Twilight: Eclipse

Just got back from watching Eclipse. My husband said that hands-down, it was way better than The Last Airbender, which we saw this past weekend. Now that is kind of funny for a guy to say. I did read somewhere that unlike the past Twilight movie which had a 80/20 female to male turnout, this one was 65/35 female to male turnout, which is interesting. I explained that the young girls read it and become instant fans, which in turns leads the moms to read, thus producing Twi-moms. Search that on Google and see what you find! And now the next phase happens- the boyfriends, husbands, and brothers get dragged to the movies and start having an interest in it. (Can you believe my husband said that he wants to read the books?)

On the positive side, I like that this movie can make me feel emotion. I feel awkward when Bella and her father have those weird parent-daughter talks. I feel angry when Bella is an idiot for not choosing Jacob. I feel sympathy for the newborn who has to pay the consequences to the Volturi. So in that sense, I enjoyed much of the movie.

I also thought that the movie was paced well. I didn't ever have to ask: "Is it over yet?" That is a big sign that it is dragging, and Eclipse definitely wasn't.

I could do without the smooching scenes, really. And I could do without the dismembered newborns (and Victoria) looking like broken mannequins. (Was their budget low in the special effects department?) It's not that I wanted to see gore or anything, but I just thought that it was really cheesy. Yes, I know the vampires are cold-blooded, but they're not ceramic, so why did they look like it after the fight scenes?

Tent Scene: It wasn't as good as I was expecting. I thought that Jacob was going to be a little more snuggly. I did appreciate the dialogue between Edward and Jacob though.

At the end, I still think Bella is an idiot for not choosing Jacob. He loves her so much and wants to really take care of her. At the same time, I would say that Edward has a more mature love in realizing that Bella should have a chance at a normal life, and he is willing to step away (and did in New Moon) if she would desire. The problem is that he is a slave to her, so if she says she wants to become a vampire, he will do it. While I think he is weak in that area, I do appreciate his moral stance to waiting until marriage for intimacy, even while Bella is constantly trying to coerce him into compromising positions. Perhaps this is why I don't like her character that much. 

By the way, the books are always better. Always.

Hmmm.... that's all for now. I'm just waiting to see my husband reading Twilight while curled up on the couch. That'll be the day!

Happy Fourth of July!

I love Independence Day! I love America. God bless it as long as we rely on the Bible and follow him!

I saw this a list of 100 Great Things About America. While I don't agree with all of them, it was still funny to read!

America is a great country, and I'm proud to be an America. Here's a picture of Justin and I from our church barbecue. (This was before I was blasted in the face with a water balloon- more on that later!)

While I was waiting for that picture to load, I found a great link that explains the names for different types of fireworks. Check it out! Click here.

Breathe, Pant, Pant... Breate, Pant Pant

For some reason, I'm under the impression that summer should be relaxing. Mine has been quite the opposite though! Most of the busyness has been in a good way though I suppose. Wednesday I worked on helping paint backdrops for VBS, then had class, then left class early to make it to church. Thursday Justin had the morning off and we got my car checked and had dentist appointments in the morning. Then I wrote two papers in the afternoon before class. Class actually lasted until 8:10, a little later than normal. But it was the last class, so I guess that was ok. I did enjoy the classes and feel like I learned quite a bit! And then yesterday I was at church pretty much all day finishing the mural I started. In the evening, I knew I needed to not think about things for a bit so Justin and I went to see The Last AirBender in 3D. Today I will be back at the church again for more decorations.

To do a very quick review of The Last Airbender, I have to say I was disappointed. I guess that I have come to expect a lot from M. Night Shyamalan's films, and this one just didn't have the edge. Justin and I both agreed that the concept of the four nations staying in balance was intriguing, but how it playing out in the movie wasn't as interesting. I just kept expecting something more, and then the movie was over. We did watch it in 3D, so I was probably expecting a lot from that too. It was neat in a few places- it really feels like the movie is jumping out at you and gives a lot more dimension- but wasn't all that different. (Maybe another movie in 3D will change my mind, but right now I wouldn't pay $13 again for 3D!) On another note, as a Christian, I have to notice that the world of the benders is focused on the "ying and yang"- more of a eastern philosophy- and not on the God of the Bible who is sovereign over the world. This is problematic as Christians should be careful not to let another worldview creep in unnoticed.



That was a quick update. More later!

Park Outreach!

For our VBS at church, we are trying to get the word out by going into local parks with puppets, games, face painting, and other fun things. Kids can play around with us for awhile, and then hopefully want to come to church for the VBS. This is a great way to contact the parents too and make a connection with them. We had fun yesterday going out- about 10 of us went from church- but let me tell you, it was hot! We played duck, duck, goose with a water balloon. When you "goosed" someone, you cracked the balloon over their heads. The kids loved it though (and I did too!). We had a good time.

Luau- Themed Potluck

Tonight at church Justin and I are responsible for the monthly potluck. I think that our church is pretty notorious for our get-togethers after services with all the food that you could ever want. It really is a great time to try some new dishes, but more importantly, fellowship with others in the church and get to know new folks too.

As the title shows, the theme is a luau- basically anything tropical that you might find in Hawaii. I'm pretty sure we are going to have a huge amount of dishes with pineapple. I myself am making a pineapple-flavored cake with fluffy icing, as well as pineapple fudge that I wanted to try out. I'm stirring in between typing, actually! I'm not sure that I have successfully made fudge before, but I figure that you can't get better unless you try! (Of course, it would probably help if I had a candy thermometer...)

Anyways, I'll have to post with pictures later. Happy Sunday afternoon!

Chicken.. head... off... and McCrystal.

Wow, life is so crazy!!! Between renovating our lounge at work, taking care of classes, and getting ready for VBS, life is busy. I'm surviving though, and that delicate balance of time is, I think, being maintained.

In national news, Gen. McChrystal was replaced after the "fiery" article in Rolling Stone. I suppose that he had to be:
1) ...because you can't badmouth your supreme commander and get away with it.
2) ...because Obama has to try to maintain control.

It's just sad that if he was a good general in a strict military sense, we just lost him. And it's sad that he didn't have enough wisdom to not give information to a Michael Hastings, who write an article. I guess McChrystal hasn't said any personal words about it, and has been ordered not to speak on the topic. Perhaps there is information that we don't know.

Here's a slideshow with more details if you haven't been following the story.

The whole situation is a disappointing show of how the mouth can get one in trouble. Didn't James say this too? "The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity... no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. My brethren, these things ought not to be so." (James 3: 6, 8-10)

Graduate work!

For some reason, I just love being able to say things like "Oh, my undergrad work was...." or "in my graduate program....." I guess I just like feeling like I have achieved something then!

I did officially start in a graduate program for School Administration  (i.e.: a school principal) at California State University, Stanislaus campus. I am just taking one 5-credit class in this summer term, but in the fall I will be taking about 15 credits, and in the spring about 15-17 credits. I am going to be pretty busy, as I am still teaching, but I think that it will be worth it. I will be able to finish my master's in a year if I can keep up with everything. In this program, they have a comprehensive exam option that you can take instead of writing a thesis, which I am pretty excited about. That is still a lot to remember, but since I am so interested, I hope that it won't be too bad.  I am definitely enjoying class so far.

On Friday night I went to see Karate Kid. I thought that it was pretty good, though (gasp) I haven't seen the first one. When I told my husband that he rolled his eyes. Oh well! Overall, I give it an 8 out of 10 and would recommend others to go see it. First, because it is very clean and I think portrays values of good sportsmanship, working hard for achievement, and listening to your elders. On a downside, as a Christian I don't believe that peace comes through kung fu, but through Jesus Christ. So besides the eastern mysticism, I think it is a solid, family-friendly choice!



Well, I think I am going to wrap it up for today. Happy Father's Day to my dad!!!

Hero of the Underground

We pull into the dark driveway. The lights of the car see two tiny eyes in the sand.

THE GOPHER!

That darn thing has been pushing dirt up in the flower bed and around the yard. Argh!

Stealthily my hero husband Justin gets out of the car, picks up a rock, and creeps over toward the gopher. And then with a smooth throw murders the pest with a ferocious thud.

Good riddance to yard pest. Hello to my Hero of the Underground rodent world!

Whew... relaxing summer???

It's only been two weeks since the end of school, and I've already made two trips! The first was of course to my little brother's high school graduation in Ohio. The second was just this past weekend. My hubby and I took a long weekend along the coast. And man, is Highway One beautiful!

Our first day we traveled to San Jose and saw the Winchester Mystery House. It's definitely quirky and I would recommend going if you are already in the area. Apparently the story goes that Mrs. Winchester had guilt over all the guns that her husband had produced, and went to see a shrink.... who then told her that she must be in continuous construction on her home to keep away the haunting of the spirits of all the people that were killed by Winchester Rifle. I'm pretty sure this psychiatrist would lost his license today if this happened. Nevertheless, it was an interesting place.

Pack your own Slushie... this one was $5.85 plus tax.

Oh, and we ate at Cheesecake Factor later that evening. Yummy!!

Saturday we got up and traveled down Highway One, taking our time to stop at Castle Rock State Park along the way. Pretty funky rock formations here that really remind me of Two-Face in Batman, to be honest. Still, it was a nice hike. Be sure to bring bug spray though if you ever visit!

We stopped several times on the drive down to San Simeon. Toward the end, we were so excited to see walruses.... except we were both delusional. We were actually admiring elephant seals, and somehow our limited animal vocabulary was a bit confused. It's a good thing that they have lots of labels for those vista points. :) I am sure that Justin and I will joke about going to see the 'walruses' for years to come...

Our hotel, The Morgan, was very nice and comfortable. A little pricier than usual, but our tour of Hearst Castle was included and I think that it was a good deal with that included. Hearst Castle was a sight to behold!!! Justin and I continued to marvel at the architecture and art collection on site. Wow! This is a must-see if you can make it. The tour guides were friendly and very knowledgeable. We too the Experience Tour and I would have loved to do another tour, but we needed to leave by early afternoon.

Overall, this was a great way to celebrate our one year anniversary. Thanks so much to friends and family who are always supportive and encouraging and loving. We love you guys!! And we feel so bless that God has brought us together to share our life, for His glory.

Zach's Graduation!!

My little brother graduated!! So crazy, right? It makes me feel old in a way, to see him out of the house. He's the last of the four of us siblings, and now what will mom and dad do? Probably start bugging us for grandkids!!!

Here's a few pics of the night!

There is Zach and I!

 

The whole fam (minus Ratona)  

Sorry Grandma I had to put it in!!!

Congrats Zach!!