What happens when you hang out at a mall with no intention of buying anything for yourself? You buy something for yourself, of course. My friend and I were hunting for bridesmaids shoes for her maid of honor, and then got distracted by bachelorette party dresses, and then I got distracted by some absolutely adorable everyday dresses, such as this one…

Flowered dress, DEB
Blue cardigan, thrifted
Red shoes, thrifted
Red purse, work clothing swap

Seriously, how cute is that? I love the red-lined pockets, which you can’t see in this picture, but whatever. It’s like spring! On a dress! Throw some baby duckies in and you’ve got a spring festival! I also really love the red shoes, but you already knew that.

I’m not in the habit of spending lots of money on dresses, so I almost didn’t get it. In fact, I asked a few people for their opinion before taking the tags off, in case I decided to return it. In the end, though, I got suckered into the springy adorableness of it.

Speaking of springy adorableness, we now have three families of geese here at our complex! SO FREAKING CUTE!! Here, have some squees.

Florence + The Machine might be surpassing Portishead and Massive Attack as my favorite artists. I’m not sure why – I’m not in love with their latest CD, Ceremonials, although I do like it. There’s just something about their music that strikes me to the core, which is what real music does. It’s what all of my favorite artists do, in some way or another. This is my latest favorite from Ceremonials.

Florence + The Machine “Seven Devils”

I recently attended a Green Dot Bystander Training. What’s Green Dot? Think of Outbreak or one of those movies where they have a rapidly spreading epidemic. Know how they put the red dots on the map to signify where a case is, and eventually it spreads until it covers the map? Now think of a red dot being put on a map every time that a violent act occurs. The only difference? Violence isn’t an epidemic – it’s a social norm. So what can we do?

Well, what would happen if, one by one, we changed those dots on the map from red to green? What would a world like that look like? It’s easier than you may think. Green Dot is the latest strategy to prevent and counteract violence in our communities. The idea is that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

I honestly didn’t think that I would be a very effective green dot. I’m not passive-aggressive, but I also don’t like conflict. I’ll deal with it if I have to, but I definitely don’t like to put myself into situations that would lead to conflict. I decided to go to the Green Dot training in order to learn skills that would help me become more effective. As it turns out, I was an effective Green Dot all along!

Being a Green Dot doesn’t mean that I’m going to walk up to the person hitting their child, or the partner verbally berating their partner, or the stranger who just drugged another stranger’s drink – although I might. Instead, I can do multiple things to help prevent a Red Dot (violence) from happening. When I see someone hurting a child, I could go up to them and say something direct about the situation OR I could distract that person from hurting the child OR I could get another person or a group involved. I could tell someone who could help. I could call the police. I could do so many things that could stop or prevent a Red Dot. So could you.

The best thing about Green Dot is that it works with every personality type – those who are afraid to get involved, those who are worried that it’s none of their business, those who feel like it’s not their concern. It gives every person tools to act. It doesn’t say that you should be fearless or put yourself in harm’s way. In fact, a sign of true bravery isn’t the absence of fear – it’s realizing that something is more important than fear. So the next time you see a Red Dot happening or starting, what are you going to do?

I’m going to act.

1. Just last Saturday, I went through a Green Dot Bystander Training through SVC. What is Green Dot? Well, it’s a fantastic violence prevention strategy that works for any personality type. Think of a violent act, or something that could lead to a violent act, as a “red dot”. In these situations, you’ve got the perpetrator and the victim…who’s left? EVERYONE ELSE! There are so many things that we can do to prevent violence in our communities. When we see it happen, we can tell someone in charge or get a group together. We can distract the people in the situation to diffuse it. We can confront those involved directly if we feel comfortable. It doesn’t require supreme levels of courage – it just requires a wish to help another human being. What if the person being hurt was someone you loved? The training was incredibly engaging and motivating – I highly encourage you to check out the next one!

2. I’m a bridesmaid in my friend’s wedding this June, so I’ve been trying to be engaged in all of the pre-events and prep work before then. She had her bridal shower this month, which was lovely. I’m quite sad because she and her soon-to-be husbo are moving to Florida right after the wedding, but I suppose that just gives me an excuse to visit!

3. Just two hours ago, I donated blood for my work-sponsored blood drive. In the past, I would donate blood very quickly, partly due to nerves and partly due to not eating enough before I came to donate. The last time I donated, I started out lying down, and that really helped. I decided to try that again this time, but apparently I hadn’t eaten enough hearty food, because I got quite dizzy and nauseated after I donated this time. I think I’m just not cut out for whole blood donation – I’ll stick with giving platelets. Have you donated lately?

4. April was a HUGE month for me at work. The third week of April is National Volunteer Week, so we host our annual volunteer appreciation event during this week. In past years, it’s been fun, but I wanted to make it a big deal this year. The theme was “You’re a Rockstar!” It was an incredibly successful evening, with almost 50 attendees, delicious food, and fantastic entertainment by ComedySportz. That being said, it was quite exhausting. But totally worth it.

5. In case you didn’t know, April is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Since I volunteer with SVC, a fantastic sexual assault advocacy agency, this issue is near and dear to me. To help spread awareness and recognize survivors of sexual assault, I attended a candlelight vigil hosted by SVC. It was a lovely evening of music, stories, and sharing. Please consider supporting the important work of SVC either through volunteering or donating.

6. I finally treated myself to an amazing massage earlier this month with my awesome friend, Kimberly. She had never had a massage before, and I had two 50% the first massage coupons, so it was an ideal match. It was SO good. I was incredibly tense from a lot of work stress, so my massage therapist ended up spending most of the hour working on knots in my shoulders, but it still felt great. I definitely need to find a way to do that more often. Mmmm…

7. I also got my bridesmaids dress fitted this month. Why is that exciting enough to be in the monthly pictures? Well, dear readers, I purchased my dress right at the beginning of my Weight Watchers journey. When I went in to have it fitted, I had dropped at least one whole size! They took in about an inch from both sides of my dress, all the way down. What a fantastic feeling! I just hope I don’t drop too much before June…otherwise my dress isn’t going to stay on. =/

8. Thanks to my dear friend, Sarah, I learned about the amazing store that is Flamingos Divine Finds. Flamingos is a retro/antique/vintage shop that’s open five days each month. They have adorable finds at great prices! I was lucky enough to score a cigar table for Doug, which was a great find since he’s been looking for one since we moved last August. If you’re in the Minnesota metro area, definitely check this place out!

9. I took my very first spinning class this month with the lovely Sarah. Oh. My. God. It’s killer. My legs were sooo sore over the next couple of days. But we both made it through the class, which was the goal! It sounds like we’re going to have a free 30-minute spinning class just for my colleagues and I – should be pretty sweet. Minus the wrenching leg pain afterward.

Any big happenings for you in April?

Let’s be totally honest here – April 2012 was not the best month for movies. At least, not when considering the amazing spread of movies coming out this year. Regardless, I did see two movies in the theater this month – The Cabin in the Woods, which was odd and yet quite interesting; and The Five-Year Engagement, which I’m going to review for April.

*Note: This review contains spoilers!

It should be said right off the bat that I adore Jason Segel. He’s got pretty much exactly my sense of humor, so I find his writing and acting style to be hilarious and lighthearted. Per usual, I really enjoyed him in this role. I also really enjoyed Alison Brie as Suzie – I thought she was ideal in that role. But honestly, it took me a long time to wrap my head about Emily Blunt in the role of Violet. I don’t know why it did, but it just…did. Same with Chris Pratt as Alex, although I think that was more due to dislike of his character in the first half of the movie.

Despite my iffiness with some of the characters, I loved the honesty of the plot. Violet and Tom go back and forth on getting married so many times that you can’t help but wonder if they should bother. It also showed just how much we’ll endure for another person when we’re in love. The best part of the movie? Definitely the end where they plan an entire wedding in about 5 minutes. Absolutely adorable. Super close runner-up favorite moment was when Violet and Suzie were arguing in Sesame Street lingo and Violet says “C is for condom!”. Okay, you might have to see the movie to get that one.

Overall, I have to give this movie 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. I liked it, it was quality and had some decent jokes, but it isn’t one I’ll be adding to my shelves.

You know I love Florence + The Machine. I finally got the music my brother..erm…secured for me, which happened to be 538 songs. He’s a music dude. Anyway, that music included F+TM’s second CD, Ceremonials. I don’t love it as much as the first, but I am super into the first song on it. It reminds me of my grandmother in a sense. And that’s always nice. Enjoy!

Florence + The Machine “Only If For The Night”

I recently scored another haul at the local Goodwill, thanks to my fabulous friend and unofficial personal shopper, Nina, also known as Ninja. Wait, am I actually going to show you what I got for once? Yup, you got it. In a fit of wanting-to-wear-new-clothes-dom, I decided to wear a new item every day this week. To start off…

Polka dot shirt, Goodwill (this trip)
Faux waist skirt, Goodwill (this trip)
Black tights, DSW
Black kitten heels, Goodwill, or Unique, or something

I never would have picked out this skirt if it weren’t for Ninja. It looks much too small when it’s hanging on a rack, but once I put it on, I found that it didn’t squeeze my chub like I expected it to. The waist is a tall piece of fabric that folds over perfectly into a faux belt, which makes it cute and versatile. Win win! I also really like the polka dotted shirt. It makes me want to get a yellow cardigan to wear over it. Yes, just yellow.

Gray dress, Goodwill (this trip)
Green cardigan, Goodwill
Black belt, Payless
Red shoes, Unique

How much do I love this outfit? THIS much:

Yeah. I know. It’s the red shoes.

Yellow shirt, Goodwill (this trip)
Butterfly skirt, Goodwill (this trip)
Black tights, DSW
Black kitten heels, somewhere extra special that I clearly can’t remember

Why, yes, my hair color IS different! Why, yes, you CAN’T tell! I dyed it on Tuesday night to a strawberry blonde color that I’m not so sure about yet. I’m getting used to it, but I’m probably going to add red lowlights to give it some more dimension. Why, yes, my outfit DOES look fantastic against that red wall! I asked my friend to take the shot after we had din-din. The wall was lucky happenstance. Why, yes, I AM looking super awkward! This was in public outside of the restaurant. And I like awkward shots.

Blue shirt, Goodwill (this trip)
Gray skirt, gotten so long ago that I have no idea
Black tights, DSW
Black kitten heels, you know the story

Yup, I wore the same shoes pretty much all week. Why? Because I made the mistake of killing my feet earlier this week and those were the lowest heels I have. And these outfits clearly required heels. My poor feetsies. The pain I put you through. Anyway, this shirt is quite cute when it’s on, but has a dangerously low neckline, as is not evidenced in the above picture. But it worked.

Blue cardigan, Goodwill (this trip)
White angel shirt, Victoria’s Secret
Blue jeans, Old Navy

I don’t actually love this outfit. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay – I just think I could have done a better job with pairing this cardigan. It’s a small, too, so it’s a bit tricky for it to look as good. But it looked okay on the day of.

So there you have it. Many new finds, thanks to the lovely Ninja. Now I’m off to go eat my all of my Weight Watchers points at SmashBurger and see The Cabin in the Woods. Will that be my April movie review? Wait and see, ninjas. Wait and see.

When even the sloth judges you, you know it’s time to step it up.

See more disapproving (but adorable!) animals at Buzzfeed!

I usually don’t go for a live version of songs if I can help it, but I’m feeling lazy tonight. Sorry, readers. You probably don’t know this, but my dear iPod of 5 years recently died. I would mourn and then replace it, but the tape player in my car, aka my iPod connector, also recently died. Therefore, I’m stuck burning endless CD after CD to fulfill my driving musical needs. And mourning the loss of my iPod. Anyway, I stumbled across this song set (the first leads into the second and they’re much better together) and started listening to it again. Yay for old music finds!

The Mars Volta “Son et Lumiere” and “Intertiatic E.S.P.”

1. In the beginning of the month, Doug and I had dinner with my parents at Khan’s Mongolian Barbeque. I hadn’t been there before, but this place is amazing. Great food that you can put together yourself, made fresh in front of you; fun, upbeat atmosphere, entertaining server – all of it was great. If you can go, go.

2. Obviously, I love Dr. Seuss. I mean, come on. Therefore, you can understand why my mom and I went to see The Lorax. I wasn’t sure what to expect – Dr. Seuss movie adaptations aren’t always the best – but it was quite well-done. It was cute, lighthearted, and refreshing with a good message for kids and the world.

3. Okay, I didn’t really watch cartoons all month, but I did have a Disney day with a couple of friends. Well, it was supposed to be a Disney day, but by the time we got snacks and pizza, we only had time for one movie, so we watched The Aristocats since my friend had never seen it and it’s my favorite. Still a good night!

4. See that? Oh, yeah, I painted that. My friend got us a discount on a 2-hour painting class at Chaos Mai Art Studio. It was fantastic. It was just the two of us, so the class was incredibly focused. Mai (the artist/owner) was an ideal teacher – she taught us how to do the right brush strokes and how to create what we wanted, even though we were each working on something completely different. I would highly recommend it.

5. The best part of my entire month? My new role at my job! I absolutely love the client education I’m doing. The kids are awesome. One comment? “You’re fun to talk to.” Score!

6. If you recall, readers who have stuck with me, I used to coach high school speech. Unfortunately, my work schedule is unpredictable and all over the place now, so I don’t have the ability to do so anymore, but I did get to squeeze in a day of judging at my home school’s tournament. It was great to see the kiddos and coaches. I miss it sometimes, but judging is a good way to keep a toe in that world.

7. Last night, I had a Pure Romance party. I’ve been wanting to host one for a long time and my cousin newly became a consultant, so it worked out well. I have over $100 of products that I want to order, so hopefully more people will put in an outside order (hint, hint – if you want something, talk to me and I’ll get you hooked up!) so I can afford everything I want.

8. After a couple of years of wanting to participate in Pro-Choice Resources annual Bowl-A-Thon, I finally got involved! My colleagues have participated for years, so I joined their team. Although it was a rough time for a few teammates, so we had a smaller team than expected, it was still really fun. Plus it made me realize that I miss bowling. Who knew?

9. Lastly, a friend and I went to Park Square Theatre to see American Family a few weeks ago. She and I have seen quite a few shows together, but I must say, this one was the best we’ve seen together. The actors, especially the girl, were fantastic and the storyline was powerful. Park Square always puts on a great show, but this one was probably my favorite from them.

What’s happened for you this month?