Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Dear Past Connie

Do you watch video blogs or vlogs as they are called? Yeah I haven't really either, mostly because I don't know any vloggers. For some reason I have become fascinated with them recently and after watching something else on youtube I saw a recommended video and ended up watching several different vlogs. Watching this little community of vloggers made my heart grow as it always does when I see people find their people & come together.

A very popular vlogger (who I had no idea who he was until a few months ago when he made a music video for Ben Folds) Charlie McDonnell made a video to his 30 year old self. If you can't tell from the video below Charlie is 20, oh and British so he has girls swooning all over. He does fall into the 9 year limit, but it still feels wrong so I told Britt (Mimi's little sister) that she had to have a crush on him for me. Oh and in case you don't know what my nine year rule is let me explain. I found our a female friend had dated a guy 9 years younger than her & was a little grossed out by it. Until I realized I was being sexiest, it never bothered me when my girl friends either married or dated guys 9 years older than them. Equality! Anyway here is Charlie's video...






Now I realize that I probably should make a video response but that just seems like a lot of work & I hate hearing myself on videos. So I am blogging instead advice of what I would say to my 20 year old self if I could.
Meet 20 year old Connie

I am the one the far right (Lindsey, Debbie & me).
Travis - Writing To Reach You by pulatow *

Dear 20 year old Connie,

It is me almost 30 year old Connie, I am writing to share some wisdom with you. First off I would like to tell you that you are not as sentimental as you use to be. It is alright if you go ahead and start throwing away cards, notes & other things you won't want to move around with you for the rest of your life. Also some of the people who you thought you were going to be friends with forever, some you are still friends with, maybe not as close as you thought you would be and some you are not friends with at all (these are mostly boys). Also some who are not really your friends now become really good friends later. I know some of this sounds really sad, but it really is not as sad as you think. Yes the first friendships lost do hurt but soon you realize that people change including you and as your life moves you onto different paths you each find new friends who are traveling the same path as you.

Second trust yourself, in the end you always stay true to yourself but you do spend a lot of time listening to others who think they know what is best for you. They don't mean any harm but listen to you, you know yourself best.

Third sometime you can get your way by being nice. I know who knew you don't have to be a witch to get what you want.

Fourth & last (it is late & I am tired) thirty is not old (so what if I just said I am tired and it is only 10:30), just start telling yourself that now. Maybe then you won't freak out when you turn 25.

Also it is to bad that youtube was not around because Lindsey & Lauren would have rocked it!

*Notice my red highlights (this note is for Charlie who will never read this or Stephanie Perkins)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

To My Dad

Today my dad is turning 68! To celebrate I am adding some songs on my blog along with some pictures.

The Twist by Chubby Checker became his song for Debbie & I after he showed us he knew how to dance at Ryan & Charity's wedding.


The Twist - Chubby Checker by ConnieOnnie

I Like to tease my dad that I was named after Connie Francis, a crush of his.


Connie Francis - Somebody's Fool by ConnieOnnie
Jackson by Johnny Cash & June Carter, my dad likes some country. Thankfully my mom doesn't so we were didn't hear a lot of it.


Jackson - Johnny Cash by ConnieOnnie


Bring It on Hom To Me - Sam Cooke, I doubt this is one of my dads favorite Sam Cooke but it is one of mine.


Bring It On Home To Me - Sam Cooke by ConnieOnnie


Elvis Presley - Santa Bring My Baby Back

Elvis Presley-santa bring my baby back by ConnieOnnie
Sleepwalk by Santo & Johnny is the first song my parents danced to, so sweet huh!


sleepwalk - santo and johnny by ConnieOnnie

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Some November

I don't have any pictures of Thanksgiving but it was really nice. I got up to watch some of my family members run in some Turkey Trots & helped Debbie a little watch the kids since Russ was running. Then headed out to my moms where our turkey feast was well under way. That night some of us watched Home Alone. It was Williams first time watching & man did we all laugh really hard. We watched this part a couple times :)


Debbie, Russ & the kids decided to spend the night at my moms since Russ had to work Friday morning & William talked me into staying over as well. So Friday I spent the morning & most of the afternoon in my pj's I also watched Harry Potter with William. Who says he is going to be a wizard when he grows up. :)

Saturday was the family reunion on my dads side, it was great to be with family & catch up. I especially love talking Muse with Kelly, John & Chris.
We met at a park in Scottsdale that has a train, I waited so I could get a picture of my family on the train but did not see them. I was about to turn my back when I hear "Grandma, Connie" I turn to see little hands stick out of the cattle car. My brother, sister & brother in law are in there as well. Debbie has pictures which I am sure she post some day.


Here are my nieces Vaeh & Gracie after the train ride.

That night was Chelsea & Rajiv's wedding reception, which was at the Phoenix Art Museum. It was just beautiful & fun to catch up with friends. Here are some flowers from the reception.

I was over at Debbie & Russ's the other night & William showed me this.

It is a lightning scar he drew on his forehead. I can not even tell you how much I love talking Harry Potter with him. He is always asking me for spells (sometimes I make them up) and I was just told while taking Christmas pictures he did not say Merry Christmas he said Happy Christmas. Way to go my little brit-o-phile as Melissa likes to call me.

And then there was this little guy, isn't he just the cutest? His little pointy chin is just so cute, I just want to kiss him all the time. But he doesn't like it when my hair tickles him.


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Anna & Etienne are here!

For those of you who are still waiting to borrow my copy of Anna & The French Kiss, you no longer have to wait for the day has come and it is here!
To celebrate I wanted to share some pictures & songs that I thought of while I was reading...The Patheon, the church to the left is St Etienne Du Mont. Mimi & I in front of the steps of The Pantheon

Étienne d'Août (Live) by ConnieOnnie
Etinne d'Aout by Coeur De Pirate
Me entering Shakespeare & Co

Me pretending to read the copy of Jane Eyre I was about to buy.

My book with the Shakespeare & Co stamp

A Napoleon Bonaparte T-Shirt (in my mind the shirt is red, I am not sure why)
01 - Napoleon Says by ConnieOnnie
Napoleon Says by Phoenix
I saw this music video months before reading but since it had a couple making out around Paris it of course made me think of Anna & The French Kiss.

Although reading Anna made me very happy it also made me Paris Blue.

ParisBlue by ConnieOnnie
Paris Blue by Lykke Li

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Pretend Party Planner

After Chelsea got engaged I called my sister Debbie and told her I would be throwing a bridal shower for Chelsea so if she (the real party planner) could just watch out for ideas. The next morning she had sent me a folder with several pictures of ideas. One of the pictures was a random picture of a girl holding a purse with the British flag. I began to wish I could some how think of a way to fit London & Paris into the theme since we loved our trip so much. Then it hit me... I See London I See France Let's Get Chelsea Some Underpants!
I called Debbie she loved it as well we talked about ideas & soon we had pretty much planned what we wanted to do.
The invitation

The red phone box were pins that the girls could take off & wear to the shower. We also asked them to bring the moustaches with them.


Inside we asked the girls to bring some underwear that they thought described them so we could have Chelsea guess who brought which pair. Which we were going to hang using a clothes line & clothes pins. I stamped words on the pins like I Heart Paris, I Heart London, Cheers & Oh La La. Here is a picture from Debbie's baby shower so you can see.
Next up was the food, Debbie had these cute take out boxes that we used. Inside we had baguettes with pesto, mozzarella, tomato & lettuce which is what I ate while in Paris. Then we added crisp which is the name the Brits use for what we call chips.


For desert we found someone who liked to bake and hired them to make blue macarons. Then I made red velvet cup cakes since I know Chelsea likes them & it fit with the color scheme of red & blue. I also made the pendant flags with the French & British flags in the picture above.



Debbie already had the little pendant flags you see that we hung from the tree's from another party she did & the Chinese lanterns.


Then we made our own home made photo booths. We just got cardboard boxes & painted Big Ben with the London Eye & the Eiffel Tower on the other. (Something I should have learned but didn't when painting the Eiffel Tower is start from the top.)


When on our trip in Edinburgh we walked by this window display, I loved it and wanted to make my own version & stick the word phrases for the photo booth.



& voila!



We were now ready to dress up to take pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower & Big Ben!
Oh La La indeed

Cheeky
It may seem like a lot to put together but really we has so much time we just did a little here & there. I had a lot of fun brainstorming & making stuff with Debbie. And really the shower could not have been lovelier so happy to have good friends & my great family who helped me.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Full Heart

Today was the bridal shower I threw for my friend Chelsea, you may remember her from our trip to Europe last year. But this post really isn't about the shower I will wait till I get the real pictures from Mimi to do a real post. But as I was driving home from my sister's this evening my heart was full of love. Love for my beautiful friend Chelsea & her happiness. Love for my sister who hardly knows Chelsea but because I like her she likes her. She not only let us use her yard/house not even two weeks after giving birth, she also helped plan, make & get ready. Then my mom who drove in early to help with the kids & make the food. If not for her help I would have been a stress case. Today is also my other beautiful friend Mim's birthday. Who is such a great person she didn't care when I asked if it would be ok if we did Chelsea's shower on her b-day. Then after I watched the first Harry Potter movie with my nephew William who pretended to be Harry the whole time, I got loves from Gracie & held baby Joseph. Not to mention my brother in law Russ who was so helpful & didn't seem to mind at all that I just came and took over their day.
Then to top it off I saw this when I was pulling onto my street. My cup runneth over, so many great people to be thankful for.
Here are a few shots I got just so you can get a taste of the shower before the real post comes.


Saturday, October 30, 2010

Halloween Present

A few months back while at our family dinner at my parents we were watching Mary Poppins when my mom said something about making me a Mary Poppins costume. And not just some easy costume but the Jolly Holiday costume
My mom also mentioned that if I found a Bert she would make it. I thought about making my own advertisement like the kids on Mary Poppins...Wanted a Bert preferably British...

I wouldn't even had to have change the words that much! But thankfully my mom offered to make me the dress this Halloween even with out Bert.
Mary Poppins Costume
I know amazing right! I decided that since William & Gracie wouldn't get to do a big thing for Halloween I would offer to take the to Schnepf Farms for their Halloween Carnival. Also to let Debbie & Russ get some rest after all the sleep they have been losing over this guy.
Side note, yes I was there for the birth of this amazing little guy (Joseph) and no I am not sure if I am going to do a post about it. But I will tell you what I told my friend Melissa the next day "it was intense, crazy, hard, gross & beautiful all at the same time." Ok maybe that isn't an exact quote but it was something close. For those who don't know Debbie had Joseph at home and completely natural, which probably wouldn't have been a big deal if it wasn't for the fact that he weighed ten pounds and five ounces.


Alright back to Halloween carnival. William was Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ewan McGregor style. When we walked in through the gates they were painting faces. A guy asked William what he wanted, I expected him to not know. But he pointed around his mouth and said I just want it right here, the guy asked what he wanted painted and William answered a moustache & beard like Obi-Wan. I took this picture so he could see what he looked like.
Next we went to the Carousel, which I thought was very fitting since I was dressed as Mary Poppins.


I love how William looks like a little man in this picture!
I think I am going to change this to my profile picture on facebook. I love roller coasters and putting my hands up and William & Gracie saw others doing it and he did this all on his own.
I didn't even know he had a dimple.
I was really nervous that it would be to scary for Gracie but as you can see from this picture she loved it. Which is really surprising is that she was totally asleep on me in line. I had to wake her up to go. But as soon as we were done she was bouncing up & down saying she wanted to go again.

I know this is a weird picture but I liked it.
After the ride the kids wanted dinner, so we got shaved ice. Hey that is what they wanted and what can I say I am their aunt.

It was an awesome day, one that I will cherish for years to come.
Favorite Parts...
One: when we were leaving and I heard a little girl say look Mary Poppins so I waved. William said to me everyone thinks you look pretty. He can be so sweet it actually make my heart hurt.
Two: Even though my arms & my back hurt right now, holding Gracie as she slept in the long line for the roller coaster. I love that she is so tiny and still likes to be held.
Three: Driving home and playing Disney songs & hearing William & Gracie singing You Can Fly from Peter Pan, them singing that song is my new favorite.
Last: When leaving a little girl came up to me and told me I was pretty. I don't think she knew who I was suppose to be but she knew it was someone pretty. I got so many complements on my dress and I would just beam with pride & tell them my mother made it for me.