Summer Lov'n

Today is officially the first day of the Fall season and that means a big good-bye to summer 2010! And although I am more than happy to leave behind the humidity, the burning seatbelt buckle, and unflattering swimsuit, summers always seem to bring a renewing effect -- projects get done, vacations, down-time (this is mostly from our school years), big movie releases, the infamous summer love that can occasionally (or frequently) come your way. A lot happens in summer.

Movie: INCEPTION

Among the horrible sequels of Iron Man and Sex and the City came a movie whose enticing and original premises of implanting ideas within the human mind drew me in immediately. Inception was everything a summer movie should be -- a visually stunning, intectually stimulating thriller with characters you root for and a storyline complex enough to keep you debating after the credits role.

Book: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO -- This trilogy by the late Stieg Larsson of Sweden has been sweeping the world with millions of books sold, one Swedish movie version, and an English movie currently filming. Who wouldn't be intrigued? And for good reason because I could not put this book down. I don't know if it was the compelling characters of Mikeal Blomvist and Lisbeth Salander (who has been called the new feminist hero of the decade), the edgy and dark subject matter that blows any fluffy romance off its rocker (a warning to sensitive readers -- there is some disturbing content), or the great storyline mystery that keeps you guessing (no skimming pages or skipping boring chapters). Oh, and P.S. -- if you like the book, the Swedish movie version is available which I would highly recommend.

Project Finished: I have caught up on my scrapbooking of newspaper articles and movie ticket stubs from the last 3 years and have successfully created my own recipe book to put the infinate number of recipes I've collected and thrown carelessly into a shoe box. No more!

Fear Conquered: In my ever-evolving quest to conquer my anxiety of driving in populated areas, I have successfully driven almost the whole length of Interstate 355 --even with the constructions that I'm betting will be completed when the Apocalypse occurs.

Makeup Trick Learned: For all the pale faces out there, I learned that putting a bit (bit is the key word here) of blush across the hairline at the top of the forehead does give you a sun-kissed, bright face. Don't knock it til you try it! And don't use a dark blush....lighter is better.

Beverage: Sparkling Water -- I found this treasure by accident when I thought I had bought plain bottled water. Refreshing and without the sugar and heavy syrup of soda.

Go-To Summer T-Shirt for Lazy Days: It was all Blackhawks love since they won the World Cup and a bright red shirt with the mascot in front was this summers perfect tee.

Television Show: GLEE -- Summer television is not my thing as reality television gets dumber and many of the shows worth watching are on hiatus til fall. However, I was pushed to watch Glee by a friend and through my stalling and procrastinating I finally did.....and was hooked from the 1st episode. I'm a Gleek and proud of it!

Music: GLEE SOUNDTRACKS -- See above....they go hand-in-hand. For those of you who are just getting into Glee, I recommend the wonderful mash-up songs of Halo/Sunshine and It's My Life/Confessions and of course the song that started it all Don't Stop Believing.

Place to Go: A Cubs Rooftop game -- Yes, it is a bit pricey but it is an experience that every Cubs fan should have. The one price you pay includes the game, all food (better than any food you will find inside the park), and all drinks, including alcohol. Still not convinced? With 3 floors to choose from (one indoor, one partial indoor, and the rooftop with stadium seating), it fits for everyone's preferences. It is never crowded inside and there's no fighting the 40,000 people trying to squeeze their way out of the exits after the game. The best part? The bathrooms! And if you've been to the bathrooms at Wrigley, you will understand this immediately.

New Drinking Haven: Marina Bars -- the down-to-earth feel, hanging lantern lights (or tiki torches), and great summer night weather make drinking by the lake the comforting place to be. Add some great music and I'm there!

New Guilty Pleasure: Pedicures -- I've been avoiding them as I believed my tickilish feet would result in some poor girl's broken nose. I'm so glad I was wrong.

What I Learned This Summer: To let go -- There are people and things that were only meant to be in our lives for a little while....to help us grow and get us to the next part of our journey. And it wasn't meant to last forever, even if we wanted it to. Keep moving forward and remember those things as great memories. It may not make sense now but looking back later in life, connect the dots and realize that it happened for a reason.

Goodbye Summer 2010. Thanks for the memories. :)

Stephanie

Everything I Need To Learn, I Learned From Andre Dawson

I've been a Cubs fan all my life and being a fan of sports, I can say it is easy to remember the bad moments. I'm sure every Cubs fan can remember the Sammy Sosa "cork-in-the bat" scandal, the Kyle Farnsworth caught-sleeping-in-the-dug-out incident, the Milton Bradley whine-a-thon of last year, and more recently Carlos Zambrano's berating his entire team and getting suspended. It makes you wonder if all baseball players have become classless, overpaid athlethes whose sportmanship abilities have all but flown out the window.

Enter Andre Dawson, who was just inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this past week. Not only was he a respectful and classy guy, but his message was stuff that works not only in the game of baseball but in life as well. I had to share!

"Love the game and it will love you back." -- Apply this to life: Love life and it will love you back. Simple right? Putting it in baseball terms makes it all the sweeter.

If One Door Closes, Find Another One -- When Andre Dawson's contract was up in Montreal, they did not renew it and no other team seemed too interested. Instead of continuing to face a closed door, Andre Dawson wanted to play for the Cubs, so he sent a blank and signed contract to the Cubs manager in Chicago, said this is the team he wanted to play for and he didn't care what number they put down for his salary. This is where he wanted to play. The Cubs signed him and he became one of the most beloved Cubs players ever at Wrigley Field.

Show Thanks -- Cubs fans made a ritual of bowing to Andre Dawson as he ran out onto the field at Wrigley. Andre has since said there are no fans as great as Cub fans and on his last home game, he in turn bowed to them.

You Always Have a Choice -- Andre mentioned briefly about his disappointment in the use of steriods that has plagued the Major League Baseball teams and caused numerous scandals. It is one of the greatest gifts we have -- the power of choice.

Play Hard. Be Thankful. Be Respectful. Love the Game and It Will Love You Back.

And We Raise Our Glass

In the last ten years or so, I have been to countless weddings, been part of two wedding parties, and will be part of two more this year. The weddings are as unique as the couples that have them. I love weddings. It's a celebration of love that is purposefully designed to reflect the two people that it's bringing together. And seeing two people at their happiest makes me happy. But this post is about the wedding experiences from the guest's point-of-view (well, in this case, my point of view) and the little tidbits and memories that have been my favorite through my wedding-attending days. Some are cherishable, some are sad, some are bizarre, and others are clever. Here's a list of some of the memorable wedding tidbits:



1. The Memorable Pastor -- For most wedding ceremonies, the pastor (or priest or other dude) will recite verses and conduct a sermon. However, at one wedding I went to, the pastor personalized and focused his entire sermon on the guy and girl getting married. He used stories that they had told him, talked about their hobbies and passions and future plans. He used quotes from them about what they loved about each other and intertwined those quotes into the sermon. It was so personal, so beautiful, and so sincere that even after the sermon was done, I wanted to hear more.



2. The Memory Candle -- At one wedding, the couple had an "In Memory" candle at the back of the church by the guest book. The candle was engraved with all the names of loved one who had passed away. It was something so small but to me was such a statement -- "we know you can't be here but you are not forgotton."



3. The Backyard -- This wedding will stand out as one of the more non-traditional weddings. It was a country backyard wedding complete with: a random dog wondering the aisles, an uncle who showed up with no shirt, another couple sucking each other's faces while waiting for it to start, and an interruption of the wedding vows by a group of 50 or so bikers driving by whose motorcycles were so loud, we couldn't hear, well, anything.

4. The Dream Wedding -- The bride of this wedding was her own master wedding planner. She had every minute planned, every detail down, and no flower petal out of place. I had never seen a wedding so meticulously planned as this one. After over a year of her life invested into this one day, it was so fun to see her revel in it. Oh, and if you are wondering if this dream wedding came with a horse-drawn carriage?...yes, yes it did.

5. The Fire Truck -- This couple met while working for the Fire Deptment so it was only fitting to them that they would leave the church and climb up on a fire truck to take them to their reception. The wedding cake had a fire truck at the top with ladders connecting each teir and the bride herself had a white dress lined with navy blue -- to commerate the colors of the fire dept. Many might say "tacky" but these two people were paying homage to the passion that brought them together and they continue to share.

6. CD Wedding Favors -- At one wedding, the favors we received were copies of a CD where the bride and groom burnt some of their favorite songs played at the wedding. So very clever!

7. "I Loved Her First" song -- This beautiful father/daughter dance song can still make me cry but hearing it while watching a father and daughter dance to it? Priceless.

8. The Unwedding -- As I was on my way to a small wedding of a friend who was hosting it in her own backyard, I got a call saying that just an hour before the wedding, the groom-to-be called it off. Instead of wanting people to leave, the former bride asked that we still come and just be with her. She was calm and non-emotional -- as I think she was still in shock -- and we came and talked with her at what would have been the reception tables and ate the food that had been catered in and paid for. The part of that afternoon that stood out to me was when she refused to open the fridge where her wedding cake lay untouched. It was a sad moment.

9. The Mansion -- This wedding was held in a gorgeous old mansion. Did I mention it was suposedly haunted? That fact alone would put it on this list! This place beat any reception hall in beauty and elegance. I would go back to this place anyday!

10. The Champagne -- I had to finish out this list by mentioning my first wedding ever. I was 8 and it was the first event where I really did "dance like nobody's watching." My brother did cartwheels across the dance floor and since we couldn't have this odd drink called "champagne" that the adults got to have, we made our own -- we mixed Coke and Sprite and called it the same thing. We even made a toast with it. Unforgettable.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

I know that nothing lives forever (materially anyway), but it's hard not to think that they do. You think the job you have and that you've had for so long will never go away until one day after 20-some years, they pop into your office with a pink slip. The television show that kept you glued to the tv one night a week with new seasons and episodes will come to an end (with a hopefully good conclusion instead of a dreaded cancellation that leaves you hanging). The book series that kept your nose in the book will have its last written word (R.I.P. Harry Potter!). I'm okay with things coming to an end as long as their ending is dignified and not stolen from them. I can accept changes that must occur and are probably a good thing. So things like retirement, or quitting a job (when they are on your terms), or a television show whose contracts are up, or graduating, or moving, or finishing a series of books........but I was upset on Friday when I woke up at 9am to hear that the Kathy & Judy Radio Show on 720AM -- WGN was cancelled -- suddenly and without warning. The day they announced it at 9am was the last broadcast. It was a shock not only to their audience but also other radio hosts throughout the day that knew nothing of this.

I know it was a radio talk show and some people might think I'm a bit too sentimental to get too worked up over this, but this is what I know. I know that these two women had been on from 9am-12pm on WGN radio for over 20 years and at the time of the cancellation, still had 9 months left on their contract. Being both in their 60's now, it was safe to assume that after these 9 months, they would not renew their contract and would have retired. My parents listened to these women and I use to groan when they turned them on because I felt radio was only good for the music until the day I had my own car. No good song was on and I tuned in and listened to the entire broadcast. In those three hours, these 2 women could me me laugh, entertain me, inform me, and open my mind. Since then, on my way to work or school in the morning, I would turn to the station and learn something new. They had "speak your peace" where callers had 30 seconds to gripe about anything, Sex Thursday talks, serious discussion, funny discussion, and the list goes on. They encouraged callers and had such a charisma with each other that you couldn't help but want to be a "girlfriend" (what they called their listeners). They did not deserve this sudden drop. Their last broadcast was a recollection of their best times but it felt too short....unprepared. If they could have finished up their broadcast at the end of their last 9 months, there would have been no surprises. The end would be smooth and full of celebration and best of all....dignified. This move on WGN was shameful and disgraceful and....although I'll probably regret this later because this is usually not me....but deep down I'm hoping that whatever they are replacing them with or whatever new strategy they have (their reasoning for doing this) crashes and burns.....
Sorry this post was kinda negative.....on a good note, I feel a storm coming on....I love storms...
Later Dayz,
Stephanie

Get Out the Bats and Gloves

Every day I drive past this small town which houses an area of three baseball diamonds. And from now until the middle of summer, when I drive past I will always see either a baseball practice or game happening. I love it because the sport of baseball is something that is sentimental to me. It was a part of my childhood since I started playing softball in the 4th grade and continued until my last year in high school. There's just something about playing on the summer nights.....its starting to cool off from the hot day, the endless supply of gatorade bottles line the bench, and it's much less political than high school sports. I miss it and watching those kids play as I drive by makes me miss it more. There are memories there of games and teammates and after-game ice cream runs and practices and the coaches that meant more to you than you know. I want to get out of my car and tell those kids to let loose and not worry and enjoy every game and not let one bad moment ruin their entire game because sooner than later you become the person driving by and reminiscing. And hopefully one day, I can be my kid's coach or at least the parent dragging around my fold-up chair and extra gatorade bottle. I will revel in those days. I

I'd Rather Fight With You...

Valentine's Day is approaching sooner than later. As a single girl, I will battle the onslaught of depressive and lonely thoughts that attempt to weave its way into my mind. But on this day, maybe I'll try to celebrate the fact of love itself, and that it is out there and it causes great things to happen to people, between people, and among people. And what celebrates the many different kinds of love than the portrayal of it in movies. Romantic movies have kept women's dreams alive that they will find their match, or the man they are dishing on will finally take a hint and make a move, or the troubled relationships will work through the rough spots. So here is a tribute to some of my favorite romantic quotes in Cinema. So get ready for some lov'n!



Movie Quotes Baby! My Fave!

"I'd rather fight with you than make love to anyone else" -- The Wedding Date

I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." -- When Harry Met Sally

"I love that you get cold when it's seventy degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend a day with you I can still smell your perfume on my clothes, and I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night."
-- When Harry Met Sally

"I am just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her." -- Notting Hill

There are only four questions of value in life. What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made of? What is worth living for? What is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only love."
-- Don Juan DeMarco

"I know what it is not to feel like your in the room until he looks at you or touches your hand or even makes a joke at your expense, just to let everyone know... you're with him. You're his." -- P.S. I Love You

"If you can promise me anything, promise me that whenever you're sad, or unsure, or you lose complete faith, that you'll try to see yourself through my eyes. Thank you for the honor of being my wife. I'm a man with no regrets. How lucky am I. You made my life, Holly. But I'm just one chapter in yours. There'll be more. I promise. So here it comes, the big one. Don't be afraid to fall in love again. Watch out for that signal, when life as you know it ends." -- P.S. I Love You

"Here's looking at you kid." -- Casablanca

"What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary." -- It's a Wonderful Life

"I'm going to miss your lips and everything attached to them." -- Elizabethtown

"Just tell me you love me and get it over with!" -- Elizabethtown

"Kim: It must have been awful when they told you whose house it was.
Edward: I knew it was Jim's house.
Kim: You... you did?
Edward: Yes.
Kim: ...Well, then why'd you do it?
Edward: Because you asked me to." -- Edward Scissorhands

"Iris, if you were a melody... I used only the good notes." -- The Holiday

"These years that I have been in love have been the darkest days of my life. All because I've been cursed by being in love with a man who does not and will not love me back...........And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he'll see the light and show up at your door. And after all that, however long all that may be, you'll go somewhere new. And you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And little pieces of your soul will finally come back. And all that fuzzy stuff, those years of your life that you wasted, that will eventually begin to fade." -- The Holiday (because sometimes love means to let go and look ahead)

"Bridget: Wait a minute... nice boys don't kiss like that.
Mark Darcy: Oh, yes, they fucking do." -- Bridget Jones Diary

"No. I like you very much. Just as you are." -- Bridget Jones Diary

"Sometimes I miss you so much I can hardly stand it. I wish I knew how to quit you." -- Brokeback Mountain

"I will not leave Cold Mountain. My last thread of courage is to wait... for you." -- Cold Mountain

" I love you more than all the words in all the books in all the world. " -- Why Did I Get Married

"Ever Mine. Every Thine. Ever Ours." -- Sex and The City

"Look, in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with." -- Juno

"We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness'." -- Shall We Dance

"What a pain in the ass you are. And it's true: you're not young, you're not new, and you do make people laugh. And me? I'm still with you because you make me laugh. So you know what I got to do? I got to sell my plot in Key Biscayne so I can get one next to you in that shithole Los Copa, so I never miss a laugh." -- The Birdcage

"They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops. And that's true." -- Big Fish

"Sandra Templeton....I love you and I will marry you!" -- Big Fish

"We saved each other." -- Nights in Rodanthe

Wow, that was a lot. You probably knew a few of these and maybe some that you didn't. These were moments in the movie that I stopped and thought "wow, I never thought of it like that" or "Awww..." or it was a moment in the movie that stuck with me or resinated through me even after I've turned the movie off. Credit to amazing writers who give us hope. And hope is a good thing. Until next time!
Steph