It's OK!

It's OK...

...that I possibly watch Rangers Spring Training games on my phone while I'm at work. Unless my boss is reading this- then that is NOT OK and I would NEVER do that. (Please- she knows me too well, she knows it's probably true). Lol. I'm the queen of multi-tasking.

...that Tony Romo is leaving the Cowboys. Okay, that is NOT OKAY. I refuse to listen to Romo haters, I'm an unapologetic Romo supporter. Granted, we've had issues in our relationship, but all relationships hit rocky moments. Lol. I wish him the best of luck in whatever he does next (whether it be that he plays for another team or he retires).

...that I've found yet another silly teen drama to watch- Riverdale (stop judging me). Yes, it's cheesy, but I enjoy mindless TV. Are you officially old when heartthrobs from your childhood are playing parents of teenagers? Both Luke Perry and Skeet Ulrich are in this show. I must say Skeet has improved with age. Hmm....

...that I haven't read in the past two weeks. I did so good a few weeks ago and read like three books in a week. I am going to make time this weekend and read at least one book. Maybe two. I don't want to get behind on my reading challenge.

...to take time off work but not tell anyone because you specifically took the time off to sit at home and do nothing.

XOXO!!

What I'm Loving!

I know, it's been months since I've done this link-up, but I wanted to try and get back to it. There has been so much hateful talk and negativity on social media lately, I wanted to try and bring something positive to everyone.

I'm loving...

That I'm finally feeling better. I was sick in bed for about a week. I'm happy to be back in the land of the living!

I'm loving...

That I was finally able to see the Monet: The Early Years exhibit at the Kimbell in Fort Worth. I was supposed to go a few weeks ago but I got sick. I also went to the Amon Carter American Art Museum for the first time- it was awesome! It's down the street from the Kimbell (and it's free), I highly recommend checking it out!

It's a game of "Where's Aaron" whenever we take pictures. Lol

This is at the Amon Carter museum, it's a piece by William Harnett. I was fascinated by it. It almost looked 3-D.

As always, I see a statue, I pose by a statue

I'm loving...

The TV show Timeless- I just discovered it on Hulu. I really hope it gets renewed for a new season.

I'm loving...

That I get to see my lifelong BFF this weekend, I'm going to Austin to celebrate her *29th birthday with her!

I'm loving...

That I got to see my friend Donny this week. He lives in North Carolina and we maybe get to see him once a year. I'm sad his beautiful wife Katie couldn't make the trip this time. She is also a blogger, check her blog out here!

I'm loving...

That I've extended my 101 in 1001 challenge. Hey, it's my challenge, I can extend it if I want. I was supposed to have completed it October 30 of last year, but I've extended it until April 30 of this year. So it's technically 101 in 1183, but whatever. 

What are YOU loving today?

*age changed to protect the innocent

What I'm Loving Wednesday and A Mini Epic Road Trip 2016: Little Rock

I'm loving...

That I had a great time on my road trip last week. I won't overload you with pictures in this post (it's just gonna feel like it), but here is a sneak peak of my trip (meaning, the first day).

My road trip posse, Aaron and Mel!

The first state of our trip

I seem to be making a habit of stopping at childhood homes of former presidents. Last year I stopped at Eisenhower's, this year we stopped at Clinton's

We couldn't tour the inside because of a recent fire, so I took a picture on the porch

Another presidential library off my list- the Bill Clinton Library in Little Rock, Ark.

The library had an awesome Olympics display. We got to sit in an actual bobsled!

You can't take me anywhere...

More items from the Olympics over the years

Practicing my "I just won a gold medal" wave...

Since we were in Little Rock, we decided to go by their capitol building (this started a theme of visiting the capitol of each state we went to on our trip).

It was a beautiful building

I'm loving...

My church. I was recently asked to serve on the missions committee at my church, I feel honored to have that privilege.

I'm loving...

This copy of the Mary Poppins soundtrack on LP. I don't own a record player, but it has Dick Van Dyke on it, of course I had to have it. And it was a lot cheaper than the Dick Van Dyke Mary Poppins doll that I REALLY wanted (I'll post about that another day).

I'm loving...

That I got to Skype with my BFF Brandy and her son on Monday night. Her son is two and told me I was prettier than Elsa (from Frozen). I don't think I'll ever receive a compliment higher than that. :)

I'm loving...

My friends. I have some pretty awesome friends, I don't know where I would be without them.

I'm loving...

That someone uploaded all seven seasons of Mr. Belvedere to YouTube. I remember watching it (or at least some of it) when I was younger. Go ahead and judge me if you must.

What are YOU loving today?

XOXO!

It's OK...

It's OK...

...that I've had to bite my tongue so much this past week over news stories flooding my social media timelines. I've wanted to throw things. I've even become stabby in some cases.

And these aren't even stories related to politics. Everyone and their mother thinks they are an expert regarding the gorilla incident at the Cincinnati Zoo. School districts want to do away with valedictorians and members of the National Honor Society being recognized at graduations because it will hurt the feelings of students who didn't do as well. You know what, I'm done. I'm ready to check out. Find me my own planet, I don't want to live on this one anymore. Okay, I wasn't going to go all RAGE-y about it, but it's my blog, I can do what I want. Bear with me...

First of all, the incident at the zoo was sad and unfortunate. I love animals, I love zoos. I don't think zoos are bad places. I think it's a great place to learn about animals you otherwise never would see in person. Most zoos take great care of their animals and love and respect them and would never want to harm them in any way. But at the end of the day, a decision was made and in my book, a human life > an animal life (regardless who was at fault- I'm not even touching that part of the story). 

And the whole not wanting to recognize those students who received National Honors makes me really mad. I'm not ready to live in a world full of this generation that has been raised with the "everyone deserves a trophy" mentality. You know what, life isn't always fair. You don't always get what you want or what the person next to you has-SUCK. IT. UP. I wasn't valedictorian. I wasn't even in the top half of my graduating class (I was in the half that made the top half possible). And you know what, I've done just fine in my life. I've had many professional and personal successes. I'm happy. I have friends and a family that love me (or at least that tolerate me. Lol). I don't feel like I am less of a person because I wasn't recognized as a top scholar in high school. I'm so tired of people thinking they are entitled to something every time they get their feelings hurt. 

...that I just went all postal on here. Sorry about that. Rant over. I will now continue on with my usual silly and fun It's OK post. Lol.

...that I have this unhealthy addiction to teen angst TV shows. Thanks to my friend Cara, I watched season one of this TV show called Scream (loosely based on the movie series by the same name. VERY loosely based). It was only 13 episodes long, so thanks to Netflix, I watched it in about 3 days (okay, only a day and a half, I didn't want to be judged).

Yeah, that is what I said...

Each episode was super ridiculous, but of course, I kept watching (because it's an addiction, I just can't quit). And evidently there is a season two about to start on MTV. Hey- remember when MTV played music videos? Do they even do that anymore?

Cara and I are convinced we could do a TV show of us making snarky comments while we watch all these teen angst shows. It would be greatness. Maybe not as great as Mystery Science Theater 3000, but close. Oh, I also got sucked back into Pretty Little Liars on Netflix. I just started season 6. It's not quality television, by any means. Sometimes you just want to watch something where you don't have to think too much about anything. This is the perfect show for that.

I feel this way during a lot of the episodes

...that I'm over all of this rain. I KNOW we are going to go through some kind of drought later this summer and will be begging for rain, so I'm trying not to complain (too much), but seriously, it's depressing having rain every day. And we won't even go into all the flooding around the state. It's awful. You need a boat just to commute to work (or more importantly, to Whataburger).

...that my summer calendar is almost completely booked. I'm excited about my vacations I'm planning out though, and I'm super-excited that my great-nephew C is going to come spend a weekend with me this month. I'm taking him to his first Rangers game and then we will spend a day at the Dallas Zoo (because that boy loves animals). :)

My sweet boy!

What's OK with you today?

XOXO!

Thursday 13: 13 Forgotten Shows of the 90s

It's no secret that I'm a TV junkie. I shouldn't be proud of it, but I am. A friend and I are always talking about TV shows that NO ONE else remembers (I'm so glad she is also full of random TV knowledge- I don't feel as weird). I thought for my Thursday 13 I would list "forgotten" TV shows of the 90s. Here they are (in no particular order).

1. The Bradys: This didn't even make a whole season before getting canceled (can't say I'm surprised). It was a revamp of the show The Brady Bunch that focused on the Brady kids all grown up (except it was a different actress playing Marcia). I guess after the "success" of A Very Brady Christmas in the late 80s they thought a show like this would survive, but it didn't. I don't remember much about it, except that Bobby was in a race car accident and became paralyzed in the first episode. If you have a desperate desire to watch an episode of this show, I found the pilot episode on YouTube. Seriously, what can you NOT find on YouTube?

2. Family Man: Anyone else remember this show? It last only one season (like most of the other shows on this list). It was about a single dad (I think his wife had died) raising three kids. All I remember is that Scott Weinger played one of the sons. This was before he became DJ's boyfriend on Full House or did the voice of Aladdin.


3. New Kids On The Block (an animated series): I refuse to be ashamed that I watched this show (okay, I'm very ashamed). The band didn't even voice the characters. The only time it was the actual guys is when you heard them singing. Lol.


4. Saved By The Bell: The College Years: Sadly the magic didn't follow the gang after they graduated from Bayside, so this only lasted a season. While working on this post I found out someone has uploaded all the episodes to YouTube. You are welcome.

5. Dave's World: This show actually lasted four seasons (I didn't know that until I looked it up today) but no one ever seems to remember it when I bring it up. It starred Harry Anderson as a stay at home columnist dealing with his wife and kids and wacky neighbors.

6. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: I remember this show but can't exactly recall actually watching it on a regular basis. I vaguely remember it had a western theme with maybe a little sci-fi thrown in.


7. My So-Called Life: Okay, maybe this isn't a "forgotten" show of the 90s, but it sadly only lasted one season. Pretty much any woman who was a teenager back in 1994 will still refer to Jared Leto as Jordan Catalano.

You are welcome ladies...

8. The Torkelsons/Almost Home: These were two separate shows but the second one was a "spin-off" so I'm listing them as one. The Torkelsons was a show about a single mom named Millicent Torkelson and her five kids. Her oldest daughter was a dreamer who had a crush on the older boy next door (played by Michael Landes- who was the first Jimmy Olsen in Lois and Clark). I am a vault of USELESS knowledge. Lol. They had their adventures and misadventures. Almost Home once again was about Millicent Torkelson but on this show two of the kids had "mysteriously" disappeared (they never mentioned them), so she only had three kids in this show. She moved from Oklahoma to Seattle to be the live-in nanny for a single man's two spoiled kids (so there are a total of five kids in the house). Brittany Murphy played one of the spoiled kids (may she R.I.P.).

The Torklesons

Almost Home

9. Now and Again: The one season of this show aired when I was in college, but I want to say either a roommate or a friend of mine watched it, so I caught a few episodes. In the pilot John Goodman's character Michael is killed in an accident and the government brings him "back to life" by putting his brain in a genetically bio-engineered body (played by the ever-handsome Eric Close). The government forbids him to have any contact with people from his "previous" life, but he still makes an effort to see his wife and daughter. Too bad the show never took off, it would have been interesting to see how the story developed.


10. Eerie, Indiana: This was like The X-Files for kids. A kid named Marshall and his family move to the town of Eerie where strange and unexplained things are always happening. I think I watched it solely because of my crush on Omri Katz (of Hocus Pocus fame).


11. The Mommies: I remember this being on, but don't remember much about it (I know I watched a few episodes). It was a comedy about two moms and their married lives. For those who watch Pretty Little Liars, this show had a young Ryan Merriman in it (Ian Thomas).


12. Harts of the West: I totally don't remember this show, but I think I would have watched it had I known about it (it has the cheesiness that I seem to be drawn to). I heard about it after reading an article on Sean Murray (McGee on NCIS). He played Beau Bridges' son in this show. Evidently there was an episode where Mark Harmon guest starred, so they worked together LONG BEFORE NCIS.

A young McGee!

Gibbs with a mustache!

13. Big Brother Jake: A man returns to his childhood foster home to help out with the children currently living in the home. I know I watched it, but I can't remember specific episodes. I vaguely recall a Christmas episode where they watched It's A Wonderful Life.

Check out other Thursday 13 posts here! :) XOXO!

Thursday 13: Netflix History

I know, I did this topic back in January, but hey, that was over nine months ago. And yes, I've (sadly) watched a LOT more on Netflix than I'm mentioning here. But I only needed to list 13 shows/movies. Please judge me at your own risk.

13 Shows/Movies in my Netflix History

(please note I suffer from insomnia so I watch a lot of stuff in the middle of the night when I can't sleep)

1. Murdoch Mysteries. I discovered this show about three years ago on Netflix. At that time, only the first three seasons were available online. It's a Canadian show and it started in 2008. I found seasons four and five on Amazon Prime last year, and got caught up through that. Last month Netflix added up to season 7 (yes, I started it over, just to refresh my memory of the show). Season 9 is airing right now in Canada (and sadly cannot be viewed in the US). I was bummed out until I discovered last week a streaming website (that may or may not be legal) where someone had uploaded all the seasons and each week adds the new episode of season 9, so I may or may not watch it there weekly now. It's a good show. It's a detective show set in Toronto in the late 1800s/early 1900s. I adore the actor who plays Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), I used to watch him in another show that aired about ten years ago. 

2. Zombeavers. I'm embarrassed to have this on here. I almost didn't include it because I only watched about 20 minutes before I had to turn it off. It was just too stupid. And I'm someone who watched SyFy Channel movies, and this wasn't even bearable to watch. 

3. Hawaii Five-O. My folks got me hooked on this show (this is the newer version). I'm almost caught up through last season on Netflix. I can watch the current season of the show on that website I mentioned above. So maybe I will and maybe I won't. My attorney advised me not to admit anything.

4. High Society. This is basically a musical version of The Philadelphia Story. Grace Kelly is forced to choose between Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra (some girls have all the luck).

5. iZombie. My friend Cara told me about this show. I joke that our friendship started because one of us heard the other talking about Netflix at work one day, so now we recommend shows to each other all the time. And we never judge each other for what we watch. :) This show is actually better than I thought it would be. I'm only on episode 6 (I haven't felt the need to binge watch it yet), but it's pretty good. It's not what I thought it would be. 

6. The Munsters. I watched this show all the time after school when I was younger so I had to watch a few episodes. I was surprised to see it was only on two seasons. When I was a kid, it seemed like there were 100 different episodes. 

7. A Little Game. This was actually a really cute movie. And yes, I watched it solely because Ralph Macchio was in it. 

8. The Good Guy. Cara sent me a list of movies/shows that were leaving Netflix in September and this movie was listed. I never would have watched it, but it had Scott Porter in it (of Friday Night Lights fame), so, I forced myself to check it out. It's no longer available. It's not a must see so you aren't missing out. But if you come across it and are extremely bored (and possibly have adult beverages) you can check it out.

9. Psych. Cara and I were talking a while back about how much we missed this show, and even though I have the first four seasons on DVD, I still rewatched it on Netflix. What, I'm lazy. It's easier to have the next episode just pop up instead of getting up and changing DVDs. The walk from my couch to the TV is a real struggle. Lol.

10. Twin Peaks. There was an episode of Psych where they did a spoof on Twin Peaks. I never watched it when it was on originally, so I decided to give it a shot. I made it through season one, I still need to finish season 2. It's a weird show, that's for sure.

11. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. What? I haven't watched this show since I was a kid. I had to reminisce. This show is still great. I'll confess I was an adult before I realized that Mister Rogers was doing most of the voices in the Land of Make Believe.

12.  If I Stay. Normally I read the book before I watch the movie, but with this one, I really didn't have a great desire to read it. It was also on a list of shows leaving Netflix, so I watched it before it was taken off. It was okay. It was sad though, and I don't like sad movies, so I didn't like it all that much (but it was probably a good movie besides that).

13. Granite Flats. This just happened to pop up in my Netflix "You Might Be Interested" feed. It's a really good show. I had never heard of it before. I don't even know what station it airs on (per IMDB, it's still on the air). The first two seasons are on Netflix. From the description of the first episode, I thought it was going to be a "sci-fi", but it's really more than that. It's set in the early 1960s. I definitely recommend checking it out. 

XOXO!