Lisa Leonard Designs Jewelry GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain just has too many cute giveaways! But do you think I could ever actually win?

Lisa Leonard Designs Jewelry GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Made by Rae Jackpack Backpack GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

So cute! I want to win this backpack for Jacob.
Made by Rae Jackpack Backpack GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Twenty minute Simple Skirt Tutorial AND GIVEAWAY!!!!

Again, another wonderful traping from Grosgrain! I love these skirts. She has the best giveaways!
Twenty minute Simple Skirt Tutorial AND GIVEAWAY!!!!

Vintage Wedding Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

This dress is beautiful, and I want it! I hope that it fits!
Vintage Wedding Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Did I tell you . . . ?

So, I admit it. I like a boy. And I pretty much like him a lot. A lot a lot. If I have been a little loopy lately, or a little crazy, or a little unresponsive, etc., well, now you know why. Life is happy. Although some days I am a little more emotionally streched than normal. Sorry--working on it. :)

Today his mom told me that I have smiley eyes. Well duh! She only sees me around him! Of course my eyes are smiley. I told her that. :) I think she likes me.

Ahh. . . . Blake. . .

Dear 2005,

Wow. You've been one heck of a year. Can I say that again? You've really been one heck of a year. Here's an overview:

• About two weeks into you, you decided to teach me what loss was. Yeah, I know that most people have experienced that when they are my age, but I hadn't. At least not to the extent to which you taught it. It hurt. I know it wasn't really your fault, but I still resent it.
  
• You taught me that my Heavenly Father is very mindful of me. He gives me wonderful things like a perfect, extremely unwarranted and out-of-my-dreams internship (paid!) during a time when I needed a reason to wake up every day. That meant that my year included being blessed financially immediately after I graduated. I was able to be independent. You gave me a life I had not dared to imagine--a life after college.
• You gave me a job that I view as absolutely perfect--the perfect people to work with, the perfect mix of responsibilities, and the field that I have always wanted to work in.
• You gave me my first car :) A beautiful, little, silver Mazda3. It makes me happy on long commutes.
• You taught me how to get over loss. It has taken longer than I imagined, but I think I have done it as much as it can be done.
• You have taught me how much my friends mean to me. I think because of that I have tried to value their influence in my life and be a larger part of theirs, but it has also made me a little wary of the future. I am not sure what I will do when I have to leave them, or when they leave me.
• You taught me to understand better who I am. I am not just a happy, spunky girl who likes to claim she is twelve years old when she not. I will not always be happy. I will not always be spunky. And some days I will feel much, much older than twelve. But there is a deeper core of me that will always be there. I will always be me.
• You taught me about tender mercies. I have learned that they are plentiful, and they are always there.

I am not the same girl that I was when we met, dear 2005. In some ways that makes me a little sad and nostalgic, but it also fills me with a sense of completeness and growth. And, deep down, despite all the highs and lows, I want to thank you for that.

Love always,
Your Brit

So I can't think of a non-repetative title

So one of my little cousins, Allie, age 3, decided to dictate a letter to Santa. It said:

Dear Santa,
I've only been good half the time, so will you bring me half a doll?
Love, Allie

Well, at least she's honest.
The funniest part of it is she really did get half a doll. One of those large Barbies from the shoulders up so you can play with their hair and make-up. No wonder my aunt says she just gets entertainment from her kids. She really doesn't need anything else!

And one of my other cousins, age about 10, has noticed that I always say "Hello friend!" to her and will say it to me before I even get a chance! Hooray for her! I like to think all my little cousins adore me :)
I guess I just have to talk about cousins 'cause I don't have any nieces or nephews, and the cousins are about the right age anyway.
Sheesh.