cheese is good, in small quantities

 My Valentine's Day was wonderful. A year ago, yesterday, I celebrated that day with the same person, but in a completely different context. Little did I know... :) :)

Anyway, I won't blab on and on about what he did for me or what I did for him, but I would like to share my thoughts for the holiday.

Valentine's Day is a great day to celebrate people you care about-- family, friends, lovers... whoever. BUT, it can also make you painfully aware of what you're lacking, if you're in that category.

So before I blab on, I'd like to share two songs that have really been getting under my skin, lately. The first song is from Mumford and Sons (duh), and the second is a song I listened to a lot when I was in high school. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that both of these songs brought me to legitimate tears this week.

But you are not alone in this
And you are not alone in this
As brothers we will stand,
and we'll hold your hand.
Hold your hand


And I will tell the night
And whisper, "lose your sight,"
but I can't move the mountains
for you

•   “Anyway, on the cover of the box, Steinbeck chiseled four Hebrew letters which spell out the word "timshel,"a word that loosely translates as "thou mayest;" the word suggests that we as humans, with the consciousness we "achieved" by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden, can in every moment CHOOSE our behavior; we can choose between good and evil.”
  The Huffington Post: Claudia Ricci: The Magic of Fiction Writing; The Mysteries of Consciousness

As we brace for the sound
Of the deafening crowd
Screaming "Lord, have mercy now",
I hear the words of my King
As they echo underneath
"My hand awaits, rise to your feet".


But die as we may, Your love always remains
And we cannot afford to be afraid anymore.


Let's stay the course and hold on tight.
Jesus Christ Satellites are calling
A-O, We're not alone.



Physically alone, or not... it's extremely good to know that I am not alone, wherever I may be. Loneliness has deep roots, and it's really good for me to remember that the Father can reach those.

Cliche, maybe, but on holidays with hearts coming out of everyone's eyes, sometimes a little bit of reassurance in the form of cheese is okay in my book.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.

Valentine's Day FOR THE WIN

Today has been an incredible day. Not only am I single, but I am totally okay with that, especially when I get to spend the day celebrating with awesome people.

I was telling Anthony on the way home that I feel more like myself when I'm around these particular people. They may say that this is not necessarily a good thing, but hey- I like myself! (haha)

But seriously, I have had a wonderful day. I got up early (and it was a super gorgeous day) to deliver cupcakes. [success]

And tonight, I went with Anthony, Amy, Dave, Hannah and Nate to Belgian Waffle and Pancake House for dinner. I almost peed myself from laughing so hard. I love nights like that.

(Look at her dainty pinky! SO DAINTY.)

(Brendan and Lindsey are two of the cutest kids I have ever met.)

 (Secretly, he's my valentine.)

I am so thrilled to know these people. I'm not a very good photographer... and I didn't get ANY pictures of Anthony, Hannah or Nate, but oh well. Amy IS a good photographer and she got some good pictures, so check out her post, here.

_____________________

Since it is Valentine's Day, here are a couple of things I've been thinking about:

In a study involving a group of lovelorn Stanford undergrads, researchers discovered that high-octane romantic love might be a natural analgesic.

Love's painkilling effect isn't just that the person is distracted by thoughts of the loved one -- although that works, too. Instead, the researchers found that feeling "head-over-heels" activates the same dopamine-oriented centers of the brain that tune in to illicit drugs such as cocaine.

"These pain-relieving systems are linked to reward systems," said Dr. Sean Mackey, senior author of a paper appearing online Oct. 13 in PLoS One. "Love engages these deep brain systems that are involved with reward and craving and similar systems involved in addiction."

Check out the article!

Love: a benevolent intent focused toward the well-being of others, as affecting the heart's electromagnetic pattern

So what have we learned? 

1. Being single is perfectly fine.

2. Friends are awesome.

3. Laughter is actually good for you.

4. Anthony is awesome.

5. His family is also awesome.

6. Love is better than cocaine.

7. Love actually affects your physical heart. 

Cheers; I love you ALL!

:) :) :)

Stream of consciousness, hair, Valentine's Day and cupcakes

I dye my hair A LOT. It all started right after I graduated from high school and my sister dyed my hair a purplish/maroon/red color. Ever since then, I've been addicted. I'm especially partial to shades of red. I have found that I change my hair at different stages of my life; although, I don't know if it's because of the stage, or because I just love an excuse to change things up. 

Anyway, tonight I dyed my hair. It was a failure. Notice how the two (before and after) photos are incredibly similar. It was supposed to be drastic. FAIL, FAIL, FAIL.

I am going to have to give up and find a professional to do something about this.

My next hair color is going to be this (or this): 

                                                                    (found here & here)

Or maybe it won't be any of those. I never really know until I tell the hair stylist to whatever they want. I'm not too terribly picky with my hair.

______________

We made these cute little ladybug picture frames for our Valentine's Day craft at work tonight. 

I made these little bears for the ladies, since using a hot glue gun was necessary.

This photo is incredibly embarrassing, but I told the ladies that I would post it. The quality of the picture is terrible, but I'd like to see you try and keep massive plastic eyes on your face without jiggling the camera.

Tomorrow is our party at work for the residents. I'm so excited! I love holidays. I also love old people. Win, win!

______________

Being single, I'm not thrilled about this upcoming holiday; however, I have at least one friend coming over on Monday. I have stuff to make cupcakes. I am thrilled. Anyway, my mother is a dear and sent me a beautiful Valentine's Day care package!

Contents include: a heart dish towel, heart socks, poppyseed cake, pumpkin bread, York mints, molasses cookies and popcorn. AMAZING. My mom is the greatest.

She also included some pictures from Christmas that we got done at Wal-Mart. I'm not thrilled about them, but they are decent. This was also before I started my diet, so I can actually notice a difference! It's a small one, but hey, it's something!

 ______________

Finally, I adore cupcakes. 

This particularly glorious cupcake has been brought to you by my friend and co-worker, Merissa. She is an incredible baker. This cupcake did a dance in my mouth and I liked it. 

Here is the recipe:

Cinnamon Sugar Cupcakes:

1 box white cake mix- "I make this like the box says and add 1 t cinnamon and bake."

Frosting:

1 pkg cream cheese- room temperature

1 stick unsalted butter- room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

1 t vanilla

2 t cinnamon

Blend cream cheese and butter until smooth- add vanilla and cinnamon and mix well. Slowly add powdered sugar until desired sweetness and consistency!

Thank you, Merissa. You made my night so much more enjoyable. 

 ______________

That was a huge post.

Thanks for sticking with me.

I am going to St. Louis tomorrow with Anthony to see Interpol. I AM SO EXCITED. The band is good; Anthony is awesome. I will probably not be back to post anymore until Sunday, hence the lengthy post.

Cheers, friends!