girlcrushes

Everybody has them. Whether they are out of admiration or sheer jealousy, every man has a mancrush and every girl has a girlcrush, except the term "crush" takes on an entirely different connotation than it does for the opposite sex. Girlcrushes aren't infatuations. Here's what urbandictionary.com, the definitive source of everything cool, has to say about the topic:

The admiraton one girl has for another. It could be to do with hair, body, make-up, car, clothes, career, talents etc. Completely non-sexual. Girl crushes are generally very short-lived, as girls move on very quickly from trends.

Anyway, here are mine.

Jennie Finch.

Olympic gold medalist for the US Olympic softball team, she is a woman who can pull off being six feet tall and athletic. I am nowhere near six feet tall, but I think that strong and powerful women are beautiful! She is a talented pitcher and hitter. She has worked hard. PLUS, she is a hott mom. She tried out and made the Olympic softball team just six weeks after giving birth. Do you understand what that means?


Giada DeLaurentiis.

Expert on Italian cuisine. A woman who, for all purposes, appears comfortable in her own skin. She hosts a cooking show on Food Network that showcases her ability to whip parmesan cheese, linguine, tomatoes, oregano and other ingredients into delicious Italian cuisine. She has the touch, the uncanny ability to throw random mix into a food processor and create these beautiful hazelnut cheesecakes and three-cheese pastas without spilling, poisoning, or maiming. Maybe it's because she was born in Rome, but I can barely make a beef stew for my fiancé! Giada also has great style. Then again, if I had the resources she had, and quite possibly, the personal style consultants she probably has, I might be able to expertly coordinate wardrobes that make me look like a million bucks, too.

Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt.

They are published co-authors who have developed a unique voice that combines wit with a tender, brutal honesty. Their foot (feet?) have wedged through The Door. Don't know where that phrase comes from, but three books and soon to be four, have found their way into my local Borders Store and into my hands and the hearts and minds of Christian girls who crave to relate to someone -- even hapless characters in a book. In fact, I went to the largest bookstore in the US, and it was sold out of their latest release. I also admire these girls for having grad degrees. They are smart and savvy, a combination that is hard to come by these days. I have moments where I am smart, but savvy is compromised for comfort and eclecticism far too often.

I'm cutting this short with four, but you can bet I'll be adding more as I think of them. Who are your girlcrushes?