Nov. 4, 2008

Politicians, you may now stop sending me pre-recorded messages to my home when I'm eating dinner, mailing me unwanted flyers and brochures, sticking up signs all over town, and airing your ads on TV.

Thank you.

Nov. 4, 2008 Part II

Congratulations to Barack Obama, the newly elected president of the United States!

Halloween fun

This has been a great week. Wednesday night at college group we had everyone dress up (pictures below) and then sent the students on a digital photo scavenger hunt. When they came back, we played a few more games (bobbing for apples, pumpkin bowling, etc) while Jeff uploaded all our pictures. Then we all piled in to look at the pixs and watch videos people had taken with their cameras. I died laughing! They were so great! We awarded prizes for best costumes, the team who got the most points on the hunt, and winners of all the other games. Then we all ate junk food and watched "When A Stranger Calls" in the dark.

We don't get trick o' treaters at our house, so last night for Halloween we had some peeps over and ate pumpkin spice cake, drank hot bevvies, made a jack o'lantern (and roasted the seeds - yum!) and watched a scary movie in our pj's.

Other than that, it's been raining all weekend (so fun!) so I've been doing a lot of sleeping, errands, cleaning my room/closet/bathroom, reading, more sleeping, etc.

Here are some pictures from the Halloween par-tay.

The Incredible Hulk making a call on his cell phone.


Jim, Pam, and Dwight (with his calculator in jello!) from Dunder Mifflin (The Office)


A flapper and Elwood Blues (from the Blues Brothers)


Bon Qui Qui (from Mad TV), me as "Sarah Marshian" (Martian), and Jenn (who did my make-up!) as a princess


Aye aye, Captain!!


JD and Elliot from Scrubs


Winner of "Most Creative Costume": Potter Puppet Pals

Halloween's a comin'

In three short days, Halloween will be upon us. As I've been putting together a costume, it got me thinking back to the Halloweens of years past. We've all had many different costumes, haven't we? Is there one that stands out to you? Your favorite? Or most memorable?




When I was 10 years old, I decided I wanted to MAKE my costume that year instead of buying one. Well, actually it ended up being my dad who made it, but you get the gist. We brainstormed on all sorts of ideas until we came up with the perfect idea.

A box of popcorn.

I don't know WHERE the idea came from. I think we were trying to think of something original and unique. Something that no one else would be. And so the project began! My dad found a long, thin cardboard box which we (he) cut holes in for my head and arms and then painted red with blue stripes. We (he) then drew pictures of popcorn and wrote "POPCORN" in big yellow letters at the top. I wore a long-sleeved white shirt, white tights, and sneakers. And then as the finishing touch, my mom found some felt which we made to cover my head and then crumpled up white paper and hot-glued the top of the box and my head. Tah-dah! A box of popcorn. My finest Halloween moment.



How about YOU? What is your favorite (or most memorable) Halloween costume? Describe it in detail so I can really picture it. =)

boring

Sorry I haven't been blogging very much. I feel like life is pretty much the same. Kinda boring. I am dealing with a couple of things (professionally and personally) that I probably won't blog about (gotta keep some stuff for just me, right? =))

So instead of rambling about nothing, I will share a quick video. This is from last night. After college group, a group of students hung out till pretty late. And when it gets late, they tend to get loopy. They found out that "Big Rob" is pretty ticklish. And he has a funny laugh when tickled. Enjoy.

Rob's laugh

more October

* It has officially been 3 weeks since I got my braces! I am actually very surprised (and happy) that they have not been a huge issue. It hasn't hurt (except for the first two days) and I haven't needed to use wax once. And already my bottom teeth are straightening out. Go team! There might be more issues once I get my top ones put on (and rubberbands!) in December, for now I'm doing fine.

* I spoke last week at the college group on "Dealing With Life's Tragedies". I felt that I sucked. Big time. I dislike that feeling afterwards. This is definitely an area I am weakest in my job and it is also an area I want to grow in. *sigh*

* One of my roomates just left to go to Ecuador for 5 weeks to do nursing. Go Annie! We love you and miss you already! We expect you to come home fluent in Spanish, so no pressure.

* I helped at a golf fundraiser last Friday to raise money for our intern program. My job was to help with registration, do organizational stuff, zoom around on golf carts (my friend Jenn and I got yelled at by the staff for dive bombing down a hill with the golf cart. Totally worth it.) delivering water and giving "golf claps" to the men playing, and then talk to them at dinner about our intern program and what we do.

* I watched "Waiting For Guffman" the other night for the first time. LOVED it. It is probably my favorite Christopher Guest movie after Spinal Tap.

* The parents and younger sis Emily were in town this weekend at a nearby Christian camp. So good to see them! Had the opportunity to lead a couple nature hikes for people at the camp on Saturday. Man, it's so refreshing to be out in God's creation. Especially with such nice weather. Crisp autumn air, sunshine, trees everywhere, we even saw a banana slug!

* Found a new favorite YouTube video. It's a clip from Mad TV (which I don't watch, but someone showed the clip to me). My friend Amy is going to dress up as Bon Qui Qui for Halloween.

* My hip hop class has introduced me to fun music (I probably wouldn't normally listen to). The songs we dance to pump me up and then when I get home, I jump on iTunes to see if I can find them. Favorites right now: Cassie ("Me & U"), Kardinal Offishal ("Dangerous"), Craig David ("Walking Away"), Ashtar Command ("Blister of the Spotlight"), Timbaland ("The Way I Are"), etc. And by the way, do you all know that David Cook has his first single out!?!?! Go get it, friends! It's called "Light On".

* T-minus 4 weeks till my nephew is born!!

a letter to two men

Dear Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama,

Election Day is only two and a half short weeks away. One of you will be chosen by this country as our next president. And I have to be honest with you...I am bummed. I don't know if it's just me (or if it's my generation), but I am not a fan of politics. I feel like I have become disillusioned and cynical. I have seen and heard politicians make claims and then not follow through and it makes me lose faith in the the whole political system. I go into election time hoping that maybe this time things will be different (it's naive, I know). Maybe this time the candidates will be courteous, kind, and have the country and its people as their top priority. But sadly, I get blinded with name-calling, pointed fingers, and attacks on opponents. You two seriously make me not want to watch TV. (I don't care for your ads)

As long as I'm being honest here, I am going to admit that I am not super stoked on either one of you. That makes me sad. However, I love living in a country where we have the freedom to express opinions and vote, so on November 4th I WILL be voting for one of you. Just please understand that this citizen is weary and wary.

Sincerely, Sarah

NYWC

I'm back from the National Youth Workers Convention in Sacramento. Boo-yah. I am a bit on over-load from all the people, seminars, and general sessions. But it was good and I came home feeling encouraged. Here are the seminars I went to:

* Speaking Techniques (basically how to become a better speaker)
* Building Bridges with Gay and Lesbian Youth
* Youth Culture
I wanted to go to this one, but will have to get the MP3:
* A New Kind of Apologetics: The Emerging Questions of Todays Students

In the general sessions (where all 2,500 youth workers would gather in a big auditorium), here were some of the worship and speakers we had: Sherwood Carthen ("Amen by myself"), Phyllis Tickle (75 year old sassy woman! Loved her! And best name ever), Mike Pilavachi, Mark Yaconelli, Lincoln Brewster, Mercy Me, Starfield, Shane and Shane, and these funny skit guys called um..."The Skit Guys".

We were there from Thursday till yesterday. I came home sooo tired from the conference but feeling supported and equipped in what we're doing. That's always a good thing.

Today I am working from home. I woke up pretty tired and out-of-it. I went downstairs to start some laundry and it wasn't until it came time to put in a new load that I realized I had washed the first load...with no soap. So my clothes got wet, but not clean. =) Anyways, I've been doing laundry, cleaning my room, cleaning our kitchen and hallway floors, unpacking, and organizing. I still need to go to the bank, post office, and grocery store, clean my car, and work on my talk for Wed. night. Whew. It's nice to not be at work today and recover a bit from the convention.

Peace.

October continues

Hi friends.

I'm home and recovered from the road trip. It was fab. We drove down Friday, went to Knotts on Saturday (hardly anyone was there - we were literally walking onto rides!), and LOVED Mosaic church on Sunday before we drove home. I feel like I got to know the students better and even had some deep theological conversations with a couple of them in the car. I was sooo tired when we got back (I always am) but it is so dang worth it.

Tonight at college group we had a "Fun Night" where we played the game "Bigger or Better". Have you ever played? Oh my goodness, it is so much fun. Everyone got in teams of 4 and started with a paper clip. You are supposed to go door to door and ask for something bigger or better than the paper clip. And you keep going for an hour and a half. Whichever team brings back the biggest or best thing....WINS.

When I came back into the parking lot at the end of the game, my heart stopped. I saw a fire truck by the house where we meet. A fire truck! I freaked out. "Oh my gosh! Did the house catch on fire?! Is everyone ok?!?!" I ran out of the car and started asking what happened. The students were cracking up. "Sarah, that is what one team brought!" What.The.Crap.

Yes, one of the teams went to a fire station and convinced the men to drive their truck to our church. And in turn, give me a mini heart attack. Once I calmed down, I did admit that was pretty sweet. They didn't win because the rules stated you could only go to homes, but it will be something we'll all remember. The winning team came back with a computer monitor, a TV, and a table with 4 chairs.

Tomorrow I leave for the Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Convention in Sacramento. I have been looking forward to this for a long time. The high school and college staff are going so it will be fun to get away with everyone and hear some great speakers.

And so October continues...

Fall Road Trip

Things have been so crazy lately. September flew by and it's already October. What? And this month is super busy, too so I'm sure it will fly by as well.

Tomorrow I take off with some college students for our annual road trip down to Southern California for the weekend. Three years ago we went to Universal Studios. Two years ago we hit Disneyland. Last year was Six Flags Magic Mountain. And this year we will be going to Knotts Berry Farm. What I'm looking forward to:

* getting to know our students better
* rollercoasters
* visiting Mosaic church in Pasadena on Sunday
* car ride madness
* In N Out

Have a great weekend, everyone!

brace face part 2

Friends! I have braces! But only 1/2. Lemme splain.

I went in to the office this morning, fully prepared to have the metal braces put on top and bottom. I met my doc (super nice!), watched a video on how to floss/brush/take care of the braces, had moldings made (remember those? the goo in the tray you have to hold in your mouth for a couple minutes until it hardens?), and finally got ready for my grill.

My doc looked at my teeth and said, "I think I'm going to just put braces on your bottom teeth to help straighten them. And then you'll come back in 10 weeks and we'll put braces on the top with rubberbands and work on your bite. Sound good?" I was shocked, but stoked! Only half?? Yes please! That way I can ease into things, get used to have some (not all), and I can still smile without the full metal mouth for another two and a half months! Woot.

Me, showing off my mouth bling:










Yes, they hurt. Eating today has been...interesting. But in the long term, this will all be worth it.

brace face

I am still in shock.

On Monday I will be going in to an orthodontist office and getting braces put on my teeth. Those metal monstrocities will be in my mouth for 12-18 months.

I am an ADULT. And I'm going to be wearing braces like a 13 year old.

What. The. Crap.

Let me back up.

So do you all remember when I went to see a TMJ specialist back in Feb. or March? It turns out I was clenching and grinding my teeth at night so my jaw was always sore and I would wake up with headaches. He made me a "splint" (mouth guard) that fit perfectly to my teeth. I had to wear it for 6 months. Well, I just finished. Yeah, go team.

So then step 2 for my teeth was to get a consultation with an orthodontist about Invisalign. Have you heard of it? It's like having braces but they're clear! And you can remove them to eat and brush your teeth! Perfect, right?

So that appointment was today. I met Angie, the sweet funny lady who is the office manager. She asked questions about my dental history and why I wanted invisalign. "Well Angie," I began, "I had braces twice growing up (8-10 and then 11-13 years old), but my ortho never gave me a retainer afterwards so my bottom teeth have gone a bit crooked. I thought invisalign would be a great way to straighten them without all the hassle of regular braces."

So Angie takes tons of pictures of my teeth and emails them to my soon-to-be orthodontist (who was out of the office). He calls her, they chat. She hangs up and tells me they both notice that my "bite" is off. Huh? My top back molars don't come down correctly onto my bottom molars. That could have been the cause of my grinding and other issues. And they said if I don't get that fixed, I might have to wear a splint/mouth guard for the rest of my LIFE.

Here's the catch: invisalign wouldn't be able to help with my "bite" problem. Yes they could fix my crooked teeth, but not the bite. Soooooo...either get invisalign for 6-8 months and fix one problem orrrrrr get regular braces for 12-18 months and fix both problems.

ACK!

I was sitting there, freaking out. I didn't want braces again. I remember how much of a pain they were: wires breaking, wax to cover where they cut into my mouth and lips, every-other-week appointments to tighten (ouch!), rubberbands, not to mention all the lovely foods I would have to say goodbye to (popcorn, candy, apples, nuts, chips, etc). I had not even thought about getting regular braces - I had only thought about how much life would change with invisalign (answer: not that much). This was a whole new ballgame.

But as you can tell from the beginning of the blog, I went for the metal. *sigh*

People I have a bone to pick with:

* Dr. Laughlin, my orthodontist as a kid. Dude, you put me in braces not once but twice. And you still couldn't fix my bite? And what's the deal with not giving me a retainer afterwards? Aren't you required by law to do that? I want my (mom's) money back.

* whoever choose the health benefits at my work (this is not covered)

* my mom and dad for passing down their genetically bad teeth


People I appreciate in this situation:

* Angie - total cheerleader for me. Answered all my questions, calmed fears, made it seem not so bad, she is great.

* my grandma Judy who left me (and my sisters) some money when she passed away. That's the only way I can afford this. It's like buying a used car. Grandma J - these teeth are for you!

* anyone over 20 who has had to get braces as an adult. Please tell me it's not as bad as I think it is!

This is my last weekend as a metal-free mouth. I plan to go out and eat a big steak tonight with my friends to celebrate that I CAN. As of Monday, that all changes...

amazing weekend

This past weekend was off the hook. (I don't think people say that anymore, but oh well)

Friday - roomates Annie and Lori and I headed to a farm where you can pick apples and strawberries! I have never done that...picking straight from the tree and plant. We put our hair in pigtails and listened to country music the whole way there. When we arrived, we met an 80 year old man named Norm who was reading a John Grisham novel under a shed out in the field. He showed us where we could pick and informed us it was 2 bucks per pound of apples, $1.50 per pound of berries. Let's go!

I am officially in love with all things farm-related. It was so much fun! After we had picked to our heart's content, we celebrated with a fresh slice of olallieberry pie a la mode right next to the general store/antique shop. Precious.









That night I went out to drinks/appetizers/desserts with all the roomates. One (Jessica) is leaving for New Zealand for 3 months this Tuesday. So it was the last time all 7 of us were going to be together. Another roomate (Copey) works at a ritzy hotel and spa so we went there to par-tay. What a wonderful evening. I love those ladies.



Saturday I did something else I have never done. I went to a barn dance! There is another farm (in the opposite direction of Friday's farm) that has a harvest day, potluck dinner, and barn dance the third Saturday of every month. We heard about it from a friend so we went. Way too much fun! It was so great to see people of all ages and all walks of life coming together to work, enjoy a meal together, and then dance their hearts out. There was a band, a "Caller", and everything. Dance party!! Everyone was sweating, smiling, and laughing the whole time. I took a video of one of the dances we learned (it's after the next few pictures).











And then Sunday after church was something very special. Beach baptisms! I have never been to a beach baptism before (all I have seen have been indoors) but what made it even more special was that I got to assist my boss. It was so humbling and amazing being out in the water and being a part of two of my students' baptisms. It was a church-wide baptism so anyone who wanted to could do it. I think there were 10 of us pastors and directors in the water and we baptized over 80 people. It was incredible!! I will never forget it.













play time!!


amazing weekend.

My big break!

Some of you may or may not know that High School Musical 3 is coming to theaters next month. Well, I wanted to let you all know that I have a small part in it! Check it out and let me know what you think.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

2 more months till aunthood

Yesterday was sister Amy's baby shower. Two more months till my little nephew joins the outside world! I've been calling him "Eli" whenever I talk to him through Amy's stomach, but I don't think I should get my hopes up. Right now Amy is calling him "Professor Plum" so that he will be respected as soon as he's born and they won't have to pay for his college (he will already be known as The Professor).

Thanks for always letting me rub your tummy, Aim! I can't wait to meet your son. XOXO

Jump Jive An' Wail

For a "Fun Night" this week, we took the college students swing dancing. Because not many of them have been before, I invited my friend Jenn and her fiancee Steve to come teach us the basics. Jenn and Steve are dancin' fools and they are REALLY good. So we pulled the students out into the parking lot and set up a stereo with some swing music. We spent about a half hour learning steps while Jeff and I went around taking pictures and videos. Here's a vid I took of them practicing. Sorry it's so dark (the sun had just gone down).

swing dancing part 1


After that, we piled into cars and headed downtown. There is a ballroom that has swing dancing for only 3 bucks. So we went and danced the night away. Myself and the other adult leaders didn't dance with the students, but luckily there were other people there we could dance with. It was so fun! Some of those guys go every week and they are amazing. Twirl me around, fellas!

Here are some pixs from the evening.

3 year anniversary

Yesterday was the three year anniversary at my job. I don't know about you, but I try and find any little excuse to celebrate. So when I had my first year anniversary at church, I came to work with signs, a balloon in my hair, and donuts for everyone. And thus began a tradition. I have done the last two years and yesterday was #3.

BRING ON YEAR 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 things

1) We had our college kick-off last Wed. and it went well! Two ladies came and cooked for us so we all ate together (which is always fun). Then we played some get-to-know-you games and introduced our student and adult leaders. Lastly Jeff and I went over our mission statement, core values, and goals of this next year. It was neat to finally be able to share the vision of where we want the college group to go...because we've been planning for it all summer. =) Yeah, the info is out there! Let's go!

2) I had the opportunity to go to a retreat this weekend. It all came together very last minute. I pretty much emailed them the night before and asked if there was still room. There was. =) Looking back, it was exactly what I needed. The speaker hit me right to the core. I love how God does that.

well, I hope you're not too hot, wherever you are (it's been toasty lately). I'm off to take a nap...

back to life...back to reality

Labor Day has come and passed. Everyone went back to school today. Summer is officially over. Bummer!

Oh well, at least I got one last weekend of freedom. For Friday and Saturday, my co-worker Jeff and I took our 6 student leaders on a retreat. It was great! One of the first things we did was go grocery shopping. Jeff and I split the leaders into groups of 2 and assigned either "appetizer", "entree", or "dessert" to each group. To make it more fun, we told them the theme of the dinner was "Disney" (they had to somehow relate their food to Disney in some way). Oh and they couldn't tell anyone else what they were buying so it could be a surprise. Here's a video I took with my digital camera:

shopping for dinner


We cooked together, played games, made videos, watched movies, had meetings to talk about college group stuff, went to Starbucks, all that jazz. I came back Saturday night feeling good about our student leadership this year but totally wiped out.

Sunday and Monday I got to spend time with my fam. Last year they started a tradition of renting a cabin out for Labor Day weekend - we all gather and spend the weekend together. I missed the first two days because of the retreat, but I joined them for the rest of the time. They were able to come to church with me Sunday morning which was so fun! And then we spent our last two days of freedom eating, reading, creek-walking, talking, playing Uno, making s'mores, catching up on each other's lives, and making comments about sister Liz's dirty feet. Older sister Amy is 6 and a half months pregnant! Ahhh! I made sure to rub her belly a lot and speak to my nephew about how excited we were for him to join us soon.

Hope you all had a nice, relaxing Labor Day weekend.

Back to life...back to reality.

reality = college group starts up tomorrow night!!

black widow spiders

This weekend I am taking the 6 student leaders (for the college group) away on a two-day retreat, so I have taken yesterday and today off. Ahhh....it has been so lovely. I've been getting caught up on errands, laundry, cleaning my room, sleeping. Good times.

The big news in our house this week is that we came upon a flippin' black widow spider in the downstairs bedroom! What the crap! I mean, I know we have them in the area and they probably have congregated in our shed and garage...but to come inside the HOUSE? What gall!

Copey (the roomate who lives in that downstairs room) said that is the second one she has seen in her room in 2 weeks! Nah-uh, not okay. So we called our landlord and the pest control peeps in the area. The guy is here right now checking inside and around our house. He just informed me we have a "bad spider problem". Not just with the widows (he found several of their webs outside) but all other types of spiders.

So, my friends, it looks like we will be getting the "spray". We all have to leave the house sometime tomorrow so they can come in and spray around our house. Ewww! But hopefully it will take care of the problem.

Before I go, let me leave you with a picture of our friend we found the other night. We captured her in this jar and left her on the porch to die. But she didn't. So then I tried drowning her but she hung on. It finally came down to the last resort. *FLUSH*

She is now in spider heaven and I feel no remorse.

art

I am really excited. For the past year I have had this big blank space on the wall above my bed. I have purposefully kept it blank because I knew I wanted to find the "perfect" something to hang there. It would be the first thing I (or other people) would see when they walked into my room. I've gone back and forth about what to put there (framed pictures? a painting? and of what?) until finally I decided what I really wanted was an ocean picture. I love living near the ocean and I love sunsets, so what if I could find a picture that had both?

I've been keeping my eye out for one (either photograph or painting) for awhile now...but the search is over. This weekend, sister Liz and a couple friends came to visit and we went surfing on Saturday. As we came up the stairs with our boards, we noticed a guy was selling paintings on the street. And they were beautiful! All of them had the ocean in it somehow.

There was one specifically that caught my eye. It had yellows and blues, just like my bed comforter. And it was a sunset at the beach! Perf! So we chatted with the guy. He was super nice. His name is Brook and he lives 8 months in this area and the other 4 months of every year in Bali (Indonesian island). He has a house there and he sits on his balcony every day and paints. Amazing!

He also showed us pictures from Bali. It looks so beautiful. There are pictures of him on his balcony looking out at the ocean and painting. And then he showed us pictures of how he and some other men in the village hand-carve the frames for his paintings. The frames are worth the price alone! They are so cool looking.

After we chatted awhile, I finally pointed to the one I liked and he packaged it up for me. I was so glad I finally found something great to put on my boring, blank, white wall. And I felt good supporting a local artist.

I took it home and nailed it up.

I love it.



What do you guys think?

got 42 minutes to spare?

Another week of me clinging desperately to summer, not ready to admit it's over and kids are back in school and Halloween crap is out in all the Rite Aids.

I feel like this week has been filled with a lot of good-byes. Many of our students from the summer are going back to college or moving out of the area. So that's been kind of hard. And then Intern Jeff (who is now "College Ministry Associate Jeff" - woohoo promotion!) and I are gearing up for fall, so that's keeping things busy at work.

Outside of work, I am totally addicted to the Olympics! I wish it was on earlier, because I've put in some late nights and I definitely feel it the next day. But it's so worth it. GO USA!

Ok, so once in awhile I like to share whatever I'm obsessing about at the time. This week it has been "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog". Would you like to join me in my obsession? You won't regret it. It will be the best 42 minutes of your life.

The background is that Dr. Horrible was created during the writer's strike back in the spring. Joss Whedon (the guy who directed Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, etc) wrote, directed, and produced this mini-musical exclusively for the internet. It premiered last month and now word of mouth is spreading. And so my dear readers, I share it with you.

The premise: Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris aka: Doogie Howser!) wants to join the Evil League of Evil but the leader wants him to prove he is worthy. And Dr. Horrible's plans always get thwarted by his arch-nemesis, Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion) who is a conceited, narcissistic superhero. Meanwhile, Dr. Horrible falls in love with Penny, the shy girl at the laundrymat. See what happens!

Sarah's summer movie reviews

With summer coming to a close, I figured it was time for my annual summer movie review (well, it's only my second time doing it, but I think it will become an annual thing). If you haven't seen these movies, skip the explanation so I don't ruin it for you. Without further ado, here's what I thought of 10 movies I saw this summer...from worst to best:

10) Mama Mia. Biggest disappointment for me. I went in, hoping this would be 2008's summer musical! (Like Hairspray was last summer) No no and no. Where do I start? First of all, the singing was not that great. With the exception of the daughter, everyone else was pretty bad. Don't even get me started on Pierce Brosnan's singing voice. Arg! I cringed every time. You were JAMES flippin' BOND, for goodness sakes, Pierce. Another thing, hardly any dancing. That's half the fun of a musical. During most of the songs they would just stand there or stay in one room (That's where I think it should have just stayed a theater production). The plot was dumb, some of the characters were in half of it and gone the other half, Meryl Streep was too old for that role (even though I love her), etc. So, sorry Mama Mia....you get the lowest score of the summer. Dud.

9) Prince Caspian. Another disappointment. First of all, Caspian and Susan? What the crap!?! Ew, she's like 13. I was also bummed because we saw a lot more of Aslan in the first movie, but he was barely in this one (and not until the end). I liked The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe more because everything was new, magical, meeting Mr. Tumnus and Aslan for the first time, etc. This one seemed bland and long. And the actor playing Caspian had the funkiest accent. It wasn't British, that's for sure.

8) The Incredible Hulk. I didn't see the 2003 version with Eric Bana. But I like Edward Norton so I thought I'd check this one out. Eh. It was all right. I liked Liv Tyler because she's not your typical skinny model - she looks and acts like a real woman. =) This movie had way more violence that I was expecting. I left the theater with hunched shoulders.

7) Kung Fu Panda. I think the coolest thing that came out of this movie was the word "Skadoosh". It was also just all right. Not fab, not bad. Just ok. The animation was pretty good. Moving on.

6) Sex and the City. Yes, I saw it with some girlfriends. Don't judge. Let's just say it certainly lived up to its title. But it was fun and had some great girl moments (Charlotte in Mexico anyone??) However, it felt a little long.

5) Indiana Jones 4. Entertaining. I think we'd all agree that Indy is getting a bit...old. But he did a great job, nonetheless. Definitely a summer popcorn movie. The only part that made me laugh of embarrassment - Shia swinging on the vines with the monkeys. You have GOT to be kidding me, Spielberg.

4) Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Very very cute. I loved the 4 girls' stories and how they weaved together (Carmen's story was my fav). It's movies like this that make me glad I'm female. =)

3) Iron Man. I went into this one with low expectations (I didn't know what to expect). And I was pleasantly surprised. I thought Robert Downey Jr. was great. I liked his cool outfit and the talking voice inside that guided him. Jeff Bridges was kind of a lame villian though.

2) The Dark Knight. Speaking of villians! Oh Heath Ledger. RIP, indeed. He of course stole the show from Christian Bale. I was mesmerized in every scene he was in. I hung onto every word the Joker said. He was a complete pyschopath. I thought Aaron Eckhart did a good job as Harvey Dent/Two-Face but he also got overshadowed by Heath. Side note: has anyone else noticed that Batman's voice is getting lower and more raspier in each movie? Is Batman a smoker? Does he need a cough drop? What's the deal?

1) Wall-E. Favorite movie of the summer. I had no idea a Pixar movie could make me cry. But it did. Twice. I think it is amazing that an animated movie can be so well done that about halfway through, you forget it was animated. I was so caught up into it. I loved that Wall-E liked "Hello Dolly" (one of my favorite musicals). Did anyone else cry at the end? Did anyone else leave the theater and think, "I need to go on a run!" after seeing what humans look like hundreds of years from now? =)

So there you have it, friends. Summer 2008 movies counted down from 10 to 1. One movie is missing, because I didn't get to see it but plan on renting it: Hancock.

Did any of you see these movies? What did you think? Agree or disagree with the above comments? Or if you saw some that aren't on the list and would recommend them for renting...which were they?

another year

it's my birthday.

i am old.

Southern California, yo

I am home from a lovely mini-vacay in Southern California. 4 days to be exact. The main reason for going down there was to see the one, the only Eddie Izzard live at the Kodak Theater.

Flew in Thursday evening. Elissa and Mike picked me up. Friday they had to work and I had the whole day to myself. Ahhh....slept in, went shopping, read, went swimming and hung out by the pool. It was lovely and very relaxing. Elissa'a parents came to their house that night and we all made dinner and played Rock Band (my first time!)

On Saturday, Elissa's aunt came into town from the Midwest. She is also a big Eddie fan. Party! More swimming and lounging by the pool. We left around 5 to drive into Hollywood. We found this amazing Italian restuarant near the venue and then we walked around Hollywood Blvd. looking at the Walk of Fame and Mann's Chinese Theater. We saw Harry Potter! Well, a guy dressed up as him and taking pictures with people. We also saw Yoda, Elvis, Batgirl, Captain Jack Sparrow, Darth Vader, Barney, and many other costumed friends.

And then...finally we went inside the Kodak Theater. SWANK. I was a bit giddy. "This is where the Oscars are filmed!" We had great seats. Second section back on the left.

When Eddie came out, the crowd went flippin' NUTS! We were on our feet! I have to admit - it was very surreal. I have listened to his CDs, and watched his DVDs and clips on YouTube. In all of those, the audience is screaming, clapping, cheering. And now I was in the audience doing the screaming, clapping, and cheering. There he was...right in front of us. Doing his funny bows and smiling.

Something Eddie is famous for: his rambles. Here are some things he talked about: giraffes, Moses, monkeys, jam, Hitler, appendixes (at the back of books), Obama, Wikipedia, hashashins, Noah's Ark, languages, Lord of the Flies, dinosaurs, God, how mean it was for people to spell "dyslexia" the way it is (he is mildly dyslexic), Romans, the Stone Age, water, tigers, history, science, religion, philosophy, and much more. It was hilarious to hear him talk about one thing, go off on a random ramble about badgers for a few minutes, and then be able to find his way back to his original joke. He is very intelligent. How can he keep up with his own brain??

The show was about 2 hours. We didn't want it to end! He came back for an encore and then the lights came up. We got home late but it was so worth it.

The next morning we had a pleasant surprise. We were going to Disneyland AND we were going to stay overnight at the Grand California Hotel. It's a new one that is right inside Disney's California Adventure. Elissa's aunt had a bunch of "Disney Points" from different vacations she's taken and she was treating us all! Woot! So we packed up and drove to the park.

We checked our stuff in the hotel and then headed out into DCA. We spent the day on rides, watching musicians and characters, and of course eating lots of junk food. (mmmm...ice cream)

In the evening, we went back to the hotel and I got to see my room. Sweet! I had two big ol' queen beds, a huge bathroom, and a balcony that overlooked the park. The monorail went right under my room and I could see the Tower of Terror from my window. This is crazy!

I had to fly back Monday but not before having breakfast at a place downstairs in our hotel where Chip, Dale, Pinocchio, Terk from Tarzan, and other Disney characters come by and interact with you. The 6 of us were all adults, but we didn't care. We loved it. My fav was Pinocchio. You know how the characters can't talk but just make hand gestures? Well, Elissa was eating a Mikey Mouse waffle and Pinocchio was eyeing it and rubbing his stomach like he was hungry. And then someone at our table asked, "Hmmm...why don't they make Pinocchio pancakes?" Pinocchio motioned like that was a great idea, but then Mike said, "Because the pancake's nose would keep growing and growing..." We all groaned super loud and Pinocchio shook his head and then made a gagging gesture into his mouth. I DIED laughing! It was awesome.

So yes, a little Eddie time, a little D-land time, a little pool time, a little rest time, and a lot of friend time. All in all...good times! =)

bullet points

* This past weekend was great. There was a good-bye party for our dear friend Scott who is moving to Boston for grad school. We'll miss you Scotty G! Then on Sunday we celebrated the marriage of another dear friend Holly and her (now) husband Andrew!! Woot! The wedding was outside at a beautiful park right next door to a national park full of redwood trees. I am so so happy for them!

* The dance-off between AC/DC and the M&M Cru was last night at the Teen Choice awards. If you didn't see it, check it out here. I love watching the dancing! I can't wait to start going to my hip hop class again in the fall.

* This is random, but I have started getting into the "Jumble" in newspapers. Ya know, it's next to the crossword and sudoku. You unscramble words to figure out the answer to a riddle. I guess that means I'm a nerd. I think it's because I like the feeling when I figure it out. "AHA! Got it!" It makes me feel really smart for that nano-second. But then that is soon followed by exasperation because the riddle is so dumb and I feel silly for getting all excited.

* I am going through a Jane Austen phase. I have always loved her novels but lately I have been Netflixing all the film and TV adaptations of her books. I know everyone's favorite Jane Austen male character is Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy (he's mine, too). But I found a close second! In 2007, the British station BBC made "Northanger Abbey" into a movie for TV. I watched it the other night and LOVED Henry Tilney! He is so great. His character is witty, clever, teasing, flirty, and very kind. This was one Austen book I have not read so I plan to see if the film portrays him accurately.

* The Olympics start this Friday!!! 8-8-08 dawg.

* Intern Jeff and I only have two more weeks of college program for the summer. So we've been in the midst of planning for the fall: Where are we going to go on our fall road trip? What is our teaching series going to be? How can we encourage our students to invite their friends to the college group?

* The other day I went creekwalking and picked blackberries. There are millions! And then I came home and made blackberry milkshakes for myself and the roomies. That is a little slurp of heaven, my friends.

* I get to see Eddie Izzard in So. Cal THIS SATURDAY NIGHT!!!! Ahhhh! I have been looking forward to this for months. I hope my stomach hurts from laughing too hard.

* I would love to take a nap right now.

HP and PD

Two trailers came out this week that got me pretty excited.

The first is for Harry Potter 6. It comes out in November. Book 6 was one of my favs so it will be cool to see the film.



The second trailer is a promo for season 2 of my new favorite TV show "Pushing Daisies". SWEET!



La dee dah dee dah.