a letter to my 16 year old self.

dear lacy,

if you don't talk to someone at school, don't talk to them on msn messenger. that right there will save you a lot of trouble. also, remember how people would print out their conversations sometimes? don't do that.

i know that t-shirts are shorter right now. maybe buy your shirts just one size bigger, so there isn't a sliver of your stomach showing in basically every high school photo of you. on the other hand, this is the flattest your stomach is ever going to be (so far at least) so maybe just flaunt it while you got it.

that boy you kiss in your yard? he's going to be a confusing person in your life for the next five years. (also, he's going to take you on a date the same summer you go on your first date with your husband)

i know your parents are driving you crazy right now. but you'll think they're cool someday.

some of the music you like right now is going to be embarrassing later on. but some of that stuff is quality. stop trying to listen to screamo music just because some people like it. you never will.

one day you'll realize that it really doesn't matter what other people think of you. and that people who are popular in high school go on to live regular old lives, and their coolness really doesn't matter anymore. but it's ok that you're not totally there yet. these things take time.

that thing you do where you use lame phrases ironically? you'll do that forever.

i know it bugs you that everyone has a boyfriend but you. but listen. you won't regret being single in high school. there's plenty of time to date crappy guys in college. (and trust me, you will)

these friends you have are still going to be your friends in 7 years. isn't that awesome?

try not to get too caught up in the highschool of it all. some of that stuff is important, but most of it isn't. pay attention in honors english, because that class is going to get you through college. it wouldn't kill you to turn off your computer and go outside more often. write in your journal, even though those entries are going to embarrass you later on.

mostly you should know that you're never really going to wish you were back in high school. but you will get nostalgic for the way your life is now. the ease of living when you don't really have to pay for it. the way going to the drive-in and driving the cruise route could fill up a whole evening in the greatest way. so don't rush through it too fast, ok? being a grown up will come soon enough.

shake it like a....(actually don't. you're not supposed to do that)

brian and i have been married almost 10 months and i kind of just realized that i barely put any wedding pictures on my blog. lucky for me, brian just scanned in all our wedding Polaroids, so here are a few.

sometimes when i'm having a bad day i just look through my wedding photos. it's a pretty great mood lifter. here's to weddings and marriage and cute husbands! 

(thanks again to our awesome photographer missy allen for taking these) 

happy friday!

more things i'm writing down for no particular reason.

my brain is so full. full of new job things. for the last week i've mostly been coming home and plopping right on the couch. brian has been happy to join me since his job also lends itself to exhaustion. (but since his is a physical labor situation his tiredness seems a lot more justified than mine...)

i remembered the other day that i once had a boyfriend who gave me his copy of "the proper care and feeding of husbands" to study up on. when we broke up a few weeks later i made sure to return it to him.

suddenly i'm surrounded by co-workers who are obsessed with So You Think You Can Dance and it's really made my life better.

brian and i are doing a no-sugar week. and so far it hasn't been too terrible. however, we were watching master chef last night (it's our poor man's version of having the food network) and they made a cheesecake AND cupcakes and we were both ready to die.

our lease is up in a couple of months and my fingers are crossed that we move somewhere with a pool. because pool lounging is probably one of my favorite things and i barely ever get to do it.

being able to wear pants to work is life changing. in a way no one can really appreciate unless they too were required to wear a skirt every single day at their last place of employment.

someone stole my bike and it made me cry. dear sweet eunice. i hope you're being treated nicely.