8-bits of awesome.

Along with the new update (and with the brilliant help from my design guru, Andy), I am starting a new weekly post.  May I present: 

 

Each week I'll talk about 8 things that I find to be awesome.  Whether it be geek news, things to be added to my ever-growing wishlist, funny pics or some rad new music...you'll find it weekly here at The Shiny Happy.  How will I narrow it down to eight!? 

That's a jolly good question.

 

Let's see how this goes.  Here's this week's 8-bits:

 

• I do not tell people that I'm a runner.  You know why?  Because I'm not.  I'm more of a trotter.  But frankly, these Wonder Woman running sleeves would give me superhuman speed.  Truth.

• I think this is my favorite pin this week.  I am adopting this traveling philosophy.  Thankfully the mister is understanding of my wanderlust and encourages my trips.  He however...not so much.  Not really a wander-ish bone in that man's body due to a disliking of long road trips and plane rides.

• I am seriously living in OCD heaven thanks to Jennifer over at My Purpley Life.  I love getting inspiration for my planner from her Filofax posts.  The obsession is real, folks.

• Everybody has bad days.  But, not everyone has this magical list of steps to get you through a rough day.

• Oh, people.  I love me some Robert Downey, Jr.  (Tony Stark, anyone?)  But couple RDJ and a swoon-worthy singing voice!?  As if I didn't already love him enough...

• If you haven't already discovered the International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club, your life is not yet complete.  I'm a fan...

• This cartoon about love really hit me in the feels.  It's pretty much the condensed story of Amber...  (That story is coming soon.)

•  Wanna know what song won't leave my stinkin' brain this week!?  "I Sold My Bed, But Not My Stereo" by Capital Cities.  It's so catchy.  You know it makes you want to take a much needed dance break...

Alright!  And that concludes our very first 8-bits!  What things are bringing the awesome to your life this week?  Let me know by sharing your links in the comments.  I can always use more awesome.

 

 

introducing: the shiny happy!

The time has arrived, folks!

My Spirit Animals.

The Shiny Happy is finally here...and I am a happy, happy girl.  Big props to my friend, Andy Van Engen, for the design & logo.  You, sir, are amazing.

Andy is from Spencer, Iowa and works for F8 Creative.  The man can do it all.  Seriously.  I'm so glad he married my gnomie & twinja - Melissa.  Now, he's stuck being friends with me.  If you're looking for any kind of graphic work at all, check him out...and tell him I sent ya!  Also, take the time to see all the awesomeness that F8 Creative can do for you. Design.  Commercial Video.  Photography.  They can hook you up with something super rad, if you let them. 

Andy definitely helped out a lot with brainstorming the naming and branding of The Shiny Happy. We kind of found inspiration from the combination of REM's "Shiny Happy People" and a Chinese restaurant in Omaha that Andy likes called "3 Happiness Express".  We both love that the name is an article and then two adjectives in a row.  Not even a noun.  I think it fits.

As far as the look goes, Andy incorporated the pixel look which is familiar to us 30-somethings who grew up gaming on an Atari or the original Nintendo.  We remember that 8-bit awesomeness.

Andy found the background from a font called Pixel Freaks by Steven Silverwood.  It includes Boba Fett, people.  How awesome is that!?!??

Now that The Shiny Happy is here, be sure and update your bookmarks and links to theshinyhappy.com!  AND...grab my new handy dandy button! 

Stay tuned for more shiny happiness!

she's miiine!!

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I have an unhealthy obsession with Funko POP! Vinyls.  The mister may laugh, but I love them oh so much.

To be so in love with them, I have a small collection.  Tis sad.

It all started with Yoda.  It was all downhill after that.
I searched them out online and created a virtual wish list.  Not sure why....I love them all!
Since then, I have acquired Darth Vader and General Zod.

All the while, I wished and wished for my beloved Wonder Woman.
Last week, after landing a new job, I decided to reward myself...and she is here.

She is miiiine!!!  Finally!!!
She just looks so good on my desk with my Wonder Woman coffee mug and my Wonder Woman tumbler.  It's magical.

There is a Funko POP! for practically anything you fangirl over.  Since my birthday is coming up in April, I thought I'd include a few other super rad Funko items on my wishlist:

Do you have a Funko collection?  Let me know!  I'd love to swoon over it.
If you don't, proceed with caution, friends. You'll be hooked soon enough.

i'm the kinda girl...

Greetings, friends!  I was over on Allie's blog - Tales of a Twenty Something, and I found out that yesterday's cool thing to do was to talk about yourself.

So, today's topic is:  "I'm the kinda girl who..." thanks to Holly at Hey, Hollywood.

And awaaaay we go....

I'm the kinda girl who...

+ prefers action movies to chick flicks.

+ hates talking on the phone.  Texts are sufficient communication.

+ laughs at myself...constantly.

+ overthinks everything.

+ thinks birthdays are super important...and that they should be celebrated.  I believe in birthday months.

+ lays in my bed in the mornings until the last possible minute.

+ considers myself an optimistic realist.

+ is not camera shy.

+ gives way too many second chances.

+ sings and dances in the car like a star.


+ lives by her calendar and all of its color-coded goodness.

+ loves getting flowers even though I can't will them to live for very long.

+ gets waaaay too much satisfaction from alphabetizing things.

+ wants all the coffee.

+ has a brain full of useless information...especially when it comes to music or pop culture.

+ gets cabin fever...a lot.

+ loves spending time with her husband more than anyone else.

+ has very versatile music tastes.  My collection can have me spittin' mad rhymes one minute and relaxing to smooth jazz the next.

+ thinks that coconut EVERYTHING tastes wonderful.

+ believes that ice cream possesses magical powers.

+ over-analyzes every new social situation after the fact, and determines where my awkward/dorkiness fell on a scale from 1 to 10 (usually hovering around a 6).

+ gets unreasonably excited about buying a new planner....or highlighters.

+ has no problem going cliff-jumping on a whim, but will stand in the store aisle forever while debating which toothbrush to purchase.

+ hates her feet....and probably yours, too.  Feet are gross.

+ loves to make new friends.


 What kinda girl are you? Link up your posts below!



loot crate.

Are you a looter? 
I subscribed to the awesomeness of Loot Crate in November...and I am in love.

If you're not familiar, Loot Crate is a monthly gear and swag club for us geeks. Each month, Loot Crate handpicks 6-8 new items to include in the box, which are kept secret until the boxes are delivered!  The wait is brutal...but worth it.  And the good news?  It's affordable!!

The box can't be missed in the mail.  Plus, opening it is like a geeky Christmas once a month.  I jump up and down and squee over everything inside.  The mister usually gives an all-knowing grin as his thirty-something year old wife bounces in excitement.  It really is quite shameful...and probably the main reason that I have yet to upload an unboxing video like other Looters.  Seriously.  Go to YouTube and search for "Loot Crate Unboxing".  They're everywhere!



Every month, they will tease you by announcing the theme of that month's box.  This month is "Warriors" and will feature EXCLUSIVE Bravest Warriors items along with other epic gear...and a t-shirt!  My February box ships in 2 days and I am dying to know what's inside! 
Go sign up today!

it's coming!

As you can see, changes are being made towards the final launch of The Shiny Happy!  While things didn't work out like I had planned, I am currently working hard myself to get ready for the new launch. 
What do you need to do to help? 
I'm glad you asked!  Just prepare to update your bookmarks or any links on your pages.  I would cry if you didn't make it back...
I will let you know as soon as the URL changes to theshinyhappy.com.  For now, keep coming back!  I love you all!

the people pleaser.

I honestly hate that term.  Probably because it fits me to a T. 

I have lived the majority of my life just wanting people to like me.  I wanted to be friends with everyone.  While that's a lofty goal, it's also unhealthy to an extent. 

It started as just being agreeable...which is also a positive trait.  However, when you begin stressing out about whether or not your actions have caused someone to be upset with you, it becomes negative. 

That's where I've lived.  Someone's body language could send me into a world of anxiety and stress wondering what I've done to upset them.  It could be nothing.  They could have been sick, but everything was internalized.  Everything came back to me and something that I needed to fix.  Even typing this is causing that tightness in my stomach.

Up until about 2 years ago, I made most of my decisions based on what was expected of me.  I'm not saying that my life was not what I wanted it to be or that I would have made different decisions.  I'm just saying that I made the choices that wouldn’t make waves. The choices that kept everyone else happy…until now.

I can no longer be a people pleaser and be happy. 

Now, this is a work in progress. I still have those moments where I sit and worry that I’ve upset someone or let them down. But, I also realize that my choices hold no value if I am not making them for myself.  What good is it to do things just because that's what other people want you to do.  At some point, you have to do those things because it's what YOU want.

I sincerely wish I could push a button and make the worry and anxiety of it all just go away. That would be awesome.  I'm so tired of worrying that someone will be disappointed in me for decisions that I make that in return make me happy.  If someone doesn't agree with my decisions, I respect that.  I'm not saying that I'm right and you're wrong.  I'm just saying that friendship is possible between people with differing opinions.

My worth is not wrapped up in what other people think of me.

At this point in my life, conditional friendship is not an option.  Conditional love is not an option.  Love me because I'm me.  Don't love me because I never mess up or always make the popular choice. 

Love me because I'm Amber.  I'm worth it.

 

 

 

 

five senses friday #10.

Helloooooo, blog friends!  It's time for my Five Senses Friday...
Five Senses Friday is were I reflect on the last week or so through the senses.  Enjoy!

Tasting::

SUSHI!  Oh, how I love sushi.  Thanks to the mister, I finally got to enjoy some.  We don't have a sushi place in our town, so I convinced him to take me out.  I hadn't had sushi since July, people!  That's a travesty!  I'm so glad I got my sushi fix....but all this talk is making me want more!

 

Feeling::

Overwhelmingly happy to have celebrated our one year anniversary -- complete with our frozen wedding cake.

Seeing::

Our little Jax growing up so fast and looking like such a big boy.  He's such a handsome guy!

 

Texts like this from my mister.  This is what happens when I send him to the grocery store.

 

Hearing::

 I am currently listening to so much new music it hurts. :)  And I like it....  I will always be a HUGE fan of the Black Keys though.  They are constantly in rotation.  My favorite!

 

Smelling::

My mister....he sure does smell good. :) 

What were some of your experiences this week?  Feel free to play along in the comments, find me online or post your own blog!