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DWTS Season 9 - Episode ONE [Guys]

Dancing with the Stars is back!! yay! New season and more stars than ever before. i am super excited about DWTS & SYTYCD being on at the same time. lots of bloggin with be taking place . . . so without further ado, here is my recap of the Guys performances, i would love to hear your take!

Aaron Carter & Karina Smirnoff
(finished the night in 1st Place)
Aaron is adorable, now that's out of the way. i adore Karina and i always want her to make it to the final three (or at least stay on the show as long as possible). Last year she got gypped with her partner, so i am glad to see that she got a decent partner this season.

Cha Cha (22)- not bad. Aaron is super athletic and he has some skill. good first dance. i was shocked that Lin gave them an "8".


Chuck Liddell & Anna Trebunskaya aww, he's so cute when he smiles. wait, are those stitches on the side of his head? ok no it's actually a tattoo on purpose on the side of his mohawk. it's a good thing he can mutilate people, i think that will reduce the amount of teasing he will receive.

Foxtrot (16) - um. it was awful. it was really bad, i mean he seems sincere and i love Anna's red hair, but c'mon, it was terrible.


Mark Dacascos & Lacey Schwimmer i thought it was so funny when i heard that Mark was going to be on DWTS i thought it was hilarious BUT i think he might really have the potential to win. i knew Lin was going to dislike the martial arts influence, but it was great. shut up Bruno & Lin, it was the poor guy's FIRST DANCE!! GEEZ! i am also a huge fan of Lacey's, so i hope they stick around.

Cha Cha (21) - decent first score. i think he was as good as Aaron . . . if not better. i wonder if they get to pick their songs.


Ashley Hamilton & Edyta Sliwinska i really don't know much about Ashley Hamilton except that his dad looks like a tanning accident. now Edyta, can i possibly love all of the dancers? Edyta might be my favorite female dancer. Whenever she dances i rarely ever see her partner, not since Jason Taylor has she had a really great partner.

Foxtrot (15) - wow Bruno! a "4"! it was pretty bad though. that sucks because i really wanted Edyta to stick around. it looked like Ashley gave up halfway through the dance. i wouldn't be surprised if they were one of the two couples to go home.


Donny Osmond & Kym Johnson i love Kym! her accept is so cute and she's extremely pleasant. i love how her hair extensions appear and then disappear.

Foxtrot (20) - wow Donny. he's quite the showman. and he has great timing and rhythm, i guess that little show of his paid off =) i think he just became one of my faaavooooriiiites! oh Lin. he's a killjoy tonight. "no kung fu and down with the razzmatazz."


Louie Vito & Chelsie Hightower isn't he cute. that's about all he seems to have going for him though. he's a cutie and smile is magnetic.

Foxtrot (19) - oh boy. he's painful to watch on the dance floor. clearly his publicist told him this would be good exposure, i guess bad exposure is better than no exposure at all. at least he's charming and he & Chelsie have good chemistry. the judges liked it, buuuut i thought he was stiff and did a lot of stumbling around.


Michael Irvin & Anna Demidova ok she's the newbie. Michael is hilarious.

Cha Cha (13) - a lot of unnecessary tongue. he looks huge in his costume on the floor. i blame Anna, i think she's gonna struggle. i agree with the judges and i was thinking it throughout the dance, i always feel bad for stars who get new choreographers|dancers because they don't know the judges and they don't have experience teaching newbies.


Tom DeLay & Cheryl Burke first Cheryl - i love you Cheryl! Cheryl will always be my first favorite and she looks amazing. ok. oh boy. i do not appreciate the close ups on Tom's buttcheeks. i don't know that i've ever seen Cheryl look so uncomfortable with a partner, but she looks as uncomfortable as i feel watching her dance with Tom DeLay. i would love to know who thought that having Tom DeLay be a contestant on DWTS was a good idea!! What in the Ham Sandwich!! ugh

Cha Cha ( ) - gross. yuck. puke in my mouth.



**New** Relay Dance - Salsa
Someone please explain why they were dancing to "Get Busy"????

Ashley Hamilton & Edyta Sliwinska
(4) - same as before. not looking good for Edyta 8-(

Chuck Liddell & Anna Trebunskaya
(6) better than the first dance. i like Chuck. i don't want to see him go home this week

Donny Osmond & Kym Johnson
(10) alright now! good stuff! well deserved win.

Louie Vito & Chelsie Hightower
(8) yay! he's so little, he did a good job though. good job Chelsie with the choreo too.


**New** Relay Dance - Viennese Waltz

Aaron Carter & Karina Smirnoff
(10) boy you better watlz. just don't do that thing with your lips. he's super poised, but a little too tight.

Mark Dacascos & Lacey Schwimmer
(8) i think the judges shook him up b/c he didn't look totally confident. but he did a great job. he had great extension.

Tom DeLay & Cheryl Burke
(4) again, uncomfortable.

Michael Irvin & Anna Demidova
(6) aww, he stepped it up. much better.


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Labor Day Weekend 2009

After working aaalll night on Thursday so I could take off Friday . . . our Labor Day Weekend finally began on Friday morning.

FRIDAY
The kids had been counting down the days until we could go to King Dominion in Doswell. Devyn was very concerned that it was going to rain on Friday, so I taught him how to use my weather channel app on my iPhone to check the weather!

We arrived at Kings Dominion at 12 noon and hit the rides!

Devyn still isn't tall enough to ride all of the major rollercoasters like the Dominator, Volcano or Drop Zone, and he was disappointed, but he still had a blast. Ari was pretty bummed that she couldn't do everything her big brother could do, but we did ride the Scrambler THREE times!!

No one wanted to eat it seemed except for me! Kings Dominion has a few must eat items, the Cinnabon, the Corn Dog, the Funnel Cake, the Dippin Dots Ice Cream and the Frozen Lemonade! I only got to partake of the Funnel Cake and Corn Dog on this visit, but you should do all five!

I also would suggest a stop at Starbucks either when you first get there or as you're exiting the Park. AND for a family of four, buy the souvenir cup with the unlimited refill wristband for $15. With drinks costing almost $4 a pop, you are able to drink all day for $15!


After we left the park we stopped by Noodles and Company! It was our first time. My husband always takes the longest to decide what to eat, so I was most worried about him, but we all made our selections . . .

Ari had the Macaroni and Cheese

. . . of course =)

with a side of Organic Chocolate Milk She was well pleased.

Devyn selected the Pad Thai

. . . against my advisement.

I told him to get the Macaroni and Cheese too, instead of trying something new. But he didn't listen to me. His Pad Thai was delicious, but his little 8 year old taste buds weren't feeling it.

He did however love his bottled Root Beer.
His favorite drink.

My honey had the Stroganoff with grilled chicken.

He cleaned the plate.

I started with the Caesar Salad.

It was quite delicious and hand an ample amount of Caesar Salad Dressing. I usually have to ask for more dressing when I have the caesar salad at restaurants, but not this time!

DELISH!

and I had the Wisconsin Macaroni & Cheese too with the Parmensan encrusted chicken.

they had one of my favorite drinks, Sparkling Grapefruit Izze!!








SATURDAY

Saturday was a big day for Devyn. He had his green belt testing Saturday morning. Daddy & Devyn left early so Devyn could get to the dojo by 7:30 a.m. Ari and I got there around 8:00 a.m. and we were told that advanced testing can take FOUR HOURS!! No kidding.

So after 4 1/2 hours of testing, Devyn received his Green Belt. We are all so proud of him. He is super committed to karate and works really hard. I think karate has truly taught him discipline and dedication.

After his testing we rushed home and then hit the road for Dinwiddie County to see Lee's mom & her husband in Ford. We finally arrived at my mother-in-laws by almost 3:00 p.m. and we hung out with Annie, Brad, Amanda (Lee's sister) and the dogs for a few hours. The kids got to meet Katie, Annie & Brad's newest dog. Cinnamon ran away one night, she was Brad's baby girl and I could tell that he missed her, but he's been able to transfer some of that love to Katie. Amanda brought Baxter, so the dogs ruled the house! My favorite part of the visit was the Brownie Sundae! Amanda made Brownies and no one ever bakes for me (and even though she didn't bake for "me"specifically), it was quite a treat.

When we got home Saturday Ari had another "shower lesson" . . . she is in the process of learning how to give herself a shower.

Afterward I left her to moisturize with Cocoa Butter . . .

"Mommy, did I get it all?"

I guess she still needs to be supervised when it comes to creams.

SUNDAY
I started the morning with a Venti Sweetened Black Iced Tea from Starbucks. If you haven't tried their sweet tea, you must.

Saladbar: i am starting another blog entitled "Sweet Tea Spots" check it out!

Then i went on to church. Great service as always, then off to my fish treatment with Jasmine!

I was sooo excited, because the first time i went to have my feet done, it was quite an experience. (to the left is the photo from my first Turkish Fish Treatment Experience).

This time I was a little disappointed. The Turkish Fish were really small and they did not touch my feet at all. To make up for it, they gave me a pedicure instead and I ended up paying less than I had planned to pay. So I'll give them another shot in a few weeks. I schedule my "Chocolate Pedicure" for later on this month. I'll let you know how that goes.


After that I went home to bake cookies, Chocolate Chip. Then I started watching "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." I am totally hooked now and I watched SIX episodes back to back of the first season.



MONDAY
I went to sleep Sunday night not to awaken until 3p on Monday afternoon!! Can you believe it?!? The calm before the storm I feel, because school is upon us and now it's time for homework and projects and soccer and karate and dance all at the same the time. And now my husband is going back to school in a week. I feel like I deserved my all day rest.


Then this evening we went to Ruby Tuesday for dinner. I love going out to eat with my family and it's one of the greatest treats to my children.

I hope that everyone enjoyed their Labor Day Weekend as much as we did! Happy Back to School All!

my children and God

so i've come to realize something. there is one thing that my children and God have in common. no matter what i look like, or how bad my breath smells, or what i may have done and how silly i act, or if i make a mistake, or if don't have the prettiest smile, or the skinniest frame, or if i'm the best singer, or if i wear the cutest outfits with the hottest new shoes, or if i washed the dishes and cleaned the bathroom, or if i cooked a 6 course meal the night before, or if i met every deadline dished out to me, or if i remembered to do everything that everyone asked me to, or if i returned every phone call or text message or email that i received in a day, or if i attended every event that i was invited to, or if i have a pimple or perfect skin, or if i went to kick boxing class or not, or if i wear make-up or not, or if i have a really bad case of gas, or if i "don't feel like it," or if i'm happy or if i'm sad . . . one thing i've come to realize is that none of these things affect how much my children and my God love me.

They just do.

breakfast yumminess

i went to Panera this morning to get my favorite blueberry muffin and can you believe they told me it would be a 25-30 minute wait?!


ridiculous


so i went where i knew there would be no wait! FARM FRESH!!


not only did get a blueberry muffin but i also took a chance on a "Cinnamon Chip Muffin Top"




i put it in the microwave for 10 seconds and it was heavenly!


Carla applauded it!

MyG (my little Twinkie) said "YUM"!


Go get one!!

the Perfect TEA!!

i have found the PERFECT TEA!! no jokes! real talk!


i have been on the quest for the perfect tea that i can make at home for about . . . my ENTIRE LIFE!! anyone who knows me knows that i am a true tea drinker. don't get me wrong, i love coffee, but there is absolutely NOTHING like a great glass of iced tea, perfectly sweetened. Not too sweet, not too dull and none of that fake artificial sweetener crap! that's for babies! give me real sugar in the raw!


ok, enough with the exclamation points, down to business.


so i really like Chick-Fil-A sweet tea. but there are only really two CFAs in my area that do it right, the one on Coliseum Drive in Hampton and the one on Jefferson Avenue in Newport News. Last summer Starbucks introduced a "Shaken Iced Tea" to their menu board. I was a little skeptical at first, but i manned up and tried it. i immediately fell in love. it's so yummy, perfectly sweetened, perfectly chilled . . . i downed that puppy in like 10 seconds flat. BUT - it was seasonal, so they removed it from their menu at the end of the summer and in it's stead was an Iced Black Tea option. Not the same. I couldn't figure out how they did it, but the Iced Black Tea seemed to be post-sweetened instead of pre-sweetened like the "Shaken Iced Tea."


So i bought a box of the Black Tea, because the barista at my local Starbucks told me that what i purchased was what they were using to make the "Shaken Iced Tea" . . . and i believed her . . . **pausing for effect** well SHE LIED! it was not the same. Black tea has such a rich flavor and it was too strong, it felt like i was sucking on tea leaves! GRACIOUS! so i gave up and just went back to dropping $1.73 at CFA whenever i needed a fix.


Then my friends, they brought it back! Earlier this spring the "Shaken Iced Tea" returned!! GLORIOUS DAY! and along with came this beauty . . .


That's right TAZO released an ICED Black Tea brew! this has been out for a little while, but i wanted to share with everyone what i use to fulfill my desires for sweet tea. it's a lot less expensive than the $2 i drop everytime i need to . .. fulfill my desire . . .


Video Blog soon to come of how i make my tea


Happy Tea Drinking ALL!

What NOT to wear to the Movies

Club AMC is in the HOUSE!

What in the world?


It's Tuesday Night, you can't possibly be hittin' up the club after this . . . you ARE however, going to be sitting in the dark for 2 hours, who is going to see your outfit Miss Lady?

*smh



(PS-those shoes are fierce though)



[have you seen a ridiculous ensemble at the theater lately? if you do, take a picture and email it to me at janseenaiko@gmail.com . . . you might see it on my blog. silly movie outfits must be stopped! only you can prevent cinema wardrobe malfunctions!]

Daddy turned 50 . . .

So my daddy turned 50 on Tuesday, August 4th and it amazes me how much like 50 he DOESN'T look! I have to be honest that I have no worldly clue what FIFTY actually LOOKS like, but I do recall being in elementary school and thinking that 50 was the age that old, wrinkly people turned right before they died. And now look at me, I'm celebrating my dad's 50th and he's so far from death it is amusing. We went to "Fin" in Port Warwick for lunch. Now, I have to admit this was a rebellious selection on my part. I have heard so many bad things about "Fin" . . . seriously I have not heard one person say they like the restaurant, but I have visited the website [finseafood.com] and I know that they are owned by the same company that owns Schlesingers and Opus 9 Steakhouse (both fabulous eating establishments). I wanted to try it, so I suggested it and my family trusts my choice in restaurants, so Fin is where we found ourselves on Sunday afternoon. I ordered the She Crab Soup and Yajima (my sister) ordered the Calamari.





Both were super! Their She Crab Soup, by FAR, is some the best She Crab I have had in a VERY, VERY long time. There was a generous amount of lump crab meat and it was not very bony. I would go back just to have a bowl of that soup. The calamari was also very fresh. My little Ari even treated herself to some of her Auntie Paige's Calamari, and she's a food snob!



Then came the entreé's. Now my mom had scallops and she raved about them and made a happy plate. My dad and G-pa had steak, they said it was good, but they didn't do backflips. My grandma had the world's largest salad. No lie, the hugest salad I've ever seen. Devyn (my son) had a Cheesesteak Sandwich that he left almost fully intact on his plate, but he demolished the french fries. And . . . my hubby and I had the Chicken Topped with Crabmeat with a side of Sour Cream & Chive Potatoes. I had a side of steamed broccoli and Lee had the side of steamed vegetables.



The finishing touch was a free slice of some sort of chocolate decadence. My daddy doesn't eat cake (yes I know, it's crazy, but that's a whole other blog entry) so we passed his birthday cake (free I might add) around the table until it finally made most of it's way into Devyn's tummy (remember he was pretty hungry). So all in all, I was pleased. Maybe it was because my expectations were low, maybe it was because the restaurant really isn't as bad as everyone makes it out. I would return to Fin, for the She Crab Soup, Calamari and they have an amazing glass of brewed Sweetened Iced Tea. These days it is a rarity to find a restaurant that offers pre-sweetened Iced Tea, so that in and of itself was a blessing!

So here are the Magic Three Questions:
Would I go again? - Yes
Would I take a good friend their for his or her birthday? - I don't know, it really depends on the friend, but it doesn't quite rank up there with "special restaurants I must take all my friends to"
What is my final rating? - My final rating is 3.5 Forks!

please explain

Chocolate Bunnies

so i arrived home around 845p after a delicious meal at CPK with Terra and we made a pit stop at MELT, you MUST go there.





**hold on while i put on my iPod and warm up my last two slices of shrimp scampi pizza**

ok, ready. so i get home to my poor, dejected husband sitting on the couch on the laptop. he looks so sad and i ask him what's wrong, so he tells me about the rough evening he's had with the kiddies and he proceeds to tell me this story about Ari and the chocolate bunny. Well this morning i talk to Ari and Devyn and after putting all three stories together this is what i've concluded . . .

Daddy was upstairs taking a shower and Devyn yells upstairs . . . "Dad can i have some candy?"

Daddy yells downstairs something unrecognizable.

Devyn decides that means "YES!"
he proceeds to eat a blue ring pop =)

Daddy finishes his shower and he calls Devyn upstairs to brush his teeth and "blue-mouthed Devyn" shows up ready to go. So Daddy is like, what in the world? and Devyn says, "you told me i could have some candy." and Daddy says, "no i didn't"

Then Daddy calls Ari upstairs to brush her teeth and she shows up covered in a chocolate bunny! WHAT IN THE WORLD? she has eaten the ENTIRE CHOCOLATE BUNNY . . . all by herself. my Ari, who only eats: Macaroni & Cheese, French Fries, Roast Beef Sandwiches from Arby's, Chicken Nuggets from Wendys & Pizza . . . HAS DEVOURED AN ENTIRE CHOCOLATE BUNNY. so now frustrated daddy puts all the kids down for the night early because they're trippin. he proceeds to sit on the couch and finds his hand is in chocolate . . .

around this time i walk in the door to his disgusted face. BUT I BROUGHT HIM ICE CREAM FROM MELT . . . YOU HAVE TO GO THERE!

MELT GELATO WEBSITE

so this morning i question Ari on her behavior and she of course breaks down into tears and when i ask her why she ate the Chocolate Bunny, she says she didn't know. obviously she was totally helpless, the chocolate bunny must have been calling her name and then i remembered something . . . ever since the Easter Basket came home on Saturday Ari has been talking the Chocolate Bunny . . . and caressing it . . . she would stand the box up and lay on her back and stare at it while kicking her feet in the air . . . all the while smiling . . . and now i realize she was planning her attack . . .

choose love, not war

bitterness.

i am going to go with bitterness on this one.
i don't understand why we hurt those that we love . . . or at least claim to love. but it does seem that we always smile in the faces of those that are not truly close to us, but have done us wrong. however, when it comes to our closest friends or family, we have the easiest time doing them wrong.

so i am going to go with bitterness.
jealousy.
and plain old insecurity.

i wish that at some point in these short lives that we live that we would learn to hold those that we love near and dear. to treat them with the utmost respect. not to speak to them in anger, calm down first and speak with a clear mind. hold our tongue when we want to say things that sting. fight the desire to retaliate. in the end, what does it matter anyway. don't stay mad. say you're sorry. even if you didn't do anything. who cares who was right. you're both wrong.

choose love, not war.
aiko