The Hunger Games

     Today was a lot of fun!!!  A bunch of us gathered together for the long-awaited opening of The Hunger Games.  We have been planning for this weekend for a long time, and the movie didn't disappoint us.  Good thing I bought our tickets ahead of time as the theater was packed!!  Our gathering began with lunch at Zaffiro's; it was very delicious!  Lots of laughs were enjoyed by all as well!!

 Alison, Bridget, Deb, and I were the first ones to arrive.

 Followed by Heidi and her daughter, Rachel, and April and her oldest daughter, Bailey...

Heidi, you look so good, and it is so wonderful that you are now in the cancer SURVIVOR category!!

      Alison's daughter, Brandy, joined us as well.  She is growing up so fast!! I still remember the day that she was born; it doesn't seem possible that she is in 9th grade already!!

     REALLY??!!  As we were waiting for our lunch, a movie was playing on a couple of the flat screens in the restaurant.  Our table just happened to look at the TV at the same time to find a nude man in a yoga position talking on his cell phone.  What the hell?!  The other flat screens were showing the NCAA basketball tournament, so the TV entertainment options were quite extreme!!  We couldn't quit laughing and were rather distracted by the whole situation, so we asked the waitress to turn the channel.  (It was more for the sake of those around us as we were laughing so hard!!)  We never did find out the name of this movie!!

Bailey sported a "Katniss look" for the occasion.  Very cool!! :0)

 Here's the whole gang in the theater in plenty of time to find enough seats to enjoy the movie together!! :)

 Having fun before the movie started

A great time was had by all...thanks, ladies!!

Michael's England Trip

     Darrell and I decided that we are going to live vicariously through Michael!! He recently accepted a new position in the company he works for, Cummins, as a project manager. For the past four years, he has been working there as a mechanical engineer. Last week he was already sent to England for six days, so he sent us a bunch of pictures from his trip.  Granted, he was busy with meetings and had to give a big presentation, but he had time to do some sightseeing.  Lucky him!!!!  

     Another highlight of his trip was being able to put his knowledge of the German language to use with some of his European co-workers.  He must have been excited as he called three times while he was out of the country!!  :0)  He was also excited when he visited University of Cambridge and some of the pubs!! I can't provide captions for all of the pictures, but I do know that the first one is Michael :) at Stonehenge.  I recognize Big Ben and Burghley as well.  

STONEHENGE

     "Stonehenge is surely Britain's greatest national icon, symbolizing mystery, power and endurance. Its original purpose is unclear to us, but some have speculated that it was a temple made for the worship of ancient earth deities. It has been called an astronomical observatory for marking significant events on the prehistoric calendar. Others claim that it was a sacred site for the burial of high-ranking citizens from the societies of long ago." 

     "The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster - officially named Saint Stephen's Tower - is commonly known as the Big Ben. The tower is one of London's most famous landmarks. The clock inside the tower was the world's largest when it was installed in the middle of the 19th century. The name Big Ben actually refers to the clock's hour bell, the largest of the clock's five bells. The other four are used as quarter bells."

      "Burghley has filled people with awe and inspiration. So much more than a house, Burghley offers a unique glimpse of the way great houses have been furnished and inhabited from the time of Queen Elizabeth I to the present day."

 

Another Bachelor Finale Night

     Well, it's that time of the year again!! Although we didn't enjoy this season in the least, we still had fun at our annual Bachelor finale night.  It was another well-planned event hosted by Simona and Jill.  Commercial entertainment was once again provided, and it was as funny as ever!!  It's not really about the TV show at all; it's much more about the fun we have every finale night!!

The centerpiece at the dinner table :0)

 

Getting ready for the big party

The big microphones were for our rapping contest.

Well, maybe Simona was a bit into the show!!  Holly was there for the fun!!

Our commercial break emcee/s, Jill (and Wilma)

Heather, Sara, and I stopped long enough from taking our "quiz" to pose for a picture.

Holly said that you can come by her 1st or 4th hour anytime, Simona!! :0)

Heather got a little teared up...ha! ha!  Marney didn't buy it though!

Time for a reenactment...

Lots of good food and fun was had by all!!! :)

                                     Special "presents" abounded throughout the evening...

Here is Holly modeling her lovely gift.

Apparently, Marney loved hers!!

I had suspicions about mine, so I was being very careful when unwrapping it.

Our rapping contest was hilarious!!

Another reenactment and more bling...

This picture pretty much sums up our night of fun.  Thanks for another night of laughs and memories.  

I look forward to the Bachelorette finale night this summer!!

Pink Day

     Today we wore pink to show our support for anti-bullying.  A lot of students and staff participated, so we really were a "sea of pink".  It's good to have and support a cause.

 Here I am with Becca and Bridget.

 Jill and Me

 Our 8th grade lunch bunch sported a variety of pink clothes.

 Then we decided to do a goofy picture...:0)

Holly is pretty in pink!!

     Tonight my good friend, Bridget, showcased her talents as a Mary Kay consultant.  I hadn't been to a MK party since my college days, so it was fun to see the new products and, of course, Bridget in action!!

     Oddly enough...more pink!!

 The Mary Kay Crew

 One of the only serious moments...filling out a survey/form for Bridget

 As you can see, most of the time was filled with laughter. :0)

 Then again...some people couldn't see so well.  Alison is pretty much blind without her glasses!!

More of the ladies in action...

What a great start to our upcoming break!! :)