I'm Getting There...

Just a quick post for those of you who have demanded inquired about when I was going to post about my recent trip to Washington. It is coming, in fact, I have it partially typed up, but I am fighting with the pictures, trying to get them to go where I want them and be the size I want them to be. Since this fighting usually occurs after 10 pm, I pretty much get tired and go to bed.

So no worries, my tale is on it's way. In the mean time, here is one of my favorite images from my trip. It was taken somewhere on the Olympic Peninsula, and yes... you should be very jealous. It was STUNNING up there.

The tradition continues...

When my sisters and I were younger, one of our favorite things to do was build Barbie Kingdoms.  (Yes, you have to say it with the capital letters.  It makes a difference.)  We would use anything we could find (nothing was safe) and build the most elaborate Barbie houses we could.  The building of the Kingdom would take days and usually made a pretty significant mess, but that was the fun part.  In fact, I don't even remember much about actually playing with the dolls, just the creation of the houses.  Sadly, no photos exist (that I am aware of) of these masterpieces.  

This weekend, I took the opportunity to pass the Barbie Kingdom torch to Juju.  I helped her make a very large mess in the basement and we built our very own, brand new Kingdom.  Now, she has a really nice doll house with lots of furniture and accessories, but as I explained to her, the fun part is in using everyday items.  We collected everything we could find and this was the result:

Yay Me!

So I got a phone call today from my good friends at Barnes & Noble; I won the Eclipse trivia contest!  (Turns out it pays off to reread the books right up to the very last minute.)  I won a Twilight Godiva chocolate bar and a $10 B&N gift card.  Anytime you can win chocolate and books just by reading, it's a good day.

Breaking Dawn!!!

For those of you who know me, you know how giddy-stupid-excited I have been for the release of the final installment of the Twilight Saga by my favorite author, Stephenie Meyer. I have been not-so-patiently waiting for this book for over a year now, ever since I went to the "Eclipse" book signing at the Tattered Cover last August. I am absolutely IN LOVE with this whole series, and if you haven't read them yet, you need to run to your local bookstore and get them in hardback--they are that good.

Here is a synopsis of the first three books that I borrowed from The Twilight Saga (They summed it up better than I could...):

In Twilight, Bella Swan’s move to Forks could have been the most boring move she ever made. But when she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella.

Star-crossed lovers Bella and Edward return in New Moon to find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrify

ing threat of revenge from a female vampire, and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy’s reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi.

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger in Eclipse, the third novel of The Twilight Saga. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Anyway, being as excited as I am, when I found out that Barnes & Noble was doing a midnight release party, I immediately knew I HAD to be there. Katie and I went down to the bookstore at 9:00 a.m. to pick up our wristbands this morning, and to our excitement, we were near the front of the queue!!! We snagged the #34 & 35 slots!  (This may not sound super exciting to you, but last year for the Eclipse book signing, we were #312 & #313... it mostly means waiting for well over an hour for your book.)

I was so excited all day, I had a hard time concentrating on anything, but 

I made it thru the day and Katie & I headed out about 10:00. 

We hung out, had some Starbucks 

(who also stayed open for the release and even created a new "Vampire's Kiss" drink that I had to try--it was a vanilla bean blended creme with raspberry sauce...tasty!), listened to music, filled out the trivia contests and waited impatiently.

Midnight finally arrived, and we were 4th & 5th to get our books in our line. After we gladly shelled out our money (Katie has been saving hers since her birthday) we immediately headed home to get started. (Okay, it was just me, Katie was smart and went to bed.) I personally sat up until 4:30 a.m. reading and I finally had to force myself to go to sleep. It is that good! I won't say anything now, I don't want to spoil anyone else's experience. I am now torn between tearing thru the rest of it because I am dying to know what happens next and dragging it out because I don't want it to be over. I know all good things must come to an end... but what am I going to read now???

(This is Katie & I with our books last night/early this morning.   Aren't we cute??)

What I Am

I got this one from Holly... I promise I really do have other things to post, I just can't seem to get the time to sit down and do it. So for now, here is another fun one. Well, I was cracking myself up with it, anyway...

Here is what you do:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, MP3 player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it makes you look.
4. Title this blog what the answer to your last question is.
5. Good luck and have fun!

IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY? The Small Print (Muse)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF? Everything Around Me is Changing (Sinead Lohan)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Mr. Midnight (Garth Brooks)
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? What You Waiting For? (Gwen Stefani)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston)
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (Coldplay)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Whisper (Evanescence)
WHAT DO YOU OFTEN THINK ABOUT? In My Heart (Moby)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Missionary Man (Eurhythmics)
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Sparkling Diamonds (Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge Soundtrack)
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Penny Lane (The Beatles)
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? The Remedy-I Won't Worry (Jason Mraz)
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? AM Radio (Everclear)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR? Shotgun Blues (Kalai)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? Holly Holy (Neil Diamond)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? No One Sees You Like I Do (Plus/Minus)
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO NAME THIS BLOG? What I Am (Edie Brickell)

Happy Birthday Luke!

I can't believe how fast time has gone! Today is Luke's first birthday. It's hard to believe that it has already been a year. It seems like just yesterday he joined our family. He is such a happy even-tempered little guy and I just love hanging out with him. He is such a joy and we are so blessed to have him!

Happy Birthday Katie!

Today was Katie's 16th birthday. Wow... now that makes me feel old. I first met Katie when she was about 4 years old. I had seen her before, in the nursery at church where my mom was working. That summer, the Hunchback of Notre Dame came out in the theater and I had gotten tickets to a special screening that the Disney Store was doing. I ended up with an extra one, so I called up Sandy and asked if I could take Katie to the movies with me. Trusting soul that she is (she had no idea who I was, just my mom from the nursery) she agreed to let me take her first born to the movies. The rest, as they say, is history. Mwahahaha! (Did you like that evil laugh?)

I was watching her at her party tonight and it's hard to believe how quickly time has passed. From that sweet little girl I took to the movies, Katie has grown into a awesome young woman. She is crazy and silly and a great sister and friend. (Yeah, I posted the video, haha... you knew it was going to come back and bite you one day.) And since I am making myself mushy now, I will just say, Happy Birthday, KP! I love ya!