Cheap Thrill

I was 18 when I got my first (and only) car. I was paying for it myself, so I took really good care of it. (Much better care than some of my friends and people I knew whose parents paid for their car, I might add.) One of my favorite things to do used to be going through the car wash. Cheap thrill, I know, but it would seriously make my day to take a trip through the car wash! I'd always opt for the supreme car wash because I loved the pink, yellow and blue wax foam. I'd always stay in the car wash/dryer for every second I was allowed to get the most bang for my buck.

My mom and I recently got gas and went through the car wash and I was shocked that the basic wash and rinse that used to cost two dollars back in the day when I was a driving gal now costs six dollars! Six dollars is how much the deluxe wash used to cost; that's inflation for you! Things sure have gotten expensive in the past eight years!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! When I woke up this morning this Valentine was sitting on top of my mound of blankets. It was from my BFF, Mom. I thought the card was perfect for me because of what it said on the inside. I do try so hard to be cheerful and positive so that caring for me day after day isn't quite as discouraging as it would be if I were a Gloomy Gus! 

I told my mom I didn't want any candy for Valentine's Day since I try hard to keep my weight in check, but she disobeyed. She gave me this little box of Russell Stover's assorted chocolates since she knows I love them so dearly. The box is already half gone, so I guess it's a good thing that it only comes with four chocolates!

I absolutely love Russell Stover's chocolates! I have fond memories of Russell Stover's assorted chocolates from when I was a little girl. When my oldest sister went to college my parents discovered a Russell Stover's outlet store that they would sometimes stop at on the way home. They'd often come back with a box of Russell Stover's assorted chocolates – the big box with three different layers of candy. The thing I like best about assorted chocolates is looking at them as I try to select the perfect one. It's fun to have my own box because I've been known to bite into one, eat half and then put the rest of it back to enjoy later before moving on to another! (The bad thing about them is that these pretty little chocolates are highly addicting!)

You and Me Against the World

Ever since I was a little girl my mom and I have always called each other "best friends." It's a good thing we like each other so well, especially now that we're in the situation that we are, because we spent A LOT of time together! Not only is Mom my mom, but she's also my main character. (Boy, life would be a lot more rough if we didn't get along so well!)

Something I say to my mom on a regular basis is, "Mom, it's you and me against the world!" I mean, I'm going to be paralyzed for the rest of my life, so I'm in this trial for the long haul. And it's not just my trial; it's my mom's trial, too. (Unless she decides to commit me; but I'm pretty sure she won't!) Sure, we've had different friends and family members that have helped with my care over the past eight years, but when it comes down to it, the only person I know that will always be there for me is my mom. I know that she will keep caring for me as long as she is able.

Yesterday morning was another one of those times I told my mom that it's us against the world. She said, "Isn't that a song?" I said that if it was, it wasn't one I was familiar with. So my mom got on the computer to look for the song. She found it right away and read the lyrics to me. (Of course she started crying but I wouldn't expect anything less out of my mom because it doesn't take much to make her cry!)

I thought the words of the song were so sweet, so I thought I would write this post and share the lyrics/song with you.

You and me against the world
Sometimes it seems like you and me against the world
When all the others turn their backs and walked away
You can count on me to stay

Remember when the circus came to town
How you were frightened by the clown
Wasn't it nice to be around someone that you knew
Someone who was big and strong and looking out for

You and me against the world
Sometimes it seems like you and me against the world
And for all the times we've cried I always felt that
God was on our side.

And when one of us is gone
And one of us is left to carry on
Then remembering will have to do
Our memories alone will get us through
Think about the days of me and you
Of you and me against the world

Life can be circus
They underpay and overwork us
Though we seldom get our due
And when each day is through
I bring my tired body home
And look around for you

You and me against the world
It feels like you and me against the world
And for all the times we've cried
I've always felt that God was on our side
And when one of us is gone
And one is left alone to carry on
Then remembering will have to do
Memories alone will get us through
Think about the days of me and you
You and me against the world

Movies and Fast Food

I haven't made a new blog post all week which is a long time for me because since I usually make a post every couple of days. I've had a bit of a writers block and have started several posts, but never liked them enough to finish them for one reason or another. I don't like it when I go so long without blogging because I don't want to let my fans/followers down!

It seems like forever since I've been to a movie (it's only been a month, but that's a long time for a movie lover like myself, especially when there've been so many good movies out that I want to see). So today I went and saw two movies to catch up a bit since my sister Chandra was off work. The first movie we saw was The Woman in Black; a suspenseful thriller starring Daniel Radcliffe. [Short synopsis of the film: a young lawyer travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman who is terrorizing the locals.]

This is the first movie I've seen Daniel Radcliffe act in where he's not been portraying Harry Potter. I thought he did a great job and he looked really cute. This movie was so scary; probably one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. I jumped so many times I lost count! I don't mind scary/suspenseful movies, but I find that so often they either have a dumb ending or don't make sense at the end and I leave feeling dissatisfied. Fortunately, I didn't feel that way at the end of this movie, so I guess that's a good thing. I really liked this movie and recommend it, so check it out. (Just be prepared to jump!) Heather's rating: 9/10 stars

The next movie I saw was The Vow; a romance movie starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum (who I think is so cute!). [Short synopsis of the film: based on the true story of a newlywed couple who is in a car accident that leaves the wife in a coma. When she wakes up she's lost all memory of her husband, so he has to make her fall in love with him all over again.] I really enjoyed this movie and the only thing that would've made it better would have been holding hands and smuggling with a boy! I recommend this movie and it's a perfect one for Valentine's Day. Heather's rating: 9/10 stars

My sister and I got Jack in the Box for dinner on the way home. I dearly love fast food, but I rarely eat it since it's so horrible for you. Last night I was perusing the Jack in the Box menu online so that I would be prepared to speed up the order process. The nutrition facts were listed so I was checking out the fat/calorie content of all the burgers and sandwiches and wow, are they horrible for you! You could do some serious damage to your diet, as some of the things on the menu had almost 1000 calories! I opted for a junior bacon cheeseburger which had less than 400 calories, so as awful as that is, it could've been a lot worse!

Beloved x 2

My sister Laura's two kids are named Amy and David and those names ironically mean the same thing… beloved. Laura didn't know that when she chose the name for her new baby, but I think it's kind of neat.

Last Thursday when Laura was over with her kids I asked her to take some pictures of them since I try to have pictures taken of the kids on a frequent basis since young kids (especially newborns) change so quickly. It didn't go so well! Amy didn't cooperate very well and David wasn't having it either! We tried our best and got some shots that were cute because they showed the craziness that was going on, but they definitely weren't the nicely composed type of picture that I was hoping to get. Oh well, kids will be kid, right?!

The first two pictures are of Amy – check out those bright, blue eyes! The next two pictures are of David. The second picture of him shows what kind of mood he was in.

The next bunch of pictures are of Amy and David together. Amy's not really big enough to hold David, so he was getting angrier and angrier!

This next picture showed David's mood, so we had to resort to using a pacifier to keep him from crying. It worked, except I don't like photographs of babies when they have a pacifier in their mouth. (Especially this blue kind of pacifier that you get from the hospital.)

Because I'm Worth It!

Today my mom and I went shopping in search of a new recliner for me. The one I have now is about eight years old, which really isn't that old for furniture, but my recliner gets a lot of use since that's the chair I sit in when I'm at home. (I sit in a recliner when I'm at home because that's more comfortable than my wheelchair, and I only use my wheelchair when I leave the house.)

My recliner is by no means on its last leg or anything and it's still in really good condition and very comfortable, but several pieces of hard plastic have broken off the underside of the recliner. (I think this plastic is covering the wheels that glide in the metal frame to make the chair recline/sit up.) The recliner has also started making creaking noises recently when people plop down in it which makes me nervous because I don't want to be up a creek if my recliner goes belly up. So I thought it was a good time to start looking for a new chair.

My mom and I went to Weekends Only (a discount furniture store that's only open on the weekend to help keep prices low). They had a really big selection of recliners, some nicer than others. Some of the recliners were downright ugly in either upholstery or style of chair, but there were three recliners that I really liked and was considering. One of them was a really pretty leather chair, but I scratched it off the list when my mom sat in it and said there was just something about it that wasn't quite comfortable. She said that next two recliners were very comfortable and I was grateful to have her be my "chair tester" since I obviously can't get out of my wheelchair to test them out myself.

One of the things I want in my new recliner is the option of having the legs in the "halfway" position (not all the way down, but not all the way up, either). Neither of the recliners at Weekends Only had the option of doing this, so I decided to head to the La-Z-Boy gallery which was conveniently right next door. The La-Z-Boy store was a much nicer store and as soon as my mom and I walked in the store I saw the recliner I wanted. It was a beautiful, brown leather chair that looks very nice. I decided to look around at the rest of the store to see if there was anything that I liked better, but there really wasn't. There was another recliner that I was considering, but I decided to stick with the one that I fell in love with at first sight.

SO, I bought a new recliner today! I was just going out to look, not really thinking I'd buy anything today, but since I found just what I wanted I decided to go for it. The color of leather I want isn't in stock and it has to be ordered, but my recliner should be delivered to my house around March 5, unless it comes in early. I'm so excited and I can't wait to sit in it! It cost a pretty penny, but I decided to get what I really wanted and that will be really comfortable since I will use it on a daily basis. And for the record, my mom gave the new recliner a 10 out of 10 when I asked her how comfortable it is so it should be nice and cushy on my body.

This isn't the exact recliner I bought, but it looks similar to mine (except the one I bought looks nicer):

Groundhog's Day… Fun but Dumb

Let's face it, Groundhog's Day is a really dumb holiday! I'm not even sure if you can call it a holiday, but we'll just go with it. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, so we're in for six more weeks of winter. That's fine with me since this winter really hasn't been all that bad. Don't get me wrong, I love snow and I wish we would've gotten more of it since we've only gotten a dusting, but if it's not going to snow, then I don't mind mild temperatures.

It's not so much the groundhog that I find silly, it's the men that get dressed up in their suits and top hats. Here's part of the little speech that was delivered by the man who had the honor of holding up the groundhog to the crowd. "As I look at the crowd on Gobbler's Knob, many shadows do I see. So six more weeks of winter it must be!" I know Groundhog's Day is just a fun tradition, but it really is so silly!

I don't care what the groundhog said, I can tell spring is right around the corner because I'm starting to be woken by the sound of birds in the morning. Oh, how I hate the sound of birds when I'm trying to sleep!

Single Ladies, It's Our Year!

Oh my goodness, can it really be February already?! It seems like it was just Christmas! I've said it before, but I'll say it again, time flies, especially when you're having fun (which I am!).

Here's a little-known fact about me: I always flip my calendar a few days early. My mom and sister always give me a hard time over it, but it's just what I do; I can't help it! So yesterday I asked my mom to flip my calendar to February, and when she did she reminded me that it's a leap year. (This is February's picture on my Mary Engelbreit calendar. Isn't it sweet?!)

She went on to tell me that in a leap year women can ask men to marry them. Well, well, well, is that right?! Who knew?!  This isn't something I've ever heard before, but I kind of like the sound of it! Of course I'm only half serious since I definitely think it's the man's place to propose to a woman, but sometimes you need to take the proverbial bull by the horns, especially if said bull is stubborn!

I probably won't be asking anyone to marry me this  leap year, but maybe in 2016 if I'm still on the market. After all, I'll be turning 32 that year and won't be getting any younger! ;)

So if there are any single ladies out there and you'd like to get married, go ahead, be bold and ask. It just might work out for you!

"How I Got This Way"

As most people know, Regis Philbin stepped down as host of Live his long-running morning talk show a few months ago after hosting the show for the past 25 years. It was sad to see Regis leave the show since Regis Philbin seems like an institution on morning television. I've had plenty of time to watch my fair share of morning television since my accident and I've enjoyed watching Regis in action nearly every morning for the past eight years.

Regis recently released a memoir that he wrote about his life called How I Got This Way. I decided to buy the audio book from iTunes and I'm so glad I did because it was really good. The audio book was narrated by Regis himself, so that was really neat to hear the book read from his own voice. I couldn't have imagined listening to the book if it had been read by anyone else. His book shed more light into his life and his more than 50 years in show business.

Regis graduated from Notre Dame University in 1953 with a degree in sociology, however, his true desire since the time he was a young child was always to be a singer like his idol, Bing Crosby. On the day of his college graduation Regis told his parents about his lifelong dream of becoming a singer, and he even sang Crosby's hit Pennies from Heaven to parents. When he finished singing he noticed that his mother's eyes were filled with tears – tears of disappointment. When I heard this part in the book I thought it was SO sad! I can't imagine how Regis must've felt in that moment.

After that discouraging experience Regis decided to part with his dream of being a singer and instead decided to go into television. Regis' early television career had lots of ups and downs and disappointments and Regis went into detail about his feelings of inadequacy and failure. He said that for years he wondered if he had any talent at all, and if he did, what was it? I had no idea that Regis struggled so much in his early years since he's always seemed so successful to me, but I guess that's just because I've only ever known him as the older famous and accomplished Regis Philbin instead of the Regis Philbin of younger days. It just goes to show that fame and success doesn't always come naturally and just takes time/work, even for the "rich and famous."

Regis talked about a lot of famous, well-known people that he's crossed paths with over the years who have influenced him in some way or another like Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Cary Grant, Johnny Carson and Jack Parr. He also talked about other people that he's interacted with over the years; people who have amazed and/or inspired him in some way that he's learned valuable lessons from like Jack Nicholson, Bill Cosby, Jerry Seinfeld, George Clooney, Donald Trump, Steven Spielberg and David Letterman. There were even entire chapters in the book devoted to the most special people in his life like Kathy Lee Gifford, Kelly Ripa and Joy, his wife of more than 40 years.

Regis ended each chapter in the book with "what I took away from it all" where he recapped whatever situation/person he referenced in that chapter. I really enjoyed hearing what Regis had learned from the different experiences/people in his life. It made him seem more likable to find out that Regis has experienced so many "normal" emotions and had many average or less than desirable experiences.

Kenny G

I love music and instruments and I'm always envious of people who are musically inclined since I am not. However, there's one instrument I really don't like the sound of. Saxophones. Whenever I hear the sound of a sax it inevitably makes me think of Kenny G.  And when I think of Kenny G, I think of shopping malls. And elevators.

For me, music has a nostalgic quality that can take you right back to a certain place/time, even if you haven't thought of that particular place/time in quite a while. Hearing Kenny G music does this for me. It takes me back to when I was a little girl and it makes me think about going on loooong shopping trips to places like department stores in the mall (like Famous Barr or JCPenney). Lots of men don't enjoy shopping, but my dad was the opposite. He would take his sweet time as he vacillated over this and that as he tried to narrow down what he wanted to purchase. I can understand weighing out your options, but there comes a time when enough is enough and you just need to decide! I just remember being bored out of my mind and playing in the different clothing racks with my younger sisters who were always along for the ride. Ugh… those were the days!