2010 Reading List: January/February

What I have been reading. One of my goals for 2010 is to read more. I started a bunch of books in 2009 that I didn't quite finish for one reason or another. I am off to a good start - but I am not sure if my newfound obsession for Nicholas Sparks is going to bring me qualitative reading (while it will boost my numbers). The trick I am now facing is the ability to balance the light reads with substance.

What have you be reading lately?

Top 10 New Blogs: Guaranteed Goodness!

These "new" blogs, may not be new to the blogging world, but they are certainly new to my eyes. I have fallen in love with these blogs which inspired me to stay creative during the snow storm that enveloped my city.

Carina's Craft Blog: This lovely little blog about stitching and sewing, and all things needle and thread was introduced to me by Kelsey of October and After. In October, Kelsey married one of my best friends and I am so happy because we have become fast friends. In fact, I am pretty sure I love Kelsey even more than Mike!

bella creative: Kate at bella creative blogs about the creative things in her life as she is making her home. I have literally just started reading, and cannot wait for more! My friend Bridget inadvertently introduced me to bella creative through her recent giveaway.

Just a Girl in the City: Kelly is awesome! And she always includes fantastic photos in her blog posts. Have I mentioned that I am visual? In general, she blogs about life, but it is great! Go read her blog. Now. (also introduced by Bridget!)

Making it Lovely: Nicole is uber talented and blogs about the ways she makes every day life a little bit more lovely. I stumbled upon this blog while reading a few of my favorite things!

a few of my favorite things: Is it okay to have blog envy? Because I seriously love this blog. Molly and Danyelle literally take the words out of my mouth. So many times I have seen their favorite things and exclaimed, "Mine too!" Love it!

little lovely: Oh, I really want to be a mom...but the Lord (and my husband) are teaching me to be content. This blog is not helping. It is all about adorable things for little people. It is just too cute not to read!

modish: Words can describe this urban, vintage, crafty, entirely unique blog that my friend Katie at work told me about! While I will never be this hip, I certainly enjoy pretending!

Creature Comforts: I have been reading this blog for a bit, but cannot say enough about it. Just go read it, you will surely agree!

Tales of me...: My friend Bridget (yea, I think I have mentioned her before) is blogging like crazy and sharing her fantastic love story. You don't want to miss this!



lagom: Sara has a heart for Sweden where her roots run deep and is blogging about life as a newly wed who loved adventure and travel! Oh yeah, and her photography is out of this world!


So those are the blogs I have been reading recently...I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Valentine's Day

The Movie:

Oh man, it was good. Mark and I went to see this movie. We PAID to see this movie. This is big people. We are cheap! We don't pay to see things. (True Story: Since we have been married 3.5 years we have not paid for a single movie or sporting event - we only go if it is free, we are given tickets, or someone we go with pays for us!) It was Mark's special Valentine's Day thing for me. It was good. Did I already say that? I really liked it.

Cheesey? - Yes

Chick Flick? - Yes

Predictable? - eh...depends on how well you predict

Funny? - Hillarious!

Do I want to see it again? - Absolutely!

But while watching the movie, I couldn't get over a picture in the background of Aston Kutcher's apartment (you see it as he goes down the stairs in the morning). You could only partially see it, but it was a poster, of a dog, that said fetch...of course, the first thing I did when I got home was look for it...

And I found it!

Now, should I buy it?

Silly and Sage Giveaway

Have you heard of Silly and Sage? It is an awesome Etsy store run by my friend Bridget and her sister. Well, they are having a giveaway and you should totally check it out here: Silly and Sage Giveaway. You have until Monday, so hurry on over to win this adorable picture made by Bridget herself:

I can already picture it hanging in some of your homes...so don't delay! Everyone has up to four chances to win before Monday! (hmmm...maybe you shouldn't enter, just so I have a better chance at winning...)

2010 Olympics: Opening Ceremony

Tonight is the night! The opening ceremony for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics! The parade of athletes and what is sure to be an incredible spectacle of Canadian history and pride. I am looking forward to seeing the athletes, watching the performance and hearing all of Canada's most talented musicians.

I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!

I have since I was a little girl. For certain reasons I have always been hooked. But here is why I continue to watch them with the excitement of a child:

awe inspiring commitment and passion

stories of trial and triumph that tug at heartstrings (and often cause tears)

incredible athleticism

the ability to cross borders and boundaries that are far more difficult within the realm of politics and economics

patriotism and national pride for Team USA

What motivates you to watch the Olympics? Do you have a favorite athlete/competitor? A country you are actively rooting for? What is your favorite sport?

(As you can tell by my excitement, I will certainly be blogging about all of this!)

Mid-Atlantic Meltdown

...er, maybe more appropriately called a freeze? Ice and snow have been blanketing us since last week. I have not been to work since LAST Thursday. Today was the first time I stepped outdoors since MONDAY! I am getting cabin fever here people! Well, my work announced that it is opening on a two hour delay tomorrow - it is bad that I want to go in early?
What have I done with all of this time in my house?

• Recovered my iTunes (computer crashed months ago...and I haven't updated my iPods since then)
• Rejuvenate my calligraphy blog: Calligraphy by Shannon. It is still a work in progress, and I didn't actually add new content, I just updated the look and feel since I finally had time to mess with the html. It might still be ugly for PC users...sorry :-/
• Packed for our ski trip next weekend...well, at least I started to.
• Read a lot of books...more on that coming soon!
• Threw a taco party! I asked all of the interns on our floor to bring ingredients and it was a blast! (for those of you who don't know, we are RA's in an intern housing building...really)

• Watched chick flicks that I had yet to see: Made of Honor, A Good Year, and You, Me, and Dupree
• Prepped my cards (birthday, anniversary, and everything else) through the end of March.
• Went to the gym every day, and still felt cooped up. It is in our building...and the view is the same as our apartment, so it didn't exactly add a change of scenery.

Are you bored yet? Yeah, my "week" off wasn't really that exciting, but I got some much needed items off of my long-term to do list.

Reading, Watching, Snowing, Shoveling

So last week I decided that since Mark was away I would drive to PA to visit my kid sister and take her to the movies.

Wait, you need background info. She is an avid reader and over Christmas helped me become Obsessed with (dare I say it?) Nicholas Sparks...yes really! I have read 4 books by him this year - in less than two months! I have become a totally and complete sap! And, his latest book turned movie, Dear John was coming out on Friday, so I had to drive to PA before a major snow storm right? Well, that wasn't my only reasons. That kid sister I mentioned, Brooke, well she is an incredible basketball player and is injured, likely out for the remainder of her Junior year. She sprained her ankle in three places and fractured it near her growth plate. It is big, ugly, swollen, and still green after TWO weeks. So yes, I really did have to drive to PA. Her spirits needed boosting!

Being the wise woman that I am, I left for Philly on Thursday. I called Mark late that night as I was passing through Wilmington so he wouldn't worry about me in the snow. When I finally arrived at my parent's house I couldn't believe they were all up waiting for me. My sister was exhausted but noticeably happy to see me, and the look of relief on my mom's face led me to believe she was happy to have someone there to lift Brooke's spirits.

Friday we had lunch with our Mom at her office and then all went to the movie. The entire theatre was filled with girls from the local private schools who all got out early due to the storm. Brooke and I each brought a box of tissues and sobbed through the entire movie, even while we laughed! It was a great movie, but we are still debating whether the plot changed for the big screen made it better or worse than the book. We might never decided.

On Saturday we all bundled up in the living room with chili on the stove to play games and watch college basketball and cleaned Brooke's room in between reading MORE books by Nicholas Sparks.

Finally, I realized that I needed to start shoveling. Here are some pictures of the insane amount of snow that blanketed much of the mid-atlantic and a video...

I opened the garage door...and didn't know where to begin!

That is my dad's car, that mound in front of the house!

Note: nearly three feet of snow drift over the porch.

Well, my mom didn't want it to cause damage, so she leaned out of the window to push it off the front! Go Mom!

And here is a video of the whole thing:

We capped the weekend with a family viewing of the animated movie Up! Now this is a movie I would highly recommend for anyone. Great family movie that kept us all rolling in laughter. Go watch it if you haven't already!

Snow Blossoms before Spring

roof top view from our living room window

It snowed throughout last night. A wet sticky snow that clung to the tree branches in DC like the pink cherry blossoms of spring. As I got ready and walked to work, I couldn't help but snap a few pictures. When it snows, or the sky casts a strange hue, or flowers are beginning to bloom, I always wish I could spend my day wandering the city, to capture the beautiful scenery. Here are a few of the pictures I was able to get on my walk to work...

along independence avenue

outside the library of congress

This last tree is what reminded me of the Cherry Blossoms, as the snow hung to the tree in tiny clusters. It makes me excited for Spring, which is just around the corner...

...oh yeah, and that 10 mile race I have in April! Yikes, I better get running!

Carey School of Business

Mark has begun his MBA! On Sunday, I dropped him off at the Mt. Washington Conference Center for his first week-long residency. While I cannot detail how his week is going, I can assure you he is working hard! (because we have barely had the chance to talk!) When we do get to chat, he has been thrilled with the program which has affirmed his decision to attend the Carey School of Business. He hasn't stopped studying before mid-night, but I ams sure each minute is worth it. Mark is truly in his element! I cannot wait until he gets back so I can hear all about it!

Here is a snowy picture of the beautiful conference center where they have their residencies. The picture doesn't quite do it justice...we will have to wait for spring colors to show Mt. Washington in its full glory.

There was snow on the ground when I dropped him off, and judging by the weather reports, there will likely be new snow when I pick him up next weekend!