Small Town Girl, Big City Life

what i listened to in 2011

2012-01-22T23:04:00.000-08:00

in 2011 i: found a lot of new music, discovered pandora and spotify, and went to a lot of concerts with friends and by myself (!) it's been a great year.

here's what i listened to and loved in 2011-

ALBUMS

Flamingo--Brandon Flowers

favorite songs: Magdalena, Crossfire, Only the Young

21--Adele

favorite songs: Don't You Remember, Someone Like You, Turning Tables, One and Only, Set Fire to the Rain

Last Night On Earth-- Noah and the Whale

favorite songs: Give It All Back, Just Me Before We Met, Waiting For My Chance To Come, Old Joy

The Head And The Heart--self-titled debut

favorite songs: Winter Song, Rivers and Roads, Couer D'alene, Lost In My Mind

Sigh No More--Mumford & Sons

this was on my list last year but i had just bought it and didn't really know the music yet. i fell in love with this album and can't wait to hear what they come up with next.
favorite songs: The Cave, Winter Winds, Awake My Soul, After The Storm

Allen Stone and Last To Speak--Allen Stone

these are two albums by a new artist, Allen Stone. i went to two of his shows this year and was just blown away. this guy has serious talent. look him up online, you'll be amazed.
favorite songs: Figure It Out, Say So, Your Eyes, Satisfaction, cover of Bob Marley's Is This Love

SINGLES

It Will Rain, Bruno Mars

see also: marry you, grenade.

The One That Got Away, Katy Perry

i can listen to this song all day. love it.

Domino, Jessie J

new favorite

Somewhere Only We Know, Glee Cast

this song stuck with me. can i say i love it more than the original?

Tonight Tonight, Hot Chelle Rae

but seriously, this song is so fun to dance to in the car and i know all the words!

Bluebird/Arms, Christina Perri

these two are my faves

The Show Must Go On, Lupe Fiasco

fell in love with this the first time i heard it. it's just so good.

Never Gonna Leave This Bed, Maroon 5

another one i could listen to all day long.

Paradise/Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall, Coldplay

such a different sound for them but they are so fun.

You And I, Lady Gaga

the first time i heard this, i didn't even recognize her. love to sing along to this one.

We Won't Run, Sarah Blasko

listen to this and you won't be able to get it out of your head.

Complicated, Rihanna

i heard this song while trying on clothes in a store and hummed it until i could get home and look it up. it's a great one for listening while running your frustrations out about boys.

Best Thing I Never Had, Beyonce

another favorite for channeling boy frustrations. thanks, ladies.

Without You, David Guetta feat. Usher

such a great jam. plus, lea michele did an awesome cover on glee this week.

Not Over You, Gavin DeGraw

this song has been described as "Adele for guys." just the right amount of angst.

it was a great year in music and here's what i'm excited about for 2012: the black keys, florence + the machine, lykke li, ingrid michaelson, bon iver, beirut, mayer hawthorne, graffiti6, young the giant.

what were you listening to in 2011?
what are you listening to in 2012?

golden globes 2012

2012-01-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

can't believe it's already awards season! i especially love the golden globes because it is so fun and low-key. ricky gervais was great and i loved the morgan freeman retrospective. i've always been a big fan but i realized i have not seen many of his movies. maybe because he's done so many! i put a few on my list, including driving miss daisy.

i was a bit disappointed by the dresses last night. there were a few hits but also a ton of misses. hopefully they'll get better as the shows go on. here's what i did love:

emma stone. i'm not loving the eagle belt but the cut and color of this dress are great.

sarah michelle gellar. okay, it's a little crazy, but she looked great on camera and i loved her hair and makeup. plus her two-year-old daughter picked out her dress, shoes, and bag. so you gotta love it.

claire danes. this might be my favorite. her hair and makeup are great and she is rockin' this dress.

and now, all of the nude-y, peach-y gowns. which are typically my favorite, unless there's a great emerald or plum gown.

kate beckinsale. i'd argue that kate is the most beautiful woman ever. i'd love to be her for a day. seriously. the bodice shape is different and fun but maybe a bit small? love the shape and she's wearing a lot of jewelry but it totally works.

julie bowen. so romantic and floaty and fun.

jessica chastain. this girl was in pretty much every movie i saw this year. way to go. this dress looked so beautiful on camera but it's hard to see the pearl details in the picture. the only thing i would change is her hair. it looks too stiff for her.

jessica alba. don't believe she just had a baby. her makeup is great and this dress looks really good on her. i'd just take out the train. the dress is beautiful on its own.

charlize theron. i saw this dress on camera from the other side and i loved it a lot more. unfortunately, all of the pictures i could find were from this angle. the color looks really pretty on her and i love what she did with hair and makeup.

jessica biel. the detail on this dress is crazy. i love dresses that don't show a lot of skin but still manage to be so gorgeous. and can we talk about her hair? amazing! she is my hair idol. i'm taking this picture into my hairstylist and getting this color asap.

what did you think? did you watch last night? do you want to see the artist as badly as i do now?

jessica biel photo via celebuzz.com
julie bowen photo via getty images
all others via justjared.buzznet.com

what i read in 2011

2012-01-12T23:58:00.000-08:00

i had a lot of fun doing my recaps for 2010 so i may as well make it a tradition. here's what i read [personal and book club, not counting school reading] in 2011, by month:

January:

image via powells.com

One Day by David Nicholls
first book i read on my kindle! i really enjoyed the format of this book, visiting the characters each year on the same day. i was really surprised by the ending and almost a year later, it still upsets me. i haven't seen the movie for that reason. did anyone see the movie that hadn't read the book? did the ending fit better?

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
last book in the millenium series. i think that the second book was my favorite. this one felt rushed and i wanted more for the characters. still such a great series.

February:

image via sarahblakebooks.com

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
read this one on my kindle for book club. the premise was intriguing but not well executed. it felt like a first draft and had several typos. unfortunately this was one of my suggestions. whoops.

March:

Point of Origin by Patricia Cornwell
i'm making my way through all of the Kay Scarpetta books and this was #9 in the series. i'd recommend this series if you like CSI--lots of forensic lingo.

April:

Bossypants by Tina Fey
oh geez. if you missed my post reviewing this book, go here. this is a must-read. loved every bit of it! i just got it on audiobook and am looking forward to hearing it a second time read by tina herself. speaking of, 30 Rock is back tonight! woohoo!

May:

image via laurahillenbrandbooks.com

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
another one i read on kindle for book club. i don't typically read a lot of nonfiction so i was unsure about this but i ended up loving it. it was a pageturner, full of suspense and tension. a really inspiring story. funny story: on a kindle, you don't see page numbers to tell you how far in the book you are, you see a percentage. when i was 76% through, the story was wrapping up and i was really confused. what was the other 24% ? her bibliography. holy moly she had a lot of sources! needless to say i was relieved that the hero wasn't going to end up tragically dying on the last page.

The Book Thief by Mark Zusak
i bought this book several years ago on a recommendation from my teenaged cousin but it sat on my bookshelf until this summer. the premise seemed strange and i just couldn't get myself to read past the first ten pages. i'm so glad that i gave it a second chance. it was such a beautiful, poignant story. when it got closer to the end i knew it was going to be a mess of tears and sobs so i kept putting it off until the perfect moment. not eating lunch at whole foods, not waiting for my dentist appointment, etc. i finally bit the bullet and sat down in bed with a box full of tissues. it was bad but so good. the tagline says that this book is "life-changing" and i agree.

image via meganmccafferty.com

Bumped by Megan McCafferty
i'm a huge fan of mccafferty's jessica darling series so i was excited to read her latest non-series book. it's very clever and sarcastic but so interesting. it seemed to be one of many young adult dystopian novels that came out this year but i thought it had a fresh take on the genre. the sequel comes out in april.

June:

image via beautifulcreaturesnovels.com

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
this is the second book in the beautiful creatures series. i reviewed the first book last year and eagerly awaited this one's release. i love the history, the supernatural romance and the fresh voice. the third installment, beautiful chaos, came out earlier this fall and it is on my to-read list.

August:

Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay
i read this for book club but it was another that had been sitting on my shelf. i loved the dual narrators and the intensity of the story. i was disappointed with how the character's stories ended and didn't enjoy the last part of the book as much as the first. it was really interesting to learn about a side of world war II that i hadn't heard before, especially since i read so many books set in that time. i haven't yet watched the movie but i've heard it's good.

September:

Thursday Next: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
this was the fifth book in the thursday next series and i successfully finished it after starting it several times. these books are in their own category and sometimes it is hard to get into them but once you do, they are a lot of fun. thursday next is a detective inside the world of fiction, managing the sometimes difficult characters in our favorite books. i love the book jokes, even if i don't always get them. it reminds me which classics i've read and which i haven't. note to self: read wuthering heights! this is definitely one of my favorite series and i'm excited to read #6, which is probably the last.

image via annbrashares.wordpress.com

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
the last book in the sisterhood of the traveling pants series, this was a bittersweet ending to characters i love. if you've only seen the movies, you should really read the books. they are on the lighter side of literature, for sure, but still great. i was really surprised with the endings that the author chose for these characters. i was also surprised that i was so moved by the stories but i guess i just got emotionally invested.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
i finally caved and read this on my kindle. i really dislike reading/watching/doing things that everyone is doing/talking about/obsessing over but curiosity got the best of me. i really enjoyed this book and loved the interesting characters, plot, and suspenseful writing. super excited for the movie.

October:

image via tanafrench.com

Faithful Place by Tana French
this was another one of my picks for book club. i read her other two books, into the woods and the likeness and i really liked them. she writes about detectives in ireland and i like the grittiness of the stories. she writes the dialogue so well that i can hear the irish accents in my head when i'm reading, although i'd never dare attempt it out loud. my book club didn't like this very much but i thought it was her best one yet. can't win 'em all.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
i read the second book on my kindle and i couldn't put it down. so exciting and scary and i don't remember much because i moved on to mockingjay pretty quickly. hmm, i should probably read it again.

November:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
this was the only one i read in book form and i can actually say that i liked reading these on the kindle better. i could turn pages faster and it was easier to hold. plus the words weren't as small. anyways. i was nervous that i wouldn't like the ending because i'd heard some people were disappointed. i was talking with a friend and she said that the ending made sense for the characters because after all they had been through, a shiny, perfect ending just wouldn't fit. i thought it was appropriate for the story and was what i'd been hoping for. it's incredible what the author dreamed up for these books and i thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself into that world but i was so glad to leave it.

December:

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
i read this classic for the first time thanks to a free download on my kindle. i have the rest of the books in print form but have somehow lost this one. it took me a while to get used to anne's way of talking [really babbling] but she really grew on me. i had somehow got it into my head that there was a romance but i guess that's not until later on in the other books. not sure if i'll read them or just watch the movie. anyone read the other books?

image via barnesandnoble.com

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
read this for book club. crazy, crazy book. really interesting but terribly frightening. i don't think i have the stomach to watch the movie. anyone else read this one? love to hear what you thought. not many people in the book club managed to finish.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
i watched this movie recently and enjoyed it--first movie where i thought r. pattz was actually attractive. i could barely watch some parts of it because anything with animals makes me sick or cry, one or the other. i was intrigued by the story so i got it pretty cheap on my kindle. it was a fast read but super graphic. while i got more of an insight into the characters, i think i liked the movie version better. maybe that would be different had i read it first but i don't know.

looking back over my books for the year is really eye-opening. i know that i read a lot of world war II books, that's not surprising. i was surprised that i read so many books in a series, though. maybe i need to branch out a bit. i've really loved reading books on the kindle and i've just started using it for library books, although there are not many available for that yet. it does bug me that you don't have page numbers but overall it's pretty great.

i've got a lot of books to read this year, just take a look at my nightstand!

i'm currently reading the tiger's wife by tea obrecht and extremely loud and incredibly close by jonathan safran foer. my book club is reading the marriage plot by jeffrey eugenides but i haven't started yet. yikes.

what did you read in 2011? what are you reading in 2012?

i keep track of all my books on goodreads.com . it's a great website, come join me!

*all photos via amazon.com, unless otherwise noted.

christmas 2011

2012-01-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

i know it's already 2012 but i'm trying to catch up on what feels like one hundred things so at least this post isn't coming to you in march.

christmas 2011 was awesome. all of us girls were home and we spent a ton of time catching up, eating good food, laughing too loudly, and watching a lot of movies.

my mom spent the last few months making quilts for us and we opened them on christmas eve.

amazing, right?

other exciting gifts were two dwarf hamsters for my sister. she loves them, but i'm thisclose to tossing their squeaky wheel in the garbage.

i bought my mom a record player because the top shelf of her closet is stacked with records that she can't play. turns out you also have to buy speakers if you want any sound to come out. whoops.

two of my sisters asked for footie pajamas and i guess they do make those in adult sizes. who knew?

my sister mallory is leaving soon to teach English in Ukraine so she got a lot of coats, scarves, and hats, including this stunner:

with the zebra pajamas, i think it makes her look like a seuss character. this is the best picture i took because we were all laughing so hard we could barely function.

my favorite present were these j. crew pajamas that are so soft i have to restrain myself from wearing them all day, every day.

we managed to see a few movies in the theatres, thanks to groupon for the many discounted tickets. we bought a zoo and sherlock holmes were big hits, and my sister and i really enjoyed the descendants. i was also very entertained by mission impossible: ghost protocol. when we weren't at the theatre, we watched a whole season of a terribly addicting tv show, pretty little liars. lots of good stuff was accomplished over the break and now it's back to regular life.

hope your holidays were relaxing and filled with family, food, and fun. on to 2012!

thanksgiving

2011-12-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

since it's nearly christmas, i'd better post about thanksgiving.

i didn't take a ton of pictures because i was in between cameras. these are all taken with my sister's iPod touch. the camera is actually pretty decent.

we ended up driving down to the bay area this year to visit family. one of my sisters flew in from utah but my other sister stayed in hawaii. there were only three of us girls in the car so the drive was easy and quick.

it was so nice to stay at my aunt and uncle's house and not have to worry about hotels and meals. my aunt even made vegetarian chili and lasagna! i felt so welcome and it was fun to see everyone.

i was so excited to be able to sight-see in san francisco. i made a list of things to see, including the painted ladies (houses on full house), alcatraz, the golden gate bridge, coit tower, union square, and ghirardelli square. we didn't end up going to alcatraz because it was really expensive and super cold. definitely our first stop next time, though.

the painted ladies were beautiful, but shorter and wider than i had remembered from full house. the years have been tough on them. just kidding, they were great.

nearly all of my pictures are of the buildings. everything was so whimsical and painted lots of colors. love it.

these were mosaics on some random street. they were amazing.

this mural was a block long and divided into different sections. we were driving so i didn't get great pictures, but you get the idea.

i went to the foremost expert on san francisco, jordan ferney of oh happy day! to find some restaurant recommendations. we ended up going to tartine bakery where we had delicious croissants, something called a gougere [gruyere cheese and pepper] and
hot chocolate. since it was really busy and they only had three tables, we walked down the street to another recommended restaurant, pizzeria delfina. we had to wait forever but the food was amazing. my mom especially loved her beet salad while i enjoyed the pizza with tomatoes, cream, and basil. our table was on the sidewalk so we did a little people watching while we ate.

we did a little exploring while we were waiting for lunch and stumbled across this gem of a store, the apartment. it was something of an antiques store, with furniture, records, vintage children's toys, and magazines from the 50s and 60s. the coolest part was their collection of used postcards. we browsed through boxes and boxes of postcards, reading the little messages on the back. my sister found ones from the 1910s! some of the postcards were funny, some were romantic, and some were poignant and heartbreaking. it was so fun to imagine what these people were like and made me want to write little notes like that more often.

this was a bookcase full of old encyclopedia brittanicas.

close up of the encyclopedias. [encyclopaedias, to be exact.]

vintage typewriter.

even older typewriter. this one was huge!

closeup of the keys.

we passed this art store on the way back that had one of those models sticking out of the side. i wanted to climb up and move it into fun positions. definitely need to get one of those for my desk.

we also went to britex fabrics, recommended by diana. what an amazing store! four floors of fabrics, ribbons, buttons, and more! i didn't take any pictures, but if you click on diana's link, you'll get an idea of just how much stuff there was. i loved how everything was arranged by color. it was fun to see what everyone was buying in the store and thinking that there were probably past and future project runway people there!

we drove to ghirardelli square and bought chocolate bars and really really good hot chocolate. that was probably my favorite place we went because it was dark by that time and everything was all lit up and so pretty. you could look across the bay and see alcatraz and the bridges. i loved it. and of course i didn't get any pictures.

i loved san francisco and can't wait to go back.

let's debrief.

2011-11-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

i am always so excited for new fall tv shows, but also a little stressed because there's always too many shows and not enough time to watch them. this year i did a little editing and dropped a few shows that i could live without and made room for some new ones. i can tell the shows that i like the most because i watch them right away each week and can't wait for the next episode. here are those shows that i can't wait to watch:

Ringer

i cannot tell you how excited i was to hear that SMG was coming back to tv. this show is scary good and suspenseful and the mystery just keeps getting better and better.

2 Broke Girls

i started watching this out of curiosity and keep watching it because it is so funny. full of innuendos and double entendres, this is for sure not one to watch with little ones but i am loving it. i love the odd couple-y vibe and the fact that kat dennings makes me cry-laugh.

Person of Interest

this show has such a great cast and premise that even if it was bad, it'd still be so good. but it is actually so well done. i love jim caviezel from back in the days of count of monte cristo and of course, michael emerson killed it as ben linus, so they're brilliant. the stories are exciting and rich and it feels like a movie every week.

Hart of Dixie

now, don't laugh. this show is never going to win any awards or be critically acclaimed, but it is so fun to watch and makes me happy inside. that's enough, right? i love rachel bilson and am happy to see her back on tv. i'm pretty sure no one really buys her as a successful surgeon, but it is fun watching her stumble through it. what i really love is the character that jaime king plays-- a great combination of gone with the wind southern belle and 1940s movie star. her outfits are incredible, take a look.

http://backtoclassfashion.blogspot.com/2011/10/hart-of-dixie-fashion-lemon-breeland.html
i'm going to have to do a whole post devoted to those outfits. to be continued.

Unforgettable

did you watch without a trace back in the day? i'm pretty sure it was just me and my grandma but it was good, and i loved poppy montgomery on it, in her blonder days. now she's back on tv, as a redhead and with ridiculously buff arms. if you've seen it, you know what i'm talking about. apparently she is only allowed to wear tank tops so we can all be flabbergasted by her arm muscles. anyways, this show has a fun premise: a detective who remembers everything. this might get old after a while but i'm still enjoying it.

New Girl

seriously, how could you not love a show with zooey deschanel? while i despise her new tagline: "she's adorkable!" this show could not be more fun. she bursts into songs, is socially awkward, and of course wears the cutest clothes. i really love the relationship between her and the guys and am secretly hoping she and nick get together. this last episode was especially funny and delightful.

up all night

confession: i didn't love this show at first. i had to warm up to it. which is weird because i love maya rudolph and get such a kick out of christina applegate. perhaps my expectations were too high. but five-ish episodes later, i am fully converted. it's kooky but so funny. side note: did you guys watch christina's last show, samantha who? that was great tv.

Pan Am

my mom and i have recently started watching this show and we both love it. the characters are interesting and compelling and the period details are so fun--my mom had to explain what a girdle was-- and once again, the fashion is amazing. i also give them credit for making me cry twice in one episode--one time, just looking at a character's expression got me. sheesh.

not yet on the list:
i've been watching a bit of Whitney and Prime Suspect but haven't reached a verdict yet. there's
also a new show called Grimm that's set and filmed here in Portland but there's only been one episode. too soon to tell.

but what i want to know is what are you watching? what do you love? have you watched any of these shows? what do you think? are you as obsessed with the clothes as i seem to be? spill.

i caved.

2011-10-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

i'm one of those people that doesn't like to do something if everyone else is doing it. i'm stubborn that way, i guess. it took me forever to read harry potter and now i've joined the bandwagon on yet another series: the hunger games. still not jumping on the twilight train. gotta draw the line somewhere.

the great thing about joining late in the game is that you don't have to wait for the books to come out. i'm a genius, really. anyways, everyone and their mom has been telling me to read these books but i was convinced i wouldn't like a book where kids have to kill each other. i've been proven wrong. i'm now on the third book and have really enjoyed them so far. while i admit the subject matter is not very light and cheery, it makes for some seriously page-turning stuff! i'm trying to savor this last book and i'm very nervous about how it will all end. i don't want to be disappointed!

i started about a month ago so i knew about the movie and who was playing the main characters but i tried to forget about that and just read. the other day i was getting really curious who some of the other characters were going to be and stumbled upon this article from entertainment weekly [if you like tv, books, or movies at all you should subscribe to this magazine, i love it!]

they've released posters featuring the most prominent characters from the book. i thought i'd round them all up and give you a sneak peek! the article has the specific links for each picture. i couldn't find photo credit info for each picture, however.

while i didn't really picture lenny kravitz being the kind of person to play a character from a young adult series, i feel pretty good about all of these actors. i think the movie is going to be great and i can't wait to see a preview!

what about you? have you read the books? are you excited for the movie?

i'll leave you with this awesome collage of the posters.

from ign.com

marcel the shell

2011-10-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

do you remember this guy?

here's the link also because i've been having trouble with videos lately: http://youtu.be/VF9-sEbqDvU

marcel is a tiny little shell with the cutest voice: jenny slate from SNL. remember her doorbell sketch?

i miss her! anyways, this video made the rounds a while back and i just heard that marcel is going to be a children's book! read the full article here from entertainment weekly.

taylor swift!

2011-10-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

my sisters and i have been big taylor fans since the beginning, but we'd never seen her live. she came to portland last year on her fearless tour but the tickets sold out way too fast. this time, i knew when the tickets went on sale and i was waiting patiently at the computer. they sold out in minutes. it was insane! i was only able to buy three tickets and it was a group of two and one single. i could only take two of my sisters and we couldn't sit together. our seats were really great though and it was such an amazing show. my two little sisters were in the first section off of stage left so most of the pictures are from them.

i was on the floor, but way in the back so i didn't have the best view. i did, however, get to see taylor when she walked around, greeting the audience.

she was within touching distance but i refrained. i thought that would have been weird. she sounded really great live and had so much energy. she had no less than 10 costume changes, all dresses. my favorite thing was her red lipstick. and she was so tiny!

towards the end of the show she came around the back and sang a few songs on this mini stage. it was great because i could actually see her. bad thing was that they put up ropes to prevent the crazies from storming the stage so i couldn't go grab my camera from my sisters. i was just left with my crummy cell phone camera. still kicking myself.

when she sang Love Story she flew around the room in this little balcony. she was right above my head when i took this.

for Back to December, confetti snow came down all over the audience.

the stage was incredible. each song had a specific theme and there were dancers and acrobats doing crazy stuff.

she made this face a lot, acting like she was surprised that the crowd was so loud and excited. hard to imagine that many people paying to see you sing.

i think this was her first dress. fun and flapper-ish, but was not a fan of the boots. she had another cute dress that was white, lacy, and sort of vintage-y that she wore with oxfords. wish i got a good picture of that.

for Speak Now, they staged a little wedding and had taylor and her back-up singers in 50s style dresses singing doo-wop style up above. so cute.

josh kelley was the first opening act and he sounded so great live. i loved his music before but was even more impressed by how good he was in person. and so cute!

needtobreathe was the other opening act and i really liked them. kind of a southern rock sound, and great performers.

i had so much fun and it was really exciting to see her in person. this music video is basically her concert edited down to 3 minutes, if you want an idea of what it was like. everything was exactly the same except there was no water. guess you can't make it rain in the rose garden. in oregon.

happy birthday, it's the emmys!

2011-09-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

so the emmys are always on a sunday, but this year they were on my birthday! and my twenty-fifth birthday, to boot! someone knows me well.

did you watch?

while i was sad that friday night lights didn't win best drama, i was so happy for lead actor kyle chandler and writer jason katims! so much love for that show.

holy charlie sheen awkwardness! i was totally holding my breath the whole time he was talking. can you come back from crazytown? don't think so.

jane lynch was a good host. could have been funnier, but at least she wasn't mean funny. that's no fun. did you like her?

awesome opener-- loved the walking through tv sets, such a fun idea.

anything else i missed? i didn't take notes so that's all i remember.

on to the important stuff:

so much red this year, right? do you love it? i would be hesitant to match the red carpet, but i bet no one was looking at that with these ladies walking on it. stunning!

nina dobrev. i just love her and her show, the vampire diaries. totally teared up in the premiere. and i think she looks amazing. love her hair and the neckline of the dress. so glamorous!

sofia vergara. love the detailing on the dress, and it's such a beautiful color on her. not a fan of the jewelry, but who cares, right?

kate winslet. maybe my favorite. love everything about it.

lea michele. this one has an awesome back but i couldn't find a good picture of it.

kaley cuoco. i love the shoulder detail. and the shoes are so fun, don't you think? plus, her dad was her date! too cute.

heather morris. if you've been reading my awards post for a while, you know i love dresses like this. so romantic and flowy. and a beautiful color. just might have done the hair differently.

evan rachel wood. wow. this one is just a hair behind kate's for my favorite dress. it's so glittery! and i love the boatneck shape.

elisabeth moss. gorgeous detailing.

and the parks & rec girls:

rashida jones. great bodice, great shape.

amy poehler. so different, so fun!

aubrey plaza. i love the halter shape of this dress so much, but maybe in a different color. if you can't tell, the bodice has a ruffled detail on it. love it. and her hair and makeup look great.

emily blunt. just cause.

julia stiles. i love this color and the detailing of the bodice. and the neckline is so cool, but i would love it even more if she hiked it up a bit.

that one time i went to disneyland.

2011-09-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

i met a lot of amazing people when i went to college, especially my roommates. now that we're adults and living all over we don't see each other very often. i planned a quick reunion weekend with my roommate shannon to california and we had a great time.

here's the highlights:

thursday
missed my flight out. first time for everything.

friday
almost missed my new flight at 6:30 AM. picture home alone style mad dash through the airport.
finally arrived at LAX. commence celebrity watch 2011.
quick trip to disneyland + secret trick for avoiding lines.
hit the favorites @ california adventure. tower of terror. soarin' over california.

+ new little mermaid ride. took you long enough, disneyland. ariel needed her own ride!
hopped over to disneyland. first stop, waffle cone on main street. classic disney.

pirates. space mountain. fireworks show. pictures. hey, where did the big letters go?

ordered room service for a late night dinner + took over an hour= free!

saturday
lunch at clementine's to see another roommate, whitney. [seriously, check out her amazing blog]

shopping on melrose & robertson. LA blocks are miles long. also the maps in lucky's shopping guide are not super accurate.
saw an actor in opening ceremony [crazy store!] still haven't figured out who. my skills are rusty.
LA temple randomly on the side of the road. photo op!

brentwood country mart. no jenn garner. saw creepy ethan from LOST instead. ate really good salted caramel ice cream.
dinner at Soi 7 downtown. amazing pad thai.
movie night. thanks katherine heigl and josh duhamel.

sunday
brunch at toast. i had banana chocolate chip pancakes, S had cinnamon walnut. so good. red velvet cupcake to go.
S drives home, work on monday.
reading and relaxing by the pool.

bones marathon.
quiet hotel dinner. way overpriced.

monday
4 hours early to flight. much better. read most of this. ate pinkberry. quiet flight home. so relaxed.

it was short and sweet and i can't wait until roommate reunion 2012!

it's already september?!

2011-09-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

wow, that summer went by fast and i clearly couldn't keep up with it all. vacations, school, applying for jobs, being a bridesmaid for the first time, new responsibilities at church, sheesh! well, i've missed the blog a lot and have so much to catch up on!

mischief managed.

2011-07-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

i'm stealing this title from many a blogger. but it fits, so there you go. the movie was great and i can't believe it's over. i love this quote from Jo at the London premiere: "The stories we love best do live in us forever so whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."

all photos from myspace.com

it all ends.

2011-07-14T17:30:00.001-07:00

here we go. i'm prepared to cry my eyes out, and have so much fun.

artsy.

2011-07-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

i have found some harry potter gems on pinterest that i just have to share.

from weheartit.com

from thereadables.tumblr.com

from tumblr.com

from thereadables.tumblr.com

from everythingharrypotter.tumblr.com

not ready yet.

2011-07-12T23:20:00.000-07:00

it hit me hard when i was reading the last book that it was over. now we get to relive that with the last movie ever. sob.

from followthemaraudersmap.tumblr.com

it's harry potter week!

2011-07-11T20:58:00.001-07:00

because this week is the premiere of the very last harry potter movie, my blog will be all harry, all week! i apologize in advance for those blog readers who do not share my affinity, but all will normal next week.

up first: does anybody have an idea who this dapper young gentleman is?

that's neville longbottom! can you believe it?!

can't find a photo credit, except that it's an article on myspace .

continuing my paris fascination . . .

2011-07-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

i saw midnight in paris last night and was entertained and intrigued. i often feel like i'm living in the wrong era so i loved that storyline.

it was so fun to see all of the different outfits, especially those from the 20s.

photo from allmoviephoto.com

photo from celebritywonder.ugo.com

photo from allmoviephoto.com

a lot of the references went over my head but it seemed like our theatre was filled with older people who spoke french and knew all of the jokes. just reminded me that i still haven't read the great gatsby or anything by hemingway. shoot.

photo from celebritywonder.ugo.com

i also loved the modern clothes, especially in this scene. those pleated pants and the belted shirtdress are so great!

while i was searching for these pictures i found a lot of pictures of rachel mcadams at premieres for this movie and just had to share:

photo by bauer griffin, zimbio.com

photo by bauer griffin, zimbio.com

photo by flynetpictures.com, zimbio.com

my trip to the rainy city that was actually sunny and hot.

2011-06-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

a few weekends ago i took a quick trip up to seattle to see this lovely lady in a play.

jessica martin as marianne dashwood, kjerstine anderson as elinor dashwood.
photo by alan alabastro photography

sense and sensibility, to be precise. it was a great trip and such a wonderful play. i had never read the book or seen the movie so it was a total surprise.

kjerstine anderson as elinor dashwood, jessica martin as marianne dashwood,
and aaron blakely as mr. willoughby. photo by alan alabastro photography.

very dramatic and heart-wrenching. now i'm reading it and really loving it.

i loved the design that the theatre, Book-It, used for the programs. it reminded me of these embroidered covers by jillian tamaki

i also got to hang out with the actors afterwards at a karaoke bar. i had only done karaoke at someone's house so it was quite the experience. i agonized over which songs to choose and was so nervous to perform--especially in front of professionals! i ended up choosing Dixie Chicks' "If I Fall You're Going Down With Me." it was a good choice because i knew all of the words and it was fun and upbeat. my back-up was the acoustic/glee version of Pokerface but i didn't get the chance to use it. next time!

i stayed in the Ballard area of Seattle and enjoyed walking around to all of the cute shops and restaurants. we ate lunch at a burger place that had the best fries i've had in ages. i can't remember the name but i'm sure jessie can help me out. it was such a beautiful, sunny day and i hardly recognized the city from previous trips. we even drove out to the beach and walked around. i was slightly confused as to how there could be a beach in seattle, but i was kindly reminded that there is this little body of water called puget sound. right.

the drive up was so beautiful and went by so quickly. i really should take trips like this more often. thanks for hosting me, jessie!

trip of a lifetime

2011-06-16T11:18:00.001-07:00

Jordan from Oh Happy Day is hosting the best giveaway ever--a trip to Paris! I get an extra entry if I repost here, so it's selfish, really, but now you know about it too. Click to go to the official contest page.

I just saw the House Hunters International episode featuring Jordan's sister, Gabrielle Blair, buying a house in Normandy for her family. Totally fell in love with the idea of living abroad. Where would you live if you could live anywhere?

what i ate this week

2011-06-12T21:54:00.000-07:00

trying something different. i tried a bunch of new recipes this week and thought i'd share those instead of a weekly 10. sound good?

honey goat cheese and caramelized onion pizza- from this week for dinner

photo from thisweekfordinner.com

i had never made caramelized onions before so i was a little nervous but they turned out great! they really put this pizza over the top. i used fresh pizza dough from trader joe's and followed the recipe pretty closely. nearly everyone liked the pizza, even the skeptics. i saved the extra caramelized onions and put them on a veggie burger today. still good almost a week later.

arugula salad with grape tomatoes and parmesan cheese

i have been frightened by arugula in the past. it looks like weeds and every time giada uses it she makes sure to point out how "peppery" it is. yum? anyways, i started eating it at the whole foods salad bar and really loved how interesting it tasted. i bought a bunch, tossed it with fresh tomatoes, lots of parmesan, and a herb ranch. so delicious. i've had it for lunch almost every day this week, until i ran out of tomatoes. try it, you might be surprised!

spring salad with new potatoes- from smitten kitchen

photo from smittenkitchen.com

i thought i hated potato salads until i tried one made without mayonnaise. friends for life. i tweaked this recipe slightly because i couldn't find radishes and i only had fingerling potatoes. i used green beans instead for the pea ingredient and discovered what spring onions are. and let me tell you, those pickled onions were incredible. i loved this salad and it would be perfect for a barbecue or picnic.

cream cheese frosting- from barefoot contessa

i was watching ina make red velvet cupcakes the other day and mentally filed away her cream cheese frosting recipe for future use. flash forward to my piano/violin recital and needing a frosting for some devil's food cupcakes. it would have been easier if my cream cheese was a little more room temperature, but it turned out so nicely. it made way more than i needed for 24 cupcakes, though. i now have a bowl of frosting in my fridge. someone please take it off my hands.

next up:

caprese grilled cheese

from foodgawker via pinterest.

and pasta with arugula and white beans

from this week for dinner

ouch.

2011-06-05T22:20:00.000-07:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: on my flight home, we stopped in boise and half of the plane got off. then i had a whole row to myself. perfect for my minor freakout during the descent.

two: the lovely baby shower i attended on saturday. on the hottest day of the year since september. gorgeous.

three: running in my very first organized race, the starlight run. it wasn't easy, and i thought i was going to die from the stitch in my side, but i ran through the finish line. loved seeing all of the friendly faces from the sidelines cheering me [and dad and sister] on.

four: my post-run bath. guys, i'm so not a bath person, mostly because i don't have the patience to wait for one to fill up and then i don't know what to do once i get in, but it was sooo good. i get it now.

five: this video. i'm still not tired of this song or this lady.

six: this gem from pinterest. love it.

from jackcards.com

seven: catching up on all my tv season finales before my favorite summer shows come back.

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: being woefully unprepared for my first 5K. at least now i know how much more work i have to do before i'm ready for hood-to-coast.

two: every part of my body hurts. except my arms. at least now i can lift my right leg up all the way. totally couldn't this morning.

three: coming back to regular life after the best weekend away ever. it is so much better to wake up on my own then to an alarm. phooey.

the rest of the trip

2011-06-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

here's a quick rundown of my utah trip.

first stop: sweet potato fries and waldorf salad at guru's. of course.

crazy huge party at my sisters'- lots of cute boys that were way too young, scary games in the dark, guests staying well past 1:00.

french toast breakfast at guru's

shopping and running into this lovely lady.

finding these gems at target. super comfortable and easy to walk in.

dinner at pizzeria 712. marinated feta cheese and hummus. asparagus and endive salad with green goddess dressing, scallion, goat cheese and sundried tomato pizza, and chocolate cheesecake. plus an adorably quirky waiter.

rewatching of easy A, still a favorite.

delicious homemade dinner of tomato mozzarella paninis, and pea pesto.

justin bieber's never say never. a cinematic triumph.

overpriced crepes at roll-up crepes.

superfancy lunch at la jolla groves. felt like eating in a lemon grove. kinda cool but also overpriced. this is a college town, people!

visiting dearly missed friends.
>
les madeleines bakery in slc. tried the signature pastry, kouing-aman and valrhona hot chocolate. marvelous.

kouing-aman from les-madeleines.com

>tulie bakery in slc. enormous grilled cheese and a pain au chocolat for the plane.

photo from tuliebakery.com

successfully navigating our way to the slc library. whoa. didn't have much time to explore, but it was awesome.

can't wait to go back!

weekly 10: utah edition

2011-05-29T23:13:00.000-07:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: surprising my sister with a weekend trip to utah. i called her right before i got to her house and she totally didn't believe me. she even called home to double-check and my sisters played it so well. it was so fun to see the look on her face when i walked in. priceless.

two: the adorable shoes i found at the Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale. they're a little out there, but i love them. there is a downside, though. see below.

three: eating at one of my favorite provo/orem restaurants, pizzeria 712. i am always blown away by the amazing food and great service. it is a must every time i visit. that and guru's sweet potato fries. can't be missed. we're trying some new restaurants this weekend and i can't wait.

four: finally watching Tangled. loved it. it was one of those movies that while you're watching it, it feels like everything is right in the world. and zach levi was hilarious. it's now my go-to happy movie.

five: discovering new blogs, like bleubirdvintage.

six: this outfit from kendieveryday. i love dresses, but i usually wear them with cardigans. i love the idea of a blazer instead. now i have to find one.

seven: the two-hour nap i took today after going to 9 AM church with my sister. there is something magical about sunday afternoon naps, i tell you.

. . and 3 that didn't

one: i wore the previously mentioned shoes to the airport. brand new shoes. lots of walking. let me just say, i limped onto the plane kicking myself for thinking that the airport was a good place to break in shoes.

two: getting to the airport at 11:30 for my 1:10 flight and finding out it was delayed until 3:00. huge bummer. luckily i had snacks and reading material.

three: leaving oregon in the pouring rain and coming to utah and it's raining. yay. definitely not a trip to get tan. but a great trip nonetheless.

are you sure you want to read this? it doesn't have any pictures!

2011-05-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: seeing a movie with my sister at 10 in the morning. half-asleep because we'd stayed up so late the night before. now it makes sense why i was laughing so much more than everyone else in the theatre.

two: a few days of really beautiful weather. maybe this time i can put away my sweaters?

three: justin timberlake on snl. knocked it out of the park.

four: ryan gosling in the trailer for crazy, stupid, love. hello!

five: baking cookies, by myself, on a saturday night. while listening to my adele pandora station. there is something so relaxing about sifting flour. although it did not make my cookies any different. huh.

six: book club this week for half the sky. have you ever had six layer coconut refrigerator cake with sour cream icing? well, that's what we eat at my book club when we read really grim, depressing books about everything horrible that's happening in the world. that and lots of cheese.

seven: finally getting around to reading water for elephants. really enjoying it so far. anybody read it and see the movie? what did you think?

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: watching home movies and realizing how bossy i was as a kid. yikes.

two: and we're back to the rain. here's to hoping summer gets here before august.

three: no pictures. wow, this no camera thing is terrible. i'm going to get right on that.

i should have been doing something productive on my lunch break, but instead . . .

2011-05-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

i made the mistake of browsing around j. crew yesterday and found these two dresses. i promptly fell in love and then couldn't find them in my size. of course. now i need to go find the cheaper alternative at target. probably not possible.

i never know what to title these.

2011-05-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: upbeat, fun songs that keep me running long after i want to quit. onerepublic/good life, hot chelle rae/tonight tonight, glee cast/born this way, and glee cast/somewhere only we know.

two: this post from the lovely meg. her writing is always beautiful but especially so today.

three: my cousin phil, who gave my computer a good scrubbing and helped me realize how much junk i had on here that i definitely do not need anymore. now i feel all organized and streamlined.

four: SPOILER ALERT! this week's episode of parks and rec [are you tired of hearing me fawn over this show yet?] was squeal-tastic. i might have watched the kissing scene more than twice. worth the wait and so satisfying. now if only i could get that much excitement and romance in my life!

five: getting my hair trimmed. so long, split ends! and scalp massages and having someone else blow dry my hair. life's little luxuries.

six: painting my nails with essie's "turquoise and caicos" and loving the change from boring pink. it might be raining outside, but it's summer on my nails!

photo from essie.com

seven: these outfits from my pinterest boards. i'm going to try to recreate them- we'll see how that goes.

Nine de la Fressange via rdujour.com

lucylaucht.com

emersonmade.com

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: losing half of a week and valuable training time because i was sick. let's hope that doesn't happen again anytime soon.

two: being unsatisfied with last summer's clothes and wanting to buy everything everywhere. i hate that feeling. i need to learn to be happy with what i have. boo.

three: buying a ring on a warm day and having it fit perfectly until the weather turned cold again. it got too big and fell off my finger and i lost it. moral: buy rings on cold days only.

thanks, mom

2011-05-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

my mom saw my whining about not being able to figure out the scanner so she kindly uploaded these for me. so a couple days late, here's a couple great photos of my mom and me.

knee socks and an incredible homemade christmas dress with a pinafore.

don't you love her purple dress?! and my dad, tom selleck?

i had to share this one of my little sister and me because my mom made these easter outfits and got us hats, gloves, and little purses! incredible! see also my wall of bang.

looking for these pictures made me realize that i don't have a lot of photos of just me and my mom. mostly because we're the ones taking the pictures. all the more reason to get a better camera and stage some photo shoots.

how was your week?

2011-05-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: the 70 degree day we had this week. i drove with the windows rolled down and remembered what it was like to be warm. now if we could only have that every day.

two: the tuscan white bean minestrone at california pizza kitchen. so delicious. i'm working on my own recipe so that i don't have go drive over there every time i get a hankering. side note: all of cpk's soups are vegetarian!

three: finishing two books this week, one of which i'd been reading since january.

four: finding these gems at the library.

five: clean sheets and a clean room. i always sleep so much better when my sheets are warm and crisp and i don't have clutter everywhere. mind-boggling.

six: attending two family dinners and an adorable robot-themed birthday party for a two-year-old. family time is great. it might have been a lot for one weekend, but it was lots of fun.

seven: buying my mom a massage for mother's day so that i can get one, too. win-win!

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: getting a cold. i hate not being able to breathe out of my nose. it makes sleeping so miserable.

two: not having a good scanner so that i can upload a picture of my mom and me like all of the cool kids are doing.

three: thinking i had more time before my next semester of classes and realizing i start up again on wednesday. oh the things i was going to do!

need a laugh?

2011-05-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

i have a new favorite show. i tend to be picky with my comedies, so i don't often get excited about new sitcoms, but this is one worth sharing.

happy endings is about a group of friends who have to figure out how to stay friends when a wedding goes awry. it stars casey wilson from saturday night live, elisha cuthbert from 24, eliza coupe from last season scrubs [did you watch that? totally loved dave franco!], damon wayans, jr., zachary knighton from flash forward [i think only three people watched that, so it might not be relevant], and adam pally from nothing i've ever seen before.

it is exactly my kind of funny. casey from snl steals every scene and i am officially in love with adam pally and his insanely long eyelashes. that's not weird, right?
the dialogue is fast and witty and damon wayans, jr. makes me giggle nonstop.

it's on abc on wednesday nights, right after cougar town. there are already 7 episodes, but they're quick and you can catch up on abc.com or hulu.

check it out and let me know what you think!

this is my 101st post!

2011-05-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

what's that you say? people don't normally celebrate 101 things? well, they do if they didn't even notice when they reached 100. but that's not important. i have a book to review!

i preordered this book as soon as i heard about it because, well, i'm lazy and i like getting packages. i was also incredibly excited because tina is easily my favorite person ever. and she's hilarious. i've been a huge fan since her weekend update days and she's still making me laugh.

bossypants is a quick read, more like a collection of essays than a typical book. tina shares how she went from working at the YMCA in Evanston, Illinois to creating 30 Rock. i opened my book to read before bed and was laughing out loud by the second paragraph. then i had to laugh inside because i remembered it was midnight and other people in my house were sleeping. and that's pretty much how the whole book went. i was reading it while eating lunch and had to hold it in because the other people at the restaurant were looking at me in annoyance. i read it while in a rehearsal for a church performance and happened to be silently laughing uncontrollably during a really serious part.

here's some gems:

from the chapter "there's a drunk midget in my house", tina offers some parenting advice. "'sleep when your baby sleeps.' Everyone knows this classic tips, but I say why stop there? Scream when your baby screams. Take Benadryl when your baby takes Benadryl. And walk around pantless when your baby walks around pantless" (243).

from a FAQ section about 30 Rock-
Q: How come Liz Lemon talks so much about food and overeating but she's not fat?
A: The character Liz Lemon has a rare condition called "orophasmia," where everything she eats immediately falls out her bottom like a ghost. This was established in episode 219, "The One About Liz's orophasmia"

so just go out and buy yourself a copy because you will enjoy it. or if you don't like to read, buy the audiobook so tina can read it to you.

if you just can't get enough tina, she's on late night with jimmy fallon tonight, and hosting Saturday Night Live on . . . wait for it . . . Saturday.

may day

2011-05-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: finishing my classes for the semester. now onto exciting things like cleaning out my car and organizing my enormous stacks of magazines.

two: finding amazing deals, like these beautiful rifle paper co. cards

and baggu zipper bags

three: scary movie night with friends. i brought lots of treats but we never got around to eating them because the movie was so good and scary!

four: a lesson in church about journaling and getting excited about writing again.

five: realizing that i am not such a grump after all and that i can enjoy a good royal wedding now and then.

six: my new favorite song from the newest noah and the whale album. the best line? "don't be shy, be brave little champion." i'm trying to make that my motto.

seven: taking my sisters to see african cats and crying before the movie even started. an incredible movie and so much better than going to a zoo and seeing animals in little cages. whoops, almost got up on a soapbox there.

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: paying $25 for a pedicure that was as good as when i paint my nails. i guess i paid for a foot massage.

two: deliberately not setting an alarm this morning so i could wake up whenever i wanted. hello, 7:30 A.M. sunshine! on my shopping list? blackout shades.

three: finding tickets for adele's concert and then seeing the price. $170 and up. insane.

royal wedding

2011-04-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

i know a lot of people were excited for the royal wedding months ago, but it took me until yesterday to muster up anything beyond curiosity. which is weird, because i used to be such an anglophile. maybe it's because i hate doing things if everyone else is, or because i am not a super-romantic girly girl.

but i did turn on the tv yesterday, at a normal hour, and caught bits and pieces of the big event. i couldn't believe how loud the crowds were and it makes me a little bit sad to think of how many people they had to share their special day with, but it was fun to watch and so lovely. i enjoyed learning bits of history and trivia and loved seeing everyone decked out. oh the hats!

i thought that kate looked beautiful. i've always loved lace wedding gowns and i love to see brides looking more elegant than sexy.

i also loved kate's sister, pippa's dress. first of all, pippa! best. name. ever. and i can't believe she wore white! i think her dress would even make a beautiful wedding gown.

here's my favorite outfits. oh how i wish we dressed up like this.

posh and becks. look at those shoes!

zara phillips, cousin of William

Princess Victoria of Sweden

Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice

Lady Amelia Spencer, Lady Eliza Spencer, and Lady Kitty Spencer

photos from zimbio.com, guardian.co.uk, and telegraph.co.uk

help me out

2011-04-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

all right. i'm seriously considering upgrading from a point-and-shoot to a dslr. i don't have aspirations to be a photographer; i just want a better camera that will let me take better pictures. all of you awesome photographers out there, what do you think?

i'm looking at the rebel xs

or the rebel t3

or the rebel xsi.

also, once i buy one of these, how do i learn how to use it?

happy easter!

2011-04-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: having all of my sisters here this weekend.

two: the amazing weather on saturday. we went to the portland saturday market and i loved feeling the sun on my face.

three: the beautiful great dane i saw at the market. my dream dog!

four: watching girls just want to have fun with my girls. cheese bomb but oh so good.

photo from hollywire.com

five: ebelskivers. tried the frozen ones from trader joe's and now i want to buy my own pan so i can make all different flavors.

photo from williams sonoma

six: settling into a really good book.

seven: getting out of class two hours early because it was our last night. i love getting home before dark!

. . . and 3 that didn't.

one: seeing so many beautiful things at j.crew while easter dress shopping but none in my size. wish list!

two: the enormous drops of rain as i left church. in my easter outfit. seriously?

three: not getting to see african cats on earth day. but at least i didn't let my car idle.

back on track

2011-04-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: quality family time. silliness and all.

two: the movie arthur. just as delightful as i had imagined. i love russell brand.

three: finishing this book. now i want to buy the audiobook just so i can listen to tina read it. expect a full review sometime this week.

photo credit: amazon

four: the preview for this movie. loved the book, but until now, i was unsure of the casting choices for the movie. now i'm totally psyched.

photo credit: imdb.com

five: these chips. i used to be a huge fan of ruffles cheddar and sour cream, but kettle chips just knocked it out of the park!

photo credit: here.

six: finding these two recipes from giada at home that i am itching to try.

seven: this post by my old friend adrienne from college. why i don't eat meat summed up so beautifully. and some good thinking about veganism, too.

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: needing a good camera but having neither the camera knowledge nor money to do so. boo.

two: realizing that i have been reading far too many books set in World War II and that i need to get out of my rut. on the horizon: half the sky, water for elephants, delirium, beautiful darkness, and a kurt wallander book. what have you been reading lately?

three: trying to find non-toxic sunless tanner. does it exist? i think not.

also: thank you for all of your kind words last week. i should put up pictures more often! but probably not, since that picture took me about 30 attempts with photobooth. so awkward.

quick hello

2011-04-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

hey guys, just stopping by to say hi and then i have to get back to relaxing from this crazy week.
my sister is on her way home from hawaii and she hasn't been home since christmas!

i'll be back soon with lots of great posts, just you wait.

in other news: yay for great hair days!

"it's called the ground, when it's outside"

2011-04-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

photo via nbc.com

one: since my favorite episode of parks and recreation thus far was "Hunting Trip," i was so excited for this weeks camping episode. it is now my new favorite. i had a terrible time coming up with a quote for my title though because there were just so many great lines! like: "fishing relaxes me. it's like yoga, except i still get to kill something." or "i should lead a teen abstinence project." "that might be incredibly effective." and every scene with andy lost in the wilderness and tom's skymall tent. and also the last scene where ben was trapped in the crazy bed and breakfast. love this show!

photo via nbc.com

two: my new favorite breakfast. greek yogurt, granola, and fresh berries. so delicious and tastes like summer.

three: the beautiful sunshine this weekend! it has been a bleak winter and nothing lifts my mood faster than being outside on a lovely day.

four: the British miniseries, Downton Abbey. it aired on Masterpiece on PBS in January and is now out on DVD. the creator, Julian Fellowes, also wrote Gosford Park. i love everything about this. the intrigue, well-developed characters, amazing attention to period details, the clothes, the class hierarchy, it's all so good! it also makes me really excited for upstairs, downstairs.

five: people watching at the gym. it's great anywhere, but especially fun at the gym. you get to see awesome gym outfits, guys who act like they don't know anyone's watching them, but are totally loving it, and all while working up a good sweat! so entertaining.

six: i think i found my bridesmaid dress. phew! now i have to find the perfect shoes to go with it!

seven: planning a california getaway. so many people and places i want to visit and i hope i can fit it all in one trip. and maybe even sneak in a day at disneyland?! where would you go if you were in california?

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: going back to school and work after spring break. such a bummer.

two: my travel wish list is impossible! california, boston, seattle, new york, utah, france, chicago, memphis, austin, i can't decide! and i also don't have nearly enough money.

three: having to work this weekend and missing conference. good thing it's all online.

let's talk chocolate

2011-04-01T08:23:00.001-07:00

i just had to share some new chocolate products i have tried and loved.

i love hot chocolate, but i am very picky about the taste. my favorite is starbuck's nonfat hot chocolate because it is not too sweet. since it's not very cost effective to run out and pay $3 every time i want hot chocolate, i went to whole foods to find some alternatives. a very cute employee told me that dagoba has "won lots of awards" so naturally, i went with that.

well, it was delicious. it has a rich, deep chocolate flavor and isn't too sweet. i also love the little bits of chocolate that don't quite melt all the way. definitely my favorite starbucks alternative.

i love nutella. i love nutella on waffles with bananas and strawberries. my ultimate treat. so naturally, i was devastated when i found out that nutella is made with hydrogenated palm oil. until i found this:

sold at whole foods, this is a delicious chocolate spread made without hydrogenated oils, gluten, or trans fats. it's also fair trade certified. it has a slightly different taste than nutella, but is just as delicious.

what are your favorite chocolate treats?

weekly 10: spring break edition

2011-03-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: the beautiful beach house we stayed at in pacific city. it was unreal to look out the windows and see the waves and watch seagulls divebomb. thanks aunt charlotte!

two: discovering a new sandwich joint, jimmy johns. i have really missed hearty sandwiches since i stopped eating meat, and their vegetarian sandwich is killer. not to mention, the deli pickles. a meal in itself.

three: watching lots of movies, including old favorites [easy A; the young victoria; little mermaid] and fun new ones [the karate kid; grownups; limitless].

four: meeting little huck, who was wearing stripes, of course. so smiley and happy. and a shameless flirt, that baby!

five: all the wonderful shopping that was had this week, such as h&m, where i scored my long-searched-for anorak, j. crew factory, where i found the perfect grey skirt.

six: the amazing, life-changing run i did at the gym. i managed to run for twice as long without getting tired. turns out that slowing down does help you run longer! that and a really good playlist.

seven: tillamook mudslide ice cream in a fresh waffle cone. at the tillamook cheese factory. and i'm not really a cone girl. it was that good.

photo

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: sleeping in a bed that is not mine. my least favorite part about traveling is trying to get comfortable in a strange bed.

two: carsickness. if i'm not driving, car trips are so not fun.

three: overpriced restaurants. not cool. your food was good, but not that good.

awesome sauce!

2011-03-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: discovering new music, like jessie j.

two: this SNL digital short.

three: the amazing pita wrap i had at the portland saturday market. anybody have a good recipe for tzatziki sauce so i can recreate it?

four: eating an apple the regular way, instead of cutting it up. so satisfying and dare i say it tastes better?

five: girls' night out at the canvas art bar & bistro. ridiculously amazing food and a fun atmosphere.

six: a mix-up in directions led to the most beautiful drive downtown, ending at union station. i didn't even know there was a train station in portland. i LOVE living here.

photo from greatstreets.org.

seven: p.rex is back! anybody else rooting for leslie and ben? i love them.

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: criminal minds. why are you kicking off all of the girls? not cool. kelly, i'm hoping you'll have some insight on this.

two: having to choose between an elephant ear and a crepe at the market. a decision i wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

three: trying on wide-leg jeans at GAP and not being able to see my feet. i don't think there are shoes tall enough to make them work. darn.

just because i love you . . .

2011-03-17T18:01:00.001-07:00

it's that time of year again, GAP Give and Get. What is that, you say? Well, let me explain. GapCard members get 30% off at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy and get to share that discount with all of their friends. And, Gap will donate 5% of your total to a nonprofit of your choosing. I chose FEED America this year and I'm excited to see how much money is raised. Yay for making shopaholics feel good about themselves!

Would you like the discount? Just leave a comment with your email and I'll forward it along to you!

grey skies.

2011-03-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: the black druzy ring that i bought for myself. and the way cool jewelry store i found it in. pictures coming soon.

two: watching aladdin with my little sister because she had never seen it before.

three: hearing adele and mumford & sons playing during yoga somehow made it so much better.

four: stumbling across the 25th anniversary les miserables special on pbs and getting major goosebumps from nick jonas' performance as marius. check it out.

five: the lovely girls' lunch on friday. let's do more of those!

six: my always entertaining book club. we read nurture shock and i highly recommend it.

seven: finally got some decent headphones for running. now i just need an amazing playlist. ideas?

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: no parks and rec, 30 rock or community this week. getting low on my funny supply.

two: one sunny day this week and grey rainy days the rest. so ready for spring.

three: so disappointed with everything that transpired with this guy. took me a lot of hard thinking to come up with this happy list. still so grumpy.

here's to better days!

so, i'm a chicken.

2011-03-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: all of the pretty dresses from the oscars. seriously, when is it my turn to get dressed up all fancy?

two: the starbucks banana bread that i made from this recipe. amazing.

three: going to see the adjustment bureau and remembering how much i love emily blunt. thinking of rewatching the young victoria and devil wears prada this weekend.

four: realizing today after blowdrying my hair for the first time in weeks that it's long now! i'm dreaming of all of the ways to wear it. goal for this week? heidi braids a la orchid grey and krystal

five: the safe arrival of this baby. so excited for meg and chris and little boston! can't wait to visit soon.

six: joining the pinterest bandwagon. so addictive but so fun.

seven: the super-cute boy that i stared at all during church. and i think he was staring back.

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: i did not talk to that boy because i wimped out. and i have searched facebook for an hour to no avail. lesson learned.

two: finally went to the h&m store and was disappointed at the quality of the clothes. i guess you get what you pay for though.

three: tomorrow is the series finale of greek. i hate when shows i love end too soon.

underwhelmed.

2011-02-28T13:45:00.000-08:00

is that a word? that's how i felt about last night's show. now that the excitement has worn off, i'm realizing that it just wasn't that great. i thought that because movies were extraordinary this year, the show would be, too. anne was trying so hard and i loved her song, but i'm not sure she and james pulled it off. i did have a great night, though. we had a little party at my aunt's house, stepping it way up from pajamas on the couch. delicious food and fun company. we all filled out our ballots before the show [even my dad!] and after a dismal start, i came out of nowhere for the win!

highs:

jude and robert. they were great in sherlock holmes and great on stage. next year's hosts?

russell brand and helen mirren were delightful. how about they host? can we just pick any two actors now? side note: russell just makes me giggle. loved him on snl the other day.

sandra bullock presenting. maybe the most enjoyable part of the night. kind of wanted her to stay up there and finish the show for us. [also my favorite red dress of the night]

christian bale. sweet speech, definitely earned/deserved that win.

colin firth. so dry but so charming. dance moves? immediately thought of what a girl wants and the leather pants. anybody else?

billy crystal. has anyone done it better than him? probably not.

anne's dresses. here are my favorites:

best picture winner. the social network was so good, but twenty minutes into the king's speech i knew it was the best thing i'd seen all year.

lows:

why wasn't mark wahlberg recognized? he was amazing and the fighter was a fine piece of work.

boring film clips. usually they're much better.

justin timberlake and mila kunis. they thought they were funny, but i just wasn't getting the joke.

true grit didn't win anything? really?

the goods:

so even though i didn't love the show, the dresses did not disappoint.

lots of sparkly dresses

hailee steinfeld. love everything about this. it's just what i would have worn as a teenager at the oscars. i voted for her even though it was a longshot. she was just so good!

mandy moore. i love the detailing, even though it's hard to see.

halle berry. best use of tulle.

hilary swank. best use of feathers.

michelle williams. man, she makes me wish i was blonde. and could pull off short hair.

amy adams. i love how a lot of dresses this year were more covered up but still very sexy. [can i say sexy?]

lace-y detailing.

melissa leo. such a cool dress. i couldn't stop staring at it.

mila kunis. lavendar lace. genius. but it looks like she just realized she forgot a snack and now she has to sit for 3 hours.

scarlett johannson. always a favorite. this one is very different but i love it.

runner-up for my favorite dress:

natalie portman. stunning. the color is amazing and she looks so beautiful. can i also just say that she gives lovely speeches?

my favorite dress:

cate blanchett. this one requires two pictures. i know it's different, but when i saw her on the red carpet, it was just gorgeous. her hair and makeup were fresh and pretty and this dress is just made for her.

so, what did you guys think?

"skywriting isn't always positive"

2011-02-27T15:25:00.000-08:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: the golden grapefruit i peeled and ate like an orange. messy, but oh so delicious.

two: the oscars are tonight! can't wait to see how everything goes down.

three: my discussion in the car with a three-year-old about why we don't eat our hair or something equally important. i thought it was sinking in when she interrupted me and said "brittany, that's enough talking now." grreeeat.

four: the new adele cd rocks my socks off. set fire to the rain and someone like you are early favorites.

five: a friend told me that she loves my "nautical style." loved this for many reasons. mostly, because i have a style (!) and apparently an over-abundance of striped shirts is legit.

photo from closetvisit via alyson

six: a snow day. couldn't have been more needed and appreciated.

seven: gwyneth is coming back to glee!

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: taking out my contacts with said grapefruit still lingering on my fingers. oh the burn!

two: the fact that both taylor swift and adele are coming to portland and both shows sold out immediately. so bummed!

three: being woken up at 7:00 on a snow day to kids rejoicing outside. go back to bed!

title from parks and recreation this week. always makes me happy.

meatless meals

2011-02-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

i have learned to be more creative in the kitchen since i don't eat meat. i've even learned to like things i thought i hated. i was having lunch at the nordstrom cafe a couple months ago and was disappointed at the lack of meatless entrees and eventually decided on the mushroom raviolis. i hate mushrooms, by the way. their texture grosses me out. but i decided to order it anyways (with no extra mushrooms on top, of course).
best. decision. ever. turns out i love mushrooms! as long as they're chopped up finely, they have the most delicious meaty flavor. since i don't want to run to nordstroms every time i want raviolis, i made it at home.

3 ingredients. so easy.

package of mushroom cheese raviolis [trader joe's and costco have the best out there]
alfredo sauce
sun-dried tomatoes

i like to chop up the tomatoes and stir them into hot alfredo sauce. it's delicious. even if you think that you don't like mushrooms, you really should try these.

what are your favorite meatless meals?

original photo courtesy of bluepupae's flickr

happy thoughts

2011-02-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

7 things that made me happy this week . . .

one: the clear sky last night on my drive home. whoa, there are stars up there!

two: the crossword that i finished in a half-hour in pen. no, not new york times.

three: discovering that i can, in fact, wear one kind of hat. inspired by this girl.

four: my new book about the secret service detail that protected president kennedy. fascinating stuff.

five: the galentine's party i went to with all of my favorite gals. what a love-fest!

six: this salad, that i've made twice now.

seven: being asked to be a bridesmaid for the first time. so exciting!

. . . and 3 that didn't

one: the ants are back. boo.

two: not realizing that the h&m at the mall opened. no one told me!

three: now i have to find a bridesmaid dress. surely the worst shopping experience next to swimsuits. tips?

my year of living dangerously

2011-02-11T17:22:00.000-08:00

probably since it's february i should write down my goals for the year. they've been rolling around in my head for a month but i keep forgetting to write them down. i thought about things i wanted to get better at or do differently and i realized that i'm a pretty safe person. i'm open-minded and i like to try new things, but only if there's no chance i'll fail. i don't take a lot of risks or challenge myself. i'd like to change that. here's what i'm working on in 2011:

try yoga for more than one week

run. on a regular basis. big goal: run in the hood-to-coast this summer. yikes!

travel somewhere i've never been by myself. or with someone if anyone would like to volunteer.

interview for teaching jobs. terrifying.

swim. with all that fancy breathe to the side stuff.

bake something involving yeast, kneading and rising.

talk to and make something happen with that guy. shoot. i wrote it; now i have to do it.

read the books that are on my bookshelf that i've been avoiding. scarlet letter, wuthering heights? i'm looking at you.

sew those skirts that i bought the fabric for a year ago. i won't sew my thumb, i won't sew my thumb.

work on my creative cooking skills. once you don't eat meat, cooking great meals gets a little bit harder.

find a place i love and get used to the idea of moving there.

i think that's good for one year. i'll keep you posted on how all of this is going.

SAG Awards 2011

2011-02-02T23:39:00.001-08:00

not too much to report here, just a few favorite dresses. i'm getting really excited for the academy awards, though. i've seen 7 out of 10 of the best picture nominees and i'm shooting for 9 out of 10. i don't think i can stomach 127 Hours.

mila kunis. love the belt, the color, and the hair/makeup. it all works for me.

lea michele. i love her hair and the dress is just beautiful.

julianna margulies. i thought she looked so beautiful when she won and i got a little nostalgic for the E.R. days. her speech was really sweet and i love how cute she and her husband are!

january jones. i love this because it's so daring. she looked stunning during the show and i'm glad she did something different than the golden globes.

claire danes. intriguing print and i thought the overall look was great. anyone else feel like she's been winning awards for this miniseries for a long time? the award show timeline is weird.

tina fey & amy poehler. my favorite ladies of funny. tina looks stunning and it's such a different look for her. amy looks great after baby #2 and i secretly love the white-blond hair. wish i could try that out for a day.

Golden Globes 2011

2011-01-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

did you watch? i actually took notes this year so i could remember whose dress i loved and what jokes made me laugh. turns out that the dresses were amazing--but the jokes? not so much. i like my funny people a little kinder than ricky gervais. but oh well.

here's some of my notes:
--christian bale has an english accent? since when?
--"please welcome ashton kutcher's dad, bruce willis." probably the only joke i laughed at and enjoyed.
--andrew garfield. sigh.
--robert downey is awesome. funnier than the host.
--you know who else is funnier than the host? robert deniro. get him in some more comedies, and i don't mean little fockers
--gosh, natalie portman is just so radiant and her parents are the cutest ever.
--social network? yeah, sounds about right.

all right, here are the goods:
[clearly the stylists schemed to have everyone dress in one of four themes]

navy blue--

amy adams. love the cut-out detailing

tina fey. great jewelry.

romantic neutrals--

julie bowen. grey and gorgeous.

scarlett johansson. sparkly but subtle and refined.

sandra bullock. my favorite. effortlessly beautiful. love the bangs, too.

dianna agron. love the pleating, very simple.

natalie portman. comfortable but super elegant.

leighton meester. beautiful fabric, killer accessories.

emerald green--

mila kunis. the texture is amazing, and could she be any more beautiful?

angelina jolie. kinda out of character, but i really love it.

catherine zeta-jones. good to see her again, and looking amazing, too!

sparkles/sequins--

olivia wilde. shutting it down. seriously.

anne hathaway. the most covered up i've ever seen her. . . until she turns around.

and the odd dress out--

claire danes. didn't get the memo, but she looks amazing. halter is a good cut for her.

weird that there were a lot of similarities, but everyone looked so amazing that i don't care. who was your favorite?

wrapping it up part 3

2011-01-06T12:45:00.000-08:00

and for the grand finale, the last part of my wrap-up is probably the longest, mostly because i watch a lot of tv. here's what i loved in 2010.

Parks and Recreation: affectionately referred to a p.rex around here, this underdog of a show is quirky and definitely an acquired taste. it got off to a rocky start in the first season, and i'll admit, i pretty much hated it. but i gave it a second chance and it was so great in 2010. amy poehler is a comedic genius in my opinion, and makes this show shine. the cast is all so great and so weird but it worked. favorite scene? the office hunting trip and leslie's excuses for accidentally shooting ron. they're back january 20th and you should watch for sure.

The Glades: probably nobody else watched this show, especially since it premiered during the summer of cop shows [rizzoli & isles, memphis beat, rookie blue, and southland, to name a few], but this was definitely my favorite. i loved the main character and his unusual approach to police work, the interesting storylines, and a great supporting cast. i watch a lot of crime/police procedurals and it was great to have a fun, different take on the genre.

LOST: whatever you thought of the ending, this was such a great show and one of the best things on last year. i loved the ride and am still thinking about those stories. i loved seeing everyone's paths meet towards the end and seeing old friends like boone (now on one of my new favorites, scroll down to see!), charlie, charlotte, and faraday, wondering if i could cry any harder watching charlie and claire reunited. i am so sad that it's done, but also really glad i can watch it over and over. also: daniel dae kim on hawaii 5-0 is a nice consolation.

Greek: last year was the first time i got to watch greek live on tv because i'd watched the first couple on dvd. what a great season. i love that the characters are getting older and dealing with things that come with growing up--relationships, careers, expectations, self-discovery--in a funny, heartwarming way. the final season just started and i can't wait to see how everyone's story ends.

Project Runway: i'm still fairly new to this show, but these guys made this season great tv. this is a reality show that i feel good about watching. proud of fellow portlander gretchen, she really needed that win, but mondo, in my book, you're a true winner.

Psych: i love everything that USA does but psych will always be my favorite. after 5 years, the writing is still funny, i love the characters more than ever, and shawn's finally growing up.

Modern Family: i don't know how they do it, but this might be the funniest show on tv. i have spent many episodes crying on the floor from laughing so hard and can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Hawaii 5-0: maybe my favorite new show of 2010. dynamic characters, interesting story lines, and beautiful scenery? winner.

law and order: svu: my first and favorite cop drama was excellent last year. how they are still coming up with new and interesting storylines, i do not know. they've started off this newest season with a bunch of great guest stars, including an amazing performance from jennifer love hewitt [which has redeemed her in my eyes from that horrible audrey hepburn biopic].

honorable mentions: the mentalist, criminal minds, csi:ny, and lie to me

Friday Night Lights: they just don't make tv shows like this very often. i always feel like i'm intruding on real people's lives when i watch FNL, but in a good way. the last season is airing on direct tv now and will be on nbc in the spring. i'm not sure what i'll do when this show is gone. i'll miss these guys.

Community: i didn't love this show at the beginning, but they really stepped it up in 2010. troy and abed can say anything and make it absurdly funny, and allison brie (of mad men!) is genius as uptight annie. favorite scene of the year? the quadruple-double-cross with the prop guns. watched that scene over and over until i couldn't breathe. love that.

Vampire Diaries: i know, i know. but seriously? this show is so good. drama, suspense, love triangles, flashbacks, vampires, and werewolves. not convinced yet? watch a bit of nina dobrev playing sweet, quiet elena and in the same scene, switch to the manipulative, lying, cruel, not-to-mention undead vampire katherine and then tell me you're not hooked. p.s. boone from lost!

what did you watch in 2010? what are you excited for in 2011?

wrapping it up part 2

2011-01-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

didn't mean for part 2 to take so long, but it turns out you can't blog very well with no internet. here's my favorite books of 2010*, by month.

january: the salem witch trials are a fascinating subject for me, so naturally i gravitated towards this book. i loved the contrast of 1690s salem and modern times and getting a glimpse of what salem might have been like during the trials.

february: i'm not much for jumping on bandwagons, but i wanted to see why such a great book was being redone--and i'm glad i did. while nothing can take the place of austen's masterpiece, this is definitely a great companion piece. it managed to keep the heart of the original while infusing some silly fun. elizabeth bennet as a zombie hunter? yes please.

march: read this for book club and i was so moved by the stories of the people living in the leper colony on moloka'i in the 20th century. you'll fall in love with the characters and wish the book came with a airline ticket to see the beautiful scenery.

april: beautiful creatures was my attempt to find an alternative to twilight. this one is about a teenage boy who meets and falls in love with a girl with magical powers. i loved the southern setting, the civil war history and the fresh voice of ethan wate. the sequel, beautiful darkness, is next on my list.

i also read a thousand splendid suns for my book club and i'm glad i did, because it was not one i would have ordinarily chosen for myself. it was so interesting to read about another culture, especially one that is so different from my own. it was also a great way to learn about afghanistan history but also understand the human aspect of those events.

may: the nanny diaries is a favorite of mine so i was over-the-moon when i heard there was a sequel. nanny returns was just as great and earned itself a spot on my bookshelf for many rereads.

june: my second try at the millenium trilogy was better than the first. i just couldn't get into it last year and i don't know what was different this time around, but i was hooked. yes, the beginning was slow and i stumbled over the swedish names, but gosh i enjoyed this book. someone described it to me like an episode of law and order: special victims unit and since i love that show, i knew what to expect. it's definitely graphic in parts but the story and characters make it great. i'm now on the last book and taking my time so it lasts a while. also, is anyone else dying to go to sweden now?

july: another great book club choice, although i didn't understand the secrecy surrounding the book. what was so spectacularly shocking that we couldn't talk to other people about? not sure. i did love this book, even if it made me so sad and wish that everyone could just live where they wanted and not be afraid. this was also one of a few books this year that i actually wrote in and highlighted parts that were just so beautifully written.

august: i listened to the first half of this on a road trip and read the rest. i highly recommend the audiobook because there are a lot of characters and hearing their voices really brings the story to life. i of course loved the WWII setting and the endearing characters. i was truly sad when the book was done and kind of wanted to start over again. that says a lot, yeah?

september: i continued on with the WWII theme with this book club pick and sobbed my way through it. i have read several holocaust-set books and even been to the holocaust memorial museum in washington, d.c. but the reality of the atrocities really hit me when reading this book. i think because it was told through the eyes of a child, the ignorance and hatred seemed even more shocking and horrible. i rented the movie and renewed it three times but i just could not watch it. i know i'm making this sound like a horrible experience, but it really is a beautiful little book that will make you think about life and how we treat each other.

october: busy in grad school and reading teacher education books and not much else.

november: my pick for book club since it had been sitting on my shelf for a year or two and i had never opened it. it was the perfect book for fall and i loved getting into this gothic literary mystery. it has great twists and turns and was so fun to try and figure out. the writing is also so poetic and i underlined the heck out of it.

december: making my way through five different books from the library, including another young adult supernatural romance, the last stieg larsson book, the hunger games [am i the last person on earth to read this? yes.] and my first read on my kindle (!), one day by david nicholls. come see what i thought of them and everything else i read this year and tell me what you read on goodreads.com

* read in 2010, not necessarily published in 2010

wrapping it up part 1

2010-12-31T16:30:00.000-08:00

2010 was a great year--mostly since i finally made the decision to go back to school and grow up a little bit. i'm not good at documenting my life in pictures though, so i'll use my favorite medium to look back at the year--pop culture.

part 1? the music i loved in 2010.

i'm a huge fan of taylor because her songs are honest, earnest, and she's just so gosh darn likable. did any see her thanksgiving special? it was so fun--i loved getting a behind-the-scenes look. favorites: last kiss, enchanted, speak now, dear john

sara bareilles is easily my favorite musician. i went to her concert back in september--portland was her first stop on the kaleidoscope hear tour!--and was blown away at her amazing-ness. no one writes songs quite like this girl. if you haven't listened to this cd, please do so now. you won't regret it. favorites: hold my heart, basket case, gonna get over you, breathe again (really? i love every song.)

completing my trifecta of favorite female singer-songwriters, ingrid. her lyrics are so sharp and beautiful at the same time. i got this at the very beginning of 2010 and i'm still listening to it. favorites: sort of, are we there yet, everybody

can't leave out glee, right? "forget you" and "poker face" are all-time favorites, but i also love "don't rain on my parade," "take a bow," "i dreamed a dream" and "teenage dream." can't wait to see what they come up with next.

i just bought mumford & sons a month ago so i'm still getting into it, but i love it. it's different from what i normally listen to but the music is so stunning. i love their voices and the music helps my living-in-the-uk fantasy. favorites: awake my soul, after the storm, white blank page

broken bells. part of my goal to listen to different types of music, this album was a great find. i just love how it sounds, that's all. favorites: the high road, the ghost inside

totally an impulse buy, but i ended up loving rihanna's darker sound. this album was definitely all i listened to for a month. favorites: fire bomb, te amo, russian roulette, stupid in love

decided i'd see what all the fuss over paramore was about. i'm not much for screamy music but there's some pretty good stuff on here. that little hayley williams sure can rock. favorites: only exception, brick by boring brick

i just get a kick out of vampire weekend and this album especially. the music is great, but mostly it's just so fun to listen to and i always dance a little bit. which can be weird when i'm alone in the car, but oh well. favorites: white sky, run, holiday, cousins

2010 was a great year for music. what did you love? what are you listening to in 2011? i'm already working through my wishlist with my itunes giftcards. thank you, christmas.

we need a little christmas

2010-12-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

all i want to do is relax in front of a few of these movies while i wrap my presents and make a treat or two.

the favorites:

little women

elf

the holiday--and don't you just love iris' little cottage? i'm dying to live in a little place like this

family stone

you've got mail

and these next two aren't technically Christmas movies, but they're magical and i love watching them at this time of the year.

enchanted

stardust

and some old classics i've always been meaning to watch:

holiday inn

meet me in st. louis

white christmas

just noticed that claire danes is in three of these movies. weird? maybe i should just invite her over for Christmas.

All I want for Christmas . . .

2010-12-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

a cozy scarf like this one from secret pocket.

clogged boots like these from madewell. or the much more expensive swedish hasbeens.

a pretty, delicate gold necklace like this one from elephantine.

i'm in love with this vintage pajama set from j. crew

i checked this cookbook out from the library and while the recipes look delicious, i really want it for all of the food and health explanations.

i'm totally shocked that i'm saying this, but i think i want an eReader. i love the experience of reading a book, but when i have 10 books checked out from the library at one time, the thought of being able to carry them all in one is very appealing. i actually went in and played with some at borders and that helped win me over. i like the amazon kindle the best, although the touch-screen sonys were nice, too.

the 4th season of FNL, so that i can catch up before the 5th season starts

an itunes giftcard so i can buy some new music, like bruno mars, kings of leon, brandon flowers, and florence + the machine

what are you wishing for?

a little late to the game

2010-10-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

i came for the jennifer aniston episode but stayed for the funny. seriously, has everyone seen cougar town but me? i don't know why i wasn't already watching it, seeing as i own all 10 seasons of friends, but i guess i thought it wasn't very good. boy was i wrong.

do yourself a favor and watch this week's halloween episode and prepare to laugh nonstop. the characters are a tad ridiculous, but with a good balance of heart and humor, it's hard not to love. i'm watching the current season and watching it from the beginning on DVD, so it's a little confusing but it is definitely a new fave. as a last-ditch effort to win you over, here's one of my favorite Laurie lines (Busy Phillips, comedic genius)

"owned is when you dominate someone over a long period of time. served is a swift takedown often marked by a dance celebration."

where i've been lately

2010-10-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

lately implies recently, but these trips actually happened in august and september, but hey, better late than never, right?

august i made the trip once again to utah, this time with a heavily sedated sister by my side [she'd had some last minute minor surgery and was undriveable, but entertaining none the less] and a mom in a caravan. it was quite the trip. and do i even have to tell you that it was all about the food? we did the old standbys: guru's, zupas, costa vida [where we excited at the same time the football team was entering. what a parade of men! made the mistake of calling my dad to relay the news and he nearly cried at the missed opportunity] and a new favorite: pizzeria 712. i'm sure everyone has already eaten here, but i moved just as it was getting big, so i'm still a newbie. the food was seriously amazing. i had to keep reminding myself i was in provo, and not new york. anybody that can make pickled eggs the best thing i ate all week is pretty awesome.

i also had the pleasure and great fortune of seeing the lovely meg in a wonderful production of romeo and juliet in the park. everyone did a great job and it was so fun to be outside. putting shakespeare in the park on my list of things to see.

september i flew with my sister to oahu to check her into college. we had so much fun and met a lot of great people. driving back to the airport in honolulu from laie, where the school is, was so beautiful. it felt a little bit like being in the jungles on LOST. and how cool is it that the hawaii 5-0 reboot is being filmed in honolulu? more on that later. here's some proof that i was really in hawaii:

temple beach. not as amazing as the beaches down in waikiki and honolulu, but surprisingly empty and peaceful.

the laie temple.

these plants were all over the island and i couldn't get over how much they looked like little birds!

me and mallory on the beach.

we went to the evening show at the Polynesian Cultural Center and even though it's a little expensive, i highly recommend it.

mal's dorm.

i need to start planning my next trip. ideas?

i have a blog? oh riiight.

2010-10-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

so it turns out that when life gets really busy, i don't blog. i don't know how other people do it, but it's often the last thing on my mind. still, i've been racking up the things i want to blog about so i figured i should make some time.

i had the crazy idea this summer that i should go back to school. i wasn't finding a teaching job and i didn't have anything else going on, so why not? so i did it. i'm back in school full-time, working on my masters in education. it was a rough transition back into a daily schedule and while i'm still grumpy at giving up some [most] of my leisure time, i love that i'm learning and being productive.

i'll be playing catch up for a while, so bear with me while i figure out how to be a full-time student and not lose my mind.

welcome, fall.

2010-10-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

fall is my favorite. i love these pictures from my east coast fall. the colors are so amazing and make me want to go back right this second.

pictures circa november 2008, harper's ferry, west virginia and gettysburg, pennsylvania

it's my party and i'll cry if i want to

2010-09-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

seeing as it's my birthday, and i'm 24, i'm going to give you a birthday present and tell you 24 things you may or may not know about me.

1. sixteen candles is on tv today. dear john hughes, thank you for the wonderful birthday present.
2. i can almost always correctly predict the time, to the closest minute.
3. i'm worried i have an addiction to striped shirts. when i do my laundry, that's all i'm ever folding.
4. i love dill pickles. i once got a 5 lb. jar of pickles for my birthday. i don't love them that much.
5. my secret dream job is to travel around and interview actors and musicians over delicious brunches. hey, it's my dream job. don't make fun.
6. you've heard of cat ladies? well, i'm going to be a dog lady. i watch dog shows and take notes. at last count, i was at 15 possible dogs.
7. i've been a vegetarian for two weeks. maybe a little too early to be labeling myself?
8. when i can't sleep, i plan out my dream greece vacation. yes, it's basically sisterhood of the mamma mia traveling pants.
9. i can't drive stick. and i'm going to predict that i never will.
10. i do my crosswords in pen. sometimes i even finish them.
11. gps' stress me out, so i have a stack of written out directions in my side door pocket from everywhere i go.
12. i love big band music. natalie cole's unforgettable with love cd is my absolute favorite.
13. i have freckles in the shape of the big dipper and an equilateral triangle on my arm.
14. i can recite the lindsay lohan parent trap beginning to end.
15. i don't understand the twilight phenomenon.
16. i did, however, sit on a bookstore floor for hours waiting for a harry potter book, so i shouldn't judge.
17. i've idolized audrey hepburn for as long as i can remember. i have a huge, framed poster of breakfast at tiffany's over my bed that is my version of a dreamcatcher.
18. since i was a kid, i've had a fascination with the 1940s and World War II. can't wait until they invent time travel, because that's the first place i'll go. jane austen england shortly thereafter.
19. i have crazy, vivid, out-of-left-field dreams almost every night. inception owes me royalties.
20. my mom diagnosed me with lyricosis, the strange disease that causes me to sing the words to songs horribly wrong.
21. i'm quite picky about how the dishwasher is stacked. there's always a more efficient way to get everything in there.
22. when i was a kid, i pretty much thought maryann from the babysitter's club was the coolest ever. after all, she was the only one who had a boyfriend.
23. i love watching procedural crime dramas. i sort of feel like i could be a decent criminal profiler with the amount of stuff i watch. can't be that hard, right?
24. this took me way too long to think of stuff about myself. i think i'm going to take myself out on a date and get to know myself a little bit better.

p.s. dear jake ryans of the world: i'm still waiting for my birthday wish to come true.

and the emmy goes to . . .

2010-09-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

can't believe it's that time again, but here we go!

emmys 2010 were great and i think a huge part of that was due to jimmy fallon's great hosting. if you know me at all, you know i'm jimmy's biggest fan. i absolutely loved the opener, which you can watch over and over here. i loved the seemingly random people that kept popping up, except kate gosselin who really should break-up with television.

loved george clooney and his wise words. we need more people like him keeping the spotlight on those in need.

loved the modern family skit. loved that they won. can't wait for it to come back.

and now, the good stuff. or not-so-good, since i'm doing my least favorites first:

anna paquin.
ill-fitting, not the best fabric, and the gold part just doesn't work.

keri russell.
it pains me to say anything bad about keri because i just love her so much, but she could have done so much better. it's not fancy enough for the emmys, and the top does not fit. that being said, everyone watch her new show, running wilde on fox this fall!

tina fey.
when i first saw this, i really disliked it, but now that i've been looking at it, it's not so bad. her hair and makeup is gorgeous, and the dress fits her beautifully. it's just a little weird.

heidi klum.
all right, heidi, we know you have a killer body AND you've had 4 kids. you don't need to prove it to us. a few inches more wouldn't hurt.

lea michele.
she looks amazing. my only comment is that i wish she had done something a little younger, or more fun. but i think the dress is beautiful and the jewelry is great.

kyra sedgwick.
aside from the too-messy hair, she looks stunning. this dress is so beautiful. the color and the pleating? love.

kristen wiig.
yes, it's weird, but so is she. it works for her. and i kind of secretly wish i could wear it too.

kim kardashian.
so proud of her! she looks stunning. classy and so flattering.

julie bowen.
i'm a sucker for ruffles and folds and all things feminine like that. not to mention that it's navy blue and it might just be my favorite.

emily blunt and john krasinski.
i know i've said it before, but i wish these newlyweds were my friends. can you imagine the game nights? seriously though, he looks dashing and she looks so lovely. the color is great, and her vintage-y hair and makeup looked beautiful.

january jones.
a lot of people were hating on this, but she was nominated, so she went big and i think it's amazing. i think her hair is different but it works and the only thing i would change is the shoes.

jayma mays.
wow! since we really only see her all buttoned up on glee, this is quite a change! stunning!

mariska hargitay.
simple, but gorgeous.

nina dobrev.
this girl is on one of my fave new shows, vampire diaries. and she did great in the opener, i didn't know she could sing! i think this look is a little old for her, but she looks beautiful.

dianna agron.
love this, minus one tier of the dress. she's gorgeous though, so she could pretty much wear anything.

claire danes.
when she walked on stage to present, i was blown away. her hair and makeup are flawless, the dress fit amazingly and she just glowed. she won the emmy and she won my best dressed.

what did you think?

dinner tonight

2010-08-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

i love love love california pizza kitchen but i don't have the money or need for extra calories to eat there as often as i'd like. tonight i made a pretty good copy of my favorite dish there, the waldorf salad. it was delicious and i couldn't even taste the difference.

i found the recipe from a copycat restaurant website but i can't remember the name, sorry. here's the recipe:

Mixed baby greens
chicken
red grapes
diced apple
celery
candied walnuts
gorgonzola

Dressing:
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T minced garlic
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t salt
3/4 C olive oil

I didn't put in celery this time because some people in my family don't like it, and i didn't miss it. I didn't use measurements for the salad part because I like to do the proportions myself, but the recipe for the dressing was right on. I poured everything but the oil in a blender, mixed it, and then slowly added olive oil until it was a good consistency. It made a ton, though, so you could probably halve it.

I wish Pj's boys were my boys

2010-07-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite shows is coming back tonight after a year-long hiatus. As you can see, I'm a little bit excited.

[yes, i know it's backwards.]

here's a quick recap of season 3.

seriously, you guys, watch it. best decision you'll make today.

just because i love you

2010-07-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

I had an email coupon from Gap for 30% off that ended yesterday, so last night I picked a couple things and by the time I was checking out, it was past midnight and my coupon had expired! I was so bummed that I missed out on that deal, but this morning, I got another coupon for 30% off. Sweet! So, I'm sharing with you just because I'm nice like that. Enter GAPSAVENOW at checkout for 30% off today, 25% off tuesday and wednesday, and 20% off on thursday.

Here's what I bought:

navy striped tee, of course

grey dolman tee.

always skinny black jeans. this is my favorite cut from gap's new jeans line. so flattering and chic.

Can't decide

2010-07-11T00:03:00.001-07:00

I have a coupon* for 20% off at Shabby Apple and I'm having a hard time deciding how to use it. I've never bought anything there before but I know a lot of girls really love their dresses. I've narrowed it down to these three, all from the Paris collection:

La Tour Eiffel

L'Artiste

L'Opera

What do you think? Have you bought anything from Shabby Apple before? Did you like it?

*anyone can use it, just enter "summer20" at checkout

Family Reunion

2010-07-09T23:42:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our biannual family reunion (is that right? every other year? every two years? same thing, i think). We were at a big camp near Mt. Hood and it was just beautiful. The weather was great up until the last day and it was so relaxing to be out in the trees. and mosquitoes. and spiders. and mice. yikes. Seriously though, I had a great time, even with being in charge of a few activities and singing a solo in the talent show. Turns out it's a little tricky to sing up high when you're nervous. Who knew?

Here's the highlights of the week:

-while watching a PIG match, the little girls were getting their nails painted and i totally squeezed in and got mine done also.

nothing like a little glitter to brighten up the woods, right?

-my uncle hosted a crossword competition and even though my grandma killed us all, i still managed to finish my first crossword puzzle ever without resorting to cheating online. move over, sudoku. crosswords kind of became one of the themes of the week. our family t-shirts had everyone's name in a crossword on the back and for an activity, two of my cousins made a crossword with clues for every single person in our family. translation: 141 clues. we're pretty intense. we also watched the 2006 documentary, Wordplay, about The New York Times Crossword Editor Will Shortz and the annual crossword competition.

i am being 100% serious when i tell you it was suspenseful, funny, moving, and gripping.

-i did not have any accidents on my bike while riding around camp. unlike that one vacation where i got scared going down a hill too fast and put on the brakes so hard i flipped over the handlebars. whoops.

-i went on my very first official run that wasn't around a track or in a p.e. class. my uncle's an ironman and all-around awesome athlete and he and my aunt (also an amazing athlete) hosted early morning runs this year. i signed up and was ready to go at the unholy hour of 7:45. i chose the slightly easier run with my aunt and only thought my lungs were going to explode twice. i was feeling great all day with my tiny runner's high but my legs were hating life the rest of the week. since it's been insanely hot since then, i haven't ventured back out, but my tennis shoes are waiting patiently for me.

-i was one of the last two people standing at the end of an extremely fast-paced game of simon says. that means i'm good at . . . following directions? awesome.

-one of our activities was learning to play games that my grandparents played as kids. i love hearing them tell stories and trying to imagine my grandparents as little kids. i didn't take very many pictures, so i'm borrowing these from my aunt.

grandpa showing the great grandkids a thing or two about marbles.

grandma playing jacks.

-my favorite thing to do every reunion is just to stay up playing games and catching up with everyone. we missed all the cousins that couldn't come, and hope to see you next time!

reunion photos courtesy of Holly Severson

Fourth of July

2010-07-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

In honor of my favorite holiday, I thought I'd post some pictures from when I lived in D.C.

need a good cry?

2010-06-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

. . . then i have some movies for you.

bright star and the young victoria had been on my list for quite a while and i finally got around to watching them this week. i can now say that i have not a tear left. seriously, i was a mess. it was about time though, since i hadn't cried in a movie for ages. i was starting to think maybe i was dead inside, but it turns out i just wasn't watching the right movies. throw in a couple lovestruck young people, give them some difficult circumstances, a beautiful setting and a few poignant lines and i'm good to go.

bright star is the story of the romance between the english poet john keats and fanny brawne. this movie was super dramatic, but i loved it because it was so beautiful to watch. the scenery, the colors, and the clothes were all amazing. i loved the actors [ben whishaw and abbie cornish] who played john and fanny. they were so captivating and managed to create tension in just a look or a touch. swoon.

the young victoria is the story of queen victoria and prince albert. i was fascinated by all the history in this movie and kept pausing it to look up facts online. i was so moved by victoria and albert's relationship. i loved that they had such a great partnership and it just killed me that she continued to rule for forty years after he died.

one of the special features on the dvd had excerpts from queen victoria's diaries read by emily blunt, the actress who played her. i thought this one, about albert's death, was especially beautiful:

"… to be cut off in the prime of life - to see our pure happy, quiet domestic life,
which alone enabled me to bear my much disliked position, cut off at forty-two
- when I had hoped with such instinctive certainty that God never would part
us, and would let us grow old together ... - is too awful, too cruel!"

have you seen these? what did you think?

bright star pictures from movies.yahoo.com and the young victoria pictures from rottentomatoes.com

Father's Day food

2010-06-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

We had our monthly family dinner today at my house and I tried out some new recipes as well as some tried-and-true favorites. And of course, I forgot to take a picture of anything.

I made a citrus marinade for chicken tenderloins and a flank steak that we grilled for fajitas and they had such a great flavor! I also made a black bean, corn, and tomato salad * that was delicious with a lime dressing on the top. I finally opened my food processor that has been sitting in my closet since my birthday and made my first salsa from scratch. I also made some guacamole, my latest food obsession. I think that I have made guacamole at least 5 times in the last few weeks and i'm pretty sure I could survive on just that. There really is no comparison between fresh and store-bought guac.

I also made Marta's limeade except without cucumbers. It's so refreshing and I probably drank way too much of it because I have a little sugar buzz.

Everything turned out so well, even though I was so tired and hungry that I kept forgetting what to do next. I think it's a good sign that we hardly have any leftovers.

* i did not use a bay leaf or jicama in the salad.

next stop, italy.

2010-05-22T23:18:00.000-07:00

last weekend i saw letters to juliet with my mom and sister. i know, right? we're so exciting.

i didn't have very high expectations because these kind of movies are usually just cheeseballs, but i was pretty entertained. it was pretty much a brochure for traveling to italy, siena and verona, specifically. scenery was beautiful, and i loved the story line with juliet's secretaries. love that they keep that alive. the rest of the movie was kind of slow, and i wish that the characters would have been developed a little more.

that being said, amanda seyfried is just lovely and lights up the screen. and now i can't stop thinking about having long, blonde hair and traipsing around the italian countryside in sundresses. sigh.

and i loved how vanessa redgrave and franco nero, the romeo and juliet couple in the movie are married in real life. tender.

i'd rather be cooking

2010-05-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

when i'm away from home, the first thing i miss, aside from sleeping in my own bed, is cooking. i've been nannying for a week and all i can think about is what yummy recipes i can try.

first up? chocolate covered strawberries. easy, but so delicious.

this tomato and bleu cheese pasta dish from pioneer woman looks so delicious and i'm intrigued by the cheese.

these lemon poppyseed pancakes from picky cook are the perfect spring breakfast. or lunch. oh, who am i kidding? i'll probably eat them for dinner.

when i finally get myself one of these, then i can make tzatziki. instead of paying way too much at the grocery store for the premade stuff.

what are you making?

why didn't anyone tell me!

2010-05-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

today i was absentmindedly flipping through a l.l.bean signature catalog while at work and pretty much flipped out as soon as i paid attention. i had no idea that they had such great clothes! i've never thought of l.l. bean as a great place to buy clothes, but since i would wear almost everything i saw, i might have to change my mind. plus, i can actually afford this stuff.

here are some of my favorites!

meetinghouse printed skirt

chambray shirt

[i'd wear those together, i think]

mariner denim striped skirt

[i could live in this skirt]

outfit suggestion on the website. reminds me i have this exact jacket in khaki from gap and i never know how to wear it. perfect for the chilly un-springy weather we've been having.

outfit suggestion on the website. simple and pulled together. my kind of summer uniform.

you should definitely visit llbeansignature.com and check out the clothes. they also have some cute and reasonably priced shoes.

i'm not getting married, but . . .

2010-04-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

. . . i was doing some spring cleaning today on my computer, browsing through my files of photos i've grabbed from various websites and stumbled across this post from alyson at unruly things and remembered how in love i am with her ring.

quick detour/explanation: in college, when girls would look at rings and proclaim "this is the one i want" and say it loudly enough for all roommates to hear so that future fiances could be steered in the appropriate direction, i never had that moment. nothing ever won me over. this might have been a little bit because after seeing "Blood Diamond," the traditional diamond solitaire felt inappropriate. i eventually decided i was probably more of a pearl person, but i still wasn't super in love with the idea.

back to alyson's post. seeing how stunning a nontraditional engagement ring can be inspired me to do a little searching and find some "this is so me" options.

[alyson's ring. the hammered gold band, the smoky grey stone? sigh.]

[grey diamond ring from erie basin.com]

[black diamond ring from melissajoymanning.com]

now, who knows? by the time my opinion on engagement rings actually matters, i will have probably changed my mind three more times. but at least i know what i want today. that's worth mentioning.

i made it!

2010-04-24T15:41:00.001-07:00

so my first solo road trip went down without a hitch. my road trip mix was great, i listened to this fun audiobook . . .

. . . and ate these delicious snacks.

i split up the trip into two days so that i wouldn't get too tired and it was perfect.

the first few days in provo were beautiful. pretty sure it was at least 80 and when i drove with the windows down to supertarget [best. store. ever.] i got a few more freckles. best trip already right there.

then i decided that since i was in the land of beauty schools and everyone worth seeing was finishing finals i should spend a few hours at paul mitchell and dye my hair. this time i did a dark purpleish black color that i love and looks really cool in the sun. and it was only $30. why don't i live in utah again?

in between packing up everything my sister owns, including the worlds' largest sweatshirt collection, i got to see some of my favorite people.

me and mckenna l. after lunch at guru's.

me and mckenna c. thanks for the photoshoot, chris!
[one can never have too many friends named mckenna]

on my way home, i stopped in boise and got to hang out with this guy . . .

. . . and baked the ugliest cake i will ever admit to making. but we learned an important lesson on patience with bundt cakes. good thing rainbow chip frosting was there to save the day.

now i'm drowning in laundry and trying to catch up on tv [project runway finale!] and my too-big stack of books from the library. good to be back home.

hello again and a request

2010-04-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

well it's been a crazy two weeks of nannying all day and i'm just now getting around to emails, laundry and getting more than 6 hours of sleep.

but on to the fun stuff . . . i'm taking a road trip! i'm headed down to utah to pick up my sister from college and i couldn't be more excited. beautiful weather, catching up with friends, and hopefully sneaking in some shopping and good eats while helping my sister pack up. i've never driven on a road trip by myself before but i think it's going to be great. i just need a little help figuring out what to listen to on loooong drive. i have a few good audiobooks that i haven't got around to listening to yet, but i need some fun songs to keep me entertained. any good ideas?

my sister Lindsay and I (the only one I could find of us in a car, circa 2007?)

i'm late, i'm late for a very important date!

2010-03-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

i know, i know- but better late than never, right?

i loved . . .

the john hughes tribute. i'll admit i got choked up seeing ferris, ducky, and molly up there. i grew up watching those guys and they have a special place in my heart.

hosts alec baldwin and steve martin killed it. no argument. but maybe it helps that i think steve is the funniest man alive.

tina fey and robert downey jr. as presenters were funny and reminded me why i watch and love everything they do.

ben stiller in full avatar costume. held my breath waiting for james cameron to come up and punch him. phew.

jeff bridges' acceptance speech. dude, man, you're awesome.

sandra bullock's acceptance speech. dang she made me cry.

kathryn bigelow. proud that we have the same name. embarrassed that the hurt locker has been sitting unopened on my desk for too long. i'll get right on that.

ok, now to the important stuff:

[zoe saldana] in love with the pom poms

[vera farmiga] bold choice, gorgeous details
picture from americansuperstarmag.com

[sandra bullock] classy and beautiful, if a little boring.

[rachel mcadams] monet in a dress. can i buy this please?

[miley cyrus] if only the top fit correctly, she would've knocked it out of the park.

[kristen stewart] if you squint, it almost looks like she's having fun. seriously though, one of her best looks.

[jennifer lopez] i'm a sucker for the huge poof. see: eva mendes, golden globes 2009

[carey mulligan] not a huge fan of the dress, but i love her pixie cut + huge earrings.

[cameron diaz] winner for overall gorgeousness. from the hair to the lipstick to the right amount of sparkles, it works.

if anyone's still reading, what did you love?

all pictures (unless otherwise noted) from justjared.buzznet.com

what's stuck in my head . . .

2010-03-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

sometimes when i get new music i listen to it until everyone around me is sick of it and i know every word. case in point: i've been listening to these three albums and assorted singles nonstop for weeks now with no end in sight.

albums

[rihanna. rated r]

[ingrid michaelson. everybody]

[vampire weekend. contra]

singles
justin bieber: baby (fastforward through the irritating interlude, of course)
the script: break even
onerepublic: all the right moves
jason derulo: in my head

please don't judge. i enjoy a good sugary-sweet pop single from a child every now and then.

one for one

2010-03-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

i finally went out and bought some Toms last weekend. i was on the fence about them because i thought they were kinda funny looking yet i wanted to support their cause. the verdict? they're so comfortable i may never wear another pair of shoes again! and they actually look pretty cute.

i went practical and just bought a neutral color, but after browsing the website i now want all the fun patterns. at least this is one shoe purchase i feel really good about.

want to know more about Toms' movement to give shoes to every child in need?
visit their website, toms.com

now i'm a real grown-up

2010-03-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

since i moved back home i've been on the search for the perfect desk. my bed and dresser were just not cutting it. i searched craigslist, target, all the usual suspects and had pretty much given up. i was out running errands with my parents and we randomly decided to run into a furniture store and check it out. we were winding our way through their basement warehouse and literally bumped into my future desk. it was love at first sight. the wonderful people at stanton's in beaverton gave me a wonderful deal on the desk and matching chair that i am now typing this from. it's apparently a mission-style desk [i learn something new every day!] and is untreated pine. now all i need to do is stain it and start organizing all the junk that has already materialized on my desk.

[actual desk]

i also want to replace the drawer knob with something more fun and found a couple great options from anthropologie. where else can you buy fun drawer knobs?

[Granita Knob]

[Coiled Rope Knob]

[Framed Facets Knob]

dear mom & dad . . .

2010-03-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

Happy 25th Anniversary!

[engagement picture]

[wedding toast]

[cutting the cake]

pretty sure they won't see this today since they're on vacation, but for what it's worth, i love you Mom and Dad! hooray for 25 years!

i'm back!

2010-03-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

it seems like forever since i've blogged, and it is so good to be back! i am really happy with my clean new look and especially love my new header! i learned a lot during the redesign and it was great to have such a talented designer to work with! i highly recommend Mallory Freed to anyone in the Portland area looking for graphic design help.

this week look for posts about some exciting news, my new favorite albums, recent shopping finds, and of course, my belated Oscar recap.