I read The Hunger Games (1st book in the series) in late Spring just before school ended because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and I thought it would be fun to be reading something in which the kids were interested. I absolutely LOVED it and was really submerged in the story. Then I became introduced and subsequently extremely distracted by a certain other (ahem...) trilogy. When I started my vacation a couple of weeks ago, I picked up the remaining two Hunger Games books and finished them. WOW!! I was really wrapped up in this series - It was like I could hear the noise of the action in the book in addition to seeing the words on the page - a thrilling ride, for sure! If you have not yet read this trilogy, I highly recommend it!
Discounts - I love discounts!! Why pay full price for something when it will eventually go on sale? Ann Taylor, for instance. I love their clothes - the way they look, fit, feel... they ALWAYS have sales. If I see something online on their website that I really like, chances are that within a few weeks, they'll have a sale - be it 40% off everything or buy one, get one 50% off... in fact, I'm awaiting a black skirt, navy skirt and silky ruffly blouse that I just purchased, all for less than $75.00 (had I paid full price, I would have been looking at a total closer to $200.00).
Yesterday we took a morning off from the sun and took our golf cart down to the shops on the plantation. We took advantage of some sales and picked up a couple of new shirts for the boys, hats, etc. And I felt great about it because we took advantage of the 30-40% off sales.
I picked up this game, Farkel, at Target before I left Atlanta, and the boys and I have had so much fun playing! It's a simple dice game that you can stop and start at your leisure and the game can go on and on for as long or as short as you like. We have enjoyed playing this together and Matthew and Champ have actually spent a lot of time playing just against each other. It's a great game to take out to dinner, too, if you're going out with a few families and you stick the kids at one end of the table - it's a nice alternative to their iTouches or iPods or Ianything...
And this is our favorite new show. Gator Boys. Sure, I'd rather be watching chefs compete on the Food Network, but that only holds the attention of the male folk in my family for so long. This is a reality show on Animal Planet where these two guys, Paul and Jimmy, take house calls from local people who spot alligators, snakes, etc. in their yards and want them removed. They make it look so easy and the personalities of Paul and Jimmy make it fun to watch. If you have boys, they'll love this show!
And pictures... I've been thinking a lot about the importance and significance of pictures lately. We had dinner with my parents before we left to come down to Amelia, and we had so much fun. We do this from time to time so it's not necessarily a picture taking event when we get together, but I brought my camera anyway to capture the ordinary....because one day, the ordinary will have very special meaning to us. My dad recently found pictures of himself as a young man, and I took a picture of the picture. It's really cool to see your parents as young people...
What a handsome chap! You see, my memories of my dad are the way he looks now, so it's neat to see what he looked like as a young man. And fast forward 50 years, here we were on the sofa the other night...
Take your camera everywhere and take pictures! Already, at 37 years old, there are times in my life that I cannot remember - like, when Champ was a baby... I think I was so tired all the time during that time with Matthew as a 2 year old and Champ as a baby that I had no brain capacity to retain any memories. Fortunately, I have pictures and a few things that I wrote down. Watching my dad look at his old pictures was really special. He's so happy to have those pictures to remember those times in his life. A picture, they say, is worth 1,000 words.
The Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics are tonight! We will be preparing dinner at home so that we can watch the festivities. On the menu? Grilled salmon, steaks, salad, rice and something yummy for dessert (haven't gotten that far yet). Let the games begin!!
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