Sneak Peeking Harry Potter 2010

A couple of weeks ago the 9th grade Biology teacher at school popped into the library to tell us about an opportunity she had worked out to see Harry Potter 7, Part 1, at an early showing at Movie Tavern and asked if we were interested in tickets. Um... YES!!!!

Not only is she the 9th grade Biology teacher, she also happens to sponsor the Harry Potter club at TVS which has quite a large number of participants.

The dealio was that she would have to sell every single seat for us to rent out the theater for a special showing. Myself and my friends Jennifer and Marcy snapped up the chance to go and I scored a couple of seats.

So... fast forward two weeks (actually I am pretty sure they were slow weeks as we eagerly anticipated the sneak peek!) and the time to hang out with Harry arrived!

It was definitely the highlight of my day - especially after a crummy dr's appointment that included a rather painful procedure as part of a follow-up appointed to a sickness I have been battling. Thank goodness I had Harry to distract me and help me realize that there can definitely be more painful experiences to endure than a dr's visit!

Before the movie started the manager explained to all of us that Warner Bros. had given special permission for us to have this advanced showing (massive cheers filled the theater 'cuz ya know, we're special!) but that under no circumstances were any of us to have our phones or cameras out at any point during the movie (cue all the camera flashes to instantly start going off - mine included!) and then encouraged us to sit back, dig in to our complimentary bag of popcorn (delish!) and enjoy the movie. So we did!

The movie was great! And being in a theater filled with great friends, my school community, and my fantabulous sister was a blast!

Now the hard part - waiting until July for Part 2 to be released! This is purposeful punishment from the production company! Boo!

So what are you waiting for? Get outta here and go see Harry Potter for yourself. It.Is.AWESOME!

Family and friends make life better

Life gets hectic for all us, right?!?

Fortunately the chaos seems to rolls in waves so that when your life is hectic (aka: me... right now), you have friends who rush in to help you with your madness because their life is "less hectic" (face it, "less" is probably the best we get 'cuz nobody I know ever feels completely hectic-free!).

Then, your crazy, hectic sprint in life slows down a bit (P.S. I'm looking forward to that!) so that you can step up and help your friends who are now experiencing their own crazy world.

Tonight I realize how blessed I am to have good family and good friends and I feel fortunate to KNOW I am cared about by so many different people!

The list of amazing people that I have cheering for me and supporting me right now in a crazy transition time could go on and on, but tonight before I go to bed (I know, Mary, I should already be there!), I would like to say a special thanks to these people specifically:

• My sister for being my project manager!
  
  
• My mom for saving the day when printer issues threatened to sink me!
  
  
• My dad for bringing me the paper delivery I needed so desperately.
  
  
• My friend Laura for checking on me.
  
  
• My friend (and blog stalker!), Mary for being my "go-to-sleep-earlier" phone call as well as my "'time-to-wake-up-earlier" phone call (GOTTA start that routine!).
  
  
• My friend Rachel for patroling my Facebook status to make sure I'm not on there instead of sleeping so that I can actually get up when Mary calls!
  
  
• My awesome hubby whose love and support for me has no limit!

I'm serious when I say that this list could go on and on - I know I am blessed that so many people care about me and are watching my back so that I can be successful.

I LOVE YOU ALL and thank you all for caring about me and for helping me to KNOW that whatever I am called to do, I can succeed. After all, I am blessed with good friends, a great family, and a Savior who truly gave His life for me so that I could live mine.

Life may be crazy - but it is good!

(and now I'm going to bed.... really, Mary... I promise! Well, after I update Facebook... but I won't be on there for long, Rachel... cross my heart!)

Summer 2010 - Lots of Fun in the Sun!

"Summer 2010"

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The sweet smell of victory!

So, my friend Lisa is fantastic... fabulous... fun-loving... AND she just turned 40. She thought such a momentous occasion would go by quietly and without any fanfare. Um, hello .... I don't think so! The big 4-0 should be acknowledged and celebrated, after all "40 is the new 20!"

I have to admit that I am feeling pretty good about my skills of stealth and my ability to not only plan a fun-filled surprise party for her under her nose, but even better... she helped me plan a lot of it without even knowing the night was all about her. Bwaa-ha-ha!

The key to the success of this event were my co-conspirators: our fabulous friends who participated, the awesome and amazing B (I love this man! He cooks and cleans and helps me get ready for such shindigs!), and of course our friend Chris - Lisa's hubby - and "the inside man!"

Lisa thought she would have a quiet family celebration followed by a delish dinner with my seester and I at Pappasito's and that would be it. Bwaa-ha-ha... I don't think so!

Then Lisa and I started planning what she "thought" would simply be a Girls' Night to watch the Twilight movies in preparation for the upcoming June release of movie 3 - Eclipse. Little did she know that:

1. This was a surprise party for her!


2. This was a surprise party for her!


3. This was a surprise party for her!
   

All I can say is... Bwaa-ha-ha! (I've been saying that alot in my super secret emails to the other conspirators and now it seems I can't stop!).

With everyone but Lisa aware of "the real deal for Saturday"...

1. The food menu was planned
   (OG breadsticks & salad AND Brian's famous meatballs)
2. A basket of favorite things was put together for Lisa's gift
3. An incredible Twilight-themed cake was created
   (Wow, Laura... it was AWESOME!)
4. The decorations were put up
   (Thanks Karin and Shelby!)
5. And the evening entertainment of watching Twilight was planned
   

Because Lisa rocked the Bella look at my Halloween par-tay, she and I thought it would be fun if everyone dressed as a character from the book. Well, we all dressed up - just not like she thought! While Lisa sported a modified version of her Bella look, the rest of us dressed in Twilight colors - red, black, and white.

To make sure it was a surprise, everyone arrived early and my seester picked her up just to make sure her arrival took place at the exact right time.

Everything was perfect: Lisa was surprised (the look on her face when she figured out what was happening was PRICELESS!), the food was delicious, the company was great, pictures were taken (Thanks, CJ!) and the evening was a blast!

Happy birthday, LaLaLaLeesa! I know that you wanted a quiet celebration of your big day, but all of us sure had a great time celebrating with you!

* Our friend Wendi wasn't here yet when we took pictures and I guess I was so enthralled by the movie when she got here, that I forgot to take any more pictures, but I am soooo glad she came!

** The awesome quotes that I framed and displayed around my house came from the great website, Hostess with the Mostest.

I've Been Mooned!

Not THAT kind of mooned!
I'm talking about going to see New Moon...the movie!

So, here's how I was "mooned"...

The plan had been in the works for weeks...
the date was set...
the theater was selected...
the girls were notified by our "event coordinator"...
the tickets were purchased...
the meeting location and time were determined...
Finally... The Day Had Arrived!

The girls gathered...
the cars pulled out of the driveway...
the drivers made their way through traffic...
the excitement was building...
the drivers continued to make their way through traffic...
the caravan pulled into the parking garage...
Finally... We Had Arrived!

We all got into one elevator...
zipped across the street...
waited for our tickets to be placed in our eager little hands...
took a quick detour to the bathroom...
got snacks...
and found our seats...
Finally... The Time Had Arrived!

But wait... what's this... previews... more previews...
WOULD THEY EVER END!!!!!

FINALLY.... NOW it was time!

A hush fell over the theater (it was pretty much just us!)...
with bated breath we waited...
and then...
the movie began!

Of course, since I was hanging out with my grown-up friends (and some of our mothers!), we did our best to be grown-up and mature movie-watchers...

Yeah, right! Jacob took off his shirt and we all started wondering (out loud) how the heck this kid got to be so chiseled.

And then Edward took off his shirt later on in the movie and we wondered (out loud) why the heck he wasn't chiseled, at all (plus, not only could you see his hip bones, but his abs were painted on... GAG ME!).

Edward should be chiseled, he should be cut, he's supposed to be this over-the-top, drop-dead, drool-on-yourself, gorgeous vampire, and while the Edward of the books cuts it, the Edward of the movies (aka: Rob Pattinson) definitely DOES NOT.

Needless to say, as mature grown-ups, we spent quite a bit of time after the movie analyzing these points in depth, as well as discussing the overall quality of the acting, how closely the movie stayed to the book, etc. etc, all while enjoying fried gator, fried pickles, and desserts at Razoo's (dinner of the critics!).

The evening was a blast and I enjoyed a night out with The Girls!

Murphy's Laboratorium of Madness

I always liked Halloween as a kid, but I have just recently realized how much fun this holiday can really be as a grown-up.

Don't get me wrong, I love the other holidays we celebrate during this time of year, but I just clued in to the fact that Halloween is a holiday with NO EXPECTATIONS.

There are no dinner commitments, no balancing schedules, no rushing around trying to find the perfect present for someone you love. Halloween is whatever you want it to be (with the bonus of candy being doled out freely by everyone you know!).

So, in light of this recent discovery, B and I decided to host a little get-together. You know, an evening of friends, family, food, and fun. However, there was one tiny requirement for all who would attend... COSTUMES!

Fun photos from the night:

Some of the ways I spooked out our house:

What a great night!

Twilight: My Reaction, My Opinion

Last night was a girls night out (we missed you D!) and we headed downtown to see the highly anticipated movie version of Twilight. Being a staunch reader, I am ALWAYS (and I mean always) hesitatant when Hollywood puts a book on the big screen. Last night was no exception and I went with high expectations.

With that said, I admit that overall it was a good movie and the storyline was true to the book (a huge sigh of relief from this audience member). However, I had a hard time buying some of the people cast for certain roles. I just wasn't feeling it for a couple of those choices and they didn't sell themselves as the character I imagined them to be.

The actors that did get my vote for selling their characters included those who played Bella (Kristen Stewart), Charlie (BIlly Burke), and all three of the "bad" vampires: James, Laurent, and Victoria. Robert Pattison did a good job, he's just not who I envisioned for Edward, so I'm still working on that one.

The biggest disappointment for me was Jacob Black. In my humble opinion, Taylor Lautner (the actor playing Jacob) did not in any way, shape, or form pull that one off. It could have been the bad wig, the bad lines, or the indiglo white teeth that distracted me from believing that he could ever stand a chance at winning Bella, but whatever the case, he just didn't work for me (remember, this is my humble opinion). I guess we'll see what happens as he undergoes his own transformation!

Although the movie was good, if you haven't read the books, there is so much more to the story than what the big screen can show!

Most of all, I enjoyed a great girls night out at a quality movie, followed by deli-cious dinner! Remember girls, we decided to do this again!

Gratitude

At this time of year we often stop and think of the blessings that we are grateful to have in our lives. My life is filled with blessings everyday (stay tuned for that list!), but today I want to focus on the gratitude I have for my friends Jennifer and Mary.

We have been working together as the presidency of the Relief Society in our ward for the last 19 months and what an experience that has been! I am so thankful for all of their support, their willingness to serve others, their kindness, their compassion, their patience (they have been working with me, ya know!) and their friendship.

Changes have happened in our organization (funny how the Lord moves you to something else when you are finally getting comfortable!) and Jennifer has been asked to work with the Young Women, while Mary has been asked to work with the Primary. I know that they will be AWESOME where they serve.

Meanwhile I have the chance to work with two more awesome women: Sarah and Becky - and I can't wait to get to know them better!

Although Mary, Jennifer, and I won't be in class together on Sunday (or meeting together on Wednesday), I now understand that Relief Society is the organization for all the women of the church, set apart by the Lord to strengthen us all, no matter where we serve.

Thank you Jennifer and Mary for walking with me so diligently these last 19 months. We have done a lot of good things and I know we will continue to do good things.

I love ya both and I know how much YOU ROCK (especially in pink camo!).

My Friend Lisa

So, I have been doing this 29-Day Giving Challenge to try to be more aware of opportunities I have to give to others each day.

I love sharing my experiences as I give , but today I want to share how great it feels to be the recipient of a give - especially one that is heartfelt and meaningful.

This give comes from my friend Lisa and it left me speechless and in tears (the speechless part is amazing, I know!).

It is a give that cost nothing but some thought and a little time, it didn't have to be wrapped or delivered in any fancy package, and it meant the world to me when I opened it.

What is this tremendous give?... An email that she sent me.

I can't even begin to tell you how much my heart is touched everytime I read what Lisa wrote, which is why I share it here. This is the perfect example of how something so simple can be so powerful in the day of someone else.

This was Lisa's give to me, which she titled:

"A few gifts that Kirsten has given me...just not in the requisite 29-day time frame"

Gift of Expertise/Professional Knowledge. Kirsten has often provided me literary guidance in referring book series, authors and individual titles to help foster my children's love of reading. Every recommendation has been a "home run" for my kids' growing appetite for books. Her knowledge (and passion!) for children's literature has made me a better & more informed mother (and saved me oodles of time).

Gift of Refuge. When our house was for sale this past summer, I often had to scrub it down and flee at a moment's notice (well, approximately 1/2 hr notice) when a real estate agent wanted to show our home. This also entailed packing my 3 kids into the minivan and finding a place to pass an hour or two. Texas in August is not a place where you can spend 2 hours in a park in the afternoon. One day, I called her while toodling about, and asked if we could possibly come hide out in her home (I was 8 months pregnant at the time, and the captain seat of the van wasn't particularly comfortable. She said yes, and then the kids and I got to spend 2 hours in the quiet, peaceful air-conditioned comfort of her home. And Christian became the 3rd Dansie kid to become a fan of Brian's Coke truck set.

On this same subject, Kirsten's home has provided "refuge" again and again for many of her friends. She thinks that we call her place "peaceful" and "an oasis" just because it is devoid of toy clutter and kid mayhem. But it is much more than that; it is because her home exudes beauty, comfort, peace, welcome, and order. For parties, showers, Conference Scholars, and casual, stop-by gatherings, it truly is a refuge.

Gift of Surprise. In August, Kirsten surprised me with a book. Not just any book, but "Breaking Dawn", within 36 hours of its midnight release. This gift entailed much more than the volume itself. It saved me the time (and related potential headaches) of packing my three kids to go to the store and stand in-line to buy it. It brought me the joy of a VERY unexpected surprise - it has been a long time since someone gave me such a thoughtful, meaningful gift, "just because". It gave me the gift of literary escape, as I devoured it (not until after the Sabbath was over). And perhaps most of all, it increased the gift of friendship which Kirsten has already extended to me - lo these many years - as she (perhaps, alone) fathoms the silly depths of my Edward issue.

Oh, there are many more gifts I could list, but I thought these were pretty good. So, as you pursue your 29-day goal, realize that there are gifts you offer along the way that perhaps you don't recognize.

Love ya,
Lisa

My friend Lisa... an amazing girl that has been a HUGE part of me getting to the good place that I am now. Our friendship is definitely a blessing in my life, one that I am infinitely thankful for and one that has even survived a change in ward boundaries!

Thank you my friend, I love ya back!

Sometimes He Lets It Rain

There is no doubt in my mind that our Father in Heaven loves each of us. As a matter of fact, I know He does.

But sometimes, He lets it rain.

Today is a hard day for my principal and her family. They said good-bye to Jessica - their precious daughter, niece, grandaughter, wife, and young mother of 3 beautiful girls.

Today in that family, He let it rain.

And even though the rain may continue for awhile, there will be a time when the rays of the sun shine through. That is because His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, understands the pain and the sorrow of this rainstorm and He is there for each member of this precious family.

He is there for each of us - even when the rains pour. And for that, I am grateful.

I love you, Sandy! You and your family are in my prayers.
K

Learn more about Jessica's story here at The Kaylor Journey.

Learn more about how you can help eradicate breast cancer at the Susan G. Koman Foundation.

The Fab Four

The Fab Four!
Back = Kirsten, Charla
Front = Amy, Lisa

The FAB FOUR was formed several years ago when we all worked together at Coder Elementary in Aledo, TX. The FAB FOUR is a support team, an idea network, a comedy club, a sounding board, a therapy group, and most of all...good friends! Each of us has our own traits and characteristics, our own strengths and weaknesses, and our own life experiences that we bring to the friendship, and we all benefit from these unique and personal gifts.

Some of the qualities I see in each of the FAB FOUR:

CHARLA is...
cheerful, kind, dependable, concerned about others

AMY is...
considerate, thoughtful, loving, aware of how others feel

LISA is...
generous, compassionate, hospitable, organized

KIRSTEN is...
dependable, energetic, supportive, helpful

We recently got together for a "girls night" at Lisa's beautiful new home down in Corsicana and although we are all in different places, doing different things, we picked up (as usual) right where we left off the last time we were all together. The result was a fun night filled with lots of yummy food (Lisa is an amazing chef!), lots of laughs, and a relaxing time that we all needed.

DAYTIME FUN...

Food...

Drama...

Heading to the lake, and...

Laughing!

EVENING ENTERTAINMENT...

Chatting...

Dancing chickens, and...

more laughing!

I love these friends of mine and I am so grateful that I have been blessed to have them walk into my life and leave their footprints on my heart!

Uplifting Conversations

One of the things that I love most about General Conference is that each talk focuses on Christ and how we can be like Him and grow closer to Him. It is amazing that the prophet, the apostles, and other Church leaders who prepare these talks do so with much prayer, scripture study, and pondering to know what the Lord would have them share, and then each person listening or reading these inspired words is touched by the Lord's Spirit in whatever way he or she needs most.

Tonight several sisters in the ward met for our Conference Scholars enrichment group. I had the chance to hear and share with these great sisters how several of the talks from the last conference touched our hearts and lives. The evening was certainly filled with the Spirit as we reflected on these inspired words and shared what we have learned and how we might apply these teachings in our lives. My testimony of the Savior is always strengthened as I participate in these uplifting discussions!

I am so grateful for the inspired messages of General Conference, and I am so glad for this enrichment group and the opportunity it gives me to strengthen my testimony. I love my Savior so much and my heart is filled with gratitude for all that He blesses me with each and every day!

- K -

A Bright Spot

I am so grateful for the many good friends that I am blessed to have in my life. Our hearts are touched permanently by people who love us, care about us, and accept us for who we are (despite obvious short-comings). My friends bless my life each and everyday and I am grateful for such a blessing.

Tonight my dear friend Judy called from Washington and how great it was to spend time catching up and chatting about all sorts of things. From family, to books, to educational "stuff" that only educators can enjoy, to the beauty of the Pacific Northwest (and my feelings of jealousy because I'd love to be up there) our conversation was filled!

What a bright spot it was to talk to my friend! I am so thankful that Judy is so thoughtful (and persistent) that she would call until she caught me this weekend. Thanks for ending my evening on a happy note! I love ya, my friend!


Of course, just because I love ya, doesn't mean I won't share some fun pictures of ya with everyone else!


So, here are The Many Faces of My Friend Judy!

Judy as Little Red Riding Hood...

Hey, when we study Fractured Fairy Tales, costumes are required!

Reading Day Characters -

Judy poses as Coach Viola Swamp from Miss Nelson Has a Field Day.

A typical activity at a school retreat organized by our own DD.
Judy makes a beautiful toilet paper bride... of Frankenstein!

Oliver K. Woodman.. a true gift of love and friendship!
Thanks, Jeff! Oliver will soon wander again!

Survival food for a sleepover.
Who knew Judy could stay up ALL NIGHT!

The hardest things we do help us build character.
Saying goodbye was really hard.

I am so glad our friendship is not limited by physical distance!
After all, WA and TX aren't TOO far apart (in the technology world, that is!).