Ummm....

So...I've basically been the worst blogger ever lately.  Sorry!  There really isn't a good excuse, I've just been busy with work and the days I'm not at work I have been busy with other stuff.  Nothing really exciting, but time consuming.

I discovered a new book recently that I had to buy. 

I know that there are people who love Twilight and people who hate it.  Most of the people I know who hate it have never read it, so I don't particularly care what they think.  Sure, the vampires aren't like the ones in comic books, but they're still awesome.  Why do they have to be just like they've always been to make a good story?  Twilight is a good story...and I don't care to admit that I love it!  So, when I came across this companion and had to have it!  If you do have any interest in the Twilight Saga you should get this book.  It had the history of ALL the vampires (even the minor characters) as well as the wolves (including family trees and background stories that aren't in the books).  There is a lot of good information that helps you to better understand things they are said in passing in the books.  So after I read this I have been re-reading the books.  I have been a bit addicted.  Once I finished working my last 5 shifts (it was a brutal strech of working) I came home ready to enjoy 5 whole days without going to work!  How did I spend it?  Reading (and playing with Logan and Marcie, of course!).  I am about a quarter of the way through Breaking Dawn now (and there was an article in the EW! this week about the film of Breaking Dawn, part I will be in theaters this November) and I am barely able to stop to blog a bit.

Shawn is off of work today and tomorrow, so I will have to curb my reading obsession a bit to spend time with him...why would I want to do that??  haha.  We're going to lunch today (using a Groupon that I bought this week...I LOVE Groupon) then to a movie tomorrow.  Something Shawn wants to see, which will be a movie a week at least all summer, but I do think it looks good too.  The movies I want to see are coming...most importantly is HARRY POTTER!!

If you're not excited about final installment of the Harry Potter movie franchise, then you must be uninformed about something.  Here is how to fix that.

1. Read the books.  It won't take that long and it is totally worth it.  Shawn has even read then and he doesn't like to read "real" books.
2. Watch the movies.  They aren't all great (not compared to the books anyway - Azkaban is the wost one in my opinion) but they are good to see.  The acting is great!
3. Watch the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.  Now!  Do it!  You'll want to see it so bad!  I can't wait!  Seriously...I already requested that day off of work :)

It's Stanley Cup Time Again!

It is that time of year again...time for the NHL to start fighting for real!  Time for the battle for Lord Stanley's Cup.  As you all should know, last year the big winners were THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS!  It was awesome and we would LOVE for them to do it again.


Well...last night was their first game of the playoffs against the Vancouver Canucks.  We played them last year in the playoffs too...it is really fun to screw around with their goalie.  He doesn't like the Hawks much :)  The game was on late and I had to work early this morning so I wasn't able to watch, but we made sure to show our support all day!

Mimi even dressed Logan for the game...although she did it by accident!  Marcie had on her scaft and Shawn wore his tie to work.


Unfortunately, it didn't work.  The Hawks lost last night...but it is only the first game of the first round!!

Planned Parenthood

Shawn typically gets pretty frustrated when I start talking about political issues...not because we disagree, but because I tend to get pretty "heated" about the topic.   However, this is my blog and I can say what I want...no one can tell me to be quiet :)

You would have to be living in Siberia under a rock not to have heard at least something about the recent budget standoff in the federal government that almost culminated in a full government shutdown.  Luckily, a "temporary deal" was reached a the last minute to keep the government up and running.  What was causing the lack of cooperation?  Several things, but one of the main issues was Planned Parenthood.

Before I talk more about the federal government, I would like to take a moment to discuss what Planned Parenthood has meant to me (and I am sure to many other women).  When I was in college, I had the luxury of using the University Health Clinic for my women's health needs.  I was able to visit the clinic for my yearly pap smear, breast exam, and any other testing I needed (such as yeast infections, urinary tract infections, etc), while the facility also provided low cost STD testing, should that be a need.  This facility also made available free contraceptives in the form of condoms and also provided very low cost birth control to the students at the university.  Most universities (I don't know if all do) provide this type of service while you are a student.  However, students at community college and fresh college graduates do not have this luxury, and until now (thanks to Obama's Health Care Reform) were unable to be covered by their parents medical insurance.  So what do these women do for women's health needs?  They visit Planned Parenthood.  When I gradated from college, I was uninsured.  I had to purchase private medical insurance for myself (which I did through Blue Cross & Blue Shield).  This insurance was very expensive (almost $200/mo - which is A LOT for someone right out of college without good job and no benefits) and DID NOT INCLUDE coverage for women's health.  It had a HUGE deductible and was completely worthless for my needs, but if I were to break my leg or fall off the roof I would be covered.  For this reason, I utilized Planned Parenthood for several years.  Planned Parenthood made it possible for me to keep up with all my women's healthcare needs, which I would not have been able to do without otherwise.

Now...the budget dispute over Planned Parenthood, wasn't really about the budget.  It was about abortion.  The Republican's want to take away federal funding from Planned Parenthood because they provide legal abortion services to women.  What the Republican's were forgetting to mention is that Planned Parenthood is unable to use their federal funding for abortion services, so taking away the funding would really be taking away the basic women's health services that I mentioned earlier from college students, un-insured, and other low-income women all over the country.  The Republican's were so busy trying to encourage people to get behind them in their quest to take away the funding that they started throwing out all kinds of "facts" about Planned Parenthood's abortion policies.  Jon Stewart (of The Daily Show) and Stephen Colbert (of The Colbert Report) both had bits this week pointing out one of these "facts" that was presented by Congressman John Kyl (R) of Arizona.  Although the clips are quite funny...the what the Congressman did IS NOT FUNNY AT ALL.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Jon Kyl Tweets Not Intended to Be Factual Statements
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

The Daily Show - Countdown to the Next Countdown - Jon Kyl's Planned Parenthood Statistics
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I am shocked every time I see things like this.  How can these people sleep at night knowing that they are blantantly telling lies to the American people?  How can this be legal?  I am sure that both sides lie...I am not going to pretend that democrats don't lie as well.  All policitican's lie to some extent...not that I believe that it is good, or even acceptable, but it happens.  But to lie so dramatically...just making up statistics (3% and 90% are PRETTY DIFFERENT) and then after that lie is out there backtracking and stating that you were just trying to make a point and you didn't intend it to be taken as fact?  What kind of bull is that??  This is the kind of stuff that causes such anger and separation between the parties because extreme right wing and the extreme left wing take these types of things that are said (even when they are totally lies) and believe them, then spread the information around as fact and perpetuate a system at two extremes that seems unable to meet in the middle on anything.  If these types of lies weren't perpetuated I believe that we would have more cooperation in Washington and across the country between liberals and conservatives.  I would love to see that.  We would be able to get so much more done for so many people.

Hockey & the cutest baby ever!

Shawn and I had a day off together last week and we decided to go downtown for lunch at The Iron Cactus then head to a Texas Stars Hockey game.

Lunch was awesome!  It was a gorgeous day so we at on the outdoor patio on the roof.  Food was good, weather was good, company was great!  Best lunch in a while!

Since we both love hockey and the Blackhawks are so far away now, we had been talking since we moved down here about going to a Texas Stars hockey game.  They play just NW of Austin in Cedar Park.  The Cedar Park Center is really nice an not too big, so no seat is a bad seat.  We had a great time and will definitely be going again!



Today, Logan is over for some playtime with his favorite Auntie :)  His new favorite thing to play with here (besides all of Marcie's toys) is Shawn's voice activated R2-D2.  Logan loves him!  We turn him on and Logan is totally fascinated!  They are becoming good friends.

Marcie gets a tad jealous when I play with Logan.

Totally understandable though...look at this sweet face :)

He still has those beautiful long eyelashes!



Breakfast

I love breakfast foods.  Any meal of the day.  Fine with me!

Sometimes I do eat breakfast at breakfast time and today was just such a day.  Shawn and I are both home today and I wanted to actually make breakfast for us.  Now, you may have noticed an abrupt ending to posts about Weight Watchers.  I am still at it, I just had a bit of a setback when Shawn and I journeyed to the Midwest for almost 2 weeks.  Too much good food...too much eating out.  Anyway, I am back on the plan and todays breakfast was from my WW Cookbook.  Even Shawn enjoyed it!

Stuffed French Toast



You are probably saying, "Wow!  That looks delicious!"

It was.

You may also be saying, "What is that delicious looking stuff that is stuffed in those french toast?"

It is dried cherries and almonds soaked in rum.  Yes, rum.

You are probably not asking this, but I will ask anyway. "That bread looks quite interesting. What is it?"

It is challah bread from Whole Foods.

To sum up...delicious, healthy breakfast.  Only 8 POINTS!