jumping on the "5 things" train

Eliza tagged me in her "5 things" post {thanks hun!}, so I thought I'd play along.

Amy Rizzuto Photography

one // I used Powerpoint, Word, and Paint to design all of my wedding paper products. I have a fancy-schmancy photo editing and design program but I rarely use it. 

two // My first job ever {aside from babysitting, which I don't really count} was the "kennel girl" at a Veterinary Hospital. I was a senior in high school. I cleaned up after surgery, did laundry, picked up poop, and eventually graduated up to actually giving shots, taking temperatures, and running stool samples {yuk}. I decided that the long hours and emotional detachment common to the Veterinary field wasn't really my cup of tea, but I entered college declared as a Pre-Veterinary major anyway. {I quickly switched to Biology, but dropped that when I realized that Intro to Bio bored me to tears. I ended up graduating from college as a Psych major. That's a different story.}.

three // Sour candy is my Kryptonite. Any kind. I have once consumed an entire 2lb bag of Sour Patch Kids in one sitting {for shame}. My mouth was bleeding but I couldn't stop. Also included in my top-5 candy "flavors" are Swedish fish {they're in a category all their own} and Black Licorice.

four // The only time I've lied about my age is when a snooty hairdresser finds out I'm married and asks me how old I am. It's never an "oh, how old are you" but rather "how old ARE you??!?!". I have no idea why the hairdresser thing is important, but it's the only time I ever actually lie about it. I am not ashamed that I married "young" {And it wasn't that young, I married at 23!} but for some reason salon chairs take away my spine or something. 

five // I love lipstick {news to no one}. The majority of my "collection" is from the 80's. #marykaymomforthewin

This is one of the only "new" lipsticks I'll wear: Bare Escentuals Pretty Amazing in Strength

The rest is almost as old as I am :)

MK Richest Raspberry // MK Really Red // MK Hibiscus

MK Ruby Red // MK Plum Pearl (they don't even make this color anymore)

Tag, you're it! Allison // Anne // Merrick // Allie // the other Allison and anyone else who wants to play along!
Don't have a blog? Leave 5 random things about you in the comments!

alphabet

A:: Annie: the fake name I used to give out in coffee shops and at the ridiculous "dating and friendship" quizzes that they used to give us in high school. No, I am not joking about that; they really gave us match.com-esque questionnaires in school that would match us with other students. I didn't want anyone to see my name if it popped up on their "results", so I used a fake name. 
Best part? My fake name showed up on all my friends match results. Win.

B::  Brittany & bananas. My name is Brittany, and I have this thing about bananas. If they are 100% yellow, I will not eat them. There has to be green on the stem. Not a lot, but it's got to be there. Any banana that is green-free is Tim-food or destined for Banana bread. (My mom's the same way).

this isn't related to curry, I just like it.

C:: Curry {coconut, panang, or yellow; don't care which}. Perhaps it's a result of months spent in the South Pacific, but I LOVE me some curry. Seriously, ask Tim; I'd eat panang any day of the week if offered. In a pinch, I'll settle for curry powder, but it's not always good enough.

D:: DIY + (insert anything here).  Also known as knockoff-obsessed. I have a serious obsession with making my own whatever. I find a really cute outfit or dress online? Let's make it! Great piece of furniture at Pottery Barn or whatever? I can totally do that for less! Wonderful face cleansing pads? Ooh, look: a recipe! I love it, but I am fully aware that normal people don't try to DIY everything.

E:: Editor. Sometimes I think it would be incredibly awesome if I were an editor at a big-name publishing company. You know, one that publishes novels, not textbooks or anything like that. Like in "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock and Ryan what's-his-face. Because I love to read and it would be cool to be paid for it. Anyone have any connections? kthanks.

via 

F:: Fall. I love all the seasons, but there's just something about Fall that is so wonderful. So sensual.  Seriously; what other season gets so much attention from the senses? The changing fall colors (on the three trees in town that change color, of course), the smell of rain on the pavement (the few days it rains here), the the tastes (and smells too) of pumpkin and cinnamon and nutmeg and deliciousness, the sound of the Santa Ana winds (which to be fair aren't as fun as they used to be after the 2008-09 fires in Santa Barbara, but still), the crisp feel of the air in the evenings while the days still remain warm... Luxurious. Love it.

G:: GLITTER. Sparkles make the world go round {not}. But they do make the world more sparkly, and that's fantastic :). I will never rarely say no to some sparkle. Hence the new iphone case.

H:: Homeowners. Someday {soon?}. We would love to be homeowners, preferably ASAP. {I've talked about it a little bit here and here}. While the timing hasn't been right with the past few houses we've seen, we are still really excited and hope to have a little home of our own sometime soon.

Blades of Glory via

I:: Ice skating, my preferred birthday-party destination for every birthday party between 9 and 11. And again when I was 22. Not kidding around about this stuff.
For those early parties, I would wear my fuzzy angora sweater (a hand-me-down from Mom, it was the 90's after all) and skate my little heart out, dreaming about the day when I would finally convince my parents to let me buy one of the ice-skating dresses they sold in the Skate Shop.  Puh-leeeeeeeezeeeee????? I'd totally wear it every day!!!!! Any excuse to wear rhinestones on a daily basis was GOLD back then. (Let's be honest, it's still gold. The iphone case I ordered is bedazzled. Don't want one of those dresses anymore, though.  I mean, seriously.)

J:: Jellyfish. The only underwater creature I'm actually  to see in an aquarium. Seriously! I can handle those shark tunnels where they're swimming all around you, but I canNOT handle the jellyfish tanks. You ever been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium? They basically surround you. Not an experience I'd care to revisit. I was stung by a jellyfish when I was a freshman in high school, and it took me years to want to go snorkeling again.

And to save you the inconvenience of having to ask: no, I didn't have anyone pee on it. That's gross.

K:: Karaoke. I love to sing {anytime, anywhere, in front of anyone}, but I can't stomach Karaoke. It's just so awkward! It's fun to watch, but... no. 

L:: Lipstick. Blog-regulars know this isn't really something that needs to be explained. Love it.

M:: Mack, McNugget, Mack-Daddy, Mr. Puff-ball, Monkey. All pet names for either Tim or Spock. Can you guess whose is whose? {hint: they can't}. 

PS. These two are inseparable. If Spock can see Tim, he will try to get to him. Even if it means "flying" down a flight of stairs. (he's not all that skilled at this flying stuff; still a baby)

N:: Nanopets. Remember those, children of the nineties? I never had one, and I may or may not have made fun of the kids who had them {and brought them to school with them, and played with them at recess, etc}. I also may or may not have secretly wanted one.

O:: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. No explanation needed. They're da BOMB.

P:: PC FO LIFE! The hubby is a Mac guy, and truth be told most of our home computer products are Apple products, but my heart will always belong to PCs. #donthate

Q:: Quittin' time. Best time of the day. This is not a joke.

R:: Regrets. {Of which I really do have none.} It's cliche, but even though I've gone through some challenging situations, I really wouldn't take back anything I've ever done or said. I've been disappointed in the way I've handled things, sure, and there are a few things I wish I could do over if I had the chance, but everything I have ever done has brought me to now. And it all happened with a purpose. I really believe that.

S:: Sweet Tooth. I've got a mouth full of 'em, and they can best be satisfied with something sour and/or chewy. Preferably both. Like Sour Patch Kids, Sour Punch Straws, Sour Skittles, etc.
Great, now I'm drooling.

T:: Thailand and Tim. Two of my loves I hope to one day introduce.

U:: Ubiquitous. I love that word. Look it up, then use it in a sentence. Right now, where we are, it adequately describes maxi skirts, printed or brightly-colored pants, gladiator sandals, animal print, and neon. It's everywhere.

V:: Victory through Christ. Of this I need to remind myself daily. {1 Corinthians 15:57}

via

W:: Waitress. My dream job at age 9, second only to "famous hollywood actress". I wish I was kidding. I went to Chevy's as a kid and fell in love with the mexican dancing girl costumes the waitresses got to wear to work, and determined then and there that it was my destiny. I got as far as Cater-waiter, but I think I may have missed my calling. 



X:: X-ray. Never had one. Wait, do dental x-rays count? I guess I've had a few then. Whoops.

via

Y:: Yachting. This is what my family will call "just going out in the boat and driving around" Because did you know that the definition for a yacht is just "a noncommercial vessel propelled by sail or power, used esp for pleasure-cruising, racing, etc" (as listed in the World English Dictionary)? Pretty broad definition, if you ask me. Technically, you could be "Yachting" in a dinghy. Just a thought. Or, like my little brother here, running aground in a ski boat:

Z:: Zeeeeeeeee end :)

Thanks to Erin at Living in Yellow for the inspiration for this post! This was so fun. 
Want to play? Link up in the comments!

baby, you like a fine wine

You know, like the kind that gets better with age.

Not like that stuff we had last year, that was nasty. 

Not everything from your birth year is as awesome as you.

Happy 26th, husband 'o mine.

He had quite the silly surprise waiting for him when he woke up this morning... 

tell you more about it later!

solstice weekend recap

Oh man was solstice cuh-razy!
We took our little off-brand Vespa downtown to catch the parade (Side note? Where in the world aside from California can you get away with riding a scooter in a Maxi dress? I didn't get a single weird look.)

There were lots of feathers (and sequins, and not much else, eep! It was like Vegas in Santa Barbara, sort of.)

...Some really creative costumes and floats (many on the whole 2012, Mayan Calendar, End of the World thread).....

...and some really, really weird ones that made absolutely no sense.

 

Yeah, those guys were wearing denim skirts and flowery bucket hats.

Elvis, though, I can't explain.

As is tradition, Tim and I enjoyed Sangria after the parade.

Then we met up with some more friends and explored the park that marked the end of the parade. That was..... quite the adventure. My camera battery died right about then, so I wasn't able to capture the madness that was Alameda Park, but imagine Disneyland on its most crowded day, and then decrease the square footage by a bazillion percent. Awesome.

In all, it was a great people-watching experience. We ended the day with tri-tip, margaritas, and friends, which is the best way to end any weekend, is it not?

Happy Monday!

happy {belated} summer solstice!

Did you know that Wednesday was the official start of summer?

This weekend (along with fourth of July and our Anniversary) marks one of my favorite weekends of the summer. In Santa Barbara, although we "celebrate" summer starting on Memorial day, it doesn't really feel like summer consistently until now. "June Gloom" usually ends right around this weekend. And we have a parade.

Image source

Aah, the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Parade. Where people-watching becomes a sport. And wearing glitter during the day is expected.

This is the first year that we're actually able to go to the dang parade. Last year, I think I went home that weekend to work on wedding plans. The year before that, we completely missed the parade because we couldn't find a parking space (I don't know what we were thinking...).

It wasn't a huge bust, though, because we ended up running into friends randomly and went wine tasting.

 

I will forever be scarred from that day.

You see, it was hot, and we went to a couple different places, and I'm a lightweight. So my judgement was slightly impaired.

I thought it would be funny to run up to  Tim and jump on his back. To let him know that I was coming, I shouted "Head's up!!!!!", right as I was in midair.

He ducked.

I went sailing over him, and ended up skinning both elbows and both knees. I have scars on all four.

Tim's side of the story: "Who the heck calls out 'heads up' when they DON'T want someone to duck?!?" (he's got a point, but I'll never admit it to his face, haha).

Here's to never doing that again, and enjoying the parade. What are you planning on doing to enjoy the first official weekend of summer?

five weekend details

one. My globetrotting parents finally have returned to American soil! Which means we can have text conversations like these again:

We will also be spending NEXT weekend with them, a little detail for which I am uncontrollably excited. YEE!

two. The What to Expect When You're Expecting movie? As great as I thought it would be. Plus we saw it with a great group of people, which made it that much more fantastic.

three. I sort-of-kind-of "invented" an appetizer? So I feel like I should throw a party now. Nom nom nom. 

four. Lunching at the Bacara Hotel with good friends. Cocktails poolside all day = bliss. (This photo pretty much sums up our day. That, plus lots and lots of sunshine. Perfection).

five. Husband and I followed up one poolside day with another! We went to the on-campus pool (which faculty & spouses can use without a membership, whoo hoo!) and swam laps for an hour or so. OUUUCH I'm all kinds of sore right now. Slightly embarrassing, but oh so worth it.

What'd you guys do this weekend? Do tell!

   

Happy Leap Day

Happy Leap Day! All you leap babies, you're four years older today... haha.

The last time February was this long, it was 2008. Just for fun, and since Facebook Timeline makes it so easy, I ran through my 2008 FB year to see how much has changed. What a TRIP.

In 2008, I was in the midst of my Sophomore year in college.  In 2012, I am now teaching Sophomores in college. This absolutely blows my mind. I still feel like a kid.

via MSU

In 2008, many of my friends still refused to get a Facebook.  The funnier reason is why: Myspace. 

Can't bring myself to link to original source, it's bad.

In 2008, I worked at the college switchboard answering phones and writing papers simultaneously. I still answer phones in 2012, but now it's in the midst of grading papers, and my students work the switchboard.

via Workface

In 2008, I went on a camping trip to Big Sur with eight people I knew only a little bit. In 2012, I call some of them my best friends (none of the pictures we took would be worth the humiliation they would cause being posted online again, so I'll post a picture of the scenery. Pretty!)

Photo Cred Amy

{Conversely, almost all of my friends in 2008 are no longer in my life in 2012}

In 2008 {in February, at least}, I had never heard of this "Tim" fellow. In 2012, I share his last name.

2008 was also the year I made the decision that I would apply to study abroad in Thailand, my best friend turned 21, my brother moved to San Diego, I worked at Arlen Ness Motorcycles, and the wheel fell off of my car when I was driving. It was an eventful year.

My seat in the San Diego moving van.. Ouch!

One of my two desks at Arlen Ness

Jacking up my car to reattach the wheel and lost lug nuts.
In the middle of the street

What were you doing in last leap year?

five reasons why this weekend was rad

{one}

Having a clean house and KEEPING IT THAT WAY! It's been two days. We'll see how long I can ride this train... 

via CCWD

{two}

Seeing hubby all dressed up in wedding duds again. Gets me every time :D

via Prince Harry

HAHA just kidding. Hubby's much more handsome and lots better behaved than Harry. (Also the wedding was wonderful.)

{three}

Throwing a successful (if spur of the moment) Superbowl party! It was our first ever, and it didn't hurt that the people we had over were spectacular (You guys rock, seriously). My cookies may also have made an encore appearance.

mmm

{four}

Success with a sewing project! It even made an appearance outside of my house, which is rare for the things I sew. Normally it feels like I turn out projects that should have found a home in the trash long before I finish. More on the whole process later {but I posted a sneak peek on the new facebook page!).

{five}

Not having to cook a single meal the WHOLE weekend. Wedding-related events took care of Friday/Saturday (Thanks guys!), and hubby took care of Sunday. WHOO!

FREEDOM! via LA Bitter Lemons

Here's to hoping next week's as good as this last one was. :D