7/21 - Brandon's Birthday and Speaking to the Trees

This weekend we celebrated Big Brother's 19th birthday with a party at Grandpa's house on Friday night. The photos are on Husband's phone, but we had a fish fry, cake, and lots of fun hanging out. It turned out to be a beautiful night and it was so nice to finally be able to sit outside without sweating through our clothes!

Saturday morning we went to see Ice Age 3 with Daddy, Auntie Marcey, and Uncle Haver. It was a cute movie, althought I think it was a little beyond Lucy. It didn't hold her attention and she kept herself busy throughout by moving from lap to lap, eating popcorn, and various other fidgety activities.

That night Brandon came over and we headed to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner and to celebrate his birthday with just our little family. Lucy is always excited to see her big brother and wanted to play with him the whole time. We could barely leave the house, and when we came back afterwards she didn't want him to go home!

Sunday Lucy and I went to nearby Westwood Nature Center. We'd been there once before but the actual nature center was not open, and we didn't explore the trails very much. This time we were able to go inside and also walk around a lot more to see what the nature center has to offer.

I'm sure we scared plenty of animals away in this shocking pink outfit!

She was very worried about this tree stump, and we had to look inside to see if the Lorax
was going to come out "speak for the trees!"

Inside the nature center, there were plenty of snakes and bugs and lizards to observe.

We found these friends on the way back to the car!

 This was a beautiful space and there is much more to explore, so we look forward to making this one of our "regular" spots!

Lucy's First Movie

Tonight we took Lucy on her first movie theater experience to see Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. We are great fans of this book at our house, and since our little one has taken an interest in movies lately (and has a decent ability to sit still and hold her bladder), we thought we'd give it a shot.

So how did she do? Really well, I'd say! We made two trips to the bathroom, but both were "productive," so I didn't mind (and was happy she told me). She was surprisingly very interested in the popcorn, and hoarded the bag for most of the show. She may have eaten a little too much though, as she had a bit of a bellyache about 3/4 through and spent the rest of the movie on my lap. She was very interested in the movie and made several (sometimes loud) proclamations as she recognized certain characters or found things funny.


This was before the movie started, and she was saying "Mommy, I really 'ecited'!"
(and hello, can you believe this is a small popcorn?! I had forgotten how nutty the sizes are.)

I thought the movie was great. I was a little worried that because I love the book so much, the movie wouldn't stand up. They are certainly different, but the environmental message carries through and the specific Dr. Seuss phrases and tongue-twisters were featured appropriately. The animation was cute and the music had Lucy bobbing her head. I'd give it a parental thumbs up! I'm sure we'll be owning this one when it comes out on DVD.

Now that we know Lucy can do this, I have to admit, I am excited at the prospect of having an excuse to go see some of these cute animated films!

'Tis the Movie Season

I've been to a couple of good movies lately, and since there are so many great flicks out right now, I plan on going to more. In the spirit of the Golden Globes and the upcoming Oscars, I thought I would offer up some mini movie reviews. Feel free to weigh in if you've seen these!

Slumdog Millionaire

Most of you have probably heard about this movie by now, as it’s cleaning up at the awards shows. It started out as an independent film out of India, and features mostly Indian actors. The premise is that a young man from the poorest part of Mumbai (previously Bombay) wins a seat on the popular gameshow “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and gets to the final question, for the ultimate one million dollar prize. Of course the buzzer sounds and the audience must be held in suspense until the next day. Since he comes from the slums (i.e. he’s a “slumdog”), he is accused of somehow cheating and is arrested as he walks out of the studio.

At the police station, after being coerced not-so-gently…the officers finally sit him down with a taping of the show and ask him to explain, question by question, how he knew the answer. Thus begins a series of vignettes from the man’s life, starting as a child, and demonstrating the sometimes humorous, sometimes devastating events that led to his knowledge of the answers. We learn about the young man’s relationship with his brother and a very special woman (yes this is also a love story), against the backdrop of the very turbulent history of India.

GREAT movie, well deserving of the accolades, and it’s always nice to see an underdog (slumdog?) come through with the big awards against all of the high-budget movies. The soundtrack is also amazing. It was a satisfying movie experience – I was moved, I was shocked, I ultimately left with a smile. Stay for the credits, or you’ll miss a nice surprise at the end.

4 of 4 stars

Valkyrie

I probably wouldn’t have gone to this movie if not for Husband, who was familiar with the topic and interested in seeing the movie. Before it came out it was probably most famous for being the controversial pet project of Tom Cruise, who plays the lead character, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. The movie brings us into the height of WWII, where von Stauffenberg plays a key role in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, whom he and others believe is corrupting the true and sacred Germany. A series of failed attempts leads to a well-planned scheme of which von Stauffenberg is the lynchpin. A blast ensues and he believes he has succeeded, launching the Valkyrie operation to seize control of the German government and overthrow the S.S. It’s no historical secret that Hitler was not assassinated, so I’m not spoiling anything here. But through the ups and downs, hopes and fears that follow the hours after Valkyrie is expedited, one cannot help but wonder what would have happened had things gone just a bit differently; if decisions had been more expeditiously made.

There is enough tension in the movie to keep things interesting, and there is definitely a compelling human element – a military man who is a patriot of a different path, willing to risk his own life and the safety of his family to protect and restore the integrity of his country. Although I found some parts of the movie slow, as my Husband reminded me, “it’s a historical movie,” based on actual events, so I guess that gives it license to be a bit plodding. Cruise delivers a solid performance, and I do find historical epics fascinating in that I can appreciate the amount of research that was done to piece the story together. I learned a lot about this particular slice of history, and what I liked most is that it gives a German perspective that isn’t often considered – that not all of Germany supported Hitler. As an American of German heritage, I find this comforting. The German people were as much victims to Hitler’s insanity as the rest of the world.

3 of 4 stars

The Dark Knight

If you have not seen this movie, go out and pay the $9.00 right now. You will not be sorry.

After a steady stream of movie disappointments lately (Baby Mama; 10,000 BC; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), we were long overdue for a good one. Husband and I absolutely loved “Batman Begins” a few years ago, and were anxiously awaiting this next installment. If you are interested in the movie, I know you’ve probably read many reviews, but I have to tell you that nearly everything about this movie is perfect. Hello, Christian Bale. Aside from being incredibly good-looking (the Batman suit only enhances), he continues to execute this conflicted Batman character in such a believable way. From the swanky playboy Bruce Wayne, to the behind the scenes Bruce talking to his trusted friend Alfred, to the nighttime crusader. Who is the real Batman?

Heath Ledger. Holy guacamole. His Joker is amazing. He was totally in, no holds barred. The speech patterns, facial expressions, even the way he walked…between all of that and the creepy makeup, I had to remind myself a couple of times that it was in fact a real human being playing the part. A completely dark character with no faith left in humanity, and a thirst not for money, but only for human suffering. At the same time there is vulnerability there, making you wonder how The Joker became this way, what happened to him. It was brilliantly scripted and played. Knowing that Ledger was so engrossed in this character at his time of death only made it that much more eerie.

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman gave outstanding supporting performances, and Aaron Eckhardt grew on me when he got to his Two-Face phase. I could give or take Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel, much as I was benign about Katie Holmes in the same role in Batman Begins. A few of the supporting characters didn’t quite gel in my mind, but all were adequate and quite frankly not as important, so it didn’t affect the overall experience. Batman and The Joker simply stole the show, and the conflict between the two, and within each - was so real, so intriguing, that for the first time in a long time, I found myself being affected by the characters in a movie.

All of classic superhero movie themes are here – Good vs. Evil. The Human Condition. State of the World. Ego. Personal Life vs. Personal Responsibility. Sacrifice. All this, but no cheesy capes and neon-colored villains. This is dark, moody, surprisingly real.

To become the ultimate hero, must you first become the villain?

You decide. Go see The Dark Knight.

Trying to Take A Breather

We've had a busy weekend! This weekend Husband and I were on our own, and Friday night he took me out to a pre-Valentine's Day dinner at Santorini, which is the place we celebrated our very first Valentine's Day as a dating couple back in 2004. We typically don't make too much of a hoopla about Valentine's Day, so this was a nice little gesture. He also let me pick a movie, and was brave enough to be one of two men in the theater for 27 Dresses. It was a very nice evening out, and we don't get to do that too often.

Yesterday we were house-hunting, and made an offer as you all know from the post below. So we were pretty busy from 10AM until about 2:30 PM, and had a little rest at home before heading to a hockey game, which started at 5PM. Husband has never been to a game where the Wild lost, and this was no exception. They pulled it off in overtime and beat the Islanders 3-2. Luckily it was an early game and we were home by about 8:30, because we were tired!

Today we were a little reluctant to venture outdoors, considering the morning temp was a balmy -14 below (not including wind chill). So it was a nice day to relax indoors, but I couldn't sit still. I've had a lot of nervous energy all day, waiting to hear from our realtor. So after a day of sorting through a couple years worth of papers in my filing cabinet (including two bouts of unjamming the paper shredder), vacuuming and dusting, cleaning the livingroom and kitchen, doing a few loads of laundry (still in progress), and making Scotcheroo bars, I am now sitting in the recliner doing some paperwork and watching the Grammys. It's hard not to sit here and think about it.

I have to say - so far the Grammys have been pretty awesome. I love seeing all of the collaborations and special performances. I'm watching Kanye West right now, and he's singing a tribute to his mom. So...must go because it's making me tear up. I'm such a girl. :)

Christmas, Here We Come

We had a great Thanksgiving, but now that it's over it seems that we all have permission to step right into Christmas, and rightfully so since it's a month away. So I've had shopping and baking and decorating on my mind - I think the snow we got on Thanksgiving helped.

I felt motivated to get a jump on some holiday gift-making, so I attempted to go to JoAnn's Fabrics later Friday morning; my only foray into "Black Friday." Big mistake. I went in and immediately grabbed a number for the fabric counter. They were on number 25. My slip said 02, which translated to 102. Only 77 more people to go before I could get my fabric! Back home I went. I went back today and actually got the same sale price for one of my cuts, and I had a 40% coupon for the other. The extra 10% off I would have gotten on Friday was not worth the hours I would have spent in line.

I decided not to haul out the Christmas decorations until next weekend, so actually the remainder of this long weekend was quite leisurely. We saw a couple of movies; "The Mist" in the theater with Husband (some interesting concepts, but not really that great), and "Are We Done Yet?" as a family movie at home with Brandon. We also had a nice surprise this weekend. My cousin Kristi had a 3-hour layover in Minneapolis on her trip back to Iowa from the D.C. area, so we picked her up at the airport and we all had dinner together. It was so great to see her, especially since we won't be seeing her for Christmas this year.

Aside from that, we caught up on housework and laundry, and I am currently catching up on some of my saved episodes of "Heroes" on the DVR. Tonight, maybe baking some banana bread and getting started on a craft project. Tomorrow, back to business as usual!

Am I On Vacation Yet?

Technically, I think so. But I'm too tired to be excited yet!

It's been a long week, to say the least. Lots of work and not enough getting ready for the trip. Luckily Husband packed most of the camping gear today.

I did get to do something fun on Tuesday night, I went out to dinner with friends and saw "Sicko." I know Michael Moore is one-sided...but it's a very intriguing side. You should see it.

We leave in the morning...it's time for bed. Have a great weekend!

Lovin' Me Some Harry Potter

Lastnight Husband and I went to see "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," which is the 5th movie in the series. We are all in love with Harry Potter in this house...we've seen all the movies and read all the books...like most of the rest of the world. I resisted jumping on the bandwagon until I met Husband, when I decided to borrow the first 3 books from him. I ripped through them in short order. They are so creative, such wonderful stories. I've been hooked ever since.

The movies have been great as well (though per usual, not as good as the books). This movie was very different, much darker and focused less on action and more on Harry's internal struggles. Although there is another book and movie in between this and the hugely anticipated 7th and final book, this movie is a perfect set-up for the final installment. It's going to come down to Harry vs. Voldemort, and someone has to die. Who will it be?

Anyone else seen the movie? Thoughts? Theories on Book 7?

FYI - I realize by running this post, I am setting myself up to look like a total nerd. Whatever dude. It's happened before.

Look Out, Ladies

I had the pleasure of meeting my friend Amy's little boy, Jace, for the first time this weekend...and let me tell you, he's a keeper. Not only did he attract the lovely Kristy as seen here, but walking through the mall with this little stud garnered all kinds of attention!

Aside from Jace and I's first meeting, I had a great trip to Iowa and a nice time, as always, catching up with some of my best girlfriends. The conversations have changed a bit since college (babies, chiropractors, insurance...who would have thought?) but you girls are still my saving grace. I loved spending time with you this weekend. Look forward to the next trip in August!

PS - This weekend I also saw the movie Knocked Up, and highly recommend it. Very funny, but also very sweet and endearing. One I would see again, and I don't say that often. Check it out!

Subzero Oasis

Things have been pretty quiet lately, hence no posts since last Monday. This weekend we hunkered down and battled the cold weather (current temp is -9, windchill -21). I cleaned, ran a few errands and did manage to go to the gym, but otherwise stayed inside under the blankets and watched a lot of TV. The highlight was a very informative documentary called Who Killed the Electric Car. It's about the rise and fall of the electric car in the early 1990s, and a look into why it happened and who/what is to blame. Some very interesting points that one can only hope will be taken seriously as global warming, alternative fuels and less reliance on foreign oil comes to the forefront of our domestic policy.

Tonight we watched the Superbowl, and were glad to see the Colts defeat the Bears. Husband was rooting for them I think because they haven't won a Superbowl in 9 attempts, and he also doesn't like the Bears' quarterback. I was happy to cheer them on also, for the simple fact that there are 2 Iowa alums on the team, Dallas Clark and Bob Sanders (a favorite a mine when he was a Hawkeye). Of course the commercials were good, but I missed the halftime show as Husband is not a fan of Prince. Instead we watched the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet, which was very cute but did nothing for my dog envy. Have to wait until we buy a house to get that puppy!

So we're pretty boring lately, but I have a feeling February is going to be very interesting - stay tuned!

Sweet Land

Yesterday afternoon I went to see the movie "Sweet Land" with my friend Jacquie. This is a movie about a young German woman, Inge, who immigrated to Minnesota in the early 1920s, to marry a young Norwegian immigrant, Olaf. Due to Inge's German heritage and lack of appropriate papers, she is not immediately accepted by the small farming community or the church, which will not perform their marriage. Through all the hardship these two virtual strangers fall in love, and their love story is as sweet as the land that Olaf has cultivated.

The story is presented as a memory of Inge and Olaf's grandson in the year 2004, after the death of Inge. He is faced with the very real challenge of keeping the land that his grandparents lived on, or selling it to a developer at a large profit.

I just loved this movie - the scenery and cinematography is so beautiful, and the actors give understated but powerful performances. I guess my interest in genealogy makes me predisposed to early American immigrant experiences, especially those of the Midwest. The love story between Olaf and Inge itself is really beautiful. There is a very poignant line that comes on the screen in the very beginning of the movie:

Let us all hope we are preceded in this world by a love story.

Go see it if you can!

Two Movies in One Day!

Not much new to report here. I just got home from a nice night out with my friend Jacquie. We chatted over dinner and then went to see "The Pursuit of Happyness" with Will Smith and his completely adorable real-life son Jaden. It was a very inspirational story and also very heartwrenching to get a glimpse into the life of someone really scraping to get by, with a happy ending of course.

Today we also had a family date to see the movie "Eragon." Both Husband and I have read the book and really loved it. The movie was pretty good but skipped a lot of parts of the book, of course. The visual effects were pretty amazing, but then again we come to expect that sort of thing in movies these days. The main thing is that Brandon liked the movie and is now interested in reading the book also.

Other than that it's been fairly quiet around here. We're getting ready for Christmas, which I can't believe is only a little over a week away. It certainly doesn't feel like it with no snow on the ground!

Busy Weekend

Well, this was a fun weekend all around. Friday morning, my cousin Emily gave birth to her first child, a little girl named Allison. We are all very excited for Emily and her husband Chuck! There are some pics of the new family in our cousin Kristi's blog if you want to check them out. Grandma's house will be chock full this Christmas Eve - it will be fun to have babies around again. Congrats to the Palmers!

Brett and I had this whole weekend to ourselves, as it was Brandon's weekend to be at his mom's. We had a light supper and then cruised the new SuperTarget that just got built nearby. It's BIG. While there Brett bought the new DVD that came out of the Disney classic The Fox and the Hound. Apparently this was one of Brandon's favorites when he was little, therefore one of Brett's favorites too. I had never really seen it before, but we watched it when we got home and it's really cute! It also features some well-known actors as the voices - such as Kurt Russell, Mickey Rooney, and a very young Corey Feldman. I don't think I'll spoil anything when I say that the fox in the movie starts out as an orphan. This got us thinking - what is it with Disney movies and orphaned kids? Think about it:
Cinderella - orphan
Lion King - father dies
Finding Nemo - mother dies
Snow White - who were her parents?
Jungle Book - orphan boy raised in the jungle
Bambi - mother dies
Little Mermaid - no mother
Dumbo - no father?

And the list goes on. Things that make you go hmmm...

Saturday morning was spent on laundry and putzing around, but at noon we went to Simply to the Table. This is a business that is run by two women friends that I used to work with. They have a set menu each month, and you choose a number of meals from the menu based on the package you purchased. Everything is set out for you with very clear instructions - and the best part is, you don't have to clean up! You package everything for storage in the freezer, and you are given a label with instructions for preparation. We both had fun doing it, and now we have 8 meals in the freezer. This is our first time, but I have a feeling we'll be back.

Saturday afternoon I baked an apple pie! This is only the second one I've ever baked, and the first one for Brett. I told him I felt like baking, so he could pick anything and I would try it. He of course picked his favorite. So I got Mom's recipe and gave it a shot. It didn't turn out quite like hers, but it actually tasted alright. I'm still kind of in baking mode, so I may try something else this weekend.

Saturday night we went out to dinner with some friends, Jay and Dawn, and to the movie Man of the Year. This is the new Robin Williams flick, and we really enjoyed it. There's a lot of great political humor in it that is so relevant to the present. It also raised some interesting thoughts, such as the fact that the general public is increasingly going to comedic news programs such as the Daily Show with John Stuart for their news. Speaking of politics, is anyone sick of all the campaign commercials yet?

We had a leisurely Sunday morning and spent the afternoon lounging and chatting with Brett's family. Overall it was a really great weekend!