I graduated!

After almost two years, I graduated from my Masters program at Lewis & Clark.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to go to the ceremony since I did high school and college, but I'm glad I went.  I got to see professors and friends I hadn't seen in a while and it was a good ending to a great program. 

Now I'm applying for teaching jobs and hoping I find something full-time in the fall.  Wish me luck!

kellyn's wedding

My cousin Kellyn got married in the Oakland California LDS Temple.  I was able to fly down with my mom and dad and cousin.  My sister was also a bridesmaid.  It was a quick weekend but so great to see family and celebrate Kellyn & Glen. 

Kellyn & Glen

Oakland Temple

Kellyn & Bridemaids

Wedding Party

View from the top of the Temple

Such a beautiful dress!

Surprise visitor

Also during Spring Break, my friend Jessie called and said she was filming a show in Portland and was looking for a place to stay.  I said of course, we love having guests.  And then she told me she was filming for Grimm!  One of my favorite new shows this year!  I was beyond excited.

 Jessie and I were buds in high school and spent many an evening watching Alias together and eating Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffles.  Besides our shared love of Jennifer Garner, I also got to work behind the scenes of one of Jessie's high school plays.  It has been so exciting to see her grow as an actor and get more recognition.  I can't wait to see what she does next! Click here to see my visit to Seattle to watch Jessie in Sense & Sensibility. 

We had a fun time shopping and catching up--how's that purse working out, Jess?

Her episode aired in May and it was so crazy to see someone you know on tv.  It felt so surreal!

Here's a link to Jessie's blog where she shares her experience working on Grimm. 

She worked on the episode with Bigfoot.  If you didn't get a chance to see it, here's a link to the episode.


Jessie- Somehow we didn't take any pictures together! 

Spring Break 2012

We don't usually go anywhere big during Spring Break, but we do try to go on small day trips.  I'd been wanting to go to this Wildlife Safari for a long time.  I love animals but I'm not a big fan of zoos.  It's so sad to see the animals in cages that are way too small and nothing like their natural habitat.  At the same time, it's really fun to be able to see animals that you might not ever get a chance to normally.  That's why Winston Wild Animal Park is so fun!  You get to drive around and see animals hanging out in tons of space and having a great time.  All of these pictures were taking from inside our car or at the indoor village.

Wallaroo

Miniature Horses!

so tiny!

one sassy llama

Baby pygmy goats!

I reallllly want some food!

Black-tailed Deer

Porcupine

Tamarin

Look at those tails!

What a cute face!

Almost got it to turn.

Armadillo

Huge Tortoise

Brown or Grizzly Bears.  I love their little tails!

These bear siblings were so fun to watch...

One bear was playing with a stick but his brother took it from him...

But not to worry, his sister brought him a new stick to play with!

Posing for the camera

What beautiful turkeys! Who would want to eat them?!

This guy was really enjoying his mud bath.

Totally submerged in the water.

Dromedary Camel

Don't mess with this dude.  A friend of ours got bit by him!

Black swans

Flamingos...where is the other leg?

Rhinos

Zebras waiting out the rain.

back to our regularly scheduled programming

turns out i'm pretty bad at multitasking.  i got a long-term substitute position in march and while it was great to be working, it was hard to find time for things like blogging.  and nearly everything else.  it's winding down now and as i'm about to graduate from my master's program, i have more time.  i'm going to be catching up for a while so bear with me.

while i'm getting back into the hang of things, you can see what i'm up to here:
pinterest- http://pinterest.com/britsbigelow/
twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/britsbee
instagram- username: britsbee

side note: it's always a nice reminder of how long i've been gone to log into blogger and see that it's all changed! what the what?!

oscars 2012

i had big plans to watch all of the must-see movies of the oscar season. here's how i did:


oh well, i still enjoyed the show!

we all put in our votes at our little party and there were a few categories i agonized over.



i just could not decide on a director and i was torn between george and jean for best actor. i started out on a roll, and i was 3 for 3 before it all went downhill.



as you can see, i bombed on the first half of the show. also, does anyone know the difference between sound mixing and sound editing? jessie m., i'm looking at you



i thought i had the screenplays totally set. i was so bummed about bridesmaids! although i loved midnight in paris, i was really rooting for those girls.



i was super shocked about the viola/meryl shakeup. i thought viola had it in the bag! i also thought that george's performance was so great in its subtleties. no problems with jean winning, though. could he be any cuter?

i lost miserably, and my dad won with 17 correct guesses! here's to better luck next year!

i thought billy was pretty good. not his best, but much better than last year. my favorite part was the vignettes of actors talking about movies. i could watch those for hours. it's fascinating! i so loved reese admitting her go-to-feel-good movie was Overboard! i love that movie!

what did you think? any surprises? any disappointments?

on to the gowns--


rose byrne. still loving the hair and really loving those sequins.


penelope cruz. anyone else getting a grace kelly vibe? so lovely and unexpected.


octavia spencer. just amazing. this picture does not do it justice! the beading was just exquisite on tv.


natalie portman. polka dots! i want to know what her anti-aging secret is. she looks amazing!


milla jovovich. i loved this dress. the styling was also so great.


viola davis. i love anything green, that's a given. but still, she looked so beautiful.


michelle williams. beautiful color, fun shape. not a fan of the pink purse + red dress.


maya rudolph. maybe not the most amazing dress of the night, but the color looks great on her and i loved her hair/makeup.


kristin wiig. phew! i was so worried about what she was going to wear but this far exceeded my expectations. i just wish she would branch out and wear some color--she loves her nudes.


jessica chastain. stunning. the dress is one of a kind, and i think her hair was the best all night. so romantic and not fussy.


busy phillips aka best friend of the year. this didn't get a lot of attention but i absolutely love the grey + lace. something i would wear.


stacy kiebler. this dress looked like liquid gold. great choice for her. plus her hair and makeup are so pretty.


emma stone. who cares if it's not original? she looks great and it's a beautiful dress!


cameron diaz. so simple and so pretty. i'm loving her new short hair and those arms that are an inspiration!


berenice bejo. just so beautiful and ethereal.


gwyneth paltrow. shutting. it. down. i'll be the first to admit that gwynnie does not always make the best fashion choices. but when she gets it right, she really gets it. the cape is awesome and the dress is even better on its own.

bonus round!
i found these pictures from the after parties and just had to include them:


kate hudson.


rashida jones.


cameron diaz.


claire danes.


diane kruger.


lily collins.


nina dobrev. the lone black dress in a sea of color.


what's your favorite dress? did i miss any?

all photos via justjared.buzznet.com