Called To Serve

I realized today that I've never mentioned my new calling on here. I can't seem to tell people what it is without smiling. I don't know why, it just makes me laugh. Never in a million years did I dream that I would be called as the WARD HISTORIAN. But you know what? I'm super pumped about it. This is what I love about my church. It totally keeps up with the times. I am the ward historian for the 21st century. Besides the age old responsibilities of keeping track of all ward events and reporting a year-end summary to the stake, I am also the ward website coordinator. (Yes, it was at this point that I learned we had ward websites.) I make sure it stays current and informative, has all the meetings and events on it, and, (this is what I'm most excited about) keep the ward directory current with pictures of each family and an accompanying bio. So every Sunday I get to take my digital camera to church and walk around harassing people to take their picture. I'm pretty sure I'll be the most hated person at church, but I'll be having fun! It will be so nice to put faces to every name and for once be able to know everyone in our ward. Especially in a newly reorganized ward with people coming from three different wards.

As soon as other people find out we have a ward website, it'll ROCK! (To get on your ward website you need your membership number and confirmation date, which you can get from your ward clerk. If you've already put this info into LDS.org before, you should be able to log right in and go to your ward website.)

I'll Give 'Em Something To Write About

I don't know how I have been so out of the loop on anything involving the entertainment industry, but somehow I just learned about the writers' strike a few days ago. Suddenly there's an explanation for the prolonged absence of all the shows! I was sitting here the other night and it suddenly occurred to me that I usually spend my nights parked in front of my t.v. watching one of my many shows. I began to wonder what ever happened to said shows? They had their usual "Fall Finales" which led into the seasonal "dead air" as I like to think of it, which is when I stop bothering to turn on the t.v. But they just never...came...back. I heard about the writers' strike and it all made sense. Oh well, I thought, they'll get it together soon. I mean, really, how long can they not air any of the good t.v. shows? And then I heard the news. The Golden Globes aren't happening. OH NO YOU D'INT! And now the Oscars are at risk, too? Okay, the wrath of Alicia is about to be unleashed, and people, it ain't pretty. Nobody messes with my awards shows, NOBODY. Maybe they can get away with the Golden Globes, but the Oscars? Apparently someone down south's craving a little @$$ whooping. All I know is there better be some Office, some Lost, some Heroes and some Grey's on my t.v. screen soon, and, come March, some over-dressed, cleavage-bearing celebrities giving over-dramatic, long-winded speeches. Then I can be truly happy.

Foto Fun

I rarely post pictures anymore, so I thought I'd do a picture post. Here are just some fun ones from the past month or so:

our new "time out" spot (j/k)

Payson decked out in his construction gear

he got for Christmas

Macy spent an hour out in the cold snow

building this snowman by herself. She was

so proud (and numb) when she finished

Daddy and kids looking down through the skylight while

hanging up the Christmas lights
Happy Wednesday!

Maybe I'll Name It "Discretion." (The book, not the baby)

Okay, okay, so I can only guess that my cryptic, conflicting comments about procreating are being received as nothing less than annoying. For that I apologize. Let's just say that I got overly excited about proclaiming my near-readiness to have another baby. That, mixed with the opportunity for a great rhyme, and, well, you have me announcing things I soon regret. I new it would cause somewhat of a stir, I just had no idea how much, and I grossly underestimated the added anxiety and pressure it would put on me. I know it doesn't matter what anyone else says or thinks, but suddenly I felt like I'd carved it in stone and I wanted it back up in the air where it belonged. It doesn't change at all the probability of me getting pregnant this year, it was just me panicking to relieve some of the pressure I was feeling. Somehow, in my quest to lessen my anxiety about having another baby, I managed to bring more upon myself. I think only I could do that.
Oh, but I really am going to write a novel. Not kidding.

Debbie Downer

Ugh. I hate post-Christmas winter, especially in my small corner of the world where it never snows. Without Christmas or snow, what is the point of winter? All you have left is cold, gray, ugly brown scenery, and if you're lucky like me and you live in fabulous P-Town, RAIN. I have tried to cheer myself up by imagining I lived in Forks, WA: (This is just what it would be like. This is where Edward would live!) But then I just get more depressed as the realization sets in that I need to be LOCKED UP IN A PADDED ROOM AND HIT UPSIDE THE HEAD.

Why does post-Christmas winter have to coincide with the New Year? Every year I have glorious, grand intentions and dreams of success as I excitedly make my list of resolutions, ready to ring in the New Year. This year will be different. I've never felt this motivated before, surely. But every time that ball drops, I drop the ball. Every December as the New Year nears, I have this distorted vision that with it will come the new me. Of course I'll be able to eat healthy. Why wouldn't I wake up at 6:00 every morning to exercise? It'll be 2008! And yet every January 1st I wake up so confused as I head for the Cocoa Puffs. What exactly went wrong?

So dreary, horrible, snow-free, Christmas-free winter + girl trying yet again to diet and exercise = depressed, frustrated, hopeless girl sneaking leftover Christmas candy. Viva La New Year.

Not to mention the fact that I'm just so tired. I don't know if it's my body's way of refusing to bounce back from vacation, or what, but I swear, someone is doping up my mini-Twixes. All I want to do is sleep, and we all know how that lifts the old spirits. Nothing says joy like not being able to keep your eyes open.

Oh, and I looked up "procreate" in the dictionary. Apparently it means to "have a baby." I thought it meant "write a novel." Oops. My bad.

Enchanted

One of these days I will blog about movies for grown-ups, but for some reason, all I've seen lately are kid movies.

On Monday, Macy and I saw this:

I went into it not sure what to expect. The previews actually had some parts that made me laugh out loud, but it also looked like it could just as easily go the way of cheese. I was happily surprised to find that it was what the previews made it look to be: a hilarious satire of the classic fairytale.

You probably all at least know the premise: It begins like every other Disney Princess movie, a cartoon princess singing in her cottage with her animal friends. But the twist here is that soon each animated character falls down a magic well...into the land of the real people (NYC). I found it interesting to see how each cartoon character looked like the actor who voiced them, and vice versa. In fact, I have to brag a little bit here. There was only one character I didn't already know was in the movie, and judging by his cartoon look and voice, I totally guessed who played him! (And he's not well-known. How good am I?) Anyway, the jokes came right away, as Giselle (Amy Adams) stumbles around New York, lost and confused, trying to find "the castle." Hilarity ensues.

Amy Adams was....wait for it....enchanting. Seriously, I can't think of a better word to describe her. She played the part so perfectly. She managed to portray the typical animated princess, with the over-dramatic hand gestures and sing-songy voice perfectly. I could have watched two hours of only her.

And who knew James Marsden (as the flamboyant prince searching for his princess who would complete his duet) had such comedic skills? He never failed to make me laugh.

Patrick Dempsey, well, let's just say the role didn't stretch his acting muscles all that much. It was like watching McDreamy follow a pretty redhead around New York with a six year old daughter in tow. That's not to say he wasn't charming, of course. And he did supply a few of the laughs.

The music was fun, especially because it was such blatant spoofing. (Giselle sings "Happy Working Song" that parodies Snow White's "Whistle While You Work" as she cleans up McDreamy's apartment with, not her usual woodland creature friends, but with the help of rats, cockroaches, and pigeons.) And when Giselle starts in on one of her spontaneous songs in the middle of Central Park, only to be joined by a nearby reggae band, McDreamy (I honestly can't even remember what his character's name was) looks around, totally baffled, and says, "I've never even heard this song!" Hilarious.

So that's a look at it from a grown-up's view. My six year old daughter seemed to be loving it until about three quarters of the way through when she leaned over and said, "I don't like this movie very much." Shocked, I asked why and she said, "Cause there's lots of bad parts in it." I asked for an example and she said, "Like the scary witch." Okay, I'd give her that one. The witch was scary. She's been asking for the movie on DVD ever since, though, so, overall I think it was a hit.

Fun cameos:
~McDreamy's secretary was the lady who did the voice of Ariel in the Little Mermaid.
~The lady who was the voice of Belle in Beauty and the Beast played a soap opera actress
~The singing voice of Pocahontas played a pregnant woman with lots of kids who lives in McDreamy's apartment building

See if you recognize the narrator of the movie, as well. Oh, and Carrie Underwood sings the ending song, Ever Ever After. It's pretty good. Also, Jon McLaughlin performs a song at the ball. That might mean something to you, but I've never heard of him.

So grab a little girl and go see this flick. Or, if you're more secure in your adulthood than I am, go alone or with your spouse.

And they all lived happily ever after....

Happy New Year

On My Plate
for 2008:

• Lose this weight
• Look/feel great
• Don't be late
• Learn to wait
• Procreate

What are your resolutions?