What's making me smile... [No.7]

Today's Blogtember post is to go to a coffee shop, order a favorite drink and write about what makes you happy and what makes you sad. Or anything you'd like.

Unfortuately, I probably won't be able to make it to a coffee shop today.  I hardly slept last night and wasn't feeling well so I skipped out on work and decided to stay home to get some things done (and hopefully bake cookies).  Here's a list of some things that have made me smile this past week...

These book page walls found here.

A simple reminder.

katefunk's etsy is awesome.

Now only if I can get Bruno to dress up....

Dudes with Long Hair get Fancy Lady Updos

These mini-masterpiece favors

Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines [Feminist Parody] "Defined Lines"

and then there's this...

I Know for a Fact that 'Blurred Lines' is Not Sexist.

HILARIOUS.

14 Ways 'New Girl" Can Help you Cheat Adulthood

This is  purrfect.

This hilarious post by Whitney.

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Hermione Granger
Yup, now I need a Harry Potter marathon, pronto.

The Habits of Supremely Happy People

The 20-Something Toolkit by The Uniqueness of Being


Hope you're having a lovely Thursday!
xo

Mistakes

Everybody makes mistakes. It's part of life.  It's how we grow.  Making mistakes shapes and molds you as a person.  It teaches you lessons and improves you in one way or another.  Don't ever be afraid of making mistakes.  Sure, I've made mistakes.  Lots of them, actually.  But you know what? I get over them.  I move on.  It's not okay to keep reliving your mistakes and regretting doing things/not doing things.  I used to do that a lot in the past. But now, I live in the moment.  I live in the now.  I live in the present because it is a gift (get it? so punny).  Enjoy your life. Embrace your mistakes. They're what makes you, you.

Happy Hump Day...almost through the week!

xo

PS - All photos and edits by me.  If you want to see more pretty pictures I took in Cape Cod, check them out here, here and here!

PPS - Did anyone else start singing Hannah Montana's Nobody's Perfect when they read the line 'everybody makes mistakes'?  

Everybody makes mistakes / Everybody has those days / Everybody knows what, what I'm takin' about / Everybody gets that way!

Oh, no one else thought of that? Welp, just shows how big of a dork I am. whateva.

Books...

I've been meaning to make a little review of all the books I've read so far this year and Blogtember's prompt is perfect for today.  One of my 2013 goals was to read at least 15 new books and I can happily cross that off of my list!  So far, I've read 22 new books and I'm half way through 23! Go me!

I get most of my books from my favorite used book store Crazy 4 Books or my mom's bookshelf so they're kind of random.  I am no professional book reviewer what-so-ever so I'm going to keep this short and sweet!

The View from Mount Joy, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons and The Tall Pine Polka are all by Lorna Landvick.  They were all good books but it took me awhile to get through all of them. I'm not sure why because they had decent story lines. Maybe they just dragged on? I just don't know guys!

The Quickie and Now You See Her are by James Patterson.  I don't know how I've just discovered James Patterson but his writing is fantastic.  Of course, the story lines are way dramatic but I read through both books in no time at all.

River, Cross my Heart by Breena Clarke... Umm...I honestly don't remember a thing about this book. So, I guess it wasn't that good.

I picked up How to Meet Cute Boys by Deanna Kizis as a complete joke.  I was with my boyfriend at the bookstore and was just trying to be a jerk, but then I actually read a few pages and laughed out loud.  It was a funny, easy read.

B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton was the first mystery novel I've ever read and it was great! Definitely picking up more Grafton books in the future.

Seriously...I'm Kidding was AWESOME.  Ellen Degeneres is a hysterical genius.  That is all.

I never read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott when I was younger so I picked it up now.  It's a great classic.

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink was alright.  I need to watch the movie now.

Found this sweet dried flower in Tuesdays with Morrie

Half Broke Horses and The Glass Castle, both by Jeanette Walls were PHENOMENAL.  And true stories, which will blow you mind. No joke. Jeanette tells the story of her Grandma's life in Half Broke Horses (her Grandma is my hero) and her own life growing up in The Glass Castle.  Jaw-dropper fo' sho'.

Go Ask Alice, an anonymous diary of a drug user.  Very interesting.

Gratitude: Affirming the Good Things in Life by Melody Beattie is a great, quick and inspiration read.  All about bringing gratitude into your life and becoming much happier.  A great reminder.

 The Lovely Bones is a perfect example of books being (way) better than the movie.  I honestly couldn't sit through that weird movie but the book was good!

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver was great.  Kingsolver is an awesome author.  I need to pick up more of her books asap!

The Rescue, The Notebook and A Walk to Remember all by Nicholas Sparks...Yeah, I know. You're all rolling your eyes 'cause I'm a big romantic sap. And *confession* I totally teared up at work reading The Notebook... Don't judge me.

And of course I had a photobomber while setting up...

Everyone was talking about Divergent by Veronica Roth this summer so I had to read it. It was AWESOME. It's kind of like The Hunger Games.  Set in the future with some crazy, crazy stuff going on. But I'm kind of disappointed with the second book in the trilogy, Insurgent. It's not as good as the first.

And last, but certainly not least, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom was the BEST.  It quickly became my all time favorite book.  If you haven't read it...DO IT NOW!

Read any good books lately?

xo

Life Lately

I've been meaning to do a quick summer catch up post and today's Blogtember prompt (a life lately post) is a perfect opportunity to do so. 

All photos are from my Instagram!

Not in any particular order...
watched a few lovely sunsets | enjoyed the county fair | designed a tattoo for my aunt | read lots of books | made some art | picked some wild flowers | went on a garden walk | celebrated a two year anniversary | snuggled with some kitties | went to NYC | painted my body with friends | went to some concerts | ate some blueberry pancakes | spent time with family | camped | ran in the color run | enjoyed some summer skies | stopped to smell the roses | picked some apples | cheered on the sabres at a preseason hockey game | remembered to be grateful | celebrated some birthdays | played in the rain | enjoyed the little things

xo

Comfort

Today I'm supposed to react to the term comfort for the Blogtember challenge.

Comfort:

to soothe, console, or reassure; bring cheer to.

Everyone loves being comfortable and I am no exception.  Being in uncomfortable situations is kind of a fear or mine.  I hate awkward questions, responses and conversations with strangers.  I hate feeling my cheeks flush and turn bright red, clammy palms, skipping heart beats, fidgety bodies and quickened breaths. Even making this short list about uncomfortableness is making me uncomfortable. So, here's a little list of things that I love and make me feel comfortable, soothed, reassured and cheerful...

mom and dad. bruno. kevin michael. 

walking into a classroom. yoga. kitty snuggles. hearing a favorite song. being kevin's little spoon. my bed. a hot drink on a cold day. being with my best friends. painting. bubble baths. stargazing. when the sunshine's warmth washes over your body. my favorite pair of jeans. an ice cold drink on a hot day. headbutting kitties. a great, big sigh of relief. springtime. sleeping in. showering. cuddling. familiar faces in a crowded room. sunsets. swimming. hugs. warm sand beneath my feet. drawing. kevin kisses. a knit cap in the winter. being under all the blankets. wine. curling up with a good book. grandpa's cabin. biting into a warm chocolate chip cookie. laughter. baggy sweaters. having money in my bank account. instantly connecting with someone. hearing rain patter on the roof. looking at old photographs. being helpful. vanilla scented things. getting smiles from strangers.

...Just to name a few...

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

xo

Only Photos...

_____________________________

A weekend spent with my cousins, brothers and boyfriend at my Grandpa's hunting cabin.

Filled with guitar music, hiking, manly men gun shooting (not I, noooo thank you), a scared pup, camp fires, s'mores, spider dogs, shots, the most pristine nature shots and lots of rain.

Blogtember

xo

Reminiscing...

A memory you would love to relive

Exactly one month ago I participated in The Color Run.

If you have never heard of it before it's basically the coolest thing ever.  

It's an un-timed 5k race where you are doused in a colored powder every kilometer. 

Our before and after picture...

10,000 people participated in Buffalo and by the time we were rounding the finish line we were the most colorful, happiest, and probably the most exhausted bunch of Buffalonians ever.

Everyone participating and helping out with the run was SO supportive and motivated you to keep on moving.  It was a breeze to get through with everyone cheering each other on, giving high fives and giving words of encouragement.

Along with the shirt and headband that you get in your Color Run package, they also give you a small packet of your own colored powder to throw up in celebration at the end of the race.  Every 15 minutes the workers handed out more powder packets, counted down and everyone got to throw their powder in the air.  Seriously, SO cool.

You can also see my Instagram video of the after-run party here!

The Color Run is also known as The Happiest 5k on the Planet for obvious reasons...

My carload of friends and cousin went to get a bite to eat at a Tim Hortons after the run and we got many strange looks and comments.  I was on a high all day long.  It was the absolute best.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  

xo

PS- I finally got to cross something off of my list!

A love letter...

Today's Blogtember prompt: Write a public love letter to someone in your life.

You've heard me pour my heart out for Kevin (1, 2, 3, 4), My parents (especially mama), my best friends and even my favorite app!  But today, I'm dedicating this love letter to my main squeeze, my baby boy, my kitten, my Bruno Alejandro.

*Prepare for a Bruno overload.

I am 110% a cat lady - always will be - and I don't even care if you think I'm a nutcase for this post.

Bruno Alejandro Iglesias Benzin,
You are hands down the best pet I could ever ask for.
 (And to think I almost didn't take you home because I wanted an itty bitty kitty and not a 4 month old almost cat.)
I love your kitten mews and your brrrrups, your headbutts and your dolphins, your kneading and your flops.
I love your obnoxiously long whiskers and I love the way you always want to cuddle.
I love that you love Doritos as much as I do and come running when you hear the crinkle of a bag of chips.
I love that you play fetch and come when you're called.
And even though I want to murder you when you wake me up at 4:30 in the morning to be fed, I love the sweet way you wake me up (sometimes).

You have made me laugh since day 1.  The way you sat in the fridge door to stay cool and didn't even move when the door closed.  The way you scurried up the screen window like a bat out of hell and meowed until I helped you down because you were stuck.  And the way you nosed yourself under a hat and officially became the cat in the hat.

I love the way you photobomb any and all pictures I try to take.  The way your long fur pokes out of your toes is just the cutest.  And your need to hop into any box laying around the house is precious...

I love that you literally tap someone of the arm or face when you think you're not getting enough attention.  I love your need to give a million kisses and you even let me wear you like a scarf.

And I have to say, I'm glad you grew into those ginormous ears...

And my favorite part about you?
The fact that everyone loves you.
People come into my house hating cats and leave saying, "I'm stealing your cat."
And when people say, "I don't like cats" I say, challenge accepted.

Bruno Alejandro, you are my favorite.

Okay, I'm done being obsessive...

Hope you have a wonderful week!

xo

*sorrynotsorry