The Glory of First Love...

I wanted to see what all the hype was about...the movie adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's book "Twilight" was due out last Friday night, fittingly, at midnight! There were parties scheduled around town, at stores like Hot Topic, Borders, etc. I hadn't read the books or anything yet but was intrigued at all the hoopla so I snagged a copy of the first book last week at Costco. Last Sunday, the 15th, I began reading...and I couldn't put it down!!! I finished the almost 500 page book in 3 days! I was hooked! The last time I was so drawn into a book was when I read the Harry Potter series, I could NOT put them down!

What amazes me is the gift that is given to these authors! Stephanie Meyer did not have a writing background, she was a stay-at-home mom with 3 little boys and one night had a dream of these characters. Once she had the dream, she started hearing these characters talking in her head throughout her days. She was a busy mom, so she would think on the story all day and then write at night. She wrote the story Twilight in just 3 months! She said she was pretty obsessive about it, writing something like 10 pages a day. And the funny thing is that she never intended to publish...she just wanted to record this story that had come to her. When she let her sister read it, her sister told her that she loved it and that Stephanie should do something with the story. And as Stephanie thought about it, she thought she owed it to her characters to have them exist outside of her mind. So, she send letters to small publishing companies and then, just for kicks, she sent it to 3 BIG publishers that she figured wouldn't ever touch it but she thought, what the heck? And it was one of those big publishers that ended up asking her for the first 3 chapters!

Now, if that's not fate, what is?! She was meant to be the vessel for this story. And what a story it is! It is, at its heart, the story of First Love and how when you fall inlove for the first time, it encompasses your entire world, your entire being is so invested. Reading Stephanie's words, she perfectly captures the emotions, the feelings...I truly felt like I was falling inlove for the first time again. I was experiencing it vicariously through Bella, meeting Edward, feeling that magnetic pull to him...thinking of him every waking hour, dreaming about him...wanting to know everything about him... her writing just brought it all to life! No wonder I was hooked! What woman in her mid-thirties, whose been married for nearly 16 years, wouldn't want to feel those youthful feelings of falling inlove for the first time all over again?! That's the beauty of a good book, of good writing, is the ability of the story to draw you into its world and for a while, the cares & concerns of your own life are forgotten...and you exist in another world! You are 17 again...Fascinating!

Before I finished the first book, I was at Wal-Mart picking up the 2nd one because I knew that I would want to continue reading immediately once I was done with the first. So, I am now 1/3 of the way into Book 2. On Saturday I picked up the Blue Ray DVD and we had a couple of the boys' friends over to watch with us. We popped popcorn, got movie candy, drinks, we all gathered on the sofas and watched. Now I know that some who read this who liked the movie may disagree with me BUT I was horribly disappointed! And I feared I would be, as I was reading the first book. I worried that the actors in the movie wouldn't do justice to Stephanie's characters and they didn't but it was not their fault.

Although the movie is over 2 hours long, they just couldn't capture the characters personalities and motivations completely. In the book Stephanie is able to, with her words, take you into the minds of Bella and Edward. You get to know them so much better in the book. In the movie, the characters seem very "choppy" to me, very erratic with no explanation as to why. It seems to me that Bella and Edward just stare at one another and don't really develop a relationship and then suddenly they are saying they love one another! In the book, the relationship is truly developed and progresses before those words are ever spoken. And when they finally are, it's such a sweet moment, and bittersweet at the same time, because of the circumstances. I could go on and on about my disappointment but I won't because from the interview I saw with Stephanie Meyer, she was happy with the end product.

I do have to say, though, that I think Robert Pattinson was a genius find for Edward. He's attractive but in an unconventional way. Unlike the book, which describes him as "model beautiful" and "god-like", he is not PERFECT and I find that more attractive than perfection. As far as the actress that played Bella, I found her "look" to be right on, but her acting to be annoying. I felt she tried too hard with the teen angst thing. For example, when she freaks out in the last hospital scene when Edward is saying that he is going to leave her, it wasn't believable to me, I feel she tried too hard in that scene.

However, I think the major criticism was that the movie was just SO SLOW! It dragged on and on and on...I kept thinking to myself, "This has got to get better, right? It's got vampires, it's got to be more exciting than this?" but it never got better. The only exciting time was the last fight scene and it was over all too quickly. There were so many other scenes from the book that could have been done either better or weren't included at all...

So, I return to the books where I can dive into Stephanie's world of the city of Forks and all the characters I am growing to know and love. I will relish this time as I know, that in 2 more books, the journey will be over. I will be at the end of my involvement in this world. I will store the characters and story away in my heart, as I do with all the books that I love. And when the next movie comes out, as it inevitably will, I will have to decide then if I want to give film adaptations another chance!

Blessings,
Eliana

Time Flies...

In January of this year, I finally joined Facebook. Why, you may ask? Solely for the reason that almost my entire graduating class is on there and we are all reconnecting. You see, this year will be my 20th High School Reunion! It is SURREAL! I honestly cannot believe this year is here! I was the person in charge of organizing our 10th Year Reunion and almost jumped on board to help with this year's reunion.

So much has changed in the last decade! Our children have grown, most of us have teenagers who are either entering, are in, or are even graduating from High School themselves...amazing! I even have some friends who have already become grandparents! (Typically this has happened through a marraige with previous kids, but still!) Sadly, we have also had 3 deaths in our class...I think 2 were from Cancer and the other I am not sure of the cause. We are all so "grown up" now. We are lawyers, teachers, business owners, stay-at-home moms...it will be so interesting to catch up on everyone's lives.

It HAS been an absolute blast being on Facebook and interacting with others from my class. We had a genuinely great group of people in the class of 1989. I just want to reach through my computer when I reconnect with some dear friends that I wondered about for years but had lost track of! It's so nice to see their smiling faces in the pictures they post and to see that they are happily married with children, beautiful children of their own!

In retrospect, High School was a good time, a time of growth and learning, a time of getting to know myself in the beginning stages. Because looking back, I see now what I child I still was, we all were...and yet we felt so "grown up" and ready to be on our own. What a difference the reality is from the fantasy! I always say I would NOT go back and do it again...but lately, as simple as life was then, looking back, perhaps I would...if only for a while...

Eliana

Sweet on Corgis...

We got some exciting news the other day... Our breeder contacted us and let us know that our future puppy is on its way! They bred a Red & White female, Darla, with a Tri-Colored male, Monte, and now Darla is expecting 6 puppies on March 27th! Brandon's birthday is March 26th, so he is happy to have the puppies born close to his day.

What's even neater is that my friend Debbie has a Corgi named Riley. He is Darla's brother! So that means that he will be the Uncle to our puppy! Riley and Darla both have wonderful personalities & temperaments, which is important to me. I am happy our puppy will be coming from the same lineage as them.

We went to visit our breeders early this month, and some of you may have seen the pictures on our family site. The ones above are also from that day. The sweet, smiling face is a female named Emilee. She was sweet, but very hyper! She jumped up on my lap immediately, giving me big, wet, Corgi kisses! I couldn't help but laugh. In the picture, I had to hold her in order to get her to stay still for a moment so I could snap the picture. I absolutely love that picture! It truly captures the sweetness of Corgis. They just want to love on you all the time!

Something else is going on in relation to dogs in general here at the Martinez household. Andrew has taken to making homemade Gourmet Doggie Cookies! He has looked up some basic recipes and then modified them to make them his own! He has had 3 orders already for his products. He offers "Nutty Buddy Peanut Butter" and "Paw-Lickin' Chicken " flavors. They are all-natural and partly Organic treats. They need to be refrigerated since they have no preservatives. They have been a huge hit with every dog we know! And we know a LOT of dogs! In making our list, we realized our friends have over 15 dogs combined! Wow! We are looking forward to becoming fellow dog owners this summer. Our puppy should be able to come home just before my birthday, around the first or second week in June.

We hope you all have a great weekend with your dogs, if you have them, they sure make life fun, don't they?! And if you are interested in Andrew's Gourmet Doggie Cookies, he will have flyers available soon!

Blessings,
Eliana

Valentine's Day = Sugar !!!

Valentine's Day is Saturday...what do you do with your special someone? For the past 2 years, my husband and I have had a nice dinner at home, complete with our own waiters! (The boys dressed up and waited on us!) It's fun, easy and we don't have to brave any crowds!

Valentine's Day, for me, is a day to let everyone know how I feel about them...all my family AND friends! I love the verse,

"A Friend Loves at all Times - Proverbs 17:17"

and I always print it on cards and give it with goodies to friends. One of our favorite comedians jokes that Valentine's Day used to be just for your girlfriend/wife and now it has extended to include everyone. He jokes how awkward it was the first time he got a Valentine's card from his grandmother! I think it's sweet. I love any excuse to give a gift and show I appreciate others, it's just who I am, I am a giver by nature!

So, I currently have 4 batches of colored sugar cookie dough chilling in my fridge! 2 bright pink and 2 bright purple. Tomorrow will find me baking Valentine's cookies (heart-shaped, of course!) Later I will drizzle them with royal icing and sprinkle them with colored sugars. Then I will wrap them up individually to give to those I care for...and the joy I get from their faces when they receive them, that is MY reward!

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day no matter what you do...take a moment to tell those you love how special they are to you!

Blessings,
Eliana

"Uncharted Territory..."

Last week I spent 30 minutes texting with a young girl who was crying over my son, Brandon. She had developed a crush on him and felt like he would never like her "that way." Then the very next day, I was texting another girl, who lives 3 doors down, for the same reason! She, too, has a crush on Brandon and was crying over him as well! Phew! My fingers are sore from texting so much!

We are entering "uncharted territory" with our boys...both are teenagers, officially, this year and are starting to notice the fairer sex! Hormones abound in the older one and the younger one is not far behind. It is at these times that I realize how smart God was in not giving me daughters! I don't know how I would have handled the DRAMA! At first I thought, "these girls are too young to be going through this!" but then I realized that I had my first crush at 12 years old, too...so, I guess it's par for the course...

With these new experiences come the need for new rules to avoid any "inappropriate" situations. Some of the boys girly friends like to roughhouse and be silly with the boys. (Who doesn't remember punching a boy when you liked him?!) But we have a rule of no rough housing with girls. They must be treated like young ladies, even though, at times, they may not act like it. I don't fault the girls that they don't know how to act...I have to take into account the kinds of families these girls have, some from broken homes that now have single parents, most are left to their own devices for most of their daily lives as the parents are off working. Some don't have mothers in their lives everyday. They enjoy gathering at our house on a regular basis and I try to be a mom that they feel comfortable coming to should they need to talk, even if it's about my boys :)

It's funny, though I wasn't given girls of my own, ever since I became a parent, girls have been placed in my life regularly for some reason. I have friendships with them and help them in some way through that friendship. I think that I have a purpose when it comes to all these girls that move through my life. I pray that I have a positive influence on them and that years later they will always remember "Mrs. Martinez" and what I was to them for that brief time our lives overlapped.

I encourage you to take a look around at the young people whose lives you may have an influence upon. Don't take it lightly, you have a purpose in knowing them. In one way or another, you affect their lives..and that can be a powerful thing they will always remember and you may even change them or their lives!

Blessings,
Eliana

Wishes for 2009...

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

Thank you to my friends and family who faithfully read my blog and follow my life through my entries. I know life is busy and it means a lot to me that you care enough to take the time to read them!

So....another year behind us...I remember when I couldn't even fathom the idea of the year 2010 and now it is only a year away! Wow! Very weird...this past year was one of tremendous growth for me, mentally and emotionally. I feel like I have really "come into my own" in my thirties. Here are some things I count as "successes" in my growth, followed by my wishes for 2009:

* I know myself extremely well by now and I am keenly aware of my strengths & weaknesses in life. I know the things I wish to work on about myself.

* I am comfortable knowing how to say "no" graciously to things that I do not have time to do, therefore freeing up time to enjoy the things I do.

* Though I am not currently happy with my weight (I know a lot of us are in the same boat here, especially after the holidays!) I know how to discipline myself in order to get back to a healthier me and I have started on the road towards that goal.

* I was never taught how to manage money when I was growing up. I spent many years struggling, failing, and trying again (many thanks to my EXTREMELY patience husband on this issue!) I had to learn the hard way and feel confident now.

* I was also never taught how to run a household. I lived with my paternal grandmother. She ran the house and didn't take the time to teach me anything. God rest her soul, I loved her but she would rather I stayed out of her way and just let her get stuff done. I asked her once to teach me how to do laundry so I could help her but she didn't think I should have to do it, I guess. I wonder how she learned? Someone must have taught her...Well, after many years of "on the job training" (and a husband who had to teach me how to sort clothing, etc (again, honey, thank you for your endless patience!) I know how to successfully run my household, with all the chores involved.

* My husband jokes that when he married me, I didn't even know how to boil water! That's not far from the truth, actually. I have a picture of me in 1992 with the first Lasagna I ever baked! I was very proud. No one taught me how to cook, either. Again, my grandmother, God love her, did all the cooking and told us to "stay out of her kitchen", unfortunately. So I never learned that either. Over the years, I taught myself how to cook and bake. Baking eventually became a passion of mine, as you all know but I can cook a pretty good meal, too, I am proud to say! My husband is especially happy for this and our boys never had to suffer through my "learning years", only my husband had that privilege!LOL

Now, onto my wishes for 2009:

* I wish to become debt free. I have us on track to achieve this goal and barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will reach it!

* I wish to be a healthier-sized me! I did it 6 years ago, I lost 30 lbs, so I know HOW, I just have to stay determined. And if I do, my goal is to celebrate my June birthday as an improved me!

* I wish to add a Corgi to our family! I'm sure you have read my earlier blog entry, "Dreaming of Cupcake", where I talk about my desire to get a dog. I am in contact with a breeder who just mated her Corgis and I will find out mid-month if the mama is pregnant! If she is, there will be puppies due on Valentine's Day. I am first on the list to get a puppy from that litter. I would be able to bring one home in May, an early birthday gift to myself!

* I wish for my husband to find another job. He is not happy with the current company and it is not a strong company, we are surprised it has lasted this long. So, we are keeping our eyes open for a new opportunity!

Well, that's it for my reflections and wishes for 2009. I encourage all of you to make a mental list of things you'd like to accomplish this year, because, as we know, time flies all too quickly!

Blessings,
Eliana

Christmastime is here...

Have you had the experience of trying to get teenage boys to pose for a Christmas picture for their mom? Note the pictures above...see what I mean? All I wanted was 1 nice picture, in front of the tree, for the family album...but alas, it was not to be...not until I walked away annoyed. Then they felt badly, set the timer on the camera, and gave me what I wanted after all. Sigh....

The goofiness has been at an all time high, these days! Most of the time I crack up with them...sometimes I have to hold my laughs to scold, then laugh in private! LOL

We managed to get the tree up, though, it was a 2-3 day process, though! Back and forth from the storage space and finally, it was done! Phew! And Brandon really had no interest in the whole process this year...I remember when they couldn't wait to help! Now, they'd rather be texting, myspacing, or watching tv. Gone are the days of the little hands helping mom whenever they had a chance...that's okay, I know one day they'll ask to help again...and then, hopefully, the grandchildren will be there to help, too! I envision a full house one day in the distant future...full of married children and grandchildren...the thought brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart, just imagine! I know before then, though, we will have to pass through the girlfriend stage and the "empty nest" stage...whatever will my husband and I do with just one another to be with?! LOL

Well, for now, they are still young and here at home with us...and I am thankful for every minute! May you all enjoy your time with your families....life moves quickly!

Merry Christmas!!!

Eliana