Rita Hayworth: Stayin' Alive

Is this amazing or WHAT!?

Tuesday Tunes: I've Just Seen a Face

The Fab Four... the Liverpool Lads....Ladies and Gentlemen....THE BEATLES! This upbeat song has such a delightful melody and once this music worm gets in your brain you'll be humming it all day long. What's your favorite Beatles song?

On the Run

On August 11 I will be running the Koman Race for the Cure 5K. I haven't ran in a race in YEARS! Back in the day I entered every 5K I could.

I remember a Wendy's fun run which was a pairs race. I didn't have a partner so they paired me up with this guy and we combined our times. We came in second place.

And there was a run for a fundraiser for the local hospital. Our running shirts were green scrubs (very cool). We looked like M.A.S.H. refugees.

The cool thing about 5Ks and fun runs is that you get to meet other runners and hear their stories. Every body's got a story, yeah? You also get orange juice and yogurt after the race. And some cool prizes.

I'm in training. I've been running several times a week since April when the weather started warming up. My left knee and right foot no longer bother me but I have to be careful because of previous injuries. My running shoes are designed to help with my pronation problem. So far so good.

My morning runs are great. I listen to a classic rock radio station that plays tunes from the 60s and 70s  --It's Only Rock and Roll, I'm a Believer, White Rabbit, Bad LeRoy Brown, Bennie and the Jets. . . you get the idea.

And of course my favorite: "Band on the Run." 

Oz: The Great and Powerful

Oh boy oh boy oh boy! Check this out!

The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of The Wizard. I'm blown away by the trailer. . . I don't know if I'll be able to handle the actual film!

My crystal ball tells me that this movie is going to be FABULOUS!

Ruby Juice

Alison and I went to Ruby Juice yesterday for the first time and enjoyed a delicious carrot/apple/ginger juice. We clicked cups and said, "Cheers!"

Ruby Juice is now on my list of favorite spots in Cheyenne. I plan on stopping by this morning before I go to the office. Think I'll have the "Ruby Sunrise" (carrot/apple/beet juice).

Speaking of juice -- my brand new Hurom juicer arrived yesterday! Today I will be making my first juice. Gotta get ready for the big "Juice Off" in Boston against my son Lucas who is an expert juicer. GAME ON!

HGTV Fan

I don't know what it is, but I've been watching HGTV a lot lately. My favorite shows include:

House Hunters (Fun to see what homes are like in various locations in the country. House Hunters International takes you around the world. Love the Paris episodes.)

Property Virgins (People learn that you can't have your cake and eat it, too. Word for the day? Compromise.)

Property Brothers (Two cute guys renovating fixer uppers. YES!)

Design Star (LOVE THIS SHOW! Designers compete to become the next HGTV Design Star and get their own show.I enjoy watching the creative process of designers in action. The challenges are awesome.)

For Rent (It's interesting to see what goes on in the world of renters.)

Selling London (Million dollar plus homes in London.)

Selling New York (Million dollar plus homes in NYC.)

Selling L.A. (Million dollar plus homes in L.A.)

Love It or List It (A family has a budget to fix the things that are wrong with their home. They are also shown other homes on the market. After renovations they decided to either Love It and stay in their house, or List It and buy a new home.)

My First Place (New homeowners get their first place.)

Tuesday Tunes: Brand New Key

I love this quirky song by Melanie! Fun to sing on road trips, loud and proud. Did you ever have a pair of skates with a key? I'm not much of a skater.

My Juicer Journey

One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Or womankind, as the case may be.

I took my first small step in my juicer journey and purchased a juicer. After careful research and deep reflection, I chose the Hurom Slow Juicer. For style I picked the black one, aka "License to Juice."

Today I'm looking for juicer recipes with veggies and fruits. I found a great website I liked with a wonderful variety of recipes at the Williams-Sonoma blog. The carrot pineapple orange juice looks delicious!

Stay tuned, ya'll.

Carrot Pineapple Orange Juice

Friday Flicks: The Odd Couple

I'm a HUGE fan of Neil Simon. His plays are hilarious (Barefoot in the Park, The Sunshine Boys, Plaza Suite, etc.) The movie version of his play The Odd Couple is brilliant, not only because of the superb screenplay (written by Simon), but also for the excellent performances of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. If you haven't seen this movie, run, don't walk to Netflix (or wherever you get your movies) and watch it NOW!

Have Juicer Will Travel

So my 32-year-old son turned me on to this movie called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.," a documentary by Australian filmmaker Joe Cross. It's about his journey from being overweight, junk food-obsessed and sick to healthy, happy and free of all medications that treated his high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and auto-immune deficiency.

The film shows how he did it by increasing his consumption of macro-nutrients through fresh fruits and vegetables in a juicer. He traveled across America from New York City to San Diego with his juicer, talking to people about his 60 day juice fast.

I'm not going to this extreme, but I like the idea of adding a healthy dose of natural fruit and veggies to my diet by juicing. Hubby and I are gonna get a juicer and detox ourselves. I'll keep you posted.

Here's the link if you want to see the movie.
http://www.jointhereboot.com/

Tuesday Tunes: American Tune

Paul Simon is one of America's best singer/songwriters. A group called Starland Vocal Band sang this on their one-hit wonder album and the harmonies were out of this world. But there's something special about this simple version with just Paul and his guitar. Happy birthday, America.

Friday Flicks: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

This movie scared my socks off.

Bette Davis is horrifying as Baby Jane Hudson, aging child star of Vaudeville. As the years passed, Jane and her sister Blanche (Joan Crawford) would become film stars. Blanche became famous and Jane was so jealous that she ran her over with a car resulting in Blanche living out her days in a wheelchair and ending her acting career. As the sisters aged, Jane took care of Blanche in Blanche's upscale Hollywood home. And Jane just got crazier and crazier. 

Here's the dead rat scene:

Just can't seem to get Devil's Tower out of my head!

A couple of weeks ago we trekked up north to Devil's Tower. It was a fun road trip, listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival, drinking iced coffee and just having a good ol' time in Wonderful Wyoming.

I resisted the urge to build a replica of Devil's Tower with my mashed potatoes, but I was enamoured with it none the less. We hiked around the base of the tower and got some terrific shots. Wish everyone could see this amazing example of God's handiwork.

There it is!





Moving in for a closer look. 







Almost there.. . .



Rock of Ages!





Every nook and cranny.



She's a beauty!



The devil is in the details.




Your's truly.







The amazing Boulder Field at the base of the tower.







All things bright and beautiful

All things great and small

All things wise and wonderful

The Lord God made them all



Tuesday Tunes: Fun! Fun! Fun!

Ya just gotta dance when you hear this "fun" song by the Beach Boys! Ever ride in a Thunderbird? I did. It was my parents' car. Copper with cream interior. I liked the insignia design. Also, my high school team was the East High Thunderbirds! Here's the cheer: We are the T-Birds, mighty mighty T-Birds. Every where we go people want to know who we are. WE ARE THE T-BIRDS!

Friday Flicks: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Paul Newman and Robert Redford pair up in this fabulous buddy flick Western that made them both stars. Eye candy for the ladies. As a female, I remember thinking that Katharine Ross was so lucky. Who's your fave? Redford or Newman?

It's a High Fly Ball, Charlie Brown!

Life is full of unexpected surprises.

THE SCENE
Sunday at church. The service is over and everyone is heading home.

FRIEND: Hey, Luana. Would you like to play on the church softball team?

ME: (Stalling) When is it?

FRIEND: The games will be in August until mid-September.

ME: (Still stalling) Well, I'm going to be out of town the first week of August.

FRIEND: No problem. We really need some players.

ME: (Remembering my history in sports) I'm a terrible player. The worst.

FRIEND: That's okay. It's just for fun. Come on! We could really use you.

ME: (Thinking it might be fun after all) When do you need to know?

FRIEND: By the end of the week.

ME: (Seriously considering it) Okay, let me think about it.

So yesterday I'm at church working with kids at Vacation Bible School and the pastor comes up to me with a roster on a clipboard:

PASTOR: (Handing me the roster and a pen) Would you like to sign up for the church softball team?

ME: Absolutley!

THE END

Tuesday Tunes: Suite Judy Blue Eyes

Another song introduced to me by my adoring hubby back in the days when we were falling in love. I love the harmony in this song by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Friday Flicks: Lucas

Lucas (Corey Haim) is a 14-year-old who is the ultimate high school nerd. But that doesn't stop him from trying to fit in. He meets Maggie (Kerri Green), the new girl in town, during summer vacation and falls in love. But once school starts, Maggie develops a crush on football star, Cappie. (Charlie Sheen). Meanwhile fellow nerd Rina (Winona Ryder) has a secret crush on Lucas.

This movie has some fun moments, but I was more drawn to the serious side. One scene that really impacted me was the lunchroom scene where Lucas, Rina and the other nerdy kids are talking about a fellow student that had committed suicide. It's a serious, sad discussion. Meanwhile on the other side of the room the football players and cheerleaders are laughing and joking around. The camera juxtaposes between the two groups. It was very powerful.

Tuesday Tunes: You're So Vain

Carly Simon's signature song . . .takes me back to the good old days when it played on the radio. One of the first songs I learned to play and sing when I got my first guitar in 1973.

My Deer!

We were driving up to Cook Lake yesterday and saw
this deer among the aspen.