Thursday 13- Blue Bell

I talk a lot about Blue Bell ice cream on my blog so I thought today I would provide a list of some Blue Bell flavors for my Thursday 13. They go well beyond your ordinary chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors. Some of these I have tried, some I am wanting to try (I suppose I could force myself to test them out). :) For more about the greatness of Blue Bell ice cream, go here.

1. Dutch Chocolate: This is my all-time personal favorite (it's one of my "comfort foods"). In fact, I have a 1/2 gallon and pint of it in my freezer at home.

Blue Bell that I had last night (I had a really bad day, I was drowning my sorrows into a pint!)

2. Homemade Vanilla: Another classic- goes really well in Dr Pepper and/or Root Beer floats!

3. Milk Chocolate: You really can't go wrong with any kind of chocolate ice cream in my opinion! 

4. Homemade in the Shade: I personally have not tried it, but I plan on it, soon, because I hear it's fabulous. It's Homemade Vanilla combined with a swirl of rich, chocolate fudge. It's one of the rotational flavors (they have some flavors only available during certain times of the year), so I need to get some fast!

5. Triple Chocolate: Another rotational flavor I'm wanting to try. A blend of Dutch Chocolate, Milk Chocolate and vanilla ice cream mixed with a rich chocolate sundae sauce.

6. French Vanilla: It is a different taste than the Homemade Vanilla, but it is still good!

7. Rocky Road: I always think of the scene from Goonies when Chunk meets Sloth anytime I have Rocky Road ice cream. I know, I know, I'm weird! ;)

8. Century Sundae: Another rotational flavor I need to try! It's Homemade Vanilla swirled with caramel and chocolate sauces, a whipped topping and diced maraschino cherries.

9. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: For anyone who likes raw cookie dough- here's an ice cream for you! A rich, creamy ice cream with chunks of chocolate chips cookie dough and chips of dark chocolate.

10. Strawberries and Homemade Vanilla: It's Homemade Vanilla ice cream blended with juicy ripe strawberries. It's really good!!

11. Summer Berries: A refreshing, citrus ice cream mixed with strawberries, blueberries, and swirls of raspberry and blackberry sauces. That's healthy, right? It's fruit! :)

12. Nutty Chocolate: Another rotational flavor I need to try. A rich chocolate ice cream with milk chocolate-coated pecans, dark chocolate coated peanuts, white chocolate covered almonds and roasted walnuts. I'm not a huge fan of pecans, but if it's covered in chocolate, I'm sure I could manage! :)

13. Coconut Fudge: Okay, I don't like coconuts so I won't be trying this one, but this is a rotational flavor I wanted to share with y'all. It's coconut ice cream with delicate flakes of coconut and a rich chocolate fudge swirl.

So, what is your favorite ice cream flavor? Any of these sounds good to you? For all the Blue Bell flavors (current and rotational), click here.

To find out what's new at For the Love of Blogs, click here!

Have a great day!

XOXO!

Thursday Thirteen- Birthday wishes for one of my besties!

I thought I would dedicate my Thursday 13 to one of my besties, Brandy (or "the BFF", as she likes to be called). :) Today is her birthday! We've only been friends for six years, but there are times I feel we have been friends our entire lives. We always say that our friendship is a "God thing" because if you knew us separately, you would wonder how on earth we could be friends. We literally went from not knowing each other to being best of friends in a matter of weeks. But looking back, our friendship is something that only God could have planned. We became friends at a time in our lives when we were both struggling with similar, yet different, issues (I know that makes no sense to you). She is my fellow sports loving, country music listening, vampire novel reading, easily turn into a giddy 15 year old, partner in crime. She is the Thelma to my Louise (or am I Thelma, I can never remember), the Felix to my Oscar, the Lucy to my Ethel. She got married a few years ago and moved far away (okay, she moved to Fort Worth, but I'm in Dallas- you know how that goes), so we don't get to see each other every week like we used to. BUT, our friendship is just as strong. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PENELOPE*! Love you!!

One of many (and I mean MANY) pictures of us at a Rangers game.

At our birthday party a few years ago. The Nerf guns were gifts from our friend's sons (I think they were 7 and 4 at the time). After the party they said it was the coolest "girl party" they had ever been to! We rule!

At our first FC Dallas soccer game a few years ago (I played soccer in high school, I had always wanted to see a MLS game in person!) :)

Waiting in line to ride the Shock Wave at Six Flags.

Waiting for 4th of July fireworks a few years ago (we had spent the day at the lake- hence my sunburn).

This was taken moments after we saw Josh Hamilton at Rangers Fanfest. He came out of his way to shake my hand! :)

In the Rangers dugout.

At a Dallas Stars playoff game (obviously this one is a little old! Stars haven't been in the playoffs for a while.)

You can't live in Texas and not have a picture in the bluebonnets!

Waiting on Rascal Flatts!

The BFF and her maid of honor at the rehearsal dinner

Besties!

This is one of my favorite pictures of us. Gangsta besties!! :)

*Penelope is my nickname for her, long story

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Thursday 13- Birthday Wish List

For some reason Blogger moved this from May 12 to May 19...I don't know why....

With my 33rd birthday approaching faster than a runaway train, I thought for my Thursday 13 I would make a wish list of things I would like to get for my birthday. For those playing along at home, my birthday is in 11 days. ;)

1. My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir by Dick Van Dyke. I know, no one is surprised this is first on my list. :) I LOVE all of the publicity his book is getting. He's been on numerous talk shows over the past few weeks talking about it. I even forced myself to watch The View so I could see him (for the record, I only watched the segment he was on, those ladies are so annoying!!)

2. Texas Rangers iPhone cover. My Texas. My Rangers.

3. Breakfast at Tiffany's Little Black purse. I already have a few Audrey Hepburn purses, but a girl can NEVER have too many purses, right?? ;)

4. Anna to the Infinite Power DVD. I'm not a huge Sci-Fi person, but I LOVED this movie when I was younger. I watched it all the time. It's FINALLY on DVD!

 5. Yahtzee Elvis (Can). I like Yahtzee, I like Elvis. It's the best of both worlds! :)

6. Audrey Hepburn tote. Like I said, a girl can never have too many purses!

7. Fitzwilly DVD. I saw this a few years ago on Turner Classic Movies. Dick Van Dyke was great in it! And it has Agent 99 from Get Smart in it too!

 8. Texas Rangers throw. 

9. The Audrey Hepburn Treasures.

10. The Next Voice You Hear DVD. I saw this movie on AMC or maybe TCM when I was a teenager. I love it. I have a worn out VHS copy of it, it's FINALLY on DVD. It's a great movie. It has a very young Nancy Davis in it (you probably know her better as Nancy Reagan.) 

 11. Half Price Books gift card. I LOVE to read. I know, it's all about "electronic reading devices" these days, but I still like holding a real book. I can spend hours in a book store (nerd alert). And I love HPB because I can get a lot of books for a reasonable price (I bought 8 books for under $20 once!) :)

12. Dr Pepper Bottle Clock. I love this. I think it's greatness!! :) Yes, I would totally have this up in my apartment.

13. Tickets to the June 26 New Kids on the Block concert at the AAC. I know, I can't believe I just admitted it either. I would never pay for tickets to see them, BUT I would totally go if I had free tickets. Since a 12 year old Rachel never got to see them in concert (even though she really wanted to), I figured a 33 year old Rachel should go.

Me at age 12, holding my nephew James and rocking out in my NKOTB shirt! And rolled up cut-offs. Awesome.

For more Thursday 13 blogs, go here.

Stop by For the Love of Blogs and meet some new friends today for Thirsty Thursday!! Cheers!!

XOXO!

Thursday 13- What's your favorite scary movie?

Two weeks ago I did 13 movies that I loved when I was younger (I had a lot of people mention some not on my list that I also watched- I probably could have done a Thursday 30!) I've mentioned many times that I love horror films. I thought today I would list 13 of my top classic scary movies (again, I could list SO many more, I'm just sparing you by only listing 13!) :) These are in no particular order. As always, click on the name of the movie for the description of it.

DISCLAIMER: watch the videos at your own risk! ;) I personally don't think they are scary or gory, but remember, I like these kind of movies. :)

1. Halloween (1978): I think this movie started it all for the great "slasher" films that were made in the 70s and 80s. It also has the best "scary music". It used to be the ringtone for one of friends who is also a horror film watcher. Who would have thought that a bleached out Captain Kirk mask would be so scary (on second thought, a non bleached out mask of William Shatner would probably be scary too!) ;) I can't say much for the sequels made after that, I've seen them, but they weren't as good. The first one will always be my favorite!

2. Friday the 13th (the franchise): I can't pick a specific one from this franchise as my "favorite", some were better than others, some were just awful. I did not see Jason X or the new Friday the 13th that came out in 2009. But, I've seen all the others. My friend Jami and I stayed up until 6am one time watching a Friday the 13th marathon on USA network (remember USA "Up All Night" that ran back in the 90s?) Friday the 13th random fact of the day (FYI, this is a spoiler for the first movie, although I don't think I have to put spoiler alert for a movie over 30 years old, but I'm being nice): in the first Friday the 13th (1980), Jason Voorhees (for those who don't know, he's the guy in the hockey mask) is NOT the killer. It's his mother! (I would like to say that I won a trivia pursuit game one time because I knew that fact!) ;)

3. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): I know I've seen most of the movies in this franchise, but the first one I think is the best one. Maybe that is because Johnny Depp is in it. ;) I'll be honest, I was a bigger fan of "Jason" than "Freddy Krueger", but that's just me. I did see the remake last year. It wasn't that good. Maybe because Robert Englund wasn't playing Freddy (the new Freddy just didn't "fit" in my opinion). I did notice that most of the "main stars" of the movie weren't even alive when the original one came out.

4. The Exorcist (1973): I was in my mid 20s before I saw this movie and I'm going to be honest, this was the first and so far only scary movie that has ever really freaked me out. The scene where the possessed girl is walking down the stairs backwards in that "spider walk" freaked me out (it was cut from the original movie- I saw the director's cut). I have a two story apartment and if I'm upstairs at night I always think of that scene. If you are curious what the scene is, go here. You HAVE been warned.

5. The Watcher in the Woods (1980): I loved this movie when I was a kid. It's not a "slasher" film, but it definitely was scary to me when I was younger. I found it on DVD not to long ago and bought it. Side note: When I first started watching NCIS I realized that the man who plays Ducky (the medical examiner) was David McCallum (who plays the father in this movie).

6. When A Stranger Calls (1979): Since I did a lot of babysitting in my teenage years, this movie always freaked me out a little bit. "Have you checked the children?" I never saw the remake from a few years ago (some movies just don't need to be remade!)

7. Jaws (1975): Yeah, you laugh because you don't think it's that scary now. Try being 6 years old and watching this movie (my brother let me watch it with him one time when it came on TV- my folks would not have approved of that). I was afraid to take a bubble bath because I couldn't see the bottom of the tub (remember, I was SIX). Another movie with great "scary music". 

8. Child's Play (1988): Another movie a kid probably shouldn't have seen, but I remember seeing this when I was about 10 or 11. I think it freaked me out because Chucky looked so much like those My Buddy dolls. This kid I babysat for when I was about 12 had a My Buddy doll. One night I went to check on him (he had been asleep) and when I went back towards the living room that stupid doll was in the middle of the hallway. I swear it hadn't been there when I went by the first time. It also could have been my 12 year old mind playing tricks on me! But still, it freaked me out!

My Buddy and Chucky- see the similarities?

9. Phantasm (1979): When I was in high school my friend Kelly and I watched this movie (there were a few sequels, we saw them as well). All I remember is that it took place in a cemetery and there was a "Tall Man" who was a grave robber and he had metal silver balls he would throw at people and they had these razors that came out of them. The Tall Man alone was creepy.

The Tall Man

10. Pet Sematary (1989): This is based on a novel by Stephen King, so yeah, it's weird to begin with. I think the creepiest part of the whole movie is where the mother (named Rachel) is remembering when her sister Zelda died, and the creepy looking sister kept saying "I'm coming for you Rachel." I think it was creepy since she was saying my name in a scary voice. I won't embed the video, but for a clip of that scene, go here. You have been warned. It was so creepy back then. Even now it's a little creepy.

11. Poltergeist (1982): "They're here." This is a classic, I love it!



12. The Ring (2002): The chick with the black hair was just creepy, don't lie, you think so too! I didn't care too much for the sequel though. In fact, when my date and I saw the sequel he noticed we were the only ones in the theater. He was like, "this is probably a sign this movie is not going to be any good." He was right!

13. Stephen King's IT (1990): I probably saw this movie 100 times when I was younger. Not because I thought it was a great movie, but because Jonathan Brandis (God rest his soul) was in it. **insert teenage girl sigh here**. It also stars Richard Thomas (Johnboy from The Waltons). I will admit though, I never thought clowns were creepy until I saw this movie. Since some of you might have a fear of clowns, I won't post a picture. You can Google it if you want! But honestly, Tim Curry (who played Pennywise the Clown) is just scary to begin with!

For more Thursday 13 entries, go here.

Hope everyone has had a great week. I've been sick since Tuesday (not sure if it's allergies or a cold). I have a cough and sore throat. Blah. I just drank some Theraflu and it has helped my throat tremendously though (it just tastes nasty). I guess for my Thirsty Thursday my drink is daytime Theraflu!

Go check out more lovely posts at For the Love of Blogs!

Not a tasty Thirsty Thursday drink by any means!

 XOXO!

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!

Thursday 13 - What I Love About Opening Day!

With Rangers Opening Day tomorrow, I thought I would devote my Thursday 13 to it. 

13 Things I Love About Rangers Opening Day

1. It's the official start of baseball season. I know, duh, right? But seriously, there is just a feeling of excitement in the air. It's like Christmas morning. I may or may not start dancing!

2. Taking pictures in the bluebonnets on the way to the game. I'm not sure if it's a "Texas" thing to take pictures in wildflowers or not. Pretty much most of the friends I have from Texas, at some point in their lives, they have a picture of them in bluebonnets. :)

3. Tailgating with friends. I started tailgating with some friends and their group in 2007- it's so much fun! We all get together every year (a few of those in the group I only see once a year- at Opening Day). We have burgers, hot dogs, chips, drinks, peanuts, sunflower seeds- there is one sweet girl who even gives out "party favors" every year, including a pack of baseball cards!

Hope my pale, pastely white arms didn't blind you!

Tailgating in 30 degree weather!

My peeps!

4. The ever-changing Texas weather can make the day very interesting. I've been at Opening Day when it was so hot I was in capris and a tank top and other times when it was so cold I was wrapped up in a blanket. Per Greg Fields at WFAA, it's supposed to be sunny and 85 tomorrow, so it's PERFECT baseball weather!!

We learned the hard way in 2006 to ALWAYS take sunscreen with us. I had the weirdest sunburn after this game.

Opening Day 2007- oh so cold. It snowed the day after this game! The guy behind us in the T-shirt was crazy for not having a jacket! Brr!!

 

 

 

 

Opening Day 2008- this day is unforgettable because we were in a wreck on the way home. I had my first (and hopefully last) ambulance ride that day!

Opening Day 2009- colder than 2007!

It was comfortable last year- although in the afternoon it got a little cooler.

5. The singing of the Star-Spangled Banner. Yes, I know they sing it before every game, but before Opening Day, the presentation of the colors and the huge American flag on the field just gives me chills. I'm excited that Mercy Me is singing the National Anthem before tomorrow's game- I love them!

6. The traditional flyover. About the time the singer(s) get to "O' say does that star-spangled banner yet wave..", be prepared for the flyover. It's exciting!

I stole, borrowed this last picture from the internet! ;)

7. Knowing it's a work day and I'm NOT at work. There is something about it being a weekday when I should be at work, but yet, I'm out having fun at a baseball game. It just makes the day better! And the majority of my co-workers know where I'm at (it might be because I've had a countdown outside my office door since December!)

8. Being able to hang out with friends. One reason I love baseball is that it's a great sport to watch and still be able to socialize with friends. I even have friends that aren't as obsessed passionate about baseball that enjoy going to games.

 

9. Ceremonial first pitch. It's exciting to find out who it's going to be (we've had everyone from former presidents to local legends throw it out in previous years). This year it's going to be former Rangers players Jeff Burroughs and Charlie Hough.

10. The bald eagle. I don't know if they do this at all ballparks, but every Opening Day I've been at over the past 7 years, a bald eagle has flown down from the top of the scoreboard to his "keeper" on the field. He is so beautiful (the eagle, not the keeper!)

My friend was able to snap this close up picture of the eagle a few years ago!

11. The team introduction. Opening Day is one of the few times the WHOLE team is introduced (and not just the starting line up).

12. The raising of the AL Championship flag. Okay, this is a new one for Rangers fans. Hopefully next year it will be a World Series flag! But we'll take the AL Championship for now!

13. Good luck kisses. Okay, I made that up, but I couldn't think of anything else for my list. :) But I do have a few pictures of getting kisses on Opening Day, so I decided to use that!  (They are innocent cheek kisses mind you! I'm not that kind of girl!) :)

Baseball kisses

For more Thursday 13 blogs, go here!

I don't have a drink for Thirsty Thursday today, but please go check out my friends at For The Love of Blogs!

Peace, love and Blue Bell ice cream to you all! XOXO!!