This is an exciting week. Perhaps one of the most exciting in a while….

First thing: I got a new phone yesterday! I’ve been looking forward to my “new every two” upgrade with Verizon for several months and I’m very happy with the new hardware I picked out yesterday: the Samsung Reality.

Not a fancy-schamncy 3G phone, but rather a multimedia touch-screen phone with email capabilities. I really didn’t want to pay the extra $30 a month (on top of our already pricey cell phone bill), but the $9.99 date package required with this new phone didn’t seem so bad. I have to check my email box(es) via a computer anyway for work, but this will be invaluable when I’m on the road for photo shoots, etc., to keep up with anything that might come up! Plus, it’s just plain cooler than my now-defunct flip phone. 🙂

Up next: Haircut on Wednesday!
I’m the type of person who springs for a nice salon cut (or any cut) every 3 months or so (I like to let my hair grow out), and now is the time! There happens to be a nice salon just behind our apartment (through the alley/parking lot): Emmett Rode. It’s gotten some rave reviews online, so I’m hoping for a transformational ‘do’ that will carry me through the summer. I’m sure you’ll be seeing how that goes!

Also on Wednesday: Dinner & Fireworks out with the girls! I’ve been blessed to have more exposure to folks in Chicago via Patrick’s job and our recent involvement in a book club organized by one of those work friends. We’ve done dinners regularly with some of these couples for the past several months and even had a “Girls Night Out” last Thursday for the first time. So much fun! Looks like it may become a more regular occurrence throughout the summer — there’s so much to do in this city and you can’t blame us for taking advantage of these few warm months!

Thursday — the Big Day!
Hopping a flight to Georgia, my home state, for our yearly family reunion. A sad event — my grandmother’s passing and consequent memorial service on Saturday — also brings me back to my home this weekend, but I couldn’t be more grateful for the timing. I had planned to be down there this weekend anyhow for our reunion, and I’m looking forward to catching up with both sides of the family that will be in town for the respective events. And this year I’m excited that Patrick (dear husband) will be joining me for the reunion (he wasn’t able to attend last year). How appropriate that we will be able to celebrate the life of my grandmother surrounded by family — and follow that up with even more celebration of the God-given ties of family.

We (as a family) look forward to this event for most of the year, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with them very soon!

I don’t even know how I came upon Miley Cyrus’s new album and “hit” music video Can’t Be Tamed, but things like this seem unavoidable these days. It’s a sad thing to see how much she is beginning to look like a younger Britney Spears….

See any resemblance? (I don’t think the fact that Miley has slightly less skin showing is really a positive factor).

I grew up watching her dad (Billy Ray Cyrus) on the Pax Christian TV network in the role of a God-fearing doctor in some backwoods town somewhere — an entertaining and wholesome show. So, it makes me wonder how he is justifying his daughter’s behavior right now. Has he just lost control to the “media” or the demands of our increasingly rotten American culture?

She looks like a normal girl in any other circumstance — she was cast to play a normal “wholesome” girl-next-door in the Hannah Montana TV show & movies…. so what’s next? Playboy?

On the same token, it blows my mind that celebrities (like Miley Cyrus) are so surrounded by the peons of the paparazzi and the icon-worshipping aristocrats of our society that they consider it a breakthrough and an occasion to congratulate themselves when they decide to “stopped caring” about what other people say about them. Seriously? All of it is made up anyway!

Miley said, “I am just a really positive person when it comes to career. Life is too short to be stressed about what other people say… You have to be free and that is what my record is about.”

Yes, apparently a seventeen-year-old girl has become so narcissistic that she actually thinks she has overcome some great struggle in life in decided that she doesn’t care about what the press says about her. Congratulations Miley, now that you’ve overcome the most difficult part of life, you can continue on into a successful career of stripping and preening for the masses!

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt those celebrities to take these things to heart every once in a while. Suppressing the pangs of a convicted conscience is a skill I wouldn’t be proud of mastering.

Just purchased one of these cute little things online and can’t wait for it to arrive!

I’ve spent the last year and a half brewing about 4 cups of coffee every morning in my Cuisinart Grind n’ Brew. While it’s never a bad cup of coffee, I can’t really justify using just barely 25% of a 12-cup coffee maker… especially when sometimes half of the pot goes to waste (I really don’t drink more than 2 cups a day). I’ve also found that brewing a smaller batch in a larger coffeemaker creates greater “separation” of the ensuing liquid and grounds — grounds that sink to the bottom of the mug with a watery brew on top is never what I’d call a good cup of joe.

With this little guy (clever name: “Ready Set Joe”), I can make a single cup at a time. Less waste, better taste! Or I guess I’ll find out — more to come once the little brew-mug arrives.

And hey, they’ve come up with even more research on the benefits of drinking coffee!

I would not say I’m the type of person who thrives with great changes. Or at least not immediately. I am, however, the type of person who regularly seeks inspiration, refreshment and invigoration in the small changes of life. The change in season happens to be one of those things that I find completely invigorating and enjoyable. The sun is slowly finding its way out from behind the clouds here in the Chicago, and the breezes are becoming warmer by the day. For a city that endures the bulk of each year in icy temperatures, the coming of spring is a change worth rejoicing over!

As mentioned in a previous post, spring is one of my favorite times to shift my wardrobe and plan for new key pieces to spruce up my outfits. My work day was spent on the road yesterday and involved a short but fruitful trip to Walmart (of all places)! My pick-ups?

I want one.

Yorkie Poo:
     A Yorkie–Poo is a mixed breed that results from mating a Yorkshire terrier with a poodle. Quite often, the parents are purebred and the puppies are a 50/50 mix, but not always. Yorkie–Poo is the official name accepted by the American Canine Hybrid Club, although there are other commonly used names as well such as Yoyo-Poo or Yorkie-Doodle.
     The Yorkie–Poo tends to be very playful and friendly, making it a great pet for children. They make the ultimate lapdogs and love to cuddle. They are said to be fairly easy to train, if rewarded. They make great family pets and look like “perpetual puppies” because of their tiny size and sweet faces. Kids won’t be asking for another new puppy soon simply because their existing pet has grown up.
     Having a mixed breed dog does have its benefits, often in terms of health, behavior, and other features such as not shedding. The Yorkie Poo is a good example. This is a smart, good-natured mix that sheds little if any and they do not seem to be as problematic as other pets sometimes can be for allergy sufferers.

I have never considered myself a “dog person”. Big or small….doesn’t really matter. Of course, I’ll play with them; they are fun to hang around with….for a little while. Until they start shedding on your clothes, and drooling on your hands. Gross. But when I ran into these cute little guys in the home of a friend, I was easily won over to the breed. They are pretty small (depending on the breeding), very smart (that’s the poodle in them) and downright easy to live with (little to no shedding!). Seems like the perfect pet at this stage in my life. Now… just have to convince the DH and our landlord.

Did you know that if your doctor writes a Rx for a pet (they are occasionally prescribed for “depression”), a landlord must comply with the order??? Hmmmm… interesting thought.

Inspired by hiddenart’s Fashion Friday post, I’ve decided to post some of my recent wardrobe daydreams. It is a hobby of mine (some might call it a flaw) to peruse online clothing sites for my next big purchases. I pull pieces from different stores and put them together into outfits for special occasions or just something new for the change in seasons. Spring is one of my favorite times of year and I love the return to vibrant colors and lightweight fabrics after a long winter of dark and heavy. Below are some of my recent color/clothing boards (some purchased, some still in “shopping carts”). Enjoy!

Silk Chiffon Sophia Dress (in Sweet Cantaloupe), J. Crew
Shoes (top to bottom):
Kenneth Cole, Gladiator Sandals (bronze), Zappos
Mossimo Gemma Flip-Fop (bronze), Target
Alfani Shoes, Candy Thong Sandals, Macy*s
Jewelry (top to bottom):
Multi-Strand Necklace (Turquoise & Brown), Buy Trendy Brands
Beaded Multi-Strand Necklace, Target
Dana Buchman, Silver-tone Simulated Turquoise Multi-Strand Necklace, Kohl‘s

Dress: Ruffle Halter Dress, The Limited
Shoes: Simply Vera. Vera Wan Suneli Heels (Brown), Kohl’s
Cardigan: Ribbed Flyaway Cardigan (Espress), Express
Belt: Chaps Reversible O-Ring Belt, Kohl’s
Jewelry (left to right):
Global Girlfriend Big Brass Band Bracelet, Target
Enamel Hinged Bangle Bracelet (Aqua), Target