Marley and Me

"A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his."

We only had a dog once. Our old neighbor left the dog and moved out. We were practically forced to take care of her. She was a good dog and her main goal is to protect us. Though I barely took care of her, her memory remained in me. What I will never forget about this dog is when she gave birth to her puppies. You can see the pain and excitement in her eyes while those tiny little pups are coming out of her. It was nice but really creepy to watch a dog give birth. :) 

The movie Marley & Me made me cry. Though I am not a pet lover and was given only a gold fish and a tortoise back then, I really felt Marley's love for his masters. He was a very stubborn dog and totally different from the others. He would bite the couch and drink the water in the toilet bowl. But there is one thing Marley's afraid of-----thunders. 

The Grogan's took care of Marley for 13 years. Marley was like their first baby. Many things happened to the Grogan's but they remained intact because they love each other no matter what. Marley was very much loved by John and Jenny and their children. Until he got sick and died. The family paid their last respects to their beloved dog as they bury him beneath a tree in their yard.

Jenny fell in love with Marley at first sight.

Jenny trying to get her necklace...

500 Days of Summer

 "I love how she makes me feel, like anything's possible, or like life is worth it." 

This is a story of boy meets girl. But this one's not a love story. 

This movie taught me that some people are meant to be in love but not meant to be together. 

My heart bled for Tom Hansen but I understand Summer Finn. Tom taught that Summer was the woman of her dreams but he was wrong...Summer married another guy but she does not even want to be Tom's girlfriend. Their relationship never had a label. One does not want to put a label into it. We all know how painful it is to love someone but that someone shows no interest of having any further relationship with you. It begins with friendship and ends with friendship and worse sometimes friendship ends into estrangement. 

Here's a synopsis I got from IMDB... 

After it looks as if she's left his life for good this time, Tom Hansen reflects back on the just over one year that he knew Summer Finn. Despite being physically average in almost every respect, Summer had always attracted the attention of men, Tom included. For Tom, it was love at first sight when she walked into the greeting card company where he worked, she the new administrative assistant. Soon, Tom knew that Summer was the woman with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life. Although Summer did not believe in relationships or boyfriends - in her assertion, real life will always ultimately get in the way - Tom and Summer became more than just friends. Through the trials and tribulations of Tom and Summer's so-called relationship, Tom could always count on the advice of his two best friends, McKenzie and Paul. However, it is Tom's adolescent sister, Rachel, who is his voice of reason. After all is said and done, Tom is the one who ultimately has to make the choice to listen or not. 

He's Tom, from New Jersey, working in L.A. writing greeting cards even through he's an architect by training. She's Summer, in from Michigan. Day one is her first day as an AA in Tom's office. We jump back and forth in time: by day 67, they've become an item when she decides to put aside the lovemaking and just be friends. Tom, a romantic who's sure Summer is the one for him, wallows in self pity. We go back to the early days and see the relationship begin. Summer tells him right away that she doesn't believe in love. He mopes well past day 100. Then, as day 500 approaches, they find themselves at a wedding together. Does the old flame rekindle? Is Tom right that destiny controls love? 

This is very relevant. :))

The Blind Side

"That's why courage is tricky, should you always do what others tell you to do. Sometimes you might not even know why you do something. I mean any fool can have courage. But honor, thta's the real reason you do something or you don't.Its who you are and maybe who you want to be. If you die trying for something important then you have both honor and courage and that's prettyu good. I think that's what the writer was saying, that you should hope for courage and try for honor and maybe even pray that the people telling you what to do have some too."

Have you ever been left out? It hurts right? But for Michael Oher being left out is just a normal thing. It was a thing that he always experience since he was a child. His mother is an alcoholic and wasn't even sure who his father is. After being separated from his mom by a social worker Michael became different from other kids. People used to call him "Big Mike" but there was a part in the story in which he told Leigh Anne that he does not want to be called like that. 

I was one rainy night when Leigh Anne decided to open their home to Michael. To cut the long story short, Michael had a football scholarship and played for Mississippi. He was once an under-educated boy but with the help of his new family, teachers, and coach...he made it! 

He learned to trust people again. He had the courage to go on with his life. He made everyone proud. 

The Blind Side is a very extraordinary story. It taught me not to judge people and to love others unconditionally. I learned that courage isn't easy to master but faith will help you get through it. 

The Tuohy's with new member, Mike. (This was the Christmas Card they sent their friends. They heard not so good comments about Mike being in the picture but Leigh Ann stood for him.)

Their mommy reading "Ferdinand" which was Sean Jr's. favorite.

Mike confronting Leigh Ann about his confusion regarding their decision of being his legal guardian/s.

The Tuohy's sitting together at Thanksgiving.