Movies and Music...

I grew up with a family that loved movies and music.  Some of my favorite memories of home involve movie nights, movie games, singing in the car on road trips, choreographing and performing some pretty amazing dance routines, etc.  We loved going to movies as a family and with friends.  We loved listening to records, tapes, and CD's.  When I started dating Kevin, he had a shared love of movies and music.  Some of my favorite memories of these dating years are wrapped up in the movies we went to see on dates, and the music we would listen to while driving back and forth from San Angelo and Cisco to Abilene.

I have always loved movie soundtracks and scores.  I love that they have a variety of artists all on the same album.  I love that the music can tell just as much of a story as the actual movie.  Recently, two movies have stood out:  The Greatest Showman and A Star is Born.  Hopefully we are passing this love onto Hannah and Mason.  We must be doing an OK job, if they are as excited about the upcoming Bohemian Rhapsody movie as we are!  That being said, I'm going to list some of my favorite music movies...or just movies whose music I love.  And I just know I'll miss some great ones, so feel free to add some of your favorites!  Here you go, in no particular order:

• The Greatest Showman
• A Star is Born
• August Rush
• Begin Again
• Dirty Dancing
• Footloose
• Dream Girls
• Moulin Rouge
• the Harry Potter movies
• Armageddon
• Forest Gump
• Almost Famous 
• Rockstar
• Mr. Holland’s Opus
• Blown Away
• Last of the Mohicans
• Dances With Wolves
• Music and Lyrics
• 8 Mile
• Across the Universe
• School of Rock
• La La Land
• Rocky 4
• Body Guard
• Sister Act and Sister Act 2
• Gnomeo and Juliet
• Romeo and Juliet (1996)
• That Thing You Do
• Grease
• The Holiday

Getting to Know You...

A couple of days ago, a note called "Getting to Know You" popped up in my Facebook feed.  It was just one of the surveys that circulates through social media.  I've always kind of enjoyed them (both doing them myself and reading them from others), as silly as they may be.  Although I seem to get more anti-social the older I get, I do enjoy getting to know the people I already know even better.  Well anyway, it got me thinking about a few questions that Kevin, the kids, and I have been talking about lately.  I'll share them, along with our answers, but I'd love to know your answers as well!

• If you could only listen to one genre of music for the rest of your life, what would it be:
• Kevin and I both chose Rock.  I might have been a bit loose with my definition of Rock:  I figured it could be as all-encompassing as including everything from 50's oldies, to 70's classic rock, to 80's hair bands, to 90's alternative. I think Kevin has a more narrow definition of rock, but whatever.
• Hannah also chose Rock, but it took her a minute to articulate it.  She said, "I don't know.  Maybe country?  No.  But definitely not pop...that would get annoying.  Probably the music you listen to all the time.  Yeah, I like that...it never gets old."
• Mason chose rap.  Now, I love me some rap, but I think a lifetime of nothing but rap could be a bit much.  But oh, well. 
• If you go be a teenager/high-schooler in any decade other than the one you are/were in, what would it be? 
• Kevin and I both chose the 70's.  We both figured it was the coolest and had the best music (classic rock, not disco...although disco is pretty fun, too).  My second choice was the 50's (also largely due to the music).
• Hannah chose the 50's.
• Mason chose the 90's.  
• If you could retire anywhere with money (and proximity/ease of travel to family) was no object, where would it be?
• Kevin chose a house on Pensacola Beach.
• I chose a lake house somewhere in the mountains of Tennessee.  I was figuring it would be far enough north that it wouldn't be ridiculously hot, it would have a snowy winter (but not ridiculously snowy), and it would be gorgeous in the fall.  (This is a totally un-researched choice, by the way...it's just what came to mind.)
• Hannah chose London, because it's classy and old British people would be fun to be around.
• Mason chose a beach house somewhere on the California coast, because:  he loves the beach, he wants to be near LA for his movie making purposes, and he'd also be close to some skiing action.

Then I started looking for some other surveys online.  I came across this one (I took some of the questions from it to answer, below...you should, too):  

• What are you currently reading?  Ancient Origins:  The Tenth Protocol
• What's the first concert you attended?  I think it was Alan Jackson and Lorrie Morgan 
• Where do you most hope to visit?  New England (DC, New York, Boston, Philly, etc.)
• What is your favorite book?  the Harry Potter series
• What's your favorite 90's TV show?  Friends
• What's the best Halloween costume you've ever had?  I loved the witch costume my mom made me in 2nd grade.  But the French maid costume she helped me put together my senior year is probably my favorite.
• What's your favorite word?  I don't really know.  I love words that are fun to say, like:  plethora, tom-foolery, shenanigans, etc.
• What was your first job?  I was a customer service rep (I answered phones) at Pizza Hut before quickly moving up to waitress.
• What's the worst job you've ever had?  Well, I've only ever had 3 jobs (Pizza Hut, JC Penney Optical, and a teacher).  None of them were bad, but I guess selling eye-glasses was my least favorite.  I hated having to try to up-sell people to meet quotas and make commissions.
• What's your most-used emoji?  the crying/laughing face
• If you could win an Olympic medal for any sport, real or fake, what would it be?  maybe chore-dancing...I know you know what I mean...
• What movie or TV show title best describes your week?  I don't know...Little Rascals?
• What was your favorite subject in school?  I loved math until Geometry (proofs ruined it for me), but I always enjoyed my History classes.
• Do you have a hidden talent?  not really...unless you count car singing
• If someone were to play you in a movie, who would you want it to be?  Either Jessica Biel or Blake Lively...but only because we look so alike.  (Ha!)
• What's been on your mind lately?  How fortunate I am.  Wondering why I get to have a clean bill of health when so many others don't?  How can I best use the gift I've been given?  I had to articulate my passion at work, and part of what I decided on was kindness and laughter.  So I've been thinking about how to spread kindness and laughter each day.  I could go on and on...
• What's the last text you sent?  a message to Hannah about laundry
• What's one thing about you that surprises people?  I can't think of a thing.  I'm about as unsurprising as they come.
• What does success mean to you?  having a happy marriage and raising good human beings
• Where is your happy place?  home
• What qualities do you value in the people with whom you spend time?  a sense of humor, among other things
• What's your guilty pleasure?  I don't know if I have one
• If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose?  I hate questions like these.  I guess I'll go with:  funny, frugal, and fortunate

Laughter, Part 2...

This is one of my favorite quotes.  And laughter is one of my very favorite things.  My first blog post about it was here (it's worth checking out just to watch the commercial that's linked in it).  We laugh A LOT in our family...and in our marriage.  It's just the best.  I love how it sounds and how it feels.  I love how it lights up faces and fills a room.  I love when I make Kevin laugh.  It fills me with joy and pride.  I love when the kids are laughing with each other.  It also fills me with joy and pride.  I love when we get together with our siblings and their spouses/kids and the laughter is loud enough to be heard from outside the house.  So now, here are some random musings on laughter:

• I have been told that my laugh is a bit like Julia Roberts'.  I would never dare compare myself with her, but who doesn't love her laugh?!  I'll take it as a compliment!

• Now the answer to that question about 'who doesn't love her laugh' would apparently be Hannah, seeing as how she tends to roll her eyes and get embarrassed when I laugh in public...movies, restaurants, walking through the aisles at Walmart, or going to the mall with Kevin...

• Some of the best laughs I know. (you'll just have to take my word for it, since I don't have video or audio of them...but if you have the privilege of knowing these people, then I'm sure you'll agree):

• My sister-in-law, Heather (one of the first things I loved about her)
• My friend, Jessica Gloria (you can't help but smile when you hear it)
• My brother-in-law, Joel (AKA...wheezy mcgee)
• Mason's no-holding-back laugh (usually at something inappropriate)
• Hannah's mischievous giggles (also usually at something inappropriate)
• Kevin's full-body-writhing laugh (it's something to behold)

• You know how sometimes things just tickle you?  For some reason in that moment they're far funnier than they actually are?  Maybe on another day, or at a different moment in time, you wouldn't have had the same reaction (or over-reaction)?  Well 1 that comes to mind for me is: 

• The labor scene from the movie, Nine Months.  Sure it's funny, but I know full well it's probably not as funny as it was when I watched it with my mom and we just both died...laughing until we cried and then laughing some more.  One of my all-time favorite moments with my mom.  And it still gets me.  Every time.  Maybe because I'm reliving the moment, but whatever the reason I love it!

• My family LOVES watching TV together.  Our favorites are the ones that keep us laughing.  We can (and do) watch them over and over, and they never get less funny...especially The Office.

• The Office
• Friends
• Parks and Rec
• Bob's Burgers
• The Goldbergs

I wish you all lives full of joy and laughter.     :)

     

Positivity...

Positive Polly, Negative Nelly, Hopeful Holly, and Debbie Downer.  You know these gals, right?  (I actually wrote a children's book that I have yet to attempt publishing called Negative Nelly that was loosely based on my sweet Hannah...ha-ha-ha.)  They're flip sides of the same coins.   And we all have days where we're more Debbie than Holly or more Nelly than Polly...and visa-versa.  I like to consider myself a pretty positive person, and according to the Gallup Strengths survey positivity is one of my top-5 strengths.  I try to see the cup as half-full...to look through rose-colored glasses...to look on the bright side...and to find the silver lining in situations.  Though sometimes I slip, I just say a little prayer, and get back to more hope-filled thoughts.

 As I've been preparing for the upcoming school year, I've thought about an article we read at a staff meeting last year about marigolds and walnut trees.  (You can read it in its entirety here.  It's about teachers, but I think it fully applicable to everyone regardless of occupation or lack thereof.)  In short:

• Experienced gardeners know the benefits of planting marigolds. They are a companion plant. They protect other plants from weeds and pests, and encourage growth.  Human marigolds also encourage, support, and nurture growth in others. Their positive energy is contagious. They have a growth mindset.  We need to seek them out. We need to be the marigold for others.
  
• Walnut trees produce a toxic chemical that kills off other growth around them. They’re lovely on the outside, but at the root is the poison.  Human walnut trees look at others in a negative way. Being around them can make you feel insecure and discouraged. They breed negativity.  
  

I've been thinking about where I was a year ago.  And thinking about those near and dear to me who are currently facing struggles.  I know how easy it can be to let life's challenges get the best of you and let the negativity take over, but it's at these times when we truly NEED the Polly side of ourselves to come out.  

Think like Dumbledore:  

And if that's too nerdy for you, try this one:

And if you're looking for something based in scripture, here you go:

 And if none of those ideas work, then find those marigolds around you that can cover you in positive thoughts until you can find some of your own:

I have been so fortunate in life to be surrounded by incredible people:  family, friends, co-workers, and more.  These people have been my marigolds when I've been a walnut tree.  They have been my Polly's and Holly's when I've been a Nelly and a Debbie.  They have stuck by me and flooded me with positivity when things were not going so positively for me.  So I owe a HUGE thank you to all of them.  

So even when life gets tough:

Don't be a Debbie Downer:

Think positively and have as much gumption and stick-to-it-iveness as the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail:

A Healthy Dose of Gratitude...

As Spongebob Squarepants (and many others) once said...you've got to have "an attitude of gratitude".  As I'm sitting here on the plane I've been stuck on for 2 hours, after an hour delay, I find myself thinking those words.  I don't know that the original delay was about, but the longest portion of our on-board delay was due to discrepancies on the flight manifest.  While this is incredibly annoying, I keep thinking how important it really is to make sure that those who are supposed to be on board are...and those who aren't supposed to be on board are not.  Our most recent delay is due to the pilots on-duty time expiring.  Again...safety first.

I love that quote.  Perspective is so important.  This morning, I had a check-up with my leukemia doctor at MD Anderson.  It is always such a humbling experience.  Even when I was at my sickest, I was never as sick as most of the people there.  While there, I spend most of my free-time giving thanks for my health and the medical professionals and advancements that have gotten me here...and praying for those who are not as fortunate as me.  In my last health-related blog post (here), things were looking a little more grim.  Although I was hopeful, it was still very uncertain and scary.  Now, 10 months later, things are definitely looking up.  

Back in June, even though I knew things were bad, I didn't really know just how bad they were.  But come to find out my heart was at a very high risk of failing.  I guess it's a good thing I didn't know about that when I was gallivanting around the beaches of Florida and Harry Potter world with the family.  I was able to fully focus on them and the memories we were making.  Now, my heart is no longer enlarged, no longer at risk of failure, and my pulmonary-arterial pressure is almost back to normal.  This is all due to stopping my leukemia medication and starting 2 pulmonary hypertension medications (including Viagra...I know, I know...funny, right?).  I'm getting a right-heart catheterization in June to see if they can start weaning me off of those meds.  YAY!!  In the meantime, though, that means that I have not had any treatment for the leukemia since May.  My intermittent blood work has been normal, and while we're waiting for the results of a more detailed test from MD Anderson, my doctor says there's no reason to think that I haven't achieved a state of "treatment free remission".  

WOOHOO!  I've been living with CML for almost 12 years.  This is huge!  Now, as with any remission, there's always a chance I could relapse in the future.  But the longer I go, the slimmer the chances are.  And there are cases of people relapsing with CML even 10+ years after having a stem-cell transplant.  So only time will tell.  But as Master Oogway said in Kung Fu Panda, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift...that is why it is called the present".

13 Things...

Today is Mason's 13th birthday, and I am a hot-bed of emotions.  I am both sad and thrilled that he is a teenager now.  I am both longing for the days of his cute speech problems and eager for the days of him giving speeches.  I am both worried and confident, comforted and awed.  And I could go on and on.  But in honor of this day 13 years ago, I will say just 13 things:

1) Mason was an absolutely adorable baby.  He has gone from being that adorable baby to a handsome young man.

2) Mason is an oxymoron.  He is both the jock and band nerd.  He is a creative and flexible thinker while being stubborn and unwavering in his ideas.  He is incredibly sarcastic and incredibly sensitive.  He is both confidently independent and in need of praise and approval.

3) Having 2 teenagers in the house is something I have dreaded and looked forward to for years.  It is terrifying and thrilling all at once, and it has only just begun.

4) I see moments of the child Mason used to be coming right along side glimpses of the man he is going to be and it makes me immensely proud.

5) Mason is projected to be between 5' 11" and 6' 1".  He's still got a ways to go, but he seems like he's getting taller every day.

6) He is delightfully sweet and wickedly funny.

7) He still doesn't shy away from my hugs.  My heart breaks at the mere thought that someday he will.

8) Mason has always taken a lot and put up with a lot from Hannah.  While she is lovely and amazing, she has a mean streak when it comes to Mason.  He is finally getting to the point where he will fight back a little.  But he always stops to weigh the risks of getting back at her when he knows full well it won't end with that, since she always has to get "revenge times a thousand".

9) He is coming into his own.  He is trying to figure out how he wants to carry himself and present himself.  He is experimenting with his hair and his smile.  He is a bit awkward.  But he can laugh at himself and his awkwardness with the best of them.

10) He is truly interesting.  Because he has such a wide variety of interests, he can hold an interesting conversation with just about anyone.  He can talk sports and entertainment, engineering and geography, bit-coin and audio-visual technology, and so much more.

11) Mason is kind-hearted and well-mannered.  He is helpful and joyful.

12) I am already confident that whoever said that teenage boys eat and sleep all the time is right.  He hasn't really started eating us out of house and home yet, but he sure does love a good nap when he gets home from school on most days.

13) While I am clinging to the time we still have with Mason at home as I know it will fly by, I truly cannot wait to see where this life will take him.  He has so many talents and so much potential.  I am sure he will amaze us all while doing nothing less than what we all expect him to do.

Happy 13th Birthday to Mason!!

Enjoy a little trip down memory lane... https://www.photosnack.com/tracycakes615/mason.html