For Christmas, Isaac got a new toy. Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger.
You may have heard that Buzz and Woody didn't get along well at first...
What about Spiderman? Isaac's favorite toy?
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| I'm Spiderman. This is my home. I wear red and blue, Isaac's favorite colors. You are green and purple. Like Barney. I give you a big fat thumbs down. I can spin webs. At your face. What can you do? Are those wings? |
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| Let me see. What? these plastic things are so dumb. They must be so heavy you can't even jump, or swing, or... |
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| Listen here Spiderman! I would like to be your friend, but since you've chosen to insult my colors... WACK! |
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| I must now teach you a face planting lesson. I hope your mask had air bags. Now you listen up, you bug. |
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| I'm the official Ranger to these parts and you're just some creepy crawling vigilant who's just been replaced. Isaac's my boy now. |
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| Prepare to be lasered! No, please no Buzz Lightyear, I'm sorry about what I said, there's room for two of us here, there's.... ZZZZZAP!!!!!
Anyways. Christmas is over, Utah is over, and 2012 is over. It's the beginning of a new day.
2012 was great: Curtis got married, Christelle got married, Ada was born, Clarissa was born, I didn't fail out of school, and The Hobbit came out.
Let me talk about that last one.
In 2001 I watched The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring (LotR FotR). After watching this movie I set out to read all the Lord of the Ring books. Prior to this I had read mabye less than 5 novels of my own free will. The Lord of the Rings books were so impressive to me that I immediately became a big fan.
In 2002 I prepared to go to LotR TTT (The Two Towers) dressed as a Ring Wraith. When I pulled up to the movie, I found one of my friends didn't have a costume, and so I let them wear my Ring Wraith costume. Instead I put on my Boromir costume, I was prepared of course. This was my first midnight showing I'd ever seen and I loved it.
The next year I graduated from high school and signed up to serve a mission for the LDS church. I got my mission call in the mail and instead of waiting for my dad to come home, I called him on the phone and opened it with my mom sitting next to me. I opened the letter and began to read... I read, "You've been called to serve in the Tegucigalpa, Honduras mission. You will enter the MTC on December 17th the day that The Lord of the Rings comes out."
That's literally what I said out loud while reading my calling.
I couldn't believe it that my absolute favorite movie was coming out on the first day of my mission calling. I had prepared for years to dedicate myself to God and serve a mission.
I asked my church leaders if I could go to the midnight showing of the movie before I left for the mission. They told me that I would be "set apart" or officially pronounced as a full time missionary on the night before the 17th. I couldn't see my movie.
And so on the night before my all time favorite movie would come out, I went to the theaters. All my friends were there standing in line. I said my goodbyes. Headed home, got turned into a missionary and wend to Honduras.
And that's when I went mad.
Well not technically mad. I guess that's not possible. What I mean is that is when I first began the process of going mad.
In Honduras I dedicated myself 100% to the missionary work. For 2 years I worked and didn't let myself even think much about home let alone the Lord of the Rings. The months passed by and I finally fulfilled my time and came home.
Finally home I was free to watch my movie. It was on my list of things to do:
My list:
1. See mom
2. See dad
3. See siblings
4. See the Lord of the Rings part 3 The Return of the King
5. See my friends
I made sure that it was perfect. I set up a viewing at my friends house, because he owned a projector and I could get the most out of the experience.
In total I waited 2 years and 12 days to watch that movie. It was amazing and all my hopes and dreams and expectations were fulfilled.
My friends who gathered to see that movie absolutetly loved The Lord of the Rings just as much as me. But that was back then in 2003 when it first came out. Now in 2005 the movie was still awesome but kinda old news. And as the years passed I discovered something strange... The hype for The Lord of the Rings did not fade for me. By 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, till 2012 I haven't stopped reading the books over and over again. My excitement for Lord of the Rings conversation is as active as it was over ten years ago when it all started.
I even named both of my kids after important characters from the story.
I don't know if that's ever been done even among the craziest of fans.
And now as I think back on it all. Pizza makes sense to me.
In Honduras they eat beans, rice, eggs, and sometimes chicken. I ate that food for 10 weeks straight and then I was invited to leave my area and travel to the nation's capital to enjoy a pizza dinner with my mission president.
That pizza came from heaven.
Not because it was spectacular of itself, but because I had been denied it for so long.
The Lord of the Rings was practically on my plate before I was denied eating it. And so although it's only a movie, and a novel, it's more to me because of my torture.
Simply put, my mind has been tortured into loving The Lord of the Rings.
So I hope that explains why I spent many years developing my Gandalf costume for the Hobbit, and why Legolas and Elessar ate dinner with me tonight.
So let me tell you about my opinion of the Hobbit.
I watched it in 2D first. That was the perfect thing to do. That is how I fell in love with her and that's what she was like in my memories. The movie was heart warming, exciting, and everything I ever hoped for. Peter Jackson reflected the novel perfectly like I wanted him to.
A few weeks later I went again to watch the movie but this time in HFR 3D. This was spectacular! I love the new technology. IHowever I'm so glad I didn't watch it this way first because it was a little strange. I'm not used to middle earth like this, but it IS an improvement and it's going to take a little getting used to.
I wish I could go back in time and tell this to all my friends. Watch the movie first in 2D. Love it. Then watch it again in HFR 3D, and get yourself adapted.
I could talk all day about this as you can tell.
For those of you who have held out and are still reading, then you may be rewarded to know something. Amy and I have been trying to have a 3rd child for almost 1 year now with no luck. So that probably means we'll be a family of four forever. If we still don't have any kids by the time we move out of Texas then I'm going to sell ALL our baby stuff and that will be a pretty big garage sale I'm telling ya.
Some updates.
Luke can repeat everything and copy everything that Isaac does
Isaac is old enough to go to Primary at church on Sundays instead of Nursery. He'll have a teacher!
Amy gets to play with the two cutest boys in the world all day long while I'm at school.
Brad (me) has only 1 more semester of classes before leaving school on externships.
Other things to look forward to:
National Board Exam part 1 is in March, the same month as St. Patrick's day and the dedication of the Honduras Tegucigalpa Temple.
And in 241 days:
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