Leap Year (movie)

I watched Leap Year the other night.

Boyfriend thinks "chick flicks" have killed romance.  That they create unrealistic expectations and now women are unable to find the "perfect guy" because he no longer exists.


I beg to differ.  (No surprise there.)


I mean really - it's not as if the "perfect guy" exists to begin with.  So I'm not going to watch a movie and then be like - yes!  X, Y, and Z absolutely must be done/present or he's not acceptable.  I watch them because I *need* a happy ending sometimes.  I *need* to know everything will work out somehow by the end.  It's not like "chick flicks" are happy and perfect the entire 2 hours.  No way.  There is always pain, heartache, struggles, and tears followed by a happy ending somewhere down the road.  Call it a silly faith boost but I just like being reminded that life will work out somehow.  It will require work and it won't be easy but it'll be happy if I work towards making it happy.


And what's not to love about sexy accents and good looking men.  If men get Megan Fox and Jessica Alba, we women deserve equality!  :o)


Ok, I'm off that soapbox.  Back to the reason of this post.  Leap Year had one of the very best quotes I have heard in a long time.

May you never steal, lie, or cheat,

But if you must steal,

Then steal away my sorrows,

And if you must lie, 

Lie with me all the nights of my life,

And if you must cheat,
Then please cheat death because I couldn't live a day without you.

I need more luck in my life...

Someone backed into my truck while it was parked at DART.

sigh...

Meet Mollie Ann (and see Zoey)

As some of you know, I volunteer with Richardson Humane Society (RHS).  I used to just help with the Adopt-A-Pet (AAP) events where people could come and meet the dogs and apply to adopt them.  But then I felt compelled to start fostering too.  (Every dog is fostered personally in an individual's home instead of in a kennel/shelter.  This allows dogs to learn better behaviors, be housebroken, be socialized with people/other pets, etc.  It requires a lot more love and patience but it's really great for the dogs and the dogs' future owners.)

I don't think Zoey cares at all for the foster dogs (and that's putting it nicely) but I'd like to think since she is a rescue dog, she understands and wants these dogs to get a good loving home just like she did.  If nothing else, it gives her someone to assert her dominance over and what's not more fun for a dog than barking "who's the boss.".  Zoey would note that belly rubs and people food are better but she'll enjoy her cake and eat it too since she gets all of that already.

Anyway, meet Mollie Ann, our current foster.

Brother just finished putting this swing chair set together yesterday and Mollie loves it.

Isn't she a cute dog?  She's a standard dachshund mixed with something.  Roughly 12 pounds, young adult.  She's spayed, disease-free, and micro-chipped.  She's SUPER playful and loves tennis balls.  She can really run fast!  She also really loves belly rubs and people time in general. Do you know of anyone interested in adopting Mollie?

Zoey enjoys the chairs too.

 

I kept saying "Colorado" in order to get Zoey to perk up her ears.

I just love when she does this.

Dog Day at the Grand Prairie AirHogs Baseball Game

My family is a baseball family.  Yes, games can get boring sometimes.  Yes, it's ridiculously hot in Texas and sitting outside in the sun can get miserable.  But, we still go to the games and we enjoy ourselves.  This summer we've tried out every "big" team in the Dallas/Fort Worth area - Texas Rangers, Frisco RoughRiders, and now the Grand Prairie AirHogs!

I was easily won over because it was DOG DAY!  There's nothing better than getting to bring Zoey with me!

Isn't that a beautiful smile?

I was so proud of Zoey - minimal barking at the other dogs!  She just sat on my lap or sat/laid on the floor.

It was super hot but I'm positive Zoey was happier to be in the heat with the family than sleeping alone in the house.  She was definitely hot and exhausted by the end of it though.

The stadium is small but in an intimate way.  For only $9 you can sit right behind home plate!  (We used a Groupon so it was only $3 - even better!)

This stadium also has a pool in the outfield that you can rent just like the Frisco RoughRiders.

It was also $1 hot dog and $1 soda day.

Did Zoey eat her very own hot dog?  Of course not!  How dare you insinuate that!

Oh wait, sorry.  I mean yes.  Duh.  This dog is SPOILED.

And to further prove that point...

It was just the ice after my dad drank his lemonade.  But still.

And then I couldn't resist this photo op.

I'd be a little freaked out if I ever met a baseball player who had a dog face and a strange arm/leg/paw growing out of his neck.

Note: I tried to take a better picture but Zoey didn't really like the cardboard cutout.  She started pushing at it to get away.  We apologized with a hot dog.

All in all, it was a great game.  They won!

Grand Prairie AirHogs 11 - El Paso Diablos 9

And everyone left happy.

Junior Players

Last night we went to see Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet performed by Junior Players (a children's theater program in collaboration with Shakespeare Dallas.)  It was really enjoyable.  In fact, it was probably better to see children/teenagers acting out Romeo and Juliet since they are more age appropriate.  Shakespeare's Juliet was only 13!  How different life used to be when at age 13 women were getting married!

Note: These kids are NOT the actors.  They kick off the show asking for donations.  (Shows are free but they suggest a $10 donation.)

It was a beautiful evening at Samuell Grand Park.  Rain the last few days really brought the temperature down.  It didn't feel like a Texas summer day at all (which was FANTASTIC.) 

Photography (without flash) was allowed but I took less pictures so that I could just enjoy the show.  I did snap this picture though just because the sky in the background looked cool.  (I'm a fan of pink, not going to lie.)

The best part of Junior Players (and the adult/more widely known about version Shakespeare in the Park) is you're allowed to bring in any food or drink you'd like.  And we did just that.

And since the same group that went camping went to this and because we never did get to enjoy s'mores on that camping trip (since we had a ridiculous amount of other food already), I brought this to share.

S'mores (Pie) Bars

They were delicious.  A little messy but aren't s'mores supposed to be?  Recipe can be found on my cooking blog here.

Houston

Trip to Houston number I've lost count...

It's always good for drinks with friends at chill places.  We tried out a new place - Yard House in the new CityCentre.

I liked it.  I enjoyed a couple good beers.

You can barely see them in the picture but at the very top are giant pipes and that's how they get the beer from the kegs in the other room to the bar.  Yes, I'm a dork and find things like that cool.

It's also always good for food with friends at yummy places.  We had dim sum at Fung's Kitchen.   Houston tends to have better dim sum than Dallas although this trip to Fung's Kitchen wasn't a good one.  The carts rarely came by, the selection was slim, and we found a hair in one of our items.  I'll forgive them this time since I've had much better experiences in the past but yeah, enough on that.

And then on the drive back home we passed this

and yes, it WAS necessary to take a picture.

Lady Gaga Concert

I *LOVE* Lady Gaga.  I remember taking a girls' trip to Miami with Ginger and Kristy in October 2008 and we heard "Just Dance" at our hotel and it was love at first sound.

So I came home after the trip and told everyone I knew about her to a fantastic response of... meh.  But then "Poker Face" started playing on the radio and all of a sudden everyone was saying that they loved her and she was going to be HUGE, etc.  While I'm definitely not saying I'm her longest standing fan or that I knew about her back when she just played in random small gay bars supporting the equality movement, I would like to clarify that I definitely loved her before she went super mainstream.  And I'm proud of that.  So there.  :o)

When her US tour dates were finally announced and Dallas was one of them, I knew I had to go.  Face value of $200 a ticket wasn't cheap but it was WELL WORTH IT.

Josh, Gary, Eddi and I went

Yes, I am wearing Lady Gaga's lipstick (Viva Glam Gaga) by M.A.C Cosmetics.  It's pink and tastes like vanilla and even though I RARELY wear any makeup, I had to own it and I wear it whenever I do remember to wear makeup.

The show was fantastic for people watching and costumes.

And Lady Gaga had some awesome costumes (as expected!)

Her concert is 1 part music + 1 part story + 1 part fun craziness.

It's all about getting us all to the Monster Ball where we are accepted for who we are and loved no matter what we believe in, who we love, or what we are.

We first try the car...

but it breaks down.  (Oh-well, "Just Dance"!!)

And Gaga pops open the hood to investigate only to find a piano under the hood and then she starts jamming.

And then somehow transforms into this crazy costume.  (Obviously I wasn't taking notes during the concert.)

 

So we then try the trusty NYC subway...

And Gaga uses her gigantic flashflight to help guide the way too.  

(It resembled a giant rock candy sugar stick.)

There was a lot of dancing,

and a lot of Gaga playing the piano in all shapes and sizes

And then came my all-time favorite costume.  EVER.  As in, if I could somehow wear this to ANY occasion, I would.  Halloween here I come!  And she wore it while singing "So Happy I Could Die" and it was fitting.  Seriously, LOVE this costume.

Ice queen

Meets fairy

Meets fiber optics crown that moved on its own!

LOVE.

Josh once talked about how his "dream" wedding would be a Halloween costume party on Halloween.  I would SO be ok with that ONLY if Lady Gaga's costume were my wedding dress.  Fairy wings and moving crown and all.  LOVE.

Ok, I promise I'll move on now.

The next costume I have no idea what it's supposed to be.  It was so bizarre I had to take a picture of it.  I think it's Lady Gaga meets Chewbacca.

Some more dancing.

And then Gaga is bleeding.  I have no idea how the story got here.  Not due to memory loss either.  I wasn't really following it during the concert.  But it was still cool.  And what's a concert about monsters without blood.

And then we arrive at the Monster Ball.  And all of Gaga's friends run away scared because apparently we're not in NYC (*ahem* Kansas) anymore...

And then a concert is not complete without firework lingerie.  Literally.

Madonna would be proud.

Finale - Gaga in the Monster Ball.

singing Bad Romance.

FANTASTIC CONCERT.

Super fun date with Josh.

I just wanted you to see my cute shirt again.  And my lipstick.  Ok, I'm done.  LOVE!