Don't Scream...It's "Silent House"

Yesterday afternoon, Chris and I did something we very rarely do...we went to see a movie.  We were growing weary of just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring about one of the jobs he's interviewed for, so I suggested we get out of the house for awhile. I'd been hearing all the hoopla about the new release "Silent House", so off we went for a scary flick.  We about fell over when we bought our tickets...a whopping $8.50 each for the matinee! We won't be doing that, again, for a long time, I'm sure!

After Chris and I found our seats, I hunkered down and prepared myself for a fright fest.  The movie started off good as it's filmed in such a way that you feel someone is walking around with a hand-held camera to capture all the action. It centers around a young woman, Elizabeth Olsen, along with her father and uncle, who are renovating a house.  Now, keep in mind that the house has no electricity and no cell phone reception and is in an isolated location. Go figure. All the while, you're under the impression that an intruder(s) has broken into the house and terrorizes the young woman.  There are numerous moments where you're bracing yourself for what happens next.  It was very suspenseful!

Well, as the movie progressed and neared the end, the movie took a strange and unexpected turn.  Neither Chris nor I saw it coming.  It was the kind of ending that left you scratching your head and asking yourself, "What just happened?"  It was very dark and heavy, to say the least, and it left us both with a lot of unanswered questions. I'm the kind of person who likes to be able to make sense of how a movie ends and I felt I wasn't able to do that with "Silent House". 

So, if you're interested in some heart-pounding action, you'll probably like this movie.  However, I wouldn't be surprised if you walk away from it with a puzzled look on your face, too.

Movie Night

One thing we enjoy doing in our house is having movie night every weekend.  If Abby doesn't have any plans with her friends, she'll watch with us, otherwise, it's just the two of us old married folks. Chris always makes his yummy popcorn , then we head down to the basement and get all comfy in our recliners. Well, two weekends ago, we watched "Water For Elephants".  Have you seen it?  I have to be honest, I was a little unsure as to whether I was going to like it or not.  Well, my eyes were glued to the TV screen the entire time...I loved it!    It was such a beautiful story about forbidden love.  Need I add that Robert Pattison stars in it...have mercy! Chris even enjoyed it...so it was a double win!  I give it two thumbs up all the way!

Now, this weekend, we watched "The Fast Five".  I felt that I owed Chris an action flick since I convinced him to watch a love story with me.  Well, it started out pretty good with fast cars, speeding trains, and bombs exploding...plenty of excitement! Then, about an hour into it, I nodded off and dozed for the remainder of the movie. I just didn't care for it, at all.  I couldn't really follow the plot, which was weak, at best.  So, I have to give it two thumbs down.  

This coming weekend, we'll be watching "Mr. Popper's Penguins".  I'm in the mood for a funny movie and I'm hoping it won't let me down.  Usually, anything starring Jim Carrey is bound to make you bust a gut.  So, I say, bring it on!  Afterall, laughter IS the best medicine!

Track Season Is BACK!

Brittany had her first "official" track meet of the season on Saturday. It's one of the bigger meets in our area. She ran in the Distance Medley Relay with three of her teammates, and the 1600m....against her best friend, Alicia (who happens to hold the school record for that event!).

Here's Brittany and Alicia having a little fun before their race...the weather was perfect!

Here's Brittany running the 1600m leg of the Distance Medley Relay with baton in hand...that's 4 times around the track! Of course, when you compare that to the 3200m, which is her specialty, that's nothing...she has to run 8 times around the track for that race! The girls did very well finishing in 3rd place, overall.

Here's Brittany running in the 1600m open race. She was seeded #5, but finished in 3rd place with a time of 5:38. She beat Alicia...she finished 6th. What's great is that Brittany beat one of the top cross country and track runners in our county. In fact, the girl placed 4th in the state cross country championships in November. Brittany was so happy, as were we! I have a feeling she's going to have an awesome season!

Here she is after her strong finish! She really poured on the juice in the 3rd lap and made her wininng move!

Brittany came home with two 3rd place medals...we couldn't have been more proud! She's going to run against Alicia, again, tomorrow night in the 800m, which is Alicia's speciality. I have a feeling Alicia will be "out for blood", but that's what makes it exciting! I love to see them battling it out on the track. The good thing is that, regardless of the outcome, they continue to encourage and congratulate each other. So, the way I see it...there's always a happy ending!



P.S. Chris and I took Abby to see "Alice in Wonderland" on Saturday night...we all loved it! Now, there's no doubt that it's a bizarre tale, but the outrageous characters and special effects were well worth it! Have you seen it yet?

"Fireproof"...A Must See Movie!!

Yesterday afternoon, Chris headed to South Carolina for a meeting, so the girls and I went to the mall to do some shopping. We had such a good time! There was no bickering or anything...pure bliss!

After we finished with our shopping, we decided to catch a movie. I told them about the movie "Fireproof", which I'd heard so much about. Just the other day, Kurt Cameron was on "Dr. Phil" and he talked about the movie. They showed some clips from it and it looked really good. So, I ended up talking the girls into seeing it with me. I am so glad I did!

I won't go into detail about the movie because I don't want to spoil the whole storyline for those of you who haven't seen it yet. However, let me say that it was more than refreshing to see a movie that is completely devoid of profanity. That's almost impossible to come by anymore, as I'm sure you know. There were some action scenes in it, but they added to the movie, rather than took away from it.

I was under the impression that there was a subtle Christian theme throughout the movie. I was so happy, though, to learn that there was a STRONG Christian message, rather than an underlying one. I sat in the movie theater almost in amazement at what I was hearing. How very refreshing for those of us who are believers!

There were many moments in the movie that brought the girls and I to tears (lots of them!). It will move you in a way that's hard to describe, so bring your Kleenex! I highly recommend you see "Fireproof". I don't think you'll regret it and you'll come away with a newer perspective of what true love, marriage, commitment, and faith are all about. If you do see the movie, I would love to hear what you thought! For me, it's two thumbs up all the way! POWERFUL! Now, I'm going to talk Chris into seeing it!