mindy kaling might be my soulmate

So, most of you probably know who Mindy Kaling is, even if you didn't know that was her real name.

Your brain right now:  "Ohhhhhh yeah, that's that crazy girl, Kelly, from The Office.  She's my favorite."

Mine, too.

Anyway, Mindy also happens to be a writer for the show, and, lucky for humankind, the writer of a new book out in November that I think I'm already in love with.  It's called, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), and an excerpt of it was released last week.  I swear, it's like I wrote it.  Or like Molly and I wrote it together.  Because pretty much everything in it is something one or both of us has said or thought in the course of our friendship, and I just think I need to share a little piece of it with you today.

Unfortunately, the book doesn't come out until November (you're gonna figure out why that's such a bummer in like ten minutes), but I might stalk the book delivery people and bribe them with Twizzlers and Mountain Dew for an advance copy.

So, here's my favorite chapter so far, entitled "Best Friend Rights and Responsibilities".  If you get through it and you're dying for more (you will be), click here to read the full excerpt!  (Friendly warning: the language is 99% clean.  But there are a couple land mines.  They don't bother me, but if they bother you... well, that's why this warning is here.)  Also, if you need a little zoom action because the words are too small, just go ahead and click on the full excerpt link from a couple sentences ago.

happy memorial day

It always sounds a little funny to say "Happy" Memorial Day, because this day is obviously not one we're glad to celebrate.  We'd rather Arlington National Cemetery was empty, and we'd rather everyone came home.  We'd rather no one had to fight.

But as that is not the case, we have so many men and women who deserve our unwavering gratitude, and particularly living in the nation's capital, it's made apparent to me every day how much rests on our soldiers' devotion to defending our country and protecting her ability to be a positive influence on the rest of the world. 

Today, I want to say a special thank you to my grandfather, who piloted a B-24 Bomber in World War II.  His stories of flying over Europe are always fascinating, and it's clear that we are very blessed that he made it back.

So, thank you to all our veterans and active military men and women today!  May we never take your sacrifice for granted.

clara's bridal gift

As I've mentioned here before, I love the convenience of bridal registries, but I love it even more when I can get the bride something unique and creative and useful that I know she'll absolutely adore.  So, after Clara and Bob's engagement session on Sunday, I handed her this...

...for her wedding dress!  (Please excuse the fact that I hung the hanger from my bedside lamp and photographed it about ten seconds before I had to run out the door.)  I first saw these featured on Southern Weddings, and I just thought they were to die for.  Even though she'll only wear the dress once, she can always have a special way to hang and store it, and (bonus!), the lady who made this one is from my birth city of Greensboro, NC!  She delivered the hanger right on time, and I couldn't have been happier with her work.  You can check her out on Etsy here and on Facebook here.  I definitely recommend her if you need a special bridal shower gift that will make all the other girls gasp when the bride opens it!

Happy Friday, and happy long Memorial Day weekend!

we won!

My work softball team had its first game yesterday, and we crushed the other team 14-6!!!  I am SO PROUD!  I was assigned to third base, and I'm not gonna lie, I made a few mistakes since I'm rusty.  But, I did catch a line drive and turned it into a double play by throwing to first and helping tag out the girl who was headed to second, so that was fun.  But after I caught the ball, everyone was screaming, "THROW TO FIRST!!!" and I literally yelled, "WHY?!?!?" right as I chucked the ball because I had no idea that girl had even left the base, haha!  I batted in a couple runs, too, and I was super flattered that they let me bat third, so I was extra determined to get on base every time.

Here are Megan and Keith sticking it to the opposition...

The other team tried to argue a few calls with the umpire, which was super stupid because a) he's a government employee, and telling him how to do his job is going to get you next to nowhere, and b) did they really think he was going to let a bunch of 20-somethings question his credibility?  Did they drink the crazy water at lunch?

Afterward, we all went to celebrate at the Irish Times Bar near our office.  I'm hoping the weather holds out next week as well so we can get back to it!

antiques market!

Last Friday, my friend Megan emailed me and told me she wanted to visit the Lucketts Antique Store Spring Market, and you know me, I'm always up for some outdoor shopping!  We were blessed with a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, and the only snafu was that we had to park in a big muddy field that smothered my car in dirt.  But one quick car wash took care of that!

These guys played for the shoppers allll day, and they were awesome!

Please excuse the lack of production behind these photos... I took them hastily in case any of the vendors wouldn't like it and then I didn't edit them.  But you get the idea.

The market also had a cute little lunch area, and I had an amazing crab cake sandwich!

Megan got this giant hot dog that was definitely worth documenting.

Cutest. bed. ever.  Any girl who wouldn't feel like a princess in this bed needs a lobotomy.

This girl is ALWAYS a princess.

And in addition to suggesting this fabulous event, she even followed me to Michaels afterward so I could pick up supplies for Clara and Bob's engagement pictures.  What a priceless friend she is!

At the market, I ended up buying an old nightgown from the '60s that I'll probably snazz up with a belt and a structured jacket to make it look less nightgown-y, and it might need a little tailoring, too.  But it was only $24!  And we also stumbled across this old tobacco can that had "Sir Walter Raleigh" printed on the outside, and Megan just picked it up and bought it for me (for $5!) because she knows my obsession with my hometown.  I'll probably take it to work and put little flowers in it.

On a completely unrelated note, iTunes is knocking it clear out of the park with the free downloads this week!  If you haven't checked them out yet, do it now!  My personal favorite is this song by Tedashii, a Christian rapper who might have earned a coveted spot on my replay list.  I'm normally not into Christian rap (I mean, come on, I need a lot more Lil' Jon in my life), but this one has a pretty nasty beat.  Yes, I just said that, and yes, I'm still super white.

clara & bob's engagement pictures: part two

After spending some time on the Mall, we headed over to the Capitol and spent some time in the lovely Senate Grotto!

This picture was 99% Bob!  I didn't have the guts to try to balance her ring like that, but he was totally into it, and I happily obliged.

I'm loving the palms outside the Capitol right now... they make them look like they're on vacation!

Hands down, my favorite shot of the day.

Clara's favorite DC building... the Smithsonian castle!

I spraypainted these wood plaques with chalkboard paint and had them write their favorite things about each other on them.  And the best part is, they'll be able to use these at the wedding!

It was all Clara's idea to write "Thank You" on them and get them printed as thank you cards... genius!

Clara and Bob, I had such a blast with you guys.  I have my favorite things about you as individuals, but you're just perfect together, and I think I'm going to need some serious tissues at your wedding.  I wish you weren't living all the way in Ohio, but promise me we're not going to be strangers!

(To visit Clara and Bob's wedding website, click here!)