Happy Anniversary to US!

We did it, we made it 4 years of wedded bliss. A lot of couples don't make it this far, so sometimes I like to think of married years in terms of dog years :) On one hand it seems like we've been married for a really long time and on the other hand it feels like it wasn't that long ago.

Big plans to celebrate the occasion include:

Me leaving work early and Chris having the day off

Eating lunch together - i wish we could do this every day :)

Going out to a nice dinner - We picked Iron Gate Grill

Going to see a play - The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Abridged

Maybe getting some ice cream or treats after

Also since Pioneer Day is the 24th, we like to pretend the entire time from our anniversary on the 21st through the 25th is our own holiday. It's great to spend extra time with each other away from the usual day to day routine. Plus, everyone lights fireworks for us! :)

Summer Movie Review

Now that the summer is half over, here are some movie reviews so you can know what's good when you're looking to spend some time out of the heat in a dark, air-conditioned place :)

A-Team

This one came out early in the summer, you could probably still see it at the cheap theater in your town. Chris and I both liked it for the mix of comedy, one liners, explosions, and the possibility of a sequel. 2Thumbs UP!

Karate Kid

Jaden Smith is the new karate kid with Jackie Chan as Mr Miyagi. The duo worked together pretty good and the studio did a great job of making a classic feel brand new. A lot of the cheesy things I expected in this movie were avoided and the over all product was really fun. The only criticism we had was that we wished the karate kid would have been cast a little older. 1 1/2 Thumbs Up!

Knight & Day

A rom-com about a gal who's in the wrong place at the wrong time entangled with a stranger where situations get more action packed and out of control. Cameron Diaz was pretty good, but sometimes she played it a little too silly. Tom Cruise was awesome. Lately in the media he's seemed a little crazy and maybe imbalanced. In this movie he gets to take his usual spy persona and play it a little crazy and imbalanced :) 2 Thumbs Up.

The Last Airbender

If you are a fan of the Avatar: The Last Airbender series from Nickelodeon, you will be disappointed in this movie. I like M. Night Shamalyan, but he should not have written, produced and directed this movie himself. If he had taken only one, maybe 2 of these jobs, i think the end product would have been a lot better.

In the cartoon, the characters are more vibrant, funny and relate-able than they were in the film. It seemed like the actors were kind of phoning it in with the exception of the kid who played the Avatar. I'd save this one for a matinee or wait until the cheap theater. It's an entertaining show, but not the blockbuster I was expecting.We both gave it a "meh".

Despicable Me

Chris and I LOVED this animated film which follows the evil villain Gru as he tries to steal the moon. The voice acting is pretty good and so is the animation. Although this movie is offered in 3-D I wouldn't go for it. There really isn't anything special in the 3rd dimension that would add to your appreciation for the film.

The story is great, it feels original and the best part are Gru's minions. They look like cold pills in overalls and although there are hundreds of them, they each look a little different from each other. I laughed till I cried at some of the gags they did. A great movie for the whole family. 2 Thumbs waaaay up!

Twilight Saga Eclipse

The third part of a now to be 5 part series, these movies keep building in quality, direction, styling, tempo and action. Edward and Jasper now have their hair under control, so that's one major distraction out of the way :) The dialog was less cheesy and more likely to be said by a person from Earth. As much as I hate to say it, i believe they've pushed Jacob's Abs to the limit. I think he only had a shirt on like 3 times in the whole show!

All in all, pretty good and I'm looking forward to the big wedding in Breaking Dawn part 1. One thumb up :)

Sorcerer's Apprentice

Chris and I just saw this and it was pretty good. Rated PG, it was still full of action, explosions, love, revenge, magic, and maybe a costume designer with too much of a penchant for gaudy jewelry.

That aside, the story was really great. Nic Cage is a wizard- Balthazaar-who trained with Merlin and is looking for the Prime Merlinian who will have the power to stop the evil witch Morgana LeFey from back in King Arthur times. He find the PM in New York in 2000 and things go a little wrong. Fast forward to 2010 and things come to a head. This is a great flick for the family, although i'd recommend it for kids 7 and older. 2 Thumbs Up!

Well that's what we've seen so far this summer and it's been lots of fun! Have you seen any of these shows? What did you think?

Happy Birthday America!!!

I think the first time I really understood the difficulties in establishing this great nation was when, as a high schooler, I went to Valley Forge. This was the winter camp of General Washington and his armies. At the time, it was a forest of trees far from any settlements, supplies or comforts. The soldiers cut down almost every tree to build drafty barracks as quickly as possible and the fires necessary to warm themselves. They slept on plank bunk beds as Washington and other generals tried to obtain cooperation from the Continental Congress to get supplies and carry forward in his battle plans.

It was these brave and enduring soldiers that made our country free. Those that survived the war for independence returned home and farmed the land, built families and instilled in their children the importance of a free nation governed by citizens who lived in it.

Many generations would pass and those original soldiers descendants would fight in many more wars to protect this land from threats both within and without our borders. They would fight to free slaves, to keep Mexico at bay, to slow the growth of communism, halt the reign of dictators and remove the threat of nuclear destruction.

I'm grateful that righteous men, influenced by the Spirit of God, had the courage to make the tough decisions to establish this great nation. That humble men, many farmers, were willing to fight and even die to ensure that all men would be able to live, worship, work, assemble, own, eat, love, sleep, have families, build, write, and speak in the manner each one saw fit.

Today we enjoy the freedom to elect our officials, question their decisions, agree or disagree, elect, re-elect, not elect them and pray that they will have soft hearts that remain open to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. That mistakes can be avoided and decisions made that are in harmony with the Lord and keep us favored in His sight.

Happy Birthday America, thanks for the 234 years of freedom, peace, war, harmony, discontent, growth, knowledge, development, strength, hope, courage and the years to come filled with much more of the same.

I almost made it

So earlier this year I made a New Years Resolution with two parts. First I wanted to loose 20 pounds in 6 months and second, I wanted to keep the weight off through the end of December - at least.

The end date of part one was yesterday and I almost made it. My Goal weight was 164 lbs and I weighed in yesterday at 167 lbs. So that leaves 3 more to go!

I'll admit, I prolly could have made it on time, but for about 8 weeks I was not exercising or sticking to my eating plan or anything of the sort. So I know why I didn't make it and what I'm supposed to do to finish my goal.

I'll post a before and after pic soon so you can see my amazing transformation :)

A little of topic, but Happy Birthday to my sis-in-law Britany and my bro-in-law Kyle!