day 14

a photo of one of your favorite family members:





well, obviously, it's impossible to pick a favorite family member. but, in light of recent events, i'm going to have to pick my grandma:

growing up, she's the one who taught me to bake, so that was a major contribution to my life. until recently, i had lived with her for almost two years, before she passed away a few weeks ago from a bladder infection, which came from complications after radiation for lung cancer. she was immensely loving, God-fearing, beautiful, and stubborn (a trait I'm pretty sure i inherited). in this picture, she's holding Nuggette, who is also her namesake. it's weird living in the house by myself now, but i still think about her and miss her everyday.

on a side note, please ignore whatever the heck it is i'm doing in the background.

rant against today

Look, normally whenever people start to get on their soapbox about how holiday's are so commercialized, and people celebrate for all the wrong reasons, and we all fall for the societal stereotype, I'm the first person to stand up and tell them to keep their opinions to themselves. Holidays are about celebration, right? People are happy, it's a time of love and joy and goodwill.

I associate 'holidays' with thanksgiving, christmas, easter and new years as the larger holidays. Memorial day, labor day, the 4th of july, halloween, and even st. patrick's day are the second-tier holidays. notice that in neither list do you see VALENTINE'S DAY.

now don't start thinking that the reason i don't like valentine's day is because i'm single - i've disliked the day even when i was in a relationship and got my very own flowers and box of overpriced chocolates. listen, there are 365 days in a year. i know plenty of people who take their loved ones for granted 364 days out of the year, but then buy the obligatory card and roses for their loved ones on february 14, just because the rest of the world told them they should. shouldn't we say 'i love you' and SHOW our loved ones how much they mean to us each and every day?

yes, i bought my family members cards, and i was planning on making heart-shaped cookies for my coworkers (but then ran out of time yesterday and didn't get around to it), so i've fallen for the commercialism of the holiday just as much as the rest of society. but i'm still going to have a deep dislike for the stupid little man with wings and supposed magic arrows and the EXTREMELY overpriced Hallmark card...but i'll still appreciate the chocolate i bought for myself at Trader Joes last night. =]

Brain Dump

running last night: anyone who knows me already knows that i detest running. i'm a very picky runner - as in, i have to be in the "mood" to run, and am usually able to tell if i'm in this "mood" within 2 minutes of starting to jog. mostly i dislike running because it's so hard on my knees, but honestly....it's just so darn boring. but lo and behold, the other night at the gym i actually ran a mile! which to most doesn't seem like much, but seeing as I haven't touched a treadmill in months, it was quite the accomplishment.

london olympics: summer olympics, 2012. i DESPERATELY want to go. anyone have an extra two grand they'd be willing to give me, as well as a recommendation of a free 5-star hotel in london? let me know!

knitting: my aunt taught me the basic knit and pearl stitches last march, with the intent that i could make a blanket for the Nugget before he/she was due in July. it's almost a year later, and i don't think i've gotten past row 12. i really need to get working on that again.

fashion: my word, i need help. i have some cute clothes, but i need my very own stacy and clinton to tell me how to wear them and what to wear them with. Grace, we're going shopping when you get here!

house of cards: totally random (the theme for this post, if you couldn't already tell), but i was listening to a taylor swift song and she mentioned a 'house of cards', when i realized that i've never built a literal house of cards. i remember there was a brady bunch episode where the kids had a card-house-building competition, and i vowed right then and there i would build my own someday. i think i was about 10 when i made that promise. i should honestly cross that off my bucket list.

healthy living: i've finally reached the point in my never-ending weight battle, and decided that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: i'm finally going to lose this weight once and for all! i lost 15 lbs. in college after doing the nutrisystem plan, and kept it off for about a year and a half. but then when Nuggette was born in July, i didn't go to the gym for about a month - just burnt out, i suppose. then there were the good old American (read: fattening) summer BBQs, halloween candy, thanksgiving, christmas cookies, etc. and now that it's the new year, i have no more excuses, no more holidays, and honestly need to focus on my health. which means back to my old routine of going to the gym a MINIMUM of four times per week (hopefully 5-6), eating rabbit food and lots of soup, lean protein, yadda yadda yadda. basically torturing myself until i'm back down to my old weight. oh the fun never stops around here!

day 13

a photo of your best friends:

K

Shawtz and Polly

Grace

CKN

(haha looks like an abbreviation for chicken)

day 12

a photo of you:

today's theme seems to be without any kind of specific requirement, and wait a sec, didn't we do this one already??? fine, i'm going to deviate away from the assignment and make up my own.

DAY 12 - a photo of your pet.

i've already written a story about how Sadie came to be a member of our family here. nowadays, she's moving a little bit slower from arthritis, but is still a young puppy at heart, even at the age of 14 1/2. i can't imagine a better dog.

then there's this little mutt-face. soon after getting married in the summer of 2009, my sister and her husband decided they wanted a puppy. after spending hours upon hours scouring pet adoption sites, they found what they were looking for: a 6-month old black lab puppy named Trudie. well the great thing about pets that isn't necessarily true for humans is that you can change the animals name on a whim and the world will keep spinning. anyway, they had decided on the name Laney Lou for this puppy. isn't she adorable? the even better part is that there are still times when i need a puppy fix, and this adorable creature continues to barrel me over whenever i pull in their driveway for all the puppy-lovin' i can get.

day 11

a photo from your favorite film:

oooohhh, close tie. basically the same plot/movie, but one is definitely updated for our times. the kiera knightly/matthew macfadyen is waaay more romantic, and my go-to movie when i'm in a sappy chick flick kind of mood. Bridget Jones carries more of the cynical plot, and is the best medicine when i'm in a "i'm-single-and-thats-okay-because-i-don't-need-a-man-just-a-good-love-story" kind of mood.


P&P favorite line:

Mr. Darcy: "You must know...surely, you must know it was all for you. You are too generous to trifle with me. I believe you spoke with my aunt last night, and it has taught me to hope as I'd scarcely allowed myself before. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.

-SWOON-

Bridget Jones favorite line:

Mr. Darcy: " I don't think you're an idiot at all. I mean, there are elements of the rediculous about you. Your mother's pretty interesting. And you really are an appallingly bad public speaker. And, um, you tend to let whatever's in your head come out of your mouth without much consideration of the consequences... But the thing is, um, what I'm trying to say, very inarticulately, is that, um, in fact, perhaps despite appearances, I like you, very much. Just as you are.

or is it just the British accents that make me swoon and vow to move to England at the earliest possible opportunity?

day 10

a picture of you as a baby:
(or not quite a 'baby', but still dang little!)

obviously i look nothing like i did as a baby. blonde, shirley-temple-curly hair, slate blue eyes, and an ever-present high-pitched squeal? not so much. funny how genetics and time work out. but anyway, here's the family again in all its early-90s fabulous glory:

can we just take a moment to admire a few things here?

- despite his salt-n-pepper hair color, my dad was probably 32 or 33 in this picture. everyone on my dad's side of the family starts going grey around age 18. you're jealous, right?

-POWDER BLUE DINNER JACKET. with a pink tie? honestly, dad.

-my mom's fantastic hairstyle. actually not bad considering the time period, but still probably the shortest i've ever seen it. (love you, mom!)

-from the time i was born until about age 11, my sister and i wore matching or at least coordinating outfits, until we had a united rebellion against my mom's dress choices. freedom form bows, lace, and pink synthetic fabrics forever!