Sunday, May 31, 2009

Mouse-Mallow

I spent Friday at Disneyland with some old/new friends {friends I have known for a while, but we haven't hung out in a while}...

It had been almost three years since I had been to Disneyland so I was excited for some rides...but mostly anxious for a corn dog and one of these:Have you ever had one of these?
It's a Mickey Mouse-shaped Rice Krispy Treat...and, I'll tell you what, they are so, so tasty!

I like Disneyland {more in theory than in reality}, but I would marry these Mickey treats.

Note: The necklace I'm wearing in this picture sure looks like
a piece from the Mr. T starter set...

Saturday, May 30, 2009

You Gotta Dance Right Up To It...

I just found Alanna's photos from Katie's bachelorette weekend. I went searching because I wanted to find this first picture...

Here's the backseat of my car on the way to San Diego. I like to call it an "Alanna Shanwich"...get it? Katie and Courtney Shannon...Alanna in-between...Here we are in the cave. It might have been my favorite part of the weekend {considering Katie's bird attack}. I'd definitely make the drive down to Cavesville again.
All of us on the stairs.
Here's me mid-twitter...I was writing "Looks like we got company in the form of cave creatures!" A joke that I definitely killed during our cave-trek, but it was stuck in my head...and how can you hate The Hip-Hop Kids?
This will be my last post about that weekend, promise...

Blood Diamond

Have you seen this movie? Wow, is it good.

I had avoided seeing it, because I assumed that Leo's accent would be terrible...
But, upon recommendation from a few friends {and an agreement to watch it, sealed with a hand-shake}, I watched it this afternoon.

I do owe Leo an apology: his accent is actually pretty good.
And, Jennifer Connelly...Djimon Hounsou...you are fantastic!

I cried through most of it...and for about ten minutes after.
The last line is: "There are still 200,000 child soldiers in Africa"...how can you leave with that fact and not be a little shaken?

See it. Today.
Seriously.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

here's to happiness {by amanda}

I love my friend Amanda. Well, I love the Maguires as a family-unit...I spend two nights a week at their house playing in the alley, eating cookies, and laughing a lot...

amanda's list of 10 things that make her terribly happy…
  1. the smell of Molly’s hair.
  2. getting into my new cozy, comfy bed.
  3. crunching dry leaves on the sidewalk.
  4. my first cup of coffee in the morning.
  5. Scotty smiling.
  6. Dylan singing a made up song.
  7. Molly pretending to talk on the phone.
  8. smelling sweet flowers.
  9. the sound of a bi-plane flying in the sky.
  10. running alone.
{photo from Scotty's birth}

I Keep My Promises

Here is the picture of Katie almost being attacked by the pigeon...
In the cave.
During her bachelorette weekend.
Read about it here.

Just My Type.

I love typography.

I've been scanning design blogs for the last week or so...especially this morning...as we prepare to discuss designs for PDYM and SLC 2010. {2010. Crazy.}

I find myself drawn to typography over and over again. I just want to stare at it.

I know it takes a lot of skill and creativity to paint a portrait, but, in my head, there is so much more creativity involved in some of these pieces.




I think I'd like to marry a typographer. {That's a career, right?}

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

No, Thank You

Wow. As much as I like beards...
You Know How I Love Beards

I'm just really not into the winners of:
The World Beard and Moustache Championships
David Traver: Overall and Freestyle Beard ChampTop three: Geribaldi Competition

Don't get me wrong, I'm in full support of this competition's existence...
I just don't want to think about how much food or grease is caught in that facial hair...
And the acne it would cause me if I were to kiss them on the mouth...

Thank you, Tony, for thinking of me and sending this link.

Note: the above links are each to a different beard-based post.

Mayim Bialik

I'd love to live in a walking city that had these trees everywhere.
It's a shame they don't grow indoors, in pots...then I could settle for living in a driving city and walking around my home a lot.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Ladies Love Troy.

This afternoon, I was very excited to ride in a car with Troy Aikman.

Not THIS Troy: This Troy:
Katie snuggled in real close:
Troy is the newest member of the St. Hilaire family.
I am proud to say that I was the liaison for the adoption, since he is simply majestic.

In case you are wondering, he is belted in to the backseat where he is upholding justice, freedom and safety. Oh, and I bought him at Home Goods.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents...

Tonight's choice on the AFI List...Number 48: Rear Window.I actually bought the movie, since I'd heard such rave reviews.
I have to say, Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly...wow, what a handsome couple. {Though I was really hoping he'd say, "Zuzu's petals! Zuzu's petals!" or "Clarence!"}

For a movie made in 1954, I was amazed how sufficiently captivating it was...
I would say Disturbia {which I also kinda love, and not just for Shia} took some big clues from Hitchcock...and rightly so, that guy really knew what he was doing. So far, I have loved each {of the two} Hitchcock movies I've watched.
If you haven't seen it, check it out...definitely worth your time.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Heinz 57

Since I posted on Saturday afternoon, I've been slightly pre-occupied:

Babysitting the Jeff-less Maguires...
Checking out two more potential houses...
Listening to Brad Baker teach at Fuel {he was really great!}...
Eating Olamendi's with my dad...
Watching 3 Tivoed Saturday Night Live episodes, A Good Year, Slumdog Millionaire, Enchanted and the Gilmore Girls season 3 finale...oh, and some Seinfeld and How I Met Your Mother...

I have some better things to write about, but don't seem to have the mental capacity to do so in this moment...

So, be ready, I guess.
You know what they say, "Good things come..."

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Oh Katie She's Really Keen

This weekend was Katie's bachelorette party...
Seven of us drove down to San Diego to celebrate her ebbing singleness.

We stopped in La Jolla to shop and the Cave Store and climb down the 145 steps to the bottom of the cave. {I really can't wait to get pictures from Alanna's camera since she captured the look on Katie's face when she thought she was being attacked by a pigeon.}
From the cave store, we saw some seals at the Children's Pool...and then grabbed a Starbucks {successfully spotting a heavy-set Jason Petty look-alike in the process}

Our hotel was once an old bank. The once-vault is now the conference room lined with out-of-commission safety deposit boxes.
These beautiful telephone booths match the feel of the rest of the hotel.
Dinner was included in the price of our admission to the Padre-Cubs game.
I think the final score was 2-0 in favor of the Padres, but I could be wrong. I didn't watch much of the game, but I laughed a lot with Ryanne and ate tasty food, so that's something.

We sat through 9 innings and were rewarded with fireworks. There is something magical about fireworks; classic music {this time, sweet 80s hits}, combined with the explosions always awakens a childlike excitement in me.
We spent the rest of the night {and most of the morning} hanging in the hotel...
Finishing off the trip with a brunch at Nordstrom Cafe and a speedy drive home.
Ryanne made a killer playlist that, perfectly, ended with "Benny and the Jets", Katie's favorite.

I know the weekend is only beginning, but I am already exhausted.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Dear Hova,

I feel like I can call you that, after all the time we've spent together in the recent days.
Just wanted to say that I really like you. Your music is not something I could listen to with my mother or a small child in the car, but you are music I enjoy in solitude.
I've carried your CD from office to car and back in to the office.
I missed you in the time in-between.

If things don't work out with Beyonce, give me a call.
Allison

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

A Little Nonsense, Now and Then, Is Relished By The Wisest Man

I love reading.
I love it.

I love the creativity behind language...you can create anything...imagine anything...
And the reader is able to imagine those pictures, those animals, those story-lines...
I love the freedom that comes with reading, my character can look or sound very different from that very same character in your head...and neither of us is wrong!

One of my favourite {the extra 'u' feels necessary} authors is Roald Dahl.
As a kid, I read quite a few of his books.
As an adult, I've purchased quite a few more.
For Christmas, one year, {maybe when I was 24}, my dad gave me a beautiful Roald Dahl Collection. And I just ordered the recipe books...so you can come visit for "The Royal Breakfast for Growing Giants" or "Pickled Spines of Porcupines"...
A few years ago, I found out about this place: the Roald Dahl Museum.
I have tried to coax at least a half-dozen people to visit with me {even offering to pay their fare}, to no avail...

Someday...I'll make it there...
Check out the Roald Dahl website.

{illustrations by Quentin Blake...available on canvas HERE, in case you are looking to purchase something lovely for my future home}

Big Kid Jump

Tonight, while the kids took a bath, the grown-ups had a chance to jump on the "trampoline"...Dang...it's a lot of work, but also a lot of fun!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Tonight, I'm Cleaning Out My Camera

I spent most of my day in bed with a crazy headache...and now I'm trying to get through emails and posts before I go back to sleep...

I'm trying to make it a point to post everyday...and, since my day was so uneventful, I thought I'd post these pictures that have been on my desktop for a while.

Leighton's little chocolate beard {a true flavor savor}Molly Mae...she was really surprised when she saw Jordan in the background
How beautiful is this little boy? And his tiny voice is just the best...I wish I had a recording of it...
I'm not totally sure I want to have children of my own, but I really do love spending time with my friend's kids!

Monday, May 18, 2009

You're Beautiful As You Feel...

Last night, after the earthquake, Ryanne and Zack were singing "I Feel The Earth Move" and neither knew any words past those...I said, "Oh, I love Carole King. Tapestry is my favorite!" I was laughed at. Then, again, this afternoon, she was mentioned again {okay, I mentioned her}.

I'd take a moment to encourage you to buy this album.

Carole King is an amazing singer song-writer...Just take a look at her resume:

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" (The Shirelles)
"Take Good Care Of My Baby" (Bobby Vee)
"Up On the Roof" (The Drifters)
"The Loco-Motion" (Little Eva)
"One Fine Day" (The Chiffons)
"Go Away Little Girl" (Steve Lawrence)
"Don’t Bring Me Down" (The Animals)
"I’m Into Something Good" (Herman’s Hermits)
"Pleasant Valley Sunday" (The Monkees)
and "(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman" (Aretha Franklin)

If you are looking for a new album...a new music adventure. Buy this.

Alley Trash-poline...

Tonight was spaghetti dinner at the Maguires which is always delicious and, of course, fun...

But there was a very special edition: Jeff and Amanda bought a new mattress today, so the neighbor, Zane, suggested the old mattress be converted in to a trampoline.

4 teenagers and 2 kids on a mattress in the alley...it would be tacky if it weren't so awesome.
Look at Dylan's sweet smile...
Molly would only jump alone...or holding hands with Peter...I preferred with she jumped alone since she would do the "splits" in the air...
Amanda providing the lighting
The entire scene
Just the best night ever...

Brando and Bando...

This afternoon, after singing at Mariners Beachside, I had a tasty lunch at Latte Da, had my car washed, cleaned my entire room, made a second Kenya picture collage...and watched "A Streetcar Named Desire"...That Blanche...she sure is nutso cabana.But Marlon...wow...so handsome.
He's so cute as a young man.
The plan was to watch "Rear Window" too (2 in one day would be a huge step forward), but instead I went to the Witts. The 5 of us (Phil, Zack, Jonathan, Ryanne and I) had Chipotle (with a side of earthquake) and then played a really fun game of Bando.

Jonathan really balked my idea of stacking...he really thought I had made a poor decision with the two cylinders and the sphere. I showed him.
Zack's beginning structure
Seriously...this game is fun.
Jonathan's tower
Ryanne's start

Phil's won for height, though his was the first to topple.
Ryanne is concerned with Zack's placement...
As was everyone else with my architectural skills.
Jonathan is a concentrated Bando player
Note the chalice and egg in Phil's mouse trap

Watching the next move...
Ryanne...
This is how long the one move took
Anytime.

I wish this picture weren't blurry since the faces are so priceless
Yikes, right?

Mine was the next to fall...and then Jonathan


Three or four more pieces and then Zack's fell...so Ryanne is the winner.
And finish the night with an episode of Gilmore Girls...an excellent Sunday.