hitrecord, episode #1

If you haven't heard of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's project HitRecord yet, you should check out the first episode. I love the creativity & collaboration behind each project. Watching strangers work together to make something beautiful is, well, beautiful! I can't wait for more episodes to come out!

PS; if you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy Soul Pancake's feel-good videos :]

Wildwood, Part II

 

I know I recently discussed the book "Wildwood", but I just had to revisit it again. I AM ADDICTED. I knew I would enjoy the series, but I just flew through the second book "Under Wildwood" & I am hooked! I think I'd even say I loved it more than the first & now I'm stuck here twiddling my thumbs until the third book comes out on February 4th. Gah! I didn't expect to fly through the first two so quickly, but I guess the Wildwood Chronicles are just. that. GOOD.

I haven't been this immersed in a book since I discovered Jonathan Safran Foer & Nicole Krauss's lovely writing. I've been searching websites to find out if there are going to be any more books in the series after the next one is released. I've been looking for any information, really, & then I found out that IT'S GOING TO BE MADE INTO A MOVIE! A stop-motion movie, to be exact, in the hands of Laika Animation Studio, creators of "Coraline". I couldn't find much information about the movie & its release date though. I guess it will just be another "Wildwood" thing for me to eagerly anticipate :]

pickens ivey

I'm sure you know a handful of people (or more) who are in a band or dabbled in one before. I know at least a dozen people who've been bitten by the music bug, but I wanted to tell you about my friends who make up the band Pickens Ivey. They have serious TALENT. They would be one of my top ten favorite bands, even if I didn't know them personally. I listen to their CD frequently when I'm driving around or prepping in my classroom before the school day starts. I love their twangy style so much that I even asked them to provide the music at our wedding! Definitely check them out & watch them play "As Dead As It Gets" (my favorite song of theirs!!) below :]

here you go, Cheryl!

Hello, friends! Sorry I've been MIA, but the start to this school year has been a busy one! Our school's theme this year is "Anchored in Excellence" (hence the Sharpie tattoo) but it really should be "Anchored in Busyness". Not only have Burton & I been been teaching full-time, but we've also been working on downsizing & selling a lot of our stuff through craigslist & ebay. Oh yeah, & I've been going to night classes twice a week to become ESOL certified. Aaaaand we've also been working out (biking, crossfit, or yoga) whenever we have a moment & aren't too tired to do so ;] We're busy bumblebees! So I thought I'd give you just a mashup update of our lives lately:

I've never been a musical or coordinated person, but I've always wanted to know how to play "Fur Elise" on the piano. The music teacher at my school agreed to teach me, & I've been making a little bit of progress :]

Burton did the sweetest thing the other day! I tried on this dress at Anthropologie & fell. in. LOVE. It's seriously the most flattering thing I've ever worn. I looked HAWT in it. But then I looked at the price tag. So I didn't buy it, but I vowed to get it one day, when I'd be armed with a coupon or a steeper sale price. Then wouldn't you know it, I came home on Friday & my wonderful, thoughtful husband had it hanging, waiting for me! Husbands don't come any sweeter than him :]

 

I just finished reading "Damned" by Chuck Palahniuk. It's not my favorite book of his, but the concept is fascinating. The story starts with a girl who arrives in Hell & isn't quite sure how she died. It's going to be part of a triology & I'm excited for its sequel "Doomed", which comes out tomorrowww!

 

I mentioned a while back that I went to Israel(!!!) over the summer, but have yet to post an update about that. Man, I've really been slacking. I'll post those pictures next time, but that's me & my friend, Becca, in the Negev Desert as a little preview :] Now I've got to go back to being busy for a little bit. XO.

soul pancake: feel-good videos!

Have you heard of Soul Pancake? No?? Well, I'm about to make your day. Soul Pancake is a video series that tug at all sorts of heartstrings. I watched one, then another, & before I knew it, I had watched a dozen. These videos are uplifting, insightful, & especially good for watching on a rough day. Here are a few of my favorites, so check them out! I promise you'll smile :]

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL: positive self-image lesson

A forensic artist draws women as they describe themselves.

Then compares it with another drawing, with descriptions coming from friends.

WONDERFUL! Every lady should see this :]

if popular websites were people

Loved this. Especially Pinterest & WebMD :]

bad lip reading

I recently stumbled on this hilarious series of videos by Bad Lip Reading. Oh my goodness, I was in tears the first time I watched the Twilight one. They've also dubbed music videos, movies, & even politicians! It's really uncanny how well they've matched up new dialog with the people's mouths in the videos. Check it out for some giggles :]

the newsroom

Have you been watching "The Newsroom"?? It's honestly my favorite show on right now. It's smart, doesn't take itself too seriously, & always leads to insightful discussions with my hubby-to-be. We actually don't even have cable because there are too many shows that are just white noise & make no impact. "The Newsroom" is a breath of fresh air amongst such entertainment & if you haven't check it out yet, you should :]

our save the date video!

Burton & I wrapped on our save the date video last night! We've already gotten plenty of e-mails back from friends & family telling us how much they loved it :] We were originally inspired to make a video instead of mailing out paper because it's free, more environmentally friendly, & a little bit more creative. & it honestly turned out much better than I was expecting!

Let me take you a little bit behind the scenes. We decided to nix the idea of filming somewhere outdoors mainly because of the heat & not really finding any place suitable to chalk up. Instead, we filmed inside of our home, on the lid of our newly-built keezer. So the most troublesome part of the whole process was placing the camera to give us a steady aerial shot. We wound up jerry-rigging a contraption with a ladder, pool cue, & a whole lotta duct tape.

 

Luckily, we only had to do two takes. I was so nervous during the first take that my body kind of went on autopilot. It wasn't until we finished & were celebrating our awesome video that I realized I had written "November 24th, 2014"!! We laughed it off, took this incriminating photo, & did it again. You can even see me hesitate in the video when I write 2012, just to make sure I didn't goof up twice!Then we used some basic video editing know-how to add fades, music, & change up the speed. But we're so happy with it & we're thrilled with how it has been amping up everyone's excitement for our wedding :] 135 more days!!

miss representation

Everyone should see this documentary. It's shocking, inspirational, & overwhelming.

it's the weekend!

When I was in elementary school, my mom had this cute little tradition with my brother & I. Every Friday, she'd pick us up to go home & at exactly 5pm, the radio station played this weekend song. Even then, I thought it was super catchy. We also got to stop at a 7-11 to pick out any sweet treat that we wanted. Fridays were, & still are, the best.

I still sing this song out loud on my way home from work. Which is at an elementary school, go figure ;] Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

save the dates!

Burton & I decided to make a save the date video instead of mailing anything out. It's much cheaper & tons more fun. I have the day off school this Friday so I'll be scouting some locations in Orlando & we ought to be able to start filming soon! So exciting :] The video above was our main source of inspiration, but check out some of the super adorable & creative save the date vids below!

the beard song

So, uh, I am in LOVE with Burton's beard. I could run my fingers through it & let him nuzzle & kiss me all day long. I seriously dig the scruff. So naturally, when I stumbled upon The Beard Song, it became my new anthem for Burton. Just incredibly adorable :] Have a listen & check out their other cute songs!

PS; Manly beard oil. Mmhmm.

extremely loud & incredibly close

Please excuse my absence! It's been craaazy here as we prep for our moving day! You should see our place -- it's pretty chaotic. Anyway, I wanted to mention that one of my top four favorite books, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, has been turned into a movie & it's coming out this Friday! I'm obsessed with this book, read it many times, & of course will see the movie. I don't know if I'll like it though.

Yes, I love Tom Hanks & the trailer looks decent, but there is no way it will be able to match the quirkiness & beautiful subtleties the books has. For instance, there's one part when the grandmother is telling her grandson a story about when her grandfather gave her a ruby bracelet that was too big. He had thought that more rubies equals more love, but she couldn't ever wear it. She says, "Here is the point of everything I've been trying to tell you. If I was going to give you a ruby bracelet, I'd measure your wrist twice."

I hope those pretty little moments aren't too overlooked. We'll see!

Portlandia

Today I became OBSESSED with the show Portlandia!

It's hilarious & has yet to sway Burton & I from our dream of one day moving to Oregon :]

Ch-ch-ch-check it out!

Like Crazy

Burton & I watched Like Crazy last night & I loved it so much I just had to mention it on here. If you loved Blue Valentine, you should definitely check it out. I actually liked it a bit more because not only is it beautifully shot, as seen in the trailer, but I feel like you had a greater chance to know & like the characters than with Blue Valentine. You spend a longer time seeing them as a couple when things are good & it makes you want to root for them a little bit more. The ending is a little ambiguous & sad, & somewhat reminiscent of the ending to The Graduate, but the more I think about it, I love it more & more.

Needless to say, Like Crazy is a great movie, especially if you're looking to have your heartstrings pulled a little :]

christina perri

She's my latest musical obsession :]

deer kisses

uh-freaking-dorable!

"before sunset"

It's a wine & movie night. & this is my choice :]