I don't think so, Glee

I was ok with an all Madonna episode of Glee.

But then Britney Spears's manager hit twitter campaigning for an all Britney episode.

And to that Glee creators, I say... "I don't think so."

Why?

• too gimmicky -- don't sell yourself into pulling all gimmicks to make the show "bigger and better."  Be confident in what made the show great -- music that fit the story lines.
• it's Britney -- who has not stamp of "be like her."  At least Madonna has credibility.  Britney just shaved her head and releases beyond risque music.  She was the butt of one of your jokes last week, in case you have forgotten.
• couldn't you come up with any other artist with better music to do an all out episode of?

I did find this article at EW that sheds some light on what Ryan Murphy (the genius behind the show) and the other creators are thinking.  Again, don't do Britney.

I would be ok with Billy Joel, or even Led Zeppelin.  But to Courtney Love?  That's another, 'I don't think so."

My genius idea that I would like to shoot out to the Glee creators?  U2.  Just because I love them -- and I think that would be awesome.

Do you have any ideas for the Glee creators?

A Lifetime of Teaching

A great video... I might have liked Chemistry if I had him as my professor.  Instead I think Chemistry is terrible...

But if I had him, then I would have gone to Duke -- and that is just wrong.  I am first and foremost a Michigan Wolverine -- and while living down here I have chosen the side of the UNC Tarheels.  Sorry, Duke.

Oh this reminds me of another one of my favorite lines from last night's Glee: Kurt's Dad says to Finn while watching a basketball game, "I hate Duke like I hate the Nazis."  Oh I knew there was another reason I love Glee! :)

Ok, but seriously -- watch it.  It is worth the three minutes:

Spontaneity

I really do like spontaneity.  Too bad I am not the most spontaneous person.  It is because I also like to have a plan and like to stick to that plan.

But sometimes I get to practice spontaneity.

Like this weekend -- Laura and I are going to Charleston, SC to get ourselves out of Raleigh and take a few days off.  We don't have any concrete plans.  We only booked the hotel this past Saturday.  We are just going.  I am pretty excited.  Have any places that I just need to see? or eat at?

I was also able to practice spontaneity a couple of weeks ago.  Angela, a great friend from college who is now studying to be a PA at Wake Forest, called me one Friday and said "Can we hang out tomorrow?"  "YES!!!" was my very eager reply.

We ate at Panera, hung out at a free church festival, went browsing through Target and just caught up.  Sometimes the best days are ones where nothing gets done.  And you get to see fun friends.  Here is a great picture of the beautiful Angela and I:

What have you done to be spontaneous recently?

Glee: Home

Tonight's episode was getting back to the old Glee -- or at least I thought so.  Here are my random thoughts after the first viewing.

Things I Love:

• 99% of what came out of April's mouth.  My favorite? "So you're free to date. And by free to date I mean sleep with people. And by sleep with people I mean have sex with people. People like me." 
• When Puck mouthed "Are you ok?" to Finn during Kurt's Home solo.  Are they still friends? Does Puck have a heart?  Oh, I have a hunch that we should trust Ryan, Ian and Brad (see me acting like I know them?) and that the plots we are missing are coming back.
• Proof of some plot lines? The Finn's mom and Kurt's dad storyline.  It was developing and I'm excited to see the journey of both Finn and Kurt as this goes.
• The message -- they addressed body image issues and the desire to want to fit/be popular at any cost in a way that was great.  I loved Quinn helping Mercedes; I loved Mercedes "singing" out and letting Coach Sylvester know exactly what she thinks (Christina's "Beautiful").
• Mike O'Malley didn't wear a hat!!! Name the last time that happened.  I am pretty sure I read on imdb.com that he went through all of "Yes, Dear" without taking off his hat.
• Sue Sylvester's faces -- Jane Lynch is genius.

Things I'm Not a Fan Of:

• The cheese level -- it was pretty high last night.
• The lack of high energy songs.  All were great song choices -- but the duet between Will and April definitely lagged.  I could have done with 25% of the song and I still think the storyline would have been furthered by the song.
• Finn singing to the chair/his dead Dad.  Yea, I get how it went with the show and how it fit... but it was just too much for my logical brain.

Ok -- that is all I have at this point in time.  My brain is fried (I was working on a paper tonight).  Found this article full of spoilers.  Looking forward to the rest of the season!  Oh, how I LOVE Glee. :)

I want to hold really soft things... like my cat

Ok, have you seen this new Kotex U commercial?

It seriously make Laura and I laugh out loud when we see it on TV.  I don't think men will appreciate it -- but I think all the women will.



What do you think?  You should also check out this ad and this one.  They also have some great points...

Thankful

I love when I stumble across great blogs and blog ideas.  I don't remember which blog I was at when I found this idea, but I am going to begin my list -- and start counting my blessings (maybe up to 1000 and beyond!).

1. sunshine

2. laughter and friends

3. iTouch -- I won one!

4. future possibilities

5. cats who love to cuddle

 

6. dreaming

Will you join in Multitude Mondays?  It's a great way to stay thankful.

More Michigan fun!!

You didn't think that I just had the baby shower going on when I went up to Michigan?  Nope -- I had much more!

On Friday Jenn and I spent some time just hanging out around the house, then we went to lunch with Josh (since tax season had just ended he took that day off).  In the afternoon Jenn and I went to run errands and then we went to campus.  It was a gorgeous day and we went to get colliders (like Blizzards, but WAY better).  On the way back to campus I got asked out by some creepy 54 year old man.  Not lying -- ask Jenn about it.  It happened so fast we didn't even know what happened.

Ok -- the Friday night we convinced man fun people to meet at Pizza House where we spent hours eating and catching up.  There were lots of good laughs... and it just made me so thankful for the women in my life, both past and present. and thankful that God can allow us to pick up like time hasn't even passed.  Here photo proof we still love each other:

love these awesome girls -- Mike and Josh were there, too but they said the picture should just be of us girls.

On Saturday, I was also able to head to Michigan's Spring Game -- where they preview the team for the Fall.  It would be a lie to say I watched intently.  I more like talked intently with the girls and watched occasionally.  The team looked ok to me -- but what do I know?  They guys seems less than pleased... oh, I hope the season is better than last...

Here are a couple of snapshots from the cold April day:

Such fun times!  Are you jealous I was there?

Hope you are getting to spend fun time with people who mean the world to you!

I WON!

This year has been kind of hard -- just a lot going on that was wearing me down.  Work was non-stop, taking a class (albeit an easy class) took up free time, and I still wanted to be social.  To say I am tired is an understatement.

Anyway -- the other day I was given a nice surprise.  For work, if we met one of our goals concerning the Cookie Sale then we were entered into a drawing for various prizes.

And.

Well...

I won the grand prize:

To say I was (and still am) very excited to win the iTouch is also an understatement.  I definitely did a happy dance, in front of all of my co-workers.  Oh well! :-) :-) :-)

I want to name her (she is a her, I feel).  What do you think I should name her?  What apps should I get?  I am looking for awesome free ones.  I can't wait -- she is supposed to be here early next week!

Oh my! She's having a baby!

Have I mentioned that my best friend Jenn is having a baby?  And that the little boy is due on May 21st?  Well, in case I haven't -- she's having a baby. And the due day is quickly approaching.

This past weekend I was up in Michigan to help Jenn celebrate by throwing her a baby shower.  This was the first time I had thrown a baby shower, and only the second I have been to.  That being said, I think it went pretty well -- mainly due to my co-hosts, Sarah, DeeDee and Tina.

We went with a Scrapbook theme.  And I now you are probably wonder -- what??? Well, the idea came from my mom and I think it was a hit.

The host's buy her a scrapbook and give ideas to the guests such as "1st Christmas," "1st Tooth," "Coming Home," etc.  They also purchase all sorts of materials -- paper, stickers, etc.  At the shower the guest make a page for the themes and then once baby comes all mom has to do is take the pictures and slap them on the page.  Jenn said she really liked it -- and everyone was very complimentary.  Their biggest compliment?  It was a great activity to do while we were all talking!

Of course, we also played a couple of games.  And let her open a bajillion gifts.  And provided food.

Overall, I think it went really well! :-)  Here are a couple of photos from that day:

Sorry for all of the table settings -- I just really loved how they turned out!  Practical/fun stuff with a mixture of the scrapbook stuff.  And the Scrapbook pages as place settings?  Love it!  All ideas not original.  Thank you Sir Google.

me with Sarah.  Love this girl!

The Michigan girls -- it was so fun to see them!

I had a great time at the shower -- I just hope Jenn did, too!  Tell me, have you had to plan a baby shower?  What themes did you use?  What about the games?  What would you change for next time?

Glee: The Power of Madonna

I have made no secret of my love for Glee.  Everything from the dance numbers to Jane Lynch's one liners make me smile (and often laugh outloud).  I'll admit you sometimes you have to suspend reality (like the piano and strings in the book shop last week -- what???).  But they know how to balance the laughs with the touching moments, the messages, and the pull of the heart strings.

That being said I think Tuesday's episode ("The Power of Madonna") was my favorite thus far.  Here are some of my random thoughts:

Things I Loved:

1. Express Yourself dance number.  The girls looked amazing and it made me want to break out my old dance shoes and go take a class.  Just so I could do that number.  AND then you noticed the guys watching -- Finn being bored and looking everywhere but the stage, Kurt dancing along, Puck looking like he was going to punch something... all classic.
2. Will helping Emma -- and I mean truly helping Emma.  He wants them to both work on themselves so that they can be together.  Very cute and a good message in general.  However, it is TV and let's be honest -- there will be lots of tension coming as they wait.
3. Like a Prayer dance number.  See number 1 about me wanting to dance.  
4. Drawing attention to the fact that women are still earning less than men.  I work for the Girl Scouts.  We want to empower women -- no to become 'femi-nazi's" but to learn that they can be leaders, change the world, etc.  Good call, Glee!
5. Becky Jackson is back!  I love Lauren Potter as Becky Jackson -- she makes me smile.
6. Will finally standing up to Sue and making fun of her hair!  YES!

Things I'm Not Sure About:

1. What is Jesse's deal? Does he really love Rachel?  Is he really there to spy on New Directions?
2. Mr. Shue just letting Jesse into New Directions.  Sometimes he is so clueless.

Things I'm Not a Fan of:

1. While I like Madonna's music -- and she is a musical icon... she really empower's women?  Part of me disagrees -- she has taken control of her image, for sure.  But she still sells her sexuality, which in my opinion is part of objectifying women.  Even if she chooses to do it. While I get why they chose Madonna, I think there are other women we can point to as well...
2. I love the musical numbers (see #1, #3 under the "Things I Love,") but I feel like they are doing TOO many musical numbers in the back nine.  Some of the plot isn't having time to develop -- yes the music is helping it develop some, but a little more dialogue would be good.
3. Not enough Puck.  Love him -- even if he is the "bad boy."  Give me a boy with a guitar and I melt. 

Favorite Lines:

• “When I pulled my hamstring I went to a misogynist.” – Brittany
•  Will: What comes to mind when you see that name?
  Rachel: Genius.
  Kurt: Icon.
  Puck: Hall of fame MILF.
• "No one intimidates the Puckzilla" -- Puck

Do you watch Glee?  What were your thoughts?

Appreciation

April 22nd is Volunteer Appreciation Day at the Girl Scouts.  We give them a gift, send them a nice thank you (normally via email) and in the month of April have a banquet to honor them.  I think it is a great idea.  While I don't volunteer to get anything, it is nice to know that people appreciate all of my hard work.

Working for the Girl Scouts -- I am not normally getting the appreciation, I am doing the appreciation.  And that is fine... but there have been times where I have felt appreciated.

Like a month ago when I received this card in the mail:

So sweet, right?  and then there was a year ago when I got a HUGE Hershey's Chocolate Bar in my mailbox.  Our receptionist, Angie, said that she wasn't allowed to tell me who dropped it off.  That made my week, or maybe even month.


It is nice to know that my volunteers appreciate me as much as I appreciate them.  For all of you who volunteer for the Girl Scouts -- thank you!  For all of you who volunteer in other ways -- thank you too!

More of the cottage...

While we were at the cottage we got to see my Uncle and his wife and their two young-ish children (they are 10 and 8).  It was nice to see them and now that we have this cottage, I think we'll see more of each other.  Here are some photos of the family throughout the weekend:

Mete -- a cute kid (when he wants to be...).  At this point he was telling us the size of the TV we should have and where it should go.

 Me with Ece.  She was my shadow all weekend.

What Ross did the whole time -- cut wood, then creating a HUGE wood pile, and the using said wood to build a fire in the gorgeous fireplace.

Anyway -- that was out fun weekend.  It made me so excited for vacations there.  I am hoping to spend sometime there in late June with the family.  We'll see if it happens!

Cottage, Part V

This is definitely late in coming... but over Easter weekend we (the mom, the dad and the brother) all went up to Little Point Sable, MI and moved in furniture.  It was quite the adventure.

First, we drove up.  I followed the Penske moving van the whole way.  Want proof -- here is what I looked at. the whole time. in traffic. in rain. every moment of the trip (which took 24 hours -- about 7 longer than normal).

Then there was the tree that we needed to move so that we could get the truck down the dirt road to the cottage.  Ross ended up breaking out the chainsaw to cut it so that it would fall... remember, at this time we all were a little tired and cranky.  To say it involved some tense moments would be an understatement.  I just sat in the car.  My big mouth wouldn't help matters very much at all!

We got to the cottage -- and moved in the truck full of crap and spent the rest of the time unpacking, organizing and over all enjoying the beautiful cottage we can now call ours (well, the banks until we pay it off... but you know.)

We are thinking about naming it "The Kremers' Tree House," because with the huge windows, being on a bluff, etc makes you feel like you are in a tree house.  Do you think it fits this beautiful place?

Organization Gratification

I feel satisfied when...

1. I can cross something off my to-do list.
2. When I have lots to do, I make a to-do list.
3. I finish scrapbooking a trip/theme/etc.  (I originally started scrapbooking to organize my photos).
4. I get rid of stuff in my room -- clothes, useless odds 'n ends, old craft supplies I don't use any more, etc.
5. I balance my checkbook and fill out my budget worksheet.

Bible Study

From September through March I was in a Bible Study at my church -- it was through the Women's Ministry and I loved it.  We studied Esther, via the Beth Moore Study, "It's Tough Being a Woman."  I had never done a Beth Moore Bible Study and really enjoyed it -- she is engaging to listen to; she is wise and God definitely has blessed her with the gift of teaching and speaking.  I appreciate her honesty and willingness to be vulnerable.

I also enjoyed this Bible Study because of the women I got to know through out.  Here we all are on the last night, at the banquet.

It has been quite sometime since I was able to laugh as much as we did... all while studying the Word honestly together. 

And even more, I just missed the accountability that comes from Bible Study -- to be in the Word consistently, to be praying for one another, to walk according to the way Christ has called us to, etc.  I hope to never go so long in between Bible Studies again.  Before Esther, it was probably at least a year and hald with no Bible Study fellowship.

While I won't be continuing to study the Word with this exact group of women, I am so excited because tonight I start a new Bible Study!  We are going to study Galatians through a Tim Keller study.  I am excited to dive in!  I'll let you know what I think of Tim Keller.

Happy Easter!

 image from google images.

He is risen!  Celebrate today, for Christ has risen from the dead!

I am so thankful that I know Jesus Christ as my Savior.  I am far from perfect and often do not appreciate all He has done for me and for every sinner.  Use today to reflect what Christ has done in your life.  Here is a list of all that He has done for me (and for which I will never worth of):

1. He rescued me from my sin, allowing me to know God.
2. He brought me life long friends, Jenn, Laura, and many more.
3. He provided me a stable job that most days I even enjoy.
4. He gave me a stable family who shows me as much unconditional love as humans can.
5. He continues to grow me, mold me into the woman He has designed me to be.

Guess where I am?

not my picture... thanks Google images!

Little Point Sable, MI... moving in furniture for the completed cottage!  I'll share pictures when I get back!

I'm Doing This!

I found this blog many moons ago... and it inspires me.  It takes what they are passionate about (crafting) and uses their skills to do great things for the kingdom.

While I found, I haven't been able to participate yet... well, because... I don't have the same skills.  I can't knit, but want to learn.  And my sewing skills are novice at best.

However, their newest endeavour?  I think I can do it! 

They are making bean bag education sets.  I am going to try to do the alphabet set.  I want to be held accountable for this... so every Thursday between now and May 15th (when they are due), I am going to post an update on what I have done/what still needs to be done/ my plan of action.

Today is the first day...

By next Thursday I will have the materials bought and pattern chosen!  I will need:

- scrap material (minimum two colors)
- sewing machine
- thread
- aquarium gravel

I think I'll probably use this tutorial as my guide?

Anyone want to join me?  Let me know!  And if nothing else... ask me how it is going so I actually do it!

Good Things: March 2010

I think this is my favorite part of the month -- looking back at all of the good and fun things in my life!

1- Chick fil a
2- NCIS marathon at home ... yea, I need a life
3- wrote the grad school essays... one step closer
4- SUN!!! My Inbox was pretty at work (less than 5)
5- Oasis event at church... Square Dancing.
6- The Wake 23 Sweetheart Dance
7- laziness ALL day! :-)
8- unexpected time at home for just me
9- took some comp time and it was just beautiful... sun was shining, I was able to have the windows open and I enjoyed doing catch up stuff
10- Niemans!
11- chocolate milkshake... I just needed one, you know?
12- Scrapbooked!
13- "perfect Saturday" -- quiet morning, cleaned, lunch @ CPK, relaxed in the afternoon, walked, Game Night at Becky's
14- Cookie Sale ended!  went hiking in Eno St. Park
15- got my taxes done... FOR FREE... yea for getting money back!
16- dinner w/ Meredith!
17- took a walk at lunchtime
18- NCIS in the morning
19- got asked out to lunch by a 4 year old... amazing what will make your day
20- Ross is here!  Umstead, Rita's for free Italian Ice, Mellow Mushroom
21- more scrapbooking!
22- MEW Banquet -- laughter, lots of fun time with the girls
23- got my federal tax return!  spent it on books for the cottage and paid of some more debt!
24- B-E-A-Utiful DAY!  went for a walk to just enjoy the Spring weather
25- yummy... baked potato for lunch
26- Glee Night #3 with the girls!
27- Angela surprised me!  Spring Fling in Apex
28- dreamt about a tropical beach vacation w/ Laura... thinking we may actually do it.  Now to be economical or go big?
29- dinner w/ Anna -- just lots of good convo
30- phone date w/ Christine
31- Last Song... yes I went to see it the day it opened... no judgment.  It wasn't too bad!

Friends, what has your month been like?  Happy April!