A Simple Saturday

Well... when I woke up this morning, I definitely could not have predicted how this day was going to go.  I was planning on doing some laundry, cleaning, doing the grocery shopping, and generally being productive.  And welp, absolutely none of that happened today.  Because when I got out of the shower, I pulled a muscle in my neck (for the second time in a few months).  And it is debilitating.  Mer.

So, the pain put me on the floor, and then I couldn't get myself up off the floor.  Double mer.  So, I've mostly sat around today doing things where I don't have to use my neck muscles to hold my head up (mainly binge watching "Criminal Minds" on Netflix).  Thank goodness it's not as bad as the first time I pulled it, but it's still pretty painful.

But thankfully, My hubs is wonderful, and he is very sympathetic toward my low pain tolerance.  When I was feeling a bit better, we grabbed some lunch out and then went to a movie (another thing I can do without having to hold my neck up).

We decided on "American Sniper".  And it was incredibly interesting.  Going into it, I had heard of Chris Kyle and that he was "the deadliest sniper in American history", and I also knew that he was killed after he came home.  But, beyond that, I didn't know anything about who he was or what he had done.  And I don't know if the movie accurately portrayed his life or not, but it was very enlightening.  I enjoyed it.  I certainly covered my eyes a few times, and teared up a few as well.  It definitely reminds me that there are so many people out there that have given more than I can possibly imagine for the freedoms I enjoy and take for granted.  And I am very grateful to those people, not just the soldiers, police officers, etc, but also their families and friends.  Truly, thank you for your service and your sacrifice.

And now, I'm back home, doing more Netflix binge-ing, working on a gallery wall for work, and desperately wanting a snack.  Happy Saturday night!  Lol!

Woah!

So... it seems that I haven't posted in almost two months.  Woah.  It's been a lot different since we moved to Missouri, and I seem to have a hard time turning my computer on.  It's not that I don't want to blog... I just don't feel like I have much to blog about.  If you follow me on Instagram, you'll usually see the high points of my life in photo form, but otherwise, I just have a pretty routine life right now.

But, here are a few updates from the past two months.

We've been enjoying our two lovely kittens.  Lo is returning to her normal calm and happy self more everyday.  And Luna is as rambunctious and ridiculous as ever.  She feels the need to be attached to me almost every minute of every day.  She is not the most graceful cat in the world.  And she's gotten in so much trouble in the last week for trying to eat all of the Christmas decorations.  I took this photo about two minutes after hanging some of my paper snowflakes on the door, and she had already mangled one.  About 10 minutes later, two others would be destroyed.  And in between murdering snowflakes, she'd run over and try to eat the tree.  She's driving me crazy, but at least she hasn't done any real damage yet.

Speaking of Christmas decorations, our "apartment" is about as festive as it's going to get.  I just love the glow of Christmas lights!

We had our first snow in November, and a couple of frigid days with some flurries and ice since then, but it's certainly not looking wintry white outside yet.  In part, I'm happy for temperatures that are too warm for snow, but on the other hand, it's still really cold so another ten degrees lower so that we could have snow would be nice.

Thomas and I have seen a couple of movies recently.  I can't think of all of them right now, so I'll have to do a review post soon.  But two of them are Big Hero 6 (adorable) and Mockingjay (wow).  So, look out for that post.

We also went to a Blues game a few weeks ago, and it was a really good time!  There were a few very amusing fights, and the game went all the way to a shoot out!  The Blues lost, but it was still a really good game!

I've got almost all of my Christmas shopping done.  Thomas is getting a killer gift this year!  I'm so excited about it, in fact, that it's wrapped and safely tucked away at my parents' house so that I can't lose my patience and give it to him early!

Well, that's all for now!  I'll try to make it less than two months before I blog again!

Work Work Work

This has been a crazy week!  I'm super glad it's Friday night and I've got a weekend of hanging out with my hubby ahead of me!  So, I'm at home, sitting in bed in a comfy new sweater watching some "Criminal Minds" and typing away!

I got some new responsibilities at work this week.  And I can be good at multi-tasking when I'm prepared, but when I'm not, I get overwhelmed pretty quick.  So, getting used to my new responsibilities took quite a bit of brain energy.  I'm glad I have the weekend to get my head around it more, and then I get to start next week fresh and with a plan!

Thomas and I are going to see Dracula Untold tomorrow.  I'm not sure how good it will be, but getting to hear Luke Evans talk for two hours will make sure a good movie!  He has one of those really great speaking voices, you know?!  And I am definitely interested in a story of how a good man decided to become Dracula.

Then we've got plans with my family to cheer on the Cardinals.  I know it's pretty much a crime to not be a huge Cardinals fan when you live in St. Louis, but I'm not.  I will watch parts of the game with Thomas when he wants to watch them, but I don't really care about baseball.  So really, I'm going for the food and the company, but don't tell the rest of St. Louis that.  Lol.

Man, am I missing my Florida lately.  It's been getting colder and super rainy this week.  I miss my sunshine and warmth and my friends.  Missouri certainly has its high points, but this week their not as easy to see.

I'm going to get started at my weekend started!  Enjoy yours!

HtTyD 2 and Transformers 4 {Movie Reviews}

In June and July, Thomas and I only saw like 2 movies in the theaters... Wow!  That's got to be some sort of all-time low for us.  However, we've been pretty dang busy since the move, and things just don't seem to be slowing down at all.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 - This was pretty on-par with the first one.  Hiccup is snarky and awkward; Toothless is totally adorable.  But this movie had a lot more plot to it... A LOT!  There were several different story lines going on simultaneously.  In my opinion, it was a little busy and pretty sad at some points, but the amazing flying scenes, music, and the adorable-ness of Toothless made the movie worth it.  The first movie was better, but this one was still pretty good.

Transformers: Age of Extinction - Yeah... This one was not awesome.  It definitely was not on the same level as the first three.  And it wasn't that Shia LaBoeuf was missing (though I really did like his character).  This movie had so many small, disjointed plots that I had no idea what it was really about.  Was it about Mark Wahlberg and his family?  Was it about fake Transformers taking over?  Was it about the humans killing off Autobots along with Decepticons?  Was it about mass destruction?  I don't really know.  It was long, and it felt long.  I definitely would not recommend spending money to go see this in theaters (if it's even still out).  It wasn't totally horrible, but it was boring.

Next up on the list of movies to see: Guardians of the Galaxy.

Movies I Want to See {Part 3}

It's a little past time to update you on movies I want to see in the next few months.  June slid past pretty quickly, and I was hoping that July would slow down a bit... but that's not really happening!

We have seen How to Train Your Dragon 2 and Transformers: Age of Extinction, so I'll be posting reviews of those two soon.

Surprisingly, there aren't a lot of summer movies that I really want to see this year.  There's really only one movie in July that I'm even remotely interested in seeing (and that's rare)!  But, here's the list anyway.

July
Hercules (July 25) - We recently watched The Legend of Hercules (with Kellan Lutz) and it wasn't bad.  But this version of the Hercules myths seems like it will be completely different.  The great thing is that there are so many myths to choose from, so this movie with Dwayne The Rock Johnson will be a totally different storyline and genre than the previous movie.  I like The Rock, so I'm interested, but I, in no way, expect this to be a spectacular movie.

August
Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1) - Ok... This movie looks hilarious.  It's one of those superhero movies where the characters only think they're superheros.  It's another Marvel film (surprise surprise), so it's bound to be full of action and comedy.  If you liked The Avengers or any of the other Marvel movies that have come out recently, I'm pretty sure you're going to like this one too!  I mean, come on, Bradley Cooper's a raccoon and Vin Diesel is a tree...

The Expendables 3 (August 15) - So I'm not super excited to see this one, but Thomas is just giddy with anticipation.  They've pretty much gotten more out of hand with each of these.  And this third one has just about every 80's action star you can think of in it.  It's going to be so over-the-top cliche and cheesy that it will almost work.  To give you a hint: In The Expendables 2, Chuck Norris made a Chuck Norris joke.

The Giver (August 15) - I have not read the book (I know, right?  And I'm such a book-lover.), however, the trailer for this movie makes me want to.  It's about a "utopian" society that gets rocked when an old man chooses to share what humanity was supposed to be like with a teenage boy.  There are some great stars in it along with a few no names.  I'm not sure if I'll see this one in theaters (because Thomas probably has no interest), but I will at least watch it when it comes out on DVD.

When the Game Stands Tall (August 22) - I have a feeling that this movie is going to be the current generation's equivalent of "Remember the Titans".  It's about a football team that's been undefeated for years and years, and then... they lose a game and break the streak.  So they have to deal with the disappointment of being the ones who lost the streak and find their way back.  It looks pretty awesome to me.

September
The Maze Runner (September 19) - This is based on a series of young adult books (The Maze Runner Trilogy) set in a post-apocalyptic society.  It's kind of similar to Divergent.  A bunch of teenagers are put into a society with no adults and have to find a way to live life.  There aren't really any famous people in the movie, and the books were alright, not incredibly awesome, but I am interested in seeing this one.

The Equalizer (September 26) - Denzel Washington... need I say more?  No, really though.  He's an ex-black ops soldier who comes back out of his quiet life to save a friend who has been kidnapped.  Yes, I know this general plot has been done about a hundred times.  I still want to see it though.

So there's the list!  Like I mentioned, I've got some reviews to post soon.  Other posts coming up will be my July Julep box (hopefully I'll get around to that before August, lol), an update on the kitty cats, and maybe even a new recipe!

Two Super Great Movies

Ok... So I've been neglecting the blog a bit lately.  I'd like to excuse myself by saying that it was unconsciously done, but that just wouldn't be true.  I've thought about blogging...  It's been on my to-do list for a while... I just haven't felt like it.  Really, I've been "pretty busy".  And that's in quotes because I'm not really that busy.  It's just that I'm a lot busier than I was before the move.  There are so many changes that have happened that affect the amount of time I have in my day.  And those things also affect what I want to do with that extra time that isn't already scheduled for something.

So anyway... here is a review of the two movies we've seen recently (both of which I loved), and then I will work on a more personal update post for later in the week.

X-Men: Days of Future Past - Oh!  I was so incredibly excited when this movie lived up to my insanely high expectations.  The first trailer is to die for, and that made so so anxious to see the movie.  And so I am very glad that it lived up to everything I'd hoped for.  It answered all of my questions.  It dealt with all of the inconsistencies that could have created problems.  The acting was superb.  The X-Men characters that were chosen for this movie were perfect.  Pretty much every single little thing about this movie was absolutely perfect.  Ugh, just writing this post is making me want to see it again.  If you're a big X-Men/comic book lover, then I'm not sure if you'll have the same feelings about it as I did (it is an original storyline that strays away from the comic books), but you should give it a try anyway.  It was superb.  And can I just say that the two versions of Professor Charles Xavier were one of my favorite parts.  James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart together as the two different ages were amazing.  Just amazing.  I loved this movie.


Edge of Tomorrow - This movie was Groundhog Day with aliens.  Just kidding; but that's the main idea.  Tom Cruise's character is stuck waking up on the same day every time he dies.  And while he's stuck there, he has to stop a war between humans and aliens.  Emily Blunt co-stars in this action/sci-fi flick (don't you just love her?!  I know I do.) and does an amazing job.  This is the first time I've seen her in a role where she literally gets to kick butt, and she does it!  I really loved the balance in this movie.  I can imagine that it's difficult to show the same day happening over and over again without getting boring.  Of course, the events don't happen the same way each time as Cruise and Blunt's characters take different actions.  But they still have to keep coming back to a few key scenes to remind you that this "isn't his first rodeo".  The plot was incredibly interesting, and I never would have guessed the ending (if Thomas hadn't leaned over and whispered it to me about two minutes before it happened).  I really loved the two main actors and thought that they did a great job on screen.  If you like sci-fi types of films, I would highly suggest this one!

So there are two great movies you could see this weekend.  A couple of others that I haven't seen yet but am planning on seeing are:  How to Train Your Dragon 2 (of course!!!), 22 Jump Street, and The Fault in Our Stars (I seriously need to read the book too.).

Like I mentioned, I'll be back later this week with some updates on what I've been up to!  Feel free to follow me on Instagram to get more "instant" updates!

"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" Review

Source

The first blockbuster of May is out and making a splash. We saw it last weekend, and after letting it marinate in my mind for a while, here are my thoughts.

You know, sometimes I am very against remakes of recent movies.  How can you really want to remake something that only came out 5-10 years ago?!  It's not like the movie is really that outdated.  Sure technology has changed but enough to warrant spending millions of dollars on making a movie that was just made?!  It's not like the movie needs updating to be relevant to current times or anything.

However, I would not wish away the Spider-Man reboot for anything.  Don't get me wrong, I saw all three of the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies in theaters, but if I had had those and the Andrew Garfield movies to choose between, I'd choose the newer ones every. single. time.

I absolutely love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.  He's hilarious.  I love the snarky-ness and general lack of worry that he brings to the character.  He doesn't take anything seriously, but he's also not a pretentious jerk about it.  He has a great personality to bring to Spider-Man.

And don't get me started on Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy.  Now, I don't know much (and by much, I mean anything) about the Spider-Man comics, but my husband tells me that the Gwen Stacy character isn't really a thing in the comics (or something like that...).  But I don't care.  I love love love Emma Stone.  She and Andrew have a great on screen relationship and their characters are quite perfect for each other.

Now that you know how I feel about the casting of the main characters, let's get down to the movie.

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is that there was a heck of a lot going on in this movie.  There were plots and sub-plots galore.  And that makes sense since the flick was 2 hours and 20 minutes long.  It progressed well between the different parts of the sometimes seemingly unrelated events.  But, man!  There was a lot of plot.  A lot.  Don't get me wrong, a lot of plot can really work for a movie, but it also leaves you feeling like you just read a 600 page book in 2 hours.  It's a little overwhelming.

I did not like the introduction of new plot material in the last 10-15 minutes of the movie.  I know that they wanted you to know that a new Spider-Man movie would be in the works, and they like to give you some hints about what villains it will feature, but it was a bit much for me.  I felt like the last 10 minutes of the movie were a little disjointed.

If you're looking for a movie that will keep you entertained and on an emotional roller coaster for over two hours, you will definitely get your money's worth with this movie.  There were parts when I was laughing hysterically, parts when I gasped and held my breath, parts when I thought WHAT?!, action parts, love story parts...  You name it, and this movie probably had it.  However, don't expect to have it all processed right when you walk out of the theater.  There's a lot to digest.  And I can't say that I totally loved everything that the writers did, but overall, this was a solid movie.

If you decide to go see it, I really hope you enjoy!

February/March Movie Reviews

So I have not yet filled you in on the rest of the movies we saw in February and March even though we're halfway through April!  I am slackin'!

We ended up seeing five of the ten movies that I mentioned in this post describing the movies I was interested in seeing back in January.  We hardly ever see all of the movies on the list because, well, mainly because we don't have that much money to spend on movies every month.  But also because I a lot of times include movies that I'm pretty sure we won't see in theaters but I'm still interested in.

Below are the three movies we saw in February and March along with a sneak peek of one of the April movies we saw this week!  We still have not seen Noah.  And yes, I've seen everyone and their mother's opinions of it on the internet, but I would still like to see it with my own eyes to form my own opinions.  However, that will probably happen via Redbox in a few months.

Monuments Men - I really, thoroughly enjoyed this movie.  I'm a huge history nerd, so I'm pretty apt to like most things that have a good historical background.  However, I feel as though the movie was marketed as a comedy as well as a true story.  It was not a comedy.  The funny parts of the movie were all in the previews.  What I did not expect was to be moved by the events.  I teared up several times (call me crazy), but the things that were done during the Second World War are still so emotional.  And if this movie had been about the horrors of the Holocaust or the battlefields, I would have expected to be moved.  But this movie was *just* about art.  And yet it was so sad and moving.  But, like I said, this movie was very little of what I expected, but I enjoyed it extremely and would recommend it to everyone.

300: Rise of An Empire - Blech.  I loved the first 300 movie.  And because of that and the fact that this sequel did not have a cast that packed as much punch for me, I did not have incredibly high hopes for this movie.  And still, it did not live up to those low expectations.  I was bored.  There was so much backstory intent on educating the viewer of the character history that the actual plot only really took up half of the movie.  Much of the screen time was narrated and was only backstory given so that you could understand why everybody hated everybody.  Also, the first movie stuck a lot closer to actual historical events than this one.  Sure, they both have tons of made-up stuff in them, but this movie was almost totally mythical and unfathomable.  I did not like it and would not recommend it.

Divergent - This movie surprised me.  From seeing the various trailers, I went into it knowing that it was going to be very different than the book.  But I still really, really liked the movie.  They definitely changed a lot of things, but I didn't mind most of them.  I'm not really sure what you'd think of it if you haven't read the books.  I would say that they're pretty similar to The Hunger Games.  So, if you like The Hunger Games books or movies, there's a good chance you'll like these.  My main issue with this movie was the casting.  I liked some of the cast members and completely disliked others because I felt like they were nothing like the book versions.  However, if you're into this popular teen/post-apocalyptic/strong-female-lead stuff, you should definitely give this movie a shot.

Here's the April sneak peek!  We had an impromptu date night on Tuesday with Captain America and $2 popcorn/fruit snack/soda boxes at the movies!
Captain America: Winter Soldier - I knew I was going to like this one, and I did.  I love all of the Marvel universe films so far, and I was pretty darn sure that this one would be the same.  However, the Captain America plots are moving a little more towards the "typical trilogy" area in that, the plot of this movie is pretty closely related to that of the first one.  And I have a feeling that Captain American 3 (in May 2016) will continue with this plot line.  Of course, all of the movies are related, but these seem to be a bit more so than the others.  Like I said, I definitely liked it, and, just like all of the other Marvel universe movies, it will not disappoint.

Next up on the list: probably The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  (Though I am still so much more excited for X-Men: Days of Future Past.)

Happy movie watching!

January Movies

Well, Thomas and I ended up seeing two of the January movies I mentioned I wanted to see in this previous post.  So here are the reviews:

Lone Survivor - This movie was so incredibly INTENSE!  I don't think I relaxed for even one moment of the last hour and a half of the film.  Now, if you are sensitive to language, I would not recommend this movie.  The amount of bad language that was used was, in my opinion, incredibly unnecessary.  But I realize that a lot of people use those words everyday, I just don't agree with it.  Aside from that, I thought the movie was amazing.  It's hard to say it was good, because I know it was based on a true story where many men lost their lives.  The truest thing I can say about it was that it was extremely intense and also very respectful.  The end of the film was very sobering and respectful to those who lost their lives in the events depicted.  One last disclaimer: it was almost physically painful to watch all the things those men went through knowing it really happened.  Whew!  Like I said, I didn't relax at all during the entire last 3/4 of the movie.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - LOVED it!  Just as I suspected, I definitely loved Chris Pine as Jack Ryan.  Though I really don't love Keira Knightley without an English accent.  I love her, but when she uses her real accent.  It is, I'm a bit sorry to say, a reboot.  That's to say that the storyline clashes with that of The Sum of All Fears, the most recent Jack Ryan movie that starred Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman.  But, the movie was highly entertaining, and just the right blend of action, drama, character building, and comedy.  I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who likes action flicks.

Our next movie date is set for next Friday, Valentine's Day.  And we actually have a kind of weird tradition on Valentine's Day that I absolutely love.  We always go see an action movie.  I know, right?!  Valentine's Day is the one day of the year that you are practically required to watch a sappy chick flick.  But, that's exactly why we don't.  The theaters are packed for the girly movies that come out especially for Valentine's Day.  So we always go see a guy movie instead.  And if I'm being really honest, it makes me feel a little good about myself to be the kind of wife who will do that with her husband on Valentine's Day.  And if I'm being even more honest, Thomas is so great about watching romantic movies and taking me to see the ones I really want to see in theaters, that I don't have to use Valentine's Day as a guilt trip on him.  (But don't ever tell him that I shared that on the blog... he might not be too happy with me for admitting to the world that he watches chick flicks and sometimes enjoys them.)

So anyway, long story short, our Valentine's Day movie is The Monuments Men.  It's not a super "guy" movie like we've seen in past years , we both can't wait to see it!

So there is your movie update!  The hubs just got home, so I've got to go put dinner on the table!

Movies I'm Excited to See

2014 brings chances for new beginnings, a fresh start in a new year, and many other things.  I'm excited and scared to see what this new year holds, but one things I do know: the movies will be awesome!  Here are some of the ones I'm looking forward to in the first few months 2014.

Just click on the movie titles to go to IMDb.com where you can see more information and watch trailers.

January
Lone Survivor - This one is already out, and Thomas and I already have plans to see it, but I still can't hardly wait.  I love a lot of the cast members (Mark Wahlberg, of course), and I also really love a good action movie.  I'm interested to see this one since it's based on a true story and apparently pretty close to what really happened.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - I'm a big fan of all the Jack Ryan movies (I've never read any of the books though).  I have loved Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan, and I'm also really excited to see Chris Pine in the role.

I, Frankenstein - This one is a bit more of a wild card.  Aaron Eckhart playing Frankenstein's monster in a mythical world with different species battling for control.  I'm not sure about how I feel about Aaron Eckhart in this type of role, but the storyline intrigues me.

February
The Monuments Men - I am DYING to see this movie.  An "Ocean's 11" type of cast in a World War II drama/comedy/action flick.  Oh, amazing.  This movie is going to be absolutely amazing.

Robocop - Eh, this one is sort of a take-it-or-leave-it one for me.  I'm interested in the story line but not wow-ed by the cast, so we'll see. With all the other choices, this is one that may have to wait until it comes out on DVD.

Winter's Tale - So I recently read the book, and the movie will probably be absolutely nothing like it.  But that isn't necesarrily a bad thing.  The book was very confusing, and the ending was weird.  So I'll be really happy if they deviate a bit and just turn it into the really beautiful love story that is almost was.

Non-Stop - Liam Neeson doing what he does best... getting the bad guys.  On a plane.  Over the Atlantic (or Pacific, or something).  Against all odds.  I don't really care what else this movie has going for it, I'm already in.

March
300: Rise of an Empire - Well, I loved "300".  So, this one has me interested.  The cast isn't quite as good as the first movie.  But ancient Greek and Roman history is my thing.  So even if it's butchered into things that didn't really happen in history, even if I don't love the cast, even if the storyline is completely fake, I will still watch it.  I just love this time period that much.

Divergent - I loved the book!  And the second book.  The third book, not so much.  But, from the looks of all the previews I've seen, the movie seems like it will pretty heavily deviate from the book.  So, I'm really interested to see what the filmmakers' visual take is.

Noah - I've mentioned this movie before when the preview first came out, but I'm still really excited to see this!  I absolutely love Russell Crowe (I mean, who doesn't?!), and this has the possibility to be an epic movie with a great spiritual message.  I'm really excited about this one.

So, this isn't completely a comprehensive list.  Thomas and I may end up seeing a few others in the coming months.  And we may end up skipping a few of these.  But I'll keep you updated on my reviews as I see them!  "Lone Survivor" this week, I can't wait!

Three Sneak Peeks

Ok, so maybe I don't have any funny stories to tell today or anything.  But I do have a light-hearted, not-so-sappy post!  So there's a change!

Two of these sneak peeks are of my own making.  One is very much not, but possibly the coolest of the three.  (Shocker, right?!  I have nothing to do with the coolest thing I have to share today!)

#1:  Here's a much over due sneak peek of my current scarf project.  The photo's not great, but you get the idea.  This scarf is a first for me.  The weave you see is called "Leno Lace", and it can be really cool, but it is also a big fat pain in the butt!  So it's coming along.  Mainly, though, I just can't wait to finish it so I can see what it looks like off the loom.  I can't really tell if I'm going to like it yet.  Anyway... moving on!

#2:  I just pulled a batch of these babies out of the oven.  Mmmm!  I haven't ever made these, but they're a staple at my parents' house during the holidays.  And I just so happened to buy a ginormous bag of Reese's on clearance after Halloween, so these were the perfect thing to make for Life Group tomorrow.  You can find this recipe on basically every recipe website there is.  Just type in something like Reese's cookies and you'll find a billion of them (and they're all basically the same).

#3:  Alright, here's the coolest sneak peek of the day.  Guess what?!  It's a movie trailer!  (Another shocker there!)  So, last night Thomas was trying to tell me about a movie coming out about Noah (yes, the one from the Bible) starring Russell Crowe.  But I was in a not-great mood at the moment and kind of blew him off (sorry honey).  But, a little later, I got on my favorite website ever and a trailer was right there on the front page (the source of Thomas' info), so of course, I watched it.  And WOW!  I am stoked for this movie now!  Talk about capturing the epic proportions of the story!  Wow!  You have to watch it.  Seriously, you have two minutes to be awed!

Woah!  Right?!  Well, that's all.  Enjoy your weekend!

Today You Get a History Lesson

"Remember, remember

the fifth of November,

the Gunpowder treason and plot.

I know of no reason

why the Gunpowder treason

should ever be forgot."

(English Folk Verse c. 1870)

Today is Guy Fawkes Day!  I'm not sure I've ever heard of Guy Fawkes Day, you say.  Well, that's because it's a British thing.  Here's the scoop:

Guy Fawkes lived in the late 1500's and early 1600's in Protestant England.  During this time in history, religion was a very important and touchy issue.  There were many people who wholeheartedly embraced the new Protestant era, but there were also those who held fast to their Catholic heritage.

James I, the current King of England, was a protestant.  And there were some Catholics who wanted to overthrow him in favor of a Catholic ruler.  Guy Fawkes was one such man.  Though he did not hatch the "Gunpowder Plot", he became an integral part of it.  The plot was to blow up the House of Lords while the King and the Parliament members were inside, sparking an overthrow of the entire government.

After months and months of planning, the fateful night of November 4, 1605 arrived.  Guy Fawkes was in charge of making sure the 36 barrels of gunpowder that were piled in a room below the House of Lords would be detonated correctly on the following morning as Parliament opened.  However, you've never heard of anyone blowing up Parliament before because Fawkes was arrested just after midnight on November 5th, mere hours before the months of planning would have paid off.

Fawkes was the tortured for several days before he confessed the plan.  Afterwards, he was sentenced to a gruesome death, but he managed to jump from the gallows after the rope had been tied around his neck in order to meet his death more swiftly than planned.

Though this isn't a particularly fascinating history lesson, it is one that has lived on in English history.  To this day, people across the country still celebrate Guy Fawkes Day and burn his effigy at bonfires to commemorate the plot.

Today, I'm going to celebrate the day by watching "V for Vendetta" (a movie in which a man tries to recreate the plot in a future version of England) and eating toast (that movie always makes me want toast)!

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

So... One of Those Days {Lundi Little Lovelies}

Yep.  So, I'm having one of those days.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  When you have to look really hard to find the little lovelies in your day or your life.  

The dumb thing is that the main reason I'm feeling this way is because I just finished reading a book.  And it ended all wrong.  And this is one of the countless times in my life where the following is incredibly appropriate.

I always need a little time after finishing a book to fully process all of it.  I'm a really fast reader, so I want everything to last longer, even though I can't help myself from reading too fast.  Thomas always makes fun of me, but I go through a withdraw after finishing a book.  I'm sad that I don't have anything to read, but I'm also not emotionally ready to start another book.  So anyway, let's move on to the part where I try and point out somethings that are good in life and not all wrong like the stupid book I just finished!

Ridiculously, the first one that comes to mind is movie trailers.  Confession: my internet homepage is the Internet Movie Database.  It has been for years, and I don't see it changing anytime soon in the future.  I just love movies!  And one of the reasons that this site is my homepage is so that I can watch the newest previews for movies basically as soon as they come out.  I have been known to lose all track of time sitting in front of the computer watching preview after preview after preview.  They are about as mesmerizing as the movies themselves.  I even have a few old previews that basically make up a list of "Best Previews of All Time (In Rachel's Opinion)", and I will actually go back and re-watch these previews some days.  And just for your benefit, I'm going to pause typing this and do just that, because I know you are just dying to know what previews make my list!  *wink wink*

1. If I had to choose, the #1 best trailer of all time would go to Clash of the Titans (2010).  It's perfect.  Seriously, I get chills, forget to breathe, can't help but smiling when I watch this preview.  The lines they chose to include, the editing, the way the music fits so, so perfectly with the sound effects and the tone of the video.  The music and the perfect editing get me every time.  Surprisingly, though, the movie was sorely disappointing after having watched this preview countless times.  It was too fast.  It could have been so epic if only the movie had been longer.  I also really like the trailer for the sequel, Wrath of the Titans.  The Marilyn Manson song creeps me out, but it just goes so so well with it.
2. Another of my favorites is Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.  I just love that movie, and they captured some of the best moments of it in the preview.  It's a great blend of humor and action.  Probably my favorite part is at about 2:00 minutes when the music and the sword fight between Jack and Davy Jones matches up perfectly.
3. Atonement is one of those previews that I watched I-don't-know-how-many-times before it came out.  I was just captured by everything they didn't tell you.  I simply had to see it and learn how the story ended.  And, of course, my sweet husband (then, fiance) took me to a theater halfway across St. Louis to see it when it came out because it wasn't showing anywhere close to us.  He's pretty wonderful!

 Well, I could probably name a lot more if I would resign myself to sit here on the couch for the rest of the afternoon and watch a bunch more previews, but I am going to attempt to be more productive.

Another little lovely is the gym that is now mere steps from my front door and the fact that it is FREE!  Yay!  Though I'd rather sit here all afternoon watching trailers and eating cupcakes and Oreos and pie, etc, I am going to go work out instead.

Hm... what else makes me happy today?  Hm...  Oh, yeah!  I almost forgot!  The weather!!!  It has been absolutely magnificent the past few days!  Just perfect.  On Saturday, Thomas and I loaded up the car with the lacrosse sticks, a blanket, our Kindles, some snacks, and my color guard rifle and sabre and went to a park all afternoon. It was glorious!  We walked around the park for a while and talked, threw the lacrosse ball back and forth, and then found a spot in the shade to lay around and read.  I also practiced spinning my sabre (which I haven't done in years).  Yikes!  It was the most perfect afternoon.  And then, to top it all off, Thomas took me for milkshakes afterwards.  Seriously, it was like the best day I've had in a while.  So lovely.

Well, I'm going to end on that happy note.  I should probably get my lazy butt off the couch and finish the laundry and go work out and find something productive to do!

A Bunch of Random Strung Together

This weekend has been a little busy thus far.  And yes, I know what you're thinking... You don't have kids; you don't have a job; how can your life be busy?!  You probably sit around all day and eat bon-bons.  And well... you're actually pretty close!  Being a stay-at-home housewife with no kids right now does offer me quite a bit of time to do things I want to do, but that doesn't necessarily mean I sit on my couch all day watching t.v.

Actually, I watched most of my t.v. from the kitchen this weekend.  (lol)  For real though, the weekends are busier because Thomas is home from work and the rest of the world generally uses the weekends for hang out time too.  The weekdays offer a lot more free time.

But let's start out with Friday afternoon.  Thomas decided to work late, and that worked out really well for me because of this... some of my afternoon was spent on the couch because I was pinned there by an adorable sleeping kitty!  (And can anyone guess what show the credits on the t.v. belong to?  Here are 2 tiny hints: I was watching this show on Netflix because it is on break right now; and this episode is from season 5.  I'll tell you at the end of the post in case you are incredibly awesome and guess it!)

 

 Another reason I was happy that he came home late is because this is what my kitchen/dining room looked like at 5:00 pm.

Yeah, so due to some unforeseen delays (i.e. Netflix being mean so that I had to mess with it and not warp the loom as quickly, and realizing halfway through warping it that I wanted to use a yarn that still needed to be wound into a ball), my new weaving project was not out of the kitchen until about 5:30, which is usually about the time that I'm setting the table for dinner.  However, since the hubs was coming home late, fortunately, my project didn't interfere with getting dinner on the table!

But anyway, here's a quick snapshot of the warp for the new project!  I'm really excited about this one.  I'll post another sneak peek when I get the weaving started.

Saturday, in the morning, we went to see "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters".  And it was pretty good.  Just keep in mind that if you have read the books, the movie is nothing like them.  Basically they went with the same characters and a similar main plot, but everything else if different.  That being said, it was entertaining as a movie.  I just always find it a little disappointing when filmmakers change so much about a book just to "make their mark" on it.

Then, Saturday afternoon, I attended my very first baby shower as an adult.  *Gasp*  I know, right?!  I've "never" been to a baby shower before.  (Never is in quotes because I'm sure I've probably been to one as a child, but I just don't remember.)  And it was surprisingly not terrifying or horrifying or anything (lol).  It was a really fun time hanging out with the girlfriends! 

And of course, today, Sunday, we have church in the morning and Life group at night.  The only thing I don't love about Sundays is that I see all my friends a lot on Sunday and then very little throughout the week.  I just wish I could space out my human interaction a little more!  Lol.  

Next up:  I did the count today, since the summer blockbuster movies are pretty much petering out and school starts this week.  (Backstory: every summer, I make a list of all the summer movies I/we want to see so that I can keep track of all of our movie activity.  Even though, really I do this all year long because I keep every movie ticket ever.  But summer's always a great time for movies.)  So, this summer, Thomas and I saw 10 movies in the theaters.  (Now you can tell how we spend all of our free time and money!)  So here are the ten (organized by release date), with a very quick review of each!  (Note: please do not go see a movie just because I said it was good.  I like almost everything.  Also, these reviews also mention nothing about MPAA ratings, so please research that before taking my advice.)

1. Iron Man 3 - awesome; definitely on the same caliber as the first two
2. Star Trek Into Darkness - awesome; loved it; comedy, action, suspense
3. Fast and Furious 6 - amazing; I love these movies so much.  Not great acting, predictable and outlandish but so so amazing
4. Now You See Me - very entertaining; kept me guessing the whole time; really liked the cast
5. Man of Steel - amazing; best Superman movie ever; best Superman ever; props to a super buff Henry Cavill
6. World War Z - very interesting and original; Brad Pitt is great; another new zombie movie with a different twist
7. White House Down - intense with some humor thrown in; a good two hours
8. The Wolverine - dark and different; a step away from the more "traditional" X-Men movies; really interesting
9. 2 Guns - loved it; Marky Mark and Denzel are great together
10. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters - entertaining; very, very different than the book

So there are the summer movies from my line-up.  And as you'll see, there isn't a bad review in there.  So remember that just because I loved it doesn't mean it's a movie worth your time and money.  I have very broad, unrefined taste in movies, and I love it that way!

So, that brings you up to date in my oh-so-fabulous life!  I'm a little excited about this week because I just had an idea while I was doing the dishes... this week is going to have a theme here on the blog, and you'll find out what it is tomorrow!

*** The credits on the t.v. belong to season 5 of Doctor Who.  Best television show in the history of mankind.  (Just sayin)

Inconsistency...

...When it comes to blogging, I've got it!  My birthday/anniversary week, I did so great, tons of posts.  And then I just magically fall off the face of the planet for two weeks.  Boo.  I annoy myself.

In my defense, this week has been busy.  Last week though, there's really no excuse; I just read a couple of really good books.  Band camp started on Monday.  Yes, I'm a nerd.  I'm twenty-five years old, and I still go to band camp.  In fact, I just counted, and this year marks my 14th band camp.  Wow.  I'm such a nerd!

Anyway, other than sweating my butt off in the hot Florida sun everyday this week, not much is going on. Band camp is pretty exhausting.  However, here are a few minor updates.

• I finished The Book Thief (a while ago), and I really liked it.  The storytelling was so interesting from "Death's" point of view.  It was an interesting story about what one little girl's life could have been like during World War II.  It was a very enjoyable read.
• Thomas and I just went to see "The Wolverine" today!  And it, of course, lives up to the X-Men tradition.  It was a truly enjoyable two hours!  And there's an Easter egg at the end!  (Those are always one of my favorite parts!)
• Also on the movie front, I cannot wait to see "2 Guns" this weekend.  Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are both stellar actors, and this movie looks like the perfect blend of action and comedy!
• We're having some new friends over for lunch tomorrow!  Woot woot!  I love having people over.  It's so fun, and it really brings out my "Suzie Homemaker" side.
•  During the busy days this week, these verses brought me comfort.  Here, the Lord is speaking to his people, Israel, during a time of rebellion, and yet He loves us.

"But now, this is what the Lord says-- 

he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you. O Israel:

'Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; 

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.

Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you,

I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you"

Isaiah 43:1-5 (NIV)

Hopefully it won't be two weeks before the next post!!!

Randomness Stuff

What a great, specific, and descriptive title that is!  I had a recipe all queued up for today, but on a whim decided that it can wait.  I have noticed recently that I seem to be really good at posting on Mondays or Tuesdays, but then I sort of slack off the rest of the week.  So, this week I tried to prepare some posts ahead of time.  Overall, it has worked pretty well, but I also don't love that the posts don't reflect my mood of the day.  So, long story short, today I'm breaking free!  Lol.

Anyway, random thing #1:  Tomorrow is Thomas' and my fifth anniversary.  And yes, I know, Tuesday was my 25th birthday.  Yes, my birthday and our anniversary are only three days apart.  And yes, I also know that we got married pretty young.  All I can say is, when it's right, it's right.  And I knew we were right before we even started our senior year of high school. But that's all a long story, so yeah... anyway, I'm super excited about our anniversary tomorrow because Thomas has some special surprise planned and will NOT tell me what it is!  I absolutely love surprises, but they also just about kill me because I want to know what they are soooooo bad!  I can't wait.  And trust me, I'm sure I will share the surprise on Saturday!

Randomness #2:  This last b-day present arrived a little too late to make the birthday post!

Canisters to match all of my other kitchen stuff!!!  They're so adorable!  Thank you to all of you who helped to make my birthday special!  I love you all so much!

Random Thing #3:  My current read is The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.  This is another "teen" book; in fact I'm pretty sure it was on the Florida Teens Read list or something.  Anyway, I've seen it all over and have been pretty curious about it.  So, I got it from the library without even reading the description.  Yep, I just checked out a book that I knew absolutely nothing about.  That's why it's free, right?!  Anyway, I'm only about 4% into the book (according to my Kindle), and so far it is very interesting and a little confusing.  The book is set in Nazi Germany, and the main character is a young girl who steals books.  The thing that sets the book apart (so far) is that the story is told by "Death", yes like a grim reaper character.  So, Death's storytelling style is a bit different than a normal style. So, disclaimer: I am a really good reader, meaning that I can generally read fast while still comprehending and retaining information, and this book takes some concentration.  Just because the style the author has written in is a little hard to follow; you really have to pay attention.  But, like I said, I'm still at the beginning, so we'll see how it pans out.

Random Rachel #4: We just got back from seeing "White House Down" at the movies.  And I thought it was pretty good.  Thomas and I both walked out of the theater feeling like we got an enjoyable two hours out of it.  However, it is impossible to get around comparing it to "Olympus Has Fallen" that came out in March.  They're basically the same movie with slight plot changes and different actors.  The White House gets taken over by some bad guys and it's up to either Channing Tatum or Gerard Butler to save the president, the country, and the day.  They're both highly enjoyable movies if you like people getting beat up and explosions and stuff.  And quite honestly, between the two, I just like whichever one has Gerard Butler in it better ("Olympus Has Fallen").  You could switch up everything else in the movies, and I would still like the one with Gerard Butler better.  (He's my favorite actor, and I will like just about anything he's in because he is totally awesome, on-screen and off.)

I was going to have one more, but this post is already really long; I still have to check it all for spelling and grammar and stuff; it's getting late, etc, etc, etc.  So, I'm signing off.  Woot woot, tomorrow's my anniversary!!!  I love summer!

Date Day! and a rather long discussion of movies

This was supposed to by my "Lundi Little Lovelies" post yesterday, but alas, I was so busy having a wonderful date day, that I just didn't have time to sit down and blog it all.

Thomas had the day off work yesterday, so we had a little bit of a date day!  (And of course, I have no pictures to show for it.  I really need to get better at taking pictures.)

First up, we went to lunch at The Mansion.  Yum yum!  They have absolutely great sandwiches, but the part that surprised me the most was their french fries!  They are like the best french fries I've ever eaten.  Yum!  And their chocolate silk pie is quite delicious also!

We had some time to kill before our afternoon movie so we browsed around Barnes and Noble for a while.  Don't you just love bookstores?!  I do.  A lot.

And then we went to see "World War Z", which I was a little worried about, considering I had a zombie nightmare Sunday night and had to wake myself up enough to get out of it that I didn't really go back to sleep.  (Just fyi, I'm the kind of person who will get nightmares from anything.  Like, when I was younger, I got nightmares from the Injun Joe character from the movie "Tom and Huck" when I should have been way too old for that to be scary.  And I have really psycho dreams even without nightmares.)  But anyway, I really wanted to see it, but my stipulation was that we had to see it in the afternoon, not at night.  And it was really good.  (Only if you like that kind of movie, though.  Mom, you would not like it.)  I know the zombie and vampire thing has been played out quite a bit lately, but I do enjoy seeing all the new things writers come up with.  Most zombie/vampire movies succeed in creating something new when I'm thinking that there couldn't possibly be a new take on the undead.  A couple of random things I liked about the movie:

• Brad Pitt's character was not married to a twenty-something person.  It was so funny, though, I kept looking at the actress who played his wife thinking, she's too old for Brad Pitt!  But then I remembered how old he actually is now, and thought, Wow!  Kudos to them for giving him a realistically aged wife.  (She wasn't old by any means, I just always think of Brad Pitt as like 29, even though he ages just the same as the rest of us.  Ok, maybe not exactly the same... he definitely ages a little better than most of us.)
• I really liked the way the movie was filmed.  At many points, Brad Pitt's character notices things (he plays an investigator for the UN).  When chaos is going on around him, he notices key details about the situations, not in a theatrical way, but in a way that someone could be trained to look for and notice details.  And through the movie, his characters is working things out and thinking them through, and it's almost like you get to solve the mysteries with him.  Sort of like watching CSI or NCIS, the whole time, the movie shows you what he sees in a situation and you're trying to put the puzzle pieces together like he is.  (I'm a very involved movie watcher.  Thomas and I are the people who are constantly leaning over and whispering predictions in each others' ears as we watch, trying to figure it out before the characters do.)
• A shout out to the movie makers for creating a movie that helped me burn calories while watching!  Seriously, very large amounts of adrenaline were coursing through my veins for the entire movie.  I'm really jumpy to begin with, especially with movies like this.  But this had zombies jumping out, Brad Pitt trying to figure out the puzzle, the race against time, the fight against impossible odds.  Wow.  Seriously, my heart was still pounding and I was jittery long after the movie was over.  It was intense to say the least.
• The official music/theme song of the movie was Muse.  That was just awesome.  All through the movie, you could hear the under currents of their songs.  Love it.

Before you jump off your couch to go see a movie I like, you should know that I am all together too apt to like movies in general.  I like almost everything I watch and can easily downplay the faults in a movie if I like something else about it.  Some people may say that I have poor taste in movies, but it isn't really that, I just like all movies.  Except horror movies.  I don't watch horror movies.  And you're thinking... um World War Z is about zombies taking over the planet, that sounds pretty horrific to me. And that is true.  However, I have my own definition of a horror movie that goes something like this:  A horror movie is one where the sole purpose of the movie is to scare.  The plot, characters, and setting are all created around fear, and without the motive to scare the audience, the movie would be nothing.  So, I watch zombie movies, post-apocalyptic movies, vampire movies, etc., but nothing scarier than that.  Thrillers are fine, horror NOT!

Then the hubs and I came home and played some Wii, etc.  And we ended the night on the porch making s'mores with candles.  I just love s'mores, and since we have nowhere to make a bonfire, candles on the porch is the next best thing!

What a lovely day!  Dates with the hubs are the best!  Finding contentment is definitely easier on some days!