Sweet, sweet Saturday!

Happy Saturday, all! Sorry for the sporadic posting lately - it's been a whirlwind of a month but I'm thrilled to say it should all be calming down soon. (Thanks for that, Blue.)

So today I'm procrastinating some serious spring cleaning by filling you fabulous ladies in... Ahh, to have something else to fill my time besides organizing clothes and scrubbing shower corners. Sure, it feels fantastic when all is said and done, but there are few things I like less than deep cleaning. A wipe, a pass of a duster, the delicious scent of Febreze and Swiffers - I'm all for that. Anything more than 30 minutes gives me a back ache, a headache and a serious urge for a nap.

We're off to Rock Hill shortly for our adorable friends Tripp and Laura Lea's wedding. Of course it never occurred to me to plan my outfit before this morning, so our guest bedroom is covered in dress options. I found the perfect dress to wear - haven't worn it since my rehearsal dinner last summer and I adore it. (And it still fits!!) The problem? The shoes are MIA and I truthfully have nothing else that will work with the dress... (See below.) What to do?

I think I'll be sporting basic black and pearls...sorry, LL, for not thinking ahead!!

In other news, my unbelievable husband took me to see Sex and the City last night!! What a trooper. I think I was a little let down but I enjoyed each of the 120 minutes we were in there. After the insane build-up and the three year wait, it was almost bound to disappoint - I mean, only two hours with our favorite girls after all this time? If you're a fan of fashion, pretty views, SATC or just a fun summer watch - it's worth your $10. Have you seen it yet? What'd you think?



P.S. I'm taking bets on when my "perfect shoes" will magically appear during my long-avoided cleaning session this week. Monday? Even earlier? Ten minutes after we get back to the house? Anyone know another summer wedding where I could sport this baby? I think we've got a slow summer ahead, nuptially-speaking. Whew. After last year, we could use the breather!!

Me: Something something something. Hey, be nice to me! I heart you!
Bradley: Well go heart me from over there. Now get out of my chair!!

I don't have too many means of public humiliation, but here you go. He's watching me type this and let's hope he stops laughing long enough to learn his lesson.

Adventures at the Animal Hospital

I'm a still thanking God for the number of caring and capable professionals at our local animal emergency clinic. After a late-night surgery to remove blockages from his stomach and intestines, we are hoping our sweet Blue is on the mend.

The blockages in his stomach? A tank top, among other laundry items. Perhaps in a week or two this will be remarkably funny, but at the time it felt like my heart was being pulled out of my body. Leaving Blue alone for hours to be put under, cut open, stitched and stapled back up was gut-wrenching. (No pun intended.) Big hugs to Jennifer for meeting me there late late at night, missing the Grey's season finale ending, and taking Bradley's place while he was a state away.

Thanks so much for all of your prayers and concern - we're taking baby steps and our boy is on the mend. We're still praying it continues to get easier as the days go by. Isn't it amazing how much an 80-pound dog means to you? I'm not sure if I can ever have children knowing that it could only hurt more...

The fabulous news - he's worth it.

Time Travel

Four Things I Did Ten Years Ago: (1998)
1. Felt like I was much wiser than 16!
2. Counted down the months to Titanic's release in December
3. Went to many, many Dave Matthews concerts
4. Drove around in my very first car

Four Things I Did Five Years Ago: (2003)
1. Spoke in front of 12,000 people at my college graduation
2. Lived in beautiful Clemson, South Carolina
3. Met two of my best friends in grad school
4. Wondered what on Earth God wants me to do with my life

Four Things I Did Yesterday:
1. Counted down the days 'til the Sex and the City movie
2. Counted down the hours 'til Bradley and I can hang out this weekend
3. Took care of a sick dog
4. Wondered what on Earth God wants me to do with my life (Slightly bigger picture now, though!)

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch:
1. Lost
2. The Office
3. 30 Rock
4. Grey's Anatomy

Four Things I Adore Doing:
1. Napping
2. Reading, writing or reading about writing
3. Good movies with good movie dates
4. Socializing. That's a thing, right?

Your turn! My brain is a little fried from a long night with Blue, so hopefully your answers will be a little more creative...

Very Holly Golightly

I missed the memo that Tiffany & Co. is now making sunglasses - blame that on only getting the catalog, not having a store like you big-city girls. I can't help but hum "Moon River" and picture Audrey in a black dress when I see these shades. Love them!

After a good run with my adorable Isaac Mizrahi Target pair (courtesy of Sarah, who snagged some when I lost mine on my wedding day), I'm in need of a new pair myself. What are your favorites?

Quick Hits

You should know:
1. My laptop is on the fritz, so excuse the slow posting and even slower Word Twist games I owe a few of you on Facebook!
2. My dog is also sick, which equals less sleep for me and Blue.
3. Getting even less sleep than either one of us is Bradley, who's working overnight this week. We've been in the same room a grand total of twenty minutes so far this week. Who's ready for a long weekend?
4. I'm in total denial that it'll be June any minute now.
5. I've been married ten months now! (Still no champagne...)

Quick list of gratitudes:
1. Daily check-ins from my fabulous parents, who never get their feelings hurt when I hang up because Bradley's beeping through.... Adorable.
2. Talking to Bradley ten times a day makes me feel like we're in high school. (Still ready for him to be back to daytime duty.)
3. Work is crazy but I have amazing coworkers whose strolls with me at lunch can make almost any day better.
4. It's absolutely beautiful out and we have a holiday weekend to enjoy it!
5. Being alone at night lets me watch some chick flicks that I can't bear to expose Bradley to. You know, like the America's Next Top Model finale, the Real World, the six-hour A&E version of Pride and Prejudice. A man can only take so much.
6. A show that got me through the last few months of wedding planning, So You Think You Can Dance, is back! Tune in!
7. The gorgeous red Juicy watch Kristen gave us as a bridesmaid's gift in March matches madras perfectly. Makes my summer outfits a lot more fun!
8. I'm starting to plan a vacation for 2009.
9. Last weekend in Charleston was gorgeous. Friends, family, food, sunshine & sleep.

So what are y'all up to? In my laptop-free home, I've been a little out of touch. I can't wait to hear how everyone's doing...and get a fixed laptop back.

Also, I need some fabulous new songs to add to my iPod. Suggestions??

What are you watching?

(Sorry for the absence, y'all! We had a family weekend in Charleston from Thursday to Sunday and now my home laptop is on the fritz. Disaster!)

So the newest Bachelorette's adventures premiere tonight on ABC. So You Think You Can Dance (ie, American Idol for feet) starts on Thursday. Traditional season shows are wrapping up soon.

With books being so long, and so perfectly suited for the beach, it's quite easy to rely on that glowing box to keep us entertained. That being said, what are you watching?

Will you tune in to see which of Deanna's 25 gentlemen callers will become her Prince Charming?

Saying "I do!"

Those two little words just seem to give a girl an other-worldly glow. Jenna Bush was no exception; I think she looked picture perfect at her Texas wedding last Saturday. Kudos to her for bypassing a public White House wedding for something more personal, meaningful and down-home. (Although, as Kristen says, it'd be really hard to say no to a reception on the South Lawn!)

Another pretty bride:

Abby McGrew Manning, newlywed NFL wife

Things that make me smile

Hope you're thinking of a few things that make you super-happy too. Happy Tuesday! xo

Orange is Awesome, says Crayola

I knew I was onto something!!

Crayola unleases 8 new colors for 50th anniversary

Pretty Friday finds

Happy Friday to y'all

This morning, as I was hard at work just a-tippity-typing on my laptop, I felt a little tickle on my arm. Thinking it was an errant thread or perhaps one of my incessantly-out-of-place hair strands, I gave the spot a thoughtless wave of my hand.

I was greeted by a spider. A black one. With eight legs. (I think. I didn't really look at it that closely or for very long.)

I don't have a problem with spiders, per se. I'm not scared of them when I spot them in the wild or, more often, in the great indoors. On my arm, however, it's clearly a different story.

There was some significant estrogen- and adrenaline-induced squealing. I think there may have been a little hopping in my fun summer wedges. (Thankfully there are more than a few people out of the office in my corner of the agency today.)

I swatted the visitor off of my arm, stood up in a near-panic and then tried to distinguish the large (very large) black body from the unvacuumed mystery pattern on our artsy and modern carpet. A gentlemen, very disturbed by my distress, aided me with just the stomp of his foot.

Truthfully, I could have done that myself. In any other instance, spiders have little effect on me. I'm grateful for the help, though, and the knowledge that spider-killing chivalry is not dead.

But now I can't stop rubbing my arm. There's a phantom tickle there constantly. Silly spider ruined my morning. Now I'm worried that Monday morning y'all may see someone at the agency meeting looking vaguely like a future comic book hero.

Do we love these or (k)not?

Silk knot earrings, just like the boys wear on their French cuff shirts.

Lots of stripes and solids to choose from. Saw someone sporting them and they were so adorable! You know me and my bright colors. I think I'd like a light or kelly green, maybe a pink. What do y'all think?

That being said, busy bees, any new accessory purchases you're loving? I've heard rumors of some online shopping that's taken place, so I need to hear what you've snagged for summer.

Today I learned...

....it's ok to feel proud of how many vegetables are in my cart
....groceries are getting more expensive by the moment
....this fact hasn't dampened my appetite any
....unloading said expensive groceries is a real workout. Guess B usually helps more than I realize!
....I can stand up for things, particularly people, when I'm truly convicted
....orange espadrilles can make an outfit
....a voice mail from a friend can make my morning
....weddings are still exciting even after you've had your own
....pedicures don't last as long as they should, particularly in sandal season
....knowing someone is a phone call away is almost as good as the real thing
....fat free ice cream can be delicious (hello, Breyer's caramel swirl!)
....a cold Diet Cherry Coke can get me through a morning or a Bradley-less evening
....your comments on this blog make my day
....having all of you around in real life is even better!

What did y'all learn today? Happy Almost-Thursday! xoxo

A Six-Word Memoir

Have you heard about the six-word autobiography? Fabulous concept - let's give it a try.

Some people do a few six-word memoirs, perhaps one each for childhood, adolesence, college, and everything after. I'll try to get it to just one six-word sentence. Below are my first attempts:

First attempts:
Newlywed. Never better but still dreaming.
Planned intensely, scrapped plans, never happier.
Two degrees. Friends teach me more.
Notes in mailbox are long-distance kisses.
Faith, Bradley, family, Blue, shopping, sleep.
Met, befriended, stalked a bit, married.
Glad college preceded digital camera boom.
Excited to wed; glad wedding's over.
Paid to talk. Seriously. Someone listen!
Peachy childhood, awkward teen, relieved adult.
Summered in France before dollar dove.
Beach, burger, boat, wine, friends - perfection.
Columbia-raised but grew up in Clemson.

(Instead of deleting each iteration, I'm just going to make the latest bold. Be warned that this is quite an addictive little challenge.)

You can read more here. Now let's see yours!

Quotable

Best thing I've heard today:
"You eat; I'll talk."

From my friend Rowe at lunch, after I had unloaded to her and was more than ready for her wise-as-always response. So I stuffed myself with soft tacos, as instructed, and listened to her for a while.

Worst thing I've heard today:
"Today is even worse than yesterday. It just hasn't stopped coming at us."

From Bradley, who's already worked 45 hours this week as of lunchtime Wednesday. He's hoping he'll be able to come home for a few hours before heading back to the project site in North Carolina at midnight to work until tomorrow at dinner-time. (Yes, you read that correctly.) Is it Friday yet?

The sweetest thing

Morning, ladies! I'm a little off today and it's feeling like it will be a long, yucky Tuesday - too little sleep, Bradley worked all night, Friday can't come soon enough. Just general Anne crankiness.

So let's think some happy thoughts, shall we? What's the best compliment you've ever been given? The sweetest thing anyone's ever said to you? Reading those should perk me up. (Selfish, I know.) Hopefully you'll enjoy them too.

I'll start:

1. A teacher told me in the 9th grade, when my arms were too long and my gawkiness was at its peak, that I was very elegant-looking. Couldn't have come at a better time.

2. Bradley asked me to marry him. That's a pretty big compliment, having someone want to spend their whole life with you. I couldn't tell you exactly what I said - he lost me the moment a ring box appeared. But I feel convinced that the question was in there somewhere.

(I'm leaving out compliments from my parents, because I truly believe they're bordering insanity in their biased-ness. But they've said some pretty sweet things!)

Share!

A day at the beach

I am so in love with the scent of my new Organix coconut milk conditioner that now I'm looking for a summer-time, beachy perfume. I'd use the conditioner as perfume if I could figure out how to do it.

Any suggestions? I've scoured Sephora and their only suggestion was Michael Kors' Island. At this point I'm tempted to slather on Coppertone, in all its deliciousness, to get me through another cubicly-confined fluorescent-filled day. I'll be ready for some sand and real sunshine very soon!

(I get my SPF from Oil of Olay and Bare Minerals each day, btw. Must protect the pale.)

Thoughts?

Thought of the moment

For a fabulous coworker of mine. A wonderful thought for Mondays, and any day we need a reminder.

Catching up

Due to a mystery virus that had me out of commission from mid-Thursday on, I haven't gotten to chat much since April wrapped up. I made no social phone calls from Thursday to Sunday - wow. Skipping meals and staying quiet are both surefire signs that I'm under the weather.

Hope you're all enjoying your day and starting your week off happily. As for me, a bit to report:

There are few things more inherently sweet, simple or Southern than the love of a girl for her dad. Since this blog was created to spotlight such things, here's a tidbit that fits the bill. On Thursday, May 1st, my dad got some great news - his test results have returned with an all-clear. Looks like his cancer has been chased away!! (I'm sure there are more technical terms for it, but I'll go with what I can wrap my head around.) After his surgery before Christmas, this is just what our family has been praying for.

I called him to share my tale of virus-induced woe, not realizing that it was May yet and thus follow-up appointment time. After ten minutes of chatting, Dad finally got to squeeze in his fabulous news.

That being said, I had mentally written something remarkable and moving (no doubt) to share with y'all on Thursday, the National Day of Prayer. I'm sure it was a quick list of the many handfuls of things I have to be grateful for, friends I was remembering, and wonderful ways I was celebrating the holiday in my own little life. And then I found out that the most pressing of my prayer requests, that my amazing dad would continue on his road to recovery, had been answered in full. (And fever kicked in, erasing all traces of such deep thoughts from my mind.)

Feverish or not, I was overjoyed. Please know that, if you're reading this, you were no doubt one of the fantastic women (or men, Dad!) I was remembering that day - and every day. I try my hardest not to breeze through life, taking things or, even worse, people for granted.

So I'm celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a giant, heartfelt thank-you prayer, and lots of gratitude for all of the people who've prayed for me and my family lately. (Or anytime, actually.) We've had a crazy 18 months or so, but I can absolutely say that things have never been better. None of us have ever been better taken care of, and I for one have never been happier.

I don't know if I have been doing back handsprings of happiness during the longer days, but Jeremiah 29:11 has never rung truer - and I'm grateful for the friends who reminded me of it. Or just listened or prayed or sent Diet Cokes and hugs and cards my way.

Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees. ~Victor Hugo

P.S. Just a virtual high-five to Bradley, who'll never read this, for making me feel so much better by letting me sleep excessively, eat breakfast for dinner and watch all of the Thursday night shows on DVR that I was too comatose to catch the first time around.

Can't wait to return phone calls and emails this week! Enough about me. Fill me in on what you've been up to, already!

Sparing your inbox - one forward at a time

Maybe I should try a little harder to focus on Mondays.

I love the smell of the beach, Bradley, Cotton after a bath.

People would say that I’m a chatterbox.

I don’t understand why I chatter even more when I get nervous. Deep breaths, Anne!

When I wake up in the morning I wonder what day it is.

I lost my willpower to try and look perfect all the time. Or anytime.

Life is an amazing, amazing gift.

My past was part of God's plan to get me right where I am at this very moment.

I get annoyed when I'm hungry or sleep-deprived.

Parties are a great reason to dress up.

Dogs are fabulous, especially mine.

Cats make me sneeze.

Tomorrow is another chance. Always fresh, with no mistakes in it.

I have low tolerance for pain - in myself or others.

I’m totally terrified of snakes.

I wonder why I can't get fully excited about something until I've shared the news.

Never in my life have I been a tomboy.

High school was fun, but not the be-all end-all that 80s movies make it out to be.

College was even better.

When I’m nervous I get palpitations. And chatter. (See above.)

One time at a family gathering I took a nap in a back bedroom. Typical.

Take my advice: When you have the urge, be the dork who writes the sweet note, shares a compliment, leaves the voice mail. It's probably more necessary and appreciated than you know.

Making my bed happens sometimes in everyday life, but always when company is coming.

I'm almost always talking, typing, laughing, eating or sleeping.

I’m addicted to online shopping, lip balm and moisturizer.

I want someone to come clean my house each week. Or at least take care of the laundry.

(Copy, paste, and change the answers. Y'all know the drill!)