Ten things I love Sunday!

Posted on | Sunday, April 24, 2011 | 1 Comment

I almost forgot to do this again! Better late than never, right? Apologies if it looks a little sloppy, I am chasing around a very hyper four-year-old whilst combating a weather-induced flare up. At least I have a nice mug of roobios tea to keep me company and my list of ten wonderful things.

Enjoy!


1. He Has Risen!


















No matter what, this will always be something that I love. Love isn't even the right word. Gratitude? Humility? Reverence? I have such a strong and unspeakable surge of emotion when I think of the sacrifice Christ made for us. For sinners who are so undeserving. How great a love He has that He would give His life for my soul. My tarnished, small, insignificant soul. I love you, Lord. And I love today.

2. Books

I love books. But especially I love old books. Books that people wrote notes int he margins about, ones that were published a hundred years back and have that fragile feel to them. You want to be delicate with them, because books don't always live that long, especially now with the worlds library available online and elsewhere.

3. Toasters

This super awesome do-dad is from Think Geek. How awesome would it be for your own toast to say "bite me" on it? Pretty awesome, I say. Let's not forget that the toaster itself is pretty darn cute, even without the pop art designs.

4. Fondue

Fondue is awesome. Dunking pieces of food in other melted food with sticks -- genious! But I particularly love this idea. Adding in sprinkles and other delectables just makes it so much more fun. I would totally throw a fondue party just to use the colorful sprinkles. I'm actually making myself hungry looking at this picture...

5. Bicycles

Okay, so it may not be the most FUNCTIONAL bike out there, but this idea is so neat. I would love to have an "Alisha" bike in bright teal (unless I decide to name my bikes like I name everything else, then there might be a problem...). I can't wait until these guys finish their prototypes, because I would totally be buying one.

6. Bookshelves

It's a tree! It's a bookshelf! No, it's both! True, you can't hold as much on one of these tree but the idea is still so cute. I could see us having one for Kael's bedroom to stack all of his Dr. Seuss books. And, maybe one for the living room too.

7. The People In Books

I wish I had thought of this! The idea is a collection of characters from famous books (check it -- GRYFFINDOR!) who strive to stay in the real world. Photos of different fairy tale characters getting sucked into their respective titles. The series itself is called “Get Back In Your Book” is a series of photos done by Lissy Laricchia.

8. Starfleet

I wish I knew who had designed these shoes. The geek in me is having a complete fit about them. They're Starfleet Academy heels!!! Although I am a little bit concerned about them being red. Red is not a good color for Starfleet. Maybe I can swap them out for Pavel yellow or McCoy blue...

9. Bounce House

I have no words for this other that it is awesome. And that I am wondering how they hang pictures on the wall.

10. Spoons

Why are all the cute things on the internet?? I love this idea so much. And I love that the spoons are different sizes and from completely different sets. It's the same way with people; two completely different sets come together and they share their lives with each other. Ice cream included.

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Spring Carnival

Posted on | Saturday, April 23, 2011 | 1 Comment

Every spring just before Easter Norman does what is called Kick Butts Day, which is a city event that campaigns against smoking while offering a positive environment for children to play in. This year they had an egg hunt, bounce houses, snow cones, pizza, and popcorn free to the public. They also had a live DJ playing some pretty nifty tunes while explaining the hazards of smoking.


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It's like taking home a baby

Posted on | Friday, April 22, 2011 | No Comments

Let me start off this post my saying that I love Katy. I really do. She is my go-to girl for just about everything and I am so thankful we shared that silly communications class in college or else I may have never met her.



Katy is like me in a lot of ways. She gets excited about life, even the smaller parts of it. It's why I love spending time with her (or at least one of the reasons). She will get just as jubliant about the half off Hobby Lobby yarn as I will and finds the idea of thrift store shopping to be a dream come true. We can gush about how great cooking is, and how wonderful good food can be. If either of us has a problem or needs help we know the other is only a phone call away.

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Remembering.

Posted on | Tuesday, April 19, 2011 | No Comments




I haven’t lived in Oklahoma all my life. I’m a transplant. I moved here with my family a few weeks after finishing high school and then came back several years later for college. Yet having lived here for several years the 1995 bombing has become a part of me. It’s something that I remember and carry. A lot of Oklahomans do. People are quieter on campus today, especially those who are older. When I turned on the radio this morning they were discussing it, too.

I was living in Texas when the bombing happened. I was nine and in third grade. The concept of what I was seeing on the television didn’t make sense. Things like that happened in bad countries to bad people. I couldn’t understand what people who were good were getting hurt. I couldn’t understand why my Mom kept shooing me out of the living room or why she was calling people in Oklahoma and so scared. My mind was too young and too small to really understand what I was seeing.

I understand it now. I’ve been to the memorial three times since living here and every time I cry. My throat burns and my legs feel as though they won’t ever find even footing. It’s so hard to look at some of the exhibits, and yet I feel I must. I think about the children, the people. I didn’t know any of them, but yet my heart breaks knowing. These were people, they deserve to be remembered.

While interning for my medical certification I treated a patient who was found in the ruble. She told me what happened to her during one of her doctor visits. It took the firefighters four hours to find her – they saw her blouse and then they saw her hand. The men were talking to her calmly and telling her not to move. When she asked why one of them said they could see daylight below her. It took five surgeries and countless hours of therapy, but she was “better”.

Years later and she was being treated for cancer. I told her I was sorry, that this wasn't fair. She smiled at me then and said that she wasn’t angry. She felt lucky. Three of her co-workers, just feet from her, didn’t leave that building alive. Her life may be harder, but it was her life and she was going to live it.

When life is hard I remember that. I remember her. Life is hard, but it is worth living. If nothing else, today tells me that.

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Ten things I love Sunday!

Posted on | Sunday, April 17, 2011 | 1 Comment

People, I cannot tell you how joyous I am that this illness is finally passing. It's such a relief to feel like myself again, even if I am slightly more sluggish than usual. I have energy. I never realized how much I took for granted my ability to do things. Even the most simple things, like doing my dishes or folding laundry. It's humbling in the most wonderful way.

1. Moustache Band-Aids!


I love how popular moustaches have become. Has anyone else noticed how stupendously popular moustaches are? Finger moustaches, and band-aids, and those awesome fake glasses with a nose and huge Groucho Marx 'stache. I wouldn't go as far as to purposefully hurt myself to have one of these awesome bandages, but I definitely want to have one of those moustaches on a stick and carry it around. If only for the simple purpose prove how superbly awesome I am.

2. Túró Rudi

The only place I have ever found this amazing treat is in Hungary. Go figure, right? They are sold mostly in vending machines throughout the city, although if memory serves there were a few stores that sold them, too. When I arrived in Hungary in the summer they were a God-send. Wonderfully cold to combat to hot weather and perfectly sweet. They were composed of a thin outer coating of dark chocolate and an inner filling of "túró", or curd. So, so DELICIOUS.

3. Directions

I wish so much that this sign post was real. So many of these places are intrinsically linked to my childhood. Places of magic and wonder, places that pushed my imagination and made me see beyond my own little corner of the universe. I would lay in bed for ages dreaming about Narnia as a small child, and would joke with my other super-awesome-geeky friends in high school about how incredible it would be to receive an owl, even if that owl was a few years late.

4. Long Hair

One of the things I missed most when my hair was short was that I couldn't put it up in braids. Tying it up in a pony tail was even impossible at certain points in time (my hair has been amazingly short during some parts of my adulthood). I love having my hair in French braids or pig tails, but I haven't had a chance to try any of these yet. Although my hair might need to be a little bit longer to have them look right, some of my layers are still a bit short.

5. Breakfast

While I know it's obvious that this is meant as a meal for two, I would still have a fit of ecstacy if this was my breakfast on glorious morning. Just look at that tray. Take it all in: eggs (in adorable little cups no less!), coffee/tea AND hot cocoa, strawberries, cheese, and holy-mother-of-all-that-is-carbs bread. I think half of what makes it so lovely is the presentation. Everything already looks so delicious, and you do feast first with your eyes right? I'm getting hungry just writing this. Yummy.

6. Geekery

Okay, so I'm not a math geek by any stretch of the imagination, but this clock is seriously amazing. I love that they used graph paper and old school white board markers (or is that a Sharpie?). It's so wonderful and silly and great. The biggest question now is whether some ingenious person made this by hand or if I can buy it somewhere so that the incredible geekery of this time piece might be mine as well.

7. Adorable Space Heaters

How cute is this?! No really -- HOW CUTE IS THIS?? It's a piggy space heater! Just stop for a moment and let that sink in. How much cuter would your house be with this little guy there to keep you warm and toasty? Just imagine -- it's a cold and blustery day, you are cuddled on your favorite chair/couch with maybe a blanket and a warm drink in your hands. Then you casually reach over to turn on your little piggy and smile because of how adorable it is. Space Heating Piggy is the perfect company to keep during the colder months. Every person in Iceland and Norway should own one.

8. Fishies

Betta fish make me lament my inability to keep and sustain aquatic life. I'm like Darla from Finding Nemo, except I don't shake the bag. i just put them in the tank and within a matter of days every fish I have owned has decided that the toilet bowl was a better place than my house. I really wish I could keep them alive though. Betta fish are so stunning. Especially the crowntail Bettas. Maybe Alex will have better luck keeping a fish alive. We can get a fish, right Alex?

9. The Magic of Disney

Oh, this picture. This picture makes me miss Disneyland/world. It also makes me giggle like a small child hyped up on a bucket full of skittles. I haven't been to Disneyland since I was a little kid (and I've never been to Disneyworld. A tragedy, I know). I can't help but wonder whether or not the magic is still there after all this time. I hope it is, I hope I can share that with my own kids. Well. I suppose if Mickey doesn't cut it anymore I can always make a hop skip and a jump to Harry Potter World. They have butterbeer.

10. Bubbles!!


Bubbles are awesome. They just are. This video is proof of that. Gigantic, amazing, and effervescent as they float by. There's sometihng really beautiful and enchanting about bubbles. They only last for a few moments before disappearing, but for some reason those few moments are all it takes to make anyone watching (or blowing) bubbles to suddenly feel like a joyous child again.

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Duck, duck, goose

Posted on | Saturday, April 16, 2011 | No Comments

I woke up this morning feeling better than I have felt in a week. It was so nice to be able to breathe again! I'm still coughing a lot and feeling cruddy around the edges, but it's so much better than it has been. I see the light at the end of the tunnel! I actually had the energy to clean my house today! There's something about a clean house that is calming to the nerves. Besides, if I have energy to clean my house I have to be getting better.

To celebrate my body's turn back to good health Kael and I decided to go for a drive (and maybe pick up some fruit slushes and fries from Sonic, don't tell anyone). The weather was absolutely lovely today and it just seemed fitting to do more than be couped up in the house. During our little trip we ran into another family enjoying the warm weather.



A family/gaggle of geese! Papa Goose was standing in the road honking loudly at me, as though daring my behemoth of a car to move and harm any of his exceedingly adorable babies. As if I would ever! I mean look at them, who could ever harm something so cute?! Two of the hatchlings were struggling to get back on the grass (they were in the process of crossing the street as we approached and quickly changed plans). As we waited I pulled out my cell phone and tried to snap a few pictures of the cute fowl family.

Sometimes I really mentally kick myself for not bringing my camera with me everywhere I go. Oh, well.


Kael distinctly counted nine geese, although he kept calling them "duckies". He was mesmerized by the fluffy babies more than anything else and gasped in alarm when one of them tripped over their little feet and face-planted it in the dirt. As the last little gosling made its way onto the grass Papa Goose honked loudly again and followed his little family back to the grass. We sat and watched them for a few more moments before driving away.

Sometimes, it really is the tiny things that make bad weeks so much better.

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Shark vs. Train

Posted on | Friday, April 15, 2011 | No Comments

I'm still sicker than a dog (a two hour visit to urgent care earlier today verified that I still have a sinus and ear infection and I now have an exceedingly awful bronchial infection to boot!). I'm on new medications and with any luck that will help me heal up a bit faster. There's nothing worse than being so sick you can't even leave the house. Kael is feeling a little under the weather, too. But thankfully it's nothing near as bad as what my body is fighting off.


But!! On a happier note, this week Kael's daycare was holding a book fair! Does anyone else remember book fairs? I always thought they were so awesome. Rows of brand new books in bright colors. Books about alligators playing piano and books about a little mouse who wants to dance ballet. Books about making things and books about how things are made. It was like the carnival had come to town.



It drove me nuts for my Mom to tell me, "You can pick one book." One book?! Out of these millions of amazing new things I can read?! It was so unfair! Of course I would eventually pick one and spend the next week pouring over the pictures and words.

How could I not let Kael experience that, too?



Kael went through the same phenomenon I did as a child. Which book to pick? There were so many! It's not an easy choice for a four-year-old to make. It's not an easy choice for any person, come to think of it (have you ever seen adults meandering about Barnes & Noble for hours on end? I rest my case).



Hmmmm. Maybe the Dr. Seuss book about super awesome reptiles? It has alligators in it! And it even explains how they lay their eggs!



Wait. I think we might have a contender. This book is about a shark and a train competing against one another. Who can ride a space ship the best or fight on a tigh rope better? These are serious questions that Shark vs. Train answers. Kael was entralled.

Frankly, I was a bit amazed myself. It was really a nifty book.


And it came home with us!! Kael is currently sitting on the living room floor turning page after page and describing in detail each imaginative competition. Whoever thought of this book was a genious. I would have never thought in a million years of a shark and a train playing basketball.

I love book fairs.

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Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred!!

Posted on | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 | 2 Comments

I realized after posting my last blog post that this would be my 100th blog post. I’m honestly shocked I’ve reached the one hundred mark so quickly. I thought I would have time to plan for something splendid and wonderful, but I seemed to be a little bit pressed for time. That, and I'm still sicker than a dog and not up for doing anything flashy.


I originally had the idea of doing a giveaway (probably a crocheted scarf or maybe a blanket if I was feeling overly adventurous) but there’s no way I can complete something like that in less than a week. I’ll have to just settle for the giveaway being on my 200th post. And maybe by then I will have more than a six person readership to give my awesome thing-a-ma-bob to.

But for today let’s settle for 100 fact about yours truly. Now, some of you may know most (or all) of these things, but that’s your own fault for knowing me so well!

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Sick sick sick!

Posted on | Tuesday, April 12, 2011 | No Comments



Why is it so easy to take good health for granted? Last week I thought I just had a bout of bad allergies and shrugged it off. Then Sunday afternoon my voice quit. And Monday the nausea and razor blades in my throat hit. Ugh! STOP! STOP IT!! You DAMN ILLNESS!!! Let me get better! It's too pretty outside for me to be stuck indoors!!

I slept fifteen HOURS yesterday and it's done squat. I'm high-tailing it to urget care this afternoon to find out if this is just a bug or if I've magically contracted something far more foul. Obviously I am voting for the former rather than the latter.

On a plus side, I am borrowing Tangled from my neighbor. Have I mentioned I love Disney movies? Because I seriously love Disney movies (Little Mermaid and Sleeping Beauty were my favorite movies for about a decade). Pixar is one of the best pick me ups for sick pretend grown-ups like myself. Along with a bowl of hot soup and some strong tea doused with honey.

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Ten things I love Sunday!

Posted on | Sunday, April 10, 2011 | 1 Comment

I realized halfway through last week that I had forgotten to post a Ten Things I Love Sunday. Whoops! I was so caught up with everything else it completely slipped my mind. It's been a very busy week for us. Hopefully I can update more on that later, I have about three or four blog posts that I need to make this coming week. Exciting!

Anyways, onto the things that I love!

1. This Song



I think I first heard this song while watching a movie about five years ago. I'm not sure, to be entirely honest. But it's certainly stuck with me. I absolutely adore this song. It's song is just.. *handflappything* It's one of those songs that every girl wants to know is written about her. I get the same feeling whenever I listen to Elton John's Your Song.

2. Harry Potter


Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts! Teach us something please!

These seven books will always, always have a place in my heart. I love them. I come back to them at least once a year and spend night after night pouring over Rowlings brilliance. I never tire of it. These are books I want to read to my children. I want them to know that bravery, intelligence, and above all the ability to love are life's greatest weapons against those who fills their lives with hate.

Also. If ANYONE knows where to get this necklace pleasepleaseplease tell me!

3. Summer


I have never been a fan of the swimsuits that could double as dental floss or a bandaid. I frankly don't find them appealing and I cannot fathom why they are so popular. i would be terrified of such a miniscule piece of clothing slipping two centimeters and everyone getting a free show. But. These swimsuits? I am loving these. I love that they are feminine and gorgeous while still being modest. I'm not a being swimmer (at least not at the moment) but I wouldn't think twice about buying one of these.

4. Puppies!!


I dare you to not love this picture. I double dog DARE you.
It's puppies! Perfectly groomed puppies sporting sunglasses, hoodies, and designer jeans. Omg. I want one.
The one in the middle is my favorite.

5. Beauty


It reads:
A woman is often measured by the things she cannot control. She is measured by the way her body curves or doesn’t curve, by where she is flat or straight or round. She is measured by 36-24-36 and inches and ages and numbers, by all the outside things that don’t ever add up to who she is on the inside. And so if a woman is to be measured, let her be measured by the things she can control, by who she is and who she is trying to become. Because as every woman knows, measurements are only statistics. and STATISTICS LIE.

I couldn't agree more.

6. Rainbow Brite, If You Ever Get A Bakery...
I don't know if I could eat these. They are too friggin' cute to eat. I mean c'mon, rainbows and unicorns! WITH GLITTER. You know Rainbow Brite was totally cooking rainbows and unicorns in her technicolored Easy Bake Oven. The question is, which of you stole her recipe?

7. Old School Romance


This was my favorite scene from It's A Wonderful Life growing up (that and when the school pool magically opens and darling George falls in, although I suppose they go together). I love how Mary doesn't say what she's wishes for, and how big George's wishes are, the entire scene is just lovely. And then the best line, "Why don't you kiss instead of talking her to death!"

8. Tamagoyaki


I wish I could say this was my tamagoyaki. I've just recently branched into Japanese cuisine (I am ridiculous excited about several recipes, with any luck I'll find all the ingredients I need). I love that everything is done with purpose in Japanese cooking. It's meant to be visually appealing, delicious, and smell lovely. It's just as much about the display as it is about the food itself.

9. Happy Babies


I love watching this video. So does Kael. It's just so cute how the dog is playing with that handsome young man. He's jumping everywhere and coming within an inch of touching but never does. It's so obvious that they both love each other.
10. Little Hearts
I love the idea of this kind of tattoo. I think it's so adorable. Sweet, even. I doubt I would ever do it (the idea of tattooing over my achilles tendon is even a bit much for me), but I love the idea. It's so simple and quaint. I think that's what makes it so grand.

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About

Photobucket I was born and raised in California. I have also lived in Hungary, Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, and I will be moving again this summer. Kael is my incredibly awesome kiddo who is growing up far too quickly, and Alex is my fiance who makes me happier than should be legally allowed. I write about them a lot. I'm mildly obsessed with cooking and photography. I write about those things, too.

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