An Ode to Katie: An Endless List of Why I Love My Baby Sister (Alternately titled: I Suck at Blogging)

*Poking head sheepishly back into the blog-o-sphere*

Hello? Anyone here?

Anyone?

Bueller?......Bueller?

___________

Soooo......clearly I took a little big fat (albeit unintentional) hiatus from blogging. No excuse, really. Just got busy and lacking inspiration, then got out of the habit. For those of you who missed me, you have my sister Katie to thank for getting me back on the blogging horse. She gave me an ultimatum to blog by the end of January, and in true big sister fashion, I put it off to the very last day, just because I could. HA!

It's been a busy two months with lots of time with friends and family (rare and much appreciated!), a flooded basement, a new job for Nate, a recent return to his old job for Nate, and lots of progress on my 30 Before 30 list (updates to come!).

And because I'm still finding my blogging mojo again, I'm going to cheat and update you with a little State of Mind.

Loving: my quiet weekend

Hating: that my feet are always cold, no matter how many layers I put on them!

Craving: Fruity Pebbles

Wanting: Spring to hurry up

Reading: The Hunger Games

Watching: Kourtney and Kim Take NYC

Listening to: Jason Aldean, Big Green Tractor

Looking forward to: NYC this weekend! (Twice! In six months!)

Worried about: the winter storm ruining our trip

Sisters are one of God's best ideas

I was very blessed to have my mom, dad and my sister Amy come stay with us for Thanksgiving. They drove all night on Tuesday to surprise me at 6am on Wednesday morning, which gave us a whole extra day together!

We cooked....


And ate....

And molested a turkey....


And cuddled with puppies.....


And shopped....

And played games (I won!)....

And watched movies....

And cuddled some more with puppies....


And threw cupcakes all over the floor....


Okay, so maybe that last one wasn't on purpose, and maybe Amy didn't find it too funny, but how can you not laugh when someone drops a dozen half baked cupcakes on the floor? What else are sisters for?

What I've been up to while I was away....

Celebrating my Grandma's birthday in Florida:




Loving on a few of my favorite people....



Eating at the Big Ice Cream Cone....



Hanging with the extended family....



Visiting my sister-in-law in New York City:

Blasting out my eardrums at the Eminem/Jay Z Home and Home concert...



Enjoying every single second with my sister-in-law.....



Singing all the words in every Jay Z song, even the bad ones (sorry, Mom!)....



Trying not to geek out when I saw Brad Goreski from The Rachel Zoe Project at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week....



Meeting celebrity dogs.....


Tasting every single Baked by Melissa flavor and not feeling a single bit guilty about it....



Taking a weekend road trip to Knoxville to cheer on the Vols:

Inviting my sister on a last minute road trip....


Making flip cup a family affair.....


Eating gator stew for dessert....


To see the rest of our month-of-vacations pictures, check out my Flickr.

What I learned from my sisters

- She who showers last will shower fast...cause there isn't any hot water left.
- You snooze, you lose...the last brownie, the front seat, whatever. See also #1.
- Each successive sister has it easier than the last. This is the only case where it sucks to be first.
- If you are doing something you shouldn't be doing, at least one sister has likely seen you do it.
- Said sister will use this knowledge to her advantage the next time she snoozes and loses.
- Your underwear drawer is the only safe place to keep chocolate.
- I will always have three best friends. And they all have the same last name.


Today I am thankful for....sisters who are not above bribing each other with cupcakes if it gets all four of us in the same place at the same time.

I love you, girlies! Can't wait to see you in just 24 days!

Love, Ruh

Nostalgia

It's silly and kind of pathetic to admit but six years post-college, I still get a little nostalgic every fall as the kiddies move into dorms, twitter about class schedules, who's rooming with whom and who broke up or made up over the summer. It's worse than ever this year, as my baby sister embarks on her freshman year at a big ol' Southern university not too far from my own alma mater. I was so sad not to be there for move-in day but I made up for it by boring her to death imparting hours of sage wisdom on making the most out of her college experience: Take lots of pictures, say yes to new experiences, befriend someone you'd never talk to in high school, take advantage of every 'skip' the professor gives you.

Of course, being the sappy girl that I am, I dragged out all my college scrapbooks and fondly relived those four years multiple times over the last week with visions of a sweet memory post in my head. But I quickly realized there are FAR too many memories to ever fit into a single post. Heck, I could start a whole new blog and post about college adventures for a year straight and not run out. And I was struck anew with an appreciation for those four years of my life. I love my grown-up life for sure, but I think I will always be just a little bit sad every fall, remembering the people, experiences and adventures that made me the adult that I am today. And now I'm okay with that.

If you need me, I'll be the couch with a glass of wine and a pile of scrapbooks, making a list for my baby sis.

Mama's got a brand new tan

Nothing says summer quite like the glow of golden brown skin in a cute sundress. Sadly for me, I have skin so ridiculously pale that I bare more than a passing resemblance to Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Most days I'm totally okay with being the palest girl in the room. I flirted briefly with the tanning bed one summer, but quickly discovered that my golden glow came with a high price - more freckles. Every summer, I buy the latest and greatest in at home tanning products - lotions, sprays, foams, oh my! But I have neither the time nor the patience to apply carefully and then stand around waiting a month and a day for my skin to dry.

Finally yesterday, after a day at the amusement park during which I was slathered in SPF 50 from head to toe, I finally gave in to my vain yearning for a tan. Baby sister, Emily, works at a tanning salon that just so happens to offer spray tanning. So with a second wedding coming up this weekend and a rather slinky dress to wiggle into, I begged for a quickie appointment.

This was my first experience with technician applied spray tanning. I was admittedly a little nervous about the 'human error' factor (versus a Mystic Tan booth) and the whole 'naked in front of a total stranger' thing, but it was actually a total breeze. And I couldn't be more pleased! I'm tanner than I've been in years. True, I smell like a chemical sewer plant and I'm stickier than a hot cross bun, but I'll sleep it off, shower in the morning and be a bronzed goddess by lunch time tomorrow!

A decent tan may not be worth the possible melanoma, but it sure as heck is worth mild nudity and $25!

Better late than never

I finally uploaded my pictures from Em's graduation. Sorry it took so long! Check them out on Flickr here.

Little girl all grown up

Today is my baby sister Emily's 18th birthday. Sigh. It's hard to believe there are no more babies in our family. She's a high school graduate, a legal adult. And a pretty cool kid woman.

I know this post is supposed to be about Emily, and trust me, I could tell stories about her for days, but mostly what I've been thinking about all day is being a big sister. I am one, three times over and it's the best thing in the world. I was blessed to be allowed to watch these three amazing girls women grow up, to share in their memories, to stay up talking late into the night, to text advice when Mom and Dad are being parents unreasonable, to share shoes and clothes and makeup and purses. It makes me tear up to think how much each of them means to me and how grateful I am to be not only sisters, but also friends. They are each special to me in their own way and I can't imagine my life without them in it.

So thanks, Mom and Dad, for breeding like rabbits blessing me with sisters. Thanks, Katie, Amy and Emily for being the best sisters a girl could ever ask or hope for.

And Emily, no matter how big you get or how far away you go, you'll always be one of the 'little girls' to me. I love you, kid.

Miss me?

My, oh my, it's looking a little dusty and desolate around this place. I know I've been neglecting you, but I've been busy living unwrapping life. That is what this blog is supposed to be about, right? Well, when I actually make the time to blog about it, that is.

It's been a busy week for me, so I'm going to do something I swore I'd never do - the dreaded bullet point post. Hopefully that doesn't mean this blog is jumping the shark. I swear I'll go another 300 posts before I use bullet points again.

• My baby sister Emily came to visit last Monday. The trip was her graduation/birthday gift from us.
• We worked on a super-top-secret Father's and Mother's Day gift for our parents.
  
• Indy had a ridiculous hail storm and damaged Nate's brand new car to the tune of $4500. Nice.
• Mani for Em, pedi for me. Very happy feet.
• Flew to SC for Emily's graduation. Scored two crack rocks espresso brownies a the Chicago airport.
  
• Stayed up until the wee hours every night we were in SC. Exhausting? Yes. Worth every minute? Absolutely.
• Drank my weight in Cheerwine and Sonic Cherry Limeade.
  
• Went to my dad's softball game. I did this weekly as a kid so it was super fun to do it again as an adult.

• Managed not to yell obscenities at the idiot who was standing up and talking on his cell phone during the graduation ceremony.
  
• Climbed a fence in a dress and 4 inch heels at Emily's graduation.

• Stuffed myself full of Bermuda Triangles at Red Bone Alley, all in celebration of Em's accomplishments, of course.
• Showed my Aunt Jo that it is indeed possible to take a decent (albeit cheesy), centered picture of yourself with your own camera.

• Learned that I totally suck at the spelling game Third of a Ghost, despite the fact that I'm an excellent speller. Long story short - if you score three points, you're out. I never made it further than four rounds....
• Stuffed myself full of Stuffed French Toast at IHOP. Realized that I have a thing for pastry stuffed with stuff.

By the time we hit the airport to come home on Sunday afternoon, I was tired. Just how tired, you ask? As we're making our way to our gate, I noticed a girl coming toward us wearing a really cute top. I started to point her out to Nate when I realized we were walking towards a mirrored column. The girl in the cute top? Me.

We have a winner!!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a giveaway winner!

Timestamp: 2009-06-01 10:54:53 UTC

1. Kimberly
2. C
3. Mel
4. Jennifer
5. Pat

It's the ever fashionable Kimberly of Fab Finds Under $50! Kimberly is a follower, left me a question, blogged and Tweeted about my giveaway - the girl really wanted to win! Kimberly can mix patterns like nobodies business and can often be seen on her blog rocking a scarf. I'm happy to be able to add one to her collection; I can't wait to see what she does with it!

Kimberly's question was whether or not I've been thrifting since she introduced me to it last summer. She is a thrifting queen and I was *ahem* a first-timer. Well, girl, I have been exactly once since then, during my unemployment a few weeks ago. While I admire all the ladies who can thrift and shop at places like TJ Maxx, I am sadly not one of them. Try as I might, I just don't have the patience for it. You have to wade through a lot of bad to find the gems and apparently I have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to thrifting.

The recently un-anonymous Mel at Just Fine, Just Dandy asked about my favorite hobbies. If shopping counts as a hobby, that would be #1. I also love to scrapbook, read mysteries, plan parties and wrap gifts. I love to give presents and wrapping them is my favorite part. I spend hours wrapping my Christmas presents, happy as a clam in mud.

Fellow Indianian Jennifer of Pour L'amour De wants to know my favorite vacation destination. That's a hard one! We spend most of our vacations in South or North Carolina visiting our families (like this weekend!). But if that weren't an issue, I love any kind of beach resort where I can be totally lazy and the drinks are pre-paid. We did the Mayan Riviera for our honeymoon and Jamaica last year for our five year anniversary.

My mom wants to know if we want to move back down South someday. Want has nothing to do with it. If it was that easy, we'd already be there!

My dad wants to know how I got so cool. All he needs to do is look in the mirror.

Emily from Caleb Mama Drama went to college with me in SC. She asked what story or joke always makes me laugh. The short answer is Sonic commercials. Yeah, yeah, I know they are stupid, but they never fail to make me laugh like a lunatic. As for a story that always makes me laugh, this one is rather appropriate since the instigator happens to be coming to visit me today. This happened one summer when I was home from college. My mom had this emergency intruder alarm thingie that was basically a little black box with a pin stuck in it. If some one tried to attack you, you could pull the pin out of the box, setting off an ear-splitting alarm to draw attention. One day, I go out to get in my car, open the car door, and am greeted by that eardrum shattering squeal....inside my car. Someone had tied the little box to one door and the pin to another, so that when you opened the door, the pin pulled out of the box and set off the alarm. The only way to turn it off was to get into the car with the alarm blaring and put the pin back in the box! Emily was all of eight years old when she came up with this diabolical plan. Ten years later, I am still waiting to get my payback.

I have two questions left, but I am saving those for another day. Ally from Cute on the Cheap wants a day in the life of my furbabies. A very good idea but one that will take some time to pull together! Jules over at Chic & Pink wants to hear more about how Nate proposed. I love to tell this story but it deserves it's very own post. Stay tuned!

Sweet Carolina

Two weeks from today, I will be kicking it here

where I plan to stuff myself full of this

and drink copious amounts of this

and this

all while spending quality time with these people

in the only place that you can find signs as klassy as this

And I can't wait!

ETA - And yes, that is an actual sign posted in front of the local museum the last time I was home.

Good, Better, Best

Good: Grilled corn on the cob for dinner. Yum.

Better: Scored a third interview (next Tuesday) for the part-time marketing gig.

Best: Just bought our plane tickets to SC for my baby sister's high school graduation.

{My crazy family at Em's high school pageant in January}

Vanity, you are a cruel mistress ......or the things we do for sisters

{image via the brow stop}

If you ever hear me talk about getting threaded again, please remind me that it feels like death by a thousand facial paper cuts.

_______________________________________________

I will freely admit that I have let some things go a bit since I began working from home two years ago. I don't wear make up every day, I am the queen of the messy ponytail, and I have a ridiculously large collection of yoga pants for someone who has only done yoga maybe twice in her entire life.

Since moving into the new house, I have neglected to hang my magnifying beauty mirror in the bathroom, in part because I loathe putting holes in my lovely virgin walls, but mostly I avoid it out of self-preservation. Magnifying mirrors were clearly invented by a man, because no woman in her right mind would have created an instrument whose sole purpose is to point out every new crow's foot, random mole hairs and pores the size of the Grand Canyon.

As a result of my efforts to deny the aging process going on all over my face, my usually well maintained eyebrows have suffered tremendously. I simply do not have the patience to lean over the sink each morning while squinting (hello, crow's feet!) owlishly with tweezers in hand.

I made the mistake of mentioning this to my sister on her first night here, casually dropping that I was considering 'threading' to get my caterpillars brows back under control. Mind you, I have been 'considering' this for several months, passing the brow place every time I visit the mall (read: often). But I know from past experience just how painful it is, so 'considering' was as far as I'd made it.

Bad move - she thought it was a great idea! A new experience! Fun sister bonding! Note to self: In the future, keep your big fat mouth shut.

And so we went on Thursday for a little self-induced torture landscaping. Eye brow threading is an ancient Indian beauty ritual where the technician uses thread to pluck, shape and thin your brows. It is really amazing to watch, faster than plucking and more accurate than waxing. Unfortunately it hurts so bad you want to slap your mama. Suddenly that magnifying mirror's not looking so bad....

I will admit, though, my brows do look better than they have in months and it was indeed fun sister bonding. Especially when her torture took twice as long. Serves her right!

Mimosa, anyone?

Having company is a good excuse for drinking in the morning.

Grateful

My sweet sister sent me this card today just to cheer me up. On the inside it says 'Sounds like a plan. Seriously.' and plays the song 'All Right' . I don't know how she managed to find a card that was so completely fitting - shopping, two of my favorite catchphrases and a song about being all right in the end. Now that's a good sister.

And if that wasn't enough for one day, she finally booked her ticket to come and see me! Hurray! We have been planning it for months and kept having to postpone, but it's finally a done deal. I can't wait for some good sister time.

{my sister, Katie, with our sister Amy's puppy, Java}

Dear Sister

{image vie someecards.com}

Today is my middle younger sister's 20th birthday. It seems crazy to me that she can be starting a whole decade already. Somehow 20 seems like a pretty darn big deal. What happened to that sweet little gap-toothed kid?

She called me yesterday, to see how my first day as an unemployed gal was going. Apparently she didn't get the family memo that my last day had been pushed out, but that's not the point. I got off the phone, marveling at what an incredible adult that kid has turned out to be. {I'm getting all misty-eyed just thinking about it.} She's beautiful and generous and pretty damn funny. She's just a cool person to be around. I am blessed to have her not only as a sister but now as a friend. Cliche? Yes. True? Absolutely.

Happy birthday, Amy Grace!

So, in honor of Amy's birthday (for those of you who know her in real life, of course), leave me a comment sharing your funniest or favorite memory of Amy. This will embarrass her big time and teach her to read her big sister's blog more than once a week....HA!

Retail is the best kind of therapy

I was having this 'text' discussion with my little sister, Amy, earlier this week. Retail therapy is the therapy that keeps on giving. Who needs to waste $150 on an hour long session exploring your Freudian issues, when you can blow that dough at the mall and reap the benefits every time you use your new stuff? Where do I sign up?

Alas, since the big layoff looms large on the horizon, I am no longer indulging in my favorite pastime. This weekend's version of retail therapy included a trip to Sam's Club. Woohoo. Good times.

If I were shopping this weekend, though, here's what would be on my Wish List.

I need another pair of shoes like I need a hole in the head, but I would love to add a pair of purple heels to my collection for spring. Not these by Steve Madden in particular, but something deep or bright purple, in a four inch peep toe. Not that I have given it any great thought, of course.


Maybe it's my longing for Spring, or the approach of St Patrick's Day, or the fact that wearing green allows me to pretend my hazel eyes are at least slightly less boring, but I am wanting an emerald green scarf in the worst way. I have had my eyes peeled for weeks, but can't find one anywhere.


Now that I will no longer enjoy the free book hookup at work, I'm going to start wearing my library card out. But when my favorite author cranks out a new one, I hate the idea of being number 124 on the wait list. Unfortunately for me, I hate the idea of shelling out $24 for a book even more, so I will take my place quietly behind number 123 and wait my turn.


And since you can never underestimate the power of pampering, I'd gladly drop a wad on a day at the spa. Massage, facial, and pedi, anyone?

Good families don't....

Let a little thing like 50 below zero get in the way of seeing each other.

My sister Katie seems to be having a hard time remembering that A Promise is a Promise no matter how much snow is on the ground. I guess I will have to Wait and See and see if she will come visit me From Far Away.

I am not above bribing her with Something Good or threatening to Get Me Another One(sister, that is!) if she doesn't come see me soon.

I will Love Her Forever, whether she comes to visit or not. But I just need to know one thing:

Katie, aren't I worth $29.95?

__________________________________________________________________

*If you have never read the children's books by Canadian author Robert Munsch, you and your children are missing out! My personal favorites are Love You Forever, Something Good and Good Families Don't.

Feta makes anything betta'

I have been tagged half a dozen times in Facebook with this '25 Things about Me' thing, so since you are all clearly dying to know more about yours truly, here you go.

1. I put feta cheese on just about anything - hamburgers, spaghetti, Lean Cuisines. It is my firm belief that feta makes anything better.

2. I quit piano lessons after two years. I begged and whined until my parents let me use that money towards extra dance lessons. Yeah, I haven't danced in 15 years and I regret my choice every time I hear someone play the piano. My (future) children will all play instruments and they will thank me when they are older.

3. I hate manicures. I am too Type A to walk around with chips in my nails but I am too lazy to keep them looking nice.

4. I think green Skittles are the best flavor.

5. I always order the exact same drink at Starbucks. The few times I have ventured into other drinks, I have been bitterly disappointed. My motto is 'go with what you know'.

6. I am a Southern gal, who absolutely hates iced tea and grits.

7. I met my husband on the first day of college. I am fairly certain that he doesn't even remember meeting me that day.

8. I overuse the words 'seriously' and 'whatever'.

9. I am dreading the big 3-0. I am still two months away from turning 28.

10. I talk to my dogs like they are human. (I am home all day, every day by myself. You would do it too.)

11. If I could do anything in the world, I would design wrapping paper, tissue paper, ribbons and other gift-wrap items.

12. I hope to become a mother this year.

13. I love cupcake frosting. The best kind is white icing you get at a mass retailer bakery like Wal-mart or Kroger. Food City in Knoxville, TN has the best frosting I have ever tasted. I will gladly trade you the cake part of my cupcake for the frosting part of yours.

14. My middle name is Ryan, my grandmother's maiden name.

15. I had a hideous bowl cut from 1st to 3rd grade. My mother has a thing for bowl cuts. (She did it to three of us! Only Emily survived the mortification of the bowl cut, because Katie and I were old enough to 'save' her from mom! You're welcome, Emily.)

16. I can only read one book at a time. Props to people who have multiple books going on at once.

17. I am more aware of my facial expressions since I noticed lines in my forehead recently. (See also #9).

18. I think Taylor Swift makes an awesome CD but you couldn't pay me to go to her concert. I have never heard a live performance from her that wasn't slightly off key.

19. When I was a kid I wanted to be a lawyer or a fashion buyer.

20. It drives me crazy when people mispronounce 'preferably'.

21. I don't really have a favorite color. It changes all the time.

22. I sometimes wish I was a redhead.

23. I fell asleep on our first date. (And he still asked me out again!)

24. I have vague dreams of becoming a runner but zero self-discipline to make it happen. It sounds like a good idea, in theory...

25. I wish I lived closer to my family.

Now it's your turn to tell us everything we never wanted to know a little bit more about you!

Happiness is...

Wrapping Christmas presents while my little sister sings and plays her guitar. I love that kid.