Our Rockin' Christmas

I'll bet you didn't know that our family was so musically inclined!

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Robin Hood

I judge movies on how much I think about them the next day or two. If I hardly think of the movie, it is pretty mediocre. If I think alot about the movie, it is usually really good or very, very bad. Good movies make me think of the storyline, the characters, and the effect it has on my emotions. Bad movies have me thinking what a waste of time it was to watch and how it could have been better. Some movies, however, make me want to do some research and more reading to learn more about the storyline. These movies are invariably movies with some history connected to it. Robin Hood (starring Russel Crowe) is such a movie.

As a movie, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Deb, on the other hand, fell asleep. I enjoy well done movies with some history attached to them. When the movie was over, I wanted to know what was actually true, and what was not. So, I did some research on the Internet to find more about Robin Hood. Of course, the movie is almost entirely fiction since only circumstantial evidence is available that such a character as Robin Hood existed. This movie tells the story of how Robin Hood became an outlaw.

As far as the movie itself, I gave it 7 out of 10 stars on IMDb. The movie felt long to me and it was long (almost 2 1/2 hours). In very good movies, you do not notice the length. Perhaps this movie could have been tightened up a bit so it did not feel so long. Overall, though, for me it was enjoyable. For Deb, it was a snoozer.

Merry Christmas!

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Movies

Time to catch up on some movies we have watched, but we have not posted to our blog.

We watched "Ponyo" as a family. It is an animated movie from Japan that used American actors for the voices in the version released in the United States. Disney released it for the US market.

The movie was interesting. I am sure, some of the odd parts of the movie come from the differences in the American and Japanese cultures. It was very difficult for me to believe that the main character, Ponyo, was a goldfish. It had a human face on it and when the boy, Sosuke, first rescues it and when his mother saw the "fish," they didn't freak out that it had a human face! Other than that, the story was quite good and the girls loved it.

As I mentioned earlier, Ponyo is a "goldfish" that is rescued by Sosuke. She falls in love with the boy and transforms herself into a human. However, the transformation changes the earth's balance and the two children must save the world.

On IMDb, I gave it 5 of out 10 stars. I would probably give it more stars if some of the storyline made more sense to me. I am sure my girls would give it many more stars.

The other movie we watched together as a family was "How To Train Your Dragon." This movie was very surprising. I did not think I would like this movie, but it was great. The storyline kept me interested, and the underlying tone of the message of not judging before you get to know someone was powerful.

Hiccup is a young Viking trying to meet his father's expectations to become a Viking warrior. The vikings are fighting the dragons that raid their village almost nightly. When Hiccup wounds the mysterious Night Fury dragon, he cannot bring himself to kill the dragon. Soon, the two form a friendship. Together, they fight to make the dragons and Vikings understand each other.

On IMDb, I gave it 9 out of 10 stars. I highly recommend this movie. The girls liked it, but I think Deb and I liked it a lot more. It seemed more geared to adults than children. Or it could be that our girls are chickens and don't like scary stuff like dragons.

Over the weekend, Deb and I watched a "chick flick" called "Confessions of a Shopaholic." We were pleasantly surprised by the lack of sex and sexual innuendos in this movie. A few swear words were heard which made us cringe.

Basically, the movie is about a journalist that lucks out in getting a job for a finance magazine. She gets the job to help those in debt while she is heavy in debt herself since she loves to shop and buy. A few things seem to be a stretch--like when her boss tries to get her to write a story that she has no idea how to do it but still gets it done. It did provide some laughs and in the end, all works out.

I gave the movie 5 out of 10 stars on IMDb. I am sure Deb would give it a lot more, but, hey, it's a chick flick!

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Interesting book. One of the few times I felt the movie was better. Although the storyline is basically the same, the movie changed some details that are not in the book. However, as usual, the book goes into much more detail.



View all my reviews

Family Viewing

Since we no longer have TV (a long story involving being the "man" of the house!), we have purchased a Roku player so we can watch Netflix movies and TV programs on our TV. One of the TV shows that we have been watching together is "Flipper." The acting is corny. The story lines are lame. Yet, it is wonderful! Angie and Lilli both love the shows. They will watch them from start to finish. And when I sit down to watch them with me, I reflect back to my childhood days when we would watch the show together as a family.

One reason (and a big one at that) I'm not concerned about getting TV back was the content of TV shows and the family "unfriendliness" of the shows. Even though Deb and I may roll our eyes with the poor acting or inconsistent story lines, we are watching TV together when we watch "Flipper." Back in my day, that was how it was always done. We watched as a family, but it seemed to have a lot more family friendly programming. Now, with Netflix and Roku, we can do the same.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Rivalry Week!

A great Youtube video about some great finishes in the last few years!

Finished Book

When Thou Art Converted: Continuing the Search for Happiness by M. Russell Ballard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A great book to remind each of us our commitment to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.



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Babies

I watched the documentary movie "Babies" last night. Angie has seen the trailer for it and has wanted to see it. The other day, she found it on Netflix and added it to our instant cue. (Since we have Roku, we can watch Netflix instant movies on our TV.) I had heard that the movie showed an actual birth, so we told Angie that Mom and Dad had to preview it before she could watch it. I then checked a great website for parents to help decide what may not be good for kids in movies. It is Kids-In-Mind.com. It said on the website that a baby is shown immediately exiting the womb, so we decided to watch to see if it would be appropriate.

The movie follows four babies: one from an African tribe, one from Mongolia, one from Japan and one from San Francisco. The movie did indeed show an infant right after birth, covered in mucus and the umbilical cord attached. Deb said, "We're not letting her see it." Throughout the movie, it showed the women breastfeeding their babies. Since the African tribe's culture included very few clothes, many times breasts were shown. So, Deb and I decided to not let Angie watch the movie. I am sure she is going to be very upset.

As far as the movie goes, it was OK for about 5 minutes if you don't mind breasts. It showed only the babies with very few words and then in their native language. After about 5 minutes, it became boring. Deb fell asleep 10 minutes in. I forced my way through it. It reminded me of the Puppy Bowl, Animal Planet's programming opposite of the Super Bowl. It's cute for a while, but then gets boring fast. Save yourself 76 minutes and just watch the "Babies" trailer. It shows the best parts of the entire movie without having to watch it all.

More Halloween Fun!

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How Can Life Be Hard?

I saw this video on Facebook and had to share the powerful message it has.



Click here to visit his website.

The Last Days

The Last Days by Joel C. Rosenberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Thoroughly enjoyable. Page-turning action.



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Lilli

Two quick stories that made us laugh:

#1: The Downey 2nd Ward's Primary program is coming up on October 24th. Lilli and Angie both have lines for the program. This past Sunday, Deb was drilling Angie and Lilli on their lines so they could say them for the rehearsal during Primary. Lilli's first line is "Jesus Christ is the son of God." Later, as we were at Fast and Testimony Meeting, Angie and Lilli's Primary teacher bore her testimony. She talked about her class and how much they mean to her. After the meeting, Deb told the girls to tell their Primary teacher, "Thank you for your testimony." Angie went right up to her and did it. Lilli, our social butterfly, had to stop several times to see who was doing what. I then grabbed her hand and took her to her teacher. I said to her, "Tell her what Mommy told you to say." She looked at her teacher and said, "Jesus Christ is the son of God."

#2: Earlier in the week, Deb had put up some peach jam. Then a few days later, she put up some chili sauce. On the day she made the chili sauce, she had a little left over so we used it with our chicken dinner that evening. Lilli loved it and smothered her chicken with. Last Sunday, we had chicken again. While eating, she asked her mother, "Can I have some tomato jam for my chicken?"

Halloween Fun!

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Catchin' Up

It has been too long since I have posted anything. Much has happened the last few months. I am going to briefly summarize what has happened. If I get ambitious, I will post pics and videos.

Our family attended Lynn's Pocatello retirement party. It was a very nice ceremony with good food! The Idaho State Journal did a front page story on it. You can see the online version here.

Angie had a dance competition at Lagoon the day before Mother's Day. Thanks to Amy for hosting us the night before. She is such a great hostess (something that has rubbed off from her parents!). It was PERFECT weather for the day. Angie and her dancemates did very well at the competition. We also had a lot of fun at Lagoon. Angie and Lilli loved going on the rides, and I was surprised that Lilli loved the Egg Drop (the kids version of the Rocket). Angie went with Mom on the white roller coaster. Deb said she screamed and clung to her big time. She was all smiles when she got off, but she didn't want to do it again. The downer was when I locked the keys in the car. While we were waiting for the Lagoon Security people to unlock our car, I was huddled with Angie and Lilli to keep them warm. Angie looked up a me and said, "I sure hope my husband doesn't look the keys in our car." Angie's our worrier! (A week later, Angie asked Heavenly Father to bless Dad that he won't lock the keys in the car again.) Thanks again to Amy for the unplanned stay on Saturday night.

Earlier this Spring, we were preparing to go to Lake Powell on the houseboat with Lynn, Leisha, and other family members. A week before we were to leave, the boat sank! So, after some scrambling, Lynn and Leisha's family chose to go to Quail Creek State Park. It was a lot of fun but very hot! On our way down, we stayed at Todd and Chelsea's. The girls loved playing with their cousin Lyla.

We have been looking for a bicycle for Angie. We found one on Craigslist and checked it out. It was a little big for her (20 inch bike), but the $15 price tag was too hard to turn down. The family also had a 12 inch bike they wanted to sell for $5. We decided to forgo on it, but then the family offered it to us for free, so we took it. The family also had a Barbie Beetle power car and an electric ride-on four wheeler which they also gave to us. They didn't run, but they said they were working before the batteries went out. Not sure if that is the case; we still haven't got them running, but batteries cost $63 a piece. After we loaded them into our minivan and started home, Angie said, "Bless God!" When asked why she said that, she said she didn't think she would ever get a car and was extremely excited. I just hope we can get them to work now!

Angie and Lilli just finished with swimming lessons. Both girls love getting into the water and did well with the swimming lessons. Deb was Lilli's teacher for the last two sessions. When coming home from Downata after their last lesson, Lilli said (without any prompting from anyone), "Mom, thank you for being my teacher." Deb beamed as she told me the story.

For the first time in a few summers, I will be working all summer with my new job at ISU's athletic department. However, we are looking forward to the Brower reunion at the beginning of July and and the Gambles reunion during the middle of July.

Go Christie Go!

I love this man! Christie for President!

Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his 'confrontational tone'

Remembering Twila (and Swan Lake)

We just returned from the viewing of an incredible lady, Twila Gibbs. Although I was never really close to her, I considered her a friend and was saddened deeply when I heard of her passing.

As I remember her, she always had a smile on her face. She was a friend to all. She had a wonderful family. Each one of them were in one way or another a friend to me.

As a child, I especially remember DeeAnn. She and Sandra Henderson were close friends to Dad. I can remember riding the bus with Dad before I went to school, and DeeAnn and Sandra would talk with Dad and play with me.

Later, after I returned home when Dad passed away, I became great friends with Trent, Kay and Twila's grandson who lived with them. I really appreciate that friendship to this day.

As I drove home from the viewing, I reflected with some melancholy upon all those great Swan Lakers who had varying degrees of influence on my life. Many of the adults from my childhood have passed on. I fell compelled to list them, although I know that I will invariably forget someone who I should remember: (no particular order) Max Kay, Joe Kay, Doris Kay, Kay Gibbs, Twila Gibbs, Albert Nordick, Pearl Nordick, Glenna Joy Yearsley, Dutch Hadley, Belva Hadley, Arem Allen, Lucy Allen, Boyd Allen, Fay Merrill, Lionel Merrill, Alda Merrill, Ruby Merrill, Venna Gibbs, Martel Thomas, Jim Abbott, Erma Abbott, Don Henderson, Wanda Carlson, Swede Carlson, Edith Millard, Wayne Millard, Verla Bell, Fenton Matkin, Ray Henderson, Colleen Henderson, Marie Henderson, Cal Henderson, Merrill Beckstead, Woodrow Sorensen, and, of course, Grandpa Gambles, Grandma Ruby, and most of all Dad.

Then there were those who I grew to know after returning to Swan Lake at Dad's passing: Rachel Adams, Gladys Heckert, and Linda Henderson and my childhood friend, Mary Ann Matkin.

Each of these souls had an influence on my life. To be sure, they had varying degrees of influence, but all influenced me. I miss them. And I look forward to seeing them again.

Jon Schmidt

I love piano music played well, and Jon Schmidt knows how to play the piano well! I first heard him when he did a Coldplay "Viva La Vida" and Taylor Swift "Love Story" combination. You can find his website here and listen to his music (for free!).

March Madness

It is once again time for March Madness. For those who would like to play a pick-em contest, go here.

Last year, Jackie won the tournament. However, this year I will win it all!!!!!

Life's Toughest Lessons

Often time in life, we must learn hard lessons. At times, these lessons seem not so difficult. Other times, it seems like we can never overcome the problems that life presents us. Yet, sometime it can be the small, minuscule things that teach us the biggest lessons. For instance, learning to not fall asleep on the toilet may come the hard way!



I hope she loves still in 10to 15 years!

Hoorah! Hoorah!

We have big news coming from the Gambles household. Lilli has been going potty!!! It has been a struggle, but over the weekend she decided that she would give it a try...and she is doing it! She has even gone to potty without anyone's help. She announced she was going potty, went into the bathroom, went potty and told everyone about it. We are so proud of her!

Angie at Dance Camp

On Saturday, February 6, 2010, Angie went to the Idaho State University Bengal Dancers Kids Clinic. She performed at halftime of the women's basketball game that night. ISU played Montana and lost. Ugh. Grandma Bet joined us for a fun-filled evening though. We are all proud of Angie!!!

Angie at Cheer Camp

Angie attended the Marsh Valley High School Mini-Cheer Camp hosted by the cheerleaders from Marsh Valley. She enjoyed it very much. At halftime of the basketball game that night, Angie and the rest of the girls performed. Of course, Angie was the best! No bias here!