River Walkin'

Tom got a chance to show me the town he grew up in, Aurora ,NE, a few weekends ago. It was his grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary, and they still live there. The population there is around 2, 500 so you get the true small-town experience when you stay for a weekend. We took a quick tour so we could see the house Tom grew up in and the town square where his grandparents and parents owned and ran their own shops back in the 80s. It was fascinating...small towns ALWAYS fascinate me. What do people do there? Where do they shop for clothes? Is it really like Friday Night Lights (Tom's mom ensured me that is was)?? Everyone knows each other and even the pastor at church gave Dean and Virginia an anniversary shout-out during the service on Sunday. Besides some good-old fashioned family time, we spent Sunday in York at the famous Chances R brunch, complete with mimosas and slideshow of favorite memories honoring the couple. It was heartwarming to see his grandparents so in love after all these years and I know it meant so much to them to have their growing family all together in Aurora. As his grandpa said, "60 years means nothing without all if this...".

Tom's first house. Aurora, NE

Scrapbook Gift

The Morgan Family

The next weekend was the long-awaited bachelorette party for Jacque in San Antonio. Our flight left pretty darn early on Friday morning, but that didn't stop us from enjoying a few bloody mary's on the flight to get the weekend started...we all needed a vacation! We surprised Jacque with champagne in the hotel upon arrival and we made sure to make a toast to the happy couple before we hit the Riverwalk. We spent the day checking out our surroundings (prrreeettty much a bunch of bars and restaurants) and stopped to have lunch at Barriba Cantina to get in the southwestern mood. The sangria was delicious, the service mediocre. After walking around, we got dolled up for the first night out at Rita's on the River and Coyote Ugly. And after that, I've seen enough girls dance on a bar to last me a lifetime. I would say, what happens in San Antonio stays in San Antonio, buuuuuut that's not exactly true when the night ends with two girls getting tattoos. But what's a bachelorette party without a tattoo, right?

The following day while some slept, a group went on a boat tour on the Riverwalk (don't ask me what they learned, I was one of the sleepers). However, I did wake up in time to walk to the Market Square, which is a lively part of town containing every bandito souvenir your little heart desires. We spent the last night wine tasting, fine-dining, and bottle-servicing at a club on the strip. I think the weekend included everything Jacque had ever wanted in a pre-nuptial party, but many of these things are not appropriate for a PG blog such as this. We definitely made memories that we will never forget!!

The Riverwalk

Everything's bigger in Texas

Just an idea of what went on late night in room 1708

The group, the shirts, the ink, the bull!

The group!

 In other news...I bought a sewing machine!! I've already sewn a pillow case ALL BY MYSELF. Hey, I never got to take Home Ec, so don't judge me :)

My first Singer

A Few Oscar Nominees

Working on seeing all the Oscar nominated films! I'm definitely not going to make it before they award show this Sunday, but here are the ones I've seen so far (in order from favorite to least):

The Descendants

The Descendents is about how a family tragedy changes the relationship between a father and his two daughters. This was, by far, my favorite movie of the year. The story line is fairly dark, but with just the right twists of humor spread throughout. George Clooney does an excellent job playing the part of the confused adolescent-raising father and both the daughters do a phenomenal job as well. It had me shedding a few tears here and there, but I enjoy movie tears when the time calls for it because it usually means I’ve fallen in love with the characters.

Moneyball

I didn’t expect to think much of Moneyball from the trailers I had seen. I thought it would be a silly, light-hearted story of a baseball team (think Rookie of the Year)—and don’t get me wrong, it was—but in a good way. The fact that it was based on true events made for a stronger credibility and authenticity than just any sports flick. I really liked Jonah Hill’s character (he was nominated for best supporting actor) and Brad Pitt wasn’t too shabby either (up for best actor). If you’re looking for something light but not brainless, watch this.

The Help

I was so excited to see The Help after I read this book for my book club over a year ago. I loved the book. I know there has been recent controversy around how the book and film portray black women in the 60s, but I don’t care. I loved that book. Therefore, I thought I would love the movie. But I didn’t. I thought the flow of the story and the acting was just…well…awkward. I was expecting to be drawn into the story the same way I was when reading the book—rooting for the character’s triumphs and cringing over their tribulations—but I felt sort of “blah” through the whole film. I usually adore Emma Stone, too.  Most people I spoke to loved the movie, so maybe I am just a book brat with extreme expectations. This is why I refuse to see the Water for Elephants movie. I’ll leave it at that.

Midnight in Paris

Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson were a great combination in Wedding Crashers. Woody Allen is a great director. I love books and literature. I can appreciate a good romantic comedy every now and again. All of this combined seems it would be a recipe for a good review of a movie including all of the above,  but I found myself wondering, “That was nominated for best picture of the year?” when I finished watching this. The story has a weird (and we all know Woody Allen is weird) plot twist where Owen Wilson is able to canoodle with some of his favorite classic writers when the clock strikes midnight while vacationing in Paris. I just couldn’t get into it, simply put.  It wasn’t horrible, but it just doesn’t fit into the category of best movie of the year.

The Tree of Life

I do not feel worthy of reviewing this movie. I think it’s on a different level than me; a level where I was just completely, utterly confused and baffled by the whole thing. I can’t even explain what is it about because I honestly don’t know. It was just a bunch of random clips of a family and then outer space, and then landscapes with lots of people whispering on the voice-over. The New York Times reviewed this movie saying, “ Its most provocative sequences envision the origin of the universe, the development of life on earth (including a few soulful dinosaurs) and then, more concisely and less literally, the end of time, when the dead of all the ages shall rise and walk around on a heavenly beach.” If that helps at all. But they also said this, “Do all the parts of ‘The Tree of Life’ cohere? Does it all make sense? I can’t say that it does. I suspect, though, that sometime between now and Judgment Day it will.”

 

Grey and Yellow

Changing my color scheme in our master bedroom to my new favorite color combo: grey and yellow. Slowly, but surely, I'm getting there.

Yellow Rug from World Market

Grey Patterned Duvet from PBTeen.com

Pillow I Sewed with Fabric from Fabric.com 

Lamps from World Market

All Together

Planning on adding another few pillows, incorporating one additional accent color. I'm thinking a reddish hue inspired by this room:

Lately

New Years Eve

New Years Eve

Ice Skating at Crown Center 

Valentine's Day Dinner at Union Station

Sewing Class at Bon Bon Atelier (that place is so stinkin' cute!! I'm obsessed).

Kauffman Center

The Month of Love

Happy (late) Valentine's Day to everyone!! I never usually make a big stink about this holiday, but I love any reason to make a fun craft or try a new recipe to take to the office with me. This year, I opted for these Valentine's Day blondies that I found on Pinterest:

I cut them into little squares and called them my "bite-sized blondies"

They were a hit at work!! Basically, they are just cookie bars with M&Ms, but they are called blondies because they are in the shape of brownies, except...blonde! Don't make the same mistake as Tom did when he took them into his work and call them whities...yikes.

I also wanted to do something original for Tom for Valentines day, but what do you get a guy who you have been dating for 5 years? We never do presents for holidays anymore..but I still wanted to remind him how much I loved him and to make him feel special. My friend, Carly, found this idea and made it for her new beau, so I snagged the idea and made it for Tom. The idea comes from Pinterest as well, and all you need is a deck of cards, Mod Podge, a binder ring, a hole punch, little hand-written (or typed) thoughts, and 52 things you love about your special honey! I think Tom really appreciated the authenticity that this gift offered, more so than your standard greeting card, for sure! I cut out small rectangles from heart-themed scrapbook paper and wrote my thoughts with a Sharpie. Then I used Mod Podge to put a glossy seal over the top. I used the hole punch so I could bind the cards together on the ring for easy flip access. 

52 Things I Love About You

Hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day!! 

Tom actually does have a romantic side :)