It's Always Sunny In Bloomington

OOOOOHHHHH Thunderbird Spirit!

2010-01-10T15:34:00.004-05:00

I'm Still Standing

2009-12-16T00:23:00.003-05:00

I have been reciting these lyrics in my mind lately and the song has been stuck in my head for the last few days. I have felt really beaten down the last few weeks for probably no real reason but instead of being able to pick myself back up completely, i've only been able to help things get better temporarily only to end up back where i started. so, i have to keep reminding myself "i'm still standing" here's the video and lyrics

You could never know what it's like
Your blood like winter freezes just like ice
And there's a cold lonely light that shines from you
You'll wind up like the wreck you hide behind that mask you use
And did you think this fool could never win
Well look at me, I'm coming back again
I got a taste of love in a simple way
And if you need to know while I'm still standing you just fade away
Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid
I'm still standing after all this time
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind
I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah
I'm still standing yeah yeah yeah
Once I never could hope to win
You starting down the road leaving me again
The threats you made were meant to cut me down
And if our love was just a circus you'd be a clown by now

Great bouncing icebergs!

2009-11-27T21:36:00.002-05:00

Sam the snowman tells us the story of a young red-nosed reindeer who, after being ousted from the reindeer games because of his beaming honker, teams up with Hermey, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, the prospector. They run into the Abominable Snowman and find a whole island of misfit toys. Rudolph vows to see if he can get Santa to help the toys, and he goes back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve only to find Santa's sleigh is fogged in. But when Santa looks over at Rudolph, he gets a very bright idea...

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This special viewing of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, marks the 47th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series concludes Sunday, November 29th, at 7pm, and will return in January 2010.

i need to be in arizona!!!!

2009-11-24T12:32:00.005-05:00

i have a cold, i can't turn my neck, my shoulders are completely locked, and i am completely nauseous. not to complain, but....

i keep thinking of the west and how i need to be out there right now!! so then i hear "Arizona" in my head by kings of leon - even though probably not even one word has to do with arizona :) here it is for your listening and viewing pleasure! pre-haircuts even!

if only a constant diet of coffee and cigarettes was good for me

2009-11-16T18:35:00.003-05:00

i almost put that title as my facebook status the other day but then thought better of it because there would probably be a dozen different people who would choose to waste their time analyzing that statement and then proceed to tell me i am unhealthy and shouldn't smoke or consume caffeine, blah blah blah. i would probably be banned from the church and thus voted off the island. but, all i mean by the expression is that i truly do wish that i could get away with smoking and drinking coffee all day and actually be healthier because of it and that i wouldn't smell bad, wouldn't have any of the negative effects from it. i honestly think i would be a happier person then! :) on a stressful day anyway.

anyway, on to other very important pieces from my life and mind, as if that wasn't interesting enough, right?! i haven't been on this 'ol blog for a long time. i guess i've just been busy w/ other things but didn't feel they were intriguing enough to blog about. i trained for a few months for the monumental half marathon in indy and ran that last saturday. i was starting to regret the fact that i had signed up for it and was dreading my training. but i am very glad that i did run it. my goals for this race were to run the whole thing, to do it in under 2 hours,but also maybe just to do it, finish, and just be relaxed about it. the latter kinda became the official goals toward the end of my training. i was starting to feel as if i no longer knew how to run very well/fast and so i just wanted to go out there and see what happened. i ended up doing it in under 2 hours which was great and really enjoyed this race! even though i didn't feel as well as i did in may when i ran the mini, i ran a little faster and liked this race much better. i'm actually kind of dreading the mini now after enjoying this race so much more. i've decided that i will continue to do (2) 1/2 marathons a year - the mini and the monumental. and, for a second yesterday, even contemplated doing the full marathon instead of the half in november. but, that is crazy talk, right?!

we also had our halloween party that same day and it was awesome! our best one yet! i had so much fun and so much enjoyed seeing everyone who came out to it! i have always liked that our events like that involve such a large array of types of people, and i think this party expressed that even more than usual! anyway, we're going to have to work really hard to top it next year!

this friday is the last week for rc kids until january, so that is good. I'm ready for the break. I have to say though that this semester has probably been our best one yet and it was so much easier than the past. i have more help w/ my lessons, the moms are easier to work with, i have more of an upper hand in the church now, and God blessed me big time w/ volunteers! i am so, so grateful to Him and all my IU girls and other people who have stepped up to serve!

i now have been given another job/position at the church too. i will be a mentor/organizer for all of the "junior helpers" on sunday mornings who work in childcare. these are mainly 5th and 6th graders and junior highers who volunteer to serve helping the 2s/3s, preschool or toddlers. we're still not sure exactly what all i'll be doing, but so far we know it will involve getting to know them on more of a personal level, giving them jobs that they want to do, mentoring them on a spiritual level - making sure they are getting something out of this on a God level, and actually making a handbook for them and holding a training workshop for them in january. i am still unsure if i'm the most qualified for this position, but God is taking me here, so we'll see what happens. i'm just a little nervous, because i have been trying to aim myself in the direction of quitting jobs, not adding more, but it seems like more and more keep getting added to this plate that is set on my lap. just gotta pray i guess.

ok, that's about it. speaking of work, i gotta get back to work and see my last client.

You can barely see them nipples.

2009-11-13T22:14:00.004-05:00

Frank Cross runs a US TV station which is planning a live adaptation of Dickens' Christmas Carol. Frank's childhood wasn't a particularly pleasant one, and so he doesn't really appreciate the Christmas spirit. With the help of the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, Frank realizes he must change.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Scrooged. This special viewing of Scrooged, marks the 45th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, November 15th, at a special time of 6:30pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

British Cast FTW!

2009-11-01T13:17:00.007-05:00

Christmas time in England, and unusual things going on round. Some people are falling in love, then breaking up or some people just desperately lonely and still looking for that someone special. This is a story about 8 people who follow their hearts and show love or anger. If you look carefully around 'Love Actually' is all around you...

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Love Actually. This special viewing of Love Actually, marks the 43rd chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, November 1st, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Maybe I could chop you into 40 pieces.

2009-10-25T20:52:00.003-04:00

Max Cady is a psychopath just released from prison for rape. He is out seeking revenge from his lawyer Sam Bowden who he believes deliberately held back important information about his case during the trial, which could have kept h...im out of jail. He sets off to terrorize Bowden, his wife and even goes after their 15 year old daughter.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Cape Fear. This special viewing of Cape Fear, marks the 42nd chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, October 25th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Is Tamara Home?

2009-10-17T01:48:00.002-04:00

After returning from a wedding reception, a couple staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle, in which they go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, The Strangers. This special viewing of The Strangers, marks the 41st chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, October 18th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Our man Jack is King of the Pumpkin Patch.

2009-10-09T22:59:00.002-04:00

Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloween Town, is bored with doing the same thing every year for Halloween. One day he stumbles into Christmas Town, and is so taken with the idea of Christmas that he tries to get the resident bats, ghouls, and goblins of Halloween town to help him put on Christmas instead of Halloween -- but alas, they can't get it quite right.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, The Nightmare Before Christmas. This special viewing of The Nightmare Before Christmas, marks the 39th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, October 11th, at a special time of 7:30pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Don't be silly, Toto. Scarecrows don't talk.

2009-10-02T23:07:00.002-04:00

Dorothy lives on a farm in Kansas until a cyclone arrives, and picks her, her house, and her dog up and deposits them in the land of Oz. Things in Oz are strange and beautiful, but Dorothy just wants to get back home. She's helped by the Good Witch of the North, but she's also in trouble with the Wicked Witch of the West, who seeks revenge for the death of her sister; the Wicked Witch of the East, for which she blames Dorothy.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, The Wizard of Oz. This special viewing of The Wizard of Oz, marks the 39th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, October 4th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

I promise this is not about any specific person. This is just a combination of thoughts in my head about a million different observations

2009-09-24T01:04:00.003-04:00

I am tired of your past and I am already sick of your tomorrows. What more could you try and share with me? What more is there that I need to know? I think you have told me every bit of useless information about yourself that I care to know. I am not sure I can care to know anymore. I have cared about you for so long now and have given you my all. But, where has it gotten me? All we have done is backtrack. I thought it was my turn, I thought I had a new place to lean, a new place to lay my soul. But instead, I was right back at your doorstep again. When I'm here, I just beg for your attention and seek anything from you that I can get. I hate myself in your presence and all that I've become. I am so easily distracted by what my heart does around you and it's even worse when I'm away from you. I thought I was glad that my life had become me and you, but now I have faced the reality that this is not who I want to be. Or maybe it's just not who I can be. Because I do want this. But I want it to be perfect, and it can never be that. I ask for too much and you take away too much. When it comes down to it, we don't make a great pair. We're too much alike and yet have nothing in common. You say you care about others, but I know that's not always true. It can't be. Not when this has turned into your world. And I just walk through it day after day, seeking new ways to please you. But I have to move on. I have to be done. I have to learn from this and seek shelter in something that will truly stand for me when I need it - not under a roofless image of what I thought you were.

Update

2009-09-24T00:44:00.003-04:00

so i haven't gotten on here in a long time and have been distracted by a lot of things lately. Here's an update. I have had 4 births to attend since the start of July. I had 2 in July and 2 this month. Even though 1 ended as a c-section, they all went really well and God definitely blessed the couples and me during each of these! I love that God works so much in my life and all around me everyday! It's so amazing! I just had a birth last week and another this week, so just like July, I really haven't slept much this week.

I started RC kids again 2 weeks ago. This has added some extra stress and busy behavior back into my life. But overall, this semester has gone amazingly well compared to most. I actually have a good amount of volunteers (even though I'm always looking more for) and I am able to use leftover crafts, lessons and games from Sunday mornings, so my life is so much easier! Again, God has blessed me in so many ways!

I have signed up for the 1/2 marathon version of the Monumental Marathon in Indy on November 7th. I am looking forward to this, and I am glad that it has been a good motivator to do some longer runs and get back in shape from the spring, but I am a little nervous about it. I really don't have that much time to practice. But, I have gotten in a couple longer runs in lately and will hopefully keep it up till November.

Travis was just made manager of Pac Sun, so congrats to him! I am very proud of him and happy for us both for this promotion. I think he is definitely deserving of this and it is a long time coming.

Ok, that is it for now, because I must try and go to bed. But here, is a song I've been stuck on lately. It's "Funnyman" by Kt Tunstall. Enjoy!

I'll order you a red cap and a speedo.

2009-09-23T00:36:00.002-04:00

Steve Zissou, sea-film auteur a la Jacques Cousteau, has reason to be melancholy: his partner has been eaten, perhaps by a mythic jaguar shark, his wife may be taking up with her ex-husband, a young man appears claiming Steve is his father, his most recent films have tanked, he's having trouble raising money for his venture to revenge his partner, and he's attracted to a pregnant reporter who prefers his alleged son. At sea, in pursuit of the shark, will he escape pirates and mutiny, forge the bonds of fatherhood, place his arm around his wife, find the monster of the deep, re-establish box office hegemony, and discover a reason to smile?

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. This special viewing of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, marks the 38th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, September 27th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Everybody just pretend to be normal.

2009-09-19T01:24:00.003-04:00

The Hoover family is the dictionary definition for the word "dysfunctional". The dad Richard is a man who gives lectures on winners and losers, the wife is Sheryl, a chain-smoking, frazzled wife and working mother whose idea of a home cooked meal frequently consists of a bucket of chicken. Her gay brother Frank recently attempted suicide. The grandpa is Edwin, a drug addict. The son is Dwayne a rebel who has vowed not to talk until he gets into the Air Force. And then there is Olive, a seven-year old girl who dreams of going to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. So what happens when they do?

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Little Miss Sunshine. This special viewing of Little Miss Sunshine, marks the 37th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, September 20th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Sweet Caroline...Bah Bah Bah...

2009-09-03T17:48:00.003-04:00

When relaxed and charming Ben Wrightman meets workaholic Lindsey Meeks she finds him sweet and charming, they hit it off and when it is winter Ben can spend every waking hour with Lindsey, but when summer comes around the corner Lindsey discovers Ben's obsession with the Boston Red Sox. She thinks it is perfect until everything goes downhill for them.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Fever Pitch. This special viewing of Fever Pitch, marks the 35th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, September 6th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Stifler, why you gotta be so insensitive?

2009-08-30T00:12:00.004-04:00

Jim, Oz, Finch and Kevin are four friends who make a pact that before they graduate they will all lose their virginity. The hard job now is how to reach that goal by prom night. Whilst Oz begins singing to grab attention and Kevin tries to persuade his girlfriend, Finch tries any easy route of spreading rumors and Jim fails miserably. Whether it is being caught on top of a pie or on the Internet, Jim always end up with his trusty sex advice from his father. Will they achieve their goal of getting laid by prom night, or will they learn something much different?

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, American Pie. This special viewing of American Pie, marks the 34th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, August 30th, at approximately 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Some Pictures from Boston to go with the post below

2009-08-26T02:30:00.010-04:00

Shipping up to Boston!

2009-08-26T01:39:00.002-04:00

Ok, let me back up just a bit and talk about things i still have yet to post about.

First of all church camp. It was amazing! We always say that Camp Olivet is the closest to Heaven that we will have here on earth and it truly was again this year! This was my first year without Crystal which was tough, but I'm glad that she didn't have to spend the week without Reed. I am so thankful to my counselors for helping this year go so smoothly! And the campers were once again great young souls who were there to love the Lord, grow, and discover themselves! The theme this year was around the movie Big Fish and that went really well. I don't think we could have ever run out of things to discuss! I know that my heart was opened wider that week and I think most everyone else there could come home saying the same thing! Praise God!

Next comes not as good of news, Stifler. Stifler has gotten sick off and on several times throughout the years. When I was living with Alyssa and then on my own for 2 years, I had to take him into the vet multiple times for emergency visits and stays. He would get a problem where he couldn't urinate or really go to the bathroom at all and this can be deadly to an animal if not treated immediately. Unfortunately, it was usually a few hours after he got sick each time that I would find out and then take him to the vet. Each time they were able to 'fix' him and make him 'better' but I still had to modify his diet from time to time and watch him like a hawk to make sure he wasn't eating something he shouldn't and that he was acting healthy. For around 5 or 6 years, he really has only had one other incident of this and that was very minor. I felt so blessed because we didn't have any emergency vet visits. But, even without that, Stifler has always been a cat who had a sensitive system. Even as a kitten, he vomited a lot and this problem just seemed to us to increase over time. He would vomit probably once a week or so or have 'accidents' on the floor because he didn't feel well enough to go in his liter box. For the most part Stifler has been an active and happy going cat, and I even think his energy has increased over the last 2 years, but there was always the threat of him getting sick again. On Sunday, I came home from church to find that he had made 2 huge messes in the hall and that he was hiding in our bed sick. He was plugged again and this was the worst time I had ever seen! He was making such horrible, painful sounds that I had never heard from him and his bladder and belly were cramping up so badly. Jacci and I took him to the vet on an emergency call. The vet was able to unplug him multiple times and give him medicine. Poor baby didn't even get to be given anesthesia for it and it was so painful for him. Even though she was able to help him and save his life, I still just kept getting this gut-wrenching thought that this was it. Not only could we not afford to keep up this lifestyle for him, but I also didn't think I could have him go through that again or just living each day maybe not feeling well and running the risk of vomiting, etc. I spent most of Sunday in fear of what needed to be done and ultimately made the decision to put him to sleep on Monday morning. I have never done anything harder in my life! On Monday morning, Travis and I were with him in his final moments and watched everything. I knew even though it would be hard that I needed to be holding him when it happened. I wanted him to know that I loved him. I won't go into details, not only because I'm crying again right now and am trying not to keep re-living it but also because I know no one really needs to hear or read that. But, Stifler is missed and loved and I honestly can't picture our house without him! He was not just a good cat and pet, he was also my friend and my son! The house is empty and quiet now and it will be a while till we can go through a day without missing him extremely and being sad that he's not there. This cat was like a person to most people in our lives and it was always just so incredible how much everyone talked about him and wanted him in their lives as well. Thank you to everyone for showing your love and care during this. I still can't believe it happened and wish I could turn back time and just bring him home.

We hope to do a celebration of his life possibly this coming Sunday evening. Maybe around 6:30pm before movie night. We will let everyone know for sure when we decide. You can bring pictures and stories of Stifler's life. I know this sounds so extreme and some people are thinking, he was just a cat. But, if you truly knew Stifler and knew his place in our lives, you would disagree. We know we need to do this and will love it if anyone can come!

Onto more positive stuff again! Travis and I left Tuesday morning (it's now Wednesday at 2:14am) to go to Boston for my birthday and our anniversary. We weren't for sure if we wanted to or were able to go somewhere for this week this year, but I'm so glad we pulled it together and made the decision to come here! Travis did a great job of planning this trip and picked out a cool hotel on the waterfront and has researched rad places to visit! This is just what we needed to be able to get out of the house for a few days and feel better. Today we mostly walked around, ate and shopped! Not bad for a birthday! :) We were over on the more north side of town and got to see some cool and famous places. We ate at a famous sandwich shop and got excellent ice cream and pastries at a famous pastry shop. There were a lot of interesting things to see today, from a historic church, to Paul Revere's house, to a cigar lounge, to street performers, to my favorite shopping in Urban Outfitters! (i know i have one in Bloomington, but come on! It was multi-leveled and filled with delights!) :) Tomorrow we will be touring Salem and witch town. I am super pumped for this because I am fascinated by the old witch trials and am anxious to see all the old houses that people still live in. We're also going to try and stop by JFK's museum. Then Thursday will be the movie mile tour and Red Sox game!

Ok, sorry this post was so terribly long but I wanted to get all of this out. Thanks for reading, or not if you skipped down to the bottom :)

love,
Morgan

I bought your t-shirt at Hot Topic!

2009-08-21T23:14:00.004-04:00

"The Motorcycle Diaries" is based on the journals of Che Guevara, leader of the Cuban Revolution. In his memoirs, Guevara recounts adventures he, and best friend Alberto Granado, had while crossing South America by motorcycle in the early 1950s.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, The Motorcycle Diaries. This special viewing of The Motorcycle Diaries, marks the 33rd chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, August 23rd, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Meow.

2009-08-15T01:48:00.002-04:00

The Caped Crusader is up against the Penguin, the hideously deformed scion of a wealthy Gotham City family. The Penguin plots with evil businessman Max Schreck to become mayor and then turn Gotham into a cathedral of crime. Upon overhearing these plans, Schreck's mousy secretary Selena Kyle is tossed from a high-rise window by her boss. Rescued by a covey of kittens, Selena transforms into the leather-clad Catwoman. In this guise, she teams with the Penguin and Schreck to divvy up their ill-gotten gains and help discredit Batman, but she also has her own scores to settle.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Batman Returns. This special viewing of Batman Returns, marks the 32nd chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, August 16th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

If anyone attacks we can blink em' to death.

2009-08-07T22:20:00.004-04:00

Toy Story is about the 'secret life of toys' when people are not around. When Buzz Lightyear, a space-ranger, takes Woody's place as Andy's favorite toy, Woody doesn't like the situation and gets into a fight with Buzz. Accidentally Buzz falls out the window and Woody is accused by all the other toys of having killed him. He has to go out of the house to look for him so that they can both return to Andy's room. But while on the outside they get into all kind of trouble while trying to get home.

The fun and adventure continues when Andy goes off to summer camp and the toys are left to their own devices. Things shift into high gear when an obsessive toy collector kidnaps Woody who unknown to himself is a highly valued collectible. It's now up to Buzz Lightyear and the gang from Andy's room - Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Rex and Hamm - to spring into action and save their pal from winding up as a museum piece. There's plenty of excitement and fun as the toys get into one predicament after another in their daring race to get home before Andy does.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Toy Story & Toy Stroy 2. This special viewing of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 marks the 31st chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, August 9th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Olivet!

2009-07-26T10:17:00.002-04:00

Another year of church camp, here I come! I can't believe it has been another year already and we're back to the week of church camp, meaning the end of July, meaning summer is almost over. I barely remember summer starting! Time really does move faster the older you are. It's been a good summer, but way too busy and way too short. Jacci and I took our rd trip at the start of May which was a great kick-off. I also ran the mini marathon which felt great and I will try to attempt it again next year, which means I have to start my training soon so i can get as many long runs in before winter. I have a sort of break from RC Kids which was nice, but I still have the stress of finding volunteers for it. And, I have had a huge load of clients this summer. I am not complaining, because I am incredibly blessed with the economy being the way it is and all. But, I feel like I haven't gotten a break. I've pretty much worked every day but 2 Sundays since the rd. trip. That's insane, right?! I also was blessed having 2 doula clients this month. I hadn't had a birth since Crystal's and knew it was time. The experiences were awesome and the money will be good from them when I receive it next month. I think that the money I get from both births and from doing chair massages almost every night for 6 weeks at the SRSC will pay for Travis tuition this semester and a month of mortgage which is great to think about. It's just going to be a few more weeks till I get it all.

I've had a great summer, but now I know that when I return from camp, that it will be over. I'm already getting depressed and stressed about RC Kids which I don't feel is good since it's God's work. That confuses me big time and makes me cry when I think about it. I want to be super pumped about it, but I just can't be. Instead i have fear and frustration.

Onto camp....I'm excited about this week! I am blessed w/ like 10 amazingly awesome Christian people to be my counselors. We will have probably over 30 kids when everyone gets there today which is a good turnout, again w/ busy lives and a slow economy. We're watching the movie Big Fish this year and doing a lot of activities based on ideas from the movie. I don't have anything huge planned again like a "labyrinth" but I still think my ideas (and the ones people have helped me with, thanks everyone!) will be fun/cool. I always love this week each year. I also get so much out if it and am reminded each year how AWESOME our God is! All year I struggle, I fall, I do so much I am not proud of, but He is there to pick me back up again. I don't know why He loves me so much, but He does, and that's all that matters. The only sad thing about this year is that Crystal won't be there with me. This is the first year since being a camper, that I haven't had at least Tessa or Crystal with me the whole week. And that's just weird. It doesn't do much for my self-confidence, but I know God is watching over me. And, luckily they're both visiting which helps me breathe a little.

Please pray for me, the campers, the counselors, everyone and their hearts who is involved with our camp. I'll let you know how it went when I get back on Friday. Of course, I have 3 clients when I get home....stupid....

525,600 Minutes...

2009-07-17T02:02:00.003-04:00

This rock opera tells the story of one year in the life of a group of bohemians struggling in modern day East Village New York. The story centers around Mark and Roger, two roommates. While a former tragedy has made Roger numb to life, Mark tries to capture it through his attempts to make a film. In the year that follows, the group deals with love, loss, AIDS, and modern day life in one truly powerful story.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Rent. This special viewing of Rent, marks the 28th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, July 19th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Blessed

2009-07-17T00:50:00.002-04:00

Elton John is an amazing lyricist - although usually simple on purpose so that his songs can be easily sung along to, memorized, etc. The song, "Blessed" has been with me all day today for a lot of different reasons and for different people And then it came on my ipod on the way home tonight and I knew I needed to put it on here for you to listen to. Just really listen to the words, what they mean to you, and hear the awesome way he sings this!

Caution, Hot! Contains Naomi Watts.

2009-07-10T18:56:00.004-04:00

Interpol Agent Louis Salinger and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman are determined to bring to justice one of the world's most powerful banks. Uncovering illegal activities including money laundering, arms trading, and the destabilization of governments, Salinger and Whitman's investigation takes them from Berlin to Milan to New York and to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk as the bank will stop at nothing - even murder - to continue financing terror and war.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, The International. This special viewing of The International, marks the 27th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, July 12th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

I'm not even supposed to be here today.

2009-06-26T02:44:00.007-04:00

Its just another day for Dante Hicks, until his boss calls him into work at the Quickstop on his day off. With a hockey game at 2, and his girlfriend still hacking him about going to back to school. Dante begins to get into a bigger frenzy when he learns his ex-girlfriend, Caitlin, is getting married. With his always late accomplice Randall strolling in to work at the video store, Dante is left with no choice but to bend the rules a little with work, customers, and most of all his love life.

10 years later... A calamity at Dante and Randall's shops sends them looking for new horizons - but they ultimately settle at Mooby's, a fast-food restaurant. Free from his dead-end job (and lodged in a new one), Dante begins to break free of his rut, planning to move away with his clingy fiancé. Dante is ready to leave the horrors of minimum-wage New Jersey behind, but Randal - always the more hostile of the two - starts to become overwhelmed by his own rancor.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Clerks. The Complete Saga. This special viewing of Clerks. The Complete Saga, marks the 25th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, June 28th, at a special time of 8pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

For God's sake Jim! I'm a doctor, not a pool man.

2009-06-20T21:44:00.006-04:00

He's the best there is. In fact, he's the only one there is! He's Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Ace is on the case to find the Miami Dolphins' missing mascot and quarterback Dan Marino. He goes eyeball to eyeball with a man-eating shark, stakes out the Miami Dolphins and woos and wows the ladies. Whether he's undercover, under fire or underwater, he always gets his man . . . or beast!

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. This special viewing of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, marks the 24th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, June 21st, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

watch for the cat who reminds me of stifler

2009-06-16T23:34:00.002-04:00

http://watchfamilyguyonline.org/movie/72-Family_Guy_612_Long_John_Peter.html

Hey, isn't that Iron Man's best friend? No wait, that other guy is Iron Man's best friend.

2009-06-14T01:21:00.006-04:00

A Brentwood housewife and her DA husband. A Persian store owner. Two police detectives who are also lovers. An African-American television director and his wife. A Mexican locksmith. Two car-jackers. A rookie cop. A middle-aged Korean couple…They all live in Los Angeles. And during the next 36 hours, they will all collide…

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Crash. This special viewing of Crash, marks the 23rd chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, June 14th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Pulling on my heart strings...

2009-06-12T11:26:00.003-04:00

After holding back tears for most of the morning, some have finally released themselves and my heart started writing. And what I thought I was sad about earlier has now apparently turned into something entirely different, or maybe it's all the same thing, I'm really not sure. 2 songs came to me - The Beatles, "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"

and Ben Harper, "Diamonds on the Inside"

and after listening to the 2 of these songs, and having my heart totally tell me something I didn't even know I was feeling, here's what has come from it:

I wish I could tell you my darling what I am crying about. I want you to feel these tears and know the meaning they possess. But never do I want you to feel the pain behind them. Not that I don't think you will be able to handle it, I know you are stronger than me, but I don't want you to know that kind of pain.

The peace I feel while gazing at the leaves on the trees outside of my window, these trees I often look to, is the peace I know I will feel someday while holding you. Being able to comfort you, rock away any concerns you may have, is something I know I want now. And I know I will be good at this. Not many things can I say that about. I am unaware of my positive traits, but I know I will be good at being your rock.
But I already can tell that you will have to forgive me from time to time. I will not always be like the trees I look at now. I too will sway back and forth and pieces of me may even blow away or disappear for months at a time but unlike the trees I may not be able to stand tall and strong for you always. I may shrink against my own self-awareness. And you, I'm sorry to say, may even have to pick me up. But please know that I will do my best for you.

I want this. I can now say that to be true and have no doubts or regrets. I haven't even met you yet but already know that I have never been prouder of anyone else. I have never wanted to know and love anyone else more than you. You haven't introduced yourself to me yet but already you have such an influence on me.

You have changed my life in just a brief minute.
You have changed my life in just a brief minute.

ani

2009-06-12T01:30:00.003-04:00

here is my old favorite picture of ani difranco:

and here is my new favorite - she just looks so motherly in this picture. matured and you can just almost see thousands of stories and song lyrics in her eyes! i love it!

Walk it Out

2009-06-11T22:05:00.001-04:00

our friend Jill Storm has introduced us to this clip and insists that she needs 2 other people to learn the dance with her! I'm totally up for it! It's great! Enjoy and Walk it out!!

Lady Fingers

2009-06-11T14:14:00.002-04:00

I revisited some music today and got stuck on a couple of Luscious Jackson songs. I recently put a few of their old songs on my ipod that I hadn't heard in a long time and then kind of forgot that I put them on there, but listened to them again today. Lady Fingers and Naked Eye. I think Naked Eye is a cool song with a cool video to follow but I really like the lyrics to Lady Fingers. And even though some of their music has been on the poppy side and this song is a bit corny, I think the lyrics can totally be true - that sometimes, if you are a girl who is a bit on the "tougher" or "more independent" side, people tend to forget that you are still a girl and can be delicate and fragile, especially with your own feelings. And we really do walk around with "kid gloves" on around our "Lady Fingers" I looked up their videos on YouTube but they have put up a block preventing me to put the actual videos on here, so instead here is a graphic of them and the song "Lady Fingers" but please do browse and watch those 2 videos! Thanks :)

You seem to suffer from what we call "Pressure of Speech".

2009-06-06T13:36:00.002-04:00

In this spoof of McCarthy-era paranoia and 1950s wholesomeness, the characters and plot are drawn from the popular Parker Brothers board game of the same name. On a dark and stormy night in 1954, six individuals with ties to Washington are assembled for a dinner party at the swanky mansion of one Mr. Boddy. Boddy's butler, Wadsworth, informs the guests that they have been gathered to meet the man who has been blackmailing them: Mr. Boddy. When Boddy turns up dead, however, the guests must try to figure out who killed him so they can protect their own reputations and keep the body count from growing.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Clue. This special viewing of Clue, marks the 22nd chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, June 7th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

"White People Food!"

2009-06-02T11:53:00.002-04:00

I've noticed, that the less money I have, or the more I try to save my money, the worse my diet gets. Some of you are reading this saying to yourself, "But her diet is already horrible!" "She doesn't eat anything!" "All she does is consume fruit and coffee!" I get criticized on my diet quite a bit - either that I don't eat enough, that I eat too many sweets, that I drink too much caffeine, or the complete opposite, that I eat too healthy and am too strict with my food. I have even been accused of being anorexic, etc etc. I swear people, I do eat!! Leave me alone!! But anyway, back to the whole point of this post, as I try to save money, one thing I do which probably isn't great, is I try to eat less or just don't waste gas and money to go out and buy food. Sometimes this is a good thing and I bring food from home or get healthy snacks. But sometimes this means that I fill up on stuff that is just plain stupid to eat, like candy, cold coffee, or gas station food - did you know that you can get a sandwich and a polar pop for like 3 bucks!! That's so much cheaper than my $6-10 meal or snacks from the health food store! Anyway, not sure why I'm putting all of this on here, but it's probably cause I had a client cancel, but I don't want to spend money by leaving my office, so here I am typing instead of getting work done like organizing client files or working on church camp stuff.

I'm freezing my royal Rastafarian nay-nays off!

2009-05-29T00:14:00.000-04:00

Irving Blitzer disgraced himself when putting extra weights into his team's bob in the Olympics, resulting in his gold medal being taken away from him. Years later, Derice Bannock, son to a former friend of Irv, fails to qualify for the 100-yard sprint for the Olympics due to a stupid accident. But when he hears of Irving Blitzer living also on Jamaica, Derice decides to go to the Games anyway. If not as a sprinter, then as a bobsledder. After some starting problems, the first Jamaican bobsledding team is formed and heads for Calgary. In the freezing weather Derice, Sanka, Junior and Yul are only laughed at, since nobody can take a Jamaican bobsledding team led by a disgraced trainer for serious. But team spirit and a healthy self confidence may lead to a few surprises in the upcoming Winter Games.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Cool Runnings. This special viewing of Cool Runnings, marks the 21st chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, May 31st, at 7pm, and will return every other Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

written on the road trip. how could i not be inspired by the scenery of the west?!

2009-05-28T21:19:00.002-04:00

After the rain - after the last drop has fallen and the ground is still slightly damp, memories have come back to me. The smells and sounds have brought the thoughts of times before. It's funny how one can lead the other. Kind of like the day we discovered each other - the day we realized there was more to who we were. You made me see that I had to open up a whole new part of me. I opened it up and you came right in, turned me into someone I never knew I could be. How did this even happen? Did I even have time to argue? Did you have to convince me? Either way, good thing I can't remember, good thing I didn't have time - I may not have allowed it to be. This way it could be like the rain. The build up was slow, maybe we even anticipated its coming. Then it arrived before we were truly ready (how could we be?) and then the days following handed me sweet memories that in one lifetime, will remind me of so many more.

2009-05-27T23:04:00.000-04:00

This is from... Mathilda.

2009-05-24T13:30:00.003-04:00

Léon is a first-class hit man, but is also a sensitive guy who loves his potted plants. He is moral: "No women, no children" is his professional motto. He is sympathetic to his neighbor, Mathilda, a typically rebellious twelve-year-old who has trouble with her family. But when her father runs afoul of drug kingpin Norman Stansfield, Mathilda turns to Léon for assistance.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Léon: The Professional. This special viewing of Léon: The Professional, marks the 20th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, May 24th, at 7pm, and will return every other Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

and the trip is done...

2009-05-15T22:46:00.010-04:00

I am back home in Indiana now. It feels good to be back for a few reasons - seeing and being with my husband again, knowing that i can make some money instead of traveling around spending it all, and getting to see, love on, and the be ignored by Stifler! :) But, I do already miss a few things about the trip - seeing all the amazing scenery that God put on this earth, getting to stay in places that I don't think I could ever dream of, and getting to go to top spas! Jacci and I had a great time and survived 2 weeks without any wrecks, tickets or getting extremely lost! I'm proud of us and thankful for that we were able to go on this trip! Now it's back home and back to work. Here are some more pictures of our time in Colorado (aka Jacci's future home)

If you don't cooperate, you're gonna suffer from "fistophobia".

2009-05-15T02:18:00.008-04:00

Bounty hunter Jack Walsh is sent to find and return bail jumper and former Mafia accountant, Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas. The FBI have had no success it locating The Duke, so when Jack finds him in next to no time, they are a little embarrassed. In order to collect his $100,000 fee, Jack must take The Duke from New York to Los Angeles. However, the Mafia and the FBI have other ideas, as does Marvin, a rival bounty hunter. On their long cross-country trip to LA, the two get to know each other and they build up a strange friendship.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Midnight Run. This special viewing of Midnight Run, marks the 19th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, May 17th, at 7pm, and will return every other Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Utah and Colorado then home

2009-05-13T12:21:00.009-04:00

I don't have a whole lot of pictures or stuff to talk about for Utah. It's a very pretty state and still warm. The place we stayed at is called Red Mountain. It's one of those kinds of places that you can go to for like a week or so and exercise, eat right, take hikes, and get spa treatments. I think this concept is a great one and it's something i'd like to try out someday but, considering we were only there for a day, it was kind of pointless for us. We did try to take advantage of the pool and we took an awesome hike w/ a guide in the early morning though. Overall, it was a cool place I guess, but the staff at the main desk kind of put a bad taste in my mouth for the whole experience - they were kind of stiff and rude, didn't seem to know anything about anything outside of the resort and our room wasn't ready until like 3 hours or so after we arrived! Onto our last stop in Colorado....this place is amazing! It's incredible and like we're staying in a castle! The view is pretty much complete mountains all around us. Today, we got outdoor massages (cold but worth it) and then pedicures! We really like it here and wonder if maybe we've saved the best for last. Our trip is nearing the end - we'll leave tomorrow (after an hour of horseback riding) to head home and just make a quick stop in MO for some sleep. See you all again soon!

Just as long as I don't turn into Nicolas Cage

2009-05-10T13:21:00.005-04:00

We are now staying at a resort and spa of the Ritz Carlton kind in Lake Las Vegas, just about 20 minutes from Las Vegas. The trip has gone really well so far! I have been thanking God everyday that we have been safe and healthy along the way. We've also done pretty well with our directions, only having to do a few "turn-a-rounds" from time to time. :) God has blessed us for sure! I got to spend quite a bit of time in total in my favorite state, Arizona, which I knew would be my favorite part of the trip. First we went to Tuscon, which I love, even though I think the city has grown too much for my liking. And then we stayed 2 nights in Sedona. This town is the perfect spot for a massage therapist who loves peace, quiet, and the great outdoors! Both times I have visited Sedona, I have felt right at home! Thanks Sedonians! :) Then, on our way out, we made sure to drive through Flagstaff. For those of you who don't know yet, I am pretty positive that I want to make Flagstaff our future home. The first time I drove through, I barely got to see any of the town, but I looked at Travis and said, we're going to live here someday! Then, this time, Jacci and I explored the town and campus a bit more, and I felt even more enlightened by this town! It's just perfect! Similar to Bloomington in size, it has a small university (so it has the "college feel"), a mall, a chilis (!), Target, and....the mountains are your back yard!! Even though it's located in a "hot" state, Flagstaff can get quite chilly and the mountains can become a big ski site! So, you have a little of the change of seasons like we're used to in the midwest! So, anyway, enough about that, we're in Vegas now, staying at a place that neither Jacci or I feel we deserve and feel we'll be kicked out any minute, but we're enjoying it and will get our facials in about 25 minutes! I have done some writing along the way - how could I not with all of this amazing scenery to inspire me?! I will try to post some when I finally remember to get my journal (tessa, it's the one you gave me a few years ago) out of my car. For now, here's a little something about the city that is Las Vegas. I am still coming up with the words currently in my head. I think it's going to mostly rhyme, which I have said before on here that I am not good at, so we'll see how it sounds...

Driving through the city that is Las Vegas, I find there is nothing at all discreet.
From the city lights to the people you will meet.
Do you have enough money, do you have enough time?
It's alight if you don't, just like the old lady next to you at the slot machine, losing it all, you will be just fine.
In each hand there is a drink or a cigarette.
It's like we haven't realized these aren't good for you yet.
The weather is hot but hey, no humidity.
We all walk around without our humility.
The older ones have it all.
The younger ones are just having a ball.
When placing that big bet, you look toward Elvis for your soul to save,
It may not be PC, but after all, this is Vegas, Babe!

Ok, so that was short and sounded negative, but I promise, we're having a great time! :)

V egas Baby! more of sedona, and some hoover dam!

2009-05-10T03:29:00.018-04:00

more arizona pictures - tuscon and hilton at sedona

2009-05-08T02:42:00.009-04:00

Something for the ladies as they travel through the Southwest.

2009-05-07T19:15:00.001-04:00

Me close to finishing the Mini Marathon

2009-05-05T09:29:00.003-04:00

I ran the mini on Saturday. I was pretty proud because I actually ran the whole 13 miles which was my main goal. I wasn't to concerned w/ how fast I did it, I just wanted to know i could finish it, hopefully without walking. I ended up running it in 2 hours and 6 minutes. If I do it next year, I think my new goal will be to finish in less than an hour...that is if I do it. I love the fact of being able to and actually doing the race, but I kind of hate having to make sure I train every single day for a year! So we'll see....

A video tour of Ten Thousand Waves

2009-05-04T21:50:00.002-04:00

More Pics

2009-05-04T10:55:00.010-04:00

"Let's open up a restaurant in Santa Fe..."

2009-05-04T09:42:00.017-04:00

Jacci and I have made it safely to our first "real" stop of our rd. trip and have landed at a place called Ten Thousand Waves near Santa Fe, New Mexico. We stayed for a few hours first in Missouri and then drove 12+ hours to finally arrive here last night at 9:30pm which would have been 11:30pm Indiana time. We missed the actual check-in time, but the people are soooo nice here and not only did one person stay late in the spa area to talk me through directions on how to get here, but then the security person helped us check in, carried our bags, and was just so pleasant! We love it here already and can't believe how amazing our room is! It's called The Sailor Room and we have a full bed, a day bed with stars above it, a flat screen TV on the wall with a fire place below it which is built into the wall, heated floors, a HEATED TOILET! and a HUGE SHOWER! Apparently, you can fit like 10 people in it if you so choose! We haven't tried that yet, but you know, if we find 8 other people....:) We also have our own private courtyard! I'm telling you, this place is amazing! It's all very Japanese styled and everything is based on the way they would do things in Japan. We had planned to sleep in today till like 11 or so, but we of course got up at 7am and now we're watching Little Miss Sunshine. We have our appointments at 2:15 this afternoon to do a mineral bath of sorts for 50 minutes, and then receive herbal wraps! Tonight, we'll probably go into Santa Fe for dinner and to check out the town. Until we have to be anywhere, we might try to walk around or maybe even do a bike ride....if my tightened up quads will allow that kind of activity. The whole running 13 miles and then sitting in the car for a day and a half kind of did a number on my legs! Ok, here are some pictures to enjoy from the trip so far!

Saturday! Saturday!

2009-04-29T21:38:00.002-04:00

I have only 2 full days left until I have to run the mini and until Jacci and I leave on our trip. I'm very excited for both, but I think I'm really just excited for the mini to be over than I am to actually do it. I guess you could say that I have been training for this 13 miles since late summer of last year. But, even though I did a lot of "2adays" over the winter, I don't think I really started my long-distance running till the weather got nicer, so in like the last 2 months. The longest I have done is 12 miles, but there are days when I don't even feel like I can do 4! I really hope i can do well on Saturday. My goal is to be able to run the entire way, and will do a light jog if I have to, and if I have to, I don't want to walk until the 10th or 11th mile. I'm also praying for good weather and for my current physical issues to all be ok while I'm running and afterward. We plan on leaving from mom's around 5:30am on Saturday and the race starts at 7:30! In my opinion, that is just way too early! Really, what is the point on starting that early?! Really.

So, after the race, I plan on returning home and sleeping for at least 4 hours, and then it will be up to finish packing! That's right! Packing! Jacci and I will be departing around 7pm for our road trip! We will be gone for 2 weeks and will get back either on Friday the 15th or Saturday the 16th. I am so incredibly ready for this trip! We have been planning and looking forward to it for quite some time and can't believe it's actually this weekend! For this, I am praying for safe travels, not getting lost, and that everything back here goes well. Travis will be here, alone, so please check up on him and make sure he's ok :) and not spending 24/7 on the computer playing warcraft in his underwear! :P Or, better yet, please check on Stifler to make sure he has been fed and taken care of! He might be in danger without me for 2 weeks!

Lastly, I'm going to mention the disgrace that is our current yard situation. We have apparently been growing a field of clover this last year! It's obnoxious! And, we still haven't done a complete mow yet, not just because we haven't had time, but also because we have bunnies! I have seen and almost ran over at least 2 bunnies, but there might be more! I don't know if I'm seeing the same 2 over and over, or if there are 2 more around. And, they're everywhere I want to mow! I talked to them tonight about how they need to watch it and to please understand that I am not trying to hurt them! But I don't think they listened. They just sat there and looked at me. They are so adorable and i can hold them in my hands...that is, until the jump or run away. One of them was even right by our front door the other night when Travis came home! I told them that I am glad they like us and feel safe here, but seriously, I need to mow! But I'm so freaked out that I'm going to run over them, especially since they keep moving where they are!

Ok, this will probably be my last post until I'm on the road. I will try to upload photos as we go!

We rednecks are few... college paleface students are many. I counsel peace.

2009-04-21T19:14:00.007-04:00

Dave, nineteen, has just graduated high school, with his 3 friends, the comical Cyril, the warm-hearted but short-tempered Moocher, and the athletic, spiteful but good-hearted Mike. Dave enjoys racing bikes and hopes to race the Italians one day, and even takes up the Italian culture, much to his friends and parents annoyance. All the while, the 4 friends try to break away from their townie, Indiana reputation while fighting with nearby college snobs.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Breaking Away. This special viewing of Breaking Away, marks the 16th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, April 26th, at a special time of 8pm, and will return every other Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Jason got put on stage

2009-04-19T23:45:00.002-04:00

Jason had to go up on stage. Here is what happened. I hope no one is offended by this content.

Howl at the Moon and Happy Birthday Jason

2009-04-19T21:46:00.013-04:00

Last night (saturday) we went to Howl at the Moon in Indy for Jason Chew's birthday. Alyssa had set up an entire day of surprises for him and it all ended at Howl at the Moon. We've only been there once before, and that time it was in the winter and we had no room to sit and had to stand the whole time...this time was much more pleasant because Alyssa had reserved some tables for all of us so we were much more comfortable! If you haven't been there before, they have dueling piano players up on the stage who play requested songs, play jokes on picked out people from the crowd, and just entertain all of us. The staff is always really nice too (just ask Kyle)! It's a great place for large parties (unfortunately a lot of bachlorette parties go though, so it's usually filled with an abundance of drunk girls). So, anyway, we had a great time and some of us probably had too much fun! here are some photos:

we paid $20 to have this put up on the board for Kyle while he was outside! It was great!!!
kyle as we're telling him about this

there was this "stripper wanna-be" chick in front of us that got way to close to the guys, especially Jerod!

Skadoosh!

2009-04-16T20:56:00.003-04:00

It's the story about a lazy, irreverent slacker panda, named Po, who is the biggest fan of Kung Fu around...which doesn't exactly come in handy while working every day in his family's noodle shop. Unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy, Po's dreams become reality when he joins the world of Kung Fu and studies alongside his idols, the legendary Furious Five -- Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey -- under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu. But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it's up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master into reality? Po puts his heart - and his girth - into the task, and the unlikely hero ultimately finds that his greatest weaknesses turn out to be his greatest strengths.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Kung Fu Panda. This special viewing of Kung Fu Panda, marks the 15th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, April 19th, at 7pm, and will return every other Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Who's Keyser Söze?

2009-04-03T15:21:00.003-04:00

Following a truck hijack in New York, five conmen are arrested and brought together for questioning. As none of them is guilty, they plan a revenge operation against the police. The operation goes well, but then the influence of a legendary mastermind criminal called Keyser Söze is felt. It becomes clear that each one of them has wronged Söze at some point and must pay back now. The payback job leaves 27 men dead in a boat explosion, but the real question arises now: Who actually is Keyser Söze?

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, The Usual Suspects. This special viewing of The Usual Suspects, marks the 13th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, April 5th, at 7pm, and will return every other Sunday at 7pm throughout the yea

Greed is good.

2009-03-26T23:42:00.005-04:00

A fresh-out-of-the-mental institution father and his emancipated teenage daughter venture together on a quest for an ancient Spanish treasure buried beneath their local Costco in this take on the modern family and the American dream.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, King of California. This special viewing of King of California, marks the 12th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, March 29th, at 7pm, and will return every other Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

So we have a bet then?

2009-03-26T00:51:00.007-04:00

As part of my ongoing quest to watch anything that may have the slightest bit of cool-factor, me and my nephew engaged ourselves into a bet of sorts. He's an avid fan of the J.J. Abrams series, Alias. I am an avid fan of the J.J. Abrams series, LOST. To my knowledge, neither of us care about the J.J. Abrams series, Felicity, though at least Morgan, and possibly Deanna, are obsessed with it. Ryan detests LOST and I have no opinion on Alias except that Jennifer Garner is kinda hot sometimes. So, much to our collective chagrin, we have decided to swap shows. We got Alias Season 1 in exchange for LOST Season 1. I suppose the bet part is that we see whether the other person can make it through all the seasons before giving up. We've got 3 episodes down so far and I'm not exactly begging for more. I hear it gets better, but from what I've seen so far, the music drives me insane (shades of late 90's pop-rock, generally female), the action is a little hard for me to swallow, and Jennifer Garner and crew are maybe the worst spies in the history of spydom. But, a bet is a bet, and I'll make it through these 5 seasons just for spite if I have to. So...anyone else have a challenge for the Patten House in regards to TV? We'll generally send LOST your way in exchange for your clearly inferior show, but we can negotiate other exchanges as well. The gauntlet is laid down. Who's going to pick it up?

*This post has been edited to say that Heroes is not an acceptable challenge. It has been attempted on multiple occasions and deemed unfit for viewing.

There's No Crying In Baseball!

2009-03-21T05:00:00.004-04:00

In the backwoods of Oregon, two sisters -- Dottie and Kit -- are discovered. Dottie can hit and catch, while Kit can throw a mean fastball. The girls come to Chicago to try out for the team with other prospects that include their soon-to-be-teammates Mae Mordabito, Doris Murphy, and Marla Hooch. The team's owner, Walter Harvey needs someone to coach his team and he picks one-time home-run champion Jimmy Dugan, who is now a broken-down alcoholic. After a few weeks of training, as Dugan sobers up, the team begins to show some promise. By the end of the season, the team has improved to the point where they are competing in the World Series.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, A League of Their Own. This special viewing of A League of Their Own, marks the 11th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, March 22nd, at 7pm, and will return every other Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

More Concert Photos

2009-03-17T22:36:00.007-04:00

travis and me before the show

a better shot of the pianos

elton walking..cool pic

Elton and guitarist

Bill and Elton

I can't believe we were actually there!!!

2009-03-12T22:10:00.018-04:00

On Tuesday night, Travis, Kyle, Jacci, and I drove to Cincinnati to the US Bank Arena to watch and listen to Elton John and Billy Joel live in concert! This was a huge deal! I wanted to see Elton John a few years ago but we didn't get the tickets in time. I had kind of figured that the day when I could see him live just would never come. I have a DVD set of his with some music videos and live performances on it. I have watched it several times just sitting there imagining that I was there. A few months ago, I had this sudden thought to just quickly get on the internet and see if he was going do any of his Vegas shows while Jacci and I will be there in May. I saw that he wasn't going do to any shows during that time at all, so I scrolled down to see how close, if close at all, that he was coming to Indiana. To my amazement, I saw that he would be in Cincinnati on March 10th! But not just him...Billy Joel as well! I couldn't believe what I was reading! I knew right then that I had to get tickets! I decided to get one for me (of course), one for Travis, and then one for Jacci and Kyle each for their Christmas presents from me. I was so excited that we were all actually going to be seeing Elton John and Billy Joel live! So, jump ahead to Tuesday night, and we are there! In the same room as Elton John! Music icon and royalty! We thought our seats would be terrible, but they were actually more than decent! My only complaint was that I had to sit pretty much the entire time. It's really hard for me to sit during a show. The stage and show was incredible! Their pianos came out of the stage as well as the band members. Elton and Billy played with each other and alternated songs, then Elton performed solo, then Billy took his turn, and then they both came back on together again to end the show and both bands joined them! It was incredible how well they know each others songs! They sound amazing together! Elton is an amazing performer and Billy has so much energy and can really entertain. We were all sad though that This Train Don't Stop was not played. I kind of expected that it wouldn't be, but I really was hopeful! I just knew that I would break down bawling my eyes out if he did. This is not my favorite of Elton's songs (that would be I Want Love) but it has such meaning between all of us. But, he at least played Goodbye Yellow Brick Road which was in our top 4 songs we wanted to hear. I still can't believe that we were there! Like, I'm excited about it, but it's kind of hard to be too excited, because it just seems unreal to me. I could probably talk about it all day, but I will stop and just show you some pictures and another video or two.

I'm the king of the world, On a boat like Leo.

2009-03-12T19:22:00.003-04:00

Richard, a young American backpacker, is willing to risk his life for just one thing: that mind-blowing rush you can only get from braving the ultimate adventure. But on a secret, deceptively perfect beach, Richard will discover that "heaven on earth" can instantly change into a jungle of seduction and danger.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, The Beach. This special viewing of The Beach, marks the 10th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, March 15th, at 7pm, and will return every other Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

The License Plate Said FRESH And It Had Dice In The Mirror.

2009-03-04T00:20:00.004-05:00

The powerful alcoholic and clumsy John Hancock is the most hated person in Los Angeles, as in spite of saving lives, he also destroys properties causing high cost to the city to fix his damages. When he saves the life of the PR Ray Embrey from a train, the executive feels in debt with Hancock and decides to change his image.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Hancock. This special viewing of Hancock, marks the 9th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, March 8th, at 7pm, and will return every other Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Mongo only pawn... in game of life.

2009-03-01T02:14:00.002-05:00

A town where everyone seems to be named Johnson is in the way of the railroad. In order to grab their land, Hedley Lemar, a politically connected nasty person, sends in his henchmen to make the town unlivable. After the sheriff is killed, the town demands a new sheriff from the Governor. Hedley convinces him to send the town the first Black sheriff in the west. Bart is a sophisticated urbanite who will have some difficulty winning over the townspeople.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Blazing Saddles. This special viewing of Blazing Saddles, marks the 8th chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, March 1st, at 7pm, and will return every other Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Use Somebody

2009-02-26T20:16:00.002-05:00

As everyone else on this planet, I have Kings of Leon rotating on my ipod quite frequently these days (I swear I heard of them like 3 years ago..). I tend to get addicted to a song and listen to it over and over and over and over again for a couple of days. Right now, that song is "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon. I really really wish I had written this song! It could totally fit my life right now and when I first heard it I instantly started writing a song of my own but it was way too similar to ever display as my own. If you visit my sister Jeanelle's blog, www.verwaynia.blogspot.com, you will see my adorable nephew Evan dancing to this song in his own toddler way! But I will also leave you with a clip of them playing this song live at the Brit Awards.

Congrats!

2009-02-26T20:11:00.002-05:00

Just want to give a shout out to our friends Courtney and Adam who just gave birth to their 2nd son, Stiles Chet, overnight/early this morning! I'm very excited for them and still excited for our friends Emily and Brian with their twins (Addie gets to go home tonight! yay!) and I can't wait to meet all of these adorable babies! All of my friends from school (and Crystal) now have babies, Courtney has her 2nd, but instead of feeling jealous or left out of the loop, I am happy for all of them and hope that I can be the cool, childless friend who comes to visit and spoils them when I can! :) Hope to see all of you soon!!

More From the Mind of Morgan

2009-02-25T18:05:00.001-05:00

I’m running out of time. I need to make a decision that will be hard to make. I’d like to say that I already know the outcome – that I already know how this will all end, but I don’t. I am just as blind as you are from it all.

I can’t even remember how it all began or where or why. I just remember how it felt. How you spoke to me, counseled me, made it all okay.

Sometimes we fall into place, and it’s a perfect fit, but the downside is that everything around us comes crashing down. I was no longer standing there to hold it up. I was too involved in your world and what you wanted from me. Sometimes I wonder who I really am and who it was you fell in love with. Was it really me or just someone you created me to be? I liked the make-believe and you liked the Peter Pan feel of it all. But this is a land we can never exist in so why even go there at all?

I can’t even remember how it all began or where or why. I just remember how it felt. How you spoke to me, counseled me, made it all okay.

I thought you were my safe haven in time. That even if it was too unreal when it was happening, I could always return to you when I was older, wiser and could give you back what you really needed from me. But the reality is, is that as I become older, and wiser and am able to give you back what you really need from me, I’m not sure if that’s what I really want. I’m not sure I want to keep making these escapes back into your room; into your corner of false hope and self-doubt

Oh how I want some of our moments to return! Oh how I want just a piece of you to look at every day! Why can’t it all be perfect? Why can I not be given it all? Because it’s not perfect they tell me. Because it’s not even good enough. That’s the whole point isn’t it? That’s what I should have seen from the start.

I can’t even remember how it all began or where or why. I just remember how it felt. How you spoke to me, counseled me, made it all okay.

I am telling you now I will never forget how it all began or where or why. But I will try to forget how it felt. How you spoke to me, counseled me, and in the end made nothing okay.

When reality isn't enough

2009-02-23T19:12:00.011-05:00

Last night for Sunday Night Movie Night, instead of watching a movie as per usual, we spiced things up a bit and viewed the Oscars instead. We made a special night of it and had everyone, including ourselves, dress up for it! Then we decorated the house with a red carpet, balloons, confetti, and themed plates and napkins, and we also provided cajun food for Mardi Gras (nothing to do with the Oscars, but still themed I guess) - - ask us about The King Cake, have any of you heard of this? Oh goodness, google it if you must. Quite bizarre, but Jacci now gets a year of good luck for finding the baby....I guess....??

Anyway, we had fun with it, and i took some pictures which I will share with you. But, all of this got me thinking, as most things do, because I tend to be very deep in my own mind, even though I may sound like a stuttering idiot to everyone else. I was thinking after the night was over and I was cleaning things up, about how much we (as in most humans, especially Americans) are involved in the entertainment, celebrity world. Not only did we watch the Oscars, but invited others to watch them with us, and we felt like we needed to take the time to agree or disagree with the outcomes of the awards. Then, all of our actions had me drift to deeper thoughts about how sad it all is. I mean, ok, i will admit that it's fun, movies are cool to watch, and I don't think we'd survive without music, and of course the people who bring all of those things to us will eventually become famous for doing so, it's inevitable. But, do we really need to idolize so much of it? And, why have 14 (that's just my random exaggerated number) award shows in one month celebrating it all? And, not only do we give out awards for the best this and the best that, but we have to take it even further and take the time to discuss what fashions all of these "actors" and "musicians" are wearing! Why do we give a flying fart about who or what Penelope Cruz is wearing as she walks down the red carpet? Or how well did Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie put themselves together on that given night while also making sure their nanny shows up to babysit their 17 (again, my random number) kids? Are our lives so pathetic or boring that we must sit there and criticize or applaud these over-paid people for hours at a time? (the answer is probably yes) Why is it that we love, just love, to escape our lives and enter those?

But all of that said, I am guilty of it too. If given the chance and the time, I will get immersed in a good book, pay $10 to watch a movie in a theater, or sit on our couch and tell the others in the room how beautiful I think Nicole Kidman and Marisa Tomei are. Yes, I escape my life too. Goodness, why else did I come up with the idea of Sunday Night Movie Night? Oh wait, that's right....so I could sit with some of my favorite, closest, coolest people every week for at least 2 hours at a time....yah, let's go with that.... :)

here are the shots that the paparazzi caught from the red carpet...

Mr and Mrs Kroskie

The talented Kevin:

Travis as Mickey Rourke:

Jacci sporting the latest fashions of "casual-I-eat-on-the-red-carpet-wear":

Me trying to strike a pose:

And the Oscar goes to...

2009-02-21T02:09:00.002-05:00

It's Oscar Night. Come watch the Oscar's this week. We'll start at 7pm with games and Oscar ballots. The big show starts at 8pm. There will be prizes for the most correct guesses on the ballot and best dressed. So put on that tux or evening gown and come celebrate the best films of 2008.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, The Oscars. This special viewing of The Oscars, marks the seventh chapter of Sunday Movie Night - Season Two, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, February 22nd, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Ni.

2009-02-13T15:02:00.001-05:00

Arthur, King of the Brittons, and his band of knights, set off on a quest to find the Holy Grail. Several obstacles however, stand in their way, including The Black Knight, a killer bunny, and the fearsome, Knights Who Say Ni.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This special viewing of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, marks the sixth chapter of Sunday Movie Night - Season Two, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, February 15th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

I never thought I'd be on a boat.

2009-02-08T20:55:00.001-05:00

Truth is, I've always been thirsty.

2009-02-07T10:25:00.002-05:00

This is the story of the incredible life of Edward Bloom, through a series of flashbacks that begin when his son Will visits him for the last time. Edward is dying of cancer, and Will hasn't spoken to him for years because he believes him to be a liar that never really cared for his family. As Edward's story unfolds once again, Will tries to finally understand the truth about who his father really was...

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Big Fish. This special viewing of Big Fish, marks the fifth chapter of Sunday Movie Night - Season Two, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, February 8th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

music therapy

2009-02-07T01:00:00.002-05:00

As most of you know, I like to make soundtracks to everything I do - these are usually just in my head, but still, they are there. There was even one point in my life when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do when I grow up, that I wanted to plan soundtracks for movies. I usually have about 2 or 3 songs at a time that fit what I'm going through. So, I wanted to share with you what 3 of them are now:

Piano Song - The Format (thanks for the intro amy)
Somewhere in Between - Lifehouse (can't help it, still love their first album!)
those are kind of how i'm feeling lately
and then for fun, The General Specific - Band of Horses

i'll leave you with an acoustic version of Somewhere in Between

it's been a while

2009-02-03T22:24:00.002-05:00

It has been a long time since I've posted anything and I apologize for that. Or, none of you even noticed, so therefore I don't feel bad at all! :) I think I've been really busy the last couple of weeks. Probably not really, and I actually have had less clients due to the weather and such, but I think I have kept myself preoccupied anyway. Lately, I have been busy with stuff at church...still organizing all of my volunteers and lessons every week and going to meetings. Also, the fact that we're not members of our church finally caught up to me! I'm actually surprised no one ever brought it up to me before and made me become one before getting my job there, but I actually feel like me doing the work there was far more important than being a member, but now they want to make sure that all leaders are members. It's not that we didn't want to be members of our church, it just took a few years to even think about it, and then a few years to decide we wanted to be, and then procrastination followed that, so therefore, it never happened. I swear, it's just because we're lazy!

I'm also planning the May road trip! The travel agent I hired has been great and has already set up an itinerary and found all the places we'll be staying! I'm not even going to list off and describe these places, because they are just too amazing! I can't even believe I'm going to be staying somewhere like that and getting so many spa services! I can't wait till this trip! Also, it's going to start the night of the mini marathon which I'm running...

That brings me to something else I've been doing a lot of - running! I try to tun as much as possible, but it's still not enough. I can't wait till the weather gets better so I can get outside and do a 10 mile run! My goal is to do at least 11 out of the 13 miles, and finishing in 2-2 1/2 hrs. but running all of the 13 miles would be nice!

One last thing, which I didn't do, but I want to acknowledge, is that my friend Emily gave birth to her twins last night! Yay! We have all been praying for Emily, Brian and the babies for so long now and are so relieved to know that they are ok. I haven't gotten an update since this morning, but I think all is well. Addalyn and Aiden are both small babies, and Aiden will need some special care, but I know they are huge blessings and miracles! I hope to see them soon, but want to give them plenty of time to get situated! Congrats guys! I'm so happy for you all!

Now I will leave you with something new I have written again...i'm still trying to write from time to time, even though my writing sometimes scares me or makes things worse, but it also can help me. I wrote this last night after a bit of a rough moment I had...so it might be a bit confusing...

Go ahead and be prepared
Wear black when you're with me. That way you won't have to change
Laughter helps - it makes me smile, but who can take the time to laugh?
My breath picks up, my heart slows and then speeds to catch up
My eyes close, my body shakes, but no tears come.
I never thought I would miss the tears
But when they don't come, it just means I have to hold onto everything a little longer.
I asked you when you thought it would get better.
You shrugged your shoulders and looked at me like you thought I'd have it all figured out by now.
I asked you when we could talk about this again.
You shrugged your shoulders and looked at me as if we had already talked about it enough.
Enough is enough, is always enough.

This is a Fender Rhodes moment.

2009-01-22T19:09:00.003-05:00

Samir Horn is a former soldier, a devout Muslim, and U.S. citizen in the Middle East selling bomb detonators to Islamic radicals. He joins their cause as both the FBI and a rogue CIA agent track him. Horn escapes a Yemeni prison, goes underground in France where he proves his abilities, and is sent to the United States to choreograph a simultaneous and multiple terror attack. Will the intelligence agencies talk to each other, and can Horn be stopped?

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Traitor. This special viewing of Traitor, marks the 3rd chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, January 25th, at a special time of 8pm, and will return every other Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

You wanted to see me, Your Joggingness?

2009-01-16T13:44:00.002-05:00

Mitch is one of the youngest students ever accepted to a university known for its programs for geniuses. He's partnered up with his roommate, science club legend Chris Knight, on a project to develop a high-powered laser. Together with their hyper-kinetic friends, they employ their intellects in the pursuit of bigger blasts, practical jokes, and a deeper understanding of what real genius is. When their final, functional laser is stolen by their teacher for a military weapon, they decide to get even.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Real Genius. This special viewing of Real Genius, marks the 2nd chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, January 18th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

Paging Dr. Howser

2009-01-14T21:15:00.000-05:00

Your Song

2009-01-12T21:17:00.002-05:00

I love that I have an ipod and I have what I think is a pretty good selection of songs on it, but I find myself already growing weary of the music that is on there when I am driving in my car. I usually leave it on shuffle, but my ipod thinks that means to play the same 10 songs all the time, and I end up skipping a lot of what I have on there, but I don't really want to take it off. So, I am asking for your help. If you don't mind, please give me 3-5 songs that you think I should add to my ipod. They can be your favorites, new ones you've heard, or just fun old-school stuff that will make me feel good. I may already have what you give me on there, but if not, I promise to add them to my selection. You can respond on here, facebook, or email, but if you put them on here, you might be giving others those ideas too which is kind a cool! thanks all!

Well, that was absurd, let's eat dead bird!

2009-01-05T23:14:00.003-05:00

After losing her job, making out with her soon to be ex-boss, and finding out that her daughter plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Claudia Larson has to face spending the holiday with her family. She wonders if she can survive their crazy antics.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Home For the Holidays. This special viewing of Home For the Holidays, marks the 1st chapter of Season Two of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series returns Sunday, January 11th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year.

CATS ARE FUNNY!!!

2009-01-04T23:15:00.002-05:00

Kyle showed this to us last night and I just thought it was hilarious! He pointed out how the cat's head is tilted the same direction every time! Oh, cat's are funny! I'd love to get something funny of Stifler on here, but unfortunately he takes like an hour to play any game like that.

Morgan in 2008

2009-01-03T22:37:00.002-05:00

I was going to get this on here on the 1st, but that clearly didn't happen, so here it is now on the 3rd. I have made a list of things that happened to me in 2008 or that happened to people in my life. Some of the things are very important, some not so much, but they still happened. I was thinking the other day about how much can happen in one year! It just blows me away. Even the "little" things that happen in life can really change you or those around you. And then there are all the events that we just don't even pay attention to or give credit to...we just let them pass us by without a second thought....unless you're me and then you give everything that
happens way too much thought and dwell on everything! I don't make new year's resolutions, cause I think we should live everyday with ways to improve ourselves in
our minds, but I do have a few goals. I hope to get closer to God again. I feel like I have lost some of that for some reason and if I plan on being church camp dean this summer, I gotta make some changes. I hope to run even more and keep up my training. I want to be able to run 13 miles without stopping! I want to be more organized but also to let myself give up some things in life and have more fun. And of course for my husband to finish school!:)

Ok, here is my list of things that happened in 2008 (in no particular order):

Joey and Dustin moved to Indy
Jerod and Amy moved to Greencastle
----these both made us sad----
Jeanelle and Jeff bought a new house
Got a new cell phone cause I ruined my old while talking on it in the shower
Got an ipod - thanks to travis and jacci, I now have music to listen to while I drive and run
We elected a new president
Our economy had a freak out
Clients left, gained new clients
Had another successful church camp year thanks to Crystal and our amazing skills of deanness - made a labyrinth and turned David Bowie into a church camp legend!
"met" Jacci and gained a best friend who I totally don't deserve and yet know I was meant to have in my life
Tessa had baby Elia and allowed me to be her doula - my favorite birth to help at - I was so proud of Tessa and so honored to have been there to witness a best friend who I had since 1st grade, give birth to such a beautiful baby girl
Crystal had baby Reed - she also allowed me to be her doula - and my other favorite birth to help at - this was probably the funnest birth due to my habit of always trying to make Crystal laugh, even with her telling me she hated me multiple times :) who knew the girl who sang in our wedding would let me be her doula down the road :)
Courtney is pregnant with her 2nd boy
Emily is pregnant with twins
Ryan and Deanna got married - they let Travis do their invitations and be in the wedding
I stopped supervising clinic at the massage school, but started teaching the business segment
My job at the church has become more detailed
Saw Eddie Izzard live
Saw Eric Clapton live
Saw Radiohead live for the 2nd time - it was amazing!
Signed up for the ’09 mini marathon - haven't done this since my senior year of high school when I tore my IT bands
Took a trip to Arizona - my favorite place on earth - for our anniversary
That trip inspired the idea for the road trip in May
Saw the Grand Canyon for the first time
Got a Schwinn bike - it's a Schwinn
Got the back door of my car stuck in the garage door
Our friend Jason Milo got married - and asked Travis to be a groomsman
Milo introduced us to the Drum Corps competition - I'm pretty sure this changed mine, Travis' Kyle's and Jacci's lives - or at least gave us a great night
We started Sunday night Movie Night at the Patten household
We found out that Stifler has a love for ranch dressing, and possibly Elton John
I unsuccessfully ended a rather successful 9 year streak against a bad habit and addiction - and therefore started the fight against it all over again

There is probably much more I could put on here. If you can think of anything, please share it or if there are a couple monumental things that happened to you in '08 please share as well. Overall, I had a pretty good year with some downfalls, but I'm pretty sure I love all of you a little more than I used to and hope to remain as close if not closer to you than I was before! :) Aww, I'm so sweet!...Puke

Something different

2008-12-24T02:52:00.002-05:00

Not that I think this is really good so I must share it with you all, but I have been sitting here typing this out and listening to some Mindy Smith songs, just kind of chillin' out for the night, or rather the early morning, since it is almost 3am now...and thought instead of just shoving it away or forcing a good friend to read it, like most things I write, I'd just go ahead and put it on here. What the heck, right?! When I read this tomorrow when it's a decent hour of the day, I'm sure I'll think this is crap! Why did I put it on here for everyone to read?! But, oh well, that's a chance I'm willing to take!

My eyes are sometimes blurry. My head is sometimes fuzzy,
But my heart although weak and tired never gives up
My hands sometimes let go even when I’m still holding on. My memory sometimes remains in a dream-like trance
But my heart although fast and hurting never says no
My fingers sometimes shake. My ears sometimes don’t hear.
But my heart although irregular and distant is still open wide for you

I don’t always know what I am capable of in this world but I am always sure of how I feel about you. I want you to have that confidence in us; you want me to have that confidence in myself. I can only do one or the other and what I know about us is so much stronger than what I have ever known of who I am.

Your heart although intense sometimes caves in
But your eyes are steadfast. Your head is clear.
Your heart although kind sometimes rejects what is close.
But your grip is strong. Your reality is certain.
Your heart although seeking sometimes closes doors when I’m knocking to come in
But your fingers are familiar. Your ears hear every word.

I don’t always know what I am capable of in this world but I am always sure of how I feel about you. I want you to have that confidence in us; you want me to have that confidence in myself. I can only do one or the other and what I know about us is so much stronger than what I have ever known of who I am.

I want you to help me when I am too proud to ask and support me when I am too vulnerable to know the difference. I want to help you see who you truly are and for you to help me forget who I can truly be.

My heart needs your heart. Please let me give you mine so I can have yours….
So I can have yours

2 Christmases down, 3 to go

2008-12-21T22:30:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Christmas with my family on Saturday and with part of Travis' family today. We had a great time at both events, for real, I'm not just saying that! Great family, food, and presents galore. It's so strange though, cause I feel like I was just looking forward to my weekend off, and now it's over. Saturday and Sunday flew by way too quickly! And now I have to go back to a full day of work tomorrow, yuck! I just know that Christmas will be over before I know it and it will be 2009. I feel like every year, I do this, whether I'm really looking forward to the Holidays that much, I'm at least looking forward to the sense that something different is in the air, and it's just something fun to expect, but then it's over and we have to tough it out for the rest of the long winter! That's ok though, because I have this huge feeling that 2009 will be a great year. There are at least 3 events that will help it be a good year, and maybe even more. Here are some pictures from Saturday

Congratulations!

2008-12-17T23:47:00.003-05:00

I just want to give a shout out to our friends Crystal and Jared! Their son Reed Thompson was born Tuesday morning at 2:49am in Terre Haute. I got to play doula for this birth which I am very honored to have been able to do. I had a great time with Crystal and Jared and am very proud of how great of a job Crystal did! She was amazing especially since she was going on no sleep for a couple of days! I would put a picture of adorable Reed on here, but without their permission and since she hasn't even updated her own blog with photos, I will pass on that. But, hopefully ya'll will get to see him soon, cause he is one CUTE baby! What a precious Christmas gift! Good job Crystal and congrats to you both! And thanks again!!!

You ready for Christmas?

2008-12-08T23:29:00.005-05:00

So is Thanksgiving really over already?! I feel like Halloween should barely be over at this point, much less Thanksgiving! Every day, I swear at least 5 people ask me if I'm ready for Christmas yet. I just never know how to answer this question. I mean, I am ready, of course. I would like for the holidays to be here, but there are a million reasons I'm not ready, how could I be 100% ready for Christmas yet? We have most of our decorations up so far, but there are a few touches left that we haven't gotten to yet. And then there is the fact that I haven't bought any presents yet! I can't believe I have basically the rest of this week and then next to get everything! We sat down and mapped out what we needed to get everyone, and it seems pretty simple on paper, but then it makes me kind of insane when I try to come up with time to actually go and get it all! And, I honestly just don't have any interest in going and getting it. I feel bad for that, but it just doesn't seem like it's time for buying presents yet, and that makes it hard for me to get in the spirit I guess. Even though I like Christmas, I think one thing that makes me dread it is that it's over way too soon, and then we have the rest of winter to sit through....the snow really isn't all that much fun anymore, January lasts forever, and February is pretty much my least favorite month. But, to answer everyone's question, Yes, I'm ready for Christmas! :) Here are some pictures of our 12, yes, 12 foot tree we recently purchased! It took an entire Sunday afternoon, 3 stores, and rearranging our dvd collection, but we got it put together and decorated. Thanks to Jacci for her assistance! Couldn't have done it without you! :)

Cleanup, Aisle Three.

2008-12-07T20:26:00.003-05:00

WARNING! This is probably not safe for work, unless your boss has a great sense of humor.

Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.

2008-11-28T23:37:00.002-05:00

Ralphie, a young boy growing up in the '40's, dreams of owning a Red Rider BB gun. He sets out to convince the world this is the perfect gift. But along the way, he runs into opposition from his parents, his teacher, and even good 'ol Santa Claus himself.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, A Christmas Story. This special viewing of A Christmas Story, marks the thirty-fourth chapter of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, November 23rd at 7pm. This is the last show of 2008. We'll be taking a break for December and then regroup after the holidays.

It ain't easy bein' green.

2008-11-22T01:25:00.002-05:00

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and the entire cast of the Muppet universe come together to re-tell Charles Dicken's immortal classic "A Christmas Carol" This was the first time the Muppets appeared on screen since Jim Henson's death in 1990. Michael Caine gives a magnificent performance as Ebenezer Scrooge in a world full of muppet comedy and almost scary performances from the "Ghosts of Christmas past, present, and yet to come".

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, The Muppet Christmas Carol. This special viewing of The Muppet Christmas Carol, marks the thirty-third chapter of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, November 23rd at 7pm. The last show of 2008 will be the following week, on November 30th. We'll be taking a break for December and then regroup after the holidays.

2008-11-18T17:23:00.002-05:00

Here are the lyrics and a live performance of the song "Unravel" by Bjork. Now, I know most people believe Bjork to be very crazy and she is an easy one to poke fun of, but I can't help it, I love her voice and music! It's usually pretty difficult to understand what she is saying in her songs, so unfortunately most of the time, I really don't care and just trust that they're meaningful and instead listen to how cool it sounds. This song, Unravel, came back to me on my ipod last night after probably 3 years of not hearing it. I had just gotten done running and was doing my post-run stretching and just had to stop what I was doing when the chorus came on because I was reminded of how beautiful I thought this song was. It was always one of those that got to me but I didn't bother to know why. So, I looked up the lyrics and now I like it even more! I have been thinking about missing people...something I don't usually do, I'll admit it, I'm not one to usually sit around and miss someone...but lately I have been feeling overwhelming feelings of "missing." And I think this song kind of hits that and also says to me that whenever you're reunited with that person, you just have to make up for the time you didn't have and make each second really count because if not, it might get taken away from you....

I really like the studio version of this song better, but I also like seeing her sing it live. Not sure why the dude in the suit behind her just sits and stares, but that's something humorous to check out as well. Enjoy! But please try to put the studio version on your ipod or something, cause there's a cool echo thing they do on it that makes it sound even more powerful.

While you are away
My heart comes undone
Slowly unravels
In a ball of yarn
The devil collects it
With a grin
Our love
In a ball of yarn

He'll never return it

So when you come back
We'll have to make new love

He'll never return it

When you come back
We'll have to make new love

While you are away
My heart comes undone
Slowly unravels
In a ball of yarn
The devil collects it
With a grin
Our love, our love,
In a ball of yarn

He'll never return it

When you come back
We'll have to make new love

He'll never return it

When you come back
We'll have to make new love

He'll never return it

When you come back
We'll have to make new love

"just wait till you have kids....."

2008-11-17T23:17:00.002-05:00

as you go through life, during each step of it, everyone around you wants you to move on to the next step and insists on asking you about it....
"what college are you going to go to?"
after you find that special someone, "when are you going to get engaged?"
then it's, "when are you going to get married?"
they give you like a year, and then, "when are you going to have kids?"

The kids one is where I'm going to spend some time on...

Not only does the question get annoying after a while, but there ends up being so much else that goes along with it. All around me, I keep hearing people say, just wait till you have kids...that'll change when you have a kid... now that i have kids...

I get it! It's not some new profound thing...your life changes when you have kids, I understand that and never have said otherwise.

I don't just have beef because I've been told of this, but I have seen friends, family, and clients of mine told things like this as well. Not only that, but once someone's pregnant, the entire 9 months people try to fill their minds with constant good and bad advice and stories that don't meant anything for that particular person in their situation. Just tonight, I read on a friend's facebook wall a comment from someone basically telling them that they don't know what they're talking about yet because they haven't had their baby yet, that they won't understand what they're talking about until they actually have the experience of raising that child. Geesh!

What is with we humans and our insistence on telling everyone we know everything we know, whether we really know it or not. Maybe sometimes, we just need to sit tight and let someone figure it out on his/her own. And, just because a woman hasn't had a baby yet, does not mean she needs to be shunned...give us a break and stop telling us our lives will change once we have kids...I already know that!

Disclaimer: I am not yelling at any of you reading this, I promise. I'm just yelling in general.

It's a TV Christmas!

2008-11-13T03:27:00.002-05:00

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, It's a TV Christmas! - Christmas Episodes from Travis' favorite shows. A detailed synopsis of each episode is attached below. This marks the thirty-second chapter of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, November 16th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year until the last show of 2008 on November 30th. We'll be taking a break for December and then regroup after the holidays.

Arrested Development – Afternoon Delight
- While Buster looks for ways to get out of serving in Iraq, Lindsay's quest to score a date at the Bluth Company Christmas party backfires after GOB's sexual harassment speech. Michael and Maeby get in trouble singing Afternoon Delight, but are quickly overshadowed by Oscar and Lucille's afternoon delight.

30 Rock – Ludachristmas
- The staff of TGS is having their annual holiday "Ludachristmas" party, but Tracy can't participate due to his alcohol-monitoring bracelet. Jack and Liz's families go to dinner together, where Jack's mom tries to break the eternal optimism of the Lemons.

Scrubs – My Own Personal Jesus
- It's a blue Yule for the interns in an episode that mixes sentiment and satire. At first it seems that J.D. pulled an easy detail: Videotaping the birth of a baby whose parents are friends of Dr. Cox. Trouble is, they're also close with Cox's ex, Jordan, who makes a dramatic reappearance. On another ward, Elliot attends to a penniless teen who doesn't realize she's eight months pregnant. And then there's Turk, who sees an onslaught of patients in a scene set to a macabre choral reworking of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Seinfeld – The Strike
- The strike at the bagel place ends after 12 long years -- but will Kramer go back to his old job? In trying to blow off a guy in a bad denim jacket, Elaine may also blow her chances to win a free sub sandwich. George harks back to the all-purpose "Festivus" holiday created by his dad to cover both Christmas and Hanukkah. And Jerry finds out that his new girlfriend is "two-faced" -- that is, her looks alter radically depending upon the time of day, the lighting, and the location.

The Office – Christmas Party
- Holiday cheer is in short supply when Michael insists on doing a last-minute swap of Secret Santa gifts, and Jim becomes alarmed that his sweet and sentimental gift for Pam will end up in Dwight's hands.

Family Guy – A Very Special Family Guy Freakin’ Christmas
- Christmastime stress causes temporary insanity for Lois, but Stewie's faith in Santa is renewed when he receives the plutonium he has put on his wish list.

Curb Your Enthusiasm – Mary, Joseph, and Larry
- Larry proves himself an incompetent Christmas tipper, while both he and Jeff prove themselves incompetent at creating believable alibis for the messes they get into. After offending his housekeeper, Larry makes up with her at the expense of his wife. After offending Cheryl's family, Larry--still suffering from a scratchy throat--attempts to make it up to them with a little Christmas cheer.

News Radio – XMas Story
- While Matthew feels snubbed by Jimmy's Christmas gift, Bill claims he's being stalked by a Santa Claus.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force – Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future
- Carl is visited by the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from The Future, who relates to him a tale regarding the grounds that his house was built upon. After his long stories are finished, Carl is in disbelief. So the ghost proceeds to fill his pool with Elfin blood, which prompts Carl to move his house onto the market quicker.

Futurama – XMas Story
- Fry and Leela find themselves targeted by a murderous robotic Santa Claus; Bender volunteers at a shelter for homeless robots.

no more "pencil sharpener"

2008-11-12T22:17:00.007-05:00

I have made a tough decision and have switched our liter box out to a new one. For our wedding present, Kyle bought us the automatic liter box that scoops itself 10 minutes after every disposal. We were in love with this machine! It saved on me having to buy as much liter and it controlled the smell better! When we moved into the house, I bought a new one because that one had been peed on way too many times and I felt it was a good idea to have a 'fresh' start. But, here lately, no matter what I do, I feel as if the smell of Stifler and his mess grows increasingly stronger. And, Stifler in his old age, has gotten in the habit of getting liter all over the house! I swear I am kicking it around all the time!! It's totally gross and embarrassing...I swear that our guests have to wonder what in the world they're stepping on and kicking around all the time! I'm not sure if any of these factors will get better, but tonight, we bought a dome liter box, new environmentally and cat friendly liter, and liner bags to put inside. I don't know if Stifler will like or use the new liter though. It has a strong smell that he already acted as if he didn't like. I mixed some of the old liter in there so we'll see if that helps at all. So, for all of you who have grown familiar and comfortable with the pencil sharpener in the other room, I am sad to say that it is wrapped up in garbage bags in the garage and will make it's way to a garage sale soon...if I can get it cleaned enough that is. Sorry guys, no more sounds 10 minutes after every Stifler poop....

We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.

2008-11-07T22:03:00.003-05:00

Buddy was a baby in an orphanage who stowed away in Santa's sack and ended up at the North Pole. Later, as an adult human who happened to be raised by elves, Santa allows him to go to New York City to find his birth father, Walter Hobbs. Hobbs, on Santa's naughty list for being a heartless jerk, had no idea that Buddy was even born. Buddy, meanwhile, experiences the delights of New York City (and human culture) as only an elf can. When Walter's relationship with Buddy interferes with his job, he is forced to reevaluate his priorities.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Elf. This special viewing of Elf, marks the thirty-first chapter of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, November 9th, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year until the last show of 2008 on November 30th. We'll be taking a break for December and then regroup after the holidays.

An Important Message For Today

2008-11-04T20:28:00.001-05:00

once more...

2008-11-03T18:33:00.004-05:00

ok, so I have been lectured once again about not adding some pictures on here from the party.....I didn't want to add these, for fear of the democratic party of voters out there coming to my house and throwing eggs at me or something...but I guess I hurt McCain's and Palin's feelings... but if they win just because I put their photos on here, than I just want to say it's not my fault... Obama and Biden, you guys should have shown up Saturday night...

our costumes...kinda

2008-11-03T16:14:00.004-05:00

I realized I did not put any pictures of mine and Travis' costumes on here. Mainly, that's because I don't really have any good ones. I forgot to have anyone take any of us and I was too busy taking them of everyone else. Also, I'm pretty sure Travis and I were only in the same room once. :) But, here are a couple of photos with us in them. I already have the mustache off in mine and Travis is playing rock band in his, but you guys can get the idea...

I had such a great weekend this weekend! I got to hang out with some friends more than I usually get to, I got to see some I hadn't seen in a long time, and I didn't have to work as much Saturday and not at all yesterday! I'm glad that the party is over now, so I don't have to prepare for it anymore, but I'm also sad that the weekend's festivities, like the party, Crystal's baby shower/open house, and just relaxed hanging out are over. I always do this though, I look forward to something so much and then when it's over, I get sad....oh well, I'll just have to find new things to look forward to!

Halloween Party

2008-11-02T20:31:00.007-05:00

We had our 2nd annual Halloween Party last night and even though we didn't quite have the outcome that we had last year, it was still a good turn out! Lots of creative costumes, rock band, and good food! Thanks to all of you who drove a long way to be here and those who put so much effort into your costumes!

Lead and follow. Follow and lead.

2008-10-30T02:56:00.003-04:00

This is the story of Santa Claus, who, along with his wife Anya, goes from being a simple working man to becoming an international icon of Christmas. At the same time, one of Santa's elves, a visionary named Patch, sets out to employ Santa's toy making methods on his own, unaware that he might be ruining the magic of Christmas in the process.

Patten Cinemas is proud to present, for your viewing pleasure, Santa Claus: The Movie. This special viewing of Santa Claus: The Movie, marks the twenty ninth chapter of Sunday Movie Night, an ongoing series exploring cinema through the years. The weekly series continues Sunday, November 2nd, at 7pm, and will return every Sunday at 7pm throughout the year until the last show of 2008 on November 30th. We'll be taking a break for December and then regroup after the holidays.

SNOW!!! really, snow, really?!

2008-10-28T00:57:00.002-04:00

Deanna and I were driving back to their apartment tonight, and we were pretty sure that the rain that was coming down was slowly turning into snow. We thought, no, surely it's just big rain. But, sure enough, it turned into snow! We couldn't believe our eyes! Not only did I not think it was going to be this cold today, I had no idea it would snow. I just don't think I am ready for this yet! Luckily, I think it's supposed to be back to the 60s by this weekend. I'm hoping for nice, sunny weather for Saturday which is our Halloween party. I hope you can make i!