Project Runway: Iconic Penguin Tracksuit

Is anyone else watching this season of Project Runway?? I have not missed one episode or season since the show began and I'm definitely not starting now. It's too good to miss!

Well, if anyone reading this little blog does watch PR, than I'm sure you saw last Thursday's episode. Holy crud. The challenge was to "create an iconic, high-end, signature look" after a trip to the Met. Inspiration designs and examples included gorgeous pieces by Dior and Balenciaga. Designers were given $500 to create their look with a few twists.. 2-person teams and a day before runway, the designers were asked to create an additional "budget friendly" look based on inspiration of another group's design. Aughh... I love the tension on this show!

[Mentor, Tim Gunn & Host, Heidi Klum]

I have to say, (spoiler) I was SO dumbfounded by the judges decision by giving the win to snobby, Mila. Her "iconic" look was 100% penguin tracksuit. It was disgusting. It doesn't help that I can't stand her.. Her attitude is so stuck-up and she's more than ready to throw anyone under the bus to put herself forward. I get it - It's a show about winning, but I think she's a witch.

Check out her sick-rick winning look that somehow wow'ed the judges.




If you haven't been keeping up with PR this season, it's not too late! It's going to be a good one.. I think I already have a pretty good idea who is going to go far.

xo
[Photo Sources - Heidi & Tim, Tracksuit]

I Miss My Friends

Last night, I received a special package in the mail from my best friend.. and I just had to blog about it. This past summer, Justin and I went home to the Midwest, to visit our families and friends. Our 10-day trip was an amazing adventure, with many (many, many!) challenges. Although God continued to teach us patience through our frustrations, some really great things happened too... I was able to catch up with all of my besties, but the time we spent with Stacie, my best friend since 8th grade, totally reignighted our friendship.

Our Trip:
Day One. We left SC, headed for MN with an overnighter in any hotel we could find. We found a reasonable one that allowed pups (we had Romeo with us) and stayed the night. It was definitely cheaper than it was "pretty" and I might even bet someone that there was poo smeared on the wall behind one of the end tables. Who knows, it could've been chocolate, right?

Day Two. Back on the road. Of course, the trip took longer than planned.. Romeo needing bathroom breaks, nasty traffic and detours. We did have some good laughs, as we nicknamed people in the cars in passing. We kept seeing this one bald woman driving next to us, who we could swear had a hospital gown on! She gave me the 'stink eye' as we passed her somewhere near Chicago - We kept calling her "The Asylum Escapee". My silly family greeted us, as we rolled in. We ate some 'Jack's' frozen pizza and watched LOST.

Day Three. Big Tiki Luau for my dad in my parent's backyard, for his 50th. It was a challenge keeping him occupied, but thanks to my brother and my sister Vanessa, his surprise was a success! We luau'd all night, watched my parents sing karaoke with their friends and ate some amazing food.

Day Four. A trip to the Mall of America for some shopping and lunch with my sister, Vanessa. Later, we headed to see my best friends/college roomies, Mulder (and her husband) and Jade (and her BF) for a BBQ. We girls pretty much laughed and talked the whole time, while our men watched us and the game on TV.. What a fabulous night!

Day Five. We woke up to a nightmare. Apparently my job screwed up with my paycheck, and not only did my paycheck not go into my account, but our Rent check came out 7 days early - despite post-dating the check. Can they even do that?! We were annihilated with overdraft charges. We tried calling our leasing office and bank, and of course no one would help. Aside from our financial mess, we were planning to go to the State Fair with Stacie & Dan all day. It was so great to catch up and spend the day with them, laughing and stuffing our faces with State Fair food! Later that night, we introduced them to our latest obsession: LOST. Romeo met their big golden retreiver, Cuba and they played and danced!

Day Six. My mom, my sisters and I got ready for a day out, dedicated to Vanessa's wedding dress shopping and lunch. We had such a fun time, as she tried different dresses on and we all made our comments. When she finally found The Dress, it was obvious, because we call cried. We went to Punch Pizza on Grande Ave. for lunch, and Lanae admitted that "spinach isn't so bad". I was able to see Stacie again, since we stopped by the cute bridal boutique she works at. Later that night, I was having a really difficult (and quite emotional) time regarding our whole nightmare with our bank and the fact that no one would help us sort the situation out. NOTHING is worse than a financial mix-up - that's not even our fault - when we are a million miles away from home and have no power to sort it out. Finally, I got it together and the whole fam headed to the Drive-In for movies and more laughing. To top off the night, we jumped in the hottub and laughed some more, despite our continued nightmare with our bank.

Day Seven. Back to the State Fair with my mom and Vanessa. We stopped by the cute diner Lanae worked at during the Fair, and she was able to meet up with us later in the afternoon. My Dad and brother met up in the evening for more face-stuffing of food, live music and rides. It was a great day.

Day Eight. Back on the road, headed for Wisconsin to see more family (Justin's). The 6-hour drive wasn't too bad. Once we arrived, we had to discreetly get Justin's parents over to a friend's home where a surprise 30th Wedding Anniversary party was waiting for them. It was so nice to see more family and old friends!! Still fighting the nightmare with our bank and leasing office.

Day Nine. Spent time with the fam, amazing lunch at Culver's and a needed stop at Swiss Colony to stock up on our Wisconsin cheese. Oh man, yum. Later on, Marta, my best friend from college, came to pick me up and we had some de-LISH pizza from a yummy place, downtown Galena. It was really great to catch up and spend time with her daughter, Georgia who I hadn't seen in almost a year! We laughed our faces off, took lots of pictures and hung out as late as we could, until it was time for me to head back.

Day Ten. Time to head back to SC. Not even a few hours on the road, and we get a flat tire. The best part? It was Memorial Day, AND a Sunday, so everywhere was closed. The place we did find, Farm N' Fleet (augh.) wanted to charge an arm and a leg for a tire. We had no choice. I had a nervous breakdown in a lawnchair display in the middle of the flourescent-lit, barn-ish building, with the sound of screaming children and ignorant parents blaring throughout the aisles. If I didn't have God in my life, I don't know what I might have done that day. By that time, anything else that would go wrong, was just typical, so it didn't even really phase us. At least now, we can look on those stressful (yet wonderful) days and Just Laugh.

The whole moral of this story, was to explain how Stacie and I became best friends all over again on top of our already best friendship! I just feel so blessed to have known her for 13 years. She married a great guy that I've actually known since 5th grade and it's been really incredible getting to know her all over again. We've always been best friends. Since I moved to SC, our keeping-in-touch skills were good (instead of great) and we would only talk on the phone maybe once every week or two. It's tough! Lives change and get super busy. Well, this past summer, our day at the Fair and our newfound, mutual obsession for LOST has seriously been a fun way to get us talking again. In fact, Stacie is responsible for me starting this very blog. Since our trip this summer, I think we have talked (or texted) atleast once a day. This makes me smile.

[With Stacie, on my Wedding Day - October 25, 2008]

We giggled a while back when Dan (her hubby) noticed their outstanding phone bill, which was saved thanks to the fact we both use Sprint (so it's free to talk). I think he said the minutes one month were in the 2,000's? Holy moly! What's funny, is that we got Dan & Stacie (and her parents too!) so hooked on LOST, that they totally passed us before season 5 came out a few weeks ago. Justin and I just had to wait for it to come out on dvd. Oh man, it's SO GOOD. And the final season (6) starts Tuesday! I think I might make some Dharma jumpsuits and coconut cupcakes. Eeee!!!

So as for my package, Stacie sent back our LOST seasons 1 and 2 dvds we lent them, along with some other little goodies! She sent me a bottle of Twilight Woods body cream from Bath & Body Works which I seem to be putting more on every hour because I'm in LOVE with it. I also got the soundtrack from 500 Days of Summer and the new Skillet album we've been dying to hear. Thanks again, Stacie!!

[Another thing Stacie and I have shared a mutual love for is (you guess it!) Twilight and I'm waiting for her to get the third book so we can start reading it together..]

Augh, I miss Stacie and I miss all of my best friends from back home.. Mulder, Jade, Misty.. Even friends from High School that I rarely talk to, I miss. Especially, Marta in Illinois.. It sucks. Life here just isn't the same without them. I guess it makes our time even more excited when I DO get to see them when we visit home, but I'd rather see them everyday.

Some of my favorite verses Stacie shared with me, I will share with you. I was really encouraged and hope you are too..

Proverbs 2:6-8 -- "For the Lord gives wisdom and from His mouth came knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, He is a shield for those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones."

xo

What I'm Listening To:

Passion Pit

A Car Accident, Neil Patrick Harris and a Seatless Van

I never got around to blogging about this, but last week, some ding-dong man rear-ended me while I was about to pick up one of my clients. I did absolutely nothing wrong, too. I was turning left into my client's neighborhood, and while waiting for oncoming traffic to pass so I could turn, I watched the whole thing happen in my rear-view mirror. Plus I think the sound of car accident is just nauseating and creepy at the same time. So as I am hearing and watching this man slam into the back of my car, I didn't even get a chance to panic before SMASH. Luckily, he admitted fault and apologized, and the damage wasn't severe. I claimed it, and am now going through the process of having my bumper replaced. All I can say, is praise the Lord it wasn't 5 minutes later, or my client would have been in the car, and that would have been a nightmare of paperwork and issues to mess with.

Monday, I took my banged up car to the body shop for the estimate. A nice, man - with braces - greeted me and I had to show him the damage and the whole deal. He was super professional and friendly, and actually looked just like a slinky version of Neil Patrick Harris. The first time he flashed those braces, it threw me off guard! Maybe because it's not as common to see adults with braces? I dunno, I think it's just because it's hard to picture Neil Patrick with braces.. Regardless, why am I talking about Doogie Howser and braces?

Today, I headed back to the shop to drop off my car and pick up my rental - since I it's going to be a 2-day job with bumper replacement and everything. I walk in. Why, hello there, Doogie with braces! He kept talking to me like I knew what was going on, but I have never been in an accident before (I'm so fortunate it wasn't my fault and it wasn't severe damage!). He took my car key and told me I was "good to go!" and that "someone should be around to take me to my rental". I was confused, but of course my goal was to just go along like I knew what was going on. I stood there for a minute before I finally asked him, "Uhh.. wait, what? Where's the rental? What am I supposed to do?" and of course I had to remind him that "I have never done this before, so..um.." He looked at me kinda funny, but then explained that a driver is going to be taking me to Enterprise (a few miles away) and I would get my rental there. OK! There was another woman in the lobby. As I watched her head outside and get in the passanger seat of this minivan parked out front, Doogie tells me that I need to go with them. Uhhm, Ok. I think I even remember thinking to myself that I'll probably be blogging about this later. Well, here's what happened next:

I walked out to the van, and there was a nice man/driver who was by the sliding van door, waiting for me to get in. As I was walking toward the van, I could clearly see that the seat had been taken out, but I assumed that there had to be a seat maybe toward the back of the van that I would be sitting in. Within the same second that I climbed in, I saw it - no seat. So what do I do? Something my mom would have done. I just sat down Indian-style on the carpet in far back of this van and smiled cheesy-big at the driver who was staring at me in disbelief. He was probably wondering why I was just sitting there like a little kid in Kindergarten, waiting for snacktime. Well, I was thinking "HOW could this man NOT know that there were no seats in the back of his van, if his job is to pick people up from locations and take them to the rental place he was hired by?? I wasn't going to question him! I was trying to be "cool" and act like I knew what I was doing, but ended up looking like a FOOL! He laughed and told me to get out, which then I felt guilty for being so willing to ride in the back of a chauffeured vehicle with no seatbelt or safety whatsoever. Before I got out, I even offered, "I can just hold on to something! I'll be fine!" What is wrong with me?!

Trying to hide my embarassmant, I clumsily exit the seatless van as driver-man and passanger-seat lady watch my every move. What is this?! I think they were waiting for me to do something else humiliating so they could go home and tell their friends my embarassing story. The guy told me he would "come back in 20 minutes" after he dropped off passanger-seat lady. I ended up being driven over to Enterprise by one of the body shop guys who was extremely akward and had such bad skin, I could cry for him. It was nice of him to try to make conversation with me, although he was so akward and uncomfortable. Poor guy! I almost suggested a really good face wash for him, but that would have only made our akward trip 10x more akward.

Well, that's all. I'll have to post what embarassing things happen when I go back to the shop in 2 days to pick up my fixed car. Ohh, can't wait.

xo

Romeo's First Birthday!

Today, we celebrated our puppy/son Romeo's first birthday! Yay!! It's a little bit more exciting for us, I'm sure, because we don't have children yet. So therefore, we call Romeo our "son" and we spoil him rotten. To celebrate his special day, we fought the rainy afternoon and headed downtown Greenville, to the Barkery Bistro! We had never been there before, but friends of ours told us it was a fun place to go for special puppy stuff and cute birthday treats. Before heading inside, we had Romeo do his "business", of course, and we proceeded to enter the cute, little shop. We were in there for maybe 3 minutes before Romeo had his first "accident". Maybe marking his territory? Whatevs, it was just a little "number one", the man laughed it off and we didn't feel so bad - as I'm sure there are accidents there all the time! We looked around some more, a few minutes go by, and.. Oh, what's that we smell? Dog dookie? Yep. Romeo decided to do some REAL business. Now I'm embarassed. I cleaned it up and apologized a million times on our pup's behalf. Not even a minute goes by, before Romeo decideds to tinkle for his 3rd "accident" within a 10 minute block of time. C'mon, Rome! At that point, we were pretty embarassed. We didn't know what his beef was, because he is fully trained and by far, the smartest dog I have ever met. Justin took him outside and I finished the shopping as quickly as I could. Romeo, oh Romeo.. Naughty little birthday boy!

[Just 1 Year Old!]

I found the cutest little things, including a special "birthday bone" that even has a little spot for a candle, a new little toy, and some cute little treats. I don't know why I get so much joy out of pampering my puppy.. Maybe because he fills me with so much joy and happiness, that spending a couple bucks on a cute little outfit or a new bone (covered in sprinkles) is nothin!

[Happy Birthday, little boy!]

[I love how he is totally smiling in this photo!]

[Little sprinkle-covered cupcakes!]

[EVERY time I look at this photo, I crack up! He looks so guilty! He was just playing with his new toy..]

[All tuckered out, while we watched the Vikings game]

Happy Birthday, my little love dooley!

xo

Can I Get Another Box of Kleenex, Please?

I watched Kramer vs. Kramer for the first time today. I have heard the title many times, and again recently when I heard it referenced in I Am Sam. I am ultra-emotional when watching movies, especially the tear-jerkers. Well, Kramer vs. Kramer just made it to my long list of movies that make me bawl like a baby.

To name a few.. I Am Sam, The Notebook, Braveheart, Sleepless in Seattle, Hotel Rwanda, It's A Wonderful Life, Saving Private Ryan, Shindler's List, Slumdog Millionaire, The Truman Show, Armageddon, White Squall, Under the Tuscan Sun, Premonition, Steel Magnolias, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Titanic, Forrest Gump, World Trade Center, Legends of the Fall, City of Angels, Passion of the Christ, Cinderella Man, The Color Purple, Man On Fire, Marley & Me, Revolutionary Road, Changeling, Nights in Rodanthe, John Q, The Green Mile, Apocalypto, Atonement, The Patriot, Seven Pounds, My Girl, P.S. I Love You, A Walk to Remember, Pay It Forward, At First Sight, Romeo + Juliet, Stranger Than Fiction, Ghost, Sweet November.. Aside from just MOVIES, I lose it every single time I watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Doesn't matter when I turn it on, I cry my eyes out. Maybe it's the chimes and sparkly music they add in there for effect. Don't even get me started on commercials. There are some commercials that get me so good, it's like a mini-movie that rips my heart out with no mercy. Is there something wrong with me??

Kramer vs. Kramer was nominated for 51 awards of which 36 awards they won. Academy Awards include Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Writing/Screenplay. Uh, I'd say this movie is worth seeing. Not that we need the Oscars to tell us that Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman are unbelievable actors (huge fan of both!), this movie had me crying like an infant. I really didn't know what it was about, the first few times I had heard of it. In fact, I thought it was going to be totally different, like the maybe the kid's mom or dad dies from a terminal illness or something. Wrong!

Based on the novel by Avery Corman, the the movie came out in 1979 demonstrating the impact of divorce and battle for child custody. Turns out, when Hoffman was offered the role, he was going through a divorce of his own. At first he turned it down, but later decided he wanted it. You can totally feel the pain going on between the characters - especially Dustin Hoffman's character. As usual, he improvised a lot of his lines and behaviors to enhance his role and I think he deserved that Academy Award for Best Actor x10. Meryl Streep's performance was incredible, as well, even as the supporting role. I think this movie really affected me so much, because most of my client (children) are from broken/violent/disrupted/abusive homes. It's heartbreaking. Aside from Kramer vs. Kramer being a mega tear-jerker, it's totally worth seeing. So if you can handle a good cry, check it out.

What other movies jerk your tears??

xo

[Photos - Various Sources]

Coco No Gogo!

It was so hard watching our beloved buddy, Conan O'Brien, say 'goodbye' during his final Tonight Show. Augh. Still wiping my tears away..

[Source]

We all know the big ridiculous, stupid NBC scandal.. Ugh. I really won't be watching Leno. Never did, and I sure won't be after all of this. NBC, get Leno outta here! Give us back The Conando!

[Source]

Conan did give a pretty moving speech to complete his short 7 months as the host of The Tonight Show, and I did cry like a baby. I think his final words were really meaningful and sweet. He doesn't seem bitter toward NBC (though I am!) and he made a good point reminding his fans to avoid being "cynical". To mourn the ending of his show, I decided to make our favorite - Mint Bars. Only, with a special Conanly touch, I dyed the mint frosting orange (instead of green) to honor his notorious hair.

Some things I'll miss the most: Conan's famous string dance, Twitter Tracker, The Year 2000/3000, Conando, and that crazy hair..

I will forever be TEAM COCO!! We love you, long-legged buddy!

xo

I Reckon, She Gone Did.

If you know me at all, you know that I am a CITY girl from the NORTH. I'm talking city, as I wanna throw up if I have to drive more than 5 minutes to the nearest freeway, and so very northern, that my middle name is "oh, doon'tcha know". On a daily basis, I am reminded of just how northern I am, by the people I come in contact with: strangers in passing, clients and parents I work with, even friends I have made that are true "southerners". Working as a mental health counselor for the state of SC, I come in contact with some extremely southern people (usually, pretty redneck), and by referring to these kind of southerners I mean thick accent, bad grammar and really confusing lingo. I'm not saying that all people who live in the south have bad grammar, because I have met plenty of people back home who need a lesson or two. One girl (one of my clients) I am working with right now, has the most outrageous accent, grammar and lingo, and I can't help but laugh as I go home to Justin saying, "Guess what she said today?!" During our last session, she was about to press a button, but asked me first, "Do you want me to mash it?" I was like, "Uhmm.. WHAT?!" She responds confidently, "Mash the button...? Do you want me to push it?" And I just sat there, wide-eyed. Has anyone else heard of mashing buttons??

[Source]

I wanted to take some time to compare 10 extemes that Justin and I have noticed as CRAZY since we have been living in the south. Please take note.. I am SURE there are many things the southern folk find ridiculous about Justin and me.. and that's okay! It's all about how and where we're raised. Either way, in all humor, here ya go...

1. What do you call the thing on 4 wheels that you push around a grocery store to hold your groceries in? A shopping cart, right? Nope. They call it a Buggy. Not just that, they ask if I need to "fetch myself a buggy". Oh my word. I usually just say, "No thanks, I'll take a cart."
2. I've noticed when I'm in a client's classroom for sessions, their teachers will tell them, "Ok kids, go put your books up!" Up where? Don't you mean, put them away?
3. Don't even get me started on the colorful grammar I've heard with a sweet, little twist of southern accent...When I first moved here, I transferred to Macy's as Shiseido's counter manager in the cosmetics department. A woman-person hiked over to me and gruffly demanded, "Wehh's da jerry depahht!!?" Trying to solve this puzzle, I look at the person and after asking her to repeat herself a couple times, she cussed me out and stomped away. Later, I had a local southerner translate for me, and I found she was asking me where the jew-el-ry de-part-ment was. My word. Don't even get me started on "might could", "he do", "she gone", "big ol'", or "he done did". Eugh.
4. Other common sayings I have heard often, since living in the south: "I'm fixin' to go..", "What a great idear..", "Git.", "I reckon why..", "My kin folk..", "Near 'bout" (means "almost"). If going to a friend's house they say, "She's over to..", "I will get get ill with you" or "Don't be ugly.." (means to get "angry"), "I got way-laid" (means "knocked over"), "Yon't" (means "you want").
5. 99% of drivers here are absolutely horrific. Why? They don't have to take Driver's Ed! It's a miracle when you get from A to B without being hit or almost hit by another car.
6. Ladies, what is that important item we carry on our shoulders that holds all of our important things, like our wallet, makeup, planner, gum, etc.? A purse? Nope. They call it a Pocketbook.
7. Pop vs. Soda? They call it soda or "Coke" here. Not only do I get REALLY dirty looks when I forget to translate that I want a "soda" when I really want "pop", but down in the south, people often call it all "Coke". What?! So if I'm asking for a can of pop, I'm supposed to remember to translate it to this: "I'll take a Coke..er.. a Sprite flavored Coke, please." You've got to be kidding me.
8. Justin has really noticed, since living here, that the real southern guys greet eachother by saying, "What's up, Boss Man". But, of course they never enunciate, so they say it as slurred and lazy-south as possible: "Whaap, Boh Maahh". I have no words.
9. Up north, when two cars collide, we usually call it a "car accident". In the south, they call it a "crash" or a "wreck".
10. Things I didn't know existed until I lived here: Grits, at least ONE church and a Title/Loan shop on every corner, authentic sweet tea, pre-pay only gas pumps, "church tv" available 24 hours a day

Though some things took a lot of getting used to, I have really enjoyed living in the south for many other reasons.. The beach, palm trees, the ability to wear flip flops 11 months out of the year, NO snow, and real seafood. Though I am a northerner at heart, I have to admit I have caught myself saying "ya'll" more than once. It drives me NUTS. It's so twangy, but it's so much easier than saying "you all". I am sure someone from the south could totally critique my grammar and lingo and make fun of how I say "boahht" or "ohh, yahh".. I just thought it was funny how different locations have such different slang and mannerisms! Have you had any crazy experiences with extreme northern or southerners??

Goodnight, ya'll!

xo

A few tolerable country songs..
Git-'Er-Dun Mix

Kristen Wiig is Hysterical

I just absolutely love Kristen Wiig from Saturday Night Live.

She's been SNLing for the past 5 years and I honestly think I have laughed every, single time she performs in a skit! Just wanted to share some funny vids I found.. Enjoy!

[Judy Grimes]


[Judy Grimes]


[Judy Grimes]


[Lawrence Welk Show]


[Lawrence Welk Show]


[Lawrence Welk Show]


[Engagement Surprise]


[Surprise Party]


[Suze Orman]


[Target Lady]


[Penelope Goes to Traffic School]


[Penelope Goes to Therapy]


[Penelope Goes to a Wedding]


[Today Show with Kathy Lee]


[Thomas!]


[Thomas!]


[Fran and Freba]


[Virgania Horsen's Hot Air Balloon Rides]


[Virgania Horsen's Pony Express]


[Clear Rite]


[Your Mom Talks to Megan Fox While You Get Ready]


[Flight Announcement]

xo

Blue People, Rude People & Screaming Babies.

Since starting this blog (thank you, again Stacie!) I am constantly finding myself rejoicing when a ridonkulous "Did that just happen?!" moment happens to me [or Justin and me] because it gives me something fabulous to blog about! Of course - at the time - my blog isn't the first thing on my mind.. Like when a psycho man is beating on my car, or my HR lady is offering me a personal loan from her mom's estate earnings.. No.. I think about it after a little time has passed, and I am to the point where I am actually laughing about just how ridiculous of whatever just happened, and I have reached the point where I am excited to be able document it on this fancy lil' thing called the internet. Hmm..

So, wanna hear about my night? A few months ago, Justin and I were at the movies and saw a trailer for Avatar. After the preview, Justin and I looked at eachother and I'm laughing and Justin just smiled. Later when we talked about it, he said he thought it might be cheesy, but might be kinda cool to see in 3D. Well. The more I thought about it, the more I agreed. Tonight, we had made plans to meet up with some friends to give Avatar a chance. Plus, I heard it made over $70 million opening weekend. I guess it would be worth seeing!

[James Cameron's Avatar - Source]

So we plan to meet our friends at the theater a little before it starts, but I didn't expect the theater to pack out since the movie has been out for almost a month now. I guess I forgot it was Friday night. The plan was to get the tickets and text the others when we got there, so we could meet up and get seats. As we were pulling into the parking lot, I realize I forgot my cell. I ask Justin, "You have you're phone, right?"... "No, you have yours?".. Great. Neither of us grabbed our phones. I'm like, "What are we gonna do?? How will we find them??" And he says, "Well, what did we do before technology? We'll find them. Don't worry."

So he drops me off. I get the tickets. He meets me inside. No friends to be found. Hmm. We decide to hurry to the theater to check there, because the movie was starting soon and we didn't know how packed it would be. We get in there and holy jerome, it's full. We look for a minute, thinking they might already have seats.. Nothin'. We look a minute more and magically find 4 seats, together and I quickly throw my purse down and Justin says he will save them, while I go old-school and run back out to the lobby, since we had to forget our phones. As I come back, friendless, an older, bearded man and woman (possibly with a beard too) are taking their coats off and sitting in our seats. Uhh.. I kindly say, "Oooh, I'm sorry! Our friends are sitting here [smile]! As the big-beardo man plops down, the masculine woman holds her coat high above her head and shouts loud, in a thick-as-moldy-cheddar-cheese voice, "I don't see any uh yer friends HEEYA!!" and SLAMS her coat down in our seat and plops her body down on top of it with a "HMMPF!" sound. Whhhhhhaaaatttt?!! Is this woman 4 years old?? I'm looking at Justin, who is now holding my purse that this psycho woman clearly plowed out of her path of destruction.. and he's speechless as well! I stood there, dumbfounded as usual, when these things happen, and I couldn't help but start to laugh right at her! I could not hold the laughing in! I couldn't! -- partly because of her accent, partly because of her half-wit attitude and mostly because of how ridiculously immature this woman was! Publically humiliating herself in front of a jam-packed theater of people as they watch her flailing about? She should be ashamed of herself! Ohhh, why couldn't some of our friends had just been there to witness this moment for a change? Turns out, the movie was sold out, and we already had our tickets and our seats by that point. Bum deal.

So, big-beardo husband and little-beard accent lady were past my thoughts once the movie began. This was my (and Justin's) FIRST 3D movie, and we were pumped! Luckily a single guy came in and squeezed between Justin and little-beard lady so he didn't have to put up with her during the movie. Indstead, we - along with a theater full of 300 people - enjoyed listening to babies crying. Oh yes. The whole movie. Crying.. talking.. shouting.. screaming.. crying some more.. Ohh I adore babies and children and little ones and kids.. Oh I LOVE them! Children are my job! I have a passion for kids! I absolutely LOVE them. Just NOT out of control in movie theaters. Uh-uh. I am so sorry, mom and/or dad with baby, please don't bring your child to a theater. And if you do, thinking your baby will not make a peep, you're crazy! It's not fair to your kid! Your baby SHOULD make sounds! Not to mention.. Who in their right mind brings an infant to a 3D, epic blockbuster, sold-out movie, packed with military fighting and battle scenes?? The mom or dad (of course, were sitting in the row behind us) waited until a good 20 minutes of crying went on before one of them got up and stood at the foot of the stairs. Um, is that helping? No.. you are still in the theater, your child is still screaming, and you are still ruining this $13.00/ticket movie for every person here. These parents need counseling (or just a babysitter for one evening out!). I think one of them stepped out at some point when the baby wouldn't stop screaming. Why even stay and continue trying to watch a movie that you don't even know what's going on anymore? I think they took turns at some point - back and forth, crying and shuffling in the row behind us, crying at the foot of the theater stairs and nothing I can do about it. So why do I keep complaining about it in my blog? I guess because I find it so amusing that these sweet little stories continue to happen and I continue to learn patience. I'm trying really hard to complain LESS, actually. So, forgive me? Still a pretty good story, and I'm pretty sure you can relate. All I can really do, is just laugh!

One thing that was pretty comical, during our whole movie-goin' experience, was this: The 3 or 4 times I leaned over to Justin to whisper a question or tell him that the little, blue avatar kids reminded me of Romeo (most little creatures in movies do..), our 3D glasses kept clunking like two plastic, toy cars in a head-on collision! Oh my word! Of course, we get the giggles, but successfully maintained peace and quiet before raising the bearded beasts who momentarily sat a seat away from us in their 3D trance.

I am really glad bearded lady didn't kill the screaming baby.

Moral of the story? Go see Avatar. See it during the day when it's not packed out, and see it 3D!

[3D glasses are way cooler now that they aren't made of paper!]

What I'm listening to:
Blue Foundation - Eyes On Fire




xo

All Things Hang As If By A String

So, last night my cousin introduced me to a whole new world of amazingness. Daytrotter.


Oh my flipping word. How is it, that I have gone my whole life without knowing about this incredible site?! How is it, that no one - until last night - had the decency to tell me about this delightful, little piece of heaven?? If you have no clue what I'm talking about, Daytrotter is a website/slash/studio in Rock Island, Illinois who gives "exclusive, re-worked, alternate versions of old songs and unreleased tracks by some of your favorite bands and by a lot of your next favorite bands". Basically, bands will drive through this small town, use Daytrotters equipment and instruments, record some tracks (new or old) and then keep making their way wherever they need to go. Sounds so convenient! Ha! After the session, Daytrotter posts the tracks as free downloads on their sites, and posts an article with a cute, little drawing - I love it! One new band, everyday. 28 songs a week. How cool is that??

Here's a few that I found...

(I've only just started looking at the archive!)

Thrice
Bon Iver

Sondre Lerche

Aqueduct

Architecture in Helsinki

Bellx1

Ben Kweller

Cage the Elephant

The Dead Trees

Death Cab for Cutie

Earlimart

Gary Jules

Hellogoodbye

Joe Pug

Paper Route

Patrick Park

Peter Bjorn and John

Phantom Planet

Plain White T's

Ra Ra Riot

Rogue Wave

Ron Sexsmith

Sea Wolf

The Ting Tings

White Rabbits

Just wanted to share!

xo

[Lyrics: Thrice - Beggars]

Jim Carrey is a Genius.

I love love love Jim Carrey. I have loved him for years.. Back in his Ace Ventura, Dumb & Dumber, Cable Guy, and Liar Liar days and even more now that he has done some different movies like The Truman Show, The Number 23 and one of my all-time favorites, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I absolutely adore him.

Some photos I found from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind..

[Sources: Various]

I wanted to make a little post about him, because I recently saw him on Conan O' Brien (who is also one of my very close buddies) and Jim talked about his new website.

I checked it out last night, and holy cow. It's insanely amazing. Whoever made it, spent A LOT of time, because it is one of the craziest, most elaborate sites I've seen. It's different... Very non-IMDB. If you're looking for a list of films he starred in, this site is not the place to go. Go to his IMDB. It's more of a complex, explore-and-you-will-find type of a site, and that's what makes it so cool. You should definitely check it out.

http://www.jimcarrey.com/

xo

Greatest Hits of 2009

I feel it's only appropriate, as it's NEW YEARS DAY, that I reflect on some of the most memorable things that have happened in our lives in 2009. Yeah, yeah, most people might do a top-10 list, but I'm not. 2009 ROCKED and it makes me giggle just trying to remember all of the craziness that has gone on. Here we go.

January

• My good friend, Jade came to visit. Aside from an eventful and dramatic weekend, we watched marathons of The Office and laughed our heads off.
• Justin and I bought our first pet (a fish), Hercules went to live in the ocean 7 months later.
• I cooked my first turkey for a Belated Thanksgiving Dinner with our friends. The thing weighed 27lb. and I know this, because we weighed it on the scale in the workout room (Pictures).
• We bought a 57" big-screen tv from a friend which the men had to miraculously haul up 6 flights of stairs to our apartment

February

• Justin and I become masters of Scrabble, Rummikub and Boggle & Homemade BBQ Chicken pizza.

March

• Justin and I celebrate our birthdays! Surprise party for Justin (Pictures) and for mine (the big 2-5), Justin surprised me with a puppy!! Our son, Romeo is one of the greatest blessings, he brings so much joy to our lives! (Pictures of Romeo, Pictures of My Birthday)
• We met Kyle & Mulder (one of my good friends and her husband from MN) in Charlotte for a yummy lunch @ Cheesecake Factory - It was so great to catch up!!
• I was attacked by one of my client's dogs (chow mix), whom enjoyed chomping on my leg and put me immobile for a few weeks. Thanks a lot.
• My brother and his friend come down to visit for Spring Break. As I was temporarily handicapped from the dog-bite, I got to enjoy watching them "be boys" - Responding to everything with "Really?! WOW." Aside from hitting the beach in Charleston, I especially enjoyed watching Mitch perfect his wheely skills on an abaondoned wheelchair he found at our apartment complex (Pictures, More Pictures).

April

• We celebrated our 6-month wedding anniversary with a weekend in Asheville, NC. We had the best time trying new food, exploring the city and rocked out at an amazing show at the Orange Peel (Pictures).
• Enjoyed a "Happy Easter" package from back home.

May

• My grandpa passed away. I flew back home to MN for the funeral and for some time with family and a few friends. My sisters and I had some good laughs remembering my grandma (who passed away in November 2008) and all of her crazy and amazing jewelry (Pictures).

June

Justin's family comes down from Wisconsin to visit for a week! We went to the beach for a couple days and hung out in Greenville (Pictures).

July

• We held "NugFest" at Chick-Fil-A with friends for all-you-can eat nuggets... Justin maxed out at 30 nugs. Oof. (Pictures).
• Justin began his new pressure-washing business, Hydro-Shine!
• Took a spontaneous, late-night roadtrip to Folly Beach and waited for the sun to come up (Pictures).

August

• Inspired by the movie, Julie & Julia I threw a French party/Girl's Night. Everyone brought french foods, we sipped Pastis with Champagne and watched Chocolat (Pictures).
• We took a 9-day vacation as we drove up to the Midwest to visit our families and friends! We helped throw a surprise party Luau for my dad's 50th birthday, watched movies at the drive-in, wedding-dress shopped with my sister, Vanessa, went to the MN State Fair a few times and caught up with old friends. THEN, we headed down to WI to celebrate Justin's parents 30th anniversary for more time with family and see my best friend, Marta and her adorable daughter Georgia (MN: Pictures, Pictures, Pictures, Pictures and WI: Pictures, Pictures and more Pictures!).

September

• I did make-up for Greenville's Twestival's runway show - organized by our good friend, Ali
• We celebrated Justin's big purchase of all his equipment needed for his new business and his first big job

October

• Justin and I celebrated our 1-Year Wedding Anniversay by spending the weekend at Folly Beach where we were married. We enjoyed staying in an ocean-front hotel, relaxed on the beach, tried lots of new food and laughed our faces off over a romantic anniversary dinner (blog post, Pictures).
• My best friend, Stacie, convinced me to start this blog!!!

November

• We saw Brand New and Thrice performing in Charlotte, NC. Justin's brother, Levi, drove down from VA to rock out with us... What an insane night (blog post, Pictures)!
• A few weeks later, we drove to Atlanta to see my ALLTIME favorite, Imogen Heap. Not only was the show absolutely incredible, but before the show, we got to meet her face to face (blog post, Pictures)!

December

• My sister, Vanessa, drove down from Indiana for a long weekend of baking, laughing and celebrating an early Christmas (blog post, Pictures).
• We spent a fun Christmas in Virginia with Justin's family - lots of stories (blog post, Pictures)!!

Miscellaneous Pictures from 2009

Married Life & More - Album 1

Married Life & More - Album 2

Romeo's First Beach Trip

Romeo & Friends

Romeo's Fashion Show

Hello, Fall!

xo