Baby Minecraft Pig

I finally received my amazon package in the mail. It contained this amazing creature:

A minecraft baby pig. Glorious. And derpy. 

Now they just need to make a baby sheep and my life will be complete. 

<3 Christine

Snow Bunny

Today I decided to take off of work. I still had a headache from Tuesday, and I didn't want to be in traffic for hours either.

I actually got to enjoy my off day. I created this masterpiece:

Note the bunny poop.

Snowy paws. :]

SAVE ME.

Luna exploring like a pro.

I also caught up on Sherlock. Great show.

Great day. Glad I finally got to enjoy the snow before it all melted.

<3 Christine

Going Home

After spending the night at work, sleeping on two chairs pushed together, tossing and turning every fifteen minutes with a headache unable to sleep, I was determined to go home today.

People said it was a crazy idea, but I had heard too many success stories for me not to even try. After eating the lovely complementary breakfast provided by some coworkers, I was determined to go home.

So I did. The roads really were not too bad. It only took me an hour twenty to get home, including my stop for gas. Which in normal busy traffic and no gas would normally take 40 minutes. So I was pretty impressed. And delighted to finally see my bed.

View from my bedroom. Home sweet home.

Goodnight.

<3 Christine

SNOWPOCALYPSE

So today was supposed to be a normal day of work, followed by a "light dusting" of snow in the evening. Well at around 10:30 in the morning we realized there were snow flurries. HOORAY SNOW FLURRIES!

Then more snow came:

Then it turned into Snowpocalypse. 

Birmingham had no warning or idea what to do, so everyone started driving home on the ice rink turned interstates. The city quickly became gridlocked and most people I know have to stay trapped at work/school/etc or walk home.

I am trapped at work, but luckily I have fantastic coworkers that keep me entertained and even walked to subway to get us food. 

It is the best miserable experience I've ever had.

Working during the Snowpocalypse Slumber Party of '14.

<3 Christine

Lego and Hello Kitty chemists

I brought these two adorable chemistry figures to work. 

I'm obsessed. They're just so cute! And so me haha.

<3 Christine

Vegetable Casserole

My mom made vegetable casserole today.  I love vegetable casserole.

<3 Christine

Eventful Day

Today several things made me happy. First I had a lovely morning filled with kitties, coffee, and Doctor Who.

Then, I decided that I wanted to go to Ulta and get some products that were good for my skin. I wanted like a natural makeup look, so of course the lady there put a "light coverage" foundation, with two blushes, eyebrow color, and pinkish lipgloss. Hahaha if I walked into the lab like that, they'd think I was crazy.

It's hard to tell in this photo, but you could carve your initials in this makeup. At least it looks nice.

And lastly, tonight was sushi and game night, followed by talking to Siri for 30 minutes.

He totally gets me.

Good day all around. :]

<3 Christine

To hire, or not to hire.

That is the question.

Today was a day of stress. But also a day of excitement. All because it's getting down to the point where a decision might be made whether or not I'll be hired full time at this job.

What made me happy today was seeing how great my coworkers were with helping me justify that I'm working enough hours to be useful, even after a big project ends. It shows that they want me to stay, which eases the stress and also makes me feel like they are seeing me as a good worker.

Old photo. But I felt I should represent.

Fingers crossed.

<3 Christine

Hidden Blade

Today is my half birthday. Today is my four monthaversary at my job. Those are good things. But this is the best thing:

Assassin's Creed hidden blade.

It's functional too! I'm going to Kamicon in February and I'm going to spruce up my assassin's creed outfit from a few halloweens ago. I've never cosplayed before so I'm extremely excited. And I'm also extremely a nerd. And I love it. 

<3 Christine

Linkin Park

Linkin Park was my favorite band in high school and maybe even junior high. They are such a unique band.

On the way to work, I put my phone on shuffle and came across a song from Hybrid Theory and ended up listening to the whole album that day. I don't remember my drive to or from work. I also remember only being able to hear music it was so loud. Love it.

CRAWLLLLINGGGG INNNN MY SKINNN

Can't get over this today. Bliss. Hahaha. But really, it was quite nostalgic.

<3 Christine

Yogscast

The Yogscast is a group of mostly British guys who play video games for a living. I'm addicted to watching their gameplay on YouTube and mostly the main channel with Lewis and Simon.

Sometimes they are so funny that I actually laugh out loud when I'm by myself. Which doesn't happen too often. This particular part made me laugh today. 

Simon (right) incorrectly placed the iron block on the podium during a minecraft conquer the flag game, and his laugh combined with Lewis' reaction just made it hilarious. "You idiot hole."

Thanks for making my day just a little brighter, guys. 

<3 Christine

Noms for Blackberry

Blackberry loves treats. His favorites are broccoli, romaine lettuce, and apples. Today I gave him some romaine lettuce, and he immediately dug in. 

NOM NOM NOM

He's so cute! It made me happy hearing him nibbling away on his lettuce feast. My favorite part is seeing all the lettuce gone in the morning and telling him what a good boy he is. Haha he's so spoiled.

<3 Christine

Downton Abbeyyy!

Today I finally watched the season premiere of Downton Abbey! Ahh I missed it so much. And I think I've fallen in love with Tom Branson. OMG. That smile though.

Bottom right is the best one. Swoon.

Can't wait for the rest of this season! And I also need to start the new season of Sherlock! So many amazing British shows.

<3 Christine

Daddy-Daughter Day at Whole Foods

Today I went to run some errands and go to whole foods with my dad. It was a great day; the temperature was just right (so a little chilly). 

At whole foods, I learned that you're allowed to sample anything in the store if you ask. So I asked to sample some sheep cheese. It was so exciting. I've never had it before. They also had buffalo cheese, but I wasn't very interested in that. I ended up just getting some ginger cookies and some tea, but it was fun going with my dad. I even introduced him to an all natural soda, and he really liked it! A good day was had.

I even got to wear my favorite boots!

<3 Christine

Gutterball

Tonight I went bowling and then went to Johnny Rockets. While neither of those things thoroughly excite me, my friends were there. And my friends make me laugh like no other.

Like tonight when Carlyn threw the ball so slow it got stuck in the gutter.

It's always fun hanging out with these guys. No drama, just fun. It's good just to chill out and have fun every once in a while.

"WOO WOO WOO WOO" -Me

<3 Christine

Ipsy Glam Bag

01-16-14

Each month I pay $10 to Ipsy to get a legit makeup bag filled with random beauty goodies. December's bag was filled with fantastic makeup that I would actually probably use. Today I received my January bag:

Face lotion. Hair lotion. Face pads. Eye shadow. Lip color.

While none of these products really excite me, I do get excited to open my bag each month. And for $10, I can afford to get a dud every once in a while. What is exciting about this is that I can go and trade with other Ipsy members for different shades or products from their bags. 

This sounds like an advertisement. But it's what made me happy today.

Also I slept for ~12 hours last night, which made me happy. And which is why this post is late, haha.

<3 Christine

Strength Yoga

I've been doing yoga a lot lately using an app on my phone. I've been going through the beginner and then intermediate sessions. Today I tried the "Advanced Strength," and yeah it was pretty hard. I have no upper body strength. Or really any strength. But at least it felt like I was actually getting a workout. And it has one of my favorite moves in it:

King Dancer. I was close. :]

I enjoy challenging myself to try harder difficulties and seeing myself improve on certain moves that I thought were too hard at first. I've never really been one to work out, but I actually look forward to doing my yoga. It's crazy. 

I've been told that yoga and exercising in general can help with stress and anxiety.

Now when I'm in a stressful situation, I can just whip out a king dancer, and I'll be fine.

<3 Christine

Aromatherapy

For those of you who are anxious or tense or stressed, get an oil warmer and lavender oil. It smells amazing and also relaxes you. It sounds hokey, but some of us need all the help we can get, haha.

Here's my oil warmer. It's adorable.

It's cute AND relaxing. Win-win. And it makes me happy. Win-win-win.

What do you do to help you relax?

<3 Christine

The Elf... I mean Hobbit.

Today I realized that it is Orlando Bloom's birthday, and that I also hadn't seen The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug yet. So I went to see it. IT WAS GLORIOUS. Needless to say, I was happily surprised to see some awesome scenes with Legolas and Tauriel. I love elves. I don't even care that the movie butchered the book here and there. It was a good movie.

Also, I've been known to have high anxiety in movie theaters, often preventing me from even going. But today I actually got sucked in by the movie and barely felt any anxiety at all. It was amazing. Best movie experience I've had in well over a year. Very happy about this. Progress. :]

<3 Christine

Pancakes

This blog post was brought to you by pancakes:

Sorry I couldn't help myself from eating some before I took a picture.

Also, locally made maple syrup was used.

Happiness was achieved.

<3 Christine

Blackberryyyyy the bunny.

My baby bunny! Actually he's not a baby; he's about seven years old. I've always heard that the average lifespan of a rabbit was 7-10 years, so he's pretty much an old man. My grumpy old man bunny.

Today I took him to the vet, and he was so nervous. I was a little nervous too. But his nervous quirk at the vet is to jump up and sit on my shoulder. IT'S SO CUTE:

FLUFFY BUNNY

Anddd we were both nervous for no reason.  Apparently everything looked good for him at the vet. And he was such a good bun when they were clipping his nails. 

He's the best bunny. Whenever I wake up, he's there to greet me and put a smile on my face. He's so smart and he'll sit in your lap for a long time (as long as he gets pets). 

Blackberry makes me happy every day, but today I'm glad that he is happy and healthy.

<3 Christine

Progress

What made me the happiest today is seeing good progress in my life. Current progress as well as excited anticipation of future progress. 

The past few years have been pretty rough for me mentally and emotionally and physically, which I won't go into detail here, but in the past few weeks I've been able to see and feel positive progress in my attitude and outlook on things I'm afraid of. Today I got actual confirmation of the fact that I'm making good progress. And at least for me, when I get that first affirmation, it makes me want to try even harder to push towards my goals. 

Here's a photo because I always add photos. My scarf is pretty. That makes me happy.

But yes, progress. It's good. It's exciting. What are some goals that you're progressing towards?

<3 Christine

Canadian Christmas

So as many of you might know, I have a YouTube channel. I haven't made a video in a while. Oops. But on some of those videos, I gave an address to where people could mail me things if they wanted. 

Well I was told yesterday that I had a Christmas card for me from Canada (that they had forgotten to tell me about for weeks haha). I was so excited. Here it is:

I'm totally digging the snowflake stickers. 

This same guy sent me a Christmas card last year as well. Receiving this card just made my day. 

It's interesting how a simple kind gesture can make someone's day a whole lot brighter. Something to think about as you go about your day. Tell someone at work that they're doing a great job, or tell a friend how much they mean to you. Or just smile at a stranger. Who knows what one act of kindness can do?

<3 Christine

Traffic Non Woes

01-08-14

I live about 20 miles from work. Which means I get to drive a lovely route which often is occupied by hundreds of other cars at 7:00am. But this morning, highway 280 was actually pleasant. It's been nice ever the holiday vacation started, but today just started as an unexpected traffic-free morning:

Where r carz?

I found the cars: they were on 65. But no worries, still got to work in a good mood thanks to this great timing. Thanks God! Keep it up! :]

What has been some good timing in your life lately?

<3 Christine

Work work work

01-07-14

Today was a busy and stressful day. I sat and thought about what made me happy today, and it was really hard to come up with something. This is a representation of my day:

Paperwork for miles...

Just a day in the life of a quality control chemist. But I really do enjoy what I'm doing, which brings me to what made me happy today.

I mentioned to my supervisor how I am trying to help the group out, even though I am just doing the small tasks that no one else wants to or has time to do. I pretty much insinuated that I feel like I'm not as helpful as I'd like to be. And she quickly reassured me that everything I'm doing is helpful. And she also reminded me of the big picture: we're testing products going into people's bodies. So even the menial tasks are stepping stones to working towards a healthier future for those people. Also for future products that could be life-changing for others as well. 

It's easy to forget that even helping in the smallest of ways can make for a brighter future.

What helps you get through the stressful days?

<3 Christine

Baby it's cold outside...

Today is the first day of winter. Write it down everyone: on January 6, 2014, it was below freezing in Alabama.

Yes, it's happened before. But it hasn't been scarf/heavy coat weather since last winter. But today was glorious.

I'm going to note that there are several things about this photo that make me happy. 1) Favorite scarf. You can't really see it, but think Burberry. 2) I lost this peacoat for two years and I have been reunited with it. It's a Christmas miracle. 3) On the bit of hair hanging down, you can actually see the bit that I dyed red recently. Fabulous.

So many great things in one photo!

What makes you happy in the cold months?

<3 Christine

Christmas Spirit

01/05/14

I love Christmas. I listen to Christmas music all year long. My favorite movie is a Christmas movie. I would keep the Christmas decorations up all the time if it was socially acceptable. But last year my Christmas spirit just wasn't there. It was due to a few things happening in my life, but mostly due to my kitty Penelope hurting herself on Thanksgiving and having to have surgery. I spent the beginning of December worrying about her, and the rest of December worrying about presents. Christmas Day came and went, and I felt like I didn't get to enjoy the season at all.

This is all to say that what made me happy today was to see Penelope happy. Today I saw her cuddled up on the bed I got her when she was healing, and it was just SO CUTE. LOOK:

AWWW

So I'm thankful for her making a full recovery, and I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present.

What are you thankful for?

<3 Christine

Laugh often.

Sometimes you just need to laugh. And laugh hard. I mean one of those laughs where you don't make noise because you actually can't breathe. Then you begin to make a wheezing-type sound because your lungs are dying. Eventually you pause to breathe. And then swiftly are reminded again of what was so funny. So you exert a really loud laugh until you just can't laugh anymore.

That happened today. 

Perfect. Hahahaha. 

"I can't believe it... I'M IN A STARBUCKS!" - Erin Wazowski

It was a good day at Starbucks.

What made you laugh today?

<3 Christine

Purple Sky.

The last two nights while driving home from work, the sky just was just beautiful. Purple, pink and blue hues all around.

I've always loved seeing the colors the sky can be and shapes that the clouds can make. Seeing beautiful skies while driving (beginning about ten years ago) is what caused me to carry a camera with me wherever I went. 

But photos rarely can capture what the eye sees. Sometimes you have to learn to live through your eyes and not through a lens. When I was in Ireland, I took hundreds and hundreds of photos, but some places were so beautiful that I had to just put the camera down and enjoy the beauty right in front of me. And those moments were my favorite moments of my trip.

What made you smile today?

<3 Christine

Puzzle Completion

I finished a puzzle! I've had a half-completed puzzle that has been sitting on my floor and staring at me for months now. Just waiting. 

This makes me feel good for two reasons.

1) This closes a small part of a chapter in my life with the person whom I started the puzzle with. Every ended relationship deserves closure. And for over two months this puzzle has been subtlety reminding me of some unfinished business. 

2) Completing a puzzle gives a great sense of accomplishment. I finished it! It's one of those great feelings in life that we overlook. Finishing a 1000 piece puzzle is an awesome feeling! (I have bigger and better puzzles in store, just you wait.)

This puzzle was also probably my favorite puzzle that I'd worked on in 2013. And believe me, I did a lot of puzzles. One even had bunnies on it. But this one gave me that cozy feeling of reading while warm by the fire, then adding fairies and cats, all wrapped up in of one of those huge, old, rustic libraries.

Here it is:

IT'S AMAZING. I might just glue it and frame it.

What made you happy today?

<3 Christine

New Year, New Outlook.

2014. 

This is what I looked like when the clock struck midnight. I'm the one with the enormous smile.

And I'd like to keep it that way for the rest of the year.

There will be ups and downs, but I will remind myself every day of things that make me happy. Things that keep me going in life. Things that give me hope that in the future, everything will be alright.

Progress for personal goals will also be included, therefore my happy may not be the same as your happy. But I hope I can make you smile all the same.

<3 Christine