birthdays and sardines...

My Dad was up north with my Grandma this past weekend. Her birthday is today, so I suggested that I go up and meet them in Monterey and we can have dinner all together with her...and maybe stop at the aquarium too. :) So I went up yesterday and met my Dad and Grandma at MBA, then we met up with my aunt and uncle at the Sardine Factory (Monterey's version of the Madonna Inn). Their creme brulee was SO good! You know it's good when you see real vanilla bean seeds in it.
Sadly, because the place was so dark, I didn't get any pictures. But here are a few from the aquarium...



My Grandma hadn't been to MBA in years (about 10)...I think she enjoyed it. :)

moves like jagger {sotw}...

If you've been listening to any sort of "pop hits" radio stations lately, you'll know my SOTW. Moves Like Jagger, by Maroon 5. I'm sorry, I had no choice but to get sucked into becoming a fan of this song. It has such a catchy beat that you want to dance to [speaking of dance, you can check out Carson Kressley doing a "cha-cha" to this song here...it's pretty amazing, and by amazing, I mean hysterical]. I don't really care for the lyrics. I just love the beat.

So, my SOTW: Moves Like Jagger, by Maroon 5.

so many shows...

There are SO many season premieres this week, it's kinda crazy. I'm impressed at how the major stations keep a lot of shows from conflicting with each other...well, my shows at least. Here are just a few of the shows I'll be watching this week...
Castle premiered yesterday...kinda predictable (you can't kill a major character...or can you?), but still great. Dancing With The Stars also premiered Monday, but that has way too many commercials, so I usually watch it on Hulu the next day.
Raising Hope and Glee are tonight. But same thing with DWTS: too many commercials, so I'll watch them the next day...I'm just lazy like that.
The Middle is tomorrow, along with my new fave Modern Family. It's gonna be a good night of comedy.
Next month will start my all-time fave, Psych. So many good shows, so little time.

it had better be tonight {sotw}...

I'm a big fan of Michael Buble. I know, I know, all he does is copy Sinatra. But that's what I like about him. He can take 50's swing band, jazz and blues and make them popular again. That takes talent...or -- in this case -- a great voice.
Thanks to a friend of mine, I now have all of his albums on my iPod (thank you Garrett!), so it's going to be hard not to have a MB song as my SOTW for the next year or so...I have too many faves. So we'll just take it one week at a time.
This week, I've chosen It Had Better Be Tonight. With a great beat you can dance to, it's definitely in my top 10...maybe I should make a list! Yeah, I think I'll do that.

So, my SOTW: It Had Better Be Tonight, by Michael Buble.

talk typing...

Yep, totally have those moments.

one decade...

Today, we remember the fallen, the survivors, and the fighters. We pray for the families who lost someone one decade ago. We pray for the survivors that will forever feel the ripple of fear and chaos of that day. We pray for the fighters who, because of that day, they have dedicated their lives to fighting those who took the lives of their loved ones. Today, we pray. Today, we remember.
In remembrance of 9/11, my SOTW this week is War At Home, by -- my boy -- Josh Groban. I love the lyrics of this song. So honest and passionate.

My SOTW: War At Home, by Josh Groban.

floral photos...

My laptop is right under my window in my room, so I'm able to look out into my backyard whenever I take a break from the computer. I looked out this morning, and I saw a few flowers that had just popped up over night. So, of course, I had to get a few photos. Here are just a few...


The thing I love about floral photos: you can't really go wrong with editing. Each photo can give a totally different feel and expression that only flowers can give. Here are some that I edited...


I love photography. It's a great hobby. You know what would be fun? A studio photographer for actor portraits. I don't know, that sounds fun to me. :)

cathedrals {sotw}...

History of Painters is an uplifting, indie/folk band that I love. My high school bible study leader is actually married to Justin (dude with the awesome piano)--you can see their wedding here-- and they both go to my church, so I've known them for a pretty long time (Justin was also my Sparkies leader when i was about 6...random fun fact). They really are an amazing band and I can't wait to see what God has in store for their future.
I love all of their songs, so it's super hard to pick just one for the SOTW. But don't worry, I'll definitely have their songs up more than once. :)
I think this week, I'll pick Cathedrals. It's one of those songs that you can just sway with and be completely content.

My SOTW: Cathedrals, by History of Painters.

happy 301 posts!...

This is my 301st post! Whoo!!

You may ask, "301st? What happened to the 300th?" Truth is, I didn't see that the last post was my 300th (oops). But 301 is still a lot of posts, so I'm just gonna do this post the way I would have done the 300th. OK? OK.
I've been glued to the computer for the past couple of days watching all of Julian Smith's videos (what an exciting life I have right now!). They seriously make my day. They're original and always hysterical. Which is my favorite? I have no idea, I like them all way too much to decide on just one. Which one's most popular? This video: Malk. I also like Pre-Blessed Food, Hot Kool Aid, and of course Waffles. In a previous post, I linked With Child (also his). That one I think might just be my fave...maybe.

So, sit back, relax, and watch some of JS videos.