A Family of Graduates

I graduated over 2 years ago; Toren graduated last Spring....and Baxter graduated today! We enrolled him in Puppy Education shortly after we got him, and I've been taking him each Wednesday night for the past 8 weeks. At the beginning I was skeptic that we would even make it to graduation. Baxter is a stubborn little puppy. But, with a lot of work at home and a lot of sweat during puppy class, he passed with flying colors.

He got a certificate of achievement and everything...we're so proud of him!

He wasn't as proud, though. All he wanted to do was eat his certificate.

And as a reward for his good work, we bought him a delicious pig femur. Yumm....

God Bless America

This last weekend was a busy one, but I'm only going to talk about the 4th of July for now. I was so excited for the 4th for two reason: 1. It's my second favorite holiday (Christmas is the first) and 2. Toren had it off of work.

We knew the day would be full of hanging out with our friends here, so we planned to take advantage of the morning time and do something by ourselves. We woke up early and headed off (with Baxter) to this Old English town about a half-hour away called Granville. Lucky for us they were having an Independence Day Festival in Granville. It was a little rainy, but we decided to tough it out and find a nice spot to watch the parade. Once we got ourselves settled, and Bax calmed down a bit (he was thrilled to be around so many different people and dogs, all of which were giving him loads of attention) the parade started. It only took the first firetruck honking and the drummers following that for Bax to realize that he was NOT going to enjoy the rest of the parade. He started freaking out. So, we walked back to the car. By the time we got there it was absolutely pouring. We ended up just going back home. At least we got to spend some quality time together in the car. And we parked by a neat catholic church...so we even got a couple pictures.

That afternoon, we all headed to the park down the street from our complex so the guys could play a little football. The weather still wasn't nice, but it wasn't rainy. Toren made Baxter and I proud by leading his team to a best of 3 victory. The only thing that made it better was that after the game he told me that he dedicated all of his complete passes to me. What a generous and thoughtful husband.

Then, of course, we all met at the pool for a barbecue and some Marco Polo. Again, Toren amazed the crowds with his athletic ability (though I think some of it might have been his new Speedo allowing for an easier glide in the water). The day's games were fiercly competative and a few guys had to do Nesty's. The one below wasn't quite good enough and he had to do 2 more before he landed one sucessfully. His back was bright red.

Once it was dark, we went to the park to watch Dublin's local firework show. We were close enough and the fireworks were big enough that we could actually feel the booming in our bones. And in the words of Mallory: "That's what freedom feels like."

Kung Fu Panda vs. Wa Waaallleeeee

Well i'm back with my second and third movie review of the summer. This has been the year of animated feature films. It only took me a little while to come to simple realization: I LOVE ANIMATED MOVIES!!! Nothing gets me laughing, smiling, chuckling, and, yes, sometimes even crying more than a good old/new fashion cartoon. Last year Ratatouille stole my heart and this year I was desperately hoping that both Kung-Fu Panda and Wall-E would do the same.

First, let me start with Kung-Fu Panda. When rumors first hit that Jack Black would be voicing an overweight karate chopping panda, I couldn't have been more excited. I have always like Jack's work (especially School of Rock) and was very open to the possibility that Kung-Fu Panda might be the funniest movie I had ever seen. In the laughs department I must say that I was a little underwhelmed. Unlike the Shrek movies or Rattatouille, Kung-Fu Panda just didn't make me laugh. I found the dialogue in general fairly bland and uninspired. Where the film really amazed me was in its technical quality. The animation was top notch and I found my jaw dropping at the mere hint of an action sequence. I was very impressed with how real the action seemed. Of course the story was totally formulaic: an underdog overweight panda is chosen as the "dragon warrior" who is supposed to bring peace to the kingdom by defeating a vicious leopard. As expected, he is ill suited for the job but overcomes all obstacles to eventually realize his inner strength. It is the same story told in almost every animated movie and, quite frankly, Kung-Fu Panda doesn't necessarily do it any better or different. I sort of found myself liking the movie after I walked out but now, after a few weeks of reflection, I realize that I have almost completely forgotten about it. If I want great action i'll go see one of the millions of new superheroes movies coming out this summer. I see animated films for their humor and whimsy. Unfortunately Kung-Fu Panda was lacking in both!

Now what do I say about Wall-E? Simply put, I LOVED IT! When I first saw the previews for this spectacular movie I was a little put off. A movie about a mechanical trash compactor? What is cute, sweet, or funny about that? The answer is...EVERYTHING! The way the story begins is on par with some of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made. You see Wall-E scooping trash into his belly and compacting it into small cubes which he eventually stacks into massive skyscrapers of garbage. Earth has been abandoned for 700 years after the humans completely trashed it to the point of being uninhabitable. Though thousands of Wall-Es were left, only one remains, dilligently trying to pick up the mess so that humans can return. At the end of each day, Wall-E returns home and watches Hello Dolly. It is here that we learn of his loneliness and desire to fall in love. To make a long story short, a female robot (EVA) is sent down to examine whether or not Earth is ready to be reinhabited. Her and Wall-E meet and one of the most charming love stories I have seen in a while ensues. We later meet the humans who are all overweight and living on an intergalactic cruise ship. Whether or not the humans will return home becomes the focus of the story but we never lose touch with the magical way in which Wall-E persues his one true love, EVA. There is a particularly enchanting scene in which Wall-E and EVA dance in outerspace (it reminded me of Audrey and I's first dance). With an enchanting story and more than a few good laughs, I highly recommend seeing Wall-E. It is everything Kung-Fu Panda could have been and more.

The Mega Update

Well, it’s been a very long time since I’ve posted on our blog. We’ve been incredible busy the last few weeks. So busy that I haven’t even had time to read everyone else’s blogs! Today is finally catch-up day, and I’m going to give you the Cliff’s Notes version of we’ve been doing the last few weeks:

We were called as nursery leaders in our ward. We haven’t spent any time in there yet, but last Sunday they showed us where the treat cupboard (fully loaded with animal and goldfish crackers), and now we can’t wait to get started!

I was called to serve in the Columbus temple! Being able to serve in the temple was one of the main things I wanted to try to do while we were out here, so I’m very excited. I work in the office on Wednesday mornings. It’s a very small temple, so we do all the administrative things. We answer the phone, send faxes, manage the patron schedule, record the work that’s done in the temple, etc. It’s just really nice to be in the temple for a long period of time each week, and I’m learning a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on. It’s really great.

Baxter and I flew to Seattle for my sister’s (Laura) graduation — he was my second carry-on item. I was really nervous to take him. I hate flying anyway, and I just imagined it would be much worse with a little puppy. It actually wasn’t too bad — thanks to the sedatives I got from the vet. We gave him a tiny little pill before we left for the airport, and by the time we boarded our plane he was pretty much passed out. Being with the family was wonderful. They all loved Bax, well, except for Ginger (the old dachshund). Baxter kept trying to get Ginger to play, but she didn’t want anything to do with him. Though occasionally they got into barking matches and Ginger did teach Bax how to go in and out of the doggy door. We all had a really great time.

I got my hair cut. It had been driving me crazy for weeks and it really needed to be cut. So, while I was in Seattle I decided to take care of it. We ended up cutting 7 inches off! I really like it. It’s so much lighter and easier for the summer. And since I cut my hair, Toren decided he wanted to shave his head. I wasn’t too thrilled, but he convinced me that it would make him much sleeker in the water during Marco Polo. So, shaved head it is!

Today, Toren and I checked out the Columbus Zoo. It was amazing. We spent 2 hours there and didn’t even get to see it all. We did see some pretty amazing things though: manatees, koalas, tigers, snapping turtles, flamingoes, and (Toren’s favorite) grizzly bears. We had tons of fun and we can’t wait to go back and see the rest of it.

Well, that’s a pretty good overview of what we’ve been up to. Life is good. We love Columbus. The summer seems to be flying by, but we’re having a good time!

Coaster Capital

Toren's office took yesterday off (they worked Memorial Day), so we all went to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. With 16 roller coasters and loads of other thrill rides, our day was guaranteed to be a blast.

We made the coasters our priority, and with ease we mastered the Raptor, the Mantis, the Millennium Force, the Mean Streak, the Iron Dragon, the Corkscrew, the Magnum LX-200, and....the Top Thrill Dragster, the fastest and tallest roller coaster in the universe.

I'll be honest, I thought I was going to die.

We climbed into the coaster train that resembled a top fuel dragster. The dragster then moved slowly up to the "starting line." The engine started and our dragster was rocketed forward, reaching 120 mph in 4 seconds!

The train zoomed straight up a 420-foot-tall hill at a 90 degree angle, curved over the coaster's apex and then free fell back to Earth. As the train raced to the ground, the track twisted an unbelievable 270 degrees!

Luckily, we survived the 17-second ride, climbed off our dragster and hoped our stomachs would drop out of our throats. It was incredible, to say the least.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Most of you probably don’t know this, but 50 years ago something incredible happened in the world: my dad was born.

Because a person only turns 50 once in their lifetime, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell my dad (and all our faithful bloggers) how much I love him.

One of my earliest memories is riding on my dad’s bike. He’d strap me into the seat on the back of the bike and ride all over our Utah neighborhood. I used to get so excited that I’d sway my body from side to side, which threw off my dad’s balance and made it nearly impossible for him to keep riding. He had to continually remind me to sit still. One time my dad stopped to talk to the neighbors. He parked the bike on the sidewalk and left me in my seat. It was only a matter of seconds before the bike and I toppled to the ground. I don’t remember crying (though I’m sure I did), but I do remember my dad running over to rescue me.

Another fond memory I have is my dad coming to my soccer games. I started playing soccer when I was about 8 years old. My dad drove this ugly, brown Toyota Corolla with furry seats. I’d climb in the front seat of the car on game day, while my dad loaded our dog, Marble, into the back. At the game, my dad would walk with Marble along the sidelines cheering for me. I was usually too happy to even focus on playing the game. He’d spend the whole drive home telling me how well I played.

I also remember playing the piano with my dad from the time I was very young. I just loved to play with him (and still do). I hated when my mom would nag me about practicing, but if my dad would play with me then I’d be willing to play for hours. He’d offer to play the left hand while I played the right. Or we would often just sit at the piano and play duets. Several times we even played our duets in church.

Over the last 50 years, many people (including myself) have become better just because they’ve been around my dad. He’s the most honest, righteous and loyal person I know. It would be nearly impossible to find a man with a firmer foundation than my dad’s. For that, I look up to him. I’m grateful for my relationship with him and for the support, love, and guidance he’s continually offered me.

I love you, Dad! Happy Birthday!

Indiana Forsberg Reviews Indiana Jones

It has always been a lifelong dream of mine to review movies. I started watching the show "Siskel and Ebert" at a very young age and was always a bit jealous that someone could be paid to watch movies and discuss them on TV. So Audrey has convinced me to spend this summer writing a review on the blog for each movie that we see. Today, I start with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Audrey and I went to a special viewing of the new Indiana Jones movie yesterday morning. I say that it was a "special" viewing because some big corporation rented out the entire theater for its employees. When we arrived a lady pulled us aside because she thought that we were part of the corporate group. When she found out that we weren't she chuckled and said while winking that she was giving us special permission to attend the private screening. We headed to the check in table and had name badges made and before we knew it were sitting down in the theater free of charge with free soda and popcorn in hand. Audrey was particularly thrilled by this.

Shortly after taking our seats the movie started and immediately I was captivated. It was like I was catching up with an old friend that I hadn't seen in a very long time. Highlights of the film include atomic bomb detinations, jeep chase scenes through the Amazon, death defying plunges down not just one...but three different waterfalls, cities made entirely of gold, and of course the mystery surrounding a crystal alien skull found in the ancient burial site of a Spanish conquistador. Like with the other Indiana Jones movies, Steven Spielberg realizes that the journey is more important than the destination. Each sensational action sequence is followed by an even more sensational action sequence. Unlike most other films of the same genre the action does not become boring simply due to the anticipation of discovering the next clue in figuring out the meaning of the Crystal Skull. I felt that the action was balanced fairly with story and dialauge as to leave me completely entranced by what was enfolding on the screen.

My one complaint with the film is the same as my complaints with previous Indiana Jones movies, the last twenty minutes is always the most disappointing. I did not feel like the payoff/explanation of the Crystal Skull was satisfying but i'll let each of you judge for yourselves.

All in all Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was better than I thought it would be. Any film that puts a permasmile on your face while watching it is worth the price of admission in my book. And Indiana Jones did just that. And just so you know, you can call me Indiana Forsberg from here on out.