Rome

On June 13th, I flew to Rome with 7 of the coolest girls I know. We spent two days there before continuing on with the rest of our adventure. Although I'd been to Rome before and seen all the sights, it was good to see everything again. After landing, we headed straight for the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps.

Some Pretty Sweet Girls:
Me, Amy, Sandra, Ali, Tanya, Amanda, Steph, & Chelsea

Me at the Trevi Fountain

Taken from the top of the Spanish Steps

Me and Rome, taken from the top of the Spanish Steps

The next day we visited the Colosseum and The Roman Forum. It was super hot and a very long day, but the standing in the midst of the ancient Roman ruins was an overpowering experience.

Me in front of the Arch of Constantine

Me & Amanda waiting to get into the Colosseum.

The Colosseum

Inside the Colosseum

Arch of Septimius Severus located inside the Roman Forum

Me inside the Roman Forum

We also visited the Vatican. I love the Vatican. St. Peter's Basilica is so beautiful and the artwork in the museum is amazing. The first time I visited the Sistine Chapel, I was rushed in and out, but this time I found a seat along the wall, sat down and stayed for about 20 minutes. No pictures are allowed inside the chapel, but our tour guide told us that our cameras should be our eyes and heart. I loved this!! You truly have to capture these pieces of art with your heart. Because no pictures were allowed in the chapel, I don't have any, but I've included a picture of Michelangelo's Last Judgement from the internet. I know everyone always talks about Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, but I've always loved his Last Judgement more.

Michelangelo's Last Judgement,
completed 30 years after the ceiling.

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

So, I had been inside St. Peter's Basilica before, but this time I learned something new. I was following our tour guide and she was discussing the Altar of Transfiguration. As I was looking up at this amazing piece of art, she said something about it being a mosaic. It looks nothing like a mosaic. My jaw dropped in shock and I turned toward her to ask if I had heard correctly. She obviously noticed my disbelief because she pointed at me and stated, "Ah, Doubting Thomas. Go closer and look." So, I did. I walked right up to it and sure enough this image is made of tiny mosaic tiles. Very, very cool!! My picture does not do it justice, but there are some great images on flicker, just google Alter of Transfiguration and you'll find them.

Altar of Transfiguration

Me in front of St. Peter's Basilica

Mixed Feelings

Today as I got online to check out mlb.com (it's set as my homepage), I gasped as I read the top headline, "Posey Likely Out for the Rest of the Season." Nooooo!!! I thought. I quickly clicked on the link and read the article about Posey's fractured bone and torn ligaments. I had a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. I love watching him play and he's one of the main reasons I purchased All-Star tickets this year. I've already maxed out my All-Star votes voting for him (a move that has created some friction between me and my parents - They're both rooting for Miguel Montero). What awful news, I thought.

But then I began having mixed feelings. Yes, it's awful that my favorite player (Posey) is injured and most likely out for the rest of the season . . . But on the other hand, it could be very helpful to my favorite team (Diamondbacks). Right now the Diamondbacks are second in their division, just behind the Giants - In fact, their only 1.5 games behind. With Posey out of the picture, the Diamondbacks have a reasonable chance to lead the division - Seriously, lead it!! I know, I know, Posey's injury is awful and I feel awful about it - I really do. But, also a little giddy.

You Say Yee-Haw

Let me set the scene: My family has just finished Sunday dinner. Everyone at the dinner table is listening to my dad, Ronnie, recount a story. That is, everyone except my 3 year-old cousin, Mitch. Mitch is sitting on the floor right next to my dad talking to himself. He does this all the time - he'll have entire conversations with himself. Well today, my dad's story and Mitch's conversation with himself collided to create a hilarious moment.

My dad: So, I had left the game (Diamondbacks/Cubs game) and made it to the parking lot. I had just gotten in the car and pulled up to leave the parking lot. There were still a lot of people leaving the game so I had to wait. Among the crowd of people were three women in Cubs shirts. As these three women were walking in front of the car, one of them turned to face the car, opened her shirt and flashed me!!

All of us: What?! (Laughing)

My dad: Yeah, she flashed me.

Mitch [to himself and totally unrelated]: When that happens, you say yee-haw.

Spring Break

Spring Break was awesome. I spent the time in the 90 degree heat of Arizona. It was great fun to spend the time at the pool and at Chase Field. Unfortunately, I was enjoying myself too much to take many photos. Here's the only moment that was captured on film.

Me & Mary at the D-backs/Giants Game.

New Recipes

So, at the beginning of the year I wrote that I was going to start cooking more often. My first attempt didn't go over too well, but I didn't give up. After my attempt at not-so-good taco soup, I found a new taco soup recipe that was delicious. I also have found a pretty good corn chowder recipe. It's not a super strong corn chowder and requires quite a bit of salt and pepper to flavor, but it's might tasty on a cold day. Anyway, here are the two recipes:

Taco Soup

1 lb hamburger
1 onion, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies (do NOT drain)
1 can corn (drained)
1 can kidney beans (drained)
1 cup water (approximately)
1 package dry taco seasoning
1 package dry ranch dressing

1. In a large pan, brown hamburger with the chopped onion.
   
2. While hamburger is browning, place remaining ingredients in large pot. Heat on medium heat.
3. When hamburger is cooked, drain and add to pot.
4. Simmer 5-10 minutes.

A-Maize-ing Corn Chowder

12 slices bacon (and bacon drippings)
1 onion, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled & cubbed
1 can chicken broth
1 pint (2 cups) whole milk
1 Tbs corn starch
2 cans cream-style corn (do NOT drain)
2 cans corn (drained)
salt & pepper (lots!!)

1. In large pan, fry bacon. Crumble and set aside.
2. In same large pan, saute chopped onion in the bacon drippings.
3. Add chicken broth and potatoes to onion mixture. Cover and simmer until tender (15-20 min).
4. In a separate pot, place cream-style corn and regular corn. Heat on low.
5. Add pan contents to pot and turn up heat to medium.
6. Set aside about 1/2 cup of milk. Add the rest to the pot.
7. Combine corn starch and 1/2 c. milk. Whisk, then whisk into pot.
8. Simmer all contents 5-10 minutes.
9. Top each bowl with a generous amount of crumbled bacon, salt, and pepper.
   

She's Definitely a George

Despite the lack of hair, Amelia is definitely a George. Although she was surrounded by an array of toys, she went straight for the Diet Coke bottle.

Spring Pedicures

With all us girls in town and most of us flying to Phoenix next week, we decided it was a good time for spring pedicures. Here are pictures of my mom, sister-in-laws, and me at the salon.

Mindy, Jackie, and Me

Megan & my mom

Top 10 Things in my Future

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm so done with work. All I can think of are the fun things I have planned in the near future. Here are the top 10 things I'm excited for, in no particular order:

1. Family - Kyle, Megan, and Amelia are coming into town this weekend. I haven't seen them for awhile so I'm pretty excited. We shall see how big Lil' Mil' has grown.
   
   
2. Arizona - I'm going to Arizona in 10 short days. My time in Arizona is split doing one of three things - laying out and reading by the pool, going to baseball games, and watching movies. Can you think of any better ways to spend your time? I know, I can't.
   
   
3. Baseball - I know it was already covered, but it needs to be mentioned all by itself. I have desperately missed Chase Field. It's one of my favorite places on Earth. I love the people, the hot dogs, and of course, the baseball. Ten more days until I'm once again wandering the stadium's corridors. I have tickets to two upcoming games - Diamondbacks vs. The Giants. I'm way excited. I love the Diamondbacks out of loyalty, but love The Giants out of awesomeness. I'm crossing my fingers, in hopes that Lincecum is up to pitch during one of the games and that Posey hits it into the pool.
   
   
4. Europe - Nine more weeks 'til I board a plane and set off for two wonderful weeks abroad. Destination - Italy and Greece. I love Italy and Greece. They are my favorite vacation destinations!! Last time I went I spent 10 days in Italy and 4 days in Greece. This time, I'm switching it and plan on spending 4 days in Italy and 10 days in Greece. No new sites are planned for Italy (St. Peters, Sistine Chapel, Coliseum, Pompeii), but I have lots of new sites planned for Greece (most excited for Rhodes and Santorini).
   
   
5. Sleeping In and Watching TV- I love not working. Most of the days during my summer are nicely planned and scheduled, but there are quite a few that are not. On those days I sleep in and spend the entire day in my pjs lounging on the couch. I'm looking for a good TV series to watch this summer. Last summer, I re-watched all six seasons of LOST. This year I'm thinking of re-watching The X-Files or maybe something new like, Greek. Any suggestions?
   
   
6. Ruth - My annual trip to see one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world!! Spending time with her uplifts my soul. I spend the entire week laughing and have a permanent smile on my face while I'm in her presence. Plus, she's in Hershey, PA and that entire town smells like chocolate. Sweet!! (Literally)
   
   
7. Home Improvement Projects - I've been in my house for over 5 years. During that time, I've accumulated a lot of junk. This summer I want to de-junk my house, organizing my storage room, garage, office, and craft closet. Lots of work, but since I love to organize, this is going to be fun!!
   
   
8. Baseball, again. I know, I know, I already mentioned it, but my dad and I are going to this year's MLB All-Star Game!! First of all, I love that I'm going with my dad. He's the best dad and the best person to attend baseball games with. Not only does he buy me bottled water, pretzels, and sunflower seeds, but he and I get pretty worked up when we're together. Second, it's the All-Star game!! And honestly, it's not just the game, it's really an entire week of events - Fan Fest, Legends Game, Homeroom Derby. It's going to be awesome. Tickets were a little steep, but I figure it's a once in lifetime opportunity.
   
   
9. Book Club - So, I'm loving being in a book club. This month I choose the book - The Know-It-All: One man's humble quest to become the smartest man in the world by A.J. Jacobs. I'm way excited to read it and plan on doing so pool side in AZ. Last summer I lounged by the pool and read Jacobs' other book, The Year of Living Biblically: One man's humble quest to follow the Bible as literally as possible. Book club will be at my house at the end of the month. Stay tuned to see how it turns out.
   
   
10. Road Trip - Lesli, Alina, Christi, and I have a tentative road trip planned this summer. We still have to work out the details, but right now we plan on driving to Northern California to see the Redwoods, then up through the Oregon Coast to Vancouver, WA. While road tripping, we plan on doing a lot of hiking and general outdoorsy things.

Spring Fever

Spring Fever is here. How do I know? I don't want to be at school and when I am, I'm having the hardest time focusing on work. I have a few things I could be doing at work, but because they don't have to be done right away, I've been procrastinating. Instead of actually doing work before/after school and during my conference period, I've been watching episodes of The Daily Show on hulu. Is that so wrong?

Triangle Factory Fire - 100 Year Anniversary

Today marks the 100 year anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. This quarter my students and I have been reading historical pieces about what life was like 100 years ago. These pieces have covered information about immigration, tenement living, women's suffrage, unions, strikes, and the factory fire. Along with these historical pieces, we've been reading the historical fiction novel, Uprising by Margaret Haddix Peterson. The fire and the events leading up to it are truly tragic events from the history of the United States. My students and I have really enjoyed learning not only about the historical facts, but also about the life lessons taken from the struggle of those who lived (and died) 100 years ago. To learn more about the Triangle Factory Fire check out this Excellent Website, or watch PBS's American Experience.

Presenting . . .

Me with Short Hair!! I've been planning on cutting my hair off for awhile now. It really comes down to wanting an easy hair cut for summer, especially while I'm in Europe. Anyways, I finally did it and I'm loving it!! Although, not everyone seems to be a fan. Picture the cutest, slightly chubby, 7th grade Hispanic boy. Today he came up to me and asked, "Ms. George, why did you cut your hair? It looks more better when it is long. Don't worry, it will grow back." Thank you, Jose. Thank you, very much.

New Short Hair (Sorry, this lighting is awful).

Old Long Hair

Scripture Study

I've been in a bit of a slump with my scripture study so I decided to buy new scriptures, hoping to give me a fresh start. I've been taking one scripture mastery scripture each day, reading it and marking it in my new set of scriptures. I then have been reading the chapter it is found in, marking anything else of interest. Finally, I've been comparing the chapter's markings and notes in my new set of scriptures with the markings and notes I made in my old set of scriptures. So far, so good. Hopefully, I'm out of my slump for good.

Glee: Original Song

Season 2, Episode 16: Original Song (March 15, 2011)

Best Funny Moment:

I loved all the original songs that didn't make it into regionals. I loved Puck's "Big Ass Heart" and Mercedes "Hell to the No," but my favorite has to go to Santana's original song, "Trouty Mouth." I loved it so much. Over the past several episodes, I've loved all of Santana's hilarious jabs at Sam over his overly large mouth so this song was definitely my favorite funny moment of the episode. Watch it and Enjoy:

Best Serious Moment(s):

Everyone wins - Blaine and Kurt lose at regionals, but finally hook up. I loved Blaine's confession when he finally states, “Kurt, there’s a moment when you say to yourself, ‘Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you forever. You move me, Kurt. And this duet would just be an excuse to spend more time with you.” Loved the openness.

And finally, New Directions win regionals!! I've had the CD containing the original songs for the past week and liked them okay, but seeing them in the context of the episode, endeared them to me. They were a little Rachel-heavy, but there's no arguing, she's got talent.

Best Song:

As I mentioned, I loved all of the kids' original songs, but this week's best performance goes to Kurt's rendition of Blackbird. This has always been one of my favorite Beatles' songs and I loved hearing it as Kurt honored the Warblers' beloved bird, Pavarotti.

Favorite Quotes:

Quinn: Prom queens live, on average, 5 years longer than regular people.

Santana: You blew me off to be with Stubbles McCripple Pants.

Sue: If it isn't Dweedle-Dumb and Dweedle-Fake Boobs.

Santana: Mr. Shue, I wrote another verse of Trouty Mouth.

Sister Mary Constance: That Dalton Academy, is it a gay school or is it just a school that appears gay?

Favorite Dialogue:

Blaine: I think Pavarotti would roll over in his tiny, tiny grave.
Kurt: The placement of which has yet to be determined.

Sam: Wait, what's it called?
Mike: Trouty Mouth

Schue: What’s your favorite song of all time?
Brittany: My Headband.
Santana: Alanis Morissette's You've Ought to Know.
Puck: What's Going On - Marvin Gaye.
Lauren: Puckerman, you're on a roll.
Schue: Okay, and what are all those songs about?
Brittany: Headbands.

Glee Makes Me Gleeful

Each Tuesday night, I sit down with giddy anticipation to watch a new episode of Glee. It makes me laugh so much that I often miss half of the jokes because I'm laughing so hard I'm crying. Because of this, a lot of rewinding is required. Anyways, I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite quotes from the past few episodes:

Season 2, Episode 11: The Sue Sylvester Bowl Shuffle (February 6, 2011)

• Kurt: Blaine and I love football. Well, Blaine loves football. I love scarves.
• Brittany: I don't wanna die yet. At least not until One Tree Hill get canceled.

Season 2, Episode 12: Silly Love Songs (February 8, 2011)

• Rachel [to Santana]: The only job you are going to have is working on a pole!
• Tina [to Santana]: Five minutes ago, you said Mr. Schu belonged in a 12 step program.
  Will: Wait, what?
  Santana: You're addicted to vests.
• Brittany: That's my man and his legs don't work!

Season 2, Episode 13: Comeback (February 15, 2011)

• Sue's journal: I'm committing Sue-icide.
• Sue: I agree with SpongeHair SquareChin.
• Puck: I'm at the end of my Lauren Zizes rope. I need to get into those enormous pants.
• Santana [to Sam]: Despite the fact that your mouth to face ratio is way off, you still somehow manage to be cute.
• Santana [to Sam]: Every time you open your humongous mouth to do an impression or moisten an enormous stamp for a lazy giant, you get one step closer to everyone seeing you're actually a dork.
  
• Santana [to Sam]: I wants on them froggy lips, and I want on them NOW.
• Sue: I hate hospitals, William. That's why I kept voting for those death panels.
• Mike: We need a sugary sweet dose of the Biebs to get us some action again.
• Brittany: I wore a tank top today because I thought it was summer and no one taught me how to read a calendar.

Season 2, Episode 14: Blame it on the Alcohol (February 22, 2011)

• Santana: You know what, a reminder, I own that guppie mouth. Those aerosmith lips belong to me.
• Figgins: And now, performing the hit song Tik and also Tok, by rapper Ke and dollar sign ha, New Directions.
• Brittany: Ke$ha has been a culture icon for weeks.
• Burt: I watched that Brokeback Mountain. From what I gather, something went down in the tent.

Season 2, Episode 15: Sexy (March 8, 2011)

• Holly: Sex. It's just like hugging. Only wetter.
• Brittany: The key is to use your curling iron in the bathtub to keep you from being burnt.
• Puck: I like wooing you, Lauren. Next to dropping my afternoon deuce, it's my second favorite part of my day.
• Holly: My lips are sealed. Just like your legs.
• Lauren: Puckerman, it's your lucky day.
  Puck: You're finally gonna let me motorboat those twins?
• Holly: Just remember, when you have sex with someone, you're having sex with everyone they've had sex with. And everybody's got a random.
• Brittany: This relationship is really confusing for me.
  Santana: Breakfast is confusing for you.
  Brittany: Sometimes it's sweet and sometimes it's salty. Like, what if I have eggs for dinner? What is it?

On a more serious note, I loved the sex talk Burt had with his son, Kurt. That relationship is my absolutely favorite on the show. I loved when he said, "Don’t throw yourself around like you don’t matter. ‘Cause you matter, Kurt." So Good!! Here's a good article about it from EW. The article also contains the clip of "the talk." To read the article, click HERE.

Valentine's Day

On Monday, I received a Valentine from the sweetest boy I know (too bad he's only six).

Birthday Celebrations

On Friday, my fabulous friends took me to The Melting Pot for my birthday. I have the best friends ever and this post is part shout-out to them and part celebration of me. First of all, the shout-outs.

Lesli - Thank you, thank you to Lesli for making the reservations, driving, and paying for the valet. I also appreciate the fact that you wanted to give me a sentimental, heart-felt gift.

Christi - Thank you, thank you to Christi for picking up my portion of the tab. It was much appreciated. Also, thanks for cracking me up the best line I've heard this week, "If it weren't for you, my life would be really boring instead of just sort of boring."

Alina (I love this picture because Alina is using her fondue fork to eat her salad even though her regular fork is right next to her plate. HaHa) - Thank you, thank you to Alina for the perfect gifts. Being my oldest friend, of course, you would know that a bag of black licorice and a book titled, "The Girls' Book of Glamour: A Guide to Being a Goddess," are the perfect gifts for me.

And now, the celebration. We had a ton of fun and ate a lot of delicious food. I love The Melting Pot because you're there for a couple of hours. That gave us a lot of time to laugh. Here are a few more pics:

Me with the book Alina gave me. Seriously, perfect gift. Plus my second favorite line of the week was the inscription, "To Mandys, The Most Glamorous Girl I Know! Heart, Alina" I'm telling you, this girl knows me.

Me & Christi with our delicious vegetables and cheese fondue.
Behold the Power of Cheese.

Lesli & Alina - Two of the Cutest Girls I Know.

Consignment Shopping

Every few weeks I like to visit Home Again, a fantastic consignment shop by my school. Today, as I was running errands, I thought I'd stop in and see all their new things. As I was circling the store, I found an awesome stained-glass window that literally took my breath away. I looked at the price and decided I needed to think about it. So, I continued to circle the store, the whole time obsessing over the window. As I walked around, I came across a second window on the other side of the store. This window came from the same person, but had a much lower price on it. When I asked the store clerk, she told me that they were from the same person and that both of them should be marked at the lower price. My reply, "Perfect. I'll take both of them." I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet. I thought they'd make a great headboard, but I only have one guest room and have already decorated it using windows from the same shop (see HERE). I thought for now I may put one in my bedroom and one in my bathroom. I still have to mull it over. Anyways, without further ado, here they are:

Nintendo Nation

Last week at Sunday dinner, my mom passed around a paper and pencil and asked us to write down what we would be willing to bring for the Super Bowl party. As it was being passed around, the normal things were added to the list: chips/dip, fruit, dessert, tortilla roll-ups, etc. When Zack got the paper and pencil, he added his name to the list and wrote "DS." Well, he wasn't the only one who ended up bringing his DS to the Super Bowl party.

Zack & Louis

Mitch & Zack

All Three Yahoos

Cooking

So, I'm trying to cook more. Those of you who know me well, know I hate to cook. So today I decided to make taco soup. I love soup so I thought this would be an easy no-brainer. It turned out okay, but not that great. It was a little too tomatoey and didn't have enough hamburger in it. This would usually be the time when I would say to myself, "See. You tried to cook. You wasted money and good time on something and it didn't even turn out to be that good. Next time, just order take out." Well, I'm not going to be so easily deterred. Next time, I think I'll double the hamburger. I'll also need to either reduce the tomato paste or the amount of stewed tomatoes. I'm thinking I may get rid of one of them altogether. We'll see.

If you have any good, easy recipes, send them my way so I don't revert to my take out menus.

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.