Tomorrow Is Another Day...

The One About Traveling

I swiped this little fill-in from Melissa who got it from Lauren.  It's probably too late for me to technically play along with the blog round-up, but I still couldn't resist this survey about one of my favorite passions... TRAVEL!!!
1) My favorite place I've ever traveled to is... Kauai, Hawaii.  This is incredibly difficult to answer, because I've been lucky enough to visit so many amazing places.  But I chose Kauai because it was paradise.  The food was delicious, the people were friendly, and the beaches were heavenly.  I've been to other places with much greater historical, architectural, or artistic import, but the one place that I dream of returning to most often is Kauai.  Paris is a very, very close second.

2) Russia ...is somewhere I'd love to go someday.  I'm having trouble getting Colby on board with this one, but I would absolutely love to visit St. Petersburg and Moscow.  Could someone please convince my husband that we will not be kidnapped by the Russian mob the minute we set foot across the border?
3) I pass the time on a plane (or bus or train or car ride) by... reading or sleeping.  I get motion sickness in cars and sometimes trains, so reading is relegated to audiobook territory in that instance.  But I'm fortunate that I'm one of the lucky few who can sleep reasonably well on an airplane--especially with my magical melatonin tablets.  As for car trips, I literally cannot keep my eyes open when I'm in the passenger seat.

4) My three must-haves when I travel are... guidebooks, comfortable shoes, and mascara (never leave home without it--don't want to go frightening the natives).
5) My favorite travel companion is... my super hubs, Colby.  He perfectly balances my need for precisely planned trips by encouraging a little spontaneity and he is the navigator who gets us where we need to go.  He once said that we are such a good team because I map out the big picture, and he's responsible for the nitty gritty of actual directions!  You should have seen me navigating Japan without him... it was not pretty!
6) The craziest thing that ever happened to me while traveling is... nearly capsizing on a cruise ship in the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt.  I've managed to collect a number of crazy travel stories: spending a night in a pub in Dublin when all the cheap hotels were full, accidentally running into Pope Benedict's motorcade in Rome, meeting a geisha at a ryokan in Kyoto, but I'd still say the Cruise of Doom takes the crazy cake.

7) The most exotic food I've tried while traveling is... escargot in Bayeux, France.  It's not terribly exotic, I suppose, but I'm not an especially adventurous eater and I'm typically resistant to any foodstuff that could be described as "slimy".  But, when in France...  And oh, it was delectable!!
8) If I could live anywhere else, I'd live in... Europe.  And in just a few more months, I WILL!!!

9) I've been to thirty-eight states in the U.S.

This was such a fun stroll down memory lane.  What is your favorite travel memory?  Where do you hope your next adventure will take you?

Top 10 Reads of 2011

After a rather lackluster year of reading in 2010, I'm excited to be back with a full top 10 list culled from the books I read in 2011.  I really enjoyed just about every book I read last year (with the exception of Ulysses, now known as the only book I've ever broken up with before finishing), and it was incredibly difficult to pare the list down to the 10 best.  But without further ado, my top 10 books of 2011:

1) The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova
You may know this author from her previous tome, The Historian.  The Swan Thieves retains the same dark sense of foreboding and mystery, and verging ever so slightly and somehow realistically into the paranormal.  The story centers around a psychiatrist who becomes obsessed with solving the mystery as to why his patient attacked a painting of Leda and the swan. 

2) Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
I honestly never expected to enjoy a book about a WWII POW as much as I loved this book.  Louis Zamperini's life seems made for fiction--an Olympic athlete, dashing WWII pilot, and subsequently POW in a ghastly Japanese prison camp.  This book is a riveting page turner, and you'll never think of rice the same way again.

3) The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
I read this book at an especially timely moment in my life, as I was just coming to terms with the fact that I was facing infertility and would be unable to have a baby without intervention, so that may be why it struck such a nerve with me.  This book is set in a sort of parallel world where women are farmed out to families to procreate due to a pollutant that has rendered the majority of the population sterile.  It is a beautifully written story of love and survival. 

4) The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
If I had read this book as a teenager, I would have been desperately in love with the main character, Holden Caulfield.  Holden is a prep school student in the 50s who is saddled with a number of neuroses and a caustic wit.  He wanders the streets of New York and is generally a tragically hilarious mess for the duration of the book, and I dare you not to remember how painfully difficult it is to be a teenager, no matter what the decade. 

5) A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin
I read the first three of the Song of Ice and Fire series upon which the television series, Game of Thrones was based, and I found that it really enhanced my understanding and appreciation for the story.  The books are somewhere between Lord of the Rings and a Philippa Gregory novel.  The central plot is loosely based on The War of the Roses in England between the Yorks and the Lancasters, but you don't have to have any knowledge of British history to enjoy the battles of swords, wits and lust that keep the pages turning. 

6) The Book of Lost Things, John Connolly
I've mentioned before my love for exploring the darker side of fairytales, and this novel is exactly that.  In WWII England, a young boy relocates with his family to the English countryside, and when he discovers a mysterious book in his room he discovers a mysterious portal into a fairytale world made up of the creatures found in the book and his own imagination.  In order to return home he must evade the deliciously creepy Crooked Man, a number of horrible villains, and journey to the King where he can find the way home through The Book of Lost Things.

7) Beloved, Toni Morrison
Let 2011 be known as the year I finally gave Toni Morrison a chance and fell madly in love.  Sethe is an ex-slave who endured horrific experiences to gain her freedom, and is now living with her family who is haunted by the ghost of her first baby who died in infancy and whose tombstone is engraved simply with the word "Beloved".  Eventually the haunting seems to take a corporeal form and Sethe must face her past as it threatens to destroy her present.

8) The Trial, Franz Kafka
On a day that starts out like any other, protagonist Josef K. is arrested and accused of a crime--the twist being, no one ever tells him what he is actually meant to have done.  Throughout the book he attempts to defend himself against an undisclosed to us or him accusation, and we are thrust with him into a world of nightmarish confusion, uncertainty and fear.  It is impossible to ever know whether or not Josef K. is guilty, but you will find yourself rooting for him and contemplating the ridiculousness of our own legal system. 

9) The Year of Living Biblically, A.J. Jacobs
I'm not religious in the least and agnostic at best, but I still find myself fascinated with the study and exploration of religion.  So when I discovered this book about an agnostic Jew who decides to spend an entire year living strictly by all of the rules set forth in the Bible, I was hooked.  It's at times touching, hilarious, and entertaining.  It makes no attempt to mock the Bible or religion and by the end of the book, the author describes the new respect he has gained toward religion, but it's also incredibly funny to read about his endeavors to comply with each and every rule in the Bible from the most well known to the most obscure.

10) The Road, Cormac McCarthy
I pretty much love any novel set in a dystopian universe, and The Road does not disappoint.  It follows and unnamed man and his son who are on a journey south following an unnamed disaster that has virtually leveled the world.  The prose is clear and unembellished and you can't help but feel as though you too are journeying down a grey and dusty post-apocalyptic road, relying on your wits to survive. 

Honorable Mentions:

13 Rue Therese, Elena Mauli Shapiro

Mockingjay/Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins

Sarah's Key, Tatiana de Rosnay

2010 Top Books

2009 Top Books

Confessions: Harry Potter Edition

"I am not worried, Harry," said Dumbledore, his voice a little stronger despite the freezing water. "I am with you."
~J.K. Rowling

* When the Harry Potter books were still in their early years, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous that everyone was fawning over a series that sounded like a stupid children's story.  Wizarding school?  Seriously?  You're a grown person, come on!

* I could have bought Goblet of Fire (it must have been close to the release date, because it was plastered all over the shop windows) or found Platform 9 3/4 when I was in London for my high school graduation trip in 2000, but I was still busy thinking it sounded stupid and being gobsmacked that it was such an international sensation.  Harry Potter?  That's that wizard book, right?  Where's Prince William?

* I didn't start reading the books until after I saw the first movie, and realized, holy shit, this Harry Potter business is SPECTACULAR!  Tell me more, J.K. Rowling.

* I don't care what J.K. says, I will never give up hope that she has more stories to tell about the Potterverse.

"Part of me will be glad when it's over. Family life will become more normal. [But] I'll be so sad to think I'll never write a Harry-Ron-Hermione sentence again."
~J.K. Rowling

* Even though I saw the movie first, I love the books with the fire of a thousand suns.  The movies, maybe only seven hundred and fifty suns.

 * I bought a wand.

* I still really wish Harry and Hermione had ended up together.  I find Ginny to be absolutely insufferable.

* I would make a terrible Gryffindor, but then I figure if Neville Longbottom can do it... even so, I think I'd be much happier in Ravenclaw.

* Some of my happiest hours were the reading marathons that would begin the moment a new Harry Potter was delivered on my doorstep (on the release date natch) and only ending when I read the final words of the book hours later.

"It's just hard," Harry said finally, in a low voice, "to realize he won't write me again."
~J.K. Rowling 

* I cry every time I hear the introductory Harry Potter theme in the theater.

* I am crying while I am writing this.

* I feel that from a pop culture standpoint, I'll be completely lost once I see the seventh movie.  I've devoted the past ten years of my life to these stories and characters, and have yet to find another fictional world that captures my imagination and heart in the same way.  The witches, wizards, and muggles of the Harry Potter series have become real to me in a way that precious few fictional characters ever have before.

* I can't wait to introduce this series to my children someday.

* A long and beautiful chapter in my life is closing, and I wish I knew the spell to bring it all back again.

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” 
~Albus Dumbledore, J.K. Rowling

"When I'm 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair, I'll be reading Harry Potter, and my family will say to me, 'After all this time?'  And I will say, 'Always.'"
~Attributed to Alan Rickman, source unknown

Things That I Love: Fit For Tenuous Royalty Edition

It has been over a year since I pulled one of these posts out of my trick bag, but I've got some amazing finds that I'm dying to share with you.

L'Oreal Voluminous
The mascara that I return to time and time again.  We've been going strong for almost ten years now, with some bumpy spots in the road where I decided to try out other miracle mascaras including DiorShow, Buxom Lash, and Too Faced Lash Injection as well as some forays into other drug store offerings including the always popular Cover Girl Lashblast. Admittedly, I did fall madly in love with DiorShow, but realized the reason that I liked it so much is because it gives the same dramatic effect as Voluminous, but for almost $20 more per tube.

I also appreciate that Voluminous offer a variety of levels of drama and impact with different formulas.  But my favorite, and the one that I've gotten repeated compliments and inquiries about is the Voluminous in Carbon Black.  What can I say, I am not into subtlety when it comes to my eye makeup!  The one thing you do have to be wary of is clumping.  It's the only downside, but I think that the tendency to clump is only natural when the formula fattens up your lashes so very much.  It's also not much of a lengthener, so if you've already got thick lashes, and are looking to make them longer, it may not be for you.  But if you're like me (a lot of lashes, naturally long, but fine and light) this could be your miracle product as well.

Mario Badescu Skin Care
When I was a youngun, I had pretty decent skin.  I got away with some stridex pads, a little clearasil, and didn't wear anything other than powder until I got to college.  Then I hit 20, and my skin went bat shit crazy.  We're talking every kind of acne imaginable--blackheads, white heads, cystic--everything.  Thus began my near decade long search for the perfect skin care routine.  I have worked my way through so many brands: Proactiv, Philosophy, Murad, everything available at the drugstore, Clinique, Mary Kay, Arbonne.  Basically, if they touted magical skin clearing properties, I gave it a try.  I even attempted the Oil Cleansing Method which worked fine at first until my skin rebelled with a terrifying explosion of pimples.

Then, one happy day in Ulta, I happened upon their Mario Badescu shelf, and was taken with the simple packaging and wide variety of treatment options.  I'd heard good things about the drying lotion, and decided while I was at it, I'd try out the cleanser and toner.  I was shocked at how much my face cleared up, and after the first month of using the cleanser I haven't had a single cystic acne outbreak in five months.  I can't tell you how amazing that is--cystic acne is not only ugly as sin, but it's incredibly painful.  The personal Badescu cocktail I'm currently mixing is the Botanic Facial Gel as my every day cleanser, Glycolic Foaming Cleanser once every other day, Glycolic Grapefruit Cleansing Lotion (toner), and Glycolic Gel after washing and toning at night.  When I have a breakout, I hit it with the Drying Lotion at night and the Drying Cream during the day, and the Buffering Lotion works well for Cystic Acne.  I've also tried some of the masks and exfoliators and really like the Whitening Mask (has lightened some of my slight scarring) and the Kiwi Face Scrub.  There really is something for EVERY skin complaint, and if you're in the market for a new skin care line, I really can't recommend Mario Badescu enough. 

Game of Thrones/ A Song of Ice and Fire
(Can we talk about how gorgeous Emilia Clarke is?  I mean really.)  So, about a year ago, on one of my pilgramages to NYC to visit my sister, she started talking up this Song of Ice and Fire series.  She was really excited about it because it was an upcoming HBO series and it appealed to her fantasy fan sensibiliteis.  But then she made her tragic error--she compared it to The Lord of the Rings.  And I was out.  I tolerate the LOTR movies, and slogged my way through the books, and while they weren't as awful as I thought they'd be, I wasn't overly excited to read or watch anything comparable.  But then people kept talking about how amazing Game of Thrones was.  Someone compared it to The Tudors in scope and sweep.  And then I read that it was loosely based on the War of the Roses, and just like that, I was hooked.  So, I sat down to watch one episode, and then another followed immediately after, then another, and before I knew it, I had inhaled the entire series up to that point (seven episodes at the time) over the course of three days.  And I loved it.

This is no Lord of the Rings people.  There's so much more passion, and excitement, and adventure, and if you don't like one storyline wait five minutes because another one is coming up.  It's fast paced, even to the point of confusion at times, but the acting, as well as the cinematography, sets, and costumes, is superb.  The last episode of the season is coming up on Sunday, and it has already been picked up for season two and I imagine will go on for at least another couple of years beyond that.  I hesitated at first over whether I wanted to spoil the end of the series by reading the books, but decided I just couldn't wait a year to find out how the story continues, so I've been inhaling the first book in the series over the past few days.  And I'm finding that rather than spoiling the show it is giving me and will give me so much more appreciation for the onscreen translation, as well as so much more depth to all of the character's motivations, histories, and personalites.

(These are all my own thoughts and opinions, I have not been contacted by any companies mentioned in this post.  Just sharing because I heart them!)

Say Yes to the Dress

In 18 days, I'll be sprinkling on some fairy dust and flitting down to Disney World for a good old fashioned  Griswold-style family vacation with my mom, dad and little sister.  We haven't gone on vacation, all together since... well, I can't even remember.  I'm expecting a lot of fun, and given our collective predisposition toward travel disasters, probably a fair amount of craziness.

The main event that is bringing us all together, is my parents' 30th anniversary.  The actual big day was a little over a week ago, but we'll be celebrating in Disney with a classy dinner one evening, and I've been on the hunt for a fun new dress to play princess in for the evening.

The facts are these: It's going to be hot, we'll have been zooming around the park all day and won't have a ton of time to get dressed so I don't want super fancy, I'm imagining something along the lines of grown up Mad Tea Party dress.
My first choice was the beautiful Tuileries dress from Anthropologie.  The delicate floral, French script, contrasting waist tie and casual tank style top perfectly fit all of my requirements.  Even better, it was marked down 50% to $79 and was in my size.  I added it to my cart first thing Tuesday morning, spent a few minutes mulling over another top, made the decision to go for it and... It had already sold out.  Sad.  Face.  Yesterday, my sister checked the Manhattan Anthros for me, with no luck, and sweet Jen even called her local store to check.  But it just wasn't meant to be.  Adieu Tuileries, I barely knew ye.

Of course, it's easy enough to find a score of beautiful dresses at Anthropologie, and grown up Mad Tea Party is their general esthetic anyway, so I was able to find  plenty of other dresses I adored.  Unfortunately, since Anthropologie employs woodland elves to weave all of their fabrics by hand from diamonds and baby tears, most of my loves were way out of my price range.  I was able to find two that whispered sweet nothings into my ear.

Verdant Slip Dress

This is the front runner at the moment.  It echoes the delicate florals of the Tuileries, but has a daintier, floaty feel.  As if perhaps the woodland elves used rolling Carribean froth and petals from Empress Josephine's rose garden to construct this sartorial delight.

Nostalgic Asterisks Dress

I believe this dress is derived from ancient Chinese fireworks with a dash of crushed rubies for the delightful red color.  I'm a sucker for a full skirt, and adore the ruched top and cinched waist which would certainly add some much needed girth to my less than ample bosom.

eShakti Hummingbird Corset Style Dress

This sweet dress comes in third for style, but first for price.  I love the whimsical hummingbirds buzzing around the skirt and the subversively saucy corset top.  Also, not too shabby, it's about 50% less than Anthropologie's offerings.

So, I ask you, what would Alice do?!?

Culinary Adventures

This weekend comprised some of the best eating I've done all year.  It's been nearly 16 hours since I ate my last bite of food, and I am still full.

Saturday, we became the proud new owner of an adorable baby palmetto.  Some of our friends are clearing a few trees out of their backyard to open up their beautiful view to the marsh, so we were fortunate enough to inherit one of the homeless trees.  The tree had its fronds hurricane cut to help it survive the move, and now we're just watering it and hoping that the transplant sticks.  Our baby tree is on the left, and on the right are some trees from our front yard that hopefully it will eventually grow up to look like.

After spending some quality time with our baby tree, I went for a four mile run, got all gussied up and then we headed over to a friend's house for smoked port tacos and a delicious array of desserts!  My pal is fortunate enough to have a super sweet sister-in-law living with them for a few months while she creates her portfolio for her DESSERT CHEF school.  Oh, yeah.  She made us a "tasting menu" of desserts including a lemon and blueberry parfait, ice cream made of an incredible chocolate cake with coconut cream frosting and fondant, and finally a bacon ice cream.  And you know what?  I want more bacon ice cream!  We felt a little bit like we were the judging panel on Iron Chef, America!

Sunday, we had tickets for the Culinary Village at the Charleston Wine + Food Festival in Marion Square (Named as one of the top 5 wine and food festivals in the country by Forbes Traveler--way to go Charleston!).  The weather forecast was bleak, with thunderstorms expected and there was a torrential downpour around 9 in the morning.  However, when we started driving to the festival, the sun was trying to break through the clouds, and by the time we arrived, the sun had made its triumphant appearance and the skies were perfectly blue all afternoon.  We tried samplings of meals, desserts, sauces, and various wines from local restaurants, mail order bakeries, wineries from near and far, and all in all had a delicious afternoon.  My favorite wine of the day was Simi Cabernet, and when I went to write it in my wine notebook when I got home, I found that I had actually already named it as a favorite wine.  At least, I know I am consistent!

We got home around 5 in the evening, and Colby spent the rest of the night working on a Masters project while I worked my way through some magazines and watched the season premiere of Army Wives.  The weekend was incredible, but the fun won't stop there since tonight we're heading back downtown to see the Russian National Ballet perform Romeo and Juliet, and tomorrow is MARDI GRAS!!!  Laissez le bon temp roulez!!

Top 5 Reads of 2010

Last year's list of top 10 books read in 2009 was pretty well received, so I figured I'd make it a regular annual feature.  I always love getting book recommendations, and enjoy sharing the incredible books I've come across.  Sadly, due to a pretty short book list last year (the full list of 34 can be found in the "Reading" tab at the top of this page), and the fact that many of them just weren't that great, I could only come up with a top five this go round.

But what a fantastic top five they are!

1) A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
I was initially a bit intimidated by this book.  I had started reading it in college, and abandoned it a few chapters in.  The main character is incredibly unlikeable upon first sight.  It's certainly not a story many can relate to.  But oh my heavens, is it FUNNY!  I rarely laugh out loud when reading a book, but I found myself stifling giggles throughout this entire book.  I was shocked that by the end of the book, I had been utterly charmed by the hapless anti-hero of the novel, Ignatius J. Reilly.

2) The Help, Kathryn Stockett
An amazing look at the racial strains in the South in the early 1960s.  Everyone who has read this book loves it, and with good reason.  It addresses the issues without being preachy, without lowering itself to stereotypes, and with a great deal of heart and humor.

3) The Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton
This is Kate's second appearance on as many of my top book lists, so obviously I know she is hugely honored.  What can I say, the girl knows how to write a moody, haunting mystery that sticks with you.  This one includes multi-generational secrets, international travel, intensely strong women, a mysterious writer, and an atmosphere that the Bronte's would envy.

4) Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortensen
I wish that this book were required reading for anyone who wants to spout their opinions on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Muslims, or any combination thereof.  It is the true story of Greg Mortensen, who made an attempt to climb K2 and stumbled sick and emaciated into a small Pakistani village, where he was welcomed in and carefully nursed back to health.  Overwhelmed by the generosity of these villagers, the dirt poor nurse/climber promised that he would be back and he would build them a school.  What follows is an amazingly inspirational journey as Mortensen delivers on his promise plus so much more, while getting to know the people of Pakistan.  The chapter on September 11th was beautifully written, and I had to put the book down more than once to collect myself because I couldn't see through my tears.  If you read NOTHING ELSE this year, please, please read this book.

5) The School of Essential Ingredients, Erica Bauermeister
This book is short and incredibly sweet, telling the story of a group of cooking class students in a small town.  Each chapter focuses on one of the characters, and as the book progresses, their stories begin to intertwine and change one another's lives.  It is a story of love and loss, happiness and sadness, and the descriptive passages are simply beautiful. 

Honorable Mentions:
Colony, Anne Rivers Siddons

Rich in Love, Josephine Humphreys

Thankful Thursday

I'll be the first to admit that I was not entirely gracious and understanding when I initially got the news about Colby's return home being pushed back.  And it definitely bums me out when I think about the fact that because of a silly mistake, he isn't sitting next to me on the couch right now.  I spent Sunday and Monday in a pretty grumpy mood, wallowing in my anger and frustration, and thinking very unkind, very unladylike thoughts.

Then, it struck me.  I am the only one who can choose my attitude.  I can choose to sit back and let my annoyance overtake me, complain about my problems, have a miserable week, and rely on someone else to bring me happiness.  Or I can dust myself off, acknowledge my sadness, and also acknowledge how much GOOD there is in my life every single day, enjoying each day for what it brings me rather than being angry because of what it does not.

I think sometimes I spend so much time dwelling on the things that go wrong in life, that it's hard to see the good that is there all along.  And when I take a look around me, well, it's a little overwhelming just how much goodness I see.  In honor of Thanksgiving, every Thursday this month, I'm going to take a little time to think about the things that I'm thankful for and give them a shout out here on the old bloggeroo.
Autumn in the South!  For as long as I can remember, Fall below the Mason Dixon line has been my absolute favorite season.  It's cool enough to warrant boots and sweaters, but not so cold that you're bundling up like Eskimos and shivering uncontrollably.
Friends near and far.  I don't think it's possible to survive as a military wife without your own personal army of friends to keep you sane!  I know for sure I'd never have made it through this deployment without the amazing women I've connected with here in Charleston, or my friends scattered across the country.
Okay, so I can't do a cartwheel, but I am incredibly grateful for my good health.  I think that is the thing I take for granted most often--just assuming that I will always be healthy and not appreciating each breath I take.  I know too many people, old and far too young, who have faced dire life-threatening illnesses or injuries, and I should never assume that I'm somehow exempt from the dangers of life.  Every day truly is a miracle.
This guy.  Yeah, I may not need him to make me happy, but I sure am lucky to have found him, and he sure does make the happiness come easily.  (That's what she said.)

What are the things that you're most grateful for today?

Confessions Part 3

(Don't forget, today is the last day to enter my pearl necklace giveaway!  All entries must be submitted by midnight and the winner will be announced tomorrow.  And follow the directions so I can give you all the points that you earn!)

So, it's been a long time since I've bared my soul to you and confessed a whole lot of things that I generally keep swept under the carpet.  But sometimes, it's very cathartic to just SAY THINGS, regardless of what people will think of you or whether anyone will agree.  Get it out there, let it roll around the universe for a bit, and then let things settle where they may.  It's been a while since I've done this.  I wrote my first round of confessions almost two years ago, and I let go another volley a few months later.  So, here we have it, my most recent round of Uncomfortably Honest Things I Should Just Keep to Myself.  Except I'm a blogger.  By definition, I am incapable of keeping things to myself.

* I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom, and my foray into child care further reinforced my desire to raise my children myself and not depend on relative strangers to do it for me.  I don't judge moms that choose differently, but wow, there is some seriously weird shit that goes on in child care.

* I’ve come to think that my Masters degree is a huge waste of time and money.

* I hate any website with music that plays automatically.  I don’t care how well you write, I’m out.  Jane Austen could come back from the dead, start a blog, and if Colbie Callait came blaring on my speakers, I’d be done.

* I am crazy competitive.  Unfortunately, I’m not super great at a whole lot of things.  This can frequently lead to a “situation”.

* This competitiveness spills over into blogging sometimes.  I’m never going to be a super blogger.  I get that.  I embrace it.  But the stat counter can really boost or destroy my ego.  Especially when I think about how many hits I used to get, compared to how many I get now.  I know I need to just get.  Over.  It.  But that’s difficult.

* Sometimes when my dogs are really driving me nuts and I snap at them and yell like an ogre or smack them on the nose, I become absolutely horrified at what kind of mother I might be someday.  Note to self: remove all wire hangers from the house the second I conceive.

* In addition to the boobs I would like to purchase some day, I would also love to have extensions put in my hair.  For it is flat and thin and uninspired.  Yes, I would like to be made of Fake.

* I’ve been going through a serious crisis of faith for the past couple of years.  I know I believe in something.  I just don’t know what it is.  I still pray, but I don’t know who or what I’m praying to.  Usually, I just feel like I’m talking to myself.

* Receiving a long email can significantly brighten my day.  Hearing my phone ring makes me want to throw up.

* It doesn’t matter how cute a piece of clothing is.  If it runs small and I have to “size up”, I refuse to buy it.  Subsequently, Target and Old Navy get a lot of my money.

* I don’t work out to be healthy.  I work out so that I can eat like crap.

* If no one comments on my Facebook status, I feel like a total loser.  Me = totally secure.

* I think people who follow trends regardless of how that trend is even remotely flattering are stupid.  Remember gauchos of yesteryear?  Bodysuits, anyone?  The rompers of today.  Mark my words.  We will look back and laugh.  Bitterly.

* I think I’ve become addicted to tea like most people are addicted to coffee.  I can’t go a day without a cup.  Or two.  Okay, three.

Gorgeous Pearl Necklace Giveaway!! *Enter By AUG 4TH*

Can you believe that in five years of blogging, I have never once done a giveaway?  I’ve sold a couple of items, asked you to help me get dressed, dumped every personal issue imaginable upon your shoulders, and yet, I have never given back to my loyal bloggy friends!  Well, no more say I!

My long-time blog pal (her first comment here was in July of 2006—it’s our anniversary!) and writing co-conspirator, Lynn, runs an Etsy shop, Aloha Kitchen, and has been kind enough to offer up one of her gorgeous jewelry creations to one of my readers.  I’ve got to be honest, I am so jealous--I want to enter this contest!

Up for grabs is this stunning White Pearl Collar Necklace.  It’s such a versatile and elegant piece.  I can see it working with everything from a classic LBD when you’re out to dinner with your honey to a simple tee with jeans and ballet flats at the grocery store.

So, here’s the skinny, you can earn up to eight points in the contest, and each point entitles you to one entry.  Let me count the ways:

1) Leave a comment here telling me what your favorite piece of jewelry is from Lynn’s shop. (+1)

2) Leave a comment on Lynn’s blog telling her how awesome she is.  Or how pretty her hair looks today.  Or that you really love the way that top brings out her eyes. (+1)

3) Become a follower of my blog on Facebook (just use the link or click “like” on that little box over there to the left).* (+1)

4) Become a follower of Lynn’s blog.* (+1)

5) Follow me on Twitter.* (+1)

6) Follow Lynn on Twitter.* (+1)

7) Post about and link to this contest on your blog. (+1)

8) Retweet the contest to your followers. (+1)

*If you are already a follower in each of these cases, that counts as a point!

Now, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you follow these directions if you want all of your entries to be counted—even more important than using a number 2 pencil on the SAT!

When you leave your comment here, about your favorite piece of jewelry, include the total number of points you’ve earned in the contest and each method of entry.  Then link to your post and/or include your Twitter name so I can follow up.

The contest is open to both US and international residents and will close at 11:59 PM EST on Wednesday, August 4th, so please make sure that all of your comments are posted before then so that I can give you credit.

The winner will be announced on Thursday, August 5^th.  Good luck, y'all!

Countdowns!

As depressed as I am about the fact that when I leave for Japan I'll be saying goodbye to Colby for over four months, I'm trying to look on the bright side of these next few months.  I've made a lot of fun plans in an attempt to  keep myself entertained, and if nothing else, at least there will be less laundry to do!  Here are just a few of the things keeping my spirits up as our days together are dwindling.

1 day until... We get our master bedroom and bathroom painted!  I can't wait, it's going to be so beautiful.  I may never leave my bedroom again!

8 days until... We spend the day in Charleston, have dinner at a fancy restaurant, and stay the night in a charming, historic inn.  I'm looking forward to walking our city after dark and getting to feel like I really live there.

14 days until... I leave for 10 days in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara.  We've firmed up our itinerary, all of our prior bookings have been made, and we're totally ready to be completely Lost in Translation!

~6 weeks until... A long weekend with my long lost besties in Washington.  This one is a little harder to nail down exactly as I'm contemplating taking a Space A flight with the Air Force.  For the first time.  By myself.  Eep!

10 weeks until... I am FINALLY at LAST after more than two years of work DONE WITH SCHOOL!!!  For real this time.  After this, if I so much as hint at the fact that I want to further my education, please slap me.  But please remember to refer to me as "Master" while doing so.

3 months until... My theatrical sister and San Francisco-based frister (friend AND sister!) are planning a simultaneous trip to Charleston where we'll be uniting the West coast, Northeast, and the deep South.  I really, really hope it all works out according to plan!

3 months & 3 weeks until... I head to a quaint Vermont town for my dear friend's wedding.  She has had a trial of a year, and I can't wait for her to have a magical wedding weekend and to be there to watch it all unfold.  Plus, Vermont!  Maple syrup!  Or something...

4 months until... I head home for a week or so to spend time with family and attend my mother's annual Pretty in Pink party, benefiting breast cancer research.  I may be off on my calculations, but I believe that this year we will be celebrating 5 years since her victory over cancer, and I can't wait to be there and support her cause in person!

5 months until... Colby is back home and this whole deployment nonsense is behind us for another couple of years!!

The Arts: Culinary and Otherwise

As terrible as this past weekend was for my diet, it was absolutely amazing for my palate.  One of my only regrets about moving down here, was leaving behind the wide variety of restaurants the the Seattle area had to offer.  Let me tell you, I need not have worried.  I have found more favorite restaurants in the six months since we moved here than I found in the entire time we were in Washington.  I'm still on the lookout for a great hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint and some Greek, but I have a couple of contenders on my list that I'm hoping to check out in the next few weeks.

But as far as just downright delicious food, Charleston has that in SPADES, and we hit three of the creme-de-la-creme this weekend.

Red's Ice House has a couple of locations, but the one we went to is located on Shem Creek, a fun collection of restaurants and bars with a casual, island feel overlooking the water.  We've also been to and loved Vickery's, but Red's had such a cool, laid back atmosphere and the food was downright delicious.  I started with a fishbowl of a pina colada, then had some of Laura's Sexy Salsa, and finished the evening with shrimp tacos.  Yum!  As the perfect ending to a lowcountry evening, we stood out on the deck for a while, watching a pod of dolphins frolicking in the creek.

The Mustard Seed, located in Mt Pleasant, has become a staple in my entertainment routine when guests come in town.  I have never had a single, solitary piece of food that I did not enjoy with the whole of my being and to the best of my knowledge, neither has anyone who has come with me.  My go to entree is the pecan encrusted goat cheese cakes on mixed greens with a raspberry vinaigrette (I generally request the balsamic instead) and there is the perfect amount of goat cheese to go with each delicious bite of salad.  This weekend Colby got the pad thai and our guest got some sort of intriguing concoction including beef tips, and we were all in hog heaven.  I haven't tried any of their baked goods yet, but believe me, as soon as this diet ends, that's at the top of my list!

Oh 17 North, how I love you with all of my being!  We've driven past this place a number of times, and it's pretty unassuming from the exterior.  However, once you're seated out on the lovely patio surrounded by their vegetable and herb garden, you completely forget the busy highway nearby.  And the food... oh, the FOOD!  To begin with, the cheese and herb biscuits we started with were heavenly.  Then came the delicious salad with spinach, blue cheese, bacon, apples and strawberries.  And then, the melt in your mouth flank steak with the most decadent pomme frites.  My stomach is grumbling just thinking of it.  Best of all, we learned that if you go early, there's a special from 4-6 where you get an appetizer, entree and dessert for twenty dollars.  Sign!  Me!  Up!!

Aside from stuffing our faces at any available moment, we also took in a couple of Piccolo Spoleto events.  On Thursday night we went to see {title of show} at an adorable local theater.  The house was filled with tables and chairs, much like a dinner theater, and there was a bar in the back where you could buy drinks throughout the show.  Perfection, my friends!  The show was pretty funny too and really well performed, for a local theater.  On Saturday we went down to a sandcastle competition at the Isle of Palms and the Charleston Farmers Market in Marion Square.  I was also thrilled to discover that Broadway shows do in fact tour through the local area, which was another experience I thought we'd left behind when we moved here.  Legally Blonde and Spamalot, here I come!

Have I mentioned lately how absolutely in love with Charleston I am?

Let's Make A Deal

If there's one thing I love, it's the heavenly combination of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, a brownie, sweet cream ice cream, and hot fudge.  But if there's another thing I love, it's shopping.  And then if there's one other thing I love, it's finding an amazing deal.

I didn't get the ice cream yesterday, but I got everything else.  I've been wanting to check out the Tanger outlets here, excited to finally have an outlet store less than two hours away from my house.  And let me tell you, I was crazy impressed.  I think it was the best outlet I've every been to.  There were tons of stores I actually wanted to shop at, and then once inside the stores, they had a great selection and some real screaming deals.  My favorite finds:

Coach Horse & Carriage Tote, Amazon Price $268 on sale for $200
Angela's Price $71

 

BCBG Max Azria Catilda, Endless Price $249 (no longer available)
Angela's Price $49

I also came away with a super cute khaki jacket and a summery smocked dress (apparently I'm four years old again) from Ann Taylor Loft, a pair of white shorts (living on the edge, there) from the Gap, and the one thing I'd actually gone in search of, some casual, every day wear jeans from Banana Republic.  Plus I got to spend time with a great friend and an adorable baby.  All in all, an excellent day!

Now, I'm less than a week away from my trip to New York.  I'm so excited to be seeing my mom and sister for six glorious days, and hopefully meeting up with some dear friends while I'm there.  The keys to the apartment we've reserved for our stay should be arriving today, and I've been spending the past couple of days trying to decide how on earth to pack for early May in New York without bringing everything from a parka to spaghetti straps.

Today I'm wrapping up my second to last class in my Masters program, and while I should be starting another one tomorrow, I'm currently enrolled in the wrong class and am having the worst time getting in touch with an adviser.  My usual academic adviser is on vacation, and the contact that she left in her out of office reply isn't responding to my messages.  So frustrating!  I will be immensely glad when this is all over--hopefully in just eight more weeks!

I Heart BBC

If April showers bring May flowers, May is going to sadly lacking in floral abundance.  I know that I've fully recovered from my rain-phobia that developed while living in Washington.  I still love my sunshine, but I've gotten to the point where I get a little excited about thunderstorms again, and we were supposed to have a whopper of one yesterday.  Things started off well with deep, rumbly thunder in the distance, but it just never really panned out.  The morning was pretty grey and rainy, but by afternoon, the sun was beaming down again.  Not a single streak of lightning!

I felt robbed.

But still, with the promise of a rainy day and Colby out of town on another trip, I had already given myself permission to have a lazy dreary day with some of my old friends from Victorian England.  You see, I have become utterly obsessed with BBC costume dramas.  I've always loved them, but over the past year I've expanded my horizons beyond the commonly watched Jane Austen adaptations, and I've found so many more wonderful productions from that little island across the pond.

They're just so much better than anything made in Hollywood.  Don't get me wrong, I love pretty much any period piece I can get my hands on, but most everything in Hollywood has that shiny, hardness to it that is pure American.  In the BBC productions, the men are still handsome and the women are lovely, but they look like real people.  They wear the same dresses throughout the movie, the sets are all actual mansions or bustling English streets.  Obviously, the accents are much more authentic (unless they're trying to be American) and the writers tend to stick to the original stories so much more closely.  I also love that the same actors tend to pop up again and again, and I enjoy spending my time playing "Spot the Character Actor".

If you're a fan of Pride & Prejudice, here are some other BBC productions I think you'll love just as much--or, dare I say it, even more!

North & South

I love this movie SO MUCH.  As soon as I finished it, I instantly bough my own copy.  It has a lot in common with Pride & Prejudice, but the subject matter feels a bit more serious and I think the two leads have even more chemistry and spark that Lizzie and Darcy.  Oh, I want to watch this again right now!

Wives & Daughters

This has one of the sweetest love stories I've ever watched, and I fell a little bit in love with "Molly" (played by Justine Waddell) myself.

Lost in Austen

This is the perfect movie for the Austen freak in all of us.  It follows the adventures of Amanda, who after a break-up with her boyfriend finds herself lost in the world of Elizabeth Bennet's life and times.  It's hilarious watchng her muddle up Austen's story left and right and struggling not to fall in love with Darcy so that Lizzie can still end up with him.

Our Mutual Friend

This is the movie that brought me back to Dickens after a particularly nasty break up in college.  It's a fast moving story about how the death of one man affects a number of different people of varying levels of income and respectability.  Plus it has Chuck from Pushing Daisies--bonus!

Bleak House

Full disclosure, I'm only a few episodes into this one, but I'm already completely riveted, and I'm pretty sure it's going to rank right up there with North & South by the time I'm done with it.  I love that it has Gillian Anderson in a role that is the polar opposite of my beloved Dana Scully, and Carey Mulligan also plays a main character in her "pre-It Girl" days.

So, there you go, that should keep you busy for many hours of rainy day viewing!  There are of course a number of other great productions, these are just my favorites of what I've seen so far.  Have you seen any of these and loved them or hated them?  Any suggestions for me?

Spring Has Sprung!

I was beginning to think it would never happen.  I'd started to think that maybe we had brought Washington weather with us to South Carolina and that the temperatures in the 50s were here to stay,  But at long, long last, the pollen came to town and brought the warm temperatures with it.  It's been in the upper 70s to mid 80s for the past few days, and on the weather this morning all of the projected highs were in the 80s.  Yippee skippy!!!

Of course, with those temperatures finally showing their faces around here, and summer creeping its way around the corner, I'm starting to get a lot more serious about my summer prep projects.  First and foremost is getting the fence finished and getting some landscaping in so that I can lay out in the backyard with a bit more of a screen between my pasty white body and the neighbors.  Colby has been working his tush off on the fence, with a bit of assistance from your truly, and it looks absolutely amazing!  He only has a couple of panels to put up along the side, and then 8 more post holes to dig and some panels to put in to connect the fence to the house.  I'm so proud and lucky to have such a handy husband, and I'm already lobbying for him to put in the patio before he leaves for his deployment.  He informed me yesterday that it would probably be better for me to wait until the post-fence-construction euphoria had set in to mention that project anymore.  Noted.

I'm also starting to get a little more serious about my Jillian Michaels time.  Granted, it's surprising the muscles that I've been feeling after working in the yard, but shorts season is here and while I don't want to lose any weight, I do want to tone up a bit more before I have to prance around the beach in the equivalent of my underwear.  I'm coming to terms with the fact that long-distance running is just not a good thing to do to my body, but I had made a lot of progress with my run time in January and February, so I'd like to get back to those little 2.5 to 3 mile jaunts around the block.

And the most exciting thing about this time of year?  I am only TWO DAYS AWAY from the lifting of my Lenten ban on shopping!!!  I've only had three slip-ups and have bought absolutely zero clothes, shoes or accessories since before February 16.  I bought two magazines and an iTunes album before I even thought about the fact that by doing so I was technically "shopping", then last weekend I went to a local arts fair and saw some adorable ducks made out of iron and rock that I absolutely had to have. Since the company selling them is located in Minnesota, I figured they might not be back next year, and requested a special Lenten dispensation from Heaven.  But on Sunday, I will once more be able to shop without fear of a lightning bolt from above!!  First things on the list to buy?

 
(L: Lands' End Swim Essentials Underwire Bikini Top, R: Lands' End Chino Utility Shorts)

  
(L: Lands' End Smocked Slub Jersey Dress, R: Lands' End Patterned Cotton Lawn Skirt)

(L: Anthropologie Creative Outlet Tank, R: Anthropologie Hourglass Surplice)

(Ann Klein Sestina)

And PS, when did Lands' End become so awesome?!?  Do they have a new designer for this season, or am I just fully coming into my old ladyhood?

The Long and Winding Roots

It was a big, wonderful weekend around these parts--I wish all weekends could be as amazing!  One of my very good friends from Washington just so happened to have a work conference in North Carolina last week, so when it ended on Friday, she rented a car and moseyed on down the highway toward Charleston.

Charleston and I were both anxious to give her a good first experience in the South, and I think that we did a pretty good job showing the city off to full effect.  Friday night we sat up talking until the wee hours of the morning, drinking wine and planning our week in Japan.  I had missed our long wine-fueled chats, so it was a great way to start our weekend together.  As she was leaving on Sunday morning, we really had to make Saturday count.

 

We dragged ourselves out of bed on Saturday morning and got out of the house only 15 minutes or so behind schedule.  We began the day at Boone Hall Plantation, and she was immediately taken with all of the Spanish moss and the centuries-old live oaks.  I thought the plantation itself was a little disappointing--it was actually built in the 1930s, so while it has been a functioning plantation since the founding of Charleston, the house itself isn't as old as other plantation homes that I've been to.  On top of that, the house is mostly occupied, so you only get to tour three of the rooms downstairs and a sun porch.  But, the best part was the old slave cabins that had been converted to exhibits on slave life in the antebellum South, and the adorable lady who put on a Gullah presentation.  It was a beautiful home with lovely grounds, but I'm looking forward to seeing what other plantations South Carolina has to offer.

After the plantation we went to lunch at a restaurant overlooking Isle of Palms beach, then made our way downtown to Charleston where we shopped at the market, took a romantic carriage ride around the city, ate Baklava and drank Italian sodas, walked down to the waterfront park, strolled down Broad Street, and poked around in the Circular Congregational Church cemetery.  We ended the day at another friend's house for dinner, and then back home for a little more Japan planning and gabbing.  Then, to make the weekend even better, Colby got home from his endless trip early Sunday morning while we were still asleep, and was there to see Nicole off on Sunday.

For the most part, I enjoy our military lifestyle as I love experiencing new places and getting to live in so many different parts of the country.  But I really hate that I'm constantly leaving behind friends and family.  This weekend helped to reaffirm the fact that friendships really can be maintained over time and distance, and even after months apart, you can pick up right where you left off and feel like no time has passed at all.  Colby and I don't have short roots--ours are long roots that wrap around the world and have latched on firmly.  Our roots aren't attached to places, they're attached to people, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Fantasy Fashions

I've been reading a lot of historical fiction and watching a lot of period pieces of late, and it's gotten me thinking about a topic to which I frequently return when I get into these phases.

I love clothes.  That's not really much of a secret.  I get terribly excited when my Lucky magazine arrives and I can pore through it looking for new outfit inspiration.  I love watching shows like Project Runway and What Not to Wear to get my fashion fix.  I'm pretty choosy about which trends I'll jump on board with--it took me a couple of years to come around to the skinny jeans phenomenon and even now I can only bring myself to wear them tucked into boots--but I like to think that's because I have gotten wise in my later 20s as to what trends actually work on my body and what just looks interesting on the pages of a magazine or walking a runway on a human insect hybrid.

But deep down inside, I've never felt the passion for modern day clothes that I do for the fashions of eras gone by.  I secretly wish that I was bold enough to be a Steampunk gal just so I could wear a bustle and veiled top hat.  I think that over the last half of the 20th century fashion became primarily about comfort and utility, which I suppose is fine in of itself, but I often find myself yearning for the glamour of eras gone by--corsets and all.

 

Well, okay, so I don't really want to wear a corset everyday, but you must admit, the idea of taking a few inches off the size of your waist without resorting to strenuous exercise is a little appealing, isn't it?  And with the voluminous skirts of the antebellum period, you'd never know just how thunderous anyone's thighs are.  And parasols!  Le sigh.

From a purely aesthetic point of view. I think the era of the Gibson Girls was the heyday of women's fashion through the ages.  And the ruffled bosoms, enhanced bottoms, and cinched waists that signified the late 1800s/early 1900s would suit my body shape ideally.  In fact, now that I think about it, I think that's what drew me so much to the silhouette of my wedding dress.  Yes, it all sounds perfectly dreamy until you read about the rib-removal surgeries women would undergo for the sake of their fashion.  Um, yikes.

The 1940s definitely takes us to a complete departure from the voluminous skirts with which I'm so enamored, but I've always been a fan of a perfectly tailored suit.  Not to mention, the 1940s were all about phenomenal hats.  If there's one thing I think could really be a practical come-back from fashions of the past, it's the hat.  Think of it, any bad hair day could be immediately remedied with a molded felt hat or a fascinator.  Who's with me on this?

And finally, the decade I most frequently turn to for fashion inspiration, the 1950s.  I love the simple A-line dresses and the full circle skirts that women returned to once the war ended and they were tucked away back into their pre-war roles as domestic engineers.  I don't agree with the sentiment, but how can you argue with the gauzy romance of those gowns?

So, what about you?  Is there a fashion epoch you wish you could bring back to the future, or are you perfectly content with our jeans and t-shirt generation?  How do you think our fashions of today will be remembered in years to come?

Things That I Love--Haven't Done This In A While Edition

I've decided to give up shopping for Lent this year, with a specific focus placed upon clothes, shoes, bags, makeup and books.  That's just where most of my money goes, and it's frequently when I'm bored or need a pick-me-up that I browse online shops and money just tap dances right out the door.  Last year, I gave up Facebook and Twitter, and it was a huge sacrifice (as ridiculous as that sounds) but I came back from it realizing that I really could live without Twitter in my life.  I'm still just as Facebook addicted, but I maybe after 40 days separation from Banana Republic and White House Black Market, I'll realize I don't need quite as much consumerism in my life to be happy.

Anyway, to help myself in this transition from shopping compulsion to shopping avoidance, I wanted to share some of the things I've been loving lately.

Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette
I am so, so, so in love with this eyeshadow palette.  I think my love for Alice in Wonderland is pretty well documented here--I adore the books, all of the movies, and I cannot wait to see the Tim Burton version coming out next month.  I had never tried Urban Decay eyeshadow before, but I had heard good things, and once they came out with an Alice themed palette, all resistance was futile.

At first, the $52 price tag seemed a bit steep, but when I broke it down I realized that it was actually less than $3 per item in the palette which is definitely comparable to drug store prices.  And the colors are absolutely gorgeous.  There are a few that I'm still working up the courage to use--namely the bright teal--but the shadows are beautifully pigmented, the glitters have a bit of fallout, but give a lovely shimmer.  I'm not much of a matte eyeshadow girl, but those of you that are may be disappointed at the lack of matte colors (I think there are maybe 2 or 3?).  Overall I am incredibly pleased with the product, both in the makeup that's included and the adorable packaging.  I'm having fun playing with different applications, so maybe at some point I'll share a few of my favorite combinations!

Hudson Jeans the Economic Way

Hudson jeans are, simply put, the greatest jeans I have ever put on my body.  They are soft and comfortable.  The legs are slimming and the perfect length for heels, but also work with flats.  The way the pockets are placed give me a Gisele Bundchen butt and the low rise waistline is ever so slightly higher in the back which keeps any worry of a plumber's crack at bay.  That said, as perfect as these jeans are, they are also crazy expensive.  Expensive as in $170-$190ish before tax.  So, I've only been able to bring myself to buy a pair once, and that was when both Colby and I were working well-paying jobs.

Sadly, this was also a couple of years ago when I was a few pounds heavier, and while the jeans still fit, they're definitely beginning to border on "loose fit" territory.  I really wanted to buy another pair, but couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a pair of jeans right now.  Then suddenly it struck me, if I can buy Coach and Louboutin on eBay, then why on earth can't I buy Hudsons?  And lo and behold, they were there in spades just waiting for me to swoop in at the last second and steal them from unsuspecting bidders.  I bid just the teensiest bit too early on the auction because I got so excited, and ended up paying about $10 more than I should have otherwise, but still managed to get a brand new pair for $55.50 and they should be arriving on my doorstep today.  Color me excited.

Michael Sowa Prints
Well, I'm cheating a little bit on this one, because I don't actually own it *yet*, but I'm already pretending that I do.  I'm picturing our bedroom painted in a calming slate blue, with this lovely print hanging over our bed.  I absolutely love bears, and it's sort of a running joke between Colby and I that I'm always on the lookout for a bear in the wild, so I love the image of the little girl strolling by a pond with her bear friend.  It's so absurd, yet lovely.

I first heard about Michael Sowa when I was reading an article about home decor inspired by the movie Amelie, and my second favorite print of his is "His Master's Voice".  How can you not love art that inspires both beauty and giggles?

So how about you, anything you're loving lately that I'm not allowed to buy until Easter?  Have you given anything up for Lent?

Stop, Drop, and Read These

Last year I made a quasi-resolution to continue with the chick-lit ban and focus on reading more meaningful works of literature.  Not necessarily Kafka or Dostoyevsky (confession, never read anything by either--they frighten me somehow), but things with a little more heft and meaning than the Shopaholic series (which, confession, I love).  Sadly, that's pretty much the only resolution I did stick with, though I'll admit that I improved greatly in all resolution areas over the year.  But more on that another time.

Today, I want to go back through all fifty books that I read last year and whittle them down to my top ten recommendations.  I read some seriously fantastic books last year, some of which I feel are way too below the radar.  You can see the full list of books I read in 2009 by clicking here, along with a short personal review on some of the earlier reads before I got lazy and dropped that feature of the list.

In no particular order:

1)  Sarum: The Novel of England, Edward Rutherfurd
This tells the story of England's development from the time it fully breaks off from the rest of the European continent through the 1980s, by following the fortunes and pitfalls and five families throughout the generations.  Yes, sometimes the characters were a bit predictable as Rutherfurd seemed to rely on a few specific genetic and personality traits to define each family, but overall a fascinating look at one of my favorite countries told from the perspective of people rather than purely events.

2)  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer
I loved this book so much, I immediately logged on to Amazon to buy everything else Mary Ann Shaffer had written, only to find that she died before she was able to write anything else.  That's the world's loss, but she did leave behind this gem of a story about a tiny English island occupied by Nazis during WWII.  Told entirely through letters, each character's voice is at times charming, intriguing, hilarious, and heartbreaking.

3) The House at Riverton, Kate Morton
Set in England before, during and after WWI, a young girl comes to the home of a wealthy family to work as their maid and becomes embroiled in their relationships and secrets.  A twisty, turny mystery filled with intrigue, romance, and drama.  What's not to love!

4)  Drowning Ruth, Christina Schwarz
What is it with my obsession with deep, dark family secrets?  Deeply compelling from the first line of this novel--"Ruth remembered drowning"--to the last, I read this one on an airplane and it made the ride go by in the blink of an eye.

5)  The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
If you've been to Sunday school, you've heard the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel.  But who knew that a retelling of this Bible story from a the perspective of Jacob's daughter could be so beautiful and enjoyable.  They should have read us this book at our youth group...

6)  The Secret History, Donna Tartt
Follows the lives of five deeply twisted classics students at a small college in the Northeast and the outsider who befriends them and is sucked into their mysterious world.  Absolutely loved this, but I would recommend at least a basic knowledge of mythology to get the most out of it.  At the very least, have a web browser open ready to look up references.

7)  The Drowning Tree, Carol Goodman
I picked this one up in the morning and couldn't put it down until I'd read it all the way through.  The plot twists and turns throughout the novel and the descriptions of art made me feel as though it was part compelling story and part museum.

8)  The Street of A Thousand Blossoms, Gail Tsukiyama
Beautiful story of a Japanese family spanning the 3 decades before, during, and after WWII.  One of those books where every time something good happens to someone, something heartbreaking happens shortly after, but the characters are fascinating, the prose is the perfect combination of imagery and plot, and it ends on a hopeful note.  Give it the first 100 pages to really suck you in.  Reminded me a bit of Memoirs of a Geisha.

9)  The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter
I love how macabre and creepy many of our favorite fairy tales are in their original form, and these even more haunting and spooky retellings were absolutely gripping.  Carter includes her versions of Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Red Riding Hood, and Blue Beard just to name a few, and her stories are beautifully eerie and remarkably fresh.

10) Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
Incredible book that I probably never would have read based on the blurb on the back of the book.  It's the story of the perfect couple, living the American Dream and hiding their utterly miserable existence behind the facade of a 1950s nuclear family.  Somehow the characters manage to be both insufferable and sympathetic, and while there's no major twist at the end, I stayed hooked all the way through, laughing on one page, and finding myself squirming uncomfortably on the next.  An at times relatable, at times disturbing book that reminds us, no one ever really knows what goes on behind closed doors.

Honorable Mentions:
The Dante Club, Matthew Pearl

A Cup of Tea: A Novel of 1917, Amy Ephron

This Wasn't Supposed to Be a Shopping Post

It's a good thing I don't blog for my health...  The thing about having become so sporadic about my blog posting is that so many events build up between the times I take to write here that by the time I make an effort to sit down and type something out, it just seems too overwhelming and I don't know where to start.  Then, before I know what's happened, I'm simultaneously watching television, playing Shanghai Dynasty on Facebook, and perusing realtor.com.  And nary a blog is posted.  So, what say you we alleviate some of this boring wordy wordness with some PICTURES!  As Alice says, "What is the use of a book without pictures?"  Particularly if it's a picture book.

That rather neatly segues me into my first topic, which is Halloween.  I'm going to be mighty sad if I move to Charleston and don't manage to find a group of friends who will get dressed up and get a little crazy with me every October 31st.  However, for now I'll be enjoying my last Halloween with this group of friends dressed as Alice in Wonderland.  And how perfect is this Alice dress?
 

Now, the trick is convincing Colby to dress up as The Mad Hatter.  Come on, how cute would we be??  After purchasing this dress, I promised myself that I just needed one more thing to complete my fall/winter wardrobe before cutting myself off completely from shopping once more.  That thing?  The perfect brown boots.  Now, do I already have a fabulous pair of brown boots?  Well... yes.  But these brown boots are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!  Here's a visual.  Old brown boots:

(Fact that this is a terrible picture acknowledged, but it's the best I could do on short notice)

New brown boots:

They have it all.  Gorgeous color.  Feminine heel.  Interesting details.  And most importantly... comfort.  In my search for these elusive perfect boots, I entered the hallowed halls of Neiman Marcus.  Let me tell you, if you ever want to feel poor, inadequate, and slightly ashamed of your outfit, treat yourself to 15 minutes in Neiman Marcus.  Despite my temporary bout of insecurity, I did feel a little as though I had died and gone to fashion heaven.  I was literally surrounded by labels... Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenburg, Manolo, Michael Kors, Catherine Malandrino... it was thrilling.  And heartbreaking.  I tried on this adorable Nanette Lepore dress and these gorgeous Louboutins, and I'm not kidding when I tell you that I teared up ever so slightly when I had a seriously think about our checking account.

And I've never been accused of having excessively high levels of self-confidence, but for reals y'all, that dress looks SO much cuter on me than it does on the model.  Anyway, the Neiman Marcus effect came into play with the boot purchase in that after having the strength of will to say no to $1500 worth of merchandise at Neiman's, dropping $250 measly bucks at that rat-hole Nordstrom suddenly seemed like a pittance.  I suddenly have a whole new sympathy for shopping addicts.

Um, and seriously, this blog post was supposed to be about so much more than shopping, and yet, that's what it has turned into.  I cannot be held responsible.  I'm sitting here looking at those heavenly purple shoes and my brain has completely turned to mush...  This must be how men feel when women with extraordinary breasts are within view.

Oahu: The Island of a Bajillion People and Three Interstates

 

So, here's the thing, I'm just going to say it and accept the backlash that this controversial statement will likely create.  I just didn't like Oahu.  I could write paragraph after paragraph listing all of my reasons, but really they can all be summed up thusly:
1) Tiny island, LOTS of people.
2) Big city conventionality.

If you want to get a parking spot at the beach, you have to be there by 8 am, or walk miles from the closest available spot.  It may look like it will only take 10 or 15 minutes to get to Waikiki from the airport, but it will, in fact, take an hour.  And all of this in a place that has become nothing but a bite-sized, beach-side version of Times Square.  Were we miserable while we were there?  Well, sometimes we were, but overall, no.  Were we ready to go home when the seventeenth rolled around?  Yes.

But our hotel room was nice.

And our view was TOO DIE FOR.

 

But first!  We had to finish our Kauai "to do list".  No, I didn't make an itinerary, but come on, you didn't think I would go on vacation with at least SOME sort of goals in mind!  The morning before we caught our flight we woke up to the torrential downpour of Tropical Depression Felicia.  Lucky for us, she apparently had gotten wind of our schedule and was kind enough to clear up for our visit to the Kauai Coffee Company (tried the coffee--still hate it) and the Hyatt at Poipu for lunch (new goal--STAY THERE SOMEDAY).  The waves were still enormous, but the sun was shining, and we were crying on the inside as we headed off to the airport to do battle with the car rental agency.  It was, however, with a joyful heart that we waved goodbye to our crappy PT Cruiser, and soon we were back in the air, on the way to our next island.

We were greeted by a lovely rainbow over the mountains as we drove to Waikiki, but opted to stay in for the night as Felicia's rain had followed us.  We dined on delicious Wolfgang Puck Express Pizzas as we watched the mysteries of magic revealed on tv.  The next morning we dragged ourselves out of bed and headed to Pearl Harbor to visit the Arizona Memorial.  It was an intensely powerful experience, and I found myself not in the minority as a few tears made an appearance as I looked down into the oil-slicked water.  It wasn't the most uplifting moment of our trip, but I think a reminder about the true cost of freedom is important every now and then.

For lunch, we decided to check out Hickham AFB, where a few of our friends will be moving in the next few months, and then went back to the hotel to get ready for the Hale Koa luau that evening.  Now, I can't speak for other luaus, but I can tell you this, if you're looking for good food, hot men climbing coconut trees, women shaking what the good Lord gave them, and a delicious pina colada, then the Hale Koa luau is the place for you.  We were even treated to an adult contemporary hit of the late 80s as the MC sang his world famous chart topper, Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You.  (You have to watch that video--horses, beaches, sunsets, pink sundresses--you will NOT regret it.)  (I may or may not have downloaded that the minute I got back home.)  (I did.)  He's a high school teacher now.

The next morning we totally rejected the schedule we'd decided on the night before and slept until after ten.  Which meant that we began hiking Diamond Head around noon.  Bad Idea Pants.  Which leads me to a recurring observation we had about Hawaiian hiking levels--they say "easy", I say "It's not easy if you can't hike it with a pina colada in hand and not break a sweat."  They say "potato", I say "bullshit".  Fortunately, it was a fairly impressive sight once we heaved our broken bodies up the final step, and even more fortunately there was a moderately shady spot for me to sit.  Triple fortunate, and a damn good marketing strategy, there was a shave ice stand at the bottom of the crater.

We rewarded ourselves with a long afternoon at the beach across the street from our hotel, and that night had the great fortune of meeting up with a longtime "internet friend", Mandy, and her husband.  We met at the Outrigger Waikiki for dinner at the Hula Grill, then wedged ourselves into Duke's for an after-dinner drink.  It was so much fun to meet someone that I've felt so close to over the years without ever having actually met and have her turn out to be just as awesome in person as she is online.  I could have happily sucked down another couple of daiquiris, but we were all clearly wiped out by 9:30 and my stomach was already tying itself up in knots at the thought of our next morning's adventure...

Kauai Did We Have to Leave??

And then there was no internet.  We stayed in a great hotel on Oahu for the last five days of our trip, and they provided everything we could ever need, including internet for the low, low price of $9.95 per day.  Eye roll.  I know all 2 of you have been anxiously awaiting my next Hawaii update, so my deepest apologies for making you wait this long.  Let's finish up in Kauai today, shall we?

On the 9th we made our transition from our B&B in Princeville to one on the south shore, so we wanted to finish up all of the "things to do" on the north shore before heading down.  We started off with a hike to Queen Emma's Bath, an amazing naturally created pool in a lava rock formation right in the ocean.  Because 1) I am a chickenshit and 2) There were a lot of people jumping and splashing around in the pool, I opted not to actually get in the pool, but we had fun watching other people jump in. We finished up the north shore with a visit to Lumahai Beach where the "Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" scene from South Pacific was filmed, and lastly Kilauea Lighthouse, a combination lighthouse and bird sanctuary--two for the price of one!

Our B&B in Lawai was... beyond words.  It was the most beautiful B&B I've ever stayed in with an absolutely spectacular view, and I'm already dreaming of going back again in our hopefully not too distant future.  I don't know if I want to share it with the world, but it's pretty popular already, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you that it was the Kauai Banyan Inn.  Just don't try to book the Ulu suite for the same time as us!  We discovered a couple of days before we left for our trip that a couple of our friends from college were going to be in Kauai while we were there, so that night we got together for a delicious dinner at Brennecke's on Poipu.

The next morning, we headed out to Waimea Canyon--the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.  Since I've never seen the ACTUAL Grand Canyon, I can't make a comparison, but Waimea was pretty dang impressive.  We drove to a few of the overlooks, then got down to the business of beach-going. 

We made our way to Poipu and I camped out on the beach with my book while Colby tried his hand at body-boarding.  He had fun for a little while, but eventually the waves began to overpower pretty much everyone out there as they grew in size.  It was one of the few effects of Tropical Depression Felicia that we felt, and it was actually pretty cool to see the 10-12 foot high waves and the locals body-boarding and surfing.  That night we opted to stay in and enjoy a quiet night on our private porch overlooking the old sugar mill and the ocean.

On the 11th, we went for breakfast at Eggberts in Ka'apa, then met up with our friends again and went to Wailua and Opa'eka Falls.  I was still in search of what I call a good "floating beach".  All of the beaches we'd been to so far were gorgeous, but they were covered in coral making them good for snorkeling, or pretty wavy making them great for surfing or body-boarding, but all I wanted to do was get in the ocean and float!  We FINALLY found the perfect floating beach in Salt Pond Beach and I just got on my noodle and floated to my heart's content all afternoon.

After we had our fill of floating, we packed up our mountain of beach gear and caravanned over to the Barking Sands military base where we walked the gorgeous beach and then offroaded a bit to Poli Hale State Park.  We watched the sunset at the state park and it really was the perfect combination of sandy beach, crashing waves, and dramatic cliffs at the start of the Na Pali Coast.  Unfortunately, on our way back to our B&B, our radiator busted on us, so the four of us ended up doing some late night "redneck camping" on our beach chairs and mats on the side of Kaumaulii Highway, waiting for the tow truck to rescue us.

It was certainly an interesting way to spend our last night in Kauai, but it's definitely one of those vacation moments I will always remember.  The next day Felicia finally hit the island and we were off to Oahu where we experienced a completely different side to Hawaii.

Well, It's Not A No...

The one aspect of marriage that I find most difficult is the whole "joint decisions" thing.  Generally speaking, Colby and I are pretty in sync on most things, so it's really easy most of the time.  Which tends to make the times when the joint decisions AREN'T so easy stand out in kind of stark relief.

I've always wanted a cat.  Even before I was begging my parents for a dog, I was patiently writing to Santa Claus year after year with my cat requests.  One year, my parents hinted at the fact that I may actually get a cat, and I actually did--a stuffed cat.  Ha.  Ha.

Fast forward a bajillion years to my life post-college.  I really wanted a pet, I knew that Colby really hated cats and I quite loved dogs and had experience raising them, so a dog it was.  And then another dog.  And then I got married and as we started building our beautiful life together, I realized that I wanted something more.  Something that I could cuddle and love and raise, together with my husband.  A dog of course, you sillies!  But the more I've thought about the idea of a third dog, the more the it kind of exhausts me.

Scene: A friend's house, watching So You Think You Can Dance.  Enter stage left, a delicate little kitten of only a few months old, curling up on my lap and purring contentedly as we watched our show.  Why, yes, I think to myself, this is what I need in my life!  A self-reliant, independent, yet cuddly kitten.

Once upon a time I would have found the kitten of my dreams, marched down to the local animal shelter and procured her.  Now, there is a little more finesse involved, a little more effort on my part to make my kitten dreams come true.  I think I might need to work on my technique, as evidenced by this facebook conversation this morning.

Angela: So, did you see our kitten?

Colby: Our what?

Angela: I've named her Pigwidgeon!

Colby: Define "our".

Angela: It's the kitten you're going to give me when you get home!

Colby: Ohhh, is that what it is? How about them' apples.

So, what do you think, I've got a pretty good shot, right?  He's coming home tomorrow, so I think a visit to the shelter might be in order this weekend so that he can visit little Piggy and fall in love!

Little Miracles

Let me tell you.  I have not felt this happy about life since... last summer!  Actually, that's not even true, because last summer is when Colby left for four and a half months, so though I was not in the depths of despair the entire season, I don't think I was as happy as I've been lately.

Thing the First:

I don't think I have a black thumb!  I don't think I have a green thumb either, but I finally decided to throw caution to the wind and attempt this whole gardening thing I keep hearing about.  I was tired of admiring and coveting beautiful front lawns in our neighborhood and then coming back to our ratty little contractor planted garden, so last weekend we hit up the farmers market and Home Depot and came away with a bountiful crop of fleurs.  I want to show you just how beautiful they are before they all shrivel up and die, but alas, my camera is currently lacking any picture taking abilities and Colby is off gallivanting in some far flung corner or the world (also known as the East Coast) with our schmancy camera.  So, I will tell you them.  Thus far, I have managed to not kill the following:

• 3 rhododendrons of varying colors-- light pink, bright pink, and cream with pink "highlights"
• 1 fuschia
• 1 potted red dragon tree in its infancy
• 3 tiny terracotta pots of some such flowers that I got in the $1 bin at Target and am growing from seeds
• 2 toddler lilacs, henceforth known as Lila and Lacy
• 1 herb garden consisting of sweet basil, lemon basil, pesto basil, mint julep, chocolate mint, lemon thyme, and rosemary, and an ivy, which I realize is not an herb, but does look awfully pretty amidst the more edible plants
• 4 African daisies
• 3 Asiatic lilies

Of course, it's only been a week, so feel free to make a pool placing bets on what actually makes it through the season.  I'll work on pictures in the near future, because I don't feel that a flower post is nearly as enjoyable without them.

Thing the Second:

The weather here has been absolutely phenomenal for nearly two weeks now.  I am cautiously optimistic that this summer may prove itself to be one of those "gorgeous summers" I heard so much about before moving here and have yet to experience.  I think Washington is just being coy.  It has heard that we're leaving, so it's doing everything in its power to woo us into staying.  I will not be fooled by your coquettish behavior, Washington!  I know, come September, you'll be up to your old tricks again!  But seriously, look at this forecast:

That right there is a little something I like to refer to as "perfection".

Thing the Third:

Not only do I have less than three weeks of work-school left before I'm taking this job and shoving it for the summer, but next fall I will be going back to work at a school that is 10 minutes from my house as opposed to the ~30 minute drive that I now face.  And that adds up to not 40, but 80 minutes less spent commuting nearly every day as I make the drive four times because of my split shift.  Even better than the cut in commute time, but from what I have heard, the kids are saints compared to the ones I've worked with this year.  Hallelujah and AMEN!

Thing the Fourth:

And finally, I have a bunch of exciting countdowns going on right now.

• 20 days until my last day of work-school
• 1 month and 5 days until my week-long trip to Montana to visit my sister at her summer theater, see my parents, and go to Crater Lake
• 1 month and 16 days until Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
• ~2 months and 8 days until I'm lounging on a beach in Hawaii with my favorite husband

So, that's what has been getting me through my bipolar days recently.  What has you excited about life?

Hope

Just about everyone, myself included, likes to blog about the good things in life, particularly when they're in a happy, loving marriage or committed relationship.  I like to get all mushy, and sometimes banging out some sappy, heartfelt blog post is just a really fun way to spend a Friday morning.  But the thing of it is, sometimes being married can be kind of hard.  I know!!  Big shocker!

I'm not even talking about in the big ways that you always hear about in those stories about why the divorce rate is so high.  Like, obviously money issues can cause problems.  You want five kids, he was thinking more like one kid and some new golf clubs.  That stuff can certainly have an impact on a relationship, but I'm talking about the little things.

Like, you want to set the thermostat at 72 because you both make a decent wage and can probably afford to pay the gas bill, but he wants to keep it at 68 because he's kind of miserly and wears a lot of fleece.  So, you compromise and set it at 70, but no one is ever really happy about a compromise, so you both make disparaging comments about the other's temperature preference from time to time.  Or maybe you like the feel of crisply, tightly tucked sheets when you climb into bed at night, and he's more of a "tornado just hit the house, leaving the bed intact but rumpled" kind of a guy.  So you keep your side tucked in and he kicks the sheets out on his side, which SEEMS like it should work, but in reality, every morning the entire bed looks suspiciously more like the tornado situation, and it is POSSIBLE that one time you actually cried, because seriously, is having the sheets tucked in really THAT HORRIBLE??

And then of course, maybe I--I mean, YOU--want to get a third dog, so you kind of joke about it all the time, but in a way that makes it pretty clear that you're not actually joking, and then he's like "the yard is too small, and you aren't the one that picks up the poop, anyway."  Then, completely by accident you stumble across an adoption listing featuring this adorable, Fraggle-like face:

So, you kind of once more jokingly bring up that whole crazy third dog idea, and you're once more kind of jokingly shot down.  And then you get seriously sad, and you think guiltily to yourself that if you weren't married and didn't have to make joint decisions, you'd just get the damn dog.  And then you realize that you're a horrible person, and obviously being married and having someone else to pick up the poop of the two dogs you're already lucky enough to have and to share your life with is about a million percent better than getting a third dog.  But you still obsess about the dang Fraggle dog and pray that someone else out there will adopt her and give her the love she deserves, and then you just hope that the dreams about Hope go away some time soon.

Because really, what kind of moron has multiple dreams about a dog she's never met anyway?  Not me, that's for sure...

The World is A Little Bit Colder

In the first 24 hours of my separation from Facebook and Twitter, the clouds rolled in, the temperature dropped below freezing, and the snow began to fall.  I think this is a sign that God truly feels the pain of this sacrifice and even the angels are crying.

You know, I poke fun at myself for giving up these two social networking sites, but honestly I had no idea how hard this would be.  I know that probably only makes my situation even more ridiculous, but I also know that Lent is going to be Very Long.

I think what makes me so susceptible to, in particular with the Facebook addiction (which I miss a great deal more than Twitter), is that I really use it as a connection to friends and family that I rarely have the chance to see in person.  It's easy to say, "Well, Angela, just pick up the phone!", but on top of the fact that I just plain hate the phone, we all have very busy lives.  Not many people have the time to go through their address book, touching base with all of their friends and family every week.

The wonderful thing about Facebook is that when I'm particularly missing my sister, I can just log on, click over to her profile, read her About Me section, look at her pictures, write on her wall, and instantly feel closer to her.  And I can do that at midnight, or while she's stuck in rehearsal, or I'm watching the kids at school.  A huge and growing number of my family and friends who live hundreds or thousands of miles away are really only a click away because of Facebook, and I feel confident that it is a huge part of the reason that I'm still in touch with many of them after all of these years of moving so frequently and living so far apart.

Anyway, I know it's only a little over a month and a half away from Facebook, but in those 46 days, I do truly feel like I'm making a sacrifice.  Not just the sacrifice of a tool to fight the boredom while I'm in line at the grocery store, but the sacrifice of feeling that constant connection to my friends and family over the magic of the internet.

I'm definitely counting down the days until I can log back in to my profile, but who knows, maybe over the next few weeks I'll be compelled to make a few more phone calls and keep up with my email.  And that's definitely not a bad thing.

Looking Back

So, I'm finally going to close the book on 2008 around here and get the rest of December all wrapped up in a neat little bow.  It was kind of a crazy month  for me and the highlights were definitely the panic inducing snowfall we had just prior to winter break, my birthday, and those other two big December holidays.

The Snow

Unfortunately, I have hardly any photographic evidence of any of these big events as Colby has developed the annoying habit of downloading all of our pictures onto his computer, then deleting them off of the camera before I can get them.  He assures me that it's easy peasy to transfer them onto my computer, but so far that's all talk and no action.  We ended up getting about 8 or 9 inches of snow in our area, and I have never in all of my life seen a city shut down like ours did.  Colby still braved Mother Nature and went to work every day, but the schools shut down on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday--before "the big storm" even hit.  Jack and Ellie totally loved romping in and chowing down on the freshly fallen snow, and I'm willing to admit that it was kind of pretty.  However, I am still not a fan of the slipping and sliding across roads and I never realized how many damn hills there are around here until they all turned into mini-ski slopes.

The Birthday
My birthday was, in a word, AWESOME!  Colby had a pretty steep learning curve when it came to my expectations for birthday celebrations, but he picked up on things after last year and when I woke up, my birthday was already in full swing.  I crawled out of bed to find him making muffins and french toast, a chocolate cake already baked and frosted, hundreds of balloons scattered around the house, and I even got a fancy Birthday Girl badge to wear.  The morning was pretty relaxing, the snow fell softly throughout the day, and that evening we made the trek into Seattle for dinner in the Market and the Pacific Northwest performance of The Nutcracker.  Dinner was absolutely delicious and we had a prime table overlooking a gorgeous view of the Pike Market.  The snow continued to fall as we ate and then headed over to the theater, and The Nutcracker was incredible. 

Funny story:  I recognized the design of the Nutcracker painted on the curtain before the ballet began, and upon reading the bio of the set and costume designer, realized that he was the man who illustrated Where the Wild Things Are, and upon receiving praise for his take on the Nutcracker in the 80's, he published an illustrated version of The Nutcracker story.  Turns out, I just so happened to own that book when I was a little girl and read it yearly, dreaming of being Clara with visions of Nutcrackers dancing in my head!

When we left the performance, we were surprised to see that the snow had begun coming down much harder and the accumulation had already increased by a few inches from the time the performance began and the drive home was more than a little scary at times.  But we survived it, and all in all, it was a phenomenal beginning to my 26th year!

Favorite gifts included tickets from Colby to go see Brit Brit perform on April 9th at the Tacoma Dome, a Nordstrom gift certificate that I put toward the brown leather jacket on my wish list, and a fantastic page-a-day calendar with a picture of a different fabulous shoe each day!

My birthday tea was supposed to take place the next day, but ended up being postponed to the following Sunday because of the snow.  I was thrilled that some of my gal pals were able to take time away from holiday plans and brave the still rather nasty weather to make it to the Meeker Mansion, and we enjoyed our ladylike tea and a tour of the mansion.  I don't have any pictures of the tea, but I do have to show you the fabulous Mad Men dress that I wore for the event.

It makes me feel just like Betty Draper.  Except without all of the crazy and the alcohol/cigarette dependency...

The Holidays
We spent Christmas Eve at Lori's house, eating good food, spending time with great people, and playing a down and dirty game of Scene It? Squabble, boys versus girls.  I always love spending time with Lori and her family because they always do such a great job of making sure that we feel included and like we really are a part of the family.  Christmas morning we woke up and did our standard stockings, breakfast, then presents routine.  It was a totally relaxing day spent with the DVD player going and amazing food just appearing before me from time to time when Chef Colby was inspired.  We got some great deals at the seafood counter on Christmas Eve, so throughout the day our entrees consisted of shrimp, crab cakes, and salmon.  Yummo!

I gave Colby Cranium WOW! and a new lens for his camera that he's been playing with ever since, so I think those gifts went over well.  Highlights of my Christmas goodies included all three seasons of Arrested Development (How had I never seen this show?  HILARIOUS!!) and my spiffy new Marc Jacobs watch (also on my wish list), both from Colby, some beautiful Banana Republic tops from my parents, and a gorgeous Manolo Blahnik coffee table book from one of my favorite girls, Shani.  We were totally spoiled on Christmas morning, and even though we missed being away from our families, it was still a wonderful day.

New Year's Eve was much quieter than last year's craziness.  We went to dinner at a yummy pizzeria and then saw Marley & Me where I proceeded to sob my freaking eyes out.  I wasn't the least bit surprised since I had a pretty identical reaction to the book, but I thought I might be able to retain some semblance of composure.  Yeah.  No.  New Year's Day we spent rooted to the couch while I subjected Colby to hour after hour of The Twilight Zone marathon on SciFi.

And that pretty much wraps up December and my musings on 2008.  I'm ready to look forward to the future and have a lot to say about 2009, but right now the dogs are crying and Gossip Girl awaits, so the new year is just going to have to wait around for another day or so until I'm ready to tackle all of those thoughts.  Ciao for now!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I just love Christmas.  For a lot of reasons really.  I love how it's a season all about showing people how much you love them.  I love getting Christmas cards from people near and far, and being updated on the lives of those I don't get t spend as much time with as I'd like.  I love the nativity story and how this is the one time of year that I don't get all doubty and skeptical about religion.  I love the traditions of hanging stockings and decorating the tree with family and I love picking out and wrapping gifts.

And let's be really honest, I like presents.  And between my birthday and Christmas, I have two present occasions within five days of each other.  What's not to love about that?

Both Colby and my mom have been not so subtly asking for and reminding me to give them my Christmas list, so I put a little post together with a few of my favorite things.  Because, if Oprah can do it, so can I.  Words to live by, I think.

For some reason, I never hesitate to impulse buy things things like clothes, makeup, and books, but I very rarely buy any movies.  I happened to go to Target last week when they were offering up seasons 1-6 of Gilmore Girls for $15 each so of course I had to snap up a few of those, but that was definitely the exception rather than the rule, so there are all kinds of DVDs that I'm constantly wishing I had and then not buying.  Like these for example:

Anne of Green Gables: The Collection
Sex and the City (the movie)
Enchanted
The X-Files: The Complete Collector's Edition

Cinderella
The Little Mermaid
Alice in Wonderland
Sleeping Beauty

The King and I
Sweeney Todd
My Fair Lady
The Sound of Music
Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella

Now, just because I'm always buying clothes and accessories for myself, that doesn't mean that there aren't things that I still want and can't justify as easily as a silky, purple top from Target.  And with winter settling in for it's loooong stay in Washington, I am a really big fan of having a lot of cozy, warm outfits.

Soia & Kyo Double Breasted Leather Trench (XS)

Soia & Kyo Empire Seam Jacket (XS)

Banana Republic 3/4-Sleeve Belted Sweater Dress (XS)

Tahari by Arthur S. Levine Sweater Dress (XS)

And for some fun accessories to wear with my warm and toasty winter outfits, what more could a girl want but to smell good, have a great looking bag, and of course, be punctual?

Marc by Marc Jacobs "Molly" Round Dial Metal Watch
(Fun fact: I have not owned a non-sporty watch in over three years?  How sad is that??)

Coach Op Art Sabrina Brass/Khaki
(The one I really wanted was the graphic orange, white and grey print, but it's no longer available.  And THIS is why I support impulse buys!)

L'Occitane Jasmine Eau de Parfum Travel Set

This list could probably go on and on forever and ever, because as it turns out, not a whole lot has changed since my epic lists to Santa of days gone by, but I think this gives a pretty good overview of my heart's desires.  So, hopefully this doesn't leave Santa's elves with a whole lot of confusion or bankruptcy, and honestly, I promise to love anything anyone decides to bestow upon me, especially if it is this:

Still Kind of on a Blogging Sabbatical, But...

Given my blog header and well documented, almost unhealthy obsession, I had to share this news as soon as I read about it.  This is pretty much the most exciting entertainment news I've heard since I found out that they were making Phantom of the Opera into a movie, and then not, and then making it again, and then not, and then they finally really did it.

"Platt and the studio are taking formative steps toward a screen adaptation of Wicked, the stage musical that Universal co-finances and Platt produces with David Stone.

After crossing the $1 billion mark in worldwide stage gross and opening its eighth production in Australia, "Wicked" has become one of the studio's most profitable investments and could follow a stage-to-screen track reminiscent of "Mamma Mia!" which U bows Friday."

(from Variety)

I know a lot of people get their panties in a twist about Broadway shows being made into movies and how they lose their integrity and special, special snowflakeness, but I'm one of those people who believes that the easier access I have to my favorite shows, the happier I am.  And since I don't plan on moving to Manhattan anytime soon, if a musical lands on my DVD shelf, that's pretty much the happiest day of my life.  Well, aside from that whole wedding thing.  Oh, and the day we arrived in Italy.  And maybe my last day in the Air Force...  You know, it's just mostly a saying.  Don't read too much into that.

Seeing Wicked on Broadway (2005)

Seeing Wicked in Seattle (2006)

 

My sister and I performing our (we think) award winning performance of Loathing at our Wicked party.

In fact, I think it's safe to say that if this story turns out to be true, I couldn't be happier!  (With the exception of the glee experienced at aforementioned events as well as any others that may occur to me after I post this.)

A Question For You Teachers Out There (And Other Stuff Too!)

I'm planning on getting around to my comprehensive Italy recap, but I need to filter through our 1600+ photos and get my thoughts organized first, so more to come on that in a few more days.

For now though, my focus is back on figuring out what I'm supposed to do with my unemployed self now that we're home from a magical honeymoon where I didn't allow myself to worry about it at all.  The more I've thought about going back to an administrative assistant position the more depressing it starts to feel.  I really loved my stint as an executive officer in the Air Force, but the main difference between an administrative job like that in the military and our here in the "real world" is the level of respect one gets while sitting behind that desk.  In the Air Force, being the "Ex O" was quite prestigious, and I was seen as the gateway between my boss and the people who wanted to talk to my boss, and so I was treated with close to the same level of respect as he was.  I've found that similar jobs in the civilian world don't come with that same treatment, and I don't know if I want to go back to being just "the girl at the front desk".  At least not indefinitely.

In the past couple of months, I've mentally auditioned just about every employment opportunity out there, and believe me, there have been some seriously harebrained ideas in the bunch.  But the one that I keep coming back to is going back to school to become an elementary school teacher.  It's a job I've always been intrigued by, and had I been allowed to change my major in college, I would have switched from English Lit to Elementary Ed in my sophomore year.  Unfortunately, by doing so I would have had to have gotten approval from the Air Force and would have risked losing my scholarship, so instead I just went on with things, thinking I'd be spending my life as an Air Force officer anyway.  So, now that I have the chance to try again, I'm thinking of jumping at it.  But my question is how?

I've done plenty of searching online, but I'm still confused about what the process would be to become certified to teach in Washington without a degree in education.  I found this website, which has helped to a certain extent, but what do they mean by "state-approved teacher preparation program at a regionally accredited college"?  Is this another bachelors degree or a different type of course entirely?  And how do I go about choosing one of these programs??  There are so many charts and links and graphs on that website that my brain has been utterly scrambled.  If I can't even figure out how to become a teacher, then maybe that's a sign, eh?  Anyway, any help would be oh so very much appreciated, and if you're all just as clueless as I am... well, thanks for nothing!

In other news.

Gone With the Wind, the musical, opened to disastrous reviews in London last night.  When I first heard that Gone With the Wind was being turned into a musical, I was horrified.  "What a dumb idea!" thought I, "Trying to make this epic tale into a musical is practically farcical!"  But then I started thinking about Les Mis, and how before it was a musical it was very serious, grim Literature, probably more so than Gone With the Wind, and it is one of the most spectacular, moving musicals out there.  So, maybe it's not such a dumb idea.  Maybe it'll even be great, and I'll have a new medium of enjoying the greatest story ever written!  I was excited! 

And now, apparently, it sucks.  Which is sad because it means it probably won't make it to Broadway, which means I'll probably never get the chance to see it, which means I'll probably never hear Scarlett sing the laughable line "I'm the queen of the county/The belle of the ball/But like Humpty Dumpty/ I had a great fall."  Cringe.  Unless I buy the cast recording.   And, of course, I will.