Weekend Movies

Happy Hump Day everyone! So this past weekend my sister and I hung out and watched a ton of movies. However, two of the newer movies that we watched was "Think Like A Man" and "The Lucky One." Both movies were absolutely amazing.

"Think Like A Man" was absolutely hilarious. The actors were great, and there was a happy ending which we all love to see. Jeremy and Dominic were two of the hottest guys in the film. Watching the movie, it made you think about how hard it is for men to think like women, and vice versa. But I'm not going to lie, it would be nice to have a book that told women what men were thinking. Yes, I know that it is a movie and that ironically each girl was dating someone who was described in this book, but seriously it would be so nice to have a guidebook. Especially for those of us who are into a guy but are too shy to say anything...a.k.a. me. But that's a different story lol. The bottom line is that if you are looking for a comical romance that both you and your significant other will enjoy...this is the movie!!

 

Now "The Lucky One" is definitely more of a romance movie. It was inspired by the Nicholas Sparks book, which was phenominal! Zac Efron was hot as usual and seeing his tattoo, whew. The connection between Beth and Logan (the character's names) was hot and undeniably fun to watch. It made you wish that you were the one with Zac in the movie. I was also impressed that the movie pretty much followed the book, which is something I am always worried about, especially with Nicholas Sparks books. I always seem to fall in love with the book and I just hope the movie will live up to my expectations and won't be ruined for me. The one thing that I was a little bit sad about was that the movie did not show the relationship between Logan and Zeus, the dog. Also they don't show the relationship between Logan and his friend who he lost at war, Victor. I really wished that these were portrayed in the movie, because they were so important in the book and really brought it to life. However, I think this is totally a movie worth watching, but you are going to wish you had a love story in your life like this lol.

The moral of the story is that if you are look for some amazing movies this weekend, here are two. Otherwise if these two don't appeal to you go to your local Family Video, or use netflix/redbox whatever, and find a movie you haven't seen yet. You never know what movie you'll find!

One Fabulous Weekend

As I promised I am back this week with a ton of fun posts, or at least I think they are :). Since today is Monday, I figured I would give you a weekend recap. This weekend was filled with a ton of family parties, and a whole lot of time spent with my sister.

Kathleen, is at UIndy, and to say that I miss her alot is the understatement of the year! She is my best friend and the person that I do almost everything with. She is the one person that I am able to be real with because no matter what at the end of the day she loves me.

I know, I know I'm getting all mushy. But with her moving away to Indiana it has been really hard. Well she had to attend a wedding this weekend so she was home Friday and Saturday! We had a blast. We watched a ton of movies, went out to dinner, and just hung out and talked. I definitely missed her.

She has a job interview at an ice rink today. Needless to say that doesn't surprise me. We have both grown up around the sport of hockey, and we have watched our brother, John, play hockey for over 16 years! Hockey is in our blood, and we love it! If she gets the job at the ice rink, I think it will make her feel more at home. I mean, come on, how can you go away to a school with no hockey team and be okay with that?? LOL. So GOOD LUCK TODAY KAT!! You'll rock your interview!

On Sunday, we had two family gatherings. My Uncle Mike and his girlfriend, Robin, were in town for a wine tasting. They live in Rockford for 3/4 of the year and Arizona for 1/4 of the year. Anyways, I haven't seen the two of them since April so it was nice to see them. We went to Home Run Inn, and let me just say it was absolutely outstanding!

My Uncle Mike and Robin are on the far left

After that we were off to my Aunt's house because we had family in this weekend from California. She ended up having a get together. It was so much fun! I got to see some of my cousins and two of my little cousins. Plus, I got to practice playing Mario Cart on the Wii. As you can assume I wasn't very good at it, but it was so much fun!



My Aunt and her family

  Well that's all for today folks! I hope your weekend was as fabulous as mine! Until tomorrow!

My Apologies...

Hi Everyone, sorry I've been MIA for the past week. I will be back tomorrow with a weekend update and then I have some fun posts for this coming week! Have a good rest of your weekend and be back tomorrow!

Believing is Seeing

This week's theme seems to be believing in the impossible and miracles. So I figured that I would end the week off with another post about believing, however I am going to start with a quote for this one.

In the movie, "The Santa Claus" Judy the elf tells Scott, "Seeing isn't believing, Believing is seeing." When I was younger I never really understood what that meant. As I've grown up though I always think about it Christmas rolls around. Do we all have to be convinced and see something before we can believe it. Take one of the easiest examples...Santa Claus. We might not see him, but does that mean he isn't real? Yes, I know the secret about Santa Claus, but at the same time who's to say he doesn't really exist.

In the classic 1897 New York Sun article, "Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Clause," Francis P. Church replies to a little girl who asks if there really is a Santa Claus. In the article he says that he does exist and he is as real as love and generosity. Show me the proof, if you believe there is not some kind of magic in this world. You can't prove something like that does not exist.

Which brings me to my next point, you might not be able to see everything, but you can feel it. Helen Keller once said, "The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." Believing in Santa Claus, in God, in love or kindness can't always be seen. We feel it with our heart. Think about it. People are told all the time that God is always with us, but they don't always believe it. But think about what would happen if they started to believe. I know from personal experience there is a sense of comfort and constant love by having God in your life. I might not be able to see him right now, but I can feel it. I know I am loved and I know that he is always looking out for me.

It's the same with Santa. I might never see him, but feeling during the Christmas season, it's magical. For anyone who has felt that magic, I don't know how it is possible to say that you could never picture there being a Santa.

So why do we need proof that something is real before we believe it? When we are kids we are willing to believe in the impossible, in magic, but then why as adults do we push it all away as we grow up? Society seems to tell us, if you aren't a child then seeing is believing. Do we agree with it, maybe yes, maybe no. We don't seem to do anything about though.

Holding on to that magic and believing in something bigger than us keeps us young. If you are able to hold on to that magic and faith that are primarily meant for kids, you have been given a gift. You get the best of both worlds. You the fun of being an adult and yet you get to keep the heart and the excitement of a child. In my eyes that is one of the greatest gifts we can be given.

In about 85 days the Christmas season will begin. This year make it a point to BELIEVE and feel that spirt of Christ and love and even Santa in your. Once you start believing, that is when you will finally begin to see.

Happy Friday Everyone! Have a magical weekend!

The 1980 Miracle

Since I mentioned yesterday that one of my favorite movies of all time is "Miracle" I figured that it is only fair to dedicate a post to it. For those of you who don't know, in the 1980 Winter Olympics the United States Hockey Team won the Gold Metal. The big rival that year was the Soviets. Since 1954, the Soviets had won every world championship or Olympic game. They were the team to beat. 

The U.S. team was made up of ameteur and college players. They weren't professionals, and no one believed that they would get very far. The boys were coached by Herb Brooks, in my opinion one of the most inspirational and best coaches of all time. Brooks made his men work hard. He was determined to get the boys in shape so that they could be conditioned enough to keep up with the Soviet for a full three periods. Furthermore, he made sure that they understood that they were a team. They didn't play for the individual name on the back of the jersey, they played for the name on the front.

When the U.S. was matched up against the Soviets everyone tuned in to watch. It didn't matter if they understood hockey or not. It was the fact that they had something to believe in. America needed that at the time. The game went back and forth and the U.S. ended up coming from behind to win it. Michael Eruzione, who was also the captain, had the game winning goal. One of the most memorable parts of the entire game for fans was when the announcer scream, "Do You Believe In Miracles?!"

I grew up with hockey all around me. My brother started to play hockey when he was 5. I have watched him play now for 16 years. I understand and love the game. The excitement that you feel when you watch a good game is undescribable. Needless to say when we bought the movie Miracle my sister and I made it our movie. I think we have actually watched it so much that we know almost every single line :)

 The nice part about the movie is that every play you see is the actual play from the game. This movie is one of the most accurate sports films that you will see. Every time we watch it, it is like you are watching it for the first time and experiencing all of the games for the first time. You feel the excitement that they felt when they score a goal. You fall in love with the players, and you feel their triumphs and defeats. You understand Brooks's coaching style and why he acted the way he did. This movie is beyond phenominal! If you haven't seen it, I would recommend it!

Below is ending of the movie, it will show you the excitement that you will feel if you get a chance to see it!

Anyone else have movies that never get old? What movies are your absolute favorite?

Happy Hump Day!

This week seems to just be flying by. I have completely lost track of this entire week. So I figured that I would do a mid-week recap about the past few days (minus mentioning that I worked 2 jobs everyday lol). :)

On Monday, I was excited to go and babysit my little cousins Nicholas and Becca. Nicholas is 5 years old and in Kindergarten. I couldn't believe that when I heard it. Where has the time gone?! And Becca is 2 years old and is a ball of energy. I love hanging out with these guys, they are so much fun and we always have fun.



From Left to Right: Nicholas, Becca, and Treyson



 

We ended up playing X-Men, baseball, watched Scooby-Doo, and just ran around. It's fun getting to play with them because you forget everything that you have to do, and you get to be a kid again. I can't wait to babysit them again in 2 weekends!

Now yesterday was a complete 180 kind of day. My friend Katie and I decided to go an check out a health club (a.k.a. Blast Fitness). I have been looking for a health club because I want to keep my strength up. I was talking to my brother before I got there and he said that I should stick with insanity and not sign up for a club. Initially, I was ready to sign up and excited to do so, however I started wonder if he was right. It would be cheaper if I just bought my own weights and did the same exercises that I would do there at home. Plus we do have insanity at home.

I guess the night part about the club was that I was going to do it with my friend, which would make me liable to go, but the reality is we probably would be going at the different times so that plan was shot. So I've decided I am just going to have to motivate myself and keep myself on track. I have made a calendar and I am determined to stick to it! I'll keep you all posted.

So instead of working out, Katie and I indulged in our favorite dessert...ICE CREAM! We went to Colonial Cafe and let me tell you it was absolutely amazing!

When I got home, I had to give Kevin, my adorable beta fish, a bath and clean my room. However, we did watch Miracle as we did it, which made it go fast. Plus who could pass up such an extraordinary movie!

I hope everyone has had a good week thus far, and are able to get over and survive hump day! Until tomorrow friends! :)

My New Obsession

Okay so it is no secret to my friends and family that I am obsessed with Hallmark...more specifically cards. I absolutely love sending out cards for the holidays, and I don't mean just Christmas. I send out cards for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, the 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Plus you can't forget anniversaries and birthdays. Needless to say I seriously need to buy stock in Hallmark. I mean walking into Hallmark is so exciting, I can spend hours there! The main reason that I love sending people cards is that it brightens their days and they have something to look forward to!

I've come across a problem though. Since I won't be in the country for Halloween, I need to buy my cards early, and would really like to fill them out early as well. I've been searching a million sights and trying to find cheap Halloween cards that are cute.

Well as luck would have it, I came across this amazing site...and the word amazing is an understatement. It's called VistaPrint. You are are able to design cards, journals, pens, invitations, stamps, etc. I could seriously play on this site all day. Well I started to design a Halloween card but just for fun because I figured that by the time I got to the checkout it would be a crazy price that I wasn't willing to pay.

With a custom design and writing inside plus envelopes and shipping, I paid about $28! I was able to get 20 cards too. Now I'm sure you are thinking that it isn't a deal, but the reality is that I probably spend about $30 each holiday sending cards to people. To make matters even better, they were customized and a design that I wanted. For that price I was sold. At this point I was sold. VistaPrint is my new it place.

To make things more exciting, they have a ton of free items that you can buy. I got an e-mail last night that gave you the chance to customize notebooks, pens, and journals for free! So I created a calendar and a journal as Christmas gifts for my parents, and I even ordered myself custom cards. The only price that was charged was $4.99 for the picture fee. So for a total of $12 I had two Christmas gifts ordered and customized.

If you have not gone to this site, I guarantee that you will love it, especially if you love to customize gifts or send to card like I do! I hope you all check it out!

Has anyone used this site before? What did you guys think of it? Did you fall in love with it like I did??