Friday, January 29, 2016

Calling all runners, walkers, work outers & music lovers....


I need your help! 


One of my 30 in 30's is to do a half marathon.

And I have been training about 3 weeks so far. But I am slowly realizing my play-list is sucking. I have a few good songs on there that get me moving but a lot of them are older and just don't get me moving or I find myself walking more than I need too. 


This is where you come in.

Please give me a 1 or 30 songs that you think I must have in my play-list to help me run better. I have to have music when I run, it's my greatest motivator. I love all kinds of music, I do not discriminate against songs. If they are upbeat and get me going, I love them. I don't care if they are brand new or 20 years old....give them too me. I have a spotify account so as long as they are on there I am good. 










Thursday, January 28, 2016

The Challenger

Dear Diary,

Do you know what today marks? Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Challenger disaster. 

6 astronauts and 1 teacher were killed that day. If it had succeeded, it would have been the first time a non-astronaut would have made it to space. If you happen to be alive when it happened, I am sure you remember it very well. 73 seconds after launch is when it happened so all the family members who were watching below saw it happened. It had been a very cold morning and the rubber O rings that seal the joint of the shuttle rockets boosters failed causing it to explode. 

My mom was one of the ones who saw it happen on live TV. I thought about adding the YouTube video of it since it was aired live but due to what happened, I didn't think that would be very ethical of me to that. You can go watch it yourself if you have never seen it. If you do happen to watch the one that shows the family members, just know they had no idea what had happened at first. It wasn't until about 1 minute later when they didn't see the spaceship anymore did they realize what they just watched. I can't even image witnessing that. The only comfort I would have been able to get is that they had no idea what happened and felt no pain. Because of the intense heat of the fire, they would have been here one second and gone the next.  

If you have ever seen the original version of The Dance by Garth Brooks video, you know he adds this moment in time into that video. (I promise to blog about this song one day)

Let's remember the astronauts that day!  
Back row: Ellison S. Onizuka, mission specialist; Sharon Christa McAuliffe, teacher and payload specialist; Gregory Jarvis, payload specialist; Judith A. Resnik, mission specialist
Front row: Mike J. Smith, pilot; Francis (Dick) Scobee, mission specialist; Ronald E. McNair, mission specialist

Ronald Reagan spoke that evening on the disaster. Here are 2 parts of his speech that I love so much:
"...And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them..."
"...The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."


Love, Me

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

KFP, HC, PPZ, DP, Z2, HTBS

These are the movies I am looking forward to seeing in the next couple of weeks!


Kung Fu Panda 3
Rated PG
January 29
95 minutes
Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Kate Hudson, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Bryan Cranston, J.K.Simmons
Po is back for his 3rd movie. I love these movies because they are always have a great story to them and this one is no different. Po's real father comes back and needs his help. There's also an underlying story to this and I wouldn't have caught on if I didn't see an interview with Angelina about it. She said that this is also a story about being adopted and how Po must come to terms about meeting his real father but yet loving his adopted father at home. She also allowed all of children to play voices in the movie which I thought was neat.




Hail, Caesar!
Rated PG-13
February 5th
No duration time found
Starring: George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Josh Brolin, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Alden Ehrenreich, Frances McDormand
The Coen brothers are back at it and with a star studded cast. This movie is set in the 50's and is about a guy named Eddie (played by Josh Brolin) who cleans up and solves problems for big celebrities. But when a celebrity disappears (played by George Clooney), Eddie has much more to deal with then just finding him.



Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Rated PG-13
February 5th
108 minutes
Starring: Lily James, Douglas Booth, Suki Waterhouse, Matt Smith, Bella Heathcote, Sam Riley
If your thinking to yourself, why do I know the name Lily James...it's because she is the beautiful girl who played Cinderella! And she's back in this Jane Austen tale about relationships from different social classes but with a twist...zombies.



Deadpool
Rated R
February 12th
106 minutes
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Gina Carano, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein, Stefan Kapicic
Well since China already banned this movie from it's theatres...it only makes me wanna see it more. It's about a special forces operative named Wade, who after going through a rogue experiment, has healing powers and takes on the name Deadpool. It's a dark, twisted superhero movie and I can not wait for it! 
(WARNING: THIS TRAILER IS THE FULL VERSION TRAILER SO CUSSING IS IN FULL FORCE)



Zoolander 2
Not Rated
February 12th
100 minutes
Starring: Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Penelope Cruz, Kristen Wiig, Christine Taylor, Benedict Cumberbatch and a whole lot of pretty celebrities playing themselves.
Derek and Hansel are back after someone targets all the pretty people in the world and killing them off.



How To Be Single
Rated R
February 12th
110 minutes
Starring: Rebel Wilson, Dakota Johnson, Alison Brie, Leslie Mann, Damon Wayans Jr., Anders Holm
It's a movie about a whole bunch of single people and what it's like in the city of Love. It stars Rebel Wilson...that's good enough for me.

 



Tuesday, January 26, 2016

25 weeks



How old? 25 weeks 

Likes? Giving kisses. Like extremely violent loving open mouth kisses. He loves kissing you and comes at you full force and you walk away stunned and covered in drool (but I love it). 

Hates? When he realizes he is alone in a room. He will play on his own and do his own thing as long as he knows we are somewhere around. But when he realizes that no one is in the same room with him, he freaks out! 

Milestones this week? He is getting really good at sitting on his own. He won't for very long because something will get his attention and his big head will take him down but he wants to master it so bad. He is a very active baby, always on the go, so sitting in one place for very long just doesn't cut it for him. 

Sleeping? He slept through the night once last week and I knew it was too good to be true. He does only wake once, take a bottle and go right back out so I know it could be worse. He still doesn't nap in his bed and no matter how hard we try, he just screams. He only likes to nap when he's moving, either in the Bjorn, the car or in the bouncy seat. I just can't figure it out. 

Eating? On Sunday I made him zucchini and let him try it. He didn't like it by itself so I mixed it with green beans and broccoli. He also tried avocado and loved it and we all went to dinner Saturday night (sushi) and we ordered him some plain white rice and let him have a few pieces at a time. He loved it. He kept saying "yummmm" after every time. He is really good at chewing his food so I never worried about giving him rice like that. 



I also want to say a Happy Birthday to my Granddaddy, Gail Clemens. I love my Granddaddy so much and have always had such an incredible bond with him. I've always felt like his girl, the closest one to him and maybe it's because I am named after his brother that died so young (ok so my dad is named after him and then I'm named after my dad but you understand what I mean) or maybe it's because he loves me the most :-) But for whatever the reason, I am glad I have a close bond with him. And now he gets to love my son, who is carrying on the "Danny" name, as a middle name of Daniel. 


Monday, January 25, 2016

Weekend Entertainment

What a weekend for entertainment! 

First off...Did y'all by chance see Selena Gomez on SNL on Saturday?


GIRL HAS IT GOING ON #whatiwanttolooklike #bodygoals #hairgoals

I love how she is taking on this growing up thing. I already raved about her new CD and how it is so grown-up but I can't get over her performances from Saturday. It was sexy, intimate, grown-up and involved a bed with a man and women. That part I could have done without but it's art.


For her first performance, she wore this gorgeous long black dress and it was just her, the mic, a little music and 12 boys snapping behind her. She sang a striped down version of "Good For You" and "Same Ole Love".



Then for her second song she did "Hands to Myself" and took it to a whole nother level. She wore what looks like a black night gown. I read an article with her and about what this song means. She said that it's about a girl falling in love with someone to the extreme and ends up having a false reality of what love actually is. The music video for this song is insane as well. 


Good job for being true to yourself and giving a performance that people are going to talk about for a long time. 


And now on to even bigger new.....TOM BRADY IS NOT GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!

I honestly thought The Patriots were going to beat The Broncos. If I was a betting woman, I would have put money on it. Boy did The Broncos give it there all Sunday. The look of defeat on Tom's face made up for the whole football deflating thing from last year. 
And I am so glad Mr. Manning is getting to go to the Super Bowl again. 

But what I am most excited about is Carolina is going to the Super Bowl. Cam Newton totally deserves this. They were an undefeated team for so long and last night they scored more points than any other NFC title game. I really want Cam Newton and his Panthers to win this Super Bowl 50! But if he does lose, it's to Manning and that is a perfect person to lose to. (Just don't lose Cam...I am pulling for you to win)!

Friday, January 22, 2016

Happy Birthday Bullet

A biggest happy 9th birthday to my wonderful, stubborn Frenchie, Bullet!!!!! 

What a joy you are to me. You have the funniest personality, you lick everything in sight, you snore loudly, we call you old man because you act like one but you are the most cuddly dog ever. You make me so happy and I love you so very much! 



Thursday, January 21, 2016

New glasses

Dear Diary,

You see these glasses right here.....

I've had these glasses for 5 years now. Before these glasses I had the same pair for like 10 years. I am extremely awful about getting my eyes checked. And I should be great at it because I have awful eyes. 2 weeks ago, I was playing with Brody on our bed and he decided to take them off my face and stretch them. Y'all....these glasses are my life line. It's how I watch TV, how I drive in the dark, how I read. I thought about getting contacts but I have an eye phobia to where I can't touch my eyes. It wasn't until about a year ago was I able to put eye drops in my eyes. So I sat down with Bobby and told him that Brody has ruined my glasses so it was time to get new ones. We discussed me getting contacts but I just don't think I could do them. He told me to just get new glasses and if it becomes an issue down the road, to suck it up and do the contacts. I knew going in what frames I wanted. I found the most perfect eye place by me, made my appointment and got it done. And luckily for me, they carried exactly what I wanted. 
So here are my new glasses. I am still trying to get use to the new prescription and when I am with Brody, I wear the old ones. Just in case he decides they need to come off my face again.

Love, Me

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Just a reminder...

Make sure to keep up with me and my boys here during the week. I blog everyday except on Saturday's, Sunday's and major holidays. I try to keep it interesting and not bore you. If you ever have any suggestions, or questions, or if there is something you don't like or just love, I am all ears. 




You can also keep up with us on my Instagram account, username dani_lynn_lewis. You can also follow the hashtag #2016withdanilynnlewis.









I have also joined Twitter under the same username, dani_lynn_lewis. Please feel free to follow me there as well. 

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

24 weeks



How old? 24 weeks

Likes? His walker. He has finally learned how to really use his feet to move himself and move himself around he does. He will be on the other side of the living room before I know it. 

Hates? When I have to clean out his nose. He just screams at me but it gets nasty and sometimes he gets food up there so it needs to be cleaned out. It always sounds like I'm torturing him so I just laugh at him and he usually ends up in a laughing crying mess. 

Milestones this week? He can stick his tongue out and make spitting noises. Like he's giving raspberries. If we do it at him, he does it back at us. Cracks me up. He is really starting to get a personality and I love it. He also started drinking water out of a sippy cup. I wanted him to learn the sippy cup and the act of drinking water at a really young age. He won't be getting juice or soda so his only options will be formula/milk and water. And milk (after he turns 1) only after he's eaten or bed time. 

Sleeping? Naps are still in his bouncy seat. Won't nap in his bed. He does sleep in his bed at night so I just can't figure out why he won't during the day. 

Eating? This last week we started pea's and he loves them. Nothing I've given him so far he's refused or turned away from. I know there will come a day and he will but for now, I am enjoying watching him eat and try new things. 

Monday, January 18, 2016

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Take the time to remember that we are all created equally in the eyes of God and that skin color is just a color. We are all equals, no matter who we are. Love one another. Be nice to one another. Being kind to people gets you a lot further than being mean. No one likes a bully. There's no place in the world for bullies. And never forget that it only takes one person to help change the world. 
Be that one person! 



Friday, January 15, 2016

Lewis Family Photos

Back in November, the Lewis side of the family, us kids, decided to have pictures taken with Kim Burns. You will remember I blogged about my Clemens side having pictures taken {here} but the thing was, I couldn't blog about the Lewis side because it was a surprise to Debbie. It was one of her Christmas gifts from all of us. We are all caught up on kids for a while so it was the most perfect timing to do them. We decided to take them at Tyler Street in the new worship building. They came out so good! I love them. Here are my favorites!! 


Matt, Angie, Colton and Jace- 
Let me first off start by saying that Jace was just 3 weeks old, which means Angie was 3 weeks post-partum! We all knew Angie would bounce right back but 3 weeks!!!!! Amazing. Colton is such a good big brother and was extremely good about making sure Jace was held properly. He loves Jace and kisses him any chance he gets. 






Billy, Kristen, Kent and Billie Marie-
Colton is the kid model of the family but I think Kent should be too! If Kent could sit long enough for a photoshoot, I would beg Kris to get him in it. As much as Billie Marie is the star of our show, Kent shined the brightest to me. 






Bobby, Brody and I- 
Brody was not having it. He did not want to smile nor sit still. We did manage to get a few good ones, and the ones we did get I love so much. They are us. And for some reason, Brody looks straight up red-headed but when you see him in person, he's a dark blonde. It's funny how the lighting in the building caused that. 










The whole family-
Do you know how hard it is to get everyone looking at the right moment at the camera for 1 shot? Super hard. Either the kids looked and the parents didn't or the parents did and the kids were off in lala land. I don't know how Kim was able to get us all looking, but she did! The one of Brody losing his crap on the couch makes me laugh so hard. Because that's what it was like for almost the whole shoot. And Kent was so worried about Brody that he kept his hand on or near Brody the whole time. 







The kiddos-
They all did so good. For what it was, I was so impressed by them all. Because Colton was in charge of Jace and Billie is old enough to sit on her own (plus Miss Independent wouldn't want anyone crowding her space), Kent got Brody duty. He came up to me before the shoot even started and promised me he was going to hang on to Brody really tight and told me he would never let him go until I got him. And he did just that. 


So while this was going on, what you don't see is the craziness going on behind the camera. The parents, singing and dancing, yelling and screaming and jumping around like monkeys trying to get these kids to look and smile. 
Oh But Wait.....I recorded it :-) 
Enjoy! 


If you are interested in using Kim to take your family photos, you can find more information {here}.