I should really just rename this blog I Love Animals

I should have known better...

...than to trust a bald man with shears.

I wanted Ben to make our two butterfly bushes look similar because I'm a big fan of balance. The world has enough chaos as it is; my yard doesn't need to add to it, thank you very much. However, instead of two bushes that look like this:

I have one that looks like that and one that looks like this:

I just wanted him to trim a little more off the top!

It's a good thing that he's otherwise handy to have around. We had some plumbing work done a few weeks ago and this was the patch up job that was done afterward:  

 

How is this considered a completed job?! Luckily, Ben was able to finish it up and I painted it today, so it's pretty much back to normal. But we're still filing a complaint with our warranty company.

We're also in the midst of installing new windows and repainting the trim on the exterior of the house (pictures coming soon!). As I was standing on the ladder in my painting clothes (a pair of Ben's old shorts and my high school project graduation t-shirt, three sizes too big) yesterday, it occurred to me that it was the one year anniversary of when we closed on the house. How appropriate that we spent it slaving away on the thing. 

How on earth did I spend my weekends before this? :)

A Wrinkle in Time

Recently I bought some makeup that I haven't worn since I was in high school. I was so excited when I went to the department store, because I typically don't splurge on makeup, and this was a high(er) ticket item for me. Case in point, I've been needing powder since about this time last year, but missed the gift-with-purchase sale, so I made myself wait. Why buy something when you can just wait and buy something PLUS get something for free? Even if that means you wait a WHOLE YEAR and make do with Covergirl.

Anyway, my sense of delayed gratification prevailed, and I couldn't wait to finally wear the makeup. At this point I'm realizing I clearly thought this powder would be life changing. It wasn't. At least not the way I anticipated. Because after looking upon my reflection with my new fancy makeup on, I thought, "Huh. When did they start adding wrinkles to this powder?"

This is just the beginning, isn't it?

Also...

...I can't wait for this one, either. Brilliant book. Brilliant actress. Check her out here:

Another One!

The movie gods are being very generous lately - turning all of my favorite books into movies and all. Look for this one this summer.




I recently read Emily Griffin's latest book, Heart of the Matter. Chic-lit that makes you think. At least a little. I just saw her book tour schedule and was excited to see that she was going to be at Vroman's in Pasadena in June. Then I realized that would be June, 2010. Lame.

Wedding Crashers

Ben and I attended his coworker's wedding last weekend, a grand affair that took place in a beautiful cathedral, followed by a reception at Union Station. It was beyond gorgeous - I felt like I had jumped into a Martha Stewart Weddings magazine spread. Since Ben's friend is Mexican-American, the evening was full of rich traditions, including a mariachi band that played an integral role in the Catholic mass. Which happened to be entirely in Spanish. If you think Catholic weddings are long, try sitting through one in which you have no idea what they're saying. Being monolingual is so lame. BUT they had a photo booth at the reception and that's fun no matter what language you speak.

We left the reception early to make the 8 o'clock showing of Cavalia, which was also beyond gorgeous. If you haven't heard of it, here's a little clip:



When we arrived, there was puddles of water everywhere outside of the tent and small snow heaps in the corners of the parking lot. SNOW? In Burbank?! I was utterly confused, but we were hurrying to our seats, so I didn't give it much more thought. As the show enveloped me and as I reconsidered my profession (it's never too late to join the circus, right?), it occurred to me that there was a very strong theme of seasons throughout the production. At one point fake snow even fell on the audience. SNOW? That reminded me - there was snow outside! And then I developed my theory. Cavalia was such a thorough and amazing show that they brought in snow machines to cover the parking lot outside of the big top with a winter wonderland - you know, to keep the magical mood going. It made sense - the first show was at 3, which would have been just enough time for the snow to melt before the second show. I told Ben that I had figured out Cavalia's surprise and was giddy with excitement as we made out way out of the tent...only to be greeted by frigid temperatures and a very wet parking lot. Turns out hell froze over and parts of Southern California got covered in flakes earlier that day. I was sorely disappointed.   

Despite the abrupt ending to my magical elven world wonderland fantasy, I was still mesmerized by the beauty of the horses in Cavalia. If I was less ignorant about horsemanship and horse ownership, I would probably be even more amazed. Case in point: my friend Rachael (whom you can find here and here) text me later that night: "Did you cry because you wanted to have nine Arabian horses love you? Because I didn't. :)"

Cheers to weddings, horses, and snow!

It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!

Ben did a bang up job on my stocking this past Christmas, including dry shampoo (because I'm lazy and hate washing my hair), chapstick that reminded him of what I wore when we dated in high school, and a cheap necklace from Target to satisfy me until we can afford the real thing. Seriously. He's a keeper.

He also got me a $15 iTunes card. And the thing has been burning a hole in my pocket. Yet I can't spend it. Because, you know, then I've spent it. I feel like Frodo; the iTunes card is my ring. The gift is the burden that is the gift. I know, I know. First world problems. Egypt's too painful to think about right now....SO... do you know how many choices I'm faced with?! Do I jump on the Mumford and Sons bandwagon? Stick to Amos? Return to a classic (which NPR described as for people who "are smart, but not necessarily hipster." Check. Check.)? Or do I just hope this comes out with a soundtrack? Then, just to stir the pot, I'm flirting with classical.

This is why I will never be able to keep up with Cha and Yeti.

I noticed a similar bursting-of-my-heart-feeling when Ben and I went on a date to Borders (nerd alert). We were browsing the employee picks of the week when it all just became too overwhelming. "There's too much to read in too little time!" I exclaimed in panic. Ben gave me a familiar look (the one that communicates "You're so cute when you're crazy." I told you - he's a keeper.) and then he redirected me to the travel section.

Sigh. I feel your pain, Agnes.