Bella, a movie review

Last night at 10:05 p.m. Rebecca and I were at the movie theater. Out way poast our normal bedtimes and without little ones in tow, I felt like I was in college again.

We saw Bella, and IT IS A GREAT MOVIE! The movie, as promised, is blatantly pro-life. Despite having this inherently Christian element, it is (surprisingly) not cheesy or poorly made. (Another reason, in itself, to see the film - supporting Christians doing quality art.)

This movie is playing only at select theaters, so visit www.bellathemovie.com to find a location near you. It is playing at the Green Hills theater for those living in Nashville.

I so highly recommend this movie that I will squeeze free babysitting into this weeks schedule for the first Nashville couple to contact me.

It's Here!

My new computer, that is! I keep telling Eric "Thank you for my new computer!" with a little too much enthusiasm. How did people survive before the internet?

Since I know that everyone really just likes to see pictures of the Tooskie, I will try to install the camera software and get some pictures posted here soon.

Tomorrow I hope to go see Bella. It is opening in select cities around the country, one of them being Nashville. It is a movie with a blatantly anti-abortion message, or so various reviews have said. If my dear husband and I work out a way for one or both of us to see it, I'll post my own little review here.

Happy weekend!

West Virginia

West Virginia was the only state to gain its title by presidential proclamation. Abraham Lincoln granted a few of Virginia's counties statehood when those counties sided with the Union forces. The rest of Virginia went Confederate, thus losing Lincoln's favor. Interestingly, Stonewall Jackson was born in what is now West Virginia. (So, would he claim Virginia or West Virginia as his home state?) Thus ends todays bit of trivia.

We are here in beautiful, mountainous West Virginia! I am currently looking at yellow, orange, red, maroon, and green leaves - all in various shades - on just the other side of our huge windows. This smallish town is a refreshing change from Nashville. We are in the mountains and only 7 minutes from the capitol! We are staying in Residence Inn which I would highly recommend for, among other things, its spacious floorplan (especially important for those travelling with a pack 'n play).

Yesterday we worshipped with the congregation of Randolph Street Baptist Church. It was an excellent, God-honoring service and the members were all so friendly. One lady showed me the nursery and then took us to Sunday School. Walking in she whispered, "Do you want to sit together?" in an excited voice. It was really cute. We got to meet lots of people there. My favorite was an old man wearing a plaid sportscoat and multi-toned suede shoes with tassles. He bought his sportscoat because it reminded him of his sharp-dressing friend Larry who had recently passed away. (Larry went to church there too, and also owned the BP catty-corner from the church.) It is always encouraging to visit other churches. It reminds me that God is active in all parts of the world, and it makes me thankful for the different works He performs in others. Plus, I got to sing!

Eric and Elijah are taking a nap together right now. Elijah is sorely lacking on naps as I keep taking him on hikes. Today we walked through a few trails in Coonskin Park. The leaves were falling so quickly that it sounded like rain. Elijah just stared at all the falling colors. It was much better than a cribside mobile or Baby Einstein video.

Yesterday we explored the state capitol. My use of "explored" there is well chosen because we wandered all over that beautiful, marble-walled building. There were no security checks when you entered. There were no people around at all, in fact, save one man in a suit. We saw one of the electrical shafts and the huge bricks comprising a portion of the dome. We were even able to get on the roof and see far down the Kanawha River. It was like being on a treasure hunt.

Eric's continuing education class is also going well~:-)

Of Dell

The lack of posts over the last few weeks is due to major malfunctions of my four-year-old laptop. Actually, it is not four years old. Four years ago, my father generously bought me a laptop to aid in my studies at grad school. This laptop has been replaced by Dell three or four times over the years. I have spent countless hours on the phone with non-American, non-English-speaking men who are able to read an algorithm (althoug in broken, impossible-to-understand English only), but may not be able to think for themselves attempting to get various laptops in working condition. Usually, after enduring a period of trials and tribulations, the computer has been fixed. Not this time.

The Dell laptop is now very much dead. It takes over an hour to turn on, and then flashes warnings like, "File ://!XYZ has been erased. This may indicate a problem with your hard drive." before showing me a beautiful blue screen which reads, "Dumping physical memory." In my very limited experience, when your computer suggests that hard drive problems may exist, it is usually correct.

Now that I am married, my husband has generously bought me a new laptop. (Because that is what good husbands do for their internet-dependent wives.) Eric may have just been sick of getting phone calls like, "Ok, look this up for me. How many cups of dry long-grain brown rice do I need to get three cups of cooked rice?..........I mean, are you busy there at work?"

My new computer is on the way. I sincerely hope it is more reliable than my Dell has been.

Don't you love calling customer service when you have a computer problem? The customer service reps must have a very tainted perspective on humankind, for who ever calls them without being frantic and angry? (Perhaps Eric, actually....)