I have a somewhat addictive personality. I like to think of my addictions as passions. It's a softer, more gentle approach to defining the things that consume my days. Regardless of the how a person defines it, there are certain things that take over my life at various intervals. Addiction? Passion? You be the judge.
Currently, there are three things that have grabbed my attention. I'm riding the wave, because I have no idea how long it will last. Past history has shown that most of my addictions run their course and don't last forever. That's a good thing, because if my addictions lasted forever, I would have so many addictions that there would not be enough time in the day to feed my habits.
And so with that in mind, I'm going to share the three things that I can't seem to get enough of this summer.
Fountain Soda. For some reason, I have become single minded in my quest to find the perfect fountain coke. I wake up in the morning and begin counting down the hours until I can get in the car and make a fountain soda run. I prefer Wendy's or McDonald's fountain coke, but have discovered that Chick-fil-A will work in a pinch.
In my mind, certain criteria must be met when it comes to finding the perfect fountain soda. One of the most important things is the size and shape of the container. Not only does the container have to be easy to handle, but it also must fit in the cup holder of my car. Additionally, the container must not be slippery. And therein lies the problem. My favorite container shape is the cups that Wendy's uses. But those containers get really sweaty and slippery in hot weather. I don't like that. And although the shape of the McDonald's cups is not my favorite because it is too wide at the base, the McDonald's cups do hold up well in hot weather. I like that. And then there is the Chick-fil-A containers. Styrofoam. Bleck. I don't care for styrofoam - not for my coffee, and certainly not for fountain soda. But on a hot day, there is nothing that compares to styrofoam when it comes to keeping a drink icy cold.
Another thing to keep in mind when selecting the perfect fountain soda is the ice. If the ice is bad, there goes the experience of the fountain soda. Crushed ice... not good. Watery ice... even worse. Big, chunky ice... I don't like that either. Too little ice... not the perfect mix. Too much ice... not enough soda. Squared ice... perfection. Thankfully, most places use square ice, and so I don't have to get worked up about the ice very often.
Straws make a difference too. My preference is the McDonald's straw. They have the perfect opening - nice and wide, allowing for a great, big gulp of soda right from the start. I will go so far as to admit that when I place my order inside McDonald's, I grab extra straws before I leave so that I can stash those in my car to use when I go through the Wendy's or Chick-fil-A drive throughs.
Regardless of the container, or the ice, or the straws, I am currently addicted to fountain soda, and I am passionate in my quest to find the perfect combination. It doesn't matter that I have cases of coke in my pantry. That's not the same... and I won't even begin to discuss cans versus fountain. There is no comparison.
And then there is this: Confessions of a Pioneer Woman.
I believe I might be the last person on the planet to discover this blog. Maybe that's a good thing, because I've spent more hours than I care to admit drooling over The Pioneer Woman's photos - the pictures capture my heart and soul, and are some of the best photos I have ever seen in my entire life. In fact, the night I discovered this blog, I dreamed of stampeding horses.
Since that fateful day, I've spent entire evenings reading about ranch life in Oklahoma. Dare I confess that I want to be her best friend? This blog is far and above the best blog I have ever stumbled across, which is why I am going to pass along the link to anyone who has not yet discovered this amazing site: Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. Be forewarned - it's a time sucker. And if you like recipes, The Pioneer Woman Cooks is the site for you. Alyssa spent over an hour studying the recipes last night. I see Chicken Spaghetti in our near future. Yum.
Hat's off to Ree, the woman who is The Pioneer. My creative juices overflow every single time I open her blog and gaze at her pictures. Inspired does not begin to describe how I feel when looking at her photography and reading about her passion for life. This is one addiction that I plan to fuel for many years to come.
And finally, there are the Mini Albums. I've been making them for years. But for some reason, I thought that I needed a reason to make them, i.e. a gift, or an important event. I had not yet wrapped my mind around the idea that mini albums were fun to make just because. In fact, I did not grasp the just because concept until I went to Jennifer Moody's house last winter and noticed a huge wicker basket sitting on a beautiful table in her living room. The basket was filled with mini albums. And tucked inside each and every album was a piece of her life. It was at that moment that I fell in love with making minis. And it was then that I decided that mini albums were an absolute must-do class to add to the curriculum I will be teaching this year.
On Tuesday, I head to Dallas to teach the concept and the foundation of the minis I can't seem to get enough of. And although I won't be teaching this particular album in Arlington, I'm excited about the classes we've put together and I'm looking forward to my sixth year of teaching at the Great American Scrapbook Convention.
Here's the thing about addictions: maybe they are not addictions at all... maybe addictions are really an extension of passion, because when it comes right down to it, my passions turn into my addictions, and my addictions define the person I am at that moment in time. Coke-a-cola and me... we go hand in hand. Confessions of a Pioneer Woman... her pictures inspire me and her life delights me. And Mini Albums... pieces of my life are exposed every time I create a little book.
Which leads me to conclude that healthy addictions are perfectly acceptable, because when a person is passionate every day, it becomes the most enjoyable way to live out loud.
*AHEM* My name too, is Kelly, and I'm a dietcokeaholic.
My obsession with mcd's dietcoke is legendary. drives my poor dh nuts because nothing else is the same...and uh, of course I've done a layout about my McObsession :P
Posted by: Kelly | June 17, 2007 at 11:20 PM
Although we have never met, I sometimes think we must be related! LOL! Your quest for the perfect fountain Coke describes me to a tee. And I thought I was the only one that ranked McD's straws number one and hoarded them for times when competitor's straws don't cut it (Wendy's are the WORST). My dh just joked the other day that I am the only person he knows that will drive through McD's drive thru just to order a Coke...when there is a garage full at home!! Well, now I can tell him I'm not the only one!!! Thanks for affirming what I already believe to be completely normal fountain drink behavior!!!
And I soooooo feel your prom-absence pain....been there! Well, it wasn't Texas, but it was a scrapbook business trip that caused me to miss my dd's junior formal. Luckily it wasn't senior year!
-Deanna
Posted by: Deanna Shain | June 06, 2007 at 01:36 PM
Love, love, LOVE the Pioneer Woman...and yes, it is a time sucker, but I SO love reading about her Marlboro Man...
Posted by: ScrappingMommyof3 | June 05, 2007 at 07:00 PM
I am a SONIC girl myself. Perfect ice! The styrofoam cup doesn't sweat in the Texas heat. I hate Wendy's cups the only ones worse are Jack in the box. McDonald's will do in a pinch. As you see you are not the only one with fountain issues. Have a great time in my fair city! Hopefully we are done w/our storms for a while. Only 10 days in May w/o rain but we really needed it. Every thing is vibrant green. By the way I found the Pioneer woman about a month ago...she is a hoot and her recipes make me drool!
Take care friend!
Posted by: Lucinda | June 05, 2007 at 03:15 PM
I love that little blue and black book! I have never done a mini album and part of the reason that I have umpteen,000 photos waiting to be laid out is because I cannot imagine coming up with enough stuff to put on a 12x12 anymore... you definately have a point there!
ps...I will not buy any soda that won't fit into the cup holder...lol! I shoved a cup into the bracket and it gave way at 70 mph on the front seat.
Posted by: Regina | June 05, 2007 at 01:51 PM
Right now I am passionate about cherry vanilla diet dr. pepper. It's like crack. I almost never buy soda to stock in the fridge - not crazy about my kids drinking it, but I couldn't resist a 12-pack while grocery shopping last week.
Posted by: tracy whitney | June 05, 2007 at 12:42 PM
Kelly, I'm giggling at your little soda obsession---the cup and everything. I agree with you that it all has to be perfect; somewhere along the line I've discovered a little gas station near me that has the PERFECT cups (they are refillable!) and the PERFECT ice (I like crushed, but not TOO crushed). Now the problem is that EVERY day I want one! I'm getting fat!
Posted by: Amy Sorensen | June 05, 2007 at 10:37 AM
Ah! Another Pioneer Woman convert!!!!! Don't tell Torm, but Ree's blog has taken over Torm's blog as my first read of the day. ;)
Posted by: Steph | June 05, 2007 at 09:30 AM
WOW! You soooo have to do a layout about this drink obsession of yours! LOL! Loving' the mini-album, too!
Posted by: slammie | June 05, 2007 at 09:17 AM
personally i'm a fan of the crushed ice. one of my favorite things about sonic. that and their drinks are oh so good. can't wait for ds to start summer school so i can hit sonic on a daily basis without him telling dh. dd isn't old enough to understand to tell daddy that mommy hits sonic on a daily basis.
i love mini books too and am always looking for a reason to make one. will have to remember to make one just for fun. they are so easy and i always feel like i actually finished something.
Posted by: meg | June 04, 2007 at 11:56 PM
Hoping the classes go well .. . love that little board book thing you've got going on. I've got 3 baskets of mini albums. . . . 1 basket full of completed ones and 2 baskets that are full of albums waiting for pictures.
Posted by: heather | June 04, 2007 at 10:51 PM
Dearest Kelly, oh how I love you. Like you I am a passionate addict to several things. (said the lady who is just now checking your blog for the day because she's been consumed by a book!)
I do really think Mc D's coke and orange soda is great. I don't get there often (waaay out of the way unless going to airport) but Sonic has some excellent fountain drinks. I like to get flavored sodas there and they have the nice little crushed ice. (plenty of it!)
LOVE the mini books too. So fabulous and I'm intrigued by the idea of displaying them. I might get sucked in.
Well back to cleaning out my studio... that's one of my current obsession/addictions...
Posted by: May | June 04, 2007 at 08:21 PM
I am taken with the idea of a wicker basket full of mini albums.
Posted by: Helena | June 04, 2007 at 03:35 PM
Looking forward to your class first thing Thursday morning in Arlington!
The last time I saw you was in Arlington 6 years ago when you were wearing all the ribbons!!!
Linda (aka Kropster)
Posted by: Linda aka Kropster | June 04, 2007 at 02:40 PM