One of my friends from college is on an anti-clickbait kick, clickbait being the articles on places like buzzfeed and HuffPo and Cracked that are lists of things and basically not important to anything at all yet still get circulated through the internet. But I was making lists of things for DirtySean.com since I started it, and I don’t write lists like those sites very often. But in honor of my friend’s campaign against clickbait here are some articles that are NOT clickbait, you know, the kind you have to actually read.
Should I learn to Code at Age 27? is a really good read about considering your different life choices when you need to move forward to something better.
This is an incredibly fascinating article about finding the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. If you love baking I strongly recommend reading it and learning the science behind what goes into the perfect cookie.
Gala Darling was one of the bloggers that inspired me to start a blog in the first place. I really like this article where she reminds us that if we really don’t like doing something, we don’t have to do it.
I love articles about the realities of marriage. Jamie the Very Worst Missionary is one of my favorite bloggers and has a really familiar way of writing that makes you think that you’re getting an email from your friend who moved to Cali last year and she just wants to update you on her life. This post about celebrating 20 years of marriage is such a gem and so funny.
I read this article a while ago and just reread it to see if I wanted to include it. I forgot how it speaks so truthfully about the differences between falling in love when you’re ready and falling in love because you’re lonely. It also throws in the difference between love and infatuation, which I completely agree with.
I have been reconnecting with an old friend on facebook who I haven’t seen in a bajillion years, and it turns out she might be the only other christian woman blogger in maine… at least that I can find thus far! Her blog has a lot to do with homesteading, since she is now married and has some kiddos to take care of, but I recently asked her if she had a post about how she met her husband and she didn’t soooooooo she wrote it for me. #winning
The difference between New York Skinny and Paris Skinny is so relateable since I have also found myself moving from one place to another and having lifestyle changes that lead to (gulp) weight gain.
I am so grateful for the friends I have made who I don’t see very often, which is quite a few of them these days. I am even grateful that I don’t see them too often because it makes the time that I do spend with them become more important.
I am thankful for my family, even though I want to kill them all once a day. Without them I would not be who I am today.
A year ago on Easter my parents and I decided to check out a little church in the Mills because we were hoping against hope that there would be a church in the area to plug in to. God faithfully provided us with a place that would become our community, and it’s been such a blessing.
As I am currently sick I am grateful that generally I am not.
If music were not a thing, if it didn’t exist… well, let’s not talk crazy. I’m so glad it is.
Daylight makes everything better. I’m so happy that it stays lighter later in the day. The sun really has been missed.
Speaking of sun, I get to go visit my dear friend in Texas and hopefully meet her brand new son in less than 2 weeks! I know I’ll be complaining about the heat, but I get to see her and I’ve missed her very much!
I am thankful that while I have been sick I have been able to just rest my body. It shouldn’t seem like a big deal, because generally unemployment suuuuuuucks, but if I couldn’t just snug up in my bed yesterday I would not have made it to church to paint faces of children this morning.
I am thankful that God is still, for some reason I don’t understand, pursuing my heart. He is relentless in his pursuit, and for some reason wants to make sure I get to be the one that celebrates Christ’s fulfillment of the law and victory over death. He just keeps winning me over.
I am grateful for creativity, and being able to make things with my hands.
Thank God that bugs don’t live inside my room. Thank you Jesus!
And I am thankful that even when I am running on empty and almost completely dry I can still manage to find things to be thankful for, even with a small list, because it will lead to a bigger one.
If you don’t live in New England or you live under a rock let me inform you of a little bit of weather we’ve been having: way too much snow all the time. It’s enough to make me hibernate AKA binge-on-Netflix-and-crochet-a-baby-blanket-all-day. That said, I’ve really been trying to explore what’s available on this revolutionary and splendid web site and have come up with 12 shows I’d readily advise anyone to watch.
For A Classic: The Lady Vanishes
I saw this one updated on Masterpiece Theater but it’s nothing compared to the original. It’s got mystery, wit, romance, suspense, and action. It’s by far one of Hitchcock’s less terrifying movies, but I’m just fine with that due to being an enormous baby when it comes to those things.
If You Want To Know What Everyone Is Talking About: Parks and Recreations
I never should have started watching this show. It’s a bit slow to start off, most people say the first few episodes just remind them of the office, but if you stick with it you’ll discover some of the best comedy and most delicious characters that are on TV right now.
For The Fictional History Nut: The Tudors
I waited a long time to watch this because I knew I’d be stuck in one spot for a long time. This show brought my beloved Henry Cavil to everyone’s attention before the whole Superman thing. It’s part fantasized historical drama and part scandalous affairs, and you can’t ever tell whose side you’re on because even the characters with the worst intentions (Anne Boleyn anyone?) are so human that you can relate to them.
If You Like Indy Movies With Heart: Safety Not Guaranteed
Once upon a time there was an ad placed in a paper asking for someone to accompany the seeker in his journey back in time. Someone decided to take that ad and write a movie based off of it. Complete fiction, aside from their inspiration, but the movie is absolutely charming and heartrendingly genuine.
If You Like Indy Movies With No Heart: Bachelorette
Not for the faint of heart! Four BFFs are reunited when one of them is getting married, but don’t expect this to be Bridesmaids. Bridesmaids didn’t deal with drugs, eating disorders, bullying, abortions, or go to strip clubs without any shame. Not to mention making jokes and awkward situations at every turn.
For Those Who Want To See Through A Child’s Eyes: What Maisie Knew
This is a film about a child that is not in any way a children’s movie. Maisie is at the center of her (often neglectful) parents break up, generally taken care of by the nanny (before the nanny marries her father) or her mother’s new husband. The film is almost entirely shot in a way that makes everything seen from Maisie’s perspective, which makes for enchanting images and reveals heartbreaking truths about what effects children. Not to mention Alexander Skarsgård holding her little hand in his big hand…I die.
If You Want To Feel Sad And Perhaps Cry: The Other Woman
Natalie Portman gives another great performance as a home wrecker whose baby died in infancy. The strain placed on the marriage, the bitterness towards her husband’s child, the guilt and devastation that follows trauma all are shown in this thought provoking movie.
For Classic Marilyn: How To Marry A Millionaire
Three of the biggest actresses of their time (Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall) are living together with one goal in mind: marrying rich. Their adventures and misadventures are so funny, especially since they don’t have a clue who they are actually flirting with. My favorite thing is that Marilyn’s character is blind as a bat without her glasses but won’t wear them in public, so her foibles are so silly. It’s by far her most underrated movie, in my opinion.
If You’re In The Mood For Drama: Regarding Henry
I saw this movie when I was younger and loved it, so I had to add it to my queue. Harrison Ford’s character is a jerk in a dysfunctional marriage that gets shot in the head and loses his memory. The revelations that occur about who he was before and about where his priorities are shocking for him, and his wife’s journey through the process is just as difficult. It’s ultimately an incredible movie about a dangerous awakening to the realization of where you have been and where you want to be.
For Those Into Abnormalities: The Tiniest Girl In The World
I’m not going to lie to you, when I was in college I was sort of obsessed with Primordial Dwarfism. There was a show on TLC about it and I couldn’t get enough. This show centers on Two-year-old toddler Charlotte who weighs just seven pounds and could have a rare form of primordial dwarfism. It’s sort of terrifying to learn about the health issues that this little girl has, especially when she is so sweet and has such a short life expectancy.
If You Want Inspiration From A Fantastic Woman: Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel
A Documentary about the fabulous and industry changing life of Diana Vreeland, one of Vogue’s most celebrated editors, following her life from childhood through her years at the MET. The woman knew fashion, and marketing, and how to make women aspire to be more than they were. It’s fascinating.
For Those Who Just Want A Pizza Movie: My Future Boyfriend
A new classic from the ABC Family TV movie archive, My Future Boyfriend is the perfect combination of cheesy, gooey, and heart warming. It centers on a man from the future who travels back in time after discovering a romance novel that describes things he doesn’t understand, such as love and lust. He finds the author and during their attempts to understand each other, they do what must be done: fall in love.
Knowing God’s comfort has been so essential to me this year. Last year at this time I was driving to the airport in Boston with my brother to pick up Derek. Last year right after Thanksgiving Derek came over and made us Jack Daniels Cheese Burgers. They were delicious. That was the last time I saw him before he died. The only thing that has kept me in some semblance of sanity is knowing who God is and that he is near to the brokenhearted.
God has provided for me and my family time and again this year. When I needed a job, He dropped one in my lap. When I needed another job He guided me to it. He has been able to keep a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.
My parents just had their 3rd anniversary. Technically they were married for 20 years and then divorced, and then remarried each other. They don’t make marriage look easy, but they do prove that they have the will to fight for their relationship.
We found a church to be a part of that is local and incredibly sweet. God managed to help us find a part of his body to be a part of when we really needed it, and I am personally so thankful for that.
My distance from my BFF has become much smaller, which is one of the very best parts of living in Maine. Maybe the only part I like most days. It’s much easier to make plans to see her when I don’t have to travel 4 hours to do so.
Brady was brought into the world this year. As my BFF’s firstborn I know that I will forever love the little man. I don’t get to see him nearly enough but I’m even thankful for hearing him cry over the phone.
God has been really faithful to slam doors in my face this year. This is something I have learned after the fact, and something I have been very humbled by. When the things I wanted were in reach and God decided they weren’t what I needed he took them away, even with me kicking and screaming to have them back. And now I can see these restrictions as blessings.
Being able to hang out with my brother is my choice favorite. He and I are both getting busier with work, but I wouldn’t be able to handle life without him this year. I already love him, but the more I get to know him and his character the more pride I take in what kind of person I’m related to.
Books have been a very good thing recently, even if it’s just rereading old favorites.
Being single is not always something I feel blessed about but the more I learn about myself and where God needs to work on my heart the more I am thankful that no one else has to deal with me right now.
I still get to cut hair on the side and that is such a blessing. It’s still what I love to do, but I’m sort of glad I don’t have to work in a salon. I never seem to fit in to them.
Dirty Sean 