Lately I've been inspired to really take hold of my life. I know God has a plan for me, but I've spent far too long not doing very much to help him out... So today is a new day. And I will seize it. I came across this photo I took on an airplane ride from Atlanta, and I think it pretty much sums up how I feel today. {In fact, I'm so inspired that I might scrap this photo tonight. Stay tuned.}
I've been meaning to implement a "Music Monday" feature on my blog for awhile now, but it always seems like the time gets away from me and before I know it, it's Music Tuesday, which doesn't sound nearly as fun...
...therefore today I give you the first MUSIC MONDAY (said in a booming voice, of course).
Music Monday is going to be all about what I'm listening to and whether or not I dig it. As most of you already know, Texas Music has become a huge part of my life over the past few years, and I'm really enjoying the ride, as they say. Why is it so important to me you ask? Easy. It sounds great- not too country, not so hardcore that I can't understand the lyrics, and it's REAL. The songwriting is the best part, I think... very relatable. Texas Red Dirt Music is also important to me because I think it's let me explore new facets of myself. Because of this music I've: made new friends, had new experiences, found the words (through lyrics) to convey feelings I've had but couldn't explain, and discover that I LOVE cozy, live performances.
Speaking of... this past weekend I went out to Woody's Tavern in Ft.Worth for the Micky & the Motorcars CD release party, and I thought this would be the perfect CD to kick off my Music Mondays! The show was fantastic, and I really had a good time. Loved hearing the new tunes live!
I'm listening to: Naive
Favorite track so far: #3 Long Enough to Leave
Runners Up: #1 Naive and #10 Twilight
Favorite band member: Kris Farrow (because he's amazingly talented AND he's a solid guy... and it's his birthday this week folks!)
Least favorite track: #11 Seeds
Thoughts: The slower songs on this CD sounded a little too much like Chris Knight for me (#8 and #11 especially), but overall the tunes are pretty good.
Verdict: I dig it.
Just as an added bonus, here's a photo I took at the show Friday night - it's Kris playing guitar. The photo itself didn't turn out like I wanted, but I did capture a cool effect.
Happy Monday folks, have a rockin' week!
Maybe men and women can't be friends.
I've always gotten along better with guys than girls. Always. I hate the drama, I'm not prissy, and I don't particularly LIKE most girls. Not because they aren't nice, but there's so much INVOLVED {I really do feel sorry for men sometimes because I get it- women are way too complicated}. Most girls are an emotional mess, they stress out over perception and status, and they're generally not very stable creatures {I can say this because I am one}... and I just don't like inviting more drama into my life. I've got enough of it already.
Guys are much easier because they usually take things for what they're worth, they're generally honest about their intentions {or they are so transparent that there's no need to be}, and most guys just want to have a good time and enjoy the moment, whatever that might be. They don't get bogged down with all of the junk that girls do- "did you hear that she said..." , "can you believe that she...", yada, yada... No thank you. And please be quiet.
So again, I generally prefer the company of men to women. Thinking back on the important people in my life thus far, most of them have been men. In fact, I've resigned to the fact that I'd rather have all men stand with me at the alter (if I ever make it there) rather than women. I just have very few women friends {but don't get me wrong, the ones I have are GREAT ones). And that's always been fine. Until now.
Here's the kicker: I wish that someone had told me a long time ago that I would LOSE all of my male friends once they got married. They've been dropping off one by one since college, but it's just starting to hit me how weird that is. I can see how a wife might get jealous or feel threatened by another girl in her man's life, but ... why? If I have ZERO romantic interest in a male friend (that I've had for a long time), why am I suddenly the bad girl? Why does it become inappropriate for us to be friends? Especially when he and I have been friends five times longer than the Mr. and Mrs. have even KNOWN eachother? That's baffling to me. And there's nothing I can do about it.
I guess that's just the way the world works. So maybe Harry was right... Men and women can never be friends. Sometimes the truth hurts, I guess.
It might sound kind of lame, but Sunday night I went with a few friends to the SOLD OUT Journey concert! Cheap Trick and Heart opened up the show, and Journey totally rocked! I'm not usually a fan of big crowds (especially in 100 degree heat in the summer), but I have to admit this show was pretty fun... and I was surprised by the age range of the fans there too! There were "old folks"{like my dad's generation}, a hearty crowd my age, and even a whole teenager following- craziness!
We had lawn seats, which I've never done at this venue before, but it was definitely the way to go. Sure the view wasn't a good, but the people-watching was PRICELESS.
I won't even tell you all of the inappropriateness that we witnessed (and smelled), but it was definitely entertaining... And when laughs are had by all, you know it's a good time.
A few months ago, someone said something to me that bothered me- at first. She said, "Man, Kandice... you have an opinion on EVERYTHING, don't you?" hmm... she made it sound like a bad thing, and it got me thinking. Do I really? The conclusion that I've come to is YES, I pretty much have an opinion on everything. Not that those ideas aren't open to change, but there's always a starting point. I've always been like that. I think it's because I have such an analytical-minded brain {my GMAT score on the analytical portion was through the roof... and I did terrible on the rest, but that's neither here nor there}.
I've come to realize that I analyze everything because I'm a trouble-shooter. I try to spot problems BEFORE they happen so that I can minimize the damage or keep them from happening at all. It works well with my job because there are so many little things that could go wrong and keep us from being efficient, and I really try to stay on top of it. With relationships, it's kind of a downer because I'm always looking for the flaws that could be fatal to the relationship. Sometimes that comes across as a little negative, but I don't think I'm a negative person. I'm realistic. Most of the time.
The rest of the time it's just my crazy imagination fabricating the most ridiculous senarios. Yes, I know it's weird, but it's how my mind works. I don't have the same reactions as most other people, to even the simplest things.
EXHIBIT A
The last time my brother cut his hair for Locks of Love, I thought, What a great cause. I should really do that! Let's go for it. Chop it off! Ok, that's not what I thought. But I should have. Any normal person would have thought that...
THIS is how I reacted: What a great cause, but I could never do that. What if the kid who got a wig with my hair commits a horrendous crime and my DNA is at the scene?
EXHIBIT B
A friend of mine got a motorcycle and he asked if I wanted a ride. A normal personal thinks, Sure! Cool. I'd love to feel the wind whipping through my hair as we cruise the highway!
I, on the other hand, think, Ew, no thanks. My bare leg scraping against the asphalt as we tip over and skid along the highway until we run into a Mack truck? I'll pass.
EXHIBIT C
I'm at a Mavericks game with a friend and one section of the crowd starts making lots of noise. There's commotion and yelling and people standing up for no apparent reason.
A normal person: We're at a game, of course everyone is cheering for the team!
Me: Someone's been stabbed! Quick! Head for the exit!
{as it turns out, the Mavs dancers were amongst the crowd trying to get them all riled up. Well, it worked. Worked me right into a panic.}
So there you go. My thought process might not be so normal, but I like to think that it gives me a "creative advantage". :) Either that, or I'm just crazy.
No, I do NOT have pet chickens... but my friend Tony does. He always had them growing up and even when he lived in Atlanta, so now that he's settled in Dallas, he wanted to get chickens again.
It sounds a little crazy, but they really are the cutest things I've seen in a long time! These aren't your ordinary barnyard chickens- these girls are FANCY. Colorful, patterned feathers, fluffy feathers on their feet, blue beaks, and strange, pouffy feather balls on their heads! It's a managerie of chicken fanciness!
His girls are only a couple of weeks old and won't get much bigger (they're about the size of a pigeon). Look at how funny they are! {And if you're wondering where you can get a few of your own, go to mypetchicken.com and they can get you all set up! Can you believe they ship them as chicks Priority Mail?! Crazy!}
I know it sounds a little cruel, but one of my favorite nicknames for Sarah is Fat Girl. It started when she was a puppy and was just getting so big so quickly... and it just stuck. Now the whole family calls her that {very adoringly, of course}. Some of her other nicknames include: Sarah-bear, Sar-bear, Big Bear, Baby Bear, Pupalup, Honey, Fatty, Noser, Silly Face, and Sweet Face {see, they're not ALL mean!}
Here's a layout I did using some of the BRAND NEW Luxe papers and transparencies (introduced last week at CHA). This one was really fun to make because it was such a cute photo to work with!
Yesterday I had my very first slice of Huckleberry Pie and it was DELICIOUS! 
My mom's friend Jan is visiting from Montana, and she brought a huge bag of frozen huckleberries with her to make a pie for us. I've HEARD of huckleberries, then there's that famous line in Tombstone, but I don't really know much about them. While Jan made the pie, she gave me a little insight, and I think that made the pie all the more tasty. Here's what I learned:
- it's huckleberry season right now (until the end of August)
- they only grow in the wild (and in the woods)- strangely enough, they have never been domesticated, so you have to go deep into the forest to find them
- a family's huckleberry patch is TOP SECRET (she said the location is passed down in the family and you NEVER tell anyone else where they are- apparently these folks are serious about their berries!)
- the going rate for huckleberries is about $80 a pound in Montana (YIKES)
- Jan's grandmother used to sell huckleberry pies to a local restaurant and would make 7-10 pies a day (now Jan and her family make pies, ice cream topping, jams, tarts, and about a zillion other huckleberry items that they sell)
And the most important thing I learned is... that I love huckleberries!
It was definitely a great treat, and I think I'm a fan for life! {You can buy your own here, but expect to shell out a little more cash than buying blueberries at your local Tom Thumb.}
Today at work, we had a Recipe Shower and Luncheon for Trina (who is getting married in a few weeks). Everyone brought their favorite recipes to add to her cooking arsenal, along with a food dish to share at lunch... It was a great thing- she ended up with about 50 new recipes, and the rest of us ended up with full tummies!
I had a lot of fun making this centerpiece for the table:
We bought a colander and a few wooden utensils at Tuesday Morning, and some flowers at Sam's Club (it really is a great place to buy flowers if you can arrange them yourself!). Then I added a few key limes (on a skewer) and a couple of zinnias from my front yard. It turned out so cute! And even better, Trina will have a really nice colander to use later!
Everyone brought such great dishes, too. I decided to bring punch for the shower, since that was one of the recipes I gave Trina. It's super-easy, but it's really good!
Kandice's "Yummy Shower Punch"
3 oz. pkg strawberry jello (for color)
2 c. hot water; pour over jello and mix
2 c. sugar
3 c. hot water to dissolve sugar; add to jello
12 oz. can of frozen pink lemonade
46 oz. can of pineapple juice
1 large bottle of ginger ale
Chill, add ice, and serve! (And if you're feeling super-ambitious, you can freeze lime slices in just a little bit of water to make a prettier presentation- much easier than an ice ring!)
Happy Friday everyone and congratulations Trina!
Last night a couple of girlfriends and I went to a new nail salon in our area, Polished. It was REALLY cool. I had gotten a coupon in the mail for a "Free pedicure with purchase of a manicure" for me and my friends, so we went to check it out.
It was definitely a STEAL of a deal with the mani and pedi totaling only $21 (regularly $44)! The price was great, but the BEST part is that the salon is totally cool! They are completely committed to hygeine (nice to know my feet won't fall off from a fungus), but they're also really committed to the environment. They have their own custom brand of nail polish made that doesn't include any harmful chemicals-no Toluene, Formaldehyde or DBT! (not that I have ANY clue what any of those things are. They just sound bad. Yep, I totally just pasted that from their website)...
What I REALLY like is that when you pick out your nail polish color, you select from a little kiosk of display colors, then open the drawer below to grab a smaller version of the polish bottle (I chose "Yoga Mama" for my nails and "How Big?" for my toes!). You give your miniature bottle of polish to your technician, and that's what they use to do your nails (so you're the only person to ever use it- no one else's icky germs in there)... PLUS, when they're done, you get to take the bottle home for touch-ups or future use- how great is that?! It's a Pedicure Party Favor!
This place really was different than a lot of nail salons I've been to- everything was super clean, it was quiet, the massage chairs were GREAT, and the employees were SO nice and talented. I'll definitely be following up with another appointment soon! {And if you live in the Dallas area, you should check it out!}
