I've got a bad feeling about this.

*spoiler alert*

I had one of the most disappointing nights of my life last night. Chris and I splurged and went to see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." I was so excited because the Indiana Jones series of movies are some of my most favorite movies of all time. I love each of them from the face melting to the live heart extractions to the great banter between Indy and his father. They are truly great action movies. I was sure this one was going to be awesome. After all, it took them 19 years to make a new one. With all that time to create, one would think that they would come up with something spectacular. One would be wrong.

First of all, there should be no aliens in Indiana Jones movies. Whomever decided that this movie should be about aliens should be shot. When I realized that they were talking about aliens, I continued to watch in disbelief. Really? This is the best you could do? You're giving me aliens?

Second of all, what the heck happened to Marion? She was totally AWESOME in Raiders. Drinking and fighting. Now she's an old woman...a mother...ugh. The romance between she and Indy seemed forced and stupid. Ending with a wedding. How typical. I hated it.

Third, the villain was annoying. Cate Blanchett was great but her character was annoying. The Villain is supposed to be someone that you love to hate. I just plain hated her and her stupid accent.

Fourth, the writing was below par. Something is happening to George Lucas. From the stinkers that we put out with the last Star Wars movies (DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED!!) to this drivel. Seems like he stopped writing for adults and started writing for 12 year olds. It was painful to watch and listen to.

There was one good scene. Since I've ruined so much of the movie already, I'm going to leave this one a surprise. Let me just say: it involves ants. Lots of ants.

All this being said, you should see the movie just to say you did. But wait till its out on video. DO NOT waste $9 on a ticket. If you do, don't say I didn't warn you.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

1. I can never have too many . . .
Bags. I love bags. Purses, totes, diaper bags, cheap, expensive, cute, ugly...I love them all. I have about a million and fill them with crap and they totally drive my husband crazy.

2. I'm terrified when . . .
I am reading a scary Patricia Cornwell and I am certain that I hear something or someone in our attic waiting to bludgeon me to death in my sleep. I have to sleep with lights on and Seinfeld playing in the background.

3. I can't get enough of . . .
Primary children singing in Sacrament Meeting.

4. I have always wanted . . .
To go for a ride in a Corvette. But only with a really experienced driver who will go really fast around curves. In my mind, I have built it up as totally awesome.

5. It bothers me when . . .
People take my things without asking and I have no hope of ever seeing them again. I'm talking little stuff like pens, scissors, tape...

6. I dream about . . .
Going to high school pregnant and they have to special order a uniform for me.

7. I would never . . .
Vote for someone who is pro-choice. It is the most important issue to me and I base my entire vote on it. I believe that it shows the character of the candidate.

8. I always . . .
Check obituaries online every morning to see if anyone I know has died.

9. I will . . .
Have a huge kitchen someday with double ovens and one of those things where pans hang down from the ceiling. I will also have a ginormous laundry room with two washers and industrial sized dryers and with lockers for each child to store all their crap.

10. I love . . .
Melting Moments Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches. Seriously, 15 grams of fat per sandwich. 4.5 are transfat which are probably clogging my arteries as I type. Used to be able to get these at the Melting Moments shop in East Lansing. The only place around here that has them is the 7-11 at Warren and Morton Taylor. These are incredibly unhealthy but totally yummy.

Lights. Camera. *Action*

Today we got to go and see Lizzie again because they didn't get good enough shots of some of her parts last time. It was reconfirmed that she is, in fact, a she. Hooray! They were able to get good shots of what they needed and also reconfirmed that everything looks perfect. I couldn't be more excited! Looks like she is waving at me in photo. "Hi, Mom! See you soon!"

Thankful Thursday 5/22/08

1. Pieces of Flair

2. Voidwalkers

3. Simply Lime Limeade

4. Smaland

5. Bike Week

Weekly Top Five 5/19/2008

Top Five Favorite Snack Foods That Are Horrible For Me

1. Cheese Balls

2. Cheese Puffs

3. Combos

4. Nachos

5. Bugles


Top Five Foods That I Hate That People Try to Pull Off As Snacks But Are Not Really Snacks

1. Pretzels

2. Popcorn

3. Raisins

4. Granola

5. Edamame

Thankful Thursday 5/15/08

1. WOW

2. Juno

3. Free Flowers

4. Flair

5. Homemade Mother's Day gifts and cards

I am socializing r-tard! I'm logged on to an MMORPG, with people from all over the world and getting XP with my party using teamspeak.

Today for the first time in nine months, I heard a sound I love. A very familiar duh-duh-da-da-da-da-da duh-duh-da-da-da-da-da la la la laaaaaaa la...it goes on but probably Anna is the only one who even could possibly recognize it. Anna gets the honor for being the reason why I got to hear this much loved refrain today. For Mother's Day, she and Tony gave me a World of Warcraft Game Time gift card. I can, once again, play the game that I love so much. Today when I logged on, I got chills when I heard the theme song. I clapped when I was reintroduced to my old friends: Anatia, Pennye, Lokim and Cytron. Aah...the good old days. I haven't played in so long that my guilds all kicked me out. Boo. But I know that before long, I'll have a new group of pals to play with. It took me a few minutes to get re-acclimated to the controls and such but pretty soon I was slaying yetis in Feralas like a pro. Since I have such an addictive personality, I have to be careful about how much I play. I am going to allow myself a few minutes every day for game playing and that's it. Hopefully I can get Anatia to a level 55. She's at 47 right now. If all of this was like Greek to you, don't feel bad. Chris can't stand it when Tony, Anna and I talk WOW. It's like another language. Any WOWers out there...lets get together and run an instance.

ANATIA, lvl 47 Dreanei Priest

Weekly Top Five 5/12/2008

Five Foods that I Love That Other People Find Disgusting or Weird

1. Pickled Bologna

2. Creamed Herring

3. Liver--chicken, pork or beef

4. Frog Legs

5. Braunschwieger

Tagged

I got tagged by Anna. I had a hard time coming up with this list.

6 facts/habits about me

1. I have a map in my head. I rarely get lost. I know if I am going North or South or East or West. If I have been somewhere once, I can get there again. Except in Ann Arbor. I can't figure that city out. Stupid Ann Arbor.

2. I love video games. Computer, Wii, DS, Gameboy, Playstation...you name it. I'm not very good but I still love to play. Could play all day if I let myself.

3. I have an extremely messy basement. I'd be willing to wager that it might be the messiest basement in the state. My garage is also incredibly messy, however I know it might only be the 2nd messiest in the state because I once saw a messier one.

4. I have major abandonment issues. When I think of my children getting married and moving away or Anna moving away or my best friend moving away, I feel like I am going to hyperventilate and my hands go numb. I don't feel the need to be involved in their lives 24-7 but I just freak out at the thought of them miles and miles away from me. It sounds a little psycho and controlling but I'm really not. I don't want to control them. I don't want to tell them how to live their lives. I just want to see them on a regular basis. At least weekly.

5. I love to eat out at really nice restaurants. I love the whole dining experience from the polite and attentive waitstaff to all the courses to some kind of incredible dessert at the end. We have not been able to do this at all lately and I really miss it.

6. I love rain and thunderstorms. The stormier the better. I can go for weeks with cloudy skies. I definitely don't have Seasonal Affect Disorder.

What's the Score? Nuthin, Nuthin. Who's winning? The Bears.

Last night we were treated to complimentary Tigers tickets by one of Chris' media reps. Our seats were only 5 rows behind the visitor's dugout. It was incredible! The Tigers played the Red Sox and lost 5-1. Better luck next time! We just had fun watching and eating ballpark snacks like hotdogs, pretzels, peanuts and cotton candy. Thanks Peggy for a great night out with the family!

View from our incredible seats!

Hoping to catch a foul ball.

Some random Boston Red Sox guy. Could have almost touched him.

Grandpa explaining the finer art of baseball to Calvin.

Thankful Thursday 5/8/2008

1. Healthy Babies

2. Free Tigers Tickets

3. The Scrap Box

4. Wii

5. Tahitian Salad

Nobody puts Baby in a corner

Today I had my ultrasound and we found out that we are having a healthy little GIRL!! The tech could tell because she already has a bow in her hair. It is unbelievable! I love my sons and would have been more than thrilled with another one but there is something so special about having a little girl. It has been a long time since I have bought dolls and tea sets and patent leather shoes. I am so excited!! Emily is super excited to have a sister. The boys will believe it when they see it. We had a whole crew in to see her on video: Chris, Emily and boys, Grammy, Anna and Lucy and Jodi and Gavin were all there to catch a glimpse of Vos Model 2008. I can hardly wait to meet her. Only 20 weeks to go!!

"Donna Martin graduates! Donna Martin graduates!"

I had a hard time finally deciding on the title for this blog entry. If you haven't noticed by now, my entry titles are usually movie or tv quotes. Some of the contenders for this entry were:

"I got a D+! I'm gonna graduate! Give me five!"

"When I think about the future I..am..really...scared."

"It is with passion, courage of conviction, and strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world, remembering that first impressions are not always correct. You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself."

I finally went with 90210 because I was such a HUGE fan of this show in high school and I would watch it and tape each episode for Anna to watch the next day. Looking back, 90210 probably wasn't the best or most appropriate show for a 10 year old to watch. But hey, she turned out ok so no harm done.

Today was Anna's college graduation. She graduated with high honors noted by asterisks and all kinds of letters next to her name on the program. As I watched her process out to "Pomp and Circumstance," tears rolled down my cheeks as I felt so proud of her and her accomplishments. I could feel our parents nearby and I know they are so proud of her too. I realized today that she is the first Ballard woman in our family to graduate from college. Whatever she decides to do next, whether it be more education or something else, I know she will succeed.

Three graduates: Dad, Anna and Mom

Getting her diploma

Look at you, Mrs. Big-time College Grad!!

Lucy loves Mama's new tassel.

At first I thought maybe this was Jennifer Granholm. She really looked like her from the back. Then I realized that the governor would probably not be seated in the audience but on the stage. Turned out not to be her.

Weekly Top Five 5/5/08

Top Five Favorite Star Wars Characters

1. Han Solo

2. Obi Wan

3. Yoda

4. Darth Vader

5. Chewie

Thankful Thursday 5/1/2008

1. Nachos with cheese

2. Free $5 Kroger Gift Cards

3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

4. Raspberries

5. Lemonaid

I'm sorry I farted into your purse

Last night Jodi took me to see "Baby Mama" staring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. I am a very big Tina and Amy fan and wasn't disappointed by them in this movie. It was funny and full of memorable quotes that I will add to my long arsenal of movie quotage.

There is an interesting twist in the middle of the movie that made me really mad and uncomfortable. I don't love comedy movies with uncomfortable and interesting twists. If I want that kind of movie, I'll go see a drama. I do love dramas but I go see them for different reasons and in different moods than I go see comedies. I love movies that are happy all the way through and you know are going to end perfectly. It might be dumb or simple of me but I love the happy ending. I fast-forward through the middle of "13 Going on 30," through the sadness in "Return to Me," and the last part of "The Wedding Singer." I just want to see the happy!

Last week, Jodi and I watched "Dan I Real Life." I loved it, but when the uncomfortable twist happened, I turned to her and said, "If this doesn't turn out happy, I'm going to punch you in the face." I felt the same way about "Baby Mama" last night. Luckily, Jodi didn't get punched after either movie.

Time circuits on. Engine running. Flux Capacitor... fluxxing. All right!

On Tuesday, I volunteered to help out Calvin's class at Geer School. "Geer School is a one-room, red brick school representing an important era in Michigan education and was a center for community life. Named for William Geer, the first school director, and built by Joseph Warner of Ypsilanti, the school featured sideby-side entrances for boys and girls, a slate blackboard, a woodshed and two outdoor privies. Water was carried in a bucket from across the road." (taken from brochure from the The Washtenaw County Historic District Commission)

The children dressed as authentic 1800's children did and took lunches that resembled lunches that olden day's children would have taken. Calvin wasn't really impressed with his butter sandwich. They learned from McGuffy Readers for the day and spent time play old games. They also made several crafts including hand sewing a felt marble bag, making a yarn doll and punching tin. They got to write with ink and a quill as well. Calvin had a lot of fun and so did I.

Sewing his marble bag

With his yarn doll.