Inspirational Quote of the Day

"May today there be peace within.

May you trust that you are exactly

where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities

that are born of faith in yourself and others.

May you use the gifts that you have received,

and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content with yourself

just the way you are.

Let this knowledge settle into your bones,

and allow your soul the freedom

to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us."

♥♥♥

 

-Mother Theresa

Fabulous Friend Fridays

As the title of this post suggests, I have absolutely fabulous friends.  These are women that I look to for laughter, support, love and concern, and they are truly some of the most honest and loyal people I have ever met.  I chose my friends carefully and for good reason.  In honor of these women I have decided I will dedicate a post each Friday to one of them. 

First up is my Big Sis.

When you join a sorority or fraternity, you are given a big sister or brother to act as a mentor and friend.  They are supposed to be older and wiser than you and they help you navigate the college years with a bit more mature direction.  Truthfully, very few of these relationships end up being exactly like this.  Many fall apart quickly after college, and many more never really seem to even get off the ground.  This was not the way of me and my Big.

My Big is a woman who I have admired and looked up to since the day I met her. She is classy, feminine and beautiful in everything she does. Simply gorgeous inside and out. She is also hands down one of the strongest women I have ever met.  She is never afraid to speak her mind and if you deserve it, she will put you in your place before you ever realize what is happening.  In the 11 years I have known her, I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen her cry.  When we met, I was in desperate need of a strong female role model in my life and My Big fit that bill perfectly.  I can honestly say I do not know if I would be alive today if it were not for her.  Since the day we became Big and Little, she has protected me and supported me through some of the hardest times of my life.  She is good at tough love when I need it, and I often need it. 

Her thoughts are always of others before herself. She is one of the few people who still sends handwritten cards in the mail.  When these sweet packages are delivered (which happens often) the penmanship on the envelope resembles the work of a hired calligrapher on a wedding invitation. But this is her normal handwriting. She also has been known to tuck little gifts into my suitcases which I do not find until I get home.  She adores jewelry, I would say this borders on an obsession, albeit a healthy one.  (Come on, what woman doesn't love sparkly jewels?)  She also loves mani/pedis; her nails always have polish on them. She is the kind of girl who keeps her shoes in their shoe boxes and she has alot of them. 

Being a guest at her house feels like you are staying at the best bed and breakfast ever. It always smells good and she loves burning yummy smelling candles. When I stayed with her for my birthday weekend, she hung up a happy birthday sign in the guest room. She's the kind of friend who puts a huge water in front of me when I pass out because she knows that when I wake up the first thing I will want is a huge glass of water. After a night on the town, she would never order a pizza or drive through a Taco Bell drive thru.  Intead, when we get home she'll cut up gourmet cheese and crackers and an apple and open a bottle of wine.  She is a bit OCD about keeping her house clean which is always more comfortable than going to a house where it's scary to sit for fear of what you might sit on.  She is detail oriented and it shows.  A card I recently sent to her said "Anyone who says there's no place like home has never stayed with you."  There could not be a truer statement.

My Big's deep love of being a wife and her marriage in general have become huge sources of inspiration for me.  This woman simply adores her husband and adores being his wife.  This fact oozes from every aspect of her being.  He is her #1 priority and she is his.  They take such good care of each other; they look out for one another and they treat each other like gold.  He is her protector, she is his rock.  I love being around the two of them and I love knowing that I will get to grow old with both of them and continue to watch their love grow.  These are going to be two of the best parents ever.

As I stand here on the cusp of my 30s, I am eternally grateful for my friendship with My Big.  I am so thankful that I was lucky enough to get a Big Sis who takes such good care of me.  Navigating my 20s was tough and she was right there beside me every step of the way cheering me on.  Looking forward to my 30s and what is to come, I have so much more confidence and deep rooted knowledge in myself now than I did 10 years ago.  A large part of that is due to My Big.

As we used to say in college...

Laura ♥'s her Big Sis!!
♥YLS

Scary Book Share

My latest read was Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders, by Vincent Bugliosi.

Warning: This book is not for the faint-of-heart!  

I can guarantee you that this book will scare the hell out of you.  

This is the #1 best selling true crime story of all time and for good reason.  This book gives the reader an inside view into the mind of one of the most frightening serial killers ever.  Charles Manson is a name known by many, however the details of his terrifying activities are not as well known.  The author of this book was the prosecuting district attorney when Charles Manson and his followers were on trial in the early 1970s.  Bugliosi tells the tale so vividly that nothing is left to the imagination.  Perhaps the scariest part of this book is that the murders described were so random that it makes you feel as though any minute someone could come into your house and brutally murder you.  Simply a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Terrifying!!

One reason I find this book intriguing is the cult-like behavior that took place.  People who chose to go into or are born into lifestyles where they are entranced by someone else are really interesting.  I don't like to be told what to do by anyone so it's truly amazing to me how much power one person can have over so many others.  For example, how does one get to the point of being able to order others to kill for him?  All that and more is explained in this book.

I also enjoyed reading this book because it is a true story.  I like picturing what life was like in the early 70s and how terrifying it must have been for the people of LA knowing a killer was on the loose.  The people whose lives were taken happened to be wealthy younger white people and the Family's (the given name for the Manson followers) activities left the rich and famous scared for their lives.

Much to the chagrin of the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, it took quite awhile for even a single suspect to be charged.  There are some very interesting points made regarding the lack of cooperation between the LAPD and LASD.  Makes you wonder what else is being missed simply due to a communication breakdown between departments.  The second portion of the book outlines the lengthy trial.  (Spoiler alert!!!) This book makes me eternally grateful for the justice system of the US that these monsters, although still alive, are behind bars.

This book will keep you up at night whether you live alone or not.  If you don't like being scared, don't read it!

Theory On Pringles

Back in my younger years I spent a great deal of time contemplating why things are the way they are.  I came up with my own personal theories on many things, most of which are useless but nonetheless may have some merit.  One such phenomenon that I have patented is my Theory On Pringles.  You know, the chips made by Procter & Gamble that come in a can:

Maybe this theory would be more appropriately named "I Think I Have The Procter & Gamble Marketing Team's Secret Plans Nailed".  Or, "Why One Likes Pringles More Than Doritos Even Though You Only Get  50 Chips In A Can". 

Let us begin with the container these chips are packaged in.  From Procter & Gamble's perspective, this is a brilliant plan due to the pretty obvious reason that there are way less chips in a Pringles canister than there is in a regular bag of potato chips.  Although the canister packaging is probably more expensive to make than your normal plastic Doritos bag, there is less product inside, so cost is slightly adjusted.

Along with the canister, the appealing lid that comes on the can creates a seal, in theory allowing the chips to last much longer than an opened bag of chips forgotten at the back of the cupboard for a month or so = stale city. (Funny enough, a can of Pringles never seems to last long enough for that to happen.  Have you ever had a stale Pringle?)

Also in regards to the canister, whose hands have ever been small enough to fit inside one?  Unless you are a child, one must pour out the chips in order to get to them.  Pouring means they come out faster.  And once a Pringle is out of the canister, it seems sacrilege to put it back in.  Into your mouth it goes. Eating faster = buying faster.

Now to the chips themselves.  Everyone seems to agree that the unique shape of these chips means they only really fit in your mouth one way. If you try eating one upside down it just doesn't feel quite right in your mouth and tends to make a huge mess.  I believe that within the special shape of the chip lies the biggest secret of all about why the Pringle is so damn good.  Upon close examination of a Pringle, you will notice that there is seasoning on only ONE side of the chip.  And interestingly, it happens to be on the side that does NOT touch your tongue.  Therefore you do not taste the true flavor of the chip until you crunch into it.  First you have the physiological sensation of biting into something lite and crunchy and almost instantly after the crunch, the flavor falls onto your tongue.  Why does this matter?  Because you will never OD on the light flavor of a Pringle.  Think about it, after a few (43) Doritos, my mouth cannot take anymore orange Dorito cheese.  It is cheese overload.  It's too much.  But the Pringle never has this problem.  They leave you wanting more.  And maybe just one more.  Ok fine ONE more.  And then what do you know?  The whole can is empty.