Viral Video Vendredi: Valentine's Day

Forget roses, I'll take a bouquet of Stargazer Lilies any day.

If you haven't heard, tomorrow is Valentine's Day (everyone let out a collective groan). Since Matt is headed to Australia in two weeks and we are making a trip to Asheville in March, we decided to keep things simple this year and make a delicious homemade dinner, sip some champagne, and watch a movie.  

Maybe we can pick up a box of cookies at Publix for our dessert. We need to bow down and praise whoever invented these highly addicting frosted sugar cookies:

If you follow W&L's Facebook page, then you may have noticed that Matt and I are FAMOUS. (Not really, though, because I self submitted our "alumni love story" and they posted it in their photo album.) 

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would share a few of my favorite lovey-dovey movie scenes. This is one of the only days of the year where you can force your significant other to watch a rom-com, so take advantage of it!

1. Up - This 4-minute montage of Carl and Ellie's life together is so beautiful and I cry like a baby every single time I watch it.

             

2. Wall-E - This was the first movie that Matt and I ever saw together, so it holds a special place in our hearts.

              

3. Midnight in Paris - The opening scene of this movie was the catalyst for us choosing France as our honeymoon destination, and every time we watch this movie it transports us back to that amazingly romantic city.

              

Happy Valentine's Day!

Viral Video Lundi: My Favorite 2015 Super Bowl Commercials

Somehow or another my VVV did not post on Friday, so here it is just a tad late...

We were that super lame married couple who stayed home and watched the Super Bowl in our pajamas. Were we invited to a Super Bowl party? You bet! Were we too tired from one night of going out (on Friday, mind you) to make it to said party? Damn straight we were!

That's OK though, because our 2-person Super Bowl party consisted of chips and Pancho's cheese dip, pigs in a blanket (my family has always called them little weenies but apparently that is weird?), and ice-cold Cokes.

The game, as the entire world knows, was really good and surprisingly kept my attention. Katy Perry's halftime show was epic and I LOST MY MIND when Missy Elliott came in out of nowhere. My mom, on the other hand, was not as sure about good ole' Missy:

The Missy-Nelliott tour ft. Missy and Sir Nelly needs to happen ASAP

                

But the real reason behind this post is to recap my favorite commercials from the 2015 Super Bowl. Enjoy!

1. Coca-Cola: #MakeItHappy



2. Nationwide: Invisible



3. Avocados from Mexico: #FirstDraftEver



4. Budweiser: Best Buds



5. Fiat: The Blue Pill



Until next year, Super Bowl!

Viral Video Vendredi: Katy Perry and Super Bowl Commercials

As most everyone knows, this Sunday is the big day - Super Bowl Sunday. Like most girls, I have no real interest in watching the actual game, but rather am more interested in Katy Perry's halftime show and the overhyped Super Bowl commercials.

I'll admit that I am a Katy Perry apologist. Her songs are catchy and her concerts transport you to a kooky world filled with colors and lights, yet I find myself  trying to justify myself to other people on why I like her music - I just like it ok! Here is a crappy-quality video of Katy Perry singing Roar when she brought her Prismatic tour to Atlanta last summer. I was fortunate enough to capitalize on the suite tickets gifted to me by my old company prior to my departure, and Lord if I didn't enjoy every single moment of that concert!

The Taylor Swift-Katy Perry feud only heightens my interest in KP's upcoming performance, where she is allegedly going to call out their spat on stage. Maybe T-Swift is just pissed because Katy is back on-again with my first love, John Mayer. The claws are out!

I have high hopes for this year's Super Bowl commercials. To satisfy this anticipation, I have brought together some of my favorite past Super Bowl commercials for your viewing pleasure - enjoy!

1. Google - Parisian Love 

2. Career Builder - Monkey Business 



3. Budweiser - Brotherhood



4. Coca-Cola - #MakeItHappy 

Be on the lookout for Coca-Cola's 2015 commercials!

Viral Video Vendredi: Funny Vines

A few months ago, Buzzfeed posted an article with the 22 funniest Vine videos. (For people like my mom who don't know what a Vine is, it is an app where the user can create a six-second looping video). I LOLed at almost every video on the list, and I have compiled my 6 favorite Vine videos below for your enjoyment. To ensure that you get the full effect, unclick the mute button in the bottom right hand corner of each video before watching. Enjoy!

1. This flying fairy toy just wanted to be free from her captors.



2. I watch this video and cringe at the memories of me dancing to Nelly at middle school dances.



3. I had two thoughts when watching this video: 1) This girl probably went to W&L or 2) Someone from W&L knows this girl.



4. Someone really needs to create a mash up of this video and T-Swift's Shake It Off.



5. The youth of America, ladies and gentlemen.



6. Farts are funny. No ifs, ands, or butts about it.

Viral Video Vendredi: Jimmy Fallon and Nicole Kidman...What Could Have Been

Ok, I have to confess something. I have a crush on Jimmy Fallon. I can't explain it, but that laugh and smile just get me every time. Throw in some red hair and we would be a match made in heaven! I was actually semi-depressed when my results from Buzzfeed's "Which Late Night Host Should You Marry" quiz returned Seth Myers. What?! I took it again and tried to choose different yet still applicable answers, and I still got Seth Myers. Boo.

Last week a video began circulating in the blogger/Facebook world that showed Jimmy interviewing the gorgeous Nicole Kidman. Nicole proceeds to tell Jimmy that she had a crush on him post-Tom Cruise divorce, and his reaction is too adorable for words. You missed out on a good one, Nicole! (But Keith Urban isn't bad either...)

           

I hope everyone has a wonderful long weekend! It has only been two weeks since our last holiday and God knows we need another day to recoup from the madness of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Viral Video Vendredi: 1989

Admit it, you love Taylor Swift's new album, 1989, and have been listening to it on repeat for the past three weeks. No? You haven't? Well, haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate.

I have always been a T-Swift fan, though I mock her at times for her "surprised face" when she wins music awards and get slightly annoyed when she claims to be from Tennessee. I also hate her at times for looking effortlessly flawless every minute of the day. Let's call a spade a spade - I'm jealous of Taylor Swift and her glamorous lifestyle that's filled with fancy parties, famous friends, world travels, and to-die-for fashion. Womp womp.

If you've been living under a rock and haven't seen her kick-ass music video for "Blank Space," then stop what you are doing immediately and watch this video in its entirety. My coworker said that the male lead went to her fiance's high school - the jealousy level just got bumped to an 11 on a 10 point scale.

           

While I love 1989 and Taylor's fresh, sharp sound, this week's VVV is centered on a group called Superfruit who covered Swift's entire album in their own unique way in. Enjoy!

           

Viral Video Vendredi: Chimpanzee Riding on a Segway

I tell you, these work weeks are flying by as the holidays get closer and closer. I am traveling for the fourth weekend in a row - this time to Birmingham with Matt to visit some friends who recently moved there. We are looking forward to a relaxing weekend with these sweet friends, eating good food, watching football, and playing with their new Labrador puppy, Lola.

This week's VVV is 100% silly. My brother showed me this video years and years ago, and I remember rolling around in stitches on the floor after I watched it. Three words: chimpanzee, overalls, segway. You're welcome and happy Friday!

                             

Viral Video Vendredi: Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Isn't the mantle above gorgeous?! Pinterest is such a tease with all of its festive mantles and front porches, neither of which we possess in our eighth floor condo. One of these days...

We flew the coop this weekend and are celebrating Halloween with tasty cocktails and pumpkin desserts from some of Charleston's finest restaurants. Today would also be the perfect day to take in one of the haunted walking tours that I have read so much about and have been dying to try out.

I wanted to send everyone off on this Halloween weekend with two of my favorite Halloween-themed videos. The first video is Jimmy Kimmel's inaugural "I Told My Kids I Ate All Their Halloween Candy" video, which was a genius idea and has gotten almost 49 million views on Youtube. The second video comes from the hilarious Ellen DeGeneres who sends her two biggest scaredy-cat employees to a haunted house and films them as they take in the sights. Enjoy!

         

         

Viral Video Vendredi: Ted Lasso

I was definitely that 90's girl with Mia Hamm posters plastered on every inch of her bedroom walls, sporting a "girls rule, boys drool-esque" soccer t-shirt as I bee-bopped along each and every day to soccer practice/soccer camp/soccer games. I'm convinced that the little circle of soccer trophies, jerseys, and soccer balls that I sat within while watching the 1999 Women's World Cup final greatly influenced their victory over China, and my soccer ball autographed by each member of the 1999 team is one of my prized possessions.  

Side note - the women's team is playing in the CONCACAF semi-finals tonight to secure their spot in the 2015 Women's World Cup - please watch! I am counting down the days until I head to Vancouver for the WWC final next summer - USA! USA!

While brunching it up with my aunt and cousin in Nashville last weekend, we got to talking about the hilarious viral videos starring Jason Sudeikis as "Ted Lasso," a former NFL coach who heads across the pond to coach an EPL soccer team. If you don't know anything about soccer or are one of those Americans who hates soccer just to hate it, then these videos aren't for you. If you know a little bit about soccer and love American football, then you will find these videos hilarious, just as we did. Enjoy! 

                 

                 

Viral Video Vendredi: Thorne Travel Agency

Since I am traveling to Nashville today for a girls' weekend, I felt like this viral video from a Scottish travel agency was the perfect candidate for VVV.

There are so many awesome things going on that you can literally find something new and cringe-worthy each time you watch the video. Here are a few of my favorite things that these Scots are bringing to the table:

• The lone male travel agent who is strutting his stuff and rocking that pink skinny tie like it ain't no thang
• Flash mob
• Creepy man in a boat captain's outfit that is 6 sizes too large
• A clearly male stunt double wearing a dress and doing crazy flips off of the sidewalk
• The scariest Micky and Minnie costumes ever
• My current obsession: the sassy snap

                                      

Enjoy!

              

Viral Video Vendredi: My Top 5 Songs from 2004

The year: 2004

Age: 16

Occupation: Junior in high school 

Major events: Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's epic Super Bowl performance/nipple-gate; Laguna Beach premieres on MTV; Facebook launches; series finale of Friends; Ronald Reagan dies; W re-elected for 4 more years; Tsunami strikes South Asia  

My life: Bee-bopping around town in my yellow VW Bug; playing soccer; shopping (I shudder now at the thought of going out all day to shop "for fun"); AIM (RIP SAACHICK88); CBHS football games; and BURNING CDS.

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Yes, you read that correctly. I received my first iPod (a green iPod mini with my name etched on the back, obvi) for Christmas in 2004, but before this miraculous thing called an iPod found its way into my heart, I did what any other high-schooler did: illegally downloaded music on Limewire and burned thoughtful CDs for all of my BFFs. 2004 was also a time when music videos were still popular and you could catch all of your favorite songs on VH1 Jumpstart while you got ready for school. It makes me sad that the youth of today will never know TRL and the glorious days of fat Carson Daly, who coincidentally was my first celebrity crush (what?) and whose picture I snipped out of Teen People and taped inside my Spacemaker pencil box in 7th grade.  

I love how songs can transport you back to a specific time and place and can evoke such strong memories and emotions. I Googled "top songs 2004" to see what was popular 10 years ago, and I have picked my five favorite songs for your enjoyment. I highly suggest that you do the same and take your own trip down memory lane...

1. Jay-Z - Dirt Off Your Shoulder 

If you really want your mind blown, then search for the Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Bittersweet Symphony remix on Youtube. 

                           

2. Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved 

I saw Maroon 5 open for John Mayer in February 2004, and no one had any idea who they were. I guess they've done alright. Notice that John Travolta's wife plays Mrs. Robinson in the music video. 

                           

3. Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway

The perfect song for the teenage girl who just wants to spread her wings and fly.

             


4. Nelly featuring Tim McGraw - Over and Over

Oh to be young and to feel love's keen sting. HS girl + HS boy = angsty teenage drama . 

            

5. Chingy featuring Ludacris and Snoop Doggy Dog/Snoop Dog/Snoop Lion - Holidae Inn

Pop-rap was really popular in high school and made any saddle-oxford wearing, all-girl's school attending girl feel a lot cooler than she actually was. I also just realized that Holiday is spelled weird - Holidae? Who knows. I am sure this music video is gross, so anyone who is easily offended just skip this one. 

Honorable mentions go out to every single song on Ashlee Simpson's classic first CD, Autobiography, and any Avril Lavigne song ever (whatup Sk8ter Boi).

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SAACHICK88's Away Message: BRB off to Indigo to get a new outfit for the game. Go Brothers!$@!

Viral Video Vendredi: Lemurs, Beagles, and Elephants

If you were a high-school girl in the mid-2000s, then you know that today is not just a random day in October, but the best day in October (apologies to those with October birthday). 



 

These days it seems like all news is bad news, so imagine my delighted surprise when I stumbled across HuffPost Good News, a website wholly dedicated to "good news, inspirational stories, and positive views." Finally, a website where I could read about the good in this world! Tip - if you "like" their Facebook page then the articles will stream on your Facebook feed, which is how I see these stories on a daily basis.

Three of the more recent stories that I loved were about animals: lemurs, beagles, and elephants to be exact. These stories may not bolster my worldliness or expand my knowledge of the economy, but they make me smile and that's alright with me.

Lemurs and Lollipops

             

I wish I enjoyed anything as much as these lemurs are enjoying their lollipops.

Beagles and Airports

           

Going to the airport would be infinitely better if there were cute little beagles running around all over the place. US airports need to jump on the doggy lost and found bandwagon ASAP, because not being able to pet the bomb-sniffing dogs (who I know are fighting the good fight) at American airports is just torture.

The Elephant and the Ditch

                                 

I can't help but picture the adult elephants charging towards the baby and shouting, "Help is on the way, dear!," just like Robin Williams did in the revelation scene of Mrs. Doubtfire (see the 2:28 mark).

Happy Friday, everyone!

Viral Video Vendredi: Mean Tweets

I love that talk-show hosts like Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon post all of the funny highlights from their shows on their Youtube pages. If I need a good laugh, I typically go to one of those three pages, sort by the most popular video uploads, sit back, and relax. Just last night I was watching videos on the iPad and laughing it up in the den while my husband read in the bedroom. When I came in to show him one of the videos he said, "Oh good, I was afraid you were out there just laughing to yourself." Why would I be laughing to myself? Stanford Blatch from SATC said it best: "Judgy wudgy was a bear." 

A while back, Jimmy Kimmel started a segment called "Mean Tweets" in which celebrities read one mean tweet apiece written about themselves. I'm not sure if the celebs pick their favorite mean tweets to read on the air, or if the producers/personal assistants troll through Twitter and supply them with the funniest options. Regardless, it is absolutely hilarious watching these famous people's interpretive readings of the tweets, and I find it refreshing that most of them actually LOL mid-read. Below is Mean Tweets #7, which means Mean Tweets #1 - #6 are just around the riverbend for your viewing pleasure! (Also be sure to check out the special editions which include NBA player, NFL players, and musicians). A fair warning to anyone out there who is easily offended, most of the tweets have vulgar language, but it is bleeped out. There are some mean tweeters out there, folks, and we should rise above! Unless of course you are just being a smart ass for the fun of it and simply want to be featured on Jimmy's segment, in which case, keep on tweeting on. 

             

Viral Video Vendredi: You Forgot the Blueberries

Happy Friday! I am currently sitting in Hartsfield-Jackson composing a weekly feature I am calling "Viral Video Vendredi," vendredi being French for Friday. I developed a love of all things French during our two-week honeymoon in Paris and Nice. You better believe I watch every single House Hunters International episode set in France (particularly Paris) with ravenous eyes, plotting the steps I have to take to make my home in the City of Lights. My husband thinks that I am kidding when I tell him we are moving to France one day, but he is so terribly mistaken. Don't stand between a woman and her lovely French markets; hot, crusty baguettes; creamy French cheeses; and chilled, bubbly (and legit) champagne. I even turned our home into a Parisian cafe for our first anniversary a few weeks ago, but I'm sure I will cover that fun project in a later post...

For now, I want to focus on the real reason for this post: viral videos are hilarious, make us forget everything that is going on around us for a few glorious minutes, and must be shared with everyone we know. I cannot count the number of times I have started watching Youtube videos late at night only to look up and realize it is wayyyyy past my bedtime. 

My first VVV is an oldie but goodie, and was shown to me a few years ago by my good friend Jessie. I have re-shown this video countless times to family and friends, eagerly anticipating their reaction at the crescendo. If you have a viral video that you would like to share, then please leave a comment below or contact me! 

                                 

Countdown to Young Alumni Weekend

Tomorrow my husband and I are flying to Virginia for his 5-year reunion at Washington and Lee University (from here on out referred to as "W&L")! The thought of celebrating this reunion is probably odd to most people, but that is what makes our university so special. With only about 450 students per grade, the school exudes a small, charming, friendly, and familiar feel to everyone who either strolled down the Colonnade for four years or is merely passing through Lexington on a Civil War Landmarks of America tour. Unlike many of our friends in the South, we do not have Division-1 national championship-vying sports teams that bring us back multiple times per year, and the 8+ hour drive from Atlanta to Virginia is not easy when you have a full-time job and your husband is in a full-time MBA program. Hence, going back to a place that means so much to us and which we do not frequently get to visit (not to mention getting to relive the glory days of college with students who are now my "little" cousins' ages) is very exciting to us and makes for a work week that feels never-ending! In my eager anticipation to get back to Lex-Vegas, I have compiled a list of the top 10 things that I am looking forward to: 

1. The iconic scenery of the rolling Blue Ridge mountains and the golden leaves gracing the trees

2. Cool, crisp Virginia weather

3. Paying a visit to the Washington and Lee University Store where Matt and I met as work studies six years ago, catching up with our old bosses who served as matchmakers, and stocking up on W&L gear (though unfortunately not being able to swipe it home). Side note - I hope today's work studies enjoy playing "Which Sorority Girl Swipes Home the Most Stuff Today" game during their shifts as much as I did.

4. Strolling around Lexington and checking out all of the new stores/restaurants that have popped up since we graduated. 

5. Playing beer pong at the fraternity house with the current students and feeling like I am way too old/questioning why I ever thought Natty Light tasted good.

6. Hopefully paying a visit to my old sorority house. We typically had a reception during half-time of the football games, but since the game is at 7 pm I'm not sure if they will be having one or not. 

7. Spending time with our friends who we do not get to see very often and re-hashing everyone's most embarrassing college stories. Two words: cheesy beard.

8. Visiting the Blue Lab Brewery and trying lots of different Virginia craft beers at Saturday night's Virginia Beer and Wine/BBQ event. My name is Molly and I am a craft-beer snob. My 18-22 year-old self would be so disappointed (see number 5 above). 

9. Eating lunch at either The Southern Inn or the Bistro on Friday as we roll into town.

10. Reminiscing about the best four years of my life and all of the nostalgic flashbacks I'm sure I will have. 

I'll leave you with this video which perfectly captures our university and for anyone with a connection to W&L, will give you happy chills: