electric relaxation

Yesterday was my birthday. And as has been the case the last 11 years, it came at the end of my involvement with the Sundance Film Festival. You see, I work in Salt Lake the 10 days of the Festival checking in with the theater managers to make sure everything is running smoothly. It's usually fairly cushy...I make rounds and answer questions and get to catch a few films. This year however, we had new management teams at the busiest of Salt Lake theaters so everyday I found myself running from my regular job to that theater where I would work another 8 hours or so for 10 days straight. It was fun, but also completely exhausting.

So this year when Aaron or Tasha asked what I wanted to do for my birthday the answer was easy; I wanted to sit on my couch in sweatpants and eat pizza. No moving. The whole day. Nothing else. For good measure I fit in an hour of church and the first exercise I'd gotten to in a week, but other than that, it was sleep and treats and movies and family stopping by. Next year is the big 3-0...I'll put some real pants on for that one (maybe).




And of course all of you friends who didn't see me, I will still be accepting gifts throughout the rest of the week.

slow life

I've enjoyed the warmer weather and no snow in Salt Lake recently, but I also like the cozy of the cold the storm brought in this morning.

Today feels like a these songs kind of day.



Thanks for the mix Miaken.

i'm on fire

We had a small graduation party for Aaron on Saturday night. My brain only computes two party categories: Everyone I Know or like 6 people over for dinner, so with some self-restraint I managed to keep it small(ish) sized per his request.

Mid-week he decided on a nacho theme for the food and we ended up busting out all the stops. Aaron refried beans, found a great cheese recipe, and made pico to his liking. I did help with guacamole and some vegetable cutting, but in case it seems I made him do everything for his own party, remember guys, he's Mexican- he likes cooking while a white lady bosses him around!

Behold, the work (except the beans and cheese which were on the stove):

Behold, the payoff:

Also, when Morgan comes over he immediately wants to watch The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Usually that means everyone watches The Fantastic Mr. Fox in the living room, but this time since it was a party, we moved him to the computer in our room. I couldn't handle how adorable he looked perched on the chair, watching so intensely.

I know some people drink water or things not full of fake, but I don't know those people...I count party success in empty soda cans.

the list

For the past few weeks a friend at work and I have been working on our Top Ten Movies of 2010 lists. I've been holding out to see The King's Speech before I finalized mine and finally got to it on Friday night, with the bonus of watching another I'd wanted to see, Rabbit Hole, on Sunday evening. However, I totally forgot that the Golden Globes were also Sunday night, so now I just look like I jumped on the awards boat; but I assure you, I did not!

My Top Ten Movies of 2010, all of which could move up or down a notch or two because I have a hard time committing to set rankings and loved each of them a lot.

1 The Fighter – because Christian Bale but also sooo many other things
2 A Prophet – because I couldn’t stop thinking about it
3 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – because it is everything that is awesome about film making
4 Social Network – because I wanted it to keep going
5 Winter’s Bone – because people like that really exist
6 The Kings Speech - because it is both serious and hopeful
7 127 hours – because I felt like I was drinking that pee
8 Exit Through The Gift Shop – because really entertaining and funny
9 Inception – because it is like watching a painting
10 Somewhere – because it’s quiet and I like the way Sofia Coppola makes films

Honorable Mentions:
*True Grit – cus hello...I really wanted to really love it, but I only really liked it
*Black Swan – because totally compelling, but I think some of the sexy stuff was a little to gratuitous
*The Kids are Alright – cus they felt like a family and Annette Bening was awesome but I was really bugged by Julianne Moore
*Catfish – cus mystery! but I’d watched the Dateline before so I knew everything...oops.
*Easy A - cus it’s been a long time since a smart teenage girl has shown up a teenage movie and Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci were too adorable for words but the Lisa Kudrow storyline was lame
*The Town – cus ALMOST as good as Gone Baby Gone
*Babies – cus babies! but kind of boring
*Jack Goes Boating – cus swimming, but it moved really slowly
*All Good Things – Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst are AWESOME, but the second half feels like a different movie from the first half
*Rabbit Hole - cus great acting, but I didn't want to watch it again

Movies I wish I had seen/haven’t seen yet (but probably won’t until sometime around 2013):
Blue Valentine
Restrepo
Casino Jack
Never Let Me Go
Howl
 
Movies I wish I hadn’t seen:
I’m Still Here - cus I wanted to punch you in the face Joaquin Phoenix
Leap Year - cus you're better than that Amy Adams
When In Rome - cus too many things were too stupid

if you knew

Next weekend my very favorite of local event begins, The Sundance Film Festival. I love the opportunity to pack into a week all kind of international, experimental and low budget films that might never make their way to me otherwise (and of course to be smug the rest of the year as a lot of stuff gets released, "Oh I already saw that at Sundance.").

I particularly love that over the years, the Salt Lake screenings just keep getting better and better, making it easy and close to get to almost everything that shows up in Park City. I think Salt Lake locals should take advantage of the whole Festival but a really easy and FREE way to do that is to get yourself tickets for the Best of Fest screenings that will show at the Rose Wagner theater on Monday, January 31st.

Tickets will be available tomorrow at the box office in Trolley Square and again, they are free! The films chosen for those screenings are Festival category winners so they really are usually pretty great.

chasing cars

Aaron was fairly sick this weekend with what I think must have been some sort of flu. He was worse than I ever felt a few weeks ago when I was sick so I hope that marriage doesn't mean just trading back and forth various mutating diseases!


Because he was so laid up, we were pretty much at home from Friday evening up until this morning.

I usually drive myself crazy (and others I'm sure) feeling like I have to reach some level of productivity on the weekend. I work late during the week so it seems I always have a long list of 'Things To Get Done' on Friday on top of normal list things. On the flip side, weeks are so full and busy that when it comes to the weekend I often just want to relax and spend time with my husb.

Consequently, I end up feeling guilty about not doing this or doing too much of that or just generally feeling not efficient with my time. And of course, I assume I'm the only person on the planet who feels that way.

So when by this last Saturday evening I realized I had done a lot of nothing and more sleeping than usual, I started to get mad at myself for not finishing some organizing in the back room that haunts me, or dropping off a few last Christmas gifts or sending a package I've been meaning to send for 3 weeks or doing this thing or that thing, or ALL THE STUFF TO DO FOREVER.

But in a very uncharacteristic move, in the middle of my self-loathing, I told my brain to shut up. I spend most of the weekend taking care of Aaron- fixing food, washing blankets and clothes as soon as he moved or changed, running to the store for orange juice and so on. And it felt nice to be able to do those things. In the next few years Aaron and I will hopefully be adding a few little humans to our family and I'm not sure how often we'll have chances to watch a whole season of 30 Rock in one sitting (the fourth season...man I forgot all about Salma Hayek!), so I love that we can now.

Plus I did things not necessarily on my list, but that were still valuable...I spent some solid time with a new knitting project, I went to baby sister Elizabeth's first art show, and I planned out the year with my Activity Days girls. We saw Kristen and Logan for a gift exchange since we'd all spent the holidays out of town and I spent the rest of the day moving the trophy vase Kristen surprised me with all over the living room, trying to find it a home where I could stare at it as lovingly as I've stared at it on the internet for a year.





In all of it, I was reminded how much I love my home and my husband and the people in my life. So either I learned a nice lesson or I have become the World's Best Justifier...but I'll take either.

make it up

In part because we had a lot of volume in gift-giving this last Christmas (I work in an office of 15 people and everyone gets everyone gifts every year), and in part because we were trying to be smart with our spending, Aaron and I turned to making some of our gifts.

I decided that since there are only 6 nieces and nephews I could knit beanies and I'm surprised I actually did it (cus poor time manager). Oldest cousins Morgan and Garrett got red beanies and Wyatt got blue so the brothers would be opposite.

Morgan looking cute

I went with the same design and colors for Anna, Luke, and Livie except that the girls got pink.

Livie looking cute.

For some friends, family and co-workers we did an extension of the reusable produce bags we made in Feburary for Kristina's wedding. Aaron and I measured the size of the little plastic bags you get at the grocery store and made our drawstring muslin bags that same size.

Aaron picked a font, made a stencil (with Christopher's help) and we spray painted the bags with the word FRESH.

I made tags and we filled some with oranges and rolled up the rest.


For my little primary class kids, I bought IKEA clip frames and scrapbook paper and framed cards from Persimmon & Pink for them.

And for neighbors and some church peeps we made a crapton of my mom's delicious caramel corn. I did have to throw away the 'merry christmas!' tags I made and redid them as happy new year tags since we were behind on running those around (cus poor time managers).

Though we still have straggler bags to get out, I think it was an overall Christmas success (even as poor time managers)!

planet new year

I guess it's time to post New Year resolutions? Here are mine in no particular order:

1. Watch TV
2. Eat food - sometimes healthy, sometimes not
3. Hang out with my husband
4. Read my scriptures


(Confession: I will probably accomplish all but the scripture one.)