Ah, the movies. We gotta love ‘em. A haven where we can escape with a buttery bag of popcorn and a fizzy fountain drink. Where we can sit back and relax in a comfy chair and as the lights dim, be transported far away from our own life’s woes and into another realm: The world of cinema. Where we allow ourselves to be captivated by the audio and visual distractions of a story teller’s imagination, amplified and larger than life,…
In case you haven’t noticed, I am a “gen-u-wine” product of the 1980’s… Right down to my authentic silver hoop earrings that I’ve never been able to part with, and my all-star chucks that I’ve worn for decades (not the same pair, mind you) which thankfully, come “back in style” every now and again. I mean, in all reality, I guess, I’m really a product of the ‘70’s, per se, considering it was during this span that I was birthed…
The Man. The Myth. The Legend. Aside from the birthday boy Jesus Himself, he’s the white bearded image that represents the picture of Christmas as we all know it. Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, Pere Noel (Belgium and France), Weihnachtsmann (“Christmas man,” Germany), Kanakaloka (Hawaii), Hoteiosho (Japan), Ded Moroz (“Grandfather Frost,” Russia), as well as the many other names he’s known by, children around the world look forward all year long to his December 24th visits! During a recent…
With December approaching, our family has already started one of our favorite traditions, and that’s watching our collection of Christmas movies! Ranking in our top two favs, is “A Christmas Story,” the hilarious movie adaptation of Jean Shepherd’s anecdotes from his books, “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash” and “Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories.” Yea, nothing quite rings in the holidays like the phrase “Oh, Fudge” (and I don’t mean the kind Aunt Edna makes), the barking…
In the Archual house, Thanksgiving is the official kick-off to celebrate the holiday season! (no Christmas music is played, no holiday movies watched, or candy canes eaten, until then!) But for us, it starts well before that juicy turkey and all its trimmings are placed on the bountiful table. It begins around 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. Come rain, shine, or freezing temperatures, (and we’ve endured them all) the Archuals pack up and head into downtown Roanoke to participate in…
It was a late fall evening, a Friday a few years ago, and my son and I had just arrived at a local raceway a couple of hours away from our home. We were there to attend a very intense weekend driving program I had signed him up for. My husband had actually worked for the racetrack years ago and that’s how we found out about the driving program. It was a dual program for both the beginner driver and…