As we waited for our screening we grabbed a bite at MacGuffins (Fork & Screen) and they were even Twilighters offering us two drink specials in honor of New Moon. Both were delicious and a great way to start the night. Following our drink frenzy we headed into our screening which let out a little after nine. To my amazement the line’s for the midnight showing of Twilight: New Moon which I thought were already long had somehow tripled. There were fans lined up to the back of AMC Studio.

I must say I was impressed. These fans came out in full force. It was not just at Olathe Studio but it was also across town at AMC Mainstreet and Phoenix Theatres at the Legends. Twilight: New Moon may not be your type of film and you may plain just hate it, but the fans that have read the books or loved Twilight have shown that they are going to keep this film strong. This is what the entertainment industry loves to see. Even though Rotten Tomatoes show the rating at a mere 28% as of this morning that does not matter to the fans, us critics just share an opinion and most of the time our readers will see a film regardless of what we say or think. I love it! Not to mention this film is already slated to hit the box office in a big way with more than $100 million ticket presales!!! More power to you Twilight fans, now get some sleep.

Buzz Halloweenie Roast :

A personal favorite event I will be attending. Hosted by 96.5 The Buzz, Halloweenie Roast Beaumont in Westport, October 28th. Musical guests include Flock of Seagulls, Jet, The Ravonettes and many more. All ages show for an affordable $9.65 gets you a ticket.

Terror at the Train Station 7:

The Bacchus Foundation brings back their infamous Terror Party, T7, to the revamped Midland Theater in the Power and Light District. The largest Halloween Party in Kansas City brings over 2,000 costumed folks and it’s all for charity. Including wonderful appetizers, drinks and costume contest. Party goes from 8pm – 3am on Halloween night (Oct 31) at the Midland Theater. Tickets are $37.50 in advance at the Midland Box Office, or at Terror Party

Nightmare at Crosstown Station:

Crosstown Station brings back its Nightmare 2009 at 1522 McGee. The party, which includes two floors of live music, DJ’s spinning, costume contest, and drinks galore promises to be a night of meyhem. Tickets are $30/$35 at the door. or 4 for $25 per person and may be purchased at Crosstown Station.  It is strongly recommend to buy in advance.

Martini Corner :

The Martini Corner pulls out all the stops this Halloween by hosting it’s Halloween on the Hill party with all five bars participating with drink specials. The bash starts at 8pm. Martini Corner is located at 334 E 31st. Party starts at 8pm on Halloween night.

Halloween Haunts at Worlds of Fun :

A great event for terror and fun! World’s of Fun, the midwest’s largest theme park, brings back Halloween Haunts 2009. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, ghouls and ghosts swarm the park while guests enjoy over 175 acres of Halloween themed thrill rides and attractions. With Asylum Island, extreme haunts and the fog rolling in at 7pm– Halloween Haunts has something scary for everyone. Not recommended for children under 14 after 7pm.

Party Monster at Harrah’s Voodoo Lounge :

Party Monster is back for its fifth year at the Voodoo Lounge on October 31st. With drinks flowing till 3am and DJ Spider and DJ the DJ mixing–you can’t go wrong by heading to Party Monster. $1,000 costume contest, doors open at 9pm. Tickets are $10 and are available on VoodooKC. Call 816.889.4237 for VIP reservations and table requests. Tickets are $10 in advance through Ticketmaster. This is a 21+ event.

Ghost Tours:

Looking for a spooky night on the town. Check out some great tours given in the Kansas City, Topeka and Atchison area. Tour buses will take you to the most notorious haunted places in the area. Each tour includes over a dozen stops and tours last for about an hour and forty five minutes. Sounds spooktacular. For further details CLICK HERE.  Tickets are $19.50 per person.

Maul of the Dead:

Just when you thought it was safe to go to the mall again!
It is 1978, a decade and a day after Night of the Living Dead!  Six strangers take refuge in an abandoned shopping mall, only to find zombies lurk behind every mannequin and rubber tree plant. Coterie At Night Series, Rated PG-13:
TICKETS – $12 All Ages; $9 if you have the Discount Deal; GROUPS – 10 tix for $10 each; advance orders only; DISOUNT – Get $2 off at the door by wearing polyester when purchasing tickets night of show. For more details CLICK HERE.

KC Haunted Houses:

As always the KC area has a wide selection of haunted houses. The variety includes -

• The Beast 1401 West 13th Street KC, MO 64102   816-842-4280
• The Edge of Hell 1300 West 12th Street KC, MO 64101   816-842-4279
• Catacombs 1100 Santa FE St  KC, MO 64101   816.474.3845
• Fear 1100 Santa Fe St.  KC, MO 64101   816.474.3845
• Cavern of Terror 14500 Old Quarry Rd Excelsior Springs, MO 64024 816.799.6624
• Macabre Cinema 1222 W 12th St. KC, MO 64101  816-842-4280
• The Chambers of Edgar Allen Poe 1100 Santa Fe KC, MO 64101   816-842-4280

Be sure to research these haunted houses online as most offer discount tickets/coupons.

Have a safe & happy Halloween weekend!

Next weekend I am participating in my first Memory Walk in her honor. She was my second mother and the best grandmother any girl could ever ask for. I am walking in the hopes of finding a cure, so that future granddaughters can possibly avoid the heartache and stress this challenging illness causes.

The walk will take place on Saturday, October 3rd. Registration starts at 9am and at 10am the 1 or 3 mile walk begins. The walk will be held at Corporate Woods in Overland Park, KS.

Shane Co. could not make a matching band from this ring, so she was referred to Jared’s. On June 24th my friend dropped her ring off to Jared’s. They were very gracious and informed her they could easily make a mold of her ring and come up with a matching band. They gave her price and started the process. A week later she picked up her engagement band, put down a deposit and waited. Well she continued waiting and in later July called Jared’s for an update. Not only did they have trouble finding her ring, but could not locate the order either. Once they did it was discovered it had been sitting there with nothing done.

The excuse being the manager was fired and some jobs had “fell threw the cracks”, but it would be sent out and completed. A week later she called to check in on it and they asked her to bring in her engagement ring to see if the mock up band would mold properly together. Also during this time they informed her that the expense had increased for the ring – now up an extra $200! To her surprise, with her wedding fast approaching she agreed to pay the additional cost and met with the jewelers and was shown everything was coming along.

Two weeks ago was her promise date, but it was still not ready. Three days after the promise date she was able to pick up the ring, however when she looked over the ring it was quite visible that the ring did not have the proper rounded band to match her engagement ring. Quite unhappy she confronted them, explaining to them her wedding was weeks away they informed her that someone on site would be able to fix it in time and to come back in two weeks.
Two weeks was this weekend. She reviewed the ring and everything looked perfect, so she gave them her engagement ring to be soldered with the new band. When she picked up the ring it was a complete disaster. It was not completely soldered. There were gaps all over and the ring is raised noticeably on the left side. Very irritated at this point when she confronted Jared’s they did not offer anything, aside from needing to send it out to be fixed around the first of October! The wedding is Friday and the ring is not perfect, but it will meet its needs Friday.

It’s just unfortunate that these days customer service is lacking. Wedding rings are a very important part of anyone’s day and the fact it is taken so lightly is disgraceful. Jared’s obviously needs a tip or two on how to handle clients and possibly how to manage time. They did not ruin her day, but they did not make it any easier. After learning of Jared’s multiple mistakes I researched Jared’s and found numerous similar complaints. Next time beware when shopping for that next gem, as Jared’s seems to disappoint consistently.

To my sorrow Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer today. He was only 57. This romantic leading man left the world much too soon. Swayze had been facing the challenge of his life for the last 20 months. During a recent interview with Barbara Walters he admitted to his fears, fears that anyone would have in his predicament. Despite those fears he proved to be a strong fighter, confronting the media early in the year in regard to speculation about his health, saying that such questions “cast a negative shadow on the positive and good fight I’m fighting.”

Patrick thank you for your gift to Hollywood. Your fight has now ended and may you find the peace you so deserve as you dance with the angels.

Patrick Swayze 1952-2009

Immediately upon arrival you see that there is a lot of unfinished work, but for what they have done it pails in comparison to the other major water park in town. You enter through the gift shop where you turn your passes in for wristbands. Feel free to leave your cash at home as you can link your credit/debit card to your wristbands for any charges you may have at the water park.

Charges may be minimum as for your $33 ticket price you will get FREE parking, FREE inertubes and you are able to bring in your own food & drink. I found this to be an amazing deal. The first thing you see once in the water park is a huge spiral of water. This is in the main wave pool area. It is a constant spin of water causing a whirlpool effect, easily giving ocean like waves. With several lounge areas and many chairs this will be a sunbather’s delight.
Right now there are two rides you can access without leaving the wave pool.

There is the wave pool/lazy river area that tie into the water coaster. A terrific water slide that you ride up in your very own inertube and enjoy several drops down. The other is the rapid rivers that has several drops and splashes on the way. Both are a lot of fun. There is also a swim up bar with a heated pool and three winding slides. Not to leave the kid’s out there are several play areas with mini slides.

I found Schlitterbahn Water Park to be one of the favorite spots from next summer. I love the ideas that they are bringing of FREE! You should not have to rent inertubes. You should not have to pay to park. These are essentials that Oceans of Fun will need to compete with. I honestly can say they are in trouble. The bathrooms were clean, the pools were well cared for, and the best part of all is you don’t have to climb 100 stairs at the end of the day to exit. The only problem I found at Schlitterbahn was an abundance of bees. All of there trash and recycling bins were surrounded with bees and wasps. Even nearby waters could not keep these insects away. But once they solve this problem and finish up the parks rides this place will be a family fun getaway. Yet another wonderful addition to Wyandotte County.

Tip#1: GUEST LIST. My guest list consisted of around 100 people. Make sure to invite those old friends, co-workers and of course extended family. If they live out of town and are close friends or family make sure to call them prior to sending invitations for any travel arrangements to be made. The birthday honorary will love to reconnect with these blasts from the past and it makes for an even better surprise. Plan for two guests for everyone invited, and do not forget the younger children that will be accompanying too (should the party permit).

Tip #2: LOCATION. Depending on the time of year and size of the party, there are many locations to host the event at. Outdoor shelters are available at many local parks at an affordable price. VFW buildings rent out as well. I chose to take the home route and hosted the party at my in-laws, which made it less predictable and having everything prepared days prior. The location and weather allowed for us to set up outdoor seating, volleyball and horseshoes.

Tip#3: INVITATIONS. Make your own. I used a program known as Macromedia Freehand (you can download a free trial). I opened a new document sizing it to 8×10 and scanned a photo of my husband as a baby and a recent image. Brightening the photos in Adobe Photoshop (also offering free trial download), making it easier to see the text on the invitations. I googled “30th birthday party invitations” and you will find tons of sayings for the invitations. After selecting the perfect one I inserted the text over the photos. I decided to keep images black & white and printed the invitations on white paper (thicker than the normal). Invitations were then tri-folded and sealed close with an OVER THE HILL sticker, stamped and mailed. No envelope needed. Mail these out at least 3 weeks in advance.

Tip#4 DECORATIONS. You can try Party City or Party America and find some generic decorations. I prefer making my own decorations, using supplies from FUN Wedding Services on Johnson Dr., West of I-35. They have tons of party goodies. I found balloons of all sizes, “30” garland and accessories to make centerpieces, a very inexpensive and personal way to decorate for the event. Pick your color scheme and the rest is easy.

Tip #5: FOOD. Now is time to decide what to serve. Will you have food? If so what kind? What about drinks? I decided to serve subway style sandwiches, catering being on the high end, we acquired our meat from Sam’s Club, bread from Price Chopper and prepared condiments on our own. Doing it yourself is much more affordable and just as tasty. Sandwiches were served alongside veggies, fruit, chips & cheese dip, baked beans and pasta salad. Make your menu up in advance and find time to go to the store in secrecy. You will also need to plan drinks. I choose to have a keg, a small one serving 100+drinks, along with Summer Beer (refreshing cocktail of lemonade, vodka & beer, blended with ice), soda and water. Of course you cannot forget the CAKE. I ordered a large sheet cake at Sam’s, serving about 90 people. I also ordered cupcakes for the young kids. Much easier to serve them cupcakes and they always find them “cooler” than cake.

Tip #6: SUPRIRSE. You are worried about who is going to spill the beans. I literally had to avoid my husband to make sure I would not spoil the surprise. Everyone managed to keep the secret and upon arrival he was completely shocked. Text messaging is the easiest and safest way to notify partygoers of the arrival. All cars were discreetly hidden and everyone was as quiet as a mouse when we arrived. Complete perfection.

Hopefully my tips will help you to plan your next surprise party. We had a great evening, hopefully you will too!

Buster & Bisquit have been adopted!!!

But there are many other animals in need of a home. Please visit Pet Finder to find other pets up for adoption. Thank you…

As most of you know I am a foster parent to puppies. I have been doing it for several years now and have decided to start posting details on our dogs up for adoption. The first lucky duo is:

BISQUIT & BUSTER.

They are 10 week old lab/golden retriever mixes. Mom was pure golden and Dad was a full lab. They are two unwanted puppies left over from a litter of six. They are in need of a good home. Both are males and will be neutered and vaccinated before going to their forever home. If you are interested or know someone who is please contact me or 2nd Chance Pets. We hold adoptions at Petsmart in Merriam, KS every Saturday 11am – 4pm.

Yesterday evening I attended a friends wedding at the Midland Theatre. This is a nostalgic piece of history in the downtown district. Opened in 1927, built by Marcus Loew, at a cost of $4 million and it is still the largest historic theater within 250 miles of the city. The Midland was designed by architect Thomas W. Lamb of New York and the Boller Brothers of Kansas City, and Boaz-Kiel Construction of St. Louis erected the structure. The theatre, built in French and Italian Baroque, was representative of Lamb’s work in the late 1920s.

The exterior of the theatre was constructed in a Renaissance Revival style in cream glazed terra cotta brick, adorned with engaged pilasters, winged figures, leaves, flowers, swags, volutes, urns, and arches. A four-story arched window rose above a copper and gold marquee that contained 3,600 light bulbs.

The theater is well known for its over 500,000 feet of gold leaf, five giant Czechoslovakian hand-cut crystal chandeliers, irreplaceable art objects and precious antiques, and spectacular wood and plaster work. Needless to say a one of a kind venue.

This was one of the first weddings performed at the Midland. The wedding was held downstairs. The bridal party walked down a staircase of about fifty steps to the alter where the ceremony took place. Lighted by stunning chandeliers and candles it was breathtaking.

From the minute you walk in the theatre you are transported into another time. A period of Hollywood glamour and classic beauty that you don’t see often today. The bridal party dressed the part to continue on in that Hollywood feel. The bride looked as if she was from the Vintage Hollywood decade, in a form fitting beaded gown.

Following the ceremony the reception was held in the auditorium where tables had been set up with food on one side and cake on the other. Each table lit by candlelight and disco ball over the dance floor. An open bar at the entrance of the theatre. The entire event was rememberable and one of a kind. Transcending time and stepping into another era turned out to be a great way to start of their new life.

A breath of fresh air is also being given to the Midland, as the theatre is set to be re-opening. The newly renovated Midland by AMC will be home to a wide variety of musical artists, comedians, and family entertainers as well as special, corporate and private events. State-of-the-art sound, lighting and amenities now enhance the historic ambiance providing a premium entertainment experience to guests of the theatre. The Midland by AMC features flexible seating configurations from standing to cabaret seating, with live-show capacity ranging from 1300-3000. The venue is also available for corporate events and private parties.

A remodeled banquet room, Windows on Main, showcases dramatic views of the city and the Power & Light District from the fifth floor. Additionally, The Chandelier Bar highlights the entire top floor of the theatre and features a full-circle bar surrounding a large inverted chandelier. This general admission standing-only area has four large LCD televisions for viewing and enhanced sound reinforcement for optimal show enjoyment. There are specially priced Chandelier Bar tickets available through Ticketmaster for most shows.
Without a doubt, there is not another venue like this in Kansas City! For further details about rental for your personal event please contact the Midland.

In closing I would like to congratulate the bride & groom. Kim & Steve may you both have many years of happiness, thanks for including us on your special day!

10. Vacations: Everyone seems so rejuvenated and ready to go somewhere, anywhere. Whether it is a Cruise to Alaska or a weekend in Branson a little time away helps everyone get back on track. Waking up in the morning seems the be the struggle upon your return.

9. Weddings: I had two last Summer and two this Summer. Weddings are a wonderful time to spend with family and friends. It always reminds me of my wedding and how excited I was that day. The sad part is when it is over and there are no more showers, gifts and wedding cake

8. Drive – In: I wait all Winter for them to open. It is my favorite place to go on an unplanned evening and enjoy the nice Summer breeze. Plus you get to watch two movies for the price of one and the concessions have way better food than any AMC theatre.

7. Patios: The best way to entertain guests or have some happy hour drinks outside. Patios are a perfect way to be outdoors under the stars. I just redecorated my back patio and the first thing I did at the start of Summer was have a dinner out there. It’s too hot for that now, but if you get a cool night nothing beats it.

6. A/C Window Units: I have one in my house. Upstairs where the attic does not ventilate very well. I have always loved the units. When I was a kid and was burning up from the blistering sun the A/C unit would always be the thing to cool me down. Yes central air is a wonderful thing I would not dare be without, but the good old window units give me fond memories.

5. Power & Light: This is a new one. I know a lot of people shy away from there. It is a high energy place filled with tons of people. When has Kansas City ever offered anything like it? There has not been a place where so many diverse people can go and have a good time. I have never felt unsafe there, with cops at every bar entrance and exit. With the FREE concerts on the Live stage and the wide variety of bars it is one of my favorite places to go and hangout with good friends or the hubby. If you have not been down there yet, give it a try!

4. Birthdays: I have one in July, Husband in August; there is one in every Summer month. It is always great to get all the family & friends together to celebrate.

3. Friends: Most of them have moved away for college, but slowly are returning home. It seems like I see most of those long lost friends in the Summer when they return home for weeks at a time. I have gained a friendship this year with someone I have known for 15 years…so Summertime is definitely a friendly time!

2. TV: Not because there is anything good on, but because my favorite shows are in reruns. It allows me to go to more movies without wondering what I missed and having to catch up on weekends!

1. POOL: I love them. Clean, fresh, chlorine and sun. I feel reborn every time I get in the water. Sounds crazy! I love the smell of chlorine, the feeling of the hot sun and when I get sunburn I am a little happy! If I could set up a tent and be at the pool 24/7 I would, but this is life. Who can do that?