Foote Prints

Mary Holmstead Dean Obituary: View Mary Dean's Obituary by Salt Lake Tribune

2011-12-03T20:59:00.000-08:00

Mary Holmstead Dean Obituary: View Mary Dean's Obituary by Salt Lake Tribune

Jack Sparrow and Harry Potter

2011-10-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

Prague, Munich, Salzburg

2011-10-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

Todd had a work conference in Prague. He allowed me to join him. My friend, Natalie, met us in Prague. Her husband also attended the same conference with Todd. Natalie and I drove back to Munich with her children after our weekend in Prague. We also drove to Salzburg, Austria and toured a castle. Natalie lives near the Dachau concentration camp. We spent a day there. I have seen it depicted in movies and books. It was strange to be there. Coincidentally, I was reading "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom about her experience at the Ravensbruck concentration camp while I was in Germany. I extended my return flight layover in Raleigh, NC and also visited a south Florida friend of mine (Melinda) who recently moved there. I had so much fun having some girl time. I missed my boys, but really enjoyed the break.
I definitely ate too much apple strudel in Germany. (And chocolate, pretzels, bratwurst, and sauerkraut) Then I came home and have been devouring my children's Halloween candy. It is time to start walking again! I haven't been doing that much since I walked into an alligator last July. I'm such a chicken.
It was a great trip. We're thankful to Todd's mother for flying out and taking care of our Florida boys. Brandon lost his first tooth while I was gone. The tooth fairy gave him $5! He's gonna be shocked when he finds out the tooth fairy is not always so generous later on.

Later Gator!

2011-07-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

Gator #1. Stacie went back later and took this picture, but by then he had moved. He was in the bushes when we stumbled upon him!

Gator #2.

So, I had an eventful walk with my friend, Stacie, this morning. We were walking and talking. All of the sudden, I saw a large gator head sticking out of a bush about 5 feet in front of me. It was a large, adult gator head--definitely not a baby. I instantly grabbed Stacie and pulled her back away from the gator. If we had taken 3 more steps we would have been right in its face. It was so scary!!! Stacie didn't know what I was doing at first. Apparently, I accidentally clawed into her skin with my fingernails. Sorry, Stacie! All I know, is that I didn't want to be chomped on by a gator--or my friend. It had to be a 9-10 foot gator. There were a lot of women out biking and walking. We warned them about the gator. We also called the front gate and they sent someone out to take care of it. Then we walked home and found ANOTHER gator sitting on the grass, a smaller gator. That one was only two blocks from my house. Supposedly, it is mating season or something. People have been sighting them a lot more frequently. I am very sad. I love walking in my neighborhood. I felt safe because it is a gated community. But now I don't feel safe. The gates can't keep the gators out! Maybe we should rethink this whole living right next to the Everglades thing. Eek! Seriously. The neighborhood is so nicely landscaped with palm trees everywhere and lots of plants. But I think I might use a treadmill at the gym for a while!

2011-07-16T06:14:00.000-07:00

Todd is in LA this week for work. His parent drove from AZ to spend time with him. My friend Amy decided to drive down from St. Augustine with her boys, Will and Connor, to spend time with us! The boys had a great time being together again--and so did Amy and I! We took the boys to the theater to see "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" for the free/$1 summer movies. We also enjoyed swimming at the pool a couple times and a perfect day at the beach. Amy and I hired a babysitter last night and went to the final Harry Potter movie. It was awesome, except for the lady behind us who decided to bring her babbling two year old! Amy spoke up and we scored four free movie tickets. Oh, I almost forgot to write about the most exciting part of our week together: we had a close call with lightning! It was crazy. Amy and I were in the kitchen talking while the boys were watching TV nearby. All of the sudden, this LOUD thunderous noise interrupted us. It was so close. It must've been right outside our house. Our TV shut off. Thank goodness Todd bought surge protectors. It was scary. Austin started crying. We were all shaking. I'm glad we weren't outside!

New York

2011-07-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

We just returned from an exciting trip to New Jersey/New York to visit my brother Luke and his family. We arrived to celebrate the 4th of July. We had a nice BBQ at Luke's home in NJ. Then, we watched fireworks that evening in NYC. We spent the 5th visiting the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, Wall Street, Times Square, and Central Park. That evening, Todd and I watched Spiderman on Broadway. We had seats in the second row! It was great. There was only one mishap--one of the wires got stuck on the scenery. We had to wait 10 minutes while they fixed it. July 7th: Luke and I took my boys and his oldest two girls to the Met. Then we took a taxi to FAO Schwartz so our boys could dance on the piano in the movie "Big". July 8: We drove to the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, NY. That evening we attended the Hill Cumorah Pageant and ran into our cousin, Elder Tyler Robinson, serving a mission in Rochester, NY. July 9: Drove back to Luke's place and chilled out! July 10: Flew back to Florida with the boys! They were so good on the trip. We had a really great time.

Happy Father's Day and Birthday to You!

2011-06-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

We had fun celebrating Todd's birthday and Father's Day together, a day earlier than usual, because Todd had to travel today for work. He enjoyed his favorite "birthday cake"--Grasshopper Pie. Todd does not like to eat cake, cookies, or brownies. Grasshopper Pie is easy enough to make: chocolate graham cracker crust, mint chocolate chip ice-cream, home-made hot fudge, and real whip cream. I like that I can make it weeks in advance and leave it in the freezer! We are good at doing things in advance in our home! Todd bought his present, an ipad, two months in advance. He loves it!! He now plays with his ipad, Windows phone, and watches TV all at the same time. It has become an additional appendage to his body.

Todd went to the driving range/golf with the boys in the morning while I went to the Ft. Lauderdale Temple groundbreaking satellite broadcast at our chapel. Then we had lunch together as a family and went swimming.

Todd and I went to dinner and a movie. We ate at a Thai restaurant, Todd's choice. He always orders Pad Thai. I ordered it too, it was delicious. Our waitress was from south China and spoke Cantonese with me.

I'm getting hungry now. I just ate my pad thai leftovers. I think I'll enjoy another slice of pie!

Groundbreaking for Fort Lauderdale LDS Temple today

2011-06-18T06:03:00.001-07:00

This is an artist's depiction of what the Fort Lauderdale Temple will look like. I have been making the long drive to the Orlando Temple for the last seven years. I am very excited to have a temple so close to home. I hope it gets completed quickly! For more information on temples click here http://lds.org/church/temples?lang=eng

Later Gator

2011-06-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

Our neighborhood backs up to the Everglades. Sometimes we find gators swimming around in our backyard pond. We saw on the news last week that there was a gator in the parking lot at our neighborhood Publix grocery store! I love seeing gators, but I am always scared of getting up close and personal with one. Sometimes I go to the gym in the morning when it is dark outside. I'm always careful to look for gators or snakes on my way to the car.

2011-05-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

Austin said tonight, "I think Joseph Smith is the most handsome prophet ever. Because his hair is rolled up like a ball."

Star Wars Sacrament Meeting

2011-04-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

Austin said Darth Vader is not conducting the meeting--that is actually Batman and Robin. He just couldn't find Batman's mask, so he improvised with Darth Vader.

Paintings for Addison and Tyler's new playroom

2011-04-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

My brother John (J.B.) likes an artist named Rodney White. He asked me to do a couple of paintings similar to Rodney White for his children's playroom in their new home. I was stressing out about trying to create the perfect Rodney White type painting and it wasn't any fun. Finally, I decided I just had to forget about it and try to do my own thing--as much as possible. I wish that I had been able to use stencils for the names, but I just used an overhead projector and handpainted it. It is a little rough, but I think it turned out fun. I am very excited to have a new niece. I wish I could see her! Sometimes it is rough being so far away from family.

2011-04-12T05:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Brandon!

2011-04-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

BYU vs. Florida

2011-03-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

We're having friends over to watch the BYU game this Thursday night. I am going to make these cupcakes. Go Cougars!

Happy Birthday, Austin!

2011-02-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

Austin wanted to celebrate his 8th birthday at Chuck-E-Cheese with a few of his closest friends.

It's Great to be 8!

2011-02-19T11:41:00.000-08:00

Austin turned 8 and became an official member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Todd's parents flew in from Arizona and my dad flew in from Utah. We had a wonderful week together. Austin says his favorite part of being baptized was being baptized. Ha ha. It was a very special event and we are very happy about the decision he made.

We're pretty happy to live in south Florida today.

2011-02-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

Gung Hay Fat Choy! The Year of the Rabbit!

2011-02-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year! http://www.mandarintools.com/ is a really cool website. Click into Chinese Names and you can get your own Chinese name. I copied and pasted it to Microsoft Word. Then I printed it out, cut, and paste it onto a name tag.

My Little Picasso

2011-01-30T13:15:00.000-08:00

I love this picture Brandon drew today at church. He told me it is a picture of Jesus, Heavenly Father, Noah in his ship, a butterfly, and a robot. My favorite part is the Heavenly Father and Jesus.

Fluffy

2011-01-30T13:06:00.001-08:00

Austin has a green pom-pom with googly eyes, see his illustration above. He has named him Fluffy. Brandon has an orange one without a name yet. He's still thinking it over. The boys have adopted these pom-poms. They carry them around everywhere. (It's kind of annoying.) At night, the pom-poms sleep in a clean sock underneath the nightlight. They each have their own sock.

This is what happens when you don't let your kids have a real pet. They get creative.

2011-01-29T05:25:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun making this card for my friend Coral. I've been clipping her name out of local Coral Springs magazines for months. I love to collage.

2011-01-04T18:11:00.000-08:00

We visited Miami Zoo on the 31st of December. It was the most fun I have ever had at a zoo. Miami Zoo has bicycle cars you can rent. It was so much more fun than walking! We gawked at all the animals while we pedalled through the park. The weather was great too--there was a lovely breeze. I think we picked the perfect time of year for a trip to the zoo.

Santa Delivered!

2011-01-04T17:43:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun Christmas this year and Santa spoiled us all rotten. The only toy both the boys really wanted was a Harry Potter Hogwarts lego castle. It was the last present they opened. They were pretty excited!! Austin put the 1,200+ set together in 3 hours!

A few weeks ago they asked me about why we have Christmas and Easter. I told them at Christmas we celebrate the birth of Christ. Then I went off on a tirade about commercialism. I didn't think they were paying attention. The next day, Austin told me he thought I should take down our Santa Claus tree topper and get a star. He explained to me that a Santa tree topper is about Santa Claus, but a star tree topper is about Jesus. So, I bought a star.

Another day, Brandon asked me, "Mom, why aren't we Jewish?" I asked him if he wanted to be Jewish. Austin piped in, "You only get 8 presents for Hanukkah." So, I guess they like being LDS 'cause they definitely opened more than 8 presents (from Santa Claus, no less.)

2010-12-20T05:31:00.000-08:00

I've been busy making Christmas cards for my friends. This is one for the Frankowski family.

2010-11-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

I love kids art. Especially my kids art. I think they're both amazing little artists! Unfortunately, I can't display it on my refrigerator. Not unless I use tape! Magnets just slide off the surface. My solution? Scan it and share it on my blog! This might even be a better place than the refrigerator. These are pictures Austin drew for me the other day. I'm going to dig into my archives and share my all-time favorites later. I may even dig out some of my own childhood works! My mother saved a lot of my art growing up. She dated all of it and often wrote a short sentence or two about each one. Now I do that for my boys. It makes me so happy to see how much they love to make stuff. They are constantly making things out of legos or paper. If they need a cape on their lego Batman, they just make a paper cape and attach it. They cut it just right so it attaches around the neck properly. They don't need anyone to show them how to do things. If they get an idea into their heads, they're off!! Watch out and don't get in their way! Austin makes these little armies of 3D people out of paper and tape. They're the coolest thing.

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley

2010-10-31T16:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

Bonjour! Todd and I just returned from Paris last Wednesday. Todd just happened to be attending a conference there for work. He decided to use some vacation days and we celebrated our anniversary early. I had a couple of days alone to visit art museums while Todd was working. His mom flew in to take care of the boys all week!

We both liked Normandy the best. Todd plans to see "Saving Private Ryan" again. It is one of his favorite movies. He has seen it countless times. The museum, monuments, beach, and crosses/stars were so inspiring. I'm so grateful for the soldiers who died to preserve freedom.

I loved visiting Monet Gardens. I felt like I was walking around in a painting. I also loved visiting the Musee d'Orsay and the Louvre. I also convinced Todd to visit a Salvador Dali museum. I really wanted to visit the Rodin museum and the modern art museum, there was a Basquait exhibit, but there just wasn't enough time to do everything. That just means I will have to go back again someday! :-)

Todd had the pleasure of seeing a big French union workers protest next to the Marriott hotel where we stayed.

The flight was not bad, it was non-stop from Miami to Paris. Six hour time difference. So, jet lag has not been too bad.

We ate tons of baguettes, pastries, crepes, omelettes, French onion soup, panini sandwiches, and drank lots of hot chocolate! Man, it was cold! (I was quite happy to arrive back in Miami--for that reason & to reunite with my kids again.) The kids did really well without us. Grandma took them to their football games, trunk-or-treat. They dressed up like Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Unfortunately, Austin was sick with a fever for a good chunk of the time. He's better now.

It was a great trip. We had a good time being together.

BYU vs. FSU

2010-09-19T20:46:00.000-07:00

We had a blast at the BYU game this weekend, even though the Cougars lost! My brother Luke spotted Todd and Brandon on ESPN U just before halftime. I'm so glad he wasn't wearing his Notre Dame jersey. He was very nice to drive me up and down the state to see my team play. I ran into friends from north and south Florida, Georgia, and high school! Pretty cool!

Star Wars Celebration V

2010-08-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

The force was with us last Friday.

Highlights:

1. Todd being chased away by security for trying to sneak a photo of Mark Hamill in his special autograph signing tent. People waited for hours and paid $125 to get his autograph! Carrie Fisher $60.

2. Seeing an Elvis storm trooper.

3. Droid races. Complete with Indianapolis 500 style race flags.

4. Whole families dressed like characters from the movie.

5. Waiting in line for 30 minutes to get a picture with Jabba the Hut.

6. Visiting booth after booth looking at Star Wars merchandise. Yoda slippers! Light saber chopsticks! Light saber wall mounts! Costumes! Toys! Art! Bedding! Shoes!

7. Brandon refused to be in a photograph next to Darth Maul.

Harry Potter Wizarding World

2010-08-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

Butterscotch candy flavor+slushy/frozen rootbeer+cream=Butterbeer. It's my new favorite drink. We also tried Pumpkin Juice which tasted like apple cider with a hint of pumpkin. Yummy. We were not as impressed with Bertie Bott's jelly beans though. They were not nearly as tasty as Jelly Belly's. Honeydukes also had chocolate frogs and wands for sale.

The rides were fun. Brandon was too short for the Hogwarts Castle ride, but they have a child swap room where we took turns with Brandon watching the movies while one of us rode with Austin. Austin, surprisingly, loved the ride. I thought it was very jarring and quite scary!!! I did love the paintings that move and talk to each other just like in the movie.

Cozumel & Key West

2010-07-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

Todd surprised our family with a cruise to Key West and Cozumel. We desperately needed some quality time together and we enjoyed it. We had the most fun snorkelling in Chankanaab. The cruise ship also had a large waterslide the boys never tired of.

PAUL 4EVER #1

2010-04-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

I have been listening to the Beatles since I can remember. My stepbrother, Steve, was a total complete Beatlemaniac when I first met him. His bedroom was completely covered from floor to ceiling with Beatles and The Doors stuff, (he later became a DJ and added a few more bands to his favorites). The Beatles were probably my first favorite band.

I think Paul has the biggest heart. He played for nearly three hours without stopping. He was always upbeat, charming, smiling, funny, sincere. Even though it was this enormous stadium and he was soooooo far away, it felt like a more intimate setting. It is obvious he is used to entertaining. He knows how to put on a show. This was the best concert I have ever been to! Paul is it. Bono once said, "The Beatles created the planet we are all living in." I think it is true! I really do. There is no one BIGGER than Paul. He is the true sweetheart of the Beatles. I'm glad he is still around and sharing the love. He ROCKS!!!

So, he started with a few of his solo songs that I'm not familiar with and I was a bit scared the whole concert would be like that. He ended up playing 35 songs! He gave generous, great encores! He made Eric Clapton look really, really bad. (Eric played for an hour and a half with one small encore last month). It was as if Paul realized how much he means to people. I kept thinking--this guy performs like this all the time. He must be so bored. He must feel like a monkey/circus performer doing the same thing night after night. But I don't think so. He really seems to feed off the energy and love in the crowd. He gives and gives.

He played a tribute to Jimi Hendrix and talked about him a bit.

I liked his solo songs--"My Love", "Live and Let Die" was awesome. He talked about John and played a song he wrote for John. It was really touching. Then he played "Give Peace a Chance". There was a big, white peace symbol with a blue background while the crowd chanted it.

He also talked later about George and played "Something". That is my second favorite Beatle song. The first is "Here Comes the Sun". I'm okay that he didn't play that. I've overplayed it enough anyway. Ha ha. I think it is funny both my favorite Beatles songs were written by George. I like George a lot too. He's almost as good looking as Paul. I read his ex-wife's autobiography--Pattie Boyd. It was great.

He played some of my favorite Beatles tunes, including: The Long and Winding Road, I'm Looking Through You, TWO OF US!!!!!, Blackbird, Eleanor Rigby, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, BACK IN THE USSR (Super cool coming from Miami!!), Paperback Writer, A DAY IN THE LIFE!, Let It Be, HEY JUDE!!!, DAY TRIPPER, Lady Madonna, GET BACK, YESTERDAY, HELTER SKELTER!!!, and finished with SGT. PEPPER'S LONGELY HEARTS CLUB BAND & THE END. Perfection. He played a lot of encore songs. The encore started with Day Tripper. They came back carrying large British flags. It was cool.

He could easily be taking it easy right now. I don't think he really does it for the $$$. Although I found a funny quote where he said, "Somebody said to me, 'But the Beatles were anti-materialistic.' That's a huge myth. John and I literally used to sit down and say, 'Now, let's write a swimming pool.'"

I think that was the concert of a lifetime. Amy and I wanted to stand and scream the whole time like the girls in the 60's. Unfortunately, we were surrounded by geezers who wanted to sit. One of them pleaded with us to sit down because he couldn't see anything. I wasn't going to let it ruin the concert for me. I simply had to enjoy it on my butt. Oh well. I did enjoy it. It blew me away. Fortunately, I did not faint and require a trip to the emergency room.

It was great. Really great. REALLY, REALLY GREAT. I can't stop thinking about it. I'm in love with Paul. Amy is too.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

We were so happy this Easter to celebrate with our old St. Augustine neighbors, the Barretts! They came down to visit for a few days. The boys were so excited to spend time with their friends! Everyone had a great time and the Easter Bunny spoiled us all rotten!

Todd returns from Argentina/Brazil

2010-03-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

Todd spent a week in Argentina and Brazil for work. He also had a great time sight-seeing. Now he thinks he can get me to watch Madonna in Evita. We'll see about that. He brought home lots of souvenirs, including adorable soccer shirts for the boys and chocolate for me. Before his trip, he kicked us out to entertain friends from St. Augustine for the weekend. So, the boys and I decided to travel to St. Augustine and camp-out in our empty house. We all spent time with our friends there. We have received another offer. Hopefully this one will close on March 29th. We're crossing our fingers.
Another highlight of our week: Todd and I saw Eric Clapton perform last Thursday. Roger Daltry opened for him. It was a really good show, except I really think he should have done one more encore. It was a bit short. My favorite song he played was Cocaine. No, I do not use drugs. I just like that song. I started taking guitar lessons on Thursday morning too. I am really excited. My teacher is a very cool guy from Boston. I assumed he was a New Yorker because everyone in south Florida is from New York. He was proud to tell me he is from Boston and that New Yorkers are rude. And he does sound like a Kennedy. I love accents. I wish I had an accent. Oh, my heck, I do!!! FYI, KJQ radio station in SLC used to do a program called "The Utah Word of the Day." My brother Steve, was a DJ for them at the time. I believe they got half of their words for that show from me. I'm so proud!

2010-02-13T10:37:00.001-08:00

2010-02-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

2010-02-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

It is Chinese New Year tomorrow, the Year of the Tiger. It is also Valentine's Day. February 14, 1996 I entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah to learn Cantonese to serve in Hong Kong and how to be a missionary.
This is a cartoon I drew of my MTC classmates and teachers. We copied these and gave one to everyone. Then we all signed the back like a yearbook. It was fun.
My teachers were Sis. Piper, front left, wearing earmuffs. She was really cool. My comp Teri Gibson was a elem. ed major who loved to sing. I am holding Cantonese sounds and tones cassette tapes/books trying to sound Chinese. Sis. Mano with scissors, I forget why. Sis Mejia holding T.P. because she was constantly using huge wads of it to blow her nose. Cute little Elder Brandley and his temple ties. Elder Campbell with the microphone. Man, he had a great voice.
Back row: Brother Johnson, holding engagement ring and talking more than anyone I've ever met, including me. Brother Mantle was so sweet and passionate about the Book of Mormon.
Elder Allred got really mad at me for the way I drew his face, being different than the others. I copied it off a silly photo I had of him that made me laugh. Elder Carver telling me my tones are way off. Elder Chapman with our class mascot on his shoulder, a small soft plastic pig. I served with him almost my whole mission. He really helped me be a better missionary. Elder Chou talking about his "hotcake" girlfriend. I sat next to him and could hear his constant hilarious comments muttered under his breath. I laughed all day long. It was the only way I made it through those long classes, until my teachers wised up and seperated us.
Dahng Ga Leih is the pingyam for my Chinese name--Tang Ka Lee is the way the British would write it. Chinese people say the family name first. My personal name was Ka Lee--taken from my name Annika Lee. It means good, fine & white jasmine. I was Sister Dahng, but no one EVER called me that. Once I arrived in Hong Kong, everyone called me Sister Dean/Dean Jimuih, because Dean means crazy in Cantonese.

2010-01-21T19:51:00.001-08:00

We've moved to Fort Lauderdale. Todd started a new job for a new company. Our house in St. Augustine received an offer within 10 days of listing it. Then on closing day (Dec. 7th) our buyers did not get final approval! We had already moved out to temporary housing. We stayed at the Camden Los Olas for almost one month. It was located 2 miles from Fort Lauderdale Beach. I was able to go running to the beach and watch the sunrise. It was awesome.
So, our St. Augustine home is still on the market. It gets a lot of traffic, but we are still waiting for another offer. I am optimistic it will happen in the next few months. Hope so. In the meantime, we have decided to rent a beautiful townhome in an awesome neighborhood. I absolutely love it. It is a gated community with parks, pools, tennis, basketball courts, large gym, clubhouse, trails, and golf! My new neighbor has a five year old boy that my boys love to play with daily. We have a "Florida room"--screened in back porch with a pond behind us. My neighbor has told me she has seen gators in it! Did I mention that we live less than two blocks from the Everglades? It is true. We are maybe 150 yards from our community pool and park which backs up to the Everglades. I think I will be checking for snakes before I swim laps in that pool.

Fort Lauderdale: "Venice of America"

2010-01-21T19:43:00.000-08:00

Farewell, St. Augustine

2009-12-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

2009-12-10T07:30:00.001-08:00

2009-10-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

Todd surprised me for my 35th birthday by giving me tickets to see U2 in concert in Tampa! The concert was awesome. They played a lot of songs from No Line on the Horizon (Breathe, No Line on the Horizon, Magnificent, Get on Your Boots) with a few from the past: Sunday Bloody Sunday, With or Without You, One, Where the Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Elevation, Mysterious Ways. The last song they played was "Moment of Surrender". The last U2 concert we went to was in Phoenix in 2001, I think. So, we were long overdue! We had a great time!!!

Might Get Loud

2009-10-02T17:26:00.001-07:00

Here is MY review: (Chris Frankowski, you asked for it!)
I entered the film a few minutes late (the theatre was in the boonies!!!)...Jack White was assembling some unique instrument. The theatre was empty, except for 5-6 punk teens. They would not stop CHATTING. I finally mustered the courage to politely--but AUDIBLY ask, "Will you please be quiet? I'm trying to listen." Wow. I expected them to cuss at me, etc...but they were silent the rest of the film.
I should've mustered that courage earlier!
I knew the film would be great before it even started, I mean--c'mon--its starring 3 of the coolest guys on the planet. I liked it even more than I thought I would. I was pretty upset when it ended. I wish it had gone on all night.
My brother J.B. used to play the guitar quite well. He had an incredible teacher, Mike Dowdle--google him--he is amazing. I own some of Mike's CD's--they're among my favorite. J.B. tried to teach me sometimes. After seeing this film, I came home and told Todd he is paying for my guitar lessons. Life is short. I'm tired of making excuses or postponing all the things I've always wanted to learn/do.
I've always been a U2 fan. I loved watching Edge play. Very fun to see him outside of Bono's shadow. I was only introduced to Jack White's music this year (I know, I live in a cave). He creeps me out a little when I look at him for some reason, but I LOVE his simplicity/creativity/passion/aesthetics & music. He is highly entertaining in this film. He has such an interesting background. SPOILER ALERT: Just kidding...I thought it was so AWESOME that he didn't have a bed in his bedroom growing up!!! He moved it out, so he could fit his instruments in his small room! He chose to sleep on a rolled up mat! (And I thought Van Gogh was cool for buying paint instead of food!!!)We all should be so dedicated to art! SHAME on me.
The star of the show, in my most humble opinion, was James Patrick Page. I have a tendency when I go to movies, to fall in love, (especially with English men). A few weeks ago, I had a crush on Joseph (what's his name? Gordon Levitt or something from 500 Days of Summer. Well, he is history. I am in love with Jimmy Page. I'm not kidding. I told Todd and he's okay with it. He doesn't have a choice in the matter. I can't help it. Anyway, I have a WHOLE LOTTA LOVE for that old man!!! I have never seen anything in my life as beautiful as him playing the guitar in this film! It moved me/stirred my soul/made my heart palpitate! Really!!! The sound he produces...HEAVEN. Literally. (Stairway to Heaven was one of the featured songs.) He pulled out some of his favorite records and played them. His face lit up like a little boy. He was ADORABLE. I don't care that he is like 65. My heart beats for him.
There's my review, Chris. Are you going to go see the film now? Let me know what you think.

Boogie Boarding Babes!

2009-09-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

"Just get away from the shady turf

And baby go catch some rays on the sunny surf

And when you catch a wave you'll be sittin on top of the world"

I have recently discovered the joy of boogie boarding! Todd has been doing it for years, while I sat on the sand and watched the boys. Now that both boys are in school, I have a lot more freedom to play! Amy (the tall blonde) and I are neighbors. Her son is in Brandon's preschool class. We carpool and swap babysitting. So, I get a huge break twice a week from 8-3:00pm. I have been whining for this freedom for 7 years. However, now that I have it, I do feel very emotional/sad that my boys are growing up so fast. Todd thinks it is hilarious that I whined so much for so many years & now I am so sad!!! I can't help it! Maria (dark hair) and I bike together once a week. We are planning to boogie board next week for the entire day!!! I can't wait. I love it. I hope I burn lots of calories and get super skinny. :-)

Florida Gators vs. Tennessee Volunteers

2009-09-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

My brother J.B., who works for the Tennessee football team, gave us 4 tickets to the Florida vs. Tennessee game! Florida won 23-13. Todd had fun teaching the boys all about football. We had fun spotting J.B. with his team on the field. We didn't know who to cheer for! We like both teams. So we dressed in neutral colors.