livin' the HP life: 7 more days

Of course, I have been rereading the entire series all summer (I'm almost done with Half Blood Prince at the moment).  I've been tweeting quotes, taking pictures of funny things such as above (Sirius being serious), and getting lost in the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

In San Diego, I saw the trio.

And a very animated Harry.

I read non-stop during our trip (we just got home yesterday).  I wasn't the only one reading Harry Potter.  My sister's reading the first book and my dad reread the second part of Deathly Hallows in preparation for the movie.  Twice.  Twice before reading the Epilogue.  He claims he's not in denial, but I think otherwise.

A man came up to me while I was reading to see what book I was reading and proceeded to say, "That one's the best one!" and share his plans to make an animated version of the seven books word-by-word.  He went on to say that he loved the films, but was disappointed they left out so much in the larger novels.  "Harry Potter and the Half-Told Story" is what he called the sixth movie.  It made me happy that  a fellow Harry Potter enthusiast reached out, especially when he was over twice my age.

My copy of Order of the Phoenix fell apart on the drive there, but that is okay because it made it lighter and of course I have the hardcover (that I distinctively remember getting at midnight at Barnes & Noble with my dad).  Yep, already I've gone through two Goblet of Fires.  My poor children will think I tried feeding my paperback editions to the Whomping Willow.

Today I watched two kiddos that are fellow Harry Potter lovers.  Imagine my delight when the older one saw my Harry & the Potters CD as I was going for the requested Glee CD (Sidenote:  I am happy to announce that I have at least these two referring to my car as the Glee-mobile due to the GLE on the back)!  The backseat filled with giggles during each song.  We even made a few music videos.  Hooray! The Harry Potter fun didn't end when I got home... (Does it ever end?  NO.)

Maggie tweeted about this song, so of course I looked it up and ended up crying for 5:51 minutes.  Thankfully my dad magically appeared in my doorway with a present for me:  Harry Potter silly bands. I love that guy.

All morning I read tweets from the HP cast about the London premiere.  When I went to MuggleNet to check out everyone's fancy attire just now, I got smacked right in the face like an uncalled for Bat-Bogey hex (gross) with this video.  Cue more tears.

Just a (Fluffy has three) heads up, this blog is officially HARRY POTTER 24/8!  Yes, eight days a week, my friends.

i know this is my 2309413049th post in the last 24 hours, but...

Can I just tell you how emotional I am getting about this Harry Potter business?  I teared up the moment I started watching this.  By the end I was in tears, trying not to lose it.  A few minutes later when I realized it was THE LAST HARRY POTTER TRAILER EVER (thanks a lot, tumblr), I lost it.  I literally curled up into a ball on my bed and started shaking with tears.  It's really ending.  Not only that, but so much change is about to happen in my life.  I'm moving. I'm going to college. Akasjkasjfkasfl;kasfask.  All of this built-up emotion is being channeled into this epic ending and I am having a not-even-quarter life crisis.  WAAAAHHHHH.  BUT IT IS SO EXCITING.

Also, I made this while at my friend's house tonight to cope:

We also played Harry Potter trivia.  Now it is forever ingrained in my mind that Quarrel meets a zombie in Africa during his travels.  Now why on Earth didn't I remember that?

sl;kjdaslkjd;alksdjlaskdjalskdaslkdjlkasd

I'm freaking out over here about POTTERMORE.  What does this mean?  A Harry Potter MMORPG?  A one-stop epic Harry Potter fansite?  A Harry Potter social networking site?  Or my guess... A social dating network to find my Harry Potter soulmate?  All we know is that it isn't a book.  Obviously, because now we know it's a website.  And obviously, now we all know I'm as loony as Luna when it comes to all things Potter.


I NEED ANSWERS.

eighteen

March 5th was my birthday.  I am now EIGHTEEN. 

Do I feel different?  Yes--MORE AWESOME.

Do I still get asked if I want a kids menu when I'm out with family?  Yes--BUT THAT IS OKAY.

Because you know what?  I AM STILL AWESOME.

This is how I spent my weekend, you know, being awesome:

Friday in yearbook, the always wonderful AJ made me the most attractive cake I've ever seen. (Note tiara on top of my hat.  Gotta love yearbook.)

Why was it so attractive, you ask?  Well, it had Darren Criss and the Hogwarts crest on it.  Also, it was pink with cream cheese frosting.  PERFECTION.

On Saturday, after a lovely breakfast of quiche, fruit, and expresso with the fam at home, Melanie, Erin, and I headed out to Tempe for macarons at Essence Bakery.  They were tres delicieux!

It was Melanie's first one, and Erin's first real one (she has tried mine).  I am so proud.

After shopping for beaucoup hours (I scored some beauties), we got sushi at Shimogamo.  Yum!

Next we went to see a production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee that our friend Dahlya is in.  I laughed so hard (and even got to go up on stage to spell a word...wrong)!

Yodipity came last; there's nothing like coconut frozen yogurt with some friends!

Sunday was family time.  I chose Joe's Farm Grill to celebrate my birthday with my mom's side of the family. It was perfect weather for eating outside on the picnic tables.  Happiness! (That is the dress I got while out shopping...My new favorite for sure!)  For dinner, we went out with my other set of grandparents at Oregano's.  It was a tasty weekend to say the least.

I got some lovely and thougthful gifts from my besties (they make me laugh and cry and make ingenious Gossip Girl and Sufjan and Dobby references) and family (Glee season one and iPhone anyone?) and my parents (they treated me to my fabulous day out with friends) but one gift I am still in shock from that I received from my grandparents.  I am seriously giddy out of my mind. 

I GOT A CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it? I had never been so surprised in my life when I was opening the last of my grandparents' gifts.  I got my license last August and I haven't been able to take out either of my parents' giant boat-sized vehicles even once.  I didn't mind much at first, but the past few months especially I have gotten a bit frustrated, especially when I need to get to a babysitting gig or have to rely on friends for rides (although this has done worlds for my patience). 

But now... Now I have my own set of wheels since my grandma just got a new car.  I am beside myself with happiness.  I have offically decided to dub it the "Gleemobile."  Not only do I plan on listening to an unhealthy amount of Glee while I drive, but I also discovered last night while showing off my new wheels at Erin's (to her whole family, no less) that on the back right corner it says "GLE." 

Oh yes.  I am awesome. xoxo

(500) doodles of words

THIS IS MY 500th POST!

Much has changed since December of 2007 when I wrote my first blogpost, but it's funny to see how much hasn't.  Here's a look at a few posts from my first year in the blogosphere.

That December I discovered Etsy and revived my love of tea parties.

That March I made my first of many pies.

That May I realized how cool Zooey Deschanel was. (current obsession? Try life-long.)

That June I met the love of my life.

Some things never change...

My love of Gossip Girl

My Harry Potter obsession

My lust over Ban.do (now I finally own one!)

My favorite blogger (who ironically lives in Portland)

My hobby of antiquing & movie-going

My favorite magazine & illustrator

Really bizarre...Looking through these brings me back to when I first wrote them.  It seems like just yesterday!  It honestly does.  I can literally remember writing a lot of these.  I really haven't changed much since, interest-wise.  It's weird to see my 14/15 year old self discovering the things that are all very much a part of me now. 

Thanks for sticking around.  Here's to 500 more!  xoxo

thursday thrills

A sweet & creative engagement photoshoot. Love!

While I was researching French macarons for an essay, I found this awesome tee.

I remember watching this years ago!  Still hilarious.

Have a Valentine's Day crafternoon.

Okay, and my favorite discovery?  Portlandia:






Three day weekend!  (Don't you just love Civil Rights?)

i ♥ black friday

The lovely Melanie and I were crazy enough to set out at around 11:30 PM (after fueling up on coffee drinks from ampm) for Chandler Mall.  Yep, it opened at 12 AM and we were there.  I may or may not have yelled at a group of teenage boys to get out of our way when we were trying to find a parking spot...

After hitting up Forever 21 (2 long sleeved shirts, pretty barrettes, cute socks), Charlotte Russe (no luck), and Gap (scored some super cute socks I've been eyeing--I have a thing for quirky socks), we headed to Scottsdale.

We took our time, getting lost and talking about serious--and not so serious--stuff.  Upon our arrival, we decided to have an impromptu photo-shoot in Old Town when we couldn't find anywhere to get food (hence all the pictures).  It was great fun.

When we finally got to Urban, we had a ton of time to kill (it opened at 5; it was 3:30), so we back-tracked and went to Target, which opened at 4.  There were so many people there!  We waited in the car  until the line started disappearing into the store.  Our main objectives fulfilled (bathroom break and food!!!), we bypassed the deals and long lines and headed back to Urban with 15 minutes to spare.

Urban was A MAD HOUSE.  I swear, I haven't seen that many hipsters in one place since the Sufjan Stevens concert.  It was insane.  Thankfully we found some friends, so we certainly weren't the last ones in line.  When the doors opened, Melanie and I locked arms and ran for it.  Everyone swarmed to the sale corner--this is when the spirit of Black Friday (and the wrath of broke hipsters) kicked in.  There was no room to move--I am still amazed I ever got out of that mass of shoppers...  I ended up with a button-up horse tunic, red dress, navy cardigan, and blue fedora, all for under $50--really awesome considering the tunic and dress were originally $48 each and the cardigan originally $58.  SCORE!  The two hour line (not exaggerating much) was definitely worth it, especially because we found another group of friends to hang out with in line.  Of course, at 7 AM, Urban was like, Hey, let's have a DJ come in and blast music!  That was pretty funny.

...And then I got home at 8 AM (after witnessing no less than the rapping stylings of Melanie).

Nine hours of craziness!  Life is so fun.

today i am thankful for...holidays that remind you what you're thankful for

Life is fantastic!  And yes, I have officially started listening to Christmas music...and started decorating my room. Also, in less than four hours, I will be experiencing MY FIRST BLACK FRIDAY EVER.  I am so excited (and a little terrified).  Time to try to sleep...  Wish me luck--I'm usually going TO SLEEP at midnight.

Oh well, because guess what?

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.

what's on my mind?

Making French macarons for my best friend's garden party. 
Can it be the weekend now? 

mr. flowers

Okay, nerdy confession:  My iPod has a name.

I can explain myself, I swear.

In sixth grade, something magnificant happened--I got my first iPod.  It was a Mini, it was lime green, and at the time, it was the smallest, most wonderful gadget I had ever held in my hands. I held it gently in my hands; it was so small, I was afraid I'd crush it.  How things change!

The first CD I downloaded onto it was Hot Fuss by The Killers.  This was fitting, since Hot Fuss was my first actual CD, one that wasn't a movie soundtrack or affiliated with some Disney Channel star.  (Thankfully it introduced me to a whole new world of music, one including The Strokes, Interpol, and Death Cab for Cutie.)  I would listen to that CD every night, Brandon Flower's voice singing "Everything Will Be Alright" as my lullaby. 

So naturally, my iPod was dubbed Mr. Flowers.  Of course.  And let me tell you, he was a faithful iPod.  As the other iPods got skinnier, brighter, and more colorful, he remained loyal for over four years.  Now he is replaced by a skinny purple Nano, but the thought of my sixth grade self, listening to The Killers on my precious, fragile Mr. Flowers always makes me smile. 

Anyway, watching this video for Brandon Flowers' solo album made me think of this, because it brings me back to my Killers-obsessed self that is always waiting patiently for me to pop in one of their albums and sing along to every word.  Enjoy!

i ♥ noah and the whale

Have you ever come across someone where you're like, WHOA.  It feels like we've known eachother forever and I just learned your name...

Well, that's how I feel about Noah and the Whale.  Just take a look at this music video.  Pure bliss.  Plus, they got their name from the movie The Squid & the Whale and are devout followers of Wes Anderson.  How perfect are they?   LOVE LOVE LOVE.

I JUST BOUGHT SUFJAN STEVENS TICKETS!

I am beyond excited.

oh mon dieu!

Je ne peux pas le croire!  Gossip Girl à Paris?  CHOUETTE!

more movies to see! it never ends...

Oh my goodness.  Both are so attractive.  I can't handle it!


I ♥ Jason Bateman.  'Nuff said.

Movies I have seen the last two weeks:  Despicible Me (loved it), Inception (OH MY GOODNESS SO GOOD), Dinner for Schmucks (Hilarious), and Ramona Beezus (So cute).

i ♥ fall

Fall: decent weather, tights, the beginning of the holiday season...  Fall is a good situation, that I am really looking forward to.  Even better about Fall?  All my favorite shows come back on air!  And by favorite shows I pretty much mean Gossip Girl, Glee, and Bored to Death.  Speaking of Jason Schwartzman...We were basically made for eachother.  Not only is he short, but we have matching outfits:
Hahahha.  Anyway.  Happy Thursday!

as if Emma Watson wasn't cool enough already..

Speaking of which, please tell me you've seen this:



!!!!!!  Tonight I saw Eclipse a day early thanks to a firefighter charity event (my dad's a fire captain).  I enjoyed it, and even wore my I ♥ Edward shirt like I did to the last two movies (advance screening everytime--score!) to complete the situation, but to me, Harry Potter's where it's really at.  I seriously can NOT bloody wait until November!  asfKskfskd!sfsdkfjJKL!JLJ!KL!sdf!

She & Him

So psyched for their new album (out March 23rd)!  Listen to "In the Sun."  It's so lovely!

SERIOUSLY

THIS IS TOO MUCH TO HANDLE.
P.S. The background music reminds me of Charade.

three taps up, two across...

Okay, so this isn't the entrance to Diagon Alley, but mere Muggle bricks found at SanTan Village yesterday with my Grandma Mimi. (Humor me; I can hardly wait until June 15th's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince...EEEEE! Uh no...that was not a girlish squeal...)

Unfortunately I was feeling rather sickly, so we opted to see The Proposal--which was cute--I think I've developed a little something for Ryan Reynolds, which is completely random. We need a visual here.

Weird, because I don't usually gravitate towards blondes. Can't resist his boyish charm I suppose! Also, he reminds me a bit of George Peppard in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Who knows.

We also stopped into Forever 21 and I found the BEST dress. More about that later!

Excuse my rambling and hardcore explanation points. I've been sick the past few days and am just starting to feel a bit better due to my extensive sleeping and water-drinking, so this excites me, because I have a trip coming up that I certainly need to be in tip-top shape for!

GOOD MERLIN!

LUNA LOVEGOOD IN HER LION HAT!

THIS EXCITES ME SO MUCH, YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE!

PLUS, DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THIS:

THAT DRESS! AT SLUGHORN'S CHIRSTMAS PARTY! HOLY HIPPOGRIFF!

I caved last night and began reading the series again before the movie. Almost done with book one...I feel like I'm reading the back of my hand.

Plus, isn't Harry Potter Wiki great? Just don't go there if you're planning on reading the series! That would be ghastly.