Memorial Day, Boy Bands and Such

"I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me." -Lee Greenwood, "God Bless the USA" (YouTube video)

I was doing so well, being consistent with my blogging. Aaaand then I stopped being so good. Shucks.

Memorial Day

Well, our Memorial Day weekend was good. We spent just about all of it with my parents, which was fun. We worked on their square foot gardens, watched tv and relaxed, ate good food, attempted to swim at the gym but they'd closed it JUST as we got there because someone heard thunder (nonsense, I say)... And we ate at the new IHOP close to our place for the first time! I got New York Cheesecake pancakes. Ummm, can someone say "Heaven"? I wanted to take a picture of them, but I forgot because I enjoyed them too much. :) But here are Andrew and Jason:

You think Andrew enjoyed his food? Haha.

Ok, on to our next topic.

Boy Bands

I heard this song on the radio the other day. I wasn't sure who sang it, or what it was called, but I knew I liked it. I initially thought it might've been a Glee song that made it to the radio, because I hadn't watched Glee since the beginning of the season, and it sounded like something they might've done as an "original song" on the show. Well, I looked it up, and it was this:

"What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction

I'd heard of them once or twice, heard that they were getting big with teens as a new boy band. So I was a little embarrassed to find out that I REALLY liked their song. But why should I be embarrassed? Boy bands are in my past: I loved 'N Sync, and enjoyed Backstreet Boys and 98° back in the day. With 'N Sync, I actually learned a lot of their dance moves with my sisters and their friends, we recorded every TV appearance, and bought all their singles and albums, including imported ones. When I think back to the late '90s, I think of boy bands and this whole culture of music that I enjoyed a lot. I almost think of the late '90s as "The Good Days". So maybe it isn't so strange that I like this group.

I looked them up, just out of curiosity, and did you know they're British? (With the exception of the blond, who is from Ireland.) Did you know that they got their start as soloists on the British version of The X-Factor? Three of them were born in '93, one in '94, and one in '91. That makes me feel old. Haha.

Have you guys heard any songs you liked on the radio lately that might be considered a little embarrassing? Or, have you heard of any other boy bands that I might like? Haha. Let me know! I'm getting on a boy band/good 'ol pop music kick.

Next topic:

"and Such"

I'm supposed to do Day 3 of the 30 Day Challenge: Your day, in great detail. I don't want to. And since this is my blog, I'm not going to! I mean, it's only 8:40 in the morning. And I'm pretty sure I did this for the last 30 day challenge.

So, on to Day 4. Except that day 4 is: The meaning behind your Tumblr name. Aaaaaand I don't have a Tumblr. I actually have no idea what that is. That might be embarrassing to admit (or not), but since I have no idea, I have no qualms in sharing that fact.

So, on to Day 5. Day 5 is: Five places you want to visit. THIS I can do, and even though I'm pretty sure I answered something like this in the last 30 Day Challenge, I'll do it again.

1. England. I love the accents. I love Big Ben. I love the Royal Family (or at least the idea of it). I love the idea of all of it. I REALLY want to go there. That's why it's #1 on my list. I'm so jealous: my parents are leaving to go there in a couple weeks! Ahhh!

2. Australia. I love the accents. I love the Great Barrier Reef. I love the Sydney Opera House.

3. Italy (with a translator). I love the architecture. I love the food. I love scenery (especially from what I saw of it in the movie Letters to Juliet).

4. Germany. I love the culture. I love all the history. I love that half of the members of my family took German in school, so between all of us, we should at least be able to understand most of what's being said. Right? Plus, we'd have a tour guide in my sister Susette, who studied abroad there several years ago.

5. France. I went there for a couple weeks in high school on an orchestra trip. I LOVED the homey, village-y feel of the town we went to. I loved how kind some of the people were, despite the fact that we were Americans. I loved the beach. But then, I would also love to visit Paris. We spent only a few hours there, and I would really love to stay and see the sights (the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, anyone?), eat the patisseries, and marvel at the architecture. I blame my wanting to visit Paris specifically on the book Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

Secret: I get breakouts of eczema on my calves. It's not there all the time, but when it comes, it lasts for months without any relief. It's really embarrassing when it flares up, because it's all red and raised and scaly, and I have the urge to itch ALL THE TIME! Yuck. So, while that may sound like a secret, that's not it. Here's the secret: because my calves get dried out really easily and I'm scared of the eczema coming back, I shave my legs as little as possible. During the winter, I'll go months without shaving because I wear tights or boots to church.