Easter Sunday Photos

We had a photo shoot before church this morning. Here are the winners in the "Auntie" category...my nieces are smiling on the inside :)

Karmin

So while perusing the music blogosphere tonight, I am across Karmin. They are a pop duo who do a lot of covers but also have an EP out of original songs. After watching a few of their cheesy videos and hearing a few of their original songs, I'm kinda hooked.

Nick is super cute and Amy's style and her hair - oh her hair - has me sooo envious!!! She even has some tutorials, including a curling iron technique and how to do a mohawk, both of which I plan to try out.

Notable covers include, Look At Me Now, Whip My Hair, and Less Than Perfect.

Toms vs Bobs

I didn't hear about Sketchers' Bobs shoes (established in 2010) until earlier this week, but I was a little turned off by the whole thing (as if their Shape Ups weren't enough of a turn off).



These shoes not only look just like Toms, but the concept behind them is the same - for every pair of shoes you purchase, they donate shoes to children in need.

Now, I'm not necessarily upset that Sketchers wanted to mimic such a charitable program, as we should all be promoting the idea/concept of giving back, but what I'm not so into is the fact that they didn't even come up with their own design.

I'm siding with Toms on this one, for reasons that include but are not limited to originality, creativity, Toms not creating a "shape ups" shoe and the man behind it all:



...need I say more? :)

New Purchase

In preparation of my upcoming trip, I decided a new bag was in order - something that would be close to my body, hands free, big enough to hold all my traveling necessities (passport, phone, camera, money, etc) but small enough to not be irritatingly bulky/heavy. I've been eyeing this bag for a while and finally pulled the trigger tonight. It was a little more than I wanted to spend, but in the end, worth it. I knew I really wanted it when I became disappointed because I couldn't find it in the spot I saw it before. Luckily, I saw one tucked away on a nearby shelf. Phew, crisis averted. It's a great bag and I know I'll use it a lot.

Slob Stopper

I came across this today while on Someecards. So funny.

Wow

While perusing through a running blog I occasionally visit, I came across a few videos from the 2011 USA Yoga Nationals. My jaw dropped several times as these competitors twisted themselves into different positions. It wasn't just the flexibility I was amazed at, but the stability as well. Most days I'm shaking my way through side plank, but they do not so much as flinch once they've gotten into position - utterly amazing. I'm 99.9% confident I will never get to that level :)

Here is the winner for the men:



To read more about the competition or the USA Yoga Federation, click here.

One Day Without Shoes

The day's almost over, but it's still worth posting. Today is One Day Without Shoes day, a day where we can remind ourselves of those less fortunate than us who have to walk barefoot all day everyday, by walking around barefoot ourselves. Check out the 2011 campaign video below:

O'Doyle Rules

This morning while driving into work, I saw a girl throw her banana peel out the window and onto the street. Others may disagree with me, but I still considered that littering, even if it was "organic." I mean, I'm sure her logic was along the lines of trying to keep her 1990 Buick LeSabre interior in mint condition, but I was still not a fan.

It did remind me of the O'Doyle's though, which lightened my mood a little after seeing that.

Heifer International

Maybe I'm way late to the game, but I just read about Heifer International in a magazine this evening, an organization that works towards ending world hunger and poverty. It's such an interesting and neat concept and definitely a little different take on giving back - much like the "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime" proverb. The organization not only donates sources of food to poverty stricken countries, but also implements training programs to the people in these countries. Their "gift catalog" features different types of livestock and other items you can buy and donate. For example, you can donate a sheep for $120, trees for $60, and even honeybees for $30. Check it out here.

Sunday Funday

I met Stacy and Jared at NYC Pizza Cafe today for lunch and it was pretty fantastic. We were about to order by the slice when Stacy saw the Sunday Special - 1 large pizza and a pitcher of beer for $23. Sold!

We got half Pepperoni, half Canadian Bacon. What seemed like a little bad luck turned around rather quickly as we finished up ordering. With the pitcher about 3/4 the way full, the keg blew and they did not have another keg of the kind we ordered. But, they told us we could get another pitcher of any other kind we wanted. So essentially, we got about 3/4 a pitcher of beer for free! The luck didn't stop there. Stacy, not being a beer fan, ordered a soda. It wasn't until I saw the receipt after we left, that I realized they didn't charge us for her soda either!

The pizza was delicious, the beer was cold, and the company was outstanding. All in all, it was a great Sunday Funday.

Roomie Talk

Les: "My room is a f**king disaster"

Me: [laughing]

Les: "I'm stepping on silverware again"

Me: [laughing]

Les: "I just stepped on a spatula"

Me: "A spatula? Why do you have a spatula in your room?"

Les: "My mom had some extra stuff lying around so she gave it to me"

April Fool's

I'm not big on April Fool's and looking back, mine have all been relatively calm. I think I tried the "I got a detention" once or twice with my parents back in the day, and even helped my friend try to fool her parents one year by writing out a detention notice, "from the teacher" for them to sign. (of course, they immediately knew it to be untrue because I spelled Wednesday wrong)

This year was no exception, however, I did enjoy PMA's prank. Reading some of the reactions was entertaining as well.