Summer

For my last blog I thought it would only be suiting to talk about the wondrous thing called summer.  OH how I cannot wait to get my summer started.  I have never been more thrilled for summer, actually I take that back, last year I was pumped for summer because I was going to Europe, but none the less I am still very excited for summer 2011.  I can't believe that I have finished my first year of college, and am now going to be a summer.  It seems like it all went by so fast, but I am completely ok with that, because now summer has arrived once again, and it didn't seem like I had to wait that long.  This summer, although I am not travelling a lot, or going over seas, like I desperately wanted to do again, I have great plans to spend all my days working and being outside.  I have never wanted more than anything to just be outside all the time and do nothing else.  I plan on getting a hammock and taking my hammock to different peaceful, and beautiful places to set up and just enjoy the outdoors.  I also plan on spending every day hiking, biking, and caving.  I love all of these things and just want to spend my entire summer doing so.  I also want to take lots of trips to the river and lake and boat, jet ski, and canoe.  I went to the Buffalo River a couple years ago and absolutely loved it.  Spending an entire day canoeing is probably one of the best and most fun things to do during the summer.  I hope that I can get a big group of my friends together and we can go do this sometime.  This summer is going to be amazing I just know it.  I also don't have to worry about volleyball for once either; my entire summer is volleyball free except for of course working out and the occasional volleyball practices with my high school.  I need to sharpen my skills since I have been out for a while because of my recent knee surgery, but I hope that it will all work out and I will be able to play decently again, but you never know.  The only thing I am sad about and that will make my summer not as amazing, is the fact that my best friend, Keller, will be leaving me for basically the entire summer.  She has always gone to a camp in North Carolina where she is a counselor and she's gone the entire summer.  I am very depressed about this, yes, but I will make the best of it and I do have a little while with her before she leaves in June, but it will still be sad to see her go.  Oh the other thing I almost forgot about is the one trip I have planned for sure; and that is the BEACH! My family and I are going to spend a couple of weeks in Destin, Florida and I cannot wait.  I haven't been to the beach, let alone Destin in years, and I love it there.  It will definitely be a fun time and I cannot wait for it. 

Summer 2011!!! Let it begin!!!!

Hope everyone has enjoyed reading my babble and I hope you all have a great summer!!!!
Love & Peace

.Jackie Cooper, Former Child Star, 'Superman' Actor, Dies at 88

Just this week a former Oscar nominated TV-star, and TV executive and director while amassing scores of acting credits, including playing Perry White in the four Christopher Reeve Superman films died this week.  On Tuesday the former star died at the age of eighty eight in Santa Monica.  Cooper was lucky enough to experience and enjoy a 60 year acting career.  He was the most popular and widely recognized child star of the early 1930s and the first kid to shine in “talkies," until Shirely Temple.  His pug nose, crinkly smile and pouty lip endeared him to a nationwide audience, first as Jackie in Hal Roach’s Our Gang comedies. This popular 1920s that depicted the story of neighborhood children and their adventures.  It was also called the Little Rascals.  Cooper was so popular as a child that he was referred to as the "American Boy."  Jackie Cooper was born on September 15, 1922 in Los Angeles, he broke in as a bit player in silent films. Cooper acted in 15 Our Gang shorts between 1929 and 1931 His uncle, the director, Norman Taurog, cast him in the title role of Skippy, which was based on a comic strip. Cooper earned a best actor Academy Award nomination for the film.  This was the the first time for a child actor to do so and still the youngest to receive an Oscar nomination for a leading role.  These films were a great thing for Cooper. The films launched Cooper to stardom, and he went on to star opposite Wallace Beery in three films: The Champ,  The Bowery, and Treasure Island. Like most child stars, Cooper hit a difficult period during adolescence, both professionally and personally.  Due to age he was being replaced with younger child stars.  Based on his experiences, Cooper later opposed children growing up as actors. None of his four children went on to  perform.  As a teen, he showed his maturity and acting skills in 1940’s Seventeen and gave an inspiring performance as a trumpeter in Syncopation before joining the Navy during World War II, where he was ranked as captain. After the war, Cooper found movie roles harder to come by, enduring such low-budget pictures as Stork Bites Man, Kilroy Was Here and French Leave. The experiences ruined his love for the acting, and he left Hollywood, touring in stock companies and performing on Broadway in New York.  While in New York he also directed, produced, and starred in two series.  For a period during the 1960s, Cooper thrived as a TV executive. He served as vice president of program development at Columbia Pictures Television.  He began to direct episodic TV, and during the ’70s he was active in tackling tricky social issues like runaway teens. Based on his experiences, he couldn’t resist attacking the hypocrisy of show business. He returned to acting in the 1971 film The Love Machine, playing an obsequious and smarmy TV programming executive.  He continued to direct for TV throughout the 1970s and ’80s, winning a pair of Emmys for M*A*S*H andThe White Shadow. He directed multiple episodes of those shows along with others.  He also helmed two telefilms that centered on show business figures.  Cooper was a man of the TV screen making not only appearances in his own shows, but others. He guested on dozens of TV series including Suspense, The Twilight Zone, Hawaii Five-O, Kojak, Columbo, The Rockford Files, St. Elsewhere and Murder, She Wrote. He was most recognizable to latter-day audiences for playing Daily Planet editor Perry White in the four Superman films starring Reeve from 1978-87.  He also achieved a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame in 1960.  He retired in 1989, and has lived a quite life, raising horses in San Diego. He was divorced twice.  Once from June Horne, with whom he had a child, and Hildy Parks. In 1954, Cooper married Barbara Kraus, and the couple had three children. He is survived by two of this children.  Jackie Cooper was a man to be remembered and had many great successes in his life.  He went from child star, to famous executive and producer, all achieving great success.  He was a man of many talents and his death is one that surprises and sadness us. However he will always be remembered and honored for his great impact on television. 
May he rest in peace.

Love & Peace

Tangled

Disney has been a major part of my life growing up.  As a little kid I would spend endless hours watching my favorite Disney princess movies.  It was enjoyable and fun for me.  Just recently Disney came out with a new princess movie, called "Tangled."  "Tangled" is the last Disney princess movie to ever be made, and it depicts the story of Rapunzel.  Since I am a Disney princess fanatic, I decided I had to see the new movie.  Let me tell you, I am absolutely obsessed with this movie.  It is so cute and actually really very good! The story line is very fun and different than any Rapunzel story I have ever really heard, however I can't say I know much about Rapunzel except that she has extremely long hair.  There is so much more to this story and I was really please, because I didn't really know where they were going to go with her story. The movie had some very memorable moments and one of the biggest and most shocking ones was of course, the hair! Even though it is a cartoon, I have never seen hair so long in my life.  The entire time I watched the movie I couldn't stop thinking about her hair.  How heavy must her hair be? How does she get around with all that hair in the way? And I can't imagine how dirty her hair is. HA! I was none the less to say, mesmerized by her hair.

Throughout the entire movie Rapunzel was accompanied by a little friend; her closest friend.  This friend was her bet chameleon, named Pascal.  Pascal was by far the funniest character in this entire movie, yet he had no lines.  This chameleon killed me (with laughs) with his facial expressions and personality.  He was the funniest little thing I have ever seen in my life.  I have never been so amused by something so much, like I am by Pascal.  It is probably safe to say I am obsessed with him.  Literally the entire time I was focused on Pascal and what he would do next.  All of my closest friends think I'm crazy because of how much I talk about Pascal.  I couldn't stop laughing because of this little guy.  There was another animal in this movie whom I absolutely adored, and he was the palace horse Maximus, or Max for short.  This guy as well was extremely funny, and what I like to call sassy.  Everything he did was with a dramatic, sassy type of behavior.  He was not going to let anyone stand in his way of doing what he was supposed to.  It was hilarious.  He especially showed his personality when he and the wanted thief, Flynn Ryder, got together.  Those two were always at it, because Max was trying to capture Flynn since he stole from the palace.  It was priceless. 

I absolutely love this movie, if no one could tell, and highly recommend it to everyone to see, at least once.  If your sense of humor is anything like mine, you will laugh your sides into a pain frenzy.  I am very sad that this is the last Disney princess movie, but I think the ended it very well.  It was cute, funny, and something that will be remembered.  Disney was successful with the story of Rapunzel, and in my opinion it was a huge success.  Now I must go watch this movie again, because I have made myself interested once again.

Love & Peace



Must see it!!! SOOOO funny!!!

Royal Wedding: A Stylish Marriage for William and Kate

Today was a big day for Prince William and his lovely bride Kate Middleton.  Today, while millions of people watched world wide, by television or in person, the royal couple were finally wed in London at Westminister Abbey. It was none to say a big day, and of course nerves were to be expected.  However nervous young Kate might have been she made it through this day with no flaws, and looked like perfection.  Kate and William royal wedding was not only an extravagant event, but beautiful and stylish as well.  The couple both were involved in the long wedding process and their hard work paid off, many of the guest said the wedding looked amazing.  Kate was stunning herself, in her designer dress.  The stunning gown was made by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen.  The designer's dress was a masterpiece, being hidden until it's big debut on the day of the wedding.  The dress was a success sending the British fashion industry into a frenzy.  Complementing the ivory dress, with lace trim, was a grand 1936 Cartier diamond tiara loaned to the bride by the queen herself.  Kate joined the royal family with prestige and grand demeanour and looked like a princess.  However, she was not named a princess, but Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge.  The wedding went smoothly overall.  Kate remembered her grooms name and did not stumble over the vows.  The only slight glitch was Prince William seemed to struggle a little with getting on the tight ring.  William also looked very handsome dressed in the bright red dress uniform of a colonel of the Irish Guards; the two made a nice looking couple in front of thousands of onlookers.  After the ceremony the two were taken by carriage to Buckingham Palace, where they shared their first kiss on the balcony in front of millions, just like many before them, including Diana.  Kate also followed in Diana's footsteps by leaving out the part in her vows where she promised to obey.  The wedding attendance was none the less huge.  Attending the wedding was about 44 foreign royals seated close to 51 members of the Queen's extended family. The lesser royals had been bussed to the abbey in minibuses. The congregation included heads of state, diplomats, charity workers and the couple's friends.  David Beckham was there along with other celebrities like Elton John. 
Back at Buckingham Palace, 650 of the guests enjoyed a champagne and canape reception.  It was a very stunning wedding with nothing but praise and awe.  Certainly it will be a wedding to remember.

I really enjoyed this wedding and wanted to write about it because of how big an ordeal this was for London, and the world.  It was an event that had been awaited for a long time.  I also really loved this because I have been to London and it was cool to see this happening in a place I have experienced and viewed for myself.  I can only imagine how beautiful and extravagant this wedding was because I know the beauty of the church and the city of London.  It really made me want to be back in London to experience this monumental event for myself.  I can only imagine how amazing this wedding was and how exciting it would have been to be in London during the time of it.  It sounded like a huge party, or celebration.  Bells were tolling, horse drawn carriages were everywhere, with thousands of people watching as Kate Middleton entered into the extravagant life of royalty as she married Prince William.  This wedding was something to remember and it was a treat to get to see.  I hope that the couple has a blessed and happy life together and everything goes well for them.  They are to me the couple of the year and are truly in love with each other and that's a great thing to see. 

Love & Peace

Storms

The weather can be an unpredictable force of mother nature.  It can bring us sun, rain, snow, and other natural disasters.  Recently the weather has been a little, how can I put it, bi-polar in Joplin.  For a while we had sun shine and warm weather, but this week the weather has decided to unleash all the water the sky could possibly hold.  It has literally been pouring rain, non stop for days.  I personally love the rain.  I think it's calming, soothing, and the perfect addition to a great night's sleep.  I really enjoyed these storms. Not only did they help me to relax and sleep well, they were some pretty neat storms.  The lighting was like a light show in the sky all night long.  Every bolt of lightning was bright, intense, and unique.  I have never seen lightning like this before.  Every bolt literally went straight down.  I can only imagine how many things were struck by lightning over the last couple of nights.  It was so cool.  The only bad addition to these storms was the fact that I had to walk to class in it.  I really dislike rain a lot, when I have to walk long distances in it.  Thankfully I was well prepared and had my rain jacket along with an umbrella.  The storms were no match for me in the end.  I was also impressed by these storms.  I have never in my life seen as much water as I have in the last couple of days.  Literally it was like Noah's ark all over again.  I thought I was going to have to buy a canoe and row my way to classes with all the water that was gathering up on the streets.  There were literally small lakes and rivers running through the middle of MSSU's campus.  I was about ready to float down the one right out back behind the dorms and cafeteria.  It was insane how much water was building up everywhere, over hours.  It was ridiculous, and I had about had it with the rain.  I really didn't want to worry about hydroplaning when I drove somewhere and wrecking into a ditch; it wasn't on my agenda for the week.  Now the storms have stopped, and I'm a little depressed, because I love a good storm, but hopefully now the cold will go away and be warm at last.  I have never been more ready for summer than I am this year.  The weather has been so bi-polar, warm one day, cold the next, and I'm tired of being teased.  I'm ready to feel the warm sun on my skin, windows down, music blaring and shades on.  It has been a long time since I have been comforted by the summer sun, and I think it's about due time for some more.  So as I leave I ask the weather gods, to please stop this insanity of cold and rainy days, and bring us the wonderful, joyous summer sunshine and golden rays.  I would be very much obliged. 

Love & Peace

Trump Candidacy for White House Gaining Ground

The President, can be defined as the highest executive officer appointed or elected to preside over an organized body of persons. This position is the key and most important roles a person can be given in the United States.  It is only reasonable that the person given this job should be qualified and serious about the matters that are to be taken over.  Recently word has been given from the man himself, that Donald Trump wants to run for President.  Donald Trump is one of the biggest and prosperous business men in the world.  He is a very successful real-estate developer, who created and owns Trump Tower. 

When people decide to run for President, we don't usually see celebrity candidates emerge like Trump.  It is quite unusual and a curious topic for everyone.  At the beginning people thought Trump was just joking, but now people are starting to realize that he's serious.  Trump is making visible steps toward campaigning.  He is beginning to reach out to Republican Party activists, both in Washington and in early states such as Iowa, and is talking to a variety of potential handlers, pollsters, and operatives.  Furthering his aggressive progress Trump has made several important contacts to spread the word of his potential candidacy.  In Iowa last week, he spoke with one of the leading evangelical leaders, and has made himself known to tea-party groups in the state. He also is contacting prominent national religious leaders, while checking off other boxes typical for GOP contenders, such as agreeing to sign the Americans for Tax Reform pledge to never raise taxes.  Trump's confident and bold steps have made it clear to the public that he is more than serious about his potential Presidency. Trump's huge steps are causing people some major excitement, especially in Iowa where he is to host a GOP fund-raising dinner in June, and making some people a little nervous.  Republicans feel his attempts his attempts are distractions for the party.  The feel this is true because of the excessive amount of TV interviews he has done.  They all have diverted the attention from the rest of the potential GOP field and propelled him higher in national polls. He came in third in a survey of Iowa Republicans released Tuesday by Public Policy Polling, well behind former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee but just two points behind presumed national GOP front-runner, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.  This spontaneous interest in Mr. Trump may be a sign of low enthusiasm for the rest of the early field of Republican aspirants and potential candidates.  However, this may be a problem for other potential candidates for this party, it just goes to show that Trump, although he does have celebrity advantage, the man knows how to work what he has and sell himself and his ideas to the public.  He is a great business man and he knows what he is doing.  I feel that these are all good signs for a potential President and the man should be given a chance to prove himself.  Some people have acknowledged his threat to the polls and have began to fight back and take his position in the process more seriously.  Many have gone to say that his celebrity lifestyle will influence his role as a Presidential figure and because of the life he lives it would be a bad fit for a President.  Mr. Trump has in a rebuttal to their concerns said that if he were to run for President, he would sever ties with NBC and his long-running Apprentice series.

I choose this article because I thought it was interesting to see a celebrity running for President.  I feel like this is a huge deal, and something that may never happen again.  I respect Trump for his ambition and his way of handling this process.  He is actually trying and making his name and presence known to parties and other candidates.  I hope Trump does decide to run.  I think he would make a great President.  Even though he may not know all about what it takes to be a President, it is obvious he is learning and genuinely wants to help our government out.  He is a very smart man, and a great business man.  I believe that he could possibly turn our government around and help us to get back on our feet.  I support Trump and respect his strides and believe he could make a good President and that he wants to earn the right to be President and not just be given it. 

I wish him luck.

Love & Peace

Birthday's

Birthday's.  The day that marks for everyone, at some point in time, the day of which they were born into this world.  It is a time of celebration and joy, to remember a great time that once was and add another year to your being on this earth.  I love birthdays, whether it be mine or someone else's.  It's just a time to have fun and make someones day very special.

When I was younger birthdays meant that it was all about me, and of course getting presents.  I couldn't wait for my next birthday so everyone would know about it and give me gifts.  Now that I think about it, I realized, wow, what a selfish kid I was.  Birthdays and the whole concept of birthdays have changed for me now that I'm older.  Now, when it's my birthday I rather not have all the attention.  I mean it's just a birthday, I'm a year older, big whoop; no one really needs to know.  I ask myself the question, is this because I really just don't want to be the center of attention for the day, or has it reached that point in my life where I wish I was subtracting years instead of adding another.  I still haven't really come up with a conclusion for that, so I may just have to ponder that a little longer.  Maybe I'll figure it out the next birthday that comes along.  Least to say I never thought I would turn into my mother so soon. ha.

On a different note, birthdays for other people are what I live for.  I love celebrating my friend's birthdays.  It's a chance for me to make it a special day for them and spoil them rotten.  I just hope that I can do something special for them on such a special day and hopefully be something they will remember and appreciate for the rest of their lives.  Now that I'm in college it's become even more of a greater deal to me.  A lot of my best friends from high school stayed back home to go to the university there, and because I can't see them all the time it's really special when we get to see each other and a birthday is a perfect opportunity for that.  It gives me a chance to do something extra special and maybe even surprise them and make their day that much better.  My best friend from high school just turned 19 last Sunday.  I was luckily able to go home on her birthday and surprise her.  I showed up at her house and had a cookie cake for her.  She was shocked and just seeing her smile and knowing that she appreciated me driving down to see her, made my day.  I love making people's days and doing something nice for them, and the fact that it was a birthday surprise made it that much better.  After I surprised her, her family and I went and spent the rest of the beautiful day out at the park.  We had a picnic, threw a Frisbee, and played nertz. (Which is an extremely fun card game. Kind of like solitaire on steroids)  It was such a fulfilling day and I was glad I could do something special for her on that day.  I can't wait for other people's birthdays. 

Love & Peace