Yesterday we decided to pack up and head downtown (well, to South Omaha) and see the Chrysanthemum exhibit at the Lauritzen Botanical Gardens. It was the last day of the show so we wanted to catch it before it was gone.

Fun fact: Chrysanthemums are the November birth flower, and therefore, my birth flower! They mean compassion, cheerfulness, rest, loveliness, optimism, abundance, wealth, friendship and secret love – all qualities that can also be used to describe me! Except for wealth. And secret love. And rest.

Anywho.

The flower show was lovely and Isabella enjoyed running along the paths and smelling the different types of mums (there are 9 classifications and over 30 types).

We were the only ones there (except for some cute little old man) and it was kind of fun having the place to ourselves.

They also had a koi pond in there with about 6 large koi fish of all colors.

Isabella thought they were really fun and she kept calling them “gooey fish” (from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse).

She was in a rather silly mood.

When we were done in there, we headed outside to Kenefick Park, where they have the 2 of the greatest trains built by Union Pacific Railroad. Neither CJ or I had ever been there so it was a fun adventure for all of us.

It was a chilly day so we made Isabella bundle up in her “Murray” coat (everything these days is related somehow to the Wiggles. Murray is the red Wiggle) and put her hood up. She also insisted on wearing her sunglasses.

She looked very “Jackie O”, don’t you think?

Here’s “Big Boy”, the world’s largest steam locomotive (or Wags as Isabella called it):

And here’s Centennial No. 6900 (or the “Sam” train), the largest and most powerful diesel-electric locomotive ever built:

These guys were huge! I really felt small standing next to them. Pretty cool to be so close to something so powerful.

But soon Isabella grew tired and it was time to go. She was also starting to get cold. And was tired of having her picture taken.

She fell asleep in the car on the way home.

It was a fun day and a nice little family outing – something outdoors before the weather turns too much colder!

Happy Fall!

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20 Questions

20Nov2011

Twihard with a Vengeance

Posted in CJ, Friends and Fun by teamtradermom

Hi. My name is Sarah and I’m a Twihard.

I loved the Twilight books and I love the movies. Some may say the movies are cheesy/poorly done/poorly acted. To those people I say “phooey”. They may not win Academy Awards but they’re fun and a good escape for 2 hours.

Why do I like them so much? They have everything! In the words of grandpa from The Princess Bride (another fav movie), “Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles!” Not to mention vampires, werewolves, and high school angst – oh my!

I know these books were written for teens but let’s face it, there’s still a teenage girl alive and rampant inside every grown woman. That’s the side of us that gossips, feels insecure and gets nervous around cute boys. I read through all 4 books over a 4 week period during my pregnancy with Isabella. Basically my butt didn’t leave the couch for that month except to go to work. And I read them over lunch breaks at work too. They sucked me in big time and I love every minute of it.

Now to another important point. I’m on Team Jacob. Even before seeing Taylor Lautner I liked Jacob more the Edward (and Taylor only confirms my allegiance – have ya seen him without his shirt? HELLO!!). Jacob is kind and loyal and warm . Edward is bossy and moody and cold. Classic werewolf vs. vampire I suppose. Plus I’m a dog person so when it comes right down to it, I’ll pick the werewolf every time.

Last night CJ and I went to see Breaking Dawn part 1. I was so excited all day for it! Breaking Dawn was my least favorite book of the series but I had heard the movie was the best so far. I was ready to find out!

Movie time was 7:30 and we had no idea what kind of crowds there might be so we grabbed a quick dinner and headed over there around 6:30. I had purchased our tickets online so that we could walk right up to the ticket taker and not wait in line at the front. The guy told me the theatre wasn’t open yet and that we’d have to get in line. He pointed to a roped off area behind me and guess what – we were the first ones there!

But it didn’t take long for the line to form behind us. We had to wait about 30 minutes before they opened the doors. We passed the time talking to the people around us. Turns out they are from Tekamah, NE which is where CJ lived for about 7 years as a kid. They knew a lot of the same people and it was fun to catch up on how old friends are doing. Finally they let us in and we ran to get our prime viewing spot – middle of the very back row! Perfect!

(By the way, did you notice that only one side of my glasses has a slight glare on it? That’s because there is no lens on the right side. It fell out weeks ago due to a crack in the frame and I haven’t gone in to get new ones yet. Yes, I’m cheap. And a procrastinator. So I just wear them with only one lens. Is that redneck?)

(Oh and that “beauty mark” next to my right lip is not a mole – it’s my Cindy Crawford zit. *sigh*)

The movie was awesome. The special effects were better in this one than the others. They’ve gotten much improved at the werewolf transformation and fight scenes. There were several parts that gave me goose bumps (CJ too!) and they ended it just the right way. I had heard some people weren’t happy with the ending but I thought it was perfect.

Now I have to wait a year before the next one! Torture!

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