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i'm not a runner. not even a little. two miles is the farthest i've ever run at one time on purpose. and hated it every step of the way.
however ... i am now obsessed with doing this:
a friend of mine in california recently ran one, and the photos from it were amazing and happy. and then i saw the above video on karen russell's blog and decided yes - i want to do THAT.
so i googled color run to see if there is a minneapolis one, and found that there is. in july. and it's sold out. but that doesn't mean i can't go and watch, right? because to be around all that energy and joy must be amazing.
and the photo ops would be pretty amazing, too.
so i'll go in july. and i'll take the kids, because they would totally dig it. and then i will make it our family mission to run it together next year.
because, really, how can you watch that video and NOT want to grab a snorkle mask and tutu and go for a run through a muppety rainbow of happiness?!
henry read the series quite awhile ago and told me i HAD to read them. but i didn't. they didn't appeal to me. post-apocalyptic sci-fi teen books? um, no.
then word came out that a movie was in the works, and henry was beside himself. and again he told me i HAAAAADDDDD to read these books.
still, no.
then i saw a trailer for the movie and thought, well ... it looks like it could be interesting. so i got the books. i started the first one on saturday afternoon. and i didn't stop reading until thursday afternoon, when i finished the third.
holy. crap.
henry was so right.
so, now we have tickets to the midnight showing this week. the movie will get over at 2-something a.m. then we'll have to drive 20 minutes home. and manage to calm ourselves down so we can sleep. and then get back up at 6 so he can get on the bus.
i must be insane. but i cannot wait. and neither can henry.
i think they will be fantastic movies, though i'm not sold on the guy playing peeta.
poor kid looks like a hairless hobbit. not some brooding, sensitive baker who will stop at nothing to keep the girl he loves alive. and honestly, by the end of the third book, i was hoping katniss would decide, "nope. i'm good. i don't need some guy."
but apparently all YA books need a love triangle, regardless of how weak it makes the girl.
(coughcoughtwilightcoughcough)
so we'll see if peeta works.
what does work is the music in this thing. i'm not a huge taylor swift fan, though i admire the heck out of the girl. but i *do* love the civil wars. and this song they do with her is gorgeous. and the rest of the soundtrack line-up is equally exciting.
totally looking forward to thursday. i found some recipes for food from district 12 and panem, so i told henry we'll have a hunger games meal ...
(even though the kids picked out all of the tomatoes.)
8. and i found this on pinterest and fell madly in love with it:
and have decided we shall do this in the nook at the bottom of the stairs to the basement.
9. maybe.
10. and a great end to the week awaits us: i'm going to a baby shower, henry's been invited to a new neighbor/friend's birthday party, and on saturday we are going to a neighborhood pig roast. how fun is that?!
all in all, excellent week. and it's only tuesday!
(wait ... it's only tuesday ... don't want to jinx it ...)
my last pair was purchased, oh, eight years and two prescriptions ago.
i think it's time.
awhile back i was reading making it lovely, and nicole mentioned trying on frames at home for free from warby parker, and i made note of the company because it sounded too good to be true. try on at home? for free? and then buy glasses for under a hundred bucks? from a company that also supports altruistic endeavors? sign me up!
the coolest part of the warby parker website is that it let's you "try on" frames before you order some to "try on" at home ... narrow down the playing field, as it were.
i figured, why not.
my playing field has narrowed thusly:
nedwin frame in revolver black ...
japhy frame in whiskey tortoiseshell ...
zagg frame in revolver black ...
langston frame in whiskey tortoiseshell ...
thompson frame in revolver black ...
... or i could go truly awesome and get a monocle.
the monocle isn't worn nearly often enough these days, loveys.
i'm leaning toward the langston or thompson, but i think they all need to be tried for real, just to be sure.
does anyone have any experience with this company? good? bad? prescription comes out just right? it's a little nerve-racking to think about getting it right via the mail, but heck ... for $95 i can guarantee they will still be better glasses than the ones that i've had since henry was a toddler.
and for my money, it's already been fun just playing.
"me time" during the week centers around a quick browse through pinterest. it makes me happy. there is so much creativity and beauty and inspiration and humor out there, and i love that like-minded people who appreciate all of that are in one place, sharing and redirecting and connecting.
a look at what i loved this week, per my pinboard categories ...
now i'm off to feed, bathe, and tuck in my children. then i shall pinterest some more whilst my husband heeds the "call of duty" on the sofa for three hours. let me know where you are on pinterest so i can add you to my circle of inspiration! and if you don't pinterest and want an invite, i'm always happy to help a brother out!
andie smith designs has something pretty amazing to offer for september. her limited edition bulk buy set includes backgrounds, card templates, storyboard templates, actions, etc. ... and for a great price - $40 for more than $60 worth of amazingness!
here are some examples, then go check out the product!! but hurry ... september will be over soon!
i'm a big fan of starting xmas shopping pretty much as soon as new year's is over. the way i see it, why would i want to buy every gift for every person in the last month of the year? a) that gets friggin' expensive, and b) then i'm left buying whatever is left to buy at whatever store i shop and my recipient therefore gets the leftovers that no one else wanted to buy before december 1st.
not real thoughtful.
now that we're officially into august, my brain has started wandering to "what shall i get so-and-so for christmas?" (and yes ... i do already have a few presents purchased. and no, i'm not going to share, because family members occasionally read this.) we've decided to use the "want, need, wear, read" approach with the kids, and both are on board. i've seen this idea elsewhere and really love it. the kids will get four gifts from us in lieu of one big one and then a few smaller ones just for the sake of giving something else. i like purposefulness. so they will each get something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. and the interpretation is up to us. (ie the "something to wear," which was obviously not henry's favorite, could turn out to be boots and bindings for snowboarding, of which i think he would actually approve.)
and because i am a chronic christmas-gift-look-out devotee, i have a bookmark tab on my computer titled "xmas ideas" and i pop stuff in there whenever i see something that either i would like or i think someone else would like.
a) i have a new article up on andiesmithdesigns.com. it may involve stuff like this:
and b) my college roommate's husband introduced me to my newest obsession: mumford & sons. am i the last person to know about these guys? they are perfection wrapped up in an british rock/folk/bluegrass package. i'm in love. i bought the cd within 24 hours of mike sending me a link to a song. thank you, mike. and this is my favorite:
while we were on a plane coming back from puerto rico, marc flipped through a computer mag he picked up in the airport. all of a sudden, i heard palpitations and heavy breathing. marc saw an ad for this:
he was gushing over all the stats and angles and components of this new, high-tech, super sleek and sexy computer case. then he read that it was built by (or in conjunction with? don't remember) bmw.
well, guess what showed up on our doorstep monday afternoon.
i'm not totally happy about it, but a) it will save valuable space (he'll be able to consolidate several existing computer cases into just this one), b) it will run like a champ (so i've been told), and c) he has his own savings for work-related items, so i can't complain about the money coming out of the house fund.
curses.
and d) when he mentions that m5 he'd really, really like to have someday, i'll just remind him that he already has a bmw.
i win.
and to balance the marc-iness of this post, here's a little michele-ness: these girls' cover of fleet foxes' tiger mountain peasant song is *amazing*! so talented!!
