My Sister's Keeper....Bring Your Kleenex!

My good friend, Deanna, and I went to see the movie, My Sister's Keeper, tonight. I read the book and really wanted to see the movie. I had also heard that Hollywood had changed the ending of the book when they made the movie. If you have read the book, you know that the ending IS the book....how could they change it?

I loved the book and when I head Cameron Diaz was playing the mom, I wasn't sure if she could be serious enough for that part. I love her movies but she is usually pretty light-hearted. Well, she did a fabulous job! The movie lived up to all the predictions...it is a tear jerker. Kleenex is a must!

Have you ever read a book and then gone to see the movie? The book is always so much better and I did think so with this one, too. That being said, Ladies...this is a definite GNO (Girls Night Out) movie. Even though it was sad and emotional, it was really good. You know, as Deanna said, sometimes girls just need to see a really good, sad movie!

And the ending? Well, that rumor was true, too. It is different than the book. I can't decide which ending is the better one....let me know what your thoughts are after you see it.

Hoopfest 2009

For those of you who are not familiar with Hoopfest, it is the world's largest 3 on 3 basketball tournament and is held in Spokane every year on the last weekend in June. This year there were 6700 teams. Over 200,000 were estimated to have invaded Spokane for the weekend. It really is an amazing event and so well organized! This was it's 20th year and Kareem Abdul Jabar and Al Green were both here. Al Green was here last year. He said after that experience he had to come back. The New York Times even ran an article today about it!

These are a couple of pics that Scott took from his office. They give you an idea of what happens to downtown Spokane for the two days, although this is just a small part of the event.

In our house, it is a tradition as important as birthdays and Christmas. Scott has played every year since 3rd grade (except for 2 years) and he is now 23...you do the math. Shannon has played a handful of times but now works for Bruchis (a subsandwich stand) that cooks at Hoopfest. I think she probably works harder than most of the players. (She won't let me take pictures of her at work!)

Scott has played in different brackets throughout the years. He has played on men's teams and coed teams. This year he played in the family division. He played with his cousin Ryan, cousin Miranda and her husband, Ryan. This picture was taken right after their first win!

They won their first two games on Saturday so they didn't have to play again until Sunday. Whew! The temperatures were actually decent at upper 70's to low 80's but it is always so much hotter on the blacktop of the streets. It was much better than last year's 97 degrees. Sunday wasn't as lucky for Scott. They lost their first two games so they were done at noon. Win or lose, Scott loves Hoopfest. You can bet he (we) will be back next year!

One of the rules with coed teams is that a girl has to be on the court at all times. Miranda was our only girl, so she played the whole time. She did great!

The second game on Saturday was fun because Scott's friend, Brandon, jokingly bet Scott that he couldn't shoot six 2 pointers. (At Hoopfest, they score 1pt and 2pt shots instead of 2pt and 3 pt shots). Well, Scott got the crowd's attention when he dropped four 2 pt shot in a row right off the bat. He also got the other team's attention! It was a little harder to get the next two, but he did! He must have sparked something, it was a 2pt shooting fest for both teams. The crowd was in awe! This was one of those shots.

Of course, he does love to play defense, too!
In between games, Scott and Holly found some shade in the park.

Oh yea....one of Scott's other favorite Hoopfest activities....everyone needs a nap between games. Another fun Hoopfest! I wonder how many more he will play.....

A New Patio

Most of you know that I live in a duplex with a small backyard. Most of the time it is just perfect for what I want for right now. Lately, however, the little area right outside my back door has been bothering me. Too many weeds and not enough lawn to make me want to hang out there. Dad to the rescue!

I happened to mention to my dad one weekend that I was thinking about putting a small brick patio in and did he have any advice for me. Dad is a man of action and knows a lot about this, obviously! Scott and I learned a lot about how to lay a patio.
After some careful and thoughtful prep work, lots of leveling of the dirt, Dad and I layed the bricks. We discovered a flaw in the manufacturing of the bricks that caused some spacing issues we didn't like in our pattern so we pulled up all the bricks and changed the pattern. It was a lot of work (and I was so sore the next day...don't know how he does this kind of stuff every day) but the end product was well worth it!I love my new patio! Holly, Scott and I even had a BBQ back there that night.Scott is quite the grill master! Seriously, I love my new patio! It makes all the difference in the world and I love to sit out there and read. I think the most fun I had was hanging out with dad when we went to get the bricks and supplies and then working together to put the patio down. He is very patient! :) Thanks, Dad!!

Getting Caught Up....Again...:)

I have not been on top of things with my blog again. I am determined to be better this summer. Especially since this is a very important summer with the wedding and all the events that includes. So, I am going to get you caught up on a few happenings of the last month.

Obviously, we had our last day of school. That major event was celebrated on June 12th. Hooray! School officially ended at 11:25am. I can never quite figure out who is more excited for summer break, the kids or the students...well, I think I know!

These pictures are from an after school get-together with my wonderful teacher friends. I really work with the most awesome staff! We are truly a team! We are celebrating the end of a successful year, the beginning of summer and the retirement of a great secretary. Marlene...you will be missed!

This next picture is sort of an inside joke but we all chuckled when we saw it. No one dares throw plastic ware away at work for fear of getting caught! It gets taken home and washed and reused....keeping America "green"...

There is nothing teachers enjoy more than relaxing with their good friends, food and ok, maybe some beverages...Happy Summer everyone! See you in the fall!

Next was our night at the Piano Bar! Our dear friend Christine took a new job and is on to a "new and happier" life on the West Coast so we had to send her off well. She heard of this new "hot spot" in Spokane. It's called "Gibliano's" and is a Dueling Piano Bar. We had sooo much fun!

Oh, and by the way....Pomegranite Martini......yum! Look how pretty they are!

It's very intimate and fills up with a crowd of all ages. A dance floor that just seems to invite everyone out. The most amazing part to me was that there are 3 piano players and two pianos so the music never stops! Seriously, never one break! They even throw in some time with the electric guitar. They played everything from Queen to AC/DC to George Strait to King of the Road....

The best part of the night was our "request". The customers requests songs all night and before we left we had to request something in Christine's honor....she wanted to sit on the piano! We were happy to make that happen for her. :)
Christine, you are so much fun! I am going to miss you, girl!