mad-lib life of mine

Here's the run-down on my life these days:

People have recently described me as unpredictable, happy, anything but ordinary, and 'something else'.

School is something I am enjoying but looking forward to being done with.
My friends and I have been home-bodies to the most extreme. Our new motto is "work hard, play hard." Except when we are done with working hard all day, we usually just want to... rest.
My love life should be made in to a movie.  It is entertaining, at least. Right now, if it were a movie, it'd be one of those really happy scenes where everyone is smiling and laughing and music is playing in the background.

I am really bothered by my short hair. This warm weather makes me want to just throw it up in a messy bun and it look okay.  But, patience is a virtue.  It will grow back... but whennnnn???

I am moved by all the blogs I read about parenting children with disabilities.  What amazing people.  The parents, the children, everyone. 
I am listening to the new music that Jackie and I are hooked on right now. Our most recent fav is The Mud People by The Subdudes. (fav. lyrics - "he said they got them hippie girls taking off all their clothes, they're swimming in the river, wearing beads, paintin' rainbows, and singing love is a beautiful thing, I can't wait to see what the new day brings, love is a beautiful thing, makes you wanna dance, makes you wanna holler... It was all colors, it was all love, it was alright.)
I've been spending a lot of time with my roommates, Millie, and my textbooks.
Oh yeah.. one more thing, you've got to do the best with what God gave you. So, rock what you've got.

Peace&LOVE
Bjj

a day in the life

One day can change your life.  One day can ruin your life.  All life is is three or four days that change everything.

I got to thinking about that quote the other day after me and one of my roommates, Elena, were watching the movie "Riding In Cars With Boys."  I guess I would have to agree with it.  I mean, I've been alive for twenty-two years but there are probably only three or four days that have shaped my life thus far.  The days that explain family, make or break friendships, and test your belief on romance and love. 

I guess we don't really know when these days are coming for us or else they might not have changed as much in our lives as they did.  It's the unpredictability and spontaneity of these days that are the real kicker.  Like when you think life is as perfect as a picture show until the day your dad comes home to tell you the news of his cancer.  Or when you think you found that one person who is your ultimate soul-mate and then go over to his house to see that he wants to move on and break-up with you.  The day you spend in a wedding dress and veil.  The day you go into labor.  The day you see life from a better perspective.  The day you find love again.  Whatever it is, we all have those days and we all let those days play a major role in shaping the weeks, months, and years that lie around them. 

Most of these days are looked back upon with the wish that we could have done it different or been more prepared or changed the way it all played out.  I'm a firm believer that a girl's college years are, by far, the years that are spent experimenting with life.  Most of us girls find what we think is true love, we find our niche and propell ourselves into the career world, we find our friends and we find our enemies, and we cling to our parents morals and values that we grew up knowing but redefine ourselves with our own individuality.  Some of these life experiences end with great joy or they end up with regret and a broken heart.  But, the most amazing experiences of them all, are the ones that leave you with a knew peace of mind and a tighter grasp on knowing who we really are.  And if we are really lucky, sometimes life lets us learn from our experiences and rewards us with a second chance.  Two years ago, when that one day ended a lifetime of possibilities, all I ever wanted was life to give me a second chance.  I clung to the thought of a second chance, and I was distraught that I never was given one.  Until I realized that it was all a learning experience and I had a lot to learn before life would give me what I wanted in regard to that one day and that one experience. 

I guess all we really can do is keep the faith, perservere, and let all the weeks, months, and years that lie around these three or four significant days do their job.  Their job is to teach us something, renew us, and give us a chance to become better people, better friends, better lovers, whatever it might be.  And once we do that, and if we're really lucky, we get that one more day that we so badly wanted and needed.

Lately I've learned the value in forgiveness and making each day count, because we never know when it is going to be one of "those" type days.  Tonight when we go to sleep, we don't know if life is about to throw one stomach-punch of a curve ball or if it's going to hand us a reward for perserving.  It's part of the crazy, beautiful life, I guess, and a notion to the fact that we just have to keep on truckin'.  Because, seriously, who knows what is about to happen.

Peace&Love
Bjj

LOVE. never fails.

Day Three - favorite t.v. program

Even though my favorite television program is discontinued, I still cannot seem to find another show that comes close to comparing with Sex and the City. I know I have referred to Carrie Bradshaw and "the girls" in other posts, but I'll just fill you in on why I have such a LOVE for this program.  It revolutionized the way society viewed women.  It reflects a realistic way of life.  I mean, c'mon and let's be serious, not all women live the life of a Desperate Housewive's Wysteria Lane and not all of us have an even number of girlfriends and guyfriends that are always at the same coffee shop at exactly the same time.  We're writers, career women, and girls that pay more for a pair of shoes than we do our monthly rent.  But it's more than just the lives that they lead.  It's the truth about ex-boyfriends, and girlfriends, and trying to find our place in a city.  And the sex, well, the show isn't a soft-pornography in the least bit, the word sex in the title is the transcending of a GENDER and a generation that is far unlike women of the past. I learn something new every time I watch a re-run, or when I pop the movie version into the DVD player.  Trust me - it's fabulous! 

"Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they're supposed to be free until they find someone just as wild to run with." -Carrie Bradshaw

"It's really hard to walk in a single woman's shoes. That's why - sometimes - you need REALLY special shoes!" -Carrie Bradshaw

"Maybe the past is like an anchor holding us back. Maybe, you have to let go of who you were to become who you will be." -Carrie Bradshaw

Peace&Love
bjj

Millie girl

Millie at Mobile Bay in Fairhope, Alabama

Millie and I at Mobile Bay in Fairhope, Alabama

Millie likes to attack my bubble baths!

Millie loved the big windows at "Granna" and "Big Butch's" house in Florida. She's quite the sun-bather!

Look at that face! Now you know why I am so obsessed with her! "PIG!"

Every Sunday we go to the pet store for pig ears! "Spoiled Sunday" has become our mother/daughter ritual!

She runs around showing off all 3 of them until everyone around makes a comment to her! Every single time, it is always the same routine of hers.

Our slumber party at Aunt Ashley's house. Millie with cousins Beau AKA Bobohead (left) and Maybelle AKA Sissy (right). We are a crazy boxer family... with two more that live in Florida.

Millie AKA Pig says, "Mommy, when do I get a baby brother?"

Haha, who knows when that day will come! Maybe in a year or two when Millie's "mommy" is cashing a paycheck and out of school. I dread even the thought of another puppy stage.  Millie is so well behaved, never has to be on a leash, loves people and other dogs, and is a simple, pure joy of a dog to be around.  However, it took a lot of training and time consumption to have a dog as good as she is. I don't know how Millie would take it if I were to bring another dog home in order to expand our little family of two to a family of three. I have a feeling she would be J-E-A-L-O-U-S because she really hates it when my attention is on anything but her (hence why she is snoozing across my lap at this very moment and I'm literally reaching over her in order to type).

It's time to take vet-meds, clean out our ears, and put ear drops in! Oh, the pain we go through in order to get that tasty Beggin' Strip at the end!

Peace&Love,
bjj

DCAF

Yesterday I went with my friends Foy & Amanda to the Druid City Arts Festival in downtown Tuscaloosa.  It really was a lot of fun: the Tour de Tuscaloosa bike race was being held and adjacent to the start and finish line was the arts festival.  It occupied a city parking lot and grassy courtyard area in the neat setting of downton T-town. "Univeristy of Alabama Creative Campuses" student organization put on the DCAF and it was nice to be around people that appreciated music, art, and culture. 

The weather in Tuscaloosa was as close to perfect as you can get and it made for a really fun day of listening to music, drinking a couple of beers, and being with friends. There was a neat "thrift shop" booth set up by an Alabama student and she also has a store on Etsy.  The other booths were made up of creative jewelry, canvas paintings, wine bottle paintings, and wind-chimes and trinkets.  It made me wish that I took my aunt's advice and made some of my canvas prints that I did for some Christmas presents.

My sister first made me one for my birthday, and I have taken a liking to doing them for friends and family.  What it is is a canvas with a solid colored background and a "theme city or state".  Ashley made me one for Oviedo and I have made some for North Carolina, Tuscaloosa, and Mobile, Alabama.  With a paint pen and neat handwriting, I abstractly write all different things that go along with the theme city.  For example, a Tuscaloosa one would have things like "13 National Championships" and "Coleman Coliseum and Bryant-Denny Stadium" and road names like "University Blvd. and Bear Bryant Dr."  They are all too simple but make for a neat gift to give because it is sentimental to whomever the person and place is.  My cousin who lives in London has asked me to do one for a friend who is leaving London and my cousin wants to give her something that will always make her think of London and all the special things in places that the city beholds.  Anyway, being at the arts festival made me think I should start doing some of them during my down time because it's fun, easy, and inexpensive and something I could bring to a cultural fair or arts fest type thing. 

Here are a few pictures from yesterday:

Peace & Love,

bjj

Day Two - favorite movie

I've written an entire post about my love for this movie.  It teaches you things about life and love and destiny.  It's a film that grasps a creative way to portray American history.  My favorite movie, BY FAR, is Forrest Gump.

"I don't know if we each have a destiny or if we're floatin' around accidental - like on a breeze. But I think maybe it's both, both happening at the same time." -Forrest Gump

"What's normal anyways?" -Ms. Gump

Peace & Love,

bjj

Day One - favorite song

Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee"
Her former lover, Kris Kristofferson, wrote this song originally.  But it was her rendition that went to #1 on the charts.  The sad part is that Janis never got to see it.  She died while recording the album, "Pearl", that contained this song. 

What I love about it:  It is a song about two young lovers who travel together but break up so that they can discover the world on their own.  I think a lot of people think I only like this song because it is my favorite karaoke song to sing.  Or maybe because I embrace my raspy voice and love the fact that Janis did too.  Or they might just think that since I like Janis Joplin's music, I might as well like her best hit.  But, in all reality, I like this song because it almost tells the story of my life.  I have had those special people that I loved with a young heart that forced me to endure hurt and heartache in order to discover who I am on the inside.  I guess when it comes to women who want to make a difference in the world, who stand up for what they believe in, and who like to be as free as their spirit, me and Janis are a lot alike.  I've always interpreted this song as more of the lovers that were more of my best friend.  The guys I love outside of any bounding ties that relationships can bring; you know, the friends in life that love you when you need to be loved while helping you dig deeper to finding out who you really are, and then let you go to discover this crazy, beautiful life on your own.  Needless to say, I know exactly who my "Bobby McGee" is and I'll always love him for helping me find myself when I thought I'd lost it all.  We might not be as close as we once were, but when I think about all the fun times we shared, only good feelings come of it. And on that note, "freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. Nothing, was all that Bobby left me. And feeling good was easy enough when he sang the blues. Feeling good was good enough for me, good enough for me and my Bobby McGee."

So here's to the ones that let me share the secrets of my soul, through all kinds of weather, while keeping me from the cold.

Peace&Love
-bjj

30 Days Worth!

I realize I have not been bringing my A game when it comes to blogging. Let's just say that I've been my usual "hot mess" of a self and get carried away with the other ventures in my life and even though I have those moments when I say, "I need to write about this!", I often t imes forget or just simply can't put my blogging practices before my studies.  I do have to say that blogging has released so much energy and given me an outlet to express thoughts and emotions and even more, my IDEAS! My family, close friends, and roommates probably would all agree that I have a new "project" every week about the things that I am most passionate about. That being true, I came across this idea on a blog that I follow.  She is doing a "30 Day Blog Challenge" and I figured this would be an interesting way to share my ideas and passions and give me a reason to blog about something even when I don't have anything interesting to share. I think it'll be a fun way to write and hopefully fun for you to read.  Feel free to  try it on your blog as well! :)

30 Days of Blogging:

Day 01 — Your favorite song
Day 02 — Your favorite movie
Day 03 — Your favorite television program
Day 04 — Your favorite book
Day 05 — Your favorite quote
Day 06 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 — A photo you took
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 — A fictional book
Day 14 — A non-fictional book
Day 15 — A fanfic
Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 — A talent of yours
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — A recipe
Day 22 — A website
Day 23 — A YouTube video
Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 — Your day, in great detail
Day 26 — Your week, in great detail
Day 27 — This month, in great detail
Day 28 — This year, in great detail
Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 — Whatever tickles your fancy

Peace&Love
-bjj

it might be cold, but the sun still burns

It seems like I have so many things to blog about and catch my readers up on, but I can't seem to put them in any sequence of importance or make a wortwhile post of them.  Besides, my dear sister informed me that my blogs were too lengthy.  So, first and foremost, let me apologize for any wasted time I may have caused you.  I am even more apologetic if my ramblings have caused you to fall asleep at the computer desk.  I just suffered a two-week period of midterm hell, and I know without a doubt that a Hewlett Packard laptop is no memory-foam pillow. On that note, I will use this post to fill you in on some of the happenings in my lately uneventful life.
I ditched the dirty blonde hair and dyed it chocolate brown.  It is quite the contrast, and I haven't had my hair this dark since I was 16, but at least now my eyebrows match my hair color.  Speaking of eyebrows, part of the do-it-yourself makeover I gave myself, I waxed the thick little boogers. Well, I attempted to. I have one and two-thirds worth of eyebrows.  Looking at the glass half-full rather than empty, I consider this better than the one very definitive "uni" I was growing.

My very relaxing spring break has gone by way too quickly.  Ashley, Millie, and I drove to Orlando on Saturday with hopes of sunshine, beaches, and tropicana tans.  Instead? Quite possibly the coldest and most overcast week in March I have ever seen in Orlando.  Perk? Shopping! 

Saying that my whining and complaining about the weather went unnoticed would be a lie. After Ashley flew back to Birmingham and my mom and dad were left with my pale ass moaning about my lack of sun tan, my dad arranged a business trip to Miami in order for my mom and I to tag along.  Four hours, two magazines, one beer, and a rooftop pool later, I'm a lobster. No complaining about this one though, I asked for it!

Nothing out of the ordinary, other than the wicked spells of spring break weather, has gone on in my life lately to fill you in on.  My projects, aside from finishing up the semester of school and preparing for my summer internship, consist of a new advocacy project for the National Down Syndrome Congress, helping my family plan my Mamaw's 80th birthday party, and applying to jobs. 

Usually, the month of March consists of me being a crazy, lunatic, and completely obsessive Tar Heel fan. My faithfulness to the beloved basketball program surpasses any other engagements in my life during the month of March, in USUAL years. But, their lack of winning nipped making it to the big dance in the bud.  For all of those years I made fun of teams making it to the post-season NIT, I now have my foot in my mouth. Watching March Madness on CBS Sports is making my eyes hurt at this very moment.  I can't bear the pain!

Wait, I do have one other project on deck.  Tomorrow, before we trek back to Orlando from South Beach, I plan to suffer the uncomfy-ness of laying on my stomach in the horribly painful beach chairs provided at the rooftop pool so that my back can match the fire-engine red that my front side daunts.

I'm already dreading my showers for the next few days. Ouch!

Peace&Love
Bjj
The 'Other' Sister

a poem to ponder

How Big Is Your Splash?

Now as I look inward,

I find that by comparison,

I haven't jumped as high

Or made as large a splash

As others that I know.

I'm told,

There is no face or mind

Like mine.

I AM ONE OF A KIND.

This makes me wonder

What another person

With  the same frame,

Background, and foibles,

Would have done with it.

-Elmer Adrian, age 90

signs of growing up

After going to the doctor's office today for the appointment that has been rescheduled twice (well, three times now) I can honestly say that I have never been more proud of myself than I am right now.  I will admit that I walked in to the University of Alabama student health center today with an already aggravated composure because of the piss poor system they use to schedule and reschedule appointments. For the past month I have been on a merry-go-round with the appointment secretary trying to get everything straightened out. I don't know what is so hard about her job, but I will give her the benefit of the doubt.  After all, the moral of this story is that I am proud of how I handled this very irritating situation.
I got to the doctor's office today after I pulled myself out of bed earlier than normal, which is not to my liking. I even took a shower and put a fresh application of make-up on my face.  That's huge. At my arrival, I was told that my doctor's appointment had been canceled. Fancy that. No one bothered to call and let me know that?? Not only that, but the doctor didn't bother to write a perscription for my refills and leave it at the pharmacy counter either. And for the record, I wasn't going to the doctor today to pick up a Z-pack. I was going to the doctor today to get a refill on my medications that one is not advised to just abruptly quit taking.  As a medical doctor, I would have assumed that she would acknowledge that but I am not really convinced that a public university's health  center really has the cream of the crop. I'm sure she's not all that bad, but I am not writing this to sing her praises. She made me mad, VERY mad, and I'm writing this to sing mine because I handled it cool, VERY cool.
Well, in between my several counts to ten in my head in an effort to calm me down, I had a text conversation with my mother that went like this...

10:39AM - I am about to absolutely lose it, Mom! Lose it!! God is testing my patience right now.
10:40AM - What's wrong?
10:41AM - They canceled my appt w/o telling me. This is the 3rd (beep) time! I've been w/o my medication for a month now! And she didn't even write a script & leave it @pharmacy for me.
10:41AM - I am sitting in the Administrative Secretary office and demanding that someone write me my meds.
10:42AM - Are you serious? How can they do that? Raise Cane.
10:43AM - Good. I will check you out when they admit you to a unit!!
10:53AM - I haven't been this mad in a long, long time. I'm so ready to leave this town. You'll have to drag me back up here next week and I'm not kidding.
10:59AM - Try to calm down and BREATHE or you will have a migraine!
11:23AM - I don't want one of those because the Lord knows I couldn't get a doctor's appointment at this place if the end of the damn world depended on it.
11:24AM - Are you still there?
11:28AM - No, I'm pretty sure I wore out my welcome for the morning. I told them I was going to go eat a chili slaw dog & calm down but that I would be back. I'm the only girl in America that eats a chili slaw dog the day spring break starts. Oh well, that's not the point. I'm still pissed off.
11:29AM - Hahahaha

After leaving the administrative secretary office with my jaws clinched tight so that I would say no more, I went to the infamous little restaurant down the street to get my Carolina delicasse. A dog with chili, slaw, mustard, and onions. If it weren't for hot dogs and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, my mom would have already had to check me out of the looney hospital more than once. My anger at the UA student health center was so extreme that I think I even did the neck vein popping thing that my dad does when he's really aggravated (my mom and sister know exactly what I am talking about). This is the ultimate sign that something is on my father's nerves and the moment he starts doing this quirky little antic is when you begin hoping it is not you that has caused it all to go down. Maybe it works, though, because I think he would of been proud of me, too, for not causing too big of a scene at the secretary office.
To say the least, I surprised myself. A lot of times in my life, I would have thrown a fit or disregarded my class just to release emotion in a fit of rage.  Apparently, my mother expected me to be drug out of there in a straight-jacket and brought straight to the mental hospital that sits on our campus. Being as she and I are clones of one another when it comes to our social and emotional selves, she feared I would be sick with a migraine because of how much anger I was building up.  More than once did she and I get in to the typical mother/daughter bitch outs during my adolescence and then nursed one another through the horrid migraines that the argument caused us. But that's all part of growing up, and now that I am grown up (or at least I like to think so) I can proudly say that all I left behind at the doctor's office was a list of medications I need refilled and my phone number.  It is safe to say that my dignity and class still remain.

Well, I don't actually know how classy I looked scarfing down that hot dog. And as for my dignity, I forgot my windows were down in this beautiful Spring-time weather and got caught singing screaming Janis Joplin at a traffic light. Oh well, I think you get where I was going with it...

Peace&Love
Bjj - The 'Other' Sister

I'm Probably Not Your Biggest Fan If....

• You put those horribly big bows/headbands on your infant girl.
• You have lots of materialistic things but never give time or money to a charitable organization.
• You refuse to give people second chances, or third or fourth or fifth and so on...
• You were born to stand out, but spend your whole life trying to fit in.
• You don't have faith in a higher power.
• You laugh at me because I like music yet don't own an iPod.
• You don't like my dog.
• You don't support our troops.
• You like Duke basketball more than Carolina basketball.
• You have anything ugly to say about The University of Alabama.
• You have hurt me, my friends, or my family and do not respect my forgiving nature.

Peace & Love
Bjj
The Other Sister

penguin love

Did you know....

That when a penguin finds it's soulmate, it stays with them forever?

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

the women who did it

Aretha Franklin sold it.
Dolly Parton graced it.
Rosa Parks rode it.
Scarlett O' chased it.
Pochahontas tracked it.
Nancy Reagan campaigned it.
Janis Joplin rocked it.
Helen Keller proved it.
Jackie O wore it.

Condoleeza ran it.
Anne Frank journaled it.
Meryl Streep acted it.
Oprah Winfrey talked it.
Heidi Klum modeled it.
Betty Friedan un-genderized it.
Pat Summitt coached it.
Susan B. Anthony reformed it.
Jane Austen noveled it.
Mother Teresa touched it.
Princess Diana charmed it.
Harriett Tubman escaped it.
Eleanor Roosevelt influenced it.
Virgin Mary gave birth to it.
Betsy Ross sewed it. 
Angelina Jolie adopted it.
Coco Chanel designed it.
Amelia Earhart flew it.
Marilyn Monroe teased it.
Lucille Ball humored it.
Sarah Palin governed it.
Sandra Day O'Connor ruled it.
Venus and Serena slammed it.
Barbara Walters reported it.
Margaret Sanger sexualized it.
Jane Addams founded it.

Hillary Clinton politicked it.

Mia Farrow advocated it.

Nancy Brinker organized it.

JK Rowling wrote it.

Michelle Obama changed it.

Peace & Love - Bjj

The 'Other' Sister

*MARCH IS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH*

some girl power for women's history month

For the past year, I have thoroughly enjoyed my subscription to Glamour magazine (thanks, Mom). One issue in particular earned my highest admiration.  The March 2009 issue was a celebration of women's history month. Few words can describe their creative tap into the most influential women.  The word enlightening would be the understatement of a lifetime.  Glamour used the faces of young hollywood to recreate icons throughout history. 
I guess you could say that I am a 'quiet feminist' in the respect that I don't stand in picket lines or participate in women's rights rallies, but I do believe in equality for all of humanity.  There is a huge part of me that needs to advocate and make a difference in the world.  My willingness to have an open mind to new ideas and experiences makes my passion for equality a large part of who I am, whether it be children with disabilities, gender roles, or ethnic backgrounds.  So, last year's March issue of the magazine was a fascination of mine.  I even have a few of the images from the article hanging on the wall in my bedroom.  To say the least, their unique expression of women in history is an inspiration to the youth who precede them.  That's why it was incredibly fascinating to see girls that are my age portray the women who blazed the trail for us. 
Here are a few of the images:

Alexis Bledel as Rosie the Riveter

Elisha Cuthbert as Brandi Chastain

Odette Yustman, Spencer Grammer, and Rumer Willis as The Women of Woodstock

Emma Stone as Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City)

Hayden Panettiere as Amelia Earhart

Lindsay Lohan as Madonna

Emma Roberts as Audrey Hepburn

These are my very favorites from the many portrayals. Being who I am, these seven women are highly admired by me and I truly believed they are iconic and deserving of the notion that they influenced women's history in unique and special ways. Here is the run-down of my ABSOLUTE favorites:

The fact that Carrie Bradshaw is a character in a hit TV show is intriguing, but in no way do I doubt that she plays a major role in expanding societal views of women.  Not just that, but I have spent many, many nights with her and a pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia while gaining her useful insight on life in order to get over a heartbreak.  We all have a little Carrie in us, and she brings out the loveable feminist in us all. (Favorite thing she ever said: "I make mistakes, that's what I do.  I speak without thinking, I act without knowing, I drink so much that I can barely walk. But I'm a fantastic lover, though, and an amazing friend. God knows I mean well.")

Even if you want to hate her, you really can't.  Madonna is the ultimate woman-badass.  She's timeless, but we all have our favorite "time" of Madonna.  Most famously, her 1980's rocker chick is America's favorite I would think.  She is probably one of my favorite women people ever. (Favorite thing she ever said: "I'm tough, ambitous, and know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch - okay!")

I'm so excited that Glamour gave Brandi Chastain this honorable distinction.  Being a 12-year old little soccer jock, I remember exactly where I was when she made the goal in the shoot out against China that won the 1999 Women's World Cup. She single handedly made a black Nike sports bra the most empowering (and sexiest) article of clothing one could buy.  She made "you play like a girl" a compliment, and she told the media who found her stripshow inappropriate to shove it where the sun don't shine.  She definitely changed things. (Favorite thing about her: She wore the #6 jersey.)

When Bob Dylan sang "Times They Are A Changing" in 1964, he might not have known the revolution that was taking place for the female's role in society.  Five years later, when 500,000 people showed up to Max Yasgur's farm in White Lake, NY for 3 Days of Peace and Music, the women who were there changed the way things were.  The Women of Woodstock said goodbye to white gloves and lace and said hello to jeans, tie-dye, and leather.  Their need for peace was the reason behind their we-can-do-anything attitude. Most of all, they ushered in a new generation of free-thinking and blazed the trail for girls, like me, who don't want to hold back because of someone elses close-minded boundaries.  You know how they say that the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are usually the ones that do? These naturally beautiful flowergirls must have been in mind when that was said. (Favorite Women of Woodstock: Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, and Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane).

Here's to the ones who push the women of the world forward.  The ones that urge us to embrace our feminism and who prove that women change the world just as much as men do.

Peace & Love,

Bjj      "The Other Sister"

2010 Academy Awards: the good. the bad. the ugly.

No, I am not a fashionista.  No, I don't know what I am talking about 85% of the time when it comes to red carpet fasion. And yes, I do realize that this makes me irrelevant.  However, if you know me then you know I have an opinion for everything. And since this is my blog, I'm going to voice it. Here are my favorites from the night of the 2010 Academy Awards Show.
Enjoy...

BEST:

• Cameron Diaz never looks bad in my opinion. The red lipstick that she rocks so well only makes her even more of a favorite of mine! (Designer: Oscar de la Renta)

• Demi Moore wore a peach organza gown wrapped in ruffles that I was completely obsessed with!! (Designer: Atelier Versace)

• Sandra Bullock was clearly Oscar-worthy in her classy and slim-fitting gown.  Not to mention, her speech completely rocked and made her even more admired by me! (Designer: Patricia Field)

• I don't care what anyone else says or thinks, I dig Miley Cyrus.  She was stunning in her strapless, flowy gown. (Designer: Jenny Packham)

WORST:

• Mariah Carey. It is SPRING time and she has some of the most gorgeous skin in the world. Brighten up a bit! (Designer: Valentino)

• Vera Farmiga just looks silly.  I cannot decide if she thought she was Sarah Jessica Parker and allowed to take big risks like that or what, but choosing that dress was the wrong decision.  It is just yucky looking! (Designer: Marchesa)

• Kristen Stewart is already sort of "dark and gloomy" looking because of her pale skin and dark hair.  Not to mention, she is the star of the vampire-obsessed 'Twilight' series.  The dress is amazingly stunning!!!!!!! ... but put her in something BRIGHT! Or is she just emo? (Designer: Monique Lhuillier)

Peace & Love

BJJ - The 'Other' Sister

A "break" from "Spring Break"

One of my very first posts on this blog was about going back to the place I call home. I talked about how much fun I had on a girl’s trip to Jacksonville Beach and how it appeared that the more things had changed, the more they had stayed the same. Later, I posted about my trip home over the holidays and how I missed my sister being there with me. In that case, the more things changed, the less they stayed the same. As a married, career-woman, and a soon-to-be graduate student, she wasn’t there for the holidays and it made for a pretty lonely winter break at the “Jones household.” I often write on here about how I am a stressful mess of a undergrad student at Alabama. I realize I go on and on about finding my place in the world and how I am prone to anxiety attacks when it comes to finishing up school, searching for jobs, and making sure I don’t miss out on opportunities for success, adventure, love, and life in general. But you have to understand, it IS pretty stressful times these days. The economy, the unemployment, the decision whether or not to go to grad-school, the friends, the family, the jaded heart, the need for making a difference, the advocacy and volunteer work… the list goes on and on. There is one perk to being a college student and it comes every March.
A little thing called spring break.

This year, I won’t be spending the week with daiquiris and sun-tan oil in Destin or Key West, I won’t be skiing atop the Rocky Mountains, and I won’t be attending the ACC Basketball Tournament. At first, I was planning on going to Austin, Texas with one of my good friends Kayley. It was going to be loads of fun. The South By Southwest Music and Media Festival is being held the week of my spring break (March 12-20) and her mom, who works in special needs education, was going to show me around the city of particular interest to me. I am fortunate to have a friend like Kayley, and I do plan on going to Austin with her at some time, but not spring break.

I have decided to spend the week in that place I call home. Not only is it going to be full of rest, relaxation, quality time with my parents, but (here’s the best part) also with my sister for the first few days. It is almost like I get to make up for the lost time with her over the holidays, except during our favorite time of year! Spring time in Central Florida is the most delightful :)

Being as she graduated from Samford University in May 2007, it has been a while since she has had a spring break. Even though she is only coming down for a few days and not the whole week, her job as a RN in one of the nation’s finest hospitals doesn’t allow for many mini-vacays for her either. Especially with it being just the Jones’s. She spends most of her down time with her husband, like any normal wife would. But he’ll be at the Sales Meeting in Atlanta that is allowing me to steal her and go head homeward.

Say what you want, but this is the most excited I have ever been for a spring break. Some have wondered why I am spending my “last” spring break in my sleepy little hometown instead of raging on the beaches of Mexico or getting all tropical in the Bahamas or something. I guess the way I see it is this… my “last” spring break was last year. I’m not a senior at Alabama, I’m a fifth-year senior at Alabama. Spending the week with my best friends in Orlando and Key West last year was the perfect farewell to the intoxicated and sleepless versions of spring break. Not to mention, the expenses I sacrificed and the experiences I gained in sunny Los Angeles and Pasadena (while watching my soon-to-be alma mater win the BCS National Championship game) a couple of months ago was a MORE than perfect way to bid farewell to my college life. Now, I just want some good ole R&R and the usual steak dinner that awaits me upon my homecomings.

Not only will the rest and food and quality time with my parents and sister be great, but I will also get to see my hometown friends. I guess I am at that age where people are moving on to bigger and better things. Like me, my friends are on the fast-paced track to the real world. Some of them who went to the University of Florida and to Florida State University relocated back to the Orlando area. Others moved on, like my two very best girlfriends Mandy and Justine. One is a graduate assistant for the women’s soccer team at Adelphi University in New York and the other is working in the fashion industry in Los Angeles. I will make it a point to spend as much time with my friends that my “spring break” schedule allows for because I realize that this may be the last time that a lot of us are in the same place. Some are getting married this summer, some – like I said – are living cross country, some will lose touch, some will move on and only make it home on rare weekend occasions like I find myself doing. Each time I go home, it is a sweet thing but a bittersweet thing in actuality. I am fortunate beyond belief, however, that my family and friends and community have stayed so close over the course of these five precious years.

I hope everyone’s spring season is off to a good start with safe travels and warm weather and good health. I am looking SO forward to my week in Orlando.

May we always have a special place in our hearts for the place we call home, the family who makes it home sweet home, and the friends who make it worth the long ride down the interstate!


Peace&Love – I’m homeward bound!
-BJJ- the ‘other’ sister

My Spring Breaks, each one is one to remember! :)

Spring Break 2005 in Key West, FL (my senior year of high school) with friends: Alex Gramatikas (FSU), Susan Abascal (UF), Shannon Dougherty (Santa Fe), Rachael Todd (UCF), Heather Romot (UCF), Kate Barton (UCF), Me (UofAla), Ashley Long (UCF), Kinsey Peddle (UCF), and Justine Positano (UCF)

Spring Break 2006 in Destin, FL (my freshman year at school) with friends/Tri-Delta pledge sisters: Elizabeth Kirkland (Nashville, TN), Me (Orlando, FL), Leigh Rebrovick (Nashville, TN), Kathryn Cook (Anniston, AL), Brittany Fuson (Nashville, TN), Ashley Aitken (Tuscaloosa, AL), and Wendy Walters Burford (Birmingham, AL)

Spring Break 2007 at the ACC Basketball Tournament in Tampa, FL (my sophomore year at school) with family and then-boyfriend: Daddy, Ashley, Mom, Me, and Cole Johnson. *My sister got ENGAGED to the love of her life this same weekend! So fun!*

Spring Break 2008 in Destin, FL (my junior year at school) with friends and then-boyfriend Christopher Moorer.

Spring Break 2009 in Orlando, FL and Key West, FL (my <first> senior year at school) with friends: Will Pappas (Montgomery, AL), Me (Orlando, FL) and Bess Pickett (Charlotte, NC) and many, many more...!!

Spring Break 2010 home sweet home in Orlando, FL............. CAN'T WAIT! :)

"Behold, my friends, the spring is come;  the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!" -Sitting Bull  

♫ ☮ ♥ Music ♥ ☮ ♫

I haven't written about my music lately.  I guess I have just spent a lot of time listening to it and interpreting it while I am studying that I haven't posted a blog about it lately.  Like I've said before, my music taste is pretty much a mixed genre of things.  Country, classic rock, psychadelic funk, electronica.  Not a huge rap fan - but I'll bust a move every now and then.


Well, 'tis the season for summer music festivals. 


There's Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennesee in June that his a lineup of acts like: The Dave Matthews Band, Zac Brown Band, The Avett Brothers, Kings Of Leon, Stevie Wonder, Miranda Lambert, Tori Amos, Norah Jones, Regina Spektor, Kris Kristofferson, Les Claypool, Jamey Johnson, LCD Soundsystem, Cross Canadian Ragweed, The Disco Biscuits..... the list goes on and on.


Then there is Wanne Music Festival in Live Oak, Florida just outside of Tallahassee.  There lineup, to name a few: The Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic, Government Mule, Stephen Stills, The Black Keys, The Wailers, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic... and more.


Then there is Wakarusa on Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, Arkansas.  Here is some of their lineup: Umphrey's McGee, STS9, The Disco Biscuits, The Black Keys, Blues Traveler, Boombox, and lots more.


The infamous Bama Jam in Enterprise, Alabama has a lineup looking like this, with much more: Kenny Chesney, Hank Williams, Jr., Jake Owen, Miranda Lambert, Colt Ford, Jamey Johnson, Citizen Cope, Zac Brown Band, Train, Dierks Bentley, Travis Tritt, and Rodney Atkins.I haven't decided which one I will hopefully get to experience during this last summer of "being young & not in the real world yet."  I mean, I SHOULD be in the real world but sometimes it takes people a little more than 4 years to finish school.  Oh well.  Amidst my teaching practicums and internships this summer, I hope to sneak away for a weekend of music... I just don't know where yet.


I DO know, however, that I will be in my hometown near Orlando, Florida for my Spring Break.  I need to catch a little rest and relaxation and spend a little quality time with my parents.  Luckily, my sister is spending the first weekend at home with us and it just so happens that big and bodacious Plant City Strawberry Festival is going to be held that weekend and is a short, 1 hour and 15 minute drive away. 
Here's what they have scheming over in Plant City (other than the most amazing strawberry shortcake you will EVER eat): Billy Currington, Lynard Skynard, Julianne Hough, Switchfoot, Heidi Newfield, Darius Rucker, Josh Turner, Aaron Tippin, The Oak Ridge Boys, Tracy Lawrence, Clay Walker, Patty Loveless, and Sara Evans.


I guess all of those have a little taste of all my genres.  It's music, and it's the universal language I guess. I mean, numbers and math are, but in the end - all that really matters are feelings right?  Someone once said that 'music is what feelings sound like.'  I believe this to be true and I think that everyone could agree that music has helped you in some way or another.


The past year or two I have been really in to my music.  From the black vinyls that I spin on my record player, to downloads scream through my laptop speakers, and satellite radios and old-fashioned radio shows.  I listen to it all, I interpret and portray it all to my life and that's what makes music so fun for me (and everyone I would assume).  Seeing a show live and experiencing all of your surroundings as your favorite song is sung or your most admired band or singer is up there... well, I guess if you've ever been in that situation you know exactly what it feels like.  HOPEFULLY, I will get to experience one of these festivals with my group of music-lovin' friends. And maybe you will too... ♫ ☮ ♥


Peace & Love & Good Music
Bjj

Here are my favorites right now:

(Country) Bigger Than The Beatles by Joe Diffie -or- Southern Voice by Tim McGraw

(Jamband/Rock) Joy by Phish -or- Little Lilly by Widespread Panic

(Classic Rock) Witchy Woman by The Eagles -or- Brown Sugar by The Rolling Stones