WILW

Link-Up!

Hump Day is here! And that means it's time to share a few things I'm loving this week...

~SMASH~

Last night was the 2-hour Season 2 premiere of Smash. I adore this show and am soooooo happy that it's finally back! It's so well written and the music is simply amazing. If you aren't already a fan and find yourself with some free time on your hands, go back and watch Season 1. If you love musicals at all, you won't regret it! Or if you are one of those people who actually has important stuff to do and you want to jump right in on Season 2, I found this very brief recap of Season 1. It leaves out a lot of things, but it's thorough enough to provide a foundation for where the show is at when Season 2 kicks off. You can thank me later!

~gelato~

One a whim at Publix the other day, I picked up this coconut gelato by Talenti. Ah-mazing! Each bite is like a sweet little taste of summertime in your mouth. I'm not sure how I've missed out on this for so long. Word is they have a chocolate mint and a pistachio flavor that I'm dying to try as well!

~Signing Day~

Luckily I have two computer monitors at work. One of them will be emblazoned with the above screenshot all day today as the live fax camera notifies the Crimson Tide faithful which lucky guys will be "Built by Bama" next.

~WINTER~

Down here in the South, we don't get too many months of true winter weather. But nonetheless, I still get dry skin this time of year. A couple of months ago, the Miller High life switched from our normal soap/body wash to this Winter Care line from Dove. I love it, and I have not experienced my normal dry skin since!

That's all for this Wednesday! Have a good rest of the week!



it's a MAJOR AWARD!





Please excuse the "Christmas Story" reference above. Couldn't resist! The very sweet Laura Ellen over at Living Like LaLa nominated me for the Liebster Award and I'm very appreciative (even though I'm a little belated getting this post out). The award is given to new or up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers, and it was very thoughtful of LE to include me. Everyone should go check out her blog- lots of wedding planning excitement going on over there!

Here are the 11 random questions that LE posed to me:

1. Where is the most exciting place you have ever been?

To me it doesn’t get more exciting than NYC. No matter how many times you go, the energy in that city can’t compare to anywhere else. Exciting in terms of distance from home? London.

2. Did you make any new years resolutions? If so what were they?

Honestly, I didn’t really make any resolutions this year. Normally I do and fail miserably, so this year I didn’t really bother. Sure there are definitely areas of my life where I could improve and things I’d like to accomplish, but I’m just focusing on being present in each moment. Time is flying by so quickly (have I really been out of college almost SIX YEARS?), and I am fortunate to be blessed with such wonderful family and friends. Instead of creating a checklist for myself in the form of resolutions, I just want to focus on enjoying those many blessings and living in the moment. Like many others, I am guilty of getting sidetracked by our technology-driven world and maybe not enjoying every moment to its fullest. Things like habitually checking the cell phone when together with family/friends, worrying too much about capturing the perfect picture at an event rather than focusing on the event itself, stressing about insignificant details like your house not being perfectly clean before company arrives, bringing home a bad attitude after a long day at work, etc. I want to do less of that stuff. So maybe that is my resolution after all- being happy and grateful for each fun memory as I’m blessed with it. In a nutshell, being present.

3. What is your favorite Sports team?

The Alabama Crimson Tide, who else?

4. What song do you sing to the top of your lungs when it comes on the radio?

Currently, Britney Spears’ “Scream and Shout”, all of Taylor Swift’s new album, and JT’s “Suit and Tie”.

5. Who is your role model?

I have several for different reasons: my mother, my grandmother, my MIL, my grandmother-in-law, my “fairy godmother”, and Meryl Streep

6. Where do you want to be with your life in 5 years?

Motherhood. We’ve been in no rush on that front, but in 5 years I know that both Mr. M and I hope we are lucky enough to be enjoying adventures with (at least) our first little one.

7.If you could make 3 wishes what would they be?

A. To spend one last day with my dad hanging out, watching football, and eating all the desserts our sweet-teeth could handle

B. To buy a gorgeous home and vineyard in France

C. To buy my own private jet for traveling to said vineyard in France as well as various other places (Italy, Ireland, and anywhere tropical)

8.What is your favorite Quote?

Tough because I love SOOO many quotes. I’ll just pick a few of my favorites that I’ve seen recently.

“Say what you will about the South. But nobody retires and moves up North.” – anonymous.

“I don’t know how people get so anti-something. Mind your own business, take care of your own affairs, and don’t worry about other people so much.” – the wise Betty White

“A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.” – Irish proverb

9. If you could only pick one nail polish color to use for the rest of your life what would it be?

OPI’s Bubble Bath

10. Favorite healthy snack?

Fresh pineapple or homemade guacamole

11. Current Favorite TV show?

Yikes. I couldn’t possibly pick ONE favorite. Revenge, Nashville, Scandal, Hart of Dixie.

The rules require that I make up 11 more random questions and tag other bloggers (with fewer than 200 followers) to answer my questions, make up 11 more, and tag more bloggers. Get it? Here goes!

My 11 random questions:

1. What’s the very first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

2. What beauty product can you not live without?
3. What do you like least/most about the upcoming holiday- Valentine’s Day?
4. What’s your absolute favorite recipe?
5. What concert are you dying to attend?
6. When you think about your taste/style, what three words come to mind first?
7. What tv show do you never miss?
8. What’s your biggest pet peeve?
9. What’s your favorite children’s book?
10. What’s your dream honeymoon/anniversary trip?
11. Where do you see yourself in 5 years (personally, professionally, etc.)?

I tag:
Jane @ Life on the Farris Wheel
Ashley @ The Process of Learning
Stephanie @ Steph's Sweet Life
Calley @ Life as the Ondocsins
Shelley @ Insert Clever Phrase Here
Natalie @ Charles and We

Happy Friday everyone!

411

The BLOGGER 411; all you need to know about ME!
{Link-up}

How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed?
I made my first blog post ever back in September 2009. After more than 9 years of dating my best friend (high school sweethearts represent!), I was newly engaged and excited to start our wedding. That was precisely the reason for starting the blog- to scrapbook our wedding planning adventures. Even from the beginning there were random tidbits unrelated to our wedding thrown into my posts, but certainly over time as we have settled into married life, this blog has evolved more into a scrapbook of our everyday lives and current events. I love capturing memories with Mr. M, family, and friends here, but I also like documenting my current favorites in music, fashion, beauty products, movies, tv, celebrity gossip, etc. This blog serves as my own personal time capsule, and it’s fun to look back and see what I was doing and what I liked a month ago, a year ago, two years ago…

Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?
Roll Tide y’all!!! I am a proud graduate from The University of Alabama, and I can’t imagine having attended any other school. My school pride is no secret on this blog or my real life, and we are fortunate to live close enough for frequent trips back to campus during football season. I majored in Finance and cannot say enough wonderful things about the business school at Alabama. I met some of the most amazing professors during my time there, and still keep in contact with a handful of them. Without a doubt, many many many of my fondest memories occurred while in school there . Older friendships continued to blossom and new friendships started to bud. Today several of my best friends are a direct result of college. I wouldn’t change anything about my college experience.

Where have you traveled?
I have traveled to all the southeastern states touching Alabama, as well as:
South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland, DC, Texas, Arizona, and California. Outside of the US, I’ve been to England, Canada, and Jamaica. Our honeymoon in Jamaica was one of the best weeks of my life, but NYC is my absolute favorite city.

If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
Vacay anyone?!?!?! The first thing I would do would be take myself, Mr. M, and all of our closest friends on a 2-week long all-expenses paid Caribbean vacation. After vacation I would set to work house-hunting for a place in Europe, a beach house in the Caribbean, a vineyard in Napa, and an apartment in NYC. And what good would all these houses be without my own personal jet and staff to cook, clean, and run errands? And last but certainly not least, I’d hire the one and only Miz Spears to be my personal dance instructor. Because she’s amazing and girlfran has moves. clearly I’m imaging this to be the largest lottery pot in the history of EVER.

What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?
Slow drivers in the fast lane, gum smackers, and husbands who leave dirty underwear on the bathroom floor.

What is your favorite movie?
Wow, favorite?? I have no idea. You’ve Got Mail, Wedding Date, The Help, Forrest Gump, any and all Christmas movies…

What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea?
I won’t even pretend to be fancy- it’s beer. Champagne is a closest second. Ironically enough, I detest “The Champagne of Beers”, which also happens to be this blog’s namesake. More specifically, I love Avondale beer (local brewery), Magic Hat, and plain ole Coor’s Light. When drinking wine, I usually prefer pinot noir. Unless we are celebrating, which obviously calls for BUBBLY! Liquor- vodka and sodas are a stable, and I love a good Bloody Mary.

What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?
Pedicure. Massage. Book. Blow-out. Nap. Chick flick.

If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?
Anthropologie. Or Restoration Hardware.

Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.
Oh gosh. I don’t even know. I’ve had all the standard answers. Falling in public? Check. Making a ridiculous mistake at work? Check. Texting the wrong person? Check. But I think the most embarrassing moments have occurred because of a “foot-in-mouth” situation.

What day would you love to relive again?
My first thought was my wedding. It all went by so incredibly fast, and I’d love to go back and just slow.it.down. But the more I think about it, I would love to relive Christmas Day 2005. This was our last Christmas with Daddy before he passed away unexpectedly in January 2006, and I remember the day as being so perfect. Waking up to Santa Claus, Christmas breakfast, my family, Mr. M’s family, the big traditional lunch…everyone SO happy and full of love. And together. I’m so fortunate to have such a wonderful recollection of that day with all of the people I love most. But I’m sure reliving the experience would be 10 times as sweet as the memory that I hold so dear.

If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you?
Emma Stone- young me. Julia Roberts- middle aged me. Meryl Streep- older me.
Because we look alike? Nope. Because those beeyotches are ah-maz-ing and would make my movie good.

What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?
Runner/office assistant at a law firm in my hometown during high school. Assistant bookkeeper at a law firm during college. Dull, huh? Of course there were the odd babysitting and tutoring jobs, as well.

Show us a picture from high school or college.
You meant picture(S) right? Be glad I limited to 5.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?
Bora Bora, Fiji… somewhere tropical.

Show us the most current picture of you or you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you.

Sadly the only "current" photos I have are phone photos, so this will suffice for current.



Where do you see your life 5 years from now?
Enjoying six years of marriage with my wonderful husband and navigating the joys and adventures of parenthood!

it's ok...

A new link-up for me...

Link up with Neely!

It's okay...

That I’ve taken a questionable amount of Benadryl and gone to bed around 9:30 every night this week. Allergies, ugh.

That I’ve basically given up on fixing my hair this week, what with the 700lb layer of humidity and mugginess in the air each morning.

That I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time looking at pictures of cute braids (to tame said hair in the muggy weather) but have yet to actually attempt one on my head of hair.

That I’ve listened to literally NOTHING this week other than my new Miranda Lambert c.d.

That I got sucked into watching some Beverly Hills nanny show on ABC Family last night.

That I haven’t been motivated to read a page of any book for pleasure in a couple of weeks now.

That in a week I’ll be watching Nicki Minaj live on stage and have NO CLUE what I’m going to wear. Certainly, Nicki calls for something new and hot pink, right??

That I am kinda starting to hate Facebook. Seems like the only thing you can stalk on there these days is what children’s clothes people are hoping to win.

That I swung by Dunkin Donuts on the way to work this morning. Chocolate covered donut- hello lover.

That I’m already reading football articles on a daily basis and getting more than excited about kickoff.

That I finally got my Christmas list finished and have officially bought my first gift.

That I get to go home tomorrow and it’s already all I can think about!

Enjoy your Thursday!!!

i'm {blank} because...

Thoughtful Thursday

Shout-out to Stephanie, who I totally stole this blog idea from!

I'm {weird} because...

• I never eat my chicken biscuit together. I eat my chicken. And then the biscuit.


• I get a little nervous whenever a sentence requires me to say the word “error”.


• I don’t enjoy drinking water without ice cubes.


• I sometimes shave my legs twice in the same day. Hate prickles!


• I’d rather use a public toilet with the seat down that’s not freshly clean, than have to touch the freshly cleaned one with my hand because the seat is up.


• I HAVE TO eat my M&M’s in color groups of even numbers.


• I never under any circumstances walk around barefoot in a hotel room.


• I only eat ice cream out of a coffee mug when I’m at home, never a bowl.


• I’ll choose one restaurant over another based on Styrofoam cups.


• I could survive on cheese sandwiches alone.


• I really detest buying books with a movie adaptation as the cover art (saw this on Pinterest a while back- but SO true).

I'm {a guys’ girl} because…

• I eat, sleep, and breathe college football September through January.


• I can go beer for beer with the best of ‘em.


• I have been known to put away a piece of red meat like it’s my job.


• I love a good raunchy comedy movie.


• I will belt out every lyric of "Family Tradition," "Friends in Low Places," "Country Boy Can Survive," and "Shoulda Been A Cowboy".


• I have seen Young Guns, Tombstone, and ConAir just as many times as I’ve seen Pretty Woman or any other classic chick flick.

I'm a {girls' girl} because...

• I operate under the age-old motto: “If you mess with my girlfriends, you mess with me.”


• If you hate her, I hate her. Just in case you didn’t catch my first point.


• I very rarely decline a girl’s night invitation. Okay, never.


• I’ve got a listening ear open 24/7.


• I can talk books, movies, celebrities, music, and beauty products for as many hours as the day is long.


• I appreciate a good glass of wine, know the importance of routine pedicures, and admit that a hot bubble bath can cure almost anything.


• I love Britney Spears and chocolate. No good girly girl does not.

I'm {happy} because...

• It’s a holiday week! Woohoo Independence Day!


• I bought a pair of cute work shoes for $5 the other day! FIVE DOLLARS PEOPLE!!!


• I heard “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood on the radio this morning.


• Summertime equals suntans, snow cones, and fresh produce!

I'm {blessed} because...

• I’m surrounded in life by people who amaze me with their everyday acts of kindness and friendship.


• I have such an awesome group of friends- all special in their own way and all responsible for so many of my fondest memories.


• I have a husband who seems to know the perfect reaction for all situations: whether to make me laugh, let me cry it out, let me vent, or give me advice.


• I married into the best set of in-laws anyone could ask for, whose love and support seem to have no end.


• I have a mother who challenges me but loves me unconditionally; a brother who listens better than anyone I know and always has my back; and an angel in heaven who knows I’ll always be a daddy’s girl.


• I serve a God of infinite love and forgiveness.

top ten tuesday

The husby and I found ourselves in Home Depot this past weekend, on a mission for screws, nails, and various other items that Mr. M needed. As I wandered the aisles with him, breathing in the scent of freshly cut wood, it dawned on me- there's something very nice about the masculine scent of Home Depot (and all other home improvement stores for that matter). Maybe I'm crazy (I have been living in the dark twisted world of Christian Grey for the past few days), but I'd even go so far as to say the scent is a little sexy (again, blame it on Mr. Grey). I started thinking of other scents that I love, so I decided to try and list my favorite scents (in no particular order) for Top Ten Tuesday.

1. Home Depot - the manly scent of fresh cut wood and building materials.

2. Barnes and Noble - I seriously wonder sometimes if one of the reasons I've been so slow to jump on the Kindle/Nook/iBook bandwagon is a subconcious attempt to ensure the continuation of my frequent trips to B&N. I LOVE the smell of this store. The scent of hundreds of new and crisp books intermingled with the delicious aroma of Starbucks coffee. It is truly one of my favorite scents.

3. Orange Cinnamon Rolls - This scent takes me back to my childhood, to slumber parties at my friend Ashley's house. As we discussed during our recent brunch get-together, I literally cannot smell this breakfast treat without being transported back in time. After staying up late giggling about boys and gossiping about all the lastest small town happenings, we would wake to these orange cinnamon rolls prepared by Ashley's mom. I cannot help but associate the scent with nostaglic memories of good-times gone by.

4. Burberry - I love this classic fragrance. I wear it daily, and I lurrrrve it.

5. Tide - I'm not brand loyal to many household items (except maybe Heinz), but Tide is non-negotiable in my house. I honestly cannot remember ever using anything else. I love the smell of fresh-out-of-the-dryer sheets and towels after having been washed in Tide.

6. Winter candles - Bath & Body Works makes a seasonal candle called "Winter", and I adore it. It just doesn't smell like Christmastime around the house until I have these candles burning. Because I associate this scent with Christmas, I consequently also associate it with family, friends, togetherness, and general good cheer.

7. Sharpee markers - Odd, I know- but this smell reminds me of high school. Making posters for football games and working on class projects. Good times.

8. Freshly cut spring grass - This is a scent lost on me as the brutal heatwave enters the South and hovers for the duration of summer. However, before the heatwave arrives, when the air is still crisp and just starting to warm up, I relish in the scent of a freshly moved lawn. It signals that Spring is finally here and makes me want to pull out all of my summer whites and pastel clothing. It's such a happy scent!

9. Vick's Vapor Rub - There's no doubt that I love this scent even now for its soothing quality when I'm sick, but again- this is another scent I associate with childhood. It reminds me of my parents- before we became "adults", them taking care of both my brother and me when we were sick. And let's be honest, I kind of just like the scent event when I'm not sick. So cool and serene-smelling.

10. L'Homme by Yves St. Laurent - This is Mr. M's signature scent and I love it. It reminds me of his hugs and his cleanly shaven face because these are the times when the scent is most noticable on him. It's a wonderful fragrance no matter who wears it, but of course it's special to me because of him.

While a lot of these scents are nostalgic for me on some level, I also left a lot of others off: the "Grandmother" scent (a blend of peppermint, perfume, hairspray, and her home- don't they all have their own special smell?), the smell of my childhood Sunday school classroom (mostly pine wood and old books), the scent of fresh cut watermelon at backyard summer barbeques after spending all day playing in the yard, the smell of campfire smoke, the aroma of Mom's potroast when you come home from school, etc. I could go on and on... am I the only one who connects scents to memories?

What about y'all- what are your favorite scents?

truthful tuesday

Twenty truthful (and completely random) facts about yours truly:

1. I don't check my facebook on a daily basis...it's more like every few days or every other day. On the days that I do check it, I usually send birthday wishes to whoever celebrates a birthday that day. I secretly worry that someone has noticed a "Happy Birthday" from me on someone else's wall and then wondered why I didn't send them one. These messages are completely sporadic and based solely on whose has a birthday on the day I happen to log on. Even though I'm probably the only person who even notices this, my irrational fear of unintentionally hurting someone's feelings makes me worry about this from time to time.




2. Even though I have quite a few OCD tendancies, I think the worst is my need to have my shampoo on the left and my conditioner on the right. Most of you know that I travel frequently for work. I always pack my own hair products (none of that hotel-provided junk for this unruly head of hair), and whenever I place these items in the shower, the shampoo has to go on the left side of the conditioner. And when I come home from a work trip and unpack, same thing- shampoo left, conditioner right. I think maybe it stems from reading a book left to right...you start with shampoo before conditioner so I have this weird need to always have it in this order. Plus when I'm half asleep in the mornings, it helps to KNOW that my shampoo is on the left and not have to actually open my eyes and read which bottle is which.
   
   


3. I'm left-handed for writing and eating. And while I've been known to swtich it up a bit, I mostly golf, throw, and bat with my right hand.




4. I broke my right arm in a trampoline accident the summer that I turned 7. I broke my nose in a golf cart accident the summer I turned 26.




5. I love to try (and usually enjoy) almost any type of food. But I don't like hashbrowns or blue sweet tarts.
   


6. Mr. M and I have the perfect Olive Garden salad relationship. He takes the crutons and olives; I take the tomatoes, onions, and peppers.
   


7. I keep the clock in my car 10 minutes fast. Always.
   
   


8. The last thing I usually do before I turn out the lights is make my last move of the day on Words with Friends and Hanging with Friends.




9. Hotel bed coverlets rank somewhere in the "Top Five Scariest Things of My Life". Speaking of that, I have an entire routine when entering a hotel room for the first time. But maybe I'll just save that for a future post...
   
   
   


10. I have THICK hair. I could seriously probably create toupees for the bald heads of three grown men with the amount of hair I shed in a week's time. My shedding, consequently, also happens to be one of Mr. M's LEAST favorite things about me.
    
    
    


11. I may have been a finance major and I may be a self-proclaimed control-freak when it comes to most things, but I don't think I've ever actually balanced my checkbook in my life. I do, however, check my online banking at least daily.
    
    


12. He's been gone over six years now, but I still think of my Daddy on a daily basis. Alabama football, bear hugs, John Wayne westerns, early morning coffee, the History Channel, and flannel shirts all remind me of him. A couple of weeks ago, I actually watched McLintock! on tv with Mr. M, and I just know that had to make Daddy smile down from above.




13. I have been known to select a restaurant based on its use of styrofoam cups. Or on the availability of fountain Diet Mountain Dew. It's hard to find, y'all.




14. I've never had a speeding ticket. Nor have I ever even been pulled over. KNOCK ON WOOD. I'll probably cry like a 16 year old when I finally do.




15. Even though people rarely send snail mail anymore (except during wedding or Christmas seasons), I still LOVE checking the mailbox every day.




16. I never learned to dive. Or roller skate. And I may be the only person alive who hates water slides.




17. But I can still do an unspotted back-bend and put both feet behind my head.




18. I may be a girly-girl now, but two of my fondest childhood memories are: hauling dirt with my little brother in our dumptrucks and re-enacting our favorite scenes from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.




19. In my opinion, Christmastime will always be magical and birthdays will always be special. No matter how old we get.




20. Shopping is one of my favorite activities when I don't need anything specific and can do it at leisure. Shopping is one of my least favorite activities when I do need something specific and am on a deadline.

doppelgangers

So one day last week, Mr. M randomly texted me a picture of some political candidate that coincidentally shares my maiden name. Our conversation went something like this:

This picture (combined with the need to take a mental escape from work) prompted me to do a little research. I googled the candidate's name and came upon this website. If you happen to live in the area, this is in no way an endorsement for the guy. I know absolutely nothing about him or his platform...zilch. What I found interesting was this:



I found myself thinking about this guy's picture off and on the rest of the afternoon. I knew he reminded me of SOMEONE but I just couldn't figure out who. Finally, after much aggravation, it finally hit me.

BILL HADER (actor from "Super Troopers and "Superbad")

Does anyone else see the similarity?

BUT then, I also saw this picture on the campaign website.

And maybe I'm streching- but I think in this shot, he vaguely resembles-

So you know how I am...my mind starts wandering...and before I knew it, I was having a full-blown internal trivia session on doppelgangers. I was trying to count how many celebrity doppelgangers I could mentally name off the top of my head. (For any deprived individuals who do not watch "How I Met Your Mother" or who have never seen the HIMYM "Doppelganger" episode, please refer HERE. In short, a doppelganger is a complete stranger of no relation who looks strikingly similar to another person in the world. Essentially, the idea is that everyone has a twin somewhere in the world. It's one of many great HIMYM episodes FYI.)

Anyway, I've yet to meet my doppelganger, but I have had various real life encounters with other people's doppelgangers. There was a Nashville bouncer who looked frighteningly like a guy friend from my hometown. Not too long ago, Candace and I spotted another guy friend's doppelganger while out to dinner before the "Breaking Dawn" premiere. This guy looked so much like our friend that we both literally had to do a double-take. There have been other instances, but you get the idea. It's an interesting theory for sure.

It seems like this phenomenon is catching on in the Pinterest world. These are just a few of the pins I've seen floating around that illustrate some celebrity doppelgangers.















So, what about you guys? Have you seen any real life doppelgangers? Have you met your doppelganger?

wednesday love

Hope you all enjoyed (or survived) V-day (depending on your view)! I spent the evening scarfing down a huuuge slice of greasy pizza at the mall as I watched guy after guy pop into Victoria's Secret for a last minute gift for his special lady. Then I went back to my hotel and watched Glee. I was in bed by 10:00. 'Tis the plight of a lonley travelin' girl. Anywho, on with the regularly scheduled Wednesday programming...

I'm loving this sweet little guy who turns ONE today! My how the time flies. Happy Birthday Tate! Abba and Monkey love you!!!

I'm loving that despite my assurances that I didn't want any this year, Mr. M still purchased these from his coworker's daughter. He knows me well.

I'm loving these pink blossoms all over the neighborhood. I'm hoping that the hard freeze over the weekend didn't kill them. When I left Monday morning, they were still hanging in there.

I love pink. I love fur. And I LOOOOVE this deliciousness. Since it was mega on sale, I allowed myself this impulse buy. Now the problem- where does one wear this gloriously festive frock? I need tickets to a Nicki Minaj concert or an invitation to Britney's bachelorette party- this pink ditty would be purrrrrrfect for those events.

I'm loving that tonight we FINALLY get to find out who pulled the trigger.

{Via}

I love basically all of Katy Perry's songs...that is until the radio starts playing them 1023983276 times a day. But until then, I'm loving "Part of Me". I never bought her "Teenage Dream" album, but now that it's being repackaged to include some new songs, I'm thinking it's way past time for me to do so. Watch Katy's Grammy performance of the new hit HERE.

{Via}

I'm loving the previews for this animated movie. It is by the same producers as "Despicable Me", which I also loved. Can't wait to see it!

Happy Hump Day!!!

stereotypes

Pssscht. Any of y’all seen this article? Or any of the other articles with similar commentary? Lawd knows they have been plentiful, especially since January 9. Are these folks serious?

Let’s break it down common-sense-style. The University of Alabama is the oldest public university in the state and home to FOURTEEN (yeah, count ‘em) National Championships. With this first sentence I have two main points:
1) Do more people prefer McDonalds over Burger King?
2) The “bandwagon effect” and “fair-weather fan” phenomenons are unavoidable.

Are you sufficiently confused by #1? Yeah, me too. Bad example. There’s like eleventy billion reasons why all smart people prefer McDonalds over Burger King (ahem- BIG MAC) , but my point was to illustrate that one can logically assume that because McD is older and more established, it automatically has more loyal supporters. Same is true within our state. The University existed long before East Alabama Male College or Alabama Polytechnic Institute or what is currently known as Auburn University. Put quite simply, Alabama has had more time and more generations to gather fans than Auburn.

Point #2 was intended to point out that Alabama has been blessed with a rich and successful history in football that continues to present-day. If you googled “bandwagon effect” and “fair weather fan” or if you were previously aware of these terms, you know that because of its success, Alabama falls victim to these scenarios. I mean- who doesn’t like to see “their” team win?? Sure, I get it. It’s just not my style. I stuck with Bama even through the Shula years forgoodnesssakes. But nonetheless, success on the field lends itself to bandwagon fans and “sidewalk alums”. I’m not proud of it, but it’s true folks.

Anywhozamadoodle, by taking a combination of points 1 and 2, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Alabama just has more fans than Auburn. Nevermind the fact that Alabama boasts some of the largest alum groups in cities across the country or that the school was home to one of the most celebrated and well-recognized coaches in college football history. So we’ve established that Alabama has a larger fanbase. Okay, bear with me history majors, but if you apply some basic statistic principles, suddenly it’s like duh! Of course, Bama is going to be plagued by some “bad apples” within the fanbase. Lest you have forgotten 8th grade math, let me remind you that 1/4 is the same as 25/100. So while it may appear that the Crimson Crazies are far more abundant than any other group of fans, percentage-wise, it all evens out. :)

I don’t condone or support the actions of Alabama’s most notorious bad apples, which I won’t even do the honor of calling by name. But really? To insinuate that an entire fanbase is corrupt is like saying because the 9/11 terrorists were of Middle-Eastern decent, all people in the Middle East are terrorists. Or like saying because famous criminals like Jeffrey Dahmer and Charles Manson lived in Ohio, the entire state is full of psychotic murders. Or because the crawfish boil has a few “straight-tails” (shame on you if you don’t know the significance of a straight tail), the entire batch is bad. Or like just because you bite into the nasty cherry molasses chocolate chew, you should throw out the entire box of chocolates. I mean- that’s RIDIC people. WHO THROWS AWAY CHOCOLATE??

No seriously, I think the real root of this article and all like it can be summed up best by this:



Jealousy. Plain and simple. We got what you want. And NSD just added insult to injury. The Auburn fans aren’t alone. Any rival fanbase does this, even Alabama. Rewind a year- same scenario when some Alabama fans just couldn’t let go of the Cammy Cam scandal even AFTER he and Auburn were cleared by the NCAA. Basically, Auburn was on top and Bama fans were jealous.

No fanbase sits on a pristine pedestal. Yes, random offenses performed by idiotic fans do embarrass the group as a whole. And while some offenses are serious, there’s also going to be some light-hearted, playful banter among rivals that gets twisted and misconstrued into something more significant than its original intention (i.e. Pizza Hut commercial – just one of many silly references within the above mentioned article. I mean, come on).

Some of the ever-righteous and judgmental finger-pointers need a lesson on stereotyping. And some need to learn to take a joke and appreciate an intense rivalry. Oh well. I'll just continue on being a non-tree-killing, non-tea-bagging Alabama fan and let the haters say what they want.

Off soapbox. Roll Tide.

Friday Few

Hellooooooooooooooo out there. Anyone still listening? Nope? Didn’t think so. Oh well, on to a few of my random Friday thoughts.

• I have consistently woken up everyday this week at least 20 minutes before my alarm clock was scheduled to go off. I’m not talking rolled over and barely opened my eyes before drifting right back to sleep. I mean full-fledged I’m wide-awake and oh-so-refreshed. Weird. But it’s been nice to take my time getting ready in the mornings and not be in such a rush to get out the door.

• Speaking of sleep habits, does anyone actually keep a journal on their bedside table? I’ve seriously been contemplating this because on 2 of the aforementioned mornings, I woke up from dreams featuring delicious ideas that I wouldn’t mind documenting. For example, this morning I was dreaming about a decadent party and an over-the-top rainbow-themed dessert table, complete with colorful macaroons. . Now I can’t recall the details as vividly, which is a shame because I’m thinking 27 on June 3 sounds like reason enough for rainbow colored desserts to me! A couple of mornings ago, I was dreaming about an artfully-arranged wall of pictures…and now for the life of me, I can’t remember how I had positioned all of the pictures. Which, again, is a shame because I have a collection of black and white photographs of my hometown in various sizes that desperately need a home on one of the walls at The Miller High Life casa.

• On the subject of dreams (close your ears Mr. Miller), I also had a recent and rather interesting dream about former Crimson Tide star Greg McElroy (probably fueled by THIS). It wasn’t X-rated or anything, but I’ll spare you the details nonetheless. Yeah yeah- I know what you all are thinking. What kind of good newlywed is having dreams about a guy other than her husband? Well, if you know Mr. Miller and me, you know that our love for Alabama football runs deep. So I’m pretty sure that the husband’s thought process would go a little something like this: Way to go babe! I love your enthusiasm and support for the Tide even during the off-season! Make no mistake- the sentiment would be drastically different if said dream had featured Philip Lutzenkirchen or Jarrett Lee or some other loserface rival player. Kidding on the loserface comment, guys. And if you really know the husband, you also know he wouldn’t dream of letting me get by without a least one joke about a ginger stealing the starring role of my dreams. My apologies to anyone offended by the term "ginger". We got nothin’ but love for the red-heads.

• Have any of you ever suffered from a case of the backwards underwear? You know, the moment when you take a restroom break and realize that you unknowingly put your underwear on inside-out or backwards or both? Yeah, it drives a Type-A girl like myself absolutely batpoop cray-cray. I was a victim of said affliction earlier this week. I realized my mistake about 10:00am (guess I wasn’t as refreshed and wide-awake as I thought when I got dressed that morning), and I literally thought about it all day. Why didn’t I just correct the problem? Well, our 6th floor restroom has quite a bit of traffic and fixing the issue would have required removing boots and tights in a 2X2 space with at least 1 or 2 strangers wondering what in the beejeezus was going in the stall next door. No thanks. So I just suffered through. All day. Until I got home. Does this test anyone else’s sanity? Or am I just completely psycho? As modern day psychology suggests, when in doubt – blame mom. So I’m just gonna assume this is some side effect of mother’s repeated childhood warnings to always be prepared and remember the importance of clean underwear.

Yep, so that’s my brain dump for the day. I know you are all like HUH? What the..? Who does this chick think she is not blogging for 8 months and using this crap as her comeback? Does she think it’s okay to just disappear and then not give any excuse or rationale for doing so? And the answer, people, is a resounding, shooooooo do! I’m not really sure why, but I had the urge to blog today. I’m not going to promise I’ll be back on a regular basis- been there, done that and failed miserably. Even if I did become a regular blogger, I’m not sure what direction I would want to take with this blog… I’m no longer planning a wedding so that material is out. I don’t have children so bribing readers with cute stories and pictures of them is also not an option. Likewise, Mr. Miller and I have no four-legged children either. Because the nature of my work is sensitive, I can’t share very detailed stories about that (for anyone thinking CIA or FBI – yeah, I wish). I’m not in the midst of some great journey or challenge (i.e.- backpacking Europe, losing half my body weight, or renovating a historical home). I love my life, but it’s not particularly interesting or exciting. So we’ll see. I love reading other blogs when I have time, and if I feel the urge to write, I will. And if I don’t, I won’t.

Happy Friday lovers!!!