Catchin' Up

You thought I forgot, didn't you?
You said, "Ha ha- Buttons went a whole week without taking a single picture in the bathroom"

Nope. Not true. I was just tired of posting daily.

I was also tired of the nasty grainy gray, blurry pics- so I spiced them up a bit. Hope you like them!

Monday July 27: I can't remember what happened that day

From Two Months in the Bathroom

(Psst: as a bonus- you know how I always look summery in my office in the summer? Well, I always take off my granny sweater before I do my bathroom photoshoot. See?)

Tuesday July 28: The day I went to play with my friend that I call by the wrong name

It's true- when I first met Daniela I thought her name was something different. So I just call her that different name now.

From Two Months in the Bathroom

Wednesday July 29th: Came to work 2 hours late- Thus the nasty hair

From Two Months in the Bathroom

Thursday July 30th: Peek-a-boo, I see two Buttons

From Two Months in the Bathroom

Friday July 31: Friday is the day I make kissy faces

From Two Months in the Bathroom

Do you like the new picture look? It's glowy. It's not like ElleBee's Pictures or anything (go there, you'll love), but I am having fun. I love to 'shop myself.

Happy Friday! Enjoy a song for Fantastic Fridays, on meL

*ugh, officially pissed I can no longer embed complete songs

See all Two more months in the bathroom here

Meet my friends: Leanne

I have a friend named Leanne (not to be confused with Leigh Anne) who I've known for forevs. I have no idea when we met. I can't remember. What I do remember is that basically we met in 9th grade because she started coming to youth group with the other kids from "South" junior high who were driven in a van by the type of guy you'd expect to drive a big van full of kids.

I asked her to share a memory of us meeting and she said,

Leanne: "Well it was 9th grade, so '98-ish. When you and I wore similar dresses and you sang "Come as you are," that was in '99" (I know you want to see a video of that. I'll do it sometime. I will)

Leanne: Or maybe it was the "Lock-in" of '97. The 8th grade lock-in. You weren't there?

Me: Oh, I'm sure I was. Pining over Ben Wheeler*

Leanne: I held hands with Matt Strobel?

*Quick note on the 'pining over Ben Wheeler' comment. He's a dear friend I will let you 'meet' sometime who I've known since I was 2 and liked until 8th grade. I told him on the night before my wedding. It was good times. He didn't care. I kept it a secret all these years and he didn't even care. He's an ox.

Anyway, clearly Leanne & I don't remember when we met. My first memories of Leanne (or as I randomly refer to her "Annie") come from a missions trip to Mexico in '99 where we wore simliar flower dresses & I sang in spanish. That trip holds some of my dearest high school years memories. It was then that I realized the power that Leanne holds over Mexican men. She's a 'mamacita.'

Leanne and I were put together in a host home for a few days where we met Karina- a Mexican girl who we've remained friends with to this day. Maybe that's when we solidified our friendship? Maybe? All I really remember is the amazing quesadillas Karina made us.

Leanne was always there in my life- even though I can't remember a single memory. I do know that she thinks, quite often, of our amazing senior week with our girlfriends after we graduated high school. We all do. It was that amazing.

What I really want to talk about is how hilarious Leanne is. You would never expect it. She's not the loud one in the crowd, and doesn't go out of her way to be the "funny one." But she is. In fact, next to Bob Saget, who I of course know since my dad worked in the Deli with him in high school in Abington, PA, she's the funniest person I know.

Oh, did I mention Leanne is a 3rd wife and a member of a small, relatively unknown polygamist sect in the Green Lane park in Green Lane, PA? This was the picture from the ad she took out in their little newspaper when she was looking to settle down. Luckily "Peter" saw the ad and married her. He's 1 of 2 men in their community, so she was really lucky.

Actually this picture was on facebook captioned: "Saturday date night @ the Continental in Philly" which is a swanky restaurant in the city.

I asked her more:

Yes, this was a special night for us. Brian took me out for an evening of fun. I even tasted some wine, It was delightful. To be completely honest, he touched the small of my back that night

I love her.

This was when we celebrated her being kicked out of the polygamist sect. Turns our her modest dress bore too much "back," and Peter annulled the marriage

Meet my other friends here!

The Bustle in a House

The bustle in a house
The morning after death
Is solemnest of industries
Enacted upon earth, -

The sweeping up the heart,
And putting love away
We shall not want to use again
Until eternity.

Emily Dickinson

We painted our nails her favorite color and looked at pictures. We went to Caruso's Italian restaurant and walked to Sheila's ice cream. We laughed when we should have cried and cried when we should have laughed. We tried to understand how we were supposed to move on.

I'm still trying...

Little girls should never have to live without their mommies

Remember when I talked about that little girl who e-mailed the celebrity she thought she'd find from our Secret Blog? Well, I've developed an e-mail relationship with her and she's so very sweet (She apologized for giving out her address & phone number through e-mail- I told her she doesn't have to apologize and that I was glad I was the one who got it and not someone else not as nice)

Her grandpa died two weeks ago, too. Poor girl. Losing her mom and grandpa within a few months of each other.

I know three little girls who lost their mommies when they were way too young. Two of them are big girls now, and one is almost a big girl (a little bigger than I'd like)

One of them lost her mommy 23 years ago today. I was only 3 at the time, so I only have one memory of my Aunt. But sometimes I dream about the memory. I don't think I've ever told anyone that.

I love you Natalie

xo

Fun poses

Just so you know, I feel very silly every day when I sneak into the bathroom for a few minutes to do a fashion shoot. I didn't used to, when I just did it occasionally, but now that I do it daily? Yeah, I feel silly.

I get tired of normal poses, so I've been trying out a few. This is my new fav one. You can admit it. I look really sexy in the bathroom. I know

Thursday July 23: I wish I was in San Diego with LA Nikki

From Two Months in the Bathroom

I am really over my phone taking such crappy pictures. Even though it's my fault because I'm shaking when I take the pictures. Meh.

Another thing you probably didn't know- I actually do multiple takes, and choose the one where I look the least lame. See, here is today's shoot (minus the one where I looked so lame it's really hard to believe I'm not actually lame)

See all the pics and here is the post where I talk about why in the world I am taking pictures in the bathroom everyday: Two Months in the Bathroom explained

Alice and Wonderland

Look at me! A non picture in the bathroom blog post:

<

Are you so excited? I am! And it has that girl from In Treatment & she looks amazing!

Thanks Popeater

Makin' Excuses

I know you think I'm using this 'take a pic of yourself in the bathroom every day' idea as an excuse to not have to think of a blog post for the buttons blog. And you're right. I'm totally doing that.

July 22: Meh

From Two Months in the Bathroom

I totally photoshopped out a pimple

July 21: A little sad (more on that later)

From Two Months in the Bathroom

The whole shabang

Must.Get.Now

Thanks to my darling Nicole, I found this dress that I'm coveting VERY MUCH today:

Jamie says I'm the only one in the world who could pull it off. I agree. Cuz I love cupcakes the most. It's true.

Buy it for me here at ModCloth (but first email me so I can tell you the address for my secret blog since they advertise with us and I want the sale to be credited to us!) I would never spend $88.49 on this dress, no matter how many cupcakes it has on it, but I will let you spend $88.49 on this gift for me.

How loving I am!

Just a quick lil' post

No time to play, but I have some beautiful pictures to share from the past week.

For now, this will have to suffice:

June 20th: I feel like a granny in missmatched clothes

From Two Months in the Bathroom

Yet, I kinda like it. Got this skirt just before I left Nashville in 2005. I think I've worn it 3 times. I love it. And Lauren, when I put it on I thought "This is a Mormon skirt- knee length- Lar will love it"

July 17th: T.G.I.F.

From Two Months in the Bathroom

See everything I've done so far

Day 8

It's getting crazy with these two-post days. I should get some sort of award of something.

July 15, 2009: I just cried for 10 minutes. Can you tell?

From Two Months in the Bathroom

In better news, I'm leaving early to see my baby 2nd-cousins. And their moms. And their aunt. And their Mimi. I can't wait. Pics to come.

Don't forget to read about my love for cupcakes below.

And read more Two More Months in the Bathroom here

Cupcakes in L.A.

Have I mentioned my love for cupcakes? Cuz it's big. Like really, really big. I dunno when it started. But it got sealed for eternity when I visited Sprinkles in L.A. with LA-Nikki in March. Sealed, y'all.

I've been joking (not really though) that the reason we're moving to L.A. is so I can have more easy access to delicious cupcakes. Sure, I found Brown Betti in Philly thanks to Jamie, and the one I had in NYC a few weeks ago was pretty delic, but nothing beats an LA cupcake. And I've only had 2, so you know I must really have loved those cupcakes.

I've made some LA cupcake friends in the past few months. First there are the good ol' faithfuls: Nikki & Charissa. They are, of course, my two gal pals from way back when (omg 7 years in September) who I really didn't start talking to until recently. Sad. All those wasted years when we could have been discussing cupcakes.

Then there's Shan. Shan & David went to college together and I met her at the very uneventful Greenville College Senior banquet in the spring of 2003. It was so uneventful that we're just going to pretend we met this spring in LA (where she lives) at a beautiful rooftop happy hour that lasted 5 happy hours. Through facebook, Shan & I discovered our mutual love of cupcakes. I've promised her one for Canada day next year (She's Canadian, so that's not random) and she promises me one for my birthday. She also claims Sprinkles is not the best and her favorite is somewhere at some beach (I forget which beach. Which is quite awful since it's about cupcakes and I should never forget anything about cupcakes)

Then two weeks ago I reconnected with my high school friend Renee who also lives in LA. Renee is known as the Betty Crocker among her group of friends for her ability to whip up the best cakes & cupcakes. She even has a special cupcake named the "Nay Cake" (which coincidentally is based on a recipe of my mom's! Our moms worked together) She, too, promises me a cupcake tour of LA when I arrive & compared Sprinkles cupcakes to a tourist visiting Philly & going to Pat's or Geno's for cheesesteaks :) All this Sprinkles hate!

Then Charissa tops it off today and sends Nikki & I the Great cupcake Map of LA. O.M.G

View The Great L.A. Cupcake Map in a larger map

Thanks Nikki, for my first trip to Sprinkles and for the guaranteed 30 pounds I will gain once I move to the city of angels (please love me that I called it that. I will never refer to it as LA again- From now on I'm moving to the "City of Angels")

Back a little heavier

July 14, 2009: In my fat pants

From Two Months in the Bathroom

Today I'm wearing my fat pants. You know what those are. You have them too. Those are the pants you wear when you can't fit into anything else. Here is why today was a fat-pants day:

Thursday 12pm: Wawa shortie & a bag of chips Skippack, PA

Thursday 12:15pm: Some Sour watermelons Red Hill, PA

Thursday 12:53pm: More sour watermelons Coopersburg, PA

Thursday 1:15pm: Pirates Boooty Somewhere on I-78 PA

Thursday 1:53pm: A few seasame tortilla chips Still on I-78

Thursday afternoon: More Sour watermelons, whenever I could take them from David, who was trying to keep them from me since he knew I'd probably end up writing this post

Thursday 6pm: Fish-o-filet sandwhich from McDonalds, Diet Coke, French Fries somewhere in the adirondak mountains after driving through NOTHING for hours and fearing we'd never eat again

Friday breakfast: Fruit & a croissant Saint Jean Rue Some French word I forget

Friday lunch: Heavy french sammy Montreal

Friday snack: Something French Montreal

Friday dinner: Bread, Minestrone Soup, Bread, Wine, Pasta, Bread Chambly

Saturday lunch: Cheesey Crepe Montreal

Saturday Dinner: Italian left-overs Saint Jean Rue Some French word I forget

Sunday lunch: Mexican Tres-Vegetarian Combo Monglo

Sunday snack: Ice cream Saint Jean Rue Some French word I forget

Sunday dinner: Italian Saint Jean Rue Some French word I forget

All of the above things mean I gained 7 pounds. Yep. You heard right. When I got home last night I was SEVEN pounds heavier than when I left. David assures me that "as soon as you take a huge #2" I will feel better, so that is my prayer. I'm praying for a huge dump. I don't even care if that's so gross & you never want to read my blog again. I gained SEVEN POUNDS in four days.

I officially think I will never have french food again. PLUS... who KNEW they served FRENCH FOOD in Canada and ONLY spoke french!? So weird.... you're 30 minutes from the US border people....!

So that is why today, I am wearing my fat pants

See more Two more months in the bathroom

Playing Catch-up

July 8th, 2009: No, I will not take off my sunglasses. I'm wearing them because my day was that miserable

From Two Months in the Bathroom

but have no fear: My day is now over and I'm off to Montreal for the next few days...

July 7th, 2009: I feel happy in heels

From Two Months in the Bathroom

See more posts like this.
Talk to you when I get back! Hopefully I will become a fan of hockey while gone..

Day Four

Day Four: Great weekend

From Two Months in the Bathroom I had a great weekend. That's why I'm kinda smiling here instead of looking like death. On a Monday. I know. It really must've been a good weekend, huh? I spent lots of time with D, saw some friends, saw UP!, saw the fam, started a great book, got some sun and ate some cake. So that's me this Monday. Don't worry- a real blog post will come soon. For now, I'm excited to see my sisters... my little loves... this evening. XO See all Two Months in the Bathroom posts here (and the reason why...!)

Day Three: it's the 80's, apparently

Day Three: Migraine

From Two Months in the Bathroom

And don't get me wrong I LOVE the facebook responses I get regarding my blog posts, but do you know what I love even MORE!? Comments on my blog. Seriously. I will love you more if you comment here! You can also hit it on facebook too- cuz that'll be double the love.

I even let you comment anonymously now- I won't even delete it.. I only deleted anonymous comments back around the political time b/c of that girl who told me I was going to hell. (She thinks I don't know it was her b/c she deleted it and then reposted anonymously, but what she doesn't know is I got the email with her comment, name & email address, before she deleted it. hee hee) So if you hate my black flower, go ahead, tell me. My friend Richie doesn't like it and he calls it my hat. But I can kick his ass... I might be like 2 feet shorter than him b/c he's an enormous giant, but I will beat him up next time he makes fun of my black flower hat. So if you're willing to risk getting beat up by a surprisingly strong girl leave an anonymous mean comment.

(not true, I'm not strong, but I do a mean Hermoine)

(I wrote that ranting paragraph before my migraine hit)

For Fantastic Fridays: Download the free live album from The Civil Wars. I've talked about them here and this link will open up an auto-download of a free album Get it HERE

Day Two

July 2nd, 2009: Wish I had off tomorrow

From Two Months in the Bathroom

See all posts so far here

and don't forget I posted another post earlier today here

Beating like a hamburger

I have this issue where I don't always understand lyrics. I think it's become a pet peeve of David's because I sing. All the time. Loudly. Alone. With people. In the car. In the house. Whether or not I know the song.

I also have this gift of hearing a song once & kinda knowing it after the first listen. Even if I don't really know it, I sing it anyway. It's because of all the worship singing I have done over the years and being told I have to sing a solo in 10 minutes & I'd 'know it' because it's "Matt Redman" and everyone knows Matt Redman, clearly. So I would nod my head, say yes, and ask the band to run through the song once, as a refresher. Then I'd sing it in front of thousands of people, even though I didn't know it. I can't tell you how many times I've been told I did a 'nice new version' of that song- um, that wasn't supposed to be a different version... I just forgot the real version. But let's be honest, all worship music is just 4 chords anyway. Plus: verse, chorus, verse, chorus chorus bridge, key change, raise your hands, powerful moment, tears streaming down faces, amen. Piece of cake

However, if I hear a lyric wrong during the first listen, I'm pretty much scarred for life.
For example:

Chasing Penguins- Adele:

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing penguins
Even if it leads nowhere?
Or would it be a waste even if I knew my place
Should I leave it there?
Should I give up or should I just keep chasing penguins
Even if it leads nowhere?

& Beating like a Hamburger (Help I'm Alive)- Metric:

Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hamburger
Hard to be soft, tough to be tender
Come take my pulse, the pace is on a runaway train
Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hamburger, beating like a hamburger

Don't even think for one second I'm kidding about thinking those were the lyrics. I have never song either of these songs correctly. In fact, I just sang "Beating like a hamburger" so loudly that David is punishing me by making me listen to Pearl Jam. I want to die. I hate the 'Jam.

You do know you'll never hear those two songs the same again, right? You're welcome. (Bridge. Chorus. Change Key. Amen)

(PS: Check back a bit later for day 2 of 'two more months in the bathroom' )

Two months in the bathroom

Yesterday I sat down with my pops to discuss my transition out of this wonderful place for which I am employed. While I walked away from our conversation knowing nothing about my transition out of this wonderful place for which I am employed, I did have an ephiphany: I will miss taking pictures in the Spring Dance Hot Tubs' employee bathroom.

If you've ever invited me out to partake in the drinking of champagne, margaritas, red wine or "Richie's Special" (not sure what's ever in it...), you'll know I love to take self-portraits on my phone. In fact, I have a post drafted with my favorites. Something to look forward too... And if you've ever been a text-buddy of mine, you've probably been blessed with many a picture text.

I've been doing the 'bathroom photoshoot' since 2005, and I decided to commemorate my time at Spring Dance Hot Tubs with a bathroom picture every day until my last day of work. I will also incorporate my mood of the day.

July 1st, 2009: Bad Hair Day

From Two Months in the Bathroom