simple math: last day of school

PLUS
EQUALS
Oh, that's right. Sprained my ankle on the last day of school playing on the bungee run inflatable. AM. SO. COOL.

T-town

I know that you have all heard about the tornado in Tuscaloosa and other parts of the southeast. My sister lives in Tuscaloosa, so this has felt incredibly close to home. Thankfully, my sister is ok, as well as her friends. Some of her friends had damage to their homes/stuff, but all of AnneTaylor's stuff is ok.

This week's Sports Illustrated cover is all about "What the Tornado Took" from Tuscaloosa. It focuses on the athlete's response to the tornado. It's heart wrenching. You can read the full article by clicking on the picture.
The NFL draft was the day after the tornado hit, and it was cool to see quite a few Alabama players get drafted! Even cooler was that those guys were still talking/tweeting about how they were going to help in Tuscaloosa.

You need to read the article. It's really well written, and it will certainly make you feel connected to the real story in T-town.

bathing suits and modesty

Growing up, I thought the only reason to wear a one-piece bathing suit was to hide fat. I thought skinny people wore two-pieces and fat people wore one-pieces. Just the rules. However, when I was in highschool, my friend Natalie (who is thin) wore a one-piece all the time. I remember talking to her about it, and she said that wore one when she knew she would be around guys- because she thought that her body was none of their business. I remember being surprised about that because I had never given much thought to modesty in regards to bathing suits.

By their very nature, bathing suits are not modest. They are skin tight and resemble underwear. Everything is on display. But talking to Natalie made me realize that there are some decisions you can make about someone else's ability to know everything about your body.

I was reading Elizabeth Esther's blog this morning about her daughter's bathing suit choices, and it made me remember this revelation with Natalie in highschool. Her husband reminded her that it's not about the bikini- it's about the relationship. The relationship with her daughter for her to understand modesty and purity is what matters- not the bathing suit.

I go to a camp with my church every summer, and they have a rule that you have to wear one-piece bathing suits. And, I'll be honest, there is a incredible sense of innocence for that entire week on the beach. People who come to camp for the first time always complain about the rule, but after you've gone a couple of years, you kinda come to like it. However, I do think there is such a thing as TOO modest.

I have some friends that I babysit for- their daughters are 11 and 8. Naturally, when I babysit in the summer, we go to the pool. The first time we went, I was shocked to watch the little girls get their bathing suits on and put a pair of board shorts over their suits. I mean, they're little girls. There's a part of me that feels like making little girls wear shorts or those crazy swim-outfits is teaching a sense of shame of their bodies. I think there has to be a balance.

Obvs, I'm not a parent, so I don't have to make these decisions, but it does make me think.

twitter

Just found DogHouseDiaries.com
Greatest timesuck of my week. I read through every. single. archive.
and totally loved every minute.
this was one of my favorites:

but then I thought, I should tell people how much I love twitter.

I LOVE TWITTER.

It's BY FAR my favorite social network. I have been on it for a while now- and I seriously love it. I feel lost without it after a few hours. :)

Are you on twitter? I should follow you!
You should follow me!
www.twitter.com/camismith

stories I only tell my friends

My love for all things Rob Lowe is no secret here. Loved him in The Outsiders, Brothers and Sisters, West Wing, and even when he was the bad guy in Austin Powers and Tommy Boy. LOVE HIM. So, when he was on Oprah the other day, of course I watched. He was there promoting his book, Stories I Only Tell My Friends.

Please understand that I am NOT usually a celebrity-tell-all kind of reader.
BUT.
Rob Lowe's book just isn't like that. It's SHOCKINGLY well written, and it is much more of a reflection of his life than an expose of his past romances and debauchery. It's a very quick read, chronicling his life through the end of the West Wing. It briefly mentions Brothers and Sisters and the shows he works on now, but not in great detail. As a huge enthusiast of The Outsiders, I loved that there were about 3 chapters devoted to that time in his life.
He leaves nothing us-discussed.

I loved it- def rated-R, but mostly bc of profanity. Everything else is alluded to without being trashy. Well. Without being vulgar.
READ IT!