adam and eve

I went through a stage where I was convinced that being a female in a male's world is in a word: unfair. I read tons of books that examined why men have always been considered the "superior" gender, how our present day gender roles were created, and how women have generally been screwed in the land of the free, and home of the brave. Reading for months about this topic turned Anna Lewis into one extremely bitter feminist. But I snapped out of it, because I am blessed to have three incredibly strong relationships with my Dad and brothers. I have never been made to feel inferior or been encouraged less to do something because I am a girl. And now I can say that I happily live with a guy who is a daily reminder of everything that is wonderful about men. They are able to lift extremely heavy furniture, figure out how to build the sometimes complicated items from IKEA, and they provide an enormous amount of heat in the winter to snuggle up next to. But there are still a few things I am really really confused about:

1. Why do you have to spit? I have been walking down the sidewalk, driving a car, standing outside a bar, and heard that GOD AWFUL hawking noise and I know what's coming. It's a big ol' wad of your bile and I don't get it. I have seen maybe 2 women in my life spit, and their names were Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain after they won the World Cup. What is going on in the guts of males that the majority of them "have" to spit in public? It's disgusting, it's repulsive, and I've never heard anyone say "OMG! Did you see that guy who just hawked a giant loogie? He is so hot."

2. Adjust yourselves in the bathroom. You don't see me leaning over in public because my girls are not comfortable in my bra so do it behind closed doors.

3. The argument of "Who is better at sports? Men or women?" I have never heard a woman bring up this subject and yet countless guys feel the need to remind us, that women do not play football and the WNBA is kind of a joke. Hey guess what?! WE CREATE A HUMAN LIFE INSIDE OUR BODIES. An actual human lives inside of us for 9 months and then we have to rely on nothing more than our bodies to push it out. WE DON'T CARE IF YOU CAN DRIBBLE A BIG ORANGE BALL BETTER THAN WE CAN.

i'm your booth bitch

carrie bradshaw has been mentioned in this blog before. yes, i love sjp, and yes i hate that i love carrie bradshaw. my annoyance can be summed up in how she very effectively screwed over aidan shaw in every possible way. i love aidan, and if you ask me she totes chose the wrong guy. it was only until recently, when i was watching a few of my favorite satc episodes that i realized something. i have met my aidan shaw. no he doesn't design furniture, and no he doesn't own a dog named pete. but he does love me. he is committed to me. he cooks for me, he is patient with me, he makes a conscious effort every day to be a better man. and most importantly, he is kind. he is my aidan with a (hopefully) happy ending. so cheers to him. <3

"maybe there are no right moments, right guys, right answers. maybe you just have to say what's in your heart." - carrie bradshaw

my sister with fur

Sometimes I find myself overwhelmed with just how much we have to learn in this life. Never mind the fact that we learn the basics before we learn how to remember anything at all (I for one do not recall saying my first word, or taking my first step) But we spend our entire lives learning over and over where we came from, where we are going, who we are, and who we want to be. We gain this knowledge in all different ways; we make mistakes to learn our lessons, we succeed so that we know what to repeat, and most importantly we are shown in sometimes very small ways how to be better people. And sometimes, very rarely, these lessons come from someone in your life who walks on all fours.

Nani came to us the summer of 2000. We had never had a family pet (aside from my chameleon who died of anorexia- RIP JOHN!), and had agreed on a vacation in Maui that we wanted Nani to become a Lewis. We decided on her name which means "beautiful guardian" in Hawaiian and picked her up shortly after we returned to Virginia. And as she grew from 6lbs to 90lbs, she became a member of our family. She was with us through out our teenage years, and as chaotic as it can be to have 3 teenagers in one house, Nani was hands down the mellow presence we so desperately needed. She never jumped, rarely barked, didn't chew on anything that didn't belong to her, didn't beg for food that wasn't hers and her greeting was always a polite kiss and sniff. When other dogs would visit and would act crazy long after their owner told them to "STOP!" Nani would just stare at them as if to say "What is WRONG with you?"

She would nudge her bowl outside and dine al fresco because we Lewis' are a classy breed. She would watch TV with her little paws crossed and every so often look behind her to make sure we were all still there. When asked "Who's the prettiest girl in the world?" Nani would shake her butt and wag her tail as if to say "It's me! It's me!" Above everything else Nani was kind. She could easily knock someone over, or bite, or destroy everything in the house , but she didn't. All she wanted in her 10 year life was to give love. And thankfully we were the family to receive it.

I hope Nani is able to know just how much she will be missed. And if there is a doggy heaven, I know that she is looking down, with her little paws crossed, missing us just as much.

crazy heart

& this may be one of the most beautiful songs i've ever heard.

"your body aches…
playing your guitar and sweating out the hate
the days and the nights all feel the same
whiskey has been a thorn in your side
and it doesn’t forget
the highway that calls for your heart inside
and this ain’t no place for the weary kind
and this ain’t no place to lose your mind
and this ain’t no place to fall behind
pick up your crazy heart and give it one more try."

couldn't live without

The older I get, the more I realize that I always have to have a few things. Whether in my purse, my fridge, or my car I have to have these things within an arms reach. And here they are:

1. Anti-bacterial wipes. I have them in my car, in my office, under my bathroom sink, and in my kitchen. I love a nice clean surface wherever I am. 
2. Sunglasses. I blame it on the summer I lived on Hilton Head Island but I can not be without my sunnies. I have a pair in my car, in my purse, and on my face. Big ones, throwbacks from the 90s (love those Blublockers), expensive ones, and ones I don't care if I ever see again. My eyes will thank me when I'm 50.
3. Nivea hand cream. If you live in Chicago and don't have dry hands 7 months out of the year, you probably have oil in your veins instead of blood.
4. Bobby pins can be found in my pockets, in my desk drawer, in my center console, in a jewelery box on my dresser, and more than likely 10 are in my hair. Curls are never the same length, it's a curse.
5. Nalgene full of ice cold water. I drink approximately a gallon a day, and it's entirely because I love being refreshed but the health benefits are nice too. And btw, that nalgene has a Tri Delta sticker and is from the Salty Dog Cafe. Represent.