Movies with Memories

You know when you hear a certain song or see a certain movie, it brings a memory back that was really special to you? Well that happened to me this past weekend.

Mine happens to be a movie, and that movie happens to be "Fried Green Tomato's." Now if you're a Dude and you've never seen this movie, its still a great flick, and I suggest you secretly put it in your Netflix queue and watch it!  I love it and every time I see it I am reminded of my very best friend Amy.

Let me take you back a few years....It just happened to be a few months before Amy gave birth to her daughter. She went into premature labor at work and walked over to my cube to tell me she was having contractions.  Well I can't remember why, but for some strange reason, her husband wasn't able to take her to the hospital and he would meet her there later. So since I have the honor of being her best friend, I took her.  We got her in a room in her cute little "I don't cover anything" gown and tucked in her bed.  

So there we were. Amy tucked tight under the covers in bed. And me right next to her, holding her hand telling her everything was going to be alright.  

One thing you need to know about sweet Amers is that she is very holistic and careful about the things she puts in her body.  She doesn't take medicine if its unnecessary.  This is not some whim that she's adopted, she's been this way as long as I've known her. And I love her for it.  

So anyway,  This Horrid nurse walks in, demanding Amy allow her to give her this medication that will stop the contractions.  Well Amy is in FREAK OUT stage now people.  Because "Ugly Nurse Betty" (that's what we'll call her) is basically telling Amy that she's going to kill her baby if she doesn't take the meds because the baby will deliver too early.  

Whoa Ugly Nurse Betty! Could you be more of a Drama Queen? If she doesn't want to take the medication, she doesn't want to take the meds.  We all know that AMy would never kill her baby - but Ugly Nurse Betty is being VERY mean to Amy and trying to scare her into taking the medication.  I ask Ugly Nurse Betty if Amers can call her husband before she administers the drugs.  Just to talk about it with him.  That was agreed and Nurse Betty stormed out of the room.

Amers and her husband decided that it was in the baby's best interest to take the medication so this is where the tale begins....because once Amy agreed to Ugly Nurse Betty's demands, she became...Angel Nurse Betty.

And this is where "Fried Green Tomato's" enters our story because Nurse Betty brought Amers and me a VCR and some movies to watch while we waited for her contractions to stop.  All the while we talked about the baby, names, how her son was going to feel about having a sibling, and just a lot other things. We laughed alot!! =)

But the fact that she and I watched this movie together and built a bond that will last our lifetime means so much to me. We learned things about each other that we might never have had the chance to talk about.  But when you're sitting in a hospital room, you have all kinds of time.

You might be asking me, why I'm bringing this up?  Well this weekend while I was laying in bed sick, "Fried Green Tomato's" came on Showtime.  I watched that movie three times and every time I watched it I thought of Amy and that hospital room and her sweet daughter who shares my middle name.  I cried every time I watched it because I love Amy, her three children and her husband like they are my own family.  And I do consider them my family.

We have such wonderful people in our lives and are so blessed to share those experiences with them.  I called Amy over the weekend just to let her know that I was thinking about her and that I watched that movie.  We need to let the people in our lives know they are important. Tell them how you feel.  Because you never know if you're going to get that chance again.  You never know when the Lord is going to call you or them home.

Love on your Children,  Family and Friends.  Because I promise you that you will get the same in return!

Its so hard to be alone - But no one should have to be

This past weekend I watched an episode of the "Dog Whisperer" with Cesar Milan. The case involved a wheelchair bound woman named, Anita Brandenburg, with a service dog named Beau.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/player.html?channel=39678

This dog is amazing. He opens doors for Anita, Beau will turn lights on and off. He will even knock items off the grocery store shelf and then pick them up with his teeth and place them in the cart for her. He truly is a gifted animal. But he's more than animal to Anita. He is the only family or friend that she has. She is truly alone in this world. She is a modern day hermit in today's society. There is no one else to help her.

All of Anita's family is deceased. She doesn't belong to a church, so she has no interaction with anyone. I think that when Cesar heard her story, he was more concerned about her own self exile than about Beau's anxiety with riding the bus. He immediately made the decision that she needed to be involved with children and showing off Beau's abilities as a service dog.

Cesar's generosity towards Anita gave her the confidence that she needed to reach out to new people and begin making contacts; possibly new friends. And i hope that she was able to make some good friends to help keep her company, because the thought of her being alone, breaks my heart.

I think that we all take our friends and family for granted. I know that I do. I have two wonderful sisters that I don't tell near enough; I love you. Or my parents for that matter. No matter how mad we get at one another, for all eternity, we are family. Whether we like it or not amends need to be made because your family is your life. And we should all cherish the ones that we have.

I'm blessed to have a wonderful man in my life who I love very much; and I've waited a long time for someone like him. But the wait was well worth it because he's an amazing man, father and friend.

We don't have to be alone. You're alone if you choose to be alone. There are people all around us everyday. At church. At work. At the grocery store. All over the place. All we have to do is reach out and make that connection and someone will reach back.

I did, and I made the best friend in the world. Granted, we're separated by 1600+ miles right now, but that's only for the short term. Once I can get relocated, we'll be together permanently. But my point is, If you make that leap, someone will be there to catch you.

For Anita it was Cesar and the children. For me it was Jared. There's no telling who yours is...but he/she is out there.

Shout Out to the Misfits ~

So, I'm dedicating this Blog to the Misfits. Who are the Misfits you ask. The Misfits are my adoring boyfriend, Jared's best friends. I have to be honest, the past year plus that Jared and I have known each other I have heard A LOT of stories about the this Band of Brothers. Most of them can't be repeated. But I will say, my favorite is the story about duck hunting, a truck, and and a quick getaway!!! The parties involved know what I'm talking about. =)

What I think is awesome, but somewhat ridiculous at the same time is the fact that they all have "nicknames or gamertags" and none of them go by their real names. They have been friends for years and truly enjoy each other's company.

Recently, I have had the absolute pleasure of getting to know these guys through several chats. They have involved me in conversations and treated me like a member of the group and not like an outsider. I can honestly say I love these guys. Although Ken sucks! Why? Because he doesn't know anything about Hockey. He's a faker and thinks Zetterberg is a tool. So Ken is on the Family list.

Frog and Ray are my new Best friends! Fellow Redwing Fans. Kindred spirits. =) Jeep and his wife Christina are also right up there because they are big Hockey fans. Even if they are Capital fans. Hockey fans all support each other and stick together. Not to mention, they have the cutest puppies ever!

Then there's Norm. Norm is AWESOME!! He is a chef for FUN. If any of you know me, I love to cook. Norm has these incredible photos on his blog of dishes that he's made for his wife. He's the best husband ever. =) The rest of you Misfits need to take a lesson from Norm.

Seabass is close to Jared so I'm hoping that he can keep him company while I'm 2000 miles away! And he and his wife are both actors! How cool is that!

There are other members of the "fit" crew, but those are the ones I've met so far.

And btw - Ken doesn't really suck - but he's been harassing me about Zetterberg, so this is my way of getting back at him! He's actually one of the most friendly guys I've ever met. I consider him the Big Brother of this group of Misfits. He seems to keep everyone together.

They are just a great bunch of guys that I look forward to getting to know better. And who have told me they like me better than Jared! =) Hahaha. So Jared better watch it - Or the Misfit's will bump him from the group.

Blessings All~