Easter

Sunday, July 31, 2011

justin, joel and andy...oh my.

i'm dying to see THIS MOVIE:

this one looks dumb, but joel mchale's in it so it can't be that bad:
(right?)

and if you didn't know shark week started today...well, it did.
LOVE IT.


ALSO!
there was this film contest where you could only use six lines of dialogue.
"what is that?"
"it's a unicorn."
"never seen one up close before."
"beautiful."
"get away, get away."
"i'm sorry."
this video won.
love love love it.
happy videos ( :

Saturday, July 30, 2011

jack sparrow + michael bolton??? (+iran for anna)

I'm officially joining the youtube revolution... one hulu video at a time :)
PS I would say someone go show this to mom... but shes not a huge fan of the bleeping on kardashians so i doubt she'll like it from mr. bolton
also...
for anna. since she just loves adam levine (who doesnt?!?!)

Friday, July 29, 2011

splitscreen: a love story

shot entirely on a cell phone. 


winner of the nokia shorts competition 2011. awesome.

Monday, July 25, 2011

my heart's a stereo.

i know i missed my day but (in case you were wondering) i love this song / music video.
<3 adam levine & retro boom boxes <3

ALSO here's a song from a band from wisconsin.
it's been playing on the radio nonstop but i bet that's just here in the state.
...let me know what you think?

Saturday, July 23, 2011

mmm fro yo

If you haven't discovered the heaven that is Yogurtland (or any other "DIY as much froyo and toppings in your cup as you can and pay by the ounce"), you NEED to try it out. Seriously, whoever thought of this deserves some kind of Nobel Prize. I must admit that by now I have mastered the froyo:toppings ratio. Can you guess which one mine is??
Yup, bottom right. 
Just be prepared that some people are going to want to share with you...
 And they may be a little demanding.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Postcrossing


This is my new obsession.
Jaime found it on DZP, actually, a couple months ago.
It's a site called Postcrossing
and I swear I check it more than Facebook.
Basically, you send a postcard to a random person around the world,
and you get one back from another random person. I have yet to get one, but I am so excited!
Currently I have "sent" 4, and 7 are on their way to all these countries :)
So, 4 are on their way to me too!


When you receive them, there should be an "ID" number written on it so you can register it, and
keep track of sent & received cards.
Jaime & I were so excited we spent hours finding random postcards on Zazzle.
Here's a small sample out of like 100.


And then when you get them, people upload them and show everyone what they got.

I LOVE IT. I love different cultures & people & postcards,
So, it's right up my alley.

It's so easy too. So you all should do it. The end.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

a water-powered jet pack..?

there are a lot of awesome things about being on the news. one thing that is easily the best and the worst is the fact that you are typically live -- and when you're live, pretty much anything can happen.

case in point:
also, if you didn't know, i put together an hour-long piece about the tornadoes that hit our area and the rebuilding process it's taken to start putting everything back together. click here if you want to watch some of the video (it's divided into segments -- each is between 5 and 10 minutes long so you don't have to watch the whole thing if you don't want to). you can see my face in segment 1, 2 or 5.

BONUS: hear me talking about kind strangers letting me use their
bathroom after their electricity goes out in segment 2.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Packing for a Trip

Sorry in advance for posting this late.  I'm an awful blogger.  Anna mentioned in a comment that she thought the baby hungry post would be by me... so I decided that Try Me Tuesday should be something non-baby related.  Looking back at most of my challenges there has been a theme of baby.  Hey, if you are passionate about something though, shouldn't you share that passion?

Well, rather than being passionate about babies today, I am going to share my passion for traveling and being organized.  This month we have a couple of family trips coming up and rather than being like a normal person a throwing a few things in the suitcase last minute, I have been planning exactly what I want to pack since the second week of June.  So... here's my list of suggestions.

1.  When traveling for more than 5 days, only pack enough for 5 days max and plan to do laundry part way through your trip.  This way you only have to pick out your top 5 favorite outfits and more than likely, you can mix and match them. (Jon and I are headed to France for 10 days with the Hamiltons and are trying to pack in one suitcase, with two backpacks as our carry-ons, we are going to follow this rule and make sure to bring our own laundry soap.)

With our luggage enroute to Jamaica last year.  We had a chance to stop in Dallas and see my sister Maggie.
2.  Bring a couple of garbage bags with you in your suitcase so that your clean clothes do not contaminate your dirty clothes if you are going to be packing and unpacking often. (If you don't want to pack these, most hotels have "laundry" bags hanging in the closet that you could use for the same purpose.)
This closet did not have the free laundry bag and I was way bummed.  Their padded hangers were nice though.
3.  If you have to sleep with a fan on or a white noise machine, make sure to pack it.  It's hard enough sleeping in a different bed, having a calming sound that you are used to can make your sleep more restful.  (I picked up one of these gems at Bed Bath and Beyond last week.  Clearance priced $4.99 plus 20% off coupon.)

Room in Antigua where a noise machine would have been helpful.  The birds and bugs were loud all night.
4.  Whether you are going on a day trip to Park City or museum hopping in Paris staying hydrated is extremely important.  When flying they might not let you bring your own water through security, but you can bring your own bottle and fill it up at a drinking fountain.  If you're like me though, you might get sick of just water after a couple days, so bring a few flavor packets.  I love this kind in particular and they are usually on sale at Walmart.

All three of us could have benefited from more hydration that day.  Sentosa Island Singapore.
5.  Worried about having enough space?  Well, I've found a great tool for making extra room.  I know you've probably heard of them before, but did you know that spacebags makes travel bags that just roll to seal?  They do!  Jon and I will be testing them out for the first time this trip, but we've loved the ones that store our items at home and know that it will be helpful for them to shrink our clothing even smaller for that one suitcase.
These boys are lucky to have moms who pack for them and drive them across the country to visit me, in one car with 5 people and luggage for all of them. Photo from North Carolina last summer.
6.  Headed overseas?  Make sure to bring a few of your favorite snacks in your bags.  It may seem silly and I know some of you will say, just sample the cuisine of the country you are visiting, but really, sometimes I just miss American food.  Two years ago when we were in Asia we were really missing a good burger, so we headed down to McDonald's for a burger and spent much more than planned just to get a taste of home.  This time I'll be packing my favorite all fruit roll-ups and a few chewy bars to save some money.
Our drink bags at McDonald's in Thailand.
7.  Make a list and check it twice... or thrice... or however many times you want.  This is what I started way back in June a list of all of the things I need to bring and what they are specifically.  I print out a copy to go in my bag and once I've arrived at the location when I am packing up to come home I use it to make sure that I've got all of my belongings.  This will be extra handy when I am staying with my sisters in Park City.  I'll know for sure if they have taken any of my favorite shirts.  Haha.

Luckily we had matching shirts when we stayed with Beth in Vegas.
8.  Leave some things at home.  I know that organizing your purse does not seem that important when traveling, but going through and taking out all non-essential items from your wallet and purse is always a good practice.  In Jamaica last year I brought only the essentials, license, passport, cash, and one card for emergencies.  That way if my purse did get stolen, I didn't have to worry about cancelling a million cards or restarting memberships.
Really awkward pose, but it's the best shot I have of my tiny travel purse.  That lumpy shrub is supposed to look like an elephant at Ahyutaya in Thailand.
9.  Always charge your camera before you go on a trip and make sure to bring the charger with you just in case.  There are so many trips where I wish I had more photos but I don't because I forgot the charger.  Making your list will also help you remember to pack this and to bring it back home.  Replacing a battery charger can be quite expensive.
Riding in a helicopter over Hoover Dam.  One of the only pictures from the weekend cause I forgot the camera charger...
10.  It never hurts to pack a skirt.  Or long pants for that matter...  You never know when you might need them.
Long skirts were a requirement to visit these temple grounds... I only had shorts.
Long pants were required for men here as well.


So... try packing for a trip... or taking one for that matter.  They are refreshing and wonderful and offer opportunities for embarrassing photos.  I'll probably be absent from bloggerdom for the next two and a  half weeks since my family gets here on Friday and stays until we leave for France on the 23rd of July.  I promise to have awesome updates about trying the Red Banjo Pizza parlor in Park City after my family visits and having really delicious European chocolate when the Hamiltons get back from France.  For now, just have a great couple weeks and tell me about your favorite trip or item to pack.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

red, white and boom.

i missed my ohio fourth of july celebration in person this year but managed to sneak the video into my 10PM newscast tonight. just love red, white and boom sometimes!
(if for some reason you can't see the video, click here and look for the clip titled: in case you were inside -- some fireworks)

also, in case you're doubting how awesome america is, i found a list of 100 great things about our amazing country. a few favorites: #9 - whole foods. #26 - ben & jerry's. #28: self-stick stamps. #38 - "american pie," by don mclean. #54: sandusky, ohio. #61: diet coke. #72: the kardashians.

what's your favorite? i have some guesses...mostly for mrs. d (#50?) and surrah (#47?)

happy bday, america. you continue to be awesome.