Mobile Monday

After over six months of no Blue Bell, my favorite ice cream finally made its way back to stores in Dallas last week. My sweet friend Angie picked this up for me last Monday and dropped it off at my apartment that night. All is right in my world again. :)
NOTE: I know some people have issues with the Blue Bell company. I respect your opinions, but please keep hateful comments off my page. The owners of Blue Bell are friends of my family and are good people. Don't always trust everything the media tells you. There are two sides to every story. That being said, I will speak no more of this subject and will enjoy some wonderful Dutch Chocolate ice cream. :)

Last Tuesday was Election Day and everyone I knew was posting a selfie on social media wearing their "I voted" sticker. I was starting to think your vote wouldn't count unless you told everyone about it. Just to be sure my vote counted, I posted my "post election" selfie as well. :)

Shon Gables used to work for a local news station and we have been social media friends for a few years. She sent out a tweet last week that she was collecting shoes to be donated to people in 3rd world countries. I was able to donate about 8 pairs of shoes that I never wear. It was for a good cause, and it cleaned out my closet some!

Some friends and I went to Music Hall in Fair Park on Saturday to see The Sound of Music. I didn't know how many differences there were between the play and the movie. The cast did a wonderful job, but I like the movie song order and story line better. :)

Kroger had a discount table of all their Halloween stuff (I guess they were lumping all fall stuff into that category as well). This was included. I now have table cloths and napkins for Thanksgiving lunch. The table cloths ended up only being $1.50 and the napkins were 75 cents. Score!

My friend Monica and I went to the FC Dallas playoff game last night. FC Dallas is our local Major League Soccer team. I loved the atmosphere. Soccer fans are passionate. I love soccer, I'm not sure why I don't go to more games. FC Dallas won in a penalty kick shootout (which was an exciting finish to a great game). I'm trying to embed the video below of the shootout portion of the game.

This car was in front of me going to work today. Made me think of the roadrunner. Meep Meep!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

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!

Wednesday Ramblings...

Wow, I haven't done one of these posts in a long time (I think the last one was in 2013). I love when I can just ramble on and on and my thoughts don't have to make sense (although that is what my blog is the majority of the time). Lol.

First of all, thank you for all the sweet texts and messages about my blog post from yesterday. I really appreciate it. And I promise to work on being better about being honest when I'm "not okay". :) Love you all for being so concerned!

Oh, I can't post today and NOT wish a very happy birthday to The Karate Kid himself, Ralph Macchio. Yes, I'm totally using this as an excuse to post (AGAIN) the picture of me with Ralph a few weeks ago at the Dallas Comic Con. 

So, since I canceled my cable (suck it, Time Warner), I've been watching my shows online. Thanks to two sweet friends, I can stream a lot of my current shows with one's Hulu password and the other's Direct TV password (they are too good to me, I love them both. Okay, I would love them both even WITHOUT the passwords). I should have canceled my cable a long time ago. :) Although I'm behind on most of my shows. I've been spending more time in the evening reading (I know, I owe you more book reviews). I was texting my best friend last night and joked that I needed a day off work just to catch up on shows. That's tempting. :)

I've gotten back into working on craft projects. I really need to organize my craft closet, but that is an all day project, and I just don't have time (meaning I haven't MADE time). I'm working on one project right now, but it's for a friend's birthday, and he claims to read my blog, so I won't post anything about it until after his birthday next weekend. :) I'll try to remember to take pictures of it. :)

I'm really excited that I've blogged three times this week. I might try and blog tomorrow, just to say I blogged FOUR times in one week. That's a record for me (lately at least). 

I've had several people compliment my blog this week and say how much they enjoy my posts (even when it's just pictures). That means so much to me. I know some people have fancy blogs and post important information. It means a lot that people care what weird stuff I ramble on about. Seriously, thank you.

Hang on, the weekend is getting closer!

XOXO!

I'm Not Always Okay...And That's OK...

**I know, it's been a while since I got all serious on here, but writing has always been therapeutic to me. This isn't a post to make people feel sorry for me or to get sympathy. So please don't read it as that. It's just been building up inside of me for a while and writing seems to be my outlet. If you feel like continuing with this post, please do. No pressure to read it though.** 

It's a question most of us get asked multiple times a day "How are you doing? or "How are you?" If you are like me, you probably respond with one of the following: "I'm good." "I'm great." "I'm fine."  "I'm living the dream." (What, you don't say that?) "I'm okay."

I don't know why we ask that question. I guess we were raised to be polite and that is why it's usually the first thing we ask when we talk to someone. Or maybe it is a culture thing? I really don't know. I'm sure a lot of times people are only asking out of politeness, they couldn't care less how I was really doing (meaning strangers at a store, or people you see in the elevator at work). And of course, most of the time, I respond with just a polite, "I'm good" or "I'm okay" response (while asking them how they are doing, of course).

I've noticed that "I'm good" or "I'm okay" has become my standard response all the time, even when I'm NOT okay. And this is even when a good friend or someone who genuinely wants to know is asking. It's not that I'm trying to be deceitful or that I feel they don't really care (because I know they do), I'm just the kind of person who hates placing my burdens on someone else. I know, I know, it's what friends are for- to be there for you when you need them. And I can name about 10 people who will text or message me after reading this post reminding me that they are ALWAYS here for me. And I love them for that.

And I know, I'm the first one at a friend's side when they need someone to talk to (that's just my nature), but still, I like being the friend who is happy-go-lucky all the time. The friend who is smiling and telling jokes. The friend who gets giddy over meeting celebrities (I'm looking at you Ralph Macchio). Not the friend who sits alone in her apartment crying for unknown reasons. Or the friend who feels that her life is spiraling out of control and she doesn't know why. Or the friend who is dreading the upcoming holidays because they make her feel alone. Or the friend who stands inside the door of a Half Price Books for 10 minutes trying to work up the nerve to walk to her car by herself in the dark (if you haven't known me that long, read here for that reasoning).

I can already hear what you are going to say: It's not healthy to keep emotions bottled up inside. You have so much going for you, don't let this get you down. No one is a failure if they have friends (yes, I am paraphrasing that from It's A Wonderful Life). And you are right. On those points and the others I'm sure y'all have.

Don't get me wrong, life isn't ALWAYS like that for me. I'm not in the depths of despair ALL the time. There are a lot of times when I say "I'm good" or "I'm great" and I really mean it. Heck, I can say that William Zabka (Johnny in The Karate Kid) was the last guy to kiss me (okay, it was a peck on the cheek, but it still counts. And it's an improvement over the previous guy). And last weekend I got to see some of my family and two of my favorite little ones (who gave Aunt Rachel plenty of much needed hugs). So yeah, when I said I was doing great then, I meant it. 

Again, this wasn't a post to get sympathy or to have people worry about me. So please don't. I'm determined to make changes in my life to help with "not being okay". And yes, I know that there are a lot of you there for me if I need it. And I promise to work on being more honest when I'm "not okay".

If you are still here, thanks for reading. I do feel better after typing this out. Like I said, writing is my therapy (and it's a lot cheaper than going to a therapist, trust me, I did that for a while too. They aren't cheap!)

XOXO!

Mobile Monday

I haven't done this kind of post in a while, but I had some pictures on my phone I hadn't shared. I figured this was the best kind of post to do (and how long as it been since I updated on a MONDAY?!) :) My goal is to update at least three times this week (I know, I'm getting ahead of myself). Lol.

A while back I got a manicure and decided to get into the "Halloween spirit". The lady doing my nails was confused at first with what I wanted, but after I showed her a picture, she understood. Have I mentioned that I love my nail salon? Whenever I walk in, they all greet me by name. They even said they felt bad for me after the Rangers were eliminated from the playoffs (EVERYONE knows my love of the Rangers). Lol.

A few weekends ago my friend Chance had some friends over for food and college football watching. Of course the only pictures I ended up taking were of his dog Dobby. Well, Dobby was the most photogenic of the bunch. :) Each time I hang out with Dobby, I'm one step closer to getting a dog of my own. One day...

He loves his Aunt Rachel so much, even though she takes a lot of pictures

The Sunday before last my church hosted their annual Trunk of Treat event. I'm new to the church (I've only been there a few months) but I have become a member of a GREAT Sunday School class. I'm a little bit younger than the rest of the class (okay, about 20 years younger), but they are a lively group. They keep me on my toes. I love them and am so glad they let me be a part of their class. They have been so warm and welcoming to me, for the first time in a long time, I feel at home in a church. I was in charge of decorating for our Trunk or Treat "trunk". They loved my decorations. :)

I got bored with my hair so I cut it, again. It's shorter than it's been in a while, but I like it. And I like the gal who cut my hair, she was awesome. I definitely will go back to her.

Yes, this is a shameless public bathroom selfie. I was texting my best friend and needed to show her my hair. Don't judge. :)

Last Wednesday I made another appearance on The Scoop (sports talk radio/podcast). My friends Glenn and Tovash have been bugging asking me for a while now to come join them again for some Dallas sports talk. I didn't think I did that great of a job, but they both said that I did (and they both insist that I come back again). So, I might be a guest on their show again. :)

My sports-talking peeps...

I found this gem at a Half Price Books for $3. Not gonna lie-I was pretty excited. I loved this game when I was younger. It's one of the few board games I play. My next game night is gonna be great!

Last week my office had our annual Halloween festival. This year we had a Harry Potter themed "haunted house". I think it turned out great!

My friend and co-worker Cara was there with her kids. Her youngest son is one of my favorites (although her oldest is awesome too, I can't leave him out). The first time I met her youngest he was like, "You are pretty. Are you in college?" Evidently he was asking if I was going to be at the Halloween festival, so of course, I had to get a picture. :)

Thanks Cara for letting me post this picture with Captain America!

I went home last weekend to see my folks and for my great-nephew E's sixth birthday party. I hadn't seen E or his brother C in a few months. They love taking pictures with Aunt Rachel's phone. They especially loved the features on my SnapChat app. We probably spent about 30 minutes taking pictures with that one. They even got Pawpaw (my dad) in a picture! Lol.

My sweet E turned six on Friday. I love his silliness and his loving heart. He loves being silly with Aunt Rachel but always knows when she needs a hug. After my carjacking in December 2012, I spent a few weeks with my family. E didn't know what was going on, of course, he just knew that Aunt Rachel was visiting. One day I was sitting alone in the corner and he climbed up in my lap, put his arms around me, and started singing "Jesus Loves Me". That is when I knew that I was going to be okay.

I don't know where he gets this from...

He loves pandas, so his birthday party had a panda theme

Sporting a panda look with my oldest sister Martha, C and E's "Meme"

My lovely niece Alice, the mother of C and E

I love this video that E and I made. Even when he's trying to be scary, he can be sweet.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

XOXO!

Book Review 2015: Joyland

Joyland by Stephen King

College student Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he wound up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark truths about life- and what comes after- that would change his world forever.

I checked this book out thinking it would be your typical Stephen King horror story. I heard it was a story about a ghost living in an amusement park haunted house ride. That has to be scary, right? It was so much more than that. Yes, there are some "supernatural" aspects to the book, although I personally didn't find it to be all that scary (but again, I like scary stuff). 

The part that stands out most to me is how real the characters become to you. This hasn't happened with a lot of the Stephen King books that I've read. He takes the reader beyond the supernatural stuff. Yes, there is some "supernatural-ness" to it, but it was not your typical "Stephen King weirdness" (readers of his work will understand what I mean by that). I would like to read another story like this from him. I will confess it's the first time I've ever cried while reading a Stephen King novel. And I'm not talking about a little sniffly cry either. I'm talking mascara-running-down-my-face kind of ugly cry. It's almost embarrassing. 

If you keep away from Stephen King books because you don't like scary novels, I think you would enjoy this book. Honestly, the ghost and "scary stuff" ends up being a very small part of the novel. 

XOXO!

Weekend Update!

I'm taking a little break from What I'm Loving Wednesday. If you came to link up, please comment below so I can go check out your link! :) Don't worry, it will come back, it's not going away for good! :)

First of all, Happy Back to the Future Day! Even if you have never seen the Back to the Future movies, I'm sure by now you are all aware that today, October 21, 2015, is the future date that Marty goes to in the second film. It's not QUITE what they predicted (still bummed that we don't have flying cars or hoverboards). It's strange to think that after today, all of Back to the Future will have taken place in the past. Yes, I'm a nerd. :)

I started a weekend update post on Monday, and never got around to posting it, so you will get that today!

I had a pretty busy weekend, which started on Thursday afternoon. Some friends and I went to the great State Fair of Texas one more time before it shut down for the year. If you live in Texas and have never been, I highly recommend going at least once. It's worth the trip! I went earlier this month too (you can check that out here).

Yes, this sculpture is made completely of butter

With my friend Allan. We have known each other since elementary school!

The famous Fletcher's corny dogs. Yes, corny dogs. That's how we say it here. Lol

I started a great debate on social media after admitting that I put ketchup on my corny dog. I'm not a fan of mustard. I also put ketchup on my hog dogs (which started an even bigger debate). Lol.

Riding the Texas Star, the largest Ferris Wheel in America

Until next year Big Tex!

Friday and Saturday I attended Dallas Comic Con Fan Days. You might remember I attended "the Con" back in May (where I met Dean Cain). My main reason for going this time was to meet Ralph Macchio and William Zabka (from The Karate Kid). William played Johnny, AKA, "the bad guy" (although after meeting him, I'm gonna be so conflicted the next time I watch the movie, he's really a sweet guy). :)

I ran into some friends I met back in May at Comic Con. My friend April and her son were there, it was so good to see them again. We have kept in touch on Facebook and Instagram since May. Last time her son was dressed in a Superman shirt (he told me he would be my Superman). This time he was dressed as Jimmy Olsen (the photographer from Superman). He's so adorable!

Over the weekend, I also ran into another friend I met at my last Con, Mandy. Her costume was awesome!

My first photo op was with William Zabka. Like I said, he was so sweet. I had asked him on Twitter for a hug, and when I told him that, he gave me a big hug and kissed the side of my head. When I picked up my picture afterward, everyone was joking that it looked like an engagement picture. I swear we didn't dress the same on purpose. Lol. 

My friend Monica and I went by his booth later for autographs. He took a picture with us and even asked for another one with just me. I got another hug (and kiss on my cheek). :)

It looks like Marty Kove is pointing at my butt in the background. Lol.

I loved how he signed my picture! :)

I also had the pleasure of meeting Ralph Macchio. Talk about a childhood dream come true! He was also super nice. When I went to his booth to have the picture of us signed, he told me if he had been a girl, his name would have been Rachel. We talked a little baseball (imagine that) and he said he was cheering for the Rangers a few years ago in the playoffs. 

The Karate Kid himself!

I honestly had only planned on getting pictures with those two, but of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet some other actors who were there (it's what I do). :)

C. Thomas Howell. No, I did NOT call him Ponyboy

James Marsters (Spike, to all you Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans)

John Rhys-Davies. He's been in so many things, including Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, and the TV show Sliders. For the record, he was tickling both of us when we took this picture. He's a flirty old guy.

Shawn and Aaron Ashmore. Both were so sweet. Shawn was Iceman in the X-Men movies and Aaron played Jimmy Olsen in Smallville. The camera that Aaron is wearing was knitted by my friend April. She and her son were only there on Friday, but Aaron wasn't able to attend that day. They gave the camera to Shawn and he promised he would give it to Aaron. I happened to notice that Aaron was wearing the camera at his booth on Saturday. I noticed during our photo op it was by his backpack. I told him my friend was the one who made it and asked if he would wear it for the picture. He said he loved it and to thank my friend.

Michael Rooker (Walking Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy, Days of Thunder). He was funny and very friendly. Maybe a little TOO friendly. He had been playing with my hair before we took the picture.

I finally got to meet some of my Twitter friends while at Comic Con too! :)

John and I have been Twitter friends for several years now

Was so happy to finally meet Devin!

I was also glad I got to see a few of my friends who I don't see all that much these days (life gets to be so busy).

Jonathan and I have been friends since college

My friend John, who happens to be married to my BFF Brandy (I introduced them). :)

Saturday evening I met up with a few members of my Sunday School class for "Supper Club". Since I'm new to the church and the class, I enjoyed getting to know some of my class members. And the food was amazing! I somehow didn't get any pictures of our group though, I was too busy talking and eating (not at the same time though). :)

Sunday I went to church and then spent the afternoon working on crafts for the Trunk or Treat Event my church is hosting next Sunday evening. I suggested a theme for my Sunday School class's "trunk" and that somehow put me in charge of the decorations. I'm having fun with it though, I'll post pictures next week of it! :)

Hope everyone is having a great week!

XOXO!