Photo-A-Day + bonus footage

Hey guys. me again. Hope you're having a splendid Friday. My right contact is throwing a hissy fit, and my hamstrings are sore from dancing last night....but I'm a happy camper. So that's good.

Here's today's Photo-A-Day. The prompt? Fruit.

AND because I love you and because it's Friday....a few bonus pictures from my adventure to Barnes and Noble with Soldier Boy the other day. :o)

the books we read to each other...

pretending we're 5 yrs old...

this is our future house. :o) complete with weather tower, guns on the front and a courtyard in the back. :)

Happy Friday all y'all!!

Random Thursday Things

Here we are guys. Another Thursday. This week has felt rather long and arduous to me, but maybe that's just me. I'm rather excited that it is the weekend and I'm even more excited because fun things are happening. Let's get this party started shall we?

• I'm leaving early tomorrow afternoon to drive to St. George with Chilly and friends to go see The Little Mermaid at Tuachan. I am SO freakin' excited for this! I have been looking forward to this event ever since I purchased my ticket. woo hoo!

• I am also looking forward to getting some much needed sleep. I have been so exhausted this week and Alishka needs her beauty sleep!

• My trainer....is insane. He is kicking my trash. BUT I like it. Not going to lie. He's fabulous. I did my very first bench press yesterday. Granted, all I lifted was the bar (45lbs) and not even by myself, BUT! I did it!!! I feel really cool now. :o)

• The General Relief Society Broadcast is this weekend. I LOVE this broadcast. It always rocks my world. (someone else that I just discovered blogged about this too...her blog is AWESOME. go read!)

• I have noticed the leaves changing on the mountains...I think it is time to take a drive up the canyon! woo hoo!

• I am in a mood of anything fall. I think I need to make some fall-type foods and desserts. mmmm...yup.

• Remember how I was doing my challenge? Yeah. It is going SO well. I feel like I have more time to get things done and I don't just lounge around and read tv. Also, this will help me to read more. 

• I have been in a slight reading slump lately and as I visited Angie last night I picked up the randomest collection of books to read in the next few weeks. Definitely in a weird little reading mood.

• I have a new favorite band - Florence and the Machine. I realize they aren't that new, but I have recently discovered a love of their music.

• Also, I discovered this blog one day and totally went through and did the suggested things to my closet, MINUS a true remixing of outfits. I think I'm actually going to do a 30 for 30 Remix Challenge. I won't have prizes or anything, but I think I'll do it here - publicly showing my outfits and such. Maybe starting in October? Thoughts? Anyone want to tackle said challenge with me?

I think that's it for now. Wow. So many things happening and going through my mind! I'm pretty sure I missed a few things...but I'm tired of thinking.

Tender Mercy Tuesday: 38th Edition

So, today's Tender Mercy directly relates to my challenge post yesterday. I didn't turn on the TV yesterday. AT ALL. I was tempted to, but I never did. Instead, I read a book. Yup, one book in its entirety. I didn't plan on staying up late last night, in fact, I WANTED to get to bed early, but instead I stayed up reading  this really good book entitled, "Birth Marked" by Caragh M. O'Brien. Now, right now I'm wishing I had gone to bed and not stayed up to finish reading sid book, but at the same time I'm really glad I did. Here's the reason why: I feel completely justified in living up to my challenge this week. See, last week I would have just turned on the TV in the evening and probably stayed up just as late, but just laying around watching some random show. INSTEAD, after I got out of my shower from my workout I read a good book. I need to read more good books. I forget how much I love to read until I start doing it after a dry spell. So this is me, committed to my challenge and hoping it continues to bless my life like it did last night. :o)

In other news - I did assisted pull-ups on the Assisted Pull-up machine. I really liked that part of my circuit last night. :o) I don't think I mentioned it, but I got a gym trainer with my gym. He's great. He's really pushing me to become a better me and that makes me excited. :o)

And finally, I saw this today on Pinterest and I have decided that it is going to be my motto for the rest of the year. I think it pairs nicely with my word of the year. ;)

High on Laughter

Sister B and I went shoe shopping again last night. We're still pulling a big fat nothing when it comes to shoes for her wedding. We keep thinking we've found something and then they don't have her size or the right color. It's so lame-sauce! Here's hoping we find something tonight. :P

When I took her home last night we ended up sitting in my car for over an hour talking and having SO MUCH FUN. I love that girl. I am so glad that I'm related to her. She rocks my socks.

Look how cute these  bookmarks are:

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I totally want to make some of them. I'm always looking for cute and easy to use bookmarks.

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I love this quote. Isn't it just the greatest? I want to live my life right that once is enough for me. I went to a funeral yesterday for an amazing man. He most definitely lived his life right enough that once was all he needed to do things right.

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I am SO ready for Summer. Summer = sunshine and butterflies. I need some sunshine and butterflies right about now. My brain is so scattered with all sorts of things with work and oh my goodness....craziness!!! :P

once there was a snowman....

Even though it hasn't started snowing...yet...I am still singing this little song from my childhood. Sigh. I am very much ready for spring. Although I know I shouldn't be surprised by the snow. I find it funny how many of my friends on Facebook claim that all the snow we've had in late March/early April is soooo unusual and that it must be the Apocolypse or something because OH MY GOSH it's SNOWING. Hate to break it to ya guys, but snow in late March/early April is VERY normal. It snowed 8 inches a week before my college graduation in April of 2009. It HAPPENS. ALL THE TIME.

ANYWHO. Let's get on with the more exciting things okay?

• so first off, work has been insanely busy this week. Seriously. I am haivng a hard time believeing that it is already Thursday! Oh how time has flied!

• My copy of Tangled finally arrived the other day. I'm pretty sure Roommate A and I are going to watch it tonight.

• I am going to a concert/dance party tonight. I'm rather excited to attend!

• I've won 2 free books this week! TWO! one from Emily and the other from Goodreads. I can hardly believe my good luck

• My mom gave me a grow your own grass kit for my birthday. I planted the grass on Saturday afternoon and it has already started to sprout! yay! I love grass!

• I know really awesome people. This makes me happy.

• I had THE best dream last night. I dreamed that I was with a boy (not sure who) and the next thing I know he has tenderly taken his hands and put them on my face (sort of like this [also, doesn't that picture just make you swoon? I just love me some Richard Armitage) and kisses me. It was the best kiss ever. I only wish I knew who it was kissing me. I want to find them and try it in real life.

• I am such a girl.

• I am okay with the above statement.

• Tomorrow is my day off. I love days off. I have a few fun things planned tomorrow including sleeping in, going to this temple and taking a ballet class.

• I have 3 dates planned in the next 10 days. A fourth one is in the works. 

• Can I just tell you how happy it makes me that I have so many dates planned? I am not going to lie, I am loving dating right now.

• I definitely feel blessed. In so many ways am I grateful to be living in such a time as this.

There you. A bunch of randomness for your Thursday afternoon. Have a great one guys!

things, schmings

Welcome friends. It is finally Thursday. It felt like it took ages to get here, but here it got. I've struggled this week to find focus and productivity while at work and I VERY MUCH need the day off tomorrow. I have only about 5 bazillion things on my mind so let's get right to it shall we?

• I skimmed/read John Bytheway's "What I Wish I'd Known When I Was Single" the other day. Don't laugh. I got it a while back when I was in a relationship (it was a free digital download okay?!) but hadn't ever read it. I skimmed it during a break and came across a quote by a random person in John's life that I loved - you might have seen it on Twitter: "The wrong one, Is the right one, To lead you, To the best one." Isn't that just great? I love it.

• Don't judge, but I'm getting a spray-on tan tonight. I haven't seen the sun in a REALLY long time AND while my legs are in REALLY good shape I have so many bruises that it's pathetic. I tend to bruise super easily and I often don't know where I get said bruises. I want my legs to look fabulous on stage and this is more for me then for you....I'll tell you how it goes later.

• I am very tired. I have stayed up late the past couple of nights - not for a boy, but just because. sigh. I am SO sleeping in tomorrow.

• I still need to make a dentist appointment. Have I mentioned how much I hate the dentist?

• BYU won their basketball game last night. I'll admit I'm sort of a fair weather fan when it comes to basketball - but the game was tons of fun to watch.

• I perform in FOUR DAYS people. I really hope you're coming. Make sure to find me after the show and say hi. 

• Oh and said performance that is in four days? Yeah...we still don't know what we're wearing yet. :P 

• I've started reading Emotional Geology recommended to me by the ever lovely Angie. I can already tell this book is going to 1) be amazing and 2) change me. I'll be sure to post a review for you later.

• Sister B's birthday is coming up. I'm excited for the plan I have for her. YAY birthdays!!!

• I didn't go running last night and I won't go again until after the show - but I DID do a pilates workout. Kicked my trash. 

• I love Natural Ice chapstick. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

• I bought new mascara (falsies! we'll see how it works) and lipstick for the show last night. My performance makeup has dwindled in the past few years.

• Did I mention that I am tired? because I AM!

• Finally, my fingernails are the healthiest they have been in a LONG time. I'm loving it. :o)

And that's it for me peeps. I hope you all have a great weekend. I have a little something prepped for you tomorrow but other than that I'm probably going to lie low. I have a ton going on and I'll be fairly busy for the next five days. :o) Woo hoo. Catch y'all on the flip side.

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the last Thursday Things of 2010!

Well dear friends, it's the last Thursday Things of 2010. Hard to believe that the year ends in just one more day. Here are some final thoughts before my recap tomorrow.

• My vacation is almost over. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here in Virginia. It has been a nice break from reality.
• I will not miss my perpetually cold toes and nose. That has been that least fun part of my trip.
• Tomorrow is New Years Eve. I will spend most of the day on an airplane or in an airport.
• I brought the perfect amount of books with me. I love when I guesstimate correctly how much I'll read.
• I think flirting is fun. Makes me giggle.

Hope you all enjoy your final hours of 2010!!

Tender Mercy Tuesday: 3rd Edition

 And here we are with the 3rd edition of Tender Mercy Tuesday! I have started labeling my blog posts (in case you hadn't noticed) so you can click on the label below to see all of the awesomeness that is Tender Mercy Tuesday. Also, if I can figure it out maybe I'll create an extra tab with them all there or something. I don't know.

Anyways. Onward and Upward yes? YES!

Tender Mercies from this week:

1. I had a friend invite me over for dinner and during our conversations I came to some more realizations and conclusions that are helping me each day. It is amazing to me how the Lord inserts little events each day to help us overcome the big overall picture.

2. Speaking of friends, I seriously have the best friends ever. You know when you're dating someone you're not the best friend in the world? Sure you try to keep in contact with people and you'll answer their messages and stuff...but you don't really try to make them a priority. Well, since my breakup all of my friends have been so great to let me back into their lives. Sure, they're not dropping everything for me....but they are willing to make plans with me and do stuff! It makes my heart happy.

3. There was a lot of snow outside this morning when I left for work (and it is still snowing) but I made it to work safe and sound. Yay for nice cars that get me to places safely.


In other news I leave tomorrow morning to go see my family in VA. I hope to keep posting and sharing my adventures with you, but I am only taking George the netbook with me. :o) All that stands between me and getting on the plane is the rest of the work day today, one ballet class (maybe?! I really don't want to drive to the studio in this weather), delivering a Christmas gift to a friend, getting some new books, and watching A Muppet Christmas Carol with my roommate, her boyfriend, and a friend who is yet to have a 'nym. (I'm sorry about that, really, I am. I know how hard it is to keep track of people I keep mentioning on the down-low and not giving you details. The good news is that I am working on the post that explains all....with pictures! be excited!

BUSY!!!

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I am so super busy right now! Basically here's what is between me and leaving for Virginia in 2 days:

• 18 hours of work
• 3 loads of laundry
• packing
• 2.75 mile run at the gym
• a trip to Walmart
• one ballet class
• a visit with Angie
• delivering Christmas presents to some friends
• a Muppet Christmas Carol with a friend (working on the 'nym. sorry)

 Crazy eh? I can't believe how busy I am right now. I had a fabulous weekend and should have a great 2 days and then I'll be with my family! YAY! So excuse me....I have a huge pile of to do items sitting here on my desk. :o)

Tuesday!

I am rather excited today is Tuesday! Tuesdays are awesome because they are not Mondays (which aren't ever SUPER awesome. They don't suck, but they don't rock either.) and they are not Wednesdays (and we all know how much I hate Wednesdays).

I teach a ballet class on Tuesdays that I LOVE and I'm excited for my lesson plan tonight.

Also, tonight I am getting my hair done. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do...but I'm thinking something between this:

and this:

 I am thinking the bangs from Rory Gilmore and the Haircut from Veronica Mars. We'll see though. I always ask my hairdresser's opinion first (and she's always super honest with me) so we'll see what she says. Also, I have ZERO ideas on color. I think I'll let her surprise me when it comes to that. :o)

Finally. Because it is Tuesday, we've got the Ten on Tuesday meme below. Enjoy your Tuesday y'all!


1. Who makes your Thanksgiving dinner?
well. It depends. the past couple of years I've gone to a family friend's house for dinner. Last year I also made my own dinner the day after for SwingKid because he had to work on Thanksgiving. I'm not sure what's happening yet for this year.

2. What is your favorite recipe the includes pumpkin? (bonus points for including the recipe)
oh i love love love pumpkin crumble. It is delish. I also LOVE my mom's frozen pumpkin pie.

3. What are 5 things you want for Christmas?
a nice hair straightener, a blender, many books, some new ballet music for teaching, and.....some new clothes.

4. Does your family draw names or do you buy for everyone?
well. we "draw names." but this year (and probably every year here on out) we're going to just rotate names, so that we have someone different every year and get everyone at some point.

5. How do you feel about motorcycles?
sigh. I think they are hot and sexy. they are fun. SwingKid loves them and wants one REALLY REALLY bad. They do make me a little nervous, but overall I think I'm okay with them.

6. What’s your favorite thing to do on a rainy Saturday?
cuddle on the couch next to SwingKid watching a movie and drinking hot chocolate.

7. What is the coolest thing to do in your city?
well...there are some fun things to do depending on what you like the most. Personally, I like going to artsy events.

8. Do you paint your fingernails?
Yeah. I do. Although nail polish just doesn't seem to last very long. I'm trying to figure out how to fix that.

9. Who is your favorite actor over the age of 50?
um...I really suck at the favorite actor/actress business. I don't really have a FAVORITE. Although I always did have a thing for Robin Williams growing up. He's just SO funny!

10. Do you have a high school letter jacket?
nope. I didn't care about it enough to do it.


one year ago
two years ago

because I had one of the worst weekends ever....

seriously. me and my sewing machine got in a fight. i surrendered. basically....(I hate admitting this, but I can't lie...) I ALMOST finished my project but then my machine decided to hate on the invisible zipper foot. So instead of crying anymore about this project (many tears were shed this weekend) I am mailing it to my mommy and she is going to put the zippers in the project for me. (and probably hem it too since it will take her like a blink of an eye to do it, where as it would take me hours) I am still very proud with how much I got done and what I have produced. Sometimes, you just have to admit defeat and ask for help. Sigh. Luckily, I know it is going to look awesome and my mom is amazing. :o)

and now, just to remind my self that I am loved I bring to you:

Little Things That Make Me Grin Like A School Girl

• simple text messages from my boy. these make me warm and fuzzy for days!

• even 5 minutes with him is better than nothing! although, i would rather spend more time with him of course!

• having a tickle fight. (even if I always lose)

• when he randomly stops by work to say hi and give me a kiss (especially on the HARD days)

• when he humors me and my crazy ideas for date nights (for example - friday night, we made a fort and read children books inside said fort. It was AWESOME and he loved it.)

• songs that make think of him

Anyways. Even when days are hard, if I remember any of these little tidbits I am happy again. :o) Yay Love!

ps. aren't these mugs AWESOME! I think I need one. :o)

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yawning on Tuesday

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I am yawning today. I even took something to help me sleep, was in bed by 10:30p and was sufficiently tired. I fell asleep quickly enough, but then some awful noisy truck drove by and it woke me up all rude like. After I fell back to asleep again (which was quick enough) I had the oddest dreams. I was fighting over a pair of shorts with my sister and my mom yelled at me about it...yeah. It was odd. I'm not sure where it all came from. All I know is I am sort of tired today and I wish I wasn't because I have THINGS to do today. Sigh. Anyways. It's Tuesday but for workness for me it is Wednesday and I'm just hoping the next few days go by quickly and that Friday is SLOW so I can truly enjoy my long weekend. That was an awful sentence and now the computer is fuzzy. sigh. I need a nap, or some chocolate.

okay, I'm done now. Ten on Tuesday y'all. Love it.

1. How do you take your coffee on an average day? How do you like your coffee if you’re spluging?
I don't drink coffee. As part of my beliefs, I have a testimony of the Word of Wisdom. I actually don't even like the smell of coffee or coffee flavored candies. blech.

2. What is your genre of books to read?
currently I'm on an Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance kick. Basically, I read a lot of everything and anything that is good. I'm a fan of Angieville and other book bloggers which is where I get my recommendations of what to read. Do you have something to suggest?? Cause I'll probably read it...

3. Where do you want to retire, if you could go anywhere?
hmmm. I haven't really thought about this one. If I could pick anywhere? somewhere like Greece or Italy would be awesome. In reality? It will probably be somewhere close to family.

4. The 17-year-old you is told to write a 10-minute speech. What topic would you have picked?
hmmm....This is a toughie. I wasn't a big public speaker then, but it would probably be something on reading and enjoying it, OR about dance. That's all I did in high school: read and dance.

5. What word describes you best?
Tired.

6. What is the next “event” that you are looking forward to? (ex.: vacation, moving, date, job change, etc)
two weeks from today I will be in VA with my family for a few days. I am VERY excited about this. I can't wait to arrive and see VA when it is GREEN!!!

7. Do you like to discuss controversial topics or do you prefer to avoid those types of conversations?
hmm. It depends on how well I can hold my ground on my view and how much I know about the subject as a whole. Otherwise, I just avoid it.

8. Would you rather add 4 free hours to each day, or add 1 extra day to the week?
Hmm. this is a toughie. Right now I think I want the 4 free hours every day. I need time every day, not an extra day to the week. Although, I wouldn't say no to it if that's what the universe decided needed to happen.

9. If you created a sports team; what would your colors and mascot be?
hmmm. I think I would create a team where the mascot was a gorilla. I've never heard of a gorilla mascot. And our colors would be Black and Green.

10. If you had to be a teacher, what subject would you teach?
Well, it just so happens that I am a teacher. I teach ballet. I love it and wouldn't trade it for any other subject in the world.

you know what? 10 questions goes by pretty fast. I'm a fan.

information overload

sometimes my poor brain seems to explode with too much information. how I wish I could have Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve and be able to put memories and other things in there so I can keep learning more and never forget anything. How awesome would that be?

Anyways, I feel like I should help spread the word so you are not (possibly) sad tomorrow. If you are like me and you use The Cutest Blog on the Block for your background you might have noticed a notice in the corner of your blog about having to get a new background. Basically, they've had to change their host for backgrounds and you'll need a new code for your blog's background. You can still get the same image, or get a new one! More information about the need for this update can be found on their blog here. Also, their server has been AWFULLY slow, but that should improve this afternoon (according to them). I'm currently looking at their site and I'll probably keep my owls (I love them lots) but then there's so many fun things. Sigh. I have addictive issues with changing my layout....it's way too fun.

Also. I currently love we heart it for fun and pretty pictures. It's a fun site and while not as awesome as flickr (as far as searching goes in my opinion) but the pictures are very pretty!

I read a book recently (not that that should surprise you) entitled Leaving Paradise. This book was recommended to me by Angie (read her review!). However, this book left me very raw and I haven't had to deal with raw emotions for a long time. In fact, I was quite the moody person on Tuesday and as SwingKid mentioned last night I was very "high maintenance" (his words not mine). Anyways. I haven't enjoyed dealing with the raw emotions and I definitely need to clean my reading palate. I have a few books on my shelf and I'm just trying to decide which one to read next. I think I'm going to go with the Mary Stewart one. :o)

Finally, I would love a "bad" Pensieve where I can put all the bad memories and then flush them down the toilet. Wouldn't that be nice? I can think of several instances where this would be absolutely beneficial for me. However, I'm sure that's not ever been in the "plan" but hey, a girl can dream right? good. I like my dreams. ;) peace out y'all.

catch me if you can

editor's note: i started this yesterday and meant to post it. and then...life happened and I didn't. i'm sorry. So...pretend this posted yesterday. Although, I know I'm not going to be able to post again today. SO! a real weekend update probably won't be here until tomorrow. but at least it will be here!!

While my weekend was mostly relaxing, I really wasn't "around." I did check my reader a couple times over the weekend, but still ended up with a bazillion unread posts. I think I'm okay with that . Mostly. Gives me something to look at when I need a break at work - especially since I'm on a Facebook fast this week as part of my Day Zero goals. whew. Today was HARD, but I think it will only get easier. At least, it better....

So, I should really do a weekend recap, and I will I promise! However, I have pictures! (GASP! I know! real life pictures!) And they are so much fun and I want to share them with you oh so much, but right now I'm lazy and I don't want to get off my butt and go and get my camera. So...since it's Tuesday I'll leave you with a little Ten on Tuesday meme and then promise to post about all the fun that was had tomorrow. Okay? okay. loves.


1. If given the opportunity, would you choose a mediocre job that paid well or your dream job that paid poorly?
dream job. hands down. I actually do have my dream job - just another job to go with it too. My dream job definitely pays poorly. c'est la vie

2. What is your favorite thing about the 4th of July? (For the foreigners: What is your impression of the 4th of July?)
hmmm. I love how summery it is! It's everything that is summer personified into one big day. Most of all, I love the fireworks.

3. What’s the most random fact you know about American history?
um...I really can't think of a random fact right now. I'm not a huge history nut. at all.

4. What is the best fireworks display you’ve ever seen?
Well. I don't tend to remember the firework shows from years past. Except last year's awful one in cougartown. ugh. This year, I went to PG with SwingKid and his family (more deets laters!) and watched an AMAZING show. minus the part when the fireworks attacked the audience. but that's another story

5. Who taught you how to put on makeup?
my mom sort of did, and then i learned more when i was taughter by my ballet director and then my current roommate AF taught me even MORE. Now I'm pretty much awesome at my makeup. maybe.

6. Have you ever gone through a financial planning process? Tell us about it.
sort of. I currently use Mint to budget my finances. My parents were pretty diligent to teach me good budgeting skills as a kid too.

7. What was your favorite outfit as a kid? Bonus points for pictures.
hmmm. I can't think of my FAVORITE outfit. I don't remember clothes as a child. ha. I do remember wearing very 80s style outfits for a long time in the early 90s. I was awesome as a kid.

8. Do you prefer a beach, lake, swimming pool, or no water?
I've only been to the beach once. I think I would like it more if I could spend more time there. Otherwise, I love the swimming pool. Lakes seems way to icky for me. Unless it's some beautiful spring lake or something. maybe. nah, i still like pools better.

9. Do you recycle? If not, why?
at work we recycle paper and cans. i participate in this recycling.

10. What are your thoughts and feelings about the Twilight Saga?
well. i love the fluff of the books. the third book is definitely my favorite, and from what i hear it's the best movie as well. I hated the second movie and disliked the book. The ending is lame and cheap in the 4th book and if i was one of the movie directors i would rewrite the ending. especially since they've taken such liberties with the first two movies. sigh. i'm in love with MUCH better books these days.

*sniff*

I love the smell of a summer morning. I think it smells SO good. If I could just sit outside from 9-11a every morning I would be one happy camper.  Unfortunately, this is not a possibility for me. C'est la vie.

In other news. It's Tuesday. Yesterday was a FOREVER long day and today, oh man today. Today I sat down to my desk and the phone started to ring at 8:05 am and didn't stop ringing until 30 minutes ago. My to-do list of things to finish from yesterday is still incomplete and my to-do list from things to do today is already as long as my first to-do list. I might die by the end of today. At least the day is flying by though. I need this whole week to just fly by so that I can enjoy my weekend with no ballet classes. :o)

and now, a little Ten on Tuesday meme for all y'all. Loves.

1. If you could trade lives with another blogger for a day, who would it be and why?
hmmm. Well, Gabrielle from Design Mom is pretty awesome, but then there is the Pioneer Woman who also is wicked cool. I just don't know. There are so many cool people that I want to be like! I'd probably put them all in  hat and then just choose one randomly. :o)

2. Do you prefer receiving handmade or store bought gifts? Be honest!
ooo. Some of my favorite gifts have been handmade. There is something special about a handmade gift that just oozes "I care about you and I made this especially for YOU." However, SwingKid is very good at picking out gifts for me and he always nails it right on the nose. So...it depends I guess.

3. Would you rather camp or stay in a hotel?
I love, love, love camping. I haven't been in ages, but I REALLY want to go sometime soon. :o) However, a hotel is nice every once in a while, but right now I just want to go camping.

4. What’s your favorite comfort food?
french fries. I love fries. mmmm. yummy.

5. You’re having a really bad day at work. How do you unwind when you come home?
well. it depends. I either cuddle up next to SwingKid, watch tv, read a book, or take a bath. The gym usually doesn't happen on really bad days.

6. What’s your favorite chore? (Or, the chore you hate the least)
When I get in the mood, I love organizing and cleaning the kitchen counters, BUT I have to want to do it in order to like it.

7. What got you interested in blogging?
I really don't exactly remember. Probably a combination of it was cool and the 100 Hour Board writers did it and I wanted to be like them so I did it too.

8. Are you currently reading a book? What is it?
I just finished THE DEMON'S COVENANT by Sarah Rees Brennan. It was fabulous. I'm not sure what I'm going to read next. I have three books on my shelf to read and I'm excited about all of them, I just have to pick one. :o)

9. Do you have a favorite artist?
hmmm. I like art generally. It changes with what the art is for and where I'm putting it.

10. Have you ever met someone famous?
hmm....Nope. Unless you count Cosmo the Cougar. My dad at one point worked with the cheerleaders and I was very good friends with Cosmo at the age of 8. :o)

two years ago

GOAL!

but not for any one soccer team. I am so not even paying ATTENTION to the World Cup, let alone cheering for somebody.  No, my title refers to my Day Zero project goals that I am working on. I accomplished my VERY FIRST goal last Thursday by taking a spin class. It was hard, but I loved it and I'm going again tonight. :o)  I have about half a dozen (or more?!) goals in progress and I will have just started two more with this post. See, one of my goals is to "Write a book review once a month for 1 year" and another in conjunction with that is to "post 3 reviews of books on my blog."

I want to get in the habit of writing more reviews on Goodreads for the books I read (thus the first goal) and then, because I'm not friends in real life with many of my readers, I want to post 3 of those reviews here on my blog. I'm in no sense a "book blogger" (although I have many friends who ARE! and they are amazing) but I want to share the awesomeness that I read from time to time. So, below you will find my first book review that I will share with all of you.

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver

First off, I got this book put into my hands by the lovely Angie when I requested something different, maybe a "classic" (?), and something I wouldn't normally pick off a shelf for myself. I wonder if Angie thought of this book as a risky suggestion, but since I trust her so explicitly with her reading suggestions (she's never steered me wrong!), I took this book willingly and a little excited to try something unusual. However, the doubts started to fly as I began this book and wondered what I had gotten myself into with this novel. The thoughts were especially strong when in the beginning I just couldn't seem to connect at all. I'd barely read a chapter at night after swallowing a Sookie Stackhouse book in one gulp. However, once I really started paying this book some attention, it delivered. Big time.

This book has two point of views - that of the Alzheimer ridden Dr. Homer and his daughter - Codi. I loved the telling of this story. It was absolutely perfect. The majority of the book is narrated by Codi but with the snippets of Dr. Homer the book is simply perfection. At one point, my favorite part by far of the book, I really connected with the story and was actually enjoying myself. By about page 200 I was flipping pages like a maniac and I seriously could not put this book down. I stayed up way too late last night drinking in the wonderful dialogue between Codi and the people of Grace and then within her own mind.

I loved Codi's character a lot. I really started to feel a connection with her and while I haven't had all of her same problems, I do feel where she's coming from. I loved the letters from Hallie and the flashbacks to her weird childhood. My favorite part (mentioned earlier) is at one point when Loyd and Codi are driving around and talking about "animal dreams." I loved their philosophical discussion and really enjoyed what they thought about. It made me think on my own life and that's when I found my connection to this book and fell in love with Codi and all of Grace.

I love this book. It's going on my list of books that I must buy in the future and I can't wait to read this book again and again and again....

two years ago 
three years ago 

a not so happy Monday

It is not a happy morning guys. Not happy at all. I didn't sleep very well last night - in fact, my body woke me up around 4:30/5 this morning and it took me a LONG time to get back to sleep and before I knew it my alarm was going off to get going this morning. I have a headache and I'm not looking forward to my stack of things to get done at work. :P

However, there are a few happy things in the bloggersphere this morning that I'm in love with.

First: Kami over at no biggie is giving away a custom airbrush tan. I would love a little bit of color this summer - without getting skin cancer first. Pop on over and take a looksey - or don't. It will increase my chances of winning. ;)

Second: I won a bookcase from Emily at Em's Reading Room and it came in the mail this weekend. I set it up and it looks so pretty in my house. Now I just need more books to fill it. :o)

Third: I am sort of in love with kirtsy.com and all the fun things that get posted there. If you haven't visited this awesome website, I strongly encourage you to take a little field trip and just enjoy everything that it has to offer.


Hopefully these things will brighten your Monday, or at least help speed it along. :o) LOVES!

Armchair BEA: INTERVIEW!!!

Welcome all y'all to my interview of Florinda from The 3 R's Blog. I was really excited to interview her and read the other interviews with Armchair BEA because I don't know many book bloggers and today's day of interviews gives me a chance to meet more people who love to read! So without further ado - here's Florinda!

1. What is the book that made you fall in love with reading?

I'm not sure I can remember the book, to be honest. I've been reading since I was four, and that was many, many years ago - I can't remember a time I didn't have a book with me once I learned how to read by myself, and I've always read one book right after the other. But I do remember some of the earliest books I loved and read and re-read: the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace, about girls growing up in small-town Minnesota in the early 20th century (the series follows them from elementary school through marriage and motherhood); the Melendy family stories by Elizabeth Enright; Eleanor Frances Lattimore's children's fiction set in both China and contemporary America; and, of course, Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books.

2. I'll be honest - I'm more of a book blog stalker than writer, but I do read quite a bit. So,what do you enjoy most about combining reading with blogging?

I was never good at keeping a reading journal, but thanks to blogging, I finally have one! Knowing at the back of my mind that I'll be trying to capture my impressions of a book in a written record has helped me read more carefully and thoughtfully, and I'm glad that's happened. But what I really love is that I've found so many other avid readers in the book-blogging community - people who constantly point me toward new books to read, and who love to talk about the books we've read already!

3. I recently graduated from college and I didn't read much fiction during those 5 years of schooling. I remember feeling very daunted at jumping back into reading anything fun. So, what book are you most likely to recommend to someone who is looking to get back into the reading scene and has missed basically everything awesome?

I don't really have one "go-to" book recommendation - I try to base my suggestions on knowing something about the person and her interests. But having said that...in the situation you mention, Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games series is not to be missed - and since the final book in the trilogy is due out in August, this is a great time to start on it!

4. You participate/host a lot of fun memes/daily topics. Which one is your favorite and why?

I don't really participate in as many memes as I used to, but I've used some of them as jumping-off points for my own features. My favorite participation meme is the Sunday Salon, which I finally joined last year. I like it mostly because it's so free-form it really isn't a proper meme, but it does give me a good framework for a weekly reading recap and some discussion of book/blog topics. My favorite self-developed feature is the Week-End Review, which I usually post on Fridays. That's my place to share the great links I come across in my blog reading - which I love to do - and it's also place for non-book-related discussion and general stuff that I might not be able to build a full post around.

5. What's your biggest guilty pleasure?

At this point in my life, I'm really working on not feeling guilty about my pleasures! But most of the ones I have aren't book-related. There's definitely some music on my iPod that I might skip past if I'm not alone, because I don't want to be judged on it - and since I know I judge other people on their (questionable, to me) musical tastes, I tend to expect the same! TV is a big source of my guilty pleasures too - for the last couple of years, my prime one has been Smallville on The CW - but since next year will be its last season, I guess I'll be looking for another one soon!

6. Are you a good boy or a bad boy kind of girl when it comes to books? And who is your favorite good/bad boy?

I can see the allure of the bad boy, but I'm past the point in my life where I have much patience with them any more, so I go for the good guys in fiction - and in real life, too. And I can't pick a favorite - I've met too many of them in all my years of reading!

and finally...

7. If you had the opportunity to go to BEA which author would you want to meet and why?

I probably wouldn't have had an answer to this question before I started working on my own Armchair BEA posts, since I really didn't even know who'd be there - but now that I've checked out the list, my #1 choice would be Jon Stewart, for reasons that have little to do with the fact that he and the Daily Show writers have a new book coming out! Since I get tongue-tied and stupid when I meet authors, it might be for the best if I didn't actually try to meet and talk with any of them, to be honest...but after reading her blog and three of her books, I'd like the chance to meet Beth Kephart.

Thanks so much for answering my questions Florinda! Be sure to stop by her blog to learn more about her and read her great reviews! Also - don't miss my interview over at Tales of a Capricious Reader and the other great interviews can be found at Armchair BEA Central!

A little recap and some funny things

SO!! I was trying so hard to be vague about my weekend plans because I know my parents read my blog and part of my weekend plans included a HUGE service project for my mom's Mother's Day gift. It turned out PERFECT. Go to this blog: http://radishtinkle.blogspot.com/ to see what my sister and I did for her. It was a ton of fun and worked out splendidly as our gift. :o)

This weekend also consisted of me making a few new recipes, some good, some not so good AND getting to enjoy family dinner with SwingKid's family. They are so awesome and we had a lot of fun hanging out on Sunday evening.

I also read a book this weekend. Well, I read a book on Sunday. It was the second in the Raine Benares books. If you like fantasy and fun times, you should DEFINITELY check them out. I'm a little bit into the third one and I'm loving every minute of it.

Finally, I saw this via a blog I  stalk and I highly encourage you to watch it. It's fabulously funny and if you have the Monday Blues, you should watch it. Right now.




HA HA HA. I hope that made you laugh as much as it made me laugh. :o)
one year ago

Thursday morning giggles

Oh my gosh. I just had THE BEST giggling fit at work EVER.

Seriously.

First, go HERE and read about Nicholas Sparks and his "different" love stories. I'll wait why you read. Please read all of it. I'll be here waiting......
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okay, hopefully that gave you enough time to go read. Wasn't that the FUNNIEST thing EVER?! I had never noticed the trend in his books/movies. BUT  OH MY GOSH, IT'S TRUE!!!

Seriously, the best laugh I've had in a long time.


Well...since last night when SwingKid decided to tickle me to death, but that's a different story.  :o)


HAPPY THURSDAY!