There Beneath The Blue Suburban Skies

Penny Lane

Four!

I hate golf...

But I love him.

Before You Know It

It seems like Fall is so closet, yet so far away!! I don't remember being this excited in previous years, but I absolutely cannot wait to break out my cardigans! And the scarves... Oh, the scarves! I decided to make a set of all the items I want need for Fall.



For a list of all the items in the picture, just follow my Polyvore.

I already own the leopard clutch, Ginger lipgloss, and Miss Dior Cherie. My next project may be to find the green vest. The one pictured is from Gap; hopefully they still have it in the store! I have seen so many cute ways to wear it.
Like this...

(lost my source...sorry)

Or this...

(source)

I've also been pretty obsessed with vertical stripes (less than ideal for my...soft figure, I know) and I love Black Currant Vanilla from Bath and Body Works. I'll definitely be filling my apartment with some of those candles! Oh, Fall! I can't wait to see you again!


"Summer is like the ultimate one-night stand: Hot as hell, totally thrilling, and gone before you know it." -Unknown

Outfits.

Three Years

August 22, 2008: I FINALLY let you be my boyfriend. It was so easy to fall in love with you. I actually remember the exact moment. I came to Birmingham to visit you, and before I left we talked while we sat on your bed in the dark. And I loved you.

On Monday, we celebrated our third anniversary and the beginning of our fourth year together. Everyday with you is perfect. Not like...kittens and rainbows perfect. More like the kind of perfect that makes you feel at home. The kind of perfect that makes you feel safe. A perfect life. A perfect storm.

You're a perfect fit.

That being said: Our anniversary was less than perfect. It was pretty darn close to a nightmare.
Sure, everything seemed normal at first.

Until my car broke down and we had to hitchhike.
(Isn't he the cutest hitchhiker you've ever seen?)

I was pretty upset to find out THIS is our ONLY picture together from our anniversary.

Isn't it funny how something so small can cause such a hideous problem?

But you saved the day.
You're my hero. My sweaty, muscle-y, car-fixin' hero.

I love you.
I love you more and more every single day.
Here's to another 3...thousand...more anniversaries with you.

Want. Need. Gimme.

Leopard Clutch. $49.50 Banana Republic.

Reading: Choke

I finally finished reading Chuck Palahniuk's Choke. I feel like it's taken me a year to read it. Life has been a little...busy lately. Anyway, in case you didn't know, Chuck Palahniuk also wrote Fight Club. So if you enjoyed that movie, you'll probably enjoy this book. It wasn't my favorite, but it was fun to read. The main character has a fantastic sense of humor and uses EXTREMELY colorful language. Again, it was LOTS of fun to read.

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from Choke.

"What I want is to be needed. What I need is to be indispensable to somebody. Who I need is somebody that will eat up all my free time, my ego, my attention. Somebody addicted to me. A mutual addiction."

"The unreal is more powerful than the real. Because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. Because it's only intangibles, ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. Stone crumbles. Wood rots. People, well, they die. But things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on. If you can change the way people think. The way they see themselves. The way they see the world. You can change the way people live their lives. That's the only lasting thing you can create."

"We can spend our lives letting the world tell us who we are. Sane or insane. Saints or sex addicts. Heroes or victims. Letting history tell us how good or bad we are. Letting our past decide our future. Or we can decide for ourselves. And maybe it's our job to invent something better."

Misdirected Threads

Today has been a beautiful day. I spent the morning and early afternoon roaming around the city. I was so surprised at how great the weather was! It almost felt like Fall! I did a little shopping and found some really adorable things!

I may have jumped the gun a little on this first purchase, but it just felt so great outside I had to celebrate the upcoming change in season.

Spiced Cider and Autumn Apple from Bath and Body Works.

I also found some cute lingerie...

"Lace Kiss" from B.Tempt'd

And this...

I got for $1 at my thrift store!

Now I'm lazing around my apartment waiting for time to workout (for the first time in WEEKS) and get ready for trivia.

I hope your day was as fruitful as mine!

There are no mistakes in lace, just misdirected threads that present a new challenge. -Barbara Bulgarelli

Waiting

My grandfather has been in the ICU since Saturday night. Paw Paw has had a weak heart for as long as I can remember. He had his first heart attack in 1993 and has gone through several surgeries, procedures, and more heart attacks since then. Yesterday, the doctors told us there was nothing more they could do for him. They've moved him into a room so we can spend more time with him.

I am a fragile person. I get upset when I run over frogs. I try to save insects that land on my windshield. My heart can't handle any more sadness this week. After saying goodbye to my sweet Indiana, I had no idea things could get worse. My grandpa asked his pastor to be ready for his funeral. He's giving up and there's nothing we can do. So, we're all trapped in the waiting room and dreading what might come next.

Things will get better eventually. They have to.

Brown Eyes

I met you on a Wednesday. You had the most beautiful brown eyes I had ever seen.

The others were noisy and anxious while you just sat still and stared back at me with those eyes. Those beautiful eyes. I asked them to open your cage and when I walked in you wagged your tail and sat on my feet. In that moment I knew I couldn't leave you there.

I knew life wouldn't be complete without you.

Your personality blossomed and you became more than a dog.

You are my baby, my friend, my family.

You love everyone you meet and are always willing to share a few kisses.

Today the world is a little darker. Our lives will never be the same.

I miss you so much already. I miss your scruffy hair and your dirty paws.

I miss your hatred for baths and your love for car rides. I miss watching you jump and your silly rollover trick.

Most of all, I miss your slobbery kisses and your beautiful brown eyes. My heart is broken and empty and I feel like I'm living in slow motion. I'm lost.

You died on a Friday. You had the most beautiful brown eyes I had ever seen.

Hump Day Check In

Obsessing Over: Skirts. I noticed the lower half of my wardrobe consists of pants and shorts, so I bought four new skirts and I'm dying to wear them all!

Working On: A business idea with Mister. Maybe more details later…

Thinking About: How amazing this Icy Hot patch feels. I like to believe cherubs created it with their chubby little hands and floated from Heaven on pink tiny clouds to place it gently on my back.

Anticipating: Mexico!! In 10 days, I'll be on my first cruise and my first trip out of the country. I want to pack right now.

Listening To: Anything that can remove the sounds of high school band students playing classic rock songs. (No offense to my students.)

Drinking: Coffee with Cinnamon Bun Coffee Mate. Oh. My. Lanta.

Wishing: I didn't have to wake up at 6am.

Blood, Sweat, and Soffe Shorts

I desperately want to dive into my closet, make an awesome outfit, and wear it right now. This week, Frank and I are teaching band camp. That means the only outfits I'll have this week involve t-shirts, gym shorts, and sneakers. ::sigh:: At least we're getting paid, right?

The one thing keeping me going is the thought of all the adorable outfits I'll have for my cruise! I bought a dress at H&M for $26! I can't wait to wear it.

It'll be adorable with my awesome necklace!

(I could swear I had a better picture of it.)

And now, I leave you with the world's cutest boyfriend taking the world's cutest nap.

Those Who Wander

This weekend was fabulous. We are so exhausted, but we had such a great time. Mister is actually suffering from an exhaustion induced migraine as we speak. :(

Our trip began Wednesday afternoon when we drove to my parents' house (My car needed a little help). My family was busy that night, but we kept ourselves busy...you know... acting like grown ups.

The next stop was Guntersville High School on Thursday. We watched our favorite corps Carolina Crown rehearse all day. All. Day.

After a little rest in Huntsville, we drove to Murfreesboro, TN for our first show of the weekend.

After driving to Atlanta, we got about 2 hours of sleep before volunteering in the Georgia Dome at 8am. We spent our morning (SANS BREAKFAST!) hanging these gigantic banners from the balconies.

Ready to do it all over again next year! Oh... and I just bought this luggage tag!