I'm not sure my HOA would go for this...

Keeping up with the Joneses can be an expensive business, but a German company has come up with an ingenious way to make your neighbors green with envy:  weather-resistant 3D photos for your garage door that are deceptively realistic and will cause passers-by to stop and stare...

images from Style Your Garage via Lyn

A Dream

image by thresca via mary ruffle

A Life Less Ordinary

art by Belle and Boo via Sheye Rosemeyer

Sheye Rosemeyer's writing and photography is achingly, devastatingly beautiful.  I find myself moved, inspired, and smiling through tears while reading her eloquent words.  The world is a more beautiful place for having her in it.

There's no place like home...

photo by Betty Mullet

I'm so excited to be getting home tomorrow night after being away for three weeks!  Even better:  I'll be on leave for two weeks before having to head back to work.  I plan to spend some quality time with my handsome husband, cuddle with my Lucy, hang out with some good friends, and just enjoy being back home...maybe I'll even have one of these days.

A few things I've found around the web that have made me smile over the last week: 

Genius!  Why didn't I think of this?? 

My new favorite tea of the moment...it'd be even more fun steeped in this

I've definitely had days where I could relate to how Laurel is feeling

Oooh, oooh, oooh...free ice cream!!

Inspiring

I love my pet, too, but...honestly??

Make a custom duvet cover

Beautiful.  I can't decide which one I love the best

I adore this movie

I want to frame this for my kitchen

Have a fun weekend!

A poem for Monday...

image via All the Pieces of Me

Pomegranates

his hands curl

gracefully, clenching

the round pomegranate

and a knife that crunches through its thick skin

he slowly clasps each half, deliberately pulls them apart

for his daughter

like a magic show.

he reveals the crimson treasures within,

hundreds of delicate little jewels, fragile pockets of pure sweetness

and revels in each moment as her eyes, and the juicy halves, open wider.

—Beth Kacel

Have a wonderful weekend!

lovely photo by Mary Swenson 

How sweet is this photo??  I stumbled across Mary's blog the other day and absolutely loved her work--it's so beautiful.  Through her site, I also discovered Karey's wonderful blog.  They both collaborate at T. ruffles.  Stop by their little slices of the internet...I'm sure you'll love them as much as I do.

Another week down and one more to go before I'm finished with all of my training here in Little Rock and am able to get back to my handsome husband, sweet kitty, and cozy home. 

One positive thing about being here in Arkansas for three weeks is that I'm only a 6 hour drive away from Huntsville, so I'm able to spend the weekends visiting with my family.  Last weekend Mom and I did a little shopping, Billy brought Ethan over to Mom and Dad's house to hang out for most of the day,  Amber came over for dinner after taking in a play with her Mom, Dad barbecued the kal-bi that Mom made for us, and Dad and I went to mass on Sunday before I headed back to Little Rock.  Whew!  We fit quite a bit into just two days! 

I'd thought about driving to Nashville instead of Huntsville this weekend so that I could visit with Mark, Jackie, and Griffin.  Unfortunately, the timing is bad.  Jackie has to work this weekend, and Mark will be busy packing up the house for their move.  Instead, I may be able to see Mark and Griffin for a short visit when Mark brings Griffin down to Huntsville to spend the weekend with Jackie's mom, Linda.   Fingers crossed...

Happy Friday, everyone--I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Laughter is the best medicine...

image by Bill Watterson via Faith and Theology

Oh, how I used to LOVE Calvin and Hobbes...and still do...

Thanks to the power of Facebook, Betty White will be hosting SNL on 8 May!!

Cringeworthy (but FUNNY!) blog

Yes, the humor can be low-brow, but Bruce and I laugh out loud when we watch this and this

My brother, Billy, posted this cute video to his Facebook page

NPR's "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!" and "Car Talk" keep me laughing on Saturday mornings

David Sedaris' humor is brutally honest, sardonic, witty, and absolutely side-splitting.  His books are wonderful, but listening to him read his writings is priceless.

I know it's silly, but this commercial makes me laugh everytime.

Do good, feel good

image via grow.cook.eat

I loved Ashley's post on Tuesday--what a great message.  It's so true that while a good deed makes the recipient feel good, the giver gets just as much (if not more) joy from the act...sometimes I get so caught up in the craziness that is my life and I forget that. 

So I'm echoing Ashley's request:  go out and do something nice for someone today--pay the toll for the person in the car behind you...call your mother-in-law just to say hi...share your umbrella with someone who doesn't have one...compliment your waitress to her manager...mail a sweet handwritten note to your grandmother to let her know that you miss her (or better yet, if you live close-by stop in for a visit)...sit down and color with your nephew...bake some brownies and bring them in to your office...

I hope that everyone has a beautiful day today.

Happy Birthday, Little Brother!

 Today is Mark's 32nd birthday.  Happy birthday--I love you!

I'm so ready for spring...

(images via han picked)

Have a lovely weekend...

(photo by Anna Aden)

Happy weekend, everyone!  I just finished a week of SARC (Sexual Assault Response Coordinator) training in preparation for the deployment in June.  It was a really good course--heavy subject matter, but a really important program that I'm excited to be a part of.  

I'm looking forward to heading to Huntsville for the weekend to visit with the family before coming  back to Little Rock for two more weeks of training (the S-1 course this time.)  I hope you all have a relaxing and fun weekend...

Like a fine wine...

...he only gets better with age.  :-)  Today is my handsome hubby, Bruce's, birthday.

Happy birthday, Love.  They're countless, but in honor of your 35th birthday here are 35 reasons that I love you:

1.  I love that you don’t hog the blankets ... too much
2. I love the way you can always make me smile and laugh – even when I’m mad at you
3. I love the way I can always be myself around you
4. I love when you call me beautiful – even if I’m just in track pants with no make up
5. I love the way you love your family
6. I love when you hold my hand while we're driving
7. I love that you're honest with me – even when it’s something I don’t want to hear
8. I love how you don’t try to change me
9. I love when we curl up on the couch to watch movies and cuddle
10. I love that you have dinner ready for us when I get home late from work
11. I love your sense of adventure
12. I love your thirst for knowledge
13. I love when you surprise me
14. I love that you have never ended a phone conversation without telling me you miss me or you love me
15. I love that you're as helpful as therapy, but you never charge me for it
16. I love how sure you are of yourself and what you believe in
17. I love that you’re never boring
18. I love that you open the door for me whenever we get into a car
19. I love that you’re a people person, and talk to anyone and everyone
20. I love the way you always reason your arguments about everything
21. I love your willingness to try new things
22. I love your brains – intelligence is sexy
23.  I love that you love to travel
24.  I love how passionate you are about scuba diving and CrossFit
25.  I love that you clean Lucy's litter box so that I don't have to
26.  I love when you text me just to say hello
27.  I love that you're the first person I want to talk to when I have news
28.  I love that you love to read as much as I do
29.  I love that you're a loyal friend
30.  I love that you say "bless you" every time I sneeze
31.  I love that when I want dessert you have some, too, even though you don't really want it--just so that I won't feel too guilty
32.  I love that you inspire me to get out of my comfort zone and try new things
33.  I love that you'll watch a chick flick with me and (usually) not complain
34.  I love that you'll come to bed and lay down with me until I fall asleep even though you're not tired yet
35.  I love that you're my best friend
(And one more to grow on...)
36.  I love that you're 2 years older than me! ;-)

 Happy Birthday, Sweets!