Happy 4th of July

Last night, my family & I attended a huge fireworks show on the river. My girls were captivated by the beautiful light display. I enjoyed being there in that moment with my loved ones. And I actually teared up when I got home and realized that I had FINALLY captured a decent fireworks picture with my camera!

Today, I am counting my blessings to be a citizen of the U.S.A.! And I'm also thankful that I finally outsmarted my camera.

Happy 4th of July!

Movie Reviews: Bad Teacher and Larry Crowne

I love movies!! This was a particularly great Saturday because not only did I get to check out 2 movies that I've been wanting to see for a while, but I got to go with 2 of my favorite people! Let's review!

Bad Teacher stars Cameron Diaz as a self-absorbed slacker who has 1 thing on her priority list and that is finding a rich guy to take care of her. In the meantime, she is biding her time as a horrible middle school teacher that is at odds with the perky teacher across the hall. Enter Justin Timberlake. Justin plays a nerdy substitute teacher who comes from a wealthy family and is the object of affection of both Cameron and the perky teacher.

Overall, my best friend & I laughed a LOT during this flick. The writing is funny and completely irreverent. Cameron is totally believable in her character. Jason Segel provides some fantastic supporting character zingers. However, Justin Timberlake was woefully miscast in this film. I love Justin and he's proven his comedic chops on Saturday Night Live, but this film did him no favors.

My vote is 2.5 stars out of 4.

My name is Angie and I adore Tom Hanks. Hubby & I went to check out this movie because as he said, "Tom Hanks rarely lets us down". And he was so right. Larry Crowne stars Tom as a recently terminated middle-age divorcee who decides that going to college is going to give him a leg up in the job market. Julia plays his Speech Class teacher. With the help of a fantastic supporting cast of unique characters, we grow to appreciate the tangential relationships that blossom, as well as the one centered between Tom & Julia. We really enjoyed this movie!

My vote is 3.5 stars out of 4.

Have you seen any good or bad movies lately?

Friday Fragments

Hey there friends! I know it's been a while. Time just seems to move faster these days and by the time I get to end of the day, I'm so tired that I just can't muster up a blog post. But, in the spirit of getting back on track (again, I know) I'm making a big effort to blog most days in July. So, this week I'm participating for the first time in Friday Fragments, which is hosted by Mrs4444 at Half-Past Kissin' Time. I also want to give a shout out to my bloggy friend Julia, who brought this link up to my attention.

• I had a job interview this week for a position that I honestly thought I had very little chance of being offered. So, when they called me 24 hours later to offer it to me, I almost cried. VERY EXCITING!! I start it in August and couldn't be happier!
• My hubby had back surgery last week and I am so relieved that he's finally free of pain. Herniated discs are zero fun.
• In related news, we're heading to the beach next week and hubby isn't thrilled that he can't get in the pool or ocean while we're vacationing. But hey, at least he's not in excruciating pain anymore! Gotta look for that silver lining...always.
• I spent 3 hours cleaning my house yesterday and now I don't want anyone to touch anything. Am I the only one who gets that way with a clean house?
• We're going to my very first drive-in movie tonight. I'm almost as excited about this as I am about our beach trip! I love movies.
• I had a house full of girlfriends over last night for a party and it was so great! I love having parties. It gives me a good excuse to clean my house. LOL!

Happy 4th of July weekend! We're looking forward to enjoying some fabulous fireworks displays this weekend. Hope you get to do the same!