April Favs!

Only 4 days into the month this time. Progress! Now, onto a few of my favorite things. (Try to read that last sentence without singing. You can't, can you?)


We came back from New York last week to find these gorgeous things blooming in our front yard. Thanks previous owners! The best kinds of flowers are the ones someone else plants, in my opinion. There's also a peony bush with lots of buds on it. I hope they sprout in the next few days!


Hello, Handsome. At first I gave this show the side eye. I thought it was going to be this guy in a cowboy hat working as a cop in LA or something. But it's actually a really good show, that takes place in Kentucky. It's also the closest we'll get to EVER watching a crime show. Although if Timothy Olyphant was to star on Law and Order, I may have to eat my words.


Sorry for two TV shows as favorites, but I have been watching Sports Night reruns on my computer for a month. I watch them first thing in the morning and before I go to bed. I can't stop. I know all the lines by heart. It's not a spectacular show by any means and it can be a bit preachy, but I find it comforting.


I finally caved and downloaded the Scrabble app on my phone even though it was THREE dollars, which is madness. But I'm hooked, just like every other annoying person in your life who ignores you to look at their phones. I think I've been playing too much though, because it's getting harder to make words. I think it's making me dumber. Still fun though.



Podcasts! This picture is from the Pregtastic Podcast (duh). I'm addicted to the birth stories they post. I love listening to and reading to other people's birth stories, even the scary ones. Makes me feel reassured that women literally do it every day. I also started listning to the I Love Movies podcast by Doug Benson. He is hilarious, and I'm pretty sure he's stoned MOST of the time while recording his show, which only makes it funnier. Old favorites include the Adam Corolla podcast and also This American Life, although both of those are hit and miss lately. Please send me podcast recommendations if you have any!

This is also the month where my belly has POPPED. Do I have a picture to show you?

No.

Nick and I got back from New York on Monday night and I went through my camera to look at pictures from our trip and shamefully discovered I only took 14. And 4 of those were of Nick on the airplane, trying to bug him. I am the world's worst photographer! Here's my promise to you, blog readers. I'll have Nick take a picture of my huge, pregnant gut in all its glory and post it on the blog soon. No stretch marks yet...knock on wood!

March Favs

This is going to be pretty random, but what can I say? I am a woman a varied interests...either that or a scatterbrained pregnant lady. And it's only 10 days late! Here goes!

First and foremost (what does foremost mean anyway?)...

My absolute favorite thing in March was our ultrasound on the 23rd where we discovered the sex of our baby. Read on to find out.





Yay! A Boy! My prediction from many months ago was right! See here for proof.

The ultrasound tech (who was very UN-excited throughout our appointment)put the wand on my stomach and I immediately could tell it was a boy. The tech lady took a few pictures of his head and spine and then just types on the screen, BOY PARTS. Nick and I looked at each other and I asked her, "Does that mean it's a boy?" And she said, "Looks like it." And then she moved on.

Oh well. We were thrilled. Nick started crying, I couldn't stop laughing. Everything else looks great!

Now onto some more shallow favorite things.

#2-


Muffins
I cannot get enough. Any flavor, any time of day. I told my work people I would announce the sex of the baby at staff meeting by the flavor of muffins: blueberry for a boy and raspberry for a girl. I made two dozen blueberry muffins and haven't looked back. My favorite ones are the blueberry lemon muffins from Starbucks. So good.

#3-


Baby Clothes
Nothing, and I mean nothing is cuter than watching your husband go through racks of baby clothes, trying to find the perfect outfit for his unborn son. We went to the Just Between Friends consignment sale in Grapevine while visiting family and while I was looking for stuff for the baby's room, Nick picked out 4 of the cutest outfits of all time. Oh man, I can't wait for baby's first fashion show!

#4-

Tresemme Heat Tamer Spray.
Random I know, but since I started using this my hair is so super soft and manageable. I spray it on my wet hair and then blow-dry it and then another little spritz before I flat iron it. I love it.

#5-

Makeup and Hair Tutorials on youtube.
This one is really embarrassing. I am NOT someone who gives a damn about makeup. A few months ago, Nick brought home a ton of makeup from Target that he got a great deal on. I looked it all over and then said, "Any chance you could bring some magazines home next time? Or candy?" Anyway, the picture above is of two sisters who call themselves Elle and Blair. They each have channels on youtube which you can find here and here.

They're pretty. They're perky. They have tens of thousands of dollars worth of makeup. The videos become sort of addicting, or maybe just to me. But the truth is, I have learned a new way to curl my hair and am mastering the art of eyeliner thanks to these girls.

So that's my March favorites! Stay tuned for some belly pictures!

Movies of 2008

Can I just say that this was a shitty year for movies? Not many of the movies I saw this year jumped out at me. But since I'm up late watching the Hills, I thought I'd update y'all.

1. Sweeney Todd
2. Untraceable
3. The Savages
4. Cloverfield
5. 27 Dresses
6. Definitely Maybe
7. Be Kind Rewind
8. The Other Boleyn Girl
9. The Bank Job
10. 21
11. Run Fatboy Run
12. Leatherheads
13. Smart People
14. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
15. Baby Mama
16. Iron Man
17. Redbelt
18. Son of Rambow
19. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
20. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
21. Sex and the City (2)
22. The Happening
23. Wall-E
24. Wanted
25. Hancock
26. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
27. The Dark Knight (2)
28. Step Brothers
29. Pineapple Express
30. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2)
31. Bottle Shock
32. Burn After Reading
33. Appaloosa
34. Ghost Town
35. Miracle at St. Anna
36. Eagle Eye
37. Nights in Rodanthe
38. Blindness
39. W.
40. Role Models
41. Twilight
42. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
43. The Wrestler
44. Australia
45. Zach and Miri Make a Porno
46. Towelhead

Sticking with the same categories as last year...

Exceeded Expectations:
1. 27 Dresses - yes, kind of a fluffy movie but surprisingly enjoyable.
2. Son of Rambow - y'all know I love movies with little kids with British accents.
3. The Bank Job - mmm...Jason Statham.
4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - funniest movie of the year.
5. Pineapple Express - second funniest.
6. Ghost Town - third funniest. Ricky Gervais should be hosting the Oscar's. He would be amazing.
7. Australia - apparently, I'm the only one in America who liked this movie. But it was beautifully shot.

Thought It Would Be Good But Sucked It Up Bigtime:
1. Indiana Jones and the Stupid Crystal Skulls. - you should be ashamed of yourself, all who are involved with this movie. The ONLY good thing about it was the age of the leading lady. Thank God they didn't pair him up with a 25 year old this time.
2. Bottle Shock - This movie is a self-important, ridiculously boring movie. See my brother for an amazing impression of a douche bag being "shocked" by a "bottle" of wine.
3. Appaloosa - Booooooring.
4. The Wrestler - Nick will kill me for saying it, but this movie SUCKED. It had no plot; it was a character piece about a shitty character. And as my dad pointed out, "How can you have a 'comeback' in a sport that is all fake? That kid McLovin' could have a wrestling comeback if they wanted him to."

Movies I Knew Would Suck and Did Indeed Suck but Had To See Because It Was Nick's Turn:
1. Actually, none this year. Although he tried to get me to see Transporter 3 which would have definitely made this list.

I'm adding a new category called Guilty Pleasures. We've all got them (I'm looking at you, Simon Birch).
1. Sex and the City - a fun movie for a true fan.
2. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - I read these books way too often and love the movies as much as the books.
3. The Other Boleyn Girl - another movie based on a book I read several times a year.
4. and of course....Twilight. I have seen this movie more times than I care to mention. Even watching now, my heart beats a little faster when Edward comes on screen. Reminds me of when I saw Titanic when I was a freshman in high school...

What were your favs for 2008? And what do you think will win the Oscar for Best Picture?

i feel so inexperienced after doing this...

Stole this from The Sheila Variations. Makes me feel like I haven't done much with my life. Maybe I should do stuff other than see 4 movies in a weekend? Nah.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (maybe. See #64)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

men i wish were my grandfathers

You read correctly. I was not blessed to be close to my grandfathers. One of them lived on the other side of the country and died when I was in high school and the other one was a jerk. So, today, I was watching Sports Night, an amazing TV show that only ran for 2 seasons. And there was a scene where one of the associate producers Natalie was upset about a break up and her managing editor, Isaac, played by Robert Guillaume (who you might remember from the show Benson). Anyway, so Isaac cradles Natalie in his arms and smiles and says, "It's okay. It's okay, baby."

And I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried a little and I thought, "Aw, I wish Isaac was my grandfather." So I started thinking about other men I wished were my grandfather. Let me preface this by saying, I want these characters to by my grandfather. The actual actors could be alcoholic, self-absorbed losers. I already mentioned the first one, but I'll give you a visual.















He looks so trustworthy, doesn't he?


An obvious choice. The episode where watches his twin grandchildren is one of the greatest episodes of all of television. Don't even get me started on his relationship with Olivia.

Honorable mention to Heathcliff's father, Russell.













Richard Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls. I know he can be kind of stuffy, but there are some very tender moments with Rory. They both like to read, they like old-timey music. I bet I could totally bond with Richard.















This one is a bit of a reach, considering this man has a possible drinking problem and uses terrible language. However, Lester Freamon, from The Wire exudes wisdom and love to all who know him. He shows kindness to the stripper/prostitute, he gives tough love to his detectives, and his is beloved by all. Especially in the Fossey/Owens/Nguyen households.

I'd want Lester to be my grandfather or the President of the United States.

this guy

turns 27 today! (Even though he has chosen NOT to acknowledge any birthdays since 24, attention needs to be paid to this wonderful person. here goes.)

27 things i love about Nick:

I love that he knows a little bit about everything.

I love that he knows ALOT about football and technology.

I love it when he laughs so hard he cackles.

I love how much fun he has with my family.

I love how we like MOST of the same television shows and have no shame spending 14 hours watching them.

I love his gorgeous thick red hair.

I love how he holds my hand walking around outside.

I love how he loves and spends time with his grandparents.

I love how he cries at the mere mention of Rudy, Rocky or any number of sports movies.

I love that we have so many inside jokes that we can't remember them all and sometimes we bring up some ones we haven't used in awhile.

I love how he dances when one of his favorite songs comes on; he sort of shrugs his shoulders and moves his hips back and forth.

I love how he goes to the grocery store for me.

I love how he can fix anything with sometimes very unconventional means.

I love how he idolizes his father.

I love how he says, "Love ya!" to my family members when he says goodbye on the phone. Even I don't do that.

I love sneaking into movies with him. Sometimes 3 in a row.

I love the cute dimple on his right cheek.

I love how he gets so frustrated during football game that he makes up cussing phrases that don't exist. Remember GF?

I love watching him and Beacon (his BF) interact.

I love that his friends adopted me into their lives.

I love how loyal he is. If I complain about someone, he is always on my side.

I love how he reluctantly watches Sex and the City, and laughs sometimes.

I love how he tucks the blankets all the way up under his chin and looks so cute when he sleeps.

I love it when he talks about our future children.

I love/hate it when you take SO MANY PICTURES OF ME.

I love him for always getting me a drink of water when I need one.

I love the fact that I can come to him with any problem I have and he tries his hardest to make it better. He takes good care of me.


I love you Nicholas! I am so glad you were born.

pet peeves, of the grammar sort

I WAS going to post a blog about the Sex and the City movie, but Nick said that everyone will be posting about it and that's boring and predictable. So blame him if you wanted a review of the movie. It's coming later this week though.

Instead, this blog will be about some of my own personal pet peeves regarding poor grammar. I read alot of blogs and I come across alot of misspelled words and incorrect grammar. Let me preface this by saying, I do not claim to use perfect grammar. In fact, by spending most of my time speaking to children I come up with some crazy sentences.

Here are my top ten pet peeves:

1. When people say Nick's and I's instead of Nick's and my. Nick's and I's party was really fun. Ouch.
2. Conversate, instead of converse. I personally haven't heard anyone say this, but my dad says his students use it all the time in class and it drives him nuts.
3. Dieying, instead of dying. I'm dieing to see Sex and the City this weekend. Nope, not a word.
4. Your-You're. I am amazed by how many people misuse this. People of all ages and educational backgrounds.
5. Literally, it makes me want to jump off a cliff when people use this word figuratively.
6. FonT ThAt LoOkS LiKe ThIs literally makes me hate the person that used it. You heard me.
7. Too many exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!! Or question marks????????????????????
8. Yeah-Yea. Yeah is a casual way of saying yes. Yea is another way of saying yay!
9. Sister-in-laws vs. Sisters-in-law. Since I now have 2 sisters-in-law, I have to make sure I am saying it the right way.
10. Inappropriate quotation "marks". Look at this website for more instances like these. They'll make you cringe.

I realize that by typing this I open myself up to criticism and I'm okay with that. Even if this is riddled with mistakes in grammar, I can sleep at night knowing I'm doing my best to keep learning how to improve my own written words. By criticizing others.

100 Nay Facts

It was a long weekend....

1. I was born in Broken Bow, Nebraska.
2. I was the heaviest baby born in the hospital; 10 pounds, 12 ounces.
3. I'm deathly afraid of dinosaurs (in movies, obviously) and whales.
4. I used to be afraid of sharks, but surprisingly I'm not so much anymore. Getting used to them?
5. I feel very narcissistic writing all these facts about myself.
6. 90% of the TV I watch is on my computer or on DVD. Rarely, do I turn on the television to watch my favorite shows.
7. I have an embarrassing long list of favorite TV shows: The Office, Ugly Betty, Brothers and Sisters, The Hills, Peep Show, Gilmore Girls, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Shield, Coupling, The Vicar of Dibley, Bridezillas, Big Love, Entourage, 30 Rock, Sex and the City, Grey's Anatomy, Arrested Development, Project Runway
8. I am NOT a fan of most reality TV: American Idol, The Bachelor, Survivor, Big Brother, The Real World. All of the the people on those shows are self-centered losers.
9. Nick and I had our first date on April 21, 2004 and our first kiss on May 21, 2004.
10. He kissed me to get me to stop talking.
11. I read about the same 20 books every year, very rarely do I let new books into the rotation.
12. My first car was a 1997 red jeep wrangler and I loved that car.
13. My next car was a green nisaan sentra and I hated that car.
14. My next car (also my current car) is a white toyota corolla and I like the car very much.
15. She doesn't have cruise control and the radio is acting up.
16. Her name is Maggie.
17. I'm seriously considering naming my first daughter Maggie. It's been my favorite name for a long time.
18. I love to listen to talk radio, hate most current music.
19. Politicians makes me want to scream. Egomaniacs, the lot of them.
20. I watch a lot of British TV. Sometimes the accent carries over to my real life.
21. I recently discovered I can watch unlimited episodes of Saved By the Bell on Netflix.
22. The show has absolutely no continuity whatsoever. It's annoying.
23. I can't stop watching it.
24. I am a counselor at an agency in Midwest City, Oklahoma.
25. I mostly love my job. Sometimes it's overwhelming.
26. I work mainly with kids and they're hysterical.
27. I'd tell you more about them, but there's this pesky thing called client-therapist confidentiality.
28. I wore my hair in a bun for about 5 years until I discovered the flat iron.
29. It changed my life. I have since turned at least 5 of my friends onto the flat iron.
30. I have since stopped flat ironing my hair and started embracing my natural curls.
31. By the end of the day, my hair is usually in a ponytail or pigtails.
32. My hair color is my best feature.
33. Nick just read that and said, “that's debatable” and then checked out my rack.
34. My hair was jet black when I was born, turned red and curly, went red and straight and now is somewhere in between.
35. I hate spending money on clothes.
36. I'd rather spend money on movies, entertainment and scrapbooking stuff.
37. I like to scrapbook but it's taken me 7 months to make about 6 pages of my wedding scrapbook.
38. No one makes me laugh harder than my mom, dad, brother, brother's girlfriend and husband.
39. I've never broken a bone.
40. Nick has taken up photography as a hobby.
41. It gets annoying having a camera in my face all the time.
42. I wish I could cook.
43. I'm a better baker than a cook.
44. I'm not much of a drinker. I go for months without a drink. Probably because when I DO drink, I drink a bit too much and am turned off alcohol for awhile.
45. I'm a bit scared of heights. Not so much in a plane, but when I'm only surrounded by air.
46. I hate tomatoes, but tomato soup is in my top 3 favorite food.
47. I'm watching the Saved By The Bell episode where Jessie's stepbrother comes to town and everyone hates him at first but then they decide they like him and convince him to stay in LA instead of moving to NY. He agrees to stay and then is never seen again.
48. I absolutely cannot apply eyeliner.
49. This weekend I got a makeover at Sephora. The guy put so much eye makeup on me, it took seven cotton balls to get all of it off my face later that night.
50. I can't believe I'm only halfway done with this.
51. As a therapist I'm always very offended when therapists sleep with their patients on tv and movies.
52. I feel like that is SO unbelievable, but it real life that is the #1 reason therapists lose their licenses.
53. My least favorite chore is putting away laundry. Most of the time we end up pulling clean, folded clothes out of the hamper to wear.
54. I also hate going to the grocery store and try to figure out how to get Nick to go without me.
55. Nick and I drink about a CASE of diet coke every 2 weeks.
56. We're losing our short term memory because of the aspartame in the diet coke, but we can't cut back.
57. I hate drinking water.
58. Nick and I are trying to watch all the best picture nominated films since 1970. We've seen about 95 out of 195. Yikes.
59. So far the favorites have been Chinatown, Deer Hunter and Coming Home.
60. I planned on being an elementary school teacher my whole life until I took a psychology class freshman year and was hooked.
61. I've been out of the country 3 times. All three times I went on a cruise to the same beach in Cozumel, Mexico.
62. I collect baby-sitter club books.
63. I have about 150 of them.
64. Our books are arranged on our shelf by color.
65. I am a terrible decorator.
66. I LOVE to dance. In my car, at home, at work anywhere.
67. Nick and I go to the movies about 3 times a month.
68. I don't think we'll turn into those people who say they “don't have time to see movies.”
69. I have very lame taste in music. I blame my parents.
70. Even though I am a married lady now, I still look at wedding planning websites.
71. I chipped my tooth when I was eight years old. I never got it fixed.
72. I use terrible language. I cuss all the time.
73. My kids are going to be the potty mouthed ones on the playground.
74. I love playing board games but Nick gets mad at me when I win so I avoid playing with him.
75. Nick and I did not live in the same state until 2 months after we were engaged.
76. I read magazines and books in the car. While driving.
77. I like to talk to kids in grocery stores.
78. I had a crush on Nick the first time I met him.
79. One of my pet peeves in movies is when there is a strong woman who comes across kind of bitchy and says she doesn't need a man and then she gets drunk and admits that she is lonely and falls all over the man. Examples: The Wedding Planner, Medicine Man, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Two Weeks Notice and many more.
80. I think I could eat pizza everyday for the rest of my life.
81. I used to think fall was my favorite time of year but end of spring/beginning of summer is changing my mind. The weather brings back some strong memories.
82. My engagement ring is a moissanite, not a diamond. The reasons for this are: a) I didn't want Nick to spend a fortune on something I will probably lose, but I also didn't want a tiny speck of a stone on my ring. b) The markup on diamonds is so ridiculous, I can't even talk about it. c) Diamonds aren't rare and the reason they are so expensive is because the DeBeers company controls the market.
83. If I had my way all my children would be girls.
84. Nick has turned me onto football. We've been to 2 Jets game and they lost both times.
85. I really want to ride on a Segue and a moped someday.
86. I'm shopping for a bike right now.
87. I've always felt there is something so magical about summer nights. They make me wish I could go back to high school.
88. I've got the baby fever real bad right now, but Nick won't let me.
89. I used to be more extroverted, but now I feel very anxious in large groups of people.
90. I love office supplies.
91. I read a lot of blogs of people that I don't know, or I just went to high school or college with, but we're not really friends.
92. I think everyone probably does this, but we all keep it a secret.
93. I like cats more than dogs and I think it's stupid how people can say they hate cats but if you say you hate dogs, they look at you like you said you hate money or democracy or something.
94. I'm a total slob
95. I hate being woken up by a loud clap of thunder. I usually sleep badly for the rest of the night after it happens because I'm waiting for it to happen again.
96. I used to have a fairly good singing voice but I feel like it is getting worse the older I get.
97. The bathroom at Target smells like my kindergarten class in Ohio.
98. I want to get my brain scanned.
99. Going to the movies is my favorite date. Going to a bookstore is second.
100. I'm going through a phase right now where if I agree to hang out with someone or go somewhere, as soon as I get there I want to leave.