Reading Continues

Recently I read the book Delirium. 

It was referred to me by one of my best friends because she knew how much I loved The Hunger Games and the Divergent series. I had really high hopes for this book. Written by Lauren Oliver, Delirium follows the life of a girl named Lena who's close to finishing up high school and reaching her procedure. What procedure? 

Lena lives in a society where love is viewed as a disease. The entire population believes that love kills people. Society has viewed it as an epidemic and now they've taken control of the disease so people have a procedure to cure them of feeling or getting sick with love. The society matches people with their life partners based on similarities for how their adult life should be. People who do not get the procedure become outcasts and are left to live in the Wilds. However, no one really knows if the Wilds exists. 

Lena is only 95 days away from her procedure and she's counting it down. Love killed her mother and she's determined not to have that happen to her or bring more shame to her family. Then she meets Alex. He's mysterious and a cured so she believes he's someone safe to hang out and be around. Then she realizes she starts to get the sickness and has to decide how her life is going to turn out. 

Overall, I thought Delirium was a decent book. There was certain aspects that really annoyed me and I haven't read the second or third book in the series. The first book kinda leaves you hanging so I'd like to find out what happens but at the same time it was slow reading in certain sections.

Retail Therapy

This past weekend, I indulged in a little retail therapy. I've noticed with all of the events that I keep getting invited to that I stare at my closet and can't figure out anything really appropriate to wear. I decided to solve that problem and buy a few things. 

This dress is so comfortable! It's actually navy/cream and has built in pockets. I'll probably wear it with a white shrug but it's really cute. 

I felt very Beyonce wearing this but I figure it will go well with the skirt underneath and any other basic skirt that I may want to wear. The tribal skirt is fabulous! The colors totally pop and I love the front zipper. I normally do not wear skirts like this ever but I saw it and loved it. Plus the fact that it was only 11 dollars made me really happy. Since I'm short the skirt is actually a lot longer on my legs than the model's.

I got this really basic cream top but I loved the fact that it had that little leopard print collar. 

The taupe shorts are nice enough to wear to dinner with a nice top but casual enough to wear out. 

I got most of these pieces at Forever 21 and from Windsor Clothing. I can't wait to wear them! I have a BBQ on Thursday that I'm going to so I might bust out that dress. 

Theater Thursday

It's Thursday and that can only mean one thing around here... it's Theater Thursday! What does that mean? That means I pick a movie that I've watched and liked and feature it here so others can hear about it and maybe get a great movie that they normally wouldn't come across. This week's featured movie is, Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2. 

Now before you judge me too harshly on picking a Twilight film, hear me out! The books are no literary work of art. The movies aren't up to Oscar standards but if you take them for what they are worth... entertainment then you can have fun watching them. The latest and last film in the series is Breaking Dawn Part 2. This movie is the final one and closes the chapter on the Cullen family. 

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart... work actress ever!) is now a vampire and married to Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). She's just given birth to their child, nicknamed by Jacob Nessie. The Cullen family becomes fearful that the vampire royal family, the Voltorie will come looking for them because they think the child is an immortal child. They ban together and bring friendly vampires from all around the world to bare witness to the fact that they haven't made an immortal child and in fact does grow. 

As the Cullens and their friends unite and they share the story of how Bella conceived they realize that their cause may be going in the right direction. Sadly, not everyone things that the Voltorie will be as forgiving. Will all of the Cullens make it out of this alive? Watch and see or read the books! 

It Is What It Is

This saying has been one of my favorites for quite some time. Lately, I've found myself saying it a lot more. Maybe I'm adapting to the California laid back attitude? Maybe I could just be realizing that you can't control everything in life. You just have to roll with the punches and ride the waves of life's up and downs. 

It is what it is.... it's like brushing it off. It's saying that it doesn't matter. It's telling the world and putting it out into the universe that it simply is what it is. It's also become my saying for when I don't have the answer to a life question or an outcome that has happened. 

Rejection? It is what it is.
Promotions? It is what it is. 
People coming and going in life? It is what it is.
Paying bills? It is what it is. 
Mowing the grass? It is what it is. 

I like it. I'm going to keep on saying it. What does the saying mean to you? 

Roll the Dice

This past weekend, I travelled to Reno, Nevada: The Biggest Little City in the World!

Some friends and I decided to escape Sacramento and make the 2 hour drive over into Nevada to have some fun in Reno. Since I had never been to Reno, I was pretty excited to see it. I've been to Las Vegas a few times so this wasn't my first time to a gambling town. We arrived and set up camp at Circus Circus Hotel and Casino.

There was a championship bowling tournament going on in Reno and the home base was Circus Circus! Everywhere we went bowling pins and balls were the theme! I'm also a sucker for a souvenir cup/glass so of course I had to get this...

We also hit up a giant buffet inside the Silver Legacy Casino. The buffet had the best desserts because of that I got two!

This was the best chocolate and they had an amazing chocolate moose as well. If you ever get to Reno, hit up the silver legacy buffet because it was totally worth the money. When I'm traveling I usually find at least one thing to take an inappropriate photo with...

Later that night we went over to the Peppermill Hotel and Casino. The Peppermill is by far the nicest hotel that I saw there. If I go to Reno again I will probably stay there. The Peppermill is also home to Edge which is a very upscale hang out spot. 

See those shoes I'm wearing? I love them. They are black and gold with accents. I was so excited to wear them. I don't know if it's because I had been walking around all day or what but my feet must have got a little swollen. By the end of the night they had completely broken open the skin on my ankle. It wasn't pretty!

To treat myself from the pain, we ate again but over in the El Dorado Hotel and Casino. It was so much food that there was no way I could finish it. 

Sadly, all trips must come to an end and it was time to head back to Sacramento. The trip to Reno was great and if you ever get the chance to go I highly suggest going. It's definitely not Vegas but it's a fun time in Nevada. 

Theater Thursday

It's Thursday and that can only mean one thing around these parts... it's Theater Thursday! This week's featured movie is, Fletch Lives.

Fletch Lives stars Chevy Chase as Fletch, a journalist/reporter who lives in Los Angeles and works for the Times. When Fletch learns that he's inherited his late aunts mansion and plantation land in Louisiana he sets out to see the place for himself. Once he gets there he is disappointed to see that the mansion is in complete and utter dismay. His lawyer lets him know that someone has put in a very large cash offer for the place and property. To Fletch's amazement he can't figure out why. 

Fletch gets involved in a murder case and it's all up to him and his reporting skills to dig out the truth and find out what's really going on in Louisiana and with his family's land. Can Fletch dig out the truth? He'll have to if he wants to make it back to Los Angeles in one piece. 

Why It's Not Just A Movie

I have a major obsession with the movie, Romancing the Stone.

Ok. Fine. I admit it. It's more than a major obsession. I don't even know what to call it, that's how obsessed I am with this movie. I watch it probably at least 4 times a week.... and honestly I'm low balling it. I'd say it's probably at least 6 times a week. Granted, most of the time I'm just too lazy to get up and change it out of the dvd player but in reality, I'm actually obsessed with this movie. I could probably quote the whole thing to you right now if you asked. I also know little obscure facts about it. So what am I so obsessed? Let's dive right in!

1. It's a good movie. It's got Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. Let's not forget Danny DeVito.
2. It takes place in a country that I myself am too afraid to ever visit so I can travel there through them.
3. She's a romance novelist who really believes her fairytale man is out there.
4. It has really good one liners.
5. Crocodiles!!! Enough said!
6. It's got spanish words in it so you can pick up some spanish for free.
7. It shows any woman get be independent.
8. They teach you how to react in a crisis situation: Drink. Panic or fight your way out.
9. Reaffirms the Life lesson: Always pack an umbrella and carry travelers checks.
10. It has a happy ending. 

I could go on and on but I wont. My mom and I also like to compare my life to Joan Wider (which is Kathleen Turner's character in the movie). We've noticed quite a few similarities. Joan travels to a far away place on her own. CHECK! I've done that one. Joan goes into the unknown. CHECK! Joan holds on to the hope that the man of her dreams is out there. CHECK! Joan is willing to do whatever it takes. She may crack along the way but she's going to make sure she gets there. She gets the job done. CHECK!

So I will continue to watch this movie. It's my motivation. It's my calming movie after a rough day. It makes me smile. 

Weekend Review

The past few weeks I have neglected this little space of mine. I've been busy with work and friends and getting out there and trying new things. I'm working on priorities and right now there's just so much going on. Does anyone else have a hard time balancing all the things going on in their life? I'm having a hard time finding good balance. I'm also having a hard time shutting out the noise. Maybe I should read Bethenny Frankel's book again. 

Anyways, let's talk about all the busy things I've been doing while not blogging....

Last weekend, I went and saw the new Evil Dead movie. 

I should preface talking about this movie by saying that I get really scared during scary movies. I usually don't watch them. Ever. But I was with some people and this is what they picked out. It was extremely gory and very bloody. I can never watch it again. I also went to a new place for me in town called District 30. It was fun and I got to hang out with some really nice people that I work with. 

Then there was this past weekend. It started out on Thursday night when some friends were doing an asian theme dinner party. The food was so good! I brought dessert and since the host is allergic to chocolate/coco I made a peanut butter pie! 

Everyone seemed to like it, so it must have turned out pretty well. I say that because I didn't actually eat any of it myself! It's very rich! After dinner, we all headed downtown to hear the dueling pianos at...

The mermaid was in the tank! It was a fun night. Friday I hung out with some other friends and had a huge meal of fish and shrimp. Now if you know me, I'm not a huge fan of that type of food but I'm trying new things so I ate it! The fish even still had the head on it as it sat on the plate. The same friend and I also went shopping and I got a few things for the home! I found this really cute wind chime for only 6.00 dollars!

So that's what I've been up to the past two weeks. I'm also currently reading Gone Girl and I'm completely enthralled. Hope everyone is doing great! Happy Monday!

Childhood Reading

I've read another book on my quest for reading 50 books this year. This one was a fun, little read. When I was growing up, I was one of those kids who didn't want to read outside of school. I missed a lot of books that most kids read. In the last couple of years, I made it a little goal of mine to read some of the classics that I had never read as a kid. The first ones that I started out with were The Hardy Boys Books. There is a lot of books in that series and I've been making my way through them slowly but surely. My latest read was...

The Sinister Signpost by Franklin W. Dixon is book 15 in the Hardy Boys series. If you've ever read a Hardy Boys book you know that the stories follow the lives of two young boys who are brothers, Frank and Joe Hardy. They are the son of Finton Hardy who is a world famous detective that can solve any mystery. The apple hasn't fallen far from the tree in this family and the boys are following in the father's footsteps. 

In this mystery the boys are trying to find out who's sabotaging a new, enhanced motor that is still being tested out before going into production. Someone has been running the cars holding the motors off the roads during test drives and the owner is concerned that his employees driving the cars will be injured and that the motor will get stolen. The boys have to find out who's trying to steal the motors and who would benefit the most from the theft. This book is a cute, fun read and if you've ever read the Hardy Boy books you won't be disappointed in this one. 

Theater Thursday

It's Thursday and that can only mean one thing around these parts. It's Theater Thursday! Every week, I pick a movie that's available for viewing either on dvd, netflix, etc and share it with the world. Maybe you've seen it or maybe you haven't and it'll become a favorite! This week's featured movie is, City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly's Gold.

If you've seen the first City Slickers then you definitely need to see the second installment. Mitch (Billy Crystal) and Phil (Daniel Stern) are back and this time they are headed to Vegas on a work convention. When Mitch finds an old map left behind in one of Curly's cowboy hats, the guys go on the hunt for the buried treasure. They blow off the convention in Vegas and go a few miles away from Vegas to hunt down the treasure and be in the wild west again. When Mitch's brother tags along (Jon Lovitz) they end up having to babysit him and hope that he doesn't get in the way. 

While hunting for treasure the guys will have to overcome challenges they haven't faced before and the natural elements. This sequel is not one that disappoints! It's funny and entertaining! Watch it! 

What I Want Wednesday!

Here is some lovely little items I'd like to add to my collection of things....

The Tiffany & Co: I love you ring

Apple Ipad

Pearl Shoes from Australia

Burberry Orchird

Kissing March Goodbye

I'm ready to kiss March goodbye! This month definitely had it's fair share of good and bad moments. 

The Good
-I got my income tax return and in turn paid off a credit card! I'm closer to being debt free! 
-I'm also on target to pay off my car in the next few months. 
-My new function inside my job is going awesome. 
-I've been hanging out with some really nice people and making friends! 
-I've been able to hang out with my old roommate from Alabama! 
-My mom booked her flight to visit me!

The Bad
-I've had to deal with some real douche bags lately. 
-I caught a really bad head/chest cold. 
-I haven't finished a book this whole month. 
-I have to get new brakes on my car. I hate dealing with things on my car.
-Mowing the grass is AWFUL.

So now it's time to say goodbye to March and keep the faith that April is going to be an even better month!