More Hannah Montana Weekend Pictures

This is my favorite picture of the weekend. Please notice the earplugs (I wore them too!) I have such an amazing dad.


We had just fought our way through throngs of people to get these t-shirts.

Sweet sisters.

Happy 13th birthday, Punky!

One of my very best friends.

THE STAGE!

She was staring at the Jonas Brothers, big surprise.

Such a cute picture. Dad and I sat down the whole time just chilling out, while Punky and Lis opened the concert screaming and didn't take many breaks FROM screaming.

The grand finale!

Yes, that's my Dad. On Beale street. I couldn't resist.

The girls on Beale!

A little night-cap (cherry coke for me!) at Steak n Shake.

Finishing the trip at Cracker Barrel for breakfast. What an incredible weekend. THANKS, DADDY!

What a trip! More pictures to come...

Eating at Friday's before the concert.


In front of the FedEx Forum!

At the hotel.

Sisters!

We had a WONDERFUL time in Memphis!! We got there at about 4:00 Thursday evening, checked in and then went a parked the car near the Forum. We went and ate at TGI Friday's and then entered the chaos. We saw girls ranging in all ages, dressed to the nines, ready to see their idol. And yes, we all bought T-shirts. Well, not Daddy, but that's to be expected. We had good seats, and had our binoculars ready. The Jonas Brothers opened, and my sisters started SCREAMING. My dad and I, on the other hand, had earplugs in that blocked a good amount of the screaming. It was great. We could hear the music, but at a very reasonable noise level. The Jonas Brothers did a great job, and then Miley Cyrus, dressed as Hannah Montana, started the concert. I have never seen anything like it in my life. These girls were going absolutely crazy. NUTS. Mid-way through, Hannah Montana became her real self, Miley, and continued the concert. It really was a great show, I have to say. Even dad and I thought they gave you your money's worth. I could tell Andrea was in heaven, which made it all so worth it. We finished the evening at Steak n Shake, which was really fun. This morning we had breakfast at Cracker Barrel, which was wonderful. I have to end this post by saying that I have the most fabulous, giving dad I know. You could tell there was no other place he'd rather be than with us in Memphis. We just love him so much.

Two of the MANY projects....

These are renderings that I just finished. Of course I've been working on a ton of other stuff too, but sometimes people wonder..."what exactly do interior design students do?" Well my friends, I'll show you. I'll post more pictures as I'm able to take them. Here is a home that I designed, and these renderings are of the family room and master bedroom:





Sometimes the color and proportion look off when I photograph, but you get the idea. The great room took me about 4-5 hours to do, and the master took me about 1 1/2-2 hours. Whew! Two down...500 to go.

MAJOR conflict of interest...

Wow. So my mom called just to inform me that Houston Nutt will now coach the Rebels. How upsetting. My coach now joins Kurt's team. How ironic. I have never cared for Ole Miss, and I'm open about that fact. Suzanne, I know you're reading this freaking out. I'm okay with that. I guess now I will have a pure motive cheering for the Rebels, only because we're good friends with Houston. He and my grandfather are good friends, and maybe he'll be able to take care of us. We'll see. Please understand me: I'm cheering for Houston, NOT the Rebels. This has the possibility to become a source of contention. But I'm looking on the bright side. At least we'll get to see Houston more often, hopefully. What a weird, small world football is. I don't get it.

Cheery Blog

As you can see, I'm ready for the holiday season...I updated to my new holiday blog design! Inspired by vintage Christmas pictures....my favorite!

I'm Goin' to Hollywood..!

Funny how life changes in a matter of DAYS. My Nana called me today and told me that she and my grandfather are taking my mom, me, and my three sisters to L.A. over New Year's!!! I was shocked. I don't do well with emotional roller coasters, but I was GLAD to be on the ride for once today. I'm so excited...again, it's like God knew how much the Disney trip meant to me, and although we still aren't going there, He gave me a trip that is JUST as awesome. Thank you, Lord!! :)

I got my mantle done today for Christmas. I'll post pictures soon. I'm still in disbelief at the amount of work I have to accomplish before the semester is over...but oh well. It just doesn't seem right when you have to pick and choose what to do well on (like projects) and what to sacrifice for the sake of your sanity and afore-mentioned projects (like tests). Ugh. But I'm hanging in there. I even gave myself a little down time tonight and watched some episodes of "Designed to Sell" and "Jon and Kate Plus 8." I rarely do that, and it felt pretty good. Tomorrow I hit the road again with work and school. And, lest we forget, I have the big HANNAH MONTANA experience on Thursday! She was actually on Oprah recently.

Anyway, I'm off to get things ready for tomorrow. Does anyone else feel like they're a hamster in a cage running on that stupid exercise wheel? Running really fast and seemingly going nowhere...?

Having a Moment...

We had a great Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful time with the Lancasters in Ripley. All us of were there...Kurt's twin brother, Kelly, and his new wife Jennifer, and his older brother Cory and his wife Ashley. We all had a fun time being together and then eating a WONDERFUL lunch with Kurt's mom's side of the family, the Harrells. I was thinking to myself while I was there what a blessing it is that I married into a strong Christian family. Often, people marry into families that have different beliefs about Christianity, and I can imagine how many problems it causes. After we all ate together, Kurt and I headed back to Jackson to be with my family. Kurt was on call Friday, so I spent time at my parents' house, helping decorate for Christmas. We ate at Olive Garden (I had forgotten how yummy that place is), and then Nana and Poppy left this morning. This is embarrassing: Kurt came in this morning around 8 from being on call, and got back in bed. We slept until 12:45 in the afternoon!!!! I do not even remember the last time I slept that late. And the worst part is, I went to bed at midnight the night before, so I got 13 hours of sleep. I should be incredibly chipper today, but have had to work on schoolwork (big surprise), so that has drained me.

I had a breakdown today. It was bad. I just burst into tears about everything...not just schoolwork, but my job, keeping this house together, taking care of Kurt, getting things taken care of for my family, our trip being cancelled...etc, etc. I just shut down today. I'm a little better now. Sometimes crying is just a good release, I guess. I still have the same amount of work to do, but I'm just trying to calm down about it. We're about to go to Lifeway (that store calms me) and pick out my new Bible (with my new name on it!) and then we're eating at O'Charlie's. We normally don't eat there, but we have a gift certificate. I know that God doesn't give us anything we can't handle. That's about all that's getting me through this season of my life. However, I will say that the biggest blessing during all of this is that Kurt is not one of my stressful worries. He is so encouraging and a huge help to me. Usually a couple's biggest stress or irritation is each other, and I'm so blessed that we don't have that problem (well, we have our moments...haha!). Kurt told me to do what I can on my schoolwork and just let the rest go. That's my biggest problem...letting go. But I'm trying. Thanksgiving was only 2 days ago, and I'm fussing about school again already. I need to get a grip. Hope all is well with everyone...Christmas is almost here!

P.S. GO RAZORBACKS!!!! What a game!

My Thankful List

As promised, here is my 2007 list, in no particular order. And it's a condensed version. I AM THANKFUL. . .

1. For the story of me and Kurt. Not many people know the in-depth story of our dating, engagement, and courtship. There were challenges, hurt, and a specific trial that we went through, even though we dated just a few short months from July-December (we got engaged officially in January). I won't go into that for the sake of privacy, but over time, I have dealt with a lot because of this. The Lord chose to "chisel" me through this process, and Kurt and I are incredibly blessed and beyond happy to be together. If we had not experienced hardship, we wouldn't appreciate each other as much. Sometimes you don't see the good end of things until MUCH later. So I am thankful for the Journey.

2. That I don't have to date ever again. It consumes your thought-life and makes you an analytical freak. Marriage is awesome. Difficult sometimes, but WONDFERFULLY awesome.

3. For my husband, period. Kurt is the best gift that God could've given me. He is tender, kind, and focused. He recognizes his mistakes and forgives me for mine.

4. For old movies, musicals, and music. This covers a lot for me. There WAS a simpler time way back when, and I love to re-live it.

5. For FAMILY. What would I do without them? I could go on and on, but words cannot express the love and devotion that I have to "my people." Thank you, Lord!

6. For being born into a Christian, evangelical, missions-supporting family. Oh, and add to that list Conservative. I take that for granted sometimes, but I've been exposed to our wonderful Lord since birth. How many kids REALLY get that chance?

7. For people who aren't passive, don't live by double-standards, and have black and white opinions on things. I have certain convictions on social issues, all the way down to social drinking, which may offend some people. Granted, they are my own personal beliefs and convictions, but I am thankful for people who are consistent with their lifestyle and the message they preach.

8. For babies. They are beautiful, innocent, trusting, and accepting. They laugh, see the world through pure eyes, and are so wonderful to cuddle. And they smell so good :)

9. For memories. Think about it: God gave us this little thing in our brains that retain memories and past events and allow us to relive wonderful moments in our lives. He didn't have to do that for us. For some people, memories can be painful...we all have moments we want to forget. But picture life with no memories of childhood, friends, or vacations. God was good to give us a Memory.

10. For forgiveness. Daddy just finished a series on this topic and it was awesome. God's forgiveness is so vast and consuming...and the most important part? He forgets! I beat myself up about things over and over, when God completely forgot it happened.

11. For travel. I am a changed person because of the places I've seen, the people I've met, and the education I've received through other parts of the world. From Big Ben in London to the Eiffel tower in Paris....from the Andes mountains in Peru to the beautiful New York City...we have a world out there that can literally change our lives. I'm so thankful for what I've gotten to see.

12. For Christmas. Not only the decorations, songs, nostalgia, and cheer, but the gift of our Savior. The birth of a little baby....what a majestic night it must have been.

13. For the Bible. I take it for granted, and I KNOW I don't read it enough. But it's God's letter to us. Some Christians in other countries hide their Bibles and fight to get one. We can go to Lifeway and pick any color we want, from 200 translations, and we can even pick the font we want our name engraved in. Let's appreciate it!

14. For cozy houses and relaxation time. I am so thankful for my little home that I have been able to take care of. Spending time in it makes me so happy.

15. For education. I complain about it, but I could be doing manual labor in a factory somewhere. I need to appreciate the opportunity to learn.

16. For the internet. I spend way too much time on it, but it's astounding what's at our fingertips.

17. For Target. It sounds trivial, but what a wonderful place. Bringing quality, fashionable, and unique merchandise to the masses. At great prices. Gotta love that.

18. For unexpected blessings that God gives you out of nowhere. Just because He loves you.

19. That I married someone that believes that marriage is permanent, and not just a flippant thing. We're in this together for life.

20. For good books. Literature is powerful. It doesn't even have to be deep (although it's good when it is) to be thought-provoking.

21. Speaking of literature, I'm thankful for Kristin Billerbeck and her FABULOUS books. There was this one passage out of a Kristin Billerbeck book that sticks out in my mind. It was in her third book in the Ashley Stockingdale series (my favorite), called "With This Ring, I'm Confused!" In the book, this single girl meets a doctor, and after several hardships, they get married. It describes their wedding with a 1940s swing band, and all the details that I personally would love. I closed the book and cried and cried. I closed my eyes and distinctly remember saying: Lord, this is a fiction book! What are the chances that a doctor will drop out of the sky, he'll be perfect for me, and we'll live happily ever after!? It just doesn't seem possible! The very next week, I met Kurt Lancaster, a handsome young doctor, who was and IS perfect for me. I'm not saying that God answers prayers right down to the details all the time, but you know what? Sometimes He does. I didn't even care if the guy was a doctor, but I do have a weakness for scrubs :) God loves to give us surprises.


That's a very short version of my thankful list, because I have a MILLION things to be thankful for. God is good. Let's count our blessings this holiday season. Hugs to everyone---and I mean everyone---who reads my blog :)

After the Final CRAPPY Rose...

Well, correction. There was no rose. Because Brad is just stupid. I watched the show tonight (kind of an update on things) and was still dumbfounded. Every member of the audience felt the same way I did. And Jenni basically quoted me by saying "Why couldn't you just start a relationship with someone?" Did you see his eyes? They were like....cold and glazed. He was a totally different person to me. And he looked SEVERELY uncomfortable. Um, I would be too. I think he has weird commitment issues and was trying to talk himself into marriage. Ok, enough of my commentary on a reality TV show. There are more important things in life. Like...

DECORATING FOR CHRISTMAS!!

Kurt and I got our tree today! We also went to the mall to get a few things. I'm doing well on Christmas shopping. We went over to my parents' because my grandparents got into town tonight. We watched Dancing with the Stars---the Results, and my grandmother had a hissy fit when Marie got through to the next round. We have been threatened within an inch of our lives as a family by Nana if we don't all cast the maximum number of votes allowed for Marie and Jonathan. My uncle may be coming for Thanksgiving....that will be an interesting situation. He's been having a lot of issues lately, and I'm honestly not sure how to handle it anymore. So just pray for that.

My tree is up! I have to buy ornament hooks to hang the rest of my colored balls, but other than that, it looks awesome. I'll start my mantle soon, and that will make me feel cheery. School is still overwhelming (that's a severe understatement), but I'm trying to be calm. Tomorrow we are headed to Ripley (where Kurt is from) for Wednesday night and Thursday morning, then we're headed back to Jackson for Thursday evening. It should be a good holiday weekend. Technically, I should be working on homework the whole time, but I know I won't. It's Thanksgiving, for goodness sakes. Oh, and the Razorbacks play on Friday. I ordered a new baseball cap and t-shirt supporting my team. Oh, and I bought a Mike Huckabee tshirt to support his presidential campaign. I know it's slim that he'll get into the final election, but I'm being a supportive CONSERVATIVE Republican! Ok, ok, I kind of have other connections...he's one of my grandfather's close friends. So we've known him and his wife for awhile. But I'm really not biased....Republicans are sometimes too moderate, and he is definitely a wonderful conservative. Go Huckabee!

Well I'm off to straighten my house and have some time to collect my thoughts. Granted, it's 12:29 at night, but oh well. I'll take what I can get. Happy (Almost) Thanksgiving!

Seriously?

Did that Bachelor finale really just happen? Did the last scene of the show REALLY just show him sitting there staring at the ground, with NO ONE?! Does anyone else feel like they wasted a few weeks of their life? Anyway....clearly, I wasn't very happy with the ending. It was such a roller coaster. He loves Jenni. Wait, no, he's picking Deanna. WAIT---he doesn't want EITHER ONE! Amazing. I'm SO watching "After the Final Rose" tomorrow night. Reality television is just...unreal. No pun intended. I am having an analytical conversation with my friend Erin as I type. We are trying to make sense of it all.

I am Sooooooo excited about this summer. My dad and grandfather (his father) are taking a group to Israel!! I will actually get to be where Jesus was. My parents both got to go when they were in high school, and I finally get to go. We are going sometime in the middle of June...I think it's the 22nd...and getting back July 3rd. It's going to be amazing...just wanted to share my excitement. We will take the Lord's supper in the Garden of Gethsemane (where Jesus said his final prayer) and we can be re-baptized in the Sea of Galilee, among other neat things. How awesome.

Anyway, I'm off to bed...class tomorrow. And I'm getting a Christmas tree :)

When it Rains, it Pours

I don't want to start a post out negatively, but....For reasons beyond our control, we will not be going to Disney in January. I wanted to get that news out of the way before Thanksgiving, and so no one starts asking me if I'm excited about the Disney trip. But it's ok. Sometimes God just has a different plan than we do. Huge disappointments happen. But I'm trying not to let those thoughts creep in right before Thanksgiving. I mean, I've been a million times...and there are little kids everywhere who would give their right arm to go once. That's how I'm trying to think about it. But it's still hard. Anyway, I've been working on homework all weekend....literally. I still feel like I'm just taking one step forward, two steps back, but I'm at least trying. Why do teachers always do this? I guess it's just the way things are towards the end of the semester. I'll be spending my break working on schoolwork, but at least I'll be with my family. And I'm getting a Christmas tree on Tuesday :) So...in the midst of disappointment and frustration, and all the emotions that come along with something exciting being cancelled, I'm thankful. I really am. Satan will do anything to get us discouraged. So I'll just keep going. And I only have to go to class two days this week, and only work one day (tomorrow). I know I'll post closer to Thanksgiving, and I'll do my Thankful List. So until then, everyone have a good start of the week.

Blah Saturday...

Today has been pretty blah. I woke up later than I planned and started working on homework immediately. This went on until 4:45ish, when I realized I needed to go get some things for a centerpiece I'm making for a kitchen shower tomorrow. My friend Brittney is getting married December 14th, and I'm in the wedding (our dresses are gorgeous, by the way). Me and one or two other bridesmaids are hosting a shower tomorrow. So I went to Michaels and made a quick stop by the mall to get a gift (I would've LOVED to stay longer...), then I went over to Mom and and Daddy's for chili. We watched Shrek the Third and had a lovely time. I'm waiting on Kurt to get home. Hopefully it will be soon...I dont even know how much sleep he got at the hospital last night. But anyway. This is a terribly un-exciting post, but oh well. It keeps track of my days :) Will this semester PLEASE END? And as a sidenote, I'm very excited about Thanksgiving. Even though it will mean more homework and some time in the car, I love to kick off the holidays. Plus, the Razorbacks are playing on Friday! Go Hogs, Go! Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Good Times on Friday

Today was a good day. Kurt didn't have to go in until 3, so we made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I had to go to work from 1-6, which is never truly enjoyable, but I had a pretty good day, actually. It could've been a LOT worse, I'll put it that way. I helped a lot of customers and felt productive. Brooke (my best friend) came over tonight. We had Kyoto fried rice to eat (Little Tokyo wouldn't answer their phone...otherwise, we would've been loyal to them, trust me), and started watching Love Actually. But then we paused it to talk about something and never started it back. So two hours later we watched a funny episode of "A Wedding Story," which was particularly cheesy (gotta love TLC daytime). I had taped it on my FABULOUS DVR, so we had fun watching that. Then, we watched the wedding DVD. I hope to get my "final" edited DVD soon, which will have reception footage, etc. So we enjoyed that. Now I'm just enjoying some quiet alone time, which I don't have very often. Kurt called and told me that he's going to hitch a ride with some residents who are going to the Ole Miss game tomorrow. I have elected not to go due to my workload. I'm sad he's going....but I know he really enjoys it. He married me even though I'm not an Ole Miss fan. Oh well! :) Tomorrow will be filled with homework. Color rendering, picking out some furnishings for a project, looking up codes for a Spa I have to design...a few notebooks I have to put together.....so many fun things to choose from. Ugh. But, that's life right now. So I need to get happy about it.

On a side note, the holiday evening at church was great! We had a wonderful time, and people actually showed up for my mantle-decorating session. But the highlight for me was hearing my Mom speak to all the women. She was incredible. She would never agree to this, but I think she is so natural in front of people, doing public speaking. She hates things like that because she's more behind the scenes, but I was incredibly touched at the spiritual depth she shared in her talk. I have a lot to live up to, and that's a good thing! God bless my wonderful Mommy. Katrice, awesome job getting the evening together! It seemed to flow so well, and I think everyone had a wonderful time. You gave us a wonderful evening---thank you!

Well, I'm off to munch on some snacks, watch TV, and read. I need to get it out of my system because tomorrow is all work and no play. Happy weekend, everyone!

It's Mantle Time!

Well, my room is decorated for the holiday evening. I hope it goes well. My mom is showing a home video of my family acting out the Nativity. I was about 7, Alyssa was 3, and Will was about 9 months. My dad was forced into playing Joseph, complete with a bath-towel headpiece on his head. Everyone should get a kick out of this! I will post pictures and an update on the evening. :)

Celebratory List

1. I love Dancing with the Stars this season. Such a good one to watch. And my grandmother plus the QVC crowd are keeping Marie Osmond in the game. I can't help but support Marie. It's in my DNA to support the Osmonds. Even though they're Mormon.

2. I got my nails done today. It was so wonderful. Sometimes all I need is a tiny bit of pampering, and I'm good. I didn't realize how much your self-esteem can be altered when your fingers don't look good. I neglected them for far too long. Now that I've got some "play" money, I'm....well....playing!

3. I would like a standing ovation, please. I made homemade poppyseed bread tonight for our dessert!!!! Yes, I MADE IT! And it was yummy. I can't wait to tell my Mommy and give my family a taste-test. Kurt said it was absolutely delicious, but he'd say that just to avoid getting hit in the face. Sometimes the smallest domestic things make me feel so proud, like I'm actually good at being a student/wife/daughter/housekeeper/pet owner. Thank you, thank you :)

4. I'm skipping my morning class tomorrow. And you know what? I might skip my other one too. I might just take the whole darn day off. People reading this must think I am a terrible student, but please let me clarify: I do not miss a class if I feel that it would be a complete disaster for my grade in the class. Also, I never miss more than my allotted absences per semester. But tomorrow, I dont have to work, and I have a ton to do, and I feel like celebrating. So I think I will, folks. Poppyseed bread and all.

List-Making Near Midnight

1. Working retail is really hard. Working is hard period. If I weren't just 22, still wanting to travel with my husband, and in school, I would so have kids just to avoid dealing with the retail world. I understand that being a wife and mom is hard, but I'm positive the blessings in that lifestyle outweigh getting lectured by the accountant at work. She is so grouchy.

2. DVR has changed my life. I record like there is no tomorrow, and I watch at my leisure. I watched Jon and Kate Plus 8 this morning as I put on my makeup. Life-changing.

3. I'm ready for the holidays. Seriously. It's time.

4. I am taking off of work Wednesday to get my life in order. That means school work, errands, and most importantly, figuring out what in the world I'm doing for this holiday evening at church. Katrice, if you're reading this, don't freak out. I have it under control. Or I will by Thursday at least.

5. I love my husband. He came to work today (he was off for Veteran's Day) with sushi and a limeade for me, hugged me while I cried about work, went to the grocery store for me AND developed pictures that I need for my color rendering class. He is truly wonderful. I think I'm justified bragging on him. Oh, and two people at work so far have told me how adorable he is. I quite agree :)

6. It's 11:37, and I wish I could stay up longer. But I have class in the morning. Go figure. Ugh. Oh well. I don't have to report back at work til Friday, and surprisingly, I'm not choking under the stress of my life right now. I'm doing ok. The Lord has been good. But pray for my uncle. I can't go into details right now...maybe later....but just pray for my family. We are really going through a trying time with him.

Happy week, everyone :)

TSO

My daddy and I went to Transiberian Orchestra tonight. WOW. What a show! We had an incredible time. My head is literally pounding, though. I'm headed to bed. I feel like a "crazy kid" who went to a rock concert. :)

The Wonderful World of Blogging!

I am amazed at the blogging world. I am learning so much! Sometimes I really just want to stay up late and read blogs. Then one person's page leads you to so many more blogs that are great...it goes on and on. I really have enjoyed spending my down-time, when I rarely get it, just browsing people's lives and learning new things, like recipes. Maybe my blog might be looked at by strangers. I would love to know :) That's my only little observation for the evening. Blogging is a good thing. More people should do it.

Unqiue Questions

1. To whom did you last give the finger to?
I don't do that

2. How was the last egg you ate prepared?
For breakfast one Saturday morning with Kurt

3. What animal did you last pet or hold?
Doris

4. What is the status of you and the last person you held hands with?
We're married!

5. When did you last cry?
Two or three days ago?

6. Who do you hate?
I dont have anyone that I truly hate. I strongly dislike some people.

7. What do you want in your life right now?
I want to be done with school and spend my time taking care of Kurt and our home.

8. What's your favorite thing to have on your bed?
Well I've gotten kind of used to Kurt being there....

9. Have you kissed anyone on your top friends?
Yes

10. Who do you like right now?
I love my husband

11. Are you bored?
No actually

12. What's on your mind right now?
All that I need to be doing

13. Do you trust people easily?
I really can be both ways. I usually trust too easily

14. What do you look forward to in the next 3 months?
concerts, Thanksgiving, Christmas, maybe some trips

15. Do you plan on moving in the next year?
in about 2 years

16. What were you doing at 10pm Thursday night?
I was still awake

17. What happened at 10:00 am today?
I started my workday.

18. Do you believe that if you want something bad enough you'll get it?
If you have the Lord's blessing and try your best

19. Who was the last person you had a dream about?
Really funny story. It was a combination of my wedding and the birth of my first child. Some people I like were in it, some people I really dont' like were in it.

20. Are you a morning person or a night person?
A NIGHT person

21. Done anything you regret so far in life?
To some extent

22. Have you ever said git r done?
No. I despise it.

23. What's on your mind?
Everything that I have to get done.

24. When was the last time you met someone new?
Today at work.

25. What's the most abnormal thing you've done in the past 4 days?
Today....I worked 8 hours

26. What did you do last weekend?
i cleaned my house thoroughly

27. Do you forgive a cheater?
That's difficult. Trust me.

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments.. what is it?
1. Produce: ehhh do I have to?
2. Bakery: croissants
3. Meat: shrimp.
4. Frozen: tator tots
5. Dry goods: pasta.

Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what's in your bag?
1. panties.
2. bra.
3. dress.

If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?
1. "Does that make sense?" (People say that I use that phrase constantly)
2. Definitely.
3. you know?
4. I'm SORRY (if I'm making a emphatic point)
5. That wainch (derrogatory term for a mean girl)

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?
1. Prayer
2. Checking my online world
3. Hug Kurt

You're driving down the road, and suddenly you're hit with this sense of road rage. What 3 factors probably contributed to it?
1. Tailing me
2. Slow drivers
3. No signal

Sweet, you just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?
1. Read (books and magazines)
2. Watch television
3. Watch a musical
4. Wasting time online
5. SHOP

We're going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it'll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?
1. Monkeys
2. Lions
3. Anything but birds...they smell bad

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?
1. Oprah's "Favorite Things"
2. Jon and Kate Plus 8....it's not a live audience, but I would love it
3. Samantha Brown...I want to travel with her!
4. Dr. 90210....I like the Rey family

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?
1. Chocolate fudge
2. chocolate chip cookie dough
3. cookies and cream

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?
1. Tiffany blue wallet
2. Gold sparkly makeup bag
3. keys with MC i.d. and big diamond ring keychain, and Disney princess key
4. Ritz Bitz crackers (mini packs)
5. Cell phone

You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?
1. Musical theater (Broadway or West End)
2. Set designer
3. Photographer
4. Broadcast journalism

If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?
1. Be careful who you get attached to, dating-wise
2. Be Christ to the people you are in school with
3. Have a better attitude
4. Enjoy being in choir. You'll miss it.

Wow.

You know you're working in the south when a customer's name is "Puddin Watson." Yes, as in Pudding without the "g." That's all.

Workin' 9 to 5...What a way to make a living.

Well, it'll be more like 10-6 tomorrow. Yes, that's right. I'm working ALL DAY at the shop, on a Saturday, during Mistletoe Weekend. Oh. My. Gosh. It's really scary, actually. I'll only be with 2 other part-timers, and there's really no one there so that we can ask questions. And Annelle is back from an antique buying-spree in France, so we have to be on our toes, looking adorable, and helping people drop $500 like it's nothing. It hit me that I'm working with a real-life interior designer today when a gentleman called. "Ah, yes, is Annelle there please? Has she visited the shop since she's been back. You see, I was just with her here in Frahnce." (Notice that in the last word I was simulating a British accent. It made him sound very handsome. But not as handsome as Kurt, so don't tell.) I mean....I work for a designer who spends two weeks at a time in Europe, buying antiques at night out of the backs of trucks, with handsome British guys for protection. Yet, I am in the shop all day, answering phones and assisting customers. And sometimes my co-workers aren't very friendly. But you know what? Today was actually a good day at work. We were playing Christmas music because of Mistletoe, and I'm sad it has to go away until after Thanksgiving. But it's ok. We'll play it again tomorrow. And the two women I'm working with are sweet, which is a HUGE help. So, if you're around Highland Village tomorrow from 10-6, drop by. I promise I won't make you buy anything. Trust me. Well, I did buy two Christmas trees for myself today from the store. But they're relatively inexpensive and I get a discount. So I don't feel bad.

Kurt and I watched the Doris Day musical "Calamity Jane" tonight. It's one of my favorites. I highly recommend it! I fixed a ravioli dish that was yummy. I did think it was good, which says something. Say a little prayer for me tomorrow. 8 hours is a long time in retail. But I did get a paycheck today, which was a boost. Money talks! Happy weekend.

Mistletoe Marketplace and Concert Season

Mom and I are going to Mistletoe tonight! I'm really excited, because I didn't think we'd be able to go. We used to be there only because my choir would sing in highschool....but it always puts me in the holiday spirit. The music and decorations and smells are always wonderful. So we'll be doing that tonight. The Direct TV guys are here....we're switching over from Comcast. Kurt had reached his limit on their AWFUL customer service and rising prices. So we are making the switch....and...drumroll, please....I get a DVR recorder in the package! So I can record anything I dont have time to watch right away. I'm so excited!!! Kurt predicts that this will change our lives. Of course, anything involving technology is life-changing, according to him. But I have to admit, I'm pretty excited.

I'm getting my Christmas card list together...everything is sneaking up on me, needing to get done. Me and my friends realized today that we only have about 2 weeks left of class, because Thanksgiving takes out a chunk of time. It was terrifying, to be honest. I have so much to do and turn in and NO time to do it. Time managing skills will be put to the test.

Dad and I are going to see Transiberian Orchestra on Sunday!!!! It will be so awesome. We've been wanting to go for several years, and I finally told him that we were getting tickets this year, no excuses. So it'll be our date. We also have Hannah Montana coming up on November 29th for Andrea's birthday. Dad and the three of us girls are headed to Memphis for a junior-high, teen-idol scream-fest. But it means a lot to Punky, so we're going. I guess it would be the equivalent of the girl version of Prince William coming to town for me. So therefore, I understand and support the obsession. This turned out to be concert season for our family.

Just a sidenote....as I'm typing this, the TV guys are here, and it's awkward for me just to sit and watch them, so I'm hiding out in the office. But I'm starting to notice that my house is smelling like cigarette smoke. Ew. I am busting out the Lysol for sure.

Chicken Pot Pie and Dancing with the Stars

Kurt's on call again tonight and where did I go? My parents' house :) Mom cooked chicken pot pie and we watched the results show for Dancing with the Stars. Great season! I'm rooting for Marie, because I grew up listening to the Osmonds, but I would be very happy for Helio and Julianne (but only because I'm obsessed with Julianne). I would support Cameron and Edyta to win because Cameron is just a cutie and he is a nice family man. Lastly, I think Jenny and Derek are both adorable. I saw Derek in the musical Footloose in London and fell for him. He has been my crush ever since. So, all that to say, I would be happy with anyone who wins EXCEPT Mel and Max. NO THANKS. That's my opinion.

The Bachelor is just disappointing. Jenni still annoys me with that laugh of hers....and Deanna blinks 90 miles an hour. I do think that he will choose Jenni. This is the most obvious season I've ever seen. But I still watch because I'm a Bachelor junkie. I've seen every season. So I'll definitely tune in for the Women Tell All (Hillary the Cryer, anyone?) and I do want to see if he actually proposes.

My morning class got cancelled for tomorrow! This has definitely been my week in that sense. So I will go to class from 11-12:15 and then work til 6. Not TOO bad of a day. Work has been a challenge. Table Lady still wasn't decisive and I finally shoved things in a box and sent it to her, not even caring anymore. Kurt brought me sushi as a surprise AND a Sonic Cherry Limeade AND a card. It was the most precious thing. The card said "When the going gets tough, the tough get waterproof mascara!" HAHA! It was adorable. He ended up helping me pack the boxes to Table Lady. He left and then later in the afternoon everyone accused me to LOSING two of the four boxes. Um, no....I had them all packed and ready to go. Apparently the UPS guy decided to grab just 2 of the 4 for some reason. So everyone just looked at me and said "Well thank goodness, I'm sure you were panicking." Nothing like a comforting word. SO...hopefully I can just be done with this situation soon. I really don't think it's in my job description.

Well I'm headed home...back to my house....and my high-need cat. But all things considered, life is good :)

Being a Resolver and introducing....my Mother

This is so weird. It's 7:38 pm, and I'm ready to get in bed with a book. Am I 70?! I keep looking at my planner to try and figure out what schoolwork I should be doing. And yes, there are some things that I could do to get ahead...but honestly, I'm giving myself a night off. It's so hard for me to do that. I've come to this conclusion about myself: I'm a resolver. I literally can't STAND for issues, situations, or to-do's to be hanging over my head. It drives me nuts until I resolve things. A recent example: the pajama pants issue. As I posted earlier, they were too big. This just got under my skin, because I couldnt do anything about it until the next day. I looked at Kurt and said "I really wish it wasn't 11 at night so I could go exchange this and get it taken care of." Isn't that WEIRD? It obviously goes deeper, with family issues, etc. I want to help RESOLVE. My daddy has said this my whole life since I was a little girl: "You are creating a problem. You need to be solving problems." Obviously, this usually applied when we were crammed in the burgandy Chrysler van (luxury edition, I might add), circa 1994. And it applies now when my brother decides to make smelly bodily functions on cartrips. But anyway, that's always been my mentality. Solve things. Resolve things. But tonight, I don't think I'm creating any problems to get in bed 3 or so hours before my usual bedtime and watch tv/read. So that's what I'm going to do.

Some of you were in lifegroup this morning when Geno brought up my mom being the keynote speaker at the ladies' holiday event. I would just like to point out again how humerous this is to my family. I brought it up at lunch today: "Hey mom, um, did you know that you're being called the keynote speaker for the holiday deal?"

She looked at me, deadpan: "Yes, I realized that when I saw the word 'FEATURING' and then my name."

I laughed my head off. Apparently, she was told it would be an intro/devotional type thing. Then she saw the posters, now it's in the bulletin, on the announcement video in church....you name it. You have to understand....my mother is so not a public figure kind of person. She supports my dad 500% in everything he does, but she's not going to get up and do interpretive dance during the service. Now, I know my mother....and she is absolutely hilarious. This was discovered by the church last summer when she introduced the speaker, Carol Ladd, a college friend of hers, at another ladies' function. She had everyone laughing, and so many people asked me "Why doesn't your mom speak more? She's great!" Of course, we already thought that, but she really doesnt like the spotlight. She teaches preschool at church and takes care of our family and is very content with that. I thought it was funny when we moved here...everyone asked us if we sang together. We were so confused, and wondered why in the world we would all sing together. It's just not us. We've gotten criticism for that from some people ["Ya'll are never seen....you never make appearances at things"], and we've been told it's refreshing that we're not uber-happy "we are the perfect pastor's family" kind of people. That's my life: mixed reviews from Congregation magazine. However, I'm really excited to see what she says. I get my sarcasm from her, if that's any indication. I told her to jazz it up at the very beginning:

"Some of the Anderson Christmas traditions are very special. We sing a different holiday song every evening before bed, we go caroling to the local weirdos, we hand-make our Christmas cards while Mark reads the Christmas story. But my favorite is our matching Christmas sweaters with the nativity on the front that I made by the fire."

Yeah, right. The women's ministry will love my mom :)

Fall-time Fresh

I feel so good: my house is CLEAN!!! We're talking floors scrubbed, bathrooms polished, vacuumed fully, clutter straightened CLEAN. Note: posts of this kind will rarely happen, but I will be excited when they do occur. Sometimes I just get in these moods where I need to thoroughly clean or I will go crazy. Today was that day. I decided around Thursday or so that I was going to clean without fail. This is the first weekend that I didn't have hours and hours of mandatory homework, so I knew I could devote the time to it. Like I said, it's rare that I get in these uber-productive moods, but I'm thrilled when they happen. And I'm even motivated to get some schoolwork done, because I dont have anything immediately due. It's funny how that happens...when you dont have the pressure of immediately turning something in, you get more done. I still haven't figured out if I work well under pressure or not. Some people know that they are the most productive when stressed out....I just dont know that about myself. Hm.

It was a good shower today...it brought back memories of my showers that happened not too long ago. It's good to be settled. I met Ella Varee Johnson for the first time (my friend Adelle's baby) and she is adorable. There was yummy food too--always a plus at a Southern shower of any kind. Tonight we are eating Mexican with Mom and Daddy. Daddy ran his yearly marathon today (I think he's run 4). He's trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and he's SO close! He needs a 3:30 (yes, that's 26 miles in three hours and thirty minutes), and he ran a 3:49 today. To me, that's simply amazing. He was bummed about not qualifying, but he set a new PR (personal record), and he and his running group were mislead on how hilly the course would be. So that affected his run. But I'm so proud of him! I need to start running. Maybe that will be my New Year's resolution. Hold me to it!

I'm off to get ready for dinner---happy weeekend!

Easy 20

Speedy Survey

1. What were your parents' majors in college?
Mom was elementary ed, dad was religion, I believe

2. Who was your first kiss?
Tyler :)

3. How WAS your first kiss?
It was your basic, run-of-the-mill first kiss

4. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days or You've Got Mail?
You've Got Mail

5. How many alarms do you set for the morning?
2, cell phone and a regular one

6. Do you think restaurant proposals are cheesy?
I dont want to be judgmental...but yes, I generally think so. There's only one that I've heard that was NOT cheesy

7. Did you ever listen to Delilah?
Yes! I say bring her back

8. What's the last thing you said?
"I'll be in soon"

9. What color is your bedroom?
A pewter silver color

10. Favorite Christmas song?
Literally all of them

11. London or Paris?
London
12. Did your mom sing to you when you were little?
Oh my yes...and rocked me

13. What do you want for Christmas?
I'll have to think on that.

14. What are your Christmas traditions?
Family....fire in the fireplace...we decorate the day after Thanksgiving and it's wonderful. I put on Christmas music...the whole 9 yards.

15. Did you like the movie Love Actually?
I do, actually :)

16. Do you like to read?
I love to read. I wish I had more time for it.

17. Night owl or early bird?
Oh definitely night owl

18. How do you soothe yourself when you're stressed?
I listen to Christmas music and rock in a rocking chair

19. Do you enjoy going to weddings?
Yes I do. But I dont read wedding magazines or watch bridal shows anymore. I'm burnt out on that. But I love going to actual weddings of people I know.

20. How would you spend your last day, if you knew it was your last?
Surrounded by family...probably watching home movies....

Mid-Evening Thoughts

-They took my pants back and I have the right size. Yay!

-I spent 5 hours back and forth with Mrs. B the Table Lady. I am exhausted, and it still isn't clear what she really wants. It's just a table.

-Mom is sick :( Say a prayer for her, and Andrea, who is sick too.

-I am tired this evening. I think I'll go to bed early.

-I hate Comcast cable. They really are just terrible at what they do.

-I enjoyed watching House Hunters with Kurt a few minutes ago. HGTV is awesome.

-I am doing a thorough cleaning of my house tomorrow. I really just want to be lazy and read, but I always feel great when I eliminate piles of clutter, and things smell fresh and clean. I need to psych myself up for this, can you tell? Also, we have a shower for Elizabeth Gibbons tomorrow. Congrats to Liz!

-Apple cider is so delicious. I have almost downed a jug of it by myself. Sad. But still so delicious.

That's all the little tidbits I have for now :)

Quick P.S.

The reason my mood says "ripped off" is because the new pajamas I bought had the wrong size pants hanging with them. I did not notice this until after I had washed them. The top is the right size, and the bottoms are huge. I guess I should just keep them? I don't think I can take them back now. That is so frustrating. It's the little things that get to me sometimes.

Nothing exciting...

I am REALLY glad this week is over. I do work tomorrow, but I'm putting together Mrs. B's Christmas table, so that should be fun. Ya'll need to come say hello...I work from 1-6, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And I won't pressure you to buy anything--HA! The prices are absolutely ridiculous. However, the "veddy rich" don't even look at price tags...so no harm, no foul, I guess. I have a shower to go to for one of my friends Saturday...and I guess I could work on some homework. I'm just thankful it's not like the last two weekends where I HAD to work nonstop for 7 hours a day just to get things finished. I think I'll list-make:

-I FINALLY got to buy apple cider today! I am about to pour myself a big glass.

-I bought some cheapo pajamas at Wal-Mart. They are leopard print and that "slippery satin" material, and probably won't last a month, but I think new pajamas are always a treat.

-I found a dress at Belk today for $20 on sale, and it's adorable! I was so pleased. The lady that checked me out was very rude....but I didn't let her steal my joy that I found a BARGAIN!

-I recommend the store New York & Co. in the mall to buy your jeans. They have a higher waistband so your panties don't show, the sizes fit great, and they come in petite, regular, or long (length-wise), so you rarely have to alter. And my personal favorite: they only cost around $40! (In my opinion, that's a steal for a good-fitting pair of jeans.)

-I love how I laugh so much when Kurt and I hang out with my family. We just laugh nonstop.

-I have been listening to some Christmas albums that I listened to when I was younger, and I love how it instantly takes me back. One of my favorite quotes is "Music is the closest thing to a time machine that we have." How true that is. I am so glad the holidays are near.

-My favorite thing that I bought for our home was a pillow mattress cover. It sits right on top of the mattress, and has pockets of cushiony down-alternative. I don't like real down, because it pokes you and sticks you. This is the best money I spent on our home. It cost me $70 at Bed Bath and Beyond. Go buy one...it makes you feel like you're in a resort hotel bed or that you have a luxury mattress. Try it!

-I really do enjoy spending time on the computer. I love looking up things, looking at pictures, and just killing time. It proves you've been raised with technology when a computer can be soothing. Not all the time....but sometimes it's just nice to bum around :)

I could go on...I'll probably list-make tomorrow. So stay tuned :) And wish me luck on my table!