Blog Monday :)

For todays blog monday, we (Krista, Katie, and I) are taking a few minutes to remember what made us smile today.

Superfan: Today at work, I explained to Melissa how Tom was in fact one of the superfans that went to see New Moon at midnight on opening night. The part that really had me smiling/laughing was the part I may or may not have made up... where Tom dressed up as Jacob. If you could imagine that scenario, you'd be smiling too.

BadGuys: I've never hunted so many bad guys on a lunch break in my life. explanation: With Katie and Bryan still being in town from Mr. Stolmans 60th birthday bash (additional reason to smile), they invited me and my namesake Em (stevenson) over for lunch. After a chatter filled lunch, I had a duty to live up to, seeing as Katie had leaked information to her nephew on my bad guy catching skills. Of all the brilliant conversations that can go on between a 27 year old woman, and a 3.5 year old boy, the moment that gave me the biggest smile, wasn't due to conversation at all. After hunting behind Nana and Papas shrubs, ICS turns to me, says, "let's go hunt somewhere else", and then with the ease of his turn, puts his tiny hand out for me to hold on to. :) At that moment, I decided that there couldn't possibly be any more enjoyable form of hunting than this.

rollin.with.my.homies: As I was driving home from work, I was already in a good mood. Seeing as work was over for the day, a monday nonetheless, and I just heard Kid Rocks new "country" song on the radio, I was actually feeling really content to be in that moment. I switched lanes on Greenfield, to find myself behind a red honda civic, packed 4 deeps with friends that were also glad to be where they were on that monday afternoon. The windows were down, the music was up, and arms were out each window, grabbing after each beat as it left that car. They were embracing that moment, and loving on life. There is a big difference between listening to music, and feeling music. There is no doubt where these guys fell. As I passed them up the road, they were nothing but smiles. I couldn't help but be the same.

free.ride: There's a reason why the mice are still at the pet store. who wants a mouse? I mean, besides to feed it to another animal. Which, yes, is a little sad... but not really when you stop to think about the food chain, and the fact that it's a mouse. With that being said, I still squatted down by the little tank to watch this tiny white mouse on his tiny yellow wheel, get wayyyyy more exercise than me today. The best part is that he would run so fast. like seriously fast. and that wheel would crank, and those four little mouse feet would go! and all the sudden, he would STOP. and keeping his feet on his tiny yellow wheel, he would take a ride on that wheel until he almost flipped over! it was so funny, and I can't help but think that if mice could smile, he'd be doing so.

:)

Sunday Truth.

"Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you" - Jeremiah 32:17

whatever may be worrying or stressing you this morning, I pray that you find peace in this truth.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Blog Monday: weekend snapshot.

Today's Topic: If you had a camera at your side 24/7 this weekend (Friday night through Monday night), constantly taking pictures of your every moment, what were your most favorite "snapshots"?

channel.the.inner.diva: Friday night, I had the opportunity to do something that actually made me want to get my picture taken. For the first time in years, I went to a make up counter at the mall, and asked them to do my eye makeup. I knew I'd be going out to celebrate a friends bday, and figured it was a good excuse to have this kind of fun. Kristen, Audry and I went to Nordstroms, split up to 3 different counters, and let the artists show their skills. It was great, and I felt maaaarvelous. I could get used to that. Ironically enough however, no pictures were taken of the finished product.

out.of.work.early: Need I really say more? There is something about getting out of work unexpectedly early, on a Friday nonetheless, that creates feelings of bliss. These feelings, if bottled, would be stored and shelved right next to "last day of school". You're excited, and energized, and the world that confined you, has now set you free! It was brilliant. I vacuumed, cleaned and washed my car, shopped for bday cards, scrubbed the bathroom floor, walked the dog, took a shower, and 3 pronged my hair all before 5pm. ahhh, to steal time back from the man. a perfect start to an already long weekend!

beautiful.lake.beautiful.food: Saturday, I spent most of the afternoon on a dock at Pine Lake. It was wonderful, and exactly what I wanted to be doing with the entirety of my being at that very moment. I feel like moments like that are few and far between, and I was constantly thankful to be living it then. I took a ride on the boat, swam with the dog, caught up with friends, lounged on a raft, read my book, and ate cheeseburgers with side dishes of fresh mango and cheddar and sour cream potato chips. It couldn't have been better!

not.letting.selfish.desires.win: Sunday was a morning that I really didn't feel like getting up for church. I felt selfish, and that I deserved to get extra rest. I mean... it was a holiday weekend. I wanted it to be okay to sleep til noon, b/c I made the decision to celebrate with friends, and not go to bed until 3am the night..errr. morning before. But I pulled myself out of bed, and went. I love the days when sitting in church {even if watching at a table from the lobby} that God props you up in the midst of the message. I struggled with understanding the entirety of it, but I was glad to be there to hear it, and let it work at me. Sometimes we all need reminders of what we are not expected or can't do, but God can.

loving.my.country: I'm probably one of the most least political people I know. I don't like talking politics, and I didn't even register to vote until I was well into college. I have a hard time believing that I matter in the scheme of the entire country. but for real. However, I love and am proud of my country. I love how I feel when I see an American flag, and the words "God Bless America" on display just about anywhere. I'm a sucker for patriotic packaging, and I buy red white and blue sprinkles to put on cupcakes, b/c I think my country deserves to be recognized. even in dessert. I, by chance, ended my Sunday/started my Monday by watching the moving "Brothers". If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. It shows a side of war that a lot of people don't talk about. It's one of the most intense movies I've seen in a long time, but I went to bed thinking how thankful I was that I live in a country that is full of men and women braver than I'll ever be. Men and Women who endure hellish conditions, and no promises of return, in order to defend our country. These brave heros leave their homes, in order to keep us the land of the free. I think I would literally be scared to death if I had to stand on those lines. With that being said, I went into memorial day with tremendous thanks for those who have, are, and will serve to protect not only me, but my country. God bless, and Happy Memorial Day.

you've got (birthday!) mail.

This year, I will be better at writing birthday cards.

Sunday, I had a birthday, and I came to the realization that these days, the cards really are the best part. I've always enjoyed my birthday. I think a big part of it used to be that, in being a twin, there was always extra to celebrate! My family always did a good job in not lumping Audry and I together as "the twins", and instead, focused on the fact that we were two babies born at once. Therefore, twice to celebrate! I used to get burst after burst of excitement as family members and friends would walk into our birthday parties with two gifts each! What could they be? would they be the same? different color? why is one gift small, and one circle?! it didn't even matter. there were 2. and being of the same gender, we both really scored big. we really both got twice as much. But see, even in those days, beyond the gifts, was the tradition of the cards. I'm not sure when it actually started, but as long as I've known how to read, I've been sharing my cards with an audience. In our family, each card is read aloud. The tradition has a slight resemblence to storytime in a kindergarten classroom. The birthday person shows off the card, and then proceeds to read it. The process is then repeated with every card brought to the party.



The older I get, the more I can appreciate a good card. This year was the best of them all. I got cards at home and at work, some hand delivered and some via snail mail, some outright hilarious, and some that truely touched my heart. They are the best. Each one from a person that loves me enough to write me out a card. A card that gave me a little boost, and made me feel appreciated, loved, and best of all, known. I even solidified my consistency as a granddaughter, seeing as both my granny (moms mom) and grandpa (dads dad), got me identical cards. So, I vow to be better at it. I want to be more like the people that love me. It may not come naturally to me, but those I love deserve to hear it. Especially on the anniversary of their birth!


Here is one of my favorite funny ones. It's from Deepa.



































I'm holding her to it!

what have you been watching?!

Welcome to "Blog Mondays". What can I say, i've hit a few bumps here while trying to master consistency... but I'm back!

for now.

(i think).

Anyway, with the encouragement of fellow friends, and bloggers, Katie and Krista, I've been re-inspired! And to get the entries rolling on our old/new blogs, we're starting "blog mondays". Basically, they're going to be a short, themed question each week, for us to answer in as much or as little detail as we want. I hope you find them enjoyable!

Todays question: What were the last 3 movies you saw?

I'm not going to try to do some in depth reviews, b/c frankly I don't think I'd do that well. When it comes to movies, I'm pretty predictable. If it's a rom-com or a suspense movie, chances are it will be a worthwhile viewing in my book. But here we go! the last 3 movies I watched!

It's Complicated:

With a roommate that has a Netflix account, I'm slowly catching up with movies I've let slip by in recent years. A few weeks ago when the little red envelope showed up, I was hopefully optimistic about having this rom-com to watch. Surprisingly, however, my favorite thing about the movie, was the bakery that meryl streeps character owns in it. I'll fill you in on why at a later post, but until then, google it! it's amazingly inspiring!

The Back-up Plan:

No surprise here, another rom-com! Every other Wednesday, a group of my friends uses going to the movies as an excuse to spend time with each other. With this habit, we get a lot of new movies seen, but our beloved chick flicks end up taking priority. This one was surprisingly better than I thought it would be. Again, it's predictable, but I figure that I paid my $5 to be entertained, and i was.

Babies:

It shouldn't be much of a surprise to anyone that knows me, that I'd want to see this movie. For one, I'm often pulled into documentary type shows. I'm definitely a visual learner, and there's just something about getting to peek into the lives of other cultures that is truly fascinating to me! and two, it's babies! I love 'em. With no dialog in the entire movie, it still managed to be remarkably entertaining! Each baby had his/her own charm, and their little personalities just made my night. It did make me think how it's amazing how protective some parents are of their littles. If they could only see the way kids are Mongolia are still managing to make it to adulthood when their parents merely hold them on the back of motorcycles as infants; Or the animal mouths that some babies stick their hands in, it's pretty amazing. It's reassuring to see that at the end of the day, the thing all the babies had in common were nurturing parents, that were taking care of them the best they knew how. and with love.

It's good to be back.

for now.

X's, O's and blog mondays!

Wedding Day Rewind.

July of 2008 held one of the most unique and fun weekends of my life. Over three days, some of my closest friends and I got to be part of, and celebrate the wedding of David and Deepa. The joining of cultures of these two families was such a rare pairing, that it's even featured in the movie, "27 Dresses" as an example of a far out wedding. Dancing behind Indian horses, and standing alongside a Jewish chuppah, I was a part of my first, and perhaps only ever, Hin-Jew wedding (that's the actual name lovingly labeled by bride and groom).


In the midst of so much excitement, and details, and fun, a minor detail slipped through the cracks for the bride and groom... outdoor wedding pictures. For months, the B&G made comments about how it was the one thing they wished could have been different, and for months, I thought, "we should just do something about it!" A year and some odd change later, we did. It may have been traditional; bride and groom only, white dress - black tux, local park... but it happened.


The Sunday of Labor Day weekend, I got to expand on one of my passions, photography, with two willing photo subjects! We had a beautiful day filled with sunshine and white clouds on a blue sky! exactly what Labor day weekend is supposed to look like in my book :) Enjoy some pics of the lovely couple, a year later, and happy as ever to have each other!

same person. same place.

Often, the hardest part of the day for me is getting out the door by 8:20am.  Chances are if you read this blog, you know that me and mornings don't mix.  With that being said, the good news is that for the most part, things get easier after that.  I have a short commute.... approximately ten minutes +/- 2ish depending on how the traffic gods are working with me on any given morning.   I take the same route every day, but a different one to than from.    The thing I like best about the drive to work, is that more often then not, I see one of the most interesting couples i've ever seen.  When I first noticed the pattern of our continually aligned paths, I was struck by the fact that this guy is faithful to the same walk, every morning.  This guy is older, I'd say in his 60's... or at least weathered to the point of looking 60.  He's got a bald head, but the hair that grows from his chin more than makes up for it.  My guess is that his gray beard has grown to somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-12 inches.  When the weather is nice, he wears faded jeans and a black t-shirt, with what I'm sure must be one of his favorite band or a great deal he picked up at sal-val.  His shirt fits on top, but hugs his mid section too tight.  See, part of the reason he's so curious to me is that he's one of those men that has a tight pot belly.  Odd, I know.  But seriously, it's is, and I'm not sure how else to explain it.  You'll notice next time you see one, and you'll understand.  Anyway, it looks like he jumped off a motorcycle in 1985, never changed his clothes, and just to add a unique twist, decided to just walk from there on out.  This guy is NEVER in a hurry to go anywhere... he kind of operates in a stomping like stroll.  One that is at such a sedated pace that it's sometimes hard to believe he's even moving at all... until you see his buddy.  His buddy is a tiny dog.  Again, another addition to the scene that forces a double take.  With a guy like this, you expect to see a german shepherd, or a big bull dog... but not this.  This dog is small. and fat.  I thought for a while she was pregnant.  but that was more than a year ago, and as little as i know about the gestation period of dogs, I'm guessing that she's just plain fat.  It's always interesting for me to watch that as slllllow as this man walks, he's always still pulling the dog! I don't get it.  I can't imagine they walk far.  My guess would be around the block.... maybe a few.  But just enough to say they went on a "walk", but not really enough to do much of anything.  In any case, I like them. I like the peculiar duo that they are, and am glad that as hard as it is to get out the door by 8:20, I know that my punctual timing has the possibility to be rewarded by one of my favorite morning observations. 

Maybe next time i'll tell you about the barefoot lady I see on the drive home.