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Hungry for More

15 Apr

I finished The Hunger Games book last month but couldn’t get out to see the movie until this weekend. I stayed up way past my bedtime to catch the 10 p.m. flick with my friend, Allison. After 20 minutes of trailers and such, the two hour, twenty minute adventure began.

I loved every minute of it. In fact, I wish they would’ve added a few more minutes to it to capture more of my beloved scenes from the book (Rue and also Katniss’ struggle for water). I suppose a three hour movie would be quite ridiculous.

It is so very rare that I like a movie as much as I like the book. I’m relieved this did not disappoint. There were a few scenes I played out differently in my mind but it didn’t take away from the movie at all. (I still acted them out in my head the way I wanted to as I watched.) I really enjoyed watching fresh actors in the main roles. I also really dug that the perspective of the Capitol was added. It gave an interesting look at that side.

I left there close to 1 a.m. wanting to rush home and open the second book. I waited so the story would feel more chronological to me. I’ve heard people say the second and third books aren’t as good. I’m trying to block that from my thoughts because I want to love them like I do the first.

Less bloggy, more read.

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The Year of the Brew and the Bod

22 Mar

Andrew turned 35 with well wishes and gifts of love from friends and family.

One of those gifts was named Mr. Beer and it created a one-man home brewery.

Mr. Beer home brewing

Bottle Night

He brewed and he brewed, bottled and emptied, unlabeled and labeled and started a schedule.

The main fridge filled up with future beers and a new one was needed to chill the ale.

Drew's Brew home brew

A fridge full of Drew's Brews.

Drew’s Brews started as a beloved (and delicious) hobby but it soon became a passion.

One year. His 35th. He tried something new and conquered it – achieving pour after pour satisfaction.

Great brew.

The 3-5 also meant a time to run – get in shape and race toward a healthier him.

And it didn’t stop there, his running became a family inspiration.

Daddy and Son Sneaks

In 5K after 5K, some 10K’s and a half marathon too, Andrew placed in his age group and met his goals.

Personal best 10K run.

The running lifted his spirits to be more in shape – and it also lightened his load.

From 180 to 150.

Thirty pounds lost to start his 36th year, with a family who loves him and supports him with cheer.

Daddy's Biggest Fans

Happy birthday, Andrew. May this new year bring you all the joys of the last – with a personal best race times and a full glass.

Awesome "Trophy"

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Bye-bye Barbie Bike, Hello Tiptoe Tall Ride

18 Mar

Of course, the time was going to come. Signs were all around me every day (and continue to be).

The questions they ask. The things they know. The inches they grow, marked with higher and higher marks on the wall. The ability to wash their hands at the kitchen sink or brush their teeth at the bathroom sink without a stool. Child car seats with only seat belts and not five-point harnesses. Bigger bicycles.

For some sentimental reason, that last one recently did me in. As I watched them push and ride their first two-wheel bikes to trade them in for bigger ones at the store, I couldn’t hold back the tears.

Bye-bye, First Bikes

Nia’s first bike was a rad Barbie one that had a place for Barbie to ride her bike, too.

Bean's First Bike - 2008

Nate’s was Spiderman all the way.

Nate's First Bike - 2009

As we steered the two pieces of childhood memories to customer service, I started to doubt our decision. “We could keep them and the new ones.” I tried to reason with Andrew. “That way, smaller cousins and friends will have bikes to ride when they visit.” We don’t have the physical space for a shopping aisle of bikes in our garage. The decision stood.

Aside from being sad about saying goodbye to that time of growing up, I think I just didn’t like the thought of their childhood memories being recycled in a heap of scrap metal, instead of recycled and cherished by another child.

The kids didn’t think twice about it the exchange though. They parked their old rides and immediately turned their backs and bee-lined for the new spokes.

Their smiles helped me shake off the sadness. Especially when we got home and I watched as Nia worked with her daddy to build her bigger bike and then looked so not-little while she pedaled around the cul-de-sac.

Growing up is good. Sniff.

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Fridge of Fortune

10 Mar

It’s a refrigerator like many, I’m sure. A puzzle of pieces covering whatever steel they can cling to. There are notes to remember, cherished family photos, and magnets adorned with sweet sayings or places we’ve been (and even a few free ones that we felt were worthy enough to make the metal or may need some day). Nestled among all of that past and present is something we’ve been building over many years. Our fortunes, linked together with tape.

We don’t keep just any cookie fortune that comes our way though because many are not even fortunes at all. (“You are well liked and have many friends” really doesn’t tell me a fortune, although it’s a nice thing to read.) We love to keep the ones we want most to come true, we know are coming true (Andrew got the “step on the soil” one before his first deployment overseas to Kosovo) or, in the case of the hen one, mark a milestone: our first born’s first fortune.

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Fortunes Buried in Magnets

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Fridge Wall of Fortune

Not sure when we will live out some of these fortunes but, for now, I’m happy to just to believe they may be out there. If not, at least the cookie was tasty and our fridge puzzle will stay intact.

 

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Happy of Myself

1 Mar

From Runkeeper.com

This is huge for me. I am so close to my goal of running a 5K straight through. Sure, this was just in the neighborhood, but I felt so great and strong as I headed home that last little bit. I just wish I would have judged my distance better so I would have made it the complete 3.16 miles.

My next official 5K race is in a week. I’m excited for it. I believe in myself! (Just like the little boy who learned how to ride his bike and gave this awesome speech.)

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Beach Run and Fun

29 Feb

It was windy and cold and so worth every minute out in the Tybee Island air. The 2012 Tybee Run Fest featured friends and family and lots of running fun.

Andrew ran in all five races – the 5K on Friday and then the 10K, Half Marathon, 2.8 Mile Beach Run and the Mile on Saturday – a full marathon all together. Nate joined Andrew in the Mile run and had such a fun time running and watching the other racers finish. For me, I ran in the 5K (along with running buds Ginger and Lee) and I consider it my first “race” because it was the first one I really trained for.

I ran that 5K in 34:45 / 11:13 per mile average pace. I felt proud and couldn’t wait to go enjoy pizza and beer with Andrew, Ginger and Lee post-run.

Andrew ran all of his races and proclaimed he would never do it again. With as fun as this weekend was, I find that hard to believe.

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Observations From Around the Block

29 Jan

I’ve been spreading my wings and trying my treads out at running around our neighborhood. I usually like to just stick to the treadmill because I don’t have to worry about stray animals or kids on bicycles who think it’s fun to circle me like they are on horses and I’m a cow they are trying to lasso back to the farm. Anyway, I digress.

There are a few things I’ve noticed while running by people’s homes. (No, I’m not a peeping peeper. But I will glance in the general direction of your open garage to see how you have things organized. Some people keep pretty impressive shelving systems.)

My random observations include:

  • Why do people not pick up the newspapers that are thrown on their driveway each week? Do they feel like they didn’t put them there so they shouldn’t have to pick them up? I’ve seen some papers so old and so run-over that they look like they exploded. Also, at what point should the person throwing them down (if they are free papers, that is) think, “They already have five bagged papers scattered about that they haven’t read, maybe I shouldn’t toss another to the mix.”
  • People plant trees and bushes as obstacle courses to sidewalk users. Fun times. Bob and weave.
  • A lot of people use some good smelling dryer sheets. Man, I love that fresh scent that breezes by me when I jog passed an in-use dryer vent.
  • I cannot spit. I pray that no one witnessed my attempt. I will not try it again. It didn’t make me feel better or solve anything that I thought it would solve. Instead, it just taught me what my brain thought before the attempt took place. “Spit? But you cannot spit!”
  • My neighborhood has hills. My goal is to run up them all, eventually.
  • There are several half-marathoners in our ‘hood. I know this because of the stickers on their cars parked in their open garages or on their driveways. I am not letting this intimidate me. After all, I’m married to one of them and I’m well aware that he can run two 5K’s in the length it takes me to run one and I’m ok with that.

Overall, I’m just proud to be running around the block. That’s something I never thought I’d do and it feels cool. Plus, I get to enjoy the elements.

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Her First Concert

24 Jan

She sings their songs behind her room’s closed door. She recognizes each voice when they have their solo time. She’s even used her boy dolls to pretend they are putting on a concert. (And those dolls can really do some gymnastic feats, especially when Nate is “performing” too.)

Both kids are big fans of the Nickelodeon music group, Big Time Rush. I even followed them on facebook so I would know if and when they were going to tour near us. After months of other seeing other cities schedule them, I finally heard they were going to be a part of an Atlanta radio station’s annual concert called Jingle Jam. Deciding that Nate was still too little for a school night show with other music groups he wouldn’t know, I only bought two tickets. (Nia asked to buy a special concert swag bracelet for her brother though. And of course, scored her first concert tee. Very cool.)

She was excited to be there but I thought she would be, well, a tad more excited. This is the point I determined she takes after her daddy when it comes to such things. My first concert (yes, New Kids on the Block) had me screaming and in tears. There were quite a few girls around us who were doing just that. My Nia though, she just smiled and occasionally, quietly, sang along. I am impressed with her sophistication and restraint. Or maybe she was just so in awe of it all. Or too young yet…

Whatever it was, she was happy – and I only screamed once to show her it was ok to scream. She looked at me like I was goofy and then laughed. What can I say? Their songs are pretty catchy.

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An Introduction to the Theatre

4 Dec

“Can we watch all the plays?” A wide-eyed and entertained Nia asked me after the curtain closed on the first play she ever watched.

It really was the perfect play for her to call her first. She was reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever in class last week and this weekend our community theatre was performing the play of it. She was enjoying the book and reading us excerpts so I knew the performance would be wonderful for her.

Loved the book.

It was perfect because it had so many young actors – even a few who Nia knew – so that kept her really interested. She was happy to have her beloved reindeer doll to sit with her through the show too. I was happy that I didn’t have to pay for a ticket for Clarice. (The tickets were a great price though, $5 for children and $10 for adults. Some of that money even goes to varying charities.) On top of all the specialness, Nia also got to enjoy refreshments after the show. Festive cookies and a candy cane. I love the question she gave me as we walked back to the car, almost finished with both cookies, “Aren’t refreshments usually meat and cheese and crackers?” Not a complaint, just a little girl trying to figure out her world.

Excited for the show to start.

Mommy/Daughter Date

Talented Cast

Enjoying refreshments.

The sweetness of it all made me tear up. The carols at the end of the play really did me in. Luckily, Nia was there to hug my arm and distract me with her forward thinking. Can we watch all the plays? I promise to take her to as many kid-appropriate ones that our schedule allows.

Checking our calendar now …

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Some people have fine china…

19 Nov

or some other special heirloom like a painting or jewelry that they hand down to their children when they reach an age when they can understand its importance, respect and appreciate it. This moment recently happened for Nia when I introduced her to the movie, Grease.

I actually can’t remember the first time I watched it because I’ve seen it so many times. I know I was 10 or younger. I have fond memories of watching it with my sister and also with my friend, Mary Lou. We would repeat the lines and sing along. We quoted it when we weren’t watching it. My sister and I had the album and I remember starring at the pictures on it as I listened. I even got to see Grease on Broadway in New York City. It is cherished.

I wasn’t sure if Nia would feel the same way. Or if she was even really ready for it. I know I didn’t realize most of the stuff they were saying but Nia is way more attentive and inquisitive. She asked questions through the entire movie and reviewed it. Nate even throw in a few peanut gallery comments as he caught scenes here and there.

  • “Why are the Pink Ladies making fun of Sandy? I thought they were friends.” (Inquired during “Look at me, I’m Sandra Dee.”)
  • “They are licking tongues!” (Nate’s reaction to the parking scene with Rizzo and Kenickie.)
  • Major giggles from both when Danny pulled the umpire’s mask after the foul ball call.
  • More giggles when Danny raises his arm in the air at the end of “Summer Nights.”
  • Censorship by daddy in the form of a loud clearing of his throat during a lyric about not being respectful to girls in the song, “Summer Nights.”
  • “They have wine!” (Reacting to the wine at the sleepover.)
  • “They always get mad at each other and then make up and then mad again.” (Nia’s general perception of Danny and Sandy’s relationship.)
  • “Sandy becomes this girl?! No way.” (Nia, pointing to the DVD case with red high-heeled Sandy on it.)
  • “What’s that called where they are? (I answer.) Drive-ins look cool. Do we still have them?
  • “The T-Birds aren’t being nice to Eugene.” (Said each scene with Eugene.)
  • “They used speakers back then? Now we have tvs for morning announcements.”
  • “Can I watch it again?”

She even asked to watch Grease 2 but she wasn’t digging that it wasn’t Danny and Sandy. As for me, well, I love a cool rider and I’m so happy to share this with her.

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