Have you read The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins? Planning on seeing the film adaptation starring Emily Blunt, Justin Theroux, Allison Janney and Rebecca Ferguson? If you haven’t read the book, there’s still time! Go grab yourself a copy before the movie version hits theaters October 7th. You won’t be sorry!
Synopsis: Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
I literally couldn’t put this book down (So many twists!) and the trailer for the film looks AMAZING. I’m planning to see the movie in the theater on my birthday. (We leave for a trip to Louisiana the next day so it seemed like the perfect, low-key outing.) Eeps! Can’t wait!
Lately, I’ve found myself in a pretty comfortable podcast rotation. However, I’m always interested to hear what others are listening to. So I asked a few folk, “What’s your favorite podcast?” Here’s how they answered. If you’re looking for some great recommendations, look no further…
“The Black Tapes. Super creepy audio drama, well worth a listen.
The Way I Heard It. 5 minute episodes containing random but compelling anecdotes.
Thinking Sideways. Funny but thorough looks at mysteries at least 5 years old. The hosts have awesome chemistry.”
“I am so hooked on The Black Tapes and Tanis. I also like The Bright Sessions (fiction)–a therapist has patients with special powers and helps them cope with them, and then requisite conspiracy drama ensues.
Really into Lorenow, too. Each episode looks at freaky historical events and folk tales.”
-Vince
“Thumbs up for Whistlestop, neat podcast, well-written, researched, and performed by journalist John Dickerson about US Presidential campaign histories.”
-Lydia
“The Read — Kid Fury and Crissle are HILARIOUS. They cover entertainment news, Black excellence, and at the end of each episode they “read” someone or something for FILTH.”
“Nicole Antoinette’s podcast Real Talk Radio. It’s all about building better habits, making tough transformations, success stories and failures and how to make change happen. She’s very honest and raw and has lots of different guests on each season.”
Plus, I just listened to an episode of Real Talk Radio per Laskmy’s recommendation and LOVED it and I can’t wait to check out The Box, a new podcast created by my friend Lauren (her favorites are featured up top).
*These subscriptions are definitely more of my “every day” podcasts, like for working out or chores. For long road-trips I prefer stuff like You Must Remember This, Mystery Show, and Serial.
Ok guys, I know this was a pretty exhaustive list…but what’s been left off? What have YOU been listening to lately?
Hey guys! What have you been watching lately? We’re about to start the final season of Nurse Jackie. The first season initially made me wary. (Is this show just trying to be Weeds? Why watch a hospital drama that only delves deeply into one character?) But somewhere in the midst of the second season I found myself hooked. Turns out, the show is wildly addicting, veers off the Weeds formula fairly quickly, and has many lovable characters. Zoey (pictured above in the bunny scrubs) is my spirit animal.
Edie Falco stars as Nurse Jackie, a skilled nurse with a penchant for pills. She lies, steals, and bamboozles. She hurts her loved ones. But you end up rooting for her anyways.
The show is witty, smart and unpredictable. Anyway, the whole series is streaming on Netflix, and I’d highly recommend it.
Now share what YOU are watching in the comments below! xoxo
I recently plowed through 5 seasons of Downton Abbey and am still feeling the after-effects of the obsession. I’d seen the first few seasons before but once Chet agreed to watching it, I was all in for the long haul. Now I’m just trying to decide if I should go ahead and spring for the DVD set of season 6 or save it for a rainy day! Anyways, if you’re feeling similarly Downton-Obsessed with nowhere to turn, I’ve rounded up a few items you may want to add to your To Do list (especially if you’ve just watched the series finale and don’t want to say goodbye so soon!)…
Start talking like the Dowager Countess by studying these 39 Best Quotes.
With the turning of the calendar page from February to March, it’s time to bundle together the best products, places, media and everything in between from the last month. Here are 9 things I found myself loving in February…
I was floored when I opened this early Valentine’s Day present from Chet. I just couldn’t get over the adorable pattern and perfect pocket placement. I’ve been wearing it around the whole month and it does NOT disappoint. You can read my full review of the bag and see some pictures of me sporting it in the wild HERE. I can not thank my thoughtful dude enough for this spectacular present. We have many day-trips and ultra-light adventures ahead of us. And we shall be so wonderfully well-equipped!
2. Downton Abbey
While I had previously seen most of the first three seasons of this show, I convinced Chet to watch it from the beginning with me. We just started the 5th season and I never want it to end! In case you’ve been living under a rock, the British drama follows the lives of the Crawley family and all its servants as they go about their business, upstairs and down, in the large country manor estate known as Downton Abbey. The show begins with the 1912 sinking of the Titanic but now in season 5 we’re all the way up to 1923. It’s quite fun to track the actual historic events that play out alongside the fictional lives of the Crawleys. Bonus to our nightly viewing? Chet does a bang-up impersonation of Mr. Carson, the Crawleys’ beloved butler, and will often chime in with his own commentary.
3. WKU forensics alums
In February, I traveled to Bowling Green, KY to spend some time with the current WKU Forensics Team and a small group of alums. We had a great weekend coaching speech and catching up. This team was such a big part of my life for 7 years that I love any excuse to step back into that world for a few hours. I saw some amazingly passionate, intelligent, and inspiring speeches and even played a few rounds of flip cup. (When with your college pals in a college town…..amirite?)
I was selected this month by 21st Century Fox to receive an advanced screening copy of the documentary, He Named Me Malala. I pretty much cried through the whole film and really hope lots of people tuned in to watch the TV premiere. It was a profoundly impactful film made by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim exploring the life of Malala Yousafzai before and after her attack at the hands of Taliban. You can read more about the film HERE.
5. Save-the-Date cards
Initially, I wasn’t too on board with the whole idea of sending Save-the-Date cards. Wouldn’t it just be easier to hop on the internet to spread the word about our selected date and send out invitations later? But then again…I LOVE sending and receiving mail and I just couldn’t let the opportunity to send some mailbox cheer pass me by. I ended up designing them myself with the free photo editing site PicMonkey. I’m REALLY happy with how they turned out and think using PicMonkey and printing them on cardstock was a wonderful budget-friendly option. I’d be happy to post a tutorial about how I whipped them up if you’re interested!
6. My notebook
I snagged this notebook from Target when Chet and I were in Lafayette for Christmas. While I’m a huge fan of Moleskines and the Baron Fig Confidante, I’d sort of come to the conclusion that I wanted a hard-back spiral-bound for my day-to-day, planner-ish notebook. I like to have my To-Do list out all day and while other notebooks claim to “lay flat” they don’t always do so, or they do but they take up too much desk space. I also like to dedicate a whole page per day which can seem a bit wasteful when using a higher end notebook. I started this notebook, along with a new notebook system, on January 1st and it’s been really helpful and easy to stick to. I use a modified version of the Bullet Journal system. I prioritize daily spreads over anything else and I don’t index but I implement a lot of the other strategies. When this one is all used up I think I’ll continue to stick to this type of notebook!
7. Shakespeare’s First Folio
The book that made the bard made it’s way to Florida International University this month! Chet and I got dressed up and attended the opening of the first folio exhibit at The Frost Art Museum. It was amazing to see so much Shakespeare programming and hype occur at the university and in Miami while the book was on display. We loved taking a peek inside but only wished we could hold it in our hands and flip through the pages. Think of all that history!
8. New living room couch
Arriving into our humble abode just in the nick of time to make this favorite’s list is our new couch! We headed out early last Saturday morning to beat the crowds at Ikea and came home with all sorts of goodies. I’ve had my eye on a grey couch for some time now and I think we chose a great one! We poked around online to find a few contenders before heading into the thick of things but then ended up going with this one instead! It is super comfy and a great place to lounge with the sliding glass doors pushed open for a cool breeze. (Don’t mind the wrinkles in the photo above. It was only just born when I snapped that pic!)
My mom is always hooking me up with fair trade goodies and in February I was loving this chai tea she sent. I love brewing up a mug when the weather is a bit dreary or for an evening treat when there’s no dessert in the house. It’s just the right level of spicy and sweet with delicious notes of vanilla. YUM!
Hailed by critics as a “Profoundly moving portrait,” an “Appeal to your heart and gut,” and a “Gripping story, eloquently told,” He Named Me Malalais an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai. A few years ago, Malala was targeted by the Taliban for supporting girls’ education and severely wounded by a gunshot in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.
National Geographic Channel sent me an advanced screener of the powerful film about this young lady so I could watch and spread the word about it’s upcoming television premiere. I stand #withMalala, even more now that I’ve witnessed this core-shaking film, and I hope you will too.
The documentary gives viewers a glimpse into Malala’s life before and after her brutal attack at the hand’s of the Taliban.
When their shots blasted towards Malala in an attempt to take her life, she was only 15. She was singled out, along with her father, for her advocacy of girls’ education.
Her supporters rallied around the world. Whisked off to England, where she continues to live, unable to return to her home country due to ongoing death threats, Malala was nursed back to health. She continues to speak out on behalf of girls’ education all over the world and even co-founded a non-profit.
Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman) explores the ways in which Malala and her father continue to fight for education for ALL girls worldwide. Their relationship struck me as one of the most compelling parts of the documentary. It is clear how strong their bond is, how parallel their beliefs are, and how they served as each other’s greatest confidantes and comrades long before the attack on Malala’s life.
The film offers viewers an insider glimpse at this close relationship along with everything from speeches in front of the United Nations to intimate scenes where Malala playfully picks on her two brothers.
The film uses animated sequences throughout to great effect. While the real footage, like Malala’s father delivering passionate speeches and a shy interview sequence with Malala herself, found a tear in my eye, the points told through animation were most often the ones that sent a chill down my spine.
The main thread of the film, in fact, is mostly delivered in this way. We’re told Malala’s father named her. He called her Malala after Malala of Maiwand, the national folk hero of Afghanistan who rallied followers to fight against British troops at the Battle of Maiwand in 1880. When the Afghans were losing hope, Malala used her voice to rally them towards victory, losing her own life in the process. She is often referred to as The Afghan Joan of Arc.
Malala’s father, and his critics, worried he had created a self-fulfilling prophecy. A child who would raise her voice, garner passionate supporters, but who was ultimately doomed. A modern-day martyr. Yet, Malala’s response to this line of thought brought me to tears and it’s something you’ll just have to see for yourself. So, I hope you’ll tune in…
He Named Me Malala will premiere commercial free on Monday, February 29th at 8 pm (EST) on the National Geographic Channel in the U.S.
I encourage you to stand #withMalala by watching this powerful film, but that’s not all…
Today, over 60 million girls are out of school globally. It’s time to take a cue from Malala and take action!
Leading up to the TV debut, you can show your support by changing your profile picture using a custom-designed animation. On Twitter, you can contribute by tweeting using the hashtag #withMalala. For every profile picture changed and each tweet sent with the hashtag, 21st Century Fox will donate $1 to the Malala Fund.
The Malala Fund was co-founded by Malala Yousafzai and her father Ziauddin Yousafzai. It is a nonprofit organization that empowers girls globally through education to achieve their potential and be agents of change in their community. The Malala Fund invests in and advocates for girls’ secondary education and amplifies the voices of adolescent girls globally. If you’re touched by Malala’s story or would like to help empower girls across the world, consider donating.
(Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Review Wire Media for 20th Century Fox. I received information to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.)
With the turning of the calendar page from January to February, it’s time to bundle together the best products, places, media and everything in between from the last month. Here are 9 things I found myself loving in January…
Pajamas ranked pretty high on my Christmas list this year because I take my comfies seriously. Lucky for me my mom delivered! She gifted me with a gorgeous pair of pajama pants from the company Sudara. I’ve mentioned Sudara’s punjammies in a blog post before but basically they’re pajamas created by women in India who wish to remain free from sex-slavery. The idea was sparked by International Princess Project as a way to offer an alternative occupation to the women physically, emotionally and economically enslaved in the brothels in India’s red light districts. They are exceptionally comfy and I would be happy to wear them 24-7.
This one is another Christmas gift from my mom. While I still believe that with an immersion blender and a half gallon mason jar I’ll never need a blender, I was sick of passing up recipes which definitely called for a food processor. I find that a lot of really simple healthy recipes especially call for a few pulses in one of these kitchen gadgets. Since receiving my own I’ve made smoothie bowls, sauces, hummus, and soup. Best part? Chucking all the parts in the dishwasher for easy clean up. Oh, and the delicious food!
3. Herkimer diamond necklace
And keeping with the Christmas theme, my sister gave me this gorgeous herkimer diamond necklace. A friend of hers makes lovely and unique jewelry pieces and I’m so thrilled to give this particular piece a loving home. It’s a great every day necklace and looks cute with t-shirts and dresses alike.
Sometimes I forget how much I love historical fiction but I love when I read something that makes me remember! This book is about a young Irish girl whose parents pass away on her journey across the Atlantic to America. A plantation owner takes her on as an indentured servant as payment for her crossing. Thus begins her life in the American South where she works side by side with the slaves who are also working in the “big home.” Set in the decades before the Civil War, the story tackles themes of class and race, but ultimately leaves you with a sense that feelings of family can transcend both. I would highly recommend this book.
5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Leading up to seeing this film, Chet and I re-watched the original Star Wars movies so I was really looking forward to keeping the story going. While I wouldn’t say I’m a huge Star Wars fan, I really liked this movie. Rey and Finn were super likable, BB8 was adorable, and Kylo Ren was perfectly troubled and scary. Not to mention all those original cast-members! Overall, a super fun trip to the movie theater. I’m sure you’ve already seen it but just in case–go check it out while it’s still on the big screen.
Alba Botanica is one of my favorite brands of skincare. This scrub, which I use once a week, is a fantastic exfoliator. The gentle buffing granules leave my skin feeling smooth and glow-y. It is also free from parabens, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances. Always a good thing when slathering something onto your skin!
I’ve been having a blast playing around with this free photo editing website this past month. While they have a premium option, which costs $4.99/mo, there’s still tons of opportunity to create neat images totally for free! I had way too much fun creating (way too many) Save the Date options. (I think I’ll write a blog post later in February to show you how I did these, if you’d like.) Adobe can get pricey so it’s nice to find an affordable alternative.
Hi, I’m a Yoga with Adriene fangirl, nice to meet ya! In all seriousness, this 30 day series of yoga videos is perfection. Each class is between 20-40 minutes. Not only do they provide a fantastic, sometimes butt-kicking flow but the focus on breath and mind was a refreshing change for an “exercise challenge.” The sessions centered around a daily mantra which I found really helpful to focus on, not just for the length of the practice, but throughout the rest of the day. I will definitely return to this yoga camp in the future! And I will carry the daily mantra practice with me through the rest of 2016.
Do you ever find a new-to-you blogger and then start binge reading all their backlog of posts? This was totally me this month with Erin Boyle’s blog, Reading My Tea Leaves. With a focus on simple, sustainable living, this blog is beautifully written and accompanied by pitch perfect photography. She recently published a book which, if it’s anything like the blog, I’d love to get my hands on soon.
Do you binge watch TV shows? Or do you tune in live each week to catch your favorite programs on cable? I’m definitely more the former. I love getting to watch an episode or two (or three…or four….) of the same show each day. It is just so satisfying to click “next” when you run head first into a cliffhanger. But on the flip side, after totally immersing yourself in another world, it sucks just a bit more when you suddenly find you’ve come to the end of a series. (Have you seen this Portlandia sketch?)
The first time I really remember binge watching was when I was home for the summer after my sophomore year of college. My sister and mom were on a trip through Europe, I was baby-sitting in the mornings and cashiering later in the day. When I came home each day, exhausted, to an empty house, there was nothing better than pounding through episodes of Gilmore Girls on DVD. The next year, my room-mates had several seasons of Grey’s Anatomy. When I wasn’t spending the weekend at a speech tournament, I could curl up with my laptop and episode after episode of hospital drama.
After that Netflix really started to catch on and the rest is binge watching history!
Chet and I actually started to hang out regularly when a group of our friends was binge watching Mad Men every night. (There was one day I literally don’t think we saw the sun because we watched so many episodes.)
But even during a stint without Netflix, or internet for that matter, I managed to watch 8 seasons of McLeod’s Daughters by checking it out, disc by disc, from the public library. Unfortunately, that was more of a solo venture as it can be a bit tough to convince people to commit to an Australian soap opera about female ranchers.
Lately, our forays into TV viewing have been knocking it out of the park! If you’re looking for some binge-worthy shows, I would highly recommend the last few we’ve watched, including;
Fargo,
The Americans,
Master of None,
Man in the High Castle, and
Making a Murderer.
What have YOU been binge watching lately? Have you seen any of the shows listed above? What did you think? Comment below!
With the turning of the calendar page from October to November, it’s time to bundle together the best products, places, media and everything in between from the last month. Here are 9 things I found myself loving in October…
My home workspace got even MORE swag this month with the addition of a set of white speakers to flank my monitor. I saw them featured in someone else’s computer set-up online and knew they would be perfect sitting atop my desk! Luckily, Chet was able to do a little Internet digging to track them down and gave them to me as a birthday present. I totally forgot to include them in my gift haul! Probably because they were plugged in and I’ve already grown so accustomed to having them as part of my computer. Their sound quality is fantastic and they match the rest of my desk so well!
I’ve loved the glory of the Sharpie pen for quite some time but I grew to love them even stronger this past month. Working from home means I’ve got to keep a running “To Do” list with all my tasks for the day. I wouldn’t get anything done otherwise. It’s all about the list! And it’s way more fun in colorful Sharpie pens. Some days I can even go full cray-cray and color code! I’ve also been working my way through a self-paced class on blogging for business and these pens are perfect for taking notes and brainstorming sessions.
In an effort to look for little replacements I could make to cut down on my use of plastic, I ordered this set of bamboo toothbrushes. Since you’re supposed to switch out your toothbrush every three months, I’ll be good to go for a whole year! And each toothbrush in the set is cleverly stamped with three months to make sure you don’t forget! So far I’m a fan and actually like them more than many plastic counterparts I’ve tried.
So, I keep bringing this park/beach up on the blog but I can’t help it! It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite places in the world! We visited twice this month (for my birthday and just this past weekend on Halloween, as well) and both times were so rejuvenating and fun. You can lay by the beach, swim in the atoll pool, watch the boats leave the marina, fish, enjoy a picnic, have dinner and drinks at La Playa Grill, or just wander about the park taking in the gorgeous views. If you drop down to Miami for a visit we promise to take you here! On our Halloween excursion to Homestead we also checked out Biscayne National Park (which is right next door to the Bayfront Park) and took a beautiful walk with views of downtown Miami in the distance across the water.
This movie is definitely a must-see! In the midst of a Mars mission, a bad storm causes an astronaut crew to pack it in early and head home to Earth. However, one crew member is presumed dead and left behind. But he actually survived (!) and now he must get by with meager supplies, his own scientific-smarts and the help of a team of scientists at NASA millions of miles away. In the leading role Matt Damon is ridiculous and lovable and all the other characters are pitch perfect as well. The plot is, of course, gripping as is the case with most space exploration movies. It’s based on a bestselling hard sci-fi novel but the movie adaptation was definitely created with the masses in mind. I’m sure you’ll love it even if you aren’t a die hard science fiction fan.
6. Ring dish
I just can’t get over how cute this little dish is! This was a birthday present from Chet’s mom and it’s the sweetest little place to keep my jewelry and bobby pins at the end of the day. Polka dots? White and gold? French phrasing? I think I’m in love! This has taken up permanent residence on my dresser.
Can we TALK about this ice cream for a second? OH MY WORD is it good! I thought I was spoiled in Lexington living so close to the fro-yo shop Orange Leaf but having SubZero up the street has it beat. The concept for this ice cream shop was pitched on the show Shark Tank and I’m so glad someone was like “Um, yeah. Of COURSE I’ll back this!” Basically your ice cream starts out in liquid form. You get to select your milk (you can even choose lactose free or almond–which is awesome for those of us whose tummies aren’t as accepting of dairy), flavors and mix-ins and then everything is mixed and frozen right in front of you with the help of dry ice. The result? The creamiest, richest ice cream you’ll ever taste! I recommend Nutella flavor. Yum!
8. Fargo
I recently put out a call on Facebook for binge-worthy TV recommendations. While we got a lot of great suggestions we decided to give Fargo a go. Well, just a few weeks later and now I’m jonesing for that second season. This show is SO. GOOD. The plot of the show is different from the movie while still capturing that Coen Brothers vibe of dark-funny-weird. It’s the first show in quite some time that really made me want to watch more than two episodes a night. Keep hittin’ that next button, please!
After months and months of wistfully picking up every Moscow Mule mug found in every store EVER, Chet said “enough is enough with all those copper-induced googly eyes!” and bought me one of my very own! Is he not the best at picking out presents?! *swoon* My cocktail of choice is gin and ginger ale which isn’t exactly a Moscow Mule but still feels very right served in a copper cup. Bonus, drinks stay super cold in this cup which is kind of a necessity when you live at the veeeeery Southern tip of the good ol’ U.S. of A.
Finding delight. 