What's in a Name?

As all of you know Chris and I are expecting our first baby in March. I joined an online group to see what other women were going through the same things I am. Since we are all over 5-months pregnant the new debate is on names...

I like unique names, unusual names, etc. just fine. However, can't we agree that there is a line that needs to be drawn at some point? While I think Apple and Sparrow are wierd names, Pilot Inspektor probably crosses the line, no? Why is it that parents who want their kids to be unique insist on giving their children complicated, ridiculous names that will actually impact their lives in a negative way? Simply imagine young Butterfly Fairytale interviewing for a business position. Don't you think that it could be an issue?

The thing about a name is that it is not just a name. It is an identity. Your name is something that everyone looks at before they meet you, it is the first personal barrier. Let me conclude by mentioning that parents back east have named their children Adolf Hitler and Aryan Nation. These kids do not have a chance. They could be the nicest, most pleasant children ever and for the rest of their lives they will be shunned, made fun of and have troubles with school, jobs and friendships. That just isn't right...

Summer Fun! (Warning, Its Long)

A little late, but I thought with Labor Day come and gone I would write a blog summation of our summer. I have been putting it off because there is so much to write about I hardly knew where to begin. I will start with the fact that we did a bowling league. This was my first attempt at an organized sport and our team won pretty much everything! It was a ton of fun! Now, on with the obvious, as outlined below we went on the trip of a lifetime. We spent a few days in London and met up with our friends George and Amanda on our first evening in. We went to dinner at a Spanish restaurant and spent the rest of the evening sightseeing Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, you get the picture. It was so much fun and we were really excited to spend some time with our friends.

The next few days we spent going to Kensington Palace, the Eye of London, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and really anything we wanted to see. It was an awesome time and London has truly become one of my favorite cities in the world. Chris and I even joke that if we were given the option, we would move there in a heartbeat.

After London we flew to Barcelona. The first thing we found in Barcelona was an amazing tapas bar. I was really surprised by how absolutely modern, clean and beautiful the city was. The biggest highlight had to be the most amazing architecture. The houses, stores and churches were AMAZING!! The best one was the Gaudi Cathedral. A mammoth almost gothic church that has been under construction for over 100 years, and is NOT almost finished. We were absolutely blown away by the design and proportion of this church. Barcelona was amazing and I would love to go back and explore more of Spain some day.

From Barcelona we boarded our ship, the Ruby Princess. While on acruise, we have found that one of the most important things is to finda bartender or entertainer that you really like. On this cruise it was Jillian in the casino bar. Jilly was amazing, hilarious and a riot to be around. I wish the cruise was longer so we could have hung out with her more. Our first stop on the cruise was Monte Carlo. One word to sum up this amazing place is “rich.” The homes, cars, yachts, palaces, churches, casinos, museums, stores, everything screams money. We walked around and were blown away by it all. We went into the church where Princess Grace and Prince Albert were married, and it was just so surreal to be in that spot. The stores were awesome. Bags and shoes and clothes and anything else your heart could ever desire. It was truly awe inspiring.

Our next stop on the itinerary was Florence. I wasn’t sure what to expect while in Florence. I knew it would be old, but nothing ever prepares you for that kind of age. The monuments, churches, homes, alleys, restaurants was literally everything I thought Italy would be.We took a bus ride through the Tuscan countryside and saw sunflowers upon sunflowers. Little fortress like homes on hills. Seriously, it was straight out of a Fairy Tale novel. The main Cathedral was so large that you could not see all of it from any one point in the square. The statues were everything I thought they would be, as was the Ponte Vecchio.

From Florence we went to Pisa where we heard tales of the Pisan’s dislike of the Livornians. Seriously a fun conversation. The only thing to talk about in Pisa was the leaning tower. Let me tell you, it definitely leans all right… I am amazed that thing has not fallen over. The other buildings in the square also lean, it is just not as noticeable. In other words, so cool!

After Florence came Rome… also my birthday… but, alas, the weather gods were not on our side. After much wavering the Captain decided we could not go in. Me, along with about 3000 other people were in tears as this basically is why we all chose this cruise. As everyone else was muttering about a ruined trip, my genius husband came up with a crazy idea that would get me there without taking anything away from the cruise or taking more time for the trip. I will get to that later, but he is my personal hero. This day turned in to a day at sea, and a much needed day of rest, where nothing was done except for book reading and pizza consumption. All in all a pretty pleasant day! :-)

After our unexpected day at sea came Naples. In this port we saw Capri and Sorrento, which are really amazing Italian vacation spots, and the ruins of Pompeii. We walked around the ruins and were really amazed at how well the structures, roads and some wall art stayed so intact. We saw the ash covered bodies and were blown away at how frozen in time everything was. The artifacts were endless and in the two hours that we got to meander around, I think we only saw 10% of the entire place. Pompeii is by far one of the most interesting places on Earth.

After another fun filled, pizza eating, book reading day at sea we went to a Greek Island called Mikonos. Mikonos is Greece like you think it should be. Small Island, white houses, blue doors, beaches and swimming. We made it our point this day to get into the Mediterranean and swim at Paradise beach (which apparently is one of the sexiest beaches in the world but you have to be there at night…oh, well). My Aunt and I had the most amazing pizza we have ever had (it beat out Italy and New York if you were wondering). This was a really relaxing day!

The next day was one that I had been looking forward too. This was our excursion into Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul is one of the most fascinating, historical, old, fun cities I have ever seen. It straddles two continents and feels a world away. We visited the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar and St.Sophia’s. St. Sophia’s was the most interesting to me because in the time of Constantine it was a cathedral, when the Ottoman Turks took over it became a Mosque, now a museum. What is really cool about it is that there are still a ton of Christian relics on the walls mixed in with theIslamic relics. I found the set up so interesting. The most amazing thing to me about Istanbul was the people. They were so nice and accommodating that it really blew me away. I would go back there in a heartbeat and hope to see it again!

Our next day was in Kusadasi, Turkey. The port of Kusadasi is meant to feed into the historical city of Ephesus. At this point we were so exhausted that we just decided to stay in the resort town and relax a little. We had lunch on the pier, visited the bazaar and walked around. It was neat and another much needed day of rest.

Athens, Greece was another city on our must see list. We spent the day going to the Acropolis, which is out of this world. All I have to say is that the pictures do not do any justice. We also saw some old temples and old Olympic stadiums. We learned the story of the Marathon and really drank in all of the history. This is where the story of Rome picks up again. See, Chris decided that as the last day before our ship docked in Venice for two days was a day at sea, that rather than waste that day, we should fly from Athens to Rome and see it once and for all. So that is exactly what we did! Thank goodness the cruise had internet, otherwise flights and hotel rooms would have been an issue, but it was not at all. We left the cruise and promised to meet up with them two days later in Venice.

We landed in Rome late at night. The Roman airport is like 45 minutes outside of the city in the middle of nowhere. After a couple seedy cab drivers and some (finally!) good directions we reached our hotel. The next morning we got our bearings and made our way to Roma Termini where we hopped on a double-decker bus tour. We saw the Coliseum, Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, the Trevi Fountain, Circus Maximus, and various tombs, cathedrals, Synagogues and ruins. Honestly, Rome is nothing like I thought it would be and everything I thought it would be. The relics were absolutely amazing, but it was off set by how dirty the city itself was. I was really saddened to see the graffiti, but pleased at how clean the very important areas were kept. I am embarrassed to admit that while in Rome we dined at a truly American restaurant… McDonalds. Let me tell you, in that moment, it was the best hamburger I have ever had! The next morning we hopped on a train, saw the beautiful Italian countryside, and caught up with the ship inVenice. My dream had always been to take a train and backpack through Italy. It amazes me that an almost disaster ended up giving me exactly what I wanted.

Our two days in Venice were an incredible experience. Venice is EXACTLY what I thought it would be, and even more. It was clean, beautiful and full of history. We saw St. Marks Square, the Bridge of Sighs, the Rialto Bridge, Murano and took the quintessential gondola ride through the Grand Canal and many of the side “streets.” The buses, limos, taxis and cars were all boats. It was romantic, beautiful and I would love to go back some day.

From this point we flew home… I was sad to see the trip come to an end but so pleased with how everything turned out. If I never go to Italy, Spain, Turkey, Greece or the UK again, I really feel that I got to see it, and that is an exciting feeling.

Once at home, we settled in and went to Harry Potter (yes, the day we flew home). We saw the movie and went to bed, exhausted and ready for work and Chris’ birthday the next day. I hadn’t been feeling right in a few days and woke up at 3 in the morning. On a whim I took an old pregnancy test and found out that WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!! Well, in all honesty I went to the store and picked up 6 more because I didn’t believe the first one. So I woke Chris up, wished him a happy birthday and told him the news. Needless to say any lingering depression on being home from our vacation was gone gone gone! I went to the doctor and am due in March.
So friends, that in a nutshell is how our summer went. It was everything I hoped it would be and much MUCH more. Looking forward to a fun fall and an amazing winter

We're Going on Vacation!

Next month, Chris and I are going on vacation with my awesome Aunt and Uncle. To say that this is a dream trip is a bit of an understatement as far as I am concerned. We are staying in London for a few days and then heading south to Barcelona to begin what can only be described as the-coolest-itinerary-on-the-planet cruise as outlined below:

We are going on the Ruby Princess, which is the Princess Fleet's newest ship. This bodes well for my technological requirements. Needless to say, I am very excited. Not only is the trip itself full of awesomeness (not sure if that is a real word, but it fits the feeling well don't you think?), but I get to spend my 25th birthday in the city I have wanted to visit my whole life, Rome.

Chris and I have an agreement that he will go anywhere in the world I want to go as long as a cruise ship goes there. The theory being that we are not stuck in a place we end up not liking at all, and won't miss out on places that we find out we adore (but would not have otherwise visited). I like this agreement! Here's to seeing the world one cruise at a time!

Bon Voyage!
Lauren

Politics, Religion and Gay Marriage

This is a couple of weeks past due, but seeing as I can’t get it out of my head, I need to write about it now. I am an avid watcher of the pageants that are shown on television. I don’t think I have missed a single Miss America or Miss USA since I was a kid. Mom and I used to sit in front of the TV and pick our favorite girls that we thought should win the whole competition. Generally speaking we were always pretty accurate with who we thought should win. I always thought the Q&A portion of the competition was, well, a little bland.

Imagine my surprise this year when Perez Hilton is chosen to ask one of these questions. I basically knew what was coming before it even escaped his mouth. Who was the recipient of his (admittedly loaded) gay marriage question on whether or not is should be legalized in states past Iowa? None other than Miss California, the representative of the state that brought us Prop 8 last November. Immediately when she answered the question, my mind was stunned. First, she nonsensically mentioned something about “how great it is that we live in a country where we can choose same-sex or “opposite” marriage,” but that in her Country, and in her family Gay marriage is wrong, throwing in a “no offense” for good measure. I stand by my belief that she lost the crown not because of her opinion, but rather the way in which she answered the question.

I am saddened by her belief, a belief which is shared by many Americans. We come from a country with a sordid history. Most people weren’t recognized as citizens or granted the right to vote until a long time after our country was founded. Most religions, most races, woman and people with varying disabilities have been discriminated against because of how they were born. I feel that this is exactly what is being done to the Gay community.

Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers, once wrote that “all, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.” In other words, the rights of the minority are to be protected from the will of the majority. At the time of laws passing, the following items were NOT supported by a majority of voting Americans: African-American Citizenship, right to own property and the right to vote, Native American Citizenship, right to own property and the right to vote, Women’s right to own property and the right to vote, interracial marriage (in certain states), the list goes on and includes certain religions being observed and personal rights that we have been granted. A vast majority of the foes of these eventual laws condoned their beliefs based on “biblical” thought and scripture.

This brings me back to Miss California, Carrie Prejean. On an interview the next day, she states that “it’s not about being politically correct; it’s about being biblically correct.” I have always known that there was a snippet in the bible regarding homosexuality, but not until now did I want to do some research. This passage can be found in the book of Leviticus, which also has many laws regarding what people should and should not eat, how they should bathe, that they need to be circumcised, various animal sacrifices, etc. I have not been able to find it anywhere else. While doing my research, I happened upon information dealing with “Old Testament” laws and “New Testament” laws, their validity and who needs to follow them. That is for another blog on another day, but a very interesting Google search if you ask me.

I am not attempting to disprove or disrespect the Bible. What I am saying is that the whole perceived message is one of love and acceptance for all of God’s children. I find it hard to believe that an entire group of people would be born to this planet, simply to be rejected and abused by the rest of us. If we are arguing from a religious standpoint, there are many churches out there that have embraced the Gay community and are willing to marry them. It is a violation of their first Amendment rights to not be granted the same religious opportunity as a heterosexual couple. I am not, however, arguing from a religious standpoint. I am arguing from a political standpoint of equal protection under the law. Without a government sanctioned marriage contract, gay couples have no (or limited) rights as far as property laws, inheritance laws, beneficiary laws, child-custody laws, tax laws, insurance laws, health care laws, etc. in places where they are not recognized. It is high time we stop obsessing ourselves with what is going on in our neighbor’s bedrooms and start caring a little more about what happens in our own.

In our country, marriage is not a privilege, it is a right. I have seen enough marriages, divorces, annulments, second marriages, affairs, fifth marriages, abuse, etc. that shows that anyone can get married, be married, stay married or not stay married. It is up to that individual whether or not they are doing it in the eyes of God and protecting the “sanctity” of the institution, or doing it for some inane protection that is only available to a married couple. Whatever the reason, heterosexual couples have the right, and homosexual couples don’t. It is not about the Bible, the argument is about political rhetoric. Since the beginning of our Country, Americans have feared and objected to that which they do not understand. It is within this knowledge that people can stand on a soap box and generate a following. If you do not believe in Gay Marriage, then do not marry someone of the same sex, no one is saying you have too. Fighting for what you believe in is one thing, fighting for the rights and privileges of those whom you do not agree with is something completely different all together, and that is the foundation our country was built on.

XOXO, Lauren

The Office

After a year-long hiatus of watching television and a years-long string of disappointing television, I sat down a couple of weeks ago and watched an episode of The Office. The book I was currently reading was not calling my name, and I had already been to the gym... There was nothing else to do, so I committed to a full half hour. I can't say that it was the first time I had seen the show, but I can say that it was the first time that I watched an episode in its entirety. "Golden Ticket" was so funny and cringe-worthy that my interest was caught.

Throughout the next week I couldn't stop thinking of what I had been missing, so I went and bought the first season on DVD. Well, that was watched in the first night. Of course I had to go and get the second season because there was obviously so much that I had been missing. Chris and I picked that up and watched it over the course of three days. At this point we were coming up on the next episode in the current season ("New Boss"). So we watched season three wrapped around the current season. Over the weekend we finished season three and spent all day Sunday watching season four. I am now in total, unconditional love with this show. Michael's antics, the Jim and Pam love story (better to me than almost any other), the total hatred of poor Toby, Angela and Dwight... and Andy, Kelly's total self-absorption, Ryan's problems and Phyllis (I love Phyllis... she would be my office friend) make me want to work at Dunder Mifflin just so I can see it unfold first hand.

We are coming up on the next episode in Season 5, "Two Weeks." I am so excited and am trying to get completely caught up by that episode (thank you i-Tunes and free shows on NBC's website). I am obsessed. My name is Lauren and I am an Officeholic!

"Burn After Reading"... or before even watching!

Last night after an evening in the spa, Chris and I decided to watch a movie. So after going through all 20,000 of our selections on in-demand (okay, it was like 100, but still), we settled on "Burn After Reading." This is a movie that Chris and I have wanted to watch for quite some time. The stellar cast of George Clooney (Oscar winner), Frances McDormand (Oscar winner), John Malkovich (Oscar nominated), Tilda Swinton (Oscar winner) and Brad Pitt (Oscar nominated) seemed like a sure thing. The directing/producing/writing team of Joel and Ethan Coen have Oscar wins and nominations up to their eyeballs for awesome films such as "Fargo", "No Country For Old Men" and "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"

As you can see, after reviewing such credentials and looking at the "freshness" of the movie on rottentomatoes.com (77% for those who are wondering), we were expecting a witty dark comedy that would be smart, interesting, and entertaining for the entire 96 minutes. However, what we received was a crass, idiotic plot that made absolutely no sense.

**Spoilers Below**

Take George Clooney for example. His character plays a man who spends the entire movie sleeping with 4 different woman and has a mental breakdown when his wife splits with him. This, mind you, is after he had already moved in with Tilda Swinton's character after she blindsided her husband with a divorce (for not liking him or something stupid - she was a nag, if I ever end up like that, kill me). Back to George Clooney's character. He makes this chair.... Google "Burn After Reading Chair" and it will pop up if you are curious. It is vulgar and out of nowhere. This character had the biggest flaws to me. He also kills an intruder (Brad Pitt) and then dumps the body... even though he knows he is being followed (and, oh yeah, you can defend yourself against an intruder).

Lets get to John Malkovich. He is a brilliant actor. He is fun to watch. In this entire movie he had one line. It was a one word line: F**K. Seriously, I love the F-word. But an hour and a half... blah. His wife in the film, Tilda Swinton, the only thing I can say about her is what a nag!!!! Arggghhh!!

The Gym employees, Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand. They are the plot of the story. Their janitor Manolo finds this cd and they blackmail John Malkovich to get money. Brad wants money because he is supposed to and Frances wants the money for her "surgeries" which include a face lift, butt lift, breast augmentation and tummy tuck. Oh, and she is sleeping with George Clooney too, because she is insecure and he apparently needs to sleep with every female in the movie. She tries to sell the info to the Russians and this embezzlement ends up getting two people killed because they are stupid of course. One, that was mentioned above, and another with an hatchet of some sort. Because no black comedies would be complete without the hatchet. I think the Coen brothers are trying to tell us that we, the masses, are just dumb enough to do this.

At the end of the movie you may ask what happened to all of these people? Nothing really. The CIA sent George Clooney to Venezuela (because there is no extradition there). The Gym employee got her surgeries, Tilda Swinton never came back to the screen and Brad Pitt and John Malkovich died, but no one was held accountable because that would be too much paperwork. Is this where I am supposed to laugh?

After this terribly stupid movie we decided to watch "Horton Hears a Who." This movie was funny, had a message and had several pop-culture references that made me laugh out loud (there seriously was an Emo Who that would not speak). If you have an hour and a half, I recommend this movie. I have definitely learned my lesson on what makes a great movie!

Disneyland

I have decided to be a conformist and start to blog about the random things that Chris and I are doing. I think I will look at this as some sort of glorified diary that I can go back to and laugh at myself. So, here goes nothing, welcome to my first blog...

For many of you who know me, you know that I LOVE Disneyland. I spent part of my honeymoon there, several anniversaries, birthdays and just-because-we-wanted-to-go days. I even own a season pass. While people (including my Mother) feel my devotion to Disney is a bit over the top, I feel that it is a perfectly acceptable way to feel like I am five again.

This past weekend Chris and I went to Disneyland with my Dad and my brother Matt for Matt's 22nd birthday. Much like me, Disneyland is Matt's favorite place anywhere so we all surprised him with the trip the night before we left. Since Matt has gone to Disneyland countless times there are certain expectations that he has when we arrive. First, he is to get a wheelchair and be escorted around the park. Second, we are too feed him at appropriate intervals. Lastly, we are to go on the rides that he wants to go on when he wants to go on them throughout the duration of the trip. If any of these requirements are not met, Matt is unhappy. If there is ever a kid you don't want unhappy, it is Matt.

The first two days pretty much went off without a hitch. Matt got his wheelchair (which Chris dutifully pushed him around in) and we ate at appropriate intervals. He got to do everything he wanted to do, except see "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" which is literally the only thing that Chris and I can't stand in Disneyland, so we placated Matt by telling him we were saving the best for last!! On Sunday things started to go downhill for poor Matty. Usually on the last day we only do California Adventure, and because it is a smaller park with less people (and Matt needs the exercise) we make him walk. So he unhappily walked the park. Then, after a long day of walking, we finally went back over to Disneyland to see "Honey I Shrunk the Audience." Matt's day was finally looking up. We got in line, waited for a bit, and then the intercom came on saying that the show was closing for a few hours because of a technical difficulty. We had to leave shortly after that to get home because we all had to be at work in the morning. Needless to say he gave us the saddest "Matt" look... He pouted on the way out of the park, pouted when we got back into the car to go home and pouted when we went in to dinner hours later. Finally we got in to the car and asked him if he wanted to go again (since we missed the show of course). He grinned from ear to ear, said "Yes!!! Except, next time I need my chair." I love that kid.




See "Happy Matt" and "Sad Matt"









Dad's favorite ride (the Train around Disneyland). We went on this a couple of times around the park. Matt wanted to get off so bad and do rides that he kept saying "I have to go to the bathroom!!" We got off and he informed us that it was time for rides. When reminded about his bathroom farce he told us to "Be Happy!"









Me FINALLY beating Chris at the Buzz Lightyear game. What this picture does not show is that coming in to the final room, Chris was catching up to me. So I did what any other competitive wife who did not want to lose for the 100th consecutive time would do. I tackled him and blocked his gun!!