DANGEROUSLY PRETTY

I love this saw/branch combo charm from The Curiosity Shoppe.

DE LA TOUR CHAIR

This mid-century inspired wire chair would look fabulous pulled up to a dark wood pedestal table in a set of four.

14 DAYS OF VALENTINE: DAY 1

I'm usually the one getting hung up on something sweet, sentimental and thoughtful to gift my lover {aka Nate} on Valentine's Day. So, in order to titillate my imagination and eliminate any flustering on your side, I give you one Valentine's Day gift idea per day until the day of love is upon us.

This "I Love You Toast Stamp" is simple and unexpected; sure to bring a smile to the face of your favorite toast eater.

THE GIFT OF FEAR: WHAT DID I AVOID ANYWAY?

I was watching my tivo'd episode of Oprah tonight {yup, sometimes I like her show} and she was talking about the book called The Gift of Fear. The show focused on occasions where people received a feeling, one of doubt or wonder or uneasiness. And this feeling eventually saved them from inherent danger.
The author of "Fear" was talking about how women are taught to be nice and that even if the elevator door opens and the man inside gives us the creeps, we get inside anyway. Because we don't want to be rude. He said that every animal, humans included, receive warnings that danger is looming but no other animal on the planet would willingly climb inside a sound proof iron box with something they perceived as dangerous. Except humans. Female humans in particular. How many of us have done that? I know I have.
Another interesting comment from the show was that men have the ultimate fear that women will laugh at them. Women have the ultimate fear that men will kill them. Sad, but in many cases I have to agree. Although I know Nate would never kill me.
So the show got me thinking about the many times I've had that "feeling" and, as a result, am living to tell the tale.
A few years ago I was training for a marathon. That summer my habit was to run a dark canyon trail around 10pm to avoid the heat of day. I was obsessed about getting in my miles. One night I was at mile marker two when I got a feeling. I was on the trail alone, no music or anything to create distraction, when the hair on the back of my neck suddenly stood up on end without explanation. I took a few more steps when it became nearly impossible to ignore. I knew I had to turn around. I fought it a bit longer because I wanted to get in my six miles but at some point I turned around. Once I did turn around I realized that wasn't enough to chase away the feeling because I had the undeniable instinct to run at full speed back to the car. Which I did. Sprinting back 2 miles to the car normally would have worn me out, but the adrenaline and cat-like sense of high-alert sent me careening down the trail at full speed. When I reached my car and locked the door behind me the feeling finally vanished.
What did I avoid on the trail that night? Have you ever had a feeling like that? Sometimes I still wonder what was up that trail that I narrowly missed because I reacted to the feeling I had.

RENO 911

Nate and I flew into Reno on Friday night. We met up with our friend Rick and drove the scenic route through Tahoe City and on to Truckee where we ate a yummy candlelit dinner while Mother Nature buried the charming streets in several feet of weightless powder.
Saturday we woke to beautiful blue skies and 30 degree temperatures as we approached the miles of terrain at Squaw Valley. A perfect definition of the bluebird days every skier hunts like prey. I did my best to keep up with them but both Nate and Rick were mammoth on the mountain. When I couldn't keep up to them in the powder I begged a few groomers. And found I couldn't keep up there either. Finally, we compromised. I took the run at my own speed while Nate and Rick hit it at their pace. I finally got used to them waiting at the bottom for me.
Later that night Rick's wife and daughter arrived from N. Cal and we had a great dinner of blue cheese burgers {cooked to perfection by Nate} and great conversation with a few other friends that braved the looming storms.
Sunday it snowed and blew. Visibility was nil. I decided to stay in the snuggly lodge and watch the X Games on TV. It was nice to have some time to myself to relax and mentally recharge for the week.
Nate and I got to the airport with a few hours to spare. Only to find that our flight was delayed four hours. After waiting three, the flight was canceled and we were sent away. Nate and I were a good team; he booked new flights for Monday, I booked a hotel room in the booming town of Reno. An hour later we were stretching out in a king bed glad to get a comfy night's sleep.
After several additional hours of wait on Monday afternoon, Nate and I caught a flight and landed in Salt Lake to heaps of snow. We shared a plate of nachos at Squatters pub with some friends and watched two free screenings of Sundance award winners before coming home and dropping into bed. You know when you've had a long weekend or a particularly long day...doesn't it feel so great to finally be home?

Here are a couple of photos from the weekend.

HOORAY FOR WEEKEND GETAWAYS

Nate and I leave tomorrow; we are headed to Lake Tahoe for a weekend of skiing and spending time with friends. I got custom foot beds for my boots today at The Lift House and highly recommend you do the same if you don't have the perfect fit with your ski/board footwear. The service and product are fabulous. I'm looking forward to skiing without the pain of ill-fitting boots.
I'm happy to get Nate out doing something fun. He's been working incredibly hard lately {and getting lots of kudos and recognition} and it's high-time he spend a whole day smiling from ear to ear.
Have a great weekend!

WHAT A SHAME

Another talented celebrity dies from irresponsibility. Poor Matilda.

TRADED: LIKE A CHEAP BASEBALL CARD

My office did some reorganizing and streamlining last week and I'm really grateful I didn't get a layoff. But what did happen has left me with mixed emotions. Well, maybe not even mixed so much as feeling like the unknown and easily traded player on the team.
When I started this new job five months ago, people from other account teams would tell me that mine was the best; we had the most fun. In general, I have to agree. One afternoon last week we decided to celebrate a job well done and spent a few hours eating lunch and playing air hockey and shooting baskets at SkyBox.
On Friday afternoon things were admittedly slow. We just finished a big project and things were lulling for everyone on the account. Our account director asked me to come into his office were he told me he'd like to move me to another, more active, account. He explained how it was going to be a better career opportunity and that they really needed someone who understood technology {that's me!}. I was flattered, yes, but I also understand the art of selling someone on and idea. It typically works best if you point out how they will benefit and how awesome they are. Realistically I know I'm the new team member and therefore easier to allocate elsewhere.
When he asked me if it was something I'd be interested in I didn't feel like I could say no and that I was just getting comfortable on the original account. I mean, I did make it through layoffs and didn't feel like I was in a place to be choosy. But when I left his office, all I felt was rejection. The announcement will be made tomorrow and the transition is to happen immediately.
I guess I'm lamenting the fact that I did just get to a place of familiarity with my existing team and client contacts. Now, it's like starting the job all over again {except now I know where bathrooms and printers are located in the building}. I'm feeling a little uneasy about the transition but I'm remaining optimistic. Optimistically rejected.
Nate will be on an airplane tomorrow morning so he won't be around for moral support. Wish me luck.

SALTWATER THAT DOESN'T HURT THE EYES

It's romantic and artistic. I've posted about Saltwater before but now look. It evokes that deep longing I have to be an artist and NOT a corporate rat. I want messy hair and smoky eyes. I want a new MacBook and a standing reservation at a small neighborhood cafe where I watch people and write brilliant short stories. I want to be 22 again.
If you are in London, you should check out Saltwater. They seem to be having a bit of a sale so steady on!

HAPPY MLK DAY

Nate missed his flight. I missed my Sundance film. It's nice to be cozy and warm inside; hanging out with my favorite person. Happy Martin Luther King Day.

DEAR AMY ADAMS

Dear Amy,
Though I did not particularly like the movie Enchanted and fell asleep 15 minutes after the movie started, Nate and I both LOVED your contribution to the Sundance Festival this year. Hands-down, Sunshine Cleaning has been the best movie we've seen so far. If The Last Word is a better movie, I'll never know because Mother Nature blew a major snow storm my way and Amie and I didn't dare drive to Park City.
In closing, you have two HUGE fans in Nate and I. And I think Nate might have a secret crush on you so please keep your distance. I'm sure you'd fall for him if you met him.

Thanks,
Tonia

p.s. I might have a secret crush on Emily Blunt. Shhh. Don't tell please.

SUPER BOWL: SOUP FOR A GROUP

February 3 is bringing us the biggest game of the year. Giants vs. Patriots. There is a great soup article in the Jan/Feb issue of Blueprint "Soup for one, two, four, or a group" that gives some delicious sounding suggestions for serving that which warms the heart.
I'm thinking about hosting a super bowl party at our house and serving the Tuscan White Bean soup just like the article suggests. Consider a pot of white bean soup with items like toasted Tuscan bread, grape tomatoes, red onions, olive oil, parmigiano-regiano cheese, red pepper flakes and sauteed pancetta to personalize each bowl. I mean, my mouth is watering at the thought of it.

FOR THOSE WHO FORGET

You know how sick you feel when you realize you forgot someone's birthday; someone you love? I use Birthday Alarm to help me remember all important dates. If you are on email most days this is the tool for you. And it's free. You'll receive two reminder emails {one a week before, one a few days before} perfectly timed to get a card and get it in the mail before the special day.

SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER: SAD

I think Nate and I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. Lack of natural light, lack of melatonin. It's been gray in Utah for weeks and this morning we both woke up {early. Nate had a plane to catch and I had a Sundance movie} to heavy snowfall and TERRIBLE road conditions.
I'm just waiting to hear that Nate missed his flight since he got on the shuttle at the airport seven minutes before take-off. Amie and I missed our 9:15 a.m. movie in Park City because we just did not feel safe driving through the canyon {which was requiring chains} and risking our lives - just for a movie.
Kauai can't come soon enough. I'm hoping to get enough Vitamin D basking in the Hawaiian sun to last through the winter season. *sigh*

BAD BABY PIE

Nate and I watched Waitress last night and loved it. Just the right mix of clever writing, sarcasm, and sweetness. The vibrant colors and succulent pies were a total treat. My favorite line? I have two.
1. "dear damn baby".
2. It's an alien and a parasite.
It's always interesting when I watch a movie that glamorizes an otherwise blah job (like waitress) and I find myself thinking...it would be so much fun to be a waitress who bakes pies for a small town diner.

HOORAY FOR JORDAN

Happy Birthday to Jordan. I hope you get treated extra special today.

CASHMERE: JUST A DREAM

Let's pretend I was made of money. I know it's not everything and I might even find myself miserable if I was swimming in the green stuff. But, consider for a second, how much better miserable would feel if you were wearing cashmere. I love this sweater {the whole slouchy and comfortable outfit} from J Crew. Now, is the ultra-soft fibers of the Cashmere goat really that rare?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES

James is 10 today! Remember when you were ten? I do, it was 1981 and I was in the 4th grade. That was the year I had my appendix removed and discovered my love of pain medication.
Hooray for James!

A COLD RUN: A GOOD RUN

I woke up this morning full of energy. There was no mistaking it; my body wanted to go for a run. Nate and I don't go to church until 1:00 so I had lots of time. There was just a skiff of new snowfall on the road so I strapped on these and headed out. I found a nice 3.5 mile loop that I plan to run on mornings when getting out of bed and running in the cold doesn't sound like pure torture.
When I got home I made sour dough waffles for breakfast and topped them with lite whipped cream and blackberries. YUM

PAPER OR PLASTIC?

Image from papernorplastic.com

I have been struggling with this question for the last year. Do I choose plastic and contaminate the earth with one more bag that takes over 1,000 years to decompose? Or do I choose paper and kill tree after tree after tree?
I tivo'd Oprah's show last week that talked all about going green. Simran Sethi, who hosts The Green on The Sundance Channel gave me the answer I've been looking for. Not an easy answer; I'm going to have to be very intentional when I decide to go to the market. The answer...NEITHER.
Nate and I live near a new Harmon's and we love it because it feels like a specialty market like Whole Foods or Wild Oats. And they've provided totes like this {for $1 each} to replace your paper/plastic dilemma. Case closed.
But then what about your produce bags? Those are plastic and still take the overwhelming 1,000 years to become nothing. What about them? Simran suggested getting a few of these bags. When shopping for produce, toss everything into a bag like this. At the register the checker can separate and ring up your produce and then return it to your earth-conscious, hippie woven tote.
I'm ordering two. One for the trunk of Nate's car and one for the trunk of mine. This will help with my guilty conscience. I mean, I really want my kids to know what a polar bear is because they've seen one and not because they learned about them in a class called "extinct animals you missed out on because your mom wouldn't stop using paper and plastic at the grocery store".

GRAY T-STRAPS

Old Navy has these cute T-Strap flats in gray suede. I think I'm going to head over there after work and see if they have them in a store near me. For $20? Nice!

**Update: I tried these shoes on and they made me look like I had the biggest ankles ever. What a shame.

SUMMER AFTERNOON OUTFIT

This outfit from Anthropologie reminds me of several things; seeing a matinee on a sunny afternoon, eating at an outdoor cafe, browsing used book stores, site seeing on a Greek island, sitting in the park with a magazine and a great sandwich. Does it dream up any images for you?

THANKS FOR YOUR WORK; GO TO KAUAI

Nate is one of the hardest workers I know. He puts so much energy into his work and I'm very proud of what he has accomplished. As a perk in sales, the best teams are rewarded every year with a fabulous trip. And though it's no consolation for all the hours he puts in or the time he is away in Texas, Kauai will be a welcomed vacation this year for the both of us. We leave on February 14.
We'll be staying at the Grand Hyatt on the South Shore and have signed up for a whale watching and snorkeling activity {we'll be adding kayaking and hiking to the mix, too}. Does anyone have any suggestions of not-to-miss activities, shopping and/or dining? I want to start putting together an unofficial agenda to take advantage.

Things to do before the trip:
1. Go to a tanning salon
2. Get a few new pairs of walking shorts, a dress, and maybe a few tops
3. Find a good pair of sunglasses {no cheapies this time}
4. Research beaches and hikes in surrounding areas
5. Keep working out and eating healthy

DO YOU SUNDANCE?

I have been attending films at the Sundance Festival for years. I posted a lot about it last year here and here. In fact, some of my first dates with Nate included going to see films during the 2005 festival. I first realized that I loved him after dinner at the Foundry Grill and "Happy Endings" on the big screen.
One of the clues that 2008 was truly destined for greatness was when I received an email from the festival with my time slot to buy tickets. For the first time ever I went shopping for tickets the first day they went on sale. For those of you who aren't familiar with the festival, it's a lottery system and I've always been assigned the last day when nearly everything is sold out.
This year I drew up a best case scenario and subsequent scenarios because, as I've learned in the past, you always have to go with a back up plan. But, as 2008 is shaping up to be a fabulous year; I got every movie I flagged as first-choice.

Nate and I will see:
Sunshine Cleaning
Good Dick
Complete History of My Sexual Failures
Great Buck Head
Savage Grace

Amie and I will see:
The Last Word
Smart People {starring SJP}
Henry Poole is Here

MY HOBBY IS HAVING NO HOBBIES

Noelle mentioned it a bit on her blog; although I beg to differ {she has more hobbies then fantasy football; trust me}. When I read her post my mind reflected back on a time several years ago. Kym and I sat speechless on the couch as this guy was telling us about his new hobby, capoeira. He then asked us what our hobbies were and we froze. We were from the land of the misfit toys; our flaw was that we had no hobbies.
So we set out to get some hobbies. We tried water aerobics, foreign films, guitar lessons, photography. In our minds nothing really stuck and if you asked us today we'd pause before we answered. Our problem was that we got hung up on the idea that a hobby had to be something we were really, really good at.
Then I looked up the word hobby.
–noun, plural -bies.

1.	an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation: Her hobbies include stamp-collecting and woodcarving.

It appears that a hobby is simply something you do for fun, not something you are revered for or paid to do. Granted sometimes you can have both; that's enviable. But in the end, no need for perfection; it's just a hobby.

IS THAT YOUR CHILD; IN THE AC/DC TEE?

I've decided to stay as far away as possible from the Walt Disney styles influencing kids today. I mean, I'm not royalty so my child should NOT grow up thinking she is a princess. When I was younger I used to wear basic jeans, an iron-on ET baseball t-shirt, and sneakers almost every day. I was comfortable, never worried about ruining an "outfit" and I still think I did it all with a little pizazz.
I can appreciate the occasional special outfit. There's no question that when it's appropriate, a full-blown look can be undeniably heartbreaking on a little one. But for the every-day wear. My future son or daughter will be wearing this kind of fashion statement.
If you are interested in a rock and roll baby, check out www.chasescloset.com, inkydinktees.com, and damselworld.com. I'm sure there are plenty more.

CHARGING STATION WANTED

Okay, so Nate and I have a slew of cords and devices in need of charging. Between the two of us we have two cell phones, two iPods, one bluetooth headset and a digital camera.

I've been trying to keep the cords and devices in one corner of our kitchen where I can put things in drawers...but inevitably it becomes a tangled mess and I can think of better ways to use that drawer space. I think it's time I get a charging station. The problem is, I have heard they can start fires unless they are properly ventilated.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good fire-safe charging station? I don't like the plastic versions out there but I do like this one from Pottery Barn, and I like that it has a little storage drawer. If you have a good one or know of one, I'd love to hear from you.

TEXAS UPDATE

So Texas is off the table for about nine months. After nine months we'll see what happens. I'm glad I don't yet have to leave my family, friends, and pretty blue house. But I'm sure I will/would make great friends in Texas, too.

HARMONICA

I'm taking harmonica lessons this year. People will revere me and cry out my name in the night.

THAR SHE BLOWS

Natural progression of Dead Calm to Holy Hell.

Dead Calm is usually the lack of air you almost always notice when you are at a camp ground using the portable toilet. No breeze. Nothing fresh this way comes.
Dead Calm {thankfully} usually progresses to Gentle Breeze. The kind you pray for on a hot day after you've mowed the lawn. This is usually associated with relaxation and sometimes goes best with a beach and the sea.
Then it picks up into a Strong Wind. The Strong Wind is probably the most irritating because you are still out and about, interacting with it. You'll recognize this because you're dress/skirt will end up wrapped around your waist, and your hair clings hopelessly to your lip gloss {usually when your hands are full}.
Next comes the Gust. A Gust is most easily recognizable when you are driving. It's especially unnerving when you happen to be driving with your knee. It feels like an invisible demon reaching over and yanking the steering wheel hard to the left or right. It usually only takes one Gust demon yank before you put your hands diligently at 2 and 10 and fly right.
A Gust usually blows over. But when it doesn't it can magnify into a Chinook. The Chinook is very similar to the Gust except the weather man almost always glosses over a Gust but almost always boasts the Chinook and associates it with a particular mile per hour speed. I think anything over 50 mph is impressive.
Finally Chinooks mature. Usually silently. And then they become what I like to call Holy Hell. Holy Hell usually occurs around 2am when you feel extra snuggly in your bed. It's pitch dark and the whole house is silent. When the Holy Hell blows it feels like everything you own, that isn't locked inside your house, will blow all the way to Minnesota. This includes door mats, mail boxes, wreaths, gutters, pieces of fence post. Once, after a Holy Hell, I found one of the cushions from my porch two blocks away tucked under a shrub.
Here's to the Holy Hell I can hear tonight. I can't wait to spend an hour tomorrow morning gathering up all the things I never knew could or would blow away.

NICE RACK!

Even though this also comes in white, I think orange is the way to go. Nate and I froze our account late in '07 and decided we wouldn't spend any more on home decor until first quarter '08. I think this ought to top the list.

FOR THOSE WHO READ

Remember the cool cover art from your first edition favorites? Catcher in the Rye. The Great Gatsby. For just over $20 + shipping PopArtUK will send you poster sizes ready to frame. This is sure to up your intelligent quotient by at least 20%. Click on the images to go to the site.

YOU+ME

The Village brings us another perfectly contemporary and sentimental poster. I'm trying to talk Nate into hanging For Like Ever in the dining room but he thinks it's just too girly. Perhaps You+Me would be a good compromise.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Though I've been nursing strep throat through the holidays, we still managed to have fun celebrating the new year in the cutest blue house on a quiet street nestled near the Oquirrh Mountains.