Must (NOT) See TV

This summer has been very interesting so far.  I’ve been home a lot more than in past summers and it has been hotter than the seventh layer of Hades in Texas this summer, which means I am enjoying my summer in the great indoors.  It also means that I have acquired some interesting television habits- some evenings I would be willing to swear I see steam coming off my DVR with the high demand I have placed on it.  Since I’ve always been a fan of sharing those things which mean the most to me I thought I’d share of my current faves with you. 

Before I do so, I’d like to claim this as a “safe place” where I can be safe to confess my most embarrassing television habits. Agreed?

5. Swords: Life on the Line- In my lifelong pursuit to live every week like it’s Shark Week, I am obsessed with any show which holds an off-chance of seeing a shark. 

4. Army Wives- Only, not any more since the season is already over.  I’ve only gotten into this show during the past two seasons so I feel that I should go back and watch the first seasons that I missed.  However, I can tell you that I have not cried at a television show in years like Army Wives made me cry this year. One episode literally made me go into the ugly cry… and then it sent me into the ugliest cry.  And then it gave me a crying headache.  My head even hurt the next day.  I am not even (that) embarrassed to share that I would get my crying under control and then as soon as they returned from commercial break I would be sobbing again in no time.

That, my friends, is some powerful television.

3. Real Housewives of New Jersey-  It never fails to entertain me. NEVER. It’s got it all:

Family drama? Check.

Squabbling siblings? Check.

Fur Boots? Check.

Fur Vests? Check.

Fur Coats? Check.

All-You-Can-Watch Fur Clothing? Check.

Cat fights with fur flying? Check and Check.

What more do you want out of an hour of television???

2. House Hunters International- I have a particular fondness for anyone who’s purchasing a home over $500,000.  Mainly because it’s so far away from anything I will ever know and also, because $500,000 means one thing in Texas and something entirely different in Europe, Costa Rica or Thailand.

1. Antiques Roadshow- I’m sorry, but if you’ve never sat and watched the Roadshow, then you’ve never known what it is to live vicariously through people who are raking in the dough for their salt and pepper shakers they found in grandma’s pantry. It is truly amazing television!

So, there you have it. And now I’m wondering, what television are you watching? What are my DVR and I missing out on?

After rereading my list I’m also wondering, when did I become a middle-aged housewife?

Blog Revival

Remember how I said back in March that I’d like to post more than once that month?  And then do you remember how I ended up posting twice that month?  Practically a miracle.

Then, remember how I didn’t post at all in April (until April 21st)?

Not so miraculous.

Anyway, I sense a blog revival coming on.  And, in companion to the revival of my blog I have been enjoying a revival of my iPod.  I recently took on the task of organizing my songs into playlists, or as I like to call it, Via Delarosa 2011.  5 short hours after I began I finally had a semi-organized iPod and was finally able to enjoy so many of my songs I’d forgotten I had.

Here’s a few of the songs which are on repeat right now:

1. Carry Your Name

Christy Nockels?  Greatness.  Passion CD?  Greatness.  Singing this in the car at the top of my lungs?  Bliss.

2.  Glorious Day

and

3. You are Faithful

Both from the ‘God of Victory’ album.  These are both songs that were written by the worship team at the church I attended the past three years.  One of the hardest parts of moving was leaving my church, but having all these songs on CD offers me so many fantastic opportunities to worship- even if it is only in my car.

4. Rollin’ in the Deep

By Adele.  Oh my.  Oh. My. OH. MY. You should also listen to the WHOLE ALBUM.  Oh my.

5. Little Too Much

By Natasha Beddingfield.  I ran across this song when I saw the preview for the new movie Something Borrowed.  I loved the trailer for the movie so much that not only did I buy this song (and the whole rest of the album) I also read the book.  And then I read the sequel to the book.

Obsessed much?

 

Y’all enjoy!

Marching Right Along

Well.

(I’m guessing that’s not a long enough to be considered a complete post)

I promise I didn’t forget I have a blog… I only forgot what it looks like.

Actually, anytime I would come to check on my blog roll I would scroll down far enough to see the “Little Mermaid” picture and, without fail, the orange hair would stress me out.  It’s safe to guess that this post is merely a way of getting that picture out of my daily routine.

In case you all have forgotten to check your calendars lately, it’s March.  March!  Yikes.

Anyway, as a way of jumping back into the habit of blogging I am going to share five favorites from my life right now.

 

 

Five Favorites:

1. Boots Moisturizer

So perfect for my sad winter skin.  It goes on thick enough that you feel it making a difference, but is NEVER greasy.  A miracle in a bottle. Seriously.

We should probably just add all Boots products my list of favorites.

 

2. Adele’s new album ‘21’

Love Adele.  LOVE.  Love.

 

3. My Target Sunglasses.

They save my eyesight on a daily basis, now that the sun is staying out longer.

 

4. My BlackBerry charger. 

My phone dies nearly everyday.  Everyday. And it’s not because I’m gibbering away on it 24/7, it’s just because it hates me.

 

5. My Kindle.

Oh, my Kindle.  I can’t even begin to describe to you all the ways it has changed my life.  Let’s just say, in the interest of time, it’s changed my life in a lot of ways.

 

**Bonus Thing I Love: My return to blogging. 

 

Let’s hope I can break the 2011 curse and blog more than once this month!

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens, 4.6.10

A few of my favorite internet things from today:

1. This Color Career Counselor.  I find this so fascinating, unfortunately, my job path is pretty set in stone considering the thousands of dollars I’ve spent getting highly specialized degrees, but nonetheless- this is fun!  And was pretty accurate for me.

2. My friend David is SUPER talented and generous and right now you can be the benefactor of his generosity by heading over to this site where you will be able to download his album for FREE.  That’s right folks, music greatness all for the low, low price of zero dollars and free cents.  Make sure you get there before 5 p.m. today though or you’ll miss out on all the wonderful free music.  After you’ve got his music in your possession listen to “Deal Me In” and you can thank me later.

3. Recently, I was catching up on Lost and spent a good few hours on Hulu last Saturday (why yes, I do have an extremely busy social life).  Anyway, this commercial came on approximately 72 times but I didn’t even care.  It’s almost on par with Hallmark commercials for me, because I truly don’t mind watching it.  In fact, I really enjoy it.

4. I have a friend who was recently set up on a blind date, and I decided to lend a helping hand to prepare her for the awkwardness of it all.  Now, in this particular case all names have been changed to protect the innocent (and by “innocent” I mean my friend strictly forbade me from mentioning her name in connection to this on my blog.  Why she’s so worried about one of my eight readers letting the cat out of the bag is beyond me, but I can’t afford to lose any friends on the road to expanding my media empire, so we’ll just call her “a friend”) but I ended up finding this article for my friend.  It’s full of helpful and insightful tips.  My particular favorite is the suggestion that, during an initial phone call you should give intentional responses and share something about yourself.  The author says that, when asked ‘how are you?’ the girl should respond with “I am great. I just returned from an exhilarating run with my college best friend.”  So, I told her she should speak in that same weird broken-English and when the fella asks ‘how she is’ she should tell him something completely inappropriate like ‘I am well.  I just returned from dropping it like it is hot’.

5. What did we ever do before Etsy?  Anyway, I want everything from this Etsy shop.  But, I especially want this one and this one and this one.  Just to name a few.

Have a great day my friends!

What’s Next?

When I mention that I have just completed my master’s it is followed up almost instantaneously with the question, “what’s next?”.   It’s some sort of impulse, or perhaps it’s the kindest way of saying “what the heck can you even do with a Master of the Arts in Vocal Pedagogy???”. 

Well the answer to the question “what’s next?” IS (drum roll please)…

I have no idea.

And I’m not entirely comfortable with that answer.  I’m used to not having an answer, after college I couldn’t decide what to do next so I waited until I had already graduated before I finally agreed to follow God’s call to go to grad school instead of going to work.  I felt a strong sense of peace about that.  It was also a very exciting time.  A new adventure.  It felt like I was setting off on my own for the first time, (even more than moving off to college) and following my own path.

But now, two and a half years later, I feel like the time for huge life-changing adventures has passed me by.  Although I’m always game for small life-changing adventures.  And, maybe no direct command from the Lord IS a direct command.

So, if any of you have any suggestions for how a not-so-business-savvy-voice-teacher can get her ideal job (which includes over $138 being left in my bank account at the end of the month) then I’d love to hear it.  Bring on the suggestions!

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens....

These are a few of my current favorite things:

1. I'm picking out Christmas music for my students, so I am enjoying Christmas in October and getting into the Holiday Spirit a little early this year.

2. I got to see Katy and Baby V this week. Also, Katy is making PW's Homemade Cinnamon Rolls as we speak. I can't wait to hear about the outcome!

3. My Graduate Recital is in a week. The exclamation points I feel in my soul are boundless.

4. I kinda want to be this dog.

5. This week's episode of The Office.

6. These chips:

7. Pathwords. Ugh. Pathwords is a thief of my time.

8. Boots Products. They are a thief of my money.

9. Hairbows. I know that may seem odd for a 25 year old, but all I know is that when little Miss Evans arrives in the world she's gonna have bows all over her sweet little head (if I have anything to do with it). But, this bow in particular is perfect for her! I just know she'll love it.

10. Lists of 10 items. Because clearly, lists of 9 items are just ridiculous.

Have a good weekend friends!

Dance Like There's No Tomorrow

This title describes exactly what I did tonight.

I LITERALLY danced myself sick.

I'm not quite sure what it is about this song, but it makes me want to dance all my cares away.

Unfortunately, by the end, of it I had created some new cares. In that I was so sick I had to lay down on the floor and pray against throwing up.

But, at least I got to bust out some of my old moves, and the next time I hit up the club I'll be all set. If, by "all set" I mean "prepared to humiliate myself" with ending my dance by lying down in the middle of the dance floor and vomiting.

Pretty much a typical Saturday night at the club.

Zack Attack

You can ask anyone who knew me from the ages of 6-12 and they will tell you that I had one obsession. That obsession was: Saved By The Bell. I think I've seen every episode of the series including the ones with Miss Bliss. So, you can probably guess how delighted I was when I heard that Jimmy Fallon is trying to orchestrate a cast reunion.

Today I saw this little gem and I was almost giddy about it. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

P.S. At about 6:07 he makes my joy complete:

If You Like It Than You Shoulda Putta Link To It....

A Few of my Favorite Things:

1. High School Musical 4? Yes Please.

2. This story has kept me laughing for a week!

3. Nothing quite says "He is Risen" like six feet worth of legos.

4. On a more serious note: this post reminded me of His faithfulness and sovereignty.

5. I have no number five, but I could not make myself stop at four. So, number five will be that I have some leftover jellybeans from my Easter basket that are calling my name.

'Obsessesion' Is Such A Strong Word......

But I may very well be obsessed. And you will be too:

Miranda's Free Singing Lessons may have made my life complete.

After watching it you should probably discuss it with me so I can hopefully undo any and all of the damage she managed to do to your voice in a short five minutes.

Also, once you've seen this one please check out her rendition of "All I Want For Christmas Is You". I promise that, if for no other reason than her tinsel tiara, you will not be disappointed.

Phish Food

This has been an insane week. Completely insane.

On Monday I was sitting at a stop light when my car was rear-ended. So, obviously I have needed time to collect my thoughts in order to properly inform you about this incident. I have decided to give a small teaser today, but I have plans for a full-fledged blog post soon. All your wreck-related questions will be answered. But, for now, just know that I do have whiplash but I am feeling better each and every day. Unfortunately, my poor car, Lola, is not feeling so well and was totaled in the accident. There will be more on this to come, so you have something to look forward to....

Today I would like to tell you all about a great friend and confidante of mine. This friend has seen me through many great trials.
The last time a relationship ended? There for me.
The last time I failed miserably at something? There for me.
The last time I thought my world was coming to an end? There for me.
And now, when I am in pain?

There for me.

Half a pint of this and the world seems to make sense again. I'm not sure what it is about the caramel, marshmallow and chocolate fish combination, but it does something to me. To be perfectly honest I don't consider myself to be a Ben and Jerry's girl- I am a Blue Bell girl from way back when. So, I'm not even positive how I stumbled across Phish Food, but I know it has changed my life.

So, Thank you Ben and Jerry. But mostly, thank you Phish Food. From the bottom of my heart.