Talk Nerdy to Me

Found: Here

Christian Grey. I have not read these books but I am going to go ahead and state that this type of writing is not what gets me going. In fact, I am pretty sure that reading this book would be a huge turn OFF for me. I use my spatula to make pancakes and I am fine with that. My hair is too short to braid and the thought of getting tied up makes me want to have a panic attack. And yet everywhere I go, women are scouring the pages of this book.

Same with Magic Mike. While I appreciate Matthew McConnaughy in all his deliciousness, I am not part of the droves running out to see Channing Tatum's sweaty abs. In fact, any attraction I may have to Channing Tatum has more to do with his incredible dance talent than anything else. And if placed in a crowded bar, I would probably not take two glances in their direction. (Is there something wrong with me?) Because always and forever I have been attracted to the funny nerd. Anyone else with me on this?  I remember having a conversation in high school with a friend about how we never had crushes on the "obvious" guys at our school; that we were always attracted to the less noticed, funny, smart guy in the background.

So since it's already hot outside, since Channing Tatum is getting way too much attention this summer and for all of you who would rather read Pride and Prejudice than 50 Shades, here are some of my favorite nerdy funny men--I would rather watch you guys strum a guitar or tell a story any day over getting whipped with a spatula.

I was once told by someone that I was the only person they had ever heard call Steve Carrell sexy. Come on, tell me you don't think this guy's handsome!

I don't think this picture needs words.

What the what? Yes, Andrew Garfield. If you don't think he is the cutest, you need to go see Spiderman, now!

Does it help that he has a foreign accent and can sing incredibly well--yes, it does.

This guy can rattle off the first twenty numbers of pi in no time, calculates how long it would take to drive to the moon and back at 60 mph in his head and at one point had memorized  an entire deck of Trivial Pursuit; making him the biggest nerd I know. But no one makes me laugh harder and for that reason, he is my number one funny nerd who basically sets the standard for my quirky taste. We have a running joke when he gets a sciency on me where I call him a Georgia Tech nerd and he slings back, "But who was nerdy enough to marry the GA Tech nerd?" Not quite the insult is it?

Others that should be included on the list are any scrappy, music playing Brit. Give me a music playing Brit or a slightly chubby funny guy any day.  I know more should be added to the list--who did I leave off? 

Also, speaking of Christian Grey. I thought this was hilarious....

Playing Catch Up

It was my intention to write a new post every day last week. That did not happen since staying at my parents' house is like taking a trip to the pioneer days when it comes to internet connection. Since it takes a good thirty minutes to load a web page there, I decided to save all stories and photos for when I came home. So now we are back after an activity packed week in Knoxville. Luckily, I had the foresight to sign Loulie up for a three hour a day camp this week which has allowed me to catch up on cleaning, yard work and sales calls. You can probably guess that the over 100 temperatures have left Bert and the ice business overworked. We missed him a ton last week and are so happy to all be back under one roof even if it means only seeing him a few minutes here and there.
I finished two books last week that were so amazing and have lots of pictures to share but for now I'll be brief and post on our fourth celebration later.

In the meantime, what do I do with this child? We have more drama over here than on SoapNet. In just a few weeks, she has aged from 2.5 to 25 years old. My mother bought her that horse pocketbook. She hasn't left the house without it, her new orange boat shoes, her lipstick on, a watch and/or one of her new necklaces. So many times throughout the day I get a glimpse of what life might be like when she is a teenager. One thing about raising a girl--they are emotional! One minute she is my shadow and the next she is breaking into tears and slamming her bedroom door. (See?--teenage girl.) Our scale begins at 1 being "I want to be just like you" copying my every move to 10 being a "I TOLD you I want my daddy" (with emphatic hand gestures). If this is what I am dealing with at 2.5, what will it be at 13? I don't know. But I have been looking at houses on the market with carriages houses or at least a mother in law sweet, for me that is. The trade off to all this drama is also having the sweetest, snuggling side kick that just so happens to love all the things I do and tells me daily that her favorite part of the day was "being with mama." I'll take it, drama and all. 


I'll stop there since I am sweltering in our 89 degree upstairs. The AC is out so I am selling 200 sq ft ice machines out of an office that feels like the inside of an oven. Bert has fixed two ACs this week for friends but has told me ours is beyond repair. Ironic? I think so. 
Stay cool friends! XOXO!

Packing

This picture cracks me up. The short story is girlfriend wouldn't take a nap. She bounced around for an hour then just fell over mid sentence and continued to sleep like that with her legs hanging off the sofa mid air. She basically looks the way I've felt all week--zonked!
It's been busy. We held a successful sales meeting last night that took a good bit of prepping on my behalf--lots of phone calls and emails which can be tricky now that it is summer and Loulie is no longer in school three days a week. This morning I had a court hearing where I basically had to confront two parents for lying about the whereabouts of their child. Combine that with looking down at dinner to see 18 missed calls on my phone from the baby sitter and you could say my blood pressure has been slightly elevated this week. Thankfully, there were no visits to the ER, just getting locked out and a visit to the neighbors. Never again will I turn my phone to silent and note to all parents, show the sitter where the spare key is!
All that being said, we are leaving for Knoxville tomorrow!!! Isn't vacation so much sweeter after a hectic week? We haven't visited my parents since January and Loulie has grown an entire inch since my dad last saw her so this trip is long overdue. When I say we, I mean Loulie and me. Bert and Bridget are staying home. Prayers for Bert as he enters the busiest work week of his entire year. With 100 degree days predicted for next week, he should be extra busy. (Shameless plug--go buy lowcountry ice!)
I'm ultra excited about our trip and so is the Bug. My mother has so much planned and I am just looking forward to being in new surroundings. This summer has been awesome but it can be nice to change the scenery every now and then. SO we are taking off tomorrow morning after buying a new set of tires--is there anything less gratifying purchase? I think not.


Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4rth of July! 

On the farm, on the farm

We went blueberry picking with friends at Ambrose Farm on Johns Island last week. Before hand, I thought this will be either really fun or an epic fail. Thankfully, it was the former. We have been blessed with beautiful weather so far this summer and picked midday under a cool 79 degrees (unheard of for June!).
Bert is always saying he wants a farm and watching the kids roam so freely, laughing and splashing in the mud almost had me putting a sign in the front yard. I can't stop looking at these pictures--those little tushes collaborating on how to fill their baskets--I just love it!
We collected two pounds of blueberries and one of blackberries. Loulie and I followed these rules for cleaning which actually worked and kept them quite fresh. Then, we used this recipe for the most delicious breakfast bread.  The nice part of the whole adventure, Loulie helped with every part! Even clean up....

Phenomenon

You know when you're out running errands, that day where you actually took the time to dry your hair and put on lipstick, being all productive. Then one glance in the rearview shows a child's head swaying back and forth. Before you know it, you have abandoned all plans, pulled a U turn and are racing home in the hopes you can get this exhausted child down for what could be a loooong nap! A long nap in which you make sales calls, return messages and clean the dishes from last night. You turn off the car, tip toe in the house quietly and use all muscle power to slowly lower them into bed....And before you have even completely turned on your heels, there the child is popped up and demanding your attention.

Suddenly, you are home. Tired. Watching a two year old race circles around the dog. And all I can think is that there must be some scientific explanation for how a child can barely put one foot in front of the other one second and be torpedoing off her changing table the next.

Someone please explain this to me?!

May in Photos

 

Young Life Camp

Mother's Day

Last Day of School

Picolo Spoleto Festival

Concerts at Freshfields

So many things I want to soak in and remember, write about and treasure. But then that would require that I give up more sleep than I already do, so for now pictures will have to suffice.

May Reads

Bloom: finding beauty in the unexpected

by Kelle Hampton

I am still unsure on how I feel about this book.  We read it for book club last month and are actually skyping with the author on Wednesday. I'm sure I'll be more resolved after chatting "live" and hashing it over with friends. The book itself is beautiful, full of grogeous photographs of their children and friends, and Hampton's writing is superb. are actually skyping with the author on Wednesday. I may have more of a resolution on this book after discussing with friends, but I just have such mixed feelings. The book itself is just lovely with such beautiful pictures of their family and friends. Hampton is a beautiful writer, painting such a picture with her words that you feel like you are there. Where I was kind of at a loss was in my relation to her. Don't get me wrong, I completely sympathized with the shock of her situation.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

by Mindy Kaling

I randomly picked this one up at the library upon suggestion from a friend.  I have never watched The Office so I really had no expectations. Hilarious! The book is comprised of short essays on various topics that Kaling finds important to share with you.  Her self-deprecating humor and homage to late nineties pop culture (we're about the same age) made me immediately feel like I was having coffee with a good friend. Though her take on everything is pretty sarcastic, I loved that her humor is clean and found myself nodding my head at so many of her thoughts on dating, marriage, society today, etc. I did lose some interest towards the middle since the essays are so short and there is no real plot driving it, but overall it  was refreshing. I would definitely recommend as a beach read--just be prepared to laugh out loud.