Snapshot from Along the Broken Road: June 2012

A photo of me:
I tried. I just didn't get any I wanted to keep.

1) Candle scents this month:
French Vanilla. Bahama Breeze.

2) What I am reading this month:
Finished Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez). It had some parts that dragged and others that kind of horrified me, but I really liked the meat of the story. I stopped at the library and picked up a few books. The first one I read was Farm Fresh Murder (Paige Shelton), which was a "cozy mystery." It was a light, entertaining read. It's part of a series and I will definitely look for the rest.

3) Top three songs I was drawn to:
"Somebody That I Used to Know," by Gotye. "Ours," by Taylor Swift. "How Great Thou Art," by Carrie Underwood (which actually made me cry the first time I listened to it).

4) Movies I saw:
None. I've been finishing some shows still on the DVR, mixed with working my way through my Boston Legal DVDs, when I'm not watching the Sox.

5) Favorite tv moments of the month:
Hatfields and McCoys - Violent and tragic, but utterly fascinating.
"Brave New World (2)," Fringe - The best season finales are the ones the leave you with a thousand questions, dangling, waiting impatiently for the next season to start. Mission accomplished.
The return of Dallas - It's pure brain candy. Frivolous fluff. But it fills me with a tremendous amount of nostalgia, because the writers and producers have nailed the older characters to the letter. And they kept the theme song and the opening image sequence, precisely as I recall it from my childhood perch on the couch between Gram and Gramp.
"Christmas Waltz," Mad Men - The scene with Joan and Don in the bar was fantastic, maybe my favorite from the entire season. Their chemistry throws dazzling sparks.
"The Other Woman," Mad Men - I may not have agreed with the decision made but that was some fantastic acting! Christina Hendricks owns the part of Joan Holloway Harris. She is magnificent.
"The Phantom," Mad Men - Possibly one of the most quote-worthy episodes of this show ever! "Not every little girl gets to do what they want. The wold cannot support that many ballerinas." - Marie Calvet. "You had no right to fill a man like that with ambition." - Rebecca Pryce. "Don't leave here thinking you've done anything for anyone but yourself." - Rebecca Pryce. "Well, I'm President of the Howdy Doody Circus Army!" - Pete Campbell.

6) Something yummy I made:
I have no idea what took me so long to finally make my own meatballs, but I certainly won't be buying them pre-made anymore!

7) Restaurants where I ate:
Ruby Tuesday. Five Guys.

8) Five things I am loving this month:
1. The Dallas theme song. They nailed it. Music the same, images used the same, other than a few updated versions of the originals. I love how nostalgic it makes me! 2. The new porch swing T built for our screen porch. I'm going to love it even more when it's not summer. 3. The library. I always forget how much I enjoy leaving with a small stack of books tucked under my arm. 4. A freshly organized kitchen. Now that T has finished the awesome new cabinet for the kitchen, and we've been living here for a few months, I have a much better feel for how I move about the room. So with more space and armed with this experience, I did some rearranging to make things more convenient and intuitive. Loving it! 5. Response cards coming in the mail for the wedding!

9) A goal I had for this month:
Get the invitations in the mail! DONE!

10) This month I looked forward to:
Getting back on track. I've felt scattered lately, with so many out of the ordinary things going on.

11) Something I want to be thankful for this month:
T is such an awesome travel companion. And that we live on a hill, considering we exceeded a foot of rain from midday Saturday June 23 through Tuesday June 26, the majority of which fell on Sunday and Monday.

12) A photo I took this month: