Because There is Such A Movie Buzz These Days

I like to watch movies, sometimes. I go through phases. Sometimes I will watch a couple of movies a day and then I won't see anything at all for several months. And I very rarely go to the movie theater; it is way too expensive to sit through something that I ultimately don't like. So when I do go on a movie kick, I prefer it be at home, on my couch, in front of my television with a bowl of popcorn and a tall glass of Pepsi. With ice please.

Here are my top 3 movies that I will watch over and over. And No, none of them are up for an Academy Award. In fact, I don't think I've seen any of those movies yet.

1.Harry Potter 1,2,3,4,5 or 6. Yes, that is technically 6 movies on my top 3 list but it is what it is. I'm putting them all into one category. I love Harry Potter, in the book and on the screen. You should already know that about me. Moving on. I will watch a Potter movie several times in one day, if it's showing. And you better call in the back up dinner maker/house cleaner if there is a Harry Potter weekend movie marathon. Love it.

2.Crash. I've not been able to watch this movie nearly as much as I would like to. But that does not make it any less fabulous. Not only is the story line fantastic, it's true. All the stereo tying and racial slurs are spot on. They say things in that movie that we have ALL thought at some point in out lives but don't dare say out loud.

3.Pulp Fiction. I love this movie for the story, the actors and of course, the music. And I want someone to lie to me and tell me that they've never recreated the dance scene between John Travolta and Uma Thurman. Anyone who has ever seen this movie has done some form of this dance. And the quotes. There are so many fantastic quotes from this movie but I will share just one...

Jules: The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.


Care to share your favorites? Comment away.

A Truly Wonderful Day!

President Obama recently visited my area. I was absolutely overjoyed when I learned he was coming and equally disappointed when I learned that I'd missed my chance to get tickets to see him speak. So I did the next best thing, I bundled up my sweet Micah and we waited outside for the Presidential motorcade to pass by.

We waited on the main street he was to travel down for just over an hour before Our President drove by. I was so pleased to have my son, niece and nephew there to experience it too. I got a pretty decent video of the procession but it was kind of hard to do as Micah, naturally, had no idea what was going on would have no parts of staying in his stroller. So I had to hold him as I tried to capture this small, yet huge piece of wonderfulness on camera. I hope to share that video with you soon.

But in the meantime, I do have some pictures from that day's event that an old high school friend was kind enough to let me post here. This is Kim and her son Reece:
Kim's son wanted very badly to go see President Obama speak but she was unable to get tickets. For several days she was on Facebook asking anyone who had tickets to the event and couldn't attend to please pass them on to her so she could take her son. No such luck on that though so she was planning on taking him to see the motorcade like most of the people without tickets would most likely do.


I started hearing rumors late Thursday night about where President Obama was supposed to be going for lunch. I thought that maybe I'd take my chances and try to go there but I dismissed that idea just as fast figuring the Secret Service would have the place on lock down and wouldn't be the slightest bit swayed by Micah's sweet face and his chant of "OBAMA! OBAMA!" (Which eventually turned into a chant of OGRANDMA! OGRANDMA!) I never really thought of going to this place for more than about two minutes, literally. But Kim took her chances and headed to the restaurant/bar where Obama did in fact dine early Friday afternoon. Even better, she and her son were able to meet him and have this awesome photo-op! I'm so happy that her son will have such a wonderful memory and story to share with his own children someday. And I'm super grateful that she let me share the pictures with my readers!

I believe Kim will be stopping by and hopefully she will give us more details in the comments about how the experience was for the two of them...hint, hint!

Since the day that Oprah gave away Amazon's Kindle on one of her Favorite Things shows, my interests have been piqued in this new age of ereaders. However, I was never too serious about hunting around for the best product or to even see what was available on the market because of the high price tag. Until recently, that is.

And I'm so excited! I've been doing my research for the last several months and had my heart initially set on the Kindle, which I don't think anyone who knows about ereaders will argue, is the industry standard. It has all the bells and whistles, and I do like bells and whistles. But after further research and knowing my reading habits, I was quickly turned off to the Kindle when I realized that if I own this product, my book swapping days are essentially over. And avid readers know that books can be a huge social event as well as a self fulfilling pleasure. Not to mention that exchanging books with fellow readers saves lots of money for everyone involved. But then I stumbled upon the Barns & Noble Nook. WOOOHOOO! I immediately fell in love and found my ereader. It supports several different file formats and allows you to lend books to other Nook owners. Furthermore, it runs on the Android operating system which is growing by leaps and bounds daily. I could go on and on about the tech specs, but I won't. I'll just say that I'm in love! And mine is expected to ship on Feb. 12, just in time for a late birthday present, but right on time for Valentine's Day. And since my husband knows how much I've been drooling over this ereader, a combo gift is just fine with me, this year :)

If you'd like to check out the Nook for yourself, click here.

I've been thinking a lot about the power of music. The emotions that can arise when you take the time to listen to lyrics. Or the memories that seem to hit you like a ton of bricks because you remember that song was playing when (fill in the blank).

I was in bed the other day attempting to take a nap. I was listening to the radio spilling over from Micah's room. I couldn't fall asleep because my mind was racing from all the remembering. One song brougt back a memeory from high school. Just driving around aimlessly with my best girlfriend at the time singing at the top of our lungs just for the hell of it. But it is not only the memory that the song brings that I enjoy so much, it is the emotion. I can remember exactly the way I was feeling. I can remember how much fun I was having at that very moment and I can remember thinking that I want to remember this distinct moment for the rest of my life. And because of a song, I do. I think that is amazing!

Recently I was listening to my MP3 player and a particular song from my wedding started playing. I was on the verge of tears as I remembered dancing with my husband for the first time as a married couple. Then I realized I wasn't alone and needed to pull it together. Although I doubt most people forget special songs from their weddings, I am still surprised by the enormity of emotion that comes along with that particular song each and every time I hear it. You'd think that I would be used to it by now :)

Music speaks to me in so many different ways and on so many different levels. Music has the power to evoke tears of joy or make me sob like a small child who just skinned her knee for the first time. Music has the power to bring people together who would normally have nothing common. Music is truly magical.

Time to Reflect

The holiday season is coming to a close. The year is just a few days from being categorized as just another piece of history. Often this time of year brings us to a point in our lives where we reflect. We reflect on the things gone wrong, the things that have gone right and the things we hope to accomplish in the future...

It's been a trying year. My husband was out of work for almost half of it. But I can honestly say that it wasn't too awful. You learn to live on a lot less and be grateful for what you have.

Although finical difficulties can result in an overwhelming amount of familial distress, it can also result in some unexpected glorious times. My husband and I have been together for 7 years, married for 4. Never have we had the opportunity to spend so much time with each other or with our children. I am truly appreciative that my husband's time at home gave him the opportunity to watch our youngest child grow and develop in a way he never got to experience with our oldest. Time can't be recovered. Life only gives you one shot at the "firsts" and I thank God that we got to experience so many firsts as a family. From the milestones a toddler tackles to the puffing out of the chest as the teenage boy makes that awkward transition into a young man. Life is good .

As far as the future, who knows what it holds. Life is so full of uncertainty. I have learned that for sure. I can only hope that we can continue to remain, and grow to be an even stronger family. Of course, there are things that I hope the new year will bring, but as I reflect on the past, those "things" are of a different caliber this time. And THAT is a blessing.

Happy Halloween!!

I've always liked to celebrate Halloween but I've never been a huge fan of dressing up and begging for candy. I prefer to decorate my house (in more of a harvest theme than Halloween) and buy candy to stash around the house. I do enjoy passing out candy to YOUNG trick-or-treaters. And I thoroughly enjoyed dressing my little one up and taking him to a handful of pre-selected neighbor's houses dressed as the most adorable lion I've ever seen before we passed out candy from home. (Yes, I know that I'm biased.)


The other side of Halloween is the Dark Side. And I do believe that there are all kinds of people out there who truly believe that the evils of the world freely walk the streets on All Hallows Eve. Which brings me to the point of this post...

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?

Honestly, I have mixed opinions about this topic. I've had some strange things happen to me, unexplained noises and things breaking that shouldn't. And our late Lacie dog used to stare into the same corner of the living room while barking and growling for hours upon hours sometimes. Micah often looks up to this same spot while pointing and talking his baby gibberish. IF there is indeed some type of something lurking in our house, it really doesn't seem to bother anyone. I do get a little weirded out when I think about it sometimes. But for the most part, ghosts, spirits etc., are not something that I take too seriously nor do I think every single person who claims to have some type of paranormal experience is making it up.

In the comments...what is your opinion on this matter or do you have your own experiences to share?

I think just may be time to let this blog go...I just can't seem to ever find the time...