Quoteworthy Reading

Ran across this when reading My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster...

I'd never date anyone who my pets didn't like; I mean, they're instinctive like that. My rationale was if someone wasn't nice to my pets, eventually, they wouldn't be nice to me, either.

Yup. Thought back to ex-boyfriends. Totally true. 

Also, I could quote most of Jen Lancaster's other books too. Her books are the kind that that I read by the pool and burst out laughing all by myself. That'll get ya some strange looks, fyi.

Four the Record

If you haven’t already purchased Country Music Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert’s newest album, do yourself a favor and head to iTunes or your nearest Target, and buy it right now…well, as soon as you finish reading this. If haven’t been able to tell from previous posts, she is one of my very favorite artists. Picking a favorite song from the new album, Four the Record, is tough. This is her first album since she married Country Music Male Vocalist of the Year, Blake Shelton, so it's only fitting that he make an appearance on the album via duet. (He and Miranda also co-wrote "Over You," her next single.) Even though she is living her happily-ever-after, Miranda, still has some quirky break-up songs, like the first single, "Baggage Claim." (We girls in the dating world love to sing along to those sort of songs!) I really love the songs that Miranda wrote, especially “Dear Diamond,” but the lyrics of that one don’t necessarily portray something I can relate to. The background vocals (Patty Loveless) plus Miranda’s lyrical ability make for a stunning song though. (It is an alto's dream! It also makes me ache to play the guitar!)

The song I can (or one day hope to) relate to the most is “Oklahoma Sky.” To me, it symbolizes the deep sense of peace my heart feels in the country; the expansive sky holds infinite possibilities and hope. Hope that one day I will finally find the love that brings me home, and the long wait and heartbreak will all be worth it. What can I say; despite everything I’ve been through, deep down I will always be a hopeless romantic.

Oklahoma Sky

* How long has it taken me to find you? * Five hundred years, five hundred thousand miles * It don’t matter now, love’s always on time * Meet me underneath the Oklahoma sky * Lightening flash, everything went silent * A feather could have knocked me to the floor * Missing peace was found, I was finally alive * Meet me underneath the Oklahoma sky * With the speed of sound I am homeward bound * All our sorrows swept away forever * Each and every tear washed out to sea * There ain’t no goodbye with your hand in mine * Meet me underneath the Oklahoma sky * Oklahoma sky *

* Oklahoma Sky *



Swimsuits vs Men

Driving home from the mall today after buying a new swimsuit (or two), I had an epiphany. Shopping for a swimsuit and dating (aka shopping for a man) are just alike. Trying to find the perfect one is stressful, time consuming, and sometimes painful. You can go to all the right places, but still not find one. You find one that looks good, but doesn’t fit right…or the other way around (haha). Some of them are so cute, but those never fit how you want them to. First impressions are deceiving as things aren’t always what they seem upon further examination. It’s not until you’ve tried it out for a while that you see it wasn’t the right one after all. Sometimes you try to make it fit despite the flaws, but that doesn’t work out in the long run. Sometimes you like more than one and you can't decide on one. Some make you happy. Some make you feel beautiful or sexy. Some make you feel invincible. Some make you cry. Some cause you to go broke. Some make you feel bad about yourself. Some confuse you. Some don't make any sense. Some make you feel like you can’t breathe. Some make you regret ever trying. Sometimes they just disappear, and sometimes you can’t get rid of them. Sometimes the stress of it all just gets to you, and you wanna give up all together.

All the shopping adds up to experience though. It helps you realize what works for you and what you won’t settle for. You may even be inspired to work on yourself more before giving it another try. You have to be patient, and try not to be so hard on yourself if it doesn’t work out the way you thought it would. It’s not always your fault, and you’re not always going to understand why it doesn’t work out.

Once in a (very long) while you find one that looks good, makes you feel good, fits you, and then it happens...you fall in love. It’s like it was meant to be. Still, you may hesitate because making such an investment should not be taken lightly. With love and tender care, it can last a long time. You just have to jump in, and hope for the best!

Still Waiting

Wait for…
the one who will be your best friend.
the one who will drop everything to be with you.
the one who makes you smile like no other, and when they smile you know they need you.
the one who wants to show you off when you are in sweats and have no makeup on, but appreciates it when you get all dolled up for him.
the one who will put you at the center of of his universe, because obviously, he's at the center of yours.

It's hard to wait around for something you know may never happen, but it's even harder when you know it's everything you ever wanted.
- Unknown

Good v Bad

You know sometimes, you gotta learn to love what's good for you.
- Charlie Swan, from the movie New Moon

Who would have thought that New Moon would have got me to thinking so much. When Charlie said that to Bella, I realized how right he is. Girls notoriously go for the bad guys. Charlie, here, was trying to tell Bella that the bad guy (Edward) isn’t good for her, and she should learn to love Jacob (the good guy) as much as she loves Edward. While you can’t always change the way your heart feels, Charlie is on to something here. (Disclaimer: While I am “Team Jacob,” this does not influence my thoughts on Charlie’s statement.)

I’ve learned from my past mistakes that some guys are just like a drug. Somehow you get addicted to them, and the thought of being without them causes such pain and anxiety it gives you something like withdrawal symptoms. It turns you into a complete wreck when he’s gone…similar to how Bella reacts to Edward leaving her. Meanwhile, the good guy or the right guy has been there all along just waiting. Maybe we already knew them, and maybe we didn’t yet. We girls were just too wrapped up in our addiction to give other guys that might be better for us a chance. I don’t blame girls for being attached to the bad guy ‘cause I’ve been there. It’s not easy to just walk away ‘cause there’s some unknown force keeping you there. Even though I had realized that wasn’t the relationship I deserved, I felt stuck. I felt like I just needed to learn to adapt to his world (like Bella wants to become a vampire), and always hoped that things would change.

I have my own world, and I don’t want to completely change it for a guy. I don’t expect him to change his world either. I think that once you find the one you are meant to be with, you won’t want anything about the other person to change. I want to find the guy that makes me a better, happier person instead of one that causes me pain, forces me to change things about myself, and leaves me to fall apart. Therefore, I am taking Charlie’s advice, which sounds much like something my dad might tell me, to only love the guy that is good for me…as easy or difficult as it may be. No more bad guys for me.

Haven't Met You Yet

Michael Buble sang this song on Dancing With the Stars tonight, and it made me smile. I could not have said it better myself.

I might have to wait.

I'll never give up.
I guess it's half timing,
And the other half's luck.
Wherever you are.
Whenever it's right.
You'll come out of nowhere and into my life.

And I know that we can be so amazing.
And baby your love is gonna change me.
And now I can see every possibility.

But somehow I know that it'll all turn out.
And you'll make me work so we can work to work it out.
And I promise you, kid, I'll give so much more than I get.
I just haven't met you yet.