Two Thumbs Up!

On the Siskel & Ebert rating scale, my weekend has been a "2 thumbs up" already. :) Saturday afternoon, after napping for a couple of hours when I got home from work, I went to my friends' house to have "girl time with my niece and her momma". I had promised her almost a month ago that we would spend some more time together before I left Virginia, and we finally got to play yesterday.

They were already coloring by the time I got there, so I caught up by coloring in her Finding Nemo coloring book. It was great! She gave me a card she'd made me and then showed me some of her most recent artwork while we colored. I'd forgotten how much I've always enjoyed coloring. It's usually the simple things in life that bring so much joy!!

After we all finished our pictures, her mom (my 1st college roommate & a wonderful friend) and I went to see Mamma Mia. WOW!! Now, if you don't like ABBA music or (to loosely quote Harrison Ford's secretary in Sabrina) "people dancing about and spontaneously bursting into song", you probably shouldn't go see this one. :-) But, if you like any (or all) of these things, this movie is a MUST SEE!!!! I've enjoyed the use of mainstream, big name actors/actresses in musical movies in recent years. It's nice to see that some of them can sing & dance, as well as act. The talent in this movie was great! (Well, to be completely honest, I think maybe Pierce Brosnan should stick to looking pretty and acting . . . not the greatest singing voice.) The mom, Meryl Streep, and the daughter, Amanda Seyfried, were phenomenal! And, to top it off, it was set in Greece - a country I REALLY want to visit one day. The water looks SO amazing there! (In case you didn't know, I'm a huge fan of beaches!!!!) After the movie, we picked up her husband and two kiddos and went for some yummy Mexican food.

If you look closely, you can see the Olympic Rings down the middle of the road. (Atlanta, GA)

And finally, to top it off, the Olympics have started!! :-) I look forward to them every time they come around. I'm part of the group that was happy they now occur every two years - even though it's breaking tradition . . . an Aggie 'no-no!' I LOVE hearing our National Anthem played as our athletes win the gold medal. I LOVE the intensity and dedication they have for their sport. I LOVE the background stories they do on the Olympians . . . how they're "normal people doing extraordinary things". I LOVE the opening ceremonies (even though I had to work during them this time and couldn't watch). I'm the person sitting on my couch (or jumping up & down in my living room if need be) :) cheering, clapping, and crying with the athletes and their families. It's just so exciting! For example, I just watched Michael Phelps set another world record & win his 1st gold medal of the 2008 games. How cool is that?!? My favorite sports (because, yes, I have to have favorites) are swimming, diving, and GYMNASTICS! They're just so much fun to watch.

You may not pay attention to such things, but if you noticed the time of this post, you may be wondering about the crazy girl writing a blog at 5AM on a Sunday morning. :-) Well, I'm on a "half days/half nights" schedule right now. I wake up at odd hours and can't keep my eyes open at other times. Just part of the perks of working night shift and playing during the day time. But, on the bright side, I'm getting to watch some of my favorite parts of the Olympics. (just have to look for the silver lining)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!