Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

So who's up for a Christmas recap a week late? haha This week has been all about recouping-catching up on sleep, cleaning and laundry(!!!!), some more sleeping, and seeing some friends and family. Now I just need to find time to fit in the 30+ hours of DVR I'm behind on lol

Hannukah and Christmas were pretty good in my neck of the woods. My family spoiled me as always-nail polish, an Ipod hookup for my car, tea infuser, plus books, more nail stuff and a new bed-wahooo! No more sleeping on the floor for this girl!

We also got to see my Grandpa and his wife for lunch the Friday before Christmas and my mom and I were able to see my grandma one afternoon this past week.

Christmas day itself was pretty busy! I hadn't had a day off in about 2 weeks so I was really looking forward to some relaxing-which happened a little bit lol

We woke up early to Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls (seriously delicious-try them sometime. You won't be sorry!) and then headed out to see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Yes, as a family-I have a history of watching awkward films with my parents. Zak and Miri Make a Porno, anyone? :-/

The movie itself was pretty good-though not as good as the book, in my opinion. Rooney Mara, however, was excellent-she played Lisbeth *exactly* how I envisioned in while reading. Really, really amazing performance.

After the movie, we got some sushi like any good Jewish family on Christmas lol Luckily, our favorite sushi resutrant was open so we grabbed a bite before heading home for a brief nap, after which I headed out to see a few friends.

All in all, a pretty lovely day. The holiday season felt super long this year, and while I'm glad it's over (mostly just as far as work in concerned) it was nice to be able to spend time with friends and family. It's been a crazy, amazing, stressful, wonderful year and the last month has been no exception-yet through it all, I can't help but feel exceedingly blessed to be living the life I am.

Did you guys have a good Chirstmas? Is anyone else still trying to play catchup or am I the only one who feels that way? haha

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

So Christmas seems to have calmed down a bit and I finally feel like I can breathe. I thought I'd give ya'll a peek into what a bakery looks like around the holidaze, i.e. what my life has looked like for the past two weeks.

In the past two weeks I haven't:

• done laundry
• cleaned my apartment
• adhered to my GF diet (and man, am I feeling it!)
• been to the gym
• cooked a meal at my apartment

But I have:

• watched a lot of movies (no energy to do much else when I wasn't working lol)
• worked 16 days straight
• ....and that's about it haha

And now, for some pictures!

Lots of coffeecakes and brownies (most of the stacks are about 2 feet taller than me)

Cakes, fondant decorations (see the mushrooms for buche de noel?), some moon pies and more brownies

We fill two full size semi freezer trucks with our pastries, here's one of them

We also use two full size portable storage containers to store racks...and usually run out and have to run around town collecting from our customers haha




We make breads as well, but I wasn't able to get any pictures in the department-they were too busy and I didn't want to interrupt.

I hope you guys had a good holiday!
Have ya'll recovered from the holidays yet?

It's Christmas eve, baby, in the drunk tank.

I've been a bad blogger.

I'm sorry, ya'll.

I'll be back soon with lots of stuff, including a sneak peek behind the scenes of a bakery during the holidays (there's a reason we say "holidaze").

Here's a few of my fave Christmas tunes....

Hope you all are having a Merry Christmas!

Those Christmas lights keep shinin' on.

I try to decorate my place for holidays, even if its not much.

I put up some stuff for Halloween and Thanksgiving and was able to find some wintery stuff to put up for the holidays. I even found a little holiday tree. It's the perfect size for my tiny place! I didn't want it to be too traditional

so I spray painted it silver...

Much more my style.

I also put up a menorah, a snowflake wreath and some Channukah window clings.

I love the way everything looks... And my apartment looks festive and cute!

Unfortunately, there's still no snow on the ground but its getting colder so hopefully there will be some soon. Although, it is Michigan, so who knows ha ha

How do you guys decorate for the holidays?

Take a bow and confess

Are ya'll ready for Confessions Part Deux? I know everyone is just itching to hear some more haha (You can read part one here)

11. The only fast food I eat is Taco Bell. I can't remember the last time I had fast food that wasn't from The Border. Having said that, I eat it more often than I should/care to admit lol

12. Living by myself is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I've had some real horror stories for roommates (roommates boyfriend breaking in? Check. Coming home one night to find my roommate moved out? Done. Being sued by a roommate? Yessir.) Needless to say, not having anyone in my space but me, has been nothing short of glorious.

13. Reality TV is my guilty pleasure-Project Runway, Top Chef, Teen Mom, Jersey Shore. I can't get enough of it. Even though I can feel my brain literally rotting as I watch, I'm a sucker for a reality TV marathon and will spend the entire day in front of the TV (and then hate myself for the rest of the night because I feel like a horrible person haha)

14. For most of my life, I've never been called by my given name. My parents call me Panda and in high school my friends picked it up so they stopped calling me Amanda. Before that, my coach in middle school gave me a nickname and I was called Doctor or Doc. Now, the people I work with call me Snooki. A few old roommates also nicknamed my different personalities: Mamus, Mamzor the Wicked, Manus and Manquifa.

15. Since I've been in school, I changed my major no less than 10 times. Communications, journalism, business, teaching, facilities management, culinary, neuroscience...and back to communications. I'm a tad indecisive :-)

16. I have a ridiculously high pain tolerance. I broke my ankle playing soccer when I was in middle school and during the exam, ie when the doctor was touching all the broken bones, I laughed. I told him I was ticklish, and he looked at me super confused and asked if my ankle hurt. I just kind of shrugged lol

17. I've had five concussions- 1. Fell down stairs in elementary school, 2. hit my head on the bottom of a pool, 3. got dropped on my head crowd surfing at a concert, 4. fell and hit my head on the bathtub, 5. got cloths-lined plating soccer.

18. I don't have many nerd obsessions, but Harry Potter is the biggest one. I've read the series a few times through and been to all the book and movie midnight releases. Last summer, I took a trip to Chicago by myself to see a Harry Potter exhibit at a museum. Love love love me some HP

19. I have a pretty filthy mouth. I know when to be quiet, but the f-bomb is in my daily vocabulary. I've been like that since I learned the words in fifth grade lol

20. Lil Wayne is one of my biggest celebrity crushes. I know he's like almost as short as me and has gold teeth, but I just find him irresistible.

Do you guys have any confessions?

How the wind did cry and the snow began to fall

The doorbell rang, and she stood waiting on the porch.

She looked over her shoulder at her car, "I could probably still make it down the stairs to my car and start it up before they got to the front door. I shouldn't have even come" She fantasized about leaving, but her feet stayed firmly in place.

She wasn't quite sure why she was here. It had been years since she had left, but the calm suburban neighborhood was unchanged. Houses lined either side of the street, perfectly groomed landscaping surrounding them. Christmas lights were covering all the trees and bushes, with a few strands hanging from the roofs like icicles. The houses were almost indistinguishable from each other-and she knew that was just how the people who lived in them wanted it.

It was a far cry from the cramped studio apartment she currently occupied. The outside of her graffiti covered building looked downright dirty next to the pristine landscape of the suburbs. She had become so accustomed to the constant noise, that the quiet, eerie rustling of the leaves sent shivers down her spine.

She had always felt out of place, but as soon as she left, she yearned to come back. She had finally gotten over her pride and made the long, trip home from the city. Her anxiety had risen as she passed each exit, all the time thinking what a mistake she was making.

The door opened, yanking her out of her thoughts and into the present. Her mother stood over the threshold, mouth gaping. Withing moments, her mother grabbed her, wrapping her tightly in a hug.

"I can't believe it..." she sobbed into the crock of her daughters neck. "I'm so happy you're here..."

"Me, too, Mom," she answered feebly, fighting back her own tears.

Her mother grabbed her hand and she took her first, hesitant steps into the house as the snow began to fall.

You've got a friend in me.

Source: Uploaded by user via Amanda on Pinterest

Sweet like candy to my soul.

"Why are you so big on sending us to camp?" I asked my rabbi one afternoon. Not that I minded-I religiously counted down the months, days and hours until could return to camp each summer, reuniting with other Jewish kids from around the country.

"Well," he said, "honestly, the goal is for little Jewish boys and little Jewish girls to meet and grow up and have little Jewish babies."

"Oh," I responded, taken aback by his honesty. "That makes sense."

His view was shared by most of the adults at camp. Nothing too risque went on-some holding of hands and maybe a little kissing. The adults often turned a blind eye, their passive acceptance enough for us. But the counselors, many only a few years older than the campers themselves, encouraged us.

The end of camp was always the worst-no one wanted to leave and we fought back tears for days at the mere though of saying goodbye. On one of the last nights, our counselrs led us to another one of the girls cabins for some late night bonding-we sat cross legged on the beds, reliving of favorite moments of the summer and discussing plans for next.

We were all absorbed in our conversations, but when the door open our heads whipped around, turning to face the door.

The boys cabin, led by their counselors, began filing in, soon filling up an entire half of the cabin. Some of us saw our "summer boyfriends"-we waved and smiled, maybe even blew a few kisses.

Our counselors gave them a knowing smile, as the boys, in unison, got down on one knee.

We were still confused, but soon we understood.

"You've got your ball, you've got your chain..."

The boys began to sing, their off-key voices forming into the most awkwardly sweet melody many of us had ever heard.

"In a boys dream..."

The tears were now streaming down our faces.

"Crash, into me."

The song ended and we rushed the other side of the cabin, holding on to not only them, but the last night of summer.

We carried that memory with us for the next year, eagerly anticipating the coming summer, and following the plan exactly as my rabbi had hoped.

This post is in response to a prompt at Write on Edge-Flash memoir based on the word "crash"

'Cause we're young, fell in from the stars.

"Are you sure you're ready?" he friend asked, laughing.

"What do you mean by that! Of course, I'm ready! Besides he's a great guy-super nice, my parents like him, he makes me laugh. And he's cute! Get off my back!"

"I'm not trying to be mean, honestly. I'm just saying you can barely take care of a plant, "she motioned across the living room, where tiny brown leaves from the various plants on the mantle dotted the floor. "How do you think you can nurture another person, and a relationship with that person, while still taking care of your own mental health, when you can't even remember to water your plants?"

"Oh! Thanks for reminding me," she said as she leapt to grab a pitcher of water. "And I do remember. Just not everyday. They aren't dead...they just have some dead leaves. They're fine."

"Ok..," her friend mumbled. "I'm just trying to look out for you."

She knew her friend was right, and she knew the entire time she should have taken the advice. But she had wanted him so badly she wasn't going to let a little thing like common sense stand in her way. The relationship was train wreck from the very beginning-neither of them knew how to be in a relationship and it was intense and exciting and awful. It fell apart within a matter of months.

And even though she knew it was doomed, she mourned the end of the relationship-laying helplessly on my couch, watching movies and eating ice cream. She cried more than she thought she should, but she couldn't help it. She looked around the room, the dead leaves had continued to fall from the plants. They now laid on the floor, serving as a reminder, taunting her.

This post is in response to a prompt at The Lightning and the Lightning Bug-Flicker of Inspiration #27-flash fiction! Pick one thing that you can see at this moment, in the room with you, and write something down somewhere

For the record, this was inspired by a plant I keep on my desk at work. I was once told I wouldn't be ready to have a relationship until I could keep a plant alive for one year. The plants been there for almost three :-)

I've been waiting all day for Sunday night.

On Friday, M and I went to see The Descendants. I'll admit, I didn't really know much about it. All I knew was that my Dad wanted to see it and that George Clooney is in it. In retrospect, it was probably a little too depressing for a date movie, but it was really good! We both enjoyed it a lot!

It was definitely sad, but there was also some pretty funny lines. The girl in the film is also on The Secret Life and it took me almost the entire movie for me to stop imagining her with a preggo belly haha All in all, I really liked it plus you get to see George Clooney so how can you go wrong?

Since I really wasn't feeling well after work on Saturday night I rented a movie (What would I do without RedBox?) and chilled out for the night. Unfortunately, they were out of Blue Valentine so I got 30 Minutes or Less.


Big mistake! I love Aziz Ansari so he was pretty funny, along with Danny McBride and Nick Swardson, but the entire movie I kept thinking "This all could've been avoided if he just called the cops!" Luckily, it was only $1.25 so it's not a huge loss.

Last night I went over to my parents to watch the Lions play and ended up spending the night. Unfortunately, they not only lost but looked horrible. And on top of that, it was again on a national stage. I still have faith, but c'mon guys! On the plus side, being able to crash at my parents is a nice perk of still living in the same city :-)

Did ya'll do anything exciting this weekend?
Happy Monday!

These are my confessions.

Karly over at Three in Three posted this last week and I thought it was kind of fun. Once a week for 10 weeks, you post ten confessions about yourself-so you end up with 100 confessions at the end. I'm not sure if I can come up with 100 "confessions" so it will probably be more along the lines of "100 confessions/random facts and things you probably didn't want to know about me" haha

Ready?
Here we go!

1. There are currently five pillows, two comforters and a top sheet on my bed. Even if they are all there when I go to bed, by the morning, most are usually halfway across the room. I guess I move a lot in my sleep.

2. I *love* UrbEx. Unfortunately, none of my friends do, so for now I settle for looking at pictures :-(

3. The titles of all my blog posts are lyrics. I thought it make it easier because I wouldn't have to think about catchy titles, but that's not always the case.

4. I don't drink/do drugs, quit smoking, don't drink coffee or pop and don't eat gluten. My aunt keeps asking me when I'm going vegetarian-I told her that's my last vice, and I'm hanging on to it!

5. Before I die, I want to see every major league ball park (and if there's time, most-if not all-the minor league parks).

6. If I won the lottery, I would: pay off my debt, then my parents; pay for school for me and my brother, buy Tigers season tickets, and finally, go shopping.

7. My latest obsession is nail polish-at last count I had 150 bottles. eek.

8. My old obsession was clothes. All of mine currently take up the closest in my room at my parents, thier guest room closest, and two closest at my apartment. I should probably do something about that haha

9. I love dancing. I dance in my car, at work, at home, in public. Seriously, I will dance anywhere.

10. Current thought: I have no idea how I'm going to come up with 90 more things!

Phew! Glad the first one is out of the way!
Do you guys have any confessions/random facts?
Let me know-I'd love to read them!

Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person?

"Seriously?" she exclaimed, exasperated. She had been standing in front of the mirror for what seemed like hours, making no progress what so ever.

Another spritz from the hairspray bottle left a fine mist covering everything in the bathroom. Everything, it seemed, except the flyaways that insisted on doing their own thing, refusing to fall in line with the rest of her mane.

For years, she envied the girls she grew up with-their long blond locks, falling pin straight down their backs. She used to roll her eyes when they complained how hard it was to style.

"They have no idea," she would think.

She had tried to iron out her curls, spending money she didn't have on expensive products and tools, only to watch her curls creep back in before the day was done.

Now, she tried to embrace her curls, if only because she finally realized they weren't going anywhere.

Her mother always told her they made her unique-her curly hair was different, she stood out from the crowd. The dark, deep brown was mysterious. But what if she didn't want to stand out? Couldn't she once just blend in, fit right in line with the rest? Between her hair, her height and her hips, she knew she would never look like them-but it didn't stop her from wishing.

She flipped her hair over and scrunched her curls some more-adding more product and hoping they would keep everything where it was supposed to be.

She flipped her head back and examined herself in the mirror.

"Hmm..." she thought, "not too bad."

She flipped the light and walked out of the bathroom, laughing to herself. "Let's see how long it lasts."

This post is in response to a prompt at Write on Edge-Hair-So many of us have a love-hate relationship with it. For some of us, it’s our defining feature. Whatever it means to you – or to your characters – we want to know about it. But we don’t want you to simply describe it. We want you to use it as a vehicle to tell us something about your character, a situation, you or your life

No, I'm not lucky. I'm blessed, yes.

Source: isleofview-facesoflove.tumblr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Someday we'll find it,The Rainbow Connection.

By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I'm pretty much dead. That week at work is so busy that when it comes time to eat dinner, I'm so exhausted I can barely form sentences. So my Thanksgiving usually involves me trying to hold it together and then sleeping, lots and lots of sleeping. Just one of the causalities of working in the bakery business, I suppose.

This year was no different, but it was nice to see family and then fall asleep at 9pm and sleep for nearly 12 hours. I definitely needed it!

Luckily, I was able to enjoy a little Black Friday shopping-nothing too exciting, but still fun :-) My mom and I woke up around 8 so we missed all the good sales and the crazies but we were able to get everything we wanted. After we did a little shopping, we met my brother and went to see The Muppet Movie.


It was adorable! I am too young to remember the original Muppets, but a few years ago, when they tried to bring it back, I can remember my whole family getting together to watch it. The music was great, I loved all the characters and Jason Segel looks like he's having such a good time. If you get the chance, you should definitely go see it!

This past weekend, my mom and I started to do some things in my apartment-even though I've been there a few months, we've both just been so busy that this was really the first opportunity to get any real work on it done.

So we hung some shelves...



and some wall stickers...



and started to work on the bathroom.
There's still a lot of work left to do, but here's a sneak peak of my new bathroom.

And now, I'm enjoying the quiet this week before the madness begins all over again for Christmas! Woo hoo!

But, I did have a nice distraction from the insanity-I went on a date and it actually wasn't a complete disaster! In fact, we even went out again! haha I was seriously starting to doubt it was possible! He's super nice and sweet and we've had a really great time together so far. We are hanging out again tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it-so yay!

I hope ya'll had a wonderful holiday!

A very merry unbirthday, to me. To who? To you!

Today, my friends, is my second Blog-iversery!

(Please ignore the fact that it says Claudia haha)

I can't even believe it's been two years since I started blogging. It's been a long few years-broken heart, moving (a few times :-/), health issues- but man, oh man, time has flown by! And even with all the not so fun stuff, my life has been blessed in so many ways that I coudn't even have imagined two years ago. The people I have in my life are second to none, I love my job more and more everyday, I am in an apartment that feels like home.

And even beyond all that-

I'm happy.

That's not to say I wasn't happy when I started this blog, or I haven't been happy in the past two years, but the fact that I have continued to be happy and just how happy I am, really blows my mind. My heart is so full and it just amazes me. I didn't know it was possible for me to feel like this, and it just keeps.getting.better.

I'm so thankful for blogging. I've met some of the most amazing, supportive, sweet, funny, wonderful people. When I started this, I had no idea how much I would love it and how big a part of my life blogging would become, but now I can't imagine my life without it and without all you people.

So, thank you, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart.

I think I got the key. I guess I'll just try another if that's the key

Everyone has a junk drawer.

Hers was in the kitchen, the top left drawer in the island. It was filled to the brim with loose playing cards and empty lighters, books of matches and half burned birthday candles. A collection that had taken years and had become so extensive she barely knew what it contained.

She rummaged through the contents, looking for some super glue, when she found the key. A solitary key on a plain key ring. It had been buried for so long she had forgotten it was even there. She was lost in thought, fingering the ring, before the sound of a branch hitting the window outside, brought her back to the present.

Still distracted, she threw the key on top of the pile of junk and closed the drawer.

A few days later, he entered the room, the keyring dangling off his ring finger.

"What's this?" he asked. She did not answer him, and he didn't need her to.

"I thought you got rid of this," he continued. "Did you use it?"

Slowly, she shook her head no.

"Are you sure? Because it was just laying on top of all the other junk in that drawer. I didn't even know it still existed! Let alone to be on top!"

He began to pace, and threw his hands up in frustration. "It's like you wanted me to find it."

Pausing, he turned and stared at her, the veins in his neck and forehead bulging, framing his ever reddening face. "If there's something you need to tell me, I suggest you do it now."

"No, there's nothing."

He snatched the key and walked out of the room. She turned her back to the door and let out a sigh, surprised to find she had been holding her breath the entire time.

Maybe she had wanted him to find it, she wasn't entirely sure. But she knew one thing for certain-the key was her way out, and now it was that much farther out of her reach.

This post is in response to a prompt at The Lightning and the Lightning Bug-write about a key, literal or figurative, memory or fiction

It's realizing just how close you've come to death.

"You're going to kill yourself."

She could feel the older woman's eyes boring a hole in the top of her head, as it remained bowed, her eyes transfixed on the table in front of her.

When she was finished, the girl stood up and, for the first time, looked in the woman's direction. The girl's blank stare looked far beyond the woman standing in front of her, but the woman just smiled and nodded.

She left quickly and got in her car, trying to leave behind the gravity of what she had just heard.

"She has no idea what she's talking about," she said to herself, with an accompanying eye roll.

Lighting up a cigarette, she navigated the backroads back to her apartment.

There, a thick cloud of smoke greeted her, the haze hanging heavy at the top of the stairs. She sat down on the couch and inhaled deeply as the purple-grey smoke swirled around her.

She was seeking relief, but it was slow to come. She tried again, breathing fiercely, holding her breath until she was coughing.

She sat back, frustrated, and closed her eyes. Without welcome, the woman's face appeared in her minds eye. She heard her words vividly. This time she couldn't ignore it-the words repeated over and over in her head, bringing her back to reality with a jolt.

"I...I'm gonna go smoke a cigarette."

Her roommates just nodded as she made her way outside. But she didn't stop on the porch, she didn't even light a smoke. Without thinking she opened her car door, started the engine and began to drive away.

He phone buzzed a few minutes later. He roommates noticed her absence.

"Dude whered u go?!?!?!?!?!"

The woman's face appeared again, and a hand that was anything but hers, shut the phone and continued the drive.

This post is in response to a prompt at Write on Edge-The soundtrack of our words.
(In my head, this song plays as she drives away.)

Come on over, it's Thanksgiving Day

Source: yesterdayontuesday.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I really can't even put into words how thankful I am. I am blessed beyond belief.

I hope you all are having a lovely Thanksgiving.

'Cause it's turkey to eat. So good.

Seeing all the delicious pins on Pinterest lately has gotten me even more excited (if that's possible!) for Thanksgiving! I love seeing my family, but let's be honest, we're all looking forward to some yummy dinner, right? Here are some of the things I'm looking forward to chowing down on haha

Source: myrecipes.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Source: myrecipes.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Source: barefootcontessa.com via Jenn on Pinterest

Source: kraftrecipes.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: recipegirl.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Debbi on Pinterest

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Are you on Pinterest? If you need an invite-let me know and I'd be happy to send you one!


Go check out The Vintage Apple to see all the great things people have pinned!

Ooooh riding Daphne.

Last week, my friend Katie and I made the last minute decision to go see Russel Brand do stand up...and I'm sooooo glad we did!


Tickets had been on sale for a while, but I wasn't sure I wanted to go, so when a Groupon for half off tickets showed up the day before the show-I finally made up my mind and got them!

He was performing at EMU's Convocation Center so we met up, got some dinner and went to see the show!

There was a few contests in the area to find comedians to open up for him, so two guys from U-M performed. They were decently funny, but sitting in front of us were some brothers from one of the guys fraternitys who ended up being almost as entertaining as Russell himself

He was seriously *so* funny! I loved him in Get Him to The Greek, but I've always been kind of on the fence about him because I can't stand his wife haha


His accent just made everything better and he actually seemed like a pretty decent guy-he even came down off the stage and into the crowd to meet people. He was raunchy and hilarious and disgusting and I just loved every minute of it! Plus, I didn't realize it, but he's pretty hot! lol

I'm so happy we went!

Unfortunately, the frat guys in front of us didn't feel the same way. The one in front of Katie fell asleep and kept almost hitting her knee as his head fell backwards-we seriously laughed for ten minutes at this poor kid.

Luckily, he didn't need to feel too bad, because his bro fell asleep too, so they could cuddle together haha

The best part was when the first kid woke up and the tried to make fun of the other one who was still sleeping...seriously, bro? haha

And I still miss you.

The top of the jewelry box was open, each piece on display. The collection of jewels and metals each catching and reflecting the light in their own way.

She had gotten lots of jewelry over the years-necklaces from ex-boyfriends, her mothers pearl necklace, a wedding ring that graced her finger from the love of her life.

But her favorite pieces were not on display for everyone to see. She kept them hidden in a small box, tucked away in her nightstand.

She rarely pulled them out, but today she was missing her.

Searching through the books, and pens and papers, she pulled out the small, flowered gift box. Removing the top revealed her grandmothers cameos- so many different sizes, shapes and pictures. All equally beautiful.

She took the one from the bottom, a dark metal frame, attached to a long chain. The picture showed the profile of a woman, her hair pulled back, looking lovingly at the flowers in her hand.

Fingering the raised image, she set the rest of the contents of the box down on her bed, and walked over to her desk. A pile of "Thank you" cards sat to her left, some needing to be written, some just needing a stamp.

I should be finishing those, she thought. But instead, she continued staring at the cameo.

Her mind wandered to all sorts of places-What did you wear this with? Where did you get this? Which was your favorite?

A glint of the diamond on her ring brought her back to reality. She looked again at the stack of cards next to her.

Would you have worn one to my wedding?

She fought the lump in her throat, put down the cameo and picked up a pen.

With a sigh, she began to work on her "Thank You" cards and tried to push the lingering questions out of her head.

This post is in response to a prompt at The Lightning and the Lightning Bug-photo prompt!

So I've come for my award, I've come for my award

If you guys haven't stopped by The Vapid Vixen, you are seriously missing out. She's hilarious and super sweet.

And because she's awesome, she gave me the wonderful Liebster Award!

So now, it's my turn to share the love and pass it on to five of my favorite bloggers!

So...without further adieu...
Five of my Faves!

1. Dana at the abundant life is one of the sweetest people I've ever come in contact with. She handles life with so much grace and gratitude-it's really inspiring.

2. Al at Traffic Jelly shares lots of stories and pictures from her life in Turkey-plus she's a fellow avocado addict so how can I not love her? haha

3. Katie at Chicken Noodle Gravy is such a talented writer-I just love reading her posts. Plus she is involved with The Lightning and the Lightning Bug, which is one of the most talented and supportive group of writers I've ever seen-check them both out, I highly recommend them.

4. Kelli at Narragansett No.7...if you read her blog, and don't laugh, there's probably something wrong with you. One of the funniest and most talented women I've seen.

5. Amanda at For the Love of a Cupcake is such a sweetheart! And with her Motivate Me Monday link up, she has me getting my butt back in gear with lots of tips and tricks for being healthy.

Thanks again to VV and go check out some super awesome blogs!

And we’re travelling on this road to somewhere, try to get this message home if your still there

She always assumed road trips happened like they did in the movies- a car load of friends, barreling down the highway as the wind blew their hair back. Loud music, lots of laughs, hanging our feet out of the passenger side window.

But that cliche was not her reality.

She was alone in the car, and had been for hours, with hours still to go. Her eyes were heavy with sleep and her legs were aching from sitting. With a deep breath, she willed herself to get though Chicago rush hour traffic, with the promise that on the other side, eventually, there would be rest.

She looked at her Ipod and noticed a tiny red mark on the battery-She had only moments left before it died. She searched the console for a cd, but nothing she found sounded like something she wanted to hear. The Ipod sputtered through the first half of a song, before the screen went black.

Silence it was.

Well, as silent as a major highway in one of the biggest cities in America during one of the busiest times of day can be.

The hum of thousands of cars lent its self well to daydreaming, which, as had been the case lately, led to more anxiety. More than once she cursed the traffic, not because it kept her from moving forward, but because it prevented her from turning around, abandoning the whole trip.

She was seeking closure, and she knew she must seek it alone. No one could force her to feel it, and she was the only one who knew where to find it. And so, when the traffic started to move, ever so slightly, she kept her hands on the wheel and continued forward, no matter how badly the urge to turn back called her.

This post is in response to a prompt at Write on Edge-we’d like you to take us on an actual journey, specifically a road trip

The crow flies straight, a perfect line.

When I was in high school we used to play "Eff. Marry. Kill" so I was soooo excited when I saw The Vintage Apple was hosting a link up!



Basically, you choose three male celebrities and then you have to decide which of the three you would...well, eff, marry or kill make disappear, it sounds less violent haha


Since I'm catching up on my DVR today and have three episodes of Sons of Anarchy to watch, I figured I'd pick three of those guys to play with...I just have a thing for boys on bikes ;-)

Eff...

Opie-Yea, he's a little crazy and pretty grungy, but I feel like those could add up to a fun night... Plus, his voice....yum.

Marry...Jax-no questions asked. He seems like he's got his head in the right place (for the most part), is genuine and, obviously, looks pretty good with his shirt off hehe

Kill...Clay-Now, it's not that find him to be terribly unattractive...but he's just been so horrible this season! So. away he goes!


So....
Who would you
Eff, Marry, Kill?

Go link up with The Vintage Apple and Blonde...Undercover Blonde to share yours!

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat And I can cap them all.

To say I can be a huge nerd is an understatement. I don't publicly geek out about many things, but one thing I just can't contain my love for his Harry Potter. I mean seriously, I even did my nails for the last movie premiere. I'm actually gearing up to reread the entire series again and some of the lovelies on Pinterest have been feeding my obsession with lots of awesome HP pins.

Source: sexy-sweaters.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: bakingdom.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: wanelo.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: wbshop.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: ravelry.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Do you guys have any secret (or not so secret) nerd obsessions?

Do you Pinterest?
Go link up with Michelle at the Vintage Apple and check out everyone's pins!

Not on Pinterest? If you need an invite, let me know and I'll hook you up!

When you go would you even turn to say "I don't love you like I did yesterday"?

It started with a text.

"Can you come over around 6? We need to talk."

I leapt from my seat on the couch, rapidly pressing the "send" button on my cell phone. Every call ending with his voice-mail.

"Hello?", he asked timidly, as if he were unsure about who was on the other end.

"So that's it? We're breaking up? I'm not waiting till 6. If we're doing this, it's on my terms," I spat. "Oh, and make sure my stuff is packed."

"Fine."

I hung up and jumped in my car. My heart was pounding; I had so much adrenaline pumping, my hands were shaking. I raced across town, coming to a stop in front of his house. I let myself in and made my way upstairs.

"At least you listened," I snarled, as I entered his bedroom. We had been here before- last time I had arrived to find my things still strewn around the room. Seeing everything in a neat little box, collected from various spots in the house, made it real.

My eyes boring a hole through him, as he stared at the ground.

"Well?" I asked, tapping my toe impatiently, waiting for him to speak.

He tried, but I interrupted, "So you go away for three days and all of a sudden you're over me? It only takes three days of not speaking for you to forget about me?"

"I tried, Amanda," he began, "I really did. I just can't anymore."

He finally looked at me. In turn, I raised my eyebrow, daring him to continue.

"This isn't working for me. I just..."

"Just...?"

"...just don't love you," he flinched, as if threatened, his body recoiling from me.

I didn't move.

"What? You think I'm going to hit you?" letting out a small, sarcastic laugh.

He was silent.

A final eye roll and I grabbed the box; I was ready to leave, ready to be done.

This post is in response to a prompt at Write on Edge-we’re writing about pivotal conversations. The goal was to focus on body language, word choices, and the pauses between the words to create meaningful, powerful dialogue