I Love Lent....Because I Love Me Some Fish Sandwiches

So it is that time of the year again…..time to celebrate Lent. HOLA!!

What does Lent mean? It means a time of reflection, sacrifice, self-denial, penitence, prayer, and giving me back my fillet-o-fish…give me that fish. (Seriously, fish sandwiches ROCK and so does that commercial)

The period of lent is very important, and getting in the proper frame of mind, body and soul to get ready for the Resurrection is very import. Part of the process involves doing away with certain vices we may have in our life....and I haves me many. As a Catholic it was always taught, though it is not mandatory (what something not mandatory in Catholicism?! GASP) that during Lent it is also good to either give something up or do something to help others as a way of sacrifice to help us prepare during this time of year.

As a kid I don’t think you really cared about the deeper meaning of giving something up it was just 40+ days without pop or candy or chocolate and no meat on Fridays. I am not saying that the understanding of what I was doing wasn’t there, but really it just seemed like nothing more than a pain in my catholic behind. Plus I would always try to give something up that I really didn’t want that much or something very specific, like I am giving up lime sherbert or starbursts.

As I got older I felt it was more important to do things during that time, like maybe actually go to church or volunteer. I also tried to do things like I will not curse or not be cynical. But shit, that felt like it was more of a chore than a real sacrifice so what was the point. So I stopped doing anything with Lent for awhile. See over the past few years I have really been questioning religion. Not so much my actual FAITH but behind all the incense smoke, kneeling, psalms, and stale bread I have wondered what my role in the Catholic church was and what I believed in and what I didn’t. I know I am suppose to believe certain things or feel certain ways and not questions the church, but WHY should I feel that and why shouldn’t I question my curch?! Plus I feel many of the rules of the Catholic Church are outdated and simply ridiculous.  And as much as I joke and question I am serious about my faith…I just don’t take every detail seriously.

So as I approach 30 I have begun to think about my faith, my religion and what I am really doing with it all. I realized that I will easily criticize and question things within the Catholic Church and I will also ask people numerous questions to try to help me figure everything out (see below). But shouldn’t I be trying to find out those answers on my own? And maybe I shouldn’t be criticizing without a full breathe of knowledge either. I mean, I haven’t even read the bible. Even in Catholic School it was never pushed to actually read the bible, we shouldn’t questions things but just obey. Riiiight. So a month ago I thought, as I try to figure out my religious path, maybe I should actually try reading the bible and then if I want to criticize it at least I will have the knowledge to back it up. See, always thinking.

So back to Lent, I am going to start reading the bible during the Lenten season. I also thought, as this is not really a vice that maybe I should give the giving something up thing another try….but actually give something up that isn’t easy and requires some sort of will power. So I am giving up brussel sprouts. NO, I kid. I am giving up all confectionary treats and pop. Ok, not kidding. This includes desserts of any kind as well as candy or anything that could be considered a sweet treat. I figured if I am going to do this then I need to do it right and go all in. Wish me luck.

On a side note: I actually made a pan of chocolate chip cookies Tuesday night when I decided to do something for Lent just so I could have some cookies before I gave them up for 40+ days. I am sure if Jesus had all the ingredients to make cookies for his last supper he would have done the same thing, however he didn’t because there was no flour. He had asked Peter three times to pick some up at the store but nothing. Dang-it Peter, I would have much rather be having chocolate chip cookies and wine at church than bread and wine. Whatever.


So does anyone give things up or do things for Lent? Thoughts in general on the season of Lent and giving stuff up? Hey, why not….how about even thoughts on your own feelings towards religion and finding your place?

Let it be known, I am SO open to different perspectives on religion and do not criticize someone else’s beliefs. I find people’s beliefs truly fascinating and want to learn about other’s religions and thoughts on religion and this is the one subject matter I don’t like to have any debate on.

I Was Just Wondering….

How old is too old to want to go to the new Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios?!

I know the answer has to be nowhere close to 30 so I am safe, right?! (Terry told me 15…whatever, what does he know anyways.)




I was also wondering, how old is too old to go to the new Harry Potter theme park AND dress up like a wizard?!

Again, I am most likely fine but maybe I will just take our Marauder's Map and wand as I would hate to come off as too much of a dork. Plus it is hard to wear a cape and hat while you play quidditch.

Two Cats, A Bored Girl, A Camera, and A Blog.

Ok, I am officially bored.

T. is in class 2 evenings a week after work, 10:30-6:30 Saturdays, and works sundays and though I do chores around the house when I am alone, I may have a little too much time on my hands. What do I do when I am bored….I annoy my cats by taking a crazy amount of pictures of them. (You know how some of your pets pose when they see the camera, well the other day I got it out and Belle actually ran away…..damn, I wish I would have gotten a picture of that.)

I know there are people who may not be fans of cats but I have two of the cutest cats ever. (Insert: That's what they all say.) They are like a cross between a dog, a cat, a bunny, and a wild boar. It is awesome. They are not these boring cats that just hid and sleep all day, no sirs; they want you to know they are here and will do anything to get your attention. Of course they also do just sleep all day but they look very cute while doing so.  We have also determined that Sebastian is alot like Terry, pretty chill but can also be a grumpy old man at times.  Belle, so they say, is like me...a bit spazzy, a bit annoying, a bit needy, and totally adorable! (I may have added that last one) And as my blog is entitled wrestling kitties I feel that it is my duty (haha, duty) to post pictures of my cats and will be doing this on a more regular basis. I am so bored I have even taken the time to put captions under the pictures. (Note: I am not a crazy cat lady yet HOWEVER when T. goes away for a year to finish school and if I am posting pictures of my cats every day…. then I may need an intervention. I'm just say'n.)

This is Sebastian. "Think thin, think thin...um a little help here."

This is Belle.  "I am practicing how to be cat-tortionist."

......

These pictures happened within a course of 10 minutes. 

She just likes to see how much he will take.

"Hey, does this bother you?!"

"No?  Ok, I will just sleep like this for awhile."

"What if I do this with all my paws, will that be a problem?"

"What about now...am i too close?"

"How about I just hug you like this.  I feel I need to be this close to you."

"No reaction at all....well what if I bite you now!"

Shortly after, he got off the couch and she slept in the middle of the couch for hours.

.....

"Aw...this is the life.  Where is my SPF 45 and glass of milk?"

"What are you looking at?!  This is between the two of us."

"I really really hate you right now."

"No, you go ahead and take a few more pictures. I am fine."

"Do you think we are freaking them out yet?"

"Holy Shit did you see the size of that rabbit?!"

Um, ok I think I am done....for now.

Well What Other Words Have I Been Saying Wrong?!

So last night we were watching TV when a lady said the word “wheelbarrow”.

I instantly start laughing and say “Wheelbarrow, what the heck is that?! Doesn’t she mean wheelbarrel?!” To which know it all Terry says “No Jenn, she said it right. It is wheelbarrow. It is a common mistake, like when people pronounce it FebUary and not FebRUary.”

Um, what the heck, when did that happen?! I am almost 30 years old I had absolutely NO IDEA that it was wheelbarrow. I mean wheelbarrow doesn’t even make sense and sound right…wheelbarrel sounds so much better.

I seriously feel like such a dufus, however I am 100% certain there are many more words I am not saying correctly.  *sigh*


And for the record:


A wheelbarrow is a carrier, usually having only one wheel, consisting of a tray bolted to two handles and two legs. While known mostly as a device for carrying small loads for the household gardener, a wheelbarrow is often also used in construction and industry for carrying larger loads.


The birthplace of the modern wheelbarrow was China, possibly as early as 100 B.C. One early version consisted of a large single wheel at or near the front of a platform. The load would be placed behind the wheel, and the operator would lift the heavy end and push the load. Sometimes a small basket would be used to carry the load, and was similar to rickshaws.


Unlike Chinese wheelbarrows, European wheelbarrows were designed to carry small loads over short distances. It is difficult to trace the progression of the wheelbarrow from China to Europe. Possibly, Arab traders brought it to the Middle East and Europeans learned of it during the Crusades. Ancient Greeks might have used the wheelbarrow for construction, while the Romans might have adapted it for agriculture. After Rome fell, the wheelbarrow could have remained in use in Byzantium until the Crusaders learned of it during their journeys. However, it is most likely that it was an independent invention of the late middle ages, created by putting a wheel on the two-person handbarrow already in use for carrying such items as stones or sheaves of corn.

MY Fitness Challenge!

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Movie Reviews – Introducing The H-Plus Rating Scale

Over the last couple months T & I have seen our fair share of movies. (I think all we do is watch movies) Some of these movies are new in the theater and some we watched on DVD.

Because we love movies so much, but do not believe the current ratings systems are a good way to truly judge a movie, T & I came up with our own ratings scale. Introducing the H-Plus rating scale below.

A typical movie ratings system will give a movie an A, B-, D+ but what does a B- really mean?! Or what about stars? What does it mean to have 2 stars out of four? Should we see that movie or is it just OK. So one day while we were ranting about movies we came up with our own ratings system. (we do stuff like this) Our rating system is simple; the more snacks, bigger sizes of snacks, and/or better combinations of snacks the better the movie is. How easy is that?! No stars, no letters, no thumbs up/thumbs down….just a system based on food, and we can all understand food. Our philosophy is that if it is a great movie it is worth spending the money to get all the extra snack foods. And if it isn’t as good then it is not worth spending the money on food. I understand this system may not make any sense to anyone other than T & I, but it seriously makes sense to us!



Examples: Please note you can change the foods to fit your favorite movie snacks, these are just ours.

The best movie may consist of: Jumbo popcorn with butter & salt, jumbo Mountain Dew, pretzel bites with cheese, slice of pizza and a box of snowcaps….Then go eat a couple Tums while talking about the movies awesomeness. This is for only the BEST of movies, and a combination of food like this can not be taken lightly. Very few movies reach this pinnacle of notoriety!

Average movie: Medium popcorn with a medium Sprite.

Bad movie: Just chew gum and bring your own can of pop.

So here are a few of my latest movie reviews (there were seriously about 15 new movies we have seen in the last 2 months, so I had to compress my list!):

In Theaters:

Legion – Basically God is fed up with the human race and sends Angels to make a bunch of easily killed but stretchy zombie people to destroy this pregnant girl’s unborn child…a child that apparently will change the course of the world. However one Angel, Michael, comes down to attempt to save the human race from destruction by trying to save this child. I love religious based or apocalypse type movies but there was one small problem with this movie, IT SUCKED. The biblical references were as subtle as genital herpes and there was SO much talking and bad acting that I, for a moment, understood why God was angry with these people.
(Bring a can of orange fanta and sweet-tarts from the picked through leftover Halloween candy.)


Daybreakers – It is a vampire movie, so if you do not like vampire movies and the gore that comes with them this is not a movie for you. However, I adore vampire movies and had high hopes for this. And it wasn’t that bad, though not that great either. The idea is that vampires are the dominant species and are taking the humans blood supply and keeping them in the most literal version of a blood bank. Life is great until they start to run out of blood…oh what to do then?! The movie was OK until the end...I was kind of like is that it?! Again, I liked the idea of the movie more so than the execution and acting of the movie, but was entertained because it was about Vampires.
(Small popcorn plain with a large sprite....vampire movies make me thirsty)

Sherlock Holmes - Really really good! I was a bit weary of this movie because of all the hype, and typically with all the hype comes a half-ass movie. Not the case for this one! Besides the hotness that is Robert Downey Jr, the movie was very entertaining, had a really good flow, great costumes and scenery, and was fun to watch.
(Medium popcorn with butter, Large Pepsi, a box of junior mints, and share pretzel bites and cheese with hubby)


On Video:

Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Darkside – HILARIOUS, stupid and completely ridiculous all in one…what else would you expect?! I laughed and then had moments of “oh no they didn’t” which made it even more awesome. It really is just a longer version of the show, done Star Wars style. If you don't like the show you will not like this.
(Splurge on the Jumbo popcorn with butter & salt but bring your own pop with a screw top cap to prevent spilling while laughing)

500 Days of Summer – I thought this was a really cute movie and I thought Zoey Deschanell & Joseph Gordon-Levitt were very cute together. I also liked the way they jumped from different days during the 500 days and that this wasn’t a traditional “love story”. I would watch this again, infact I would own it for one of those simple and fun movies to watch.
(Share with your significant other a Large popcorn with butter and large Pepsi, but you should each bring your own bag of M&M's)

Whip-It – LOVED this movie! I thought it was cute, funny, and it made me want to be on a roller derby team. (hmmmm, I wonder what my name would be?!) I appreciate these types of movies as even though they are slightly predictable, they are still highly entertaining and really make you feel for all the characters in the movie. Way to go Drew, great movie!
(Large popcorn with butter, Medium Pepsi, box of peanut M&M’s, and a few jawbreakers.)


More movies reviews to come........

You Love Me, You Really Really Love Me

I have been nominated for the Beautiful Blogger award by the lovely Two Pretzels; why thank you very much!! Check out her totally awesome blog HERE. I love this stuff, so here we go!

Here are the rules.

The Rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated me for this award. Of Course!
2. Copy the award & place it on my blog. Done.
3. Link to the person who nominated me for this award. Done.
4. Share 7 interesting things about myself. (See below).
5. Nominate 7 bloggers. (See below).

My 7 "Interesting" things:

1. When I was in middle school we competed individually with other schools to write a commercial for earth day and draw a picture with it. The winner would have their commercial played regularly on the radio and their picture made into a billboard for Earth Day. I was one of the 8 or so finalists and got to read my commercial on the radio so people could vote! I was at a Catholic school at the time and my stuff was entitled “And on the 8th day” and showed this forest and pond with trash everywhere and animals surrounded by trash and even had a duck with a six pack plastic ring around its neck and my commercial were these two animals talking about how we trashed this beautiful world God had made…pretty creative for a 6th grader, right?! I didn’t win, maybe a bit too religious, but it rocked and I got to hear myself on the radio and go to the station to record a commercial like the pros do!

2. My oh so lovely and considerate husband thinks it is HI-larious to grab my big toes or thumbs because when he does I seriously become virtually immobile and will start crying. I don’t know why, but when he grabs my big toe or thumbs I literally become unable to move and I hate that feeling of being trapped. Ok, maybe not so much interesting as weird.

3. During my summer internship at a resort in Florida, I got to dress up in a costume as a giant Toucan and walked through the resort meeting kids and guests. It was hot and stinky and I LOVED it. I think I want to be a mascot when I grow up.

4. Though maybe not really interesting: I slept with my stuffed animal named Kitty until I turned 29. I only stopped because I had gotten 2 eye infections in the last 4 years (one of which was on my 29th birthday last year) so I figured it may be time to retire my germ infested, bacteria laden stuffed animal for good. She still sleeps next to my bed and goes on trips with me though.

5. I am a 3 time hairy buffalo fruit bobbing champion. I have the pictures to prove it. My parents are so proud.

6. I hated avocado up until a couple of years ago. Now I cannot get enough of them, I seriously LOVE avocado.

7. I talk about my sister over at Skulls and Crossbones who is almost 22, but did you know I also have two younger brothers who live in FL. One is 20 and one is 17….boy that makes me feel old as I am almost 30 and my siblings are all so young!


Ok, I nominate: (Sorry, I just noticed there may be duplicates on other's blogs!)

1. My extremely witty and hilarious friend over at My Reality. (Though, like Two Pretzels said, I know you are rather busy with your beautiful new addition and do not expect any comments or blog posts, but we all think you are a Beautiful Blogger!!!!)

2. My new crafty friend who I will be stalking next year when T. is in Cinci., A Couple More Hours

3. My fun friend with great taste in music over at Write Here, Write Now

4. My lovely sister, Skulls And Crossbones, who when she does blog in between school and work is just HILARIOUS

5. To Athena’s Bees who is SO funny and sarcastic (which I love) and is always eager to help others out (which is a very unique & amazing characteristic).

6. To Aimless Oasis who, even though we do not know each other, I can tell is such a positive person!

7. To 2 Peas in My Pod (or now three peas!!) who I enjoy reading her blog because she is not afraid to put herself and religious beliefs out there and I truly admire that!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!

Happy Birthday Dad!!

You are such an amazing father. We are very lucky to have such a wonderful dad and we love you SO much!!


(Though I would never call or consider you a senior (you are just mature) I did read that now that you are at the age you are, you get even more senior discounts!!!! I think you should take advantage. Feel free to visit AARP for deals or here at Frugal Living for a huge list of discounts!! Look at these, I think you would love the Banana Republic one!! :)

Arby's - A 10% discount at participating locations.

Banana Republic - 10% discount everyday.

Best Western
At least 10% off regular room rates. Late checkouts and other offers also available.

Choice Hotels
Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, Econo Lodge, Rhodeway Inn Everyday. 10% discount with Mature Travelers rate.

IHOP - A 10% discount at participating locations.

Jiffy Lube - Many locations offer a 10% discount.

McDonald's - Everyday. Discounted senior coffee.

Wendy's - A 10% discount at participating locations.

WE LOVE YOU DAD!!!!!!