand for.

Day 06: a photo of someone you love.

Maybe I cheated a little, because this is a photo of me and someone I love, but you'll get over it. This is my younger cousin, but he's more like a brother. Our moms are twins and we grew up right next to each other. This was at his high school graduation celebration at church, May 2009.

Day 05: a photo that makes you laugh.

Three words: Golden Cheesecake Balls.

My Wonderful Fiancé: I don't know how to eat them.
Me: Just stick 'em in your mouth!

Day 04: a photo of a place you’d like to visit.

In the last year or so, I have become obsessed with visiting Puerto Rico. Here's hoping I can convince My Wonderful Fiancé to honeymoon there (belatedly, of course, since our wedding is in the middle of hurricane season).

Day 03: a photo that makes you happy.

I think this one is self-explanatory. :D

Day 02: a photo of yourself at least a year ago.

This is me on the train car inside the museum at Turner Field in Atlanta, May 2009. I miss this haircut.

Day 01: a photo of you today.

Pardon my semi-sloppy appearance, as I am about to go to bed. This is me in the bedroom of my new apartment. Love the random brick wall. There's one in the living room, too. Can't wait for My Wonderful Fiancé to see this place.

New Beginnings

So, I have done it. I took a new job in a new city and moved three hours away from everyone and everything I love. I landed a full-time position at a publishing company I've been freelancing for since December, and now I'm Senior Staff Writer for a wedding magazine and an arts & entertainment magazine. My Wonderful Fiancé and our big fluffy cat, Tibbot, will be joining me soon. Right now, it's just me and our new little tuxedo kitten, Oscar. (The kitties haven't met yet; that's going down this weekend. We'll see how that goes.)

Anyway, to keep myself a little occupied, I decided to try the 30 Day Photo Challenge that was posted on My Cheap Version of Therapy. This is partly out of regret that I'm not participating in NaNoWriMo (which I am so doing next year).

I would love to do the 30 Days of Truth as well, because some of the topics (Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs.) got me really excited. However, there are just some things (Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.) I couldn't be completely honest about because I wouldn't want to hurt someone's feelings if they stumbled upon the post. Perhaps another day...

Now, I don't know that I'll remember be able to post every single day, but I want to complete the 30 posts regardless.

The 30 Day Photo Challenge

Picture topics:

Day 01: a photo of you today.
Day 02: a photo of yourself at least a year ago.
Day 03: a photo that makes you happy.
Day 04: a photo of a place you’d like to visit.
Day 05: a photo that makes you laugh.
Day 06: a photo of someone you love.
Day 07: a photo of something you stand for.
Day 08: a photo of something you enjoy doing.
Day 09: a photo of yourself when you were a baby.
Day 10: any photo you like for any reason.
Day 11: a photo of a night you loved.
Day 12: a photo of when you were happy.
Day 13: a photo of one of your favorite movies.
Day 14: a photo of your best friend (s)
Day 15: a photo of you and a family member
Day 16: a photo from your childhood
Day 17: a photo of something that has changed your life
Day 18: a photo of your town.
Day 19: a photo that makes you laugh.
Day 20: a photo of something you ate today.
Day 21: a photo of somebody you find attractive.
Day 22: a photo that you associate a good memory with.
Day 23: a photo of something you want to do someday.
Day 24: a photo of what you want to be when you grow up.
Day 25: a photo that inspires you.
Day 26: a photo of your favorite subject in school.
Day 27: a photo of something you are looking forward to.
Day 28: a photo of something/somebody that made your day.
Day 29: a photo of your favorite person from history.
Day 30: a photo you find beautiful.

5QF!

1. What is the first nightmare you remember?
Oh, man. I probably wasn't over 5 or 6 years old when I had this nightmare, but I'll never forget it. I dreamed there was a baby vampire in our smaller bathroom, and somehow it started sucking blood from my foot. Granted, I've had a lot scarier nightmares over the years, but that's the first I remember.

2. Even if you're not a sports fan, what's your favorite sport to play/watch?
OK, it's always kind of a tie between college football and baseball, but I think football wins out in the end. There's just something about the atmosphere at a college football game: if your team's winning, there's no better place in the world to be. Hotty Toddy!

3. If you could pull off one piece of trendy fashion, what would you want it to be (jeggings, hats, thigh high boots, etc.)?
Platform heels. They're so gorgeous, but I cannot walk in heels to save my life.

4. Did you make good grades in school?
Please! Fourth in my high school class and summa cum laude at Ole Miss. But I don't like to brag... :)

5. What magazines do you subscribe to?
Brides (because YAY I finally have a reason!) and Glamour (which I've subscribed to since I was in high school).

Once Upon a Time...

...there was a girl who was absolutely desperate for an engagement ring. So desperate, in fact, that she constantly pleaded with her boyfriend of seven years to buy her one. The fact that everyone else--including her younger sister--was getting engaged certainly didn't help matters. Eventually, even the girl's friends and the boy's friends and their coworkers were all begging the boy to hurry up and buy his girlfriend a ring before she drove all of them insane. The boy was so annoyed that, at one point, he blurted, "If everyone would leave me alone about it for a month, something might happen!"

The girl couldn't do much about their friends and coworkers, but she took what her love said to heart. On the last day of April 2010, the girl vowed that she would go an entire month without mentioning a ring. And she kept her promise.

The couple and their friend (who happened to be the girl's best friend) had been planning a trip to Atlanta to watch the Braves play on May 15. That morning, they loaded up the car and drove the six hours from Mississippi to Atlanta, Ga. They checked into the hotel, grabbed a bite at a nearby restaurant, and headed to the game.

It was a scorching hot day, and the girls were happy walking around inside the stadium. The boy, however, insisted they go to their seats and watch batting practice. Eventually, his companions relented, and they found their seats. They even snagged an autograph from one of the players.

As the girls were examining the autographed baseball, the boy said, "So, I've been thinking, you've been really good for the last couple of weeks, and I thought I would reward you."

The girl turned to look at him. In his hand, he held a shiny ring topped with a round brilliant-cut diamond.

The boy continued: "So will you?"

At which point, the girl immediately said...

"You're joking. You're lying. You're lying."

And he replied, "No, I'm not. Am I?"

The girl's best friend said, "He's not."

The girl's hands flew to her mouth and she said, "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh yesyesyesyesYES!"

He slipped the ring on her finger, and then the real fun began...

Another 5QF!

1. What were your school colors?
Well, let's see...I went to a lot of schools, so I'll just give you a list:
HCS (elementary/junior high) - blue and red
NSHS (high school) - officially red and white, but the cheerleaders' uniforms sometimes had a little blue or black trim
NEMCC (community college) - black and gold
Ole Miss (university) - Harvard crimson and Yale blue
So basically, I'm a red/blue girl.

2. What's the best compliment you ever received?
I really like compliments on my writing. The other day, my editor commented on how beautifully I write, and that really meant a lot to me.

3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?
I buy Angel Soft. It's cheap, but it's the only kind I like!

4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else?
Both, actually! When I was younger I wanted a telescope for my birthday, and my mom and aunt and uncle bought me one, but they couldn't get it to work so they threw me a surprise party instead. Then this year, I threw a surprise 70th birthday party for my grandma. My sister and I started plotting it a year ago. I still can't believe she didn't find out until she walked through the door!

5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?
My laptop. I write, I read, I plan, I design. I cannot live without it.

I am in love...

...with the firefly invitations from minted.com.



Invitations are supposed to give guests their first taste of your wedding's personality. What says "Southern summer" better than a Mason jar full of lightening bugs?

Unfortunately, they're a little out of my price range. Haven't yet decided if I'm above selling my blood to be able to buy them.

5QF!

1. Is there something you've always wanted to try but just can't muster up the courage to actually do yet?
OK, my inner dork is about to come out. You see, I have this dream...to be going about my business on a perfectly normal day...and suddenly I and everyone around me breaks into a perfectly choreographed song-and-dance routine. This dream rears its head whenever I watch musicals or my favoritest show of all, Glee. I want life to be a musical, but since that doesn't happen, I would at least like to be in a musical. Only...I dance like a white girl. And my voice isn't what it used to be. And I would probably get stage fright. Granted, if I'd had the opportunity to do this in high school, I probably would have. But I went to a teeny tiny school with no arts program to speak of, so there you go.

2. If you had $100 handed to you in cash without your significant other knowing about it, what would you spend it on?
Honestly, I would probably put it back to use on my wedding dress (!!!!). Or, you know, find a pair of awesome yellow shoes to wear for my wedding. My fiancé HATES it when I buy shoes.

3. What was your favorite piece of playground equipment as a child?
The swings!

4. Do you prefer a sweet or hearty breakfast?
Oooh, hearty and salty and artery-clogging, please! A doughnut's OK as a snack, but give me sausage, biscuits, bacon, and eggs!

5. Are you a Neat Freak or a Messy Bessy?
Um. Gonna have to go with messy here. Neat people do not take their their clothes off the hanging rod and lay them on a chair instead of putting them in the closet. They also do not neglect to unpack a suitcase from a weekend trip for two weeks. Or have a mountain or dirty clothes in their bathroom. Yeah, let's go with messy.

FINALLY!

My wonderful boyfriend is finally my wonderful fiancé!

Playing Catch-Up

OK, apparently I am a lazy blogger. I told myself I would keep up with this one, and now a month's gone by with no posts. But last month was kind of a crappy month and I got a little down about everything and just didn't have the energy to write anything. I'm trying to get that energy back, as I have a story due Saturday for my sorority's quarterly publication (the cover story, to be exact) and two assignments for the magazine. One I've had for...um...a while...but as I said last month was kind of a downer, and while I've done a little bit of research and Facebook surveys, I haven't actually put anything down on paper. Luckily, my amazing BFF is going to help me sort through it on Friday. Plus, I've got two interviews lined up for it and am looking for more people to contact. So if you know anything at all about eco-friendly weddings, give me a holler.

Speaking of weddings, I have a confession to make. I am just a tiny bit monumentally obsessed with weddings and getting engaged. I love to read about weddings. I love to write about weddings. I love to plan my own wedding, even though there is no ring on my finger. I even subscribed to Brides because I figured it would be cheaper than buying an issue off the newsstand every month. The only thing I don't like about weddings is that everyone seems to be having one except me.

Let me break it down for you: I am 23. I live in Mississippi. I am unmarried. By my state's standards, I am practically an old maid. Half of my graduating class is either married or engaged, and I constantly have to fend off the question, "When are you getting married?" Um, I will get married when my boyfriend of seven years whom I live with finally decides to propose. And then I will shout it from the rooftops for all to know.

Yes, you heard that right. Seven years. With absolutely no breaks. Not even a day; not even an hour. We officially started dating on April 22, 2003 and have been pretty much inseparable ever since. We moved in together to start senior college in the fall of '07, so basically the only thing we don't have is a piece of paper and a shared last name. And it's just a little bit annoying.

Especially when everybody and their brother started getting engaged. Granted, this started happening five years ago but recently it's gotten ridiculous. Just today I got on Facebook and saw that a girl I worked with at the school library is engaged. But nothing can top that week last month. First, our ex-roommate popped the question to his cow of a girlfriend (who we can't stand). They've been dating around two, two and a half years. Then, one of my boyfriend's friends got engaged. They've been together forever and are moving to Georgia, so I can't complain there. Then--and this is the cherry on freakin' top--my little sister got engaged. To a guy she's been dating for eight months. Don't get me wrong; I love my sister and I think her guy is great, but this was NOT supposed to happen to her before it happened to me.

Then, in one day, one of my high school friends had a baby, my brother got married, and my grandma found out she'd had a mini-stroke. I call this day Overwhelm Janna Day.

So I kind of...snapped. I have been hinting loudly nagging my boyfriend for an engagement ring for a while now. And with all that happening, it got really bad. But I'm not the only one. He hears it from my friends. He hears it from his friends. He hears it from his boss. That ought to tell him something.

He happened to mention that if he could just go a month without anyone saying anything to him about it, it might happen. So I told him that, while I couldn't promise to make everyone else shut up, I wouldn't say a word to him for a month about a ring. And so far I've done pretty good. I'm hoping it will make him see how badly I really, really want this.

On another note, my cousin's wife had a baby girl last Tuesday, the first girl in our family in around 13 years. She's pretty much the most precious thing I've ever seen. Hooray for babies!

Count Your Blessings, Name Them One by One

So many bad things have happened this month, I think it's time to remember what all I'm thankful for.



I am so, so thankful that my friend at work didn't lose her baby! She went back to the doctor on Tuesday and they saw the sweet little thing's hearbeat. Her husband even teared up.

I really, really prayed hard that her baby would be OK, so I am also thankful for an awesome God who answers prayers.

I am thankful for my amazing BFF, who was willing to put herself into awkward situations last weekend because she knew I might need her.

I am thankful that I got to know my cousin for 23 years, even though he aggravated me to death when I was little (and even some when I got older). He was the big brother I never had. He had a tough life filled with lots of sickness, and even though my whole family will miss him, I am thankful that he is no longer in pain.

Finally, I am thankful for all the time I got to spend with my family this week, even if it was under sad circumstances. Sometimes, all you need is the people you love.

Free Write

I really haven't been keeping up with this blog as much as I wanted to. I just realized that it had been about 3 weeks since I last posted (before yesterday, that is), but that's around the time my cousin went into the hospital for the last time and he really started going downhill. So everything kind of all got saved up and spit out in my last post.

I don't know if this sounds awful or abnormal or what but I kind of feel like I'm trying not to get upset until it's all over with. Like, I feel like I need to keep myself together through tomorrow and after it's all over I can have myself a good cry about it. It's not that I didn't love my cousin. He aggravated the whey out of me when I was little but it sure makes for good memories now. He used to tell me that the Snards were going to get me, which is probably why I still think things are going to "get me" when I'm home alone. (Have I told you about my completely irrational fear or zombies? We'll talk about that one another day.)

I just feel so sad for my Aunt K. He was her only baby, and his daddy left them when he was little, probably still just a baby. So he was kind of communally raised by my whole family and everybody is really upset over it. Tonight was the first time I had ever seen my Uncle S cry, and he has pretty much been my dad (along with my Papaw B) my whole life, so that really got me.

The funeral home does one of those picture memorials and there were several pictures of my cousin with his grandkids. One of his stepdaughters, had a baby when she was 13, and we were all really embarrassed then, but now that I think about it, I think God allowed it to happen so my cousin could get to enjoy a grandchild. When they brought my cousin home from the hospital the last time, he kept talking about taking his grandson to the zoo. I just wish he would have got to do it.

Like I said, I'm trying not to get myself all sad and upset until it's all over, but all bets are off for the funeral tomorrow. That's going to be a really tough thing for everyone to go through, and if my own sadness doesn't get me, I know my family's will.

Horrible/Wonderful/Horrible Week

Remember the future sister-in-law that I blogged about here? Well, let's just say I had a change of heart. (The only constant is change, remember?) I thought, if she's going to be in my life, especially if she's going to be the mother of my niece or nephew, I am going to try my hardest to like her. My grandma was feeling the same way, and had even talked to her about their upcoming wedding and baby names. Heck, I even offered to take their wedding pictures!

Well, I got the news from my sister and grandma Monday that Future SIL had lost the baby. And honestly, I was really sad. I was looking forward to a niece or nephew to spoil rotten. And I know they were excited, too. But, I guess everything happens for a reason, and right now just wasn't the right time for them to have a child. That doesn't make it any easier, though.

Last week, we found out one of my good friends from work is also pregnant. She and her husband have been trying since January, and girl had a full-blown case of baby fever. Then she started having really bad cramps. A trip to the doctor yielded the possibility that it's either normal or a miscarriage. They're tracking the levels of pregnancy hormone in her blood in hopes of finding out something. She's still feeling sick, which I take to be a good sign, but what do I know about pregnancy? I just keep praying that her baby's OK.

On to the better part of the week. Friday, my wonderful boyfriend, my BFF, and I went to see Three Days Grace, Chevelle, and Adelitas Way at the BancorpSouth Center in Tupelo. It was an all-around great performance by all three bands. None of us had ever heard of Adelitas Way before, but after Friday night my BFF and I were in love. The lead singer was signing autographs after the show, so of course we bought a copy of their CD and got it signed. My BFF complemented them on their great show, the lead singer winked at her, and she said, "Ahhh," in a lovesick fashion. And he heard it. And chuckled. Plus, my WB ran smack-dab into him coming out of the bathroom. Jealous.

My BFF came home with me afterwards to help out with the Surprise 70th Birthday Party I've been planning for my Mamaw S for almost a year. We had told her our family was having an Easter get-together on Saturday so we would have an excuse to bring her to the party spot. For some reason, my mamaw kept getting the times mixed up and almost giving me a heart attack. We invited all her brothers and sisters, my grandpa's brothers and sisters, and everyone's kids and grandkids. My BFF, Mom, and I went to decorate the place, and we got everything put up pretty fast. We had a cake made with a dachshund on it since my mamaw has a weenie dog named Skeeter. It was adorable. Everyone arrived around 1 p.m., and we had my brother and his fiancée bring our mamaw at 1:30. She was so surprised when she walked in and everyone started singing "Happy Birthday" to her. I can't believe our huge family managed to keep it a secret for almost a year!

We even had a family picture made--the first one ever, I believe--of my mamaw, my dad, and all of us kids. And I made sure my WB and Future SIL were included. (My sister's boyfriend was at work, or he would have been in it, too.)

The only bad part about the day was, of course, my father. He made my sister text me on Friday to find out if my mom was invited to the party. He "didn't want to hurt my feelings, but he doesn't feel comfortable around her." Well, duh. Generally when you screw somebody over you don't feel comfortable around them anymore. My whole family wanted my mom to stay, but she wouldn't because she didn't want to create a scene. Then my dad proceeded not to speak to me the whole day. Can we nominate him for Father of the Year or what?

Around the end of the party, my stomach started feeling rumbly, like something wasn't settling well. I started to think that bacon and cheese covered jalapeños + strawberry cake was not a good combination. Still, after we cleaned up, the BFF and I went and spent a little time with Mamaw S at her house and talked about the party. Seth wanted us to stop by so my BFF could see his mom's puppy, so we did that. Stomach still feeling not so good. Starting to feel a little pukey but trying to hold off on losing my lunch until I got home.

Now we get to the really bad part. One of my cousins has been really sick for a long time. He's a hemophiliac, so he's had a lot of problems all his life. He doesn't have a spleen, and around Christmas he fell and broke his hip and had to have surgery (which was a really big ordeal because of the hemophilia). Anyway, he had been having some other problems and they discovered that he had a virus called toxoplasmosis attacking his brain. They started treating it, but nothing they did helped. They couldn't do surgery because they were afraid he would bleed to death. So basically they just had to let it be. Two weeks ago, around my birthday, he went into the hospital again and found out the virus was spreading. They told us he wouldn't live much longer and sent him home on hospice. So basically we have been waiting for two weeks for the inevitable to happen. And on Saturday, they told us it wouldn't be long at all.

So I'm trying to decide what to do with BFF, because I know she wouldn't want to intrude on such a private family moment unless she knew I needed her there. We finally decided for her to go to my house so she could check on her puppy and wait. My WB was going back to Oxford that night to work on Sunday, so she was hitching a ride back with him. We get home and my Aunt N walks out from my Mamaw P's, where she had been sent to get my mamaw's medicine, so I asked if I could hitch a ride up to my Aunt K's house with her. She says yes and goes back to get the medicine. The BFF and I get everything unloaded and the pukey feeling just won't wait anymore. I leave her unloading food that needs to be refrigerated and do my thing. As I'm brushing my teeth, Aunt N comes back and says they called from Aunt K's and said to leave everything and come right now. So we jump in the car and go. My cousin is gone by the time we get there. He was my Aunt K's only child, and I felt so bad for her. The funeral home was so busy this weekend that they couldn't get him out today, so visitation is today and the funeral is Tuesday. I'm missing two days of work, but my supervisor has known about this for weeks and she knew I was going to go home (or in this case, stay home) if anything happened.

Back to Saturday. It was my other cousin's birthday, the one who is like a brother to me. And I proceeded to get sick through his whole birthday party. Mom got me home and it just didn't stop. It felt just like last summer when I got food poisoning from Taco Bell. Mom had to call Aunt K to get me a dissolvable Phenergan because I couldn't keep the liquid down. I didn't eat anything that could give me food poisoning, so I'm thinking I got some kind of stomach flu. I'm feeling some better, but still not 100%.

I know this post was totally random, but there is so much on my mind and I just had to get it all out. Thanks for listening!

Prime Time!

That's right, folks! My wonderful boyfriend and I are priming the nightstand! We decided on a fabulous color called Citrus Punch--kind of an orange creamsicle color. We're going to do the borders in this gorgeous shade of brown called Sweet Tea. Both of them can be found here. (Click on the orange palate. Citrus Punch is second row, next to last, and Sweet Tea is bottom row, second sample.)

I wanted to take a photo of the nightstand before we started painting it, but my WB got it sanded down before I could even think about it. Then I wanted to take a photo of the sanded stand, but...well...I forgot. And then we primed it today, and it kind of seems irrelevant to just take a picture of the primed stand and the finished stand. So, you will have to wait for me to post a photo of the finished product and imagine how it looked before we made it beautiful!

20 Questions

I found this round of 20 questions on another blog and decided to give it a whirl.

1. What was the first thing you did this morning? Rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. It didn't work.

2. What is your favorite cereal? Raisin Bran. Yes, I'm an old person. Does it help that I add lots of sugar?

3. Would you rather marry a millionaire who is unfaithful or a middle class worker who only has eyes for you? The middle class worker, please.

4. Would you rather have a job that requires strength of the body or the mind? Strength of the mind.

5. How old were you when you had your first kiss? I was 15. Taylor Swift's song always takes me back. :)

6. If you were the opposite sex for a day, what would be the first thing you'd do? I dunno. Pee standing up? I've never thought about it that much.

7. What is the scariest thing that has ever happened in your life? Honestly, probably the death of my grandfather. I didn't want to consider life without him.

8. Would you ever consider plastic surgery? Probably not, considered I'm not too fond of needles and knives and self-inflicted pain. Or any kind of pain, for that matter.

9. What skill do you feel is stronger: your math skills or your English skills? Oh, definitely English.

10. Who did you vote for in the last presidential election? Obama.

11. Do you consider yourself more of a liberal or a conservative? Definitely liberal.

12. If you could spend a day in another person's body, living their life, who would it be and why? I think I would like to be a successful book editor for a day, just to make sure that's what I want to do.

13. If you had to choose, would you rather be blind or deaf? I can never choose on this question, ever.

14. Who is the one person who can always make you laugh? My wonderful boyfriend.

15. If you and a member of the opposite sex were the last people on Earth, but they looked like Cruella Deville and Mister Ed had a baby, would you procreate? I don't know. I mean, I guess I'd have to, but then if we're supposed to be "repopulating the human race," that would mean our kids would have to procreate...all kinds of weirdness is involved in this scenario.

16. What are you passionate about? My family and friends. Helping others. Finding a job I love (which I've done; I just hope the magazine succeeds so I can get full-time status).

17. Are you pro-life or pro-choice? I'm pro-choice. And no, that is not the same as pro-abortion.

18. Imagine you're an inmate waiting on death row. What would you request for your last meal? Probably a big, juicy steak, cooked by my sweetie, and my grandma's mashed potatoes.

19. What is the one trait that is mandatory in a potential partner? Understanding, I think. The ability to accept me for who I am. My wonderful boyfriend is great at that.

20. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? You know, right now I think I'd love to be working on the magazine as some kind of editor. I see a nice house outside the city with a big yard for our dogs and kids to play in. Two kids, probably twins (it's my turn since my mom was a twin), and I'd like it to be a boy and a girl, but who knows? My wonderful husband (formerly my wonderful boyfriend) has a job that he loves, and we're still just as crazy for each other as ever.

Home Improvement

Today, my wonderful boyfriend and I visited Home Depot, if I am not mistaken, for the first time ever. I mean, it's a little hard to do home improvement when you don't own a home to improve, right? And I think our landlord might get angry if we decided to spiff up our duplex.

Anyway, we have this little nightstand that his dad gave us when we moved into our first apartment. Back then, we were basically taking all our relatives' castoffs and hand-me-downs so we could have some semblance of furniture. Now we even own our own couch. OOOOOH.

Back to the nightstand. Well, it's never been too pretty-looking. It's kind of scuffed up, and one of the handles fell off. When we moved into our new place, we decided we would hang on to it and spruce it up: new layer of paint, new handles, and voila!

Well...that was a year ago. And it's still scuffed up and missing a handle.

UNTIL TODAY.

Originally we were going to HD to look for some buttercups to plant outside. (Do they sell buttercups? I mean I'm used to just seeing them in yards and pastures and along the roadside but we don't have any near our house and I NEED buttercups. My happiness depends on it.) My WB decided that, while there, we should also look at paint and handles for the the nightstand (!). So we did, and the HD associate was very helpful in telling us what all we would need to do to fix up our lil' stand. We ended up going home with some primer, sandpaper, two new handles (!), and a book of paint samples. Now all we have to do is pick a color and actually PAINT it.

Oh...and we've also decided to fix up this old microwave stand that we used as a TV stand and make some other use for it. Are we domestic or what?

My Amazing BFF

This is my BFF.


(That's her furry son, Leo.)

Anyway, she's pretty amazing. Want to know how amazing she is? Her Implications of the Holocaust professor just nominated her to attend a research seminar at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. People, this is her dream. She eats, sleeps, and breathes the Holocaust.

And she's so amazing that her professor is not only writing her letter of recommendation, she is calling the board who selects the winners to tell them how much my BFF deserves to go.

Of course, I already knew how amazing she was, ever since we met in Intro to Greek Civ two and a half years ago and spent a semester drawing ridiculous vases in class to amuse ourselves. And then we went to a Foo Fighters concert in January '07 and that was truly when we started becoming BFFs.


(Us at the Foo Fighters concert.)


(Dave Grohl, just because he's hot.)

We've been pretty much inseparable since. My wonderful boyfriend even has a nickname for the two of us together: "Janelle." We do anything and everything from discussing religions to laughing at wedding magazines to attending sporting events to shoe shopping. We have seen each other through both horrible and amazing things, I know I would not be the person I am today if I had never met my passionate, opinionated, amazing BFF!

I Missed 5QF, So I'm Doing It on Saturday

1. What's your guilty pleasure?
That's an easy one. Shoes. Oh, how I love shoes! Boots, flats, heels (though I don't wear them that often), flip-flops, sandals (ohhh sandals!)... I. Love. Shoes. A local shoe store, aptly named My Favorite Shoes, had a 75% off sale a few weeks ago. I promptly spent $70 on a necklace, a pair of flats (regular $70), a pair of short boots ($50), and a tall pair of brown leather boots ($170!!!). See them here. Then I went back later that week to a 70% off sale and bought two pair of "Grove shoes" (both regular $52) and a killer pair of Madden Girl heels($70). Then I got a new pair of tennis shoes and a pair of gladiator sandals on a weekend shopping trip with my mom. And she visited me yesterday and bought me two more cute pair of shoes. Problem? What problem?

2. What is your favorite TV series?
It was *sniff sniff* Nip/Tuck. Oh, the insanity! Oh, the hot doctors! (Mm...Dr. Troy.) But, since last Wednesday was the series finale (yes, I cried; no, I don't feel closure), I guess my current favorite show will have to be Glee, which returns next month. Yay!

3. Can you speak any foreign languages?
Un poco español.

4. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
A lot, but not enough. See Question 1.

5. What's your favorite kind of M&M's...peanut, almond, straight up regular, etc.?
Wait, they make almond M&M's?! Apparently we don't have those where I live. It varies, but I think peanut is my favorite.

SOLD OUT, Folks!

From my editor's Facebook status:

We did our first press run with the new magazine and SOLD OUT to vendors kids. All I got to say is Woot! If you want one, better get in line on March 20. They won't last long! They go on sale March 20 at Books a Million, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Sam's Club, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Kroger, Schnucks, Winn Dixie, Publix, Target, and other stores --- Available in all six southern states from Texas to Florida. How COOL is this??? We'll get a specific list of vendors on March 20 from our main distributor. We'll also have a brand new custom Web site listing everywhere the magazine is available.

Who, Me? Never!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.



First of all, I did NOT put off work for the job I actually like until the day of the deadline. There is NO WAY I spent a beautiful Saturday shopping and playing with puppies in the park instead of knocking out that story. And I absolutely did NOT come down with a headache on Sunday afternoon, causing me not to start on my work 'til about 6 p.m. I did NOT sit up 'til 2 this morning finishing said story.

I would NEVER allow my wonderful boyfriend and myself to purchase 8 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies and subsequently sample one or six from every box. I am NOT practically addicted to Lemon Chalet Cremes.

I did NOT have a wonky day at work today because I had to switch desks after one of my lovely coworkers quit. I did NOT have to figure out what all she left behind and what to do with it.

I did NOT come home and do absolutely nothing. And I did NOT eat an entire box of Scooby-Doo shaped macaroni and cheese for supper.

I am NOT still bugging my wonderful boyfriend for a ring, because good girlfriends don't do that. Since I'm not bugging him, I'm NOT having to try very, very hard to stop.

Finally, I am NOT already counting down the days to my birthday (21) and asking my WB what he is going to get me. I would NEVER ask for a Siamese kitten (or any kitten for that matter) to keep Tibbs company. I am most definitely NOT one of those people who makes a big deal out of their birthday. Oh, no. Not me!

5 Question Friday!

1. Do you sing karaoke? If so, what is your go to song?
Actually, I've never done karaoke. I did own a karaoke machine once, though. And this one time, on my 21st birthday, after I'd had a few drinks, I REAAAAALLY wanted to go do karaoke. Unfortunately, the karaoke place wasn't open that night. I did, however, take music lessons in junior high and performed at the mall and my school's beauty revue. And I sang at church.

2. What is your favorite coffee drink?
A Red and White Chocolate Mousse from Latte Books, which sadly closed down years ago. It was coffee with white chocolate and raspberry with whipped cream and chocolate on top. When I'm in the mood for one I just ask for a coffee with raspberry and white chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Mmm....

3. If you could choose your own name, what would it be?
You know, I actually think I would keep the name I have, even though I used to hate it. No one spells it right, and half the people I meet can't pronounce it right. (Seriously, how hard is it to say Anna and just stick a J on the front?) I can't imagine myself with any other name. My mom told me recently that she had wanted to name her daughter Christina and call her Christy, and she made the mistake of telling one of my great aunts who subsequently named her daughter Christi. Also, I was supposed to be a boy (apparently they didn't have sonograms back in '87) and my name was going to be Clinton Gerald...which is now my (half)brother's name. Mom just doesn't have good luck with names.

4. Were you ever bullied?
Not really, but I can remember a couple of times I was "picked on."

5. How often do you eat fast food?
Um...can I plead the fifth? Let's just say I eat it more often than I should. I'm trying to do better, though.

Thankful Thursday

Saw this on Mrs. Briggs's blog and decided that I've been focusing too much on all the negative stuff in my life. Today I'm focusing on nothing but the things I'm thankful for!

First of all (and it's the first thing on my mind because I just got off the phone from setting up an interview), I'm thankful for Marianne Todd at Mississippi Weddings Magazine for giving me my shot, trusting me with so many stories and being an AMAZING boss! I can't wait to see this woman's vision in print.

On that note, I'm thankful that I've gotten almost all of my interviews for the story I'm working on. Five (possibly even six) out of seven ain't bad!

I'm thankful that tomorrow is PAYDAY!

I'm thankful that my friend B got a new job!

I'm thankful for my lovely friends and family (namely, Mom, my wonderful boyfriend, my amazing BFF and my lovely coworkers) for keeping me sane!

I'm thankful that, come May, I will have two new babies to spoil! My friend Lana's little boy, and my cousin Joey's little girl!

I'm thankful for my sweet big puppy, Buddy, and my evil little ginger cat, Tibbot!

I'm thankful that I get to go to Southaven with S and M tomorrow to eat yummy TGIFriday's and visit Target!

And finally, I'm thankful that the sun is starting to come out of hiding and that spring is almost here! I can't wait to get out of these layers and put on a skirt and a cute pair of sandals!

(Unfortunately, I don't know how to work that MckLinky thing, so if anyone could enlighten me, I'd be ever so thankful!)

The Only Constant is Change

Lots of things seem to be changing in my life in such a short period of time. I'm having a little trouble processing all these new developments, and quite frankly, they're making me uneasy.

First of all, the job thing again. Just this week, one of my good friends, B, was let go because she was having some family issues that made her late sometimes. It doesn't really seem like it's been going on that long, and she did her very best to get to the office as quickly as possible. If she was 30 minutes late to work, she would make it up by only taking a 30 minute lunch, so it isn't like they were losing her effort.

There are a few of us--myself included--who have been habitual missers. In my case, it was because of sickness and migraines--which, thankfully, have gotten under control thanks to some handy little pills my doctor gave me--and I haven't missed a day in almost two months. (The last time was at the beginning of January, and it was because of a death in the family.) Others also miss because of sickness or personal issues. However, I can't help wonder why they didn't choose to eliminate any of us instead of B. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's because she had been with the company longer than any of us, and she probably made more than we do.

Let's back up to one week ago. My sister called and woke me up from a perfectly good nap to tell me that our brother had proposed to his girlfriend. Now, this would normally be a happy development. However, our entire family loathes his little girlfriend. To borrow a phrase from our older kinfolks, she's too big for her britches. She steps into a place where she has no right to be, as in telling his mother (my dad's wife) off because of my brother's curfew. Also, to quote Kanye West, "I ain't sayin' she's a gold-digger, but she ain't messin' with no broke..."

No, wait. That's exactly what I'm saying. She's a gold-digger. And to top it off, she made my brother quit his job because he wasn't spending enough time with her. How these two things fit together, I don't know.

Now let's fast forward to yesterday. My sister texts me with the wonderful news that Little Miss Gold-Digger is pregnant. She's a senior in high school. My brother is 20 and has nothing but a college diploma. These kids were building a shack out of scrap metal to live in because they're "sick of everyone." And now they are going to bring a child into their deluded world?

What's more, now my family and I are going to have to tolerate her if we want any hope of ever being involved in this child's life. Let's just say I hoped finding out I was going to be an aunt would be a much happier occasion. But, you get what you get and you deal with it. And life goes on.

Job Insecurity

I don't enjoy my day job. That's no secret. In fact, there have been days when I literally woke up sick because I knew where I'd be spending the next 8 hours. There have been days when I was seriously ill (i.e., throwing up every twenty minutes due to a migraine) that I thought I might get fired for going home. There have been days where I was yelled at for absolutely no reason. There have been many, many days where I've been made to feel like a worthless employee, even though I work my tail off and try my very best not to make mistakes. However, there has never been a day that I thought I might lose my job over budget cuts.

Until today, that is.

Today our supervisor announced that, due to production cuts, the company had eliminated (read: fired) one of our IT guys and our entire sales force. She had been assured--and, in return, was assuring us--that our department would not be affected because we are basically what makes the cogs turn. In fact, we are so important that they are bringing people down from our other offices to do some training workshops with us. We shouldn't worry about our jobs at all.

Right.

My job basically consists of entering bad checks into the system so the collections department can call and harass people for the money they owe from these bounced checks. We're in a recession, so there have been plenty of bounced checks...until lately. Why? Tax season. Folks are getting their income tax refunds and subsequently have more money, hence they bounce fewer checks. There are 10 people in my department, which is perfect for times when the check flow is heavy. Right now, however, we don't have enough work to go around, and we end up doing random tasks like folding letters and stuffing them into envelopes (which, surprisingly, is less fun that data entry). All of us know our department is needed, but we know that they might not need that many people in the department.

One of my lovely coworkers asked, if we were to lose our jobs, would we be given advanced notice so we could find new ones. She's the only one working in her household (her husband is in law school) and her paycheck barely covers her rent. Other women I work with are supporting kids. I have a car payment and rent. We don't get paid much, but we need that paycheck. The woman in charge of hiring (who is always present when we get big announcements or get in trouble) told her that the people who lost their jobs got severance.

My coworker: "I know they did, but would we?"

Hiring woman: "You don't need to worry about it, because it's not going to affect this department."

Just give us a straight answer, would you?

And it seems that just when things get bad at my day job, my side job takes off. I got two more story assignments from the wedding magazine I write for, both due by the end of the month. It's nice to know that I have at least one blessing amid all the chaos.

My Life in Pictures

In addition to a blog, I've also created a daily photo blog on Tumblr. It's an undertaking inspired by similar projects by friends and other sites I've seen. My goal is to take a picture of something interesting every day. If I can't find something or create something to photograph, I'm sure Tibbs will be happy to oblige as my subject.

If you're interested, check it out:
http://jannarenae.tumblr.com/

Once More, With Feeling

Lately I have been feeling an overwhelming urge to write. I thought about starting a journal, but I never have much success with journals, as no one other than myself expects me to keep up with them. My solution, after reading some really good postings by blogger friends of mine, is to start a new blog. I tried it last year, but only ended up posting one entry. However, I really want this one to succeed. I think school had me so burnt out of writing that I fell out of love with it. Now I'm feeling the urge again, and it's a really good feeling.

What exactly am I going to blog about? I have no clue. I may talk about what's going on in my life. I may talk about a book I just read or a movie I saw. I may rant about things that are going on in the world. Who knows? Let's just say I plan to write about things that matter to me, if not necessarily anyone else. That's why I chose the title "Miss Misc."