Valentine's Day

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day.  Here in Minnesota, we Atkinson's had a very fun and romantic day! 

The day started off with some long overdo sleeping in.  It has been a LONG time since we were both able to just lay in bed in the morning! It was awesome.  Justin left for a minute while I was getting ready.  He arrived home with a lush vase of red roses, they are amazing and they smell sooooo good!  Then we decided to exchange our little gifts for each other.  I made him a card and wrapped up some of his favorite candy and a gift card to his favorite store (Banana Republic).  He gave me some toblerones (my favorite) and a gorgeous white gold necklace! Justin does a great job picking me out jewelry, he really knows my taste.

(Me and my roses and my new necklace!)

We headed out and went to lunch at LeeAnn Chin, and then we did some shopping.  We didn't actually buy anything, more just wandering around, but we still had a good time.  Then we went to downtown Minneapolis to the Spaghetti Factory.  The wait was an hour and a half so we put down our name and then wandered the city.  It was fun but then I started whining because the shoes I was wearing were of the "great for looks not walking" variety.  We got back to the Restaurant just in time and didn't have to wait at all.  We had a great dinner.  You can not go wrong in my book with spinach tortilini from the Spaghetti Factory.

 

(Justin in mid-chew and me. He just "loves" that I document everything!)

After dinner we went and saw, "He's just not that into you", which was pretty funny.  I know that ours is the typical dinner and a movie Valentine's Day, but for poor college kids like ourselves, any excuse to eat out and see a show is fine by us!  It was a great day and my baby sure spoiled me!  

Thanks again hunny, I LOVE YOU! 

Ending the night with a kiss!

Becoming Jane

Today I am doing a movie review.  I know that I usually do book reviews but I really wanted to talk about this movie.  As the title states, this is a review of Becoming Jane.  Have any of you seen this?  I know there are people out there who don't like this movie.  If you know much about the life of Jane Austen then the ending is no surprise, but if you do not know much about her, I am not one for spoilers.  

For the record, I LOVE this movie.  I think it is beautiful and heart wrenching and incredibly romantic.  I think there are moments in this movie that are some of the most passionate and romantic scenes without being physical.  This movie also caused me to develop an irreversible and deep "crush" on James McAvoy, (he is also great in Penelope, which is also an adorable and great movie).  In this movie, unlike most out there, everyones lives don't end up perfectly, but the relationships and emotions are real and moving.  I have seen this film a couple of times and I watched it again last night.  Although I knew the movie, it sill made me fall in love, it broke my heart, and made me love Jane Austen even more.  

There are characters in this movie that are very similar to those in Jane Austen's novels showing where a lot of her inspiration came from.  And I know there are some who will say that this is not entirely a historical biography of Ms. Austen, and to them I say, " Who cares it is awesome and romantic and I love it, so leave me alone."  If you have not seen this, you should check it out.  You may not love it as I do, but it is a love story that I think will touch your heart.

Seeing these two together actually makes my heart flutter.  Lame, I know. 

Do any of you get in those "Time Period" phases?  Two nights ago I watched Pride and Prejudice, and last night I watched Becoming Jane.  I have just been in the mood for movies like that as of late.  I also Just finished a book 3 days ago called Enthusiasm.  It is about two friends and the one is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice.  I wonder what sparked the phase this time?  Maybe it is the upcoming Valentines Day and my Anniversary so I am feeling extra romantic.  I tend to turn to things like this when I am feeling Romantic.  

And since it is almost Valentines Day.......

Question: What are some of your favorite romantic movies?

Wednesday's Read

The read for the day is, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  I just finished this book a few days ago.  I can't say that this is a happy book at all times, in fact the narrator is Death himself. So if this is not a warm and fuzzy read then why did I love it?

 This book is set in Germany during the holocaust.  It follows a girl named Liesel.  She is the book theif, and Death has seen her a few times throughout her life and so he tells her story and the story of what is happening at the time.  This book is unlike any book I have read before.  The style of writing and the flow of the book was great.  There was just something about this book that really hooked me.  As with any great book it made me laugh, and it also made me cry (I actually cried kind of hard at one point).  I also REALLY loved the characters in this book.  I really felt like I cared about the characters by the end of this book.   This book also made me think.  When I am really interested in a book or when I really enjoy a book it stays with me for a couple days.  I think about it when I am in bed or driving in the car.  I have been thinking about this book and about the characters.   I recommend this book because there was just something about it that I can't quite put my finger on yet.  Although it was depressing at points, I really enjoyed this book.

Have any of you read this?  I am interested in what you think about this book.  What did you think of it?

I LOVE CVS!

I'm in love with CVS.  I had heard of their Extra Care Bucks program but never really thought that it would work out, and I figured it was going to be more hassle then the stuff was actually worth it, but boy was I wrong!  I decided to give CVS a try this week and here is the result.  

I got all of the merchandise below for less then 5 dollars

AND.... not only that but I have 5 "extra care bucks" to still spend in the store.  So basically I made a few cents!  

So I got

I jumbo bag cotton balls- 1.99

Nail polish remover- 1.99

Gillette fusion gamer razor- 11.99

(2) Heat pads 3 packs- 7.98

(8) Packages of cotton rounds- 7.92

That is 31.87 of merchandise for under 5 dollars out of pocket, and I still have 5 dollars in extra bucks so it was more then free.

I think I am officially addicted to CVS! 

Have any of you ever done this?  Are you ECB reward members?

A Package came in the mail.

Yesterday a package came in the mail.  I was very excited you see, because I LOVE getting packages and mail. When I opened the package this is what I saw

And here are the contents of my package.

It was perfect timing since this is what our candy dish looks like. 

This package was from my mother.  It was not the first of holiday packages stuffed with cheer though. For every holiday we get a package with treats, decorations, and all sorts of fun stuff.  Our last one at christmas had lots of candy, a decoration, and a Christmas movie.  Since the day I left for college I have been getting packages like this from my mom.  She even used to put little treats in for my roommates.  I seriously have the best mom who is always thinking of us and doing such awesome things for all of her kids.  

The night that we got our Christmas package, my little sister's facebook status said " I'm putting up Christmas decorations that my mom sent me in the mail."  

Mom, you are awesome.  Thanks again we LOVE it.

p.s. I guarantee that candy wont make it to Valentines Day!

The Rasmussen Family

I never got around to posting these pictures and I wanted to get them up here forever ago, but better late then never.  A few days after Christmas my family went and got some pictures taken.  It was really fun because A) We had baby Kaden there and we just gushed over him. B) My little brother Jake was the only one without a significant other so we gave him a hard time about it. C) My brother Jordan was posing like a pregnant lady, looking down upon and admiring his belly.  I guess you had to be there, but it was a lot of fun, and here are some of the pictures.

Here is my family, I love them to pieces!-

First we have baby Kaden Jay Rasmussen.  He is the youngest and cutest member of the Rasmussen family.  He is the only grandchild and we love him to pieces.  He is also the first boy with the last name Rasmussen and so he is the only  great grandchild so far to carry on the Rasmussen name. 

Next we have Jordan and Aubrey Rasmussen.  Jordan is my older brother of about 19 months or so.  He was one of my best friends in high school and I was pretty devastated when he left on his mission.  He is the nice happy peace making child of our family. He is currently in the Psych program at the U of U.  His wife Aubrey is one of the nicest and coolest people I have ever met! I am soooo glad my brother married such a great person who is so great to him. Oh and I forgot to mention, he is a DIE HARD Real Salt Lake fan.  He has season tickets and a blog devoted to them called View From the North Goal. Check it out.

Next we have Justin and I. You already know us. And I hate this picture of myself but Justin looks great as always.  I can always count on him to save pictures because he has the EXACT same face in every picture. It is actually pretty funny.

Next up is Caleb and soon to be Julie Banks.  This is my little sister and her fiance. Julie is currently a freshman at BYU Prove (boo)! Julie is such a fun girl who is smart, energetic, talented and beautiful.  She is barely five feet tall, but don't let the small exterior fool you, she is a firecracker! She plays the piano beautifully and is mostly self taught.  She is gorgeous with amazing green eyes and the deepest auburn hair ever. She is my only sister, and we can drive each other crazy, but I love her to no end.  Caleb is her fiance.  He is a marine and is going to be stationed over seas for most of the year. When he returns they will be married on November 21st. YEAH!  He is a really great, funny and sweet guy.  They are lucky to have each other. 

Next up is my baby brother Jake who towers over us all at just over 6 feet tall, remember my sister is barely 5 feet I am 5'2 and so is my mom.  My dad is 5'8 and Jordan is a little shorter then that. Jake is an incredible person. He is a senior in high school. He is the gifted child. He has over a 4.0 GPA amazing test scores, and he tutors kids after school.  Not only that he was the number one spot on the varsity tennis team and he played varsity golf as well.  And not only that, he is soooo kind and soooo funny.  He makes us laugh all the time.  We love Jake so much.

And last but not least, My mom and Dad.  My Dad is Jay. He is a Colonel in the U.S. Army.  He has been a hard worker and has sacrificed so much for his family.  People always think he is going to be some tough army guy (especially Justin before he met him), but my dad is the life of the party.  He is so fun and crazy.  He loves to play jokes and always has us laughing.  He is a great person and a wonderful Father.

My Mom is Jane.  She truly is one of my very best friends.  When we talk on the phone it is usually for over 2 hours or until one of our phones die.  We have sooo much in common.  I am my mothers daughter and I love that I have turned into a mini her.  She has the kindest heart and loves her kids with all her heart.  She has always been there for us and no matter how old we all get, all of us kids still need our mom in our life.

Here is one of all of us. Notice how Jake has to kneel because he is so tall.  And notice how him kneeling is the same height as my mom sitting on a stool. 

The Siblings.

p.s.  Did you notice how we are all J's? Jay, Jane, Jordan, Jessica, Julie, and Jacob.  I am the only child that stayed true and Married a J. Thanks Justin for fitting in so well.  But we love Aubrey, Caleb and Kaden too.

p.p.s. When Justin and I have kids should we name them all J's too to keep it going? We do have one name picked out that we like. Ji'Shaku.  What do you think?

p.p.p.s Ji'Shaku is the name this crazy magnetic force game that my mom got us for Christmas.  We thought it was so rad we would name a kid after it.  

Thanks a lot Punxstutawney Phil!

Happy Groundhog Day to all!  

Last night Justin and I watched Groundhog Day which is such a great movie.  I was hopeful that today, the beloved ritual would end in the result of Phil the groundhog not seeing his shadow, and this horrible winter would come to an end, but that is not how it all played out.  Phil, you really disappointed me this year man! He saw his shadow.  Winter will continue on for six more weeks.  Now don't get me wrong, I am not deranged.  I know that living in Minnesota the winter has no possibility of ending in just six weeks, but I was hoping for the earliest end to winter possible.  Just so you all know and can all have pity on me, this has been one of the coldest Januarys in Minnesota history.  In fact I think we were only a day or two short of the record.  It is COLD here.  Think warm thoughts for me.