Avatar = Amazing

Despite the fact that Derek and I are avid movie-watcher's and frequent the local AMC theatre, I rarely post on these experiences nor give my reviews. The movie, Avatar, however, deserved just that.

This Action, Sci Fi movie was beyond any expectations that I had.... and even those were somewhat high being that it's a James Cameron movie! It's not just a cheesy story about extremely tall blue people and their world with flying dragons. It's a visually stimulating, magical story with wonderful music and top notch CG imagery with an amazing James Horner score. After leaving the theatre, I would have given anything to be back into the world of Pandora and the beautiful plants and animal living in their world.

Overall, if you haven't seen this movie, I would highly recommend it. Regardless of if you are a Sci Fi lover or not, I personally believe any normal human being would like this movie. And definitely see it in 3D if you get the chance. It will really surprise you!

Gift Wrapping!

Another favorite part of the Holidays are wrapping gifts. I spend a lot of time picking out my paper, ribbons, bows and gift labels and like to carefully and strategically wrap each gift. I do realize that some people probably just threw up in their mouth reading that as it's a disliked task in certain households. I find it very relaxing to throw on some Christmas music, wrap and dance around while singing at the top of my lungs!

This year, I chose a red and gold theme and think they turned out mighty fine if I do say so myself! (Minus the few thousand glitter speckles all over the kitchen!)

Gone to the Dogs

I do think my cooking skills have improved within the past few years. I enjoy trying new meals, even if I do refuse to venture at all from the recipe. They seem to turn out well for the most part... at least edible if not yummy.

I also am a sucker for traditions so it was time again to make my favorite Christmas treat..... my mother's banana bread. So my first batch (3 small loaves) cooked for an hour like it should and then was removed from the oven. The toothpick came out soggy so they went back in for another 15 minutes. Same thing. Back in for another 10 minutes. Same thing. I finally gave up and knew something was wrong although I had gone over the recipe 8 times in my head and had followed every step to a Tee! The bread was like rubber and only the outside was cooked, and I could not figure it out for the life of me!

Anyone want to take a guess as to what was wrong? This website explains it all. Apparently I had grabbed the baking powder out of the pantry instead of the baking soda. I can just hear all of those cooks out there groaning while reading this in disappointment of my stupidity. How was I to know? They both are white, powdery and for baking. The worst part, however, is that I thought I could use them as treats for the dogs. Nope. They pretty much looked like they were choking on the most disgusting thing ever tasted when I tossed them a nibble. Pretty sad when your own dogs won't even eat your cooking.

Oh well, got more bananas and will be on loaf #7 tomorrow!

2 Peas in a Pod

Lacy has always been an Alpha towards Bailey and sometimes (rarely) can even get a bit pissy with her. That's changed a lot over the past year and they seem to be becoming more like sisters should.

I was working yesterday and Bailey was laying on her bed next to me as she always does. Lacy decided she wanted in on the comfort and laid down on the bed as well. Yes, NEXT to Bailey and no, she didn't GROWL at her to get off first! I quickly snapped this picture with my phone as it just warmed my heart to see the two together.

** You can see Bailey's face looking at me with an "WTF?" face!

Cleveland

I thought it would only be appropriate to somewhat recap our weekend in Cleveland by listing some facts we learned about our new city! (Don't expect any pictures as we were purely just house-hunting all weekend!)

- Cleveland has the 2nd largest Theatre District behind NYC. (Don't worry - I didn't believe it either until we ventured down there to spontaneously see a play!)
- When they say it's 30 degrees, it feels more like 2 due to the FREEZING winds coming off the lake!
- Cleveland has gone from being the 33rd largest city in 2000 to now the 40th largest, due to a steady increase in people leaving the city.
- The school districts there have Elementary, Middle School, Junior High and High School. (We only have 3 here!) They are K-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12.
- The Cleveland Metropark Zoo has one of the largest collection of primates in North America. (Can't WAIT to visit the zoo!)
- Last year, the city was ranked the 7th most dangerous city in the nation among cities with a population of 100,000 to 500,000 and the 11th most dangerous overall. Awesome, right? (What is odd about that fact is the lack of security systems in homes, and better yet, our realtor doesn't even lock her doors at night!)
- This city had the first traffic light ever! It began on Aug. 5, 1914.

Decorating Twice!

This year, because Derek and I are homeless, we didn't have our own tree to decorate. Fortunately, both of our parents needed help decorating theirs! I always enjoy hanging the ornaments with my family as there are special memories for most of them. It was also fun to listen to Derek's parents talk about the memories from theirs as well.

Christmas is definitely my favorite Holiday and I think one reason why is the decorations. I definitely didn't mind decorating TWO trees!

(To the left is my parents tree and to the right is my in-laws tree... ignore the camera flash issues!)

Wicked was WICKED!

I was so sad this summer when Derek and I tried to get a ticket to this musical in NYC only to find out it was sold out every night. Fortunately, my mother surprised the family with some great seats to this show this past weekend. I've heard the rave reviews and all of the good publicity and was super excited. And now after actually seeing it? I'm officially on the bandwagon.

I'm not sure if it was the amazing actors, or the costumes, or just the plot and humor within. Whatever it was, Wicked was an absolutely amazing musical. It made us fall in love with the 'villain' that we grew up to hate as children watching the Wizard of Oz. I even had dreams that night involving the cast and STILL have those songs stuck in my head!

Needless to say, wherever you are, you must find the nearest music hall showing this musical and buy yourself a ticket!!

Book Review - Sarah's Key

Although it's taken me a while to finish, this book was wonderful and was a fun, different read.

Sarah's Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay, tells the story of Sarah, a ten year-old Jewish girl, who is arrested in 1942 by the French police. Wanting to protect her younger brother, she locks him in a cupboard and promises to come back for him as soon as she can. Another story is woven throughout the book in every other chapter that sits in a more modern world. This story revolves around Julia Jarmond, an American journalist. She's asked to write about the 60th anniversary of the Vel’ d’Hiv’—the infamous day in 1942 when French police rounded up thousands of Jewish men, women and children, in order to send them to concentration camps. Sarah’s Key is the story of these two families, forever linked and haunted by one of the darkest days in France’s past. The back and forth creates a very interesting, emotionally intense read.

I'm giving this book an A and would recommend it to anyone!

I was especially drawn into this book when a personal, special connection came to be known. Sarah's younger brother's name is revealed as "Michael" a couple of chapters in. Not only is that my younger brother's name, but the connection that they share in the book is similar to ours. I'm very fortunate to have a wonderful brother with whom I have a strong relationship and love to death!

10 x 30 Space

I've personally spent many hours over the past month or so packing up the house, arranging utilities to be stopped, shopping storage units, signing paperwork and of course drinking rum due to our new path in life! Ever since our wonderful realtor, Shannon Lyon, sold our house in only 5 weeks, we've had a lot on our plates to figure out and get arranged. And who got stuck with most of that work? Yes. Muah.

Although I did most of the 'planning' and packing, we had a BUNCH of people help this past weekend with the move. With our realtor's truck, a rented dolly, tons of caffeine and pizza as bribery, we were able to get everything moved in under 10 hours!


It's very bittersweet to think that all of one's personal belonging can fit in a 10x30 space. (Well - almost fit... we do have a few items at the in-laws house that we couldn't squish in!).

Derek and I are definitely going to miss our first home. We lived there over 3 years and had grown to become quite fond of it's charms and the wonderful neighborhood. We are looking forward to the next stop in our life journey, but will never forget our first home on Gallery Street.

Thanksgiving 2009

There are just too many things to be thankful for this year to list off on our blog. To keep it short, Derek and I are most thankful for each other, our wonderful family, friends, jobs, dogs and our health.

Thanksgiving 2009 was spent with Derek's family as my parents were on a surprise birthday cruise that my dad got for my mom! We enjoyed all the classic foods until our stomach's were about to bust.

We hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!

Home Office is a GO!

Well, I survived.

Barely.

I can't remember the last time that I worked 60+ hours. Or the last time that I felt like I needed a ventilator in order to help me remember to breath. And I can't remember the last time that I ended up with a major stress migraine because of work. But I also can't remember the last time that I didn't shower before work and sat at my desk all day in my PJ's!

It was a rough week, but it was just the first from home and there were many kinks to be worked out. I know I'll get into a routine and will learn these accounts like the back of my hand, but WHEW am I glad that first week is over!

For at least the next few months until we move, I'll be "home officing" from the in-laws house seen to the right. It's a great space and there's plenty of room for me to lay everything out.... that is, except for our old, tiny desk. I'm making it work, though, at least until we move that is!

And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd just like to point out that I'm terribly lucky to have a wonderful job who's letting me stay with the company remotely. I'm definitely thankful for the flexibility and partnership in this journey that Derek and I are taking!

PS - I also don't mind staring at the "3 second Mario shot" poster on their wall daily!

Happy Birthday Mom!

I hope you are having a WONDERFUL time on your cruise (I'm only slightly jealous) and here's to a Happy 60th Birthday! LOVE YOU!

(click here to see pictures from the surprise party!)

Can you find the sun?

Lacy is JUST like her mommy in that she can find the smallest area that there's sun at any time. She LOVES the warmth on her back and in the winter, unfortunately, she has to do her sun-bathing inside.

Just look for the sun in this picture and she'll be right in the middle of it!

Where's the Freeze?

We are REALLY hoping that it freezes soon or else Lacy is going to go crazy gnawing at her feet. The poor girl suffers from allergies every fall and this year it's been an extended season for her. Generally the freeze takes care of her pain and suffering so fingers crossed that's very soon! If not, her back feet are going to quickly go bald from the constant licking.

And yes, she's on some medication to help, but you can still see the frustration in her poor little eyes!

SURPRISE!!

So about 4-5 months ago, I decided to team up with my Aunt (left) and organize a surprise 60th Birthday Party for my mother. 60 is a fairly big milestone and I knew my mom would appreciate the gesture. We began by selecting a date, then a location, then the decorations and then finally - the guest list. We ended up getting in touch with about 50-60 of her friends and family members to share in this wonderful surprise, and let me tell you - she was SUR-PRISED!

My cousin caught the action on video and you can actually see her confusion at first followed by her realization of what was going on!



It turned out so well and Nick and Jake's was great to work with for the food and drinks! Thanks to everyone who helped make mom's birthday so special... I know she appreciated it very much.




AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!

Last Week at Work

This week has been a whirlwind of learning new accounts, transitioning all my old duties and getting ready to start in my home office Monday! The people here really show how much they care when people are leaving the office and this was my week of celebration. Yesterday I came to a decorated office, food, a cookie cake and a wonderful card full of fun memories! They also had a happy hour planned after work to celebrate even more! I will miss this place a lot but mostly will miss the people and the great friendships I've made along the way. Although I'll still be with the same company, it's still going to be a sad day today at work. TEAR!

Capitol Hill

This past weekend, Derek and I took a short vacation to the Alexandria and DC area. The weather was gorgeous and we had a great time seeing the sites. The National Mall was very relaxing to walk along and people watch and seeing the Hope Diamond at the History Museum was really interesting. (I'd love to borrow that 45.5 carat diamond sometime for a special occasion!)

We also visited Mount Vernon, saw an IMAX 3-D movie, drove around Georgetown, hopped bars and ate on Kings street by the water in Alexandria and of course, did some shopping!

Manager Appreciation Day

My company takes great pride in appreciating one another. We have almost weekly "appreciation days" between departments, client groups, teams, floors, etc!

About 3pm yesterday, the 6 of us Media Managers were called into a quick meeting by one of our Senior Analysts. When we entered the break room, all 36 or so members of our department were clapping away and holding a big sign for us that read "Happy Manager Appreciation Day"! It was very, very sweet, but they even went above and beyond just that. We played a fun game for a while guessing which department member was connected to certain weird facts followed by some YUMMY cake, a cookie cake and soft ice cream!

We do a lot of encouraging and supporting of our team and it's nice to see their support and encouragement of us as well! I definitely lucked out over 5 years ago when I joined this wonderful group and this is just another reason why I feel so lucky to work with such an amazing group of people!

Dutch Blitz

If I could take a poll, I would bet that about 95% of you out there have never heard of this game. That is, unless you're #1 Amish or #2 belong to my family! We are huge "game players" and definitely enjoy some good laughs when our competitive sides come out. Dutch Blitz is by far my favorite.... and that's probably because I always win! It's fast, energetic and super fun and if you need a new game recommendation - this is it!

Here's a little background -
Dutch Blitz was the brainchild of Werner Ernst George Muller, a German immigrant and optometrist who thought the game might help his children more easily learn about colors and numbers. We can’t tell you whether or not Dutch Blitz accomplished that goal. All we know is that, somewhere along the line, Muller’s game captured the imaginations of gamers throughout Eastern and Central Pennsylvania. It’s kind of like solitaire. But with multiple players. And a lot more speed. And color. And fun. Dutch Blitz demands players think fast and act fast. It also demands that they keep an eye on their competition. That’s why we think Dutch Blitz is most perfect party card game ever invented. We’re pretty sure some of our fans would agree.

Last night my brother and I joined my parents at their house for dinner and a good 'ole friendly re-match of one of our favorite games. Well, maybe not so "friendly" as we're extremely competitive, but I sure did take the cake. Winning by a land slide, I'll now get to rub in my score until the next game night!

October Trees

One of the best features of living in Kansas is the beautiful colors of the fall. Anywhere you drive, you can see the bright oranges, yellows, reds and browns blanketing the skyline as well as the ground.

We have a few bright colored trees in our yard, but our baby October Glory Red Maple that we had planted a few years back is definitely my favorite. We picked that tree out for it's rapid growth and bright, vibrant fall colors and it definitely has followed through for us!

With the sun out this weekend, I was able to snap a great pic of it!

Halloween Treats Please!

Guess who deserved a BUNCH of Halloween treats after allowing mom to stuff them into their costumes?

Bailey the Pirate and Lacy the Lizard!

Halloween Costume Contest

I'm very fortunate to work for a company who lets their employees come up with and participate in so many fun events all year round. For Halloween this week we're holding a spirit week, haunted house, food days and much more! I decided to put together a little fun game for the department this year also. It entailed of people bringing in pictures from their youth dressed up in Halloween Costumes and having the rest of the department guess who the individual was.

Not realizing that some of the pictures were hard to tell even what gender it was, it ended up being a humorous time scoring the answer sheets! Luckily - only one co-worker thought that I was a boy in my picture.

See below for my childhood Halloween Costume!

2009 Girls Weekend

"Friends are the sunshine of life." - John Hay (1871)

This past weekend, I was so lucky to have two of my very best friends fly up and stay for the weekend! On top of that, we were able to eat, drink and laugh with other great friends. The timing couldn't have been more perfect for such a happy, fun-filled weekend with people I love. I feel very luck to have these wonderful friends who make me smile.

The funniest moment? We were enjoying some drinks at JP's Wine Bar and Barry Williams walked in and sat at the booth next to us. After a good hour of figuring out who had to do the "asking" for a picture, somehow I lost and had to do it. Fortunately, he was VERY friendly and didn't mind at all!


Here are just a few pics from the weekend -

New camera!

Our old digital camera pooped out so we were in definite need of a new one! We decided to just get something to get us by for a few years as we plan on purchasing a bigger, sweet camera for when we have children.

So, after researching digital cameras under $500, this one came up on almost every report. It's the Canon - PowerShot 12.1-Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera. We've had about three Canon's and loved them all so we were definitely staying with that brand. This was a decent price and tiny so it's perfect for the pictures we take.

Stay tuned as hopefully we'll have something to take pictures of and post soon!

What Half Marathon?

So I decided to pull the trigger on Friday and head to the doctor. I had broken the fever days prior and the chills/body aches were completely gone. Overall, I felt much better, but my cough was sounding worse than ever and my ribs/lungs hurt constantly. The Half Marathon was Saturday morning and I just needed some professional reassurance that I could make it through the race despite some hacking. Or at least some fast-acting, heavy-duty drugs to numb my body for just over 2 hours!

The verdict = Bronchitis. (And actually a bad enough case that they x-rayed me for pneumonia and lung damage!)

When I asked my doc about running the next morning, she definitely gave me the stink eye with a face that said "do I need to check you into a mental hospital?". Needless to say, I was given four prescriptions and approval to pout all weekend. I had trained so hard and was going to knock of TONS of time from my score last year. I know there will be more races, it was just a small setback for something I was counting down the days for.

Sick as a Dog

Thank GOODNESS that Derek and I had nothing planned this weekend. I was completely overcome with a sickness on Friday night and am still fighting the darn thing. I'm really praying that I get well by Thursday or Friday latest. Saturday morning is the Half Marathon again and I have a new goal! I've been running really strong all year and it's so much easier to jog 6 or 8 miles than it was last year before the race.

Last year, I completed it in 2 hours and 29 minutes.
New goals:
Still sick goal = Under 2 hours 20 minutes
All healed goal = Under 2 hours 15 minutes

Fingers crossed that this sickness gets OUT of my body soon! My friends Nyquil, Sudafed, Mucinex and Naproxen are all helping me fight fight fight!

Oh yeah, sorry for no pictures from this weekend, but since we really didn't do much, we really didn't snap any pictures! Exciting news though - since our old camera died on us, we ordered a new camera that should be arriving this week.

Sweet Surprise

I absolutely love getting roses from my wonderful husband for "no reason at all" other than he just wants to send me something beautiful. I had an email first thing this morning from our receptionist saying I had a package. 9 times out of 10, it's newspapers that we run in from around the country, but this morning, I walked down to find these!

They are currently adorning my desk here at work and Derek might have to fend off some jealous girls here around the office. It was a perfect surprise for this extremely stressful time!!