Friday, February 25, 2011

Just the Critics, Ma'am

So, Aaron and I have been spending a whole ton of time at the movies. Aaron has about four unfinished bags of popcorn in his cluttered car, and I've got enough movie tickets to start writing critic reviews, I think...

One that I really loved was I Am Number Four. That's about an alien who is trying to get away from some enemy aliens and ends up trying to blend in with small town Americans. Action film with a lot of hot dudes and chicks. Our friends Liz and Jerid went with us to see this, and we all enjoyed it.

Gnomeo and Juliet was pretty much adorable, albeit slightly nonsensical. It follows the Shakespearean tale pretty well. We sat in a theater full of kids and apparently it appeals to kid humor. They howled all the way through the movie.

We went to Just Go With It with our friends Dane and Julia. And the guys roared hysterically all the way through it. Julia and I laughed, but didn't roar... It's an Adam Sandler film with Jennifer Aniston. It was so full of humor that you never really stopped laughing. Oh, and Jennifer Aniston has a beautiful personality. I admire her.

I took my friend Lisa to see t Justin Bieber movie. I wasn't really expecting to like it, but I find his music catchy and I wanted to see what the big deal was. Turns out the movie is a very well-done documentary, and Justin Bieber is a kid I actually respect. He's just a Canadian kid who had a dream and is going with it, having fun. His songs are really good and he has support from a lot of people. His little sidekick happens to be Will Smith's son Jaden. I think Jaden is the picture of a young Will. So adorable with so much HOTT potential.

So, after watching and approving, I mentioned it to Aaron, and he actually agreed to go. He did the appropriate eye-rolling and snorting in front of his friends, and then went to watch it. And he liked it! He came out saying that Justin really isn't that bad, and he is amazed at how many gifts that kid has. Of course, he's still gonna roll his eyes if you ask. But I'm sure the young Michael Jackson wasn't accepted immediately by the young adult crowd either, and Aaron realizes that.

The Black Swan was a really intense show with highly dissonent musical scores. It was beautiful, lots of ballet, but had the wicked side of the swan portrayed by Natalie Portman, and it was so intense it was troubling. But absolutely lovely. I'm not sure I ever want to see it again, but I did like it a lot.

The Green Hornet, on the other hand, was very funny, very light hearted, and really well thought out! I enjoyed the martial arts aspect of the movie. It's about a young guy whose dad is murdered and leaves him with the city's newspaper. And he pretends to be a bad guy so that the other bad guys don't try to kill him, but in reality he is a superhero. Problem is, there is only one bad guy in town, and he doesn't like sharing his post.

Yeah, we watch a lot of movies. It's a great way to spend time with lots of our friends. But lest you think all we do is sit around and be lazy, we have been also working really hard lately. We went out test driving cars for a few days and finally picked a gorgeous beauty that I would feel safe driving my family around in for years to come. I also tested for a blue belt and passed, and now I'm learning the form for a high blue belt. I plan on testing again in October. Amity, Lisa and I have been taking yoga and pilates, and my friend Emily and I are dominating deep waters.

Aaron's been working like crazy, helping our friend Lynne to build a bakery in her garage. He's also been working with our friend Neil a little bit, and Tim and Julie DeFor as well. He helps me babysit, and he's been in charge of sorting out our wedding presents and finding homes for everything. It's been a busy but productive season.

So this weekend we have to see Hall Pass. I hope it's good! It's got Owen Wilson, whom I adore. yay.... :D

Sunday, February 20, 2011

I'm Rocking the Blue Belt!!!

After a long day of testing, I got my blue belt!!! I'll get some pictures of it soon. :D

Don't Speak Away the Magic

I've been thinking. I probably want to start recording more of my life right now in this blog. It's such an exciting time. However, a Bible verse stands out to me right now. It's funny cause this one was my favorite growing up.

"But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)"

And the reason? Because right now it's a little overwhelming to put in words. I didn't know this could happen to me. I've always been able to come close to describing what I experienced. This is a new sensation, though. I'm in wonder at the possibilities, the awe of human life and it's cycle, and kind of just content to watch it all happen. And treasure it.

I've got plenty to write about. Another Inside My Head installment is in the works. But sometimes, I just like to experience the treasures of life, and not try to explain them. These moments have been plentiful this week.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Aaron Doesn't Believe in Procrastination

Lately I'll be awakened in the middle of the night by Aaron, wanting to know what I think of a certain name. Once I struggle to consciousness, I am once again reminded of how exciting a phase of life we are in right now! All our previous troubles with family and career melted away with the addition of...

Well, we aren't decided yet. Here's what we know. Whether it's a girl or boy, this one is going to be named after my brother. If it's a boy, we were thinking Oliver Andrew. Or Emerson Andrew. We aren't sure yet... If it's a girl, Drew Renee is what we've chosen. :)

We've got a room all ready to decorate. And we have decided on a convertible crib, one we found in Sioux City. Our good friends John and Amity have one that they love. It converts from a crib, to a little toddler bed, to a really nice bid bed once the baby is past age six. They are amazing.

A few days ago I was browsing at the mall in town when I found myself looking at the tiny jumpers, sleepers, onesies, and little socks. It's hard to imagine fitting something of mine into those things!! Aaron saw me looking and hurriedly began, "You know, we don't need those yet, we should at least know what we're having..." I laughed at his nervousness and we continued on our way.

Aaron is the most entertainment I have these days. Amity brought her daughter over to help prepare Aaron to being around small children. Aaron spent most of the evening in a corner, looking panicked whenever Will noticed him. He balked at the idea of her spending the night, because he didn't want to see her cry. And yet, eventually he warmed up to her. By the end of the night, he was holding her and playing.

A few nights later, he walked in holding an armful of baby clothes for Willow. He held them out to her, and she laughed at him. He then handed the clothes to her mommy, turned and fled.

Thank god for 9 months to prepare these sweet men for fatherhood!!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

The Seal Lullaby

One of my favorite songs ever sung in choir was the Seal Lullaby bye Rudyard Kipling. The lyrics are as follows:

Oh! Hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us,
And black are the waters that sparkled so green.
The moon, o’er the combers, looks downward to find us,
At rest in the hollows that rustle between.

Where billow meets billow, then soft be thy pillow,
Oh weary wee flipperling, curl at thy ease!
The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee,
Asleep in the arms of the slow swinging seas!

Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936

This is my prayer for my little child. A beautiful life, with only contentment.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Everywhere But Here (Otherwise Known As a Much Needed Weekend Away)

This is my friend Lisa from martial arts class, and I. We
are battle warriors. We like kung fu fighting, but then, I guess
everyone likes kung fu fighting (hu! Ha!)

I found a cute guy on the ice. He reminded me of a penguin.
I'm keeping him.

If I had some better skates, I could have done a few tricks,
but as it was my feet were on the verge of blistering when
I was done. Damn rental skates!

This was Lisa's first time ice skating. And this is how much she liked it.

Robert and I hadn't seen each other since the wedding. There
was a lot to update each other on, and for Lisa to learn
about her new circle of friends. So we settled in for some
much needed girl time.

Robert's had some rough times breaking in his new school.
We sympathized with him, and reminded him that what
counts is that he's got good friends to support him
no matter what.

He then went on to imitate someone we all know who looks
for drama absolutely everywhere they go. It really helped
to add some comedy into a tough situation. Total divas!!

We spent an evening in a lovely hotel, with a jacuzzi,
and we stayed up until 6 am. I love my friends!

I had an epic breakfast at Ihop. They have a new french
toast called Cinn-a-stax, which tastes a lot like cinnamon
rolls. Ohhh, it was good.

This is supposed to be Lisa and I demonstrating our rock-climbing
skills. Not our 'cop-a-feel' pose.

Hey, look! Two hotties! That's how we roll. Broseph!

As I was starting to climb, I heard the belayer yell that he had
a knot in the rope. I had to come back down while he worked it
out. So I really climbed that wall more than anyone else!

Lisa on her descent from reaching the very top of the rock
wall! It had to be over 20 feet.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned, but Robert loves me.

This was an awesome group! We had the best party
so far in 2011!!

After rock climbing, we went to my favorite restaurant
ever, Hu Hot. It's a Mongolian Grill. Lisa and I both
felt like it was our birthday, we'd had such fun!!

It's finally here!!! My beautiful Android tablet. And it works
amazingly! It's like a computer, phone, ipod and gameboy
all in one!!! <3>

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Just One Note I'd Like to Pass Along...

Thanks a lot, mom. For everything.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Dilemma

I don't know what to do. I am afraid I've had a bit of burnout, because I was exercising 10-11 hours a week for the past several weeks. But now, I've struggled to get up and work out at all this week. For one thing, the cold is bitter, reaching into the -30 range, and I do hate going out in the cold to get to my workout classes. But I also feel totally drained of energy, like I might not make it through an hour of exercise if I tried. I might possibly have a touch of a flu or cold.

I've been on a roll, exercising a lot and feeling really good about it. Now I'm just languishing about, unmotivated to do anything except go to work in the evenings and help Aaron cook in the daytime. He's taken to preparing new meals every day, and they are fantastic, but I'd love to be working out as I enjoy them!

So... do I ignore the fatigue? Or should I listen to my body and take the rest of the week off? I don't know. This is a very saddening dilemma to me. At least I need to get up and do laundry. Eek.

OOOHHH, I ordered the new Ipad online and I'm getting it next week.... EEP!!!! I've never been so excited!!! I've been wanting one since they came out. I'll be sure to post pictures!!!!