Liebster Award! + 11 Random Danica Facts

My sweet friend Tayler from my study abroad/teaching tagged me in the Liebster Award. Like a year ago and I'm finally getting around to it. Thanks/sorry Tayler!

"Liebster" means dearest in German, and it's awarded, blogger to blogger, to up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers.  The rules for accepting and giving the award are pretty simple.  Once you accept the award, you just have to do the following in a blog entry:

Answer the 11 questions posted by the nominator on her blog

Give 11 facts about yourself

Nominate 5-11 other new, up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers

Make up 11 more questions to pass on to the bloggers you choose to nominate

Thank your nominator by linking back to her blog

Upon your post going live, contact your nominees about your nomination for them

1) What made you start blogging?

I had to create my blog for my Instructional Technology class at BYU, and kept it because I was going to Wales that summer and wanted to share my pics/adventures with family and friends at home. I'm so glad I did because I go back and re-read those posts all the time for fun!

2) What is your blogging dream?

Blogging dream.... I'm not sure.  I like fashion blogging, but I'm not really aiming to BE a fashion blogger. I like new readers but I'm not really trying too hard to get new readers. What I really love my blog for is writing - I love to write and I think it's a strength of mine.  I guess I'd just really love to be able to reach a lot of people (What constitutes "a lot"? 300? 500? 1000? Idk) and have people laugh and enjoy it. I'd even like to land a writing job with my blog. 

3) What is your dream job, and do you have it/are you working toward it? 

As listed above - writing. Particularly about Utah culture/trends/observation/fashion. I would also quit my job on the spot to become a personal shopper or stylist. Need a new change? Take me shopping with you for a day and let me take you to all the stores and choose stuff for you. PLEASE. I want to. So bad. 

4) What are you a junkie of?

The Office. Diet Coke. Popcorn. Pinterest. 

5) Since I'm a teacher, what was your favorite subject in school? Why?

English or History depending on the year. Figures right? I love reading, writing and learning about other people. 

6) What is your favorite book? Why?

Obviously Harry Potter (all of them). But I think that kind of can't count because they are everyone's favorites. Pride & Prejudice & Zombies is probably my other favorite. I love P&P like any woman, but the zombie addition is literally the greatest, most Danica combination that exists, ever.

7) Name a country you want to visit from every continent.

North/Central America - Mexico
South America - Brazil
Europe - Italy
Asia - Japan, since my baby bro will be in Fukuoka for 2 years!!
Australia - duh. 
Africa - Morocco
Antarctica - I'd rather not.  

 8) What are all the languages you speak (real or fake, fluent or not)

I took 4 years of Spanish. Loved it. Don't remember much.

9) What is the most annoying thing people do?

Just a few weeks ago my students had to turn in their final projects, and I had some CRAZY freaking moms defending their children for cheating and doing their projects for them. So I think I'd have to say coddling and ignoring children. They need you so bad parents! They need you to be good examples. They need you to let them grow and learn from their own mistakes. But they also need you to step in and correct their behavior when it is bad. The most annoying thing people do is act selfishly as parents.

10) What are three interesting things in your house?

Baby Buddha - The Beard and Glen hate it. They both bark at it routinely. 

Storm Trooper Steve - My Valentine's Day present

Apollo  - Blog post to explain this is forthcoming.  

11) What is your favorite post that you've done in the past year?

Probably my post about Finals. Or my post about the high school teacher who lied to the whole school about my brother having an ecstasy party. Both super snarky and angry. I guess that's kind of my thing.

And now.... 11 facts about me:

1. I love sports and played soccer/softball/basketball pretty much always, but I'm really a girly girl. I love makeup. Birchbox is my new favorite thing - each month they send you a bunch of beauty product samples and it's like a mini-Christmas. I love it so much I signed up for the makeup counterpart Ipsy and I'm waiting for my first box now!

2. I've got zombies on the brain especially now because I am signed up to run the Zombie Chase 5k in Eureka on Saturday! The Zombies Run! app is how I'm training. :)

3. The Beard says everyone has their "gospel hobby" where they feel comfortable in the church. Mine is the scriptures.

4. I'm a side sleeper.

5. Glen is also a side sleeper and he likes for me to be the little spoon so he can be the big spoon. We cuddle all night. You're dying of the cuteness right now, aren't you?

6. Everyone thinks because I play sports I must be outdoors-y. I hate camping.

7. I forget about my blog for weeks at a time. Like I literally don't think about it.

8. I'm a really happy person, generally. My moods don't swing too much. But when I finally allow myself to be really sad about things, I spend way too many hours in bed with the Office and I wallow. I'm a wallower.

9. I'm a Pinterest whore. And I mean that in a good way. I actually use all of my boards on Pinterest, believe it or not. And I have several categories. Check it out. Be impressed.

10. I almost died when I was born. The doctors told my mom I was probably going to be slow. It's also why my eye does the crazy things it does beyond my control.

11. I used to tell people my name was Vanessa when I was little because I thought my name was weird and Vanessa was a pretty name for pretty little brunette girls. Grass is always greener, right?

Ok so here are my friends that I've tagged.

Eliesa from BE Here and There (to get her back into blogging - we've all been waiting patiently!)
Katie from Silver Linings. She's a big fancy NY girl now.
Katie from These are the Days - gym buddy and puppy mama like me.
Nichole from The Keeles - a fellow Office lover and blog friend that I've never met. Let's fix that.
Karlie from The Mitchell Family - soon to be mama of twins!

Alright ladies. Answer these questions or else.

1. Who is your favorite Office character?
2. What are you the most proud of in your life?
3. What books should all of us be reading at the pool this summer?
4. What beauty product can you not live without?
5. Where is your favorite secret place to shop (physical or online store)?
6. What is your best piece of marriage advice?
7. When you are stressed and just want to fast forward life to happier times, what do you do?
8. What is your favorite blog that you HAVE to read every day?
9. I finally have an iPhone. What are your favorite apps that I should go for?
10. What is your favorite workout to get in shape?
11. Favorite obscure YouTube videos... Go!

Sometimes, Always, Never - Vegas the Mormon Way

I remember my first trip to Las Vegas - The lights! The color! The boobs! As a 6 year old I was particularly impressed with the enormous castle - Excalibur.

Even better I remember my single ladies trip to Las Vegas with my bestie Katie, who had never been.

"There is PORNOGRAPHY LINING THE STREETS!"


As a Mormon, Vegas can be a scary place with the boobs, butts and general grossness.  You can't go to clubs, you can't drink, you can't gamble, why even go? I'll tell you how and why YOU can do a Mormon Vegas Vacation.


The Beard and I decided to use an expiring voucher we had for 2 free nights at a Vegas hotel over Spring Break. We haven't been on a trip just the two of us since we've been married (over a year and a half! Thanks a lot Larry H Miller. We don't miss you), so we leaped at the chance.

My parents graciously agreed to watch Glen Coco, although after he marked EVERY territory in their house I doubt they'll have him back. And we were off! (Listening to Harry Potter audiobooks, obvs.)

This is how he likes to ride in the car - wedged between Ryan and the backrest

My Travel/Vacation uniform - black skinnies (Old Navy), gray v-neck (Gap), chambray top (F21), tortoise sunnies (Cotton On) and flipflops (Pac Sun)

Without further ado, here is my Sometimes-Always-Never for a Mormon trip to Las Vegas!

Sometimes

• Try out a piano bar! We went to Napoleon's in the Parisian and saw the dueling piano act. It's free, although they expect you to get drinks. A $3 can of Diet Coke was a bit ridiculous, but the dueling pianos were pretty awesome. They even take requests! Be prepared for a lot of Neil Diamond and people getting stupid drunk
• Walk through hotels/casinos. Even if you don't gamble or aren't staying there, those hotels are amazing! My favorites are the Parisian, New York New York, Caeser's Palace and now the Cosmopolitan! It's new and incredible.
• See a show, but make sure you read some reviews. I've always wanted to see a Cirque show, but I've heard a few of them can be a little racy. Many of the shows in Vegas are, so be selective. 
• Check out the LDS Temple! We didn't have time to drive out to it when we were there and I really wished we could have gone! Next time. :)

 Always

• Walk the Strip. There is no better people watching in the entire world. Pick a small section or marathon through the whole thing. Just walking with no real destination is hilarious, because you'll see yahoos like Bumblebee just chillin'. 

• While you're at it, see the free shows! The Bellagio Fountains, Atlantis inside Caeser's Palace and the pirate show outside Treasure Island.
• Also while you're at it, get some of the limitless candy at the Sugar Factory. That's all I should need to say. 

•  Plan for and try a fancy restaurant. The Beard saw Hash House a Go Go on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (one of our faves) and fell immediately in love with their enormous Chicken n' Waffles, Meatloaf sandwich and more. He's wanted to go ever since, so we planned it into our trip and budget. It made it way more fun than just grabbing a quick, cheap bite somewhere, because we looked forward to it and it was AMAZING. Really. 

• Wear something edgier than you can wear at home because - duh- its Vegas! I went with leather leggings and a skull tee since I can't ever wear those to school. Well, and maintain some degree of respect. :)

It was late. That's my only excuse for this washed out face. 

Did I do my hair at all this trip? It's a vacation. No. 

• Plan for everything to be overpriced. Vegas is where you go to splurge, not save. If you are budgeting, bring your own snacks and drinks for the hotel room.

Never

• Wear heels on the Strip, or when you have no idea what your night will be like. I even wore my trusty, comfy wedges, and I've worn flat boots before, and my dogs were barking before the night was up. 
• Take or look at the fliers and pamphlets being waved in your face. Trust me. Just pretend they don't exist.
• Get a smoking room. Vegas smoking rooms are worse than smoking rooms anywhere else. It's like secondhand-smoke nation up there.
• Stay on the Strip past 1 am. That's when the funny to crazy ratio on the Strip gets really scary.

Why I'm Not a Hipster Reason #274

Actual Conversation Yesterday:

The Beard shows me this picture/caption of Ron & Hermione-

"When two people are in love with each other but are too shy to admit it, although they still show it."

"Awwwwww cute right?!!!" - Beard

{He always expects like extra credit for showing me HP stuff. It shouldn't be extra. He should be just as obsessed with it as I am.}

"Awwww! Wait. Wait...... that's what skinny love means?" - me

"Yeah. Like when you like each other but don't say it and it's like fragile you know?" - Beard

{Also he kind of IS a hipster and loves this song and Bon Iver.}

"Ohhhhh..... I just thought it was like his girlfriend was really tiny or whatever." - me.

"Oh my...! Are you serious?!" - Beard *Embarrassed shock and laughter*

In case you aren't familiar with the song, here it is. I think I'm justified in thinking he's singing about his girlfriend. I never "get" the "deep, intellectual, symbolic" meanings of folk/hipster music.

The Beard has written one song about me and I hate it because it sounds so sad and depressing.
"No it's a beautiful love song! It's deep."
Sure it is. Sure.
Maybe I just want a love song that is pretty straightforward and awesome like this, then. Will you give it a try, Beard?
Sorry, this is my new favorite song. Yes, I'm embarrassed. No, I'm never going to stop loving it.

Creep Central

No, this post isn't about another creepy BYU date. Sorry. Maybe I'll dish out a few more of those soon.

This is about the creepiest thing about me, Danica Anne.

Most of you probably know I'm a geek right? I own more Star Wars paraphernalia than your average citizen. The guy at Gold's Gym actually referred to me as "Star Wars Girl" on Monday because I'm always wearing a Star Wars shirt to the gym. I was flattered.

Many of you know that I like gore and violence - of the zombie flavor in particular. Walking Dead, World War Z, Quarantine, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, etc.

But I have a love/obsession even worse than these. Definitely the creepiest thing about me.

Since high school I've been in love with the Thomas Harris "Hannibal" series. Yes, the one with the cannibal serial killer. The more popular movies (Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Manhunter/Red Dragon/Hannibal Rising) were based on his amazing books - which I've read many times.(I own them all if anyone is interested in reading them with me?.. no? .... no one?)

Obviously I wouldn't say I LOVE the cannibalism. I could definitely live without it. That's not what I'm there for. I love the mystery and suspense, the crime drama, the psychological elements. I love the characterization and how Dr. Hannibal Lecter becomes almost a protagonist.  I love the philosophical questions the books pose about what is "good" and the struggle to develop and follow a personal moral compass.

I love them. I love these books and movies. I love the story. I have an entire playlist dedicated to it. I've read a disgusting amount of fan fiction.

So I was beyond stoked to see that NBC has picked up a pilot season of the show Hannibal - about the relationship between Hannibal and famed detective Will Graham. This will fill the open space between the end of Hannibal Rising and the flashbacks in Red Dragon of Will catching Hannibal.

Here is the problem. The Beard is somehow morally opposed to violent films about cannibalism. He's adopted The Office, Star Wars, Harry Potter and even Star Trek. But he draws the line at Hannibal. I think it's pretty rude.

What I'm trying to say here is that the Beard needs a hobby that gets him out of the house for an hour or two each weeks so I can watch my creepy, morally objectionable TV show. Someone needs to start some sort of Fantasy Baseball Anonymous meetings or weekly Starcraft practice.

I'm also looking for best supporting actors in the role of Danica's Creepy Friend Who Watches Hannibal. And Maybe Reads the Books, Too.

Any takers?

Watching Lately - An Ode to Netflix

I'll never give you up, Netflix. Never. You're like a warm blanket, comfort food, a hot date, an exciting adventure and the best class I've ever taken all in one. (On a related note - Hulu Plus can suck it!)

Obviously we are constantly rotating through all the seasons of The Office. {and by 'we' I mean 'I', averaging 4-5 episodes a day, working on my next project - an in-depth analysis of the show to help me grieve its end.}

But besides that, here are our latest faves on the 'Flix. (hate that I called it that)


Happy - an interesting, inspiring documentary that I watched when I was sad a few weeks ago. These filmmakers travel around and interview people about what makes them happy. They even go into the psychology and biology of happiness. It's really cool. It's basically just the Gospel - serve, have enough but not too much, live with purpose, etc.






 Breaking Bad - the Beard and I needed a new show to watch together that was "new." The Beard somehow gets bored of watching The Office over and over. How? Anyway, we caved to Breaking Bad fad. Wow. I kind of hate it, but can't stop watching. It's so engaging and crazy every single episode! You hate and love everyone. I've cried, laughed, dry-heaved, sworn, screamed, smiled and grimaced. The great thing is that there are tons of episodes and you never want to stop, so it's a great marathon-watching show.




 Freakonomics - The Beard just finished listening to the audiobook at work, so we decided to watch it on a whim. It's so interesting! Very cool to see things a different way - even if it has some depressing thoughts about education. See/read this especially if you like Malcolm Gladwell, stats, and social experiments. 






Aziz Ansari: Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening - I really love stand-up, but the Beard kind of hates it. We were able to compromise on this one because he loves Tom Haverford from Parks & Rec, and that's basically Aziz in real life. This stand up is hilarious, but be warned - way, way, way too much cursing and sexual innuendo. But if you can't figure that out from the title... maybe put down the laptop and go read a book?

The Truth About Zombies - Very interesting scientific approach to zombies. It ranges from epidemic research to survival techniques to Haitian Voodoo. Max Brooks, the author of the best zombie book ever "World War Z" (coming soon with Brad Pitt yayayayaya!) is a narrator and perfect. The Beard was unimpressed.

"How can you call yourself a 'Zombie Expert' with a straight face?!"

Portlandia - Obviously you can make fun of hipsters to no end, and obviously I'm gonna like it. I've never been to Portland, but my Oregonian coworker says it is spot-on. Season 2 just went up a month or so ago, so if you like awkward humor, sketch comedy, and making fun of those multiple varieties of hipster that make our lives miserable, check it out. 

On my "To Watch List"

• Vampire Diaries at the persistent request of my sister
• Firefly because I'm a nerd and want to watch it
• The Queen of Versailles - Rainn Wilson tweeted about it so it went right in my queue
• America: The Story of Us - I've watched 3 of the episodes and they are AWESOME. I use them in my US History classes all the time. I want to finish the series.
• ESPN 30 for 30 - Guess who put all of these in the queue?

Anything else on Netflix I should watch?

Book Review/Pizza Night: Batting for the Other Team (Yikes)

Yesterday we went to our first book club meeting (missing the first one due to weather... booooo) and it was so great. I mentioned that I want to join 4 more book clubs and the Beard said, very wisely,

"Book clubs are to you what fantasy baseball is to me!"

And you know what? He's right. So anyone else that wants to start a book club with me - please let's? Email me. I'm totally down.

We read "The Art of Fielding" by Chad Harbach. It's a book about the intertwining lives of various characters at a small university in the midwest - including/surrounding the university's baseball team. I had high hopes when I began the book - it was all about this amazing shortstop Henry Skrimshander. The book is so fun for the first couple hundred pages! But, alas, it cannot last. Tragedy strikes and all of their lives fall into disarray. Heartbreak, death, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and terrible conduct ensues.

You can imagine the Beard's reaction when I tricked him into reading the book "It's about baseball!" only to have the baseball emphasis dwindle and the gay love affair emphasis swell about 200 pages in. Lolzies. Ryan is a homophobe, for all you new readers out there. Also, Ryan is obsessed with baseball and takes it INCREDIBLY SERIOUSLY. So to have his baseball paradise infiltrated with a gay love story - it was kind of the perfect storm.

At dinner we concluded that the story was good and the characters were interesting, but so many sections of the book were just wildly unrealistic and almost designated to become a screenplay. Overall, I would give the book a 7/10. I loved the baseball, the team esprit-de-corps, even the love stories before they fall apart. But the pain and guilt and trauma was too real, too long and too unsatisfying. Try it if you are interested in baseball, gay relationships, the internal personal struggle, or Moby Dick (a huge theme/inspiration in the book).

By far the best part of the book was discussing it at Pizzeria Limone - wow. We've heard great things but man, were we impressed. I got the Viola - a delicious pizza including proscuitto and blackberries. BLACKBERRIES!

We took the Trax because we take the Trax literally anytime we are able because we're obsessed with it. Can't wait until the Draper station opens up in August because it's seriously 3 minutes from our house. Yahtzee.

 

Shirt: AE, Skirt: Banana Republic, Boots: Forever Young, Bag: Coach, Coat: Old Navy

 

On the train home, while we were still in downtown SLC two kids climbed onto the train. They were probably about 13 or 14 and were very rowdy. The Beard was convinced they were high, although when I deny things like that I have to accept that I have never been good at noticing those things. They were bugging passengers, giggling furiously, swearing, and just generally being teen messes.

It was after 9 pm. On a Monday night. Downtown SLC. These boys were just riding the Trax around for fun, according to their conversation. And everyone just rolled their eyes at these little punks.

But I couldn't. It hit me in the heart. These were just like so many of my students. And they WERE freaking annoying. But what is your life like if riding around on Trax at 9 pm on Monday nights in downtown semi-sketchy SLC is better than being home? I just felt so responsible and sad for them.

You can take Danica out of her classroom, but I guess you can't take the classroom out of Danica.

Make good choices, sketchy Trax boys! Somewhere a random History teacher is thinking about you in a non-creepy way!

I Knew Going to FHE was a Bad Idea.

This is a story about when I realized that the Beard was IT. I thought it apropos since it's Valentine's week and all. **Incidentally it is also the story of one of the worst dates I've ever been on.**

Background

The Beard and I met in August 2009. We started hanging out in October and kissed in December. It was still really casual and cautious, and in March we both decided independently to be gone for the summer - Ryan in Arizona and me in England. We hung out more and more in April, realizing we really liked each other in the face of departure.

A week after we first met - the night he got my digits. Epic. 

The night before he left for Arizona, at the end of April, we had a really good talk about our expectations for the summer. We weren't even bf/gf at that point, so doing the long distance thing was clearly out of the question. The Beard was a bit of a commitment-phobe at the time and I had reservations about that. I also knew that he was going down there with his single dude posse, and that there would undoubtedly be  just scores of hot Arizona girls to occupy their limited down time.

As for me, this was the first summer that I didn't take classes and two months before I left. I was incredibly excited about have a "real" summer and though I really liked Ryan, I wasn't going to waste my summer stressing about a boy that wasn't here.

So we decided to have an awesome summer, stay in touch if we wanted to, and see what September brought back, with equal parts hope and pessimism.

FHE/DATE MARKET

Ryan left on a Sunday. Monday I got up, went to work, and had a very regular day. No tears, no sadness. I was pretty sure Ryan was going to forget about me and I can't STAND feeling clingy. I just decided to get over it, expect nothing, have fun and not even think about him. There were new adventures ahead.

When I got home, my cute roommate Natalie was getting ready for FHE and invited me to come. I LOLed a little.

Fun Fact About Danica: HATES Singles Wards. Hates FHE. I was semi inactive while in college, because I hated going to church so bad. I went to every farewell in Springville/Mapleton, went to my home ward often, and left early from my singles ward all the time.

Still. I was committed to meeting new people and having a blast this summer, so I went. Big mistake. I don't remember what we did, but we sat down in the big circle of chairs and instantly some boys came over to talk to us. I looked up and was instantly drawn to one of the guys, who saw me looking and walked toward me, smiling.

"Wow." I thought. "They really were right about singles wards. I am having a Taylor Swift moment with a guy I've never met. All because of FHE."

He sits down next to me, we exchange names and small talk, and then the Bishop gets up to start the lesson/activity/whatever we were doing. We quiet down. I was trying to be as charming as possible, obviously.

My mind is going a mile a minute. "What was that connection? Did he feel it? Don't get ahead of yourself, Crazy, he could have a girlfriend. Could I even date someone in my ward? That's an awkward story to tell our kids we met in a singles ward." Don't act like you haven't done this embarrassing thought train route before.

But then I started to notice all my judgy little things. "That's weird... why would I be attracted to a guy in construction-style dirty boots? Wait a minute. Those are Bugle Boy jeans. His hat is camouflage. What. What. What."

Let me be clear. I have no issue with many of those observations. It's just not my type. I was starting to question my mental health. Then he started talking again.

"Do you like Mexican food? I need a date for this week and I'd sure like to get some Cafe Rio!"

How did I not notice his hick accent before? And did he really just ask me out within 5 minutes of knowing me? I even thought I was attracted to this guy. I'm going crazy. I must be.

I accepted, because I will always accept a first date. Always. Any single girl who doesn't is a B*TCH. Who do you think you are, turning down a guy who worked up the courage to compliment you with a date?

As we left FHE, I'm in this weird shock. What just happened? I thought I had a legitimate connection with this guy. Am I crazy? He's 0% my type. The more I talked to him, the less I liked him.

Plus he was clearly fresh off his mission - he brought it up like 100 times and asked what my favorite scripture was. All the more apparent during our date... dun-dun-dunnnnnnnnnnnn...

THE DATE

The next morning he sent me a very next follow-up text. With one too many winky-faces. How many you ask? One. I'm mean. I know he was just trying to be nice. But a winky face is always creepy.

Two days later, he would pick me up 20 minutes early for our date (WORSE THAN BEING LATE) and proceed to offer a prayer over our Cafe Rio meal in the middle of the restaurant. Yes.  As always at Cafe Rio, there were no less than 10 people I knew there, watching. No that I'm ashamed of praying. I pray. Oh, do I pray. But am I wrong in thinking that maybe in the middle of Cafe Rio on a first date might not be the appropriate time/place for a verbal prayer? Regardless, I bowed my head and prayed with him.

The REALIZATION

After dinner, I politely declined his offer to watch a movie at his place. It seemed weird at 6 pm on a Wednesday night. Also he probably only watched the Living Scriptures, and man, sometimes Laman and Lemuel are just too much for me, you know?

I walked back into my apartment is disbelief. What a dismal date from such optimistic beginnings. 

So what was going on? What did it mean?!!!!

At that precise moment of confusion, my other roommate, Becca, walks up. I told her I just went on a date with that kid from FHE.

"WHAT? That guy talking your ear off all night? He totally reminded me of Ryan! He looks so much like him!"



........


Well.



There it is.

He had Ryan's same color and shape of eyes.  Brown hair. Big football guy build.

Bingo.

So I'm not gonna say that was the moment I gave up dating, because I went out with a handful of guys in those two months before England. But it was.

Cafe Rio prayer guy reminded me that there was no one quite like Ryan, and that I wanted to see where that went. I'm really glad the Beard felt the same way and spent his summer texting me between houses.

Because it went here.

Popcorn Popping over on Apricot Lane

They don't have popcorn. Sorry. I don't mean to false-advertise. It was just too catchy to pass up.

What they do have is a rockin store full of trendy and classic clothes, sparkly baubles and The Beard's favorite - a boyfriend COUCH (upgrade from the usual boyfriend chair) with a big flatscreen TV. That way he could sit and watch ESPN the whole time I cased the store.

Our friend Aubry contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I'd like to style an outfit for their lookbook. After my excited giggling subsided I coolly and calmly responded that I probably could do that for her. I guess.

So I went down and got to style an outfit from their impressive selection of tops, bottoms, layering pieces, accessories and crazy amounts of jewels. Pretty much the best day of my life. It was made all the more fun by Kirsten and Sarah's company.

As you guys know, I'm pretty minimalist. I can't even layer without feeling overdone. I end up peeling off my layers before I get to school.

You also know I'm a bit of a fan of monochromatic black/gray ensembles. The sleeker the better. Sometimes I feel like Angela on the Office. "What are your favorite colors?" "Well, gray, dark gray, charcoal..." So this coat was kind of a no brainer. Plus it was soft and comfy. Win-win-win.

Aubry suggested that I put together an outfit that would be a great Valentines Date Night look - probably because I looked like a deer in headlights over all of my options.

Personally I like to look somewhat obnoxiously pink or red or both on V-day, because I get overly excited for random holidays. Here's a second type of look for those of us who aren't in 3rd grade on Valentine's day. Don't be surprised that it's minimalist and black-based.

These coated jeans give the look of leather (which I LOVE) without the sticky, tight feel. They lend the perfect amount of edge. As you can tell, I'm a shorty in need of some tailoring for my pants...

This shirt drew me in immediately. The fabric is light, but thick enough to look and feel like tweed. Paired with the dark, tight jeans it has an academic-meets-street feel. This shirt is the perfect reason to shop at a chic boutique like Apricot Lane - you can't find this stuff at your friendly neighborhood Forever 21. And you're missing out.


Let's talk accessories. Their selection was insane. I somehow always think I need black and gold jewelry because I wear it so much (even though I've got strands and strands of it in my jewelry stand). The chunky black necklace adds some intrigue to the simplicity of the outfit.

And boy can you start a pretty awesome arm party with their bracelet selection. I opted for this thick metal and leather band. Could I have added 100 sparkly gold bracelets? Yes. Would the Beard like it? No.

"You're too jingly and pokey!!"

Moral of the Story: Go check out Apricot Lane and those girls' blogs. You won't regret it.

Also, how do I make this going to stores/putting together looks/blogging about it thing my full time job? Anyone out there wanna pay me to do all their personal shopping? Clothing market research? Dressing room quality inspector?

Anyone?

A Real Hippie Wouldn't Hurt Bambi

I hope you're intrigued by that title. It's hard to believe, but it is actually relevant to my Saturday night.

On Friday one of my besties from high school - Mckensie crashed with me, and Gabi came over to hang with us. We stayed up late braiding our hair and watching puppy videos on YouTube like any other 14 year olds at a sleepover. We even played M.A.S.H. (no, we didn't.)

I slept in and read in bed until 1 pm like a really responsible adult. After breakfast and several Office episodes in my sweats The Beard talked me into showering and getting ready. (He bribed me with Target and the Library.)

Now comes the Hippie part. My bangs were not particularly cooperative. Plus Gabi had shown me a more effective way to fishtail braid my hair. The only option was this turban/bandana/wrap/headband that I originally bought to wear to Seven Peaks.

If you know me at all, you know I'm pretty much as far from a hippie as you can get. No one has and no one will ever describe my style as "Boho" or "Hippie Chic" because all of my clothes are fitted, black and not out of place at a funeral.

So it was kind of fun to wear an outfit my dad would call "hipster" and caused the Beard to look questioningly at my head. Gotta mix it up, you know?

After outfit photos and picking up my 6 items on hold at the awesome Draper Library, we were off to my second favorite weakness - Target. Those dollar bins are ALWAYS my kryptonite, but especially when they feature Star Wars items. Yahtzee.

Great day right? Going really well. Star Wars. Libraries. Outfit photos. Even a Sonic run.

Soon to be nearly ruined when I hit a deer on the way home. Now, I grew up in Mapleton so I've had my fair share of close shaves with deer. But I've never hit one. For once in my life I was not speeding, so we didn't hit him very hard. He got up and pranced away, and there was minimal damage to the plastic fender flare on my Jeep.

Traumatic damage to my emotional state, however. We're talking bawling and hyperventilating. I just felt so BAD. I didn't mean to hit you, little guy! I promise! I'm really sorry if you are bruised and sore! I hope your family took care of you and you warned all of them to stay off that winding, poorly lit road.

I'm sure the Beard was equal parts embarrassed and concerned about my reaction, but he was so good at remaining calm and reassuring. I'd have probably run into the woods to apologize to Bambi if he hadn't been there. He even took his crazy wife to the movies later to cheer her up.

Lesson Learned: if you dress like a hippie/gypsy while driving a gas guzzling SUV the universe will put you right back in your place.

Danica is a Time-Traveler

Why am I a Time-Traveler you might ask? Well it's because I was able to rewind 2013 and re-designate TODAY as the first day of the New Year. Pretty impressive, right?

Here's why. Last week was awful. Just bad. For so many reasons, in so many spheres... just.... EW. I'm not a big believer in pity parties, sob stories, Negative Nellies, etc. So I'm not going to air my grievances or be a Downer Danica.

But I'm also a big believer in honesty and not hiding problems or issues. I love when bloggers - you know, the perfect one? The one who always seems gorgeous, put together, crafty, spiritual and amazing? - I love when those bloggers admit to being down on themselves, sad or discouraged.

REALITY.

Anyway. Last week sucked. I had the aforementioned breakdown. Several, really. And I was all kinds of worried for the future.

So I took matters into my own hands and declared today, Monday January 7, the REAL New Years Day. Today is the first week of the year. Today I really focus on my resolutions. Today I am not watching Office reruns in my sweats, sobbing into bowls of popcorn. (Well. Maybe later.)

Thanks to Glen Coco, a CDP with our besties the Findeis' and a blessing from the Beard, I'm feeling so much better and ready to take the bull by the horns. I'm looking at you 2013.

Last week I posted that OUR 2013 goal/resolution/hope was to figure shiz out and have real adult lives by next Christmas.

My personal resolutions are a little more specific.

1. Better Church Attendance/Magnify my Calling. Kind of sucked at that this year. 
2. Yoga, yoga and more yoga. 
3. Be more neat at school and home - which really means that I'm going to try hard to put things AWAY, clean up after myself immediately, and not be cluttered. See ya later, piles of papers, books and magazines!
4. Plan outfits by week. I feel so much better and more put together, not to mention my personal style is way more chic when not thrown together at 6 am in the dark. Yikes.
5. Try new recipes weekly - we used to cook like crazy when we were both home by 5 pm. The Beard's late work schedule has thrown a wrench in those plans and I eat popcorn for dinner about 3 nights a week. Double Yikes

But the biggest one is the best one. Also the most obscure and probs the most difficult. 

 

My biggest resolution is to be kinder, nicer, more empathetic, more caring and more filled with charity. 

Believe it or not, I'm not as mean in real life as I am on this blog.  I'm actually fairly nice. Promise. But it's not my strong point. I'm crazy judgy and a huge snob about meaningless things like grammar and style. And Harry Potter.

I just want to be nicer. So I'm studying charity, love, humility, service, all the good stuff in the scriptures. I'm going to give stuff to every homeless person I see. Seriously. You can hold me to that. I'm going to smile and chat with strangers.  Make goodies for people. Have real meaningful interactions via social media - complimenting, connecting, leaving people feeling happy. 

I started already with a wrong number texter. Best instagram I've ever posted, according to the feedback received.

I just want to leave people feeling better than they did before they saw me. I used to be more like that. These middle school kids and early mornings have slowly crushed my soul. But I'm gonna get it back.

So here's to you 2013! You are now officially allowed to start!

2013: The Year of Bad Decisions

Ok, it won't really be the year of bad decisions. That's just one of the Beard's favorite phrases.

Nearly every year I have a breakdown around New Years. It's the Type A planner's cross to bear. A whole new year to plan, a blank calendar, far too many unanswered questions, far too many possibilities.

I bought a new planner. All the blank pages freak me out. I find myself trying to put at least SOMETHING on each page. The unknown freaking KILLS me.

This year could be big for us. Who knows. We could be in the same spot doing the same thing a year from now. But I hope we're not.

Things are awesome right now, and we are super lucky. Life is so fun, we have great jobs and the best puppy in the entire world. So I definitely don't mean to sound ungrateful.

We are just excited to figure things out. Things just haven't felt REAL yet, and we want them to.

And that's our New Years Resolution - by this time next year, we'll have everything figured out and be REAL.

My fingers are crossed that we'll be on Mission Beach in San Diego.

The Beard hopes that it will be with his feet up on a desk in Fenway Park.

I guess that's the fun and scary thing about a generalized, open-ended resolution. We have no idea what or where or how it could happen.

That's where faith and hope and all that jazz come in. We'll go where you want us to go, dear Lord.

As long as that place has no snow.

Dating for Dummies: Married Edition

We had the best date night last Monday. So great that it made us realize how lame we normally are with our date nights. We do really easy, comfortable, familiar things usually. At least we are good about having a "date night" once a week, I guess.

Anyway. If you're like us and need to spruce up the ol' date night, we somehow succeeded. Here are the key elements, as I see it.

Plan it in advance. Think back to your days of "Planned, Paired Off and Paid For." Even if it's simple, a little planning and scheduling in advance is the best. It's something to put on the calendar and look forward to. 

(The Beard got tickets to this Jazz game in the Larry H. Miller Suite a few weeks ago. So fun.)

Make the transportation part of your date - whether that's taking a scenic route, parking and walking a few blocks to your restaurant, or listening to specific music in the car makes that time more memorable.

(We took the Trax from Sandy to Downtown - neither of us being big Trax users. Best people watching of all time. We also did a Backstreet Boys singalong on the way home, but that's pretty normal.)

Do something new, like a restaurant you've never tried or a store you've never been in.

(Z'Tejas was a last minute decision but the giant bowl of guacamole made right at our table was the highlight of my night. It's rare that I can weasel the Beard out of Italian and into Mexican food, so when it's yummy I rub it in.)

Positive Conversation is where it's at. Focus on things you love, things you're excited for and retelling old stories. 

(We have been trying so hard to not complain about our jobs, and it's paying off. We talked about our families, Christmas plans, single girls to set our single guys up with, and of course Glen Coco.)

And finally, the best discovery I made was actually an unfortunate accident. 

And the reason I have no pictures. Not even of my outfit. I wore a Star Wars graphic tee, blazer, cropped pants and leopard studded loafers. Definitely outfit-post worthy, but we missed it. Just imagine it, would you? Here's my outfit today anyways. Not as cute. Much more teacher-y. But I finally got a polka dot sweater! Blogger win!

Puppy: Heaven, sweater: Forever 21, chambray shirt: Old Navy, pants: Gap, boots: Forever Young

Turn your phone off, leave it in the car, silent mode, whatever you need to do. You become so much more mentally present and engaged when your phone/Twitter/Instagram isn't buzzing in the back of your mind.

At first I was bummed that I couldn't post a pic and live tweet the game, but it only lasted about a minute. Once I realized I didn't have to check my phone constantly and could give the Beard my full attention, the night just took off. 

I realized that THAT is what a date truly is. Devoting your attention to one person for a few hours to show them you care and really want to know them. After 7 years of dating you would think I'd have figured that out by now.

Well I've figured it out now. And I'm super excited for more phone-less dates with that bearded guy I like.

6 Months for you, Glen Coco! You Go Glen Coco!

Sunday was Glen Coco's 6 month birthday!!!! Yeah. I'm one of those people. But, no, I didn't make him a pup-cake. It's real.

**To read our post when we first got Glen check here**

I can't believe he used to look like this.

But now he looks like this! (Notice the sock he's {unsuccessfully} trying to bury)

Man we love this little guy. Our little family just revolves around him. He's getting all puppy pad trained, not biting and slowly cutting down on the crazy barking. He's extra cuddly and he's learning tricks!

He even made it onto Dogshaming in his first 6 months. Pretty accomplished. Even if it was post-scary-haircut.

Not to mention I love that the Beard loves him. We got him knowing he'd be for me, and the Beard was reluctant to even have one. But fellow Beards bonded and now they are fast friends. :)

 

Two bearded goofballs in a pod. 

Try to tell me this isn't the best picture you've ever seen. 

Likes

• Stealing & hiding socks (see above)
• Sticking his butt in your face
• Eating leaves, paper, anything
• Playing fetch
• Our big blue blanket aka Glen's nap spot
• Humping his panda pillow pet (sorry?)

Dislikes

• Cold snow on his sensitive little paws
• His Darth Vader Halloween costume. It was a little too big and scared him so bad. So it'll have to wait until next year. :(
• Baths
• Waking up
• Lettuce
• Milo (the upstairs neighbor's Bernese Mountain dog. Same age as Glen, 50x the size and very VERY friendly)
• Vacuums & Washing Machines

Hilarious things he does:

When I'm asleep or reading or otherwise occupied, he gets his toy and drops it right on my face.

 Wake up Mom!

When I do yoga he attacks my ponytail and jumps on my back. Challenge Level: 10. I'm going to try to get some video because it's comedic slapstick gold.

When I'm asleep he sleeps above/against the top of my head on my pillow, and gets pissed if I have to change position.

When he knows he's in trouble he looks up at us with sad eyes and tries to nuzzle. It works.

When he jumps off the couch he leaps like he's trying to fly.

When I hide under a blanket and "cry" for him he wails and whines until he can find a way under the blanket. 

When we are eating he tries to catch the food between our plates and our mouths.

Boy, is he perfect. 

The Birthday King

The Beard has a varied and extensive skill set: basic skills like being incredibly smart with insane reading comprehension, and his impressive social aptitude for meeting people and making friends.

But he also has the most random assortment of what he calls "skills of a misspent youth."

• Family tech support - he knows pretty much everything about computers, iPhones and anything with an on button
• He can break into anything in under a minute. Suspicious.
• Pensmanship. He has 4 distinct fonts. All better than my handwriting. 
• Amazing cook. I don't know why he puts up with my basic and unimpressive cooking when everything he makes is 100x more delicious. 
• Fencing. Not sure why. But he's crazy good at it. 
• Building/fixing things.
• Ability to rattle off sports statistics (mostly baseball) for obscure players 10 years ago.
• Great with babies, kids and puppies. Drool-worthy, you guys. 

Probably the most surprising to me is that he's not your average male crappy gift-giver.

The Beard is the King of Birthdays.

The last two weeks have been awesome because he hit it out of the park once again. Not only with thoughtful gifts (new scriptures to replace my high school seminary copies that are falling apart and read "Danica Anne Budge", a Yoda bobblehead, iPad keyboard, to name a few) but with the way he makes me feel special. I got cute emails from him throughout the day, and even though that day was stressful and exhausting I was so excited to come home and have fun with him.

He carried around all the gifts from my awesome family around the mall while I found a pair of pants to replace a crotch-hole pair (the worst).

He turned on The Office for me and set up my new keyboard, and even let me nap!

He got tickets for us to see Thriller - which is huge. The Beard doesn't relish the theater. It's pushing it to get him to go to a movie, let alone people jumping around in tights IN PERSON. But he knew I had wanted to see it and just came through.

It was awesome and we had so much fun, even if we had to fight about parking (always). :)

I love the Birthday King.

Even if he didn't believe me that I'm 23 now.