General Highlights:
I wondered why I still feel so tired after a five-day weekend, but putting together this post answered that question for me. November was nonstop.
I ran two 5Ks (one for my alma mater, one for the House of Mews), and my first Turkey Trot 4-Miler. To my own surprise and joy, I cut three minutes off my last four-miler time in September. That’s probably the quickest progress I’ll ever see! I really need to join one of the many running groups in Midtown for more companionship at races.
Mostly due to hunting, my immediate family has split up on Thanksgiving for many years. I’ve had Thanksgiving with friends, with extended family in Miami, and with my BIL’s family. But this year, I got to be with my parents and brother! (“So they’ve killed all the deer?” a friend asked innocently.) It was great. This photo is actually the best of our Thanksgiving group pics – the others were thumb shots.
We celebrated Myla‘s birthday, and also her baby boy, due in January! My baby-shower tolerance is low these days, but I had a genuinely great time at hers. Excited to meet Baby Wolf! ♥
After an amazing 8-0 run, during which they briefly became a contender for a New Year’s bowl, my Tigers lost three straight. We closed the season well on Saturday with a 63-0 trouncing of SMU… then lost our wonderful coach the next day. Meanwhile, basketball season has started (I have fantastic new seats), and those Tigers are all over the place. So far we’ve lost to some UT offshoot and beaten Ohio State. Bottom line: in Memphis sports, getting your heart broken is part of the deal.
Reading:
Drew Barrymore’s latest memoir, Wildflower, is a really enjoyable read. There are stories about her childhood, skydiving with Cameron Diaz, motherhood as someone who never had traditional parents, and her creative soulmate Adam Sandler… among other topics. I first picked up Shine Shine Shine in a bookstore several years ago, read a few pages, and made a mental note to find it later at the library. Well, I finally did, and gave it five stars. It’s an unusual novel about an unusual family and I loved it.
Watching:
I saw Mockingjay Part 2 with my friends, and The Peanuts Movie with my mom, who surprised me at the theater with my old Charlie Brown doll. Hilarious.
Video:
I feel like SNL knocks it out of the park about once a year. This year’s best episode was the pre-Thanksgiving episode with Matthew McConaughey. Do yourself a favor and watch the whole thing. My favorites were the Adele Thanksgiving miracle (which has already become shorthand in my family) and Should You Weigh In On This?
Around Town:
Kelsey and I attended Ignite vol. 9 at the beautiful new Halloran Centre. It was my first Ignite event – if you don’t know how it works, learn about it here. It was fun and inspiring, and I’ll go again! My favorite talks were by Paul Morris of the Downtown Memphis Commission, and Brian Balough, founder of Wiseacre Brewery.
We had a great Supper Club at Greencork on a rainy night; I went to the Broad Avenue water tower lighting with my mom and Gwen; and I finally did my duty as a Memphian and went with my friends to Raiford’s. It was a blast.
Also, per my tradition, I saw the New Ballet Ensemble Nut ReMix at the Cannon Center. It’s one of my favorite events of the year. Usually, alumnus/Memphian Lil Buck headlines, but this year he’s busy touring with Madonna and promoting his new shoe line with Versace. NBD. The show was as awesome as ever.
Cooking/Eating:
I was in charge of desserts for Thanksgiving! I tried a new pumpkin pie recipe – highly recommended, but don’t bake at 300 as she says, unless you want to wait all day. (Also: pre-made pie crust saves half an hour!) I also attempted to make mini apple bundt cakes, but the recipe I randomly chose didn’t yield hefty enough batter for mini bundts. So I baked the rest as a sheet cake, added the fallen-apart cakes as a crumb topping, and covered it all with a brown sugar glaze. Not perfect, but I didn’t put peas or onions in anything, so it was all good.
After we couldn’t get in at the Beauty Shop one morning, Kelsey and I discovered the fantastic Sunday brunch at Strano. We will be back.
Beauty:
My last few mascaras have been Maybelline, and this new kind is the best I’ve tried yet! (The angel wings make me happy too.) I also grabbed this NYC eyeliner at Dollar Tree, and it’s outperforming several expensive eyeliners I’d researched and ordered online. Sure, I can’t sharpen it, but it cost a dollar.
Quote of the Month:
Not a quote exactly, but my new official answer to this question:
On The Blog:
I participated in Hollywood Housewife’s One Day project for the third time. I also wrote about my trip to Iceland for my friend Kim’s travel blog, Girl Lost in the World: a list of my top five Iceland must-sees, and an ode to Icelandic geothermal hot tubs! I will eventually write more about my trip here on my own blog.
Posts I Loved:
♥ Elisabeth Klein: How to Be Okay with Things that You’re Not Okay With
♥ Amanda at All the Little Pieces: Force Quit: An Invitation
♥ Kelsey Munger: What Evangelicals Get Wrong About the Personal Narrative
♥ Erin at Design for Mankind: When Your Friend Changes
♥ Micha Boyett: The Faith Chapter
♥ Alana Semuels in The Atlantic: Dorms for Grownups: A Solution for Lonely Millennials?
Hi Brenda! Thanks for the shout out! I’m so glad you loved that post. :)
Thanks for writing it! :)
I was to try the NYC eyeliner. I have a problem finding good eyeliner. I absolutely adore Drew Barrymoore.
Oh my gosh. I had to look up that Thanksgiving Miracle skit and I was crying from laughing so hard. Thanks for the heads up!