May the 4th Be With You!

In case you don't have a calendar, today is May 4th...also known to geeks worldwide as Star Wars Day! I don't think I have to tell you what Star Wars is (or how awesome it is) but just in case you can educate yourself here: STAR WARS

All six films

So Star Wars Day is a play on the best known Jedi phrase "May the force be with you" for fans of the series. One of the perks of today is that if you were thinking that you could use another poster or perhaps your favorite Star Wars shirt is about ready to be retired, you can head to your local Hot Topic (or visit the web at Hot Topic) and save 25% today only on all Star Wars goodies! Also, check with your local Books A Million some host a Star Wars day. (Don't just check the web, call your local store...cause not all stores do it. They should...but I'd rather you not take the drive and end up disappointed!)

Taken directly from my email

Minus the setback of LucasArts closing this year, this has been a great year for the Star Wars Universe. As you most likely know, last year Disney purchased Lucasfilm and while there were several fans who were worried of a Disney addition for the most part it looks to be a promising relationship. Disney has announced that Star Wars VII will hit theatures in our galaxy in 2015. In April, they annouced that a Star Wars film will be released annually starting in 2015! J.J Abrams is signed on to direct VII (J.J. Abrams). Coming up in a few weeks is Star Wars Weekends at Disney Hollywood Studios.

Picture tweeted from D23 

For more on Star Wars Day click on May the 4th. The complete saga is available on dvd and blu ray. There are also several books, comics, and graphic novels that give backstory to the saga as well as continue into the universe. By the way, did you know that if you want to write a book for the Star Wars universe that your story is fact checked so if someone has killed off a character, you can't bring him back. Or if a ship has been destroyed...it can't be used again. I had the chance to meet Timothy Zahn a few years back and he was talking about writing his books. (Which are rumored to be upcoming film plot). Do you have any big plans for today? I'd love to hear all about it so leave me a comment or feel free to send me an email at takeitfromladyj@hotmail.com. May the 4th Be With You readers and have a great weekend!

Art vs. Artist

So for starters let me just go ahead and say that I'm sure some of you are going to make fun of me once I tell you where my latest blog entry came from. Despite how you might feel about the show, I really think that they brought up a good point on the last episode and if you disagree then feel free to skip this entry. Onward to my post:

  Today I spent time getting some of the shows on my DVR watched so my box would stop reminding me that it was slowly running out of room for new shows. (I hate falling behind on shows but at least I have things to watch!) As I was watching an episode of glee I found myself very intrigued when many of the characters flipped out on a guy who was planning to sing a Chris Brown song for the week. (For those who don't watch, usually each week they have a theme for the songs they are going to sing at practice like guilty pleasures or diva songs.) Most of the group is telling this one guy that he can't sing a Chris Brown song because he had an abusive relationship with Rhianna and if he sings Chris Brown it makes the statement that he thinks it's ok. This character decides that the group is right and decides to sing a Brown song, but instead of singing a Chris song...he sings a Bobby Brown song instead. Of course the group is still upset and informs this character that Bobby Brown was no better than Chris.

This is after he sang My Prerogative (I think)

All this got me thinking, when it comes to music or any form of art can we forget the terrible things he/she/they do in private if the art is wonderful? Are some bad choices easier to overlook than others? Does a person's private life affect how his/her art is perceived? Think of a song that you absolutely love, a song that you know all the words to, something you can't help but feel happy when it comes on. Now imagine that the person who sings this amazing song is a puppy killer.

Look at how adorable!

Are you going to stop listening to that song? If you bought the cd, are you going to throw it away? Odds are, you won't buy any more concert tickets or posters of this artist. Now if the artist is a tax evader or heavy on drugs, does that chance your stance? Michael Jackson was accused of messing with little boys...but you never hear people say anything negative about his music. Whitney Houston was on drugs and people talk about how horrible a loss it is for the music industry now that she's passed on. Am I trying to hint that I think either of the Browns are better than MJ or Whitney? No, of course not. My ears work fine but my point is that while they both had faults that were often the headline for the tabloid section at your local grocery store, it seems that the general public can overlook these bad choices and focus on musical talents and catchy songs.

If we turn from music to movies you can see that it's close to the same deal. Most of us have heard about Mel Gibson's slurs. If you haven't noticed...the offers don't seem to be pouring in for him anymore. Do we stop watching the good movies though? Braveheart may be one of his best know movies. AMC plays it very often. Do we stop watching it? Has anyone actually seen Gibson's latest movie that went straight to dvd? (Unless it's a movie for kids...this is usually a bad sign) How about David Hasselhoff who lost custody of his daughters when that video of him on the floor with the cheeseburger surfaced? Do we stop letting kids watch the Spongebob movie?

This is a real scene from the movie

So here's my opinion on the matter. If it's a simple mistake and they make great music...it's easy for us to forget and move on but some of the heavier things (like hitting women or having an addiction) are harder to overlook and while we won't talk badly about previous work...it will stop us from liking anything new. In my opinion, I don't really care for the music of Chris or Bobby Brown so I haven't ever supported either of them. Honestly,  I'd much rather be listening to Blink 182 any given day!

Blink 182

Ok readers, I want to know what you think! Is there a line you hope your favorite artist never crosses so you don't have to burn all that merch you bought at the last show? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about MJ, Whitney, Mel, ect... Feel free to tell me what you think about Blink (just know that I might have a comeback already lined up...hehehe)! Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Night Owls Unite!

For the past three nights this week...I've been up so late that I've debated just not sleeping at all! It would be so easy to blame being on the computer as the reason that I have stayed up all night, but two nights ago I wasn't on the computer...I was up with my husband watching tv. At the moment I can't think of what I was doing last night that cause me to stay up so long. My close friends will tell you that usually it doesn't take much of anything for me to get to sleep. Yep, I'm one of those rare and lucky people that are usually asleep before the head and pillow meet. However, the downside to that is most often if I can't get myself to want to go to sleep it simply won't happen (which is really what happened tonight...I just chose to make the most of my time and work on my blog and uploading pictures and finally getting all these pictures off my phone!)

 

Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, and Captain America

So in the event that you find yourself up all night and you really need to get some beauty sleep, try a few of these tips to see if the sandman will come:
1.) Get some reading done. Sometimes curling up in bed with a good book will help you get to sleep.
2.) Take a warm shower at least thirty mins before you want to go to sleep. Cooling down from the shower will help give your body the signal that it is time to sleep.

3.) Try not to eat anything or have anything to drink other than water at least three hours before you want to go to sleep. (I know this one isn't always easy to follow, but try to limit the caffeine intake in the hours before bedtime)

4.) Drink a warm glass of milk. (This one has never worked for me...but you never know)
5.)  Play some soft music. Like classical music before you crawl into bed
6.) Turn off everything that puts off light. Studies have shown that people sleep longer and better in darker rooms. If you simply can't imagine turning off your phone, at the very least leave it face down so it you do get a random text during the night it won't light up your room.

7.) If you find yourself staring into the darkness and can't seem to get to sleep, start daydreaming. I know this one is really hit or miss but it does work for me. I've started thinking about remolding the basement and turning it into a studio apartment. Imagined myself in a nice gown trying to waltz around a ballroom. For the most part, I've found that daydreams that don't really take much of an effort work very well for me and do help me get to sleep when I'm having trouble with it.

Some things the internet had to say, a few of these I've mentioned but they list more:

Forbes: reasons why you can't sleep
Prevention: 10 reasons you can't sleep


Did one of my tips work for you? Do you have the perfect trick to bring on sleep? I want to know! Make sure to leave your tips or comments below cause I would love to hear from you. May you have a great night of sleep readers!

I shall end with this cute pic!

Drip Drop Little April Showers

While this may actually be an exaggeration, it has felt like every other day this month has included rain! It started here at the very end of March and only lets up for a few days before it comes back. Of course the saying "April showers bring May flowers" immediately comes to mind...and for the most part I don't mind the rain (especially if I don't have to get out in it)! The rain can be very calming and helps me get some extra sleep in the mornings. 

 I don't know if this is true for anyone else, but I do feel foolish if I've taken the time to dry and/or fix my hair and then see that the rain has returned (I just feel like I've wasted time). I think the best thing for me to do is learn more styles that involve braids so I won't have to worry about frizzy or stringy hair. (Thank goodness for Pintrest!) 


 Back to the topic at hand... if you can make the time for it (and have a good eye), the rain can give you some great pictures! Of course you'll want to be careful since the water can be harmful to your electronics so be sure to take them under shelter or an umbrella. Here are a few of mine that I've taken so far this month so enjoy!

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down

 Rainy day at work

 More rain on my windshield

Safely under my umbrella on the way to the movies

I must say that the only time this month I was bummed about the rain was the opening day for the Lookout's...the game was postponed. The good news was we were able to attend a double-header that Sunday and had a fun time (and even got sunburnt) but that's something I'll get into in another post! These pics are helping me with one of my goals for the year and I really hope that you enjoy them readers! Also if you know of a good place to get some rain boots, I'm thinking I should invest in a pair. 

This pic is from last year...but I love it

It's time for the great American pastime!

For those that are into it, April brings the official start to baseball season and I for one couldn't be happier about it! Personally I've never been to a major league game, but the husband and I always make time for our local minor league team, The Chattanooga Lookouts! We bought our ticket to the season opener almost two weeks in advance, only for the game to be canceled due to weather. For the record, it wasn't even raining an hour prior to game time. The plus side is that we were able to attend Sunday's double-header to make up for the game we missed! We had a lot of fun. We all got a bit sun burnt and I have some weird tan lines going on at the moment but it was well worth it since the Lookouts did such a great job during the first game. They lost steam in the second one and it was very uneventful (they also lost) but that first game was a killer!

In the event that you have never been to a Lookouts game, there are a few tips I can give you if you're ready to try something new:
1.) Arrive about 20 mins before the game is set to start (earlier if you're going to a Friday game as those are usually packed). This gives you time to grab a snack or two and get comfortable in your seat. Plus you'll get to see the starting line up!
2.) If you need to bring a bag (or purse) make sure that you pack lightly and be prepared to stop and have your bag checked. They don't want people bringing in weapons or snacks. Personally I bring a camera bag and it only takes security a second to look in and see that I'm bringing in... a camera.

My pretty yellow rose

3.) Make sure that you grab a schedule. They do so many promotions during the summer. Last year I went with a friend and her daughter to Lady's Night which was fun. I got a yellow rose. For that matter, make sure that you pick up a program by the gate when you first come in. It's always the same sweet lady selling them...and it's only 25 cents!
4.) Every Friday that the Lookouts play a home game, win or lose...there are fireworks after the game and it is awesome!
5.) The best place to buy beer (if you want a drink at the game) is to hit the Big River Beer Garden or the Budweiser Beer Time Club. Both have lovely staff and are cheaper than what you get by the concessions. (At least it was true last year...after I go to a game this year I'll give an update!)

Koda's birthday gift. A glass and a foam hat!

6.) The players will sign your foul balls and foam fingers before and after the game. Just remember to bring a sharpie. (They also sell them in the gift shop)
7.) Speaking of, make sure you are on the lookout for foul balls. My mother in law almost got hit with one. As well as my friend's uncle who was busy texting and it went right over his head. I had one whiz past me last year. My husband caught that one!

So I want to know, are you attending any baseball games this season? If baseball isn't your thing...I'd like you to tell me what you're most excited for this spring. I'm always trying to think of new and fun things to do. Have a great week dear readers and try to stay dry!

It was almost spring!

Despite what my calendar says...spring is not what is going on outside right now. Retail shops are stocking up on pool supplies, swim suits, tank tops, shorts, and of course flip flops but there is no need to use any of these items right now, unless one is planning a tropical vacation (and if you are, can I come too?).

This is a pic from our trip to PCB last year!

 Anyways, last week on the first official day of spring my furbaby and I spent some time outside and captured a few pictures. She's not a big fan of being outdoors so I was lucky that she was so cooperative about it. Here's a few pictures:

Flowers on the side of the house

Cloud 

There are a ton of these in our backyard

Rosie (the Furbaby)

Trees beside the house

This is the view from our side yard

She's ready to go back in now

 I don't know how the weather is for you at the moment, but it's been snowing here all week so far. Nothing is sticking here so at least we're not getting stranded at home or anything. My niece and nephew are on spring break this week and have gotten a good bit of snow this week. I'm just ready for spring to start. It's almost time for the Lookouts first game and I would like to not freeze if at all possible!

 Hope you enjoy the pics readers and as always I would love to hear your feedback. Have a great day and try to stay warm!

Words mean things

The statement is simple enough. Words mean things. I'm sure when you were a kid your mother told you to always think before you speak and mean what you say.

Is what Thumper's father told him

 Words can be uplifting, motivational, give hope, or lead to serious depression. This is common sense and I'm sure that I'm not telling you something that you don't already know. (In the event that you didn't know...I'm very sorry and if you like I will explain it all in extreme detail for you. Your poor, poor dear!) Having said that, it amazes me daily how often I hear people saying horrible things about a current love, an ex, baby's daddy, best friend, former friend...the list goes on and on. What baffles me the most is that it seems people just think that as soon as the sentence has escaped that you're going to forget it was ever said. If you don't want me to remember things that you have said about who or whatever you talked about for at least five minutes or more, why am I listening? Most importantly, why are you wasting your time and mine? Here are a few thoughts I've had to help get my point across!

I had a friend once that would talk so badly about one of our mutual friends whenever she wasn't around. (I'm not going into any more detail than that) It always shocked me how much she would hang out with this friend of ours and tell her how great she was when we were all together. I've now tried to distance myself from friends such as these cause let's be honest:

I had to include this for my besties!

If you make a point to tell everyone how terrible your ex was to you and you'll never get back together, don't expect us to forget all those terrible things when you decide to give this horrible person that 27th chance. If you paint the picture of an abusive ex, or someone who can't keep their pants on, who is constantly bumming off you...of course your friends (those people who DO care about you) are going to be anything but thrilled that you are back together. Again...this feels like common sense and yet I could name at least a handful of people that this covers.

But will most likely resume in a matter of days...

When you're mad and/or fighting with someone and you tell them that they're worthless, or a bad friend, or taking advantage of you, ect. and the statement that you made isn't true... Well, you just need to brace yourself for the nice wedge that you just placed between yourself and that person. You can try and justify what you said, claim you didn't mean it, it sounded worse than it actually is, it was spoken out of anger...whatever. I'm telling you now that when you say something to purposely hurt someone, it's going to stay with them. It can be forgiven but it isn't going to ever truly be forgotten. That thought, your tone, the expression you had on your face when you said it, it will creep up from time to time. Words mean things, and like a text message...once its out there, there isn't a way to get it back.

Gotta love HIMYM

Some of the best advice on this I found was from one Craig Ferguson. In his special that he taped in Nashville, (which is available to purchase or watch via Netflix) he posed three questions to ask yourself before you open your mouth to speak:
1.) Does this need to be said?
2.) Does this need to be said right now?
3.) Does this need to be said by me right now?

Always take a moment to think before you speak, and if you can't see a positive side in saying what's on the tip of your tongue...odds are it doesn't need to be said at all. Do you have a friend like this? Have I opened your eyes and you're realizing that you're like this? Tell me about it in the comments section. Have a great day readers!

What made you a gamer?

Finishing a game is such an amazing feeling, until you realize that you don't have a new game to start! There are some games that never truly end...like online games or building games (I love playing Little Big Planet myself) but for the most part the game ends and you're left hoping that there's going to be a next one. I'm still waiting on the next Kingdom Hearts game that has been talked about for years now (and not the side stories or prequels...I'm talking about a true continuation of the series). All this got me thinking, what made you a gamer?

Did you start humming the theme song?

Personally, my love of video games came from my mother. She loved playing the original Super Mario Bros on the NES. I loved watching her play and she would always let me play her guy and after I killed him a few times, she would take back over and work on getting some 1ups. My mom had so many games for the NES. There was Mario (1,2, and 3), The Legend of Zelda, Pac Man, racing games...so many more than I can remember at the moment and I tried to play as many as I could.

 The first game console I owned was the Sega Genesis and of course the game to play was Sonic! I spent hours playing Sonic and as much as I hate to admit it...I never beat the final battle of the game! Truth be told, the first game I beat completely on my own was the first Kingdom Hearts on my ps2. (Don't make fun but I always had people want to show me how to beat bosses) I also played some Disney games on my Sega like the Aladdin game and the game for Beauty and the Beast. I also had a Pac Man game for the Sega but I didn't really play it too much. I also loved to play this game called Toejam and Earl. It was a strange game but it was fun to play and had catchy music in the background. (Kudos if you know what I'm talking about!)

 After the Sega, I went back to Nintendo and played the N64. I love Mario games. The games I played the most were Super Mario 64 and Super Smash Bros. (On a side note, I have the Smash Bros for the Wii and its nowhere near as fun as the one I used to play on the N64!)

Next I found my way to Sony and fell for the playstation 2. My first ps2 game was Final Fantasy X which I spent hours playing. A tip for those who are thinking about playing a Final Fantasy game for the first time...invest in the strategy guide. There are so many steps and level ups that you will need to fight your final boss. These games are a lot of fun, but they take a lot of work and time. Of course I became addicted to Kingdom Hearts from the moment I started to play it (Final Fantasy meets Disney...come on! What's not to love?)

Sora battles Giant Ursula

 I also discovered a fun game called Sing Star which I can't even begin to count how many times my best friend and I have played it...and Dance Dance Revolution! 

Of course I must mention the fighting games that I've played over the years: Street Fighter, Mortal Combat, and Tekken. To be honest I'm not great at these games. I do try to learn the special move combos but when my character is about to die, I just hit every button and hope for the best.

I've also owned a few of the handheld games like Gameboy, Gamegear, DS, and PSP. I think that I've played the Gamegear more than any other. I used to take that thing everywhere!

So whether you're a casual gamer or a hardcore master gamer, I'd like to know what games you're playing now or hope to play as soon! Come on readers...it's time to level up!

Erin Go Bragh (St. Patrick's Day Plans)

I know that it's a bit late but, happy March readers! March has quickly become one of my favorite months of the year, especially now that I'm older! On a bit of a personal note, I will be celebrating my first wedding anniversary this weekend. Most people think that the first year of marriage is the hardest and if the marriage passes this marker there's a good chance it will last. Which is a sad thought (but of course half of all marriages are said to end in divorce)... Back to happy thoughts! March weather is a bit crazy and unpredictable, many of us in my area remember the blizzard of 1993. Then of course on my wedding day last year, my brother got a sunburn from being outside too long...

A picture of my paper flowers

Of course by now you should have your big plans for the weekend with it being St. Patrick's Day. I know there are several bars hosting specials around here. Oh, and I learned last year that Chili's sells green beer (if you happen to like beer)! For those who aren't into beer or the bar scene...don't fret! This can still be a fun holiday for you as well:

1.) Have a movie night! A few movies I recommend are Brave, Darby O' Gill and the Little People, The Boondock Saints (as well as the sequel All Saints Day), Craig Ferguson: Does This Need To Be Said? (filmed in Nashville and available on Netflix as well as a new Stand-up), How To Train Your Dragon (speaking of Craig Ferguson), Braveheart, any Muppets movie (I love Muppets From Space and the newest one and who doesn't love Kermit!), The Wizard of Oz (very green movie) and the new movie Oz The Great and Powerful

2.) Have a green dessert. I personally love the soft sugar cookies at Wal-Mart and they have several right now! Also there's the shamrock shake at McDonald's if you like mint ice cream

3.)  Have a dinner party and serve some lovely Irish food. I took this from wikihow: "In Ireland, the day is usually celebrated by eating food such as pink bacon or savory roast chicken. Corned beef and cabbage is from American tradition"

Of course if you're really wanting to have some fun this St. Patrick's day I can tell you from experience that it it loads of fun to get a group together to walk around and bar hop. Especially if the men are in kilts! Our friend Nick was stopped several times so people could get a picture of the tall guy in the kilt.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend readers! Just remember to wear a little green, unless of course you enjoy getting pinched!

Seriously, make time to see Brave this weekend!

Erin Go Bragh

Let it out!

So if you're anything like me, there are days that you find yourself trying so hard to focus on the simplest of things and despite your best efforts...just can't manage it. Well as I have come to learn the hard way, there is simply too much swimming around in that brain of yours and you need to get some of it out! This seems to happen to everyone and I've happen to come across a few painless ways to help clear your mind and get back to doing whatever it was that you wanted to do in the first place...

1.) Start a junk journal. It can be something as simple as a notepad you keep in your pocket or an online journal (I use LiveJournal). Now it doesn't have to be something that you write in daily. Honestly, it's a great idea if you just pick one day a week (like a day that you happen to be off work) to sit down and get the junk out! Just set a timer for anything from ten to thirty minutes and just start writing the first thing that comes to mind and keep going until the timer goes off. This helps your subconscious run free and get some of the clutter out of your mind...which will free up space to get back to things that matter. One of the best parts to a junk journal is that occasionally, you will write something profound...or perhaps gives you an answer to a situation that seems rather difficult.

2.) People will usually recommend meditation and I see the perks. Usually the easiest thing to do is find a place where you can sit in quite (or some soft music) and try to focus on all the jumbled thoughts going on upstairs. Give yourself a nice stretch and focus. For more info on meditation check out Meditation for beginners

3.) Have a night out. There are times that we get so caught up in the day to day grind that we let things build up and this will usually clutter your mind. One of the easiest (and perhaps the most fun) is to plan a night out with friends. It can be something simple like meeting for dinner, going to the movies, or in the case of my friends a hour or so in the humor section of the book store. If you happen to live in the Chattanooga area, I would highly recommend going to the local comedy club, The Comedy Catch where you can get some great entertainment and the food is very good and reasonably priced!

When all else fails, hopefully you're lucky enough to have a friend or family member that you can sit down and talk nonsense with. Some of my best mind cleansing sessions have been with my dear friends just going to grab a burger and some frozen yogurt. By the way, how great is fro-yo? If you haven't had fro-yo, this has been my favorite shop by far Menchie's. In addition to several yummy flavors, they also offer a reward card...so the more you shop, the more fro-yo you can get! 

My yummy fro-yo

Pictures galore!

It's no big surprise that I love taking pictures. There are some days when I'm sitting at home bored and I will grab my camera and take pictures of completely random things. In the past I just delete them afterwards, but I think from here on out...I'm going to start sharing them instead. Here are a few that I'm sort of proud of. I'm hoping that eventually I will have some great shots that I can use to decorate my home. Hope you enjoy!

Clown fish at the aquarium

You can learn a lot of things from the flowers

Fireworks at AT&T Field

From the tree in our front yard

So there you have it just a few pictures I've taken... Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

Shows You Should Be Watching: Once Upon A Time

I plan to make this a monthly post simply titled "Shows You Should Be Watching" where like the title suggests, I'm going to write about a TV show that you need to check out. Now I know that everyone has different tastes, but I promise to offer you more than "It's a good show and you should watch it now". 

My very first SYSBW is one of my favorites, Once Upon A Time. Now if you haven't checked it out yet, trust me when I say that it so much more than fairy tales. The show comes from the creators of LOST (which I still haven't gotten around to finishing myself) and they are known for very in depth stories with a lot of turns and confusion. The show is currently in the middle of its second season but if you have Netflix you can easily see the first season and the last time I checked ABC.com offered streaming of season two. Once Upon A Time airs on Sunday nights at 8 pm eastern on ABC. (It won't be on tonight cause of the Oscars though)

 OUAT takes place in the fictional town of Storybrook, Maine. Where story book characters have been cursed to live as we do, in a land without magic. Now the show flows seamlessly from what's going on in Storybrook to flashbacks of things that have already happened back in their kingdom. The main focus of the show revolves around Emma Swan, (Spoiler alert!) daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming who is said to be the savior and the only one who can break the curse that keeps the storybook characters from remembering who they really are. The curse as not only sent them to our universe, they have no idea who they really are or anything that happened to them before living in Storybrook. They've been stuck in time for 28 years with these false identities and away from the people they love. The beauty of the curse is that they are confined to the town. Whenever one of them decides that they want to leave, something bad happens to them and of course are forced to stay. An example of this is shown when a character tries to leave town but has car trouble at the town marker.

While you will see several of the prince and princesses that Disney had helped to make famous, you will see some other famous names that you might not have expected. So if you really thought this was just a bunch of princesses waiting around to be saved, you have the wrong show!

I'm really trying my best not to give anything away anything so you can be as surprised as I was the first time I watched the show. I convinced my husband to give this show a chance, and he's really come to enjoy it. There is so much action in the flashback scenes! Knights and princes slaying dragons and fighting "the dark one". I was a bit shocked when my husband actually told me that its one of the shows that he's really come to look forward to. He really enjoys the "fairy tale" side as he likes to call it. Without giving too much away, once you get into season two you'll meet Frankenstein! Which caused a bit of a commotion on the fan side, but as the creators have mentioned several times...this show is about storybook characters, not just fairy tales. Which makes me very hopeful for future episodes...it leaves the door wide open for so many new characters!

There is so much more that I could say about this show but like I said before I really don't want to give too much away or ruin any episodes for you so it's time that you stop reading and get to watching! OUAT was listed as the best new fall show for 2011 and has had a steady increase of viewership since it's start last year and its been up against some big competition like ball games and award shows! (LIke tonight...*sigh*) I mean really what more do you need dearies? Get out there and start watching!

http://www.netflix.com (Season 1)
http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/once-upon-a-time (Season 2)
http://hulu.com
Season 1 is also available on DVD and Bluray

Here's something you can post to let people know that you are currently unavailable!

Before I go, I just want to mention the fan site Once Upon A Time Fans. They stay up to date on the newest cast members and upcoming episodes! (If you're into spoilers) They have to be the best fan site for the show. (Which also proves how great a show this really is!)

Hiatus

Originally, I was planning to make at least one blog entry a week. That was going to be my minimum goal. If I had time for more...that was just going to be a lovely plus. Sorry for the delay, but I'm back and ready to get back to blogging!

 I told myself that I wasn't going to make this blog completely about me and just tell the world my entire life, but after the last few weeks I've decided that I want to share a little with you in the hopes that I can give you some helpful advice without the pain.

On Monday (the 4th) I drove to my hometown to visit with my family. When I got to the house, I found out that my uncle had passed in his sleep while taking an afternoon nap. So I spent the week being there for my family. It isn't easy on anyone when a family member passes (or a close friend), and I saw a lot of pain. The loss of a father, husband, uncle, brother, grandfather, and for so many people... a friend. Watching people embrace and talk about how it had been too long since the last time they had talked. People talking about how they had planned to come by and visit with my uncle and sorry that they lost the chance to. One of my uncles hugged my dad so tightly that he seemed to come off the ground, and reminded him that they are brothers and they need to spend more time together. Listening to my dad talk about how he always says that he'll come visit but never does, that he's always working or fixing something and time just seems to slip past. My dad's words really got me thinking about how often we all rely on tomorrow...

 First off, I want to say that I'm going to try and not be depressing or on my soapbox but I hope that this really makes you think. To start, think about the day you just had. At any point did you think about someone that you haven't seen in a while? How about a friend that you haven't talked to since he/she started working, got in a relationship, had a kid, excreta?  Did that thought follow with a "I'll call him/her tomorrow"? How often do you make the statement "We need to get together soon" without really thinking of when soon is going to be? I know that life gets in the way...there's work, school, kids, you can pretty much fill in the blank with any of the important things that responsible people have. Is it really ok that you just let friends and family members slip through the cracks of time? Trust me, I'm as guilty as the next girl but after seeing family that I haven't seen in years...I've been reminded that I need to put more effort into my relationships with the people that mean the most to me.

 So here's a simple enough thing to do. Make a list of all the people that mean something to you (they don't have to be in any specific order) and simply go through your list in a two week period and send them a text, send them a message on facebook, email, call. The point is just to get back in touch, let him/her know what's going on in your life and hopefully you can lead up to making plans to meet up and spend some time together. You can always meet up for lunch/dinner/ brunch/drinks. Catch a movie (If you're close to a Carmike Cinemas, they offer a cheaper movie ticket if you go between 4-5). Maybe you can simply invite friends over for dinner. My main point is simple and something I'm sure you've heard most of your life (I know I have). Our time on this planet is short...so get out there and make the most of it! Don't take your friends for granted!

So I'm starting here with you dear reader. Thank you for spending this time with me and being here while I start this blog in the hopes of it leading me to something I could be decent at (or great...only time will really tell).  I'm going to work harder on making sure that my friends know that they mean a lot to me and in two weeks time I will post a follow up and let you know how this worked out for me. If I'm lucky, you'll let me know how this worked out for you!

Now I leave you with something to make you smile (it cracks me up at least!)