one week left!!

well, I have only one week left until I finish my master's degree. I CAN'T WAIT!!! I can actually relax, and read a book for fun!!! And work on Tidbit's scrapbook, and maybe sew a little!! I can't wait!!! The last year and a half has revolved around school, so I will be glad to do some things for myself!! :-)

We had a doctor appt today and got to hear Tidbit's heartbeat for the first time!! It was great! Tidbit was moving all around so she kept having to chase it. It was funny. She also did a quick peak for us and we got to see Tid swimming around. He/she is pretty active. It was very fun. That was the first time I cried at the doctor's office, actually. Every time we go it gets more real. We got a fun picture where Tidbit's face looks like Spiderman. I am sure Travis is thrilled for that.

I am having a 3D/4D ultrasound on Wednesday - so there is a chance (if the baby cooperates, they said) that we will find out if Tidbit is a boy or a girl!! The 3D/4D ones are supposed to be pretty accurate, since they can rule out little fingers or toes or umbilical cord getting in the way of the result. Who knows!! Maybe we will post Wednesday with some fun news. If not, we will at least have some really fun color and black and white pics of Tid. Should be cool.

sick

well, i knew i was going to get sick on Monday when 3 kids were absent with a stomach bug. Sure enough, yesterday I was SICK. I spent 7 hours at Malibu Urgent Care on an IV. My OB's office told me to try eating a peice of toast and drinking some water, if I couldn't keep it down to go in. So, we went in at 12:30 yesterday (to the urgent care) and left about 7. Blah. I feel much better now, for the most part. I was just dehydrated, and being pregnant they don't want you to get dehydrated. They wanted to admit me to the hospital, but I avoided that. ha ha Anyway...hope everyone else is doing ok.

Boo

Here I sit, skipping church (I know, I know...I'm terrible) because I have to finish a chapter in my thesis project. Yet, here I am posting a new blog. I can't help it. My brain isn't working right now, and I am about to lose it, so I needed a break.

I just ate a bean and cheese burrito, thinking about eating another becuase I am still starving - you'd think I hadn't eaten for weeks. I'm sure you wanted to know that.

I am tired of school. I only have 2 weeks left, but if it doesn't come soon I might just quit. (not really, but I am tired of being a student. Grad school takes too long. ha ha).

I took a break yesterday and went to lunch with a friend of mine. Travis was in San Diego Friday night and all day yesterday, so I was on my own. He was only gone a little bit, but it was terrible anyway. So, after lunch with my friend we went to get a manicure and pedicure, simply because I needed one - and I needed to waste a little bit more time not working on my thesis. Well, a girl that was also getting a pedicure started throwing a fit about something, so my friend and I looked over - and it was Eliza Dushku. Alot of you probably have no clue who she is, but she is an actress. She was very rude and snotty, big shocker.

After the fun pamper time, we got a coffee drink (decaf for me) and went over to Babies R Us for kicks, I guess. I wish I knew what Tidbit was. There are so many cute things, but not much of anything that you could buy for either a boy or a girl. Only 5 1/2 more weeks and we will find out, provided Tidbit cooperates. If you want to know the truth, I want to know so bad if it's a boy or a girl, I would almost be willing to put money on the fact that Tidbit will not show us when we go to find out. I mean, I would be happy with either a girl or a boy, but it is literally driving me nutso not to know!!

Last week at summer camp a little girl whispered to me "how's the baby?" It made me smile, she is so sweet. I think she thinks it is a secret that I am pregnant, even though at only 14 1/2 weeks it is pretty obvious. Well, I guess some people might just think I am getting fatter by the day. But there really is a baby in there. I promise. It is getting to the point where my belly looks like a pregnant belly and not just that little donut of pudge on the lower abdomen - you other preggies know what I am talking about, right?

Ok, I have officially wasted enough time, and I need to get back to work. Boo. Anyone want to write my paper for me?!?!? It's about behavior disorders....anyone?? anyone?? Ok, well, I guess I have to do it myself.

Cassie - thanks for posting. Of course I don't mind if you read the blog. And, I think we have met at least once. :-)

News

Thanks to everyone who chimed in on my food post. I got some great ideas. I also was able to find some turkey lunch meat at Trader Joe's that doesn't have any nitrites/ates. So, I got some of that and it has been like a little bit of heaven to eat it. :-) I am going to make some chicken salad, too. Several of you mentioned it and I LOVE chicken salad, I can't believe I didn't think to make it before. My aunt has a good recipe for it with grapes and some other weird stuff, but it is so GOOD!! I need to look at the protien bars and see what my options are. Also...I drank a Diet Coke today!!!!!! It tasted SO GOOD!!! I was so strict with myself during my first trimester, so I think I can ease up a bit.

BIGGER NEWS: I felt Tidbit today!! It was fun!! I thought I was having a little muscle spasm, and the lady next tome at work asked me if it felt like a butterfly. I told her it did a little, and she told me that was no muscle spasm!! Anyway...I felt it for about 20-30 minutes consistently. Then off and on for a couple more hours.

Anyway...that's all I have. Have a good weekend!

14 weeks

I officially start my second trimester today!! Woo Hoo!! If I was sick, I could expect that to go away soon, according to babycenter. And, I should also start to get my energy back. Travis will probably be excited about that. Maybe we could do something besides lay around the house. He probably has a list of movies he wants to see.

So...Tidbit is 3 1/2 inches long, about the length of a lemon. Babycenter tells me that I may start to show soon, well, I think babycenter is a little behind the game in my case. I started showing at about week 10. And yes, there is only one Tidbit.

Besides eating like a pig, nothing is going on with me. I can't take a break from eating long enough to do anything. Well, that's a lie. I have 3 weeks of my master's degree left. So, I am starting to get busy finishing stuff up, like my nasty thesis project that is looming over me. Boo. I am so ready to be finished. Then I can relax, I think. Maybe I will read an actual book, that does not involve education or behavior disorders. YEAH!! That sounds fun.

Need help from pregnant people (or people who have had babies)

I am hungry ALL THE TIME. And I mean, STARVING!! It seems like I cannot put enough food in my body. Oddly enough, I haven't gained a pound, but I eat like a pig. Anyway...here is my question:

I NEED PROTIEN. What do you eat?? Or did you eat?? I don't mean like for dinner (steak, chicken, etc). I was told that I cannot eat hot dogs or lunch meat becuase of the nitrites - so those are out. I can't eat nuts or peanut butter because those are high allergy foods, and since I have allergies if I eat them it makes the chances of Tidbit being allergic to them higher. SO...WHAT CAN I EAT??? I am absolutely FAMISHED during the day ALL DAY LONG. I eat hard boiled eggs, but those only last so long. I eat cheese, but I can only handle so much cheese. I eat yogurt and drink milk (YUCK!) but nothing seems to carry me longer than 15-30 minutes. Please help!!! Come on...Leah and Jennifer...what do you eat? Who else is pregnant and reads my blog?? I NEED YOUR HELP. Call all your pregnant friends and ask them for me!!! K?!?!? Please!! I am begging you!!

Happy Anniversary!!

(scroll down to the last post for preggy updates!)

Today we celebrated our 4th anniversary! It was a fun day. When I got off work at 1:30 we drove to the movie theater to see License to Wed (a decent, no brainer movie). Then we drove over to Claim Jumper for an early dinner, then sat on a bench by the fountain for a while, and ended our fun at Ben & Jerry's. Now we sit watching one of my kid's dads on TV. Crazy

We decided not to do gifts becuase we are going on a trip to New York next month!! We are so excited!

This last 4 years has been so packed full of stuff: graduating from college, crazy jobs, moving to California, Law School, Grad School, getting pregnant. And lots of stuff in between!!

It has been the best 4 years ever!!! Next year we will have a 6 month old, and things will be very different.

Happy Anniversary Trav. I love you a Real Otter.

As You Wish....

To start off this blog post, I will mention a fun sighting we had today. We went to Babies R Us this afternoon to look for something. I came around the corner and Travis, with a grin on his face, came up to me and whispered, "Cary Elwes is over there with his wife and baby." We walked a little, and sure enough, there he was!! His baby is super cute, too. The title of this blog is a Cary Elwes reference. Anyone know what movie???

So, we went to the doctor today for my check up. We were just expecting a quick conversation with the doctor and to be out of there quick. Well, the doctor decided to do an ultrasound (just a regular one, not 3D). We weren't scheduled for one, but she did it just for kicks I guess. I didn't turn it down!! Tidbit really looks like a baby now!! We could see the little head with the eyes and nose and mouth. We could see the little body, and the legs. Well, Tidbit decided to show off for us. At first it was just kicking, kicking, kicking away. Then it started jumping up and down, and then I saw on the other side of the head a tiny hand waving at us!! It was so cute!

This is kind of a cruddy picture, but if you click on it and make it bigger you can see the tiny thing better! So cute!!! :-)

This is my belly at 10 weeks. Already sticking out.

This is my belly at 13 weeks. I will be huge by the time I am 9 months.

Well, no more news for now! We are celebrating years tomorrow! :-)

8 things...

Ok, so Leah tagged me to tell 8 things about myself. Hmm, this will be hard, but I'll give it a shot.

1. I saw the new "Hairspray" movie a few weeks ago at a free screening, and it is my new FAVORITE movie!!!

2. I love "High School Musical". I know, I am a dork, BUT, my sister likes it too.

3. I love potatoes. I mean, the homemade, mashed kind, baked, fried, hash browns, any kind. I love them so much that I have made them about 5 or 6 times in the last 2 weeks. I think pregnancy has made me like them more.

4. I like television. alot. sad, but true.

5. I have a Dodger's Mister Potato Head!

6. I also have a Dodger build-a-bear.

7. I collect Cow Parade cows. www.cowparade.com

8. I can't think of an 8th thing. I'm boring, sorry.

Not that anyone else will do this, but I guess I will tag Lori and Jen.

sorry no updates

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Nothing new to say today...just wanted to let those couple of you know that updates are coming! :-) We go to the doctor tomorrow, and our anniversary is Thursday, so their will be plenty to write about in no time!! :-) :-)

There are three other girls here in married housing that are preggers. Two of them due in October, and me and another girl due in January. There will be alot of babies in a few months. Good thing you can't really hear through these walls, huh? :-)

Ok, so...I will update tomorrow maybe after the doctor. Keep Checking!!

DELICIOUS!!

I woke up this morning....at 9:00 am, and decided we needed to have pot roast for dinner. Not only that, but we were going to make banana bread with the bananas we need to use before they are bad. So, we went to the store at about 11:00 am, got a roast and veggies to go with said roast. We came home, got the roast ready with the seasonings, cut up the veggies, and set the crock pot on high.

Then, we cleaned our apartment. Kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, dining room, living room, etc.

After we cleaned, we decided to make the banana bread. So, we mashed the bananas, added all the ingredients, and put the mixture into two loaf pans that are now baking in the oven for about 50 more minutes.

I'm not tired. WHAT?? That's right, I'M NOT TIRED!!!!!!!!!!!! :-) Maybe my energy is returning?? Or, maybe it is because I bought a new pregnancy pillow that is supposed to help you sleep, since I haven't been sleeping - at least not well. And I slept great last night. Hence the reason I did not wake up until 9:00 am, so unlike me.
Anyway, whatever the reason for the energy today, I am grateful. We needed to get the apartment clean and I have just not been able to do much. I may pay for it tomorrow as my non-energy days could return, but for now...maybe I'll watch a movie - and stay awake for it!!! :-)

UPDATE: here is a picture of tidbit that I keep forgetting to post. This was...when I was 9 weeks preggo. You can see the legs (well, one of them since it is a profile) up at the top by a little circle (the yolk sac). And you can see the head pretty good. Sorry the pic isn't that great. We can't figure out how to scan it, so we have to take a picture of it.

All Star

Well, thanks to fan voting, Russell Martin beat Paul Lo Duca by almost 300, 000 votes to be the STARTING catcher for the National League in the All Star game July 10. I did my part in this voting, mind you. Here is an exerpt from dodgers.com:

"The 24-year-old Martin, the first Canadian All-Star catcher, entered Sunday's play batting a team-high .297 with nine home runs and a team-high 53 RBIs. He has 15 stolen bases, breaking a 45-year-old Dodgers record for a catcher, previously held by John Roseboro. He leads league catchers in hits, runs scored, RBIs, steals, walks, and slugging and on-base percentage, and leads the league in game-winning RBIs."

Boy, do I pick the winners!! :-)

Not only is Russ in the All Star game, but two other Dodgers will join him. Exciting! The game is nationally televised, just in case you want to set up your DVR!!

On another note, I am SO ready to be done with my master's. I have six weeks left, and it can't come soon enough. I am just done. Apparently, that doesn't really matter. I wrote a paper this last week, and I thought it was terrible - worst I had written in a long time. My professor told me it was "excellent" and "all parents should read it". HA I laughed out loud when I read that. I re-read it and it wasn't as bad as I originally thought, but writing a paper while suffering from morning sickness isn't too easy. he he That was actually my very last paper to write as a master degree student!! YIPEE!! Now, I have a few power point projects and to finish my thesis project (BLAH) and I am home free.

10 weeks

So, babycenter tells me that at 10 weeks the organs are formed and working, and in the next three weeks the baby will triple in size. Babycenter also tells me that my uterus is approximately the size of a grapefruit now, which explains why my clothes aren't fitting right. Or some of them at all. I haven't gained a pound, but my clothes don't fit. That is interesting. I am constantly eating, so it is strange that i haven't gained any weight.

Other than the Tidbit news, there is absolutely nothing exciting going on here right now. I am doing VBS at the church where I teach preschool, and I am EXHAUSTED and it has been a CRAZY and weird week. I will be glad Friday at 2:00 ish when I can come home and be finished with VBS.

Nothing Clever

Not too much is going on at our house. We are laying pretty low this weekend. Yesterday I felt really crummy with morning sickness pretty much all day long. It would start to go away, and then I got a headache and that made it worse. Ugh. I feel much better today. And, I can't complain too much because I generally feel great all the time.

We went to the doctor on Tuesday for our first "official" appointment. My due date was pushed back two days to January 23. We also had another ultrasound and saw the heartbeat again and the little legs! It is starting to look like a baby and not as much like a blob! I have had 6 ultrasounds already. Normally my first one would have been at my last appointment, but things started out a little interesting - hence the reason for 6. This kid is already craving attention!

The 4th of July Dodger game is coming up. This will be our third 4th of July game to attend. Those fireworks are always fun. What is everyone else doing for the 4th?

Posts have been changed to protect the innocent...Or not so innocent?

Well, I deleted a couple of posts on the chance that someone might google or something and find my blog. Anyway...the loyal readers know what I am talking about.

Today Travis and I celebrated "parent's day," as Travis dubbed it. I was pregnant on mother's day, but we didn't know it, and since then Travis has felt bad that he didn't do anything for me. So, instead of just doing father's day, we did mother's day too - hence "parent's day." It was fun. Travis made breakfast burritos this morning, then this afternoon we had steaks! Yum! I can't eat nearly as much in one sitting as I used to, and sometimes that bums me out. Tonight I had cereal for dinner. And it stuffed me. HA HA

I have been feeling good for the most part. We discovered that when I drink orange juice I get REALLY sick, so I am avoiding that like the plague. Pretty much that's the only time I get sick, when I have OJ, and I mean SICK. I slept 11 hours last night, which has to be a record for me. Even in high school I couldn't sleep that long. Anyway...I must have needed it. We went to a Dodger game yesterday and it was SO HOT I thought I was going to pass out. We ate afterward, and by the time we got home we had been gone for 7 1/2 hours. I was BEAT! When we got home I had a horrible headache. My doctor said that a little caffiene was ok and to wait until I got a bad headache to have some! So, last night I had some coke and it was YUMMY!!! And of course my headache was gone in seconds. Ahh....addictions.

Well, nothing exciting happening here. Travis is out in Santa Monica at the movies with a friend, so I am just hanging out trying to enjoy the quiet. In a few months I won't know the sound of quiet anymore. Not that I'm complaining!

Updates

So I went yesterday to an Imaging place for a better ultrasound of my cyst. The lady told me that it was not that big at all, and it was totally normal in pregnancy and will go away in a few weeks. So, that is good news. I wasn't really concerned, but, whatever.
After she looked at my cyst she showed us Tidbit again. It was really cool. It is HUGE compared to one week ago, and the heartbeat was very obvious instead of having to look for it. It was at a strong 171. We could see the head taking shape, and the body with little limb buds. It was really cool. Last week it was still pretty much a formless blob.

Houston...We Have a Heart Beat!

Well, it's officially official. There's a baby. We saw the heart beat this morning, and I got my official due date. January 21st. I am posting the ultrasound picture, even though it isn't great. Don't mind the black blob on the right, that's just a cyst. Apparently it will go away. So...here he/she is.

Tidbit

HILARIOUS!!!!

This is my favorite commercial EVER! I laugh so hard I cry EVERY time I watch this. So stinking funny.

nothing new

Well, there isn't really much to report. I just felt like the blog needed something new since it hasn't been update in like a week and a half.

Things are good here. I am home from work today with the world's worst cold. Generally, it wouldn't be so bad if I could take some DayQuil, but apparently it isn't good to drug out my unborn child, so I must pass. :-) Other than feeling yucky lately bacuase of a cold, I am feeling good. I am really tired, but good besides that. I haven't been sick (knocking on wood). And I do not want to be. At this point I am 7 weeks, so I guess there is still a chance I could get sick. But, I like to think that I would be sick by now if I was going to be sick at all.

There really isn't anything going on besides that. Things are pretty slow right now. So, we will keep you updated on the preggy news.

Oh...one of Travis' friends jokingly called our baby Tidbit. We actually thought that was funny and kind of like it. So, Tidbit it is (for now).

Ok, since the news is out...

There will be a new little person in our house in January. Yep! I'm preggers. We weren't going to spill the beans for a while, but EVERYONE in the free world knows already. We have gotten congratulations cards in the mail and e-mails, so, what the heck!!

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!

HILARIOUS!! Thanks Shea

Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com

Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com

Ok...Make sure your volume is up, cuz the songs make this even funnier!! Do one at a time, so you can enjoy them to the fullest...simply click on the play button at the bottom of each of our characters (one at a time!!)

2 Years Down, 1 To Go...

Travis is finished!!! Hooray! One more year down!

It's a Beautiful Day....

Sunday afternoon I drove up the coast a couple miles to pick up a friend for a baby shower. It was the most beautiful day. I only had my camera phone, so the pictures do not do justice to how pretty it was.

There were no clouds in the sky, and I could see for miles across the ocean. I saw Catalina Island. So pretty. Days like that make me pinch myself just to be sure I really live here!

After picking up my friend, we drove to the location of the baby shower. It was on the beach in a little resteraunt. I wish I had thought to take pictures there. I did meet a couple people there, though.

Anyone ever listen to that group in the early 90's? Well, I met the Wilson portion (the 2 dark haired girls). Crazy. I used to listen to their songs every day...I even went so far as to record mysef singing their songs at those little cheesy places at Six Flags and such. So, I met them. And you know, they are normal people. As I have discovered where I work, celebrities are pretty normal, all things considered. (ok, the celebrities I have contact with anyway). I teach some of their kids, their kids are surprisingly normal, too.

So fun!!

I have to give a shout out to my high school friend Bradley and his band Sounds Under Radio!!!
LAst night after seeing Spiderman 3, I was looking over the soundtrack. I was scrolling down to view the bands, and came across SUR!! Hooray for Bradley and the band! Very cool getting on the soundtrack!! (if you click on the name of the band above you can hear their tunes)

Interesting Gifts

We are watching the American Idol Gives back show. Makes you sad, you know? We are blessed. More than we deserve to be. Looking on the website at what certain amounts of money donated will provide, for some reason it made me think of a gift I recieved. At Christmas I recieved lots of gifts from my kids at school. More than I needed, or deserved for sure. But at the time, I was excited to recieve them. Honestly, I was a little selfish about it. One gift was small. It was just a card. And when I opened it, I was a bit- to my disgust (at myself) as I look back on it - annoyed. It simply said, "Two sheep have been donated in your name..." I thought, "where is my starbucks card???" Man. How selfish. I can't believe that thought crossed my mind, and I am ashamed. Tonight, I think that gift is the coolest gift I have ever recieved. Because it was not a gift to me, but to someone else. I don't need anything. I have all I need, and much more. I have a great family(s), the best and most awesome husband in the world, and great friends. I am healthy. Yes, asthma aside, I am healthy. I have an education. I live in paradise. I have a car. I have food. I have a place to live. I have a super cool job. I can't complain. About anything. At all. But lots of people can complain, because they have PLENTY to complain about and be sad about. The amazing thing? They DON'T complain. They consider themselves blessed. And I consider myself humbled, and extremely blessed.

In other news...

Random thoughts:

• Sanjaya is OUT!!!!!!! WOOOOO! Maybe I'll get back into American Idol, but this season just hasn't been as great as others.
• So, Travis had his last day of 2nd year Law classes today! He has four finals to take, so let's all pray for those to go well! And also, let's all pray for him to get a PAYING law related job for the summer! Only one year of Law School left. Time has flown by!
• Today, a kid peed on my foot. Yeah. It was interesting. He wasn't even standing still, he was walking by me, and there you have it!! Pee. Eww.
• How I Met Your Mother is one of the GREATEST shows on Television. Robin Sparkles. That is all I have to say. Hilarious.

Dodgers are on. Gotta run.

Grand Slam

Russell Martin hit a Grand Slam Walk-Off Home Run tonight (first of his career) in the 10th inning against the Pirates. I think I picked the best player to be a fan of. And...I have a signed (by him) bat and a ball (soon to be signed - i hope). Too bad we sold our tickets for tonight's game. That's ok. It was fun to watch on TV. Awesome game. Awesome. Anyway...thought I would share my pride.

For Love of The Game...

Long time no post. If you are familiar with the title phrase, then you knwo what this post is all about. BASEBALL!!!

Let's start with Opening Day at Dodger Stadium - April 9. The game was fun, though the Dodgers did let the Rockies win that one. Aren't they nice? :-) The festivities before the game were really cool. There was a military fly over, some navy seals parachuted into the stadium - one holding an American flag, and some folks spread a ginormous American flag across the field. Oh, and they set free about a billion white doves. Here are a couple pics from that game.

Now, let's get to tonight's home game against the Pirates. Awesome. Not only did we win, 10 - 2, but we also had great seats on the field level. Before the game we were sitting right on the edge watching Randy Wolf and Russell Martin (my personal fave) throw the ball. Randy threw the ball back to Russ, it tipped his glove and came straight for my face. I ducked over and it hit my foot, though not really hard, so I think it must have knicked the chair on the way down. Guess what?? THAT BALL IS MINE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! SWEET CANDY!! Here are some pics of tonight's game.

Russell Martin on the field

This pic of Russ is cool cuz Trav got him in the air.

My Ball!!!

For my sister...

Kay...according to the comments on my last post, Mom would like you to update your blog. In fact, I would like you to as well. You live far away, I like to look at my nephews. So, do it. Update your blog. Do it for Mom. :-)

A Pear a Day...

I have always just assumed that bananas or strawberries were my favorite fruit. Why? Who knows. They taste good, so, the whole of my decision was based on that. Then came the pear. I LOVE pears. I just ate one, and I am contemplating eating another. What is it about this yummy fruit? It is more like a treat, or dessert maybe.

The outside of a pear looks less than perfect, not too aesthetically pleasing. But, when you cut it open it is pretty much the picture of perfect.

The outside can have all sorts of marks and scars, but the inside is quite nice. So, the pear. My new favorite fruit. Or was it my favorite all along?

Anyone have a good pear recipe?

Take me out to the Ball Game...

(sing it with me)

...Take me out to the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and crackers jacks, I don't care if I never get back. So it's root, root, root for the DODGERS. If they don't win it's a shame. Cuz it's ONE, TWO, THREE strikes your out at the OLD BALL GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dodger Stadium

Today is an AWESOME day!!!!!!! BASEBALL is upon us! Aren't you excited?!?

Man, it is like Christmas!! I have the next two weeks off of work for Easter Break, and it is definitely the BEST two weeks I could have off of work. Lots of baseball to be watched, and even three games to go to at Dodger Stadium!! (opening day on the 9th, the 11th, and the 14th). In fact, I am already watching baseball on TV (although ESPN is making it a little dramatic, since it is Opening Day...so I'm turning it to Dodgers Live on Fox Sports.). It is a good day, for sure!

I am PUMPED!! Is anyone else excited??

babies, babies everywhere (NO, we are not having one)

Are we behind? ha ha I have to use MORE THAN 2 HANDS to count the number of people we know that are pregnant right now!!! I just learned of 2 more friends today. I would say there is something in the water...but it isn't just here. How many more of you are there?? My bank acount can only handle so many baby showers!! :-)

(side note: the "Are we behind?" was said in jest. I don't want our families leaving messages listing the 10 million reasons we should not have a baby right now. We are well aware. ha ha)

seriously

Sanjaya is ruining american idol for me. More specifically votefortheworst.com is ruining american idol.

I am so mad right now. Chris did not deserve to go home.

I am pretty much done with American Idol this season.

Interesting Info

So, for those of you interested in Pepperdine Law or the Supreme Court, this makes for some interesting reading.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1174912592026&pos=ataglance

(click on that link to see which 2 Supreme Court Justices will be teaching at Pep. Law this summer.)

On a side note: one little girl at my school CRACKS ME UP on a daily basis. She is barely 5. She came to school the other day with a nasty wound on her chin. I proceeded to ask her what happened to her, and this is how she responded, "Well, you should see the other guy."

And Also: SANJAYA?!?!?! What??? Why in the world has he not been kicked off yet???

Trav's Birthday Dinner

Saturday night we went to dinner at BJ's with some of our friends for Travis' 26th. It was TONS of fun. We had good food, drinks, and dessert. Here are a few pictures from the fun party.

Not much else to add to this post. Just thought our families would like to see some of the pictures.

Happy Birthday!!!

Well...26 years ago this guy was born:

You may recognize him better here:

He's still cute.

BSG

So for 3 seasons now "people" have been raving about the new Battlestar Gallactica (or BSG as it's known) and how it's the best show on television.. I originally watched the miniseries and a few episodes but just gave up as I had other things I like to watch. Well recently I acquired (read bought) the first season and as this is my spring break I've been watching it.
And I have to say "people" were right, it is a Frakkin' good show. But it it the best show on television? I'm still not convinced it's better than Veronica Mars, but it is a great drama that just happens to be set in space, and one of the best things out there (at least if the first 6ish hours are an indication)
Speaking of Veronica Mars, I am super excited that this Saturday I will be attending Wizard World LA, and who will be there? Why Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell! I'm planning on having a picture taken with her, so look for it soon!

Texas - through the eyes of some of my five year old students

I was serving snack to a group of kids at school today. We somehow got onto the topic of traveling, or something, I'm not sure. Anyhow, here is the conversation:

Me: "I get on an airplane to go to Texas!"

All 10 kids, almost in unison: "TEXAS!!!!!"

One boy: "That's where the cowboys are."

Another boy: "Yeah, all the cowboys are in Texas."

The rest of them: "YEAH!!!"

Me: "Who told you that cowboys were in Texas?"

One girl: "Well, my TV!"

And there you have it!

Prayers

Some of our Friends need your prayers.
Our friends from back in Amarillo, Brad & Jordan, really need your prayers. Several years ago Jordan had stomach cancer and her stomach had to be removed. Today they found out that Jordan has a spot on her liver and a spot on her lung and some internal bleeding.
She is currently in the hospital having tests run to see if there are anymore spots. And tonight she's being flown to Dallas to get treatment.
To make matters worse last Wednesday Jordan gave birth to a little girl, Phoebe.
Their family needs your prayers as they have a son and a brand new little girl. Please ask God to heal Jordan and be with the rest of the family through this tough time.
Thanks,
Travis and Jeri

Holy Rising Gas Prices, Batman!!!!!

Please note: this post requires audience participation!!

So, we are on our way home tonight and we stop to get gas. I look at the prices and see that it is $2.99 a gallon. WHAT?!?!?! That wasn't even in Malibu. I shudder to think of how much gas is here in this expensive town we live in. We got a half tank of gas and it was $21.00 - in the Grand Am. I have not been down to where the gas stations here in Malibu are in a while, and I am scared to go down there because gas will be well over $3.00 there. Here is where your participation is needed: how much is gas where you live?? Seriously, I want to know. Please post a comment with where you live and how much gas is per gallon there.

We stopped in to Albertson's on our way home tonight as well (this was pre-gas). I let Travis get the few things we needed while I ventured to the restrooms. I am not a fan of public restrooms, mostly because they are disgusting. But, what bothers me the most is when there are log sheets on the door that a person initials and puts the time on every time they come to clean the restroom. This bothers me because more often than not someone has initialed and logged the time they cleaned 10 minutes before I enter the restroom, and lo and behold the restroom is NOT clean. Usually it is FAR from clean. I don't like that one bit, and I complain about it. A person should not initial the log if they have not cleaned the restroom. Well, when I went to the restroom at Albertson's the door said, "We are proud to offer clean restrooms." LIARS!!!!!!! The restroom was FILTHY!!!!! So, what did I do? I complained. Really though, is it so much to ask for a reasonably clean restroom? So, I went up to the guy and said, "Excuse me, I just wanted to let you know that the restroom is disgusting." The guy looked at me sincerely and said, "Oh really? The girls?" Huh?? I wanted to laugh in his face. I sat there and stared at him thinking, "well, I normally use the men's restroom." Seriously.

In Dodger news: We are going to opening day!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!! We actually ended up getting a mini season ticket plan. I did some baby sitting and Travis did some law research for a family friend, so we went for the season tickets. We got tickets to 15 games!!! It worked out to be a great deal for each game. We go to SO many games anyway, in the long run this will save us some dough. Needless to say, I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!! April 9 we will be watching from the stands!!

Ok folks...participation time. Gas prices??

All Things Chocolate

Ok so...I LOVE chocolate. So when I was searching our "On Demand" shows for the FoodNetwork channel and saw "Good Eats: Chocolate 1", "Good Eats: Chocolate 2", and "Good Eats: Chocolate 3" I knew I just had to watch. Alton Brown is the guy that does the show "Good Eats" and he is very entertaining. He makes the show scientific, and not just about him cooking. So, back to the chocolate. He gives a brownie recipe that looks great, but I can't get my act together to actually make those brownies from scratch. I know they are much better than the box brownies, but the box is so convenient, not to mention EASY. So when he gave a recipe for hot chocolate I had to write it down because all it takes is mixing dry ingredients in a container. So this morning before work I decided to mix it all up. One of the ingredients is cayenne pepper. Yeah, it may seem strange, but it sort of made sense to me. You know, to give it a little bite. So, I was ok with that as an ingredient. However, there was no exact measurement given for the cayenne pepper. Alton simply said to add some cayenne pepper, and then proceeded to take the shaker and shake it directly on top pf all of the other ingredients and then mix them all together. How hard is that? ha. I put all of the ingredients, sans cayenne pepper, into a large bowl. Then I grabbed the cayenne pepper and shook some on the top of what was already in the bowl. Honestly, there was alot of other stuff in the bowl, so the red powder on top looked like nothing compared everything else. I put the lid on the bowl and shook that sucker up. I was proud of myself. Feeling like I had achieved something before even going to work, I proceeded to make myself a cup of hot chocolate. I then took a sip. Something was not right. I went and woke Travis up and told him he needed to taste it. Upon arriving back into the kitchen, I looked into my mug of tasty goodness and saw many red specks skimming the top of my beverage. Travis took a drink. He winced, uttered an "ughhh", and held the mug far away from his face. A moment later he says, "it tastes good, until it burns the back of your throat." So apparently, I made lethal hot chocolate. When it comes to cayenne pepper, there needs to be an exact measurement, because I guess I cannot eye ball it.

Nothing else is really going on around here. We started playing tennis a couple weeks ago. We look like a couple of freaks flailing about. Every day we looks a little less like a flailing freak though, and it is fun. In other words, we are not good. At all. But who can complain when the ocean is in site as your playing tennis? Not I.

March is a good month for whale watching around here, according to my sources. So we may try to watch some whales this weekend. If we get any good pictures I'll post some.

so good it's....WICKED!!!!

Excuse the poor attempt at a witty title for this blog post. Honestly, it made me giggle when i thought of it...so...most of you will probably think it's corny. :-) But that's ok with me. Saturday night we ventured to Hollywood to see Wicked at the Pantages Theater. It is my new favorite musical. It was so entertaining and the music is AWESOME. I reccomend this musical to everyone.

At 4:00 am Sunday morning (after only being in bed for 2 1/2 hours) I woke up terribly sick. The nasty stomach thing that attacked all my kids at school finally caught me. At least, I assume it was that rather than food poisoning since everything i ate the last week Travis ate too. Either way...at the urging of my sweet husband the sickness resulted in a trip to the Urgent Care center here in Malibu (because there is no way I would have made it to Santa Monica to the ER). One bout of dehydration, an IV, 3 bags of saline, 2 syringes of demoral, and 2 syringes of phenergen later (all in 4 1/2 hours) I was feeling much better. Loopy, but better. Blah. If I never get that again it will be too soon.

In other news, Monday we were walking into CVS here in Malibu and ran into David Arquette. Well, not so much ran into as walked past in the parking lot.

Also, it looks like Travis has a great shot at an entertainment law internship. He has a meeting Friday. If you think about it you might shoot up a prayer on his behalf. Thanks!! Have a good one.

Celeb Sightings - UPDATED!!!

So This week has been a big one in the Celebrity Sightings Arena for Jeri and I, and it's only half way through the week. So far we've seen 6 celebrities, which is about 6 more than we've seen in the past month.
Monday night we went to Burbank to see a screening of Super Bad. After the movie Jeri ran to the restroom and I as I was coming out of the theater I made eye contact with some guy, who I quickly realized was Hank Azaria (The Simpsons, Huff) so I gave him the head nod and walked away very quickly, because I didn't want to seem like I was starring.
Then as I stood waiting for Jeri in the lobby I noticed Seth Rogen (Writer and Star of Super Bad and Judd Apatow (Writer and Director of The 40 Year Old Virgin & Knocked Up) standing around talking to various people. I'm a big fan of both of these guys work. Both worked on one of my favorite TV Shows ever, Freaks & Geeks (Seth was an Actor, Judd was the co-creator) and although both The 40 Year old Virgin & Knocked Up (Seth also acted in these) have a lot of bad language and some questionable content they have really good messages, and an underlying sweetness that I just really loved. So since Jeri wasn't around to discourage me I walked up to Seth Rogen and told him I was a big fan and that they had done a terrific job on Super Bad and that I'd seen a sneak preview of Knocked Up and that he was really good in it. He shook my hand, said thanks, and I went on my way. Then I decided to walk over to Judd Apatow and do the same. So I walked over, said I was sorry to interrupt but that I was a big fan, gave him my name, and shook his hand and said I had seen Knocked Up, which he seemed surprised by, and that I'd loved it, and he said thanks. I told him that Freaks & Geeks was one of my favorite shows and he said "And Undeclared?" and I said "of Course Undeclared I have them both on DVD." He laughed, shook my hand again and said thanks, and I walked away.
Then as I continued to wait for Jeri I kept looking around to see who else was standing around, and that's when I saw one of the coolest celebrities I've seen in the year and a half we've been out here. Edward Norton. Yes Edward Norton was there for the screening of Super Bad and was standing around in the lobby.
Jeri came back to the Lobby, having just missed Hank Azaria, but I pointed out Edward Norton to her so she could look as we passed him, and I told her I had said something to Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow.

Last Night for Valentine's day we went to The Arclight Theater in Hollywood. As we entered the courtyard area in front of the Arclight I noticed a guy wearing a leather motorcycle jacket and holding a helmet and very quickly Jeri and I both realized it was Giovanni Ribisi. So that was pretty cool as he's another actor that I really like.

Then after the movie, on our way home Jeri & I had to stop at the Albertson's Grocery Store in Calabasas. On our way out at about 10:00pm on Valentine's Day we saw Howie Mandel walking into the store. It was pretty random, as we've never seen anyone at that grocery store, but there was another guy coming out right behind us, and his reaction was pretty funny. When he saw him he said "Hi, Howie" and I think Howie responded in turn (I couldn't hear him) and the guy just got the biggest smile on his face and it was plan to see that Howie Mandel had made his entire night.

Updated: One new one from today (Friday), we went to the Topanga Canyon Mall in Woodland Hills this afternoon and while we were walking around Jeri recognized this guy, she just wasn't sure from where at first. But then she realized, it was Keith from One Tree Hill, or Craig Sheffer (Into the West) to the rest of the world. He was at the Hair Extension/Wig kiosk with a woman. So that's it for this week.

Calling Out, Around the World....

Just a cool observation. Our blog gets readers from all over the place. South America, Asia, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. But I wonder...Why don't y'all make comments? It's cool that you read, but you should say something every once in a while. Hopefully, we will get something remotely worth reading up here soon.

You Tube Video

So I just found this on You Tube. It is funny, especially if you know, or know of either of the people in the video. Mike Cope is the main guy in the video...preacher at Highland C o C in Abilene, Texas. At the end is a nice cameo by Randy Harris, ACU professor.

Playlist

I was looking at Kelly's blog and her playlist for February. I was thinking about "the perfect playlist." Well, at least, what that would look like for me, personally. Now, there can be millions of playlists. The traveling playlist - and even that can be divided up to plane travel, car travel, etc. The sad playlist, the happy playlist, really it can cater to all your moods. There are so many options here. I guess I've been in a pretty good mood lately....so the upbeat, fun songs are fab right now. Anyway...in case you care, or maybe you don't...here is my ideal playlist as of today.

A quick side note...Saves the Day is my favorite band, so if you see their name more than once there is a good reason for that.

1. Saves the Day - Holly Hox, Forget me Nots
~ great beat, catchy tune...favorite line, "You never know just what you have till
you get it ripped out of your chest" - sounds fun huh? :-)

2. Lupe Fiasco - Kick Push
~ this song is just fun. a little hip hop. makes me want to roller skate. he he

3. Kelly Clarkson - Walk Away
~ I've loved Kelly since the first season of American Idol. This song is your
typical girl power Kelly Clarkson song.

4. Saves the Day - Shoulder to the Wheel
~ Honestly, this could be my favorite Saves the Day song. It makes me feel good.
The music is awesome. Favorite line, "I'm having a bad week, and I miss my mom."

5. Taking Back Sunday - Cute Without the E (Cut from the Team)
~ one of my favorite songs ever. it's one of those songs where you know all the
words and it makes you smile when it comes on cuz you can't help but sing along.
Favorite line, "Hoping for the best, just hoping nothing happens. A thousand
clever lines unread on clever napkins."

6. Frank Sinatra - The way You Look Tonight
~ just a good song. maybe cuz it reminds me of Trav.

7. The Cure - Just Like Heaven
~ another one of my favorite songs of all time. it is just good.

8. Something Corporate - Punk Rock Princess
~ :-) So fun!

9. Saves the Day - Freakish
~ good song. this guy can write some good words.

10. Sheryl Crow - Strong Enough
~ as far as female "rockers" go, Sheryl is probably the best.

11. Erasure - A Little Respect
~ That's right. Come on, you know you love this song!!

12. Dashboard Confessional - Age Six Racer
~ one of my favorite songs by chris carraba. So long sweet summer...

13. Dashboard Confessional - Again I Go Unnoticed
~ another fabulous song. "So quiet, another wasted night, the television steals
the conversation..."

14. Saves the Day - Rocks Tonic Juice Magic
~ YEAH!! wooh, this song is FUN.

Ok...so now that I have bored you with my list of favorites, what are some of your favorites? I realize some of you don't know alot of these songs or bands...but you have a favorite song, right? Come on...post a comment with your favorite song. That means all of you that visit and read this blog but NEVER post...DO IT!!!! Come on, you know you wanna!!

Travis' New Blog

So if you look to the side you'll see a new link, this is my new blog for all of my posts about movies and entertainment. You can get there by clicking on the link or by going to www.thecinemaniac.com.
That's right I also registered my first domain name and now have my first Real Website!!! IT's exciting! And the most suprising part is that no one had registered that name before.
I'll be working on the site to get it all set up, getting a logo designed, and figuring out how to use Word Press, a blogging program. So for now the site will just redirect you to a blog on blogger, but hopefully soon, it will be it's own self contained site.
Also if you have any suggestions on ways to fix things up or topics to discuss feel free to comment on that site and let me know. I want the site to be the best it can be, so that I can get enough people visiting that I can sell ad space and get some extra income.
Travis

Hilarious

This kid is so cute. I laugh so hard at this video everytime I see it.

Strike first, strike hard, no mercy sir!

Here's a little music Video I found the other night, It's all about one line from Karate Kid and stars the original actors who player the members of the Cobra Kai Dojo, Mr. Belding, and a short cameo by the Karate Kid himself, Ralph Macchio.
So everyone "Sweep the Leg"

The Flu Bites

Yeah, I have the flu. The one year I don't get a flu shot because I can't find one for less than $100, I get the flu. Sad. Even more sad because we were going to go to Universal Studios today. Bummer. Anyway. What a way to end a week.





Another sad note, this week I discovered that I forgot my sweet nephew's birthday!! He turned 5 and I forgot to call. I am very upset with myself over this, and I actually did cry about it. I never forget to call my nephews on their birthday. Anyway, here is a picture of his sweet little 5 year old face:

Here's a little anecdote from this week. One morning Travis and I were at Starbucks and one of my students was there. I stopped to talk to him and his mom while Travis walked over to get our drinks. As soon as Travis left the kid looked at me (he is 3) and pointed at Travis and said, "Hey is that your dad?" HA HA.

More Movies

I've seen a few more movies since my last post and I thought I'd let you know how I felt about them. Also I take a look back at one of the movies I left off of my awards that I shouldn't have.

“Brick” is an independent film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt released in March of last year. Jonathan and I got the chance to go to a free screening of it in Hollywood a few weeks before it came out. “Brick” is a film noir set in High School, it’s got all the trappings of a classic film noir, the Femme Fatale, the unfortunate man pulled in by a woman into a situation which quickly gets out of hand. It has the fast paced dialogue of the movies from golden days of cinema, much of which you won’t understand until subsequent viewings (or by finding the dictionary on the official site online). Overall it’s a great mystery, with a wonderful cast of characters. Gordon-Levitt gives a magnificent performance and proves he’s an actor who can hold his own.

Here's the movies I've seen recently, 3 of which will likely be the best movies I see this next year: Apocalypto, Eragon, Déjà vu, Pan’s Labyrinth, Alpha Dog, Children of Men, and Babel.

(BTW this was written partially before the Oscar nominations and partially after so I don’t mention the awards for that reason)

Apocalypto

What it’s about: Set during the time of the ancient Mayans, the story follows Jaguar Paw as he tries to get back to his pregnant wife and son after being kidnapped by a savage tribe.

What I Thought: The movie is, of course, the newest movie from Mel Gibson, say what you will about the man himself, but he can make a heck of a movie. This movie is basically just a long chase scene, but it’s one of the best chase scenes any recent years. Gibson and co-writer Farhad Safinia do a wonderful job of weaving a realistic tale of family and one man’s fight to get back home to save his family.

Many people have complained about the amount of blood and gore, but honestly it’s no worse than Braveheart.

The Bottom Line: All and all this is one of the best movies I’ve seen in quite sometime. Don’t let the violence or the subtitles turn you off, you won’t regret it.

Eragon

What it’s about: Something about a kid who finds a dragon egg and involves some old tradition of dragon riders.

What I Thought: quite simply the most boring movie I’ve seen in a long time. To be honest I have to admit that I tried listening to the book on tape and got bored with it less than halfway through. So when it came time for the movie I decided that I’d give it a chance and hoped it was better than the book. Unfortunately it wasn’t so.

I checked my watch at least 5 times during the movie, which is not a good sign with me. Usually I might check my watch once during a movie, but with Eragon it seemed to be a constant thing.

Quite simply put the movie was just boring, the only good part was the fighting scenes which were few and far between, and sadly one of the worst things was Rachel Weisz, as the voice of the Dragon.

The Bottom Line: Overall it’s a movie trying to cash in on the Harry Potter, LOTR, Narnia trend, that just isn’t up to par. Unless you have Kids, who might enjoy the film, don’t waste your time.

Déjà Vu

What it’s about: After the corpse of a murdered woman shows up at the site of a terrorist attack, Agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) joins a top secret new government program that has technology which allows them to look 4 days back in time. But in order to save the woman Carlin will have to do more than just watch.

What I Thought: An intriguing mystery, clues that all make since in the end, time travel, and James Caviezel. No, this isn’t a sequel to 2000’s Frequency, but it does have the same basic feel as that wonderful movie. (If you haven’t seen Frequency I beg you to go rent it tonight, you’ll love it or you’re money back, seriously just tell the video store I told them to give it back to you, I promise it will not work)

Maybe it’s because I love time travel movies, but this is the type of popcorn movie I can really get behind. Small things which don’t really seem to mean anything come together in the end in a way that will really make you think.

The Bottom Line: I Loved it!

El Laberinto del Fauno AKA Pan’s Labyrinth

What it’s about: The year is 1944 and the Spanish Civil War has just ended, Ofelia and her mother are going to live with her mother’s new husband, a Captain in the Military whose stationed in a rural area surrounded by rebellious forces. Ofelia escapes to a fantasy world, one that may or may not lie within her own mind, where she is the long missing princess of a long forgotten world. In order for Ofelia to reclaim her place next to her royal family she must complete three tasks given to her by the Faun.

What I Thought: I wrote a really beautiful review encompassing how I felt, but my computer shut down and erased it, so here’s my second try.

This is one of the most beautiful movies I have seen in a very long time. Director Guillermo del Toro artfully brings to life two completely separate worlds in completely different ways. Del Toro’s post-civil war era Spain is brought forth with muted colors to make the world seem dreary and isolating, which helps the viewer to sympathize with Ofelia and her own sense of loneliness.

But the real beauty and vision lies in the Fantasy world. Here del Toro uses brighter colors which makes the creatures found in it seem that much more surreal. While much of this world is dark and scary, the colors still seem to bleed through and almost make the fantasy world more welcoming.

Although I loved this movie I must admit that it is very violent and quite scary. Many of the creatures, most notably “The Pale Man” are almost nightmare inducing in their creation. But some of the scariest scenes may be in the “real world” setting. Ofelia’s new father comes across as an evil man who will do anything to cut down the rebel forces he faces. And two of the most gruesome, gut-wrenching scenes I have every seen in a film come not in the fantasy world, but in the Captain’s presence.

The Bottom Line: I truly believe that I have already seen the two best movies I’ll see this year and this was the first one. I can’t wait to see this movie again and hope it’s while it’s still in theaters. In all honesty I don’t have the words to tell you how much I loved this movie. Go see it while it’s in theaters, but know it’s not for the faint of heart.

Alpha Dog

What it’s about: The true story of Jesse James Hollywood(Emile Hirsch)(renamed Johnny Truelove for the movie) a drug dealer who became one of the youngest people to ever be on the FBI’s most wanted list. When rival, Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster) breaks into his home, Johnny kidnaps his brother, Zack in retaliation. What follows is the story of what happened over the next weekend, while Johnny’s boys held Zack hostage.

What I Thought: I went in not knowing what to expect. I knew the basics of the movie, but I didn’t know how the story ended or what would happen in between. But I really did like the movie. Hirsch and Foster do a fantastic job playing to old friends who’ve come to hate one another. And the extended cast of Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, Harry Dean Stanton, and others all do a great job. But two actors really blow you away with their talent. The first was Anton Yelchin as Zack Mazursky, Yelchin gives an amazing performance as a sweet vulnerable kid who everyone can’t help but love. But I think the person who blew me away the most with their performance was Justin Timberlake. Here as the wise-cracking, right hand man, Frankie Ballenbacher, Timberlake proves that he’s got what it takes to not only act but as a comedian.

The Bottom Line: An enthralling story that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Children of Men

What it’s about: The year is 2027 and every woman on Earth is infertile. The last person was born in 18 years before. Britain is one of the remaining countries of power and has started deporting everyone who is not a citizen. Theo Faron (Clive Owen), a former activist, is contacted to help smuggle a young woman out of the country, only Theo doesn’t know that the young woman is miraculously pregnant.

What I Thought: Two Words: Breathtakingly Amazing! I have to admit, after seeing the preview I had no interest to see this movie, but luckily my friend Jon told me to go see it, and I am so glad I did. This is another movie where I just don’t have the words to describe it.

The movie is set in a dreary, hopeless world, and Alfonso Cuaron does an amazing job of conveying that despair in the sets and the characters. But Cuaron’s real genius is shown in the filming of two scenes in the movie. Both scenes are seamlessly cut together so that they look like one long cut. I won’t ruin these scenes for anyone who hasn’t scene the movie, but I think you’ll know them when you see them.

The movie also does an amazing job of conveying the hope that one pregnant woman can bring to an infertile world.

My only word of advice is that the movie is fairly violent, so you’ve been warned.

The Bottom Line: The 2^nd of what is likely the two best movies I’ll see this year. It’s another movie with lots of great story and content and is so amazingly shot, you won’t forget the movie any time soon.

Babel

What it’s about: Because I don’t know how to describe it From IMDB.Com:

This is a complex tale of four interlocking stories. A poor Morrocan family acquires a rifle to protect their goats. An American couple's bus tour holiday is shattered when she is accidentally shot. That couple's children, at home in the USA with their nanny/housekeeper, accompany her to Mexico to attend her son's wedding. A Japanese father, whose wife has committed suicide some time ago, is unable to communicate with his teenage daughter. A tragic tale for all concerned.

What I Thought: A film that’s done amazingly well, but something that I can honestly saw had I not heard it was such a great film, I’d never have wanted to see. The entire movie is sad, depressing, and as it says above tragic.

And don’t get me started on the copious amounts of nudity. Had I been warned about the nudity I wouldn’t have seen it.

Truthfully I saw a better “Everyone’s connected in strange ways” movie last year. It was called “Crash” and won the Best Picture Oscar, something it deserved, unlike this film. Also I’ve seen the “Everyone’s Connected in Strange Ways” movie several times in the past few years it’s been called “Magnolia,” “11:14,” and several other titles. It seems to be the new trend in Hollywood, and to tell the truth it’s gotten out of hand.

Everyone isn’t always connected in some way, so stop trying to make them all connected, it’s been done.

The Bottom Line: A good movie, shot well, but nothing I can recommend because it’s so depressing and sad. Honestly, nothing I want to own or watch again.

Good grades

Travis won't brag on himself, so I wanted to for a second. He finally got all of his grades back from last semester...he did AWESOME. He was really worried about a couple classes but even those grades were great! Anyway...Law School is hard, but Travis is working hard. He is so smart. I am proud!

Snow? In Malibu??

SO...apparently it snowed today in Malibu?? Um...where??? I was outside ALL DAY and did not see one single snow flake. We are SO SO confused. It was stinking cold today, but how did we miss the snow that is all over the news? Seriously, what the heck?

Happy 2007!!

Well folks, we hope you had a great Christmas and Happy New Year. Before we headed out to Amarillo Christmas day we had our own Christmas on Christmas Eve. I got the best present ever from Travis: a baseball bat SIGNED by Russell Martin!!! It has a picture of him signing it and a certificate of authenticity. It is GREAT!!! I LOVE it. Christmas morning on our way to the airport there was the prettiest sunrise we could see over the ocean.

We had fun in Amarillo seeing family and friends. We had so much luggage it was ridiculous. Tomorrow we are going to the Getty Villa museum. If we take any fun pictures I will post them tomorrow. We start back to school and work next week, then I am off to Vegas with the girls on Thursday night!!

Hope everyone has a great first week of January!!

Pet Peeves!

Someone posted a comment in response to the "Tiddies" basically saying why they disagree with my choice of "Little Miss Sunshine" as the funniest movie of the year. While I have no problem with someone posting a comment about how their perspective differs, I did have two problems with this post:
1)They ruined the ending of a movie, which may be one of my biggest pet peeves, just because you didn't enjoy the movie, doesn't give you the right to ruin it for others, and;
2)they left the post anonymously.

Please if you wish to comment, either positively or negatively, leave your name. If you can't sign in, just put your name at the end.

Thanks,
The West Coast Tidmores!

Rachel/Rachael

Ok girls...signing your comments "Rach" isn't going to help me. :-) There are TWO of you. I assume the comments on the last post were from rachEL? We always take that many pictures. He He.

Tis the Season...

To be Jolly!!! Went to Salado last weekend with the fam (well, the female half of the fam) and it was a blast as usual. At the end of the post I will put a few pics of the FAB weekend!

We have been listening to alot of Christmas music lately. Some of our favorites have been: "Baby It's Cold Outside" (the Zooey Dechanel version), "All I Want for Christmas is You" (we like the version from Love Actually), and a new song we found this season!! It is "Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!" by Sufjan Stevans!! It is SOOOO fun!! I even played it in my classroom. You should all find it and listen to it, it has really given us the holiday giggles.

Tonight on the way home from a little shopping we jammed out to an old favorite!! It's not a Christmas song, but we always get that Night at the Roxbury head bob going on when we hear it. "A Little Respect" by Erasure!!! Seriously!! So fun. We like music in general, but today was a fun music day, since we spent a while in the car heading to and from the outlet mall in Camarillo.

In other news...I snagged myself a Dodger Mr. Potato Head!!! HA HA HA. For REAL!! I am going to go play with it now!

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure!! :-)

The corn bread sticks at Stagecoach are GRRREAT!!

Me, my mom and my sister

Again.

Rachel, Me, Rachael

Again.

The Best Movies of 2006!

Well I promised these would come soon so here they are, my best of 2006. I couldn't rank them numerically so I decided to hand out awards, which I have dubbed "The Tiddies" (Pronounced Tid - dee's) So without further ado, the award goes to....


Best Romance of the Year
The Holiday
This movie is the Best Romance for one reason and surprisingly it's not the beautiful Kate Winslet or Cameron Diaz, heck it's not even Jack Black, who shows he really can act, or Jude Law. No the best part of this movie is a 91 year old man named Eli Wallach. I'm not saying the rest of the movie isn't good, because it is, but Mr. Wallach pushes it over the top.

Best B Movie of the Year
Slither
I saw this movie twice this year in the theater and once on DVD. Slither is a throw back to the b horror movies on the 80s, its funny, with a good amount of jolts and gallons of over-the-top gore. James Gunn's directorial debut is more fun than it has any right to be, and Nathan Fillion is a big part of that. I met both Fillion and Gunn at the screening I went to in October and they were two very nice guys which makes watching this movie all the better.

Best Guilty Pleasure
Snakes on a Plane
What more can I saw about this movie that the Title doesn't say for me? There's Snakes and they are on a Plane.

Wildest Ride of the Year (Tie)
Crank & Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
This one is a tie, one is a 90 min non-stop thrill a minute ride the other a 2.5 hour Pirate Sequel with thrills on the high seas. Crank is on this list because it knows exactly what it is and doesn't try to be anything else, Crank is one impossible stunt after another, which is no surprise because the directors are to former stunt men, but there are some very cool things they do with various shots and effects. Pirates on the other hand, while not as good as the first movie, is a lot of fun, yes the villains are weird and not nearly as good as the cursed pirates of the first film, but the fights and action sequences made for a bloody good time, especially the Water Wheel fight sequence.

Best Animated Movie of the Year
Monster House
I can't say I saw every animated movie that came out this year, but of the ones I did see this was my favorite. Monster House was by animating actors who had worn motion capture suits. Then end result is a great, if slightly scary (especially for the younger crowd) movie which is both thrilling and funny.

Best “disappointment” of the Year
Lady in the Water
This movie was critically panned (I'm sure the fact that one character is both a movie critic and a jerk didn't help) and didn't seem to get much love from the movie going public either, but I loved it. I have to think that this is another case of bad marketing. Once again a studio chose to market a Shyamalan movie as a horror flick and once again it disappointed that target audience. I believe if they had chosen to market it as the weird Fairy Tale that it was it would have had a more positive reaction and as such the better word of mouth might have helped the boxoffice.

Most Painful to Watch
Borat
Borat was painful to watch in several different ways. First it was painful to see how unintelligent people in America can be, and I'm sure Baron Cohen encountered quite a few people that didn't make fools of themselves, but that doesn't make for a good movie. As a social commentary it is amazing, making you feel in turns ashamed and angry at how ignorant people can be. This movie was also painful to watch because there are several cringe inducing scenes that you want to turn away from, but just can't force yourself to do so. But the main reason this movie was painful was because it literally hurt to watch. I laughed so hard in several scenes that I ha a hard time breathing, and one scene had me laughing so hard I was literally choking. Simple put it was awful, disgusting, and hilarious.

Funniest Movie of the Year
Little Miss Sunshine
This one is a gem. The only thing bad I can say about this movie is the language. But if you can get past that you'll find a Hilariously heartwarming film. One minute it will have you crying with laughter the next it will have you crying because it's touched you. Everyone in this cast is phenomenal, but the two best are probably Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin, whose chemistry as grandchild and grandfather is amazing.

Best Movie Going Experience of the Year
Superman Returns at Grauman’s Theater Opening Night
Alright, everyone knows I loved this movie, it was Superman for cry out loud, but the experience of standing in line for several hours on opening night at the Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood with thousands of other Superman fans, talking about comics, movies, televisions shows and any number of other topics is enough to put this experience at the top, but the simple fact that the director Bryan Singer was there and that, although I didn't get the chance to talk to him, he was inches away from me made this an amazing moment in my movie going history, and that's all before the movie even started! Hearing the cheers for the Spiderman 3 trailer, listening to the fans reactions to everything from the opening music to the standing ovation at the end of the movie made this movie more than just a movie, but as the name of this award suggests, an EXPERIENCE, and one that I'm proud to have been a part of.

Best Action Movie of the Year
Casino Royale
Daniel Craig is the new Bond and this is the way a Bond movie should be done, forget the naysayers that complain that, this being a prequel, there shouldn't be any cell phones, etc, because this isn't a prequel, it's a new beginning and a relaunch of the Bond franchise. And really is that a bad thing, there's not a lot of franchises that last 22 movie and span over 4 decades, so I welcome this "relaunch" and pray that they keep on this course. But Seriously in a year full of Action movies this one pulled ahead of the pack and lead with such ferocity that the others didn't stand a chance.

Best Movie of the Year: Runner-Up (Tie)
The Departed & Hollywoodland
Looking back I have to say that my favorite movies of the year are not what I though they'd be. I'm usually more of a Action or Comedy type guy but I'd classify all of the top 3 as Dramas. Although they couldn't be any different.
The Departed is a movie that I honestly had no desire in seeing. It was a Scorsese flick, and he does a good job, but I've never been a huge fan that had to run out and see his new movie, and honestly the preview looked to me like it gave away the entire movie, through in Leonardo and you've got a nice combination for a movie I didn't care about at all. But I kept hearing good things about it, so one day while Jeri was studying I went to see it, and a funny thing happened, I Loved It. Not only was it an enthralling plot, but the acting was magnificent. I didn't want it to end, and once again Leo proved why he's constantly employed, even if he was played out after Titanic, he truly is a gifted young man. But he's not the only one, everyone does a fantastic job in this movie, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Jack Nicholson, every one of them is fantastic. All in all a great movie, but even better it was a great Film.
Hollywoodland is quite possibly the best performance of Ben Affleck's career, no I take that back it is no doubt the best of his carrier. Ben does a fantastic job of playing George Reeves, a man whose death is still considered a mystery and is the basis for this film. There's really nothing bad to say about this film, it has an amazing cast that includes big names like Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, and Bob Hoskins, but it also has some of my favorite smaller names such as Caroline Dhavernas and Kathleen Robertson. The story is wonderful and doesn't try to shove one theory down your throat. Unfortunately I fear it won't get the recognition it deserves come award season.

Best Movie Of The Year

The Prestige

This is my favorite movie of the year. I have been waiting on this one since before last Christmas. Back then all I knew was that it was directed by Christopher Nolan (he of Batman Begins and Memento Fame) and starred Batman (Christian Bale) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) as dueling magicians. Then I got the novel for Christmas and read it in 3 days. The book was fantastic, but I was unsure how'd they take so much material and fit it onto the screen. But Nolan along with his brother Jonathan adapted the book in a fantastic way, changing a lot of the details and dropping one major subplot and making the material their own. The book and the film are completely different entities and I have to say I think I may have loved the movie even more than the book. Jackman and Bale do fantastic jobs bringing the characters to life and filling the screen with their presence. Scarlet Johansson is wonderful as the girl torn between the two men, but David Bowie steals the show as Nikola Tesla, the master of lightning whose own feud with Thomas Edison parallels the main story, but enough to distract us. The mystery of what has happened and the very creative way in which the Nolans have twisted the timeline so that we only see what they want us to see is until it's time for the final reveal is astonishing. In fact, as I said I'd read the book and it took my over halfway through the film to figure out what was going to happen (apparently I had forgotten) All in all my favorite of the year, and one that should win many awards come Oscar Season, but probably won't since some will see it as a "genre" film, which is to bad, because if more movies were as delightful as this one, there might be more people going to the movies these days.

There you go the Tiddies! If you or someone you know worked on one of these Award Winning films and would like to pick up the statue for the cast and crew please contact me so we can get it out to you. I hope everyone enjoyed the Awards show this year, even if we ran a little long and we look forward to seeing you next year.*

*The Tiddies are not real awards and no statue will actually be given out, because one doesn't exist, but you should feel honored anyway because I said so.