Christmas Movies

I copied this idea from Ashley Hofer Veater's blog: my favorite Christmas movies.

10. Musical with great dancing!



9. A great reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.



8. Just really funny. And a warning to get your shopping done early!



7. The best story of how Santa became Santa.



6. Everyone loves innocence and sincerity (this is the only time Will Ferrell is like this!).



5. We rented this last week and I loved it! It's different, funny, and all about family and forgiveness.



4. Original musical with fun songs.



3. Who doesn't love this movie?



2. I like how it teaches seeing is believing and kids should be kids.



1. Hands down the best Christmas movie and Christmas Carol version! Family favorite we've watched every Christmas Eve as far back as I can remember. Gonzo and Rizzo are my favorites.



What are your favorites?

Puzzle Pieces

This idea is taken from Arica (Monroe) Young's blog: how are Justin and I alike and different?

Differences

• Justin is a jock. He loves all sports and can play almost all of them really well. He lives for Monday night football because he can't watch Sunday games. He made us wear our cheeseheads while we watched a Packer game for FHE. I, on the other hand, am a nerd. I can't play or understand sports; I am not athletic or coordinated at all. All I can do is run. In my spare time I love to read. I always enjoy telling people this because it surprises them. Last year Thanksgiving, Justin played in the ward Turkey Bowl and shocked everyone with his mad skills. Everyone assumed that because he is married to me--and probably because he's Asian--he is a nerd. Their bruises tell otherwise.
• Justin is a Wisconsiner through and through: he inhales dairy products, beef, soda, and fatty food. I grew up with a health-nut mother. The only junk food we had in the house all the time was ice cream (she's not as strict now). We never made beef at home. Unfortunately, Justin doesn't like fish--unless it's raw! And I rarely, if ever, drink soda. Furthermore, he is used to snow and cold (but he doesn't like it any more than I do), big yards you have to mow with a riding lawn mower, lots of open space, and no noise, traffic, lights, fences, etc. I love close neighborhoods, being able to walk to school or the store, street lamps, and noise. Nobody likes traffic!
• Justin likes to listen to punk, hard rock, and rap. I like latin and classical. We have a lot of music tastes in common, but the above mentioned are ones we usually only listen to when alone. That's why Justin bought me an iPod for my birthday this year.
• Justin is a bit shy in social settings, especially large ones, with people he doesn't know. He doesn't like public speaking either. I like to "mix and mingle" and I actually enjoy talking in front of people. However, when it comes to performance, Justin is in the limelight and I get awful stage fright.

Similarities

• We both love to dance, go bowling, watch movies, play board games, cook, be active, sleep, cuddle, laugh, and act silly. We actually have a lot more in common than not when it comes to likes and dislikes; it's just that sports play such a major role in his life. I mean, his career is going to be in golf!
• We both love beautiful weather and the beach. If we could afford it, we would live in San Diego.
• We have similar tastes in food: we both love Japanese food (especially tofu and seaweed), other cultural foods, rice, vegetables, onions, and garlic. The last two are nice because we don't care when we kiss!
• We love culture. We both have strong ethnic identities and traditions and we can't wait to pass them along to our children. And we can't wait to see what our children will look like!

I titled this post "Puzzle Pieces" because that's what we are. We have different colors and shapes but when put together we make a complete, pretty picture.

One Year Later

Wow! It's been almost a year since I last wrote. Now that I'm done with school I hope to have more time to maintain this blog. We're moving to Mesa, AZ, January 6, 2009. Justin will be going to ASU for a degree in agribusiness with an emphasis in professional golf management. And he might be getting a master's in business. I'll be working and then sometime late next year we will start our family.

It still hasn't sunk in quite yet that I am done with school. For good. No more homework, projects, tests, classes, etc. Weird. I've been doing it for the last 16 years of my life; I don't know anything else! I'm excited to move on but a little nervous about getting a job and living in the real world.

I will never stop learning, though. As an academic editor, I will read tons of articles on various topics. As a bookworm, I will read books, magazines, blogs, etc. As a nerd, I will reread the textbooks I have and read my children's. As a mom, I will help my kids with their homework. And as a Mormon, I will learn more about the gospel everyday.

I love D&C 130:18-19--"Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come."

Remember, what makes God God is that He knows and understands everything!

December Craze

This month has been crazy! Finals are finally over. I had fun with some of them. My linguistics project was fun and I got an excellent grade on it, so all the work and sleepless nights were worth it. The editing one wasn't too bad; it just took me a long time! There's only one class I don't know how I did.

We finally sent out the Christmas packages to our families. Kara took me shopping for Justin, and I had a really fun time picking out his presents. I hope he likes them. While shopping, I also found a star to finally put on our tree. It was only five dollars and it lights up. The only trick is to clip it on just right or it flops over. Justin figured it out.

We cleaned the apartment yesterday and it looks great (it won't feel great until tomorrow when I vacuum). Basically we've been bumming around and watching movies. Friday we took Melanie to the airport, and since we were already up north we made some other stops. Justin checked out a golf store and we looked through IKEA. I got some great ideas for future house decorating.

Today we went to church. Justin could only stay for sacrament meeting (the first hour) because he has to work today. But it was nice to have him there. He's been working a lot of Sundays because of the holidays. I can't wait until it's all over and we can go to church together and he won't have to work really early or really late. Anyway, the meeting was ok. Not the best Christmas program, but it seemed like plans changed last minute. This elderly couple took turns sharing scriptures and Christmas stories and we sang Christmas hymns. Sunday school was all about Christmas too. Relief Society was kinda random (a talk from General Conference) but we ended early so we sang more Christmas hymns. Later tonight I plan on relaxing with Justin, maybe watch some religious Christmas movies. Last Sunday we watched Mr. Kreuger's Christmas.

Justin will be home soon (three hours is soon!). Dinner will be ready and we can finally enjoy each other's company on this beautiful Sabbath day.

Weekend Fun

Friday night after working out together, we had a double date with the Camachos. We planned to go see It's a Wonderful Life but we were late and it was full by the time we got there. So instead we saw The Nativity Story in the Varsity Theater. Justin and I mostly kissed and cuddled during the movie. It was a good movie. I didn't like the beginning too much but it got better, and the end was quite touching. I especially liked when the shepherd was hesitant touching the baby Jesus, and Mary told him, "He is for all mankind."

After the movie we went to an Evening in Paris. It was a dance and there was food: cheese, grapes, sparkling apple cider, croissants, and french bread. We stayed for an hour and half. It was a great night.

The next morning Justin and I made a big, delicious breakfast together before going to another movie on campus. This one was holiday shorts, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Snowman. We basically napped and watched TV the rest of the day. We were a little productive: we did three loads of laundry and Justin did some homework. But overall it was a really relaxing day spent together.