My Take on Romantic "Chick-Flicks" // The Proposal

Thursday nights are “mommy-nights” for me. Every Thursday after work I head to moms for dinner. She either cooks us a tasty meal or if we aren't too exhausted after work, we venture out for a meal on the town.

I got home from dinner with mom at around 8:30pm this past Thursday. My roomie was home already and was chilling on the couch watching TV. After I unpacked my work bag and put away some laundry, I changed into some comfy PJs and went out to the living room to join her. While we were discussing how our days went and such, she began aimlessly flipping through the channels to find something new, when a most wonderful sight was seen: a glimpse of Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock carrying luggage off of a plane…The Proposal was on!!!

First of all, is there anyone that doesn't like this movie? I personally have not met a soul that doesn’t like this movie in some way, shape, or form. I mean, Ryan Reynolds shirtless + Sandra Bullock “getting low” + cute fluffy puppy appearances + Betty White chanting around a fire = AMAZING entertainment. (a very long equation, but very true nonetheless)

My roomie put the remote right down once we realized that the movie was on. First thing out of my mouth (besides “OMG, would you look at the bod on that fine man”) was “This may literally be the best movie ever”. Now, I think I was just ultra-excited that the movie was on when I said that, because I do think there are other movies out there that can be considered “better” films, BUT there is something about The Proposal, that makes it really stand out. I think it has all of my favorite things rolled up into one hilarious ball of perfect.

In the last scene of the movie, Andrew
(Ryan) turns up at the office to find Margaret (Sandra) to tell her not to go back to Canada because he loves her despite her craziness. After I shed a tear or two, I turned to my roomie saying “Seriously, I miss watching chick-flicks with girls.”  Of course I would watch this movie with Greg (he loves it too), but there is nothing like watching a good, old-fashioned, romantic, chick-flick with one of your girlfriends.

I don’t know about you guys, but when I watch a “chick-flick” with my girlfriends we comment on things we feel led to comment on, we tell stories of stuff that has happened in the past as it relates to a snipet of the movie, and we stay silent together at that, always amazing, “Awwwww” moment at the end.

A classic romantic "Chick-Flick" has the following:

1. Good looking male lead (Matthew M, Channing T, Bradley C, pretty much anyone named Ryan ect.)

2. Pretty female lead (Jennifer (Lopez, Lawrence, or Aniston), Sandra B, Katherine H, ect.)

3. Hilarious drinking or dancing scene (getting low around the fire in The Proposal, “Benny and the Jets” in 27 Dresses, pot brownie in the club scene in Never Been Kissed, ect.)

4. Random funny best friends to both male and female lead (usually cute or dorky in personality)

5. Other female character you love to hate (biotch in 13 Going On 30 -damn her!) OR another male character that you end up feeling a little bad for at the end  (Hot Irish man from Grey's Anatomy (Kevin McKidd) in Made of Honor)

6.  One or more hot kiss/love-making scene (the rain scene in The Notebook....) *cue heart palpitations*

7. At least one cute child or animal that has some odd, yet important role

8. An intense moment about 3/4 of the way into the movie that makes your heart feel as if it is being ripped out of your chest (I believe this is called the climax of the movie)

9.  A chase of some sort back to the other person. (when you cant possibly contain your excitement that the torture of the "climax" is almost over....wait, what? oh never mind)

10. And finally, 9 out of 10 of these movies have some kind of a "happy-ending"

Although most romantic comedies/"chick-flicks" are fairly predictable, and a lot of the time incredibly similar to each other, they never lose their luster to me. I may go through phases where I am not interested in the classic "love story" but they never last long and I am back to wanting to see the newest chick-flick that is set to come out in theaters soon.
Right now, that movie for me is The Best of Me, staring Michelle Monaghan (also in Made of Honor) and James Marsden (also in 27 Dresses). (Some actors are just REALLY good in love stories)

The Best of Me is set to be in theaters this Friday (October 17th). This is the first love story in a while that I have been legitimately excited to go see. I do not think it will disappoint. I suppose my next step will be to warn Greg that there is a tear-jerking, lovey-dovey, "awwww"-moment-filled, movie theater trip in his future. ;)

My Top 10 favorite Romantic "Chick-Flicks" thus far (in order):

10. Never Been Kissed (1999)

9. Titanic (1997)

  

8. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

7. While You Were Sleeping (1995)

6. The Notebook (2004)  

5. When Harry Met Sally (1989)

  

4. Moulin Rouge (2001)

3. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)

2. The Proposal (2009)

1. The Wedding Planner (2001) 

Honorable Mentions

 Love Actually ('03), The Ugly Truth ('09), Crazy, Stupid, Love ('11), The Holiday ('06), Just Like Heaven ('05), He's Just Not That Into You ('09), 27 Dresses ('08)

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading :)
Have a great weekend!!

xo Dana

*all movie photos via imdb.com

I was a "Dog-Person" and I didn't even know it!

So my boss sent me home early today. I, my friends, am sick. Sick as dog, if you will. (will be more funny once you have read some of the post) I came to Greg's house straight from work and got to spend a sick, yet very nice, afternoon with my Maxxie until Daddy got home, hence how I got the idea for this here blog post... Enjoy!

I only remember having negative experiences around the few dogs I came in contact with when I was younger. It was just my mom, dad, and I until I was 11, and literally no one in my family had a dog. My father is from Syria and in his country, dogs are more often wild and much less used as family pets, so I am pretty sure dad didn't really like dogs. This is surprising to me because he was a pretty tough looking dude when I was young, so it is hard to think that he was scared of anything. My mom never talked about wanting a dog and I never really wanted one due to my unprecedented "fear" of them, so it never came up in family discussions.

I thought I was a "cat person" for the longest time. My aunt and uncle always had 2 kitties running around their apartment, Nicki and Jerri, I never cuddled with them or anything, but I wasn't intimidated by them the same way I was of dogs.  

My best friend at the time had a dog named Nellie. Nellie never did anything that scared me, but I always remember having a fear that she could easily hurt me. Nellie was probably a foot and a half tall and maybe 20 pounds at the most; now that I think about it, she was probably the nicest dog ever, but I always had this relentless stigma that kept me away from dogs in general.

One very clear memory I have involves a very rambunctious, and at the time horrifying, black lab puppy. When I was in 3rd or 4th grade, one of my other good girlfriends and her family got a black lab puppy named Midnight and one day I got the courage to go to her house to meet the little guy. When I heard the word "puppy", I naturally pictured a small baby thing..well, to my surprise, Midnight was huge. I was always a very short, little girl (I still am), and Midnight was probably 5 months old by this time and, in turn, not small.
My friend had Midnight tied to a rope outside in her back yard for my first meeting with him, so I walked out the back door, saw the pup, and walked right up to him. Puppies are puppies, they are excited by a dust bunny let alone a new human being at their house, so naturally, Midnight was super excited and began jumping and running around like crazy. Somehow, someway, I got wrapped around in Midnight's rope and he was jumping up at my face over and over, seemingly to me, to bite my face off. (He probably just wanted to kiss me, but I didn't know) I remember feeling like I was trapped forever, when in reality, I probably just needed to calm the heck down, lift my feet up over the rope, and get un-stuck. My friend came to my rescue, saying "He is just excited to see you! It's ok!" while I just cried and screamed that I wanted him far away from me. After she got me free, I ran into the house and I am pretty sure I went home for fear of my life. (Drama queen much?) 

Well that experience really did me in, and my fear for dogs continued until I was probably about 11 or 12 when my Uncle adopted the sweetest 7 year old, German Shepherd-mix named Buddy. Buddy was a gift from God for my entire family. He made us wonder how we had never had a dog in the family for this long. Buddy was quite a timid pup, however. He was abused since he was a puppy in his former home, and because of this, was quite afraid of many things, and kept very quiet for the most part. Buddy never lashed out at us in any way due to his past life, he always stayed so well-behaved. My uncle retrained Buddy to know how to do "normal" doggie things, like play, how to not be scared of everything, and seek out affection from those that would happily give it to him. I remember Buddy as the first dog that I let lick my face.  From then on, I felt so much more comfortable around dogs. Now, when I saw dogs in my day-to-day life, I wasn't scared at all anymore; I wanted to know what their names were and wanted to pet them if I could. Buddy allowed me to see what being a dog-lover really was. In his time with us, Buddy battled two bouts of doggie-cancer, and unfortunately passed away during his second bout in 2012.

Here is Buddy a few days before

he passed away <3 RIP

My Uncle got Astro a couple of months after
Buddy passed. Hi Astro!

There's Coaster!

When I started dating Greg, his family had a little dog named Coaster. Coaster was a 16 year old Bison-Poodle who had just about everything wrong with him in his old age. He was deaf and blind in 1 eye, and occasionally suffered from seizures, but he was still kickin and livin life like an innocent pup does. Not long after I started dating Greg, Coaster's old age got to him, unfortunately, and he was put down. Coaster was 17 when he passed away.. 17! And he lived a wonderful 17 years with Greg and his family. He and Buddy are probably partying it up now in doggie-heaven.

Love at first site!

Enter: Max.

Greg adopted Max in May of 2012 during a time when we were not together. Max is a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. I had never heard of this breed until I met Max. Since Greg brought Max home, he stole the heart of everyone he came in contact with. Greg raised and trained Max in his parent's house for about the first year and a half of his life, and he did a fantastic job. This dog is amazing, I swear, and I know a great deal of it is due to the tender love and care that Greg, and his parents, gave him as he was growing up.

Baby Maxxie!

I began to truly know Max when he was about 11 months old, and I quickly fell head over heels in love. Max was a very rambunctious, energetic pup at that age (as, again, all puppies are) and it did take time for me to learn how to make sure he treated me with respect and as a "master". There was a long time when I didn't quite know how to act and train a pup to respect me because I never knew how to do it. Greg gradually taught me how, and Max and I have come a long way in our human-pup relationship.


I remember a specific turning point in our puplationship where Max and I really bonded and we both learned a bit more about the roles in each other's lives. Greg and his family were away on vacation and Max was staying in a kennel  for the week, I agreed to pick Max up 2 days early and spend the last night that they were away alone with him in the house. Something changed after that short period of time together, it was definitely for the better.

Since that time, Greg and Max moved out of his parent's house, and I spend a great deal of time there. I feel so much better when Max is around, and I miss him dearly from the moment I leave Greg's house, to the moment I step back into the house on Friday afternoon. I feel the most amazing sense of happiness when he is near me or wants a cuddle. I believe it is similar to what a mother must feel for their child. (Don't worry, I know Max is not a human being..don't worry. But I am sure most dog-lovers will know exactly what I am talking about.

Such a photogenic pup

Max is our son, and we are one happy little family. He is such a blessing, and I believe, in his own pup way, Max helped Greg and I be the strongest we have ever been.

In closing.. I am SO a "Dog Person". No ifs, ands, or buts about it. (Cats are ok too...if you catch them on a good day...) ;)

Xo Dane :)

Fantasy Football - from the Perspective of a Supportive Girlfriend..

Image found via simplejourns.com

The days are getting shorter, the air is getting chillier, and football season is underway. It is Fall my friends, whether we have totally accepted it or not. I, myself, love the fall- the sweaters and boots, scarves and hats, football and, well, football.

I only really started watching and following football when I began dating Greg back in 2010, but I have always known which teams I liked and didn't. I had always been a "Giants fan" ever since I can remember. My dad liked the team, so I liked the team.
I bought my first Eli Manning jersey right before I started my freshman year of college. I loved the way I felt in the jersey. It was comfortable and I felt like I belonged in the group of people that cares about "their" football team.

Since then, I have become a much "better" Giants and football fan. I watch at least 1 full game every Sunday with Greg (not including the Giants' game. I ALWAYS watch the Giants' game), and then bits and pieces of other games that I get caught up in while he is watching. I actually know who a bunch of the Giants' players are, and am able to recognize their faces and player numbers. I know and understand a lot of the football language and can actually participate in the occasional football conversation. Overall, I  have been quite satisfied with my involvement in the sport of football. (I think Greg appreciates it as well.)

We are all Giant's fans in our little family! image via my instagram

Last year, when Greg and his buddies were planning their Fantasy Football league, and drafting their teams, I couldn't help but be interested in the entire process. What team is that one on? Whats his position? Why are you choosing to play him instead of him? Why would it matter what team they are playing? Those are just some of the questions that would cross my mind each Sunday that Greg was glued to the TV and to his Fantasy iPhone App.

In the second week of the official football season, I downloaded a free Fantasy Football app on my phone where I was able to participate in an entire live draft. I remember it being after 11PM one night when I finally opened up the app and explored my options. It took about an hour to go through the entire draft process, but at the end of it, I was incredibly satisfied with my team picks.
Needless to say, that team did not do well in the season and I finished with a losing record of 6 - 7. Despite my losing record, the fun I had through out the entire football and fantasy season was entirely worth it.

There really is a lot of fun to be had in being a part of Fantasy Football. You get to pick a (hopefully) clever team name, you get to chose from any players you want to, and you get to be actively involved in the football games each and every week during the season. I can understand where none of that would be appealing to some people, however I genuinely enjoy the process and it allows for me to share in my boyfriend's love (and obsession honestly) with Fantasy football and football in general.

This year, I handled my Fantasy Football much differently than last year. I drafted two teams this time around, and I chose some pretty clever team names if I do say so myself . I recruited my boyfriend, Greg and one of my other guy-friends, Frank, to help me in my picks, and I am really staying active on my team throughout each week. So far, both of my teams are doing significantly better than my team was doing last year and I am pretty darn proud of it. I'll keep you guys posted on how the season turns out for my beloved Fantasy teams :)

Screenshot of the ESPN Fantasy Football App - My Teams

One of the most exciting parts of free Fantasy Football, in my opinion, is choosing a team name. I thought long and hard about what I wanted my team names to be, and each has a special and creative meaning to me. My first team is Eat Phresh. (you can deduce the meaning behind that name) My second team is the Bangerang Ballers - this team name is in honor of the late, and great, Robin Williams. In the movie Hook (1991), Robin Williams plays Peter Pan. Throughout the film, he and the "Lost Boys" use the phrase "BANGERANG". I look at the word as a term of happiness and confidence- something I think anyone would appreciate in a Fantasy team name. (The "Ballers" part of the name is just a corny addition that I got a kick out of.- not to be confused with "ballas", as I do not roll that way.)

FX's The League - Image found via xfinity.comcast.net

If you are still unsure about the thought of participating in Fantasy Football, you may want to check out "The League" on FX. Despite what I may make Greg think, I find the show HILARIOUS, and it is entirely based upon a group of friends and their Fantasy Football League. (It does help if you knew some of the actual NFL player names, as they are referenced often, but it is not necessary to enjoy the comedy of the show) (It would also help if you enjoy raunchy, inappropriate humor, as there is A LOT of that in the show. It's-Always-Sunny-In-Philadelphia-Raunchy humor. If you are not into that, beware.)





Love you guys! Thanks for reading :)
xo Curly Hair and High Heels  (aka Dane)

My Harry Potter Story

I am not sure how old any of my readers are (the ones that aren't my mother or couple of friends that know about my blog), but no matter your age, you should know what, who, and how Harry Potter is.

I actually began reading books from the Harry Potter series toward the end of 6th grade (2002). The moment my mother found out that the entire series takes place in and has all to do with a magical world, she did not want me to have any part of it.  My mother did not like the thought of me reading a book that takes place in a primarily magical world, especially at such a young and impressionable age, so she asked that I not read them. I always loved reading, but I didn't have much interest in the books when they first came out in 1998, so I did not protest to my mother's wishes.

Towards the end of my 5th grade year, Mrs. H, the mother one of my good friends, began to read to our class for about 30 minutes, once a week. What book was she reading to us? Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone.

I remember listening to her read the book, knowing that my mom was not entirely thrilled with the idea of the series. I truly enjoyed hearing Mrs. H read the story, and genuinely looked forward to each time she was in our class. I literally remember being so excited when we heard that she was coming that day to continue reading. We, unfortunately, did not get through the entire book before school ended, and I guess I forgot about the series for a little while after that.

The first movie came out in 2001, that was the time when everyone in class started talking about the books and how great they were. I was in 6th grade and one day towards the end of the year, I went to the school library to see if I could yoink a copy of the first book to read. The first movie had already come and gone from the theater, but I figured I could rent it soon after if I decided I liked it.
Well, in middle school, kids still used the library for fun, and because it was such a popular series, there were no copies of the first, or even the second book, for me to take out. I was disappointed, but I saw that they had one copy left of a different book, the third installment of the series: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
I remember thinking the cover looked really cool and being excited by the way the illustrations were drawn and colored. Against my mother's original wishes, I took the book and brought it home. I literally think it took me 2 weeks to get through the entire book (That was fast for a me, a 6th grader). I remember being fascinated, and at the same time frightened, by the thought of Sirius Black. I loved the relationships between Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I also think Professor Lupin was my favorite character at the time.

Once I finished reading the book, I couldn't help but to tell my mom that I read it and just how great it really was. By this time, she had loosened up at the thought of Harry Potter, so she just told me that it was fine that I read it but just be wary that it is made-up and magic is not real. I had no problem with that, I was just happy that I could read the books in front of my mother.

With the third book finished, now I had to read the first and second book! I still had not seen any of the movies yet, so I had no idea how it all started, up until what occurs at the beginning of the third book. I borrowed the first and second book from one of my friends, Hannah. (Mr.s H's daughter). After that, there was no stopping my new-found love for Harry and the entire book series. I was able to read books 3-7 entirely before their movies came out, so I did not miss too much of the Harry movie-madness at all.



Books 1-7

Since then, I have purchased each book in soft cover (6th and 7th I was able to buy as a hard cover), each book in CD-audio form, and each book in eBook form. (I also have both of the Lego Harry Potter games for the Wii, and I was one of the first members of Pottermore..)
Needless to say, I have read the series in its entirety 4 or 5 times, and I never get sick of it...never. I always look forward to breaking it open for however long I can throughout my busy days. I always pick out new things that I may not have realized in the past, and I find myself picturing the scenes, places, and characters in my mind like it is the first time reading the story.
I have had crushes on almost every actor that plays the characters in the movies, Dan, Rupert, Tom, the guy that plays Oliver Wood.....(oh yes.)  I envisioned J.K. allowing me to play Lavender Brown, so that I could date (and 'snog') Ron (Rupert) in the movie, but be with Daniel in real life. (On a good day, I have been known to pull off a mean British accent.) In a nutshell, I went through all of the classic, and wonderful, reading-Harry-Potter-as-a-teenager phases. Within the past few years, my mother has come around to the stories and movies as well. Way around; she hasn't read the books, but  now she watches the movies more often than I do.

Two weeks ago, Greg and I took a lovely, week-long vacation in Orlando Florida, to visit Disney World and Universal Studios. I did eventually get just as pumped for the Disney, but all I initially cared about in the planning of the park-going was seeing Harry Potter World. In May or June, I decided I would begin the book series again to freshen up my Harry Potter mind and be fully prepared for the amazingness that I knew HP World would be.
What with work and being a young twenty-something woman, I only got through the first two books before we left on September 7th. On the plane ride there I read the first 5 chapters of the third book, and got to chapter 7 before the official day we were going to Universal.
We waited until the last part of our day to go to Harry Potter World-which is on the Islands of Adventure side of Universal Studios. I don't know why, but I feel like I was nervous to go. Like maybe it wasn't going to live up to my incredibly high expectations or something, but as our last stop of the day, we finally approached the gates to Hogsmeade. It. Was. AMAZING. The entire Hogsmeade-half of the park is exactly what I had pictured and thought it would be. The street and the shops are perfect, the Butterbeer and the Hog's Head menu are perfect, the castle and the rides are perfect. The entire village is just exactly what I would want it to be. (the ride in the castle did make me quite a bit queasy, but the walk through the Hogwarts castle, and what I was able to look at during the ride before closing my eyes, was SO worth it.)



One of the first views I saw when entering Hogsmeade Village at Islands of Adventure in Orlando, FL!

We decided to save our visit to the new part the of park that is on the Universal Studios for our second, and last day, of park going. We walked back to Hogsmeade and to the train station to board the Hogwarts Express "ride" back to the other side of the park, where the "London" and Diagon Alley part of HP world is. The train ride was perfect, everything and more than what I expected.

I will not spoil the excitement for any of you who have not yet visited the new, or old, parts of HP world, but the new part was even better than the old. It was all just like the movies and just like the books. I should also add that I bought the Elder Wand in Ollivanders.. I couldn't resist! Alright I said it. And I don't regret it!



I just HAD to get a mug of Butter Beer!





After riding the Hogwart's Express

Although my Disney/Universal trip was over, I still read the third book on the plane ride home, and am still now reading it whenever I get the chance. I think reading the Harry Potter book series is an escape for me. An escape to an entirely different world. A world that, through the imagination and skills of author, directors, producers, architects and park designers, I can read, watch, and be in any time I want to. (Another trip to Universal Studios may not come as easily, but it is possible...I'll have to talk to Greg...)

The Hogwart's Castle and Greg and I in front of the Hogwart's Express

I will end this post by saying a BIG FAT THANK YOU to J.K. Rowling, and each and every person involved in adapting the books and making movies and parks from them. You all have helped me continue a part of my childhood that will never leave me, no matter how old I become or where my life brings me.

Thanks for reading!

xo Dana

(I used Google images for the image from the movie and the image of the books- I do not claim to own them.)