If I Could Go Anywhere

There are a ton of places I want to visit someday. I feel as though with every year of my life my "bucket list" of places where I want to travel seems to get longer and longer. It's almost impossible for me to pick just a single place to go.

Lately though, I have been on a London kick lately. Maybe because half of what I find awesome comes from Great Britain. Sherlock, Mary Poppins, Downton Abbey, Jane Austen novels, Doctor Who, The Beatles, Shakespeare, Harry Potter... you get the gist. Even beyond that though, there's so much history there along with culture. Several people have told me I would love London for all of the theatre and the history.

Also, they speak English. So... not having to learn a new language would be a plus.

How amazing would it be to see The Globe Theatre where all of those historic plays were first performed? It would take everything in me to not jump up on the stage with a sword and try to learn how to stage fight and randomly burst into sonnets and soliloquies.

http://sunshineinlondon.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/another-london-gem-the-globe-theatre/

Or hang out at Buckingham Palace and wait for royalty to come out? I mean... William is married but Harry is still available, right? He's gotta come out of there at some point if I stand outside long enough.

No, I'm not a stalker. Why do you ask?

Then there's the Tower of London. SO MUCH WENT DOWN THERE! It would be super creepy I think, but also awesome.

Then of course, there would be going to Kingscross Station and posing at Platform 9 3/4. Because... obviously.

Westminster Abbey is a MUST. So many historical figures, as well as writers!, are buried there, and it's absolutely beautiful. 

I also would need to go have a proper tea at some point. I'm not really a tea drinker, but in London I'll make myself be one.

Okay... I'm going to start gushing. Let's be honest, I'd probably visit every single place where anything British happened ever (real and fictional) and pretend I'm the people in the stories. Guess I better go practice my British accent...

Blog Everyday in July Topic: If I Could Go Anywhere... Link up here.

Happiness Is...

For people who are long time readers of this blog, along with my family and friends, they probably have a good idea of the things which  make me happy in life.

Coffee

This is pretty frequent on my Instagram

My dog, Bandit

Another frequent image on my Instagram

Books

Just a small handful of my book collection

Musicals

I saw Motown the musical a few weeks ago with some friends and WOW! It was incredible!

Various fandoms (Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Supernatural, Sherlock, etc.)

They're all here in one picture! Isn't it GLORIOUS?

However, there are other things in life which make me happy that I want to share with you today which you may or may not know about.

-Random mixes on 8tracks.com. This is the one I've been listening to this morning as I write, and it's one of my favorite mixes I've found. But there are a ton of other mixes I love too. I've found a ton of new songs I've fallen in love with by letting this app/website take over as I'm reading or blogging and checking emails.

Covers And Coffee from Mrigank Nath on 8tracks Radio.

- The Chicago skyline. Or any city skyline really, but I live in Chicago so I'm partial. I see the skyline every morning as I drive to work and of course when I drive into the city. But every time I'm always awestruck that I get to live in such a beautiful city. Even when I'm driving in the rain or crappy weather it's pretty. The way fog and clouds wrap around the skyscrapers makes you feel like you're in a movie.

We had some pretty scary storms the other night, but how cool is this photo of the clouds????? Source

- Shopping for clothes and makeup. It sounds ridiculous, and I used to not be a big fan of it. But now that I've gotten older and I've learned how to really pick out what looks good on me and what I like, it's so much more fun. (Even through college I had to have friends put my makeup on for me because I didn't know how.) I really enjoy putting together outfits and different looks for what I want to do that day or who I want to be. It's like creating little costumes for yourself. Like Lola does in the book Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. Although, Lola goes way more extreme than I do. But honestly, I'd rather wear a fun skirt than blue jeans because I like how I look and it's way more comfortable.

- Random snap chats from people. It's become one of my favorite ways to keep in touch with people, especially those who don't live near me. Their faces make me smile. Awhile ago one of my good friends who lives in Maryland got snapchat and sent me a picture. I was so excited because I had realized how long it had been since I had seen their face and there it was! I love how we can be ridiculous and crazy and look awful but see images of each other and our lives. (Seriously, I need more snapchat buddies. If you want my username just send me a message. FOR REALS.) Also, that dancing ghost thing is adorable.

- The fact that I'm hosting Vlog Every Day in August (VEDA) with my friend Kirsti. 

Kirsti and I with our friend Lor when we went to The Magical World of Harry Potter last year.
Yes, that is butterbeer in our hands.

Wait- what?

Yup. You read that right. For the last two years I have been participating in VEDA with a ton of other internet people on YouTube and it's been a blast. We create a calendar of topics and everyone posts their short videos and we all comment on them and become friends. The other day when Kirsti and I saw that the "captain" of VEDA was stepping down for this year, we kinda on a whim decided to team up and do it ourselves!

If you've ever thought about doing it, this is the year because it is SO MUCH FUN.

For more info you can follow us on Twitter (@WeBlogWeVlog). That way you can be up to date on everything going on! If you aren't on Twitter but want to participate just let me know and I can be sure to get you the information.

So, what makes you happy?

Today's Blog Everyday in July Topic: Five things that make you happy. Link up here!

Humpday Confessions

One of my new favorite blogs, Vodka and Soda, hosts this link-up every week. I've been meaning to join her for awhile now, and I think it's about time I did!

Here are some Humpday Confessions!

- I had to call into work today because of the snow. I feel like such a Missourian right now, but our road and driveway had so much snow and it took forever to get it cleared and the interstate I take to get to work I heard was awful. By the time I would get to work it would be time for me to go back home. So... there's that.

- It's world Nutella Day. This means I am celebrating accordingly with a jar of Nutella. It's glorious.

- I've been marathoning Sex and the City for the last several weeks now. It's been perfect for when I want to read/work on the blog/read other blogs because I can have noise without having to pay much attention. I'm almost done with the final season. She's dating the Russian and will be going to Paris soon.

- Tonight is girls night! My friend Julie and I decided to make Wednesdays our "girls night" because her hubby has a class, and our sisters have an open invitation for whenever they're free. The roads and weather conditions are supposed to be MUCH MUCH better tonight, so hopefully we'll make it out! (Our favorite place has 1/2 price cosmos and appetizers on Wednesday!)

- I think Bandit is holding a grudge against me. My mom's dog Indy likes to cuddle with me more than he does and it makes me sad.

- My poor NaNoWriMo novel has been terribly neglected since I moved. I've worked on some character profiles and I've been brainstorming problem areas and plot holes, but hardly any actual writing has been accomplished.

- For the past month I binged on Sherlock.  I watched the first two seasons and then watched the new epsiodes like it was my religion. Now that series 3 is over I'm going through withdrawls. How long-time fans survived that 2 year hitatus I'l never know.

- As much as I'm trying to ignore the fact JK Rowling supposedly regrets Ron and Hermionie getting together... it's still there in the back of my mind and when I look at my Harry Potter books I want to cry a bit. BUT my friend Kirsti wrote this TOTALLY AWESOME post about it which I agree with 100%: http://www.melbourneonmymind.com/2014/02/the-great-jk-rowling-debacle.html?spref=fb (Also, PLEASE read the Muggle Net post about this topic because the writers and the commenters actually know what they're talking about.)

- Speaking of Harry Potter. Yesterday morning I had this dream right before I woke up that I met Darren Criss and we were on a date and he was totally falling for me. However, the only thing I could think about was if he was going to find my Tumblr and this blog and freak out because I'm a crazy fangirl.

What are some of your Humpday Confessions? Hop on over to Vodka and Soda to link up!

http://www.lifeinprogress.ca/lifeinprogress/2014/02/humpday-confessions-2.html

A Study in Friendship - Sherlock: Guest Bloggers

A Study in Friendship

A Blog Inspired by BBC’s Sherlock

By:  @SamWow84 and @SpicyChica27

Emmy's Note: When I sent out the call for posts on friendship - you all delivered! This post by Sam and Felicia I have been so excited about too! When they told me they wanted to do a post together inspired by Sherlock and Watson - I KNEW it was going to be epic! I've known Felicia since we were in band together in high school (we both played clarinet and she was my older sisters age), and then Sam joined our little crew during the college years. And the rest they say - is history! Warning: this post is a bit longer than most, but trust me it is 100% worth it! (In the pic, Sam is on the left, Felicia on the right.) Sam blogs at Vagabond Writer and Felicia blogs at Light in Darkness.

Sam:  History, television, film, and literature have given us many dynamic duos.  Bonny and Clyde.  Laverne and Shirley.  Batman and Robin.  Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.  Different though these pairs might be, something about them just works.

Felicia:  Have you ever noticed how your friendships tend to mimic those of literary characters? Take my relationship with my good friend, Samantha. Spend enough time with us, and you begin to realize how similar our relationship is to that of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.  

Sam:  Not a clue what you’re talking about . . . I’m bored.

Felicia: You’re always bored.

Sam:  Breathing is boring. . . . We should solve crime.  We don’t do that.  We should do that if we really want to be like Sherlock and Watson.

Felicia:  Umm . . . back to the topic of friendship?

Sam:  Alright.  

Felicia: So, as I was saying … Sam and I are like Sherlock and Watson. Sam is always stuck in her mind palace as brilliant Sherlock, and I … well, I am just trying to keep up.