Names

Well, I am obsessed with names. When I was little and my mom and I were sitting in the car, waiting for my dad or my brother, I would have her help me think of twenty four names-- for my twelve children that I would have one day. We would have to think of twelve boy names and twelve girl names because we didn't know if my children would be girls or boys. Nowadays, when I'm bored I will go on my favorite name websites and look for new names or the meanings of names that I already know and love. It's a fun hobby. In fact, I think I will make a list of some of my favorite names right now. I like all kinds of names for girls, but mostly classic names for guys. Today I will do only A-E, as I have so many names that I love.

My Favorite Girls' Names:
Allegra
Grace
Abigail
Addison
Adelaide
Amy
Aleksandra
Allison
Alyssa
Amanda
Annabelle
Andrea
Ann
Antoinette
Antonia
Aphrodite
Appollonia
April
Arielle
Avery
Bella
Belle
Bianca
Blue (as a middle name)
Blythe
Brigette
Bronwyn
Brooke
Cassidy
Catharine
Cecilia
Cecily
Celia
Celine
Charlotte
Claire
Collette
Dana
Danielle
Deirdre
Dominica
Elisabeth
Erika
Esperanza
Evangeline
Eva


My Favorite Boy's Names:
Aaron
Aidan
Andrew
Anthony
Benjamin
Christopher
Daniel
David
Dominik
Dylan
Evan

Wow, my list of boys' names is considerably shorter than that of the girls'. Here are my favorite names websites: http://www.behindthename.com and http://www.namenerds.com.

xoxoGrace

Love Will Keep Us Together

Will&Grace. By God's will and grace, love will keep us together.

xoxoGrace

"I'd probably famous now if I wasn't such a good waitress." ~Jane Siberry

I should be sleeping, but I can't. I was laying in bed, all tired and ready to fall asleep. I'd just finished my prayers and was thinking about how happy I am and how I am very pleased with how everything is going in my life, when I remembered something I should have remembered eight hours ago. The man wanted broccoli. Today at the restaurant there was a man who ordered the Broiled Pork Chops Dinner. He got Chicken Dumpling soup and Thousand Island dressing on his salad. Even though milkshakes don't come as dessert for the dinner, he still got a chocolate one. He wanted mashed potatoes with gravy. The man was so cute. Well, not cute per say. But his mannerisms were so interesting. Whenever he ordered something, he would say it as if it had a question mark, as if he was looking for my approval, except that I knew he wasn't looking for my approval- he knew exactly what he wanted- but his tone of voice suggested that he wanted approval. He also got a cup of coffee. It comes with the dinner. We were very busy at this time. Toula was back helping us. She told me to ask the man if he wanted a vegetable. He wanted corn. I didn't think we had corn, but I asked. We didn't. Toula said we had mixed vegetables and broccoli. He asked me for broccoli, in his question mark way. I remember thinking that it was unusual because normally people just get mixed. So I went back to the cooks. And guess what I ordered? MIXED! I brought it out to him and he didn't say anything. I picked up his plates and the vegetables were uneaten, but he began eating them after I took the plates from his main course away. It never even clicked until a while ago when I was lying in bed. I started crying. I don't know why. I was so happy only moments earlier. I'm not made to be a waitress. I can only work with people for a certain amount of time. I communicate better through ink than through my mouth. To The Man Who Ordered Broccoli and I Gave Mixed Vegetables: I am extremely sorry. I apologize a thousand times.

xoxoGrace

The Perfect Day of Summer

This is my perfect day of summer. It is simple, but perfect.

I would wake up at 8:30-ish. It would be perfect weather for a run. I would go out for 30 minutes, do abs and core, and then shower.

I would put on a little bit of makeup. Not too much, but just enough to make me look summery and natural. I would put on the slightest hint of eyeliner, clear mascara, and blush. My hair would be long and wavy and would look like I'd just come back from the beach. I would wear a French Blue sundress.

Then I would go out to Breakfast with a friend, at a place that looks like Fresh Express, but has food like at Blueberry Hill. We would sit outside and enjoy the rising sun and clear blue sky. I would get French Toast with strawberries and a glass of 2% Milk. Yummm.

Then we'd head over to the pool, but the pool would be refinished. We would have a slide! And we wouldn't get burnt, just the perfect tan. The boy would be lifeguarding, and we'd flirt for a little while and then my friend and I would leave, but not before the boy asked me out on a date.

Then my friend and I would go out to lunch. Wow, a day full of food. I wouldn't gain an ounce from any of it by the way. Hmm... where would we go? We would go to Demitasse! Of course we'd have the Mozzarella sandwich with the homemade chips!

We'd sing on the way home. Every song I've ever loved. And it would be wonderful. I would wear my sunglasses and Sox cap, and I'd be driving my dad's car, not the van. We would laugh so hard at our own stupid jokes, and it wouldn't matter what anyone in the cars next to us thought.

My friend would come over. She'd lay on my bed and go through the stuff in my drawers while I searched for something to wear that night. She'd spray my spray all over the room for no reason. Quincy would come upstairs and lay on my bed. He wouldn't bark at all.

I'd finally find something to wear. It would be a kneelength peasant skirt and a matching shirt. It wouldn't be dressy, because that is what I normally wear anyway.

My friend would walk home because she lives that close, and she'd just call up another one of our crew and they'd go out and find something to do.

The boy would pick me up. He'd tell me I look pretty. I wouldn't believe him but I'd say thank you just the same. We'd get into his old car with screeching breaks and broken air conditioning. He'd be playing my favorite song on his iPod.

He wouldn't tell me where we were going. Finally we'd end up in the perfect place. We'd go through tall grass to the area that had been mowed. The grass would smell freshly cut. There'd be a footbridge over a gurgling brook, and the sun would just be beginning to set.

We'd talk and laugh. He would have made a picnic for us, but he would have forgotten the sandwiches at home, so we'd just eat strawberries and watermelon! The perfect dinner!

The sun would set and we'd lie down to look at the stars because out here in the country we can see the stars clearly. We'd lie right next to each other and our calves would be touching, but nothing else. We'd have that nervous feeling in our stomachs, but he'd be a perfect gentleman all night.

He'd drive me home. We'd laugh the whole way. The porch light would be on and he would walk me to the door. We'd awkwardly say goodnight, and I'd turn to go inside but he'd grab my hand before it touched the handle. I'd turn around and look up at his face which would be glowing because of the porch light shining behind him. He'd lean down slowly, and I'd stand up on my toes, displaying my cross country calf muscles for the vines on our house. We'd kiss for but a second and I'd say, "Goodnight, boy" And it would be perfect.

I'd go inside and I wouldn't call anyone. I would go upstairs, put on pajamas and pray. I'd keep this to myself for tonight. Because right now, this was all mine, and I didn't want to share it with anyone. This was my perfect summer's day.



xoxoGrace

Oh What a Night!

A few weeks ago, I went to see Jersey Boys. I wasn't expecting much, despite the rave reviews I'd heard over and over. The performance was spectacular. The cast does a tremendous job portraying the story of The Four Seasons and performing their well known songs.

I kind of fell in love with Drew Gehling who plays Bob Gaudio. He was so fun to watch, and his naive character was quite lovable. Last night I was at the Taste of Chicago, and he was there, performing for Broadway in Chicago at the Taste! The event started at six, and Grant Park was filled with adults, teenagers, and children who were all ready to hear (and if lucky, actually see) performances by the actual actors and actresses from productions that are currently downtown, and that are coming within the next year. The cast of Jersey Boys were the last performers at the showcase, so my friends and I went up as close as we could when Drew walked on from stage right it was a sight to see.





xoxoGrace

Music + Dialogue

I love when a song has dialogue at the beginning or at the end of it, especially when the dialogue doesn't seem to have anything to do with the song. I just think it is so fun to listen to the tidbits of conversation. Some of my favorite artists that have included dialogue in their songs are MIKA and Regina Spektor, but my favorite would have to be in Cobra Starship's "Send My Love to the Dance Floor."

This is the video, but I couldn't find the part with the dialogue on YouTube.




What did you say this boy's name was again?
I don't know dear
It sounds to me like he's experimenting with you

xoxoGrace

Tea at Two

In my neverending quest to discover new activities to try, I decided to have a tea party. It was three of my friends and I, homemade goodies (cucumber sandwiches, eggsalad sandwiches, and chocolate covered strawberries among other things!) and a cup of tea per capita. The whole affair was delightful. We all dressed up in fancy clothes and had a grand time. We finished off the afternoon with a modern twist by playing Guitar Hero. I know for sure that I will definitely have to have friends over again for another tea party before the summer is over.










Here are some good websites with recipes and tips for hosting a tea party:
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/teaideas.html
http://www.joyofbaking.com/EnglishTeaParty.html
http://whatscookingamerica.net/HighTeaRecipes.htm

xoxoGrace