Hooray for Hollywood!

And now I give you... the Hortin Girls' Oscar Commentary (along with a few inside jokes)

* First let me just say that I spent the first few minutes of the Oscars Googling Amsterdam with my Oma, so I came in a little late. BTW, the view of Amsterdam from Google Earth is beautiful.

1. "Mom, Toy Story just won." "Toy Story just won? Oh, yay!"

2. ZACHARY LEVI! Jenny and I started squealing and giggling. Yes, we love Chuck. And we loved his duet with Mandy Moore. We especially loved his awkward hand.

3. I love that Melissa Leo said, "Golly sakes."

4. Could you believe Kirk Douglas? He stole the show! "You know...."

5. While watching celebrities and others comment on their favorite movie songs, Oma said, "Now, who's he?" President Obama came on, and she said, "Now, who's this guy?" Great joke, Oma. :)

6. Did you hear the acceptance speech for Alice in Wonderland? I could not believe that she read her speech verbatim from a scrap of paper!

"Alice in Wonderland blends realism with pure.... (pause while she turns the paper over)... fantasy."

7. How did I miss that Christian Bale is British??? Really????

8. During the In Memoriam segment, Jenny cried, "Oh no! We lost what's his name?!"

Also, didn't you absolutely love Celine Dion singing Smile? Beeee-autiful!

9. At the end of the In Memoriam segment, Lena Horne's picture was on the screen with no name below it.

Me: "They don't even need to put her name up there. Everyone knows who she is."

Carrie: "Wait. Who is she?"

10. By far, the funniest part of the night was the "musical" section. My favorite was the Twilight musical.

He doesn't own a shirt? He doesn't need a shirt. Just plain hilarious.

11. "I was distracted by the rubbing of my leg."

12. Who wouldn't like to see Collin Firth dance?

13. Dresses that we loved:

Amy Adams

Melissa Leo

Robin Roberts

Halle Berry

Hillary Swank

Reese Witherspoon

Celine Dion

14. Our chocolate chip betting has now taken the form of chocolate chip cake. Equally delicious, without the gambling. :)

15. "Write that down as an UGLY dress." Mom did not like Ms. Bigelow's gown.

16. Hola, Sandra.

17. Do you remember Sandra Bullock's dress from last year? Breathtaking.

18. That was refreshing. We didn't see many 'girls' this year.

19. What was with all the "I just rolled out of bed and came to the Oscar's hair?" At least Celine's hair looked nice.

A Sunday Thought

"By work we sustain and enrich life. It enables us to survive the disappointments and tragedies of the mortal experience. Hard-earned achievement brings a sense of self-worth. Work builds and refines character, creates beauty, and is the instrument of our service to one another and to God. A consecrated life is filled with work, sometimes repetitive, sometimes menial, sometimes unappreciated but always work that improves, orders, sustains, lifts, ministers, aspires."
~ Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Read more here.

Be my valentine

Welcome to my home

I love Valentine's Day. Now, that might sound funny coming from a twenty-something single girl who kind of wishes she wasn't (single, that is). I love Valentine's Day because it reminds me how full my life is. I am surrounded with people who love me, and I love them. We make each other smile, they make my life complete. On February 14th, I remember how much they mean to me, and I get to give them a little chocolate to boot.

I haven't always loved Valentine's Day, but this year, a little rush of giddiness ran through me this year when I saw the red paper hearts in my neighbor's windows and helped my students decorate Valentine bags. It's just so fun to secretly leave a little love note outside someone's door or wrap some goodies in curling ribbon to say, 'I think you're wonderful.' Now, I know that these little 'I love you' moments should happen much more often than once a year, but isn't it wonderful that we set aside one special day? Isn't it wonderful that we have a holiday to celebrate love - love for all those who are special to us?

Valentine's Day sets my little mushy heart all a flutter.

So pretty

This little beauty showed up in my email inbox today. It's so pretty. And it's on sale.

Wouldn't it make a perfect Valentine's Day gift?

The Awkward Hand

My family has a little problem with knowing where to put our hands in photos. The first few times, it was accidental, but now we intentionally mock our own awkwardness.

Oh, falafel

Falafel is kind of a joke in my family. I love it, but the rest of my family is afraid to give it a try.

While driving with my family through LA, looking for a place to eat, I said, "Oh look! There's a falafel place. Do you guys want to try falafel?"
"What's falafel?" they all asked.
"Deep fried hummus," I said.
"Well hummus sounds like poop to me," my Dad said.
"Oooookay... no falafel for Dad," I said.

Then last December, my funny family sent me a call from Santa Claus. Santa promised to send me a hot date as long as I "saved him some falafel." Santa didn't want any milk and cookies. Only falafel for him.

And last night I saw this post on a very funny blog. I just had to send the link to my very best friends - my sisters. Just can't get enough of that falafel. :)

Oh, and if you're in Salt Lake City, and you actually like falafel, you might want to try this place. Yum!

Grumpy, grumpy. Grouchy, grouchy.

Most of the time, I'm all about smiles and happiness and silver linings. But sometimes I've just gotta gripe. There are a few things that truly make me feel like Oscar. For instance:

1. my bedroom - three months in this place, and I still have yet to find a furniture arrangement that I like.

2. my closet - Blergh. I've tried time and again to organize it to create more space, but I just can't solve the problem.

3. grocery stores on a Saturday - Memo to self: Saturday may be a special day, but it is definitely NOT the best day to go grocery shopping.

4. feeling tired all the time - Is there something wrong with me? Seriously.

5. a lack of sunshine - Yes, I enjoy my apartment. And yes, it's cute. But I don't think I could handle living long term in a basement. I need sunlight!

So, the point in all of this ranting is to ask for your suggestions. How do I conquer the grumpy grouchies? How do you do it?

My heart is fit to burst

I am so grateful.

Grateful for my family.

Grateful for my little sister.

Grateful for good doctors and surgeons.

Grateful for answered prayers.

Just grateful.