Little Animals

So I have never really been a lover of animals. They are cute from a distance and I love having fish. Remember how I kept my betta fish, Coral, alive for 2 years. And I may or may not have I shed a tear when she died.

But recently I really like pictures of animals. One of my co-workers scans reddit during the day, and then passes me the filtered version of goodies. Most of them involve animals. Like, how adorable is this?

and these... 

The Wright Family

Some days I am really glad that I have a big, fun camera that can take nice pictures. I got to take some photos of my friend Danni and her family a few weeks ago. White Rock Lake was beautiful, but so were the people so it is pretty easy to make these photos look good. 

  

Thanks for the fun!

Long Time Gone

Great news! I found out this week that people read my blog. In fact, some people had even noticed that it had been some time since I posted. This is truth.

You see, I spend at least 8 hours a day talking about and thinking about the internet. The way people use it, the devices and browsers they access it, and what they might be looking for. Thus when I get home from work all the activities I want to do revolve around things without screens. Cooking, chatting, cleaning, laundry, walking, getting the mail (I love to get the mail), etc. 

Also. These days, I am super intrigued by the psychology of the internet, thus making me very analytical of what I put on it. I was talking to dear Lindy the other day and explaining my new iPad app that looks like and behaves like a notebook and she said, "So basically everything in your life is fake. It isn't real." Which sometimes feels true. It made me question what I do with my time and what I have to show for it. So I am glad that she made me re-evaluate and think through this TED talk a bit more. She's the best. Go Lindy! 

I have been super into this TED talk lately. If you are one of those who use the internet, I think it is a good video to watch. 

Socks

I have finally accepted something that is a huge issue for me.
I am always cold. Unless I am stuck outside in 100° weather, then I am cold.

At work, I usually sit on my left hand and control the mouse with the right. So the right hand is a wee bit frozen all the day. I will go to the ladies room just to wash my hands with warm water to give the right hand a break.

I would love suggestions of how to be more comfortable in cooler environments... but until I figure out some major transformation, I guess I'll move to Texas. Check.

Seriously though, one of the largest reasons I moved to Texas was to escape the cold.
But even though it's nice and toasty here, the air conditioning still works.

So, what is a girl to do? I am embracing warm clothes year round. Cardigans are the best. And I keep a big-blanket-like scarf in my desk drawer. I also love leggings. A couple weeks ago, I received some negative feedback about my legging habits. But luckily it only reinforced my love for being comfortable.

So... I have lots of leggings. Brown, black, blue and white striped, black cropped, and grey. And I have seen enough women wear them, that I think I have the hang of it.

But I also love socks. And I need more positive female sock role models in my life.
My friend Lindy is the ultimate sock influence in my life. She always has fun, crazy socks that she wears with flats in the winter. It's really classy lookin.

She lives in Utah, and I live in Texas. Thus I have to find inspiration online.

Aren't those saddle shoes great? I had some when I was in elementary school and they were the best. I think I am going to be on the look out yet again. Especially if saddle shoes mean I can wear socks folded all cute like that. 

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Seafood

Today is one of those days that I just can't stop thinking about food.
Oh wait, that's everyday. Seriously people.
I am never not thinking about food.

Whenever I talk to one of those people who "don't eat breakfast..." I just think they're crazy. That is one whole meal. A big opportunity for happiness and fulfillment each day.

It's been a bit since I have posted pictures of deliciousness. Let's change that.

Shrimp is so good to me. Best way to cook it? I'm glad you asked. 

Buy the bag of frozen raw shrimp at Costco. Thaw it. Dump the shrimp into a bowl of salt water for a wee bit. Boil some water and dump the shrimp in there until they turn pink. I am pretty sure both my mom and I will never buy cooked shrimp again. Frozen and raw is the way to go. 

Also, homemade cocktail sauce is much more rewarding than the packaged stuff. Just ketchup, horseradish, and lemon juice. 

I am not a ketchup fan. In fact, I really don't like that the word is mentioned two times in one blog post. Even that is too much for me. But yet, the cocktail sauce is so delicious. 

My mother's chicken noodle soup. Never met a better one. It's the best. 

Almost as good as these folks sitting around, enjoying it all. 

Fun note: Yes, my father and I are wearing the same shirt in this photo. 

We didn't plan to both pack them but we did plan to wear them on the same day. 

Well, my dad put it on one morning so I went and changed to we could be twinsies. 

Christmas 2011

Remember how my whole family came to Texas for the holidays? It was so good. Emily came from Boston, Jesse from Shanghai, and the rest of the clan from Utah. Melissa wrote a really good post about it if you want to read or see the details. 

But. I did want to share something. This year for Christmas Eve we had a family variety show... think Dan in Real Life style. It was awesome. To kick off the festivities, my dad showed us an awesome video he created on iMovie. Check it out here. 

It's from PAPA films because we call him Papa... so clever, right?