Olympic observations

Congrats to our neighbors to the North. It wasn't pretty at times, but they pulled off the Winter Olympic Games with all the trimmings. The Canadians (finally) showed up as hosts to their own games with an impressive 14 gold medals. The US had their best performance ever in getting 37 medals and leading in the overall count. Some highlights for me were the moguls (how 'bout Bozeman MT's own, Bryon Wilson, getting bronze in the men's event!), speed skating, esp. J.R. Celski (Biggest Loser fans will appreciate that), first or long time waiting medals won in Nordic combined and bobsled. Tho, Nordic still looks about as fun and appealing as trying to swim up a waterfall. I was moved watching Joannie Rochette of Canada win bronze and fight her emotions to honor her mom who had passed just days before her Olympic dream began. I was glad to see that Bode Miller had grown up and performed at top level. Eye rolling was induced when Julie Mancuso and Lindsay Vonn did what girls tend to do when they have their eye on the same prize. To me, tho, unfortunately, the biggest memory will be the sad and tragic death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the luger from Georgia. I bet when his parents said their goodbyes the thought he'd be coming home in a casket never even crossed their minds. Granted, the sport is dangerous: they travel at speeds not even legal in a car with seat belts and airbags! But to think any sport could be deadly... well it just casts a gloomy shadow over what should be a joyful event. I do not fault the construction, the organizers, the coaches in that accident. I truly believe, while still devastating, what happened was driver error. I feel so sad for the family of that young man, tho. That really set a tone for the whole games, and while there were many highlights, great moments of victory and celebration, the sudden and tragic death of someone so young just coming to realize his Olympic dream is hard to get over so easily. However, there was such a sense of pride every time I saw our flag being raised and our national anthem play. Could it kill a couple of people to place your hand over your heart for the Star Spangled Banner?! Show some respect folks! Anyway... now you have some of my perspective. Can't wait for London 2012... how cool would it be to actually be there?! (I am accepting donations for tickets) ;)

It's the little things

I am in a winter blues like mode. The constant overcast/foggy days have gotten to me. Of course football is over, and that adds to everything as well. In my moments of self pity and other such nonsense, this is over heard:

(after Daddy turns off The Little Mermaid to watch some Fox News and the health care summit hoopla)
Aria: "I want to watch Ariel"
Dad: "In a moment hun. Daddy wants to watch this for now"
Aria: "Well, I'm gonna pray to Jesus to turn my movie back on!"
She runs off into the living room...
Aria: "Dear Jesus, Please make my Daddy turn my movie back on."

Thank you Lord, for the little things that make me smile.

Final results

After a few long, sometimes frustrating weeks, we've finished the chair! I have to say that Debbie did a fabulous job! She did probably 95% of the work. Tony sanded and stained the chair. I was mostly moral support and did the occasional ripping, stapling, gluing, cutting... pretty minimal stuff. I am so very pleased with the results!

Before...


DRUM ROLL PLEASE!



After...

Beautiful... couldn't be happier. I second guessed my choice of fabric the minute I hit the "send" button on my order, but it paid off nicely. I love the sheen of the fabric and it is quite durable.

The hardest part was actually the arm rest corners. But, Debbie figured it out and now it looks good as new. I just can't tell you how happy I am with the final result! Thank you SO much Debbie and Tony!


Now on to the matching sofa!

Super Bowl follow up

What happened in the 2nd half of that game?! Personally, I think Peyton started over thinking his routes and frankly, they gave the game to the Saints. I still think the Colts are the better team. I don't want to down play anything the Saints did; they stayed with them offensively and defensively, but they won the same way they beat the Vikes: cashing in on stupid turnovers. But that is one way to do it! I honestly think I would be more happy for the Saints if the media and the city of New Orleans would quit making this all about Katrina. The pregame stuff was just too much to watch! Then after the game, one of the first things that was said, was something to the effect of "this is what New Orleans needed after their tragedy"... blah blah blah. Yeah, a Super Bowl win will rebuild houses and bring people back from the dead. Idiocy! I understand the idea behind it, but it is irritating. I was also appalled at how bad most of the Super Bowl ads were. Not funny, not original. The Audi Green Police was a jaw dropper. Most reviews I read on it were raving: "WE NEED TO DO THIS!!" Yikes! Perhaps Audi was going for satire, but it really back fired! I don't drink beer, EVER, it's gross! But I usually find their commercials funny. Not on this day. The Betty White one was okay, but I thought they tried too hard to get a laugh. Still don't understand the fuss over the Tim Tebow commercial. Short and sweet and not one word (ABORTION!) mentioned in the ad. It aired twice, and I never heard it. I guess some feminists find it offensive cuz it promotes abuse against women when Tim "tackled" his mom. Ok... ladies, calm down! If this is the best you can do, please get a new cause. Did the Betty White commercial raise any eyebrows? You're all pathetic. And you make women like me, who are comfortable with themselves, love their families and love life in general, look like morons. Stop please. The e*trade baby was good. But, again, most reviews I read on this were negative. So, long story short, the people who reviewed these commercials have no sense of humor, are too uptight to understand morality, and think global warming is still an issue. As for half time, The Who did alright. I love Classic Rock, so I was familiar with the group, but I think whoever is in charge of the half time shows should update their roster a bit. I'm not a big fan of country, but country is big right now. Bring in some big acts for next year. I am glad MTV no longer produces the show. Those half time shows in the early 2000's were just plain silly: rap and bubblegum pop has nothing to do with football! Bring in something the average football fan enjoys, but that younger fans will relate to. The Who were good, but I'm sure they were getting alot of the Who who?!

We had everyone from Tony's family over for the day. It was a lot of fun! We changed things up a bit, and Dustin brought in his gourmet pizzas rather than getting a Subway sub. They were tasty! We also put in $10 a person for who would win and by how much. Kim was the lucky winner this year. Only her and Debbie picked the Saints, so their odds were pretty good!

So to sum up the day: the game: B
the ads: D
the half time: B+
hanging out with family: A+

Thank goodness the Olympics start soon: something to distract from my NFL withdrawls!