Its almost time.

As you can see, I have given my blog a much needed makeover. But that is not what I am blogging about today. I am blogging about how in exactly one week from this very moment I will be sitting in Harkins Theater in Bricktown watching Twilight, New Moon, and then the much anticipated latest installment, Eclipse. This is probably more for my benefit than anyone else...It is my game plan for the coming events leading up to, and including the midnight premier. So hold on to your britches... (and take time to abandon ship if you don't care to hear my plans)

TOMORROW, Wednesday June 23, 2010
-Ashley is coming over to my house and we are going to begin the tie-dying for our Twinprov/Team ________ shirts. (depending on the person....Mine, for example, will be Team Jacob)

Thursday, June 24, 2010
-this is most likely the day that I will get the lettering done for our tshirts. Final designs have yet to be written in stone.

Friday, June 25, 2010
-the list of needed food items will be completed. If you are coming with me, let me know what you are hoping I bring...and let me know if you are bringing stuff so I won't duplicate!

Saturday, June 26, 2010
-Shopping for *materials* (aka food from the list made friday, line entertainment, etc...)

Monday, June 28, 2010
-Every last bit of food preparation, cameras charging, gathering of line entertainment stuff, everything I will need to spend 9 hours in a hallway and 9 hours in a movie theater will be gathered and packed away for easy access the next day. This includes a possible change of clothes and makeup refresher kit... by the end of Monday, it will literally be too late to turn back from anything. No....by the beginning of monday it will be too late....oh who am I kidding...its already too late... But little detail has to be in order and ready by the time I go to bed monday night (which hopefully will be relatively early considering my hours the next day.)

Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The BIG day.
-7:30-8:45 am. Wake up. Get showered, dressed, and stoked (as if I won't be already) for a fun filled day with my fellow twi-hards.
-8:45 am. My chariot leaves. Details on the chauffer are yet to be determined...most likely my sidekick and fellow mastermind Ciara will be at the wheel as I am no good at what we call "Downtown Driving"...especially not in the AM.
-9:00 am. Arrive at Harkins Bricktown Theater, tickets in hand, and march to our post in line where we will sit and await our beloved Jacob and Edward fix.
-6:00 pm. Hopefully they will start letting us into the theater at 6! If not, it will be shortly after.
-7:00 pm. The Twilight Trilogy showing begins. First, Twilight, then New Moon.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010
-12:01 am The Twilight Saga: Eclipse hits theaters everywhere and I'm gonna be one of the first!
-approx. 2:30-3:00 am. Twilight induced ecstacy/adrenaline rush....quickly followed by a crash coma.
-3:00pm "Where am I...What happened? What Day is it? Oh yeah! I SAW ECLIPSE LAST NIGHT! WOOOOHOOOOOO! Woah...Don't get too excited...you will fall off your bed again." begins to bubble in my brain.
-4:00 pm. begin making dinner. Life resumes to normal.

THE END!!!!

My Expirament of the Week!

Hello Readers! Welcome to June! (I know it is the 2nd) Yesterday I spent my entire day fixing a delicious meal (if I do say so myself) for my whole family! I have decided to share my menu with you and maybe you can join me next time I make it!

I started my day yesterday by sticking a box of sourdough bread in my bread machine. It isn't exactly homemade, but it is a lot easier and quicker and I know it tastes good!

After I got that going I gathered all the ingredients I needed to make my Aunt Susan's Lasagne. Let me just tell you now, this is a HUGE recipe. It will serve about 12-15 people!

Here is what you will need:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. italian sausage (I used the kind with sweet basil)
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 24 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 T. sweet basil (fresh from my mother's garden!)
• 15 oz. ricotto cheese
• 17 oz. cottage cheese (the recipe says 16 ricotto and 16 cottage cheese but the ricotto comes in a 15 oz. package so I just made up for it in cottage cheese)
• 1/2 c. Parmesan (I prefer to use the kind in the green shaker)
• 2 T. Parsley flakes (also fresh from my mother's garden)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 lb. Mozarella cheese
• 6 Lasagne noodles, cooked
• 1 9x13 pan

Here's what you do:

Start out by cooking your noodles. Once they are cooked all the way through, set them aside in a bowl of water. (I made that rule up. I don't know if it hurts to go ahead and put it in the pan or not).

Now that your noodles are done, you can start making your cheese sauce mixture. In a large bowl, mix ricotto, cottage, and parmesan cheeses together. Add in the parsley and eggs. Mix all that up and then put it in the fridge.

Now onto the meat/tomato sauce. Brown the ground beef and the sausage together in a pan along with the minced garlic. Drain. After you drain, you can add the basil and tomato sauce. Let that simmer.

It is now time to throw everything all together. In your 9x13 pan, layer in lasagne noodles, cheese mix, mozarella cheese, and meat sauce in 2 layers. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes. After the Lasagne comes out of the oven, let it set for 10-15 minutes before serving.

It is a fairly simple recipe, but I must say I was very nervous about making it. I had never made lasagne before and I was so worried I would mess up that I actually convinced myself that I had! But fear not, I made it through and everyone loved it!

All in all I ended up making 3 loaves of sourdough bread (served with my secret recipe blend of garlic butter), salad, lasagne, and cherry dump cake. The cake went the fastest. I still have leftovers of everything else but that darn cake just didn't last. Maybe someday I will share that recipe with you all! Hope you enjoy this recipe! I know we certainly did...do...are....whatever. Let me know if you use the recipe or if there is anything else you want me to write about. I'm am now currently taking requests! Lol! Hope everyone has a good morning, afternoon, and night!

-Mattie

It's A Twister!!!!

Ahhhhh! Tornado season is upon us here in Bethany, OK and tornado alley is alive with action! This is one of my favorite times of year. I know it sounds odd but I LOVE the feeling I get when I think a tornado is gonna head right for us. I don't really get scared. I panic a little but that only lasts a minute or so until I realize I know what to do and I've already taken precautions. Since I was 10 years old (or so) i've had a tornado kit that I keep packed year-round. It is filled with peanut butter, water bottles, whistles, radios, batteries, socks, coloring pages, crayons, and an old useless analog television (don't worry...I took that out yesterday). The only things I have to worry about are 1) my dog, Gundy, and 2) do I have enough time to get to one of my 4 safe places?

Unfortunately, every time I watch the news--which is frequently as my favorite show are often interrupted by Gary, Rick, or Mike--I get an urge to watch my digital copy of Twister on my laptop, iPhone, or my DVD of it on the TV. Twister is my favorite movie. I watch it ALL. THE. TIME. I'm watching it now as a matter of fact.

You know I'm a true okie because I really am one of those people who hears the sirens and goes outside for a peek. I'm always talking about leaving Oklahoma and living in Massachusetts. (I even picked out the house... www.realestatebook.com/homes/listing/101-3000373541/refer=yahoo ) but I would really miss this weather too much. I would have to come back for the entire month of May.

Here are some of the reasons I love this weather.

Aren't they beautiful... :)

These Days

So. Yesterday was Mother's Day. What did you do for your mother? Some of my presents didn't exactly get here on time....but we told her what we got and told her it would be here soon during the week. She did however get to open 2 real life presents. A book on tablescapes (her favorite thing to do in the entire world) and a game called "Things". We went to church, had lunch at my Aunt Jeanie's. Then we went to see an advanced screening of Letters to Juliet. Unfortunately we didn't get tickets, so we went to Iron Man instead. After the movie we came home and as a family we played the game and laughed and had a good time and at tacos from one of Joey's favorite restaurants. That was the Gordon's Mother's Day in a nutshell.

The new thing going on in my life is test monitoring. I've been volunteering up at Bethany High School. I go in every morning at 8:45 to set up the tests on the computers and write their "seal codes" on the board. Then after the tests are set up the kids come in and I pass out their papers that have their login id's and other information. I stay until the kids finish their test and I record their scores and alphabetize the papers before I leave for lunch. Then, I go to lunch, come back, and start all over again for the afternoon session. I re-launch the test program on all the computers, rewrite different seal codes, pass out papers, record scores, alphabetize and then when all the tests are turned in to me I go home. It doesn't sound like much but I'm actually having a pretty good time.

I have dubbed this week at the official "JM Barrie Week." in honor of Sir James Matthew Barrie, creator of a world where children never have to grow up. And there will always be a part of me that lives in Neverland. If you haven't already guessed (or didn't already know) Mr. Barrie is the author of "Peter Pan" the infamous tale of a boy who never grew up. This whole week I am celebrating him and his literary genius. All week I will be watching Peter Pan related movies in honor of him. This is my schedule for the week:

Monday: Finding Neverland
Tuesday: Peter Pan (animated)
Wednesday: Return to Neverland
Thursday: Hook
Friday: Peter Pan (2003)

"To live would be an awfully big adventure."


I will be starting my new "job" of staying with my Granny soon. I will be taking care of her and helping her out a little bit. Drive her around and fix her dinners and keep her company so my family will have a little bit more peace of mind where she is concerned. I'm also going to make a facebook for her. That will be a lot of fun (for me) and I have a feeling she is going to join my team for Gossip Girl trivia...(don't be fooled though...it's just me. She doesn't watch GG haha!)


The only other thing I have to report is that I've started sailing lessons! I've been to 2 so far, I have one tomorrow night, and after that I'll only have 2 more then I will be able to rent boats from the YMCA and sail out on Lake Hefner! I'm having such a good time learning all these different ways to tie knots and assemble my boat. I've learned about the mast, boom, sail, rope/line/sheet, centerboard, rudder, and the tiller. I've learned about the hull of the boat and the bow and port, the starboard, and stern. I even did figure 8's around booies (sp?) in the boat! Yeaaaahhhhhh!

All in all I'm having a good time right now. Things are good and I don't have a bunch of stuff to worry about. I'm feeling good! Have a good week!

I'll try to post again soon! I know there was a nice gap between postings last time...but I'll try to be better! Lol!

Some new poetry.

Here are some of the poems I've been working on.

The Journey:

Eyes like an abysmal sea
churning waves to comfort me
I drink them in like liquid suns
my heart beats fast, my fever runs.
My thoughts are quick--
my words too slow.
But you, my love, already know.
You hold me tight.
I breath you in.
Your touch is soft against my skin.
Your breath is warm upon my face
as you lean in for this embrace.
Now here we stand to start our life:
The Journey of husband and wife.



Swimming:

From the moment the water touches my skin I'm gone.
Nothing in this world is as thrilling as the rush of the ocean,
waves beating down, crashing over my body.
The sun pours down warmth on me and I smile.
Shall I swim? No. I think for now I will float.
Soon I will ask myself, "Will I drown if I go out too far?"
Probably, but who knows.
If I am to die today I will not be afraid.
The guiding light will bring me home.
I will finally feel the joy of swimming through clouds.


In Your Eyes:

When I look in your eyes
I see specks of light that
reflect in the sun. As shadows
pass, your inner light streams
from a face that I, your lover,
see as nothing short of a perfect face.

When I look in your eyes
I see a man struggling with
the fear of the unknown. He
sinks deeper into his feelings
of inadequacy. Seeking comfort
in the eyes of a stranger.

When I look in you eyes
I see desire. Always searching
for the one way to move forward
and make your dream a reality.
on to gain the upper hand.

When I look in your eyes
I see a future. Two children
playing in the yard, Happy,
free from all the evils of the world.
Smiling faces shining down on their
father who loves them so much
he would die for them and their
safety and happiness.

When I look in your eyes
I see love. I see a man who
is not afraid of going after
what he wants. No obstacle is
too great to stand in the way
of you accomplishing your goals.

When I look in your eyes
my eyes see no flaw, no
imperfection. Because when I
look in your eyes. I see the man
I love, The man I want to wake up
to in the morning tomorrow and the
rest of my life.

When I look in your eyes
i know peace.

Lately...

I hope everyone had a good Easter today! I know I did! My mom's side of the family all met at my cousin Dennis' house where we ate our fill (and everyone apparently watched me eat with my chopsticks). Afterwords my mom and I stayed late and watched The Blind Side with Dennis and his whole family. It was fun. Becky and Richard came down from Glenpool and brought Harper. She got to meet Joey (my brother), Uncle Danny, and everyone else!

This week my friend Ashley and I decided to take sailing lessons next month at YMCA at Lake Hefner! My mom has been trying to get me to take them for years because she took them and loved it! Now I am and I'm excited...but I'm super duper excited because I get to buy new shoes! See, when taking sailing lessons at Lake Hef. you have to wear water shoes, so I found these!

Other NEW(s)is I've finished some more books! Of my 10 in '10 list, I've already read 6 of them! Two aren't out yet and two I haven't been able to get out and buy yet but soon....I have finished The Lovely Bones, Fake Boyfriend, The Van Alen Legacy, and the entire Percy Jackson series! I've aslo read some other books! I read Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and I am currently reading 2 other books: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and A Voice In The Wind.

Well, I guess that is it for now. It's pretty late here and I should be heading off to bed instead of on twitter...or facebook....or blogspot....or www.mlb.com ...or looking at my shoes at vibramfivefingers.com or wherever else I am....watching Enchanged on USA network...

Las Vegas: rest of day 3 and Day 4

Yesterday was uneventful. We didn't leave the hotel. Not once. I made it as far as the ice machine once...Ciara didn't make it past the threshold of our room. Fortunately we can see TONS from our window. We can see all the fireworks and fun stuff from Treasure Island (can't see the ship but we saw it today so that's okay)...We get to see the Volcano from the Mirage (our hotel) and tonight we are going to see the only other thing I have really wanted to see: the fountains at the Bellagio.

Today we ventured out into the world. First thing we did was we watched travel channel barbeque paradise as we got dressed so we had lunch at the BB King Blues Club and had some gooooooood barbeque pulled pork sandwiches. By the way, if you ever go there and if you like dil pickles, you have GOT to have the fried pickles. They were literally TO.DIE.FOR. After we ate we set out seeking the Stratosphere. It was a lot farther than I originally thought, but after a LONG time we finally made it. I kind of enjoyed the walk though because we literally got to see everything at the north end of the strip. I think I enjoyed it more than Ciara anyway.... We stood in line for a while and then we got to go up into the observation deck. We took lots of pictures to prove that we left the room. Tonight we are going to watch idol and then go see the fountains and then tomorrow we head home. We've been having such a good time just hanging out and doing the things we found interesting...even if that does mean sitting in our room watching Spice World with the blackout curtains shut in the middle of the day.

Well, I'll say goodbye for now. I'm gonna rest up and read for a little bit. I'm a little tired from all the excitement today. It doesn't sound like much but trust me, if you were here you might feel a little bit differently.

-Mattie