30 Day Movie Challenge...

Alright, alright, alright (said so coolly by Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused), it's time for another facebook challenge!  Song Challenge...check.  Picture Challenge...check.  Movie Challenge...here goes nothing!

Now, as much as I love music and as hard as that one was, I think this one might be even harder.  But we'll see.  There are a couple of different versions of this challenge floating around out there, but this is the one that I liked the best.  I thought it was a little bit deeper...it would tell you more about me (and let's face it...I know you want to know all there is to know about me).   :)  And while there are probably several movies that could be used in multiple places on this list, I'm going to try not to double up anywhere.

Day 01- The best movie you saw during the last year
Day 02 – The most underrated movie
Day 03 – A movie that makes you really happy
Day 04 – A movie that makes you sad
Day 05 – Favorite love story in a movie
Day 06 – Favorite made for TV movie
Day 07 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 08 – A movie that you’ve seen countless times
Day 09 – A movie with the best soundtrack
Day 10 – Favorite classic movie
Day 11 – A movie that changed your opinion about something
Day 12 – A movie that you couldn't finish
Day 13 – A movie that is a guilty pleasure
Day 14 – A movie that no one would expect you to love
Day 15 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 16 – A movie that you used to love but now hate
Day 17 – A movie that disappointed you the most
Day 18 – A movie that you wish more people would’ve seen
Day 19 – Favorite movie based on a book/comic/etc.
Day 20 – Favorite movie from your favorite actor/actress
Day 21 – Favorite action movie
Day 22 – Favorite musical
Day 23 – Favorite animation
Day 24 – That one awesome movie idea that still hasn’t been done yet
Day 25 – The most hilarious movie you’ve ever seen
Day 26 – A movie that you love but everyone else hates
Day 27 – A movie that you wish you had seen in theaters
Day 28 – Favorite movie from your favorite director
Day 29 – A movie from your childhood
Day 30 – Your favorite movie of all time

Day 1 = While there are some that made me laugh or cry more than others, I think this movie had a fabulous combination of both; Crazy, Stupid Love.
Day 2 = Most people can appreciate the skill it takes to be a comedic actor these days, but not many people recognize Tom Hanks's achievements in Turner and Hooch.
Day 3 = Music and Lyrics (I can't get enough of Hugh Grant's motorcycle dance)
Day 4 = This movie didn't actually make me sad, but UGH, it was depressing!  Revolutionary Road
Day 5 = This one's a tie between Noah & Allie in The Notebook and Holly & Gerry in PS I Love You.  They were both beautifully tragic love stories.
Day 6 = Everybody's Baby.  (the baby Jessica story) I vividly remember watching this as a kid and being amazed by the story.  Now, as a parent, I almost get teary-eyed just thinking about it. (almost)
Day 7 = Definitely The Sixth Sense.  Need I say more?
Day 8 = Although there are many movies that my family and I can quote throughout, this is one that I have seen enough times that not only can I quote it, I can sing along to it.  The Little Mermaid.
Day 9 = Yikes!  Talk about difficult.  This question combines my love of music and movies.  I am taken back to many a road trip to South Dakota in my youth (I'm talking Footloose, Rocky 4, Cocktail, Dirty Dancing, Top Gun, etc.), but I think I'm going to have to forgo all of those and say Forrest Gump simply because the music (like the movie) spans several decades.
Day 10 = I'm not a big fan of classic movies...at all.  But one of the only old "classic" movies that I have seen that I can actually stand is It's a Wonderful Life.
Day 11 = The Wedding Singer.  While I had always enjoyed Adam Sandler's brand of stupid comedy, this movie (although it was a comedy at heart and had it's moments of stupidity) was one of the first to reveal that he had a bit of a dramatic streak in him...that he's not just a stupid comedian.
Day 12 = I don't think I even lasted 15 minutes through Kill Bill.  Sorry.  I know many of you love it, but I just couldn't get with the Tarantino-violence-horrid language business (I've never seen all of Pulp Fiction either.....I know...GASP!)
Day 13 = Although I proudly admit to loving Footloose, I think it qualifies as a guilty pleasure.  It's just so wonderfully cheesy (especially the whole "getting so pissed off I'm going to dance by myself in a warehouse" thing) that I can't get enough of it!
Day 14 = Sheesh, I don't know.  I guess I'm pretty predictable.
Day 15 = I don't know how much I relate to this character as a whole, but the scene in Speed where Sandra Bullock's character drives the bus into the baby carriage only to find out it was full of cans gets me every time.  I'm just so certain that is exactly the way I would react.
Day 16 = Sorry... I've got nothing...
Day 17 = I don't know if this disappointed me the most, but it's the only one I can think of right now.  I had heard such good things, and it got Oscar attention, but I was very disappointed with Black Swan (and I typically like both Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis).  It just wasn't my cup of tea, I guess.
Day 18 = Again...nada
Day 19 = Favorite book turned movie should be a given...Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.  And my favorite movie based on a comic is X-Men Origins: Wolverine (I've always loved movies that give good background information, and ones that span decades...not to mention Hugh Jackman...yummy.)
Day 20 = These may not be my top favorite actors, but I do enjoy Sandra Bullock a lot and Matthew McConaughey has be one of my top crushes for quite some time.  And this fantastic movie has both of them, so why not?  A Time to Kill.
Day 21 = Transformers.  The special affects blew my mind the first time that I saw it.  I still think it's SO awesome.
Day 22 = Dreamgirls.  Loved it.
Day 23 = I have already used my all-time favorite, so I'll cheat and list a bunch of others that are all probably tied for 2nd place:  Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, Finding Nemo, Up, Kung Fu Panda, and Despicable Me
Day 24 = Hate all you want, but I would LOVE to see a movie about the life of Michael Irvin.  I think his is an awesome story...very movie worthy.
Day 25 =  I'd have to say Bridesmaids.  I don't think I've ever laughed that hard or that much in a movie.  Ever.  (and I've laughed a lot, so that's saying something)
Day 26 = ??? I have such good taste that I just can't fill this one out.
Day 27 = The Abyss (the director's cut).  I love this move, and the director's cut actually explains things.  It would have been awesome to actually see on the big screen.
Day 28 = I'm taking a few liberties with this one.  I would not say that Stephen Herek is my favorite director...at all.  In fact, I didn't even know his name untilIi looked it up for this post.  But he did direct a movie that I really wanted to use on this list.  So when I looked up the movie, I found out he directed some other movies I enjoy, too.  The wonderful movie I wanted to use is Mr. Holland's Opus (again, it has great music and spans several decades).
Day 29 = This was the first scary movie I ever saw.  I watched it at a Girl Scout sleepover at the Embassy Suites in 3rd grade.  I remember being freaked out, but loving it.  Watcher in the Woods.
Day 30 = It's virtually impossible to only pick one.  But Armageddon has been at the top of my list since it first came out.  It's got a little bit of everything:  action, comedy, drama, great music...and pure awesomeness.


So that's it.  I did my best to complete the list this time, but I just couldn't waste devote any more time to this post than I already have.  I'm sure that if I completed this list again next week (or even tomorrow, for that matter) that I could have completely different answers for almost all of them.
Now, it's your turn.   :)

I just can't resist...

Today's blog will be relatively wordless.  Here are just a few of the things in my life that I have a weakness for: 

~ babies

~ "true" ghost stories

~ cupcakes
~ alien/ufo/crop circle documentaries

~ pizza
~ JFK conspiracy documentaries

~ quoting movies

~ procrastinating

~ family game night
~ singing along

~ laughing at Cakes
~ crying at almost every movie ....no, not this badly, though

~ TV
~ being sarcastic

~ coloring inside the lines
~ seeing the silver lining


So how about you?  Do you share any of these vices with me?  What can you not resist?

Because I Feel Like It...

Today, I'm feeling the need to blog.  But today, I'm also feeling a bit under the weather.  My sick brain is kind of all over the place today.  So that being said, I'm going to do a rather random post today.  Here goes nothin'.

* Kevin and I have started watching the show, Breaking Bad.  It's really pretty good.  It's just strange seeing the dad from Malcolm in the Middle in this kind of role.  Pretty interesting concept for the show, though.

* Hannah and Mason want to make a web page to showcase their sweet, sweet dance moves.  That way, viewers can send in clips of their own moves for Hannah and Mason to deem worthy to join their dance club.  Hannah's not really all that great, but Mason's actually pretty awesome.  He's got some street dance, hip-hop kind of thing he does.  Greatness.

* I have a bit of an attitude problem right now.  I've really enjoyed this summer. Nothing much to it, but it's just the break I needed after last year. It has really made the idea of going back to school that much harder to wrap my head around, though.

* I could really go for a cupcake right now.

* The grass in our back yard is so dead, Hannah looked out the window this morning and said, "Mason, I think it snowed last night.  Look how light the grass is!"  Then she looked at me and winked (or at least tried to).  Smarty pants.

* I can't wait for good TV to come back.  I'm not even ashamed to admit that I've got the premiere dates marked on my calendar.  Right along other only slightly more important events.

* I've done a lot of reading this summer.  Probably the best book of the summer was "The Help".  If you haven't read it, you should.  The movie comes out in August (I think), and it looks good, too.

* One of these years, we're going to take the kids to Universal Studios.  They don't really have any desire to go to Disney World.  Plus, Universal Studios is the place that has the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  I mean, come on.  Who doesn't want to see that, right?

* Kevin has a sick obsession (literally sick...literally obsession) with popping pimples.  It GROSSES me out!  Even the kids have learned that if they have a tiny pimple (or even an ant bite) somewhere, they do everything they can not to mention it around him.  Eeeeww.

* You know how certain actors get type-casted as a certain type of character?  It really makes you wonder (or at least it really makes me wonder) how close they are to that in real life.

* What do you think?  Are dinosaurs and birds related?

* I just love the commercials that try to make the simplest of tasks seem oh so hard.  When all they really do is make the people doing those tasks seem ridiculous.  That is, until they get the help of whatever product is being sold. 

* Speaking of commercials, there's one I think I will always remember.  It's a local (Abilene) commercial.  I think some of you may already know which one I'm thinking of.  It's for Abilene Portable Buildings..."family owned and located on Butternut and Treadway".  I guess you could say it's a testament to the advertising that it has stuck with me all these years.

* I'm going to bed now.  Good night.

Bucket List...

I'm sure that most of you have seen the movie, The Bucket List, by now.  But just in case there are any of you that haven't (and even for those of you that have), here's the trailer:

     But even before seeing this movie, I'm sure we had all thought of things we wanted to do in our lives. Maybe we didn't have those things on an actual list or have an actual name for it, but we had goals and dreams. Bucket lists are also known as Life Lists. Rather than thinking of them as things you want to do before you die, you just think of them as things (big or small) that you want to do in your life.

     I'm going to take this time to start a working Bucket List of my own.  It will be a work in progress that I will add to over time (that I guess I actually started when I was a kid).  And there are some that am I pleased to be able to cross off already. Feel free to put yours in writing as well. :)

My Bucket List (in no particular order)

     : get married

     : have kids

     : become a teacher

     : get a pool

     : go to New York City

     : see New England in the fall

     : go to Washington DC

     : visit the Smithsonian

     : adopt a baby

     : see a tornado in real life

     : go on a Haunted Ghost Tour (in New Orleans would be best)

     : get paid to bake

     : write a children's book

     : become a published author

     : read the Bible (the whole thing)

     : make photo albums for Hannah and Mason

     : keep up with the kids' photo albums

     : make a family album for you and Cakes

     : go to Vegas

     : see Garth Brooks in concert

     : see Aerosmith in concert

     : go on an African safari

     : travel to Italy (Venice, Rome, and Florence specifically)

     : visit the Louvre

     : be a godmother

     : truly make a difference in someone's life

     : be a grandma

     : celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary with Cakes

     : get a new, bigger house with more room for the kids to grow and play

     : buy a boat

     : buy an RV

     : travel the country, road trip style

     : learn to hoola-hoop

     : save money (in an account that actually grows over time...instead of getting spent)

     : figure out a second career

     : take the kids to Universal Studios

     : go back to Pensacola Beach (or any of the neighboring beaches)

     : go to Hawaii

     : take the kids to meet my family in South Dakota

     : get a new family portrait at least every 5 years

     : sing Karaoke

     : go to a costume party

     : volunteer with the high school youth group at church

     : have our house be the house that our kids and their friends want to hang out at

    

OK well, I think that's enough for now.  The more time that I give this, the more things I think of.  It's a start anyway.  And as I said before, it's a work in progress.  Some of them are silly, some of them are trivial, and I'm sure some of them may never happen...but here's hoping.  

   

Photo Challenge...

So I know you've been eagerly awaiting this post about facebook's 30 Day Photo Challenge ever since you read my ever-so-awesome song challenge post the other day. Well, wait no more! Here it is. And just like last time, I will not do all 30 here, but I will go ahead and give you the full 30 day criteria. And even though a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm going to go ahead and add my thoughts to them as we go. So...are you ready for more awesomeness?!

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
Day 04 - A picture of your favorite band or artist
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory
Day 06 - A picture of something/someone you'd love to trade places with for a day
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most weird things with
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
Day 12 - A picture of something you love
Day 13 - A picture of a memorable night
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity
Day 19 - A picture of a letter
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change
Day 25 - A picture of your day
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

~ Day 1
: I am probably the coolest nerd you'll ever meet.
: I married for money ;)
: I have a brand new bathroom.
: I love my family.
: I love how I was raised.
: I feel at least slightly inadequate most of the time.
: I have 2 awesome and vastly different kids.
: I have leukemia.
: I have my mother's grace.
: I love to bake.

~ Day 2
Well, despite the fact that she curses like a sailor and sings songs about chicken vaginas, Mom is the person I've been closest to the longest. She got me through gymnastics and piano lessons. She's the one that told me how cute it would look if I cut my hair super short. She taught me how to sew and cook. She encouraged and supported me through High School. And she has become an amazing friend to me since then.

~ Day 3
LOST...need I say more? I don't think so, but just in case you don't already know how amazing this show is and how I feel about it, you can check this out.

~ Day 7
I'm not a very materialistic person...at all. So for me, my most treasured item is my family. Not just the ones pictured here, of course. ALL of them!

~ Day 8
This was Kevin on the day of our wedding. The photographer told him to "gaze adoringly at his ring". All he could manage to do was think, "What the _ _ _ _"?! Honestly, there were so many of Kevin's pictures I could have chosen for this, because he is such a good picture taker. :)

~ Day 11
Landry...UGH! Especially the folding part. I don't know why, but I loathe it. Maybe it's just because it's NEVER done. Even if everythings clean, folded, hung, and put away, there's still the close that we're wearing at that moment. So unless everyone in the house walks around naked and doesn't bathe or wash hands requiring towels (which I'm pretty sure would be traumatizing for everyone involved), it is literally never ending.

~ Day 12
Board games...YAY! I have blogged before about how they are one of my favorite things. They bring people together and bring out the laughter, and they're just the bomb-digitty!

~ Day 14
As a mom, I would be remiss if I did a photo post without including my kids. And what better place than the ones I couldn't imagine my life without?! I mean, come on...just look at how cute they were! And even though there not itty-bitty anymore, they still are utterly amazing.

~ Day 15
One of these days I'll have to blog about my bucket list, but I'll go ahead and tell you that going on an African safari is one of the things I want to do before I die. I just think it would be so amazing and awe inspiring to be so close to those incredible animals, in the natural habitat that God created!

~ Day 16
Who inspires me?

JUST KIDDING!

I think I've blogged about this before too (in bits and pieces anyway), but my parents are an inspiration to me: their faith, their devotion (to each other, their friends, and their family), their integrity, the way they still flirt with each other, the example they set as parents, the fact that they've been happily married for almost 38 years, etc. I'm SO lucky to have been raised by them and am SO blessed to still have them in my life.

~ Day 20
This is another thing on my bucket list and could also have been used for Day 15. But I think it's more appropriate here, because I see this as much more of a traveling thing. I would LOVE to go to Italy (Rome, Florence, and Venice specifically). Rome has so much history, art, and the Vatican. Florence, I truthfully don't know that much about, but the architecture is beautiful (and to be honest, I've just wanted to go there ever since I saw "While You Were Sleeping"). Venice is so picturesque with the waterways and gondolas. Ahh...one of these years...

~ Day 23
So, I cheated a little bit. It's not one book, it's a series. But I'm counting it as a whole. If you haven't read it yet, you really should. I'm not even going to bother describing it to you, because I wouldn't do it justice. And just based on the description, you might not think it sounds good anyway. And trust me, I didn't either. It is SO not my usual type of book to read. But despite my doubts, I trusted the recommendations I got from friends and cousins, and I gave it a shot. And "holy adictive books, Batman"! It's AMAZING!

~ Day 24
I didn't want to get too heavy here, but I didn't want to go completely light hearted either. With all of the technology we have, I truly find it amazing that there are so many diseases we don't have a cure for yet: cancer, diabetes, leukemia, AIDS, alzheimers, etc. So many people of all ages are suffering. That is what I wish I could change.

~ Day 26
My faith...as a Christian...as a Catholic means a lot to me. I'm not one to be very vocal about my faith, but I hope that it comes through in my actions. Sharing my faith with my kids is also very important to me, and it meas SO much to me that Kevin takes an active role in that as well.

~ Day 27
This is a picture of me with my little brother, Josh. When we were little, we were like 2 peas in a pod. As we got older, I'm affraid I became more of a typical big sister and deliberately tried to get him in trouble. But once I got into High School, we became friends again. I can't believe the little turd is actually getting married in a few weeks!

~ Day 29
This picture with my Dad always makes me smile. I think of how I used to wrap my little hands around his big arms and say, "Like a rock, Daddy!" And I remember how I would look up at him and ask, "Daddy, are you happy to me?" I've always been a daddy's girl at heart.

~ Day 30
The little baby girl in my arms here is someone I miss. Her name was Reagan, and she was my cousin's daughter. She was born without a brain...only a brain stem. Even in her short time here on Earth, she lived longer than was expected. And I can't explain it, but I had a deep connection with that little girl. I know that she's healthy, happy, and at peace up in Heaven, but I think of her and miss her almost every day.

Laughter...

"I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person." ~Audrey Hepburn

Thanks to my friend, Shelly, for introducing me to this quote.  It just might be one of my favorites.  It just epitomizes how I feel about laughter.  I've said before that it is one of my all-time favorite things.  Not that that's deep or even unique at all, but it is what it is.  And it is one of the things I love most about Cakes.  As a matter of fact, I've been told recently that this couple reminds people of us:

And I must admit...they are so very us!  I can literally see us having that exact conversation.  We just have so much darn fun together!  We laugh at each other, we laugh at other people, we laugh at our kids, and sometimes we laugh at nothing at all.  Not only has our sense of humor has helped us have some very fun times with each other, our families, and our friends, but it has helped us make it through some difficult times as well.  To paraphrase a quote from Henry Ward Beecher, "A marriage without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs - jolted by every pebble in the road".

But laughter is not only good for your marriage, it is also good for your health.  We all know that "laughter is the best medicine", but did you know that with laughter there is also:

• a reduction in stress and tension
• stimulation of the immune system
• an increase of natural painkillers in the blood
• a decrease in systemic inflammation 
• a reduction of blood pressure

It is also said that our cardiovascular and respiratory systems may benefit more from 20 seconds of robust laughter than 3 minutes on a rowing machine.  So does that mean that every 3 minutes I laugh is equal to 27 minutes of cardio?!  Wow, I'm in better shape than I thought I was in.    :)

I guess that's it.  So for now, I leave you with this:



Song Challenge...

This is going to be a shortened version of the 30 Day Song Challenge on facebook.  One of my friends from High Shool did it a couple of months ago, and I thought it seemed like a cool idea.  I just never got around to it.  And even if I did, I'm not sure that I would have stuck with it for 30 days.  So, I'll just go ahead and do it all at once (not all 30, but I will list the original 30 day criteria for anyone that wants it).  So bear with me...this will be quite long (I'll try not to comment on all of them), but it will also probably be super awesome.   :)

day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
day 08 - a song that you know all the words to
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love
day 15 - a song that describes you
day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry
day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
day 29 - a song from your childhood
day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

~ My favorite song:  Don't Stop Believin' by Journey = Sure, he's goffy looking, but man he can sing.  I've loved this song for years!  And I've said before that I love music so much, it's too hard to really pick just one, but this is definitely up there.

~ My least favorite song:  Barbie Girl by Aqua = Aaaaaccccckkkkk!  Do you remember this one?!  I'm sure there are others that are pretty low on the list, but this was the first terrible one that popped into my mind.

~ A song that makes me happy:  Love Shack by the B52's

~ A song that reminds me of someone:  Seventeen by Tim McGraw = This song (as well as most Tim McGraw songs) reminds me of Kevin.  Not only does he look and sound just like Tim McGraw (ha ha), but we had also just started dating when that album came out, I was seventeen, and Kevin and I listened to that album all the time.  Good times.  

~ A song that reminds you of a certain event:  Welcome to the Jungle by Guns 'n' Roses = Oddly enough, it reminds me of my Confirmation retreat.  For whatever reason, I could not get that song out of my head! 

~ A song I know all of the words to:  To Be With You by Mr. Big = There are oh-so-many I could have picked, but if you can pick an 80's ballad, why not do it, right?

~ A song that I dance to:  Crazy in Love by Beyonce = And yes, I look just like her when I do. 

~ A song that describes me:  I'll Stand By You by The Pretenders (this was a tough one...any other ideas?)

~ A song that I want(ed and had) at my wedding:  My Girl by The Temptations = Awe...father-daughter dance. 

~ A song that I can play on an instrument:  The Dance by Garth Brooks = I can play it on piano...not quite up to tempo and not very well, but you can recognize it.  :)

~ A song from my childhood:  Little Red Riding Hood by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs = this was on my first casette tape I ever got.  I loved it and would listen to it ALL the time!

~ My favorite song from this time last year: Airplanes by B.o.B (featuring Hayley Williams)


Well that's it for my songs.  I didn't even do half of them.  That wasn't so bad, was it?  In fact, I'm pretty sure you know how awesome that was.  Anyhoo...stay tuned for an equally mind-blowing 30 day photo challenge to come.