Let's Have a Marriage

"I have a problem when people say something's real or not real, or normal or abnormal. The meaning of those words for me is very personal and subjective. I've always been confused and never had a clear-cut understanding of the meaning of those kinds of words." 
--Tim Burton

I have never understood this fascination with Tim Burton that has been going on with people in my general age group for last fifteen years or so. When A Nightmare Before Christmas came out in 1993, my classmates went absolutely coconuts. And many people stayed in complete awe of his work throughout high school, college and beyond.

I don't think there was ever a time in my life when I jumped on the Tim Burton train. You know what train I did hop on? The train that wants Tim Burton and Johnny Depp to get married. Tim Burton seems to have this really strange fetish of making Johnny Depp look as bizarre as possible. Who knew a single man could look absolutely insane in so many ways? For example:


 



(Side note: This film was directed by Tim Burton).


(Side note: This film was directed by Tim Burton).

(Side note: This film was directed by Tim Burton).

(Side note: This film was directed by Tim Burton).

(Side note: This film was directed by Tim Burton).

(Side note: This film was NOT directed by Tim Burton).

And the thing that really kills me is that like most of the other ladies of the world, I used to have a HUGE crush on Johnny Depp. And now he just annoys me. It seems like every other year Burton/Depp/Helena Bonham Carter are either creating something entirely new and entirely weird, or putting a dark twist on something that was once fine just the way it was (Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland).

I can totally appreciate a good director/thespian partnership, but shouldn't there be some kind of limit on how many films you can do together? Especially films like this?

BTdubs, Scorcese and DiCaprio... I love you both, but you might want to slow it down a tad.

Alex's Bookshelf

"I avoid that bleak first hour of the working day during which my still sluggish senses and body make ever chore a penance. I find that in arriving later, the work which I do perform is of a much higher quality."
--A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole

After I graduated college, I went on a pretty long hiatus from reading. I read a lot when I was a kid -- I was a big fan of The Baby-Sitters Club and I think I read all 357 or so -- but I think the required reading from high school and college really turned me off for a while. Not to say that everything I read was horrendous, but by the time I graduated from college I was so bored from rereading Greek mythology and Beloved that I spent way more time with my iPod Touch than I did with any novel.

When I got married, though, all that changed. It might have had something to do with the fact that we were going to be on a beach for eight days and I needed something to do when I grew tired of crossword puzzles. I read three books while on my honeymoon (The Devil in the White City, A Window Across the River, and World's Fair). And with that, I was a reader again.

Being a reader in this day and age is not like it was when I was a kid. My parents got me a Kindle Fire for Christmas, and I've been able to read a few classics on it for free, as well as the Hunger Games trilogy. And I absolutely must recommend this website to you. It's called Shelfari, and it is amazing. It's basically a virtual bookshelf. You can list all of the books you have read, are reading, or want to read, and you can give them a rating between one and five stars. You can write your own reviews of the books you've read, or browse through reviews other people have written and get ideas for what to read next. It's hella-cool, and it's nice to look back at a book that you've read that you might otherwise have completely forgotten about. Sign up, and check out my bookshelf! I've read some good ones!

Decorate Your Desk

Just a quick update today, seeing as I have two minutes left in my lunch break. I decided to spruce up my work desk this week with a few awesome pics:







You're welcome :)

Awoha!

"Girls are weird, and I don't mean that offensively. I just can't put it any other way."
--The Perks of Being a Wallflower

One of my favorite things to do with my family is watching old home videos of my brother and sister and I growing up. My parents were sure to film all of our soccer games and ballet recitals, and there are hours of footage of the three of us playing in the yard, performing songs and skits, and just being kids.

This year for Christmas, my sister Jen smuggled out all of our home movies (seriously, dozens and dozens of VHS tapes), and spent days converting them into DVDs. She also edited them and put together a "Greatest Hits" tape of all of our favorite videos. It was such a wonderful and thoughtful gift, and I've already watched them all (some more than once).

So here is one of my favorite clips, which depicts me as Jen's doll, always willing to do whatever she wanted.



Aren't I just a picture of grace?

Long-Awaited Wedding Photos

"Always remember there is nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name."
-Avett Brothers


Yes, I'm still here.

Married life is still rockin' it! We're getting more adventurous with our cooking, our condo is still relatively clean, and most of the gifts we got at the wedding have been put in their proper place. Some are still like, on top of the fridge and under the counters, but we're working on it. It's a small condo, really.

And BT Dubs (Dad, that is short for BTW, which stands for By The Way. I can just picture you crinkling your brow in confusion right now), our professional wedding pictures DID finally come in a couple months ago!

BAM! Wedding pictured.

While I was planning the wedding, one thing I was really worried about (one of a million things, to be honest, but one thing I had absolutely no control over) was the weather. I always knew there was no way in hell I would ever have an outdoor wedding -- the thought of rain, mud, bugs, allergies, and other disasters was way too much to stress over -- but I really wanted some fun outdoorsy autumny pictures. And the weather was absolutely perfect on October 15th. No rain, partly cloudy, and the leaves just happened to change colors at the perfect time of year. P.S. aren't my bridesmaids just gorgeous?

Here's my now-Hubby with his groomsmen. His gifts for them were Happy Feet slippers, and no, they did not wear them at the actual ceremony. I really love this picture, though. I doubt any other bride has a pic like this one!

Here are two of my cousins, Logan and Carson, as the ring bearers. Omgoodness, they are so cute. They were such a hit at the ceremony -- they kept whispering to each other and making silly faces. My back was to them, though, so I didn't actually see anything until I saw some wedding videos. They were hilarious.


The whole wedding party after we said our "I dos"!
Top, left to right: Matt, Bobby, Jason, Daniel R., Daniel M., Zach
Bottom, left to right: Kaitlyn, Anna, Jen, Me, Kyle, Amanda, Mandi, Kate
I really like this picture.

Our reception was an enormous success! People really got into the photo booth. I think I got the idea for the chalkboards on Pinterest or The Knot or something. They were only like $10 for all of them, and people got pretty creative.


We had a full dance floor pretty much the whole night! It was amazing!

Me and my hubsby. Oh, yeah, I've decided to call him Hubsby. He loves it.



No, he doesn't.

Anyway, the rest of our pictures can be viewed right here. I would have posted all of them, but there are 1,242 of them.

In other news, Kyle just bought a plane ticket to visit his friend Bobby in Japan!
>:-O
(That is an attempt at an emoticon that expresses "Oh, I am so happy for you! But you are going to fantabulous Japan to climb mountains and frolick 'round cherry blossoms whilst I mope in Cincinnati!)

I'm kidding, Hubsby. I love you. :-D

Mean Ladies

"He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!"
-- Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Has anyone seen this commercial for Best Buy? Does it upset you as much as it upsets me?

Listen, lady. No one asked Santa to deliver gifts for you and your family. He's there out of the goodness of his freaking heart. Get off your high horse and just be grateful that he is there. He doesn't owe you anything. Also, you are spoiled.


P.S. Went to the oral surgeon today because of ongoing post-wisdom-teeth-removal-pain, where the dental assistant told me part of the reason I was having such a rough go of it is because, "Let's face it, you're not 14 anymore."

To which I replied, "SCREW YOU." But only in my head.

Begone, Wisdom Teeth!

"Love is thinking someone's faults are beautiful."
-- Author Unknown

Yesterday morning I had my wisdom teeth removed. I wish I could tell you all about it, but I honestly don't remember too much. I had to take these pills an hour beforehand, and even those made me feel loopy. Kind of like I was drunk, but only physically, you know?

Anyway, Kyle took me to the oral surgeon in West Chester. I don't really remember signing in or where the building even was. I remember hugging Kyle before I went in, and sitting in the chair. They stuck a needle in my arm and put some oxygen mask thing on my nose and I just conked out. I didn't even have to count down from 100. Or maybe they asked me to, but I was already out of it.

Then all of a sudden I was awake and being led to a room with a few beds. I fell immediately fell back into unconsciousness, then I remember waking up and saying, "Kyle. Kyle? Kyle." and I was frustrated because none of the dentist people understood what I was saying (probably because I couldn't feel my tongue or lips). So I finally pointed at my wedding ring and said, "Kyyyle!"

Kyle took me home and gave me some frozen peas to keep on my jaw. He spoon fed me pudding and didn't leave my side at all. He is one hell of a husband.

My parents stopped by with some dinner -- I had mashed potatoes and yogurt -- along with one of my favorite Christmas movies, Scrooge. It was nice to have some more company.

I'm doing okay, mostly because of all the love and support my family is showing me. Kyle has been so sweet. The bottom left side of my jaw is numb, and I can't really open my mouth too far. To be honest...it just hurts. And I just took some more painkillers and I feel a bit dizzy, so I am going to go lie down.

O Christmas Tree

"I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love. "
--Linus, A Charlie Brown Christmas

This being Kyle's and my first Christmas together as Husby and Wife, I decided to document every little thing about the holiday season and turn it into a scrapbook. Not a hard thing to do, really, when it involves three of my favorite things (Christmas, scrapbooking, and Kyle, if you were wondering).

I'm getting my wisdom teeth taken out this weekend and will be in no state to go anywhere, so last weekend Kyle and I went to a tree farm out in Ross and picked out the perfect tree! I am not a fan of fake trees -- one of the best things about Christmas is that fresh pine smell a real Christmas tree brings into your home. Here are a few pictures of our adventure at Nieman's Garden Center:



We ended up with a good sized, and affordable, fraser fir. These are probably my favorite kinds of Christmas trees because it has good branches for easy ornament hanging, and they smell absolutely fantastic. Here we are with our first Christmas tree!


Then of course we had to decorate it. My parents gave us a ton of lights (I think they buy new ones every year, because they have lights coming out the wazoo), so we took two strands of the little white ones and put them up. We made a great team, by the way.


My aunt had also given us all kinds of Christmas decorations for one of my bridal showers, and I finally got a good chance to look through it all. It's all gorgeous! She got us stockings and stocking holders, a tree skirt, some ornaments, and some other great stuff. Check out the final product:

We still need a tree topper, but I guess we can go without it one year. I plan on going out after Christmas and buying some more decorations. I do love Christmas. It's the most wonderful time of the year, after all.

Wicked

"Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap
It's time to try defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
And you can't pull me down."
--Elphaba, Wicked

"Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?"
--Glinda the Good, Wicked



Ever since I can remember, I have been going downtown to the Aranoff to see musicals and plays acted out for me. My uncle Randy is a huge fan of the theater and always had an extra ticket or two, so it didn't take long for me to become enamored with the stage. I've been collecting Playbills for years, and last Christmas Uncle Randy got me a special Playbill album to put my collection in. I am very pleased to say that I am getting some great use out of it.

As a wedding gift, Uncle Randy and Aunt Becky gave Kyle and me their tickets to see "Wicked" at the Aranoff last night, the hit Broadway musical I've been dying to see since I was in high school. For those of you who've been living under a rock sheltered from the theater geeks of the world, "Wicked" is the untold story of the witches of Oz, and follows Elphaba (the so-called "wicked witch") and Galinda (later "Glinda," or "Glinda the Good") as they grudgingly share a dorm room in college and eventually become best friends. Born green but good, and with powers she can't fully understand or control, Elphaba dreams of meeting her hero, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. When she finally does, she realizes he actually has no magic of his own and is blinding the people of Oz with mirrors and lights, and a corrupt government intent on forever silencing (literally) the once independent and coherent animals. Elphaba vows to fight the wizard, who spreads rumors of her "wickedness" throughout Oz to easily discredit her claims.

I really loved this play. The leading ladies were phenomenal as both actresses and singers. The set was much more intricate than I expected it to be, and the music has basically been stuck in my head for the last 24 hours (and I'm not sick of it yet, so that should tell you something).

I'm going to sidebar a little bit here. Everyone knows the story of "The Wizard of Oz," but I'm starting to think there are more layers to it than we realize. Let me explain.

Kyle read this thing online a while back that argued that Glinda the Good is actually one of the most diabolical villains in movie history. And when you really think about the story, you can kind of see it. She shows up when Dorothy's house lands on the wicked witch's sister (I won't refer to her as "Elphaba" here because I'm strictly talking about The Wizard of Oz, in which she has no name). She credits Dorothy for this fully and gives her the ruby slippers. The wicked witch then conveniently shows up and gets really pissed off at Dorothy. And who can blame her, those shoes should belong to next of kin, if you ask me. So the witch is understandably upset, and Glinda just lets it happen to Dorothy, even though she's the one who stole the shoes, and probably even caused the twister to land on the sister. Ooh, nice rhyme.

Glinda then tells Dorothy to follow the yellow brick road, which Dorothy does. And she goes through all the trouble with the guards and the trees and the witch and the monkeys and finally gets to the wizard and then, ONLY THEN, does Glinda decide to tell Dorothy how to get home. Turns out she had the answer on her feet the whole time. Is it a coincidence that two witches died under Glinda's watch, leaving her to rule Oz as the only witch in the land? Maybe. But probably not.

Here's another thing. One of the most popular lines in the movie, and in the entire world of cinema, to be honest, is "There's no place like home." It's what everyone remembers about the movie, but it doesn't really fit the story.

Home is a desolate dust bowl in the middle of Kansas where the nasty old lady next door is trying to kill your dog. Whereas Oz is...technicolor. And it has it's problems, what with the fighting trees and flying monkeys, but you make friends who help you realize that whatever you want to be, you already are.

Have you ever watched a movie you haven't seen since you were like six and realize you really had no idea what was going on when you saw it the first time? It blows your freaking mind.