Mesmerized

I saw Moonrise Kingdom.  It was amazing.  Perfectly charming, quirky, and though provoking.  I can't wait to see it again and again.  I loved how it was set in the 60's and the characters were all so intriquing.  Just go see it, because my words really can't describe it. 

Love This!

What's Next

Planning for our next big adventure...
If anyone has any travel suggestions for Australia or New Zealand please let me know. Where to go, see, do... On a budget.  We are trying to plan for a trip of epic proportions.  Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and Nepal.  I love travelling, but I'm hopeless at the planning, price checking, deal hunting aspect of it all. Any tips would be much appreciated.  Please and thank you!

The Fair

Since living in Arizona, I had yet to go to the fair, county or state.  This year was the year.  Even though the rides paled in comparison to Six Flags Great America where I grew up going every summer, it still gave me a sense of nostalgia and feeling like a kid again.  We weren't much fair goers, but there is something to be said about any kind of ride.  The butterflies in your stomache as you anticipate what it might feel like to be whipped around from those great heights.  The adrenaline when you step up to that contraption and put your life in it's hands.  One ride broke down as we were about to go on. After a two hour wait, we were not going to leave and they did get it fixed.  We are alive to tell the tale. 

Overall, it was a good time.  The Indian frybread helped.

After the fair experience, we thought why not take it to the next level.  We were in California for the weekend and were going back and forth between a hike and going to Six Flags Magic Mountain.  It took all of us indecisive girls about a week to actually come to a decision.  Magic Mountain it was.  Now in hindsight, why did we even have to think about it?  We hit pretty much every major rollercoaster and the lines were minimal.  Thank goodness!  Although, every ride seemed a little bit faster and more intense than I remembered.  Nothing I couldn't handle, but I think I'm getting old. 

Great!

Beach Day

Any day that involves the beach is a good day. 

And then end the day with a Sprinkle's cupcake for the drive home!

Brunch With The Black Keys

A number of celebrity's attend Coachella every year, so we were always on the look out for someone who looked familiar.  In a sea of Raybans and sunhats, it would've been very hard to spot anyone and we didn't.  But we did have brunch with the drummer of the Black Keys.  Okay, technically we didn't eat at the same table, but we did eat at the same restaurant.  We waited for a couple hours to go to Cheeky's, because Yelp said we had to.  It was worth the wait, just for the Acai Spinach Smoothie alone.  

Drummer's have to wait along with the rest of us.  No special treatment there.  This picture was taken right before they started drooling over our food through the window!  Yup, that's right.

We Came, We Saw, We Coachella'd

Let's talk of happier things, shall we?  I think I'm finally coming out of my slump, which I spoke of yesterday.  We won't speak of this again for a very long time, I hope.  Sometimes all you need is a little weekend away to get the juices flowing and to feel recharged for the coming months. 

Just a little weekend away, but what a weekend it was!  Coachella!  My first real music festival.  There were a number of those "am I really here?" moments.  The Black Keys, Florence and The Machine, Feist, and Gotye were some of my favorites. There were so many great shows it's hard to even name them all here.  There is something about live music.  The feeling of comraderie you get with your fellow concert goers, even when squished up against each other in over 100 degree weather.  It's just a crazy feeling to be with thousands of people and all enjoying the music, singing along, bobbing your head, jumping for joy.  To be completely and utterly lost in music is a high that can't be beat by most.  I want to go back.  Right now if I could.  There's always next year. And now for a picture overload!

Thoughts on giving up, getting bored, or what have you

                           

And so it goes.  The growing tired, getting bored, or giving up.  Most recently, the guitar that has been sitting in the corner of my room, beside the unplayed violin.  The empty sketchbook.  The notebooks with two pages full of ideas along with nonsensical musings and the rest untouched, blank white paper.  There are many found crammed onto old bookshelves or stuffed into dresser drawers.

Now this blog.  What would you call it?  If dead air is to radio, then dead space is to this blog.  The nonexistence of it.  Quiet.  No words or voice.  Life somehow got in the way.  Or I let it get in the way, which is the more likely conclusion.

My life has felt like one unfinished project.  A friend brought out this bitter truth to me the other day.  She said how I always start something, whether it be as simple as a new game on my phone or more involved like this blog.  The point is, I start it and then as fast as I had started move onto the next thing.  Just drop it cold turkey; quit mid game.

I don't know if this is a horrible fault or makes me interesting.  Always wanting to learn, experience, try, taste, explore.  Never being satisfied with the now and looking for the next.  On the other hand, never devoting myself to one creative outlet in order to get really genuinely brilliant at it.

Except writing.  I wouldn't call myself brilliant.  It's that thing you hold on to that makes you feel like home even if you are miles away from anything familiar.  That is writing to me.

And travel.  It makes my heart hurt with just the thought of it.  It's a burning desire that can't be squelched, no matter how hard I try.  I don't try too hard.

Writing and travel is coming back.  And so am I.  And maybe I'll pick up that guitar. And this blog...

On Repeat

These Hands Are Mine

via & via

The other day I cut my fingernails which to most people, myself included, is a mundane yet necessary chore much to the likes of filling up the gas tank or using the bathroom.  What precious wasted time is spent.  This day was different.  You see, I had let my nails grow long.  Perhaps this was an attempt to be girly.  If I couldn't be petite and pixie like, I could try to have dainty feminine hands.  However, I learned some things should not be messed with.

As soon as I clipped those nails, I felt this rush of familiarity.  These hands with the long fingernails had not been mine.  Who knew something so simple could make such a difference. But girls are silly creatures sometimes.  The instant confidence you feel when switching from flats to killer heels or wearing that new outfit.  Even if no one notices your shoes or nails, you know how you feel and that will get noticed.

There you have it.  My short nails gave me this renewed energy.  Sometimes we can't fight ourselves on these things.  Short nails are me.  My hands might have callouses from playing stringed instruments and from the strokes of pen to paper.  I might have hang nails from a nervous habit that I can't seem to drop.  That's perfectly alright.

These strong hands will be held by even stronger ones and that's when they will feel small, dainty, and feminine, even without long nails.  Someday.

Balloon

In a world without color, the lone balloon was a beacon of happiness, reminding them to keep looking up.  

A Photo Booth is Always a Good Idea

You are welcome. 

The Most Magnificent Spectacle of the Show

The show was done all in sign language so this skit has us signing a bit, but I think you will be able to appreciate it without even knowing sign language. Basically we are just asking each other, "What are you doing for the talent show?" Enjoy!

                                     
                                                   Midget Show from Taylor Ashley on Vimeo.

Talent Show!

The day has come and gone!  All the build up for one night.  It turned out better than I could've imagined.  All our hard work paid off and now everyone is talking about it.  They are planning for US to host one next year.  Not sure if that is going to happen.  I think we might want to pass the baton on to another willing soul.

The grand stage

Dessert Bar!  Candy, cake pops, sugar cookies and more!

We made those hot air balloons ourselves, based off of this DIY Tutorial.

We even rented a popcorn machine.

Twinkle lights just make everything better.  The whole room was sparkling.  Sigh. 

These are the only pictures I took, since I was running around, getting pulled in every direction, making sure everyone was in their positions, sound was hooked, and lights, camera, action...

Talented Outfit

Plans for the talent show are really coming along.  We have skits lined up and they are going to be quite hilarious.  I have no doubt about it.  Who doesn't love people coming up with silly skits and acting!  When we were little, my sister and I would put on little shows any time we had company over.  I'm afraid now looking back I'm sure those friends had to suffer through some interesting stuff with us.  We use to sing MK and Ashley songs from their super old videos.  I believe the song was "I am the cute one!"  Oh boy. 

Anyways, there have been a bunch of DIYing going on and practicing.  Now all that's left to figure out is my outfit.  What would you wear to a talent show?  I'm thinking something colorful and kind of quirky.  Polka dots or stripes are always a favorite.  Maybe polka dots on polka dots. 

Something like this...

via

I already have the pink pants... or...

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Downton Abbey

If you haven't seen the last episode of Downton Abbey, you might not want to read ahead.  Even though, it is probably extremely tempting, don't look!

Okay, now that that has been resolved.  Is anyone else feeling depressed that this season of Downton Abbey is over?  It had become a happy Sunday addiction, hadn't it? What are we going to do with ourselves now that we won't have all of the drama of Downton to keep us busy?  I haven't even had time to keep up with some of my other shows, but somehow I could not miss a single episode of Downton Abbey.  I even woke up early to watch it online this morning.

If you haven't already seen this, this Tumblr is amazing.  Downton Abbey scenes described by the lyrics of Beyonce/Destiny's Child.  Who thinks of these things?  And why didn't I think of it sooner?

                    

                    
                   

Wow, just wow!  Be sure to check out the rest of these lovely scenes at Downton Abbeyonce

Lemony Snicket On Love

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We are the same, but different

                                  
                                        We are the same, but different. from Taylor Ashley on Vimeo.

Sorry for my long absence.  I have no reason for not blogging except that I haven't really had much to say and that's okay.  This little video shows what we have been up to the last couple days.  All shot on our iPhone and edited on iMovie. I think I'm going to be documenting trips like this from now on.  It was so easy!  Enjoy.

Visual Symphony

ZKO Rollercoaster // GREAT EMOTIONS from virtual republic on Vimeo.

In which I got a little font happy...

So happy with how my invitations for the talent show turned out. It's on like Donkey Kong. This is gonna be interesting.

Now for the Most Important Question of the Day

Should we go to Coachella?  Look at that lineup! 

Come One Come All, Not to a Circus

Let's talk about the movie Dan in Real Life, shall we?  When I first saw previews, it left me underwhelmed. I don't think I thought much about watching it, until we were one night struggling over finding a movie we hadn't seen yet.  And that's that.  If you guys have not seen it yet, go rent it.  It's so good.  The music by Sondre Lerche, that house, that family.   

Now we ended up watching it a few times since and this last time I was inspired.  The family puts on a little talent show in the film.  How fun would that be? 

The gears were turning and so it's happening.  We are throwing a talent show and you better believe it's going to be amazing! With our current obsession with Pinterest, we have so many ideas.  We are going to have to go through and pick which ones we want to do.  You will probably be hearing more about it over here.  Planning a big party is never easy, but it will all be worth it!  Exciting!

               

From Dan in Real Life. Wouldn't this make you want to have a talent show too? Just me, okay then.

And if there are any hilarious skits or ideas for talent shows that you have seen or heard, links to embarrassing youtube videos and the like, I would be totally up for suggestions.

Also, I can't get on my Pinterest, because I can't remember my password.  I have tried everything that I would ever use and it still doesn't work.  I try reseting the password and there is some error on the site that hasn't been fixed since the beginning of it's creation, because that is how long I haven't been able to get on there.  For all the people who have added me as a friend, sorry for my complete lack of activity and the boredom you might experience from looking at my boards.  Frustrating much?