My Wonderful Weekend!

I meant to post pictures yesterday of my weekend adventures, but alas, I never got around to it. I got home, cooked dinner, and got wrapped up in the original Superman movie (the one with Christopher Reeve). It has to have been almost 20 years since I've seen that movie. As much as I **heart** Dean Cain (who played Superman in the TV show Lois and Clark), I'll have to admit that Christopher Reeve was/is the best Superman.

Christopher Reeve (l) and Dean Cain (r)

Back to my weekend recap. I had a great weekend hanging out with my niece Alice. We haven't had a "girls weekend" in years, it was a lot of fun. We went to the Rangers game on Friday night and saw an awesome game. The Rangers beat the Angels 1-0. I think it was only the 9th time in Rangers history they had won 1-0 at The Ballpark (it was either the 5th or 9th time, I've read conflicting stats in different articles). C.J. Wilson pitched a great game- probably his best game all season in my opinion. I think he was trying to impress new Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee! : ) It was a sell-out crowd, it was almost like Opening Day. I didn't get our tickets until Friday, so the only thing available was the nose bleed section. But, like I usually do, we were able to sneak down closer in the 4th inning.

Saturday my niece twisted my arm and we went shopping at Kohl's (and when I say she twisted my arm, I mean she said, "hey, let's go to Kohl's, and I said, um, okay!" I **heart** Kohl's. After our shopping adventures we got ready for the Rascal Flatts concert. It was awesome! Five of my friends went with us (my friend Aaron was the lone guy- he didn't seem to mind too much).We had a blast! Chris Young, Kellie Pickler and John Rich opened for them. In between acts, we were "entertained" by three "less than sober" guys in front of us (they were there with their wives). Thankfully they weren't obnoxious drunks. Although at one point the wife of one of them scolded him for being too loud. It was kinda funny.

Anyways, like I said, Rascal Flatts was wonderful. This was the fifth time I've seen them in concert and they didn't disappoint. They sang a lot of their old songs, and a new one that is going to be on an upcoming album. LOVE THEM!!

Here are some pictures of my adventures this weekend!! Sorry there are so many! Hope you enjoy!!

:)

A view from our seats that we got at the box office.

Me and my niece Alice.

 

I love this Chick Fil-A sign at the Ballpark!

A view from the seats we moved to in the 4th. ;)

 

Ran into my friends Bill and Annette- it was wonderful to see them! They were in town and called to see if I happened to be at the Ballpark (they know I go to a lot of games). :)

Final score 1-0 Rangers!

 

The fireworks show after the game was set to music from musicals. I loved it!

 

Me and my group of friends at the Rascal Flatts concert (and some random lady in the first row who wouldn't move. I like how the kid behind us is smiling for the picture).

Taking lots of pictures before the concert started.

 

After almost two hours of opening acts, Rascal Flatts takes the stage!

Joe Don Rooney, lead guitarist. I **heart** him. ;)

For their encore, they sang their hit, "Summer Nights"

Until next time...

Happy Dance Time...It's Friday!

I'm so happy it's Friday that if I was still young enough, I might do a back flip (who am I kidding, even when I was young, I couldn't do a back flip). I'm very excited about this weekend. My niece Alice is coming to town for a visit (we are close in age, so it's almost like we are sisters or cousins, instead of niece and aunt). For regular readers of my blog, she is the mother of "C" and "E" (go here for pictures of them). : )

Tonight we have plans to go see the first place Texas Rangers (I love saying that) at The Ballpark and tomorrow night we are going to see Rascal Flatts (insert teenage girl **sigh**, **squeal** and **happy dance** here). We actually saw them together about 4 years ago. I know she is looking forward to a "get away weekend". Her husband is staying home with the kids to have a "guys weekend" (and with a 23 month old and a 9 month old, I'm sure it won't get too out of control!) ;)

Me and Alice at Rascal Flatts in 2006

I don't know how many of you have seen the Youtube videos of Tillman, the skateboarding Bulldog, but I think I've decided along with Pugs, I want a Bulldog. He is too cute!!

It's Five Question Friday Time!! Welcome to all new visitors! Thanks for stopping by!

1. What were your school colors?

I'm assuming you mean high school. They were blue and gray. My junior high colors were purple and gray. Oh, and my college colors were purple, white and gold.

2. What's the best compliment you ever received?

I had someone tell me one time that they could see God's love shining in me by my friendships and the way I treat other people with care and kindness. WOW. The ULTIMATE compliment in my book. :) I'll be honest. I can think of many times where I don't have "love and kindness" in my heart when dealing with people (usually while I'm driving-rush hour is never fun). It makes me want to strive to not only have that kindness all the time, but to be able to show it.

3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?

My close friends know that I have no problems going with generic brands of products in order to save some money, but toilet paper is one of those items where that is NOT the case. My freshman year of college I lived in a dorm with a community bathroom. I don't know what kind of toilet paper they had, but I have no doubt it was in the "sandpaper" family. I'm all about the name brands (I'm partial to Angel Soft and Cottonelle). There are some things worth spending a few extra dollars on!

4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else?

I have never had a surprise party thrown for me, but I have thrown a few for other people. When my dad turned 60, we threw him a huge surprise birthday party at our church. We were all surprised my mother was able to keep it a secret (she's a terrible liar- I guess that's not a BAD trait to have). But we pulled it off!

5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?

I'm guessing my iPhone. It's amazing. I went YEARS without a cell phone (21 to be exact), then after that, NOT having a phone with me felt weird (my family jokes it's surgically attached to my ear or hand, and sometimes, it feels that way). I finally jumped on the "smart phone" wagon last year and broke down and got an iPhone. Now it's like, what did I do before I had this? It's kinda sad. But now with the ability to update Facebook, update Twitter, check my email, check my blog, play games, check sports scores, watch Youtube videos, how did I live without this?

Have a great weekend y'all!!

Thursday Thirteen

For this week's Thursday Thirteen I thought I would list 13 "not as well known" movies that I like (or that I liked as a kid). 

1. The Next Voice You Hear: "Joe Smith, American" lives in a Los Angeles suburb and works at an aircraft plant. One night Joe hears a voice cut in on a radio program: "This is God. I'll be with you for the next few days." It turns out, everyone in the world listening to any radio heard the same thing. More messages come; some people react positively, others negatively."

I saw this for the first time when I was in junior high or high school. I love it. I found it on VHS a few years ago. It stars Nancy Davis, better known to everyone now as Mrs. Ronald Reagan.

2. Anna to the Infinite Power: "Anna Hart was always an odd child, a genius, a shoplifter, desperately afraid of flickering lights, with strange prophetic dreams. Simultaneously, several strange things begin to happen. A strange, mysterious neighbor, by the name of MacKayla moves in next door to the Harts. And, most frightening of all, Anna sees her exact double on the television one night. As her investigation of the other Anna, Anna Smithson, progresses, she begins to learn the truth. 

I probably watched this movie 100 times as a kid. It was just released on DVD, I'm looking forward to buying it soon! It's been years since I've seen it! I never watched As The World Turns, but fans of the show might recognize a young Martha Byrne (who played Lily Walsh Snyder on ATWT).

3. Paris When It Sizzles: "Hollywood producer Alexander Meyerheimer has hired drunken writer Richard Benson to write his latest movie. Benson has been holed up in a Paris apartment supposedly working on the script for months, but instead has spent the time living it up. Benson now has just two days to the deadline and thus hires a temporary secretary, Gabrielle Simpson, to help him complete it in time."

I'm a huge Audrey Hepburn fan and I just discovered this movie a few years ago when it aired on TCM. I love it! It stars Audrey Hepburn and William Holden (they also starred in the movie Sabrina together).

4. And Then There Were None: "Agatha Christie's tale of 10 people invited to an isolated place only to find that an unseen person is killing them one by one."

I think I've mentioned before that I like old, classic movies. This is the 1945 version of the movie (it's been remade a few times).

5. Fitzwilly: "When Miss Vicki's father dies, she becomes the world's greatest philanthropist. Unfortunately, she is flat broke! Her loyal butler, Claude Fitzwilliam, leads the household staff to rob from various businesses by charging goods to various wealthy people and misdirecting the shipments, all to keep Miss Vicki's standard of living."

I only saw this movie for the first time last year. It stars Dick Van Dyke (and I've been over  many times how he's my favorite actor). :) It was great!! I'm hoping to find it on DVD!

6.  Remember The Night: "Just before Christmas, Lee Leander is caught shoplifting. It is her third offense. She is prosecuted by John Sargent. He gets the trial postponed because it is hard to get a conviction at Christmastime. But he feels sorry for her and arranges for her bail, and ends up taking her home to his mother for Christmas." 

Another movie I just discovered last year (during TCM's airing of Christmas movies). This stars Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck. Four years after this movie, they would go on to make Double Indemnity together.

7. Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller: "Young Ralph James and his scheming friend Tommy Tricker collect stamps. But when Tommy snatches a rare stamp, Ralph discovers the secret of stamp travel to take him around the world and bring back the 75-year gone traveller Charles Merriweather."
I haven't seen this one since I was about 12 or 13, but I remember watching it a lot when I was younger. I wonder if it's on DVD...

8. The Quest (sometimes called Frog Dreaming): "American boy, Cody, whose parents have died, lives in Australia with his guardian, Gaza. Cody is very imaginative, inventive, and inquisitive. He comes across some strange events happening in Devil's Knob national park associated with an aboriginal myth about 'frog dreamings'."

I think I loved this movie because it had Henry Thomas in it (Elliot from the movie E.T.). I'm also looking for this one on DVD. I haven't seen it in forever! I just discovered someone uploaded it to Youtube though.

9. 18 Again!: "By means of an accident the soul of David and his swinging grandfather get swapped. While the grandfather's body is still in coma, he enjoys having a young body again and repairs some facts in David's life, who he finds not to be self-confident enough."

The only reason I watched this movie was because it starred a young Charlie Schlatter (who played Dr. Jesse Travis on Dick Van Dyke's show Diagnosis Murder). It's actually pretty cute. I found it on VHS at a video store about 7 years ago. It also stars George Burns, who made this movie when he was 92!

10. Necessary Parties: "Fourteen-year-old Chris Mills goes to court to prevent his parents from ending their marriage." 

Okay, so this was a made for TV movie that came out in the late 80s, but it starred Mark-Paul Gosselaar, (insert teenage girl **sigh** here) who, as most of you know, went on to star in the TV show Saved By The Bell. I haven't seen it in years, but I would totally watch it again!

11. I'm With Lucy: "A woman experiences five blind dates in one year, but only one of them is "Mr. Right"."

I probably just made half of my friends pass out that I listed a "chick flick" (I'm not  usually a huge fan of "modern day" chick flicks, but I actually like this one).  It's cute. And it doesn't hurt that Henry Thomas is in it. ;) Until I borrowed the DVD from a friend of mine, I had never heard of it! It came out about 8 years ago.

12. Tiger Town: "Alex  and his father are devoted Detroit Tigers fans, even now as they are struggling. Alex's favorite player is aging star Billy Young, who is having a sub-par season, his last before retiring."

I watched this movie SO MANY times growing up. Are you really surprised that even at a young age one of my favorite movies was about baseball?? This movie was actually the first "made-for-TV" movie that the Disney Channel produced back in 1983.

13. The Canterville Ghost: "A young American couple inherits an English castle, only to find that it is haunted by the spirit of a disgraced ancestor, doomed to stay on the estate because of his cowardice. The only way he can escape is if one of his descendants performs an heroic act, something he intends to get the husband to do."

I have loved mysteries and suspense movies since I was little. Another made-for-TV movie, starring Alyssa Milano and Ted Wass (the father on the TV show Blossom). I think this came out in the mid to late 80s. Another one I would totally buy on DVD! I know someone has uploaded it on Youtube.

Wednesday Ramblings..

Oh so much to ramble about today! I hope you can keep up! I mentioned in a previous post this week that I've been watching season 1 of The X-Files on DVD (my friend has the whole series, I'm borrowing them one season at a time). I honestly forgot how much I liked that show. I remember in college we would get together on Sunday nights and watch The X-Files in the TV room at one of the guys' dorms. My friend was an R.A. and usually worked the weekend shift, he had control of the TV). I'll admit it. From season 1, I was a Mulder/Scully "shipper" (that means I wanted them to end up together- I just recently heard that term from a friend, and I can't believe I'm actually using it). Anyways, they just seemed so right for each other. Even in season 1. And man, David Duchovny looked so young back then!

Anyways, I've watched an episode or two the past few nights before going to bed (after the Rangers games). Note to self: I probably shouldn't watch The X-Files right before bed. I've been having weird "sci-fi"-ish dreams the past few nights.

Anyways, speaking of the Rangers (yeah, you knew I would work it in here somewhere), it's been an eventful start to the second half. A scary moment on Monday night during the game in Detroit. Dustin Nippert was brought in as a relief pitcher and got nailed in the head when Tigers player Austin Jackson hit the ball back towards the mound. Someone has uploaded the video to Youtube (knowing MLB, they will probably remove it soon, but here it is for now). 

If the video is no longer available, the Rangers have it on their website here. Thankfully Dustin was okay (I know it sounds like the announcer said Justin, but it's Dustin). He was even smiling as he walked off the field., which made everyone feel better. I know any other team would have done this, but I love how the Rangers gathered around him to be sure he was okay. It just shows how close the team is. Matt Treanor (the catcher) took about two seconds to get to him after it happened. Michael Young (who went and got the ball after it went into the outfield), ran over to him as soon as he could. As a precaution, they have put Dustin on the 15 day D.L. Thank God it wasn't as bad as it could have been!

Okay, a happier moment for the Rangers was on Friday night when catcher Bengie Molina became only the fifth player in Rangers history to hit for the cycle (sorry, for my "baseball challenged" readers, it means he hit a single, double, triple and home run in the same game). :) In fact, his home run was a grand slam that gave the Rangers the lead, and eventually the win, over the Red Sox (grand slam means the bases were loaded when he hit the home run).  Maybe I should make a baseball dictionary and link it up to my page! :) I can't find the video on Youtube of his triple, which completed the cycle, (I'm sure MLB has taken it down), but here is the link to the video on the Rangers website here. My favorite part was when Rangers commentator Josh Lewin said, "Pigs have flown in Boston, Massachusetts." Bengie is a great catcher, but he has a reputation of being "the slowest player in baseball" when it comes to base running (honestly, my mother, who is 73 and has a bad hip, could outrun him!) ;) I loved how the commentators were cheering him on to get to third base. They said his teammates were jumping up and down in the dugout, they couldn't believe it either! Go Bengie and go Rangers!! :)

 

A picture I took of Bengie Molina a few weeks ago at the Rangers season ticket holder picnic

So I guess I've rambled enough today. But, I did want to post this video I found on WFAA's website. If you aren't familiar with the story of the Chupacabra, click here before you watch the video (or it won't make sense). Have a great day friends! :)

To My "Sistas"

I got this email from a good friend of mine today. It's been one of those days where I needed to read it. So, to all my "sistas" out there: Whether I've known you personally for years, or perhaps we are new "blogging friends", here's to you!! Have a great day!! :)

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says,  "Oh crap, she's up!"

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. 
So love the people who treat you right. 
Forget about the one's who don't. 
Believe everything happens for a reason. 
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. 
If it changes your life, let it. 
Kiss slowly.
Forgive quickly.
God never said life would be easy, 
He just promised it would be worth it.

You are loved sista!

I am only as strong

as the chocolate I eat,

the hair spray I use and

the friends I have.

To the cool women

that have touched my life..

Here's to you! 

National Girlfriends Day!
What would most of us do without our sisters, confidants and shopping, lunching, and traveling girls?
Let's celebrate each other for each others' sake!