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♥ Psalm 23
♥ new camera lenses (that I am chomping at the bit to try out!)
♥ 4-day work week
♥ Downton Abbey
♥ a good story
♥ clean starts
♥ I will fear no evil
♥ turning on the radio and hearing the perfect song
♥ dormant trees
♥ the gentle sound of a stream
♥ finding out how couples met
♥ beauty in the tiniest detail

Related posts:

1. In the wake of a storm
2. The One Where It Sounds Like I Don’t Have A Heart
3. Saturday List

Well, here I am. Twenty-seven years old sometime in the middle of this afternoon. For a while I’ve been thinking about doing a list like this one and I figured with 3 years to complete it in that this would be the day to post it. Here’s my list of 30 things I’d like to do by the time I turn 30.

1. Color my hair red.
2. Finish a novel.
3. Stick to a writing schedule for one month and try to turn it into a habit (0/30 days).
4. Work out every day for one week (0/7 days).
5. Work out every day for one month (0/30 days).
6. Lose 20 lbs (0/20).
7. Have a baby.
8. Roast a turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
9. Buy only local for Christmas gifts one year.
10. Get a writing job.
11. Read 75 books (0/75).
12. Drink only water for one month (0/30 days).
13. Learn to make authentic lobster bisque.
14. Give away all of the clothing that I have not worn in a year.
15. Use my fine china five times (0/5).
16. Paint the spare bedroom.
17. Repaint the kitchen.
18. Sing karaoke.
19. Be content with my level of fitness in time for my 10 year high school reunion.
20. Write fifteen short stories (0/15).
21. Vacation in the Outer Banks.
22. Sit down and mine my grandparents for their memories.
23. Do ten “touristy” things in Oklahoma (0/10).
24. Rent a cabin in the Arbuckle Mountains.
25. Go on a leaf peeping drive.
26. Take myself on a writing retreat.
27. Attend a blogging conference.
28. Attend a writing conference.
29. Beautify the flower beds around my house.
30. Write a blog post every day for a year (0/365).

Related posts:

1. The End
2. Lessons Learned While Wedding Planning #1
3. 23 Things That Happened in My 23rd Year

♥ the scent of maple syrup mingling with fluffy, buttery pancakes in the morning
♥ extra blankets
♥ accepting life as it is, right now
♥ a freshly mopped floor
♥ borrowed books
♥ “Every writer wants to be believed. But every writer knows he is spurious; every fiction writer would rather be credible than authentic.” – John le Carré
♥ warm sheets when the weather turns cold
♥ words spilling onto the page
♥ You are the stream, the fish, the light,
the pulsing shadow.
You the unchanging presence, in whom all
moves and changes.
How can I focus my flickering, perceive
at the fountain’s heart
the sapphire I know is there? – Denise Levertov

Related posts:

1. In my heart I feel I’ve always known you
2. ♥
3. What does it mean when…

20. The Way We Were
You’ll never find anyone as good for you as I am, to believe in you as much as I do, or to love you as much.

“Two desperate people have a wonderful romance, but their political views and convictions drive them apart.”

Ain’t that the way it goes? Hmph.

I’m glad I saw this movie purely because it helped me to understand approximately 27 references made to it in Gilmore Girls, but even without all of that, it’s one of my favorites. I’m a sucker for a Babs movie and this one is awesome. It’s a classic so I won’t go into any details, but you should watch it sometime if you haven’t.

Moral of this story: Don’t marry someone if your plan is to try and change them.

19. You’ve Got Mail & The Shop Around the Corner
Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms.

Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, valuable but small. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it or because I haven’t been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when, shouldn’t it be the other way around? I don’t really want an answer, I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So, goodnight, dear void.

I bundle these two together because in my mind they need to be that way. There’s probably only one other movie that I have watched more than these and it’s closer to the top (We’ll be getting to it soon). The first time I watched You’ve Got Mail, it was love. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks together, as cliched as that paring may be at this point, are wonderful (I love Sleepless in Seattle even though you won’t find it on this list). I’ve had to come a long way to get back to just enjoying this movie because I wrote my big capstone paper over it in my last course for my English degree. You’re probably wondering how that works, well, my class was “Comedy & Laughter.” And it was a joy. It made me very critical of this film though and there are some parts in it that, when I sit down and really think them out, I can’t get my head around them. Some of the character’s decisions seem like they come out of nowhere.

But you know what? That’s how love is.

Online love. Sigh. Back in the day before sex predators were a huge concern. This one holds a special place in my heart. Some of the very best relationships in my life happened in part thanks to AOL Instant Messenger. Thank you, AIM, for helping out a girl who is really bad at getting the right words out of her mouth.

Note about this film & me: I wore my hair like Meg Ryan has hers in this movie for about 3 years. I’m not brave enough to go back to that though. Her style here seems to mirror my own, which is to say — cardigans and sheath dresses and Mary Janes. I think there is a causal relationship between this movie and my affinity for Barnes & Noble.

The Shop Around the Corner was inspired by the same play that spawned You’ve Got Mail (as was Judy Garland’s In The Good Old Summertime which I find dreadful) and it’s a must-see simply because James Stewart stars in it. The premise is similar, only the main characters are pen pals and co-workers, and it’s set in Budapest around 1940. Pick it up or try to catch it on TCM someday. It’s lovely.

18. Steel Magnolias
I do not see plays, because I can nap at home for free. And I don’t see movies ’cause they’re trash, and they got nothin’ but naked people in ‘em! And I don’t read books, ’cause if they’re any good, they’re gonna make ‘em into a miniseries.

I am a woman, I am technically from the south, and this movie is the real deal. You can quote it all day around my house and it just sounds like normal talk. It’s precious and perfect in so many ways. When I see it on TV, I have to stop. I think it should be required watching…for life.

17. Nine Lives
Every life has a story. And every story has a life of its own.

Another group of interwoven stories by Rodrigo García. This is one of those films where I don’t feel comfortable saying much about the plot because it’s all connected and you have to see the whole thing play out. It’s beautiful and I think that the film shows just what a grasp the writer/director has on human behavior and relationships. He writes things that are real.

Here’s what Roger Ebert had to say — “Rodrigo Garcia … the son of the novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez … has the same love for his characters, and although his stories are all (except for one) realistic, he shares his father’s appreciation for the ways lives interweave and we touch each other even if we are strangers. A movie like this, with the appearance of new characters and situations, focuses us; we watch more intently, because it is important what happens.”

16. Once
What’s the Czech for “Do you love him”?

Would I have enjoyed this film if I hadn’t seen it until I was much older? I don’t know. Sometimes things come along at the right time in your life and this is one of them for me. It came out toward the end of my time in college and it touched my heart. It’s a quiet piece of film-making that captures a few days in the lives of two people. (SPOILER) It does not have the storybook ending that you might expect, as life rarely does. But it shows that every once in a while there is someone who comes into your life, for no matter how short a time, that you will never forget.

Related posts:

1. 50 of My Favorite Films — 25-21
2. 50 of My Favorite Films — 35-31
3. 50 of My Favorite Films — 50-46

Related posts:

1. Tuesday List
2. Taking Advantage of the Public Library
3. Thursday Thirteen #37

Related posts:

1. Thursday Thirteen #46 – Thirteen Things I’m Way Excited to Receive As Wedding Gifts
2. Happy Birthday, Kevin!
3. Thursday Morning, Pre-National Championship Glass of Pretend Gatorade

♥ We cannot be young twice; we cannot turn upon our steps, and go back to gather the garlands we gathered ten years ago. And, therefore, with a gaze over on the cross upon the distant hills, and a remembrance always of the shadow land that lies beyond, let us endeavor to be contented with small things, and to make ourselves happy in the pleasantness of simple pleasures. – Holme Lee
♥ seeing our streetlight from the sky
♥ celebrating with family
♥ the first day of Autumn
♥ reconnecting
♥ a new book that you can’t put down
♥ The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands. – Psalm 19:1
♥ painting bright colors over dark
♥ ushering in the season
♥ welcoming the chill
♥ hearing the high school marching band practice early in the morning
♥ trips back home
♥ the -ember months

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1. The artist that began her
2. Where there is growth, there is life
3. You know what I like?

• Sugar-Free Cookie Dough Dip — yoooohmygoodness.
• A few tips on how to save money while raising a baby from the Farmers’ Almanac. Some of ‘em are kinda…”duh,” but good!
• Orange Infused Vinegar — going to try this. I love more natural cleaning options and this sounds great.
• I love this commercial. It makes me want to simultaneously dance around the room and make home improvements. (Watch the guy breaking it down behind the grill at the end. Love it.)
  
• Fact: Over my fall break, Mom and I are going to repaint the study. I’ll revisit this topic later.
• Southern American English: Y’all hear this — You guys know that I have always been a supporter of “y’all” and the occasional “y’all guys” or “y’all all.” It’s an amazing word! Try it!

Related posts:

1. Sunday Morning Coffee
2. Sunday Morning Coffee
3. My Corn-Fed, Deep Fried Okie Romance — Part 13

25. Mrs. Dalloway
I don’t know what I feel. I know that I loved her once and that it stayed with me all my life and colored everything.

I sought this film out because I thought it looked beautiful. It is. The flowers, the parties, the English countryside — it’s all I could ask for Throw in a man who loves a woman only to have her choose someone else and it’s just tragic enough to make my list. I love this story. The book has been a favorite of mine for many years and the film does a pretty good job of capturing it. The whole time I’m cheering Peter on, hoping he’ll go ahead and ask Clarissa to marry him. Clearly he loves her!

But you can’t expect an answer to a proposal you’ve not made.

This video features some of my favorite moments from the film.

24. Somewhere In Time
Forgive me. I have never known this feeling. I have lived without it all my life. Is it any wonder, then, I failed to recognise you? You, who brought it to me for the first time. Is there any way that I can tell you how my life has changed? Any way at all to let you know what sweetness you have given me? There is so much to say. I cannot find the words. Except for these: I love you.

When I need a good cry, I turn to this. The magnetic pull of true love cannot be stopped…not even by the space-time continuum. Christopher Reeve has to go back (LOST reference!) to find the woman he’s fallen in love with (Jane Seymour). Well, he’s fallen in love with her photo and there’s some other crazy stuff that gets him to that point, but you get the idea. He goes back, finds her, and then Christopher Plummer walks in like a boss. It’s cheesy and WONDERFUL.

And I’ll say it again. All I really want is Jane Seymour’s hair.

(Just go straight to 4:30 and proceed from there)

23. 13 Conversations About One Thing
I wish, I wish we could see into the future sometimes. That’s the problem, isn’t it? I mean, life – it only makes sense when you look at it backwards.

Thirteen different stories, all connected. I love these stories that feature multiple points-of-view. There are a few of them on this list. Not much to say about this one other than it’s a quiet film. It won’t be for everyone, but I think anyone who appreciates good writing will enjoy it. BONUS: Matthew McConaughey in one of his more serious roles.

22. Pretty in Pink
Well, that’s very nice. I’m glad. Well here’s… here’s the point, Andie. I’m not particularly concerned with whether or not you like me, because I live to like you and… and I can’t like you anymore. So… so when you’re feeling real low and… and dirty, and your heart is splattered all over hell, don’t look to me to pump you back up ’cause… ’cause… ’cause maybe for the first time in your life I WON’T BE THERE!

Let me get this out in the open. I’m a Duckie girl. Duckie always wins for me so (SPOILER ALERT!) I hate the end of this movie. But the rest of it is great. It’s one of those films that I saw at exactly the right point in my life (’98 or ’99). I was angsty enough to really appreciate it and awkward enough to have it strike a chord.

Advice from a pretty-much-grown woman to young girls out there: Choose the guy that is your friend. Don’t listen to the people who say that you can’t make the jump from the “friend ladder” to the “dating ladder” (have you heard that theory? psh). Andrew McCarthy’s “Blane” literally has the least amount of personality of anyone in this movie. I give him and Andie 2 months, tops, from the end of the film. And if you don’t take away anything else from this — stay away from James Spader. Don’t believe me? Watch new episodes of The Office.

21. The Little Mermaid
What would I give
To live where you are?
What would I pay
To stay here beside you?
What would I do to see you
Smiling at me?

Where would we walk?
Where would we run?
If we could stay all day in the sun?
Just you and me
And I could be
Part of your world

No, I didn’t get to play Ariel on the playground, but I still loved this movie…probably more than any other as a small child. Let me tell you how it spoke to me at age 5 in 1989. I thought I was oppressed. Stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing but my imagination to keep me going. Seriously, that’s what was going through my brain. I totally blame this movie for turning me into a feminist early on

Other than that, the bits about feeling so separated and a world apart from the person you love most — that gets me.

Related posts:

1. 50 of My Favorite Films — 35-31
2. 50 of My Favorite Films — 50-46
3. 50 of My Favorite Films — 40-36

30. Thumbelina
Let me be your wings / Leave behind the world you know / For another world of wondrous things

This one was really underrated when it was released (I vividly remember the episode of Siskel & Ebert) but I LOVED it. Possibly because the prince in the story was sporting a ROCKIN’ bowl haircut. And when I was in 3rd-4th grade that was awesome.

I love this one for the music. There are a number of sweet songs and it features a voice familiar to many of you out there — Jodi Benson. That’s right. Ariel from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. (She’ll be 50 this year!) And the music is composed by none other than Barry Manilow. I didn’t know this until years later, but it goes to show how exquisite my taste was even back when I was in elementary school.

Oh, Mandy…

29. William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.

Let me first say that I hated reading this in high school. And to that I should also add that yes, I do have a degree in English, but for the most part I could do without Shakespeare. (Do looove Macbeth though.)

You hear that in the distance? They are coming for me, so I’ve got to hurry this along.

The story itself doesn’t do much for me. The kids are immature and behave in ways that would make you think their frontal lobes aren’t fully functional. Oh wait. They’re adolescents…so their brains aren’t firing on all cylinders. Anyway, even if the story isn’t right up my alley, this movie is. I love the cinematography, the way Baz Luhrmann and the screenwriters made this flow so seamlessly in a modern setting.

The “Kissing You” (party) scene is my favorite of them all. The song still makes my heart all fluttery like the first time I saw it in 1997. Sigh. Young love, people.

This is the one on the list that my husband will not watch again. I watched Dune in exchange for him watching this. In case you don’t recall, I WAS ON THE LOSING END, folks.

28. Beauty & the Beast
I want adventure in the great wide somewhere
I want it more than I can tell
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than they’ve got planned

Allow me to set the scene for you. It’s 1991. I’ve just started 1st grade. We’ve survived the hey day of The Little Mermaid. My best friend has long, flowing red hair. Guess who gets to be Ariel on the playground? Hint: Not the somewhat tall for her age brunette.

And then I saw a short segment about a new Disney movie on Entertainment Tonight (why was I watching this??). The heroine’s name was Belle, she had brown hair, and loved to read.

SCORE.

As the only brunette in my class who was interested in being a princess in playground games, my role was secure for at least the next year.

Beauty & the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales of all time. I think the story and the lessons to be learned from it are awesome. It’s so much more than just a silly romance. It’s a story of redemption, seeing the good inside a person, and getting past fear and prejudice. I love it. It speaks to me.

27. Out of Africa
Perhaps he knew, as I did not, that the Earth was made round so that we would not see too far down the road.

It’s an odd feeling, farewell. There is such envy in it. Men go off to be tested, for courage. And if we’re tested at all, it’s for patience, for doing without, for how well we can endure loneliness.

Bring me some tissue because I’m going to cry just thinking about it. I don’t have the words to do it justice.

Sydney Pollack was a master. John Barry, a genius. And I’d give my eye teeth to have Meryl Streep portray a character that I wrote.

If you haven’t seen this film — what are you waiting for? Every bit of it is breathtaking.

26. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
You must make your own life amongst the living and, whether you meet fair winds or foul, find your own way to harbor in the end.

Gene Tierney stars as Lucy Muir, a widow who comes to live in a haunted seaside cottage in England. Rex Harrison is the dashing, and very dead, Capt. Gregg. It’s a sweet movie and one of my favorite things about it is Rex Harrison’s humorous delivery. Capt. Gregg has an opinion on everything and because so few people can actually see or hear him, he’s very open to sharing it.

This one is heartbreaking in a way, despite the light tone the film takes at times, because these two are separated by the greatest gulf that exists. Catch it on TV sometime. It’s shown quite often.

–

We’re halfway through!

Related posts:

1. A Somber Sunday Evening
2. 50 of My Favorite Films — 50-46
3. 50 of My Favorite Films — 35-31