February, 2009

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Positive Post Tuesday

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Welcome to Positive Post Tuesday. This is a regular thing over at Brody’s blog, but he’s a giver, so he’s passing it around. [And apparently that makes me a taker. Whoopsie daisy.] quilt_kathleen

Speaking of givers, I’ve got one to talk about today. My friend Kathleen. You know her- she helped me make a quilt.

Let me tell you about Kathleen. She has known me since I was 12 and loved me the whole way through. Even during the my awkward middle school and my [sadly] equally awkward high school. She supported me via phone and email in college and when I moved back to ATL, hanging with Kathleen and family was a top priority.

She gets me. She knows me. She has stuck through a lot with me. She started out as our middle school small group leader and has morphed into one of my best friends. Kathleen knows almost everything about me, even the embarrassing thoughts and ridiculous ideas and top hilarious secrets. She totally cracks me up, knows how to make marshmallows from scratch, and lets me hang out at her house pretty much whenever I want for as long as I want.

Kathleen only yelled at me once. She’s naturally pretty shy and getting her to raise her voice is quite a feat. So I’ll tell you about it. It was the summer before my senior year of high school and we were all sitting on bunk beds at church camp. I was in a bad place personally- really discouraged and defeated. I remember saying outloud, “I’m just too ugly”. Out of nowhere- quiet Kathleen began to YELL at me in a VERY angry voice, “That is a LIE! You are BEAUTIFUL! You STOP believing that RIGHT NOW!” and she went on and on. Uncomfortably long. Awkwardly loud and direct. In my mind, I even remember seeing her arms flailing and her fists slamming on the mattress.

No one, NO ONE, had ever seen her this mad, especially not towards one of us. And in that moment- her face, her tone, her volume- it changed my life forever.

Now that we are both adults [uh, am I an adult?], I truly love her and consider her one of my dearest friends. I don’t know that I’ve ever taken enough time or space to thank Kathleen for loving me well all these years and for letting me become a member of her family. So here you go, Kathleen. What could a deeply shy person want more than a public blog post of thanks?

Yeah, you’re welcome Kathleen. You can beat me later.

Now for all you bloggers out there- all you have to do is write something positive about somebody or something or somewhere, then fill out the box below. It is so easy and seriously, if you knew how much work it took Andy Merrick me to get this Mr. Linky working right, you’d really want to play along. Just cause you feel sorry for Andy Merrick having to deal with me.

Posted in Ze Bloggy Goodness | 17 Responses »
Tags: friends, God's love, Marietta, thankful

Blissdom 09: The Recap.

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Being that this is Blissdom 09 and everything, I think I’ll give you my top 09 highlights of the conference. [Be ye very concerned when Blissdom '47 rolls around, cause you best be believin I'll do 47 highlights.]

These highlights are going to be in no particular order, so #1 doesn’t need to be getting all haughty and #9 doesn’t need to be disappointed. [#10 needs to be disappointed.]

[By the way, can you tell yet that I'm writing this late at night? CAUSE I CAN. The attempted jokes. They are disturbingly frequent. As is the case in my late night blogging.]

Also, the highlights may be better titled “TOP 09 TAKE-AWAYS”. Cause I also want to include in this list why I am SUPER glad I went to Blissdom and who I’m glad I saw and what I learned.

ON TO THE LIST.

#1. I learned a lot about the ins and outs of book writing and blogging- how they work together and how things are perceived by folks in the publishing biz. Which, as you may have read once or twenty times, is rather important to me, since I wrote a book and all. [And I'll just be real skippy with you and tell you that in my head, I thought, "I want to be on that panel one day". Maybe I will.]

#2. I got to hang out with some ladies that I absolutely adore. There is no way to link all of them, but I’ll tell you that Alli, Shannon, Lora Lynn (and her sweet baby Willa), Robin, Amber, Ali, Stephanie, Holley, and others made the whole experience for me.

#3. Cause you may think bloggers just gather to learn about blogging, but truth be told we get together because we actually like each other. So to eat Mexican food holding a baby that I “watched” be born via Lora Lynn’s blog, and share my heart stuff with Shannon because she gets me, and to hug Alli, and to give Amber a pep talk, and to laugh my head off with Ali? That’s why I went to Blissdom.

#4. I learned, through one really good seminar, that making money on blogging is totally possible and TOTALLY not for me. That’s not why I’m here, that’s not why you are here.

#5. It takes 100 blog readers and 100 followers on twitter to make a community. And THAT is why we are here- because you are getting to know me and each other and somehow we have all become friends. And I left Blissdom 09 wanting to make this little corner of the internet sky a better community, not make money.

#6. I learned some great technical jargon that I won’t explain because then you may remember that I am a full on DORK. But hopefully my new know-how will make this here blog a little easier for you to navigate and love.

#7. Aforementioned (in #2) Holley has also written a book… but her book is actually in stores. So it’s legit. And she gave me a copy! I’m reading it ravenously and then I’m posting all about it. AND. She’s going to Mt. Hermon in April and so am I. That should be a glorious reunion.

#8. Blissfully Domestic and One2One Network did an AMAZING job of hosting this thing- getting some great musicians to show up and getting us some pretty sweet swag. And they were fun and generous and really just the kind of hosts that can get 300 bloggin’ ladies to hang out happily for 48 hours.

#9. I love learning about blogging. I love talking about blogging. I love what happens when you fill a room with people on twitter. It’s fun to me- makes the internet nerd in me smile.

So there you have it. Will I go again? As long as it is in Nashville, yes. If it’s out of Nashville, we’ll $ee.

But in my nerdy-bloggy heart, I’m already looking forward to Blissdom 2010.

Posted in Ze Bloggy Goodness | 17 Responses »
Tags: blogging

$5650 bill.

Friday, February 6th, 2009

Seriously. I dreamed it last night. That I sold some sort of forest that blocked my home from the ocean and they paid me in $5650 bills. Lots of them. Weird, because:

#1. I don’t own a home.
#2. I don’t live by the ocean.
#3. There are no such thing as $5650 bills. Yet.
#4. I would never tear down a forest for money. [That may be a lie- I'm not sure.]

I’m not surprised that I dreamed about money. And actually having a whole lot of it. Cause I don’t. I’m pretty sure none of us do.

So let me be the first to welcome you to Financially Friendly February. Where Annie DOES NOT buy new clothes or shoes, even though the sales are spectacular. Where Annie eats the food that is in her home, even though that meant edamame, ramen noodles, and a can of black beans for dinner [can I get a hand-clap for protein in the bean form?]. Where Annie gets a part-time job since the book is done, even though sitting at Frothy all day is the JAM.

The upside? NANNY MCANNIE LIVES AGAIN!

It’s like the nanny jobs follow me, y’all. Like some sort of creeper in the grocery store that keeps ending up on the same aisle as you even though you can see clearly that he already has two boxes of cereal in his cart.

Anyways.

I already do some part time work at Mocha Club, now with this nanny job that the Lord has provided, I should be fine. At least until my book goes #1 on the NYT Best Sellers List, in which case, I may just have to quit nannying in order to be on all the TV shows that will be calling.

Or something like that.

The family I get to nanny is awesome- for safety sake, we’ll just call the kids Brother and Sister. Brother is 3, Sister is 1 and they are a pleasure. 2 hour nap every day? Don’t mind if I do. Waffles for breakfast? You know me well. Returning home with any random number of objects in my pockets each evening? Please and thank you.

Here’s me and Sister right this minute. Oh one handed typing, how I have missed thee. I know, I already look tired. It doesn’t take much time to fall out of practice. But its like riding a bike- I’ll be back in nanny shape first thing Monday.

sister_annie

Tonight and tomorrow I’ll be at Blissdom 09 with some of my favorite bloggers. Yay!!

Have a great weekend. Keep it Financially Friendly, y’all.

Posted in Nash-livin' | 6 Responses »
Tags: money, Nashville

When Twitter changed my complexion.

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

Sophie and Melanie talked me into signing up for twitter last June. I didn’t love it; in fact, it kinda annoyed me. But I’m of the persuasion that if Sophie or Melanie tell me to do something, I usually do it. Except this dare they gave me one time. Let’s just say I don’t believe in carrying baby piglets in my purse. EVER.

[Kidding. About the dare. Not about the piglets.]

Anyways, so in the last two weeks or so, twitter has BLOWN UP in Nashville. Many of us have been on it for longer, but suddenly it has become our primary form of communication. Which is challenging for your blogista here because I don’t have a trendy iPhone. [Yet.] And twitter is best via iPhone.

Dave hopped on board, Matt couldn’t resist, Jeremy was already rockin’ it. Jason and Evan kicked up their game- making all sorts of hang out plans via twitter, getting Andy and Skip and I always to ALWAYS play along. Seth loves planning via twitter as well, which is good. And I seriously don’t know how, but someone convinced Mr. I Hate Twitter himself to sign up. I, for one, was shocked. And thrilled.

Skip says I have a disease. ATMS Disease [Skip literally just said, "Disease? Or you could say Syndrome." It's like being friends with a medical professional]. That stands for “Afraid To Miss Something”. Which, I’ll be honest, not only do I HAVE the disease, I’m pretty sure my diagnosis is bleak and I have a fatal case. Cause I really REALLY hate missing fun events. Marisa has it as well, so we can console each other when we have a really severe outbreak.

For both of us, Twitter has done a good job of being a medicine of sorts. Or a enabler. Whatevs.

We’ve been staying out late, being all sorts of hilarious, and still trying to get some writing and moving done during the day.

So when I went to Marietta this weekend, the first thing my Mom said was, “Annie, are you feeling alright? You look really pale.”

And in my mind I knew who to blame. Not Jason or Evan or Skip. [Though I like to blame Skip or Jason for most things.]

I blame Twitter. Twitter made me pale. Twitter made me play when I should have been packing. Or, you know, sleeping. Twitter makes me laugh when I should be serious. Twitter makes me irresponsible [and secretly, I kinda love it].

Twitter makes me love my community all the more.

Twitter might take over the world. Are you on it? Then come follow me! And my friends (if you dare)! And Mocha Club!

[Hey. Are you way confused about Twitter? Sorry. Spence and Randy showed me this video- watch it- it should help. If you're reading on RSS feed, come on over.]

Posted in Nash-livin', Ze Bloggy Goodness | 16 Responses »
Tags: Add new tag, Nashville, Twitter

He doesn’t pay me to say this.

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

But I told him he should.

Please tell me you watched Dave Barnes’ video on his website today? Because it is all manner of hilarious.

AND.

His new EP came out today and y’all. There is a new version of Until You that almost makes me cry. It’s that good. [Probably has something to do with Jesus, I'm just saying. I sing this one to Him sometimes- "Love was kept from me like a secret and I swore that I was through- until You."]

And there are some new songs. And only $3.99.

So if you’ve never listened to Dave before, what a cost-friendly way to get a few songs. Kinda like trial size deodorant.

Kinda.

AND.

Sophie has an AWESOME GIVEAWAY from Dave, so go there and try to win it.

AND.

There is your “Annie Pimps Nash-Music” installment for Feb. 09.

Amen.

Posted in Sounds good to me. | 1 Response »
Tags: music, Nashville

Reason #438

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

that I don’t get in the ocean.

Spinner sharks? Yeah… about that… they won’t be in heaven. Cause sharks are friends with the devil.

Posted in Ze Bloggy Goodness | 9 Responses »

Another sister.

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

Another birthday. You may remember the little video I made for Tatum on her 27th birthday in October.

Well, little Sally is turning 21. And because I think that embarrassment is the highest form of compliment, let me present this photograph of us from 1991, I’m guessing. Yes, that makes me 11. And trendy to the max. And Tatum’s face is worth about a zillion dollars. And little Sally, with the haircut that, to this day, I think is the most darling thing in the world. sisters So for Sally’s 21st birthday, I’m going to tell her 21 things.

Ready? Go.

1. You are funny.

2. You really weren’t adopted, like we used to tell you.

3. I guess now is as good a time as any to say that you also didn’t have a twin brother who died, like we used to tell you.

4. When I used to read Bearenstain Bears books to you, I always skipped a few pages in the middle. Sorry.

5. I love seeing you doing ministry full time.

6. It amazes me how much you love Auburn. Not because you didn’t go to Georgia, but just because it’s cool to see how God has provided friends for you there that feel like family.

7. I like Christmas presents the best when you pass them out.

8. I wish you still lived at home so I could steal your clothes.

9. I know you slept in my room at home. Sprite can in the trash? Busted.

10. I’m really grateful for what a great sister Tatum is to you. I know I kinda suck at being a sister, but Tatum doesn’t, so you get the good with the bad. Congrats.

11. Drinking is fine. In MODERATION.

12. Just don’t be stupid. Or get drunk. The Bible is pretty serious about not getting drunk. So you be serious about it too.

13. But the Bible says nothing about getting drunk on cupcakes, so partake as much as you see fit.

14. I wish I was as smart as you.

15. Cause you are by far the smartest of the three of us.

16. If I was 21 again, I would tell myself to trust God more.

17. Sorry that I always treat you like you are my kid. I don’t know why either.

18. Do you know it used to seriously stress me out to watch you tube behind the boat because I knew if you fell out way back there I wouldn’t be able to rescue you?

19. You’re pretty good at staying on the tube. Thanks for that.

20. Happy birthday, Sally. I’m really excited to see what adulthood holds for you.

21. I love you.

seesters