#56, 57, 58 & 59

The first few days of August, I was so sick.  Sick enough to be off work for 3 days.

I'm such baby when I get sick.  All I want is for someone to sit with me, rub my back, play with my hair, and maybe make me some tea or get me some orange juice.  Of course I don't know anyone who wants to do that for me, besides my mom, and she just doesn't live close enough.

So instead, I decided to drown my sorrows in mindless TV viewing. I love to watch movies in order, and I like to stick with a series, even when they go crazy.  The Terminator movies (edited versions, of course!) are some of my family's favorites.

They have some serious action - Kyle Reese: "Come with me if you want to live."

They also have some great pick up lines - Kyle Reese: "I came across time for you, Sarah. I love you. I always have."

Hands down I think the second movie is the scariest, and the last movie has the most heart pounding action.

Utah - July 2012

   

At the end of July I went to Utah with double purpose - to see my sister's munchkins and to go to Laura Hanna's wedding.

Laura was beautiful and it was fun to wear the matching dresses with the girls.

I had outings with my sister (pedicure & ice cream), my neice (craft store), and my nephew (Toys R Us).  We also went to swimming lessons (three times) and to see the Lorax movie (dollar theater). 

It is always good to see the family and it was such a fun bonus to join in Laura Hanna's joy :)

#55

This is one of my favorite Tim Burton movies.

"Jack Skellington, king of Halloweentown, discovers Christmas Town, but doesn't quite understand the concept."  He really gets things messed up, but the good thing is that he has friends to help him get things fixed.

The music is brilliant and the boogie man is my favorite character.

Happy Halloween (in July)!

#54

I just love this movie!  The music, the dancing, the sass - all good.

Every time I listen to the music or watch the movie, I can't help but sing along. 

I was a little worried about the re-make being as good as the old one with Ricki Lake, but it was great.  Two Thumbs Up!

#52 & 53

 

Still in July, watching too many movies, I enjoyed both of these 80 style flicks.

Seriously, they are both weird, but I like them.

Thoughts?

#51

I love this movie. I love the idea of finding a secret passageway to another world and to be able to share the adventure with those closest to you.

My favorite quote is from Mr. Beaver -

[Mrs. Beaver is packing food before they flee from the wolves]
Peter Pevensie: What's she doing?
Mrs. Beaver: Oh, you'll be thanking me later. It's a long journey, and Beaver gets pretty cranky when he's hungry.
Mr. Beaver: I'm cranky now!

#50

One word - Aliens!

Favorite quotes -

[Hiller opens the spaceship, the alien screams, Hiller smacks him in the head]
Captain Steven Hiller: [beat] Welcome to earth.

Captain Steven Hiller: I ain't heard no fat lady!
David Levinson: Forget the fat lady. You're obsessed with fat lady. Just get us out of here!

Julius Levinson: It's the White House for crying out loud, you can't just go up and ring the doorbell.

David Levinson: A toast, to the end of the world.

#47, 48 & 49

   

July was a good month for movies.  I was borrowing my Mom's small TV/DVD player and I watched a lot of movies in bed, when I should have been sleeping.

I love pirate movies - they are full of action / crazy creatures / hot men.  Do you sense a theme in the movies I enjoy?  I've heard many people say that they only like the first one, but I love all three.

#45 & 46

 

I watched the first four movies last year for my birthday weekend.  The next two sometime in July.  It's fun watching the kids grow up and even though Harry has such an attitude, I still want him to win :)

Maybe I'll watch the last two this year for my birthday.

#44

The end of June was a good time.  I'm a fan of all movies X-Men.

Great action!  Victor scares me quite a bit, but I'm sure that is what the writers intended. 

This movie breaks my heart and makes me cry, every time. 

But how cool is Wolverine??  Is he your favorite of the X-Men??

#43

I watched this one toward the end of June.  This is the last movie I ever watched with my cat, Tory.  Every time I miss him, I break it out and reminisce.

I'm a pretty big fan of end-of-the-world kinda movies.  This one gets me every time they draw the line across the U.S. map.  All I think is that, all of my family is above that line.  We would all die!!!!

Good thing it is just a movie.  Love it!!

#42

We also watched this fun one in Chicago.

Lots of girly moments, clothes - makeup - boys - romance.

Funny quotes include -

Jenna: Wait, listen to me. I'm 13!
Lucy: Jenna, if you're gonna start lying about your age, I'd go with 27.

Young Jenna Rink: I don't want to be beautiful in my own way. I want to look like these people.
Beverly Rink: Oh those aren't people honey, those are models.

Lucy: OK, you can wipe the doe-eyed-Bambi-watching-her-mother-get-shot-and-strapped-to-the-back-of-a-van look from your face.

#39, 40 & 41

    

When I was in Chicago, I had a lazy day and I stayed in my pajamas the whole day.  I watched these three awesome action flicks while Deana and her sister went to an amusement park.

These 3 movies are full of exciting action, beautiful men and amazing far off places.  It may seem silly to you, but these movies inspired me to have the courage to go to Egypt.  I remember thinking that someday I would see these places with my own eyes. I thought that I would be an old lady when I finally got the chance to go, but fate intervened and I went in 2010.  Now I want to go everywhere:)

Chicago

Back in June - Holly, Teresa and I went to visit Deana's homeland.

We went to a Cub's game (where they won, beating the Red Sox), to an Al Green concert at the Ravinia, the Field Museum, China town, went on an architectural boat tour, ate amazing hot dogs at Gene & Jude's, and saw the "Bean" twice!  We also saw a zombie invasion, ate deep dish pizza from Lou Malnatti's and rode the ferris wheel at Navy Peir.  Holly and Teresa had to leave on Sunday, but I stayed till Wednesday!! 

With my three extra days of fun, I went to a Willerth family BBQ, swam in the pool, slept an amazing amount of hours, experienced my first real family FHE, ate an Italian Beef sandwich at Portillo's, and watched 4 movies (next post!).

It was great to meet Deana's family and to experience a small part of Chicago, and it was exactly the summer vacation I needed. 

#38

Holly, Amber and I watched this movie close to the end of April.  If you haven't spent much time with this sister duo, you should.  They are some of the sweetest, kindest girls that I know.

Mo is a "Silvertongue".  When he reads aloud, his voice brings the characters out of the book and into our world.   The downside is that he doesn't know which characters will come out and he finds that as they enter our world, someone must enter the story.

I really like the idea behind this story, but I didn't like the execution.  The movie seems very dark and choppy.  I'm hoping that when I watch it again in a few years, I will like it more.

Till then, maybe I'll try reading the books.

#37

This is the third movie that Lalana and I watched in April.  Such a crazy girl movie...

The girls in that family are so different.  One is crazy for love - "Marianne does not approve of hiding her emotions. In fact, her romantic prejudices have the unfortunate tendency to set propriety at naught."  The other one is so reserved that she is blown away when it actually happens to her - "I am by no means assured of his regard and even were he to feel such a preference I think we should both be very foolish to assume that there would not be many obstacles to his marrying a woman of no rank who cannot afford to buy sugar."

I feel like I totally identify with the youngest, especially when she says "Please don't say anything important 'til I come back."

Overall it is a period piece where women acted much different than they do now.  I find it both romantic and frustrating.  But I always cry at the end when Elinor gets her man.

#36

This Cinderella like story is full of funny / sassy moments.  Poor Ella is givien the gift of obedience from her crazy fairy godmother as a little baby.  Through her independence and strength she finds, not only her true love, but also the strength to break free of the "gift".

I like the fact that she doesn't sit around waiting for someone to save her.  She goes off on a quest to break the spell, so she can make her own choices in life without being compelled to listen to others.  But I also like that in the end she finds her happy fairy tale ending.

My favorite part is when she is with the giants and they tell her to Sing!  Half way through one says, "Give it a little more soul!"

Chick flick #2 with Lalana in April :)

#35

I have the edited version of this romantic comedy.  It is a laugh out loud / cry a little bit / great love movie.  My two favorite story lines include the writer and the Prime Minister.

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at the airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends.  If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around."

This is the first of three chick flicks that I watched with Lalana while she was here in April.

Lalana

Back in April, my friend Lalana came to visit me.  This girl completely rocks - she has been to visit more than a half a dozen times since I moved to Virginia and it seems to me that once or twice a year isn't quite enough.

This visit we made our way into D.C. on Thursday to try out Ollie's Trolley.  The milkshakes here are amazing.  Just keep in mind to bring cash, because they don't take credit cards.

On Friday we went to Bread & Chocolate and totally enjoyed the chocolate fondue for brunch.  After that we went to the Ross to do a little shopping and we watched a movie that night.  Saturday, I'm sure Lalana didn't have as much fun.  I ended up procrastinating as usual and I needed to do my taxes.  When I was finished we went to lunch at a Chinese restaurant called Ping,  the food was good, not great, but good. Later Saturday night we went to the Black Cat to see the band "Lost in the Trees".  I'm always amazed at how much I enjoy live music.  I should go to concerts more often.

Sunday we went to church and watched a movie, it was a nice slow day.  Monday we went to the D.C. Arboretum and then we took a walk to the mall to go to Sephora.  Tuesday, Lalana went home.

I always have so much fun when she is here.  Lalana is the kind of friend that I need in my life.  She just loves me for who I am.  Sometimes we don't talk for months at a time, but whenever we get together it seems like nothing has changed.  So a big blog shout out -Lalana, thanks for being so cool :)

#32, #33 & #34

Last Saturday my roommate Holly ran a half marathon. She is such a rock star!! I wanted to help her "carb load" the night before, so I made a big spaghetti dinner.

The sauce turned out great. 3 jars Classico Tomato & Basil then I added sautéed onions & mushrooms and some browned sweet Italian sausage and hamburger. We also had linguine noodles because I like them better than regular spaghetti noodles. To finish it off we had some amazing homemade garlic bread.

Great food and even better dinner party people. There ended up being 10 of us and everyone helped get the dinner ready and clean up. It was a lot of fun.

After dinner we moved the party downstairs and watched X-Men and X2 and I stayed up later that night than I had in years. I don't feel like I should see 3 am again anytime soon.

Fast forward a few days later and we watched X-Men: The Last Stand. I love all of these movies! They all have some great action and as the movies progress there is some seriously good character development. They make me laugh, hold my breath, and even cry.

Bet you can't guess my favorite X Man...

#31

I also watched this movie the evening of my sick day last week. I love the idea of developing super powers. I like to think about which one I would want, lately I always would pick teleportation. How cool would it be to be able to travel in a blink of an eye?

I really like the brother / sister dynamic between Johnny & Susan. You can feel the love but the surface shows lots of frustration and annoyance.

I also like Doctor Victor Von Doom. He plays an excellent villain.

So which power would you want?

#29, #30 & a sick day

Last Tuesday I woke up with a horrible stomach ache. I napped as long as possible and then I decided a movie would be a great distraction.

I started out with Daredevil - it is corny and mostly ridiculous but the shining spot is Elektra.


And the natural next movie to watch was Elektra. So much better!

If you haven't seen either one...please skip Daredevil. But keep in mind I'm loyal, even when the acting is bad.

#28

This past Saturday, my friend Cali & her 3 year old daughter came over to help me with my movie goal.

What a fun time!! We had popcorn, brownies and Limeade for the treats. I got Piper a new purple dress and she wore it for the whole movie.

I love the muppets. They are very funny, especially the older movies. I love how they incorporate so much music and dancing.

My favorite quote comes from Miss Piggy - to Nicky (Charles Grodin)

"You! It was you! Kermit was right! You're a phony. You're a phony! Yes, you are! And you know what, you can't even sing! Your voice was dubbed!"

February 2012

My month long goal for February was to read my scriptures every day. I didn't make any other restrictions....it could be just one verse, just so I opened them every day.

One word - FAIL

I read every day but one. I was so disappointed in myself that next morning when I realized that I hadn't read the day before, I almost quit for the month. But after a good conversation with a inspired roommate, I proceeded to finish out the month.

I wish I was better at doing all the things that seem to come so easily to those around me. I feel quite often that I struggle with simple things.

I am thankful for the friends I have that help encourage me to be strong. I hope that I can always find the strength to pick myself up and try again.

#27 Miss Pettigrew

I watched this movie last Saturday night. I told you...lazy day, filled with movies and naps:)

This movie brings out the hopeless romantic in me. I think that Delysia is caught up in some horrible life choices, but I love how at the end of the movie she has some clarity of thought and chooses love.

I also love the idea that Guinevere has this adventure and ends up after a crazy day, engaged to a handsome, good man.

Favorite Quotes -

Joe: You didn't take me. I took you.

Joe: I've been looking for you all night, and I believe, all of my life. If you'll have me.

Michael: Pure and simple, I want you to marry me, and it's a one word conversation...

Guinevere: Not everything comes along just when we want it. There are times when decisions just have to be made, or you certainly will miss out.

Guinevere: And that is why you must not waste a second of this precious life. Listen to me. Once I too had ambitions. Not your grand ones, simple ambitions. Marriage, children and a house of our own... A good, solid man. You would call him dull, no doubt, but he smiled whenever he saw me and we could've built a life on that. Your heart knows the truth.. Trust it.

I love this movie. I cry every time I watch it. Do you have any favorite chick flicks?

#26

I watched this last Saturday afternoon. I'm a pretty big fan of Tim Burton's claymation films.

My favorite quotes -

Victor: I've got a... I've got a dwarf, and I'm not afraid to use him!

Pastor Galswells: [holding the dead off] Begone, ye demons from Hell! Back to the void from whence you came! You shall not enter here! Back... back... back. Skeleton: Keep it down, we're in a church!

Maggot: If I hadn't just been sitting in it, I would say that you'd lost your mind!

Bonejangles: I love a woman with meat on her bones!

#24 & #25

Last Saturday I was so lazy. I started the day by watching these two beauties. I really enjoy the silly premise that there is a secret government agency policing alien activity on our planet. I can imagine that some people I know could easily be aliens. It would certainly explain a lot :)

The music is fun. Will Smith is attractive and Tommy Lee Jones is brilliant.

I can not wait till the third movie comes out this summer. Want to go see it with me?

Crime Shows

On February 22nd, I decided that it was time to take a break from watching my new favorite guilty pleasure. Sometimes, especially for someone with a vivid imagination, watching too many crime shows can really get to you. Too many fictional scenarios of kidnappings & murders, get me to start thinking how possible those same things are in my life.

For instance, I decided to go on a walk in my neighborhood and as I was enjoying the fresh air & beautiful sunny day, I also noticed that the creepy man walking toward me could easily be cast as an "evil" man in a crime show. As he came closer I felt my whole body tense...

(I know that if anything ever happened to me that would require a "fight or flight" reaction, I would have to FIGHT. I know better. I can't even consider the flight option because I am out of shape and hopelessly clumsy.)

Of course he walked by me, as most east coasters do, without even making eye contact. I almost started to laugh at how ridiculous I am, but then I felt someone run up behind me and I just knew that I was about to be part of my worst nightmare. I immediately separated my feet shoulder wide, bent my knees in the most secure stance I could and simultaneously brought both my hands up in fists (thumb on the outside) in front of my face. Thinking the whole time that I would get in one good hit before I went down.

Turns out that it was just a runner. Not the creepy man coming back to kill me.

I don't think the runner was worried, he was fast, and way past me before he turned around to stare / shake his head.

But as I took a deep breath and continued my walk I decided two things -

1. I should always walk with a friend (just in case).

2. I need to stop watching crime shows.

So I decided that I will give up watching Medium for 47 days. I'll miss Alison, Joe and the kids but I know that Netflix will save my spot and they will be there waiting when I'm ready to start watching again. Plus this opens up a lot more time to watch some movies :)

#24 - Miss Congeniality

This is such a girly movie. Makes me wish I had a team of trained professionals, at my disposal, to help me glam up sometimes.

Although the whole movie is fun, my favorite part is at the end. Gracie figures out that the bomb is in the crown and chaos ensues. Every time I watch this movie, I end up laughing out loud.

Side note - My plan was to walk on the treadmill while I watched this movie. Total Fail!! I only made it a mile and a half before I quit. My sneaker was rubbing my ankle and starting to give me a blister. So maybe I just get an "A" for a good idea, but not for the effort?

#22 and #23

This weekend I watched HSM2 & HSM3. It is important to note that I am loyal to characters I like. So even though HSM2 is very silly (corny) and mostly ridiculous, I love it anyway.

I watched both movies and at the end of each, I went back and watched all the songs again. I love the music! I have a hard time picking my favorite songs, but some of my favorites can be found here, here and here.

#21 - The Island

What a fun, fast-paced sci-fi movie.

I have two favorite quotes -

Construction Worker: [after Lincoln and Jordan had fallen from the building, he grabs Lincoln] "Jesus must love you! [then as he is helping Jordan] "I *know* Jesus loves you!"

McCord: "Just cause people wanna eat the burger doesn't mean they wanna meet the cow. "

I like it so much that I might want to watch it again this year :)

A new year...

So, January 2012 has come and gone and although I'm not sure why, I made the goal of "no soda" again for the beginning of the year.

I always get to the point where I realize that I don't drink enough water and I can't seem to wait for my next sip of pop. I know (seriously, I know) that it isn't good for me, but I love the taste and I love the way the carbonation feels, kinda scratches my throat.

So just to report on my first goal of 2012 - I made it 30 days with no soda. The first week was almost unbearable. The second a little easier, and then the last two weeks I spent looking forward to my birthday. I kept thinking this, "just think Kristine, your birthday is only a few days away. You will be sitting at Five Guys, eating an amazing burger and drinking as much Coke as you want."

I love when dreams come true. (I know, I'm pretty simple.) The burger was amazing, as was the company. The soda was great, except maybe not as extraordinary as I built it up to be. Also during the day, I managed to stop at Baskin Robbins twice and I got a pedicure. This year started with a bang. Hope it continues on this good note.

#17, #18, #19 & #20

Last weekend, I got to go on an amazing birthday trip with one of my favorite friends. We escaped the the frigid north east and made our way to sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I was so happy to be in a beautiful hotel right next to the beach and the weekend was everything I wanted it to be. We enjoyed enough sun filled hours to get a sunburn and we ate some amazing cheesy grits.

As an extra bonus to all of that fun - we watched the first four Harry Potter movies. I love reading the books and the movies are so brilliant, the characters are like old friends. I'm excited for the next long weekend when I have the chance to watch the final four movies of the series. Want to watch them with me?