Last Thursday I took my daughter and we went to have a girl’s day out. I had a doctor appointment in the morning in Reston, Virginia so I got her up early and we headed out.
Our first stop was the doctor’s office. After my crazy Utah trip, I needed to have my knee seen by someone local. Doesn’t the doctor always feel like it takes forever? First they tell you to be there 15 early just in case there is any paperwork. So you show up and sign in at a quarter till the appointment and they don’t call you up to the desk to fill out the paperwork until it is time for your appointment. That takes 15 minutes because you have to write your name, address, birthday, social security, spouse’s info, mother’s info, next door neighbor’s mother’s sister’s dog groomer’s info 18 times over. Then they ask you to sit and wait. You wait for 30 more minutes. All the while looking at the sign that states:
If you are 15 minutes late your appointment will be canceled and rescheduled.
Uh huh. Okay, so I can wait, but you can’t. When they finally call your name 30-45 minutes after your scheduled appointment they move you into the colder, smaller waiting room. Then you are given the dress or in my case the paper shorts to put on. And then you wait again.
I was actually caught by the doctor and his scribe when I was taking this picture. Try and explain this. The grey thing around my waist is my skirt. I am sure he thought I was a freak. After his 10 minutes with me I was cleared to go. I got out of there as quickly as possible considering Haley was still waiting for me in the waiting room.
We headed straight to Tyson’s Corner for a fun day of shopping and movie watching. Our first stop was California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. I actually got Haley to share a salad with me, which for her is a miracle. She hates lettuce unless it is shredded for some reason. We also had some pizza but no dessert. I had something else planned for an afternoon snack.
Next we hit up the book store where we did a bunch of reading and intellectual stuff.
As you can see I was teaching her all about United States History (isn’t that what section we were in?).
After absorbing all that our minds could take we did a little shopping. She needed new sunglasses so we had to try a bunch on until we found the best style for our faces. I think we did pretty well.
After we were done shopping we needed a snack. We walked toward the food court when Haley suddenly stopped and took a deep breath. Ahhhhh. She could smell her snack. I took her to get a huge delicious cinnamon roll. We never get these for several reasons, one of which is we don’t have a place near us that makes them. Second, they are about 800 calories each. But once in a while a treat like this is exactly what a Mother/Daughter Day needs.
It was right out of the oven and she was in heaven.
When we were done eating we started people watching, which is one of my favorite activities. Haley was hypnotized by the sushi conveyor belt that was just behind us. So I watched people while she watched the sushi and read all of the tags to me. I explained to her what each thing was and I told her what I would and would not eat.
They has absolutely everything. They even had a peanut butter and jelly roll so that the kids would have something to eat while the parents were having sushi.
After our snack was done we headed to the movie theater for our surprise movie. I got pre-screening tickets to see
If I Stay PG-13
Storyline
Mia Hall thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Julliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam. But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate. -IMDb
If I Stay is a film about a teenage girl, Mia, and the life or death decision she has to make. She is an 18 year old girl that has a strange but quirky loving family. On a snowy day when school is canceled she and her family are in a fatal car accident. While Mia’s is in a coma, her spirit/soul/mind goes back through her memories (Most of the movie is a flashback). She needs to make the decision on whether or not to live or die.
The film was a romantic-drama. I didn’t cry, but I usually don’t cry. There are a few scenes that felt very emotional, but again, I am just not a crier. My 11 year old didn’t sob, but I think I saw a tear or two glistening on her face. The lady next to us sobbed. She cried through the entire thing. So if you have a feeling that this film will bring up some feelings/memories for you please bring tissues.
Haley, my 11 year old, loved the movie. Some people might not want their 11 year old seeing this movie. The only reason why is because there is quite a bit of language. Which is fine, I just thought maybe it did not need as much as it had. Ultimately I think that 12 and older would be perfect for the movie. They said it was rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some sexual material. Well there isn’t nudity and the sexual material is mostly implied, that part didn’t bother me.
I give this film 4 out of 5 teenage/granny stars. Perfect for ages 13 to 18 and 40+ because of the romantic-drama, and emotional content. Check out If I Stay in theaters August 22nd. Today!
:) Totally enjoyed your post.
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