Thursday, July 31, 2014

Theater Thursday

It's Thursday and that can only mean one thing around here... it's Theater Thursday! This week's featured movie is, Gidget Goes Hawaiian.

I love this movie and with my recent trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, I love it even more. It's the second movie in the Gidget series and my personal favorite. Made in 1961, Gidget (Deborah Walley) is the happiest she's ever been because her steady man Jeff (James Darren) has just given her his college pin to wear. Trouble brews in her house though when her parents surprise her with a trip to Hawaii. Gidget not wanting to leave Jeff behind for his last two weeks of summer vacation is devastated. She tells her parents she won't go.

When Gidget runs off to tell Jeff the news he thinks it's an amazing experience for her and that she should go. On the inside he really doesn't want her to go because he'll miss her but he knows that the trip is one of a lifetime. Upset by his reaction Gidget breaks up with him because she thought she meant the world to him. She rushes home to tell her parents she's ready to go to Hawaii now. Once the family gets on the plane, Gidget's feeling are raw and she's sad that her relationship is over and misses Jeff. On the flight though she meets a girl named Abby (Peggy Cass), who's around the same age. They start talking and begin to get along.

Once in Hawaii, Gidget realizes she needs to stop moping around and try to have fun. Abby gets jealous that Gidget is popular with the guys because her surfing and dancing abilities. Jeff surprises Gidget at the wrong moment in Hawaii and from then on out things get crazy on the island of Hawaii. The movie is littered with catchy tunes that you'll find yourself singing along. Warning: It'll also make you want to jump on the next plane to Hawaii!

A little tidbit... the hotel that they filmed the majority of the movie at is actually still in business. It's called the Royal Hawaiian. It's got beach access and the buildings are still the same color pink as in the film. Warning it's pricey! I thought our Hilton was expensive but this place beats even the Waikoloa Village.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The Biggest Hotel Ever


Beezy and I stayed on the Big Island at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. We stayed at this hotel because not only did Beezy and I go to the big island but so did 19 other members of his family. Two people in his family and had stayed here before and had a timeshare set up. We booked a King Ocean View room and hoped for the best. We had heard tons of positives and negatives about the resort.
 
We arrived early in the morning and had to wait a few hours before the hotel could give us a room. While we waited for our room we were occupied with looking around the resort and their vast array of tropical birds. Some of them even talked to us!
Cosmo the bird on the right is 37 years old!
 

Butterscotch the Cockatoo was my favorite. He's actually a pale pink color.
 
The resort is huge. As a guest of the hotel you have three choices on how you can get to your room. You can walk or you can take of the two trams or boats. They also have a waterfall and lagoon that is home to tropical fish and sea turtles. We swam with them and it was very cool!


 Lagoon


 Dolphins on property
 A view of the ocean towers
Buddha Point
 
While we enjoyed the resort we don't think we'd ever choose to stay there again if we go back to the big island. It was just too large for us and very expensive. One of our biggest pluses was the view that our room provided at sunrise...
Hawaii sure did know how to provide those sunrises and sunsets.



Monday, July 28, 2014

Aloha & Mahalo

You'll have to pardon my sporadic blogging last week but I was on vacation! I waited seven months for this vacation and now it's done and over. Beezy and I were on The Big Island of Hawaii for 8 days and 7 nights. While I plan on bombarding you for the next week with recaps from our vacation, I figured I would give you a little teaser of my trip. If you follow me on @jmomiller you probably already have an idea of everything that we did.

 Waikoloa
 Amazing water
 Sunrises
 Akaka Falls

 Green Sand Beach
 Black Sand Beach
 
I can't wait to share the trip with all of you!

Monday, July 21, 2014

July Ipsy

Have you heard of Ipsy? It's a 10.00 a month subscription box that comes right to your door full of at least four sample size products and one full size products. That ten dollars gives you not only a chance to try to things but also supplies you with a cute new make up bag each month.

My July Ipsy bag did not disappoint! It's been three great months of products in a row. This month was no different. This month's bag was called Sensationally Sun kissed.

1. Jojoba Gel Cream by Lavilin.
 This stuff is a gel that you use on your face for when you've been doing extreme outdoor activities. It's suppose to hydrate your skin and it's fabulous. It doesn't have a weird smell and it doesn't leave your skin oily. I'm loving it for the summer months.

2. Dark Tanning Oil SPF 8 by Hang Ten.
I'm all about getting my tan on. Now this stuff helps speed up that process faster while protecting you from SPFs. It comes out in a fine spray and works just as well if not better than other greats like Australian Gold and Banana Boat. It doesn't have a weird smell so that's a major plus.

3. Tints ad Sass in Cherry by Elizabeth Mott.
This is the one product I was a little disappointed in. I'm not a big fan of anything that goes on my lips because their sensitive and break out easily. I also didn't love the color that I got. It's really bright and not something that I would ever wear. I'll probably gift this full size product to someone who really wants it.

4. They're real! Beyond Mascara by Benefit.
Now here's a product I absolutely love. I've bought this mascara before and it lasts forever. It goes on lashes smooth, doesn't cake on and doesn't flake off after wearing it a few hours. I got a trial size in my bag but it lasts a really long time. I'd say at least 3 weeks using it daily. It makes me want to buy another full size again. Maybe once mine runs out!

5. 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow in Divine Wine by Bare Minerals.
 I would say my biggest guilty pleasure when it comes to make up is buying eye shadow. So when Ipsy sent me a cream eye shadow I was intrigued. I mainly use powder eye shadows and every now and then I'll use the stick eye shadows or a pod cream. This Bare Minerals cream eye shadow comes with an applicator almost like a lip gloss. One quick stroke and you've got your eye shadow applied and starting to dry. I loved the product and I'm going to look for it in stores. I wasn't a big fan of the color I got but I can probably use it as a base or mix it with something.

So what are you waiting for? Try out Ipsy and I promise you won't be disappointed. They'll send you great products and maybe even some of your favorites. They'll listen to your input so items you don't like... they won't send them again!

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Saturday Smiles

Every Saturday, I'm going to try and post five things that made me smile during the week. Often I find myself getting caught up in the small stuff but this year I'm making an effort to be conscious of it. This year is about being happy and finding happiness even in the small things! Want to join me? Go ahead and post your Saturday Smiles!

1. Sprite Zero. It's so refreshing.
2. Friends who feel like family.
3. Beezy. Forever.
4. True Lies. Seriously cracks me up every time.
5. My mom who rocks.

What's making you smile?

Friday, July 18, 2014

Hawaii Bound

I've got a vacation to Hawaii booked for this year and I can't wait! When I sat down to make my packing list (like I do for every trip I take), I had to decide what would be essential for the big island. I'll be there for over a week and I'm already taking some excursion essentials like snorkeling gear, a portable beach cooler etc. So when I started making my list for carry on and checked baggage I knew I needed these items....

First up...
Banana Boat Aloe After Sun Lotion. I'm a big fan of Banana Boat and have used their sprays for years. I love the smell and this particular product really moisturizes dry skin after being out in the heat all day. It's already in a plastic zip lock and ready to be put in my checked bag. Security isn't getting this one!


2.
The Marilyn Monroe Hat. I saw this on Unique Vintage months ago and the moment I saw it, I knew I had to have it. I instantly saw images in my mind of sitting on the sand in Hawaii taking photos in this hat. When it came to the house, I realized how huge this hat really is. It'll cover my shoulders and protect them from the heat besides just shield my eyes from the sun. It's got that vintage inspired throwback look to when Marilyn Monroe had one similar. I can't wait to carry this bad boy on the plane and plop it on my head the moment I land.
 
3. A Romper.
I haven't worn a romper since I was a tween but since their back in style and super comfortable, I thought why not?! So when I was given a Nordstrom gift card for my Birthday, I picked out a romper. It's going to be hot in Hawaii and that'll help keep me cool. It even has pockets to hold my room key. My romper is blue and white.
 

4. Camera Tripod.
I was gifted a really nice DSLR camera for my Birthday last month. Since getting it, I've become obsessed with taking photographs. I can't wait to use it in Hawaii but what I needed was a tripod. What if Beezy and I went somewhere that there wasn't any strangers to awkwardly ask to take our photo? I'm not a fan of the idea of a stranger holding my expensive camera and dropping it either. So this tripod and a wireless remote was the way to go. I've figured out how to use the remote and it's going to hopefully be successful!

5. A Waterproof phone holder.

So I have to admit it. I am still carrying around the iphone 4. There I said it! I'm in a contract and I refuse to pay like 599.99 for a cell phone. Excuse me, I remember when the nokia brick phone was like 19.99 with no contract. So um no. I can hold out till September. That being said, I don't have a really nice case on it like an Otterbox or Lifeproof. What would be the point of buying an expensive case when I know I'm getting a new phone in a few months? So what did I do? I took to Amazon and read over hundreds of reviews and found this beauty. I tested it out with an old phone and it totally works! It'll keep the water and sand from getting in the phone and allow me to still accept calls and take photos. WIN.

That's just a few things I'm going to pack for Hawaii. What's something you would suggest? Have you ever been?

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Theater Thursday

It's Thursday and that can only mean one thing... it's Theater Thursday. This week's featured movie is, End of Watch.
 
Recently I stepped out of my movie comfort box and watched End of Watch. First of all I want to preface this by saying I am not in Jake Gyllenhaal's fan club. I have never liked one movie he has been in. Not even Pleasantville. Yep. Ok there I said it. This movie however is by far his best work in my opinion even over Brokeback Mountain. So moving on...

End of Watch follows two Los Angeles, California police officers who work Patrol. Brian (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike (Michael Pena) went through the police academy together and have been partners now for 3 years. These two guys are not just partners they are friends. When Brian takes a college class that requires him to shoot his daily job he starts filming his days of patrol. These two officers stumble into a whole world of drug running, human trafficking and something bigger than them or the L.A. Police Department.

These two officers experience the ups and downs of being police officers in one of the largest cities in the world. They share their personal lives with each other which has made their bond a strong one. However, facing things that are unknown to them they'll have to face one of the hardest things you can ever face. Will their bond remain strong? Will they both be able to keep up with the daily grind? Watch and find out.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Wordless Wednesday

Cause everyone loves a good corn dog on vacations.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

The Gap

Today I want to talk about The Gap. No, not the clothing store. This gap...

Known as the Gap, it's technical name is Diastema. It's when two teeth have a gap in between them. The most common is between the two front teeth. Often referred to by the French as "Dents du Bonheur" which translates to Lucky Teeth! Now you are probably sitting there reading this and wondering why in the world is she talking about teeth gaps. Take a guess who has one? That's right! It's Beezy.
It's not a photo without some teeth! (PS my mom made a joke that he doesn't take photos showing his teeth so he responded with this)
 
He's had the gap the entire time I've known him but Beezy says that the gap use to not be there. When he was younger the gap had been closed up due to him wearing braces. Then after the braces came off the gap stayed gone because he wore a retainer. When he went into the air force he lost his retainer and said screw it. He would have had to wear that retainer every single night for the rest of his life to keep the gap at bay. As soon as he left basic he was shipped overseas and didn't have his regular dentist so he was like forget it.

Now beezy is in the company of some great people with gaps. People like...
Anna Paquin who stars in True Blood and holds an Oscar. One of the youngest Oscar winners ever by the way. Then of course of the greatest stand up comics ever and movie star Eddie Murphy. My personal favorite was Coming to America but with Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop 1 and 2 rounding out the top three movies of his.
 
Then you have successful musician and activist Elton John. He's spanned multiple decades and his music has still remained popular to this day. He's been knighted and he's still out there making music and doing good deeds for worthy causes.
 
 Then of course there's Beezy's favorite teeth gap friend, Michael Strahan. Don't know him? He's the co-host of Kelly and Michael with Kelly Rippa. He's also a Super Bowl Champion and played for 15 years in the NFL.
 
 And finally there's my personal favorite....
Arnold Schwarzenegger. He came to America from Austria seeking success in Body Building and he created an empire. He won more body building titles that anyone else ever. He became successful in film, was an ambassador in fitness for a President and even became Governor of California. His gap has gotten smaller over the years but he'll also be apart of the Gap Team.

So that's just a few of the people who are part of Team Gap. Do you know anyone with a gap? Are you a member of Team Gap? If so wear your gap with pride!

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Saturday Smiles

Every Saturday, I'm going to try and post five things that made me smile during the week. Often I find myself getting caught up in the small stuff but this year I'm making an effort to be conscious of it. This year is about being happy and finding happiness even in the small things! Want to join me? Go ahead and post your Saturday Smiles!

1. Getting travel books for vacations.
2. Homemade fettuccini.
3. Beezy for making said fettuccini.
4. Tesco the Cat.
5. Don't Be Tardy for the Party returning to television.

What's making you smile?