that 65 degrees feelin'

this sunshine is enough to turn any frown upside down

(88 days until my Ft. Lauderdale/Miami beach vacation)

love you e,

love, t.

Those people called friends

 

 Went out with this little firecracker last evening. 

We reached into each other's souls and pulled out the muck, sorted through it, and in the end, found a little bit more clarity.

Friends are the greatest support, and we often forget that. If you let people in on what you're experiencing and feeling, you'll find some relief. For they too have things they're dealing with that they need to release as well. I think lowering your guard and boundaries to those you love most will give you the greatest comfort in times of need.

*I just can't go on any further without a shout out to all my lovies. Heyyyyyy.*

With that said....a little tough love- get over yourself. Get over your insecurities and let down your giant proud wall and share what's going on with your friends. That is what they are there for!!! 

Today we have landed on Wednesday, hump day as many like to call it, and it feels like SUMMER outside. Not complaining! I think that little ground hog (I just typed beaver before that... what the heck) guy was lying to us all. Not to jinx anything, but I think winter has left the building. Hello, spring!

 I am a happier person just looking at this photo....sigh....

Enjoy your day, everyone. And go talk to your friends!

love you e,

love, t.

Hello, Thank You

Hello, world. Unless my blog stat page is lying to me, which it very easily could be, I would like to take a moment to say hello to my readers in Russia, Germany, Argentina, Macedonia, Brazil, and of course, my homeland, the U.S.

I would like to openly validate to all of you that some of my posts are "meatless" and contain no substance whatsoever, and others are more serious and thought provoking. And I also realize that my life can be boring and I may post things that are insignificant and irrelevant to you. However, I hope you can find meaning in my meaningless things. If that makes sense. Read if you want, if not, onward with your search for a better blog. No offense taken!

I find enjoyment in this outlet. It's nice to have around. And while small in number, it's nice to have some readers around as well. It's nice to have people reading my thoughts, regardless of how surface level or in- depth they may be. What I'm trying to say is, I like you guys. And thank you. :) 

Mems & Laughs

Sometimes I like to look through old photos because they bring funny memories to mind. Here are some that made me laugh today just looking at them:

If you're in any of these, please feel free to comment below with the memory you have of it. I'd love to hear your laughs too!

love you e,
love, t. 

love you e

Eleanor, my sweet Grandmother, turns 90 this Sunday.

Born: February 19, 1922

This woman has lived through some of our country's most historical moments-- Prohibition as a little girl, the Great Depression and Roosevelt's "New Deal," World War II, Cold War, segregation and the Civil Rights Movement, and Vietnam to name a few-- needless to say, she has experienced so many things in her lifetime. 

I love her stories. I love her wrinkles. I love her crooked knuckles and deep southern accent. I love her laugh and her endless coffee drinking, which she says prolongs her life... there are many things that I adore and cherish about this woman. She is a walking piece of wisdom and experience. You name it, she has lived through it. 

This weekend, her closest loved ones are all coming to VA to surprise her and honor her as she turns 90 (don't worry, I'm not ruining this by posting it here- my mama knows not to show this one to her). What an amazing journey she has been on. Back in June we thought she wasn't going to make it, and this weekend, we're going to celebrate the fact that she's strong and healthier than ever. To God be the glory for my sweet e, my Gram.

Cannot wait to get home tomorrow and see my family! Give some love to your family this weekend and celebrate all that is good. Cherish them and the memories you have, and never take them for granted. I plan on doing just that. :)

love you so incredibly much e,

love, t. 

Thoughts on The Bachelor/Bachelorette

[I do not apologize ahead of time for this post. If you are tired of reading about this stuff, then "x" out of this now :)]

You cannot deny the level of controversy over this well known reality television show that invites 26 people to a house in LA to compete for one person's love and affection. Let's all acknowledge this together because we've all said it: it is an absolute, ridiculous and terrible way of finding "true love."

However, there is something about it that is so addicting. The drama is unlike any other. The deceit and lying and cheating I find to be absolutely hysterical. I often find myself asking this question, "is this really happening?" Your heart finds soft spots for certain people, and you grow a strong hatred for others. This show gets you so emotionally involved in these people's lives that it's almost embarrassing to admit out loud. It's like watching a horse race with your money bet on one you think will win, or like watching a love version of survivor.


And everyone that watches (well those that have a correct perception on reality) questions how these women/men think they will genuinely find love on this show? For the majority of contestants, I don't think they do. I think they want to be on television, visit exotic beaches and foreign countries, and if they come out with a significant other at the end of it, awesome.

However, I think their attitude changes over the course of the show because, let's face it... the only humans they are really interacting with are the fellow contestants and the one they're "dating," which happens to be the only other person of the opposite sex. Think back to summer camp, or band camp, whatever. At some point while visiting, I feel we all experienced falling for a certain someone, and forgetting about them the moment we returned home. Being "confined" alters the way the contestants think--it's like they're falling for this person only because it's the only person around to fall for. This explains why the people you would never imagine the bachelor/bachelorette to be paired with are the ones to find themselves falling in "love."

With that said, it's sad to watch but funny at the same time because you know they're going to be just fine. The tears that they're crying only stem from the fact that they are so confined and obsessed with this man/woman but the moment they find themselves back at home, the only thing they'll probably miss will be the vacation they got out of it.

With all of that said, this shows no depth to me on any level. It's almost like watching a human experiment-- my friends and I often find ourselves psychoanalyzing each person and situation. It's a fun excuse to bust out a bottle of wine or ice cream, and gather around the television with the girls (or guys) to laugh the episode away. It's mindless, depth-less entertainment that happens to show some footage of some pretty awesome places around the world (I know a friend that booked her honeymoon location off of a resort this show visited). It's drama and it's addicting- nothing more, nothing less. If anything, it's a reminder of how sane you are :)

And that concludes my thoughts on The Bachelor/Bachelorette. I'd love to hear yours! Monday is a big episode...hometown dates! Woot.

love you e,
love, t.
  

i heart you

this was God's valentine's gift to me this morning

this was my valentine's gift to my office (for recipe, click here)

and this was my valentine's gift to me :)

One of my favorite love movies is Away We Go. It's definitely not your typical romance movie filled with butterflies and rainbows- it's simple, raw, and real (not to mention, hilarious). If you're searching for one to watch this evening, I highly recommend it. Here's the trailer for your viewing purposes:

Sending love your way today. I like this holiday. It's kinda nice.

love you e,

love, t.

Lovies

I got to spend time this weekend with the women I call my best friends. The highlights:

•  picking up warm fuzzy Meg at the airport
•  scoring free cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory for all eight of us
• sitting in a circle at 1AM singing Point of Grace & Martina McBride at the top of our lungs (I'm sure my neighbors were really happy about that)
• waking up to a house full of sleeping beauties
• long, romantic dinner at Houlihan's with my roomie (haha, Kel)
• seeing The Vow- even though it wasn't as good as anticipated
• cuddling with Meg while watching the Grammy's

 I loved this weekend. I love my girlfriends. That's really all I've got for ya. :)

Valentine's Day is tomorrow! I got a big laugh out of this sight on Friday for a couple reasons. One, there were only women in the aisle. Two, it was four days before Valentine's Day--- if any man reading this had picked out a card earlier than four days prior, I commend you and your planning. Three, I felt that it showed that women find more significance in this holiday than men. As women, if we have a significant other, we anticipate this day like no other. We wonder what we'll get, where we'll go for dinner, how the evening will unravel. Some women buy a new dress, a new pair of heels, get a haircut, a manicure, facial, pedicure... all in anticipation of this day. It's so funny to me! How many men think like that and prepare to this extent? What are your thoughts??

Whatever you do tomorrow, I hope you feel loved. And if you were one of those women I was speaking of, that have bought something new, dyed their hair a different color, all in efforts to "woo" your man, I hope he finds you breathtakingly beautiful! Enjoy your evening together :) Oh! And I'm curious to hear about all the gifts. Tell me your favorite one tomorrow!

To all the singles out there, put this on repeat and cuddle up with your gals :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

love you e,

love, t.

Weekend talk

On the circle- downtown Indy

Me & Lauren on the morning of the Super Bowl breakfast

25th Annual Superbowl Breakfast - a lot of NFL legends were in that room!

I had a fun, football oriented weekend. Indianapolis did a fantastic job hosting their first SB. Downtown was a blast. There were so many people, so many things going on all at once, and it was so crazy to see things that were built just for the week! I'm sure all those involved with the process are glad it's over-- a lot of hard work and effort was put into it, that's for sure!

But enough football. I'm hosting a girls night in on Friday :) There's nothing better than kicking it with the gals. We will be celebrating our sweet Amanda who is heading to Moldova to do ministry. Crazy, right? My friends are doing such cool things with their lives!

Hope your week is off to a good start. If not, you should go get one of these to make it better:

Nummies.

love you e,

love, t.

SB 46: Indy!

Hey friends!

It's Super Bowl weekend here in the city I now call home, Indianapolis. It has been a super fun week watching all the news coverage, social media buzz, and celeb-sightings flare up all over the television and internet. It's crazy that I'm living in a city that's hosting a Super Bowl. How exciting!

One of my roommates ate brunch earlier this week a few tables across from Jimmy Fallon AND scored tickets to his live show. The other roommate gets to be apart of something REALLY awesome that I will have to talk about post SB (get excited). How cool?? There were rumors of Ryan Gosling (which I doubt) and Nicki Minaj roaming around the city as well. All of these cool people are tweeting about their great experiences of trying our local, treasured restaurants. It's pretty neat and is getting everyone excited about our little Indy getting some spotlight.

I haven't ventured downtown yet to see the SB village just yet, but will be making my way down there this evening and tomorrow night as well. I am volunteering tonight to assist in setting up the banquet room for the NFL sanctioned Super Bowl breakfast, and will be attending tomorrow morning for the breakfast itself (courtesy of AIA Event Coordinator and dear friend, Lauren)!! I'm really excited to be volunteering for such an awesome event. And it's always fun to help a friend out too :)

Everyone I have encountered here this week has just been extremely excited and prideful of the city (I keep singing that rap song "I put on for my city, on on for my city..." that's all I know). It's going to be a real treat on Sunday to be watching and being a part of this new history here. Hope that your Super Bowl Sunday is a good one. I'm not rooting for any specific team- as I almost always say, I'm a neutral watcher. :)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

love you e,
love, t.

Emotions

You cannot let your feelings tell you how you are doing.

I know this statement seems a bit odd when you read it. It's a thought that I've been sitting with this week. At times, we are so quick to label our emotions of the day-- tired, stressed, confused, angry, regretful, bitter, overwhelmed-- and in a weird way, we cling to this label. This is my emotion; thus, this is how I am and will be.This may sound harsh, but I disagree with you if you think that is an extreme statement. I openly admit (and I know others would too) to letting my emotions dictate my mood, responses, and actions.

That is so wrong. So so wrong. The truth is (fair warning- I'm about to get spiritual here), we need not to focus on what we feel, but what we know. We need to hold to the anchors that God graciously gives us every day and choose to be continually mindful of them. Instead of "I am beyond empty," we need to start thinking "I am beyond full." Rather than "I am beyond fearful," we should think "I am beyond hopeful." It's almost as if we need to start thinking in a reverse way--in a way that God desires us to. Rather than immediately turning to the emotion, we need to turn to the promise that is present.

Yeah, this seems a bit drastic and difficult, but I really think that if we could learn to control our emotions, we would have a stronger perspective on ourselves. Perhaps like you, I too get annoyed with the optimists in the world. The truth is, life is more enjoyable if you look up rather than down. Simply put. Trials and triumphs are going to come, so how will you handle it? Choose to sit with your yuck, or turn it into something greater?

Just something to think about today.

love you e,
love, t.