Quick recap for the gratitude blog:

Friday - Day one of getting up to work out was a success. I've taken a break the last two months and am now ready to get back in the groove. Grateful that the program I built for our email automation worked. Boss was impressed too. Yay me! Someone gave the marketing team donuts at work. These are my achilles heel. I will not allow myself to buy them, but I can eat them if someone else does. Good thing I worked out this morning. :)

Saturday - Grateful for the day off. Nothing pressing. Nothing expected. Just time to relax, read, and enjoy life. I was able to sell my parents' old couches/hide-a-beds on KSL. With my dad retired and having time to help my mom around the house, they have begun reorganizing things at home. Tonight I was able to watch the BYU game and with friends. Glad to see the team improving over the season. Wished we had another shot at Utah.

Sunday - Grateful for my ward. It has been such a breath of fresh air from the singles wards and I've made such great friends. My home teachers are fabulous and even volunteered to help me pack up the trailer for the impending move. I love catching up with dear friends. I hadn't seen one for almost a month and she rushed up to me when she saw me and we caught up on all our doings. It touched me that she remembered my resolve to slow down and asked how that was going. Gratefully, I was able to give her a positive report. I love the new tradition some friends and I have created. We started Disney Sing-a-long Sunday Movie Night. It started out as just movie night, but the first one we picked was Beauty and the Beast. We felt that was Sunday appropriate. As the movie progressed, everyone was singing along and it became mandated that you sing-a-long. Last night was the most successful of them all. Our numbers have tripled. We have watched Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, Hercules, and The Little Mermaid. I told my friends that me moving would not stop Sunday Movie Night and I would continue coming down for it. Always good to have friends willing to do silly things, like singing along to movies, with you.

Seriously?!

Another "Seriously?!" moment in my life came today when I realized Harry Potter 6 opens tonight and I have no tickets. Not a one. Not even a time when I was planning on seeing it. I completely forgot to make sure Andrew and I had tickets. Seriously?!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Another trailer for the movie being released July 2009.

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthehalf-bloodprince/

Gratitude - Day 20

1. I am grateful for books. Harry Potter transports you into a world where the unexpected is always happening. When I read those books, I become an unnamed character experiencing the same adventures as Ron, Hermione, and Harry. My favorite book is The Blue Castle. Nothing compares to sitting on the porch of Lake Mistawis watching the sunset and being (to use an LM Montgomery phrase) deliciously happy. I love reading! However, some people feel the need to translate books into movies and they fail miserably at the attempt. Some things are better left to my imagination. Movies rarely do any book justice.

2. I am grateful for good movies. Annette and I label movies as DVD worthy, opening night, full price, matinee, dollar, and redbox. Some movies are fantastic on the big screen - Batman Begins, Bourne series, Star Wars, etc. Fun entertainment value. Others are barely worth the dollar theatre. I don't need to mention those because we all have our lists. The best movies though are the ones worth buying. Some of my favorites movies are the action-packed thriller, the Disney cutsie fairytale, and the historical epic. But what really captures my attention are movies that get you to rethink your current perspective. These include A Time to Kill (edited), Dead Poets Society, Glory, The Pianist (edited), and Wall-E. I am grateful for quality movies that don't insult my intelligence.

3. I am grateful for a listening ear when I need to vent, flesh out my thoughts, or just have "big people" time. That last phrase came when I was a first year teacher. After work, I usually went and visited my friends Rob and Bryan. When I came over they would laugh and say, "Thamina, do you need big people time?" I am grateful for all those who take the time to listen to me.

More Movies

They are making a movie of the only book where I skipped to the end to find out what happened. It is a young adult book called The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas. From the trailer it looks like they are keeping very true to the story.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/theboyinthestripedpajamas/

This movies looks cute and was referenced in You've Got Mail. So of course I have to see it. Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/balletshoes/

Because its James Bond:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/quantumofsolace/

Miracle at St. Anna looks amazing. However, Spike Lee directed it so it will probably be rated R. Too bad.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/touchstone/miracleatstanna/

Movies I want to see

I like checking out movie trailers and found a bunch I am excited to see. I am sharing my list in spite of ratings. I figured one day it would be on tv edited. Also, I have not included movies already released. If you find one that I haven't listed, please share it. I love movies!

Australia
http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/australia/medium.html

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thesisterhoodofthetravelingpants2/

The Dark Knight
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thedarkknight/

Brideshead Revisted (intrigued but don't know if I will actually see it)
http://www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/bridesheadrevisited/

Defiance
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount_vantage/defiance/

The Accidental Husband
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/theaccidentalhusband/trailer/

The Duchess
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount_vantage/theduchess/trailer/