April showers bring...

Seriously, where did April go? I am not complaining, I am looking forward to the summer months (minus the 100 degree heat part), but time can you please slow down just a bit? You are passing by too quickly! In June my husband and I will already be celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary, that is mind blowing to me. I know that 2 years doesn't sound like a lot, but I still feel like we got married yesterday, even though so much has occurred since then.

With this being the last day of April, I have successfully gone the whole month without eating candy, drinking pop, and eating fast food. Hooray! I did splurge a tad bit on some frozen yogurt and a slice of pie though, don't judge me. I am just proud that I stuck to my goal for the month, because I am totally one of those people that claims they are starting their "diet" on a Monday, and then I usually slip a few days later and tell myself I will just start it next week. Let's just hope that I can keep this up as a lifestyle change, and I am sure some cardio a few times a week wouldn't hurt either. Baby steps.

Would it be completely terrible and contradicting to reward myself with a milkshake tomorrow? Why does my mind work this way.

What were some of your favorite moments of April? Looking forward to anything exciting in May?

These two always brighten my day

On a serious note, I wanted to send my condolences to the families affected by the recent plane crash in Afghanistan. One of them was a member of the D-M community, and he used to work in my husband's squadron. It is such a tragic story, my heart goes out to them <3



In honor of the start of the playoffs tonight, I will leave you with a little something I created:

GO RED WINGS!

 - Jenny

Monday Funday?

That just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? 

I wanted to start your Monday off with a smile, so if you can find the time, definitely watch this video:

So dang cute and funny. I dare you not to laugh out loud. 

Something else that made me feel good recently was finally watching this movie:

(source)

I've been wanting to see this movie since I first heard about it, but it was well worth the wait. Watching this movie felt like receiving a giant hug. That's not to say that it isn't sad. The film takes place in a world on the brink of apocalypse -- a giant meteor is heading toward Earth, and humanity has three weeks at most. 

The ensuing reactions really made me think about how it would be if impending doom was a reality. I think that the filmmaker's nailed it. Half the world seemed to go absolutely crazy -- drugs, riots, violence -- and the other half just kept going about their business -- showing up to work, mowing their lawns, etc. I really think this would be the case. Chaos and denial. 

Me? I think I'd fall somewhere in the middle. I wouldn't riot, but I definitely wouldn't keep up with the same old same old. I'd do everything I felt like I "shouldn't" do (but nothing that affected other people). I'd definitely eat a lot of cake.

The film is very funny but it is a dark comedy. I found it to be very heartwarming. I didn't think much of this until I just read a review on the site where I found the above graphic, and they warn how heartbreaking it is. I don't know ... the context is sad, sure, but I thought the message was more optimistic. Although we don't know when our end will come like the people in the film, our time on Earth is finite, and I thought the movie was more about not giving up, in spite of that. Make the most of the time we do have. If you watch it, let me know your thoughts.

We also finally watched End of Watch (we are way behind on movies) and thought that was really good, too.

I hope you all had a good weekend. I'll leave you with another good thing to start your Monday --this picture for my friend Sara. 

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Weekend Recap

This past Thursday, in remembrance of the Holocaust, the base honored several Holocaust survivors by having them speak and tell their stories at various locations on base. The narrative that I went to was absolutely moving. As the man told his tragic story, all I could think about was how brave and resilient he is. To lose your entire family under such horrific circumstances all by the age of 17 is unimaginable. The most moving part of his story was towards the end, when he expressed how much he still loves life, and has always loved it, during the good and the bad. It really got me thinking about my life, and all of the silly things that I stress and worry about on a daily basis, when there are far worse situations that I could find myself in. His enthusiastic and optimistic character is absolutely admirable, and I will always remember him and the bravery of re-living his past and sharing with us his personal story. He also explained that it was his duty to speak of his past because he wants to teach others to speak up towards injustice and do everything we can to end it.

I have always been fascinated by history and learning more about my ancestors. I feel that it it is so important to remember and honor our past, and the people that lived it, because they endured so much that young people today can ever relate to. However, they can learn from it. Today we tend to take so much for granted because technology has made life more "convenient" in a sense. Because of this, it is easier to forget how valuable and precious life really is. I truly feel blessed for the life I live, and I hope that we can all remember to take time out of everyday to appreciate the things that make you happy :)

Sorry, cheesy moment is over. I just couldn't help myself.

My weekend has been very good, yesterday my husband and I spent the day hanging out in our friends pool, soaking in the sun. I can never say no to that! Today I decided to treat myself to some new work clothes in honor of my promotion to a full-time employee, which starts tomorrow (yay!) Then I took Sammie to the groomers, and ohh my goodness she came out looking like the cutest thing ever. I wanted to shave her down pretty well since it has been getting hotter out, and I feel like she has morphed into a completely different dog.

Baby girl!

The cuteness of Sammie and Champ

Ok so maybe my weekend wasn't entirely exciting, but it is the little things that count right!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Monday, here we come...

- Jenny

Peanut Butter and Bacon Milkshake

Let's get right down to it. The second I heard that Sonic had a Peanut Butter and Bacon milkshake, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I had to try it. 

I almost chickened out. I tried to find some reviews on the shake before I got it but nothing came up. So, here you go, blog world. I did this for you (haa).

I am kind of obsessed with Sonic to begin with. They have so many delicious shake flavors right now! PB & banana, PB & jelly, PB cookie, Oreo cheesecake(!). But I knew I would regret it if I backed out.

The shake was good but the combo was nothing special. All of the bacon was at the bottom, so really I had a PB shake and then some clumps of bacon, ha. Maybe if you mixed it up with a spoon and ate it that way you'd get the same experience. I liked it but I wouldn't get it again. I would get any other combination of peanut butter though, because their PB shakes are the bomb. So is their whipped cream. 

Before going to Sonic, we saw Pain and Gain. I was not prepared for this movie! The Rock and Marky Mark in a film together ... what's not to like? I actually did like it, but it was not at all what I was expecting, and I had no clue that it was a true story. If you see it, prepare for some craziness and to feel pretty disturbed.

There was some pretty sick '90s style, though.

(source)

Hope you are all having a great weekend! 

Girl Crush: Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey is my spirit animal. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd be listening to "Young & Beautiful" on repeat -- I can't stop. I just realized she is only 8 days older than me, which makesmefeelunaccomplished is blowing my mind.

(source)           

I mean, look at her. I can't imagine her just being a 26-year-old.  She must be an ethereal being. She seems like an old soul, and her music speaks to mine.

(source)

I basically want to live in this video as her (and in that outfit). And she's a soccer fan? Done and done.

I was devastated when I read that Paradise was going to be her last album, but apparently that is no longer true!? Thank goodness.

(source)

I don't know why but usually the more depressed something makes me feel, the more I tend to like it, especially when it comes to music. Her music makes me feel so sad that I feel happy ... does that even make sense? Ha. It's haunting but beautiful and more often about love and longing than heartbreak. 

I love Lana. What more is there to say??

(source)

Fried

Busy busy busy. I am starting to make the transition from working 3 part-time jobs, to one steady full-time marketing job on base. I am definitely ready for a change, and I am looking forward to focusing all of my time and energy at that job. It also feels really great to have a job in the field that I got my degree in, maybe those student loans are worth it after all?

Now I have a serious question for you, have you ever heard of, or tasted, a fried pop-tart? Or fried cheesecake? I can't decide whether they sound absolutely delicious, or like a heart attack on a plate. When we went to the fair this weekend they had one stand selling fried...everything. From oreos, to peanut butter cups, my arteries just couldn't take it. And people wonder why America has poor nutrition? Maybe I don't get out enough, but I was just amazed by this. I was tempted to stand around waiting for someone to order one and then bug them about what it tasted like. Is that weird? I will admit that in the past I haven't made the best food choices, *cough* mac-and-cheese burger *cough*, but at some points in my life I would just rather be happy and worry about the extra calories another day. A fried pop-tart just wasn't one of those moments though.

Today I experimented with a new smoothie flavor that turned out absolutely delicious! I used a small bag of frozen dark cherries that I bought from Sprouts, then added about a cup of cherry vanilla greek yogurt, and 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk. Looking back on it now I bet it would taste great with a spoonful of nutella thrown into the mix. Chocolate + Cherries = Amazing. It was very good, I recommend trying it! I wish that I had a picture of it to post, but I always eat before I think.

I heard that Michigan has been experiencing some confusing weather lately. It seems to need a reminder that it is SPRING, so I am sending warm thoughts your way!

[source]

[source]

Stay warm, summer is on the way!

- Jenny

Great Gatsby

I'm going to be honest .... I've never read The Great Gatsby.

(source)

Regardless, I want to see the movie. I love Baz Luhrmann's other films, and especially their soundtracks. I used to listen to Romeo + Juliet on repeat. The Gatsby soundtrack is potentially shaping up to be the best one yet. 

Have you seen this track list!?

01 Jay-Z: “100$ Bill”
02 Beyoncé and André 3000: “Back to Black”
03 will.i.am: “Bang Bang”
04 Fergie, Q-Tip and GoonRock: “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)”
05 Lana Del Rey: “Young and Beautiful”
06 Bryan Ferry Woth the Bryan Ferry Orchestra: “Love Is the Drug”
07 Florence and the Machine: “Over the Love”
08 Coco O of Quadron: “Where The Wind Blows”
09 Emeli Sandé and the Bryan Ferry Orchestra: “Crazy in Love”
10 The xx: “Together”
11 Gotye: “Hearts a Mess”
12 Jack White: “Love Is Blindness”
13 Nero: “Into the Past”
14 Sia: “Kill and Run”

I was so excited to see last night that Lana Del Rey had released a song off the soundtrack. I listened to it this morning and am ready to keep it on repeat for the next few months. 



Lana seals the deal for me, but I listened to the sampler and everything sounds amazing. 

What do you think of her new song? Are you excited for the film?

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Happier

I am a bit of an app hoarder. I probably use about 5% of the apps on my phone, but I have a hard time letting go of the other 95% (what if I need to be able to immediately play someone "Peanut Butter Jelly Time"!?). The problem with this is that I am constantly running out of memory on my phone, so little by little, I need to let things go. 

I recently downloaded an app that has both made it into the elite 5% and become my favorite app, and so I wanted to share it with all of you. 

If you aren't familiar, Happier is an app that helps you record the little things that make you smile each day. According to their website: 

Happier is a simple and beautiful way to collect happy moments you find in every day, share them with close friends and family, and be inspired to do more of what makes you happier.

I've tried to keep gratitude lists in the past, but I could never make it a habit. Happier makes it easy, and makes me feel good about using it, so I want to keep on doing so.

Basically, each day, you are prompted to enter three things that made happy.

The app offers suggestions, but you can write whatever you'd like. You can also attach photos. Once you've entered an item, you assign it to a category.

There are a lot of premade categories, but you can also create your own if needed. All of your moments are stored by category on your homepage. 

Happier is a social media app, and the idea is to link to your friends and share your happy moments. However, you can keep moments to yourself, and that's mostly what I've been doing. I want to use it as a reminder to me to smile and be happy. I do often browse the main feed, though, and "like" others' happy moments -- that makes me feel good, too!

When you record your third item for the day, confetti rains down and the app tells you that "you're awesome!" It's pretty great. 

This app has been working for me. The other day I got upset over nothing (quite a common occurence 'round here), and I walked away, looked at the things that made me smile, and felt better. I think it's easy to get caught up in BS, but this app is helping me stay grounded and remember to feel appreciative for all that I have.

I think right now the app is only available for iOS, but hopefully an Android version will be available soon, and it looks like you can also record moments on the website. If you download it and want to be friends, let me know! :)


It was purely coincidental that I wrote this post after Jenny's, but I think we can all use some good vibes this week. I can't believe all that's been unfolding with the Boston suspects. My heart goes out to everyone.

Happy Happy Happy

Happy Happy Happy Thursday! I have been watching too much Duck Dynasty lately.

I am looking forward to this weekend, tomorrow night my husband and I are going to the Pima County Fair, which has my 10 year old self very happy. The main reason I want to go though is because the Silversun Pickups are doing a concert at the fair tomorrow night and I have always loved them! I also haven't been to a fair in a very long time, so it is a good excuse to have a cheat night and eat some fair food (fried bread yummm).

Today I wanted to give you a little clean eating update and let you know what progress I have made so far. I started doing most of my grocery shopping at a store called Sprouts. The prices are pretty reasonable, better than Trader Joe's in my opinion, and that is very important for me since I am always shopping on a budget. I haven't completely been able to eliminate all processed foods from my diet yet, but I have been doing really well at cutting out all fast food, pop, candy, sweets, and cutting back on the amount of snacking I have been doing. I typically go shopping only 2 times a month, I severely despise grocery shopping, so during my last trip I made sure to stock up on a lot of fruit and vegetables that we have been snacking on between meals.

In terms of my meal plans, I have tried out a few clean eating recipes that were surprisingly a big hit with my husband as well. They were all very simple to make, and since it is just the two of us we had plenty leftover to eat the next day.

Skillet Spaghetti - The Gracious Pantry

Vegetarian Lasagna - The Gracious Pantry

Balsamic Pork Chops - The Gracious Pantry

I just love her blog, yumm is it lunch time yet?

It is also a new goal of mine to cut back on the amount of coffee I drink (gasp!) and replace it with green tea in the mornings. It is going to be a tough break, but I am trying to find healthier alternatives to getting my energy back in the mornings. I considered waking up an hour earlier each day to workout so that I would feel more motivated for the day, but then I laughed to myself and fell back asleep.

I am also hoping that my new diet and workout plan will help to calm down my stress and anxiety. Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts. I really just want this year to be different in terms of my health and my outlook towards life, so I am not going to give up until I find inner peace.

Have a good one :)

- Jenny

No words

I feel the same way as my sister, it's hard to think of anything important or worthwhile to write about after such a tragic event yesterday. My heart goes out to those that were affected. Such tragedies like this never make sense, and they never should be because pure evil is never justified. Hug your loved ones a little tighter and be thankful for every moment.

- Jenny

Boston.

Appalled to get out of work and see the news of the bombings at the Boston Marathon. 
What is wrong with the world!?? I don't even know what else to say.

Smile

In case you too need some uplifting this week, I wanted to share the cutest video of actor Misha Collins cooking with his son West. It's about 10+ minutes but absolutely worth watching the whole thing. I guarantee it will put a smile on your face. 

Deep thoughts

Sorry for my missed post on Thursday, I had a sick husband to take care of. The sad thing is, even though he still wasn't feeling good on Friday, he forced himself to go to work because some of the people he works with like to imply that he is "faking" it every time he takes a day off for an illness. My husband can tend to be injury prone, last year he tore his rotator cuff playing softball and had to be rushed to Urgent Care, and they still gave him a hard time about it. I have never seen him in so much pain before, I cannot fathom how people find it their business to pretend to know how someone is feeling. I swear some people need to be taught how to be decent human beings, especially when they are in a leadership position. It is their job to boost the morale of their airman, and become someone that they can respect and look up to, but instead they abuse their power and the whole team suffers. Ugh, sorry about my rant but it can be so frustrating. Any one else deal with managers or bosses like this? It isn't even my job and I still wish daily that I could go into his shop and give certain people a piece of my mind.

I think that lately I am just tired of dealing with most people in general. Tired of the greed and people's selfish ways, tired of the lack of respect and care they have for others. Tired of their negative attitude's and the gloom they spread around them. If you take life too seriously, you are bound to fail at finding true happiness. Don't waste your time nitpicking at every little detail of life, you will just find yourself lost and struggling to make sense of it all (easier said than done sometimes, I can be guilty of this). If I could just move to a secluded island with my family, our pets, and my TRUE friends, with limited access to the outside world, life would be a dream. No more stress about work, loans, or struggling to pay the bills. No more having to deal with corrupt politics and the insane injustice that goes on in the world daily. No more having to live up to people's unrealistic expectations of myself. Just valuable time spent with the people I love and care about, our relationships with those people are the only thing that truly matters in this life. They are the ones that I would sacrifice my life for, the ones that are worth more than any amount of money. Reality TV doesn't matter, smart phones don't matter, which celebrity is wearing what designer doesn't matter, yet I constantly find myself consumed in that world. Obsessed with every little detail, forgetting that it is all fabricated. Forgetting that this world humans have built for themselves overtime is completely an invention of their own doing. The materialistic items we value is a social construct of the world around us, biology has nothing to do with it. The Earth wasn't created with the structure of money, politics, gender roles, and working 9-5 jobs just to pay an endless cycle of bills that plagues us into retirement. Humans created this life we live today, they created all of the things that we now find ourselves stressing over, a structure that I find myself questioning endlessly. This structure that has so many cracks and holes, yet we continue to be confined to it, shaped by it. We live our lives chained to money, because it is one of the only ways to survive, to find "happiness." Now don't get me wrong, I am grateful for so many incredible and important technologies that humans have created over time, but sometimes our advanced society comes as a blessing and a curse.

In a perfect world I like to think that I would leave it all behind in an instant. I would restructure the ideas of what is important in this life, put more value on human commonalities rather than differences. Spend more time honoring and praising hardworking men and women who actually contribute something useful to society. Teach people how to truly love themselves and the unique gifts they were born with. In my world, no one would ever be criticized for looking a certain way, acting a certain way, or loving who they wish to love. Because everyone deserves to experience true human connections, and love. I would never allow anyone to ever feel alone.

Wishful thinking I suppose. I am always fantasizing about unrealistic ideas. Sometimes imagining this place makes it easier to get through the day, easier to make sense out of life. True human kindness does exist out there, altruism has to be real. I just wish it was more prominent and that more people focused on it instead of letting it be over-shadowed by acts of evil and greed.

Sorry for the heavy thoughts today, I truly don't know where most of that just came from. I sat down to type about tea and my weekend plans, and I ended up pouring out some of my deepest thoughts to you. None of it may make any sense, I kind of jumped around from idea to idea, but I may as well just be open and honest and share it with you. I probably sound a bit hypocritical as well sense I don't do much in my life to make the changes that I want to see in this world. I wish I knew where to begin.

If you took the time to read it all, thank you very much!

On a completely unrelated note,

Kristin have your ever heard of this tea before? It looks so delicious!

Red Velvet Chocolate Herbal Tea - The Republic of Tea

Have a great weekend!

 :)

- Jenny

Friday links

I'm going to try and share some links I've enjoyed during the week on Fridays. (Warning, most of these are probably going to be from Buzzfeed. Once you start on that site, you cannot stop.)

By now I'm sure you've seen Reasons My Son is Crying.

"I wouldn't let him eat mud"

Buzzfeed also has 31 reasons why birth control exists.

29. Because you shouldn't have to live in fear:

24. Because this sign is terrifying:

I was also introduced to Sports Balls Replaced with Cats:

This made me laugh:

(source)

Which brings us to the Macklemore photobombs:

Buzzfeed also has Life in Your Early Twenties vs. Your Late Twenties

Excitement in your early twenties:

Excitement in your late twenties:

A little Jensen to hold us over until the next new Supernatural.

And finally, the "If Game of Thrones Took Place Entirely on Facebook" episode recaps are hilarious. The second one is even better than the first. Here's episode 1 and episode 2.

(Oh yeah, and there's still time to donate to the Veronica Mars Kickstarter! Last day!)

T-G-I-F !!

a poem.

I used to write poems all the time in high school and still some in college. I haven't written anything in a long, long time (I think because I am generally happier now, ha!), but for some reason I scribbled something down today. It started with a tweet and really just my being so tired of being cold. Now I want to see if I still have my old poetry books -- although I don't think I would share any of that on here!

I did learn a little bit about poetry in a creative writing class I took in college but all of that is long gone, I'm afraid. No iambic pantameter here.

can someone please just wake me when it's summer?

i'll be waiting, underneath the covers.

asleep, or at least pretending to be.

if i close my eyes long enough,

maybe it will come,

maybe you will come,

back to me.

enveloped in darkness, 

an unholy reunion.

but it's just a dream, thoughts to pass the time.

(am i certain?)

i missed you today.

the sky is painted grey. it ate up the stars,

and so the sun went away.

i'd trade our false memories for just one ray of warmth upon my cheek.

your hand in mine no longer,

but sunshine makes me stronger.

i can sit up.

get out of bed.

get dressed.

of course, this is all hypothetical.

things i know i can should do,

not just today but every day.

but it's raining, 

and i'm tired.

please.....

i'll be waiting.

Ah. I feel like we know each other much better now. Can I make a confession? Or more just like share an embarrassing story. It's funny that I am so afraid of public speaking now, because when I was in 4th grade, I rapped in front of my elementary school during my campaign for student council secretary (wearing an orange turtleneck, nonetheless). I even remember a lot of the speech ....

My name is Kristin! (terrible beatboxing)

And I'm here to say (boom-boom-ch)

To vote for me (boom-boom-ch)

For sec-re-tar-ay! (boom-boom-ch)

I'll go to all the meetings (boom-boom-ch)

I'll take a lot of notes (boom-boom-ch)

But I just hope to have (boom-boom-ch)

All of your votes! (boom-boom-ch)

Oh dear. I wish I still had that level of confidence today! I think video exists, but that will never see the light of day (Mom).

Last night, Mat & I went on a little mini date. We got ice cream at Sonic and then saw G.I. Joe. I didn't even think those new molten cakes looked that good, but boy was I wrong. 

(source)

I had the turtle one, and it was the right choice. I meant to take my own picture, but in true Kristin fashion, I ate it immediately. 

That's all I've got for today.I hope that wasn't too painful ;)

Thanks for reading!

Photoshop Love

What a chilly and windy couple of days we have been having! I felt like I was going to blow away yesterday any time I walked outside, not to mention all of this dust and sand flying around isn't doing wonders for my allergies either. Ohh well, it is Tuesday, which means that luckily Monday is over and we are one day closer to the weekend, and that is always a happy thing. My weekend wasn't entirely eventful, but on Sunday I went to shoot bow on base with my husband and a few of his friends and something amazing happened. I kept shooting too far to the left on the target, so my husband took a practice shot on the same target and told me to aim more towards the right, around where his arrow was. So I took his advice and managed to do this...

Yes that is my arrow lodged into his arrow, I couldn't believe that it happened. They even made me keep the arrows stuck that way as a souvenir. Would framing it be a bit too much? hah

I have been slacking on my design posts lately so I am going to share some outstanding Photoshop creations that I have come across. I am a huge Photoshop fan and I am always scouring the web for new and unique tutorials. I swear it will take me the rest of my life to learn all of the endless possibilities that you can use Photoshop for.

Jerico Santander - Own World

Josh Thomas - Sundae Chronicles

Iron Man

Aqua

Sugar

Pierre Beteille - Untitled

OMG, shoez.

I mentioned the other day that I bought my wedding shoes already, so here they are!

They look kind of pink in the photos but they are "champange," and I swear they are so comfortable. I love the sparkle!

While we are on the topic of shoes, I wanted to share some others that are on my wishlist right now....


I love Minnetonkas! Unfortunately, I only have one pair. These are next...

(buy here, here, and here)

I also am kind of obsessed with Adidas Originals.

(here, here, and here)

I'm on the hunt for the perfect pair of apocalypse boots (think Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil 3), but these are pretty bad.

(here and here)

Some for fun...

(here and here)

And topping my list right now are these Jeremy Scott ballet flats for Adidas! Seriously considering purchasing these.

(here)

Follow me on Wanelo to see some of my other favorite shoes. If you aren't on Wanelo and are looking for more ways to be unproductive, definitely sign up.