following in my proud team in training tradition, erin signed herself up to race for the cause! you can donate to her online:

http://www.active.com/donate/tntntx/etyrrell

first she got a subaru like me, and now she's joined TNT - next thing we know she'll be moving to austin and eating vegetables all the time! heehee

we had a fantastic girl's night on saturday which led to a new self-instated rule. mollie is not allowed to ever drink two margaritas from mi cocina/taco diner EVER again. those things are lethal!

don't get between a donovan and her food. check out lucy's concentration in this moment...

now here's a side of steven colbert that i haven't seen before...

"I love my church, and I'm a Catholic who was raised by intellectuals who were very devout. I was raised to believe that you could question the church and still be a Catholic. What is worthy of satire is the misuse of religion for destructive or political gains. That's totally different from the Word, the blood, the body, and the Christ. His kingdom is not of this earth."

- Stephen Colbert, of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

i am reading 'fast food nation' right now, so when i got an email today about helping to demand that mc donalds raises wages for farm workers, i was quick to respond.

its all wild, wacky stuff once you start digging into it and learning more.

click HERE and if you feel so inclined, take some action.

the 'purpose driven life' email devotional today was about getting your focus off of ME! and start thinking more about serving others daily. i know this is a tiny action, but if enough people take it, maybe... just maybe... we can make a positive difference in the lives of people we don't even know.

it's official!!

you know its insanely hot outside when you notice a bag of un-popped microwave popcorn in your car on your way in to work and think to yourself - it wont be hot enough in the car today that the popcorn will begin to pop, will it?

if you are now asking the question- why does mollie have a popcorn in her car anyway? you must not have ever ridden in my car. its full of surprises and at least 2 pairs of shoes at all times : )

also- i would like to confess that when the forecast is predicted to hit 105 degrees is NOT the best day to forget to throw your deodorant into your gym bag. i'm staying in highly air-conditioned environments today so as not to disgust my co-workers. ooops!

if i could splurge in any of the following categories- here are my picks....

office supplies - see jane work
workout clothes- lucy
furniture - design within reach
linens - dwell
stationery - kate spade by crane
handbags - michael kors

not to mention the fact that i'd get a personal trainer and a decent haircut.

as the npr nerd that i am, i was listening to 'all things considered' on my way home from work today. i was completely enraptured by an artist they were interviewing - his music was so amazing, i sat in my car in the driveway to keep listening. he is an argentine- born guitarist who grew up in sweden.

check him out - jose gonzalez. his new album on itunes- veneer - is really wonderful.

on the surface, it might seem to the average person that watching 'saved by the bell' re-runs in the morning is not a useful way to pass time at the gym...

but that person must have missed the episode this morning where zack and jessie run against each other for student body president.

their campaign slogans were AWFUL!

don't be testy - vote for jessie!
jessie now!
i back zack!

as i was laughing (hopefully just in my head) at the campaign commercial that zack played in algebra class, i stopped dead in my tracks when i saw his final campaign slogan:

"zack. why the heck not?"

um.... kinky... is there something you'd like to tell us about your apparent plagarism of zack morris?!

saturday night we had a reenactment of a photo taken circa 1992, roughly 15 years ago. make sure you look closely at the pic on the television screen for full effect.

kevin was trying his best to look as awkward as he did in 8th grade... and i think he was pretty sucessfull.

i just had this conversation on instant messenger with a guy who sat next to me when i worked at apple...

mark: you know what I miss?
mollie: ummmm?
mark: I miss that song you shared out of your iTunes
mark: "you're the best around... nobody's gonna bring you down... you're the best around"
mark: it was from Karate Kid
mollie: HAHAHAHA
mollie: the theme to karate kid!
mark: so missed!
mark: oh yeah, and we miss you too.

if you know the song he is talking about, i'm sure you will find that as humorous as i did.

people always say that you don't always realize the depth of impact that you can be making on other people's lives every day... its good to know that i have reached someone on such a soulful level.

no cute babies for you today... just a little political rant.

i just read my latest issue of sojourners (the best resource ever for a balanced, christian view of current events.... i know it doesn't sound possible, but it IS!).

this really chaps my hide:

Friday, the House passed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour over three years. But there's a catch. The bill (Estate Tax and Extension of Tax Relief Act - aka "trifecta" bill) would also permanently reduce the estate tax - an important source of federal revenue impacting only the wealthiest half of one percent of our nation's taxpayers, which also encourages billions in charitable donations.

In essence, House leadership decided it was fine to help an estimated 14.9 million workers making less than $7.25 per hour increase their average annual income by $4,400, as long as 8,200 wealthy people receive an average estate tax reduction of $1.4 million each (in 2011).

that makes me wanna barf. don't get me started on estate tax. i can't stand the idea of passing down wealth in general. i can give you my estate tax schpiel another time.

it is infuriating to me that the two are even tied together - that representatives are basically saying that in order to approve raising minimum wage for the lowest paid workers in the country, they also have to ensure that some brat gets her dad's millions after he dies, without donating any of it to charities or handing it over to the government.

grrr...

your public service announcement for the day:

i was hoping for a sugar-free equivalent of juicy fruit. instead my mouth was assaulted by a mix of crappy tropical fruit flavor and artificial sweetner.

woohoo!! the kitchen is 95% complete! after we install a few more handles on the drawers- we're done.

kevin showing off his handiwork

the whole she-bang

finally... functional counter space AND storage!!

a BIG 'thank you' is owed to meagan for sharing her rockin' pottery barn discount with us- we love the shelves!

its time to add another girl to the list of donovan beach bunnies!

i am in the middle of a project at work for one of my clients called 'from' line testing. basically this is where you send out the same email to three different groups of consumers with three different 'from' lines and see which of the emails is opened most often. you use testing like this to determine the optimal set-up for an email program.

anywho- i am writing a document for this testing that outlines the process, evaluation, etc. and all of a sudden the word 'from' seems like the weirdest word in the universe.

does that ever happen to you? after you stare at a word for so long it just doesn't make sense anymore?

man, i'm glad its friday! austin or bust!!

things that make you go hmmm....

- working out this morning on the elliptical i noticed that of the 9 people running on a treadmill in front of me, 8 were watching CNN and 1 was watching an alternative news program. i was watching 'saved by the bell'.

- during a meeting yesterday in an effort to appease a designer i made a witty joke and winked at him. next thing you know i'll be shooting the double barrel while making a 'click' sound out the side of my mouth.

woooo hoooo! the kitchen is almost complete! all we have left to do is add the handles to the new set of cabinets and drawers and hang shelving above the addition.

let them eat cake! i have a feeling i'll be cooking up a storm now that i'll have a functioning kitchen with ample counter space.

i'm pumped! the contractor just showed up at our house with his crew to install our new kitchen cabinets and countertop. i am going to go home at lunch to check it out and if its finished, i'll take pics.

ps.
this post could go one of two ways, but since i have resolved to be more positive and just enjoy life without questioning things at every turn... i decided to not bitch and moan about the inane cost of quality kitchen finishouts like granite. but i could. i definitely could.

i had a great weekend! lots of quality time spent catching up with friends and family with just enough pool time thrown in for good measure.

ummm...

does anyone else out there think ashlee simpson once resembled haley joel osment in drag?

something tells me we need a bigger dog bed...

target has done it again- they keep ripping off steve madden every season! can you imagine being a corporate shoe spy?! hah.

my sister was at garden ridge today out in the burbs. she picked up a watering can on sale (isn't everything at garden ridge on sale?). as she tipped the can over to read the price on the bottom, she inadvertently poured someone's urine all over the floor, splattering her feet.

several questions come to mind when pondering this story...

1. who pees in a watering can at garden ridge?
2. since when does erin shop in the burbs?

i should have known something like that was too good to be true.

now, i would like to take this moment to ask all of my email forwarding friends to please use snopes to check the validity of their emails before breaking out their address book in an attempt to either save me from eminent danger in a mall parking lot or to help a kid with cancer break a world record.

i have seen entirely too much of britney spears lately. after her train-wreck of an interview on dateline with matt lauer, i would have been pretty happy not seeing her again for years.

then i saw this:

what the HECK?! first of all, the haircolor is a mistake. secondly, you aren't demi moore, nor will ashton kutcher mistake you for her, so please refrain from posing pregnant and nude. and thirdly, the majority of americans have a stomach that sticks out farther than that- you aren't impressing anyone.

it seems i am in the habit of posting pictures on mondays....



i have a feeling lucy will forever have tim wrapped around her tiny little fingers with one look from those big blue eyes...


see what i mean about those eyes?!

i am a proud aunt!

and a proud mom... casey loves his rope!

speaking of big beautiful eyes that i can't resist...

congratulations to thunderpants, the destroyer for a solid showing at last night's us world guitar championships.

we're proud of ya, john!

an open letter to everyone who works out at the gym on mondays:

hello. i was hoping that i could give you a little advice... if you aren't going to bother coming to the gym a few times a week, why bother coming at all? really, i know you have the best of intentions and that you think you are starting the week off on a good foot, but lets be honest with ourselves. we both know that you aren't going to show up again until next monday.

so instead of being falsely optimistic and in the process overcrowding the gym beyond belief and putting a crimp in my workout plan... just skip it and go home. leave me and my workout in peace and don't make me stand in line for the treadmill.

whew. now that we've gotten that out of the way, i assume i'll be seeing you in january. don't get me started on the 'new years resolution' crowd.

thanks to the modern wonder of the world known as craigslist, pearl is now the happy owner of a 6 acre home full of kiddos to play with and a new 1 year-old dog brother.

let's all wish her the best of happiness!!

adopt me!!

sweet pearl is looking for a new home. she is a 3 year-old bloodhound with a sweet disposition and a lot of love to give. email me if you are interested in meeting her or want more info!

on your first day of work at my new job i was given a survey to complete. a few days later, one of the HR reps came to take my picture and then emailed my survey and photo out to the entire company so that everyone can get to know me.

i recieved one of these surveys in my inbox today. the picture shows a woman in her 40s who is new to the office this month. Her answer when asked "What is your favorite movie?"...

Kill Bill, which I like to watch while holding my [replica] samurai sword.

...and for some reason I really don't think she is kidding.

happy friday, everyone! here are some puppy pics from this morning. i know, i know. i'm obsessed. but the first step is admitting there is a problem :)

casey and bea love getting in our bed in the morning while i am getting ready for work

how CUTE is this dog?!

ps. is it my imagination, or is casey starting to get gray hair on his face?

am i the only person out there who completely disagrees with the definition of the term 'bi-weekly'. i swear, i have to remind myself everytime someone says it that it means 'once every two weeks'. to me, it clearly means 'twice a week'.

the same goes for bi-annual and bi-monthly... i tell ya, its just not logical.

in other news, katy's blog about the west end area downtown re-purposing has me thinking... its the perfect place for my company's new office! like the sneaky devil i am, i printed copies of the article and put them in the mailboxes of my ceo and vp's. hey, a girl's gotta do what she can to cut down on her commute!

this past weekend we had our annual fun-fest also known as 'the lake trip'. once a year brittany and jay (aka. chappy and trevor) invite everyone out to enjoy the spoils of the dyer lakehouse on cedar creek lake.

friday night was full of boisterous debauchery and was entirely too much fun. i haven't stayed up past 3am in years- it was great!

kudos to katy and her newly invented adult beverage- nothing says fun like diet orange-flavored soda and vodka.

it is such a treat to get out of town and relax- and even more so when it is with such great friends. the girls have known each other for about 10 years now and our friendships continue to change. it is so nice to have time to not only reminisce about college memories, but make new ones too!

i can hear it now.... remember that time we were at the dyer's lakehouse before we all had kids and we got so silly....

Patagonia Glacier - 1930

Patagonia Glacier - 2004

'An Inconvenient Truth' is an interesting movie, though it isn't so much a movie as it is a presentation. I won't argue the validity or immanent danger of global warning, but it does certainly make you think- how will I be able to answer when God asks me what I did with the gifts that He gave me?

It just breaks my heart that this glorious Earth that was specifically designed for us that continually inspires and nurtures us has become disposable.

i just received this text message...


From: katy
- - - - - - - - Message - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lunch. You. Me. A box of Franzia...

- - - - - - - - - End - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
10:21am Fri May26

its going to be an interesting day :)

the top 5 signs that i reeeally live in dallas now:

1. i am the proud owner of a tolltag
2. my morning commute ranges from 15-45 minutes depending on traffic
3. i get to watch mark cuban workout at the gym
4. i eat potbelly at least once a week
5. i haven't made a 6 hour round-trip weekend drive in over a month

moving up to dallas was one of the hardest (i might add 'gut-wrenching') decisions that kevin and i have ever made. certainly the hardest we've made together. nothing else even comes close!

there are so many things about day-to-day life that you cannot predict will change when you move to a new city or start a new job- but it changes the way you physically experience life. for the most part, my first month has been really nice. yes, there are about a million things that i miss on a daily basis about austin... but being in dallas has made me happy.

i was right to assume that for the most part, i wouldn't see most of my friends more often. (katy being the obvious exception to that statement.) once the 'newness' of moving wears off and people don't stop by to see your new house, they pretty much go back to their regularly scheduled programs... but i do get to see my family SO much more than before and i have gotten to get back in touch with a few friends from high school as well.

wow- that was a long post! now i must return to work for another hour before i make my 30 minute trek back to my neighborhood and go see if mark cuban is working out at the gym ; )

buying something as expensive as a rug that i will keep for a very long time (hopefully) is a gut wrenching decision for me. it takes hours and hours of deliberation, looking for something cheaper, creating photoshop versions of the living room with selected rugs, etc.

in short, it ain't pretty folks.

i really love the rug i chose for our livingroom... but today i'm even more tickled with my choice. oprah's designer, nate berkus, who i absolutely adore, redesigned a house for a nice couple on the show and he used my rug! i love nate AND west elm!

nate's livingroom



my livingroom!

there's nothing like a baby in a laundry basket
to cheer up a boring monday!
i swear, that lucy keeps getting cuter.

ooh... its gonna be good! i have wanted to read "fast food nation" for quite a while so it will be interesting to see how they fictionalized a non-fiction book into a movie.

once again, the clever folks at 'the daily show' made me laugh out loud.

go HERE for the full segment reviewing his speech this week addressing immigration.

its here! its here! the 2006 lineup for ACL is here!!

i am so excited- this is a great list!! i bought my tickets back in march and have been waiting for this list for months!

my favorites (other than the headliners listed above)...
damien rice, ray lamontagne, nickel creek, kings of leon, iron & wine, aimee mann, kt tunstall, alexi murdoch, & of course...g. love and the special sauce.

WOW. its going to be a great weekend and i have all summer to look forward to it!

to all music lovers out there, please join me in my latest obsession!

www.pandora.com

you enter an artist or song that you really like and they populate an entire 'radio station' for you of similar music! its a fun way to hear new music and artists.

the best part its free and it makes your day at work go by just a little bit faster : )

i had a craving for super bubble this morning but the gas station next door to my office was sadly in need of a better pre-teen candy section. the closest thing i could find was bubble tape. its supposed to be 6 feet of fun, right? more like 6 feet of gross.

when i got a piece out of the box, i have to admit there is something fun about the concept of a giant roll of gum, but immediately the powder-y texture reminded me of something...hmmm...big league chew?

a quick visit to the hubba bubba site confirmed my suspicians. they are made by the same manufacturer whose primary market strategy seems to be gum in strange forms covered in a strange powder.

now i am off to get a free diet dr pepper from the magic fountain in the kitchen to wash my mouth out. ick.

last night we attended our first session of the dallas museum of art's "jazz under the stars" series. it was a gorgeous night & we were excited about our newest exploration of all that dallas has to offer.

we picked up katy and went to the grocery store for food and beverages. kevin disappeared down some random aisle and met us in the beer section with a proud look on his face toting two new camping chairs he had found for the cheap price of only $7!

about 30 minutes later as we unpacked the chairs and began to settle in at the park to listen to jazz and enjoy a cold beverage... we realized why the chairs were so cheap.

kevin neglected to read the label on the bags that said "captain chair for junior. ages 5-12"

it was worth a pretty good laugh and lots of teasing directed at kevin all night. its hard to take someone seriously when they are sitting in a miniature chair.

is there anyone out there wants to admit to a little closeted "american idol" watching? anyone??

i am a faithful viewer on tuesdays, but when it comes down to the results show i can't bump lost for such silliness. of course this means that typically i am watching lost with my laptop open, checking to see who has been voted off. last night was completely unexpected. i was never a chris fan (singers that shout aren't my favorite) but i was just as surprised as everyone else!


so if you are a lost fan and missed the news... HERE YOU GO!

thank goodness for youtube. youtube rules for so many reasons- if you haven't checked it out yet you should!

did i miss something... is orange the new white?

the ladies at go fug yourself came up with a great song to accompany this remarkable picture if you're so inclined.

it seems the world is coming to its senses. it was announced on cnn this morning that bush's approval rating is down three more points to 31%. more interestingly his DISapproval rating is at 65%. that is only one point lower than richard nixon's when he left the whitehouse in the midst of the watergate scandal.

what surprised me almost more than that... among conservatives, his approval rating is only 49%. so even his core base of supporters are losing faith in him.

it will be interesting to see how all of this affects the elections in november.

for those of you bored to death by this post, i promise to return to celebrity gossip and other random acts of blogging soon.