Pre-View Showing of Eclipse!

First I have to say Thank you Thank you Thank you to two amazing people. Susie and Ashlee. Suz for calling me about an extra ticket for a the pre-showing of Eclipse (thanks All-State!), and for Ash who is a lifesaver and watched my kids for a few hours so I could go to 3pm showing of Eclipse!!

The night before, I was very lucky to get a call from my friend Susie who offered the ticket to this show. When she asked if I wanted to go with her, I was thinking, "pre-show, before all the midnight movie goers?...I will make this work, count me in!"  Luckily I have a wonderful friend who has kids the same age as mine and she was more than happy to help me when I called bribing her with baked goodies. :)

All State Insurance hosted the preview shows of Eclipse at Jordan Commons. The crowds were crazy, but I was very impressed with how they handled and took care of their customers at a movie theatre.  Eventually I met my friend among the crowds (my bag full of treats to share), we got our VIP lanyards and our goodie bag from All State, and then sat in our seats -- second row up front, I could almost touch those abs. :) Since this was a preview showing, we had Summit Entertainment security there monitoring for people who may be video tapping or taking pictures during the film. neat huh. ;) it's the little things that i love.

I really can not tell you how I would rate the movie.  For everyone it is different. I enjoyed the movie, they included one my favorite part in the book (tent scene!), but I would have liked to seen some more....anyway. Go see for yourself if you're interested. Me? I have another pair of tickets for tomorrow afternoon that I won from Kneaders Bakery! I never win anything, and even though I've seen the movie, I can not pass up winning tickets to Eclipse. Going to see it again tomorrow! Looking forward to it again. 

What's that phrase? Why be greedy, I want both! (i.e. love both Edward and Jacob)

Harry Potter Trailer!!

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows Part 1

YAY!! anyone else excited for this?? :) Love the books.

Double Feature plus one

Friday night I had a little girls night with a couple of friends I've known since I was 12 yrs old--my sister, Susie, and Liz.  My friend Liz and her family are moving in a few weeks to Nebraska, where her husbands family lives. This was a small goodbye movie night!  Originally we were going to just meet for dessert, but then someone had this brilliant idea to go see a movie!  They chose to see Prince of Persia, which I had already seen, but more than happy to see again. Love that movie. My favorite part of that movie??? my sisters reactions. I laughed more through the movie at how she was reacting than the movie itself. She is definitely a talker and probably said "I hate this movie" over and over again (I'd give more info, but that would include spoilers).  In the end they loved the movie..and the eye candy in the movie! even my sister loved the movie at the end...it was a love/hate relationship with the movie. :)

After the movie, we didn't want the night to end, so we went for ice cream across the street and chatted for a while. The night was still early (10:30 is early right:?) so we went to another movie! None of us had seen The Killers with Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl.  I had heard some bad reviews for this movie, so I went in with low expectations. The movie wasn't great, but I thought it was fine for a romantic comedy. Definitely a  matinee or dollar rental. Love Ashton Kutcher (and his sculpted abs).  The movie is basically about Kutcher, who plays a hired  killer. He meets Heigl, they fall in love and he wants out of the business.  Three years later, they are still happily married, but now he has many people trying to kill him. Heigl didn't know of his past and now they have to work through that while staying alive.  The movie was funny, cute, and there were a few times where Kutcher played a believable hitman. Other parts he's the lovable goof from 70's show that I love. 5/10 stars. The other girls liked the movie too. Sad to say goodbye to Liz, but we will have another girls night out when she comes to visit!

The next day I took my girls to the local parade! But that's for another post.  Saturday night I took my brother Jordan to a movie while my hubby watched the girls. (he had no interest in seeing this movie).  Jordan and I had already agreed months before that we would see this movie. Have you see Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz??  LOVED the movie.  Basically, Cruise plays a secret agent that has supposedly gone rogue and the agency is after him. He has something they want. Diaz is thrown into the mix by accident and now he's trying to keep them both alive, and try to clean his name at the same time. The movie was funny, had action, and a little romance. I really liked Cruise's character and Diaz was great opposite him.  8/10 stars.

Three movies in one weekend! how lucky is that?? love the movies. Anyone else seen any good movies lately?? THIS JUST IN! I won tickets to see Eclipse Wednesday afternoon through Kneaders bakery!! LOVE Kneaders! I was a fan on their facebook page and they've been having random drawings if you comment on their page. I've been commenting for a couple weeks and I won! yay! I never win anything...so excited. Know what will be even more exciting?? finding someone to watch my kids so I can go see it. hehehe. :)

Running With Angels

I learned something today. Running is not for me. :)

For those that are interested.  I started training for this 5K in March, and that lasted maybe a week. Then we went on a trip, walked everywhere we went, but by the time we got back, my training went downhill. Even though I'm way out of shape, I still wanted to try a 5k, just to say I did it!. Usually I'm competitive, but not with running. :) I was more than happy to let people run on by.

The race was through the Thanksgiving Point gardens. So beautiful this time of year. They also had around 1000 people show up for this run/walk.  The Running with Angels was started about 6 years ago, gets the name from a book, and many groups were there remembering someone they lost.

My race started with my friend Ashlee. But we realized early on, that I was holding her back. :) She wanted to run! (and did awesome! finished in 32-35 minutes) Last thing I wanted to do was make her go at my pace (slow...er).  Ash went off at a pace that she was more comfortable with, and I found a random person jog/walk with me the rest of the way. I am more of a jog from this point to another point, walk to catch my breath, then jog again cycle. I admire people who can just run and run for fun!  I felt like such a wimp. I didn't want to stop, just went at a pace that worked for my out of shape self. :) I started out just fine, eventually my shines were killing me, and my favorite part? half way through my left foot fell asleep. I could not feel my toes. seriously. lol. My jogging friend was worried that I was going to crash (how embarrassing would that be!) but I made it through. By the last half mile I was ready to go, second wind I guess. But my friend was starting to tucker out. Finished in 45 minutes. sad, but not bad for an out of shape 1st time runner. First thing I did was take off my shoes. :) that felt fabulous.

me and my friend Ashlee at the finish (ignore time on clock) :-]

To treat ourselves, my friend Ash and I went to Kneaders for their chunky cinnamon french toast...yeah, all those calories we lost running? back plus some. :) Good experience, would do it again, but really need to be more on top of training.

My Little Girl is 3

Then

Now

crazy how 3 years is not long at all. That time just flew by, but look how much she has grown! But first, the most recent "best" news for my little girl. no more diapers. The story: 

A week ago, I sent her (and her sister) to her Aunts house for Potty Training Bootcamp (and to play!). :) Why you might ask? Why don't you do it yourself?! Good questions. The honest answer? Meltdown. I have been trying on and off for over a year, tried every trick in the book, and for her it was just a game.  Even though I was going crazy, I never wanted to force her. I was hoping it would just click.

The day before I sent her off to 'bootcamp' I find out that she's ready to move up to the next level of her gymnastics class! the catch? no wearing diapers. The moment we got home I was back to all my tricks--bribes, reverse psychology, pleading, no diapers on...nothing. By the next morning, no progess and I was having a meltdown. In my head...no way she's going to be ready by next weeks class. Luckily my sister in law is an expert at potty training (seriously...she is amazing, and really good with this age group). My husband called her up, she wanted the girls and was more than happy to help out! yay!!

They played for 5-6 days, (my girls did not want to come home). And the best part?!! 95% potty trained! She may have 1 accident a day when she (or the mom) is not paying attention, but that's reallly good considering the progress I made--or lack there of.  No more diapers, that's the important thing.

 * I just hope it sticks!

Today

My 3 yr old woke up to a room covered in balloons. At first she had no idea what that was for, but she loved it! We made purple strawberry flavored cupcakes, picked up a petite Tinkerbell cake, and then had lunch with my dad, my sister and her kids.

silly kids.

By the end, she had a very simple but fun birthday. Once she realized that it was her birthday, she sang to herself the birthday song all day. She also wore her pretty pink dress and her Happy Birthday tiara all day. I think her favorite part was getting ice cream before dinner with her dad.  Love Birthdays at this age.

My Movie Reviews

In the last few weeks, I have been lucky to see a few movies! I love going to movies.

So here are my quick reviews, and I promise not to give too much information away.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

From what I can tell, the movie has had mixed reviews. This movie is based off of an actual game you can play on Xbox, playstation, Wii, and DS.  Even if you knew nothing about the game, the movie is definitely entertaining. Great actors like Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsly, and Alfred Molina. Basically, this action-adventure story is set in mystical Persia where Dastan (Gyllenhaal), a rougue prince of persia, is forced to join with the princess Tamina (Arterton) to safeguard a powerful ancient dagger from evil forces. This dagger has the power to release the sands of time, which can cause the bearer of the dagger to reverse time and ultimately rule the world.  wow just reading that the movie sounds cheesy, and maybe it is BUT I loved the movie. :)  The  movie has great action scenes that mimic the game, the storyline may not be the best, but it is great to look at (and not just the visual effects). :)   7/10 stars

Sex and the City 2

My sister was in town and we went to see this movie.  Now I really have no interest in upscale fashion, but I did watch the series when it was on tv and found it interesting to watch. This movie is set 2 years after the last movie, with each woman facing their own struggles. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), who has been married to Big for 2 years is struggling with married life in wanting more excitement, Samantha (Kim Cattrell) is struggling with menopause, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is worried about the nanny, who doesn't wear a bra, with her husband and her daughters terrible two's, and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) quits her job.  Samantha takes all of them on an all expense paid trip to Abu Dhabi for much needed girl time.  The movie starts with great flashbacks from when Carrie meets each of the girls. Then at a wedding you have a random star cameo of Liza Minnelli who eventually starts dancing to Single Ladies -- that was weird. While in Abu Dhabi Carrie runs into Aiden (my fav ex boyfriend from the series)! Trouble starts to stir. Anyway. I would compare it to a very long tv episode. If you like the series, it is a great sequel full of fashion, shoes, glamour..whatever. 5/10 stars

The A Team

I was kinda familiar with the tv show this movie is based on.  Who doesn't know Mr T! (oh yeah..Amy. hehe)  The movie was great! If you know nothing about the show, it's basically about 4 special forces soilders that are apart of an elite group. The 4 soldiers are Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson), Face (Bradley Cooper), B A Baracus (Quinton Jackson), and  Murdock (Sharlto Copley).  They are sent on a special ops assignment where they are setup for a crime they did not commit.  This group uses their unique talents on a mission to clear their names with the military and to find the man who framed them. Expect a lot of action, and humor. Those that might be more familiar with the series may be disappointed, but I really enjoyed the movie. 7.5/10 stars

Dave and Anna's Wedding

Just a few pictures from my cousin Anna's wedding this weekend! Such a great couple, and I'm so happy they found each other. Love my cousin and her new husband!

Look at the back of her dress!! I had to share.

Her dress was in one word...stunning. 

 

Here is the Bride and Groom with their parents

Anna and her friends. She is so loved. Friends from her childhood, past roommates, friends from her mission, church, and college friends.

Congratulations Anna and Dave!