Family

What Happens When You Throw Glitter

- Melody

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I’ve been 23 for about a month so that gives me the right to post about it whenever I want, right? 🙂

My birthday celebrations actually started three days before with a surprise dinner with all of my friends from school! They brought me the sweetest card signed by the entire choir that I was apart of for two years and then brought me face cake. I love these people. They really are the best.

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The next day I wore my birthday headband and birthday girl button and brought mom-made chocolate mocha cupcakes to work just like an elementary student. 🙂 BTW, you can’t have my mom. She’s mine.

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After the best day of work ever I came home to my favorite dinner: roast, potatoes, carrots, and a beer in a frosted mug. 🙂 Then I opened the best presents; a sassy shirt, margarita shower gel, and a gift card for a mani/pedi and a haircut. I don’t like spending money on myself that way so my parents knew exactly how to pamper me!

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I capped off my week by a hardcore mani/pedi and a big ol’ haircut by the best in the biz, Kelso!

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I had the best birthday ever and I think 23 is really going to be the best year. Here we go. 🙂

 

 

xx

 

What Happens When You Throw Glitter

- Melody

Granted my birthday was nearly a month ago, it was amazing nonetheless.

The night before my mom graciously made the best melt-in-your-mouth chocolate mocha cupcakes. WE WERE ALL DEAD. But no one can have my mom. She’s mine.
Then she made me the cutest headband party hat that I wore along with my “Birthday Girl” button. I know. I’m crazy.

After a great day at work, I came home for a mini glitter shoot with my sister. Actually it was me forcing her outside with handfuls of glitter and my camera and then literally being swarmed by a thousand mosquitoes… but details right?

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THE AFTERMATH:

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After dousing ourselves in rubbing alcohol to kill the itching, we sat down for my favorite meal: roast, potatoes, carrots, and green bean casserole. And a beer in a frosted mug. Mmm….

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 presetI opened the greatest shirt from my sister along with some margarita shower gel from philosophy and then from my parents I got a little pampering. Gel mani/pedi and a haircut. THE best way to end a week. Ahhh! I hear you, Calgon. Go on and take me away.

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Thanks to all that wished me well. 🙂 May all of your birthdays live up to mine!

Twenty Three

- Melody

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Today is my twenty-third birthday.

I was born September 30, 1990 to my parents, James and Charlotte Taylor. I’m the first of three redheaded, fair skinned girls with sass, wit, and style.

I’ve never not been Melody Elise Taylor Rich. (Well, Rich came later.) I’ve never not been redheaded and fair skinned. I’ve never not been stubborn, Type-A, dramatic, and sensitive. My family has always been James, Charlotte, Shelby, and Rudy.

These 23 years have been an absolute gift of learning myself and who I am. From the day I was born I was given this puzzle with thousands of pieces and each situation and each day gives me new experiences to realize where each piece fits. It’s so odd to me that I could be born myself but still have so much to figure out about who I am.

Last year I turned 22. These last 365 days have… hurt. They have pulled and stretched me into new directions and forms. I’ve experienced some things I pray I’ll never see again and other things I pray I do. God has shown me his abundant grace and sweet mercy time and time again and I’ll never get tired of feeling that wash over me.

My prayer for this year is a continuance of His awakening for me. I pray that He would continue to pull me in new directions and teach me more about who I am in Him. I want to see myself like He sees me.

As far as goals for myself I want to become self-sufficient and independent. I owe my family a deep debt of gratitude for seeing me through this year and to Pat for handing me an incredible job on a silver platter. But this is a new chapter for me. I’m a single adult woman with the world at her feet. I want to live in an apartment, just me and Pepper girl. Buy only chocolate for food and save for ridiculous material things. Take road trips spontaneously and spend every weekend at a concert.

There are a lot of decisions left for me but more is left unwritten. I’ve got no plans, no deadlines, no timelines.

I am so excited!

 

I’m twenty three. Let the future begin.

 

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x

Sister Style: Simple Skirt

- Melody 2 Comments

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tee: Hanes, scarf: Old Navy, skirt: Target, sandals: Forever21

Shel wore this out shopping on Labor Day. Her style is simple and fun with scarves thrown in! She started student teaching this semester at White Oak ISD where our mom graduated from, though her passion doesn’t lie with teaching. Like me, she wants to lead worship in a contemporary setting. She finished up a worship internship at our church this summer and learned a lot about what it means to plan a service, what’s involved, and how to deal with people.

She’s 21 and single and you know what that means! That she has a cat she really loves. 🙂

So everyone say hello to Shelby! Everyone, Shelby. Shelby, Everyone. You can find more about here HERE.

🙂 Happy Thursday!

xx

The One Where We Went to the Park

- Melody

Several weeks ago Jason and I took Pepper to a local park. There’s a famous rocketship slide from when I was little and several birthday parties happened under those pavilions. They’ve since added some new equipment but the feel is still the same. 🙂

Needless to say, Pepper loved it. We tired her out pretty good!

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I didn’t realize until we got to the park that Pepper has never really been down stairs before. It was hilarious to see her figure it all out and climb all the way to the top then back down again just for fun.

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Nothing like watching a dog drink out a human cup. My sister still wants to buy pudding cups and feed her like Airbud. Can dogs eat pudding? 🙂

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Oh, and she mastered the slide. 🙂 Happy puppy mama day!

Afterwards we had to get snowcones and cherry lime-aids. (My idea, obvi) And then, poor baby, we realized we left her very favorite ball at the park and had to turn around to get it. I felt so bad! But she didn’t care. Classic Pepper!

 

I just love this dog!

PS. Click here to see my outfit from this day!

xx

 

Our Beach Vacation… A Month Later (Part 3)

- Melody

LAST ONE! 🙂

Isn’t it amazing how great the light can be at the beach about 6:00? Gosh, it’s really amazing. No shadows, perfect light off of the sand, and that sunset! GEEZ! I can’t even.

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A GIANT storm rolled through our last afternoon there. It was being a little dramatic and faked us all out. But it sure was pretty…

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This great little plant shop called Clay. I could’ve stayed in there for hours… it was so amazing. Shady, light filled, so many things to fill a garden with. It made me all starry eyed! Too bad I can only keep cacti alive…

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Oh, and I cut my foot on a sneaky shell hidden in the sand! 🙁 Don’t worry, I lived.

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So here’s my amazing family. We are a basketcase. A lot of nut jobs. But we are family. And we love each other. Right? Right. 🙂 (Oh and in this picture we are missing about 10 people. Yeah, I know!)

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We love you Grayton!

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