Oh the Holidays!

I'm not going to lie, I've been the Grinch (and that is an understatement) during the holidays for about the last three or so years now... and tried to be again during this season! To my suprise, although it took me a little while to get in the holiday spirit, it's been a wonderful holiday season so far. The best part? It's not even over yet!

To kick everything off, Dave arrived home on December15th from Dominica; my first Christmas present :) Two days later we took a fun road trip to Pittsburgh to visit with his family. While in Pittsburgh we had the opportunity to go to a Steelers home game (my second Christmas present!) against the Jets at Heinz Field! We ate at a yummy bar/restaurnt in Station Square and did a little shopping before we took the ferry and headed to Heinz Field.

Delicious food!

Beautiful ring Dave bought me at a really neat authenitc Irish store in Station Square.

On the Ferry crossing the river over to Heinz Feild!

(Pittsburgh in the background)

We had great seats! Near the 50 yard line on the Steelers side...

When we got back from Pittsburgh everyone was in the Holiday mood. We went over to Mr and Mrs Beneighs house and made Christmas cookies!

As you can see, Dave and PJ enjoyed covering each other with flour...
 

Pro!

All done!

And of course, then there was Christmas Eve/Christmas. I unfortunatly had to work on Christmas Eve, but once 5:00PM hit, Dave, PJ and I hurried to Mr and Mrs Beneighs for dinner and to get read for church. Around 7:00PM we all (Mr and Mrs Beneigh, Daves Grandpa, Nikki, Dave, Myself and PJ) headed to St Marys and the mass was absolutly beautiful. PJ really impressed me and did a great job sitting through the one and a half hours (he did do the occasional "AMEN" while everyone was totally silent and also a couple "yay"s after singing a christmas song - but people thought that was cute lol!). We walked out of church to a gorgeous white Christmas snow fall that had blanketed the ground and it couldn't have been more perfect!

 When we got home, everyone opened one Christmas present.

PJ got a kids digital camera.

Nikki got an adult digital Camera (lol)

Dave got the Keytar/Rockband 3.

I got slippers and a one hour full body massage.

Mrs Beneigh got...umm, I can't remember :(

Mr Beneigh got... ugh! Memory fails again...I'm terrible.

 

Around 9:30PM PJ grabbed his blanket and ASKED to go to bed (I was in shock), so the rest of the night Mr & Mrs Beneigh, Nikki, Dave and I played Apples to Apples while enjoying some delicious Yeungling beer.

PJ didn't wake up until around 8:30AM, so we opened presents around 9:00AM. It was such a blast watching PJ open all his presents from Santa Claus, friends, and family. Thank you to all who sent him gifts from Virginia, he LOVED them all! And a HUGE thank you to Mrs Beneigh for preparing the wonderful Christmas dinner that we all enjoyed together, what a special day!

"Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Harvey!"

"Thank you Erin & Peter!"

"Thank you Aunt Jackie and Uncle Joel!"

 A little bit of everything from those who sent him distant presents :)

Success! We spent the rest of Christmas day playing Kinect with PJ and the family.

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas this year, we sure did :)

Love,

Nikki  & PJ

P.S. Mom, Dad, Dani, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents... PJ and I love and miss you very very much!!

I traveled, I saw, I conquered.

Who knew that traveling could be so entertaining? I've gotten my fair share this past weekend (traveling a total of 13 hours in a 36 hour period, not including the 7 hours I spent just waiting in the airport for my flight) and I figure it could be an interesting subject to talk about (maybe some people will even read this!).

Let's start with discussion about being the (un)lucky person seated next to a chatty cathy on an airplane. You know, the chatty cathy who wants to keep a conversation for the duration of the flight but you hate small talk and just want to a) lay your head against the window and pretend to sleep so nobody bothers you, b) read a book/magazine,  c) put on some music to pass the time, or c) if you’re brave enough to bring a laptop through the pain-in-the-ass security, watch a movie. It's such an American attitude, but you know when you sit next to a stranger for X number of hours in a confined space you feel the same way and I don’t think you can get more ‘confined space’ than being in a room full of seated strangers flying through the air. Just sayin.

So, you guessed it. I sat next to a chatty cathy who came in the form of  a U.S. army soldier. I thought it was totally cool sitting next to someone who honorably serves this country. In fact, I personally told him so and thanked him.  Mr Soldier then asked "so what do you do?" I proudly told him "I sell insurance..." and before I could finish saying "...with State Farm" he crossed his two index fingers making an X at me and said "oh noooo!" as if I just grew fangs and was about to suck his blood or something. Ok soldier, I am not a vampire, I said I sell INSURANCE, calm down (but maybe you should buy a life insurance policy just in case a Vampire does kill you, your family will be taken care of, eh?). He then proceeded to try to recruit me to join the army for the rest of the thank-god-it-was-short flight. I politely declined his offer to join the army and stressed the point that I’m a single mother. Phew, off the hook.

My next flight (gosh darn connections) was just as 'entertaining'. I fell into a peaceful sleep and dreamt I lived in Italy. It was a beautiful place where man after man proposed in the market place. Everywhere you went to smelt of delicious Italian food. It was so scenic and beautiful, I never wanted to leave. Oh wait, that wasn't a dream, that was the chatty Cathy sitting behind me (loudly)re-living her glory days to this poor Asian guy seated next to her who didn't even speak English. And try as I might (which involved a lot of might) I couldn’t fall asleep to pass the time of the two hour flight. It's funny how you feel so involved in a conversation in which you are absolutely not a part of what so ever, but sort of are because you (and everyone else on the plane trying to sleep/read/etc) can hear everything. Note to self, MAKE SURE TO HAVE MUSIC DOWNLOADED ON MY PHONE AND BRING EAR BUDS NEXT TIME.

Let's move on to ground transportation. I understand that 7:00am is early for human beings and that one may be a little brain scattered at that time of day (I certainly am) but what I experienced Friday morning takes “brain scattered” to a whole new level. Granted, I may be partially to blame for what was to be one of the most ‘interesting’ events that would occur during my trip adventure to/in Virginia, but (I think) it’s worthwhile share the details. Everything is a little hazy, but I will do my best to reenact what happened to me that cold Friday morning.

I don’t know how many of you reading this are from Virginia, or anywhere around the Washington DC area, but if you are… you know how much of a heartless bitch traffic is there. My sister and I are in the car, and might I point out that SHE is the driver, going down 267 to avoid I-495. Things are going peachy, my GPS is instructing us with directions, my sister and I are catching up, life is good, right? GPS chimes in telling us to get off on an exit. Hmm, ok GPS. I’ve trusted you in the past, I will trust you again. My sister gets off on the exit while I am looking at the Route on the GPS to make sure it’s going to bring us to our intended destination (we weren't aware that we needed to get off on an exit so soon). All of a sudden the cars breaks are screeching, my sister is veering the car violently to the right, and before I know it we’ve driven through a barrier. Thats right, a barrier. I guess that means we were NOT supposed to go through that exit. I must say two things 1) that barrier was pretty worthless, they should really do a better job of constructing barriers 2) WHY THE HELL DID YOU DRIVE THROUGH SAID BARRIER, SISTER? As your husband put it when you asked what kind of barrier it was, I must concur, “the kind that you’re NOT supposed to drive through even if the GPS tells you to”. Lesson learned. I’m not going to lie though, that exit put us on an access ramp that skipped us through at least forty minutes of traffic. Woo Woo.

I traveled, I saw, I conquered.

 And I got to sit on a CUSHY nice big airplane (as opposed to the small jet I had to walk outside to get on -in the bitter cold- on my way to washington. But hey, i'm not complaining, gotta respect air transportation) that had personal TV’s for every person and I watched House during the return flight home. I guess the Travel God decided to have mercy on me. Untill next time...

Airplane!

In light of the sad, recent death of Leslie Nielsen I decided to watch Airplane!

I can’t say I enjoyed the movie, but I certainly laughed a lot. It’s especially funny how over dramatic everything  was (ex: playing daunting music LOUDLY every 5 minutes after an actors line, oh and the awesome scene were that pilot fights 10 guys consecutively at the airport).

My favorite part of the movie would have to be when a passanger took a swig of whiskey from his flask, then turns to the old woman sitting next to him asking if she “would like some whiskey”. The old woman got a look of disgust on her face and says “certainly not” and then snorts two lines of Cocaine. REALLY? Absolutely epic. Oh, and shout out to my man Otto. How awesome is he!?!

And after watching this I feel (even more) justified in not liking seasfood. I wouldn't have gotten sick and you would have. Ha! Well, Leslie Nielsen, it was fun. See you again in Naked Gun!

Gotta love these oldies! Well, maybe I gotta learn to love these oldies, it seems I have quite a few yet to watch :D

I won't give up on you, List!
10 down...80 to go....

The List:

12 Monkeys
A League Of Their Own
Airplane
Akira
Aliens
American History X
Animal House
Best in Show
Better Off Dead
Big Trouble in Little China
Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
Boondock Saints
Bull Durham
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Caddyshack
Casino Royale
Clerks
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Daze and Confused
Deliverence
Evil Dead II
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Field of Dreams*
Fight Club
Fletch
Ghostbusters
Glory
Goldfinger
Gremlins
Heathers
Highlander
Jaws
Lethal Weapon I
Life as a House
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
My Blue Heaven
Naked Gun
National Lampoon's Vacation
Office Space
Pale Rider
Planes Trains, and Automobiles
Platoon
Policy Acadamy
Porkys
Predator
Primer
Pulp Fiction
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rainman
Rambo: First Blood
Raw Deal
Red Dawn
Reservoir Dogs
Robo Cop
Run Lola Run
Say Anything
Scarface
Sixteen Candles
Spaceballs
Stand By Me
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars:Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator: Salvation
The 6th Day
The Big Lebowski
The Breakfast Club
The Godfather
The Golden Child
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Goonies
The Jerk
The Karate Kid
The Natural
The Professional
The Shining
The Three Amigos
The Usual Suspects
The Warriors
Top Gun
True Lies
True romance
Unforgiven
Untouchables
Young Frankenstein

I'm Grateful For...

I’m not going to lie, I haven’t been feeling the ‘holiday spirit’ this year. Maybe it’s because my friends and family are 10+ hours away from me. Maybe it’s because Dave is on a tropical island a thousands of miles away. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to think about trying to fit a Christmas tree into my tiny studio apartment. However… 

One thing that I enjoy doing every year is writing my “I’m Grateful For…” list the day before Thanksgiving. So, here it is.

 I’m Grateful For…

1.       Having a beautiful, healthy, energetic, smart, funny, three year old boy. He keeps me busy and always makes me strive to do my best in everything.

2.       David Beneigh who is my rock and source of strength. He works so hard in Med School studying for ten or more hours a day but always makes time for me.  He makes me blissfully happy and I don’t know what I’d do without him.

3.       My parents who have been so supportive of me while I took the training wheels off of my life and have been out in Louisville on my own. You’ve been awesome through it all.

4.       Mr and Mrs Beneigh who have also been a HUGE source of support. Thank you for always opening up your home to us and for everything you do. We ALWAYS look forward to spending time with “Mr and Mrs ‘Neigh”. (GO REDSKINS! ...and Steelers. Maybe)

5.       Ashley Carlson. What can I say, you’ll always be my girl! From going to Derby, to partying at Bearnos, to just chilling watching movies at my place, we always knew how to have a good time. I miss you and wish you luck in everything that you’re pursuing.

6.       Finishing the application process to school. I start classes on January 10^th which I can hardly believe. It’s been a long time coming but I couldn’t be more excited.

7.       My job which I LOVE. I couldn’t ask for a better boss than Terrence Bailey. The opportunities that have been awarded to me here I know I’ll carry for life.

8.       December 3^rd. Why? Because it will be my last court date to finalize the divorce. I will FINALLY be able to put the past in the past.

9.       My car which has survived everything from my blizzard trip (thanks again for road tripping it with me, Chris & Lynds!!!!!!) from VA to Louisville, to drives out to Chicago, to simply getting me to work. Thanks for not breaking down on me (*knock on wood*).

10.   Government aid.  If I didn’t have that help through food stamps and subsodized child care I know there is no way I’d have been able to pay all my bills.

11. SeasonedGamers because after five years of being a part of the community you all feel more like family than ever.

12. Louisville. My new home that I adore. For opening doors of opportunities that I never thought I'd have. For the adventures. For making me a better person. Cheers.

Happy Holidays everyone.

Love,

Nikki

It's Official!

I’m officially a college student. Wow!

I’m a ton of emotions right now. Excited, nervous, anxious, happy, relieved…

It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve finally got my act together to start the journey that most of my peers are bringing to an end next semester. I still have a few tasks to complete before registering for classes, but going to orientation and receiving my temporary student ID made me feel so proud!

The coolest thing is that the campus is 5 minutes walking distance from my apartment. The crummy part is that since they don’t provide any childcare for single parents like me, I will be limited (for the time being) to take online courses only. I've also decided to take it slow, ease my way back in to being a student and start out simply part time for the first semester. In the Fall I'll evaluate how I’m doing and decide if it’s time to jump ship, quit my job, and be a full time student. The thought scares the heck out of me, but I know that putting the time and effort into being a full time student and getting my Bachelors sooner rather than later is a necessary evil to finally be able to get my Certification to interpret/translate American Sign Language before I’m 100 years old. Ok, a little dramatic, but you get the point.

So, come January I’m going to be one busy momma. Working full time, being a single Mommy full time, and adding school part-time on top of it all. I guess just writing “time to kiss my free time goodbye” would do the trick! Not the typical college experience, but hey, everyone's gotta start somewhere, right? Time to buckle down and get ‘er done.

In other news, I have been pouring HOURS into studying my tush off for two state exams; Life & Health Insurance License and Property & Casualty Insurance License. Both tests are 100 questions, both study manuals are about 630 pages. That’s a LOT of material to understand and memorize for such limited amount of questions they ask. And of course you HAVE to know all of the material in case they pull some obscure question and test you on it-which they can, and WILL do (why wouldn't they, right? /eyeroll). I’m super nervous, and it’s been really strenuous but I have a positive outlook and I’m excited to finally get my Insurance Licenses. If nothing else, it’s an awesome fall back career and something to hold me over until I’m a full time student.

I’m hoping to take my first state exam (Property & Casualty) on Monday November 22^nd, so send good thoughts my way this week as I try to juggle studying for this bear of a test, working, and taking care of PJ!

Cheers,

Nikki

P.S. Oh, other side note… for those of you following my quest for Pop Culture movie list, I AM still doing that. As you can see I’ve been super busy (two 40 hour week pre licensing courses with 2-3 hours of homework each night to prep for the state exams– YUCK!) but I will do my best to watch a movie at some point this week/weekend.

Oh how time flies!

Leaves are falling off tree's. It's about that time to pull out the winter coat. When I get in the car first thing in the morning I can't wait for the heat to get going. It's November. Wow. Where has all the time gone?

Looking back:
Living with my parents temporarily and still working at Prison Fellowship International, what I believe will always be one of my favorite jobs, I was in the midst of a lot of life changing decisions November 2009. In fact, that is when I started taking baby steps planning my move out of Virginia to Louisville. I remember being so thrilled about the thought of change, being so scared because I wasn't sure I could pull off such a move, but above all, I remember being so motivated and excited to create a good life for my son and I. A life we could call our own and years down the road reminise and say "that was awesome".

I've been in Louisville for NINE months now. During this time I've been blessed with some of the best friends I've ever had, given the opportunity for an amazing, budding career, bonded in a whole new way with my precious baby boy, enjoyed spending priceless time with the love of my life, and have learned to make something out of nothing when times get tough. I wouldn't trade anything for this experience.

Looking forward:
Words cannot express how eager I am about the future. There will be more details to come on this soon, but for now just know that there is another huge opportunity looming right around the corner. Plans are currently in the works, so after things get firmed up I'll be sure to make an announcement.

For now, PJ and I will just keep on keepin' on...

Live from Dominica (Part 1)

So, I'm sure some of you are wondering how Dave is doing on the rock of an island that is Dominica. What better way to get an update than go to the source itself... well, more like himself...

What is a typical day like for you, Dave?
"My day generally starts around 7-8AM depending on what I have to do.  I hoof out the 10 minute walk to RUH (Ross University Housing) and grab the shuttle to the Annex (a huge classroom for first semesters students) for class.  I cant stress how key this is, because if I miss the shuttle I have about a mile and a half walk to the Annex... most likely in flip-flops.  I am not saying it hasn't happened;  I am just saying you're a jerk for making me thing about it.  I snag a quick breakfast from the cargo truck gone order-out restaurant that caters to students pouring into the Annex.  With coffee and said breakfast item I settle in for a morning of lecture.  Now let me clarify something about medshool.  The material they throw at you isn't really beyond anyone... but the speed this shit storm comes at you makes you checking to see if you are still wearing clothes.  My brain gasps for air and I realize its 12 pm and time to grab some lunch.  What I do from here really depends on the day: whether I am 'done', or I have another lecture, or I have to go to lab... whatever.  But it all ends the same way... Me and my computer huddled up in 'the barn' (a popular study hall) reviewing my notes and going over the finer points of a lecture until anywhere between 8-10pm.  After I realize my brain has reached its transport maximum (lame joke, deal with it), and I want to squeeze in a little face time with the love of my life, its about time to wrap it up.  I pack up my stuff and head home, talk with Nikki for an hour or more if I am lucky... then either play a little video games or just watch bootlegged TV to try and stave off the aneurysm for one more day.  I finally slip into a restless sleep where I am eaten repeatedly by the next exam looming in my future.  No really, a huge test the size of a UPS van eats me... I even have to sign it and bubble in my name correctly.  I tried using a pen once... it incinerated me..."

Approaching your 8th week in Med School, what do you feel you've accomplished so far?
"Well I haven't failed out yet, so that's good... I have even managed to get what some people might consider a respectable score on my MINI.  I don't know any of these people... but I am sure there ARE people.  When really looking over my accomplishments I think its more important to point out what I HAVEN'T done over what I have.  I have not gotten arrested, deported, attacked by stray dogs, contracted dengue, been injected with neurotoxins from urchins, fought in a no holds cage match with Dr. Yin, or blown up the island.  I am sure you all roll your eyes... but there actually was a chance of this."

Side note: Regardless of Dave's humor (that we all know and love SO MUCH *eyeroll* haha), I'm extremely proud of how hard Dave has been working. He totally rocked his MINI! Also, I really think they should rename the "MINI" exams. Who the heck would name a  HUGE tests that students (usually) put in HOURS extra every day studying for a "MINI". Oh, and if you don't know, MINI exams are a review all of the information given the entire month. Kill.Me.Now. God bless your heart, Dave. You have a bigger brain than I do. Although, I (and everyone) knew that already...moving on...

What do you like about the island?
"Honestly, how much someone can enjoy this island is directly proportional to how big of a wimp you are.  If you would just DIE without being able to shop, or had to go without having Walmart and its fat people scooters for all your needs... then this place will kill you.  But if you can accept, its like a cross between medschool and a shitty summer camp... well, its still a tropical island.


The weather here is a flat 80 degrees constantly and there is so much wildlife here you wonder if we actually even have any in the US.  The Caribbean Sea is very clear and the water is amazing.  We sit on the western side of the island and are privy to spectacular sunsets every day.  However, I think what I like most is just the essence of the experience of living here you just can't put a name on.  Its the part that makes me respect the luxuries we have back home and what that really means. Understanding the gifts I was born into and that there are people in the world that live very different lives.  Its not anything I didn't know, but being surrounded by it everyday is humbling and worth a moment of thought."



So, there you have it. A live update from Dominica and my favorite person in the world that is living there.Thank you for taking the time to do this for me (and our friends and family), Dave!  You are such a great sport. I know that picking your brain after you got home from studying (at 10:30PM) isn't exactly the most ideal way to spend a Friday night!

I miss Dave to pieces and can't wait to see him, but I am SO proud of how hard he is working. It inspires me and pushes me to be that much better everyday. Oh, and after talking to Dave regularly about life in Dominica, I've been really trying to appreciate the little things in life here in America too. Like having clean tap water, even after a hard rain. Or that we have paved roads. Or that when we go to the grocery store we can buy all the things we want (if we have the finances), and not just buy what we think we can manage to carry home over a mile in the burning heat.  Or that the air doesn't almost always smell of burning garbage and poop.  That when we buy spinach at the grocery store we don't have to wash worms out of it (and look for bugs in other produce)....

I (and WE, as Americans) are truly a blessed people.

Oh, and side note to friends and family, there will be more to come soon. I could only squeeze so much out of Dave after he had such a long day but hope you enjoyed this! I sure did :)

Fight Club

Hmm... what to say about Fight Club? As I sit here at a loss for words, I guess I'll just leave it at.... "I watched it"! Oh, and I'll never look at soap the same way ever again. :D

9 down...81 to go....

The List
12 Monkeys
A League Of Their Own
Airplane
Akira
Aliens
American History X
Animal House
Best in Show
Better Off Dead
Big Trouble in Little China
Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
Boondock Saints
Bull Durham
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Caddyshack
Casino Royale
Clerks
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Daze and Confused
Deliverence
Evil Dead II
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Field of Dreams*
Fight Club
Fletch
Ghostbusters
Glory
Goldfinger
Gremlins
Heathers
Highlander
Jaws
Lethal Weapon I
Life as a House
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
My Blue Heaven
Naked Gun
National Lampoon's Vacation
Office Space
Pale Rider
Planes Trains, and Automobiles
Platoon
Policy Acadamy
Porkys
Predator
Primer
Pulp Fiction
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rainman
Rambo: First Blood
Raw Deal
Red Dawn
Reservoir Dogs
Robo Cop
Run Lola Run
Say Anything
Scarface
Sixteen Candles
Spaceballs
Stand By Me
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars:Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator: Salvation
The 6th Day
The Big Lebowski
The Breakfast Club
The Godfather
The Golden Child
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Goonies
The Jerk
The Karate Kid
The Natural
The Professional
The Shining
The Three Amigos
The Usual Suspects
The Warriors
Top Gun
True Lies
True romance
Unforgiven
Untouchables
Young Frankenstein

Stuck between UPS and a hard place

I came home and saw the UPS sticker on my door. Great, I missed the delivery. I’m a single mom and work full time- that means no, UPS, I will not be home during the day to sign for my packages! Of course UPS wouldn’t know that though. Even if they did they wouldn’t care, but I understand, you can't make exceptions for everyone. Perhaps one glorious day in the future I’ll be a stay at home mom (eek, more kids!?) and able to accommodate UPS’s strict schedule of week day, day time deliveries. For now though, UPS is out of luck. Or wait, I think I’m the one out of luck, I still don’t’ have my packages! Rats.

I called the 800 number from the back of my UPS stickey note to inform them of my need to come to the UPS office and pick up the packages --leaving out the whole 'I'm-a-single-mother-working-full-time-so-I-can't-be-home-during-the-day-to-sign-for-the-darn-packages' lecture. “Absolutely, we’ll hold the packages for you, just swing by Monday and they’ll be at the downtown office” the nice UPS lady from the 800 number said. Awesome!

I don’t know how it happened, but I swear there weren’t 24 hours in the day because Monday flew by and was way too short! I said all that to shamefully admit that I wasn’t able to get the UPS office before they closed. Again, rats.

Here I am on Tuesday morning dialing that 800 number again, crossing my fingers I get to talk to the nice lady I spoke to the other day (please oh please let my packages still be there!). A teenage sounding male answers “Sorry ma’me (boy does that make me feel old!) your packages were returned to the sender, you’ll have to contact the company to re ship”. Whhhhaaaaat!!!!!!!!!!!! No!!! Darn you, UPS, you win again.

See, my mom bought my son a few things for the winter and I need those clothes! I guess it’s time to call Khols and see how much they are going to rob me to have the packages re shipped. And perhaps next week I’ll just sign the back of the little UPS sticker allowing them to leave my beloved packages in front of my apartment door next to a note addressing my fellow apartment residents:

“Dear fellow Residents,

Please do not steal these packages. I know you may be tempted and I understand that. It's why you’re standing in front of my door, right? Well, they are for my little boy and he needs them so BACK OFF or I swear I will hunt you down. That, however, will take much more time and effort than me being home to simply sign for the packages that you are now tempted to steal from me, so pretty please with sugar on top for the love of God leave my packages alone! Thank you.

Sincerely,

Resident of 305”

That would work, right? I think so!

e A little update

Today marks the third week at my new job. Great boss, great co-workers, great work... I couldn't be happier! I couldn't be busier either though.

I wasn't able to give my part time job much notice when I switched to my new job so I (stupidly) offered to work in the evenings and do what I can to help out until my boss finds a replacement for me. It's the third week and he still haven't found someone, scratch that, hasn't hired anybody yet. To have found someone would imply that my boss is actually looking, something that I am seriously questioning at this point. I was tempted to google search what the unemployment percent is here in Louisville, but I dont have to do that to know THERE ARE TONS OF PEOPLE LOOKING FOR JOBS. How there is still no replacement is beyond me.

So, I'm out the door by 8:15AM. PJ gets dropped off at day care and I am at work by 9AM. I get off work at 5PM, grab PJ from daycare, and quickly get to my part time job. I'll do everything I can in about one or two hours (juggling work and PJ), staying until 7:30PM at the latest. I then getting home around 8:00PM, rush to get dinner made, feed PJ - oh and myself too, get PJ a bath, scoot him off to bed, and of course there is always cleaning and laundry to be done.. PHEW! Really, I think I could have saved some time writing all that out and instead used one word: exausting. Regardless, PJ and I are both adjusting well and things have been going smoothly!

I've had little 'me' time, but the days have been flying by and I can't believe it's almost middle of October already. The weather is telling me differently, though. 90 degrees is NOT fall weather. Thanks, global warming, thanks a lot.

Oh, Oh! Great news about school! November 10th I have orientation (for the Spring semester)! I'm going to be working my full time job and then attending class afterward so I have a feeling the already busy schedule is going to become even busier (that is seriously possible!? sigh). Not that i'll work my part time job when I'm in school - if I did I might as well buy my tombstone and coffin now. Oh and maybe a life insurance policy so that PJ is set when I die. Wait, this is just wrong. Moving on...

On the video game front... not much going on what so ever. I reached level cap (level 80) in WoW, though! That's a pretty big accomplishment (if you ask me). Ironically, after I hit 80 I've had no desire to play. And without Halo Reach, playing any xbox game seems pointless (since I'm a social gamer and 99% of the friends on my friends list are glued to Reach).

On October 2nd I was able to make it to Chicago for the infamous annual Oktoberfest Pary. That was a blast, as usual. But I have to admit it was a little sad being there without Dave. Also, this past weekend I babysat three kids (so I had four including PJ) and we went to the Louisville Science Center. That is a stinking neat place. PJ being whiney, grumpy, and impossible to deal with while being there with three other kids, however, was not so neat. None the less, it was a good time and I'm glad we went.

How about those Redskins though!!! Winning season for once! *knock on wood* Going to a local bar on Sunday evening to hang out with all my Colts friends next Sunday night. Dun dun dun!!!!!! I'd love to see the Redskins come in the game as the underdog and beat them.

Well, I think I've rambled and bounced around topics enough for one day. More to come in the future.

A League Of Their Own

“They’re gonna wi-in. They ‘re gonna wi-in. They’re gonna wi-in” THOMP …kid proceeds to fall to the ground. Way to stay classy by nailing a baseball glove to the side of an eight year olds head, Tom Hanks! Although, I’m not going to lie, that was mildly hilarious. Ok, I did lie, it was freaking funny. Does that make me a bad person?


Going into this movie, I had no idea what to expect. I mean, a bunch of chicks playing baseball-what is so pop culture about that? Well, nothing really, but I did get down right cultured. I guess, being born in 1989, I forget things used to be different for women ( you know, just like I forget that the internet wasn't ALWAYS around). The thought of women being looked down upon for being good at sports seems ridiculous to me, but last night I was enlightened. There was a time women were looked down upon for being good at sports, there was a time when women were shooed to the kitchen, there was a time when women were unable to get working jobs, there was a time when women were primarily only seen as baby making machines. Crazy! Don’t get me wrong, I knew about all that before, I just hadn’t really thought about it.

Thank you to whoever suggested this movie be put on the List. I was reminded of where our country used to be, how far we’ve come, and how proud I am to be a part of it. Also,I was pleasantly surprised to see Tom Hanks (yeah, I didn't pay any attention to the movie cover). He was so young!!!

A League of Thier Own… Check


I give this movie an A+++ AND a huge recommendation to watch it if you've never have the opportunity to see it before.
8 down...82 to go....

The List
12 Monkeys
A League Of Their Own
Airplane
Akira
Aliens
American History X
Animal House
Best in Show
Better Off Dead
Big Trouble in Little China
Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
Boondock Saints
Bull Durham
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Caddyshack
Casino Royale
Clerks
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Daze and Confused
Deliverence
Evil Dead II
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Field of Dreams*
Fight Club
Fletch
Ghostbusters
Glory
Goldfinger
Gremlins
Heathers
Highlander
Jaws
Lethal Weapon I
Life as a House
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
My Blue Heaven
Naked Gun
National Lampoon's Vacation
Office Space
Pale Rider
Planes Trains, and Automobiles
Platoon
Policy Acadamy
Porkys
Predator
Primer
Pulp Fiction
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rainman
Rambo: First Blood
Raw Deal
Red Dawn
Reservoir Dogs
Robo Cop
Run Lola Run
Say Anything
Scarface
Sixteen Candles
Spaceballs
Stand By Me
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars:Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator: Salvation
The 6th Day
The Big Lebowski
The Breakfast Club
The Godfather
The Golden Child
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Goonies
The Jerk
The Karate Kid
The Natural
The Professional
The Shining
The Three Amigos
The Usual Suspects
The Warriors
Top Gun
True Lies
True romance
Unforgiven
Untouchables
Young Frankenstein

Close Call

“I have decided to make a change in the part time person in my office...”


My heart sank as I read the email late Tuesday morning (August 31st) from one of my bosses who informed me he was letting me go. I was shocked and in disbelief, I felt like I had worked my butt off at this job. We even just started a new project that I was heading up and had gone to training for the week prior! This could not be happening.

Well, it did happen. I was let go from my job. See, that morning I had to call into work sick after a doctors confirmation that I had an Upper Respiratory Infection and sever Pink Eye. For the last two months, though, it seemed like either myself or PJ were sick nonstop (PJ with Sinus and Ear Infections and me with the Flu) so really, I guess I can understand why my absences during that period pushed my boss to make this decision. As a single mother, I don’t have the luxury of taking turns with my significant other to take off work and stay home with the little one. Not to mention the times that I was sick myself. But, life is life and this was the icky hand it dealt to me. One thing I’ve learned is that you just got to keep rolling with the punches, but no one ever said that is easy and sometimes those punches really hurt!

Luckily, I still had my other part time position, and after my employer found out I had been let go he upped my hours to 27.5/week from 20/week which helped tremendously.

I hit the ground running and started getting my resume out immediately to as many places I could. Other insurance agencies that could use an experienced individual, temp agencies, careerbuilder.com, everywhere! To my surprise, interviews came rolling in!

“Want a job?” was the title in the email I received last Friday (September 17th) from another Insurance Agent wanting to hire me full time. Offer ACCEPTED! The best part, in 90 days I’ll be due for a raise and benefits (I currently am getting paid less and have no benefits, so this is really exciting for me)!

Phew, that was stressful! Two weeks of being only a part time employee, not sure when or if I’d be able to find a full time job, nervous about getting all the bills paid and keeping food on the table! I am a lucky one though, two weeks is nothing compared to some horror stories of unemployment that I’ve heard.

I want to give a BIG thank you to all my friends and family who were cheering for me and sending all those positive thoughts my way during this process. You all are beyond awesome. I also want to give a special thank you to Lori and Helena for really going out of their way to help me. I was and still am so touched by your kindness.

It was a doozy, but I think the the flop in this game made that icky hand I was dealt playable. Ha, take that life! Another bump in the road, but another door of great opportunity has been opened. Sometimes things we experience in life are a blessing in disguise, I'll deem this as one of mine.

HFL Playoff Recap

Three people, myself included, were disarming the bomb. A grenade gets lobbed into the base killing two of us, leaving only one remaining to try to make sure Sunshine State does NOT get a score on us. The third, and only teammate disarming the bomb, dies to an enemy who crept in the back of the base. The bomb is DISARMED, but wait... my whole team is dead, the bomb is still sitting on the bomb spot. A Sunshine State Sentential waltzed into the base, armed it, and scored.

That is just one of the incredibly intense plays from the HFL playoff games last night.

The season started off with my team, the Seattle Spartans, hanging out in last place of our division. With our first three weeks stats being one win, one loss, one tie, I know I was thinking the outlook on the season was already looking pretty grim! I swear we just couldn't shake the pattern of 1-1-1! Finally something clicked and our team was pumping out wins, miraculously ending the regular season as first place in our division. I am, and always will be, so proud of the Seattle Spartans for how we pulled together and turned the season around.

Last night was the playoff game against the defending HFL champion team, the Sunshine State Sentenials.
The first game was a slayer game on Heretic, one of my favorite maps. Unfortunately my connection was red bar, I lagged out of the game, and had one heck of a time trying to do anything lagging all over the place when I finally was able to play. I don't know how, but we managed to pulled out a win by just a three point lead. Incredible. I almost had a heart attack seeing both teams constantly switching between first and second place.

Now on to the objective games that we knew RoshamboYa, the Sunshine State GM/Captain, would have prepared and planned for. Any team going up against them would know how nerve wrecking that is!

Neutral Bomb on The Pit: Struggling over possession of the bomb at first, we finally snagged it and ran it to Sunshines base for an early score. As you saw above in the first paragraph, there was an intense struggle against Sunshine state but they were able to get the score and tie up the game. For the majority of the time left we were again fighting over the bomb, both teams determined to score the tie breaker and win. For us, it would mean the playoff games were over, securing our spot in the finals. For them, it would mean tieing up the series and a chance to win the third game presenting them the opportunity to proceed to the finals. Within the last two minutes of the game Sunshine State took possession of the bomb, got around our defenses, scored the tie breaker, and held our offense attempts making the final score 2-1 for Sunshine State.

Series tied 1-1 with just one game left. SCARY.

1 Flag on Last Resort: Seattle didn't do so hot the first offensive round. Sunshine kept us at bay and we were held at miserable 0 for the flag cap. Sunshine State's turn for offense turned out to be a quick success. Coming in with invisibility, Roshamboya grabbed the flag, high tailed it out of the base, and quickly made the cap. Now Seattle was DETERMINED to score on our last turn for offense as it was the only opportunity to stay in the game. With an awesome grab from Timtech, the flag was pulled out of the base and half way to the flag cap. A team effort got the cap and again, we were tied at 1-1 with only one round remaining in the game with Sunshine State as offense. Things were too quiet in the base as were anticipating an early rush from Sunshine State and didn't get it. Sure enough, Dinologic pops in with invisibility, grabs the flag, pops a bubble shield to protected his exit from the base and Roshamboya, who was waiting at the base exit, proceeded to pick off any Seattle Spartan going after Dinologic with his shot gun. Another score for the Sunshine State ending the game 2-1.

Series final is 2-1 for the Sunshine State eliminating Seattle from the Playoffs.

Phew. Those were by far the most intense games I have ever played. Couldn't be more proud of my team or the Sunshine State for their outstanding performance.

Hard fought... well executed... insanely intense... a LOT of fun...

Huge thanks to the HFL Architechs and all the HFL participants for an amazing time. See you next season.
Special thanks to my amazing team mates Timtech, Hawker, Mickey, Assasain, Sauce, and Blythe!

Congrats and good luck to the Sunshine State as they go to the Finals against the Montreal Gausshogs.

Stand By Me

Can I just say that I haven’t gotten the song “Stand By Me” out of my head since I finished watching this movie yesterday afternoon!?! Goodness gracious I don’t think I’ll ever get it out!!


“When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me…. “

I wish I would have seen this movie earlier. So.Stinkin.Good! Those kids were freakin awesome. Crude, vulgar and gross, but awesome! I have never seen kids swear or act like that in my life but it was hilarious to watch them interact. Granted, if one of those were my kid and I caught him acting/speaking that way it’d be a serious problem. And when I say serious problem, I mean sending him off to boot camp, lol! But, for the sake of entertainment, they did an awesome job portraying the parts. It was especially heart warming seeing the kids face the hard decisions in life at such a young age and how they were really there for eachother. Kind of makes you think about kids who really do have rough lives like that...

I don’t  feel like there is much else of a review to give, it simply was a great film. A few quotes I did pick up though…

“This is SO Boss”

“Your ass is GRASS” (my personal favorite and one that I will be using constantly now!)

I almost forgot… you call that thing a computer (shown at the end scene)? Wowzers.

Stand By Me… Check
I give this movie an A+++

Seven down...83 to go....

The List

12 Monkeys
A League Of Their Own
Airplane
Akira
Aliens
American History X
Animal House
Best in Show
Better Off Dead
Big Trouble in Little China
Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
Boondock Saints
Bull Durham
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Caddyshack
Casino Royale
Clerks
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Daze and Confused
Deliverance
Evil Dead II
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Field of Dreams*
Fight Club
Fletch
Ghostbusters
Glory
Goldfinger
Gremlins
Heathers
Highlander
Jaws
Lethal Weapon I
Life as a House
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
My Blue Heaven
Naked Gun
National Lampoon's Vacation
Office Space
Pale Rider
Planes Trains, and Automobiles
Platoon
Policy Acadamy
Porkys
Predator
Primer
Pulp Fiction
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rainman
Rambo: First Blood
Raw Deal
Red Dawn
Reservoir Dogs
Robo Cop
Run Lola Run
Say Anything
Scarface
Sixteen Candles
Spaceballs
Stand By Me
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars:Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator: Salvation
The 6th Day
The Big Lebowski
The Breakfast Club
The Godfather
The Golden Child
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Goonies
The Jerk
The Karate Kid
The Natural
The Professional
The Shining
The Three Amigos
The Usual Suspects
The Warriors
Top Gun
True Lies
True romance
Unforgiven
Untouchables
Young Frankenstein

Enrolling in School

So, Spring semester it is! Applications to Jefferson Community College and the University of Louisville are a go! Well, theoretically. I’m in the process of getting my high school transcripts, SAT scores, and all that juicy good stuff that applications require. But, the process is certainly rolling.

I must say though, I’m nervous. I haven’t been a student since 2007! And I wouldn't even call that truly being a student. I loathed my high school experience and enjoyed working way more than sitting in the class room. But, I graduated, thank God.

I hear that college gives a different perspective on education for people like me though. I’ll be paying for it myself, so I know I’m going to be giving 200% effort to get good grades. And now I know education is the big hoop life forces you to jump through before you can really attain a good career.

Now I have a big decision about whether to stop working completely and go full time, or work part time and go to school part time. I know I qualify for Grants and Financial Aid, but I just can’t see myself being a full time student and racking up all that debt. I’ll be living off my Financial Aid if I go full time (that means not only school fees/material being paid, but rent, bills, childcare, etc ). In fact, being that I am a completely debt free individual right now, it outright scares me!

Decisions, decisions. But, at least I got one decision right, and that is finally starting school again (one way or another). Win-win situation in my book!

Time to buckle down in life and bite the bullet. Heres to opening a new chapter...

If you have any advice, comments, or opinions on this subject I’d love to hear them.


Nikki

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Ummm... where do I start...

• Lots and lots of horse riding.
• The story was good but I felt like it was SO drawn out.
• Have definitely not seen a movie like this before (for example, no music in the background was quite interesting and made me feel like I was watching a home made video) 
• Robert Redford is awesome.
• Certainly had its funny moments (my favorite scene quoted below)  

 "Butch: No, no, not yet. Not until me and Harvey get the rules straightened out.
  Harvey: Rules? In a knife fight? No rules!
  Butch kicks Harvey in the nuts
  Butch: Well, if there aint' going to be any rules, let's get the fight started. Someone count. 1,2,3 go.
   Sundance Kid: 1,2,3, go!"

It was kind of disorienting watching a movie like this because I'm so used to more "fluffed out" movies ( music constantly running in the background, fast action, fast moving plot, etc). But, now I can say I watched it.

I give this a D (just not my style?).

Six down...84 to go....

The List

12 Monkeys
A League Of Their Own
Airplane
Akira
Aliens
American History X
Animal House
Best in Show
Better Off Dead
Big Trouble in Little China
Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
Boondock Saints
Bull Durham
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Caddyshack
Casino Royale
Clerks
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Daze and Confused
Deliverance
Evil Dead II
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Field of Dreams*
Fight Club
Fletch
Ghostbusters
Glory
Goldfinger
Gremlins
Heathers
Highlander
Jaws
Lethal Weapon I
Life as a House
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
My Blue Heaven
Naked Gun
National Lampoon's Vacation
Office Space
Pale Rider
Planes Trains, and Automobiles
Platoon
Policy Acadamy
Porkys
Predator
Primer
Pulp Fiction
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rainman
Rambo: First Blood
Raw Deal
Red Dawn
Reservoir Dogs
Robo Cop
Run Lola Run
Say Anything
Scarface
Sixteen Candles
Spaceballs
Stand By Me
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars:Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator: Salvation
The 6th Day
The Big Lebowski
The Breakfast Club
The Godfather
The Golden Child
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Goonies
The Jerk
The Karate Kid
The Natural
The Professional
The Shining
The Three Amigos
The Usual Suspects
The Warriors
Top Gun
True Lies
True romance
Unforgiven
Untouchables
Young Frankenstein

Casino Royale

Before I say anything about the movie, I’d like to give a huge THANK YOU to WillysK5 from SG for pushing me to watch a bond movie. I had zero, and I mean ZERO, desire to do so but after seeing Casino Royale I’m more than happy I did.

For those of you following this little embarkment, I officially added Casino Royale and Goldfinger Bond movies to my list.

Time to review….

• What a kick ass intro! I’ve not seen an intro that cool since… well, ever! It really set the tone for the rest of the movie.
• Daniel Craig. Need I say more?
• As someone who has never seen a Bond movie before I must say that the plot twist was INCREDIBLE. I felt so bipolar watching that movie, my emotions were so up and down!
• Eva Green. Need I say more?
• I loved the balance of the movie. Action and plot, but just the right amount of both to make it perfect.
• I suddenly have a massive urge to play poker...

I give this movie an A+++
Five down...85 to go....

Movies added to the list:

Casino Royale

Goldfinger

The List

12 Monkeys
A League Of Their Own
Airplane
Akira
Aliens
American History X
Animal House
Best in Show
Better Off Dead
Big Trouble in Little China
Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
Boondock Saints
Bull Durham
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Caddyshack
Casino Royale
Clerks
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Daze and Confused
Deliverance
Evil Dead II
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Field of Dreams*
Fight Club
Fletch
Ghostbusters
Glory
Goldfinger
Gremlins
Heathers
Highlander
Jaws
Lethal Weapon I
Life as a House
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
My Blue Heaven
Naked Gun
National Lampoon's Vacation
Office Space
Pale Rider
Planes Trains, and Automobiles
Platoon
Policy Acadamy
Porkys
Predator
Primer
Pulp Fiction
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rainman
Rambo: First Blood
Raw Deal
Red Dawn
Reservoir Dogs
Robo Cop
Run Lola Run
Say Anything
Scarface
Sixteen Candles
Spaceballs
Stand By Me
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars:Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator: Salvation
The 6th Day
The Big Lebowski
The Breakfast Club
The Godfather
The Golden Child
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Goonies
The Jerk
The Karate Kid
The Natural
The Professional
The Shining
The Three Amigos
The Usual Suspects
The Warriors
Top Gun
True Lies
True romance
Unforgiven
Untouchables
Young Frankenstein

The Daily Grind

It’s been a little while since I’ve written an entry for my mini blog series Earning Achievements in Life. You know, the one where I'm jotting down my experiences, ups, downs, and accomplishments of my new life in Louisville. It’s been a while, but it’s time to revive the series.

What a ride it has been and man time has flown by! This weekend will mark 5 months of Louisville living under my belt. It seems like just yesterday I was stressing to find boxes to get my stuff packed back in Virginia!

So, what has moving to a new place been like? How have things been going? Has Louisville lived up to my expectations?

I’m not going to lie, moving 10+ hours away from my family and being taken out of my comfort zone was pretty stressful at first. Scrambling to find a job, making sure daycare for PJ was squared away, being certain that living expenses could and would be taken care of… I’m pretty sure I have three gray hairs at 21 years of age because of it all. Nothing unexpected of course, but it was (and still is at times) stressful. I’m happy to say though that I have a secure full time position as an administrative assistant (even got a raise of sorts recently, receiving commission on top of my base pay), PJ (although switching home daycares twice) is now in a Preschool/daycare center and is loving it there, and even the move within a move (switching from Jeanette’s house to our cozy apartment downtown) wasn’t too bad. Hopefully now that I feel like we’ve found our niche here the stress level will be turned way low and the enjoyment level way up.

I do have to say though that yes, Louisville is every bit as wonderful as I thought it was the first time I ever came here. Although Dave is leaving the country for Medical School this Saturday and it will be different without him here, I am still so happy to call this place PJ and my new home and I look forward to exploring, enjoying, and digging my roots even deeper day by day.

I also have fantastic news to share. As you may recall, my primary motive to move here is to attend the University of Louisville. On August 10th my FAFSA was approved and received by the University. I qualify for government financial aid as well as the Pell Grant of $5500. I’m waiting to hear from a counselor at UofL any day now and (*knock on wood*) will begin school in spring of 2011.

So, cheers to the daily grind. A new life for PJ and myself has been planted, I fully intend to keep you updated as each flower blossoms along the way.

Love,

Nikki

My Little Man Turns 3!

Mom and PJ at the Zoo Saturday Aug 14 for PJ's early bday celebration.

Well, I guess he’s not so little anymore, huh? So many people had warned me, but I never truly comprehended the phrase “they grow up so fast” until now. The time truly has flown SO fast and in these past three years we’ve gone through some really tough times, but the one thing that has been consistent through it all is that we’ve always had each other.

I am such a proud mom of such a smart, funny little boy. I’m also so thankful to say that he has impacted my life in so many ways and revealed potential deep within me that I doubt I would have found without him in my life. PJ has pushed me to have ambition to provide a better life for us. Given me courage to do whatever necessary to make that happen. Provided strength during some of the hardest times in my life. Shown me how to love on a level that I’ve never loved before. He’s taught me patience and brought me a happiness that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the entire world.

I’m overjoyed to celebrate my little boys birthday today with him and I look forward to the privilege of standing next to him each step of his life as he blossoms into the amazing young man I know he will become.

I love you PJ! You are my world and without you I would be lost!

Love,
Mom

12 Monkeys

Interesting movie to say the least. It was different from anything I've seen before. At the end of the movie I was still really confused, but luckily I had Dave there who explained everything and then it all started to make sense. Now that I have knowledge of things that I hadn't picked up during the movie I think i'll watch it again just to put the pieces together.

Would I recommend this movie? Probably. Brad Pitt is one hell of an actor in this one. I was super impressed with his role and how great he pulled it off! And of course, Bruce Willis was golden as usual. But... it was a weird film.

Four down...86 to go....

The List

12 Monkeys
A League Of Their Own
Airplane!
Akira
Aliens
American History X
Animal House
Best in Show
Better Off Dead
Big Trouble in Little China
Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
Boondock Saints
Bull Durham
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Caddyshack
Clerks
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Daze and Confused
Deliverance
Evil Dead II
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Field of Dreams*
Fight Club
Fletch
Ghostbusters
Glory
Gremlins
Heathers
Highlander
Jaws
Lethal Weapon I
Life as a House
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
My Blue Heaven
Naked Gun
National Lampoon's Vacation
Office Space
Pale Rider
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Platoon
Policy Acadamy
Porkys
Predator
Primer
Pulp Fiction
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rainman
Rambo: First Blood
Raw Deal
Red Dawn
Reservoir Dogs
Robo Cop
Run Lola Run
Say Anything
Scarface
Sixteen Candles
Spaceballs
Stand By Me
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator: Salvation
The 6th Day
The Big Lebowski
The Breakfast Club
The Godfather
The Golden Child
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Goonies
The Jerk
The Karate Kid
The Natural
The Professional
The Shining
The Three Amigos
The Usual Suspects
The Warriors
Top Gun
True Lies
True romance
Unforgiven
Untouchables
Young Frankenstein

Boondock Saints

 Review...

• Two (hot) main characters were Irish and had authentic accents... HUBBA HUBBA! What I'm really saying is that ANY girl will appreciate this movie.
• Slapping someone in the face with raw meat is FUNNY. Oh man, I rewound the movie and watched that scene like four times. Seriously.
• An old irish man with Tourette's syndrome, awesome.
• The detective had a CD player hooked to his belt. Oh man, I remember those....
• I'm not going to lie, I felt really bad for the cat.
• I really enjoyed the twist in the plot! Two thumbs up on that.

Over all I really didn't feel like this movie gave me much pop culturally and there really wasn't too much from the movie I can quote (except "I just want to cuddle" ... "cuddle?? .. you fag!" bahaha). So although this was a good movie and I'm really glad I saw it, I'm not sure how it made the list.

Stay tuned for the next review.

Three down...87 to go....

The List

12 Monkeys
A League Of Their Own
Airplane!
Akira
Aliens
American History X
Animal House
Best in Show
Better Off Dead
Big Trouble in Little China
Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
Boondock Saints
Bull Durham
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Caddyshack
Clerks
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Daze and Confused
Deliverance
Evil Dead II
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Field of Dreams*
Fight Club
Fletch
Ghostbusters
Glory
Gremlins
Heathers
Highlander
Jaws
Lethal Weapon I
Life as a House
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
My Blue Heaven
Naked Gun
National Lampoon's Vacation
Office Space
Pale Rider
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Platoon
Policy Acadamy
Porkys
Predator
Primer
Pulp Fiction
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rainman
Rambo: First Blood
Raw Deal
Red Dawn
Reservoir Dogs
Robo Cop
Run Lola Run
Say Anything
Scarface
Sixteen Candles
Spaceballs
Stand By Me
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator: Salvation
The 6th Day
The Big Lebowski
The Breakfast Club
The Godfather
The Golden Child
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Goonies
The Jerk
The Karate Kid
The Natural
The Professional
The Shining
The Three Amigos
The Usual Suspects
The Warriors
Top Gun
True Lies
True romance
Unforgiven
Untouchables
Young Frankenstein