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Something tells me this isn't what Lyla had in mind.

Grandmother

Lyla asked me, "Would you put some music on? I like music." That's my girl!!! We're listening to Enya.

At least Lyla is not listening to Rhianna singing about "chains and whips"


Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away

This just in. Dallas- Quite a leap from the Abbey.

So, I know we are all about to OD on royal wedding info. (Except for my Mom who has been up since 2:00 a.m. watching the wedding and plans to keep on watching all day. I admire that dedication!)

I'm sure we all know by now that the Beckhams attended the event looking dapper and British as ever.

it's a girl!

I am incredibly amused with what one People magazine reporter commented about David Beckham's schedule after the royal wedding, please allow me to share...

"The day after the wedding, David jets to Dallas in anticipation of his L.A. Galaxy Major League Soccer team's Sunday game against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park. Quite a leap from the Abbey."

Was it necessary to add "Quite a leap from the Abbey." What are you suggesting??? That Pizza Hut Park in Frisco isn't as majestic as the Westminster Abbey?!?!! Surely you jest! I'll have you know that Pizza Hut Park is an 145-acre multipurpose sports and entertainment facility!!! Jimmy Buffet performs there! Can you say that about the Abbey?? 

Seriously though, why would anyone attempt to compare a soccer game/Dallas/Pizza Hut Park VS. the royal wedding/London/ the Abbey??

Quite a leap? Well, I should bloody well say so, ole' chap!

It's just not fair. Dallas has enough pressure trying to keep afloat among Austin, San Antonio and Houston without throwing "the Abbey" in there. Hey People magazine how about you leave Dallas alone, go back to discussing the "very cozy reception" or the "wedding's best hats". 

Okay, that's all. I've only lived here for 5 years, but a girl has got to defend her city, right? Right. Oh and by the way I guarantee Dallas can provide the Beckham's with more appetizing food that the entire country of England can. Hello?? Queso? One bite of queso and I might wager that Becks and prego Posh might forget the Abbey ever existed. ;)

I like her

why, yes, Matt Lauer, i am engaged.

How great is Kate Hudson? Instead of doing the whole "celebrity announcing your engagement" bit. She waits for someone to notice the rock on her finger. It's as if nothing even happened more than her buying a new dress. Of course in her case, that someone who just happened to notice is Matt Lauer during her interview on the Today show, so I think the cat's out of the bag. I just appreciate her not-caring outlook. 

It's not like this post-engagement behavior would happen with a normal person. What happens in real life is right after you get engaged you call you parents and then you send a mass text to all your friends that says something like "Engaged!" That's normally followed up with cocktails, shoving your ring in people's faces and regaling them of the story of "how he proposed". You can't really hold that news in and be cool like Kate Hudson. Of course, she is prego and on Hubby #2, so maybe it's a little different? 

I was so so excited and happy when we got engaged. Here's some post-engagement pics. 

Mary and Ande inspecting the jewels.

hugging Ande over and over. I love this one of Robert. it's like he's thinking "what have i got myself into?" ha.

cocktails and celebration 

It was a happy day...so fun to reminisce...

Thanks Kate Hudson and Matthew Bellamy for giving me a reason to reminisce and best wishes to them too :) 

buzzing

I don't know about you and your friends, but me and my friends are buzzing about the Royal Wedding. We all have plans to record the affair and spend Friday night completely immersed in the coverage. I'm sure lots of women have a similar game plan. I bet all the husbands in America are so excited! HA.

heyyy guys! see you tomorrow night!!

A Very Dull Update Continued....

I thought I'd give you an update of what I've been reading. Try not to shriek with excitement.

Remember when I said that I'd started Gone with the Wind? Well, I finished it. It was all I thought it would be and more. From the first chapter, I felt that I was in another world while reading those pages. It deserved the Pulitzer Prize that it won in 1937, it is truly a spectacular novel. It is all that you want a true novel to be. I loved learning more about the characters, especially Scarlett's mom, Ellen. By the WAY - spoiler alert - Scarlett had two children before Bonnie Blue (daughter with Rhett). She had Wade Hamilton and Ella Kennedy. They did not make the movie, so I was shocked. Yes, shocked. My love for this book has enhanced my love for this film.

*Sarah thinks I should read the Twilight series. But, I'm scared that the books won't enhance my love for the films because I've heard mixed reviews books. Oh, these tough decisions that face me.*

scenes from the movie. it won TEN Academy Awards. also, spectacular.

How do you follow up reading Gone with the Wind? I was ready for it to end because I was getting really mad at Scarlett, but as I usually am with a good book, I was sad when it was over. Robert had just finished Lonesome Dove and wanted me to read it, but I needed a break from the "epic novel" thing. So, I picked up a book that I've been trying to get through for two years. There's the poor neglected book below. 

It is good, but more informative and not exactly a page turner. I was making some progress and actually on Part II of the book when Robert surprised me and bought the final installment of the trilogy by Steig Larrson, The Girl that played with the Hornet's Nest, on iBooks for our iPad on Easter. It is our first book purchase for the iPad! 

visual representation of the book+ iPad

I don't have a kindle and I've never read a book in a digital format. (Digital format?? You know what I mean.) I was skeptical that I'd like it. I like books. I don't want books to just become screens. That's sad to me. It's also sad to me how much I rely on text and email to keep in touch with loved ones rather than picking up the phone to call these days. (Tired of using technology.) I'm totally selling out now though because I looooooveeeee reading on the iPad. I feel like I read faster, because instead of turning a page, I touch a screen. Also, Robert can turn off the light and I can still read until the wee hours of the morning without bothering him. It's fantastic! What's not fantastic is that I can't get myself to look at Omnivore's Dilemma with this great book/iPad combo in my hands. I have a feeling my "dilemma" is just going to be finishing that book. Forget the whole "Omnivore's Dilemma" business. Oh well......oh well..... If these are my problems, I'm a lucky lucky gal. 

Also, on my nightstand and another surprise from Robert, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I've never read it and I've wanted to since high school. Ironically, I've told people to read it and never read it. That's probably something I shouldn't admit? Anyway, I'm so excited to read it. I've read that it's a great book for skeptics and those that are searching. I know where the trust lies, in Christ, but I hoping this book with fortify my faith and help me to understand it even more.  

Well, that's all the f-u-n I've got for you now. Will keep you posted :)

Also, please keep the South in your thoughts and prayers....I can't believe those tornadoes!

embarrassing

Can we talk about that graffiti background this blog was rocking last week?

My gosh, why didn't anyone tell me how horribly fugly that was? I feel like I have been walking around with something in my teeth. I did choose it, but it looked MUCH different on my Samsung computer circa '04 at work than it did on my iPad. I discovered this disturbing blog news last night and gasped. Whoa! Graffiti! Me and my graffiti background blog. Who am I? Ewww. And yes, I check my own blog.

So, last night I hastily changed it up to this book background. Showing you how smart I am because I like books. HA.

It does sort of feel appropriate because I wanted to be a librarian when I was little. I really did. I know, I am getting cooler by the moment. Speaking of librarians, I am getting a much needed pair of glasses for my near sighted vision coming in the next week or so. Robert told me I looked like a librarian when I tried them on. I was thrilled!

The icing on the cake is that the glasses I'm getting are Kate Spade. She's a Kappa Kappa Gamma....got to support my sister.

kate spade ad from 2006. models with bird arms pretending to read. 

heart of the matter

Yesterday, on the way home from work, the perfect song came on the radio. It's rare this happens, right?  I savored it. You might judge my perfect song, but on the rainy drive home, Don Henley's voice spoke to me.

i hope this is the right song. my speakers don't work.

This could be the best break-up song in the world. (Sorry, Adele.) Though, I'm not going through that thankfully...some of th lyrics, that I've known for years, rang true once more....

The more I know, the less I understand. 

And the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again

Yes, Don Henely, preach it. Don't you get sick of feeling this way? Just when I think I have some element of life figured out is the same moment that I realize that I know nothing. It's a vicious cycle. My wise mother told me once, "we're always learning, we never stop." Learning is hard, with learning comes growing and a lot of times that hurts. This happens a lot with our transitions to adulthood, which I'd say can range from age 20-30? Frankly, sometimes I don't like it. The fact that I'm going to be doing this learning bit my whole life is a little tiring. 

But what you've got to do at those times that it gets tiring is refer to the chorus of this lovely tune that points you to the answer...

I've been trying to get down

To the heart of the matter

But my will gets week

and my thoughts see to scatter, but I think it's about....forgiveness

Forgiveness

We've got to get down to the heart of the matter. The point of it all. But, what is the heart of the matter? 

Not in the song, which is talking about the heart of the matter of why they broke up, but the heart of THE matter. The reason why we are here, what's the purpose of all this learning. To become better people? But, what's the point of that? To become better and more moral to make ourselves feel good? What's at the heart of all this? 

This leads me to think about the only thing in my life where the MORE I know, the MORE I understand. Or rather, the more I know, the more I want to understand and that is when it comes to God's love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. 

Which is why Easter is a big deal, Jesus rose from the dead, giving proof that he was the son of God.

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him, shall not perish but have eternal life. 

There's so much to understand, learn and grasp through that verse in Christianity. 

This is where the heart of everything that happens in this world beats for me. I don't often think about the magnitude of this often as I wish I did. But, when I am learning, struggling, celebrating or wondering what everything is for, it always comes back to this. God's truth, God's realness, God's love.

Even when my will is weak and my thoughts are scattered, it IS about forgiveness. God loved me before I was born and continues to through my weak will and my scattered thoughts. He accepts me just as I am. He'd accept me if I was worse and if I did better his acceptance would be the same. Acceptance, Forgiveness, Grace.

Celebrate Easter on this Sunday! It's when God gave us access to the acceptance, forgiveness and grace through Christ!

(I'd probably have more Heart of the Matter reflections, but I have to go. I'm sorry, I hope it doesn't ruin your weekend .)