See It: Argo

{via}

Apparently, Mr. Malone and I have been in the mood for some movie watching! My lovely friend Sarah turned 27 yesterday and we all got together to celebrate over the weekend. Her birthday wish? Getting together for drinks, food & "Argo" at iPic in Redmond. (Whoa - fancy, much?!)

I loved this movie. I thought it was so well done, despite how anxiety-inducing it was. No joke, my heart was absolutely racing the last 25-30 minutes. Even though I knew what was going to happen, the way it was shown on film was maddening. (You know when you want to scream at the characters in the movie? That is exactly how I felt.)

At the end, they had side-by-side photos of each houseguest, along with who played them in the movie. Unreal! The resemblance some of the actors had to the people they were portraying was uncanny. (Well, almost.)

Definitely worth seeing! And if you are feeling like a boss, you should also check out the swanky theatre at Redmond Town Center. (But be prepared for overpriced menu items. A margarita for $15?! I'll stick with my Bud Light, thank you!)

Birthday Fun

And what a fun birthday it was! Mr. Malone, along with family & friends, certainly knew how to make me feel loved this past Tuesday.

{birthday flowers}

{eggnog cupcake & a skinny peppermint mocha}

{amazing dinner}

{made-to-order doughnuts}

{elf - the musical}

{snow globe set}

And the fun continued through the weekend, where I got to sing my little heart out with my best gals. (Sadly, I am still feeling the effects of a night out on the town.)

Wish List

With birthmas (birthday + Christmas) quickly approaching, it seemed like the right time to start compiling a wish list. (Is it a little self-centered to create a list and blog about it? I am 70-30 on this... 70% uncomfortable, 30% okay with it. I'll keep you posted if that ratio changes.)

Via

I've been wanting this customized stamp set from Paper Source for awhile now. I don't send a ton of snail mail, but maybe this would encourage me to send more? Look at how cute these designs are!

You know you're losing creativity when you start asking for kitchen gadgets. I'm in desperate need of some new dishtowels and oven mitts. Does anybody else have a hole in the crease between the thumb & the rest of the hand? Warning: It doesn't feel great!

 

Via

Via

And lastly, a new travel coffee mug. Mine currently has a giant crack at the top, which causes almost all of my coffee to leak out. I brew the coffee to drink it, not to wet my hands with it.

Via

Birthday Love

Today I am sending all my birthday love to my main squeeze, Mr. Malone.

Cheers to you!

26 is Here

Happy birthday to this little lady! Don't know if you know, but she's kind of a big deal. And I kind of like her. Ok, you caught me. I love her.

We celebrated her newest year last night at Cactus (I swear we eat other things beside Mexican food) and Jillian's. It was the perfect way to spend the evening: good friends, great food, and lots of laughs.

Eat. Drink. Be Merry.

One part celebration + one part relaxation = a weekend success story!

Sunday (the 11th - a tad behind on this post) marked the official beginning of my 26th year, but Mr. Malone let me start the party a couple days early...

Eek!!

I have been wanting a new camera ever since I started playing with Shannon's. Although it is extremely overwhelming to think about having to learn all of the details, I could not be more excited for the challenge! (I just may have to solicit the help of my Uncle Matt.) Obviously, I played around with it in the house as soon as the battery was charged - pictures are so much more clear with a DSLR! It's unreal.

Oh, but Friday wasn't the last of it! My sister-in-law is back from Lousiana and I was treated to breakfast on Saturday by her & Mama Malone. She stayed in Baton Rouge for Thanksgiving, so it was wonderful to catch up and listen to her Southern drawl hear how school is going. Post-breakfast it was CleanFest 2011. I am fairly certain Mr. Malone & I cleaned for a good three or four hours. (And I'm sad to report that our house no longer looks how it did on Saturday afternoon).

Finally, the pièce de résistance: a tacky Christmas sweater extravaganza! I think the pictures should do the talking.

Thank you, Pinterest, for telling me it's ok to make a Christmas tree out of cheese.

Setting up the music. Hot sweater, btw.

SO. MUCH. JELLO.

Martha came!

Sarah & Buddy the Elf. (PS. Hey, Morgan)

Family.

Cousin Eddie.

...I think it's going to be a very good year...

12th Man

As I get older, I realize how much more enjoyable gift giving is. And what is better than the gift of an experience together? Enter my father's birthday gift - tickets to the Seahawks/Ravens game. (Annnnnd what is better than giving a gift that YOU also benefit from?! Talk about a win-win!)

It was our first NFL experience and it was everything we were expecting it to be, with the addition of a Seahawks victory! Being in Seahawks Stadium Qwest CenturyLink is insane - I couldn't hear myself think.

We started the day off at Tat's Deli. Nothing like a giant sandwich and a PBR tall boy to get in the 12th Man spirit! After that, we hoofed it up to our seats (hello, leg workout) and joined the other fans the only way we knew how: by yelling as loud as possible. Despite the cold, it was a great way to celebrate my dad's birthday. I know how much he loved it, and even if the Hawks would have lost, it would have been worth it.

Brunch of champions - 16 ounces of PBR.

This city never gets old.

Practicing for the card stunt - he nailed it!

Thanks for the good time, CenturyLink. We'll be back.

21

Sending happy (and safe!) birthday wishes to my wonderful sister-in-law in Baton Rouge! I first met her when she was graduating 8th grade... and now she's 21. Sheesh! Where does the time go?!

Cheers to you, lady! Your brother & I will pour one out for you tonight!



She'll hate me for posting this. Oops!



Happy Birthday, Moms!

Mothers are amazing and I'm fortunate enough to have two! And how convenient that their birthdays fall in the same week, making it oh-so simple to honor them on this thing.

Mama Malone & My Hubby

First birthday of the week: my mother-in-law. I definitely got lucky in the in-law department. My husband's family is large and full of so much love. All of those Irish-coffee lovin' Malones welcomed me with open arms, and I feel perfectly at home with each and every one of them. And my mother-in-law? Amazing. You should see the spread this lady rolls out for special occasions. She goes above & beyond and it's been wonderful getting to know her over the past six years. And, I suppose this is a pretty important factor, she raised my husband... and I think he is swell! (I can hear her giggling at the use of the word "swell," so I think I will use that word more often.) Happy birthday to you, Mama Malone, and thank you for graciously welcoming me into your family - I look forward to many more birthday celebrations in the future!

Mama Jewski & I

Second birthday of the week: my mama, Mama Jewski as she is affectionately called by my college friends. There is not much to say about this woman that hasn't already been said. I mean, she's had to put up with being the mother to three girls for 21 years... I would say that deserves a medal. But in all honesty, my mom rocks. This is a mom who, after I decided to try Jack Daniels for the first time, printed me out information on the dangerous effects of alcohol, even going so far as to highlight key points of the article. She is also the woman who, in an attempt to be "hip" and "with it," would drive around in her VW Beetle with her wrist up on the steering wheel, flashing gang signs to those on the Plateau. See above: my mom rocks! So happy birthday to you, Mama Jewski, and thanks for the being the best darn mom around!