What I'm Reading

For months I kept hearing friends say they were obsessed with The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. It's considered Young Adult (YA) and I just couldn't see myself getting into anything YA. Too close to all that silly vampire nonsense for me to be interested. But my sister Amy bought me Book #1 for Christmas, knowing full well that if I read it, I would be hooked.

And boy was I! I finished The Hunger Games in four days while we were on a trip to NYC. When I got to the last page of THG, I was so disappointed that I didn't already have #2 to get started! I tweeted out my disappointment and, lo and behold, Catching Fire and Mockingjay were mine to borrow from a friend the very next day! I read Catching Fire in four days and Mockingjay in a single Saturday marathon. I won't give it away for those who haven't read them, but suffice it to say, I couldn't put them down until I knew how it all turned out. I can admit when I am wrong and I will never again turn up my nose at YA books.

What should I read next? I am the waiting list at the library for Water For Elephants so I need something to keep me busy until then.

Pretty Please: Birthday Edition 2

I am loving this new Glass Photo Pendant from Amy Cornwell, which can be personalized with a teeny tiny photo of your choice. I love Amy, but if she keeps coming out with such great new stuff, I'm going to go broke. So someone please save me from the poor house and send me this pretty for my birthday, mmmkay?

Flash Mob

If I could re-do my 30 Before 30 list today there are a few things I would change. Namely, I'd add 'Participate in a flash mob' to the list. Although, in my defense, when I made this last (all the way back in October) flash mobs weren't yet a 'thing'. I mean seriously, how fun would that be to do with your girls?

This is a flash mob that my college friends John and Maria did as part of the youth retreat at their church last weekend. Now Maria can mark 'Flash Mob' off her 40 Before 40 list (sorry, had to rub it in that she's already 30). Clearly, they are way cooler than me.

Pretty Please: Birthday Edition

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Because who doesn't love toasty warm feet?

My feet are always freezing. I wear socks and slipper Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. It can be 90 degrees outside and I still need socks on my feet. I don't wear them to bed, so in the time it takes me to put my socks in the hamper and crawl into bed, my feet are little blocks of ice again.

Although these are probably a bit like wearing cement blocks on your feet. Hopefully there's never an emergency while lounging around in these babies. Or at least if there is, I'll die with very warm feet.

Is it Spring yet?

It's still definitely winter in Indy (snow flurries this morning!) which is why I was shocked the other day when a friend said it was only two weeks until Spring. Um, wait, what?! How did that happen? I'm usually itching for Spring. Dying for shorts. Staring longingly at my sleeveless dresses. Painting my toenails in February in anticipation of open-toed shoes in April.

This year? Notsomuch. It just totally snuck up on me. But now that I've been made aware? I'm in total Spring Preparation mode. And what better place to start than spring cleaning with a new Spring dress? I am loving pretty much every single thing in Ann Taylor Loft's new spring line. I'll take one of everything.

Please and Thank You.

30 Before 30: #13 Give serious thought to dying my hair red

Like most girls, I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. Two of my sisters have the most amazing corkscrew curls and the third one has a silky curtain of hair thicker than a horse's mane. Me? I got stuck somewhere in between with wavy hair that is neither deliciously curly nor luxuriously straight.

In short, my hair takes a lot of work. Once I find a style that works for me, it takes a lot for me to be willing to change it. I alternate between to styles: long layers and a cute short bob. Boring? Sure. But it works for me.

I may not be wild about my waves, but one thing I've always loved is the color. Healthy and dark and dimensional. Which is why I've never messed with what the good Lord gave me. I'd love to be one of those girls who can change from blonde to chestnut to auburn without batting an eyelash. (see: Rachel McAdams), but I'm way too lazy cheap skittish for that. I have, however, always wondered how I'd look as a redhead. If I ever worked up the courage to do it, red would be the way I'd go. So for my 30x30 List, I decided to give it some serious consideration. If not now, when? (And don't say when I go gray - we're trying to downplay turning 30, remember?)

After a month of experimenting with a new layered haircut, embracing my inner curly girl, and finally taking the plunge into blunt bangs, I figured I was on a roll. Might as well give it a (temporary) go. So while I was home for a week in early December, my sister Amy dyed my hair a nice deep auburn.

I hate both of these pictures of me but they are pretty much the only ones I took the entire month of December. The pictures really don't do the color justice. I loved it. All of my female friends noticed it immediately. Nate didn't notice for four days. So I guess it wasn't shockingly dramatic, but it definitely gave me a good taste of what it might be like to take the plunge for real. For now, I think I'll stick with what my mama gave me (cheap and lazy, I tell you) but when those gray hairs start calling, it's good to know I've got some options.