Cinco de Julio.

Five things I'm grateful for today are:

1. A job that allows me to work hard, play hard (on my off time), and enjoy both...even on some Mondays. :-)

2. Peanut butter.

3. Boot camp. I know I have griped about it incessantly for the past 8 weeks, but I think I'm gonna miss the stinkin' class, after all.

4. Living in part of the world, country and region that is relatively unaffected by the recession. The more I talk to friends in other (and literally higher, more northern) places, the more I realize how fortunate I am to be in BR, where some prices have gone up and some jobs are in jeopardy, but at least peeps are able to get out and about with smiles on their faces and plans on their agendas.

5. Nephews, their loose and lost teeth, and their plans to whip their aunts into shape via the Wii (and boundless, 5-year-old energy) during upcoming visits. :-)

Lordy, lordy, look who's....

....40:

The moonwalk!

Nah, not the one MJ did (though that may be 40, too), but the one Neil Armstrong did (or did he? hmmmmm).

It's interesting, though, how fast technology has moved along. I was surprised to learn this happened a mere 7 years before I was born. Really? I figured it was way earlier than that.

And to think that my Grandma Johnson, who was born in 1904, saw everything from horses and buggies....to birthing 11 children (!) in her home (!!)....to automobiles....to electric lights....to outdoor plumbing coming inside....to bought milk and chickens....to -- gasp! this was a horrid day that I WELL remember! -- 2% milk!....to television....to girls showing not only their ankles to men they weren't married to, but also their legs....to telephones....to an actual boombox....all all by the time she passed away in 1991.

Whatever side of the walk-on-the-moon debate we're on, we gotta admit: a lot has happened in the last 100 years, much less the last 40.

You go, Neil, and Grandma Johnson, and Pop Ball, and Nan, and Aunt Mildred, and Uncle Isaac, and all the others who did and continue to stick with this crazy fast world for as long as you have.
One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.

So, so true. With every step we take.

Long live the progress.

Sweet C

Today after music camp at church, my nephew stopped at Sonic's happy hour with my sister to get one of life's most wonderful delicacies: sweet tea.

Mmmmm.

Reportedly, Mr. Cool took one sip and declared, "This is the good life."


Ain't that the truth, Mr. Man.

Ain't that the truth.

Blego.

This week, I learned a great new term: blego.

Definition? The blogger's ego.

Pronunciation? Blee-go.

Apparently, those who follow closely (and can ultimately profit from) well-read blogs are intensely aware that commenting on blogs strokes the blogger's ego, enhancing the commenter's credibility and accessibility to more info.

Interesting, eh?

Christmas in July

I feel like I had Christmas last night!

I got to hang out with two of the coolest, most fun guys on the planet! And just a month ago, I got to hang out with their brother and his fun family! And I'm RELATED to these awesome peeps. And not that long ago, I had the best family reunion with cousins from my Daddy's side, too. FA LA LA!

As usual, I forgot to take pics last night, but I do have a few from times past with my fun and classic Moore cousins:

Pic 1 - Maria, Jonah, Russ, Benjamin, Samuel & Timothy Moore! I love this pic of their sweet, fun family. They are so beautiful and precious!

Pic 2 - Greg, Jeff, Matt (not our cousin, but a wonderful Moore nonetheless) and I at a cookout last summer. Sadly, we have not had professional pictures taken, so this meager snapshot will have to do.

Nissan to debut electric car August 1!

Nissan is set to debut its first electric car in less than a month! Here are the details, straight from the horse(power)'s mouth:

Zero emissions isn't a future endeavor. It isn't hype. It's happening.

Right now, Nissan is doing everything it takes to make electric driving a daily reality. Starting with a pure electric car. Not a hybrid, not even a plug-in hybrid. But a zero-emission electric vehicle made for the real world of highways, morning commutes and everyday living.Of course, the car is only part of the solution. Nissan has developed a lithium-ion battery that's re-usable. And we're teaming up with communities and businesses to create an accessible charging network. This is a brand-new way to move.

Driving electric. We're making it happen. You can, too.

So cool...can't wait to see it!

The things we carry.

In college, I was required to read an extremely raw yet touching piece of contemporary lit called The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

The book was about war, and it affected me as much as the movie "Saving Private Ryan." The title of the book stemmed from the items found in soldiers' backpacks, and the stories those items told about the person, the function, the duty, and the life.

Thankfully, the things I carry each day (in containers and in life) are not nearly as physically or emotionally heavy as what soldiers have to deal with.

But I still found the newest exhibit at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum (LASM) very interesting, since it deals with the history of what women have carried throughout the years. (Of course, it certainly didn't hurt that the featured item is one of my very favorite things: purses!)

My sweet friend Erica and I checked out the exhibit entitled Purse and the Person: A Century of Women's Purses last weekend, and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Disclaimer: I'm not making light of what our military does (and carries) by comparing that to

what women have carried and how they've carried these physical and mental items over the years. The exhibit was educational and thought-inspiring, as both Erica and I pondered questions about how women went about certain daily but difficult tasks without anything to hold pertinent items. No place for not only fun things like lipstick, but also for the essentials (especially back in the day) like money, snacks and toys for kids, a pencil or pen, etc.? So foreign to us.

I strongly encourage you to go to LASM and check out this fun and informative exhibit! There are tons of purses from throughout the decades displayed creatively, as well as thought-provoking written descriptions displayed throughout the exhibit. And there's a whole room dedicated to shiny objects (Judith Leiber's infamous beaded, bejeweled, and bedazzled bags -- one of which is pictured below in the shape of a butterfly)!

If you're not into purses, then clearly, there's something very wrong with you -- hee hee ;-) -- but there are still many other fun things to see at LASM, including a MUMMY!

I hope you enjoy checking out LASM, just one of the Red Stick's many cultural (and AIR-CONDITIONED) opportunities that are within arm's reach.

The bitter end.

Recently, I've gotten into (what I consider) the horrid habit of involuntarily skipping ahead while reading.

I've always been a ridiculously avid reader -- from backs of cereal boxes to loads of library books to re-reading books I can practically quote by heart -- and could never comprehend this desire peeps had to see what the ending was like before they were there.

And I still can't.

But somehow, when I'm reading, my eyes have begun to drift toward the end of the paragraph, or section, or chapter. I've never actually gone so far as to turn a page to see an ending, and I've never delved into finding out the bitter end by turning to the back of the book, but still. I can't help but wonder if this is a first step toward a vicious cycle, and one I don't want to participate in!

To date, I haven't learned any major plot twists or secrets or revelations or story climaxes, but still. You know it's coming.

It's a bad, bad habit. Gotta break it. Even if it's the last page I read....I mean, last thing I do.*

* Apologies for the terrible joke/pun/whatever that is. I'm kind of not on my A game as I write. Clearly!

Southern Living

My friend Angelle so beautifully pointed out that so much of what we learn comes from Southern Living (the magazine and the life, I suppose!).

So she took the time to share a recent article with her friends, and I feel totally compelled to share it with you. (I got permission from AAB.)

So pour yourself a glass of sweet tea, sit back, and enjoy!

From Angelle: Everytime I go home, I find my mom's most recent issue of Southern Living. The July issue has a great article on the very last page. I think it's cute and most of it is very true! I think #2 and #9 are my favorites. I thought you would enjoy...

15 Ways to Charm Her

By Amy Bickers

Southern Living July 2009

Number one: We still expect you to give up your seat for a lady. On a bus, at a bar, on a train...we don't care where you are. Unless you are at a restaurant and the only lady in sight is the one taking your order, stand up. Now. On a recent Friday night at a bustling restaurant bar, two friends and I waited for our table to be called. The barstools were occupied so we stood patiently, sipping wine and chtting about the workweek. When a couple nearby stood up, another woman -- who had been there less time than we had -- swooped in, reaching across us to put her purse on the stool. This isn't the worst part. It's what happened next: Her male companion then slid onto the other barstool. Hang on while I do a geography check. Are we not in the South? If ladies are waiting for a seat and you have a Y chromosome, do you sit down? No, sir. No, you do not. We know modern life is confusing. The roles of men and women have evolved over the years. As Pink once sang, "Shorty got a job, Shorty got a car, Shorty can pay her own rent." But come on, let's keep some things old-school. My late grandfather -- he's of the East Texas upbringing, U.S. Navy captain status, and Cary Grant good looks -- would never have allowed a woman to stand while he sat. And if you want a Southern woman to love you, neither will you.

So, men, here's a short list of things Southern girls still expect from you.

WE STILL EXPECT YOU TO...

1. STAND UP FOR A LADY. Actually, this doesn't just involve chairs.

2. KNOW THAT THE SEC HAS THE BEST FOOTBALL TEAMS IN THE NATION. Big 12 fan? Hmm, perhaps you should keep walking.

3. KILL BUGS. Delta Burke as Southern belle Suzanne Sugarbaker on Designing Women said, "...Ya know,...when men use Women's Liberation as an excuse not to kill bugs for you. Oh, I just hate that! I don't care what anybody says, I think the man should have to kill the bug!"

4. HOLD DOORS OPEN.

5. FIX THINGS OR BUILD STUFF. I once watched in awe as my stepfather built a front porch on the house he shares with my mother. He knew just what to do, cutting every notch, hammering every nail. The project was complete by sunset.

6. WEAR BOOTS OCCASIONALLY. Not the fancy, I-paid-$1,000-for-these kind. We're talking about slightly mud-crusted, I-could-have-just-come-in-from-the-field boots.

7. TAKE OFF YOUR HAT INSIDE.

8. GRILL STUFF.

9. CALL US. If you want to ask us out, don't text and don't email. Pick up the phone and use your voice.

10. STAND WHEN WE COME BACK TO THE DINNER TABLE. "just a little half-stand is enough to make me melt," my friend Stephanie says.

11. PULL OUT OUR CHAIRS. Wait, that's not all. Scoot them back in before we hit the floor.

12. PAY THE TAB ON THE FIRST FEW DATES. "If you ask me out, you pay," Stephanie says. "If I ask you out, you should still pay." Listen guys, it's just simpler this way.

13. DON'T SHOW UP IN A WRINKLED, UNTUCKED SHIRT. Care about your appearance but not too much. Don't smell better than we do. Don't use mousse or gel. You shouldn't look like you spend more time in front of the mirror than we do.

14. NEVER GET IN BAR FIGHTS. Patrick Swayze might look cool in Road House, but in reality, bar fights are stupid and embarrassing. You don't look tough. You look like an idiot.

15. KNOW HOW TO MIX OUR FAVORITE COCKTAIL JUST THE WAY WE LIKE IT. Fix your favorite too. Sit down on the porch (it's okay if you didn't build it), tell us how your day went, and we'll tell you about ours.

We'll leave the long list to the girl who falls in love with you.

Gratitude.

It's been a while since I've posted things I'm thankful for. This isn't because I'm not thankful; it's just pure negligence!

So here we go...today, the top five things I'm grateful for are:

1. Family. I have gotten to see my sweet sister and her family TWICE in two weeks, and have a trip planned to see them AGAIN in less than a month. ::bliss::

2. Work. Even on days when I'm pulling my hair out (and when peeps are surely pulling their hair out over me), bottom line: I have a job, and I'm so thankful for that.

3. Independence. I'm ridiculously grateful that I live in the land of the free, and I'm also thankful that I'm personally independent. I like my life, and my place, and my job, and my friends. I like choosing where I want to live and what I want to do and who I want to spend my time with. I love answering to God only (and publicly, if I choose), and I know none of this would be slightly possible without the brave acts of so many of my forefathers, and so many of my peers today. God bless America!

4. Culture. It's so much fun to visit museums and see new exhibits and to do this all in the town where I live. I heart culture, and I heart Baton Rouge!

5. Variety. I have been blessed with a ridiculously wonderful variety of friends and family members, and it's crazy-entertaining to get to spend time with them and to see and appreciate facets of their personalities that amaze and amuse me. I love my peeps!


In honor of my overflowing cup, I'm including one of my favorite songs ever, by one of my favorite musicians ever. "Gratitude" by Nichole Nordeman has been a personal anthem since the day I first heard it. I hope you enjoy, as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bQ8Ry2D8Wg&feature=PlayList&p=67CF255806A8EE91&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=21