Ar-teest

Yesterday I was in a pretty rotten mood. I've been going through a "what's next" phase, and with no clear answer, it hampers with my temperament some days. But that's an issue for a whole other blog...

So I started with my daily chores, ended up rearranging some things and then decided I wanted to paint. As my faithful readers know, I sometimes get this urge - I am not an artist, by any means, I just feel like doing it once in awhile. (Here & here) And since I had the canvas and the paint, I plopped myself and down and painted most of the afternoon. (Minus a trip to the hospital for poor Mom #2. Again, another blog...)

But here's what I painted:

Funny People

This was a great movie. The cast was awesome and the writing was really good - especially the jokes. And it wasn't just joke after joke - they were well placed and clever. My brother said it best when he said, "I couldn't tell if the guys in this movie were really great actors, or just playing themselves." Which is so true, because you could totally see this was a realistic depiction of what they do in real life. Some parts of the story went on a little too long and the reasoning of certain things was a little silly, but overall I thought they did a great job. This was probably Adam Sandler's best role by a mile. It was such a perfect mix for him to play the funny guy with a dark edge. I enjoyed it!

At 2 and 1/2 hours running time, make sure you don't drink too much soda in the previews! The length was probably the only thing I would've changed.

Blog Tags are Fun...

Egomaniac Tag:

Areesha Ree did this and I want to be just like her. :D

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What is your current obsession? Photography and getting my business off the ground. I can't soak up enough information. And if I'm not taking pictures, I'm editing them on a daily basis.

What do you hate the most that everybody else seems to love? Bananas.

What are you wearing today? Orange Target dress and blue Havaianas flip-flops.

What's for dinner? That's like 4 hrs away...

What would you eat for your last meal? A LOT of food. Just go all out, ya know? Pizza, fried chicken, cookies, ice cream. I'd stuff myself.

What's the last thing you bought? Two new bras and some orange sandals.

What are you listening to right now? ADELE Live in Soho

What do you think of the person that tagged you? Alicia is one of the coolest chicks in the whole world. We met at Raintree Apartments in Provo, UT while she was roommates with my friend Shelley. They welcomed me into their apartment as one of their own and we just clicked. Many, many adventures ensued. I will never forget our Valentine's Day drive by cookie-ing, and endless 64 ouncers of DP and Diet Coke. Eating ice cream straight out of the container while complaining that we were getting fat. Crimping our hair and dancing to BSB out on the balcony. I will always think fondly of her for just being so funny and understanding and accepting. There should be more people in the world like Alicia! (And I think its time we had a reunion.)

If you could have a house, fully paid for, and totally furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be? Paris, France

What is one of your hobbies? Does watching TV count? Wait, that is really sad...!

What is one way you don't want to die? Drowning.

What are 3 "guilty pleasures" you indulge in? Diet Coke, Sex & the City, Shopping (I should not be allowed in Target or Macy's unsupervised).

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your wardrobe? AE Jeans - they are just broken in so perfectly. Even though I have like 30 pair of pants, I seem to wear these almost every day.

What is your dream job? Professional Photographer. Like for real. Making lots of $$ doing it.

Describe your personal style. So very casual. I used to dress up for work every day (3 inch heels and all) and now...not so much. Jeans and flip-flops are making an appearance more often than not.

What are you going to do after this? Edit pics from Chicago

What is your favorite "happy hour" at Sonic? I don't know what that is! We don't have a Sonic. Don't feel bad though, I'd pick In 'N' Out any day.

What inspires you? Nature, movies and TV, walking through the city, other photographers

Who was the last person you kissed? Hubby.

What are you currently reading? When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris

What delighted you most today? Shopping for presents.

By what criteria do you judge a person? I try not to judge at all. But my friends are typically hilarious.

What is the stupidest movie ever made? Transporter 2 is so deliciously awful. Same with a movie called Black Sheep (not the Chris Farley movie). I never watched the whole thing, but the parts I did watch were A-mazing. Those Australians...

What was the last really great movie you saw? Away We Go

Where was the last place you went on vacation? The midwest.

I tag... anyone who reads this. Do it! (And leave me a comment, so I can read your answers too!)

The rules: Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.

Midwest Madness

Oh boy, where do I begin?! We made it to the Midwest and back! We had so much fun, of course. We are fairly exhausted, of course. And now I will blog about it, of course.

We flew into Tulsa, Oklahoma last Tuesday and rented a car to drive the rest of our route. First stop: Joplin, Missouri. We met up with quite a few of my family members for a yummy dinner to celebrate my Grandpa's 92nd birthday! I still can't believe he's 92! Especially the way he gets around - and his sense of humor is still in tact. He's a pretty sharp guy. It was great to see everyone else too. I wish we didn't live so far apart.

They following day, my dad and uncle wanted to give us a tour of Branson, Missouri. It reminded me of a really strange Las Vegas. There are no casinos or anything, just a bunch of shows. Singers, violinists, comedians, you name it. We took in some lunch (fried green tomatoes!!) and an IMAX movie and then drove down the strip. I really thought Branson Landing was beautiful. Lots of trees and a big lake and an old train station. Good stuff. We got back pretty late in the evening and then stopped by my brother's place to visit his little family.

The next morning, we were off and running (well, driving) up north. We stopped for a couple hours in St. Louis, Missouri and that was great. A very cool little city. I hear it has the highest crime rate in the nation, but you'd never know from looking at it. Of course we were in the tourist areas to see the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi River. But still a perfect place to stop and stretch our legs.

Then the drive continued to Chicago, Illinois - probably the highlight of the trip for me. I absolutely loved Chicago. Like love-at-first-sight love. We stayed in the Loop at the Hotel Sax. Up until now, the Palms in Las Vegas has been my favorite hotel. But Hotel Sax wins by a mile. I couldn't believe we got such a great price on it! It was awesome. And the bed! Oh, the bed... Might have been because I was so tired of driving, but this bed was comfortable. Aaaah. When we first arrived, it was already pretty late so we had dinner and immediately hit the sack. Believe me, we made up for it the next day. We saw so much in just a short amount of time - Michigan Ave, Navy Pier, Millennium Park, Sears Tower, Art Institute & the John Hancock building. Plus we walked everywhere, so we passed by a lot of landmarks as well. And don't get me started on the food. If you have never had an authentic deep dish Chicago pizza, put it on your list of things to do before you die. If you can get it at Pizzeria Due, even better. Seriously, so good. We had a little thunderstorm before we left and walked a few blocks in the rain. I won't lie, it was kind of romantic.

The next morning, we had a great breakfast and then off to Ashland, Wisconsin. The drive was beautiful, with lots of trees and lakes. And the skies were always so pretty! Everywhere we went, I noticed that. The drive was a little long because there were not a lot of places to stop. We were sort of going to the middle of nowhere. The husband has a cousin who lives out there and they were kind enough to let us stay with them and show us the area. They have a view of Lake Superior and their closest neighbor is 1 mile away. It's really quite amazing. One of my favorite things to do was drive over to a local dairy and eat fresh ice cream sandwiches! I don't know anywhere in L.A. that you can do that. We also checked out a little town called Bayfield. It was so pretty with big houses on the water and had these cool little shops with candy and fudge. Oh, and the famous Wisconsin Cheese is famous for a reason. We tried a cranberry cheddar? Who comes up with this stuff? Genius.

After just a couple days in Wisconsin, it was time to head home. The closest airport was in Minneapolis, Minnesota (about 3 1/2 hrs away) but that drive seemed easy after all the long distance driving we had done the few days before. Besides, we got to cross one more state off the list. The flight home was a little rocky and long, I spilled ginger ale all in my lap, and the shuttle ride from the airport back to the house seemed to take forever. We were just so ready to sleep in our own bed! We finally made it home around 1:30am and concluded the trip with a high five and sleepy time.

Total Miles to Drive: 1,361 Miles

Under the Boardwalk, We'll Be Havin' Some Fun...

The crew headed up north this past weekend to see one of our own get hitched. The wedding was in Santa Cruz, one of my favorite little cities. And this was the first time I've ever been to a wedding on the beach! Mind you, this was no Hawaii, so it was quite cold and windy, but at least we didn't get rained out or washed away by a tidal wave or something. The couple has been together almost 10 years and we were happy to see them take the plunge. *Side note: What is up with Burbank guys waiting a century to marry their girlfriends?

Anyway, we left for SC on Friday night and hit a ton of traffic on the way out, turning our 6 hour drive into an 8 hour one. Bummer. But we made it in one piece and were anxious to settle down into our comfortable hotel beds - except they weren't so comfortable. Double bummer! The hotel we picked was a glorified (and much more expensive) Motel 6. It wasn't until the last day that I figured out how to use the shower without water spraying in every which direction. And the "Large Double Beds" were slightly bigger than a twin. Not exactly a dream getaway. But I guess for being cheapskates, we couldn't be too picky.

Saturday was devoted to the wedding. As I mentioned, it was cold at the beach, but the secluded location on the water fit the couple so perfectly. As soon as the ceremony ended, we rushed outta there to get some warmth back in our bodies and fix our wind-blown hair. Then off to the reception. It was right on the Boardwalk in a room with a retractable glass roof! It was quite breathtaking when you first walked in because the windows looked right out onto the ocean. Awesome place. We ate, drank and be-ed merry - and had a blast on the dance floor. I wore myself out enough that I was able to sleep the whole night in our "Large Double Bed" quite soundly.

Sunday after lunch, we really tried to do some touristy things before we left. However, the Beach Boardwalk had no parking, and the Mystery Spot was a bust. So home we went. All in all, it was a great weekend. A lot of laughs and unbelievable stories being exchanged. I guess a wedding is as good a time as any to get everyone together for that much fun.