The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

when you think you've got things figured out with a person, do they have to go and be confusing and say stuff about wanting to marry you? Even if it was just joking around. There's been a lot of joking lately about why we shouldn't get married, and then all of a sudden, he's telling me about why the other girls in his life aren't working out, so if he decides to settle down, I'm at the top of his list. To which, I replied (of course) that it would never work. Weird. I am going to burrow myself into a nice cozy place of denial. Just act like nothing weird was said. Because sometimes, it's easiest to slip back into my high school philosophy of dealing with stuff- If I don't deal with it, it will go away. P.S. I am not talking about Ryan.

Before Christmas, for some unfathomable reason, I was in a funk. I hate when this happens, especially when there's no good reason for it. So, Thursday night before break, I booked a flight to Phoenix and left Saturday morning. As soon as I got off the plane, I felt like I could breathe again. (I'm getting into a bad habit of hopping on planes when I freak out. I need to stop spoiling myself.) I took this picture on the plane; I think it's Kansas. I just thought it looked really cool. Mico (Rachel's boyfriend who I'm pretty sure she is going to marry) picked me up at the airport. I had every intention of staying on my diet on this trip until he said, "How do you feel about margaritas?" He was afraid I would judge him because it was only 10:30 a.m., but I was on vacation, so I was all about the day drinking. That night we went to Mico's parents' house. His mom is Mexican and was making tamales. I knew it was a process, but I'd never experienced i

Let me tell you, there is an epidemic out there. I've made out with a lot of boys, especially in high school. (Please notice that I said "made out with" and not "slept with." I was/am a good girl. Until I met TJ. Because I thought I was going to marry him.) Anyway, after dealing with yet another bad kisser tonight, I realized that I can only think of one good kisser since like, high school. Even guys I've liked/dated. Chuck was not a great kisser, but I loved him so I overlooked it. What's wrong with these guys? Is it because they're in a hurry, hoping it will lead to something else? Do they honestly think their technique is enjoyable/acceptable? I am tired of guys with mushy lips, guys who slobber all over your face, and guys who rape your mouth. This is just ridiculous. You would think they would get better with age, but I have not found this to be true. Maybe it's just not as important to them anymore; maybe kissing has lost the excitement it

The rest of Christmas was delightful. Here is a pic from Christmas Eve that I really like- it is typical Mom and Dad. Dad is trying to fix a broken gift, and Mom is super excited about all the mushroom gifts she's receiving. This is Christmas Day at Aunt Kathy's. Andy is ridiculous, as usual, and I think Grandma is confused about her gift. Mike and Katie seemed happy with their flavored vodka. And here is the traditional grandchildren pic. I love that Jen is part of it now.

I got a new computer! Nothing fancy, just something to get me through the next two years or so till I can afford a nice Macbook. For now, I need to put my money towards paying off credit cards. Aren't I responsible? (Yeah right... If I was repsonsible, I wouldn't have just gone to Phoenix for 5 days.) So Christmas Eve was perfect and lovely. I was really nervous I wouldn't make it back in time. But my flight got in at 2:00, so I had just enough time to go home, finish wrapping gifts, and make it out to Naperville in time for dinner with my family. My brother was too tired for church (he'd worked all day), so it was just me and my parents. I love their church, and they had a beautiful Christmas Eve service. I love singing in between my parents; my dad has this rich, beautiful voice, and my mom is an alto, so she harmonizes. The sermon was about expectations, and the pastor focused on the line "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." So I

So my computer just crashed as I was finishing that post. FML. But I just wanted to say that Ryan has called or texted each day since we made up. To quote one of my favorite songs, "the world's all as it should be."

I mean, really, what did you expect? I don't stay mad at people for long. It cracked me up when Paula and I were talking and she was like, "Remember that time in college when I told your parents you were up to no good? I think you didn't talk to me for like, a day." And I still remember thinking about how Paula must have felt, and I just couldn't stay mad. I haven't been mad at Ryan for a while now, just hurt. Hurt at first by the things he said and did, then hurt again by the fact that our friendship apparently meant so little to him. I knew it was important for me to decide what I wanted out of all this, and I realized that the answer to that was for him to be sorry. That was it. I didn't even need the words; I just needed to know that he honestly felt bad about what he did. Here's what happened. Sorry, it's going to be a long story. He texted me on Wednesday, acting like everything was fine. I was short with him. This went on for a fe

My mom's been asking what to get me for Christmas, so I'm putting together this list. I know she already got me the number one thing I wanted, (the new Winnie the Pooh book!!!!), so that's really all I need to be happy. But, if I could have some other stuff, I would like... Books: DeBrett's Etiquette for Girls Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal Movies: Peter Pan Beauty and the Beast Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist Music: The Dixie Chicks Perfume: Dior J'adore Video Game: New Super Mario Bros Purple Shoes: Flats from Boden And, of course: Just kidding.

Before school even started this morning, the art teacher said she was going to start calling me Miss Sunshine because I am always cheerful. (Oh, if only she knew...) One of my second graders said to me, "Ms. B., when you woke up this morning, did you look out the window at the snow and just want to stay in bed?" "Yes," I replied. "It would have been a great day to sleep in." "I could tell by your eyes," he said. "You have sleepy eyes, just like my mama gets sometimes. They're all small." Thanks. Then the kindergartners came, and I did a mini-lesson on describing things. I said, "If you went home and said, 'My reading teacher is Ms. B., and this is what she looks like,' what would you say?" Their answers were cute, beautiful, hot, and Mexican. Love it. I spent the afternoon introducing kids to the book Love That Dog , one of the best books ever. My Monday afternoon class that used to be a nightmare is now ac

I just finished putting together a 3-hour workshop for parents of Pre-K through 2nd grade parents. It's all about what parents can do at home to help their kids be better readers. It was an assignment for school, but my principal is actually going to let me present it this spring, so I put much more effort into it. I'm really excited about this workshop. I know that parent turn-out is always a struggle, and that most of the parents that come probably won't use many of the ideas, but even if just one parent learns something new and uses it, that's one more student who will be a little further ahead in reading. Most of our parents do not even read to their kids at home. I really hope this workshop will make a difference for at least a few parents. If any of my friends with kids want copies of the PowerPoint or handouts, let me know and I can send it to you.

I've been doing Weight Watchers for a few months now, and I'm officially down 15 pounds. I'm very excited. 25 pounds more left to lose. I'm hoping to reach my goal by the end of the school year.

When I was a kid, I loved the Mandie books . They were these Christian historical mystery novels. Mandie lived at the turn of the century in North Carolina and hung out with both Native Americans and rich white people and was always stumbling upon mysteries that she would solve with her friends and her cat, Snowball. And when she was in dangerous situations, she would recite Bible verses. I wanted to be Mandie. She was so cool. I also thought that Mandie was the most beautiful name in the world. Even as an 8-year-old, I recognized that the quality of writing was not the best, but I didn't care because the stories were good. And even when I outgrew children's lit, I continued to read every new Mandie book that came out because I had to see what my favorite characters were up to. Sadly, the author died a few years ago, so there will be no more books. But imagine my joy when I found out there was a Mandie movie !!! I just finished watching it and really liked it. It'

Since I am finally done with Practicum I and only have one project left to finish for my Reading and Language Theory class, I decided to spend the evening relaxing with the latest issue of my favorite magazine, Bust . In this issue, I read about: Fat women on reality shows A new version of roller derby called Derby Lite A global O that will be occurring on December 21-22 Recipes for finger foods to serve at holiday parties How to make your own yarn Asheville, NC (now I want to move there even more...) Amy Poehler's views on feminism Divorce ranches in Nevada from the 1930's through the 1960's (it used to be really hard to get a divorce, and Nevada had laws that made it super easy) Homemade Christmas gift ideas A guide to "handling some of life's major milestones- marriage, childbirth, and death- with a DIY frame of mind" The monthly "One-handed read" column And of course, there are the fashion and beauty sections. Also, book, movie, and music revie