Turning 30: All the Cool Kids Are Doing It!

In less than two days, I will be 30! I have never been much of a birthday diva, but my friends keep telling me this is a big one. More than one of them have expressed they are a little freaked out about turning 30.

I started to feel depressed and old, but then I realized, some of my favorite celebrities are turning 30 this year, too. So that makes it cool, right? Right?!

Here's a quick rundown of some of the fabulous people born in 1981.

My fellow Virgo, and the queen of all things fabulous: soon-to-be mommy Beyonce

Smartypants Harvard grad and Best Actress winner Natalie Portman:

Ahh, Justin Timberlake. Even if he becomes a full time actor, won't the ladies of our generation remember him most as our favorite member of *NSync?

Another one of my favorite actresses: Julia Stiles. If you haven't seen her portray Lumen on Dexter, you are missing out!

Talk about reinvention, Britney Spears has fought back from the brink of a career meltdown.

Mmmmm. Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This reminds me, I still need to see Inception.

If you have a birthday coming up, remember my advice:

Age is just a number and as long as you get another birthday, life is wonderful, no matter how many candles are on your cake!

Defending Sarah Palin

Image from AP Photo/Getty images as found on abcnews.com

This post might surprise some of you who know I am not a big Sarah Palin fan. In fact, I am not a Sarah Palin fan at all.

But I came across a link teasing this item on the front page of abcnews.com yesterday and it annoyed me supremely. The headline accompanying this picture proclaimed: Sarah Palin Sports Funky Toenail Polish. The caption with the photo reads:  Sarah Palin debuted spotted black-and-white toenails in Iowa Aug. 13, 2011. This is not the first time Palin has sported a funky nail color pattern -- she also wore red-and-white toenails to an event in 2009.

First of all, who cares about her "funky" toenail polish? It doesn't seem more radical or controversial than anything else I have seen. It's a pattern! Black with white polka dots. It's fun! Red and white. It's cute! Most women I know enjoy getting pedicures or DIYing their own toes by wearing all different nail polish colors or designs, especially during the summer when our toes are likely to be on display.

This is not a news story and it highlights a major inequality between coverage of men and women in the political spotlight.

How much more patronizing can the media be toward female political figures? We don't have to hear about the fashion, hairstyle or makeup choices of male political figures. We can't talk about a woman's platform because the media is too busy covering her glasses or her pantsuit or how she looks in a cover photo taken for a national magazine.

It is sad that ABC News chose to make this a news story and put a link about it on the front of their website. Personally, it makes me hyper-sensitive to the additional challenges facing women running for political office in our country, and it is not just limited to females in politics.

I am really curious to know what you think about this!

Miscellaneous Monday Musings

Sometimes you come across clever, funny, cringe-worthy things on the Internet and you just want to share them.

Have you seen Dear Photograph? How do people even think of this stuff? You take an old picture and return to the place where the picture was taken. Position the old picture to fit in with the scenery and take a new picture. Add a poignant caption, and voila - Internet gold! I could look at this site for hours. Some of the pictures have an almost haunting quality and the stories they tell can be moving. If you are sappy or interested in nostalgia, you have to check out Dear Photograph.

Regretsy is described as Where DIY Meets WTF. It makes fun of random craft projects posted on the popular website Etsy.

Kate Middleton For the Win was cracking me up leading up to the Royal Wedding. It still makes me laugh, but I wish they would update it!

What websites should I be surfing this week?

Silver Lake. It's in Michigan.

Just a few weeks ago, I was on vacation.
It was sunny, it was warm but not too hot, it was lazy, it was wonderful!
I love vacation.

I was at Silver Lake, MI. This shows Silver Lake with the sand dunes visible in the distance. On the other side of those sand dunes?
Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is so vast, it almost feels like being at the ocean. Sand, blue water and blue skies as far as the eye can see.

Lake Michigan at sunset. It is strange how late the sun sets there. This picture was taken at almost 10 p.m.

One of my lovely travel companions made us a scrumptious brunch. On the menu? Locally available English Muffin Bread french toast topped with locally-grown cherries and Michigan maple syrup, plus cranberry-sage sausage, cheesy scrambled eggs, asparagus, and mimosas. It was absolutely delicious!

The Little Sable Point Lighthouse is a nearby landmark. True fact, I love lighthouses. They are so nautical and preppy and iconic. They tell the story of a bygone era of seafaring even as the beacons of safety are replaced by more modern navigational tools.

 

 

 

 

MacWood's Dune Rides is a must-do attraction. See our optimal seats on the back row of the dune buggy? Total ninja maneuvers to get those seats! We rock.

A view of the dunes at sunset during the dune ride. That is Lake Michigan on the horizon.

The Silver Lake experience is not complete without at least one trip to the Whippy Dip. Quick tip: calories don't count on vacation!

Great trip! Great friends!
 
P.S. All pictures were taken with my smartphone, try not to be jealous of my photography skills.

Miscellaneous Monday Musings

Have you heard about Kiva?

Kiva is a worldwide, non-profit organization that makes connections between people through micro-lending to mitigate impoverishment. Using the internet and a network of micro-finance groups, Kiva allows individuals to lend as little as $25 to someone across the world, giving them independence and hope to better their life and the lives of their families.

I just extended my fifth loan. There are agricultural loans, business loans, and housing loans. I choose to loan money to women, and through Kiva, I have loaned money to women in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nicaragua, Philippines, and Ecuador. It seems awesome to empower women trying to improve their lives in developing countries. Another neat aspect of Kiva is the email updates that are sent informing you of how your borrower is using the loan. Once the loan is repaid, it is easy to just turn around and lend it to someone else!

Check out Kiva today!

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I watched another Academy Award-nominated film last weekend, Winter's Bone. The movie is set in the Missouri Ozarks and tells the story of a teen-age girl who is tasked with tracking down her missing meth-addicted father while she provides some sort of stability for her younger siblings.

Needless to say, this movie is gritty. Many of the supporting character actors are haggard and believable as drug addicted, rural people living at the poverty line. Considering the bad rap this state typically receives, it was almost a relief to watch a movie about meth addiction that wasn't set in Oklahoma. 

Jennifer Lawrence gives a great performance as a young woman determined to provide for her family, but the storyline of Winter's Bone seemed anticlimactic to me. Have you seen it? What do you think?

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I have plans to post a recap of my recent trip to Michigan sometime later this week, but for now I will leave you with a picture from the trip. Have a great week!

Photo courtesy of @ErinSimp

Miscellaneous Monday Musings

Not going to lie, we are on the cutting edge of pop culture and entertainment media over here. We know what's going to be cool before you've ever even heard of it. Don't feel bad, that's just how we roll.

OR NOT.

We are lame.

We only recently watched two of last year's most critically acclaimed films - The King's Speech and Black Swan. I am sure I don't have to tell you they are very different films.

I enjoyed them both, but The King's Speech was my favorite and deserving of its Oscar win for Best Picture. The acting was wonderful, and I felt like Geoffrey Rush stole the show as the quirky, witty speech tutor to Colin Firth's stuttering King. The historical aspects of the story were also interesting and provided an additional dimension to this remarkable story.

On the other hand, Black Swan was a psychological thriller and Natalie Portman's exceptional portrayal of a ballerina spiraling out of control earned her the Oscar for Best Actress. The film was intriguing and left me riveted as the story unfolded. The director's unique way of filming includes use of close-ups and follows the characters from behind and I find this adds heightened drama to the plot. I was somewhat disappointed by the ending of the film as I felt it just stopped.

What did you think of these films?

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Can anyone tell me if the proper way to say Realtor is Real-A-Tor or Real-Tor? It really annoys me because it seems like it should be pronounced the way it is spelled: "Real-Tor" but I hear people say it "Real-A-Tor" all the time.

Help a girl out!

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 In exciting personal news, I have a new niece. Miss Harper was born today and mother and baby and daddy and big brother are all fine! Sending much love to Virginia. Wish we were there!

America's Pastime

Best part about our seats? They were in the shade!

Last night, my husband's office hosted a night out at our local Triple A baseball park to watch the OKC Redhawks take on the Omaha Storm Chasers.

It was scorching hot as we arrived to enjoy a cookout before the game started. Although it was outside, we were able to eat in a shaded area. The food was less than good, but the company was excellent!

After eating and socializing, we headed to our seats. My husband had the good fortune to trade with a co-worker who was not able to go and we ended up with front row seats down the third baseline just behind third base.

Full disclosure, I am not a baseball fan at all. The games are boring and go by slowly, plus there is little scoring. But going to the ballpark makes it slightly more fun and sitting in the front row makes it even better. Also, we got to sit with some good friends so there was plenty of entertainment, regardless of how the game was actually going! All in all, it was a fun night and my highlight was catching a souvenir t-shirt thrown into the stands.

Road Trip Recap: What we ate

My trip to Chicago included the obligatory foods Chicago is famous for: deep dish pizza and hot dogs!

We were all excited to try deep dish pizza. The crust is thick and the cheese and toppings are on the bottom while the red sauce is on top. The result is very cheesy and delicious!

We decided our deep dish pizza research was not complete without a trip to Geno's East. Lucky for us, there was a Geno's East just next door to our digs at the Hotel Affinia.

Picture courtesy of my friend! Thanks, K!

Geno's East pizza was slightly different thanks to their unique "golden crust" that is reminiscent of cornbread but not as dry and crumbly as cornbread. I preferred the red sauce used by Geno's East, but I liked the crust of the first deep dish pizza we sampled better.

Portillo's Hot Dogs was another stop on our eating tour of Chicago. I ordered the chili cheese dog and the hot dog "with everything" that included mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, pickle, and peppers. Both were yummy and the poppy seed hot dog buns were a fun change.

Another important stop was at Sprinkles Cupcakes. We are not lucky enough to have one of these in OKC, and as a cupcake connoisseur, I had to try it out! It was the perfect snack. I heart cupcakes.

Mmmmmm. Lemon blueberry. I only wish I had bought a dozen few extra to bring back to OKC!

These were the big highlights. I did eat a little salad, a few vegetables, and there was definitely more than one trip to Starbucks.

Road Trip Recap: What we saw

Sorry for the blogging hiatus. June ended on a high note with a road trip to Chicago! My friend invited me to travel with her family to explore the Windy City while her husband attended a conference.

We had a fabulous time and the weather was a welcome break from the extreme Oklahoma heat.

Here's a quick recap in photos of where we went (all taken with my cell phone).

We toured the Field Museum of Natural History, home of Sue, the world's largest and most complete T-Rex:

We explored Navy Pier and the nearby beaches of Lake Michigan:

We did a lot of walking and sightseeing, including a special trip to the Harold Washington Public Library:

Check back tomorrow for a post about some of  the delicious food we sampled!

I Scream, You Scream

We All Scream for Ice Cream!!

Who doesn't love that cool, refreshing taste of creamy, dreamy ice cream on a hot June day in Okieland?

I have to say I honestly don't trust people who do not like ice cream. There MUST be something wrong with them mentally or emotionally or psychologically or nutritionally. One of those afflictions for sure!

There are a lot of different flavors that I like - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Cake Batter, Banana Split, Strawberry, Butter Pecan, just to name a handful.

Also, I don't discriminate against brands, give me Braum's or Blue Bell or Baskin-Robbins or Marble Slab or Edy's or Haagen-Dazs, I will eat them all happily.

Just like you shouldn't have a favorite child, you shouldn't have a favorite ice cream brand. You should love them all equally.

But I do not. I have one ice cream brand that I love over all others.

Come closer, I'll tell you my favorite. . .

Can you guess?

Are you dying to know?

It's made by two men in my most favorite state in the Union - Ben & Jerry's!

In 2007, the hubby and I took a wonderful trip to Vermont and I dragged him to the Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury, VT. It was fabulous and a great stop on our trip!

I recently discovered a new Ben & Jerry's flavor that I absolutely LOVE - Red Velvet Cake. It features pieces of red velvet cake and red velvet cake batter ice cream with a cream cheese frosting swirl.

If you like red velvet, it is a must try! Now that summer is officially here, grab a scoop or two and enjoy!!

Miscellaneous Monday Musings

June has been a weird weather month so far. We have had record-breaking heat, severe storms, lots of wind, and last week's unexpected hail storm.

Today, the weather anchors have been salivating, warning that conditions were ripe for severe storms and urging us all to be "weather aware."

So far, we have had some rain and we even had a few minutes of small, pea-sized hail. I can't remember the last time it has hailed twice in less than one week! The bright side is that the storms are supposed to cool temperatures down for the rest of the week.

Can you tell I am a "glass half full" kind of girl?

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Summer television is pretty much a wasteland, but I have been able to find some entertainment anyway.

Matt Bomer (from White Collar)

ABC's The Bachelorette is usually guaranteed to be somewhat of a train wreck between the tears, the testosterone, and the "most dramatic" rose ceremony. This season is especially annoying with Ashley the dentist as one of the most bland Bachelorette's in recent memory.

USA's White Collar is back with a new season and it offers clever characters catching the bad guys in New York City. The show is a fun concept with the lead character being a (reformed?) con man who must help the FBI catch white collar criminals. Plus, the eye candy of Matt Bomer is an additional perk!

Finally, I am looking forward to Rookie Blue starting up again on ABC this week. It premiered last summer and was the surprise hit of the season. It is filmed in Canada and features rookie cops learning the ropes from seasoned partners. It is fun, flirty, and light - the perfect summer show!

What are you watching this summer?

Happy Father's Day!

Silence is Golden

Monday we had the opportunity to see the Alloy Orchestra as part of the annual OK Mozart music festival. The festival takes place in Bartlesville, but for the first time, organizers decided to include an OKC series with several performances held at the Rose State College Performing Arts Theatre.

The performance was unique and wonderful! Here is a description from the OK Mozart website to explain this outstanding group and the performance:

Alloy Orchestra is a three-man musical ensemble, writing and performing live accompaniment to classic silent films. Working with an outrageous assemblage of peculiar objects, they thrash and grind soulful music from these unlikely sources. Performing at prestigious film festivals and cultural centers in the US and abroad (The Telluride Film Festival, The Louvre, Lincoln Center, The Academy of Motion Pictures and others), Alloy has helped revive some of the great masterpieces of the silent era.

Using 13 differently tuned horseshoes, 157 plumbing pipes, pots, pans, junkyard findings, musical saws, as well as accordions, clarinets, keyboards and drums, The Alloy Orchestra will perform live at the Rose State Performing Arts Theatre. The performers will accompany a screening of Fritz Lang's seminal 1927 film, Metropolis.

I don't think I have ever watched an entire silent film before. Metropolis is a captivating story about a futuristic society full of drone workers who live empty lives that are ruled by the upper class. Even though there are no words, the cast was talented, especially the female lead played by Brigitte Helm. 


The film was brought to life by the musical talent of Alloy Orchestra. Their sound effects and musical scores elevated tense moments in the film and added a flair of whimsy in the lighter scenes. The performance was amazing and one-of-a-kind and fun entertainment to highlight an otherwise boring Monday!

It Came From the Sky

Just about an hour and a half ago, we were sitting at home, watching a show online.

Suddenly something loud hit the roof.  

Thunk.

Then, as if the heavens had opened, it was thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk.

We looked at each other. We looked out the window.
Hail? HAIL!

Quick! Turn on the weather!


It  probably hailed about 10 minutes and appeared to range from quarter size to ping pong ball size to golf ball size.

Luckily the damage was not nearly as bad as the hail storm that hit here a year ago and necessitated new roofs, windows, and even cars.

This storm knocked a lot of limbs and leaves loose from the trees and Tom's old car took a few dings, too. Luckily we had the newer, nicer car parked in the garage.

Wedding Recap

I went to a wedding this weekend in the Joplin, MO area. My husband's cousin's daughter was the bride and it was a big celebration of many of my in-laws. Luckily, they are a good group to be around!

It was a lovely wedding and a very fun reception, even if my low-quality cell phone pictures don't quite do it justice! The reception was held at a beautifully renovated building in downtown Joplin. The space had an art-deco vibe and was the perfect location for a wedding reception.

Pre-wedding pic with my mother-in-law

Loved the bows on the cake

Sweet bride who was a Dancing Queen!

The hubby's aunt and her husband showing the crowd how to dance

Mother-in-law got to catch up with  Mother of the Bride (also mother of 6!)

Hubby's brother dutifully posing with Art for a pic during the reception