Blogtober Day 20: I Wish

There are days that I wish I could put in a box and never have to look at again.  I have caught myself all too many times uttering the phrase, "I wish."  I wish these dishes would do themselves.  I wish Josh would be home from work already.  I wish Landon could understand when I ask him to stay out of the cabinets.  I wish I was a better cook.  I wish I was so socially awkward sometimes.  I wish...

What is a wish, really though?  At first I think maybe it is just hope.  But that doesn't seem right.  Hope is putting faith in something that is possible.  Difficult perhaps, yes.  But possible.  Dishes do not simply jump up and scrub themselves.  So I may as well leave hope out of the mix. 

Wish is more synonymous with want.

If I replace the word wish with the word want in the previous phrases... I realize how petty I sound.

Anyone else feel guilty of this sometimes?

I am so focused on what I don't have, I forget what I do.  It isn't just about possessions or responsibilities.  I also find myself wondering what if?

What if I made a little more money?  What if I lived somewhere else?  What if my son had come later?

This is just as pointless as I wish because what if is equally hypothetical.

There is a quote from Lord of the Rings that sums up my feelings on those stuff-them-in-a-box days.

Frodo says, "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

And Gandalf replies, "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought."

I believe there is a lot of truth in that.  Perhaps the road I find myself on was meant for me alone.  No one else could travel it.  Instead of lamenting my fate, I should be more encouraged that I was chosen for these tasks.  It could be worse, and it could be easier.  That is not the issue.  The issue comes from within.

Blogtober Day 12: Best Chick Flicks

I went to a wedding reception, and it's got me feeling extra extra sappy.  It is also late, with an early start tomorrow morning, so I decided to just put together a list of my favorite "chick flicks" of all time.

1. Titanic.  Not that this choice needs any explanation, but honestly.  This is practically mandatory.  Forbidden love ALWAYS makes for great cinema.  And young Leo... he makes me smile.
2. Moulin Rouge.  I love a good musical.  Who knew that Obi Wan could sing?  Nicole Kidman is kind of an obsession of mine as well.  Just have a box of tissues ready for the ending.
3. Phantom of the Opera.  One of my all time favorites.  I warned you already I love musicals.  Pair it with a fantastic composer (praise always to Andrew Lloyd Webber) and you have magic.
4. Anne (of Green Gables, Avonlea, and the Continuing Story). These are a little more old school, but if you don't mind that, these are AMAZING.  If you have read the books, I promise you will like them even more.  Continuing Story is not very true to the books, but is still my favorite.  Who doesn't want a love like Anne and Gil?
5. The Princess Bride.  Inconceivable!  Again, waaay more enjoyable if you have read the book.  Even if you haven't though, it will always be a classic.
6. Dirty Dancing.  Nobody puts baby in a corner.  Not even in your DVD collection. 
7. Gone With The Wind.  A little long, admittedly.  But I gotta love Scarlett's stubborn persistence.
8. Ever After: A Cinderella Story.  This was the movie I would watch as a little girl, and dream of my own prince sweeping me off my feet.  Or catching me swimming in a lake.  Whatever.
9. Crazy, Stupid, Love.  At least like, 5 or 6 of my favorite actors/actresses in a mishmash of hilarity and emotional buildup.  Can't go wrong.
10. Pride and Prejudice.  Stop kidding yourself.  You wish you were Mrs. Darcy.
11. Mamma Mia.  I love Abba.
12. P.S. I Love You.  I also Love Gerard Butler.

Those are the favorites.  Go get yourself some popcorn and bribe your hubby to watch them with you.  Extra points if he doesn't sleep through anything.

Tops of the Tens

Apparently I have good taste, or so I was told recently.  Obviously this was extremely flattering, so I decided to put out some of my "favorites" in various categories.

I might rank my favorites a little differently though.  I determine my favorites by longevity.  Kind of like the game desert island.  If I had to only listen to ten songs, read ten books, watch ten movies, have dinner with ten people, etc., these would be the ones. 

Like, I love brownie based ice creams, but I would get tired of it.  This is the stuff I could have every day and survive happily with.  I challenge you to make your own!

                                    Top Ten Books
1. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
2. The Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke
3. The Kingdom & The Crown by Gerald N. Lund
4. His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
5. The Bartimeaus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
6. Ariana: The Trilogy by Rachel Ann Nunes
7. Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher
8. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
9. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
10. A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck

Top Ten Movies
1. The Phantom of the Opera
2. The Count of Monte Cristo
3. Gladiator
4. The Princess Bride
5. Sherlock Holmes
6. Anne (Green Gables, Avonlea, and Continuing Story)
7. The Sound of Music
8. Titanic
9. Tangled
10. Easy A

Vienna

Top Ten Places (That I've been to)
1. Budapest, Hungary
2. Gyor, Hungary

Gyor

3. London, England
4. Paris, France
5. Venice, Italy
6. Vienna, Austria
7. Prague, Czech. Rep.
                                                      8. Salzburg, Austria

Piney River Ranch

9. Piney River Ranch, Vail,CO    
10. Krakow, Poland








Top Ten Foods
1. Steak and Potatoes

Paprikas Csirke

2. Crepes w/fruit
3. Don Hilberto's Super Fries
4. Cowboy Caviar (with tortilla chips)
5. Paprikas Csirke
6. BACON (The food of champions)
7. Cereal
8. Zeppoli
9. Pecan Pie
10. Wontons (Rangoons)

                                                     Top Ten People
1. Jesus Christ
2. J.K. Rowling
3. Julie Andrews
4. Charles Dickens
5. Barbra Streisand
6. Emma Stone
7. Walt Disney
8. Taylor Swift
9. Hugh Jackman
10. Marie Antoinette