More Sequels

I used to be such a huge fan of the Superman movies. I even did my hair with a little bit of a curl in the front--I wanted to be just like Superman. The first film is such a great show, but this one raises the stakes. Just a side note, the Twin Towers in the background really makes this poster more ominous than it was when the film first came out.

Love these films! The quintessential buddy-cop films. Lethal 2 gives deeper backstory to the characters, gives us great villains (from South Africa), and adds much more emotion. Some people hated Joe Pesci's character, but I love "Leo Ghetz."

Back to my list

Here's a couple more sequels you should check out if you haven't already had the pleasure:

More Han Solo, better Han Solo, Han Solo finally making his moves on Leia, and the all-time classic response when Leia tells Han she loves him--"I know." Everything about this film is better than the original.

Spider-Man 2 came out before the onslaught of everything comic book, so it still seemed fresh. It followed a similar pattern of Superman 2 (look for it on my list coming soon)--the hero is conflicted and wants to give up his heroic destiny because of a dame. What a sap! Some people didn't like Tobey McGuire in these films, but I thought he was perfect. By the way, end your Spider-Man watching with this film--don't even bother with 3.

New Blogs I Follow

This weekend I discovered some new Disney blogs! I love learning about Disney history. I have always been fascinated by "Uncle Walt" and how he built what he did. If you get a second, take a look at the blogs under my "Blogs I Follow" section. Fun stuff.

More movie sequels

Alright, on to day two! Here are a couple more gems!

Now I know this is the third installment in the franchise, but it was the best. J.J. Abrams is a genius! This came out shortly after Lindsay and I had finished the "Alias" series and it had such a similar vibe. Too bad it also came out when everyone thought Tom Cruise was a psycho. I don't think the movie was given enough of a chance.

One of my favorites ever! I watched this so many times in high school--I even collected Terminator 2 trading cards. Seriously. Again, James Cameron pulled through on another amazing sequel. I can't wait to see what he does with "Titanic 2."

Returning to my roots

When I started this blog I had "pop culture" in mind. I wanted to share my thoughts and views on movies, books, music, etc. I've realized that since my surgery, my blog has started to sound more like a teenage girl, all feelings and musings (no offense Carlee and BreAnn). SO I'm going to try and get back to my roots: over the next few days I would like to make a list of movie sequels that were better than the original. There are many--and I will give you some of my favorites!

The original was very fun, but Toy Story 2 took the story so much farther! I loved that Woody had a backstory and a past. I loved the introduction of Jessie and Bullseye. Everything about this story took the creativity and heart of Pixar to another level.

The original is scarier, but this sequel by James Cameron was so freaking awesome! The characters are still some of the best ever written (Newt, Ripley, Hicks, Hudson), the action was great, and there are so many quotable lines--"Game over, man! Game over!"

Getting Back to Normal

I ran out of the Percocet this past weekend and my body is going through some serious withdrawls. I think I consumed over a hundred pills in the past month and a half--man, I miss the euphoria. My bum is still felling pretty bad. I can sit, but not for too long--and some positions are just killer. I have been stretching out my body this week and next week I plan on returning to cardio and weight training. I hate surgery and getting myself back to normal, but if I was told I had to go back in for another infection cleaning and that I would be prescribed more pain killers... I wouldn't even hesitate! :)

Love My Job

Sometimes I don't quite think I'm cutting it as a teacher. I have bad experiences and disagreements with students or parents. It is often times a very difficult job. Yes, I wish I was paid more, but it's never deterred me from this profession. I loved it the moment I started my internship and I still love it! I hate the pressure of performing for tests, I hate the vice I often feel on what I can and can't do, but overall I am so happy with the life I have created for myself and my family.

There is nothing better than to run into former students and find out that I had some kind of impact on their life. This morning I ran into a young man I taught 9 years ago. He came to my classroom to see me and tell me about his life. He is successful and wants to start his schooling to become a teacher. I started the day off really well!

Then this afternoon I ran into a student from a few years back while she was out running. This young lady had a huge impact on me as a teacher during a very pivotal year in my profession. It was so great to see her! She is happy and successful and it's things like this that make it all worth it to me. I love my students!

Park City Fun

We took a quick Park City trip this weekend. We stayed in the Marriot Mountainside (so nice), did some swimming, strolled Main St. and rode the Alpine Slides. Here are some fun photos:

Riding the Alpine Slides

Cutest girls in the whole world

Chillin' on Main St.

Riding the Main St. Trolley

A Gem!

It's been a few years since I've seen Say Anything, and I gotta tell you, this movie is an absolute gem! Lindsay and I watched it the other night. So well written and performed. I used to love this movie growing up. It came out while I was in junior high and I thought it was speaking volumes to me. Cameron Crowe's first film--it has an amazing soundtrack! "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel is still one of the best songs ever written. If you haven't seen this movie recently, please watch it again or for the first time. Many quotable quotes! One of my favorites--
Diane: Nobody thinks it (their relationship) will work, do they?
Lloyd: No. You just described every great success story.

Old Photos

A few years ago my computer crashed and we lost all of our early digital photos. Sucked so bad! I've wised up since then and all of our photos are now protected. I've been going through the ones we lost (we have them as thumbnails, but can't make them any bigger) and found some old gems that didn't get lost somehow...

Kam and Adam's first trip to Disneyland! Adam was such a chunk!

One of our favorite Disneyland photos.

Carlee, Paisley and Kourtney--a few kids from my favorite class ever! They all just started college. I'm old.

BreAnn, Kourtney, and Caitie, also from the best class ever!

First Day of School

This year we sent off ALL four kids! That's a first for us. Brynn is just going two days a week for a couple hours (preschool). Here's hoping for a great year for all of them!

Brynn starting preschool with Miss Konnie

Adam (3rd grade), Kyson (neighbor), Kam (5th grade), and Max (1st grade-he's a little shrimp!)

My Down Time

So I am feeling quite a bit better and hope to be out of this infection funk. I see the doctor on Friday for a final analysis, but things are looking good--there's no puss! For those who have not had the experience of laying down on your side or stomach for about three weeks straight, trust me, you are not missing out on something that should be on a bucket list. It's hard to read from that angle, so thankfully I had my laptop from school to keep me busy. Here's a list of what I watched:

2 full seasons of Scrubs
1 and 1/2 seasons of Friends
Lethal Weapon 1 and 2
Oceans 11, 12, and 13 (loved 12 so much more this go around)
Miracle on 34th Street (I know...it's only August)
Hurt Locker
That Thing You Do!
Home Alone
Patriot Games
Joe vs. the Volcano
Too many Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives to count
Grown Ups
Return To Me
You've Got Mail

I know there were many more, but I can't think of what they are--I'm on Percocet right now, so a little fuzzy.