Dog Movie Weekend

What could be better than a 3 day long weekend?

A dog movie watchin 3 day weekend!

We kicked started the weekend with Marley and Me. I read the book about a year ago, which I loved, so I went to the movie a bit skeptical - how could you make a 2 hour long movie about a man and his dog? Well, they did and it was great I was really impressed. However, if you go WARNING: Bring a box of tissues (shhhh but Brad was even wiping tears away... NO LIE). Let's just say when we got home the dogs had NO CHOICE but to cuddle with us.

Then we saw the Disney Pixar film "BOLT" which was AWESOME!!! I'm holding back my urge to put a lightning bolt on Sydney. My advice for this movie: try to have a clear mind so you can remember all the hilarious lines!

PEAS!!!

(I am narrating the video, so turn your volume up)

Somber Moment

This weekend my dear friends lost a mother, an aunt, a sister, a wife, a daughter, a friend. This weekend I lost a leader, an example and a great woman who helped cultivate the path I now walk. With this somber time to look back at the lessons I have learned, I felt this was an appropriate song.

I'm limited

Just look at me - I'm limited

And just look at you

You can do all I couldn't do, Glinda

So now it's up to you

For both of us - now it's up to you...

I've heard it said

That people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn

And we are led

To those who help us most to growIf we let them

And we help them in return

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit

As it passes a sun

Like a stream that meets a boulder

Halfway through the wood

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew you

I have been changed for good

It well may be

That we will never meet again

In this lifetime

So let me say before we part

So much of me

Is made of what I learned from you

You'll be with me

Like a handprint on my heart

And now whatever way our stories end

I know you have re-written mine

By being my friend...

Like a ship blown from its mooring

By a wind off the sea

Like a seed dropped by a skybird

In a distant wood

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew you

Because I knew you

I have been changed for good

And just to clear the air

I ask forgiveness

For the thing I've done you blame me for

But then, I guess we know

There's blame to share

And none of it seems to matter anymore

Like a comet pulled from orbit

As it passes a sun

Like a stream that meets a boulder

Halfway through the wood

Like a ship blown from its mooring

By a wind off the sea

Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood

Who can say if I've been

Changed for the better?

I do believe I have been

Changed for the better

And because I knew you...

Because I knew you...

Because I knew you...

I have been changed for good.

Site Seeing and a Traveling Armadillo!

Since we had the time during this trip we did the site seeing that I took for granted when I lived here.

During the past months I have gotten on a Lincoln kick, my father is an admirer of Lincoln and I have taken on the admiration. So when we planned to go to Washington D.C. I wanted to see the Ford's theatre and the basement museum, so as you can imagine I was extremely bummed after a 2.5 hour car ride and walked up to this.

Luckily the Peterson House was opened and we got to take a short tour.

Here is the Lincoln Memorial. This is the first time I got to see the Memorial at night and I can say it was breath taking. On the wall it has Lincoln's second inauguration speech, one of my favorite speeches which always leaves me with chills when I read it, and more so when reading it in big print in this memorial.

We did an afternoon in Philadelphia with some friends and we ate lunch at the Reading Terminal Market, yumm

I haven't been to the Franklin Institute (which apparently is now just called The Franklin) for at least 11 years so we decided to check it out.

Here we preparing for an IMAX 3-D movie on bugs.

Brad checking out one of the many hands on exhibits.

Here we are riding a steam engine train.

An interesting part of this trip is the companion I brought a long with me, Army the armadillo. Army is an armadillo purse that was a white elephant present for the gift exchange we had at work. He has now become the traveling Armadillo and will travel with people from the office who will take pictures of him at famous landmarks, people, cities etc. I was the first to have this little guy, and I have to say two things: First, he made getting pictures at landmarks awesome, and second well we were asked if we were from Texas more than I would have liked.

So here is Army at the Washington Monument

And here he is giving it a go at the Oval Office (this of course, is just a replica of the office, pfft I'm not that important).

Independence Hall

Liberty Bell

Now, one of the highlights of the trip was a wax museum we went through. It was AWESOME!! You are allowed to touch the statues and they provided costumes and props for awesome pictures.

Here I am swooning over JFK.

Brad is meeting with Robert E. Lee to discuss the surrender treaty. (There were two choices of coats that you can choose from, blue or gray - seeing that I'm a Yankee - Brad didn't have the choice ;)

Hmmm....

Please, you would have done the same thing!

And what is this? Army what did you do to be questioned by J. Edgar Hoover?!?

Who do you think she should ditch? Bill or Army? (I definitely think Army is an improvement) :)

Possibly a last attempt to save his approval ratings?

Christmas

A little late on the Christmas post, but here it is (and the order is backwards).

This year for Christmas we were able to go back east for a whoppin' 10 days! So we had plenty of Christmas festivities.

We celebrated Christmas with my family with Rock Band, here is Uncle Joe being our lead singer.

Megan took on the drums.

Of course, the funny faces come out.

And funny face number 2.

Jakey and I got on our Pennsylvania's Finest Costumes. The firefighter is actually Jake's but he wanted me to wear it, although I'm thinking of getting one myself.

Before we flew back East we celebrated Christmas here in Utah, here are my absolute adorable nieces Princess S and Miss M.

These silly guys.

Baby J - isn't he just adorable?!?

And this little guy. Here he is giving me this face because I wouldn't let him out, so...

I whipped out my camera, and imagine that - the frown turned upside down!

Holiday Cheer

I have always thought of Christmas time as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely.
-Charles Dickens

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
- Dr. Seuss

With malice toward none; with charity for all.
-Abraham Lincoln

"Keep hope alive"
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

And the angel said unto them, "Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, Which shall be to all people. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.
~ Luke 2:10-12

Charity is, perhaps, in many ways a misunderstood word. We often equate charity with visiting the sick, taking in casseroles to those in need, or sharing our excess with those who are less fortunate. But really, true charity is much, much more… Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.
– Marvin J. Ashton

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Home Sweet Home!

We are under contract, and we are very happy!

Birthday

Today was my birthday, and a wonderful birthday it was. Thank you to everyone! I'm sure there will be a day when I will want my birthday to be ignored (and yes, I will be one of those people).

The day started off great Brad was kind enough to drive me into work today and pick me up.

When I got home there were these on the counter:

Then Brad took me to my new favorite restaurant, Tsunami for some delicious sushi.

Then as we were about to dig in, Brad whipped out this bad boy, I was so excited I shrieked in the restaurant! I've wanted a camera so bad, we only have Brad's big honk of thing I wanted something to fit in my purse but still took nice pictures. If you know Brad you can believe this: this was the 3rd camera he bought; it took three tries before he got the camera that was up to his par. You may have heard the story about my engagement ring. Before our wedding, I took my engagement ring and wedding band to the jeweler to get re sized and cleaned (it had been 6 months). I gave Alex the ring when he took a look at it and said, "I remember this ring, I remember your fiance, he was very fussy he sent the diamonds back 4 times." FOUR TIMES?!?
When we got home Brad even started the fire place, which is a real treat.

Then of course, I played with my new camera!

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! MUSHY PICTURE AHEAD!

Anyway, the night in a nutshell... it was AWESOME!

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Blogger's Block

I'm low of blogging material, but I made a Christmas video, unfortunately I had to pay for it if I wanted to show the video on the blog, so here is just the picture.