King of Pop

Everybody else is talking about Michael Jackson, I might as well join in with the masses! I love his music! I love that he had a pet giraffe in Neverland and wish I could have my own. I love how he sings, "OW!" in a lot of his songs. With his recent passing, I've obviously been listening to the HIStory album (I only have the first disk). It's hard for me to believe that the Bad album came out in 1987 and I remember it so vividly and listening to that and Thriller cassette tapes on vacation, I was only 8 years old. My friend and I watched the world premier of the Black or White video and played it over and over and over again - that was 1991! Our gym teacher, Mrs. Eidson almost always played Beat It in our P.E. classes. The man may have been a little strange, with the skin diseases and plastic surgeries and what not. But really, he didn't have a childhood and was always in the spotlight; that has to have some affect on a person. Listen to the song Heal the World and Man in the Mirror. I believe Michael Jackson simply loved children and the world and wanted it to be a happy place for all. He may be gone physically, but his music will live on forever. Love you Michael!!! =Þ

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Seeing both movies and traveling to Greece (Lena’s grandparents live in the village of Oia on Santorini Island) this year inspired me to start reading the Sisterhood book series. I’m currently read book number three of four. The reading obviously isn’t challenging or anything – it can be found in the teen section of your local library! There is a lot more that happens in the book than the movies, more than the typical changes from book to movie. I guess they decided to cram four books into two movies, thus creating a lot of differences. It’s nice that I’m making time for reading again, even though I’ll never get through my entire reading list. I definitely recommend these books if you are up for a light story about four girlfriends and their magical pants! Don’t worry, I have some serious books on my list after I finish with these. Oh, and the scenery from the movie really is as beautiful in real life. Happy Summer! =Þ

Lifehouse

I realize that not many people will care about this besides me, but Lifehouse has four songs that I hadn't heard yet. I'm pretty up on the band and know about 85% of their music, regardless of radio playtime. One tune is from Bratz, one from The Wild, one is a bonus track or something from an album that I do have (or maybe just a single on its own), and the fourth one is from Wicker Park (you can't buy just the song on iTunes, only the entire soundtrack). This is exciting for me, new Lifehouse music and their newest album isn't even finished! Two songs I definitely recommend are:
1. If This is Goodbye (Bratz)
2. From Where You Are (single track)

The music of Lifehouse has been really meaningful for me. It was the first band that I really noticed the lyrics and how significant they were. It's not always easy these days to find music with lyrics that actually mean something. Their stuff is pretty deep and about real life. It has a lot of feeling. I love Jason Wade's voice, not to mention how he looks while he performs. It's amazing how many guitars he uses in one concert! OK, I will stop talking about Lifehouse and how much I love them. Seriously though, I can listen to their albums over and over and never tire of them!

Anemos Apartments

I just wanted to tell you a little about my trip to Greece and one of the places I stayed. On Mykonos Island, I stayed at the cutest little apartment ever. Anemos Apartments is owned by this adorable Greek family and I had the pleasure of meeting the mother and her two daughters. Everyone was so nice there and helpful, with maps and suggestions of things to do while on Mykonos. The white washed walls and the cobalt blue doors were so fresh and summery, looked just how you would imagine an ideal Greek village to look. I couldn’t have found a better place to stay.

Anemos Apartments was a 5 minute walk from Ornos Beach, so I spent two mornings there. In the afternoon and evening, I went into Mykonos Town to explore the tiny streets, quaint shops, cute pelicans, traditional churches and the summer sun. The streets are so tiny, sometimes it’s even cramped for three people to walk side-by-side. The cobble stone is bumpy and almost all the buildings are white and a few stories tall. The fun of Mykonos Town is getting lost in narrow winding streets.

I enjoyed a nice lunch at Nikos Taverna of pasta with octopus. Octopus is a popular fair on the Greek islands. I walked around all afternoon and evening, photographed the windmills and the Church of Panagia Paraportiani (the most photographed church in Greece) and relaxed at the sun set beyond Little Venice. All in all, I had a great time on Mykonos!

Congratulations to Lindsay and Brian

This past weekend was Lindsay and Brian's wedding! It was a good time and I'm glad to see them so happy. Lindsay's dress and veil were GORGEOUS!!! Best wishes as they begin their life together in marriage. :-)