The Muppets

If you haven't seen The Muppets yet, go see it. There were a lot of funny moments, many of which got me laughing out loud (literally) the second time we went to see it. Ever since we saw it the first time, I've had the songs running through my head. I don't want to give anything away though...so just go see it.

I will say there was a part at the beginning that made me think of our Halloween costumes this year (especially Matt's):

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:

CBRC Regatta (plus a few random updates)

Today I had the pleasure of participating in my first regatta in 6 years. It was really fun! This was the first regatta I've been able to make it to since I started rowing again a few months ago. Matt was kind enough to come out, cheer us on and take a few pictures:

Approaching the finish line

Crossing the finish line

We're the boat you can barely see by the orange buoy

Needless to say, I had a lot of fun.

Another exciting part of today was the Giants beating the Phillies in Game 1 of the NLCS. It was torture to watch (of course) but had the sort of outcome I like :)

No other HUGE news around here, although I did finish Battlestar Galactica and really, really liked it. I'm also super excited about the Sound of Music Sing Along coming up later this month - we're planning to go on the 26th. It should be fun! We've been working on putting our Halloween costumes together, too...I'll post a few pictures once they're complete (as long as they turn out the way we expect them to). 

On that note, a couple of new pictures: 

The mountain looked gorgeous as I was driving to dinner, so I pulled out my camera and took a quick picture while at a stop sign.

The clouds looked so cool as we left the apartment on 10/14! This was taken around 6:15pm.

The oars lined up, waiting to be used.

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.