Happy Birthday, little bloggy!

That's right party people. One year ago today, I decided to be a blogger. I have owned this little corner of the blogging world for MUCH longer than a year, but last year I decided I wanted to consistently drone on and bore you guys with the minute details of my life! Aren't you glad you took this on?!

I started off with some of my plans for post graduation and a bucket list. I then completely changed up the look to it, and began to explore some of your blogs as well. And I honestly feel like I've made friends out of some of you guys. And I honestly haven't met many of you in person. You guys rock!

Because of your loyalty, I want to host a giveaway to celebrate my blog's birthday!

I think I want to have TWO winners, but in order to be able to do that, I need some extra time for the giveaway (have to schedule it around pay days since I'm now a rent payer!)

This means that the giveaway will be lasting from today (October 28) and will end on Veteran's Day, November 11. Winners will be announced on Monday, November 14.

Each of the two lucky winners will have their choice of a $15 iTunes gift card for all you music lovers out there, or a $15 Starbucks gift card for all you coffee lovers. I'm choosing these two options because I love music with some good hot cocoa or a peppermint white chocolate mocha during this time of year wrapped up in a fleece blanket :)

There also may or may not be an extra surprise from me in there as well! (It'll be close to my real birthday when that comes around!)

To enter:
Simply leave a comment below with your e-mail address so I know how to get ahold of you if you win.

Extra entries:
Blog about the giveaway, telling which gift card you'd choose. Then leave a comment to your post letting me know where to find it.
Tweet about the giveaway, and mention @mbattiest with the hastag #giveaway and provide this link to the post in your tweet: http://bit.ly/sXP9SU

That's a total of three possible entries. I hope you love music and Starbucks as much as I do! Good luck!
(And for anyone who is international, if you win, we can work something out together as to what your prize will be. I don't want to hinder anyone from entering if they want!)

insert witty title here

I'm super sleepy and am actually on my way to bed....

BUT, this little blog of mine is coming up on its anniversary! That's right, on October 28, 2010, I decided that I wanted to pick up my blogging and do it on a more consistent basis. It hasn't been completely consistent, but it's a lot better than before!

I'm wanting to host a giveaway, since I never did when I hit 100 followers.

Right now, I'm definitely thinking two prize winners, but it may just be two prizes for one winner...Get excited for Friday!

This blog is about to have a first....

Guys, I'm going to attempt my first ever outfit post. Not fashion, because I don't necessarily consider myself a fashionable person, but an outfit from one of the nights I went out last weekend. I mostly wanted to take some pictures to showcase a new item of clothing that I bought a few weeks ago :)

Before I get started, I just wanted to add a little disclaimer: I put my outfits together in order to be comfortable. If I'm not comfortable in it that particular day, I'll change until I am. These photos are taken with a point and shoot camera and a self timer. They aren't the best quality, but it's what I have to work with. Also, I'm not stick thin, but I do enjoy clothes that accentuate my curves.

Here are pictures of my outfit:

Black top: Vanity

Red tank top: I've had it so long I don't remember

Boots: Vanity

Earrings: Vanity

Skirt: Dottie Adele

The whole point of this post was to highlight my WONDERFUL skirt that Miss Valerie of threads & thoughts & things I love HANDMADE. If you haven't gone to the Dottie Adele etsy shop yet, get your booty over there and make some kind of purchase pronto. She makes all of the garments and ships them to you along with a handwritten note. She even has her own tags on the garments!

I discovered Valerie through one of our mutual friends, and I have LOVED seeing all of the things she sews for herself and others (she even did ALL of the bridesmaid dresses in a recent wedding she was in! check that out here). She is an uber talented lady, and you will not regret following her blog EVER. Seriously, go check it out!

The skirt was very comfortable and I'm so glad I decided to buy it! I went out dancing in it, and not once was I worried about it moving up and showing my Britney. AND, it has POCKETS, people. I LOVE skirts/dresses with pockets! (and so does Val!)

I don't know if I will do more of these in the future or not, because posing by yourself in your apartment to capture photos of your outfit is weird. :)

sometimes you have to take the bad with the good.

I've been a super busy bee since my last post last Tuesday.
But I want to start with the bad so I can end on a happy note.

I am okay. I'm sore, but I'm okay.
Yesterday when I was on my way back from Dallas, the vehicle I was in lost control and we hydroplaned on the interstate. My friend's vehicle was totaled in the accident, and the three of us are banged up and sore. We were stranded in Dallas for a few hours while waiting for my aunt and uncle to get there to bring us back home. I got home around 3 I think....almost 13-14 hours after I left Dallas. The accident could have been a lots worse, as we were in an SUV and it very nearly rolled. But we are all okay. Yesterday was a very long day.

Good things!

I have moved into my apartment! It's still crazy messy all over the place (and today isn't helping), but it's mine! I'm super excited!!!
I also got my first smart phone on Wednesday! It's made it a lot easier to keep up with all of your blog posts...I downloaded the Google reader app and got all caught up this morning!

I went to Dallas this weekend and watched my alma mater whoop up on the University of Texas longhorns. If you follow college football at all, you'd know this is one of the biggest rivalries in college football. There is only one other rivalry that is similar to this. It's settled in a "neutral territory" at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas every year, and the rivalry is lopsided to Texas, unfortunately.

It was nice to be able to watch it one more time with one of my best friends, and the large margin of victory (55-17) was amazing as well! I just hope we can keep up the rate of playing so well.

I have today off from work. Happy Columbus Day!

8 days with EYB *BONUS*

That's right party people, today concludes my eight days with my beloved Eli Young Band. I will be at their concert TONIGHT!! So today, I'm giving you a bonus song! We'll call it two-for-Tuesday with Eli Young Band :)

Day #8: Song 1 Jet Black and Jealous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElJ7fPQgjgQ


This song is the title song for their third album, Jet Black and Jealous. (Album #1 was self titled, Eli Young Band, and album #2 is titled Level.) Most of my favorite songs come off of Jet Black and Jealous. I particularly love this song because to me, the beat and rhythm is just as catchy as the lyrics.

"Well you never were one for resting easy, were you?

......

I just hope that road would one day watch you walk right back to me

'Til then I'll be

Jet black and jealous

And I dare not let 'em know that now you're gone

I'll still be a fool for the way we used to be

......

Tell me how was I to know

Tell me how can I let go

......

If you get out there and find that it's not what you thought it'd be

Come back to me

Jet black and jealous"

Song 2 Skeletons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z-_uN2JcNU

This is another one of their newest songs, off the Crazy Girl - EP album.

What I love about this song is that it's about heartache and heart break, but the lyrics confess that it's all his fault, that he knows it, and he's willing to face it. Everyone's theme song? I think so. If you're willing to admit you've made mistakes, that is.

"Now I question every road I've taken

And I regret every heart I've forsaken

Here's my confession

The mistakes I've made

Are coming back to haunt me

Like a ghost from a grave

Always there to taunt me

You say it's okay

You say you still want me

But you don't know where I've been

I'm no stranger to my sins

I've got skeletons"

Most likely, I will be at work anxiously awaiting the end of the day to go see Eli Young Band. I hope that I have introduced you to some songs that you enjoy as much as I do. And these posts are by no means my top favorite 8 songs they sing. They aren't in any particular order. I really don't necessarily like one song more than another by them, just because each of them have different meanings to me. I seriously haven't heard one song from EYB that I didn't like.

Happy Tuesday!

8 days with EYB

Day #7: Famous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAjFVNxNyQg (live version, not the best quality)




This song was a little harder to find a decent link for. I guess that just shows that it hasn't quite hit mainstream?

I first heard this song when I was dealing with a boy. I knew who he was and basically his whole life story. He knew who I was, but never considered me anything more than a friend. I actually never told him how I felt, but like I said in the last post, I'm the kind of girl that thinks every song can apply to my life. So when I heard this song, my whole thought process was "if I were famous, he'd consider as more than a friend."

That was about 2-3 years ago. I don't regret never showing my true feelings to that guy. It would have never worked out.

"I've seen you downtown

I've walked up to you

But the words wouldn't come out

And you never knew

'Cause I'm just a guy just down the street

I'm just a face you never see

I'm just a heart you don't know is beating

But if I was famous

Yeah if I was famous

If I was famous

You'd know my name

....

Maybe someday I'll understand

What it feels like to hold your hand"

8 days with EYB

Day #6: Guinevere
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvbzd5688l4&ob=av2e


Yep, I'm definitely one of those girls that thinks every song describes her life. Listening to this song, I can hear Mr. Eli telling the story of my soul to everyone who will listen.

But really listen to the lyrics. No matter how much this woman is hurt, she's strong enough to stick around and tough it out.

"She once fell hard 'cause she dropped her guard

And no one gets to stay

It's just too late

For as much as she's stumbled, she's runnin'

For as much as she runs, she still here

Always hoping to find somethin' quicker than heaven

To make the damage of her days disappear

Just like Guinevere"

Book Review: What I Read in September

This is actually a review of the one book I attempted to read in August and the two books I read in September. If you remember from this post, I told you guys that I failed in August and didn't finish one book.

So here goes:

I started off the month of August with high hopes for Eat Pray Love. I watched the movie early this year, and a friend told me I should definitely read the book because it was just as good as the movie.

Usually I read books before I watch movies, just because I know movies will never have as much detail as books. I don't know what it was about this book in particular, but I COULD NOT get through it.

The book is divided into three parts, and I got through the first part (Italy) before I finally gave up on it. I'm not giving up on it completely, but I had to read something else because the book just completely bored me to death.

I know there have been other people who have loved this book. It just wasn't to my liking. And I know I will definitely finish it at some point, just not now.

This book is the third book in the Millenium trilogy. It follows The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl who Played with Fire.


I personally thought the book was pretty good until it got to the ending. The entire book was filled with twists in the story that constantly had you wondering if Lisbeth Salander was going to make it through the trial for her actions in book two.

The book had a little bit of a conspiracy theory too, in that the person who attempted to kill Salander was kept in Switzerland during the Cold War, when everyone was thought to be a Russian spy.

The book had some very good parts in it and some very boring parts. The ending was terrible. I just felt like there were so many loose ends that could have led to another book or two. But anyone who knows anything about these three books knows that more books are not possible because Stieg Larsson has since passed away.

This book is definitely worth reading if you read the first two books, just because the second book leaves you at a cliffhanger.

This is book three of the Pretty Little Liars series. I decided that since it took me almost the entire month of September to read The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest, then I needed to pick up something that was a pretty easy read.

Just like the first two books in this series, each of the "liars" are being haunted by the mysterious A.

This book goes into a little bit more detail about how each of their secrets are affecting the girls personally. Each of the girls start to open up more about having someone haunt them, without any of them getting too much into detail before they receive a text from A.

I hope you just keep reading along the series with me so we can figure out who it is that is terrorizing these girls!




Well there you have it. I think coming up next will be One Day, a recent book-made-movie (that I will definitely be seeing because I'm in love with Jim Sturgess), and also reviewed by the lovely ladies I know, Valerie and Sam; followed by some more Pretty Little Liars. Check back next month!

8 days with EYB

First of all, this whole embedding code not working is REALLY getting on my nerves.
Back to Eli Young Band:

Day #5: Small Town Kid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pmgWdXLFYQ


This song is also very dear to my heart. Not only am I an Oklahoma Girl, but I am also a small town kid. I was raised in a very small town just north of Tulsa called Sperry. That's okay, people from Tulsa have never heard of it either.

The lyrics describe lots of people from my town, and the guitar tabs in this one are amazing. Go ahead, take a listen. You'll learn to love it too, whether you're a small town kid or not. :)

"These city folks

they look at me

in my shirt and jeans and make think

I don't fit in here

Well the things they say

they might be right, they might be so

but one thing I know:

I can't change who I am

'Cause I'm a small town kid driven by rock music

and some honky-tonk in the mix

I like whiskey and coke, a double to the top

Shot of Cuervo now and then

I'll never ask for a lot

I'll never need much

Just a good-lookin' lady who can drive my truck

I'm not afraid to admit

I'm that small town kid"