Thoughts on Sochi...

Have you been watching the Olympics? 

I can't help but be a Debbie Downer about them this year.

Usually, I LOVE to watch the Olympics, both summer and winter. But I haven't really gotten into the Sochi games. All of the negative press has really gotten to me this time. Instead of watching figure skating, I find myself reading articles about nearby communities without water, thanks to Sochi construction demolishing their wells and how Russia spent over $50 billion on the games-yikes. Not to mention everyone's fixation on a certain snowflake that refused to become a ring.

I appreciate that all of the negative aspects are coming to light instead of being hidden from the rest of the world. Russia isn't the first country to host an Olympic Games that has a less than stellar human rights record. And no matter where you are, hosting such a big event is a magnet for terrible things like human trafficking and threats of terror. Just as it is an issue in Sochi, sex trafficking was an issue at the London games. Maybe the positive in this is that all of these things ARE being reported on instead of ignored, the first step toward change.

One more complaint, then I'll leave you be. #sochiproblems, REALLY people? Do you realize the people of Russia have to deal with yellow tap water ALL the time, not just for 2 weeks like you do? Stop complaining! Did every news outlet send only journalists who've never traveled outside of the US before? I really appreciated the way this article tackled the issue.

I WANT to get into it. I do think the idea of the Olympics is still a positive one once you get past the human rights violations and overpriced pyrotechnics. I remember watching as a child and it inspiring me to continue with sports- definitely a great message for people of all ages today.

Have you been watching? What has been good?

Hopefully I'll watch some of the games and be back next week with a post full of Olympic spirit!


PS. Loved this about Surya Bonaly- one of my favorite figure skaters from back in the day. But even Surya and her backflips, something I looked on with nothing but amazement as a child is rife with it's own controversy.

Best Friends

I love this little gif of Mylo and Rafa "playing" together yesterday. Happy Monday!

Monday Motivation

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Friday Roundup

Happy Friday! Any ideas for fun things to do inside with a 6 month old?? I think Mylo is going crazy with this cold streak Seattle is experiencing. We can't wait for spring!

Anyway, here are a few links to kick off the weekend.

Fascinating article about the importance of play in children's lives.

Scarlett and Kate look great w/out makeup.

Can you distinguish between different languages? Play the great language game.

Love the idea of having a fireplace in the kitchen.

Interesting info-graphic.   

Tips to bounce back from winter burnout.

I'm in love with this Nantucket cottage. Dreaming of summer.

Adorable Valentine's Day cookies.

Simple ways to make someone's day.

So this is what Dan Stevens has been up to since he deserted us Downton fans. Better be good.

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Throwback Thursday: Music Videos

In the last year, a LOT of people have asked me what music videos are my favorites. This has inspired me to go back and take a look a the videos that definitely shaped TRL watching youth from my current perspective. I have to say, I still feel like I had pretty good taste in videos! 

I've decided to do a series of posts on awesome videos of the past. I love that now, thanks to YouTube, we are no longer at the mercy of MTV VJ's to play what we want! 

Here's one that I remember being in awe of the first time I saw it. Michael & Janet Jackson's "Scream" was nominated for 11 VMA's and won 3. It is STILL considered the most expensive music video ever made with a $7 million budget. Yikes. It was directed by Mark Romanek, who most recently directed Jay-Z's "Picasso Baby" which was another Grammy nominated Best Music Video this year. 

Wedding Wednesday: Grammy Wedding Part 2

Last week I posted about my sister's wedding at the GRAMMY's with a few pictures and stories mostly from my perspective. This week I wanted to share some of her personal photos and the story of how her wedding came about. Just a quick note that because of security/privacy Laura was only able to bring her iPhone in to the venue, no cameras allowed. So all of these photos were taken on iPhones by her, me and our fabulous nanny/friend Jessica!

Laura and Alex had been planning to get married but no date had been set yet and they were not in a rush since she just had a baby in December (doesn't she look amazing!?!). My brother rung them up eight days (you read that right) before the Grammy ceremony and asked them if they would want to join 33 other couples in getting married live at the Grammy's by Queen Latifah while they performed their song "Same Love." Laura said they decided to take a day to think it through but in the end decided they couldn't turn down this once in a lifetime opportunity. So we all had one week to plan for their big day!

They spent the week shopping for rings, outfits, etc while we all prepared for a last minute trip to California! Laura was able to find her gorgeous dress at the last minute at Nordstrom and we all hopped on a plane on Friday and set off for LA. 

Laura and Alex participated in two long dress rehearsals at the Staples center and met all of the other couples who were getting married alongside them. On the morning of their wedding we all gathered in their room and helped them get ready for their big day! 

They set off for rehearsals and were back stage for a few hours before they got to line up with all the other happy soon to be married couples and filled out for everyone to see! As they walked down the aisle they saw Sir Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and other celebrities. We were up in the rafters but were able to wave our cell phones so they knew where we were. Here is a video of the whole thing in case you missed it. 

It's pretty awesome to be able to say that Queen Latifah signed your marriage license and Madonna sung at your wedding!! Not to mention Beyonce wore white on your big day. 

After the wedding we headed out for the after party/reception, and celebrated with the newlyweds and Grammy winners! Talk about a once in a lifetime weekend!!

Smart Entertainment

A couple weeks ago, Teresa shared that she hasn't read a novel since Myles was born in July.  Now it's time for my crazy TV confession:

Since mid-December, I've watched five seasons of Parks and Recreation, the first two seasons of Scandal, the first seasons of Orphan Black and House of Cards, all episodes of Ja'mie: Private School Girl, two seasons of Bob's Burgers and I'm caught up with my favorite shows airing now, Downton Abbey, Girls, Modern Family, etc. 

To be fair, I like to have Netflix on in the background when I layout wedding albums and input data into Quick Books, so a good chunk of my TV watching has been fairly productive.  It's always helpful to be laughing at Leslie Knope when you discover the total amount you've spent on parking tickets in the past fiscal year. 

All that said, I'm working on transitioning into more edifying things! I've been listening to more This American Life podcasts, but I'd love other recommendations! What are good TED talks? Or how about documentaries on Netflix? 

PS. Just in case you were wondering, I totally recommend all the TV shows listed above!

PPS. This made me feel infinitely better about bingeing on Scandal. Apparently I'm in good company.

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