Question of the day!!

This was actually the question of the day yesterday, but I didn't want to bombard your Thanksgiving celebrations with my silly questions!!

Question:

What is it about Wal-Mart that signals to people that when they go there, they don't have to dress properly or completely?? I took a short trip to Wal-mart at 9am on Thanksgiving morning and to my surprise, I was met by several patrons in their slippers and pajamas. Granted, I know some people have to run and get last minute items, but some customers were there with shopping carts full of groceries, while in their slippers. All they were missing was their house coat!! One gal didn't even have shoes on... just super dirty socks!

So what is it about Wal-mart that tells people that they don't have to look presentable when the shop there? Now, I know everyone rolls out of bed and runs to the store, but don't do your weekly grocery shopping in your pj's!! Come on people!!

NKOTB comments

Ok, so this totally cracks me up how much people are interested or know of someone who went to the concert.  I don't know that I would go as far as Andrea's friend who thought that next to her wedding day, it was the best day of her life!  But it was pretty fun.  For those of you who know me from childhood, I have been a HUGE NKOTB fan since the beginning.  The mania was led by my sister Beth, and Andrea and I just followed suit.  We had the videos and the posters, lunch boxes, bed sheets, dolls and tons of other stuff.  All of our memoribelia fills 2 bins that my sister has at her house.  I went to  joe mcintyre concert in college roommate too.  It was pretty crazy back in the day!  But, I must admit, these days, I've moved on.  Granted, I really enjoy them as a group and enjoy the nostalgia that the concert creates.  But, when I entered the concert, I knew I wasn't going to meet them, let alone, go home with one of them.  But many of the concert goers did.  I've watched some videos on the internet of women meeting the guys in the band and saying, "I've loved you for 20 years and I drove 10 hours to get here.  I LOVE YOU !!!"  So crazy!  I like them becuase their fun, and like to have fun.  I love watching their crazy videos on line of the life I will NEVER have.  Fascinating to me!  

At the concert, I really didn't feel young again.  The concert started at 8pm and they didn't get on stage until 9:30pm.  I didn't feel young at all.  I was tired and wanted it to start so I could get to bed at a decent hour!  :)  I know it's crazy.  But the concert was fun!  The dancing was fun and I was impressed with the level of commitment they had... meaning, there wasn't just a few songs that were choreographed.  They all were.  There were songs that just one or two of the guys were out (to give the others a break) but for the most part, everything was very well done.  I was impressed.  

There were women sitting near us just living it up.  My sister mentioned that it was weird to see concert goers holding beers, as that didn't happen when we were kids.  I thought it was too, to see it in person, especially to smell it too.  The gal sitting next too us cried during several songs.  And it wasn't like we were in the front row.  We were on the OPPOSITE side of the arena from the stage, and yet, she was crying.  I wasn't sure why, but then I still am a bit clueless of why my older sister used to cry when we were at the concerts 15 years ago.  :)

It was fun.  I wished my sisters had enjoyed it with me.  It's fun to do a concert like that, but it just wasn't the same without them there.  

Anywho - Hope you all enjoyed the photos and videos.  

'

Concert Photos

Here are a few photos from the concert. They're not too great, but just remember that my camera was on it's super telephoto lens and I was on the OPPOSITE side of the arena... the furthest place from them in the place :) But still, we had a great time!!


This photo is from the middle of the concert, when they were on their revolving stage that was only slightly bigger than a grand piano!!

Joey - during one of my favorite songs... Single!


This is Emily and I after the show as we walked out... I was hoping to get the stage in the back but there were a bunch of people behind us!!



During Step By Step... This was the view from the floor.


Donnie, during the on chore.
This is probably my favorite photo!

This is Jordan during one of his older songs. He stands on the top of the platform, with his white shirt open and blowing in a fan from below. From being on the opposite side of the arena, it's a pretty good shot. :)

NKOTB Concert!! (Videos)

The NKOTB concert was on Saturday night and Emily and I had a great time. Here are some videos from the concert. Here's how the show started




Then they entered, and we heard "If you came her by yourself tonight..."




Then right into "My Favorite girl" ... a similar transition that they did at the AMA's. Later in the evening, after a very nice tribute to other musicians, actors and family members who'd past, they treated the crowd to a few songs, in the round, doing a favorite song of mine, 2am.




Then another Stepleton Favorite: Tonight!! (This one is LONG)


Later in the night, they did Step By Step, with an awesome choreography routine. I was actually impressed with how well the dancing was and how well they did during the TWO HOUR show. The pyrotechnics were pretty cool too. Lights and the fireworks... Were very nicely displayed.

Step by Step




Then, they ended the night with Hangin Tough, the classic and "We will Rock You".


Other highlights of the night...

• Jordan and Joe sang a song each from their solo albums.
  
• Jon and Danny's camera time, showing all the different concert goers
• Video Tribute to "Those we've lost" -- Although I was surprised they didn't put the military and 9/11 survivors in there.
  
• Cool video and light shows.
  
• LOVE the new dance moves! I can't say that enough!!
  

Tonight!!!

So, Tonight is the Night!! Tonight is the NKOTB concert and I'm pretty excited! The above photo is from the concert in MI (i think) and I heard that it is a pretty fun concert. I'm going with an old friend from work. It should be pretty exciting!! I'll post more photos after the big event.

It sort of is wierd that I'm going to the concert tonight in Seattle. I haven't focused on it at all and now it seems that I'm not prepared. Along with some other current events in my life, I've not gotten all worked up about this or super excited, so I feel like it's caught me off guard a bit. I really didn't even remember I was going until yesterday.

Anyway, I think it will be fun...

Easy Gift Cards and other Gifts

As my friend Andrea posted...I'm going to throw a little plug on here for two reasons.
#1. Who doesn't need/want gift cards?
#2. It's free and easy.

I was on moneysavingmom yesterday and read about something called Swagbucks. You can read her post here about it or you can see how one woman earned enough to do all her Christmas shopping here.
You register to use Swagbucks as your search engine and then you get Swagbucks when you do a search. Your swagbucks can be used toward gift cards. I installed the toolbar, started searching this morning and have already earned some bucks.
If you want to earn even more, then you can refer people and get extra swagbucks when they sign up. Hence, another reason I'm posting this on my blog. If you decide you want to look into and sign up for this, please use my referral code:
http://swagbucks.prodege.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=247685
I also like it because I use Google as my primary search engine and Swagbucks searches by Google and ask.com.

sTori Telling

So I'm sort of embarrassed for telling you that this is the book that I'm reading but it is. I've been suckered in to watching Tori and Dean on Bravo/Oxygen many times and thought that I'd take a look at the book that Tori Spelling (from 90210 - daughter of creator Aaron Spelling) recounts the events of her life thus far. She talks in the book about her parents and a bit of her childhood. She makes great parallels between how she was treated as a child to how she expects to be treated as an adult and how all that changed when she met her current husband. Although it isn't a book that I would stake my life on, it's been interesting to read about a life that is so unfamiliar to my own. One that is constant termoil because of the relationship she has with her parents and therefore those around her. I have great compassion for her as a child and even as a young adult. I found the same to be true after reading other auto-biographies of people in the media (Michael J Fox, Jenny McCarthy, Rosie O'Donnell, just to name a few). That life that is so foreign to the life that I live every day, and had lived as a child.

And althought I enjoy the escape the book provides, I find myself in the same line of thinking as I had when reading Jenny McCarthy's book... Boy, if she knew Jesus she wouldn't struggle with half of the things she struggles with. He could definitely fill the holes she has in her life.

Anywho, what books are you reading these days??

Yummy Pomegranate!!

So, this week at the grocery store, I was inspired to buy a pomegranate. So I did. I found out how to open and remove the seeds from this website. And we are ever so enjoying the yummy seed goodness!!

The seeds (or aerials) are like a little corn kernal but oh so juicy with a little seed inside (that you can swallow or spit - whichever). Finnegan even likes them! And so does Ken. I've found myself snacking on them like candy! And they're so much better for you... Except for the fact that they stain pretty bad, so you'll want to supervise kids with the seeds!!

So, enjoy a pomegranate!! And here are some great recipes to use with your pomegranate!!

My Knee Hurts!!!

Ok, so three weeks ago, while Angie and Ernesto were here, I injured my knee while getting out of chair here at my computer. It was before church and I could seriously not even walk on it. After a bit of rest, I was ok, and was able to walk on it. Only a few short days later, I injured it again, but not as badly. But dang, did it hurt again! Well, last night, I did it again, while preparing dinner... I was standing in front of the fridge and just turned the wrong way and couldn't move. I was stuck in the middle of the floor for several minutes... and couldn't move. Finally, I made it too my phone so that I could be sure Ken was on his way home...He was, and I would have some relief then!! Meanwhile, the toddler didn't understand that mommy had an "owie" and couldn't respond to his EVERY need for the next 30 minutes. I seemed to get some relief after resting, but it was still pretty sore. This morning, it is still really sore. And I am preparing to go exercise (day 5). It's stiff and sore and I'm planning on making an appointment at the doctors office today. Hopefully she can see me and we'll see what she can do for me...

I'll keep you posted. Unfortunately, I come from a family that has bad knees. Grandma had super bad knees. Dad's had two knee surgeries, one being a total knee replacement, and my sister has had three knee surgeries. So I'm not in super great company, but we'll see what the dr. has to say!!

Wednesday... Over the Hump

I'd never really heard this saying before, referencing Wednesday as the "hump" of the week... But I suppose it works. This week, wednesday is proving to be the hump of the week. It's the biggest day of the week. I woke up this morning to rain pitter-pattering on my roof, and my newly painted dark bedroom and I was cozy... real cozy. I didn't want to get up, but I'd made a commitment. Oh, did I forget to mention that my commitment meant me getting up at 5:30 AM and being a my friends home at 6am?? Oh, yeah!! It's true. Today was day 3 of our new exercise routine and I did survive! Althought today, I thought I would really die! We did 40 mintues of Cardio... what the video call "Cardio Party". Boy, it wasn't really like any party I'd been too, but ok, whatever. Afterwards, I really thought I was gonna die. My chest hurt, and my abs hurt. Then only a few hours later, Finnegan and I went to Gymboree and had a nice time with our friends. I felt really spacey... tired, sore body, spacey. We got home and Finnegan promptly took a nap, one he'd needed ALL day long!! He most certianly needed his nap as he slept for 3 hours. But now he is up and is a happy little dude... this guy I haven't seen in a few days! :) Now, I am awaiting the arrival of my husband from work, so that I can return to work out for another hour... a prior commitment called "Zumba". It's like aerobics and dance... a friend of mine put it perfectly..."It's a crazy dance/aerobics class that makes you feel like a total dork, but it's a lot of fun and a great workout." I wouldn't go as far to say that it's "a lot of fun" but it's a good time, if you like to sweat and listen to some fun music.

Last night I got a chance to talk with an old friend. She called and we talked for over 2 hours. It was such a blessing. I haven't talked to her since she visited last December. Crazy how time flies but that you can pick right back up after so much time.

And another exciting development from the day... Finnegan signed two signs together, which is a huge thing, like speaking two words together. He said "more, please". After our "please" tantrum on Monday, I didn't know if he'd ever get it. But he did and I was very proud. And he's done it a couple of times today, which is very exciting. Now, if only I could get him to not throw things... Onto another "mommy task". :)

Have a good week everyone, and enjoy the "hump". :)

New Beginning

A few weeks ago, a friend and I were investigating a new work out plan. There was a program at a local gym that was 8 weeks long, with a special diet and workouts with a trainer. But it was pretty pricey, with no long term sign up options or discount for the gym. We got this great idea that we could do the plan on our own for cheaper, so we discussed working out at another gym each day, and making our own meal plan. Our husbands, independently, had their reservations about the cost of our cheaper plan and our time constraints that it would cause on our lives that already seem to be pretty hectic. So, we modified our plan so no money is spent... We are working out each day before our kids wake up in the morning for one full hour. We've created our own meal plan and accountability plan. And our plan started today. I woke up at 5:30 and went to her house for our first workout session and we were successful for today. We meet again tomorrow and hope to be successful for the long term.

I'm excited about our new plan. We are hoping for some great results. I'll keep you posted on our progress!!

Perhaps I was wrong...

Perhaps I chose the wrong words to explain myself the other day... grieving was probably not the right word to use... Although I went through some of the stages of the grieving process... denial, anger, physical sickness (ok, I added that one in there) and now acceptance. I think it was the grieving that anyone would do when you put your heart and soul into something and it doesn't turn out the way that you'd planned or had wanted. Not that I think the country will go to "Hell in a Handbasket" althought at the time, my emotions were telling me that... but that now I'm just disappointed. The same disappointment that the other side would have felt if they'd lost too. Also, I know that God is in control, and although I may not have seen Obama as the best candidate for the here and now, God saw him as the best candidate for the big picture... the picture I don't see. My emotions are human, and althought I'm thankful for them, sometimes I feel like Peter andI'm sure on Tuesday night I would have had no trouble drawing my sword to chop off Brian William's ear, because I didn't like what was happening... (No, I'm not making a parallel between Jesus and Obama, just making the analogy of what our emotions can do to us when we aren't thinking rationally or logically.)

In regards to reconsiling, I appreciate those of you who commented. It is always great to hear what other people have to say, especially now that my head has cleared and I'm willing to listen :) (and I apologize for not posting them earlier... the comments went into my spam box and I don't open them very often, and was surprised when I had real mail there waiting for me:) It definitely wasn't that I didn't want to post your comments, I just didn't know that they were ther :) ) Back to what we were saying. I suppose that "reconciliation" was the wrong word to use too. I've been thinking about a few things and had the pleasure of talking with another friend yesterday who had been feeling the same way that I was. It was great to hear my feelings from someone elses mouth and to hear that I wasn't the only one feeling them. Where I was coming from (whether it be wrong or right, isn't the issue, I'm just being honest) is that I had taken the fact that these friends of mine didn't vote as I did, personally... I know, a bad move to make, but I was. I was taking it as a personal hit, rather than realizing that they weren't thinking about me when they were making their vote and it wasn't against me. I was hurt, my feelings were hurt, that we couldn't see eye to eye on the political matters, especially because I thought our Biblical and worldview matters were all on the same page. I know saying it out-loud is very silly and I'm sure a few of my readers will be thinking "oh, man! She's crazy!!" But I am glad to know that those thinkings needed to be compared to rational thinking and I understand where my thinking was a bit un-rational and crazy-like. I agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that we all must work together to get past our differences. Although I agree with many of the comments that were posted on this issue, I don't think that the christian response is to just let you believe what you believe and I'll believe what I believe and we'll all just be happy in ignorance. I think that healthy discussion is a must (and hopefully, the time will arise when I can sit down with my friends who disagree and we can have a respectful discussion of the issues. Email is never the place for it, as I do desire to do it in love so that we can continue this journey together...email always gets ugly and nasty, because so much is lost in the translation). Healthy, respectful and quiet conversation. Each discussing the issues from our own points of view and perhaps learning from one another. No one person will come out the "winner" or "loser" but we'll discuss and debate over the things that make this vote count to us, whether that be economics, health care, military, foreign policy etc... not just aborition :)

So there you have it... perhaps I was wrong... Or perhaps my approach was wrong, seeing that I tend to do things (blog in particular) when I'm particularly amped. And I'll remind you that both of those posts that day were written about 4 times before I actually posted something. I couldn't decide what I wanted to say because I realized that I was so emotional and irrational :) Thanks for loving me for who I am and correcting me when you see fit. That's what friends are for... and that's what makes free speech so priceless.

Grieving??

Is it normal to grieve for your country after an election? To grieve for your children and for your own future? I agree with Sen McCain that Sen Obama has achieved many admirable things in this campaign, among them, rallying those who thought they had no say in this countries ability to chose a president. However, I still am worried about the future, our security and the preservation of our heritage.

Another question... How do you reconcile with friends who voted differently than you did in this election? There will always be people who disagree with you, but when there are close friends, that you may have bonded with and grown to love, who voted against things that are foundational to what you believe, how do you reconcile that relationship?

Regardless of my feelings, I will still decide to be respectful. Congratulations, Senator Obama.

New Era??

So here's a question... We still have hours to go in the election news coverage, but currently, Obama is winning but still far from the 270 number. If Obama wins and becomes the next president of the United States, do you think that it will be the end of the racism issue among Americans? Although, its been proven that Obama is more white than he is black (and I've even read reports that he is less than 10% black, and is more arabic than black) more black people interviewed on TV voted for him, based on race. So if he becomes president, will those still holding onto the slavary and race "cards" drop them? Lets face it, if Obama becomes president, it will have been proven that the majority of Americans voted for him, and therefore didn't vote against him because of his race. Will Black Americans feel more empowered in our society than they did yesterday? Will it change the way that they view themselves in America because our new president is viewed as "black"?

What are your thoughts?