We, in the Rockwall Independent School District, were just told we could have no religious "signatures"on the ends of our emails. You know, the wonderfulness that is politically correctness. In response to the demand, a teacher I know is using this as her signature...


"It means," said Aslan,..."that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards."
C.S. Lewis
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

I LOVE it.

I am loving....

I am in love with this wallpaper. I think my guest bedroom NEEDS this wallpaper on at least one wall. I actually am in love with birds, period...

The Framily Tree

I ran across this quote by Douglas H. Gresham, the stepson of C.S. Lewis, where he was describing his stepfather. I thought it was quite fitting, describing the quick bond between our "framily".

"Jack (C.S. Lewis), was a man whose extraordinary scholarship and intellectual ability isolated him from much of mankind. There were few people among his peers, who could match him in debate or discussion, and those who could, almost inevitably found themselves drawn to one another in a small, tight-knit group which became known as 'The Inklings' (framily) and which has left us with a legacy of literature (proverbs). J.R.R. Tolkien, John Wain, Roger Lancelyn-Green, and Neville Coghill were among those who frequented these informal gatherings."

Now, I would never rise to set us upon the same level as these great wordsmiths, but, this is akin to how I already feel about our kinship. That, and I just needed a legitimate excuse to use the word kinship in my writing. :) Because that is a fun word. Just like the framily.

Now, I have a song for us. :)

You're a part time lover and a full time friend

The monkey on you're back is the latest trend

I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else but you

I kiss you on the brain in the shadow of a train

I kiss you all starry eyed, my body's swinging from side to side

I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else but you

Here is the church and here is the steeple

We sure are cute for two ugly people

I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else but you

The pebbles forgive me, the trees forgive me

So why can't, you forgive me?

I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else but you

I will find my nitch in your car

With my mp3 DVD rumple-packed guitar

I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else but you

Up up down down left right left right B A start

Just because we use cheats doesn't mean we're not smart

I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else but you

You are always trying to keep it real

I'm in love with how you feel

I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else but you

We both have shiny happy fits of rage

You want more fans, I want more stage

I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else but you

Don Quixote was a steel driving man

My name is Adam I'm your biggest fan

I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else but you

Squinched up your face and did a dance

You shook a little turd out of the bottom of your pants

I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else but you

The End

The Right Stuff

Anyone else heard that the ultimate in Boy Bands, aka NKOTB, is staging a reunion/comeback tour? I would like to state that while I'm a bit nervous for them...I MIGHT be the first in line to buy tickets for said reunion tour. Anyone else with me? I'll be wearing my oversized black and hot pink Jordan t shirt, some leggins, a large pink scrunchie, and have no fear, friends...I'll have my NKOTB button on...you remember what I'm talking about. The six inch pin that doubled as a commemorative picture with a stand and everything?

I have one question for the boys (men) of NKOTB....why? After all these years and some quasi-successful music/acting careers why risk all of that for this sure to be bomb of a tour? You KNOW who will be at these concerts...women like me...upper 20's, some early 30's, who grew up fantasizing that we would someday be Joe's "Cover Girl...", lookin so good, everything's in place....oh uh oh...she's my Cover Girl...wow, the sheer genius of the lyrics brings me to my knees in adoration even now.

I guess I just answered my own question...Why? So that girls like me can be taken back to the days of Slumber parties and making up dances to Hangin' Tough. I would like to invite all of you to start praying now that this tour includes Dallas, and join me at the concert where we will sway, and cry, and scream for the hearthrobs that were once the boys of...New Kids on the Block...

this is the survey that never ends....yes it goes on and on my friends...

The feature I get the most compliments on would be: ummm...my eyes I guess.



You might be surprised to know that I: love to be the center of attention.... (shock, right?)



If I could only have one TV channel, it would be: HGTV



I feel sexiest in: a flowy, hippieish dress



I wish I could stop: eating junky food



You won’t believe I’ve never: been out of the country, besides Mexico...not believable bc I have a love for all things un-American



The movie I could watch again and again is: Serendipity, Footloose, Center Stage, Napoleon Dynamite (lame, I know) and now...Juno



I’m currently reading:everything I can get my hands on...Three Cups of Tea, The Kite Runner, 12 Women of the Bible, and Pillars of the Earth

If I could trade lives with a woman for one day, I’d choose: a woman in a Third World country working to provide someone like me with goods so that i would take my life a little less for granted

If you looked in my purse, you’d be puzzled to find:a journal with magazine clippings pasted everywhere...eh...that's all I have...I'm not that puzzling...

Something crazy happens; the first person I’d call is:Trey...although he NEVER appreciates the crazy things that happen to me (see the MySpace WalMart blog), then Carrie, my geepsy Val, my brother

The best part of being single is: I? wouldn't know.

The worst part of being single: I'll take a gander and just guess at this one...getting asked out by anyone you might not want to spend more than the necessary time with...

My favorite part of my body is: eek. my calves...I'm so over these types of questions....

Don’t get between me and my:Asics

The last thing I bought just for me:a double feature DVD, Flashdance and Footloose. Carrie, I know you're pumped...they have this greatness at Target for $9.44. I plan on sitting at home tomorrow and watching not one, but both movies.

A (non-sexual) thing I fantasize about:a pair of brown Michael Kors boots that are so hot it IS kind of sexual

If I won $250,000: I would drop everything and head to Europe with a back pack for a couple of years

The worst pickup line I’ve ever heard was:Well...actually...last night at The Gingerman, I got hit on by someone REALLY wanting to hit on my friend Summer. He said, "Those guys don't look like your type...you want to come hang out with us?" NEVER a good conversation starter when said guy is your husband...

My favorite brand of beer is: I recently found a blueberry ale...yes, blueberry ale...and it is hella good...

Have you ever been to a bar with your parents?Um, that party would be over before it began.

Do you have any friends with the same first name as you? Ummmmm yes....about half my friends are Katie's....but none of them are Katy.

What was your favorite childhood lunchbox?Barbie and the Rockers...pretty sure I was the envy of all pre-asolescent fashionistas...

What place on your body are you the most ticklish? Oh, gosh...everywhere...it's actually pretty ridiculous...I keep hoping I'll grow out of it..

What is the most comfortable item of clothing you own? my North Face Denali jacket

Whose wedding will you be attending next? One: I would like to say that the person who wrote this suvery does not have the greatest grammar...and Two: Reanna's

Do you know of anyone who’s expecting a baby? several people, but most importantly...Paigie-poo...I love being an aunt!

What magazine would you like to subscribe to, but don’t? Relevant...I just steal it from my mom

Are you wearing anything that has a special meaning? my wedding ring...which actually won't come off even if I so desired thanks to an injury from a spontaneous game of football and my SMU Rugby sweatshirt Justin got me

Words to live by: "Dream Big!" ~Juno

Warning....plot spoilers ahead...

I went to see "There Will be Blood" last night, and oh. my. gosh. I went with two guys, my husband and his brother, and I was fully prepared that this was a "guy movie". But, I love, love, love Daniel Day-Lewis so I figured it would at the very least, be....well...good. Not to mention all the Oscar nods and the raving critic reviews. We bundled up and braved the cold, hitting up Trinity Hall first for some Nutty Irishmens (which, by the way....if you live in Dallas...I recommend quite highly), then paid $10 dollars a ticket to sit for the next three hours wondering what the heck was happening on screen.

I loved about the first 30 minutes of this flick...dirty men in oil derricks, dusty ranches, breathtaking and stark scenery, intriguing characters...I thought, this is a pretty cool, if not overly exciting movie. After that, it totally lost me. I could not follow the plot at all...and wanted to scream at most of the main characters, "What are you thinking??" No ONE had it together in this movie...well, except for the deaf son...who later turns out to NOT be Daniel Day-Lewis' son...wow. DDL did play a genius role as a psychopathic oil tycoon. That is pretty much my only positive comment on this wasted three hours of my life.

What was interesting, however, is the intimate look into the world of oil. My father-in-law, who passed away over Christmas, was a petroleum engineer. The entire movie, my husband kept saying, "Dad would LOVE this". So, when we got in the car, I had so many questions pertaining to drilling oil that Trey was like, "Ummm...I'll take you to a derrick and explain it to you." To which I kindly replied..."Ew. No thank you."

I think my problem with this movie is that I like happy movies. I like intellectual movies, I like thinking at the cinema...I don't like not being able to follow an entire plot line. There doesn't have to be a happy ending ("Once" being a prime example of this), but I like for things to be wrapped up neatly and for all characters to have their crap together at the end. This movie ended the opposite...a dead guy on a bowling alley floor and a bastard son thrown out as a "competitor" in the oil field.

On a lighter note, I also saw "27 Dresses" this week...and loved it simply for the fluff that is was. So much for intellectual movies.

More iTunes fun...

My iTunes alphabet...

All I Need, Matt Kearney
Babylon, David Gray
Calling All Friends, Low Stars
Dancefloors, My Morning Jacket
Edge of Love, Mindy Smith
Fairytale, Sara Bareilles
Gotta Have You, The Weepies
Heartbreaker, The Lonely Hearts
I'll Stop the World, The Cure
Jacksonville Skyline, Whiskeytown
Kate, Ben Folds Five (duh)
Let Go, Frou Frou
Mercy Rains, Shane & Shane
Night Train, Amos Lee
Open Your Eyes, Snow Patrol
Paper Moon, Whiskeytown
Quando, Quando, Quando, Michael Buble
Rocks Won't Cry, Shane & Shane
Stars Go Blue, Bono
Talk, Coldplay
Unclean, Jolly Napier
Vineyard, Jackopierce
Walk on the Ocean, Toad the Wet Sprocket
X & Y, Coldplay
You Said, Shane & Shane
Z...ugh...I had every letter until Z!

This is actually a pretty bad A play list!

Three Cups of Tea

I have no idea why it's taken me so long to read this book. It is excellent. It tells the story of Greg Mortenson, a mountain climber turned philantropist/peace activist. In his attempt to scale K2 (a feat that I could only dream about), Greg ends up in the tiny village of Korphe in Pakistan. He is taken aback by the villagers hospitality amidst their poverty, and also by the lack of education options available to the children, especially the girls. He vows to come back and build them a school, a rash promise for a mountain climber with no job prospects at home. Fast forward almost 15 years and that rash promise has turned into the reality of 53 schools in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

What really strikes me about this man's work is his commitment to offer both boys and girls an education, and the willingness of the native people to turn from their ancestors thinking and embrace a more balanced education. Never before have women been educated in these countries. I wept when reading the tales of the FIRST women educated in entire villages. Wow. I consider myself a pretty global minded person, and keep abreast of international issues, especially in Africa, for whose people my husband and I have a burden for. I know that it is a complete reality for these countries that education is very limited, but this book further opened my eyes to how stark that reality really is. However, what Central Asia Institute does is offer a "balanced education", rather than the militant education formerly offered. In other words, this agency is teaching peace in otherwise war torn countries in hopes that with each student, the message of peace will be spread just a little more beyond the borders of the villages.

What I ALSO realized while reading this book is that Greg Mortenson is not a celebrity. He does not have millions of dollars at his disposal, can't drop what he's doing to film a movie to finance his next trip. He has made friends on the government and private sector level, in both countries, who have lain aside their differences in order to give their next generations oppurtunities they never had. I can't help but think, in the middle of so much death and destruction, that some part of these government officials long for the next generation to stand and declare peace. Yes, yes, that is a far fetched hope, and a feat that would take great courage...but I applaud Greg Mortenson for making a small, yet HUGE difference in this fight for peace. Although I appreciate the efforts of people with so much available to them, because every little bit helps, but in my eyes, people like Greg, and the others involved with CAI are the real heroes. And I feel challeged, challenged to have more than a global mind. To be globally active, to search out oppurtunities that are available.

I challenge anyone that reads this to pick up Three Cups of Tea. Be challenged, read into Greg's passion and turn it into passion for what's around you.

iTunes fun

My friend Carrie recently posted a blog challenging everyone to review their iTunes library and list out, A to Z, their most embarrassing/cheesy songs...here is my list....

A. Annaleigh Ashford, "ohmygod, you guys" from the Broadwat production of Legally Blonde...don't even give me shit, bc it was a free download of the week...

B. Bob Seger, "Night Moves"....on my top 10 list of favorite songs. Ever.

C. Christopher Cross, "Sailing"....I don't care what anyone says, that, my friends, is a classic...

D. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, "Summertime"...enough said.

E. The only E artist I have is Eels, and I'm certainly not embarrassed of them...so I'll skip right to...

F. Fergie, "Fergalicious"....it's almost sinful how much I actually like that song...

G. George Strait, "How 'bout them cowgirls"...I like to pretend I'm one sometimes...a cowgirl, that is....

H. Hanson, "Penny & Me"...ouch....

I. Believe it or not, the only I artist I have is Ice-T, "I'm your pusher"...thanks Casey, for downloading Hip Hop Gold into my iTunes...

J. Jefferson Airplane..."We Built this City"...I? LOVE this song.

K. Kelis, "Bossy"...ask Trey why I have this song on my computer. ;)

L. LFO, "Summer Girls"...I like girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch....

M. ummmm.....Marie Osmond, "Meet me in Montana"....thank you Carrie...could also make a debut on my top ten list...

N. Nickelback, "Rockstar"....I just feel soooo....mainstream for my unabashed love for this edgy tune...

O. I like all my O songs...we'll go with the oldest....Oasis, "Wonderwall"

P. Plain White T's, "Hey There Delilah"...it was cute the first five hundred times it was played on the radio...

Q. haha...the only Q I have is Queen Latifah, "U.N.I.T.Y.", also from Casey's Hip Hop Gold CD...

R. Rascal Flatts, "Fast Cars and Freedom", my friend Timmy sings this at karaoke (Yes, Carrie...THAT karaoke bar...) and it makes me smile....

S. S Club 7...."Never had a dream come true"...I'm actually not even sure how this GOT on my computer...

T. Taylor Hicks, "Georgia on my mind"...yeah....the "Soul Patrol" kind of ended up being a dud...

U. Uncle Kraker, "Follow me"...catchy, if shallow, little diddy...

V. Vanilla Ice, "Ice, Ice, Baby"...There is no need to defend this cultural icon of a song...

W. Warren G, "Regulators"...also on the top ten list...

X. Yeah....no X's?

Y. No Y's

Z. The only Z's I have are ZZ Top...and in NO way am I embarrassed of that!