Sand Castles

The sand castle World Championship is "in town" so my mom, sister, and I trekked with the kiddos to see these stunning structures. It was pretty cool to see these beautiful talents on display. Unfortunately, the girls just wanted to play in the sand- not observe their beauty. Oh, well.

Here is Audra tickling Claire- they sure do love each other!

New Spice

If you went to BYU (even for one semester) you have to watch this- and if you didn't, you will still find it funny even though it isn't your college library. This is funny!

A Tale of Two Movies

In the last couple of weeks Ben and I have seen two excellent movies:

I thought both of these movies were excellent, though I did find The Blind Side more compelling. Whereas Julie and Julia had great stories, The Blind Side had a great message. So, I guess I liked The Blind Side better.

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But that is not really what I want to write about.

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What I want to write about is this: Sandra vs. Meryl.

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First off, I LOVE Sandra Bullock. I think she is as cute as can be, she has a fantastic public image of simply being a nice, good person. I also like almost all of her movies (minus Forces of Nature- that was awful).

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I am not, in general, a Meryl Streep fan. It's not that I don't like her, it's just that I haven't seen a lot of movies that she has done, and I don't have a sense of her personality at all because I don't think I have ever seen an interview of her. So I wouldn't call me a fan, but I don't not like her either.

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But- in comparing the acting of these two women in these two movies, I am amazed that it was Sandra that walked away with the Oscar and not Meryl.

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Not that Sandra wasn't great, because she was. I just think Meryl (I am on a first name basis with both these actresses) was SO MUCH BETTER.

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The reason, for me, is simple: the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy was, for me, a much easier role than Julia Child. While both were/are real people, nobody outside of Tennessee had ever heard of Leigh Anne Tuohy, whereas EVERYBODY knows who Julia Child was. Meryl Streep had to get her exactly right- and she did! She was a PERFECT Julia Child- which could not have been a small feat due to Child's eccentric but loving personality.

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Also, there was one scene in Juie and Julia that truly convinced me it was Meryl, not Sandra, who deserved the Oscar. Julia and her husband Paul were walking through a park in Paris when a woman pushing a baby carriage walks by. By one look- in 5 seconds- we see a look from Julia that reveals all the tears, all the turmoil, all the heartache she has felt in her life by not being able to have children. Then in that same 5 seconds, we see how she was able to keep going: her husband Paul- who is her true companion- giving her a sympathetic and loving kiss on the foreheard, and Julia turns to him, accepts the kiss, gives a smile and continues on.

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The scene was one of the most beautiful and telling scenes I have ever seen. How all of that can happen in 5 seconds is pure art, and put me in Meryl's corner.

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I am not upset that Meryl did not win, and I am genuinely very happy for Sandra- especially because of all the other drama Sandra has had to deal with, I am glad she got the Oscar. I just think Meryl deserved it more.

Loving LOST!

Can I just say, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED LOST!!!!!
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But, like most of Lost, I am left wondering, "what just happened?"
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As far as Ben and I have been able to figure out, we believe everything that happened on the island actually happened. But, everything that happened in the "other life" of the plane not crashing, happened when they all died- whenever it is they all died. I have to assume that Jack died that day (did he turn into the smoke monster? I am pretty sure I saw smoke coming up out of the water after Jack saved the island and was still in the pit), and that Hurley lived on for awhile longer- with Ben- on the island, and that Kate, Sawyer, Frank, and the others made it back to the real world for a time, and then when they died went back in time to fulfill the "parallel world" plot.
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I still can not make sense of the nucleur blast. I am certain it worked, but it apparently left the island still standing?
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At the beginning of the season, the island was under water. Perhaps this was hundreds of years later, when Hurley stopped protecting the island?
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Once again, I am confused. Nevertheless, I LOVED IT!!!! And I am soooooooooooooooooooooo glad Sawyer and Juliette are back together- they were my favorite couple (I hated Kate- wish she had died earlier).
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Thoughts??????

Just For Fun!

This is not religous or political- just pure speculative fun!

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The other day I watched a History Channel special, "The Doomsday Prophecy" about the Mayan "prophecy" that the world will be destoryed on Dec. 21, 2012. I had heard of this before, but this special went into detail.

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The idea is that the Mayans had a circular calendar, whereas we think of time as a continuum, they thought of it as cyclical with periods of time repeating themselves. Their calendar "prophecied" (I put that in parentheses because I don't know if I would personally call them prophecies) certain things happening at various times based on astrology and previous events.

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Most of you know that I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder-Day Saints, and WITHOUT getting into religion, the Book of Mormon is ancient scripture of what we now consider Native Americans- the ancient Mayans, Aztecs, etc. Any student of The Book of Mormon has heard of "The pride cycle"- a cycle which repeatly occurs in the Book of Mormon where the people are reighteous and blessed with posterity, they become greedy, prideful and wicked, then they are destroyed for their wickedness. Then they turn to God and become righteous, are blessed with posterity, and the cycle repeats. I bring this up for two reasons:

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1. The cyclical calendar of the Mayans is consistent with ancient texts of their ancestors, which our church does believe to be true

2. I would say that our culture is full of greed and wickedness and therefore possibly "ripe for destruction" and therefore also perhaps fitting in with the idea of this prophecy being true

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Another important note: Dec 21, 2012 is the day of destruction because that is when the sun will be in perfect line with the Milky Way, an event which occurs only once every 26,000 years. The way the world will be destroyed is by flood.

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So here are my questions: Have any of you studied this at all? Do you find it fascinating in the least, or is it just a bunch of hype and Dec. 21, 2012 will pass as any other day?

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I find it an interesting topic of discussion, but I will wait to share my opinions until I hear some of your thoughts first!

Barbara's Not So Fascinating List

I posted about Barbara Walter's Most Fascinating List last year and I wasn't going to this year- until I read the list and realized how much I completely disagree with the entire thing!

Here's the list:
Kate Gosselin
Adam Lambert
Lady Gaga
Sarah Palin
Brett Favre
Tyler Perry
Glenn Beck
Jenny Sanford
Michael Jackson’s children
And the most fascinating: Michelle Obama

SOOOOOOO many things wrong with this list!

Frist: Adam Lambert???? HE LOST AMERICAN IDOL!!!! What on earth has he done that is so special outside of being gay- which isn't special anymore!!!! If he had won, maybe I could understand (though last year's list didn't have the AI winner on it), but HE LOST!!!

Second: Sarah Palin- she is an ignorant twit who QUIT HER JOB SO SHE COULD WRITE A BOOK AND GET RICH- how does that make her any different then every other publicity-seeking-bimbo in America???? Dang, I hate her. (But PLEASE elect her as your Rep. presidential candidate in 2012 to ensure another Democratic sweep!)

Third: Lady Who???

Fourth: Kate Gosselin. Why is she on the list but not John? Is she more fascinating then him- or just seeking the publicity more?

Fifth: Tyler Perry- what has he done this year that is so much greater then every other year?

Sixth: Jenny Sanford- her husband cheated on her. That makes her fascinating? What politician hasn't cheated on his wife? I don't think that makes their wives fascinating. It makes me feel sorry for them. (to her credit, though, I will say that I was happy to hear that she left him- she deserves better)

And the worst thing:

Seventh: WHERE ON EARTH IS CAPTAIN SULLY ON THIS LIST???? HOW ON EARTH DID HE NOT MAKE THE LIST (and Adam Nobody did) AFTER LANDING AN AIRPLANE ON A RIVER AND SAVING OVER A HUNDRED LIVES?????

I never paid much attention to this list, and now I will pay even less attention to it. What a waste of paper to have made this list in the first place.

Obviously, these are my very opinionated thoughts. Anybody else's thoughts?

New Favorite Christmas Movie

Yesterday Ben and I saw the most hilarious movie- there were about 4 times I was crying because I was laughing so hard. If you like The Office, you MUST watch this- because it is that kind-of humor. It is so incredibly witty and FUNNY!!!! GET THIS MOVIE- it is an absolute must see (if you like to laugh).

Here is the trailor (though it doesn't do the movie justice because the movie is SO FUNNY!!!!)

Glee

Did anybody watch this show last night? It's a new show on Fox,and we were quite excited to watch it because it looked like a comedy, and we are so incredibly sick of dramas and reality TV, that we were anxious to see if this comedy would be fun to watch.

I have to say- I pretty much hated it. I think Ben liked it, but the whole time we were watching I was almost fuming at what was going on! First and foremost- it wasn't funny. I didn't laugh once- and this is supposed to be a comedy? But, that wasn't the real issue I had.

The basic premise is a Glee Club at a high school trying to find success.

The main character- we'll call him "hot teacher" (HT) is married. We meet his wife and she is a whiny, awful person who the show obviously wants you to hate because she says things like, "I have to stand on my feet for 4 hours three times a week!" and complains continually to HT. They have been trying to get pregnant, but have had no success.

Then, HT has an admirer- a co-worker at the high school who continually flirts with HT, volunteers to chaperone activites with him, offers to share her PBJ's, and is anxious to console him when he and his wife have a problem- which they always do.

Halfway through the show we find out HT's wife is finally pregnant. She now wants HT to quit teaching and become an accountant so he can make more money and support his family.

Do you begin to see where I have so many problems????

1. The woman at work is flirting with a MARRIED man, hoping he will leave wifey and go be with her. And this is a show geared to teenagers- what a great example they are showing of how we should respect marriage vows.

2. They turn a wife wanting her husband to support their growing family as a horrible thing- yet isn't that what ALL women want? While teaching may be his passion, supporting his family should be his number one priority!!!! What is more important then your spouse and children? Somebody else's children? I don't think so!

3. Co-worker horrible woman is the one who consoles HT and convinces him that he should follow his passion and ignore his wife- after all, she is just a mean, awful monster who wants to make HT's life miserable (let's just forget the fact they are MARRIED and made COVENANTS and PROMISES to EACH OTHER- not to horrible co-worker woman!!!!)

Oh, I can go on and on- but suffice it to say, I was absolutely NOT impressed with this show- or it's complete lack of respect for marriage and family relations- and I would not recommend it to anyone else who is considering watching it! But, perhaps some of you saw it and liked it. Maybe I am reading too much into the storylines (as Ben seems to think)! I would be very interested in hearing what others of you thought!

Show Reviews

Here is an update on a couple of shows we watch- I thought it might be fun to discuss.

First- Amazing Race

For a complete look as to why I am NOT enjoying this season, go to:http://politicalmomsunite.blogspot.com/2009/03/not-impressed.html

I originally posted on the Political Moms site, but then realized that many of you watched this show as well so I thought I would post my thoughts here as well.

Basically, I HATE Victor and Tammy and they are ruining the season for me- they are so cocky-UGHHH!!! Anyway, I really did like this pair:Unfortunately, they were kicked off last week (yes, the miraculous event occurred and the stuntmen were spared one more week- well, actually 2 more weeks because next week will most certainly be a non-elimination round. Ughh, something else that annoys me- this show is SOOOO predictable). Anyway, I liked these guys for one main reason. Two weeks ago Mel yelled at the cab driver, and then he said, "Oh, I'm going to feel bad about that all day- 1 million dollars is not worth dehumanizing another person." WHAT???? A reality TV person admitted that their integrity was worth more than money?!? I couldn't believe it- what a breath of fresh air!

Anyway, I know many disagree, but I haven't enjoyed this season. I didn't enjoy last season all that much either. We've only watched two seasons- that isn't a good sign. If Victor and Tammy win, I am swearing off this show and never watching it again- that's how much I dislike them. But, Ben totally disagrees with me and LOVES the show- so I guess I am out of the ordinary, and I'm ok with that.

Next Show: LOST

I was really frustrated with the beginning of the season. It just got SOOO convuluted and confusing. Plus, I didn't like the whole time travel thing- I still don't, but at least now it has settled down a bit.

However, I absolutely LOVE Sawyer and Juliette together! I think they are wonderful together, and I am really mad at Kate for coming back. Now Kate just annoys me- she seems like this spoiled baby who can never be happy. Plus, she seems to use her men for her purposes and never gives back- so I'm glad that she doesn't get Sawyer. OK, she better not get Sawyer!!! I will cry if he leaves Juliette for her!

So, it's still confusing, but I'm liking the plot line better now. But, here's a question Ben and I can't figure out: What happened to Rose and Bernard?

Oscar Night

We watched much of the Oscars- much to Ben's chagrin- and I found it quite entertaining. I thought Hugh Jackman was brilliant and hilarious, and it was, of course, fun to see all of the glamour. But, what got me most excited was Jennifer Aniston's hair:
This picture doesn't quite do it justice, but it was so incredibly frizzy and that made me so happy! My hair is always so frizzy, and this horribly dry climate doesn't help- so I was glad even millionaire movie stars have the same problem!

Benefit Fair

On Saturday there is going to be a carnival/fair/fundraiser for a young family in which the mother has been afflicted with breast cancer. Here is a brief story about her:

Heather Kartchner is a caretaker, healer and friend. Her powerful sense for how to love others is why she is known for her gentleness, attentive nature, and strong spirit. As a mother of three beautiful children, wife of seven years, and well-loved physical therapist for the Children's Hospital, life usually gives back to Heather the goodness she so deserves. Hence, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer just four months ago - two months after the birth of her son - it seemed so dismally unjust. True to form, though, Heather has handled the challenge with grace and beauty. The fight to overcome the cancer, and withstand the effects of its treatment may be the hardest thing she has ever faced; but, thanks to whom she is, Heather fights with a network of love around her. As a woman of faith, all who interact with her are uplifted by her gratitude and surety that she will be healed.

The carnival is this Saturday in Littleton. They have all kinds of things planned, and 100% of ALL money spent goes directly to the family to help them with her therapy costs. Here is a flier with more information:

http://www.drewstorm.com/chucklestocurecancer/fortheloveofheather.htm

Apparently, they are going to give the $10.00/family discount at the door (instead of $15.00) because it took them longer then expected to get everything ironed out.

Ben and I are going, so if you want to come with us, let us know and we will meet you there!!! I love that we get to go spend a day doing something really fun, and helping out a great family at the same time!!!

(Also, Jenny, I want to check this out to see if it would be feasible to organize something like this for your family- I'll let you know what I find out!!!)

Best In-Laws Ever!

Without a doubt, I have the best in-laws! They are so incredibly good to us, and to Audra! A lot of people have both sets of grandparents to help baby-sit, but we just have Mac and Ann, and whenever we need them, they are there to help us out!!!! Audra is really lucky to have such wonderful grandparents nearby!!!

Last night Ben and I had a real date! We went to dinner (Cheesecake Factory- YUM!) and a movie (Seven Pounds- more on that in a minute). Mac and Ann said they would watch Audra and put her to bed! Yippee!!!! All day I kept telling Audra, "tonight you are going to be with Grandma and Grandpa and they are going to put you to bed. Is that OK?" And she would shake her head "yes." Then, Ann said that Audra LOVED having them put her to bed (I am not surprised by this- she loves it when they come to our house and she gets to show off her toys to them in her house). Ann said she was showing off and being really goofy and fun, as if they were having a great slumber party! Good for Audra- and HUGE THANK YOU TO MY IN-LAWS!!!!! It is so wonderful to have them nearby, and when Ben got his big job offer to the East Coast, being so far from family was one of the main reasons we didn't take the job- it is such a huge blessing, and we are very grateful that they are so good to us!!!

Well, like I said, we went and saw Seven Pounds. I would recommend the movie- it was very well done, and I thought Will Smith was fantastic- I hope he gets an Oscar nod. However, it isn't a movie you need to see in the theatre in my opinion- unless someone is going to tell you the ending!!! Don't let anybody tell you how it ends- that would literally ruin the entire movie! So, if you can keep the ending a secret until it comes out on video, I would say wait to rent it. And, make sure you have some tissue!

It was great to go to the theatre- I think the last time Ben and I went together was for Bourne Ultimatum. We don't get to the theatres too often!!!!

The Not So Amazing Race

To absolutely nobody's surpise, Nick and Star won the Amazing Race- much to my dismay. It's not that I didn't like them (though I didn't, but to be honest, I didn't really like any of the teams this year and found myself not caring who won), it is just that it was so incredibly predictable and boring. I was hoping the Frat Boys would win just because it would have been hilarious, but there was absolutely no suspense for any of the last, I don't know, entire season. This is the first season Ben and I have watched the entire race, and if next season is this predictable, we will no longer watch (at least I won't, though Ben might).

10 Most Fascinating

Barabara Walters came up with her list of the 10 most fascinating people of 2008. Here is her list:

Will Smith

Miley Cirus

Tom Cruise

Rush Limbaugh

Michael Phelps

Sarah Palin

Tina Fey

Frank Langella (plays Nixon in Frost/Nixon)

Thomas Beatie (pregnant "man")

Barack Obama

We watched this last night, and I agree with most of them. I am curious what others think. If it were me, I would definitely take Limbaugh off- not just because I absolutely hate the lying SOB, but also because he hasn't done anything- his show didn't change the outcome of the election, he hasn't done anything this year differently this year then any other year. Well, he did get his rediculous contract worth like 200 million dollars or something (to which he actually said he was worth it because he "works hard"- to which I say- HA!!!! But I could go off on what "hard work" is for hours and how people who "work hard" do NOT get paid millions, but rather pennies, but I digress).

Anyway, I would take Limbaugh off and probably put Stephanie Meyers on, because she did come out of obscurity and make a big, new impact on society. I do disagree with Miley Cirus, but I can understand putting her there and I can't think of anybody else I would put there instead.

All the others, I definitely agree did make an impact this year.

Anybody else have any thoughts?

Change of Plans...

We are totally bummed, but we are ending up not heading out for Thanksgiving to Utah because of some complications on the homefront. We really are sorry, Jeremy and Hallie- we wanted to meet Cambria so bad!!!! Audra was looking forward to meeting her little cousin and her great-grandpa, but things were not meant to be this year...

But, because we are not going, it gave me some time to blog, and I am totally stealing this from my friend Carrie, but I absolutely LOVED it- I was crying I was laughing so hard!!!! If you are Twilighter, casual Twilighter, or have heard a lot about all they hype, you need to read this:

http://www.ericdsnider.com/snide/my-rejected-twilight-screenplay/

It is a spoof from the screenplay Twilight, and it is incredibly funny!! (At least I thought it was...)

I saw the movie last weekend (thank you Ann and Beth!!!) and I really liked the movie- in fact, I was surprised at how much I liked it. I don't need to see in a million times or anything, but it was good.

Shout out to Mariah

I am not a Mariah Carey fan (I'm not not a fan, either- she is a good singer, I just don't have any of her CD's), but I read something yesterday about she and her husband that I thought was awesome. Apparently, she and her husband had a shotgun wedding (got married after 2 months) because they wanted to wait to be "intimate" until they were married. I know, it sounds far fetched coming from a woman who is practically naked in all of her videoes, but I thought that was awesome! Good for her! Here is the article if you want to read it:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27632632/

Sure makes my 7-month courtship with Ben before we tied the knot seem like an eternity!!!