Thankful Thursday

I have to start out this week's list of items I'm thankful for by mentioning my one-year anniversary mark of Blogging! I missed out on posting about it last Thursday because I chose to discuss Disneyland instead. So I wanted to definitely mention it this week.



I cannot believe it's been ONLY one year. So much has happened in my life in that year! But I tell ya, I really had no idea how much of a passion I would develop for this world of Blogging! I sincerely love it! I have post and journaled more about my life than ever before. In fact I have never been a good journal keeper...actually sucked rocks at it! But this forum has provided me a real sense of creativity, ownership, and I love the interaction it has afforded me through everyone who reads my blog! The fact that people actually read it really blows my mind! I never thought in a million years that anyone would care! So that fact alone just super charges my desire to keep this going! In one year I've nearly hit 10,000 visitors, and that's just unreal to me! So in the spirit of my Thankful Thursday post, THANK YOU, to everyone who does stop by and reads my rambling! It truly makes me happy and a bit proud!!!!



Now, on to this week's theme. For Thankful Thursday, I thought I would actually list the reasons I am Thankful for Thursday (I giggled at myself when I thought that one up!) So here goes!



1) Grey's Anatomy - Truly, not since ER have I found a medical drama that I can obsess over in the same manner that I did ER. And until this year when ER went off the air, having both of these dramas on the same night was almost to much yumminess and drama for me to handle! I FREAKING HEART this show! And this season has been the best by far! The addition of Dr. Owen Hunt has done things for my heart that I can't even begin to describe! And McDreamy...oh my Hell...I adore and worship this man! His whole meltdown was fantastic and even better was his, UMM, I DO KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR MY PATIENT, comeback was one of my favorite scenes. Well that and him proposing in the Elevator. And Mark and Lexie...Sexy Hot! Seriously???? Seriously!!!!!

***I loved this picture...because that is so me every Thursday night!***

2) The Office - With all the intense drama and meltdowns that the previously mentioned show brings to my life...I love having this incredibly funny show to chill things out for me! For the longest time Chris just could not get into this show. He didn't get the Office Humor. And for a while I let it go. But each week I would draw him in a little bit more and more...and yeah, well he loves it now also!

3) Next to last day of the week - YIPPEE! You're over hump day, you have all this godliness to indulge in at night..and the next day is Friday. Can't get any better than that!

4) Pay Day - Well for me at least, every other week. And who doesn't LOVE Pay Day!?!?!?

5) Weekend Planning Day - For us, we seem to always realize, hey that thing called a weekend is upon us...and we may want to make some plans! So I enjoy my convos with Chris on what we will be doing either for our Date Nights alone, date nights with Jaxon, or what crazy schedule we have for all the kids on the weekends they are all home! And you all should know by now that I love to have things planned out.

And Last but not least 6) Midnight Twilight Saga releases! - We have at least three more over the next 2 1/2 years! OME!

Thankful Thursdays - Deja Vu

This may look like just one post, but due to BLOGGER completely wigging out on me, and the "new" autosave improvements they have made, this is actually the SECOND time I am making this post!!!! Not bitter at all! Yeah, moving on!

So this week's Thankful Thursday is entirely dedicated to our recent trip to Disneyland. Even now, two weeks later (and I can't believe that it's been two weeks!) we are all still incredibly High on our experience! I am so thankful for the opportunity that we had to go to Disneyland with Jaxon; thankful on many different levels!

Living the Brady Bunchlike life that we do, our four older kids tend to receive double the opportunities for trips, double the gifts, double the fun! So needless to say, Chris and I try to make most of the alone time that we get with our little guy! The last trip that we took, just the three of us, was when Jaxon was just barely one year's old and we went to Virginia to have him meet his Grandma and Grandpa Cole! Yeah, it's been a while! This Easter/Spring Break left us alone with Jaxon, and with all that we've been going through the past several months, we decided it was high time to get the Hell Outta Dodge!!!!

We originally discussed going down to Vegas to spend a long weekend with our good friends, the McDermott's! We priced out flying, renting a car, a few Vegas Shows, etc. and I began wondering what it would take to fly just a tad bit further to sunny Southern-California! As it turned out, with my frequent flyer miles, our awesome Hotel discounts, and the special Disney was offering on tickets, we weren't that much off the mark! So I made the proposal to Chris, and that was it...we just won the Super Bowl and we were going to Disneyland!

This was the first trip for Chris to ANYTHING Disney related, and with Jaxon being at the fun age that he is, I was soooo excited to experience this with them. My past life trips to Disneyland weren't all that great, so it was kind of like my first trip also! We packed an awful lot of great activities...an awful lot of good times in our four short days there. I'm amazed that Mr. Jaxon did as well as he did. He must have been channeling Edward somehow, surviving on an "Adrenaline Rush" (You can Google it if you don't know what I'm speaking of!)

Chris and I decided to make this trip part of Jaxon's 5th birthday celebration! And as such, we took advantage of the awesome birthday events that Disney has to offer. Jaxon proudly wore his Birthday Badge everywhere we went! It was an absolute delight seeing his reaction when, regardless of where we were at in the parks, anyone who saw his badge was wishing him a BIG Happy Birthday! Disney folks know how to take care of the kids! Jaxon acclimated very quickly to everyone telling him Happy Birthday. So much so, that when our weekend ended and we were headed home, Jaxon expected nothing less from the Hertz folks, and all employees at Delta! Hilarious! "MOOOMMMM, That guy didn't wish me Happy Birthday!?!?!?"

We started out the weekend with dinner at Medieval Times, which was fantastic fun! Chris and Jaxon absolutely loved it! We found our way to Goofy's Kitchen for an amazing breakfast buffet with Goofy, Pluto and the gang; Easter Brunch with all the Disney Princesses at Ariel's Grotto; and a rip-roaring Hoe-Down Celebration BBQ with Woody, Jessie and all their woodland Critter friends (my personal favorite activity!) So much food, in such a short time span. I think it was worse than a cruise. At least we did a TON of walking to off-set the high caloric intake!

Some of Jaxon's favorite rides were the Jumping Jellyfish (he rode this one several times); Dumbo (Who doesn't love that ride); Tea Cups (which made Daddy Green, and I don't mean the be good to Earth kind); the Jungle Cruise (which I had never been on before); Finding Nemo Submarine ride (although the 1 1/2 hour wait sucked!) and last but certainly not least, It's a Small World!

Rides that he didn't like and actually scared him to death and had him clinging onto Chris or I for dear life, only to proclaim how AWESOME that was as soon as the ride ended were the Matterhorn; the crazy runaway mountain train ride (can't remember the exact name); Pirates of the Caribbean (even Captain Jack couldn't put his little nerves at ease); and the Haunted Mansion! We couldn't even get him close to Splash Mountain! One, because of the height, but Two, and probably more importantly, my OCD son LOATHES getting wet or messy!

All-in-All it was truly the most magical trip we have ever been on as a family. And yes, we are completely addicted now to the Disney experience. You'll be seeing the ENTIRE Cole clan at Disneyland again in the not-so-far future!

Here are pictures of some of my favorite moments! Enjoy...we did!

Sir Jaxon Cole at Medieval Times!

Awww, boys and their swords!

Jaxon posing for Mommy in his new PJ's!

Jaxon and Goofy at Goofy's Kitchen

Great Candid Shot of Jaxon and Chris waiting for me to get our tickets so that we could enter the park!

One of Jaxon's favorite parts was getting his face painted! Mommy had hers done also!

Chris REALLY wanted this Captain Jack Hat!

We all came home with our own individual Mickey Ears!!!!

Jaxon at the Celebration Round-Up BBQ!!!!

Did I mention how Yummy all the food was?

Coolest Birthday Dessert EVER! We're going to duplicate this for his birthday party!

Enjoy your first day at Disneyland kid???? Exhausted much????

Princess Ariel! "She's so beautiful Mommy!"

Chris liked Belle!!!!

Jaxon's FAVORITE Movie, and bedroom theme is Cars!

Completely Star-Struck!

Jaxon stayed in close contact with Grandma Johnson the entire time!

Jaxon chased bubbles for 30 Minutes at California Adventure!

One of my favorite scenes!!!

I LOVE this ride!!!! I'm screaming like a girl!!!

Jaxon had a doggone good time with Pluto!

It took us until the LAST day to find Mickey!

Arriving home from the airport!

Now THIS is as hot as it always was in my mind!!!!

I love this man! Vampire and Human! In case any of you had forgotten!

Goin' Crazy Much????

I have been sick for the past two days and not getting any better. I wanted nothing more than to lie down today in between conference calls and attempt to rest. However, there was a whining puppy somewhere that would NOT stop crying. The cries were so close that I truly thought there was an innocent puppy trapped somewhere. The crying would not stop and because I wanted so desperately to sleep that the crying became as annoying as a leaky faucet! I went outside, looked around everywhere that I could see and nothing...no puppy! I was just about to pick-up the phone and contact Animal Services to see if they could locate the poor animal when I passed by my husband's laptop and the **** thing was crying! I wiggled the mouse, and wouldn't you know it, there was Cydnee's DOGZ game, and her new baby Pug, looking up at me through the screen, begging to be fed!!!! Good Hell! I'm losing my mind and sleep over a computer dog!

Somebody shoot me!

Never Looked this HOT in my Mind!

Here is a first look at the Wolfpack of "New Moon!" OMG!

From Left to Right: Alex Meraz (Paul), Chaske Spencer (Sam), Bronson Pelletier (Jared), and Kiowa Gordon (Embry)

Thankful Thursdays - Brought Back to Life!!!

It's been forever since I did my Thankful Thursday posts...So here is a new one to restart!

1) A magical Trip: Last Friday Chris, Jaxon and I took off for Sunny, warm, and perfect California. We spent four days there for Easter/Spring Break. We took Jaxon to Disneyland for three of the days and we had the best time that we've had as a "little" family ever!!!! I haven't had any time at all to post about the entire trip, but plan to do so this coming weekend! But it most definitely is top of my list of things that I'm so thankful for this week!

2) Ending in the Black: In the six years that Chris and I have been married, we have never once received a tax refund...until this year! Hallelujah! And NO...I don't thank Obama for it!

3) Mommy/Son Dates: I've been lucky this whole week to have Chasers home! His spring break is a week later than Cyd's and Jaxon's, so he is staying with us all week long! Poor guy has been sick all week, but he finally felt better today, so I treated him to a Mommy/Son Date. We went to lunch and to a movie of his choice! I know that he loves to go out alone with just me...but he can't love it nearly as much as I do!

4) "17 Again": We have been waiting for this movie to come out for months! I love, love, love
Zac Effron. Not as much as my baby sister, but close enough! Can't wait to see the movie this weekend!

5) Rob in GQ: Pictures speak for me loud and clear! H-O-T! Steamy H-O-T! Thanks GQ!

I mean seriously!!!!!!!!!!! What's not to be thankful about that????!!!!! I heart you R.P.

Saying Good-Bye to a Dear Old Friend

Tonight was the Series Finale of ER. After 15, wonderful, medical-drama filled years, one of television's best dramas went off the air. I watched for three hours tonight, crying every minute of it, and every time I looked at the clock, I dreaded every minute that passed by. This final

show was incredible, if not cruel, because it left you wanting more! It wasn't some stupid-ass'd ending like everyone dying in a bloodbath, or the hospital blowing up, or Heaven Forbid a "Sopranos" Black-Screen Close out. Nope, this was truly perfect. The producer, John Wells, wanted to pay homage to Michael Crighton, who passed away just a few months ago, by recreating the Pilot show. And they did it brilliantly! I loved every minute of it!

Watching the recap show the first hour was so emotional for me. I know you are all laughing at me right this second for being so distraught over this, but there isn't an episode they recapped that I hadn't seen, nor that didn't remind me of so many aspects of my life in the past 15 years. Think about it....I watched every last episode, and have probably seen most of them two or three other times in syndication...and I've had quite the life in 15-years.

I am often teased about my "little" obsessions in life, but no one can accuse me of not being loyal! I remember so many nights racing around town and in my life freaking out over the VCR not being set to record. Or the cable going out. Or having to work through major episodes. Or even worse, being forced to wait three whole months until the fall premiere came on and we would get to see what happened next. Seriously, how did we survive without TiVo???!!!!????

I cry at anything, but I found that my relatability to the script evolved as my life did. For instance, as I became a wife or mother, any and every episode having to do with the mom dying I couldn't handle. Or episodes involving pre-mature babies, or little kids suffering and dying some awful disease...Yeah just shoot me! But also, I loved these characters...and their messed up lives, their successes, and their tragedies, always hit home to me.

So here are some of my favorite moments that I have recollected this evening, my little homage to ER:

Favorite Couple:

1st place will always be Dr. Ross Nurse Hathaway! However coming in a an extremely close 2nd... Dr. Kovac and Dr. Lockhart!

And in third place...Dr. Gates and Nurse Taggat!

Favorite Couple Moments: SOOOO Many, so so many!

1) Doug and Carol FINALLY getting together, on her exit episode!

2) Carol showing up in the desert to be with Doug after his father died....their "coming out" episode!

3) Abby's and Luka's wedding vows! Cried like a baby!

4) Abby and Luka deciding to stay together...on Luka's last episode!

5) Sam and Tony...holding hands as she thanks him for all he's done for her and Alex...on tonight's final episode! Freakin A'...I was gonna throw down if I didn't get my happy ending there!

Favorite Dr. Benton Moments: Yeah, he gets his own category! He was the BEST surgeon and there hasn't been one since him that can measure up!

1) Saving Carter after he was stabbed by the psychotic skitzo on Valentine's Day (yeah, this is by far one of my favorite episodes and I have seen this one probably the most out of all of the episodes!)

2) Not being able to save his own nephew from a gunshot wound! Wow!! It was awesome to watch his vulnerability being put out there!

3) Being able to communicate with his deaf son for the first time!

4) And saving Carter, once again, as a reckless, if not cocky surgeon nearly destroys the new kidney that Carter was receiving that would save his life!

Favorite Cliff Hangers:

1) The absolute best one EVER, was when the ER gets shot up and Jerry is being worked on, and Abby who is 6 months pregnant, collapses from being shot herself, and Luka, who was temporarily crippled by the assailants, was tied down to a gurney in the next room, unable to scream for help, nor get to Abby who just started hemorrhaging next door, and Sam has been kidnapped by said assailants, aka, psycho ex-husband and is being taken out of Chicago! WHEW...that exhausted me just thinking about it again!

2) Carter being stabbed by a psychotic college student, falling to the ground, only to see Lucy, his intern, lying on the floor with a slit throat! OMH!!!! Yeah, that was the longest week of my life!!!!!

3) Dr. Carter leaving Luka in South Africa and we don't know if Luka is going to be safe, or captured, or what!!!!!! Totally stressful!

4) As recent as last season, the ambulance blowing up and we don't know which doc is in the ambulance or if they are still alive!

5) Dr. Greene letting a serial killer die in the elevator instead of saving his life!

6) Neela showing up to see that Ray had been hit by a truck and had both of his legs amputated! WTH?!?!?!

Most Heart-wrenching deaths:UGH...this is just going to have to be a three-way tie!!!!

1) Dr. Greene dying from a brain tumor, on the island of Hawaii with his wife and two daughters! I was so emotionally distraught from this episode, I put in for a funeral day at work! (I'm not joking!)

2) Lucy dying from having her throat slit. Sounds obvious right??? But no, they worked on her for what seemed like forever, and then they made it sound like she was out of the woods, and then that darned PE (Pulmonary Embolism) happened, and no matter what Robert or Alex did, they couldn't save her. I cry every time I watch as Robert throws the surgical tools across the room and races back to her open chest cave and tries to restart her heart again!

3) Dr. Pratt dying from the Ambulance explosion. This was the first episode of this last and final season, and I seriously couldn't take it! When they pronounced him, and then showed everyone's reaction as they wheeled him through the ER for the last time, I LOST IT! Well I had been crying long before then, but that REALLY did me in!

Other Favorite Episodes: (In no particular order)

1) Doug saving the boy trapped in a flood/tunnel!

2) Robert getting his arm chopped off by a helicopter!

3) Doug and Carol assisting a mother in the death of her dying son.

4) Dr. Greene being broken hearted and left on the L-Train Platform as Susan leaves Chicago.

5) Dr. Benton taking Dr. Carter personally and checking him into rehab. BFF's!!!!!!!!!!!!

I could probably sit here all night remembering different episodes, but I won't. And if you're still reading this, well then, either you enjoy my ramblings and are just using this as more material to tease me with...or, maybe, just maybe, you at some point were an ER fan also and didn't mind going down memory lane with me!