thankful: family

More of Millie... this one's with her protective big sister, Elli.

thankful: hobbies

I'm thankful for newly found hobbies. Also happy to have friends who are superb inspirations.

Here are some more faves from our Salt Flat adventure:

(More can be viewed at my flickr account....)

thankful: music

Already thinking of what I'm thankful for this week... music always helps.

Thankful Playlist:

1. Thanksgiving: George Winston
may be an obvious choice, but the melodies are beautiful...

2. What a Wonderful World: The Innocence Mission
sure... another obvious choice, but, there are many helpful reminders of what there's to be thankful for.

3. You Are My Joy... The Reindeer Section
who's the 'you' in your life that gives you joy?

4. I Found a Reason... The Velvet Underground
so many reasons.

5. Moments With Oliver... Rachael Yamagata
listen... what are your thankful moments?

6. Be Still My Heart... The Postal Service
the little things can make the biggest difference.

7. All of My Days... Alexi Murdoch
if you get a chance,
look up these lyrics .

8. Magic in The Air... Badly Drawn Boy
i'm thankful for this song; reminds me of jeffrey.

9. Love Like Laughter... Beth Orton
i'm thankful for laughter.

10. Just to See My Holly Home... Bonnie "Prince" Billy
nothing better than coming home- wherever your home is.

11. Fill My Eyes... Cat Stevens
who makes you feel like you can do no wrong?

12. You Are the Light... Innocence Mission
so many little things make me happy; she mentions a lot of them.

13. Always Love... Nada Surf
i'm thankful for love.

14. far, far away... Wilco
i'm thankful for this song, too; beautiful imagery.

15. Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)
i'm thankful for family.

*Tried to find these songs for you, but, unfortunately, I wasn't able... I'll keep digging.

Introducing...

My newest niece Millie Brown:

She's only 1 week old as of today. I'm head-over-heels in love with her already. Mom, my twin-sister, dad, and big sister, Elli, are doing wonderful. I'm so lucky to observe this little family in work; they are such a happy, happy family.

"I'm Not There"

I'll admit; I'm very intrigued to see this:



Opens 11/21... Just in time for a post-I-ate-too-much-pumpkin-pie-Thanksgiving movie.

Necklace

Is it bad that today I bought this necklace? (Yes, a co-worker and I had to go to Urban on it's opening day! Did score a free canvas tote, though.)
My intentions with this purchase: I'm giving this to Jeff to give to me for Christmas...! Not a bad idea, huh? Otherwise, I would've felt real awkward buying this for myself. (Although, I guess I do love me.)

(Image via UrbanOutfitters.com)

Click, Click, Click, Click Camera

You gotta listen to the Bishop Allen song ’Click,Click,Click,Click’ while you view these pictures... Don't you love this song?

(I swear... I'm almost through posting my Salt Flat photos. I just can't get enough of 'em.)

Pssst... If you're reading this via bloglines, or any other feed, you should be able to access the Bishop Allen mp3 file. Should be an enclosure... lucky you.

Oh, What a Week...

Yesterday, I had a dentist appointment to fill a cavity. I came into work with a numb lip. I tried to drink some Orange Juice, but it all came dribbling out of the side of my mouth. So, it really looked like I had a stroke. I couldn’t talk, and my fellow co-workers thought it was so funny that they began to point and even laugh at me.

Oh, I also did something to my back (again) over the weekend. Maybe it was all the bending, styling, shooting that took place out on the Salt Flats, OR, it was most likely I slept funny. So, I’m walking incorrectly lately. i.e., I look like an elderly woman hobbling, shuffling to get to any/all destinations.

So, on Monday I had a numb lip, and I couldn’t walk… trust me. I looked ridiculous.

Luckily, my lip’s no longer numb, but it’s still painful to walk normal.

Then, tonight, at my Recipe Exchange, we each brought a “Family Favorite.” I brought a dip that my family enjoys almost every other get together. Garnished with carrots, snap-peas, or potato chips… it’s yummy. Too bad my fellow Recipe Exchangers didn’t think so. I, too, was shunned by my fellow Vegetarian friends, as the dip had Clam in it… that’s right Clam.

Which, I’ve come to realize- is Clam the poor man’s fish? No. One. Wanted to eat it. No. One. I don’t know what’s worse- no one eating my Clam Dip, or the need for me to declare my newly un-vegetarian diet because I eat Clam… (Oh, I occasionally eat Salmon or Halibut every 3 months or so, too.)

(And if any of you Recipe Exchangers are reading, hope you know I’m joking with you. Sorta.)

Oh what a week, and! it’s only Tuesday.

Let's reminisce about happier times:

(I like taking photos.)

More From the Salt Flats

Between Ali and I, hoping you won't get too overwhelmed with Salt Flat photos. I especially can't get over how amazing Bridgett was... thanks, missy!

Here are some more faves:

Lost out West...

Guess what I asked of Bridgett before I took this shot? I said: "Pretend like you're waiting for your husband who's coming back from the war..." Really. I did. But... just look at those wistful eyes.

Waiting. Waiting.

A Girl and Her Guitar

Yesterday, Ali and I got to play dress-up with Bridgette.

We went out to the Salt Flats and took lots of pictures. It was a perfect, sunny day.

Here's a peek at our "photo shoot:"

If you've never been to the Salt Flats, I highly recommend it. Just don't forget your camera... or your guitar. :)

I Challenge Y-O-U.

Up for a challenge?

I challenge you to leave a comment on every single blog you read today. Why? Why not? (This is a challenge mostly for me. I want to let people know that I read their words, yet I always say I'll do it later and never do.)

Besides, it most likely will brighten every Blogeret's (or Blogger's) day. (Maybe I was inspired by Ms. Marta's words yesterday.)

So- go on... leave a comment!

Or, if you're not feeling up for this challenge, listen to this newly discovered band Surface of Atlantic. (Almost a cross between the Doves and Radiohead; the art-work on their website is pretty, too.)

***Thanks fellow supporters! I gotta say, this was much more difficult than I had anticipated. It's most likely because I read so many blogs throughout my day, and I'm also working, and to do both would be too time consuming. But, I'm still committed! Although I haven't been able to read all the blogs ready in my bloglines because of the time restraints, I'll gladly continue this challenge into today and the weekend...

what about you?

(Here's another fun singer for today: Jason Bajada {Make sure you listen to Sad Song About You #7})

Music!

As usual, make sure you read Your Heart Out, and today I helped write the Music Guide for November, which includes a live-music giveaway! (It's a splendid giveaway; free live music... yessss.)

Click hereto read all about the fine bands coming through Utah in the upcoming weeks. There's some really good ones.

Photo Demo

A couple weekends ago we had our last Photo Demo for
Nicole‘s class. It was a great opportunity to learn about lighting and take photos of willing models. (I'm used to begging my nieces and nephews to let me stick my camera into their faces for an afternoon.)

I'm gonna miss this class; I learned quite a bit and met some great photograhers...!

My Weekend

Here were some of my views this weekend:

The ride down South... doesn't my little sister take a good picture?

Stopping to get a bite to eat:

(No meat here.... just yum.)

And, last but certainly not least:

Did you know Las Vegas now has an H&M in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood? I didn't, until this weekend...

I was lucky enough to escape and have a fun girl's trip this weekend... Now. Back. To. Monday... already?

In the spirit of Halloween...

Thought I'd share what our costumes were for my little sister's Halloween Party on Friday night.

The theme: Hollywood.

I was Margot Tenenbaum, and Jeff, inspired by an idea from Brad, was Teen Wolf.

I feel the need to make clear that my husband actually made this costume with his own two hands. (Wouldn't he make a great costume designer? Case in point- see this year's costume and last year's.)

That furry face made me smile all night. (And, Margot is pretty depressed.)

Happy Halloween!

Look What's Out Today...

It's the complete season, plus Audio Commentaries, interview with Claire Danes, and music highlights.

(Now I can finally get rid of my old VHS tapes of recordings of the show... finally.)

The Darjeeling Limited

As I mentioned, we went and saw 'The Darjeeling Limited' this weekend. My expectations weren't too high after a number of reviews, including Andrew's. But, I was still excited to see the movie. Ali and I got a chance to discuss the movie, because I felt like it was slow, and Wes relied too much on his "tricks." (Slow motion/panning, relying on music to set the tone of the scene...)


But, I still enjoyed it. Let's face it- there's not too many memorable movies coming out lately, so any new Wes Anderson flick still feels refreshing.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie was when the brothers were sitting around the campfire after they had just gotten kicked off the train, and Debussy's Clair de Lune was playling in the background... It was close to a perfect moment- if only I felt more for the characters.


Anyone else see it? What did you think?

"Juno"

We saw the trailer for "Juno" when we saw "The Darjeeling Limited" on Friday night. Unfortunately, this trailer is a bit more memorable than Wes' new movie.

So, you gotta watch:



I think this comes out early next year, and I can't wait to see more of both Michael and George-Michael Bluth...

My Buddy

Do I have a treat for you this morning... New. Good. Addictive. Music: Buddy.

Buddy's a delicate band, with an unusual voice (think Grandaddy/The Samples), but with a beautiful tone. The lyrics are thoughtful, and I do believe they're my favorite band of the month. (Maybe next month, too.)

Need a wake up this Monday morning? Click here... Be sure to listen to 'Westgate' and 'Say a Lot.'

Teeee Off

I took these pictures for my Photo Assignment this week. (The Golf Tee was the object.) I like them in a collage:

And, yes, that really is a tomato balanced on a golf tee; it's all about balance.