can we have just a moment of truth...

It has been tough to come up with blog posts when the one topic i wanted to talk about i didn't know how to say... Well now that word is out to my family i feel it is time to talk... I am pregnant. Its taken some time to realize that although this child isn't coming at the best time or into an ideal situation that children are always a good thing. Its an adventure that i hope i don't screw it up to much...if nothing else the child will have a sense of humor, rhythm, and a knowledge of all things pop culture

here's how it started... started with a beat...

Last night on America's Best Dance Crew the crew's had to show the evolution of hip hop dancing using moves from popping, locking, breakin', new jack swing, and pop. each team got the same master mix of music and a dvd highlighting the different styles...here is what my team the JABBAWOCKEEZ came up with.....




Oh they are so tight. They rock my world.

ABC...it's easy as 123....

ABC's of Me

A. Attached or Single-in a perpetual state of "singleton status"

B. Best Friend(s)-I've always believed it was better to never let one person know "everything" about you...that way if things go bad they can't hurt you....wow that sounds really cynical...

C. Cake or Pie- pie! for sure. especially grandma earls' homemade pies....i'm not usually a baked goods fan, but I can't say no to a slice of this little heaven.

D. Day of Choice- um...saturday of course! I get to sleep in, catch up on shows, and hang out with friends or family...perfect. Plus when summer rolls around you can see me by the pool every saturday.

E. Essential Item- let's just say i'm not signing up for survivor or man vs. wild anytime soon. I need TV, I need food and clean water, I need music, I need electricity.

F. Flavor of Ice Cream-Tillamook Rocky Road or Chocolate Peanut Butter.....pure goodness.

G. Gummy Bears or Worms-Best invention ever...gummy coke bottles! Just try them...trust me.

H. Hometown-does this mean where I grew up or where I currently live? I will put where I grew up cause it's so much cooler. Grew up in Kirkland Washington until the age of about 13 then finished off my younger years in Bellevue.

I. Indulgences-I am a sucka for a massage....either my head, body, feet, or hands....it's all good!

J. January or July- who likes january? it's the worst. so cold. July by far is cooler. Sun, yummy fruit, fireworks...

K. Kids- sure why not?

L. Last movie I saw in theatre- Juno-so funny and such great quotes!

M. Marriage Date- really? had to throw that in there to make all us single people feel stupid...really? just kidding.

N. Number of siblings- 3. two quiet, funny, driven, and talented brothers. and one kind, good-natured, loving, honest sister.

O. Orange or Apples- I thought you couldn't compare the two? I like the little satsuma oranges cause they are easy to peel, but a good crisp apple is also delicious...

P. Phobias or Fears- clowns, santa clauses in the mall, un-purportioned people, heights

Q. Quote- I love movie quotes and this one is my favorite. I have never seen the movie it's from but I just think it's hilarious..."Doing stuff is overrated. Like Hitler. He did a lot. But don't we all wish he woulda just stayed home and gotten stoned?"

R. Reason to smile- I'm not dead.

S. Season- Spring. Flowers blooming, Sun shining, yummy fruits and vegetables coming into season...

T. Tag- you're it....?

U. Unknown fact about me- I don't know if there is anything left?....When I was in the fifth grade I ran for ASB secretary. We made posters highlighting my good attributes using the initials in my first name. On one of the posters my mom "accidentally" put GOOD LOOKING for "g" instead of GOOD STUDENT...yeah that wasn't embarrassing at all...although I won the election so maybe it worked.

V. Vegetarian or oppressor of Animals- why is it worded like this? I would say lover of animals...especially good tasting animals...

W. Worst Habit- don't realy have any bad habits...i'm just that awesome.

X. X-rays or Ultrasounds- x'rays look so much cooler. When I was going to school in Hawaii I had an accident involving a moped and some cement. I had to go this little hospital in Kahuku where the doctor wore board shorts, scrub top, and flip flops and was outside smoking when we arrived. I got an x-ray of my head and neck...which was pretty awesome...not awesome was the actual concussion.

Y. Your favorite Food- i'll go with lindsay and say anything I don't have to cook myself....shocker. Although my favorite "types" of foods are either italian or chinese.

Z. Zodiac- Gemini! Holla!! Here are some characteristics...I wonder if it fits????

Gemini traits

Adaptable and versatile
Communicative and witty
Intellectual and eloquent
Youthful and lively


On the dark side....

Nervous and tense
Superficial and inconsistent
Cunning and inquisitive

People born under this sign can often appear to be interested and interesting, but sometimes emotionally detached. Constant questioners, they love to dominate conversations by sharing information, but not of a personal nature. They can really get others talking. For instance, they'll know your birth date, your first grade teacher’s name and your blood type after your first meeting, but you won't know theirs.

it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

So apparently today is ''Sweater Day'' — a day to celebrate what would have been the 80th birthday of Fred Rogers, obviously known for his amazing cardigan sweater collection. In honor of this holiday EW.com decided to commemorate this man by picking their 20 favorite sweaters in entertainment — starting with MISTER ROGERS himself. (if i would have known about this earlier I totally would have worn a sweater...which i might have had to purchase special for the occasion since i don't wear sweaters...but for Mister Rogers...it would have been worth it...after all it's Sweater Day!)


Here are my top ten from that list. (i've included my own thoughts in italics)

BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY

Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) didn't make a good impression on Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) when her mother tried to play matchmaker for the future couple. And the heinous — but hilarious and rather enduring — reindeer jumper he was wearing at the time didn't help matters much either....(one of favorite movies of all time, and that jumper was hilariously atrocious)

''UNDONE — THE SWEATER SONG''

Weezer's knit-tastic first single — can you believe it was released 14 years ago now? — extolled the angst of sweater-wearing hipsters with the now-classic lyrics: ''If you want to destroy my sweater / Hold this thread as I walk away.'' (still love love love this song)

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

Even ''the perfect cheer!'' couldn't perk up the drab, but totally awesome, Spartan sweaters worn by the cheerleaders — Craig (Will Ferrell) and Arianna (Cheri Oteri) — in the series' recurring sketches. (kind of wish i had this sweater for the "perfect halloween outfit")

THE COSBY SHOW

To this day, the dapper Dr. Cliff Huxtable — and the comedian who played him, Bill Cosby — is best known for his myriad of crazy crocheted confections. (seriously...to this day when someone is wearing a crazy sweater I refer to it as a "cosby sweater")

FRIENDS

Viewers — and Joey, Monica, and Phoebe — found out who the father of Rachel's baby (it was Ross, but he didn't even know that at this point!) via a red sweater that he left in her apartment after the infamous one-night stand. When Ross casually announced that he'd been looking for the red knit ''for, like, a month,'' the in-studio audience realized what was going on and cheered heartily, and then — pause for 10 seconds — Joey finally put all the pieces together and gasped himself. (typical joey face! oh how i miss friends)

CHARLIE BROWN

Its got maybe the simplest — but possibly least-flattering — pattern ever, but the yellow sweater with the chunky zigzag can be spotted from a mile away and is Charlie's signature/only look. The celebrated style is so closely associated with cartoonist Charles Schultz's work that the biography of him, Schultz and Peanuts, that hit shelves last fall is naturally emblazoned with the same colors and pattern. (totally awesome sweater!)

NIRVANA: UNPLUGGED

Known for his tattered sweaters, the fallen rock idol Kurt Cobain famously layered a fuzzy green cardigan over a concert tee on MTV's music show and inspired a zillion other grunge fans to do the same. (this style really hit home with many of my fellow students at my seattle area high school....don't know why)

FREDDY KRUEGER

Sure, Nightmare on Elm Street's serial killer is known for his gnarly face, brown fedora, and metal-clawed leather glove, but he wouldn't be nearly as spooky without that jailbird-esque, red-and-green sweater. (maybe it's because these movies freaked me out, but this sweater will always be disturbing to me)

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION

Though we surely got a kick out of 'em (could this guy be any more pathetic?), even slapping on a couple of ''cheerful'' yuletide sweaters couldn't give Clark Griswold the Christmas he so desired. (although my favorite sweater of the movie was cousin eddie's cream/white sweater with the dark green dickie.....amazing)

GREASE

Just as Sandy showed up rocking her cigarette-smoking, bad-girl-in-black look, Danny tried going legit with a Rydell High sweater vest. He only wore it briefly, though, after Sandy's big hair managed to tease him back to the bad (or is it good?) side. (i got chills...they're multiplying...)

It's not a fantasy, but it's reality...

My sister and I were discussing last night the amazing line-up of shows we have tonight and I came to the realization that I (angie bates) am a total reality show junkie. The fact that I get way too excited that tonight we have the Gauntlet III finale, Survivor (special night), and American idol to watch back to back leads me to believe that I have a problem....but honestly it's a problem that I don't want to fix (perhaps I should be on "intervention") So in honor of my fabulous tv line-up tonight I am going to make a list of reality shows that I either currently am watching or ones I am looking forward to returning....don't judge. :)

survivor
big brother
american idol
america's best dance crew
beauty and the geek
top chef
america's next top model
project runway
make me a supermodel
real world/road rules challenge
the hills
bad girls club
intervention
real housewives of new york city
high school reunion
high school confidential
amazing race
so you think you can dance
pussycat dolls: search for girlicious
that's amore
oprah's big give
trading spaces
hell's kitchen


phew...it feels good to get that out....

I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling...

My friend aubrey and I had a day of fun in tri-town on saturday. Made some returns, did some shopping, ate at pf chang's, wandered around costco...just a great day! At Kohl's I picked up a new pair of shoes I had seen online....so so cute. I'm wearing them today and loving them! Just thought I'd share. I love cute shoes, they just make me so happy.

when irish eyes are smiling...

I'm sitting here in my green tee-shirt listening to the St. patty's day mix I put together chalk full of famous bands/singers from ireland (van morrison, cranberries, u2, ronan keating, westlife, enya, the corrs, sinead o'connor, riverdance, etc...) and thought I would post a little something....

TOP 5 LITTLE FACTS ABOUT ST. PATRICK'S DAY:

*The Saint:

St. Patrick's Day marks the Roman Catholic feast day for Ireland's patron saint, who died in the 5th century. St. Patrick was not born in Ireland, but in Britain. St. Patrick was born in 385 AD somewhere along the west coast of Britain, possibly in the Welsh town of Banwen. At age 16, he was captured and sold into slavery to a sheep farmer. He escaped when he was 22 and spent the next 12 years in a monastery. In his 30s he returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. He died at Saul in 461 AD and is buried at Downpatrick. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since. The day's spirit is to celebrate the universal baptization of Ireland. Though originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday. Or, rather, 'be an Irish Day '.

*The color green:

In the United States, it's customary to wear green on St. Patrick's Day. But in Ireland the color was long considered to be unlucky.

*The Parade:

Colonial New York City hosted the first official St. Patrick's Day parade in 1762, when Irish immigrants in the British colonial army marched down city streets. In subsequent years Irish fraternal organizations also held processions to St. Patrick's Cathedral. The various groups merged sometime around 1850 to form a single, grand parade. Today New York's St. Patrick's Day parade is the longest running civilian parade in the world. This year nearly three million spectators are expected to watch the spectacle and some 150,000 participants plan to march.

*The Irish:

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 34 million United States residents claim Irish ancestry, or nearly ten times the entire population of Ireland today, which stands at 3.9 million. Among U.S. ethnic groups, the number of Irish-Americans in the U.S. is second only to the number of German-Americans.

*The clover:

One estimate suggests that there are about 10 000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover. Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

Now don't say you never learn anything useful from my blog. :)

the rhythm is gonna get you...

TOP 5 FAVORITE MIXES ON MY IPOD:

5. GARTH BROOKS MIX:

I was a sophmore in college when I found out that country fans existed under the age of 65 and that country artists were starting to cross over into a more pop sound. Until then, all I knew of country music was what my grandpa listened to and some group named Alabama won the grammy every year. But in my sophmore year I was introduced to the magic of Garth Brooks "the hits" album and I loved it. Since then I have added a few other artists to my list of "country artists I can actually stand" but Garth was the original. Due to the fact that my sister Kim and I started the tradition of listening to country music while driving through the barren Idaho on our way home from BYU, I know almost every word to every song on the hits album and a few others he has done since.

4. STAKE DANCE MIX:

I grew up going to church dances in the early 90's when new-wave was very popular, therefore this little mix is a wonderful combination of depeche mode, erasure, pet shop boys, the cure etc....with the ending song being of course...Alphaville's "forever young" (as it was always the last song played at the dances. My favorite song on the list...Depeche Mode's "somebody". What a brilliant song.

3. 90'S R&B MIX:

In an earlier post I already raved about my love of this music and the connection I have with the music, the melodies, and the beauty of each song...so I won't repeat my thoughts. But this mix makes me happy. With such artists as boyz II men, toni braxton, tevin campbell, brian mcknight, swv, blackstreet, toni tony tone, whitney houston, shai, jodeci, and of course babyface this mix puts me at ease and chills me out.

2. DISNEY-ISH MIX:

One of my "go-to" mixes on road trips, this mix pleases both children and adults as almost everyone knows the songs and the lyrics. With about 5 hours of music featured in Disney and other animated movies this mix is a pure delight. try and tell me you wouldn't smile when you hear the first chords of "circle of life" come on, or hear donny osmond's voice sing "let's get down to business...to defeat...the huns", or get a little sentimental when fox and the hound's "the best of friends" song comes on. These songs are classics. One of my favorite songs..."the whistle stop" from Robin Hood...tell me that little diddy doesn't get stuck in your head.

1. BUBBLEGUM POP MIX:

The ultimate collection (almost 9 hours) of boy bands, girl bands, and young pop artists from the late 90's to the early 2000's, this mix is chalk full of songs that everybody (whether you want to or not) knows the lyrics to. This mix includes songs from nsync, backstreet boys, lfo, o-town, britney spears, christina aguilera, willa ford, dream, jessica simpson, mandy moore, 2gether, bb mak, westlife, 98 degrees, 5ive, s club 7, hanson, soul decision, and of course the spice girls and is sure to add some joy and excitement when played.

Pour some sugar on me...(Ooh, in the name of love)

TOP 5 FAVORITE EASTER TREATS:

5. Anything with the shiny wrapper:

Regular candy just looks so much more enticing when it's wrapped in a shiny pink, purple, or turqouise wrapper...oh I love easter colors!

4. Cadbury creme eggs:

They may look slightly disgusting, and some are not fans of the taste...but add me to the list of egg lovers. I love biting into the yummy cadbury chocolate and tasting the sugary deliciousness that awaits inside. Plus I just think the whole idea is so creative.

3. Reese's peanut butter eggs:

Some may argue that they taste exactly like the normal cups, but I would beg to differ. I think the reese's workers add a little extra punch of peanutty goodness to these bad boys just in celebration of easter....thank you reese's.

2. Peep's:

Marshmallows=good--- Sugar coating=good--- put them together in a delicious easter animal form and you have one delicious treat!

1. Cadbury mini-eggs:

Little bites of heaven. These things are soooooooo delicious. Amazingly smooth chocolate, candy coated shell, bite-size goodness....I look forward to these treats all year...Oh Cadbury you know how to make me smile!

let's chill...let's settle down.

what a great weekend. nothing too exciting but it was so relaxing and so enjoyable. friday i went over to hang out with kim, aaron, and elsie after work and we headed to michael's for 1/2 price appetizers and dinner....oh so delicious. I practically had to have someone roll me our of there, i was so full. That night we just chilled on the couches and watched wedding crashers on tv (kim and aaron hadn't seen it). saturday i bummed around the house in the morning, catching up on some shows and then went to ephrata to get my hair done. kim came with me, so she could meet my hairdresser. i love getting my hair done, and i always feel so much better when it looks good...makes me wonder why i wait so long sometimes in between highlights and trims...bad bad bad. that night we checked out taco del mar, which just opened up by my house, and it was delicious....those chips are delicious! we sat down to watch some tv, but then grandma came over wanting to play games so she, kim, and aaron played a couple games of "ticket to ride" while i watched, mocked, and made a DQ run for everybody. what a fun night. sunday kim made us a delicious white chili and i provided the treats. elsie was being so so cute and was cracking me up so it was fun to hang with her. i think i finally won her over when i shared my dove chocolates with her....who can resist those things. later that night michelle and em came over to my house and we watched "that's amore" (guilty pleasure show on mtv...love it!) and oprah's big give.

overall a great weekend with family and friends

I'm a lover not a fighter...

Say what you want about the current state of affairs in regards to Michael Jackson but 25 years ago, when the Thriller album came out, the man could do no wrong.


It was the biggest selling album in recording history and this performer, with his innovative dance moves, pop beats, iconic style choices (such as the shiny glove-red zipper leather jacket-and black hat), and amazing musicality set the standard for every dancer/performer to follow. This amazing album gave us so many incredible and timeless hits such as; the girl is mine (with paul mccartney), wanna be startin' something, thriller, beat it, billie jean, human nature, and my personal #1 P.Y.T. (pretty young thing). Amazing songs right?

Last night on America's Best Dance Crew they paid tribute to this amazing album and honored the innovative man behind the "moonwalk" ( I remember watching the motown special when he unveiled this move and knowing-even as a child-how it would change dance forever), and many other "signature" dance moves. Each team had to dance to a song off the Thriller album and had to incorporate Michael Jackson's signature moves into their own style of dance. My favorite team...the JabbawockeeZ....picked my favorite song....P.Y.T....and this is what happened--------



THEY DOMINATED!

too hot to handle too cold to hold...

My favorite performance last night

David Cook + amazing Lionel Richie song + guitar = GENIUS!

So give a little bit...Give a little bit of your time to me

After watching the first episode of Oprah's "Big Give", I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I am not emotionally stable enough to watch this show. Forget "Extreme Home Makeover" with it's tear inducing stories (child's play), this show takes it to a whole new level! The show should start with a warning "Will induce serious uncontrollable tears, thoughts of "what have I been doing with my own life", and the instant need to give service". This show is amazing. I was a little apprehensive to watch it, because of it's connection to Oprah (and as some of you know I got lots of issues with that woman)...but I'm glad I did. This show is crazy awesome. I could do without a couple of these contestants, like the lady in the wheelchair (annoying!), but overall these people have huge hearts, and have the ability to accomplish so much in such a little period of time...I am baffled and amazed.


For those of you who don't know....here is the premise:

Each week the contestants receive sealed envelopes with only a picture and the name of a complete stranger, and some starting cash. Under intense pressure, they must figure out how to change this person's life in just five days. The contestants must use their creativity and resources to generate the most powerful and sensational ways to make a real difference. Each week the situations will get harder, and the contestants will have less money to start with, but it's up to them to change lives. After the fifth day, and the "big reveals" they are judged by three judges, and the person who "gave the least" or basically did the worst job is sent home. In the end the winner or "biggest giver" will receive $1 million dollars (a fact the contestants know nothing about).

My two favorite stories this week:
1. was the wife and two kids who lost their husband/father/war vet 6 weeks ago when he was murdered at work at home depot. The mother was worried about paying bills, keeping their home, and paying for their kids eduction at a catholic school. The two men who got her, were able to get their education at the school paid for completely, set up a college fund for the future, and give her like $50,000 towards her mortgage.

2. was the mother and two high school age children who were homeless and had been living on the streets and now in a shelter. all she wanted was a job and a skill, but the two contestants that helped her were able to get her a car, money for a home, and money for college for her kids.

Lazy sunday...wake up in the late afternoon

Do you wanna know what I did all weekend?.....absolutely nothing. Heck, I didn't even get showered until about 7 o'clock at night....and I don't know exactly why I bothered to even do that. Saturday and Sunday was just me, my couch, and whatever was on television. I thought about going out and renting some movies, but decided that required wayyyyyy to much effort and just found something ridiculous to watch on tv instead. I haven't decided if this lazy weekend was pathetic, or just relaxing but either way that's how it was.

Perhaps this week will bring some excitement and some stories....