A tragedy? Puh-lease.
The MacBeth Collection’s super cute wares — clipboards, trays, buckets, and bins, in nary a dull color or pattern — are sure to inspire a long-lasting tale of love and devotion.
Make haste, pray you, while everything is 25% off.
Enter code DCDEALS at checkout.How cute is this stuff. Here is the site.
Okay, I recycle and all but I am "going green" in a new way. I am switching my new favorite spring color to Green, not Yellow.
New Desktop Background from here.
New Folders too.
I miss my nieces and nephews in Cali.
I really want to come visit them asap (just gotta save some dough).
Woe is me.
Tip Drill - Nelly
Two Of Us - The Beatles
The New Workout Plan - Kanye West
Centerfield - John Fogerty
Ain't Got No...I've Got Life - Nina Simone
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
The Seeds - The Roots
Spirit In The Sky - Norman Greenbaum
and Tulsa Time - Don Williams but I can't find a good version.
- Floss - twice daily
- Pray - daily... if not more than that
- Exercise - daily... no matter how little or how hard but do it everyday
- Read - both my scriptures and books that will improve my mind
- Save - money... I want to start traveling more and be more financially secure
- Switch - my car into my name (I switched my insurance and I am almost registered in DC now)
- Take - my vitamins each and everyday
- Spend - more time outdoors... hiking, bike riding, etc
- Run - start a running program
- Wake - up earlier and be on time more often
- Drink - more water everyday
- Buy - fresh cut flowers
- Walk - more places and cut my driving
on your own blog. :)
Oh BluePrint... I miss you.
100 Reasons to Make/Break These Resolutions From: Blue Print Magazine
50 Reasons To Make These Resolutions
Stop Being Late
1. Truth time: 35 percent of managers don't believe your late-to-work excuses -- no matter how creative.
2. Shaving two minutes from your shower not only gets you where you need to be faster, but also saves up to 14 gallons of water per day.
3. Sign up for a carpool and let the honking horns of strangers hurry you out the door. (Find partnering options at erideshare.com.)
4. The of-the-moment timepieces on page 26 of our January/February issue will keep you on track -- in style.
Don't Judge
5."There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self."--Aldous Huxley
Shape Up
6. Easy: the no-sweat "15-Minute Desk Workout" video. (sparkpeople.com)
7. Harder: Ana Caban's challenging, yet embarrassment-proof, Pilates DVDs. ($15, gaiam.com)
8. Brutal, but worth it: Stretch yourself with the New York City Ballet's workout DVDs. ($25, nycballet.com)
9. Try before you buy: 1,400 exercise videos, from tai chi to boxing, on netflix.com.
10. The perverse pleasure of aching muscles the day after a serious workout.
11. Enell's "the bounce stops here" sports bra. ($60, enell.com)
12. Runner's high.
13. If David Lee Roth, Will Ferrell, and Oprah Winfrey can complete a marathon, so can you.
Get Organized
14. Brother's P-touch label makers will turn any pack rat into a regular Bree Van De Kamp. ($70, compusa.com)
15. Shrinking bedding and off-season duds in Space Bags = more room for shoes. (9 for $20, spacebag.com)
16. Pile your junk outside, then go to freecycle.org and post a "Curb Alert" for local scavengers.
17. Get assistance online or over the phone from the pros at auctionPAL, and clean out that attic for good. (auctionpal.com)
18. Your thoughts need organizing, too: Jot down your aspirations in Sukie's blank botanical-themed "Turn Over a New Leaf" notebook. ($20, fredflare.com)
Eat Better
19. Cravings usually pass within 15 minutes. (Yes, even for sweets.)
20. If they don't, rest assured that a handful of Route 29 red and black licorice piglets wont turn you into one. ($3, route29napa.com)
21. Find sustainable local food sources by zip code at localharvest.org.
22. Or let the farmer's market come to you with Diamond Organics's mail-order produce.
23. Then preorder John Bishops Fresh: Seasonal Recipes Made From Local Foods ($30, Douglas & McIntyre, March) to learn how to cook...sorrel.
24. Milk the full-flavor possibilities of reduced-fat dairy products: Laughing Cow's Mini Babybel Light;
25. Fage 0 percent Yogurt;
26. and Horizon Organic Low-fat Sour Cream. Develop Good Daily Habits
27. Put a wrinkle in time: Sunscreen (applied every day) is the best antiaging product on the market (see page 86 of our January/February issue for some of our top picks).
28. A multivitamin like New Chapter Organics Every Woman's One Daily has you covered when you go AWOL on RDAs. ($38, revolutionhealthstore.com)
29. In addition to making you look like an original gangsta, flossin' can actually help you live longer, according to a recent Harvard study.
See the World
30. Go one better than a Eurail pass: Hit up to 23 Asian cities in 21 days for $1,400 (including airfare from L.A., New York, or San Francisco) with Cathay Pacific's 2008 All Asia Pass. (cathayusa.com)
31. Or try out low-stress, low-impact travel on this continent with Amtrak's North America Rail Pass. ($710 for 30 days, amtrak.com)
32. Find a (trustworthy, non-serial-killer) local who speaks your language to meet for drinks or provide a place to crash on couchsurfing.com.
33. For more private lodgings, peruse listings for Umbrian stone villas or modern Maui condos at Vacation Rentals by Owner.
Quit Smoking
34. The soft sell: 20 minutes after quitting, blood pressure drops; after 12 hours, the blood's carbon-monoxide levels return to normal.
35. The hard sell: Calvin Trillin's tribute to his wife, a nonsmoker who developed lung cancer -- perhaps from secondhand smoke -- in "About Alice" ($15, Random House).
36. The really hard sell: A sad-but-effective antismoking ad in which a woman puffs through a hole in her throat. (youtube.com)
37. The money: A pack-a-day habit sends $1,657 a year (on average) up in smoke.
Make a Contribution
38. Volunteermatch.org will hook you up with a nearby organization that needs your abilities.
39. For canine companionship without furniture covered in dander, offer to walk an elderly neighbor's dog. (Bonus points if you do so when it's icy.)
40. Charity Navigator's rating system will help you make a donation that does not go to waste.
Nix the Nail-Nibbling
41.Weekly manicures. (Sometimes the best deterrent is a reward.)
Find a Better Job
42. Scan thousands of do-gooder opportunities (that also pay the rent) on idealist.org.
43. A mentor from SCORE's nationwide network of entrepreneurs will give advice on how to develop a business (and/or escape) plan.
44. Learn from "CEO of Me: Creating a Life That Works in the Flexible Job Age", by work/life researchers Ellen Kossek and Brenda Lautsch ($25, Wharton School Publishing).
45. Contact Count Me In, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting women-owned businesses, to apply for your own start-up micro loan.
Spend (and Save) Smarter
46. Use mint.com to track your checking, savings, credit, and work accounts in one place -- and find out exactly where those paychecks have been going.
47. Earn real interest on savings: HSBC Direct and WaMu offer new online customers about 5%.
48. Listen to Wallace D. Wattles's timeless classic, "The Science of Getting Rich", on CD ($15, Simon and Schuster Audio, February).
49. Read "You're Broke Because You Want to Be: How to Stop Getting By and Start Getting Ahead", by Larry Winget ($20, Gotham Books, January).
Print Your Digital Photos (Finally)
50. Our guide on page 58 of our January/February issue will kick-start the process (and point you toward an at-home printer that'll reduce your dependence on drugstore photo kiosks)
50 Reasons To Break These Resolutions
Give Up Sweets and Fat (and Flavor)
1. A recent Cornell study showed that diners at "healthy" restaurants consume more calories than they do when eating at "normal" ones.
2. Grateful Palate's Bacon of the Month Club delivers artisanal flavor (plus recipes) right to your front door. ($140 for a year, gratefulpalate.com)
3. What better excuse could there be than National Pizza Week, January 13-19?
4. Flip through journalist Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food: The Myth of Nutrition and the Pleasures of Eating" ($22, Penguin, January).
5. From what we've heard, French women don't get fat on Fauchon's madeleines, foie gras, and Banana and Passion Absolut Fruit preserves. (fauchon.com)
6. Great call: Switch to CREDO long-distance phone service and get coupons for free pints of Ben & Jerry's for a year with monthly bills.
Eliminate Nonessential Spending
7. Yoox.com's twice-yearly online sample sale (up to 80% off European designers like Alberta Ferretti and Dolce & Gabbana) is practically an investment opportunity.
8. Gold-leather-bound dictionaries aren't recherche fripperies, they're desk desiderata. ($156, graphicimage.com)
9. More OnGossamer underwear means fewer laundry days. ($13 and up, figleaves.com)
10. Shopping Etsy's indie-crafter wares is like becoming a patron of the arts.
Stop Mainlining Celebrity Gossip
11. No one deconstructs Chloe Sevigny's headline-making out-fits like the Fug Girls. (gofugyourself.com)
12. Authors like Edith Wharton and F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote about socialites and strivers about a century ago.
13. "Train Wreck: The Life and Death of Anna Nicole Smith" -- written by her half sister (ouch!)out in February ($16, Phoenix Books).
14. Stock up on printable book covers to disguise your trashiest reads on the subway. (katespade.info)
Lay Off the Sauce
15. The passionate forums and home-brew recipes at ratebeer.com.
16. Your Prohibition-era grandparents who can still appreciate -- and prepare -- an expert dirty martini.
17. The delicious double-layered flavor of smooth Don Eduardo Tequila Anejo, aged for two years in former bourbon barrels. ($59, gothamwines.com)
18. "Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!" (And will soon sortir.)
19. Costco's quality vino selection and 15% markup limit allow you to bring home cases of Wine Spectator champions.
Cut Back on Text Messaging
20. According to "The Green Book", by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen ($13, Three Rivers Press), 30 times more energy is used to send an e-mail than a text message. (^urs, email.)
Be More Productive at Work
21. Daytime naps boost memory.
22. The hilarious play-by-play episode recaps of your favorite shows on television withoutpity.com: faster (and cheaper) than TiVo.
23. The Great Wall of China is not visible to the naked eye from the moon, Twinkies do not have an infinite shelf life, and other insidious legends and urban myths dispelled. (snopes.com)
24. Comfort yourself with someone else's petty workplace drama. (passiveaggressivenotes.com)
25. Nothing erases the memory of that lame Monday-morning meeting like a new series of LOLcats vignettes. (icanhascheezburger.com)
Practice Moderation
26. Excess can bring fame. Witness the star turns of: Big Mac-binger Morgan Spurlock in "Super Size Me";
27. Rock of Love-er Bret Michaels;
28. sun-worshipper George Hamilton;
29. self-deprecator Kathy Griffin;
30. beehive-sporter Amy Winehouse;
31. and the entire city of Dubai.
Get Your House in Order
32. If it's truly bad, a TV crew will do it for you. Find casting info for: nearly three dozen home-improvement shows at hgtv.com;
33. TLC's Clean Sweep;
34. or the Style Network program "My Celebrity Home".
Dress Better for the Office
35. High heels throw the hips and spine out of alignment and put unhealthy pressure on feet leading to pricey cab rides.
36. The Environmental Protection Agency's decision not to release its "risk assessment" findings of the common dry-cleaning chemical PERC until 2009.
37. Not to mention all the excess plastic clothing bags and wire hangers you'll bring home (and probably toss) in the meantime.
Watch Less TV
38. To judge how the new class stacks up against the shows that inspired them, see: Bravo's Niki Taylor and Tyson Beckford hosted "Make Me a Supermodel" (ANTM minus Tyra's antics);
39. ABC's "Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann" (Dancing With the Stars with more Drew Lachey);
40. Fox's "New Amsterdam" (CSI with immortality);
41. AMCs "Breaking Bad" (Weeds with meth); 4
2. and NBCs "Lipstick Jungle" (Sex and the City with more career quandaries).
Live as Though Your Doctor Were Watching
43. From the annals of great excuses: "If you resolve to give up smoking, drinking, and loving, you don't actually live longer; it just seems longer." -- Clement Freud
Mind the Details
44. OCD can be: off-putting (see Tony Shalhoub in "Monk");
45. tedious (Jack Nicholson in "As Good as It Gets");
46. counter-productive (James Spader in "Secretary");
47. and particularly hard on relationships (Howard Hughes).
Cut Out Caffeine
48. Coffee-shop lattes finance WiFi. Find a cafe-hotspot near you on wififreespot.com.
49. The not-too-earthy flavors of antioxidant-rich white and green teas from Mighty Leaf. ($9 for 15 bags)
Stop Putting Things Off
50. You can always start your resolutions with the Chinese New Year, on February 7.
(I made this list during church yesterday.)
- pray on my knees everyday
- pay tithing (something/anything)
- read my scriptures more often
- fast and fast & pray
- eat better
- exercise daily
- save money
- write my friend mark (on a mission) at least once a week
- floss & brush more
I love baseball. love it.
Reasons why:
1- I went to a baseball college and became friends with all the guys. My best guy friend Steven plays in the minor leagues. Baseball guys are way cute too.
2- Arizona is one of the two locations where they have Spring Training. If you were to ask me my favorite time of the year I would say "Spring Training." The tickets are cheap, the weather is nice, and there are like 5 games to choose from a day. I use to try and go to a game a day (or every other day.)
3- DC has a great team... well... the team colors are Red, White and Blue and thats fun! The games are fun and cheap and you can hop on the metro and go anytime.
The only problem is that I can never find anyone to go with me to the games. Guys in DC aren't that into baseball. :(
I love it. I am planning on going to the game today. If you are interested you should come too.
(image of the new stadium from here.)
***Update: I am going to try and go to the game Tuesday night now. Its T-Shirt Tuesday!!!!
So last night I skipped the baseball game to wait in line at Borders to get Read All About It! signed by Mrs. Bush and Jenna Bush.
I want to start posting some great images from Arizona.
I want everyone to see how beautiful my home state is but I am mostly doing this for me. :)
This image is of the Hayden Flour Mill right in the middle of Tempe where I used to live. I loved hiking A Mountian at sunset. This is an awesome image.
Here are some of my favorite items for spring.
No Country for Old Men:
Ummm. This movie is great for anyone who loves a lot of random killing. (i.e. the snickers guy). As for the rest of us... it was a little much. The acting was all really great and they killed off all of the characters well. Just an awkward movie though. Too much.
Rating: ***
I have been asked to (for the first time) to be a Bridesmaid for my dear friend Amy.
1- I am SOOOO excited.
2- Amy is drop dead gorgeous and looks like a J-Crew model.
3- I have a lot of gal friends who may be getting married (before me) so I imagine that I will be a bridesmaid again.
4- I am SOOOOO excited. Did I mention that?
5- Her wedding is in Texas next May.
6- I introduced her to Snippet & Ink and she loves it.
(image from here. thanks.)
I am writing today... maybe all this week off as a crappy week.
I spent the whole day on the verge of tears. Everything went wrong today for the most part. (Except I was incredibly productive at work.)
My dad always gives me props because I try and find the good in everything. So here is my attempt at this...
God gives us struggles to make us stronger and to teach us a lesson. (This is always my starting point of my investigation.) So what is God trying to teach you?
***Update: right as I am typing "t-e-a" above in teach. I get a phone call from a number I don't recognize. Contrary to normally... I answered the call. Who is it? WHO is calling from a 301 area code? ... ... ... My Bishop.
God isn't subtly sometimes, He tells you exactly what he wants you to do.
Anyhow, I am meeting with the Bishop this Sunday to help clear my head. Obviously, this is what the Lord would like me to do.
(Wow, the tone of this post changed quite dramatically.)
(image from here.)
I love Tina Fey. I love 30 Rock. It finally has started to air again too.
Last night I was watching it and they had an epiphany (via Jenna on the show) that dating losers is like eating junk food. You know its bad for you but you do it because its easy. Hahha. So true.
(see above - junk food, douchebag)
As I sit here now full of a crap lunch (because its cold and I wanted a hot sandwich) and emailing a douchebag that I have been dating and I have never heard truer words.
Check it out here.
Awwww. My dear friend Jami has a Baby Blog. I love the family/baby blogs that my friends have. Check hers out here. What a cute kiddo she has.
Other favorite baby blogs:
Ryan and Hannah
I finally have updated my Blockbuster Queue and have been watching some great movies lately. I must share with you my opinions of them.
To all the ladies out there... I have a major announcement!
Dear Handsome Friend Mike,
These are all via AP/AFP/Reuters.
More red shoes!!! I love it. I think he is AMAZING!!!
Happy Birthday Pope!
I love this picture. Its one of my favorites.
Everyone at the White House gets screened. No If, Ands or Buts!
My other favorite photo. "My Buddy."
Those flags would be the end of me.
I love how the President is glarring at Pelosi. "He was MY friend first Pelosi."
I have nothing but love for the Pope. I have found today that I love the Pope, everything about him, even though I am not Catholic.
I was blessed to be able to attend the ceremony today. These photos are all from the White House website.
"Hey there!"
I may be in this picture somewhere to the right. See the smoke at the top. Canons. They scared the crap out of me.
Do you see how cute and kind the Pope is. Look at his face!!! I love him!
I believe this is after the Pope spoke and the President said "Awesome speech."
I see Condi at the bottom of this picture. He is so cute!
This lady has a lot of cleavage for singing to the Pope. Not appropriate.
The Popemobile. I have a picture standing right next to it. Ill put it up on my photo blog.
"This way Pope." (I am somewhere there in the background.)
"So... now what?"
"Surprise!!!! Happy Birthday Pope!!" (That's Bill in the hat, the head pastry chef!!)
I LOVE the Pope's little red shoes. More to come on these.
The Casa Blanca
"Bye Pope. Nice to have you."
This way I look like a classy Secret Service Agent. :)
Lets be honest. We all know that I covet these shoes... and how cute would they be for a spring garden tour!
Hahah. I have been thinking about DC. Everyone (and I mean everyone) thinks that they are the most important person in DC. I cannot imagine being a hostess here and having to try and fit everyone "VIP" into a table.
How cute is this website. I love it all. I want it all. And with the aussie dollar being cheap the prices are pretty reasonable.
I love it!!
(image from whiteport via holly's plate.)
I am not going to cut and paste anything because I want everyone to do a little of there own research but I will give you some awesome links to starts.
...believe it or not but this is not another shopping post.
I love reading this guys blog: Can of Worms. He is just a 23 year old kid from Cali who moved to Iraq to help people.
Thank goodness for people who stood up for what they believed in. These images are amazing and powerful.
So its the beginning of April... lets recap...
1: Floss - twice daily (To Do/Doing)
2: Tan - weekly (Doing)
3: Write - daily (here on my blog) (Doing)
4: Pray - daily... if not more than that (Doing/To Do)
5: Exercise - daily... no matter how little or how hard but do it everyday (Doing)
6: Read - both my scriptures and books that will improve my mind (To Do)
7: Save - money... I want to start traveling more and be more financially secure (Doing)
8: Travel - see the world (To Do)
9: Switch - my car, insurance, and plates all into my name (To Do)
10: Take - my vitamins each and everyday (To Do)
11: Eat - healthy foods (Doing)
12: Volunteer - at a local pet shelter or other local organizations (To Do)
13: Spend - more time outdoors... hiking, bike riding, etc (To Do/Doing)
14: Run - start a running program (To Do)
15: Wake - up earlier and be on time more often (To Do)
16: Drink - more water everyday (Doing)
17: Have - better posture (Doing)
18: Clean - my apartment more often (Done)
19: Listen - to more music and different types (Doing)
20: Buy - fresh cut flowers (Doing)
21: Walk - more places and cut my driving - (Doing)
I want to travel. That is why I left a great job in Arizona to come out to DC where there is a constant turnover. I want the opportunity to take some time off and travel the world.
How about taking a trip to Cinque Terre in Italy. How amazing is this place?!? I would love love love to check it out in real life. Urgh. I want a vacation. ASAP!
(Photo of Cinque Terre from Marie Claire Maison, via Black Eiffel and a Cup of Jo)
Me and the BFF had an awesome weekend. This weekend was the first weekend of the National Cherry Blossom Festival (I am sure you know this if you read any DC blogs because everyone and there mother checked it out this weekend!)
But let's back up a bit. Friday night after work we met up to go to Happy Hour at McFadden's with some people from work. Small problem... the dork from work who was planning the whole happy hour experience forgot his ID and couldn't get into the bar. My BFF and I were already there and having fun so we stayed and laughed at them for not being able to get in. We didn't stay long though. But we went to Tortilla Coast (which is right on the Hill and one of my favorite places!) I have also become a sort of regular here at T-Coast and we stayed and watched some March Madness and later were joined by a dear friend and co-worker (who also doesn't drink- which means the bartender did not really like us...). Then the BFF, my co-worker, and I went back to my place and started to watch Dan in Real Life. (Great Movie!!)
Saturday morning the BFF and I woke up late. (Hey, we were both tired and needed a few hours of extra zzz's.) We made the most delicious crepes filled with ricotta cheese, cream cheese and cinnamon. Mmmmm. Then we got ready and went down to the Mall to check out the Kites and the Cherry Blossoms... well so did everyone else! It was crazy. One great perk about my job is that we get to park on the Ellipse and I totally got to park right on the Mall. We walked around (with a million other people) and checked out all the kites and then over to the Tidal Basin to check out the cherry blossoms.
***side note: people are like a fungus to this earth and this weekend totally showed that. People were everywhere - walking on the grass, in the middle of the roads, everywhere. It really is disgusting.
Then we came home and watched Kite Runner aka the best movie ever. I love it. And how appropriate to watch it after the National Kite Festival on the Mall. It was amazing. The movie truly highlights how beautiful Afghanistan was and how much the people there have had to deal with over the years. Another thing that I took from this movie is that you cannot judge a book by its cover. (Just watch the movie!!)
Then we went to Panache, which is a cute and funky restaurant/bar just south of Dupont, for a friend's birthday. It was so darn fun. I wish that I wasn't tired/sick and could have stayed later.
Anyhow, I slept in Sunday morning and missed church. And then got ready to go wait in line for tickets for the Opening Day Game at the new Nationals Park. I got there around 2-2:30 and the line was already around the corner! About 20 mins into it a man comes up to me and tries to sell me his place in line for $20! Soooo... I took it. He was about 100 people in and I was like 400th in line. Good buy! Anyhow, I got two tickets and the BFF and I went in the stadium around like 4pm for a game that didnt start until 8pm!
Anyhow, we had out cheap $5 seats way up in the Grand Stands but we went down towards the field and watched all the hot baseball players warm up. Mmmmm. But no one ever kicked us out of our seats on the field so we stayed there. First row. Next to the ball girl! It was awesome. We got to see the President throw out the first pitch and we got on the world's largest jumbo tron. It was an amazing night!!
(picture from ap via beltway confidential)
Okay, I have gone back and forth on where I want to take my blog. I really want to start giving you all more information about my crazy life here in DC and that means my personal adventures and my work adventures.
I think that this will be more fun (for all of us!) and it will help everyone see how freakin' cool DC really is.
This also means that I have a lot of catching up to do. Urgh. I have been really busy with work and I have really sucked at posting things that are actually intersting.
Get ready... here comes my new take on life. (or bloggin)
