Friday: Moral of the Story

When I was little and my grandparents were visiting, my grandmother would always ask me one question after I got home from school: "what'd you learn today?" It may sound like a simple question, but nothing could be harder when all you want to do is go play with your friends. I had to stop and think, what did I learn that day?

True to form, here are a few things I learned this week:

1. Even at 24 years old, I'm totally fine with having my dad call for me when I'm getting jipped.. (In this case, the moving company who still hasn't delivered my things from DC...)

2. I learned that there are a ton of beauty products in the drug store that are the same, if not better, than anything you can find in Neimans or Sephora. Case in point: Maybelline Fit Me powder vs. Sephora Powder

Currently loving this stuff!

Currently cannot be found in Abilene, TX

        3. I also learned, or re-learned, that the incredible stories told this week at the Republican National Convention could only happen in the United States. I love America.

Sen. Marco Rubio

Paul Ryan (Also, have you seen this?)

Mitt and Ann

This long weekend, I'm looking forward to hanging out with my family, eating good food, drinking tasty wine, and tearing up a golf course or two.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!! 

Abilene Abbey

After moving back to Abilene, my parents got me hooked on a little show called Downton Abbey. Okay "got me hooked" is not really the right phrase, since I am without a doubt going to love, be obsessed with, and dream about anything that is English and pre/during World War II era.

I love the time period (1912-1919) for the drama and tragedy that comes with the war, the volatile political landscape that takes shape after World War I , and of course the sartorially-dynamic, beautiful people walking around a gorgeous English estate bigger than the state of Rhode Island.

I mean....for serious. I'm surprised the royal family hasn't bought this yet.

Does that come in my size?

And that's just the visuals!! The writing is brilliant, the characters are developed either as amazing men and women or as evil plotters, and the fact that they all live in the same house makes it even more dramatic.


I love the irony of opening the series with the sinking of the Titanic. The aristocratic life that so many believed was untouchable is now eerily vulnerable. So right from the start, Downton Abbey is shoved into this uncertain time when that whole upper class is exposed. Now that the war is over, I think all bets are off, and Downton will have to change right along with the times.

I just love them together!

So I finished Season 2 a couple of weeks ago, and it was beautiful. Not just because (SPOILER ALERT!!) Lavinia dies and Mary and Matthew get together (better than Elizabeth and Darcy? Debatable..), but also because Sybil is preggers, that slut Jane left Robert and Cora in peace, Carson decided to stay at Downton, and Cousin Violet is still alive to make witty comments about the societal norms of the time.
Just a few of my favorites:

• "Don't be defeatist dear, it's terribly middle class."
• "She's so slight a real necklace would flatten her."
• "I'm a woman, Mary. I can be as contrary as I choose."
• And so many others...
  
  
  

On the down side, Bates is in jail, Anna is miserable, and the new season doesn't start for another 5 MONTHS. But no matter, because when it does come back, I have no doubt that it will be as thrilling as ever.

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend watching it. If for no other reason, than simply because you will understand this photo:

This is what she would say if I were in charge.

To sum up the last 24 years...

My birthday was on Sunday. 24 freakin' years old. "How did this happen?" is what I've been asking myself all week. Since my 24th birthday was flanked by family injuries (not mine), I didn't do that much celebrating. Dinner with parents, dinner with friends, and a few cards made for a relaxing birthday weekend with lots of time for reflection...which can be dangerous.

But this kind of reflection was not dangerous or sad. Quite the contrary, actually, and here's why: after moving back home, I decided to go through my room. As it turns out, twenty-four years of living and accumulating, just, STUFF translates into a solid week of cleaning out, throwing away, and remembering. I found pictures that I hadn't looked at in years, stuffed animals that are way passed their prime, blankets that are a little worse for wear but will never ever be found in the trash can, and even my baby book (thanks, Mom, for writing all that down, the entertainment is incomparable!). 

In any case, my birthday is over, and I can now call myself a year older. Thank you to those who've helped me live 24 amazing years, and I can't wait to see what this year will bring.

In the meantime, I'm loving this song (but not the music video so much):

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! 

Veep pick: A little Wisconsin flavor for the campaign.

Photo from CBS News

I love Paul Ryan. Love him. My only claim to fame with this campaign is that I saw him once in the Cannon Rotunda. My friend literally sent me this link when it came out (yeah, I don't know how to "reblog" that yet..): 

http://onlyonthehill.tumblr.com/post/23142993888/when-i-see-rep-paul-ryan

Which is why I'm taking a hiatus from talking about random things to talking about the 2012 Presidential Election. I've said all summer that I would love to see Ryan be veep pick, to which most people say that it would never happen. But with his congressional record, the fact that he's gotten 2 budgets passed in the House while the Senate has none, and the policies he is trying to put in place, it's not hard to imagine why Romney chose him.

Now, I don't know much about anything, but I'm pretty pumped.

How do you feel about Paul Ryan as Vice Presidential pick?

"Miss it Noonan, miss it!!"

Golf. This four letter word (I'm convinced those cray cray Scots who first invented the game did not make the word four letters by accident) conjures images for pretty much everyone. For people who don't play the sport, they imagine sportscasters whispering under their breath while a man in odd attire tries to put a little white ball into a hole. For those of us who do play, it can easily become an obsession, one of the most frustrating things in your life, or simply a much needed escape out of doors.

To add a little background, my family plays golf. And I mean, my whole family. All five of us, plus my grandparents, my uncles, and probably 13 out of about 20 cousins. 

I mean, seriously. You couldn't make up this kind of family bonding. (Carmel, CA circa 2009)

I started playing in college because I wanted to impress a boy (yes, I'll admit it). But then I found I could hit the ball pretty well. Plus, any "sport" where you can day drink and get a tan is fine by me. One of my favorite parts is the "etiquette" that comes with playing golf. Like unspoken rules of a game, they become almost as important as the official guidelines.

Such as tending the pin... 

...and waiting your turn to putt...

...and learning not to break a club by bashing it against a tree when you shank your drive. That one took me a few years (no picture for this one, thank goodness).

But after those awkward moments of said club-breaking, my favorite part about the game is that you are never really playing against anyone (unless there is betting involved). So it's not difficult to go out there with people who are not of your skill set. Then you end up just enjoying each others company while being outside. I really recommend trying it out. You won't be sorry! In the words of Carl, "gunga galunga...gunga-gunga lagunga."

Do you play golf? If so, what is your favorite part about it?

It was the best of times, it was the... no, actually just the best of times.

A few weeks ago, amid the craziness that would become my life as I moved from Washington, DC to Abilene, TX, I had a thought: What if I started a blog?

Now, yes, undoubtedly, millions of people in our country and around the world have had the same thought. And I'm not that different from many of these bloggers. I love books, movies, quoting those movies, wine, decorating my nonexistent apartment, Pinterest, coffee, Texas, Diet Dr. Peppers as big as my head, traveling. So how can my blog be unique from all those others out there? It's a valid question. One which I can't answer yet.

What I can tell you is I intend to write about what I love, what I'm passionate about, and new loves and passions that I know I'll find in this new chapter of my life. Tag along for the ride.

I just hope I don't have the following "Old School" awkward encounter with a friend now that I'm back:

Frank: A little housewarming gift. To new beginnings.
Mitch: I actually gave this to you for your wedding.
Frank: This model?
Mitch: This exact one.
Frank: I'm sorry, I'm, I'm embarrassed.
Mitch: I hope you like it.
Frank: I Love it... thank you.