Alright, so yeah I wanted to post on Christmas day, but things got busy...
So, on Christmas Eve, Mom, Dad, Quinn, and I went to Riverbirch Lodge for dinner. It was fun, although I swear I think it was "pick on Alexis day"...lol. We saw Maggie and her family there, then we headed out, and picking up my grandmother, went to Tanglewood to see the Festival of Lights. We had a great time...there weren't terribly many people there, so it was more relaxing than usual. Then, we dropped my grandmother back off at her house, and went home. We watched tv for a while, then we read "Twas The Night Before Christmas", put out milk and cookies, and went to bed.
The next morning, we all went out to the living room at about 9am, and opened gifts. I got a ton of stuff...lots of dvds, some lego kits, craft supplies, etc. It was great. Everyone seemed really happy with their gifts, especially Quinn, who got an iPod Touch. Then, we made lunch, and hung around until Aunt Lynne, Uncle Herb, and Granny came over for dinner. We ate a meal together, then opened gifts (I got an iTunes gift card from my aunt & uncle and some American Girl stuff from my grandmother). Then, we had apple pie and ice cream, before everyone left. We watched "A Christmas Story" before retiring to bed.
The next day (Saturday), I went over to Sylvia's house, to spend the night along with Emma and Anita. We went to the mall, had pizza, played Clue, watched SNL (the rerun of the Taylor Swift episode), talked until 4 in the morning, then got 6 hours of sleep. When we woke up, we had breakfast, then talked some more, had lunch, and then went to Carmike to see The Blind Side, which was an awesome movie! I'm either going to be dragging Dad to see it, or renting it as soon as it comes out on dvd. When I got home, I watched some football, and worked on the Sunday crossword puzzle (we still have yet to complete one...there are always a few clues we can't figure out). Then, I cleaned Ella's cage, and am now in the process of winding down for bed.
Nothing much going on this week. Dad is gonna take me out to the Wake Forest parking lot at the football stadium to do some practice driving, since he has the week off from work. We're going to the Wake vs. Richmond basketball game on New Year's Eve, and I'm planning on bringing a few friends along since our seatmates aren't going to be attending, and they're giving us their tickets. And maybe a get-together/party that night with some buds to ring in the new year...that is, if I can plan something in that short of a time span.
So, yep, that's it for now. Bye!
"If I could fall into the sky, do you think time would pass me by, cuz you know I'd walk a thousand miles if I could just see you tonight..." -Vanessa Carlton
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Shopping, Basketball, & Movies (because I can't think of a better title)
Okay, so I'm trying to post a lot more often than I had been...let's see how long it takes before I slip back into my old once-a-week posting habits.
Yesterday, my dad and I went out to do some Christmas shopping. We got a few gifts for my mom. We saw a bunch of people we knew while we were out - Lauren Kent & her dad, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, and Savannah Jackson.Then, we came back home, and later went out to Coppola's for dinner. Mom, Dad, & Quinn watched "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation", while I cleaned Ella's cage...(I had no interest in seeing that movie.)
Today, my mom and brother went to work at Whistlestop, and my dad and I wrapped gifts at home. As usual, we watched football, and worked on the crossword puzzle in the newspaper. Tonight, he and I are going to the Wake Forest vs. NC State basketball game, which is always fun. Sports is our father-daughter bonding thing.
And I have officially watched too many movies from the 1930's. Thanks to our decade's project, I've now been watching absolutely anything made in the 30's. So far, I've seen "It's Love I'm After", "Gone With The Wind", "Intermezzo: A Love Story", "Pygmalion", and "The Scarlet Pimpernel". Next will be "A Free Soul" and "The Petrified Forest", but I think I'll wait until after Christmas to watch them.
Lastly, I thought I'd share something for the holidays. In second grade, our class did a presentation for the parents, called The Twelve Days of Christmas...except with a twist. Instead of the classic "partridge in a pear tree" version, we used school items. Here's how the last verse went (for the sake of reading, I'm just going to put the 12th day, but we sang the whole thing..."On the first day of Christmas...", etc.)
"On the twelfth day of Christmas my teacher gave to me:
12 books to read, 11 waving rulers, 10 spelling words, 9 caps & hats, 8 glue sticks, 7 worksheets, 6 pairs of scissors, 5 book bags, 4 winter coats, 3 lunch bags, 2 math books, and a "4" on my report card."
Only a few more days until Christmas!
Yesterday, my dad and I went out to do some Christmas shopping. We got a few gifts for my mom. We saw a bunch of people we knew while we were out - Lauren Kent & her dad, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, and Savannah Jackson.Then, we came back home, and later went out to Coppola's for dinner. Mom, Dad, & Quinn watched "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation", while I cleaned Ella's cage...(I had no interest in seeing that movie.)
Today, my mom and brother went to work at Whistlestop, and my dad and I wrapped gifts at home. As usual, we watched football, and worked on the crossword puzzle in the newspaper. Tonight, he and I are going to the Wake Forest vs. NC State basketball game, which is always fun. Sports is our father-daughter bonding thing.
And I have officially watched too many movies from the 1930's. Thanks to our decade's project, I've now been watching absolutely anything made in the 30's. So far, I've seen "It's Love I'm After", "Gone With The Wind", "Intermezzo: A Love Story", "Pygmalion", and "The Scarlet Pimpernel". Next will be "A Free Soul" and "The Petrified Forest", but I think I'll wait until after Christmas to watch them.
Lastly, I thought I'd share something for the holidays. In second grade, our class did a presentation for the parents, called The Twelve Days of Christmas...except with a twist. Instead of the classic "partridge in a pear tree" version, we used school items. Here's how the last verse went (for the sake of reading, I'm just going to put the 12th day, but we sang the whole thing..."On the first day of Christmas...", etc.)
"On the twelfth day of Christmas my teacher gave to me:
12 books to read, 11 waving rulers, 10 spelling words, 9 caps & hats, 8 glue sticks, 7 worksheets, 6 pairs of scissors, 5 book bags, 4 winter coats, 3 lunch bags, 2 math books, and a "4" on my report card."
Only a few more days until Christmas!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
It now officially feels like the holidays to me...this snow couldn't have come at a more perfect time.
This week, I took the time to just relax. I watched some of the recorded TCM movies that I had on our DVR, and have been texting with a lot of my friends.
My parents and brother went to the midnight showing of Avatar last night. I stayed home and watched a movie by myself, and the quiet was so relaxing. Avatar was good apparently, as I thought, since it was directed by James Cameron, who directed Titanic. But, being home alone for 4 hours was just as good, if not better.
My mom's making more Santa cookies this weekend, so I'll probably be helping with that. And going to a Wake basketball game with dad on Sunday. And through all of that, and the weather, we have to find a time to go over and decorate my grandmother's Christmas tree, that we picked out last night prior to this weather system coming in.
Now, as I sit here, blinds open, looking out at the snow falling, I think. I think about the magical qualities of snow...how it makes you feel like a kid again, how when you first see it fall, you smile, how you wake up in the morning and peer out your window to see how much has fallen overnight. It truly is a magical thing...
Update: My brother officially ruins everything. He goes out in the snow when there's no one else out there, and so instead of having snowball fights or something with the other kids in our neighborhood, he goes and brushes all the pretty, already-accumulated snow off of everything - the mailbox, the cars, even the trash bins. He can't ruin the side yard, where I can't see it - he has to ruin the pretty view from my bedroom window by wiping all the snow off of everything. It really destroys the look.
Update #2: I managed to get my bro to leave the table on the back deck in peace. When the snow stops (tomorrow, I guess), I'm gonna go out and measure the snow that has accumulated on it...just to see how much snow actually fell.
This week, I took the time to just relax. I watched some of the recorded TCM movies that I had on our DVR, and have been texting with a lot of my friends.
My parents and brother went to the midnight showing of Avatar last night. I stayed home and watched a movie by myself, and the quiet was so relaxing. Avatar was good apparently, as I thought, since it was directed by James Cameron, who directed Titanic. But, being home alone for 4 hours was just as good, if not better.
My mom's making more Santa cookies this weekend, so I'll probably be helping with that. And going to a Wake basketball game with dad on Sunday. And through all of that, and the weather, we have to find a time to go over and decorate my grandmother's Christmas tree, that we picked out last night prior to this weather system coming in.
Now, as I sit here, blinds open, looking out at the snow falling, I think. I think about the magical qualities of snow...how it makes you feel like a kid again, how when you first see it fall, you smile, how you wake up in the morning and peer out your window to see how much has fallen overnight. It truly is a magical thing...
Update: My brother officially ruins everything. He goes out in the snow when there's no one else out there, and so instead of having snowball fights or something with the other kids in our neighborhood, he goes and brushes all the pretty, already-accumulated snow off of everything - the mailbox, the cars, even the trash bins. He can't ruin the side yard, where I can't see it - he has to ruin the pretty view from my bedroom window by wiping all the snow off of everything. It really destroys the look.
Update #2: I managed to get my bro to leave the table on the back deck in peace. When the snow stops (tomorrow, I guess), I'm gonna go out and measure the snow that has accumulated on it...just to see how much snow actually fell.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
70 Years Ago...
So, this week has been a little crazy. On Friday, I went over to Emma's house for a birthday party/sleepover. I had a lot of fun...eating pizza, going to Blockbuster, eating cake, watching movies, and staying up until 4 in the morning with Emma, Anita and Sylvia.
On Saturday, I watched a little tv until my grandmother came over to sit with my bro and I while my parents went to a Christmas party hosted by one of my dad's friends, our seatmates at the Wake basketball games, the Goodman's. They ended up bringing home some cream puffs and cheesecake for us, and it was delicious.
On Sunday, my dad and I watched some football, even though his fantasy team is officially out of the playoffs. We almost finished the crossword puzzle from the newspaper, and that pretty much sums up our weekend.
Yesterday, my mom went to the dentist, then over to the oral surgeon's to have a wisdom tooth pulled. Now she gets to (sort of) feel how I felt when I got mine removed...except she only had to get one pulled, and she didn't have to be put under, have stitches, etc. but I digress.
Today, we are celebrating her birthday (which btw, is today). My aunt is coming over for dinner, and then giving Mom her gift. They are also exchanging their annual "ornament exchange" ornaments (a family tradition between Mom and her sisters). So tonight promises to be a good evening.
Now, onto my reasoning for the title of this post, my new semi-obsession, Gone With The Wind, which premiered 70 years ago to the day in Atlanta, Georgia (that's 1939 for those of you who don't like math). If you haven't seen the movie, I seriously suggest you do...it's worth the length (3 and 3/4 hours). Warning: spoilers coming up, so skip the next paragraph or two if you want to read the book or see the movie and don't want to know what happens ahead of time.
Basically, it's about a young girl, (well, not really a girl...she's 16 at the beginning of the movie, 28 at the end), Scarlett O'Hara, who lives in Georgia at the start of the Civil War. She is deeply in love with her neighbor, Ashley Wilkes, but Ashley is getting married to his cousin, Melanie (weird, I know...apparently, it's tradition that the Wilkes' marry their cousins). So anyway, Scarlett, being the hard-headed woman that she is, still proclaims to Ashley that she loves him when she speaks with him alone in the library during a barbecue at his family's home. Overhearing this conversation is the rogue blockader from Charleston, Rhett Butler, who, over the course of the story, falls in love with Scarlett, who is still enamored with Ashley. Scarlett marries twice, but she never really loved either of her husbands, only marrying Charles to make Ashley jealous, and Frank for the money to pay the taxes on her family home, Tara. She marries Rhett after Frank's death, and they have a daughter, Bonnie, whom Rhett dotes on constantly. But Scarlett and Rhett's relationship soon becomes rocky when Scarlett suffers a miscarriage after falling down a flight of stairs trying to hit Rhett, and Bonnie dies when she tries to jump a tall fence with her pony. Rhett, tired of Scarlett's never-ending love for Ashley Wilkes, leaves her the night Melanie dies of a miscarriage. Upon asking what would become of her after he left, Rhett's last, and most famous words to Scarlett, are "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
The heartbreaking story details not only the physical struggles Scarlett faces during and after the war (like working in the fields when all the slaves their family owned had been freed), but also the emotional struggles (like the deaths of both of her parents, her first two husbands, and eventually, her daughter, and sister-in-law). Over the course of the story, Scarlett grows, not only physically, but, more importantly, emotionally, and realizes that her love of Ashley was nothing more than infatuation, and that in that infatuation, had pushed away the person she really loved, Rhett. The story ends with her vowing to get Rhett back, and her famous line, "Tomorrow is another day."
Overall, it's a wonderful story. In celebration of the 70th anniversary, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is showing the movie on tv at 8:00pm tonight, followed by a "Making of a Legend" segment, describing the making of the movie. (I'm DVRing/recording both, even though I'm probably going to be receiving the DVD for Christmas.) And if you like the movie, I would really suggest reading the book. As always, the book goes into much more detail than the movie. Don't be afraid of the length (1,037 pages), since it's such an easy read. But the movie is an easy alternative...I mean , you can't go wrong with Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland, and Leslie Howard in the leading roles. A great story of love and loss, Gone With The Wind is truly a classic.
On Saturday, I watched a little tv until my grandmother came over to sit with my bro and I while my parents went to a Christmas party hosted by one of my dad's friends, our seatmates at the Wake basketball games, the Goodman's. They ended up bringing home some cream puffs and cheesecake for us, and it was delicious.
On Sunday, my dad and I watched some football, even though his fantasy team is officially out of the playoffs. We almost finished the crossword puzzle from the newspaper, and that pretty much sums up our weekend.
Yesterday, my mom went to the dentist, then over to the oral surgeon's to have a wisdom tooth pulled. Now she gets to (sort of) feel how I felt when I got mine removed...except she only had to get one pulled, and she didn't have to be put under, have stitches, etc. but I digress.
Today, we are celebrating her birthday (which btw, is today). My aunt is coming over for dinner, and then giving Mom her gift. They are also exchanging their annual "ornament exchange" ornaments (a family tradition between Mom and her sisters). So tonight promises to be a good evening.
Now, onto my reasoning for the title of this post, my new semi-obsession, Gone With The Wind, which premiered 70 years ago to the day in Atlanta, Georgia (that's 1939 for those of you who don't like math). If you haven't seen the movie, I seriously suggest you do...it's worth the length (3 and 3/4 hours). Warning: spoilers coming up, so skip the next paragraph or two if you want to read the book or see the movie and don't want to know what happens ahead of time.
Basically, it's about a young girl, (well, not really a girl...she's 16 at the beginning of the movie, 28 at the end), Scarlett O'Hara, who lives in Georgia at the start of the Civil War. She is deeply in love with her neighbor, Ashley Wilkes, but Ashley is getting married to his cousin, Melanie (weird, I know...apparently, it's tradition that the Wilkes' marry their cousins). So anyway, Scarlett, being the hard-headed woman that she is, still proclaims to Ashley that she loves him when she speaks with him alone in the library during a barbecue at his family's home. Overhearing this conversation is the rogue blockader from Charleston, Rhett Butler, who, over the course of the story, falls in love with Scarlett, who is still enamored with Ashley. Scarlett marries twice, but she never really loved either of her husbands, only marrying Charles to make Ashley jealous, and Frank for the money to pay the taxes on her family home, Tara. She marries Rhett after Frank's death, and they have a daughter, Bonnie, whom Rhett dotes on constantly. But Scarlett and Rhett's relationship soon becomes rocky when Scarlett suffers a miscarriage after falling down a flight of stairs trying to hit Rhett, and Bonnie dies when she tries to jump a tall fence with her pony. Rhett, tired of Scarlett's never-ending love for Ashley Wilkes, leaves her the night Melanie dies of a miscarriage. Upon asking what would become of her after he left, Rhett's last, and most famous words to Scarlett, are "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
The heartbreaking story details not only the physical struggles Scarlett faces during and after the war (like working in the fields when all the slaves their family owned had been freed), but also the emotional struggles (like the deaths of both of her parents, her first two husbands, and eventually, her daughter, and sister-in-law). Over the course of the story, Scarlett grows, not only physically, but, more importantly, emotionally, and realizes that her love of Ashley was nothing more than infatuation, and that in that infatuation, had pushed away the person she really loved, Rhett. The story ends with her vowing to get Rhett back, and her famous line, "Tomorrow is another day."
Overall, it's a wonderful story. In celebration of the 70th anniversary, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is showing the movie on tv at 8:00pm tonight, followed by a "Making of a Legend" segment, describing the making of the movie. (I'm DVRing/recording both, even though I'm probably going to be receiving the DVD for Christmas.) And if you like the movie, I would really suggest reading the book. As always, the book goes into much more detail than the movie. Don't be afraid of the length (1,037 pages), since it's such an easy read. But the movie is an easy alternative...I mean , you can't go wrong with Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland, and Leslie Howard in the leading roles. A great story of love and loss, Gone With The Wind is truly a classic.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Dirty Santa Party & The Rockettes
So the day finally came. I was planning on sleeping in until close to 10, but I ended up waking up around 9 cuz Aaron texted me. And it wasn't until 10:30 that I told him that I needed to stop texting so I could get some stuff done for the party. When my mom came home from work, we started working on the food. We made quite a bit of stuff, including a double batch of canolli dip. I got dressed in my new red dress from Deb with silver sequin flats, a choker, and a bracelet.
Sylvia arrived first, followed by Anita. Then, everyone came in a rush, with Ryan and Maggie coming later. We chatted, snacked on food, and laughed so hard. Some of us went downstairs to let Ella out, but it wasn't worth it since she was scared of everyone.
Then, the fun began. We went upstairs, squeezed all 12 of us into the living room, and began the game of Dirty Santa. Here's who ended up with what:
Me: Best Buy gift card
Anita: Bath and body set
Emma: Books
Chelsea: Amani beads
Alicia: Olivia the Pig & gloves
Maggie: Starbucks gift card
Sylvia: iTunes gift card
Ryan: Target gift card
Patrick: Chocolate
Aaron: Rubix 360
Robyn: Snowglobe
Elizabeth: Dove necklace (but it got lost, so I gave her one of the extra gifts I had bought)
So, then we all chatted for the last hour or so, took a group picture, and everyone left. I had so much fun!
Today, we didn't do much. We ended up relaxing for the day. Then, we went to the LJVM Coliseum for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. It was an awesome show! It started out with Santa and his reindeer, then went to a shortened version of the Nutcracker, which was adorable! Among the other performances was the "Christmas in New York" segment where all of the Rockettes get on a bus, and they take you on a tour of NYC, through a combination of the computerized backdrop and the spinning of the bus, which makes you feel like you're really there. The costumes were amazing throughout the whole show...I loved the richness of the colors during the nativity scene, and the shimmer of the last costume for the Rockettes. One of the funniest parts of the evening was that the people who bought floor seats got sprayed with confetti and streamers - there was a guard/security guy right in front of the stage that had fake snow all over his head and shoulders during one scene! The whole show was incredible to watch...I wish I could go to NYC and see the performance at Radio City Music Hall; it would just make the experience so much more festive. But, this performance was wonderful for the time being.
On the agenda for tomorrow...not that much. Probably watching football, but other than that, idk.
Sylvia arrived first, followed by Anita. Then, everyone came in a rush, with Ryan and Maggie coming later. We chatted, snacked on food, and laughed so hard. Some of us went downstairs to let Ella out, but it wasn't worth it since she was scared of everyone.
Then, the fun began. We went upstairs, squeezed all 12 of us into the living room, and began the game of Dirty Santa. Here's who ended up with what:
Me: Best Buy gift card
Anita: Bath and body set
Emma: Books
Chelsea: Amani beads
Alicia: Olivia the Pig & gloves
Maggie: Starbucks gift card
Sylvia: iTunes gift card
Ryan: Target gift card
Patrick: Chocolate
Aaron: Rubix 360
Robyn: Snowglobe
Elizabeth: Dove necklace (but it got lost, so I gave her one of the extra gifts I had bought)
So, then we all chatted for the last hour or so, took a group picture, and everyone left. I had so much fun!
Today, we didn't do much. We ended up relaxing for the day. Then, we went to the LJVM Coliseum for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. It was an awesome show! It started out with Santa and his reindeer, then went to a shortened version of the Nutcracker, which was adorable! Among the other performances was the "Christmas in New York" segment where all of the Rockettes get on a bus, and they take you on a tour of NYC, through a combination of the computerized backdrop and the spinning of the bus, which makes you feel like you're really there. The costumes were amazing throughout the whole show...I loved the richness of the colors during the nativity scene, and the shimmer of the last costume for the Rockettes. One of the funniest parts of the evening was that the people who bought floor seats got sprayed with confetti and streamers - there was a guard/security guy right in front of the stage that had fake snow all over his head and shoulders during one scene! The whole show was incredible to watch...I wish I could go to NYC and see the performance at Radio City Music Hall; it would just make the experience so much more festive. But, this performance was wonderful for the time being.
On the agenda for tomorrow...not that much. Probably watching football, but other than that, idk.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)