First Week of May

I love the month of May. Why? Probably because it's my birth month. But also because the weather starts to warm up, and grass turns green. The air smells soo wonderful. Darin suprised me with tickets to the sold out She & Him show in Minneapolis happening in June. I am so stinkin' excited! What a wonderful surprise it was. I have the best husband.

Two days after my birthday is my Wedding Anniversary. We celebrated our 4th year of marriage. I didn't really expect anything since it's so close to my birthday. But Darin was so sweet, he left some Australian black licorice and a nice, hand written card for me sitting on my laptop when I got home from work. It totally made up for him going to a Twins game with a buddy on our day :)





To end the lovely week, Darin & I carpooled with Dena and Doug down to Iowa to spend the weekend with family and friends. We got to see my friend, Ryan and his bride, Cassie, tie the knot on Saturday. Rico was there too! It was a nice, small and intimate wedding with food and dancing to end the evening. Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day and Dena and my Birthday with an after Church cook out with the fam and guests, Alisa and her new fiance, Marcus (wish I would have gotten a photo with them too)
.

Vibram Five Fingers

I just ordered my first pair of Vibram FiveFingers! I had met a young man who had a pair of these and I thought they were crazy. Then last week, my FIL showed me a blurb on tv about them. I did some online research, read some blogs and reviews on them and now I am purchasing a pair!

You might think I'm crazy for ordering a ridiculous, and hideously ugly pair of finger toed shoes. You might even be embarrassed to go running with me now. But, seriously, check out the website and read up on bare foot running. You might be more open to them too.

Vibram FiveFingers Website
Watch this video on barefoot running
Blog on barefoot running

Transferred

I've transfered both my blogs (Chilly Minnesota & Maren Likes This) to wordpress. You can find it at: http://www.marenlayne.wordpress.com

Twilight: Eclipse

The movie trailer is now up on the web. Looking forward to it.

Eisley Girls

I can never get enough of the female voices behind the band Eisley. Chauntelle, Sherri and Stacy all have such unique, wonderful, rich voices. I love each one of them for different reasons. I've gone through my phases of obsession. I first fell in love with Sherri's voice when I heard Room Noises -- I could listen to Marvelous Things or Golly Sandra any day. And then when Chauntelle's recorded her solo One More Day With You, that was playing on repeat on my iPod for weeks. But lately I've been obsessed with younger sibling, Stacy's, cover of Silver Springs by Stevie Nicks. It's actually kind of a sad song, but, Stacy sings it so beautifully. I would seriously like to see Stacy come out with her own album of ballads similar to this style. Of course I still love Eisley and would never want to hope for something that would cause any sort of interference. I'm just saying. Stacy's voice sounds wonderful this way too. If you haven't yet, you should check it out. Click on the image below to watch the video of Silver Springs.

photo credit: http://www.eisley.com/journals/trolleywood/_37445/

The Lovely Bones

A quick blurb before I hit the sack: If you haven't seen the movie trailer for The Lovely Bones, you should check it out. I realize it won't awe everyone, but when I saw the trailer, I thought "that looks amazing!" Especially since it's directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, hello). And when I found out the movie is based on a book, I had to read it. Luckily I had time before the movie came to theaters. If you think to yourself "I don't like scary movies," don't just brush this suggestion off. It's not actually scary. So here's some imagery, and also some links.

Read it!

Watch it!

Seriously, check it out. I own the book if you want to borrow it. Otherwise, I always see used copies at thrift stores.

Amigurumi Crochet

I am so proud of myself for FINALLY putting up a new blog banner. The shot was taken by Dena last weekend in Clear Lake, IA. Some friends and I stayed in a cute little cottage near the lake. It was a perfect little get-away. I would definitely do it again -- but next time when it's a little warmer out! We stayed in Millie Cottage if you want to google it (I'm too lazy to search for it and link it right now).

Lately I've been doing a lot of freelancing and trying to find time for my own hobbies. I have been wanting to crochet one of these cute little animals from a book Doug got for me for Christmas (thanks, Dena). So last week (or was it 2 weeks ago?), I finished crocheting my first ever anything, which happened to be one of these little bears on the cover.

I probably don't need to tell you how it turned out since I've included a visual. Let's just say I need a little more practice. Plus, I ordered some eyes and they are currently in transit. But I think now I've got a hang ouf it -- knowing how to get the right tension and stay consistent with my stitches.


I ordered the eyes from Suncatcher Eyes -- they have a wide selection that seem to be decently priced. I couldn't find anything but googly eyes at the local craft stores. I can't wait to try out some of the other animals -- the seal looks adorable. I think these will make cute baby gifts.

I'm going to try to be committed to crafting more. I've been inspired, after talking to my friend, Lacey, last night about our "project" lists. She's been so great about making and sewing things for her two young daughters. Stay tuned!