Do What Makes You Happy

So a lot of things have been going on. I'm looking to buy a house and my parents are separated. I'm excited about buying/decorating a new abode, and yet I'm feeling selfish for feeling happy when my parents are not. I guess though, being separated has made them happier. Sometimes people just grow apart. Which is fine, you just never think it's going to be your parents. Especially when I'm 28 and they've been together almost 30 years. It's just weird. But, I'm trying to be positive because I can't let them bring me down. Yes, it definitely affects me, but it's for the better. So I'm going to keep looking for a house and I'm going to get excited about it. The only thing worse than being upset about things you can't change is making them feel like it's your fault that you're upset.

So today I'm happy. Being positive is a good thing. Things happen for a reason. I firmly believe in that. So what is making me happy?

This video for starters. Emma Stone is absolutely amazing and hilarious. I think Emma Stone should battle against Paul Rudd. Now that would be EPIC.

Watching HGTV. Looking at houses has made me OBSESSED with House Hunters and Property Brothers and everything else that comes on. I could watch it for hours. I'm getting so many ideas - I also get a lot of ideas from Pinterest. I've come to the conclusion that people who have an infinite budget are annoying. They complain about anything and everything. I would seriously just be happy to have that kind of budget to work with, plus renovate if necessary. But then again, if I had the money maybe I would be a snob too - hopefully not though. Fingers crossed I become rich but don't become a snob. When you wish upon a star ... ;)

I got to see my nieces last week. They are absolutely precious. I don't get to see them often because I moved, but just hearing a little 4-year-old voice calling "Titi Veronica" and asking you a million questions puts a smile on my face. The littlest is only a month old, so she can't talk yet, but with each visit she'll remember and know me and I know my friends will keep me posted with pictures and everything of their daily lives. That's a great thing about friends who are like your sisters. Even though we're far a part, we're still very close. Thanks technology!

I'm also on a Frozen kick and I always have "Let it Go" in my head. I also have the song "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" in my head - which is actually a depressing song when you think about it. Poor Anna just wants to play and Elsa hides in her room for YEARS! Literally, years! They don't even know each other. Elsa obviously does it to protect Anna from her powers, but still. SAD! But what's funny, is this video of marines singing to "Let it Go." WATCH IT!! It cracks me up! They get so excited at the end, when Elsa lets down her hair. 

And lastly... because this is a happy post. Let's end with something upbeat. Because I'm happy and you should be too! :)

Just Purchased ...

Just purchased these two shirts from teefury.com. Both shirts are designed by Karen Hallion.

"Adventure Awaits"
Belle and the Doctor :)

"Come Away With Me"

Cinderella and the Doctor

I absolutely love her designs and have 2 shirts already by her - these new ones will make 4. These are my previous purchases of her shirts:

"Witch in the Fireplace"
Hermione Granger and the Doctor

"Meet the Missus Tea"

The worm from The Labyrinth

As you can see, I am a nerd. I love the movie The Labyrinth with David Bowie and Jennifer Connolly. It's one of my favorite movies, after Grease of course. And I'm on a Doctor Who kick at the moment. Been watching it on Netflix. I started watching it a few seasons back, with Matt Smith as the Doctor, but then I stopped. But my friend is obsessed with it now so I figured I would restart and start from the beginning - the beginning of the newest doctors not the old doctors from the 60s. I'm also a huge Disney fan! She has other shirts with the doctor and Disney characters - Elsa and Anna, Merida, Snow White and more. Anyways, enough of my nerddom. Time for bed. Can't wait to receive these shirts in the mail. :)

Looking Forward To ...

A mini vacation back home to good ole Massachusetts - I'm just really hoping it's not going to be snowing. I'm already used to the Florida weather that I may just curl up into a ball and cry if it snows when I'm visiting family and friends. Alright, I probably won't be that dramatic, but it is April and though I know it's New England, my poor New Englanders have had enough of the cold. Bring on the sunshine!! Hopefully it will follow me north.

I have plenty to do when I visit and hardly enough time. I need to see the newest addition of my friend-family, baby Violet. I still can't believe that my best friend of almost 20 years is a mother! I also need to go dress shopping/fitting for two different weddings. The first wedding is in September (another trip to MA :) ) and the second is June 2015. I'm excited to see two of my best friends get married and thankful that they chose me to be a part of their special days. It really means the world to me. I'm not really planning much for the first one, though I try my best to put my two sense in from miles away. But the second one I've been helping plan from the get go (I was there for the first date and engagement so it only makes sense). You may think that I use the term best friend a lot, but I have about a handful friends and they are all my besties. Alley I've only known for a couple years, and yet we are so in sync it's uncanny. I feel like I've known her forever. And then my girlfriends, two of which I've known since grade school (one just had a baby and the other is her sister), and the other three have grown close since we've grown older and more mature, but we've known each other for about 10 years or so - going back to working at camp. Just reminiscing about camp and summer and clubbing puts a smile to my face. A lot of memories. And there wasn't Facebook proof back then, but there are plenty of pictures stacked up in a box somewhere to be put into a scrapbook somewhere along the line - I know I'll get to it eventually - the life of an organized procrastinator.

Anywho, next week is much needed. Though I have made a few good friends down here in sunny Florida, it's always good to go home and catch up. I like Facetime and all, but you really can't hug through a phone. Also, you can't devour the best seafood and Portuguese food through a phone either. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Fried Clams. Clam boil. Portuguese Steak. Massa. Malasadas. Yum Yum Yum. Get in my belly. Seriously I can't wait. I also want to try and see a Sox/Yankee game. I'm definitely going to try and make time.

On a lighter note, I've been living in Florida for a year. I moved at the end of March 2013. I was in Florida when the Boston Marathon Bombing occurred. When it happened I felt so helpless. I had just moved. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't hug my family and tell them it was going to be okay. I had to do it through the phone. Luckily, none of my family or friends were injured, but many were. My heart goes out to them. The survivors give me hope because they have persevered, have not backed down, and kept on fighting. The people of Boston have done the same. Boston Strong is the outcry. We will not back down. It felt to me, like 9/11. Americans stood united then, and they stand united now.

A video made by Dear World showcases a letter made by some of the survivors. There is also a picture project of the victims returning to the finish line. It's absolutely beautiful and they give me hope. They have persevered. Continued to fight. Continued to wake up every morning and live. They are amazing.

Here's the video:

And the link to the photo project:  http://projects.dearworld.me/boston-marathon

"Instead of letting tragedy break us. We made a simple choice. To keep running."

Boston Strong <3

Favorite of the Week

Over the weekend I came across some HILARIOUS youtube videos from Jimmy Fallon. I don't get to watch his show because of my day job and my bedtime being 930 p.m. so I catch up on youtube and he rarely disappoints. These are my favorite videos this week, they may be old but they make me happy, especially the one with Idina Menzel singing "Let it Go!" Sheer awesomeness! Also, pretty sure Paul Rudd is my new man crush <3. For serious! ENJOY! :)

Wedding Planning

First, let me say that I am not getting married. But...one of my best and closest friends is!!! I was there when they first met and when they got engaged - they first met at a bar and I introduced them and they got engaged in Hogsmeade at Universal Studios - we are both HUGE Harry Potter fans and we were there for the Celebration of Harry Potter that they had at the end of January. We met (well we actually saw them a few feet away) Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Fred and George Weasley and Seamus Finnegan. We were rather excited. But what made it even better was that he proposed to her in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - her dream come true. I am one of her bridesmaids and have been helping her plan her wedding for next June 2015. She has some great ideas - blending her geekside to her chicside :).


She wants to incorporate all of her favorite fandoms into her wedding. I told her that there is a way to do it that will look cute, as long as it's done right. And thanks to Pinterest, I think I found it!
 These are some of the ideas that I found:





Famous couples names instead of table numbers:
The Doctor and Rose
Ron and Hermione Weasley
Belle and the Beast
Han Solo and Princess Leia
Mickey and Minney
...and whatever other couple she wants

Using characters/mini figurines inside a lantern with flowers as the centerpiece.














A sign that says "Pick a seat not a side as many worlds become one." Similar to ones that say "Pick a seat not a side as two families join together."

These are just a few ideas that I've come up with, and I think it's going to turn out awesome! Her wedding isn't for another year so we still have plenty of time to prepare. :)

Crochet Baby Booties

My best friend just had a baby girl and so for the shower I went crazy with crocheting little things. :) One of the things I wanted to make was booties but none of the online patterns were free. But then I found this really cute yellow yarn and on the back of the wrapper was a pattern for "baby shower booties." I followed this pattern to a T and got the cutest baby booties in about an hour or so!
The yarn is Bernat Baby Coordinates in lemon custard - I didn't use the yarn for the booties but actually for the flower on the headband. Here is the pattern:

SIZE: to fit baby size 3-6 months




MATERIALS: 1 ball of any type yarn
Size 4 mm (U.S. G/6) crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge


GAUGE: 16 hdc and 11 rows = 10 cm


ABBREVIATIONS:
ch = chain
hdc = half double crochet
rs =  right side
sl st = slip stitch


INSTRUCTIONS:
Note: Turning ch 2 does not count as hdc
Ch 29
1st row: (RS) 1 hdc in 3rd ch from hook. 1 hdc in each ch across. 27 hdc. Turn.
2nd - 5th rows: ch 2. 1 hdc in each hdc across. Turn.
6th row: Sl st in each of first 6 hdc. Ch 2. 1 hdc in same st as last sl st. 1 hdc in each of next 16 hdc. Turn. Leave remaining 5 hdc unworked.
7th - 11th rows: Ch 2. 1 hdc in each hdc across. Turn. 17 hdc.
Place marker at each end of 9th row.
Do not turn at end of 11th row.
12th row: Ch 1. Working from left to right, instead of right to left, work 1 revers sc in each hdc across. Fasten off.
Finishing: Fold bootie in half with RS facing each other. Join yarn with sl st at marked row and work 1 row of sc through both thicknesses to join seam down remainder of cuff, around toe and across bottom of foot. Fasten off. Turn bootie right side out. Fold down cuff.


I didn't make a tie but you can to go around the bootie around the cuff.
Tie: Make a chain 12" (30.5 cm) long. Weave through 7th row of cuff.


Other items that I made for the baby was a bunny hat and a headband with a flower attached. I'm going to make more things and will post as I make them :) I'll also try to post the pattern or links to patterns that I used. Happy crocheting :)

Dreaming

I love the way you feel, cuddled up next to me. All warm and toasty under cotton sheets. Your fingers entwine in mine as we ponder the next step. We've been friends for over five years. Friendship that turned into a crush for me from the very beginning, it took you a little longer. I gave you a million nudges but you finally took the bait. After years of waiting, frustration, determination, we finally explored new territory.


All my wildest fantasies disappeared in that one first kiss. It came so suddenly and unexpected that I almost pushed you away, until I realized what was happening. You waited for the perfect moment, when I was so distracted by my surroundings that when you came up beside me and gave me a kiss on the cheek I was shell-shocked. I looked to you as you stood there with a smirk and I asked you "what was that?" like I didn't already know. You had finally made the first move.


I firmly believe that a girl has a right to make the first move, but I was always too shy or scared to do that. Instead I await patiently for a kiss that may never come. But it did this time. My patience won out and I finally got the green light for what was to come.


We had been talking about the possibility of an "us" for months via text messages in late night conversations. But I never actually thought there would be an "us." I just thought it was me reading too far into things. I had taught myself not to get my hopes up because it only leads to heartbreak. So my expectations of our hangout was not to end up in bed. But I was pleasantly surprised that it did.


Now we lay together in post-coital bliss, all I can think about is the next step and where do we go from here. Maybe this is one big dream that I'm in and one day I'm going to wake up and we'll be back in our non-committal/flirtatious/endless friendship. I want more. I want this. I want us.