Spooky on a Monday

I finally hit the Wall of Stress over the weekend so blog posts may be a little thin this week.

Stress or no stress, it’s October 31st and I’m making some room for a few moments of ghoulish cheer.

Here’s one of my favorite covers of an old classic, just in time for Halloween…

 

Hope whatever you’re doing, you’re having a (safe) blast doing it.

Happy Halloween!

love, elizabeth

Today, please remember…

Your heart is a place of both incredible strength and unbelievable vulnerability. Remember to treat it kindly.

If the day goes horribly awry, if nothing turns out as it should, if you make a mistake, consider the things that truly last forever…and the rest will fade away.

You are capable of great things. But the small things matter, too. So  if all you accomplish today is to make someone smile, then your time was well-spent.

You are beloved. You matter.

I needed to remind myself of this today…how about you?

love, elizabeth

Inspiration of the Month: Kate

Well, now that October is almost over, it’s high time for another inspiration of the month! Meet Kate.

Kate and I have been friends for eleven very full, very exciting years. We’ve seen each other through some of the worst and best moments of our lives (Kate was my maid of honor five and a half years ago!).

There are so many inspiring things about Kate but here’s a biggie on my list…

Not only is she an amazing career woman and amazing friend, she’s also an amazing wife to a United States Marine. If you’re in the military or married to it, you know what this means.

Long separations, weird hours, lots of moves, some extra worry, and a great deal of sacrifice. I’ve been so thankful to get to keep up Kate and Garrett’s love story over the past few years. As Garrett prepares to deploy, I know they are spending as much time as they can together and preparing for this new part of their love story. Kate and Garrett have a saying that’s been with them since their wedding ceremony…“Stuck together until the end of forever.” It’s become a playful reminder of a very serious commitment. “You married me,” Kate tells him. “That’s it. It’s in the fine print. There are no loopholes. You’re stuck with me!”

Five Fast Kate Facts

- Kate loves dogs but she became a cat person in college. Her cat, Boo, is the second love of her life.

- Her first kiss was in the choir room in 8th grade while practicing a song for the talent show. Uh-huh. Practicing.

- She prefers popcorn to chocolate.

- Kate went skydiving a few years ago. When they threw her out of the plane at 17,500 feet, she cried. She totally wants to go again.

- Halloween has special significance in her love story so she and Garrett went to three haunted houses on their wedding night. Sexy.

You should definitely go follow Kate’s sweet blog, Love Not Distance where she shares her triumphs and struggles as a young military wife. She makes me laugh and I love her honesty and practical applications of love.

Who’s inspiring YOU lately?

love, elizabeth

When You Go There, They Have To Take You In

I won’t lie and say I’m not completely jealous that Kyle spent last week in Colorado with our families. But, on the up side, he has settled into the blogging husband role quite nicely and returned with a memory card full of pictures. What a guy…here are some my favorites.

Kyle and his mom Linda

Taking in the condo view in Steamboat Springs where Kyle grew up. I weep for you, resort boy.

Alex, Kyle’s best friend since third grade. They were so close that the town librarian would actually get them mixed up and they’d end up with the other’s library fines.

Kyle in a tree. This happens more often than anyone would think. When Kyle and I were dating, I actually made up a song about Kyle living in a tree. I still sing it to him.

Kyle’s sister, Sasha. I know. It’s disgusting how beautiful she is.

Kyle with our youngest niece, Dalyla. We haven’t been home in a couple years so this was his first time meeting her! Isn’t she just the cutest little punk-rocker you ever did see?

Kyle with my mom, Janet, at Sweet Tomatoes (our favorite restaurant out west).

These pictures make me homesick but I’m so thankful to have them all the same. How often do you get a chance to see YOUR family?

love, elizabeth

Colorado in the Fall

Kyle flew home to Colorado last week and while he was in Steamboat Springs (his hometown), snapped some amazing shots of the fall colors. These were some of my favorites.

I’ll have more Colorado pictures to share this week PLUS our October Inspiration, a giveaway, and I may or may not have…cough…judged a beauty pageant this weekend. So lots to talk about!

What about you? Anything especially exciting going on for your blogs this week? Gimme a heads up!

love, elizabeth

Bit By A Rabid Squirrel and Other Valid Excuses

I know I’m feeling a little worn down at school when, while walking across campus,

I have an actual conversation with myself that goes something like this:

Wow, that squirrel is really close to my foot. I hope it doesn’t bite me. If it bit me, I’d have to go to the

hospital and get a rabies shot. I’d have to miss class….huh. That’d be a pretty killer excuse. ‘Can’t

make it to class, bit by a rabid squirrel. The thing was practically foaming at the mouth!’ Too bad.

I clearly need a day off.

Source: vadana.tumblr.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

What about you? Ever dreamt of the perfect excuse to stay home?
love, elizabeth

Don’t Call Me Sweetie Pie, Sweetie Pie

Here’s the deal-i-o, men of the workplace. If you are not my father, my husband, or a sweet old man born before 1940, please call me by my name. It’s Elizabeth, by the way. It’s 2011 and if I’m your colleague and your professional equal, I deserve to be treated that way.

And I don’t care how you meant it. When you call me “sweetie pie,” you communicate that you believe that you and I are different, that I am sweet and cute and young and female, and that you are a strong, paternal, authoritative man. But the fact is that you and I have received the same education. We’re doing the same job in the same field. If you wouldn’t call a male PhD student “sweetie,” you shouldn’t call me that, either. I certainly would never address you as “hun” or “sweetheart.” Because that would be disrespectful and unprofessional, possibly even inappropriate.

And don’t hug me without asking my permission. We’re not that friendly.

Source: google.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

 

What can I say? Actual sexism bugs me.

love, elizabeth