Little Insights

Freaking Out

2011-10-27T22:22:00.000-05:00

So sometimes I want to do this:

But then I watch this and laugh really hard.
This really puts life into perspective. Hahahaha....

Whoa 25.

2011-10-10T19:32:00.000-05:00

Last Monday was my 25th birthday.

It started out how most birthdays start out now-a-days - with about 100 facebook posts. Thanks, facebook, for making me feel special for a day. Haha.

So I got to work, only to find out that my coworkers forgot my birthday. With just three people in my office regularly, I was a bit bummed. After a couple of hours, one of my coworkers who doesn't work on Mondays, called in and sang to me over the phone. It was at the point that my boss overheard and she freaked out and ran out of the office in a tizzy. Meanwhile, my dad sent me my 25 pink roses to work:

So, after a little while, my coworker takes me to our other office where this is waiting for me:

After work I headed to the parents' for dinner. Oh man was it good.

And, my parents surprised me with an iPad. I was so blown away and blessed!

The day after my birthday, I did this:

I'm kind of obsessed with it.

This weekend is the extended celebration, and I'm going to go visit cousins in Orlando and flip out at Universal again. I can't wait! Have a great week!

Melancholia

2011-10-07T10:24:00.001-05:00

I posted this back in 2007, and I am totally feeling it again:

Here are a couple of tips about friendships:

If you're married, or plan on getting married someday, don't forget your friends who are still not married. Just because you're married now does not mean you're better than them. Don't only hang out with your married friends. Is is really worth it to blow off these people who you have invested years into just because you have different marital statuses? If you do that, then when your old friends finally do get married do you think they're going to want to hang out with you now, just because your in the same point in life? Negative.

I guess this goes for any point of life when you move on and others stay behind. When you graduate high school and go on to college, don't forget about your high school friends... When you graduate college, don't forget about those who are still in school.

I guess what I'm trying to say is appreciate your friends. They help make you who you are. It takes a long time to build close friendships.. It's a shame to lose friends just because you're in different walks of life...

So many weddings. 4 out of the 5 Saturdays in October I have a wedding, whether attending or playing.
Hope everyone is having a good almost weekend. I know I am so ready for it.

Much love,
the perpetually single girl,
Katy.

PS.. I am totally okay with being single, just not okay with non-single people who don't hang out with us "poor single people".

Almost Recovered..

2011-09-26T09:31:00.001-05:00

So last weekend was my friend's wedding. At this point I think I am finally (almost) recovered from it. Haha.. Her day was exactly how she wanted it. It was absolutely perfect for her. My favorite part was when the doors opened up for her, her *now* husband had tears streaming down his face. It was so sweet.

My hair

My bouquet

Me with the Mr. & Mrs.

Eating the cake... So funny story.. The photographers took their rings to place them on top of the champagne bottle to take a few pictures. Well, the champagne decided to pop with the rings on top and the rings went flying. Hers was found right away but they couldn't find his anywhere. They FINALLY look at the cake, and lo and behold, his ring had buried itself in the cake. The piece that they cut to eat had his ring in it so it was kind of like a king cake. He got the prize piece! Hahaha..

This is what we put on the back of their car. :)

I caught the bouquet!.. Meghan kept looking backwards so she could aim right at me. Haha.

The flowergirl (bride's niece) helping us clean up afterwards.

That's all the pictures I have of the wedding... I'm in another one in March. Hopefully I'll be fully recovered from this one in time for that one. ;)

Wedding Week!

2011-09-12T11:12:00.002-05:00

This weekend is my friend Meghan's big day! Here are some pictures from the bridal luncheon and bachelorette party this weekend:

All the bridesmaids with Meghan... We make a flower

Hats were required at the luncheon.


We're such ladies... Haha..

At the hotel.. Meghan was forced to wear a tacky crown and sash.

PF Chang's!

Me and the bride. :)

Made with a Comic app.. Great fun!

This weekend is going to be crazy!

McGraw Family Reunion

2011-09-05T12:49:00.001-05:00

So this weekend was my gigantic extended family's cousin reunion. I really mean gigantic.. My great grandmother was the oldest of 13. In the next generation (my grandmother's) there's around 54 people (plus spouses) and in the 3rd generation (my mom's) there are around 105ish people (plus spouses) and then in my generation there are already 60something people.

Every year on Labor day the family gets together in Dothan, Alabama at one of the cousins' houses and it's pretty fantastic. 5 of the original 13 siblings were there.

On Saturday, they had this couple who played a ton of different instruments and were dressed in colonial garb. I got to play is violin.. It was fun. :)

His name was Chuck. He was excellent.

Creepy face on a tree...

I also found some gems in the old family albums:

1989. Yes, that is my mother in the middle with the poodle hair.

From left to right: random cousin (ha), my mom, my aunt Teresa, my dad, and my uncle Keith.

1993, I believe (the year before my brothers were born).. I'm the one in the front on the far left with the ginormous bow.

Little Whit helping put the chairs away.

The horse, I mean dog, Rudy

The kids all went out and had a mud fight in the river... I missed out on that one. OH well.

Baby Chloebelle.. Her feet didn't quite touch the ground in her walker. Haha.

My great-great uncle Joel giving a devotional on Sunday before lunch.

And the McGraw family wall. HUGE family.

I hope everyone else had an excellent Labor Day weekend!

Wearing White before Labor Day!

2011-08-31T15:01:00.001-05:00

Yes, I still follow that old-fashioned rule. What can I say? It's been taught to me since birth.
Seeing as next Monday is Labor Day, I've been wearing white pretty much every day.

Here's my outfit yesterday for our open house at work.. I liked it. :)

Blazer: White House Black Market
Shirt: Express
Skirt: Anthropologie
Shoes: Jessica Simpson

A Couple of Interviewing Tips

2011-08-29T13:07:00.000-05:00

In the past, I have been told that I interview well. While I am a pretty soft-spoken and shy person, for some reason I do really well in interviews.. Here are just a few tidbits that seem to work well for me.

1. Dress the part. I know you've probably heard this before, but attire is extremely important. Look professional. Even if everyone else in the office is wearing jeans, wear a suit, slacks, a skirt, a blazer; anything that would be considered "professional attire". Fix your hair, break out the heels, do your nails, wear makeup... Also feel free to add your own uniqueness to the ensemble - throw in a pop of color, wear an interesting nail color (just not too loud for the interview)...

2. Have a firm handshake (especially if you're interviewing with a man). I am a pretty small girl. People expect me to have a wimpy handshake, but I have made it a point to have a firm handshake. A strong handshake is important because it's one of the first impressions you make. I love taking people (mostly men) by surprise with a firm handshake. It definitely says that there's more to me than meets the eye.

3. MAKE AND MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT. I cannot tell you how important eye contact is. People are not going to want to hire you if you can't look them in the eye. And it's important to maintain eye contact throughout the interview. You appear sincere and truthful.

4. Enunciate. This one is especially important for those of us in the South. People down here mumble and have very strong accents. I make it a point to speak slowly, clearly, and enunciate my words (that way you don't have to repeat yourself).

5. Have several copies of your resume / letter of recommendation. It's important to have several copies; especially if you're unexpectedly interviewed by more than one person. And, this way, they don't have to make copies. (Also use the good paper)

6. Smile.. And relax. You want to look like you belong in that office. Even if you're nervous, try not to let it show. Take a deep breath, and relax. Smile, laugh at their corny jokes, do whatever it takes to show that they don't make you nervous (even if they really do).

I know it's not a lot, but these things have worked for me, and I hope they can be helpful to someone else!

Quotations...

2011-08-23T10:18:00.001-05:00

Recently I've been reading like a madwoman and I am obsessed with Goodreads. I love random quotations from intelligent people, so here are a few I found particularly interesting and/or amusing..

I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.
- Oscar Wilde

Two things are infinite: the universe and stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.
- Albert Einstein

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
- Robert A. Heinlein

It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.
- JK Rowling

When in doubt tell the truth.
- Mark Twain

If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.
- Albert Einstein

Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
- Groucho Marx

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
- Oscar Wilde

I really feel that we're not giving children enough credit for distinguishing what's right and what's wrong. I, for one, devoured fairy tales as a little girl. I certainly didn't believe that kissing frogs would lead me to a prince, or that eating a mysterious apple would poison me, or that with the magical "Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo" I would get a beautiful dress and a pumpkin carriage. I also don't believe that looking in a mirror and saying "Candyman, Candyman, Candyman" will make some awful serial killer come after me. I believe that many children recognize Harry Potter for what it is, fantasy literature. I'm sure there will always be some that take it too far, but that's the case with everything. I believe it's much better to engage in dialog with children to explain the difference between fantasy and reality. Then they are better equipped to deal with people who might have taken it too far.
- J.K. Rowling

Some Recommended Reading:
Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7) I just finished reading all of these...it was an excellent experience. (I know I'm a little behind in reading these, but if you haven't read them and love the movies, you should definitely read them at some point in your life.)
Entwined Such a pretty book and a good grown-up fairy tale (review here)

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate), Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate), Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate), and Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate). SUCH a wonderful reading experience. I love these. Just the first one should get you hooked!

Getting Internet back on Thursday!

2011-08-15T09:57:00.001-05:00

So when the old roommate moved out 2 weeks ago, she took the internet with her since it was in her name. Sad.
New roommate is getting new internet hooked up this Thursday. Happy!
After this Thursday, I'll be back to normal posting!

The end.

**UPDATE**
AT&T is stupid. They were at our apartment for 3 hours yesterday and STILL no internet. Jerks.

Harry Potter 7.2 Blurb

2011-08-01T10:18:00.002-05:00

If you haven't seen Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2, go see it!!!!
It was epic.
And Neville got hot.

The South...

2011-08-01T09:48:00.000-05:00

I live in the deep South. There are a lot of things I love about it.. I love that people are friendly (for the most part), strangers make eye contact and smile at the grocery store, the beach is an hour and a half away..

There are also many things that I don't like so much.. First of all, we have summer for like 7 months of the year. Blech. And I hate the stereotypes that the media makes of us; we don't all sound like backwoods rednecks!!

One of the worst things though, is that everyone down here is expected to get married young. And if you don't get married young, you feel left out. I think we're one of the last places in the world who thinks it's normal to get married at 22, 23.. Well, I've decided I'm not claiming that part of being from the South. I'm 24 for heaven's sake! I shouldn't be feeling like I'm missing out because I'm not married yet!

I was talking with one of my remaining single friends the other night, and she is facing the same problem. Our culture makes you feel like you really need a man to "have it all". Now don't get me wrong, I'm so happy for my friends who are / are getting married and I wish them every happiness. But I refuse to feel like I'm not complete yet because I haven't found a husband. Heck, I don't even want to have kids until I'm into my 30's..

So do I want to get married? Absolutely. Will I settle just so I can be married? Hell no. Can I be content being single until the right guy finally get's here? Almost there. :)

A daily dose of YUM:

(He totally made "Cowboys & Aliens" worth watching..)

Solidarity sisters.

Ireland, I miss you.

2011-07-22T12:26:00.000-05:00

I really do..

I visited Ireland in 2008 and really really want to go back. I love the beauty, the people, the accent, the Irish coffee.. Ha..

Seriously though, I think I'm going to see about making another trip there next year.

Here are some pictures from the '08 trip...

At the Jameson Distillery

I love all the green!!

Bunratty Castle in Shannon

At Blarney Castle

Pretty!

My mom and me somewhere in the Ring of Kerry

In the words of our guide "ABC.. Another Bloody Castle"

Bagpipes!

Me kissing the Blarney Stone

The Cliffs of Moher

Once Upon A Time

2011-07-11T12:12:00.001-05:00

Has anyone else heard of this new TV series coming out this fall?

I, for one, am incredibly excited about it. Here is the description via their facebook page:

Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) knows how to take care of herself. She's a 28-year-old bail bonds collector who's been on her own ever since she was abandoned as a baby. But when the son she gave up years ago finds her, everything will change. Henry (Jared Gilmore) is 10 years old now and in desperate need of Emma's help. Henry believes that Emma actually comes from an alternate world ... and is Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and Snow White's (Ginnifer Goodwin) missing daughter. According to his book of fairytales, they sent her away to protect her from the Evil Queen's (Lana Parilla) curse, which trapped the fairytale world forever, frozen in time. Of course Emma doesn't believe a word, but when she brings Henry back to Storybrooke, she finds herself drawn to this unusual boy and his strange New England town. Concerned for Henry, she decides to stay for a while, but she soon suspects that Storybrooke is more than it seems. It's a place where magic has been forgotten, but is still powerfully close ... where fairytale characters are alive, even though they don't remember who they once were – including the Evil Queen who is now Henry's foster mother. The epic battle for the future of all worlds is beginning, but for good to win, Emma will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell.

Brace yourself for a modern fable with thrilling twists and hints of darkness. Brimming with wonder, and filled with the magic of our most beloved fairytales, Once Upon A Time is a fitting follow up to Lost from two master storytellers.

As a girl who loves all things fantastical and princess-y, I will DEFINITELY be tuning in to this new series. It's written by two of the writers who wrote LOST, so it's sure to be a show to keep us on our toes. Here's the trailer:

Will you be watching?

Houston!

2011-07-08T19:01:00.003-05:00

For the weekend of the 4th, I decided to visit one of my very best friends, Alicia, in Houston. She will be moving to Taiwan on July 18. Here are a few pictures of our last time together (until I go visit her next March, hopefully!!).

She's so cute!

Outfit details:

Dress: Anthropologie

Shoes: Gianni Bini

Notice this is me standing crookedly... Not the camera being held crookedly...

I love her!!!!

I also saw the future home of BHLDN. You couldn't see anything but, just seeing the boarded up windows that said "BHLDN" was still very exciting. I now know where exactly I'll be going to look for a wedding dress..whenever the heck that happens ;).
It was right next to this place:

And just for kickies, here are some peonies (one of my favorite flowers) from a shower I threw a couple of weeks ago:

Happy weekend!

More Upcoming Movies

2011-06-29T13:34:00.004-05:00

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part II

Release Date:7/15/11

Well, this one is a given on the "to-see" list.. I'm actually going to go to the midnight premier of this one. My first one!

The Three Musketeers

Release Date: 10/14/11

I'm super excited for this version of the Three Musketeers. I LOVED the one from the early '90s and this one has Orlando Bloom. Yum. (Thank you Enchanted Serenity of Period Films for the reminder!)

Puss In Boots:

Release Date: 11/4/11

Puss was definitely one of my favorite characters in the Shrek movies. I'm definitely interested to see how they make a whole movie out his character.

Breaking Dawn Part 1:

Release Date: 11/18/11

Yes, I'm a little embarrassed about this one... Don't judge me!

The Muppets:

Release Date: 11/23/11

Who doesn't love a muppets movie? And this one has Marshall from How I Met Your Mother (Jason Segel)!

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows:

Release Date: 12/16/11

I loved the first one.. Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. together again? Yes please.

**UPDATE** Check out Enchanted Serenity's blog for the trailer here!

The Brothers Grimm: Snow White:

Release Date: 3/16/11

I'm leaning toward this version of Snow White coming out next year (of the two)...I think.. Julia Roberts is the evil queen.

The Hunger Games:

Release Date: 3/23/12

I already told you about my excitement for this movie here. So pumped!!

The Avengers:

Release Date: 5/4/12

Yes, I'm one of those nerds who loves superhero movies. :)

Snow White & The Huntsman:

Release Date: 6/1/12

This version has Kristen Stewart as Snow White (meh) and Charlize Theron as the evil queen. We'll see which one wins!

Any movies you're looking forward to? Did I miss any?

Entwined - A Review

2011-06-27T09:59:00.002-05:00

Let me start out by saying that the 12 Dancing Princesses was one of my favorite stories as a kid. If you are looking for a good, innocent, sweet, fairy tale for your summer reading, Entwined is definitely for you..

I absolutely loved this retelling. It is told in the point of view of Azalea, the eldest of the 12 princesses (she is 15 or 16 at the beginning of the book). The sisters are all named after flowers and are in alphabetical order from oldest to youngest, Azalea, Bramble, Clover, Delphinium, Evening Primrose (Eve), Flora & Goldenrod (twins), Hollycock, Ivy, Jessamine, Kale, and Lily, which makes it easy to keep track of which girl is which.

The girls' mother dies at the beginning of the book and the household begins a year-long mourning period in which they must wear black at all times, draperies cover every window, the girls are not allowed out of the house except on "R.B." (royal business), there will be no courting, and there will be no dancing. The King leaves shortly after mourning begins for war.

After the king leaves, Azalea finds a passageway from their bedroom that leads to a magical gazebo where they can dance every night. The man in charge is called The Keeper and, as the synopsis says, "he likes to keep things". There are several intense parts in this book where I could not put it down. I ended up taking around 2 days to finish it.

I cannot stop gushing over how much I love this book. I loved the family dynamic, I loved the man (you don't know for sure, so I won't way his name), and I loved the ending.

I'd give this book 4.5 stars, but since the cover is so gorgeous, I'm bumping it up to a 5. Excellent retelling. I highly recommend.

Anthropologie Wants...

2011-06-21T08:27:00.000-05:00

I want...

Expanding Universe Tank

Conestoga Corset

Epilogue Blouse

Lunar Cycles Top

Level 99 Denim Pencil Skirt

What's on your Anthro wishlist?

Last Single Standing?

2011-06-20T11:51:00.003-05:00

Anyone else out there feel like they're the last single standing? I know I do.. It seems like every other day some friends of mine are getting married, getting engaged, or in serious relationships.. How is a girl to cope?? And can I just say, it sucks trying to find a date to a wedding. Ugh.

Anyways, I'm trying not to mope and really trying to appreciate my current state of single-hood. I'm being selfish and buying shoes on a whim just because I can. I have caught up on a lot of reading (I know this makes me a dork).. AND I don't feel guilty for drooling over these beautiful men:

Ben Barnes

Ryan Reynolds

And Curtis Stone...

Moment of "mmmm....."

Ahem, anyways...

Here are a couple of articles that have lifted my spirits a bit:
Why It's Good To Be The Last Girl Standing
Help! I'm The Last Single Girl Standing In My Group Of Friends

Anyone else feel like they're the last single standing? And where do people meet people these days?

"Interview With Reality"

2011-06-16T13:39:00.001-05:00

My cousin, Susie, has finally started a blog. It is going to be awesome. She will be posting "Kayla-isms", as well as random funny things her two kids (Kayla & John Riley) say and do.

Check it out: Interview With Reality

Me & Susie

Kayla

John Riley

(pictures my visit last October)

How It Should Have Ended

2011-06-14T10:20:00.000-05:00

Just a quick dose of funny: How It Should Have Ended

I adore this website. They basically just take movies and come up with hilarious endings, or endings that make waaaaay more sense.

I've embedded a couple of my favorites, but I encourage you to check out ALL of their videos when you get a chance. It will not be time wasted.

How Lord Of The Rings Should Have Ended

How Superman Should Have Ended
(I mostly like this one because of the coffee shop scene with Batman and Superman... it continues in the next video)

How The Dark Knight Should Have Ended

If you want to see the continued coffee shop with Batman & Superman, watch How Thor Should Have ended..

Anyways, enjoy! And happy Tuesday!

Bring it, Humidity!

2011-06-13T07:51:00.001-05:00

So I had an excellent outfit day yesterday.
My hair was obedient despite the 98 degree weather and 100% humidity.
My makeup did exactly what I wanted it to do.
AND I had an awesome dress on in my color.
And I'm finally starting to get a tan. I've been working on it every weekend out at my parents' house because I'm in a wedding in September and really need a tan to pull off the color. So yay!

Coral is my color. Again, sorry for the bad quality of the pictures.. I have yet to master the art of taking pictures of myself.

I am now making the humidity work for me. I half curl my hair so that it's half wavy and the humidity helps it. This will be my hairstyle for the next 4 months.. maybe..

Outfit details:
Dress: Anthropologie
Slip: Anthropologie
Shoes: Vince Camuto

Something For Myself

2011-06-05T18:21:00.000-05:00

I think it's good to treat yourself every now and then. Now, my usual gift to myself is shoes, but this time I treated myself with a skirt. Not just ANY skirt, the Patagonian Maxi skirt from Anthropologie.

I have longed for this skirt ever since it came out, so in honor of my new job, I bought it for myself. It's every bit as awesome in person. It's long enough to wear my 5 inch heels with and you can pull it up and wear flip flops with it. I am in love.

Here's how I styled it today:

I wore it with an American Eagle tank, a necklace from Clockwork Couture, and a lacy vest from Buckle. And I wore my 5 inch gladiator Jessica Simpson shoes under it. It was a perfect outfit for this smoldering heat here. It got up to about 103 degrees today with about 100% humidity. HORRIBLE. But, the skirt was nice and breezy. All I can say is thank you LORD for air conditioning!!

And I had a butterfly on my pinky today:

I Am A 90's Kid

2011-06-03T11:54:00.003-05:00

For those of us who experienced being a kid in the early 90's, please check out this awesomeness:

(I got this here, from Unreality Magazine)

And for more 90's fun, check out Things 90s Kids Realize.

A Book Review - The Hunger Games

2011-05-31T11:55:00.004-05:00

First of all, let me tell you that my preference of books is fiction. When I read something I want it to be an escape. I love mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, and crime novels. Some of my favorites are the Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell, the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, anything by Jane Austen, the Soulless books by Gail Carriger, the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, and yes, I also enjoyed reading the Twilight books (sorry).

I have heard a lot about the Hunger Games recently and when I saw that they started production on a movie it really peaked my interest. I decided to give them a try..

Here is Suzanne Collins' (the author) summary of the first book:
In a not-too-distant future, North America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district (a boy and a girl, aged 12-18) are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss' young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives.

I just completed the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy. This is one of those series that I absolutely could not put down. I read the Hunger Games over 2 days while I was in jury duty, I read Catching Fire and Mockingjay each in a day (I read all of them in less than a week).

All of that being said, these books are a MUST READ. I literally couldn't put them down. I cried a little, I laughed, I even got a headache because it was so tense and I had absolutely no idea where they were going. Collins had me guessing until the very end, and the ending wasn't even close to what I had predicted. I don't want to go into detail so I don't spoil anything.. These books are definitely not just for the "young adult" group. Even after I finished reading these, I just sat there thinking about them for a long time. I was still thinking about them when I went to bed last night! I'm ready to re-read them already!

I cannot wait to see how they portray everything in the movie version, set to come out sometime next year. Here is the picture of the actress set to play Katniss from Entertainment Weekly:

Overall, the Hunger Games trilogy has everything in it. They're just awesome. I suggest buying all three at the same time so that you can go straight into the next one!

Best Season Finale EVER - Bones

2011-05-20T12:41:00.001-05:00

Can I just say, squeeeeee!!!!!

MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS for any Bones fans!

First of all, let me just say that anytime Booth and Bones go undercover, it is absolutely hilarious. Booth and Bones went undercover as two redneck bowlers.. Booth had a mullet, Brennan had a poodle perm.

At the same time, Angela has gone into labor. It was so funny to see Hodgins calm for about 5 seconds until Angela yelled at him to get the keys. She decided to opt for a natural birth, so we got to see all of the funny parts of that, including Angela grabbing Hodgins' chest hair during one of her contractions. When the baby was finally born, we waited on bated breath to find out if he was blind or not. He turned out to be perfectly healthy. We then see Hodgins bring the baby out to show everyone and his name is Michael Staccato Vincent Hodgins. I teared up a bit at "Vincent" since it was a nod to the intern who was killed off in last weeks' episode.

And now for the SQUEEE part..
The last 2 minutes of the episode were just amazing. We see Booth and Brennan walking down a street, Brennan voicing her concerns about how much Angela and Hodgins' lives are now changed with the birth of their baby.. Booth reassures her and tells her it's the happiest day of their lives..
Now watch this:

Here is the link to that video since it's cut off a bit..

OH. MY. STINKING. HECK.
WHAT?!!!! I was literally breathless at this ending. I mean, they got together?! And she's PREGNANT?! This is one of the reasons I love Bones. NO ONE saw this coming.
And can I just say, Booth's face when he started to smile made me tear up and I'm pretty sure I kept a smile on my face for at least an hour after the episode ended. I mean, I'm still smiling.

In conclusion, Bones is pretty much my favorite show on television. I have watched it since the beginning and will be a loyal follower until the very last episode. This season has been perfect. Thank you, writers, for such awesomeness.

My Favorite Shows...and I hate season finales.

2011-05-17T12:25:00.002-05:00

Let me start out by saying that I absolutely hate season finales. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm SO glad that the shows will be picked up for another season, but do they really have to end the season on such horrible cliffhangers? Ugh.

Smallville.

Can I just say that I am so so sad that Smallville is over. I have watched this show since it started 10 years ago. I was 15 and have stuck with it until the end. The finale was pretty epic but it left me wanting more. I so wish they would make the next Superman movie with all of the actors from the Smallville series. And I totally cried during the series finale. I have gotten really emotional lately..

And on that note, I've also decided that Superman is my favorite superhero. And I am a nerd.. Proud of it, most days. ;)

Bones.

If you don't know what this show is about, here's a short blurb from IMDB:
"A forensic anthropologist and a cocky FBI agent build a team to investigate death causes. And quite often, there isn't more to examine than rotten flesh or mere bones."

Here is an excellent review of the show.
The cast of this show probably has some of the best chemistry with each other that I have ever seen on a television show. I love every single character.

This Thursday night is the season finale of Bones and part of me doesn't even want to watch it because last week's episode was so traumatic. They killed off a character and it was SOOO sad. I cried for like 15 minutes after it was over because I was so upset. And I REALLY REALLY want Booth and Bones to get together. It's not even funny anymore.

I really need to stop getting so emotionally involved in these TV shows. It's getting kind of ridiculous.

I have also started re-watching all of the previous seasons of this show because I love it so much and needed to watch some happy times.

I'll maybe post an update after I see this episode..

Castle.

Here's the IMDB blurb:
"After a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, successful mystery novelist Richard "Rick" Castle gets permission from the Mayor of New York City to tag along with an NYPD homicide investigation team for research purposes. A "guy's guy", he proves popular with the male team members, but immediately offends the sensibilities of the team leader, Detective Kate Beckett. Though she'll never admit it, he slowly wins her over with his innovative approach to crime solving. He brings to the table skills the others don't have: contacts in Manhattan high society, free-form creative thinking, and years of developing believable fictional characters that have inadvertently molded him into a natural criminal profiler."

WHAT?! Worst season finale of my life. UGH. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but WHY are my favorite shows killing people off?! How long until it starts back up again?

What are some of your favorite shows? How were their season (or series) finales?

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2011-05-09T15:42:00.000-05:00

My goodness there are a lot of changes going on in my life..

First off, I got a job!! Yay! I am the Events / Marketing Coordinator for a non-profit, pro-life Women's Resource Center. I'm so excited about the work that they are doing. It's such a good company and I'm already loving it.

Secondly, one of my very best friends is moving to Taiwan. Indefinitely. She has known she would be moving to work with the Chinese people as a missionary since she was eleven, so it's not a surprise.. It's actually quite amazing how it has all worked out. But I cannot tell you how much I will miss having her close by to confide in, laugh with, and cry with.. I am already planning a trip to Taiwan, hopefully to be made within the next year. We had her going away party this weekend and it was such a happy (but sad) time with her. I will cherish her friendship and she will definitely be standing by me when I get married someday.

Thirdly, all of my friends are getting married, having babies, or in serious relationships. I'm pretty much the last single standing. *sigh* Let's just say, I am incredibly bored on the weekends.

Fourthly, my "baby" brothers turned 17 this weekend. They will be seniors in high school this fall. This makes me sad.

Happy Monday, all! Have a wonderful week! And have a listen to Changes by David Bowie.

Easter, 2011 Style

2011-04-25T19:09:00.001-05:00

So the dress I bought for Easter ended not being quite dressy enough for my mom, so I ended up wearing the dress she bought for herself because it was too small and short for her. Without further adieu, here is my dress!

It's from Modcloth.. The shoes are Gianni Bini. And in case you were wondering, turquoise and purple TOTALLY go together. Just saying..

Closeup of the shoes (if you enlarge it the color shows up better):

Here are some more pictures of my crazy awesome family from yesterday:

The Herndons

Bright shoes this year!

My family.

Me and my dad

And Mom..

I love laughing pictures

My cousin, Edwin and myself. He's probably the closest person I have to an older brother. (We're just a year apart)

No Easter baskets.

All the grandkids (Gunter side).. We are serious.

Aaaand we lost it.

Edwin and his girlfriend, Adrian.

Haha.. This is my mom's brother and his wife (Keith and Teresa) and my cousins Collin and Edwin.

We are normal......

Just kidding.

Okay, serious.

And this is my 74 year old grandmother in my 5 inch heels. Be impressed.

Hope you enjoyed my crazy family's Easter pictures! It was such a good day.. We all had a wonderful service at church.. I ate soooo much at lunch. I still wasn't hungry when I woke up this morning. It was hot and humid and totally Mobile weather. We all jumped in the pool as soon as my mom gave the okay that pictures were done.

Found...

2011-04-14T12:35:00.000-05:00

Drum roll please....
Here is my Easter dress:

It's the Fluid Dynamics dress from ModCloth.

It's not as interesting as some of the other dresses I've had, but I love the color and the simplicity and it was pretty inexpensive at $50. I also went with this one because it's longer than some of the other dresses I was looking at and I have to play violin on stage at church Easter Sunday. It looks like it will be really comfortable. I will get it in the next couple of days.. hopefully it fits!

What do you think?

Looking for an Easter Dress...

2011-03-31T11:10:00.000-05:00

My mom makes everyone in our family get a brand new outfit for Easter every year. It's a really big deal. We take about a million pictures after church.

Here are some Easter pictures from the past two years:
Easter 2010

My family couldn't take a normal group shot last year...

Myself and my cousin..

Last year's dress is probably my favorite dress I own. It's Anthropologie and it fit me like a dream (shoes were Clockwork Couture). It's definitely going to be hard to top this one.

Easter 2009

This was another Anthropologie dress..

All the ladies (my aunt Susanne, me, cousin Gracie, mom).

This year I have not been able to find anything! By this point I usually have had a dress for months, just staring at me from the closet, waiting to be worn. I saw that Anthro just released some new dresses.. Here are some I'm looking at..

Anthropologie Parading Hues Dress

Anthropologie Mompos Dress

Anthropologie Approaching Blues Dress

And then there are a few from ModCloth that are lovely..

Across The Pond Dress

Gardens of Versailles Dress

Ballroom Bliss Dress

You can see my dilemma.. I just don't know what to do this year! Help!

Festival of Flowers 2011

2011-03-27T18:21:00.000-05:00

Every year there is a Festival of Flowers down in Mobile, AL.. It's kind of a big deal.

This was my second year going to take pictures.. Here are some of my favorites of the day:

And can I just say that we have completely surpassed spring and gone straight to the stifling summer. Seriously, it was about 85 outside today with about 80% humidity. Ugh. Goodbye to good hair days.

St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-20T19:56:00.000-05:00

I am definitely one of those girls who dresses up and goes all out for random holidays.. St. Patrick's day happens to be one of my favorites. First off, I LOVE Ireland, my mom and I visited in 2008. Secondly, I love green. Thirdly, I'm part Irish..

Anyways, this year I decided to cook an Irish meal for the family.

Here is the recipe for the Steak and Guinness Pie I made.

This is what goes inside the pie (steak, bacon, onions, peas...). The Guinness makes an AMAZING gravy. Let me tell you..

Here I am with the finished product..

Here it is on the table.. I must say, this pie was scrumptiously delicious. It was hearty. It was yummy. It was Irish. I highly suggest you try it out. The only downside was that my family gobbled it all up and there were absolutely no left-overs.

I made Whisky cookie balls for dessert. They were also fantastic. (I'll post the recipe at the bottom of this post.) We had Bailey's Irish Cream with dessert as well.. So I guess we had the three most popular Irish drinks at dinner (Guinness in the pie, Jameson whiskey in the cookies, and Bailey's).

Here's my green for the day:

Shirt: Express
Cardigan: Express
Jeans: Miss Me
Shoes: Anthropologie

I just love these shoes. I bought them on sale last year and have only gotten to wear the once, so I decided St. Patrick's day was the perfect day to air them out.

And here's my whole family decked out in their green. We're nerds together, at least. :) And I kind of forced them to wear it....

Well, I hope you all had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!!

Here is the recipe for the cookies:

Recipe: Irish whiskey balls (no-bake cookies)

Ingredients

1 cup white chocolate chips
2 cups vanilla wafer cookies
1/2 cup Irish whiskey (preferably Jameson)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1 1/2 cups pistachios
1 cup granulated sugar
Optional: green food coloring

Preparation: Grind together white chocolate chips and vanilla wafers in a food processor. Add powdered sugar and process until combined. Add the whiskey and corn syrup and process until crumbs form a mass. Add pistachios and pulse until nuts are coarsely chopped and throughout mixture. Optional: Add a drop or two of green food coloring to give the balls a St. Patrick's Day holiday color.

Form 1-inch balls. Place sugar in a shallow bowl and roll balls in sugar. Store in wax paper-lined airtight container in a cool dry place. Let balls sit for a few days before eating for best results.

Makes 48 balls

Modern Fairy Tales - Movie Reviews

2011-03-13T20:30:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I saw "Beastly" and today I saw "Red Riding Hood".. I decided to put in my two cents about them.

First off, I saw "Beastly" starring Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, Neil Patrick Harris, and Mary-Kate Olsen. Let me first say, YUM to Alex Pettyfer and I cannot believe that he was born in 1990! Crazy.. Anyways, he was great in the movie. He is a spoiled rich kid who believes that looks are pretty much everything. Mary-Kate Olsen is a witch or something and she curses him so that he becomes covered with cuts and tattoos and some ugly bulges on his face. (If you see it, pay attention to one of the tattoos on his back; it says "UGLY".) Neil Patrick Harris pretty much made the movie for me. He is the blind tutor. Everything he said was hilarious. He was sarcastic and his comedic timing was perfect. As for Vanessa Hudgens, well, she's just not a good actress. She wasn't believable at all in my opinion. She was the worst part of the movie for me.. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it.

This afternoon I saw "Red Riding Hood"starring Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Shiloh Fernandez, and Max Irons. For this movie, I'd say wait for the DVD. It was just a stressful experience. There were two love interests, and the one I liked she didn't like and never liked.. They killed people off unnecessarily, and she was quite scandalous. Definitely not "little" red riding hood.. And I didn't like the ending. I've also decided I don't like Catherine Hardwicke as a director (she also directed "Twilight"). The only redeeming thing was that they kept you guessing on who the werewolf really was.. I'll just say everybody in the movie had brown eyes.

In conclusion, I'd recommend Beastly, and if you really want to see Red Riding Hood go to a matinee or wait for the DVD.

Things To Do Before I'm 30

2011-03-10T12:21:00.000-06:00

Okay I am getting reallllly bored without a job. I seriously don't know what to do with myself with all of this free time. I don't like it.. I've been the Energizer bunny since I was 15.. I'm waiting to hear back from several interviews, so fingers crossed! I had a dream about one of them last night.. It was weird.

Anyways, this week I've started a bucket list of things to do before I'm 30.. True it's still pretty far off; I'll be 25 in October.. There are several things I've always wanted to do and I kind of want to get to them before I turn thirty. I only have about 15 items at the moment, but I want to get it up to 30.. Here are a few of the items on it:

- Go skydiving

- Learn to ride a horse really well

- Visit New York

- Own a house

- Live outside of Mobile

- Drive a vespa in Europe

- Own a pair of Jimmy Choos or Louboutins... Haha..

Well, I am on my way to one of the items.. I'm learning to horseback ride!!! I am so incredibly excited about this one. There is a girl that goes to my church named Madeline.. She's a senior in high school but I've known her for years.. Her brother (16) is best friends with my brothers (also 16). Her family owns horses, so I decided to ask her about lessons or where I should go to get lessons. Well, she offered to teach me for FREE! I am so so so so excited, you have no idea.. We start this Saturday. I'm going to learn to saddle a horse and everything. I'll let you know how it goes!!

Italia

2011-03-04T11:10:00.000-06:00

So I'm incredibly jealous of my mom because she got to go to Italy for 12 days... But the great thing about my mom going on a trip is she brings me amazing things back! She went to Bologna, Milan, and Venice with my aunt to visit my cousin who is studying in Bologna.

Here are my souvenirs:

Apparently there is a "Carnival" in Italy that has been going on for hundreds of years and it is at the same time as our Mardi Gras.. My mom said it's nothing like ours with crazy drunk people and parades, but there are people walking around with capes and masks on. Very cool. She got me a couple of masks..

I may be going to a parade next week (I'd be looking on from a balcony, not on the street) and I may have to wear this mask. I love it!

This one reminds me of Drew Barrymore in Ever After:

I love scarves!

This one has little charms on it.

I love the bright colors of this one.

I am obsessed with these shoes. This past Wednesday I went to Evergreen, AL (you could say it's in the boonies) to visit family wearing these shoes.. I was also wearing the grey scarf, a turquoise, black, and white messenger bag, bejeweled pocket capri jeans and my brother's Aviators.. I walked into KFC to get lunch for everybody and I cannot tell you how many people just stopped and stared at me.. I did NOT look like I was "from around here". It was pretty funny.

My mom actually bought these for herself but they were too big for her. I'm a half size larger and they fit perfectly.

This skirt is soooo me.

This one too. They look Anthropologie-ish, right?

Apparently socks with pumps are a big trend in Italy. I'm definitely a fan and can't wait to figure out how to style these babies.

Gotta love some knee socks.

You can't go somewhere without bringing back a keychain! Italy has their own version of the French fleur-de-lis.

This is a Venetian glass ring from Venice. I love the colors.

These are actually children's leather bracelets from Florence but they fit my tiny wrists perfectly! (Firenze is the Italian word for Florence)

Can everyone agree that my mom has excellent taste?! She knows me well. :) Thanks mom!

Universal!

2011-02-28T14:28:00.002-06:00

Okay... I am a geek. Let me tell you. My friend Melody and I spent an afternoon at Universal Studios and we spent most of our time at Harry Potter... I was FLIPPING out. We went on the roller coaster / simulator / castle ride twice because it was so freaking awesome. A small part of me was embarrassed at my child-like nerdiness but then I was too excited to care. Please enjoy my pictures and forgive me for my silly poses.

There it is..

I love random background people.

:-D

It looks like a real castle... Craaaazy.

Butterbeer.

Stinking delicious.

Hermoine's dress from Goblet of Fire.

Hagrid's house!

The train! And I cannot explain my pose.

The sorting hat!

Dr. Seuss merry-go-round.

Jurassic Park

My new coffee mug!

I love it!!!

If you get a chance to go to Universal Studios, make sure and go to the Harry Potter part of it! The dueling dragons roller coaster was crazy awesome (beware, there are tons of twists and flips) and the simulator inside the castle was so believable. This sounds so dorky, but it really felt like you were flying on broomstick behind Harry Potter... Butterbeer is delicious. It was all worth the crazy crowd.

Okay... This is the end of my geek-fest. :)

A Date With My Dad

2011-02-22T07:43:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday night my dad took me on a date to Biloxi to see Frankie Valli.. If you don't know who he is here are some of his songs: "Grease", "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", "Oh What A Night", and many more awesome songs from the '60s and '70s..

Here is the outfit:

Dress: Express circa 2006ish; Tuxedo Jacket: Ben Sherman ($15 at Hudson's!!); Shoes: Jessica Simpson

You've gotta love a good hair day. :)

Here are the blessed shoes again (the ones from my dad for Valentine's)..

The self-manicure.

It was great fun. The show was at the Imperial Palace Casino in Biloxi, MS (a little over an hour away from here). We at ate the restaurant at the restaurant, "Tien". Oh my GOSH it was sooooo good.. My dad's brother's girlfriend works at the casino and she comped everything, so we had lobster on the hibachi. :):):)

And here's me and my dad!

Frankie Valli was so cute.. I mean, he's like 76 years old I think. He still has the high voice and at the end of the show all of the old people ran up to the stage to shake his hand. It was hilarious. He had 4 backup singers called "The Four Seasons" and they were all around 30-ish. There was one lady behind us who was really excited for one of them. When they sang "Grease" they took off their jackets and flexed and she started screaming like a maniac. It was quite entertaining..

My hair still looked good at the end of the night! Yay!

Anyways, I am off to Orlando to visit my cousin for a few days! There will be many many MANY pictures taken. :) Have a good week!

Single Awareness Day...

2011-02-14T22:49:00.003-06:00

So "Single Awareness Day", as I am calling it at this point in my life, was not as bad as it could have been. (Or as Zachary Levi put it on Twitter today, "Happy Make Single People Like Myself Feel Awkward Day".) I had a nice lazy morning with a breakfast of french press coffee and some almost-burnt bacon. It was a beautiful day today. Clear skies and about 68 degrees. PERFECT.

Here is my outfit for the day.. I decided to kind of dress up.. I mean why not? Just because I'm a single girl does not mean I can't look pretty!! I'm a big fan of making summer dresses work in the cold(ish) weather, so here it is...

All you have to do is add a thin long-sleeved shirt under it and put on some tights and boots and there you go!

The dress is Free People, shirt is from PacSun, Target tights and Gianni Bini boots. (And please note my cat on my bed, haha.)

Here is the details on the top.. I got it this on sale back in August and I LOVE it. It's too pretty for just one season. :)

The boots were 70% off at Dillard's. Makes them even better!

And the eye makeup.

I met with my dad for frozen yogurt at this new restaurant called "Chill"..

Dark chocolate with cookie dough and M&Ms..

Let me tell you my dad is great.. Instead of flowers he bought me SHOES. Seriously, my dad is amazing.
Behold the awesomeness:

Jessica Simpson. Not a fan of her, but man, the girl can put out some shoes!!!

Aren't they just loveley??! I love how the colors in the platform extend to the heel.
He also got me this lacy vest thing... (please excuse the sweatpants)

It's from Buckle. It looks very Anthropologie-ish to me.

The back has beautiful roses on it.

This what it looks like in the back..
Isn't my dad great?!

Well after yogurt with my dad I went to see Gnomeo & Juliet with one of my dearest friends, Alicia. The movie was soooo stinking cute! James McAvoy and Emily Blunt were the voices of the title characters. It was just great. It's very child-friendly but has enough humor to be enjoyable to adults. There are a couple of pretty funny innuendoes hidden in there as well.
After the movie we came back to my place and I made yummy chili and chocolate chip cookies and we watched Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix (her first time to see it).

Excited!

I hope everyone had a wonderful day! I'm still not going to say the V-word... Teehee....

I'm still here!

2011-02-09T19:56:00.001-06:00

I just realized I haven't posted in February yet... The temporary hiatus was due in part to the job search.

I had my first interview yesterday! I didn't take an actual picture yesterday, but here is what I wore with a few changes:

I went with black tights and purple boots and a black turtle neck under the sweater for the interview... Didn't want to scare them with my eclectic-ness yet but a girl can't go wrong with Anthropologie. :)

My band had our first big show this past Friday night. It went REALLY well! We were there for three hours and we had huge turnout!

This is the only picture I have from the show, it's from someone's cell phone.. I wore a dress, skinny jeans, and some boots.. I'm not gonna lie, it was a great outfit. :) I'll definitely be wearing it again and will post pictures and details.

And is anyone else excited for the Anthropologie wedding line BHLDN?!! I am so glad that I'm not married yet so I can have an Anthropologie wedding (after I find the man, of course). Eeeee!