2 books I am reading...er...listening to..

Yup...I am multi-tasking with my books now. No I am not reading one in addition to listening to a different one at the same time. A couple months ago I was introduced to the world of audio-books thanks to one of my professors at Iona who wanted us to listen to Tuesdays with Morrie. Since then I have kind of liked the idea of listening to a book while I drive while I am alone in the car headed to work. Why not be productive while driving right??

Currently, I am listening to Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. Who is Sophie? She is the author behind the whimsical Shopaholic book series.  My mom had an extra copy of the audio book and sent it home with me while I was in Oregon. When I got back to Connecticut, I popped the first cd into my car player and entered a new world. At first I didn't know if I would like the book as it just seemed odd listening to it rather than reading it. By the time the first cd was over, I was hooked with the story and I love it. I am almost done with the story, and I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants a light hearted story. I am not finished with it...but it is pretty good. 

In addition to listening to a book, I am also reading one. I am reading the fourth installment of the Shopaholic series. The fourth installment is called, "Shopaholic & Sister". Now I will say that the first Shopaholic book was probably the best by far, but the ending of each books wants me to pick up the next book to start. I am almost done with this one and will soon start the last Shopaholic book that I have. The newest book in this series will be not be released until December according to the book boards on Sophie's page. By then, I am sure I will be one of the many who are waiting at Borders Books in line to purchase the newest copy. Ok...so maybe not fully waiting in line, but you get the picture. 

Once I finish all of Sophie's books...I will get back into my Dee Henderson book which I thought I left on an airplane! Rob found my book though when the two of us were headed to North Dakota. I was very happy to see that I didn't leave the book in the seat back on the airplane and to know that it was just in a different pocket of his laptop bag. :)

I love reading and now listening to books!! I have another audio book to listen to, but I think I will save that for this summer when I am driving to our new house where ever that may be!!

Cabela's = A Man's Disney World

A Cabela's store has been defined to me by a close friend as a "Man's Disney World". Now sit and ponder this...for those of you who have been to a Cabela's store...do you agree with this friend's description?? I mean Cabela's has anything and everything that a man would need for camping, hunting, fishing or any other outdoor activity. Cabela's even has clothing for both men and women as well.

I have now been to a Cabela's store four times. Yes it is a very large and cool store. If though you do not need anything then one would think that this is just a big store full of outdoor sporting good items in addition to clothing for the whole family. Today though, the trip to Cabela's was different. We went up to the store with a list and an agenda.

Rob and I have talked about going tent camping and starting making a list of supplies that we would need. A close friend told me about a huge camping sale that Cabela's was having which started today. I quickly went to the website to see if I could view the sale ad online and sure enough, I was able to look at everything and even print out the ad for even further detail looking. When Rob and I started making our supply list of what we would need for us to go camping we realized that we didn't own sleeping bags. At first we laughed at the thought and said, "Surely we have sleeping bags at the Connecticut house!" Rob went and looked and found that we did not have bags. I figured mine would have been left at my mom's house back in Oregon as the last time I went camping was close to five years ago with my old church group in Oregon. Sleeping bags were on sale at Cabela's in addition to lots of other items. We figured we should have some type of small burner or grill so that we could heat water in the morning for coffee or hot tea. So that went on the list as well.

After spending about an hour at the store, we walked away with two sleeping bags and a new little Coleman grill which has a one burner to heat a kettle in the morning or evening for coffee. I was very pleased with what we got. The one stove that we were actually looking for was actually sold out and so we had to upgrade. We had looked at another 2 burner stove but figured that we would get the one that had a small grill so that if we would go to a camp site that does not have a grill then we have a small one with us.

Now that we are home, and the tents set up in the backyard for airing out, I am ready to go camping. Yes I have not been camping in years...but I think it will be fun to just get away. Even though most camp sites these days offer free wireless, I will be leaving my computer at home. Camping is about getting away and going back to the simple life. I guess I will have to blog about camping in the future.

Future Food - on Planet Green

I came across a very cool channel while I was at my mom's house last month. The channel is called Planet Green. Now I am one who has not fully embraced the whole "greeness" like some of you, but I like the thought of what people are trying to do. While I was at my mom's though...I found a couple shows on this channel that I wanted to watch. One was a show that I had already been familiar with which is called "30 Days" which is hosted by the same guy who did the documentary film, "Supersize Me", and the other show that I wanted to see was called "Future Food".

When I got home to Connecticut, I asked Rob if we had this channel. He had hidden this channel from the guide as he thought it was some nonsense channel. Which it might have been if I would not have found a couple shows! So he added it back to our Windows Media Center Guide, and I got busy adding the shows to record.

I have came to love this show called Future Food. It is by the two Chicago chefs who run the restaurant MOTO. Basically Moto creates dishes that are innovative using Molecular Gastronomy. Molecular Gastronomy is basically cooking with science. Like it says on wikipedia, molecular chefs investigate and explain the chemical reasons behind the transformation of ingredients, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general. This show is very cool. I just watched one today (it was an old one) where the chefs made food for kids. The kids were asked what their favorite foods were and then asked to use their imagination on what they would like to see their favorite food made into. What a great way to get kids to eat food, by changing it into something fun. Some of the food that they made was turned into bars of soap, a decapitated deer with brains, some kids wanted eye balls, dirty socks. Now some of the dishes did turn sour and not do too well with the kids, but it was still fun to watch. The episode that I am talking about is Kids Gone Wild. 


If you have some time to kill...sit down and watch this show...I think you will find it just as interesting as me!

Been a few days..

I know...I have fallen out of my habit of posting every day. But it is ok...at least I am telling myself that. I figured I would update you all on how things are going. Work was pretty slow this weekend, which was ok for me. Friday I worked the ticket drop and was sent home an hour early due to it being so slow. I was not going to protest as it was a Friday, I had no plans, and it was nice outside. Of course I was going to just go home, but the thought of being sent home an hour early is always a nice thought!! I am rarely sent home early since most of the time I am the closer in box office or in a different spot where I am the only one for the job at the time. Friday evening we went out to see if I could find some long sleeved gray tshirts. One of the two that I have ripped on the bathroom stall at work. I was not happy as it was a very comfy shirt!! Let me just say that I came home empty handed as most of the shops and stores have switched to the spring and summer clothing which normally does not include light wieght long sleeved shirts. If I did find some...they were shirts that I was not really looking for.

Saturday was spent getting ready for the Open House on Sunday. Rob steamed cleaned the carpets in a couple of the bedrooms while I worked on the kitchen, dusting, and dishes. I had to work Saturday evening and Rob ended up going to work with me to watch some movies. I was in box office which was not very busy again. Just a couple more weeks and I will be wishing it was slow like it is now. I don't mind the slowness as I tend to take a book with me to read on the downtimes.

Sunday morning we woke up and made the finishing touches to the house. We mopped the kitchen, washed up the extra dishes that had not been washed the day before, and made sure that all of our jarred candles that we have around the house were all lit. We tend to have four different candles through out the house that normally light on a daily basis. We will normally let them burn all day and then put them out just before we head to bed. It keeps the house smelling good, even with three dogs! When our agent came by, we left for a couple hours and ate lunch at On The Border. When we got back, our agent said that in the two hours he had three different interests come by the house. One of them was just someone being nosy, another one was a couple with their own agent, and then one was a couple who was renting and looking into buying. So we can only wait and see. We will probably do another open house in a couple of weeks. I need to put another ad on craigslist.org to let people know of our house. Sunday evening I had a little 3.5 hour shift in box office. It was kind of pointless to go in, but I was the closing box office person and so I had to go in. I like box office and so I didn't mind the short little shift.

Yesterday, Rob and I didn't do much. Sparky had a vet appointment as it is the season where he tends to develop hot spots. Sure enough he had a new spot in a new area and he was given a cortisone shot in addition to pills that he has to take twice a day for the next week. Poor dog! Rob and I also drove up to Cabela's to look at sleeping bags. We have thought about going tent camping and realized that we do not have sleeping bags! We don't need to spent too much on sleeping bags, and so we didn't find any at Cabela's. Figure it was good to at least look to see what they had. We stopped a mall on our way home and found the Harry & David store. I picked up some chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate mints, and a Parmesan flatbread. Then we stopped at Yankee Candle and picked up a couple new large candles since we had a coupon.

So as you can see...I have not had much to really report on. Today we are taking it easy here at home. I had a pretty good migrane last night and still don't feel fully back to myself, but better than yesterday indeed! Rob received notice yesterday that Minot State had chosen someone else for the professor position that he interviewed for. He is waiting on one more school to see what the have to say. We are hoping to hear back from them this week. At least that is what they told him last week, so we will see what happens.

Television to the Movies?

While I was taking a shower this morning I started to think about the movies that are coming out this summer. One that I am looking forward to the A-Team movie. When I got to thinking about that, I wondered what other old television shows would be even comical if they made into a movie.

The Jeffersons or Mama's Family? Ok...how about Punky Brewster? All in the Family? The Waltons? Silver Spoons? Oooh...better yet...how about Sanford & Son?! You all now know that I have probably lost my rocker  for just posting all of these shows. But really...how do you think these shows do as a movie that was placed into the theatres? Think anyone would go to them? I guess it would just be who was the actor or actress in the movie and who was directing it. I loved watching Mama's Family as a teen (it was in reruns by then). I love Carol Burnett...and I am sure she would come back to play Eunice!

As for modern day television shows being put to movie, I am sure there will eventually be an ER movie or even a Grey's Anatomy movie since Sex & The City is now onto the second movie installment which comes out this summer.

Back to the A-Team, I just went over and watched one of the trailers. Yes I know, I work at a movie theatre but have not seen a trailer for this movie until now?! Sorry!!! I do get to stare at a huge A-Team movie banner when I work in the box office. So I guess I have that going for me. For those of you who are like me and have not seen one of the many trailers, here is one for you to enjoy!! Click HERE to view trailer as when I tried embedding it, the picture was too big for my template. *sigh*

Well ok, maybe I didn't have much to post on for this...but it just proves to you how random my thoughts are while taking a shower.

Cleaning!

Today is cleaning day at my house. Wanna come over and help?? I guess I should have asked for help earlier today since we are almost done now.

Oh how cleaning is such a bittersweet task! I know...if I would just keep up on it like on FlyLady.net then I would not be "Flying" through the house trying to get everything done. Rob and I had planned today to clean at least half the house, as we have an Open House showing on Sunday. Our real-estate agent called early this afternoon and asked me if we could have a house showing tomorrow. I said, "Sure! What time were you thinking?" Cliff replied with, "Great! The appointment will be at 9:30am. Will that be ok?" I said, "Yup, we will make that work!" (now in my head I am freaking out as I just accepted now a challenge!! Oh crap! Rob is going to kill me!) But we can't turn down the house showings since we have not had too many. So we will work with it! Cliff replied with, "I wish all my clients were as accommodating as you guys!" I kind of laughed and told him that I would see him Sunday for the Open House. I hung up the phone and ran downstairs to tell Rob who was on the phone. When I told Rob that we have a house showing tomorrow at 930am, I could see the stress level in his head rise from like a 5 to a 7 or 8. Rob responded with, "Ok...well I guess we are going to be cleaning the whole house today rather than just the top level!" I said, "yup!"

We are almost done, though. *phew!* One would think that since we have not been here much...that our house would be in a clean condition for the most part. Well one would not realize how much dog hair is dropped from three border collies, either! Also, we needed to vacuum the upstairs with the pet oder powder stuff to help the house smell better. I love having carpet, but I hate it at the same time due to having so many dogs. Rob ran steam cleaner on two of the rooms as well. Just the high traffic areas.

All we have left to do is the basement. The basement should not be that bad. We just need to dust and declutter, oh ya...and vacuum. Tomorrow morning we will get up and Fabreez all of the furniture as well, light all the Yankee Jarred Candles that we have around house, and I think we will be good!

I will have to let you know how it all goes!

Mexican Food, anyone?

Salsa, fresh home made chips, Fajitas, Tacos, Mexican Rice, Burritos, Nachos, and Sopapillas....these are the things I love when it comes to mexican food! Ok...so I am obsessed with food, I will admit it. I love food...and I love Mexican food! In my house...this is one of the staples for meals.  

Last night was no exception! I had a huge craving for Mexican food, so Rob, Andrew, and I all went out to On The Border. Now I know what you are thinking..."Amy...this is a chain restaurant!" Let me remind you all that I live in New England where you can not find proper good Mexican food unless you go to the chain places! Now if I was still living in Tucson, then please feel free to kick me in the butt, because the chain stuff is not as good as the hole in the wall places! Up in New England though...stay away from the hole in the wall places and stick with some of the chain places! 

I didn't know what to have last night for dinner, but settled with ground beef tacos with extra rice as I am not a fan for beans. (It is a texture thing...and I have had it for ever since I was little.) Of course we were getting our fill on the chips and salsa. I kind of wished that On the Border had more than one level of spiciness in the salsa...but that is ok. Dinner was amazing and I happen to have a coupon for either a free appetizer or a free dessert. Since the chips and salsa pretty much serve as the appetizer we used the coupon on dessert. The free dessert that we were able to get with the coupon were the Sopapillas. 

What are Sopapillas, you ask? Well think of 3 inch squares of fried dough and then rolled in cinnamon and sugar! Then they are served with honey for a dipping sauce and also some chocolate syrup for dipping as well. I am glad that there was three of us at dinner, because if it was just me, I would have ate all 5 with in just a couple of minutes! hahaha! They were just to die for. The next time I go to the store I will have to pick up some premade dough so that I can make them on my own at home! 

Last year, On the Border had something called "Build your own Burrito". Rob and I loved that!! You picked everything for your burrito! We normally would have the piece of paper filled out before our server came to the table to ask us what we wanted to drink. But On the Border has changed their menu and discontinued this item! We were upset, but I have not now really look at the menu to see what I want. It was too easy with this old item. *sigh*

Anyways...what is your favorite thing to order when you go for Mexican food? Also where do you like to go when you get that huge craving for mexican food? 

Pictures from North Dakota

Ok...I am finally getting around to posting pictures from the North Dakota trip. Since most of you probably have seen my pictures from my Facebook page, I will only post a few here, so it is not so much of a repeat. I hope you all enjoy!

This is a picture of the new Grand Stands at the North Dakota State Fair. The white wall is where the dirt track is for the sprint car racing. 

Rob at the hotel working on some stuff for the following the next day. 

Me relaxing on the bed. My wrist was killing me and so that is why I had to wear the brace. Sucks getting old. ;) 

Headed west! On the last full day that we were in North Dakota we drove over to the eastern state line of Montana. Rob had never been to Montana and so why not drive the 3 hours. :) 

One of many oil drilling sites in North Dakota. The oil is really booming right now and oil companies are buying up hotels just to be able to house all of their workers! 

Bainville, Montana: population under 200 people. We had stopped at a park and walked around. We came around a corner, looked to our left...and the above picture is what we saw. How pretty, I tell ya. Most people would ask why we took a picture of this or how I can say "How pretty"? I guess I recognize the hard work that communities go through if they are in a farming community. 

Most of the town in Bainville had dirt roads. 

Back in Minot, ND. This is the view of the city from our hotel. 

Where I have been...

Since I like to travel, I like to keep a map of the states and countries that I have visited. Since I had not been to North Dakota, I had to update my map. I just have a couple more states in the USA to visit!! Road Trip anyone? 

Back from North Dakota!

Rob and I had a nice 4 days up in Minot, North Dakota. Where is Minot? When looking at a map of North Dakota...look way up north about 40-60 miles south of Canada and you will find a dot labeled Minot (My-Not). It is a town of about 36,000 people and is the fourth largest city in the state.

Rob and I flew in on Tuesday afternoon and found that their international airport to be only two gates, but only one is used. Good times! We both laughed at each other and said, "Well we wanted an adventure!" I got the rental car while Rob went over to the only baggage claim and picked up our checked luggage. Yes we pay for checked luggage because I hate having to scramble for the correct ounces of liquids to get through security. Just easier for me to check the bag and see it at the final destination. Anyways...we went out and tried to find some lunch. Drove around for a bit and ended up at the mall hoping that they had some type of food court. They did and we had a few choices. I should have went with the Chinese place rather than the Japanese place that I went to. Oh well...I didn't matter. I knew we were having dinner later on with the hiring committee. We drove around for a little bit more and then headed over to the hotel.

The hotel room was nice and we both ended up taking an hour nap, as the day was really catching up to us since the alarm went off at 3:30am. An hour after sleeping and getting ready for dinner we were downstairs waiting for the hiring committee. We met the three gals who were there for dinner and were seated at our table. Now I am always a bit leary eating at a hotel restaurant, unless I at at a Hilton or some place like that. We were told though that everything on the menu is good. I went with a dish that was kind of like a Chicken Parm. Rob chose a salad where some of the other ladies went with a Chicken Stir-fry or Shrimp pasta. We were first given bread with some garlic infused olive oil for dipping the bread in. Let me just say that I am craving this again!! So yummy! Dinner went well and when we walked back to the hotel room I told Rob that I am feeling real good about this interview process for this school. He agreed!

Wednesday morning came around and the department head picked Rob up at the hotel so that I would have the rental car to explore and get to know more of Minot. Well I kind of just hung out at the hotel to relax and just be me for a while. I had lunch down at the hotel restaurant just because I didn't feel like driving out to find something. Around 245pm or so, I met Rob down on campus and we had a campus tour of Minot State. Such a lovely campus. I was able to meet up with one of the Social Work professors and get some general information about their program. I will talk more with whatever school we end up at as the time gets closer. After the campus tour, the department head took us over to a real-estate agent. the real-estate agent showed us around town and the different houses that may be up for rent or even for sale. She told us more about the city and made us just feel like we could really live there. :) We then had another dinner with the department head at a place that did Italian and American food. Good food, but just kind of odd that they market the place for more Italian food, but yet you could order steak and ribs if wanted. After dinner, Rob and I drove over past the state fairground and saw the dirt track where they race sprint cars on. One of the drivers that my dad tends follow on the World of Outlaws circuit was born in Minot and made his start there. The family still lives there where the driver resides in Fargo.

Thursday, Rob had only a couple hours at the school and was back at the hotel by 11am. We went and found some lunch (at Hardee's) and after a couple more trips back to the hotel we were on the road for the rest of the day. We drove over to Bainville, MT which is one of the closest eastern towns in Montana that is near the Western North Dakota state line. Rob had never been to Montana before and so we thought a 3 hour drive one way would be fun. It allowed us to see what else was on the northern western part of North Dakota. Not much except for tons and tons of Oil digging machines!  North Dakota right now is on a boom for work! If you are looking for work, North Dakota is the place to be!! Oil companies are buying up hotels just to house their workers! I kid you not! Also you better be good about peeing on the side of the road if needed because there are not any rest areas available and only a handful of gas stations. One with a weak bladder, I had contemplated a couple of times on that three hour trip one way. You all laugh now...but you would do the same if you were in my situation. We ended the day with dinner at a no so bad Mexican restaurant back in Minot. The service was poor, but the food was pretty good for being that far north!

Friday morning we woke up early and packed everything up. Our flight didn't leave until 115pm, but we wanted to get breakfast, drive up passes the Air Force base and see some of the other areas of Minot before leaving. Breakfast was at Perkin's. Oh how I have missed Perkin's! If we move to Cleveland or Minot I would have Perkin's around. Perkins is kind of like a Denny's or an Ihop, but I think it is better than any of those! Well not as good as Chip's here in Connecticut, but no one could compete with them! After exploring a little bit more and wasting off some more gas in the rental car we headed back to the airport. Rob and I were both sad that we were leaving and said, "I would come back here, even though there is hardly anything around!" So call me crazy...but it is true! Next time we come back we will bring the passports so that we can go up into Canada. :)

Our flights were less than desirable...but hey who said that flying would be the best thing in the world back in economy! When we got to Minneapolis we did try to pay for a first class upgrade but since there were already so many Delta Elites waiting for an upgrade we were turned down. We were back in economy both squeezing in middle seats. Bleck! Why make a middle seat?! I mean really! And if you are going to have a middle seat...can you make it just as big as the window and aisle seat with the arm rests down?! I always realize how "big" I am when I fly and have to sit in the middle seat. *sigh* I know...it is a sign...I should get back down to a weight that is more desirable to the US standard. That will be for another blog posting! We arrived back at JFK International airport and pulled up to the driveway of our Connecticut house pretty late. The dogs were excited to see us but so tired as they had been sound asleep with Andrew. The two girls ended up staying downstairs with Andrew where the "old man" Sparky went upstairs to his own bed with us.

Today, Rob and I are taking it easy. I will get some pictures posted in a day or so. I have pictures posted over on my facebook page that some of you have seen already. Anyways...it is good to be home to sleep in my own bed, wear my comfy sweats and not have to worry about impressing anyone. ;)

Salt Water Taffy

Growing up in Oregon, I had the privilege of going to the beach a couple times a year. At best my family would go about once a year. I knew though that a trip to the beach would consist at stopping for some salt water taffy in Lincoln City, Oregon.

What is salt water taffy? Does it really contain salt water? Well I had to go look it up on wikipedia because I didn't know myself. haha. I just knew that it tasted good and that was good enough for me. According to Wiki...salt water taffy first originated in Atlantic City, NJ. A taffy store was flooded with salt water after a big storm in the late 1880s. A customer came in and asked if they had any taffy, and the store owner said, "no...but I have some salt water taffy." the customer bought some and the name has stuck ever since.

In Lincoln City, Oregon there is a candy shop on HWY 101 that has the best salt water taffy. It is on the right hand side if you are headed south on 101 and you can not miss this place. It is a white building with red stripes. This is the place that my family has stopped for years to pick up a bag of taffy for our ride home. The place is called Read's Homemade Candies. They make the candy right there on location, but are known for their taffy. I have been in there at times to watch the taffy machine working with pulling the taffy back and forth and wrapping the mixture over and over each other.

So what are my favorite flavors?? This place has lots of different flavors ranging from vanilla to root beer to watermelon. I grew up liking BUTTER CREAM, VANILLA, CHOCOLATE, MINT CHOCOLATE, and PEPPERMINT. When I was in Oregon last month, I stopped at this taffy shop and picked up a bag of taffy. It was just as good as what I had remembered it!

Pictures from my trip to NYC

Here are some pictures from Rob and my trip to NYC early this past week. We had such a fun trip even though it was a rough start to the day. 

Hope you enjoy the pictures that were taken! 

Rob walking past the Trump Building. 

Riftstone Arch in Central Park.

It was such a nice day! Pretty warm, but there were still lots of people out enjoying the afternoon in Central Park. 

Looking at the pond towards the west side of NYC. 

Bow Bridge with some row boats

The building behind me is the famous Loeb Boathouse. This is where you can rent the row boats and enjoy some time rowing in the pond. 

Bethesda Terrace

Rob trying to find a restroom. We think we saw something on the map about a restroom on the otherside of the Bethesda Terrace. 

Ceiling Tiles in the Bethesda Arcade, so pretty!

This has to be one of my favorite places in Central Park so far! I feel as if I am in ancient Rome or something...

We took a stroll through the Metropolitan Museum of Art since we were near by. Rob had never been there before, and so it was fun to walk through with him. I though could go another ten years before walking through the ancient Egyptian stuff! 

We walked through the Modern Art Exhibit, as well. 

Last but not least, you can't be in the Times Square area with out walking over a couple of streets to the fashion district. I can not sew to save my life, but I love the people on Project Runway!!

Photos from Oregon

Here are some photos from my recent trips to Oregon. 

I hope that you enjoy!!

 

Renee and I after a day of eating, shopping, and coffee!

Christy and I...don't we just look Hot?! Ok...so this was taken after only getting about 4 hours of sleep. Oh how I missed our conversations!!! Went to sleep around 4am and woke up around 8am to head back to my mom's house to get ready for the rest of a busy day!

Kaylee and I. When I go to Oregon, I always make it a priority to go visit my lil miss Kaylee. Hard to believe that she is 6 years old!! We had a great visit! Thank you again, Naedean and Kaylee for having my mom and I down for a couple hours!!

My small portion of Clam Chowder at Mo's in Taft, Oregon. My family loves this stuff...but I could go either way. I am glad that I tried it again...but I think I will stick to my grilled cheese! 

Even though it was cold and a bit misty rain...I had to get out and get my picture taken at the beach. The waves were huge the day we were there. Didn't go down onto the beach because of the weather. We did see some people in the freezing cold pacific ocean though. 

My dad and I. 

And last but not least, the family cat - Freddy. He is close to 17 years old. He is getting pretty cranky and really only likes being around my brother. 

New Movies for week of April 9, 2010

This was another slow week for new movies opening. My theatre only got two new movies where some other theatres may have recieved three or four depending on the market they are in. 


The two new movies this week that my theatre got were: Date Night and Letters to God. 


Date Night - Stars: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg - The Plot: In New York City, a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple's attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous. **This movie was the popular one today at box office while I was working. I do like Steve Carell and Tina Fey and so I would go see this movie for a good laugh.**


Letters to God - Stars: Tanner Maguire, Jeffrey Johnson, Robyn Lively The Plot: A young boy writes letters to God as he fights cancer, inspiring, among many other people, a postal worker tasked with "delivering" the boy's mail. **From what I have read, this movie is from the same guys who brought us Fireproof last year. In the eight hours that I worked today, only two people asked for tickets to this movie. I have not heard anything about it or have seen any trailers for this movie. If you liked Fireproof and Facing the Giants then you would probably like this movie as well.** 


So that is it for this week's movies. The rest of the month will be some what medium for movies as everyone is waiting for May which will kick off the start of the summer blockbusters. 

Busy day in the City...

Yesterday, Rob and I took an adventure down to the City (aka NYC). I was able to check off a couple things from my New England Bucket List, which I thought was pretty cool. Yesterday it was such awesome weather, so why not spend it outside?!

The morning started out pretty rough, though. I am not going to lie. I took too long getting ready, and so we left the house a little bit later than I had planned. I had thought about catching the 850am train, but since we left the house late, I figured we could catch the 930am train. We hit massive traffic trying to get into New Haven for some reason. So by the time we got over to the train station and attempted three times to find parking we both were just stressed. Rob was to the point that he just didn't want to go...but it was what I had planned and I was not going to let the morning get the best of me. We hiked up to the train station (had to park about 10 blocks from the station), purchased our tickets and Rob thought we would still be able to catch the 930am train. Just as we neared the steps to the 930am train platform, we heard the train pull away, so we caught the next one which left at 1010am. No worries...we just had to wait.

Just before noon the train arrived at Grand Central Terminal. Rob asked if we could go find some lunch at like a McDonald's. So we purchased our subway tickets and caught the shuttle train to Times Square. I knew of two McDonald's there in Times Square and so I went to the one that was the closest. After lunch we went back to Grand Central and took a different train down to Wall Street. Now for my fellow friends who know the subway, you are thinking, "well why didn't you take this # train down to Wall Street from Times Square?" Well we would have but I forgot my handy-dandy laminated subway map at home (it is packed and I need to really find it!) and so I was going off the hand written directions I had from the night before provided from Google Maps. We made it down to Wall Street and we were able to see the outside of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). I am pretty sure there was formal enterance, but we didn't bother looking for it. Just seeing the building was enough for Rob and we also saw Trump Tower.

After walking down Wall Street we took another subway up to Central Park. I wanted to see a few things there as I had never been to Central Park. Items I wanted to see yesterday were, Bow Bridge, Bethesda Terrace, and the Boathouse. We got into the park and I was trying to follow yet again the hand written directions that I wrote down from the night before. Well...once you are in the park though...there are no street signs! Oh ya...and no maps available to pick up and know where you are. After wandering around we did find a map on a pole and found which we needed to go. It was pretty hot...and wanted to find something cold to drink, as well. We first saw Bow Bridge. Bow Bridge is one of the famous bridges that you seen in a lot of the movies that are filmed in Central Park. It is near the Boathouse and so you tend to see people in row boats rowing under the bridge. After that we walked over to the Bethesda Terrace. Yet another famous area that you tend to see in movies as well. Remember the scene in the movie 27 Dresses  where Tess tells Jane that she wants to get married at the Boat house? Well that is Bethesda Terrace!! The fountain was not turned on yet, but the whole area was just so pretty. We did see a bum sleeping in the underpass of Bethesda Terrace...but the tile work on the ceiling is just gorgeous!!! After that we went and sat on a park bench for awhile. We actually found a slightly shaded bench! We sat and talked about what we should do next and decided to walk over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rob had never been there and so it was perfect to go, too. I just loved Central Park! There were quite a few people there since it was such a nice day. I would love to see more of the park!!

The MET was, well the MET. They did have a new Modern Art exhibit, which was cool to look at. Some of the stuff I could go with out seeing again if I went back to the MET (like the Egyptian stuff). After strolling through the MET we decided to go find some dinner. Since Rob chose where we ate for lunch, he let me choose where to eat for dinner. I chose to eat at ESPN Zone down in Times Square. I kind of thought about eating at the Boat house, but 1) we were not dressed for a place like that and 2) I didn't want to spend tons and tons of money for dinner! ESPN Zone had awful service and I will probably never eat at one again. We waited close to 10 minutes after being seated at our table before our server came over to ask us for our drink order. Now yes they were a little busy, but not slammed! It just seemed one thing after another with dinner. I am glad we ate there...but after dinner I kept thinking of other places that we could have ate at. *sigh* I guess I need to ask some friends where to eat next time. hahaha.

After dinner we walked through Times Square, saw where the New Years Ball drops from, and walked through part of the Fashion District. I was able to see where Parson's was since I am a fan of Project Runway. I can not sew to save my life...but I love that show. By the time we were done with that we walked up to Grand Central. We walked past Bryant Park (which was cool too!) on our way up to Grand Central. Bryant Park is smaller than what I had imagined it...but can see why it is used for Fashion week.

Once we got to Grand Central, we bought our tickets and caught the 804pm train back home. It was a pretty full train as it was the first non-peak train from the City. All in all it was a good day. I am glad that we went and I hope to get down there one more time or so before I leave!

Headed out again!

One would think that all I have been doing is living on an airplane or anywhere but my own house lately. Well one would be correct. Rob and I just bought tickets for Northern North Dakota today. Rob has a job interview up there and I had really thought about staying home for this one, because I have been gone so much. Then when Rob told me that the school is wanting to do a two day interview in addition to meeting with a real estate agent to show us some rental properties and the area, I changed my mind. Plus...I have never been to North Dakota! One more state to color in on my map!!

So we are headed out next Tuesday (4/13) from JFK Airport. We could have flown from Hartford, but we would have been routed from Hartford, Atlanta, San Antonio, Minneapolis, and then Minot! As much as I have been flying lately...I am still not a fan of it! So we opted out of that flight! Flying up to Minot, we will just have to change planes one time in Minneapolis. Coming home on the 16th is a different story! We could not find any fun and easy flights. Good thing I now have Xanax for my flying anxiety!! I will need it for coming home for sure!! We will leave Minot and fly to Minneapolis, then change planes and fly to Atlanta, and then back up to JFK. Oh joy! Oh did I mention that the only seats available from Minneapolis to Atlanta are middle seats?! yup...I am not kidding. Maybe we will be able to change seats when we get checked in, but I am not holding my breath. I am not too fond of sitting in the middle...but I am use to it. I will just make sure I take some good books to keep me occupied! :)

Relaxed and Refreshed...

So it has been a couple days since I have been home from Oregon. Figure I should fill you all in on how the rest of my trip went. Normally when I am in Oregon I am running from one place to another then stop at my mom's to sleep for a few hours and then back up and run again. This trip was very different. I am sure I upset people because I was not calling everyone to set up meetings and get together's with them. I figured...people knew I was in the state since I had posted it on facebook and they all had my number. So if they wanted to see me...then they knew how to get a hold of me.

So Wednesday like I had said, I had one of the most amazing hour full body massages with a focus on my upper back. I really did need that. I didn't realize how much tension I had built up in my muscles. I think I will be scheduling another one out here. I have just a little bit of money left on a gift card that I was given a couple years ago. :)

Thursday was spent with one of my best friends, Renee. She and I went to lunch, did some shopping, and then spent a couple hours sitting at Starbucks. I always know when I am around a true best friend. How?? Well, two friends or even a group of close friends...they can be separated for a year or even more, but then once they are back together in person things pick up as if no one was apart. That is how Renee and my other best friends are with me. I miss that...and I love it! Thursday evening I went to dinner with my parents and brother.

Friday was spent with my Grandma Schneider. We ate lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory, and yes I had meat sauce with Mizithra cheese over spaghetti. Grandma even tried it and thought it was good. Rob is a bit upset that he can not find this type of cheese at Whole Foods. I just laugh at him. Friday evening was spent over at my other best friend's house. Christy and I ordered a pizza and watched a couple movies. Before that Friday, she had never seen the movie "The Hangover". *GASP, I know!* She laughed through it just like I thought she would. We then watched "Zombie Land". What a dumb movie!! I don't get it...how was this movie suppose to be drop dead funny? (No pun intended?) After that we just at and talked and talked...I kept looking at the clock and finally at 3:45am I asked Christy if I could just sleep at her house. I know the back roads to Canby, but it was late and I was tired. So I slept a couple hours at her house before I headed back to my mom's house. I hated to leave so quick from Christy's in the morning...but I had to run home and get ready to see Kaylee!

Saturday afternoon was spent down in Albany having a visit with NaeDean, Kaylee, and my mom. Kaylee is getting so big, and she is very creative. She had made me a poster that said, "I love Amy" and it had two hearts on it because she loves me a lot she said. We had a good visit. She is still very much into Barbi, princess stuff, but she enjoys playing soccer as well. Saturday evening, I went to church with my parents. It had been awhile since I have been to church. I can not wait to get into a new area and get connected with a church that I actually like or feel connected, too.

Sunday was spent at the beach!!! Yes it was cool, a bit rainy and windy...but that is the Oregon Coast. We had lunch at Mo's, went shopping at the outlet mall, and then get some taffy at the taffy shop that my family always stopped growing up. I went in and grabbed a couple handfuls of each flavor. Well not every flavor, just the flavors that I grew up enjoying. We took the long way home from the beach as traffic was pretty hectic going the way that we would normally would drive. So we drove down through Corvallis and then up I-5.

Monday I spent several hours up at the mall with my friend Sarah who just got back in the states. She spent the past five months in Vietnam. She looks great, and we had some awesome conversation over lunch and then coffee. It was a perfect setting since it was a typical Oregon spring rainy day. I was thinking that I was going to hang out with another friend for dinner, but she never called and so I drove back to my parent's house.

Tuesday was spent doing absolutely nothing. What an odd feeling it was, but yet something that was needed. I caught up on some of my shows that had been posted online and just sat at home doing nothing. When my mom got home, she asked if I wanted to run with her over to Grandma's house and then go pick up my dad from the bus stop. So I got my shoes on and we were off. After we picked up dad we decided to go get some dinner and ended up at The Ram. The Ram is a brewery that is in Portland as well as just a couple other locations through out Washington and a few out east. Well Indiana is the most east they get, so far. They have good beers and very yummy ribs!

Wednesday I spent sleeping in late and then having lunch with my mom. For dinner we went downtown to my dad's office. We went to dinner at this place that was a block over from his office. He thought it was just some bar and grill...well it was more of a uppity bar and grill. You know one of those places that has one sheet for the menu and you just really want a burger but there is no burger on the menu. Ya it was one of those places. It was good to try something new, but would probably not go back to that place. We then walked down to Voodoo Donuts, but they were too busy. I really just wanted to get a tshirt...but realized I could get a donut and a tshirt on my next trip to Portland. :)

Thursday, I had to fly back to Connecticut. I finished my Confessions of a Shopaholic book and wished that I would had another book to start, but it was ok to just sit and do nothing. If I would have had Rob's Sony Reader, then I could have had several books to read, but that is ok. I am one who likes to hold the actual book rather than a device and "turn the page" on the screen.

So now I am home and back to the same old busyness. Work is not as busy as what I thought it would be with it being Easter weekend...but maybe that is because it is almost eighty degrees outside and sunny. I am not complaining!!

So there ya have it. Once I get the pictures off loaded from the camera I will share them with you!!

New Movies for FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2010

Wow...so I have been out of the loop since I have been in Oregon!! I figured it was Friday, that I would start back up with announcing what the new movies are for the week. I will blog later more on how my trip to Oregon was. :)

Clash of the Titans - Rated: PG-13 - Stars: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes - The Plot: In a loose adaptation from Greek mythology, Perseus (Worthington) who was born a god but raised as a man, sets off on an epic mission to combat Hades (Fiennes) before he can seize power from Zeus (Neeson) and unleash hell on earth.**I could go either way on this movie. Rob saw this movie today and didn't really care for it.**

The Last Song - Rated: PG - Stars: Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth - The Plot: A drama centered on a rebellious young woman (Cyrus) who is sent to spend the summer with her estranged father, who abandoned his family in the past. **My mom and a few other friends read this Nicholas Sparks book and said it was awesome. I had a male co-worker watch this yesterday and he said it was ok...but definitely better than Dear, John. So I don't know...I just put the audio book for this on my iTunes and it will be on my iPod soon!! I can not wait to listen to the story!**

Why Did I Get Married, Too? - Rated: PG-13 - Stars: Janet Jackson, Tyler Perry, Jill Scott - The Plot: Four couples reunite for their annual vacation in order to socialize and to spend time analyzing their marriages. Their intimate week in the Bahamas is disrupted by the arrival of an ex-husband determined to win back his recently remarried wife. **My sister loved the first one...and I know she is looking forward to this new one. If you like the other Tyler Perry movies, then you will probably like this one as well.**