The Sunday Currently XIV: Observant Turtle

I'm pretty sure that a sign of true friendship is your mother knowing the name of your friend's dog.  Right?  It doesn't get any more mundane and intimate than that.  So, the other week, when Mom asked how Anabelle was enjoying her l'eléphant, I knew that Whitney and I have made it to the next level even though we've never met.

But we do gchat constantly; whenever I hear a joke that Jon would find funny I send it her way because they both have the sense of humor of a 12 year old boy, and whenever she pings me with "okay, I was thinking about [insert political issue here] and I don't understand how..." I know I'm in for a meaningful conversation that will end with "but why can't everyone just be nicer to each other?"  We keep talking about how to convince Nick, her husband, to move to DC, but we're also planning a beach getaway for next summer in the Carolinas and Kayak.com has flights to Houston in my "saved searches."

You might have already read my love letter to Whitney, so I won't repeat myself here - except to say that I bet you'll love her too and you should had straight to her blog after reading her guest post here!


Hello Betsy Transatlantically readers! I'm so happy to be able to speak (uh... type?) to you all today.

Before we get started with Sunday Currently, I'd love to introduce myself to you! I'm Whitney and I've been blogging at The Observant Turtle for a little over two years now. I live just outside of Houston, TX, in the suburbs with my husband Nick and two furchildren. "Constantly treading the line between geek and chic" is my tagline, as I'm the token nerd amongst my blog friends. I love trying out new recipes (often with the assistance of Betsy!), going to the dog park, working/attending concerts, and hanging out with blog friends.

I've been following Betsy's blog for almost two years now. Not only am I a sponsor this month but I'm also an avid reader! It's hands down my favorite blog, meaning that since you're reading this, you definitely have great taste.


Alright, let's get started...

Currently...

Reading... "99 Problems But a Baby Ain't One" by Megan Silianoff. Well, in all honesty, I just finished it! It's a cheeky memoir (my favorites) about a young woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in her twenties and her adoption journey. I'm actually running a giveaway for a signed copy of the book right now, since Megan's actually a friend of mine!

Writing... part two of my Bullying series. I just posted part one and I was overwhelmed with the response. It was all spawned by a tweet I saw last week that got me thinking about my own experience with bullying and how I'll handle it with my own children. It's such a tricky thing, don't you think?

Listening... to college football, the sound of the shower running, and my furchildren Susie and Anabelle chasing each other. I can't tell you why (because I don't know myself) but the sound of my football and baseball teams playing on TV is one of the most soothing sounds in the world. I think it's because it reminds me of home.

Thinking... about an article that's been going around about stay-at-home moms. All of the hate coming from both sides of the issue is so sad. Both working and SAHM moms have their struggles, so why judge each other? It's very disheartening. 

Smelling... my new pumpkin pecan pancakes plug-in that I received as a gift from my aunt for hosting her bridal shower a few weeks ago while I was home in South Carolina. It's one of my favorites ever. It makes my mouth water!

Wishing... that the weather here in Texas would catch up with the rest of the country. Sure, the temperatures have dropped a bit, but I'm ready to wear boots and scarves!

Hoping... for our Congress to end the government shutdown. I won't say much more, but I will say that it's time that this nonsense ends and that our country comes together to start building a better future.

Wearing... my absolute favorite Madewell jeans. They recently changed their jean style and I'm way more upset about it than I should be. Call me crazy, but I'd prefer my jeans to leave things to the imagination instead of being super skin tight.

Loving... the red potato pie from the Mellow Mushroom. Yes, it's a pizza with potatoes on it. ("PO-TAY-TOES. Fry 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew.") Have you all been there? They have a few locations all over (at least from TX to NC that I know of) and I'm seriously obsessed.

Wanting... to see my parents. They live back in SC and their birthdays were Friday and Saturday. I really want to celebrate with them!

Needing... to get my butt into gear and start running. Betsy is definitely inspiring me with her running journey and I totally want to start my own journey. Maybe I can get Nick to join me!

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