Heartbreak Warfare, of sorts.

Every once in a while, I will talk about my job. Not often cause thus far, all of my four readers are women and I work for a football team. And typically, those two aren't exactly in perfect harmony. But don't worry, I won't talk about offensive formations that were ineffective or interceptions from a member of our impressive D-Line. No, just the girly side. Feelings and stuff.

Saturday's game was the perfect example of athletics bringing out the best in young men. Their performance against a far inferior team one week earlier was questionable at best. Riding the high from the opening week's win, they faltered and lost to a team they should have easily beaten.

But this game was different. You could tell the spark was back. The idea that they could go out on the field and do their best and achieve something greater than themselves. And they played stunningly. It was like a completely different team had taken the field. They were confident in what they knew, executing their plays well.

As a fan in the stands, it was a GREAT game. The kind of performances you wouldn't expect from a first year team. I couldn't be prouder of the players, coaches and staff. For our team to rise to the occasion like that and be able to compete on that level of play, was truly an amazing sight to see.

The game was a nail biter, honestly. We were neck and neck with a highly ranked team in the FCS (formerly known as Division I AA) the entire time, forcing the game into the first overtime in our football team's short history. It was nerve wracking the entire time.

Sadly though, we lost 34-27 in overtime. And it was a heartbreaker. Watching their faces broken my heart for the second time that day. These guys are now like my sons... though I am pretty sure they don't think of me as a mother figure. So seeing them hurt and be disappointed was incredibly difficult for me.

But Monday is here again. And the excitement for how well they played on Saturday is carrying us toward our first away game this weekend. Wish us luck!

Best wishes and blessings,

Brooke

Dear Darling Big Brother...

An Open Letter (but it's mainly to my big brother):

Dear Darling Big Brother,

I know you have a lot going on in your life, what with the two little ones you are trying to raise to be gentlemen. (Good work so far, by the way.) But the time for gift giving, a.k.a. Christmas, is rapidly approaching.

The past few years, you have gone above and beyond my expectations with gift cards from Swoozies (a gift boutique) and a little something from the store to stave off my craving for something pink and girly until I could get in there myself to buy something! Unfortunately, as you know, Swoozies had to close all Atlanta area stores but two as a part of a financial restructuring after filing for bankruptcy. But as a wonderful, benevolent and kind little sister, I'm not going to expect you or your darling wife to drive 40 minutes south to go get a gift card.

And thus, I propose the alternative. Coralie Bickford-Smith has been designing hip and adorable cloth book covers for classic books for a few years now, but I just saw them in Anthropologie a year or two ago. And I love them. They are the perfect thing for the bookshelf at my new apartment, but I would probably not buy them myself. They are even available on Amazon for your convenience!

So Darling Big Brother and Darling Sister in Law, please take note. No need to rack your brain for a gift this year or worry that I won't like what you got me! And for the sake of making it as easy as possible, I would like the Jane Austen books first. :)

Much love and many blessings,

Brooke

The Joy and Pain of Online Shopping

I don't really care for online shopping. I just don't. Actually, I don't like shopping all that much in general. Blasphemy, you say? I think not! As a tall lady who is a touch larger than the standard sample sizes of 0, 2, or 4, shopping generally isn't the joyous experience you see in movies or on TV. It's not bad, by any stretch of the imagination, it's just not something I would do without a reason.

But I have found that I have a shopping obsession. And it's not necessarily a good thing... I. Love. Gilt Groupe.

For those of you that don't know, Gilt Groupe, is a website that has massive sales on designer everything. And not obscure designers you've never heard of. Tory Burch, Kate Spade, 7 jeans. You get the picture. I'm not a stickler for designer brands by any stretch of the imagination. I don't typically follow stylish trends in fashion, but if I see something I like, that's affordable, and high quality, I'll totally get it.

Some of the items they have are just a little, tiny bit out of my price range. But every once in a while, they will have something I absolutely NEED... Like these shoes.

As a friend of mine said, "I need a second job that requires no work...just getting paid...to support my shopping needs." In this case, too true, EFS, too true.

Best wishes and blessings,

Brooke

The Wonderful World of Blogging

I used to think that blogging was such a self-serving form of communication. The early blogs were so focused on the emotional well-being of the author, that it served little purpose beyond the writer's personal catharsis.

Now, it's a different world. Blogs have turned into a great way to share ideas, get to know people in a different way and at the same time keep up with the adventures of old and new friends.

So I start this blog with the grand intention of being able to let people know about my creative endeavors for my new apartment with my longtime friend, as well as what styles I love at that second, and those great stories from my life that I can't help but share.

Best wishes and blessings,

Brooke