Out of the Closet...

I am a closet (not so closet?) fangirl and was very excited to attend the midnight showing of "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse". I have to say that this was my favorite of all the three movies that they've put out so far. Should be interesting to see what they do with the next book which they've split into two movies a la "Harry Potter".

One of my favorite things about going to the midnight showing of movies like this with such a committed fan base is the level of excitement of the audience. And I admit that while, in general, I am a silent movie watcher (in theaters anyway), at a midnight showing I may be known to sneak in a "SQUEEE" or an occasional "Whoo hoo!"...One such moment was when Jacob Black/Taylor Lautner said, "Oh come on...we both know I'm hotter than you." Nearly the entire audience (including a few men) went wild at this line and I will own up to my girlish giggle. It's true...he IS way hotter.

One of my least favorite things about going to the midnight showing of movies like this with such a committed fan base is the committed fan base. These dang crazy people show up for a midnight showing waaaay early. I have too much self respect to show up for a midnight showing at 3pm like some of the folks there, but when Dad drove past at 7:15 and told me that the line was already snaking a good way around the building, I decided I'd push up my 8:30 pm arrival to 7:30. I took my trusty knitting, an iPod, some candy, a soda and a bottle of water. If I'm going to be sitting that long, you better believe I'm going to be knitting and listening to an audio book (last night it was Pride and Prejudice). It was really fun to be able to see the different fan shirts. I especially loved seeing a big group of guys with "Team Alice" shirts and enjoyed chatting with a girl wearing a shirt with "HEY EMMETT! (wanna Neck?)" plastered across the front that she had just purchased on a recent trip to Forks, WA. I was knitting on some fingerless mitts that are made with yarn dyed to look like the fingerless mitts Alice Cullen wears in New Moon:

Now, I am not naive...I know that they will not be as cute and stylish on me as they seem to be on her...but hey, I'm a knitter and they are an awesome piece of movie knitwear. I fully intend to rock them. And since I love Twilight...and Knitting...I was particularly interested in this website where Franklin Habit, a famously funny knitter, combined these two interests.

Giddy

Today I am giddy! So giddy that I have that whole fluttery body syndrome that makes you want to just jump up and hug someone and say, "Can you believe it?!?!" The source of my giddyness is simple...I'm a winner.

A few months ago, someone on Ravelry posted about a new blog that was dedicated solely to GIVING THINGS AWAY...Knitterly things...The blog is YarnOnTheHouse and I am one of the winners of Giveaway # 21!! When I first saw my name listed as the winner of the circular needle organizer, I though, yeah...sure...it's probably some other Tanya...But then I clicked on the link and MY blog popped up. (That's when the giddy feeling started.)

Since then I have sent off a message to let them know where I live and now I wait...wait for the giddy feeling to subside...wait for my insides to stop jumping around...wait to stop feeling like an idiot for getting so excited about winning...wait for my needle organizer!

Oh Yay!

Road Trip!!

We recently ( ok, it was a while ago now, I'm behind the times...) drove to Idaho to visit Grandma Darlene in her new Coeur d'Alene home and to attend Cousin Jessica's wedding in Moscow. While I think it will be quite some time before I want to make that drive again, I do think it was an absolutely gorgeous drive. So much greenery and open space!!

One thing that always amazes me (not the "Oh what a surprise" amazement, but rather the "I'm so jealous I could spit" amazement) about my grandma is that she can take any house/apartment/temporary living quarters and turn them into the most elegant, pulled together and infinitely gorgeous home. It also helps that she has very similar color and style choices to me. The best part about visiting Grandma's house was, of course, visiting with Grandma. We were only there for a couple days, but we stayed up late visiting and then hung out together all throughout the day. What a treat to be able to catch up and see some of the places she enjoys spending her time.

Tyler LOVED the park right next to her house where he was able to let of some steam:

and then we headed over to the KROC Community Center where Grandma takes water fitness classes that make me envious, plus they have a total fitness center, a rock climbing structure, a kids play area (that Tyler also really enjoyed) and bunch of other things...

Eventually we had to leave Grandma's to head over to see these two fantastic people:

The wedding was beautiful and it was a treat to see a couple who handled the challenges presented by the weather and the resulting change in venue with grace, cheer and cooperation. It makes me think that this couple has "what it takes".

Tyler had a blast at the wedding as one of the caddy's (Luke, the groom, is a Golf Course Management professional --I didn't even know they had a degree for that until I met him)

Until he was given his very own mustache...then he was Rico Suave the professional photographer caddy.

No Joke...My mom gave him her Canon Rebel camera (because he liked that it had the long zoom lens) and he started running around the whole reception snapping pictures of guests. It always amazes me when a)he takes a waaaaay better picture than me and b) the great response he gets from his photography subjects:

He also charmed the wedding photographer who made Tyler's day at the end of the night when he came over to give Ty a business card and tell him, "Call me in a few years when you are old enough to grow a real mustache and I'd love to take your picture then too."

All in all, a great time. I'd love to go back to Idaho and explore some of the smaller towns and communities.