a slogan a day

"nobody does it like tara"

"all the tara that's fit to print"

"tara prevents that sinking feeling"

"absolut tara"

"nobody better lay a finger on my tara"


now, get your own. (thanks joy)

i *heart* ben & jerry's

on a lovely spring evening (last night), i met up with my dear friend angela for dinner. after dining on a scrumptious 'hail caesar' wrap, and catching up on life, i decided that i needed ice cream.

so we headed to lee's, the great little ice cream shop at reston towncenter, but alas it was closed. in great dismay, angela and i headed back towards her car. and then it happened. i saw a woman holding an ice cream cone!

i politely asked her where she had gotten it from, and she very excitedly responded 'it's free cone day at ben & jerry's!'

i didn't even realize they had put a ben & jerry's in at the towncenter, and it was free cone day. never let anyone tell you that dreams don't come true!

the turning point

well, i think i have finally crawled out of my nice safe little hole.

saturday morning, after a total of three hours of sleep, the alarm clock went off at 4:30. yes, that is am. by 5:30 i was out the door and headed to richmond. needless to say, i was excited to see jeremy.

i arrived at 8ish, and our day together was even more fabulous than last week's. the weather was icky, so despite steph's generously offered chili cookoff tickets, we didn't make it. instead, we played it low-key and by ear, spending some time at belle isle, eating, napping, and watching 'silent hill' (ps avoid at all costs!)

i figured out that with the hours we've spent together he and i are now (roughly) on our 7th date, and things continue to go well. he's amazing. he seems to think i am amazing. it's just all pretty amazing. so now all you haters who thought this was crazy may have to retract your statements;) it's early yet, but be prepared to eat crow!

for those of you who are wondering, yes, jeremy does read my blog (hi honey), and one of the things i particularly appreciate about him is that he is confident and comfortable. he is not afriad of my posts about 'dream men' and friday freak outs. he is confident in who he is and what he has to offer, and is comfortable with his feelings for me and mine for him. the truth of the matter is, neither of us know how this is going to turn out, but we both feel really good about the direction it is heading. good enough that i can safely make reference to my wedding website, without worrying that he is going to run away. that is a precious gift, and one i am extremely grateful for.

after a fabulous day on saturday, i attended church in the langley ward (as i often do). it was one of the most powerful sacrament metings i have ever been part of. the topic was missionary work, and usually that causes shudders and cringes, but in this case i felt quite the opposite. one by one the speakers addressed the subject in profound and eloquent ways, and there were not many dry eyes in the congregation. the spirt was extremely strong, and it left me feeling uplifted and inspired.

the evening was capped off by a drive in karl's new car. we paused at river bend park, and enjoyed the peacefulness and the company.

in many ways this weekend felt like a turning point..a much needed much anticipated turning point, and i can't wait to see what life has to throw at me during the next few months!

p.s. i'm mary-louise parker! woo-hoo!!

enigma:
derailed: (the cast is the only saving grace for a very uncomfortable plot line)
before sunset:
unfinished life: (normally i love robert redford and morgan freeman, but ouch, this one was painful)
capote: (praise to the man: philip seymour hoffman)
shaun of the dead: (oh man, this was funny)
silent hill: (bad, bad, and more bad)

for the rest of the pics, click here.

dude, i'm such a girl

sometimes i take serious issue with the fact that we as women are, on the whole, emotional creatures. our past experiences don't just shape us, but in many ways actually define us.

today i am defined as 'the girl who has had her heart broken more times than she cares to remember.' inherently, that definition is not bad--it is what it is. we all have our heart broken, most of us more than once. and i believe that in part, it serves as an excellent tool to guide us to good and healthy relationships that have potential for progression.

however, i'm a girl. so despite the fact that i have met an amazing guy who completely adores me, all it takes is one break in the established communication routine, and i am second guessing the whole thing. i realize the complete insanity of this, but i have been trained to be on the lookout for warning signs. and when they don't exist, i make them up. because what are the odds i am actually going to fall in love with someone who is also in love with me, and actually wants to do something about it? my experience has taught me that they are slim, so i am a skeptic. albeit a romantic skeptic, but a skeptic nonetheless.

i believe in fairy tales and happy endings, i am just still coming to terms with whether or not i believe in them for me. my first inclination when my head goes into overtime is to run far and fast. because if i get out fast, i limit the ability someone has to hurt me, right?

right. and safe. and never going to get me anywhere.

random question

does anyone work for or know anyone who works for computer associates?