a new season

Well, rush was... something.

It was stressful. (See my skin for evidence.)

It was long. (I was up way past my bedtime.)

It was disease carrying. (Bacterial infection? Check.)

And rash causing. (I was allergic to my pref dress fabric.)

But it was so worth it. The bonds between us all became stronger and we got the most precious, ballin' new baby pandas. (My pledge class was extremely reluctant to give up that title.) And if I didn't already know for sure that I'm in the right place, I sure as heck am now. The list of inside jokes made was at least a mile long.

And I have to best roommates ever.

I'm so glad to be back. For realz. We tight like a sheaf of wheat.

Now it's time to start school. I forget that's why I'm here.

Observations from suburbia...part three

I had a great summer job. Really. It was so perfect for right now. But it had its...moments.

For example...

Wednesday. A lady comes and buys a robe for her daughter. Mom picks out monogramming. Great. Saturday. Daughter comes to pick up robe. She cries. Literal tears streaming down her face. No, it's not the wrong initials. No, it's not a family heirloom that has been ruined. She just hates the font. She thinks it's too "scripty." The font used was almost block. Picks another monogram. Leaves. Tuesday. Daughter returns to store. Picks up robe for the SECOND time. Just looks at it. Manager asks if there's anything wrong. Girl stares some more. Monogram is fine. Manager asks if we need to take it out. Again. Girl quietly says no. Girls Leaves. We take bets on if she went to her car and cried. There are just bigger things in life to worry about, you know?

I can't leave this kind of drama.

But it gets better.

This is the story that will forever go down as the best work moment of all time:

I'm in the back of the store taking inventory. Cake is sitting on the table. Owner is holding a stocking in one hand and juggling something else in the other. Stocking and cake make contact. Icing is on stocking. Owner licks icing off of stocking. I stare. I ask owner, "Did you just lick that stocking?" Owner responds, "Well, I guess I just did." Owner giggles. I stare. No further conversation needed. (Side note: the stocking never made it out to the sales floor.)

Or this one...

Owner is helping customer. Customer finds aromatherapy bottles. Customer wants to smell a different scent. Owner opens a different bottle. Owner spills liquid everywhere. Owner walks in the back and says, "I spilt that stuff all over me, and now I smell like a french whorehouse." More expletives used. Question remains: how does she know what a french whorehouse smells like?

But then again, sometimes my job involves just listening to people.

One day, a lady told me that she needed a gift for a cousin with whom she had just reconnected. Great. That's still a little more than I need to know, but not too intimate. She keeps going. Apparently, said cousin's great grandparents took a covered wagon out to Idaho. This is when I know I'll be keeping on my fake smile for quite some time. Customer continues to tell me about what life was like out west back in those days. Lady, I took years of American History classes AND played Oregon Trail back in the day. I think I have an idea. Plus, YOU WEREN'T THERE. I don't care how much it snowed. Does that affect the huge linen pillowcase you're buying? Didn't think so.... The things we do to make sure customers are happy in the store.

Frequently overheard phrases:

Crap-a-doodle-doo

If it's not one thing, it's your mother

Shut the front door.

Oh, WHOA.

Are you KIDDING me?

I'm having a hot flash.

You're a hot mess.

We got another email from Indonesia...

Opulence, I has it.

This commercial cracks me up. I don't even know why, but every time I hear it come on one of the TVs in the house, I run to catch it again. Even my dad and I quote it. I think I've come to the point where I enjoy watching TV just for the good advertisements.

a house is built of walls and beams, but a home is built of love and dreams.

Why I LOVE Birmingham and will miss it:

1. See my favorite Birmingham restaurants. This enough is reason to love it.

2. It's kind of under the radar, but the art scene here is definitely present. Sure, we have a nice museum. But there are always art festivals going on somewhere. Magic City Art Connection ALWAYS has something going on.

3. Birmingham has a pretty legit music scene. All of the big names come here, but there's definitely plenty of the coffeehouse shows to go around. And around. And around. And on the off chance that a musical artist is on tour and doesn't come here, chances are they'll probably

hit Atlanta, which is close enough.

4. There are all different kinds of people here. Birmingham isn't just for yuppies or baby boomers, people of every age, race, nationality, etc. are here.

5. Like Goldilocks taking baby bear's porridge because it's "justttt right," Birmingham's size is just the same.

6. 4 hours from the beach. 2 from Lake Martin. 2 from Atlanta. 3 from Nashville. Holla.

7. The shopping is pretty legit. Big chain stores, small boutiques, specialty stores...you name it, we've got it.

8. While we may not be New Orleans (pre-Katrina) or Mobile with old French charm or St. Augustine with Spanish influenced architecture, we've still got plenty of cuteness to go around. Just take a drive through some residential parts of Homewood.

9. You want to learn defensive driving and/or navigation? Try driving around this city. There are some crazies out on the road. And all of the one way streets, random alleys, and weird turns are sure to get even the most seasoned drivers turned around.

10. As sappy as it sounds, this is where my roots are. My family is here. My friends are here. This is familiar. This is home.

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world

10 Test Birmingham Restaurants.

1. Ocean Holy smokes. Best meal of my life. Words cannot even describe how amazing it is.

2. Rojo Superrrr trendy, but delish. And everyone can go there and be happy since there's an American side of the menu as well as a Latin American side. (Go for the second.) And if you don't take my word for it, I mean, Bob Dylan eats there. NBD.

3. Nabeel's Greek food at its finest. And the little market attached is super cute, too.

4. Savage's Bakery I've been going here since I was in the womb. IT IS SO GOOD. Lunch or just a snack, it's one of the best bakeries in town.

5. Surin West I'm not super into Thai food, but I will eat just about anything here.

6 Iz Cafe Best chicken salad and lemon squares in town. For sure.

7. Taziki's Is it sad that I know what their specials are everyday and always get them on Wednesdays and weekends?

8. New York Pizza We used to celebrate our wins (and heck, our losses, too) for church league here because they have the best pizza in town.

9. Pappas' Grill These people are legit off the boat from Greece. And they fight all the time, but Mrs. Papas wins every time. It is like watching a scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. And they have the best hamburger in town. Odd, for a Greek restaurant, but it's true.

10. Cobb Lane Too bad it closed. Super upsetting. I used to have tea parties here when I was itty bitty.

My Life in Lists #11

This is the most pitiful, little pathetic summer reading list of all time.

1. Skin and Other Stories by Roald Dahl

2. Crazy Love by Francis Chan

3. Let The Great World Spin by Colum McAnn

4. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

5. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

6. A Separate Piece by John Knowles (annual re-read)

7. Radical by David Platt

8. Campbell Essential Biology with Physiology (summer school ate up a lot of time, okay?)

9. The Hound of The Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

But, I did make a HUGE dent in my read through the Bible in one year plan. Like, more than 3 months worth of a dent.

My Life in Lists #10

ten songs GUARANTEED to get stuck in your head...all. day. long.

1. Private Eyes Daryl Hall and John Oates Basically, all of their songs are super catchy. But, that double clap thing is the clincher, for sure.

2. (I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight Cutting Crew I don't even know what it is about this song that makes it so addicting. But it is.

3. Ice Ice Baby Vanilla Ice When have you heard someone say, "Stop," and you (either verbally or mentally) add "collaborate and listen"? That's right, word to your mother.

4. Never Gonna Give You Up Rick Astley Does it count as being rick-rolled if it wasn't a surprise?

5. Just Dance Lady Gaga Because this song is SO catchy, it is seriously the best to use when you're trying to memorize information quickly. If you ever need to know the 17 essential elements for plants, Lady Gaga and I have you covered.

6. Whip It Devo What is this song even about?

7. What Is Love Haddaway A Night at the Roxbury, thank you.

8. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go Wham! This song is my alarm on my phone. Just in case you wanted to know.

9. Everybody Have Fun Tonight Wang Chung Everybody have fun tonight...

10. The Lion Sleeps Tonight The Tokens Wimoweh. Wimoweh. Wimoweh.

My Life in Lists #9

I move back to school in less than two weeks. That little number begs the question: where did summer go?

10 Things I've done with my summer:

1. Made the grades. There's nothing wrong with community college, but it was an experience to say the least. Biology II was a lot less stressful here, but my huge sustainability project was a thorn in my side. If my BIOL 1000 class of 300+ students had to make individual power points, we would still be sitting in the auditorium.

2. Made some money. My little summer job turned into "spend everyday you're not at school here" kind of job. That was okay, though. It gave me the opportunity to save some money for something in the future (travel, perhaps?) and put some money in my pocket for the time being.

3. Made Martha Stewart proud. Okay, that was wishful thinking. But I did make lots of crafty gifts to give to my sorority little sister. The family tree is stinking precious, as is the clipboard. I'm just glad I won't be up in the middle of the night, balancing Thoreau on one hand, and a canvas with wet paint on the other. (But who am I kidding? That's like my dream evening.)

4. Made the postmaster upset. I had lots of friends at camp this summer, so naturally I had to send them all letters. Only I like to get super creative with my letters (see No. 3), especially with my alphabet stamp sets. So I'm sure United States postal workers were not amused to have to decipher my "artwork."

5. Made the transition. I'm not an ignorant freshman anymore. I'm now an ignorant sophomore. But it has been a year since I left home for the first time on my own, and I'm still doing just fine. No major breakdowns. No truly traumatic experiences. No major lifestyle change. Yep, doing just fine.

6. Made (more) time for the Lord. I kind of went into the summer with a bad attitude about what He was going to do with me. Boy, was I wrong. He shook me, rocked me, and totally blew me away. Even sweeter...I got to share what was going on in my life with some lovely friends during all of it. They completely challenged me, encouraged me, and committed to pray for me.

7. Made some memories. In the words of Mary Elizabeth Turner, "I love that we made a ton of inside jokes just now." So thankful for precious time with precious friends during the freedom only summertime can bring.

8. Made some plans. I feel like I have some direction to my life, without having "make it or break it" plans. And I like it that way. I like not knowing exactly what the Lord has got in store for me, but that there are options that glorify Him with the abilities that I currently possess.

9. Made a dent in my reading list. Okay, it was more like a scratch. Sadly, this summer did not lend the usual abundant reading time usually present in my breaks from school. However, I did read enough to satiate my appetite for the written word. Plus, the more time devoted to reading, the less time to spend on everything else.

10. Made a motto for the summer. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

a good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit

I'm slowly retraining my brain and fingers to use adobe illustrator and photoshop again. I once used to have quite a knack for both of them, but over a year without practice has left me rustier than the tin man before Dorothy comes along. (Just a little tid bit, tin actually doesn't rust. Go figure.) And I like functional art, or art that is created for a purpose. So I made a bookplate? Why not. I need to a way to mark my bound editions that are moving back to school with me. I just need to make a special trip to the office supply store for some sheets of sticker paper.

Ex libris is a Latin phrase used to reflect ownership of a book, i.e., from the library of.... Just in case you were wondering.

carpe-nder diem

Anthropologie has always prided themselves on decorating their stores with "found" things, or unique vintage and reclaimed objects from all over the world. While this may not be something they would use in their stores, it is a recycled piece. I think it is pretty unique, and I will be able to use it not only in my dorm next year, but in future apartments and houses. We chose the paint color so that it will match virtually anything, and the knobs can easily be replaced. Sometimes, we just have too much time on our hands, but it was a good project.