Movie Monday-Nights in Rodanthe

I know, I know...I'm a day late! This week my oldest son will be turning 5, and I have been in a crazy cleaning mode to prepare for his Friday night party!

So today while I was cleaning the kitchen I hooked up my dvd player to my pink Hello Kitty tv and re watched "Nights in Rodanthe!" Yes I have a pink Hello Kitty tv in my kitchen! I'm crazy like that! ;)I have decided that this movie is probably my favorite Richard Gere movie! I love it on so many different levels! I've blogged about this movie after I first saw it. You can read about that here!

If you haven't seen this movie, you might not want to read my review, because I am basically going to give away the ending. I normally try to just review the movie, but the ending had a big impact on me. Anyway, here it goes.

First off, I am going to give this movie a 10 on the scale of Richard Gere hotness! The hair, the wrinkles...everything was PERFECT! Here's a photo from one of the scenes! The movie is from 2008 and like I've said many times before, Richard Gere is like a fine wine...the older he gets, the better he is! ;) I'm sure that when he's 90 and in a wheel chair, he'll still be turning my head! ;)
Ok let's get started. This movie is about a woman named Adrienne Willis (Diane Lane) who was asked by a friend to run her bed and breakfast (beach house) while she was out of town. There was only guest that she needed to take care of, whose name is Paul Flanner (Richard Gere).

Adrienne was currently separated from her husband and a mother to a young son and teenage daughter. Her kids were on vacation with their dad, so it's just Adriane and Paul alone in the house. They begin to get to know each other and soon find out that they have a lot in common.

Paul is a divorced surgeon, and is in town to visit with a family who is suing him for wrongful death. During all of this drama a huge hurricane hits and the two embrace each other in fear and that spirals into a whole lot of Richard Gere lovin'! Side note: I am terrified of bad storms...too bad I couldn't cuddle up with RG! Now that would make me feel much better! :)

Paul is estranged from his son. His son, also a doctor, is doing volunteer work in a foreign country. Paul plans to go and work with his son with hopes of rebuilding their relationship.

Both Paul and Adrienne promise to continue their relationship after he returns to the states. Over a period of time they converse through romantic letters. Paul finally is ready to return to the states and Adrienne has prepared the same meal that she served him at the beach house. She waits and waits and he doesn't show up. She falls asleep.

The next morning she is awoken by the doorbell and runs downstairs thinking it is Paul. She opens the door to discover Paul's son and tears immediately stream from her eyes. She finds out that Paul had died in a mudslide. And she also finds out that Paul completely changed for the good in his sons eyes.

His son says to Adrienne: "Just as we were starting to know each other again... ...he was taken away from me. Because of you, he was a changed man. You gave me back my father. You saved him."

Oh my goodness, what a line! Everytime I hear him say that I sob and sob and sob!

Paul's son gives her a box of his possessions. In it Adrienne finds all the letters that Paul had received from her. Surprisingly she finds an unmailed letter that Paul had wrote to her! As she reads it she cries hysterically. This is where I cry too! The letter said and you hear Paul's voice:

Dear Adrienne,

In a few days we'll be together again. I can't wait to meet Danny and Amanda, walk on our beach, and spend another night in the Blue Room with you in my arms. But most of all, I can't wait for our life to begin together. Thank you for showing me that it wasn't too late. All I can do to repay you is promise to love you forever. And I do.

Just typing that right now, and I started to cry! What's wrong with me? Am I just over emotional? I think it's because I can relate so much to her loss. I have been in love before, but not the type of love that I experience now with my husband.

Adrienne is right when she said:

"But there's another kind of love, Amanda. One that gives you the courage to be better than you are, not less than you are. One that makes you feel that anything is possible. I want you to know that you could have that. I want you to hold out for it."

Adrienne spent a lot of time in bed and crying, and I totally connected with how she was feeling. I couldn't imagine spending my life without my husband!

Another part of the movie that made me cry was the ending when she saw the horses running up the beach. She told Paul in the beginning that the horses never wander that far down the beach, and he promised her that someday they would! It was just a surprise in the movie that just made you cry and thinking about it brings tears to my eyes! I am quite surprised that I didn't cry when I saw the wild horses on the beaches of Assateague last month. I did think about the movie though!

This year on vacation I did want to go down to North Carolina were the movie was made. I wanted to see the house where it was filmed since this is my all time favorite RG movie. The house which is basically out in the water has been condemned and is in bad shape. As I was looking for photos tonight to share with you I discovered that this year the house was relocated. So now there is hope that the house can be restored!

Here is a photo of it being relocated.

And here is a clip of it's relocation that I found on Youtube. You can see that video here.

One of my favorite lines in the movie was when Paul said to Adrienne: "And any man is a fool who doesn't know how incredibly lucky he is to have you."

Like I said I give it a Richard Gere hotness rating of a 10! I think that is a first so far in all my reviews! I don't think he could get much hotter than in this movie! :)

But go out and rent this movie if you haven't seen it already. Buy a copy...buy two copies, you won't regret it! Oh and another note. This movie was based on the book written by Nicholas Sparks. I read the book before I saw the movie and I loved it! It's totally worth reading!

Silly Bands....Silly Boy!

Edited: Another safety precaution on silly bands. Talking to my husband tonight he warned me that you NEVER want to let them wear silly bands to bed. The reason being if they were ever to get caught on anything they could cut off the circulation to their arms or hand! Like he always says to me and the boys over and over again "Safety First!"

Today Alex asked for a nap. He usually does this when he's tired, and especially when he isn't feeling well like today. He is currently working on being potty trained, so I have been using some bribing methods to get him to use the potty.

He was actually using the potty with little accidents for a week or two. As a reward I got him the Imaginext Castle that he wanted. Well guess what happened? He got the castle and he stopped using the potty! Smart guy...he knows what it takes to get what he wants! lol Well, as a result we ended up taking the castle from him. I know it's harsh, but he has to learn a lesson. Anyway, this week I'm bribing using m & m's and silly bands. If you have kids you know what silly bands are...they're much cooler than the jelly bracelets I grew up with in the 80's! They come in many different shapes and colors!

Well today I remembered that I had a couple packages of silly bands. So I told him he would get silly bands for using the potty. So anyway he asked for his nap and was wearing two silly bands. I went downstairs and I heard a loud cry coming from upstairs. He was hysterical and crying, saying his head hurt. I instantly thought he fell out of bed and hit his head on one of the radiators, but he said that he was hurt from a silly band! lol

Apparently his bracelets were tangled and he tried pulling them apart, when one snapped an smacked him right above his right eye! I took this photo right after it happened and you can see a welt above his right eyebrow!
Here he is showing you his silly bands. Notice the tears in his eyes! Poor thing! Who knew silly bands were dangerous? A fashion disaster-maybe, but never would I have thought they would cause any harm! lol

I have a big project to share with you in a couple days! I'm refinishing something for the patio, and it's a big pain! Hopefully it'll turn out good! Have a great weekend!

Movie Monday-Pretty Woman

This weeks Richard Gere Movie Monday Review is of "Pretty Woman!" I know this is probably his famous and most popular movie, but I'm still going to review it. It's not my favorite movie, but it is in my top 5!

Thinking about the movie as I review it, makes me realize how great this movie really is! It's hard to pick a favorite scene, or a favorite quote. So I'll talk about a few!

This movie is about a wealthy businessman named Edward (Richard Gere). On a whim Edward picks up a prostitute on Hollywood Boulevard named Vivian (Julia Roberts).

Edward takes Vivian back to his upscale hotel where he plans on keeping her overnight. The next day he decides that he wants her for the week because he has many business events to attend. She agrees, and has to quickly learn how to fit in with the wealthy society!

There are many funny scenes in the movie. Julia Roberts character is really rough around the edges and not very proper like Richard Gere's character. I loved during the breakfast scene where Edward is sitting there all properly eating his breakfast and Vivian just sits on the table stuffing her mouth and talking with her mouth full. I just love the reaction on Edward's face!

Their characters are so completely opposite, which I thinks makes the movie work that much more!

Edward gives Vivian money for a shopping spree, on Rodeo Drive, which at first she is thrown out of the store because they clearly see that she is a prostitute. After she returns shopping she is transformed into an elegant beautiful woman! Over the week Vivian starts falling for Edward, but for Edward their relationship is just business!

Edward is a tough businessman who leaves relationships out of the equation, just to make money. Vivian eventually makes him realize that their is more to life than just business. And eventually they fall in love!

I love this scene in the movie where he presents her with a necklace to wear to the opera! This movie is the movie that really made a career for Julia Roberts. She was great in this movie!

There are soo many additional scenes in this movie that are great. I love the scene where Edward takes her on a shopping spree. My two weaknesses in life is shopping and Richard Gere! So that would be my ultimate experience! lol

I've included another one of my favorite scenes in the following video. After Vivian was thrown out of one store, Edward takes her to Rodeo Drive for a shopping spree. As they are walking he tells her to spit out her gum. And she does...and not very lady like! lol I am known to spit my gum out this way, I always have since before I even knew about this movie, and my husband responds the same way that Edward does by saying "I don't believe you did that!" lol

My husband and I are complete opposites the way Edward and Vivian are in the movie. He is very similar to Edward because he is very reserved and proper. I'm at times rough around the edges like a truck driver! lol Oh, and make sure you turn off my music player on the side so you can hear the clip!
Another all-time favorite scene is the bathtub scene! Vivian is in the bathtub with her legs wrapped around Edward while they have a serious discussion about his father! How come I couldn't have been a stand-in for this movie? Despite the fact that I was only 12-years-old when this movie came out! lol If they ever remake this movie...I have to play Vivian and RG has to play himself! lol ;)

I give this movie a Richard Gere hotness scale of a 9! He was extremely hot in this movie! Loved the hair, and loved how he looked in suits!

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

Edward: "You're on my fax."
Vivian: "Well that's one I haven't been on before!"

Vivian: "You're late."
Edward: "You're stunning."
Vivian: [grinning] "You're forgiven."

Vivian: "What else? You going to leave some money by the bed when you pass through town?"
Edward: "Vivian, it really wouldn't be like that."
Vivian: "How would it be?"
Edward: "Well, for one thing, it would get you off the streets."
Vivian: "That's just geography."
Edward: "Vivian, what is it you want? What do you see happening between us?"
Vivian: "I don't know. When I was a little girl, my mama used to lock me in the attic when I was bad, which was pretty often. And I would… I would pretend I was a princess, trapped in the tower by a wicked queen. And then suddenly, this knight, on a white horse, with these colors flying, would come charging up and draw his sword… and I would wave, and he would climb up the tower, and rescue me. But never in all the time… that I had this dream… did the knight say to me, "Come on, baby, I'll put you up in a great condo."

Vivian: "In case I forget to tell you later, I had a really good time tonight."

Vivian: "I would have stayed for two thousand."
Edward: "I would have paid four. I'll see ya tonight."
Vivian: "Baby, I'm gonna treat you so nice, you're never gonna wanna let me go."
Edward: "Three thousand, for six days, and Vivian, I will let you go."

The movie ends so happily and magically. Vivian decides to quit being a prostitute and go back to finish high school. Here's a clip of the ending! This is probably my most favorite ending to any of Richard Gere's movies! And it always makes me cry!

This was the first Richard Gere movie that I ever watched. I watched it when I was 12 or 13-years-old. I don't remember ever being attracted to him back then. That's just a recent thing! lol But after reviewing this movie, I have placed it in my top 3 favorite Richard Gere movies of all-time! But remember, there are several movies that he has made that I haven't watched yet!

"Welcome to Hollywood! What’s your dream? Everybody comes here; this is Hollywood, land of dreams. Some dreams come true, some don’t; but keep on dreamin’ - this is Hollywood. Always time to dream, so keep on dreamin’."

Be Back Soon!

Due to some events that happened over the past couple of days, I'll be back blogging hopefully towards the end of the week. I will resume "Movie Mondays" next week.

Enjoy your week!

POTD-Marbles

I haven't done a "Photo of the Day" in a very long time. Hopefully now that most of our camping trips are over, I'll be able to do more of them!

Here is a case of marbles that we saw on display of an Art Gallery/Store in Berlin Maryland. My youngest son loves marbles and I would have liked to have bought him one, but they were $18 each! Luckily inside they had a marble chute he could play with and marbles that were 10 cents a piece. I let him get a little bag of marbles and he was totally happy with that!

I love how vivid & unique these marbles are? Which would you choose? I of course love the pink one in the third row as well as the rainbow colored one next to it!
Hopefully you're having a bright and sunny summer in your part of the world. Here is was very rainy yesterday and bright and beautiful today!

Berlin Maryland-Part 3

Here is the last installment of my tour of Berlin, Maryland. As I mentioned in previous posts, this is where "Runaway Bride" & "Tuck Everlasting" were filmed. I have yet to see the movie "Tuck Everlasting," but it is said that they filled the streets of Berlin with dirt just to give it that old time appearance!

This is the "Hotel Atlantic." It is a very old hotel and a restaurant as well. This is the hotel that was in the film "Runaway Bride." Remember the scene where Julia Roberts climbed out Richard Gere's hotel window? This was the place!
During my visit to Berlin, I ran into so many interesting and fun things! One day I was walking down the sidewalk and saw several people petting a dog. They then walked away and the dog remained setting there. I watched for a couple minutes and no one was around. I thought that certainly it wasn't a stray. I had to investigate for myself! Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a dog lover. If there is a dog around I have to visit it! This dog was such a sweet dog and I took many photos of it, amazed that it stayed off the street and on it's little area of the sidewalk.

After a few minutes a man came out of the building and said "I hope your photos turnout!" The man worked in the building, and was the owner of the dog. He said the dog stays right there on the sidewalk and never wanders away! The dog was even featured on a Berlin postcard! I guess he's somewhat of a home town celebrity! lol

Here is a view of the dog from across the street.

And before I left I paid him a visit and he was soo tired and taking a little nap! It was so hard to leave him behind!

Remember the hair salon in "Runaway Bride" called "Curl Up and Dye?" Such a cute name, but here it is in Berlin. It's obviously not called that anymore. I wanted to go inside, but never did. I chickened out!

And lastly here is Julia Roberts' house in the movie. Remember the scene when she was running down the front steps to get the newspaper? Here's the house. It changed a little bit, like the porch on the right is now closed in, but it's the house. They even kept the same house number for in the movie.

Wonder how much they pay to use your house in a movie? The only famous house in my area is the "Silence of the Lambs" house. My neighbor's daughter actually owns it. Now that would be very interesting and creepy at the same time! lol I'll have to take some photos of that house and share them with you sometime! Maybe I'll wait until Halloween! :)

Fourth of July Fun!

This past holiday weekend, we went to Yogi Bear Campground in Mill Run, PA. Our friends were also camping there which was awesome! Autumn and Roy have two little girls that are around the age of my two little boys! Ben and Alex just love Baleigh and Kelsea!

There was a ton of stuff to do for the kids, and I'm going to share a few photos of our weekend!

Of course there were lots of sparklers for the Fourth of July! Here Ben is making a giant circle!
Alex also made a giant circle!

Chris made me a heart! :)

Here the boys are standing by the picnic area by the sign that said: "Do not feed the bears!"

Here the kids are riding on the firetruck! My husband took this photo because I was back at the camper making dinner. Aren't the kids soo cute! There's Ben, Baleigh, Alex, Roy, and Kelsea! Baleigh is soo sweet! She usually sits in the middle of my boys because they always fight over her! lol

Here the kids are mining for gemstones! They really thought this was fun!

Here's a group photo! Me, Chris, Ben, Alex, Baleigh, Roy, Kelsea and Autumn! What a fun bunch! Thank you guys for everything, we had a blast!

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth of July! I'll be getting back to my photos from Berlin Maryland tomorrow. And I'll get back into "Movie Monday" next week. I wasn't able to this week because the campground we stayed at didn't have WIFI! :(