Direction. Every blog needs direction. You have wedding blogs, photography blogs, craft blogs, food blogs- pretty much there is a blog for everything.

I, on the other hand, have been confronting myself with this big question: "What do I want my blog to be about?"

It really is a big question and I do not really know the answer quite yet. 

I know I want to share my life. I want to share what is true and what is real. 

I also want to share things that I love. 

Like simple recipes (I do not love to cook, but I love discovering a good recipe thats a "keeper!)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins... to die for.

& decorating tips... I love LOVE decorating. Whether it is a home or a party I love being in charge of decorations. 

Libby threw me a bridal shower and I will never ever forget it. I often think of it and remember how oh-so-loved I felt. She decorated it so well- and she also has a really lovely home!

I love crafts & DIYing <i just made that a word...

I DIYed my entire wedding... of course with the help of many friends & family.

Recently, I have also been loving movies. Josh & I really enjoy watching movies & thinking of the deeper issues and meanings of a movie. We have a membership to the movie rental store down the street; The Naro Expanded Cinema

Insert Movie Mondays. (I mean, who doesn't love alliteration?)

I am going to try and take a stab at this. I am by no means a movie critic, but I love a good film without the popcorn (I do not like popcorn. [Insert shocked, horror faces with scrunchy eyebrows... I know... I know....)

So here is my first Movie Monday.

A Place Beyond the Pines  Click on the link to view the full overview on IMBD

Directed by Derek Cianfrance ( director of Blue Valentine)

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, & Eva Mendes

Josh & I saw this movie at the Naro cinema a few weeks ago. The Naro is such a sweet little gem in Norfolk- the people that work there absolutely LOVE movies. 

It is not your typical Regal Cinemas or anything... It is one theater showing one movie at a time. And they usually only show movies that you eiher 1) Have never heard of but always win Oscars & such and 2) Do not play in your standard theater at the mall.

They also sometimes play old favorites such as The Big Lebowski & The Princess Bride side note if you have never seen the Princess Bride, do yourself a favor & watch it.... it is a personal favorite.

Okay back to the movie under review... A Place Beyond the Pines was not what I expected it to be... I honestly thought it was going to be about how Ryan Goslings character becomes a father and starts to do crimes in order to support his new baby. Which is not usually my cup of tea kind of movie, but hey, Ryan Gosling is in it and that is reason enough to see a movie.

Although the movie starts like this, in a quick turn of events, it unravels such a grander theme. The film covers a period of 15-18 years. Ryans character, Luke, is a tough guy motorcycle star who makes his living traveling with a circus. His life is turned upside down when he discovers a past lover, Rowina, gave birth to his son. The first thirty minutes of the film depicts Luke trying to earn the affection of Rowina. In order to provide for his son, he begins to rob local banks using his motorcycle skills. Sadly, Luke dies within the first thirty minutes of the film. And then the film begins to star police officer Avery played by Bradley Cooper, who commits a big mistake in police action but is able to cover up his lies and use the incident to expose & climb the ranks in a shady police department. This event takes an obvious tole on his marriage, and will take an even more obvious tole on his son.

The plot thickens & escalates when two boys meet in a high school lunch room, unaware of how dangerously and sadly close their pasts are intertwined. 

The film is really all about relationships and how past sins and actions can catch up in real life. It exposes the deep wounds that time can often cover up, but only for so long. 

I highly recommend this film and I am going to definitely be watching it again when it comes to DVD at our local video store.

Movie Monday: A Place Beyond the Pines

cures for summer boredom

This morning I woke up and the first thing I thought of was what I needed to do today.

Then it hit me... I have absolutely nothing to do today.

side note: Then I noticed Scuttle cuddled up intertwined with his red fish on a string... and it made me giggle. 

 Last week was my fist official week off before graduation but between two bridal showers (one of which I was hosting), graduation, and finishing up those logistics, I had a million and one errands to run.

This week is different.
I am bored.

My only plans are helping plan a few things for my friends upcoming wedding in June and a beach day with a few of my favorite people on Wednesday.

So this week, I decided would be a good time to nail down some of our summer vacation details. We decided last summer/fall that we wanted to take a trip to the NorthEast and we like cities a lot so we are going to do a little tour.

We are so beyond excited for this mid-summer excursion! We do not have much of an agenda, but the cities we are visting will prove to be thrilling I am sure. NYC, Boston, & Montreal, Canada, here we come!

Yesterday I decided to write down some things to do over the summer to help cure my boredom.... I am open to suggestions (please?)

1. Running/Ballet. I had a weid visit to the dentist yesterday that involved me fainting. If anything it just proved to me that I need to start taking care of myself. So I am going to start a running regimen and ballet work out. (i would LOVE some suggestions on how to go about doing this... I hate running.)

2. Craft. I have not been able to craft in so long so this summer is the summer of crafts.

3. Take Scuttle for walks. Josh laughed at me when he saw this on the list.... and maybe it is lame/weird/hysterical or whatever but I want him to get used to the outdoors.

4. I joined a French conversation group! I am nervous about this but I am SO rusty on my French and I do not want it to fade.

5. SEW. I have sewn before, but I want to continue working on my skills. So Josh's grandmother (a former wedding gown seamstress  is going to give me a few lessons and then I am just gonna take a stab at it. She also gave me an old sewing machine table so now I have two!

6. Build/Re-finish some furniture. Josh and I are going to work on this together. I cannot wait to spruce up the home with a few new pieces!


I am sure this summer will be filled with joy, laughter, & heat.
Any summer plans for you?

cures for summer boredom

my (almost) one year hiatus

One of my good best friends ally (shout out to her and dan on their engagement!) asked me what happened... why don't I blog anymore. I have heard this a lot this past year actually. My answer? I kept saying "I know, I know..." and honestly there is no excuse (Well this past spring semester I was student teaching and that was just crazy town working 60+ hours a week) 

But I do not really know what started the lingering silence on this blog. To be honest, I have not been really "talkative" the past year, not only on this blog, but in life in general. But I have realized how detrimental that has been for myself and my life.  So I have been slowly trying to break that silence in my life and this is a big step. More on the detrimental part when I figure it out for myself...

So for now let's play catch up, shall we? just a few "big" moments from the past year...

1. We got a kitten. Oh man, oh man. On July 24, 2011 I was not sure the day would ever come but Josh agreed and we got King Henry Scuttle Henderson IX. A little excessive on the name? Why yes. but if you know me, you know that I love cats. It took a while for Josh to like him but it happened. We are both smitten with Scuttle and he brings us a lot of joy... and anger... but mostly joy. 

2. I started and finished student teaching. It was hard. I cried. I laughed. I graded, graded, and graded. Man it made me want to go hug all my teachers from grade school. Teaching is really hard and there is so much time and effort put into it. Please let's all be aware that teachers really do put forth so much time and get so little in return. I am so thankful I was placed with such a wonderful mentor teacher. 

I am hoping that the getting on the nerves thing about learning means I was doing my job... 

3. I graduated from college! After a dramatic 20 minute walk/run around the Ted Constant Center Friday night asking everyone & anyone where I was supposed to be (a question in which no one seemed to know the answer to), a minor melt down that is was 6:10 and I needed to be in line by 6:15 (where that line was, was what I could not figure out), I found two hooligans running late themselves and I joined them on the long trek across campus to the Webb Center. Whew my feet were BURN-ING! I put on my really attractive gown (I am fairly certain 10 Ally's could fit inside), walked across the University seal whilst walking back to the Ted, turned my tassel, walked across the stage, and I graduated! I am so thankful my family was there to see this monumental moment in my life. 

(I got some photos done my Daytona to put in a scrapbook for my parents- it was a big deal for me to graduate because I am the first of their three children!)

Now what? Well Josh and I are going to take the summer off to relax and just be together. We are excited for a trip to New England and to visit with family and to just be home together with no worries to plan lessons or grade papers... at least not until September. Praying God will open and close doors for me this upcoming year. 

Thanks for reading... more to come. I promise.

my (almost) one year hiatus