#But it really was such a nice day. Beautiful weather. Fabulous company. Even my parents joined us for a while! Lovely food too 😍

[satans-knitwear]

I went out (looking fabulous) for lunch with baby belle and the bestie yesterday!

A lovely day!! I also found an old print of a £10 note in the pocket of the red mac I got for £7 from the charity shop! Lucky!!

[pinelife3]

An investigation: if supermodels are so dumb and vapid, how do they pull artistic geniuses?

This is a picture of Nick Cave and his wife leaving the inquest into their son’s death. Their 15 year old boy fell from a cliff after taking acid and becoming disoriented. 

I cannot even conceive of how terrible it must be to lose a child. The drugs and the cliff make it an episode of Skins (or Euphoria for the zoomers) but that’s your little boy. It was a stupid accident and now you never get to see him again. A teenaged tragedy. Unendingly unfair. 

Ghosteen, the 2019 album from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, is a complex, existential album in conversation with the death of Nick’s son and his feelings of loss and grief. Nick Cave is an artist - his life’s work is to share how he feels and what he thinks. What he’s expressing with Ghosteen is sorrow and longing - and some larger angst about the purpose of existence.

Through all this tragedy, I’m sure you couldn’t help but notice... who’s the babe with the shiny hair and the fabulous gazongas? That’s Nick’s wife, man! Susie Bick - or sometimes Susie Cave. She was a major model in the 80s and 90s. A model and an artist - it’s actually fitting. 

And what’s more, Susie is the founder of The Vampire’s Wife - a label which has become super popular in the last couple of years. (Fashion people eyeroll The Vampire’s Wife because every dress has the same silhouette, but that’s out of the scope of this blog.)

There is a perception that models are are vapid and unserious. Their job is to look good, keep their mouth shut, and move merchandise. They cannot offer anything profound because their value is surface level. Men and women both push this way of thinking. 

For example, when Brad Pitt was recently revealed to be dating 27 year old model Nicole Poturalski, people were disappointed. Brad Pitt has been a cultural fixture for decades - after all this time, people still find him fascinating. And they expect him to date someone who is equally compelling. Clooney married a human rights lawyer - why is Brad dating someone who makes posts like this on Instagram...

This was Lainey Gossip’s take on the new girlfriend: 

A model, younger, it’s so predictable it’s almost boring.

Nice! I guess we’re all feminists until the woman in question is young and hot. 

It's easy to assume the worst of a person who is unknown to us, but is beautiful and hooking up with someone famous. A million mean thoughts spring to mind. “A model, younger”. That’s scorn. You know exactly what she’s saying: hot but dumb. An uninteresting person. We know what Brad really wants her for... 

If Brad Pitt is compelling to you, how compelling must Nicole Poturalski be to have won and held his attention? Brad Pitt has not been celibate in the four years since he separated from Angelina Jolie, but not until Nicole did we have confirmation of someone who he was definitely seeing. He allowed himself to be photographed with her en route to his French chateau. And what ensued was a weird story - she’s in an open relationship with some old German restaurateur and she has a son? She’s a sugar baby? Why would Brad fucking Pitt get publicly involved with someone who has a messy personal life: why hook up with a married 27 year old and weather months of stories about her open marriage if he didn’t actually like her? Why even be seen with her? The relationship is a little weird - but the reporting on it has been nasty. The new sugar baby angle which has emerged in the last week (late October 2020) is basically calling her a whore. This is the level of suspicion and derision directed at a model dating a public fixture like Brad Pitt. The notion that Brad Pitt would pay for female company or sex is patently absurd. 

If our assumptions about models are correct, why do so many models end up with artistic geniuses? I don’t care about the Victoria’s Secret models who hooked up with the bassist from Kings of Leon. I’m talking about beautiful women who made it with icons, the premier humans of the past century:

MUSICIANS

Nick Cave and Susie Bick

David Bowie and Iman

Kanye West and Amber Rose

Bob Dylan and Sara Lownds

Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall

Mick Jagger and Carla Bruni

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin

Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd

George Harrison and Pattie Boyd

Madonna and Jesus Luz

MISC. POWERFUL PEOPLE

Salman Rushdie and Padma Lakshmi

Donald Trump and Melania (lol)

Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni

Evan Spiegel and Miranda Kerr 

Hitler and Eva Braun (What?! She had a brief career an artist’s model...)

Michael Jordan and Yvette Prieto

Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall 

ACTORS (perhaps not artistic icons... but still creative and interesting)

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves

Johnny Depp and Kate Moss

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk

Bradley Cooper and Suki Waterhouse

Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse

Vincent Cassel and Tina Kunakey

Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubrey

Leonardo DiCaprio and half the VS roster

Huge congrats to all the models with more than one entry on the list. You’ll note that there is a dearth of female icon/male model pairings - this is kind of interesting but not something I feel like getting into.

To some extent, the prevalence of the artist and model pairing makes sense. Men like good looking women. Rich, powerful men are high status and have access to good looking women. Plus, an artist needs a muse.

Many of the models in the list above are actually iconic in their own right. Like, when someone is having a great day on RuPaul’s Drag Race and looking sleek and skinny and flawless RuPaul might compare them to Iman. People pay $10,000 USD for handbags named after Jane Birkin. 

Conversely, in the case of Amber Rose, she became the most desired woman in the hip hop industry c. 2010 because she was with Kanye. And most especially because she broke Kanye’s heart. Everyone wanted the girl from “Hell of a Life”. People point to that song as being about Kim - it was prophetic, yes, but not written about her.

Anyway. Could an icon, a legend, a genius, make it work with someone who had nothing to offer but a fast metabolism and a beautiful face? Do poreless skin and puffy lips make up for never finishing high school? 

Wouldn’t being with someone superficial or unserious mean the artist was fundamentally boring in some way too? This is increasingly the assumption about Leonardo DiCaprio - seen above photographing his 23 year old model gf for her Instagram. Even Reddit mocks him for his age gap relationships with models.

And here’s where I try to make my point: 

Kate Moss’ daughter, Lila, recently had her modelling debut during Paris Fashion Week. It was big news because she’s celebrity spawn - and of course her mother is one of the most iconic models ever. She was eviscerated. 

On The Daily Mail, the comparisons to her mother flowed. What’s interesting is that Daily Mail readers do not like Kate Moss but they will defend her 90s modelling career with their life. They laud her bone structure, her waifish figure. An irresistible, undeniable face. 

It seems silly to praise someone for the shape of their head and the way their skin fits over it... it’s not a talent, is it? Maybe it is! There is no shortage of hot girls in the world - but there may be a shortage of girls with preternatural charismatic beauty. Lila Moss (left above) is attractive - she even looks quite a bit like her mum. Perhaps in the pic above she even looks hotter than her mum (right above). But Kate Moss is more interesting: less perfect - half her eyebrow is missing, she’s less manicured. She exudes some kind of darkness, newness. Lottie Moss, Kate’s younger half-sister, is a similar story. Obviously attractive, obviously interested in modelling - but she’s lacking something. 

Bella Hadid came from a similar-ish background to Lila Moss (Bravoleb parents, frequent appearances on Real Housewives of Beverley Hills in her teen years, groomed by her ex-model mother) but Bella Hadid has it. She may have risen through the ranks due to nepotism and cosmetic surgery but she is someone people want to look at. She is sought after - not foisted upon us. Again, it’s not because she’s the hottest woman on the planet. She is gorgeous, but on top of that, there’s something beguiling about the angles of her face.

What’s this thing that clicks in your head telling you that Kate Moss’s face is more interesting than her daughter’s? It’s an intrusive thought: her skull shape is pleasing, let your eyes linger. A command: you will not forget that face. 

Iman has it. Look at her. On meeting Iman, Bowie said: "I was naming the children the night we met... it was absolutely immediate." How many beautiful women had Bowie met in his life? How many had this effect?

Can you imagine trying to keep David Bowie or Bob Dylan interested in what you’re saying? Or Madonna? Or Michael Jordan? Most of us do not have a single thought in our head which would be of interest to these people. The models I listed earlier transfixed them. Mick Jagger could have romanced every woman on the planet - but he only wanted Jerry Hall (pls disregard affairs so I can make my point). 

When a model hooks up with an artistic genius, it’s illogical to assume she’s vapid or that the icon is with her for shallow reasons. What we should assume is that she is the most interesting woman that icon has crossed paths with in a long time - which would make her very interesting indeed.

[mattness]

Space Dementia

Sorry for the long wait! Another chapter of fanfic “Space Dementia” is here! 

Chapter VIII.

Jennifer snorted, looking at his own reflection in the mirror: she wore to a meeting with Robert short white dress that perfectly emphasized her figure. Jen scolded herself for what she wanted to show herself in the best possible way. She thought many times what to wear and the options are constantly changing from the simple (jeans and tee) to the most sophisticated (the dress with some jewelry). In the end, Wright stopped at a light close-fitting dress with sleeves. The girl put make-up eyelashes and highlighted her lips with red lipstick, and her hair slightly curled.

Something inside suggested that Robert is unlikely to pay attention to her appearance. Still this meeting even a date really can't be called. Who makes dates in broad daylight? Jennifer put on black heels and several times twisted in front of the mirror. Now she was ready. Taking beige bag, Wright came out of the house. The weather was perfect. The sun shone high in the sky, and a pleasant warm wind refreshed thoughts. Birds sang loudly, lifting mood. Jen covered a short distance to the station, where another tram. The orange-and-white train slowed down, and she immediately sat down on an empty seat. Outside the window of the tram swept the streets of the city. Multi-colored cars replaced each other, people hurried about their business, despite the fact that today was a day off. The girl again began to compare the metropolis and Derry, where on Sunday, on the streets there was no one to meet, while going to the grocery store. Everyone's left Derry for other cities in Maine for the weekend. Finally the train stopped at the desired station, and from there to the restaurant was on the doorstep. The girl jumped out of the train and walked quickly to the restaurant, a sign which even in the light of day was shining brightly. Jen sighed and walked into the room, gaze searching for Grey. Noticing the familiar frown on your face, snub nose buried in the screen of the phone, she resolutely went to the table. "Hi", said Jen, and Robert immediately got distracted from the phone. He carefully examined her appearance, smiling and rising. Unlike her, Grey looked too simple. Long black jacket, under which was a white t-shirt, and blue jeans. Wright was surprised that he wasn't in the perfect expensive suit. Although she didn't doubt that the clothes on him certainly from well-known brands that not everyone can afford. "You look great, Jen", said the man, and politely helped her sit down, gallantly pushing out her chair. The girl smiled sheepishly. He put the phone in his jeans pocket and put his hands in the lock on the table, continuing to look at Jennifer. She felt like every second blushed all the more from studying the green eyes opposite. "When are you leaving?" first of all asked Wright, touching her hair. "Tomorrow. Flight at five in the morning", quietly said Robert, taking the menu and studying the list of dishes. "If you want and if you get up, you can come to the airport and walk me. I wouldn't mind." "I guess I can't", the girl confessed honestly. "Where are you going?" "To Pennsylvania. First to Philadelphia, and then to other cities by car." Jen smiled sadly, suddenly remembering how she lived in Philadelphia until fifteen years of age. Moving from his hometown to another very much influenced her future life. Robert carefully examined the face of Jennifer, which displayed all the emotions and feelings that she was experiencing at the moment. Blue eyes couldn't stay on one thing. Memories about Philadelphia he immediately saw, now knowing, as girl lived, as only came in this world. "In Philadelphia so beautiful", she said quietly, and too, took menu. "I know. I have a house there." "So you're coming home?" "Not really." They don't talked about Robert's trip again. At dinner she decided to tell him a little about yourself, and Grey listened with pleasure all that already knew. It was interesting because some of the details Jen didn't say. But he knew everything. All people did so to create a good impression of themselves, hiding their own flaws and shortcomings. And Robert never understood the meaning of this secrecy. Because no matter how much he watched people who began to spend more time together, and then also began to live together, all these shortcomings gradually surfaced. For some reason, they immediately found out the relationship, quarreled, thinking that they no longer trust each other.   After the stories of Jen, followed by a logical question that Grey didn't know what to say. His story always had to invent. This time Robert Grey was a rich orphan with living parents who left him to fend for himself when he was seven years old. He left to live with his grandmother, which can be evaluated as "fabulously rich". A woman in her life earned a lot of money working in a large company, the name of which he didn't even bother to come up with. In general, it didn't really matter in the twenty-first century. It was worth someone to say that you are the owner of a large company and go to Aston Martin'e, as all around immediately became so sociable and friendly. It always has been. People for him were too hypocritical, and that's why he never wanted to make friends. The absence of these same friends, he explained to Jen that few trusts. So now he almost no one not spoke about his able. The girl smiled, remembering that as soon as they met, he immediately blabbed about it. "I only told you because you're different." Robert noticed how Jennifer's face changed, once again flushed, and her heart skipped a beat. She quickly understood what he meant. Grey found himself happier than ever. Everything followed his evil plan. True, at first the plan didn't include falling in love girl every time they met, and it was manifested more and more. To his same happiness, she was too modest and not come around until nor on that, except timid kissing. Now that he had to get out of New York as quickly as possible, Rob was sure that all the feelings that had been born in her would soon pass. She'll forget about him again, try to switch to work or her friends, because his departure will cause her only pain. Oh, yeah, and the pain she felt right now, though not so clearly. But Robert could smell it scent. Finally, they finished their meal, and Robert paid for the meal. He went to the exit of the restaurant with Jen, but suddenly on the TV screen, which was located under the ceiling of the bar, the news began. Grey frowned, hearing the announcer move from political to criminal news. Jennifer noticed that, too. "To the number of missing people added three more. Also recently, police found a corpse at the corner of Water and Pearl-street”, the announcer reported in a serious tone. "The identity is not yet established. We only know he's a man of 40-55 years without a certain residence." The girl frowned, remembering what the man who had attacked her looked like, and Robert, meanwhile, was well aware of how bad his affairs were. A little more — and the cops will still be able to find his carefully concealed trace, but Grey didn't want to be behind bars for the third time. In prison there was nothing useful and good, only vital time is wasted. "Okay, let's go", Robert hurried, holding out Jen's beige bag. "Don't listen bad news." Jen nodded and went outside with him. Robert offered to take his hand, and the brunette gently squeezed his palm. They headed along the road, deciding to go to the nearest Park. The weather is still held good that could not fail to please Jennifer. "By the way, you didn't say where you came from to the hotel in Orono", Robert suddenly remembered, when they were walking slowly along the green alley of the park. "From Derry. My father and I moved there as soon as I graduated from Columbia", the girl said with a sad sigh. "To be honest, I didn't want to go back there." "Why? Nice town", Grey smiled. "You been there?" surprised brunette. "I have, more than once." A couple sat on a free bench near the pond. Jen watched as the ducks swam away from the shore, away from the people. "You don't like it there, I take it", the man chuckled, placing his hand on the back of the bench behind the girl, who shook her head in response. "Why?" "In the ten years I spent in New York, I got used to the rhythm of the big city. I'm used to nobody knowing anybody here. Nobody cares about you and your problems, because they're just your problems. They don't touch anyone, and no one weaves about you stupid gossip", explained Jennifer, tired sigh and decided to arrange her head on the shoulder of Robert. "Derry's too small. Everyone knows each other. And the atmosphere there is very ... repulsive." Grey found himself chuckling again as he looked at her. "What? I'm only giving my opinion, and I don't mind if you like Derry. I'll just never understand it. I can't understand my father wanted to move there." "You bought a house in Derry?" "No. It belonged to my grandmother, whom I visited every summer." Suddenly Robert remembered one of the years he had spent there. Of course, he was there many times and not only in the form of an ordinary rich orphan boy, but also in the form of a clown. For a century, he posed as the dancing clown Pennywise and stole the foolish children, feeding on their fears and flesh. But then he got tired of this circus, it was worth once to get caught by police. The guards didn't manage to keep him locked up for long. He quickly ran away and continued to frighten the children. He couldn't get close to one little girl who was always hanging around with her grandmother. Only once he did get a chance. She was swinging on the swing and happened to notice where he was standing. He mentally began to call her, wanting her to come closer. But the little one wasn't a fool and ran to ask permission from her old woman before going to the clown. Then Pennywise was seriously angry and decided to attack someone else, leaving this ungrateful in peace. Only now, sitting next to Jennifer, Robert realized that this little girl was her. How couldn't he have guessed? Why didn't he go back to her childhood memories? After all, he had studied her too superficially, which now infuriated him a little. Grey tried to keep his emotions under control, just squeezing his fingers on the back of the bench harder. Now he seemed to be beginning to realize the reason why something inside him was drawn to her. It was just a long-forgotten hunger that he felt for Jen in her childhood. But Robert didn't realize how wrong he was. * * *   The clock stopped at four in the evening, and Jennifer suggested to Grey walk to the waterfront, where there was a beautiful view of the city and the sunset. The man nodded silently in response, and they slowly headed in the right direction. Jen carefully walked on the pavement, afraid to stumble and break the delicate heels. The sun hate blinded eyes, and because of this had to squint. She looked at Grey walking beside her, who was already wearing sunglasses on the bridge of his nose. He was clearly better prepared for the walk than she was. "Where do you go after Pennsylvania?" Wright asked, picking up the bag, which was already heavy to carry on her shoulder. The embankment was only a few meters away, so the couple moved to a walking step. Jennifer breathed fresh air into her lungs. On the embankment lovers, families, dog breeders and athletes also walked. Through the crowns of green trees penetrated the sun's rays, the wind blew pleasantly in the face and relaxed. "I haven't decided yet", Robert shrugged back, glancing at her. "Do you want to meet again?" She smiled sheepishly, walking slowly to the railing. Jennifer leaned on them, peering into the distance. Of course, Wright wanted to see Grey again. She still felt indebted to him. Maybe something could come out of it. Jen hoped Robert felt the same way. The sun gradually began to sink below the horizon, painting the whole sky in red shades. Numerous skyscrapers of New York reflected the sunset rays, making the landscape more impressive. Jennifer watched the sun with fascination, as did Robert, who stopped beside her. He glanced briefly at her hand. Without thinking, the man confidently covered Wright's hand. The girl smiled, feeling like such a minor action on the body a wave of pleasant chills. "I'm going to miss you, Robert", Jennifer suddenly confessed after a few seconds of silence. "Me, too", wasn't very convincing, making Grey mentally cursed. "You'll not notice how time flies, and we'll meet again." The brunette sadly smiled, fully turning to him. Robert, still clutching her hand in his, leaned toward Jen's face. He covered her plump lips with a gentle kiss, and a pleasant cherry taste suddenly gave in his mouth. The girl responded to the kiss, feeling dizzy from blissful oblivion. Robert heard vulgar thoughts have already begun to visit drugged mind Jennifer. Her other hand touched his neck, and it's a fleeting touch of pleasure seared his skin. He didn't understand why the little kiss had caused a storm of emotions inside him. Why he didn't want to stop? He was beginning to dislike it. Robert seemed to lose control of his mind, so he reluctantly pulled away from Jen, who sighed in frustration. Grey was surprised to see the pupils of the blue eyes widen and the view become blurred. Her red lips parted in a pleased smile, and Robert smiled back. Jennifer suddenly burst out laughing, which caused gray's true bewilderment. "You imprinted my lipstick", continuing to laugh, she said, and immediately began to rummage through the bag in search of pack of wet wipes. Robert watched as the brunette fished out a napkin and began to wipe the red marks around his mouth. She did it with such care that for a moment the man felt uneasy. Somewhere deep within awake long-sleeping conscience, and begged to be left alive creature, standing across him. However, Robert quickly calmed it down, not wanting to obey a fleeting impulse. As soon as the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon, Grey decided to take Jennifer to the hotel. He took off his glasses from the bridge of his nose and put them in his pocket while the girl was on the phone with a friend who suddenly called. Jen tried to get off as quickly as possible, because that same friend was ruining the whole date. Robert burst out laughing when Wright finally put the phone in her bag and smiled guiltily. "Never give me peace", the girl snorted, taking his hand. "I thought you told them all about me, going for a walk with me and all", Grey grinned, noticing how she had blushed once again that evening. "Yes, of course... I'm pretty brief tall about everything, and it's very upsetting them. But since it's only my life, I don't have to answer to them for every action I take." He burst out laughing again, and for the next half hour they chose not to talk about Jen's friends. The girl was happy to tell stories from the University, told about something that suddenly came to mind that Robert was not bored. Grey listened carefully, sometimes noticing the strange glint in her blue eyes. The man looked with interest and thought that he was right: inside Jennifer Wright slept something bad and, in a sense, the devil. Robert didn't notice how quickly they approached the building where the hotel was located. Jennifer looked at the entrance and turned to the man. "Thank you for today's meeting", Wright smiled and thanked him. "I wouldn't mind repeating it", Robert said and took a step to her. "Only when you return", the girl said, looking down in embarrassment. Grey reached for her kiss again, but Jennifer put her hand to his lips at the last moment. The man raised his eyebrows in surprise, not understanding what was wrong. Did he do something wrong? After all, judging by the thoughts of little Jenni for the whole day, everything was going just like clockwork, and another kiss was to finally appease her. "I don't want to get you dirty", Wright explained, and Robert just snorted in discontent. She put her arms around his neck, pressing her whole body against him and inhaling the pleasant aroma of expensive cologne. Grey was taken aback, but then lowered the hands on fragile waist. The girl sighed, feeling like every minute was becoming increasingly difficult to break away from the person who so suddenly appeared in her life. She drew back reluctantly and smiled tightly, pursing her lips. "Bye", Jen said goodbye, letting go of his hand and starting to climb the steps to the hotel. "See you around, Jennifer", left behind Robert, watching as she had already disappeared behind the revolving glass doors. * * *   The girl tried to immerse himself in work after Robert flew out from New York. He didn't promise to call or write her, so Jen didn't expect any continuation of their nascent feelings. On the other hand, it was better for her. Maybe for him, too. Now, already working for the second month in a women's magazine, Jennifer still tried to keep the bar high to get a promotion and a good recommendation. Mrs. Johnson praised and appreciated her dedication. The days passed one after another, and Jen looked with surprise at Katie, who brought a note from her boss. Unwrapping the crumpled piece of paper, she smiled: Mrs. Johnson strongly recommended that Wright take a two-week vacation. The brunette agreed with pleasure, because the desire to go to his father recently became huge. They hadn't seen each other long enough, and Jennifer missed them too much. As soon as the vacation began, the girl immediately Packed a small suitcase and warned her friends, took tickets for the first flight to Bangor. The plane cut through the broad wings of the veil of clouds, which hid the city States. The girl hoped that the good weather will continue until the end of the flight. She wanted to come to Derry and find the sun in the clouds or in the cloudless sky. Wright sighed and put in her earphones, closing her eyes and sinking into a light slumber. Sleep was not long in coming… * * * ...She was once again in the middle of the hospital corridor with many doors that were locked. This time there was a light everywhere, and there was a working noise: the footsteps of doctors, the squeak of hospital equipment and a lot of talk. A strange excitement with the experiences of the possessed girl, and eye was dimmed with tears. The feeling that Jen was losing touch with a loved one painfully squeezed everything inside to the smallest size. She's heart was bleeding. The headache made her grab hair and literally scream. Jennifer didn't understand. She didn't understand what was happening around her, where she was, and why she felt so terrible. The brunette squatted down in the middle of the corridor, wanting to fall through the ground so that no one could see her. Jen has to get out of here before it's too late. "Miss Wright, are you all right?"the doctor's stern voice was heard, and the girl rose to her feet. "How is he?" it came out of her mouth, though Jen had no idea who it was. "Will live. We support his condition", assured the doctor in round glasses, occasionally looking into his clipboard that he held in his hands. The girl nodded and sat down on a bench near the wall. She again grabbed his head, trying to figure out how to get out of this nightmare. Feelings overwhelmed her. Now wanted to run away from herself, but nothing can be done. The body during sleep didn't obey, and feet became wadded. Jennifer tried to catch her breath until she heard the sound of someone's measured steps. They were approaching her, and the man who had appeared in the corridor stopped in front of her. "Jennifer", a familiar voice called softly. That voice, thought the girl and looked up. In front of her on his haunches sat Robert Grey, who sadly smiled. He looked good as usual: black trousers and a dark blue shirt with a tie. It was as if he had come straight from the office of his own company at Jen's first call. "I don't understand anything", the brunette finally managed to voice her thoughts, immediately falling into a strong embrace. "What's going on here?" "I know this is hard for you to accept", Grey said, stroking her back. "Everything will be fine." Jennifer frowned, still not understanding what was happening at the moment. She stared in surprise at the man, whose eyes suddenly turned bright orange. Strange white spots began to appear on his face. Brown hair began to get red shade on the lips Robert had a wild smile. In the hospital corridor the lights suddenly went out and was replaced by red. That ominous red again! With one sharp jerk, Grey forced Jen to her feet. "I don't understand", the brunette repeated. "Should you? I just want to play with you, Jenni", the man said, and red stripes of stage makeup began to appear on his face. It made him look ten times crazier. "To play?!" Jennifer was puzzled, trying to escape, but Robert's hands, on the fingers of which appeared sharp long claws, plunged directly into her skin. An unbearable pain gripped her whole body, blood ran down her arms, and the girl only clenched her teeth, still desperately trying to give a logical explanation for what was happening. Grey pulled her to him and breathed in the smell of Jen's mixed feelings. That's not what he needs. She didn't feel fear. She was trying to explain. Damn girl! "My sweet", the man continued, leaning over the brunette's face, "I want to eat you so much." Instead of a fear, Jennifer was embarrassed. Cheeks reddened, and excitement pleasant waves began to disperse around her body. Robert felt it, and now he don't know what the hell he did wrong. Why did the admission of his true intentions cause her such a strange reaction? What's wrong with this crazy woman? Did the long absence of relationship with the opposite sex so affect her? Grey cursed and pulled her to him, biting her lips with a passionate kiss. The girl groaned under the pressure and only Robert dutifully replied. The feeling of being sucked out of her life force began to constrain every movement. Warm blood filled her mouth and a thin stream began to flow down the chin. She felt he was killing her. Ruthlessly tearing from the inside out, causing terrible pain. Jennifer wanted to push him away, but she didn't have the strength. The pain was mixed with excitement, giving the whole thing some masochistic effect. Never before had the girl experienced such. Something broke inside and a loud siren filled the corridor. "What did you just do to me?!" cried from the horror of Jen, looking at Robert, who was now for some reason, the image of a clown. "I showed you what will happen to you. Very soon." He laughed out loud in the hospital corridor. The girl watched in horror behind him until, until he disappeared. Wiping the blood from her chin, Jen ran to find a way out. But there was no way out. * * *  Jennifer woke up from her own dream, screaming. Cold perspiration stood on her face, and her hands trembled treacherously. The flight attendant that was so close in time, had already stretched her a glass of water and a sedative pill. Without thinking, Jen drank the medicine, draining the glass completely. "You're all right, miss?" the stewardess asked anxiously. "Probably", the brunette answered, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "I was afraid you wouldn't wake up. But, fortunately, all went well", tried to encourage the employee of the aircraft. "We'll be landing in fifteen minutes, so fasten your seat belt and try to relax." The girl nodded and complied. Glancing out the window, Jen could see the outline of Bangor through the clouds. She frowned, trying not to attach any importance to the stupid dream. But it was so real that familiar taste left on the lips and in the mouth it was filled with blood. Jen licked her lips, instantly remembering kissing with Robert. God, did she miss him so much? No way! Obviously something is wrong with him, but the girl could not understand what. Why did this asshole continue to sit in her head even after almost a month since their last meeting? Jen couldn't explain it. Maybe a vacation in Derry and spending time with his father will help to forget him completely? Jennifer really hoped that talking to dad would help distract her.

[eileensadventures-blog]

Budapest, Hungary

Budapest: two cities in one. Buda, the wealthy, conservative side and Pest, the young, party side. Home of the Rubics Cube...

The third largest parliament building in the world (Yes, the Pentagon is the largest)

And, the first underground subway.

In Budapest, we decided to try something totally different, take city tour using scooters. We ended up being the only people on the tour so we had our own private guide. It was great to have a tour customized to our interests.

Anna, our guide, is a Jewish, Hungarian, High School, Physics teacher. Needless to say we had a lot of question unrelated to Budapest. Primarily, how did her grand parents survive the war?

Her grandfather was sent to a work camp while her grandmother was sent to the ghetto. Her grandfather was then pulled into the German army and sent to fight the Russian. He was injured in the war and while he was at the hospital recovering, he started working in the gardens. He was a gifted gardener so the hospital kept him instead of sending him back to the battlefield. Lesson here: you never know what will save your ass.

Once her grandfather was out of the ghetto and out of Budapest, Anna's grandmother paid to have fake papers made for her husband. Gave him a good Christian name. Remarried him. Declared herself Christian and left the ghetto. They did all this with postcards careful not to disclose too much since all mail was read.

They went back to Judaism as soon as the war was over. Today, Budapest still has a strong Jewish population.

Anna took us to the normal spots: the Parliament building, St. Stephen's Basilica, and the Chain Bridge.

She also took us to places like Liberty Square where the US Embassy is. This is the only guarded embassy in Budapest. Next to the US embassy stands the only monument left from the Russian occupation. Sort of a reminder. The US government donated their own statue to Liberty square....

She also too kind us to this university student senior project, having fire hydrants double as water fountains 

Our conversations were quit frank and her sense of humor was very cynical. We really enjoyed her company. 

To end our tour, she took us to her favorite ice cream place which was fabulous. I tried poppyseed and cinnamon (These are two different ice creams, not a combination.). Pretty weird. I had blueberry which had frozen berries in it.

We were in Budapest for two and a half days. The weather ranged from the hottest day in 92 years to the biggest thunderstorm they have seen all year.

We spent the hottest day at the Turkish baths with a thousand other people.

The outside had three big pools ranging from cold to warm. There were several therapeutic pools inside. These are natural baths heavy in sulfur. They ranged from very hot to very cold. They even had ones with currents for joint therapy.

We were lucky to be on a ferry on the Danube river returning from Szetendre for the thunderstorm. We spent the morning biking from Budapest to Szetendre, a medieval city turned beach town.

Our day in Szetendre was very pleasant. Nice lunch with a view of the beach. Ice cream near the medieval wall...

And a dip in the Danube...

We boarded the ferry about the time the thunderheads started to form. It was so beautiful to watch. There were bolt lighting everywhere and the sky was moving in the most amazing patterns.

We were able to climb the tower at St. Stephen's Basilica. We made it the last stop on our 10 mile walking loop from the Pest Market through the Buda Citadel, Castle, and Fisherman's Bastion.

The Citadel had the best views of the city.

Fisherman's Bastion was originally a lookout. Designed with seven towers to symbolize the original seven Hungarian tribes that settled Budapest.

Even though the Basilica tower is the highest building in the city by law, it did not offer the the best views. But it did offer the best shade which we enjoyed for at least 30 minutes before retreating to our air conditioned apartment. Not sure how we scored air conditioning. Had to be clean living.

We stumbled upon the most amazing fountain, light show. It was all set to music. It was to celebrate the world games for water sports being held in Hungary. It did make me wonder what I might stumble upon if I walked around my own backyard more often.

I posted a 17 second video below this blog.

[healthylifepage]

VOLVO AT THE GROVE!

I spent last weekend in the company of one of the greatest Swedish icons; no, not Björn Borg, ABBA, or the Chef from The Muppets – but Volvo! Throughout my childhood in Karlskrona (southern Sweden) literally everybody’s parents drove this marque, including mine. Our country has a reserved, understated national culture, and it’s a point of humor that the populace differentiates its individuality by buying the *newest* Volvo. Now though, the exquisite, silky and muscular aesthetics of this freshly-launched beauty, the XC40, make our old 1990s Swedish 240 estate look about as aerodynamic as a cube! Our weekend at The Grove was themed around the classically Swedish concept of Lagom (there’s no direct translation but perhaps conjure Goldilocks and her ‘just right’ porridge), and part of my role was to lead a group of fabulous lifestyle press around a 30-minute HIIT workout on the ‘wellbeing’ part of their experience. Click MORE to read my thoughts on this car, to see how we got on with lagom, and to get a little BTS from the event!

Lagom is super duper Swedish; it’s all about striking an equilibrium of moderation to achieve sustainable contentment; neither having too little nor wanting too much, but instead realizing exactly the right amount of something, whether that be food, holiday, weather, experiences etc. It’s a very Nordic concept, and to me, it means that things are just right, just the way they are.

The XC40 is Volvo’s first small SUV, and you might say that it too is Lagom. But something’s seriously ‘off’. When cars are designed, visionary artists summon totally badass concept sketches that set car aficionados alight, but then somewhere between sketching and production, someone’s job is to make that car look really, really boring, as if it might have been a new car 10 years ago when vehicle silhouettes were aggressively cuboid. At Volvo, they have apparently forgotten to hire that person, and the result is a car that looks just as awesome as the concept sketch! Consequently, I think the XC40 is going to be quite the hit, especially because the monthly cost for a decent spec is actually good; there’s a lot of car-for-money (we Swedes are also notoriously frugal!).

My time in the vehicle was ultra comfortable (even though my press ‘chauffeurs’ did their best to test the limits of road-holding!), with my memory being characterized by an abundance of natural light inside the airy, glass-rich cabin. There are also neat, functional design flourishes and attention-to-detail that you’d expect to find on a luxury saloon at 2x the price, along with electronic connectivity that effectively turns it into a 4-wheel-drive iPhone! Hands full with the weekly shopping? Merely genuflect under the boot with your leg to pop the trunk! Lost your parking space at the Westfield multi-story haystack? Track, start, climate-control and/or lock your car from iPad. Spluttering from the noxious city fumes? Breathe ionized, filtered air in the cabin, whilst being massaged and soothed by dulcet tones from the crisp, 600-watt capable (!!!) Harmon Kardon audio. Then there’s wireless inductive phone charging (no cables), Apple CarPlay (so the whole system works with your iPhone seamlessly), heated steering wheel (essential on frosty days!), 360-degree reversing cams, self-parking etc… In other words, nice, modern, logical features you’d actually want in the car if you designed it yourself!

When we arrived at the gorgeous parkland bathed in glorious sunshine (and 0 degrees temperatures!), the fitness session I hosted for Volvo was to be a 30-minute outdoor bodyweight class. We went for a 2-minute jog around the perimeter of the park ground to start the warming up process, and then sub-groups alternated between wall sits and sprints back and forth, for around 5 minutes.

After that, it was ‘jackets off’ and we took up position on the mats to start the circuit of 6 moves with different options to cater for different fitness level; we tackled a minute of walking planks followed by a minute of stepping lunges/jumping lunges, a minute of press ups, and a minute of squats/jumping squats, then 30-45 seconds of Static Plank holds with the option of scapula retraction, and 30-45 seconds of clapping sit-ups. In between each, a 30-second mini recovery of high legs to keep warm.

When one cycle of all 6 moves had been completed, we took a break for a minute before hitting it again for the next cycle, and then the third and final cycle, at which point the body was in serious lactic-acid mode! A warm-down stretching session wrapped things up with the power HIIT session lasting 30 minutes on the nose.

Since Lagom is about balance, there was also Swedish Massage and cinnamon buns involved, as well as some aerial yoga!

It was my first ‘consumer experience’ of Volvo’s products since my childhood days; whilst they’re still a Swedish champion today, they’ve changed a lot over the years, and are clearly at the leading edge of lifestyle design and technology; and like any patriotic Swede, I really love it!

Faya x

The post VOLVO AT THE GROVE! appeared first on Fitness on Toast.

VOLVO AT THE GROVE! posted first on yummylooksbest.blogspot.com

[yolandadsims]

VOLVO AT THE GROVE!

I spent last weekend in the company of one of the greatest Swedish icons; no, not Björn Borg, ABBA, or the Chef from The Muppets – but Volvo! Throughout my childhood in Karlskrona (southern Sweden) literally everybody’s parents drove this marque, including mine. Our country has a reserved, understated national culture, and it’s a point of humor that the populace differentiates its individuality by buying the *newest* Volvo. Now though, the exquisite, silky and muscular aesthetics of this freshly-launched beauty, the XC40, make our old 1990s Swedish 240 estate look about as aerodynamic as a cube! Our weekend at The Grove was themed around the classically Swedish concept of Lagom (there’s no direct translation but perhaps conjure Goldilocks and her ‘just right’ porridge), and part of my role was to lead a group of fabulous lifestyle press around a 30-minute HIIT workout on the ‘wellbeing’ part of their experience. Click MORE to read my thoughts on this car, to see how we got on with lagom, and to get a little BTS from the event!

Lagom is super duper Swedish; it’s all about striking an equilibrium of moderation to achieve sustainable contentment; neither having too little nor wanting too much, but instead realizing exactly the right amount of something, whether that be food, holiday, weather, experiences etc. It’s a very Nordic concept, and to me, it means that things are just right, just the way they are.

The XC40 is Volvo’s first small SUV, and you might say that it too is Lagom. But something’s seriously ‘off’. When cars are designed, visionary artists summon totally badass concept sketches that set car aficionados alight, but then somewhere between sketching and production, someone’s job is to make that car look really, really boring, as if it might have been a new car 10 years ago when vehicle silhouettes were aggressively cuboid. At Volvo, they have apparently forgotten to hire that person, and the result is a car that looks just as awesome as the concept sketch! Consequently, I think the XC40 is going to be quite the hit, especially because the monthly cost for a decent spec is actually good; there’s a lot of car-for-money (we Swedes are also notoriously frugal!).

My time in the vehicle was ultra comfortable (even though my press ‘chauffeurs’ did their best to test the limits of road-holding!), with my memory being characterized by an abundance of natural light inside the airy, glass-rich cabin. There are also neat, functional design flourishes and attention-to-detail that you’d expect to find on a luxury saloon at 2x the price, along with electronic connectivity that effectively turns it into a 4-wheel-drive iPhone! Hands full with the weekly shopping? Merely genuflect under the boot with your leg to pop the trunk! Lost your parking space at the Westfield multi-story haystack? Track, start, climate-control and/or lock your car from iPad. Spluttering from the noxious city fumes? Breathe ionized, filtered air in the cabin, whilst being massaged and soothed by dulcet tones from the crisp, 600-watt capable (!!!) Harmon Kardon audio. Then there’s wireless inductive phone charging (no cables), Apple CarPlay (so the whole system works with your iPhone seamlessly), heated steering wheel (essential on frosty days!), 360-degree reversing cams, self-parking etc… In other words, nice, modern, logical features you’d actually want in the car if you designed it yourself!

When we arrived at the gorgeous parkland bathed in glorious sunshine (and 0 degrees temperatures!), the fitness session I hosted for Volvo was to be a 30-minute outdoor bodyweight class. We went for a 2-minute jog around the perimeter of the park ground to start the warming up process, and then sub-groups alternated between wall sits and sprints back and forth, for around 5 minutes.

After that, it was ‘jackets off’ and we took up position on the mats to start the circuit of 6 moves with different options to cater for different fitness level; we tackled a minute of walking planks followed by a minute of stepping lunges/jumping lunges, a minute of press ups, and a minute of squats/jumping squats, then 30-45 seconds of Static Plank holds with the option of scapula retraction, and 30-45 seconds of clapping sit-ups. In between each, a 30-second mini recovery of high legs to keep warm.

When one cycle of all 6 moves had been completed, we took a break for a minute before hitting it again for the next cycle, and then the third and final cycle, at which point the body was in serious lactic-acid mode! A warm-down stretching session wrapped things up with the power HIIT session lasting 30 minutes on the nose.

Since Lagom is about balance, there was also Swedish Massage and cinnamon buns involved, as well as some aerial yoga!

It was my first ‘consumer experience’ of Volvo’s products since my childhood days; whilst they’re still a Swedish champion today, they’ve changed a lot over the years, and are clearly at the leading edge of lifestyle design and technology; and like any patriotic Swede, I really love it!

Faya x

The post VOLVO AT THE GROVE! appeared first on Fitness on Toast.

from Health And Fitness Updates http://fitnessontoast.com/2018/03/12/volvo-at-the-grove/

[rebeccaflaneus]

VOLVO AT THE GROVE!

I spent last weekend in the company of one of the greatest Swedish icons; no, not Björn Borg, ABBA, or the Chef from The Muppets – but Volvo! Throughout my childhood in Karlskrona (southern Sweden) literally everybody’s parents drove this marque, including mine. Our country has a reserved, understated national culture, and it’s a point of humor that the populace differentiates its individuality by buying the *newest* Volvo. Now though, the exquisite, silky and muscular aesthetics of this freshly-launched beauty, the XC40, make our old 1990s Swedish 240 estate look about as aerodynamic as a cube! Our weekend at The Grove was themed around the classically Swedish concept of Lagom (there’s no direct translation but perhaps conjure Goldilocks and her ‘just right’ porridge), and part of my role was to lead a group of fabulous lifestyle press around a 30-minute HIIT workout on the ‘wellbeing’ part of their experience. Click MORE to read my thoughts on this car, to see how we got on with lagom, and to get a little BTS from the event!

Lagom is super duper Swedish; it’s all about striking an equilibrium of moderation to achieve sustainable contentment; neither having too little nor wanting too much, but instead realizing exactly the right amount of something, whether that be food, holiday, weather, experiences etc. It’s a very Nordic concept, and to me, it means that things are just right, just the way they are.

The XC40 is Volvo’s first small SUV, and you might say that it too is Lagom. But something’s seriously ‘off’. When cars are designed, visionary artists summon totally badass concept sketches that set car aficionados alight, but then somewhere between sketching and production, someone’s job is to make that car look really, really boring, as if it might have been a new car 10 years ago when vehicle silhouettes were aggressively cuboid. At Volvo, they have apparently forgotten to hire that person, and the result is a car that looks just as awesome as the concept sketch! Consequently, I think the XC40 is going to be quite the hit, especially because the monthly cost for a decent spec is actually good; there’s a lot of car-for-money (we Swedes are also notoriously frugal!).

My time in the vehicle was ultra comfortable (even though my press ‘chauffeurs’ did their best to test the limits of road-holding!), with my memory being characterized by an abundance of natural light inside the airy, glass-rich cabin. There are also neat, functional design flourishes and attention-to-detail that you’d expect to find on a luxury saloon at 2x the price, along with electronic connectivity that effectively turns it into a 4-wheel-drive iPhone! Hands full with the weekly shopping? Merely genuflect under the boot with your leg to pop the trunk! Lost your parking space at the Westfield multi-story haystack? Track, start, climate-control and/or lock your car from iPad. Spluttering from the noxious city fumes? Breathe ionized, filtered air in the cabin, whilst being massaged and soothed by dulcet tones from the crisp, 600-watt capable (!!!) Harmon Kardon audio. Then there’s wireless inductive phone charging (no cables), Apple CarPlay (so the whole system works with your iPhone seamlessly), heated steering wheel (essential on frosty days!), 360-degree reversing cams, self-parking etc… In other words, nice, modern, logical features you’d actually want in the car if you designed it yourself!

When we arrived at the gorgeous parkland bathed in glorious sunshine (and 0 degrees temperatures!), the fitness session I hosted for Volvo was to be a 30-minute outdoor bodyweight class. We went for a 2-minute jog around the perimeter of the park ground to start the warming up process, and then sub-groups alternated between wall sits and sprints back and forth, for around 5 minutes.

After that, it was ‘jackets off’ and we took up position on the mats to start the circuit of 6 moves with different options to cater for different fitness level; we tackled a minute of walking planks followed by a minute of stepping lunges/jumping lunges, a minute of press ups, and a minute of squats/jumping squats, then 30-45 seconds of Static Plank holds with the option of scapula retraction, and 30-45 seconds of clapping sit-ups. In between each, a 30-second mini recovery of high legs to keep warm.

When one cycle of all 6 moves had been completed, we took a break for a minute before hitting it again for the next cycle, and then the third and final cycle, at which point the body was in serious lactic-acid mode! A warm-down stretching session wrapped things up with the power HIIT session lasting 30 minutes on the nose.

Since Lagom is about balance, there was also Swedish Massage and cinnamon buns involved, as well as some aerial yoga!

It was my first ‘consumer experience’ of Volvo’s products since my childhood days; whilst they’re still a Swedish champion today, they’ve changed a lot over the years, and are clearly at the leading edge of lifestyle design and technology; and like any patriotic Swede, I really love it!

Faya x

The post VOLVO AT THE GROVE! appeared first on Fitness on Toast.

from Donald Fitness Tips http://fitnessontoast.com/2018/03/12/volvo-at-the-grove/

[anaturalhigh-blog]

visitors on visitors!

I’ve had zero motivation to blog because I know I have so much to catch up on...here goes nothin. 

My parents left on Tuesday and the next day after work the girls and I were headed to Fort Collins to check out the breweries. The plan was to drive there with our bikes in the back and then bike from brewery to brewery. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse and it POURED the entire ride there. We were hoping it would let up by the time we arrived at the first stop, but nope. We also failed to realize that because it was Wednesday, all the breweries closed at 8pm.. which left us with approx. zero time. We chose 3 breweries and drove to each. The first stop was Funkwerks Inc. It was super small and they specialize in sours and saisons. I’m not a fan of those, so I hung out while the girls drank (chugged) their flights. 

Next stop was Odell Brewing Company. The curb appeal was on point. It was super cute, much bigger than Funkwerks, and had some live music for a bit. The rain stopped, so we went to their outdoor area to enjoy our beers. 

We rushed to New Belgium Brewing Company to get there before last call. This place was massive and straight-up reminded me of a school campus. It had a big open outdoor space with a lawn and multiple food trucks. We grabbed a beer and, again, enjoyed it outside. We were catching up for awhile until an employee came out and told us they needed to lock the building, ha. 

Tara’s friend, Hans, went to school in Fort Collins and mentioned a few bars we could check out downtown. I didn’t realize CSU is in Fort Collins, so it’s a pretty young crowd. The downtown reminded me of downtown Blacksburg, so I loved it. We were craving sushi, so after we walked around, we drove to a place we found on Yelp - ‘twas delish! 

On Friday, my friend Erin came over and we met Robyn, Tara, and Tara’s friends at Avanti. The night got aggressive and I was out of commission most of Saturday. I became alive and decided to rent Beauty and the Beast and pick up Sushi Hai. The movie was soooo good and lived up to all the hype. 

Both Tara and Robyn had friends in town so we all met up for brunch on Sunday at Low Country Kitchen. It’s southern inspired, so all of our dishes had fried chicken <3 Do NOT get the eggs there...it was some sick soupy shit...but the mac n cheese was the gooooood kind of soupy shit. We went to Mockery and Ratio for beers and then went home to watch Fight Club. The movie came up in conversation and since some of us hadn’t seen it, we decided to watch. It was 100% not what I was expecting. It was weird and way too much violence for my liking. I will never watch it again :)

Linda, Robyn’s mom, got into town and we got dinner at Postino. I’ve been wanting to go there for awhile now! We got a veggie platter to start and two orders of the toast/bruschetta. The latter is why I’ve been dying to go. The bruschetta plates we chose were really good, but I don’t think I would get the veggie platter again...maybs try out the meat and cheese one? The night day Robyn, her mom, and I did a little happy hour on their rooftop!

On Saturday, we had a group brunch at Charcoal Bistro. The drinks were strong and the food wasn’t too sufficient, but it was tasty. We went to Mile High Spirits and eventually walked to Finn’s Manor. Everyone was getting an order that I felt like I had to try....you order some rando tall beer, take a few sips, and then the bartender pours a shot in it. Interesting. I combined that with some fabulous egg rolls from a food truck before we went to a bar in LoHi to see Sam and Tyler’s friend’s band play. Each booth at the bar had a Nintendo 64...kinda awesome. Per usual, I irish goodbyed. 

Tuesday = SAM HUNT AT RED ROCKS! I was so excited to see him. I’m not huge on country, but I love him and Thomas Rhett...plus, it was my first Red Rocks concert of the year. We tailgated at Tara’s truck and made it in for both Chris Jenson (?) and Maren Morris. Chris was meh and Maren was good, but I swear we never smiled. Sam was HOT and much larger/meaty in person than I expected. 

I worked from home the next day and picked up Lauren from Union Station later that afternoon! She was in town for work event Friday-Sunday and flew in a little early to see me. We picked up Ramen and it wasn’t good. It didn’t even look like ramen. We still ate it and talked deets on her pregnancy (!!!). We worked from my apartment and picked up Matt, her husband, that evening. We did some more catching up before heading to Recess for dinner. Recess is a very cool spot - it has a large outdoor area with biergarten vibes. We got drinks and had a nice cheers to Matt’s birthday (the next day). The food we meh. I think they’re known for their bbq and mac n cheese, but Lauren and I got salads and they sucked. I dropped them at their hotel and met back up with them after work the next day for a Coca Cola happy hour and we said our goodbyes. 

I cannot believe we took zero pictures. The only picture I took during their visit was of the homemade banana bread I made. Big fail.

That night, around midnight, I picked up Bill from the airport! We woke up Saturday, made breakfast, hit up a dispensary, grabbed Larkburger, and went home to chill before the concert. Watching Bill at the dispensary was so great. He wanted to learn about literally everything and was so amazed by it all. The Larkburger food coma hit, so we took baby naps. The drinking began immediately after and we Uber’ed to Red Rocks to see Sublime. Bill got lucky because the Uber driver dropped us off and picked us up at the top of the mountain - no hiking for him! We caught the end of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones before Sublime came on. We were NOT impressed with Sublime, but it was still a lot of fun. We got dropped off at Ian’s pizza, the best place on earth. We got SO much food and ptfo when we got home. The next day we walked to Avanti for lunch and picked up a few groceries for dinner on the way home. We ate dinner on the balcony and got ready for the Game of Thrones finale. I could care less about that show, but Bill’s obsessed. On Monday, we waited until a cheap taco place, Las Margs, opened at 3pm. It was okay, but the drinks weren’t strong...eye roll. We drove back, walked to Whiskey Tango Foxtrot for a drink and met up with Robyn. We all walked to View House for food and drinks. There was a baseball game going on and I thought it would be a cool experience for Bill. He couldn’t get over how close we were to the stadium. Bill left Tuesday morning :(

Guess who’s back? Leigh flew in Wednesday night for Labor Day weekend. I went into work on Thursday while she worked from my apartment. We worked out at City Park and made dinner. We worked from home Friday and ran a few errands. We had a nice romantic dinner at Los Chingones in RiNo - so good! We were up and ready to go camping Saturday morning. Kerry and David picked us up and we went to a very isolated camp site about an hour away. We saw a moose, shot guns, played games, ate A LOT, and barely slept because we were convinced animals were going to attack us. The weather was pretty perfect though! 

Sunday was the first Hokies game of the season. We went to Jacksons to watch with all the Denver Hokies. There were actually a lot of people there! Leigh peaced out Monday morning :(

Enter, JACKIE! Jackie had a work conference Wednesday to Friday, but accidentally booked her flight for Tuesday. She stayed with me that night and came back Friday afternoon. On Tuesday, we tried a hyped up ramen place called Uncle. It was way better than whatever is was that Lauren and I got the other week. We got Sushi Hai to go on Friday then went went to a bunch of bars with Robyn and her friend, Jessie. 

We were feeling a bit hungover on Saturday, but managed to Uber to Finn’s Manor. We got food from the food trucks and a cider, hoping that would go down easier. It was rough and it took awhile to finish, but we did. We walked across the street to Ratio and posted up at the bar for hours (seriously). We made friends with a guy behind the bar and he kept giving us samples. We could have sat there all night...were having the best time. 

Robyn wanted us to meet them at Avanti, so we did. We had a drink and then went to Tap 14. We were pretty tired, so we went home and made a cheese plate and taquitos. Jackie left Sunday afternoon :(

Even though I spent most days doing laundry and cleaning in preparation for the next visitor, it was well worth it. I had such a good time with everyone. I think it’s safe to say they all fell in love with Denver. 

[blancagriswold]

Real Weddings: Gwen and Trystan’s Farmer Themed Wedding!

Hap hap happy Friday!!!!

We have a bloomin gorgeous wedding for you today! Gwen and Trystan had the most gorgeous day! And it was on her Dad’s farm! Its just so full of lovely DIY bespoke items, and judging by the fabulous images by Vince from Whole Wedding Pictures, everyone had an absolute amazing time!

It is inspiriationaltastic! Enjoy….x

Gwen and Trystan’s Farmer Themed Wedding!

How would you describe your wedding theme?

As a Farmer’s daughter and having been brought up on a farm, it meant the world to me to have the wedding on my Parents’ farm and having a farmer themed wedding! This made my Dad laugh, as he explained in his speech that I was the one daughter (out of the three of us) that was least interested in farming as a child! I used to go out farming with my handbag and pearls around my neck!! But having the wedding in a tent on the farm was really special and meant a lot for us as a family. We had a stretch tent in the field with straw bales, two large bride and groom manikins made of hay bales, milk churns and watering cans holding the flowers to name just a few farming items.

What was your favourite part of your wedding?

The favourite part of the wedding for me without a doubt was the wedding ceremony itself. Everything from arriving at the front of the chapel, walking down the isle, seeing Trystan for the first time, was just incredible.

We were surrounded by our friends and family who mean so much to us which made the service extra special. Music plays an important part in our lives, therefore having a local male voice choir singing The Rose for us in the Chapel and Trystan’s brother Gwydion and my Cousin Lisa singing a duet of Come what may for added a really nice touch.

A close friend to us, Dave, played the piano beautifully which made a beautiful vibe to the service and my friend, Sara made a reading of I’ll walk with you which was lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole service and it went way too quick!

Tell us about your Wedding Dress

I found my wedding dress in Huw Rees Brides, Llandeilo. This was only the second bridal shop I visited, but when I tried this dress on I knew it was the one! My Mum came with me to support me and we both made the unanimous decision that this was the one! The dress was called Hanoi from the Blue collection designed by Enzoani.

I really liked the detail in the top part of the dress and the subtle way it blended into simplicity. I enjoyed the experience of trying on the beautiful dresses however I enjoyed watching the Bridesmaids trying on their dresses more, as I could sit back and relax, enjoying the fashion show!

Who did you pick as your bridesmaids &/or best man and why?

My two sisters, Trystan’s sister and my two friends were the five Bridesmaids on the day and my baby Niece, Cadi who was 8 months at the time was a little flower girl.

Trystan’s two brothers shared the role of being Best men, and his three ushers were his two friends and his brother in law.

We had a great time with this crazy lot during the planning of the wedding and more so the hen and stag parties!

Tell us about your photographer

Vince from Whole pictures was the clever man who captured our special day through wonderful photos. Our wedding day was a grey and foggy day and the sun didn’t make an appearance at all. Initially Tryst and I were slightly disappointed, thinking our wedding pictures would look slightly miserable. However, Vince was very excited about the blank canvas the fog created, and felt the weather offered a magical vibe.

He created fantastic photos both outside on the commons and inside the Chapel and the stretch tent. He spotted a local quirky shed which he was eager for us to have a photo in front of due to it’s rustic, vintage vibe. We are both very pleased with our photos and keep looking at them, reminiscing about our special day.

How did the proposal happen? 

Trystan and I have been together since secondary school, since the ages of 16 and 17. We had been together for over ten years and had been living together in Cardiff for two years. In April 2015, Tryst had been living in London for a period with his work and my friend Katie was living with me whilst he was away. One average Wednesday, I received a bouquet of 12 red roses in my workplace. I was very confused and instantly thought that they must be from a grateful patient of mine. The card read “Caru ti, Tryst x” which means “Love you, Tryst”. Our anniversary wasn’t for another month so I instantly thought that he had done something wrong!! When I tried phoning him, there was no answer so just thought I’ll speak to him later. That night, I returned from work to Katie my housemate demanding that I needed to get changed and get ready to go out. When I asked more questions about where, what, why etc she said she couldn’t say, just that I need to be ready for 7.30pm. As you can imagine I was very confused and did not have a clue what she was up to! I got ready as ordered by 7.30pm and sat quietly on the sofa waiting for more clues. Shortly after, Trystan’s sister turns up at the house and stated that my carriage awaits! She drove me down to Cardiff Bay without giving anything away and did not answer any of my questions. She told me to walk over to the Italian Restaurant, Signor Valentino. As I walked into the restaurant, I looked around looking for a familiar face or a clue as to what was going on and the waiter told me to have a look on the balcony. As I approached the balcony, there I saw Trystan sitting on a table for two, overlooking Cardiff Bay, under a heater with two glasses of champagne. I became all coy and nervous and asked what he was up to. He made a little speech saying how much I meant to him and then asked me to marry him! I was gobsmacked and had the biggest smile on my face. Tryst had to ask again, “so…will you?!” To which I said, YES! It was very romantic I must say!

Any DIY stories/tutorials you’d like to share?

The biggest DIY project of the wedding was the sofas we made from pallets. Trystan’s friend had access to many pallets in his workplace which he kindly put aside for us. Trystan’s Dad is a carpenter so he was able to put them together for us in the style of corner sofas.

His parents own a caravan park therefore had access to lots of old sofa cushions which we shaped to fit the pallet furniture. Both our Mums are very handy with their sawing kits and very cleverly sawed duvet covers over the old sofa cushions. We had a selection of pastel colours on the four pallet corner sofas we made with a selection of scatter cushions to add colour and comfort. We painted the pallets white which made them look very effective. The aim was to have these sofas outside the tent however the weather wasn’t brilliant, therefore we had the sofas inside which worked well to create cosy corners for people to sit and chill when having a break from the dancing!

What was your first dance & why?

Our first dance was to “All I’ve ever needed” by Nikki Reed & Paul McDonald. It has a gorgeous tune and the lyrics were very relevant. We loved having 2 minutes to ourselves, dancing to this beautiful song.

In hindsight, was there anything you would have done differently?

We had a big set back to the wedding preparations due to the weather! The stretch tent was supposed to be erected on the Saturday before the wedding, however due to torrential rain and strong winds it was not possible. The next available slot the tent company had to put the tent up was the Tuesday before the wedding and the floor couldn’t go down until the Thursday before the wedding. This made everything behind schedule which made us all panic a little bit. But all the hard work from all out friends and families made it all right on the night! We probably should of been a little more prepared but it’s easily said in hindsight! The crazy week added to the fun I suppose!

Do you have any advice for future couples?

The day goes soooo fast, as everyone told us! So make sure you take it all in, even the build up to the wedding. Take time to spend with each other, not just mingling with all your guests – after all, the day is about the two of you. Just have fun and don’t let little things stress you out. If things go wrong, just try and laugh about them!

What’s the best piece of marriage advice you received?

Being an opera singer, Trystan has to travel a lot which means being away from home and away from me. We got married in July and in August he was off to Zurich, Switzerland for 10 and a half months to sing in the Opera house there. With this in mind, the best marriage advice we received was “Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him go.”

What was your favourite thing about planning a wedding?

I enjoyed planning all the arty and crafty things in the wedding such as the invitations, order of service, name places etc. I count myself as quite an organised person so I enjoyed having my notebook full of ideas and a list of things to do and sort. I also had a board on my pinterest page which I loved looking for inspirations. It became quite an addiction towards the end! It was great having our two families working together to create our fantastic day and spending lots of time with our bridesmaids and groom’s men.

The Suppliers

Photographer: Whole Picture Weddings Videographer: Clic Productions Reception Venue: Wedding Tipi Bride’s Dress: Hugh Rees Brides Cake: Rhwbeth Melys Flowers: Sheep Shed Designs Hair: Salon K27 Make Up: Delwedd Beauty Salon DJ: DJ Bry

The Wedding Album

  Liked this? You might also like these! :)

Real Weddings: Hannah and Jack’s Country Vintage Wedding

Real Wedding – Laura & Dominic’s Castell Coch Wedding by Whole Picture Weddings

Real Weddings: Jenny and Mike by Carly Turner

Real Weddings: The Beautiful Welsh in Breathtaking Italy

Real Wedding: Bleddyn & Stephanie’s Nautical Wedding by Whole Picture Weddings

The post Real Weddings: Gwen and Trystan’s Farmer Themed Wedding! appeared first on Cwtch The Bride.

[lexieduranyoung-blog]

In Other News (no.3)

It was the Patriots vs. the Falcons, in Super Bowl LI, this past Sunday! Who did you cheer on? We aren't big about the NFL (we tend to watch more college ball), but we usually always tune in to the Super Bowl, at least for the commercials and the half-time performance. I was a bit timid about watching the commercials, this year, though. Of course it had already been said, by the media, that companies would be pushing their political views, through the themes of their commercials - and they most definitely did. There were a few, however, that I really enjoyed: The "Ragged Old Flag" pre-game short clip was by far the best, in my opinion! The short came together at the direction of Fox Sports president, Eric Shanks. The director, Jennifer Pransky, used a well-known Johnny Cash song, "Ragged Old Flag", to partially narrate the clip. For me, it symbolized what we have overcome as a nation and it put out a message of unity. Our flag represents our country, as well... take notice to the clips of people burning it and damaging it, then listen closely to the words that follow. The fact that Eric Shanks gave up a few million dollars, in advertising commercials, to create this says a lot. Here is a link to some behind the scenes footage and a recording of the short-film. http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/super-bowl-fox-sports-ragged-old-flag-1201978692/ http://theboot.com/johnny-cash-ragged-old-flag-2017-super-bowl-ad/ Over the last decade, or so, we've seen Super Bowl half-time performers like Phil Collins, Aerosmith, Mary J. Blige, U2 (eye-roll), Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty, Black Eyed Peas, Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Missy Elliot, and Coldplay. After last years' controversial performance, by Beyonce, it was nice to see that this year's performer (a left-wing artist) kept her political views subtle! Lady Gaga performed the National Anthem at last years' Super Bowl. It's no secret that she is Hilary fan. It's no secret that I am not. I am, however, a Gaga fan! Regarding her National Anthem performance, last year: If you ask me, I'd say that she rocked it - dressed in red sequins, with royal blue nail polish, she didn't miss a beat. So I had no arguments with her being this year's Super Bowl half-time performer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyqkN3zezso The left-wing is complaining that she didn't do enough to publicly bash President Trump, while she had a platform. The right-wing has argued that her reciting of "This Land Is Your Land" was in protest of the Immigration Ban. How people cherry pick things like that, I'll never understand. I didn't mind or see it that way. I saw an amazing singer recite "God Bless America", "This Land Is Your Land", and "The Pledge of Allegiance" before performing her own hits. No matter her political stance, that's one patriotic broad! If that's something that you feel the need to complain over, no matter your political side - then you all need a sefety pin. She looked great, she didn't dance like a vulgar/sloppy Miley Cyrus, she actually sang the entire thing, and she didn't put on a controversial spectacle. I'll watch her perform any day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txXwg712zw4&t=125s In other news - We had a pretty nice weekend! Most Fridays, we are lazy - we have a "fun" dinner, we let Jude stay up later, and we watch a television show or movie together.  Of course that was the case, this past Friday, too. Friday evenings are our time to wind down and sometimes prepare for the business of Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday we did our bi-weekly grocery trip, nothing too dramatic that I can recall (when you grocery shop at Walmart, that's saying something). Later that evening we attended the Eric Church #HoldinMyOwnTour concert, in Little Rock, with my younger brother and my cousin-in-law. It was an awesome show! We have been to a lot of concerts, in our day - Eric Church was one of the better performers, for sure. It's always nice when an artist sounds the same live as they do on the radio and to know that they aren't lip singing. We decided to leave just a little bit early, to fight the exit crowd, but he played for a total of four hours. It was great - his band and his backup singer were just as awesome. Great seats! Great show! Great company! The only thing that would've made it better... if the Verizon Arena wouldn't have cut off the beer, barely two hours into the four hour show. Some deals were made, that is for sure. We made a quick stop, before heading home, at one of the Capital's local watering holes - Willy D's - piano bar and small dance club. I'm always down for a good "sing-along" show, especially when one of the house singers puts on a beanie and raps Eminem's "Lose Yourself". Of course, we didn't make it out of there without witnessing a few fights - you know when a man takes his shirt off, it's about to get real. My parents (often referred to as "Papa and Poppit") volunteered to watch Jude, overnight, while we were at the concert! Jude has a mind-clock, just like we do. It's not very often that we get to sleep in - so that was fabulous. Luckily, the weather was beautiful on Sunday and Jacob finished up some work for his side job - trimming greenery in Little Rock. I went to pick up Jude and had lunch with my family. Yet another great meal, prepared by my mom! This week it was a shrimp and chicken pasta with peppers, green beans, bread, and a coconut pie. The highlight: Carciofi (kahr/tchoh/fee - but we pronounce them kahr/tchoh/flee). These are stuffed artichokes and they are heavenly! I'll get my mother's recipe posted at a later date - but here is an online recipe, for anyone itching to try it. http://chewtown.com/2016/06/italian-stuffed-artichokes/