My bubble distraction

I just love our friends. We hung out with our friends tonight and I had so much fun. Life can be full of negative things & sad situations, but having good friends is the great remedy. Some of you know that my grandma Verna has become very ill and doesn't have much longer. It has been a little tough on me; I was very close to her when I was in high school. Having that situation overwhelming me with emotions, I've been a complete mess. Work has been a little bit of a distraction, but unfortunately not much of an escape. Slow times at work leave me alone with my thoughts. And one of my co-workers is also going through a similar situation that is constantly being discussed.

However tonight I was able to escape my worries and fears of the unknown. Joe and I met up with some friends for dinner and a movie. A spontaneous date night that turned out chaotic, but a lot fun!! We talked and laughed at dinner for so long, we missed our movie time. Instead of ending the evening early, we headed to the local Wal-Mart to by some random games that we could take home to play. We ended up playing in Wal-Mart for quite some time. Purchasing "Catch Phrase" and a "Planet Earth" DVD trivia game. Plus these bubble wands that blew huge bubbles!! It was 35 degrees outside and we blew bubbles in the store parking lot for 45 minutes!!! Oh the silliness and laughter!!! My friend Alex had brought along his camera & video camera, so we were able to document this adventure! Here are a few random shots of us and our bubbles!
After our hands had frozen from spilled soapy water, we finished up our bubble making adventure and headed to Alex & Haliee's house for games. Of course we stopped by a gas station for cheap sugary treats and soda pop!! Nothing like more sugar to our already hyper persona's!! We played Catch Phrase for a really long time, even making up our own rules. Now here it is, 1:50am and we're still hanging out. I'm blogging with Alex and in Joe & Haliee are trying to play the Planet Earth DVD trivia game. It seems really hard. Bah, I'd rather blog!!! :)

It has just been such a fun evening and it really took my mind off of all the overwhelming, emotional crap. I'm going to see my grandma in the morning...or should I say 8 hours from now. I'm sure it'll be hard, but I'll have my sisters there and my mom. I have to say my goodbyes sometime. Of course I'll blog more when things progress...but I just wanted to blog about how happy my friends make me. It so nice to have an escape, a release...a more positive atmostphere. It has helped me a lot over the past few days and I'm very grateful. Thank you Alex and Haliee for inviting us out and keeping me distracted. You are wonderful people.

And thank you to everyone else, who has been aware of our family's sad future. Your thoughts and prayers mean so much. I love you all and appreciate the positive attitudes surrounding me. We are very blessed to be around such amazing people.

The Curious Case of Nixon Milking The Reader's Slumdog

OSCAR NIGHT!! We have a tradition in my family every year on Oscar night ~ dinner and the show! We print out our own ballots and mark our winners. Then we watch the entire show, marking each "actual" winner. (Keeping our individual choices secret until the end of the show.)

We started this tradition 3 years ago. I've always enjoyed watching the award shows, i.e. the Grammys, Emmy's, VMA's, NAACP, even the Country Music Awards and especially the Oscars! I got my family together to watch it and to make it fun I bought a big "gold" bag, full of gold things and the coveted "oscar." (Okay, the first year it was a silly, yellow, porcelain clown. We have upgraded since then, thank you Andee!) Whoever chooses the most correct winners, takes home the infamous golden prize bag. Then that winner is in charge of the next years prize. Andee found a fake Oscar wannabe at Zurchers last year and we've now passed it on again this year. We're actually hoping to get a replica of the ocsar at Universal Studios next month!

Andee's husband Kelly won it the first year '07, with 11 out of 24 correct. He actually won again last year '08, but passed it down to 2nd place Mike (sister Jessica's boyfriend) who got 10 of 24 correct. Now this year we were hoping for a "three-peat" by Kelly, but thanks to the worldwide web, reviews and lots of free time, my Dad beat everyone by getting 16 out of 24 correct! (Of course we call his "research" cheating, but oh well. He put thought into it!) So, congratulations Dad! You won the greatly desired prize that, thanks to Mike, included a golden "grill." see photo..hee hee.

This has been a great tradition that helps you enjoy the entire award show. Even the awards we know nothing about, like foreign films, animated shorts, documentaries, original score, screenplay and even sound mixing & editing. We mostly guess...nix Dad's "research," but it makes it exciting!! Thank you Dad & Nancy for hosting our wonderful party. Pizza, conversation and a little competitiveness always makes for a great evening!

Until next year...the 82nd Annual Academy Awards!!

New Favorite Place!

Okay, so we're obsessed with Leatherby's. Its just so FABULOUS!! Great for dates, socializing or people watching. They have food too, so if you're hungry they have plenty to choose from. Plus the ice cream side of the menu has so many concoctions!!! I try something new every time. So much for "New Years Resolution" to loose weight! Hee hee. You should all come with us sometime. I'm going tonight actually!! Yummy ice cream and its 37 degrees outside! We're crazy....crazy for Leatherby's! :)

Sleepover!!

I convinced Kalie & Jesse to let little Jesse sleep over last night. They were at our house for the Super Bowl. We recorded the game because I was working until 6:30, so we were about an hour & 1/2 behind live TV. Then we watched The Office afterwards - so funny by they way!!! Before we knew it, it was almost 10pm! Kalie would just be returning to my house to drop lil Jess off at 8am the next morning, so it only made sense! After debating PJ's and pull-ups, I finally conviced them. Joe made a quick run to the store for over-night supplies...and Jesse & I got ready for our SLEEPOVER!!! I pulled out our sleeping bags, cleared the front room floor and put in "An Extremely Goofy Movie" - one of our faves! I wanted popcorn...but we ate so much during the football game, there was no room left for movie snacks.

Jesse was a little excited about the sleeping bags and making forts with them, so it took a little while for things to calm down at our place. After convincing him it was bedtime, we tucked ourselves in and starting singing...oh my gosh, cutest thing ever! We sang, Twinkle Twinkle, ABC's and the Barney "I love you" song. He just melts my heart!! He knows all the words and every letter. It was a "proud aunt" moment. Joe got sick, so he slept in our bed...wimp!

We slept in until 9am!! It was wonderful! I made breakfast and we watched old Donald Duck cartoons. It turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL day outside, so we ate Wendy's and took a little walk. Jumped in puddles and played with garbage in the parking lot...yeah, sorry Kalie! We took my dogs down the street for a little run and annoyed the kids that live down the street. Apparently I'm not a good influence! ;)

Unfortunately Joe couldn't play with us, being sick in bed all day. But I took care of him when I could. Sprite, soda crackers and some yummy tea from Beans & Brews...you know, the works. Joe and Jesse are napping as we speak. Now I'm doing laundry and blogging. It has turned out to be a really nice day. Starting with one of the best sleep overs I've ever had!

Thanks Kalie and Jesse for letting me keep lil Jess over night...and getting into a little mischief!! I love this little guy.