Friends make me smile

So I gave both my roomies a hard time for being out of town on my birthday. I mean, I can't believe they didn't have that day marked on their calendars with a bold Sharpie, highlighted, and outlined in sequins. Well, lucky for them, I ended up having a great birthday thanks to a Ms. Casey. Dinner with the Lipscombs at Maudie's and then to the movies, it was just the relaxing kind of birthday I wanted. I can't say enough how truly blessed I am at the people God has brought into my life since moving here. Thanks mucho, Friend!!

Well, Roomie Jamie came back from Cali bearing gifts from friends and pretty-much-family there and I just wanted to share with you guys what they were:


These gifts, my friends, are so completely and utterly ME. Do my loved ones know me or what???

Top left: Target gift cards - these pretty much have the same significance to me as diamonds. My future hubby could just as well put a Target gift card on that platinum band and I would be a happy camper.
Top right: TOMS shoes - For every pair you buy, they give a pair to a child who needs it. Besides having an awesome purpose, they are uber comfy too. These will be my second pair...ya just can't have too many TOMS.
Bottom right: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith - I heart Jane Austen novels. Throw in Zombies and it could only make it more rad. =) Thank you, Kevin and Elaine, for knowing me and my humor SO well!
Bottom left: Dewey by Vicki Myron - Love books. Love cats. Combine the two and it will equal a sobbing Mariko.
Underneath it all: "I Need Africa More Than Africa Needs Me" t-shirt - Africa has a special place in my heart. Mocha Club put out this shirt as another way to raise awareness and funds to help bring aid to the orphaned, starving, uneducated, and disease inflicted of Africa. I love sporting things with a purpose!
Not pictured: I also got some cash and since we all know what that looks like, I decided it need not be in the picture. I have a love/hate relationship with cash. When I have it, I feel the need to spend it right away and never for anything I really need. Go fig... Jamie's also ordering me one of her prints that she did awhile ago and I've always loved it. And since I am her protege it only makes sense that I have one of her prints put up somewhere. =) Can't wait to get it!

It wasn't so much the gifts themselves that made this birthday special, but what they represented. My friends know me sometimes better than I do! It just meant a lot to see that reflected in what they gave.

Thank you so much, Austin-friends and Cali-friends!!! You all made ringing in year 27 special!!

Lovin the Lobby

One thing that Cali is missing out on that could re-define the entire state as a whole is Hobby Lobby. This store is one of the greatest stores of all time. No joke. And what makes it uber rad is that everything is always on SALE. When have you walked into a Hobby Lobby and not seen those beautiful such-and-such percentage off papers everywhere??? ...Never, exactly.

I made the bad mistake the other day of venturing into the Lobby while they had the mother of all sales. 50% off of EVERYTHING. That's pretty darn close to free in my book. So, I give props to myself for only walking out with just 2 super awesome relics instead of 23,893 super awesome relics.

Cost: $1.99

Story behind this: I am absolutely in love/obsessed with skeleton keys. My eyes have radar for these puppies. I have a small collection of keys that were gifts or I've purchased. I love venturing into antique stores to go on my own search and rescue for these awesome pieces of history. 2 main reasons for this love: first, they just look really cool, and second, it's like holding a piece of someone else's history from generations ago. Where did this key lead to? What did it unlock? Who owned it? And for that, I treasure these little pieces of radness.

Cost: $2.60

And this was just an awesome frame and with that price, you just can't go wrong.

A video, of course...

I know, I know...he's gone, he's been mourned, and he's buried, but this post should be part 2 of my last post regarding the MJ sing-a-long. I mean, what event/adventure do we have that is not accompanied with a video/slideshow???

Sha-mon!

It's 7:45 pm on Saturday evening and I am fighting the eye-lid gods in keeping them open. Exhaustion has hit...HARD. Why, you may ask. Well, last night, or I should say way, way, way early this morning, my friends and I partook in one of the greatest tributes to the Legend we lost last week. The Alamo Drafthouse had put on a Michael Jackson Tribute Sing-A-Long last weekend and this weekend. Needless to say it was the best way we could've celebrated the life of one of the most talented people to walk this earth.

The festivities began at 12:30 AM (yes, folks, AM as in "Mariko is usually in REM at this time" AM). We sang hard. We danced hard. We dressed hard...core (fedora hats and all). We did it all for MJ.

The signature Michael pose: