birthday mania

Sorry I've been MIA lately, we've had birthdays out the wazzoo.

Monday-Melissa

Tuesday-Elizabeth

Wednesday-Meredith

I'll be sure to check back in ASAP with a fabulous post about how wonderful I am. I know how much you've been missing that!

familes that dance together, stay together

sisters make the most fun
me, lauren and taylor
or
drama queen, doctor and lawyer
or
bossy,picture-taker and random-fact-giver

I think we may have crashed Susan and Ben's uber-fancy Myer's Park Country Club wedding. Oops. But what is a girl to do when her husband can't make it to the wedding and her sisters are dragging her onto the dance floor? It was good. Really good. Border-line awesome even! I was so, so, so, so glad that Taylor was able to make a break from law school and that Lauren and Jon got in from Cabo in time for the service (yeah, rough life, eh?)

In all seriousness (what?!) the wedding ceremony was beautiful. It was an honor to be there to support Susan and Ben. I loved that they were so known by their pastor and that Jesus was the center of the service. It was a very moving ceremony. Many, many, many blessings to Mr and Mrs Huber! Enjoy your 10-day cruise in the Greek Isles (yeah I kind of hate them now too.)

early riser

I literally jumped out of bed this morning. Before my alarm went off. This was all after staying up way too late last night. So why didn't I fall out of bed 20 minutes after my alarm went off like I usually do? Because I got thangs to do. Like make my husband homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

Yep.

I made dough, from scratch, last night while Josh was at Young Life club. I even managed to have the whole kitchen cleaned up before he got home, so the evidence of my plans were totally erased (except for the giant bowl of dough in the fridge. but i'm pretty sure he didn't notice that since he only goes into the fridge for milk and nutty bars. yes, he still eat little debbie cakes, but that's an entirely different story.)

So this morning I got up, beat the dough, rolled it out, coated it in butter, sugar and cinnamon, threw it in a pan and TADA:

Ok, that's not technically a picture of my cinnamon rolls, I actually stole this picture (and the recipe) from The Pioneer Woman.

Why the surprise breakfast this morning? Was it his birthday? Was it our anniversary? What was it?! (I'm sure Josh was asking himself all these questions too.....except it was probably more like, 'dang! what did i forget?!') Well, the truth is that I'm trying out some recipes for 'thank you' gifts for our YL donors. I want to make sure they taste good, cook correctly, look presentable, etc. And that's why we're up to our ears in dough and cinnamon rolls. I'll see you later.....I'll be the one with the cinnamon and maple sugar coated face. I'm drooling just thinking about it!

**I'm trying to perfect the whole freezing/thawing thing....so if you're willing to be a taste-tester for me, please holler!

ps: I did go against my better vegan-judgement and tried a bite of a roll this morning. How do I describe the heaven-ness?! It was like a gooey-hot-now-krispy-kreme-doughnut topped with sugary-maple-coffee-hinted deliciousness. Or perfection. You can use whichever description you like.

HPV has a birthday

Yep, you read that correctly. HPV turns 19 years old today.

Let me introduce you to Hannah Paige Vaughn, known to us affectionately as HPV.

And what could possibly be better than having your initials spell out the acronym associated with genital warts? Maybe having your best friends make t-shirt that say "HPV is taking over"

I went to eat lunch with Hannah today at the GWU caf and the whole time people were walking up to wish her a 'happy birthday' and saw that they were all wearing these shirts. Its the best birthday surprise I've seen in a long time.....and I'm glad that Hannah has a sick sense of humor, or this could have all been more than a little awkward!

Taylor Swift, how do i love thee?

I'm in love with Taylor Swift. I wish that we were friends. Better yet, I wish we had gone to high school together.....she's captured nearly every feeling that I felt in high school with the perfection that only teen angst can uncover.

I love music. And I love all kinds of music....seriously, check out my computer/ipod; its got everything from country to classical to rap to christian. But I especially love music that moves you; it might be the spot that makes your heart well up, makes you want to go out dancing with the girls, makes you want to book a vacation, makes you feel like you could run forever or maybe even makes you want to start a fight (hey, I didn't say that music always makes you want to do good things.)

And Taylor Swift's latest album makes me want to do all of those things. 'You Belong With Me', the much discussed award winning video, is one of my new favorites. It would have been my 10th grade anthem if I was 15 again (as would her song '15'). I love how accurately it captures that 'what-the-heck-is-wrong-with-you-stupid-boy-can't-you-see-how-much-better-we'd-be-together-than-that-crazy-girl-you-think-you-want-to-be-with' feeling that all girls go through during high school (and college and basically all dating atmospheres).

The video for the song exceeded all my expectations for the lyrics, Taylor and her ability to transport be back to high school (but with the ending we hoped for!)

Check it out!

here's her live performance at the VMAs

photographer friends.

I have four friends that are photographers, and boy are they talented. I love having friends with a unique skill; I feel cooler just by association. (Its probably really hard for you to imagine me not being cool on my own merit, isn't it?)

I really do feel lucky to be friends with Sharon, Lindsey, Cat and Sunday; they're all so fun, energetic, loving, kind, anthropologie-looking....on one hand I want to introduce them all so we can all be friends together but secretly I'm keeping them from all hanging out with each other because they'd figure out that I'm not really cool/stylish/talented enough to really be their friends....and then I'd have to just be a stalker, which I am so not into.

Lindsey (known by her dear friends as leelee....see how close we are?!) took a few pictures of us at a friends wedding. She was the photographer for the wedding, but I couldn't help but ask if she would take a couple quick pics of me and Josh. I certainly don't mind being annoying, do I?

I love this picture of me and Josh.
I'm going to have to order a copy!

Lindsey definitely did not ask us to pose like this.
We just did.
I like to call it our prom/Vogue/hurry-up-and-take-the-picture-i'm-about-to-die-laughing picture.
(check out that headband! its so Blair from 'Gossip Girl')

Check out these girls a book a session today----you won't be dissapointed, I give you my word...which is as good as law in 8 counties.

jane of all trades

I had some trouble with my car battery the past couple of days. The bad news is that I was nearly stranded a couple of times, the good news is that Chris (at Monroe Tire) replaced the battery for free since it was less than one year since I bought it and I re-learned how to jump start my car. I practically a pro. This is definitely a resume booster. J/k. (Kind of.)

I had dinner with Chelsea last night at Cantina 1511 (do get their queso, DO NOT get their vegetable picadillo. so. gross.) On our way to grab a cup of coffee after dinner, we saw a guy in the parking lot next to our restaurant trying to start his car, but the hood was up in typical 'broken-down-on-the-side-of-the-road' fashion. Then the adventure began.

We asked him if he needed any help, or if he needed us to call anyone for him. He started talking, but then it went all Charlie Brown's teacher on my and all I heard was "blaaaah blaaaah blaaaah" and all I saw was his lanky build, short stature, metro outfit and girly voice. Chelsea and I made eye contact, both realizing that he was no match for the two of us gym rats and proceeded to grab the jumper cables out of my car.

While Chelsea explained common starter connection problems I began connecting the jumper cables. I then followed up with a brief explanation of alternators and batteries. The guy looked like we were speaking Finnish. He cranked his car, which started flawlessly, and then we encouraged him to drive straight home. He nearly burned rubber leaving the parking lot. I'm not sure what scared him off: our vast car knowledge or general hotness.....probably the hotness factor.