Lauren the Artist:

My dearest friend Lauren has been living in Korea for a few years now, taking classes, meeting people, and getting into mischief. Recently, to add to her list of accomplishments, she had a gallery showing of her artwork. Because yes, now she is an artist too. Check out the video from her show:

If you look closely you can spy my portrait.



That's her singing too. Talent all over the place.

Lauren is finally stateside and currently spending quality time with her sister in Delaware. But she's Arkansas bound soon (!) and I cannot wait to see her.

Happy Birthday:

Big news:

So, over a month ago, my friend Kat (of the Order fame) invited us over to check out pictures from their European vacation. And she made this video:



I was completely stunned after watching it. I thought it was a joke! But after it had a chance to sink in, I've had time to process and I am so unbelievably happy for them and excited to meet the first official junior member of the Order. And I'm glad that the word is out now because I've been in suspense ever since she told us.

They just found out today that it's a boy (just like they thought) and so far, everything's great. Can't wait for that little boy to hurry up and get here so he can meet all his aunts!

So head on over to Kat's blog and give her a congratulatory shout out!

Pure awesomeness.

Tonight I discovered one of my new favorite things:

Taking screenshots of friends' faces freezing during video chats. Haah.

If you're chatting with me, watch out, you could be next.

Black Friday is the worst day. ever.

I am not one for Black Friday shopping. In fact, I avoid it at all costs. I refuse to leave the house. Getting up at 3 am to brave huge crowds to score some awesome deal just isn't worth it for me. I would much rather spend the day cuddle up in front of a movie, snacking on Thanksgiving leftovers and putting up the Christmas tree. But I have to admit, I am sort of loving Amazon.com's whole Black Friday thing. It's going on all week and I kind of can't stop watching the countdown to the unveiling of the newest deal. It has all the suspense of Ebay without all the competition. And it allows me to shop while doing my two favorite things: 1. avoiding crowds of the most annoying people on the planet and 2. being a hermit. What's not to love about it?

Check it out at Amazon.com. Just don't snag the last copy of whatever I've got my eye on.

P.S. One half of the dymanic Walker duo will be making an appearance all the way from Delaware today!

Can I just start over?

I know, it's been forever. And I feel terribly guilty (which is part of the reason I have avoided this page like the plague -- fear of facing that guilt). But here I am. I've been busy. Here is a little of what we've been up to:

Both twins were actually here in AR at the same time (and the world almost imploded). The Order was able to reunite for about a week. I needed that week desperately. I forget how much those girls are a part of who I am and where I come from. I needed that reminder.

We got to have our traditional birthday celebration @ Chuck E. Cheese

We attended the viewing of the films submitted for the 2010 Little Rock 48 Hour Film Festival. K & L, along with their brother, produced a film that is pretty fantastic. Beautiful, actually. I know I'm a little biased, but even if I weren't obsessed with the parties involved, this would probably still have been my favorite. I should be appearing on YouTube soon. I'll post a link as soon as it's available.

I've applied for some pretty promising opportunities that I am hoping to hear about this week. And in the meantime, I've been reading anything and everything I can get my hands on. The list of books I've read this year thus far has been growing rapidly. It's becoming rather lengthy.

We've got a few other exciting opportunities in the works. Maybe. I'll let you know more when I can.

Oh and tonight I watched a documentary on the life and works of Simon Wiesenthal, architect turned Nazi hunter, entitled I Have Never Forgotten You. It is incredible. He was an amazing man. I am adding his memoirs, The Murderers Among Us, to my must read list. I highly recommend that documentary. He did remarkable things with his life.

And we've taken the plunge and gone completely vegetarian. It's not that I have a problem with eating meat (I actually had chicken at lunch today with the girls), it's just I've always been weird when it comes to eating certain things, especially meat. Red meat gives me migraines so for the last year or so I've been eating chicken exclusively but lately, we've just become so incredibly aware of so many problems with the mistreatment of animals, including chickens, that we've just reached our breaking point and can no longer look the other way. And so while we do love meat, we've decided that this personal decision is more important than our appetites. I'm still not sure how I'm going to do without Chick-fil-a. Maybe I will just become a Chick-fil-arian.

Korean snacks are really great.

Been kind of MIA for the past few days due to an incredibly crippling migraine. But here is what you missed:
L's boyfriend, Han Joo, stepped off the plane fresh from S. Korea. And we were there to welcome him.

That's me and K & L's brother, Brent.

We went to a Traveler's game (they lost) and then went out for drinks at Creegan's. Kat and Gary joined us.

Saturday -- migraine.

Today Andrew and I browsed foreign language aids at Barnes & Noble. We are thinking about brushing up on Latin and maybe even another language. I'm leaning towards Italian. Did you know you can go to Italy and take a 2 week language course at a university? You spend the mornings in class and the rest of the time out, immersed in the language and culture. And apparently, during those two weeks, you are able to learn more than in an entire year in a classroom stateside. And that a lot of the time, these "language vacations" cost less than a typical vacation. Score! We're going to Italy!

Oh and I also discovered that our local Walmart now sells shirts and other apparel from my high school.

And, just an FYI, I've recently been entertaining the idea of going to grad school. But if I do, it's going to be somewhere amazing. And it'll be to do something no one saw coming.

And LB, look for the latest installment of the CD exchange club coming to a mailbox near you.

My life has become considerably more interesting with the return of one Walker.

For example, today I:

1. Supervised L while she cleaned her room. I also tried on her glasses.

2. Looked at vintage bicycles with Andrew online.

3. Rocked my new headphones (anniversary present!) during every free moment.

4. Made signs in preparation for L's boyfriend's arrival from S. Korea.

5. Ate pizza and sour gummy worms left over from last night's movie fest with L. Very glamorous.

Tuesdays are better spent doing nothing.

I have really enjoyed having L home from Korea. It's been great having someone to run around with all day long. Just like high school summers.

Today we spent all day in the River Market. We walked around, had lunch (I got bubble tea -- so good!), visited the folks at Ten Thousand Villages, and browsed my new favorite place, River Market Books and Gifts. They have 3 floors of used books and a cafe. After an hour or so of perusing, I left with two books, Peace Like a River and The Jane Austen Book Club (for a little less than $10). And I'm still a huge fan of thriftbooks and purchase from them frequently, I like having a local used book store where I can spend an entire free afternoon.

I started reading Peace Like a River a few days ago when I borrowed it from the library but since I now own it, I'm bringing it back tomorrow.

Here's the summary from the inside sleeve:

"Leif Enger's debut is an extraordinary novel -- an epic of generosity and heart that reminds us of the restorative power of great literature. The story of a father raising his three children in 1960s Minnesota, Peace Like a River is at once a heroic quest, a tragedy, a love story, and a haunting meditation on the possibility of magic in the everyday world. Raised on tales of cowboys and pirates, eleven-year-old Reuben Land has little doubt that miracles happen all around us, and that it's up to us to "make of it what we will." Reuben was born with no air in his lungs, and it was only when his father, Jeremiah, picked him up and commanded him to breathe that his lungs filled. Reuben struggles with debilitating asthma from then on, making him a boy who knows firsthand that life is a gift, and also one who suspects that his father is touched by God and can overturn the laws of nature. The quiet Midwestern life of the Lands is upended when Davy, the oldest son, kills two marauders who have come to harm the family; unlike his father, he is not content to leave all matters of justice in God's hands. The morning of his sentencing, Davy -- a hero to some, a cold-blooded murderer to others -- escapes his cell, and the Lands set out in search of him. Their journey is touched by serendipity and the kindness of strangers -- among them a free spirit named Roxanna, who offers them a place to stay during a blizzard and winds up providing them with something far more permanent. Meanwhile, a federal agent is trailing the Lands, convinced they know of Davy's whereabouts. With Jeremiah at the helm, the family covers territory far more extraordinary than even the Badlands where they search for Davy from their Airstream trailer. Sprinkled with playful nods to biblical tales, beloved classics such as Huckleberry Finn, the adventure stories of Robert Louis Stevenson, and the westerns of Zane Grey, Peace Like a River unfolds like a revelation."

Told from the perspective of eleven-year-old Reuben, I love how funny this book is. There are times when I literally laugh out loud. And then I read them to Andrew and he laughs out loud too. But probably my most favorite thing about this book is the quote on the cover "So wondrous and wise you'll want to claw yourself with pleasure." Wtf. Claw myself? Really?

After our adventures in Little Rock, L and I returned home where I dazzled her with my ability to make an incredible iced chai tea. Twice.

And then we ate Chinese, chatted, and watched some of The Blind Side (one of the best movies ever). And she taught me some words in Korean. Maybe I'll bust them out on you sometime.

Also, my new current obsession (besides bubble tea and local used bookstores): Real Simple Magazine.

Rim's Homecoming

Went to the airport last night and got to experience, with one of my very favorite families, the homecoming of our dear old Rim. I am so happy that she is back in the US, but it is still a little hard to believe.

Day with Rim

Today Rim (Lauren) and I spent the day together. We took Tillie for a walk, painted some pottery at the painted pig, and enjoyed cupcakes at Cupcakes On Kavenaugh. I got a vanilla one and brought home a Godiva chocolate one to enjoy later. I brought it home for Andrew, but I'll probably end up eating it.

Andrew has been having fun hanging out with his friends, hanging out, playing games, and eating. Its good to see him having such a great time with friends he hasn't seen in forever. I am glad he gets this opportunity.

Had a really good chat with Kristin today too. I'm so proud of the work she is doing there and I'm really glad to hear that she is having a really good couple of weeks.

Ice skating with friends

Today we had friends come in from Jonesboro and we spent the day at the mall, ice skating, eating @ Purple Cow and just hanging out. Andrew fell a few times and hurt his hands. I didn't fall once and even managed skating on one foot.

A Friendly Friday

I had forgotten how good it can be to catch up with old friends. Today I was reminded of that.

Here are some of the highlights of the day:
Chi Tea Lattes at Community Bakery
Finally checking out that antique store in Argenta
Working on the puzzle my nephew got me
Watching Bridget Jones's Diary with Tillie