Thursday 13- Favorite movies from my childhood

I was trying to think of a theme for my Thursday 13. I have already made lists that have my favorite Audrey Hepburn movies, favorite sports movies, favorite Christmas movies, and favorite "not as well know" movies. So, I decided for this week to devote my Thursday 13 to some of my favorite movies from my childhood (now, these are movies I enjoyed watching when I was a kid, it doesn't necessary mean they were all made in the 80s). :) Click on the name of the movie for the IMDB page of it. I might keep the movie theme going for the next few weeks, we shall see!

1. Mary Poppins. I think I was about 4 when I saw this movie for the first time. Now, 28 years later, it is still my favorite movie of all time. Yes, this probably started my obsession with Dick Van Dyke (for those new to my blog- he's my favorite actor!) :)

2. Alice in Wonderland: This was a live made-for-TV movie that came out in like 1985. I loved it- even though the Jabberwocky was kinda creepy. I found it on DVD last year, I hadn't seen it in years!

3. Flight of the Navigator: I think I wore out our VHS copy of this movie when I was younger (yes, a VHS tape, I remember life before DVDs!) ;)

I think of Flight of the Navigator every time I hear the Beach Boys song "I Get Around".

4. The Misadventures of Merlin Jones: I watched a lot of Disney movies from the 1960s. This one and the sequel, The Monkey's Uncle, were some of my favorite! (Yes, I'm listing them as one). :)

5. The Princess Bride: "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." When Mandy Patinkin was on Criminal Minds, I kept wanting him to say that one episode! :)

6. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial: I saw this movie in the theater with my sister when I was four years old. **spoiler alert (as if you haven't seen it)** I remember crying when E.T. died. Don't laugh- you know you cried too! I was very happy when he came back to life! :)

7. The Last Flight of Noah's Ark: Okay, I probably really liked this one because Ricky Schroder was in it! (again, for those "newbies", he was my first celebrity crush). Speaking of which, his birthday was yesterday!! :)

8. Big: I think I liked this movie because I wanted to play on that giant piano. I got to see the actual piano (keyboard) from the movie when I went to New York City a few years ago! :)

9. The Shaggy Dog:  And I mean the 1959 Disney version, not the remake from the 1990s. 

10. The Apple-Dumpling Gang: I saw this movie not too long again and it still made me laugh just as hard as it did when I was a kid. Don Knotts and Tim Conway were hiliarous together!

11. Back to the Future: Another movie I remember seeing in the theater. I just remember we had to wait 4 years before the sequel came out (the movie ended with "to be continued" on the screen.) Again, for those new to my blog, I want to leave my wedding reception in a DeLorean! 

12. Candleshoe: Yes, another Disney movie. This movie stars a young Jodie Foster. This is another one I found on DVD last year. Gotta love the classics!

13. Ghostbusters: My brother recorded this movie off of TV, so I watched the tape of it a lot. If you have never seen the sequel, Ghostbusters II, consider yourself lucky and don't watch it!

For more Thursday 13 lists, go here.

Please go check out my lovely friends over at For the Love of Blogs. Please feel free to link up and join in on Thirsty Thursday!

For my drink of the day, I think I'm going to make a pitcher of sweet tea. A while back I discovered Lipton Cold Brew tea bags. You can make the tea using cold water- and it takes less than five minutes. I think it tastes just fine. Add a little (okay a lot) of sugar and it makes great sweet tea!! :)

I couldn't post on my blog today without wishing a VERY HAPPY 41st birthday to former Atlanta Braves pitcher Steve Avery (the Avery behind the "Averyfan"). 

During his years with the Braves

Steve last year at the Braves alumni game

Me standing by Steve Avery's jersey at the Braves Hall of Fame in Atlanta (yes, I'm a nerd!)

Have a great day! XOXO!

A very special birthday...

I wanted to take time today to wish a VERY HAPPY 90th birthday to Mr. S. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick Fil-A. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you might notice my obsession, passion, fondness of Chick Fil-A.  Happy birthday Mr. Cathy, hope it's a special day!

S. Truett Cathy

I mentioned it was his birthday on Twitter and a few people responded that they had never heard of Chick Fil-A. I know that Chick Fil-A is not available in all states, SO, to see where the closest one to you is, go here for locations. And then go on a road trip, don't forget to get a milkshake while you are there! :) Man, I REALLY want Chick Fil-A now. 

Comedian Tim Hawkins wrote two songs about Chick Fil-A. They are greatness!! Watch them below!

Last week Lindsay over at Scenic Glory gave me this blog award.  (Please go check her blog out here, it's awesome!!)

I'm supposed to thank the person who gave me this award (thank you Lindsay, you are the best!!) and list 7 random tid bits about myself (I feel that y'all already know everything about me). What else can I say that you don't already know? Um.....

1. I started watching season 4 of The Incredible Hulk yesterday. When I was younger, I would get up at 7am on Saturday mornings to watch that show. I LOVED it "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." (That is my motto!) ;) My friend John let me borrow his season 4 DVDs this past weekend (thanks again John!)

2. I am deeply saddened by the sudden departure of  (now former) CEO Chuck Greenberg from the Texas Rangers. I can't go into it right now, it's too painful to talk about. The wound is still fresh. **baseball tears**

Thanks for the memories Chuck!

3. The lady who sings the National Anthem at the Dallas Stars hockey games really annoys me. And I mean, REALLY annoys me.

4. When I was little, I use to make faces in the mirror. Now, I make faces into my iPhone camera. I really need to get a life! ;)

Look ma- no make-up (I know, a scary sight, right?!) :)

5. I am looking forward to March Madness. I usually fill out a bracket before the tournament starts. I don't follow college basketball closely enough to know what I'm doing, but it's fun. I LOVE upsets so I like it when a number one seed goes out in the first round (mainly Duke). ;)

In case you need a bracket...

6. I have never knowingly listened to a Justin Bieber song. I'm not bashing him, simply stating a fact. Until he guest starred on CSI, I didn't even know what he looked like. Sorry, no Bieber fever here!

7. I have never seen an episode of the TV show Dallas. I guess a lot of people assume that if you are from Texas, you watched the show. Not true. I know things about it though (i.e. I know how the theme song goes, I know someone named J.R. got shot, I know Patrick Duffy was really in the shower the whole time, etc), but I've never seen an episode.

So there you go! Just when you thought you knew everything about me, I throw out new facts!! ;)

I hope that everyone has a great week!! 

XOXO!

It's Just Another Manic Monday...

What...a....day. I was all pumped after my relaxing weekend of doing nothing but watching movies and TV and man, did my Monday start off crazy. Is it a full moon or something? My work day has been insane!! I'm thinking if anyone else bothers me today, I should just pull a "Nolan Ryan" on them. For those not familiar with baseball, please go here to view the video (MLB won't let me embed it here). Trust me, it's worth it. If you are having a bad day, it might make you feel better!

 

Nolan had the right idea of what to do if someone messes with you!

Speaking of Nolan (yes, we are on a first name basis, he calls me Rachel...well, if he knew me he would call me Rachel), today is his birthday! HAPPY 64th BIRTHDAY NOLAN!! Even if you aren't a Rangers fan (and if you aren't, you really should reconsider), you have to love Nolan Ryan. He's just awesome. I could list all his achievements and stats, but since most of you aren't as into obsessed passionate about baseball as I am, you can just go here if you want to see them. :)

 

The birthday boy!

Like I mentioned earlier, I spent all weekend watching movies/TV. Hey, we all deserve a "me" weekend every now and then. I needed some "down" time. In fact, # 90 on my 101 in 1001 list was to spend a day in bed. And I pretty much did that on Saturday (with the exception of going out to get food at one point). So, that is one more item on my list I can mark off. Wahoo! 

I finally saw The Proposal on Friday (yes, I'm WAY behind in my movie watching) and just have this to say about it: "Hello Ryan Reynolds!" ;) I'm thinking my life would probably be complete if I could get C.J. Wilson and Ryan Reynolds to fight over me. ;) Um...oh sorry, moving on...

So, I decided to start another blog this weekend. Part of my 101 in 1001 is to write reviews on books that I read. And since I just joined the Book Lovers Group on For The Love of Blogs, I thought it might be easier to put my reviews on a separate blog (just so it's a little more organized). I decided to also include movie reviews as well. I'll only update that blog for reviews, my regular ramblings will still be found here, so don't think I'm giving up this blog!! :)

If you are interested in my opinions of books/movies, please check out Reviews by Rachel here (I'm still working on it so excuse the mess- it still looks a little cluttered). I actually wrote my first review the other day. I FINALLY saw the movie Inception. What did I think of it? Click here to find out. FYI, I didn't post any spoilers in the review! :)

Hope everyone has a great week. I knew that bragging out the 75 degree weather this weekend was a bad idea. There is ice, sleet, snow and wind chills near zero in the forecast this week in Dallas. EEK!!

XOXO!

Confessions of a Former NKOTB fan

Now, I'm not a fan of award shows. Movies, TV or music- I just don't watch them. One- because they usually bore me and two- I usually just don't care. Last night the American Music Awards were on, but I was busy watching shows on my DVR (yes, the NCIS addiction continues. USA had another marathon on Friday and I was watching that). Anyways, I read on Twitter this morning that New Kids on the Block and The Backstreet Boys performed on stage last night at the AMA's. Okay, I'll admit it- back in the day, I was a HUGE NKOTB fan. No really, I was a HUGE fan. I had the T-shirts, posters, nightshirt, magazines, books, buttons (remember those really big buttons, yeah, I had those). I think I even had a NKOTB hair bow (I'd rather not get into the hair bow phase of my life though). I even watched that really bad Saturday morning NKOTB cartoon. I know, can you say, "obsessed"?

This is me at age 12 with my niece Alice and nephew James. Like my NKOTB shirt? :)

 

These aren't my buttons (seeing that I sold them in a garage sale many years ago), but this is similar to my collection.

Anyways, I went to YouTube this morning to see if I could find video of this performance (and of course,  it has been uploaded MANY times). I wasn't necessarily a big BSB fan. I mean, I listened to them, but it was nothing like the NKOTB era of my life.

I have to admit, NKOTB looked a little rusty up there trying to dance last night. It made me feel old! But, for the most part, it took me back to 1989, and I was 11 years old again. All that was missing was my side pony-tail and Keds.

So, for all you former NKOTB fans (or current NKOTB fans), I thought I would share a few videos of how I remember them (including their bad hairstyles and clothes). I totally forgot about Joey's hat! I hope this causes you to have NKOTB songs stuck in your head for the rest of the day (seeing that I now have them stuck in mine!) ;)

Thursday Thirteen

This past week a friend and I were talking about shows we used to watch when we were younger (I think we were comparing the story lines of the shows we watched to the ones of shows today). I remember when a teenager smoking a cigarette or drinking alcohol was the most "scandalous" thing you would see on TV. I think I miss those days. My how times have changed!

So, for my Thursday Thirteen I thought I would reminisce on some of my favorite shows from my childhood (in no particular order).

1. Saved By The Bell: Long before Team Edward or Team Jacob, there was Team Zack Morris and Team A.C. Slater (I was "Team Zack"). I'll be honest, even today if I come across an episode, I'll stop and watch it.  How many of you remember the show started out as "Good Morning Miss Bliss"? Oh yes, I'm a well of useless knowledge!

One of the more "scandalous" episodes. Jessie gets hooked on caffeine pills!

2. California Dreams: Okay, so this was really a rip off of Saved by The Bell, except they were all in a band. It had a GREAT theme song though! Jimmy Fallon recently had a California Dreams reunion on his talk show. Click here for that.

3. Hey Dude: For fellow Nickelodeon watchers, you might remember this show about a group of teenagers who worked on a dude ranch. I LOVED this show. Ted was so cute!!! And you might recognize actress Christine Taylor from it (A.K.A. Mrs. Ben Stiller). I may, or may not, have recently watched a few episodes on YouTube. ;) Aw memories!

4. Fifteen: Okay, I'm really embarrassed to admit that I watched this (forgive me, I was 12 when it came out). It was another Nickelodeon show. It was basically a soap opera for teenagers. They dealt with issues like divorce, teenage drinking, smoking, etc. The now gorgeous Ryan Reynolds actually started out on this show. See below for a clip with him. OMG, it's SO cheesey!! And he's so little!

5. Sweet Valley High: Based on the popular book series from the 80s, this show followed identical,  yet totally opposite, twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield.

6. The Babysitter's Club: Another show based on a popular book series. I LOVED these books. No seriously, I had all of them. I think I even tried to start my own babysitter's club (yes, I was a nerd!)

7. The Torkelsons: A show about a southern single mother raising her five kids. It only lasted two seasons, then they did a spin off called Almost Home (co-starring Brittany Murphy, R.I.P.) but it only lasted one more year.

8. Eerie, Indiana: I'll be surprised if anyone else remembers this show. I think it lasted maybe one season. It was sorta like The X-Files but for kids. It starred one of my many childhood crushes, Omri Katz (you might remember him from the movie Hocus Pocus).

9. You Can't Do That On Television: A sketch comedy show that aired on Nickelodeon throughout most of the 80s. Anytime someone said "water", they had water dumped on them. And if they said "I don't know", they got green slime poured on them. I know, sounds lame, but it kept me entertained!! And most fans will remember singer Alanis Morissette from it!

10. Are You Afraid of The Dark?: Part of Nickelodeon's Saturday night lineup called "Snick". A group of teenagers sat around a camp fire and told made up scary stories. Again, sounds lame. But I remember being 13 years old and sitting in my living room with the lights off watching this show. It would sometimes freak me out!

11. Kids Incorporated: Before she was Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas, Stacy Ferguson played Stacy on this show about a group of kids in a band (what's up with all these kid rock stars in the 80s?) Jennifer Love Hewitt later joined the cast. And Mario Lopez was a back up dancer (this was before his days as A.C. Slater). Again, I'm a well of useless knowledge! AND I still stand by my statement that Ryan was my favorite on this show! :) He was so cute!

12. Clarissa Explains It All: Before she was Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Melissa Joan Hart starred on this Nickelodeon show (I think it was also part of the "Snick" line-up). I remember her best friend Sam always used a ladder to get through her bedroom window.

13. The New Mickey Mouse Club: I dreaded putting this one on here, but yes, for a few years I watched this show. I don't remember Justin Timberlake or Britney Spears being on it, so I stopped watching before they were on it. I do remember the episode where The New Kids on the Block were the musical guests though. 

OMG, did I really like this??