The Game of Life

Christmas in Williamsburg

2011-12-31T20:27:00.000-05:00

Two days after Christmas we left for Williamsburg with my parents for a mini-vacation. We had a wonderful time in our quick little trip! We spent Wednesday driving, eating, and seeing Colonial Williamsburg at dusk and dark.

Burton Parrish

the courthouse

it was a little chilly

the Williamsburg inn...too pretty

love these decorations!

waiting for the fife and drum performance

Steve and someone famous...we aren't sure who

On Thursday, we spent the morning at Colonial Williamsburg to see their beautiful decorations in the daylight. My brain could not comprehend the fact that the town would not be lit up. No electricity and keeping with the times = no Christmas lights!!! There is now a huge museum in the building where the hospital is. That was actually amazing! I don't think we've ever seen that part.

the hospital

tree covered in folk art in the museum

horse and buggy rides

inside the church

Thursday night we went to Christmastown at Busch Gardens. I was not sure what to expect since we've been to Disney during the Christmas season a few times. Their decorations were amazing! We saw three of the four shows (the fourth was Sesame Street...I'll pass), and they were all great. The last show, Gloria, was spectacular.

Christmas tree in Germany

show in Germany

all lit up!

visiting with Santa

Christmas in Italy

Pompeii covered in lights instead of water!

Overall, we had a fabulous trip, ate a ton of food that we should not have, and just laughed. It was really nice to get away from Maryland for a bit too!

we may have to try this place the next time we go!

Thanks for an awesome trip Mom & Dad!!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas was quite busy this year since we worked up until Christmas Eve. We hosted Christmas Eve again and had Steve's side of the family over for dinner, presents, and fun times! It was nice to all hang out and just relax with each other.

the Ammann men and Chloe

more fun with Chloe

Mo was a little high on catnip!

opening presents

Bert and "Nernie" from Sesame Street

intently watching Elmo

On Christmas day we went to my parents house to have breakfast, lunch, presents, and more family time. We spent the entire day there and it was so nice just to relax. We know that this break is going to fly by, and we want to soak up some time to just do nothing and not have to worry about anything.

he's a character

little Nougat and his big candy cane bone

Poppop and his Peggy shirt from the Capital One commercials...I haven't heard him laugh that hard in a long time!

Steve's yearly handiwork

The family all went overboard as usual, and bought too much. We also ate WAY too much! We are just grateful for this time with family that we are not guaranteed from year to year. Here's to a relaxing mini-vacation and rest of our days off! Williamsburg here we come!

Ebelskivers

2011-12-27T14:41:00.003-05:00

Steve's brother and sister-in-law got us an Ebelskiver pan and recipe book for Christmas. I had never heard of these Danish treats before, but there are endless possibilities! We made the mix, and then, put the batter into the pan. You have to be quick because these little treats cook quickly!

we cooked a batch with nutella in the middle and a batch with chunky applesauce

cooking!


turning them over is SO difficult

Tim pouring milk to eat with our Ebelskivers

the finished product

Fun night of Ebelskivers and Scategories!!! We will definitely be making these again. Thanks Chris and Ivy!

Go MTH!

2011-12-23T18:45:00.001-05:00

The past 6 weeks it has been the Canned Food Drive at Mt. Hebron! This is one of my favorite times of year simply for the charity of it (and the competition)! My class has been on the top 3 leader board for the last few years, and I was not about to let that change this year. The competition is by 6th period classes and the total number of cans is divided by the number of students for the competition. The past few years I have had 20 students or less in my last period, but this year I have 32! We have had to work almost twice as hard to raise money and cans. I am so proud of the school in general, but I am extremely proud of my class. We came in 3rd place (I don't count the winner listed on the poster in the front of the school because he doesn't technically have a class)...my closest friend at school won 1st place! Go MTH World Language department!!!

The Canned Food Drive has been going on for decades, and it has not gotten much attention in the press since I have worked there. Today, however, a reporter came to the school to do some interviews. Check out the article here. There was one huge error in the article though. It said that we collect about 15,000 cans, but in reality it's 50,000 (I think 47,500 this year). We help 150 families with boxes of cans, Christmas dinner, gifts for the children, and household products. Each family receives 5 or 6 boxes of items.

My National Honor Society kids fundraised over $2,500 in order to go shopping for the children of the families. We spent this past Monday and Tuesday after school wrapping over 300 presents and labeling them. I love those days, and although they are crazy, it is fun to listen to Christmas music and bond with a fun group of teenagers while they attempt to wrap items like pillow pets, playground balls, and hula hoops!

Way to go MTH Vikings, congrats to Sra. Gonzalez's 6th period class, and Merry Christmas Howard County!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

2011-12-05T16:55:00.001-05:00

We decorated for Christmas the weekend before Thanksgiving, but I am just now getting around to putting up the pictures! It doesn't look too much different from last year, but the Disney tree does have a whole lot more ornaments than before...a trip to Disneyland and one to Disney World in the same year will do that! Here's the Disney tree:

I love the fat Mickey!

stockings...same as last year!

tree #2 in the foyer

I don't think I have enough snowmen yet!

it may be time to spread them throughout the house!

Hopefully, we'll have some more Christmas pictures to come of family, friends, and a trip to Colonial Williamsburg and Christmas Town in Busch Gardens! Now, here's wishing for a snow day!!!

Internship & Portfolio = Finished

2011-12-03T16:51:00.001-05:00

Finally, my work for Loyola is FINISHED! I led the final session for my internship last week. I just finished my entire portfolio today. It has been done, but I wanted to edit a few things. Now, all that stands between me and graduation is the head of the program grading my work, a final debate, and the financial mess that Loyola has made of our accounts. Hmm...sounds like they may not let me graduate! If the financial piece stops me, I will be requesting the services of a few lawyer friends!!! I would not recommend Loyola simply for the fact that they have screwed us over in the financial department. The woman who was handling everything was just recently fired if that tells you anything. I have saved EVERY single email about my account balance and getting back the money that they owe us. We'll see where this goes...

For now, I just hope that the head of the program sees how much work I've done. I have spent HOURS upon HOURS on this internship and on my portfolios (yes, that's right, we had to complete two of them). I am also already on board to lead more professional development for my school even though it's not even part of my internship. I cannot simply do things half way, and I feel like I have not had a social life in 2 and a half years because I spent every weekend working on papers, projects, or reading. I've made many new wonderful friends through the program though. It's amazing how quickly we all bonded. We are hoping to celebrate sometime in the next couple of weeks.

I'm also hoping that I can blog more now on here that I will have some extra time. Christmas decoration pictures to come soon...and only 15 more days of school until winter break!

Recent Updates

2011-11-25T13:05:00.001-05:00

The past month has been a complete blur! We've been teaching, finishing up grad school, and attempting to see friends and family. It felt like Halloween hit as soon as we got back from Disney.

decorations for Halloween

Fall happened so quickly, and we barely caught pictures around our property of the beautiful colors.

Moses had two costumes for Halloween: a professional gentleman and a rocker cat complete with "Mo"hawk. The rocker cat seemed to win the approval of most of his fans!

love the little tie!

Then, our sweet little niece turned one and we celebrated with her at her Halloween costume first birthday party. She was not sure what to do with the cake at first and kept looking from her mom to her dad and back as if seeking permission. Then, she went to town!

sticky hands!

all done!

Once Halloween was over, it was a quick couple of weeks of work, grad school, and parent/teacher conferences. Now, we are four weeks out until Christmas break, and we have no idea what we are getting for anyone! The house is decorated (more pictures to come, once I actually take them). It's sad that Thanksgiving came in the midst of this blur that is our current status in life, but it was still wonderful. Two Thanksgivings with two awesome families and a third to come later this weekend with friends...I'd chalk that up to a pretty nice time off!

Disney...again!

2011-11-05T11:36:00.000-04:00

We went to Disney World...again. In our defense, it was the first time this year. Earlier in the year, we went to Disneyland; that's clearly very different! We quickly planned the trip two months in advance and decided that it was finally time to go for Halloween and the Food and Wine Festival. It turns out that it was definitely time because we had a BLAST!

We always have off from school in the middle of October for the Maryland State Teacher conference that no one ever goes to. Consequently, we took off from work on Wednesday and Thursday so that we could go for five days and only miss two days of work. Score! I also finally got smart and chose a substitute that speaks Spanish, and she graded everything while I was gone. I literally came back to work with nothing to do but my regular job. Even better!

We decided to stay at the Pop Century again since we had such a good time there before. We arrived (with a bit of a plane delay) around noon on Wednesday to the hotel, and we were walking through Animal Kingdom by 1PM. We spent the entire afternoon at AK, and since it is only a half day park, we saw and did everything that we wanted to do.

Then, we spent the evening at Downtown Disney to do some shopping and enjoy the night life. We got to meet our favorite Disney artist, David Doss, and we bought two new pictures that he signed for us. Needless to say, we were exhausted by that time, and we had not even found our hotel room yet.

We ate a quick dinner, unpacked, and settled in for some much needed sleep.

giant Mickey phone outside of our hotel room

Since we knew we would be spending the entire next day and night at Magic Kingdom, we slept in a little bit and took our time getting ready. We spent so much of the morning just taking pictures of all of the amazing Halloween decorations and finding characters that we did not ride too much until the afternoon.

Then, we had a relaxing dinner, and got ready for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I think this party may just rival the Christmas party! We met up with my principal and his family to take pictures, ride some rides, and trick-or-treat in the park.

I love the parties because they close only to guests who have purchased tickets for the party. We were able to get on every ride that we wanted in almost no time. We found that time escaped us quickly, however, because of the special Halloween fireworks, the Boo to You parade, and the Villains Mix & Mingle show. Plus, we had to search for the characters because many of them had Halloween costumes (and long lines). Too fun! We stayed until the very end of the party (1AM) and were surprised to find that there were not too many people left. I would say that we successfully shut the park down.

ALL 7 dwarfs...amazing!!!

ALL 4 of my favorites...seriously?!?!

Friday was spent at Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. By the time 10AM came around, we had ridden Toy Story Mania twice and Steve had ridden the newly renovated Star Tours, and the park had only been open an hour. We got some more pictures with characters, saw Muppets 3D and American Idol, and Steve rode Rock 'n Roller Coaster.

Then, we headed over to EPCOT for dinner reservations at the Garden Grill which serves food grown at the park. The restaurant slowly rotates around the ride The Land and is a character meal with characters dressed as farmers. Too cute!

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

After some more shopping at Mouse Gears, we returned to Hollywood Studios to catch up with my principal's family and ride some more rides.

While the rest of the park was watching the nighttime show, we were able to ride Toy Story Mania again, Rock 'n Roller Coaster, see characters, and go shopping for more Vinlymations.

I can't win...I played 3 times that day and was beat twice by Steve and this time, by an eleven year old!

We finished the night with the perfect picture:

Saturday was spent at EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. We got up early and went straight over to Magic Kingdom as soon as the park opened so that we could ride as much as possible before it got crowded. By 10AM we had ridden Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain twice, Buzz Lightyear, the Carousel of Progress, Space Mountain, and the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.

Then, we traveled to EPCOT (via the Monorail of course) to have lunch and check out the crazy busy Food & Wine Festival. Ocean Spray even had a real cranberry bog in the middle of EPCOT just like on their commercials.

The park was so busy, but we were still able to ride the Mexico ride, Ellen, and Soarin' despite the insanity. We met up with my boss' family for an amazing dinner at the Coral Reef.

They bought park hopper tickets for the day just so they could go back to Magic Kingdom with us to finish the night. We had not intended to spend so much time with them on the trip, but we got along so well that it just seemed natural. We spent all night at MK, and we basically shut the park down at 2AM! We rode everything we could ride in 6 hours, saw fireworks, the electrical parade, and the Magic, Memories & You Show (SO COOL!), and ate as many Disney snacks as we could fit in that time period. I have never been at MK that late, but it was so worth it to see the park so deserted and literally no one standing in front of the castle.

By the time we got back to the hotel and packed, we only had about 2 hours to get some sleep before we would have to get ready to be picked up by the Disney's Magical Express bus. The bus trip was fairly quiet even though it was full, as was our flight. The trip home was gratefully uneventful, but we were so sad to leave. We are not sure when we will be headed back, and part of that may be determined by the opening of the new section of Fantasyland.

Only time (and finances) will tell. We had a nice break from reality, bonded with new friends, and spend a wonderful vacation in the place we call home. Thanks Mickey!

A Quick Trip

2011-10-13T18:12:00.003-04:00

Every day when Steve drops me off at work, he says he is going home to pick up Moses and tells me the adventure that they are going to have that day...the other day...a quick trip to Disney World. This is the email I received that afternoon:

"Mo and I are having a blast in WDW. Wish you could be here. I am taking a ton of pictures and I'll show them to you when we get home. We should be right on time for picking you up between 3:15-3:30. I'll text on my way so you know the plane didn't get delayed.

P.S- Moses and the teacups do not mix well. My shirt smells like cat snacks and bile."

...Pictures to come soon!

So tired!

2011-09-12T20:08:00.000-04:00

I haven't been this tired since...hmm...June 23rd! Isn't that when we finished school? Coincidence??? I think not! We are in the third week of school, and I have yet to have a day where I sit at my desk after school and grade papers or check my email. I have had a meeting every single day so far! It does not stop...the only afternoon I have free this week is Friday. Yuck!

NHS is in full swing and we now have the unpleasant duty of talking to all of the kids who were not selected. I really hate that part because part of me thinks that if they take the time to fill out the paperwork, they should get in...but then again, we have to draw the line somewhere. I just hate ruining a kid's day to tell them that they were not accepted.

We start grad class tomorrow night, and I am NOT looking forward to that. The class seems like a ton of work, which is not beneath me to put in the effort, but I really want to focus on my internship. I feel like our professor is not going to get quality work out of us if we are supposed to be focusing on other things. I feel like NHS, grad school, and my internship have consumed my life. That does not even account for the 77 literary analysis that I graded tonight. Am I whining? I think so, but I needed to!

I think it's time for a bowl of icecream and some mindless TV so that I don't kill anyone tomorrow...not really, but sometimes my emotions get the best of me! On a brighter note, 5 weeks until vacation! YAY!

Ready or Not!?!

2011-08-27T17:37:00.000-04:00

Whether we like it or not or whether we are ready or not...school is starting on Monday! I feel like our classrooms are ready, but I do not feel mentally ready at all! It has been a WONDERFUL summer, and I am so sad to see it come to an end. If we did not have an internship and a graduate class on top of it, it would be a bit easier, but that is life! Hopefully, when December arrives, we will be in the home stretch! For now, here are some pics of my classroom...this was the fourth summer I've had to pack/unpack and the second move in those four years. Now, I'm in my permanent home...with windows!

my brand new classroom!

the wall of Spanish Disney movie posters...I am in love with these!

the cactus that is renamed every year

Happy back to school everyone! Enjoy the first few weeks!

(t-minus 7 1/2 weeks until vacation!)

Happy Birthquake to Me!

2011-08-25T18:57:00.001-04:00

Well, my birthday was definitely an interesting day! We have gone back to work, and it is the teacher week before the students arrive. My school is finishing its major renovation, and the building is still in disarray even though the students are supposed to arrive next Monday! In the middle of the day, I was walking through the lobby with one of my closest co-workers and we had stopped to talk to one of the custodians. Suddenly, the ground started to shake. At first, we thought it was the construction...then, we saw the parking lot move! Shortly after the earthquake, one of our vice principals made an announcement that what had just happened was NOT construction. The odd thing was that all of us went back to work. An hour later, our principal made the announcement that we had to leave the building and go home, but just as a precaution. No too many people can say that they had a historical natural disaster occur on their birthday!

I received so many comments and texts about my birthquake, and how the earth moved just for me! HAHA! Thanks to all of my friends, family, coworkers, and Hebron alumni for the 150+ Facebook posts. I felt so special from all of the love!

My husband has been celebrating my birthday for a month now! Randomly since July he would just hand me a card. It usually meant that we were going to celebrate somewhere. Celebrations began with dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant near the beach with some of our closest friends. Then, we had some of our best college friends stay from out of town and we celebrated at the Melting Pot. We also celebrated with family! My 30th birthday has been so unique and surprising. Steve, thank you for all of your planning, cards, gifts, and for making me feel like the luckiest woman in the world! You are my best friend!

thanks for the roses at school!

Don't Make Me Go!

2011-08-21T15:40:00.001-04:00

It is officially the end of summer today! We have been doing laundry, paying bills, cleaning up areas of the house, packing lunches, and doing preparations for meetings this week and lesson plans for the students. WE ARE SO TIRED! School has not even started yet, and we are already exhausted...how does that happen? I don't even know how I can add grad school back into the mix after this, but we only have ONE more class! I cannot even wait for the middle of December when it is all over.

In other news, my husband has been planning birthday celebrations for an entire month...we started celebrating in July! Another post to come on that at another date about how wonderful he is and

To end on non-crying, non-whining, not-going-to-think-about-tomorrow mood, here's a cute picture of my nephew Nougat:

Love him!

Happy Back to School!

2011-08-14T21:10:00.000-04:00

Have you seen the Target Back to School commercials? If not, check them out here, or check them out on YouTube. These are too funny! This first one is my favorite:

Not my favorite, but still kind of funny!

Happy Back to School everyone! As sad as that may be, I am ready for the routine, and I miss my friends!

School of Rock Annapolis

2011-08-08T16:34:00.000-04:00

My brother and a friend of his just opened the School of Rock in Annapolis. Check out their website or their Facebook page!

They were just recently written up in the Baltimore Sun for their summer camp program. They also have vocal and instrumental lessons during the school year. Check out the article here. If you are looking to learn how to play rock 'n roll, check them out!

More Summer Movies!

2011-08-08T14:49:00.000-04:00

We've been movie watching again! We saw two amazing movies while we were at the beach with our friends Elliot and Becki. I was really blown away by the quality and depth of these two flicks...

At the Theater:

1. Friends with Benefits (A): This movie follows two emotionally damaged twenty somethings (Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake) who decide that they are sick of relationships and just want to be together physically. While that plot seems a lot like No Strings Attached, these actors actually have chemistry! Obviously, a physical relationship cannot work without one or more people developing feelings. There are some interesting plot twists and extra characters that bring depth to the movie and provide a stronger basis for a not so original plot line.

2. Crazy, Stupid Love. (A+): This movie may be my favorite movie this year so far! While Steve Carell is not always my favorite, he was dynamic in this movie! Steve Carell and his wife (Julianne Moore) are getting a divorce and trying to find out how they fit into the world again as single parents. Ryan Gosling tries to help Steve Carell find his manhood again and redefine his life. Emma Stone is fantastic and her chemistry with Ryan Gosling is completely believable. My favorite moment of the movie is their all-night conversation and the Dirty Dancing references! There are some plot twists that no one expected, as evidenced by the gasps from the audience in the movie theater. This movie was not what we had expected and we were pleasantly surprised!

On Netflix:

1. I Am Number Four (D): Terrible! Do not waste your time! A group of aliens (who look like humans, but have power) has come to earth (at some point, who knows when?) and they are numbered. The first three have been killed by other aliens that actually look like aliens. Really? They are from the same planet??? We never know why either group are on Earth or what they are looking for/trying to accomplish. The superpowers of the alien/human kids are never really explained, and there is a box in the movie that lights up, is passed on at the "right time", but never opened or explained. I still do not understand the plot, what they were trying to set up for a sequel that probably won't happen, or if there was a real point to this movie. Disappointed! It looked neat in the previews, but was not so great!

2. Source Code (B): I loved the idea of this movie! After someone dies, their brain is still functioning for awhile, and the government has taken advantage of this. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a man in the military who has been killed in Iraq, but the military is still using his brain to accomplish tasks. There is a terrorist bomber in Chicago who has blown up a train and is ready to blow up the city unless Gyllenhaal can find the bomber first. In a series of the same episode (think Groundhog Day), he has eight minutes each time he is back on the train to find the bomber and save the lives of millions of people. The movie was unique and had a new plot line!

3. Another Year (B):This was a British film that won awards at the Cannes Film Festival in France. The film is not really about the plot but more about the characters instead. Some of them you will meet for five minutes while others are revisited throughout the movie. The people are real, and the film depicts life as it actually happens, including all of the of the emotions that go with it. While the film was painfully slow at some points, your heart will ache for some of the characters as they deal with what life has offered them.

4. The Company Men (B+): Ben Affleck stars with numerous other big names in this movie about the ups and downs of the business world. Affleck loses his job at a large corporation and struggles to find work that will allow his family to lead the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed. The emotions in this movie are definitely raw, and it is interesting to see how stubbornness can affect everyone around you! This was a great way to show the true impact of how both actions and emotions have serious consequences that form a trickle-down effect to people that you sometimes would not even expect. It is also an interesting look at big businesses in our society. Check this one out!

Movies and Netflix and Books, Oh My!

2011-07-27T13:58:00.000-04:00

Since it is summer, we try to catch up on movies that we wanted to see during the school year and/or new movies at the theater. We are excited for some new movies that are coming out this weekend and in August...especially The Help! Here are our latest movie and book reviews.

Movies

1. Winnie the Pooh (A): This movie is adorable! If you go to see it at the theater, go for a matinee because the whole movie is only an hour and ten minutes! The movie begins in Christopher Robin's room like the old television show. It pans to these little guys, and then, moves to the cartoon. I want them, but they are WAY too much money! The plot is that the gang thinks that Christopher Robin has been kidnapped because he left them a sign that said that he would be "back son". The Hundred Acre Woods crew spends most of the film looking for the monster the Backson that they have created in their imaginations. The movie is touching and shows how important imaginative play is in the world of a child.
2. X-Men: First Class (A): We were both surprised at how good this movie was! This prequel looks at the beginning of the X-Men and how the mutants came together as a group. Professor X and Magneto are portrayed wonderfully. The plot held our attention, and the action sequences were pretty good (minus one at the beginning with an office/lab). They could still easily make another prequel or two before it would catch up to the first X-Men movie. If you have followed the other movies, you will most certainly enjoy this one.
3. Just Go with It (B): We were not expecting much with this Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler flick. The premise is that Adam Sandler wants to date/marry a woman half his age but she thinks that he is married. He pretends that Jennifer Aniston, his assistant, is his wife and that her children are his. They all go along with the charade, including a tropical vacation! The beginning of the movie was severely lacking, but the movie improved as the plot continued.
4. The Lincoln Lawyer (A): Although complicated at times, this movie is fabulous! Matthew McConaughey plays a lawyer defending Ryan Phillippe who claims that he did not commit the crime for which he has been arrested and imprisoned. The movie is funny, touching, suspenseful, and thought-provoking. I do not want to tell more of the plot because it would give away the ending! Watch this one if you can ignore some language!
5. Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story (B): I know, Lifetime movies are just for women, right? This movie was the unauthorized biography of J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. If any of this is actually true, it was a pretty good movie! Her life is awe-inspiring, and it is interesting to see how she rises from poverty to become one of the most beloved authors of all time. Set your DVR for this one!

Books

I have been reading mostly young adult literature this summer because I thought it would be mindless and a good distraction from graduate work. While it is most definitely the latter, it is not mindless! It seems that many of the current popular young adult books are actually social commentaries on the future and what the world would be like if the government controlled our world completely. All of them seem to have one underlying theme: it only takes one person and their independent thinking to overcome the government...interesting!

1. The Uglies (A): This trilogy (The Uglies, Pretties, and Specials) with a random fourth book, Extras, depicts a world where all children remain "ugly" until they turn sixteen. Then, they have a special operation to become "pretty". Once they have the operation, they can move to Prettytown where they can live happily ever after. There is no fairy tale ending for one character, however. Tally Youngblood is different. She sees beyond the "perfection" of the government and how people can choose to think for themselves. I loved the first two books, and would probably give the other two books a B.
2. Among the Hidden (B): This series is for late elementary school/early middle school and goes up in age as the series continues. It chronicles another government-controlled world where all professions are given based on social status and all families are only allowed to have two children. Some families have secretly had three or more children and have had to keep them hidden from the government, more specifically, the Population Police. Luke Garner is a twelve year old boy who is a third child and spends most of his days in the family's attic so that he can stay out of sight...until he looks outside and sees another child in a window across the field when all of the family has already left for the day. Could it be that there is another third child living only steps from his own house? You'll have to find out! I have also read three of the six sequels: Among the Imposters, Among the Betrayed, and Among the Barons.
3. Matched (A): I loved this book, and it's part of a trilogy too! The only downside...the other two have not been released! I did not see this information when I downloaded the first one, I just saw "trilogy". If something says "trilogy", you assume there are three books. Oh well! Cassia lives in (you guess it) a government-controlled world where people all wear the same clothes, food is distributed based on a person's genetic and physical make-up, professions are awarded based on status and abilities, and everyone dies at age 80. At age seventeen, young people attend their Match Banquet with their parents where they are matched with someone in the country who they will later marry at age twenty-one. Some people choose to stay single, while others can never marry. Cassia is matched with her best friend, which is unheard of; hardly anyone through history has been matched with someone they already knew. I like the idea for this story because it takes place after our generations and describes how our society had too much of everything: information, technology, food, and stuff! The government wanted to make life more manageable and for people to live a satisfying life. Thus, everything is managed for society so that each person can live until their eightieth birthday when they have their last Banquet...death. What happens when Cassia's grandfather leaves her something that spurs her to consider thinking for herself? Find out for yourself! I am excited for Crossed to come out in November to find out more!

There will be more to come in the next few weeks as I'm sure there will be more movie adventures and tons of books! Stay Tuned!

Harry Potter: Epic or Epic Failure?

2011-07-16T16:43:00.000-04:00

**SPOILER ALERT** If you have not seen the last Harry Potter movie or do not want to read about all of the differences between the movie and the book, DO NOT CONTINUE READING! You have been forewarned :)

We have been excited for months about the finale of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part II. The hype was intense, we bought our tickets early, and we prepared ourselves emotionally for what seemed like the end of an era. We both even reread the ending of the book from where the last movie left off. I almost wish that I had not...

Here's what we liked:

Shell Cottage--great scenery, beautifully depicted, nice start to the film
Gringotts--very intense and neat scene with the dragon and the Lestrange's vault; Travers was left out of it, but that seemed okay and less complicated; no burning from the treasure and that seemed like a good director decision since it is technically a movie for children
the Carrows being cut out...I didn't like that part of the book anyway
the Room of Requirement scene with Malfoy was almost identical to the book, except that it was the fire that destroyed the diadem instead of the basilisk fang
the continued build of relationships with the characters especially with Ron and Hermione in the Chamber of Secrets :)
Snape's death and his flashbacks involving Lily Potter--very well done in a short amount of time, especially the emotion he felt when Lily was killed
Neville...really, there's nothing more to say! He's fabulous (and when did he become hot?!?!)
the Great Hall and the illustration of the friends who were lost in the battle--simply and emotionally depicted
Kings Cross--could not have been more perfect! My favorite lines of the whole book made it in, and Harry and Dumbledore's conversation was pretty much straight from the book

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” ~Dumbledore

the death of Bellatrix and the most infamous line of the book from Mrs. Weasley...the audience cheered on this one!
the epilogue! This was probably our favorite part seeing the characters "all grown up" and sending their own children off to Hogwarts on platform 9 3/4. The child actors chosen to represent James and Albus Severus were perfect!

Things that were just plain wrong:

the conversation with Aberforth--too rushed; did not explain the life or death of his and Dumbledore's sister; had no heart!
Harry telling Aberforth they were looking for the horcruxes...he did not tell anyone in the book other than Ron and Hermione
the speech by Snape to the students at Hogwarts--it never occurred in the book
the students were never dismissed to go home in the movie and the younger kids were left to fight!
the Slytherins were taken to the dungeons! WHAT!?!?! instead of being asked to declare their allegiance to a side like in the book
Harry barged in on all of the students with Snape instead of going off to look for the diadem
Helena Ravenclaw--really, the worst ghost of all of Hogwarts! Her character was so different from the book, was void of any emotion except anger, and did not even explain the Bloody Baron or what happened with the diadem and Tom Riddle
Harry prepares to meet his death and says goodbye to Hermione and Ron! FAIL! This never happens! Harry is supposed to be shielded by the invisibility cloak because it is his decision alone to go into the Forbidden Forest and meet Voldemort (such a powerful scene in the book); on another note, Ron and Hermione never would have let him go if he had told them goodbye in the book; if you have to make Harry say goodbye, at least hug your best friend! Harry hugs Hermione and never says goodbye to Ron or hugs him. So much for best friends! The scene would have been more powerful if you could watch the battle as if you were under the invisibility cloak with Harry
no mention or reference to Teddy and how Harry is his godfather...what was supposed to happen to Tonks and Lupin's child? left alone to be consumed by death eaters?
Voldemort and Harry's fight scene--did no one care to watch the dark lord die? where was everyone? We realize that the directors wanted to build the emotion of the fight by giving it grandeur, but it lacked emotion without a crowd of people.
Voldemort's death--does no one care that the most evil person in the world was just killed? There was no cheering, no acknowledgment of his death, and no mention of what would happen next! Major fail!
the end of the book was not included with the trio in Dumbledore's office, the headmasters' portraits applauding, and the restoration of Harry's original wand; instead we are left with the trio standing on a bridge, the Elder wand snapped in half, and glazed over glances that pine for the future while the audience is left pining for the original ending of the book

Had we not reread the ending of the book we may have had a more enjoyable experience with this movie. This is not to say that we did not enjoy the movie, but I do not feel that epic would be the best word to describe it; maybe we set ourselves up for too much? There may be more to come as I think of other things, but this will suffice for now. Happy moving going!

More reviews to come later on X-Men: First Class, The Company Men, Just Go with It, and the Lincoln Lawyer...hopefully, Winnie the Pooh too!

Harry Potter?

2011-07-10T14:53:00.000-04:00

We are so excited that the last Harry Potter is coming out this week, and we already bought our tickets! We could have seen a sneak preview tomorrow, but we start class again...yuck! Anyway, we saw these commercials today, and thought they were too funny not to share:

And our favorite:

T.I.G.E.R.S. or the Best Day EVER!

2011-07-02T12:31:00.000-04:00

This past week we traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for our five year anniversary vacation. Our trip had a three-fold purpose: go to the beach, see Steve's grandmother, and hold a baby tiger! We found out about T.I.G.E.R.S., or The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, from a friend of ours; I immediately did some more research (which was kind of difficult to find), but I finally found out about their Wild Encounters Tour. You can see some video here and the tour information here. There are some things you should know in advance...the ticket prices are like spending a full day in Disney with meals and souvenirs, there are rules for the tour like no cameras, cell phones, or bags, and the tour will change your life! The tour says that you will be there about 3 hours, but it was definitely 5...even better! We got to the preserve at 9:15AM and did not leave until almost 2:30PM! Your group will get a free 8X10 photo, but you can also pay for the photo CD that you get at the end of the day. Their photographers and videographers capture your entire experience. It was well worth it to buy both since we got over 300 pictures on a CD and a video of our day.

T.I.G.E.R.S. holds some world famous animals, has been used for both television and movie sets, and the animals have been sent to work on various television and movie sets, even making eight or nine appearances on Jay Leno. Suryia (the orangutan) and Roscoe (the hound dog) have also been on Oprah for their unique friendship.This institute was also the first to successfully breed a liger (by accident) and they are some of the world leaders in both ground-breaking research and training of big cats. These people know so much about these animals, and you can clearly see the relationship that they have with them. From the time the animals are born, they live with the trainers in their homes on the property. The big cats are housed in large caged acres as they get older, however! The animals all grow up and live together on the property; the idea is to get the animals used to each other and used to humans so that they can be in movies/TV together and to generally live in harmony.

The day begin with signing some paperwork (something about understanding that you could be injured or dismembered while on the tour...blah, blah, blah!), and a spiel about some rules while on the preserve. Some of the trainers began by telling us about their ligers, and then, told us to turn around, and their was one of their ligers standing outside! I cried...I was SO excited! They stood him up right by where Steve and I were standing so we could see his 11 foot tall, 900 lb. self, and then, they took us outside! I could not believe that I was standing less than 5 feet from this creature!

After seeing the liger, the trainers brought out a binturong and a baby binturong. We had never heard of this creature before! It is a herbivore and a carnivore but it acts like a marsupial even though it is not one. It can use it's tail to hold all of its body weight in a tree and also like a an extra leg to function like a tripod. Also, after you pet it, your hands smell like popcorn!

After the binturongs, we were moved to some tents to watch the lynx play! They were like overgrown house cats! One of them did not want to play, however, and sat down in the shade to cool off.

After watching the lynx, we were taken to the shade to hold and play with baby tiger cubs, lion cubs, and lynx cubs! PURE HEAVEN!!!

We held a four week old white snow tiger cub, tabby tiger cubs, lynx cubs, and a lion cub. I was on stimulus overload and had trouble focusing on one spot because there were literally baby big cats everywhere!

I could have held this one all day! If the trainers had not taken him from me, I think he would have fallen asleep!

baby lynx! so soft!

four week old white snow tiger

precious

feeding a baby tiger!

this is why you cannot bring in bags to the preserve! people would steal these guys because this much cuteness is almost intolerable!

When the tiger cubs were all put away, the trainers brought out three wolves who had been born that winter. They are only about half the size of what they will be! They were the sweetest animals, and the trainers said they they are very well-behaved. Most wolves apparently only attack if they feel threatened and that you are more likely to be attacked by a rabid dog than a wolf.

After the wolves, everyone looked kind of parched, but there was more fun to be had. The trainers divided us into opposite viewing areas where they provided granola/fruit bars, crackers, hummus, water, and tea. From up there, we were able to watch some teen tigers and adult tigers chase toys. We were locked into those viewing areas so it felt extremely safe. I would have rather been on the ground feeding meat to the big tigers, but I do not think too many people would have joined me.

We saw some big cat habitats, including the tigers and the leopards. The leopard habitat has a roof because they will escape otherwise! It was interesting to note that leopards are one of the few animals that plan for the future and can think past the present moment. They will kill most of their meals and leave them hanging in trees so that they have food throughout the week; they actually think about tomorrow! So cool!

After the big cats, we moved to another set of tents. I expected the day to be almost over, but it was just getting started! The trainers talked to us for a moment, and then, one of them rode out on Bubbles the elephant. I completely forgot that we were going to meet her!

She likes Hawaiian punch, cherry jolly ranchers, and watermelons! She cracked that watermelon in half in one bite and you could hear the pop! We each got to feed her carrots and pet her. She was so soft!

While we were each getting time with Bubbles, the trainers distracted us with Suryia the orangutan and a pair of gibbon monkeys.

As if we had not already done enough and played with so many wonderful animals, the trainers took us to an indoor/outdoor seating area with a pool. They had more snacks waiting for us there and fluids with which to hydrate! We were able to use the restroom and get settled before the trainers brought the tigers back out, but this time, to swim! It was so neat...one of them was not having it though!

Then, they brought out two orangutans to swim. One had a life jacket and the other did not because apparently, orangutans cannot float! Suryia is a special case, however; she wore a life jacket for a long time, and then, one day, she decided she did not want it anymore! She taught herself to float and swim! Specialists all over the world have come to watch her because this is unheard of! Below is Suryia and Roscoe (the hound dog) who are best friends.

After it was all over, they took us back in the main lodge where they had laptops already set up for each group with your pictures on it! You could pick your free picture and look back at what you did all day while you waited for your picture CD and/or DVD. They had more snacks and icecream back at the lodge! We picked our picture, got our CD and DVD, and headed for the car.

This was well worth the price! These five hours were so amazing, and we got to hold, pet, and see animals up close that you could never do at the zoo. Now it's time to save our pennies for the safari that they take each year to South Africa. So cool! We highly recommend this experience and will definitely do it again when we have children.

Summer Blockbusters?

2011-07-01T21:55:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again! Steve and I are on summer (kind of) vacation. We have a week off before grad class, so we've kicked summer off in the way it should start...going to the movies! We've seen some good ones, some okay ones, and some terrible ones! We are looking forward to Harry Potter two weeks from today though! That will most likely be our favorite summer movie, but time will tell! Here are some recent reviews:

Movies:

1. Bridesmaids (B): This movie is being called The Hangover for women. I do not agree! The movie was quite funny, minus the overly inappropriate opening scene (really??? just not necessary)! I gave it a B rating because while most of the movie is hilarious, it made me a bit uncomfortable at some parts like Meet the Parents did. I don't like to feel embarrassed for the protagonist. If you want to see what it can really be like to be a bridesmaid, check this out; it truly depicts what it's like to get an entire group of girls together who don't know each other, all the while having them plan bachelorette parties and bridal showers with different tastes and opinions involved. It really shows how women interact and can stab each other in the back! I can name someone I know (not necessarily friends) like each person in that movie!

2. Cars 2 (B+): We heard rumor that this movie was only made because of the amount of money that Disney made with the first movie on merchandise alone; it is stated that this flick was only created so that Disney could sell more merchandise! While that may be true, I really enjoyed the plot of the movie and the global and cultural elements brought into the film by having a world cup car race. I love Michael Caine! Love may not be a strong enough word! It was like a Mission Impossible meets James Bond type of cartoon. While Cars may not be my favorite Disney/Pixar movie, I thought the sequel was unique, developed, and did not disappoint. Like its predecessor, however, there were some slow portions. The design and colors of the film are spectacular; Italy was gorgeous!

3. Bad Teacher (C-): We expected something different with this movie, especially with the previews that were shown for it. I did not know that the movie was rated R until the day before we planned to go see it. This movie was highly inappropriate, the "f" word is used in almost every sentence, and the plot has no redeeming quality to it in the least bit. It tells kids that the good guy never gets anywhere in life and that you can lie, cheat, and steal to get where you want to be! The students are hardly seen in the movie and the plot is deceptively different than the previews would lead you to believe. This is not to say that some parts were not hilarious though. If this is what America thinks goes on in the public school system then they are sorely mistaken!

4. Super 8 (A+): This movie was fantastic! We've heard people either love it or hate it. The premise is a group of young people that like to make movies, and one night while they are filming, a train crashes carrying something that no one expects. The child actors are dynamic, and their characters are well-developed even without many words. The story is a throw-back to so many classic movies. There are some suspenseful moments, but I would not say that the movie was scary in the least bit; that said, I would not want anyone under the age of 12 watching it since it is suspenseful and deals with some more adult themes even in the midst of children who are coming of age. We were very impressed with this new Spielberg flick!

Books:

1. Sisterhood Everlasting (A+): When Steve read in Entertainment Weekly that this fifth book was coming out, I immediately preordered it for my kindle. I was going to save it to read it at the beach, but I could not wait, and I read it in two days! I went through a range of emotions reading about ten years in the future of the lives of the four girls from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. I was so angry through most of the book, and then, one moment changes everything! I truly hope this book becomes its own movie! I highly recommend this book if you have read the first four, otherwise, it will not make much sense!

2. The Help (A): I downloaded this book because the movie is coming out in August, and I wanted to read it before it came out. This book will make you laugh, cry, and question our society in every way possible! I have laughed out loud so many times reading this book. I am writing about it now, and I am not even finished...it is just that good! It is based in the 1960's in Mississippi during a time when many Caucasian families had African American servants. One young woman wants to publicize what it is like for those servants to work for the families and the trials that they face. Every time I pick this book up (or go to my homepage and select it!), I am amazed by something new...I cannot say enough good things about it, and I cannot wait to see the movie!

On another note, the cast for The Hunger Games has been released and it looks SO good! I cannot wait until March 23, 2012! I also cannot wait for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which comes to theaters this winter.

The South: Pros and Cons

2011-06-30T22:11:00.001-04:00

Steve and I have both traveled to the south as kids and adults for various vacations, family adventures, school trips, and other occasions. This time our destination was South Carolina. We have noticed some things about the south that we thought we should make note of.

Pros:
*sweet tea
*southern hospitality
*fun accents
*anyone will talk to you!
*slower pace of life
*less crowded beaches
*loads of seafood!
*cheaper gas
*SONIC and Cracker Barrel

Cons:
*slower pace of life=slower drivers
*restaurants that still exist with names like Tar Baby's Pancake House...how do they get away with that??? we were blown away!
*"gentlemen's" clubs everywhere! YUCK!
*speed limits that go from 55 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour in a quarter of a mile with cops waiting right after the speed change

We've decided that we hate Virginia after all of this. It took us 7 hours to get down there and 10 hours to get home because of Virginia. All in all, the south is fun, but we think that if we only had 49 states and cut out Virginia that it would be okay!

Herding Cats

2011-06-15T19:37:00.002-04:00

Our current professor likened teaching to this:

Spring Reads & New Flicks

2011-06-04T13:31:00.000-04:00

Books
1. The Throne of Fire (B): This is the second Rick Riordan book in the Kane Chronicles which modernizes the Egyptian gods and goddesses. I still like the Percy Jackson series of Greek mythology better, but I like the style of these books and how it switches back and forth between the characters narrating the story. I do not want to go into too much detail about this book, especially for those who have not read the first one in the series. The Kane siblings are trying to save the world from destruction again, using the powers bestowed upon them as descendants of the pharaohs. Like some of Riordan's other books, some questions are left unanswered and some of the characters lack development. Otherwise, the book is a good read.
2. Water for Elephants (A-): We both LOVED this book! If you haven't heard of it by now, you've been living under a rock! The book switches back and forth between a man in a nursing home present day and his life working the circus as a young adult in the 1920's and '30s. The author clearly did a great deal of research in order to prepare this novel. The story is beautiful, disheartening, and unimaginable at points, but it leaves you cheering on the characters that are so well-developed and lovable (most of them, anyway). The only reason that I did not give it an A+ is that there are some graphic sexual scenes or references that I found were not necessary in the least bit for the purpose of this novel. We both highly recommend this book if you can overlook the few sexual references.
3. Viola in the Spotlight (B+): This is young adult fiction and is a sequel to Viola in Reel Life. I am a big fan of Adriana Trigiani, and I have come to like the character of Viola. She is a high school student trying to figure out where and how she fits into the world. I enjoy the series so far because it pulls from real-life experience of many teenagers, and it is not the picture perfect life found in many young adult novels. Viola and her family are a creative and unique family living in New York who spend their lives filming and photographing the world around them.
4. Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud (B so far): I am only a few chapters into this book so far, but I really enjoy it. Oskar is a ten year old boy living in New York City, and he has just lost his father in the terrorist attacks on the United States. His dad was in one of the twin towers when the planes hit. The book is told from Oskar's inexplicably intelligent point of view, and seems to be his stream of consciousness. I thought that Oskar may have Aspergers, but it seems that he is simply fascinated with certain topics and has the intelligence of a college student with the maturity of a typical 10 year old! So far, it's a good read.

Movies
1. Water for Elephants (A): This movie does the book justice! It is appropriate for people of many ages (minus some violence towards people and animals). The screenplay was adapted slightly, but the changes made from the book were appropriate and made sense for time's sake. See above for a very brief summary of the book. I really enjoyed this movie!
2. African Cats (A): Steve and I made a deal before spring break: I would go see Scream 4 if he went with me to see Afrian Cats. I dragged him to see Oceans last year and he fell asleep multiple times. I was hoping this Earth Day Disney movie would have more appeal. This one chronicles the lives of two families: a mother cheetah and her cubs and two rival lion prides. Reality of the circle of life worried me prior to seeing the movie, but I love cats of all sizes so I went anyway. Disney did a great job of not showing too much gore or death of little cats. This movie was very touching and some of the footage was incredible. I may soon live one of my life's dreams of holding a baby African cat...more details to come soon!
3. Scream 4 (C-): I hated this movie, and felt that a C- was being generous. There were two good things about the movie...the original cast returned, and the opening scenes were hilarious! Other than that, I loathe the fact that newer technology has caused murders to be more gruesome and realistic. I covered my eyes during most of the movie. Like all Scream movies, the ending and murderer will surprise you! Steve did like it much better than I did, and if you like the other Scream movies, you will more than likely enjoy this one too.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (A): We had our doubts about another Pirates movie, especially Steve. I loved the first three, and while most people found the movies complicated, I enjoyed how they all fit together and their intricacies. Although this new movie is simpler, the characters are spectacular, and the plot provides a continuation of the same eccentric Johnny Depp behavior. The quest for the Fountain of Youth will be one that generations yearn for, and this movie did not disappoint. The critics did not seem to enjoy the film, but I definitely did. Watch out for the mermaids!
5. Get Low (B-): This is a Netflix review! The movie follows a older hermit in a small town that does not lack in its fair share of gossip. The hermit is hiding a secret, but only wants to share it if he can plan and attend his own funeral while he is alive. The movie is a bit slow and does not provide too many clues along the way to determine what his secret is. The characters are interesting, and the movie was not exactly what either of us expected. I would recommend it simply because it's different than what Hollywood traditional pushes as a good movie!

More to come once Bad Teacher, Cars 2, and Harry Potter come to the theaters!

Southwest, Listen Up!

2011-04-26T21:00:00.000-04:00

We had a direct flight on the way to California that was fairly smooth and went pretty fast. On the way home, however, we knew we were going to run into some bad weather. Steve and I had been following the weather for the two days prior to our flight, and we knew that our 30 minute layover in St. Louis was going to have terrible weather during a two-hour block of time when we would be landing and flying out again. The day before we left, tornado warnings were posted for that same two-hour block. Upon hearing that, I called Southwest and they told me that we could change our flight at an extra $270 per person, but that the St. Louis airport had not predicted any inclement weather other than rain. We decided to wait it out and talk to the employees at the LAX airport.

Having to leave Disneyland arrived so much sooner than we wanted, but upon arriving to LAX, we were again told that St. Louis only listed rain in their forecast and that we would not be able to change our flight. Does anyone check weather.com? We were also told that our flight from LAX to St. Louis was now delayed and that we would only have 15 minutes to catch our next flight. They still wouldn't let us change our flight! We waited it out, took our fairly uneventful flight to St. Louis, and arrived with a delay as planned. We ran 2-3 gates down from our plane to catch our next flight to BWI which had already boarded our A group. When we got on the plane, the flight attendants were ~~sarcastically joking~~ forcefully admonishing us that we should choose the first available seat so that the plane could avoid inclement weather. Inclement weather? Who would have thought? They were just expecting thunderstorms and thought we would be delayed a few hours...little did they know (but we did!). As the C group boarded, everyone looked at them and found seats for them with swift glances and hurried urges.

Although the flight was a bit turbulent, we made it into BWI about 15 minutes earlier than planned. When people turned on their phones while the plane taxied to the gate, the plane buzzed with worried text messages. While we were in the air, the tornadoes (that supposedly had not been forecast!) had hit the St. Louis airport, blown half of the glass out of the airport windows, picked up a plane on the tarmac, and moved a shuttle bus on top of a terminal! It also ripped through the city at left many homeless. We felt so blessed to be saved from this and to have arrived home safely. Praise God that not too many people were hurt!

Footage inside the airport...insanity!

Southwest, next time some of your customers try to warn you of inclement weather, you might want to listen!

World of Color

2011-04-25T15:48:00.000-04:00

Two of the six nights we were in California we saw the World of Color show at Disney's California Adventure. It is the most spectacular show at any Disney park that we have ever seen. Needless to say, I cried! That's no surprise though! I took video footage that's actually pretty good, but Blogger wouldn't upload it and YouTube wouldn't let anyone upload for almost 2 hours today! Here's the full show from someone else, and it's actually decent quality.

The show incorporates water, fire, lasers, music, and images/video displayed on waves of water. Fantasmic used to be my favorite show, but I think World of Color now trumps that. The show occurs at California Adventure's Paradise Pier. During the day it is home to Mickey's Ferris Wheel and the world's second longest roller coaster, California Screamin'.

At night, however, the pier lights up, and the Ferris Wheel changes colors while you wait for the show.

LOVE!

If you are visiting California any time soon, this show is definitely worth checking out! I can't wait to see it again.

Character Highlights

2011-04-25T15:34:00.000-04:00

We were a bit bummed the first day and a half of our vacation because we had not seen too many characters, and there are currently no parades at either park! Bummer! We saw two characters the night before our first breakfast, however, one of which we had never seen before!

she was hilarious and kept telling the little kids to go away!

The next day, we ate at the Minnie and Friends Breakfast where we finally saw a ton of characters. Many of the characters are also at Disney World, but it is rare the we have seen Rafikki or Captain Hook, and we have never seen the Fairy Godmother or Max Goof.

Chip & Dale

Captain Hook

Minnie Mouse

Rafikki

the Fairy Godmother

Minnie Mouse, again

Tigger

Pooh (we saw Eeyore too, but no Piglet)

Dale again

Max Goof, who people kept calling Goofy...really, people have never seen A Goofy Movie?

Later, we went back to Toontown, and Mickey was finally in his house!

We stalked Main Street throughout the week and we were able to see some other characters as well!

the Queen of Hearts

Donald Duck

Gepetto

Cruella de Vil

We saw some other characters early in the day at California Adventure too. Also, at CA, there is a private meet and greet for Disney Visa cardholders where we got to see Chip and Dale rockin' some cool outfits.

Sulley

private event

Stitch

Stitch again

We also saw Aurora and Aladdin at various other locations in Disneyland. We tried to see Rapunzel, but her line was almost 90 minutes every time we checked. We were sitting at lunch one day when she was talking by, however, so we got to see her, just no picture!

Aurora/Sleeping Beauty

Aladdin

Overall, I think we saw a lot of characters, and we never really had to wait in line for pictures.More to come on park differences and our overall experience!

Great Disney Eats!

2011-04-24T19:48:00.000-04:00

We just got back from spending almost a week in California at Disneyland. While most people told us not to eat in the parks, we don't ever listen. People who do not take advantage of Disney restaurants are foolish because they are home to some of the best chefs in the world! We got the Disney dining plan which is more like a coupon book in Disneyland than the actual dining plan in Disney World. I thought that it really helped us budget our meals, and we only really brought cash for tips. We ate counter service meals for most lunches (when we ate lunch), and we made advance reservations for sit-down dinner meals.

Our first full day for lunch we ate at Rancho del Zocalo, a counter service Mexican restaurant. I LOVED it, but Steve thought it was just okay. I had the Mahi Mahi fish tacos, and we had tres leches cake and cinnamon tortilla chips for dessert. Yum!

That night, we ate at the Blue Bayou, a restaurant inside of Pirates of the Caribbean. It was fabulous! It looks like you are sitting outside of a New Orleans mansion watching the boats go by on the water. ./We sat right on the water as people in their boats floated by getting ready to see Jack Sparrow! We didn't take pictures of the food, but I had crab cakes and Steve had filet mignon.

The morning of our second full day we ate breakfast at Minnie and Friends Character Breakfast at the Plaza Inn. We did not see too many characters walking around the first couple of days, so we were delighted to finally see some. The breakfast was pretty traditional, but we had one of the first breakfast times and we were some of the only people in the restaurant; no people = tons of time with characters! Minnie Mouse actually sat at our table for a long time. I had my personal favorite...Mickey waffles!

We had some time to just relax in the afternoon, and then, we came back to the park to eat out on the terrace of Cafe Orleans.We started with the house specialty pommes frittes which are french fries with garlic, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Then, we split the Monte Cristo sandwich which was delicious!

The next day we ate a quick counter service meal and some snacks. My favorite Disney snacks are the popcorn and the soft pretzels. The pretzels are Disneyland are actually shaped like Mickey Mouse! Steve's favorite are by far the Mickey icecream bars!

For dinner that night we ate at Ariel's Grotto which is one of only two restaurants where you can eat dinner and get tickets to the nighttime World of Color show.

The meal included a special dinner menu with choices for appetizers and entrees but a mix of wonderful desserts. Our appetizers were a mix of salads, cured meats, cheese, and olives.

Then, I had chicken and veggies, and Steve had a seafood mix. I think my meal was a bit tastier than his.

Dessert was the kicker, however, and even included an edible white chocolate film strip. Yum!

The following day included lunch at the Blue Ribbon Bakery on Main Street. Disney World does not really have many places to get a good cup of coffee, so we were excited to find this little gem. We both had iced lattes that were delicious and some sandwiches. We finished lunch off with a traditional Mickey Mouse cookie. It was not as tasty as we had previously been told!

Dinner and vacation ended with a second World of Color dinner at Wine Country Trattoria.

It was another prix fixe menu with appetizers, dinner, and a mixed set of desserts. I had Broccolini Aglio Olio and a salad and Steve had Italian wedding soup and some kind of beef (neither of us can remember)! Desserts were mixed again with tiramisu, raspberry crostata, and vanilla bean panna cotta. Doing the World of Color dining package, although pricey, is worth it. You get tickets for a central special viewing area for the night show. The show is FABULOUS...more to come on that later...but if you don't do the dining package, you have to run to a fast pass station at the back of the park as soon as the park opens in the morning. I think paying for dinner ($40-45 per person) was worth it because you get a 3-course dinner and the tickets.

Obviously, there will be more to come on characters, rides, and comparisons between Disney World and Disneyland, but for now we wanted to share the deliciousness that is Disney. If you are planning a vacation to either in the future, please let us know. We have eaten at so many of the restaurants in both Florida and California and can provide some advice. Also, check out the Disney Food Blog..it has provided us with some valuable advice!

Worry Dolls for a Worry-Free Week

2011-04-15T18:21:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy few weeks before spring break. Our vacation is later this year because Easter is so late, but it does mean that we only have 8 weeks of school left when we come back from break! I made my students take all of their tests last week so that we could make Guatemalan worry dolls (see this post or this one for details from previous years) and watch Tangled. Instead of sending the worry dolls to the hospital like we've done in the past, I decided to have the kids write notes to the eighth graders in Spanish 1 at a middle school that feeds into our high school. Here are some of this year's most creative worry dolls:

isn't the tuxedo cute?

cute little women...love their hair!

she's so pretty! and some of the students decided to roll their notes into scrolls and tie them to the dolls

a man with a sombrero, a fairy, and a farmer!

these are the ones I that I made this year...I'm a little bit proud of them!

In other news...little Mo got a new bed. We are not sure if he likes it or not, but time will tell!

Here's to spring break! Be back in a week!

Suprise Surprise!

2011-04-15T17:55:00.000-04:00

I know this is very late in coming, but last month we took a road trip to celebrate the birthday of our best friend, Lammy. It was a complete surprise planned by some of the guys that he used to lead and currently leads in Bible study. There were current students and alumni of Campus Crusade that spanned something like 7 or 8 "generations" (at least for Cru!). Crazy! Lammy was totally surprised...video to come later when my HP laptop has returned from GeekSquad!

hanging out with Lammy

even Steven's parents drove from Jersey and his brother from college (he's a senior now, holy cow!) to surprise him at the party

part of the fam and Lammy

everyone who showed up!

good times with great friends! see you all at the next game night!

This video may work...I'm not sure yet:

Power Lines En Fuego

2011-03-31T17:12:00.000-04:00

While we were watching Tangled yesterday, we heard two large "explosions" that we thought might be in our basement. When Steve went outside, he saw that our power lines were smoking, and they had caught fire! The firemen did not put out the fire but instead waited 30-45 minutes for BGE to arrive! Needless to say, the neighborhood was out of power for 8 or 9 hours. We went out to dinner and to run some errands and the power was still not back. Those poor men must have worked half of the night to fix the lines! Crazy and scary night!

Check out the video below:

Good News

2011-03-21T20:20:00.000-04:00

YAY...Mt. Hebron was in the news for something good for once! Check out our video that was on ABC2 news:

Recent Reviews

2011-03-20T18:48:00.000-04:00

Since we've been a bit confined to the house due to grad work and the recent all-over-the-place, can't make up it's mind weather, we've had the chance to watch a few movies! We've had some on Netflix, and some others at the theater! Enjoy!

On DVD
1. Catfish (A): This movie is a documentary about a guy who befriended a girl on Facebook that painted a picture of one of the photos that he took. He eventually becomes Facebook friends with her entire family and friends, including her older sister (online romance?). This is a true story that was billed as a suspenseful flick or even thriller. This is definitely not the case; I actually looked up the ending prior to getting the movie on Netflix because I do not enjoy thrillers and being terrified while watching a movie. This documentary took some turns that I did not expect, but I really think that this could be a great film to watch with your kids (late middle school, early high school) prior to allowing them to get a Facebook account. I was really impressed with this and the conversations that ensued afterward. We highly recommend this one!
2. You Again (B-): When you combine Betty White, Sigourney Weaver, and Jamie Lee Curtis, how could a movie not go wrong? Well, this comedy was only really funny at the beginning as the directors set up the story. The premise is that the daughter of the main family is coming home for her brother's wedding. Who is he marrying you ask...well, her high school archenemy! Steve hated this movie! I think that every girl in the world could relate to this movie because of the girl enemies that we grew up with and made our lives a living hell. I have one, and I still hate her...wrong I know, but she made my childhood miserable. I cannot blame her completely, but I know she is still one of the biggest reasons I have trouble befriending other women and trusting them! Sidebar, sorry! The movie hints at these same issues but never truly develops the characters. It does address the larger issue, however, that people can change and that life goes on.
3. Morning Glory (B+): Rachel McAdams (love her!) plays the producer of a dying morning news show. The show is quickly going down the tubes prior to her joining the staff, and she has limited time to save it. Unfortunately, she has to deal with co-hosts Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford who could not hate each other more. It touches on the on-going battle of news versus entertainment and keeping up with what the viewers want. Steve did not watch this one with me, go figure!, but I enjoyed it. The only reason for the B+ is that it was a bit slow in portions of the movie. The news station is IBIS, which has a special place in my heart after the movie Up Close and Personal.

At the Theater
1. Narnia (C): I have only really enjoyed the first of the Narnia movies. I have to be quite honest, I have never read the entire series of the Chronicles of Narnia, but it's on my list. I cannot really compare the movie and the book, so others will be able to speak more on that topic. In general though, I did not particularly enjoy this film; it was slow, lacked character development, and failed to preach the Gospel like the other two films. I guess I should read the book now, and maybe I will like the movie better. I don't want to recount the plot of the movie because I don't want to give anything away...not that there's much to give away anyway!
2. Gnomeo and Juliet (B): I really enjoyed this flick with a twist on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Steve did not enjoy it as much, and I was a bit surprised since he teaches the play every year. I think his students would really enjoy it. The film describes the lives of the red gnomes versus the blue gnomes that live next door to each other; they are archenemies and do not intermingle...until one day. Gnomeo and Juliet meet each other while out and about one day, and they cannot stay apart. Although the movie takes some turns that the play does not, many of the characters are well represented such as Benny (Benvolio), Tybalt, Paris, and Nanette (the Nurse). I thought this cartoon was creative and took a different, more modern look at an older classic!
3. The Adjustment Bureau (A): We both loved this movie! Matt Damon has a winner with this one for sure! As David Norris' (Damon) political career takes a shift, he is visited by the Adjustment Bureau who lets him in on a bit of a secret...there are people in the world helping keep you on the path that your life is supposed to take, at least the path that "the Chairman" has set out for you. Obviously, the movie has a great deal of symbolism. The movie is billed to be suspenseful, but is not in the least bit. Who is doing the advertising in Hollywood, really? Norris' life changes when he meets the woman of his dreams, but the Bureau tries to keep him on track and away from the girl that would change his path forever. The idea of this film is creative and fresh. Check it out!

More to come after some other Netflix movies...

The Klepto Kitty

2011-03-04T16:18:00.000-05:00

There may be a cat just as funny as Mo...check it out!

The New Trashcan

2011-02-17T17:22:00.000-05:00

We had to get a new trashcan because Moses kept tipping the old one so that he could eat whatever he could find! Yes, I think we have a dog in the family! We finally found one at Bed Bath & Beyond that locks and will not come unlocked when tipped over (we had to try a few before we found one)!

Mo does not like the new trashcan, but he is still trying his hardest to get into it! This is what we came downstairs to today:

He cannot get inside of it, but he sure did try!

Best Super Bowl XLV Commercials

2011-02-06T21:58:00.001-05:00

I don't really watch the Super Bowl, just the commercials, so here were my favorite Super Bowl 2011 commercials:

1. Love Hurts PepsiMax (click link to view, embedding was disabled)

2. Bud Light Kitchen Remodel

3. Doritos House Sitting

4. Volkswagen "The Force" (my absolute favorite!)

5. McDonald's Good Report Card

6. John 3:16

Worst Commercials of the Super Bowl:

1. Eminem and Brisk Ice Tea

2. Geico disco ball: SO bad that I couldn't even find it!

The Hunger Games

2011-02-06T17:26:00.000-05:00

I finished my final project for our current grad class last weekend so this week before the next class starts, I read 3 books! All of them are by author, Suzanne Collins, are part of a series, and I LOVED THEM! I cannot begin to say enough good things about them; plus, a movie will be made about the first book and it is set to be released this time next year (and Collins is writing the screen play so hopefully it will mirror the book)!

I am going to go back and read the Underland Chronicles, which is the first series that she wrote. It is for younger children (4th-5th grade), but most of the reviews of the books were written by adults and how much they loved them! The review below does not give away anything that other sites selling the book do not already tell you! No spoilers on this post!

Last Sunday I started the first book in the series, The Hunger Games. I have to premise the book by saying that it is billed for seventh grade and up, but I would not let my kids read this series until they were in high school. At the start of the book, it is very clear that America as we know it has vanished. The world has been destroyed and all that exists are 12 districts and the Capitol in a world called Panem (I think Pandemonium!). Each district is well-known for making a product that the rest of the world requires; it's as if the technology of the current world survived the terror that destroyed the old world, but the ways of everyday life have reverted 100 years. Katniss Everdeen is the lead in the story who lives in the lowest district, District 12. They mine coal in district 12, but can barely survive. They trade in their own black market, but many people die of starvation. Every year two tributes (a boy and a girl) are chosen in a reaping from each of the twelve districts in order to compete in the Hunger Games at the Capitol. Those who are chosen must fight to save themselves by killing the other 23 competitors; upon winning, the victors are set for life, something that most cannot even imagine, and they mentor future hunger game tributes. This is all sport for the Capitol who creates the arena in which they compete and does not have to provide tributes for the game. Unfortunately, Katniss' younger sister, Prim, is chosen to compete, but Katniss volunteers to take her place. Her counterpart, Peeta, is chosen to represent District 12. Peeta is the son of bakers, and does not seem to have the physical or mental stamina to compete in the games, or does he?. How do they survive? Who wins? You will have to read it to find out! This book will blow your mind, and you will not be able to put it down! Collins has beautifully developed her characters, created a world that is absolutely intriguing and unforgettable, and written a poignant a social commentary on our current lifestyle and government. I read the first book in a twenty-four hour period!

The other two books in the series are called Catching Fire and Mockingjay. I do not want to go into details about either of the two books because it would give away details about the first book! The first two are by far my favorites. I did not like the last book in the series as much because I thought it was kind of slow; I was blown away by the ending to this trilogy, however! If you read all three, you will be very surprised by the events that ensue. Happy reading!

The World of Dropbox

2011-02-04T19:13:00.001-05:00

Dropbox IS AMAZING!

Do you have multiple computers? Do you email yourself documents from work so you can access them at home? I found that I was constantly emailing documents back and forth to myself, adding or deleting from my very small flash drive, or looking for my external hard drive! I don't have to do that anymore. Once I created my FREE account with Dropbox, I was able to download a folder to the desktop of each computer that I have. Every time I open Dropbox my files are there; it does not matter on which computer I created or edited the file!

What happens if your computer crashes? We all wonder about backing up our information so that we don't lose it! The most wonderful feature is that if your computer crashes or if you simply want to transfer documents once you have a new computer, all of your documents are backed up on your online account!

Another nice feature is the sharing of documents and folders. For instance, I can share all of my Spanish 2 files with all of the other Spanish 2 teachers at my school or even in the county. Collaboration is now SO easy! The recipients do not even have to have Dropbox in order to share the files because you receive a URL for each file.

You can try Dropbox to access your files on Blackberry, Android, iPhone, and iPad. I have not yet tried it on my Blackberry because I do not really feel the need to access files on my phone, but I can imagine this would be a great asset in the business world.

I really cannot say enough good things about Dropbox! If you want more space, you can pay for it, but I have found that the starting 2GB is sufficient for my school files. I would definitely consider paying for space in order to have room for my music and photo files.

If still aren't convinced, check out the video below!

Progression of the Nap

2011-01-27T11:11:00.000-05:00

Night and Day

2011-01-27T11:05:00.000-05:00

Snowstorm January 2011

Around the House

2011-01-17T18:50:00.000-05:00

We haven't had much going on recently except for teaching and doing work for grad school. We're a bit boring right now! We did get together with some friends from college recently, and it was great to catch up on everyone's recent activities. We've been spending a great deal of time with family which has been wonderful!

My back-up plan from teaching, or just a pipe dream in general, is to work in/run my own bakery. I LOVE to bake and to decorate; for Christmas Steve bought me two great books called Hello Cupcake and What's New Cupcake to learn some new tricks! They are so much fun! I went to Hobby Lobby and bought myself some new decorating tips and icing bags, and away I went! Here are the first of the creations...sunflower cupcakes:

I mixed my own icing colors and even had multiple colors in one bag to give the petals various effects. It took awhile to get the hang of it, and maybe next time it will go a bit faster.

I didn't have a lot of time for the actual cupcakes, so I used a box mix, but next time I will make my own from scratch. I have a few recipes that I really want to try.

The only other news around here is that all of our new furniture has been delivered. We went looking for new living room furniture the week before Christmas, and did not expect much. We actually did not even have money with us in order to purchase furniture! Low and behold La-Z-Boy had what we did not even know we were looking for! They were having a good sale, and all but our chair was in stock in their warehouse. We ordered our furniture on a Monday and it was at our house on a Friday (Christmas Eve)! Also, we borrowed a swatch with our chair fabric from them in order to match curtains and other accessories, and we found the SAME exact pattern in pillows at Bed Bath & Beyond! Crazy!

Here's our living room before (ignore the Christmas tree from last year):

And here's our new living room:

We are on the hunt now for a new rug, but that could take forever. I have yet to find anything that matches (and is not a solid color) but even more importantly that the cat won't tear to shreds! This run is the only thing in the entire house that he claws!

That's what has been going on around here lately. Not much to report, but that's okay too! Be careful in our impending ice/sleet storm, blogger world!

Snow Moser

2011-01-05T20:44:00.000-05:00

Snow Moser is Mo's new nickname as a sly reference to the snow miser! He hates snow, but I still find it funny! Steve and I could not sleep the other night so we were thinking about all of the stuff this cat has eaten in the past 6 years with us (this was the topic probably due to the fact he had just stolen a spinach ravioli off the kitchen counter that evening). Here's a partial list of items/food he has consumed, mostly without our consent:

2-3 inches of a stringed fleece cat toy
numerous tails off of toy mice
anything and everything from Chickfila that he can get his paws on, he loves their waffle fries
chicken parmesan (I blamed the mess on my clean floors on Steve, but it turned out it was not him!)
raw and cooked chicken
pork loin and chops
turkey of many varieties
rice
green beans
french fries in general
sweet potatoes...he cries when I make them!
an entire ear off of my Mickey Mouse rice krispie treat, after opening the cellophane wrapping
a large chunk out of a baguette, also after ripping open the packaging
part of a blueberry muffin
part of a blueberry donut
cheezits...I think he would kill for one of these! He got a package in his Christmas stocking at my parents' house last year
goldfish crackers
the corner off of both of our nightstands
bugs, but he's picky; he really only eats the moths and flies and cannot be bothered with ants, spiders, or stink bugs
branches off the Christmas tree
plastic rings off the milk carton
chicken noodle soup
carpet fuzz
popcorn
pasta, the twirly ones not the angel hair
potato chips and dip
icecream
Reddi-Wip
Chinese food, including the fortune cookies
pepperoni
various types and cuts of cheeses
taco meat (that was NOT a good night)

More to come later I'm sure as we think of items in the past and whatever he gets his paws into in the near future!

more fun pictures with his Christmas outfit! I think he is scratching his cat scratcher out of pure anger :)

The King's Speech

2011-01-02T18:02:00.000-05:00

We ended our vacation with a trip to the movies (unlike us, I know)! In the midst of grad work, my grandmother in the hospital, and sleeping on our new couches, we had to get out of the house. We were really picky and were deciding what kind of group we wanted to see a movie with; the type of movie decides the audience, and we were in no mood for chatty, texting teenagers or crying children so that eliminated Black Swan and The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We chose The King's Speech!

The movie depicts King George VI and his attempts to be a front man for the royal family despite his severe speech impediment. Colin Firth plays King George VI (also known as the Duke of York), and his performance is definitely Oscar worthy! Other notable actors are Helena Bonham Carter (we best know her as Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd) playing his wife, Geoffrey Rush (best known to us as Captain Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean) as his elocutionist, and Timothy Spall (known to us as Peter Pettigrew in Harry Potter) Winston Churchill.

We cannot say enough good things about this movie. Other than language, I am not quite sure why the movie is rated R. There is not one sex scene, and there is only mild violence in reference to World War II.

King George VI becomes king much to his dismay after the death of his father, the former king, and the abdication of the throne by his brother who should have been king. The movie beautifully depicts not only the growth of King George VI as he works through his speech impediment and his past but also the friendship between his elocutionist and him. The movie has some surprises along the way, but I will leave those untouched for your movie viewing pleasure!

The period sets, costumes, and way of life are perfectly delineated; you feel as if you are living with the family in the 1930's. If this movie does not win an Oscar for something, we will be very surprised. Colin Firth deserves it more than anyone; you truly believe that he has a speech impediment, and you will root for the good guy the entire movie! A must see!

ICE

2010-12-29T20:16:00.000-05:00

We went to the National Harbor in Washington D.C. today to see the ICE exhibit. This year's theme was How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and everything is completely carved out of ice and dyed various colors. If you decide to go (next year because tickets are pretty much sold out for this year), plan to go on a week day for sure. The staff told us that weekends are a mob scene! I would also recommend early in the morning as well. Do not pay for ICE parking, it's $10, and you can park in a garage right across from ICE for less than that. We were there from 11:30AM until 2:30PM and only paid $5 at the other garage.

ICE is housed in a large tent at the back of the property at the National Harbor. Inside you will find the ICE exhibit, an ice skating rink, and a gift shop. What the website does not tell you is that the walk-through of Dr. Seuss' work and the video prior to the ICE exhibit are not optional. They are basically the queue that you walk through while waiting in line. If today was any busier, you can wait up to 90 minutes from where the queue begins (NOT WORTH THE MONEY if that's the case)! We only waited in line about 20 minutes, and the wait is mostly to get your parka since it's only 9 degrees inside! You also wait in line to have your picture taken, but it seemed like you could skip that part. If it's not crowded inside, it will only take you about 20-30 minutes to walk through the exhibit. Some of the reviews that I read said that if it's crowded that it is difficult to see everything. We did not have any trouble, but we also did not wait in line to go down the two-story ice slide either! Here are some pictures that we were able to get...

Steve in his big blue parka!

how did the Grinch steal Christmas?

me in my big blue parka...I felt like the kids in the Christmas Story movie!

part of Whoville

LOVE this Christmas tree

the Grinch!

stealing Christmas

Max, his dog

Christmas is restored...dinner with the whos

Cindy Loo Hoo

The Nativity scene carved out of ice and lighted as the story of Christmas is narrated...very neat!

A Christmas tree made entirely of Peeps to advertise the Peeps store

After we were finished, we walked around the harbor for a bit (lot of cute shops to see), and we went to Rosa Mexicano for lunch. We had eaten there before, and it was just as delicious as last time! We rounded out our day with a trip to IKEA on the way home where we were just going to "look", but I don't think we've ever left there without purchasing something!

Christmas

2010-12-29T19:52:00.000-05:00

Christmas seems like a blur now even though it was only 4 days ago! We were teaching through December 23, so we did not have much time to prepare physically or mentally! We spent the 23rd and part of the 24th scrambling around to clean the house and cook. We also waited all morning on the 24th for our new furniture to be delivered...pictures to come soon once the chair gets here too. The flash mob definitely helped put us in the Christmas spirit despite working right up until the day!

We spent Christmas Eve at our house with Steve's family. It was nice to have a relaxing dinner and open presents as the night progressed. It's sad, but I did not take any pictures except of Chloe, our niece, and Moses.

Chloe mid-sneeze...but still perfectly cute!

Moses getting decorated for Christmas!

After a fun night of family, we spent Christmas day with more family...mine! We drove to Annapolis while flurries danced on the car all around us. That was perfect because none of it stuck to the road; it was just pretty! We opened presents with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law, and then, the extended family arrived. After a late lunch, we opened more presents, and were thoroughly exhausted.

After two days of non-stop Christmas (plus working), we were absolutely spent! We napped on and off the entire next day on our new couches while we watched TV...it was beautiful!

Flash Mob Press!

2010-12-23T18:32:00.000-05:00

So the flash mob at Columbia Mall yesterday has already gotten a good bit of press. Here's an article about yesterday and a video that was planned ahead of time to be filmed so that none of us had to worry about it. You can see our friends Sarah and Greg in multiple shots! The Baltimore news even covered the story and posted the video that I blogged before! One of the women who helped plan the event also posted an article today in an online publication that she runs.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that every participant brought non-perishable food items to help out the Howard County Food Bank so our flash mob performance was not just about interrupting shoppers at the mall in hopes to spread a little bit of Christmas joy!

The first video below is the one that was taken for us so we didn't have to worry about cameras...I think it captures the spirit of the flash mob perfectly! The second video was taken by someone else, but we wanted to include it because you can actually see us in the back a few times by Payless Shoes! I also think the quality of the video is much more clear. We hope that you are getting ready to rock around the Christmas tree with your family! Have a Merry Christmas blogger world!

Flash Mob

2010-12-23T11:16:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of being part of a flash mob at Columbia Mall. What is a flash mob, you ask? Well, it occurs in a public place mostly where people are shopping or milling around. People pretend to be shopping, talking, or hanging out, and then, suddenly burst into song and/or dance. Once finished, they leave and resume their previous action as if nothing happened. These flash mobs are popping up all of the world, and unfortunately, some of them have prompted angry responses (that was definitely not the case with our experience)! We debated going or not going, but finally decided that it was the day before our last day of school for the holidays and that we could not pass up an opportunity like this!

We arrived at 5PM yesterday at River Hill High School for a meeting and to learn the choreography. We found out about the entire event from a private event on Facebook, and we were invited by some friends. It turned out that there were fellow teachers, past and present students, friends from school and friends from church all there as well! SO MUCH FUN! We had a quick meeting that described what would happen and when; everyone received numbers upon entering, instructions, and a map. The two women that coordinated the entire event were amazingly organized and had done their research. We discovered that the mall already knew we were coming, and that they were prepared for us (for good or for bad)! Our maps and numbers told us where we would be positioned during the flash mob. Steve and I had previously decided that if the meeting and rehearsal were mass chaos that we would simply leave...that was definitely not the case! A little over 300 people showed up, we had a brief meeting, and then, forty-five minutes to learn the choreography to Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. It was a BLAST!

Afterwards, we headed to an extremely over-crowded Columbia Mall to find a parking space. A very nice couple directed us right to their car, and we quickly ran into the mall. The song began earlier than planned, which was great because those who thought they had a heads up were an hour late! There were already people waiting for us because the information had been leaked (probably due to texts/calls from people in the flash mob), but many people were still completely surprised.

We listened for Sleigh Ride, the song before ours, and then, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree started (about 10 mintues before it was supposed to). I'm glad we were paying attention because before we knew it, the whole thing was over! It was such a rush of adrenaline, and to hear peoples' responses for over an our after the entire event was great. It really put us in the Christmas spirit! So many people were talking about it or saying how bummed they were that they missed it. We would definitely do this again if given another opportunity! Check out the video below of the entire performance. I'm sure there will be more later, but this is the most recent that is halfway decent! Merry Christmas!!!

Facebook Video

2010-12-19T12:32:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon this video this morning on Facebook telling the story of Mary and Joseph. I cried! It's a Facebook video for crying out loud! Crazy! It is really neat! I know it's going around Facebook like crazy right now, but I had to share it. It's wild how modern technology can beautifully depict the Christmas story. Enjoy!

Ram's Head Tavern

2010-12-11T17:02:00.000-05:00

We visited Ram's Head Tavern last night to see Paula Poundstone, Steve's favorite comedian. We had such a great experience, that we wanted to share! First off, Paula Poundstone was hilarious! She only had a few moments on her political soapbox, but other than that, she was just plain honest and funny. She is one of the few comedians out there who can use the audience to her advantage every show, play off of the audience members, and bring it back to them throughout the show. She does not miss a beat; the good part about this is that every show is completely different! We even got to meet her after the show!

Ram's Head On Stage is the perfect venue for a show. Nestled in downtown Annapolis, it only seats 500 people and you can order food, drinks, and just hang out with other people during the event. You are seated by table, so we were with four other people. It's always fun to meet new people! We highly suggest their package deal which does not cost extra. Just pick your event date, say that you want the event/concert package, and you get 10% off of your meal bill, discounted parking in Gott's parking garage (right across the street), and they take you right from your table, through the back and to your seat without having to wait in line to have your ticket checked. It was perfect, and the food in the tavern was delicious! This is only if you have lunch/dinner in the Tavern before the show. We weren't aware that you could order food during the show, but the menu is more limited; I'm glad we had dinner in the Tavern!

Tip: Check out the lay of the land ahead of time in case you are not familiar with Annapolis...downtown can be difficult to navigate. I spent most of my teenage weekends hanging out down there with friends so I know every street, but I know that most outsiders can feel very lost!

Decorations!

2010-12-11T16:48:00.000-05:00

Christmas began early around the Ammann house! We put up our trees the day we got back from Disney, and we decorated them both the day after Thanksgiving. Steve set up the outside decorations (pictures may come, we'll see how redneck I want to feel) and is staking them as we speak so they don't blow over! We've had a lot of fun and are so sad that December is going so fast (not for school, just for enjoying the holidays)! It's been nice to plug in the trees and garland, and relax with some spiced chai latte & a book.

The Disney Tree! All of the ornaments are from Disney or are made by Disney for Hallmark. Even the star has little Mickey cutouts!

I like Mo's stocking the best with the little fish & hearts!

tree #2 with all of the other ornaments!

Happy decorating everyone and Merry Christmas!

Fun Stuff for Christmas

2010-12-08T19:38:00.000-05:00

A coworker at Steve's school told him about a great link for your kids, friends, or family where you input information and Santa Claus sends them a message! While I am not a huge Santa fan, and I know that many families do not even discuss Santa in their house, this is a fun surprise. You put in a picture, their name, and some information about them; then, it's like Santa is talking directly to them! So cute! Check out Portable North Pole!

Also, a favorite on our list right now is Hobby Lobby! We made fun of the name for over a month. We kind of refused to go there...now we are promoting it like none another! Apparently it is a chain from the midwest, but it has come here! It is a Christian organization (closed on Sundays--yay!) that is like JoAnn Fabrics, Michael's, and Homegoods all rolled into one! All of my favorites!!! When we went the entire store was basically 50% off...even furniture! The clerk who rang us up told us that if you aren't sure what will be on sale that you can almost always print a 40% off one item coupon from their website ahead of time. Love, love, love this store! If you haven't seen it yet, just think about where the old Best Buy used to be in Columbia right near Petsmart and DSW. All three are a dangerous combination for me...crafts/decorations, treats and toys for Mo, and endless rows of shoes :)

Time to sign off...I think I may be drooling.

Check back for a review of the Paula Poundstone performance this weekend and maybe a trip to Trader Joes to get peppermint jojos (I think that's what they're called)!

Tangled

2010-11-26T18:39:00.004-05:00

After a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and time with family in Annapolis, Steve and decided to go to the movies to see the movie Tangled. There was NO ONE at the movie theater...this may have to become a tradition. We had very low expectations for this movie considering Disney's advertising execs need to be fired after numerous misleading ads for dozens of recent movies (a blog post for another time)!

We were severely wrong! Tangled was amazing! It was such a throwback to the classics that we grew up with like Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast. The story was cute, the character development was perfect, the songs were memorable, and the scenery was gorgeous. We did see the movie in 3D, but that was only because it was during the time slot that we wanted; I am SO glad we did though because it only enhanced the scenery.

Tangled tells the fairy tale of Rapunzel who has been stolen from her parents, the king and queen. She has been locked away in a tower her entire life because her golden hair is magical. Her evil "step-mother", Mother Gothel, (voiced by Donna Murphy) is a creepy, iconic new Disney villain. Rapunzel is voiced by Mandy Moore, who is dynamic in both her portrayal of Rapunzel and her vocal talents for the movie's score. Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi) is a thief who happens to encounter the tower in which Rapunzel has been hidden away for the last eighteen years. She convinces him to take her away from her tower while her mother is away and the journey that ensues is both heartwarming and romantic. My favorite part is on the water with the lanterns for which Rapunzel has been waiting her entire life (when you see the movie, you will know what I am talking about).

The movie is not without its comical elements, however. A band of thugs, a white stallion named Maximus, and a chameleon named Pascal provide comical relief throughout the movie. Pascal was by far my favorite! Neither Maximus nor Pascal actually spoke during the entire film, but the emotion that Disney is able to create from both non-speaking animals is dynamic!
We cannot wait to see this movie again, and we will definitely be purchasing it when it is released on DVD. This is a film for the entire family and it gets an A+ from this family! Disney hit a homerun with their 50th animated feature!

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

2010-11-26T18:23:00.005-05:00

On the third day of our vacation, we visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Let me start off by saying that we had a fabulous time once we got into the Wizarding World and loved our three or four hours at Hogwarts/Hogsmede. It is one of the neatest things that we've ever done, but crazy as well!

This will be more of a blog of tips/criticisms to spare others from some of the craziness. We had read a good deal about the Wizarding World prior to going, and we are glad that we did! Keep in mind that we went on one of the busiest days ever, according to park employees anyway. In order to begin your trip, contact the Mears bus service or you can have your resort concierge do this for you. You contact them 24 hours in advance, and they will come get you the next day to take you to Universal Studios for $18 per person round-trip. You only have to call them 2 hours before you want to get picked up and they give you a pick-up time as well. That was one of the few smooth parts of our day.

Everyone is running towards Harry Potter upon scanning their tickets at the gate. We were told to get in another line after that to get a reservation ticket to enter the Wizarding World. Once we found the end of the line, we waited for 15-20 minutes until we were about 5 people from getting reservation tickets at which time we were told they ran out of them and that they weren't going to use the reservation tickets at all that day. Meanwhile, almost 1,000 people had passed us at this point. It was mass chaos, and we expected some employees to be murdered! We arrived at the Wizarding World and found more insanity. It was elbow to elbow people the entire time we were there.
Our first tip would be not to take any bags/purses/large cameras into the park if you can avoid it. Around both of Universal's parks it is rare to find a ride that permits you to bring a bag of any kind. Lockers are free for the duration of one ride (they don't tell you how long that is), $3 for every additional 30 minutes, and up to a maximum of $20 for the day. Crazy! Our second tip is to hit the ride in the castle early. Lines are LONG. Also, this is not for those who suffer from motion sickness or do not typically enjoy simulation rides. I do not fare well with either and had to close my eyes for most of the ride. We found out later that you can go on a walking tour inside the castle to see everything inside without having to ride the ride. Take advantage of that! The castle is beautiful and has highlighted many important features from the books/movies.
Third, eat lunch early. All of the stores/restaurants in Hogsmede are tiny and true to size of what J.K. Rowling wanted according to the novels. While I appreciated the attention to detail, you have to wait in line to get into every single store. We ate lunch at Three Broomsticks at 10:30AM and by the time we left, I am sure there was at least a 30-40 minute wait just to get inside and wait in line some more to order food. You can also order both butterbeer and pumpkin juice with a meal instead of having to wait in the absurdly long line outside.
Fourth, there is a secret alley that serves butterbeer between Honeydukes candy store and the Three Broomsticks. If you wait long enough, waitresses will come out and take your order and money and bring out butterbeer...the frozen variety is too incredible to describe! Plus, hardly any wait!
Finally, be VERY patient throughout the day. It took us about 3-4 hours to see most of Hogwarts and Hogsmede, and that was without waiting in line for Olivander's wand shop/show. We tried to have a positive attitude throughout the day, and enjoy what we could, but there were MANY frustrated people that we talked to that day. When we left Hogsmsede in the early afternoon, there was a long line of people near Jurassic Park waiting to be admitted into the Wizarding World. I am glad that we arrived when the park opened!
We have found that Universal Studios lacks the organization and competency of Disney and does not cater to its customers in the least bit. All of that said, we had fun, saw everything that we wanted to see, but do not have a desire to go back, even though we are huge Harry Potter fans. Disney will always win over Universal!

Disney World Take 2

2010-11-26T17:54:00.006-05:00

We were blessed to visit Disney World again this year thanks to some generous family members and points on our Disney credit card! We had a blast and do not want to bore you with stories, but it was a whirlwind of a few days including a visit to Universal Studios to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (reviewed critically in its own post later)!

The first night we were there, we simply checked into the Pop Century Hotel (loved this by the way, and we would totally stay there again). Since it was midnight, we didn't go anywhere except to bed. We did two parks in one day on the first full day that we were there. We had a great character breakfast at Animal Kingdom with Mickey and friends, and we were able to ride a few rides before we left.
Then, it was off to Magic Kingdom to cram in as much fun as possible. The week and few days leading up to Thanksgiving are definitely busy! There were quite a few rides that we never got to because the lines were so long, but we didn't complain since we were just there in February. Magic Kingdom was decorated beautifully for Christmas!
We rode as much as we could (and got soaked on Splash Mountain), and then, we were able to meet my parents for dinner and some rides. I had not been to Disney with my family since I was ten or eleven. It was SO much fun!
We had dinner at another character breakfast, but this time with all of my favorite Winnie the Pooh friends! Then, we waited to leave until the castle was lit for Christmas. Just beautiful!
We spent the entire next day at Hollywood Studios and we rode almost everything there, and saw almost every show too!
Steve continued his hunt for Mickey icecream bars, and we ventured out in the afternoon on the hunt to meet characters!
We ended the evening watching the Fantasmic show (favorite night show, by far!) and seeing the Spectacle of Dancing Lights which have all been donated by the Osbourne family (no, not the famous British family).
We spent the third day at Universal (post forthcoming) and then, Downtown Disney. We were exhausted by then, but still had one more day of fun to cram in. We hadn't planned on spending another day at a Disney Park, but decided to splurge and buy another day. Then, we were off to EPCOT.
We attempted to ride every ride, eat our way through the countries, and find as many characters as possible. We filled the day until we had to leave for our final dinner at another Disney resort.
We had dinner at the Ohana restaurant inside the Polynesian Resort. It was delicious. We basically tried all new restaurants for this trip, and loved all of them. Finally, we visited the 10 foot tall gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian Resort. It smelled so good!
We had a fabulous trip, and it was wonderful to spend portions of it with my parents too. We were so sad to leave, but are looking forward to our next trip there (and maybe a trip to Disneyland in between)! Thanks to everyone who made our trip possible! We had no idea how much we really needed to get away for awhile :)

Some videos before the Harry Potter world review...

Lights Motors Action Show:

The Spectacle of Dancing Lights:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

2010-11-18T18:38:00.002-05:00

**Spoiler Alert...Do NOT read below if you do not want to know what happens in the new HP movie!**

We were blessed to get sneak preview tickets to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 on Monday with one of my best friends from college (thanks Katie). Before the movie started we found out that we were the first people in the state of Maryland to see it! SO FUN! I reread the book about 2 weeks before we saw the movie, and I am so thankful that I did because I would have missed many details or been wondering if what the movie presented actually happened in the book...like the Burrow catching fire in the sixth movie...really?!?!

We absolutely loved the movie and thought that the directors/actors/everyone did a spectacular job with all of the major events in the first half of the book. The movie ends a bit after Malfoy Manor which is thankfully where I reread up until. Now, time to read the rest! The movie included the 7 Harry's en route to a safe house, Bill & Fleur's wedding, the Ministry of Magic, Godric's Hollow, the Lovegood's house, and Malfoy Manor. I loved the scene at the Ministry!

Some of the reviews say that the movie is slow, but after rereading the first half of the book, the travel from hiding place to hiding place is extremely slow! I was a little disappointed that the movie could not include every little aspect, so I can rant and rave on here to complain about what I wished they had discussed or not changed:

Changed from the book:
1. Hediwg was not the reason for giving away the "real" Harry for Voldemort to find him
2. the group of Harry's and their travel partners all went to separate safe houses, not just the Burrow like the movie portrays (cut for time's sake, I'm sure)
3. Harry's birthday was never celebrated in the movie, no reference was made to him turning 17 and the trace being removed except to say, "we forgot your birthday"
4. Harry was himself at Bill & Fleur's wedding instead of taking Polyjuice potion
5. Harry, Hermione, and Ron never give the fake locket to Kreacher and the film failed to show the restored relationship with the house elf
6. Harry does not use the invisibility cloak at the Ministry...I wish he had because the scene with Umbridge seemed too coincidental...although this scene is incredibly funny and sad at the same time
7. the statue of Harry and his family is not evident in Godric's Hollow...I really wanted to see that!
8. Luna's bedroom is never shown in the movie...I wanted to see the painting on her ceiling! at the Lovegood's house, the entire scene is a bit different
9. the use of Voldemort's name is never mentioned as a way to be found by snatchers and Death Eaters; they simply disapparate into a band of snatchers
10. in general if you don't read the book, you may not be able to follow the movie completely

I LOVED all of the scenery in the movie. It was just as I pictured it from the book. The tale of the Deathly Hallows is one of the neatest stories within a film that we have ever seen; it was VERY well done! This is not a movie for children, however. The movie is scary and Voldemort's snake plays a huge role in that. Also, there is one scene with Ron and Harry with the sword of Gryffindor that is slightly inappropriate. I cried towards the end with Dobby on the beach at Shell Cottage. In spite of the mild to moderate changes from the book, we would give this movie an A+ for sure!

I will be both elated and depressed when Part 2 is released because I feel like it will be the end of an era. I cannot wait until tomorrow after so many people have seen it so that we can all discuss the movie!

Vacation!

2010-11-17T19:33:00.001-05:00

Vacation in T-minus 2 days...this time Friday we'll be on a plane :) We'll be back with pictures and hopefully good stories from Disney World and Universal Studios! Until next time Bloggers!

Snuggie Haterade

2010-11-02T15:47:00.003-04:00

I LOVE my Snuggie, but the following video is absolutely hilarious. Some guys decided to take the original commercial and created a new voice-over for it. Thanks for sharing, Drew! Please ignore some of the inappropriateness, especially in the new name for the Snuggie.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T16:01:00.002-04:00

Wham! Bap! Pow! Batman!

Happy Halloween!

Homecoming

2010-10-25T13:26:00.004-04:00

Last weekend we were able to get away with friends from college for Homecoming at Salisbury University. We have such great memories from college and even better friends. The Fam reunited at Lammy's house and began a fun-filled weekend of games, food, and laughter. We went down a night early to hang out with Lammy and help him with his kitchen remodel...check out his Facebook for awesome pictures!

Steve with his Thanksgiving family at Food Lion

These are new dorms where the old Fratelli's used to be. There will be retail on the bottom, and coed dorms above. Crazy! The new Perdue business school building is crazy too!

We ate lunch at the dining hall...it was worse than we remembered! Lammy stole a tray from the Commons to make it all worth it!

After lunch we went down to the mail room to open a bunch of mailboxes...we used to do that after dinner every night. It was kind of fun!

Lammy had a rider for most of our campus tour! Isn't he cute?!? Hayden is pretty cute too!

Hanging outside of Guerreri Center
the Janes family...so awesome! Jack is ready to escape (and he did later...almost made it to route 13!)

Steve loves Harriet Tubman, and now there's a statue of her on campus. There would have been way more inappropriate pictures had she been there while we went there!
Drew and Drea hanging out with Jolie (who's more interested in her feet!)
the newlyweds...SmizzleShanks!

Back in Caruther's auditorium where most of us met for Campus Crusade. Many good times here!

It was nice to get away, but now we are back to the regular routine...3 more weeks of class, 3 1/2 more weeks until Steve's birthday, and 4 weeks until Disney! We cannot wait! Stay tuned for more movie reviews :)

Fall Movie Reviews

2010-10-03T15:58:00.005-04:00

Since all we've been doing lately is grading papers and work for grad school, we've tried to have some date nights. We've seen 3 movies in 3 weeks! Fun times! I think that we both love the experience of the movies just as much as the movie itself. We are usually two of the only people left in a theater by the end because we actually stay for the credits to see who some of the actors were, all of the producers, writers, and directors, and to wait for (and hope that there are) extra scenes! I also love the trailers for the new movies too! Well, here are our current reviews:

1. The Town (B+): The Town is written by, produced by, and stars Ben Affleck. The movie chronicles a town in Boston where it is a family pastime to rob local banks. On one bank robbery, however, the group takes a bank manager as a hostage. They dump her off on the side of the road later, but keep close tabs on her to see if she'll talk to the authorities. What ensues is actually rather interesting. We thought that there might be some twists and turns like Gone Baby Gone, but the story was fairly straight forward. The characters were pretty well developed, but the plot was not as much. The language in the movie is not as filthy as some of Affleck's other films, but it is pretty bad...thus the reason for our rating.

2. Easy A (B+): We were not sure what to think about this movie prior to seeing it, but the movie had a positive message despite the sexual topic of the movie. Olive, the main character, tries to help out a few of the boys at her high school by pretending to be physical with them. They lavish her with money and gift cards for doing absolutely nothing except boosting their reputations. Her reputation is destroyed in the process and she buys into that by sewing a letter "A" on all of her clothes; this is very fitting since her class is reading The Scarlet Letter. There are some surprises in the movie that we did not see coming, but the movie is definitely laugh out loud funny. Olive's sarcasm and pop culture references are hilarious. We were pleasantly surprised by this one!

3. The Social Network (A): This film depicts the creation and behind the scenes insanity of the social network Facebook. We are not quite sure from whose point of view the movie was created because Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, came off looking like a complete jerk! There were two major lawsuits filed against him, one by a friend and CFO of Facebook, and another by twin brothers who claim that they came up with the idea for Facebook. The film looks at both lawsuits and then, backtracks to show you how various events came about. This is not a comedy in the least bit, but instead takes a serious look at intellectual property rights, friendships as business partnerships, and your life after you think you have everything you ever wanted. We highly recommend this movie!

Hopefully, we'll get to see You Again soon and maybe the documentary Babies and Iron Man 2 since we did not see those movies in the theater.

Here's what Mo has been up to lately...sitting in the refrigerator, waiting for and ~~begging~~ screaming at us to give him something to eat:

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...

2010-09-28T20:09:00.004-04:00

I love the children's books by Laura Joffe Numeroff that began with the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. That little mouse is too darn cute! If you give him or the other animals something that they want, and they always want something else. I have many of her books in both English and Spanish. I even made a book one year for Christmas for my mom that had pictures of her grandchild/grandcat called If You Take a Nap with Moses. She has a book that I haven't seen yet called If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. Really? Where have I been? Two of my favorite things in a book! YAY!

Steve came up with some of his own ideas tonight...sorry, some of them are inappropriate!

1. If you Give a Porcupine Pubic Lice

2. If you Give a Salamander the Stink Eye

3. If you Give a Horse Heroin to Hold (while the police search your locker)

4. If you Give a Hobo a Hoagie

5. If you Give a Llama a Lap Dance

6. If you Give an Aardvark up for Adoption

7. If you Give a Baby a Bazooka

8. If you Give a Whore a Hug

9. If you Give a Pig a Playboy

10. If you Give a Parrot a Pop-Tart

11. If you Give a Bear a Bong

12. If you Give a Snake a STD

Back in 2006, Steve sent me the new titles that he "discovered" for the Berenstain Bears series. Here's what followed:

"In a controversial move, Harcourt publishing company has announced that the Bearenstein Bears will be back in a new book Summer 2006 which will focus on same-sex parenting. "The Bearenstein Bears and Brother Bears' Two Dads" will take a compassionate and introspective look at the questions young minds might ask when raised in a homosexual environment. Other titles to emerge from the Bearenstein collection later this year: "The Bearenstein Bears and the Voyerustic Neighbor", "The Bearenstein Bears and the Strangers with Candy", "The Bearenstein Bears and Incest is Best", and "The Bearenstein Bears Bare All: A Celebration of Bears and Nudity.""

Enjoy these interesting titles! Happy Tuesday!

Fall is Coming...

2010-09-18T14:10:00.005-04:00

There has been practically nothing new going on around here...here's the latest:

1. I turned 29...last year of the 20's
2. school started; we both moved classrooms, and don't know the kids really well yet
3. the never-ending cycle of grading papers has begun
4. Friday nights are sitting on the couch again debating whether or not to sleep or grade papers
5. we no longer see anyone we love because our jobs eat up our life
6. grad school sucks (this class right now isn't so bad, I just don't want to go anymore)
7. Mo goes back and forth between doing really well and having his usual issues
8. I am co-sponsoring NHS this year, and it is a TON of work
9. Fall is coming and I CANNOT wait! cinnamon, pumpkins, lattes, gorgeous colors, Christmas right around the corner
10. We are going to Disney World 2 months from tomorrow!!!

For now, enjoy some pictures of our favorite cat:

still acting like a kitten!

love it!

Halloween costume preview! photo session #1 did not go so well...more pictures to come!

hanging out in the fall breeze and beautiful sunshine!

Enjoy this video of what happens when the bugs get let inside at our house:

End of the Summer Movies

2010-08-22T13:59:00.003-04:00

Since courses ended, we've been able to watch and go see quite a few movies in the last two weeks. Here are our reviews of the more recent ones:

Netflix/Borrowed:

1. The Bounty Hunter (A): Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler were previously married, but their marriage ended in a horrible divorce. Gerard Butler was demoted from a police officer to a bounty hunter while Jennifer Aniston continued to climb the ranks as a reporter. She has the scoop of a lifetime but a traffic court hearing may change her plans. She skips the hearing and her ex-husband is assigned to track her down and bring her to jail. The movie is hilarious and touching. We feel that the previews did not do the movie justice and failed to explain the subplots of the movie that are important to the overall plot. We were impressed and surprised by this one!
2. Hot Tub Time Machine (D): We really did not have high expectations for this movie at all. Three college friends and one of the friend's nephew head out on an experience to relive one of their college memories. Unfortunately, while getting drunk in a hot tub one evening, the men travel back in time to the 80's. The plot is somewhat humorous, but the vulgar language is so frequent that I found myself wanting to turn off the movie. I can handle that when the language enhances a film or is meant to be cultural like Gran Torino or Gone Baby Gone, but this was out of control. While I usually love John Cusack, I did not feel that this was one of his better roles. I would not waste your time on this one.
3. Date Night (A): I cannot remember if I reviewed this one or not when we saw it at the movie theater over spring break, but we just recently watched it at home. Tiny Fey and Steve Carell play a married couple who are bored with the monotony of life. They head into the city one night for a date at an upscale restaurant but they failed to make reservations. Instead, they steal the reservation of a couple who did not show up; they find themselves on the date of a lifetime and mixed up with the wrong people. The movie not only has endless humor, but an actual story that many married couples can probably relate to. We highly recommend this movie!
4. Diary of Whimpy Kid (B): This movie was actually pretty cute! I was pleasantly surprised. The kids in the movie are all headed to sixth grade and trying to find out how they fit into the school and the world. As in most tween/teen movies, the kids simply want to be popular and make a name for themselves, but they figure out a lot about themselves and each other in the process. While there was nothing really inappropriate for kids in the movie, the tween humor left a bit to be desired for adults. Overall, not bad!

At the movie theater:

1. Charlie St. Cloud (B): Zac Efron plays a high school senior with the potential to make a name for himself with sailing at a top rated northeast college. His bond with his younger brother, Sam, is about to be tested in the move to college but both are involved in a car accident. His little brother is killed, but he is left to deal with the aftermath and the promise that he made prior to his death. His promise is tested, however, when a beautiful girl enters the scene and compromises his time. We were pleasantly surprised by the plot and there are some twists that we did not see coming. Zac Efron has definitely left his stereotypical High School Musical role into a more adult character, and we felt that he did a pretty good job!
2. The Switch (A+): Another Jennifer Aniston flick! Jennifer Aniston has not yet found the love of her life, but she desperately wants to have a child. She wants to find a donor that she can know and that her future child can know, and then, hosts a party to commemorate the insemination (odd, but probably not far from the truth these days)! Her best friend, Jason Bateman, becomes insanely intoxicated at said party and switches the donor sample with his own...he does not remember a thing! Six years later, Aniston returns from the midwest with her son in tow, and you can somewhat picture what will later ensue. Although partially predictable, this film beautifully depicted how a child can change your life and how a variety of families comes together. We highly recommend this one!
3. Eat Pray Love (B): Julia Roberts was cast to play in the true life story of Elizabeth Gilbert. Gilbert found herself trapped in her own life and marriage and wanted out (don't agree with that part!) so she heads out on a year-long adventure spending four months each in Italy, India, and Indonesia. My favorite countries in the book were Italy and Indonesia...India bored me a bit! While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, the movie left me a bit bored as well. The countries were drawn out with a severe lack of dialogue. I did appreciate that the movie matched the book fairly well, but the movie just dragged on and on! Plus, the movie kind of took the point of view that when you don't like your life you can just drop everything and run away; I didn't get that vibe from the book. Overall, it was okay, but I would catch it on video.

I think this says it all...

2010-08-20T17:24:00.002-04:00

Vacation: NY & NJ

2010-08-20T13:50:00.008-04:00

We set out this week on a long-ago planned trip with our best friends. We make a yearly trip to the Jersey Shore to relax and hang out with the people we love. This year, we decided to add a trip to New York into the mix. We had beautiful weather the entire trip and could not have asked for a more perfect vacation! Thanks Lammy!Wicked is a must-see musical! Ra and I both cried because the music was just that good. Order your tickets today!!!

We spent most of our day in Times Square eating NY bagels, sipping coffee, shopping, sightseeing, and generally being tourists before seeing the show.

YAY! Good times with our friends.

hanging out in the m&m shop

stayin' alive...that would prove true after work hours when the city flooded with triple the amount of people from the morning

The red m&m loved Lammy a little too much

this shirt might have a bit too much truth to it

We spent the afternoon at Ripley's Believe it or Not

the world's tallest man

where are his legs?

can you find two from our group?
dinner after the show before heading back to NJ

Jersey Shore...this was the view from our beach chairs!

there was hardly anyone on the beach compared to OC, MD...we won't be returning there

my favorite pizza place...we only get to go once a year!
Good times with great friends...now we are back to reality, the end of summer, and the start of a brand new school year.

And for a bit of enjoyment...road trip music:

New Favs & Old School

2010-08-17T10:54:00.003-04:00

New things I love:
*Gmail: why didn't I make this switch a long time ago!!! Now I have my Gmail calendar set up, my Google Docs are all there, and I get faster updates on my phone. Crazy!
*TOMS Shoes: I love my TOMS! I know they are a bit pricey and don't look like much but they are like walking on air. Plus, my favorite part...you buy a pair and a child in another country gets a free pair of shoes. Love!
*Foray pens: My hand hurts after grading all weekend so I need a good pen that writes easily without a lot of pressure. I used to use the Pilot G2 Gel pens, but then, I found Foray. Bliss! I bought them in purple, pink, and blue for the school year.
*Lashblast Fusion: I used to use the regular Lashblast mascara in the orange tube which is still a great product. Lashblast Fusion is even better because it combines length and volume! I am not high maintenance (at least I don't think so), but leaving the house with at least mascara is a must. This one is dynamic!
*Pook-a-looz: I have always loved stuffed animals, but these Disney gems are too cute to pass up. We already have quite a few of them (they are for our future kids, right?!?) and this first collection will be gone before you know it. I can't wait to see what they come out with for collection number two!
*Trident Layers: I want to be paid in gum! Yummy does not even begin to describe it and the flavor does last for a long time. The strawberry citrus and green apple are both delicious, but I love the new minty melon.

Things that need to go:
*Pantyhose: Really? In the age of Spanx, I think these need to go. Maybe the older generation would disagree, but I can't do it anymore! I think tights and leggings are okay, but I refuse to pay $6-8 for a pair of pantyhose that I can usually only wear once and are uncomfortable!
*Instant Coffee: Yuck! We even tried the new instant coffee at Starbucks. Drip coffee is so much better. Powdered creamer is up there with instant coffee too!
*Commercials: Sometimes we wait thirty minutes to watch a show just so we can fast forward through commercials. Now Internet ads, reviews, and blogs offer information on products, so can we at least cut the number of commercials in half? I have to admit that some of the recent commercials are funny, but I wouldn't miss them.
*MySpace: Is this done yet? Facebook has taken over...it's time to say goodbye.

That's all for now...it's vacation time. I guess I should pack?

Happy Birthday & Anniversary

2010-08-16T17:11:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated my grandparents eightieth birthdays and sixtieth wedding anniversary and a huge party thrown by my family (shout out to mom!).

beautiful tables
mementos as the years went by
cake with original cake topper (not the original cake though...yuck!)
dress restored after sixty years...the change is indescribable
crazy kids!
trying not to laugh at the interminable speeches

Overall, a great day to catch up with family, meet people the grandparents always talk about and think we know, and celebrate life! More pictures to come of the actual birthday couple and some professional shots. I can't believe I did not get one picture of my grandparents!!!

Summer Movies!

2010-08-07T10:06:00.003-04:00

Time for some summer movie reviews! We have not been able to go to the movies as much as we normally do during the summer months thanks to three summer courses...boo! I had previously reviewed Toy Story 3, but I wanted to take a moment to review a couple of other movies we've seen this summer both at the theater and through Netflix.

At Home:

1. Leap Year (B): I expected this movie to be a huge flop of a romantic comedy, but it was much better than I expected. Amy Adams heads to Ireland while her boyfriend is away there on business. She wants to surprise him and to propose to him on the one day when Irish tradition says it's permissible for a woman to propose to a man. I really enjoy Amy Adams, and seeing the Irish countryside was not too bad either! The plot was pretty predictable, but overall, it was better than expected!

2. It's Complicated (A): Aside from the fact that Meryl Streep is a genius in pretty much everything she does, this movie has true heart and comedy. We were pleasantly surprised. Merly Streep and Alec Baldwin were once married and Alec Baldwin now has a young wife and son. The first couple has two adult children trying to cope with the actions of their parents. Streep and Baldwin think a romance may be brewing again, but Steve Martin enters the scene, bringing a new dynamic to the broken family. Although I struggled with the divorce and affair factors of the movie, I'm sure this is a pretty real picture of two divorcees who are trying to make it work separately after being married for so many years. A variety of lessons can be learned from this movie, including the perspective of the children who have watched it all happen. I do not think it matters how old you are when something like that happens to your family...it still hurts. The sets of the movie are adorable and a perfect fit for the cast. We really enjoyed this flick!

3. How I Met Your Mother (A+): We watched seasons 1-4 in a week! We LOVE this show and are excited for season 5 to come out on DVD in September so that we can catch up while season 6 begins. Neil Patrick Harris is absolutely hilarious, and I really believe that he steals the show. While we definitely do not agree with the casual sex, binge drinking, and overall morals held by the show, it's rare these days to find a cast that works so well together in a comedy series that lasts more than a few seasons. This just works, and it has a modern day Friends feel (just substitute the coffee house for a bar)! Suit up!

4. Shutter Island (B+): I read the book before watching the movie so I felt a bit less nervous about watching this one. I'm not one for thriller movies, but after reading the book, both are a bit more suspenseful than anything. Leonardo DiCaprio (does he do anything wrong?!?) plays Teddy, a detective headed to a hospital for the criminally insane. Where is it located you ask? On an island! Yeah, creepy! Teddy and his partner spend days searching for a woman who escaped from the hospital and is located somewhere on the island. The movie takes turns that you will not expect as DiCaprio and his partner interview patients, guards, and hospital officials. Naturally, the facts don't add up, and you will be in for some surprises by the end. Note: the film is graphic and bloody with some flashbacks of WWII, concentration camps, and dead children. There is definitely a reason the film is rated R.

5. Everybody's Fine (A): Robert De Niro plays a father with four grown children (Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, and Austin Lysy) who is widowed and simply wants his family to be together. Everyone has excuses as to why they cannot come together as a family so De Niro sets out to visit each one of them separately as a surprise. It turns out that everybody is not fine and that many secrets are revealed along the way. The family comes together, but not in the Hollywood way that you will expect. The film seemed slow at certain points, but you must watch the entire thing; the cinematography is perfect, and De Niro is beautifully cast in this role. This one is a MUST SEE!

There have been more, but these are the recent highlights!

At the Theater:

1. Despicable Me (B): In this animated flick, Gru (Steve Carell) is the greatest villain in the world until Vector hits the scene and tries to steal his spotlight. Gru creates a plan to become the greatest villain again, involving three young orphans to enact this new plan. While the story is funny and heartwarming, most of the comedic portions of the film were shown in the previews. It is worth seeing in 3D simply for the tricks that bring you into the film (especially the roller coaster scene...if you get motion sickness, close your eyes)! I enjoyed this one more than Steve, but he did like Gru's minions. This is a great family movie, cartoon violence aside!

2. Inception (A+): PURE GENIUS!!! Leonardo DiCaprio plays an architect who has the technology to enter peoples' dreams, change them, and even manipulate the person who is having the dream. He gets the job of a lifetime that can take him back to his family and have a stable life where he no longer has to be on the run. Unfortunately, the job involves implanting an idea into a person's dream that will continue to be an idea upon waking up...inception. DiCaprio puts together an unlikely team of people (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, and Dileep Rao) and sets off on the job. The only problem...DiCaprio's own subconscious begins to play out within another man's subconscious. The effects and cinematography in this movie are spectacular. Do not fall asleep during this movie because the ending will leave you questioning everything, but you must pay attention throughout! The film is funny, touching, and technologically advanced. Thank you, Hollywood, for a new plot that does not follow suit of the other current films and does not have recycled characters!

Bryan & Sarah's Wedding

2010-07-26T12:31:00.005-04:00

We spent the weekend in Oxford, MD for a beautiful wedding near the water. Our good friends Bryan and Sarah were married in the cutest little church.

there were only 12 pews in the whole church!

the view across the street from the church

the sign at the firehouse

all of the table markers were street names and locations around Oxford

first dance!

I think this is my favorite picture from the whole weekend!

the guys!

ignore how we look...it was HOT!

we book ended the trip with SONIC! Good times and congratulations Bryan and Sarah!

Amy & Joe's Wedding

2010-07-18T12:34:00.003-04:00

We spent the weekend with Amy and Joe preparing for and creating their dream wedding. We had a great time meeting new friends, dancing, and just hanging out. Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Gary and Elaine

2010-07-03T16:15:00.002-04:00

My favorite new website is called Catalog Living. You really should check this out, but you have to go back to the first post...it's not that far since this is fairly new. Written by Molly Erdman, who is an actor, writer, and comedian in California, the site takes all of the home magazines that we've come to love (and covet) and made a story into them featuring Gary and Elaine. The pictures and story make you realize how inane these magazines really are and that no one's house really does look like that. As much as I love Pottery Barn (on a Target budget, of course), I love this website more. This one is my favorite post!

Super Cat

2010-06-27T19:21:00.001-04:00

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's bionic cat! This is crazy cool...check out this article! There are solutions for every problem for sure :)

Toy Story 3

2010-06-20T16:58:00.003-04:00

Toy Story 3 was nothing short AMAZING! It was the perfect end to make a trilogy and I hope that they do not try to continue with a fourth just because this one will most certainly do well at the theaters. We saw it in XD 3D technology and it was fabulous. There were no cheap 3D tricks, but instead the movie was just beautiful!

The new characters were cute, mean, and just downright funny! I cried multiple times because the idea of the loss of childhood and loss of toys was depicted perfectly. It made us both think about our old toys and giving them away, losing them, or storing them for "later". We will definitely be going to see this again, maybe multiple times!

Ken was hilarious! Check out his dating tips on YouTube...this is just one of them:

Also, check out this video as well. Lots-O-Huggin' Bear was created just for the movie and Disney/Pixar created a fake commercial to go with it as if it existed:

Summer is almost here...

2010-06-20T16:30:00.005-04:00

Summer is almost here...3 more days of school! We had our first wedding of the summer for Smizzle (Jess) and Matt. It was a great day of celebration and a reunion with college friends. The wedding was on a mountaintop in Pennsylvania and it was absolutely gorgeous. We had a great time dancing the night away and catching up with friends.the 3 amigos hanging out

beautiful mountaintop wedding

the fam...reunited (minus the bride and groom)

college roomies

yikes!

so much fun...now, it's back to reality with finishing school and taking more grad class!

Congrats!

2010-06-06T19:30:00.002-04:00

Congrats to one of our favorite teachers and our other mom...Happy Retirement Mama Lam! Read this article about a stellar teacher!

It Only Takes a Spark...

2010-06-04T17:42:00.003-04:00

I was a part of a touring Christian vocal group from my seventh grade year until my sophomore year in college. These were probably some of the absolute best years of my life! I met my best friend who still remains my best friend today! I love to sing and Soul Searchers provided me with the opportunity to sing, spend time with my friends, travel, and best of all, share God's love. I do not think any of us realized what we had until it was all over or even until we grew up a little bit.

This week our director, Bill Kerns, passed away. Mr. Kerns led Soul Searchers faithfully for 25 years! He taught me more lessons and was more of a role model than most of my middle and high school teachers combined. He loved all of us, no matter how long you were in the group. He led us through tiny churches, power outages in the middle of shows, broken microphones, forgotten lines, botched choreography and sign language, and multiple East coast trips and performances in Disney World! There will never been another man like him! I thought I would collapse of nerves when he gave me a solo my first year, but he knew that I could do it and he coached me through it. He directed hundreds of shows, and tackled the difficulty of directing teenagers...and we were not always so easy or well-behaved!

at the 25th anniversary concert where current and former Soul Searchers came to sing in a reunion concert (Mr. Kerns in front)

We ended every single show with the song Pass it On. It will be sung at his funeral tomorrow by all of the former Soul Searchers in attendance.

"It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing;
That's how it is with God's Love,
Once you've experienced it,
Your spread the love to everyone
You want to pass it on.

What a wonderous time is spring,
When all the tress are budding
The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming;
That's how it is with God's love,
Once you've experienced it.
You want to sing, it's fresh like spring,
You want to pass it on.

I wish for you my friend
This happiness that I've found;
You can depend on God
It matters not where you're bound,
I'll shout it from the mountain top - PRAISE GOD!
I want the world to know
The Lord of love has come to me
I want to pass it on. "

Soul Searchers continues today under the direction of a former Soul Searcher and his wife. The group will continue to pass on the Word of God and the legacy that Mr. Kerns left. Please pray for his family as they grieve for a wonderful man.

I am trying to dig up some old pictures, but they are all in one big album and should probably be scanned at some point! Some of you would be shocked to see those pictures...maybe they should stay in their album!

Poor Little Moses

2010-05-26T16:18:00.002-04:00

I'm glad this was not our little Moses...watch this video.

Love it!

2010-05-25T20:44:00.001-04:00

I already do the last one!

see more Epic Fails

A Hair Raising Experience

2010-05-17T19:58:00.003-04:00

Seriously! My salon, You Salon, is participating in the oil disaster clean-up. Check out the video in this link. My hair dresser told me about it when I went in last week and my hair will be part of the whole process. I had no idea that hair put into pantyhose would help soak up the oil. Way to go Howard County!

Sometimes I Forget My Middle Name

2010-05-09T12:41:00.002-04:00

Oh the Glee quotes just keep on coming! I think Moses is feeling better...take a look!

I Think My Cat is Reading My Diary

2010-04-29T17:24:00.004-04:00

Life has been the usual busy insanity. We finished our second grad class for the year and we both got A's! YAY! We have three summer classes, one of which begins in about a week and a half. Teaching has been busy for both of us with national tests, rejuvenating the kids after spring break, and seniors getting ready to graduate. One of the highlights of my weeks recently is that the mother duck that comes every year to lay eggs at our school came back again this year. She failed to get the memo about the school renovation! Someone came to pick her and her little ducklings up last week to take them to a farm. No, not that kind of "farm", a real farm where they can learn to fly and eat well.

Hanging out right outside my classroom
climbing over pipes, wires, and wood!

We were also able to get away with one of our best friends to go see another one of our best friends. Our friend Lammy helped direct the Wizard of Oz at his school, and we surprised him at the show. We were glad he did not mind since we had planned on crashing at his house! We had a quick twenty-four hour visit filled with good laughs, Friends, and Sonic of course! We all got Sonic kid's meals on the way home and Steve and I got these fun deep sea animals shaped like Sonic's tater tots...we got a shark and a dolphin (dolphins are just gay sharks...according to Glee!)

In other news, Moses has continued to be "starving" (don't know how, he eats 3 meals a day), and likes to tip over the trashcan like a dog. We have been trying to keep the trashcan in the garage when we remember so that we will not have a mess to clean up. Last night, we put some of the trash from making dinner into a regular plastic bag to take out to put in the big trashcan after dinner. It had a styrofoam plate in it that had previously contained our raw chicken...you can probably see where this is going. While we were eating dinner, Moses got up on the kitchen counter, stealthily I might add, and tried to grab that styrofoam plate to lick the chicken juices off. Instead, he got the plastic bag wrapped around his leg, became scared, and jumped off the counter with the bag still attached. The bag eventually became wrapped around his body as he ran from the kitchen to the dining room to the living room, dragging pasta sauce all over the house and spilling the contents of the bag EVERYWHERE. We live with a ninja...

...hopefully part 2 of the friendship blogs to come this weekend

Yum!

2010-04-07T19:43:00.002-04:00

Just think, about a month ago, we still had snow all over the place! Today...over 90 degrees around this area. WOW! We took a break from working on the final paper for our spring grad course and went to dinner at a new local restaurant that we've been trying to get into for months now. Facci replaced another Italian restaurant (it was gross!) in the same spot. We went a little bit before five o'clock today because we've heard that if you go between five and six o'clock that you will have to wait forever or return after nine o'clock. From four to seven in the evening all of their appetizers are half price and all of their drinks and wine are a dollar off. We had the Italian boat to start which is an appetizer of veggies, meats, and cheeses. I liked it better than Steve did, but for half off the price, it was even better. I had a margarita pizza for dinner and Steve had chicken parmigiana. His chicken was delicious, but I'm not going to lie, I think I like the pizza at Coal Fire much better. We did not get dessert at the restaurant, but I heard a rumor that most of the desserts come from Vaccaro's in Little Italy, which is fabulous! Overall, we had a good experience. Like the popular blog, HowChow, described, the service was a bit slow and we were there before the night started to pick up. We would definitely go back again...it would be really fun to go with a larger group, get a bunch of different appetizers and entrees, and share them all! More reviews to come after seeing Date Night with Tina Fey and Steve Carell and maybe some other new restaurants before the week is out. Happy Spring Break!

On a side note, keep praying for our little Moses...he is supposed to get his stitches out tomorrow and we may have results of the biopsy of his bladder stones. I really do not want to know because if there is more treatment or tests in his future it just does not seem fair; he's been through enough!

Friendship: Part 1

2010-04-07T12:55:00.002-04:00

The topic of friendship continues to come up more and more recently. I have been frustrated most of my life with friendships, and many would say that I'm the problem if that's the case. This is probably quite true since I am selfish, introverted, and speak my mind (more so than most people want to hear)! I am guilty of all of the following, so please know the following series is my own guilty soapbox...I am just acknowledging some things that rarely get discussed honestly.

Regardless, I have been thinking a lot lately about women and friendships. Women drive me crazy! I do not understand why women hold on to events that have happened or things that have been done to them for FOREVER. I also do not understand why women love gossip so much. There is not one woman I know that does not love a juicy story about someone else, especially someone else who has failed at a part of life, gained weight, or broken up with someone. Why is that? Even most of the Christian women I know secretly delight in some of these things. I would love for an evening with friends to never turn to gossiping about others, but it inevitably does. This does not say much for ourselves. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen". Instead, we turn to who is having trouble with their kids, whose marital status is questionable, and general gossip about other women...women we would probably call our friends. Why aren't we praying for these situations instead? This can become dangerous as well though. My favorite has to be the prayer request that is secretly gossip...I want to tell everyone about this, but I'll disguise it as a prayer request just so I can talk about it. I have been guilty of this as well. It's no wonder women have so much trouble with friendships! We are backstabbing, selfish, gossipy, human beings who thankfully have a gracious God to forgive us. Jeremiah 9: 4-5 has more truth than I ever knew, "Beware of your friends; do not trust your brothers. For every brother is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer. Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning". WOW!

I have only ever been able to keep a few women as friends because of this. I cannot stand the drama, even though I am sometimes the one that causes it. I am definitely not an expert on friendship, and my track record greatly proves that! I grew up with mostly boys as friends because the girls in my neighborhood were mean and spiteful. I still have trouble forgiving most of them. Kids are mean, and it can definitely shape who you are as a person. Middle and high school did not get much better. I think that because I did not grow up with positive girl friendships that I have had difficulty learning how to be a good girlfriend (just had that revelation recently)! I have walked away with a few close friendships, one of which I hold very dear. This particular woman is one who I can talk to once a month (if we are blessed with that much time) and pick right up where we left off. We do not hold grudges, we do not question one another's life decisions, and we just catch up on life. I have not found this in too many women. Thankfully, I have a few of them now, and I do not want to lose them! College was another interesting time...again, guys make better friends! I'll be discussing this more in a later post. The world always tell us that guys never grow up, but I found the opposite to be true in college. Some women never leave middle school and the drama just became bigger! Psalm 55: 12-14 states, "If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God". We are all guilty of this, but why is it that our friends are the ones that seem to hurt us the most? I find that the excuse that we are all sinners just does not seem to be enough. Why aren't we working to protect and uphold the people who are walking through life with us until we meet our Savior?

I would like to discuss a few things though and get some thoughts...women as friends, ending friendships, changing friendships, and needy friends. Proverbs 12:26a says, "A righteous man is cautious in friendship". Sometimes I think I am too cautious and other times not enough. We'll see how long it takes me to actually write on some of these things. Please do not take offense, some of you blogger readers out there are probably great friends and have wonderful friendships. I just want to challenge myself and my friends to take a look at what we are doing to guard our friendships, friends, and to build each other up. This is just part one...more to come, so please don't get too judgmental yet!

A Whale of a Tale

2010-04-02T16:29:00.000-04:00

This article is awesome...check it out! What an inspiration to start, and then, to be joined for a couple of hours by an elusive animal. It's like God sent her company. Happy Easter blogger world!

Craziness

2010-04-01T17:27:00.003-04:00

It's been an interesting few weeks. The biggest news is that our little Moses had to be rushed to the vet last week to have emergency surgery for the stones in his bladder. The vet said they were some of the biggest that he had ever seen. He had to stay overnight, and then, I had to visit him at the kitty ICU to see if he was ready to come home. The first few days were difficult to watch him, but he seems to be doing a good bit better now and he's getting more adventurous. He's confined to his room upstairs when we are not around to supervise, and he cannot try the stairs until his stitches come out next week. The most difficult part is that Mo has to wear "the cone of shame" until his stitches come out. He's allowed to have it off if we are watching him, but even if you give him two seconds alone, he's licking his stitches...crazy!

poor little cat and his cone

The students have been ridiculous lately, and everyone needed spring break. I know that we had a week and a half of from school because of the snow so I should not complain, but these kids need a break. We have the next ten glorious days off! After that, we have eleven straight weeks with only one day off; thankfully, my seniors will be out in six weeks and half of my students will be gone. I chose the week before spring break to do our community service project with the Spanish 4 students. They make Guatemalan worry dolls that kids tell their worries to and put under their pillows at night. We send the worry dolls and cards to various hospitals in the area. We have been doing it the last few years, but this is the most students with whom I have ever taken this on. From doing this for a bit, I feel like I can get more creative each year which shows the kids that they can be creative too. We had a lot of fun this week in the midst of the upcoming break. For the first week all year, the students were silently working, wrapping yarn, and doing their work without having to be prompted to stay on task.

cute little dolls from a bunch of different students

there were even more Disney princesses this year and Peter Pan too!
these were my little creations this year...the braiding on both took forever! I need to make some more guys next year

The winners have been announced for the Washington Post Peeps Contest. I did not even make the semifinals, but that is fine with me because most of the winning entries were spectacular! I did post my picture on a new site this year for the Post where the people who did not win can still put their pictures up. I do not know if my picture is up yet or not, but hopefully soon! Congrats to all of the winners! I already have some ideas for next year or the year after...

...Happy Spring Break!

Moses and the Bottle Cap

2010-03-23T20:06:00.005-04:00

We've never seen a cat play fetch before...but this one does: