February 2012 Round-up

It's that time again...here's my February round-up.

What I Read...

• The Bungalow by Sarah Jio: I needed something light after finishing The Book Thief, and this book fit the bill. I really enjoyed the story, which took place on Bora-Bora during World War II.
• The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford: I just finished this book yesterday. It was about a young woman and her pursuit of love, usually with the wrong men. It was definitely an entertaining book, and I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the volume (Love in a Cold Climate).

What I Saw...

• The Iron Lady: I saw this movie the day before the Oscars, and I'm so glad I did. While the movie itself wasn't that great, Meryl Streep gave a commanding performance as Margaret Thatcher, especially in the modern-day scenes where Thatcher is battling dementia.
• DVD: I rented two terribly awful movies from Redbox: Breaking Dawn (the latest Twilight movie) and One Day. Save your time and avoid them.
• Television: The second season of Downton Abbey concluded this month. I don't know what I will do with my Sunday nights.

What I Want to Remember...

• Traveling to Colorado for the Four Continents Championships
• Spending Valentine's Day with my mom apartment hunting. We also ate at Chuy's and picked up chocolate-covered strawberries from Amy's and cupcakes from Gigi's.
• Discovering Paper Source, one of my favorite stores from Boston, downtown
• Watching the Puppy Bowl with Dad
• Visiting the Garden of the Gods and the Air Force Academy while we were in Colorado Springs
• Experiencing snow while we were in Colorado
• Holding the February potluck at work
• Playing my new piano (a gift from Michelle) for the first time
• Seeing all the little signs of spring: wildflowers, trees budding, bugs (well, maybe not that last one)

What I'd Like to Forget...

• Getting super sick last week after the potluck. I'm not sure if it was something I ate or a bug, but I did NOT feel well.
• Cleaning up after Sammy the day we got home from Colorado. He threw up seven times around my apartment, and I had to enlist Mom for help.

A Few Pictures from February 2012...

Cadet Chapel at the Air Force Academy

Snowy feet

Valentine's cupcake

Angelic cat

Garden of the Gods

Four Continents in Pictures

A few more pictures from my time in Colorado...

Skating in Colorado

It's hard to believe that at this time last week, Mom and I were just arriving back in Austin after spending several days in Colorado Springs. I traveled to Colorado to attend the Four Continents Championships, and Mom accompanied me so I wouldn't be lonely (thanks, Mom!). I'm still sorting through all of my pictures at the moment, but I thought I would post a few thoughts before I forget everything.

• I enjoyed visiting a few other landmarks in Colorado Springs while I wasn't at the arena. We went to the Garden of the Gods (above) on Thursday after we arrived and the Air Force Academy the morning before we left.
• It was nice to see the American ladies on top of the podium again. Ashley Wagner and Caroline Zhang did so well skating back to back and finished first and third, respectively.
• It was wonderful to some of the skaters I had never seen before — Virtue & Moir, Daisuke Takahashi, Weaver & Poje, Marley & Brubaker, Agnes Zawadski, Adam Rippon, the Shibutanis, etc.
• I loved the small medal ceremonies held in the concourse outside the main arena. It was interesting to see the skaters interact with each other and answer questions from other fans.
• One of the things I love most about skating competitions is meeting the people seated around me. The woman to my right had been to several national and international competitions, including the last Winter Olympics, while the couple to my left was from Texas (he bought her the tickets for Christmas — what a good husband!). It's nice to talk to people who know about skating rather than boring my family all the time.
• I was rather excited to wake up to snow falling outside on Saturday. It hampered our morning plans a bit, but I was still able to make it to the arena in the car. I was NOT excited, however, to clean the snow off the car; at least it wasn't as bad as in Natick.
• We went to eat at Outback one night, so I asked my mom if she thought the Australian skaters might have tried it too. (Yes, there were skaters from Australia. There was one from South Africa too.)
• One final thought: Feathers on the ice are dangerous. Just ask my mom. :)

Just a few skating pictures for now...

January 2012 Round-up

It's time for my January round-up.

What I Read...

• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: This book came highly recommended from one of my co-workers. It was magical and moody, but I never felt fully invested in any of the characters.
• Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman: This was my Christmas book, but it didn't live up to my high hopes. It was more "chick lit" that I usually like, and once again, I didn't really like any of the characters.
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: I really, really liked this book. It takes place in Nazi Germany during World War II and is narrated by Death (yes, Death). The characters were all so unique and real, and the ending was simply heartbreaking.

What I Saw...

• The Artist: I have never seen a movie quite like this one, and I think it deserves all the acclaim it's been receiving. It's my personal favorite to win the Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
• We Bought a Zoo: This movie was sweet and fun. (And who wouldn't want to buy a zoo?)
• The Descendents: As you can probably tell, I'm trying to see a lot of the Oscar contenders this spring. This movie was one that stayed with me a long time after I left the theater; I kept thinking about the characters and their reactions to different situations. I also thought George Clooney's performance was wonderful.
• DVD: I rented Midnight in Paris, my favorite movie of the summer, from Redbox one night. It wasn't quite as charming as I remembered, but I would LOVE to take a cab and meet F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Cole Porter.
• Television: Mom has gotten me hooked on Downton Abbey. The series is in the middle of its second season, and I'm loving every moment. I'm also enjoying the return of some of my other shows: Castle, Grey's Anatomy, and Ringer.

 What I Want to Remember...

• Visiting the LBJ Library & Museum for the first time (or the first time I can actually remember).
• Cheering during the UT-Kansas basketball game, even if the Longhorns lost.
• Spending time with my co-workers at happy hour two nights in a row.
• Watching Nationals this past weekend on TV (now I'm super excited to see some of the skaters again at Four Continents).
• Working on my Project Life album.
• Spending time with Mom, Dad and Paul when they came down to Austin one weekend.
• Buying my new tripod with the gift card from work.
• Finding a little girl to sponsor on Compassion International's website. Her name is Lilian, and she lives in Kenya.
• Hearing the rain fall outside my bedroom at night. What a relief after our hot, dry summer!
• Seeing Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin and Katie Hoff compete at the Austin Grand Prix.

A Few Images from January 2012...

Michael Phelps wins!

Reading

Reflections in Goodwill

Ice Network (Sammy stayed away from the water this year.)

UT vs. Oklahoma State

December 2011 Round-up

About a month ago, I saw a great idea about doing a monthly "round-up" on the last day of each month on Ali Edwards' blog (the idea came from guest blogger Katie Nelson). In the round-up, you record the books you've read, the movies you've seen, the moments you'd like to remember, etc. during the last month. I thought it would be neat to try so I'm starting tonight. (And yes, it does bother me a little that I'm beginning this in December, but I wanted to get started now.)

What I Read...

• The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins: Yes, I'm hooked, and yes, I'm ready for the first movie in March. (I actually read the first one over Thanksgiving break.)
• Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery: This is a childhood favorite that I decided to reread for the first time in 10 years. It's still wonderful.
• The Breaking Wave by Nevil Shute: I finished this book a few days ago. While I didn't enjoy it quite as much as A Town Like Alice, it kept my interest throughout.

What I Saw:

• New Year's Eve: I wanted something light and amusing, and New Year's Eve delivered.
• My Week with Marilyn: I saw this movie this afternoon. It was good but not great. Of course, I don't know that much about Marilyn Monroe so I'm not sure how accurate Michelle Williams' portrayal was.
• I also watched The Help; Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows, Part 2; Elf; Love Actually; and It's a Wonderful Life on DVD or TV.

What I Want to Remember:

• Watching Esther graduate from the University of Houston.
• Playing handbells at Arden Courts.
• Attending the Christmas Eve service at church.
• Taking Christmas photos for the Gozurs.
• Helping serve food at the Hiway 80 Rescue Mission with my family on Christmas Eve.
• Watching Sammy play with his new toy at Christmas (and then drowning it in his water bowl when he got back home).
• Sharing present time with my family (it was Esther's first Christmas with us).
• Enjoying the first cookie exchange party at the office.
• Seeing the Longhorns defeat the Cal Bears in the Holiday Bowl.
• Finding many of my lost photos on Paul's hard drive.
• Laughing as Mom found her "special" gift from Santa in her stocking.
• Watching The Nutcracker at the Houston Ballet for the second year in a row.

What I'd Like to Forget:

• Having car trouble on the same day I decided to wear a skirt and heels. And it was cold and drizzly. And we were taking our team Christmas picture that day. Fun times.
• Getting sick a few days later. It was my first real cold in more than a year, and I did not cope well.
• Watching Sammy climb out of his carrier about 10 miles outside of Henderson on the way home and proceed to explore the entire car — including the dashboard.

I'm sure there are other things I'm forgetting, but I can't think of anything else right now. Here's to a wonderful 2012!