A Very Lucky Girl

Packing for an entire semester in Scotland is one of the hardest voyages I've ever packed for. I pride myself on being a relatively light packer...but I needed chastising for what I was trying to fit into the limitations of my one checked luggage and one carry on.  My original plan included seven pairs of shoes. One of those would have been on my feet on the plane...but that left six pairs of shoes within the confines of my baggage. I'm crazy.  I skimmed it down to five. One pair of brown riding boots (these will be on my feet), my Sperrys, black flats, black combat boots, and my Nikes tucked into my backpack. Oh, and a partridge in a pear tree.  From there I focused on what clothing essentials I NEEDED. My friend Tracy, who has done this all before, reminded me to pack what I find myself wearing most often in America. I'm not going to suddenly become a daring fashionista solely because my natural habitat has changed.  I don't need to bring every pair of underwea...

  As Thanksgiving rapidly approaches, I'd like to extend some public gratification for several wonderful people I've had the privilege to interact with over the past few months. They've embraced my issues and me and offered help, no matter how far away. First, so many, many thanks for the family I have in Louisiana. For cousins I can call whenever, for grandparents who are so graciously welcoming me for the holidays. For an aunt who has offered her home for the summer. Thank you, Taylor C., for listening to a life story that sounds much like your own and for buying cookies at Pickleman's to share just because. Thank you, Megan, for offering your thoughts, even when I don't agree with them, and for dropping your Halloween drink to hug me when I needed it. I'm thankful for the Cregor family and the way they have enveloped me even from afar during this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. I'm grateful for Tyler and his willingness to help, even when ...

I saw a pin on Pinterest about a year or so ago about a woman who saved five dollar bills in a jar for a year. Every single fiver she received in change or whatever, she saved. Never spent. She ended up with enough money to take a luxurious vacation, just from the fives she saved instead of spending. I decided to take a cue from her in November. I started saving every five from my Fuzzy's tip money, every five I was given in change from a cashier. I've saved at least six hundred dollars this way. Sometimes I get frustrated when I pay with a twenty dollar bill and receive multiple fives in change. But then...that money is still going to be doing something good for me. Just not immediately. The principle of delayed gratification is important to me.  Every five that has touched my hands in the past 8-9 months has gone straight to savings.  A Very Lucky Girl is a saving addict and proud of this self-instilled habit. 

Anyone who has seen me since Thursday night probably surmised that I've been celebrating 4/20 a week early this year. Not true. (I don't plan on celebrating it at all). It's been a miserable few days. It's hard to admit and see in myself that I'm lacking something when it comes to relationships. I'm better and quicker at scathing remarks than words and actions that build a person up.  It's a trend that could stem from any number of things from my past, but it's a trend I want to stop.  Self-help books aren't my favorite genre. I prefer a gripping novel, but I went on Amazon today and bought myself the first book that looked like it could help fix me.  So this is me right now ^^^ I don't want to waste anymore time being this unattached person because it's ruining relationships that I treasure. I'm anxiously awaiting the delivery of Loving People: How to Love and Be Loved  by Dr. John Townsend. I'm hoping it will be the best $7...

I unearthed this pearl of a paper from a file filled with a Safe Sex PowerPoint presentation I made for my speech class at TCU, several embarrassing essay attempts, and my AP Biology Fruit Lab report. Oh, the joys of a hard drive.  I did not have a guy when I wrote this during my junior year in high school, unless you count the pseudo-long-distance relationship that NH and I shared, so I don't know why I thought I was an expert. But my English teacher required an advice essay so I didn't hesitate to share my extenssive knowledge... Well, if you are reading this you are wondering how to get, but most importantly, KEEP a guy. I mean, once you actually have him labeled as yours, you have to have some strategy to keep him that way. First things first. Hopefully, you were already pretty good friends with this guy. It is not a good idea to jump from, “Hi, what’s your name?” immediately to holding hands and sending sappy text messages. Trust me, it is likely that this sort of r...

On the last Sunday of 2012, Life Church recruited a guest speaker to come and speak to our heathen souls about leadership. Whaaaaaa? Right? Leadership isn't exactly a cookie cutter, Sunday School, bible-beating topic. But excellent leadership is scarce, so it actually makes perfect sense to instill leadership wisdom into Christians. Because, NEWSFLASH, believing in Jesus doesn't automatically make you someone worth following (even on Twitter). You need common, worldly sense, coupled with spiritual maturity, to effectively influence people.  The guest speaker also refreshed my memory on the ACTS acronym (a useful guideline when you are lost about how to pray). But during said speaker's heartfelt advice about prayer, my mind started to wander. The ACTS acronym is honestly great for any tricky conversation. A is for Adoration. Suck up. "You've been looking so great recently! Have you been working out? I love that color on you!" C is for confession. Humbl...

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...

Boyz drool? Middle school flashback. I thought the male population might find some of this information relevant and maybe even enlightening. So listen up, I'm about to rock your world. Girls shed. Kind of like dogs, except that our hair typically smells good. For example, I accidentally yanked out 15 strands of hair from my head the other night. I think they were loose...and I must have helped them out. We can't do anything about it, learn to treasure those stray follicles.  We like to record our lives. Whether it be via twitter, facebook, tumblr, texting, etc, girls like to interact with people. Therefore, we will take lots of pictures to associate faces with the moments that we want to remember for a lifetime. Car doors are heavy. Open them. If all you're serving is beer, it better be something of the lite variety. #divaproblems Romance is a general term. There is a fine line between sweetness and gag-inducing mushiness. Know our limits. Check before you're che...

Someone once said that stupidity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different outcome. I'm pretty stupid sometimes. I make lots of mistakes. I disregard excellent advice from well-meaning friends. But I'm insanely stubborn, and something in my brain convinces me that this time, this time, I'll get it right. I'm an egotistical know-it-all and it frustrates me. I think that I can successfully sail through life alone. I SO can't. But I think I've finally learned (at least THIS lesson, I'm sure there are coming attractions/distractions). I'm also sure that my friends are skeptical in a "yeah, right, I've heard that before" way. Which they should be, I haven't backed up my declarations with action (or inaction might be more appropriate for the situation). But I'm resolute in this end. Finally. He didn't respect my words, why should I reward him with my valuable time? (he cut into some serious How I Met Your ...

I graduated May 2010 and received, among many other generous gifts, a copy of Michael J. Fox's book, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future" from my Uncle Bill and Aunt Jill. I tossed it aside, it masqueraded as a cliche graduation gift and I had checks to cash! Until a few weeks ago it sat on my bookshelf at home, nestled between the other books that I mean to eventually get around to when reading "Little Women" for the zillionth time loses it's appeal. On the way to school after a weekend at home I snatched it from the shelf, intending to select "Blue Like Jazz" (because I still haven't read that one yet either...Sorry Dad). I didn't notice my mistake til I arrived at my dorm and didn't think anything of it, merely placing it in the back of the closet, easy access for the next major procrastination nation party. Saturday afternoon found me lounging in the grass, desperately soaking up the sun  and turning to the first ch...

I have to keep reminding myself that it's not my life. It's not my issues. It's not mine to fix. But there is nothing more frustrating than when your academy award caliber speech of advice is tossed carelessly to the side. I just want to scream until they get it.  "I'VE BEEN WHERE YOU ARE! I KNOW IT DOESN'T WORK. I KNOW YOU WON'T BE HAPPY WITH THAT DECISION! LISTEN TO ME! A 0.34 GPA WON'T GET YOU ANYWHERE IN LIFE!" But yelling typically isn't very effective, and will probably leave me hoarse.  I can't stand it when people don't take responsibility for their actions. I feel like I'm surrounded by a bunch of people like that right now. And it shouldn't be that way. We are in college, this is the time to test your responsibility skills, to hone them to perfection before the real world is unleashed on us.  Because in the real world you won't always have a classmate to remind you when an assignment is due. In the real wor...

Paul and Shari (my parents) are currently spending the week in Seattle, coffee capital of America. Which is especially fitting because Paul has managed to make Starbucks a food group. I place all blame on him for my addiction to Java Chip Frappuccinos.  While they are making good choices culinary-wise, Paul needs a personal shopping companion (Shari isn't cutting it) so that he never pays money for a look like this again.  I tried to stop him. Really, I did. But there is only so much I can do from Norman while they are out gallivanting across the country. Shari informed me of his impending travesty and my fingers immediately typed out, "stop him." Isn't that the reflex you had whilst looking upon this photo and trying to pause the gag reflex? It's universal. Fearing that Shari wouldn't pass on my message, I took matters into my own hands and texted him, advising him to think very carefully about his wardrobe choices. His response? Take a look. (For t...