The kindness of others

I'll be the first to admit how awesome Justin's parents are. They're laid back, have a great relationship with one another as well with Justin and just genuinely care about others. They went on vacation last week and when they came back, they brought with them a few gifts for Justin and I. I can't speak for Justin, but as for myself I was super excited about what my bag was stuffed with.

A lovely garden stake that I've named Crazy George for some reason that will look adorable in front of the porch with my flowers. A cute little tote bag that included 2 bottles of Virginia cider and roasted peanuts. And then, my two favorites of the batch.

I can't remember if I told Mama Scarberry that my mom collected pigs or if she just thought that this looked cute, but we'll just say that I'm super excited to make these cookies in order to share them with my mom who will love them. I actually don't own any cookie cutters, so this is my first and I don't think that there could have been a cuter or more appropriate innagural one.

And my absolute favorite, a new cookbook. I am a sucker for new recipes and this one not only has some great ones (that don't require a lot of ingredients), but there's also little cleaning and cooking tidbits at the bottom of every page. Justin's mom called the night we got the gifts and apparently asked if I was offended by the cookbook, and Justin laughed and said "No, she's actually sitting here reading it right now." We'll be dining on the first recipe out of the book sometime this week and I haven't even looked at the dessert section yet :) Mama Scarberry was just so incredibly thoughtful with these things, and I appreciate them very much.

Oh the celebrations!

In the coming months, I'm going to be getting the chance in sharing in the celebration of so many different things. Celebrating yet another year of life during birthdays, this country's independence, the joining of two people in marriage, the many fun times that were had at Apt 7, half a year of love with Justin and of course the celebration of just pure fun and debauchery in Vegas :)

I feel blessed in the sense that I have a handful of close friends around here, and around the US for that matter, that I can share in their lives, their pain, their laughter. Blessed for the opportunities given to me to share a phone call, an email, dinner or a cross country trip just to be able to give them a real hug for once. I'm also so appreciative of the fact that Justin's friends were so accepting of me from the very beginning. The girls are wonderful (as are the guys) and remind me so much of my own longtime friends that there's never a moment of unease with them. I can only hope that Justin feels the same about mine.

To some it seems odd that a few of the people that know more about me than anyone live on opposite coasts and I've never met them (well, only one now). When you forge friendships through similar situations and emotions like I did with Flo, and over years and years of being pen pals like I did with Kelly, there are bonds there that run deeper than just some superficial "oh, you're my internet pal". Kelly and I lost touch for a few years when she was transitioning into college, but somehow down the road we picked right back up where we left off and I've been with her since she moved to New England and started her worldly travels. Flo and I have been through a few boyfriends, tours of duty, shady situations and lots of funny happenings together. And I'm so glad that I now have pictures of us to put on the wall.

So here's to celebrations of life, love and friendships- three things I could definitely not live without :)

What's in a Gift?

So Justin's friends Mike and Brittany (of course they're my friends too now :) ) are getting married in about a month and this weekend is Brittany's bridal shower. The "theme", or general idea for gifts is of the household persuasion, and I have no idea what I want to give.

First I considered wine glasses, but I don't think that they drink much wine so I don't want to get them something that won't be used. Then I thought about a crockpot, but felt like it was too older ladyish of me (despite the fact that I was thrilled to get mine for Christmas a few years ago). I want to find something hip, modern, something that not everyone else is going to be getting a similar version of (no toasters or pots and pans from this girl).

I enlisted Emily for some ideas on the matter, and she shot back an email chock full of possibilities. I think that the two of us are going to make a shopping date for Saturday and hit up Hamburg for Bed, Bath & Beyond and Linen's n Things. Maybe even Bath and Body Works depending on what I decide to theme my gift as.

I love putting gifts together for people, especially on these occassions because it's a special time in that person's life and they're going to appreciate and remember everything that they get commemorating it. Hopefully my warm wishes of a long marriage will be conveyed and I'll get a smile and a thank you for it. But really, the payoff is when you actually see your gift in use :)

Introducing Miss Pouty Butt

I hate being disappointed. For me, getting my hopes let down means a few days of pouting (mostly internally), questioning the person who seemingly let me down, the justifications of the let down and just the overall situation as a whole. It also includes me not being as nice as I should be to the other person involved, meaning no enthusiasm for normal things and definitely no random kisses and hugs.

I guess I can just simply state that because of things that have happened in the past, I sometimes blow things out of proportion in my mind. And then can't function properly until I've allowed things to run their course, finally say my last (and maybe deal breaking piece) and then apologize for being a pouty, ugly bitch.

Today was a small family reunion at home, and because of legitimate reasons (i.e. class this morning and leaving at 5 to take his dad to a race for father's day) Justin ended up deciding not to come with me because of time contraints. Not because he didn't want to go, but because I'm pretty sure he just wanted me to be able to spend as much time with my family as i wanted to instead of having to leave early to have him back in time to leave for the race. Deep down I knew that this was what he was getting at, but I couldn't help but be a little sad that he wasn't going to be with me. And I held out with the pouty attitude right up until he left for class this morning, and even cried when he shut the door behind him. After a few minutes, I sent him a text of what I was really thinking, then clarified that it wasn't being said meanly or trying to guilt trip. And then I called three different times on my way home until he called me back in order to apologize. He laughed and said that it wasn't necessary but he appreciated it. The boy is too good to me :)

Anyway, we all have our quicks and faults and it's just a part of life. I'm just glad that mine are generally docile in nature and that it just takes a small amount of patience to get through my "spells." Anyone else have those little quirks about you that probably just won't ever change?

Music of the Week

I've been crushing on a few different songs for the past few weeks, and I happened to run across a few new ones today so I thought I would share.



"Last Name" by Carrie Underwood. I've pretty much liked everything Carrie Underwood since I heard her sing Heart's "Alone" during her stint on American Idol. There were several favorites off her first cd, but this fun song definitely one upped "Before He Cheats" for me. (Another song from Carnival Ride, "I Know You Won't" is also on my list of favs).



"18 Days" by Saving Abel. A new band from Mississppi with their debut album has really made their mark on me. Their single "Addicted" has been playing up the rock stations here at home for a few months now, and being the Youtube addict that I am, I had to see what else they offered. Remiscent of a combination of Hinder and Three Doors Down, the band definitely offers great melodies and some harder drums as well.



"Forever May You Run" by Gavin Rossdale. I actually looked this song up this afternoon after reading about his new cd release in last week's People. There's a live performance from the AOL sessions of him singing this particular song, and as I was a fan of Bush, of course I'm a fan of Gavin's. Of course I"m also a sucker for melancholy songs, so it's all a perfect fit :). (Also check out "The Trouble I'm In" which features Shirley Manson)



"Gunpowder and Lead" by Miranda Lambert. Miss Miranda can really do no wrong with me as far as her songs are concerned. The first time I heard "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" on an awards show last year, I was immediately on the internet trying to find the song. "Gunpowder" is definitely an anthem for the ladies out there who finally find the courage to say no more when it comes to being mistreated. And although one doesn't have to take it literally in order to get the point, it's still fun to pretend :)



"Better As a Memory" by Kenny Chesney. As previously stated, I am a sucker for melancholy, sappy songs, and Mr. Kenny Chesney does such a good job at providing me those to sing along with. This song came at the appropriate time of the end of mine and Kent's relationship and the last lines say exactly how I felt about the situation ("But one day you're gonna find someone, right away you'll know it's true, that all of your seekin's done it's just a part of the passing through. Right there in that moment you'll finally understand that I was better as your memory...").


"Your Arms Feel Like Home" by Three Doors Down. I've been waiting patiently for a new TDD cd, and I was not disappointed when it happened back in May. I was instantly drawn to this song and felt like the first verse was telling the story of Justin and I. I have to say that it's gone around in my head a few times that with a little editing for time, this song could definitely come into play during my hypothetical wedding :)

Thank you Ky

So my visit in California was beyond amazing and of course all too short of a time to spend with the wonderful Flo and Brian and their little family. I got to tour some nice wineries in Napa (and bring a few souveniers back with me), eat some kickass food (the Rutherford Grill on St. Helena Highway has some awesome, awesome ostrich medallions), survive the cold and windy downtown San Francisco, help Brian beat the last boss on Guitar Hero and giggle as Flo covered her eyes with a piece of paper while we were driving up the road to Mt. Diablo's summit. Bruno was my cuddle buddy again the night before I came back home and I've since been trying to convince Justin we should get a clone of him.

So many memories, great conversations and silly moments will be remembered from this trip. I even got to meet a few of their friends, whom I loved :) My trip home wasn't as eventful as my arrival (although I did get bumped from my original flight to another that left at the same time, just connected through a different city). And of course Justin was waiting patiently at the house with a huge hug when I walked through the door. After we'd said our hello's and "I missed you's", he went to grab his shoes to help carry in my stuff and I said "You totally slept in the middle of the bed the whole time I was gone didn't you?" and he smiled and said "Yes." Silly boy.

Back on the homefront, I've been trying to get back into the groove of work although it's really hard sometimes. I have things that need to be done, but other things that I want to do more. I've started my list of what belongings are going where when I move and last night I drove up to the apartment to start packing some things. My plan is to do this steadily over the next three months that way it won't be all down to the wire the weekend before we go to Vegas. I got most of my closet cleaned out and now have a decent amount of things that will be going to the Mission at home that Mamaw volunteers at every month. It feels good to clean out your closet sometimes.

Justin is also a very happy boy right now because as of last night, Miss Z, his camaro, is back in comission! We took her for a short ride down to the gas station as she was below E, and he drove her to work today. I'm happy that the other woman is back in our lives now and can only imagine the fun that we're going to have with her :)