My Favorite TV Show Hits the Big Screen

"Sex and the City" hits the big screen today. It's been a long wait since that final episode, but I can't wait to see where Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha are at in their lives.

I stumbled into the show during the second season. Craig worked Sunday nights, so I had nothing better to do but flip through the TV offerings. I was hooked from the first episode I saw.

I quietly watched it by myself for awhile... I didn't have many friends here at the time. But I discovered my friend Sara was a fan. We watched a couple of season premiere's together and always dished about it when we could.

But my dear friend Stacey and I truly bonded over our shared love for this show. Stacey and I worked together at the TV station, both were producers, we lived about a mile and half apart, and both were free on Sunday nights. So we started doing dinner and "Sex and the City" on Sundays. Mostly it was pizza, occassionally we'd grill out. But it was just nice not to have to watch it alone. We had many long conversations on those nights-- some deep, some superficial.

I was really sad when she left... even though she just moved to Menasha, which is only a couple of hours away. I had a finale party and she actually came back for it, which made it even more fun. I got a giant martini glass and filled it with pink jelly beans. We had champagne, wine, and cosmos. I even made pink frosted cupcakes. It was a blast.

But we've been waiting long enough and our girls are back! I got a special gift from Stacey in the mail yesterday... a copy of the soundtrack with a postcard of NYC! I squealed a little bit, causing Alex to ask if Mommy was okay. I called Stacey right away and we got all caught up on each others lives and talked about our plans to see the movie. She's going this weekend, I'm going June 8th with my friends Sara and Therese. I can't wait!

Super Powers Through the Eyes of Little Boy

Alex thinks he has super powers. We were waiting patiently at a stoplight one afternoon, when all of a sudden he shouts "Green go!" Sure enough, the light obeyed and turned green. "I did it!" he exclaimed. He was so proud of himself it brought a smile to my face. So I went on and on about his super power. Now he truly believes he has the power to make the stoplights turn from red to green.

I just love the age that he's at right now, just nearing 3 years old. He's discovering things about the world around him every single day. He marvels at bugs, trucks, planes, animals, you name it. The view through his bright brown eyes must really be something. I'm glad that he talks so much and shares that sometimes silly, sometimes insightful view with me. I talk to him constantly-- I have since way before he was born. It's so amazing to me that now we are able to have conversations... that he's learning to take cues from what I say and that he reacts so dramatically and appropriately.

This is not to say that we don't have our three-year-old moments... there are still bold refusals to go potty/take a bath/take a nap/settle down. We are just now getting into full-on meltdowns. But these little conversations with him multiple times a day... and they more than make up for the normal meltdowns of childhood. I'm not afraid of sounding cheesey... parenthood is a magical thing!

On Running... and eating better

Ran 2 miles on the track yesterday. Still can't believe I did that. It wasn't as bad as I expected. Going to cross-train today, then we'll try the old track again tomorrow.
This from the girl who HATED running growing up... the sweating, the burning lungs, the inflamed and sore muscles. I guess it's turning into a love/hate relationship now. I'm actually looking forward to running tomorrow. I can't believe I just typed that phrase.

As for eating... I'm trying to limit myself to one lunch run a week for both financial and health reasons. So far, so good. I'm trying to flip-flop between making salads and bringing leftovers or Lean Cuisines.

I'm also trying to get us to eat better at home. I bought tons of fresh veggies at the grocery store last week, and have used a good portion of them already. The farmer's market across the street from my office opens for the summer next Wednesday and I'm really excited about that. My mom also got me a copy of "Deceptively Delicious" about hiding fruits and vegetables in your food. Some of the suggestions are pretty simple and can be applied to my own recipes, so I'm going to try to start doing that, too. And last night we had turkey tacos. I really like the flavor of ground turkey and it's so lean, but it tends to be expensive. So I'm going to keep an eye out for it to be on sale so I can stock up. These are just small steps. It's not a mealtime makeover or drastic change... just little baby steps toward being healthier.

In all honesty...

On Thursday, I blogged about being bored, then claimed I was going to run 3 miles. I didn't run but instead did nearly 3 miles on the elliptical and then did some of the weight machines for about 20 minutes.

On Friday, I ran 3.2 miles. HAH! I did more than 3 miles a second time! That means I now have to start running on the track. BLECH! But I know I can do it... and I need to do it in preparation for the 5K, which is just a little over a month away.

Seems Like Summer

We've had a wonderful, busy-yet-relaxing weekend. For starters, this is the first time both Craig and I have been off for Memorial Day together in YEARS. That's the thing about the TV news business, there are no holidays. So invariably one of us has had to work on every major holiday for the past 10+ years. Thank goodness I'm finally out!

Saturday we spent the day at my Grandma's house in Michigan City, IN. All of us wanted to celebrate her 90th birthday (which is tomorrow, I'll post pictures). My sister came with her husband and three boys from Fort Wayne, IN, my brother and his wife came from Des Moines, IA, and my mom and dad were there, too. Busia (a Polish word for grandma... turns out there are several) is still sharp as a tack, but she's had some health problems of late. She's going to be staying with my mom and dad in Galesburg, IL for the next few weeks. She on the cusp of needing live-in help or moving into some sort of assisted living facility, but of course she's fighting it every step of the way. Not easy on my mom, who's just trying to get through the end of the school year with her sanity in tact.

Yesterday we went to church, enjoyed another day of gorgeous, sunny weather. I had to run to the grocery store, and was seduced by the produce section. Fresh asparagus, green peppers, tomatos, bananas, apples, melons... I love spring and summer if only for the fresh fruits and vegetables! So I piled my cart high with all the makings for some tasty, healthy meals, and felt extra proud that I remembered to bring my green bags, so I was saving the environment, too.
Then we headed to the zoo after nap time. Our timing was almost perfect. It was late afternoon, so most people were heading home, meaning no crowds and no lines! Alex loves seeing all the animals and enjoys making up stories about them. Just ask him about the lizard who tried to steal his Cheerios... not a true story, but definitely entertaining.

Then we headed home to grill out. It was just burgers on the grill and corn on the cob, but boy did it taste good! We ate outside on our screened-in porch. Besides the fireplace, the porch is what sold me on this house. I could spend hours out there.

Today we're having a lazy day. We slept in, we're still in our jammies, with no major plans for the day. We'll probably play outside a bit, I'll probably do some cleaning while Alex naps, Craig has some yard/outside work to be done, and then we'll grill out again tonight. I'm thinking fajitas for tonight... MMM!

Bored

Oh my goodness I'm dying of boredom here. I think everyone on earth is already gone for the Memorial Day holiday. The office is dead, I've read all the blogs I normally haunt, I have nothing to do, someone... anyone... please... entertain me!!!

I've made a list of things to do tomorrow, because if I do them all now, tomorrow will be a complete and utter waste in the office.

I'm going to knock one more thing off my list... then I'm going to go run 3 miles. Because I can do that at work. hee hee!

Mom-isms

You catch yourself saying them... things your own mom used to say. Admit it!
Every now and then there's one of those phrases that jumps out of your mouth before you can stop it and you sound just like your own mom did.

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!"
"Don't you sass me!"
"You don't have to like me, but you do have to love me."
"Eat your dinner so you can grow big and strong."

Those are a just couple from my own dear mother that stick out in my over-tired, over-worked mind. But lately there's a couple that I've said that I'm CERTAIN my own mom never uttered.

"I'm not going away. You're stuck with me."
"We don't punch people. EVER."
"Stop hitting the dog with your bat. If she bites you it's your own fault."
"No rocks in the house. Leave them in the garden."