shake a fist

My mother is a wonderful mother, who taught us all many very important things. But she has never liked Halloween. And in my grownup life I feel that dislike gene passed down to me a bit because I'm often scroogey about it right up until the day. Something I'm not scroogey about though? Grumpy Zebra babies.


So it was just last night I rummaged through my office clothing and accessory boxes for a very last minute costume. And I found a winner. I mean, we are living in a material world...

we suck young blood

I donated blood today for the first time in a year and half. I used to go pretty regularly but then I went to Armenia last year spring and it's just ghetto enough to keep you on the bad list for a whole year. But it was good to be back because I love donating blood. I'm sure it's the teacher's pet in me, but I love answering all the questions correctly, I love when they tell me my blood pressure and temperature are great and I love that my veins empty blood into the bags quickly and efficiently...and I love thinking it might just help someone who needs it more than I do.

But I do not love the post-oh-so-flattering bandage that squeezes arm all over the place.

sunday sun

Every now and then everyone looks so shinny in their Sunday clothes that you have to take pictures of them after you've carpooled home from church. And the light is nice and the fall colors are pretty and maybe Janelle gets a poke in the boob.





I love my little camera...like love, LOVE it. But I think I also need to invest in a beefier one soon.

intervention

I wore a skirt that hit right at my waist with a belt (and shirt of course) to Morgan's baby blessing a few Sundays ago. At the house after, I passed my grandpa in the kitchen on my way to the soup. My grandma was also standing there and as I went by my grandpa turned to her and said "Em has a model waist." And I fell on the floor from how awesome it was to hear those words. But then I stood up and right there decided that man is the only one I ever need in my life. My grandma quickly agreed "Oh yes." and I decided right there that she is the only woman I ever need in my life.

I responded the only way I seem to know how to respond to compliments which is by denying it of course. You see, I'm nowhere near any kind of model size and I am a girl with some junk in the trunk and on the sides and thighs too. So I said something about how I love belts, but I'm sometimes afraid too much stuff and hip and booty squishes out the bottom when I wear them. But my grandma informed me that I'm young and that actually she knows that boys like the stuff and hips and booty. How fantastic!

On top of that, Tasha's Grandma Bev recently cleaned out her closet and had belts o'plenty for the taking. In order to understand that that means the belts are all awesome as can be, you should know that this is Tasha's Grandma Bev:

So with the confidence that only handsome and classy grandparents can give a girl, and armed with the best belts free can buy, I've been walking around the last few weeks like I'm hot stuff.


But I worry...too much? How many times a week can/should I really being doing this? Will my friends and family tell me if it gets too bad? Do boys really like it? Will it suddenly be 20 years in the future and I'll still be squeezing into belts that were 20 years old 20 years ago?

These are all very important questions.

ce jeu

I had no idea when I fell in love in March that months later, on a late October Saturday night I would get the Yelle experience in real life.

And it was amazing, one of the most fun shows I've ever been to. In part because I was with Chris and Emily and Danny and Melissa and Christian and the music was loud and we were dancing. And then in part because she was ADORABLE. Like I wanted to turn her into a tiny Yelle, put her in my pocket and carry her around so that I could live with those French lyrics and European beats as my life soundtrack. Hooray for being alive.

This is my favorite, specifically two and a half minutes in. I am moving to France.

the party's crashing us

a few highlights...

last year we didn't have one of these (my oh my that tiny grumpy face)!

halloween outfit

scary treats

happy fake family

elizabeth face

Rebecca, Damian and baby eating pumpkin

jerks in the kitchen

jerks at the table

Matt and latex gloves

Cindy and Chris...

their dracula profile and moustache jack-o-lantern pumpkins

rob's mean faces and mine

BFFs

death star pomegranate

lovely ladies

family fight

and finally- I went to sleep around 1 o'clock and then was awakened by Nate and a bucket of pretzels...in my bed.

in the air

Danny and I were at 5 Guys yesterday eating our bag full of fries when In the Air Tonight came on. I thought about how awesome Phil Collins is (by the way, so I totally didn't know until I was reading something like a month ago that Peter freakin Gabriel was in Genesis too...duh Emily).

Danny on the other hand, thought about this:


Which is cool too. But only cus the real deal is so good.