When the student is ready, the master appears...

The combination of my mom's "Dreams Come True" yard sale and epic Lemonade stand (where; yes, more cookies were eaten by my dad than sold), along with receiving free makeup and watching too many episodes of "extreme couponing", and I have officially become obsessed with free/discounted stuff.

This week my goal is to find, clip, and start a coupon organizer and to get something awesome free...wish me luck!!!

Lori Ann

All was well.

I saw the last Harry Potter movie today.

I've only been a fan since August of 2008.

What I lack in time as a HP fan, I make up for in sheer fanaticism.

I read all 7 books in a week and stayed up all night watching the movies.

As I drove away from the theater today, "Time of your Life" by Green Day was playing and I started to cry.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to that August day in which I reluctantly gave in to my sister and brother in law's urging and opened the first page of the first book.

I never want the magic to end.

I have probably read over 10,000 or more books in my lifetime.

Other than scripture, no other books have impacted me like the seven books of Harry Potter. Especially Deathly Hallows- the last one. It's my very favorite book ever and I've read it at least 20 times, cover to cover.

If you haven't read the books for whatever reason, I cannot express enough that you don't know what you are missing. These books have changed my life.

And this movie is so worth seeing, if only for the Alan Rickman scenes:)

Goodbye Harry Potter.

Lori Ann

My Week in Pictures

I was lucky enough to go on a drive through Bucks County with my dad. My dad knows every back road ever invented and Bucks County is so beautiful. There is genuinely little that I enjoy more than listening to classic rock, driving with my dad, listening to his thoughts on politics and life.

We drove through the town that I was born in. Doylestown, PA. Pink was born there

too. I guess that makes me kind of edgy and cool.

My nieces and I made peach apple juice with the juicer. We then used the pulp to make muffins. Boo-yah. We're organic-y like that.

This is Katy and her trusty friend Sam. She was racing Elly and James and they finished a good 5 minutes before her. But she and Sam kept on running. It was so cute it brought tears to my eyes.

Speaking of crazies, here are the PB & J (better known as Elly and James) gearing up for their big silly string fight. It ended; as all Elly and James activities do, with tears and accusations of "that's not fair!". I have got to find more reasons to dress them up in trash bags. It's adorable:)

Lori Ann

Counting stars against the black

My nieces have been making me laugh lately. Tonight; Katy, the three year old, pointed a butter knife at me and said "I will cut you".

(I told my sister Erin who whispered to me over the phone "Don't sleep there tonight!")

Elly, the five year old, wants to change her name to Blossom. I've had some conversations with her about robbed sparklers, boyfriends, and Pink Floyd music that have been very existential.

No one makes me laugh more than these two. I think they are God's reward to me for having to deal with my own evil sisters all those years :)

Lori Ann

Random Thoughts: the 18 days off caffeine Edition

We are taking Jack-Jack to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter! We are so dressing him up as Harry Potter. I hope he remembers it forever.

It's weird for me to drive around here at night. In Reidsville, after 8 pm the whole town practically shuts down and the roads are clear. Here, people are up and driving around at midnight!

I've been off soda since June 20th, 2011. Crystal Light has been my salvation. I've had many, many icy cold glasses of lemonade/raspberry lemonade/fruit punch/cranberry apple to get me through breaking my 20 year addiction to soda:)

Elly and James were playing chess this morning. Danielle's kids are smart. When we were young, we played a game called "Shakies" where we ran around in circles, yelling "shakies". So, yeah..

Sorry my life isn't more exciting right now. I'm working on developing some conflict and drama, just to spice up this blog!

Lori Ann

This one is for you, Tyler!

Behold, my infamous tattoo!

Located on my lower right ankle.

For all of you who said "I'm not getting a tattoo because the prophet asked us not to and besides, it's kinda trashy"...I bet your regretting that now, eh?

It doesn't get much sexier than this, baby!

Lori Ann

Summer Summer Summertime

So..

This is my third week off all soda. It's changed my personality. Hopefully for the better long term. I am sure my family hopes so too. "Angry Lori" is only entertaining for about 2 minutes.

Fireworks with the kids was magical! Jack, James, Elly, and Katy are the funniest, most interesting people I have ever met. If I didn't already have a tattoo, I would get one of their initials. I can't go to the place of having two tattoos.

Jack- Jack is reading the Harry Potter books! He finished book 5 "The Order of the Phoenix"tonight! It's 9 days until the premiere of the last movie. If he's finished Book 7, I would love for him to get to see one of the movies on the big screen:)

I am glad that Casey Anthony got her fair hearing and the opportunity to tell her side of the story. Now, if only Caylee Anthony could get that chance...

I may or may not have actually moved here for my Dad's grilling.

Dad, Danielle, and I took the kids to see graves of Revolutionary War soldiers on the Fourth of July. We talked to them about the price of our freedom and showing appreciation for our soldiers and for the privilege it is to be American. I think they absorbed about 1% of that discussion:)

Lori Ann