Duke Ellington, feather boas, smoke and cigarettes (or cigars if we're being picky) in other words: Another year, another murder mystery!  Ben & Amber hosted our party last weekend at the Westgate Resort in Park City, also known as the Four Deuces Club -- and yes, it felt as fancyshmancy as what I imagine a 1920's club would have been like 100 years ago.

  

Max and I got to dress up as Big Jim & Vicki Ravioli - the ex husband and wife at the party

(also, I wore red lipstick for the first time in my life. i'm 25 and moving on up in the world)

After starting a running bet, we considered ourselves lucky that by the end of the night our hotel neighbors never called down hotel security - even after gunshots, mysterious knockings, dead bodies being found next to ice picks, axes, and cyanide (seriously, we were out to solve ten murders by the end of the night) I felt like I was in Clue.

A BIG THANK YOU to Ben and Amber for being such amazing hosts - they truly outdid themselves, and deep down I think we all know the bar has been set very high for next year too ;)

I hope your upcoming Halloween is just as spooky!!

what i know for sure

It's that time of year again... where I spend any free afternoon I have at Barnes & Noble trying to catch up on my reading goals for this year (still don't know how I'll do it), but the cherry on top comes with Starbucks caramel hazelnut steamers. Max thinks steamed milk is the most overpriced thing to pay for in this world, but not I. I love it. Last weekend I was really excited because I had an entire Saturday afternoon free from responsibility and Max got to join me for a night at the bookstore. I've started a few books I really want to talk about sometime (Sold, Jesus on Trial, #Girlboss) and I finished Oprah Winfrey's What I Know For Sure, so wanted to share a favorite excerpt from the book:

--

"Say Thank You," Many years ago, those words from Maya Angelou turned my life around.

I was on the phone with her, sitting in my bathroom with the door closed and the toilet lid down, weeping so uncontrollably that I was incoherent.

"Stop it!" Maya chided. "Stop it right now and say thank-you."

"But you-you don't understand," I sobbed. To this day, I can't remember what it was that had me so far gone, which only proved the point Maya was trying to make.

"I do understand," She told me. "I want to hear you say it now. Out loud. 'Thank you.'"

Tentatively, I repeated it: "Thank you." And then snuffed some more. "But what am I saying thank-you for?"

"You're saying thank-you," Maya said, "because your faith is so strong that you don't doubt that whatever the problem, you'll get through it. You're saying thank you because you know that even in the eye of the storm, God has put a rainbow in the clouds... Say thank-you!"

So I did - and still do.

Being grateful all the time isn't easy. But it's when you feel least thankful that you are most in need what gratitude can give you: perspective. Gratitude transforms any situation. Its the quickest, easiest, most powerful way to effect change in your life - this I know for sure.

Here's the gift of gratitude: In order to feel it, your ego has to take a back seat. What shows up in its place is greater compassion and understanding. Instead of being frustrated, you choose appreciation. And the more grateful you become, the more you have to be grateful for...

Whatever you're going through, you will do just that: go through it. It will pass. So say thank-you now. Because you know the rainbow is coming.

--

I've thought a lot about what I know for sure since reading Oprah's book, (and there's a lot more to my own list than I thought there would be) - but one thing I can definitely share with Oprah is the power of gratitude. Those I know who are most happy, always always always fall under the category of being most grateful too.

"there is a fifth dimension..."

I made Max promise me the other night to never, ever, ever, ever let me watch a scary movie again. We watched the movie Woman in Black (with Harry Potter? Have you seen it?) and I think I had a heart attack twice. I am to the age (?) or point in life (??) or whatever it is (???) that has changed the enjoyment I once had while watching scary movies to total and complete misery for days on end. I go to bed and can't help but think of the witch or ghost or whatever it was in whatever scary movie I watched and thus, I hate it.

So this Halloween I've taken care of my "scary movie fix" by watching Twilight Zone episodes instead. Below are a list of a few of my favorites (for any of you fellow non-scary-movie-goers!):

1. The Hitch Hiker - Hands down, this was theee creepiest Twilight Zone episode I've seen yet.
2. Eye of the Beholder.
3. Living Doll - "My name is Tina and I'm going to kill you." Hellllo.
4. Deaths-head Revisited - Although they have several episodes fixed around WWII and the holocaust, this one was by far my favorite.
5. The Invaders - I don't think there are even any words in this episode! It's that creepy!

So here's to a good ol' fashion fifties Halloween -- before there were ever movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Human Centipede (For real. I saw that movie at Redbox last week. What is happening.)

happiness in a box

It's already October 13th (say whaaaaaat?) 

This means 3 things:

1. Happiness can be found in a box.

2. My dance/rap skills are significantly improving.

3. We are spending plenty of time up at Sundance.

So in a nutshell: this year makes fall my favorite again.