on the road again.

Today I went to work. I came home for lunch, and unwrapped two boxes of books for my program. (!!!) I ate a bowl of slightly bland (not my best effort) potato soup from last night, and went back to work. I had my favorite kind of day at work – busy all day, so busy that I even have things to work on the minute I walk in tomorrow. I left work, and picked up Carrie. We went to a free yoga class at my old office. I came home, made a comprehensive list of my reading for this semester (!!! again – sorry, I’m excited!), and made dinner. It was much more yummy than last night’s potato soup, if I do say so myself. Then I sat on the couch with Al and Roxie and watched Grey’s Anatomy. Embarrassing, perhaps. Enjoyable? Absolutely. :)

And after a run-of-the-mill and yet quite fulfilling day, I’m rested and prepared for tomorrow – tomorrow we’re going to Charlottesville! I’m actually heading there for a sorority function – again, no judging, okay? t’s going to be awesome. Totally awesome. I can’t wait to see so many of my favorites and breathe a big long breath of that C-ville air. I have a weekend off, and I’m going to use it. I’m going to use it well. :)

Tomorrow is just the beginning. Cheers!

natural & spontaneous.

I’m going for it, lovies. I’m getting an MFA. I got the email from the program administrator at Queens yesterday that I have to make up my mind – for real this time. No more “next semester” this or “maybe next year” that. My time is up. And I’m going for it. I got the email yesterday, and bought the books this morning. I’M DOING IT!

I’m scared. I’m totally petrified. The motto of the program is “Write Where You Live,” but what if I can’t? I can barely keep up with this blog! What if I can’t be creative after I work all day, and what if I fall asleep trying to read on a Saturday morning? I’m scared. I’m going for it.

I’ll go to Charlotte two weeks a year, and in two years I’ll have an MFA in Fiction Writing. You’re probably wondering why on earth I want to do a thing like that. I have a steady job, Alex is in a very practical graduate program, what’s the point? The point is that I love writing. I don’t do very well with the process, and I sometimes have no idea what I’m doing, but I love writing. I love taking experiences – real and make-believe – and making them into a story. I love making a character. And knowing a character. And being that character when I write about them if I want to – or for that matter, whenever I feel like it. I love it, and I’m going to do it. I’m going to try it. I’m going to see where it takes me.

It costs money, and it costs time. Other than that, it doesn’t disturb my life. I’ll still go to work every day, I’ll still get married in June (!!!), I’ll still keep pinching pennies. I’ll still make dinner, I’ll still try to find time to work out, I’ll still take naps. I’ll just read more. And write a lot. And use my paid time off for weeks of workshops and seminars. I’ll learn more about literature and more about craft and more about myself. My life will still be mine, just richer. And maybe a little busier. :)

I’m doing it.

in review.

I’ve been gone too long. Again. I’m sorry. But I do have lots of updates! In the past week:

1. The event was a great success. Almost 700 people attended, and fun was had by all. No disasters. Not even one.

2. I enjoyed the evening after the event a little too much, if you know what I mean. My 2pm Saturday shift at work came WAY too early. But you know – it was worth it. Good wine and good company is always worth it, right? :)

3. I finally looked up some inspiration images for the flowers and decorations for our wedding. I have these ideas in my head, and I sometimes forget that only I can see them. For a peek of what I’m dreaming about, see here and here.

4. I went to a bridal makeup consultation at Saks 5th Avenue here in Richmond. It was fun – I felt weird. Makeup application for me consists of a little blush, a mark of eyeliner, and a quick swab of mascara. She worked on my face for AN HOUR. Hahahaha. Fun and girly (and pretty, of course) but a very different experience than anything I’ve ever done before! I’m thankful La was with me for moral support. And, come to think of it, I emailed that lady and haven’t heard back…note to self. Follow up. Moving on…

5. Alex and I had our first meeting with the pastor from our church that’s going to officiate our wedding. It went really well – inspiring and exciting and interesting and fun. Quite the combination, yes?

6. I think I’m out of things to report. Oh, I made a vegetable soup. It’s good. I’m making Alex and Josh eat it with me all week. I’ve become a big fan lately of cooking a giant something at the beginning of the week and eating it for days. Makes for more relaxing evenings – even though I haven’t had a reeeeeeally relaxing evening in a few weeks.

So, there you have it. The past eight days in review. How has YOUR eight days been?

xo

there’s always tomorrow!

And all day tomorrow, that’s what I’ll be telling myself! Tomorrow is the day of our huge fundraiser at work – and Friday is going to be delightful. Because I’ll be kicking up my feet for the weekend. After working on Friday and before working on Saturday, of course. Anyway, I literally started working on this event my first day on the job back in August, and I can’t believe it’s really almost here!

Frighteningly enough, I have been DREAMING about this event. Every night for about a week, I’ve dreamt that I was at it – and each time it’s a little different. Mind you, I don’t WANT to be dreaming about work, but I’ve basically been eating, sleeping, and breathing it the past couple of weeks. It’s the sixth annual shindig, but my first time attending, so I’ve heard quite a lot about it.

My guess is that tomorrow will be about a 15 hour day. No biggie, right? And hopefully I will come home, late and exhausted and relieved and PROUD. Back to semi-normal life soon (which hopefully means a semi-normal blogging schedule…can I get a witness?) – xoxo, lovies. So glad you’re here.

:)

another something new.

It’s true – I’ve been not-so-great at keeping up with Sibling Saturday. And so, after a brief chat with J this weekend, we’ve decided to discontinue it for now. For various reasons, we’re taking a break from our weekly photo journal.

That being said, although I sometimes stunk at getting the post actually posted on Saturdays, it was nice to have a reason I needed to post every week. Anyone have any ideas for a new series? Before you start brainstorming, I should tell you – I really like alliteration. :)

Happy Sunday!

i have no shame. no, really.

Okay, so I realize that this is the second time in just a few months that I’ve asked for your help in an online contest, but hey – read the title of this post! In case you can’t tell, I get REALLY excited about this kind of thing. :) Anyway, here’s the good news – this one is even easier! All you have to do it go to the Crate & Barrel Ultimate Wedding Contest page and CLICK THE BIG PINK BUTTON! If you’re logged into Facebook, you can vote right away – if not, either log in to FB or set up a login on the C&B site! Seriously, try it. It’s so much fun! (Yes, I linked to our entry twice. And I may do it again. Hehe.)

Anyway, if we get tons of votes and people love the 500-character ditty I wrote about “our love story,” we get either a $100,000 wedding (only one of those is given out, of course) or some super awesome gift cards to be redeemed for a whole bunch of Crate & Barrel loot. Which would totally rock my world. So, I ask you beg you (pretty pretty please? with sugar on top?) to VOTE FOR US! Okay, that was the last link. Promise. :)

But since I know you might need a little teaser – here’s an even better reason to visit the site. The first question the entry form says is “Tell us your love story.” Here’s the first line of ours:

We met in college. I was a nerd, and he was drinking beer from an empty liquor bottle.

Come on. You know you wanna read the rest! xo

i want words.

I want to write. You all know that. You have all also probably realized that the writing on this blog has been sub-par. Barely existent, and sub-par. I have been busy, and tired, and feeling sorry for myself.

But today is a good day. I worked hard all day – which is my favorite kind of day (who likes being bored?), I went on a run with my little family (yes, including Roxie), Alex taught me how to box in our basement (I basically am totally ready to kick some butt – sike!), and now I am feeling motivated. Anyway, I digress. Back to my original point.

I want to write. I want to get an MFA because it will make me write. I want to make time for writing because I WANT TO WRITE. I want to write because I love writing.

But here’s the thing. To write, one must read. And I have discovered (thanks, Mom!) that I can get audiobooks online for free with my library card. Since I have a Mac, my options are limited because of the formatting junk, but either way I would like to listen to some and read some. After all, though it’s nice to be able to “read” and knit at the same time, there’s nothing quite like a book in your hand.

So, I’m looking for suggestions. Recommendations. Orders. Tell me what you’ve read recently, and tell me why I’d like it. Or tell me why I’d hate it but I should read it anyway. Tell me anything to get my “must read” list started. I know you have lists of books in your head, just waiting to be recommended – so I beg you. Recommend them to me. :)

Please?

And thank you. In advance!

xoxo