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By kilax, July 30, 2015 6:28 am

Enough bike talk! Let’s talk babies!

We have a lot of exciting things going on in my family, one of which is that my younger brother, Anthony, and his wife, Amber, are expecting their first baby mid August! What better timing to throw them a baby shower than when we’re all in Iowa for RAGBRAI, right?!

Amber and Anthony. That’s Anthony’s “smile,” heh.

My snister and I hosted the lunchtime shower last Saturday at the Cedar Valley Arboretum. It was a beautiful location but a horribly steamy day, so we didn’t do much exploring of the gardens. I look forward to going back sometime when the real feel temperature isn’t 100°F!.

Me and my mom’s mom

Christina did the majority of the work for the party. Seriously – she found and booked the location, designed the invites and made them, handled RSVPs, made all the decorations, made the slideshow, picked two of the games (and helped me with mine) and all the game prizes, and pretty much ran the party. I’m sure I am forgetting a few things she did (like, my hair, before the party)!

The slideshow had baby pictures of Anthony (above) and Amber (below).

I was in charge of mailing invites, bringing my projector and screen (which I almost forgot, ha!), making a party playlist, getting all the food, and coming up with one game. And I followed my typical party planning model – delegate as much as possible! And picking up party favors from Maria’s Oven was an obvious must-do.

Don’t read in to any perceived color schemes – they are waiting to find out the child’s sex!

And we had LOTS of help setting things up (and tearing them down), thankfully! Phew – we had the party from 11:00-1:00 and the space from 10:00-2:00 and it was definitely a time crunch!

I really enjoyed working with Christina to plan and throw this shower. I felt like I was her assistant, and I preferred that being my role! Typically, this sort of thing would stress me the eff out, but because Christina was “in charge” and I trusted all of her decisions, I felt at ease. And actually, somehow, I enjoyed doing all of the shopping to prep for the party (I typically hate shopping). Probably because I was with my snister. We make a good team (and we make things fun in our own speshul snisterly way).

And it was an honor to throw this party for Anthony and Amber. It made me feel good, seeing so many loved ones come together to celebrate the new addition to their family! I am stoked to meet my new nephew/niece and to see how my “little” brother is as a dad! Aww, we’re all growing up. Tears!

Enough mush. Ha.

Christina and I picked games for the party that weren’t too painful to participate in (come on, you know what I am talking about):

1. Celebrity Baby Name – match the parents to the kid. It was hard! I think someone won with 4 out of 10 correct! We had people fill this out while eating lunch.
2. Play-Doh Baby Game – make your own play-dough baby, with prizes for cutest, best name, and creepiest. Ha ha ha. People sure are creative (see first picture of this post)! This game was played right before dessert.
3. Get Amber to the Hospital – this was the game I came up with. I wanted to have a car game, since that is what my family was in to, and had the idea to have a competition to see who could get Amber to the hospital “the fastest.” Christina came up with the idea to do it bracket style, and ordered the box of Hot Wheels off of eBay (I procured the track and “made” the hospital, and my older brother, Nick, did a fantastic job with the parking lot). This game was played after dessert and right before present opening.

Anthony picked his and Amber’s cars first, and everyone else came up and selected theirs after that. There was a number on the bottom of the car that aligned with the bracket, so they wouldn’t know when, or who, they were racing.

I thought it was really funny that Anthony and Amber’s cars kept winning… and that Anthony won, overall! Then after the party, he told me he could tell what we were up to, so he picked the cars that were the heaviest (and would get down the track the fastest). Ha ha, sneaky!

After all the games it was present time! I missed a lot of it though, because I was chit chatting, then starting to clean up to get us out of there on time. Christina and I later discussed that for the next party we throw we’ll plan a bit more time for set-up and tear-down!

I wish I would have gotten a photo of me and Christina with Anthony and Amber. And really, all of my siblings. Guess we’ll have to get it when we come meet the baby in August! Woo hoo!

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By kilax, July 27, 2015 6:23 am

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine. I received the Natural Mineral Sunscreen – SPF 30 to review. This post contains links to the Block Island Organics websites but my only compensation was the sunscreen.

As you guys know, for several years, I haven’t been wearing sunscreen while I run because I can’t find one that lets my skin breathe and doesn’t feel heavy (like it’s clogging my pores), or doesn’t get in my eyes and sting them. So I recently went to a dermatologist for a free skin cancer screening (the derm said everything looks good) and he recommended I use CeraVe sunscreen for running. I bought it. And tried it. No bueno.

Sigh.

So when Block Island Organics emailed me about trying their Natural Mineral Sunscreen (SPF 30), I was intrigued. It’s organic (derr), lightweight, and free of parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, phthalates, gluten, dyes and artificial fragrances. And even cooler – they don’t do animal testing and use vegan-based formulas! (!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I didn’t want to waste their time though and told them about my typical issues – that I don’t want a sunscreen that beads on my face and makes me more sweaty and miserable. They told me it’s lightweight and not greasy, and that while they have not tested it for water resistance, it’s worked out well for them when they workout. Hmm, but I sweat like… something that sweats a lot. Would it work for me?

But let’s be honest. I need to find a sunscreen that works and can’t go around spending $10-20 a bottle until I find the right one. I wanted to give Block Island sunscreen a try.

The first thing I noticed when I opened it was that it didn’t have the typical sunscreen smell, which seemed odd at first, but I grew to like. When they say no artificial fragrances, they mean it! It was nice to go out with sunscreen on and not smell like it!

I used the sunscreen on several midday runs. I tried putting the sunscreen on (my face, arms and upper back) right before a run, as well as putting it on fifteen minutes before (per the directions) and letting it “soak” in (my word, not theirs, ha ha).

No matter what I did, I sweated so much that it dripped off. I noticed the directions say to “use a water resistant sunscreen if swimming or sweating,” so I don’t think it’s meant for someone who sweats like me. (Maybe I should try it in the winter when I sweat less?)

Arrows pointing to all the sunscreen dripping down me during the middle of a 5 mile run

Sunscreen pooling up then dripping down my elbow

HOWEVER – this is the first sunscreen I have found that DOES NOT sting when it drips in my eyes. It also did NOT make me feel like I couldn’t breathe. It felt lightweight, like they said. But what use is that when it’s dripping off? I never had a noticeable burn after a run, but, maybe I wasn’t out long enough to get one?

I tried it during cycling too, where I sweat less. Oh yeah, it stayed on. YOU COULD SEE IT ON ME ALL DAY. Ha ha! I couldn’t get it to rub in! It made me all white, wherever I put it! It’s nice to be able to see where it’s applied, but I thought it was odd it never faded away, even after I rubbed at it. Of course, I don’t mind looking like a goof, so it didn’t bother me, as long as it worked…

See how white my face and arms are?

But sadly, I still got burned. However, it says to apply every two hours, and I think I applied every two and a half hours and was in the sun all darn day, so I am not sure how well any sunscreen would do. Although, three of us bikers used this and got burned and one person used a spray-on sunscreen and was okay.

My burn from RAGBRAI Day 4

My burn from RAGBRAI Day 5 (it looks glossy because I had aloe on it)

The next day, the burn didn’t hurt much and turned in to a tan. But I am not sure if that was my tan base, or the sunscreen that made that happen.

I really want to like this product because it’s organic, natural, vegan-friendly and chemical free, but it just doesn’t seem to work for me, since I am a crazy sweaty beast. I DO like that it does not make my eyes sting, so I plan to continue using it my face, however, it’s a bummer that it will just come right off if it gets wet (which I witnessed when I got sprayed with water (on purpose) while riding my bike) or I sweat.

I DO like that Block Island Organics is a family owned company (named after the town where the business was started – fun!) and that they are on a mission to educate consumers, provide quality products and simplify the skin care process. It just seems like I need the water/sweat proof version of this sunscreen for it to work for me! I’m grateful I got to try this and will use it on my face, but the search for a whole-body sunscreen for running continues!

If you’d like to check out their site and more about their mission and other products, you can visit their website, or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine. I received the Natural Mineral Sunscreen – SPF 30 to review. This post contains links to the Block Island Organics websites but my only compensation was the sunscreen.

Comments (8)

By kilax, July 17, 2015 8:59 am

Ooo, Christina got me good.

I was unpacking my suitcase Sunday night and… wait a minute… what is that hidden between my clothes?!

Ha ha ha. I die. The ‘ole MBP* bracelet.

So last July, when Steven, Rachel, Mom and I were in Kansas City, and we were about to start the drive back home, Christina pulls up next to us in her car and motions for us to roll our car window down. We do, figuring she wants to say one last goodbye, but instead, she throws something in the car, laughs, then drives away.

What the heck? We looked at what she threw in, and sure enough, it was this bracelet. Which she received at a bachelorette party.

Instead of throwing it away (like a normal person), I held on to it. Later that summer, Steven and I left it hanging somewhere in my parents’ cabin. Then my mom snuck in back in to my snister’s place later in the year. Then the two of them TRIED to hide it in my coat on New Year’s Day, but I found it and had Will hide it in Christina’s makeup bag. Muah ha ha.

And then I forgot about it. Until now. Like I said, Christina got me good!

Now the bracelet is back at my house, but lucky me, I am seeing both my mom AND snister next week. So it won’t be here long!

Aren’t family shenanigans fun?!

*male body part

Comments (26)

By kilax, July 16, 2015 6:24 am

• I’m still knitting! I haven’t dedicated time to learning any new skills, so I’m still just knitting lots of washcloths for my mom and her mom. However, Mica sent me some DPNs (double pointed needles), I still want to make those cacti for my snister, and I just received these fun knitting books! So I have some ideas for what I want to try when I get around to it. And I want to start holiday gifts soon. Keeping them secret while I work on them is going to be hard for me, ha ha!

• Have you ever had to take one of those personality tests for work? The one where they tell you your strength and weaknesses in areas like leadership, influencing others, working in a team, etc.? I always score low in the area of influencing others/selling ideas, because I HIGHLY DISLIKE TRYING TO INFLUENCE OTHER PEOPLE. Especially when I don’t have the authority to do so. I don’t want to be a sales person, period. I am more of a “live and let live” person – in all areas of life. (Ha, that doesn’t mean I don’t often wonder why people do the things they do, just that I don’t want to tell them how to do things, myself.)
• We had a beautiful lightning storm here Monday night! I could have stayed outside all night watching it, but… that’s not safe! Ha.

• One of my goals for the year was to take a swim lesson (to see how my form is) and I have it scheduled for this month. I am excited about it, and hope that I am able to remember all the things the coach is bound to tell me are messed up with my form. No, I am not doing a triathlon. A few people have asked me lately “Why don’t you just do one?” since I run and bike, and sometimes swim. Eh, just not interested in it right meow. Maybe someday though!
• Oh my gosh, talking with a coworker yesterday about her daughter coming back home from a three week summer trip reminded me how mean I was to my mom and sister when they picked up me and my dad from the airport on our return leg from Spain in 2002 (when I was 17 years old). I did NOT want to be coming home. And they were so excited to see us, and I think even made “welcome back” signs. And I was just like “eh, whatever.” Sigh. I still get this hurt feeling in my heart when I think about how I treated them. But… that was thirteen years ago! Ha! Hopefully they don’t ever think about it.

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 73

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By kilax, June 24, 2015 6:25 am

It’s my second year participating in The Longest Day with Team Running to Remember, and another year of awe, gratitude, and hope.

I am amazed by the passion of my team and their commitment to Alzheimer’s advocacy. I am in awe of those with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and their caretakers.

I am forever grateful, and truthfully, just floored by the amount of donations I received for the Alzheimer’s Association. I have so many thoughtful people in my life. And unfortunately, I have a lot of people in my life who have a direct connection to someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. (You can still donate here!)

I am hopeful. I am optimistic. I believe will we see major advancements in Alzheimer’s and dementia treatment and care in our lifetime. The majority of funds donated (see here) to the organization go toward Alzheimer’s care, support, research, awareness, and advocacy. This is an organization I believe in. We are making a difference!

So what is “The Longest Day,” anyway? From here:

The Longest Day is a team event to raise funds and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association. Held annually on the summer solstice (June 21st), the duration of this sunrise-to-sunset event symbolizes the challenging journey of those living with the disease and their caregivers. Teams are encouraged to create their own experience as they fundraise and participate in an activity they love to honor someone facing the disease.

The super cool thing about The Longest Day (TLD) is that you can do ANY activity you want with your team. Yes, our team chose running, but you could bowl all day. You could knit. You could garden. You could fly your plane. You could kayak. Whatever the activity is, the idea is that you are active from sunrise to sunset, as it says in the quote above, to symbolize the challenging journey of those with the disease and their caretakers.

Team Running to Remember has been together for four years. Rachel and her friend Kim started the team in memory of grandparents they lost to the disease. And why did I join? Also in memory of a grandparent. My paternal grandfather had Lewy Body Dementia, and I saw the disease take away the man I knew and put someone else in his body (as well as give him hallucinations, disrupt his sleep, and mess with his muscle control). And honestly, it took a few years for me to come to grips with and be brave enough to face. I selfishly hope it’s not something I go through again, but, the odds aren’t super low.

For the first three years, Team Running to Remember ran from sunrise to sunset on a track. This year, we mixed things up! We ran a 47-mile relay from Monroe to Madison, WI. We chose 47 miles because in 2015, there are 47 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease, worldwide.

Our day started with a sunrise wake-up, and travel to Monroe. We had originally planned to start running at sunrise, but we delayed it until 7:30 am because The Weather Channel wanted to do a segment on us!

And then we were all off! Our course had 12 legs, varying in length from just over 1 mile to just under 7 miles, and our plan was to run the first, fifth (you’ll see why, soon!) and last leg together as a team.

The night before the event, we divvied up legs. I preferred to run more legs together, with less breaks, and chose legs 1-2, 4-6, 9-10, and 12. Another teammate stacked legs like I did, and others wanted to go every other leg, or so. Our goal was to have at least two runners on each leg, and we always did!

The first 9 legs were on the Badger State Trail, a crushed limestone, rail trail (read: flat, yay!). We started our first run off in the fog, which made me think of TLD 2014 when it was foggy for almost the entire day! The sun quickly burned it off though. By Leg 2 (which Rachel and I ran together), it was sunny and started to warm up (63° when we started leg 1 and 68° when we ended Leg 2).

We wore bibs to honor the people our donors donated in memory of

Steven called me during Leg 2 to let me know the exchange point I selected (Rachel chose the overall route and I picked all the distances and exchange points) was actually an overpass. Oops! John ran back to meet us, and we ran just a little bit further to the next major road. That was probably the only issue we had with the exchanges all day! Yay!

Southern Wisconsin is so beautiful! (Northern probably is too – I have never been.) I loved seeing the rolling landscapes and native plants!

Kim and Mattie took off for Leg 3, and we met them half way to cheer them on.

Right before that, Rachel got a call that a local news station wanted to interview them! Neat! I’ll have to post that video whenever I come across it. UPDATE – here it is.

Amy and I ran Leg 4 together and I enjoyed some one-on-one chatting and getting to know her. I did NOT enjoy the bugs. Yikes! At the end of our leg, our entire team ran back to finish the leg with us for the news anchor to video tape. Then as soon as we passed her I stopped to get some bug spray. It really burned when I put it on my neck and I started off Leg 5 feeling a bit… uncomfortable.

But Leg 5 may have been the coolest (literally, for sure) of all – we got to run through a tunnel!

We grabbed what flashlights and headlamps we had, but it didn’t help much! We walked through (as no to trip) and enjoyed the cool air in there.

Kim, John and I went off on Leg 6, after. We decided to do a 3:1 run:walk ratio, which is what John trains at for his marathons. I was happy to take walk breaks. It was 68° when I started Leg 4 but 79° by the end of Leg 6! And there was starting to be less shade on the trail!

I was looking forward to my big break until Leg 9! After I finished Leg 6, I changed clothes and shoes (I did after Leg 2 as well), then we drove around cheering our runners on and going to exchange points. We had four cars – ours, Rachel’s, John’s, and Sarah’s. I greatly appreciate our drivers for hauling us all around, cheering us on, and putting up with our smell!

It was getting hotter and hotter. We started to modify some of the runner plans – Kim took my leg 9, and Sarah ran part of Leg 8 for Mattie. We all did run/walk ratios as to not overheat, and we met our runners mid-leg to give them ice and make sure they were doing okay.

I got to run Leg 10 with Amy, again! By that time, we were in Madison, on the Capital City Trail, in an open, prairie-like park. We ran to the mile mark and walked a tenth or fifteenth of a mile then ran again. We were going along at a great pace, and I was still blabbing away (my sign that I am feeling okay), despite it being 81° when we started and 82° when we finished! The team met us half way, and was worried about how hot it was getting, so they told us they modified the course a bit – we were going to run two more miles (instead of three), then they were going to take more of a straight shot toward the Capitol Building, to stay safe.

So we probably ended up running 46 miles on our relay, instead of 47. But, better safe than sorry (and we still ran A LOT more, cumulatively!).

Rachel, Mattie and Alicia took off for Leg 11, and we met them halfway (where Kim joined them and Mattie left the leg), and again near downtown Madison so we could all run the last .4 miles to the Capitol.

That .4 miles was the hardest part of the day for me! Ha! I had my short sleeve Team Running to Remember shirt on and the sweat was just dripping down my arms. That was my hottest run at 85°! And… I was starting to feel the heat. I was getting a headache, getting sun-sick.

But there was no time for that! We had an after party to go to! This is supposed to last until sunset, remember? John was nice enough to let us all clean up at his nearby hotel, then we went to One Barrel Brewing, which donated $1 from every beer purchased to the organization! Ha ha, Amy, Steven and I stopped at Chipotle first though, and I do believe that was the BEST burrito I have ever had from there. You know how relays are – you have all that snacky food (we had fruit and other “healthy” stuff too) but you just want a MEAL when you finish! (Well, a meal and a shower!)

Somehow, my headache left me at the party! We stayed until 8:00 pm then made our journey back to Illinois. Some of the rest of the team did make it until sunset!

It feels funny to talk about how important this cause is to me then pair it with something that sounds like a race report, which is something that benefits me – something I enjoy! But that is the idea behind TLD – do something you enjoy to honor those facing and supporting the disease! Win win!

I hope I can participate next year, when TLD will be on a Tuesday. I really love this group of people and am honored they include me (and Steven – he is not pictured but he was there all day – driving and taking pics and providing support!)!

Comments (15)

By kilax, June 17, 2015 12:32 pm

Video by Steven

All that work for nothing! (But Steven, Data, and I were wildly entertained for a few minutes.)

Comments (10)

By kilax, June 15, 2015 6:23 am

… numerous inside jokes are created

I don’t have a snake burrito photo, so this will have to do. Telestrations is SUCH a fun game. Get it. Play it. Laugh hard. 

… you survive the elevator drop

… running is involved

… plenty of delicious food and drinks are consumed

Blue Koi!

Cookout at Christina and Will’s place!

… there’s a train ride involved

… and numerous drum solos!

… you stay up way past your bedtime and don’t care

… you get to see big cats!

… and little cats!

… and a mama deer and her baby

… the home team wins

… you get to catch up with hometown friends

… you get complimented on your new suit at the pool (no pic, unfortunately)

… there’s a best beard contest

The post gathering survey has Luca in the lead… but four people still need to vote!

… you laugh so hard you cry

… you cry because you have to leave (Gina sent me the cutest photo of poor Luca crying in his car seat when they left to drive back to Texas)

… you get to spend time with your favorite people that you don’t see that often!

… everyone follows the itinerary, heh

… it takes you almost a week to write a post about the trip because you are in post-trip recovery

After Christina and Will’s wedding last year (yesterday was their anniversary, awww!), Steven and I stayed in Kansas City for a few days to hang out with Gina and her family, Steven’s dad and brother, and my parents. We had such a great time, we all decided to get together in June this year as well, but this time, with Christina and Will there!

In order to maximize our time together, Christina, Gina and I made an itinerary for the trip and I distributed it to everyone (my mom even printed it out and had a copy in her purse, ha ha!). I know, I know, that sounds crazy, but we had a few set things on our schedule that made it so we could only do other things we wanted to do on certain days and times… and have you ever organized meals for 11 people on the fly? Yeah, we wanted to avoid that. Saturday was our busiest day, Sunday was less busy, and Monday and Tuesday were even less so. I think it worked out really well, and the post-gathering survey respondents (so far, anyway) have agreed. Muah ha ha.

Next time though, the itinerary needs to have MORE days together! Friday evening, all day Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and Tuesday through lunch just didn’t feel like enough time. Since we don’t see Gina and family that often, our time together feels so intense! In a good way, of course. I lose sense of time, completely forget about work and life back in Illinois, and feel completely relaxed and in the moment. But the recovery from that is SO hard. You miss your people. You wish you could see them more often. And that’s why it’s important to have your next trip planned. And to text a lot. And FaceTime. Ha.

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By kilax, June 4, 2015 10:06 am

• Beyond Kelly being my training partner (read: close friend/unofficial therapist), she’s also my wreath supplier! She helped spruce up our front door last spring (top left), this winter (top center) and currently (bottom left). She also made a wreath for my paternal grandma (top right) and maternal grandma (bottom right). She is talented!!! It impresses me when people have a vision of how they want something to turn out, and make it all come together from separate elements, like with these wreaths (and like Steven and his welded art projects!). You can check out other wreath styles on her Etsy and Facebook pages.

• National Running Day seems to always be on a Wednesday, which is typically the most difficult day of the week for me to workout at all, due to my commuting schedule. So no run for me. But! I did do something kind of running related – went to a free skin cancer screening. I don’t wear sunscreen when I run, and wanted a dermatologist to look over my skin. He said everything looks okay, and that I should get checked again in one to two years. He also gave me a recommendation for a sunscreen that might let my pores breath when I run (that’s why I don’t wear it).
• This year, my dad, brother-in-law and I ordered the RAGBRAI jerseys in advance and they arrived this week! Here’s my snis modeling mine (she ordered them all, hence it being at her house). I love the design! And my sister said one of her husband’s sisters is joining us on the Thursday ride – we need to get her a jersey, too! This is one event where it’s not lame to wear the shirt while you’re doing it!

• My Nike Dri-FIT shirts came! Yay! Now I have several colors to choose from!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 72

Comments (24)

By kilax, June 3, 2015 6:25 am

Here’s what I wake up looking like when I stay out past my bedtime:

Ha ha. Yeah…

What were we up doing*? Seeing Mad Max: Fury Road. Holy cow, what a FUN movie! I haven’t seen a movie that creative (that I enjoyed, anyway) in a long time.

When I saw the trailers for Mad Max, I had no interest in it. I know nothing about the original series. And all the trailers showed was a bunch of driving in the desert** and lots of fighting. It looked a bit boring. I love action movies but get frustrated with the ones where the action is so fast you can’t follow what’s happening***, and your eyes glaze over (see: last few Transformers films). I wasn’t planning on seeing this movie. Ever. But then it got crazy good ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, and everyone I talked to who saw it made me want to go. So. Yeah. Five dollar Tuesday movie night it was!

And the movie was mostly driving in the desert, and fighting, but it wasn’t boring at all. My eyes didn’t glaze over. It was extremely visually interesting, and I liked how the story was told with very little dialogue. The acting was great and you found yourself invested in the characters right away, even though you knew nothing about them. I’m happy I saw this in the theater – it wouldn’t have had the same effect on me at home.

I know, I told you basically nothing about the plot. I don’t want to give it away. And that’s not what this post about. Ha.

I was surprised when I read about the film to hear it being called a Western. Or at least, to have Western themes. I’ve read that about Star Wars, too. Here’s the thing though – if you had me make a list of film genres I don’t like, Westerns would be on the top of that list, with gore and horror. I think it’s odd that this movie, and Star Wars both appeal to me so much, and are compared to Westerns. Maybe I don’t fully understand what a Western is. Or maybe I just like the modern versions better!

*Mind you, the movie was over just before 10:00. Ha!
**Ha, I originally wrote “dessert” and remembered a trick that a math teacher (not english, ha!) told us for remembering the difference – “there are two ‘Ss’ in dessert – just like you always want seconds of it!”
***I read that the director slowed down some scenes on purpose, so you could follow the action, and sped some up on purpose, where he didn’t want you to follow as much.

Comments (14)

By kilax, June 1, 2015 6:52 am

I was ecstatic when I saw Super Mario Bros. was on TV a week ago. It’s been sitting at the bottom of my Netflix queue for years, never seeming worth a disk. But I remember really liking the movie as a kid, and I wanted to see how it held up as an adult.

Eh…. It held up okay! Ha ha!

What really stuck out to me though, was a scene where Princess Daisy declines a plate of meat. She says, “I am a vegetarian, I don’t eat anything with a face.”*

It stuck out to me because I remember really thinking about that line, when I first heard it, as a kid. The movie came out in 1993, when I was nine. I wonder if it’s one of the first times I started thinking about vegetarianism (while I always loved animals, I wasn’t one of those kids refusing to eat meat when I was little – at least that I know).

Then this weekend, Raptorfest was on AMC – showings of all three Jurassic Park movies in a row!** I actually didn’t watch the first one, but thinking about it, I remembered that Lex Murphy’s character is a vegetarian. She says “I happen to be a vegetarian!” and her brother teases her about which dinosaurs are vegetarians. (And there is a scene of her eating jello, which is NOT vegetarian, but we all know that’s just because jello jiggles when dinos are near.)

This movie also came out in 1993 – and those “vegetarian” comments also stuck with me. The point of including them was probably to make fun of vegetarians, but they made me curious.

I didn’t become vegetarian until I was sixteen. When people ask me why, I sometimes jokingly say it’s because I worked at McDonald’s, but that’s not really true. It was something I’d thought about doing before, because of my love for animals, and I’d been spending more time around a vegetarian then, and felt encouraged to give it a try.

Mostly unrelated photo of me as a shift manager at McDonald’s in 2001… ha ha. Didn’t want to “borrow” a movie image off the internet, so you get this lovely photo.

And watching these movies reminded me that seeing characters I perceived as strong females, who were vegetarian, encouraged me to think about it. I’m surprised I had forgotten about this! I wonder what other early influences would be jolted if I watched other movies from my youth. Luckily, nothing came to me when we watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the 1990 version) I or II earlier this year, ha ha.

Can you remember any specific movie influences from your youth? What are they?

*Then you see the Goomba very sweetly get her a plate of steamed vegetables, only to be torched in the hallway by some bad guys, while holding the vegetables! Luckily they put out the fire.
**The first one ended and I said to Steven – “I wish they’d show all three!” Then the second one started and I checked the TV guide and “OMG IT’S LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE! Mario Bros. last week and now this?!???” <— now you see why I have so much time to knit while I sit on the couch watching high quality movies from my youth.