Movies Watched This Weekend

Over the weekend, I watched five movies. Two were picked by Angie and three were picked by Deb.

The first one we watched was the Disney Classic Cinderella. It has been years since I have seen this movie. Angie loves this movie. For Christmas, she got a princess dress-up kit that she has to wear while watching the movie. This movie is very clever and stands up through time. The way the mice are portrayed are very entertaining. Being a classic, I gave it 9 out of 10 stars on IMDb.

The second movie was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Angie doesn't like this as much as she does Cinderella. In fact, having sit through it all for the first time in a long, long time, I was surprised at how dark the movie is. The evil queen who turns into an old woman has some very dark scenes and then the demise of the queen is also morbid with buzzards circling above her after her demise. All in all, though, it is still a classic and on IMDb, I gave it 9 out of 10 stars.

Mom had given us a copy of 9 to 5 months ago and we finally got around to seeing it. I have seen it several times, but Deb had never seen it. It is a very entertaining movie, however, the one scene of doing drugs is a big downer for the movie. It really relays a very wrong message about drugs (and totally unrealistic). Aside from that, it is a fun movie. On IMDb I gave it a 5 out of 10 stars rating. The drug scene dragged the rating down by several stars.

While waiting for Lilli's bedding to dry, we watched Dreamgirls. It was a little different from what I expected. I found it very interesting how the musical numbers were used. In many scenes, the musical numbers started out as a performance on stage but then segued into the story-telling part of the movies. At first, it was a little confusing, but by the end I saw how clever it was. The performances of all the actors were strong and I felt attached to the story. I was impressed with it. I rated it 7 out of 10 on IMDb.

The last movie we watched was Pretty Woman. The most entertaining part of this movie was not the movie but watching Deb watch the movie. She LOVES this movie. She has it memorized. Despite the adult theme and some unnecessary "love" scenes, this movie really feels like a fairy tale. I think that is why Deb loves it so much. The adult nature of the movie brings the rating down to 7 out of 10 stars on IMDb.

Illness Ravages Gambles Household, Part Deux

Just as we thought all was getting back to normal, sickness struck our home with a vengence! Right after Deb returned from the library, she got sick a threw up. So, she slept most of the time. Meanwhile, Lilli was moping around and very tired. At about 8 p.m., I put Lilli to bed. At about 10 p.m., Lilli started to cry. I walked in with the lights out just to settle her down and get her back to sleep. While she was standing in her crib, I noticed something dark on her head. In the darkness, I thought it was blood so I quickly turned on the light. It wasn't blood--it was chocolate. Lilli and Angie and eaten some M&Ms prior to Lilly going to bed. Chocolate puke was everywhere in Lilli's crib. She had it all over her, her bear, her blankets, her crib bumper pad, and, of course, her sheets. I grabbed Lilli and undressed her and bathed her while Deb--still nauseated--started to scrub the quilt given to Lilli by her birth grandmother. Let me tell you, chocolate puke almost made me not want chocolate any more! So, while we washed and dried Lilli's bedding, we laid her on our bed to sleep. When we finally got the bedding cleaned and back on her bed (we had watched Dreamgirls while waiting), we got Lilli out of our bed. Well--she had an attack of diarrhea and pooed all over herself and our bedding! Back into the tub went Lilli (this time at about 2:30 a.m.) and we stripped our bed of the bedding. After we got Lilli cleaned up and into her bed, I went to get Angie who had fallen asleep on the floor in the front room. When I picked her up, she was wet. She had peed! So, off her clothes went and into the tub to clean her up. By the time we had bedding cleaned and children washed, it was 6 a.m. We basically had been up all night taking care of the kids. It was Sunday morning and Stake Conference was at 10 a.m. I told Deb I was going to bed and not worry about Stake Conference since I would sleep through it anyway. So, just as I started to doze off asleep, Lilli started to cry. I went into her bed to see what was wrong, and she was wide-eyed and bushy tailed--ready to go for the day. I grabbed her and put her in bed with Deb and me. I then fell asleep until about 10:30 a.m. It was a very, very fun night! I love parenthood!

Illness Ravages Gambles Household

A stomach virus hit the Gambles household in Downey. It started with Lilli when she threw up several times. Then Angie got sick and lastly Ted came down with the bug. So far (knock on wood), Deb has avoided it. As usual, Ted was a big trooper and did no complaining and was out of his sick bed helping Deb with the kids!

Stuart Little Video Review

On Sunday, our family decided to watch a video. Angie picked it out, so we watched Stuart Little. Even though Deb and I have seen it before, we decided to watch it together as a family. For a synopsis of the movie, click on the blog title to go to the IMDB web site.

The movie was entertaining. I had forgotten how much fun this movie was. It was cleverly written and even quite entertaining for Deb and me. Angie and Lilli both enjoyed it. The best line in the movie is: "Talk to the butt." The cat is saying this to Stuart Little as the cat is walking away. I rated the movie 7 out of 10 stars on IMDB.

Grandma Gilbert Rememberances

In Sunday School, Rick Armstrong, our Gospel Doctrine teacher, was discussing the importance of writing down our personal histories and the consistent use of a journal. He asked class members to share stories about ancestors and their written histories. Several mentioned about histories and journals written by their grandparents and how it brought them closer to them. While in this discussion, I reflected on how I came across Grandma Gilbert's diary. A big majority of the entries were just one or two word entries with most of them being "sewed." While going through the diary, I noticed that Grandma started the diary just prior to World War II. I then eagerly turned to Dec. 7 to see what she had written for that day since Uncle Keith was stationed at Pearl Harbor. Nothing was written. I looked for several weeks beyond that date to see if she had written anything about the day and her feelings. Again, nothing was there. It was a little disappointing. I sure wish she had written something.

However, some years prior to her death, our conversation turned to the attack on Pearl Harbor by the "Japs"--she always referred to the Japanese as "Japs" throughout our conversation. I asked if she was scared for Uncle Keith's life. Of course, she said she was. She said she was very nervous and upset. That evening, she had a neighbor call and asked if she would babysit for them. She said the name of her neighbor, but I cannot recall it. The neighbor had to be somewhere and needed a sitter. Grandma said she thought it would help her get her mind off of the attack so she said she would do it. She went to her neighbor's place, but her neighbor never left the house. She stayed with Grandma and talked to her and kept her busy so that she would not worry so much.

I asked her how she found out that Uncle Keith was OK. She said she got a letter a few weeks later and it was a big relief. However, the censors had cut out a lot of his letter so she said that really disappointed her. She also said that after a few weeks, she realized that if Uncle Keith had been killed, she probably would have known it by then, but still she worried for him.

After her passing, I had wished that I had written everything down that she had told me. Better yet, I wish I had a tape recorder to record the conversation. It was a special bonding moment for me, much like I imagine those who read the words of their passed ancestors bond to them.

Angie's Dance Competition

Angie competed at Malad High School in the first dance competition of the year. She did wonderful. Her mother and father were extremely proud of her and the great job she did while dancing. Jackie and Grandma Don were also in attendance and they too were pleased with Angie's performance.

I think Angie is starting to understand what performing in front of an audience is really like. She had to go potty several times before her big performance. I think it was a little bit of nerves.

Randy Pausch

I have recently been introduced by the media to Randy Pausch. He is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has pancreatic cancer. As a tradition at CMU, a profressor is asked to give "the last lecture." It is a lecture that a professor were to give if it was the last one. For Dr. Pausch, it really was his last one since just prior to giving the lecture the doctors had told him his illness was terminal. Since he was "outed" by the Wall Street Journal, he has been on Oprah, ABC's PrimeTime, and featured in many magazines and journals. His story is powerful and moving--an inspiration to all. The video below is a synopsis of his lecture from the Wall Street Journal.

Parade Magazine published an article written by Dr. Pausch. The entire "Last Lecture" can be seen on their web site or on YouTube. Dr. Pausch was also asked to give a lecture on time management at the University of Virginia. It is also available on YouTube. A book, The Last Lecture, has been written and released. ABC did a special on Dr. Pausch on April 10, 2008.

BYU Memories

I am a member of C-Net. It is an email list on Yahoo! that covers BYU sports (the C stands for Cougar). I am reading an email discussion of what the value for BYU sports in general and BYU football specifically are. Some have felt paying for TV to watch BYU is not worth it, while others feel that any price is worth it. One of the emailer's story really struck a chord with me however. He wrote that his son called from the airport on his way to the mission field and shared the following: When the missionaries drove past LaVell Edwards Stadium, the missionary son became very emotional. To him, the stadium symbolized a relationship and bond that he had developed with his father while going to BYU games. As I read the email, I began to reflect on what BYU football games meant to me and my relationship with Dad.

The first game I remember attending was in 1970. Dad, Brad, and I met up with Uncle Milton and Scott and drove to Provo together. It was Homecoming and BYU was playing Utah State. USU was the better team that year and were favored to win. In a downpour, BYU upset the Aggies. I remember sitting in the stands with Uncle Paul and the rest. We had a sheet of plastic over us to protect us from the rain. I remember Brad and Scott getting out from underneath the protection and sitting in the rain getting soaked. It is a very vivid and poignant memory for me--like it just happened yesterday.

Over the next few years, if any tickets were available from Uncle Paul, I would go to games. It was quite frequent. Then before the 1974 season, Dad asked me if I wanted to have my own season tickets. I, of course, said yes. From the 1974 season through the 2004 season (outside of the two seasons I was on my mission, 1979 and 1980), I was a season ticket holder. During the 70s and the 1981 season, I sat next to Dad in the season tickets he would get from Uncle Paul. It was awesome to spend time with Dad among others at the games. I can remember the game against Utah in '74 when BYU stomped the Utes and claimed the WAC crown. I remember going to the BYU-Southern Miss game in 1976 with Sid as a 4-year old. I remember as a freshman in 1978 at BYU being excited to see my family since they were coming to a game and then learned that they had turned around at Logan because Mom was experiencing labor pains. I remember going to the BYU-Utah game in 1981. The winner would be the WAC champ. BYU stomped them! Then after the game, they had a ground-breaking ceremony for the stadium expansion. As a family, we went to the first game of the expanded stadium in 1982.

During the '82 and '83 seasons, I purchased student season tickets. In 1984, I purchased my regular season tickets that I held up through the 1997 season. In 1998, I bought my tickets from Uncle Milton and kept them through the 2004 season. Even though I no longer sat next to Dad, arrangements were made to meet with him. Usually I would go back to Salt Lake with him to be with the rest of the family for the weekend. Those memories of not only going to the games, but being with the family at Grandma Gilbert's house are cherished and very dear to my heart.

When Dad passed away, it was difficult from me as it was naturally for the rest of the family. However, having lived on my own for years before his passing, I was accustomed to the lack of communication between us because of my living in Provo/Salt Lake and Dad being at home. BYU sports helped me come to full realization of Dad's passing. In the late fall of 1992, BYU's basketball team had just beaten nationally ranked Oklahoma in the Maui Invitational. I had gone to Kristi and Mike's in Fairview to watch the game even though they were not there. After the game was over, I can remember getting into my car and thinking to myself that I needed to talk to Dad about the the thrilling Cougar win. It then struck me with a powerful force that Dad was not here to do that anymore and any discussions about BYU would have to wait until I, too, had passed through the veil.

As a new father, this reflection has caused me to look to the future also. What will I, as a father, do to bond with my daughters? Will it be through BYU sports? Will it be through some other avenue? As I was thinking of this, I came to the realization that our Heavenly Father has enlightened us through his modern-day prophets on how this is done. It is called a Personal Priesthood Interview (PPI). In relation to a father and his family, I think this is a bit of a misnomer. It conjures up images that are too formal for the setting of a father with his son/daughter or a husband with his wife in special one-on-one settings. As Angie and Lilli grow, when I have these "PPIs", I will bond with them. What these will be will yet be seen. However, following the Lord's revealed pattern will allow me to bond with my daughters as I bonded with my father and as I am bonding with my wife.

I love my family. I am so looking forward to eternity with them.

March Madness Comes To an End

March Madness has ended and the Gambles Family bracket challenge is final. Coming in first place and smacking everyone else in the mouth was Deb. She scored 93 points compared to Sid's 72. Here are the complete standings:

1. iloveblue2 (Deb) - 93 pts.
2. gambless (Sid) - 72 pts.
3. gambted (Ted) - 66 pts.
4. gambted2 (Ted) - 65 pts.
5. mousehater (Adrienne) - 64 pts.
6. mkwisner (Mike) - 63 pts.
7. iloveblue (Deb) - 61 pts.
8. jackieg (Jackie) - 57 pts.
9. iloveblue3 (Deb) - 56 pts.
10. toddg700 (Todd) - 54 pts.
11. shaunaj (Shauna) - 51 pts.
12. jackieg2 (Dedre [sp?]) - 47 pts.
13. iloveblue4 (Deb) - 46 pts.
14. gambted3 (Ted) - 46 pts.
15. gambted4 (Ted) - 43 pts.
16. gambted5 (Ted) - 25 pts.
17. iloveblue (Deb) - 15 pts.

In the CBS Sports contest, I placed 382,940th overall. Woohoo! I am a tournament picking machine!

Jaydon's First Birthday Party

We celebrated Jaydon's first birthday at his Grandma Jeannie's place on April 5. It was celebrated then even though his birthday is on April 3. Members from both sides of the family attended. A fun time was had by all.

The video below is from our digital camera. It was on the movie side instead of the still picture so I took a 3 second video when I thought I was taking a still picture.

CBS Sports March Madness Update

I am 382,910th in CBS Sports' March Madness contest. I am dropping like a rock!

Deb's Birthday

Deb celebrated her birthday over two days this year. Since she had to work on her birthday, and we went to Jaydon's first birthday party along with General Conference, we did not have much time to celebrate it on her birthday. We did most of the celebrating on Sunday.
However, Saturday morning, Angie came into our bedroom. She climbed into our bed and when Deb rolled over to see her, Angie said, "Happy Birthday, Mom!" I hadn't even wished Deb a happy birthday. Angie is so thoughtful.
On Sunday, we cooked some steaks and shrimp for dinner. For her birthday cake, we had strawberry shortcake. Angie was so excited when I had her help me get the cake ready with the candle. She then carried it in while we sang Happy Birthday.
This year, a tradition came to an end. The first year we were married, we did not have anything to make a birthday cake. So, in trying to find something that would hold a candle, I filled celery sticks with peanut butter and stuck candles in them. Every year since then, that is what I prepared for Deb's birthday cake. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to get celery so we did not do that tradition. Hopefully, I will be better prepared for her birthday cake next year!

General Conference

Unfortunately for Deb, she had to work at the Library for the Saturday morning session of General Conference. As it turned out, it became a powerful, spiritual experience for me.
In my lifetime, I have seen 8 men receive the call to be our Prophet. Of course, I do not recall too clearly the Solemn Assemblies for Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee, or Spencer W. Kimball. I have very faint recollections of Ezra Taft Benson, Howard W. Hunter, and Gordon B. Hinckley. I will feel, however, that this Solemn Assembly will stay lodged in my memory.
I participated in the Solemn Assembly as a member of my Elders' Quorum. When the entire membership was asked to rise and sustain the new First Presidency, Angie stood with me and we both sustained our new Prophet. Angie was proud to do it. After it was over, she told me we should have had Lilli do it. It was very moving to me to be able to do it with my daughter. Too bad Deb wasn't there so we could do it as a family.
When President Monson was sustained, I thought he looked like the world was caving in on him. It seemed to me that he has aged several years since the last General Conference. No wonder. I would feel the same way if such a great responsibility was put on me!

What the Downey Fair Needs!

This is what the Downey Fair needs: tractor square dancing!

Angie's First Talk

Angie gave her first talk in Primay last Sunday. She spoke about how the Bible and Book of Mormon testify of Jesus Christ. She did a great job. Mom and Dad (who visited Primary to listen) were very proud. In fact, Mom was conducting and she cried when she introduced Angie. Grandma Don and Grandma Bet were also in attendance. Angie was very excited to see them there to support her.

Angie's Dance Dates

Angie will be dancing at a competition at Malad High School on April 12. The Spring Recital will be either May 2 or 3. A competition will be held at Lagoon on May 10. Discount tickets are available. Please let us know if you would like to attend.

An Inspiration to Fathers Everywhere

There are times when you come across stories and videos that make you cry. Here is the story of Dick Hoyt and his son Rick. Rick has been disabled from birth. He is unable to walk or talk. Tufts University helped Rick write his thoughts by building a computer for him. As a result, Rick was able to share his desire to participate in a five-mile benefit run. So Dick pushed his son in a wheelchair in the race. As they years went by, Dick and Rick entered many more events. This is a very inspirational story. You can visit their website here.

Funny Videos

Watch these two videos from Anita Renfroe. They are funny!

Watch Out World! Here Comes Ted!

I just got an email with the rankings for everyone in the CBS Sports Bracket Challenge. I rank 379,488th. Woohoo! I'm on my way to winning it all!

BYU and Mountain West Football Schedule

BYU and the Mountain West Conference have released this fall's football schedule. See the Salt Lake Tribune Blog. Oh football--glorious football!