Eat, Pray, Love - Must Read

Sometimes you read a book and when you turn that last page, this euphoria of good vibes settles in your stomach and chest and mixes with some overall satisfaction. Either this satisfaction is because the book was really good and enjoyable or its because you finished the book. Then other books you turn that last page, past the author biography (because you read it feverishly), and flip through the last little blank pages hoping that, "Oh, surely its not over! I want more!"

This could easily describe my experience with Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I am glad that I read most of the book in the privacy of my home, because I could feel the dopey smile on my face through the entire book. Elizabeth Gilbert is hysterically funny. There are few authors that can make me laugh out loud (example: David Sedaris) and Elizabeth Gilbert just signed her name to that list with gusto. It is an understatement to say this book is good, great... even fantastic. The best way to describe this book is cataclysmic. It changes the way you think about God, suffering, sacrifice, Yoga, pleasure and even... pizza.

I could probably spend an entire day going back through the book highlighting my favorite quotes, because Elizabeth Gilbert has an incredible insight on how as women we tend to react and think. I feel like often as women we are told by either the media or by Satan himself that we are alone, and that if we are alone, we are also worthless. Are we really that helpless? HELL NO!

There is a part in the book where Liz is waiting for her husband to sign the divorce papers. She is chatting with her friend on a road trip about prayer, and how she wishes she could just "petition" God for this thing to end. What is the response of her friend? "So why don't you?" Somehow, we get this idea that its stepping on God's toes for us to ask Him to answer our most deepest desires. Liz in turn writes a petition to God. Her friend and her think of all of the people who would sign it from her mom and her sister, to Katherine Hepburn.

I believe that as women we are petrified by the fear of being alone whether for the rest of our lives or when we are in a crisis. We never want to be the crazy old cat lady at the end of the street. We should realize that we have a multitude of people that would stand by our sides and fight like hell with us; family, friends, acquaintances, activists, living or dead. All that is required is to ask. (Which is an entirely different subject because asking for help ain't easy)

Another point that came to me as I was reading this book is this idea of pleasure. In my past I often used pleasure as a coping mechanism. "I'm lonely, I'll go shopping" or "I've had a bad day, I'm going to drink an entire bottle of champagne". First off, I want to say that using pleasure as a way to cope is not bad. So kick that thought out to the curb. But I do believe that you have to deal with your monsters and not run away from them. I realized something, how often do I do things just to do them. I'm realizing this is what this summer is about for me, Alyson. I will buy Ice Cream Snickers from the grocery store and eat one before I go to bed every night because I love Ice Cream Snickers. There is just something about the ice cream, and the cold caramel. It is heaven, wrapped in chocolate with peanuts. I will do yoga when I feel like because I enjoy yoga. I will spend an entire Saturday reading a book, because I want to finish a book in a day!

What are the things that you take pleasure in everyday? Because you should. Lately, mine has been instant coffee. French Vanilla Instant Coffee. Or, laying in bed in the morning with the cool blue light reflecting off my walls and my fan blowing cold air onto my exposed skin. I take immense pleasure in the feeling of the warm water of the shower cascading over my dry hair.

Read this book. I'll even let you borrow it from me, but I have told everyone I know to read it because as hokey as it seems, it will change your life.

Giveaway! Free paint!

I do not know the details of this but in my rush to get this out, Glidden is giving away a free quart of paint. You just pick out the color you want and fill in your information. I am so excited about what I will do with my paint!

Go here for the link!

I ordered Black Tulip. It is in the purple family, and its delicious. I think I may paint some of my light birch veneered Ikea furniture.

Online Store Feature: Perpetual Kid

Are you a unique gift giver? I love giving unique and odd gifts that are special, usually comical, and downright AWESOME! Well, I am about to let you in on a little secret of mine and its called Perpetual Kid. I could most likely blog for an entire month about all the amazing things on this site, but I wanted to pick some of my favorites.


The company I work for is really unique and "anti-corporate". This year I was in charge of coming up with the client Christmas gifts. We wanted these to be a reflection of who we are as a company so we really needed something unique and funny. I got 25 packages of Inanimate Character Stickers for our clients to personify their staplers, computers, printers, coffee mugs and basically anything you want to put a face on. They were a huge hit around our office and with our clients too.


I love this coffee cup. It mocks the coffee cups that can be found all over New York but they are ceramic. Hooray for being reusable! Also, if you purchase 4 or more "We Are Happy To Serve You" Ceramic Coffee Mugs you can receive a 10% discount just use the discount code MUGS when you check out.


You know you think this every time either you or someone else pulls out their reusable bag at the grocery store. Its a subtle, "I know I'm better than you". You can now pack your groceries with a smug smirk and ironic Better Than You Shopping Bag.


My boyfriend Sam has aptly named his recording studio Bow and Arrow Studios. He is incredibly proud of his heritage which is Oglala Sioux from South Dakota. He picked up a light switch cover wrapped in vintage native american wall paper at a local market and I am dying to get him one of these Animal Frienldy Cardboard Bison Busts. They also have deer, moose, and a rhino as well. I have seen these featured in sneak peeks of people's homes and absolutely loved them.

This is just a small taste of what Perpetual Kid has to offer. You might end up spending too much time on their site, but I don't think they would mind. Also, they have this thing with finger puppet monsters. You get one with every order, and well, they are awesome!

One of my favorite albums

Oddly enough, I bonded today with the exterminator. Some of you may have read my pleas on twitter about the spiders that are in my house. I was brushing my teeth, when there was a knock on the door and Baxter going crazy. The exterminator was at the door ready to make my life a little less leggy. Earlier I had slipped on one of my favorite records, RAM by Paul McCartney.

I had a mouth full of Listerine when he asked, "Is that the radio playing McCartney or is that an album?" I quickly spit out the green stuff and replied, "It's an album, one of my favorites: Ram". He just smiled and nodded his head, "Ram is a great album" and then got back to work. Hopefully, as he sprayed under the sink, his day was just a little bit better.

My music taste lends itself to being pretty eclectic and in the last year I have begun a small but very sweet record collection. I have 3 original Beatles albums (The Second Album, Revolver and The White Album), 3 Janis Joplin albums, Elvis Costello, The Kinks, CCR, The Velvet Underground, Ryan Adams, and some others. As far as my digital music library, if Jack White has even breathed in it, I love it. Sufjan Stevens, Patty Griffin, anything folky, rocky, and creative.

My parents always listened to classic rock. Growing up in Longview, TX there was a radio station called 98 Rocks based out of Shreveport, LA. This was the main music I listened to while growing up. My Beatle-mania began when the 1's album came out in the late 90s, but I had been listening to them my whole life. As time went on, I realized I was Paul girl. This became even more apparent when I began listening to a lot of his solo albums. The year he played the super bowl, I sat with my eyes glued to the television, even as an old man, he still has that boyish charm to him.

I considered it no coincidence that in my purchase of The White Album that it came with an 8x10 poster of Paul.

Ram is an album that Sam and I listen to frequently. We put it on while we are cooking dinner or just hanging out, and we always end up dancing like fools. Some of my favorite songs are "Monkberry Moon Delight", "Too Many People", and "3 Legs". If you can find it on vinyl, buy it. If you don't have a record player, then buy it off iTunes. Its a great record.

Book one: Finished (oh and Book two as well)

Saturday night, I finally finished Persuasion (and I dropped it off at the public library Sunday). I enjoy reading Jane Austen because her literature takes you back to a very specific time that is incredibly different than the instant gratification that we have today. If we want to talk to someone we send them a text, we don't walk to their house and leave them a card to propose a time to talk. I think that Austen's style is absolutely romantic. However, like I said prior to finishing, I was not a fan of Anne Elliot. I am also not sure of the message Jane is trying to convey in the juxtaposition of characters in Persuasion. I will most likely have to roll that story around in my mind, and hopefully have some sort of practical application of it. I also felt like the story dragged a lot, with little moments of any thick plot going on. I am curious if anyone else feels this way about Persuasion?

I also finished reading The Lovely Bones on Sunday. This book, although dark, reminded me that the dead never really leave us. They live on in our memories and imaginations. This book follows a girl who at 14 years old is murdered. She is watching from heaven as her family and friends cope with her death, meanwhile she watches them grow up and experience all the things she never did. Although most of the story is pretty heavy, the ending is happy.

It got me thinking about the death of my grandpa. He was an Ex-POW in WWII. He was caught, captured, and survived the Bataan Death March. He is the reason that anytime I watch a movie about WW2, I cry like a baby. The conditions under which he lived through are absolutely horrifying. But to me, he was always the man who gave me folded up pieces of legal sized paper to draw with. I would sit in a chair next to his recliner, or at the table in the den, and draw with a ball point pen while he read or played solitaire. He would give me peanuts but always remind me not to eat too much because I would get a stomach ache. I would go pick black berries and grapes, and he would always take me out to the watermelon patch in the backyard. He kept score playing solitaire by hand. I never understood this. Sitting next to him at the table, he would have a folded up piece of paper next to him with tiny scores on them. I never understood how he kept score playing solitaire... He died of lung cancer when I was in my late teens. And his funeral.... I've never cried that hard in my entire life.

Overall, The Lovely Bones was a good book. I actually just saw on IMDB that they are making a movie out of the book staring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon. Also, the movie is being directed by Peter Jackson, ya know the guy who did a little trilogy called, Lord of the Rings. The movie comes out in December of this year.

A Struggle of Persuasion

I am currently reading Persuasion by Jane Austen. Last night I stayed up entirely too late nursing my allergies (so thankful for the 3 year old Breathe Right strip I found at the bottom of my toiletry shelf) and reading 30-50 pages. I will be honest, I'm not exactly enjoying the book so far. Normally, I love the way Jane Austen writes her female characters, but not Anne Elliot. So far on page 100, she seems like nothing but a big weenie to me. She is a complete departure from Elizabeth Bennett, one of my favorite characters of all time. She stands up for herself even if she is completely wrong.

You have Anne Elliot who has pretty much let other people order her around for most of her life. Her sister Mary (Mrs. Charles Musgrove) is a hypochondriac, spoiled, attention-seeking bother. Even her husband (Charles Musgrove) can barely stand to be around her, but of course Anne was her husband's first choice in seeking a mate. Then there are the Miss Musgrove's (Charles' sisters) pretty much Lydia and Kitty Bennett. The main pursuayer is Lady Russell, Anne Elliot's confidante, friend, but still ill-adviser. The love interest is a Captain Frederick Wentworth. Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot were previously involved with eachother, planning on an elopement (from what I can understand), but because of the persuasion and advice of Lady Russell, Anne called it off and lost her greatest love. The story takes place several years after this occurred, in which Captain Wentworth and Anne find themselves in close proximity for the first time since that event.

Unfortunately, I saw the movie before I read the book. The movie was a terrible BBC production, and the actress who plays Anne is ordinary with flat hair, no where near the beauty portrayed in either productions of Pride and Prejudice. The book reminds the reader that Anne was once pretty looking, but she now is a little worn-looking, and sad.

Anne Elliot with Captain Frederick Wentworth

I must say, Persuasion and I may have been doomed from the start. I hope it will get better, but right now I am just so very annoyed with the main character, that it makes finishing the rest of the book almost agonizing. I completley understand Captain Wentworth no longer having any interest in Anne. How would you feel if the object of your affection turned you down, and is allowing herself to be a pawn in somebody else's game? I hope I am proven wrong and that surely Anne Elliot will grow a pair sometime soon.

Bright Orange

I love the orange flowers that grow in the back of my office. They are really pretty. I cut a few of them to put on my desk so I can enjoy a little bit of nature while I'm stuck inside.

I'm not going to lie, its incredibly hot here in Nashville, so I am pretty happy to be inside today. Especially because my allergies are kicking my butt right now, and breathing in the thick moist air from outside only makes me feel worse.

Product Review: Tigi Catwalk Root Boost

When you have what is termed "thin and fine" hair, creating volume is not easy. The options are limited and tend to be painful, or even worse can damage what little hair you have. My stylist frequently uses root lifter when she styles my hair after a cut, but I never thought about actually trying to use the stuff myself.

This weekend, I perused the aisles of Target searching for some hair conditioner when I saw Tigi Catwalk Root Boost for only $12.95. Tigi is the company behind Bedhead, Catwalk and other hair care lines (by the way Catwalk's Curls Rock is amazing). Although I have plenty of half-used product containers in my dresser, I really wanted to see what kind of damage I could get into with the Root Boost.

To my pleasant surprise, not only does this product work, but it is so lightweight. I spray a little on the roots while my hair is wet, massage it around, and then blow dry with a round brush at my roots, and I have lift. The change is subtle, so it does not give me huge "Texas-hair". Oh, and the best part about most Tigi products is the smell. The product smells fresh and citrusy.

Laptop sleeve

In two weeks I will be embarking on a trip to Rapid City, South Dakota for 4th of July. What better way to spend an America Birthday by watching stuff explode over four president's heads carved into rock? My boyfriend and I will be flying to Denver. When I travel, I really like to be prepared and chic. A few months ago I switched from an old model of a MacBook Pro to one of the newer ones at work, however, it no longer fit the felt sleeve that I made for it. Besides, that felt sleeve was really tacky looking.

I began to scour the internet looking for a laptop sleeve that was affordable, when I realized that I had everything I needed to make one. On a whim, I bought some adorable Russian doll fabric and some pretty yellow batik-like print fabric. I sewed them together with some of the brown felt that I had left over and made a pretty cute laptop sleeve.



Cute right? I love it. It fits my laptop. Plus how could you go wrong with fabric with Russian nesting dolls all over it?

Adorable huh?

Several months ago, I made the comment that I was in a "creative funk". Well, this laptop sleeve marks the end of my creative funk! I am so excited about how well it turned out. AND it was so easy!

Yard Sale: Urban Outfitters

If you happen to be one of the precious cities with an Urban Outfitters located nearby or in, I definitely recommend going to stock up on some trendy summer essentials for cheap. Find the closest location here and find out more details about the Yard Sale. I imagine in some of the bigger cities that this Yard Sale has got to be pretty epic.

I found a sweet white and black button up blouse by Kimichi & Blu yesterday for on $19.99. Here I am styling it today:



Also, if you have time check out the Urban Outfitters blog. They have tagged certain cities around the globe. Unfortunately there is not a blog featuring Nashville (but really can you blame them?) but there is a blog for Austin. City-centric blogs are a great idea, however, I am personally not too keen on the horizontal scrolling instead of the vertical scrolling.

UrbanOutfitters blog: Austin, TX

Summer Reading

After a rough couple of years here in Nashville, I am finally starting to fall into the groove of life. I was so overwhelmed with new in the past two years that it was like starting all over again. I had to lose myself to find myself again. I am so glad that this discovery gets to happen in one of my favorite seasons, summer. Summer has always been a season that I enjoy and it literally brings out my inner hippie. I could spend everyday laying in the grass, walking around without shoes, drinking iced tea, and swimming.

My friend Juli talks about life in seasons, and I really love the way she describes it. I wanted this season of summer, of my life, to be different. It has been literally a year and a half since I have written whether it be poetry, prose, prayers, journal entries, etc. I want this season of summer to be a season of discovery. I will spend this summer reading and writing with complete abandonment. I will not be afraid of what will be revealed when I put that pen to the paper. I want this season to be a time of reflection, renewal, and growth. Spiritual and personal growth.

In lieu of this season, I have made a commitment to read. I'd like to share my summer reading list:

Persuasion by Jane Austen

This book has been on my reading list for a LONG time. I have tried reading it over and over again, but always fell behind. Its also a library book from the Nashville Public Library that I never returned, and I hope to put behind my deviant ways and finish this book like I should.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The first time I read this book, I fell in love with Lizzie and Mr. Darcy. This is probably one of my favorite books and I want to read it again.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Sam read this book after we watched this TERRIBLE movie about the guy who shot John Lennon (not the one with Lindsey Lohan and Jared Leto all tubby, a different one that used actual audio of the guy who shot Mr. Lennon and the scene where he shoots him was so horrific to watch I started crying). He said the book was very good, and that I should read it. I was also recommended this book by my friend Tori. I am excited to jump into this novel.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

This was recommended to my by two people Tori and Irene, my co-worker. I have feeling this book will give me the travel bug, but I don't mind. I purchased this book at Book Man Book Woman in Hillsboro Village already.

The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner

Another recommendation from Irene. This story is about a man's search for things that make people happy. Sounds like an excellent read!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Okay, this is a recommendation from Tori. First of all, I trust Tori a lot and I know nothing about this book. Didn't read any reviews anything just put it on the list because if Tori liked it, I'll probably like it. However, after seeing the covers with a pitchfork in a dog, makes me a little worried. I love dogs and cats, and most animals. I mean, I cry everytime those ads with Sarah McLachlan singing and talking about the dogs and cats in shelters that need homes. But we'll see.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

This book has shown up on my Amazon list for years, and I have always been curious. It was not until an old friend Sarah recommended this to my when I put out my ad on Facebook that I decided to give it a try.

The Omnivore's Dilema by Michael Pollan

This book was recommended by two people, Irene and my from Josh. I love food and like I said the summer brings out my inner hippie. I love locally grown food, and I'm fascinated how the grocery industry works. This is one of the three non-fiction books on my list.

Gossip Girl Series by Cecily von Ziegesar

I feel like everyone should have their guilty pleasure reads. Several people will shamefully admit to reading Twilight, or Harry Potter. I personally have read the entire Harry Potter series. I thought, yes, I could read Twilight. However, I really love the show Gossip Girl on the CW. I love the characters and the actors and actresses (Blake Lively is amazing). These books tempted me as a young teen along the same shelf as the Goosebumps books, Sweet Valley High, and the Baby Sitter's Club. I never had the guts to read them, but now I wish I did. So, I will.

The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly

After reading the reviews of this, I figured I need at least one mystery on my list. This reminds of Alias a little bit. Not the Sydney Bristow/CIA story, but the Will Tippin, journalist story. This was recommended to my by a twitter friend, and should be a good one.

Knowing God by J.I. Packer

The pithy intense read. This will probably be one of those books that I read a chapter or two inbetween the others just to keep me focused on reality. This one really gets me thinking about not only the relationship between us and God, but also His relationship that He persues with us. It also goes indepth with the nature of God.

Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist

One of my old roommates, Katie, was reading this book. Then, I read a review of it by my friend Christine. I enjoy This American Life on NPR, listening to stories about ordinary people and this falls under that category. A list of essays...

Ronnie Finkelhoff: Superstar by Alan Livingston

When Sam was in grade school he found this book in his school's library. It was the first book he remembers reading and really enjoying. It is by Alan Livington, the guy at Capitol Records who signed the Beatles. Its about a kid who has amazing musical talent, but because of pressure from his dad, he hides this talent.

There it is. My summer reading list in all of its glory. I don't know what order I will read them in, but I am currently reading Persuasion. I am excited to read while I travel, spend evenings at home, and on Sunday when the weather is nice.