Valentines/President's Day Weekend Photo Dump

Soooo, my weekend are usually pretty predictable and sometimes boring.  Don't get me wrong...I am usually ok with that.  Saturdays are usually spent having some family time -- going out and about and doing whatever.  Sundays are reserved for grocery shopping, laundry, and house cleaning.  YIPPEE!

This weekend I actually had stuff to do!  Hell hath frozen over...well,it WAS freakin cold this weekend, afterall.

The kids spent the weekend with family and I was suddenly gifted with this rare commodity called free time.

Friday night was awesome!  For the first time in forever, I actually got to go on a date.  Say whaat?!
I was able to eat Italian food,drink wine slowly, and go see a completely inappropriate movie!  Woo hoo!!

I had to photograph the wine because it is such a rare occurrence...kind of like seeing a bald eagle in the wild.  You photograph that shit!

After dinner, was Deadpool!  This movie is just awesome.  I don't think I have seen a movie this funny in a long time.  It was really dirty though--joke wise.  I mean, hell, even the end credits had sex jokes.  It did not hurt that viewers were able to see Ryan Reynolds' butt on multiple occasions.  All kidding aside though, such a fun movie!  Go see it!  DO NOT take children!  I was appalled at the amount of children I saw leaving this movie when it was over.

No Valentine's gift for me -- which is not a huge deal.  It did, however, give me the perfect opportunity and excuse to buy some gifts from myself.  Charming Charlie was having BOGO on their clearance jewelry.  I got 4 new necklaces for under $20!!  Score.  If you haven't learned this about me already, I NEVER buy anything for full price.  I am a well-trained bargain shopper.  Thanks, mom!

All these new necklaces paired with the ones I had before, necessitated something to hang them on.  I just had this little basket I put them in where they got all tangled.  I intended to get all Pinteresty and make my own little jewelry hanging shelf, but a friend gave me a tip that Hobby Lobby had theirs at 50% off.  The bargain shopper strikes again!  Reality is that it was cheaper to just buy one at this price than make my own.

I also bought a journal for myself this weekend.  Sure, this blog counts as a type of journal, but there are just some things that I am not going to write about for anyone on the interwebs to see.  I have a private life.  I keep it private.  I also have a lot to say about said private life.  I have always meant to start journaling and Barnes and Noble had these journals, you guessed it, ON SALE!  I am two very long entries in so far.  I should have bought a few!

We got quite a bit of snow on Sunday afternoon/evening.  It was actually quite pleasant and peaceful to watch.  I like a good snow when I don't have anywhere I have to be.  I ran the snow blower for the first time on my own the next day.  Woo hoo!  

Best for last!  This is my favorite picture because this is my favorite thing to do.  Since my dear son has taken permanent possession of my Kindle, I guess I am back to reading paper books.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading a good book in front of the fire while watching the snow fall outside. Perfection.  The best part is that I had my kiddos back home.  You can't see it in the picture, but my little Darcy (aka Derby) was snuggled up right next to me here.   As much as it is nice to have some kid-free time.  I always ALWAYS miss them to pieces.  

Getting to Know Me

I haven't written in awhile.  Honestly, things have been a little hectic in my life since, well, June.  I love to write, but got super stressed and just stopped.  I don't know what it is about human nature that causes us to stray from things we enjoy when we are at low point in life, but it happens.  Seems much more productive to gravitate towards those things, but that isn't the way it worked out.

Anyway, I have decided to make time.  I have also decided to begin being me without apologies.  I feel like I have lived life either apologizing for who I am or not showing who I am because of my fear of what people may think.  I am done with that.  It is going to take time, but I am working to stop hiding parts of myself in order to please or avoid criticism from others.  

Because of this, I have decided it is only appropriate to share some things about me that you may not know along with some fun facts, if you will.  So, yeah, this is me...

Music

• I love music -- all kinds.  My favorite band is The Arcade Fire,  I do love so many though.  It really isn't fair to ask my favorite song because my head would explode.  I have no idea.  I love hundreds of songs of different genres from different eras.  
• I actually have a really good singing voice.  I just never use it in public.  My dream is to one day sing in front of a group of people as well as I can sing when I am alone at home or in my car.  
• I am embarrassingly good at Beatles trivia.
• I love to dance...I just don't because I am too self-conscious.  If I had the body I wanted, I can picture myself dancing on tables or on bars and shit....well, maybe not.  
• I took piano lessons as a kid and one of my regrets in life is not taking it more seriously.  I cannot play and I know it is because I didn't practice enough.
• I really want to learn how to play guitar and have toyed with the notion of taking lessons.
• For a person as dorky as I am, I know the words and can rap along to a shockingly high number of rap songs.   As a matter of fact, I too can rap along with Nikki Minaj on Kanye West's Monster.  (I hate that I like some of Kanye's music because he is soooo not likeable)  Take that, Adele! 

Movies

• My favorite movie is Once.  The music in it is fantastic and the story is really beautiful.  If you have never seen it, it is about two people who become friends through their common interest in music.  You can see that they are falling for one another, but they never admit it to one another because the timing is just bad based on things going on in their lives.  The end tears me up and I cry like a baby every time I see it.  Yet, I still love it.  (Advice: Watch it with subtitles because their Irish accents are extremely thick and sometimes hard to understand.)
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a close 2nd for my favorite movie.
• I love Star Wars and the new one rocked my socks!
• I love Martin Scorcese movies.
• Even though I should say that my favorite Tarantino movie is Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, it is actually Jackie Brown.
• I love chick flicks.  My fav is When Harry Met Sally.
• I love stupid comedies.  I really also like raunchy humor.  

TV

• I barely watch TV anymore.  I have Direct TV and barely know how to navigate the menu.
• When I do watch TV my favorite shows are The Walking Dead, Family Guy, and Louie.
• My favorite show ever was Breaking Bad.
• My guiltiest pleasures are the now gone True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, and Once Upon a Time.  
• I think I have probably seen every episode of the Golden Girls a dozen times. 

Random Crap

• If I make fun of you or joke with you a lot, it means I love you.
• If I smile, nod, and say "that's great" or "ok" a lot, not so much...
• I cry when I am angry (I hate that about myself!).
• If I am pissed off I also tend to get silent and have noticed that I bite my lip.
• I can be socially awkward.  I HATE social events where I barely know anyone. 
• I strongly dislike escalators due to getting my shoelace caught in one as a child.  It was traumatic!!
• I am medicated for anxiety and also because without medical help, my serotonin levels are freakishly low. 
• If I could marry any celebrity it would be Seth MacFarlane because he is freaking hilarious. He can sing too!  A sense of humor is the most attractive quality a person could have, in my opinion. 
  
• Speaking of hilarious, I also am a huge fan of Louis C.K.  
• I love animals, but my favorite animal is orangutans.  I mean, look at this face!!!!
  
• I can understand coding enough to maintain this blog, but cannot understand how to properly and efficiently use Microsoft Excel.
• I am highly intuitive.  
• I believe in ghosts and have even seen a few.  
• I love cereal.  I eat it for dinner at least 4 nights per week.  My favorite is Cocoa or Fruity Pebbles.  I am trying to be all healthy and crap though...so my dinner cereals are less sugary. Booooo!
• I love being creative -- in a variety of ways

I could go on, but I won't cause, yikes!  Just wanted to reveal a little more about who I am because of the fact that I am normally kind of uncomfortable talking about myself.  Just thought it would be a more fun way of reintroducing myself to the bloggy universe.