day30: three wonderful things that happened this month

1) A fun and delicious Thanksgiving dinner...with my other family.


Photo by Dustin Wilfert
Originally captioned, "Happy Thanksgiving, scumbags."
Yay for friends.


2) A much-needed four day weekend spent crafting, sleeping, and Netflix-ing. 

3) A date with the lovely Lauren...and Morgan, too.

Catching up with...

day29: someplace I'd like to visit

Some day, I will see mountains west of the Mississippi. Hello, National Parks.

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Mt. Zion National Park



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Yellowstone National Park

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Glacier National Park



I need an adventure.

Catching up with...

day28: a skill I'd like to learn

I would love to learn how to sew. If I knew how to sew (and had a sewing machine), the list of things I would stitch would be endless.

Here's the short list:

1) Aprons. One for every day of the week.

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2) Clothes. More specifically, an exact replica of Bonnie's entire wardrobe from Bonnie & Clyde.

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3) Throw pillows. So. Many. Throw pillows.



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In other words, I would most likely never leave my house.

Catching up with...

day27: myself, one year ago

At Kyle's insistence, we got a real live Christmas tree last year. He was gleaming like a little kid at, well, Christmas. 

We were trying to take a cute picture of the three of us with our tree. However, a certain camera-shy terrier wasn't going to cooperate. 

Catching up with...

day26: something I'm looking forward to

I'm looking forward to New Year's Eve. Last year, Kyle and I celebrated with Morgan. We kept it low-key and avoided $30+ covers at the bars downtown. We ordered pizza, watched Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and stayed up talking until 8 a.m. (Two of us did, anyway.)

We'll be ringing in 2012 the same way. But this year, we'll be toasting Dan Aykroyd wine and smoking stogies.

We're so badass.



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Catching up with...

day25: the contents of my purse

The contents of my purse are never very interesting.

+ Wallet (Would like something smaller--I need to simplify.)

+ Current read (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close...again. Everyone should read this book.)

+ iPod (I'm hoping for an iPod touch in my future.)

+ Various keys (Yes, I need all of them.)

+ Tape measure (Given to me by my high school English teacher when I got engaged. According to her, "every married woman needs a tape measure.")

+ Mittens (Purchased in Mackinaw City.)

+ Burt's Bees. (My favorite.)

Catching up with...

day24: something that means a lot to me

I really value my life-long love of books and reading. My grandma taught me how to read my first book, There's a Dragon in my Wagon at the age of 4, and I haven't put a book down since.

I truly believe that being a booklover gave me one of life's greatest pleasures, an vivid imagination. And for that, I will be forever grateful.

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Catching up with...

midweek (ok, not really) rambles

+ I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. It was so nice to be able to spend time eating and laughing with my family. I was fortunate to be able to enjoy a 4-day weekend. It has definitely made getting back into the swing of an everyday routine difficult.

+ Kyle and I saw The Muppets this past weekend. It. Was. Fantastic. I loved that it was very much a homage to the original films, but with a fresh twist. Also, I cried like a baby during "Rainbow Connection." No shame.


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+ I used a vegetarian take on this recipe to fix chili this week. It tasted great and we had a TON left over to freeze for easy meals in the future.

+ Now, I don't want to jinx anything, but can I just say how excited I am that it has been bright and sunny (and snow-free!) for days here in GR? This is an amazing accomplishment for West MI in December.

+ I'm really excited to see Spring Awakening tonight, put on by Actors' Theatre in GR. I've loved the music since Lauren introduced me to it in college, but have never seen a production. Check it out on Youtube. This is my favorite song.

Happy weekend-ing!

day23: eight things you (probably) didn't know about me

1) I have a lisp. 


2) Sometimes, I act.

In "Nightmare, The Musical" at Dog Story Theater, GR
Yep, that's a mustache. 
Photo by Bradley Briegel.

3) I had straight hair for most of my childhood. When I was 13, I literally woke up one morning and it was curly. (It's still curly to this day.)

4) I'm a flexatarian. I don't eat meat 98% of the time, but put a Yesterdog in front of me, and I'm going to eat it.


5) I played flute in my high school marching band. (Shocking, I'm sure.) I also had a brief stint as an alto saxophone player in jazz band.


6) My least favorite chore is vacuuming. Good thing Kyle actually enjoys it, or we would have very messy floors.


7) While I'm not a fan of winter at all, I love to ice skate. Love it. It's the one physical activity where I don't feel clumsy, fat, or awkward.


8) I wish I was more artistic.

Catching up with...

happy thanksgiving

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May your Thanksgiving Day not be assailed with John Hughes-ian antics.

(Unless you're into that kind of thing.)

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. I'm so very thankful for you.

midweek rambles

+ Kyle and I will be making the 2 hour drive to my parents' house tonight after work. I'm hoping for safe travels, Starbucks, and iPod sing-alongs.

+ My favorite movies to watch on Thanksgiving are Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and Home Alone. (Does anyone else remember Home Alone being shown on TV every Thanksgiving?) I love John Hughes. And John Candy. So much. 

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+ One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I know it's cheesy, but I love it. Fingers crossed for Muppet appearances!

+ This year I'm responsible for bringing desserts to our family feast. I'm baking pumpkin cookies with homemade cream cheese frosting and Moosewood brownies. I've been really into baking recently, so I'm excited to have a wider audience than just Kyle.

+ I'm so thankful to be spending my favorite holiday with my family. It's been a stressful year, but I have so much to be thankful for. 

Have a lovely holiday!

day22: some place I've traveled

We took a cruise to Key West and Cozumel on our honeymoon. I loved them both and can't wait to go back someday. These were all taken on Key West.

Catching up with...

day21: something I could never tire of





I live and breathe Lake Michigan. 

Catching up with...

day20: a childhood anecdote

When I turned 4, I planned my own surprise birthday party.

The best part? 

 I was still surprised. 


Catching up with...

A special thanks to Mom and Dad for the pictures, and to Svet for getting them to me. <3

day19: a silly self portrait



The truth is out there.

Catching up with...

day18: what I wore today

I feel so very awkward posting pictures of myself like this. Kudos to all of the fashion bloggers who do this on a daily basis and look gorgeous doing it!

Rundown: Blazer-Goodwill; Jeans-Old Navy; Boots-Target;
Scarf-purchased on our honeymoon cruise 

Catching up with...

thankful fridays |3|

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Via

Nov12: Today, I'm thankful for the chance to visit with Kyle's family. We helped his parents move some furniture, and then went out to dinner.

Nov13: Today, I'm thankful for a dreary afternoon spent curled up on the couch watching Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 special features. Hello hour-long interview with J.K. Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe!

Nov14: Today, I'm thankful to have all of my software back on my laptop. I was able to reinstall iTunes, my camera software, and Netflix. I'm not technically inclined, so this is a huge accomplishment for me.

Nov15: Today, I'm thankful Kyle didn't have rehearsal and we were able to have an evening together during the week. It was so nice not to come home to an empty house.

Nov16: Today, I'm thankful for an evening spent at Yesterdog's with Morgan laughing our asses off. Fingers crossed that all that laughing burned off the calories from the hot dogs and Vernor's.

Nov17: Today, I'm thankful that my aunt's surgery went well. Hoping she will be feeling much better by Thanksgiving Day.

Nov18: Today, I'm thankful for a good week at work. It's been a struggle for the past few months, and this week I'm finally feeling like things are starting to click.

What are you thankful for? I'd love to know!

Happy Friday, friends.

happy birthday, dad!

 

Old Styles at Wrigley
Sept2009



Interpreting art
ArtPrize2010




Waiting to walk me down the aisle
Aug2011


To the father who taught me how to ride a bike, root for the Cubbies, and believe in myself...I will be forever grateful.

Consider this your gift for under $5 that comes from the heart.

Love, Goose

P.S. GO CUBS GO!

midweek(ish) rambles

+ Morgan recently introduced me to Bookshelf Porn, a collection of pictures of amazing bookshelves. *swoon* If you're like me and love the smell of books and spending the afternoon in the library, you will love this website.

From my personal collection of bookshelf porn. Classy.
Argos Book Shop,
Eastown, GR

+ I mentioned awhile back that if/when I hit 15 followers, I would host a giveaway. I'm currently at 17 and am so excited to get this giveaway underway! (Psst...Look for it after Thanksgiving.) 

+ Ok, I'm not a huge Glee fan. I am, however, really loving Adele right now. A few Gleek friends posted this video on Facebook and I love it. *hits repeat*

+ "If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its entire life believing it is stupid." (Albert Einstein)

I came across this quote this week and it's really encouraged me. Lately, I've been struggling with some career issues and it's really brought me down. This quote reminds me to not be too hard on myself. Maybe I'm not meant to climb. This doesn't mean I've failed, it just means I'm meant to swim...


+ Sometimes, Henson has to save the universe. No big deal.

And by "save the universe," I mean sweep my kitchen floor. Yikes.

Let the weekend commence!