Taken

We just went and saw the movie Taken, and it was SO good. I love Liam Neeson anyway, and he was excellent in this film. The whole movie was interesting and fast-paced, and it didn't drag in parts like some movies do. Plus, the violent parts were tolerable, since it was only PG13 (anyone who knows me knows I HATE violence and gore, especially when it's graphic), so the violence was more "abstract," so to speak, as opposed to really graphic and bloody. Dan and I both really liked it and highly recommend it!

That's about the highlight of our weekend :) I think we're just going to stay in tonight; it's really snowy out, and, for some unknown reason, my lower back has been hurting a lot ever since yesterday (I feel like an old woman when I'm trying to get up the couch or into bed; it's like this huge ordeal!) so the last thing I need to do is slip and fall outside. Plus, Dan has to iron all his clothes and pack for his business trip, since he leaves tomorrow. So I think we'll just stay in, maybe watch our latest Netflix movie. Exciting, huh? ;)

Sorry I've been behind...

This last week at work has been crazy! I have three books going to print in a two-week span, so yeah, it's kind of hectic! That's ok, though; I actually prefer it that way because then the week just flies by. Oh, and I've been happily adjusting to my new corner office, complete with windows :)

We had a really fun Valentine's Day weekend. On Friday, Tracy, Kirsti and I went to see Jesus Christ Superstar live at the Overture Center. We were excited that it finally came to Madison, since the last two times we saw it, we had to venture down to Milwaukee. It was really good, as always, but we did have to admit that it might be time for Ted Neely to hang up his hat...or robe, so to speak. The first year we saw it, he was 63, and I was amazed that he sounded exactly like he did in the movie, which was made in 1973 when he wasn't even 30 years old! Dan and I said that he only slipped into "Grandpa Jesus" mode once. Last year it was getting a little more obvious, and this year, it was fully apparent that he's 65. So, it's probably time he quits, since he's 32 years older than the real Jesus was supposed to be at the time of his death. But all in all, it was still fun.

On Saturday, Dan surprised me with dinner at the Ocean Grill for Valentine's Day, and that was a lot of fun. We'd been there before, but only for breakfast when we go to the Farmer's Market. Their food was excellent. I had the lobster, while Dan opted for seabass (which I had never had before, but it was quite good!) The restaurant handed out red flowers to all the women, so that was a nice touch.

Sunday, we saw the movie The Reader, which was very well-made (and I love Kate Winslet) but rather sad. Tuesday we went to see Coraline, which was excellent, but we were disappointed because the website and newspaper listed it as 3D, but when we got there, they said that was incorrect, and it wasn't going to start in 3D until this weekend. But, we had driven out to Fitchburg since it wasn't showing at the theatre by our house, so we decided to stay and see it, and we ended up liking it a lot.

I'm not sure what we'll do this weekend; I kind of want to see Defiance or Rachel Getting Married, so we'll see what Dan thinks. There's also this really good (and really cheap) new Italian restaurant right by my office called Bellitalia, so maybe we'll hit that up for dinner.

Dan leaves for San Diego on Sunday for a business trip, which sucks (well, sucks for me; it'll be fun for him, especially since he loves warm weather!) That's the main reason we're not going to see Uninvited this weekend; the last thing I need to do before my husband leaves for two nights is see a scary movie!

The Wise Woman

So I finished the book that Dan got me for Christmas. It was called The Wise Woman by Phillipa Gregory, and it was SO good. I literally couldn't put it down (which explains why I devoured the last 200 pages all in one night). It was interesting, too, because it wasn't your typical "happy ending;" I was sitting there at the end thinking, "Ok, where did *that* come from?" But it was a good read, so if anyone is looking for a good book, add this one to your list (only if you like history, that is)!

I'm back (finally)

Ok, so I know I haven't blogged in forever. Sorry about that!

Anyway, we got back from Disney World on the 20th of January. It was so much fun; seriously one of the best vacations I've been on in awhile. We went to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday, so it was Dan, me, my mom (obviously), my aunt Tracy and her two girls, Kirsti (13) and Rori (who turned 6 right after we got back). Then a couple days into the vacation, we were joined by my other aunt, Chris, two of her kids (Katrina and Matthew) and my grandma.

It was a little chilly down there for Florida, but compared to the -25 degree temperatures Madison was experiencing, 65 degrees seemed balmy and tropical! We stayed at Coronado Springs for the first 4 nights, and then we went to Old Key West, which was really beautiful. We'd stayed at Coronado a lot, but this was the first time at OKW, and it was beautiful. Very "Conch Republic" type of decor.

Rori loved meeting all the princesses, of course; she met Mulan (her favorite) as well as Aurora, Belle, and Cinderella. She was also quite brave in going on all the rides; she even went on (and loved) Tower of Terror!

One of the best parts of the trip was on Sunday night. We went to the Japanese restaurant at Epcot for the official birthday dinner, and that was absolutely delicious. Afterwards, Dan took Rori back to the room (since she was really tired) and then Tracy, Kirsti, my mom and I went to the Magic Kingdom, since they were open until 2 am for resort guests. We literally walked on every single ride; I think the longest one we had to wait for was Peter Pan, and that was only 15 minutes. It was so much fun.

I'll post pictures when I get home.

Exciting News

I thought this deserved a separate post, since I didn't want it to get lost in my Florida ramblings :) The one downside of our Florida trip is that my brother won't be coming with us, and it just won't be the same without Austin there. I know you always hear people talk about sibling rivalry, siblings not being friends or drifting apart as they get older, etc. but honestly, Austin has been one of my best friends from the minute he was brought home from the hospital, and he still is, even though he's 24 and I'm almost 27 (yikes). Oh, sure, we had our moments (don't all kids?) but even now, as adults, we truly enjoy spending time together. And, he and Dan get along fantastically, so that's great. But yeah, I am a little down that he won't be coming with us, especially since we had been planning on it for the longest time.

Why is he not coming, you ask? Well, that's the good (no, the amazing part!) He just graduated from college in December, and a few days before Christmas (I remember it was the 19th, because it was the day we flew home), he got a call from one of his professors offering him an internship in Washington, D.C. with an ambassador!! How amazing is that? His professor was impressed with his extensive knowledge of foreign policy (Austin was a history major with a minor in legal studies) and she recommended him for this position. So, he flew out on Saturday and is already settling in! I am just so proud of him; I know this is going to be a great opportunity for him! (And, I texted him telling him he needs to find a wife there; what better place to find my next sister-in-law? ;))

I am SO excited for Florida!

I love winter, I truly do. I'm one of those people who don't get mad when it snows (I love it) and I look forward every year to the cold weather. Well, cold weather within reason. I don't mind it when it's 30 degrees, or even 20; I'll throw on a hat and gloves and be fine. But when it's supposed to be -7, like it is tonight, with wind chills of 15 below, well, then I get a little irritated. So.... needless to say, I am so glad that as of 6:30 tomorrow morning I'll be on my way to sunny Orlando!

It's my mom's 60th birthday celebration (well, her birthday is actually at the beginning of February, but since she's a teacher she wanted to go over MLK, Jr. Day so she doesn't have to take as much time off) and we are so excited! It's going to be a huge family reunion of sorts; my aunt Chris, two of her kids (Katrina and Matthew) and my grandma will be there. AND, as of Sunday, so will Tracy and the girls!! I am so freaking excited. Initially, they thought they wouldn't be able to come. But we were talking on Sunday, and Tracy expressed how disappointed she was to be missing her sister's 60th birthday, which I totally understand. So, while we were hanging out with Kirsti and Rori (they wanted to play the Wii at our house for awhile, and then we went shopping), Tracy & Dan H. got online, found some amazing plane tickets, and booked them! So they'll be spending the week with us!

Needless to say, Kirsti (13 1/2) and Rori (almost 6) are over the moon. On Sunday, Rori kept saying that we were going "tomorrow." We had to explain, "No, first you go to school for two days, and THEN we go." To which she would respond, "I know; it's not tomorrow, but it's the other tomorrow." Oh, ok ;)

Our laptop broke, so I won't be able to post pics when I'm there, but I'll definitely do it when I get back!

And we caught him!

Yes, we finally caught that darn mouse that took up residence in our house a couple weeks ago. Since we're (according to some people) bleeding heart liberals in just about everything, this naturally carries over to our treatment of rodents, however unwanted they may be. So we used the humane trap, where it doesn't actually kill them. On Sunday after Tracy and Dan left, we saw that we had got him, so we drove to a field a mile or so away and let him go. Poor thing; he was actually kinda cute. I hope he didn't freeze to death.

But we have another problem. We caught another mouse last night..... a tiny one. Yup, I think our unwanted houseguest got a little amorous before his capture, and apparently decided that my garage would be a good place to breed. Ack! How many mice are in a litter, anyway? Please say it's like one, or two, tops. Please don't let it be in the double digits!