Everyone needs a sentimental post sometimes

Today, I am in a wonderful mood. It could be this ridiculously nice Iowa weather or the fact that it’s the end of the week (both of which make it extremely hard to be productive when I could be on a patio somewhere)  And while it’s not a new revelation, today I appreciate more than usual how awesome of people I have in my life.  I say it often, maybe not often enough, but I have hands down the best friends and family a girl can ask for.

Over the past seven days, I’ve had the pleasure of catching up with some great friends and B-ri over fantastic meals, phone dates, g-chat conversations, beers on my parents’ patio, Easter eggs paired with whiskey and friendly email banter. I’m constantly surrounded by the great people I am lucky enough to associate with. Many I haven’t seen in a long time (too long of time) but have been reminded of what a great friendships I can be a part of when we pick up where we left off time and time again.

So thanks for being my people, for making my life ten times better than if you weren’t one of my partners in crime. You rock. And I love you. Cheers.

Break the Chain

I’m obsessed with giving gifts that have anything to do with Iowa (and I don’t mean corn stalks and Dutch letters) but locally made things that are Iowa or Des Moines-y. It’s much more fun than hitting up -insert your favorite retail chain here-  for something than can be purchased in the 515, Maine and possibly -insert your favorite foreign country here- . I feel similarly about chain restaurants, but that's another story for a different day.


My most recent “Iowa” purchase was for my mom’s “35th” birthday, which we celebrated Easter weekend. Laura and I got her a Story People print. Never heard of Story People? I hadn't either until my Decorah-native best friend told me about them. Check them out. They’re based out of Decorah and make these really whimsical, sometimes sentimental, sometimes odd prints, sculptures, etc. I love them. I’ve gotten two as gifts and now can’t wait for the next ‘gift giving’ exchange so I can find one to buy for a loved one. Check them out; they have a print for every occasion.

For Mom



Gift from a friend

Bag Lady

I am by no means a fashion expert. If you’re looking to read the work of a fashionista, check out my friend Randall’s blog. She’s a genius. And moving to North Carolina. That’s a different story for another day.

Considering my typical garb of any assorted color of long sleeve tshirt and jeans, both more likely than not from GAP, it’s safe to say I have a lot to learn. Regardless of my steep learning curve, I’m ultra excited about my new spring/summer bag. Isn’t it divine? Fossil did wonders on its new vintage bags out for the season. Picture Farmer’s Markets, patio meetings and yard games. It’ll be perfect for all occasions.

I prematurely debuted it last weekend in hopes it would spark warmer weather. Even though that was an epic fail, it’s broken in and ready for the firsts of the new seasons. I strongly suggest picking one up.

EWoz - Pure Genius

When I first entered the “real world,” I was told that I would now spend a large majority of my day working. Meaning I would also see my coworkers more than anyone else in my life. I remember as a recent college grad, wanting to punch said person; who wants to hear that?! While I’m still not fond of this idea, I guess I’ve grown to accept it… probably because I still can be in contact with anyone near a computer all day each Monday – Friday.

This is Erin... we call her EWoz

So now I email or g-chat my “people” throughout the day since I can’t actually hang out with them. Some a greater amount than others, some more frequently than most. However, my lovely roommate Erin and I exchange emails every single day, without fail. Always. It’s rare we have a life changing email conversations; usually they’re relatively mindless, so stupid sometimes that I know we are both laughing out loud in our respective locations at our very own stupidity. Today’s, however, was life-changingly sweet. And it was all her. She is a genius.

How it went down: I emailed her something relatively funny and told her I wished she could she my reaction when I read it and only could imagine hers. Her response? “This is why we need something at Skype at work.” Because so much happens throughout the day (remember, we spend a ridiculous amount of time working?). Why shouldn’t we at least be able to SEE the rather fantastic reactions rather than just envision them, making us look like complete fools should any coworker walk by?

In the last 30 minutes we (more like she) has developed the sweet Skype-like system where you can see whoever you want whenever you want… for moments when their reaction would be far too priceless to miss. It would be like a two-way mirror… so you could touch the screen and it would go away should someone (your boss) walk by. And just like that, you won’t ever miss out on a moment. Of your favorite people’s life. Ever. Again.

Name: See Friends While You Work (SFWYW). The theme song? Whistle While You Work, with some clever exchanges of words here and there to make it custom... and great. We’ll probably ixnaye the dwarfs though. Distribution and price TBD (we had to get SOME work done) Patents are pending, so don’t even think about it. Brian, you’ve been looking for a business to start – here you go, tied up in a sweet little package.

Shoot, we’re already on Step 3 of the business plan. Who’s ready to invest?

A No Good Very Bad Day

Today’s weather is less than desirable which is an exact indicator of how my day has turned out. All of the above occurances has left me dreaming, very fondly, of a beach and an umbrella drink. And maybe a book. To read while I get a beach front massage. Is that too much to ask!?

A flight south doesn’t seem to be scheduled into my calendar this week, so I guess I’ll have look for a plan B. Should your mood to be equally affected by this unfabulous weather and/or a less than stellar day, join me in a few of my favorites that are making my day just a little bit brighter.

• Grooveshark.com. There are days when Pandora doesn’t even make the cut, even if its Journey radio and I have strong desire to listen to any song I want, one fantastic tune after another. You with me? Today is one of those days. I’ve been everywhere from Flo-Rida to Meatloaf, dabbled in Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and rounding back to Chris Brown. You can’t go wrong envisioning Michael Scott dancing down the aisle to Forever, can you? I can even save the playlist and come back to it tomorrow. Beautiful. Disclaimer: you may have the urge to sing in your office or cube and that’s okay; I catch myself doing it on a regular basis.
• The weird news section of MSNBC.com. Lately the news has been either depressing or repetitive. Oh wait, maybe that’s always. The most important thing I learned from watching everyone’s favorite morning show, Fox & Friends was that Obama has picked the word “compassionate” for his new campaign and that William and Kate are still getting married next week – shocking. For a little break from the monotony, I thoroughly enjoy going to the strange and weird news section on MSNBC. Today’s stories include a dancing Romanian politician and a story about a two German rival circus families ending a dispute in gunfire. Check it out and share a laugh.
• YouTube. But I'm sure that goes without saying. Here are some old standbys for your viewing pleasure.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Did you know?

I’ve been accused of living under a rock many times in my life (more so recently. For example… have you heard of Rebecca Black? She’s a singer? A pretty bad one? Yeah, me either until Friday. Here’s the link.)

Anyway, my naïve-ness usually comes in the form of music (see: Rebecca Black) and sometimes current events, but rarely does it EVER come in the form of sports. Imagine my surprise when ESPN was covering the NCAA Women’s Bowling National Championship this weekend. Did you know there was such I thing? I hope I’m not the only one; I had no clue there was collegiate bowling (wouldn't Title IX have gotten rid of this sport by now?) and I certainly didn’t think that ESPN would cover such a thing. It’s probably even worse that I ended up watching the rest of the competition (it was cold, rainy and windy ouside, cut me some slack).

From the bowlers’ reactions (thank you to slow motion instant replay, example provided to the left) to the announcers acting like they were broadcasting the World Cup… it was madness. Pure, entertaining, madness. To each their own, but I had no idea that much excitment could go into the sport(?) of bowling.  

The biggest disappointment? A significant lack of flashy bowling shirts or sweet shoes. Polos and skirts were the garb. In that case, there was a signifcant (and disappointing) lack of stereotype. Maybe I should start a fashion line.

For the inquiring mind, UMES beat Vanderbilt for the national championship. UMES-University of Maryland Eastern Shore... don't worry, I didn't know that acronym either. Who knew I could learn so much?

Thank you, Gmail.

My Thursday just got a little happier! Why? Finally, I can set my own background image on my Gmail account. (Here's the proof) And I'm excited. Beyond excited. (and you probably don't care... but that's okay.)


For example

 The funny thing is, I attempted to customize my own theme just last... Monday? (it's irrelevant, really) I was tired of my cherry blossom standard motif and wanted something a little different. Imagine my disdain when I realized I could only customize my colors; the background image was a no go. Great minds think alike, Google because you have just made this lover of all things custom extremely happy.

It's the little things in life, huh? 

What a Catch!

In case you missed it, last night was the two hour premiere of Deadliest Catch Season 7. As expected, it was chalk full of cold weather, king crab, crazy high seas, swearing crewmen and chain smoking captains. There are even some new skippers this time around, so it’s a good mix of old and new drama. I’m a fan of the show but not to the extent of B. It was like Christmas came early yesterday as I received both texts and emails from him about the premiere.

As we sat down last night to watch it, our usual debate sprang up about whether or not he could hack it on any one of the boats featured on the show. Naturally, I don’t think there’s a chance he would make it 3 hours on a fishing boat much less 3 months and he, naturally, begs to differ. Last night we hashed out a list of our respective reasons:

Reasons Brian Would Survive:

• He likes boats
• Motion sickness is irrelevant in his life
• He loves cold weather & rain
• He’s used to not getting much sleep
• He can get along with anyone, including the crab he would be fishing for
• There aren’t any bugs on the Bering Sea

Reasons Brian Would Not Survive:

• Uncomfortable beds
• Pizza is not a common ship cuisine
• Lack of sports to watch
• He’s klutzy, especially when it comes to his feet (he’d be overboard or toe-less in no time)
• He doesn’t like to fish

I’m not sure there’s a clear winner in this debate. The klutziness is my argument's saving grace.

You may want to set your DVR in advance to record Deadliest Catch Season 8 just in case… you never know what Polish/Irish Chicagoan might be the next addition to the Cornelia Maria.

Going Dutch

Who's up for a road trip? Tulips: hands down my favorite flower. These photos are from the Netherlands, where it just so happens to be tulip season... and it's gorgeous! If I win the lottery tomorrow, this will be my first stop. Who's with me?

A little John Deere green



Tulip Time in Pella is May 5-7. Guess I'll have to wait to get my tulip fix until then.

Oscar-worthy Flick




Thank you, IMDB

  The Disney Channel isn’t one of my top five most visited TV channels… I’m pretty sure I’ve been out of their target market for a little while. Growing up, however, our TV was on the DC more than any other station. Why? Laura and I thought they aired some seriously great movies. I’m not talking Snow White and Aladdin but more along the lines of Xenon - Girl of the 21st Century, Johnny Tsunami and our personal favorite Alley Cat’s Strike. It seemed like every time Mom & Dad were out on the town, ACS was on TV. We would make some killer cookie dough and gorge ourselves while watching that movie again and again and again.

Imagine my excitement Saturday night when while flipping channels pre-sleep, I stumbled upon Alley Cat’s Strike. Yes, it may have been after a few adult beverages with primo company and yes, it may have been very late/early in the am, but that’s beside the point. Not only did I stay up and watch the stupid thing, but I called Laura twice (she was naturally asleep), called B to tell him (he had no idea what I was talking about), took a picture of the screen (to send as proof; please see below) and browsed the internet frantically in search of a copy of the DVD that I could buy (it’s not available… anywhere… sad news). Guess I’ll never be too old for a solid Disney Channel flick.

The next time you run across Alley Cat’s Strike, give me a call… you provide the TV and I’ll bring the dough.

My proof

And so it begins...

After months (okay years) of reading professional blogs, friends’ blogs, random blogs and awful blogs, I decided it was time to pair my love of writing, snapping a picture or two and all things random into my very own, ultra cool (let’s hope) blog. Whether you’re reading to keep up on my life (hi Mom!) or to make your work day go just a little bit faster, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for the read.