Spill it Sunday: Feeling Trendy

We’re getting personal around here today… very personal. Arman offered the chance to chat about trends (unfortunate or otherwise) that I’ve chosen to jump in on over the years. At first I thought this was going to be hard since I was the exact opposite of trendy growing up. I could have cared less for the spice girls, didn’t have an opinion on BSB vs NSYNC, and didn’t feel the need for glitter covered clothes from Limited Too (can you tell I was a 90’s kid?). 

I think I broke my mothers heart when it started to be clear that I was not going to be a total girly girl. My first and last “girly” trend growing up was my American Girl Dolls.  I had a bitty baby first, then as I grew up I had Molly and Kit. I loved having dolls that looked like real girls, that came with books full of adventures and awesome clothes and accessories. 

 

And having these dolls saved me from having to dress my baby brother up to play tea party (I tried so hard to find pictures of this because it’s adorable… no luck yet). Looking back it was one of the few times I was into something “girly” growing up and I think my mom loved me more for it. I’ve been a total bookworm since I was little, so having dolls with books made them more interesting to me, and in turn gave me something I could connect with with my friends. 

And it’s a good thing I gave my mom those early years of girliness because by middle school I had settled into full on nerd girl. It takes a special kind of 7th grade girl to get excited over a book on CGI animation autographed by Andy Serkis (the guy who plays Gollum in Lord of the Rings). 

But then again it takes a special kind of 7th grade girl to be given the class superlative “Miss Lord of the Rings” and be happy with it… My dad started me on good books when I was young and I have never looked back. 

I guess you could call the biggest trend of my life being a Fan Girl. I started with books and TV. While most kids were dropping into the world of AIM and Myspace I discovered the world of online fanfiction and that’s when things really went downhill. 

Over the years they started making some of my favorite books into movies, which just added a whole new layer (I’ve mentioned my obsessive personality right? This was the age where it was out of control). Over the past few year’s I’ve been a part of the following fandoms:The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice, Star Wars, Hunger Games, Divergent, Bones, Alias, Doctor Who and most recently Sherlock (damn my brother and his addiction to BBC). 

Some people might consider this a problem, others (like the BF) affectionately call be a dork and let it be. In my mind nothing bad could possibly come from having a rich imagination, which I was I keep falling in love with fictional characters and letting the magic of their worlds sweep me off my feet. 

And since it wouldn’t be fair to share only good trends…. Welcome to freshman year of college, where under the influence of one very sweet friend I became proficient in the the art of the duck face. 

Thank goodness I grew out of this one!

What’s the trend you’re proudest of following? Anyone else have any really bad duck face pictures? 

Spill it Sunday: Holiday Selfies

Hey Guys! I’m taking a quick moment from my Christmas with the BF to check in with you all and share in some Holiday cheer. This weeks Spill it Sunday had a holiday theme, which made it impossible for me to resist. 

I also had a hard time resisting the urge to deck the logo… sorry Arman!

 What is a traditional/cultural event you and your family/friends celebrate? 

Well if my logo decorating didn’t make it completely obvious, my family and I celebrate Christmas. We used to go to church and embrace the religious aspect, but nowadays our focus is family (though if you’ve never been to a midnight mass I recommend it for the sheer beauty, regardless of your faith). 

 Do you have any traditions which you partake in on a consistent basis?

The most recent traditions I’ve adopted have actually been with the BF. For the past few years in lieu of presents we’ve booked a hotel and gone down into the city to enjoy the windows, the skating, and the Christkindlemarket. 

Last year we also started a new tradition of baking cookies to share with our friends and families. This was actually our holiday baking weekend, so expect a recap in tomorrow’s WIR. 

We cookie-fied ourselves last year. 

What is something special you and your family/friends do?

In my house my dad has always made breakfast Christmas morning. Always. Growing up it was usually french toast with strawberries, bacon, and hot chocolate.  As we’ve grown (and the need for GF breakfast has developed) we’ve switched to potatoes and eggs. Regardless we always use our Christmas plates and sit down together after opening presents. 

Speaking of presents my brother and I have recently started spoiling our parents a little more and stuffing them stockings along with getting them presents. It’s always little things, but it feels nice to show them that little bit of extra appreciation. 

What does a typical day during this period involve?

We’ve always split the holiday between families so we do a lot of running around. Christmas eve belongs to my dad’s family and all his siblings take turns hosting. These holiday’s usually involve grab-bags, alcohol, charades, and visits from our family in Kentucky. It’s our turn to host this year (gotta show off that new house) and I think we’re bringing some of the games from Christmas day to liven things up!

(oldie but goodie of me and my favorite cousin on that side)

Christmas day my family takes the time in the morning to open and enjoy our gifts to each other and our holiday breakfast. Then we clean everything back up (trust me, that’s NOT my tradition) and relax before heading to my grandparents for the afternoon. Here we do a grab-bag with the cousins, enjoy the big traditional Christmas dinner, and play any crazy assortment of games that usually result in extra presents for the winner 🙂 

 It’s the one time a year we’re guaranteed to see my littlest cousins from Seattle, so we all try to have a big sleepover that night. Then it’s Paul-kizzles (which are really just pancakes) for breakfast the next morning before we all split back to our day-to-day lives. 

Oh and just in case you were wondering… only 3 more days ’till Christmas!

Selfie Sunday

What? A post on a Sunday…who am I? In my defense I wrote this up before the weekend started (love you all but not enough to cut into my BF time). I just couldn’t resist the first week of the awesomely titled link up at Arman’s. I get to talk about myself and I get an excuse to take some selfies? That’s a link up I can get behind! 

What is your cultural background?

I’m a european mix (including polish, dutch, german, and some other small percentages). Basically this means I rock totally awesome pale porcelain skin year round and that my dad’s family likes drinks… and pierogi. 

What was your most memorable birthday and why?

I could be mean and say 13 where my parents said I could get a cat and then backed out AFTER we had gone to play with/pick one out at the shelter (love you mom!). Or that one in college that fell on Friday the 13th and I had to sit through a 2 hour calc exam. Looking back I’ve had some pretty interesting birthday’s. 

(this one wasn’t even mine but how cool is that pinata?) 

What is your #1 thing you want to accomplish in your lifetime?

I don’t know if I’ve settled on one thing yet… I want to write a book. And raise a family. And have a garden. And love my job (where I hope to make a difference). I guess for now I could say I want to accomplish living my life. I want to be able to look back at the end and say that was awesome. 

(deep stuff, right?) 

What is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?

Besides tequila shots? I kid, I kid 🙂  At this point I’m going to go with trying to convince my parents to take me to audition for a role in Annie when I was little. I loved musicals, I knew all the words, and I thought my acting was fabulous. I know now that this was a very smart move on my parents part because I cannot carry a tune in a bucket. 

Who was your childhood hero?

I guess I would have to say an author, or a hero/heroine from one of my favorite books for this one. I was a pretty nerdy child and I hate to say I didn’t know much about people outside of my family and the books I read. Let’s go J.K. Rowling for real person and Samwise Gamgee for fictional character (yeah I read the LoTr books in 5-6th grade, blame my dad for that one). J.K. Rowling made a pretty nice living for herself doing something she clearly loves which is something I’m aspiring to right now. And Samwise Gamgee is literally the epic best friend, the kind of person I both strive to be and am lucky to have found in my life. 

(You can’t see my face, but I’m the nerd in the chair!)

Wow, was that deep enough for you on a Sunday? Hopefully the shameless selfies helped  to lighten things a bit. 

I told you mine now tell me yours, whats the stupidest thing YOU’VE ever done? I’m dying to know 🙂