9 reasons I love ASL

Tell me this isn't the most beautiful language, and I will call you a fool.

That's all :)

Today

1 day ago, I had 88 blog posts.

I had over 4,000 views.

365 days ago, I got really bored and started this blog.

I have changed the layout of this blog exactly 8 times.

And I have 6 drafts waiting to see if they'd ever be worth posting.

I have said "I'm going to write about this in my blog!" hundreds of times.

And most of the time that turns out to be untrue.

One year, and one day.

In the last three hundred and sixty five days I have...

celebrated a lot of birthdays

had my heart broken

enrolled in college

gotten a divorce finalized

dropped my baby off at kindergarten

bought a car

started DJing at weddings

read dozens of books

devoured no less than eight TV shows on Netflix

met people from around the world

become the owner of a turtle

started learning a new language

painted an entire house

been single

gotten two tattoos

hung out with dinosaurs

made really weird friends

discovered high heels

made s'mores

been mad at people

and more importantly, forgiven them

had my patience tested

...a lot

officially hit the "Two Year Mark" at Boyd's Events.

tried quite a few pinterest projects

baked cinnamon rolls for the first time

for 365 days, you all have been with me <3

here's to another year!

Oh Ma Gerrrrrd

I have lived in Midland, Texas for 21 years of my 22 years of life.

that is dry and gross...

come on now, you saw my yard in my paint-y blog.

If you haven't... well, read it here!

I mean, look at that. Look at that try nasty gross part of Texas I live in.

Great for oil. Not so great for prettiness...

 And the one year I didn't live in Midland, Texas I was in beautiful California. 

look at that.
For all my loves in Midland, I just is grass. That is really really green grass.

I just want to look go outside, and see green.

I want to see Ireland.

I want to see London!

and France <3

Germany...

Switzerland!

oh, and Italy...


honestly, I'd even go to East Texas. Or really anywhere else but Midland Texas.
I want green...

Heavy

I'm feeling heavy tonight.
Because I'm alone and that makes me sad.
So... I just feel... heavy.

people in my family have social anxiety. They tend to have panic attacks when there are a lot of people.
In case you haven't figured it out, I am not one of those people.
I tote microphones at weddings and teach 80 year old women how to wobble while people video it.
I'm not into the whole agoraphobia scene.
I'm kind of exactly opposite.
I freak out when I'm alone.
and maybe it's because there's this part of me that sincerely believes that it's because I shouldn't be alone. Like, I was married. I'm supposed to have someone in my bed. I'm not supposed to be alone. If I feel lonely, I should have arms to crawl into.
but I don't consciously feel that way. I'm just musing.
It's what happens. At night, I realize how incredibly empty my bed is, and for whatever reason, it just makes me go a bit crazy.
So I have climbed out of bed, and I'm in the livingroom in a shirt and no pants.
because I had to pee, and the thought of pulling my pants back up just sounded terrible, so I kicked them off.
I can do this, because Kamden is the only boy in the house right now >:D
Tylor is off, helping teenagers find Jesus.
So, I'm wandering around without pants, and I just want ice cream. And no one will bring me any. Bah humbug.
Anyway.

Let me catch you up on things.
My baby cousin is turning 16 this month.
I'm gonna DJ her partayyy.
which just so happens to be...
MASQUERADE THEMED.
Eep!
I was honored to help my technologically impaired aunt with her invitations so I knew before everyone else, mwahahaha. Heads up, fam - buy masks!!!

Today, I bought mine!!!

I got it at 4everstore on Etsy, and she has toooooooooooons of suuuuuuuuuuper cuuuuuute maaaaaaaaaaaasks.
I am doing that, because that's how I'm saying it mentally. Go ahead, judge me. I can take it!

I think tomorrow Steffiekins and I are having a craft day that we did not plan out well, but I'm going to go to the store and by those masks and bring along a hot glue gun and some paint (and perhaps a tarp) and let the kids decorate their own masks. I looked up a ton of individual kid masks (MLP Masks for Xiaden, Spiderman for Kamman, who is currently obsessed against my orders, and this tooooooo freaking cuuuute owl mask for Rhyssie girl) but I decided to not care about something they probably wouldn't keep on for long and won't really wear much again. So we're gonna be artists!!!
and Thrifty ;)

NEXT!
Valentine's day! Valentine's day! Valentine's day!!!!
I have everything planned out...

I found this little gem on A Night Owl's Blog and I fell in love. And since she is just so helpful and included links to amazon to buy exactly what she used, I am making exactly these for all 5 teachers that teach my children so I don't have to. Those saints!

For Xiaden's class, I am baaaaaasically doing a version of this.

I bought my rock candy from this shop on Etsy and they came in quickly and intact, which is Awesooooooooooome. 

except I'm doing our's a bit more like.

and that's that!

So anyway.
I want to refresh your memory with this little gem

and just let you know I'm still completely intent on getting it on my left shoulder.

Just need an artist... any ideas????

I'm also now wanting this! as like... an upper thigh? tattoo on my right leg. I need it. I really do. I really thought I wanted a "mischief managed" tattoo, but I don't. Because everyone has those. Look Up good old Rowena Ravenclaw, the ink is scarce. I want to show house pride. Plus the quote is perfect and I just love it.

I want this exact tattoo, but smaller and on the back of my neck. So I can show it off when my hair is up and hide it when my hair is down. Because really, Texas is almost a religion. And I mean, it's a pretty distinct state.

I mean...

I could be from like... Colorado

and chill out with my rally cool rectangle.

...

yeah, Texan rules, everyone else drools.

This. I want it understated. I wanted it on the side of my hand, but then Demi had to go and make it super popular. 

that silly little trend setter.

I also need this.

I'm not sure about the whole "foot" placement, but... I definitely need the quote.

It's Tolkien by the way... Lord of the Rings.

Basically, I need to be covered in pride of all things pride.

pride in my state

pride in my geekhood.

pride in my saviour.

And that's all folks.

Things That Shouldn't Bug Me As Much As They Actually Do.

1. Plastic bags
Legit, I don't know why. I sincerely dislike them. Especially when I go places and they put like, 2 things in each plastic bag... like. stick a bunch of shizz in there, I don't need any more plastic bags. Stop it.

2. People who leave their blinkers on.
It upsets me more than than people who don't use blinkers at all. Like, wait. are you actually going to turn any time soon? Then six blocks later, it's all still blinkity blinkity and you just want to honk at them repeatedly.

3. Books that are just a huge letdown.
I just read Paper Towns by John Green. And I love John Green. Brad turned me onto John Green, and for that, I love Brad. But I didn't like Paper Towns. I legit texted Brad at 1 am and told him I was unimpressed with Paper Towns, and he lovingly agreed with me. Seriously. I finished it yesterday. Still grumping about it.

4. When the store has literally everything except what you need.
It's happened to me a couple of times this week. Office Depot didn't have the folders I wanted. PetSmart didn't have the right size of turtle filters. It's irksome. Have all the things I need, okay store? It's you're like, one job.

5. Automatic Updates.
No phone, don't do that. I like snapchat the way it is. Hey Windows 8, who gave you the permission to just become Windows 8.1? Not me. I sure didn't. Now everything looks funny. And wait, what? My wifi doesn't work anymore?? Screw that.

6. When people turn on the hot water while I'm in the shower.
Why? Because I freeze. Then I start yelling about how I'm freezing, and so they turn it from completely hot to completely cold, effectively burning my freezing skin in .3 seconds flat.

7. When pistachio shells don't actually have pistachios in them.
Or even worse? when they're mcnasty. like, you bite into it and it's so gross. Then you pick up another one and the shell is empty?? And you just get sad and dejected. Then later, when the bag is empty and you almost through it away, you find the lonely pistachio chilling in a pile of salt and shell pieces, all sad and lonely.

8. THIS.

9. When there is an abundance of cereal... and no milk.
Have you ever washed a bowl and a spoon... poured yourself a bowl of cereal and you're just super happy... walked your happy butt to the refridgerator... and there is no freaking milk in it? Like, why can't we live in a world where milk and cereal exist in exactly the correct proportions??

10. When Tylor the jolly giant drives my car for an obviously Brittany-oriented reason, and leaves my drivers seat so far back that when I get in I can't reach the pedals.
I know I'm short, okay? I don't need a reminder. I just don't.

That's all for today :)

House-y!

So, January 20th, a while ago, my mama was born.
So... January 16th, a week ago, I put a top secret plan into place.

I have been planning this secret plan in secret for a year.
Picking my mom's brain.
Trying to figure out what tools and magic I would need to enact this secret plan.
AND I did.
I just want to say, I am a fantastic daughter.
I combated a couple of huuuuuge douche bags.
I recruited the Mema to ... distract the Mom.
I had all these magic people volunteer to help me with this surprise plan.
:D
Anyway...

This is my mom's house.
or I should say... this was my mom's house.
not anymore though.

a new graaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!

 cutest little helpers everrrr! :)

we worked for.... all day. like, as soon as the sun was up, til the sun was down.

 notice anything? (PS, the unruly rose bushes are gone.)

 It's awesooooooome!

 it's a darker grey. & goodbye navy, hello yellow! (it starts to look like nacho cheese after a while)

Dos bushes, tho! 

so now... the fun part!

 Tylor and I hid outside with my camera and shivered.... and waited.

she's surprised.

 Just taking it all in...

 She noticed the rose bushes were gone :)

 Happy Momma! 

 Observing everything.

 Then she noticed we painted the whole house a darker grey.

 Tylor pointed out we weren't all the way finished.

 Its funny to her. Ha Ha Ha not finished with painting.

 She liiiikes my numbers!!!

 Observe.

 Seriously, those smiles.

 Standing back and taking it all in :)

So HAPPY!!! :D

I'm not finished, though. We're going to plant some new bushes where the old mostly dead ones were, and shrubbery does not come into nurseries until March.

I'm also thinking of getting some trellis-y stuff, and we'll paint it yellow and get some vine-y stuff and be awesome.

SUPER PUMPED!

Next step... Tilling the yard.

Step after that... widening the driveway. 

Step after that, literally tearing the entire house down and starting over.

yeeeeeeeeeeeeahhhhhhhhhh.

Is Everyone an Idiot?

You know how you just love some people?
I mean, they can be friends or family, lovers or co workers... Who ever they are, you love them.
well, at least I do. I love some people.
and sometimes some of those people? they just do dumb shit. like, repeatedly.

I don't like the people I love to be hurting.
I do whatever I can to stop it.
But when people I love do dumb shit that hurts themselves, I just want to bang my head against the wall.
I mean, its not like I don't tell them that I think they are not making good choices.
but do they listen to me?
OF COURSE NOT.
so its like watching a train wreck.
and there's going to be this explosion and people are going to get hurt, and you had this opportunity to talk your lovey person off this train before it left the station, and that loved person hears you, and knows you're probably right, but stays on the train anyway.
and so I just watch them, stay on the track that is going to destroy them.
people are stupid.
I'm stupid, on occasion.
but generally, I jump off the train before the actual collision.
and I just don't understand why people do shit that they know is going to end badly. like, horribly.
why don't people liiiiiiiiistennnn.


if the shoe fits, wear it lovers.