Summer Plans 2012

Here's my annual "here are my plans for the summer" post.

1. Read 25 books (I'm sooo behind this year)
2. See 10 movies in the theatre
3. Spend some time on a boat and the water
4. River tubing trip!
5. Watch (some of? all?) the Harry Potter movies
6. Plan for Brit Lit
     a. The Importance of Being Earnest
     b. Lit Circles-- Sense and Sensibility
     c. Lit Circles-- Great Expectations
     d. Lit Circles-- Rebecca
     e. Lit Circles-- Jane Eyre
     f. Make quizzes for Unit 4
     g. Syllabus
     h. Opening week activities
7. Work out (twice a week maybe?)
8. Not spend too much money!!!!!!!!!
9. Visit my sister once or twice
10. Hang out with Nicole once a week or so and see the boys!
11. Read Doing Lit Crit
12. Read a book about TAG kids
13. Watch Revenge
14. Get caught up on my Tivo
     a. Suburgatory
     b. Suits
     c. Smash
     d. The shows from last summer
     e. Masterpiece (x2)
     f. The shows from this spring
15. Meg Cabot signing?
16. See Billy Elliot
17. See Idina Menzel
18. Go to one other concert
19. Update the photo album
20.Sort through the clothes in my closet and donate!
21. Clean my closet
22. Visit Kim?
23. Go to The Standard
24. Go to two or three other new (to me) restaurants/bars in Des Moines
25. Prepare LA11 stuff (if there is a need for it!!)

Books Read in 2011

January:

1. Callander Square by Anne Perry
2. A Crimson Rose by Katherine McMahon

3. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
4. Forever Liesl by Charmaine Carr

February:
5. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
6. Alchemy and Meggy Swan by Karen Cushman

7. Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman
8. Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke

March:

9. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
10. Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander
11. Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie
12. Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
13. Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn
14. Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn
15. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

April:
16. Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn
17. I'll Walk Alone by Mary Higgins Clark
18. They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie

May:
19. The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
20. Swept Off Her Feet by Hester Browne
21. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
22. Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Howard
23. Something Blue by Emily Giffin
24. My One and Only by Kristan Higgins

June:
25. The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller
26. Million Dollar Baby by Amy Patricia Meade
27. Zach's Lie by Roland Smith
28. Head Games by Mariah Fredericks
29. Maid Marian by Elsa Watson
30. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
31. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline

July:
32. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
33. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
34. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
35. Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
36. Crossing Stones by Helen Frost
37. I Can't Keep My Own Secrets edited by Smith Magazine
38. Tofu Quilt by Ching Yeung Russells
39. Girl, Stolen by April Henry
40. Do You Know the Monkey Man? by Dori Hillestad Butler
41. Harry Potter Film Wizardry by Brian Sibley
42. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
43. Sold by Patricia McCormick
44. Liar by Justine Larbalestier
45. Elizabeth I: Queen of Tudor England by Myra Weatherly
46. Blank Confession by Pete Hautman
47. The Boy Who Invented TV by Kathleen Krull
48. The Raucous Royals by Carlyn Beccia
49. I Feel Better With a Frog in My Throat by Carlyn Beccia
50. Shakespeare's Theatre by Andrew Langley
51. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies by Laura Ann Schlitz
52. Eureka! Poems About Authors by Joyce Sidman
53. No Girls Allowed by Susan Hughes
54. The Clock Without a Face by Scott Teplin, Mac Barnett, and Eli Horowitz
55. Jonathon Swift's Gulliver's Travels by Donald Lemille
56. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
57. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

August:
58. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
59. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
60. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
61. Sizzlin Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

September:
62. The Crimson Cipher by Susan Page Davis
63. The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

October:
63. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
64. The Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn

November:
65. Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins
66. The Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins
67. Blowing My Cover by Lindsay Moran
68. Too Good to Be True by Kristan Higgins

December:
69. Infamous by Suzanne Brockman
70. Night by Elie Wiesel

I only had 80 pages left before I read #71, and only Act V of Hamlet before #72, but alas! It just did not happen this year! My goal for the year was 75, so it's not toooo bad. I guess.

Movies Seen in 2011

January:
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
2. The Town
3. Masterpiece Mystery: Sherlock A Study in Pink
4. Glory
5. Burlesque
6. Undercover Christmas
7. Masterpiece Mystery: Sherlock The Blind Banker
8. Knight and Day
9. Masterpiece Contemporary: Framed
10. The King's Speech
11. Black Swan
12. Mona Lisa Smile
13. No String Attached
14. A-Team
15. Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey

February:
16. Mamma Mia
17. True Grit
18. Just Go With It

March:
19. Beastly
20. Unstoppable
21. Red Riding Hood
22. The King's Speech
23. The Adjustment Bureau
24. Ghostwriter
25. The Tourist
26. The Next Three Days

April:
27. Masterpiece Classic: The 39 Steps
28. How Do You Know?
29. High Noon
30. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
31. Fair Game
32. Unknown
33. The King's Speech
34. Masterpiece Classic: Upstairs, Downstairs
35. Rio

May:
36. Salt
37. The Wizard of Oz
38. Something Borrowed
39. Waterworld
40. Masterpiece Classic: South Riding
41. Bridesmaids
42. Bridesmaids
43. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
44. The Hangover Part II
45. Collateral
46. National Treasure II: The Book of Secrets
47. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
48. National Treasure
49. Dr. Zhivago

June:
50. The Dilemma
51. Waiting for Forever
52. The Switch
53. The Day the Earth Stood Still
54. Firewall
55. Just Go With It
56. Easy A
57. Pirates of the Caribbean 4

July:
58. The Lion King
59. Kung Fu Panda 2
60. Timeline
61. Morning Glory
62. Masterpiece Mystery: Hallowe'en Party
63. Super 8
64. The Karate Kid
65. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
66. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
67. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
68. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
69. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
70. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
71. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
72. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
73. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

August:
74. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
75. Larry Crowne
76. Masterpiece Mystery: The Clocks
77. Star Wars

78. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
79. Runaway Jury
80. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
81. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
82. Masterpiece Mystery: The Pale Horse

September:
83. The Pelican Brief
84. The Lincoln Lawyer
85. Laws of Attraction

October:

86. Moneyball
87. Everything Must Go
87. The Young Victoria

November:

88. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (It's All About the Parents)

89. The Next Three Days

90. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

91. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

92. Tower Heist

93. Dear Santa

94. Truth Be Told

95. Pride and Prejudice

December:
96. Tower Heist
97. Cranford
98. Amelie
99. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
100. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
101. Christmas Vacation
102. The 12 Dates of Christmas
103. Home Alone
104. Elf
105. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
106. Mission Impossible 3
107. New Year's Eve
108. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
109. While You Were Sleeping
110. Phone Booth
111. The Cutting Edge
112. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
113. The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King
114. Larry Crowne
115. Van Wilder

Books That Have Made Me Cry

Disclaimer: I do not read weepers, i.e. books by authors like Jodi Picoult and about kids with cancer. Forget it.

That being said, here are :
The Books That Have Made Me Sob (Part 1 ... in a 10 Part Series):

1. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Sobbing underneath an evergreen in my background circa 8th grade.

2. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzgerald
This may be the first real memory I have of simply sobbing over a book.

3. Persuasion by Jane Austen.
Loneliness. Longing. Regrets. What's not in this book to cry a little over?

4. Holly's Inbox: Scandal in the City
(I suspect this may just have been because of how I was feeling on the day.)

5. Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins

6. The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins

7. Something Blue by Emily Giffin
Read it a second time and cried again.

8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Oh, Harry! Oh, Sirius!

9. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Oh, Harry! Oh, Dumbledore!

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Oh, Harry! Oh, J.K.!

Possible Harry Potter t-shirts

Idea #1:
Front side:
That's what Hermione does. When in doubt, go to the library.

Back side:
Hermione is my homegirl.
(I already had a t-shirt with this saying on it, but it's AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!)

Idea #2:
Front side:
I solemnly swear I am up to no good.

Back side:
Something wicked this way comes.

Idea #3:
Front side:
Aren't you ever going to read Hogwarts, A History?
What's the point? You know it by heart. We can just ask you.

Back side:
I read it in Hogwarts, A History.



Other Ideas:
We could have all been killed--or worse, expelled.

Hermione, you're good on feelings and stuff, but you just don't understand about Quidditch.

I checked this out WEEKS ago for a little light reading.

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011

Best Drama
**The Good Wife
Friday Night Lights
Covert Affairs
House (it has been a very good season!)
Mad Men


Best Comedy
**Parks and Recreation (best comedy on TV right now with the best supporting cast ... and, yeah, I remembered about Modern Family)
The Office
Community
Modern Family
The Big Bang Theory


Best Actor- Drama:
**Kyle Chandler
Hugh Laurie- House (last year was really his year, but come ON!)
Jon Hamm- Mad Men
(Hmm... I clearly don't watch enough dramas, so ... Timothy Olyphant and Steve Buscemi would be my other chocies, I guess, based SOLELY on what I've read, not watched.)


Best Actress- Drama:
**Julianna Margulies- The Good Wife (give the woman the damn Emmy NOW, please!)
Connie Britton
Elisabeth Moss- Mad men (fantastic!)
Piper Perabo- Covert Affairs
Mary McCormick- In Plain Sight
Kyra Sedgwick- The Closer
(Honesty, I'd be thrilled with the first four on the list ... but I think we can all agree that it's Julianna's win)

Best Actor- Comedy
Joel McHale- Community
Matt Le Blanc- Episodes
Steve Carrell- The Office
Jim Parsons- The Big Bang Theory
Matthew Morrison- Glee
(I left Alec Baldwin out. He's won so many times I'm a little sick of him.)


Best Actress- Comedy
**Amy Poehler- Parks and Recreation
**Courteney Cox- CougarTown
Tina Fey- 30 Rock
Lea Michele- Glee
(I'm torn between Amy and Courteney--both very deserving!)


Best Supporting Actor- Drama
**Alan Cumming- The Good Wife
Frederick Weller- In Plain Sight
Chris Noth- The Good Wife
Josh Charles- The Good Wife
Vincent Kartheiser- Mad Men
(I'm torn between Frederick Weller (who plays one of my absolute favorite characters on TV) and Alan Cumming, but I think I have to give the edge to Alan Cumming.)
[Side note: so far, brainstorming supporting actor drama has been the most fun!!]


Best Supporting Actress- Drama
**Archie Panjabi- The Good Wife
Christina Hendricks- Mad Men
Kiernan Shipka- Mad Men
(She won it last year and I think she has it in the bag for this year. Is it any wonder that creators the Kings call Alicia and Kalinda's relationship "the core relationship" of the show? The actors are fantastic!)
[Side note: The problem, I'm realizing, is that I don't watch enough dramas. Or at least, not enough dramas with supporting female characters.


Best Supporting Actor- Comedy
**Nick Offerman- Parks and Recreation
Aziz Ansari- Parks and Recreation
Chris Pratt- Parks and Rec
Danny Pudi- Community
Ty Burrell- Modern Family
Ed O'Neill- Modern Family
(I could fill this whole list with only actors from Parks & Rec and Modern Family, but if I have to narrow it down, I think the mustache should win it.)


Best Supporting Actress- Comedy
Aubrey Plaza- Parks and Recreation
Jane Lynch- Glee
Ellie Kemper- The Office
Julie Bowen- Modern Family
Allison Brie- Community
(There are about 10 other people I could name in this category, but I'm cutting myself off.)

Summer Plan 2011

Here's my annual "here are my plans for the summer" post.

1. Reread all Harry Potter books
2. Watch all Harry Potter movies
3. See HP7 Part 2 midnight showing
4. Read all the light hearted Jane Austens
5. Watch all the Jane Austen movies
6. Prep for my Brit Lit class
a. Vocab
b. Unit 2: Beowulf and Heroes unit
c. Unit 1: Medieval times
d. Prepare Hamlet
e. Find 10 more copies of Catherine, Called Birdy
f. Find 20 more copies of The Mousetrap or Three Blind Mice
7. Quality Learning seminar class
8. Children's Lit Update class
9. Weekend in Chicago with Kim and Ashley
10. SSR book recommendations for Language Arts 9
11. Work out consistently
12. Visit my sister a few times
13. Read Jane Eyre
14. Not spend too much money!!!!!!!
15. Family reunion in July
16. See my cousin's new baby
17. Pay a chunk of change off my credit card!!!
18. Hang out with Nicole once a week
19. Finish the book with Krysta and read one more
20. Read the books from my birthday
21. Read at least one nonfiction book
22. Watch Friday Night Lights
23. See Janet Jackson in concert!!!!
24. Go to Meg Cabot's book signing!
25. Sort out the photo album situation

Favorite Books of All Time

**I write this post yearsssss ago. Not sure why I never posted it. My guess is I wrote it in 2012 or 2013.

Favorite Authors of All Time:

1. J.K. Rowling
2. David Sedaris
3. Janet Evanovich
4. Deanna Raybourn
5. Meg Cabot
6. Mary Higgins Clark
7. Ernest Hemingway
8. Jennifer Crusie
9. Agatha Christie
10. F. Scott Fitzgerald

Of those ten authors, my favorite books that they have written:

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (gun to my head ... that's really the only way I could choose. And ask me tomorrow and I'll choose "Deathly Hallows." And on Wednesday, I'll choose "Half-Blood Prince." And on ... well, you get the idea.)

2. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (This may be the easiest choice on the whole list. All his books are brilliant, but this one is genius.)

3. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich (I remember when I began this series I thought they were the most original books I'd ever read, Stephanie Plum was the most original heroine, and Evanovich was the most hilarious author.)

4. Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn (but they are all gold. I've been saying for about the last year or two that she is truly my favorite author.)

5. Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot (but reeeeaally hard to choose!!! My favorite young adult book is probably "All-American Girl." Or perhaps a classic like "The Princess Diaries.")

6. Weep No More, My Lady by Mary Higgins Clark (I lied about #2. THIS was the easiest choice on the whole list. I have read this book upwards of twelve times.)

7. In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway (So this is actually a collection of vignettes, not a novel. If I were to choose a novel I'd choose "The Sun Also Rises" which ranks as one of my top five classic novels. But "In Our Time" was the first Hemingway I read so it introduced me to his style and his sneak-up-and- punch-you-in-the-gut- sudden-poignant-lump-in- the-throat-for-reasons- you-can't quite- understand style of writing, so it has a special place in my heart.)

8. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie. (Easy.)

9. Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie (Definitely not her most clever novel, but my absolute favorite. I think I prefer her "adventure" mysteries over her "detective" mysteries, if that makes sense. Best choice for a new reader is definitely "And Then There Were None." Definitely.)

10. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (No surprise there. Highly recommend "Winter Dreams," the short story he wrote first and later revamped into "The Great Gatsby." My second favorite novel though is "Tender is the Night."


Other Favorite Novels:
1. Rebecca by Daphen Du Maurier
2. P.B. Ryan's Nell and Will series
3. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
4. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding
5. Persuasion by Jane Austen

25 Things You Didn't Know About Me

1. I took piano lessons for ten years while I was growing up. I hated practicing but now I'm glad my mom forced me to.

2. My two favorite activities as a kid were reading and swimming. My two favorite activities as an adult are reading and swimming.

3. I watch waaaay too much TV! My favorite shows are Glee, House, the Office, the Big Bang Theory, Covert Affairs, and the Good Wife.

4. I love to make lists and organize things!

5. I like to speak in foreign accents just for fun. Sometimes my sister and I will have conversations using foreign accents.

6. I graduated from the University of Iowa and bleed black and gold!

7. I have been best friends with the same girl for my entire life. We were born three days apart and were inseparable until we went off to college. We still live about five minutes from each other.

8. My favorite thing to do in the summer is go to the movies. I like to see good movies more than once and will see everything except horror movies.

9. I'm so bad in the kitchen that I don't really even know how to cut up a lemon.

10. My absolute favorite thing to do is go to the movies. This summer a few of my favorites were Salt, Inception, and Ramona & Beezus.

11. I like to read magazines while I blow dry my hair. My favorites are TV Guide and InStyle.

12. I spend most of my money traveling. This summer I went to New York City; Denver, Colorado; and Portland, Oregon.

13. I love board games (my favorite is Trivial Pursuit) and I'm very competitive! I make my siblings play with me whenever we're visiting my parents and I expect to win every time.

14. Since I was in middle school, my goal every year is to read 100 books. I've never made it. (I usually end up between 73 and 76. This last year was my worst. I barely made 40.)

15. I'm fascinated by languages.

16. I need to stop buying boots. I have ten pairs that I wear frequently ... and plenty more that are too uncomfortable for a teacher like me to stand in all day.

17. When I was growing up I wanted to be a flight attendant so I could see the world ... until I discovered that I was five inches short of the height requirement.

18. I am obsessed with the Today Show. I don't like to face the day until I hear Matt Lauer's or Meredith Vieira's voice.

19. I like scarves. I bought 12 on a trip to New York City last summer.

20. I love board games (my favorite is Trivial Pursuit) and I'm very competitive! I make my siblings play with me whenever we're all together and I expect to win!

21. I love to see plays and musicals. I saw five this summer: Jersey Boys; Promises, Promises; The Addams Family Musical; Lend Me a Tenor, and South Pacific.

22. After reading a book about Helen Keller in fourth grade, I taught myself the American Sign Language's manual alphabet. I'm still really good at spelling but not very good at reading it.

23. I could live without my iPod and my phone and I could probably live without my computer, but Icould never give up my Tivo!

24. I'm so visual that sometimes I watch TV with the closed captioning on because I can understand better if I can read the words.

25. I took gymnastics for years as a kid. I can't do handsprings anymore, but sometimes I still feel the need to go outside and do cartwheels.

Top 10 TV Moments

by Rix and Trix
(cause we're sisters like that)

1. Sydney, you've been missing for two years. (Alias)
2. Veronica and Logan kiss on the balcony (Veronica Mars)
3. Monica and Rachel lose the apartment to Joey and Chandler (Friends)
4. The finale of "Pier Pressure" ... it all comes together (Arrested Development)
5. "Two Cathedrals." Nuff said. (The West Wing)
6. The Christmas episode warms hearts all over Hollywood. (Studio 60)
7. Marian almost dies in the cave and Robin Hood gets all emotional. (Robin Hood)
8. Miranda's mother dies and Carrie goes to the funeral. (Sex and the City)
9. Pam gives her speech during "Beach Games." Nuff said. (The Office)
10. "They Shoot Gilmore, Don't They?" (Gilmore Girls)

Books Read in 2010

January:
1. Beachcomber by Karen Robards
2. Superstition by Karen Robards
3. Ice by Linda Howard

February:
4. Murder Is Easy by Agatha Christie
5. The Espressologist by Kristina Springer
6. ?? What else did I read here???

March
7. The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins
8. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
9. The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie
10. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt
11. Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie
12. Charlie All Night by Jennifer Crusie

April:
13. Boy by Roald Dahl
14. Unzipped by Lois Greiman
15. Wild Ride by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

May:
16. Unplugged by Lois Greiman
17. Unscrewed by Lois Greiman
18. Unmanned by Lois Greiman

June:
19. One Hot Mess by Lois Greiman
20. The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark
21. Not One Clue by Lois Greiman

July:
22. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
23. The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz
24. Murder on Lexington Avenue by Victoria Thompson

August:
25. Insatiable by Meg Cabot
26. The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy by Sara Angelini
27. The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn
28. A Lucky Child by Thomas Buergenthal

September:
29. Being Nikki by Meg Cabot
30. Runaway by Meg Cabot
31. Finding Lubchenko by Michael Simmons

October:
32. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
33. Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie
34. The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie
35. All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins
36. Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham
37. Holly's Inbox: Scandal in the City by Holly Denham

November:
38. Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot
39. The Dark Road to Darjeeling

December:
40. Thornyhold
41. A Reliable Wife
42. The Cater Street Hangman

Movies Seen in 2010

January:
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 01-01-10
2. Wuthering Heights 01-02-10
3. 12 Men of Christmas 01-03-10
4. Emma 01-03-10
5. Cranford 01-03-10
6. Little Dorrit 01-07-10
7. Leap Year 01-09-10
8. It's Complicated 01-10-10
9. Return to Cranford


February:
10. Masterpiece Classic: Emma
11. Masterpiece Classic: Northanger Abbey
12. Couples' Retreat
13. Valentine's Day
14. Post-Grad
15. The Hangover


March:
16. Up
17. Alice in Wonderland
18. Dear John
19. Green Zone
20. Masterpiece Classic: Persuasion
21. The Bounty Hunter
22. Sense and Sensibility
23. The Hurt Locker
24. An Ideal Husband


April:
25. Ever After
26. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
27. The International
28. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
29. French Kiss
30. The 39 Steps
31. The Bounty Hunter
32. Date Night
33. The Proposal


May:
34. Robin Hood
35. Deja Vu
36. Sherlock Holmes
37. Robin Hood
38. The Stepfather
39. Brothers
40. Avatar
41. Prince of Persia
42. Spy Game
43. Taken
44. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day


June:
45. Leap Year
46. Nine
47. Letters to Juliet
48. The Notebook
49. The Blind Side
50. Bridget Jones's Diary
51. When Harry Met Sally
52. Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past
53. The A-Team
54. Masterpiece Mystery: The Secret of Chimneys
55. The Code
56. The Karate Kid
57. The Invention of Lying


July
58. Robin Hood Season 1
59. Robin Hood Season 2
60. Eclipse
61. Robin Hood Season 3
62. Veronica Mars Season 1
63. Veronica Mars Season 2
64. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
65. Masterpiece Mystery: Murder on the Orient Express
66. Masterpiece Mystery: The Blue Geranium
67. Masterpiece Mystery: The Third Girl
68. Masterpiece Mystery: Appointment with Death
69. The Interpreter
70. Did You Hear About the Morgans?
71. Knight and Day
72. Elevator Girl
73. Beezus and Ramond
74. North and South


August:
75. Inception
76. Salt
77. Despicable Me
78. The Pelican Brief


September:
79. The Switch
80. The Switch
81. The Back-Up Plan
82. The Bounty Hunter
83. Killers
84. Eat, Pray, Love
85. The Town


October:
86. Yes, Man
87. Easy A
88. The Town
89. High Crimes
90. How to Train Your Dragon
91. Robin Hood
92. Just Wright
93. Life as We Know It


November:
94. You Again
95. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
96. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
97. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
98. Valentine's Day
99. Untangled
100. Get Smart
101. 27 Dresses
102. Elf
103. Spring Breakdown
104. Dirty Filthy Love
105. My Life in Ruins
106. Our Family
107. When in Rome


December:
108. Sleepless in Seattle
109. While You Were Sleeping
110. The Shop Around the Corner
111. The Family Stone
112. Love Actually
113. Morning Glory
114. The Holiday
115. Enchanted
116. New in Town
117. The Good Witch
118. Surviving Christmas
119. A Charlie Brown Christmas
120. Home Alone
121. Home Alone (with commentary)
122. Prince of Persia
123. The Nightmare Before Christmas
124. Easy A
125. Tangled
126. The Tourist
127. The Skulls

Summer Plans

June:
1. Went to NYC!!!!
a. Saw Promises, Promises
b. Saw The Addams Family
c. Saw Lend Me a Tenor
d. Went on the Circle Line night cruise
e. Bought 12 scarves (oh, yeah! That deserves a comment of its own!)

2. Visited college roomie in Chicago
a. Watched 9 (NINE) movies that weekend
b. Saw She and Him in Millenium Park

3. Went to Chicago with sister to see Dixie Chicks, Keith Urban, and the Eagles. DIXIE CHICKS!!!!

4. Baby-sat the BFF's son a couple of times

5. Read a few books (it's such a low number I'm too embarrassed to put it up here. I usually read 2-3 a week. I didn't even average one per week. THE SHAME!!!!!)

6. Enjoyed the Corn Carnival. Rode on float for ten year class reunion. Saw many friends I hadn't seen in years. Ate a few maid-rites and a few cups of ice cream.


July:
1. College roomie's wedding in the mountains of Colorado
a. There are many things I could say about the wedding but let's stick with the good and leave it at this: the wedding day itself was loads of fun and all the bridesmaids received many compliments on how we looked in our dresses.
b. Enjoyed fireworks in Fraser, Colorado on the fourth of July. (Okay, that's a lie. I didn't enjoy them BUT IT WAS 39 DEGREES!!!!!!! ON THE FOURTH OF JULY!!!!!!!)
c. I spent something like $1900 on this wedding. I'll be broke for the rest of my life.

2. Watched Robin Hood seasons 1, 2, and 3.

3. Watched Veronica Mars seasons 1 and 2.

4. Enjoyed watching many summer shows with my mum including The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles, Covert Affairs, and ESPECIALLY Masterpiece Mystery: Marple!

5. Baby-sat the BFF's son two or three times.

6. Visited the sister twice to hang out and rent/go to movies and a baseball game. Did some shopping and some yummy eating.

7. Dropped the father off at RAGBRAI destinations and went to Waterloo one night to enjoy the RAGBRAI festivities. Enjoyed a Beatles tribute band called the Fab Four. VERY fun!!

8. Saw Jersey Boys.

9. July 25th: 16th anniversary of diabetes diagnosis.


August:
1. The BFF's younger brother's wedding.

2. Appointment with the diabetes educator.

3. Eye appointment.

4. Movie time: Inception, Salt, etc.

5. Squeeze in as much lying around and watching TV time as I can before school starts!!!

Fashionista Statement: Monday, May 21

Getting close to the end of the school year now (no professional clothes during the summer for me--it's all mini skirts and very short shorts. I'm such a grown-up), so I wanted to wear this dress from Penney's ($20ish) one more time before the end of the year. This time I tried it with a curly curly ponytail which I achieve by adding a little mousse and then wrapping all my hair in one direction. It dries that way on its own with a little help from the Midwestern humidity. The joy of curly hair. (Try not to notice that it's falling out a little on the left. This was at the end of the day.)

Fashionista Statement: Thursday, May 17

Tank top from Maurices ($26)

Cream leggings (from Wal-Mart or Target or some place like that for $6)

Flower sandals from K-Mart last year ($15)

Brown shrug from Maurices ($20)

Borrowed necklace from my mom--love that thing! I think I still have it nearly two months later!

Fashionista Statement: Wednesday, May 18

Trapeze dress from K-Mart ($20) that I got for the first day of school almost two years ago.
Kimono sweater ($20) from Target. Love it!
Silver strand necklace $15 from Penney's. Don't usually spend that much on jewelry since I have SO much of it, but I had coupons.
Flip-flops ($12) from Payless

(I remember I was talking on the phone to my bestie during this pic. And again, ignore the mess. Clearly I had not straightened up yet.)

Fashionista Statement: Tuesday, May 18

Turquoise, green, and brown dress from Maurices on sale for $20-ish (can't remember exactly). Dress has racerback straps in netting. Dress is very low cut, so I wore with a brown cami here.

Brown shrug from Maurices $20

Gold necklace with my initial was a gift from my bff in high school

Long leaf necklace was 50 cents from Claire's

Turqoise watch from Claire's. Five dollars for the watch and four other bands.

Gladiator sandals from Penney's $12 (on sale)



(I had just gotten these shoes and really wanted to make sure they were obvious. Love them, but unfortunately they cut into my feet. When I wear them to work, I often have to unzip the back of them by midday to make it. Still worth it though!) :)












Different sweater in this pic. Brown glittery sweater that my mom got me. No idea where it came from or how much it was, but my mom is a super shopper, so I'm sure it was a bargain! Opted for a different cami here. I think I prefer this one even though it doesn't QUITE match.

Also, ignore the pile of clothes in the chair. I'm usually so tidy.

Fashionista Statement: Monday, May 17

Black t-shirt from K-Mart (approx. $9)

Orange cardi from the Gap ($17)

Paisley skirt--a gift from my mom (I think it was on clearance for around $6)

Eiffel Tower necklace (long): whatever ten pounds equates to (about $15? Ordered online so I'm not sure what the exchange rate was at the time.)

You can see the shoes in the background--black with tan toes and heels and a buckle on the toe. Brand name Minelli from Paris. Whatever 36 Euro equates to ($50 maybe? Can't remember what the exchange rate was when I got them).

Fashionista Statement: Early June in NYC

Fell a little behind in the fashionista statements. Here are a few outfits I wore on a trip to NYC in June. I'm skipping the rest of May for now and will update during July.






Green boyfriend tee from Target ($8)
Denim skirt from Maurices ($26)
Blue striped cardi from Target (clearance for $15--best purchase ever! I wore that sweater for two days straight in NYC because it was kind of chilly)
White and pink scarf ($6) from Wal-Mart last year











Pink and navy sundress from Maurices ($39). Bought for the bachelorette party in Portland in April. Very comfortable!!

Navy sweater from Target ($17)

Tank top from Maurices ($26)
Blue sweater from Target ($17)
Denim leggings from Target ($6)

Fashionista Statement: Thursday, May 13

May 13

Black skirt with red and green and grey images of Parisian scenes (Arc d'Triumph, shopping scenes, etc.) from Penney's that I ordered online a few years ago. You can't tell from the picture but the skirt is very full which makes me feel very pretty when I'm walking in it and it's swish-swish-swishing.

Black t-shirt from K-Mart or some place like that. Lime green sweater that I got for $6 from K-Mart last summer. I've never worn it because it's difficult to match, but this skirt works with it.

Eiffel tower necklace, bit silver earrings (click on the picture to see), and black flats. A closer picture with the awesome green knock-your-eye-out ring from Pier 1 (courtesy of my awesome cousin).