My 2 Cents on Batman

Well, I haven't posted in a while. One, because packing makes me grumpy, and two, because I don't really feel like there is much to write about. So I'm just going to write about some random Batman stuff that is not consequential at all.

[SPOILER ALERT-IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE, SKIP PAST THE PICTURE OF THE JOKER BECAUSE I DONT FEEL LIKE HOLDING ANYTHING BACK.]

It is really good. Really good. As I'm sure you heard, Heath Ledger is amazing as the Joker. But is makes my heart hurt, believe it or not. Why did he have to die? People really love his performance, and he's not here to enjoy it himself (I'm weird, I know). And from the way the movie ended, it kind of seemed like they were planning on Heath playing Joker in the future too. The last scene with him in it is him just hanging there from the building--he didn't die or wasn't even shown getting put in prison. They left it really open--a little too open, for my taste. (They BETTER make a third movie, in my opinion). And what was with Two-Face dying--or did he die really? I kind of thought Two-Face would be the villain in the third installment, considering he wasn't in this movie for long. Who knows? Finally--Batman's voice? Did he have laryngitis? It was a little too raspy for my taste. Mr. Bale was in fine form though. Between him and Aaron Eckhart, the movie is worth seeing just for the eye candy (ha ha).

[This is not a spoiler.] This is my opinion on the Joker, for those of you who are afraid to see the movie because of him. When I saw previews I fully expected him to be terrifying and give me nightmares and haunt my waking hours. But he didn't. Ledger is amazing. How he portrays the Joker is amazing. But he is funny. He makes you laugh, even if it is in the sickest of ways. Toward the end, you feel like you understand him--and you even see its like he respects Batman, he needs Batman. Its interesting. Its fascinating. That's why Ledger is amazing at this part--because the Joker is so human and so not-human at the same time. The Joker is not as scary as you think he's going to be, he's better than scary--but he is still creepy, so I wouldn't suggest making a Family Home Evening outing out of the movie.

As for Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent)--did you know he grew up LDS? He served a mission in France and Switzerland and attended BYU. Interesting, huh? I found an interview he gave a couple years ago:

It's not Amish and the City, exactly. But A Mormon in Hollywood would likely describe the life of the faith-inspired leading man of Suspect Zero, who is, or was, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"Ah, let me see. I think you're always Mormon," said Aaron Eckhart with a small smile when the Straight recently asked him for clarification of his religious status. "But I'm, you know, in and out. I'm vulnerable and mean at the same time."

"I look at a painter; how does he know what he's going to paint? Any great person in their field, from athletics to art to mathematics, receives inspiration."

Does Eckhart pray?
"Do I pray?"
I'm serious.
"No, I'm serious too. I pray that this movie's a big hit." He grinned. Then stopped. "I believe in God. I'll just say that."

And another one:

His ideas for the future sound equally out of the ordinary. Eckhart, who was raised Mormon, is one of the few actors in Hollywood who will publicly admit to being ''spiritually grounded,'' and he says he wants to make more movies ''that show the good side of people.'' The ''charming, happy-go-lucky, opera-singing, pancake-flinging guy'' in Martha seems to fit the bill.
Don't assume you got the guy pegged as a softie, though. There's still a devilish glint about him. He doesn't drink anymore — ''It was getting in the way'' — but he likes to date. ''I'm dating as many people as I possibly can, but nobody seriously,'' he says, after bursting into wicked laughter. ''No, dating isn't the right word. I'm hanging out with as many people as I possibly can.''
So he's a complicated guy! ''I'm certainly not a deacon, I'm not a priest,'' he explains. ''I'm sure people think I'm a Mormon, but I don't know that I'm a Mormon anymore, you know? To be honest, to be perfectly clear, I'd be a hypocrite if I did say that I was, just because I haven't lived that lifestyle for so many years.''
''I don't drink, I don't smoke, I go to bed early, I get up early, I'm ready to go,'' he insists, talking fast. ''I wanna chew it up, I wanna work every day. It's like when you're on stage. I wanna be on stage every minute of every second the play's going. Because that's where the fire is. That's what people come to see. That's where the gold is. The gold's not backstage, the gold isn't in your trailer, it's right there in front of the camera.''

I don't really know my point here--I just thought it was interesting. 'Any great person receives revelation'? No drinking or smoking? Early to bed, early to rise? Seems like he got some good training, just got lost in the mix of things! That's all. I'm not trying to make any kind of statement that he is evil or anything. I just thought it was interesting.

He could have contributed some cute Mormon kids to the cause, though, don't you think?

Well, there you go. Go see Batman if you have any desire at all. Its really quite good and worth the money (I still recommend Ironman, for those of you looking for something a little less dark).

Now I'm going to go pack--again.

This is How My House Looks Right Now

We are "cleaning" and organizing and throwing away and packing.

Save me.

This was a stroke of genius on my part though. The blue markers on the floor represent how big our moving container will be (it extends beyond the picture, thank goodness). I'm nervous about fitting everything in though! Anyone looking to buy some furniture?

Update~4th of July~Date Night

Well, things have been going pretty well for Chris and I. We spent the 4th of July weekend in Idaho after getting home from Omaha. It was nice to be in Idaho for the 4th because I haven't been there for a couple of years and won't be for a couple more years. We had a big BBQ with family and friends and watched "The Biggest Show in Idaho". I'm glad Chris got a little taste of what my 4th of Julys were like growing up.

I asked my little brother, Brady, to pose like an Abercrombie & Fitch model.

He is a little too good at it.

Cute girls: My cousin, Maren (the redhead), and family friend, Rachel

Maren, Rachel, and I got matching tattoos. . . .
. . . while the boys played bocce.4th of July #3!

Since then we've just been working and starting to pack boxes. Its so crazy we have less than a month left before we head off to Knoxville. Chris recently got a side job tutoring someone in German, so its really nice to have a little (and I mean little) extra cash and it is also nice for him to be doing something with German. I've been stressing out a lot about packing, money, and other stuff like that, so my handsome husband has been keeping me going by constantly calming me down and going over how everything is going to work out. He's good to me and I'm lucky to have him.

Well, amist working and worries, Chris and I took Friday night to have a much-needed date night with just the two of us. Chris made me delicious lemon chicken for dinner, then he was good enough to let me pick the movie we went to. I picked Baby Mama. It was at the dollar theater, so I wasn't too worried about money if we had to walk out (I was a little nervous, considering both the stars are from SNL). But it looked really cute, so we decided to try it. To our pleasant suprise it wasn't dirty at all! It was really cute and quite funny. We both enjoyed it--yes, even Chris enjoyed it--so we had a lot of fun. However, Chris is still counting down the days to July 18th when The Dark Knight comes out!
After the movie we went to this newer ice cream place called Sub Zero. If you haven't been there you have to try it out! You get to pick the kind of cream they use and however many flavors you want and a mix-in. Then they use liquid nitrogen to freeze it and make your own, specialized ice cream right there in front of you! Its cool to watch and really yummy! We had caramel-marshmellow ice cream with peanut butter cups mixed in. We had to compromise, because if it were up to me it would be chocolate with chocolate and chocolate mixed in, while Chris would be all vanilla. But it was a lot of fun to try it out!

Well, nothing too exciting, but its been nice just to relax and spend time together. Our time here in Provo is getting short; we have so much to do! Not only packing and work, but so many people to see and places to go (and eat!). We're excited about our fast approaching future, but we're going to miss this place when we're gone!

Olympic Trials Adventures

We had such an amazing time at the Olympic Trials in Omaha. I never thought I'd be so fond of Nebraska! It was such a great experience and it was so sad when it was over, but we are so grateful for Mom and Dad Connolly for making it possible to have this wonderful adventure!

Its important to note that we DROVE to Omaha, which is on the far eastern side of Nebraska. It was a mighty trip. Chris drove the whole way there (we spent the night in Cheyenne, WY, which was half-way). He did a great job. In the middle of Nebraska, we stopped for gas and saw this sign (oh, how true it was):

When we reached Omaha, they were ready for the swimmers!
~World-Class Experience~
One of the things I loved most about going to the Trials was just the amazing experience it was to be there. I love the Olympics, and I am just in awe of the athletes that are at the Olympic level. The pool was so beautiful, and the swimming was so much fun to watch (and I've never been really that into watching swimming other than watching the Olympics every 4 years).

We got to see 8-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps up-close and personal!

His muscles were very impressive!

But his level of swimming is amazing and it was so much fun to watch him!

So many of the records look like this (all Phelps):

This is Phelps in the center. Before every race he would flap his giant wings like that!

We got to see him set a world record.

We actually got to see 6 world records!

Action shot of my favorite, Peter Vanderkaay.

~Family Time~

Our trip was also great because we got to spend time with Chris's family.

The Connolly's in front of the Qwest Center (minus Jenny, who was warming down).

Sarah likes Phelps more than a friend. Jenny and Chris
Me and the amazing Dara Torres. She's 41-years-old and the mother of a toddler and she is returning for her 5th Olympic games! She made the team in the 50 free and the 100 free.We all enjoyed posing next to the swimmer pictures. . . except Chris. I forced him to stand next to Phelps and smile. He did not appreciate it.

I have a new man in my life . . .

The littlest Connolly Family
In front of the Qwest Center

Chris and I enjoying our box seats. Thanks Indiana Swimming!

The whole fam damily

Connolly sibs + 1

~The Reason for the Party~
And last but not least: the beautiful Jenny that made it all possible.
She did great! She made it to the semi-finals and
finished 11th (they only take the top 2), which was so good.
She also gained really good experience which will help her a lot in 4 years.
Mark your calendars for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London!

Jenny preparing for the semi-final.

Jenny (lane 3--see the numbers on the block? That took me a while to figure out.) and Natalie Coughlin (lane 4). Coughlin is the gold-medalist from 2004 and actually broke a world record in this race, with Jenny in the next lane over!

~A Little Perspective~

While in Omaha, we had the opportunity to visit Winter Quarters. There is a visitors center, a pioneer cemetery, and the temple there. It was a great experience to be there and feel the spirit of the pioneers who lived and died there. We were headed home the next day, and this really made my 14-hour drive from Omaha to Provo in a 2007 Honda Accord seem like nothing! I'm so spoiled. The whole way across Nebraska on the way home I just kept thinking: "At least I'm not walking . . . or pulling a handcart . . . or giving birth in a wagon in the middle of nowhere".

Chris and I in front of the Winter Quarters Temple.

The famous monument of the pioneer husband and wife that stands in the pioneer cemetery.

Well thats our trip! Sad how fun things get over so quickly! But its always nice to get home and sleep in my own bed.