Category: Raves

Rainy Day Adventures

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This past Saturday we had something we don’t see very often – rain! And the excitement of what will probably be one of the last cold, rainy days for many months gave way to some creative energy.

I heard much commotion coming from Baylie’s room while I was getting dressed. And when I went to investigate, I found this:

Peter and I both have great memories of fort building as kids. Inside, outside, with sheets, beach towels, quilts, whatever was handy. It seems that he hasn’t lost his touch. We spent a good hour playing, eating, reading and crawling in and out of the improvised shelter. Bay then spent another hour doing the same with Bear T. Dog. There were many tears when we had to deconstruct the new play area for nap time, so we left one sheet over her crib. It’s still there and I’m not sure we’re ever going to get it back.

A view from the inside:

Move Your Phi’t

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The basis for the name of my blog is my college sorority and the lovely little room where we convened to chat – the goon room. Alpha Phi (pronounced “fee” – the title of the post makes more sense now, no?) has given me a home away from home, wonderful friendships and amazing memories. And yesterday was no exception.

The ASU chapter of Alpha Phi hosted a charity 5K race raising funds and awareness for the national sorority’s cause, cardiac care. My good friend Kristin (featured in “I Do! I Mean, They Did!”) organized a group of the UofA Fall 2000 pledge class to walk for the cause. We met at the park, strollers loaded for bear and kiddos and were ready to roll. Pun intended.

We managed to maneuver 3 strollers over packed dirt (not ideal for stroller wheels) and while we were the caboose, we completed the walk in under an hour. More importantly, we got to catch up and actually talk to each other since our kiddos were preoccupied with the other runners and each other. It’s always nice when gossiping can be for charity.

The hero of the day was Carrlene who pushed her adorable nearly 2 year old, AJ – while 8 months pregnant! Thank you also to Stephanie for picking up our registration and “phi’t” shirts (check out Stephanie at her blog: http://www.babycross.wordpress.com). We also got to meet Cuatro – or better known as Carter. The newest of the Phi babies at breakfast with his momma, Michelle. Thank you ladies! As always, it’s never a dull moment!

AJ, Carrlene, Stephanie, Kelsey, Kristin, me and Baylor B

Search Me

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In anticipation of the one year anniversary of The Goon Room, I was looking over some of the blog’s stats. Top posts, highest number of visitors, etc. One stat that I find hilarious is tags searched. So what people are using to search for The Goon Room. And they are:

goon room, the goon room blog, the goon room, terrorist drink

Now, the first three make sense. But if you haven’t been a reader of The Goon Room for long, they you’re probably unfamiliar with the last one. Be sure and catch up on “If We Don’t Drink, the Terrorist Win“.

Valentine’s Flower Dilemma

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I love flowers but I hate red roses on Valentine’s day. They seem so generic  and because everyone wants them, they’re crazy expensive too. So I have an alternative for anyone looking for a Valentine’s idea or really for any time a bouquet of flowers is necessary.

I bought 2 bunches of these over a week ago (10 days to be exact) from the grocery store. They’re called Alstroemeria and you’ve probably seen them as filler in a multi flower arrangement. Personally, I find them unattractive when used that way, but when you use only Alstroemeria, they’re stunning. And cheap. And they last forever! So next time you need a pretty centerpiece or a gift, grab two or three bunches of these beautiful flowers in either one color or more than one hue of the same color and enjoy!

Resolution Work

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We had a big gardening day this past weekend (last last weekend). Peter completed the amazing lettuce table and while slightly bigger than we both thought it would be, it. is. awesome:

Stay tuned for more pictures of it filled with beautiful heads of lettuce and strawberries. Note the super cool pot shelf underneath. We were at the nursery and saw a similar table with a shelf – so he came home and just added it. I love having a handy hubby.

I worked on planting my two new rose bushes, a ton of bulbs and some seeds for veggies. I prepped beds for planting tomatoes next month and did a lot of fertilizing and cleaning up. I love getting my hands in the dirt. The smell is so earthy, it just feels good to get your hands dirty and stand back and see your accomplishments. Here are some of the highlights:

Roses on either side, Freesia bulbs in the middle and carrot seeds in a row along the front. Not sure if the carrots are going to grow, stay tuned.

Pots and pots of  bulbs, seeds and herbs:

More to come as all my pretties start to grow!

What We Wish For

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The color of one of my  new rose bushes is called “Peace”. It’s soft white with a light pink edge – just stunning. Pictures to come.

When I made up the marker, I couldn’t help by make a peace sign on the rock. We all need a little more peace in our day, lives and world. What better way to channel that peace than with a beautiful, fragrant rose. And a simple little marker to remind us to sow the peace we want to see in the world.

One of my favorite prayers is the prayer of St. Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Not Since You

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A few weeks ago a friend and sorority sister from college emailed me and asked if I would review a movie in The Goon Room. Christine Duell is an executive producer of a movie called Not Since You. She explained that it’s been a long time coming, but it was finally released and it was a great, romantic comedy.  I said that I would love to and she sent me a copy.

After I agreed, I became very nervous for several reasons. First, I am not a big movie person. I mean, I watch and enjoy movies, but I’m not that person waiting in line opening day or the person that has a subscription to IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes. I really only watch the Oscars for the clothes and then I lose interest.  I like what I like and I don’t what I don’t.  Which leads me to the second reason I was so nervous; what if I hated it?

The good news? I loved it. Even Peter who likes nothing but Westerns, loved it. The movie starts with a group of college friends converging in Athens, Georgia for a wedding. The beginning feels a lot like Love Actually in that there isn’t any background, you’re thrown right in and trying to figure out who is who and how they are connected. As the wedding nears, it becomes very clear that there is an old romance that is still smoldering between Amy (Kathleen Robertson – you’ll know her as Claire from 90210) and Sam (Desmond Harrington – not sure what he’s been in but whoa, is he easy to look at) despite Amy being married to Ryan (Christian Kayne). I liked both Ryan and Sam so it was hard to know who to cheer for and the outcome of both relationships leaves you guessing until the very end. Meanwhile, Sarah (Sarah Rue from the recent Jenny Craig commercials) is trying to strike up a relationship with the obviously damaged Joey (Elden Hensen). The source of his damage comes out late in the movie and made me tear up. His story is illustrated beautifully, but painfully. Then there is Billy (Will Estes – if you were in HS when U-571 came out, you’ll know who he is) and Victoria (Sunny Mabrey). They are in love and she wants to get married, but her past with his best friend Howard (Jon Abrahams) is holding Billy back from proposing. Victoria and Howard were dating when Billy and Victoria fell in love, thus making Howard the third and very bitter wheel. Until Billy can get Howard’s blessing, there won’t be a proposal.

The setting of this movie is beautiful and makes me want to visit my friend Melissa C in Athens. The overall feel of the movie is refreshing – it’s different from a big budget movie and I mean that as a complement.

The outcome of each person is unpredictable, making the movie “the total package”. It’s a great date night flick, girls night in or out, or something fun to watch during home-beauty-night with a face mask and glass of wine. It’s available on netflix, iTunes, pay per view and on demand for rental, filmbaby.com and amazon for purchase. And if you’re flying Air Canada in December, it’s available for your in-flight convenience.

I have been trying to think of funny ratings to give the movie – like 2 thumbs up or 4 “damn dirty apes” (that’s an actual rating for some radio show, I’ve not been hitting the wine or anything). So far, all I’ve come up with is Goons. Predictable, right? Well then, send me some new ideas! Until then, I give Not Since You 5 out of 5 Goons.

picture credit here.

Christmas 2010 = Success

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I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas, we certainly did. Our goal was to cut back on the retail side of the holiday as mentioned in Christmas in August. And the result was a success. We had a wonderful holiday with little stress and a lot of fun.

The only real downer of the weekend was our annual spat driving to my step sister’s house Christmas morning. We get together with all of our family and in a deluge of paper, open presents. It’s crazy and so much fun. But for the third year in a row, there has been an argument that has thankfully ended happily while we drive. Not sure if it’s the early hour, the getting-three-people-out-the-door-on-time or what, but there’s always something. Last year the climax of the fight was me saying “It’s done! I’ve already bought all the gifts so no matter what we spent, it’s done! So you’re going to drop it and we’re going to have a happy, goddamn Christmas!!”. Followed by three seconds of silence and then a car full of laughter. You know it’s bad when swear words are in the same sentence as Christmas. This year’s argument ended similarly with me saying “I might be grouchy, but you’re throwing out the bait and I’m taking it!!”. Silence…me realizing that none of that made any sense, laughter and then it’s over.

Updated with a great pic of me and Ms.B:

Holiday Magic

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I wrote a few months ago about doing less shopping this year and more celebrating this holiday season in Christmas in August. Last night was a perfect example of why I wanted to get the shopping out of the way and focus on the non-retail part of the holidays.

Peter and I had a date to have a glass of wine (or two), sit on the couch and stare at the Christmas tree. We were snuggled under a quilt (yes we had to open the door so it would be cool enough to do this) and it dawned on me that we were doing the same thing 11 years ago. He was dropping me off at my house after a date our senior year of high school. The house was dark and the tree was lit up so we sat on the couch in silence just staring at the tree. It was so beautiful and it felt like one of those great Christmasy things to do. We were both thinking of what the future would hold; high school graduation, college, grad school, etc. and dreaming of what might be. If we had only known then how good it would be.  How good it would feel to have such a beautiful little girl sleeping peacefully in the other room, to be happily married to each other and to have a cozy house to call home. Not to be worried about what gifts we are getting for our family and friends or if we had spent too much, but rather to sit and let the magic of this season and the memories of the past swirl around us while we enjoyed being in each other’s company.

Pictures from the last few Christmases:

Our first tree in DC:

Our last Christmas in DC:

Bear and Travis being tortured:

Our first Christmas as a family:

How fast they go from this….

To this!

So Much to be Thankful For

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I hope all of you lovely readers had a great Thanksgiving. We had one of the best yet. We hosted for the 4th year in a row and had 18 guests. And I think it’s safe to say we’ve finally worked out a lot of the kinks we’ve run into in the past. The weather cooperated (I rented two heaters, just to be sure) and our family and friends were in festive and happy moods!

One of the things I’m so very grateful for is my sweet little niece and nephews. Well, they’re not so little any more, but still. They are all at the ages and stages where a 17 month old could very much be in their way, but they all choose not only to be nice to Baylor, but they include her in almost all their activities. It makes my heart happy to see her face light up when she sees them and for them to be so sweet to her is something I think everyone loves. Here are a few pics from this year’s dinner: