We Love The...

 

Soooo...last night my sister and I went to a Backstreet Boys concert!  O.M.G.  It. Was. SO TOTALLY AWESOME!!! 

I was 10 years old when I first discovered the Backstreet Boys, and I can not believe it's been NEARLY 20 years!!!  Man I feel old!  I never got to see them in concert in those days, so I was super stoked when I found out they were having another tour.  I was even more stoked when I found out Matthew bought two tickets for my sister for her birthday.  I've been excited about it all month long, and it was so worth the wait.  You guys....I'm being completely serious right now...it was really awesome!!!  Here are a couple of clips (sorry for the shaky parts):




Oh how I miss the day of studying and memorizing those dances...especially this one!  Haha!

I think my favorite part of the second video is that about halfway through, you notice they guy dancing in front of us.  He was getting his dance on all throughout the concert.  I didn't do much dancing (I'm so damn shy in public!), but I did do plenty of screaming to make up for the lost opportunity of my youth.  I knew I would enjoy the show, but I didn't think I was going to come out of it as impressed as I was.  They did a really great job!  If you loved them when you were younger and you get the opportunity to see them now-DO IT!!!  It was a blast!

 

Were you into boybands when you were younger?  Did you have a favorite?

Summer Wishlist // 3

Can you believe summer is almost officially over?!?  School started up in most places this week, and Fall is right around the corner!  If I could put together an early/late summer outfit based on some of my favorite cool fun summer colors, it would be this:

1. Southwest Fest Dress from Modcloth
2. Trio and Try Again Rings from Modcloth
3. Real Go-Glitter Flats from Modcloth

The pattern on this dress is so fun and festive and I would love to wear this to an outdoor concert along with a pretty charm necklace and gold studded tie bracelets!  Speaking of concerts, I get to live one of my pre-teen dreams and go to a Backstreet Boys concert this Friday!  My sisters birthday was earlier this month and Matthew bought her two tickets because he knows we were both big into them when we were in school hahaha!  I may not be obsessed with them the way I was then (did anyone else have their walls COMPLETELY covered with these guys?), but it's going to be a lot of fun anyways :)  

Did you go through the boy band phase?

A Weekend Back Home

Over the weekend, I went for a visit to see my family back home and thought I'd share some outdoor photos I took while I was there!  I miss being in the country SO much!  Relaxing and catching up on a bit of reading on the bench swing outside at my moms was so nice!  I love the sounds of nature when traffic and city sounds are far away and can't be heard.  I think that might be what I miss most.

 

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here before, but I collect Cicada shells!  I like to keep them in a little glass Mott's apple juice jar that I keep on my bookshelf.  While I was visiting I was able to find 26 of them to add to my collection!  I seriously felt like a little kid hunting Easter eggs :)  It was great! 

 

While waiting for the 6th installment of the Chelsea Cain series I was reading (which I have become SO obsessed with by the way), I picked up Faceless Killers by Henning  Mankell.  It's book #1 in the Kurt Wallender mystery series.  It had a bit of a slow start, but the more I read the more I like it.  I'll probably pick up book two once I finish the final Chelsea Cain novel: Let Me Go.  What are you reading now?

I saw this grasshopper resting on the hood of my moms truck and couldn't resist trying to sneak in and getting some shots of him/her :)  I was really surprised that he tolerated me for so long!  He just sat there seemingly not caring about me being there at all.  He did finally turn and look at me and started swaying from side to side like he was ready to throw down if it came to it.  I guess he was really happy sitting alone in the shade there!

I'm so glad the weather is starting to cool off a teensy bit.  I think it's become tolerable enough for hiking again!  I can't wait! 

Do you collect anything from nature?

Summer Wishlist // 2

What's pretty and teal with pink horses all over?  THIS DRESS!!!  And I want it.  Badly.  Not only do I think this dress would look so cute with these earrings and sandals during the summer, but it would transition really well into fall/winter outfits.  I would love to punk it up with leather boots/tights/and a leather jacket.      

1. Horse of a Different Color Dress from Modcloth
2. Fudge From The Fair Flat in Black from Modcloth
3. Colt Your Horses Earrings from Modcloth

I don't often wear earrings.  Actually, I have a confession to make.  I haven't worn earrings in at least a year...maybe two.  I've never been really big on jewelry, and so I didn't wear much growing up.  That and the fact that I have a nickel allergy.  I've had my ears pierced since I was a kid, but I've always gone on really long earring breaks and they end up closing up on me.  Sooooo a couple of days ago I was thinking about how cute earrings would look when I wear my hair up (which is most of the time).  I went out and bought some studs and decided to poke them through and give earrings another try.  It's been two days now.  I've been doing alcohol cleanings and have changed them out a couple of times, but oh my gosh they hurt!!!  I'm determined to see this through though and I'm going to keep this up for another 4-6 weeks until they're all healed.  Then I'm going to start stocking up on cute earrings like these little horses.  I can't wait to wear something other than studs!  

Have you ever had trouble with ear piercings?

A New Feature: Man Crush

Okay, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and speak for myself (and HOPE that I'm not alone here because it would be a little bit embarrassing)....but I never quite got over the "boy crazy" stage of youth.  I've  since graduated and made the transition to what I call "Man Crazy" or having mass amounts of "Man Crushes".  Remember the days of boy bands and being excited to collect posters from the next issue of Tiger Beat magazine?  I really wish I had photos to share with you of what my bedroom looked like as a little girl.  It would have been really fun to share for this post!  Covered from floor to ceiling in posters of my favorite guys-that's what it looked like!  I don't have posters of hot celebs adorning my walls these days, but I am guilty of dedicating a wall of my previous work-space to what I called "The Man Wall".  It was silly and fun and kept us girls entertained.  Here's a peek of that wall actually:

Since I no longer have a "Man Wall" at my workplace, I'm going to share my current crushes here instead!  I've considered having a feature like this before, and decided that I'd give it a shot after an experience I had late last week.  I'm going to let you know ahead of time that I'm somewhat embarrassed about what I'm about to share, but I've been laughing about it for the past few days so maybe you'll get a laugh in too.  So here we go:
I was at work when a co-worker came in saying that one of the roads around the corner was blocked off due to filming.  When I asked what was being filmed and she responded "a movie", my first thought was that it must be a local movie because there's not a lot of movie filming action going on here.  So I asked her if there was anyone in it that we would recognize and she said "Well it has that one guy from that old show Hercules..." at which point I blurted out in an embarrassingly excited and loud voice "KEVIN SORBO IS BACK THERE?!?!?!"  I immediately started laughing at myself because I knew how ridiculous I must have sounded.  When I was 9 or 10 I watched Hercules religiously and he was probably my first celebrity crush.  Yes.  I know.  Laugh it up!  It was him and Lorenzo Lamas from Renegade.  Yes.  I know.  Laugh it up some more!  Apparently I had a thing for tanned muscle men with long hair.  If you've never seen either of these shows, you have to AT LEAST watch the intros so you can understand why you should be "laughing it up".  Prepare yourself...these are pretty corny!

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Renegade

I hope you look forward to seeing who I share in upcoming Man Crush posts...I think it's going to be a lot of fun!

Who did you have crushes on when you were younger?

Summer Wishlist // 1

I would absolutely hate to have to show you guys my closet right now.  I don't think it's EVER been so messy before.  I've fallen into one of those "I need to throw everything in my closet away and restock it with new stuff that looks like 'ME'" kind of moods.  I don't feel like anything that I currently have in my wardrobe reflects my personal style at all.  Okay maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration.  I do have a few things that I love...but I wear the same three outfits constantly!  I'm not kidding!  We go to the movies and the bookstore on a pretty regular basis, and I'd be really surprised if the people working there don't know me by my outfits by now.  I really love wearing red and black together, and I think this collared checkered top would be so cute with the high waisted red skirt and black sandals.  It would be the perfect outfit for a drive-in movie date!  

1. Barn To Be Wild Top from Modcloth
2. Fudge From the Fair Flat in Black from Modcloth
3. Breathtaking Tiger Lilies Skirt in Merlot from Modcloth

Doing outfit photos on the blog has always been something I've wanted to do, but I have a difficult time taking self portraits.  As I mentioned above, I'm also lacking a bit in the wardrobe department at the moment.  I'm not sure that it's evident by my usual blog content, but I really am interested in makeup, cute clothes, and girly things in general.  It's a side of me that I'd like to share more of.  I intend on doing that at some point, and hopefully sooner rather than later.  Until I start posting What I Wore photos, doing these little wish lists will be a great place for me to start.  Inspiration, ideas, and a little encouragement are all I need!  Speaking of inspiration and ideas, I'm really looking forward to picking up a copy of A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book by Elsie & Emma.  I think it's going to be a fun read and really pretty to look at too!  In case you didn't know, it was released today!  

Do you do outfit posts on your blog?

Shark Week: Wish List

Well, it's the last day of shark week here on the blog.  Soooo I'll go out with a few sharky things on my wish list right now!  How awesome is this Great White Shark Anatomy Model!???  I would love to have that displayed on a shelf in my room!

4D Shark Anatomy Figure

 I don't know about you, but I LOVE jigsaw puzzles! And this one looks pretty damn awesome!   It's also on the inexpensive side, so I may pick this up soon.  I'd love to finish it, ModPodge it, and frame it to hang up.   

Sharks Jigsaw Puzzle

 Okay, so this next one isn't really on my wish list...because I already have it!  This was one of my favorite games when I was little.  My sister, cousin, and I used to play it CONSTANTLY!  It has a motorized shark head that slowly goes around the board.  You roll the dice to move, but if it doesn't land on your color, then your fish can't move forward before the shark eats it!  It gets really exciting, and maybe it's just the little kid in me....but I totally get jumpy and anxious while playing this game hahaha.  It's simple and doesn't require any sort of knowledge or skill AT ALL, but I still think it's a great game and a lot of fun :)

Shark Attack Board Game

 Do you have anything sharky on your wish list?

Shark Week: Berkley Illustration

Great White Shark & Hammerhead Shark

Of all of the artists I've discovered on Etsy, I can say without hesitation that my all time favorite illustration artist is Ryan of Berkley Illustration.  I absolute adore his subject matter, and I'm also a huge fan of anthropomorphism.  It's not wonder I love his work!  I also love these:

 

 

I love the contents in these See-Thru sharks bellies!  I think my favorite is the bottom one because of the knights helmet! 

Do you have a favorite illustration artist?

Shark Week: Tattoo Flash

I would love to get a shark tattoo, and have a few ideas that I'd like to get next year during shark week.  I tend to be very impulsive when thinking of tattoo ideas, and so I'd like to have plenty of time to think of this one before actually getting it.  Although the tattoo art I'm posting today doesn't reflect the type of tattoo I'd like to get, I still think these are pretty darn awesome!  Who knows, by this time next year I may want something more along the likes of these!

Watercolor Illustrations by Aaily Rose

Watercolor Illustrations by Aaily Rose

I had to include the second one because it features the Jaguar Shark I mentioned in yesterdays post.  I love all of these so much!

Of all of the images above, what's your favorite?

 

 

Shark Week: The Life Aquatic

If you've never seen The Life Aquatic, I highly recommend seeing it.  The colors, the characters, the dialogue, the music, and the storylines of Wes Anderson's films are all just so much fun! This one is a definite favorite though!  So how exactly does The Life Aquatic fit in with the theme of Shark Week?  The Jaguar Shark of course! 

Illustration by Liz Layton of Confetti Western

I hope you're all having a fantastic Tuesday! 

Shark Week: Illustration Love

I can't believe Shark Week is here already!  I look forward to it every year and I'm excited to share all of my favorite shark bits with you this week!  To start things off, I decided to share a few really neat illustrations I found over the weekend!

Royal Sharks: Shark King & Hammerhead Shark Queen by Sam Georgieff of Poor Dog Farm

I love the theme of these two.  What a fun idea!  I would LOVE to have these hanging in my apartment somewhere-they would always put a smile on my face :)

Fossil Shark Teeth Scientific Illustration by David Scheirer of Studio Tuesday

Aren't these amazing?!?  If I lived near the beach, I would love searching for shark teeth!  Did you know that sharks lose a lot of teeth, but always grow them back?  They typically go through 30,000 teeth in their lifetime!  Neat!

By the way, the winner of last weeks giveaway is Nicole of Gypsy in Jasper!  Congrats Nicole! 

Q&A // 2

 

I'm back for another round of fun questions!  I really like this weeks group of questions and had fun answering them.  If you do this on your blog let me know!  I'd love to read your answers!

What's the most random fact that you have never forgot?
This is really neat actually:  Nine-Banded Armadillos always give birth to a litter of four identical armadillo pups.  They all generate from the same egg and are all the same sex. 

What is the funniest thing you ever heard a kid say? 
"Mom, granny was a whore"-words from my then 4 year old brother....what he really meant to say was "hoarder".  He had seen an episode of Hoarders at my grandmothers house, and she had mentioned that our great-grandmother could have been on that show (and it's true-I remember visiting her when I was a kid).  When my mom asked what he was talking about he then explained to her that Granny liked to keep things and never threw any of it away and that you had a hard time getting around anything in her house.

What is your favorite movie soundtrack?
American Graffiti for sure :)

What is your worst injury and how did you get it?
When I was about 12 I had this crazy idea that I could jump a barbed wire fence.  I'm sure you can guess how it ended.  My right leg made it over.  I can't say the same for the other.  I can not tell you why I thought this was a good idea at the time.  It just doesn't make sense.  I walked to my grandmas house and she took me to the hospital.  I got a tetanus shot and surprisingly NO stitches.  It really did need stitches though and took forever to fully heal.  I now have a 4-5 inch scar as wide as my finger on the inside of my left thigh.  I was really proud to show it off at school the next day though-I was such a tomboy hahahaha!

What is the most stupid-fun you have had?  What were you doing?
Doing the Time Warp with my sister and friends in the living room one night while watching Rocky Horror Picture Show.  I lost count of how many times we did it.  We couldn't stop laughing-it was so much fun!

Paper Dolls by Etsy seller Walker Davis Designs: Riff Raff, Magenta, and Colombia of Rocky Horror Picture Show!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!  I can't wait for Monday to get here so that I can reveal the winner of my Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey soap set giveaway.  The raffle closes tonight, so if you haven't had a chance to enter there's still time!  Good luck!