http://writinggig.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/finishing-touches/

http://writinggig.wordpress.com/2011/10/15/rifle/

http://writinggig.wordpress.com/2011/07/02/could-i-write-better-than-that/

Wunderlist
It will be beyond helpful to keep my running list of projects with me at all times.

YouVersion
I will no longer look like a huge jerk reading my bible in public places. I don’t know why this makes me feel like a jerk, it just does.

GPS
I get lost a lot in this town. A lot. This would help.

the internets
You don’t know how many times I call Logan when I’m on the road and ask him to get on the internet in order to find a phone number or an address for me. So many times…

Games
For waiting in line before midnight premieres. For times when I’m riding in the passenger seat beside a mute driver. For making the person next to me seem miniscule and less important than a video game

Skype/Face Time
With dozens of family and friends across the globe, I use Skype quite often. It just makes sense that being able to do it from the comfort of my corduroy recliner will make life more enjoyable. Also, it’s kind of awkward to lug my computer around in order to give my far-off sister a “tour” of my house.

Twitter
It’s really hard to stay connected on Twitter when you have two times a day to check up on everything. In this day and age, an hour is a week, an afternoon a month. You’ve got to be current. You’ve got to give real-time updates.

E-mail
This will be good and bad. Good because I won’t miss e-mails that are time sensitive. Bad because I don’t want this to consume me more than it already does.

Kindle
As much as it will kill me to do so, I will read books on an iPhone. But truly, there are several eBooks that I am just dying to read.

What about you? Do you want an iPhone? Do you have one? What will/do you use?

This is where we talk about our personal obsessions. Basically, it’s the miscellaneous category, which as we all know, is the best category. It’s the file folder with the old love letters you just can’t seem to throw away, it’s the final moving box with the mop, your copy of Braveheart, and the $20 bill you found under the sofa, it’s the delicious goulash my mom would make every Saturday night. It’s the good things in life that buck categorization. The free spirits of our interests. And here are mine.

Time Management. At this point, seeing that I’m obsessed with time management, you might assume that I’m the most boring person in the world, and you might assume rightly, but hear me through. I’ve recently been on a heavily documented journey toward gaining control of my schedule. I’ve collected a vast amount of helpful information, but I need to mention David Allen’s Getting Things Done, the amazing advice of my friends, and the word “No” (or more precisely, “I’d really love to, but I can’t”). After putting lots of time management advice and tips into practice, I am more relaxed, I am more fun to be around, I have more time for the things I’m really obsessed with (my relationship with Jesus, youth ministry, writing), and there is even more potential on the horizon for a lifestyle that seems more alligned with the ways my body and brain were meant to function.

Personal hygiene. I grew up in a home that deemphasized physical appearance and even developed a sort of disdain for the pursuit of outward beauty. While I’m extremely thankful for many things that this mindset gave to me, I had an almost unholy nonchalance about stray hairs, white heads, and alligator skin. But once I realized that my husband spends more time on his nails than I do, I decided to change. I set aside one hour, once a week, when I give myself permission to focus completely on making myself beautiful. I file and paint my nails, I shave to a silky perfection, I pluck that cursed mutant hair on my chin, and do whatever else it takes to take care of my body. Along the way, I’ve found some things that make this a lot easier. One, I’ve already mentioned, is Shave Secret and as I tell anyone who asks, “Yes, it really does do what it says it will do”. Another is twin-line floss because it just works better than single-line. You may say I’ve been duped, that I’ve fallen prey to their gimmick, but I may tell you that you can’t knock it til you try it. The last thing is Ulta Nail Lacquer in Peach Parfait. It’s the perfect color for summer, not too pink, not to serious, just a tad edgy. It also lasts four to five days, which is pretty sensational.

Spending gift cards. I got the idea when I read Real Simple’s article on the Unprocrastination Day. (Fabulous article, by the way.) One of the things the author did was find all her unused gift cards and spend them. Now, doesn’t that sound fun? That’s what I thought! I’ve started getting rid of all the stupid $1.78 balances on random gift cards by buying whatever I need to get it out of my purse and into the trash. A little bonus to this decluttering is that you start getting little packages in the mail. Right now I’m looking at the cutest little recycled glass votive on which I didn’t spend a cent. This is the most fun I’ve ever had doing something productive.

What about you? What are some of your more personal obsessions at the moment?

First and foremost: eggs. They are glorious. Cheap, delicious, versatile, these little white and golden beauties have carried me through dinner, lunch, and breakfast for the past several months. This simple, hearty frittata is a lot of bang for your buck. I spent several weeks surviving on poached eggs and toast. One of my favorite new recipes involves eggs. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve fried an egg and put it on buttered whole grain toast with some salt and pepper for breakfast. I also have a new perfect formula for quiches, but my first effort was kind of disastrous when I paired ham with goat cheese. It was so salty it could have pickled a cheesecake, but I’m definitely going to have another go. At $0.78 a dozen at Aldi’s, eggs are about the cheapest meat I can come by, but I couldn’t be happier to forego the cows and pigs. Eggs really are incredible.

Next, apples and cheese. While I’ve long been pairing cheddar with my galas, recently I’ve been exposed to some other tasty combinations. The brie, Granny Smith, and honey Panini at Square One is so good you’ll want to marry it. The other night, I tossed some chopped apple and gorgonzola with some romaine and drizzled it with a white wine vinaigrette. Logan said it could be put in the rotation. (That’s basically the highest compliment a dish could ever receive.) I look forward to hearing about other exciting apple/cheese combos.

S’mores. This obsession is a little more embarrassing. It’s not a recent obsession. It’s been going on for quite some time. A little known fact about Aanna is that she always keeps her pantry stocked with the makings of a good s’more. Actually, they don’t even have to be good. I’ll take a withered marshmallow, a stale graham, and cheapo chocolate, zap it in the microwave, and be a happy woman. I don’t know what’s come over me! I didn’t even like s’mores as a child. I once said, “If I ever had to gain fifty pounds for a movie, you know, like Russell Crowe, I’d gain it all on s’mores.”

What about you? What are your food obsessions?

(Photos: S’mores)