The Fault in Our Stars

Last weekend, one of my best gal pals and I got the chance to watch an early screening of The Fault in Our Stars and an interview with the author. I read the book awhile back and instantly became a huge fan of John Green (currently reading Paper Towns, so good so far!). Anyway, I would like to say this review isn't biased but who am I kidding? The girl inside me wants EVERY single one of you to watch this movie! I'm even forcing Kyle to watch it with me when it comes out.

If you've read it, the movie is very true to the book without sacrificing any of its heart. And what really won me over that John Green so eloquently states in the interview is that the characters are more realistic and relatable. Most often in fiction, we see characters who moved from a position of weakness to strength. But in reality, this rarely happens in life. Normally, we move from being strong to becoming weak and having to find the strength to lift ourselves back up. It makes me think of adults and how much fear and insecurity they have compared to the younger versions of themselves.

You can buy the book here if you're interested. Also a trailer for your viewing pleasure.

The Royal Tenenballs

I don't know why we do this to ourselves. There's only 2 months before the wedding, and we decided to join our friends' softball team. If we weren't busy enough!

We had our first practice earlier this week, and it was so much fun. We're not very good and we're not very competitive either but it was so nice being able to just...well, basically play and laugh at each other. I guess that's why we do these things, definitely helps us relax. Wish us luck!

While He's Away

Last week, Kyle asked what he could do to help me get better when I'm sad. We've had a lot of fights lately because of my depression. I feel like we're very similar for the most part but yet very different at the same time. Usually when I'm depressed, I come to Kyle for emotional support and I love yous. Kyle is different though. When he's sad, he prefers rationalization. So when I'm not feeling my best, he tends to talk to me logically, which almost always leads to a long argument and lots more tears. We've been trying to be more outwardly honest with each other (meaning not keeping our feelings and thoughts to ourselves when something bothers us).

So when he asked me that last week, I told him to just try to be positive for me. I told him I knew it was hard for him but if he could be extra positive for the both of us and empathize with me on an emotional level (because that's how my brain works), I would feel better.

This weekend is his bachelor's party trip and before he left, he went above and beyond to make sure I would be happy while he was gone. Not only did he completely clean the house ("So you don't have to worry about it this weekend," he says.) but he also left surprise gifts and notes around the house for me to find. I still can't believe he did this.

He even made me a faux Kyle to hug at night (complete with authentic Kyle smell)!

I've been getting onto him about not filling out our 3-year question book lately, and he's already finished all the questions for the days he's gone. Each day even has an "I miss you message" from him.

We are both obsessed with this Smartfood popcorn. Every time I buy it, he usually eats the whole bag before I can.

I really miss him.

When in Northern New Mexico

For our group trip this year, we decided to go to northern New Mexico for all the fun outdoorsy activities that were available. We first landed in Albuquerque and then drove about two hours to reach Santa Fe.

If you ever find yourself in Santa Fe, you must hike the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks. The hike isn't too strenuous and you get a gorgeous view with lots of picture opportunities!

That Kyle, such a rebel.

The perfect blue sky.

The weather was pretty perfect, the highs being in the 70s and lows in the 40s. You wouldn't think so, but it was actually still cold enough where there was snow on some of the mountains.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of these flowers. Love the contrast of red-orange against the earth tones.

At the top of the hike, you can see all the "tent rocks" and mountains.

Afterwards, we had lunch at Tune-Up Cafe. We tried to research all the restaurants we wanted to visit beforehand and this place was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri.

Good job Guy, those papusas were pretty darn delicious! (Papusa: fried cornmeal pancakes stuffed with steak and corn; served with salsa.)

I know. I know, it's unbelievable right? This is the house we stayed in for the rest of the trip. It was built by an artist, sculptor, and architect who later decided to sell it to our renters.

The incredible view from our back porch.

The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. It took a lot of courage (that only lasted about five minutes) for me to get close enough to the edge of the bridge to take this picture. My legs felt like they were crumbling every time a semi drove across the bridge.

But it was definitely worth it.

We spent most of the next morning white-water-rafting. Towards the end, they decided to let us ride up one of the big rapids just for fun. As we were waiting for our turn, we watch our other friends (in a different raft) climb up the rapid and suddenly one of them had disappeared. The next thing I know, I see his head bobbing around the water as the guide quickly grabs him. Suffice to say, he said it was the most fun he has ever had and couldn't stop laughing.

There's that snow I was telling you about.

We were hoping to hike Williams Lake Trail but as you can see, there was still a lot of snow and slush. As we were walking back to our car, a man randomly (and out of no where!) skied down next to us and yelled "there's a lot of snow up there!"

The scenery was still mesmerizing despite not being able to hike.

We spent our last night around a fire and watching the stars.

Before we left for the airport, we had lunch at The Grove. If you're a fan of Breaking Bad, you'll recognize this as the place where Walt and Lydia (ugh, Lydia!) would meet.

Red Velvet Cupcake and Hazelnut Chocolate Macarons

He said, "OMG...this is the best Italian sandwich I've ever had!"

And finally, the "Grove Pancakes" and Croque Madame.

Mom

For Mother's Day, my sister and I took my mom and our families out to dinner. Honestly, I was never really close to my mom until recently. I had a rough childhood and there was a huge language barrier between the two of us which definitely worsened our relationship. It's kind of sad actually. As a teenager, you have all these hormones raging through you and you think the whole world will shatter if things don't go your way. Being older and a stepmom myself now, I can barely even begin to thank my mom for all the things she has done and sacrificed for me. I'm just so grateful to have this chance to love and appreciate her fully. I thank God everyday for making me realize it before it was too late.

And I am so proud of my mom (my whole family actually) and the way she treats Emily as her very own. She loves on her so much. Everyday she tells me she can't wait for Emily and Kyle to officially be a part of our family. I see this love that she has for them and it makes me so excited for the day Kyle and I have our own children. I'm excited for me, Emily, and Kyle; but mostly, I'm excited for my mom. I know that she's already filled with all this love for my unborn children and ready to let it out. I know because she also tells me this everyday.

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! I got to wake up and see two of my favorite people, which pretty much made it the perfect day already.

Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you for giving birth to, raising, and loving me. I love you, mom!

Chuck E. Cheese's

Seriously one of the happiest places on earth for a little 5 year old...and maybe two adults as well. :)