Happy Friday!

Happy Friday, everyone! I am ecstatic today, because for once I don't have a heavy load of work to do this weekend. Just a few stacks of assignments that are easy to grade and some lesson plans for next week. But that's it. Can I get a woot-woot! :-D

Other things making me happy today:

• I got my Brown Paper Packages gift in the mail today from my exchange partner, Jodi Cosper. I received a beautiful scarf, two inspiring books, a $10 Starbucks gift card, some yummy shower goodies from Origins, and some Jiffy Pop popcorn. Thank you, Jodi!!! You spoiled me, girl! Thanks also to Cole for thinking of this exchange idea in the first place.

 

 {The Jiffy Pop does not appear in the above picture because it was eaten shortly after 

the box was opened and before I could remember to include it in the picture. Oops.}

• I am also happy because something else wonderful came in the mail today: the new Sookie Stackhouse book, Dead in the Family! I can't wait to start reading it...

 

• What's most making me happy this weekend is looking forward to spending time with the boyf. I want to have a Harry Potter movie marathon with Ricky because he's recently begun reading the series for the first time. I can't tell you how happy that makes me, bloggy readers. :)))))

Speaking of reading, Lauren's fill in the blank for this week is all about books! Click here if you want to play along, and here are my answers...

1. My favorite book growing up was The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
 

2. The funniest book I've ever read was  this book of punchlines I had when I was a little girl. I lost the book, which is just as well, because if I read it today, I would probably think it was incredibly silly. But I still remember it fondly .
 

3. The one book that has truly changed my life is  The English Patient. This was the book that solidified in me the desire to want to be a writer. I first read it at the age of 18 and I've reread it every couple of years since then. (I'm also doing my master's thesis on it!) .
 

4. If you're looking for a real "tear jerker" you should probably read Atonement by Ian McEwan. No book has EVER made me cry like that book did .

5. If I could meet any author living or dead I would want to meet Shakespeare. I have so many questions for him! I want to know if he really was as prolific as he seems to have been, or if he had other(s) helping him, and I want to pick his brain to learn what inspired him to write so many beautiful sonnets and plays . 

6. The next book on my "to read" list is  Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (see above :-D) .

7. If I was snowed into  remote cabin in the woods and could only choose three books to bring with me I'd bring  my complete collection of Regency Romance novels by Patricia Veryan. Is it High Literature? No. But those books sure do help pass the time!

picture via we heart it

 

What are you doing this weekend? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to enter my giveaway! :-)

Giveaway!!! {Ma Cherie Creations}

My real life and bloggy friend Adri has graciously agreed to sponsor this month's giveaway. She has a fantastic Etsy shop, Ma Cherie Creations, that specializes in premade scrapbook pages, handmade cards, and bookmarks.

For this giveaway, she is offering one of her handmade cards or bookmarks for free. All of her pieces are fabulous, but here are some of my favorites:

Adorable, right? Want to win your very own handmade bookmark or card? Just follow the instructions below:

1.) Leave a comment with your favorite bookmark or card and your e-mail address. 

(1st entry -- mandatory!)

2.) Leave another comment if you are a follower of this blog. 

(2nd entry -- bonus entry!)

3.) Leave yet another comment if you tweet or blog about this giveaway (with link!). 

(3rd entry -- bonus entry!)

Click here to see the cards and here to see the bookmarks. Oh, and Adri has a pretty cool blog and twitter that you'll want to check out! I will be selecting a winner at random on May 14th. Good luck! :-D

The Young Victoria.

So I finally got around to seeing The Young Victoria last weekend with Ricky, which I quite enjoyed. You guys, I swear I belong from another time. Possibly even the Victorian era. Just something about that time in history has always appealed to me. I'm not such a hopeless romantic to turn a blind eye to the horrors women faced in this time: how easy it was to die in childbirth, how little rights you had as a woman, how uncomfortable it would be to live without today's modern amenities such as running water and electricity (the horror!!!). But I think I'd be willing to brave these discomforts just to live one day in that time. After all, Queen Victoria took the throne when she was still a teenager and she proved herself more than worthy of the task set forth before her!

This film does a great job showing you how lonely Victoria's childhood was, how regimented her days were -- she couldn't even walk up or down the stairs without holding someone's hand, for "her own protection." No wonder she chafed at her reins and struggled to break free when the chance presented itself.

The film also excels at developing the background behind Victoria and Albert's romance, which is almost fairy-tale-like in and of itself. Emily Blunt, as Victoria, steps into the role with abandon, perfectly portraying the nascent queen's dual nature -- both her vulnerability and her perseverance (which often displayed itself as stubbornness). This was not an easy role, but Blunt handled it with ease. Rupert Friend, as Albert, is my new favorite discovery. Not just because he's extremely easy on the eyes, but because he proved himself to be a formidable actor in his own right, almost stealing the spotlight from Blunt in some scenes. I swooned and sighed over many a romantic moment between Albert and Victoria, and it was largely thanks to Friend's efforts.

If I have any complaint about the movie, it is that the end feels a bit rushed, as if they were trying to squeeze decades of history into five minutes. But the lush scenery, costumes, and best of all, the romance is strong enough that I can almost forgive it this shortcoming. If you like historical romances, give this one a watch -- you won't be disappointed!

{All pictures found using Google's image search. Watch the trailer for "The Young Victoria" here!}

May the fourth be with you! (Get it, get it? ;-D)

Okay, so you know what a big Star Wars fangirl I am, so you couldn't very well expect the fourth of May to pass by without me making a lame joke on the blog ... right? Here, I'll make it up to you by sharing this adorable video with you (more post after the jump).

Was that not the fricking cutest thing you ever did see? I loved it. I can totally see my one-day-far-in-the-future progeny talking like this. At the age of 3 even.

Well, I'd love to stay and chat, bloggy readers, but I have a veritable Mount Everest of AP English Language practice essays to grade. They have their test next Wednesday (eep!) and I want to grade all of their essays for them so that they can review prior to the exam. I really hope they do well!!! I think I'm more nervous about the test than they are...

Lolcat of the Week

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Tee-hee, this Lolcat made me laugh at first sight. Hope you enjoy it, too. Have a happy Monday! :-)

Week in Review

This week was kind of like a roller coaster in that it had its highs, its lows, and its in-betweens when I wasn't sure what was going to happen next.

On Monday, I went to work feeling fully recovered from that horrible virus I had last week, but my back hurt from all the cleaning I did Sunday when I was thrilled I was feeling better. Oops! At least the afternoon was better -- I finally got to see the fully expanded new grocery center of my local Target. Just when I thought my favorite store couldn't get any better...

On Tuesday, I began my book discussion on Eclipse, which was awesome because I've been dying to reread the book, but disappointing because I didn't get as many readers as I would have liked. Oh well, maybe this week I'll get more readers! I also went to a birthday dinner in honor of my boyf's dad. We ate at Carrabbas, yum!

On Wednesday, I went to Borders with the boyf so I could finally use my $10 gift card (do you know that about 40% of all gift cards expire without ever being used?!). I spent it on an agenda for 2010 -- yeah I know we're already in May and I don't care -- it was on sale, so I wound up only spending $4. Steal!

On Thursday, I was sad that I couldn't see my boyf because he contracted what seems to be the same virus I had last week. While he was at home recovering, I painted my nails this color. It was an instant mood-lifter.

On Friday, I went to the salon with my friend and then went for drinks and dinner before seeing another friend from work perform in an Egyptian Belly Dancing Show. It was beautiful and I'm totally inspired to learn belly dancing now.

On Saturday, I caught up on some grading and did some online shopping for summery clothes, and then I FINALLY got to see "The Young Victoria" with my boyf, which we quite enjoyed. As for today, Sunday, I plan on relaxing and doing not much of anything at all. Maybe read a book and sip some peppermint tea. Or maybe nap all day. The possibilities are endless. :-D

Here are some of my posts from this week that you may have missed:

 Lolcat of the Week

It's time... My Eclipse book discussion starts today!

So I'm in love with a new band again...

10 confessions.

Happy Friday!

  

I'm ready for you, Summer!

 

picture via we heart it 

What are you doing this beautiful Sunday? Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy it! :-)

I'm ready for you, Summer!

Today I banished my winter clothes (which in Miami equals light sweaters & cardigans) to the back of the closet in preparation for the summery clothes I ordered from Old Navy. I got these shoes, this shirt and that shirt, and these capris. Best of all, everything was 30% off, which took some away some of the sting from feeling guilty about spending money.

My summer vacation is so close, I can almost taste it. In six weeks, the school year will be officially over and I will have two months of...

Being a beach bum again. Even though I live thisclose to the beach, I don't take advantage of it. I'm so pale, I bet I glow in the dark. I need to get over my fear of stepping into a bathing suit and go to the beach again!

Reading books for pleasure again. Mind you, much of my reading this summer will be for my thesis, which I plan to complete by August, but still... it sure beats reading memos and lesson plans!

Going on road trips again. Even if it's just to Orlando. What can I say, the boyf and I are theme park fanatics. :)

Relaxing again. I miss spending time doing nothing, without being burdened by the feeling that I should be doing something. And speaking of relaxing, what I'm most looking forward to this summer is...

 

Sleeping in again. Oh sleep, how I miss you. I almost can't remember what it's like to be well rested anymore. On June 11 -- when my summer vacation officially starts -- I will get to relearn this again.

What are you most looking forward to this summer? Let me know in the comments! :-)

{all of the above pictures were found on we heart it}