Gold hoarding Dragon, Dwarves, Elves, a Hobbit and a Wizard *No spoilers

You probably guessed from my title post I went to go see the movie, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug this weekend. Once we finally finished watching 25 previews before the movie, the beginning pretty much started right from where it ended in the first movie. (Don't worry I'm not going to spoil anything). I just wanted to state, my overall opinion of the movie. First of all, I don't understand why there are three movies for The Hobbit. Clearly this is a way for the movie producers to make more money. I mean, the actual book wasn't even that long of a story. I feel like they are really stretching the whole production. My other opinion is, I wish they could've done a better job of the soundtrack. Although there was some excitement, the soundtrack was much better in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I feel like Peter Jackson has gotten lazy and wanted a quick billion dollars. I can't wait til the conclusion to put an end to this trilogy. It was disappointing, but extreme fans may disagree, so they don't have to take my word for it. The positives were: The acting was fine, you get to learn more about the history between the elves and the dwarves, and some new characters show up, and the dragon was pretty spectacular. The negative: All in all, the directors could've finished the movies in just two movies, because I doubt there is enough material to cover three hours for a third movie. One more thing, families with small children ages 4-6, it might be a little too scary for them. The spiders in it were pretty creepy, so was the necromancer, and the appearance of the orcs might give little kids nightmares. Also the lame love story that is not in the book makes no sense at all. I hate when directors change the actual story to 'Hollywoodize' it. I give the movie a C-.

Life, School and Faith

It has been ages since I've written, okay, not ages per say, but at least a few years. In those few years many things have happened, my beautiful daughter is now double digits([that's right; she's 10 years old] I can't believe how fast time has flown), my husband has a new job closer to our house ( much better on my nerves) and I have finally returned to school. The last thing I am the most proud of and happy about, because I really enjoy school and I took a hiatus from it to raise my beautiful daughter (which I feel blessed that I could). On the subject of school; I forgot how much work it involved. Staying up late, staying caffeinated, writing papers, reading awesome books,cramming for quizzes and exams and stretching my mind on subjects that are beyond me (i.e. Algebra). I mostly love it, albeit the challenge of balancing everyday routines, I still haven't figured that out and if anyone wants to give me pointers- I'm open to them. With that said, I'm happy that finals are next week, then Christmas break and then I have 3 weeks til the next semester begins. I'm going to a Technical College to transfer to the U-W and I have a feeling the Technical College has easier workload and of course class sizes are smaller than the U-W. That's okay, I know what I'm getting into, I wanted to be a teacher, so my plan is to transfer to the U-W in 2 years. As life progresses, I'm just enjoying being in my early 30's living with my family in a nice community and going to school. I have a lot to be thankful for and as a woman of faith, I thank God everyday for the blessings he has provided me.

Words for the children of CT

This is a beautiful poem by laureate Richard Blanco spoken at Barack Obama's inauguration. Probably one of the best poets out there. "One Today" One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores, peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies. One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story told by our silent gestures moving behind windows. My face, your face, millions of faces in morning's mirrors, each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day: pencil-yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights, fruit stands: apples, limes, and oranges arrayed like rainbows begging our praise. Silver trucks heavy with oil or paper— bricks or milk, teeming over highways alongside us, on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives— to teach geometry, or ring-up groceries as my mother did for twenty years, so I could write this poem. All of us as vital as the one light we move through, the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day: equations to solve, history to question, or atoms imagined, the "I have a dream" we keep dreaming, or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won't explain the empty desks of twenty children marked absent today, and forever. Many prayers, but one light breathing color into stained glass windows, life into the faces of bronze statues, warmth onto the steps of our museums and park benches as mothers watch children slide into the day. One ground. Our ground, rooting us to every stalk of corn, every head of wheat sown by sweat and hands, hands gleaning coal or planting windmills in deserts and hilltops that keep us warm, hands digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands as worn as my father's cutting sugarcane so my brother and I could have books and shoes. The dust of farms and deserts, cities and plains mingled by one wind—our breath. Breathe. Hear it through the day's gorgeous din of honking cabs, buses launching down avenues, the symphony of footsteps, guitars, and screeching subways, the unexpected song bird on your clothes line. Hear: squeaky playground swings, trains whistling, or whispers across café tables, Hear: the doors we open for each other all day, saying: hello, shalom, buon giorno, howdy, namaste, or buenos días in the language my mother taught me—in every language spoken into one wind carrying our lives without prejudice, as these words break from my lips. One sky: since the Appalachians and Sierras claimed their majesty, and the Mississippi and Colorado worked their way to the sea. Thank the work of our hands: weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report for the boss on time, stitching another wound or uniform, the first brush stroke on a portrait, or the last floor on the Freedom Tower jutting into a sky that yields to our resilience. One sky, toward which we sometimes lift our eyes tired from work: some days guessing at the weather of our lives, some days giving thanks for a love that loves you back, sometimes praising a mother who knew how to give, or forgiving a father who couldn't give what you wanted. We head home: through the gloss of rain or weight of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always—home, always under one sky, our sky. And always one moon like a silent drum tapping on every rooftop and every window, of one country—all of us— facing the stars hope—a new constellation waiting for us to map it, waiting for us to name it—together.

Been too long again!

I can't believe it's already October 13th. I'm not really ready for Halloween this year, but my 4 year old definitely is. She has pointed out several times that she's going to be a princess, which is great because I already have all of her costume from all of her dress up clothes. She's practically a princes everyday, so why not for Halloween too?
Anyway, life is great and all too busy. This is the last week of Kira's art class, so Wednesday afternoons are a little more open and flexible. And her Olbrich Garden class ended last week too, so one more time space has opened up to do whatever. Other than that, I worked at the coffee shop Sat and Sun, so I have a little more cash in my pocket to pay for long awaited bills.
Today was playgroup and then we all ate at Noodles and Company for lunch. My bestfriend Sarah (whom nanny's for a little girl) is moving to Kansas City in two weeks, so we had a "goodbye" lunch for her there. It was nice to have everyone eat together one last time before she leaves.
The rest of the day, I'm relaxing doing laundry and other house stuff.

A fun and crazy weekend!

WOW!! It seems like the Summer is going by soooo fast. Pretty soon Kira will be in Kindergarten. My Grandma just celebrated her 80th birthday this weekend and one of my co-workers was kind enough to work for me. Grandma was sooo happy to see us and we her. She is amazingly healthy for her age. My sister, Sabrina and husband, Alex were able to fly back to Wisconsin from Mesa, Az too! That was a neat treat to see them. It's rare that anyone sees each other- now that everyone is growing up and living there own lives. In fact, my brother and his fiance weren't able to make it, nor my cousin and her boyfriend. So we left for the party Sat and came back Sun evening. Not too long of a trip, since my parents live 3-1/2 hours away. So the night we got back we were able to take a bike ride because the sun hadn't set yet. It was a nice night, so not too hot. I've really been trying to use my car less since the influx of gas prices. It hasn't been too hard with the accessibility of bike trails and being so close to everything. I'm sooo lucky for that.

Bowling before New Years

So we took our 4 year old bowling. And it was sooo much fun. She did a great job. Her end score was 70, mine was 95 and my hubby's was 112. Great scores for everyone, but especially great for my 4 year old. ;O)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008 WILL BE GREAT! HAPPY NEW YEAR! I'll try to be better at writing.

"Total Chaos" By TAS

"Total Chaos"
TAS

Faster, faster, faster
Everything is out of control
Pressure is building
My head is spinning
I really wonder where to go
Faster, faster, faster
Everything is out of control
The stress is building
More, more, more, more
If this doesn't stop
All my sanity will pop
So much to do
My world is never at rest
Constant movement,
I don't know when to quit
I think I might have a fit
If I don't look out, I'll get a big zit
Calm down, you're going too fast
Faster, faster, faster
Everything is out of control!!!!!

"Just One Last Kiss" By Tas

"Just One Last Kiss"

An emotion so strong
Every emotion from every point of my body settles to the surface
Every time I think of you, a chill runs down my spine
I know I'm not fine
The emotions are too strong, too intense
I could just scream
Every night as I dream I see your beautiful brown eyes
When I awake your moist lips touch mine and every emotion and every thought
Turns to putty and connects
Life has no more rejection or pain
Life is beautiful and happy
Just your warm body against mine gives me a sense of comfort and protection
I know there is someone watching over me, someone not impossible to see
All anger, pain, and hate dissolve like sugar cubes in liquid
As your love runs out of your heart
When you touch my face
My sweet smile softens the moment of high emotion
As your piercing brown eyes stare into mine
A tear slides down my cheek
Knowing in my mind this is the last week
You hold my chin up and wipe the tear from my cheek
You give me one last kiss and say "I love you" before you leave
When I sit on the front porch, I watch you car drive off into the distance
Knowing that this was not my last chance.

What is Life? By: TAS

What is Life?
By: TAS

Life is a reason- Find it
Life is a fight- Face it
Life is a dream- Fulfill it
Life is a pain- Heal it
Life is a tire- Rest it
Life is a problem- Solve it
Life is a confusion- Stop it
Life is a step into the future- Discover it
Life is a path- Follow it
Life is a candle- Light it
Life is a clock- Watch it
Life is a break-up- Accept it
Life is a flower- Smell it
Life is the sunshine- Absorb it
Life is a book- Read it
Life is love- Spread it
Life is a sport- Play it
Life is a friend- Keep it
Life is hot- Cool it
Life is stress- Ease it
Life is a tease- ignore it
Life is a child- Raise it
Life is a goal- Believe it
Life is Jesus and God- Follow them
Life is your world- Care for it
Life is your imagination- Create it

A week of running, animals, & pure mayhem

So this week was pretty interesting. It started out going to the zoo on Monday, twice with my daughter. Well, the first time with my daughter and some friends, then with just my husband and daughter. Then we went downtown and walked around ST, Street, and ate dinner at the Union enjoying the beautiful weather. It was one of the best days I have ever had. We had a lot of activities packed in one day, but it was still a great day. Tuesday was a bit calmer with just vegging a bit due to the fact that everyone was so tired from Monday's activities. So drawing, reading books, beading and watching a bit of t.v. was fine for the day's activities. Wednesday, back to the groove. We went to storytime and came home. I notice my daughter's cough was getting worse, so called the doctor for an afternoon appointment. I took her to the doc 2 hours later and found out she had a sinus infection. Nothing to be too worried about. She was given some antibiotics and we were on our way. Thurs was supposed to be playgroup, but skipped out, so my daughter could heal a bit. We did look at our beautiful flowers we've so far grown and let my daughter pick some. We also went out to eat at one of our fave bar n' grills The Great Dane for some awesome fish fry and burgers. Then we walked a bit in the little mall across the street. What another perfect evening. Perfect ending activity was after K was put to bed, we watched one of your most favorite movies The Lord of the Rings Return of the King. Then I went to bed. Now it's Friday. PAYDAY! Hooray! So my hubby came home for lunch, we ate some turkey and chesse sandwiches in a hurry, we rushed to get my paycheck, then to bank and picked up our coffee break coffee. Then back home to relax. It definitely has been a week of lots to do. Hopefully this weekend after work I can put my feet up and just relax.

Just another day!

This morning has been pretty great besides waking up to a horrible headache. It's been years since I've had that bad of a headache-it was almost migraine worthy. It's funny how caffeine can have such a hold on someone. After I woke up I immediately poured myself a cup of coffee, took some tylenol and ate some new Special K chocolate cereal. The minute that coffee touched my lips I felt much better. I don't know if it's a psychological thing or the combination of getting food in my stomach and having some tylenol. Although medicine doesn't work that fast unless it's the disolvable tablets, which it wasn't. Either way, I was happy the pain was gone. The rest of the morning consisted of tidying up the house and getting my daughter her breakfast. This afternoon my husband came home for lunch which is always nice. We both had our Special K cereals-he had the Strawberry and I had the Chocolate. Supposedly you can lose up to 6 pounds in 2 weeks if you eat that for two meals a day and then have a decent dinner. We'll see about that. After that we picked up our Tuesday coffee, chai, and my tips because I work at the same coffee shop I buy from. It's only a local place and hopefully will stay that way so it'll keep it's charm. Now I'm just enjoying my chai and relaxing. The suns out, so I might sit outside a little later, we'll see. It's not that warm, so I might choose to just look out the window. I'd better get going, there's always something to do. Till then...

Clean it up

I've always been the type of person whose kept just about everything, till now. You know how you usually pick up the habits of those around you or who you've grown up with. Well, my mom always told me you should keep it just in case. Taking that advice it's been hard to throw even the silliest things away i.e. little notes from my friends we passed around in school. It's not like I need them or I'm gaining anything for keeping them, but it is a memory so I never throw them away. Even though it's hard to throw some of the past away, I must ask myself... am I using it or is it just collecting dust in the corner. In any case, I seriously need to sort through everything and get rid of the unnecessary.
I was so happy to finally get together with one of my best friends from grade school last Thursday. As always we have great visits and whenever we're done I always feel so great. She's one of the best people I know. We go back along way i.e. grade school so we always reminisce about the past, which is always fun. All I have to say I'm so glad we could stay friends for sooo long.
Today I also finished two more bead necklaces, which turned out very well. I love creative projects-if anything it's a form of stress relief. In fact, tonight I'll make more. I've also started my daughter on her own beading, so she enjoys sitting right next to making her own necklaces. It's getting late and I have to get a certain someone to bed.

WAY TOO LONG

So it's been way way way too long since I've written again. Life has gotten much busier since I last wrote. My daughter turned 3 in November so pretty much everything revolves around her. I've been taking her to weekly activities, so it never seems we have time to sit down. Weeks go fast now. Each week we go to a local bookstore for storytime and a neighborhood playgroup. She's growing up fast so I have to enjoy as much as I can of her. Being a stay at home mom has really helped. She actually knows me and I love that. I also have picked up a new hobby...Beading. Which is quite dangerous because almost every other week I'm picking up more beads from craft stores. It gets to be expensive, so I have to control myself. I usually look in the weekly ads and find coupons so that keeps some of the cost down. I'm still working about 2 days a week, so that's my way of keeping with the community and visiting with grown ups. When my husband and I get a chance we go about every 3 or so months up to the surrounding vineyard to get some great tasting wine to share with our friends when they visit. I've recently really tried to keep in touch with my friends from high school. It's been fun reminiscing old times with everyone and getting new news about everyone's life. I've also been enjoying the weather and been able to take more evening walks with the family. I love that because it means I get at least some excercise in a day and don't feel like I'm being so lazy. Otherwise all that life is great. I'm glad I decided to write again.

Happy Thanksgiving

Enjoy lots of turkey!
And don't let your pumpkin run away!

Where did she go?

So it's been weeks since I've written again. I know. Probably wondering what the hell happened to me. I started working more hours at my job, so much of my free time has diminished. Between taking K places, doing daily activities, and getting daily errands done my week is finished with no time to write. I should get back to it more religiously, but until next year things are only going to get busier in the next month. I do like doing lots of things, but it can get exhausting by the end of the day. At least the depression doesn't exist anymore because I'm way to busy for it. Anyway, I'll quit rambling.
Mom if you're reading this, don't read this next paragraph. I found the neatest book at Borders the other night called First Flight. It's about a couple who moved from NYC to suburban Las Vegas and were told a hummingbird nest was on their backporch on a clothesline, so don't disturb it. They set up a camera and captured the birth of 2 hummingbirds and their way of life. It was fascinating and the pictures are amazing in it. The book is by Noriko and Don Carroll. I highly reccommend it if you have any interest in animals or nature.

I think I'm almost completely done with Christmas shopping too, which I'm so happy about. I can't believe it Thanksgiving Thursday. At least I don't have to make anything this year and I don't have to host it, so pretty much stress free. I'm all for that kind of holiday. Hopefully, after Christmas things will start to settle down so I can write more, till then it's going to be sporadic. I hope everyone has a safe and fulfilling Thanksgiving.

whatever

Life has been so busy and crazy the past month I haven't been able to write in such a long time. It seems like when I just sit down there something else to do. If it isn't running to this or that event, it's cleaning the house or working. Also I had a sick kid to take care of, which is never fun. Poor little sweetie.
Anyway, I can't believe that Halloween is less than 6 days away. It's amazing how many kids come to our door to trick or treat, considering the amount of children that actually live on our street. Also, daylights savings time is coming up. That reminds me, I need to carve the pumpkins we picked out from the pumpkin patch. I saw the funniest most cheesiest late 80's movie the other night called "if looks could kill." It's super late, so I have to wrap this up. Good night for now world.

storms and train whistles

Well, this morning was super early. I actually got to enjoy breakfast as a family this morning. Due to the early morning 5:30 wake up of the train blaring its horn and the thunderstorms it was impossible to continue to sleep. Also our little toddler is afraid of the thunder so everyone had to wake up. The good thing about it is I could accomplish some stuff right away this morning and I did get some decent sleep last night, so the early morning didn't much effect my mood or alertiveness anyway. Not too much else is exciting except that we bought The Little Mermaid last night. I love that movie, it was my favorite of the Disney series growing up and as a mother I HAD to buy into the reopening of the disney vault and purchase it for our toddler. As my mother and I would say it's worth it for the kid. As usual there's things to go and places to go... so later.

A park just for toddlers

My husband took us to a neat park that was just right for our little toddler. She could reach the slide, ride on the little dinosaur, and swing on the swings. Sometimes simple can be the most pleasant.

Carousels, animal crackers, and fun

Yesterday, was an absolute gorgeous day, so we all decided to go to the zoo. My 3 yr old wanted to ride the carousel, so I got to too. While my husband held onto our 3 yr old so she wouldn't fall off the gorilla I rode next to her on the cheetah. We both held on tight and enjoyed a nice ride on the carousel. It was so fun and blast from the past. I was happy to see K laugh after awhile. Then we bought animal crackers and checked out the zoo. The orangutangs were quite active so K really enjoyed them. The zoo expanded a bit with 3 new animals, an American Bison, Prairie Dogs, and a Badger. We had such a blast and the best part about it was that it was free.

i need to buy a new camera

The current digital camera I own is such a piece of crap. It can barely hold a charge and turns off in the middle of taking a picture. I'm so sick of it. I so want a new camera. Any suggestions? The sony cameras are decent for a little more there's kodak and cannon. I just don't know. I promise you this, I'm not going back to 35mm. It's just not instant enough.

OH how I love fall...

The first signs of fall have come about and I'm in heaven. I love how the leaves turn brilliant colors and eventually blanket the ground like a colorful quilt. I love the fresh breeze when it blows through my hair and the smell of burning logs in nearby fireplaces. I also love cider and hot chocolate. I love going to the pumpkin patch and picking out the perfect pumpkin and carving the coolest face out of it for Halloween. I love Thanksgiving, turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, corn and mashed potatoes. I also love sweaters, warm clothes, and scarves.

A day of picnics and parties...

Yesterday was quite a day for K and me. First, we went to our ex-neighbor's little boy's birthday. He was turning 3. K had a blast playing in the sand, sliding down the slide, and swinging on the swings. Then when my husband got home we went to his company picnic. Some people brought bubbles and chalk and K had such a blast using them. Her most favorite things to do besides going to the playground are bubbles and drawing with chalk. Anyway, after we got home from all the excitement it was about time for K to go bed and everyone else too because we were so exhausted from a fun day.

Reconnecting with an old friend

So it's been forever since I've talked to one of my best friends from school, so we finally were able to reconnect last night. We sat and drank chai and tea and thoroughly enjoyed our cheesecake and carrot cake. Even though there was some guilt involved in the sweets we immediatly made the excuse chocolate cheesecake did have antioxidants in it and carrot cake had some vegetables in it so it had to be okay to eat--well, at least just once. Anyway, it was nice to chat and get other perspectives on things and wonder how she felt about certain things that happened way in the past. We agreed on most things even though at the time I had felt alone about them. I feel alot better about things thanks to her. All in all we had a great time. I just hope we don't wait so long to together again.

Stuff

Tonight we're going to see some relatives so this morning I've been preparing for that. K is listening to her favorite kid's singer Laurie Berkner. She's memorized all the songs (which are extremely catchy) and I will find her (and sometimes me) singing them through out the day, it's really cute. Yesterday we bought a bunch of bubble juice and different wands. Everyone's favorite by unanimous vote is the wand that makes the humongous bubbles. We also tried to teach K how to ride her tricycle. She did pretty good for a first try. Those pedals can be tricky. She found that going downhill was easiest only because the pedals moved on there own.

This is the coolest sun picture taken by satellite.

Galena, Illinois

K was on vacation to Grandpa and Grandma's so my husband and I decided to take a small trip where we've never been before. The only catch was we also wanted a day spa. We searched and we finally found the perfect place. Galena, Illinois. There is a neat hotel called the Irish Cottage Inn that has everything anyone could want in Galena. It had the day spa, a place to stay, a pub, swimming and workout equipment. We decided to stay there. We booked the day spa a few days ahead of time, so we didn't have to worry about spot reservation. The first night we were there we kind of took it easy,laid low, and did the spa thing. The second night we enjoyed food and entertainment at the pub. There pub has been there since 2003 and it's pretty nice. Comfortable seating and good food. When we were there some girls did some authentic irish dancing and the main singer, Andreas, from Gaelic Storm performed. We stayed long enough that we got to talk with him and listen to some of the songs he wrote personally himself. Then it was off to bed for us because it was huge day the next day. The next day we toured the town, bought a ticket for the historical trolley ride, bought some chocolate, had a great dinner at an italian restaurant, and then went home exhausted.

Somehow I'm still smiling in this photo, but in reality I'm tired as hell!

The story about this staircase is kind of funny actually. The first day we arrived in Galena it was about 100 degrees outside and sticky. For some odd reason out of curiosity and maybe a second wind of strength we decided to climb these awfully high and steep stairs. At first we ran up them and about half-way up we lost quite a bit of energy. As we look up we sadly realize there are still about 50 more stairs to climb. Remember this isn't 60 degree weather we're doing this in it's 100 degrees, anyway we finally make it to the top and then my husband says, hey look another set of stairs! I just about died. I told him I'd stay and watch while he took pictures at the very top. So here is the photo of the bottom of the staircase and I will soon send the photo of me at the middle of the staircase. The history of the stairs is the school children would climb these stairs all 92 of them 3 times a day. That's 276 stairs!!! No wonder everyone was so skinny back then. They said you knew a Galena girl by the size of her calves.

This picture is dedicated to those of you who appreciate sleeping in.

A few changes

For some reason I felt like I wanted to do some changes on my blog this weekend. Aside from going to work I decided to continue and finish that this weekend. It was such a beautiful day after work today, we all decided to spend time outside. I blew bubbles with K and my hubby worked on his car with our neighbor. Then we ate out on our porch because it was so nice out. We made tasty garlic and cheese bread with our spaghetti and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think K and J enjoyed it too. After we ate I played in the sandbox with K and afterwards we grabbed a treat from the ice cream parlor. My all time favorite ice cream zanzibar chocolate, k's favorite ice cream strawberry, and J's favorite ice cream mint avalanche. K right away when we walked in the door said "ma ma don't eat it that's mines(her ice cream), you have chocolate" so I wouldn't pretend to eat it. I just had to laugh.
Anyway, about the blog, I wanted to change the dynamics, some of my interests and update my entries. I was actually tired of reading the entries so I just erased them. I'm sorry to those who felt they were intriguing in any way.