You're the Best Friends I've Ever Had: September

The air is starting the cool, there is a lot more rain, the color on the leaves are just barley started to change to a lighter shade of green. The pools are closing and the dreaded Pumpkin spice everything has already hit the shelves. It only means that we have made it to September. That's right. It's that time of year where spooky season is about to start, followed by the biggest dinner or the year, and then the holiday season. The best is still yet to come this year so we are going to keep trucking on.

We are about to get to the most magical time of the year we need to have a little magic added. This month's movie was from Nora, and she chose TinkerBell and the Pirate Fairy.

In the land where fairies come together to find out their powers, some get a little bit more curious than others. We come to know Zarina as she is working with the Pixie Dust. Always wanting to know more about how it works and what more can be done with it, she takes one drop of the precious blue dust and start to experiment with it. When she discovers that she can create different color dust to use to work with all of the different powers that all the fairies can have, things go awry. In her embarrassment, she runs away taking a little of the dust with her. A year later, she comes back to get more dust to bring back to a pirate ship, in which she is the captain. In he escape, she ends up switching our hero's powers. Can they save the dust, the fairies, and their friend?

I really did enjoy this movie. I was really shocked that this is the movie that Nora had picked. I wasn't really sure about this at first but it's actually really cute. It's a great story of still being there for your friends when they have lost their way. We all lose our way sometimes and it's great to have friends there for you when you have gone down the wrong path.

This month's theme really lined up with the theme rather well. We talk about Understanding. I did go a little cliché this month. The saying "walk a mile in someone else's shoes"? Well, I bought everyone shoes. I bought everyone a pair of flip flops from the dollar store, and told everyone to really put themselves in someone else's shoes this month. The reason that it's needed in friendship is because we don't all always walk through the same season of life at the same time. Some of us are married, have kids, working all the time, have deployed spouses, have grandchildren, sick parents, and number of different things. Some walks of life are going to be things that some of us may never understand, or something we will walk through later in life. When the walk get's hard it's good to know that someone is there to help your or guide you. We all need that understanding. 

We also had a bonus gift this month as well. This bonus gift comes from Nikki Day! She is by far the hardest person that I had to figure out a bonus gift for. She only gave me 10 items on her original list, and hers were all really serious! Except for one. she simply wrote "Cubs Fan". Now, usually, I don't condone those types of words cause I am not one! However, I did get creative. I was going to buy everyone something from their favorite sports team, but money and time were not with more. So, I simplified it. I bought a pack of those hand held fans paper fans and got a stencil. I wrote "cubs" on everyone fan and gave them out. All except for one. My mother, a St. Louis Cardinals fan, would have murdered me if I did that to her. So, I gave her the red one and wrote "Cardinals" on it. 

I can believe in a less than two weeks we will be in the last three months of the year.    

Best Picture Challenge: Nomadland 2020

It's funny to me that after I have watched so many movies, and have pushed myself to watch many that I never thought that I  would, that I still get worried about new ones. Last year was hard for a movie lover because there really weren't any new movie coming out. If they were they were coming out on all of these different platforms that made it hard to keep up with the latest thing. It's more expensive to keep up with movies if you have to have a subscription to every streaming platform in existence. A lot of movie went under the radar because of this. 

The other problem is that rules for the Academy Awards qualifications had to change in order to get a nomination for any award this year. I am sure that some it will be the same this year too since movie theaters opened so late. However, these qualifications made the picking slim for the 2020 awards season. I can tell you that I had not heard of a good majority of the movies that came out with a nomination. As well I didn't really care for any of the nominations to really want to go out of my way to search to watch any of them. However, I have worked this hard in recent years to watch every Best Picture Film ever made and I don't plan on stopping just because of a bad year. 

The 2020 Best Picture went to a movie called Nomadland.

This story takes us along on a journey with a woman named Fern. She was living a peaceful and happy life until a local factory shuts it door. That factory put not only everyone that worked there without work but it eventually killed the town. Not long after the zip code was discontinued because no one was living there. Fern goes off to live in her van and travel and get some work here and there. However, she meets others on the road who are in a similar situation as she is in. she lives her life as a Nomad and goes where she pleases and meets lots of people with lots of stories along the way.

Here's the deal. When this movie was announced the winner I was annoyed. There seemed to be a few other movies that seemed more interesting to watch than this one. That fact alone made me put off watching this movie for a very long time. I didn't want to watch it. It really didn't interest me. 

It had it's moments. It's a great story about a woman trying to figure out a life without her home, her husband, her job, and really just trying to carve our a new life for herself. However, it was slow. Not the slowest movie I have ever seen, there are many more who hold that title. However, it's slow. 

I can put it down to a few words. I probably won't watch it again. I really won't recommend you watch it. There are other movies I would have rather watched. If I didn't start this challenge a few years ago and made it my goal to keep up with it, I would have not watched it at all. 

You're the Best Friend Anybody Ever Had: Jeannie

 So, this month we are talking about my have had a wild ride! I have been super busy running around with this girl trying to get everything set up. I have known her for quite some time. Say hello to Jeannie. 

Jeannie is Alaina's mom and I have known Jeannie just as long as I have known Alaina. When I first started going to church I had to have people take me. My parents worked odd hours during this time and could not take me. I did have someone else that I use to know doing it, but when they were no longer able to take me Jeannie and Carl (her wonderful husband) stepped up and started picking me up along the way.

Jeannie is one of the people in my life that I have come to to prayer and advice. She is always very patient and will to help me when I have been at my worst. She is always ready to take me in, give me a cup of coffee, and let me vent. She is one of the sweetest people in the whole world and I love her for that.

Jeannie is someone who will always go out of her way to help someone. She is the first to volunteer for projects, parties, events, or even move. She is very inspirational when it comes to this because when you gives it her all to help someone it's always above and beyond to help. She goes out of her way to make every event feel extra special. She always uses her keen eye and enormous talent to being a smile to everyone's face. 

 

I love that she always makes me feel welcomed in her house. I am welcomed for every holiday and birthday. She makes me feel like I am part of the family. The moment that Alaina and I became friends I was treated like a daughter. I won't lie I am not sure any of us at the time that Alaina and I bunked together at camp that we would have been so close for so long. I didn't think that I would have been this close to her either. Most people aren't friends with their friend's mom but it's  really a friendship that I needed in my life.

I have learned a lot from Jeannie. How to be a good friend is one of the things that I have learned. She doesn't give up on people. She is always willing to help anybody when they need the help. She loves to the best of her ability. She will be the first one there to help you when you are down. The first one to check on you. The first one to bring food. The first one when you send out the SOS. I love her for it and I inspire to be her.

God knew that I needed a friend like Jeannie and so He gave her to me. I am thankful that He has put us together because she has helped me to become a better person. I pray that one day I get to be as wonderful as she is. She is the friend that I never knew I was gonna need and the one the God so graciously gifted me with. 

Up Inside the Cyclone: August

 This is the time of year that things start to become very busy. I had several birthday to celebrate this month, and lots of other stuff happening around me. Jeannie was in charge of the twists this month and when I tell you that they came down to the last minute... they really did. 

Let's start with this month's movie however, Atonement. 

In the year's leading up to World War II, two lovers find that they are caught in a terrible crime of misinformation and misidentification. Cecelia and Robbie find that they have feels for each other and start to show each other in little ways. How one day can change both of their fates. Cecelia's little sister misreads a situation about Robbie in Cecelia, which makes her believe that Robbie is a sex addict. She find them later in the library in a compromising situation. A few hours later, during a search for her missing cousins, another cousin is sexually assaulted and the culprit is misidentified as Robbie. Robbie is tried as guilty but later has a chance to lessen his sentence if he fights as a soldier during the war. He takes his chances to be with Cecelia again and goes. Cecelia is a nurse in a hospital in London, not longer talking to her family after they thought that Robbie would do such a thing. Cecelia shows up to be a nurse as well trying to reconnect with her sister and tell her that she realized the mistake that she had made. The question is can she get to them in time before all hope is lost?

I will say that there is a plot twist t the end that I didn't see coming, but it's not like most movies that have plot twists in them. It really is worth the watch as shocking as it is for me to say it. 

So, Jeannie cut it really close to the end of the month her with her twists. I got them all within three days, with the third day getting two of them. The first one happened during small group and there was lots of participation.

One Saturday, during my niece's 1st birthday party no less, Jeannie made me to plot twist number two.

Just wen I thought that I was out of the clear for the day, Beth tricked me! She told me that she wanted to go to the Mall and go to Yankee Candle and get some stuff. Se doesn't live close to one. Looking back now, we left the party really quickly. Usually we stay and talk after but she wanted to leave quickly... I know why now. After being lured in by candles she wanted to go to Chick-fil-A and get some food. Surprise... look who was there waiting in the food court..

I will say that Jeannie had some good ones. Jeannie was also the only one, so far, to make me do a plot twist publicly. She did surprise me, and I did have some fun. 

I will say that I am sad that August is over, and I'm excited to see what Nora has planned for me next. 

Looking In My Own Backyard: August

I have an amazing story from my family tree this month. I new that there was drama but I think this one takes the cake. However, we are going to talk about another amazing story first. That would be the story of Mulan. 

We all remember the story or the girl who saved a nation right? Well, the remake of this movie is just a fun and beautiful as the first. Mulan one of the only two children of her family. Both children being girls, be best way to bring honor to the family is by marring and being a good wife and mother. However, Mulan's path is not what every one else things it is. When war breaks out in her country, and her father is called back into the line of duty, Mulan decides to take her father's armor and pretend to be a man. She is successful and quickly becomes one of the be recruits that they have. She does this for the love of her family and finding out who she really is. 

When this movie was first announced I was not happy. The reason was because all for the other live action remakes that Disney has done over the years have been true to the animated movies, for the most part. One of the best parts about the movie Mulan is the music. The remake was told from the start that it was not going to be a musical and Mushu was not going to be in the movie. Couple that with the fact that the movie came out in 2020 on Disney+ instead of in the theater, I didn't hear much about how good or bad the movie was. However, it's truly a beautiful film that you should see.

Now for some drama! 

So, My 9 times great grandfather John Gatchell has a crazy story. Not much is known about him before he came to America but There is a Gatchel family plaque on a church in England. He has some history. There is a hours that he built that still stands in Massachusetts, and he has earned it still being there. In March of either 1683 or 1684 a group of locals went into the home of George Corwin to steal a whole lot of money. While John was not part of the group directly he got caught as being accessories to the theft. John, his wife Wibera, and son Thomas were all sentenced to either be whipped 39 times or pay 10 euros. I am not really sure which what they ended up doing. 

However, things just got more interesting. So, John is my 9 times great grandfather, his son Jonathan is my 8 times great grandfather. Jonathan's brother Jeremiah is my 8 times great uncle (I think the number confuse me). Anywho, he married 3 times. He died during his third marriage. His first and second wife both died during their marriages. However, his second wife, Elizabeth Boude, is very interesting. She was actually a witness in the Salem Witch Trails. She attested to the good character of Mary Bradbury, who was accused of being a witch. Mary was found innocent. However, that is not the only interesting thing I found out about Elizabeth.

You see Elizabeth is cousins to some royalty.... English royalty. Elizabeth's parents are the 7 times great grand Parents to Diana Frances Spencer, Princess of whales. The world knows her better as Princess Diana. YES, HER!

I am related, by marriage, to the English Royal Family..... How weird is that? 

Yeah nothing is going to top that, and what all of that means, for a while......