What a week it has been – I feel like I have had new life breathed into me! Maybe it’s the fact that Spring is juuuust around the corner (get here NOW), or perhaps it’s exciting new ventures that await me. Whatever it is – I have so many terrific things to share and rejoice about. First things first, my new wallpaper (new as of Friday, anyway) is truly amazing:
the way Pepper and Scout’s fur smells – not gross, I swear.
having clean laundry
Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm – so awkward it makes you cry.
going to bed early on a Friday like an old person and waking up earlier on Saturday than I do on the average weekday
watching Scout jump from cardboard box to cardboard box, ready to captain the Hardwood Floor Sea
movie theatre popcorn
my 6 year old Uggs that have paint on them but that I still wear anyways
living next door to a television star – it’s really quite entertaining, he always has something fascinating or strange going on. He also has a fantastic pompadour.
when Julian willingly goes grocery shopping with me
laughing hysterically in the aisles with him and then grossing everyone out by kissing. What? We’re young and in love.
Ew! I almost let another Thursday slip past me without documenting my list of glorious things that I appreciate and looooove this week. All in all, I’ve had my mind and body busy with other shtuff so I haven’t been able to blog all week. Sad face. I know you’ll forgive me, because, not only is it the right thing to do but – well, you ain’t got no choice! Muah!
Above all else – the weather in LA lately! Think “the perfect week in Spring.” It’s so fantastic, I open my bedroom windows every morning and cherish the fact that I live in a place where you can wear tank tops in February. It could be a little warmer, but all in all, I’m stoked. It’s got me closing my eyes and trying to will Springtime to get here FASTER! Speaking of, I think I found my swimsuit for this year. Behold:
Some other stuff that is pretty incredible:
unexpected phone calls (a lot this week, actually); being able to spontaneously spend a night chatting and hanging out with my Step Mom who was in town on her way to Vegas for a wedding; getting super inspired; trying three new recipes this week and LOVING each and every one of them (Julian, too!); surprise love letters and boxes of Valentine’s Day chocolates; watching so many movies; real, Southern fried chicken (Honey Kettle in Culver City – I DIE); cute white puppies at work that look like stuffed animals; being inspired by Sara Janssen’s Simplify Saturday post and filling three trash bags with clothes I don’t wear, need or want; rearranging my bedroom (rearranging a room can make ANYTHING better!! Top 100 favorite things to do, easy.); finding out my brother and his fiance will be spending the weekend with me in LA (first time for him meeting Julian, eee!);
making the decision to step outside my comfort zone, challenge myself and trust in my abilities; the French windows in my apartment; Bath & Body Works room sprays; getting our invitations all designed & ordered (thank you, Danny!!!); window shopping for clothes online; when work orders groceries, and Wednesday lunch; boyfriends who do the dishes for you everyday; quick pump-me-up phone calls with my girlfriends; heightened excitement and anticipation over my friend Julia’s upcoming baby; seeing Julian after his first ever professional deep tissue massage – CUTE, and hilarious; this raincoat; perfecting the art of pancake-making (wipe the pan with an oil-soaked paper towel); a garage full of firewood for fires in my fireplace (it might be warm during the day, but it’s still cold at night! This is the desert, after all!); not caring about NY Fashion Week and being totally o.k. with that; helping a homeless man buy a large coffee instead of a small (I realize how trivial this sounds, but it still made me feel good);
This oldie-but-goodie music video from Julian’s BFF and Best Man, Marc Scibilia. This man is going to be famous. This song was from the Ron Paul Presidential campaign tour, which Marc played on. Video directed of course, by Julian. And yes – all those people playing instruments are Marc!
The Internet in 1969. Might be a fake, but if not, too funny!
This evening, I’m having a realization. And that realization is that I cannot watch my fiance’s live web casts without getting super distracted by his super chatty fans. I’m not sure what it is that is so interesting to me, but the fact that hundreds of people come to watch him and hear him take calls and talk about the weather and filmmaking is super entertaining to me. That being said, I am cutting myself off from watching his current web cast and focusing on writing this little diddy we like to call Things I Love Thursday. Because there are plenty of things to love about this week so far!
Among the greatness….
meeting Kristin Davis. And having her post our photo on her Fan page. I am fully willing to admit my geeky fandom!; frozen candy bars (why did I ever stop eating you? Anyone else remember frozen Snickers?!); finalizing our wedding guest list and rehearsal date/time (HALLELUJAH AGAIN!); baby mooses playing in a sprinkler. I die!! How could you ever kill one of these? They’re like puppies!; really, really hot showers on really, really cold mornings; maple & brown sugar oatmeal; the way Pepper sleeps on the pillow above my head like my guardian angel; speaking of bed, really crisp, clean sheets – I have a thing about bedding. I’m working on it.; “Look! A solar-powered garden!”; discovering my neighbor has a bunny hutch and feeding those cute buns carrots last night; my pink planner that Julian’s aunt Susan got me for Christmas, without it, I would be totally lost; strawberry soft-serve ice cream sundaes; weekends full of DVD marathons (Glee!); rainbows; friends who don’t make me feel like a Queeny bride, even if I kind of am acting like one; being really productive even when the internet goes down at work; starting the week off with an early morning teeth cleaning, having the dentist tell me my teeth are “picture perfect”; good talks with my guy; making lists of rules for a healthy marriage; driving an hour to get donuts only to go get cheese fries instead; apple-scented lotion my Momma made me at Thanksgiving, which makes my whole office smell like Candyland; neighbors who bring up fresh baked brownies, just for the heck of it; the way Julian makes coffee for me (perfect); turning lemons into lemonade; thinking about all the fun stuff my friends and family and I will get to do while we’re in Nashville for my wedding (Grand Ole Opry!); having a clean house (which is rare); finding out that the purple & gold rug I fell in love with months ago is still available in the store; listening to girls hyperventilating and crying while calling into Julian’s live web show (I’m evil); updating my Netflix queue to include all the Best Picture nominees; dreaming about chocolate frosted donuts, which for some reason I cannot stop thinking about lately!
And last but not least – this picture of a black squirrel chowing on a humongous pizza crust. I sent this to Julian and said “who does this remind you of?” Immediately he knew who I was talking about – Pepper, my black cat. She has the fluffiest tail and I always call her a black squirrel, despite having never seen one. So the fact that this exists makes me very excited. She even has the same MC Hammer/genie pants that Pepper has. I love this! Thank you, FB!
Three cheers for it being almost Friday! Here’s to an awesome weekend ahead of us!
Sometimes, you just have crappy days. Despite your best efforts to get enough sleep, dress nice, look pretty, eat well, channel productivity, be kind to others and make your day pleasant, things still don’t go your way. That’s kind of how I felt about today. Unexpected rain storms, thinking about bills, getting bad news, dealing with bad moods and just an overall irritated feeling sucked the joy right out of my day. Not even thinking about going home and zonking on my bed made me feel better.
And then, right when things felt super craptastic, there was a glimmer of hope. Literally. A rainbow.
Lauren called me to the window in our office kitchen to see the most brilliant, bright, thick and vibrant rainbow I have ever seen in my entire life. Almost instantly, my spirits were lifted and my jaw dropped in awe.
It was a full rainbow too, the kind that stretched clear across the sky beyond where the eye can see. The most amazing part, however, was the base, which appeared so close you could reach out and touch it, but was miles and miles away. This was not your average watercolor-esque rainbow, oh no, it looked like a cartoon – it was that bright. I half-expected Rainbow Brite or the Care Bears to come sliding down at any moment.
It’s times like these I wish I had a camera that actually zoomed, not my amateur-status iPhone. Really, these pictures do it no justice.
I ran down the stairs and into the drizzling rain (and nearly broke my neck in my yellow heels) to get a better shot of it, and immediately, it started fading away. By the time I took these photos below, the clouds had already smeared away the top of the rainbow. When I got back inside, the extraordinary colors we are oohing and ahhing over were already starting to bleed back into the dull gray sky.
The rainbow only lasted a couple of minutes, but that’s all we needed. I think we were all meant to see it. There is an important, poetic lesson in here somewhere, but I think for me, it just means to quit griping about all the garbage you think sucks in your life, because life is damn beautiful, just as it is, and even in the worst of situations, there is always something fantastically amazing just waiting for you around the corner.
This week’s Things I Love Thursday is going to be a little more condensed, a little more rambley, with lots more tiny stuff. Kind of like a stream of consciousness, but with only stuff that is incredible. Sometimes it’s more fun to think about the little things that happen everyday in between the big stuff – the things you usually forget when you remember that you’re late on a bill or that you have a looming project deadline in front of you. Let me know if you hate this format and prefer the way I have been doing it. I love love love feedback (and e-mails!!), but chances are, I’ll just keep doing it the way I want anyway. Fair warning.
Scout hissing at Julian while he’s trying to get her out from under the bed – hilarious because she NEVER hisses!; girly smelling air fresheners in our office; my Mom getting one step closer to finally launching her online store; fiances who do the dishes for you; Trader Joe’s massive bags of frozen chicken breasts for only $7; Corner Bakery’s pesto cavatappi with red pepper flakes on really crummy weather days (the ultimate high-calorie comfort food); soft lighting in the office instead of fluorescent (SUCH AN IMPROVEMENT); going to sleep before midnight and not waking up to feeling like a zombie; having a wood-burning fireplace; mentally decorating our future newlywed lovenest; collecting inspirational photos of my wedding day; thinking about things to add to our wedding registry (so far my favorite part about planning a wedding. Everyone should get married, if not for the love and commitment part, but for the registry and free gifts part); asking all of our siblings (ten total) to be our bridesmaids and groomsmen; my sister’s reaction to me asking her to be (one of) my Maid of Honor(s); friends who are enthusiastic and willing to help me plan!; perusing Craigslist in search of bargains; coming closer to finishing The Pioneer Woman’s love story with Marlboro Man, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels; “Queen Scooba”; The way Julian looks like a 7 year old playing video games when he’s sitting on the floor working in front of his 42″ TV/monitor; mason jar lanterns and centerpieces;
Breakfast for lunch (Egg-in-a-Hole, to be exact, best breakfast ever, especially when paired with turkey bacon and gallons of coffee), which is way better than lunch for breakfast; finally watching movies I should have watched years ago (Lord of the Rings, Philadelphia); calling everything ‘my precious’; taking all my covers from the bed to the couch; Victoria’s Secret yoga pants; free wedding cakes (thank you, Nicole!!!!); pyrrha jewelry, who is opening a store in West Hollywood in March. Most incredible vintage-looking jewelry cast from 19th century wax seals AND they support local animal rescue farm Animal Acres. Perfection. Thanks to my Aunt Jenny for turning me onto them!; reminiscing about the days of middle school fashion, buying L.E.I.s and shopping at 5-7-9 and Uptons; rumors that Brad Pitt & Jennifer Aniston are getting back together – even the more “legitimate” tabloids like Us Weekly are saying it’s true. Not going to lie, I really want it to be; yukon gold mashed potatoes from Tender Greens; helping find a home for a girl kitten that a coworker’s friend found in the rain in a parking lot on Thursday (congrats to Stacey and Clement on your new calico kitty!); realizing I know all the words to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Fishin’ In The Dark; people who help me relax when inside I feel like I’m filling up with hot steam and am about to explode; finding out that my neighbor’s Mom is a big fan of my blog - HI CLAY’S MOM! Mrs. Morrison is it?
MY FRIENDS. My friends, my friends, my friends. And my family. You cannot put a price on having people around you who love you, care about you, and want the best for you. There are a handful of people in my life that I thank God for everyday and honestly do not know what I’d do without.
And, everyone in the world needs to watch this video. Especially if you’re having a “blah” day and could use a little joy in your life.
My favorite parts are as follows:
the orangutan somersaulting
the orangutan feeding Roscoe bananas with his mouth
the orangutan wearing a life vest in the swimming pool
the orangutan spinning around in circles
when the orangutan falls flat on his back, just for the fun of it.
Greetings readers. I’m slacking pretty hard on the Things I Love Thursday, aren’t I? Yet I have more love worthy things in my life than ever before. What gives? I know you forgive me! Let’s get this party started.
Wedding planning, and not hating it. For the first few weeks after I was engaged, I was kind of sick of people asking me “So, have you set a date? Where will it be? What kind of theme are you thinking?” etc. I looked at wedding magazines and went to theknot.com once or twice, but I was pretty overwhelmed and underenthused. There is just so much to figure out and decide on, and I personally hate making decisions (though I’m pretty stubborn… figure that one out.) Something finally clicked this week, though, and I’ve been in crazy wedding planning mode! We’ve set our date (May 8, 2010), which is not far away at all, so there is much to be done. I’m making lists, brainstorming, delegating, daydreaming, etc. I can’t wait for this day to be here – it will truly be the best ever. We’re making it very personalized and not super conventional. I’m going to try to spare my blog readers the details of wedding planning because I realize it isn’t of interest to most (I mean, I didn’t even glance at this stuff til I was actually engaged). Instead, I might post that stuff on our wedding website, which is in the process of being launched. We bought the domain this week and it is perfect… something we can use even when we’re celebrating our 5 year anniversary and start having kids!
Rain-rain-rain-rain! We’re in the midst of a torrential downpour in Los Angeles at the moment, and I’m lalalaloving it. It rains maybe less than ten times a year in LA, and almost always in the winter. Everyone is whining about awful the weather is, but I think it makes for great coziness. The constant trickling outside makes me super relaxed and I always fall asleep so easily. Last Sunday for example, I took the best nap ever with Scout after having brunch with Heather, and it was heavenly. I don’t think I’ve slept that hard in months. The rain DOES make it harder to get out of bed in the morning, though – a small price to pay.
My new girly office with Lauren. Yesterday, Alex surprised me by asking me to swap desks with him at work. Alex sits in a two-person office with my work BFF, Lauren, who agrees with me on my “fluorescent-lights-are-the-devil” stance, so when he asked, I wasted no time moving myself in. Spending most of my day writing, being in a quiet office is a HUGE improvement to sitting in a bullpen full of loud men with their dogs. The ambiance is very nice, I might add… pretty white lamps on our desks, a tropical tree with Christmas tree, things that actually smell nice, etc. My mood and my productivity are both flying high right now. As far as why Alex wanted to move, I’m still not sure, but I think it’s a guy thing. It’s easier to watch funny videos and talk about sports with other males when you’re a few feet away instead of 20 feet away behind a closed door.
This hallway.
Neighbors who are awesome and have dinner dates with you. And give you cookies. You can’t put a price on good neighbors, seriously. I am mostly blessed in the neighborhood department, but I’m especially thankful for Clay & Molly, the newlywed couple from Alabama that moved in downstairs last summer. They’re both funny and very generous (Molly gave me the most beautiful flowers in an antique bottle for our engagement, and makes GREAT cookies), but they are also really fun to talk to. Clay and Julian have the whole ‘working with cameras’ thing in common, and Molly and I both love to cook and can relate about girl stuff. Last night we had the most fabulous dinner at home and then watched Man on Wire. I’ve never had neighbors as an adult that I can hang out with on a regular basis, and it’s pretty awesome. Except when you’re running late, because you can’t use the “oh man, traffic was a nightmare” excuse.
Purple. And gold. Recently, I’ve become really fond of these two colors. I still won’t wear much gold jewelry, but I’m loving it in home decor and art and things of that nature. When I was a kid, I hated the color purple. I loved pink (surprise, surprise), but I thought purple was kind of oogalay. I sometimes wear purple on my eyes because it brings out green eyes, and it looks pretty good against my skin tone, but I don’t own many purple clothes. That might need to change. I can’t wait to find new ways to use both of these colors a lot more in my life. I think the two of these colors together especially look so, so pretty. That reminds me, I saw a purple & gold rug at Target a while back that would be PERFECT in my apartment!! Wedding registry!
These floral boots from Free People. I want!! What’s with all the 90s comeback styles? I would have hated these boots five years ago – HATED. Now I think they’re the cutest things in the world.
Also:
high wirewalking (I am amazed by Man on Wire, a must-watch. Plus, Phillipe’s life in France looks excruciatingly blissful.); dreaming up new careers for Barbie and what she’d look like (Tech Startup Barbie, Blogger Barbie, Gamer Barbie); “Honey, don’t call my cat an It.”; smoking bans in outdoor restaurants in LA, yes!; listening to 90s R&B on the radio while driving to work…; Martha Stewart’s black bean tostadas – SERIOUSLY HEAVEN ON EARTH; in fact, Martha Stewart in general; “Aroma – you know, as in “look at that aroma”; layers and layers of blankets on the bed; the fact that when Julian mocks me it makes me laugh instead of get angry; writing my to-do lists in notebooks instead of using the computer, God knows I need less computer in my life; getting rid of cable TV; finally caving and watching Lord of the Rings trilogy; making plans to make a cat face out of Christmas lights on the wall of our office;
And that’s about enough for now. Until next time! Toodles!
Saturdays might be my favorite day of the week. Fridays are nice, too, with the impeding weekend ahead of you and all, but there is nothing better than a Saturday morning with no plans. No plans that is, except but to get a dozen donuts from SK’s, brew a huge pot of coffee, and watch movies on the couch.
I had my in-house photographer take these photos today so I could share the beauty of this day with you all:
These teacups are special to me. I found them in a thrift store in Middleburg, VA two Christmases ago. The pattern really called out to me and I couldn’t figure out why – my Mom later told me that is the same pattern she had when I was a youngster. Makes sense now. I’d love to know the name of it so I can get more of it! I made Julian drink at least one cup of coffee out of it before he could graduate to his big boy mug that holds more caffeine.
If there is one thing we have plenty of in LA, it is donut shops. But perhaps none are as delicious as SK’s on 3rd and Formosa. Except maybe Randy’s, but that’s a given… SK’s on Saturdays has become somewhat of a ritual for Julian and I. My favorite are the chocolate glazed, he prefers regular glazed. Please note the ratio of chocolate glazed:regular glazed in the box. Mhmm.
While grocery shopping last night, I got distracted by the Valentine’s Day candy. I’m talking like, 15 minutes of mulling around the holiday aisle distracted. I was disappointed to only find the crap brand of candy hearts (no white hearts? Seriously?), but we still bought bags of Sweet-Tart hearts and cinnamon imperials… the best thing about this holiday is the CANDY! For sure. Saint Valentine wasn’t so bad either, I guess!
“The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicle, (1493); alongside the woodcut portrait of Valentine the text states that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius II, known as Claudius Gothicus. He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner — until Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor — whereupon this priest was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned; when that didn’t finish him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. Various dates are given for the martyrdom or martyrdoms: 269, 270, or 273.[8]“
Do you see the face?
And for no other reason than because I love my neighbor’s windows across the alley (she painted her windowpanes turquoise ♥), a picture of one of the windows. I’m almost certain I can get a better shot of this, but for now it’ll do. I want to do this, very badly!
I know I’m a total flake and forgot to do Things I Love Thursday this week, but I’ve been too busy with social gatherings. I’m so popular, I know! Thursday night I had a celebratory dinner with my closest GFs in LA at Le Petit Four in honor of my engagement. It was wonderful, we ate like Queens and I sat around and basked in their loveliness. I am so lucky to have such smart, sweet, caring, talented and beautiful friends.
Last night I played hostess to two of Julian’s new friends, Rhett and Link, who you may recognize from their YouTube channel. I made white chicken chili and we sat around and listened to advice from two married men on wedding to-dos and not-to-dos. I got a sneak peek at a music video the guys filmed in a bathroom this week with Julian (yeah) and will be releasing soon. It is truly hilarious, can’t wait to share. It also has a cameo from one very popular female tech vlogger.
So I guess you can just count this as a TiLT, because, well, I love all these things!
Alright, there is laundry to be done and donuts to polish off. Don’t be jealous. xoxo
It’s been a wild couple of weeks, but undoubtedly some of the happiest days I can ever remember. What is it about being newly engaged that makes you feel like you’re walking around in a dream? I feel like my head is in the clouds surrounded by little cartoon hearts. I’m back in LA, without my darling (who is still in Nashville working on some music stuff), but with plenty of catching up to keep me busy and my mind off of missing him!
The time I spent in Nashville was divine – I’m so thankful I had the chance to spend a week and a half of (mostly) uninterrupted time with my future family-in-law and all of Julian’s friends, some of whom I will know the rest of my life. So many great moments, I don’t even know where to start. The southern food, naps on the chaise lounge, Jenesis braiding my entire head of hair, wearing onesies on Christmas morning, massages on the stairs, the great folks at Eastgate CCF, looking back on baby books and love notes from new mothers, kissing my sweetheart at midnight on New Years, countless trips to Starbucks, window shopping in various Nashville malls, getting ready with Jeorgi in the bathroom and buying/cutting my own “man pants”, perusing bridal books and magazines with Kayla (also newly-engaged), awesome conversations with grandparents who have more wisdom than I could ever hope to, ice skating, laughing my face off with Julian’s siblings, watching them spontaneously write and play a full-band version of the Power Rangers theme, cuddling his stinking adorable nephews, even the pathetic snow flurries that were falling when Julian dropped me at the terminal on Monday morning.
My flight back was uneventful, always a good thing, except for the fact that airport security confiscated my brand new jar of (heavenly) Loveless Cafe peach preserves. I was planning on giving them to Lauren, who generously drove to LA from Pasadena everyday of my absence to feet Fatterson 1 and Fatterson 2, but instead, she just got a thing of biscuit mix. Merry Christmas, Lauren!
The first day back at work was busy, but not totally nightmare-ish, a lot of catch-up meetings and returning e-mails. Now I’m here at home, repainting my nails (of course) and waiting for my girl Francesca’s flight to get in from NYC. Because I’m a good friend, I offered to pick her up from the airport … even if it is arriving at 2:00am. So now I have to make the decision…. coffee? Or nap?
At least I have PLENTY to think about while I’m waiting – who knew wedding planning was such a huge task? Or shall I say, 4140371 mini tasks?! I’ve only been engaged a week and I’m already overwhelmed by the questions, the suggestions, the requests for me to tell the proposal story over and over again. I guess it’s a part of the entire experience – after all, this only happens once! I guess I should savor every moment of it. That being said, I have a few things in mind for what I want, but there is still much up in the air. I’m more looking forward to actually being married to the love of my life. This is without a doubt the HAPPIEST time of my life.
Sorry, you’ll have to forgive my abundance of barfalicious gushiness. I am just… well, if you’ve ever been engaged, you know what I mean. If not, you will understand one day!
ALRIGHT, I’ll cool it. Now that my holiday break is over, I’ll be returning to my regular blogging schedule. But one last thing before I get back to my DVR for the evening (that I must enjoy now before I get rid of my cable TV) – I am very proud to say that I managed to finish another book in my never ending stack! The Shack was awesome. I’m also working my way through C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity and The Millionaire Next Door audiobook. So much great info in that last one.. well, both, to be honest. Highly recommended.
I know I said I wasn’t going to have a ton of time to post while I’m in Nashville, but this calls for an announcement. You see, I have some pretty big and exciting news to share with you all: I painted my nails yesterday (third time in two days) and the nail polish is STILL on!
Just kidding. Well, that part is true, but the bigger news is this: I’m engaged!
This was my Great Grandmother’s ring and I’ve been saving it for my engagement. Julian snatched it out of my jewelry box when I wasn’t looking!
It’s true. In the middle of a faux-video shoot yesterday afternoon in front of a bunch of “crew” (family and friends), my handsome Julian popped the Big Question. I, of course, said yes, then began sweating, hyperventilating and shrieking in a pitch that only animals can hear. The past twenty four hours have been pretty surreal, and I will share the details with you soon (including a video of the moment, because of course my filmmaker boyfriend fiance catches EVERYTHING on film!)
All I will say for now is that I’m SO, SO happy and can’t wait for the this upcoming chapter of our lives! I never thought I would be so lucky as to wind up with someone who is this amazing. I am truly blessed!!!
Also, I’ve finally found the solution for not picking your nail polish off. Get a big honkin’ diamond on your finger so everyone wants to take pictures of it and look at it. I guarantee you won’t TOUCH your nails.
Has it really only been a week since my last Things I Love Thursday? And yet it feels like Christmas is approaching with rapid speed. I’d like to reverse, that, please – slow down the holiday cheer express and speed up the workday. Yeah, that sounds perfect.
Here’s a little list of things that are making me grin from ear to ear this week.
THINGS I LOVE THURSDAY!
- First things first, planning our Spring trip to Paris and Berlin. I’m not sure how much detail I’m allowed to give, so I’ll keep it brief: WE’RE GOING TO PARIS AND BERLIN IN MAY. We = me and Julian. If you know me, you know that I have a mild obsession with France and all things Parisian, so the thought of frolicking through the city in the Spring while the gardens are in bloom and the sidewalk cafes are ripe for sitting on sipping coffee and eating crepes is UNBELIEVABLY EXHILARATING. This will be my first time in both cities. I dusted off my French language books last night and have already begun making a list of things I want to see/eat/feel/hear/experience. If you have any recommendations, share them please! Warning: this might be all I talk about for the next six months.
- Living on a budget. Saving money is very important, children. Duh. It’s also very addicting. I won’t get ahead of myself because I’ve only just begun on my most recent dolla-saving journey, but every time I’ve become a tightwad in the past, I’ve found myself strangely obsessed with frugality. There is something exciting about watching every penny and seeing how much you are saving. It’s almost like a game – “can I live off of $20 in groceries this week?” I love the feeling you get when you transfer a big chunk of money into the savings account, or the statements when you see how much it is growing, or even find a super-saving coupon. Am I the only weird one, here? I find comfort in community.
- Making sweet & sour chicken from scratch. And not screwing it up! This is one of Julian’s favorite dishes, so I knew that it would make him super happy if I made it, and even happier if I made it well. I used this recipe and have made it twice since we got back into town. He loves it and I love it! Though I can feel myself reverting back into vegetarianism a little at a time (I was vegetarian/sometimes-vegan for three years until I met him, and even still don’t eat beef or pork.) For now, I’m just choosing more and more vegetarian options. It’s tough though, when your boyfriend is a meat-lover. At least I can take comfort in buying organic, free-range chicken.
- Flickr’s favorite button. I’m a retard (in the most politically correct use of the word, I promise) for only getting into Flickr now instead of years ago like everyone else. My account has been pretty dead for, well, since I created it over three years ago, but recently I discovered the “favorite” button and now I’m just having the best time ever collecting the most beautiful photos in the pool.
This is what my room looks like, but with a bigger bed. Yeah, I wish.
- Adding an extra layer to my bed. Sometime over the last week, it got cold in LA. Like, really cold. For LA, at least. It was in the 30s a few nights ago, and despite having heat in my apartment (which I am blessed to have), I was frozen solid. My heater is in the living room at the opposite end of my apartment, so hardly any heat makes it to my bedroom. I found a solution, though – adding more blankets to my bed. Blankets are heaven sent, for real. I have a super-soft ivory quilted blanket I bought at Target a few years back for like, $20, and the fact that it has remained soft to this day is a miracle. I layered it in between my sheets and duvet and my toes are no longer blue in the mornings. HALLELUJAH! I love bedding.
- Having a clean car. With all my preaching about consumerism and giving back/helping others, I’m ashamed to admit I have a brand new car. Well, it’s a year and a half old, but I bought it new, and it’s the first new car I’ve ever owned (my parents are firm believers in “drive it ’til it dies.” I only bought it new because I plan on having it for a very long time (like, when I have kids), which is why I bought a Honda, because those suckas last forever and a day and are VERY cheap to fix if broken. Moving on, my pretty new car is filthy dirty 95% of the time. Despite having a garage in the great-garageless town of LA, I usually park behind my house (I’m lazy) underneath some evil trees that drop leaves on my car every night. As a result, my car is very, very dirty. And then there’s the inside. Full of empty Starbucks cups, old bulletins from church, half-full bags of cashews, bobby pins, granola crumbs, bottles of lotion that are on the verge of exploding from the heat, receipts, more receipts, cat litter (don’t ask), at least twenty SocialVibe Pink Balls, etc. etc. etc. At least there isn’t (much) old food in there. Saturday I decided enough was enough and I hauled my darling car down to the car wash at the end of my block (which makes having this dirty a car even more of a disgrace) and washed it myself in one of those little bays (far too embarrassed to take it to be washed by someone else). I spent about $6 when it should have been $3 because apparently I am slow. Then I vacuumed the inside…. wow. I even refilled my windshield wiper fluid, which had been empty for about two months (you could barely see out of the window). At the end of the day, my car was clean, I was a mess, and all were happy. Driving is much more enjoyable now. Good thing I’m getting a bicycle for Christmas.
- Christmas baking. This past Saturday, I decided it was time to begin the baking of the Christmas treats. Now that I have someone wonderful to eat all my sugary snacks (someone who doesn’t gain weight, nonetheless), baking is so much more fun! I borrowed recipes from Amy and made peppermint bark and peanut butter balls. They turned out fabulous and weren’t hard to make at all (the bark is truly foolproof), the only sad thing is that they were entirely gone 24 hours later. I took the first batch to a holiday party with coworkers that night and the rest to church on Sunday where they were having a ‘world market’ type fair to help charitable organizations. I put the treats with the free coffee and they were gone in the blink of an eye. I have a few more recipes up my sleeve, and hopefully this time I’ll remember to take pictures!
Not my picture.
- Making gifts rather than buying gifts. Not only is it eco-friendly, but it’s FUN. Sure I’ve only made one so far, and I’m almost positive that I WILL be resorting to buying some gifts this year (there are only 15 days left until Christmas, after all), but I’m going to be as crafty as possible. And for those gifts that I DO have to buy, there are always gifts that give back.
Other random things that are awesome:
pretty notebooks (with Paris on the cover, of course, given to me by my girl Cesca) full of all kinds of lists, doodles and creative ideas; free lunch at work on Wednesdays; drinking warm water (not cold water); USAA’s annual dividend deposit (I love waking up $73 richer than I was the night before); watching Julian roll around on the floor like a toddler; “Never park drunk, that’s my advice.”; hearing great GREAT GREAT news from one of my best friends; looking down at the cat food bowls to find that Julian put a leftover bowl of broccoli next to their food dish (he doesn’t know cats); having an abnormally large excess of creative energy; RSVPing for orientation to tutor homeless kids downtown (more on this later, hopefully); “Won’t you guide mein sleigh tonight? Rudy…”; sweater boots; white Christmas lights; Blissfully Domestic; Craigslist; Jay-Z’s new album; MOM: “What’s going on over there?” JULIAN: “Oh, those are fountains.”; Tuesday phone dates with Katie; “I love ramen noodles. I want to get endorsed by ramen noodles. Do they have a website?”; Christmas trees in the lobby at work; heavy rain in LA, followed by very clear days; when people find my accidental wittiness, loudmouth and ill-timed remarks charming and funny; even better, when people actually like reading my blog and leave me awesome comments. What a reward.
