Joy's Stories: “And There Was Revelry in the Camp”

Ten points to whoever can name that movie! I found that line oddly fitting since today is Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday, and the theme of this post is “my salute to indulgences,” or rather “the things I’m into right now.” :-)

1. The movie “500 Days of Summer” – My friend Taryn told me about this movie more than a year ago, and it’s been on my list ever since. We don’t find a lot of time to watch movies anymore; it has to really be a priority for us to seek it out (with the death of Blockbuster) and dedicate two consecutives hours of our attention to watching it. But this one… We finally made the time, and I loved it. Ryan really enjoyed it too. It was so unique and well-written and fun, and we promptly downloaded the soundtrack the very next day.

2. Speaking of music, Ryan and I both have a weakness for folk music. I know; I know. Not cool, per se. :-) For me, it started in college with my obsession with Jewel. Then she went more country, and I stopped buying her albums. Nowadays, it’s evolved into a love for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ song Home, which I could listen to all day. It’s definitely a hippie song. I like the idea of a family band traveling the country in a van. I saw that The Magnetic Zeros were coming to perform in Denver soon, and I asked Ryan if he wanted to get tickets. “No,” he responded. “We’d get a ‘contact high’ just being there.” True enough. :-)

3. Hot green tea. I’m the one that’s always sipped my white mocha while thinking the people who ordered hot tea were uppity health snobs. But I’m slowly being converted. I like Tazo’s Zen tea the best…enough that I bought my very own box and took some tea bags to work. Those will come in especially handy now that I am giving up coffee for Lent. It seems that I always make the decision to give up coffee right after I have stocked up on coffee and creamer at both work and home. Oh, well. It’ll keep, I suppose.

4. Pinterest. Oh my goodness. I always said I didn’t have time in my life for Pinterest. Then someone (Christie, I think) said that I needed to make time. It’s better to sit and be inspired by ideas that spur creativity rather than sit and stalk others’ lives on Facebook. :-) How is Pinterest changing my life? Oh, if I could only count the ways! There’s nothing like Pinterest to make me feel a kinship with other women who may have previously intimidated me. When I see that they, too, are in search of good systems for organizing their wrapping paper, I somehow feel that the playing field is leveled a bit. We’re all in this thing together, and nobody has it figured out quite yet. And if you do have it all figured out, well, you’re sharing it with others, and that’s just a nice thing to do. :-)

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Speaking of intimidating women and Lent, Ryan has challenged me to give up reading a specific blog for 40 days. Every time I read it, I have nothing positive to say about it. I become cynical and icky in my heart, yet I can’t stop reading! That’s hard for me to admit, but this is something I just need to do. I honestly think that the writer has pure intentions and speaks wisdom to a lot of people. But my personal interpretations of it stink and incite anger, bitterness, hatred, and (dare I say it?) jealousy in my heart. It’s certainly not pleasing to Christ. So if my eye causes me to sin, I’m supposed to “cut it out,” right? Thank you, Ryan, for being so candid with me about what my soul really needs.

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Here are some pictures of the last few days:

For Valentine’s Day, my mom and dad gave Ryley money to get a manicure and pedicure! We found this adorable little girls’ beauty salon called Sweet and Sassy, and I made her appointment for last Saturday morning. It was so fun! And now, guess what kind of birthday party Ryley is planning? :-)