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My Favorite TV Shows

This is the hardest favorites list to narrow down.

I get hooked on TV shows really easily, and there are a lot of shows that I love like Veronica Mars, Bones, and Once Upon a Time. But when it comes down to it, these are shows that I could watch over and over again and never get bored. I actually own the DVD sets of all of these except one.

  • Gilmore Girls
    • This is a show that touches me in so many ways. I am the same age as Rory, and she is so like me with being a reader and high achieving student. I started watching this with my dad when it first came out, and I have recently watched the whole series over with my mom. There are so many ways that I have connected with the story lines, and there are parts where I could have written the dialog. How can you not love the witty crazy banter of Lorelei and Rory in Stars Hallow? I am so excited for the reboot!!!!
  • Boy Meets World
    • I grew up watching this on Friday nights. This is a show that when the time comes, I hope to watch with George to pass along the amazingness. I love Cory and Topanga. I think I always hoping to find my Cory in real life. I learned so many life lessons from this show. “Life’s hard. Get a helmet.” I could watch it’s cheesiness over and over again.
  • Dancing With the Stars
    • It was so great to have this on my birthday! I have been watching this show for over 10 years now. It never ever gets old. I love dance, especially the traditional dances of waltz and jive. Fun fact, I wanted to be a choreographer when I was little. I love the stories that this show tells too. It has rejuvenated countless stars careers, which I think is fun to see. I think it is nice to see these famous people be real and see them stripped down a little emotionally. I get so excited to see all the glitz and glamor as well. Also I am in love with Derek Hough, so I love that this show introduced him to me. (This is the only one on this list that we don’t own the DVDs for.)
  • Castle
    • I am sad to see that this show my be coming to an end here soon, but I also think it is probably time to bow out gracefully instead of having a “jump the shark” moment. I have loved everything about this twisty crime drama. The will they won’t they of Castle and Beckett kept the story going for most of the seasons. The creative spin of having a writer follow the NYPD makes for a different crime drama. Also I enjoy that they have actually ghost written the books from Castle’s character.
  • Law and Order SVU
    • I think the fact that this show is still on is a testament to how good it is and the following it has. It may be so predictable, but I love the crime fighting stories it has. I had my ring tone as the dun-dun for a long time.
  • The West Wing
    • This show tickles my social studies major heart. This is such a smart show that any side of politics would enjoy. It is funny and serious. It is what we hope politics could be. I love love love CJ! I didn’t want this show to end!
  • The Office
    • Tom and I fell in love over this series. We have re-watched it countless times, and it never gets old. It is funny, romantic, and you can’t help but fall in love with all the characters despite them all being a little crazy. From Dwight’s crazy antics to Michael’s stupidity and naivety to watching Jim and Pam fall in love, this was a magical show. Tom and I both cried on the finale. We still quote The Office almost daily, actually daily if you count “That’s what she said.”

I connected with the characters on each of these shows. As weird as it sounds, they become friends. So I am glad to revisit these places every now and again.

Have you watched any of these shows? What are your all-time favorites?

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35 Before 35 on my 31st Birthday

I started this list a few years ago, and now I am 31.

I have never been worried about getting older, but there is something about 31 that leaves a weird taste.

Thirty-one.

It’s just kind of bland to say.

Here’s to hoping that this next trip around the sun is the best one yet, despite how it feels to say 31.

Let’s see where I am with my 35 before 35 list on my birthday today.

1. Crochet something else besides blankets or scarves at least once a year (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
2. Do a photography challenge (Took pictures once a week George’s first year)

3. Visit 5 cities I have never been to before (8/5)

4. Tour at least one winery, brewery, or distillery

5. Send at least 5 snail mail a month

6. Become a “professional” photographer

7. Run at least 10 races (any distance) (6/10)

8. Go camping with Tom

9. Pay for the car behind me in a drive through

10. See Tyrone Wells live as many times as possible

11. Tour Fort Defiance here in Clarksville

12. Water ski with my dad

13. Do a 5K with my mom

14. Take a swing dance class with Tom

15. Read at least one fun book a month and one professional development book every three months

16. Take a pottery or stained glass class

17. Do one new recipe each month

  • Black Bean Balls-These were a great alternative to get something other than carbs into George. They were pretty delicious!
  • Crockpot Beef and Broccoli-These was silly easy and so good. You gotta love the crockpot!

18. See both a Clemson and UCM football game live

19. Find a place to volunteer on a regular basis

20. Go hiking

21. Ride in a hot air balloon

22. Go to at least 20 “new to me” restaurants. (32/20)

  • Dotties-It’s a little diner in our little town of 106 people. The service is a tad slow, but the food is great! Great french toast and biscuits and gravy!

23. Stay at a bed and breakfast

24. Spend a day without electronics (phone, t.v. and computer)

25. Do something unique and new for my birthdays

  • We went to Ha Ha Tonka state park yesterday. It was a great way to spend time with Tom and George. I plan on doing a post on it here soon. Such a cool park! Even thought they both looked pissed, we had a wonderful time!

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26. Explore Nashville while we live here

27. Watch at least 10 movies that I have not seen before that won Best Picture at the Oscars and at least 20 documentaries (not necessarily Oscar winning) Movies (3/10); Documentaries (7/20)

28. Sew an item of clothing from scratch

29. Do a personal devotional/bible study on my own

30. Be a mascot for an event

31. Go on our honeymoon (preferably somewhere tropical)

32. Host an annual NCAA Basketball Tournament Championship game party

33. Go on a mission trip

34. Be on a recreation volleyball team

35. Become a mom

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My Favorite Things About Being a Mom

 I love being a mom. This is what I was made to do. Raising another human being is not easy, but it is so rewarding. I feel blessed that God chose me to do this for George.

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Here is why I love being a mom:

  • George is teaching me to be the best version of me. Having to teach someone else to be a good person definitely keeps me in check of how I am living out my life and if I am being a good role model to him. There is also nothing more humbling than teaching a kid to eat with a fork and pee in a toilet. There is something about potty training that really makes you think about your priorities.
  • He gives me a reason to explore the world around me and notice the little things. George is so amazed by everything. From the dogs’ tails to bark on the trees, you can just see that everything is magical in his eyes. I love being able to experience everything differently through him. I feel like our life has more substance because we are taking the time to enjoy each moment because George is living full throttle all the time.
  • Baby smiles and laughs have got to be real medicine for the soul. Nothing can warm up your heart quite like the baby giggles.
  • The outpouring of love and joy can be overwhelming, but it is such a great reminder that I am needed and I have a purpose. When George wraps his little chubby arms around my neck or runs up to me at the end of the day, I know that he loves me. I tell him probably every 10 minutes or so how much I love him. It is something I never want him to question. And I don’t think there is anything wrong with spreading more love around in this world. And he is just so happy. I mean he can throw the biggest tantrum but give him five minutes and he has forgotten the transgression and is laughing so hard. If all of us could just get past  the little things and just seek joy, I think the world would be a better place. I want that to be ingrained him so he continues to pass it along.
  • It has grounded me even more in my faith. George is an answer to our prayers, and he is a daily reminder to seek God. Whether that is when I have lost my patience, or I am emotionally grateful about this gift, I need to always trust that God is there and He has His plan for me. And now that we are trying to teach George about God and prayer, it is even more reason to make sure I am strong in my walk with the Lord.
  • Having a kid is a great excuse to have chicken nuggets at least once a week.

I love him, and I love being his mom.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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My Favorite Books

I love books. I escaped in books growing up, and they are a way for me to have moments to myself now.

Here are my favorite books that fall into the “can’t put down” category.

Modoc by Ralph Helfer

This is my favorite book.  It is based on a true story about the relationship between a man and an elephant. It’s based in the early 1900s, and spans over several decades and through several adventures. It talks about traveling, the circus, family, and everything in between. There is a sad and serious undertone, but it is a very touching story.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

I love historical fiction, so there is no surprise this is one of my favorite books. Many of Steinbeck’s works are considered American classics, but this is the best in my opinion. This book is based around the Great Depression and what families endured during that time. This to me shows human nature at it’s core when people have power and when they are desperate or have nothing to lose but have everything to gain. I love this snippet from Goodreads “tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity.“

North and South Trilogy by John Jakes

I can’t read just one of these. They are a packaged deal. I read these every summer in high school, and a couple times since. My favorite era in the Civil War, and this historical fiction takes that time and envelopes you with all the emotions. It is based on two families that are friends but are divided by the politics of war. Jakes does a good job connecting you to the characters and tells a fascinating story of defending their principles.

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Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

If you are not as enamored by elephants as I am, you may not find this one as fascinating as I did. I wrote my review here. This is one that I recommend to anyone who asks for a book recommendation now. It is brilliantly good!

The Shining by Stephen Kin

I hate scary movies, a deep “make me have nightmares” hate. But for some reason, I am enthralled by the actual novels. I remember reading this for the first time in high school way into the wee hours in the morning to find out what this little boy is seeing now. Stephen King has a reputation for suspense, and this is one of his most well-known stories. This story follows a little boy’s ability to see things in a haunted hotel when he and his parents (the hotel caretakers) get stuck there during a storm. Scary but riveting. To this day I have never watched the movie though because even though I know the plot, actually seeing it in film with make me pee my pants in fright.

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Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

This series needs no introduction. While I may seem old to be so in love with these books, I was in 9th grade when I read the first book. The last one came out the year I graduated from college, so I felt like I connected with the characters as I was growing up myself, obviously with a little less magic and death threats. What I love about these is the stark imagination it takes to write these intricate stories, and the longevity of the enterprise is impressive. I love that these books got millions of kids (and adults) to read again long before the movies came to being. These are fantastically written, and I read them through every few years. They are comfort reads for me. They are so much fun!

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Luckily, I have friends who are as obsessed as I am.

Apparently I love historical fiction and supernatural reads.

What are your favorite books?

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May Goals

I love May. It is such a cheery time of the year. Plus it is my birthday month so that makes it even better!

Before I go into my May goals, let’s see how my April goals went.

  •  Fitness- get 15,000 steps a day. I am pretty proud of myself. I didn’t get 15000 every day, but I did improve my weekly totals each week. Last week, I got 121,524 steps. I had one or two days each week that I did not get to 15,000, however, my Saturdays and Sundays more than made up for it with 19 and 20 thousand steps. I even had one day with 22,000! So even though I didn’t get to 15,000 every day, I still call this a success. I doubt I will ever be on the work leaderboard though because there are people  getting 150,00-250,000 a week. I don’t have time for that.
  • House Tasks-
    • Hang up photos in our bedroom-It’s getting comical now. I think about it always after George is in bed, and we share a wall with him. And while he is not a light sleeper, I don’t want to tempt fate.
    • Clean up the craft room-Nope. We focused more on our yard then the inside of the house this month. So I would say it was still a productive month.
    • Take care of the brush in the back-We did this a little bit, but we spent more of our time on the rocks that are randomly half-buried all over our yard. We spent several days digging these things up, and we haven’t even come close to getting them all, We got most of the bigger patches that were causing Tom headaches when mowing cleared up though. We ended up using them to make beds around our trees in the front, which is making the yard look so much better!
  • Something with George-Play catch. We did play, or at least try it. He doesn’t get how to catch, but he does throw it.
  • Something with Tom-Go on a date. We actually went on TWO lunch dates. Tom came and met me at work, and we went downtown which was so nice to have a conversation over food without trying to feed George.
  • Something for me-schedule a massage. The schedule didn’t work out to do it this month, but I did schedule it! It is coming up here in a week, on my birthday!

May Goals

  •  Fitness-My goal is to get at least one day with 25,000 steps. I got one 22,000 day last month, so it is totally doable right?
  • House Tasks-
    • Hang up photos in our bedroom-I mean if I have this on here all year, eventually we will get it done right?
    • Get the basement visitor ready-This is a fairly large task. Unfortunately, the basement has become a dumping ground and the dog’s haven, so it is not exactly guest ready. That is where our third full bath is, but we have no guest bedroom. The living area down there can easily house guests with our large sectional couch, and there is enough space to put an air mattress down. We have several friends who are coming to visit this summer, so we need to get on sprucing up this space so someone other than Grace and Crosby can enjoy it.
    • Put in flower beds off our porch-We have this trench right off our porch that is ugly and hard to maintain. The dogs fall up and down it all the time because they are idiots when they see a cat or squirrel (or the wind blowing), so we want to put some safe stairs that they can run up instead of barreling into this dirt ledge. But we have to dig out a retaining wall and make the beds, so that is the hard part.
    • Dig up flowers to put in tree beds-We have these random surprise lilies literally every where in our back yard. They multiply like crazy, and I feel like we find a new patch every day (kind of like our rock problem). So we want to dig them up and put them around our trees in our front yard. We want to make it look like we actually try in our yard…
    • Tear down the creeper shed-I got some aggression out to get us started on this shed that has no purpose. We think it use to be an old dog pen. Now, it just houses some tarantulas, so it needs to go.

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  • Something with George-Have a play-date with one of my mom friends. We know several people that have kids close to George’s age. Granted he interacts with kids all the time at the sitter’s, but I think it will be good for me to also be able to interact with parents outside of work.
  • Something with Tom-Go to the restaurant in our little town. Yep the restaurant. Well there are other food establishments:  one is a diner, and the other is a bar.
  • Something for me-As narcissistic as it may seem, this is my birthday month, so I want to do a bunch of posts here on the blog about me-more specifically my favorite things. It’s my blog, and I do what I want. I have really been away from the blog, and I miss it so I think this will be a good way to share more about myself and is a good timing when this month is all about celebrating me as a mom and me being born. Is there anything you want to know what my favorites are?