It's BA-ACK!!!!!!!!

And now the love/hate relationship will continue... I just saw a preview the other night and it looks amazing/dreadful... I really hate this show. But I am strangely addicted. Remember me ranting on this a few months ago? No? Read this to jog your memory... The return of this show actually complicates my life a bit. Now there are FOUR shows I have to watch on Mondays: Gossip Girl & The Secret Life are both on at 8pm, One Tree Hill and Heroes are both on at 9pm. And what am I to do when The Bachelor returns?? Customarily, it is on Monday nights too! My universe is going to implode.

Shame on you

Ew. Seriously? Crocs aren't bad enough? You have to add fur? I got this "great gift idea" e-mailed to me from Amazon. Shame on you, Amazon. Shame on you. Worst gift idea ever.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

So, I made Chris watch this last night. The good ol' claymation version. He hemmed and hawwed all the way through it, and I'm pretty sure he fell asleep for a little bit. But it's Christmas! It's tradition. Every year. Get used to it.

Misleading meandering mumblings

The picture is misleading. I'm not an insomniac. I don't actually really want to go to sleep. I have been restless all day. It feels like Christmas Eve and I'm 9 years old. I don't want to go to bed, but tomorrow I have to actually, you know, do stuff. But I'd rather stay up and play Wii and listen to music, or catch up on Heroes, or, well, write to you. I don't know why I feel so restless... My days are becoming uneventful. I need some stimulation. Or some variation. Or a vacation. One of those. As long as it ends in "tion"... I'm not nervous or worried or scared or caffeinated. I'm not anything, really. I just don't feel like going to sleep, yet... I want to do something. Right now. I want to write the great American novel. I want to learn to play guitar. I want to wander the city like Holden Caulfield - except he was crazy and had a much cooler city to roam around in... That's what I want. I want to go to New York. I think I would like it there. The people, the energy. I could live in The Village, find a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop, go there everyday with my FRIENDS, and do nothing but talk and drink coffee. And Chris can come too. As long as he brings a puppy. The puppy is a must. We could like it in New York. I think. I've never been, myself, so I'm only speculating... Should there have been two commas in that last sentence?

Is this crazy?

So, don't think I'm weird, but lately I've been thinking about writing. Writing, writing... As in maybe writing a book, writing... You see, I've always loved to write. For as long as I can remember, I've kept journals and written stories. And I sort of miss it. I miss writing. I miss being creative. I miss being in college and taking my journal to the beach just to write. What would I write about? I have an idea or two. So....... I don't know. Maybe I'll start writing again. Maybe you'll even get to read it one day.

By the way, I really like the pen in this picture.

One more reason to love Netflix:

A-MAZING!

Netflix

Hallelujah!

Black Friday

It was madness. It was crowded. It was crazy. And I didn't even get up at 4:30am like my husband did! But I kinda got caught up in the excitement of the season. I found some cool deals, some underwhelming "deals,"and some crap that will always be too expensive no matter if you knock off 50 bucks or not. Along with knocking out half my Christmas list, I also got a couple of goodies for myself...

$4 each at Target:

$20 at Aeropostale:

$12 at Aeropostale:
I am definitely going again next year!

A-MAZING!

I'm a little bit addicted now.

Tyrone

So, I've totally dug this guy since college. I just saw him play for the umpteenth time last Friday, and... I totally still dig his music. You need to check him out here. He's got a new album coming out before Christmas, which I am really stoked on. He played some songs from the new album at this concert and they're amazing. Check out "Sink or Swim" on his myspace page, it's awesome!

Week of Weeks

This has been the week of all weeks. It has been entirely spent with my sister. If you would like to hear about my week, please check out this website.

Scare the Crap Out of Me

2:41 AM
I am fast asleep when the windows in my apartment start shaking like crazy. I wake up immediately and I am almost coherant enough to feel my bed shaking as well. Because of my just-awakened state, I am not sure if it is an earthquake or if my apartment is being broken into. Scared the crap out of me. I don't really mind earthquakes, they've never really scared me before. But at almost 3 in the morning? Yeah, they scare me. They scare the crap out of me.



P.S. Turns out it was an earthquake. A 4.1 on the richter scale, originating in Yucaipa, which is only like a half hour away from me. Yipes.

Onto Book 3... and now 4

Yup, that's how quickly I read...

Finished.

Started. And shocked. And addicted. I will talk to you again when I am done.

Genius!

Oh, my gosh! I love Kristin Wiig!

I found my book

Holy trash... I love this book. I was looking for a new book/series to read and I found it! I stinking love it. Read it. Seriously. I would lend you my copy, but I already passed it on to my step-mom, Carol, so that she can become addicted. I have now moved on to the next book in the series, and the obsession continues:

Cole Trabue Warren

This is my nephew. He is the cutest thing I have ever seen. These pictures do not do him justice. You need to hold him, to smell him, to experience him in order to even begin to grasp how much I love him. He came five weeks earlier than expected, but he is precious. It's been like four hours since I've seen him and my heart hurts. I cannot believe my sister and Josh created him; a fact which contributes to the many reasons for why I love him. You should meet him. He's wonderful. Really, he is.

If you want to see a sweet slideshow, go here. And make sure your sound is on!

Advice, Please

I need a really good book to read. I haven't found one yet. Advice, please. Tell me about a good book.

Baby + Shower

This was one of the best weekends ever! Mainly because I got to celebrate my nephew-to-be with his mommy-to-be (SO weird to say!)... I got the wonderful privilege of throwing my sister a baby shower on Saturday, and I had SO much fun! It went so well, we had WAY too much food, and we packed her SUV full of gifts at the end of the day! It was a great, wonderful, emotional, humbling, exciting, anticipating-inducing day! Even though I had trouble moving on Sunday, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I have a secret...

I watch this show:

And I have a love/hate relationship with it. But I actually really hate it most of the time... I hate how they portray Christians, I hate the cheesy acting, I hate that this girl hasn't told her mom that she's pregnant yet, I hate that two of the teens have been in a relationship for two weeks and already say "I love you"... The worst part may be all of the advertisements on ABC Family that compare it to Juno -- blasphemy! But it's kind of like a car wreck, you can't help but slow down and watch... I would tell you to start watching it, but I don't think I want you to hate something so much yet not be able to resist it...

Save me.

Tattoo

"Just like a tattoo

I'll always have you"

... Oh wait...

Sorry, that wasn't funny. But the tat is real. If you can figure out what it says, you get a cookie.

Oh Gosh

Oh gosh... That's all I can say... Oh gosh...

I am addicted. Like fully addicted. Having dreams about this show addicted. If you have not yet watched this season of The Bachelorette, ya need to. Go to abc.com right now and watch the episodes from this season. They have 'em all there. Seriously, go. Leave. Leave here right now.

Left Wanting

There is something Chris and I want so bad. It would be a wonderful, amazing adventure. I think it would make us really happy. Though it has not been deemed official as of yet, we are incredibly excited about this. But it is also something that would be extremely painful and difficult for me. It is something that excites me yet scares me a little. We want this, we really want this, yet we sort of don't want it... However, we cannot imagine going on much longer without it. We do not want to be left wanting and we are so scared it's not going to happen.

Lord, your grace falls over us. It washes us clean, it blesses us. Lord, we pray that we get this, we pray that You bless us with this thing. We trust you, we believe in your goodness and your divine will. Bless us O Lord.

Amen.


P.S. It's not a baby... Though, now that I am reading over it, it could really really be interpreted that way...Especially with the picture of the praying kid and all -- I just thought it was cute... But I promise that's not it.

Dear House

Dear House,
Please say yes. Please accept our offer. Please let us in. If you did, I know we could be great together. We love you. We really do. Please say yes.

Love,
The Taylors

P.S. If you could also bring back those kitchen and laundry appliances, that would be great!

Air Con

So, this afternoon my air conditioning came on for the first time in like a week and a half... It makes me sad, for I have been absolutely loving the cold weather! I dread a full-fledged Riverside summer... So, here's to hoping summer never gets here!

NAIA Tennis National Championships

All...week...long...

We get to go home today.

Will be very happy if I don't watch anymore tennis for a long time. My marriage will be very happy too.

Already sort of dreading next Spring...

I Get It Now

I heard someone say once that it takes two years to get fully comfortable in a new job. I didn't really believe it or understand it when I heard it... Now I get it.

I just started a new job and there is so much to learn, so much training, so many people I will be working with and whose jobs I have to learn so that I know how they can help me do my job better... So many new things... I am a little intimidated but excited to be doing something that I feel could actually be a career for me.

But the whole two years thing...I get it now.

Freakin' HILLARious

Do you feel as strongly about cookies as I do?

P.S. These kids are adorable.

No Sweeter Name

The summer that I was on Entourage, we traveled for ten weeks, visiting and serving at several different summer camps in the western US. While at these camps, sometimes we worked with other camp teams from other universities. Our specialty was comedy sketches, some other teams were drama teams or comedy teams or worship teams or there for just plain recruiting. We worked three of these different camps (Colorado, Oregon, and Montana) with a worship team from Northwest University. One of the songs in their arsenal was one of the best and most powerful worship songs I've ever heard. It was called "No Sweeter Name" and they probably sang it at least once a day... And it was always incredible and just ushered God right into our services. To this day, I have not been able to find a version of this song that is even satisfactory in comparison to the original. And this makes me sad. I wish to hear a version that will act as a time machine for me, take me back to that time and place, if only for a short four minutes. But, for now, I am stuck in the present, thoroughly displeased with any of the current alternatives.

No sweeter name than the name of Jesus
No sweeter name have I ever known
No sweeter name than the name of Jesus

You are the life to my heart and my soul
You are the light to the darkness around me
You are the hope to the hopeless and broken
You are the only truth and the way

Did anyone else scream?

Or was it just me?

Please ring, please please please ring...

I have discovered something about myself in the recent days... I am not a patient person. Shocking, I know... What brought about this revelation? My search for a new job. For the first time in a year, I am THIS close, or more like THIS close, to actually having a permanent, dependable, and fulfilling job that actually excites me... If my phone would just freakin' ring!!!!!!!!

Please pray. Pray that I don't drive myself crazy. Pray that I get the call that I've been waiting for for 2 weeks now... I really almost regret all those prayers for patience that everyone warns you not to pray...

Thursday, April 10th, 9:00 PM (PST)

I just want to know one thing...

...ARE YOU READY?

Movie Buff

We went over this list in my high school film class... I was interested to see how much it changed and how many more of these I've seen... (the emboldened ones are the ones I've seen)


The American Film Institute's 2007 list of the top-100 American movies:

1. Citizen Kane, 1941
2. The Godfather, 1972
3. Casablanca, 1942
4. Raging Bull, 1980
5. Singin' in the Rain, 1952
6. Gone With the Wind, 1939
7. Lawrence of Arabia, 1962
8. Schindler's List, 1993
9. Vertigo, 1958
10. The Wizard of Oz, 1939
11. City Lights, 1931
12. The Searchers, 1956
13. Star Wars, 1977
14. Psycho, 1960
15. 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968
16. Sunset Blvd., 1950
17. The Graduate, 1967
18. The General, 1927
19. On the Waterfront, 1954
20. It's a Wonderful Life, 1946
21. Chinatown, 1974
22. Some Like It Hot, 1959
23. The Grapes of Wrath, 1940
24. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982
25. To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939
27. High Noon, 1952
28. All About Eve, 1950
29. Double Indemnity, 1944
30. Apocalypse Now, 1979
31. The Maltese Falcon, 1941
32. The Godfather Part II, 1974
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 1975
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937
35. Annie Hall, 1977
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957
37. The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946
38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1948
39. Dr. Strangelove, 1964
40. The Sound of Music, 1965
41. King Kong, 1933
42. Bonnie and Clyde, 1967
43. Midnight Cowboy, 1969
44. The Philadelphia Story, 1940
45. Shane, 1953
46. It Happened One Night, 1934
47. A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951
48. Rear Window, 1954
49. Intolerance, 1916
50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001
51. West Side Story, 1961
52. Taxi Driver, 1976
53. The Deer Hunter, 1978
54. M-A-S-H, 1970
55. North by Northwest, 1959
56. Jaws, 1975
57. Rocky, 1976
58. The Gold Rush, 1925
59. Nashville, 1975
60. Duck Soup, 1933
61. Sullivan's Travels, 1941
62. American Graffiti
63. Cabaret, 1972
64. Network, 1976
65. The African Queen, 1951
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981
67. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 1966
68. Unforgiven, 1992
69. Tootsie, 1982
70. A Clockwork Orange, 1971
71. Saving Private Ryan, 1998
72. The Shawshank Redemption, 1994
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969
74. The Silence of the Lambs, 1991
75. In the Heat of the Night, 1967
76. Forrest Gump, 1994
77. All the President's Men, 1976
78. Modern Times, 1936
79. The Wild Bunch, 1969
80. The Apartment, 1960
81. Spartacus, 1960
82. Sunrise, 1927
83. Titanic, 1997
84. Easy Rider, 1969
85. A Night at the Opera, 1935
86. Platoon, 1986
87. 12 Angry Men, 1957
88. Bringing Up Baby, 1938
89. The Sixth Sense, 1999
90. Swing Time, 1936
91. Sophie's Choice, 1982
92. Goodfellas, 1990
93. The French Connection, 1971
94. Pulp Fiction, 1994
95. The Last Picture Show, 1971
96. Do the Right Thing, 1989
97. Blade Runner, 1982
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy, 1942
99. Toy Story, 1995
100. Ben-Hur, 1959

27 out of 100... Not bad. There are some rankings that I really disagree with... For example, they have Titanic ranked higher than Goodfellas! Seriously?! What the H is that about? Scorcese vs. Cameron? C'mon, AFI! You disappoint me...

Birthdays

If you guess who I went here with yesterday, you get a cookie.

Good Medicine

Read the entry entitled "Good Medicine" on this blog and guess who's going!!!!!!

A once in a lifetime experience... We will get to see these amazing actors up close and personal... Which actually means they'll be like 100 feet from where we're sitting, but it's fo sho* better than TV! I can't wait!

Hey, you should come too!



*Disclaimer: Yes, I did actually use the term "fo sho"... I have since joined a support group and am seeing a personal psychologist three times a week. I appreciate your support during this difficult and confusing time in my life.

O, Aeropostale, how I love you...

I would just like everyone to know that I love these jeans. They are extremely comfortable and, well, they fit, which is a pretty incredible find if you're a girl. Buy some. You will not be sorry. My sister and I bought the same exact pair over the holidays and loved them so much that we weren't embarrassed to wear them on the same day.

My Weekend Thus Far

FRIDAY:

• Slept until like 8:30 AM.
• Watched all items stored on my TiVo until 1:30 PM.
• Showered.
• Went to Target and bought a lamp.
• Put together lamp.
• Picked up Chris from work b/c he locked his keys in his car.
• Went to Nike Outlet in Lake Elsinore so Chris could spend his Christmas money.
• Went to dinner with Chris at Chili's and used an excellent Christmas gift card.
• Was planning to go see the National Treasure sequal, but got tired and went home.

SATURDAY (all of this is with the husband):

• Woke up at 10:00 AM
• Went to Panera Bread for lunch
• Saw 12:30 PM show of the National Treasure sequal (not as good as #1, but not exactly a disappointment. I liked Juno better...)
• Went to Barnes & Nobles
• Got pissed about a wedding we're in
• Went to Al's Woodcraft
• Balanced finances
• Planning to go to Disneyland tonight...We'll see, because of the "storm"