rachel

when i was little, i used to have these horrible nightmares,

and it drove my parents insane-
a fact they couldn't possibly hide from me.

so being such a good child (i really was!)

i tried my best not to call out for them when i woke up at night.

instead i called out for rachel.

so here is to my big sister as she turns 36today-
for always being there

and scaring away the monsters.

you're still my hero...

regrets: hair

i think the reason i'm such a happy person

is because i don't have a lot of regrets.

in fact, there is only one big regret-

and a million tiny ones that i don't think about

very *often.

one of those teeny tiny regrets is my hair.

you see, i used to have this head of

out-of-control

crazy

curls.

i liked them. 

a lot.

i liked that i could be bohemian, or i could flat iron them to look sleek.

then i began to like the sleek look a little more.

and then i got a **respensive flat iron that i can't afford

(but my sister can, so it was a merry christmas to me!)

i thought it would be a good idea

to turn up the heat to

450 degrees...

and my flat iron rose to the challenge!

so well, that i didn't have any curl left.

recently i had about 6 inches of my hair cut off

then i decided to lower the power of my flat iron to

230 degrees

then the flat iron stopped working

altogether.

maybe it was supposed to be-

because this morning i had

an honest

to god

curl.

yes, just one-

but it looked like it might

start a riot.

and i'm okay with that.

*often is relative, yes?

**when ever i think something is over the top,

     i like to add a 're' to the beginning of it... that's not weird, is it?

sometimes i say things i want to take back immediately

like when i tell handsome that i want to date his face off...

conversations that end up this way are generally, well- you know...

handsome:  did you think that was awkward?

me:  yes, that was awkward.

have you ever found yourself at a party,

where you were the only non-married, non-child-rearing person there? 

it’s not weird, is it?

no- it is fun!

now, imagine the party is a meet and greet

for your friend’s newborn baby. 

and you’re there with your main squeeze. 

and the two of you are the only non-married people.

and still, the only other non-parents 

are completely outnumbered by parents. 



it's not that i don't care about pumping v. formula

or about bowel movements

or daycare wait lists

maybe someday i will care very much...

right now,

i care when people talk to me and handsome like

marriage and children

is a done deal.

a foregone conclusion.

something that i need to write down now

because time's a-wasting and

my uterus isn't getting any younger.

because i am aware of my age.

but i'm also aware that our friends love us,

and love us together

so much,

that they can't imagine handsome and i

not having the type of life they do.

but we're not married.

we only talk about marriage in abstracts

and i like it that way…

because for the first time in the history of miss priss dating,

i am not only spectacularly happy with someone,

but i’m really enjoying the journey.

now, don't get me wrong-

if handsome and i keep going on this track o’ bliss

i couldn’t imagine not making it permanent.

actually, i couldn’t imagine not making it permanent now, but for later

does that even make sense?

i love my friends for seeing us as the real thing

i love feeling like we’re the real thing

but it would be nice to have more time to get there...

so for now, i think handsome and i are going to have to deal

with the awkward conversations

and if we are very

very lucky,

maybe in a handful of years

we can make non-married couples just as uncomfortable with our married talk

somewhere down the road

when we're finished dating

you know,

in the future.

historically funny...

hope your weekend has as much style...
xoxo

i'm going to start calling this blog:

updates.
because it would make sense.

philadelphia:

city of brotherly...love. sure, that's it.

i do apologize if you are from there,

or just like the city.

i don't.

but they do have a few interesting things there:

it was already broken when i got there.

promises.

and i am completely enthralled with city hall tower. 

i plan to do a great amount of soul searching until i can understand the reason behind it.

this made me think of handsome.

i missed him something fierce during my trip.

i thought this was going to be my little mecca away from mecca, but two things:

1.  it is not pronounced correctly

2.  there are no books

though it was saved by housing some of the best food i've ever tasted. 

all of it was filled with grease and goodness.

brewfest:

knoxville, the old depot railway

2.5 acres of beer...

i'm starting to think there is a common denominator to the bliss of one miss priss...

so much bliss that i ended up giving my sunglasses to this lady. 

why? because i just got a freebie visor; and free stuff makes me feel all share-y.

it's okay though.  some sweet old man in a gas station bought me a pair of hot pink and black plaid, 80s style sunglasses. 

 jealous?

yes, i'm sure you are.

xoxo

busy bee goes "bzzzzzz"

updates are so much fun,
if you know where to begin...

let's see... oh, yes- memorial day!

i went to the annual cochford chicken fry.

i think i drank a teensy bit too much,

because i had too much fun playing

iced

have you heard of it?

well, get thee to google!

and then come back and look at this picture:

please, everyone already knows that

alcohol = stupidity

(with just a hint of awesome)

this is just proves it.

then i'd like to talk about...

a visit with my sister

the place?

 Louisville, KY in general

though technically it was clarksville, IN

handsome and I took the weekend to visit raina (A Weim's World)

and her too hot to handle husband. 

now those two know how to host!

Just look...

*and* it garnered what might be my favorite picture of all time

i'm so happy with us...

exploring our own backyard

handsome and i decided that we were going to start a kickball team

and headed down to the knoxville botanical gardens

to get a feel for how the other teams

are shaping up.

unfortunately, we had never been to the gardens,

and instead of watching the first games,

we went exploring...

i like the last one the best.

crouching tiger, hidden handsome...

have a great monday!

jubilee!

my sweet sister, rachel, gave handsome and me 2 tickets

to the bijou jubilee- a fundraising event for the theatre.

we had a great time- it was held at krutch park,

and there were mint julips, tarot readers, and a magician...

the magician wasn't very good, but he did get the one card trick right.

(i tell handsome that he plays his cards close to his chest,

but he doesn't think i'm as funny as i think i am)

after the hors d'oeuvre were served, a signed guitar auction was held-

but i didn't exactly have the funds for the $2200 steve miller guitar i had my eye on...

at the end of the night,

the big orange banditos came through

to escort the guests down to the theater, nawlins' style!



where handsome was caught up (or rather, surrounded) by the mood

i love spending time with him

and our crazy friends

and most importantly, it was for a good cause!

if you live in knoxville, or if you're ever in town-

make sure you check out one of the finest entertainment venues around:

knoxbijou.com

a + n (remix)

i still don't have pictures to post.

it might have something to do with me dancing all night

and sleeping away the entire weekend.

but i do have this one, and it is one of my favorites.

they have way too much style to keep to myself:

are you in love?

because they are.

and i am too...



autumn + nate

this is autumn and nate

they said 

i do

to each other in front of family and friends last night!

i wish them the most delightful life together

filled with kitchen dance parties

and saturday night live reruns

p.s. i will post pictures as soon as i have time to edit and upload

you will fall in love with them

sleeping beauty

while she slept the earth would unfold
to reveal secrets of time
and love.
a world lost in subterfuge of salvation,
whispered questions as reason
and remorse

how to repent without remembering
how to rename the apple even as it grows

lessons taught by gods on
crumbled steps of new parthenons,
turned metal to men,
baptized them in color,
a thousand shades
without end

and gave her answers that could rock her into liberation

or would have,
if she had remembered them upon waking

proof

i say handsome is addicted to sticking his tongue out in pictures,

handsome disagrees...

... and these are just a few examples of why i win this round.

it's a wrap!

here is what i've been up to:

went on work travel, had a ball with my sister

came back, got dreaded jury duty

spent the best weekend with my beautiful mother for mothers day

and then we took part in a cooking class!

want to know how to prepare appalachian lamb?

ask my mother

(she pays more attention to things like that)

i was too busy drinking wine...

redefining definitions

when my company sends me out of town on business, they should send me somewhere my big sister doesn't live. 
because now i have to find another word for what i'm doing here; "work" isn't working.


i hope every person in my universe is having an equally magnificent monday!!!

le sigh

i watched the royal wedding this morning...

and kate looked very lovely!

p.s. i love when a fellow princess gets the prince...

formulas

tornado watch x hail x a lot of priss tears last night = late for work x nose x grindstone.

my windshield is cracked, but here is the silver lining:   handsome had to go running by himself so i could get some work done at the office.
no sweating for miss priss today!

now if you'll excuse me, i've got some chocolate to eat and a book to read.
lovely day, really.

update: i did end up running. i have a butt cramp now.
                           what a bother...

you can call me dorothy

this is a pretty tornado

but i'm pretty sure that the one causing mayhem and

a workplace “shelter-in-place”, isn’t as pretty.

and to be totally honest, i don’t want to get caught up in one.

not even if it got me a trip to oz and kick ass shoes...

confession #1

i really like rap music.

i especially love rappers (the lifestyle? mais oui!).

i have favorites that rank with bob dylan and susan tedeschi.

these are the ones that i think the world is lost without...

okay, that is all.

as you were.

running

handsome and i  realized that we might be looking a little doughy lately, so we've taken up running. we only finished day two yesterday, and already i'm walking a little... differently.


it really hurts.
a lot.


but it's something we can both do, we get to see each other for at least 40 minutes everyday, and we're not spending money.
so for now, we run.
and take unhealthy doses of aspirin.

happy easter!

i spent easter weekend with family and friends-

i am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life. 

but the best part was watching my nephew color easter eggs.

he is a very creative boy!

there is this boy...

he is handsome.
we are going on a date tonight

(because we are still courting each other)

i met him when i was 11

 saw him briefly when i was 23

and ran into him this past september.



so blessed as i am with an excellent mind,

i don't think i'll let him go again.

3rd time being the charm, and all that...

p.s.

this picture makes me almost as happy as he does.

xo

the little things

last night, i had dinner with my parents

it is nice coming back to the nest,

especially when i am fed.

i laugh because:

my shoes and i have a new home.

my friends practiced creative landscaping.

now i have toilets in my front yard

but i do love my friends, so i will keep the 'flower pots'.

in the shed.

but i do like the monogrammed letters

so they are hanging over my fireplace...

i very much like the way my new house is already a home