Show Review: Mamma Mia!

Tonight I went to see Mamma Mia!--the Stage show...not the movie.  Let's just clarify that at the beginning.  It was a really great production!!  The talent was incredible!!!  (Much better than the movie talent, from what I hear).  And the story line is actually really really really funny.  I'll admit, the show is a bit crude, but that's definitely what makes it funny.  I laughed so much!!  At one point there are a bunch of guys dancing on the stage with flippers/fins and snorkels.  Sooooo funny.  

I want to see the movie now, but I'm certain that it can't be nearly as good as the stage show.  

Okay, apparently I'm not very good at reviews.  I think I'm better at race/running reviews.  Meh, whatever.  All you need to know is that the show was good.  And if it comes to your town, go see it.  Oh.  And it makes me want to visit Greece even more.  Like now.  I'm adding it to my list which also includes Italy, London (in 2012..you know...Olympics), Vancouver (in 2010...you know...Olympics again), Ireland, India, etc, etc, etc.  I will see it all!  Somehow, someway.

It's Lovely! I'll take it!

So I've found a new blog that I enjoy.  Please, please, humor yourself.  If ever you've disliked the house, apartment, condo, shack, etc. that you've lived in, you'll be ever so grateful of your humble abode after viewing these lovely listings.

Enjoy:

http://lovelylisting.blogspot.com

Movie Review: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

*Okay, note before you start reading.  This is no Ebert and Roepert movie review.  Nope, I have no clue how to rate a movie like that.

Last night Fawn and I went to see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.  Go ahead.  Mock me for loving chick flicks.  I can take it.  It's one of my weaknesses.  Anyway, the movie was really good.  It makes me want to travel the world, try something new, go on an adventure....you know.  But then my sensible side kicks in and I realize I have bills to pay, I have a job to go to, I have responsibilities to tend to.  Somehow, I'll find a way to fit it all in...to be responsible and adventurous...to travel the world and see all of God's creation.  Someday...

Anyways, back to the movie.  The soundtrack for the movie was very good as well.  And I'll admit, there were times during the movie when I wanted to cry.  Yep. True story.  Cue more mocking.  I suppose I don't know a whole lot about quality acting but I really think these girls did a great job.  And I love how the battles they face are similar to battles I face at times.  

Okay, so basically, if you're a guy you'll probably hate this movie, but you should be nice and go with your girlfriend/wife/fiancee/significant other if she wants you to go because that would be the nice thing to do :)  And if you're a girl...find some of your friends and get to the movies because I promise it's good.

08-08-08

Tomorrow is 08-08-08.  Do everything in sets of 8's.  It's sure to make your day exciting.

And then don't forget to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremonies at 8:00 p.m.!!!  

Rockets, Shuttles, Jellyfish, Stingrays...what's next? SURFING!

3 day weekends are the best (especially when they are preceded by a team outing).  On my most lovely day off yesterday, Katie and I visited Kennedy Space Center.  Hopefully I'll get some pictures uploaded soon, but in the meantime let me just say...it was much, much, much cooler than I had anticipated!!  Seriously.  The Shuttle Launch Experience was really cool and then we went on about a 3 hour bus tour where we saw the launch pad viewing areas (we were still about 3 miles from the launch pads because that's the closest you can be without injury).  We then went to the Apollo/Saturn V viewing area and the entire rocket was in this huge building.  The rocket was seriously sooooo big.  And we watched some really cool movies about the Space Race.  We also got to visit the building where International Space Station projects are tested before they are sent up to the ISS.  So we saw projects that are going to be in SPACE!!  Way awesome.  

We didn't get to see everything because we had to hurry over to Cocoa Beach to go PARASAILING!!  It was such a beautiful day for parasailing!  While we were in the air we saw jellyfish and stingrays below us.  Apparently the group before us had seen dolphins, but we didn't see any :(.  It was still really fun!  Oh, while we were at Kennedy Space Center, we saw a manatee in the bay, too.  I forgot about that.

So pretty much my day off was super fun.  Although by the end of the day I was starving and cranky.  Luckily my handy-dandy GPS system led us right to a Chili's.  We then headed back home before stopping over at Ryan and Scott's to watch what was supposedly the season finale of the Mole with Ryan, Scott, Jeanne, and Fawn.  All I can say is...LIAR!  Ryan is a liar.  It was not the season finale.  Next week is the season finale.  Oh well...at least I got to see some of my favorite people!!

And...in 4 days...Chris is taking me to Cocoa Beach to teach me to surf.  He's confident that he'll be able to accomplish this mission.  I, on the other hand, am scared out of my mind...but super excited!!!!  I mean, if I'm going to live in Florida, an hour from the beach, I have to know how to surf right?!?  And eventually own a jet ski and a speed boat...no big deal.

Park Extravaganza

Let me just start by saying the weather in Florida in August is absolutely beautiful right now!  So atypical.  Yesterday we had a fantastic day at the parks.  With Katie in town, I rounded up a bunch of my friends to spend a day in the parks.  Fawn, Jeanne, Ryan, Scott, Chris, Rachel, Katie and I  spent the day at Studios and Magic Kingdom on all of our favorite rides.  We got to ride Toy Story Mania with only a 20 minute stand-by wait and like the first 2 times I rode it, it was great.  Although I may have been bitter when Ryan, Scott, and Chris all kicked my butt in the game.  Katie says it's because boys play video games.  I agree.  We also avoided the rain the entire day and ended our afternoon at Magic Kingdom hula-hooping on Main Street.  Fawn was the ultimate winner.

After the parks, we all met up at Flippers for a really fun dinner before heading off to Jellyrolls.  Katie and I thoroughly enjoyed spelling O-H-I-O during "Hang on Sloopy" while the Gator fans in the room (aka Scott and Ryan) shunned us for the next few songs.  

Today Katie and I chilled by the pool and spent the evening wandering around Epcot enjoy the beautiful weather again.  

Tomorrow--it's off to Kennedy Space Center and Parasailing on Cocoa Beach!!!  How's that for a Monday agenda? 

Life is good.... :)

Take Your Boat to Work Day

Today was the 2nd annual Take Your Boat to Work Day and might I say it was a pretty fantastic day.  The weather in Florida was absolutely beautiful for the month of August.  Plenty warm enough to be out on the lake, but without the annoying humidity.  

So Take Your Boat to Work Day is our department's annual team builder.  And it. is. amazing.  Seriously.  We had 2 speed boats, 2 jet skis and a pontoon boat.  When we arrived at the party we enjoyed some great cook out food and hanging out.  Then, it was time for the boats to hit the water.  I started with a pleasant little ride on the pontoon boat.  We saw Shaq's house along with a bunch of other giant mansions along the lake shore.  We got back to shore and hung out a bit more chatting with the team.  I was getting ready to leave around 3:00 when my director insisted I needed to go out on the speed boat to go tubing.  It didn't take much persuading to get me out on the boat.  Instead of a regular tube we had an air mattress type tube that had a lot of handles on it.  Anthony and I were out on it first and we stayed on for about 15 minutes before he tipped us off and I skidded across the water.  Next, I got back on the tube with Shaun.  Shaun had this brilliant idea we would flip the tube a 360 and keep holding on.  Well, on first try, Shaun made it all the way around and I got left in the water.  On second try, I held on for dear life but still couldn't make and Shaun fell off too.  On final try, Shaun tried convincing me that it was easy to sit up on your knees on the tube.  It was not.  I fell fast and hard.  I had been out on the lake for close to an hour and decided I needed to call it a day as far as tubing was concerned.

I got back to shore and Ryan and I were getting ready to head out when Bryan convinced us to go out in his speed boat for a ride.  We rode around in his super fast little speed boat along with Bill and were checking out all the mansions when Dave and Nate pulled up in the jet skis bragging about how they could go 70 miles an hour.  I made the comment that I wanted to go 70 and was then told to get on the jet skis.  I rode on Dave's jet ski for a while before he convinced me that I needed to drive it myself.  We pulled back into shore and I took Dave's jet ski and Dave took Nate's and we went back out on the lake.  I may have gotten the jet ski up to 66 miles an hour on my own and it may have been incredibly awesome.  

Finally at 5:40 Ryan and I decided we had to hit the road.  It was a super fun day and I have bruises EVERYWHERE.  But I'm now obsessed with boating.  I've also convinced Ryan that a trip to Niceville is definitely necessary.  He has promised me that I will get to go....I will be holding him to it.  

And now...the best part of the day...KATIE IS HERE. Disney fun day extravaganza tomorrow!!  Heck yes :)