fourth, etc.

i do love the fourth of july.  last year at this time, i had just taken on the challenge that is beulah hogan.  i remember standing barefoot in front of our yellow house, after returning from the mariner's game, deafened by the fireworks all around our house, the way the sky lit up reminded me of d-day.  you know, minus the troops invading, etc.  

this year, i'm finding myself researching recipes from cuisinenie, just like always.  can you have a fourth of july without peach cobbler?  i think it's unavoidable.  looking for a new and better recipe for that.

also, doesn't it feel like you have to make homemade ice cream?  what do you usually have on the fourth of july?

i have some nap-refusing babies today.  and just now i was listening to music, and felt on-edge.  i think when they're "napping", i just need absolute silence.  no music, no tv, or it's just too much.  quiet.  that's what i need.

alright, leigh just tagged me for a little meme thing.  so here goes:

8 things to look forward to:

• fall
• growing my group of friends to include non-roommates and non-family members (not that i don't love ya, cause i do).
• getting settled in a new rental in a few months.
• taking a weekend trip somewhere very soon.
• oh, seeing the wedding pictures.
• weekends!!!
• nieces and nephews (yep, i said it)
• finding a man.

8 things i did yesterday:

• church
• made a roast beef/muenster cheese sandwich with my new favorite thing, wasabi mayo. really tasty.
• went shopping with ri
• chipotle for dinner.
• wii with our little sitcom fam (i do think that me, ally, emily, jared, maria and beulah would make for a terrific sitcom..)
• listened to 'turn my swag on' more times than i'd like to admit
• ohh, took a sweet nap.
• annnd?  started sweating trying to get my enormous power steering fluid lacking suv out of the target parking garage.  

8 things i wish i could do:

• travel easier (no financial/work/pet complications..just go)
• buy a new car
• dance really well.  like dancing with the stars, make people cry dance.
• meet benjamin.
• find a new roommate.
• spin class.
• grow my hair out extremely fast.
• have some land.

8 shows that i enjoy:

[we don't have tv in our house right now, like no channels, but i do have netflix/ally's wii, so we're not deprived.  but i'll list the last 8 movies from my netflix que.]

• revolutionary road
• twilight
• the wrestler
• spellbound
• grace is gone
• frost/nixon
• borat
• rachel getting married

and there you go, way more than you were interested in knowing.  

goodbye.

unreal..

as most of you know, i am an animal lover dog lover.  and you would think that working at a dog kennel, and having my own sweetie pup would satisfy this love.  but, sometimes, i get 'the fever'.  most of the time it's for a fat puppy, but lately, it's more for an oldie.  so, i'm going to introduce you to a few friendlies that are up for adoption, and link you to a page that can tell you more.  so, if you're interested in getting a pet, PLEASE look at these lovies for adoption [mutts are so much better].

meet tigger

clayton

congo

king

okay, one baby.  this is arlo.

and this is george.

and guys, i did not even begin to scratch the surface.  i just pulled some right off the top.  these boys are all in the charlotte metro area.  and for some reason my search only seemed to result in boy dogs, so obviously there are lots of sweet girls, too.

also, tomorrow, june 26, we are having a promotion at the doggie daycare where i work (all wags, off tyvola), where you can bring your dog to be evaluated and he/she can stay for the entire day for free!  we'll also be having a bake sale and all wags will match whatever is raised and donate it to the local Charlotte ASPCA.  

so, if you're in town, bring your dog by, i'm working friday night, so we can play.  

all wags site [keep an eye out for a cameo from my girl]

i got nothing

a really normal week going on over here.  so normal, in fact, that i am longing to shake things up.  once in a while, i get restless and feel like i'm sitting on the sidelines, but don't know how to get in the game.  because, i'm uncoordinated in both life and sports (even wii sports).  

i think i'm okay with it.  

there is all this time stretching out ahead, and i really don't have much to fill it.  no moves, no weddings, births, or big events.  it feels a little intimidating, not having anything to fixate or focus on.  like, what do i need to be doing to fill it up?  

it's eerily quiet right now, and that makes me think something big must be coming.  

bonus.

being a nanny gives me glimpses of what my future may look like.  what i hope my future will look like.  [me ever finding a quirky-doesn't-take-himself-too-seriously-Jesus-follower-that thinks-i'm-the-greatest kinda guy is seeming more impossible, but i'm keeping hope alive, and that's another post, for another time].  

i ventured out with the babes today, like we do most days.  things are getting more complicated though, the hotter it gets here in charlotte.  and shuttling two babies in and out of the car in the heat will make you want to die.  not even to mention the double stroller.  seen here:

this thing will own you. 

the other day, all i wanted was a passion tea from starbucks while we were out, but actually couldn't fathom doing the whole in/out of the car scenario one more time that day.  my shirt was already stuck to my back from the last twin load up.  in desperation i turned to twitter, to see if anyone knew of a starbucks drive thru, no luck.  

moving on, today i met my roommate emily, maria, and jared at cabo fish taco.  i'd never been there, and should have done a little more research, because that place is not baby friendly.  

it all started with the stroller getting stuck trying to get through the front door, and it didn't help things when i knocked my entire glass of water all over baby 2.  like a rushing wave of water directly in her lap.  she cried, and was soaked for the rest of lunch, but we survived.  

none of us talked to each other the entire lunch, we just watched them make funny faces, and steal food from my plate when i wasn't looking.  but that's okay, because they're so awesome.  and they're not even my babies.  most days being with them just makes me excited to love someone enough to marry them, and then we get to have these fun little things together? bonus.  big bonus.  

the future looks fun, and in those dreams, i won't clock out at 5:45pm:)  

"clarification"

my main audience for my last post was my brothers.  

those jokers have been judging my tastes well, since forever.  i guess there was a short 3 years before jared could give me the 'george costanza look of disapproval' face, but by like 3 weeks in, he had it perfected.  

and josh, well josh was born with his 'smirk of judgment'.  (sorry, no visual aid).  anyway, case in point:  i talked quickly with jared last night, here's how that went down:

jared:  hey you should write another blog, or at least clarify the one you wrote.

lauren:  which blog?  what?

lauren:  oh, right.  i knew you would love that. [referencing my love for taylor swift].

jared:  seriously, it knocked you down a couple of notches in my book, you should really clarify that you don't really like country music.  

jared:  and also you're not funny.  

okay, he didn't say that last part, but in the grand scheme of things, that's what you get from brothers:  "you're not cool, so stop trying".  

to that i say, freedom (ya jerks).  sometimes now, i say i like stupid things just to get under their skin.  because most of the things i say that i like, they end up coming around to liking/loving.  

examples:

dawson's creek (don't play, jared, you bought me a season a few years ago, and you and josh sat on my bed in your pjs and watched the whole thing with me.. maria, sorry that you had to find out this way)

twilight (you made up songs about spider monkeys and sparkly vampires)

the list could go on, but i'm tired of bragging, so we'll bring this post to an end.  

when doves cry

i have a little bit of a thing for prince.  not really, i'm not sure why i said that.  he's so tiny, that one.  i do get in prince moods where i put one of his songs on repeat for like an hour.  anyway, not sure why prince has become the topic of conversation.  sorry.

on another musical note, i have a confession.  i have been listening to a local country music station.  i don't know why.  now, i love honky tonk old country music, willie nelson, woody guthrie, and even hank williams.  but all this kenny chesney, dierks bentley stuff is new and strange, and i don't like it, but i can't stop listening.  and this station plays the same 10 songs over and over.  

here's the thing, i wear a pretty tough poker face, musically.  i know the bands/people to say i like if i need to 'sound cool'.  but whatever man, i like what i like.  i'm 25.  i'm getting old, and i don't have time to think about if people think i'm cool.  i like taylor swift, okay?

and i know every word to both carrie underwood albums.  

oh gosh, and i'm really sucked in by miley cyrus drama.  

i am bearing my soul and sharing my most appalling secrets, can you handle it?

your turn: what person/band/teen pop star/tv show/website/movie are you ashamed of loving? 

don't leave me out in the cold on this one.  

eventful

josh, me, jared and maria with jared's awards

these past few months have been full of big life events.  in between the big life events, i have found it hard to talk about the daily minutia.  but today i am making a return to chatting about the little unimportant details of life, let's begin:

**the black eyed peas new song, 'boom boom pow'.  i am listening to it right now, and i want to listen to it all the time on repeat.  [i would post a link to the mp3 but 'big blogger' is watching].

**moving on, marinated mozzarella balls on pita chips.  i could eat them every day for every meal.  i found a recipe for how to marinate them myself yesterday.  will get on that soon.  

**finally got a bag i've had my eye on for months (for 50% off, no less).  

**netflix, why are YOU so awesome?  the roommates and i expectantly check the mailbox for your latest offerings every day.  we love you. 

**i am currently spending my morning looking at fun wedding stuff, being in a wedding is fun and it makes me excited to have a fun little wedding one of these days.

**you guys should keep your eye out for jared and maria's wedding pictures to be posted on joshgoleman.com.  they are going to be SICK.  [and he is amazing, look around his sight]

**2 very different movies that you should see.  

*UP.  go see it today.  and be ready to cry several times.  at a cartoon.  just go see it.

*the hangover.  really seriously inappropriate, you will also cry in this movie because it is so friggin' funny.  but this is not for everyone, let me give you the demographic for this movie, if you haven't slept for about 48 hours and are really loopy, and you have a really low brow sense of humor you will laugh until you can't breathe.  

okay byyyyyyyeeee

june 6

i am sitting in the basement at work, about to put the babies down for their morning nap.  thinking through this weekend, and how things are so different but very much the same.  my brother has a ring on his finger, and there is another hogan girl.  

as i looked forward to this past weekend, everyone told me to wear water proof mascara, have several handkerchiefs ready, and to prepare for the ugly cry.  but when the time came, all i could do was smile.  coming down the aisle, standing beside my sister, and celebrating as i walked back down that aisle, i could be nothing but joyful.  

because, you see, i spent the day with maria, and i saw the confidence in her eyes, and i saw the peace of the Lord so evident in her heart.   right before the ceremony, i snuck over to the boys' room.  as i walked in, i saw each of them sitting quietly in a dark room, and josh was playing the piano, and my dad stood quietly beside jared, along with larry who officiated the ceremony.  

there were no more loud voices filling the space.  replacing it was a quiet joy that filled my brother's eyes.  and i have never been more proud.  all i could do was place my hands on his chest, look in his eyes, and he knew.  he knew what i was thinking, and we both knew that my role as his sister would be forever different.  and so i cried.  not for what would change, but for how much i have treasured these years taking care of this boy, watching him become the man that sat there ready to be maria's husband.  

i made my way back to the bride's room, reeling from that moment.

and before i knew it, we were waiting in the stairwell, and i saw mr. thomas watch his daughter, and i wondered what he was thinking as he waited his turn, and wondered if he was willing time to slow down.  i hope that moment lasted a long time in his mind, that sweet waiting.  

i made my way down the aisle, eagerly.  a mischievous smile took over my entire face, and locked eyes with many people that loved us, and then i saw jared, and gave him a quick low five as i took my place.  

before i even knew it, the doors opened and i saw maria as she started to walk, and i also caught a glimpse of jared cover his mouth as the impact of the scene hit him hard.  as they stood at the front of the sanctuary, we watched as jared peered around maria's father trying to get a glimpse.  

and i tucked them away forever, these moments where life changes and grows.  

we listened as they made promises, and called each other husband and wife, and we cheered as they left the church much different than they had entered.