The Movie Critique

Most of you that know Frederick and me are well aware of our habit of going to movies. We're kind of junkies :] ha ha. Since we frequent the theater so much, I've decided to do a few little critiques of the last few movies we've seen.

"Taken": By far the best movie we've seen this year! It was very suspenseful and kept you guessing. Liam Neeson was AMAZING in it. I'm not usually a big fan of action films, but I would easily recommend this to just about anyone.

"I Love You, Man": This one was really funny, but only if you like that Step Brothers/Wedding Crashers/Knocked Up sense of humor. Paul Rudd is a pretty comical guy and it was a nice change of pace to see him put in an awkward situation. It had a great cast and the story line was pretty clever.

"New in Town" (*For Clare :]): As far as chick flicks go, this one was pretty good. I even got Fred to sit through it with me ha ha. I loved the small town mentality because it's something I can surely relate to. The cast was a little different, but it was your average feel-good comedy.

"Knowing": I'm honestly still trying to wrap my mind around this film. It had so many strange elements....science, religion, aliens.....I just don't know. It was a little too preachy toward the end for my taste. Fred really REALLY did not like it. It was actually okay up until about the last 35-40 minutes. Let me just say that if I could, I would take those two hours of my life back to the theater for a refund.

Pay It Forward

Last night, Fred and I went grocery shopping....at Wal-Mart. Let me just first tell you that I HATE THAT STUPID STORE. There are always so many people and are usually out of stock of what I need. Anyways, we ended up there because it was close and we just needed to pick up a few things. When we got up to the check-out to pay, there was a lady in front of us. She was probably in her late fifties or so and was absolutely beyond sweet. She was getting ready to grab her bags and leave when the clerk told her that she still owed twelve cents. She swiped her debit card which ended up being declined. She was nearly in tears as she said, "Can I hurry and run to my car to get twelve cents?". I felt so bad. So, right after she left, I handed the clerk a dime and two pennies and told her to cover the rest of the lady's bill. Fred ran after her and told her not to worry about it. She insisted that she pay, but he convinced to head home before the weather got worse. It was a good feeling being able to help someone out like that. I have seen my mom help people pay for things when they lose their credit cards or when they are just short of the amount they need. She is always so willing to help others and chip in if needed. I'm so lucky to have a mother that set such a great example for me. Now I know the power and goodness that comes from paying it forward :]

Spring Fever & Pure Exhaustion

It's definitely fair to say that a break from school, work, and life in general is order. It's usually about mid-March every year that I start to get a little anxious for warm weather, school to be over, and a fun vacation. This year for Spring Break, Frederick and I are going to Richfield and St. George. We're going to spend some time hanging out with my parents and my sister Lindsay while we (hopefully) soak up some sun. I cannot wait to get out of town for a few days and enjoy some relax time. I think it's fair to say that Freddy is experiencing the same feelings I am, but maybe in a little more extreme fashion. I took these pictures of him the other day in between classes. The poor kid was just so tired (a.k.a. in "the moody phase of the day") ha ha. I hope we can survive the next few days leading up to our trip!

Embellish This :]

Today was a Sunday and strangely enough, I had to work. The University Mall isn't open on Sundays, but it's the day where a lot of mall employees come in to do floorsets, inventories, and other things of that nature. I used to work at Victoria's Secret where I had become quite accustomed to working Sundays. In December, I switched to a new job at Archiver's: The Photo Memory Store. I have to admit....I absolutely LOVE it! I work with the most amazing group of ladies (Elaine, Keera, Clare, Megan, B-Jo, Heather, Abby, Darlene, Melissa, Shyla, and Cassie!) and they are all such a crack up. I used to dread working on Sunday....such long hours and all work/no play....but today was almost fun. Hold on, I said ALMOST. We did do an immense amount of counting, a few times it came out "One! Ah ha ha ha!" from Keera immitating Count Dracula from Sesame Street. The day consisted of a great deal of work, but quite a few laughs too. It's always so fun to hear about the latest thing Jackson, Keera's ADORABLE son, has said, quote the latest movies with Clare, hear about Heather's love life :], and find out what Melissa's kids have been up to. I truly have one of the best jobs out there and the people I work with make it even better. You all ROCK :]

The Poke from Hades: My Biggest Fears

Most of you know me well enough to know exactly how I feel about needles. I'm definitely, no-doubt-about-it petrified of them. Every time I have my blood taken or get a shot, the room starts to spin and my chair suddenly becomes less stable. It's been quite the sight for people including Frederick, Brianna, and my mother, all of whom find it rather humorous. Recently, I've been lucky enough to experience the thrill of an IV needle....three times. I always used to think that the more shots and needles I came in contact with the better. I figured familiarization would lessen my fear. Wrong! I'm still scared stiff. Here are a few other things that make my skin crawl: any kind of snake, great white sharks (which I also happen to be fascinated with), horror movies based on true stories, being tickled, tests, my teeth falling out, vampires (the few that exist), the sound of knives being dropped, and losing those I love.

A Little Bit Lovesick

Last Saturday was the ever-dreaded Single's Awareness Day. I say ever-dreaded because it always has been....at least for me. This year was different. It's the first time I've ever been in a relationship during Valentine's Day and I must say I was a little excited about the change of pace. I had the day off work and so did Frederick. I was sure something fun and exciting was planned behind my back. I, as usual, was correct :] and to Freddy's credit, I did underestimate him. First I need to rewind to Friday night. I was working with Clare and Abby during Scrap-Mania, a nearly all night extravaganza full of women with large black rolling cases, embellishment jars, and a whole lot of laughs. When I arrived at work, I was feeling slightly ill. I'd had a pretty scratchy throat all day and a pounding headache. I brushed it off as I'm prone to get migraines on busy days and sore throats have been my trademark since I was barely walking. Nevertheless, by the end of the night I felt like I was swallowing knives while someone hit me in the back of the knees with a baseball bat. It was bad. Fred picked me up around eleven thirty, dragged me up the stairs to my apartment, gave me some medicine, and made sure I got to bed at a decent hour. I slept like a rock. I can't remember the last time I fell asleep that fast and snoozed that hard. I woke up around one the next afternoon with Frederick nowhere to be found and a huge vase of pink gerber daisies and lillies, a homemade card, and a tin of Dove chocolates sitting on my desk. I knew he was up to something. He then walked in and told me to hurry and get ready so we could head out. Where were we going? Downtown Salt Lake City. We stopped in American Fork to eat at a new bakery cafe, one of my favorite spots for lunch. It was delicious while we were there, but once the time for dinner reservations at a hibachi place rolled around, my stomach was turning cartwheels. I felt like the freeway was an ocean wave and I was in need of some serious Dramamine. The rest of the evening progressed and I felt steadily worse. I spent the hours from eight at night to four in the morning throwing up and watching the room spin. Seasick? No, no, no. More like "lovesick"! We didn't take any pictures due to my health conditions, but I did snap a few of the flowers, card, and my very own Valentine :] thanks for reading and Happy Love Day to all of you!

What's Another Year?: Freddy's Birthday

February 5th was Frederick's 19th birthday. Wow. Crazy right? Needless to say, the day turned out wonderful. Though he was unable to escape going to class on his special day (I'm terribly mean right?), he went and was happy about it. After our last classes, we met up with Nick, Sam, and Chett at Noodles & Company for lunch. It's always fun to watch the Ogden boys together. They're witfully entertaining and always making fun of one another. Next we headed to Albertson's to pick up the cake which Fred so cleverly captioned "Happy Birthday or Whatever". It would almost seem like he was slightly bitter about adding to his age. Dinner was next and that took place at Los Hermanos, one of the best Mexican restaurants in Provo. For those of you that don't know, Fred LOVES Mexican food. Below is a picture of his rather hefty meal. I have to admit I laughed when he told the waitress he would need an oxygen tank on the side to get to the top of that mountain. It was a fun atmosphere and we spent much of the meal discussing his plans/goals for the upcoming year. After dinner, we went back to his apartment where Chett, Nick, James, Jon, and Cedric were waiting to cut the cake. We were late because we had to stop and buy the candles which I forgot. Hey I'm not perfect despite common opinion :] ha ha. After a near cake fight, everyone ate up and watched the rest of "Fight Club". The boys also enjoyed a rousing game of Halo (blah blah change the record). It was simple but fun and I thought the entire day turned out to be a success. Happy birthday, Frederick!