Adventures in late-night grocery shopping

I just got back from a "late" night run to my local 24hr Hilander down the street (for those not familiar with Hilander, it's what they call Kroger stores out here). I've had a craving for brownies and cherry chocolate ice cream ever since last weekend and we were all out of pop (soda); since I got paid today and we had a little spare money in our bank account, hubby said I could go pick up a few things as long as I got him cereal, milk and smoked ham slices for sandwiches. Usually we shop at Walmart, but the 24hr Hilander is literally less than 5 minutes from us, right at the end of the street, whereas Walmart is at least 10 minutes away and I just didn't feel like driving any further than I had to at 1am.

Bordeaux Cherry Chocolate by Blue Bunny

This was the ice cream I have been craving (I tried some at my aunt's last weekend and *loved* it).  It's cherry flavored ice cream with perfectly chopped cherry pieces mixed with chocolate pieces! Yum! Unfortunately, Hilander doesn't seem to carry this brand... at least not the store I was at, so I had to settle for something less with giant cherry chunks instead of the perfectly chopped pieces. /sad face

In my quest for pop (or soda if you prefer that), I found some Red Cream Soda. While the can I cracked open is a little warm, it still tastes pretty good!

Also, why is it the smaller bags more expensive than the larger ones? For example, a 12oz bag of chips was 10 cents less than the 10oz bag. And the large box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch was only $2.99, while the smaller box was a little over $3 - Kroger must be backwards-land!

I also think the guy stocking the packaged deli meats was being overly friendly with me.

While looking for the regular brand we usually buy, I about to just go with the store brand since they were out of the smoked ham in our usual brand. He approaches me (stopping this stocking he was doing just a few feet away) and tells me that this other brand is the best deal, but assures me their brand is just as good. I say "okay" and look over the brand he tells me about. A moment later he pops back up, giving me a coupon for the brand he just told me about, saying that instead of getting 2 for $5, I'll be getting a dollar off, so it would be like getting 2 for $4. I take it, and thank him. As I'm about to leave the section, he comes running over to me with yet another coupon, this one for mayo and other condiments "just in case you'll be getting those as well!" (I wasn't). I thank and him go about my way.

I didn't have the heart to tell to the poor guy that the meat he just helped me pick out was for my husband! (I don't eat ham).

Oh the sounds that you'll hear...

Last week Jill, over at Life After College, shared a list of some of the concerts she's gone to over the years. It sounded like a fun idea and I have gone to a bunch of concerts over the years (I was a bit of a concert junkie for awhile!) so I thought it might be fun to share some of mine!

The first concert I ever went to was Amy Grant's tour for her 1991 album Heart in Motion. I don't recall how my best friend and I got into Amy Grant (aside from our parents liking her music) but we both had to have her albums and would sing and dance along with them. When we found out she was coming to our town we were soooo excited! I remember my best friend's parents got tickets for them to take her and I really wanted to go too, so when my parents were talking about going for their upcoming wedding anniversary (which was right around the time of the concert) I begged them to let me go too! They gave in, and got me a ticket and I remember how exciting it was - my first concert that wasn't Sesame Street Live!

The next concert I remember going to was Jars of Clay back in 6th grade. At the time, they only had the one album out, with their debut crossover hit song "Flood." I remember they were doing an autograph signing at the mall earlier in the day and my friends and I waited in line to have them sign our CDs!

In spring of 1997, near the end of 7th grade, my aunt and uncle took my friend and I to Chicago's annual Q101 Jamboree Festival in one of the suburbs. To be honest, we hadn't heard of many of the bands playing, but we still thought it would be fun to go! We got to see The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Veruca Salt and The Verve Pipe before we took off for the day (it was getting rainy and cold!), despite my friend and I wanting to stay for the main headliner, Bush, as it was known that Gavin Rossdale and No Doubt's Gwen Stefani were dating and there were rumors she might make an appearance (we loved Gwen and No Doubt back in Jr. High!). We couldn't last out the cold though, so we left early and ended up seeing Jurassic Park 2 on our way back home (my friend and I also got hyped up on Jolt Cola too - bad idea for a set of giggly 12 year olds!)

I remember my dad also took me and my friends to see the Newsboys when they came to our hometown, with special guests Audio Adrenaline and Jennifer Knapp. That was a pretty fun show! I remember for the Newsboys, they came down to the stage on platforms that were lowered from the ceiling and they were all in spacesuits, as this was the tour for their Take Me to Your Leader album.

The summer between 9th and 10th grade I went to Cornerstone '99 in Bushnell, IL. This weekend long music festival was huge for anyone into Christian music, as it featured Christian bands from all genres - rock, techno, metal, you name it, they had it. I remember seeing the swing band Deluxtone Rockets, P.O.D. (who was very popular at the time), punk rock band Ghoti Hook, Scottish band The Electrics, the infamous Ragamuffin Band, Sixpence None the Richer (again, popular at the time thanks to "Kiss Me" being featured in the movie "She's All That"), ska band Five Iron Frenzy who recorded part of their live album at this show (my name is in the linear notes!), Latino band Burlap to Cashmere, Jars of Clay, swing band The W's, ska band The Skadaddales, ska band The Insyderz, and once again, the Newsboys. I also met bassist Phoenix from Linkin Park at one of the merch tents, as he was on tour with his former side band Tasty Snax who were playing there. I remember they were all flirting with the girls in our group, saying how they'd be looking for us at their show and how sad they would be if we weren't there (we didn't go - we had our group's session to attend at the time they were on). All in all, it was a fun time though!

I saw various other Christian bands perform during my Jr High/early High School years, such as a tour that the ska band O.C. Supertones did with Plankeye and Flight180; Third Day with Jennifer Knapp and Burlap to Cashmere did a show at our church packing the main sanctuary, and the ska band BUCK and rock band Breathing Machine rocked our senior high room. I also saw Newsong several times (once with Erin O'Donnell) and I saw Jars of Clay later on while they were touring with Caedmon's Call. I also accompanied my little sister to see Skillet perform in a nearby town (Freeport) after she won tickets to their show off the radio!

In high school I went to several shows that were held downtown, at my town's annual On The Waterfront labor day weekend festival. One year, my friend and I went and saw Jakob Dylan and his band The Wallflowers (oh how we loved his piercing blue eyes in 9th grade!), as well as the Blessid Union of Souls with Fastball. The guy I dated in high school and I also went to see local band that hit it big Aunt Flossie (now known as Hedder) open for Union Underground, although we didn't get to stay for Union's set as we had a curfew back then and had to be home.

In Spring of 2000, near the end of my sophomore year, I first heard Linkin Park and became a huge fan for the remainder of high school. In early Spring of 2002 (the end of my senior year) a friend and I finally got to see them live up in Madison for their first annual Projekt Revolution tour - on the bill were DJ Z-Trip, Adema and Cypress Hill. Needless to say, we had a GREAT time! I saw Linkin Park approximately 2 years later at the same venue, for their 2004 Meteora World Tour with Story of the Year, Hoobastank and POD but it just wasn't the same - they had gotten *too* popular and being almost 20 years old, I felt like I was at a kiddie convention with as many short junior highers and young teens that were there.

My 2nd semester in college I had my first experience seeing a band in a niteclub. Various bands played Rock Night at the niteclub back home, however that place never had any 18+ shows so I could never get to go. Fortunately though, the niteclub that brought in rock bands down at college did occasionally do 18+ shows so we were able to attend. For this particular show, we got to see Nonpoint open for Papa Roach. Being in a niteclub setting and a small college town venue, it was awesome! Jacoby Shaddix - the singer of Papa Roach - came down into the audience and moshed for a bit and really interacted with the crowd - it was really neat (I got to pat him on the shoulder, hehe!). Throughout college, my roommate and I also went and saw Lucky Boys Confusion perform at this niteclub as well. Being that they were from a town only 45 minutes away (the guitarist, Joe, actually lived just a few blocks over from the guy I dated in college and babysit him back in the day; I had a roommate who's boyfriend was part of their original street team as well) they could usually pack the place pretty well, so their shows always got crazy!

After my first year of college, I finally got to attend my hometown's annual Wing Ding festival (held the Sunday before Memorial Day) put on by the local rock station. The first year I went - 2003 - Powerman5000 was the big headliner, as they were on tour for their 2nd major album release. It was really neat too as I was able to get up close to the stage. The only downer was that some stupid parent let their little kid (under 10) crowdsurf and the kid got dropped. PM5K stopped their set and waited for about 10-15 min for a team of medical people to get through the crowd to the kid, make sure he was going to be okay, and then take him to safety. This unfortunately cut their set short, but it was still a good set! This started an annual tradition, as I went to every Wing Ding until the last one, which was last spring. Over the years of Wing Ding, we saw Cold, Breaking Benjamin (several times), Smile Empty Soul (I can't stand their singer's voice!), Seether, Tantric, Hinder, Saliva (several times), Buckcherry, Black Stone Cherry (several times), Finger 11, Red, POD, Chevelle, Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman, Halestorm, Coolio, Saving Abel (several times), Shinedown and once again Powerman5000 was back for the final year.

I remember driving up to Milwaukee during spring break one year with my long term college roommate to go see Atreyu at The Rave with Norma Jean and Underoath. We had a fun time, just the 2 of us girls, despite almost getting in a fight with some wannabe "hardcore" chick who kept mocking my attire (which is what I would often wear to shows). I heard her mutter something about Hot Topic in between her pulling on my hair, but I think she needed to look in the mirror as she was clearly the poster child for the store!

I also went to quite a bit of concerts during the early years I was with the guy I dated in college (which led me to believe he was a fun guy). In our first few months together we saw Taproot and then later Disturbed at the House of Blues in Chicago (that Disturbed show was the first and only time I ever crowd surfed - talk about a rush! I also saw Disturbed again later on sans loser boyfriend), as well as Evanescence. We also got tickets to go see Staind and Sevendust - I love Sevendust and haven't gotten to see them live, and well, Staind was alright so we figured why not. Well, I got out of class late, the local opening band didn't play, we got there an hour after the start time and well, Sevendust was on their last song. I wasn't too happy. Staind also kind of sucks live, not gonna lie! While their heavier songs are good, they play waaaaay too many of the sappy, acoustic ones in a row that you know it's bad when the audience is getting bored and begins talking amongst themselves after the 3rd slow song in a row!

We also went with some friends to Ozzfest 2005 up at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. This was the year that both Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath were both headlining and Mudvayne and Zak Wyld's Black Label Society were also on main stage. I was really looking forward to seeing Mudvayne live, as at the time I was really into their latest album, Lost and Found, but it was quite the disappointment, as the main stage was on a hill so you couldn't get anywhere near the stage, and the singer of Mudvayne must have been drunk cuz he kept mixing up the lyrics to their biggest songs (such as Happy for example). On the 2nd Stage, we saw Killswitch Engage and Rob Zombie was the headliner. Now I know, the big attraction at Ozzfest that year was Iron Maiden, and while it's cool to be able to see I saw them and Black Sabbath perform on the same stage, for me however Rob Zombie stole the show. I had sooooo much fun during his set and he really did put on a good show, not to mention 2nd stage was just more fun in general as you were closer to the bands.

I also saw Static-X several times live. Have I mentioned how much I love Wayne Static? Seriously, if anyone knows how to make plushie dolls - please contact me - I would love a little Wayne Static plushie! But honestly though, Static-X and Powerman5000 are probably my 2 favorite bands to see live (and I've seen them both 3 times now). They both put on such a good show and I LOVE seeing Static-X at the House of Blues in Chicago - it's such a great venue for their show because it's such a smaller venue - you can really feel the band interacting with you! It's such an awesome energy!

In 2008 I got to go to day 2 of Chicago's annual Lollapolooza festival. My long term college roommate's cousin was close with one of the promoters so he gave her a set of VIP passes for each day and I got the 2nd pass for day 2. The VIP sections were nice - we had luxury porta potties, catered meals, and free vodka mixed drinks all day (we took full advantage of those!). Throughout the day, we saw Does It Offend You, Yeah?, the Gutter Twins, MGMT, Brand New, the Toadies, and Rage Against the Machine were the headliners and I was completely blitzed by the time they took the stage. One thing to experience - seeing a band live while you are under the influence of alcohol - it makes the concert going experience completely different, I'll tell you that! And I will always have the memory of rockin' out like that to Rage whenever I hear their songs on the radio!

Now the cherry on top, for my 25th birthday, we got to see Nine Inch Nails' last show ever in Chicago as part of the 5 city Wave Goodbye tour. Talk about an epic birthday - I really had a great time and it was just a lot of fun!

And for those that are lost, with all my jumping around, here is the full list of all the bands I've seen up to this point, starting with the most recent and working backwards:

Wave Goodbye 2009 - Nine Inch Nails, Mew | Wing Ding 2009 - Halestorm, The Parlor Mob, 10 Years, Coolio, Powerman 5000, Saving Abel, Saliva, Shinedown | Disturbed, Skindred | Lollapalooza 2008 - Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Gutter Twins, MGMT, Brand New, Toadies, Rage Against the Machine | Wing Ding 2008 - Chevelle, P.O.D., Theory of a Deadman, Blackstone Cherry, Drowning Pool, Airbourne | Wing Ding 2007 - Breaking Benjamin, Buckcherry, Finger 11, Blackstone Cherry, Red, Operator | Cannibal Killers Tour - Static-X, Otep | The Broken Fall | Nonpoint | Wing Ding 2006 - Tantric, Hinder, Saliva | Powerman5000 | Static-X | Nonpoint | Ozzfest 2005 - Killswitch Engage, Rob Zombie, Mudvayne, Zak Wyld's Black Label Society, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath | Static-X | Wing Ding 2005 - Seether | Lucky Boys Confusion | Atreyu, Norma Jean, Underoath | Drowning Pool | Disturbed, Escape from Earth, Perfect Red | Wing Ding 2004 - The Heavils, Steriogram, Breaking Benjamin, Smile Empty Soul, Cold | Lucky Boys Confusion | Jars of Clay, Cademon's Call | The Goodyear Pimps | Linkin Park's Meteora World Tour - P.O.D., Hoobastank, Story of the Year, Linkin Park | Staind | Evanescence | Taproot, Socialburn, BoySetsFire | The Heavils | Anavox | Wing Ding 2003 - Socialburn, Revis, Doubledrive, Powerman5000 | Papa Roach, Nonpoint, Reach454, Die Trying | Skillet | Breathing Machine | Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution 2002 - DJ Z-Trip, Adema, Cypress Hill, Linkin Park | Aunt Flossie | Anavox, Project 86 | Newsong | The OC Supertones, Plankeye, Flight180 | Blessid Union of Souls, Fastball | The Wallflowers | Third Day | Cornerstone '99 - Deluxtone Rockets, P.O.D., Ghoti Hook, Electrics, Ragamuffin Band, Sixpence None the Richer, Five Iron Frenzy, Burlap to Cashmere, Jars of Clay, The W's, The Skadaddales, Insyderz, Newsboys | BUCK | The Why Store | Turkeypalooza - MWE3, Anavox | Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline, Jennifer Knapp | MWE3 | Q101 Jamboree '97 - Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Echo and the Bunnymen, Veruca Salt, The Verve Pipe | Newsong, Erin O'Donnell | Jars of Clay | Amy Grant

Shameless Plug

Just thought I'd share...

I finally got around to updating my movie blog - Movie Bits. Feel free to check it out!

 

While I don't see as many movies these days as soon as they hit the theaters (one of the perks of managing/working at a movie theater!), I do review the ones I see and since we joined Netflix last summer, I have been posting DVD Reviews as well!

Now that I'm caught up, I'm going to try and keep it updated - hold me accountable!

Flashback Friday: Saturday Morning programming in the 80s

Last I checked, Saturday Morning programming nowadays is nearly non-existent - just take a look at the lineup - between "little kid shows" and ABC's Disney Channel syndication there really isn't much to offer kids these days! Even looking back to the late 90s, early 2000's when my sister was the target demographic of Saturday Morning shows, they at least had some shows worth watching.

Back in the 80s and early 90s, Saturday Morning programming was a staple in our lives. We hated getting up early for school during the week or church on Sundays, but man, we'd get up at the crack of dawn on Saturday mornings just to watch hour after hour of kids shows!

Now like I said previously, I don't remember much of anything until around 1986, but I definitely remember some of these shows!

Saturday morning programming back in '86 gave us such memorable shows such as The Wuzzles, Muppet Babies, Punky Brewster (the animated series), Pee-Wee's Playhouse, The Flintstones Kids and of course ABC consistently aired Bugs Bunny and friends throughout our childhood!

No matter what year it was, we ALWAYS had Bugs Bunny and friends to fall back on when it came to Saturday Morning programming. This was like the one consistent show that aired all throughout our childhood - if all the other shows sucked, we still had this one. Because of that though, this one was usually hit or miss - if CBS, NBC and later Fox had a more interesting show on during this timeslot, well, we'd watch that one. If the other shows we watched had reruns on and we wanted something different, then we'd watch Bugs Bunny and friends. Another neat thing about this show, was that ABC would interject Schoolhouse Rock videos throughout the timeslot as well, so that was one way we all got exposed to "I'm Just a Bill..." and "Conjunction Junction."

Now I didn't always catch the shows that started at 7am (CST), but I do remember being up by 8am most mornings just to catch the Muppet Babies, which was definitely one of my favorites! Aside from Seasame Street, these were the Muppets I grew up with. The Muppet Babies was how I knew Miss Piggy, Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal and Rolf. Needless to say, when I saw the live action Muppet movies, I was a little confused! I remember I was soooo excited in my later years, when Nickelodeon began playing reruns of the show in the late 90s. I always did wonder what Nanny looked like though, as we only ever saw her green and white stripped socks and the bottom of her skirt and purplish sweater jacket. I remember discussing this with friends at one point, as we all claimed at one point to have seen her face in an episode!

After the Muppet Babies, at 9am (CST) Pee-Wee's Playhouse would come on. O... M... G... this was another one of my favorites! I don't know what it was exactly, but I LOVED this show. My dad would wake up and come join me by this point and I looked forward every Saturday to visiting with Pee-Wee, Cowboy Curtis, Miss Yvonne and all the puppet toys in the Playhouse. Cyndi Lauper sang the theme song too fast and the only lyrics I could actually sing along with were "...in Pee-Wee's Playhouse!!!!" I remember screaming along when the "secret phrase" was said, and using the catching phrases of "I know you are, but what am I?" and "If you love it so much, why don't you marry it?" in everyday conversation. I also (unsuccessfully) tried to make a rubberband ball because Pee-Wee had one. I *hated* when the King of Cartoons would come to visit - despite his best efforts, the old classic cartoons he'd bring to show us every week, compared to what was currently on, were just boring. I would get so sad at the end of each episode when Pee-Wee would give his final "thoughts" for the week as he put on his helmet and mounted his scooter before taking off out of the playhouse - I didn't want the fun to end!

Another cartoon I used to enjoy was Punky Brewster. Growing up, I don't recall seeing the actual show until the early 90s when it was in syndication on The Family Channel, but I was familiar with the series and the cast thanks to this animated series. I remember I had the doll that was made with the likeness of the animated Punky Brewster (I would often stuff her in the basket on the front of my tricycle and ride around the house with her!).

Another animated series we had in '86 was The Flintstones Kids. Now I didn't watch this one too often, as it was usually during the same time block as Muppet Babies, however if Muppet Babies had on a rerun, I would often flip the channel over to The Flintstones Kids. The premise of this show was simple - take America's most famous family from the Stoneage and make them kids, doing things and having adventures kids would. Now granted, in the realm of the Flintstones, this show seriously messed up the main story of the actual Flintstones, as Fred and Barney didn't meet Betty and Wilma until later, but who cares - we didn't!

In 1987, we were given The Real Ghostbusters, which was an animated spin-off of the movies. In this version though, Slimer played a more starring role than he did in the movies and wasn't nearly as scary - he was the lovable mascot of the show. For the most part, this show was kid friendly, however I do remember one episode I saw with Egon turning into some creature that scared the bejebus out of me and I stopped watching the show.

In 1988 we had a few more shows added to our lineup - Garfield and Friends, Dennis the Menace, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Garfield and Fields was one of those shows that confused little kids like me. The reason being, it was originally a half hour show that got stretched to an hour. We were usually given a Garfield cartoon, and then a US Acres/Orson's Farm cartoon, followed by another Garfield cartoon with 2 Garfield shorts based off the comic strips thrown in. What confused me and my friends, was that US Acres/Orson's Farm never had Garfield in it, so how were these loveable barn animals his friends? We still watched it none the less, but it was confusing!

Growing up in the late 80s and early 90s, who can forget the animated Dennis the Menace? For us, these guys became the spokescharacters for Dairy Queen during this time also. Much like the old classic TV show, this animated version followed Dennis and his friends getting into trouble and causing problems for old Mr. Wilson.

Probably one of my favorites of later years was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I remember getting up early before school started on the weekdays just to catch this one, and then when it was on Saturday mornings I was so excited! My favorite turtle was Michelangelo who wore orange and used nun chucks. Growing up, I remember collecting as many of the action figures as I could (I remember mom and dad calling various toy stores each week to find out which figures they had and when they would be receiving more). These were like the Beanie Babies of the late 80s, as there were certain figures that were near impossible to find! I remember often acting out the TV show with my action figures most Saturday mornings as well. While it seemed more of a "boy" show, for some strange reason I LOVED the Turtles.

In 1989 we were given the awesome California Raisins. Now in the 80s, we were familiar with these guys through the claymation ads to get us to eat more raisins, so making an animated TV show only seemed like a logical idea. And as kids, we enjoyed singing and dancing along with these guys! And who could forget the fastfood tie-in with Hardees? I remember collecting the Raisins and displaying them on a shelf in my playroom (I still have mine too!).

We also were introduced to Beetlejuice during 1989, when ABC aired the animated series. Now, like most kids, I didn't see the movie until years later, so I just assumed the TV show I grew up with a direct spinoff - imagine my confusion to learn that Beetlejuice and Lydia were not best friends in the movie and trying to figure out who these Barbara and Allen ghosts were! Regardless, I still watched this show and enjoyed it during it's original run and later in syndication on Nickelodeon.

What were some of your favorite Saturday Morning shows that you grew up watching in the 80s?

Amusing TV moments #1

As I mentioned in a previous post my husband and I often watch "Married... With Children" reruns on TBS when he gets home from his 3rd shift job, before we go to bed.

Growing up, neither one of us was allowed to watch this show for obvious reasons, but now that we're adults, we understand why our parents sometimes watched during it's original run - sometimes it's really funny! And it's fun seeing the early career of Christina Applegate, as well as the rest of the cast - Katey Sagal, Ed O'Neil, and Dave Faustino (and does anyone else find it funny that Applegate and Sagal's careers are the only ones that really went anywhere after the show?)

The episode we just watched was titled "God's Shoes." In the episode, Al falls out the bedroom window after seeing a $2500 painting Peggy had commissioned of herself hanging in their bedroom. When he comes to, he shares that he saw God, and talked to Him. He goes on to tell about these shoes God was wearing, where the shoe was "close fitting, surrounding each toe individually, probably a soft worked kid leather" and the sock was already attached. Al decides he must make these "God's Shoes" and Jefferson backs him up financially with Marcie's money, however they end up being a big flop.

In a moment of pondering near the end of the episode, Al sits with Kelly, surrounded by the boxes of God's Shoes and the two share a humorous conversation:

Al:     [rubbing his temples] Why didn’t it work?

Kelly:     Because it was a stupid idea, Daddy. I mean, if you think about it God probably doesn’t even need shoes, he can afford good carpeting. And if he ever needed anything, like a Big Gulp or batteries or somethin’ I’m sure the 7-11s up in heaven don’t have that sign that says, “No shirt, no shoes. No service” . And even if they did, who’s gonna yank a slim-jim outta God’s mouth? Or is all this kinda goin’ over your head?

 Al:     No honey, no it’s not. It’s dancing around in there with some of your other ponderings. You know, like what would a chair look like if our knees where in the back of our legs?

Kelly:     I made a teacher retire with that one.

Oh and here's another great Kelly Quote from the episode that's on now that just literally made me LOL:

Kelly    Anyway. Every girl was supposed to be on TV. But did I get a turn? Ask me if I got a turn. Ask me. Just go ahead and ask me!

Al and Bud just stare at her.

Kelly    No, I did not. And you know why? Because my teacher, Mrs. Jones, doesn't like me. Just because one day she wore a pair of Jeans that said "Guess", and I guessed size 42. Instead of giving me a prize, she cops an attitude!

Oh Kelly Bundy... probably one of the dumbest, yet funniest characters to ever be on TV! Christina Applegate's character really cracks us up sometimes!

And on another "Married... With Children" thought - anyone else notice that during the early episodes Peggy seems more "normal" and down to earth? And that Kelly (with the platinum bleach blonde hair) actually seemed somewhat smart at the beginning of the series but then got stupider with each season as she got older?

"It's the end of the world as we know it..."

It's been a little over 20 years since REM first released that well-known song back in 1987.

There's been a lot of talk lately about the world coming to an end. A lot of people seem to believe something major will happen in December 2012 bring the world to a close. Honestly, I don't believe that. As a Christian, I believe in the Bible which clearly states in Matthew 24:36 that no one will know the date and time when Jesus will return (thus the beginning of the end of the world) - he will be like a "thief in the night."

Are we living in the End Times though?

A lot of people seem to think so. Granted, a lot of people thought that as well back in the 60s, and I remember people talking about it back when I was in grade school (remember how popular the Left Behind book series was in the late 90s?), but consider just how much hate there is in the world nowadays, how things that were wrong and immoral years and years ago are now considered to be perfectly fine and okay and if you still feel the "old way" you get ridiculed.

Here's an interesting passage I came across regarding the end of the world:

2 Peter 3-10

3First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

So I know, a bit of random idea for a Blog post - you're probably wondering what brought this up.

Well, for those that don't know, my father-in-law does missions work, and while his specialty is helping people understand cults and the like, the last few years he's been teaching on prophecy and signs of the end times, since it seems to be such a hot topic with believers and non-believers these days.

Now the other night, on Facebook, he posted this:

We are the first generation since the time of Christ that has ALL the signs of the soon return of Jesus most importantly: Israel as a nation; Jerusalem as Capital of Israel; Weapons of mass destruction; and nations allied against Israel! "Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door" Jesus, Matthew 24:33

And another person, in response to his post, posted this:

Luke 21:9-11
⁹When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away." ¹⁰Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

What are your thoughts?

Personally, I think that's an AWFUL LOT of signs that were predicted nearly 2000 years ago, not to mention there's been numerous prophecies that seem to be becoming more and more realistic the last few years as well. Just within the last 2 months there's been 2 MAJOR earthquakes in the world - Haiti and now Chile, not to mention it seems like there's at least 1 every 2 years in Northern Illinois, smack dab in the middle of the US of all places!

To be completely honest, and I almost feel guilty and ashamed for feeling this way, but thinking about the end times almost depresses me.

I know, I know, as Christians we should be excited - Jesus is coming, we'll be done with this world and all that's wrong with it, and be celebrating in Heaven.

But at the same time, I always wanted to have a fulfilling life.

As selfish as it sounds, ever since I was little, I dreamed of growing up, getting married and having a family of my own someday. I've always wanted to be a mommy - I've always been good with little kids and look forward to someday having a few of my own. I look forward to someday going shopping with my daughter to pick out the perfect dress for the school dance, or cheering on my son in whatever sport he chooses to play. I don't want to just have kids, but I'd like to be able to raise them and have some of the experiences with them that my parents had with me. I think there's part of every woman that yearns to be a mother - whether or not they realize it (and even those who claim they don't, well in most cases, they do have a pet of some sort to take care of); we're built with a maternal instinct to mother and nurture. With all this talk about the end being near, all the signs of the times and prophecies coming true, etc... it just depresses me cuz the more I hear it, the more I wonder if I'm ever going to have the opportunity to have kids and raise them or if Jesus will return before I get to experience those things.

I know, we have our plan that we set out for in our lives, however that might not be God's plan for our lives - he might have something completely different in store for us, having seen the big picture that we can't see. And I know, once I'm in Heaven, the things I didn't get to experience in this lifetime will be far, far from my mind - non-exisistent. But until that happens, I can't help but feel how I am, right?

I mean, I don't blame our parent's generation and their parent's generation for being excited - most of them have had children and raised them to be adults, times are tough now and some aren't even sure if they'll ever be able to retire the way our economy is going... they've lived a pretty full life and are more than ready for Christ's return. My generation on the other hand... it just seems like there's so much still that we'd like to do, experience and accomplish in our lifetime. We look at the lives our parents have lived and long to have some of those same experiences, yet with all this talk about the end coming, it almost makes it sound like we won't ever get to experience those things.

Does anyone else kinda feel how I'm feeling here or am I the only one?