I'm Old - Part One

So, I'm starting a new post, this will be the first installment.  They are going to be things that remind me I'm not quite as young and hip as I used to be!

Yesterday while Lyla took her nap I decided to watch a movie.  I watched The Vow.  It had Rachel McAdams in it and I just love her.  It was a good movie.

The WHOLE ENTIRE TIME I watched the movie I kept thinking, I'm so glad that Josh Hartnett is doing movies again, I always liked him, he is so cute.  And I just happen to not hit stop before the credits rolled.

I see the credits.

It wasn't Josh Hartnett..... It was Channing Tatum.

Yeah.... I'm sure that is probably the equivalent of calling Justin Bieber Justin Timberlake... at least I can still tell those two apart!

I am old.  :(

5 Things Friday - 5 Favorite Scary Movies

In honor of Halloween, my 5 Favorite Scary Movies

1.  Halloween
Michael Myers really makes me want to pee my pants, then he makes me laugh, then he jumps out of nowhere and I pee again!

2.  Saw
The Saw movies just freak me out.  There is so much thought behind them.  And I tell myself its just a movie, nobody is actually doing these things to people, but then I think, well some sick minded person came up with this story....

3.  Scream
Ok, not scary at all, but I love them because they take me right back to high school and all the greatness of the 90s!

4.  The Shining
This movie gives me nightmares but I love it!  Red Rum... Twins on tricylces... Here's Johnny...  Love Love Love this movie!

5.  Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Chainsaws really really scare me!  Anytime I'm at a haunted house and the chainsaw guy comes that is the end of me!  It takes me forever to calm down after that!

We Decided to Adopt

After a lot of thinking and many discussions, we decided that it would be good for us to adopt.  And after some research I decided that our family isn't ready for another baby, so we decided to adopt a girl who is a little older, 3 to be exact. 

So Friday morning Gary left for West Virginia for the weekend.  After worked I picked up Lyla and we went to the pet store.  (If you thought I meant adopt a human, you really don't know me very well!)  At the pet store we met our new family member!  A sweet little cat who is all grey and just wonderful.  We have named her Zoe!  Lyla and I bring her home and we are eating dinner and Zoe is scoping out the place.

After a little bit, I can't find her.  I can't find her ANYWHERE.  I had run out to my car really quick so now I'm thinking oh no... she got outside.  I was just sick over it.  But it was getting late and I had to get Lyla to bed.  So I went to bed too thinking hopefully she is just scared and she will be out waiting for us in the morning.

Saturday morning Lyla and I get up.  No Zoe.  I can't figure out where in the house she could be other than outside.  As soon as the sun came up I kept going outside and looking around.  My mom was on her way up to help.  Whenever she got there I had a thought.

There is a hole in my dining room wall that my dad cut so that he could get to the pipes to fix our leaking bathtub.  We never totally covered it up.  He has had to get in there a few times since so it just never seemed like a big deal.  We put a piece of furniture in front of it and forgot about it.  I told my mom, I bet she is in that hole.

So we move the furniture out and there she is looking up at me!  I was so relieved that she wasn't outside!  So mom runs down to the basement and tries to get her out from down there since I couldn't reach her through the pipes from the hole.  Well she got spooked and ran down along the side of the bathtub.

I spent the next two days trying to get her out...  Tried EVERYTHING.  Food, leaving her alone, calling her, making a lot of noise to scare her out.  Nothing worked.  I started to think maybe she is stuck.  Or worse, what if she dies in this hole and we have to cut another hole in a different wall to get her out?!?!?!  I was super stressed out.  Making me even more stressed was the fact that Gary was going to be home soon and I didn't have her out yet.  Gary wasn't 100% on board with getting a pet and I had to really convince him it was a good idea.  I didn't think he was going to be real happy if this pet cost him more home improvements....

Gary got home Sunday evening.  He walks in the house, goes to the dining room hole.  He says here kitty kitty...  I'm rolling my eyes at him.  This is not going to work you idiot, I have been doing that for two days!  Oh but don't you know... out she comes!  Gary = the cat whisperer!

So happy ending!  Now we have our Zoe and we covered up the hole!  She is a wonderful new addition to our little family and we all love her!

Our Weekend with the Canons

We spent the weekend with one of our favorite families - the Canons!

Gary and Jim grew up together.  Jim married Karla.  Karla and I were instant friends.  They had Naomi who we adore.  Then they had Nathan and we had Lyla 2 months later.  All the kids get along fantastically!

I think it is so rare to find a circumstance where two families can be such good friends.  Karla and I can do our thing, Gary and Jim do their thing, the kids all play.  Its just perfection.

And this is why it kills me to say that they are moving.  Not just a little move.  To Canada.  And not just across the border, across the border and really far away.  A 40 hour drive.  A $1000 plane ticket. 

Its going to be hard to have them so far away.  I'm so excited and happy for them.  But the selfish part of me is sad that they are leaving us. 

But this weekend we got to spend it at their house for one last time.  We do this every fall and always look forward to it.  We do get to see them once more before the leave, so this weekend was all fun!  I'm saving all my tears for the next time!  ;-)

Losing the Ones We Love

Its been a rough few days for some very important people in my life. 

My friend Stef's Grandma lost her battle with breast cancer.  My friend Erin's Pap passed away and Gary lost his Grandpa this morning. 

I think losing a grandpartent as an adult is harder than when you are younger.  Its wonderful because you have had the extra years with them, but at the same time you become so used to them being around.  I think at one point you sort of forget how old they are and just feel like they will always be there.

Dying is a part of life. But it doesn't make it any less sad or any easier for those of us who are left behind to start our next chapters without the ones we love.

I love these girls and their families like my own.  My heart aches for them right now.  They will get through this, they are strong.  But as Stef put it, things won't ever be the same ever again.

2012 Walk to End Alzheimer's

My family participated in the 2012 Walk to End Alzheimer's today in memory and in honor of my Grandma.  It was so special for us all to spend the day together!  Here is just a glimpse of the fun:

5 Things Friday - Pumpkin Overload

I love pumpkin stuff as much as the next person, but really, I think its gotten a little out of control this year! 

5 Random Things I have Seen with PUMPKIN

1.  Pumpkin Spice Milk
Milk... yeah.  I don't know.  MAYBE in coffee instead of creamer?  But if you are putting it in coffee, just use the creamer.  I don't like milk to begin with so I can't even fathom this.

2.  Pumpkin Yogurt
I'm pretty picky about yogurt.  I like vanilla, key lime and sometimes blueberry.  I'm not willing to even try pumpkin.  No thank you.

3.  Pumpkin Liquor
I'm not really in to drinking straight liquor.  So what are you going to mix this with?  Only thing I can think of is coffee like you do with Bailey's.  Can you see a trend here?  I like pumpkin in coffee... end of story!

4.  Pumpkin Marshmallows
Yeah......

5.  Cinderella Pumpkins
So Lyla and I are at Walmart and they have all of those big cardboard bins full of pumpkins.  One of them has Cinderella all over the side of it.  Lyla is all over it.  Look Mommy a PRINCESS!!!  I'm thinking, hmmm, wonder what's in that bin... go up and look.... its pumpkins.  These marketing people are genius!  How many parents are going to get wrangled in to buying these pumpkins just because Cinderella is on the outside of the bin???  I'm lucky Lyla is 2 and I could just walk away.

All I'm asking is can't we just keep the pumpkin to coffee, cookies and rolls?  Isn't that enough?  Those three things I LOVE!  (hint hint Em, I sure would love a pumpkin roll, no nuts, please & thank you)