The Royal Wedding

Okay guys. So I've secretly been following all the coverage of The Royal Wedding. I can't help it. I love fairytales. I've been watching all the footage all morning from Kate Middleton arriving at Westminster Abbey to the public kiss on the balcony. I can't stop. It's an addiction. And think of me how you will, but I totally teared up a few times. Weddings are so romantic. It's every girl's dream to be a princess on her wedding day and that dream came true for Kate. Without further adieu, here are the things I loved about the whole shebang:

1. Kate's whole look. Her dress is perfection. I can't get enough. It's designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. I wish I could get married again so I could wear that dress. Of course, I don't really have the budget to have a dress custom made by one of the biggest designers in the world, but that's just a technicality. Her tiara was lent to her by The Queen. It's Cartier. Enough said. The earrings were a wedding gift from her parents. Good call, Middletons.

Gorgeous! Amiright?

2. Kate's sister, Pippa holding her train and looking lovely in a white, almost liquid looking gown.

  
3. The bouquet. It was simple and lovely.

4. The car Kate arrived in. A Rolls Royce with a see through panel on the back so people could see Kate from all angles. I need one I think.

5. When Prince William first saw Kate at the alter he leaned in and whispered "You look beautiful." Swoon. This may have been one of those moments when I teared up. Watch it here.

6. The service. I don't belong to The Church of England, but I loved how tasteful the ceremony was and how centered it was on keeping God in your marriage. The guy who gave it said something along the lines of "too many people have forgotten God today and rely solely on each other in the marriage. The only way to make it work is by having faith in God." I loved that, and I truly believe it.

7. Prince William kept taking stolen glances over at Kate. He would smirk and she would catch him, and they'd both just smile. That's a face of a man in love.

Image via People

8. Crazy, over the top hats. That's what makes this wedding so above the rest. Hats. And lots of them. Gotta love the British. Haha.

Ya, that's Posh and Becks.

9. As Prince William and Kate left the church and got into their horse drawn carriage (swoon), Kate leaned in to William and said "I'm so happy." This may have been when I cried again.

10. The kiss. In The Church of England, you're not allowed to kiss at all during the ceremony. Kate and Will did what Princess Di and Harry did and came out onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace to share a public kiss. It was short and sweet. Then they leaned in again and had a longer, more romantic kiss to the cheering of thousands of people. I know I keep saying this, but, swoon! Watch it here.

Ya, I know I already posted this picture, but isn't it the sweetest?!

I loved watching The Royal Wedding. I love knowing that people are in love and that the whole world can join in and want to witness that love. People went to London from all over the world, just to see new love in Kate and William. It's the idea of romance that attracts people to The Royal Wedding, not just the celebrity. There's something magical about a girl becoming a princess and riding away, sublimely happy with her prince in a horse drawn carriage. I've never been a princess, and I've never been in a horse drawn carriage, but I know what it feels like to be sublimely happy to be with the one you love. It's magic.

All images via People

Thankful Thursday

It's been a while since I've expressed my gratitude for the wonderful things in my life, so I figured I'd make a quick list. I encourage you to do the same. Sometimes when days are rough, it's nice to be able to see all the blessings in your life written out. It's a good reminder. Here goes:

I'm thankful for Karl. He's the center of my life. He makes me feel safe, stable, and more loved than I've ever been..

I'm thankful for two working hands. With Karl's right hand out of commission, we are realizing all the things that you can't do with just one hand. Tying shoes, putting toothpaste on a toothbrush, and getting dressed have become challenges for him. I'm glad I'm here to help him. :)

I'm thankful for color. Think how boring our world would be without it? Gray flowers? Black grass? It just doesn't work.

I'm thankful for music. Any and all. It brings so much more spice to the world. Everyone has their own taste and their own opinion of what's good. Music can completely turn my day around and music can transport me to a different time of life. If I hear "Bohemian Rhapsody," by Queen, I get really silly and I'm back singing it at karaoke with Julie in front of an adoring audience. If I hear "In Da Club," by 50 Cent, I'm back in the middle school locker room. Think about life without music? Boring! 

I'm thankful for Spring. Just when I feel like all is lost to the cold, dark winter, Spring presents itself. Flowers bloom, the weather gets warmer, and weekend walks through the park become a necessity.

If you do a Thankful Thursday post, be sure to leave a comment here so I can check yours out! Now I'm off to do some yoga and meet the cripple for lunch! Happy Thursday, everyone!

Karl's Comments: Hol(e)y Hand!

Hello friends! Just a disclaimer, if this post seems incoherent, it's because I'm currently heavily medicated because of an exciting and thrilling experience that I had today. I may or may not have stabbed a metal file completely through my hand. For those of you who don't know, I'm a Machinist. I make fancy precision metal parts for all kinds of machines. I did this early this morning at work. It was kind of a freak accident and I'm still not entirely sure how I ended up with a file impaled through my hand. Just so you know, I don't want you crying and not being able to sleep on my account, because it wasn't really that painful. I thought I had just poked myself and then I looked down at my hand and realized there was a file through it. I even had to do a double take because I took a look and looked away thinking, "It looks like there's a file through my hand. That can't be right." But sure enough, I had been impaled.

I always love the emergency room. This is my second experience at the big new hospital in Salt Lake, excluding the times that we go there for lunch for work. Interestingly enough, they have an amazing cafeteria with huge, fresh salads, and pizza made in a brick oven, and even Cornish Game Hen. But anyways (those drugs are kicking in), both times I've been in the emergency room, I've been lucky enough to get priority treatment because of the sheer coolness of my injuries. Last time I had to get my finger tip reattached. They usually will work on you pretty quickly when you tell them to hold a body part while you wait. This time I still had the file in my hand, and apparently they really like those kinds of emergencies in the ER. As a matter of fact, the whole time I was there, people from the whole hospital were coming to see "Number twenty with the file through his hand." Even maintenance men. You would think I was The Elephant Man or something.

And also I planted grass and it's growing.

My X-Ray

My grass. Isn't it wonderful! It makes me happy every time I look at it!

Love youuuuuu!
Karl

Wednesday Pick- Me- Up

Hey everyone! It's Wednesday, so know know we're all in need of a pick-me-up. This week I opted to skip the music and post a couple of videos from Jimmy Kimmel that I die laughing over every time.


This is my new favorite video in the world. I love Tom Hanks. "Sexy feet! Sexy FEET!" It literally could not get any better.


I always thought Josh Groban was kind of a tool until I saw this. I want all 48 CDs.

Enjoy, friends. Here's to making it half way through the week! Stay tuned for a guest post from Karl tonight. We've had some...interesting events going on.

Marshmallow Swirl Fudge

 Yesterday I mentioned that I made fudge this weekend. What I didn't mention was that it was my first time. Who knew it was so easy?! I've been paying like $100 for a little square of fudge at little shops when I could make my own for much cheaper! I looked online at a few different recipes and stole the basic principle, but I kind of did my own thing.

Here's what you'll need:
-A greased  8x8 dish
-Parchment paper
-1 cup milk chocolate chips
-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
-1/4 cup butter
-1 can sweetened condensed milk
-1 tablespoon milk
-1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
  You can use Jet Puff or just mini marshmallows. I had fluff shipped out from MA a while back, so I had plenty
-Walnuts, if desired

Instructions:
1. Take milk chocolate chips and semisweet chocolate chips and pour into saucepan on medium-low heat. You'll need to work fast, so the chocolate doesn't burn.
2. Stir constantly
3. Cut butter up into smaller pieces (so it melts faster) and add to chocolate chips
4. Stir in sweetened condensed milk as the chocolate starts to melt
5. My chocolate was getting a bit stiff so I added a tablespoon of milk and turned the heat up a bit.
6. Once you get a liquid mixture, free of lumps, take it off the heat and add a cup of marshmallow fluff or marshmallows.
7. Stir it in so it has a marbleized look.
8. Add nuts if desired.
9. Pour the mixture into a greased 8x8 pan. I line it with greased parchment paper to make clean up a bit easier.
10. Let it cool in the fridge for 2 hours, cut and enjoy your own delicious homemade fudge!

What do you think? Is this something you'll try? It can be quite dangerous for anyone on a diet, so I suggest eating it all right away so it doesn't get left around as a temptation. Haha.

Our Weekend Adventures

Hi all! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Weekend! First off, I'd like to say thank you for your warm comments and texts on my post on Friday. Sometimes life gets hard and it's good to know that I'm not the only one who struggles. After that little hiccup, Karl and I managed to have a pretty good weekend. Here's what we did:

-We went to the theater to see The Conspirator, which was phenomenal. It made me so mad, but I guess that is what makes it so good. It made me grateful for The Constitution, even if it was ignored during the Civil war.
-We went on a walk through Murray Park. I took a lot of pictures, learned how to skip stones, watched 14 year-olds having a fist fight, and we stumbled upon an impromptu Easter Egg Hunt for some radio station where we ended up winning $50 to Carhartt.

Trees in blossom, our shadows in the pond, Karl upon finding an Easter Egg before the hunt began, and me with the contents of my Easter Egg

 -We bought Karl nice new work pants with the $50.
-We helped Lara clean up her car after it was broken into and her purse was stolen. Sad day.
-We spent all of Saturday with Lara, watching The Pirates of the Great Salt Lake (AWFUL), Eight Below with Paul Walker (a good animal story tear jerker that made me want a Husky), and HP7.
-Karl, Lara and I made marshmallow fudge together and it was divine.
-We spent Easter hunting down a ham because someone (Karl cough cough) decided that we should get it closer to Easter, rather than when we were grocery shopping last week. After 3 stores, we found the one.
-I made Easter Ham for the second time in my life and it was delicious. Just like Mom and Dad's.
-We watched Easy A and Hoosiers.

Pretty Magnolias, Me and my love, my delicious ham dinner, and cute Lara with our delectable fudge

We had a super fun weekend filled with good movies, good family, and amazing food. Care to share what you did? I'd love to know what your Easter traditions are.

Have a great last week of April!

P.S. I saw a preview of my blog re-design and I cannot wait for you all to see it. It's just gorgeous. :)

Happy Easter

Art by Greg Olsen

I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross.
On that terrible Friday the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth.
…
It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God.
…
Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.
But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.
No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come.
– Sunday will Come, Joseph B. Wirthlin

 I read this over at The Bobby Pin today and I just broke down crying. I needed this today. Happy Easter everyone. I hope you're remembering the reason for it. Now I'm going to go make some ham and eat some more Cadbury Mini Eggs.

Getting Real Today

Today I am feeling:
-exhausted from a total break down last night
-really bad about myself
-that I lack enough faith
-that I am undeserving of love
-that I can't keep fighting my own thoughts anymore

Sometimes I have really bad nights. Last night was one of them. I watched a movie. All of the girls who were overweight were portrayed as disgusting, butch, and lazy.It sent me into a spiral. I thought "is that what people think of me?" Then it just got worse. Every day I fight a ridiculously hard battle when I look in the mirror. I fight off the disappointment, the disgust, the sadness. I push those thoughts away, to the back of my head. I move on. Then on nights like last night and days like today, it all catches up with me. It doesn't matter that I work out almost every day or that I'm eating healthier. It doesn't matter that I've lost a few pounds. I can't focus on anything but my own self-loathing.

Today I am going to try to get over it. I'm going to go take pictures outside, have fun with Karl and not think about the bad things. I have a man who loves me and lays there with me in silence while I cry, just so I know he's there for me. I have a warm, pretty house with lots of natural light. I have my health. I'm healthy! I have good taste in music and I'm blessed with a manageable budget.

This isn't a pity post. I'm just letting you know that I struggle. We all struggle. And we need to be more compassionate with one another and not point out each others flaws. We need to spread love and not misapprehensions. We need to be disgusted with the media for how they portray women, instead of laughing at the fat girl passed out on the couch with chips all over her face.

Love is the answer. Self love and love for others. I challenge you all to call/text/ FB/ whatever one or more person today and tell them how much you love them, how beautiful they are, how grateful you are for them. Sometimes people may need just a little bit of love. What harm can come from telling someone this? None. Only good things.

I hope you all have a great Easter Weekend and make the best of this springtime.

Break

I'll be taking a little break today for lunch with the husband, taking care of a sick best friend, and reading Decorate. I'll be back tomorrow, but I just need a day off. Happy Thursday!

Wednesday Pick-Me-Up

Looking sexy with our tickets!

We were pretty excited

Sherwood playing in a very smoky room

The aftermath. :)

I've been kind of tossing around different songs for today for a little while. None of them felt quite right. Then this morning I logged on to FB and Nichelle from Vintage Wanna Bee had posted a song by Sherwood on her wall. Sherwood used to be one of my favorite bands. I discovered them junior year of high school on Myspace. Ya. They're my summer band. My happy band. When I first moved to Utah, I got my best friend, Dixie interested in them. We found out they were going to play a little show in a club in Midvale and we decided to go and buy tickets at the door. They were playing with We Shot the Moon and Houston Calls, so it was a pretty big deal show. We waited in line forever. The kids in front of us got in. Then they cut us off. They said the show was sold out. We were so bummed. Then Dixie realized that she knew the guy in charge. She got his attention and within two minutes he let us in. Free. We were the last two people allowed in. The show was so little and so fun. We danced and sang along all night. It's one of my fondest memories. Without further ado, welcome Sherwood. The perfect summer band with the cutest video ever.



Happy Wednesday!

Karl's Comments: A Budget and Recipe

Hi Kristie's friends!(I had just "hi friends" and Kristie just said to me in a snarky voice: "they're not your friends")  It is my turn to post again.  Today I figured I would write about eating.  It is one my favorite things, and think most of you can agree that eating is a pretty important part of life.  Recently Kristie and I have been making an effort to live on a pretty tight budget which means the last little bit, we have been spending a lot less on food.  For our budget to work out for us, we have to spend $75 or less per week on groceries, and other things like TP and soap, and lotion, and the like.  Obviously feeding two people for a week on that is very reasonable, but feeding two avid food connoisseurs like our selves has taken some creativity.  I figured it might be useful if I share some of the tips and tricks we have come up with to eat like kings on our budget.

The first tip I have for you is to stock up on things that you like, having a full pantry makes it much easier to come up with good things to eat.

I've found that having things like Chili, Re-fried beans, and a variety of pasta sauces can often be used in lots of different ways to make lots of different, yummy foods. Lots of times when we don't have something planned, I'm able to look through the pantry, and with a little creativity come up with some thing good to eat.  The other day I decided to make chili cheese quesadillas with a can of chili, some cheddar cheese and a few extra tortillas we had.  They turned out to be super easy, and super good.

The next tip I have it to try to copy your favorite restaurant foods at home.  If you think about it, restaurants have to make lots of food for lots of people fast.  If you think it through, it isn't too hard to figure out what goes into the food you buy, and it is surprising how easy some of the stuff is to make.  Our two favorite meals that we have figured out are IKEA Swedish Meatballs.  This one is really easy because you can buy all the ingredients at IKEA.  We buy instant potatoes at the grocery store instead of the IKEA ones because they are a lot cheaper. At IKEA a plate of meatballs is something like $4 each so about $8 total and we can make it for both of us at home for about $3 total. 

Another meal we really love is chicken pesto subs.  There is a deli in Bellingham Mass called Isabella's that makes a chicken pesto sub that Kristie loves.  Last year she took me there when we went to visit her family, and since then, with a little trial and error, we have cracked their secret recipe.  Here it is for all of you to try:

 Ingredients:
-Two full chicken breasts flattened to the thickness of a piece of bread
-5 eggs
-2 cups Italian bread crumbs
-1 1/2 cups olive oil
-2 slices of provolone cheese 
-1 red pepper, sliced vertically into thin sections
-pesto
-mayonnaise
-2 sub rolls  

I start out by making the Chicken Cutlets.  I take two full chicken breasts and flatten them to about the thickness of a piece of bread.(this is my favorite part!  I some how ended up with a kitchen hammer, also know as a meat tenderizer, and I use it to beat the crap out of them until they are the right thickness.  be carful not to hit them too hard or the chicken splats all over the place.)  Then I bathe them in beaten eggs and cover them with Italian bread crumbs.  I then bathe them in egg a second time and again in the bread crumbs.  Fry them in a skillet in the olive oil until they are golden brown and cooked through.

Once they are cooked, I take them out of the pan and set them on a paper towel to soak up any excess olive oil, and then I place them on a baking tray, put the cheese on top of them, and place them in the oven set on broil, and keep them in there until the cheese starts to lightly brown.

While the cutlets are cooking, I cook the red pepper in another skillet with about a table spoon of olive oil untill they are soft.  once they are soft, I tun the heat up and stir them vigorously until they just barely start to blacken. They will be soft, but with a tiny bit of snap left.

To make the sub, I put about a table spoon of pesto on one half of the sub and lightly spread the mayonnaise on the other side  and then sandwich them around the cutlet and the peppers.

It ends up being a really nice combination of different tastes and textures and is one of our favorite meals!  It only takes about 20 min or so to make them too.  

I hope you find these tips useful, and I especially hope you have a chance to try the chicken pesto subs.  If you do, let us know what you think of them. 

Until next time,
Karl 

500!

We never make straight faces. In pictures or in life.

Guess what? This is my 500th post! Yay! My little blog has grown a lot, especially in the last few months. I'm so grateful for all of you lovely readers who keep coming back and keep commenting. I was thinking, since my blog has grown so much, and a lot of you are new, this post will be a little get to know me post. Here are 500 things you may or may not know about me... Just kidding. I'll start with 22, since that's my age. Haha.

1. I naturally have blond hair and blue eyes. I dye my hair a lot, but I always feel like a blond underneath.
2. I like to have a large glass of Florida's Natural Most Pulp Orange Juice every morning. The brand and the pulp quantity is non-negotiable.
3. I get really scared of looking into a mirror in the dark. I have to keep my head down until I reach the light switch. Side note: The other night I couldn't sleep so I stayed up reading Wuthering Heights which is actually really dark, and a little scary. I decided to go get some cold medicine from the bathroom cabinet. I turned on all the lights on my way there. When the prospect of going into the bathroom faced me, I was really scared. I reached my hand over the switch and lifted it when all of a sudden all the power went out in the whole house and I was left in pitch blackness. I screamed bloody murder and Karl came and found me. I was terrified. So ya, the dark kind of scares me too.
4. Since being sick, I've been eating a lot of Popsicles for my throat. My favorite Popsicle of all time is rootbeer double Popsicle.
5. My favorite soda is Diet Coke. I keep trying to stay away, but it keeps calling my name.
6. Chocolate is my biggest vice. I crave it all the time. Particularly chocolate chip cookies.
7. During the week, Karl and I eat really well and eat at home every night. On the weekends however, we let ourselves go on a couple of dates where we eat out.
8. Karl usually cooks. Yup. I'm not a chef. I really like baking though! And my chocolate chip cookies are loved by all!
9. Utah still doesn't really feel like my home. Boston doesn't either. Eventually Karl and I want to move to Oregon or Washington.
10. I loved our wedding, but I was so stressed out the whole time and really emotional that the day didn't feel like it should have. Marrying Karl was the best decision of my life, but if I could do it over again, I'd have just booked The Temple for two weeks after we decided to get married and not bother with a reception.
11. I still haven't sent out Thank You cards for gifts we received at our reception. To be honest, after all the stress we went through, combined with the fact that I was severely depressed our first month of marriage (not because of Karl), I just haven't been able to muster the strength. Call it an excuse if you will, but it is what it is. We are still so grateful for all the help and gifts we received. 
11. Karl makes my day filled with sunshine. I love how funny and ridiculous he is and that we can be funny and ridiculous together. I love how much he cares about every facet of me. I love what a gentleman he is. I love how his eyes disappear when he smiles. I love everything about him. Love really is a wonderful thing.
12. One of my favorite places on earth is our bed. We bought it a few months ago and it's the first king sized bed either of us has ever owned. We have high thread-count sheets too, so sinking into bed feels like laying on a cloud.
13. I love my indie movies. When I'm sad, nothing consoles me like Lost in Translation. When I need a good laugh it's I Heart Huckabees. When I feel thoughtful it's Eternal Sunshine.
14. Mostly though, when I have free time to watch a movie, it's usually Bridget Jones' Diary or The Holiday. They're both so happy and romantic.
15. Music. Music has always been one of the biggest things in my life. Whether I was 5 and dancing to The Moody Blues and our living room, or 14(or 19) and obsessed with Something Corporate and Motion City Soundtrack, or now when I can't get enough of Noah and The Whale and Death Cab for Cutie. Music is a strong passion of mine.
16. I have found in the past year, that I have a knack for decorating. Not enough so where I want to decorate other people's houses, but I love decorating my own.
17. Since quitting my job in February, I have come to the knowledge that I am unstoppable. I can do anything I want in life. I'm smart, I'm pretty, I'm motivated. Life is my oyster.
18. I haven't spoken to my little sister in a year. I may mention her here or there, but we don't talk anymore.
19. I have the cutest nieces and nephews in the whole world. They are the smartest too.
20. I sleep with my Ernie Pillow every night. I refer to it as a him. He's gross and mangled and his cotton has separated into balls and the fabric is deteriorating, but he'll always be my favorite.
21. I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl and I always have and I always will be. I own probably 10 v-neck t-shirts that I wear with various cardigans, shirts, and hoodies.
22. I put my heart and soul into blogging every day. I've been making a conscious effort to write better and more, to only write about things I'm passionate about, to take better pictures, and to listen to what you all want. If you have any suggestions or comments, you can take my survey here, or you can send an e-mail to kristie.resolution@gmail.com.

Well, there you go. A little something about me. I'd love to get to know you all better too, so if you feel so inclined, leave a comment introducing yourself and write 3 random things about you.

Thanks again for being such rockstars. You all are the best.

Stay tuned for a post from Karl tonight! It'll be a good one!

Our Weekend Adventures

Hello there! How was your lovely, springy weekend? Ours was great. We got a ton done and had more fun than you can imagine.

We:

-ate Cadbury Eggs

-watched Pride and Prejudice (the new one). Gets me every time.

-went on a date to Cafe Rio. YUM.

-saw Jane Eyre at the theater. It was so good. And so true to the book.

Side note: After the movie, some lady said that it was dumb and it was like Julie and Julia. She kept waiting for something to happen and it never did. I was overcome with temporary tourettes and yelled, "Heathen! Why don't you go home and sit on your couch, eat some chips and watch Seinfeld. Never mind. Seinfeld would be too high brow for you. Go watch King of the Hill!" I doubt she heard anything but the "Heathen" part. I never say stuff like that! Haha. I was mad and irrational! Jane Eyre is so close to my heart and I love it! Obviously I suffered from temporary insanity. Haha. ANYWAYS...

-went to Baskin Robbins, where Karl partook of his first ever Banana Split. How do you go 26 years without a Banana Split?! He loved it.

-went on a drive up to the Bountiful "B" (mountains here in Utah are often christened with a letter. For example, Provo is "Y" for BYU, Salt Lake is "U" for University of Utah, "B" for Bountiful, etc.

-listened to music and slow danced in the dark while overlooking all of Bountiful. It was magical.

-Went to Tulie Bakery for the first time. The food was divine and the decor was to die for.

-did yard work and began to makeover our coffee table. I used an orbital sander for the first time! (pictures to come)
-Went to dinner at Crown Burger with Lara. Gotta love that Mushroom Swiss burger... And Lara.

-cleaned

-went to church

-watched a few movies

-laughed

-cuddled

As you can see, we fit a lot of stuff in this weekend and it was one of the most sublimely perfect weekends I've had in a long time. And now after all that, my sickness is back with a vengeance, so I plan on taking it a little easier this week. At least I have last weekend to hold me over. I hope you all have a great week!

Peace out!

Tina Fey: Bossypants

Review (from the back cover)

Once in a generation a woman comes along who changes everything. Tina Fey is not that woman, but she met that woman once and acted weird around her.

PRAISE FOR TINA FEY:

"You'd be really pretty if you lost weight." (College Boyfriend, 1990 )

"Tina Fey is an ugly, pear-shaped, overrated troll." (The Internet )

"Mommy, where are my pretzels?" (Tracy Morgan )

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR BOSSYPANTS:

"I hope that's not really the cover. That's really going to hurt sales." (Don Fey, Father of Tina Fey )

"Absolutely delicious!" (A Guy Who Eats Books )

"Totally worth it." (Trees )

"Do not print this glowing recommendation of Tina Fey's book until I've been dead a hundred years." (Mark Twain )

"Hilarious and insightful. Laugh-out-loud funny -- oh no, a full moon. No! Arrgh! Get away from me! Save yourself!" (A Guy Turning into a Werewolf ) 

In my sidebar I always have the book that I'm reading listed there. Since hearing that Tina Fey wrote a book, I knew I needed to have it. I went to my local Barnes and Noble and dug in. First off, let me say that comedians (even Tina Fey) are crass. There is a bit of swearing in the book and some sexual references that made me a bit uncomfortable in the first little bit. After getting past that, the book is downright hilarious. I laughed out loud so many times. I'd read it while Karl was at work and the second he got home, I couldn't wait to divulge stories. My favorites were her honeymoon on a cruise and participating in a fashion shoot. I could not stop laughing. While Bossypants is hilarious, it's also charmingly down to earth. Tina Fey talks about being a working mom, her stance on politics, and how much she looks up to her dad. I adore her honesty, but also her ability to make (sometimes sad) events in her own life funny. I appreciate her voice, and I also appreciate what she has done for women, especially in comedy. She is a strong, intelligent, funny woman and I definitely look up to her for that. I really did enjoy this book a lot. I'm not going to say that it's for everyone, but I definitely love it and fell even more in love with Tina Fey while reading it. What do you think? Are you going to give it a shot?

Stupid Zebra

Last night I still wasn't feeling my best. Karl bought me some Popsicles for my sore throat, orange juice (with lots of pulp) to help me get better faster, and Oreos to cheer me up. He let me pick the movie to watch, and I really wanted something light so we both agreed on Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. I've seen the movie before, but it never hit me as hard as it did last night. I almost cried on more than one occasion. You can chalk that up to too many cold meds, or you can see what an impact the movie has. It's all about believing in yourself and never losing your childish enthusiasm. The movie is magical. It's full of crazy/fun/colorful toys, eccentric characters, and gorgeous piano music. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium had an effect on me because at one point we all feel like Molly Mahoney; washed up, questioning ourselves, and not believing that we can succeed. It was a reminder to me to believe in myself and stop questioning my worth and my talents. As Mr. Magorium says, "Life is an occasion. Rise to it."

Images Via

In a time where so many movies are dark or over-dramatic, or skeezy, or vulgar, it's nice to have a movie that is inspiring and fun and lighthearted. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium isn't just a kid's movie. It's a movie for everyone. I highly suggest watching it if you need a good pick-me-up.

Sick Sicky

Via I Can Has Cheezeburger

I'm going to be skipping my usual post for today. I've been up all night feeling sick. My throat feels like it's the size of Texas. I really just want a Signature Hot Chocolate from Starbucks and a blueberry scone. Oh, and to lay here in bed all day. Ya, I'm blogging in bed. Being sick is the worst. I had so many plans for today too. Wah wah.

Timber!

So today I was catching up on some of my blog reading when over at Say Yes to Hoboken, I learned about Liz's sister's band. They're called Timber! and they're a folkie/indie band from Provo, UT. I listened to their song that they have posted and I cannot get over it. It's such a pretty song! It's exactly my style. It's beautiful, it's melancholy, it has banjos and violins and xylophones, it's a boy and a girl singing (which I love). This is my perfect song for today. I love it so much. I know I usually only post about music on Wednesday, but this needs to be shared. This is what is most meaningful to me today. Definitely take a listen if you get a second. You might become a bit obsessed if you're anything like me.




Oh, and they're also trying to get some money together to put out an album and tour. Liz at Say Yes to Hoboken is offering to make a skirt for one random person who donates. She's crazy talented, so if you have the means, I highly suggest it.

What do you think? Are you in love?

Our Weekend Adventures

Well, hello there! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good! Here's what Karl and I did.

-We started season 8 (the final season) of 24. We're in the final stretch here and it's a little sad. I don't know if we're ready to say goodbye to Jack.
-We slept in. A lot.
-I made Karl some waffles for breakfast

I may have gone a bit overboard...

Hello from our breakfast nook! You can see our lovely, tiny kitchen and the bright blue walls in the dining room.

-We went to a family gathering for Karl's side in American Fork.
-Afterwards, we went to Golden Corral.
-I felt sick immediately upon leaving. Golden Corral is not my favorite.
-Lara (Karl's sister) hung out with us as we watched some more 24. We may be pulling her in. Haha.

I didn't take many pictures, but I have a feeling that 20 pictures of us sitting on the couch in our underwear watching 24 probably wouldn't pique your interest. Haha.

And that's about it. Haha. As you can see, we had a nice relaxing weekend over here and that's so what we needed. Have a fantastic week!