UCF '08 Season Tickets!

Thanks to the generosity of the Currey Clan(Thank you!!).. Ricky and I now have season tickets to the 2008 season of UCF Football. Ricky is so excited he can hardly contain himself. It was a close one though...

Because UCF tickets seem to be harder and harder to come by (its amazing what a home field and a winning season will do), Ricky was beginning to get worried that he wasn't going to be able to see the USF game this year. Under normal circumstances that wouldn't be such a big deal, but since USF doesn't want to continue to play UCF, this may be the last one for awhile. So, in order to guarantee tickets, we have worked out a layaway system. We had already budgeted the tickets out each week, but no we are just paying back the cost of the tickets instead of buying them each week individually.

So here's to another great season of UCF Football, or at least I hope it will be... We will miss you Kevin!

*If you look at the picture I posted above, you are basically looking at our seats. We are in the lower bowl endzone, pretty much center left if you are looking at it from the field (aka side closest to the camera shot without being a diagonal section)

And here's a fun little piece of irony... I met Kyle Israel's grandmother today. She was shopping for scrapbooking supplies at Joann's while I was there. We had a nice little chat, discussed scrapbooking and it was very pleasant. Although I am not necessarily a huge fan of her grandson, she was a very nice individual.

This weekend!

Fortunately for me, my mom and my aunt are coming into town this weekend! I am so excited! They are going to be here from Friday to Monday and I can't wait. We are going to the beach and the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse as well as just hanging around and scrapbooking. Its going to be a great time with great people. I wish my cousin Sarah could join us for the girls weekend, but I know I will get to see her soon for the HUGE Scrapbooking day at the Florida State Fairgrounds on August 23rd.

The two of us at Seaworld

The summer is almost over????

As I looked at my calendar today to update some of the events I had to schedule, I realized that the summer is gone. I'm not talking about the heat and the migraine inducing humidity, but that school is actually going to be starting again soon. In approximately 19 days, students in Orange and Seminole Counties will be dropped off at school to endure 180 days of learning! The plus side to this is that fact that there will soon be a lull in the traffic at the theme parks during the week and my Disney pass will soon be active again... on the negative side... I still do not have a job.

This unfortunate truth has hit a lot of Florida teachers recently and to all of you.. I feel your pain. It seems as though there are jobs to be had in the state of Florida.. just not for me apparently. I am over 80 applications now and as usual, I receive an average of 1 to 2 rejection letters a day. Redundant as it may be, there are still a lot of Art positions that have not been filled. Ricky brought up a good point to me the other day though.. he said, "You know, they are probably going to wait to fill those positions last since they will be the first to get cut if they are short on their budget." And you know something, he has a point. (Not that the idea of art jobs getting cut is a pretty picture, but it does have some merit to why they have been posted and not filled as of yet).

All I know is, I have been preparing myself for the worst and have been applying to everything I possibly can (including retail... ugh.. I know) to at least find something to pay the bills. Although the idea of working another Black Friday does make me a bit sick to my stomach, I might just have to bite the bullet and do it. The only problem with that plan is that I can't even seem to get a call from them either. The economy unfortunately is not smiling at the moment and that is taking away from everyone's budget. So this idea of settling with retail might not even be the solution I am looking for. Ugh!

I think the problem I have found with my credentials is that I am in that awkward in between stage of the game. I would love to teach, but I would be a first year teacher in an elective subject area and with the budgets, those jobs are even harder to get than before (Strike 1). I would consider teaching at a higher level but in order to teach at a higher level you have to have a Master's Degree (Strike 2). I can't seem to get basic jobs because I am overqualified and I can't get higher level jobs because I am underqualified (Strike3, 4 and beyond). My only question is, how is a person supposed to get experience if you have to have experience to get the job in which you would receive the experience in the first place?? The only response to that question I get is, well you can volunteer to get experience. I do not deny that volunteering does give you the experience you need, BUT volunteering does not pay the bills and with the way things are going right now, spending the money on gas to volunteer does not have a positive opportunity cost.

Even with all of this going on, I continue to have an optimistic spirit and live in hope that the right job will come to my general direction. I know it will, but the waiting is the hard part. Especially since the school year approaches. But there are a few quotes that help me remember that even the waiting is all part of the game.

So to all of you teachers out there who are in the same stagnant boat that I am in remember:

"Don't be discouraged. It's often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock"

"I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday."

Chuck Fans...

If anyone out that is a fan of Chuck Palahniuk, Ricky found this article regarding his most recent book Snuff. Just thought you might like to know...

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article4396841.ece

Yes, Master....

As I was scrolling through the movie trailers on Apple's website, I ran across this cute looking poster. Being an animation person, I stopped to check it out and I must admit it looks adorable. I am excited about this one. It looks like a cute animated film and although its not a Pixar movie, I think I am more excited about seeing this one than I am about seeing Wall-E (which I have yet to see).

This film has a great cast too, consisting of people like John Cusack, Eddie Izzard, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, Jay Leno, Sean Hayes.. and oh yes.. even James Lipton. It is set to be released on September 19, 2008 and you better believe I will be going to the theater for this one.

Here's the Official Website if you want to check out the trailer:
http://igor-movie.com/

I Want to Believe...

Last night the four of us went to see the new X-Files movie. After several years of being on hiatus, Mulder and Scully were back for another adventure.

Unlike the mythology story lines, this film followed the theme of a monster episode. The premise is that the FBI needs Mulder to come out of his self-isolation to help with a case of a missing FBI agent. Scully convinces Mulder that he should help, but Scully doesn't want to get involved. The whole movie is spent attempting to convince Scully that she needs to help with the case, but her hands are full with a troubled young terminal patient at the hospital she works at. Because of his curiosity, Mulder gets caught up in this case and almost ends up getting killed. But of course, Scully has managed to figure out the clues just in time to save him and to save the day.

Although both actors are getting older, Gillian Anderson is the only one that really showed her age. I think Ricky was right when he made the comment that we have been watching David Duchovny since X-Files so we are used to seeing him in an older state. It could also be too that in the context of X-Files, you expect them to be younger because that's how they existed to you previously. In general though, the acting from Duchovny and Anderson kept to the style of the X-Files and I felt if nothing else, the film seemed like a long episode.

On the other hand, the choice of actors for some of the other roles was not exactly correct. Some people enjoy Amanda Peet's acting, but to be honest, having her in a movie is a turn off for me. I am not really a fan of hers and with very few exceptions, I have not enjoyed any of her films. To continue with the quality of the cast, Xzibit found himself a role in this film. Let's just say, Pimp My Ride was definitely more suited to his style and level of acting. Now I will say, Billy Connolly did an excellent job as Father Joe. I have always liked him in the roles he has done, and I especially love his accent. The one thing that Kenneth and I both found amusing was the fact that we both think of the same line in Muppet Treasure Island when we hear him speak.
Billy Connolly: "Jimmy Jim Jimmy Jim Jim Jim Jim..."
Gonzo: "I'm not Jimmy Jim Jimmy Jim Jim Jim Jim, he's Jimmy Jim Jimmy Jim Jim Jim Jim."

This film definitely seemed to exemplify the fact that there had been a writer's strike recently and the industry needed something to work on. That being said, I am glad that the film was done. It didn't disappoint and it was what I expected it to be, but I must say the X-Files of the 90's definitely had that special something that was missing from this film. So if you are an X-Files fan, you will probably go see the movie and you will basically get what you expected, but to be honest it was worth the time and money.

Scrappy's Scrapbooking Supplies

For all of you scrapbookers who live in the driving vicinity of Sand Lake Road, there is a scrapbook store that I went to today that has some pretty decent supplies that I haven't seen in too many other places. I picked up a few papers and stickers there today, but its a nice little shop. Its called Scrappy Boutique and it is literally a few blocks away from the Florida Mall.

Its located at:
730 Sand Lake Road #134
Orlando, Florida 32809

They also have a website: ScrappyBoutique.com

Like I said, its not a very large store since more of them aren't, but it has some of different things that I haven't seen and actually gave me some inspiration today for a couple of my upcoming pages.

Yes!

Today was a great day! As most of you know, we have had our share of rough landlords in the past and we managed to escape by the skin of our teeth without any remnants of our security deposit. But I am happy to announce that we just received our check for the full security deposit on the house in Deltona. We were very excited to receive this money and are thankful for the fact that it came at such a great time.

Thanks to Primary Realty for helping us as much as they could with everything. If you are ever looking in the Deltona area, they are good people to talk to.

One Year....Yay!

Happy First Anniversary to Daryl and Andrea!

To honor this festive occasion, I just wanted to share a quote that I absolutely love... and that is kind of cutesy but appropriate for matters of the heart...

"I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each others dreams, we can be together all the time." ~Calvin & Hobbes

Here's to many many more years of excitement and thousands of precious memories to share!

Happy Anniversary!

Beep...Beep...Beep

Although I know what the beeping in our house was, I am finding it to be slightly annoying. One of our smoke detectors is dying (at least the battery is) and it has been beeping for the past few hours. Since we have high ceilings and tile flooring, the beeps echo so it is hard to distinguish which smoke detector is the culprit. Poor Ricky was rushing around the house ninja style attempting to determine the problem detector and at one point thought he had found it. We replaced the batteries and then it started beeping even louder. Once we took it down and were in the process of trying a different battery, another one beeps. We think the one we originally took the battery out of wasn't the original problem and now we have 2 that are beeping because it was mad that we disturbed its peaceful functioning processes. Oh well.. at least we finally determined which detector was beeping.

The Dark Knight... may contain spoliers!!!

Yesterday, the four of us went out to see The Dark Knight. Kristine's mom had given her some movie passes, so we were able to go for free. It was so nice of her to share those with us. We arrived at the theater about an hour early and ended up second in the line so we got the seats we wanted in the theater.

The Dark Knight was actually a pretty decent film. It was not exactly what I had anticipated and definitely not the best Batman film of all time, but a good film none the less. The film starts out a little slowly with the set-up of the film. Kenneth described it perfectly when he said that it felt like an individual movie and not a sequel. This is a good and a bad thing. For people who may not have seen the first film, the set-up helps to bring all of the viewers to the same page, but for those of us who have seen the first film, the set-up seems a bit redundant. Once the film gets rolling though, it moved along smoothly.

One criticism I have for the film is the short existence of Two-Face. Aaron Eckhart did an excellent job at creating the Harvey Dent character. He was believable and an intriguing character. The problem was that they not only developed Harvey Dent, but once Two-Face is "born" out of the accident, they not only develop Dent, but they work in his entire transformation into Two-Face, Two-Face's entire development, and his death. Just like that, Two-Face has come and gone. I had anticipated Two-Face being created and then possibly coming back at a different time and place, but the way it was done, I think it took away from the Joker's character.

The other criticism that I have is the length of the film. This film is 2 1/2 hours, but it seems a bit longer as you get to the end of the film. Although it wasn't as severe, I had the same feeling I had after seeing Return of the King... There were a couple times where I felt the film could have ended and yet it kept going.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy the movie.... I really did enjoy it. I found it to be better than Batman Begins. I just think there is something to be said for the original Tim Burton films. Yesterday morning prior to going out to see the Dark Knight, I was reminded why I enjoyed the original two Batmans so much. The true comic feel that comes with a Tim Burton film brings to life the creative and artistic form that Batman truly is as a comic series. Burton's playfully gothic films do not try to place Batman into our own reality, but instead place him in a world that resembles ours and twists it with a bit of artistic license and for lack of a better term whimsy.

In comparison, Chris Nolan has brought reality into Batman. Ricky thought that Gotham City was supposed to be "Chicago" but to me, I like the anonymity of the fictional location. I like being taken into a world that is not our own, and enjoying the fantasy of the stories. Nolan, on the other hand doesn't to bring too much of the fantasy into his films. He wants to do characters that can be seen as believable and realistic. For example, one issue I saw that no one else will notice, as teh use fo teh Illinois license plates. The Land of Lincoln license plates are so recognizable that every time a car drive by, I was taken out of the fictional story and into real life. Granted, I understand that's what Nolan wanted, but it was a bit distracting to me. This is also one of the reasons he decided to recreate the Joker. He felt that the Joker could be created to be a real villain and a truly evil person.


Now to the question that I know has been plaguing everyone's mind... How was Heath Ledger's performance? I must admit he did a very good job. It was the best character performance I have seen in a comic book film in a long time. He owned the character that he created, but do I think it was an Oscar worthy performance.... eh, not really, but it will depend on what else is released prior to the end of the Oscar season. I think it warrants a possible nomination, but I don't know that it is a winner. Of all the films I have seen Ledger in, (which is pretty much all of them), this was his best performance, and sadly his last. I was a true fan of Heath Ledger (even in his weaker films) and his presence will be missed. Ironically enough, the Joker does not die in the film. The character Heath created will be rotting in jail until the end of time. I will say this... if they decide to bring the Joker back for any reason, it is going to be incredibly hard to replace and equal the performance that Ledger delivers. Well done, Heath, well done!

When all is said and done, Jack created the Joker's personality. Kenneth said it best when he said, "I just think that there are elements of the Joker that wouldn't exist today if Jack Nicholson hadn't created them in the first place." I would have to agree. The Joker is who he is because of Jack and you cannot really question that fact. I will give Heath Ledger credit though, the laugh was PERFECT!

My personal ranking of the Batman films:
1. Batman (1989)
2. Batman Returns (1992)
3. The Dark Knight (2008)
4. Batman Begins (2005)
5. Batman Forever (1995)
6. Batman and Robin (1997)

One final thought... with the whimsy and creativity of the Burton films we get a much cooler BatMobile...

Although you were not selected for this position...

Today is just one of those days where you start to feel slightly down. Not because its gloomy outside or because anything is really wrong, but more so because sometimes you just hate hearing the words:

"Thank you for applying for the position of ...
Although you were not selected for this position, we encourage
you to apply for other positions for which you may be
qualified as they become available. Please visit our website
at for additional vacancy information."

On average, I have been receiving about one rejection letter every other day. Some days I wouldn't receive any which tends to boost my spirits just a tad. But today was different. Today I received 7 before noon and they just keep coming. Since noon, 2 have been added to the collection. This brings the grand total of rejection letters up to 45. (These are from Orange/Seminole Counties Schools only... this does not include miscellaneous retail or other jobs) After a while it gets a bit depressing. I keep telling myself that only one has to say yes, but I'm not even getting any interviews. I go straight from application to rejection. I know the right job is out there for me, but it is frustrating when I have been looking for a job for over a year now and have yet to get any offers (much less good ones)

I continue on with my daily applications and tracking all of the jobs I have applied for versus the ones I have received word from and sit and hope that something will come along that will be the right job for me.

I do have a potential offer that I am looking forward to, but the waiting and waiting is what is getting to me. UGH!

Ready, Set, Scrapbook!

Well, after a short hiatus I have managed to jump right back into my scrapbooking. With all of the chaos of moving mixed with the continued search for a job, the time has been available, but unfortunately the creativity has not.

So today was the day. After doing my usual searches for jobs and taking care of other errands, I decided that I was going to finish my Star Trek album. Now keep in mind, we went to the Star Trek Convention last year in August... and I finished it today. I think I take a few too many pictures. (That or I take way too long to decide what I am going to do and then it takes me several hours to complete a page) Whatever the case may be, I did manage to finish the album today and I must admit, I am quite impressed with myself. This album came together so well as a themed piece and I am very proud of the result. Now, I am on to bigger things... well not really... just another album or two or three. To be honest I have approximately 5 different albums currently in progress that I have been working on. I am so far behind, but with the big Scrapbooking Day coming up and a few sparks of inspiration (finally!) I should be able to get back on track. Actually, I am hoping to finish our 1st anniversary album by the 1st of August so I can show it to my mom and my aunt. We shall see how it goes.

Can we say Dark Knight anticipation???

I know its killing me... I have had a countdown for this film up since I found out it was being released. For some reason, I am not a fan of comic book movies in general (although I am told I need to see Ironman), but when it comes to Batman, I can't see the films fast enough. Granted, Batman has had its weaker moments... BUT I have still religiously gone to the theaters to see the films good, bad, or otherwise.

The dilemma presented though is the fact that I am definitely starting to get older. Ricky, Kenneth, and I discussed the fact that the midnight showing on Thursday night is past our bedtime. What happened to the days of multiple late night showings... they have gone by the wayside and I am sadly waiting until Friday or Saturday to see the movie. To those of you who can stay up late enough to see the Thursday showing, go and have as much fun as possible!(Make it a double for me) Just don't tell me what happens because I promise before the weekend is out, I will see The Dark Knight and would venture to guess that I will enjoy every second of it.

P.S. - The review will surely follow!

Can we say paycheck?

I know its hard to believe, but the checks have finally started coming in for all of the these tests I have been taking. They still owe me for a few of them, but at least they have started to arrive. Most likely I won't receive the payments from July until September, but at least I know they are on their way!

Brendan Fraser Live at Universal Studios Florida

Today Kenneth, Kristine and I decided to head out to Universal Studios because Brendan Fraser was going to be there to promote his new film in the Mummy Saga. We had gotten an email letting us know he was going to be there because they were going to have a special event for the Passholders as well as a couple live appearances from Brendan himself. We decided it would be fun and it gave us an excuse to go to Universal in the middle of the summer during tourist season. Although Brendan wasn't out on the stage for very long, it was interesting to at least get a chance to see him in person. He did a little Q & A and they gave out a trip for 2 to see the movie premiere in Hollywood, but for the most part it was just Brendan and some guy from Universal talking about the movie. He also put in a plug for Journey to the Center of the Earth.

We stood in the shade for most of the time he was on the stage, but there were people that had been sitting on the hot concrete starting at around 10AM just so they could be at the front of the stage. I am surprised that they didn't have more cases of heat stroke and heat exhaustion considering how hot it was. Although, considering how many people were in front of us, I was able to zoom in pretty well with my camera. The Passholder event was supposed to take place after the event outside, but with the length of the line(which we would have been in for 90 minutes before they even let us in), the rain storm moving in, the heat and the insane prices for water, we decided to forget about the event and beat the traffic going home. Besides, we figured we had gotten the chance to see him and thats all we wanted to do. Not to mention the fact that the Passholder event was the same thing that happened outside, just in the air conditioning instead.

Now here's where the fun part of the story comes into play. Premier and Preferred Annual Passholders were invited through email to an exclusive event where Brendan was going to make an appearance. They required that you RSVP for the event since space was limited and they were going to give out free t-shirts etc. I RSVPed for myself, Kenneth and Kristine because I figured we could all go together and Kenneth doesn't have class on Fridays. After I RSVPed, I found out that Kristine didn't have the right kind of annual pass, but since they didn't say anything in the email, we were going to try anyway. So today I get there first and get corralled into a line for passholders that RSVPed and one for those who didn't. They way they were doing it was that all the people who RSVPed were going to be checked off on this list after they showed their passes and then their hands would be stamped to guarantee their place in the theater. We were standing behind about 25 to 30 people or so so it took a little while for the woman with the list to get back to us. The idea was that after you were stamped you could leave the line to enjoy the park (this was noon and the doors weren't opening for the event until 3:30PM) But we found it odd that no one in front of us was leaving the line. As the woman with the list got closer, we realized that a good portion of the people in front of us weren't on the list. As she got to the lady in front of us in line, her name wasn't on the list, so she started raising her voice and getting testy. The woman with the list continued to us and saw that my name as well as Kenneth's were on the list, but since the lady in front of us was getting so loud and being so obnoxious, the lady didn't take the time to check the list for Kristine's name, and she just stamped her hand. It was such a nightmare going through that line, and the crowd was getting restless, we decided to walk around the park for awhile before the 2 o' clock festivities were going to start. Although as I said earlier, we decided not to stay for the Passholder event because it was so unorganized and so incredibly HOT. But as you can see, from where I was standing in the crowd, I got some fairly decent photos. (and this was with my little tiny camera)

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is out in theaters on August 1st 2008 and from what I have seen, it seemed to be fairly accurate and maintains the integrity of the series. We will probably go to see the film, but after today, I am ready to take a short break from the Mummy, at least for a couple of days.

Everyone's Hero

Everyone's Hero is a cute little film that is set during the Babe Ruth era of baseball. A young boy by the name of Yankee is the son of the janitor at Yankee Stadium. One night, Babe Ruth's bat Darlin' is stolen right before the World Series begins in Chicago. Because the bat is stolen during his dad's shift, Yankee's dad is fired. What they do not know is that the Cubs are conspiring against the Babe in an attempt to win the series. Yankee knows there is foul play stirring so he decides to find Babe's bat and return it before the Yankees lose the World Series.

If you look at this picture you may be able to see Ricky's face if he had seen this particular movie. The Cubs are not shown in a very pleasant light throughout this film. Essentially, they are seen as cheaters and scoundrels, but the movie itself was fairly cute. The animation wasn't bad for a children's movie and the story, although predictable, was well written. You can follow the tale of Yankee very easily and its a truly inspiring film for young ball players.

Overall, not the best piece of animation I have seen, but a cute story with a good message for younger children.

HBO, Cinemax, TMC Oh My..... and a DVR to boot!

Since Comcast in available in our new neighborhood, we are now able to get free cable in the house including all the pay channels at no extra cost. My long lost friends known as HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and TMC are back in full force with repetitive line-ups for the entire family to enjoy.

Granted, there are those who will say, "Well, they always show the same movies over and over and they are the ones we have seen anyway, so there is never anything good on." This is a true statement for the most part. These channels do show the same movies over and over and they are usually movies that are already out on DVD... BUT do to the past year of financial instability, Ricky and I have not been able to get to the movies as often as we used to. We just make sure to get to the theaters for the important releases, normally in the summer and around Christmas time. (You better believe we are going to see Batman and the X-Files when they come out in the next 2 weeks) Not to mention the fact that our DVD collection has hit a slight lull. Because of this, Ricky and I are behind on so many movies its hard to keep up. (This is the partial reasoning for the recent viewing of Horton Hears a Who and the Spiderwick Chronicles.) So yesterday alone I managed to DVR 4 movies I haven't seen. This is great! I finally have a way to catch up on the films I have missed and it doesn't cost me anything!

I know that once I catch up with my film watching I will feel the same about these channels as many do already, but until such a time comes to pass, I will enjoy these movies (hopefully) and use these newly rediscovered channels for all they are worth. Besides, now I will be able to watch the shows that specifically air on these channels that I have had to catch up on through DVD.

By the way, the Showtime series that has caught my interest recently is Californication. If you like David Duchovny and you want to see him in a roll that is NOTHING like Fox Mulder, then you might want to check this show out (Not appropriate for under age viewing).

Ever feel like Jell-O?

That's how I feel right now. Today I took the next step in my gym experiences and reacquainted myself with the weight machines. Prior to today, I was doing about an hour or so of cardio to get my body back into the swing of things, but today was the day I decided to work out my arms. Let me just tell you that if you are curious to find out which muscles you use on a regular basis and which ones you don't, this is the perfect way to find out. Unfortunately for me, they decided to put the easier ones together first in the rotation.

At the beginning of the workout I was pumped, I did 30 minutes of cardio and was ready. I tried the first few machines and although I can't lift nearly what I used to, I did fairly well for the first time out. Then I got to the machine that works the tops of your arms and across the top of your back and shoulders. All I can say is OUCH! I couldn't find a weight light enough for that particular area. Fortunately, my brother was there and assured me that the machine I was using was the lightest weight machine for him as well. That made me feel a little better, but I still feel like a weakling. I just have to remember that it is a marathon and not a sprint and keep at it.

The Spiderwick Chronicles... even later than Horton...

Today I was finally able to see the Spiderwick Chronicles. Back at the beginning of the year I decided I was going to read the Spiderwick series since the movie was set to be released. The books themselves (5 in all) are considerably shorter than the Lemony Snicket series but they read very well and fairly easily. Each book had somewhat of an ending, but for the most part, the stories pulled the Lord of the Rings ending; they just kind of stopped and the next book picked up from there. In general, I found myself more and more intrigued as I went through the books wondering what was going to happen next. Upon completing the series, I did feel that the books would flow better as a movie than the unfortunate events series, but I was going to wait and see how the movie went. The problem was, I knew I was the only one in the house that either wanted to see the movie, much less had read the books.

So now that the DVD is out in stores, I finally got my chance to see the film. I must admit, for those of us who have read the series, it leaves a lot of different details out and changes the overall story quite a bit. In general, the film was good. I thought the animation and storyline was appropriate for the length of the film and the acting was well done for what it needed. I just wish the details would have been worked in a little bit more. Having read the books the movie to me gives me the same feeling I had after I saw Lemony Snickets for the first time. I loved the series of books and wish that the movie would have followed it a little bit more closely, but overall, I felt the movie captured the integrity of the books and succeeded as a pretty decent form of storytelling.

For anyone who read the books and hasn't seen the movie (although I know it has been out for awhile), enjoy the movie for what its is, a great children's movie that pays tribute to the wonderful series create by Holly Black and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. I felt it did them proud, but I will always have a special place in my heart for the books and the wonderful stories they tell.

Horton Hears a Who!... A Little Bit Late...

Although I know it's not considered a summer movie, we all went to see Horton Hears a Who at the cheap theater today. I originally wanted to see this movie when it was released back in March, but unfortunately it didn't get a chance.

My overall review is that it was great! I am so glad they decided to go with an animated film instead of attempting another live action film. The film combined a bit of "2D" animation in a Japanese style with the progressively improving work of Blue Sky. It was witty and although the narration wasn't completely from the book itself, I felt it maintained the integrity of the spirit of the original. I also found the little cameos from miscellaneous Seuss stories to be refreshing and well placed. For those of you who missed it, the Whos were eating Green Eggs and Ham as the children are spending time with their dad and the other really good one was the shout out to Thidwick the kind hearted moose. When the little kangaroo had his clover and his mom took it away, he says "My friend Thidwick lives there." I know that many people might have missed it, but for those of us who are Dr. Seuss addicts it was appropriate and cute.

Overall, I definitely recommend it and plan to add this film to my collection (as soon as they pick a release date for the DVD.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day!

We were fortunate enough to be invited to a block party in our new neighborhood. It was so much fun. We got the opportunity to meet and visit with our new neighbors while enjoying some tasty food! Everyone was very welcoming and made us feel at home. We also got a couple interesting home decorating ideas. It was great! We are also considering inviting everyone over in the fall for a house party. I find it refreshing to be in a neighborhood that wants to enjoy each others company. Its a home versus just a place to live. I absolutely love this neighborhood and I sincerely hope that we will be able to stay here for a long time to come.

I must also take a moment to thank Andrea for the great pasta salad recipe! I must admit you were right... you can't really measure the ingredients, its all about tasting it over and over until it is just right. (And the Ken's dressing is definitely the best) Thanks Andrea!

Getting back on track...

As most of you know, Ricky and I started to do Weight Watchers at the beginning of the year in order to start getting into shape. We both had a considerable amount of weight to lose and so far things have gone fairly well. Because finances have been tight, Ricky and I have been trying to be as good as possible, but it is very hard when fast food is cheaper than healthier alternatives.

But, now that we have gotten into a more secure spot with only one rent payment to make instead of paying for 2 houses, we are getting back on track. The graph above shows how I have been doing so far this year. I am down almost 30 pounds and Ricky is down about 40. The plus side to living in the new house is that we have a community center that is at our disposal because it is included in the HOA dues. My brother and I have started to go every morning and Ricky is starting to go in the evenings after work. Once I get back into the swing of things, I will probably join Ricky at night as well. I am hoping to get a teaching job for the fall, which would mean I would have to start going in the evenings anyway.

So wish us luck as we jump back on track with our diet and exercise. I know we can do it, its just a matter getting out there and getting it done.

Happy Birthday Ricky!

Last Night we celebrated Ricky's Birthday. I made him a strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting. Unfortunately, after I added the colors on the top of the cake to spell out his name the purple got a little too watery and ran down the side. It still tasted delicious though.

Ricky also opened the gifts that we got him. Since things are tight right now, I managed to find him a smaller Transformer. Its a smaller version of his favorite, Bumblebee, that they only carry at Target Stores. The gift that he received from Kenneth and Kristine had a slightly different type of wrapping. He had to get it out of the fridge. He received a 6-pack of Leinenkuegel Berry Weiss. I must say, it made a nice addition to his strawberry cake and ice cream.

We did go out the night before his birthday to Applebee's and had a nice dinner with Kenneth, Kristine, Luke and his sister. It is so nice to live closer to restaurants now though I must admit. Living in Deltona, you have to drive all over creation to find any restaurants that are worth going to.