As I mentioned in an earlier post, my mom and I are devoted Potter-heads. So, it goes without saying that we attended the midnight premiere of the final movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2. It is truly amazing the size of the crowd that comes together for this event. The midnight showing for all of the Harry Potter movies has always been impressive, but the crowd for the finale was unbelievable.

My mom and I arrived at the theater at 8:45pm and got in a line that wound its way all through the three story building and out onto the street. People were camped out with books, games, and food and so many of the movie-goers were decked out in their HP garb. It is such a cool experience to witness and be a part of.

They decided to go ahead and seat us at 9:30pm, so luckily we weren’t standing in line for very long. All twenty of their theaters were sold out for the midnight showing of HP! We bought our tickets weeks in advance and I am glad that we did. The movie was so good and bittersweet. The cast and directors did an amazing job with everything. They stuck very closely to the book and the changes and details they left out weren’t detrimental to the overall storyline. Now, of course since I have read the books multiple times I would have preferred them to include every single detail, but that is obviously not possible.

In my opinion this was the best movie of the series as far as acting, special effects and storyline go; I also felt as though I was getting to say goodbye to the characters. The deaths of some of our favorites and the fact that this adventure has come to a close left the crowd teary-eyed and wishing for more. It’s pretty crazy the effect a series of books and movies can have on a generation! Even though it is over, I will continue to re-read the books and enjoy the movies and wish I was part of that magical world. Here’s hoping JK Rowling will decide to write more!

Three day weekends truly are the best. I honestly can’t believe it is already July and time for a holiday weekend, but I like it J No crazy big plans for us – just some rest, relaxation and time with family and friends. I am going to try my best to cram as much summer as possible into these three days. I certainly miss being a kid and having what seemed like an endless amount of freedom ahead of me. So – here’s to the 4^th of July weekend and a little bit of freedom. Hope yours is happy J

June 18th

A quarter of a century. That is now how old I am. I turned the big 2-5 last Saturday and I am not lying when I say I woke up on Sunday morning feeling way more tired than when I was merely 24. I had a wonderful weekend of birthday celebrations, though, with a Reds game with friends, a massage, lunch with my dad, a wedding, and birthday pancakes with a candle served to me in bed by my lovely husband.
Speaking of my husband, he got me a kindle for my birthday. I am so excited about it and I spend as much time as I can playing with it and reading. I am a lover of books so I kept delaying getting a kindle. Call me old fashioned, but there is just something about the feel of an actual book in my hands and being able to flip through the pages that I love. I went back and forth so much because one of my dreams is to someday have a house with my own library. You know, the kind with the walls covered with floor to ceiling shelves full of books, and a ladder that is attached and has wheels and can move around the shelves. I could spend hours in there! So – I decided that I will still have that library one day; I will just also have a kindle because they are cool and convenient and will be great for traveling. Also – I can get newspapers and magazines on my kindle, so it is earth friendly :) Overall, turning 25 was pretty easy...here’s to a great 25th year!

don't worry, be happy

Happiness is one of those words with a thousand meanings. Meanings that are different for each of us. Happiness is a state of mind, a way of looking at life and seeing all the good that it has to offer. Happiness is a feeling of contentment and peace. To me, happiness is my family, freshly brewed coffee, a good book, new shoes, city streets, vacation, a clean house, nail polish, Christmas music, good morning kisses, babies, a glass of wine, carving pumpkins, summer sunshine, walks with Eric and Daisy, going out to dinner, scented candles, writing, chocolate, our wedding pictures and a very long list of more experiences and simplicities that keep me looking forward to the next one.

weekend

This past weekend had a bit of a bumpy start – the Daisy dog had an accident at doggy day care & left at the end of the day on Friday with a deep puncture wound in her shoulder. You would have never guessed that there was a problem, though, because when I picked her up she was happily wagging her tail. The wound freaked me out a lot, though, and I quickly turned into a worried mom and drove straight to the vet’s office. A half hour and two staples later, Daisy was ready to go home. 

When we got home I found an old t-shirt for her to wear so that she wouldn’t be tempted to pull out the staples. It was the cutest thing! The tricky part was trying to fool her into taking the amoxicillin. First, I rolled the pill into a piece of cheese – her favorite. She somehow ate all of the cheese around the pill and carefully spit the pill out. Of course. So, I then wedged the pill in the middle of a treat and held my hand in front of her mouth so that she couldn’t spit it out. Great, I have to do this two times a day for ten days? But, I will say, she was so good through the whole ordeal which made everything easier since Eric was out of town.

Saturday was enjoyable and low key and on Sunday we had a birthday brunch for me at my mom and dad’s. It was wonderful – full of family and delicious food. My actual birthday isn’t until Saturday, the 18^th, but my lucky mom gets to leave fro Italy on Friday, so we celebrated on Sunday and now I’ll just have birthweek instead of just one day J

a book report

I have decided to write a little book review. I have recently read, no, devoured The Hunger Games trilogy. I could not put them down - so good. To start, they are set in a post-apocalyptic North America in a nation known as Panem. Panem contains the Capitol and thirteen districts spread throughout Panem. Each district specifically handles some type of industry and is entirely controlled by the Capitol. Once the districts decide to revolt, the Capitol punishes them by destroying District 13 and creating the Hunger Games. The Games require one boy and one girl, ages 12-18, from each of the twelve remaining districts to fight to the death in an arena created by the Capitol until only one remains.
The main character is Katniss Everdeen and we see the world through her eyes. The story is full of struggle, control, and violence and at the same time, love, friendship and hope. While reading, the correlations between the way people live here in 2011 and in this future world are astounding and made me sit back and think.
I completely fell in love with these characters and the way Suzanne Collins creates this world - I felt as though I was part of it. With these three books, each one is more intense than the next and full of twists and turns and gripping surprises.
Also- starting at the end of this month, filming begins for the Hunger Games movie. I am pretty excited to see this book come to life. Hopefully the movie won't disappoint.
So, even though these books are classified as 'young adult', they will satisfy a reader at any age. I am very glad I stumbled upon the trilogy and my hat's off to author Suzanne Collins for creating such brilliance.

celebrate

Last week my mom and dad celebrated 31 years of wedded bliss. Pretty impressive! In a world with a ridiculously high divorce rate, celebrating your 31st anniversary is truly an accomplishment. Over the course of these 31 years, my parents had three children, accomplished so much and had a lot of good times. Just like everything, I am sure there were ups and downs along the way but mom and dad remembered the promises they made and didn't take their vows lightly.
Growing up I was always a witness to their wonderful relationship. One thing that has been constant in their marriage is laughter. They know how to make each other laugh and it is so obvious to those around them that there is so much love between them. Eric and I are so blessed to have their love and marriage as our example. I have learned so much from watching them interact and being a part of their relationship over the years. I look forward to the day-a little more than thirty years down the road-when Eric and I can look back on all of our years together and smile, just like my mom and dad do. So, congrats lovebirds - here's to many many more years of bliss <3