Tomorrow...

Danielle is getting married! She's a hottie and her craft skills give me something to aspire to, so I'm especially excited to see how "fab" (such a Danielle word) her wedding will be. 

Congrats, Danielle and Logan! 

Ohio & Chipotle

Tara and her coveted burrito

Have you ever met somebody from Ohio who didn't love Chipotle? 

I haven't.

10 Things I Wish I Didn't Like

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Earlier last month, I made a vow to stop feeling guilty for the things I enjoy. But there are some things that make me happy against my will. Here's 10 things I Wish I Didn't Like. Or rather, 10 Things I Wish I Could Have Self-control Concerning. Either way, here are 10 things:


+New clothes
+Sitcoms
+Talking about myself
+Excessively bright colors
+Tattoos*
+Caffeine
+Having secrets
+Going to the movies
+Bargains
+Correcting people


* I don't currently have a tattoo but love them on other people.

5 Things Fall Brings

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+ The need for boots, scarves, and corduroy pants


+ Fresh recipes involving apples and pumpkins


+ Pure joy


+The NC State Fair


+ Weekend trips to the mountains (hopefully)

Happy  First Day of Fall! Enjoy the rain and humidity.

Semiannual Haircut

Before:

 After: 

Badass haircut compliments of Karen at Moshi Moshi. And if you don't want a haircut, then you can settle for listening to her band.

When your bff gets a boyfriend.

Hannah sent this to me several days ago and it's come up in conversation multiple times this week. Not that we're bitter or anything...

Regular Status

One of the things on my growing bucket list is to become a regular at a coffee shop or restaurant and in all my unemployment glory, I did it! I go to Cup A Joe in Raleigh at least four times each week and get the same thing every time. A few days ago, the barista shouted "iced grande coffee for here" as soon as I walked in. Success.

Weekend Highlights

In a nutshell, I had an excellent weekend and saw a ton of friends, even a few that I haven't laid eyes on since last fall! Kristin celebrated her 21st birthday with a grown-up pizza party on Friday and then several of us spent Saturday at SparkCon (where local restaurants were giving out free meals of bugs; look closely at the last picture above) before heading to the NCSU game that night. Another weekend highlight included getting the first salted caramel hot chocolate of the year with Mary Hil because it was below 60 degrees pretty much all weekend! Thank goodness.

Farm Life

Sometimes when I go to my parents' house, I cringe at the unpaved roads, dial-up internet, and hearing roosters crow at dawn. But then I wake up in the morning and see this: our alpaca creeping up on the geese during their daily meeting. 

Bachelorettes, Memorials, and Miniature Tigers

It's Monday again! I spent the weekend hosting a bachelorette party for this sassy lady, reading lots of different things about 9/11 and how the US has changed since then, and listening to the Miniature Tigers!

 The bachelorette and her party treats

With 3/4 of the Miniature Tigers! They came to Local506 on Sunday night and jammed out. There were so many dancing bodies in that bar.  They, of course, asked me to go on tour with them but I had to say no due to my busy schedule of being unemployed and online shopping. Next time, guys.

Feliz Mondaying!

On Eating Animals

I read this book a couple of weeks ago and it made quite the impression, almost to the point that I wish I hadn't read it. I've always been weary of meat, specifically red, which will forever annoy my parents since I grew up on a cattle farm. Poultry and seafood have always been delicious, though. Most days I had a turkey sandwich for lunch and never tired of it. 


After reading this book, I haven't been able to eat any meat. I was knocked off my high horse when I read how terrible the poultry market of production is, specifically for chickens and turkeys. It's unbelievable what the animals and farmers go through to get food on the table.


Earlier in the summer, I bought a "The Joy of Cooking" book from the 1950s and noticed in many of the recipes how long was necessary back then to cook a chicken. It bordered on two hours for some recipes and I couldn't figure out why it now takes us less than 30 minutes to prepare chicken. One reason Eating Animals honed in on was the growing presence of antibiotics in the food we eat and how it's slowly eroding our immune systems, but we view it as convenience to make a quick meal. 


I know this book is extreme but Foer makes a lot of jaw dropping points that have very little to do with his opinion (he became a vegetarian while writing the book) on eating meat and everything to do with what the current production system is doing to our bodies and the environment. 


Regardless of your stance on the food industry, it's a book that will certainly surprise you.

Roller Derby

Over the weekend, Emma, Kara, and I saw a flyer for a roller derby game nearby in Raleigh and decided to go on a whim. Other than UNC basketball, this is probably the only other sport I've ever genuinely enjoyed watching. 

I have to admit the only thing I knew about it before going to the actual game was what I gathered from Whip It but it's way more exciting than that!  Luckily the programs they handed us as we walked in the door listed all the rules and pictures of what different referee calls looked like so we could follow along. The first game we watched was close, so it kept our attention. The second game was a little less exciting because the Carolina girls ended up winning by more than 170 points. 

My favorite parts of it all were the ridiculous and witty names of all the players and the mascots and announcers. Above on the left was the announcer for the games. He was wearing a sarong, a captain's sailor hat, and a t-shirt that read "919 y'all" (919 is Raleigh's area code). He was not wearing shoes. Then the guy on the right was the mascot for the Tai-Chi-Tahs. He could literally run faster than people could skate and his silk pajamas were drenched in sweat by the time the game was over. 

Emma and I made up names for ourselves should we find ourselves as derby girls. She went with "DilEmma" and I chose "Purple Haze." We also came up with a few Harry Potter-themed names, Harry Slaughter being the best.

What would your derby name be? 

Labor Day Weekend

Sorry for the lateness of this post, seeing as how the weekend's practically already here again. Anyway, the weekend was fun and filled with lots of random little treats. I went to a housewarming party, watched a roller derby, saw Our Idiot Brother, and celebrated my niece's 12th birthday! It's crazy that she's already 12. And if you can believe it, she actually enjoys middle school...blows your mind, doesn't it?