I was excited to see "The Phantom Menace" in the movie theater again, after 13 years, and this time in 3D!! Even though it is the weakest in the "Star Wars" series, it is still a great movie.
"The Phantom Menace" is important to the series because it shows a great deal of backstory, from Queen Amidala to Padme, Anakin to his mother Shmi, and even Jar Jar Binks.
I was wondering, though, what the movie would have been like without Jar Jar??
Bottom line: Star Wars rules, the Phantom Menace movie is awesome. Go see it and relive the excitement!!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Monday, October 17, 2011
A Wedding to Remember
This past weekend was my BFF’s (code name: Wells) wedding. I was a bridesmaid and my family as well as Fuzzy Pickles were all invited to the wedding. It was a glorious affair!!
Seeing is Believing
Since I got my contacts, I was having a hard time putting them onto my eyeballs. It was hard and scary!! However I am happy to report that on Friday (wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner day) it took me 45 minutes, but I was able to put them in!! Then on Saturday (wedding day) it took me only 10 minutes to put them in. It’s wonderful to not have to wear glasses for special events!!!
Hair and Makeup
I woke up at 5:07 am on the day of the wedding. That is freakin early for me!! However the woman of the day, aka the bride (code name: Mrs. Wells) was up at 3:30!!! While I was showering Mrs. Wells went to the Dunkin Donuts to get us large coffees to wake us up. All the bridesmaids assembled at our hotel suite by 6:30 to get our hair and makeup done. I turned on the TV to have some background noise and I found VH1 Classic channel was playing all 80s videos. Since I LOVE the 80s I kept that on. We saw videos by Def Leppard, Madonna, and one of my favorite songs of all time, Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before you Go Go”!!!!! I was glad because when I woke up I had L.M.F.A.O.'s "Party Rock Anthem" stuck in my head, but listening to the 80s tunes made it go away!! When the hairstylist was doing Mrs. Wells's hair, it was all curls that looked like Shirley Temple!!
A Race to the Place
We were supposed to be all ready and at the wedding location at 8 am. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Somehow we got behind schedule, and I and one of the other bridesmaids (code name: Belle) were the last to leave the hotel at 9:28. Did I mention that the ceremony started at 10 am?? Luckily we weren’t far away and we made it there at 9:40 and quickly valeted the car and raced inside to the bridal holding room. After putting on our shoes and making sure we were ready to go (Mrs. Wells’s sister had to sew my flower back onto my dress, this was Wardrobe Malfunction of the Day #1), I snuck outside to see if my family had arrived. They arrived moments later and we spent a little time taking pictures and things. At about 9:55, Belle and I slipped over to the groomsmen’s holding room (which was a very manly room cause it was a dark room with a long conference table and fancy office chairs) to give Wells a few last words of encouragement.
It’s Time!!
At precisely 10 am, after the groom and the minister took their places, the rest of the bridal party/groomsmen assembled for our journey down the stairs and out to the gazebo where the ceremony would take place. I was the first bridesmaid out, escorted by my other BFF (code name: Panther). Everything looked wonderful and we made it out there with no problems, until I took my place in the grass….wearing heels. Yeah, I got stuck in the dirt!!! It was hard for me to stand still so I kept shifting around and I kept unsticking my heels and then sinking back into the dirt. Well, at least I didn’t fall over!!!
Eye Witness to Murder
Unfortunately, I couldn’t focus on the ceremony or the bride and especially the groom, otherwise I would have been bawling my eyes out (hence ruining my makeup!!). So I distracted myself by admiring the wildlife around me which was fine…until the murder. I saw a ladybug land on a leaf and I was happy to see it (cause ladybugs are good luck), but then a bright green lizard appeared and ATE THE LADYBUG!!!!!!!! Afterwards, I saw it smack its lips with relish!!! I was shocked, thinking “did that really just happen???!!!” then I had to work very hard to suppress my laughter. My family thought I was crying but I was really trying very hard not to laugh.
The Crazy Photographer/Comedian
After the ceremony, they provided the members of the wedding party with glasses of champagne. I chugged mine (I needed it after what I had witnessed!!!). Then it was time to take pictures. The wedding photographer was a funny guy!! He kept cracking jokes the whole time. He was great!! We took loads of pictures and then the sun came out and it started to get HOT. Our last group of photos was all of us in and around a golf cart with a sign on the back that said “Just Married”. It was fun!!
Cocktail Time
Once the photo session was over, we were released to join the guests at cocktail time. I had two mimosas (I love mimosas!!) and some snacks. I wasn’t very hungry though. Unfortunately, I had my second wardrobe malfunction of the day, and I had to have Penguin and Belle fix it for me in the bridal holding room. Luckily it wasn’t a major malfunction and it was easily fixed. After that it was time for the guests to sit down in the reception room and for the bridal party/groomsmen and the newlyweds to be introduced!!
Dancing
Once everyone made their grand entrance, it was time for the bride and groom’s first dance. It was a wonderful performance!! After that we were released to sit at our tables and watch the bride and dad dance and the groom and mom dance. Then we listened to the lovely toasts by the matron of honor and the best man. Then it was time for FOOD!!!! After that it was time for dancing. We danced to a lot of songs, including “We Are Family”, "Shout", “YMCA”, "Twist and Shout", and that song they always play at weddings with the cha cha and the shuffle and the stomp that is confusing (cause they tell you what to do during the song and sometimes it is hard to follow!!). I also enjoyed doing the Chicken Dance in slow motion (I copied that from the show “New Girl”).
Not Just a Wedding, But Also a Birthday!!
The wedding day was also my brother’s (code name: Prince Adam) birthday. On my way to the rehearsal I bought a cupcake and some candles and I gave it to the wedding coordinator so it could be presented to him during the reception. What was extra nice was that Wells and Mrs. Wells had the DJ announce that it was his birthday and they also came over to our table and all the guests sang “Happy Birthday”. It was very nice and special!!
Firework Dance
We (me, Penguin, Prince Adam, and Fuzzy Pickles) love playing the Just Dance 2 game, and one of our favorite songs to perform is Katy Perry’s “Firework”. I wanted to do the dance sooo badly at the wedding, but it had been a while since I played the game. However, we decided to just go for it. I asked the DJ if he had it and he did, so near the end of the reception it started playing – and we started dancing!!!! I’m sure there were a lot of confused people watching us, but mostly there was cheering and laughing. Also there were a few people videotaping us, but I don’t care cause we looked fabulous!!!
Overall it was a very fun wedding. I didn’t cry (but I did tear up a few times). Also, I had the best-looking date out of everyone, yo!!!!
Here is a link to some pictures from the event: http://aweddingdayoctober152011.shutterfly.com/
Seeing is Believing
Since I got my contacts, I was having a hard time putting them onto my eyeballs. It was hard and scary!! However I am happy to report that on Friday (wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner day) it took me 45 minutes, but I was able to put them in!! Then on Saturday (wedding day) it took me only 10 minutes to put them in. It’s wonderful to not have to wear glasses for special events!!!
Hair and Makeup
I woke up at 5:07 am on the day of the wedding. That is freakin early for me!! However the woman of the day, aka the bride (code name: Mrs. Wells) was up at 3:30!!! While I was showering Mrs. Wells went to the Dunkin Donuts to get us large coffees to wake us up. All the bridesmaids assembled at our hotel suite by 6:30 to get our hair and makeup done. I turned on the TV to have some background noise and I found VH1 Classic channel was playing all 80s videos. Since I LOVE the 80s I kept that on. We saw videos by Def Leppard, Madonna, and one of my favorite songs of all time, Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before you Go Go”!!!!! I was glad because when I woke up I had L.M.F.A.O.'s "Party Rock Anthem" stuck in my head, but listening to the 80s tunes made it go away!! When the hairstylist was doing Mrs. Wells's hair, it was all curls that looked like Shirley Temple!!
A Race to the Place
We were supposed to be all ready and at the wedding location at 8 am. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Somehow we got behind schedule, and I and one of the other bridesmaids (code name: Belle) were the last to leave the hotel at 9:28. Did I mention that the ceremony started at 10 am?? Luckily we weren’t far away and we made it there at 9:40 and quickly valeted the car and raced inside to the bridal holding room. After putting on our shoes and making sure we were ready to go (Mrs. Wells’s sister had to sew my flower back onto my dress, this was Wardrobe Malfunction of the Day #1), I snuck outside to see if my family had arrived. They arrived moments later and we spent a little time taking pictures and things. At about 9:55, Belle and I slipped over to the groomsmen’s holding room (which was a very manly room cause it was a dark room with a long conference table and fancy office chairs) to give Wells a few last words of encouragement.
It’s Time!!
At precisely 10 am, after the groom and the minister took their places, the rest of the bridal party/groomsmen assembled for our journey down the stairs and out to the gazebo where the ceremony would take place. I was the first bridesmaid out, escorted by my other BFF (code name: Panther). Everything looked wonderful and we made it out there with no problems, until I took my place in the grass….wearing heels. Yeah, I got stuck in the dirt!!! It was hard for me to stand still so I kept shifting around and I kept unsticking my heels and then sinking back into the dirt. Well, at least I didn’t fall over!!!
Eye Witness to Murder
Unfortunately, I couldn’t focus on the ceremony or the bride and especially the groom, otherwise I would have been bawling my eyes out (hence ruining my makeup!!). So I distracted myself by admiring the wildlife around me which was fine…until the murder. I saw a ladybug land on a leaf and I was happy to see it (cause ladybugs are good luck), but then a bright green lizard appeared and ATE THE LADYBUG!!!!!!!! Afterwards, I saw it smack its lips with relish!!! I was shocked, thinking “did that really just happen???!!!” then I had to work very hard to suppress my laughter. My family thought I was crying but I was really trying very hard not to laugh.
The Crazy Photographer/Comedian
After the ceremony, they provided the members of the wedding party with glasses of champagne. I chugged mine (I needed it after what I had witnessed!!!). Then it was time to take pictures. The wedding photographer was a funny guy!! He kept cracking jokes the whole time. He was great!! We took loads of pictures and then the sun came out and it started to get HOT. Our last group of photos was all of us in and around a golf cart with a sign on the back that said “Just Married”. It was fun!!
Cocktail Time
Once the photo session was over, we were released to join the guests at cocktail time. I had two mimosas (I love mimosas!!) and some snacks. I wasn’t very hungry though. Unfortunately, I had my second wardrobe malfunction of the day, and I had to have Penguin and Belle fix it for me in the bridal holding room. Luckily it wasn’t a major malfunction and it was easily fixed. After that it was time for the guests to sit down in the reception room and for the bridal party/groomsmen and the newlyweds to be introduced!!
Dancing
Once everyone made their grand entrance, it was time for the bride and groom’s first dance. It was a wonderful performance!! After that we were released to sit at our tables and watch the bride and dad dance and the groom and mom dance. Then we listened to the lovely toasts by the matron of honor and the best man. Then it was time for FOOD!!!! After that it was time for dancing. We danced to a lot of songs, including “We Are Family”, "Shout", “YMCA”, "Twist and Shout", and that song they always play at weddings with the cha cha and the shuffle and the stomp that is confusing (cause they tell you what to do during the song and sometimes it is hard to follow!!). I also enjoyed doing the Chicken Dance in slow motion (I copied that from the show “New Girl”).
Not Just a Wedding, But Also a Birthday!!
The wedding day was also my brother’s (code name: Prince Adam) birthday. On my way to the rehearsal I bought a cupcake and some candles and I gave it to the wedding coordinator so it could be presented to him during the reception. What was extra nice was that Wells and Mrs. Wells had the DJ announce that it was his birthday and they also came over to our table and all the guests sang “Happy Birthday”. It was very nice and special!!
Firework Dance
We (me, Penguin, Prince Adam, and Fuzzy Pickles) love playing the Just Dance 2 game, and one of our favorite songs to perform is Katy Perry’s “Firework”. I wanted to do the dance sooo badly at the wedding, but it had been a while since I played the game. However, we decided to just go for it. I asked the DJ if he had it and he did, so near the end of the reception it started playing – and we started dancing!!!! I’m sure there were a lot of confused people watching us, but mostly there was cheering and laughing. Also there were a few people videotaping us, but I don’t care cause we looked fabulous!!!
Overall it was a very fun wedding. I didn’t cry (but I did tear up a few times). Also, I had the best-looking date out of everyone, yo!!!!
Here is a link to some pictures from the event: http://aweddingdayoctober152011.shutterfly.com/
Saturday, September 17, 2011
The Greatest T-Shirt Ever
This is the greatest t-shirt ever. (Courtesy of Fuzzy Pickles)
Stupid sparkly vampires
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
My Birthday Trip
Now that we are back from my birthday vacation, here are some highlights from our trip:
On Friday evening as we were getting ready for our dinner at Boma (which is my favorite restaurant ever!!), there was a very bad thunderstorm. Lightning struck our hotel and the elevators didn’t work. So we had to walk down TWELVE FLIGHTS of stairs (and I had new shoes on!!). Luckily it was fixed by the time we got back from dinner, because there was no way I was walking up all those stairs after Boma!!
At Boma we got Magic Star Cocktails!! They have light-up ice cubes in them. I have a small collection of the light-up ice cubes from our last trip and this one to!! And the drink is really really yummy. It’s our favorite.
I had three Zebra Domes for my appetizer!! Then we had braised pork shoulder, rice, fufu, hummus and pita bread, butternut squash soup, salad, nut-crusted salmon, and other tasty dishes. Then it was time for dessert!! I had two more Zebra Domes and then our waiter brought me a plate of birthday treats. They were good but I could barely eat them because I was soooo stuffed.
On Saturday morning when we arrived at the Islands of Adventure ticket booth I received another surprise – Fuzzy Pickles has bought me a year-long pass for Universal Studios!! Then he got himself one too, because a one day one park ticket was $90. So I was like “oh just get yourself a year-long pass too, since you’ll be coming back up here with me!!”.
Our first mission was to get Butterbeer!! So we hightailed it thru Seuss Landing and the Lost Continent and then we were at the entrance to Hogsmeade. It was pretty amazing. They had the Hogwarts Express train and then there was the cart for the Butterbeer. We waited in the line (which wasn’t too long) and I got a cup of the liquid Butterbeer (verses the frozen option) in a collectible plastic mug and Fuzzy Pickles got a regular throwaway cup. I loved mine, but Fuzzy Pickles didn’t like his too much so I finished his too. Then we went on the Dragon Challenge coaster. We both agreed that the blue track (aka The Hungarian Horntail) was the better of the two so we rode that one.
After that we headed for Hogwarts and the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction. The sign said it would be a 60 minute wait. The queue started outside in a courtyard-type area, and then it wound around and up until you were in an area that looked like herbology class. Eventually you make it into the castle and it is very authentic. They have statues and tapestries like you see in the movies and described in the books. The queue moves past the entrance to Dumbledore’s office and then you actually are in Dumbledore’s office, and he tells you to move on into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione are there telling you about the adventure ahead. Once you finally get onto the ride, you better buckle up and hold on tight cause you are pretty much flying around Hogwarts and the Hogwarts grounds. You encounter a dragon, spiders, dementors, the basilisk, and various other fun and excitement. However I would highly recommend you do NOT eat before riding this one. I had a hard time keeping my Butterbeer down (I didn’t barf though!!)
Since we had the passes, we were able to visit both parks. When we finished with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we walked over to Universal Studios to visit The Simpsons area. It is so neat!! They have a Kwik-e-Mart there!! I purchased a very lovely Homer Simpson insulated cup, which I brought to work!! We went on the Simpsons ride also. It was awesome. The Simpsons rule!!! Then we had some snacks (a churro and a soft pretzel with cheese!!) and then we went to Amityville and rode on Jaws.
We discovered that there was a Christian rock concert at Universal Studios on Saturday night, so the park was closing at 6. We were tired anyways so we slowly made our way back to our designated bus stop. We were able to people-watch for a while and we saw some dude picking his nose. He was picking and flicking. It was pretty gross. I mean, that kind of behavior should be reserved for the bathroom!!
On Saturday evening I decided to take a bubble bath in the big tub. When I was running the water and adding the bubble bath stuff, I decided there weren’t enough bubbles so I kept adding…and adding…and adding until I used up half the bottle. Then I turned the jets on and there were so many bubbles!!!! They were everywhere. It was a very bubbly bath!!
Overall it was a fabulous trip with lots of awesome surprises!! Fuzzy Pickles is the greatest BF ever!!!! : ) : ) <3 <3
On Friday evening as we were getting ready for our dinner at Boma (which is my favorite restaurant ever!!), there was a very bad thunderstorm. Lightning struck our hotel and the elevators didn’t work. So we had to walk down TWELVE FLIGHTS of stairs (and I had new shoes on!!). Luckily it was fixed by the time we got back from dinner, because there was no way I was walking up all those stairs after Boma!!
At Boma we got Magic Star Cocktails!! They have light-up ice cubes in them. I have a small collection of the light-up ice cubes from our last trip and this one to!! And the drink is really really yummy. It’s our favorite.
I had three Zebra Domes for my appetizer!! Then we had braised pork shoulder, rice, fufu, hummus and pita bread, butternut squash soup, salad, nut-crusted salmon, and other tasty dishes. Then it was time for dessert!! I had two more Zebra Domes and then our waiter brought me a plate of birthday treats. They were good but I could barely eat them because I was soooo stuffed.
On Saturday morning when we arrived at the Islands of Adventure ticket booth I received another surprise – Fuzzy Pickles has bought me a year-long pass for Universal Studios!! Then he got himself one too, because a one day one park ticket was $90. So I was like “oh just get yourself a year-long pass too, since you’ll be coming back up here with me!!”.
Our first mission was to get Butterbeer!! So we hightailed it thru Seuss Landing and the Lost Continent and then we were at the entrance to Hogsmeade. It was pretty amazing. They had the Hogwarts Express train and then there was the cart for the Butterbeer. We waited in the line (which wasn’t too long) and I got a cup of the liquid Butterbeer (verses the frozen option) in a collectible plastic mug and Fuzzy Pickles got a regular throwaway cup. I loved mine, but Fuzzy Pickles didn’t like his too much so I finished his too. Then we went on the Dragon Challenge coaster. We both agreed that the blue track (aka The Hungarian Horntail) was the better of the two so we rode that one.
After that we headed for Hogwarts and the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction. The sign said it would be a 60 minute wait. The queue started outside in a courtyard-type area, and then it wound around and up until you were in an area that looked like herbology class. Eventually you make it into the castle and it is very authentic. They have statues and tapestries like you see in the movies and described in the books. The queue moves past the entrance to Dumbledore’s office and then you actually are in Dumbledore’s office, and he tells you to move on into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione are there telling you about the adventure ahead. Once you finally get onto the ride, you better buckle up and hold on tight cause you are pretty much flying around Hogwarts and the Hogwarts grounds. You encounter a dragon, spiders, dementors, the basilisk, and various other fun and excitement. However I would highly recommend you do NOT eat before riding this one. I had a hard time keeping my Butterbeer down (I didn’t barf though!!)
Oh I walked into the bathroom in Hogsmeade and I heard a weird noise and I was like “what the heck is that??” and then I realized...it was Moaning Myrtle!!!! Fuzzy Pickles said she can also be heard in the men’s room.
After lunch at the Three Broomsticks we headed to the Ollivander’s Wand Shop. We waited in the line for about 30 minutes. We ended up being the first people in our group into the shop for the wand-choosing demonstration, and the man playing Ollivander chose me to pick out a wand!! It was so fun. It was basically a re-creation of the scene from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” when he is acquiring his wand. Of course I ended up purchasing my wand, because it did choose me after all!!
Since we had the passes, we were able to visit both parks. When we finished with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we walked over to Universal Studios to visit The Simpsons area. It is so neat!! They have a Kwik-e-Mart there!! I purchased a very lovely Homer Simpson insulated cup, which I brought to work!! We went on the Simpsons ride also. It was awesome. The Simpsons rule!!! Then we had some snacks (a churro and a soft pretzel with cheese!!) and then we went to Amityville and rode on Jaws.
We discovered that there was a Christian rock concert at Universal Studios on Saturday night, so the park was closing at 6. We were tired anyways so we slowly made our way back to our designated bus stop. We were able to people-watch for a while and we saw some dude picking his nose. He was picking and flicking. It was pretty gross. I mean, that kind of behavior should be reserved for the bathroom!!
On Saturday evening I decided to take a bubble bath in the big tub. When I was running the water and adding the bubble bath stuff, I decided there weren’t enough bubbles so I kept adding…and adding…and adding until I used up half the bottle. Then I turned the jets on and there were so many bubbles!!!! They were everywhere. It was a very bubbly bath!!
Overall it was a fabulous trip with lots of awesome surprises!! Fuzzy Pickles is the greatest BF ever!!!! : ) : ) <3 <3
Friday, September 9, 2011
The Secret Revealed!!
So I learned this morning that we are going to Orlando!! Tomorrow we are going to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!! Finally I get to try Butterbeer!! I'm very excited.
Right now we are unpacking in our suite at our resort. It's super nice, it's like an apartment!!! And there is a big bathtub and I'm going to take a bubble bath later!! Hooray!!!
Stay tuned for more exciting updates :)
Right now we are unpacking in our suite at our resort. It's super nice, it's like an apartment!!! And there is a big bathtub and I'm going to take a bubble bath later!! Hooray!!!
Stay tuned for more exciting updates :)
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
A Birthday Vacation!!!
This Friday, my kick ass boyfriend (code name: Fuzzy Pickle) is taking me on a super secret vacation to celebrate my birthday (because my birthday should be celebrated for the entire month of September. Right??). I’m very excited!! Where are we going?? I don’t know!! But I’ll find out on Friday!! Stay tuned for more details.
Do you think you know where we’re going?? Post in the comments!!
Have you ever taken anyone on a surprise vacation, or been taken on a surprise vacation?? Post in the comments!!
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