The West Wing

There are so many things that make The West Wing one of the best TV series of all time, I don't even know where to begin. First, it's smart. Really smart. Second, it's funny. Again, really funny. Third, it's dialogue is fantastic. The dialogue is fast-paced and plays out like a rapid tap dance most of the time - a dance filled with intelligence and wit. Fourth, it's a serious, thought-provoking drama about real-life political issues. Finally, the cast and characters are pure perfection. They deliver the balance of seriousness, intelligence, and humor. I loved these characters. I wanted President Bartlet to actually be the president. Even my father, a lifetime Republican, has often stated that the United States needed a president like Jed Bartlet. If you've never seen the series, put it on your Netflix queue now. There are too many scenes to say which ones are my favorite, but here's a little sampling of some of the best.

Lord John Marbury, Great Britain's Ambassador to the United States, is one of the funniest smaller characters. He only appears in 5 episodes, spread out over seasons 2-6. My favorite thing about him is that he thinks the Chief of Staff's name is Gerald. Even when CJ replaces Leo as the Chief of Staff, he calls her Gerald. In this scene he's commenting on how much he likes the First Lady's breasts.



Ainsley Hayes is also another one of my favorite smaller characters. She's a blond, Republican from the South who comes to work for the White House Counsel. She's only in 12 episodes, spread out from season 2-7, but she makes a big impact. Here she is in her office (also known as the steam trunk distribution room) dancing in a bathrobe after sitting in wet paint.



Ainsley Hayes' first scene. Smart and Very Funny!!



I love Season 4. It's my favorite. This scene is from the episode Red Haven's on Fire. In it, Toby and Charlie make bail after being arrested in a California bar fight.



In this scene, the President learns that Toby and Charlie were arrested in a bar fight. I love this scene because it is filmed entirely in motion. A lot of scenes are filmed this way throughout the series. I love to see them the witty dialogue as they stroll the corridors.



Another scene filmed in motion. I love this dialogue because it rings home. I often say democracy is such a good idea, in theory. Unfortunately, there are a lot of stupid voters.



This is one of my dad's favorite scenes. It's from one of the Thanksgiving episodes (The Indians in the Lobby) where the President calls the Butterball Hotline.



This scene (it's actually several scenes edited into one video) is from my favorite Thanksgiving episode (Shibboleth). In this episode, Charlie is on an endless search for the perfect carving knife. I love the relationship that Charlie and the President have throughout the series. This scene captures a piece of it.



And I saved the best for last. I LOVE this scene. It's from my favorite episode, Privateers.

I'm All About Goals

I love to make "to do" lists and set goals. What can I say, I'm a goal oriented person. Six weeks ago, I set a very lofty goal. And when I say lofty, I mean time intensive. The goal - Watch all 7 seasons of The West Wing between Thanksgiving week and the New Year. That's a lot of TV. How much TV, you may be asking? Well, 154 episodes, or approximately 6,930 hours of TV. Now you may be thinking, Impossible, but I beg to differ. All goals require planning. As you may recall, "A goal without a plan is just a wish." So, I made a plan. I divided up my 6,930 hours of TV. Over a 6 week period, it was approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes of TV a day. Now, that doesn't seem too outrageous. Now to be realistic, there were going to be some days I wouldn't be able to watch any TV, but there were also going to be some days were I would watch more than my allotted 2 hours and 45 minutes, especially since I only worked 3 out of the 6 weeks. Well, I'm proud to report my goal is complete. I just completed the series finale. And what can I say, I love The West Wing. In the next few days, I will be posting on why it's one of the best TV series ever. Stay Tuned.

Christmas Chimes

My Grandma broke out the Christmas Chimes again this year. Just like last year, the kids were interested in them for half-a-second, but us adults played and played some more. Here we are trying to perfect our craft:

Here's one more with the kids and the adults making some sweet Christmas tunes:

Christmas Time

My Fantastic Family

Me and Amelia in our matching PJs.

Amelia in her Christmas PJs and a cute bow.

My only Christmas Present

Me & Megan in the big chair.

Me & Jackies in the big chair.

Sleep Over

On the night before Thanksgiving, I had Zack and Mitch sleep over. Zack has slept over tons of times, but I'd never had Mitch stay the night. Luckily, everything went well. I didn't take very many pictures, but here are two of us making train cupcakes.

I love this pouty face of Mitch. I told him he couldn't eat any more Good & Plenty. They're his favorite. He calls them the Spicey Candies.

Zack wanted to use my camera so he took this picture of me and Mitch.