Dave & Buster's

Last week Toren's office won an incentive that awarded us a night of fun. We decided to go to Dave & Buster's. We ate dinner and then spent the rest of the night playing video and arcade games. I think Toren and I each had about 200 points to use on our game cards (each game cost a certain amount of points). After about 45 minutes Toren had already spent all of his and he proceeded to spend mine. I think after all was said and done I spent about 50 points. But, being the big gamer he is, Toren won tons of tickets and we went home with plenty of loot. We even got Baxter a little friend (see video below).

Lost and Found (at a great new price)

About a month ago Toren lost his $250 Tungsten wedding ring. He and some friends went to the park to play football and he took it off and set it by a garbage can (I wasn’t there, obviously). Needless to say, he couldn’t find it after they were done playing. We went the next day to try to find it. You can read more about that on Mallory’s Blog. We were unsuccessful.

He started looking for rings online last week and found the perfect one. It’s stainless steel with a cool strip design. However, what attracted me to it the most was the price: $5. That’s right, only $5!

It arrived yesterday and fit perfectly. In retrospect, we should have gone with a $5 ring to begin with.

The Best News of the Summer

AMANDA IS HOME FROM HER MISSION!!!

Amanda (my best friend) left on her mission to Italy in January 2007. She arrived home in Spokane on Tuesday. I wanted to be there when she got home so badly, but tickets were very pricey. We’re going to Seattle in a few weeks when my brother gets home from his mission, so I’ll be able to see Manda then. I’m thrilled!

I just hope she approves of the husband I acquired while she was gone…

Remember When...

This simple game does not involve tagging but does involve getting lots and lots of comments! Plus, it's fun to "remember when...".

How the game is played:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory we share (just me, just Toren, or both of us!).

2. Re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll visit your blog and leave one about you. It's funny to see what we remember and the fun memories we've had.

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.