10 Things

That I Like
1. Seat belts
2. Text messages
3. H&M
4. Green tea
5. Automatic spell check
6. Typewriters
7. Clementines
8. Finding a friend in a new class.
9. First coffee dates
10. Banana splits without the bananas

That I Love
1. God
2. The first day of classes.
3. When the call log on my cell phone shows that I have more calls coming IN than going out.
4. Jason Mraz
5. The sky
6. Jazz Music
7. Macs ♥
8. Brightly colored umbrellas
9. Athens, Georgia
10. Prospects of an amazing future.

That I'm Surprised I Like

1. Longchamp

2. Toby Keith's older songs.

3. Bass Pro Shop

4. Service projects

5. iPhones (JUST A LITTLE)

6. Down Home With the Neely's

7. Bell Peppers

8. The song "Mary Jane"

9.  Purple

10. Jewelry

That I Don't Like
1. UGLY BROWN SHOES !!!! (Eco friendly does NOT have to be Fashion hateful)
2. When people touch my hair
3. Fur lining in jackets.
4. Shorts in the winter.

5. Extra-long jeans
6. Thrift/Vintage stores
7.  Katy Perry
8. The Fray
9. Eggplant
10. That when I laugh, my face turns burgundy and stays that way for hours. STOP FLUSHING.

That I'm Thankful For
1. That I have an amazing family
2. That people are embracing the color yellow.
3. That I've proven that I can do anything I set my mind to.

4. That I need help in the things that I don't totally set my mind to do.
5. That I have 4 friends who would do anything for me and I can tell them anything without feeling like I'm weighing them down or bothering them.
6. That I have other good friends who are always there for me, too.
7. That I've been given many more opportunities than my parents and grandparents had. 
8. That I live in America, but am free to go wherever I like (except Cuba and Aruba, but I'm okay with that)
9. That I can read, write, spell, walk, talk, love, 
10. Jesus, bien sur!

This week, I'm focusing on being thankful. I tend to say "Thank you" for a lot of things. I told God "Thank you" for the color of the sky every day last week (it was absolutely gorgeous) and for the stars that I could finally see. I told a friend "Thanks" for holding the door open for me. I told a stranger "thank you" when she told me that she liked my scarf. It seems like I say it every hour. Which is good, it means that my parents raised me to be a polite Southern girl. But I'm starting to wonder what being thankful ACTUALLY means. Right now, I believe that being thankful for something, like the color of the sky, means that you are incredibly glad that it is in your life and you don't know what you'd do if it weren't. 

I think saying "Thank you" should be a humbling experience. Not all the time, of course-- that would be exhausting. Sometimes it is okay to say it just to be polite. But truly being thankful for something has to be bigger than that. If I tell say "Thank you, God; the stars are beautiful," if I MEAN it, I'm saying "It is truly amazing that You are bigger than I could ever be and that even though I don't deserve it, you show me glimpses of beauty in this world." The words mean that you owe the person you are thanking, in a way. 

And I'm falling in love with that idea. 

Thank you, God, for everything you've given me. Everything on the list and everything that wasn't. 

To take or not to take...

My sewing machine is glaring at me. I finally fixed her and made stockings, but then I went on vacation and she's been sitting there, unused, ever since Christmas Eve. It's so sad. Her little light is on and everything. In a few hours, I will pack up to go back to Athens and I'm contemplating bringing her. If I did, I would have to buy a card table to put her on, but I'd also be able to sew whenever the notion strikes (it's really awful when I wake up at 3 AM with an idea for a picnic blanket. It starts out so wonderfully-- the lights go on in my room, the fabric comes out of the drawers,...then my face falls when I realize that both my sewing machine and my scissors are a la maison).

I have a hundred ideas for Valentines/Mardis Gras/birthday/Special day presents.

And I have three others that I'm trying to keep a secret. Only one of the pictures requires a sewing machine, and only two of the secrets needs a sewing machine, but it really is a drag to WANT to make a blanket or something and have to haul myself 140+ miles just to THINK about making it.

New York was loads of fun, ruined surprises and all. I took pictures, but I haven't uploaded them to my computer yet. When I do, this blog will have them. Go see The Little Mermaid on Broadway! My favorite movie turned into one of my favorite plays!

The packing must commence, and I should at least sew SOMETHING before I leave, in case poor Sheila the Singer has to stay home.

P.S. I hate PCs. I miss my Mac.

I am a rockstar, and rockstars do not pick up crap.

It's one of those days where I have nothing to say and plenty to do.

The surprise was ruined. I had to remind myself that we were still going to New York even though my sisters knew about it now. My mom and I were pretty angry when someone told Grace.

All that being said, I have nothing packed. That's not a hyperbole. I don't even have my suitcase out. I know that I want to bring my red corduroy pants along, but that's as far as my planning/packing has gone.

I made a butternut squash casserole that came out less than delicious, but was definitely edible.

I'm sewing a boatload of things tonight. After sewing my own Christmas stockings, I'm of course, stoked. I like getting better at things.