A Very Lucky Girl

One minute into the mere teasers of tonight's episode and I already saw 7 more tongues than I ever wanted to witness in my life. The twins start off the show with a bang, crying over name-calling. The fight is appropriate considering their matching dresses. They should have stopped dressing like each other in second grade. Your mom is no longer picking out your clothes; show your own mind.  Chris Harrison announces that both a guy and a girl will win a rose in the following challenge. They watch a rhythmic gymnastics demonstration and Tony remarks that he would rather do a hammer toss. Shoulda stuck around for the Highland Games on Emily's season. Erica is shaking in her glitteratti tiara, "I'm not good at...performing." Well DON'T ADMIT THAT TO AMERICA, ERICA! Gosh. Ever heard of a little mystery? #mindinthegutter The group is split into guys versus girls and are given two hours to become star ballerinas, taught by rhythmic gymnasts that are barking order

This was a glorious week filled with half days. I arrived after they had finished soccer camp around noon, Monday through Wednesday, and got to leave at 5 or 5:30 every afternoon. No complaints here...except for that one time she was late when Tyler was waiting for me at home. So inconsiderate! So...to the highlights! After ferrying them around all week the gas in my tank was a little low so we drove through a 7/11. I used a credit card to pay (a concept they have yet to grasp, I believe) which caused Brother to pipe up as I drove off with a full gas tank, "um Taylor, did we pay for the gas?" No, dearest, we are gas bandits! They were all out of the lunch staples of life at home (Kraft Mac&Cheese and hot dogs) so I had to get creative. I served tacos in the shape of a dragonfly/butterfly, using fruit for the eyes and tail, on Monday and whipped up a batch of homemade macaroni and cheese on Tuesday. The tacos went well..I suppose. Although, they asked why they were sha

I hate the dentist. Came back from that hell hole a week ago...definitely worse for wear. I walked in with a relatively decent smile and the ability to swallow. Walked out with a crooked smile (if you could call it that) due to several numbing shots and excess saliva. COOL. Oh-I also did this awesome thing: when I tried to drink water I ended up choking and drooling. #ThisIsWhyI'mHot I hate the dentist. But I love my technician or whatever you call them. She is really sweet and always genuinely sounds like she regrets having to mutilate my mouth. But yet she was also the one wielding the needle that inflicted several shots of pain. She asked me questions, which are hard enough to answer with hands in your mouth, but the mumbling increased when I couldn't feel my lips (side note: I almost asked if the numbness would be gone by the time I saw Tyler next because that's of crucial importance).  I came home and laughed at my reflection in the mirror, doubling over with giggl

totally believable His midlife crisis hairstyle Paul and Shari went to Vegas from Sunday until Wednesday to celebrate 24 years of marriage. Those crazy kids. Show of hands for how rude it was for them to not invite me? It's unanimous? Yeah, my thoughts exactly. But as Oakes was gallivanting off at Kamp Kanukuk I was the designated dog care-giver. YippeKiYay! But I got the extra perk of having the house to myself for 4 days. And what did I do with that time? Throw wild parties every single night and then scurry to scrub down the puke stains on Wednesday? Nope! I did laundry, dishes, and was in bed by midnight almost every night. Where has my youth gone?!? Did I wedge a chair in front of the doorknob of my room to ward off any intruders? Yep. Am I ashamed? Not a bit. I'm 20, not superwoman. Beignet and I fended off loneliness with visits from both Tyler and Megan, respectively. Have I mentioned that I have some pretty cool people in my life? But no one can measure up to the

Those of you who have been keeping up with Emily Maynard's season of "The Bachelorette" know who Ryan Bowers is. He made an impression on me in the worst way during his television debut, coming across as an arrogant a**hole. I don't know the man in real life so I cannot judge his character based entirely on the ABC edit, but I can judge him based on what he tweets. And I do.  He is known for his open desire to obtain a "trophy wife" and he frequently crowds my twitter feed with comments defending that statement. He needs a better defense.  Let's break down this phrase. "Trophy" connotes images of a shiny statue, something to display proudly in your home for an accomplishment. A trophy is a source of pride in your own abilities and a constant ego boost. You don't take a trophy out to dinner. You don't pledge to spend the rest of your life with a pedestal of wood and gold-plated figurine. "Wife" is someone to love. Someone t

Chris Harrison introduces the show, promoting the competition for money and suggesting that participants "may even hook up and fall in love." Because falling in love is a direct result of hooking up...has anyone found this to be true? Please share if so. We get a close view of some the contestants. Chris from Emily's season mopes on a leather couch about his pathetic love life and ABC finds it necessary to get several shots of that. Horseless Lindzi recognizes that she lost to Courtney on Ben's season, but admits that she has gained the bonus of not trusting anyone. ABC therapists have their work cut out for them. Reid is from Jillian's season. I don't know who he is but he's adorable. Ed is from Jillian's season, her ex-fiance to be exact. He confesses to cheating scandals that ended their year-long engagement, but blames his infidelity on his hesitance to commit. I wonder what to blame his white pants on.We all fondly remember Blakely as the

The Emily/Ricki duo and her suitors are still in Curacao soaking up the sun rays but sticking to their spray tans. Jef monologues on his way to meet the Maynard family, adamant that he loves Emily more than any other girl in his life. But not any other guy? One F, your red flag is showing. He hands bouquets of expensive flowers to Emily's female family members, which I originally thought was courtesy of ABC's checkbook, but Arie's empty hands proved otherwise. Jef converses with the Maynard men about what it would mean to be a husband to Emily and dad to "little Ricki." seriously, her name is always a phrase. I can't help but think hip hop/rap artist. Brother Ernie (too eerily close to Arie) stares down One F, but Jef doesn't waver in his declarations.  Arie arrives to meet the family Maynard in a shirt that resembles part of a long johns set and bearing no gifts, upon first look. BUT WAIT, he has a wooden box. Filled with old roses he's won from the

Sorry it took me so long to post this! I didn't get a chance to watch it until Saturday while i was dog sitting devil puppies. I have broken up about 3 fights and one of the dogs has ripped up faux decorative apples. Fun Fact: there's a dead mouse in one of these walls. Can absolutely smell it. It's absolutely disgusting. Mmm decomp. I loooove Men Tell All! Especially on a season that lacked spice because of Emily's blandness. Chris Harrison introduces the show by asking if we are all on the edge of our seats to see Emily find the love of her life. Ehh, I'm honestly iffy. I am, however, thrilled to see all the women in America throw themselves at Emily's sloppy seconds. Chris also pronounces finale (FIN-AL-EE) like FIN-ALL-EE. Stop that. Has he done this every season? I need to pay more attention. As we relive the season for the bazillionth time we get to see a clumsy Emily spill wine all over her favorite prom dress and curse about it. Top 3 favorite moment o

My trip back to Beaumont brought on a serious case of dejavu. Moriah and her mom met me at Houston Hobby airport and we made the trek back to Beaumont, guided by the light from the oil refinery factories. #homesweethome. We crossed Taylor's Bayou (it's a real place), passed Gator Country, and my old home. The new inhabitants have really let it go. There was a PLASTIC swing set just dangling off one of the frequently tp'd trees while the walkway was nearly invisible through the overgrown bushes. Respectful way to treat my old abode. If they hadn't been obviously home (open garage depicted a mini van holding court) I would have had no qualms about sneaking around back for a quick dip in the delectable pool. On second thought, who knows how many kids have peed in that thing since I've been gone. I woke up on Moriah's floor on Saturday morning and was instantly transported to high school. Was Friday night a football game at Legacy in autumn followed by the typic

For the past week I've been on a Pinterest project kick. I may or may not have spent $50 at Hobby Lobby....included in those purchases were 3 bottles of paint, 11 paintbrushes, a gallon container of jewels, 9 packages of beads, and an American flag bandana. #'mericaya'll.  I had been longing to inscribe Proverbs 31:25 on something to hang on my wall in the dorms at OU. "She is clothed in strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future." Sometimes I need a reminder to laugh; the future isn't only my responsibility. It's ultimately not up to me. I scrolled through my Pinterest boards looking for inspiration but didn't find anything I wanted to copy. So I made up my own project.  Materials: Canvas : I used a really big one. I'm not so great at the measuring thing. Paint : I went with brown because I wanted it to have a wooden air. Beads : I chose a pale pink in two different sizes because I wanted a more textured look. Jewels (opti

I go through phases of addictiveness to Pinterest. I'm currently in an "on" phase, partially because it's one more thing I can do on my phone while I nanny, and partially because I have a little bit more free time for arts and crafts projects. Or, at least, I tell myself I do.  I have 18 boards. And within those boards are far too many pins to count. T.S.M. This is my catch-all board. A miscellaneous category, if you will. It contains workout pins, Alpha Delta Pi paraphernalia, and random projects that I mean to get around to completing. Eventually.  For the Love of All Words. The board of quotes. Any phrase that I relate to gets re-pinned. My current favorite is a Proverb, "She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future." I am in the process of crafting a wall ornament with those words to inspire me to be that woman.  CLICK. I'm not a photographer. But if I ever suddenly get really talented, or more likely,

Going to take a week off from blogging. It's vacation time for A Very Lucky Girl. I already watched two gentlemen in front of me on the flight to Houston drink themselves silly in a 45 minute period. I'd almost be impressed if I wasn't judging them (just being honest). I'm languishing in memory lane in Beaumont, Texas for a few days. Woke up to a delicious thunderstorm, and Moriah only 3 feet away. What more could I want? 2 years in a city (can Beaumont be called a city...?) doesn't sound like much, but it revealed some true friendships. The kind that can be maintained with minimal effort, the kind that only change for the better everytime you're together. It's been 2 years since I've last experienced this town. I'm thrilled to see familiar faces and eat Nevrosky's. I'm sure to learn a few lessons on this adventure, and A Very Lucky Girl won't be selfish with new insights. But you'll have to wait a week. XO

The kids came back from vacation at the beach this week. I walked in on Monday morning, expecting to be bombarded with hugs and exclamations of, "we missed you!" Instead, my kids sat like two slugs in the giant bean bag until I said, "uhhh, THIS is the welcome I get?" After that they clung like a psycho ex-girlfriend.  I've made them do Rosetta stone, violin scales, and soccer drills all week. I'm always looking for time fillers. While they kicked soccer balls around I decided to use my time wisely and get a second workout in. I always hit up the treadmill before I head to their house every morning, but some extra crunches, jumping jacks, and squats never hurt anybody. The squats were a big hit. My thighs wouldn't agree, but the kids laughed and laughed at the workout I did in their driveway as they meandered around with a checkered ball.  If you act really excited about something minuscule, the whole attitude in the house is amped up. So I made a

Bow Chicka Wow Wow! This is the night I've been waiting for all season. This is when the door gets slammed in our faces while they get it on. However, Oakes trying to imitate Emily's preview crying was already a highlight at the very beginning. The night could only get better. They traveled to Curacao. I don't know much about the country, but I know I like the drink and it's pretty blue hue.  She sits on some really uncomfortable coral with her slowly fading spray tan to monologue about how much in disbelief she is that guys are traveling the world for free to date her! OMG! IN SHOCK! "Jef marches to his own drum completely and I love that" No, Emily, he IS the drummer in his own boy band. Have you SEEN his hair? 6 minutes in and we are still hearing about Jef. But after we trade that in for close-ups of Arie's acne I'm wishing for Jef, Sean, even Ryan back in the mix. Arie gets about 2 minutes of description. Sucks to suck. I tend to forget about S

On Sunday I went to Life Church with two of my favorite people in the whole wide world, Megan and Tyler. All was fine and dandy until Craig Groeschel (the pastor) convinced me with sucker punch wisdom that I don't open my Bible enough. Let me explain. You see that blue book leaning against the wall in the corner? That's the Holy Bible. Want to know how long it's been sitting there unopened? YEAH, I'LL BET YOU DO. I'm not telling. I do read the Bible regularly, Tyler and I do daily verses from the YouVersion Bible App that Life Church produces (yes, we are the cutest couple in all rooms at all times, how'd you know?) But I don't read it in print. I have been known to rant against the atrocity of all books being available digitally now, classics such as Little Women and Anne of Green Gables should stay page-TURNERS, not page-swipers. But what's the most classic of them all? The Bible. Do I treat it like my worn copies of my favorite reads? No, it sits

I'm new to this whole dating-somebody-that-I-actually-really-like thing. So, as a result, I love to spend time with him. But I'm afraid I've been mismanaging some of my other relationships. My friends are important to me and I don't give up on any of my relationships. Even ones that turn sour. I hate having enemies and try at all costs to avoid making any. But I'm human and I fail. I don't want to neglect my other friendships because of Tyler, but neither will I be okay with neglecting Tyler because of my friends. I'm still learning how to prioritize.  I think I've been doing better about making time for everybody lately. But communicating about a problem is most important. If anyone ever feels like I'm ignoring them or not valuing them enough, I want to know. If I don't know I won't be able to fix it. Just tell A Very Lucky Girl, okay? Because you are all important to me. 

The other day I was thinking about love languages. If you are unfamiliar with them, it's basically just the ways that people show affection and understand affection. And I think it's something important to learn for any relationship, whether it is dating or any friendships or family relationships, because otherwise disagreements can arise, ones that could have been avoided by learning how the other person feels cared for. Some awesome psychologist or something similar (Dr. Gary Chapman) put together a list of the 5 possible different love languages. Learn yours, and the ones of the people you care about. Because the best way to show that you care is to speak their language.  Words of Affirmation : This is one that I scored highest on. When people explain their feelings for me I feel cared about. This is likely because I place such high value on words.  Quality Time : I scored second highest on this one (it was actually a tie with words of affirmation). I don't need

So, as most of you know, I've been nannying for an 8 and 10 year old all summer. I ferry them all across town, from Frontier City to White Water Bay to Walmart for crafting supplies. So we spend some time in the car. And I am not one to drive in silence. I didn't want to expose them to 102.7 or 104.9 (the pop stations) or even 93.3 (the resident country station) so I've kept the radio tuned to 88.9 (KLOVE). I don't regret that decision for a single second. Not only does it keep them from learning songs like Usher's Scream , a song that I caught the neighbor boy singing in the house a few weeks ago that idolizes casual sex (in a really catchy upbeat way), but I could only hope that KLOVE has made an impression. And then something awesome happened a few weeks ago. We were driving home from a Walmart excursion and "Our God's Alive" by Andy Cherry was playing (one of my all-time favorites). I thought I heard someone talking in the backseat and held my br

The introduction to the episode of Hometown dates makes everything look seventeen times more dramatic. Emily starts off spending time with Ricki while rocking a skull shirt. So motherly! I thought Ricki was about 8 or 9. She acts 4 or 5. Cameras don't bring out the best in her. Chris: Chicago, Illinois The guys finally get to wear the pants in the relationship and plan the dates. Chris mentions them having a fantastic life in Chicago with Emily, but if I'm not mistaken Emily has said several times that she doesn't want to leave Charlotte. Chris makes it clear that he's Polish. Apparently the rule of thumb when meeting the parents is to raise your voice several octaves to indicate extreme enthusiasm. I think Emily thinks of Chris as a son. She is afraid for him to get his heart broken, even though she is the one in control of that. Chris' sister lets Em know what's up and tells her to let him go if he isn't the one. Sound advic