Work Jams

Do these songs make anyone else work harder while sitting in a cubicle, office, etc…?

• Love the Way You Lie- Eminem ft. Rihanna
• Not Ready to Make Nice- Dixie Chicks
• Pretty much any and all 3 Doors Down songs, but these are my fave work jams:
  o Duck and Run
  o It’s Not My Time
  o Right Where I Belong
  o Behind Those Eyes
• Shiny Toy Guns- Major Tom
• Bang The Drum All Day- Todd Rundgren
• Bad Day- Daniel Powter
• Gunpowder and Lead- Miranda Lambert
• Day N Nite- Kid Cudi

What songs do you crank up to crank out some good, cubicle productivity?

Pull Up Some Couch- A TV Critique w/ Britt

Show: The Bachelor Pad
Time: Mondays at 8pm
Setting of Critique: My couch, Merlot and Skinny Cow Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream in hand, sweat pants welcome.

Let me just start by giving ABC a big standing ovation for giving all of us Bachelor addicts a fix immediately after Ali's season ended! How merciful you are, Chris Harrison.

In my humble opinion, The Bachelor Pad, quite possibly could surpass both of it's predecessors. Who doesn't love watching some of the same old crazies wave their crazy flag loudly and proudly, yet again? Didn't they learn anything the first go round?! Thankfully for us, they apparently did not and must not have parents to yank a not in their chain and tell them to wear underwear the second time around on national television. Bad for them, quite entertaining for those of us at home. Plus, upping the anty with ridiculous competitions and a cash prize of $250K...could this get any better? Cast get ready cuz I'm pretty certain there's a bus in your near future and a lot of folks are about to be thrown under it!

I think the best part of the 2 hour premier was watching characters that we "thought" we knew and loved start to show their true colors. Would I have swooned for Tool bag Jesse K had he declared his middle name was "lie and deceive" on his season with Jillian? Um, that'd be a no. Would I have fallen in love with Tenly had she acted like a 5 year old on the first day of big kid school on Jake's season? Again, no thank you. This show will surely bring light to the fact that no one is perfect (well, maybe Kypton still is) and no matter how well you can hide it for awhile, eventually it's gonna come out and it ain't gonna be purty!

So sit back, grab your sweats and a glass of wine, and pull up some couch. We're on the verge of one brilliant, train wreck of a show and I couldn't be more excited!

If Budweiser Made a Commercial About My Office

"Today we support you, Mrs. Office Break Room Interior Designer. Without your commitment to "improving" our lunch room atmosphere, we might still be sitting in that tiny room on lower, more comfortable chairs that made a lot less noise when you sat down. Whether it's the painting you pulled out of your yard sale pile, or the new baking tower with zero storage, we tip our hats and staplers to you for taking an ugly room and making it hideous. Should you rest and stop ordering non-matching and impractical furniture and actually do your job? No way. Somewhere there's gotta be just one more cabinet that you could squeeze into that 9 by 9 room. We know you won't stop until none of us can fit in there and we all have to eat in the library where our coworkers knit. So keep spending our money and pushing us further into the lobby and we'll keep raising our glass to you, Mrs. Office Break Room Interior Designer!"

My Mom is Tougher than Your Mom

I've always thought my mom was awesome, but now I have pictures and documentation to back up my thoughts. After waking at 4am, riding a bus to the first of 4 planes they'd take to Chicago, and ending her journey on one more bus to our hometown, my mom is safely back from Haiti this week. Changed, I'm sure. But safely back at home tired, overwhelmed, and dirty.


If you've read my blog in the past, you most likely know that I wanted to go to Haiti but was not able to make it on a team. I was disappointed, but have been able to share in the journeys of Rob and now my mom which has been awesome to experience the country through their eyes, camera lens, and hearts. They are both tough cookies for traveling to the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, especially after a horrific natural disaster, but my mom definitely impressed me along her journey.


In short, mom's journey included: an 8 hour bus ride on a tap tap with no AC, horrible roads, and a flooded river that needed to be crossed by bus, she slept on concrete in a tent on the roof of a building for safety, used showers that I wouldn't even want Wrigley to shower in, helped build a playground, a boat, and a market place, helped pass out 3,000 pairs of shoes, and last but not least taught a few Haitian children the Cupid Shuffle. Any woman who's willing to sleep on a concrete rooftop and not have access to a mirror for 7 days is a rock star in my book. And I'm so proud to call that rock star, Mom. Keep rocking out for the well being of others, Mom. I think you're one bad Mama-Jama!

PS...My Dad rocks, too! Stay tuned for his story...

Proof that God Loves Us...

...and wanted to knock our socks off every once in awhile.



There are certain things and times when I am brought to a screeching halt by either beauty or sheer amazement, and since I am in a list making mood lately I felt like sharing them today:

1. Lightning Bugs. Seriously?! They are so pretty and show you that sometimes God had "oh yeah, and you thought that was cool? Watch this..." moments. Love em!


2. Cotton Candy Sunsets. How can you not look at those pale pink, purple and orange swirls and not believe that someone so creative and loving made them and us?


3. Mountains. He didn't have to make the peaks and the valleys but He did and they are breathtaking.


4. The Ocean. How can something so powerful, raging, and larger and farther than the eye can see be so calming and soothing at the same time.


5. Laughing til it hurts and you can't breathe. Nothing has ever felt better.


6. Ultrasounds and seeing someone's face for the very first time.


7. McGriddles. Straight from the Lord himself.

Guilty Pleasures

I don't have many vices in this life. I don't smoke, don't do drugs (Just say NO!), only drink on occassion, am not a work-out junkie like some folks, etc... BUT, I do have guilty pleasures that I'm beginning to think are becoming vices, God bless em.

How would I ever get through the day without:

• The Real Housewives of New York reruns
• My afternoon coke or Mr. Pibb; can=guilty pleasure, fountain drink=full on vice, Y'all
• These kettle chips. My breathe is shot for the rest of the night but I am fine with that, sadly.
• Milk
• Wrigley's afterwork cuddle sessions
• Driving my arm out of the window at night during the summer. This makes me very happy.
• Zac Brown Tunes
• Playlist.com
• Campagne simply because you need a little bubbly
• So You Think You Can Dance's Kent and Lauren. Love. These. Teens.

Thrifty and Lovin It!

Recently one of my adorable friends (check her out at Jen), shared with me her shopping secrets. Wait for it, wait for it...Thrift Stores. At first I doubted her honesty since the girl always looks like a million bucks wrapped in stilettos, but after much probing and questioning, I believed her. Not only did I believe her, but I wanted to know exactly which ones she frequents because the ones that I have been to are garbage and quite frankly scary. I don't know if she wanted to share her 2 secret thrifty mother loads with me, but being the sweet girl she is, she caved.

After chatting about it for awhile we finally embarked on our first thrift store tutorial field trip one Saturday morning. Armed with my coffee to go, I loaded up into her SUV with 2 other proteges for our first lesson in shopping from other peoples' closets. It really was quite funny to see the 3 of us grown women following our fearless leader into the store and then circling up to hear our game plan. First we'd quickly move through the shoes, but in all honesty, who wants to wear used shoes? Then we would head to the blouses and tops and quickly spread out. The key is in the fabrics apparently. You cannot look through every item unless you have absolutely no plans the entire weekend, so scanning for quality fabric is a must. I soon learned to not stick to just my size, my sizes could be lost in the M or L section, plus you never know what gems you might find for someone else or to turn a profit on eBay.

After about 2.5 hours we piled back in the SUV to head home, bags in hand (actually in the trunk and man it was full), and wallets still intact. I think I walked away with 30 new pieces, jewelry and 1 handbag included, and spent a grand total of $45. Let me tell you, this girl is not only a believer now but an addict. I've always loved the hunt so this is a match made in shopper's heaven. Give it a try. There are some pretty awesome things waiting to find a happy home at rock bottom prices if you aren't too proud. And if you are too proud, no worries. More for me!

My favorite finds in the last month:
- Elie Tahari jacket $3.99 (found it online retailing for $285.00)
- French Connection linen pants $2.99
- Theory khaki skirt $1.50
- Brand new Miss Sixty shirt $1.99
- Sevens $3.99
- Adorable Molly B skirt $2.99
- Seersucker, silk lined 2 piece suit for work $4.99
- Brand new, with tags 3/4 length sleeve blazer that I loved at Steinmart for $2.99 (tags still on read $64.99)
- 2 vintage necklaces $7.99 total
- Ben Silver tie for Rob $1.99 (retails at $120.00)

10 Things I Learned on My Summer Concert Tour

This past weekend I embarked on my summer concert tour, aka...I went to two concerts in two days, and felt like I learned a few things along the way. Here we go:
10. 2 awesome shows in a 24 hour span kicks my tail. I do not bounce back like I used too.
9. Last weekend was about as Rock Star as I get. Sadly, I am okay with that.
8. The restrooms at the DI Tennis Center feel like saunas in June. Port-o-potties are the way to go. I'd rather feel creeped out than have my make-up sliding down my face before the show even starts.
7. Concert vendors sell gianormous beers but teeny, tiny bottles of water. It's June, it's 90 degrees, we're in the sun. Please do not sell me Polly Pocket size Aquafinas or it's gonna get ugly.
6. Rock reaches all ages and seems to be a universal language for all demographics which makes for amazing people watching.
5. The light show at a Daughtry concert can cause you to go into a seizure. True story. Not mine but a pretty blonde lady's.
4. Zac Brown makes me happy and the lead singer of Lifehouse makes me swoon. Both men= worth every penny.
3. I heart concerts.
2. Who knew the dramatic dropping of a huge white sheet could make me jump up and down like a little kid? That 1.5 minutes as the show started was like Christmas morning on crack.
1. Don't let the bow on my dress fool you. I can rock out with the best of em!

What Love looks Like

• An exhausted new mom who's first child has health issues that would wear out even the most veteran of mothers and turn them into an emotional and physical wreck, yet she stays strong, never complains, and works day and night to care for her precious gift.
• Someone I see once every two years requesting my support letter for Nicaragua when I assumed I couldn't ask them to donate a 3rd year in a row. That email melted my heart and showed me that even my supporters have grown fond of serving the people of Managua.
• Friends listening with tears rolling down their face as another friend describes the loss of a loved one recently. When no one cries alone in a room or on the beach, you know love is there.
• A group of women taking the time to write get well cards to people they've never met just to let them know someone is praying for them. Miles away.
• A work-a-holic setting his work schedule aside to board a plane to Haiti this weekend to lend his hands and heart and hopefully help in the rebuilding process. I am guessing both parties will be "rebuilt".
• Someone paying for the tux of a special needs child they've never met before so he can go to "Prom" and have a night to remember as every teenager should.
• That same teenager purchasing a jewelry box and card letting the woman who covered his Prom expenses know that she made a lasting difference.

What does love look like to you?

Can My Civic be a Swaggin Wagon Please?

These folks kinda make me want to be a mom and drive a mini-van! The kiddos dancing are the best! Enjoy...