ads that are thicker than the newspaper, aka black friday ads.

alright. i'll admit it. i got sucked in. 

i had zero plans to go out on black friday, i had no need for anything in particular, and i definitely did not have money to spend. 

so why did i go? my parents were looking through the ads during breakfast on thanksgiving and i joined them (baaaaad idea). all of the sudden i started to need things. those darn ads got the best of me. i would have a few more dollars in my pocket had i not looked at the ads found in the newspaper thanksgiving morning. as i was looking i kept finding things that i could find a use for. the deals were just too good to pass up and before i knew it i was in line at target (for 40 mins, might i add) at 9 pm, waiting to get into the store thanksgiving night. two of my sisters were already going and that was another reason why i caved and went. im not saying that i'm regretting my decision entirely (although my bank account IS suffering) because it was fun to spend time with my sisters. all of our thanksgiving plans were over by the time we went and it actually gave us more time to spend with each other--even if we were exhausted the next day. 

i ended up getting my sisters birthday present way ahead of time. 
i got my engaged friends their wedding presents for cheaper than i would have if i waited. 
i got my parents christmas presents (haven't dont that in a while due to lack of funds). 
and i splurged a little and got myself a few things, but i don't do it often so it's ok, right??

not sure i'm the biggest fan of black friday. not sure if i will make it a tradition. but i'm not a hater. 

a moment captured.

one of my friends got engaged last week and part of it was actually recorded by a news crew. i don't know if it was supposed to work out this way but what a great moment to have recorded. this and other instances of this happening (dr. coyne's video of her proposal as another example) are wonderful. i feel like it is so awesome that we live in a time when it is possible to preserve forever exact precious moments of life.  these videos will be treasured forever i'm sure. i love that we have the ability to take pictures and videos to help preserve our memories. 

if you're a romantic and want to see the darling fairy tale proposal click here. 

parenthood addiction.

im addicted. you think i would be productive over this wonderful break and try to get ahead in school so i wouldn't have a week like last week...nope. i'll just watch parenthood whenever i have a spare minute, thanks. my friends got me hooked on parenthood a couple weekends ago and i really wish i would have waited until christmas break to be introduced to it. it happened though, and i really am only complaining a little bit because i love this show a whole lot. i laugh. i cry. i already feel a connection with each character. sometimes i find myself thinking about them during the day. 

told you it was bad. 
do yourself a favor and look this show up on netflix-after finals. 

happiness project.

a few of my girl friends and i took a little road trip to california this weekend. to save time we decided to drive through the night to and from california. this was slightly risky but with a lot of caffeine, a good book, and a friend to discuss it with we made it to each destination safely. my friend and i began reading the happiness project on the drive and instantly loved it. we decided to do our own project beginning in january. we are both wanting to improve on our quality of life. it's not that life is bad (it's FAR from that), and it's not that i'm not happy (i'm very happy and very blessed). we just feel like we could be taking more advantage of what we have and can better learn to/choose to be more happy each day. if you haven't read it, check it out. 

advertising.

i saw these two commercials today and wanted your opinions. the first one i loved. sears, 2 thumbs up. 

the second one is creative and (quite) funny but---is it border line pornographic? inappropriate? uncomfortable? or am i just being weird about the whole thing? i'm probably just being weird. thoughts...

stalking.

i know we're supposed to blog about experiences with the media but tonight i wanted to mention an example of how i resisted using a form of media. tonight i was going out on a(nother) blind date and when he texted me today he included his first and last name in the text. probably for no reason other than out of habit. i was presented with a choice. to stalk, or not to stalk... i have been getting set up a lot lately. i'll admit it though, i usually check them out on facebook before the date happens. (i'll take some but not all of the blame-most of the time the person doing the setting up suggests it). at the time of stalking i have usually already agreed to go out with them so i feel ok about it. i probably shouldn't though. it's not all about the physical and doing the classic "facebook stalk" makes it way too easy to judge unrighteously. tonight i was proud of myself for not succumbing to the urge to stalk him before the date. now the question is, is it ok to stalk him after?! 

youtube.

in my adult development and aging class this morning we watched these videos. i had already seen the video of them playing but it was so cute to see the interview as well. i'm hoping my hubby and i will be like this one day. i seriously have such a soft spot in my heart for older couples. these videos brightened my day. thank you youtube.

a spinsters dating encyclopedia.

our conversation on blogs the other day made me think about my favorite blog as of late. a couple of girls in salt lake put on the names of "gertrude" and "charlotte" and blog about (the woes of) dating and the things they have to say are hilarious. i love reading about their funny real life dating experiences and their witty insights to the dating world. definitely check it out if you need a good laugh. *warning. i wouldn't read it in a quiet public place. i have burst out laughing (more than once i might add) in the middle of the library or during a class (sorry dr. coyne-it wasn't your class though). maybe one day i'll be creative enough to blog as they do. 

check it out!
http://aspinstersdatingencyclopedia.blogspot.com/