Team Dean Forever

So apparently one week is how long it takes me to run out of things to post. I even missed yesterday, which sucks. I think it's primarily because my life has been so boring lately. I've done very little besides work and watch TV. All my shows have come back at once and it's awesomely awful.

It doesn't help that - against my better judgement - I started Supernatural. And then yesterday one of Maddie's friends from church got her started on it, which led to us spending most of our Monday afternoon/evening watching Supernatural and avoiding posting by googling Dean Winchester gifs. So I figured, "why not write a post on Dean so I can use some of these awesome gifs I'm finding!?" So here we go:

Why I Love Dean Winchester

Since my first or second episode I've known that I will be a Team Dean member for forever. He's handsome, confident (most of the time), hilarious and witty, and drives an awesome car. What's not to love?? Plus he's a big brother looking after his little brother, which I can completely relate to (except, you know, sisters, not brothers).

It's not that I dislike Sam, Dean is just my favorite. I think I see a lot of myself in him. He puts up this facade of being so confident and fearless all the time, when really he gets scared a lot - especially of what will happen to Sam - and he even gets lonely at times.

Dean's family is the most important thing in his life and he's willing to do anything to protect them - which I love. I told Anna the other day that he's probably the worst bad boy ever. He has all the appearances of it - the leather jacket, devil-may-care attitude, he drinks and sleeps around - but at the end of the day all he wants is to keep his family safe, and he would jump off a bridge if his dad told him to. He's like Tony Stark meets Beth March. I just love the complexity of his character. ♥

So, ok, there's my post. Not the best I've ever done, but it's one, and it's finished, and it's 12:12am and I am going to bed. Hope you all have a great week! See you tomorrow.

Why I Love the Renaissance Faire

As soon as the new year hits I always start day dreaming for summer - more specifically, the renaissance faire. And since I'm doing a 30 day blog challenge with Anna, I thought this would be a perfect time to do a series of renaissance faire-themed posts. Today I'm going to talk about just why I love the renaissance faire so much.

1. The Atmosphere

Right from the moment you step into a faire you'll know that it's different. It's far enough back from the road that there are no sounds of cars. There's no blinking, or flashing, or electronics sounds. The loudest sounds are of people talking, yelling, shouting or singing; and the quieter sounds are of birds, the wind through the trees, and footsteps in the dirt. It seems completely shut off from the modern world, and I love that. There's nothing like spending a day away from the 21st century.

2. The Clothing

While we're on the subject of getting away from the 21st century, there's just nothing like slipping into a bodice and long skirts, with your chemise sleeves adding a good six inches to each side of your arm. It just makes you feel like a new person - like you've stepped into the body of your favorite fantasy or sci-fi character.

3. The Pretend

After you slip on your lovely garb comes the fun part - actually stepping into the life of your character! At the renaissance faire you can be anybody, and it is so much fun - especially when the employees help you out! Every time I go to the renaissance faire there are at least a few gentlemen who will stop and bow and offer up a "good day, my lady" it makes the whole experience so much more real. It makes it even more fun when you play back. Last year - for reasons we won't get into now - my sister and my cousins and I decided to cheer for the "villains" instead of the "heroes" of Bristol. After the last show when they, inevitably, lost to the heroes, I went up to the lead villain and - in my best English accent - told him how sorry I was to see his lordship lose. The actor was a total gem, kissed my hand and told me that my support meant the world to him. Seriously - it was one of the highlights of my day.

4. The Drama

I've always been a sci-fi/fantasy girl. Growing up the Lord of the Rings was my favorite movie/book and the soundtrack was my favorite music. I couldn't begin to count how many hours I spent watching/reading/daydreaming about kings and archers, quests and sword fights. And when I was fifteen I found a place that was as close as I could get to that in real life. Where else can  you sit next to Robin Hood right before Guy of Gisborne shows up and the duel it out??

5. The Food

Everybody knows about the renaissance faire's long-standing tradition of serving turkey legs, but there's a lot of other great food to be had there, too! Some of my favorites are:

• the cornish dogs (know as "bagel dogs" in the 21st century)
• the whole pickles on a popsicle stick
• the butterfly potatoes (a fun twist on kettle cooked crisps)
• and the pretzels which are sold by a man wondering the faire with a tall wooden pole full of them.

My favorite, most anticipated part of the faire, however, is sasafras! For you poor souls who don't know what sassafras is, it's root beer with black licorice flavoring. Even my little sister who hates both root beer and black licorice loves it! Maybe it's the intense sun and heat of the faire every year, but I swear there is not a cooler, more refreshing drink on the planet.

6. The People

My last, and most favorite thing about the renaissance faire is the people. Never before in my life have a met a nicer, more welcoming, more ready to get down and have fun group of people. From the moment you walk in and there are people waiting to give you directions; to the gentleman who asks you if you're a princess because you're wearing the royal color, purple; to the last song on the balcony above the exit, these people show up to work every day determined to make sure that you and I have the best time there that we possibly can.