Holiday Wish Meme 2013

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I realize I am late this year with this, so I probably won’t get any wishes granted. Ha. I’m not sure where my mind was on December 1, but whatever. I think it’s because Thanksgiving was so late, and Christmas is sneaking up on us so quickly! I can’t believe it’s just over a week from today. Aidan arrives tomorrow. I still have so much to do!

For the 2013 holiday season, I have so much to be excited about and thankful for!

– My awesome Aidan. He’s now ten years old, in fifth grade, and absolutely the best little boy ever. EVER.
– My husband. It’s amazing to have someone so supportive of of the fact that I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. (Wait til you learn what I’m going to be up to in 2014!)
– My families. All of them.
– Being able to take my mommy to Disney World. That trip was the most awesome trip ever!
New York City and Central Park. Yes.
– My work study opportunity at Moksha Yoga. It’s still awesome.
– My community at Moksha Yoga. Such love and abundance there.
– I got to be an extra in a major motion picture. Eeek!
– My friends, old and new! So blessed to have their love and support as I chase my dreams.
– My Plurk crew. They are hilarious and fun. Love them!
– The abundance and blessings that have been and keep being rained down on us.


It’s now time for the Holiday Wishes Meme. I started doing this in 2006, and I encourage you guys to do it as well.

Step One
– Make a post (public, locked, filtered…whatever you’re comfortable with) to your LJ/blog. The post should contain your list of up to 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fun (“I’d love a Doctor Who icon that’s just for me”) to medium (“I wish for _____ on DVD”) to really big (“All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.”) The important thing is to make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.
– If you wish for real possible things, make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it’s your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.
– Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your entry, or link to this post (it’ll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two
– Surf around to see who has posted their list. And now here’s the important part: If you see a wish you can grant, and it’s in your heart to do so, make someone’s wish come true. Sometimes someone’s trash is another’s treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don’t want or a gift certificate you won’t use—or even know where you could get someone’s dream purebred Basset Hound for free—do it.
– You needn’t spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn’t to put people out, it’s to provide everyone a chance to be someone else’s holiday elf—to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not—it’s your call.

There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just…wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you’ll have the joy of knowing you made someone’s holiday special.

With that said, here are my wishes for 2013.

1. A gift card, or for you to make donations to, DonorsChoose.org. DonorsChoose focuses on education. Teachers ask for classroom project materials. We donate. The kids learn. Most of these schools are high poverty, and the teachers are already doing all they can. Any amount is welcome.

2. Donations to Paws Chicago, the shelter where we got Helena. It’s a cage-free, no-kill shelter, and they are run completely on donations; they receive no city, state, or federal funding. It’s a great place. A shelter situation is stressful for the animals involved, and every animal I came in contact with there was happy and friendly. They have an extensive screening process to make sure you’re aware of your decision and commitment, and if somehow things don’t work out, the animal always has a home at PAWS.

3. Anything from my Amazon wish list. BUY ME ALL THE THINGS I mean wait what?

4. Gift cards to bookstores. I love bookstores. And books. But you already know that.

5. I also wouldn’t mind gift cards to Old Navy, Nordstrom Rack, Target, or Kohl’s.

The things that I’d like your prayers/happy energy for:

1. My mom to be as healthy as possible and to live a long time.

2. My friends and family to be happy, healthy, comfortable, and secure.

3. Myself to be happy, healthy, comfortable, and secure.

It’s December now, the holiday and giving season really is here! YAY!

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30 week blog challenge-week 15: your celebrity crush

This week’s blog challenge topic is “your celebrity crush.”

Y’all. Let me tell you. No, let me show you.

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You’re not convinced? How about this:

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You’re welcome.

This is Theo James. I first spotted Theo James while I was watching Downton Abbey with my friend Jen. This fool came riding up on a HORSE and I almost fell off the couch.

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His character was a rotten bastard on that episode, but I was intrigued by the actor. I remember googling to get more information on him. There wasn’t much. Theo wasn’t well known yet, he was British, and wasn’t getting a lot of exposure over here in the States. I don’t even know if he was getting a lot of exposure in England. He was on a few TV shows and had been in a few movies, but as of a few months ago, he could walk down the street and take the tube in relative anonymity (as long as you don’t count the two fangirls who recognized him and kind of stalked him onto the train which is how I know this).

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But then CBS cast him as one of the leads in the show Golden Boy. I was thrilled, glued to the TV every Tuesday night. You know I don’t watch a lot of TV, so I don’t have a lot of characters that I get vested in. I ended up falling in love with everyone on the show, and I was really disappointed it when CBS cancelled it in May.

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So, that happened. But it was probably for the best. Golden Boy was a good show, but now things are going great for Theo. More people are learning about him because he’s Four in the Divergent movie. Which was FILMED IN CHICAGO. I was even an extra for Divergent but he may as well been back in England for all the good it did me those two days on set. Not that I went there trying to meet him or anything… I mean, HELLO, I was going to be on set for a major motion picture. That kind of eclipsed anything else. (I wrote all about that experience here.) Meeting him would have been a nice bonus though.

Then… as TV star crushes go, you put them in the back of your mind. They’re fun, but they’re not real life. I’m married, and I’m–along with anyone else who pays the least bit of attention–pretty well convinced he’s in love with his Divergent co-star, Shailene Woodley. They are insufferably cute together.

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Things I Like About Him:

– He’s silly. He has no filter. Just watch interviews with him. Expect anything and everything to come out of his mouth. It’s great. I imagine that his friends spend a great deal of time alternating between choking, screaming laughter and face palming when Theo really gets going.

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– He seems modest. He knows he’s good looking, but he seems matter-of-fact, if not downright annoyed, about it. He does get irritated when he goes on interviews to talk about his work, and people only want to talk about how good looking he is. I hope this makes him sympathetic to his female co-stars, who have to deal with that shit nonstop.

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– He is really an amazing actor. Seriously, he is one of the best I’ve seen in the entertainment industry. He’s got a great face, but he knows how to use his face, something I’ve noticed that British actors generally seem better at than American actors. He works hard but he makes it look effortless. He can play a hot headed detective, an angsty psychic, an insufferable douchebag, or a snobby, passion-filled welp, and he’ll OWN EVERY ONE of those roles. I love watching him act because he is sooo good at it. There are only a few others I can say I feel that way about (Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lawrence, Johnny Depp….). His work is inspiring to me. It is also intimidating.

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I think he’s got a really bright future ahead. On the one hand, I miss the days when no one really knew who he was, but on the other hand I want him to be successful and happy, and I know that means he’s going to get really famous and become that much more inaccessible. All I can do is keep hoping (please please please!) that I’ll get to meet him one day and tell him in person how much I admire and genuinely enjoy seeing him work. And also give him a bag of Cheetos.

Today also happens to be his birthday, so I hope he’s having a good one, wherever he is.

wink

* some gifs from Theo James Gifs, Jen7Waters, and Theojamies, and my personal collection which probably came from those sites.

* Honorable crush mention goes to Josh Hutcherson.

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30 week blog challenge-week 14: things you love

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This week’s blog challenge topic is “things you love”.

All right then. This will be a fun one because it will encourage me to think positively, something I have a hard time with when it gets colder out.

Things I Love

aidan · adam · my mommy · my family
my kitties · my friends · Pandernoodle · Boji
reading · laughing · shopping · writing
buying new books · going to the library
spaghetti · sushi · tater tots
disney world · traveling · trees
taking pictures · doing yoga · giving gifts
when people tell me i’m pretty
getting my picture taken · being on tv/movie sets · action!
curly hair · sparkling eyes · awesome socks · geeky toys
dharma talks · mysticism · kirtan · spirit
dolls · teddy bears · princesses · faeries
pink · purple · silver
christmas · autumn leaves · blue skies
summertime · hot days · starry nights · crescent moons

I also love getting comments, so please comment and tell me what you love!

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new york city! center of the universe!

New York City 2013

I visited New York City for the 2nd time in my life in the middle of October this year. I went in with three goals in mind: See the Statue of Liberty, buy macarons at Laduree, and go to Central Park. I didn’t get to see Lady Liberty this time (but got to walk past the Empire State Building which I wasn’t expecting so that totally made up for it), but I did get to go to Central Park. And BOY did I get macarons!

I stayed with my friend Wanda, who I’ve known online for years, and her partner T. I met Wanda when I went to NYC for the first time in NYC, where she took me to a restaurant with flaming cheese or something crazy like that. I was really looking forward to spending more time with her and getting to know T.

New York City 2013
Wanda

She is amazing. And her partner, T, is also amazing. I had so much fun with them. It was like being with family. Truly. I love them. I can’t help but feel like they’re so much more sophisticated than I am because they’re living in New York City and living well. Whereas I wonder every other day what the hell I’m doing in Chicago.

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Wanda is a photographer. She takes beautiful photos. One advantage of having someone with you who loves to take photos and is great at it? Is that I got to be the star of a lot of photos!

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Working It!

My first day out and about in the city, we ate brunch at a yummy diner, then headed to the Upper East Side so I could get my macarons. Guys, I love the UES. The buildings are so pretty and everyone looks so… rich. And the stores. Oh lordy. The stores! My wallet was itching to come out, but I didn’t. I resisted. Except in Laduree. I went a little crazy in there.

New York City 2013

Can you blame me?

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Sweet Lord

We didn’t get much time in mid-town. We had to head to Jersey for BBQ and jazz, and that was a long trip involving a lot of trains. We walked past the Empire State Building, which wasn’t something I expected to see. I was excited about that.

New York City 2013
Empire State Building

I mean, yeah, I felt like a total dork but I rocked that dorkiness. Hell, I still geek out over the Sears/Willis/whatever the hell ever and I freaking LIVE here.

Anyway, we got to the BBQ place and ate delicious food and listened to wonderful jazz that reminded me of The Cosby Show. Then Mr. Hayes, the sax player (and also T’s sax teacher), gave me a copy of his CD and signed it for me. He also told me, in so many words, that I was pretty, making him an instant favorite.

New York City 2013
Mr. Hayes & Me

After a crazy commute home, we relaxed and then crashed.

An earlier start the next morning. I had no idea it was going to be such a long but awesome day! Wanda and I headed up near Columbia to see her church, Riverside. A beautiful building! Then we darted to Columbus Circle to meet my friend Sun, someone else I’d known online for a very long time but had never got the chance to meet! Until that day!

New York City 2013

New York City 2013

New York City 2013

Sun is just as awesome in real life as she is online. She’s so confident and self-assured, and she is so comfortable in NYC. I can tell she really loves the city and that she thrives there. I am sooo glad I got to meet her… finally!

We explored Central Park, which is, hands down, my FAVORITE part of New York City. It’s so big and vibrant and there is so much nature and it’s so beautiful. I love, love, love Central Park.

New York City 2013

New York City 2013

New York City 2013

New York City 2013

New York City 2013

New York City 2013

New York City

I could have stayed there even longer but another Laduree run tempted me away. So, we stopped there, then we all headed to Soho for MORE sweets! After that, Sun was done, but Wanda and I headed to Times Square to keep the party going!

We rode the Ferris Wheel in Toys R Us, and naturally I dragged her into the Times Square Disney Store. Because COME ON. You remember whose blog you’re on, right? 🙂

New York City 2013

After playing a bit in Times Square where I was made to feel super pretty again (Seriously, what is it with NYC guys? My confidence was sailing!), we headed to Bryant Park, then to Grand Central Station. My feet were like “REALLY?” by the end of that day. It was exhausting but awesome.

The next day, I had to leave. I’d been having so much fun in NYC that I tried to switch my flight to a later day so I could extend my vacation, but the prices were outrageous! I was sad to go. There was so much I wanted to see: The High Line, The Cloisters, and more! But you know, the weather was getting colder and wetter anyway so maybe it was for the best.

I picked up a few souvenirs at the airport on the way home, because I needed to be a tourist and get something that said I <3 NY on it.

New York City 2013

New York is such an intense city, especially at rush hour. I’m not sure if I could handle living there. But I love to visit. The energy is great, and there is so much to see and do. I can’t wait to go back soon.

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We’ll be together again soon!

(Wanna see more pictures? Click here!)

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30 week blog challenge-week 13: something you want to buy

This week’s blog challenge topic is “something you want to buy.”

Funny how that coincides with the holiday shopping season! Because frankly, I want to buy fun gifts for my family that they will love.

My goal is to be done Christmas shopping by December 10, because I want to send the stuff I need to mail off by December 15. I’m about 90% done. I just need to pick up a few more things, and then anything else will be fun, bonus stuff.

So, that’s this week’s answer. Short and sweet.

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