i n • p u r s u i t

♥Tiffany♥

That's what on TV right now only because it was what came on after "Dancing With The Stars" which was only on because it came on after "Jeopardy!" Every time I see a commercial for this TV show, I get a little bit more sick. I cannot imagine dating a man alongside eleven other women. Apparently, today, the bachelor is going to be proposing to one of the two girls, Bevin or Tessa. I keep seeing clips of two girls saying, "I love you," to the same guy. How can you be convinced that the man you are going to spend the rest of your life with picked you only because he weeded out twelve other girls in the competition? I don't know, it just seems all a little strange to me. I know why these shows work though. Because we love taking a peek into other's lives and we love romance and we love competition. The saddest thing to me is that both girls are convinced that they will be one proposed to--that they are the "winner." Expectations ...

I'll write more about the conference later, but here is of one of the songs we sang. I love it. There is nothing more amazing than singing God's praises surrounded by fellow believers. I hope that is what Heaven is like. I'll get to sing my heart out without my voice ever going hoarse. For those of you who didn't get to go, you can go to http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/ and download the messages. Believe me, you'll want to. They were super good. More soon. ♥Tiffany♥ -- Grace unmeasured, vast and free That knew me from eternity That called me out before my birth To bring You glory on this earth Grace amazing, pure and deep That saw me in my misery That took my curse and owned my blame So I could bear Your righteous name Grace paid for my sins And brought me to life Grace clothes me with power To do what is right Grace will lead me to heaven Where I’ll see Your face And never cease To thank You for Your grace Grace abounding, strong and true That makes me long...

Today was Leo's court date. Again. This time he was seen by the judge. That's kind of nerve wracking. I didn't realize how much it would bother me. I pretty much freaked and cried my eyes out. The judge was impressed with how many people were there for Leo (two monks, a bunch of men from the Pillars of Christ, my family, and Mike). From what I gather (I never understand what's going on at these things!) the judge wants time to think about it and Leo has to come back to get his real sentencing. The lawyer (who didn't even know how old Leo was) thinks that this is good. That Leo will get house arrest at the Abbey. The bailiff was already mad at me and when we all left the courtroom, I went to go give my brother (who was sitting on the Probation bench) a hug. I wasn't supposed to do that and the bailiff didn't like that and came after me. What was he going to do, kick me out? I was already leaving. And if I want to give my brother a hug, well by gosh, I'm g...

"Pierre" by the Dresden Dolls based on "Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue" by Maurice Sendak There once was a boy named Pierre, Who only would say, "I don’t care." Hear his story, my friend, For you’ll find at the end, That a suitable moral lies there One day, his mother said, As Pierre climbed out of bed, "Good morning, darling boy, You are my only joy." Pierre said, "I don’t care." "What would you like to eat?" "I don’t care." "Some lovely cream of wheat?" "I don’t care." "Don’t sit backwards on your chair." "I don’t care." "Or pour syrup on your hair." "I don’t care." "You are acting like a clown." "I don’t care." "And we have to go to town." "I don’t care." Don’t you want to come my dear?" "I don’t care." Would you rather stay right here?" "I don’t care." So h...

I know better than to pick up the " Unavailable " calls that come to my cell phone. I thought that this one might be a priest friend of mine (thought I think calling each other "friend" is stretching it these days...) so just this once, I answered the phone. It was Visa. I stayed on the line because I have a guilt complex. I let the girl think that my name was Veronica (my mom's name) and that I lived at 110 Coleman Drive(my old address). I had been entered into a sweepstakes, I had won a tennis bracelete or watch, I was getting three magazines for the price of one. I was going to hang up when she transfered me, but I didn't want to hang up on her. Then she was all, "I'm going to transfer you to my supervisor, but can you do me a favor? Can you put in a good word for me?" I felt even worse about hanging up on her! Here she is, just trying to get by, but maybe the cold-calling-you've-been-entered-into-a-sweepstakes-here-are-some-free-magazi...

Well I won't back down, no I won't back down You can stand me up at the gates of hell But I won't back down Gonna stand my ground, won't be turned around And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down Gonna stand my ground and I won't back down Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out Hey I will stand my ground And I won't back down. Well I know what's right, I got just one life In a world that keeps on pushin' me around But I'll stand my ground and I won't back down Hey baby' there ain't no easy way out Hey I will stand my ground And I won't back down No, I won't back down ♥Tiffany♥

I haven't really been in all that swell of a mood lately. Not for really one particular reason, but lots of little reasons combined. So, if my blogs have felt forced, it is because they were. I feel compelled to write because I know that you guys will be reading it. And as funny as it may sound, I don't want to let you down. Ha-ha. I know what it's like to be bored at work when no one is updating their blogs. I've been going up and down for a little while and hopefully I'll kick it. I'm going to an open mic tonight. Jacob Johnson in all his musical fabulous-ness is hosting it. That should cheer me up. Until then, here is a photo of my trying on glasses at the optometrist's yesterday. Enjoy and don't poke too much fun. Love, Tiffany

I ran a few errands today. I went to get a pair of glasses (they should arrive in 7-10 days). I bought a few plants from the Home Depot. I went to the Oriental store. I went to Eckerds and bought a box fan. Oriental Imports is a tiny store off Laurens Road that I've only been in once with my mother. Still, I could recall where I needed to be: the basement. Yes, the grocery part of the store is on the lower level. For a split second, when I walked in, all eyes were on me. I felt distinctly un-Asian. I always do when I go in these Asian stores; after all, my only language is English. I passed the lucky bamboo, the china plates, and the karate uniforms to the back of the store and descended a rickety staircase to the very, very identifiable Asian-store smell. I walked up and down aisle after aisle looking for curry sauce mix. I eventually gave up and went back upstairs. I asked the man at the counter if he could help me. I described what I was looking for and immediately he nodded. H...

I heard itmentioned in passing, but I've forgotten about it until now. The Forever Stamp is the Postal Service's newest stamp. I just bought a book of stamps with the liberty bell on them for the price of 41¢ per stamp. Even if I don't use up all the stamps by the time the price increases again (it has increased 13 times in the past 32 years), I won't have to go out and buy 1¢ or 2¢ stamps. I still have some 37¢ and 39¢ stamps that I can't use unless I buy some stamps to supplement them, but my 41¢ Forever stamps will last, well, forever. I should stockpile them before the price goes up again. Then, when everyone is paying 99¢ for stamps, I'll still be using my 41¢ stamps that I bought way back in 2007. ♥Tiffany♥

Okay, my next post was going to be about my weekend, but that can wait. I just watched the season finale episode of Ugly Betty. If you watch Ugly Betty and you have yet to watch it, don't read this! It started out really well. Betty was going on a date with Henry, Hilda and Santos were planning their wedding, Amanda and Marc found Faye's Love Dungeon, Justin got the lead in West Side Story. It started out really well! And then Charlie came to Betty's house to say that she was preggers with Henry's baby. So Henry told Betty he couldn't be with her and decided to go back to Tuscon with Charlie. But Betty found out that Charlie had been cheating on Henry with Betty's orthodontist, Dr. Farkus, for two months and the baby might not be Henry's but it was too late because Charlie and Henry were on their way back to Tuscon. Amanda and Christina got trapped in Faye's Love Dungeon together and got drunk on numerous bottles of wine and stumbled upon a red safe that...

The dryer emits a long, loud, high-pitched beep to let me know that the clothes are dry. --- A blue bird lands gracefully on the ground. He hops twice and flys away. --- The children are nestled all snug in their beds while visions of Charleston dance in my head.

It's summer time! It was officially summer on Friday, May 4 th once I emailed Brian--my speech professor whose legal name is actually Brain because of a typo--my final speech (you can read it here ). I realized that on my off days I wouldn't have any school or any studying to do. Holy cow! And I also realized that if I didn't schedule things to do, then I would stay in bed until noon because my bed is just oh-so-comfortable. (Thanks to Janelle!) So, here is what I decided I would do on my days off work: Wake up at 8AM and go to the gym. Come home and shower. Eat a leisurely breakfast that often includes eggs Benedict. Sip tea or lemonade or something equally nice while I do my devotions. Write more poetry. Take more pictures. Study a philosopher. Find and read Make big dinners. Schedule lunch dates. Well, okay. The gym thing isn't going very well. So, I went to the gym my first Tuesday. Then on Thursday, I had to be at court. The next Tuesday, I had to work. The next ...

So the first thing that GreenvilleScene 's editor, Michelle, asked me to do was to make a list of my top ten favorite bands. This is a difficult thing to do and upon surveying my list, I realized that I am extremely uncool and I was trying to become a writer for a cool magazine. Well if you ever go to their About section, you'll see my top ten favorite bands/musicians. Here's just a small explanation for each. Jacob Johnson -- An amazing local acoustic guitarist, he's about twenty and incredibly talented. I cannot emphasize that enough! He was in a band, Alternative Solution, and I had the opportunity to go to their last show. They were awesome. Niel Brooks -- He's amazingly talented. I first saw him, like Jacob, at the Acoustic Seen's Open Mic Night at Coffee Underground and instantly fell in love with his music. Bob Dylan-ish. The Slack Republic -- Modern dance party hosted a "Punk Rock Prom" last May and this band there. The were the opener...

"Hooh! Aah! Hooh! Aah! That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang!" That was one of the things that came to mind while watching " Cool Hand Luke ," another one of the movies from our Netflix list. I didn't really know what to expect from this movie, but I greatly enjoyed it. Luke finds himself in a rural prison for sawing off the tops of parking meters. There are not only a ton of rules at this place but a certain social order. Luke refuses to conform. He finds himself going head to head with the big guy in prison and underneath the bosses that are determined to break him. It's a determination inspiring type of movie. Oh and there is a scantily-clad-woman-washing-car scene in it too. Carr: Them clothes got laundry numbers on them. You remember your number and always wear the ones that has your number. Any man forgets his number spends a night in the box. These here spoons you keep with you. Any man loses his spoon spends a night in the box. Th...

So, I'm thinking about making an OverAnalyzed CafePress shop. Provided that it's free and all. Just for kicks because even I won't pay 15 bucks for a shirt that says " OverAnalyze This! " or something dumb like that. But if I do decide to do it, I want some neat sayings on the shirts. What have you got in mind? ♥Tiffany♥

I heard the weather guy on TV say that it would be smoky outside today because the wind is blowing the smoke from wildfires in Georgia and Florida. I didn't really think it would be smoky. Well, I went outside to get my bag from my car and I had to blink a few times. I thought maybe my contacts were dirty or something at first, but there it was, a light smoky haze. It should be gone by tomorrow. Highs today are around the upper 70s/low 80s. And by Friday, the high is 70°! And the highs in Charleston should be 78 ° for both days we are there. :-) Sounds good. ♥Tiffany♥

When I was in about the 4th grade, I bought a small box of Russel Stover chocolates. It was for my Mom. It was a very small box with only four chocolates in it. But since there were, you know, four chocolates in it, however, I figured one would never be missed. So I had one. And then it was so good, I had another. And another. And another. Yes friends, I ate all four of my mother's chocolates. And you know what I did with that box and those brown papers? I don't know what gave me the gall to do so, but I gave that box to my mother. "It's the thought that counts!" Came my little voice. It must have been humorous to her, though, because she still has the box today. I get her chocolates on every occasion I can (Christmas, her birthday, Mother's Day) to try to make up for it. I've given her Ferro Roche for two Christmases in a row. Not that I need to make up for it, because my mother is going to con my first child into giving me an empty box of chocolates fo...

About a year ago, Mike and I went to the Biltmore Estate. (Read about it here .) We ended up becoming pass holders because we knew that we would come up again in less than a year and if you only go twice is saves you money. (We went again with his family in August.) Well, our passes expire this coming Friday, so we decided to go one last time. I worked that morning (the kids and I made cards for their mom) but was off before noon. So, in the dreary weather we took off up through the Carolina mountains--it's a beautiful drive. Even the best artist on Earth doesn't have as many colors on his palate--or computer, as the case may be--as God. :-) The sun came out and made for a beautiful day! This time, while going through the house, we took the "audio tour" a.k.a. you wander around looking silly because you have headphones attached to you by a bright orange cord. The audio tour is great! I learned so much--though I got confused once and began to hear about the Salon while...

Lauren is beautifully potty trained. She has rarely had an accident lately. She's even stayed dry over night. But it is so hard to get that girl to put her clothes back on after going potty. I'm not going to do it for her because I know she knows how. So, I'll spend the better part of the hour saying, " Lauren, you need to put your panties on! " And when she's sixteen and OverAnalyzed is a published book, Lauren will hunt me down and kill me for writing this. ♥Tiffany♥

Not me. ♥Tiffany♥

Alex: Miss Tiffany, I really can't sleep! I can't make my eyes close! It's toooooo hard!!! Tiffany: Well, that's okay, just rest for a few minutes. You have to lay down and rest. But I'll come back in a few minutes and let you know when you can get up and play quietly in your room for the rest of nap time. Alex: Fine . ::leave....return a few minutes later:: Tiffany: Alex? Alex? Are you awake? ::silence:: ::two hours later:: Alex: Miss Tiffany? Can I be up now? I couldn't sleep, it was too hard to make my eyes close. ♥Tiffany♥

So, a few days ago I found out that I actually am an official writer for GreenvilleScene.com. You'll be able to see me on their web page once I get the editor a picture. Tomorrow is my first assignment. I'm interviewing Niel Brooks! Pretty exciting, I know. ♥Tiffany♥

Hey, it's OK... ...to like other people's dogs and kids but love going home to your adults-only apartment. ...to have popcorn for dinner every once in a while. It's a whole grain! ...if you consider the season finale of Grey's Anatomy a much bigger deal than the Super Bowl. ...to change outfits seven times...and then back into the first one. ...to complain about how many weddings you have to go to but get seriously offended when you don't get invited to one. ...to think that the solution for dying batteries is pressing harder on the remote. ...if you don't belong to an online "community." You've got plenty of real ones, thanks. (from June 2007 GLAMOUR) ♥Tiffany

Okay, I want a penpal. Like an honest-to-goodness penpal. With pens and paper and stamps....crazy! Who wants to be my penpal? (No offense guys, but I'd prefer a gal.) If you're brave enough, and you're willing to spend 41¢, then drop me an e-mail (ladytiffanyanne [at] gmail [dot] com) with your address. This comes with added perks; you'll get more than just letters, but maybe even Christmas and birthday cards! ♥Tiffany♥

Memorial Day Weekend. Louisville, KY. Joshua Harris, Eric Simmons, CJ Mahaney, Mark Dever, Al Moher, John Piper. I'm pretty excited. New Attitude Conference 2007 ♥Tiffany♥

So...this is the final product of all the electoral college hullabaloo. I was going to bold my favorite quotes for emphasis, but I decided to just bold all quotes. So that's why...if you were wondering. If for whatever reason you want to know my sources (some of the articles were pretty interesting) just send me an email (ladytiffanyanne [at] gmail [dot] com). I just got my grade back an my prof loved it: "well structured, interesting information, educational. yes, its a shame you didn't get to give it." I got an A. :-) ------------------------------------------------------ Imagine this: you are running for student body president. You are popular, you have had a good campaign thus far, and you are sure you have a good chance of winning. Today is Election Day, and by the time the sun sinks below the horizon, a new student body president will have been chosen. A voice comes over the loud speaker before the final bell rings and announces you have, in fact, won more votes...

I was standing in front of a copious selection of pink and flowery Mother's Day cards when I heard the sound of young immature men approaching. I looked up to confirm. Yes, it was the same men that had winked at me while I was in the tampon aisle. Classy. They were just passing, but as they did I heard, "Hey girl. How'r you?" Without bothering to look up I replied, " Not interested ." ♥Tiffany♥

I've spent a great deal of time wandering around online looking at job openings. I had no idea so many job websites existed! Well, no such luck. Nothing of any worth. Greenville News is usually only hiring press brake operators and Greenville Magazine is hiring a sales associate. No thank you to that. So, I hope the connections kick in. ♥Tiffany♥

Dr Stanley comments, ‘Towards the end of my research, I searched the web usingthe mineral’s chemical formula – sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide – and was amazed to discover that same scientific name written on a case of rock containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luther from a museum in the film Superman Returns. The new mineral does not contain fluorine and is white rather than green, but in all other respects the chemistry matches that for the rock containing kryptonite. We will have to be careful with it – we wouldn’t want to deprive Earth of its most famous superhero!’ Superman Beware: Scientists Uncover Kryptonite from Science Daily ♥Tiffany♥

So, we're doing The Truth Project at my church. Today was the first session and we'll continue for 13 weeks during the evening services. At first I was wary about having a video instead of a preacher, but after I saw the trailer, my mind changed. I've been pretty excited about this and since I first found out and tonight did not disappoint. It was interesting when the video featured random everyday people attempting to define truth. The point that came across from a great deal of people was that truth is relative to what you believe. That's a bit of an oxymoron, no? Next week, the lesson is on philosophy and ethics. I'm pretty excited about that too. ♥Tiffany♥

I went Amazon.com crazy last night and bought 4 new books ("Wanting All the Right Things: Finding a Spiritual, Balanced, & Fulfilled Life", "Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart", "Authentic Beauty: The Shaping of a Set-Apart Young Woman", "Authentic Beauty - Going Deeper: An In-depth Study Guide for the Set-Apart Young Woman") and I qualified for free shipping! Now all I have to do is wait for them to come. Hate that. Mike and I went shopping today. I only bought a few things from PacSun and some new body lotion from Bath & Body works. Or rather, I thought it was lotion and it ended up being body wash and I didn't realize until I tried to moisturize. Oh well. It was only five bucks. Maybe I'll go back and buy the matching lotion, ha-ha. Also, we each got 10-minute massages from those Chinese people in the mall. It was okay for a $12 massage. I'm thinking about not waiting until I get my braces to chop off my hair. I...

What does Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report have in common with 60’s musician Jerry Garcia, rockers Dave Mathews Band, and clown-emcee of Woodstock — Wavy Gravy? Ideologically — not much (or maybe everything?) except taste — as Colbert is now a pint flavor. The flavor, Stephen Colbert’s AmeriCone Dream™ is a decadent melting pot of vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and a caramel swirl. It’s the sweet taste of liberty in your mouth. Recognizing that we, as a country, are at a time in our nation’s history where we need to reach across the aisle to people of all political ideologies — the left-leaning liberals at the company’s headquarters in Vermont felt it was fine to combine forces with the media man-of-steel. The company adds there are many similarities between Colbert and themselves. “He’s about political activism, so are we. He stands up for what he believes in, so do we. He supports Bill O’Reilly, and we… think he has a right to his opinio...

http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/ todays photo: make sure to go under archives and check out the timelapse photography ♥Tiffany♥

Wednesday had a high of 90°F and that was just way too hot for early May! Luckily, today's high is supposed to be 73°F and it just goes lower from there for the weekend. Unfortunately, it's back up to 89°F by next Friday. ♥Tiffany♥

Ugly Betty was really good tonight. I went to Crossroads/Crossway/Cross-something (that Christian book store, you know) tonight to find a book that I saw on the Girl Talk blog. "Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart." They speak very highly of it. Of course, Ugly Betty ends at 9. And I watched five minutes of Gray's Anatomy before hauling myself off the couch. So, by the time I got to the bookstore, it was definitely closed. So, I just kept going. I probably could have done a uie (according to Urban Dictionary , that is the proper slang for u-turn) and made it home quicker, but I just kept going. A veer to the right, a right turn at the new Spinx, another right turn onto the freeway and I was back in the right direction. It gave me a little extra time to think and to talk out loud and to pray. That was good. It was helpful. I'm glad that I have been able to have a teeny bit of alone time tonight, too. Even though it's far too warm in my apartment. I called t...

Okay, so I stole the photo from the folks over at Greenville Daily Photo. But what can I say, it's a good one! Anyway, for our 1 year anniversary dinner, my boyfriend took me out to High Cotton--the swanky new restaurant in Greenville that promised to be more posh than Restaurant O. The evening, however, did not begin well as we were seated in the exact room in which we had asked not to be seated. (See in the photo: the bottom level, the room on the left? It's a small room with too many tables. That's where we sat.) The waiter was nice, the wine came quickly, and so enjoyed our seats. I was able to watch many a prom couple wander past the restaurant and pose for photos from where I was seated. For an appetizer we shared a plate of tasty fried oysters. His entrée was a steak and a lobster tail, mine was a tuna steak. We each tried from the other's plate and, yes, it was all very yummy. I was stuffed! While the food was quite tasty, the atmosphere was a little less that...

I have big plans for my own little section of the blogosphere. First step? A personalized URL. Other steps: A front page that will link to all of my blogs. This page may or may not have an rss feed of the latest blog post headlines pulled from each of my blogs. Cool, eh? Don't hold your breath or anything. My wheels turn slowly. I haven't even sent in my taxes yet. ♥Tiffany♥

I gasped as I felt the sharp, quick pain. Blood poured from the new wound as I quickly grabbed the nearest towel. I had sharpened the knife only a few minutes ago. I wanted it to slice the steaks with quick, clean strokes. I ended up also slicing my finger with a quick, clean stroke. It was not terribly bad; my finger had not fallen off. I removed the towel and looked at my finger. With a small piece of skin flapping and copious amounts of blood, it looked a lot worse that it really was. He led me through the apartment to the deepest room, his master bathroom. He fiddled through two first-aid kits and numerous tiny packets. My head filled with clouds. I removed the towel to once again glance at my finger. More blood. "I think I'm going to faint." I said softly as I slipped to the ground. I sat criss-cross-applesauce--the politically correct term for sitting Indian style--on the chocolate colored mat and he handed me a clean towel. The old one had been the one I used when ...

I know that pot pies from the grocers freezer are probably one of the most uncool things to eat. But I love me a chicken pot pie! ♥Tiffany♥

Before tonight, I cannot recall the last time I actually made Mike a really yummy dinner. I mean something other than the staples of spaghetti (and garlic bread!), chicken & rice, etc. I think it was when Marco & Michelle came over for stuffed chicken. So tonight, I made something from my Rachel Ray magazine: Sliced Steak and Mushrooms with Warm Potato Salad. To your right is a picture of what it looks like in the magazine but not quite what it looked like on our plates--almost though. It was super easy to make and it was quite tasty too! But what was really sliced was MY FINGER ! I was slicing the steak, minding my own business--but apparently not minding enough--when I cut my finger. The first thing I did was gasp really loudly and wrap my finger in the closest towel--which was, of course, covered in bits of scallions, mustard, olive oil, etc. Anyway, once the crisis was averted (I won't embarrass myself by telling you how much I freaked out), the finishing touches were p...

It was my 2nd Greenville Drive game ever. I went to one last season and (so far) one this season. And in my whole life, I guess I've only been to about half a dozen baseball games. I still find them quite enjoyable. West End Field is pretty neat because it is like a miniature Fenway Park. Complete with the "Green Monster," manual scoreboard, and all. The dimensions all around the outfield wall are to the same specifications as Fenway Park. The games are fun, the food is OK, and the seats are cheap. That being said, don't get a lawn seat. It's not really a lawn, it's a really steep hill. There is no way you could set up a chair without toppling over. Well, actually, it's probably great for families with small children who are able to run around on the grass and play on the nearby playground. But for my group? It was just too steep. So we commandeered (my latest favorite word) a few seats nearby in an almost completely empty section and enjoyed the rest of ...