March 10, 2014 by Stephanie

Talks with Tom #20

I was gone for the weekend, leaving Tom to his own devices.

When I got home yesterday, this is how Tom greeted me.

Tom- I am so lost when you aren’t here.

Me- I thought you wanted a weekend to yourself?

Tom- I am like a lost kid though. You know that kid in the middle of Walmart who can’t find his parents and is just falling to pieces. That’s me. (He also acted this out)

Tom- For the first 5 minutes, I’m like, “Yea, weekend by myself!” Then those 5 minutes pass and I think, “This sucks.”

Me- You are sweet.

Tom- I am lost with out you.

He may have a rough exterior, but he is a pretty sweet guy!

March 9, 2014 by Stephanie

30 Before 30 Update 4

Here we are another month has past.

1. Crochet something else besides blankets or scarves-so something that isn’t straight lines.

Done.

2. Do a 30 day photography challenge

I have one picked out. I am going to do it sometime this summer.

3. Visit 3 cities I have never been to before (1/3)

I am thinking maybe we can do a babymoon trip this summer.

4. Tour at least one of the distilleries in the area

We could still do this but I can’t partake obviously. The Jack Daniels one doesn’t do samples anyway, so we may look into doing that.

5. Send at least 5 snail mail a month

Complete.

6. Become a “professional” photographer

This last month, I had a lot happen. One of my pictures was featured on one of my favorite photography websites to be critiqued. I got a lot of great feedback on my work, so that was really exciting. This last weekend I was the photographer for a charity art auction. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot. One of my photos was also auctioned off, so that was a feel good photography moment.

7. Run at least 5 races (any distance)

I am not doing much of running or planning really.

8. Go camping with Tom

We are still planning this for our anniversary, however I will be 6 months pregnant. So we may have to make other plans.

9. Pay for the car behind me in a drive through

Ugh I need to put a reminder in my car because I never remember until I do these updates.

10. See Tyrone Wells live again

Going in May!

11. Tour Fort Defiance here in Clarksville

Not yet.

12. Water ski with my dad

The pregnancy complicates this a little bit.

13. Do a 5K with my mom

Not yet.

14. Take a swing dance class with Tom

I will have to wait until my doctor clears me for more activity.

15. Read at least one fun book a month and one professional development book every three months

I have slacked on the fun book. The last read was a struggle for me to get through. I did finish a professional development book.

16. Take a pottery or stained glass class

I need to look this up to make a plan.

17. Learn how to make sushi

Well, the pregnancy is putting a stalemate on this too.

18. See both a Clemson and UCM football game live

The baby is due during football season, so it may not be feasible to travel with the bundle of joy to a football game.

19. Volunteer with MCFOTS and Special Olympics on a regular basis

Because I am pregnant, I can’t volunteer anymore. So I may need to find something else, or just lay low for the time being.

20. Explore Land Between the Lakes

This is our anniversary trip plan.

21. Ride in a hot air balloon

This pregnancy is making this list interesting.

22. Go to at least 10 “new to me” restaurants in Clarksville. (3/10)

My supervisor took me to Johnny’s which is a mainstay for Austin Peay. It is a local burger joint. All grease and all goodness. Surprise it was no Chinese. Tom and I didn’t go anywhere the last month thanks to morning sickness.

23. Stay at a bed and breakfast

Maybe babymoon?

24. Spend a day without electronics (phone, t.v. and computer)

Not planned yet.

25. Have a Kentucky Derby themed 30th birthday party.

Still a ways away.

26. Go to non-touristy parts of Nashville

We were going to do this when we were in Nashville on Valentine’s Day, but then we found out we were pregnant and then Tom’s car almost exploded. So we didn’t do as we planned. But we found out we were pregnant! And I ate McDonald’s in an AutoZone parking lot. I guess that was a non-touristy part of Nashville…

27. Watch at least 10 movies that I have not seen before that won Best Picture at the Oscars and at least 10 documentaries (not necessarily Oscar winning) Movies (0/10); Documentaries (4/10)

We watched a documentary on Auschwitz.

28. Sew an item of clothing from scratch

I know what I want to do, I just need to do it.

29. Find a church home here in Clarksville

Thanks to morning sickness, I haven’t been.

30. Become a mom

Ahhh YES!

So I have been thinking because of the pregnancy, there are a lot of things on this list that I am not going to be able to accomplish within this time frame. I am completely ok with that because being a mom is such a blessing. I do want to continue with this list, but I think I am going to change it to 35 before 35 to give myself more time and add 5 more things to do. I haven’t thought about what those things are, so I plan to have an updated list by April.

I am in charge of this so I can change it if I want!

March 7, 2014 by Stephanie

Friday Filter-New TV Premieres

So with three snow days this week and having no energy, I checked out a few new shows. I am so glad I did! Each of these are so great. I really hope they continue.

growing-up-fisher

image via

This show is hilarious. It follows a family that just went through a divorce. The twist is that the dad is blind. His son has been his guide for most of his life, but with the divorce the dad now depends on his new companion, a dog. The mom tries to be much cooler than she is, so the whole show is basically the kids being the adults in the situation. The antics that the whole family gets into are pretty funny. It is a quick and smart show. They cover the topics of blindness and how it impacts more than just that person. You will also see regular teenage/tween growing pains, but also parents trying to figure out how to be partners as parents but not be married. The son is my favorite. He narrates the show, so you see more of his transition than the other characters. You should check it out!

about-a-boy-nbc-tv

image via

If you have seen the movie with Hugh Grant, the premise is very similar on this show. I would say that since this is a sitcom, it moves much faster and is a little more light-hearted. A mom and her son moved next door to this bachelor, and the boy latched on to manly role model as a neighbor, much to the chagrin of his mother. The bachelor first tries fighting the relationship not wanting the responsibility of caring for someone else, but you see the kid slowly (and hilariously) breaking down those walls. Did I mention that their lifestyles are completely different? The bachelor is as bachelor as you get, whereas the mother son duo are vegan drifters who have a very rosy outlook on life. Watching the son and his neighbor interact and teach each other things is just delightful. Much like the previous show, it is a quick show but super funny!

LOGO_MindGames2014-ON-AIR_color

image via

This show is very different. It revolves around a new consulting firm that uses psychological methods to meet the needs of their clients. It is a new twist that I am really enjoying. They look at how little things like how you dress or where you sit in a room can affect how someone views you and the decisions they make. Two brothers are the creators of the firm, and their personal stories provide different layers to the story. One brother is a bi-polar professor who was recently fired from a university for having an affair with a student. The other brother just finished a jail sentence for white collar crime. So you can imagine what kind of drama these two can create. I would call this a dramatic comedy. The premise of the mind manipulation really intrigues me, so I will keep watching for a little bit.

So those are just a few more shows to keep my DVR busy.

Have you seen any of these?

Friday Filters offer a review that are my own opinions. I was not contacted by anyone associated with these works or compensated for my review. My review has not been influenced by anything other than my love for entertainment and art.

March 5, 2014 by Stephanie

I Wink at My Dogs

I have a very weird relationship with my dogs. I think it is normal, but others find it weird.

I snuggle with them every chance I can get.

I kiss them on the mouth.

I talk to them like they are humans, even if no humans are in the room.

I want to leave social functions early because I don’t want to leave them home alone too long.

I buy them collars like it is an addiction.

I would let them lay on top of me even if I am suffocating just so they will be comfortable.

I wink at them when they wink at me. (Seriously, they wink at me.)

I just love them so much. They are the best things that have happened to Tom and I.

We took in a stray yesterday who we found at our fence. He was shivering and his paws were all bloody. We ended up bringing him in the house because with Clarksville being shut down basically due to this ice situation, we didn’t want to leave him out for who knows how long until we either found an owner or the shelter was able to pick him up. We kept him segregated from our dogs who were being territorial from about 9am until 4pm when the local shelter was able to pick him up. Tom and I took turns cuddling with him and giving him much needed attention. We spread “flyers” through Facebook, and Tom drove around the neighborhood and tried to follow the pups tracks back to his home. This poor sweet puppy just wanted a warm place to stay. If our dogs wouldn’t have been so jealous about “Carl,” we would have kept him longer. Grace and Crosby were not happy with us AT ALL though. So we sent Carl off with people who could see if he had a microchip and find his home. I almost cried though when they took him in the truck.

He was so sweet. I wish we could have kept him. I am glad we were able to help him at least be warm and happy for the day.

It makes me think about the lives that Grace and Crosby had before us. I am so glad that we are able to offer them a warm house, food, and most of all love.

They really do complete our lives. And they do things that surprise us every day.

When I was hugging the porcelain throne on Friday, Crosby laid with me the whole night. Grace came and checked in on me off and on. They are already taking this baby guard duty seriously.

This was early in the night, but Crosby stayed for every minute of this night right beside me.

This is where I was struggling, and Crosby was not happy about people disturbing his guarding. He takes his job seriously. There was one point in the night I had to puke over him because he was insistent on not leaving his post.

While some people think it is weird that we treat our dogs like humans and real children, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. If they are going to take care of me completely, why wouldn’t we do the same?

I just love them, and I hope that all dogs get to experience that at some point in their lives.

March 4, 2014 by Stephanie

My Thoughts on the Oscars

I.LOVE.THE.OSCARS.

I watched the whole red carpet. (I may have DVRed it, and watched it again.)

I stayed up for every second. (And for this gal who has been falling asleep between 7 and 8pm for the last two weeks, this was a big deal!)

This was one of my favorite Oscars to watch. I know others were not as found of it, but I really enjoyed it. It might be because I think Ellen can do no wrong…

I also love all the glamor and glitz of the evening.

Here are some of my thoughts as the night went on.

I absolutely loved the dresses that Sally Fields, Pink, Lupita Nyong, and Jennifer Lawrence wore. I would put them on in a heartbeat.
I have two dream jobs. One is to be one of the escort women on stage who just stand there in beautiful gowns. I love wearing fancy ball gowns and to do so without a script or much spotlight, absolutely. My other dream is to be a seat filler when stars go to the bathroom or where ever they may run off to. How cool would that be?
“Happy” by Pharrell was my favorite performance. I love that people got up and danced.
I am going to say it and probably be crucified because of it, but I don’t see what the hype is about “Let it Go.”
I think they should give more time to group winners. The second person to the mic always gets screwed because the first person took so much time! I always feel bad for them.
This is the first year I have seen none of the films that were nominated for the big awards…I blame it on the morning sickness. I will be remedying that soon since they all currently are saved on Netflix.
Lupita Nyong’s acceptance speech was absolutely my favorite speech. It was so genuine and full of emotion. It made me cry it was so beautiful.
I also loved watching McQueen react to winning Best Picture for “12 Years a Slave.” I love when people aren’t too pompous about winning. He was just so perfectly excited.
Ellen giving out pizza had to be the best thing. I really loved how she interacted with the audience, but watching the stars scarf down pizza in their fancy wear was just delightful.

Someday I am going to host Oscar parties at my house and do ballots, dresses, and the whole shabang. It is going to be awesome.

Also, I am guest posting today for Elizabeth over at Army Ever After! You should check her out!

What were you favorite parts of the Oscars?

Did you have a favorite outfit?