Summertime Girls Got It Goin' On

"I'll steal your honey like I stole your bike."

That little LFO throwback is for my dear friend Meagan (thanks for reading Megs!)  I found it fitting for the [unofficial] end of summer, especially as my fellow blogger BFFs Lindsey and Krysta both posted their lists of Summer Favorites today.  And we were definitely some girls that enjoyed their summers!

So since it was encouraged for future reposting at CFC, here were my faves!

Favorite Movie:

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

I saw some fun movies this summer, but this I feel was the most memorable.  I'd been waiting for it for years (like many people worldwide) and honestly - it delivered.  I think I was crying for approximately 75% of the entire film.  And I love me a good cryfest.

One thing that I loved most about the last two movies is how true they were to the books.  Obviously this is largely possible because they split the last book into two movies, but to me it made all the previous movies almost glaringly inferior.  Relationships and characters that had been cultivated over the course of several books seemed glossed over or omitted entirely in the earlier movies.  So certain emotional punches to the gut in the final two movies - while still made those of us faithful to the books weep like little babies - I think lost their power to those viewers who only know the Potterverse via Hollywood.

So though it may sound odd, I think I loved this movie SO MUCH that it almost made me love its predecessors significantly less so.  But in any case, it was the end of an era, even a symbolic final nail in the coffin of my adolescence, as I remember eagerly awaiting the releases of books 4-7 over the course of my teenage years.

And one last reason I loved this movie: Ron Weasley/Rupert Grint.  Ron was my favorite character in the books (except when he got so cranky about the Goblet of Fire in Book 4 - but Harry outdid his teenage whininess in the first HALF of Book 5), and the movies only further solidified my adoration.  Who would have guessed that sweet dopey 11-year-old Ron/13-year-old Rupert Grint (in reality) would grow up to be such a foxy ginger??  I'd love to shake the hand of the casting director for the first movie.

A very close second favorite summer movie was Captain America: The First Avenger, for a number of reasons.

1. I love comic book movies to begin with, but this wasn't just any old one.  It was the last in a series of single-protagonist movies leading up to an epic movie combining the efforts of several heroes altogether: The Avengers, due to come out next summer.  What is essentially a six-movie series is finally down to the one I've been waiting for since Iron Man came out in 2008.  So this movie means the wait is just about over.

2.  Not to beat a dead horse, but they even showed a teaser trailer at the end of Captain America, where we got great shots like this:

Yes, that is Thor front and center (another great summer flick!), in the same room as Black Widow (ScarJo in the bottom left), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo pouting in the middle) and Captain America (Chris Evans).  My [not so inner] nerd is in full geek-out mode just reminiscing about this scene!

3. A little shoutout to my girlier side: this movie had a GREAT wardrobe!  It was set in World War II era, which was ripe with pin curls, roller-curl waves, A-line skirts, and bright red lipstick.  Not to mention crewcuts on patriotic men in uniform!  The 1940s were definitely one of my most favorite fashion eras, and this movie didn't disappoint on that front.  Part of me wants nothing more than to have been a USO girl drumming up national support for the war effort.

Favorite Vacation:

We had a Stransky family reunion this summer for my cousin Kate's 40th birthday.  The Stransky side of my family rarely gets everyone together in the same place all at once, so this was a really special occasion.  I got to see my cousins Kate, Dan, and Andy, my dad's brothers and their respective families [minus our two cousins Bonnie and Michelle]. 
We spent the weekend in Grayslake, IL where my parents both grew up, as well as most of my extended family on both sides.  We even got to take a ride around the lake my dad and his brothers grew up ON, and heard several stories of how most of their friends shouldn't have even made it to age 21 with the stunts they pulled!
It was Patrick's first time meeting the Stransky side of the family, and I think he handled it like a champ!  We're a crazy group at times, but we're also pretty loveable too.

My family + the birthday girl Kate!  Doesn't she look like 33, tops??

Favorite Purchase:

No, not a jar of sugar, nor a set of measuring cups.  But embarking on my first experiments in artsy photography wouldn't be possible without my favorite purchase/gift this summer: my new SLR camera from Patrick.  Sort of a combination Anniversary/Christmas present, I received my new camera about a month ago and have only taken it out a handful of times.  I want to take amazing pictures every time I use it, but I need to learn that doesn't mean I need only save it for special occasions!

Favorite Thing I Did:

Not to be a big ol' copycat, but celebrating Madeline's wedding festivities with my best friends, our boyfriends/husbands, and our families was the highlight of my summer.  We rehearsed, we dined, we had Rita's on the beach, we had sleepovers, we got fancy, we took endless pictures, we laughed, we cried tears of joy, we got silly, we got sentimental, and we danced our little hearts out.  It was, in short, the most a girl could ever ask for.

Favorite Book:

I feel like it's sort of a copout, but truthfully I just haven't done a heck of a lot of reading this summer!  But I am a sucker for Sookie Stackhouse and her adventures with vampires, werewolves, weretigers, demons, fairies, and whatever other supernatural oddities get thrown her way!  I like to call these the grown-up versions of Twilight, because overall yes it about a girl who falls in love with a vampire, only with less teenage angst and a lot more sex.  Romance novels + the supernatural = perfect entertainment.
So Definitely Dead was just the next book in the series that I hadn't yet read.  It was very entertaining, and I'm sure I'll procure the next book sometime before the end of the year.  In the meantime, I have some more respectable titles on my to-read list that I need to knock out first!

Favorite Thing I Wore:

Not only did I get some wonderful feather extensions that I'd been dying to try since I moved down in May, but I also had a departure from my super-red hair I've been sporting for the past 4ish years.  Going back to my roots a bit (har har), I opted for something a bit closer to my natural auburn hue, and got some blonde highlights for the first time since high school I think!

Favorite Life Change:

Well, that one is kinda easy, but easy to misconstrue.
Moving in with Patrick, being back in Tampa/Pinellas, and starting a new job with a great company made for a very exciting summer.
However, I don't include leaving Georgia and Turner Studios in my "favorites" category.  Because that was hard.  And sad.  And anything but my favorite.
But I do love where I am and what I am doing now.  I love our condo, and our neighborhood, and the flat sidewalks that are soooo nice to run on.

I love Tampa Digital, my new role, my ability to travel every now and then, and most of all the amazing friends I've made there.  Go ahead and try to tell me this doesn't look like the coolest workplace you've ever seen.

So those were all the best parts of my summer!
I must admit I am looking forward to Fall, because I love college football and Halloween and the start of the holiday season.  I typically also love the leaves changing and the crisp cool air... but I live in Florida now.  Autumn wardrobes and crunchy leaves will have to wait until like December!