Soundtracks: Drive

Justin and I saw Drive a couple weeks ago and it was definitely not what I expected. Well.. It kind of was, in that I expected it to not be a typical Ryan Gosling-ish kinda movie. I just didn't expect to love it as much as I did. We tend to enjoy a few of those movies out there that get the bad reviews for being so nontraditional or "weird".. Not sure why. Maybe because we make our own opinions based on expecting the movie to be pretty blah. He did fantastic in the role, as always. Ryan has always been one of our faves - What a doll!

The movie was pretty awesome and I definitely give huge credit to the soundtrack. The score was pretty simple, but something about it somehow added intensity to the film. Can't seem to get a few of the first songs off of repeat: Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx, Desire and College. I'm pretty into The Chromatics' track as well, with the remaining tracks as the score from the film, by Cliff Martinez. Honestly, the only song I could have done without is Riz Ortolani's "Oh My Love" - eugh, not a fan. Aside from a pretty sick soundtrack, Justin keeps trying to give me a list of reasons why he seriously wants and has to have the 'Scorpion Jacket'. So cute!

Drive

Check It Out

Featuring: Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx, Desire, College Feat. Electric Youth, Riz Ortolani Feat. Katyna Ranieri, The Chromatics and music by Cliff Martinez

Band-Aid Lady, Mrs. Scary-Sore-Face and Momma Flavor-Flav

I've been so ridiculously busy these days. With 3 parties/showers in-the-making, I have been all over town, doing all the things I have to get done. I've gone back and forth a few times to Bellis - the printing office at Bob Jones University - and have practically made friends with all the long-skirted women in there. I felt like a total 'wild person' since the few times I went in to drop off/pick up, I was rocking to Lady Gaga and wore the exact opposite of a corduroy jumper.

Earlier this week, I dedicated a whole afternoon (and night) to my errand-running and returns I had to do. It felt like I had been running around all day long, which probably made the chaos of my evening so much more entertaining at the time.

Before meeting with a client, I made my last run to Bellis, for my second attempt at printing Justin's invites the way they should be. I'm a total amateur at that kind of stuff, but I have fun doing it, even if it means getting a little "crafty" or improvising a little bit. I left happy, and headed to a client session I had scheduled. After we finished, I began my errand-running up and down Laurens & Woodruff. The "are you kidding me right now" moments hit hard once I reached my last stop...

I headed into AC Moore for some final supplies/etc. for the Anthropologie-inspired bridal shower I'm decorating for on Monday. I was digging in the clearance ribbon baskets when an elderly woman walked up to me. She got pretty close - almost hey-buddy-ol-pal close, and smiled nice and big. I smiled back while she stood there waiting for me to recognize her.. Nothin. I'm thinking, "Who are you, lady??" and she could tell I was confused. She goes, "It's me!! ...Bellis??" I still didn't even recognize her, even though I have spent so much time there in the past couple days! I felt bad, so I played along. She took a step closer to me - past the level of buddy-close, but more psycho-space-invader close - and asked if I had any extra coupons. I backed away a little bit, not to be rude, but because I wasn't exactly enjoying her strong aroma of mothballs, lily of the valley and band-aids. Unfortunately I had nothing to give her, so she scurried along and happened to continuously run into me - and wave each time - throughout my entire time in the store.

Can I just say for the record.. Tie dye clothing should be illegal. So should whistling in public.

I finally made it to the checkout line, where - of course - Bellis Bandaid Lady was checking out. I stalled a little, so I could maintain my personal space and I wouldn't have to carry on a forced conversation about coupons with her. I waited a second, and watched as a frizzy-haired woman (with sores all over her face) filed herself in line before me. Picture Mama Fratelli, the scary, bad woman/person from The Goonies. The woman turned completely around and looked directly at me (what was with people tonight!?). She said, "Whattaya do?" I just looked at her, wondering what she meant. I said, "Oh! Umm.. my job? Like what do I do for a living?" She goes, "No. What are you gonna do with all that?" and pointed to my basket of ribbon and a few other things I had. I just told her I was planning some bridal and baby showers, as well as a birthday party for my husband. Now, I chose to answer her question, because I thought it was harmless. A little checkout-line small talk never hurts, although I don't exactly prefer it. Little did I know, Mrs. Scary-Sore-Face found a new friend in me. She slurred and jumbly proceeded to tell me - in order - all of the projects she was working on, including the projects that she keeps putting off. She talked in several run-on sentences about stuff that didn't make any sense... Something about a baby blanket, something about dirty shoes and something about her hair. She mumbled on for quite a while and I just nodded, secretly praying for Bandaid to hurry the heck up and pay the cashier already.

I had almost completely tuned out Sore-Face Mumbler, when a woman - who looked exactly like Flavor-Flav - came rushing full-speed at me with her shopping cart, a wailing newborn in her arm, and literally 5 children running, screaming and tumbling behind her. It freaked me out for a second, because I seriously thought she wasn't gonna stop. She jerked to a halt while screaming in a thick, southern accent at one of her her four daughters, "ShaKIAH. ShaKIAH. SHAKIAH. Git off da flohh!!" All I kept thinking was, "Where AM I?!" In the midst of Sore Lady talking my ear off to my left and pure crying/chaos to my right, I look down to find one of the 6 children picking at the ruffles on my pink, suede flats. Are you kidding me right now??? As soon as Momma Flavor Flav saw her kid rolling around on the dusty floor and assaulting my favorite shoes, she reached down (still with the baby in her arm) and yanked the kid off the floor. I think I just stood there with my jaw dropped.

By then, the line had moved, and Sore-Face was up. Of course it wasn't a simple transaction. She had some returns - which was fine - but HER returns would not be returned without a complete explanation of why she bought each and every item, and why she was returning them. Oh good grief. The poor cashier finished her return with a good attitude. Just as Sore-Face was expected to move along and leave, she "played dumb" and said to the cashier, "Ok! I wanna re-buy all of those things now. I have coupons." Whaat? The cashier clearly knew Sore-Face from chronic visits and returns at their store. She looked right at the woman and said, "Look, Shirley. This is the last time. Can't keep buying, returning and re-buying things with your coupons. No more." Sore-Face Shirley mumbled some words and acted like we were all the crazy ones. She even looked at me and gurgled a few impossible-to-understand sentances. All I could think of, was 'Get outta here, Shirley! I'm sick of the mutiny occurring behind me, with Momma Flavor-Flav vs. her 6 little monsters!'

Finally Shirley left. I paid, and flew outta there quicker than I could think. Whatta night.


xo

Soundtracks: For the Love of Musicals

I'm not a huge musical buff, but there are a few that I definitely enjoy. I like The Sound of Music, Singing in the Rain, Oklahoma, Moulin Rouge and Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street, but I'd have to say my top 3 favorite soundtracks go to Across the Universe, Chicago and Walk the Line (musical-ish).

I remember when I first saw the trailer for Across the Universe. It was so intriguing and some parts almost looked weird. Basically, it's a movie with a plot based completely on Beatles songs. The whole idea was pretty cool and original. I'm not even exactly a HUGE Beatles fan, but I do like a lot of their songs.. I even like some of songs on the soundtrack more than some of the originals (don't hate me!). We ended up seeing it a couple times in theater and really loved it.

 Across The Universe

Check It Out

Featuring: Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, T.V. Carpio, Joe Anderson, Carol Woods & Timothy T. Mitchum, Joe Cocker, Dana Fuchs, Secret Machines, Bono, Eddie Izzard and Martin Luther McCoy

Uhh hello! 1920's-era Chicago jazz? Yeah, baby! This movie totally kicked and the soundtrack kicked even more. The cast was perfect for the 2002 remake (originally 1975) and each song fits the film like a glove. This one's definitely on my To-See-On-Broadway list.

 Chicago

Check it Out

Featuring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, Colm Feore, John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah, Taye Diggs, Diedre Goodwin, Susan Misner, Christine Baranski, Rick Negron and Danny Elfman

Since I first met Justin, he's always been a huge fan of Johnny Cash. I used to hear his songs and think, "ehh..". Not my immediate preference. I think when I was little, his name always reminded me of money.. or.. cashews (don't ask me how I even knew what cashews were when I was little). It kind of became a tradition of ours to 'rock out' to Johnny on our late-night trips home from the beach.. a way to keep us up during the 3-hour drive. I've slowly grown to enjoy Johnny Cash more and more, and especially more since Walk the Line came out. Yeah, Joaquin Phoenix may have gone off the deep end (or didn't he?), but his performance as Cash was pretty incredible (Reese was amazing, too!). With all that said, I absolutely love this soundtrack.

Walk the Line

Check it Out

Featuring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Waylon Malloy Payne, Tyler Hilton and Shooter Jennings

xo

2011 Golden Globes

Another good year for fashion at the 2011 Golden Globes! I definitely have some favorites and least favorites. Since I'm a nerd who takes notes during my favorite award shows (since I was little!), it only made sense to share my likes, dislikes and highlights again - like I did last year for the 2010 Oscars.

The red carpet definitely showed us some new trends and also some really fugly decisions. How many times do I have to yell "What were they thinking?!" at my TV? I definitely wasn't a fan of Alexa Chung as she interviewed celebs arriving on the red carpet. She's cute, but I don't know if it's because she's new at it, or just awkward in general; Her manly voice didn't help, and neither did the dress she wore. She looked like a fashion-confused little person, wearing a boring, red, neck-high dress that she borrowed from her great aunt. Her choice of style definitely made sense to me, seeing as her "favorite" red carpet looks were all of my least favorite.

Alexa Chung in all of her.. weirdness.

Moving on..

DISLIKES

Julianne Moore in Lanvin -- Not only did Julianne look frumpy and uncomfortable, but her lop-sided dress made it look like she had a giant arm-cast. Her middle-parted hair made her look homelier than she already looks, plus she is still needing to get a hold of some Crest Whitestrips. Ouch, sorry.

Natalie Portman in Viktor & Rolf -- I usually really like Natalie Portman. Right now she'es pregnant, so going with a 'flowy' dress was definitely a smart move. Just not the right dress. Sheeny pink with a big, gaudy red rose? Yuck! I did, however, like her makeup.

Helena Bonham Carter in Vivienne Westwood -- I like Helena and her dark Tim Burton-inspired fashion sense. Of course, we can usually expect to get something crazy from her, but c'mon! Mix-matched shoes? Head to toe, her look was so unfortunate.. think, hideous bridesmaid meets 1991 exercise video instructor with extensions.

January Jones in Versace -- Usually she's really classy/cute, but this year? I was totally disappointed. I don't know what it was, but she didn't really look like herself.. she seemed off. Mostly, her hair and makeup made her look cakey and much older. I wasn't a fan of her cheap-looking dress either - especially with the invisible, built-in loin cloth. No no, January.

Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Mirad -- I am usually really excited to see what JLo's going to wear, but big MISS on this one. As much as I loved the white, the veil-ish cape ruins it all. What's the point? Her hair was OK, and I did like her makeup. Overall, forgettable.

Tilda Swinton in Jil Sander -- When, oh when will this woman make it off my worst-dressed list?? Her stylist must be blind. Doesn't she realize that it's OK to wear makeup (and that she desperately needs it!)?? And that hair! Doesn't she have any honest friends that care about her? I actually feel bad for her, not only for her terrible, washed-out, fashion sense, but also for her inability to read a nomination as it is. C'mon Tilda, saying "televisual" instead of "television" doesn't make you cool.

Michelle Williams in Valentino -- Can anyone say 1963 bedsheets?? I'm sorry, but she looked hideous. Her make up was very plain, very.. nice. I'm assuming she chopped her hair off for a role, but the dress? I read a description on NY Mag, that her dress "actually looks dusty". Haha! It does!

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace -- Not sure if Ange was tired or half-asleep, but her hair and makeup were some of the most drab I've seen by her in a long time. I was pretty surprised. I do think emerald is always a great color for her, but she looked so tired and disengaged. Who cares, I'll always be Team Aniston.

Tina Fey in Zuhair Mirad -- I truly adored Tina's hair, in fact.. I loved it. The dress was a whole new story. The color was good for her, but the dress is just ugly. I couldn't tell if it was silk or velvet, but either way, it looked super outdated. The fringe-inspired sleeves! Not the worst look of the night, but definitely not her best.

Christina Aguilera in L'Wren Scott -- At first glance, I thought she was Kelly Osbourne. I could barely even recognize her! Assuming she's preggo, her dress wasn't awful, but it didn't do anything for her and her bleached-out/burned-out hair. I noticed a lot of celebs (even guys) parted their hair down the middle. Blah.

Scarlett Johansson in Elie Saab -- Did Scarlett go to her hair stylist and say, "Just gimme the alien-blowback style"?? Are you kidding me right now? She looks like she's bathed her hair in cement spray and hung her head out the car window. Her dress is pretty, but why choose a dress the same exact color as your skin tone? I couldn't help but yell, every time she came on my TV screen.

LIKES

Julie Bowen in Tadashi Shoji -- This dress was by far, one of my favorites of the night. I'm always a sucker for ruffles (especially these ones) and the color was absolutely perfecto. Hair, makeup and accessories were spot on. Love!

Olivia Wilde in Marchesa -- I adored this dress! Olivia totally made herself look really effortless with her hair down, and classy makeup. The dress totally fit her. So beautiful!

Eva Longoria in Zac Posen -- Eva rarely disappoints on the red carpet. I've never really followed her as a fan, but her look was amazing! The open-back might have been the best part of the dress, but I loved the front too! Loved the black with her dramatic eyes. Totally appropriate for her, and totally gorgeous!

Emma Stone in Calvin Klein -- Holy cow, this might be the most beautiful I have ever seen Emma Stone. I think she's super cute, but she looked amazing on the red carpet. Her hair color with the dress color? Plus the open back? I thought she looked incredible!

Megan Fox in Giorgio Armani Prive -- I loved Megan's romantic look. Really classy and sweet.

Halle Berry in Nina Ricci -- A lot of people said she looked like she was in lingerie, but I thought it was great! I loved the "legginess" of the dress, with Halle's sexy-attitude spin on it.

Sandra Bullock in Jenny Packham -- Sandra bang bang! She totally rocked the bangs with her flowing, nude gown. She looked fabulous! My favorite part was when she was asked what she was wearing and she responded, "a dress". Ha!

Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive -- Loved her plunging backline, I think she totally pulled this off. The front was a bit dynasty-influenced and I didn't exactly love the puffy shoulders, but overall, I really liked this dress for her.

Amy Adams in Marchesa -- Her gown totally fit her to a T! I loved the color especially. Her hair and makeup complimented everything really well too.

Maria Menaunos in Pamella Rolund & Kaley Cuoco in Katharine Kidd -- They both looked amazing! Maria's dress is probably my favorite of the whole night. I loved the color, the layers, so very simple-yet-elegent. I loved Kaley's wavy ponytail.. Definitely a lot more common on the red carpet over the past couple years.

I noticed a lot of the male celebs walking the carpet, looked a lot more scruffy and bearded than usual. For crying out loud, even Christian Bale (with his extremely long hair) practically looked homeless. No signs of George Clooney, Brad Pitt was barely seen, and Johnny Depp looked as dashing as usual.

A few of my favorite, best-dressed men:

Jake Gyllenhaal in Burberry -- Classic black

Robert Pattinson in Gucci - Classic navy

When I found out Ricky Gervais was hosting this year's Golden Globes, you can bet I was disappointed.

Ricky Gervais

I used to think the fangly-toothed little guy was somewhat funny, but the more I have heard his material, the more I can't stand him. He's bluntly rude and offensive - which some people find entertaining. I find it obnoxious and too far. Even Russell Brand, who's hosted MTV Awards shows in the past, is mega-offensive and crude, but I would rather tolerate him before Gervais any day. During the evening, Ricky made plenty of digs at celebrities, including a nasty remark about the head honcho of the HFPA. Word-on-the-street? Apparently, Ricky won't be allowed to host any more Globes, as well as can count on never receiving a nomination for his work in the future. Ouch. I did find myself laughing a handful of times, including his crack about the team who extreme-airbrushed the photo for the Sex and the City 2 poster, Hugh Hefner's age, and the fact that Cher is a has-been. Check out a video of a few of Ricky's attempts to be funny as the evening's host.

More highlights from the evening:

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network

Colin Firth in The King's Speech - Won

James Franco in 127 Hours

Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine

Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Halle Berry in Frankie and Alice

Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone

Natalie Portman in Black Swan - Won

Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine

Nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical

Johnny Depp in Alice in Wonderland

Johnny Depp in The Tourist

Paul Giamatti in Barney's Version - Won

Jake Gyllenhaal in Love & Other Drugs

Kevin Spacey in Casino Jack

Nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical

Annette Bening in The Kids Are Alright - Won

Anne Hathaway in Love & Other Drugs

Angelina Jolie in The Tourist

Julianne Moore in The Kids Are Alright

Emma Stone in Easy A

Nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Christian Bale in The Fighter - Won

Michael Douglas in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Andrew Garfield in The Social Network

Jeremy Renner in The Town

Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Amy Adams in The Fighter

Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech

Mila Kunis in Black Swan

Melissa Leo in The Fighter - Won

Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom

Best Director - Motion Picture

David Fincher for The Social Network - Won

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network - Won

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Social Network - Won

Best Animated Feature Film

Toy Story 3

Best Motion Picture - Drama

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The King's Speech

The Social Network - Won

Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical

Alice in Wonderland

Burlesque

The Kids Are Alright - Won

Red

The Tourist

Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series - Drama

Steve Buscemi in Boardwalk Empire - Won

Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad

Michael C. Hall in Dexter

Jon Hamm in Mad Men

Hugh Laurie in House

Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series - Drama

Julianna Margulies in The Good Wife

Elisabeth Moss in Mad Men

Piper Perabo in Covert Affairs

Katey Sagal in Sons of Anarchy - Won

Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer

Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series - Comedy/Musical

Alec Baldwin in 30 Rock

Steve Carell in The Office

Thomas Jane in Hung

Matthew Morrison in Glee

Jim Parsons in The Big Bang Theory - Won

Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series - Comedy/Musical

Toni Collette in United States of Tara

Edie Falco in Nurse Jackie

Tina Fey in 30 Rock

Laura Linney in The Big C - Won

Lea Michele in Glee

Best TV Series - Drama

Boardwalk Empire - Won

Dexter

The Good Wife

Mad Men

The Walking Dead

Best TV Series - Comedy/Musical

30 Rock

The Big Bang Theory

The Big C

Glee - Won

Modern Family

Nurse Jackie

One of the funniest parts of the evening was when Justin Bieber and some other girl read the nominees for Best Animated Film. As the director for Toy Story 3 went up to accept his award, he looked at Justin Bieber and said, "Wow.. were you even born when the first Toy Story came out?? Haha" I love it!! As annoying as I think Justin Bieber is.. it's about time he upgraded his cheesy teeny-bop hairstyle, eh?

The King's Speech had the most nominations and ended up with just 1 win, The Social Network was up for 6, and left with the most: 4 Golden Globes! I definitely was disappointed that neither Inception nor Johnny Depp won anything. They actually deserved the recognition -- not ridiculously cheesy/annoying shows like Glee. Ew. Total bumski.

Movies on our To See List:

The Fighter

Black Swan

Blue Valentine

Social Network

127 Hours

Love and other Drugs

The Tourist

Photo Sources:

Mediate

PopSugar

Just Jared / Buzznet
New York Mag

The Envelope

xo

Drowning is Dying and Men Can't Have Babies

Working with kiddies can sure be entertaining. I'm about to hit my 4th year as a clinical counselor, and each year has been exciting, amusing and oh-so entertaining! It's not a surprise that I've met some pretty colorful kids who say and do 'the darndest things'. It definitely keeps me loving my what I do, despite all of the challenges that come with providing therapy.

I haven't been able to do any "letters to God" with my kids, but I came across a couple and couldn't not add them to this post. Plus, I found a pretty intense "warning letter" to someone who had the nerve to push nature aside for TV. Kids are hilarious!!

My mom {still} has a box of funny quotes and silly things my siblings and I did and said when we were little. Back when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, I had to call people to sponsor me for some fundraiser read-a-thon or walk-a-thon I had to do for school. I had my little list of people to call and my little shpeel rehearsed over and over. I called up each person, innocently asking for their money and commitment. My plan was to "seal the deal" by asking for their money per mile or a simple "flat fee". Looking back now, it's comical.. But back then? I was devastated after asking our family-friend to sponsor me with a "fat flea". My little moment of tongue-twisted stage freight has been an ongoing joke in my family ever since.

Like my mom, I have kept track of some of the hilarious things kids have said.

One of the first client's I worked with was a 6-year old who had a ridiculously strange resemblance to a chubby-cheeked Renee Zelweger. He had the cutest speech impediment and for the 2 years I worked with him, he knew me as 'Miss Wanna'. He passionately loved wrestling, break-dancing and mainstream rap music (so wrong!). He was somehow convinced that he had been to multiple movie premieres in Hollywood, as well as claimed to be the inventor of Monopoly. One time I tried to teach little Zelweger and his classmates how to play (even though he invented it..) and I had a migraine for 7 days straight. Another time, we were at the park and he saw an elderly lady sitting on a bench. While pointing and I'm sure loud enough for her to hear, he looked up at me and asked in a worried voice, "Ohh boy...why are her skins so stretchy?"

I worked with another little boy, a 5-year old who was pretty spoiled, but so very cute. He looked almost identical to Freddie Highmore. Not only was he responsible for accidentally locking my car doors - while my keys were in the ignition - with the AC on full blast - but on a daily basis, he demanded his mom make him a full to-go container of hot coffee with cream and sugar (what?!). Working with him in his classroom, I witnessed some pretty funny 'altercations' between him and the boy he called his "frenemy". He often argued about whether or not Spiderman was a "worthy fighter" and the fact that he 'lost all of his friends because he won fourth place in the 'smelly-shoe contest'. He would cry and cry, telling me how "devesmated" he was. Ha! Poor little guy..

One of the most baffling kids I've worked with was a 9-year old girl who said and did some pretty jaw-dropping things. Picture a kleptomaniac, miniature Kathy Kinney (minus the drag makeup). She was pretty set in her ways, as she engaged in different exercises and coping-skill activities focusing on feelings. What makes her happy? Sad? Angry? Disappointed? She answered all of my questions with the same response: Whether or not she got her way. She was a feisty thing when it came to earning rewards and activities. She lost it after I informed her we couldn't "relocate our session to Golden Corral, followed by an immediate trip to Carowinds" (for all you northerners, the equivalent would be Old Country Buffet & Valleyfair). She took her anger out on me during the 12 seconds I stepped out of the room. As soon as I returned, I couldn't miss her bold, handwritten F-word across a picture of Justin and me hanging at my desk. Oh, heyyyo no. Not only did she deny it for 20 minutes, claiming "someone else came in the room and did it quick", but when she finally admitted it, she dramatically dropped to her knees, begging me not to "call the law". Aside from her unpredictable behavior, she gave me quite a few laughs with the bizarre things she would say. During one of our sessions, we watched a portion of Cheaper by the Dozen. During our discussion, I asked her about things she learned.. related to communication, honesty, etc. Of course, she hadn't been paying attention to different communication styles in the movie, but instead she quickly started asking me questions about a scene where the dad was in the hospital for surgery. She began to talk about "his pregnancy" and would have kept going if I hadn't stopped her. Whaat? Trying to take her seriously, I proceeded to carefully remind her of a man's inability to have a baby and encouraged her to talk to her grandma about 'where babies come from'. Bless her heart. Later in therapy, somehow a discussion came up in which she attempted to argue that "drowning was not dying.. It means swimming for a long time".

Another kindergartener who always brightened my day, was a 5-year old mini-me Leonardo DiCaprio. Cutest kid and the most hilarious classmates. His classroom was one of my favorites to visit. One day, they had a substitute - an elderly woman. For snacktime, the sub gave each of the kiddies a bowl of cut-up oranges. As soon as my little buddy was given his bowl, he noticed the woman's wrinkly hands and immediately acted really anxious. With the most concerned look on his face, he looked at me and nervously said, "Was she in the tub too long or was she made that way?!" It didn't stop there. He looked at the woman and slowly reached out to poke her hand, as if he had never seen an elderly person in his life. Thankfully the woman (and I) had a pretty good laugh! Another day, a little boy in his class was talking about his birthday. I asked him when his birthday was, and he confidently replied, "May joonjin in the month-of-the-year.." I asked him a couple more times to repeat himself, thinking I had just missed what he was trying to say. Every time, he gave me the same answer. I sure wish my birthday was that day! Haha!

Just the other day, I was in session with a little, 6-year old boy I work with on a regular basis. We were working on a little craft, when he abruptly stopped and said he needed a bathroom break. After he did his business, we headed back to my office to continue our activity. Once he sat down, he folded his arms and looked at me in all seriousness and goes, "Tell me. Are sweat and pee cousins?" Oh my word! I tried my best to explain (in 6-year old words) where sweat comes from and how the body works. Last year, during one of the days I spent in his classroom, he was "playing house" during Center/Free Time. As I sat at a miniature kitchen table with a plastic piece of pizza and a realistic-looking sunny-side-up egg on my plate, I couldn't help but laugh as he and another little girl aka "his wife" carefully introduced me to his family: 3 baby dolls sitting next to me at the table. I asked what their kids' names were, in which they replied, "Polly, Michael Jackson and Candycane". HA!  During another session, I was with him at recess, as he loudly rallied up his classmates onto the slide. While saluting (haha), he instructed all of his friends to "take a ride on this rollercloaster!" So cute!

As if I haven't shared enough, I had to end this post with a couple videos. You remember "Kids Say the Darndest Things", right? I only remember it with Bill Cosby and it was so hysterical!







I can't wait to have hilarious little kids of my own.. I always tell Justin how I can't wait to actually have a conversation with our kids someday. I seriously can't wait. : )

Sources:
"Dear God.." Letters
"TV Before Nature" Letter
Videos - click for source

xo

Parents Visit, an Honorable Graduation and a Day of Pampering

With all of the craziness and excitement of having Marta in town, I didn't have a chance to pump myself up for my parent's arrival the evening she left to go back home! I knew moving away to SC meant seeing my family less (much less), so for my parents to come visit us for 1 whole week was heaven-on-a-stick. It's been totally ironic that my little brother, Mitch, was graduating from Army National Guard BCT (Basic Combat Training) and his entire 3-month training was in Fort Jackson, SC - literally a couple hours from us. Believe it or not, they drove down - the same drive Justin and I have driven countless times. When they finally arrived, we had the best couple days just relaxing and eating (of course).

My dad is part of a business group where if he does a job for someone, he can get points to spend at other businesses. Unfortunately, South Carolina is lacking in options of places to take advantage of using his well-earned points. He mentioned a couple places nearby - some bistro place and Cafe Mundo in Greer. I have been to Cafe Mundo a handful of times with clients.. pretty cute atmosphere. So, we decided to check it out and whattya know, both places are no longer open. We basically walked around downtown Greer aka Ghosttown, freezing our buns off. The town seems completely abandoned when it's not summertime, I wouldn't have been surprised at all if I had seen a tumbleweed cross the street. I was able to show my parents my office and around the clinic, which was fun.

Freezing while we walk around Greer

After Justin got off work, we headed downtown Greenville to brave the cold and maybe play some mini golf. Of all days, the mini golf place was closed, so we walked around a little before going to Mellow Mushroom for some yumski pizza. 

We spent the rest of the evening Christmas-decorating, listening to Christmas music and watched a movie. I haven't decorated with my parents in 4 years, so it was extra special for me.

Missssstletoe!

The next morning, we left Fort Jackson at about 6am. Since we planned to be there for 'Family Day' and the following day for his graduation, we set up a hotel and had to find sitters for little Romeo. We made it to the base at 8am, expecting Fam Day to start at 9. We had heard the crowds would be pretty insane, with all of the soldiers and their families and the anticipation to move around the base with the most freedom they'd had in months. Little did we know, Family Day didn't start until 12 noon. We were there hours early and had to occupy ourselves before we could finally reunite with Mitchy. We roamed around the base for a while, found a Visitor's Center and tried to see what there was to do. The woman at the front desk looked a lot like Madea (Tyler Perry as a woman) and she was probably the most unhelpful woman to ever work at a Visitor's Center desk. She seemed pretty confused about why any visitors would possibly inquire about what things there were to do and basically seemed clueless as to why she was even sitting there in the first place.. Madea! Isn't that your job?! Of course, it doesn't take much to entertain my mom and me.. We found this little Christmas/winter display with creepy little Santas, animals and Christmas trees. Trying not to wet our pants laughing, we took some pictures with some of our new friends..

Finally noon came around and we made our way to a field, for a short program where the soldiers would be presented. We sat there, outside in the freezing cold, waiting to see our little soldier to appear.

Since there were so many people, it was good that we were a little early. The downside? For a 1/2 hour before the program started, a man walked up to the microphone with tinted glasses, a matching sweatpants/shirt ensemble, pants tucked into his socks and some extremely-large, orthopedic sneakers on. The guy looked exactly like Danny McBride, and Justin and I couldn't decide if we were witnessing a live SNL skit or if we were being punk'd. Mr. Sneakers seemed to have a good attitude, but it all went downhill when he announced he would be 'entertaining us' for the next 30 minutes. Sneaks began to sing - loud - his 'original songs' about America and the Army. He even included a few Christmas carols with alternate lyrics referring to "red, white and blue", "freedom", "patriots" and "God bless the USA". It was SO hard to take him seriously because of his twangy voice and his entire appearance. Bless his little proud-to-be-an-American-heart!

Mr. America singing his lil' heart out

We wanted to buy his CDs..

Finally Family Day was beginning, and as they announced the companies, all of the soldiers came running out of the trees from across the field. It was so emotional! I already go months and months without seeing my little bro, and even though I just saw him at my sister's wedding in September, I definitely got choked up. We finally spotted him in his platoon and as much as I wanted to scream and do jumping-jacks to break a smile out of him, I didn't wanna get him in trouble (plus I didn't wanna make a complete fool outta myself).

Finally, the introduction ended, and all of the families were able to rush the field to try to find their soldier. Mitch looked the exact same, but with his hair shaved even shorter, but he was all smiles.

We spent the whole day with him, touring the base some more, went shopping with him to buy a new laptop and some other things he needed, and at lunch at good ol' Taco Bell. The most noticeable change about him was how he ate. I knew that the soldiers literally only had minutes to eat any meal during BCT, and he was obviously used to it. He ate quick, with his head low, barely talking. I don't know why I felt bad for him, but I did. I was proud for him at the same time though.

On our way to see his barracks

Mitch received more letters than ANYONE!

Shopping and eating lunch

Enjoying some "real food" after 3 months of strict training

We ended the evening at the on-base bowling alley and had a great time laughing and being silly. We got to know a few of Mitch's friends, which was cool. It was so crazy to see him in his uniform the whole time.. even while bowling! So cute..

 We went back to the hotel, ate some nonfat KFC chicken (yeah, right) and crashed.

The next day, we proudly watched Mitch graduate. We met him on the field again before getting to head off base! It was still a little emotional, even though we had just seen him the day before.

We spent the day eating real food and laughing. Mitch had to get a new cellphone, which took a little longer than he hoped. We even stopped at Starbucks for some coffee while Mitch recruited yet another guy to join the National Guard (he has won an award back home for all of his recruiting). We went to see Unstoppable and then headed back to the base to say 'goodbye'.

It was such a great time couple days with my little bro. I am so proud of him, I can't say it enough!

The next day, we relaxed all day long. My dad was able to set up a huge day of pampering and massages with his business points. Go dad! It's funny, because earlier that week, my dad announced proudly, "I'm gonna set up for all of us to get the WORKS! Massages & pampering.. whatever you guys want!" Of course, my mom and I think 'spa' - thinking we would all travel to a facility for all of this pampering and massage therapy. Turns out, the arrangement was not a typical spa-deal, but actually a massage therapist and nail tech that do more personal pampering and home parties. All I could picture were spa people performing spa acts in my miniature apartment and, Oh boy... Here comes a blog post! In the afternoon, a massage therapist showed up with all of her gear.. massage table and everything. She set up a little 'massage area' in our guest room, and gave both my parents, Justin and me 45-minute full body massages. It was far better than I imagined! We even joked about the Friends episode where Phoebe's running her massage business out of Ross's apartment.. her massage client shows up and Ross massages the guy with kitchen utensils and toy cars!

The pampering continued with foot massages in my living room with the nail tech giving us each pedicures and paraffin wax dips! Whatta day! It was really a lot more relaxing and enjoyable than I thought it would be.. plus it was nice that we didn't have to drive anywhere and we could pretty much do whatever we wanted in the comfort of our own place.

My parents left the next morning for their hefty drive back to MN. We had such an incredible week and we got to do just about everything I wanted to! Can't wait to see them again for my brother's AIT graduation (schooling for National Guard) in Maryland, sometime in the spring. I'll miss them during Christmas again this year, but it will be nice to spend Christmas with Justin's side again this year! Many more stories to come..


xo

What I'm listening to:
Ray LaMontagne