A Very Lucky Girl

I was doing laundry the other day and effectively procrastinating reading Chapter Six for Social Problems when I happened to notice the top 10 most played songs on my iTunes. I commenced furious blushing. WHY must Apple record every single play of my songs? Some of them I am proud of, letsbehonest. But Grove St. Party? Really? And TWO explicitly labeled hits? So THAT'S where the need for a swear jar comes in... Gavin DeGraw's "Not Over You." I wish I could say I played this 1,740 times because I really liked the musical quality. But no. I was a sucker for the lyrics last January when all boys were stupid. Taylor Swift's "Ours." "Don't you worry your pretty little mind, people throw rocks at things that shine" are words for any and every occasion so I am only mildly ashamed of the 1,734 plays. It's a bit excessive. Waka Flocka's "Grove St. Party." There are no words. Cady Groves' "Ugly." It could be argu...

Forever, regardless of age. Sharbear and I typically shop for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes this time of year, but life is changing. So when Tyler suggested we grab Christmas Wishes from Life Church a few Sundays ago I was definitely on board. I scanned through the names and requests and landed on one-year-old Isaiah, figuring he'd be easy to shop for.  Except then I got in the car and couldn't brainstorm a single age-appropriate toy. So I texted Sharbear, since she had a one-year-old ginger at one point in life and I figured they are pretty similar to real babies, and asked her opinion on what to get Isaiah for Christmas. Our conversation went somewhat like this: Me: What do one year old boys like? Sharbear: Their mommies Me: Okay, well...he's a foster kid so...next best thing? Sharbear: Things that light up and make noise. Buttons to push. Trucks. Soft things to hug. Me: Older boys like those too.... The observation is completely true. Boys of a...

Remember when I didn't suck at running? I know, it's been awhile. Seventh grade began my cross-country and track career. Paul and Sharbear required a sport of me, and this one didn't require any hand-eye coordination so I decided it was worth a try. I ran all summer in preparation for the cross-country season (it didn't hurt that my coach lived in the bedroom down the hall and would know if I dared to skip a single scheduled day) and the first race at Ravenscroft dawned on an autumn day. I ran the requisite 5K and crossed the finish line in a decent place, much to the dismay of my parents. Wait, Taylor can do sports?  Our St. David's School Varsity girls team finished out that season as State Champions in our division. Sharbear overheard some indignant runner-ups complain, "uh yeah, we could run that way if we hadn't hit puberty yet either." Irrelevant, since we had some talented high-schoolers on the team as well.  Eighth and ninth grade didn'...

I wandered the aisles of Barnes and Noble the other night with Megan Goebel, searching for a book for her to take on her Thanksgiving trek to Kansas. We both walked out empty-handed, but I had an arsenal of photographs on the camera roll in my phone.  I immediately logged into Amazon (yeah they remember me, what's the problem?) as soon as I arrived back at my dorm and searched for the used/reduced priced version of 5 different titles. Bought them all. For the low, low price of $48.40. Damn shipping gets me every time. But I'd rather pay approximately $10 a book than the atrocious $15.99 that B&N was offering. And there's not a single fiction book among my selection! Will wonders never cease... My mailbox should soon be stuffed with words from Ellen Degeneres, Mindy Kaling, and others. A Very Lucky Girl plans to lurk the post office faithfully until her orders arrive.

For so much. So, so much. The blessings in my life so outweigh any negative, major OR minor. I think the number one thing I am thankful for is drugs. I'm talking those little 5mg hydrocortisone tablets, 25mg DHEA pills, tiny halves of fludrocortisone, and the synthroid that I'm slowly getting weaned off of (wean-hate that word. Searched for another and came up blank). My drugs are awesome and amazing and I am so thankful for medical insurance and for parents that are willing to shell out cash to prolong and maintain my fulfilling life. I'm thankful for a heart that's sometimes too sensitive, but one that is often attuned to the feelings of others. I'm thankful for legs that are learning the nuances of running all over again. I'm thankful for people that enrich my existence everyday. I'm thankful for family that knows the value of laughter I'm thankful to work with dedicated and motivated students. And I'm extra thankful for the sucker t...

I'm well into the second step of preparing to study abroad, which in my case is saving, saving, saving. I met with a study abroad advisor a few weeks ago to discuss destination options and we came up with three different ideas. Reading, England. Dundee, Scotland. Hertfordshire, England. I'm already in love with the idea and opportunities that Dundee has to offer. I still need to wade through the process of selecting which courses I could take that would match what OU offers for my major. The worst case scenario would be to come back from a life-changing journey, only to discover that my credits won't transfer. I am determined to graduate in 4 years, after all.  That is one daunting sheet of financial math. And unfortunately, I did all of my math right for once. So I have a question for all of those that have traveled and studied abroad. Is this an accurate assessment of cost? What would cut back on expenditures? Obviously, keeping outside travel to a minimum would s...

I was very intrigued when I looked over the blog statistics the other day, especially by the top ten most viewed posts. Bachelorette Recap: Premiere The Sleeping Dragon What's Black and White? Half a Year "Uhhh...Could You Spell That?" Life Curves Wait...I Said What!? Brother's Getting Old Pisses. Me. Off 5 and Counting What makes those subjects most appealing? Moriah informed me over my visit last weekend that she only reads the ones that have interesting titles. Well, then. Tyler has a possible theory, since two of the most popular posts include him and tidbits from our relationship, that humanity is innately curious about matters involving the heart. The more personal a post is, the more attention it receives. But then that still leaves the Bachelorette Recap sitting in the cold. Because that one is certainly more sarcastic than sappy. When I share the posts on social media, I hashtag the life outta 'em. #Bachelornation is clearly alive and well on...