Hi!

Yes, I'm still alive. 

I'm on an Airplane

I'm not sure how I feel about using the interwebs on an airplane. I mean, aren't they supposed to get in the way of the controls or something? Is that all a myth? Am I totally gullible? A complete sucker?

Probably.

It's the last leg of my flight....heading toward central standard time. I'm reading David Baldacci's Saving Faith and it's pretty good so far. I quite enjoy Mr. Baldacci. I'm listening to Sara Bareilles current album, Kaleidoscope Heart, which is also quite enjoyable if you're into that kind of music. King of Anything is the song playing on the radio, but I recommend my personal favorite number from the album: Let the Rain.

The photobooth takes pictures like a mirror. I don't know why. It makes no sense to me.

It was an uneventful day flying (thus far). The only annoying thing is the woman in front of me who keeps trying to shove her seat back into the reclined position. This ain't no lay-z-boy, honey. You get about 1.5 inches of recline. Stop trying to bounce into me.


I almost forgot about the other annoying thing: HOW DID I END UP IN THE ATLANTA AIRPORT IN THE ONLY CONCOURSE WITHOUT A STARBUCKS?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I'm glad to have gotten that off my chest.

I'll survive though. Unless using the internet makes the plane fall out of the sky.

I'm gonna go now.

See that?

YES THAT COUNTDOWN.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

It's not accurate. Add about 10 hours (from midnight to 10am) and then another 7 since I get into Wichita around 4:45pm. However, I'm comin' to KANSAS! 

Grab your mugs, it's time for a coffee date!
(Or a massage...I only have 2 people [not counting my immediate family] on my list. Email me, we'll talk time and price.)

Blast From the Past Numero Dos

Once again I am bringing you insightful, interesting information via facebook. Nah, just kidding. This is not insightful, nor is it interesting and it's definitely not any kind of important information. I'm just going to add to the right of the answers if there's an update. You'll be able to tell.
Not that you actually care.

 

silly 3's note....because i am a sucker.

by Amy Elizabeth Hoffman on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 9:23am

You've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with the 3's of YOU. At the end, choose 20 people to be tagged. You have to tag me so really you just need 19 more people. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you - but NOT in a creepy stalker kind of way.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 3's of Me, tag 20 people - in the right hand corner of the app - then click publish.)

Three names I go by:
1. Amy
2. Amy-Liz
3. Hoffers (yup. and i don't like it.)
4. Hottie Hoffers (via Rach McF)

Three Jobs I have had in my life
1. Temp
2. Curves Fitness Coach (that was the title, i wasn't actually doing that much coaching)
3. Resident Director ( :

Three Places I have lived
1. McPherson, KS
3. North Manchester, IN
3. Durham, NC

Three Favorite drinks
1. Water
2. Coffee
3. Non-fat sugar-free caramel Latte (this all depends on the season for flavoring, hot/cold, etc)

Three TV Shows that I watch
1. The Soup  GLEE
2. Project Runway
3. Designed to Sell 30 Rock

Three places I have been
1. Carhenge (Alliance, NE)
2. Durham, KS
3. Schwarzenau, Germany

People that text me regularly
1. I Megan
2. don't Viola
3. text. Maggie

Three of my favorite foods
1. grilled veggies
2. scrambled eggs
3. doughnuts!!! (yes, I just added those exclamation points)

Three friends I think will respond
1. boo Joe
2. boo Mama
3. BOO  Yeah, I made a middle school joke.

Three Things I am looking forward to
1. August 23, graduate from massage school flying to KS
2. October 9, done at UNC May 2011
3. sleeping

Crafty Sneaky Peek

Sometimes I want to write peak rather than peek. Why are there are so many words that are difficult to spell? Is it just me?

OK, so this is one of the (many) things I've been working on. I was in this fabulous store, Cameron's, in University Mall in Chapel Hill and I found these adorable notebooks and they inspired me.

I thought about giving them as a gift and what I could do to make it  more of a "gift" so I came up with this:

(You can't really tell, but I used iron-on vinyl on the inside so it can be wiped out if necessary.)

It has a strap that could go around your wrist if you wanted to carry it or you could hook it to a purse-strap or keys. I like straps.

It's just a small pouch/clutch/bag that you could keep stuff in. I hand embroidered on the front of it just to add a little sumpin' sumpin'. I stuck the notebook, a sharpie pen (my favorite pen) to write in the notebook with and some Burt's Bees lip balm (my favorite chapstick) in the bag. Burt's Bees is a local Durham product, but you can grab a tube at any Target. I think you could also stick in a gift card or something else if you wanted to add to the gift.

Not that I want to advertise to the recipient how much I spend on these things, but it really is affordable to whip up something like this. Now that I've done it a few times I can put together a bag start-to-finish in the time it takes me to watch a movie (this is not counting the hand embroidery on this bag, that took forever), I used this tutorial for the basics. If you have the time and equipment and the bravery, because, let's be honest, it's brave to hand a gift over and utter the words "I made this" I say go for it! If you're less of a crafter and more of a baker, go for that too! If you're less of a baker and more of a doer, I say shovel a driveway! If you're less of a doer and more of a....yeah, I've got nothing.

The breakdown on prices:
-the bag: probably around $3 in fabric, zipper and doo-dads (aka thread), I'm estimating because in purchasing supplies the only thing I won't get a second use or something out of is the zipper
-notebook: $3
-pen: $1.50
-Burt's Bees: $2.50
TOTAL: $10

My budget can handle a $10 gift, but how can you really put a price on something made by these hands?!?!?!??

Gratuitous picture of Hank:

Also, there's a spot on my camera, I've cleaned the lens. Help?

Blast From the Past

via facebook notes.

Apparently, I used to write notes on facebook. I don't anymore, I write things over here instead. Right now I am extraordinarily busy doing things so I am just going to do a little copy and paste action and hope that this will sustain you until I've edited a picture or two (probably next Tuesday that will happen while I'm in the airport) and have taken the time to step away from the sewing machine.

Here goes:

things i love....and miss...and look forward to in the future

by Amy Elizabeth Hoffman on Friday, December 12, 2008 at 9:34am

-having a baby fall asleep on my chest
-fall leaves
-rainy days when i don't have to get out of bed
-harry potter books
-characters who are unrealistically perfect
-men (bald, gingers, asian, nerdy, athletic, tall, curly, legs-i love good legs, smart, ambitious, curious, beards, artsy, funny, dark-skinned, pale, tattoos, emo, happy)
-singing
-performing
-talking
-drinking coffee
-good conversation
-drinking coffee while having good conversation
-i have an obsession with musical theatre, however this didn't actually begin until 2005
-baking for other people-cookies, cakes, bread, pie
-mom, dad, david, matthew and abby
-snow, seriously what was i thinking moving to a place with no snow?!?
-crushes
-really nice pens
-details
-fire-candles, fireplace, the bon kind
-love
-when people are excited to see you
-hugs-the real kind involving squeezing and emotional warmth
-scarves
-squeezing pimples
-massage
-sunshine
-Oliver Lake in LaGrange, IN (this is my favorite place in the ENTIRE world)
-my grandparents, aunts & uncles, cousins, and cousin's babies
-amazing friends
-the feel of sand between my toes
-laughter
-laying in my bed with my roommate watching grey's anatomy on the computer using stolen internet
-my bed
-being silly
-documenting my life
-college students
-the olympics

-lists. i start thinking about these lists in my head as i drive. i spend a lot of time driving. ( :

 

Luckily I don't have to drive as much as I used to, that was a year of lots and lots and lots and lots of driving between work and massage school. Now, I just hop and skip over to Chapel Hill for work (but it's not as long of a drive as when I was working at UNC because I don't have to deal with campus parking) and then spend the rest of my time in Durham (greatest city in Americur). 

What do you love, miss or look forward to in the future?

It's Time for a Giveaway!

You know I love Christmas music. You need some of that love.

Trust me.

I am now going to admit something to you. I just spent some time (no, I'm not telling you how much) reading the biographies for the members of Straight No Chaser. And yes, if they were a tenor 1 or 2 I totally skipped their pages.

I am mean to tenors (at least ones I don't know).

I'm sorry to all the tenors out there, I don't know why I'm such a bad person. Or a weird person. Or whatever I am.

Anyways, back to the task at hand. You want some Christmas music?

These are 3 of the most recent albums I have purchased:
1. Christmas Cheers, Straight No Chaser

Pretty good. In my opinion not as good as the first album. Still, how can you go wrong with men's a cappella? That's right, you can't.

2. Very Merry Christmas, Dave Barnes

This is a really fun album with just a few traditional songs you'll know and several new ones that you need to know. I love Dave Barnes in a totally platonic way since we don't know each other. I mean, I love him as I love all human beings, but not romantic, lustful, I-want-to-have-your-babies love. And I'm done. 

3. Let it Snow, Michael Buble

He's a crooner. I'm a swooner. This album is delightful and makes me think of Christmas trees and fireplaces and knitting while big, fluffy snowflakes float down outside. You know, your traditional country Christmas.

So, the winner gets his or her choice of one of these three albums.

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me your favorite Christmas song. Soooooo easy.

Deadline: Sunday, Dec. 5 8:00pm 

I like you. I think you're nice.

Do you have all these albums? Fine, you're not invited to the party. I also got Celtic Woman's Christmas album...are you interested in that one?

Deets: One comment per person, music will be sent through iTunes via email.

WINNER chosen by random.org!!!

Erin, whose favorite song is

definitely O Holy Night.
I have a CD mix I made a couple years ago with all artists I could find singing that song.

Crafty McKraftersons

I've been getting my craft on more and more lately with all the Christmas presents I'm making. It's crazy.

Don't expect much blogging because I'm a busy girl hanging out with her sewing machine, Buddy the Elf and sexy Karl. Here's what I can show you from my endeavors:

So, I'll show you crafts from some other peeps.

This is Jody, she's talented.

This is Kathy, she made her jewelry (sorry about the blur, that's all me):

She also did this project encouraging some library creativity: take 20 card catalogue cards and do something with them. There is subversive poetry on it, too. but you can't see it in the photo.

Megan's an embroiderer. She makes some cute stuff.

Rach rocked the mod podge for this beauty:

Oh, and I may have whipped up this hat while I was hanging out in Indiana last October:

(Yes, I know some of you [Meagan] have requested a personal hat that I have yet to make. I struggle with requests. That doesn't mean you shouldn't make them, but you should either a)wait a long time or b)claim something I've already made.) (Pleaseandthankyou.)

I love all these pictures you all sent me! You're amazing, talented, awesome, incredible people! Even if you didn't send me any pictures, all of the above is still true. ( :

L
 O
   V
     E.

(And if you knew that sexy Karl is from Love Actually, you get a gold star!)

The Hair Debate

I'm getting my hair cut on Thursday.

Here's the debate:

a chop vs. a shape

Do I go pixie short? Do I keep it just semi-short? Do I get it cut for straight hair? Do I just let the stylist do whatever she wants? Do I debate and deliberate while walking away looking the same as I did when I went into the salon? Do I cut a heavy bang like I long for in my heart, knowing that with my hair texture a heavy bang is going to end tragically? NO.

This is one of life's dilemmas. Of course, I saw this picture in RealSimple and then I wanted to chop every hair on my head off.

But, it's winter, it's cold, I like to wear hats (if I wear a hat when I have short hair I end up looking bald, which isn't really my goal), so perhaps I should keep it longer and just put out the effort to straighten it more often. Why straight? Because it won't curl properly right now which brings me back to the whole reason it's DRIVING ME CRAZY.

Hair is a big deal.

What should I do with my hair?!?!?!?
	PIXIE!!!
	Keep it the way it is-ish (I mean, something's going to happen).
	Chop it off in the spring.
	Grow that mop out.
	I do not care, stop asking me stupid questions.
pollcode.com free polls

So, I'd like to take a poll. I'm not saying that I'm going to do what you vote for. I'm just taking it into consideration. Because my number one rule is: I do what I want. 

Thank you for letting me be neurotic and giving me your opinion. I really do appreciate it.

THE RESULTS:  
Well, I wouldn't call it a pixie-pixie, but it's short and I like it. ( :

Christmas Music

Now that it has been Thanksgiving it's officially time to break out the Christmas tunes. Of course, I have been listening to them for a couple of weeks now, so once Thanksgiving hits I'm not weird any more.

Maybe?

So perhaps I'm still weird. Whatever.

My top five Christmas songs:
5. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

4. Carol of the Bells

I especially love this song in an a cappella choral arrangement, which I could not find on YouTube. *sigh*

3. The 12 Days of Christmas, Straight No Chaser

Now, in general, I don't like the traditional version of this song...it's soooo looo-oooo-oooo-ooong. If you don't yet listen to Straight No Chaser, you should. I want to have their a cappella babies.

2. O Holy Night

I have some major love for Josh Groban. The man has talent and his twitter is ridiculous. Come, on. Are you really surprised I follow him on twitter? (Is twitter capitalized? Proper noun? Twitter?)

1. Mary Did You Know?

There is no version of this song that stands up to the arrangement my high school choir conductor created for our women's chorus. It will remain in my mind, one of the best pieces of music I have sung. I love it...and I totally have a contraband (Really, I have no idea, but I like to think of myself as rebellious.) copy and I got to sing it last year for Christmas Eve service in a trio with Emily and Becky and that too was delightful.

Today, I am hanging out before eating a delicious Thanksgiving dinner tonight with Viola, Josh and Christina. I'm having fish! ( :

Happy Thanksgiving! Welcome to Christmas music season!

Photoshoot

I'm not going to bog you down with a bunch of pictures (mostly because I'm not done editing the pictures), but today I had my first photoshoot ever!

YAY!

Mariel Elizabeth, one month old.

I think she loved the camera. She made the best eye contact the whole time. And by "the whole time" I mean the times she wasn't fussing, nursing, peeing or pooping. It's what babies do.

And some more...

Awkward Moments

My life is kind of one gigantic awkward moment.

I get social anxiety when I meet new people. Only in social situations though because I pretty much meet new people on a daily basis at work. Then I ask them to get naked and under a sheet and I touch them in a completely appropriate way. It's the life of a massage therapist. (And it's not the strangers that this is difficult with--it's the people you know!)

Social situation=sweating, stressing, trying to think of conversation topics, trying to decide what to wear, stressing, deciding if I'm sick and I should call it off, etc. I'll tell you more about this some other time.
Work situation=calm, cool and collected. I'm down with my work.

Except today. You know those people who just go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on about how awesome they think you are? That makes me feel awkward.

However this is my favorite quote from new-effusively complimentary client:

"I hope you get up in the morning and you think, 'Damn, I'm good at my job.'"

This makes me giggle. To which I replied, "Um...can't say that I have ever thought that, but thank you?"

This moment brought to you by socially awkward Amy.

In just a few hours...

many of you will be going on an adventure with Harry, Hermione and Ron (or Wron-wron as I like to call him).

If you're one of the few unlucky people who didn't purchase tickets in time or your one of the lame-o people (like me) who can't stay up that late I bring you this gem via YouTube.

A Very Potter Musical

The sound is questionable, but this is totally awesome! (And if you're a GLEE fan you might recognize the guy playing ol' HP himself in this musical rendition as the new character, Blaine.)

Have a great night!

23.5 Hours

Yes, in twenty-three and a half hours many many of you will be enjoying a little movie we like to call Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

I will be waiting to get my HP fill because any time past 1:00am is grouchy time for Amy, and I am unwilling to stay up so late when I have to work the next day.

Sorry, I'm not taking one for the team. Plus, I don't know if you heard, I've been sickity-sick-sick.

You go visit our friends Harry, Ron and Hermione at the theater. Have fun, be safe, take a tissue, and be prepared:
It's a very, very, very, extensively long camping trip.

Two Days

oh.

my.

lanta.

TWO DAYS! TWO DAYS! TWO DAYS! TWO DAYS! TWO DAYS! TWO DAYS! TWO DAYS!

I was a little excited before, but now...whoa.

AHH!

HARRY POTTER!

HERMIONE GRANGER!

RON WEASLEY!

DUMBLEDORE!

SNAPE!

McCONAGALL!

GINNY WEASLEY!


WOOOO!

Scenes from my Bed

I love my bed.

Usually.

Except the past few days, I have spent waaaaay too much time in it.

This is my life.

I'm reading the books of Narnia again!

My trusty water bottle never leaves my side.

Yes, I'm watching trashy tv on the internet. ANTM cycle 14 to be exact. And I'm eating brownies while I do it because that's what you do when you watch 13 skinny girls battle it out to be the next top model. You eat brownies and google these girls to see if they actually did anything after the show. They didn't.

Also never leaving my side is Hank, and he gets annoyed any time I try to adjust my position.

Crappy pictures brought to you by my BlackBerry.

UPDATE: I have now gotten out of bed, taken a shower and--AND--brushed my teeth. I think there may have been unmentionable things growing on them. I also finished ANTM, cycle 14. Congrats to the girl who won whose name I can't remember, I think it starts with a K(?). I'm sorry if I ruined it for you. I'm going to leave my house too. I feel like I'm at least 78% normal! ( : Goals for tomorrow: take a walk, go to the grocery store, get a massage. I think that's all I'm going to plan on, it's a big day compared with today.

Three Days

(Updated re-posts of the HP Countdown will be occurring. I will attempt to blog about non-HP related things for those of you who could care less about Ron's gorgeous ginger locks.)

72 Hours!

YAY!

Don't tell me you're not excited. EEEEEEeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

(Sometimes I don't want to be the kind of person who squeals at things like books being made into movies, but that's just not who I am. I am excited. I do squeal. I am in perpetual 14-year-old-Justin-Beiber-fan-girl-mode. Of course, I'd never actually squeal for Just Beiber. I'd tell him to get a haircut.)

Four Days

(Updated re-posts of the HP Countdown will be occurring. I will attempt to blog about non-HP related things for those of you who could care less about Ron's gorgeous ginger locks.)

Why casting department?

WHY?

Why are all the bad guys so sexy? Ok, ALL might be a bit much, but really check it out:
Fenrir Greyback

Dave Legeno

Lucious Malfoy

Jason Isaacs

Barty Crouch, Junior

David Tennant

Voldemort

Ralph Fiennes

There's a lot of makeup involved in this process, but without the makeup?

Who am I to hate?