Just 8 More Months...

I am an impatient person. One of the several phrases my dad used to tell me over and over and over again was, "stick around and find out," due to my impatience and compulsive need to know what's going on at all times (although, amazingly, I really do like surprises). Anyway, I'm not a patient person, and I think one of the hardest things for me at the moment is that I need to wait until JULY to see the conclusion of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Yes, I've read the book and knows what happens, and yes, I know I signed up for this...but I just want to see it now! 

Part 1 of the movie was really good. I thought they did a good job of sticking to the book and setting up Part 2, in addition to backtracking some of the parts they skipped in previous movies. There are a few things that would likely be confusing if you haven't read the books, but I don't see how they could explain them and keep the movie under 3 hours. I won't give away any spoilers for those of you that haven't read the book and don't know what happens, but I will say that I laughed, I cried and I jumped a few times during the 2.5 hours. And I want to see it again.


For those of you that haven't happened to see a trailer, here you go:

Why I Love the Movie Tombstone

Okay, Tombstone is an enjoyable movie. A fun story, good characters, great acting (disclaimer: it is violent)... That’s not why I love it, though. Two years ago my husband and I departed for our honeymoon and, upon arrival, found out the place we were staying had a TV/DVD player! Sadly we didn’t know this before we left, so we didn’t bring any movies with us, and the only movie there was Tombstone. We must have watched it something like 5 times over the next several days. Needless to say, Tombstone is good memories now. I’m actually really excited to watch it tonight as we celebrate our 2nd anniversary!


On that note, I can’t believe we’ve already been married for 2 years! It’s strange because being married and living together is normal life now, but at the same time, it seems like just yesterday we were dating, planning a wedding, etc.


We’re also coming up on a year in our current city (well, in another month or so). As we only lived in California for about 8 months after the wedding, and then were in Bremerton for just 6 months, this is the longest we’ve stayed in one place since we got married, too. Fortunately the plan is to stay here for a while. As willing as I am to move when it’s necessary, it really is a hassle...


Anyway, a couple of additional recent highlights include:


Pulling out the Christmas music. I personally think some Christmas music could be listened to year-round. Jesus probably wasn’t born in December anyway, and why not celebrate his birth all year? Regardless, the day after Halloween I created a Pandora station to start listening to Christmas tunes and have been enjoying it immensely. 


Rewatching Harry Potter. To prepare for the premiere of The Deathly Hallows, Part 1 we’ve been rewatching the past movies. We’re on track to have all of them rewatched by Wednesday night so we can go to the midnight premiere on Thursday. I’m so excited!


Getting way for a couple of days at a friend’s beach house. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip:

 

On that note, my break is over and I need to get back to work!

Harry Potter and Baseball to Halloween and Pictures

You know what I'm excited for? Harry Potter! Only 2 weeks until the Deathly Hallows Part 1 comes out. This is the first time I'll see the movie after knowing the story - I read it for the first time last year after seeing the Half-Blood Prince. 

Harry Potter definitely grew on me...I read the first book when it came out and actually didn't like it. Of course I ended up seeing the movie because it was put on at a sleep-over or something, so when my friends wanted to see the second one when it came out I was willing to see it. I started liking the movies more and more as they came out, and after the Half-Blood Prince came out last year I couldn't wait to see what happens and ended up reading the entire series. Twice.


Speaking of movies, I got to see the Sound of Music on the big screen last week! We went to the sing along with a few friends, and I had a blast. Not only did I get to see one of my all-time favorite movies on a GIANT screen, but I also got to sing along to all the songs! It was kind of funny when the nuns were singing in Latin towards the beginning, the words were up on the screen, but the theater was silent. Until they sang, "Amen" that is - then everyone joined in!


Other big news lately: THE GIANTS WON THE WORLD SERIES!!! 

My Build-A-Bear & Matt's Flying Monkey celebrating

I was sooooo excited. Once they made it into the playoffs, my life became overrun with baseball. It probably would have been before that had the games been on TV up here. That's what happens when your team is two states south...I do think it's kind of funny that I've lived in Washington both times they made it to the playoffs - at least since I've been old enough to understand what's going on. Don't worry, San Francisco - I'm planning on staying up here for a while. 

Anyway, it was really nice to have a husband that understands the love you have for your team. Granted he's not a Giants fan (sadly he's not perfect), but he was really supportive of me taking over the TV for 3 hours every night and even skipping out on a few regularly-scheduled activities to watch the game. I also realized that this is the first thing that really made me miss living in the Bay Area. Yes, I miss our friends and family - but they aren't contingent on that geographic area. Okay, and I also miss Kinder's. But as much as I love Kinder's, I don't long to physically be in their shops...although I do long for their Ball Tip Sandwich from time to time...but my point is that not having the glimmer of hope of getting to go to a game or the World Series parade made me miss home just a little bit.


To change subjects a bit, this was the first year Matt and I ever both dressed up for Halloween. It was really fun! We went with his and hers costumes, but tried to pick something not too mushy - Mr. and Mrs. Incredible! I thought they turned out pretty well for being homemade costumes:

We wore them to a Halloween trunk-or-treat our church did in a nearby neighborhood. Not only did we line up five or six cars in front of a couple of houses (thereby providing five or six times the candy to kids), but we also handed out hot chocolate / apple cider, took pictures of anyone who wanted them (to be mailed to them later) and had a car with games for kids to play. All in all, it was really fun.


...and here are a couple more pictures I've taken recently that I've especially liked:

Harry Potter

I know it's been a few weeks since my last post. I recently became consumed by Harry Potter. I originally read the first book when it came out and didn't like it very much (I know, people told me I was crazy and had no taste). When I got around to seeing the first movie, I thought it was okay. I ended up seeing all the movies as they came out due to the excitement of my friends and they got better and better. I slowly became more and more of a fan with the release of each movie.

A couple of months ago, Matt decided he wanted to sit down and read all the books. I thought that sounded like fun, so I let him get started before I took the plunge. Seven books later I have to admit I am a huge fan. As good as the movies are, the books add so much more depth to the story as a whole. One of the things I love is how connected all of them are. Key parts of the seventh book, for example, draw from the earlier books (even going back to the first and second). We had a little marathon last weekend and watched movies 1-5, and I was left wanting to see the rest of the story and felt like I needed to read the last two books again. I've had dreams featuring all sorts of characters - from Harry, Ron and Hermione to Snape and Lord Voldemort...even Hagrid and Madame Maxine.

There is only one thing I don't like about the Harry Potter books: the way they are marketed. These are NOT children's stories. Maybe the first one would be okay for an older child to read, but from there they get scarier and darker. I see no harm in adults enjoying a brilliantly written story -- but the content is much too intense for children. Why are they sold in the children's section of all bookstores?? I know I'm not a parent yet, but I can't imagine giving this series to my child to read. J.K. Rowling wrote a fantastic story about good wizards and bad wizards that live in a world like ours outside of our realm of sight (we are muggles after all), but the reader needs to understand the distinction between a story and reality before letting this seven-book series consume their life.

If you haven't read the books or seen the movies, I would highly recommend it. For those of you with limited time, the movies are very true to the story and would be a good substitute if you don't have a couple of weeks to dedicate to reading the books, although the books are much better than the movies. Be warned - these books are very difficult to put down and highly addictive. I already want to read them again...

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

At the moment I'm torn - should I watch Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (which I haven't seen since it originally aired) or read Harry Potter (which I finally started after watching the movies)? I'm too indecisive to make decisions like this sometimes...which is why I decided to blog instead.

The topic of discussion today will be another one of my favorite things: My BuzzBee Ruff Stuff Air Blasters Double Shot Blaster Gun. Matt purchased one from Target a few months ago after he played with them at his cousin's house, and I bought mine not long after. They shoot pretty well. One of my favorite features is that when you open the barrel the shells pop out. There's even room to store up to four extra darts and shells in the butt of the gun, so you can refill in the heat of battle. I don't know if Target still carries them or not, but we were able to get them for about $15 each, and then a $5 refill pack - so we always have plenty of ammo around just in case we launch into a spontaneous battle.

On that note, I think I'm going to go read for a while. I'm glad procrastinating helped me make that decision.