tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58415641246922628022024-03-13T08:59:58.692-04:00[slight obsessions]you and me, killing time in the present tenseDTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.comBlogger268125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-28096128259073384032015-01-02T20:28:00.000-05:002015-01-05T10:40:54.905-05:00in memoriam: Barbara Anne
One year ago today, my sweet grandmother passed away. I'm sad that she didn't get to meet her great-grandson this year (I was only about 12 weeks pregnant with him at her funeral), but I'm also thankful she's at peace after many long years with Alzheimer's. What follows is what I wrote (and read) for her service last January when we laid her to rest:
My
Dad, Ralph Jr., asked if I’d say DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309069992607325672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-45870834077693037892014-07-08T20:55:00.000-04:002014-07-08T21:01:16.785-04:00and now, we waitPeople keep asking if I'm ready for this baby to arrive. The short answer is "Yes." The real answer is "Does one ever feel ready to push a watermelon-sized person through one's ladyhole?" (If you haven't seen this clip of Mila Kunis from Jimmy Kimmel you should watch it.)
But yes, I'm as ready as I'm going to be. We have all the necessities and recommended baby paraphernalia (thanks to many DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-62128673832570862152013-08-13T21:39:00.002-04:002013-08-13T21:39:34.941-04:00oh yeah, the other dogDo you remember when I made such a big deal about getting our first dog Gabby's DNA results?Then we got another pup and like most "second children," she never got quite the same level of attention as the first. Well we did do a DNA test for dog #2 (Jazz) but I never posted the results. Until now... [dramatic music swells]...
So she's basically a certified mutt. I feel that these inconclusive DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-19584473179544819592013-08-08T22:21:00.002-04:002013-08-08T22:21:49.853-04:00humans of indianapolisHave you heard of Humans of New York? Hands down, favorite blog. The founder flits about NYC taking pictures and interviewing perfect strangers. (Strange side note: after I'd been following this blog for months I read the photographer's bio and realized he went to the University of Georgia while I was there).
I was so obsessed with this blog I decided to copy the idea. You can read about DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-39405331863502808112013-08-06T22:54:00.000-04:002013-08-06T23:06:17.142-04:00silence
I've not blogged since April for three reasons (cough::excuses).
1) The weather; if it's not raining, I feel like I'm wasting time being indoors.
2) I've been a reading fiend; I have taken a timeout from my own personal writing, quit watching most TV, and am making a concerted effort to read as much as possible.
3) My blog domain (slightobsessions.com) expired and I don't even DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07309069992607325672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-4751813602973331252013-04-24T22:54:00.001-04:002013-04-25T13:11:08.860-04:00memoir updateDamn near forgot I had a blog...
Update! March Memoir Madness was a success. I wrote for a half hour every day ::cough:: with a few exceptions—staying focused on Fridays is nearly impossible!
The best part about going through that exercise is it's breathed new life into old writing and—frankly—gotten me excited again about a project I'd fallen slightly out of love with: a memoir of the DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-34799416798699260092013-03-03T21:55:00.003-05:002013-03-03T22:15:58.927-05:00march [memoir] madnessI may be mediocre at most things, but I'm spectacular at procrastinating.
The memoir I started writing last January has sat untouched in a Dropbox folder since—June? Pitiful.
As much as I love writing, I'm easily distracted by TV. By instagram. By the two needy puppies who are as annoying as they are cute.
In an effort to get off my lazy lump and make some writing progress, I've instituted #DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-33325900431820885882013-01-24T21:58:00.001-05:002013-01-24T22:05:13.576-05:00new ways to sweat (1 of 5)You know those people who make waaaaay too many New Year's resolutions and then have a hard time keeping them? Yeah, I'm one of them. But if I blog about my resolutions... will I feel more responsible for following through? It's worth a shot.
One of these resolutions is to try at least 5 different workouts that are out of my comfort zone.
First up: BODYPUMP
I saw a poster at the gym for a DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-15019348332072709002013-01-21T22:35:00.000-05:002013-01-25T18:05:05.346-05:00MLK day 2013"With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-72384321557625737762013-01-10T23:24:00.000-05:002013-01-10T23:24:23.149-05:00alter egoIs it weird that I look forward to (eventually) having less-than-perfect eyesight so I can geek out in glasses? I've been waiting since 4th grade, when American Girl Molly McIntire was my hero. I mean, the way she played capture the flag like a bad-ass and rocked those glasses. And the beret? Oh, the beret! She was fab.
In the meantime though, I bought these... zero prescription glasses. Just DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-19361771390687979752013-01-08T20:36:00.000-05:002013-01-08T20:38:37.340-05:00'twas the month after christmasIt's January. I know it's January. But I still find myself humming Christmas carols.
I love how cozy the house felt with stockings hung by the chimney, family hand-me-down decorations hanging about, and the smell of evergreen.
So, please pardon the unseasonable post. I just needed an excuse to reflect.
Gabby, decked out in her Santa scarf.
An Annalee Advent calendar from my Mom. AnnaleeDTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-62875301965782594772013-01-07T22:04:00.001-05:002013-01-07T22:04:16.302-05:00crafty ballsThat's right. This is a post about crafty balls. Okay, okay—crafty Christmas ornaments to be precise.
When our dear friends Laura and Matt were married this summer, their wedding favors were jars of homemade blueberry jam. As delicious as it was cute.
I had the idea to keep the blueberry-print fabric and turn it into keepsake Christmas ornaments. Turned out to be pretty easy, even for the DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-87664886879650629322012-12-31T21:23:00.000-05:002012-12-31T23:40:15.105-05:00first snowAfter spending Christmas in Georgia and Florida, we came back home to a winter wonderland and Gabby had her first taste of winter in Indiana. Here's a quick video... she's wearing a little dog blanket that my mom loaned us—it used to belong to our family dog, growing up in New Hampshire. It's a bit big on her, but she's just 9 months old so she might grow into it.
Needless to say, she loves the DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-12463646865526730982012-11-29T23:07:00.001-05:002012-11-29T23:14:19.961-05:00saturdayIs it weird for a girl to love football so much?
I can't help it, it runs in the family. My grandfather played in the NFL back in the day and—brag alert—was first round draft pick to the LA Rams in 1950. Following in my grandfather's college footsteps, my dad played four years at Villanova.
Had I been born a male, I too may have gone on to be a football legend. But since we DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-13681608822010110742012-11-14T23:06:00.002-05:002012-11-14T23:10:55.811-05:00rest for pilgrimsA house of shelter or rest for pilgrims, strangers, etc.
If you look up hospice in the dictionary, that's the first definition you'll find.
I learned yesterday that my grandmother is now under hospice care. She's traveled slowly down the road of Alzheimer's for about seven or eight years.
She wouldn't know me if she saw me today. Because she lives in Maine (and because she canDTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-3152039472700305482012-11-08T22:08:00.000-05:002012-11-08T22:08:05.530-05:00wet nose. warm fuzzies.Morning person, I am not. And yet every morning since August, I've been waking up a bit earlier so that this fur face can have her morning walk.
Not such a sacrifice in the summertime but recent mornings have dipped down to the 30s, with every surface covered in blue-white frost.
It makes for a chillier start to the day, but a much warmer ending curled up with this pup. Like DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-52767054176931536722012-11-04T20:42:00.000-05:002012-11-08T21:42:42.738-05:00the boardwalkThis is the Jersey Shore as I knew it. A far cry from the MTV reality show.
It's where my brothers, cousins and I spent all summer building sandcastles, chasing seagulls, and riding waves on our boogie boards.
It's where we had to wash every last grain of sand off our bodies before we could set foot in my grandmother's beach house.
And it's where—if we were very well behaved allDTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-26027291269797011632012-11-03T11:19:00.001-04:002012-11-03T23:25:23.065-04:00south havenIn September, we ventured to South Haven, MI, a quaint beach town on the edge of Lake Michigan, to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary. It's an easy four-hour drive north from Indy.
Too chilly for swimming but perfect for lounging at a bed and breakfast, wandering around shops and bookstores, whiling away the afternoon in a wine bar, and reflecting on what a year it has been.
view DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-7220044857566657942012-11-01T20:30:00.000-04:002012-11-03T23:11:39.858-04:00the [other] fame monsterSpeaking of happier things...
The silver lining of our home robbery turned out to be an 18-pound ball of fur, who's since grown into a 36-pound little monster.
This is Gabby. She likes the spotlight, or (let's be honest) I like to put the spotlight on her. Since we adopted her in August, she's become the subject of incessant Instagram-ing.
But her biggest claim to fame so far? Five DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-46369393059476099832012-10-31T18:30:00.000-04:002012-11-03T23:16:27.482-04:00picking up the pieces
I stand in my bedroom, in the dark, hands on my face, surveying the open dresser drawers, bare nightstands, and glass on the floor. The heavy July air pushes in through the open window and I hear my own voice in a manic chant, "Who the fuck steals lamps? Who the fuck steals lamps?"
It's been said that nothing bad can happen to a writer, because everything is material.
In DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-6731294011010585082012-10-03T23:34:00.000-04:002012-10-03T23:34:43.582-04:00doggie DNA results
The Humane Society thought she was part German Shepherd.
The vet thought she was part Doberman.
The husband thought she was part Beagle.
...want to take a guess?
...
...
...
Turns out our little pup is an American Bulldog/American Staffordshire Terrier mix. The mix part could be anything from Chow Chow to Saluki (never heard of it). Completely amazed that they can DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-84801461738222072272012-08-14T20:20:00.000-04:002012-08-15T21:51:32.892-04:00pup + harmonica
What a weird month it's been. Until I have the stamina to write it all down, I'll just post a cute video instead. Sorry?
DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-84598775035964503872012-07-18T20:30:00.000-04:002012-07-18T20:30:24.903-04:00can't keep it to myself
My Dad sent me (and a long list of others) this email today:
I received a text from our son Nick today. Who most of you know is a Mechanical Engineer at Georgia Tech.
"Dad, I never realized how much I learned from you. No one else on my team really know how to use power tools or about pilot holes and stuff like that. Thank you. Love you"
I responded back to him… "And I have learned a DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-92056750437653850922012-07-07T13:02:00.001-04:002012-07-07T13:03:41.474-04:00talking and rocking"My uncle says there used to be front porches. And people sat there sometimes at night, talking when they wanted to talk, rocking, and not talking when they didn't want to talk. Sometimes they just sat there and thought about things, turned things over..." -Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
Oh friends, I wish our front porch was big enough to fit you all on it! This has become my new favorite DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841564124692262802.post-36058204814012924812012-06-11T20:57:00.002-04:002012-06-11T21:00:12.189-04:00i don't like mad men (gasp)For years, I've heard people rave about it, and for years I've avoided getting sucked into yet another series. But I finally broke down and starting watching Mad Men a few weeks ago. I've made it seven episodes, and I have to say... I probably won't be watching any others.
I know, it's sacrilegious, especially because I work as a copywriter in the advertising industry. It should be right up my DTPfromATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10246026039315878345noreply@blogger.com0