Obligatory Thankful Post No. 007

You guys, you know how every year in November I get all crazy about the too-early Christmas music? Well, I’m not sure if it’s the fact that Colorado weather just now turned cold or what, but this year the timing seemed juuuust right. (Do you see how I’m channeling Goldilocks right now?) And it sure didn’t hurt that Pentatonix came out with a new Christmas album to bring the holidays in with brilliant aca-music. #justsaying

I am constantly thankful for the blessings that occur in my every day life…a God that isn’t finished with me yet; my family for whom I have a depth of love that transcends words; friends of all types, far and near that I have the privilege of knowing; a job that I love; a roof over my head (that I now own! #adultinghardcore); a car that is steady and gets me through Colorado winters; not to mention all the luxuries I take for granted far too often.

However, this year I thought I’d use this time to call out some more…shall we say…trivial things that I’m thankful for. Here they are in no particular order.

1. I’m thankful for snacks that keep me sane. As I mentioned in my last post, I started a healthy eating journey this year. In my head I wondered if at the end of it all I would be that girl that would order a kale salad for lunch BY CHOICE and ACTUALLY ENJOY IT. Turns out, that didn’t happen. But what I learned in sticking with the program is that the success for me was dependent on two things (1) making a meal on the weekend that I could eat for dinners during the week and (2) finding snacks that didn’t taste like sawdust. If you’re looking for a list then, well, you know me well. Here are a few of my favorite finds:
   • Strawberry Kashi Breakfast Bars. Low sugar, high in fiber, and they tastes DELICIOUS. Plus, I really needed something that I could stick in my purse to have on-hand when everyone is eating cake in the break room.
   • Ritz Toasted Chips + Special K Cracker Chips. For when you need a salty snack, but don’t want to eat a meal’s worth of calories. The hardest thing here is to stop eating them at the serving size. Trust me on this.
   • Halo Top Ice Cream. Lord bless the genius that came up with this stuff. I’m serious. It’s like a modern day manna from heaven. So far, my favorite flavors are Birthday Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Vanilla, and Mocha Chip.
   • Corn GoodThins. Actually, all the GoodThins are pretty great. But the corn ones taste like Fritos and come in handy when you need a tortilla chip substitute.
2. I’m thankful for kitchen tools that make me happy to be alive. Baking is the best. And this year, I discovered a handy little object that makes baking muffins and cupcakes a breeze. The Tovolo Cupcake Scoop came into my life as a $8.89 impulse purchase, but it’s more than earned its spot in my very crammed cooking tool drawer. How do I love it? Let me count the ways. First, it’s under $10. Second, it makes uniform cupcakes and muffins. Third, it renders my former nickname “Batter Hands” obsolete. Need I say more?
3. I’m thankful for podcasts. PODCASTS ARE EVERYTHING! PODCASTS FOR PRESIDENT! PODCASTS FOREVER! So, I discovered podcasts this year mostly because I learned that two guys were starting up a podcast called “The West Wing Weekly”. If there’s anything I love more than (or maybe just as much as) Gilmore Girls, it’s The West Wing. While I have to roll my eyes at the liberal hosts’ opinions on some things, it’s basically one of the most wonderful things that has ever happened to me. I catch myself full-on grinning while I listen and then I have to rub out my cheek muscles so they don’t cramp (#firstworldproblems). I also love the “What Should I Read Next” podcast where host has guests on that are looking for their next read and asks them to tell her (1) three books they loved (2) one book they hated (3) what they’re reading now and (4) what they want to be different in their reading life. Recently, thanks to a friend’s recommendation, I started listening to the “Pass the Mic” podcast which is giving me a new perspective on racial injustice in our culture…and in our churches. I like that podcasts can be a way to get more information, entertainment, or broaden the scope of my understanding with just a push of a button!
4. I’m thankful for Voxer. What is Voxer, you ask? I often describe it like this: if text message and voicemail had a baby, it would be Voxer. Basically, it’s like a long distance phone conversation with a friend that you don’t have to schedule. You send a recording of you talking about whatever to your friend and they can respond when they have the time. It’s been such a great way to keep in touch with some of my friends that don’t live near me…and when I was going through some serious processing earlier this year, these conversations really helped me think things through.
5. I’m thankful Lip Sync Battles. You guys, have you even SEEN the Melissa McCarthy/Jimmy Fallon lip sync battle? It’s absolutely in my top 5. The others, in case you’re wondering, would be #1: Anna Kendrick/John Krasinski; #2: Joseph Gordon Levitt/Stephen Merchant/Jimmy Fallon; #3: Emma Stone/Jimmy Fallon; and #4: Ellen DeGeneres/Jimmy Fallon.*
6. I’m thankful for hand lotion that keeps my hands from cracking right off the face of the planet. Living in Colorado is basically like living on the face of the sun. If you aren’t careful, your skin will be as rough as sandpaper in a handyman’s garage. I think everyone kind of has their go-to lotion to battle the dryness-to-end-all-dryness here, especially during the winter. Mine is L’Occitane 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream. Now, I’m not going to sugar coat this – the lotion is expensive. But I find that if I apply it to my hands every night before I go to bed, it keeps the little dryness gremlins at bay. And I really only have to purchase it once a year. In my mind? Quality over quantity, baby. (And yes, I just called you baby. Deal with it.)

If you’re just now coming to because you feel that I’m long-winded and should have gotten to the point sooner, here’s the bottom line: I’m thankful for #allthethings. For realz, people.

XO,

Amy

*I do not condone all the language in the music choices…just for the record. 

A Tale of Two Movies

This weekend, I saw two movies in the theater. Which is actually saying something  because I usually don’t even see ONE movie in the theater per weekend, so this double-feature was kind of unprecedented.

One was a tale seeped in history and dripping with potential for all sorts of Academy awards. And one was about vampires and werewolves.

What can I say? My interests are teasingly diverse.

(I’m racing the clock on this blog post, but that doesn’t seem to be new. My post on Saturday night went up to the minute. I guess I like adventure more than I thought I did, but don’t get me parachuting lessons for Christmas okay? Thanks.)

Anyway. Moving on to the first film: Lincoln. Directed by Steven Spielberg and boasting an impressive cast (Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, Joseph Gordon-Levitt…) this movie was a peek into our nation’s history. Although Lincoln was definitely a focal point on screen, the true star of the movie was the 13th Amendment. To pass or not to pass? Despite the fact that I knew the answer, living in the future and what-not, I still felt every “yea” vote and every “nay” vote even more. I assumed it’s passage was hotly debated and I’m sure some history teacher along the way told me all about it. But I was still surprised at how close the call was. And what methods had to be used in order to add that little piece of paper to our country’s governing statutes. Here are some other takeaways:

• In one of the very first battle scenes a solider–Union or Confederate, I couldn’t tell you–was drowning another man on the other side of the war by pressing his boot over his face and immersing him in the mud and water. In that moment, all the theory of how hard it would have been for brother to fight brother and friend to fight friend simply because of where the lines were drawn, came into sharp focus. I don’t know how in the world America survived.
• Tommy Lee Jones is old. And even though I applaud him for not getting plastic surgery, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t hard to look at. I feel like he could benefit from some eye cream.
• It’s truly amazing how far the Presidency has come throughout the years. I have no idea why Abraham Lincoln would have signed up for such a thankless job, but we can all be grateful he did. The people had much easier access to this president than we do to ours today. And the White House, while grand at the time I’m sure, did not show near the opulence that it has today. Plus, no Air Force One…
• All I could think while opposing sides made their points on the floor of the Capital, is that our past was their future. They had no idea what passing such an Amendment would bring (though they had their strong opinions), but if they hadn’t passed it I wonder what our nation would be like today? It’s sobering to think how much we take for granted and how much effect their decisions have on our present reality.

The second film, if you haven’t guessed by now, was Breaking Dawn: Part 2. Every time another Twilight movies comes out, I tell myself that I’m not going to see it in the theater. Honestly, liked I mentioned in one of my previous movie posts, I don’t think the movies do the books justice. And the cheesy special effects? Not cool, guys. Not cool. But somehow, I still have gone to every one…some more reluctantly than others. This one was better than most of them, but that didn’t stop the cringe-worthy moments. Such as:

• Bella climbing up the face of a cliff in a fitted, short blue dress and returning with only a small, symmetrical slit on one side.
• Creepy, creepy CGI baby Reneesme. Seriously, CREEP FACTOR 10!
• Ripping the vampires heads off to find that they are made of stone (?). Weird. And not realistic.
• Bella yelling at Jacob re: the whole imprinting fiasco.

Still, with Bella being made into a vampire, the considerable awkwardness she exudes faded and allowed me to actually like her. And I’m fairly certain I saw Edward smile. At least once, maybe more. Shock! I did like the ending (which I won’t spoil here), but I would have ended it before the actual end.

The only unifying part of these two movie experiences? Why Lee Pace, of course! Isn’t that hilarious? He did well in both films, though I would be his character’s friend in the Twilight flick, but probably not so much his character in Lincoln. So, I hope that’s as clear as mud.

Have you seen either movie? What did you think?