Head Full of Thoughts

I prefer Krispy Kreme to Dunkin' Donuts.

I hate being alone.

I'm glad that when I talk to God, I can be sure he's listening.

I like lillies and daisies and wildflowers.

When I was little, I wanted to be a famous singer.

I like winter, because I like to bundle.

I like argyle and houndstooth and checkered patterns.

When I was 9, my best friend and I transformed a huge fallen tree into a Pirates of the Caribbean-esque ship.

I always wished I had curly hair.

The way the world smells when it rains is one of the best scents ever.

I hate doing laundry and ironing.

I hope one day I'll get a chance to travel.

I love holding hands and surprise kisses and the warmth of an embrace.

I'm the girl who can't stop dreaming.

What I Love

I love that our ornaments on our newsroom Christmas tree were hung with paper clips. Seems only appropriate. I forget that fun fact and am reminded each time I help put up or take down the tree.

I love good hair days. They can set the stage for the rest of the day.

I love when the ride to work is commercial free.

I love lunch dates and catch-up phone calls and hot tea in the morning.

I remember

I remember the first time I stayed on the telephone all night with a boy. I tried so hard to keep my voice muffled, but I'm sure my frequent giggles escaped my efforts.

I remember popping popcorn in what now seems like an antique machine. We'd measure out the kernels, pour them in, and then listen to the whir and pop, pop, pop. We'd watch as the fluffy pieces climbed to the top and then coasted down the slide at the lip of the machine into an oversized bowl. Of course we'd then proceed to douse the miniature white clouds with an excessive amount of melted butter. Mmm...

I remember riding my bike down the steepest hill in the neighborhood, the feel of wind and freedom whipping around me, until I reached the bottom, red-faced and exuberant.

I remember the urgency and fever of first love. Feeling like you were walking on air and couldn't breathe and wishing time could stand still. Learning what it felt like to have butterflies flapping their wings in your stomach, trapped and trying to get out.

I remember using my living room for a concert hall, belting out my favorite songs with abandon to an audience of tables and chairs.

I remember the first time I shaved my legs, away from home so mom wouldn't know, with a cheap plastic razor and feeling astonished at how smooth legs could actually be. I wanted so desperately to be grown up.

Why on earth do we all want so desperately to be grown up?

Sunday, Lazy Sunday

Very little rivals a slow, easy start to the day with a hot cup of coffee. Mmm... I think could sit in my pajamas drinking coffee and thinking great thoughts all day long and be perfectly content. Why won't someone pay me to do that?

Post-Christmas Lull

Sometimes to me the days after Christmas feel like the saddest days of the year. The weeks leading up to Christmas create such a euphoric high. And once you reach the pinnacle, well, it seems you can only go downhill from there.

Coming down from the high of the holidays is a task. What do you focus all your time and energy on? And don't get me started about having to stop playing the carols I love so much, taking down the tree and putting away all the decorations until next year.

Quick, somebody send me another beloved holiday to prepare for...

Crossroads

You ever feel like you're at a crossroads in your life? You've come to the intersection and the shiny green rectangle road signs are waiting for you to decide your route? Yeah, I'm definitely at the corner of confused and completely unsure.

The one thing I do know is that 2009 is going to be a pivotal year. Some years go by in a blur of same-ness. Others are life-changing and leave deep markings on the blueprints of your life. '09 is going to be one of those. I can feel it, change is a-comin'.

My 2008 Top Ten Lists

Favorite Songs:
Sugarland "Already There"
Matt Nathanson "Come on Get Higher"
Flo Rida "Low"
Taylor Swift "Love Story"
Daughtry "What About Now"
Jason Mraz "I'm Yours"
Britney Spears "Womanizer"
Katy Perry "Hot 'N Cold"
Beyonce "If I Were a Boy"
T.I. "Whatever You Want"

Favorite Movies:
"Twilight"
"Four Christmases"
"Sex and the City"
"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist"
"Nights in Rodanthe"
"The Dark Knight"
"Iron Man"
"Eagle Eye"
"What Happens in Vegas"
"27 Dresses"

Celebrities I Couldn't Get Enough Of:
Britney Spears (fo sho)
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Nettles
Kenny Chesney (went to his summer tour kick-off concert in Columbia!)
Fall Out Boy
Tina Fey
Taylor Swift
Heath Ledger
John Krasinski
Barack Obama (He's a celebrity, right?)

Celebrities I'm Sick Of:
Lindsay Lohan
Brad Pitt
Tom Cruise
Kim Kardashian
Angelina Jolie
Paris Hilton
Madonna
Anyone from The Hills
Amy Winehouse
Disney stars

Stuff I Was Addicted to This Year:
Coffee
Jodi Picoult books
Converse shoes
Sweater dresses
My iPod
Scarves
Nine West
England
Manicures and Pedicures
Sales

Books I Read And Loved This Year:
"Atlas Shrugged"
"My Sister's Keeper"
"Twilight"
"New Moon"
"Eclipse"
"Breaking Dawn"
"Blue Like Jazz"
"Nineteen Minutes"
"Skipping Christmas"
"Sense and Sensibility"