Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
STRYPER CONCERT!!
I took my family to see their first Stryper concert at the Club Nokia in downtown L.A. last night (well, Susan, Emily, and Matthew that is--Christopher spent the night with Nana & Papa). They were blown away at how good Stryper sounded live. Since Susan is a Music teacher, she tends to be critical of live rock shows, but she was duly impressed with Stryper!
While in line to enter the venue, we saw Les and Joyce Carlsen. I had run into Les, the lead singer of Christian rockers Bloodgood, by chance a few years earlier with Emily and Matthew at a Ralph's grocery store near our house, of all places, and we struck up a conversation back then and realized we both lived in Fontana. I reminded him of that encounter and he remembered it! Then I introduced myself to Joyce, his wife, who is also my Facebook friend. I said, "I'm Todd Barnes, nice to meet you." She said, "Oh, you're 'C. Todd Barnes'," and smiled. I was flattered that she knew me from Facebook.
We had Meet & Greet passes, which in and of itself is a blessing and we are thrilled to have had the experience. Having said that, that part was a bit of a disappointment to my family, only because their expectations were higher based on reports I had given them (based on what I had read about other fans' M&G experiences so far on the tour). The band/venue was "behind schedule" that night, according to venue staff, and when we were finally let in, we were told the band would only be signing ONE item per fan, and we would not be allowed to take pictures WITH the band during the M&G. My family was so looking forward to this, especially given the special relationship we have had with Oz in the past (when he visited the school I am Principal at in early 2008 and then came to our house & out to Carl's Jr wit us a couple months later). My kids were really looking forward to talking with him again and meeting the other members. Inside, while I kept my attitude in check and understood there was nothing anyone--including the band--could have done about it, I still felt a little sting of disappointment.
The soundcheck experience was neat, though, and they sounded really good! They played a little "Reach Out" and an instrumental version of "4 Leaf Clover." I saw Annie Lobert and had intended to introduce myself, but didn't get the chance. We did see and talk to both Irene Kelly (wife of bassist Tim Gaines) and Starri Sweet (wife of drummer Robert Sweet), who was there with her kids. Irene was very sweet and gracious with her time, and after meeting my daughter Emily, told her that she had named her guitar "Emily." She said she & Tim were doing well in Nashville. I asked Starri how the show in Vegas was, and she said it was really great. She commented that it was a 21 & over venue, so she and the kids had to sit behind the drums ("Best seat in the house," she laughed).
After soundcheck, the band got behind a table and we lined up for autographs. I had brought my To Hell With The Devil original cover LP, and my kids brought 5X7's of the pictures of them with Oz back in 2008. My wife had our free Murder By Pride CDs and was going to get those autographed if they would allow it.
We were again slightly disappointed when we got to the table only to find that lead singer Michael Sweet had already left the table. One of the venue staff said he wasn't feeling well. So, I got three out of four to sign our stuff, which is better than a kick in the pants, LOL! Oz did remember my kids and the fact that he still had not met Susan. I shared with him that my school had moved to a new location since we had last talked and he said he was aware of that and where we had relocated. He signed both 5X7's of the kids and their CDs. The other band members also signed the CDs, which was so nice of them. I had intended to make a point to tell Tim how great it was to have him back, but forgot by the time I got to him (we were all very rushed as the band had only a few minutes to meet everyone).
Last slight disappointment, and this is with the venue (but they more than made up for it): Because we had to arrive no later than 5:00 p.m. to receive our M&G passes, which meant leaving our house at 3:00, we hadn't eaten dinner. Our plan was to do the M&G, then go out and grab a quick bite, and come back in during one of the opening band's performances. But the venue would not allow re-entry. So I went to the bar and asked if they had any food items. The lady behind the counter said they normally do, but for some reason the caterer hadn't shown up for this particular show. My heart (and stomach) sank, imagining going through a concert until midnight with no food in my kids' tummies.
At this point, I want to interrupt myself to say that the Nokia staff were all top-notch! When I asked one of them for a possible exception to the "no re-entry" rule due to the circumstances of there not being any food in the venue (and others were complaining as well), one of the guys went over to find out more info and promptly returned (he didn't have to do that) to tell me that they had decided to make other arrangements with another caterer and that by the time doors opened, they would have some sandwiches. WOW! That was totally cool of them! THEN the same guy found me a little later and said, "There's food over there now, sir." I was really blown away. And all the staff were gracious and helpful! I had a happy family by the time the show started, which was a major relief for me!
Now, on to the show: The first opening band, Manic Drive, was entertaining and talented. Their guitar player was a real performer! I liked the visual touch they added with wearing ties. Musically, I liked the first couple of songs. The last couple were so-so. But they were very grateful and complimentary to Stryper, which the crowd loved. Flight Patterns, featuring Michael Sweet Jr, was "Green Day" in style--not my cup of tea, but they were obviously a group of guys getting started in their careers and I wish them the best. Mike Jr made a very brief comment about losing his Mom to Ovarian Cancer and noted that they had a donations jar for Ovarian Cancer Awareness at the Stryper merch table. I looked for Michael's daughter Lena at the table but never saw her there.
Stryper came out and rocked the house! I never cease in amazement at how TIGHT these guys are, particularly Michael and Oz in their guitar duets. And they also nailed it vocally as well. Like I said, Susan was really impressed, which made me happy!
The band did TWO encores.All-in-all, it was another amazing memory and I'm thrilled that on this tour, I get to see them twice (going to the Anaheim show on Monday night as well).
Friday, November 6, 2009
HALLOWEEN FUN!
The kids had a great time at our Halloween activity this year, which was at the church where my school is located. Emily was a ladybug-like cutie, Matthew was a police officer, and Christopher was...well, you could probably guess without seeing pictures, but I'll let you see them anyway.
The day before Halloween, one of my teachers took some pictures of Christopher in a Harvest wheel barrow.
We are doing well. Sickness has swept through our family since September and we're all over it, I hope! The only one who didn't get sick was Christopher, and we later discovered he had been given a flu shot in February. We're sure that helped!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
SUMMER MOVIES WRAPUP
As many of my friends know, Susan and I love watching movies. We go to the theater when we can, but we also thoroughly enjoy just sitting in our family room and watching rented films, too. We subscribe to Netflix, and I put my Netflix-related e-mails in a special folder so it dawned on me the other day that I should open that folder and look back at the movies I saw this summer and maybe write a brief review of each one (including the few we saw at the theater if I can remember them). We are both teachers/educators, so in the summertime we up our subscription to "three-at-a-time" and then back down to "one-at-a-time" when school starts.
So here they are, in no particular order:
1. Slumdog Millionaire - This is a rental we got back in June when summer first started, but for whatever reason we never got to watch it until early August! But boy, was it worth the wait! I have to readily admit that we're usually not "impressed" with Oscar-hyped movies. They're just not usually our cup of tea. They are often haughty and full of themselves, in our opinion, and aren't usually very "entertaining." In this case, the Academy got it right! Slumdog is a wonderful film and I recommend it tremendously! Interesting story, heart-breaking scenes of living conditions in India, and inspirational. And most importantly, something that is lacking in many of the lauded films lately (disappointingly so), it has a GREAT ending! I wanted to use another adjective besides "great" (another one that starts with "g"), but I don't want to give the ending away since much of the movie's story is tragic. Loved it! Grade: A+
2. Marley & Me - Another feel-good movie. Not as "family-friendly" as it may look, though. I think we eventually sent our kids upstairs because there is a lot of sexual innuendo and references; but this is a good movie about how a family dog really is an important member of the family. This movie basically takes you through the life of a dog and how he is as much a part of his owners' family as their children are. It's one of those, "I can relate to this"-type films because many of us have experienced how important pets can be in a family. Thumbs up! Grade: A
3. The Tale of Despereaux - Good family film with a heart-warming story. Illustrates the importance of self-confidence and bravery. Grade: B
4. Frost/Nixon - We also really enjoyed this movie. I am a politics and history buff, but I can honestly say I had no knowledge of this event before seeing this movie. Excellent acting! It's the story of an Australian Entertainment/Gossip Talk Show host who was given the high privilege and responsibility of interviewing President Richard Nixon a couple years after he had resigned from office. In some ways, this film is much more about Mr. Frost than Nixon! It shows us the "journey" that Frost makes from being a "fluff" talk show host to a serious, challenging interviewer asking Nixon unexpectedly tough questions. Very interesting indeed, and history was made in this story. Again, I had no idea. You learn something new every...few months. :) Grade: A
5. The Boy In The Striped Pajamas - Oh boy. This is one of those "see it, but see it once" kind of movies like "Passion of the Christ" or "Legends of the Fall." We did not expect how heavy this film really was based on the trailer we had seen for it. Sure, the Holocaust is no "light-hearted" matter, but the trailer made this look like an inspirational film about an unlikely friendship. It was partially that, and I don't want to ruin the ending for anyone, but the film ends in complete tragedy. However, it effectively underscores the reality of what happened in Germany during WWII. I recommend it, but warn you in advance. We saw this on the evening of Susan's birthday, of all days. Don't see this on any festive occasion! Grade: A-
6. Swing Vote - Meh. It was OK. You pretty much get the gist of it from the trailer, and there's really nothing else to gain from seeing it, except maybe the importance of our civic duty to get out and vote. But again, you could learn that from the trailer alone. Grade: C-
7. Gran Torino - Here is another excellent film that was better than we expected. It wasn't very long into the movie that I said to Susan, "You don't get much better than Eastwood!" Someone told me this summer that Torino is Eastwood's swan song. I don't know about that, but if so, he ended his career on an extremely high note! Eastwood plays an old, crusty Korean War vet who refuses to move when his old neighborhood transforms around him into a neighborhood of poor minorities. Eventually, a Hmong family moves next door to him. Eastwood's character is extremely prejudiced and very anti-religious (I was glad to see they didn't make him a religious racist--that would have been too tempting for many other writers/directors, I'm sure). But Eastwood's character eventually makes an unlikely friendship and mentoring relationship, and ultimately takes on a major gang in his neighborhood to protect those he loves. While filled with expletives and violence, the inspirational theme of this film vastly outweighs the "uncomfortable" scenes. Grade: A++
8. Green Lantern: First Flight - I've been enjoying the recent string of DC Comics' "movie-length direct-to-DVD" animated films that are more adult in nature. The most recent that I recall which were all very good are: "Justice League: New Frontier," "Wonder Woman," and "Batman: Gotham Knight." I readily admit I've never been a big Green Lantern fan. I mean, a guy with unlimited power centered in a magical ring that can do whatever he imagines? I know it might seem hypocritical for a superhero/fantasy/sci-fi/Star Wars nut like me to say this, but that has always seemed a little hard to swallow for me with regard to this particular character. This movie only reinforced those doubts for me. For GL fans, I'm sure this was excellent. In fact, I have a good friend who's always loved GL and really enjoyed this movie. For me? It was OK. I hear they're working on a live-action GL movie which I'm sure I'll also see. But I'll go in with these same expectations, so hopefully I won't be too disappointed. Grade: C+
9. Race To Witch Mountain - Good, fun, family-friendly movie. It was sort of neat to see this movie, inspired by the films of the 70s that I grew up with. Duane Johnson is always enjoyable, and the kids were believable in their parts. Disney rarely disappoints. Grade: B+
10. Rachel Getting Married - We like Anne Hathaway, and of course there was Oscar buzz for this film. It was OK. You sort of feel like a fly on the wall in this dysfunctional family, the way it was filmed and directed. Hathaway plays a model who is just released from rehab to visit her family for her older sister's wedding. The family's dirty laundry is quickly aired for all the guests to see, and it's sad in that way. Many of us can relate, I'm sure, as all families have their "dark patches." In some ways, it very much has a "Prodigal Son" theme to it: older sibling who is stable, "perfect" in the eyes of the younger sibling, while the younger sibling has made so many poor decisions that it ultimately created a tragedy in the family's past, yet the older sibling is amazed and resents her father's affections on the younger sibling (Hathaway). Interesting. I'm sure I'll never see it again, but it wasn't a waste of time to watch. Just not the type of movie we usually see. If I could grade the acting separate from the story, I'd give the acting an A-. Overall Grade: C
11. Push - I really tried to get into this movie, but ultimately, the story is hard to follow and is never fully fleshed out. And boy, you sure learn that Dakota Fanning has grown up as an actress, even if she doesn't really look like it yet! Grade: D+
12. Watchmen - While I was disturbed by the graphic violence in this film, which I always maintain is completely unnecessary in any film and really is unhealthy to watch, I had to admit by the end that the story is compelling. I watched this by myself as Susan had no desire to see it. It did seem a little self-indulgent at times, particularly with the film's length. Grade: B+
13. The Secret Life of Bees - This is a movie that came out of nowhere for us! I don't recall seeing trailers for it when it was being shown in theaters, but we saw a DVD trailer for it on an earlier rental and it looked good. Well, golly...it was really good! Great cast, touching story, excellent acting. Again, not appropriate for the very young. Also starring Dakota Fanning (who is again acting more "grown up" than she should, but maybe in this case it was appropriate given the life her character has experienced). I definitely recommend this movie! Grade: A
14. Hannah Montana: The Movie - OK, so I put this on the list for my 11 year-old daughter. Then my wife really wants to see it. Then it was a lazy Saturday morning and I watched it with my family. Guess what? Good movie, and I'm not ashamed to admit it! It's a story about proper perspective and priorities. Acting? Well, what do you really expect? Not high-caliber. But the story is touching and fun. Grade: B+
15. G.I. Joe - I was disappointed in this movie. Maybe it was the whole "Green Lantern" thing again for me: I mean, I was never into the cartoon in the late-80s. But this movie just came across as cliche after cliche, down to the stereotypical arch-villain with weird gadgets and maniacal laugh. Meh. Grade: D
16. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - We've always enjoyed these movies, and this one does not disappoint. Dark in tone, it also has some more light-hearted fun moments for the characters. Grade: A
17. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - While a little on the long side, I don't agree with the many armchair critics of this film. It was a good thrill ride and it was interesting to see the backstory of this character. I liked the origin story they came up with. Of course the action and effects were excellent, as expected. Looking forward to the next Origins movie, "Magneto"! Grade: A
18. Star Trek - This is probably my favorite film of the summer. As a longtime fan of the franchise (since I was knee-high to a tribble), it was delightful to see a more detailed origin story of these beloved characters than we've known before. While I was nervous about whether or not this "reboot" would be palatable to old-timers like me (all the hype said the studio was more interested in starting the franchise over to win new fans), I was pleasantly surprised and entertained to the very end. While I wish they didn't do what they did to dramatically change the events as we knew them in the old franchise, I can accept it and move on. Terrific movie! Grade: A++
19. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - This was another film I was disappointed in this summer. I really liked the first TF film, even though it pushed the boundaries for a toy movie with sexual stuff and language. Well, this one amped both of those up tenfold, which is so unnecessary! I saw this in the theater with Susan (thankfully we made the right decision to resist the temptation to take our kids), but there were TONS of kids in the theater (not surprisingly so--it's a TOY film)! So that made me really uncomfortable throughout the movie, knowing that little kids were being exposed to this stuff. As a counselor, I can tell you that kids don't know how to process this stuff and they end up with a false impression of sexual matters when they're older. Why don't studios understand this?? Okay, tirade over. The action and effects in this film were actually better than the original. Too bad the other stuff ruined it for me. Grade: D+ (because I guess I liked it better than G.I. Joe)
Films I wanted to see but didn't, so you can add your comments about them:
1. Terminator: Salvation
2. Night At The Museum 2
3. Up (I heard this was really good!)
4. Land of the Lost
5. Year One
6. Public Enemies
7. Funny People
8. District 9 (might still be able to catch this one)
So here they are, in no particular order:
1. Slumdog Millionaire - This is a rental we got back in June when summer first started, but for whatever reason we never got to watch it until early August! But boy, was it worth the wait! I have to readily admit that we're usually not "impressed" with Oscar-hyped movies. They're just not usually our cup of tea. They are often haughty and full of themselves, in our opinion, and aren't usually very "entertaining." In this case, the Academy got it right! Slumdog is a wonderful film and I recommend it tremendously! Interesting story, heart-breaking scenes of living conditions in India, and inspirational. And most importantly, something that is lacking in many of the lauded films lately (disappointingly so), it has a GREAT ending! I wanted to use another adjective besides "great" (another one that starts with "g"), but I don't want to give the ending away since much of the movie's story is tragic. Loved it! Grade: A+
2. Marley & Me - Another feel-good movie. Not as "family-friendly" as it may look, though. I think we eventually sent our kids upstairs because there is a lot of sexual innuendo and references; but this is a good movie about how a family dog really is an important member of the family. This movie basically takes you through the life of a dog and how he is as much a part of his owners' family as their children are. It's one of those, "I can relate to this"-type films because many of us have experienced how important pets can be in a family. Thumbs up! Grade: A
3. The Tale of Despereaux - Good family film with a heart-warming story. Illustrates the importance of self-confidence and bravery. Grade: B
4. Frost/Nixon - We also really enjoyed this movie. I am a politics and history buff, but I can honestly say I had no knowledge of this event before seeing this movie. Excellent acting! It's the story of an Australian Entertainment/Gossip Talk Show host who was given the high privilege and responsibility of interviewing President Richard Nixon a couple years after he had resigned from office. In some ways, this film is much more about Mr. Frost than Nixon! It shows us the "journey" that Frost makes from being a "fluff" talk show host to a serious, challenging interviewer asking Nixon unexpectedly tough questions. Very interesting indeed, and history was made in this story. Again, I had no idea. You learn something new every...few months. :) Grade: A
5. The Boy In The Striped Pajamas - Oh boy. This is one of those "see it, but see it once" kind of movies like "Passion of the Christ" or "Legends of the Fall." We did not expect how heavy this film really was based on the trailer we had seen for it. Sure, the Holocaust is no "light-hearted" matter, but the trailer made this look like an inspirational film about an unlikely friendship. It was partially that, and I don't want to ruin the ending for anyone, but the film ends in complete tragedy. However, it effectively underscores the reality of what happened in Germany during WWII. I recommend it, but warn you in advance. We saw this on the evening of Susan's birthday, of all days. Don't see this on any festive occasion! Grade: A-
6. Swing Vote - Meh. It was OK. You pretty much get the gist of it from the trailer, and there's really nothing else to gain from seeing it, except maybe the importance of our civic duty to get out and vote. But again, you could learn that from the trailer alone. Grade: C-
7. Gran Torino - Here is another excellent film that was better than we expected. It wasn't very long into the movie that I said to Susan, "You don't get much better than Eastwood!" Someone told me this summer that Torino is Eastwood's swan song. I don't know about that, but if so, he ended his career on an extremely high note! Eastwood plays an old, crusty Korean War vet who refuses to move when his old neighborhood transforms around him into a neighborhood of poor minorities. Eventually, a Hmong family moves next door to him. Eastwood's character is extremely prejudiced and very anti-religious (I was glad to see they didn't make him a religious racist--that would have been too tempting for many other writers/directors, I'm sure). But Eastwood's character eventually makes an unlikely friendship and mentoring relationship, and ultimately takes on a major gang in his neighborhood to protect those he loves. While filled with expletives and violence, the inspirational theme of this film vastly outweighs the "uncomfortable" scenes. Grade: A++
8. Green Lantern: First Flight - I've been enjoying the recent string of DC Comics' "movie-length direct-to-DVD" animated films that are more adult in nature. The most recent that I recall which were all very good are: "Justice League: New Frontier," "Wonder Woman," and "Batman: Gotham Knight." I readily admit I've never been a big Green Lantern fan. I mean, a guy with unlimited power centered in a magical ring that can do whatever he imagines? I know it might seem hypocritical for a superhero/fantasy/sci-fi/Star Wars nut like me to say this, but that has always seemed a little hard to swallow for me with regard to this particular character. This movie only reinforced those doubts for me. For GL fans, I'm sure this was excellent. In fact, I have a good friend who's always loved GL and really enjoyed this movie. For me? It was OK. I hear they're working on a live-action GL movie which I'm sure I'll also see. But I'll go in with these same expectations, so hopefully I won't be too disappointed. Grade: C+
9. Race To Witch Mountain - Good, fun, family-friendly movie. It was sort of neat to see this movie, inspired by the films of the 70s that I grew up with. Duane Johnson is always enjoyable, and the kids were believable in their parts. Disney rarely disappoints. Grade: B+
10. Rachel Getting Married - We like Anne Hathaway, and of course there was Oscar buzz for this film. It was OK. You sort of feel like a fly on the wall in this dysfunctional family, the way it was filmed and directed. Hathaway plays a model who is just released from rehab to visit her family for her older sister's wedding. The family's dirty laundry is quickly aired for all the guests to see, and it's sad in that way. Many of us can relate, I'm sure, as all families have their "dark patches." In some ways, it very much has a "Prodigal Son" theme to it: older sibling who is stable, "perfect" in the eyes of the younger sibling, while the younger sibling has made so many poor decisions that it ultimately created a tragedy in the family's past, yet the older sibling is amazed and resents her father's affections on the younger sibling (Hathaway). Interesting. I'm sure I'll never see it again, but it wasn't a waste of time to watch. Just not the type of movie we usually see. If I could grade the acting separate from the story, I'd give the acting an A-. Overall Grade: C
11. Push - I really tried to get into this movie, but ultimately, the story is hard to follow and is never fully fleshed out. And boy, you sure learn that Dakota Fanning has grown up as an actress, even if she doesn't really look like it yet! Grade: D+
12. Watchmen - While I was disturbed by the graphic violence in this film, which I always maintain is completely unnecessary in any film and really is unhealthy to watch, I had to admit by the end that the story is compelling. I watched this by myself as Susan had no desire to see it. It did seem a little self-indulgent at times, particularly with the film's length. Grade: B+
13. The Secret Life of Bees - This is a movie that came out of nowhere for us! I don't recall seeing trailers for it when it was being shown in theaters, but we saw a DVD trailer for it on an earlier rental and it looked good. Well, golly...it was really good! Great cast, touching story, excellent acting. Again, not appropriate for the very young. Also starring Dakota Fanning (who is again acting more "grown up" than she should, but maybe in this case it was appropriate given the life her character has experienced). I definitely recommend this movie! Grade: A
14. Hannah Montana: The Movie - OK, so I put this on the list for my 11 year-old daughter. Then my wife really wants to see it. Then it was a lazy Saturday morning and I watched it with my family. Guess what? Good movie, and I'm not ashamed to admit it! It's a story about proper perspective and priorities. Acting? Well, what do you really expect? Not high-caliber. But the story is touching and fun. Grade: B+
15. G.I. Joe - I was disappointed in this movie. Maybe it was the whole "Green Lantern" thing again for me: I mean, I was never into the cartoon in the late-80s. But this movie just came across as cliche after cliche, down to the stereotypical arch-villain with weird gadgets and maniacal laugh. Meh. Grade: D
16. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - We've always enjoyed these movies, and this one does not disappoint. Dark in tone, it also has some more light-hearted fun moments for the characters. Grade: A
17. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - While a little on the long side, I don't agree with the many armchair critics of this film. It was a good thrill ride and it was interesting to see the backstory of this character. I liked the origin story they came up with. Of course the action and effects were excellent, as expected. Looking forward to the next Origins movie, "Magneto"! Grade: A
18. Star Trek - This is probably my favorite film of the summer. As a longtime fan of the franchise (since I was knee-high to a tribble), it was delightful to see a more detailed origin story of these beloved characters than we've known before. While I was nervous about whether or not this "reboot" would be palatable to old-timers like me (all the hype said the studio was more interested in starting the franchise over to win new fans), I was pleasantly surprised and entertained to the very end. While I wish they didn't do what they did to dramatically change the events as we knew them in the old franchise, I can accept it and move on. Terrific movie! Grade: A++
19. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - This was another film I was disappointed in this summer. I really liked the first TF film, even though it pushed the boundaries for a toy movie with sexual stuff and language. Well, this one amped both of those up tenfold, which is so unnecessary! I saw this in the theater with Susan (thankfully we made the right decision to resist the temptation to take our kids), but there were TONS of kids in the theater (not surprisingly so--it's a TOY film)! So that made me really uncomfortable throughout the movie, knowing that little kids were being exposed to this stuff. As a counselor, I can tell you that kids don't know how to process this stuff and they end up with a false impression of sexual matters when they're older. Why don't studios understand this?? Okay, tirade over. The action and effects in this film were actually better than the original. Too bad the other stuff ruined it for me. Grade: D+ (because I guess I liked it better than G.I. Joe)
Films I wanted to see but didn't, so you can add your comments about them:
1. Terminator: Salvation
2. Night At The Museum 2
3. Up (I heard this was really good!)
4. Land of the Lost
5. Year One
6. Public Enemies
7. Funny People
8. District 9 (might still be able to catch this one)
Monday, August 17, 2009
NEW KISS ALBUM COMING!
This will be their first new studio album since 1998's Psycho Circus. The hype for this one just gets better and better, though! Read on...
"KISS TO RELEASE 'SONIC BOOM,' FIRST NEW MUSIC IN 11 YEARS, EXCLUSIVELY AT WAL*MART AND SAM'S CLUB"
Sunday, July 12, 2009
CHRISTOPHER'S BIG BIRTHDAY PARTY
We threw Christopher a big birthday party on July 11 since Todd's parents were still in town after our trip to the Grand Canyon. It was fun, but a lot of work! Christopher's actual birthday is on July 20. Can't believe a year has gone by!
THE CANYON THAT IS GRAND
We took a mini-vacation to the Grand Canyon July 6-8. We took Todd's parents who had never been, and it was also Christopher's first time. This was our third trip, but it's never "enough." It's only a six-hour drive from Fontana, and it is so awe-inspiring! God is definitely a creative Being!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
