The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

Me: I can't believe all these people came! Adam: Well, you said it was the social event of the season. Me: But I was just being silly! Adam: Apparently everyone took you seriously. My friend Sarah gave me this book years ago for my birthday. She passed away last spring, and I didn’t get around to reading it until a few months ago. I really, really wish she was still here, because I want to tell her how much I love it. It was the perfect gift! Dorothy Draper is my new hero! I sent out printed invitations way back in October… I figured it was good to give people advance notice, because calendars fill up fast around the holidays. Also, I wanted to set the tone for the party. I wanted everyone to know it was going to be FABULOUS! The Menu: M&M bars Candy Cane Blossoms Chocolate Chip Cookies (boring old Nestle recipe, added pecans) Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Chocolate Bundt Cake White Hot Chocolate Hot Chocolate

Thanksgiving 2015 started out with me losing my shit because I couldn't find decorative gourds anywhere. I had a vision for a centerpiece I'd seen on Pinterest, but none of the stores were selling pumpkins and gourds anymore. They all looked at me like I was crazy and said they'd already moved on to Christmas. I tried to remind myself that this was a first world problem and made due with some fresh flowers and decorations from around the house.  I made these place cards and a "worksheet" where people could write what they're thankful for. Everyone who chose to participate wrote some type of alcohol. Does that say something about our priorities?! Thanksgiving itself was pleasant and relatively uneventful. Mom and Dad were pretty stressed about trying out the deep fryer for the first time... There was quite a bit of cursing, and then Dad reached for the whiskey. I managed to snap a few pics as the lowered the turkey into the deep fryer... The l

Fall Break was great because I just got to relax and hang out with my family and friends. My brother had a going away party for a friend. I got a little drunk and had a heart to heart with his girlfriend, Kasia. I apologized for being a little reserved the first few times I met her. I didn't know if it was going to last. But I told her that night, "I am ALL IN." She's pretty awesome... I'm so glad he's with her. I spent a lovely day at the arboretum with my dad and aunt. They had this amazing exhibit of Lego sculptures that used 464,700 Legos and took 4170 hours to build! I was particularly impressed by this hummingbird... (took this pic from the Morton Arboretum website) ... and terrified by this enormous butterfly. The arboretum had a contest: find the Lego head, tell someone at the info desk where it's hidden, and get a prize! I thought it looked a little disturbing hanging in the tree. It was a beautiful fall day and I had a

On October 19, my pastor, Hal, was killed in a motorcycle accident.  October 18 was a Sunday just like any other. But it felt especially fabulous, for some reason. I sang with the worship team and we sang some of my favorite songs.  A lady from the congregation did Trinity Talk with Hal and talked about depression during the holidays. I connected with her after church, and I totally want to be best friends with her.  Hal gave a sermon about the book of Mark, but a lot of it was just him talking about how excited he was to be going on a motorcycle trip to Utah with his dad.  I've been considering moving out of state, but sitting in church on this most perfect of Sundays, I thought, "How can I leave this?" That afternoon, I texted Hal about the area in Utah he'd be visiting. I was so excited that he was going to see one of my favorite places! He sent me this selfie (Hal's selfie game was strong) and complimented my singing that morning. 24 hours

I had an amazing Fall Break back in Chicago, but my time with Nancy deserves its own blog post. Her shower was on my first day back, and it was lovely. Mostly uneventful. Except that I accidentally got her a lesbian wedding card. I missed the "S" at the end of Brides! We both started laughing so hard when she opened it and everyone thought we were crazy. I also presented Nancy with a quilt that my mom and I collaborated on. This was the first and probably last time we will work together. There was some conflict, but I'm happy with how it turned out, and Nancy seemed pleased with it, too. We also got to spend a day together and go explore Franklin Creek State Park. Nancy always likes the idea of hiking, but the reality is a different story. And unfortunately, I missed the part of the hike description that said there were no bridges at the river crossings. Nancy looked like she wanted to stab me when we arrived at the first one. After we were both safely across, I had this

I am so excited for the arrival of fall in AZ! Of course, that means highs of 90... But the evenings are cooler, and 90 feels good after the heat and humidity of monsoon season. I talked Jason into a Scary Movie Night to celebrate fall. I stopped by Starbucks and got us Spiced Pumpkin beverages and then we watched The Conjuring I told the girl at Starbucks about our movie night, and I thought it was so cute how she wrote that on our drinks. I tried to get Jason to take a selfie with our beverages, but he refused. He's a good friend, but he has his limits. The Conjuring was super creepy! It is based on a true story, which makes it even scarier. I am fascinated by Ed and Lorraine Warren would be interested in visiting their occult musuem. (But no, I would not lick anything in there, despite what Jason suggests!) Jason kept asking, "Are you going to be okay?" "Of course!" I said. "As long as I don't wake up at 3:07 a.m." And I totally did.

Alas, I did not accomplish all of the things on my summer list. But technically, there's still time! Anyone want to make out at a drive in? Or eat a blue sno-cone with me? (Bold means I have completed the item.) 1. Hike on the trail with Sasquatch sitings (Okay, technically I didn't hike it, but I camped there. And it was creepy!!) 2. Sleep under the stars (dirtbag it!) 3. Frolic in an alpine meadow (Taylor Swift dance parties) 4. Rhubarb Festival (Didn't make it to the festival, but I had some amazing rhubarb pine in Alpine) 5. Eat a blue sno-cone  6. Make out at a drive in 7. Go to an observatory and look at stars (Rich got out the telescope one night in Portland... Does that count?) 8. Research picks for Fantasy Football (I am in a league with my birthmom, her husband, and three sons... This could get interesting.)  9. Catch fireflies (Wasn't gonna happen since I didn't make it east of the Mississippi) 10. See the river in the Galiuros that only appears at night

I am unhappy at work this year. There are a lot of reasons that I won't go into, but it's hard going to work every day. I've become one of those people who lives for the weekends. And on Sunday nights, I feel panicky about going back on Monday. I keep trying to squash those emotions and just suck it up and get through it. I tell myself it could be worse. (Because it really could be!) But I'm reading "Rising Strong" by Brene Brown, and she talks about not comparing suffering. She recommends writing a "shitty first draft" where you're just honest about your emotions, and in doing that, I realized there are A LOT of things bothering me. So I am not crazy, and I should stop feeling guilty about being unhappy (as long as I don't cross that line and start wallowing). Writing really does help you figure out how you're feeling! Here are the things I came up with to help me get through it this year: Assume positive intentions. Try not

Conversation that just   happened in the teachers’ lounge Coworker: Erin, what are you up to this weekend? Me: Well, I was thinking about going to Sedona today. My friend Jason has a free hotel room up there tonight and he invited me… No no no, it’s not like that! He invited our friend John, too! Coworker: So, you’re having a threesome this weekend? Me (blushing): No! I’m not going, anyway. I’m going to run some errands after work. Actually, do you know the cheapest place to get large quantities of vodka? Coworkers stare. Me: I’m making vanilla extract! You need vodka for vanilla extract! Lots of vodka! Coworker: Sounds like Erin’s weekend is all about threesomes and Jello shots. OMG.

Apparently we didn't learn our lesson from not reading the beta yesterday, because today we unintentionally ended up in an R-rated slot. There are four Hog canyons. We knew Hog 3 was the most difficult of the forks, so we chose Hog 1. The plan was for me and Allison to join the boys for a pleasant romp through a short canyon, then hike out along Hog Springs to one of our cars, which we'd spotted at the Hog Springs rest area. Then we would join Jess at camp (she skipped the canyon) and hang out and drink beer. Meanwhile, the boys would take the climber's exit and just knock out as many of the forks as they could in one day. We didn't have beta, but we knew enough to be sure we were dropping into the right canyon. Allison panicked at the first downclimb, and I didn't blame her. The rest of us like that kind of thing, but Allison does not. She does not enjoy high stemming or elevator downclimbs or super skinny slots. She didn't ask for this!  (Although she certainl