Possibly the worst movie ever

I would consider myself a die hard Twilight fan- I loved the books, read them multiple times, went to the book party, read the Twilight Lexicon (religiously for months on end-- it's the Official Stephanie Meyer Fan blog)...

and now I've been to the movie.

I was expecting it to be bad. Of course the book is never as good as the movie. But- it was really really (let me add another really) bad. I cringe when I write this because I feel that somehow I'm turning my back on Meyer or the books that I love, and probably represent the minority of people who saw it this weekend... but it was shockingly terrible.

I think I agree with these reviewers 100%:

"Meyer is said to have been involved in the production of 'Twilight,' but her novel was substantially more absorbing than the unintentionally funny and quickly forgettable film," remarks Claudia Puig in her USA Today review. Justin Chang at Variety agrees, saying, "[Director Catherine] Hardwicke can't get inside the head of her young protagonist, Isabella 'Bella' Swan (Kristen Stewart); consequently, Bella's decision to get hot and heavy with a hot-and-hungry vampire, far from seeming like an act of mad, transgressive passion, comes across as merely stupid and ill-considered. The result is a supernatural romance in which the supernatural and romantic elements feel rushed, unformed and insufficiently motivated, leaving audiences with little to do but shrug and focus on the eye-candy."

Unintentionally funny is the key. I think the script was really poorly written- I don't think you could understand the movie at all without reading the book- it was extremely choppy, and one second Bella/Edward don't know eachother, and the next second, they are in love. The soundtrack didn't help at all either- who did it? It made everything 100 times worse than it really was.

So, the result was, people laughing at all the wrong spots (at least I didn't think the director was trying to make this a comedy?)

On the upswing- I thought Bella and Edward were great for what they could do with it. I just feel bad for both of them, because I know they are better actors than what they did in this movie.

And- even though I'm not a 12 year old that obsesses over Robert Pattinson (played Edward), he is a very good look'n fellow. He definitely was eye candy for the film and made it bearable.

What did you think?

a SWEET ride

I divide my purchases into cheap/temporary and expensive/long lasting. If I need socks or play shirts for Maddie, I go to the cheapest stores I can go to. I figure these items will get trashed and will need replacing sometime soon.

But- when it comes to something that I am going to depend on for a while, I try to get the best. And- so I did. We got this:
JUST KIDDING. Maybe when we retire. But, we did get something special! And- I am so excited.

We used our REI dividend and took advantage of the 20% sale... to get:

One of my friends has the previous model, and I loved pushing it around. It is so easy- it seriously feels lighter than my one clunky stroller. This is the newest Bob Stroller- and I can't rave enough about it. It just gets me excited to start running again and push the two in it.

People tried to get me to buy some other models, but I just couldn't keep away from this one, and I am so happy. I pushed Maddie around in it last night, and we were both laughing because we were so excited!!

An ice cream shower

I was *lucky* enough to plan this shower with some friends... I have to admit, I had a lot of fun planning it. I think it was because of the colors and the ice cream?

We decided on brown, white and green to match the mom to be's favorite ice cream: mint chocolate chip.


We rented ice cream glasses that were so cute. If you are ever in need- Classic Party Rentals is the way to go.


Here are the awesome lanterns that we got to match... from http://www.lunabazaar.com/. I recommend them highly!


The cute flowers are from Safeway! Thank goodness they had green flowers? I didn't know what I was going go to do?

We wore little ice cream hats to serve people when they came in...

All of the party planners and mother to be in the center. It makes it so easy when so many people help out!

Two more months?

I am due in the middle of January sometime (I like to think of it as an average, not a day- since I was 2 weeks late last time!), and I'm starting to feel "pregnant."

Third trimester pregnant = heavy, tired, oversized, big, slow, uncomfortable.

One of my favorite celebs is heidi klum- and this is when she was pregnant:

If only all of us could look as cute as her!

Some things that have changed:

1) About a month ago, I traded in this:

For this.

Ellipticals are not my favorite. I feel like a mouse on a wheel, and when I'm not pregnant, I don't feel like I get as good of a workout as running. But, since I have limited options, I've been trying to make it work. I have also tried to swim, but when it's cold in the morning, it's not very appetizing :)

2) I have turned into a 80 year old woman. I get tired at 7:30 pm after I give Maddie a bath and put her to bed. Oftentimes, I am in bed earlier than I want to admit. But, then wake up at 5:30! Luckily I'm pretty productive in the morning, but it's driving me insane! I tried to go to sleep later, and still woke up at 5:30... so I guess I will be going to bed earlier in order to survive

3) On the upside, I think my hair is getting thicker and more luxurious! hee hee. I wish my hair could be like this all the time, but I am trying to appreciate it now.

4) And finally, I bought 2 AWESOME pregnancy pants from Gap. Last time, I decided that I would not splurge because it was totally unecessary and expensive. But, this time I was sick of looking so frumpy, so I decided to splurge when they went on sale. They are worth EVERY PENNY. I cannot rave enough about them- they are comfortable, the perfect color, and go with about everything. Stacy and Clinton would be proud.

November update on the house

We hired some terrific people to finish hanging the drywall and finish the mud and tape for the walls. It is so nice to sit back and see people do the work! hee hee.

They should be done by the end of this week or early next week.

Here is what it looks like thus far:

The little den which will be to your left as you walk in the front door.

The guest room on your right as you walk in the front door...

The great hall and it's fireplace! So so excited for the fireplace.

A view from the great hall to the kitchen...

The mud room.

Bigger picture of the great hall.

I didn't take any more pictures because the guys were hard at work... but my favorite room in the house will be the kitchen/family room area which you can see an opening to from the photo above.

The bathroom tiles should be installed next week, the kitchen and bathroom cabinets a couple of days before thanksgiving... and then the molding around the doors and windows, paint, and the floors...

It is getting close!

The Times are Tough

Woke up. Got dressed. Went into work. Boss came in and laid it on thick:

"We are needing to lay off 55 lawyers because of the rough times... The high tech industry is slowing down, and they aren't hiring foreign nationals or anyone like they used to. This is the first round, and we are expecting to do more in the future when it really get's bad."

(gulp)

Today, since I'm just the little one on the pole of lawyers, I joined the ranks of the unemployed. After recovering from the shock of it all, I have to be greatful. Greatful that I was able to pull off such a sweet deal for a short amount of time, and greatful that I'll be able to apply again when and if the economy get's back on it's feet.

And- most of all...greatful that I am not the breadwinner of my family and that I was doing it more out of enjoyment and experience. My heart goes out to families who really suffer from the breadwinner losing his/her job.

So, now the burst of the economy has hit home. More than ever, my hope is that our country can recover from this mess.

Riding the wave of life...

Yes We Can!

So, a while back I posted how I was excited that Palin was chosen as a vice presidential candidate. Many agreed with me, many were frightened. But- I gave her a chance. And, then I changed my mind. A couple of interviews was all it took. (No need to dwell on that one).

I am excited for these next few years! Obama has a lot to do, and I fear that the expectations are so high that people won't be patient... but I believe he can do it. I don't endorse everything he espouses to, but he was definitely the better candidate hands down, and I am anxious to see what happens.