Tag Archives: Movies

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“Magic Mike”, One Big Estrogen Filled Night Out with the Girls!

A couple of friends and I have been planning to see Magic Mike since the first preview came out.  This movie quickly became a big event for women everywhere.   It’s not hard to figure out why.  The movie is totally designed with all of us ladies in mind.  It has Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, Alcide from True Blood (or also known as, Joe Manganello) and a few other really good looking men, dancing, gyrating and taking off bits of clothing throughout much of the movie.  I mean, what’s not to like about that?

My girlfriends and I decided to make our movie night into a Girl’s Night Out with drinks and dinner beforehand.  Since it was opening night, and being the very smart ladies we are, we decided to purchase our tickets early so we didn’t have to hurry through dinner.  This was the smart part, what wasn’t so smart was deciding to walk around the mall for a bit, then wander into the theater 10 minutes before it started.  The theater was completely packed with hundreds of other ladies on their own Girl’s Night, and a small sprinkling of about 5 men (we counted).  We wandered around the top half of the theater asking if seats, with purses and sweaters thrown on them, were saved for a few minutes with no luck.  Our only option for seats was two rows from the screen next to the wall.  Our range of view was limited and our necks had cricks in them by the time the movie was over, but we had a great time none-the-less.

Before the movie began, my friends and I were laughing a bit about how all the other ladies in the audience were all middle aged and older.  Whoops, wait a second what were we laughing about?  We fall into the category of middle aged as well!  Sometimes its really hard to remember how old you are when you still feel like you’re only 21.   All of a sudden, the lights dimmed and the anticipation began to build as we sat through 20 minutes of previews, of which I can’t remember one title, but they all looked pretty funny.  Finally, the movie beings, to the thrill and cheers of this now massive estrogen ladden Girl’s Night Out.  Matthew McConaughey is standing on the stage, shirtless and with tight, thight black leather pants on.  We’re all waiting for the stripping to start.  That’s what we all came for right?  We can feel it coming.  Matthew is establishing the rules of the club.  “The law says you can not touch, but I see a lot of lawbreakers in this house…”  YES, we’re all naughty lawbreakers, Matthew.  START DANCING already!!!!  The screen goes black with JUNE in big scroll letters.  What? …..Wait…..NOOOOO.  Where’s the dancing?  Oh wait a second…..Channing Tatum just got out of bed and…..he’s naked and we get to see a glimpse of his nice round butt…. SCORE!!!!  Whoops and cheers erupt in the theater.  Next shot, was Olivia Munn’s breasts.  Boo’s ensue from the crowd.  Not because we had anything against Olivia’s boobs.  Not at all, they are very nice, but this is a crowd full of ladies who see boobs every stinking day.  We want the men!!!!

The story line wasn’t bad, although I would have really enjoyed more of a focus and build-up for the romance between Magic Mike and Brooke.  A great romance movie mixed with the male stripping would have really put this movie over the top!   I can honestly say I was wasn’t there for a story though.  I was there purely for the enjoyment of seeing hot, scantilly clad men perform.  This movie had did not disappoint in this department one bit.   The only thing that really disappointed my friends and I was the fact that we didn’t get to see the whole picture very clearly.  Because of our odd, up close and personal, position in the theater, we were only able to focus on one thing at a time, so I know we missed out on some really good views!

My recommendation to all you ladies out there, who are wanting a bit of fun and fantasy in a darkened theater filled with other women just like you, go see this movie, whoop it up and have some fun!  At the end of the movie, my friend Becky turned to me and said, “What do you want to bet the majority of these women are fans of 50 Shade of Grey?”  You know what?  I betcha she’s right.  I think this movie and the S&M, fantasy filled book that is 50 Shades of Grey, are all of us ladies way of relaxing our inhibitions and being total “guys” for a change.  Every so often, it is really kind of fun to be the oggler’s and not the ogglie’s for a change.  ;)

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To Dream The Impossible Dream

dreams and wishes. 62/365

dreams and wishes. 62/365 (Photo credit: nicole.pierce.photography ♥)

Maybe it’s just me, but I would imagine many of us have dreams which are, let’s just say, a tad bit over imaginative to make actually ever realizing one of them impossible.   I will admit to having one of these rather impossible, kind of irrational, dreams.  I would love to be in the movies.  Now I am not talking as the lead or even a supporting character.  In fact, I don’t even have to have a single line.  My dream is so much more lofty then this.  I would like to be a sort of ”Where’s Waldo” of the movie world, only without the silly red and white hat obviously.  I would like to be a part of as many movies as possible, standing somewhere in the background of a pivotal scene.  To fly down to New Zealand, dress up as a hobbit or elf in Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit”, then head to an L.A. sound stage the next day, where I would get to walk down the hallway on some movie set right behind some famous actor like, say, Channing Tatum or Brad Pitt.  I want to get in a shot that doesn’t end up on the cutting room floor and I want to do it over and over and over again.  How much fun would a career like that be?

There are many problems I foresee with my dream to be the Movie Extra Queen of the Hollywood.  For one, I don’t think production companies fly extra’s around the world just to stand in a movie shot for the day.  I rather imagine they are much more economical, asking for the locals to come out and spend the day standing around in the background of various movie scenes.  Another hiccup to my dream is even if I could get a production company to fly me around from movie set to movie set, I don’t think I could make a career off this simply because I don’t think extra’s are even paid, or if they are it would be pocket change and nowhere near enough to make a living on.  But, what is probably my largest problem with this dream rests on my end.  I am terrified of flying.  I hate it.  I avoid it at all costs.  So I would have to somehow conquer this fear if I am to fly all over the world for this gig. But, wouldn’t it be so freaking fun to be “That Girl” who always shows up somewhere in countless Hollywood films?

So, you can see there are quite a few roadblocks in my way, but what struck me the most in writing this post is the notion that my dream is actually somewhat achievable if I remove the unrealistic bits and deconstruct it down to the nitty gritty reasons I have this dream in the first place.  I found by listing out each component of the dream, it helped me sort out the parts of it that are possible.  Ultimately, I learned quite a bit about myself and was even able to acknowledge some of my own personal roadblocks in life that I’ve built up over the years.  Ok, so here’s my list of personal discoveries from this deconstruction process.

1.  I love to travel and having this fear of flying has really held me back. I would really like to see more of this beautful world of ours and only traveling to places I can drive to isn’t going to cut it.  Don’t get me wrong, I have flown many times in my life but it is getting less and less as the years go by and my fear intensifies. I have gone on a total of three round tip flights in the last 10 years, we’ve driven to all our other vacation destinations.  Thankfully, I am already in the process of conquering this fear. My husband and I are planning to take a tropical vacation! It will be my very first international trip. As much as I am worried about the getting there and back process, I can’t wait to take control of my fear and show it who’s boss. Oh, and lounging around on a white sand beach, sipping Pina Colada’s all day is excellent motivation! (Of course, this wouldn’t be my post if I didn’t have a song pop into my head and pause for a quick listen. “Do you like Pina Colada’s?”)

2.  Even though it wouldn’t work for my particular dream, the fact that my dream doesn’t involve me starring in a feature film is something I started to wonder about. Why wouldn’t I want to do this? It is a dream isn’t it, and I should dream big, right? In fact this dream fits very well with my personality. I am very comfortable being in the background and not drawing too much attention to myself. I’ve always been the quiet, shy type. These past few years I have been testing the waters a bit more outside of this zone I’ve built around myself, thereby widening my comfort zone. For example, a few years ago I volunteered to take on a leadership role for a local coalition, sitting on the executive board. Every part of me was saying don’t do it but I resisted and it was a great, worthwhile experience.  It even involved a time where I had to stand up in front of a microphone and address about 80 people off the cuff, no script! I was sweating bullets but I did it and more importantly I survived to tell the tale. :) The best part of my experience in a leadership role is discovering there is plenty of room for quiet leaders. A leader doesn’t have to be the most loud, outgoing and boisterous person in the room. Having learnt this, my plan is to continue pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone and experience life to my fullest potential. Just because I am an adult and somewhat stuck in my ways doesn’t mean I am done growing up. There is always room for personal improvement!

3. As far as the whole movie part of this dream….well….there is not a whole lot I can do about getting on a movie set in the not so distant future.  I live nowhere near L.A. or NYC.  However, although not common in Nebraska, movies are from time to time made here.  The next time a movie is in the area and puts out a call for extra’s I’ll make it a point to show up for the experience.  One of my favorite features on DVD’s these days is the Behind the Scenes stuff. I’ve always been fascinated with the movie making process itself.  This would be a great way to see, up close & personal, the making of a movie.

I hope this post will challenge you to deconstruct your own impossible dream and make it possible!

~Chrissy

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A Few of Our Favorite Things – Week of March 25th

Our lives are often times very hectic and chaotic. We don’t always stop and appreciate the small things happening all around us. In this day and age, it is important to make a conscious effort to recognize the small things or moments that fill us with joy and wonder or make us insanely happy.  Below are a few of our favorite things or special moments we’ve experienced from this past week.  We’d love to hear about yours as well!

Chrissy’s Favorites:

1.  Fun Moments with my Husband and Movies.  My husband and I watched the remake of Footloose this past week.   While the movie was pretty cute it is not something I will probably ever watch again. So, why is this one of my favorite moments of this week? Well, this is largely because my husband and I had a blast trying to spot all the many, many similarities it had to the original movie.  Trust me, there are tons of references to the original from the opening credits to the very end.   As the final credits started rolling, I couldn’t help but feel extremely nostalgic for the original, Kevin Bacon version which I plan on watching this coming weekend to get my fix. Am I the only one who can’t listen to Kenny Loggin’s song Footloose without tapping my toes along with it? Watch the video, and try not to move your feet.  I dare to you!   ”Everybody Cut Loose!”

2.  Shopping and Great New Finds.  Shopping at Target at least once a week is a pretty normal occurrence in my household.  It is my absolute, hands down favorite store.  If I could only pick one store to shop at for the rest of my life, it would be Target.  This week, I was thrilled to happen upon a totally cute and super sweet little necklace in the accessory section.  For many of my fellow Pinterest addicts, it will look familiar as I’ve seen a very similar necklace pop up quite often.  The necklace from Target is only $4.99 and comes with a cute pair of flower earrings as well.

3.  Spring time and New Life Blooming all around me.  Spring is definitely in the air here in Nebraska.  It seems like everyday I notice a different tree has decided to bloom in my neighborhood, but my favorite blossoming tree this year is in my very own backyard.  I have no idea what kind of tree it is, but it is truly lovely! 

Alicia’s Favorites:

1.  Home - After being away from home for vacation, there’s nothing like walking back into your own abode, dropping the suitcases to the floor and falling onto your bed.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to travel!  However, home is the one place you can completely be yourself.  You don’t have to get fully dressed before having breakfast like you do at the hotels.  Nothing says “home” better than cooking bacon and eggs in the kitchen while in your pj’s with your hair messed up!  Ha ha!

2.  Magic & Humor – This week, at my son’s Cub Scout Pack Meeting, they had a special guest.  They had a Magician who was also going to teach the boys (and girls) all about Safety with Electricity.  I will be honest and say that I was a little worried this was going to be really boring.  I mean, who can make electricity safety fun?  Boy was I proved wrong!  This magician was not only great at what he does with magic, but he was HILARIOUS!  He did a fabulous job of engaging not only all the children (and we are talking about A LOT of children at a Pack Meeting), but he kept the adults laughing their pants off with all of his puns and adult innuendos.  It was such an entertaining event.   To top the night off, he needed an assistant and he picked my daughter!  When he came walking out to her in the audience and said he wanted her to help him, I thought for sure she was going to refuse.  While she is quite the card around our family and friends, she is rather reserved in public settings and doesn’t like to be on display.  Quite to my surprise, she jumped right up and went with him!  Apparently this is something she has always wanted to do!  I was so thankful I had brought my video recorder so I could capture that moment forever.  She was the CUTEST Magician’s Assistant ever!  He had her tear up a bunch of tissue paper, put it in a bag, wave the wand and the torn paper turned into a cute yellow & black bonnet with a bow on it!  He put it on her head and sent her away.  She loves this bonnet and it was such a great experience for her!

3.  Parental Pride - This week was report card week along with Parent Teacher Conferences.  My husband and I are extremely proud of the children as they are doing so well in school!  My son got straight A’s and my Peanut has met and exceeded all of her Kindergarten goals!  They received several awards at the Honors Assembly for their achievements in reading and citizenship as well.  It’s a great moment to see them be recognized for all of their hard work and perseverance!

We hope you enjoyed our weekly reflections on our favorite things!  What were your favorite things this week?

~ Chrissy & Alicia

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A Few of Our Favorite Things This Week

Our lives are often times very hectic and chaotic.  We don’t always stop and appreciate the small things happening all around us.  In this day and age, it is important to make a conscious effort to recognize the small things or moments that fill us with joy and wonder or make us insanely happy.  Our plan is to start sharing our fun finds or special moments with you once a week from here on out.  We’d love to hear about yours as well!

Chrissy’s Favorite Things:

1. My Friends.  I received an email from one of our best girlfriends wanting to plan a Girl’s Night In soon. I love getting together with girlfriends. It is the absolute best, most relaxing and therapeutic feeling ever! (The only bummer is Alicia and our other out of town friends don’t live close enough to come as well.)

2. My Mail Delivery.  Yesterday, when I opened my mailbox I was delighted to find the Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer had arrived. My friend, Shannon, calls this newsletter Food Porn and I couldn’t agree more. ;)   I can’t read it without getting totally hungry!

3.  A New Dessert.  I decided to try a recipe for Black Bean Brownies which I found on Pinterest. (If you are interested in the recipe you can check it out here.)  I was initially thrown off because they didn’t have a lick of flour in them and, of course, beans in brownies doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Be that as it may I was intrigued enough to give it a try. Boy, was I delighted and shockingly surprised when they turned out to be really quite good.

4.  A New Movie.  I happend to see a new 5 minute trailer for the movie Snow White and the Huntsman.  I can’t tell you how excited I am to see this movie.  I’ve always enjoyed the Snow White story and love that this movie tells it in such a dark, dramatic way.  Charlize Theron plays the Evil Queen and although I never would have pictured Kristen Stewart as Snow White, she seems to pull it off well. 

Alicia’s Favorite Things:

Well I am on vacation this week!  We have visited New Orleans, Louisiana & Destin, Florida!  It has been a much needed family vacation and we are having a blast! The only bummer is that it has to end.  Be that as it may, I still have several favorite things that I used this week while on my vacation!

1.  My family.  I have to put them first this week since I am on vacation with them!  We don’t get long, quiet breaks (just the 4 of us) all that often.  So having this family time is just unbelievable!  I love my husband and children so much and I’m enjoying this time to reconnect and relax with them.  :)

2.  My Kindle.  My brother gave me my Kindle a few years ago as a Christmas present and it is probably one of the best presents he has ever given me!  My Kindle is totally rock awesome.  I love that when I finish a book, I can “shop” on my Kindle while driving through the back highways of Louisiana and get a new book, instantly!  Scott and I also love playing the New York Times Crossword Puzzle on it.  It was interesting to figure out how to play this game while he drove the van, but we managed.   It helps pass those long hours of driving to your vacation spot!

3.  My Kindle Book for the trip:  “Nearly Departed in Deadwood” by Ann Charles.  This book has me hooked, line & sinker!  It reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series that I read a while back and I just love the mystery, comedy & a little bit of romance all mixed together!  I also have to admit that Chrissy has turned me into a “series” junky and I love that this is the 1st book in the series, so I know I’ll have more to read.  I hate saying goodbye to those characters that you grow to love in books, so a series is great!  I highly recommend it!

4.  My go-to jewelery piece for this vacation has been my Metal Works necklace that I bought last summer from Premier Designs.  I love, love, love this piece as it can be casual with a T-Shirt or go with a nice blouse and work for a great dinner out.  It is 38″ long, but I tend to double it up quite a bit and wear it layered, which looks fabulous.  Or go longer and it is super fancy! :)   (The catalog insert here shows the necklace as item F)

5.  Another favorite item of mine this week is my beach bag filled with all of the necessities for lounging on the white sands in Florida.  I have all of the beach towels for the family, sunblock, my Kindle, our camera, a bag for sea shell collecting and of course some water!  A good, big beach bag is a must have when on a vacation like this!

So there you have it!  A few of our favorite things!  We hope you liked them and maybe even discovered something new in the process!  Have a fabulous day!

~Chrissy & Alicia

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Prom Dresses and the Movies

“Andie: May I admire you?
Duckie: If you wish…”
-Pretty In Pink

dresses Pictures, Images and PhotosI think it is safe to say we as women, love to have an excuse to dress up in a gorgeous dress and be admired by that special person in our life. If you’ve been to the mall lately you’ve probably walked by this year’s selection of Prom dresses?  They are so bright and colorful and, frankly, really stinking adorable.  They are also a tad bit different then the choices Alicia and I had back in the early 90′s although I still adore our dresses.  We each stayed very true to our own personal style when we picked them out, not trying to look older or more mature then we were.  We picked dresses that made us feel beautiful!  I would imagine every woman who went to her prom remembers picking out her prom dress.  It’s a pretty big deal for a teenage girl.  I even remember where I bought my dress (at a store called 5-7-9 in the mall) and what it cost me (a whopping $100).  Prom dresses are constantly evolving, changing year after year along with the culture and tastes of society, but no matter which decade you found yourself attending the prom one thing will always hold true for us girl’s, the prom was largely about finding that perfect dress!   

The best, and most fun, way I can think of to look back at prom dresses through the years is through the movies.  I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite movies, going back over the last handfull of decades, which I feel showcase prom fashion in some way, shape, or form.  If you think about it as research you won’t feel bad that you’re not doing something more productive with your time, like cleaning your bathroom or tackling the garden, right?  I am sure there are a ton of other really good movies that could be put on this list that I’ve forgotten about or haven’t seen, so please feel free to add them in the comments below!

The 1950′s: For this decade, my picks are Grease and Back to the Future.  Who cares that they didn’t actually go to the prom in either movie.  There was a dance and I’d say the fashion is definitely prom-worthy.  

The 1960′s: I had a really hard time finding a movie about any kind of High School dance from this decade, let alone the Prom.  The majority of teen movies I came across in my extensive Google research seem to involve the beach and bikini’s, which although are really fun aren’t exactly what I am looking for.  I do know dance party tv shows were really popular during this time.  They were the perfect opportunity for teenagers in the 60′s to learn all the hot new dances and, of course, the latest fashions.  With this in mind, I’ve got two picks for movies depicting the 1960′s dance party scene: Hairspray and The In Crowd. 

The 1970′s:  There is no question about it, I have to go with the movie Carrie here.  What could be better then a movie about Prom based on a novel by the one and only Stephen King?   Boy, did those kids find out they had messed with the wrong girl the hard way!  

The 1980′s:  This pick should come as no surprise since I started my blog off with a quote from this movie.  Pretty in Pink is one of my all time favorite movies but is it just me or does anyone else still secretly hope Andie will choose Duckie, instead of Blaine, when they watch this movie?  Don’t get me wrong I think Blaine is adorable, but just once I’d like to see what would happen if she picked Duckie. <SIGH>  Ok, moving right along, two other great movies I recommend checking out are Just One of the Guys and Lucas.  (Oh, and the Muppet Movie but only because my choice of words has now stuck this song in my head, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMR5JVo21wQ It’s my post, I can take this wherever I want to go, right?)  :)

The 1990′s:  Now, I am rather disappointed in the fact that all the movies I found from this decade were from the end of it rather then the begining, when I was in High School.  This being said, my top pick has to be Never Been Kissed, simply for the great prom dress Drew Barrymore had on during a very brief flashback scene of her High School Prom circa the early 1990′s.    A few other great movies to check out from the late 90′s are 10 Things I Hate About You,  American Pie and She’s All That.

The 2000′s to present:  This movie might be another stretch of the imagination but it is another favorite, so I’ve gotta go with Napoleon Dynamite.   In the movie, the school dance wasn’t Prom but the fashion is just too much fun not to include it on my list.  It was set in 2003 but there is something about the clothing which makes it seems more like it is taking place in the 1990′s to me.  I think this has to do with the fact that they live in a small town and small towns are notorious for being a few years behind the times.  Whatever the case, it’s one of my pick’s and I am sticking to it!  Another recommendation for this decade is Twilight.  Yes, I am a Twilight fan. Please don’t hold it against me.  I am adding it because there is a great Prom scene with all sorts of wonderful and current Prom dresses in it.  The last movie I’ll include is the movie Prom.  I caught it on cable not to long ago.  It is a cute teen movie from the folks at Disney, and not exactly one of my all time favorite movies, but it is worth watching for research purposes! 

I think it is only fitting to end this post with a photo of Alicia and I before our Senior Prom.  Please note, we did have dates but I’m not sure they would want to be featured on our blog so I choose one of just the two of us.  I want to emphasize the fact that we had dates because we were shocked as hell that we even had the nerve to ask them, let alone that they said yes! 

~Chrissy