The Daily Distraction

Blog Every Day in May - Childhood Story

2013-05-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

For Day 18 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to tell a story from our childhood and delve really deep into it. I don't really feel like writing much today. Yesterday was an odd/off day especially with the blog and the internet in general so I'm just going to post a couple of pictures and tell a quick story. Here goes!

These are some of my favorite pictures of my sister and I as little kids. She's the cute, skinny blonde and I'm the giant headed monster. Fun fact: I never outgrew those cheeks. They are still hanging around as my husband loves to remind me by calling me "puffy cheeks" all the time. The top right picture is the one I'll tell a story about. I used to always hug people like that. I was short and had no sense of private space and didn't get that clasping my hands in someone's crotch might be uncomfortable for them. I got separated from my mom once in the grocery store and she found me standing like that with my hands clutched in the crotch of some complete stranger I thought was my mom because I was too short and dumb to look up at her and realize it definitely was not.

I also peed in Baskin Robbins once.

Both those stories might be made up, I have a horrible memory.

Dreaming of a Vacation

2013-05-17T05:35:00.001-07:00

Lately, Mike and I have been dreaming of taking a big vacation to Europe. We keep staring at my savings account with all that tax return money we got this year thinking of how we could stretch that to a week long trip including plane tickets. Which we could do, but probably shouldn't do until this little lazy girl gets a dang job. Our favorite trip of course was our honeymoon to London and we just cannot wait to go back. The two places I've been dreaming of lately are Amsterdam and Italy. Ohhhh they both seem so dreamy and relaxing and tasty. Maybe I have a thing for canals because I keep looking at Venice when planning an Italy trip. I love the way Mike and I travel together. We want exactly the same things out of trips: food, relaxing, wandering around. Neither of us like to take organized tours nor do we care for "activities." We're happiest just exploring on our own and stopping often to grab a drink and some snacks. When making travel reservations, our biggest priority is usually the hotel. We tend to go towards modern boutique hotels, but when looking around for Venice, Italy choices, I think it would fun to get a romantic hotel room; something historic and cozy. Like this:

I mean seriously, I don't think we would ever leave the room. (That sounds dirtier than intended...only slightly though) Here are some inspiration pictures for our two dream trips. Where do you guys dream about going?

Amsterdam

I love the buildings in Amsterdam. It's like DC but older and on water and you know, European.

I don't know what this building is, but I want to visit it.

Can we stay at this hotel please?

Italy

Dreaaaamy

Can you imagine sitting here enjoying a bottle of wine?

Blog Every Day in May - Favorite Photo

2013-05-17T05:23:00.001-07:00

For day 17 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to show you guys a favorite photo of ourselves and why we love it. Here's mine!

It was really hard to pick a favorite photo. That sounds conceited. I am not, trust me. But I have mastered the art of a good selfie and with all the outfit posts we've taken and the 800 wedding pictures, there were some good ones to choose from. I chose a wholly unflattering one of me crying because I just really love this moment. I was not, up until this point, a wedding crier I especially wasn't an "I'm so happy and overwhelmed with love" crier. That was not me. I started out our ceremony standing calmly with my hands together in front of me, totally playing it cool and ready to get the ceremony over and the reception going.

And then John (our officiant) started his speech and he hit the line, "After all, it is 'The bad

things in life often open your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before.'" And I lost it. And Mike, my unemotional, cold little robot I always joke about reached over and grabbed my hand and it was the sweetest moment and I lost it even more. Mike's protective hand covering mine and the goofy grin on his face while John did the ceremony was one of the best moments of my life. I'm so glad I broke down and cried and let go of some of the stupid things I was holding onto before that point.

(And also, my hair looks really good in this photo...so there's that.)

Blog Every Day in May - A Difficulty

2013-05-16T05:49:00.000-07:00

For day 16 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, I'm supposed to tell you about something difficult with my "lot in life" and how I'm working to overcome it. Here goes!

The biggest difficulty I'm facing right now is of course my unemployment. This is the third time I've quit a job to move somewhere for Mike and the third time I've had to struggle to find jobs I actually want to apply for. Yet again, we're living somewhere that is relatively small and without a lot of industries other than the government. With sequestration going on, the government isn't really hiring so that has closed a lot of the jobs I've applied for and there really isn't much else around here to apply for. When I venture outside our area and apply in DC, I'm now competing with a huge group of people and I usually get overlooked. The biggest problem is that I've been trying to apply for jobs I actually want; that can become careers. I haven't caved and started applying for receptionist or retail positions yet, but it's getting tempting as we round on 6 months being unemployed. I want to actually like my job, crazy as that is. The problem lies in the fact that these jobs I want, I don't have enough experience in so I don't get considered. So basically, if you don't choose your career in college and work in that field the whole time you're in college, you aren't getting a job in it later in life. I'm 30 and trying to find my career. It's hard as sh*t.

The way I'm trying to overcome this difficulty is by applying for unpaid positions to help me get experience while I look. Yesterday, I accepted an internship that I think will be great for my resume and possibly turn into a paid position in the future. I've also been sending writing samples around to local people looking for unpaid writers. Anything to get experience and show that I've been doing something with my unemployment.

BUT we'll see how it goes. I've given myself until month 9 of unemployment before I start applying for soul-sucking receptionist jobs. Wish me luck!

Blog Every Day in May - A Day In My Life

2013-05-16T05:37:00.002-07:00

For Day 15 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to do a post showing a day in our lives. I did this same post a little while back seen here, but might as well do it again! (Spoiler: not much has changed except I'm even more boring now)

7:30 - Woke up, cuddled the dogs, checked my e-mail, lazed in bed.

7:45 - Got up, put in my contacts, put on some more appropriate clothes and took the dogs for a walk.

8:00 - Fed the dogs breakfast and got myself some coffee.

8:15 - Drank coffee while answering e-mails and checking out pointless web sites.

9:00 - Ate breakfast in bed while watching an old season of Top Chef with the pups.

9:15 - Took a shower.
9:30 - Remembered I was supposed to be taking pictures of my day for this blog post. Whoops.

9:45 - I actually did my hair and makeup today!! Also tried on fifteen different outfits for my Skype interview.

10:15 - Got ready for my interview and did a couple of blogs.

11:00 - Interviewed with an awesome lady for a super cool internship.

11:30 - Was offered the internship. Wahoo!!

She'll probably regret hiring me after seeing this picture...

11:45 - Celebrated with a tasty lunch of Panera tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, one of my favorite meals ever.

12:00 - And some cookies for dessert of course.

12:05 - Mike came home from work and I sat with him while he ate and we read Harry Potter together. Because, in case you hadn't noticed, we're nerds.

12:30 - Played with the pups.

1:00 - Watched the Mindy Show season finale.

1:30 - Looked at Reddit. (My unemployed life is super exciting you guys.)

2:00 - Played Batman Legos.

2:45 - Took the dogs for a walk where I had to pick a dirty animal bone out of Tuffy's mouth. Gross.

3:00 - Had a snack in bed with the pups because...what else am I supposed to do all day? (Fat Kid)

3:10 - Watched old Top Chef in bed and cuddled the dogs. Please do enjoy my double chin in this picture.

Tuffy did not enjoy my smooches.

4:00 - Got sleepy so I reheated some super old coffee and ate two more cookies. (Super Fat Kid)

4:30 - Fed the pups.

5:00 - Mike came home and we talked and got ready for the night.

5:30 - Went for a run. It is hot as sh*t out there today so when we were done I looked like this hot mess.

6:00 - Took the pups for another walk.

6:15 - Off to the gym for shoulders and abs.

I earned the gym rat badge on Foursquare the other day which I am freakishly proud of.

7:30 - Target for snacks and sunscreen.

8:00 - Dinner! Chicken and brussel sprouts tonight. Oh MAN how I effing love brussel sprouts. No joke, I can go to town on those bad boys.

8:30 - Played with the dogs while Mike cleaned the kitchen.

8:45 - Read Harry Potter and drank some wine.

9:30 - Walked the dogs again.

10:00 - Showered while Mike ironed his clothes for the next day.

10:30 - In bed with Mike, the pups, and some 30 Rock.

11:00 - To sleep!

(I'm so sorry you had to read this whole thing)

Perfect Little DC Weekend

2013-05-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, we took a quick trip to one of our favorite vacation spots - Washington, DC - to celebrate our second anniversary. Washington, DC has quickly become one of our favorite cities in the world and each time we visit, we fall more and more in love with it. I wish we had taken pictures, but we were so relaxed and content just walking around looking at everything...we didn't take a single one. If you are considering booking a trip to DC and making it one of your new favorite vacation spots, here is a perfect little non-touristy DC weekend.

First, stay at Hotel Madera on Dupont Circle. This is the perfect hotel for this trip because of its location. You are just a few steps away from shops, restaurants, and bars and the blocks surrounding you are filled with trees, historic buildings, and gorgeous row houses. It's also far away enough from the more touristy sites such as the monuments, mall, and museums that you won't be bunking with a lot of tourists and noisy kids. (Does that make me sound like a snob? Too bad!)

Second, have breakfast at Firefly, the restaurant attached to Hotel Madera. I did a restaurant review of their breakfast over at my food blog which you can check out here. It's obviously super convenient since you don't even need to leave your hotel, it's really cute, and super delicious.

Third, take a walk to the Smithsonian Zoo. It was a pretty good walk, maybe 15 to 20 minutes, but completely worth it. First of all, like all walks in this area of DC, it was gorgeous. The row houses and mansions on the way are breathtaking. Take a minute to step aside while passing over the bridge on the way and look down and the huge expanse of trees and parks below. It's gorgeous. Secondly, the zoo is free and is set up, as described by our concierge, like Central Park, but with animals. It's really casual and spread out and treated by a lot of people like a regular park as evidenced by the large numbers of joggers running by you. It's definitely a great way to kill a couple of hours for free in DC.

(Does anyone else think pandas look like humans with weird makeup on? The ones at this zoo FREAKED ME OUT they looked so much like people)

You've got two options on how to end your perfect little DC day. If you are willing to spend a lot of money, have dinner at Komi. Seriously.......seriously...so good. Ridiculously good. Worth every penny. And, of course, a short and pretty little walk from Hotel Madera. Make reservations and come starving!

If you want to save some money but still eat really well, go over to Estadio which is also a pretty close walk to the hotel. Estadio is delicious and amazingly priced and if you go for nothing else, get a gin and tonic and a cheesecake. Two of the best things I've ever eaten.

While there are of course a million things to do and eat in DC, if you do the above, I promise you'll have a perfect, relaxing, and delicious little DC trip. (And next time I'll take pictures of ours!)

Blog Every Day in May - 10 Things That Make Me Happy

2013-05-14T10:50:00.002-07:00

For day 14 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we are supposed to talk about 10 things that make us happy. Here are mine!

1) This guy. Just, always.

2) My fur babies.

3) This cheesecake. From a weekend in Washington, DC getting to eat at one of our favorite new restaurants, Estadio. Oh man guys, this cheesecake was GOOD.

4) Wine. 'Nuff said.

5) - 9) Family. Oh how I love these weirdos.

10) Cheese. There is no happiness in my world if there is no cheese.

What are ten things that make you happy?

Blog Every Day in May - Apologies

2013-05-13T07:34:00.002-07:00

For day 13 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to issue a public apology. Here are mine:

Dear Mom,

I'm sorry I never paid you back for the $1,500 phone bill I accidentally racked up when Mike was living in London. I'm also sorry that I'm too stupid to make international phone calls properly.

Love,

Val
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Dear Dad,

I'm sorry you wasted all your time and energy moving me from Texas to New Jersey only to have to come back six months later and move me all the way back to California. If it helps things, I used that furniture you bought me in New Jersey for like 8 years after that.

Love,

Val
______________________________________________________________________________
Dear Mike,

I'm sorry I'm the kind of wife who is always picking at you and wishing her life was different/better. I'm also sorry I'm not a more motivated person or a better cook.

Love,

Val
______________________________________________________________________________
Dear Me,

I'm sorry I effed you over so hard by dropping out of college, not picking a field, not interning, and not working in that field which has now resulted in you not having a field and being lost while trying to find a job you might actually not hate. I'm also sorry I hate working out so much which results in your chubbiness.

Love,

Me
______________________________________________________________________________
Dear All My Friends,

I'm sorry I'm such a sad, weird little person who spent so much of her time trying to fake being happy and hide her weirdness that she didn't have time to be a better friend. I'm also sorry I hate talking on the phone, but I really really do.

Love,

Val
______________________________________________________________________________
Dear Everyone Reading This Blog,

Sorry this one was a downer...sometimes it can't be helped!

Love,

Val

11 Questions

2013-05-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

The super cute Lacy over at LacyMeeker.com nominated me for a Liebster Award! Since you guys might be sick of me doing these at this point and I keep nominating hte same people and you know I love a good list, I figured I'd make it simple and just answer her 11 questions she did for her nominees. Here they are and make sure you check out Lacy here!

1) Why do you blog? I started blogging a couple of years ago because I was unemployed and home alone all day and bored. I've always loved to write and fancied myself a funny and creative person and I thought this was a good outlet for it!
2) Is your main job blogging or do you have a "real job?" I wish I was getting paid to blog, but I'm nowhere near that level! I have no "real job" right now though so I do kind of treat blogging like a job and put as much effort as I can into it right now.
3) If you could only eat one thing forever, what would it be? CHEESE!
4) Describe yourself in 6 words. She is too weird for words. (Nailed it)
5) What is your cure for "bloggers block?" If I run out of stuff to blog about, I'll enter a link up which helps give you a topic to blog about or I'll do a wishlist or a Pinspiration post.
6) What is the best book you have ever read? I love so many books, but my all-time favorite is probably In Cold Blood.
7) Weird question...if you were something in nature (tree, flower, cloud, star) what you be and why? I would probably be a flower because I'm delicate and dainty and get stepped on very easily and am not very strong. Whew, that got dark!
8) What is your favorite kind of music and why? I love all music genres really, but my favorite since I was little is Broadway. I love to sing and was raised going to and listening to musicals so it's ingrained in me. I am so effing sad SMASH got cancelled. Ugh. (I need a life)
9) What has been your favorite trip to ever take? My honeymoon to London. Amazing.
10) Do you have a favorite lifetime memory? What is it? That's a tough one. Probably sitting in that Indian restaurant the last day of our honeymoon. We were just so happy and excited and everything was so new and just starting out.
11) If you had one day to do whatever you wanted, money is no object, what would you do? Why? I would take everyone I know to Disneyland and buy out the whole park so it was just us. My husband loves Disneyland so much and I think having it all to just us and our friends would be so fun and memorable and silly. That would be a great day! (Also I'd buy myself a lot of shoes)

Thanks again Lacy!!

Blogger Book Swap Link Up

2013-05-12T16:36:00.002-07:00

For the Blogger Book Swap Link Up this week, we're supposed to talk about what books have our favorite covers, books that surprised us based on the cover, and whether or not we judge a book by its cover. I, for one, get really drawn to books with cool covers, but I judge a book by reading the first couple of sentences and seeing if I want to read more. I honestly could not think of a favorite book cover or book that I've been surprised was good when its cover was bad. I can remember books that have shocked me with plot twists, drawn me in through their characters, or romanced me with their words, but when it came to covers I was drawing a total blank. So instead I Googled cool book covers and here are some for you to enjoy. (When in doubt, Google it.)

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Not the new Leo movie cover, thankyouverymuch.

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Oh man, how good is Beowulf?! One English professor read it to us in the original language and it was cool. Like, transports you back in time cool. Love it.

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What about you, do you have a favorite book cover?

Blog Every Day in May - Something We Miss

2013-05-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

For day 12 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to talk about something we miss. Since today is Mother's Day, I'm of course going to talk about my mom. Moving away from California was hardest because of the people we had to leave behind, especially our moms. We are currently trying to lure them both to move here with promises of grand-babies but we'll see how that goes. My mom is silly and snarky and smart and awesome and I miss her tons and tons. She is going to HATE this blog post because she hates pictures of herself, but I don't care MOM! (I'm the sweetest daughter ever) Love and miss you and happy Mother's Day!

Blog Every Day in May - 10 Words

2013-05-11T05:30:00.000-07:00

For Day 11 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we need to sell ourselves in 10 words or less. Here are mine:

funny

short

sarcastic

passionate

sympathetic

flirtatious

quirky

clever

emotional

giving

Not sure quite what I just "sold" myself for, but those words pretty much sum me up.

What are your words?

Blog Every Day in May - An Embarrassing Moment

2013-05-10T05:17:00.001-07:00

For Day 10 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to share one of our most embarrassing moments. I embarrass myself a lot. I tend to stick my foot in my mouth, fall down, or just generally do stupid things on a daily basis. But here is one of my worst ones...

Back when I was about 21 and living in Bakersfield, I was single and not super happy about it. Since my break up with my first "love" at 19, I didn't really have a serious boyfriend until Mike and I started dating years and years later. I dated around, got my heart broken, all that mess, but it was never a good, stable, serious relationship. Needless to say, I did not love Valentine's Day during those single years. I was young and dramatic and you know, thought getting a man to love me was super important at the time. Also, I regularly went out looking like this:

The word you're looking for is classy.

So, this one particular Valentine's Day, I classed it up with my jeans, Ross heels, white tips, and a tight tank top and headed over to our favorite bar for a Valentine's Day Singles Party. And I proceeded to get LIT. As in, not cute, not standing, not okay drunk. And somehow, even though I'm sure I did not seem lucid, I ended up getting interviewed for the local news about the event. All I remember being quoted as saying on camera is, "I'm single and bitter." Lovely.

As if that wasn't embarrassing enough, I show up to work the next day hungover and unable to quite remember the events of the night before. At this time, I was working for a local Mercedes dealer in customer service. Our boss was this giant guy with an alarmingly deep voice. When he spoke to you, you couldn't help but think this is what the devil's voice would sound like. He was intimidating. So I'm sitting in the lunch room attempting to keep my head from falling forward into my food and devil voice boss walks in and talks to a couple of people and on his way out, looks at me who he has barely acknowledged my entire time working there, and says, "I saw you on the news last night" and walks out of the room.

Shit.

Blog Every Day in May - A Moment

2013-05-09T09:35:00.001-07:00

Today, for Day 9 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we are supposed to show you a moment from our day. Here is mine:

My moment from today is one of the few and far between where I really enjoy my unemployment I was laying in bed this morning watching a movie, drinking coffee in my pjs with the dogs asleep next to me. It was lazy and peaceful and easy.

Then I had to get up and fill out my unemployment form where I list all the jobs I've applied for and never heard back on and I remembered why I hate being unemployed so much. But this morning, that was a-okay.

Blog Every Day in May - Advice

2013-05-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

For Day 8 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to give you a piece of advice. As someone currently sitting at home at 10:00am, unshowered, in leggings, and with nothing to do the rest of the day...this was kind of daunting. Who am I to give anyone advice? But, I'm gonna anyways. Deal with it. (I'm sassy today)

Here goes:

Buy a bra that fits properly. That seems like a stupid thing to advise people on and everyone probably already does it, but yeah no, we don't. I wore cheap, ill-fitting bras forever. And it makes you look schlumpy and chubby and uncomfortable. Like this:

Okay, that's a bad picture of me anyways, but seriously. My boobs look horrendous in that this. And I look far fatter than I should. And here it is with a properly fitting bra:

My boobs are like 18 inches closer to the waistband of that dress in the first picture. Also, I miss my bangs. Anyways, buy a good bra. It's more comfortable and you look way better. I just got a great bra from True&Co. They send you 5 bras to try on and you keep what you want and get charged for those and return the rest with free shipping. It's pretty awesome. I got this bra. It's comfortable as crap (isn't that a lovely way to describe that?) and my boobs look great in it. And no, this post isn't sponsored by True&Co (I wish) I just really effing love my new bra.

What's your best piece of advice? Is it as silly and pointless as mine?

Firmoo May New Arrivals

2013-05-07T06:01:00.001-07:00

We've talked on here before about how much I love Firmoo, their great selection, and their first pair free program.

Well, they just got some new arrivals in for May that you need to check out!

I have this pair in black and red, but those yellow ones might be calling my name!

Don't forget, these are all part of the first pair free program, you only pay shipping! Check out Firmoo now!

(I can't help but use this many exclamation points...accessories get me excited)

Now for the fun part! If 50 people or more, go check out Firmoo's first pair free selection here, come back and leave a comment on this post with which pair they would want, I get to give away a free pair of glasses.

Go do it!

Blog Every Day in May - Things I'm Afraid Of

2013-05-07T05:44:00.003-07:00

For Day 7 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we are talking about things we're afraid of. Which is kind of a downer. So to start, here is a picture of my adorable dogs:

Okay, now to the depressing stuff.

I am afraid of, above all else, not doing things. Of missing out on something. Of regretting that I never did something. Of not taking a job and realizing later on that was my dream job. This is actually a really obnoxious things to be afraid of because it makes decision making ridiculous. I am already filled with so much regret from past decisions that I have made that I'm unable to let go of and I'm really afraid that I'll make new decisions I'll end up regretting later.

Does that make sense?

I'm also afraid of the dark and cats and heights and bridges.

I'm a peach to be married to, let me tell you.

Blog Every Day in May - What Do You Do

2013-05-06T06:49:00.003-07:00

Day 6 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up has us explain "what we do" if we are unable to use our job title to answer that question. This is an easy one for me...I don't have a job! So here is my answer:

I sleep in
I take care of my dogs
I e-mail
I browse the internet
I apply for jobs
I blog
I cook lunch
I play tetris on my phone
I watch too much Top Chef
I dream
I write
I get frustrated
I get discouraged
I get bored
I try

Blog Every Day in May - Blogger Friends

2013-05-05T07:03:00.002-07:00

For Day 5 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we need to profess our love for a blogger friend. I don't really have any blogger "friends" as in people whose blogs I follow who I also hold a friendship with outside the internet. Because, I dunno, I'm weird and awkward? Or because I just realized I haven't been responding to my blog comments properly. That might be it. Anyways, I do have some bloggers that I love to communicate with and think IF we talked or hung out, we would totally be friends. So for Day 5, I'm professing my love for Nadine over at Back East Blonde!

She's awkward and clumsy and funny and self-deprecating, and witty and silly and you should check out her blog. If, for no other reason then to see her boyfriend's impressive beard and her adorable dog.

Also, she posts pictures of herself like this...I mean, obviously we should be friends...

Go check out Back East Blonde now!

Blogger Book Swap Link Up

2013-05-05T06:49:00.003-07:00

Hey All! For today's Blogger Book Swap Link Up, we're supposed to talk about cities we love to read about. Martie over at Spunkyrella, for instance, tends to gravitate towards books set in New York City because of her love for that town. I browsed through the lists of my favorite books and realized that my tastes really go all over the place. I think I might be attracted to books that take place travelling or in multiple places rather than in specific cities. I also seem to be drawn to books where the setting doesn't necessarily matter; where it's more about the people and the changes they are going through and what they're experiencing.

To keep with the theme of the Link Up though, I picked a couple books that I have loved in large part due to their settings. Here they are!

The Devil in White City by Erik Larson

I cannot say enough about this book. It's one of the best, most compelling non-fiction books out there. The descriptions of Chicago are gritty and fantastical and beautiful and you really feel like you can see, smell, and hear everything that Larson is describing. I love visiting Chicago as it is today and it was really interesting to learn about how it was then and to learn about the fair that I never knew took place there.

Bangkok 8, Bangkok Tattoo, & Bangkok Haunts by John Burdett

I think I wrote those in the wrong order, but I'm too lazy to fix it. I just woke up, alright? Regardless, these books are incredibly exciting, compelling, and terrifying due in much part to their setting of Bangkok. Burdett describes the surroundings in an incredibly static, frightening, and mysterious way which really sets up the feel for the entire book and its many mysteries. It makes you want to visit Bangkok....but with a really buff guide to protect you.

Do you guys have a favorite setting for your books?

Blog Every Day in May - Favorite Quote

2013-05-04T13:20:00.002-07:00

Today's Blog Every Day in May Link Up topic is our favorite quote and why we love it. Here's mine:

I have SO many favorite quotes, it's hard to choose one. I have a whole board on Pinterest of quotes I love. I'm a sucker for a good one. So this is merely ONE of my favorites:

This one speaks to me right now because of my unemployment and the hope I have that out of this current difficulty, lies a new opportunity. I'm working on it...

Side Note: It was really hard to not just choose my favorite Harry Potter quote because they are all so good and then I saw that Jenni chose one and it made me happy. :)

Blog Every Day In May - Things That Make You Uncomfortable

2013-05-03T04:08:00.001-07:00

For today's Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to write about things that make you uncomfortable. Here are some of mine:

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People that put your instead of you're. And just really bad grammar all around. It makes me uncomfortable because I want to fix it and it's not my place.

Part of this is because I was an English major, part because I'm a know-it-all, and part because I live with a tech writer/editor whose first response when he finally read my new food blog was, "I found some grammatical errors."

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Driving. Just in general. I have been hit several times and Mike drives mostly now so I'm just a really uncomfortable driver. I'm always expecting to get hit.

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When people's eyebrow hairs are out of place. This makes me really uncomfortable for some reason. I just want to fix it for them.

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Discussing politics. I do not like arguing, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable. Election years are the worst.

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Wearing jeans. This is a different kind of uncomfortable, but seriously...how uncomfortable are jeans? Maybe it's just my rockin' muffin top, but I effing hate wearing jeans.

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People making out in public. I don't wanna hear it, I don't wanna see it, keep it to yo'self.

(Lesson learned: do not google image making out. Just don't.)

What are things that make you guys uncomfortable?

Blog Every Day in May - Educate Us

2013-05-02T12:31:00.001-07:00

So, to catch up on the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, I need to do Day 2 today as well. Day 2, you're supposed to educate everyone on something you know really well or are really good at.

And I can't think of ANYTHING.

I'm not horrible at things, but I'm not great at anything.

So...I sat here forever and realized there is only one thing I've recently gotten pretty good at: being married to my husband. We joke that Mike is a robot all the time because he's not super affectionate or emotional and just doesn't look at the world the same way a lot of us do. He's not a robot obviously, he's just an introvert. Me, being an extrovert, have definitely struggled with getting used to being with someone who is so introverted. It's seriously taken me like six years to figure this out. So here is my completely BS education for her on how to be in a relationship with an introvert. Enjoy!

How to Be in a Relationship with an Introvert

When they come home from work, don't immediately attack them with affection and questions about their day. Let them ease into it.
Do not talk to them in the morning until they have eased into their day. They want to be left alone.
Do not expect them to cuddle, hold hands, hug, or kiss in public.
Ask them before you attack them with a hug. Sometimes they say no. Don't do it anyways.
Don't try to ask them a ton of personal questions about their past or try to tell them a bunch about yours. They don't want to know.
Don't try to post-game talk about the sex you just had.
Don't expect them to understand your need for constant attention.
Don't expect them to understand why you're being pouty or moody.
Talk to them about the things you need and feel you're missing. They're humans too, they will work on it.
And absolutely, unequivocally do not ever take any of these things personally.
Finally, when they're this handsome, you learn to live with it. :)

Love you honey.

(Sorry about all the attack hugs)

Blog Every Day In May - Story of My Life

2013-05-02T12:12:00.004-07:00

I'm a day behind, but I've decided to link up with Jenni over at Story of My Life for her Blog Every Day in May Link Up. Each day in May has a topic which is really handy for an unemployed boring person who is home all day such as myself. Day 1 is the story of your life in 250 words or less. Here goes!

Born January 16, 1983 in Ridgecrest, California

Fat, happy, tons o' hair

I have two crazy (in a good way) parents and an older sister

My head is blatantly bigger than my 4 year old sister's in this picture

Fatty

Private school from kindergarten to graduating high school

Made me not like religion, but also made me pretty dern smart

Tripped on stage at my graduation

First boyfriend at 17 (late bloomer alert)

Met Mike my senior of high school (to be continued)

Went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for college

Sheltered late bloomer did not do well there

(big life regret)

Moved to Bakersfield to be with boyfriend and go to school there

We broke up (duh)

Crazy partying phase ensued

Fell in love, got heart broken, dated around, fell in love again, more heartbreak

Worked at Hallmark, on campus, and at Mercedes

Dropped out of college 3 classes to graduation after being accepted into the English Master's Program

(big life regret #2)

Moved to New Jersey to be a flight attendant

Funnest time of my life

Moved back to California to finish school and figure my shit out

Mike asks me out to coffee via Myspace

We spend the whole Christmas break together

I visit him in Chico for his birthday

We have our first kiss (this really was it)

He moves to London for a while for school, we move to Ridgecrest, then we move to Chico together

Chico is our favorite place ever

I have a soul sucking receptionist job

We get Tuffy

I finally finish college online while working full time

Mike gets a job in Ridgecrest and we move back

I have another soul sucking receptionist job

We buy a house

We get engaged

We get Gizmo

We get married

We have the world's best honeymoon in London

I go back to school to get my Master's Degree

It was awful, but I finish somehow

We move across the country to Maryland

I'm unemployed and bored

But we're doing great here

The end for now...

Insert Cliche Shades of Grey Title Here

2013-05-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Mike thought this outfit was too boring to photograph, but I really wanted an excuse to use a Shades of Grey reference.

Because every fashion blogger on the planet has worn grey and done that.

So here is mine.

Also, I really like his outfit.

Shirt: Banana Republic

Tie: Gift, Tie Bar

Pants: Gap

Shoes: Heutchy via Gilt

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