Feeling LOST...

Well, it is around this time of year that LOST used to come on. We've been going through a little bit of withdrawls in this house. After all, it was the best show ever made. While I am missing the show dearly, Kevin has taken its ending quite a bit harder than I have (he went through a little TV depression where he didn't really want to watch anything, because no show could ever compare). I finally got Kevin to suck it up and watch the last season again with me, and it brought back all those old feelings...and tears...and questions.

So, in honor of the greatest TV show ever (and to help fill my blog quota for the month)here it is...a tribute!

...spoiler alert...


My Favorite Characters

~ Charlie Pace and John Locke = For me, it is probably a tie between Charlie and Locke for my absolute fav. They were both so incredibly well rounded and well written. I loved what they did with those characters from start to finish. Charlie, the recovering heroin addict, falling in love with Claire, becoming a best friend to Hurley and a father figure to Aaron, and dying in one of the most dramatic, selfless, and memorable TV deaths ever. And just when we thought that was the end of Charlie, we got to see him in visits to Hurley, and even more poignantly in the "alternate universe" of season 6. Locke, the scared and wheelchair bound weakling, being healed by the island, being ever faithful in a higher purpose, becoming a leader, and even a man to be feared. Even after being killed by my next favorite character, we got to see him come back and so believably play someone menacing.

~ Ben Linus = When Ben appeared on the show, I knew right away that he was not who he claimed to be. Maybe that's because I was biased. I was introduced to Michael Emerson's creepy brilliance on The Practice when he played a man "pretending" to be a serial killer (check out these links here and here...that last one with the ominous music from LOST dubbed over it). Ben was so good at being bad. But even he had his redeeming moments. He was just so enjoying to watch!

~ Sawyer = Ah, the good hearted bad boy. I've always had a thing for bad boys. Sawyer was a sweet talkin con-man. When he came to the island, he never really entirely lost that side of himself. And it was that part that made him the quick with the one liners and spot-on nicknames for other people. His bad attitude made him a great character. And although he was a big part of the Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle, his character was never better than he was when he was with Juliet. Seeing his heart broken at the end of season 5 (and in replays in season 6) was heart wrenching to watch. And I loved his "alternate universe" character, too!

Sheesh, I could probably go on and on about many of the characters (like Hurley's kind heart, Kate's strength, etc.), but I won't.

There are several surveys out there to tell you which LOST character you are. Usually, I come up with an answer of Locke, Claire, or Hurley. This one had me pegged as:

It's a tie!
You are part Locke. You believe that goodness exists in everyone and you let faith and your intuition guide you. Sometimes people try to take advantage of your generosity, but you don't let a few bad apples bring you down. You are at one with nature and you are the first person on everyone's list when they plan a camping trip or hike! You believe in destiny- not coincidences, and you live life to the fullest.
You are part Kate. You're a tough cookie with a soft centre. Because you are extremely independent, you sometimes find it awkward to let your guard down around strangers. Instead of surrounding yourself with superficial people, you prefer to keep a few close friends. And if anyone were to hurt one of your friends they better look out! You keep a close eye on those you care about and are ready to be there when needed.

Which character are you?!

My Favorite Quotes

"You're not John Locke. You disrespect his memory by wearing his face. You are nothing like him." = Jack

"Hey, Freckles." = Sawyer

"All I'm going to get out of him is a snappy one-liner and if I'm real lucky, a brand new nickname." = Jack (talking to Kate about Sawyer)

"See you in another life, brother." = Desmond (and Jack)

"If we can't live together, then we'll die alone." = Jack

"If you say 'live together, die alone" to me Jack, I'm gonna punch you in your face." = Rose

My Favorite Moments

OK, there are just too many. I will preface this part of the post with the fact that I am leaving many (beyond many) out. But that's the fun of a blog, isn't it? You can share some, too!

(...and I am deliberately leaving off my favorites from the last few episodes, because I don't want to ruin anything for those who have yet to watch and love the genius of this show.)

...no particular order...

~The first "appearance" of the smoke monster = Of course back then, I didn't even watch the show. From the previews, it just looked (and sounded) like some sort of dinosaur island. I didn't see the point. Looking back, though, knowing the importance of the smoke monster, I can say that that scene was awesome.

~What?! John Locke was in a wheelchair?! = I can't remember if we found out about this before or after we found out about the island healing Rose. But it really doesn't matter, because this episode was so much more dramatic. It gave us the background behind John's loyalty to the island. Amazing.

~ Oh, Charlie = Oh man, this scene still gets me every time! Isn't it interesting how his act of self-sacrifice both worked and failed at the same time? And then later when Hurley has to tell Claire?! OMG.

~ Ben calls Keemy's bluff...but it wasn't really a bluff = How's that for devastation from a man we thought had no feelings?! It had us wondering just who they were dealing with. What was going to happen next?

~ We have to go back! = What?! It worked? They got off the island? But wait. What happened to Jack? He was so sure that leaving that place was the right thing to do. And...what's going to happen next season if they're not on the island anymore?! Ooh, it was pure shock, awesomeness, and panic.

There are just too many! I have to stop. But PLEASE share some of yours!!

The Finale

Again, I don't want to ruin anything for anyone. So, let me just say that I thought it was brilliant. It was the perfect ending, and I can't imagine it ending any other way. It was very bitter sweet. It answered some questions, but in keeping with the true (frustrating) spirit of LOST, it left other things unanswered. But I think that is kind of the underlying theme of the show (and life for that matter). There are some things that we're not meant to understand. Not all questions get answered. But having faith, even when things are hard and we don't understand, is kind of what faith is all about.

For those of you who have already watched it, here is a site that I linked on facebook after the finale aired last year. I think it's good enough to link again.

Anyway, there it is. I could go on, but I won't. To those who have never seen LOST, or those who gave up on it somewhere along the way. I highly recommend renting or watching via instant Netflix (or something else like it) the entire series. And to those who have seen the whole series, I highly recomend watching it all over again. No, it won't be the same (kind of like watching The Sixth Sense again) but it is still amazing. And just like reading a book for the second time, you will pick up on things you missed the first (or 2nd...or 3rd) time around.


"Not leaving, no. Moving on." :)

Dear So and So...

Well, it's that time again. I was looking back through my blogs and I realized I haven't done one of these posts since March of last year. Sheesh! I guess I've had other snarky things to talk about. Here we go!



Dear Guest/Kids' Bathroom,

What is your problem? Why do you never smell clean? Even after washing the shower curtain and bath mat; scrubbing the shower, sink, floors, and toilet; and Febreezing everything, I can still smell stink! I'm hoping it's just me. Maybe your stink is just stuck in my nose. Hopefully other people can't smell you when they come over. I'm just so tired of you. I don't understand. Is the smell just embedded in the floors and walls now? Is there no hope? UGH!

Frustrated and slightly grossed out,
Cakes



Dear Feet,

Why are you so hard to find shoes for? I know you're huge, but I know you're not the only pair of big woman feet out there. Now, I am not one of those shoe loving women that has to have tons of shoes (although I think that might just be because there aren't tons of shoes available), but I don't think that me wanting closed toe shoes (that aren't sneakers) to cover you in the winter is all that unreasonable. I'm sorry that department stores don't carry shoes big enough to fit you without having to special order. I'm sorry that I can't afford to spend a small fortune on you. I'm sorry that you don't get to look as cute as all the other lady feet out there.

Apologetic and maybe a little bit jealous,
Cakes



Dear First Snow,

You look so beautiful! I love watching you fall. I just got done drinking a glass of hot cocoa with the kids while we stared out the windows at you. It was lovely. We were prentending we lived in the mountains (or Mason said the North Pole or South Pole) and we got to do this all the time. I'm looking forward to making a snowman or two out of you later. Thanks for turning this rainy Sunday in to a fun day!

Very appreciative,
Cakes



Dear KitchenAid Stand Mixer,

How have I made it so long without you? Or maybe the better question is why I have put off getting you for so long. I always talked myself out of needing you, because (let's face it) you're expensive. I said things like, "I'm sure my cookies won't turn out as good if I don't mix them by hand." or "I probably wouldn't use it enough to make it worth the cost." But the truth is...I love you! I'm so glad the other cakes decided to spoil me with you, knowing that I would never buy you for myself.

Very fortunate,
Cakes



Dear Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief,

Although I have never read your book, I am really enjoying your movie. For anyone who remembers anything about their Greek mythology from books like The Odessy and The Iliad, you're really very clever. For those who don't remember, you're still probably plenty entertaining. I think I just might have to read your books now. Thanks for entertaining me today.

Possible new book fan,
Cakes


Dear Jury Duty,

Is it wrong for me to be so excited about having you?! Most people dread it, but it's getting me out of the classroom for a day so yeah, I'm a little excited. :) I probably won't be lucky enough for you to pick me, but something tells me I wouldn't mind too much.

Looking forward to it,
Cakes

A New Year...

A belated Happy New Year to you all (however few of you there are that actually still read my ramblings)!!!

**I've said this before, but it still holds true this year. I'm generally not a fan of resolutions. That's pretty much due to the fact that I'm not very good about keeping them. My heart's in the right place, but either due to laziness...or forgetfulness (or maybe a little of both) those things just don't get done. So for the sake of saving time (for me anyway) I'm going to stick with my "resolutions" from last year (check out that link to read the brilliantly worded post). Now, don't scoff! I actually did make progress with most of those things, but there's always room for improvement, right?!

Now on to better (or at least more fun) things...

**With a new year comes new experiences. The first new experience of the year was Six Flags. We took the kids (along with our friend, Ashley, and her son, Ashton) to Six Flags for the first time yesterday! We got season passes as part of Christmas this year. Now, it's definitely not going to be something that we do every year (it would take the excitement, newness, and "specialness" out of it). But nonetheless, we went. And it was AWESOME! Although I've gotten older, I still love the rides. I took some preemptive Tylenol to keep the headaches to a minimum, and I was ready to rock and roll! I was amazed and quite proud of how brave Hannah and Mason were. When I was their age, I was not nearly as adventurous...and neither was Kevin. They must get it from their Aunt Jaime and their Uncles Brad and Josh...and their Grandpa.

Anyway, they were incredible. They went on every ride they were allowed to go on (which was almost all of them), and even some that they weren't quite tall enough for (that was all Kevin, by the way). Hannah was all about it. There was no stopping her. She wasn't even scared...just excited! Mason got a little scared before and during some of the rides, but he was all smiles after (maybe he was happy to be alive, but he also screamed about how awesome it was). Check out this link for a super-sweet video! Some of the coolest rides were closed, but it was still fantastic! Everything was decorated for Holiday in the Park, we got free refills on our hot chocolate and there were fire pits all around the park (both of which were very needed, because it was super cold), and there was even a snow (ice) hill for the kids to sled down!! The kids had a wonderful time, and so did we. It is sure to be a fun-filled year. We told the kids that their tickets are good all year...for as many times as...we want to take them. :)

Even without Six Flags, I can't wait to see what this year holds for us...and the rest of you! And as Nina Simone, Michael Buble, and Muse (depending on which version you prefer) have all said, "It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life" and a new year "for me....and I'm feeling good".