raise a brow.

I have an obsession with eyebrows. 

I think they can completely make or break a person.

So below are some of my favorite celebrity eyebrows. 

Oh to have these brows...

{Kourtney Kardashian}

{Jennifer Connelly}

{Natalie Portman}

{Eva Mendes}

{Ashley Olsen}

{Lauren Conrad}

{Beyonce Knowles}

{and a couple of the worst...}

 

The Christmas Song

Today I was sitting in a sandwich shop eating lunch and trying to tune out the Christmas music when The Christmas Song came on the radio. For pretty much everyone, this is no big deal. It's a Christmas song, it's the Christmas season, it's bound to happen. But The Christmas Song was my dad's favorite holiday song and I can't even begin to count how many times we have listened to this song while decorating our tree, driving home from Christmas eve at my grandparents every year or just because.

When I got back to work, I put my headphones in and turned on the The Christmas Song while I worked. For that split second each time I played it, I was back at my grandparents house, surrounded by my family, laughing and digging into some delicious tamales. That feeling of excitement for the next morning and contentment that everyone I cared about was in one place may not happen again for a long time. Yes, I can still surround myself with my closest loved ones this Christmas eve, but there's still something missing. It's hard to explain how awesome the feeling is when I listen to The Christmas Song, but it makes me so happy. In case you are now wanting to listen to the song, I've posted the video below. :)

Below is my all-time favorite Christmas song by Stevie Wonder. And here is a special version, for anyone who wants to listen. ;)

Merry Christmas season!

We Love Sports

{a day of sports}

baylor bears vs. texas tech

dallas mavericks vs. los angeles lakers

family traditions

{downtown mckinney}

for more than 20 years, my family has gone to downtown mckinney the day after thanksgiving. partially this is to avoid the black friday crowds everywhere else, but mostly because this day kicks off the christmas season. throughout the years i've brought several friends along with me, but this year was a first for mark. below are some of the photos from the day.

give thanks.

it is not happy people who are thankful;
it is thankful people who are happy.

although this thanksgiving was a lot harder than last, it was a great reminder of the things i do have to be thankful for this year. since i was feeling a little down tonight, i decided to stop focusing on the things i don't have this year and start focusing on the things i do.

{my husband}

i hope i never forget how lucky i am to be married to my best friend. my whole life i have waited for someone even half as special as this man and i am so thankful to have found him.

{my family}

we have always been incredibly close, but the past year and a half has definitely brought us closer together. my mom and sister are two of the strongest, most beautiful people i know.

{my dad}

i am thankful for 25 years with my best friend and twin. i am thankful for every memory i have and for the peace i have in knowing where he is at now. i am so lucky to have grown up with the best dad i could ever have asked for. i love you.

{my best friends}

no matter what we go through in life, i am 100 percent sure we will be there for each other. i couldn't imagine my life without each and every one of them. they make everything more fun.

{my new family}

my family grew tremendously this june and i couldn't be more happy. i'm so excited to make memories with all of my new family in the years to come.

{my love for fitness}

as silly as it may sound, i am so thankful that staying healthy is important to me. i am thankful that i have the ability to run, spin, do yoga, kickbox, etc. without that outlet, i don't know what i would do.

{chocolate}

enough said.

I've Got A Fever...And The Only Prescription Is More Beiber.

Is it just me or is Justin Beiber slowly morphing into the next Britney Spears? Between his yo-yoing relationship with Selena, his awkward acceptance speeches at the AMAs, throwing up on stage during a concert… multiple times… and smacking a paparazzo, I fear his downward spiral has commenced.

But as much as I’m entertained by his latest shenanigans, I moreso feel bad for the kid. He’s recently become vocal about how hard it is growing up in the public spotlight. Sure, the millions of dollars you come home to every night must make it easier, but I’m sure it’s still not fun all the time.

We all remember the day we realized Britney had gone of the deep end. At first it was the random marriage… then the random divorce… then the shaving of the head. It all sort of blends together at this point. I remember watching an MTV special on her after the kids and the head shave… the cameras followed her around every day and revealed how annoying being a celebrity really is. I really don’t blame her for feeling so crazy, I’m sure I would too.

Speaking of big crazies… last night I watched Lindsay Lohan on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The girl is literally insane. Yet there is one common thread that seems to tie these three together: childhood celebrity. If I ever have a kid that wants to be famous, I’m going to at least make them wait until they’re old enough to experience a normal childhood. We don’t need any more Britneys in this world.

And my advice for Beibs… lay low for a while. The spotlight will always be there once your voice has finally changed and you’ve experienced a normal teenage life.

She Bangs, She Bangs

I've got the bangs itch. There, I said it. Ever since I was in high school, I've had an obsession with cutting my hair, growing it out and repeating. But when my friend Anna dared me to grow my hair out my last year of college, I accepted the challenge. Once I got engaged, I knew I had to keep letting it grow for the wedding. Now that it's long, I really like it (most days). However, I'm feeling the itch for change and I think that may just lay in the cruel mistress known as bangs. Bangs can be your best friend or your worst enemy. It's a big leap and I'm not sure if I'm ready, but below are some of my favorite bang looks. We'll see if I muster the courage to take the plunge.

Loose Canon

So last week was my final grief class at Prestonwood. We wrapped up our class by having Dickey's BBQ catered and spending the rest of the time visiting. I remember when I started the class, unsure if I would even stay for nine weeks, and am so thankful for the great lessons I've learned since and new friends I've made out of the class.

I definitely feel like I benefited from the class. It was great to be able to talk about my dad and what I am going through and know I'm not alone. However, I do think I still have a hard time sharing my situation. One of my biggest pet peeves is hearing people victimize themselves. You know the type. The "why did this tiny fender bender happen to me... everyone hates me!" type. But there is a difference between victimizing yourself and accepting your situation, and I don't really know if I've done the latter yet.

My life completely changed within one minute when my dad died. I've learned that when you lose a parent specifically, you feel thrust into the world with no time to prepare. You've lost that source of advise and discernment and are forced to make decisions on your own. You still have another parent and other family, of course, but everyone is dealing with their own grief and struggling to survive themselves. You are no longer a child, no matter how old you are. Life is suddenly coming at you at 100 mph and all you can do is hold on tight.

That's an overwhelming thing to think about. And I think by downplaying the situation, I have convinced myself that it's not as hard as it may seem. But the truth is that it is really hard. I've been given a miracle with my husband and I am so thankful for that. But emotionally, that doesn't make my situation less difficult. If anything, it only causes my emotions to be even more of a loose canon.

It's exhausting to be such an emotional roller coaster for so long. I'm so thankful for such an incredible support system and for faith that gets me through even the most confusing days. I see so much going on in the world around me and always remind myself that plenty of people are struggling around me. It doesn't make my situation seem easier, but at least makes me thankful for what I've got!

I didn't have a photo for this blog post, so here is a photo I took at 5:45 a.m.
when our apartment building's first alarm went off.

Two Peas In A Pod Since Birth

I often wonder what my husband was doing in life before we knew each other. After looking through some of his younger photos, it looks like we have been pretty much the same person since we were babies. Below are some examples of this.

Just being a baby circa 1989.

Whatdya know... me being a baby also.

Food lover for years.

Foodie for life. 

Swimming off all that food.

Swimming laps to stay lean.

Going out on the town for Halloween. 

Getting geared for candy.

The Natural.

Don't let that deceive you... I was striking out on purpose.

I knew I'd have to marry a Rangers fan. 

Jr. Ranger for life.

Playing with waterguns.

Also a big watergun fan.

Embracing the snow.

Also embracing the snow and mountains.

Wreck 'em.

Sic 'em.

And then we found each other. Finally.