If you Google Bunco Club...

you find pictures of Mavis. And Norma. And Doris.

And as adorable as they may be, it doesn't exactly scream JOIN A BUNCO CLUB! But alas, that is exactly what I have done.

Last week, my friend Jenn invited me to go to Bunco Club with her as a substitute for some ladies that couldn't make it. I HAD LITERALLY NEVER HEARD OF BUNCO. She said it was like the game The Real Housewives of [Insert Big City Name] play. Roll the dice, chat with the ladies, eat some food.

So I went. And I rolled the [furry, pink] dice...

And I met some fantastic women from all over Tuscaloosa...

And I lost every round except 3...

And I had a wonderful time! I tied for last place, and almost won a gift for last place, but when I rolled the dice for that, I lost too. Oh well. I'm still a bunco fan! And I'm determined to make bunco look cool again. Like these gals...

Anyone want to join my bunco club? I need 11 others... but really.

Decide to be happy today...

to live with what is yours:

your family, your business, your job, your luck.

If you can't have what you like,

maybe you can like what you have.

Just for today, be kind, cheerful, agreeable,

responsible, caring and understanding.

Be your best, dress your best, talk softly,

look for the bright side of things.

Praise people for what they do

and don't criticize them for what they cannot do.

If someone does something stupid,

forgive and forget.

After all, it's just for one day.

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook this morning and I couldn't help sharing.

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

If you haven't watched this show...

then you should.

Downton Abbey, folks. It's the best period drama full of upstairs/downstairs struggles and soapy goodness I've seen in a long time. Shoot, it's the best television show I've seen in a while. And the fact that it aires on PBS only bolsters it to divine status.

Image from Vanity Fair

Look at them. Their poise is oozing with mystery. I'm simply obsessed. I've actually been meaning to post this blog for quite a while, but never found the right time. Until this...

From The Vulture

Yes. That's right, I downloaded, printed, carved, glued and displayed a box full of my favorite characters from Downton Abbey. (Hey, they don't call it "downtime" for nothing!) It's my Downton Nativity scene. A "Downtivity." Its actual name is a diorama. Perhaps you remember creating shoebox dioramas for sixth grade science class? Ms. O assigned me the tundra and one would've thought I ventured to Antartica to build the thing. Actually, it probably looked more like this...

... but enough about me and my struggle with neatness as a child. Downton Abbey struggles with no such vice as Director James Strong has put together quite the ensemble of cast members. In his own words: “There is no big star; it is an ensemble. ‘Downton's about people and relationships and how we all struggle to find our place. It's an insight into a distant world, but it's close to us.”

We all long to learn about worlds we may never experience - whether that's creating a diorama of a biome we may never see or watching a period drama about lifestyle we may never encounter.

And honestly, who doesn't love a good Maggie Smith zinger? Ladies and gentlemen, The Dowager Countess.

And if you already religiously watch the show and know every inside joke possible, check out this parody called "Downton Arby's!"

P.S. The characters come with paper clothes to change their look! :)

I'm 24 and still...

taking spring break! Booyah! Ok ok, so I apologize to those of you who may be having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that you'll never get a spring break again. Life is tough.


Anyways, the last few weeks have been jam-packed with travel and events. Here's the recap...

I went to DC for most of my week off. It was SPECTACULAR! I could not have planned for better weather! Cherry Blossoms and Magonolias in sweet, sweet bloom. My favorite restaurant in the world (Nando's). Living, breathing, eating and sleeping in the city. Sigh. My heart races when I think about that city.

I spent time with old friends - Ashley, Graham, Rachel and Christy - and met some new ones! I also met up with a colleague, Steve, who founded NSCS - my favorite organization I worked with while in college. Steve invited me to a cocktail fundraiser where we met Howard Dean. (Go ahead, let out the Dean Scream... one more time... ok, you good?) I must admit, he's a fiesty guy! I had a wonderful time chatting with Steve, Governor Dean and others at the fundraiser.

After returning from DC, I quickly celebrated St. Patty's day with Jessica and some other work friends, then went to a wedding shower (tis the season!) for my sweet friends, Mary Kellye and Kyle. They are getting married in a month, so you'll get the full run-down of that soon! (Shrimp?! Only time will tell...)

SydDog and I went to The Avett Brothers Concert. (If you don't already know every single word to their songs, you are way behind.) The concert was unlike any I've ever been to. First, we sat down the entire time. I'm used to standing front row (remember that?!), but we definitely enjoyed a different view now that we're old fogies. :)

On Sunday, I had brunch with Jenn and some friends she's introduced me to in Tuscaloosa. Jenn's husband John is in law school, so I get my feel of politics and opinions from that bunch! Any group that loves a good get together is my kind of people! Jenn is moving to The Big Apple in July so we're celebrating as much as possible. John is starting a one-year tax law program at NYU, so the Circus is heading up to New York. The picture below is of Jenn and Rob, a fellow law schooler.

Then I finally took a "break" and went back to work for a week. Hah. My sleep schedule was so messed up, but I made it to work by 8:05 every day. Ok, probably more like 8:10. This past weekend I headed to Birmingham to do a little more visiting. My friend Pair (Lauren) had her wisdom teeth taken out earlier in the week. There she is icing down the jaws...

After visiting Pair, I met up with my friend Molly to crash a bachelorette party. Ok ok, not exactly crash it. Molly was invited, so I just tagged along. (Kayla, most people call this crashing.) Her friend Caroline is getting married in one month (once again, tis the season!) so we celebrated her for the night and I met some great friends of Molly's. We had such a great time in the Magic City just being girls and having a great time. And below is a picture of the street from Caroline's loft apartment. Can you tell I love cities? Sigh. One day, I'll actually live in one... Until then, I'll just keep blogging about them!

If you don't quite get a spring break like I did, take a weekend to see some new sights, meet some new friends and just enjoy life!

Now that you mention it...

I believe I will!

Off to Washington, DC for a week... WAHOOOOO! I'll be visiting my friends Ashley, Graham and Rachel and taking in the sights of my favorite city in all the world! Ahhhh, I can't wait to get back to the city - public transportation, city lights, architectural wonders.

Don't I look cute sitting at my Congressman's desk? That's a picture of me (and fellow interns Kiley, Michelle and Fabiani) in the summer of 2009. Ah, so young. I'm excited to grab lunch with friends from my internship in the summer of 2009 and just enjoy the gems of our Nation's capital with other friends!

I have a few new places planned as well... I'm touring the University of Maryland and meeting with program coordinators, attending a cocktail fundraising party with Howard Dean and NSCS Founder/CEO Steve Loflin, checking out new monuments (MLK, Jr.) and FINALLY taking time to explore the National Building Museum.

It's going to be an amazing week of discovering and adventuring in the District. I'm hoping to capture a picture like this...

But afraid I'll be a little to early for the cherry blossoms. Either way, Happy Spring Break all!

Leaping into...

March. Seriously, where did February go? The older I get, the quicker these months fly by. And when you've only got 29 days to work with, it's easy to blink a month away. AKA, February.

This month has been full of friends. I'll give you the down and dirty recap. Thanks to my wonderful friends, I received a billion four Valentine's Day cards, including a mix-cd from my friend Katie (her blog). It was such a joy to feel the warmth from friends in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington, and Nashville as I read their love letters to me. Ok, maybe not love letters. Just go with it.



Then, the friendship marathon began. And that's the marathon everyone wants to be a part of. I, along with my Tuscaloosa friends Caitlin and Audrey (top middle & bottom left respectively) took a road trip to Atlanta to visit with my favorite ginger family, the Weasleys Webbs! We had a blast driving around Atlanta going to concerts, coffee shops, and sketchy neighborhoods. We even talked to strangers. And we made lots of Twitter hashtag inside jokes.

I also grabbed dinner with my friend, Laci and saw her big-girl office at the Atlanta Deloitte office. Snazzy!

Last weekend, my friend Beth Ann visited, as well as several of my college friends. We played a few great games of Catan and painted our fingernails. Beth Ann was super excited about how many colors my roommates had. The boys welcomed Todd with a 25th birthday spanking. I think they made it to about 17.

And this weekend, I'm heading to Nashville to visit those same people again! I tell you, when you have such wonderful friends, it never gets old seeing these people. About 12 of us are piling into a two-bedroom apartment. I hope your February has been full of friendship! Here's hoping March doesn't go by so quickly.