Let's go to the movies

The past couple of weeks, we packed the kids up on Friday night and went to the drive in theater in Ennis. We used to go to the drive in all the time when we lived in Nevada, but this is the first time we've done it in Texas. It's pretty fun. The kids enjoyed themselves. They finally got to see Up, and The Proposal was on for the second show, which wasn't bad. We let the kids pick out a box of candy to have, so they were pretty stoked about that. We had a good time. We'll probably keep doing it because it's a fairly cheap way to see some movies, and it's fun to get out of the house every now and then too.

Here are the girls waiting for the sun to go down and the movie to start.

The boys hanging out in the back of the van. This is one of the only time it is cool to have a mini van. Even then, it's not that cool.

Holy cow, that's a lot of kids!

Here's the view we had of the screen. Not too bad.

On another note, you may or may not recall that I have a beef with Sandra Bullock. After The Lakehouse and Premonition, I wasn't really a big fan of hers. So, I was a little skeptical of The Proposal. Luckily, the movie wasn't too bad. There was no time traveling, or correspondence with people in a different space time continuum, so that was a plus. I think Sandra is off my list for now, and has been replaced by Drew Barrymore. Just because.

Who?

This afternoon Sam and I mentioned how weird it is that Michael Jackson died. We've never lived in a world without Michael Jackson, it's strange. (Or exactly like it was before, just without him in it.) Andi heard us talking about it, and asked "Who's Michael Jackson?" Well, NBC had a Dateline special about him, so I sat down to watch it with her and point him out. It turns out, the first segment we started watching began talking about his sexual assault charges. Because I didn't really want to explain what sexual assault charges are to my 6 years old daughter, I changed the channel rather quickly. We can learn who Michael Jackson was some other day.

Rascal Flatts Concert

Our 9th anniversary is coming up this week, so to celebrate we got tickets to see Rascal Flatts last night. It was awesome. Our last concert was two years ago, so it was fun to get out to another one.

Sam in front of the entrance.

Some nerdy guy in front of the entrance.

I was going to try to start a mosh pit, but then I saw this sign. Oh well.

This is the view we had from our seats. They weren't too bad.

At least we didn't have to sit in the general lawn area like these people. The spots there are first come first serve. It was crazy how many people were packed back there.

Before we went to our seats, we got a couple of bottles of water at the low low price of $4 each. They said they had to take the lids off as part of the event center's policy. I guess they take the lids so that people don't throw the bottles. Why would someone go to a concert and possibly throw a bottle at the stage?

Well, if Cledus T. Judd is the warm up act, you might throw something at him. If they hadn't taken the lid off my bottle, I would have thrown mine. The dumb thing about him (well, one of them) was there was no band backing him, so he was singing karoke to his own songs. Luckily, he only sang three songs.

After Cledus was Darius Rucker. Hootie!!! I really liked his set. I love me some Hootie and the Blowfish. He sang some songs from his country album, and he threw in a couple songs from Cracked Rear View, which was good for everyone around us because if he didn't I was planning on standing up and yelling for Hootie to come back. I like his country stuff too, it was pretty good.

Rascal Flatts was pretty fun to watch. They did some songs with their whole band, then midway through they brought out the piano and did some more laid back stuff. They brought a little girl on stage and the guy (whose name I do not know) sang "My Wish" to her. They were really good. I enjoyed it.

For their encore, they brought Hootie out! They sang "Only Wanna Be With You" together, which was the coolest part of the show. Go Hootie!!! They sang a couple of Rascal Flatts songs together too. We had a pretty good time. It's fun doing stuff like that.

Kindergarten Graduate

Andi graduated from Kindergarten last Friday. Woo hoo! Only twelve more years of school to go! And the another for or five. And then another four. Woo hoo!

There she is up on the stage with her diploma. How exciting!

Here she is with Mrs. Owen. On Saturday she was saying "I miss Mrs. Owen." I think Sam and I both pointed out that she usually doesn't see Mrs. Owen on Saturday.

Next year, Dylan will be in Kindergarten and Andi in First Grade. That may cut down Sam's stress level considerably.

So It Begins...

Andi came home from school the other day with a big picture one of her friends made for her in art class. There was a smaller piece of paper glued to the center of the picture with a phone number scrawled on it. Andi said "My friend Tawnee wrote her phone number down. She wants me to call her." Hmmm, ok.

I helped her dial the phone and told her to ask for Tawnee. They started talking and Andi headed up to her room so she could talk in private. I even got a pretty good icy glare when I dared to enter the room and take this picture. It's like she's been practicing for this moment for a while.So, this is how the whole "daughter dominates the phone" thing starts. I look forward to not being able to use the phone for years to come.

NBA Finals Preview

It's time for the NBA Finals! Woo hoo! Here's my breakdown of the matchups and my prediction for who is going to win.

Center

Dwight Howard vs. Andrew Bynum
Ok, Dwight Howard is good. Andrew Bynum is not good. Howard dresses up like Superman and is an athletic freak of nature. Bynum wears Superman underoos.
Dwight has a cool name. Who doesn't like the name Dwight? I love it. I think it's because of Dwight on "The Office". I'm thinking of renaming Peyton Dwight just for fun. Andrew, not so cool. He can't really go by Bynum either, because that just sounds like a word from Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary.
Advantage: Orlando

Forward

They used to be cavemen. Now they are Forwards.

Unfrozen Caveman Forwards!
I don't know, this one is a toss up. I think it's the people with HDTVs that lose this matchup.
Advantage: Standard Definition


Not As Ugly Forwards

Lamar Odom vs Rashard Lewis
Lewis is 6'10" and is hitting three pointers like nobody's business. Lamar Odom likes moonlit walks on the beach and recreational marijuana use. Always vote against the hippies!
Advantage: Orlando

Guard

Kobe is better than anyone the Magic can throw at him. If they actually pick people up and throw them at him, he may be in trouble, otherwise the Lakers are in pretty good shape at guard.
Advantage: Lakers

Bench

Adam Morrison is on the Lakers bench. Though he hardly ever plays, his good looks and enthusiasm will provide a much needed spark during timeouts.
Advantage: Lakers.

My Prediction

They'll win in 6 games. Why? Kobe is my age. I've got to cheer for the old guy. You never know, it could be his last Finals before he starts going downhill. Plus I cheered for the Magic when they were in the Finals back in 1995. They got swept by the Rockets. I cried myself to sleep on my pile of Magic shirts while wearing my Magic hat and asked my Shaq and Penny poster "Why?" Never again.