Movie and Book Blast

During the Christmas and Ski/Snowboard Season I don't usually get out to watch many movies, and yet we managed to watch two in the last few weeks. The Twelve Days of Christmas (starting Christmas day) are often filled with mega reading moments for our whole family, so I've managed to read at least 8 books recently, but for the sake of time, I'm only going to mention my favorites here.






Hugo - "Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton."
My daughters and I were involved in reading The Clockwork Three when we saw our first trailer for Hugo, and the parallels of automatons and adventurous kids heightened our anticipation for this movie. Our expectations were different than the movie, but yet we all walked out of the theatre satisfied by the heartwarming, beautiful story of Hugo.

"The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name."
As part of a week long celebration of my husband's 45th birthday, we went to see Tom Cruise race around the screen, climb tall buildings, and take some crazy leaps as Ethan Hunt. I found this to be the best of all the Mission Impossible movies, and really enjoyed it from beginning to end. However, my husband was disappointed that at one point in the movie Ethan Hunt, superspy, struggles in a fight with an older chunky intellectual and I admit, this did strain Ethan Hunt's credibility. However, overall, it rocked with action, humor, and a decent plot line.

"Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared."

Out of all the books I read over the Christmas season, Become by Ali Cross was the finest crafted novel. Tightly woven, intense, and packed with meaning, I was drawn into this story immediately and read it in one sitting. However, it is dark fantasy, and I had to wrestle with that a bit in my head. I really enjoyed it, but I struggled with some of the intense moments, and it made me realize that I have a tendency to bury my head in the face of some the world's sinful and ugly realities. The dark stuff in the novel is based on real life, ugly stuff that is in our world this very moment. We can't all be kickin' superheroes like Desi but we can make a difference if we take the time to pay attention to the hurting world around us.


"They are outcasts. Hal, Stig, and the others - they are the boys the others want no part of. Skandians, as any reader of Ranger's Apprentice could tell you, are known for their size and strength. Not these boys. Yet that doesn't mean they don't have skills."

I dare you to read The Outcasts and not love these characters, and beside who doesn't love a good underdog story, especially when those underdogs make some serious mistakes and learn from them. Flanagan's new series, the Brotherband Chronicles, promises to be as good as his Ranger's Apprentice series.


"Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss."

The end of the Hunger Games trilogy is bittersweet, and heart-wrenching. (spoiler alert)There are unexpected twists and turns, action scenes, untrustworthy allies and the stresses of war. Katniss battles through them all, and survives to win a better life for her land. At one point, I needed tissues.



All photos and quoted synopsi are by IMD and Amazon

Snow Day Follow Up - Epic Fail and Lessons Learned

Yesterday we had a fun, yet challenging snow day.

Usually we have an 8-10 hour snow day, not including drive time to the snow area. My husband teaches snowboard lessons, my daughters and I ski, and then we all roam the mountain together for an hour or so.

Yesterday we spent nearly 12 hours at the Summit. My husband taught two snowboarding classes, and assisted our 17 year old nephew as he taught skiing for the first time.
We skied a number of runs from blues to blacks (intermediate to advanced) and visited with family and friends on the mountain. It was almost a perfect day, except for end of the day exhaustion and

an epic fail on one of my favorite black diamond runs, “360 Showoff” – also called “Face”. One of my bindings was a bit loose, and my left ski popped off on an easy turn near the top of the run. I couldn't get back into the binding, and when I tried to stand on one ski, I ended up back on my rear sliding down the hill with one ski on and one ski in my hand. I tried and tried again, and I started to panic, feeling that all the awkwardness of too much weight and not enough muscle might be too much for me to overcome. I finally settled for the humiliation of sliding down the hill on my rear until I could find an area less steep.

With the run being called Show off you can correctly imagine that I was directly under the run's ski lift in full view of the lodge and several other ski lifts. People pointed, laughed, yelled encouragement and other things, until a complete stranger stopped and helped me by letting me lean on him while I fixed my binding. After accepting my thanks, he skied off, and I skied down the run without any further incident.

Still, I seethed with embarrassment and chagrin until I redeemed myself a few hours later by going back on the run, and staying on my skis the entire time.

I still didn't ski it as hard and as fast as I used to be able to - once upon a few years ago, I raced my husband down that run and kept up with him. (He's an amazing downhill snowboarder and skier so that isn't too shabby)

So, this morning, despite tiredness and sore muscles, I got back on the exercise bike and put in my time. I know that I want to conquer that run again, and the only way to do it with style is to drop about 20 pounds and gain some muscle.

This reminds me of my writing lately, my novel The Crystal Sword is in the throes of a painful revision. Determination and a desire to conquer the story and make it true to my vision are keeping me going each day.

Lessons Learned:
Sometimes the only way to stand up is to get help.

Anything worth doing is worth a little sweat and concentration.

And yes, pride comes before a fall. Even though outwardly I laughed at myself and teased myself, it seriously stung to find myself unable to complete a run I thought I could do easily.

SNOW DAY

This pic is from last year . . .but it's all I have time to post. We are off for a full day of skiing and snowboarding fun!!!

Insecure Writer's Support Group - Goals and Revision

Today, in my pre-write notes, it says “share encouragement.” That’s it.

Hmm. So, I’m pre-writing for a moment before I post, but not much before.

And, I admit I’m feeling a bit low on my own writing journey today.

I had these goals, you see. Goals that I wrote last year, that stated I would be finished with a polished draft of my novel, The Crystal Sword, by January 31st.

Umm. Well. That’s not going to happen at this point, unless the rest of my life stops and I only write.

With two very important family birthdays this month (my husband turns 45 today, and my oldest daughter becomes a teenager in a few weeks), and all of life’s usual activities. I can’t put my life on hold, and I don’t want to. My family comes before my writing.

So, what to do?

Throw out all goals, like all the New Year’s Scrooges suggest?

No. Just rewrite them to be more realistic, and enjoy the journey of life and writing intertwined.

Goals can be changed, revised, and polished – just like my novel.

So, here’s my new goal: Finish polishing The Crystal Sword by June 1st, 2012.
Then, pursue publication.

So, as usual my encouragement really boils down to seven words:
Just Keep Writing, and Enjoy the Journey.

If you need to revise your words, or your goals, it’s ok.

Just Keep Writing, and Enjoy the Journey.

Then, go, and share encouragement with your fellow writers through the awesome Insecure Writer's Support Group:

Worship

Of all the themes I’ve listed that I would like to visit once a month on my blog, the one that stands out as first is worship.

In all things, in all times, worship is integral.

Worship connects all parts of my life to one purpose in Christ.

When I write, I hope to write with faith.

When I live life fully with my family, I remember with gratitude the one who gifted my family to me.

When I worship at home, in Bible study, prayer, song, and quiet moments, I find peace.

When I think of my friends and family who are undergoing trials in their life, I pray for them and praise God for their hope in all circumstances.

When I undergo my own trials (pretty small ones lately), I give praise to God for giving me the strength and patience needed to walk through those trials and back into the fullness of life.

When I worship at church, I feel connected to the Lord and all the members of my church family and to the members of the whole Christian church around the world.

Worship makes me whole because the Lord fills up my emptiness with love and peace through His salvation.



Worship isn't just one day a week, but a way of life.







"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade - kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Peter 1:3-5

Added Later - Just discovered a blogfest that fits with today's theme:





and I've decided to join in. The current verse is:

A - "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15b
For more details about the 2012 Memory Verse Challenge, visit
She Sparkles