The Issues I Have With Twilight

It doesn't take much for me to admit this, but I would consider myself slightly obsessed with Twilight. I'm totally Team Edward after reading the books, although I think a lot of his appeal lost in the movies. Some things just don't translate well on screen, and despite the voiceovers, I just don't think there's any way to convey Edward's full appeal...which is why I think I'd be Team Jacob if I'd only seen the movies.

I know Twilight is a total guilty pleasure, and I know it's not realistic. Obviously, the whole vampire/wolf thing isn't exactly true to life, but that's not what I'm talking about. As much as I love the story of Bella, Edward and Jacob, I think it builds unreasonable expectations, especially in younger girls that haven't experienced a healthy relationship. Here are a few things off the top of my head that would concern me if I had a daughter that was a Twilight fan:

• First of all, sexual safety: Edward appears to be a 17-year-old, but he's really over 100 years old. As a generalization, 17-year-old guys don't have the self-control Edward does (not only does he not eat Bella, but he also controls sexual desires). Having a guy in your bedroom (especially overnight) is not okay - and if you're living with your parents, they better know about it...even if it begins innocently, it wouldn't take much for things to get out of hand and go further than planned.
  
• Bella has two guys making dangerous promises: "I'll never hurt you," "I'll never leave you." Maybe I'm just cynical, but I would be skeptical of someone telling me that. How can they know they won't ever hurt me? What if there was some sort of accident they didn't survive...wouldn't that be leaving and hurting me? Isn't it enough for a guy to say things like he loves you and wants to spend the rest of his life/existence with you?
  
• Lack of communication on Bella's part: Without intending to, she totally leads Jacob on. When they do "talk about it," she doesn't explain things very clearly and is very cryptic...which doesn't do much to reverse her leading him on.
• An unrealistic view of love: I get that a relationship with a vampire is more than any of us humans could ever experience, but it paints love as this glorious feeling that always remains with one other person (as do a lot of love stories). Being in love is great - I know that. But there isn't always going to be a glorious feeling. Sometimes you're going to need to do things you don't want to do at all and that feeling won't be there to make you eager to comply. You just have to do it because you made that commitment. I strongly believe that love is a choice - a choice to put someone else before you, regardless of how you feel. Feelings and emotions change so often they aren't reliable and can't be trusted. Making choices "because it feels right" is such a bad reason...it feels right for me to sit around watching TV and eating junk food all day, but that doesn't make it good for me. My concern is that girls will expect some amazing, glorious feeling and probably mistake it for infatuation...and once that fades, will they think they've fallen out of love?

Despite these concerns, I think Twilight is a fun love story - as long as the reader/viewer remembers that vampires and wolves aren't the only part of the story that's made up. The characters were written by a woman to give a woman everything she wants - something that isn't going to happen in reality. Don't get me wrong, as a happily married woman, I know you can have expectations exceeded and get even more than you knew you wanted...but men are men, and a man written by a woman isn't going to give you a realistic picture of a good, healthy relationship. Besides, it takes the fun and surprise out of a relationship with a real man.

We're Moving!

That's right, we're moving again. It's kind of funny, I've lived in 4 different cities within 13 months. Haha. So the scoop is that there is a church in the Olympia area that said they'd be happy to have Matt help out, and while we were trying to decide whether or not this was God guiding us to move, Matt found an apartment in the area that was having a great deal on a complex that was much nicer than we expected to find. We applied a couple of days ago (on our way back up from Thanksgiving in Portland) and just found out that as of today the apartment is ours. We took that, in addition to a couple of other instances of convenient timing, as God making his direction a little more clear for us. We have a little bit overlap with our current place which will make moving a bit easier, too.

Thanksgiving was great! We headed down to Portland where Matt's sister and brother-in-law live with their son - the cutest nephew I've ever had and my current favorite (above with Matt, below with Matt's parents). Matt's parents and brother also drove up from California, so it was fun to get to see them, too. The food was delicious, and we had a great time hanging out, shopping, playing Apples to Apples and watching The Fantastic Mr. Fox. 

And, just for fun, here are couple of links. Enjoy!

• The Geekiest Wedding Cakes EVER - http://is.gd/59GHU (my favorites are the TaunTaun Cake and the Star Trek Cake).
• The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody - http://bit.ly/800ulO.
• A cool way of making music - http://tinyurl.com/cqkc8l.
  

Lessons Learned in Cleveland

This past weekend marked the 1st anniversary of Matt and me getting married, so to celebrate we went to Cleveland for an extended weekend. Here are the lessons I learned in (and on the way to) Cleveland:

Day 1 - Friday

• It's possible to beat Matt at Spite & Malice. Just horde all the 7s or Kings.
• The Minneapolis Airport plays classical music over all the speakers. It's very calming.
• When you're taking the train between terminals at the Minneapolis Airport, it might look like you're going to run into another train. Don't worry, though. You won't.
• Not all airport food is a total rip-off. I got a standard-sized Quizno's salad for the same price. PLUS they put in more chicken and bacon than normal stores.
• Landing in Minnesota isn't very exciting when it's twice in the same day. Especially when it's because the maintenance crew in Cleveland can't fix whatever needs fixing and you need to turn around mid-flight.

Day 2 - Saturday

• When in Cleveland, stay in a cheaper hotel with a free shuttle service to the airport. You can take the train downtown from there for a few dollars.
  
• Tower City in Cleveland is HUGE. It includes three floors of stores, two hotels, a lot of offices (at least 10 floors of them), a train station, a movie theater, a parking garage underneath, and a walkway to the arena and Jacobs Field.
  
• A marching band with just brass and drums is really loud in an enclosed space like a mall.
  
• It's fun to watch movies about prehistoric Sea Monsters, although it is annoying when the voice-over person states a theory like it is a fact (how could they possibly know what the skin of a fish looked like when all they have is bones?).
• Star Wars madlibs = fun! You can get them at some Science Museums, like the one right next to Lake Eerie.
• Hard Rock Cafe vouchers from Expedia give you priority seating.
  

Day 3 - Sunday

• The east coast gets to go to church and watch football games live.
• It's possible to figure out how to get somewhere in an unfamiliar city without GPS or Internet access. It's called a map.
  
• Museums should put their entrances on the maps they have on their hotel flyers. It's very annoying when you walk several blocks out of your way only to find you need to double back for the entrance. Especially when it's cold outside.
• The Museum of Natural History in Cleveland has really good food at a decent price, especially for a museum.
  
• Bobcats received their name from their short tails (or "bobs").
• Gray foxes are in the dog family and climb trees (not many dogs do that).
  
• Lots of geese = lots of goose poop.
  
• Sunday night isn't the time to plan a shopping trip. Stores close early on Sundays in Ohio, too.
• A lot of people in Cleveland wear Browns clothes.
• Charley's subs = delicious anniversary dinner.
• If you see a LOT of girls, tweens and women in bright sequence and Miley Cyrus shirts, it probably means there is a concert nearby.
  

Day 4 - Monday

• There are Browns fans in Nebraska, too (two of them were staying at our hotel).
  
• ESPN during breakfast = win (at least for Matt).
  
• Matt has a knack for making friends that work at stadiums on his way to a game.
• The water in the women's toilet bowls on the 3rd deck might be orange at the beginning of the Browns game. That doesn't mean the person before you didn't flush...it's called "team spirit."
  
• Cleveland is cold in mid-November...but it's worth it to see the Browns play.

Day 5 - Tuesday

• If borrowing your husband's Kindle while flying, make sure you don't leave it in the seat pocket when exiting the plane...
• ...but if you do forget it, remember while you're still at the airport.

Happy November!

It's hard to believe Matt and I have been married for a year already. Well, almost. Our anniversary is Sunday (the 15th), so to celebrate we're going to Cleveland. We picked Cleveland nearly 6 months ago when Matt found cheap tickets to the game on the 16th. Not only is it the day after our anniversary, but it's going to be on Monday Night Football! Be sure to watch for us on TV - we'll be the two Browns fans on the 3rd deck in the corner. I'm sure you won't be able to miss us (haha).

This time of year always seems to go so quickly for me. In fact, the last couple of weeks have seemed to fly by, despite our wide-open schedule. Here are a few activities I've found to keep myself busy around the apartment:

Stacking the Mannatech pills that were sitting on our coffee table (I hadn't gotten around to putting them away):

...and watching them fall:

Borrowing 3 of the 4 Twilight Saga books from the library:

...and then reading them so quickly I wanted to read the 4th book before it came in to the library. I kind of broke down and talked Matt into buying the 4th book for me on his Kindle (it was half the price of even one of the books):

 

Watching Matt's Xbox avatar play with his pom-poms:

 

We'll see what the rest of the month has in store for us and what other ways I can keep myself entertained around the apartment...

I'm so excited for the holidays coming up! This is my favorite time of year...it's cold, wintery, Christmasy...there are 2 holidays within 2 months that call for delicious food. Plus it looks like we'll be able to see family for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Of course, thinking about Christmas gets me thinking about that song we used to sing in Sunday School ("Christmas comes but once a year, I wish it could be more..."). But it still seems a bit too early to start in on the Christmas wonderfulness. Perhaps after Thanksgiving...

Self-Indulgence = Blah

Today has been a 'blah' day. I'm not quite sure why, but I've been in one of those moods where I don't feel like doing anything, and all I want to do is sit around and veg. I'm sure there are several reasons for this, but ultimately I realized that the only way to get out of this mood was to stop sitting around thinking about what I feel like doing, and instead do something productive that benefits someone else. In fact, I didn't start feeling better until I made Matt a sandwich (funny how the focus wasn't on me...).

Matthew 3:4 does something I don't think is done anywhere else: it describes John the Baptist's clothes. "John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey." Regardless of whether or not someone's wardrobe and diet are included somewhere else, I know it doesn't happen a lot. I realized that if it was included, it was probably an important detail. So I thought about what the relevance of this was. The note in my Bible said that John's wardrobe and diet show a visual protest against self-indulgence, which I verified by pulling out Matt's commentary (it said the same thing with a lot of larger words). What I realized is that in my flexible, wide open schedule I've become extremely self-indulgent. Although I don't go out and spend a whole lot of money, I do whatever I feel like doing when I feel like doing it, which means I usually end up watching TV or perusing sites like Facebook.

In my quest to do something productive and less self-indulgent, I opened my Bible up to Revelation and read the following (7:15):

Therefore,
"they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.

The illustration above shows those who "have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (vs 14) serving God day and night. This reminded me that I should be serving God at all times - day and night. By serving others I'm serving God, and serving others takes the focus off of me and puts it on someone else, which I'm sure is a good thing.

So what am I taking from all of this tonight? I'm guilty of self-indulgence and that needs to be changed. My focus needs to be on serving others, whether it's something simple like serving my husband by making him dinner or washing dishes, or something larger for someone else. My long-term goal is to keep my eyes open for things that need to be done so I can step in and do them. In the short-term, I'm going to spend less time sitting in front of the computer and TV so I can pay attention to other things going on around me.

Bill Cosby

"The networks say they don’t influence anybody. If that’s true, why do they have commercials? Why am I sitting there with Jell-O brand pudding?"

- Bill Cosby

That is my all-time favorite quote. Earlier today, Matt and I watched a previously recorded "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" from February in which Bill Cosby was a guest. I have a lot of respect for Bill Cosby. He is a funny comedian that hasn't sunken to crude jokes to get people to laugh. Matt and I watched "Bill Cosby: Himself" on Netflix a while ago, and we were laughing so hard. Although it's over 25 years old, it's still hilarious.

The Cosby Show is probably my favorite sitcom, too. Some of the later shows aren't quite as funny, but the early ones are fantastic. I think what makes the show so great is that the content is something everyone can identify with and it doesn't sink to sex jokes/cheap shots. My favorite part is it shows a positive example of a husband and wife that love each other and their kids, and are more concerned with teaching them what they need to learn as opposed to giving into everything they want.

Goodbye Uncle Al

The world lost a great man yesterday. We knew it was coming, but that doesn't make it any easier...especially considering the speed of the loss. Less than a year ago he seemed fine. He was making jokes and giving advice like he always did. Even a few months ago, despite the quick onset of physical limitations, he still had his fun sense of humor and wise insight to offer. 

It was hard when my grandma passed away a few years ago, but it didn't seem as harsh. She had lived a full life. At over 80 years old, she had seen both of her children happily marry and have kids, and all four of her grandchildren were old enough (the youngest was 17) to know her and remember her well. I know God's timing is perfect, but this time it doesn't feel so ideal.

As much as I'll miss my uncle, I know he's going to be missed much more by others. I pray that God provides comfort to his wife, kids, mom, brothers, sister and close friends. I know we'll never know why God chose to take him yesterday, but at least we can be assured that he's no longer in pain...and that there is a reason God chose to do it this way.

Obedience, Prayer and Pumpkin

I have to say (well, type) that Joseph and Mary really impress me. I've started reading through the book of Matthew again, and what really hit me in the 2nd chapter is how they followed God's guidance without hesitation. 

After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother. 

- Matthew 2:13-14, NLT

What really struck me when I read this is that they got up and left that night. I can't imagine what it would be like for Matt to wake me up one night and say "Let's go, we have to move to North Dakota* tonight." They probably had friends in Bethlehem - they had already been there for about a year and half - and they just got up and moved that night. It blows my mind. That's the sort of obedience I hope I show when God gives me clear instruction.

To change topics a bit, I watched The Preacher's Wife last night. I remember watching it with my mom when I was younger, but I didn't remember it very well and it was in the Instant Play section of Netflix so I decided to watch it again. Although I disagree with some of the underlying theology, I thought it was a really good movie. I think my favorite thing about it was that as soon as the audience sees the pastor pray, God answers - just in different ways than he expected. I think that's fairly realistic, which is probably why I liked that part of it so much. Of course the singing in it was fantastic (Whitney can sing), too. It would be so fun to be in a choir like the one at that church...

Another recent highlight: We got to carve a pumpkin today! Matt and I found out we make a pretty good carving team. I hate decided what to cut, so he drew a picture on the pumpkin for me to cut out. Then I opened it up, gutted it, and cut along the lines (although he did the tree). Then he took the pumpkin back and cleaned up the edges, which was convenient since by that point I was done dealing with the pumpkin. I thought it turned out pretty nicely! Can you tell what it is?

You can still see the pen lines a little bit, but I'm sure they'll fade from focus once it's dark and we light a candle inside. It'll probably be easier to see the little scene then, too. Too bad the spots were too hard to include...

* North Dakota was chosen as it's roughly a 2-3 day drive, and based on the distance from Bethlehem and the edge of Egypt it probably took Joseph and Mary at least 2 days to get there...although that's just what I figured so it's just an estimation.

Five TV Shows Worth the DVR Space (even though I don't have a DVR)

I have to say, I cannot get over how awesome Castle is. Not only is the show well-written with great actors all around, but Nathan Fillion keeps making Firefly references! Those of you that saw last week's episode, Fool Me Once, did you catch the 'shout out' 6 minutes in? If you're on Twitter, I would recommend following both Nathan Fillion (@NathanFillion) and Castle (@WriteRCastle) as they both tweet about the show. Castle has a Facebook account, too, so add him as a friend if you prefer that to Twitter (don't worry - they don't ruin anything before the show airs).

Although Castle is probably my favorite show airing at the moment, there are quite a four others that have been holding my interest:

The Big Bang Theory: With a premise of 4 nerds and 1 hot girl, how could it not be amusing? I love all of the characters' quirks, and appreciate the nerd humor I understand (although they're good at keeping it from going over my head but, as I hear, still very accurate). Apparently Wil Wheaton is on this next episode, so there should be some fun Star Trek references!

NCIS: Honestly, it's the chemistry of the characters that keep me hooked on this show. I mean, I liked it when Kate was on it too, but I didn't need to watch every episode the same way. Ziva brings a lot to the group, and I like the way the actors portray their characters (especially Abby) now that they've had a few years to settle into their roles. PS - Gibbs is awesome.

Glee: Okay, this one is totally a guilty pleasure. The plot is a little too overly dramatic for me, but the songs are just so fun! They're what keep me hooked. My favorites so far were "Don't Stop Believing" in the pilot and the Bon Jovi/Usher Mashup in Vitamin D.

Survivor: As fun as this show is, I never got into it until my brother suggested Fantasy Survivor. This has turned Survivor into a game we can play together even though we don't live near each other. We each pick an MVP at the beginning of the show (go Brett!), and then each week we make picks for who's going to help win reward/immunity challenges, get voted off, be safe and then one mystery question that changes each week (i.e. whose vote will be shown on camera or who will be shown holding the immunity idol).

On that note, I haven't watched NCIS yet this week and really need to go watch it...so I will.

Someday I Want to See...

Scandinavia! Yes, I know I've been there twice...once when my family went to Norway and Sweden in 1997 and then again when I studied abroad in Norway in college. But I really want to go back, and I would love to visit Iceland and Finland as I've never been to either. Denmark would be cool, too, although it's lower on my priority list.

Last night as I was folding laundry I found two holes in one of my Norway shirts (my "Norway, land of the Vikings" one). I love that shirt, and was really sad to see the holes...so naturally I informed Matt that we'll need to go just so I can get a new shirt. This got us thinking about how much it would actually cost...needless to say, a trip to Scandinavia is out of our budget at the moment, but I can say that hotel and airfare isn't nearly as much as I thought it would be. I guess those trips start to add up once you get there and decide to do things. If I ever make it back to Norway, here are the things I would need to do (in no particular order):

• Eat at Peppe's Pizza (I still crave their BLT pizza even though I haven't had one in 4 years).
• Eat a kebab (those things are so good in Europe).
• Go back to Hamar and wander around where I used to live.
• Visit the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo (one of the ones I never quite made it to).
• Take Matt on the Norway in a Nutshell tour.
• Eat Chinese food in Bergen (we always eat chinese food in Bergen).
• If we're there around this time of year, buy and drink Julebrus (Christmas soda).
• Buy a new Norway shirt (since that's the urgency for going now...)
  

Obviously, that's only a partial list. If I was actually going anytime soon I would put a lot more thought into it, but those are the things I would want to do off the top of my head.

Then of course, there are the excursions to Finland and Iceland. As I've never been to either, I would need to do research to figure out what I want to do, but both sound really cool (and not just because of the weather). As I'm just as much Finn as I am Norwegian, it would be cool to see that part of the world.

I'm not quite sure why I want to go to Iceland so much...I think it's because it looked so fun in a video we watched in one of my Scandinavian Studies classes...and because that's where the team from D2: The Mighty Ducks is from...haha.

So...if anyone wants to take us on an all-expense-paid trip to Scandinavia, we would be happy to go. Although, to be honest, we'd probably be happy to go anywhere if it's all-expenses-paid...

Note: Matt thinks this sounds like a ploy to get a free trip, but it's not. I'm just sharing why I want to go to Scandinavia...again =)

God Protects, Listens...and Has a Sense of Humor

It can be frustrating to wait for God's timing on things. In retrospect it's usually easier to see how his timing is always best, but that doesn't make it easier while you're waiting...especially when you have bills to pay and a lot of free time to wonder why he's taking so long.

In these instances I try to change my perspective. When a child is waiting for something, 15 minutes can seem like an eternity. An adult knows that it's well worth it to wait that 15 minutes, though, or whatever they're waiting for won't be quite as good (i.e. the food might not be cooked all the way through). I think it's the same way with God. We sit here wondering why it's taking so long for him to do his providing thing. Who knows - maybe the situation he has in mind isn't set up quite right yet, maybe we need to learn something before we're ready, maybe his way is something completely different than we expect...or maybe he knows that we'll appreciate the opportunity more if it doesn't just land in our lap.

These are also times I remind myself of all the ways I've seen God work in my life. In the past 10 years alone, I've seen God protect me, answer my prayers and use his timing to remind me he's in charge.

God protects:

Fairly soon after I got my license in high school, I was driving as my friends and I hung out. We had talked about playing pool earlier, and then ended up doing something else instead (I can't remember what). One of my friends decided to go home while my other friend and I decided to go to Starbucks. As we were on our way to the coffee shop, we realized my friend forgot her pool cue in the backseat. I'm not quite sure why we decided we needed to return it before going to get coffee, especially since we'd see her again soon, but we decided to make a detour to her house to drop it off. As we were leaving to head back out to Starbucks (and the busy street we had to take at commute time to get there), my brakes stopped working. Fortunately I was only going about 20mph, and was able to slow down as I turned the corner and park on the next street. Of course the cell phone we had for emergencies didn't get any reception (that was back when everyone didn't have one), but we also happened to be about 5 minutes by foot from my parent's house. Just think - the brakes could have given out when I was going twice as fast on a much busier street at commute time. We also could have been stranded much further away.

God listens:

There are two times I've asked God to heal Matt within the past year and a half, and both times he has answered my prayers exactly as I asked. The first time was at Mount Hermon (family camp) with my family last year. At the beginning of the week he wasn't feeling very well - like he was beginning to come down with something (I think it was Monday night). He asked if I would pray for him to get better, so I did. I didn't really think about it at the time, but when I prayed I asked that he would feel better by the next day. The rest of the night he still felt sick and, when he woke up the next day, he felt perfectly fine. This happened again right after Matt came back from a missions trip to Mexico. Of course, this was right after Swine Flu broke out (when everyone was panicking), and he came home feeling terrible with a fever. We took his temperature right away and it was 101. I prayed that God would bring his temperature down within the next few hours and help him feel better soon. Although it took a few days for him to feel better, I took his temperature again two hours later and it was down to 98.

God times things perfectly:

The most recent instance of God reminding me that he's in charge occurred within the past few months. I don't remember much about what was going on, but I know it was a Thursday and I was complaining to Matt about how I was hungry. Of course, he felt the need to point out that I sounded a lot like the Israelites in the desert grumbling to Moses about food, to which I told him I didn't see any manna lying around. About a minute later, the doorbell rang. Standing there was a UPS man holding a "Mannatech" box that happened to be full of food (Beef/Turkey Jerky, chocolate, etc). I knew my mom had sent a box, and she told me it would it would arrive on Friday. Apparently God had arranged for the package to arrive a day early at just that instant to remind me that he's in charge...and that he has a sense of humor.

I know thinking back to these situations and trying to change my perspective doesn't make time speed up, but it helps me stay calm and not worry. I know God is going to provide what we need when we need it and, in the meantime, he's listening to my thoughts and concerns...and most likely using this time to teach me something new.

Life Then vs. Now + What Change Means to Me

Happy October! It's weird to think that Matt and I have been living in Washington for almost 3 months already...and even stranger to think that we've been married for almost a year (it'll be a year mid-November). It's odd to think of how much my life has changed in just a year. This time last year, I was working 40 hours/week plus a 30 min commute each way 3 of those days, involved in a variety of weekly activities (i.e. Bible study), planning a wedding, driving about 2 hours a week to spend time with Matt, finding time to hang out with family and friends and, of course, keeping up with a few of my favorite TV shows. How did I do all of that?? Now I work closer to 30 hours/week with a daily commute to my living room, spend time with Matt (which requires no drive whatsoever), try to go for walks at least 5 days/week, and keep up with a variety of TV shows. I guess I could add the Bible study we've started going to since we've gone twice and plan to continue...but even still, my activity level has significantly dwindled. As someone who enjoys having a lot going on and keeping busy it's been a bit of an adjustment, but I know it's a part of moving to a new place where we don't know many people, and it will take time to get plugged in to the community here.

I guess one of the things this change is teaching me is how much I need to depend on God every single day. I consider one of the gifts God gave me to be faith, and I've only really doubted God once in my life (I know that's not typical of most 25-year-olds). I think a lot of it has to do with how God made me, but also with how my mom encouraged me to look at events in my life from an early age. I don't believe in coincidences. There have been too many things in my life that have just "worked out" for them to be a random chance. It's easy for me to see God working in my life, but I lack the self-discipline to regularly pick up the Bible and spend time focused on him without distraction. A year ago, when I was much, much busier, I justified my lack of discipline through everything I had going on. Looks like God's not letting me use that excuse anymore...

I was reminded of all of this when a former neighbor and friend from elementary school posted a link to a skit by The Skit Guys on YouTube. It's a great reminder about how God never said life would be easy, and that when things are hard it's for our own good. It's also a great reminder of how we should find our value in God, and not from the media or society we live in. Check it out at http://bit.ly/148Etz.

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...

My Recent Travels: Portland

This past weekend Matt and I had the opportunity to visit Portland to see my sister-in-law (Cara), her husband (Dustin) and their son (Moses). Of course, the reason we went was because we wanted to see them, but the trip also gave us a great taste of Portland (literally) as we were shown around by locals. Now, I'd visited Portland before with a few friends when I was in college, and we had a great time, but I wasn't previously aware that this city is rumored to have the most restaurants per capita than any other city. Whether it's true or not, the fact they have that rumor makes it an even cooler destination for me. One of my all-time favorite activities is eating. As is hanging out with people. So a weekend full of hanging out with people while eating makes it a trip well-spent.

I'm a strong believer that hole-in-the-wall or family-owned restaurants taste better than giant chains. Don't get me wrong, I love the big guys, too, but when I'm traveling I like to try places I can't get at home. Although we were only there for a couple of days, we had the privilege of experiencing six different food businesses (not all of them were for full meals):

1. After trying to go to a couple of Ethiopian places that were closed, we decided to give Russell Street Bar-B-Que a try for lunch on Saturday. I had the Pulled Pork Sandwich which was quite tasty, and everyone else seemed to enjoy the Smoked Beef Brisket. I think what I liked best, though, was the decor. They had a lot of cute pigs all over, and there was a sign by the entrance that said abandon children would be given double espressos and...something else I can't remember right now, but remember thinking it was amusing.

2. I had read about Voodoo Donuts online a few days before our trip, so I was sure to request that as a location to stop by. The line was really long -- out the door and down the street -- but it also went quickly and was definitely worth the wait. My two favorites were the one that had oreos all over the top and the maple bar with bacon on top. I know this sounds a little odd, but the bacon combined with the maple flavor is quite tasty.

3. Something came up over the course of conversation about these Food Carts at SE 12th and Hawthorne that have fries, burritos, BBQ and crepes. As soon as I heard crepes, we had to go there. These sweet and savory crepes are made with all sorts of ingredients. The one part I didn't like was how long it took to get my crepe - Matt was able to think about getting a burrito, go over, get one, wait for it, come back, think about eating it, eat it, and still wait around...but my chocolate and pear crepe was still delicious and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

4. Cara happened to have a coupon for Cha Taqueria, so we decided to go there for lunch on Sunday. Now, Mexican food can sometimes be a bit tricky for me since I can't eat cheese, don't like tomatoes, and can't handle spicy food. I'm always able to find something I can eat, though, and I usually like it okay, but the "something" I found to eat at Cha Taqueria was amazing. Even without the cheese, the Alambre (Grilled steak, bacon, ham, peppers, and onions served on a sizzling skillet with handmade tortillas and all the fixings) was quite delectable. I was really sad when I realized we forgot our leftovers in the hotel fridge on the way back home...because it was GOOD. The restaurant overall was really nice. It had a chic feel, and you could tell from the decor that dinner/nightlife was where most of its business came in. Their prices on the lunch menu seemed quite reasonable, though, and the portions were large enough that I could've easily made at least two meals out of my entree.

5. Dustin happens to be a very talented musician, and he also happened to be playing at Mississippi Pizza Sunday evening, so we got to eat some good pizza while listening to some good music. Overall, I really liked the feel of Mississippi Pizza. It had a kind of eclectic feel, and had a separate room where they featured the musicians. While a lot of places with live music turn into people listening to the performers as background music (which doesn't make much sense because you have to yell at each other to hear the conversation and don't have a chance to appreciate those on stage), the way the room was set up made it easy for people to sit, listen, enjoy the music and socialize afterward. The pizza was good, too, which certainly gives additional motivation for people to come back.

6. The last food establishment we had time to visit was The Waffle Window, a window off the side of a restaurant that serves waffles topped with sweet or savory flavors. Sadly, Cara wasn't able to join us (although hopefully we'll be able to go again next time). I ordered the Berry Bliss which was quite good - I really liked the sweet taste of the batter with the fruity topping. Matt seemed to like the banana/nutella waffle he ordered, and Dustin tried the Farm Fusion which had more of the savory toppings. Although it wasn't a large piece of waffle, the amount was just enough to be filling.

Okay, now I'm really hungry again, thinking through all the delicious food places we visited this past weekend. We had a lot of fun doing things besides eating (i.e. bowling, walking around a street fair), but since food is my hobby and I love it even more with good company, I felt I had to share. Now I'll be on the lookout for more places to try next time we go back down to Portland, too =)

Friday's Excursion

I know it's been a few days, but I thought a couple of things from Friday would be interesting to share. After working in the morning, Matt and I took the ferry over to Seattle to meet up with a friend from California that's also moved to Washington, although she and her husband live on one of the islands further north.

The three of us had a late lunch that afternoon at the Museum of Flight at Boeing airfield. It was really fun to watch planes take off as we sat outside the cafe to eat. Someday, I'd love to go back and explore the Museum of Flight. Although it wasn't nearly as large as the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, OH that my family visited a couple of years ago, it still looked like they had some pretty neat attractions. Here's what I'd love to go back and see:

• The Airpark, which features one of the former Air Force Ones and the world's fastest jetliner, the Concorde.
• The Great Gallery, which includes Cockpits, Flight Simulators, the Museum of Flight Tower, and a lot of cool looking planes.
• The Lear Gallery, which is all about space exploration and includes a full size replica of the International Space Station’s Destiny Research Laboratory that guests can climb in.

After we finished up lunch, we went back to Seattle because Matt and I had tickets for the Mariner's game. We got there right when the gates opened, so we had a few hours to walk around and look at the park. Of course, I've always loved the roof at Safeco Field - I think it's so cool that it can open and close depending on the weather. It ended up raining during the game, so we got to watch the roof close that night! Yes, I know I get excited easily...

Anyway, another cool thing about Safeco Field is the "Hit it Here Café" in right field. Anyone can go eat there up to a half hour before the game starts, and then whoever bought those tickets for the game gets to eat there while they watch. Although the seats are $44 - $48, they come with an $18 food credit, so it feels like you're getting a discount. If money were no object and my stomach didn't have a limit for how much it could hold, this is what I would order:

• Beer Battered Onion Rings and Poblano Artichoke Dip
• Hummus, Sundried Black olives with Pita chips
• Ribeye Steak
• Mini Corndogs
• Cloverdale All-Beef Hot Dog
• Fish and Chips
• Chocolate Cake

We ended up sitting on the third deck because that's where are tickets were for, but it was a fun game. We also discovered that sitting in the front row up there = a great view of the game. Not only did the Mariner's win, but so did the Giants (although I didn't see that game beyond the score updates in the park). The game even got out early enough we were able to briskly walk (plus a slight run at the end) to the ferry terminal and hop on one that left almost an hour earlier than we had planned on leaving.

Someday I Want to See...

Russia! St. Petersburg to be more specific. My whole reason for wanting to go might sound a little silly, but about a year and a half ago I was looking at this person's pictures from Russia and there were photos of a gorgeous park where you could rent big puffy dresses and take pictures! After seeing that, I was hooked. I have no idea what the park is called or what else there is to do near St. Petersburg, but if I were to actually go I would do some research first...plus I could walk around singing "Rumor in St. Petersburg" from Anastasia.

Castle

I became a fan of the show Castle fairly soon after ABC premiered it, largely due to my brother telling me it was good (he has good taste when it comes to TV shows). It's a fun, one-hour show about a writer, Richard Castle, who is writing a new novel and creating a new character based on Kate Beckett - a detective that he talks the mayor (a huge fan of his work) into letting him follow around for "research."

As a fan of the show, I think it's so cool how they're getting us excited for the premiere. They've made these characters feel like they're real through social media. Richard Castle's daughter, Alexis, set him up with a Twitter account so he is constantly tweeting...but it's not just mundane details of a made up life - it's a whole story told in 140 character snippets (he's helping solve a murder while on vacation in the Hamptons). How cool is that??

Because the show is created around the fact that he's a writer looking for his next story, ABC is releasing Richard Castle's book in one-chapter increments for fans to read. Richard Castle has a facebook account so his fans can ask questions and interact with him. I think the team that came up with the idea of using social media to build up to the premiere was brilliant in dreaming this up. All of the effort to create a character that feels more real is paying off - I can't wait for the season 2 premiere on Monday, September 21.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

For those of you that don't know, Aaron Sorkin is a genius when it comes to TV Shows. I like to watch TV, and there are a lot of shows I enjoy, but one of the things I love about his shows is their rewatchability. No matter how many times I sit down to watch Sports Night or The West Wing, I find myself laughing and crying along with the characters.

I recently decided to sit down and watch Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - his most recent show which NBC sadly canceled after one season. I hadn't seen it since it aired 2006-2007, but I was yet again reminded of how much I love Sorkin's writing. He has this great way of using music and visuals to create a moment that is just...perfect. Watch the Christmas episode of Studio 60 if you want to see what I mean. He does it in his other shows, too, although more often in the West Wing than Sports Night.

I also love the way Sorkin uses dialogue to drive the show. Thinking back to the West Wing, there are a lot of conversations that could easy drag, but he writes the script in a way that keeps the audience interested. I'm not a TV writer or expert by any means, but I can tell you that the words he chooses along with the timing of delivery are what make his shows stand out.

The other thing Sorkin does that I absolutely love is make characters that completely disagree with each other, and yet respect and care about each other -- an example of this is Ainsley Hayes (a very smart, savvy Republican) in the West Wing. The main way he does this in Studio 60 is through Harriet Hayes (I just noticed they have the same last name), a fairly conservative Christian that holds true to her faith, despite her life and work on a late night comedy show in Hollywood. I really like that all of the other characters on the show respect her faith and even stand up for her when smaller characters say cruel, hurtful things to her, even though they don't believe in God at all. I also really like that Studio 60 brings up a lot of questions about God, and Harriet doesn't always have an easy answer. We don't know why God chooses to do things a certain way, and why he doesn't just swoop and fix everything when things get really hard. When Harriet gets stuck and doesn't know why, I love that she says she doesn't know. From my experience, faith isn't about knowing all the answers - it's the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see (see Hebrews 11:1).

I wouldn't say that Studio 60 is a very religious show, but it does bring up a lot of questions that people have about God, and I think that's good. Asking questions is good, but it's also important to look for the answers in appropriate places. If I had specific questions about fish, I wouldn't go to Blockbuster to try to find out more. All they'd be able to do is give me the Little Mermaid or Finding Nemo - great movies, but unlikely to answer my questions.

Applebee's vs. Domino's

A few years ago I discovered my love for Applebee's Chocolate Lava Cake. Warm chocolate cake with hot fudge pouring out of the center...I still don't understand how anyone could not like it. It seems like since then all sorts of other restaurant have realized how popular lava cake is, so they began selling their own versions - none of which were up to par with Applebee's (I try them everywhere I go).

It just so happens that a few days ago we saw a TV ad for Domino's free lava cake when you purchase an order of Domino's BreadBowl Pasta. Matt and I had been talking about ordering pizza for dinner, and although I'm not much of a pasta person, I wanted that cake. Needless to say, for dinner that night we ate pizza, a pasta breadbowl and two lava cakes (Matt knows I have a really hard time sharing dessert). I have to say, this lava cake greatly exceeded my expectations. It was amazing. The cake part was a bit more crunchy than I anticipated, but it had a really nice flavor and it turns out I ended up liking the outside a little crunchy (crunch like a cookie, not like a cracker). The chocolate on the inside of the cake was rich, milky, and warm - even though it'd been sitting in its box until we were done with the more substantial part of dinner.

Applebee's, you've met your match. Not only did Domino's lava cake taste better, but it's about a third of the price, and you don't need to leave a tip (unless it's delivered). Yes, it's much smaller, but that's good. The smaller serving was much more reasonable for a person to eat on their own, and it left me wanting more instead of feeling sick to my stomach. Applebee's cake has been demoted to second favorite and Domino's now gets the distinction of finest lava cake in all the land (at least according to Emily). I kind of want another one now...

Someday I Want to See...

Africa! I'm not quite sure which country in Africa I want to visit, although when I was in 4th grade I decided I wanted to go to Kenya (my parents had friends that lived there). My main reason for wanting to go, though, is because I would love to see giraffes in the wild. I had a 7-year obsession with them when I was growing up. In high school I actually counted and found out I had over 1,000 giraffes in my room. Although the obsession has since dwindled, I still like the animals and kept the more unique treasures (giraffe soap dish, giraffe tea set, giraffe chopsticks, etc.) in addition to the ones with sentimental value.

One of my favorite experiences was feeding giraffes apples at Marine World when I was about 10. Not only did I get to see them up-close, but I even got to feel their tongues on my hand as they grabbed the food! Seeing them in the wild would be amazing, though. They're so graceful and quiet (opposite myself...maybe why I liked them so much?).

Here are some little-known giraffe facts that most people don't know:

• Despite its length, giraffes only have 7 bones in their neck (the same number as humans).
• Giraffes have four stomachs, just like cows, which means they also chew their cud. Could you imagine the same food going up and down that long neck multiple times?
• Although most people think giraffes don't make any noise, they do. Giraffes moo. It's not very common, but every once in a while they'll let one out.
• Giraffes have extremely long tongues - 22 inches - which help them pull leaves off branches. The tip is black while the rest is pink (I think it probably helps protect them from the hot sun).
• Giraffes are 6 feet tall when born, and a baby must drop 6 feet from their mother to the ground. Talk about a scary welcome to the world!
• Although giraffes tend to be peaceful, a mother giraffe can kick a lion's head off when protecting its young. Now that's pretty hard core...
• Most giraffes' favorite type of food is Acacia (which also happens to be in certain types of gum, although I don't remember which brands).
• There are multiple species of giraffes (I think about 7...but I could be wrong on that). I don't remember them all, but my favorite is Reticulated. Masai is very common as well.
• Male giraffes will show off their masculinity to female giraffes by standing side by side, twisting their necks around each other, and head-butting each other until one of them gives up. Sexy, huh?

There are many more interesting facts about giraffes, although that's all I can remember off the top of my head. Someday I hope I'll get to see one in the wild - that would be so cool!!

Photo Credit: Martin Pettitt

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.

Ice Cream = Good?

This might come as a surprise to those of you that don't know my mother, but I grew up in a family that appreciated ice cream. Yes, I am allergic to milk so I myself don't indulge in the deliciously creamy dessert often, but I know the best brand to buy, the delight that can be found in a hot fudge sundae, and the sorrow of a milkshake that's disappointingly too thin.

I know this sounds like it's out of left field, but bear with me. My all-time favorite cuisine is Japanese. Don't get me wrong, I love all types of food, but there's something about chicken teriyaki that is so wonderfully amazing. If I had to pick one food to live off of for the rest of my life I would select chicken teriyaki in a heartbeat, and probably gorge myself every meal until I began to take it for granted.

So, knowing how ice cream is to be appreciated, and the wonderful deliciousness that hails from the Japanese tradition, one might think that combining ice cream and Japanese flavors would be good. Well, maybe. Who Sucks posted an article about 101 Frightening Ice Cream Flavors from Around the World - many of which are from Japan. It includes flavors like Octopus Ice Cream, Ox Tongue Ice Cream, Fried Eggplant Ice Cream, Raw Horseflesh Ice Cream...you get the point. You can check out the full article here.

Note to self: double check flavor choice should you choose to order ice cream in Japan.


Photo Credit: CeresB

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I did it. Last night I made Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I’d been intending to make them for weeks, but every time I thought about getting around to it there would be a problem (such as having no butter or eggs). There were still a few...challenges, but the cookies still taste really good which is all that really matters in the end, right?

I used the following recipe (from America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook):

MAKES about 20 large cookies
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes plus cooling time

Quick-cooking rolled oats can be substituted for the old-fashioned oats here; however, they will have a little less flavor.

1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1½ cups raisins

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg together in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. Beat the butter and sugars together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beating the eggs, one at a time, until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the oats and raisins until just incorporated.

4. Working with ¼ cup of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay on two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2½ inches apart. Flatten the cookies slightly using your palm. Bake until the tops of the cookies are lightly golden but the centers are still soft and puffy, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating and switching the baking sheets halfway through baking.

5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

The first annoyance I faced was that I don’t have an electric mixer. That’s not much of a problem, though...I just used a spoon and my arm. On a side note, if anyone does feel like buying me an electric mixer, I would LOVE a KitchenAid Stand Mixer. My favorite colors are Blue Willow, Cornflower and Onyx Black, in case you were wondering.

It wasn’t until I started mixing in the oats and raisins that I realized I didn’t quite have enough. I was about ½ cup short of oats and 1 cup short of raisins. I didn’t feel like going out to the store again, and it didn’t seem important enough to ask Matt to go, so I left them out. I think that’s what led to my largest difficultly: rolling the dough into balls. I found the dough a little too sticky to roll into balls, which I think would have been easier had there been more oats and raisins in the dough. So I just started dropping them onto the cookie sheet and flattening them out with my finger.

And yes, I put them directly on the cookie sheet – I never think to buy parchment paper until I’m putting cookies onto the cookie sheet. Maybe I should add parchment paper to our shopping list for the next time we go to the store...

Anyway, the cookies still came out tasting fabulous. Both Matt and I enjoyed this recipe, despite my issues with the oats and raisins.

National S’mores Day, Chocolate and Julie & Julia

First of all, happy National S’mores Day everyone! I won’t really be celebrating because we don’t have access to an open flame, there are no marshmallows in the house and I’m allergic to graham crackers. I might be able to dig up some chocolate to eat, though…

One of my favorite types of chocolate is 70% dark chocolate “Concerto Batons” from Trader Joe's. Unfortunately they discontinued them a few months ago, but my mom is awesome and drove around to several local Trader Joe's to get them while she could and while they were cheap. When Matt and I moved to Washington, she rode up with me in the car and brought an entire box for the trip, which she let me keep upon our arrival at the new apartment. We (or rather, I) did a really good job of not eating the whole thing all at once, but then the heat wave hit a few weeks ago and we didn’t think to put them in the refrigerator before they melted =( They just don’t taste as good anymore, although that hasn’t stopped me from eating them. The only chocolate we have in the apartment is now the last baton…and I think today might just be the day to finish it off. It is National S’mores Day, after all.

Today is my parents’ 35th wedding anniversary, too. Yay – go Mom and Dad! Congrats on being happily married for so long.

So last night Matt took me to see a movie he had no interest in seeing: Julie & Julia. I really liked it. For those of you that haven’t heard of it, Julie & Julia is the story of a woman named Julie who decides to cook every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook in a year. It also tells Julia Child’s story of getting into French cooking and creating her cookbook. I really identified with Julie’s character because I could see myself reacting the same way in similar situations, and Meryl Streep portrayed Julia Child as such a wonderful, vibrant woman. I have to say, the movie inspired me to cook. We desperately need to go to the grocery store (which we’re planning to do today), so I’m planning to pick up a few items to help with one of my favorite things to make: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies! I know it’s a much easier dish, but I’m more of a casual cook so I think that’s okay. I’m excited to try out the recipe in my America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook that my aunt gave me for Christmas a few years ago. It’s by far my favorite cookbook ever. Not only does it include recipes they tried out and recommend, but it tells you how long things should take, which brands they recommend you buy and why food reacts certain ways. Everything I’ve made from it has been easy to cook (which is good for the casual cook) and tasted delicious.

I also finished reading BoneMan’s Daughters yesterday. It’s not my favorite of Ted Dekker’s books, but I still enjoyed it. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being amazing) I’d give it a solid 8. I haven’t decided what I’m going to read next. Matt decided he wanted to read through Harry Potter, which I think sounds fun too, but I want to give him enough of a head start so we won’t both be in the same book at the same time…so we’ll see.

These are a few of my favorite things...

For Christmas last year (or maybe the year before last), Matt's grandparents gave him a slingshot monkey. This is probably one of my favorite toys in our apartment. Not only is it a slingshot that you can shoot across the room, but it screams as it flies!! So many hours of fun...at least for me. A bonus use for it is an alarm clock when I'm trying to wake Matt up. For some reason he hates the sound that it makes when it starts screaming...regardless, for the easily entertained (such as myself), this is one of the best toys you can give.

Recent Activies, Books and Movies

This post is going to be a bit of a hodge-podge of thoughts:

Recent activities
Matt and I went to the Mariner's game last night with some of my friends from college. I had a great time. Not only did I get to see Nissa, Dan, Laura and Amanda (and meet Amanda's friend Sarah who was really nice), but I also found out they sell chocolate covered strawberries at the park (which I thoroughly enjoyed in the 6th inning) AND Nissa and I made it onto the screen during the 9th inning!! We were dancing to Mambo #5, and I looked over and saw us. It was amazing. We were both so excited we started moving our hands/arms uncontrollably while Matt and Dan moved with the music (at least a little bit). That's one life dream that's been completed.

Recent books
I recently finished the book "Blessed Child" by Ted Dekker and Bill Bright. I have to say that Ted Dekker is one of my favorite authors. If I don't get into a book a chapter or two in, I'm never going to finish it, but Ted Dekker has never let me down. My all-time favorite of his was "The Circle Series," a series of three books that Matt bought me when we were engaged and I finished reading a few months after we were married. Since then I've also read "Blink" and "Blessed Child," and am almost done with "BoneMan's Daughters." Anyway,"Blessed Child" was really good. I don't want to ruin it, but I will share that I liked the descriptions of the Kingdom of God and the way one of the main characters understood God's love.

I'm excited to finish "BoneMan's Daughters" - it's much more mainstream than Dekker's other books that I've read, but I've really been enjoying it so far.

If you haven't read any of Ted Dekker's books, I would highly recommend "The Circle Series." It is probably my favorite fiction series ever.

Recent movies
Matt and I recently joined Netflix since we don't have that much to do right now and both like to watch movies. One of my favorite features is their "Instant Queue," which allows users to download movies/TV shows right away (we download them to Matt's Xbox). Although not all movies are available in the Instant Queue, it helps make up for the disappointment of receiving a DVD in the mail that wasn't as good as you anticipated. A recent example of this was when we went through our Will Smith phase (or at least I did). I really wanted to see Seven Pounds and The Pursuit of Happyness because I heard they were really good. Although I seemed to like them more than Matt, they weren't as good as I expected them to be, which actually disappointed me a little bit (I was also glad I didn't need to pay theater prices to see them, though). Fortunately we were able to hop on our Instant Queue and watch other movies that left us (or at least me) feeling less like I'd just wasted time.