March, 2011

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Oh. So. [fill-in-the-blank].

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

I want to say AWESOME. Oh. So. Awesome.

But my friend Harry from Scotland would not approve.

Not one little bit.

Harry is the coolest Scottish guy you don’t know. You want to know him, I’m sure. He was the cook at our summer camp in Scotland in 2007 and late one night he stormed into the counselors’ hangout room and, through gritted teeth, pretty much told us that we were WAY too loud.

[It was totally my fault. My voice is abnormally loud.]

And even though getting in trouble is my #1 fear, somehow we survived that and Harry and I have been friends ever since. Now he and his wife Anne are like family to me. I adore them.

Oh silly me. You already know Harry. He took me to the Glasgow Rangers game. Duh.

Anyways, he says I should erase AWESOME from my vocabulary.

I wrote about it over at (in)courage today- the importance of Saving Awesome.

. . . . . . .

In other news that is close to awesome but not awesome because I’m not supposed to use awesome:

I posted on (in)courage’s Bloom Book Club yesterday some encouraging words for small group leaders and let them know about the free leader’s guide that goes along with my book. And my gracious those leader’s guides have been FLYING off the AnnieBlogs’ shelves. [If, you know, inside the blog guts there were actually shelves. Pretend there are- I think that's cool.]

No kidding- HUNDREDS have been downloaded. WHOA to the max. I did NOT see that coming. I can’t wait to hear how small groups use the resources in the guide. It’s almost awesome.

. . . . . . .

Also- my amazing blogboss Lauren has made it possible for me to respond to comments INSIDE the comments section [you can do it too]. So you can look there to hear from me- should be better than my inbox backing up like Atlanta traffic and you thinking I hate you because I haven’t responded to you in days weeks. It’ll look like this:

It gives you a little face smash, but no biggie. It’s like a massage- it may hurt at first, but it’s going to feel great in the long run. Anyways, so look there to hear from me [and other bloggites that hang here] after you leave a comment.

. . . . . . .

And finally, in the as-close-to-awesome-as-you-can-get category, my friend Rock.

Yep, his name is Rock. [Nashville is that trendy, people. Deal with it.]

I’ve started a little photography series with Rock.

First up: Rockin’ Shades. Rock In Shades.

Second: Rockin’ Chair. Rock In Chair.

I don’t know how many more of these I can think up, but I’m seriously on a roll…. a Rock n’ Roll.

BOOM. You. Are. Welcome.

Leavin’ on a high note. See y’all tomorrow.

Posted in (in)courage, Scotland | 9 Responses »

Tuesday round up!

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

Gather round, cowgirls [and you cowguys out there]. Let’s round up some Tuesday things.

Today at (in)courage, I’ve posted an EXCLUSIVE excerpt from my book. So ride on over there and check out Lead With Laced Up Tennies.

When I read books, if I like the book, I try to email the author and say so. For the same reasons, if I have great service at a restaurant, I tell the manager or if I love a concert, I email the band. It’s just how I roll. So last week I emailed Erin McKean who wrote The Secret Lives of Dresses and sent her a link to my blogpost about the book. She wrote me back. So we’re pretty much besties now.

[People complain to authors and waitresses and managers and teachers and parents all the time. I like to be on the team that tells then when something goes RIGHT.]

If you like country music [you are a cowgirl after all], then let me HIGHLY recommend Cheryl LuQuire’s new EP. Five songs for $4.95? That’s a deal, y’all. I’ve had this EP on repeat for a few days and I am loving it when the sun-roof is open and the windows are down. She’s good. Real good.

The US Men’s soccer team plays tonight in Nashville and I am GIDDY about it. As you recall, I heart soccer mucho. I’ve never seen Landon Donovan play in real life. And I’m going to wear my Glasgow Rangers scarf. There are six of us going and I’m probably going to make 5.5 of them crazy. [I make myself crazy half the time.] But I can not wait.

Matt Wertz is so cool. I want to think up awesome stuff like he does. People in this town are doing rad stuff and I hope some of that rubs off on me.

I mean, how cool are these shirts?!?

I want an orange one. Real bad. And if you think I’m ashamed to have my friend’s name plastered across my torso, you are Wrongy McWrongerson.

If you want one, Matt’s store has all the options and I’ll be darned if you won’t have to narrow down your choices because you’ll want more than one.

That’s all for today. Circle up your ponies. Sing a campfire song. And I’ll see y’all tomorrow.

[I literally have no clue where the cowgirl theme came from today, but gosh I like it.]

Yee-haw!

Posted in (in)courage | 9 Responses »
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Mondays are for winners.

Monday, March 28th, 2011

I think if I keep repeating this to myself, it shall soon become true.

I had an absolutely awesome weekend. My sisters were in town, some friends came to town, we watched a lot of basketball and had about forty people over to the house for BBQ. We saw Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors in concert. We ate like we were on death row [meaning good, like REALLY good food that is super bad for you but we didn't care]. And we did a lot of this…

Which leaves me with absolutely nothing to complain about.

Except the weather. It. Is. Freezing. But because Mondays are for winners, I refuse to dwell on the winter temperatures. Because I’m a winner and winners don’t dwell on negative things but pardon me, if it is 40*F in March, doesn’t that equal -20*F in my soul?

I’m just saying. It’s science. Look it up.

So… my first two (in)courage Bloom Book Club posts are up! It makes me sweaty to think of being the center of attention over there for the whole week, but it seems to be going okay so far. [Ummm, the "center of attention" part isn't what I hate- who are we kidding? I actually love that. So maybe just running the show somewhere outside of this little corner of the internet sky is what makes me nervous.]

You can check out the posts here–

Meet Annie Downs [you already know me, but you can pretend like you don't]

An Interview With Annie [thanks for the questions!]

There will be a new post there every day this week, so be sure to check it out. I mean, if you wanna.

Also, my sweet friend Ashleigh blogged about her Marine coming home from deployment and I love them. Thought you might want to love them too.

Also, it makes me mad that Charlie Sheen stole “WINNING!” from the rest of the world because it is a word that I wish I could have used a few times throughout this post already. But he high-jacked it and I’m mad.

I think you need to see this picture as well.

Know what this means? It means I’m getting ready to start writing again… in a major way. Know what that means? It means I’m about to start writing my next book. Know what that means? You’re about to have to PRAY.ME.THROUGH.

I’m spending the next few weeks honing my craft, reading books that make me think and write and make my heart feel like it is going to explode out of my chest. I don’t know what God is doing, but I can’t quit thinking about being a better writer and the excitement of starting something new. It’s kinda fun… kinda scary… and kinda awesome.

Someday, when I haven’t already written 474 words, I’ll tell you why your prayers mean so much to me when I’m writing. But for now, I’ll just remind you how I finish writing a book.

I’ve done it before. I can do it again. And hopefully, I’ll finish this one on a Monday.

WINNING!

[Ugh, see? See what he did? It's not even fun anymore. Sigh... back to your Monday, my friends.]

How was your weekend? And also- how is the weather where you are? And also- are you mad that Charlie Sheen stole “WINNING!” from the rest of the English-speaking population?

Posted in (in)courage, AnnieWrites, I heart books. | 16 Responses »

Questions for me.

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Sorry I have been bloggy absent. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by The Camera Incident of 2011 and the fact that in the last five days I have located TWO GRAY HAIRS on the crown of my head.

TWO.

Meaning that as of today, I am officially older than I feel, act, or admit.

[Kidding. I'm 30. I promise. And proud of it.]

I kept the first gray hair. It is in my change purse and I keep showing it off. Gross or not, it’s my life.

Now. Less about me, more about you.

I need your help.

Next week, I am the featured author on the (in)courage Bloom Book Club [squeal!yay!woot!]. And I’m just wondering if there are any questions you’d like me to answer…. like, you can interview me. I mean, I could just interview myself- I’ve done it before- but before I do that, I figured I’d check with you.

Anything you’d like to know about:

  • the book
  • the process of writing my book
  • blogging
  • Nashville
  • my dating life [answer: like the Lochness Monster- I believe it exists, but it is just hard to see]
  • Nail polish colors
  • future plans
  • past mistakes [answer: be gentle.]
  • what’s next for my writing
  • my middle name
  • my favorite things
  • anything else that has been burning in your soul

If you can’t come up with anything, I’ll be forced to interview myself and it always ends up getting way more volatile than I intend.

Help me? Help me help you? Help me help you help me?

Amen.

Posted in (in)courage, AnnieWrites | 18 Responses »

Good intentions don’t make for good blog posts.

Monday, March 21st, 2011

Because I spent 2.5 hours in the kitchen yesterday baking and icing cakes.

And my intention was to make it into a few blog posts for your viewing, reading, and baking pleasure.

And I photographed every step because I used my Big Top Cupcake Bake Set and took lots of pictures and created funny captions in my mind as I went and I laughed out loud more than once.

[Because I tend to think I'm far more hilarious than anyone else thinks I am.]

Then.

My camera, sitting quietly on the window sill above the sink, decided to do a double back tuck with a full twist dive into a bowl full of water.

The camera got a great score from the Russian judge, but the splash was too much for the Korean judge.

[Personification is all the rage this season.]

As for me, it was full on panic.

I dropped a cupcake mid-icing swirl and scooped out my camera. I shook it [like a Polaroid picture] and ejected my memory card and battery. Then I shook it some more. Then I blew into it like we used to do to Nintendo cartridges.

Then, in my typical out-of-sight-out-of-mind fashion, I threw them on the back porch in the sunshine and got back to icing the cupcakes.

Now he sits, that Greg Louganis of a camera, in a cup full of brown rice. I’m hoping brown rice does the trick from diving cameras like white rice does for cell phones that take a dip in Diet Coke.

So hopefully later this week I can show you pictures from my dry and working camera- pictures of the huge blue Kansas University cupcake and all the hilarity that went into making it.

Or I’ve just wasted a perfectly good box of Uncle Ben’s whole grain brown rice.

And that would be a real shame.

Posted in Ze Bloggy Goodness | 11 Responses »

What I’m reading….

Friday, March 18th, 2011

Holley Gerth did an amazing post on (in)courage called Cyber Sabbath. Let me recommend you read it and let me recommend you live it. [I'm starting to take the Sabbath seriously. I think we all should.]

This post on Rabbit Room about authors having small houses in which they write makes me jealous and excited and makes me love my profession because we are a weird and beautiful lot. [And yes I want one.]

Emily Freeman has been doing a series on art and I’ve been devouring it. Today’s post, One Secret to Honest Art, is so good it makes me a little sick [in the good way].

Today is the first birthday of my friend Jenny’s blog- Dinner A Love Story. I read it every day.

Seth Godin released a free e-book today called SXSW Pokes. Download it and read it. [I mean, I'm not the boss of you, I'm just saying I think you'll enjoy the stories.]

Jon Acuff, of Stuff Christians Like fame, has started a new blog and I love it.

Offline, I’m currently reading the Bible and my March Real Simple magazine.

What are you reading?

Posted in (in)courage, I heart books. | 12 Responses »
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Weights & Wings.

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Oh y’all.

You know I love to tell you about great music. Mumford and Sons. Dave Barnes. The Civil Wars. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors.

And today? It is Mr. Matt Wertz.

There are a few musicians in town whose music I liked before I lived here. In most cases, becoming friends with the musician only made me like their music more.

[Except in one case when I was all, "Hey. I used to like your music but I think you are a total putz so I'm pretty sure your music is lame."]

But that wasn’t Wertz. I have nothing but the highest praise for Matt Wertz. He writes good music because he lives well. He is a good friend. He makes me laugh until my sides are totally aching. I absolutely adore him.

When I hear his music, it is who he is. It is true and honest. But it is also pop music and loud and a good time. This album is fun and deep and lovely and it is everything Spring. Your kids will love it. Your friends will love it. You will love it.

I absolutely adore this album.

So buy a copy of Weights & Wings, roll down your windows, and blast that puppy.

Or……

Speaking of Matt, here is something super cool. Like whoa cool.

Matt is an artist with Mocha Club. For $7/month, members on Matt’s team support the Women at Risk program. Through this program, former prostitutes in Ethiopia are given counseling and training and education so they are able to make an honest living.

And here’s what Matt is doing- anyone who joins Mocha Club and begins to donate $7/month to the Women at Risk program, he will give you a FREE COPY OF WEIGHTS & WINGS.

CLICK HERE to watch a video from Matt. [And there is a place to join on this page if thou art so inclined.]

Right? Amazing. So Matt’s just giving away one of the greatest new albums in 2011 if you will help women in Africa.

That’s nutso. And amazing.

So join Mocha Club and get Weights & Wings for FREE or just go grab a copy for yourself.

Either way, you win. You always do.

Posted in Mocha Club, Sounds good to me. | 3 Responses »
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Gettin’ hit by the culture stick.

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

(For starters, we will discuss Matt Wertz’s new album tomorrow [oh yes we will] because it is a beautiful piece of work.)

For today, I want to tell you about Adam and Wes and M&Ms and the Belcourt Theater.

I’m going to use Adam and Wes’s real names because you are going to totally be impressed with them by the end of this post and they are both single and I would love nothing more than two cultured single ladies to snatch these boys up due to the fact that I blogged about their high brow ways.

[They're gonna kill me.]

Lyndsay and I deeply desire to be cultured and do artistic things around town. Adam and Wes have the same desire- they just actually DO the things. They are smart and fun and funny and kind and creative and they like to read and they love God and they are two of the dearest men in the world.

So over the weekend, I begged and pleaded for the boys to let me tag along to the Belcourt Theater where they are playing a series of Southern films. And, to be real honest, I actually selected the film we chose to see. [So what I'm saying is that I'm actually swinging the culture stick on this one.] I flipped through the options, reading the synopsis, and thought “The Sun Shines Bright” sounded like a great story.

The boys agreed.

So we found ourselves Tuesday night sitting boy / girl / boy in an almost empty movie theater [probably forty folks max], with a share size bag of M&Ms.

Then in a moment of pure cultured joy, the film started with the faint clicking sound of the old reels. Not a DVD but the old school film reels. It was amazing.

I haven’t watched a lot of movies set in an early 1900s Southern town. Hearing the characters reminisce about the Civil War, watching the beauty of a community living without social media, and just trying to mentally see the color scheme in a movie that is a black and white film reel- it was such a good time.

[The dresses. I just always wish I could see the color of the dresses. And there were these beautiful lanterns hanging outside during a party- I wanted to see the yellow glow. Sue me.]

At this point in the blog post, my mom and both of my sisters are shaking their fists at the screen because I have long been the Downs Daughter That Does Not Like Old Movies. But there was something different about this. This film sort of felt like a prequel to To Kill A Mockingbird- it had some of the same Southern elements, courthouse stuff, racial focus, and one of those good-guy-to-the-core kind of characters.

Like Adam and Wes… line up, ladies.

[They are literally never going to speak to me again.]

One of my favorite parts of this film is that somehow the actors convinced me that this one little Kentucky town really understands community. And I haven’t even told you about the soundtrack or when Judge Priest risks re-election to give a respectable funeral to a less than respectable woman.

It was a beautiful storyline.

And gosh darn it if I didn’t tear up a little bit when the band played Dixie at the end.

The best part? Seeing that old movie didn’t make me “cultured” per say, but it sure makes me appreciate a culture that used to be.

Great movie. Great friends. Great candy.

I loved it.

. . . . . .

Do you have a favorite old movie? Share on, friend.

Posted in Nash-livin' | 15 Responses »
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From Head to Foot :: Update

Monday, March 14th, 2011

It’s been a few weeks [maybe even months?] since we talked about the fact that I wrote a book and you can read that book.

This blog is not about my book. But the blog and that book have the same author and there could be a chance that you are new here and don’t know that I wrote a book.

Hi. I’m Annie. I wrote From Head To Foot.

How are things going? Well, as you know, I self-published with Westbow Press. And it was a super good decision. I have really enjoyed working with them from the beginning. The only problem has been getting statistics and sales numbers now that the book is out.

And if I had a dollar for every time someone asked, “How many books have you sold?” I would be able to wallpaper my house with miniature portraits of George Washington.

Meaning, I still don’t know an EXACT number, but I know that there are some traditional publishers who have shown some interest in possibly picking up the book. [tiny squeal]

That is only a tiny squeal because the truth of the matter is

  1. no one is offering me a book contract right now
  2. I’m not even sure I’d want one if they did [more emphasis on dinner... thanks Seth Godin]

It’s more of a tiny squeal knowing that people have connected with the book enough that it has garnered some attention from companies who pay writers to connect with people. That’s more of the reason for the squeal. So tiny squeal all you want because it is exciting that God is using this book in some small ways. It’s fun.

Anyways, here are few things you may want to know about the book:

–> You can buy From Head to Foot here on Amazon.

–> If you have bought it and read it, would you mind writing a short and sweet [or not sweet, your prerogative] review on Amazon? It makes a HUGE difference.

–> If you are leading a small group of girls this semester, over the summer, or in the fall, there is a Leader’s Guide available for free. [Scroll down and you'll see where to put in your email address so we can email it to you.]

–> You might not know this, but I’ve been making a video for each chapter of the book for small groups. So you can see those on the FHTF YouTube page.

–> I have a AnnieBlogs facebook page. Will you like me?

Here’s another great question people keep asking me- “What is your next book?” And when people ask me that I kinda giggle and then I cry and then I start to sweat and then I pass out on the floor.

Meaning, I have some ideas but haven’t really started writing anything significant. So if you have any ideas of a book you’d like me to write, throw your idea in the hat.

And by “hat” I mean “comment box” because I actually don’t wear a lot of hats.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very exciting week here on the blog, including some awesome news from Mocha Club and my dear pal Matt Wertz and some Scotland talk and some pictures and some chats about ice cream because I love it.

Phew. That is more than enough for your Monday. See you tomorrow.

Posted in I heart books., Westbow Press | 10 Responses »
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A bicycle mistake.

Friday, March 11th, 2011

The Half-Marathon was on Sunday.

We had to be in Seaside on Saturday to pick up our packets- you know, the packets that say “now that you have this number in your hands, you actually have to show up for the race.”

I didn’t really want that number exactly. But I sorta did. I’m glad I got it now, but I seriously considered leaving my number orphaned at the Seaside Elementary School for some other sorry sap to pick up and run with.

[Literally.]

Someone [it was Marisa but don't say I blamed her] got the hair-brained idea that we should rent bikes and ride over to Seaside to get said packets. I remember being concerned. I remember thinking a bike ride 20 hours before my first half-marathon was not the best for my muscles.

Then this happened and we were off before my calves could protest.

And I was all, “oh well it’ll be fine.”

Do you know how long it was from our house to Seaside?

SEVEN POINT TWO MILES.

7.2 miles. One way.

14.4 miles there and back.

That means my friends forced me to BIKE A HALF-MARATHON THE DAY BEFORE I RAN/WALKED A HALF-MARATHON.

I was slow on the bike, too. I mean, this was my view for most of the ride.

See that speed bump coming up ahead?

I didn’t.

And it caused a major jarring of my basket of goods and a major jarring of my, um, organs. About 7 minutes after that jarring, I hit a bush with the bike.

[I should have taken the hint and stopped riding right there. But I didn't.]

And as much as I tried to enjoy it, it was miserable. I mentally complained the entire time, thinking, “You barely trained for the foot race, you certainly didn’t train for a bike race!”

Especially when we were headed back and the wind was blowing about 30 mph in our faces and we were biking uphill and my entire self was sore to the tenth degree, oh boy was I complaining then.

I was complaining in every language I know. Southern redneck and Scottish.

Bless my heart.

So accidentally, I completed a marathon last weekend.

And that is one thing you will never hear me say again.

. . . . .

A little biz… are you having trouble leaving a comment? If so, email me through the contact form (at the top of this page snuggled between “Speaking” and “Blogroll”). A dozen or so of you have already contacted me, but I’m guessing there are more of you. My blog-boss Lauren and I are trying to fix the situation. So if you try today and it doesn’t work, please say so.

And for future reference- if AnnieBlogs is ever giving you trouble, just let me know and I’ll whip her back into shape. I’m the boss of her.

Posted in Get Fit | 11 Responses »

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