About 6 months ago, Mike and I finally gave in and got digital cable along with a digital video recorder (DVR). I love it! Unfortunately, since we have got it I spend way too much time in front of the TV. But I guess since we don't have children and I 'm still able to be productive I should just enjoy it while I can.
In order to let some of you get to know me better I thought I would display my DVR list for the entire world to see. The shows aren't listed in any particular order, but I did highlight all the reality shows in red.
So here is my current DVR list:
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Lost (ABC)
American Idol (Fox)
Survivor (CBS)
Big Love (HBO)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)
Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Oprah
Top Chef (Bravo)
Dog Whisperer (National Geographic)
ER (NBC)
Work Out (Bravo)
Deadliest Catch (Discovery Channel)
The Hills (MTV)
Three Sheets (MoJo)
Flipping Out (Bravo)
Project Runway (Bravo)
Jon & Kate Plus 8 (TLC)
Tori & Dean/ Home Sweet Hollywood (Oxygen)
Amazing Race (CBS)
Now that I have them listed in front of me I think I have a sad addiction.
By the way, here are the shows Mike picked for the DVR:
CSI (CBS)
CSI: Miami (CBS)
Mike's 2 shows compared to my 23, I do think I have a problem:)
The Shack
For those of you that do not know, I LOVE to read. It was a habit that started in college. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I do not remember reading a book prior to that time. Sure I used to read the text books in high school, but when it came to reading books for literature class I was a cliff notes kind of girl.There are four category of books that I read:
1. Oprah's Book Club
2. Harry Potter (LOVE!)
3. Nicholas Sparks
4. Anything else that has controversy attached to its name (DaVinci Code, A Million Little Pieces, etc.)
Well, a couple of weeks ago I read a christian fiction book called "The Shack" by William Young. I am embarrassed to admit that as much as I read, this is the first christian fiction book that I have ever read. I think I have stayed away from christian fiction because I thought that it wouldn't be as interesting as the books in Oprah's Club, or the story line would be boring or hard to follow. Boy was I wrong.
This book was amazing. I am not going to give away the story or any of the details, partly because this is the kind of book that can mean different things to each individual person. What I will say is that this book for me has really made clear the relationship between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and what kind of relationship I personally can have with them. It also answered a lot of questions that I think almost every human being has asked before or wanted to ask especially when going through a tragedy. I couldn't put the book down.
I am going to have to stop typing because I keep wanting to tell you all the details in the book. So I will end by saying if anyone reads "The Shack" let me know so we can talk!
Renaissance Festival
I know this post is a couple weeks late, but I had to blog about our Renaissance Festival experience. A few weeks ago Mike and I decided that after 5 years of living in Nashville, it was time to visit the Tennessee Renaissance Festival. The festival is very interesting. It takes place on several acres of land that have been made to look like a 16th century English Village. Most everyone seems to go all out. Not only do many people dress the part, they also speak as if they are living in England during the 16th century. At times it was a little creepy. The festival runs each weekend in May and each weekend has a different theme. The theme for Memorial Day Weekend was "International Jousting Tournament."
We arrived at the festival around 10:30 and headed inside to meet up with our friends Kyle & Janna, and their two boys, Cody and Wyatt. We quickly headed to the jousting arena and grabbed a seat for the tournament. The tournament was fun. You could tell it was staged, but I'm sure all the kids really enjoyed it. After the tournament Janna and Cody enjoyed a camel ride (who knew they had camels in England during the 1500's). The rest of our afternoon was spent eating and browsing at the merchant tents, which sold costumes, jewelry, & arts and crafts. The last item on our agenda was to visit "Castell Gwyn".
Castell Gwyn was built by a man who had a dream of living in a castle one day. This is actually someones home. Construction was started in 1980 and was finished just a few weeks ago. Because the castle is someones home we were not allowed to tour the entire residence. It was neat, but very short and not really what I expected, but it made for some good pictures.
The festival was fun. Mike and I will probably never go back, but at least we can say we have experienced the Tennessee Renaissance Festival.
Mike having a little too much fun in the children's area:)
Mike being silly
Cody and the Knight
Wyatt taking a break
The whole gang!
What A Week!
Two things have happened this week to help make this week great...
1. David Cook won American Idol!!! This is the first season of American Idol that I have really enjoyed watching. Each of the final contestants had great talent and such different styles. I obviously wanted David C. to win. He has such a great voice. I have already told Mike I want his CD once it is released. The best part about his win is that it was a total surprise (I think to everyone). It seemed the American Idol judges had already decided (in their opinion) that David A. was going to win. But America voted and had a different opinion.
2. Derek and Meredith are back together!!! This is more exciting to me than the AI win. I have been waiting all season for the two of them to get back together and it finally happened. And yes, I squealed like a twelve year old girl when it happened. I do want to make a prediction for next seasons premier episode: I think Derek will be in a car accident on his way to break up with Rose and then we will be stuck in limbo for another entire season. Oh the drama!
1. David Cook won American Idol!!! This is the first season of American Idol that I have really enjoyed watching. Each of the final contestants had great talent and such different styles. I obviously wanted David C. to win. He has such a great voice. I have already told Mike I want his CD once it is released. The best part about his win is that it was a total surprise (I think to everyone). It seemed the American Idol judges had already decided (in their opinion) that David A. was going to win. But America voted and had a different opinion.
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!
IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THIS WEEKS
GREY'S ANATOMY THEN DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS POST!
2. Derek and Meredith are back together!!! This is more exciting to me than the AI win. I have been waiting all season for the two of them to get back together and it finally happened. And yes, I squealed like a twelve year old girl when it happened. I do want to make a prediction for next seasons premier episode: I think Derek will be in a car accident on his way to break up with Rose and then we will be stuck in limbo for another entire season. Oh the drama!
If you can't tell, I have certain TV shows that I obsess over and our DVR has made everything that much worse. Someday I will post an entry of my DVR List (a list of all the TV shows I record each week) and my obsession will finally be exposed!
Nashville Symphony
Lately, Mike and I have been talking about making an effort to enjoy more of what Nashville has to offer as far as entertainment. We find ourselves being homebodies in a city that has a ton of things to do. This past Sunday night our church lifegroup decided to meet at Crockett Park to enjoy the Nashville Symphony. So going to hear the Symphony not only got us out of the house, we also got to spend time with of our closest friends and their little bambinos. This was perfect! Before the Symphony started families enjoyed picnics and the kids got to enjoy some time on the playground, which my husband tells me is one of the coolest playgrounds he has ever seen. Yes, he is 37 years old. The weather was perfect, the Symphony sounded amazing, and the time spent with friends was priceless!Enjoy the pictures of each family in our lifegroup.
Graduation Part 3: Senior Appreciation
After a whole weekend of events, Sunday night was BJ's last "Graduation Celebration." Our home congregation put together a dinner honoring the high school seniors. The entire church is invited along with friends and family. The event is called "Senior Appreciation" and this event has been going on for years.
It is a really fun night. To make this evening possible it takes months of planning and hard work from various members of the youth group and overseeing adults. The decorations are over the top, the food is excellent, the sentimental video is bitter sweet and the theme of the evening is always well executed. This years theme, "Red Carpet", did not disappoint.
After everyone found their seat it was time to introduce all 24 seniors one by one. As each seniors' name was read aloud, a chauffeur opened the car door and the senior stepped out to walk the red carpet and meet their parents who then presented their child with a Bible. Once all the seniors were introduced, dinner was served, and the video presentation began.
The video is something everyone looks forward to. A few months before graduation the parents of each senior are asked to turn in pictures of their child from birth to the present. Then those pictures are made into one large slide show and set to music. It is always fun seeing the pictures of each senior in the different stages of their life, especially their goofy stage:)
Along with the pictures that have been turned in, the parents have also been asked to write a letter to their child. The purpose of the letter is meant to express how proud they are of who their child has become. Once the video was finished playing, the letters were read aloud. Both the video and the letters usually require lots of Kleenex.
To close the evening, a prayer was said to bless all the seniors and then it was picture time. Enjoy!
BJ walking the red carpet
Bible presentation
BJ's and her "Celebrity" star
This is one of the creative decorations. They took BJ's senior picture and made it into a movie poster.
Downtown C of C High School Seniors
Graduation Part 2: Pomp & Circumstance
This past Saturday night was BJ's actual Graduation Ceremony. Traditionally the ceremony takes place on the high school football field. This year the ceremony had to be moved to the Benson Auditorium on the Harding University Campus because of weather. When I say weather, I mean heavy rain, strong wind, tornado sirens, the whole nine yards.The ceremony was your traditional ceremony: singing of National Anthem, awarding of diplomas, singing of the Alma Mater, and closing prayer. One of the most exciting parts of the ceremony was arriving to our seats and opening the program and seeing BJ was one of four women selected to sign the National Anthem. She did an awesome job!
BJ singing the National AnthemTo sum up the rest of the night, BJ received her diploma and was officially named a graduate. I will close out this entry with several pictures that were taken after Graduation.
Receiving her Diploma
Caps in the air
Dad, BJ, & Mom
Siblings
BJ & Aunt Sara
Mike, BJ, & Me
