Home, sweet home.

I made it back to the USA safely, and although I am a little jet lagged (still!), I am very happy to be home.

I had an incredible trip and I can't wait to share photos, stories and lessons learned! Until I get all my pictures curated, I will leave you with what greeted me upon my arrival home. There is nothing quite as sweet as getting flowers at an airport. I am one lucky girl!

Oh, and also: Go Team USA! I still have Olympic fever until the torch is extinguished on August 12. I can't get enough!

Vacation reading list

One of the best things about travelling long distances for vacation--whether by plane, train or automobile--is having a dedicated time to read. I fall so deeply into books that reading for 30-minute segments just doesn't do it for me. So a trans-Atlantic flight is the perfect excuse to read a new book. Thanks to recommendations from my friends (and a few purchases from my Amazon wishlist), here are a few titles I have settled on for my upcoming trip.

1. Barnheart by Jenna Woginrich




Yes, I am the weird girl that reads about homesteading and farms for fun. Call it my rural upbringing, but I love books that detail a simpler life in a modern world, and Woginrich's earlier work, Made from Scratch, was a beautiful look into the reality of living off of the land. I'm excited to see what new stories and revelations her latest book with entail.

2. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin




I'm reading this at the recommendation of one of my co-workers, but it has been on my radar for a while. I don't have any past experience with the author, but the subject matter interests me. I always forget that the things you do (not just what happens to you) impact your mood and feelings. Hopefully this book will be a reminder to me to make proactive choices that lead to a happy life.

3. The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett




I love the movies, but have never read the book. I think it might be a little more hard-boiled in tone than the book (there was already a pretty descriptive flashback with cannibalism involved in the first or second chapter... Myrna Loy would have never approved!), but I think it's worth a shot.

4. The Works of P.G. Wodehouse




I ran across some of Wodehouse's books at Full Circle a while ago, and they seemed like the exact type of fiction that I like--set in the early 20th Century, full of social commentary and tension between the rich and the wanna-be rich. Even better, because of copyright laws, a lot of his earlier works are very inexpensive in Kindle format.

If you need a little inspiration this morning...

...just watch this. It gets me every time.

[Belated] summer project list

The other day a coworker and I were commenting on the blog of our friend Sommer, who somehow finds time to work and do a thousand other awesome things. When we both wondered how she does it, I jokingly said, "she probably doesn't spend as much time on Facebook as we do."

Later on that evening, the truth of that statement really hit me. I have pinned dozens of cool ideas, I have tons of goals and aspirations, and my bucket list isn't getting any shorter. Yet I spend time on Facebook liking the latest batch engagement photos instead of doing the stuff that I want to do in the first place.

So I decided to help myself change that bad habit. I made a list of the things I wanted to do this summer, and put them in one of my pretty blue mason jars. Anytime I am bored I won't have an excuse!

So here is to getting things done!

Happy Monday!

I don't know about you, but Mondays never really bother me. I like the idea of a fresh start, a new to do list and a more chances to have fun and laugh a lot. Plus, any time I get the Monday blues I just throw on a cute dress and new lip gloss (like the new color of Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment... yes, please). It works wonders to lift my spirits, believe me.

I had a fantastic weekend, involving multiple trips to my favorite bookstore (my weakness), a few new records and the discovery of the ultimate antique store. But more on those later.

Instead, I will leave you with my current song obsession. We sang it in church the past two weeks and I can't get enough. I have decided it's the theme song of my current season. Enjoy!

images of my OKC (and a few of Idabel, too)

I'm instagram crazy these days since I returned to the land of iPhone users. Here's a taste of what I've been up to.

Sometimes I blog in my head

When I decided to move to OKC I had all these dreams about, you know, actually posting on this blog. And I started out with the best of intentions. In fact, I practically crafted multiple first drafts in my head, all ready to be polished and posted. The time I went to OKCMOA for their rooftop festivities. The time Will and Holly had their last weekend in OKC. The time I shared my birthday picnic with a homeless dude (let me tell you, THAT was an interesting birthday party). The time I actually had a pretty cute decor scheme in my apartment. The time I did a mac-n-cheese face off between this recipe and this one (the greek mac-n-cheese won). The time I went to a fancy-schmancy rooftop birthday party. The time we all had Sunday dinner together.The time I made a fancy-schmancy cake for my friends.

You get the point.

But the follow-through has never been my strong point. It's not like blogging is of life-or-death importance to me, but the lack of consistency is just a symptom of something that invades every area of my life: I can't finish what I start.

I'm great at dreaming of solutions. I'm fabulous at making plans, schedules and incentives. But when it comes to doing the actual work, I kind of suck at it.And at some point of my life, I have to realize that this is a discipline problem isn't going to fade when I hit the ever-elusive adulthood phase of my life. It's the small, daily choices that make me who I am.

Luckily, I've got great friends to keep me accountable on the things that matter. I've got an iPhone and iPad with apps and reminders that bug the living daylights out of me keep me on track. And I've got journals and calendars that allow me to visually remind myself of what I want. The tools are all there. Now I just need the will and the motivation to follow through. Keep my cute apartment clean. Workout everyday. Actually read my Bible. Make fresh and delicious food instead of eating out.

Today, I'm going to start where I am. And maybe, just maybe, I will actually start blogging all those ideas instead of just thinking about them. I'm feeling pretty good about it.