UNEVENTFUL WEEKEND

Our weekend was nice and uneventful. Friday night we met up with Kenny's mom and aunt for Mexican.(my favorite!) They were in town visiting Kenny's other aunt who lives in Arkansas. After we left the restaurant Kenny and I came home, watched a little television and were in bed by 10. We are getting old. But hey, Friday is a work day and that means I wake up at 6:30 so its okay to be a little tired. RIght?

Saturday, Kenny played golf all day and I drove around with Lena in the car looking at different houses listed for sale. You can find out a lot about an area of town by driving around on a Saturday. Saturday night we met up with a client of Kenny's and his wife and went to a Redbirds game. The weather had been overcast and blah all day but it had cleared up and the night turned out to be really kind of cool. We had a great time and the Redbirds beat the poo out of the team they were playing.

Sunday, we went and looked at a few houses and went to Old Venice for lunch. That place brings back so many memories from college. Kenny and I got the Crawdaddy pizza we always used to get on our dates in Starkville. It was still very delicious. Sunday night Kenny grilled out steak kabobs that were so yummy and we watched the movie Jumper. It was terrible. Do not watch it! I am looking forward to a short week!

AFTERNOON WALKS

Lena and I have started walking everyday when I get home from work. We both need the exercise and she also needed some work on walking with a leash and being social with other dogs. She is a spoiled only child.

On most days we avoid the River Park because it so hot and there are no trees to give us some shade. So we walk through the winding streets of Harbor Town. The first time that I ever visited Mud Island I loved it. It almost feels beachy without there being a shore in sight. There are so many beautiful homes that have so much personality.

So as Lena and I walk I have found myself admiring everyone's beautiful flowers. Hydrangeas are my favorite flower ever and so many of the houses in the neighborhood have at least one bush of them. A lot of them have the gorgeous bright pink ones. With it being summer it seems like all the flowers are in bloom and I see so many different kinds. I always wish I could pick one from every house and make an arrangement. But that would be tacky, and imagine looking out your window and seeing some girl picking your flowers. That would not make for happy people and I would get a very bad reputation as the girl who picks everyone flowers. So for now I will just enjoy them during my walks.

Another thing that I like to do is look at the things that people have in their yard. I love to look for children's toys and figure out if they have a boy or a girl. Or I look for dog bowls or things on their porches that allude to what kind of pets they have. I am nosy and I love to think about the people who live there.

Needless to say I have enjoyed Lena and I's time together walking and daydreaming and I will hopefully enjoy the results of the excercise on my waistline!

IN THE HEIGHTS

After watching the In the Heights cast perform at the Tony's I wanted to hear more. Then it won the Tony for Best Musical, so I bought the soundtrack.

I love it! It is a very passionate play and I would say it is like a Latino Rent. There is a good bit of rapping and salsa-like music. The guy who wrote the play also plays the main character Usnavi and he is incredible. But really everyone who sings in this musical is so so good! I will just have to add this one to my long list of things to see when I get to New York.


Here is a list of all the things I would see if I could go to New York today and stay for a week:
Legally Blonde
In the Heights
Patti LuPone in Gypsy
Sunday in the Park with George (the special effects look so neat)
Jersey Boys
Xanadu (they are on roller skates most of the time!)
Mary Poppins
and of course Wicked

TUESDAY MORNING RECAP

The Search for Elle Woods episode last night was just okay to me. They were focusing more on silly drama and Emma being sick than on the auditions. But of course I still loved it.

My pick to win; Autumn had a really bad audition last night. I mean really bad, but I still think she will win the whole thing and that she has the most talent. However, last night there were some girls who had not really impressed the judges in the past that did really really well.

My favorite of the night was Rhiannon. While I think that she has been very consistent throughout the competition something about her mouth bothered me. But she was really really good last night. She delivered the lines well and was funny and she sang well.


The other girl that stood out last night was Emma. She had bronchitis and still had a very good performance. She also did not seem to be as stern. She came across friendlier on stage. Maybe it was the meds.


I think the judges are growing a little tired of Bailey. It seems to me that she just watches Laura Bell Bundy's performances and copies them verbatim. She does not put any of her own personality in it and while she is very talented it comes across kind of boring.


And then there is Mrs. Thang over here. She really thinks she is something. She deserved to go home for her arrogance alone! I don't know if the producers just hated her and edited her in the way that everything that came out of her mouth was made to sound like she was a prima donna or if that is really how she is. But good riddance Cassie. Who will be the next one to go?

NO WEDDINGS THIS WEEKEND!

Kenny and I were so happy to be able to stay in town this weekend and just relax. Friday night we went and ate at Sauces. It is a really good restaurant downtown on Main. They have the best Mojitos.(my absolute favorite drink) It was delish and then we went to see Get Smart. I had never seen the show but Kenny said he used to watch it on Nick at Night. It was pretty good. Steve Carrell was really fun and I like Anne Hathaway too.

Saturday morning Kenny and I met up with Lauren, and Lowe and Shelton at the zoo. We got there pretty early so it would not be too hot. It ended up being a really nice day. We saw all the animals and got to see our little friend Shelton too. It made me want a baby so bad to take to the zoo. So I took this picture to plead my case.Doesn't Kenny look so handsome behind a stroller! He is going to hate me for that. Here is a picture of the cute family on the carousel. Have you ever tried to take a picture on people on a carousel. It is impossible. Kenny and I each had a camera and neither of us got a good picture while that thing was moving. Oh well!

Saturday night I ended up going to see CATS at the Orpheum and Kenny watched some movies at home. I had never seen CATS and while it is not one of my faves I did not want to pass on the oppurtunity to see it. I thought it was okay. It was very strange. But it is a classic so I am glad I went.

Sunday we got up and took Lena swimming at the pond, and then Kenny was off to play golf. He has been playing golf a lot lately. I think it has become a weekly thing. I just hung out at home and read a book. It was so relaxing and so nice to not have to be traveling!

HAPPY FRIDAY

Last night I went to have drinks and appetizers with the girls that I work with to celebrate my boss' 25th anniversary with the company. Wow that is a long time! But when I got home Kenny had left these on my bedside table. Aren't they cheerful. They make me smile. The vase was a Christmas gift from him. I found it in one of the antique stores on the Collierville square and loved it. I love being surprised with little things. It makes me so happy!

Happy Friday! Have a Great Weekend!

FLASHBACK OF A CHILDHOOD MEMORY

Funny and really quite an embarrassing story from my childhood:

In first grade we were doing an activity about what we wanted to be when we grow up. First our teacher had us color a picture of our grown up dreams and then we were going to dress up and bring props for a show and tell time.

I guess I was feeling really uncreative that day so I looked at my friends paper to see what she was coloring. To this day all I can remember seeing on her paper were hangers. So using my six year old logic I assumed that she was drawing a picture of the cleaners. She wanted to work at the cleaners so I wanted to work at the cleaners.

Fast forward to the day where we had to dress up like the profession of our future. Not knowing what people who work at the cleaners normally wear, I put on a nice dress. Have you ever seen the people at the cleaners wear a dress? No, you haven't because people who work at the cleaners do not wear frilly dresses with those big white collars.(Every girl out there knows what I am talking about). And off my mother sends me with her clothes from the cleaners. Wire hangers, plastic wrap and all!

Wow, my teacher must have been really impressed by my aspirations. Especially since my little friend who I had copied the idea from wanted to work at a golf course because her daddy was a golf pro! Big difference.

The next day I went back to wanting to be an author. The profession I wanted to do from the time I was around 5 until 13. I must not of known how to draw what an author does that day.

(Note: Please understand that in no way am I making disparaging remarks to people who work at cleaners. I just think it is a very funny thing for a six year old to choose as a future profession and to dress up as.)

MY NEW GUILTY PLEASURE

I have never really had a sweet tooth. I have always preferred something salty over something sweet. But I have a problem. Subway cookies are delicious! They call out to me every afternoon. It does not help that there is a Subway conveniently located right across the street from the building I work in. It is just a short walk. And I can justify the calories by walking there to get a cookie......right?

The Subway cookie is delectable in that it is crunchy around the edges the way a cookie should be but soft and chewy in the middle and the chocolate chips are melty and gooey . Yum! I also enjoy the other assorted kinds of cookies they have. I have not had one that I was dissatisfied with. The double chocolate is excellent, as is the white chocolate macadamia nut. I love them all.

I will just pray that the Subway nearby has slacking sales and they have to close otherwise the addiction can only become more serious.

THE SEARCH FOR ELLE WOODS RECAP

Last night a new episode of Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods aired. They are getting better and better. Last night they put the girls through a lot of workouts while making them belt out å song from Legally Blonde. They did this to simulate what it would take to sing and dance through the entire show. It is all about stamina!


I was really pleased with last nights episode because we got to see a lot more of the girls singing and acting capabilities and that is what I love. I love watching auditions. My pick to win is still Autumn and now I am really starting to love her. She reminds me the most of Laura Bell Bundy which in my opinion is a great thing.

There was also some drama last night between Cassie and the other girls. I thought I liked Cassie but now she is seeming a little obnoxious and very full of herself. I think she might be a little of a pot stirrer. However, her entire audition was very good and she had improved from the weeks before.

As far as the rest of the group goes I thought the other stand outs were Bailey and Natalie. I also like Lauren but she sounds like she yells when she sings.

Love this show!

BILOXI WEDDING

Kenny and I went to Biloxi this weekend so Kenny could be in a friend of his wedding. We had a really good time but the drive to and from was a long one. We got there Friday around noon and went and layed out at the pool, and then got ready to go to the rehearsal dinner.

The rehearsal dinner was at Mary Mahoneys and it was tasty. Lots of fresh seafood that we don't get here in Memphis too much. After the Rehearsal dinner everyone went to Rise. It is a club in the Hard Rock casino. Kenny and I had a lot of fun hanging out with people we do not get to see very often.
Saturday during the day we just rested and enjoyed not having a lot to do until the wedding. The reception was a lot of fun and as you can probably see Kenny got picture happy and kept wanting me to take pictures with all the guys. So that explains why I am not in very many from that night! After the reception we just went back to our rooms and crawled in bed. We were so tired from the night before!

TIM RUSSERT

Kenny and I went to Biloxi for a wedding weekend and I forgot my cord this morning so there will be a weekend post later with pictures. But I just have to say that I am so sad about the death of Tim Russert. Friday night after Kenny and I got in from the rehearsal dinner and having drinks with friends I turned on the news and found out that he had died from a heart attack. And I have to be honest......I cried. I am crazy.

I do not know this man but for some reason his death has affected me greatly. I watched the Today show EVERY morning and he appears on the show almost every day to talk about the election coming up or any number of topics. He was a great journalist who asked the hard questions and because of his death I have seen the great respect his colleagues and his family had for him.

This morning they interviewed his son on the Today show and it was so sad and they also did a video tribute. Is it possible that just by watching him on the news every morning he influenced my life more than I thought. Or am I just a sap. Maybe it is because he was so young and it was so unexpected.

REDISCOVER

So the other day I heard a song. It was really good and I decided I really loved that catchy tune. But I did not know the name of the song so I just started to Google some of the lyrics from the song.

After a few minutes I found out who sang the song and that it was called Happy Ending. It is an artist named Mika. I thought to myself.....hey I have his CD.....so out comes my ipod and I start thumbing through the album and there was that great tune! I was so excited that I had it for my listening pleasure. But it just made me think....I usually like a song and buy the cd for that one song. I might listen to a little bit of each track to see if I like any of the others but usually I just listen to the one I like over and over.

So to get to my point.....this cd is awesome. And I have had it for a while now. He is a British guy who's songs are upbeat and very happy sounding. If you go to this website you can listen to clips of his music, including my favorite song "Happy Ending." He plays the piano a lot in his music and I love when there is a lot of piano in songs.

Some of the other songs I really enjoy are: Grace Kelly, Lollipop, Love Today, and Big Girl but really most of the songs are really fun to listen to. I just feel so silly that I have not discovered this great music until now when I have had the cd for months!

SEASON TICKETS AND LEGALLY BLONDE RECAP

I am so excited to announce that we are now season ticket holders for the 2008-2009 Broadway series!!!! I set up our account yesterday. Kenny and I decided to go on Thursday nights because we felt like that was the safest bet as far as not missing any of these amazing plays because we had something to do on the weekend. My mom and my sister also got two tickets sitting with us.

For those of you who do not know the 2008-2009 season is incredible and I can't wait for all these shows to get here. I did decide to replace The Drowsy Chaperone with Mama Mia. It is so fun to know that I will get to see all of these plays.

Last night was episode two of Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods. And I think this episode was a lot better. However, I do not like how chopped up it is. I am not getting to see a lot of the girls auditions. They are editing them so much that we might see 30 seconds of one girl and five seconds of another. So being the huge dork that I am I went to the show's website after it was over and watched all of the girls entire audition tapes and I learned so much.

The first thing that surprised me was Emma. For some reason she just rubbed me the wrong way. She seemed sort of rude and apathetic and wanted to make excuses for her shortcomings. But after watching her entire audition I changed my mind. She was very good. Her acting was real and believable.

This is Autumn. This is the girl that I have pegged to win the entire thing due to the editing of the show. It is a little game I like to play with reality television. I think you can always tell who is going to win or lose by how the producers tell the story in editing. And I noticed that they show Autumn's interviews a lot and most of her auditions. And when I watched her audition tape she is very talented so I am thinking she could be a front runner.

Bailey and Cassie are the two girls I am rooting for. This picture is of Cassie. Bailey is the girl in the pink shirt and black skirt in the big picture above on the right. I think both of these girls are great but I am afraid that Cassie might be overacting a little bit. So Bailey as of right now has a better chance. And Bailey just has such a great personality so I would love for her to succeed.

I know this has probably bored some of you to tears but I just love this musical so much and I am so sad Laura Bell Bundy is leaving that I really care that they get someone great to fill this role. After all, I plan on getting up to New York sooner than later and this could be the girl I see perform!

GOOD FRIENDS, GOOD FOOD

Kenny and I had a nice weekend relaxing with friends and eating most of the time it seemed.

Friday night I was excited to meet up with my very good friend Stefanie(she is in the middle) who was in town from Jackson, MS with her husband Conrad. Stefanie's sister Brittany(on the right) lives across the street from me and Stefanie, Conrad, and their parents had all come in town this weekend to go to a wedding in Arkansas.

Stefanie and I have been friends since freshman year of college when she lived next door to me in the dorms. I would come to her room and eat Lay's Potato Chips with dill pickle chips and drink hot Dr. Pepper with her. Yes, she was kind of strange in that way......she always kept her canned drinks out of the fridge since she preferred them hot. And she would come to my room to eat lunchables and watch MTV. We are both alike in that we love anything and everything having to do with pop culture so of course the friendship flourished and remains strong. Kenny and I went with Stef's family to eat at Pearl's Oyster House which was yummy and then we came back over to Brittany's and hung out for a little while. I was so happy to get to see her and visit with her family.

On Saturday, Kenny went and played golf with Lowe and I ran some errands. Then later that night we cooked out with Joe and Tracy and Mollie and Wilson. We had a lot of fun. Mollie had brought over this delicious dip. It was sooooo good. It had all these different kinds of cheeses with bacon and Ritz crackers. I ate way too much of it but if Mollie will send me the recipe I will post it on here for all of the world to enjoy! I also have to note that Tracy made an excellent dessert dip with cream cheese and chocolate chips. I ate way to much of that too. By the end of the night I was stuffed and sleepy. Sorry I do not have any pictures. I had to busy to take pictures.

Sunday, I managed to get out of going to the St. Jude golf tournament and Kenny and Lowe went instead. It is not that I did not want to go with Kenny it was that it was too freaking hot! But Kenny came back with a farmer's tan and he had a good time so I am happy. Last night we just watched National Treasure 2. We had seen in the theatres when it came out but I wanted to see it again. I think I like the first one better. Now I am just trying to recover from my weekend long food coma.

SO ME......SO NOT ME

I saw this on another blog and I thought it was cute! It will be a lot of scrolling ha ha!
So Me.....

(flirty dresses)

So Not ME.....

(skinny jeans)

So Me.....So Not Me.....

So Me....So Not Me.....

So Me....So Not Me.....

So Me...So Not Me....So Me.....So Not Me....

And now one more! Are you ready for this......
So Me.....So Not Me.....

"I CURSE THE DAY YOU WERE BORN"

If you have seen this movie then you appreciate the quote that is my title. So last night I went and saw SATC AGAIN. And yes I still loved it and yes I still cried, but not as much. Tracy and Mollie and I went out to eat and then went to the movie. We went to this little Italian restaurant that is close to the movie theatre Cafe Toscana. It was so yummy. I had the Penne Pollo and it was delish.

I was so happy to be going to see this movie again but I was more happy to have someone to talk to about it. My mom and sister enjoyed it but were not huge watchers of the show so I was looking forward to watching it with Tracy and Mollie who could appreciate all the little things. And Tracy made me feel better by also crying through the whole thing. Thanks girl! I don't feel so silly anymore.On a side note: Can I please talk about my favorite movie candy ever. SNO CAPS. They are delicious chocolate morsels with sprinkles. Can it get any better. This has been my favorite movie candy for most of my life. I used to eat them when I was younger and then they went away for a long time and movie watching was a little sadder. But then a few years ago they marched back into the glass cases of theatres and it is a rare occasion that I can pass this candy up. Although I will admit to taking a trip to Walgreens where I can buy them for a dollar instead of $3.50 at the theatre. On a rare occasion if I am not in the mood for Sno Caps I go for Twizzlers, but Sno Caps will always be my first choice. Anyway the reason I am telling you this is I had a box last night with my movie and they made me happy!

It was a great night and I am ready for the weekend!

THE SEARCH FOR THE NEXT ELLE WOODS

So last night The Search for the Next Elle Woods premiered on MTV, and I was somewhat pleased. I hope the future episodes have more of them actually learning the dance and singing the songs than the normal mumbo jumbo of reality television.

As sad as I am to see Laura Belle Bundy step out of the role as Elle Woods I think that this show will find a good replacement. All of the judges and people who are teaching the girls are people who are directly involved with the Broadway production. Although I have my suspicions that the girl who will win the role has already been chosen out of the 10 and the reality show is just to boost interest in this play.

Legally Blonde is coming to the Orpheum this year and will be included in our season ticket package. I cannot wait to see it and would encourage anyone who wants to get a fill for the play and the way awesome music to watch this show and then go see it at the Orpheum. I absolutely love love love it!

JON AND KATE IN REAL LIFE

I know I know my picture of them is blurry. But I felt guilty taking one at all because they had specifically asked us not to take one because Maddie and Cara were with them. So I snuck one without a flash and this is what I got.

This is us before we got on the road. And yes I sort of dressed up. What if Kate had seen me and I wasn't looking my best.


It was so exciting to see them in person. As everyone well knows I am OBSESSED with the show and I could not wait to see them and hear what they had to say, so off we headed to Lucedale, Mississippi to the Rocky Creek Baptist Church. Instead of boring you with all the amazing details, I will list some things I learned that I did not know from watching the show.

THINGS I LEARNED
1. Jon was let go from two jobs during Kate's pregnancy and after the sextuplets were born because of insurance. Companies were afraid that the babies would drive up the premiums. So he was fired twice. Talk about stress. I would be a nutcase.

2. They are currently shooting for season four. There will be a whopping 50 episodes in this season! YIPPEE!

3.The show sends them on a lot of their trips like Disney world and skiing for the sake of entertainment. (This one I assumed but they actually talked about it in their question and answer period)

4. During Kate's pregnancy she went to the hospital (an hour away) for bed rest after 10 weeks. She was only able to lay on one side because of how the babies had formed.

5. When she delivered, the babies were preemies but none of them had any major health problems which is basically a miracle for any preemies, especially sextuplets.

6. When the babies were seven months Jon and Kate decided to stop having volunteers over to help with the children. They decided they could do it on their own and they said it was the best decision of their life.

7. Jon and Kate have an extremely strong faith in God and attend church with the children every week but the network chooses to edit their faith out of the show.

8. If they ever should quit filming the show it will be because of safety for their children. They said they already have people who drive past their house and take pictures of the children while they are playing outside. (That is sad)

Those are just a few things that I learned by hearing them speak. But their testimony was a great one and I am so happy I got a chance to see Jon and Kate. They have a book out that I am dying to read Multiple Blessings. Here is the link if you want to buy it.