A Quote On Love

I was browsing through some of the blogs I occasionally visit and came across a quote that just leaped out at me. The quote is by my Still Waters' favorite writer.

"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket–safe, dark, motionless, airless–it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."
~ C. S. Lewis

The young man's blog was listing 13 random quotes. This particular quote really got to me. We can all read the same thing, but it can touch us in different ways. It also depends on where we are at moment as to how it would affect us. I mean I read it today and it affected me a certain way. I could read it in a couple of months or years and I could get something totally different than the last time I read it.

Today, that quote made me cry. So many people are missing out on an incredible blessing, because someone they loved has hurt them. Why is it that we hurt those we love? What makes us do that?

I think that we only hurt ourselves when we don't love others or allow them to love us. We become hardened, withdrawn, sad, lonely and empty. I'm not talking about loving a special person. I'm talking about loving someone in general. A hardened heart hurts the one that's building the walls around it. Yes, we become vulnerable when we love, but think about what comes along with allowing yourself to love someone or allowing someone to love you.

To me loving someone fills me with joy. It brightens my day. Makes my heart skip beats. It makes me smile at the thought of them. Makes me laugh. It gives me people bumps, as my children use to say when they were little, cause they were not geese. LOL! It gives me hope for tomorrow. Hope that by loving or allowing me to be loved, things CAN change.

Mom, Can I Talk To You And Dad?

One isn't sure what's going to be said when one hear, "Mom, can I talk to you and dad?" Your heart starts racing. Your mind starts reeling. You wonder what's happened? Is it something serious? Is my child in trouble?

When I heard my G.I. Joe say those words to me, I was at peace. I knew what we were going to talk about. I knew that something had happened. Something every mom and dad hope and pray would happen. I had noticed something different for quiet some time. I had seen the change in his countenance. When he walked into my room and said those words, I knew. I knew he had rededicated his life.

How did this all come about? Well, God has been working in his life. I had noticed some changes here and there. Not that he had a bad attitude, but every once in a while it would pop up. I wasn't seeing much of that. He would do things without being told to. I saw a commitment and self discipline in him that wasn't there before. Then tonight the youth from our church went to what is called The Judgment House. It's not a haunted house. A group of volunteers from that church put on a play. It's a situation play, you get walk from scene to scene. This year it dealt with two teenage girls, who skipped school and decided to go to the beach. They stopped at the bank to get some money. While they were there, the bank was held up. One of the girls was killed. The dad of one of them was killed also, they hadn't noticed that he was also at the bank. So, the story evolves from there. The made one of the building look like a bank. They even had a squad car and policemen acting out their parts. It all looked very real. They even had one room that was "hell". In that room, they turned up the heat and left it very dark. You could hear wailing and gnashing of teeth. It was as close to Revelation as they could get.

G.I. Joe asked Jesus into his heart when he was 8 years old. He had the faith of a child. I can still remember him bowing his head and asking Jesus to come into his heart. When he looked up he had a huge smile. I know that he didn't do that to please me or any one else. He decided to rededicate his life because he now has matured in his walk with our Heavenly Father. I'm so proud of him. My little boy is growing up. Be still my heart...

Another Day On The Set For The Movie...

Well, I can't tell you the name of the movie yet. :o) The title is still hush hush. What I will tell you is, that I didn't see Part 1 or Part 2. The only reason I'll see Part 3 is because my children are in it. LOL!

It's not a bad movie, it's just not my taste of movie. I'm more of a epic, war, action, western, love story, thriller, drama kind of gal. I DO NOT do horror, slice them, blood spilling, gruesome type of movies. I also don't particularly care for comedies or slap stick type of movies. I guess I have no funny bone.

We had to check in at 7am. I've mentioned this before, but just in case you don't know, I am NOT a morning person. Don't get me wrong, I don't wake up a grouch or anything like that. I'm a night owl. But when I wake up, I get up and go. I'm not a slow started. So we checked in and filled out our paperwork. This time around only Daughter of the King, G.I. Joe, The Warrior and I attended. Soaring Amongst The Clouds had to attend classes today. She was having a test in her Science and Psychology classes. So she really didn't want to miss it. We were asked to wear the exact same thing we wore on the last shoot. We were done by 10am! Turns out they only needed to do over three lines. YEAH BABY! We got a full days wages for working three hours. :o) Not only that, but they let us stay in the amusement park the rest of the day! WOOOO HOOOO!!! My children rode ALL the roller coaster rides they wanted to. After that, we left the park and had lunch. It was way too expensive to eat at the park. We stopped at the good ole' Golden Arches. Four of us ate until our belly's were full... cost... $21! You can't beat that!

Everyone had a great time, but they all kept saying, "I wish Soaring Amongst The Clouds would be here. She would love these rides." I was touched that they were thinking about their sister. Once we got home, all three of them were in the kitchen sharing with Still Waters about their day. It was sweet to hear them because they were being careful not to be too loud, so as not to make Soaring Amongst The Clouds sad about not going. Still Waters does not like anything that has the word coaster attached to it. LOL! Well actually, she's come along way, cause she'll now ride coasters as long as they don't have loops.

I have to say that I was very impressed with Soaring Amongst The Clouds. If she wanted, she could of skipped her classes and earn a little spending money AND get to go on the rides. Her work ethic amazes me. I would of said, "I'll just make up those test and get the notes from my other classes from another student." She showed character. Funny how when I first had children, I thought I was teaching them. I see that as a parent, we "haven't arrived". We are "still" learning... even from the younger ones. I have learned that, I have much to learn. I'm so blessed...

Homecoming Alternative

Today, our church sponsored a "Homecoming Alternative". People might look at that and think, "What is that!?" Well, it's exactly what it says it is. Who thought of it? How did it get started? Who goes to this event? What do they do there? So many questions! The normal response would be so little time. BUT, this is my journal and I've got all the time to share. :o) My dilemma is... where do I start? I guess the beginning would be a great place to start.

Through the years, Homecoming dances sure have changed. I guess might I might be sounding like an old foggy, but think about it, they have. I personally, REALLY enjoy dancing. Yes, even at 44, I can AND like to " get jiggy with it", "shake a leg", "get the groove on", "cut a rug" and all those other "I like to dance" idioms. I enjoy watching others dance too. BUT... some of the way people dance today, I feel, should be reserved for their boudoir. Some of the dances are very suggestive. Leave very little to the imagination. It's all laid out there in front of you. The way some dance look like they are animals in heat. Honestly, I for one, do not want to see my children dance like they are in heat! Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like them. But why do this in public? Where EVERYONE can see you grinding? Why tempt someone else that way? Why tease, if you don't plan on following through? Yes, go ahead and dance, have fun, enjoy it. BUT why not save the suggestive dancing for your spouse? Just think, little ones are watching. They idolize teenagers, who intern idolize the 20 somethings and so on. I see younger ones mimicking the ones they look up to. They are watching how the older ones dress, talk, dance, act and so on. Which means, that the younger ones are ALSO dancing suggestively. I know that ultimately it's up to the parents. The parents are the authority figure for their children and teenagers. BUT if we all try to lead by example, WOW!!! Imagine the impact! All that to say that I really enjoy dancing, but certain moves, I do only at home.

For the last four years, our church has sponsored a Homecoming Alternative. A young lady while in 9th grade decided she did not want to participate in her high school homecoming dance because of what goes on at the dances. So she organized an alternative. She spoke to the Pastor, the Youth Minister and the elders of our church. She shared with them that she wanted to invite other teenagers to our church for a homecoming party. They would have *Christian music (more on this later on), wonderful meal, pictures taken, and a white elephant gift exchange. Instead of dancing, an "outing" would be planned, which the church would provide transportation (church bus). They elders loved the idea. They liked it so much, that they decided to make it a "free" event. Yes, the "outing" and the *white elephant gift (more on this later) are also free!

Any teenager who is in the 9th-12th grade is welcome to attend. It's advertised at the local high school, which happens to be 4 blocks from our church. Formal attire is not required. Sunday best is not required. They wanted to make it so ANYONE could go without making any extra expense. Some prefer to dress up and some don't. One year, Soaring Amongst The Clouds wore a Hawaiian sundress, but the year before she had worn a long evening gown. One year Still Waters wore a beautiful Victorian gown, the year before she wore jeans with a beautiful, white embroidered shirt. Their senior year they decided to wear a long evening gown. They weren't sure when they'd get another chance to wear one. LOL! Daughter of the King has worn a long evening gown every year. Last year she even made her own dress. One year a young lady came in right after work, with no chance to change. She was not made fun of , she was welcomed with open arms. The young men wear what they choose to also. Some have worn suits. Some have worn slacks , long sleeve shirts with a tie. Some have worn jeans long sleeve shirts and a tie. Some have worn a jeans and a shirt. Some have worn sneakers with their suits. Some have even worn hats. We've seen it all.

The event is held in our dinning hall. A couple of the youth help some of the moms decorate the room. A local flower shop donates an arch or columns and flowers to decorate. The tables are beautifully decorated with linen table cloths, flowers, candles and beautiful china ware. The staff that cooks dinner for our church prepares the dinner for this event too. It's not your average meal, they go all out. To top it off, they also have a delicious dessert. The youth minister, his wife and two moms are the ones that brings the dinner plates to the guests. They also make sure that their drinking glass (soda, water and/or tea) are always full.

After dinner, they play the white elephant game. Now the gifts are not a gag gift, well if it is, something else comes along with it. In the past, some of the gifts have been $10, $15, $20 or $25 gift card to a store, a mug filled with candy, cute fluffy slippers, character pajama pants, Christian t-shirts, a cd, gift card to a local restaurant or a fast food place, journals with pens, Nerf guns, hand held games, x amount of pounds of candy and so on. They get to swap their gifts, whether they want to or not. The item can only be "taken away" three times. They have a great time playing this game.

The outing is always a fun. In the past they've gone bowling, put putting and on a river cruise. The youth know in advance where the "outing" will be. The year they went bowling, some of the girls still wore their long gowns. They had a WONDERFUL time! This year's outing was at what my Soaring Amongst The Clouds calls, The Happy Place. The Happy Place has a putt putt. The young men putt putted in their suits while the young ladies putt putted in their dresses. Some of the young ladies decided to putt putt barefooted, some stayed in their heels while others took a pair of flip flops for the occasion. All in all, they had the time of their lives. They were back at church by midnight.


Daughter of the King decided to wear a long evening gown. She wanted me to help her get ready. I always tell my Fair Maidens that, "I live for this moment!" LOL! When I was driving her to church, I glanced over at her and my eyes watered. My Baby Girl has blossomed into a beautiful young lady. I told her she looked like a mermaid. She smiled and said, "Gee thanks mom, I look like a fish!" LOL! I said, "No sweetie, mermaids are beautiful, fairy tale ladies. Every girl would like to look like one." Be still my heart...


I know that all mom's think this, so I'll just go ahead and say it any way. Baby Girl, you looked absolutely exquisite and elegant. You radiated beauty from the inside out.



Let me clarify this, no, Steps and Daughter of the King did not go as a couple. They are holding true to the "no dating" rule we as a family have. What's even more wonderful is that Steps and his family also believe in "no dating". Like us, they believe in courtship. I'd like to add that Steps has really "stepped" it up. He is very careful about how he carries himself. Kudos for you! There were youth who invited a date, but there were some who just came and met their friends.



Here we have KT, Congresswoman and Daughter of the King. KT and Daughter of the King have been friends for six years. Congresswoman started attending our church a few years ago.
The amazing thing is that they are all totally opposite of each other. Which makes their friendship all the more awe inspiring... it's certainly a God thing. They have learned to "love" as Christ would love.



This was the last picture I took. After I left some a couple of more youths showed up. As you can see, some came as couples and some didn't. For some this was the first time attending.

The young lady that started the Homecoming Alternative, graduated from high school two years ago. One of the other young ladies, stepped up and continued the tradition. This year the young lady that continued, will be graduating. I wonder which youth will step up and continue the tradition. Whoever God leads to do this, won't be doing this alone. There are plenty of folks willing to step in and help out.

My Baby Girl Is Now... 20!

Today twenty years ago, my first Fair Maiden was born. I can remember it as it was just yesterday. They've all heard me say it, a thousand times over. Right there still on the delivery bed, my legs strapped to a medieval device (PRAISE THE LORD they no longer do this), with my Fair Maiden laying on my chest, I looked over at my Knight and I said, "Let's have another one."

I have to honestly say that when I think of my children, I'm overwhelmed and speechless. I'm shedding tears as I sit here and share about Soaring Amongst The Clouds. She is every mother's dream come true.

Let me share why I named her Soaring Amongst The Clouds. She is a dreamer, but also a doer.
She's a romantic by heart. She likes to cook and enjoys trying out new recipes. She's not easy swayed, she'll stand firm for what she believes. She's a thrill seeker and an adventurer. She loves to travel and read about different places. She has a passion for reading. She loves all sort of sports. She could sit and watch football or baseball all day with her dad and brothers. She has a gentle heart and has the gift of mercy. When she's nervous she laughs. Which means, if she sees someone get hurt, chances are she just might giggle. But that's just her way of dealing with it. Her heart melts at the sight of children. She'll want to hold them or just sit and watch them. Her hearts desire it to be a wife and a mom. She's a girl after my own heart.

Good thing she was born in October, cause her favorite season is fall. Which is why her sisters decorated her cake with orange. We are all laughing because there are twenty candles. Well, what happens when you blow out twenty candles? You get LOTS of smoke! LOL! This was her reaction to the smoke.


This is the birthday card her siblings got for her. At first gland you would think this is how the card was made. But if you look closely, her siblings added to the word, "to Thee!" Our Fair Maidens are quite the expert on making, picking out and adding to cards. I really liked this one because there are two girls and two boys on the outside of the card. Soaring Amongst The Clouds has two sisters and two brothers. The card was perfect. The inside of the card was blank. Here's what they wrote: "Keepin' it real with the KJV (KJV in old English style)!! Hope thy (thy in old English style) Birthday is Magnificent (old English style)! We love you!



This gift was from her siblings. She loves what Still Waters and Daughter of the King call "hellish" music... that would be Country Music. LOL! Soaring Amongst The Clouds and I have similar taste in music.



They left the price on just in case she preferred a different cd. But hey, who isn't a Brad Paisley fan? Don't answer that, I don't want to know. LOL! UPDATE: we all really enjoyed listening to this cd. If you ever get a chance, check it out.



If you noticed on previous pictures, Soaring Amongst The Clouds is wearing a t-shirt that says, "Ireland". Well that's because she is fascinated with Ireland. She hopes to one day travel there. She saw this mug a few months ago and loved it. So, mom that I am, I went back and bought it when she wasn't with me. It's a little hard to see, but it has a shamrock and it says, "Life is good". Which happens to be my motto. :o) Aside from these gifts, she also got a book of the writing of Jose Marti. He was a Cuban poet and writer. She's been wanting to read up on him.
She also got a laptop computer, but it was given to her last month so she could use it for her classes.

Bigote and Sabimbi (my dad and mom) came late Friday night and left early Sunday. They came to help celebrate Soaring Amongst The Clouds' birthday. I took some pictures, but they didn't turn out. I should of checked them first, but we were all having fun taking pictures. Now I know, to check. :o( We had two cakes. They bought one at the local supermarket and the Fair Maidens had baked one too. I know that one would think, "Wow, cake for a whole week!" Ah.... no, not in this household. Cake lasted only three days. LOL!

Baby Girl,
My prayer for you is that you continue the course due north. May the best of your past, be the worst of your future. Remember that after the rain, there is always a rainbow and clouds have a silver lining. How blessed I am that God chose me to be your mom. My life is richer because of you.
I love you...
mom~

What Is Your Definition Of True Love?

... that's the question Steps posted on his facebook. When I saw that I thought, "Wow, that's pretty deep for a young man.

I wondered what prompted him to ask that question. The night he got home from spending the day with us, he looked for the book we had mentioned and started to read it... that very night. I was impressed. Jewels shared with me that it was on the list of books she was going to have him read this year. We are kindred spirits. :o) I wonder if reading that book made him post that question.

Some of his friends shared their answers. One friend wrote: "True love waits...for nothing. In other words, if you truly love them you'll get married asap." Another posted a group picture and put a heart around Steps and our Daughter of the King. Then, one simply wrote: 1 Corinthians 13. Who wrote that? My Knight did. He's a man of few words. So when he speaks... watch out... it's straight to the point.

More and more I see that people think of "love" as a feeling. Personally, love to me is a verb. It's an action. I've shared that before. You can read about it here. I also believe it's a choice. You choose to stay in love or you choose not to. You choose to focus on the negative and let it fester or you choose to focus on the positive and and watch your relationship bloom.

So what do I say love is?

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
~1 Corinthians 13

What do you say love is?

Soaring Amongst The Clouds' "Isms"

We can all be sitting around the dinning table, eating and talking. Then all of a sudden, some one bursts out laughing. Of course, then we ALL want to know what's so funny. Well, most often than not, it's due to what we call Soaring Amongst The Clouds' "isms".

The dictionary says that "ism" is: A distinctive doctrine, system, or theory. That sort of describes it. Just so you get and idea of what I mean, I'll share some of our Soaring Amongst The Clouds' isms. On any given day, if you were a fly on the wall in our Castello, you might hear...

"Turn off the door and close the light." -She was camping out in Still Water's room. She wanted to get to sleep. We all know what she meant to say.

"I was verabaling what everyone is thinking." -She meant to say that she was verbalizing what everyone was thinking.

"She was a tick bomb." - it was regarding a woman on a commercial who said , "Hello" to a co-worker and the co-worker was upset and yelled back. She meant to say, she was a ticking time bomb.

"Did my tan get back?" - She was asking if her back got tanned. She had spent the day at the beach with her siblings and friends.

"We're going rivering"- She was talking about a camping trip she's going on. They were going go canoeing.

"When are the Marylou's leaving for their vacation?" -Marylou is a friend of ours. Her whole family was going to a family reunion (in another state) and their youngest was going to stay with us (for a week) because he is in the All-Star team with our youngest. Instead of saying their last name, she called the family by the mom's first name.

"I think next Thursday we are going to have a mosh pit" -Soaring Amongst The Clouds is part of the Disaster Relief. What she was suppose to say was, that they were going to have a "mock drill".

"Mom, Samuel's toe fell off!" -Samuel is a little boy we know from church. On Tuesday's, Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Daughter of the King help with God's Squad. It's a one day a week camp for K- 6th graders. Little Samuel had a heavy object fall on his foot one day at home, so his toe nail turned black and blue. What Soaring Amongst The Clouds meant to say was his "toe nail fell off."

"Boys if you are hungry, come get your eats!" -She had just finished baking pizza. What she meant to say was, "Boys if you are hungry, come eat!"

There are many more "isms". There is never a dull moment in our Castello. She keeps us laughing. She doesn't "mean" to say these things, they just roll right out. As she says them, her eyes just twinkle. Sometimes, right after she says them, she realizes, "Oops, that's not what I meant to say." But most of the times, she doesn't and then she laughs right along with us. She's got an AWESOME sense of humor.

"The person who can bring the spirit of laughter into a room is indeed blessed."
~Bennett Cerf

Oh No, SAT Again?!

Yesterday, Daughter of the King took the SAT again. She had a very good score the first time around. She's just trying to improve it. The goal is to get the 100% scholarship, she's already gotten the 75% scholarship. I'm so proud of her.

Steps was also taking the SAT again. It worked out great. My friend Jewels (mom to Steps) came by to pick up our Fair Maiden and took them both to the school where they were scheduled to take the test. Did I mention that Steps is also homeschooled? Well, he is. They were to give us a call once they got done with the test. They were there from 7:30a- 2:30p. I felt so bad for them. I'm soooooo glad I'm 44!

Back in July, Steps had a "talk" with my Knight regarding our Daughter of the King. You can read about it here. So being that they are friends and getting to know each other, we invited him over to spend some time with us after the test. We "talked" a little more. My Knight suggested they both read, I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Josh Harris. I bought this book back in 1997 when it first came out. That means that Daughter of the King was only 7 years old at the time her sisters were only 9 & 8 years old. Talk about planning ahead! LOL! We knew way back when we first had children that we really didn't want them to date. Oh, I have to mention too, that we weren't Christians at the time either, so it had nothing to do with religion or a relationship with the Lord. It had everything to do with how my Knight and I were raised but, I'll leave that for another day. :o) They both agreed that they would read the book. Once they're done, we'll sit and talk about what they've read. See what they agree with and what they don't agree with, what they liked and what they disliked. They are both 17 years old, so I believe this is a step in the right direction.

During his visit we watched the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. This is one of our favorite movies. It's like watching a movie about our family. The dad in the movie even talks like my dad. We spent the afternoon laughing.

We invited Steps to stay for dinner. This was his first time having an authentic Cuban dinner. We had chicken fricassee, white rice, tostones (fried green plantains) and Cuban bread. I forgot to make the salad. :o( He seemed to like it, but I later found out, that he really like the tostones. Which is both of our Squire's favorites. :o)

Even though it was an SAT day, it was a good day. We all had a quiet day at home. Good food and good company, what more could one ask for?

A Welcomed Visitor

A little over a month ago, I received an email from Lady Grace. She and her family were coming to the United States to visit family. While in the U.S., they wanted to know if they could stop by and pay us a visit. If only emails had audio, she would of heard me shout with joy.

I named her Lady Grace because she is so graceful. She is soft spoken, delicate and simply very lady like. I named him Sir Barrister because, well... he's a lawyer. Like her, he is soft spoken too but there is air of right is right and wrong is wrong about him. I can see him as a lawyer. They make a beautiful couple. Their wee one is Sir Adorable because... well... he's simply adorable!

Lady Grace is from Japan. We were her host family, a little over a year ago. She is married to Sir Barrister, who is an American. She had come to stay with us in order to learn a little more English and see how typical Americans live. I know her time with us was not easy on her. She missed her Sir Barrister, but she was brave to venture out in order to learn his language.

We had a most wonderful visit. Well, at least I did. Why? :o) I got to hold Sir Adorable the entire time. While Lady Grace was visiting last year, she shared with me that once she got back home, they wanted to start a family. This filled my heart with joy. Sir Adorable is now 7 months old. He is PRECIOUS. You can easily see that he's happy and very loved. He was nothing but smiles the entire time. I wish they could of stayed longer, but it was getting late and Sir Adorable needed his rest.

I hope and pray that if and when they ever move to the states, that they move close to Sir Barrister's grandparents. That way, they'll be close to us too. I know, it's selfish of me. But I so enjoy Lady Grace's company. When I'm around her, I want to be more like her... soft spoken and graceful. Reminds me of how I use to be in my younger years. I feel I've lost all that and I'm not sure how to get it back.

Here we have G.I.Joe, Still Waters, The Warrior, Daughter of the King, Soaring Amongst The Clouds, Lady G~ -holding Sir Adorable, Lady Grace and Sir Barrister.

Movie Stars In The Making

NOT! Yesterday we spent the day at a "shoot". We were all asked to be "background" for a movie. We said, sure why not, should be fun. My Knight didn't come along because he was working. Still Waters couldn't take a day off at the "U.S.". Soaring Amongst The Clouds didn't have classes, so she came along. Daughter of the King, G.I. Joe and the Warrior, brought their school work with them. But the time we got to our destination, they were almost done with their school work. They are diligent students. Praise The Lord they take after their daddy. :o)

Fun it was. We looked at it this way, "Why not get paid for sitting around doing nothing." They've asked us not to say anything about what we saw or who we saw. I will say this, this is not typically the sort of movie I would watch. We haven't seen part I or part II. I guess we'll see part III cause we'll be in it. LOL! We weren't allowed to take pictures or talk to the "stars". Even so, we had a great time.

We were in what they called the holding area for 4 hours before they needed us on the set. We were all outside, but under a pavilion. It a very hot day with very little breeze. But we were in the shade, so that was very good. They had quite and assortment of danishes, bagels, cream chesses, fruits, chips and drinks. We had plenty of food and snacks through out the day. We had taken some cards, puzzle books and MP3 players. All that helped to pass the time. While we were there, I ran into a mom that I hadn't seen in ages. She was there with her three children. So we had a great time catching up.

We only spent three hours on the set, but to tell you the truth, it went rather quickly. I guess cause it was all new to me. I just enjoyed being there and see how "things" work. Let me tell you, it's hot easy being an actor. You have to do things over and over and over and over... you get the picture (pun intended). It was hot. We were all hot, but at least we didn't have people trying to comb our hair, add more make-up, fix our clothing, etc. I think it would drive me nuts to have someone hanging on me like that all day! I tell you, I'm glad it's them and not me.

After the shoot we had the option of staying with the filming crew and eating a catered dinner or going home. I soooooooo wanted to stay and eat, BUT I have two picky eaters. So we decided to get our paper work done and head on home. I later phoned my friend and she told me I missed out on some GREAT food. They had ribs, grilled chicken, potatoes, macaroni, cesar salad, rolls, and delicious assortment of desserts. Mmmmm... next time I'll stay for the food too.

All in all we had a wonderful time. I thought my children would not want to EVER do anything like that again. I was wrong. They all (except for Daughter of the King) said they'd love to do it again. Daughter of the King said she's not interested. I think it's because when she babysits, she makes in 5 hours what we made in 9 hours. Smart girl! BUT does she get the catered food too? :o)