Lullabies and Pumpkin Pies!!

Hello!! Exciting day so far today...our dear friends and next door neighbors (Jay and Hannah) are on their way to the hospital - and will soon bring home a baby (hopefully)!! We helped them get all of their things together this morning after the water broke...she isn't due for another 10 days officially...so they weren't really ready to head to the hospital. Anyway...I am doing some of their laundry right now, waiting for a call to head to Santa Monica and wait in the waiting room (clean clothes in hand). Very exciting.

Also...Thanksgiving is just around the corner. FUN!! It is my favorite. We leave Monday after I get off work to head for LAX, hopefully we will beat the holiday rush.

We went to another dear friends GORGEOUS Malibu house last night for a fall feast. It was so fun. As we sat around the rather long and large dining room table (something you might see in movies) we went around the table to tell what we were thankful for.
So...in the spirit of the Holiday I am thankful for:

1. My geeky (yes, I know this) husband, because he keeps me laughing.

2. Our super families

3. Living in paradise

4. Being healthy

5. Great friends

6. Travis is almost half way through Law School (PRAISE GOD!!)

7. I am a little more than half way through with my masters...though not as daunting as Travis' degree, working full time and doing school stuff makes Jeri and tired girl.

8. The new movie theater in Malibu (it burned down right before we moved here, it opened yesterday and we have already seen a movie there)

9. Christmas decorations. I waited a little bit longer than most stores to put my Christmas stuff out, but to be honest...I LOVE it when I see Christmas stuff out on the stores. It makes me happy.

10. Only about 5 months till opening day at Dodger stadium. Yes, I cannot wait for this. I will be there...on that fine April day, you can bet on that.

On a side note...my aunt and cousin came to visit not long ago. Here are a few pictures.

Wii!!

Wii!!!
I played the Wii (pronounced We) for the first time yesterday and it was amazing!
For those of you who don't know, the Wii is the new gaming console from Nintendo that comes out this Sunday. Now for some of you are probably thinking video games are no big deal and that you don't care, but you're wrong. The entire marketing behind this new system is aimed at non-gamers, especially non-gamers over 40.


Now I know that sounds weird, why would Nintendo spend money marketing towards people who aren't even going to buy this, well once you have seen it you just might.
The Wii is a revolution in gaming, instead of a typical controller you use the Remote, or Wiimote as some are calling it, The Wiimote, as seen below, is shaped like a television remote and is strapped to the wrist, there are about 4 buttons total, two towards the bottom, one big on towards the top, a directional pad, and a trigger in the back. Now all that looks different, but the real revolution is that the controller is motion sensitive. If you're bowling you move your hand just like you're really bowling and the ball will move the same way, if you're playing baseball you pitch or swing the ball much like you would in an actually ballgame and the characters on the screen do the same.


Now if you're playing a game like boxing you can attach the Nunchuk, seen below with the Wiimote, and hold the Wiimote in your dominant hand and the nunchuk in your other hand. Too punch you punch with your hands, to block you pull your hands up to your face, the more force behind you're punch the more powerful the punch on screen.


There are even more games out there, I played Excite Truck, a racing game, and you turn the Wiimote sideways in your hand and steer like you would a car, if you want to go left you steer left, if you want to go right you steer right, the only button you have to push is for gas, there's even an attachment that comes with a couple of other racing games, shaped like a steering wheel, you place the Wiimote in the center and you only use the steering wheel, to go faster you slant the steering wheel forward, to slow down you pull it back, and the rest is just like steering a car.

Now the Wii comes with one game, Wii Sports, which includes the aforementioned baseball, bowling, and boxing, plus tennis and golf, which are played much like the real sport. I also got to play the new Zelda game, where you use the Wiimote as your sword, slashing and attacking just as you do, and the nunchuk as your shield.

All in all the games were awesome and the whole experience was a gamers Nirvana. Personally I started looking into the Wii last week and changed my X-mas list from money for a Video iPod to money for a Wii. But I've found out that the Wii will likely be hard to find for a while after X-Mas, so I'm going out this Sunday, early morning, to try and find myself a Wii during the opening day rush. If I'm successful, it will be part X-mas gift from Jeri, and part from money I've been saving for this, but ti will remain wrapped under the tree until Christmas (mainly so i actually study for Finals)
So wish me luck this Sunday as I venture out at about 5am to find myself what might possibly be the Greatest Gaming Invention Ever!!!
You can learn more at http://www.wii.com and be sure to watch some of the Wii Experience Videos to see some people actually using the Wii.
Here's a Video:

My New Favorite Video!

That is all!
Travis