Lots to catch up on

It's been busy as usual, but I've been keeping notes to catch up my blog.

Okay, Thursday, more than a week (feels like a month ago)-Thanksgiving. Had Joel and Sonya, as well as Evan over. Good holiday, food and games, a good day.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday (last week): trip to Murfreesboro, TN to see grandma (soon to be great grandma) Chick. She was a little tired, I was a little sick, and Ellice was a little pregnant, so other than a foray out into town we stayed in and visited for most of the weekend. It was a nice time to relax. We watched a few movies, talked over a couple of breakfasts and she let me tape the UK football game against Tennessee. It was a lot of fun to watch it on her big TV-even though my kitty cats lost in, get this, 4 Overtimes. Ack!! We now have the dubious distinction of having the longest losing streak against an opponent who plays every year at 23 years. This happened because Navy beat somebody they never beat this year. By the way, we also have the honor of the second spot, our series against Florida who we also haven't beaten in forever. We also went to see Enchanted, but more on that below. Upon our return, we had to go grocery shopping for the week, and after the 4 hour drive, we were wiped. I stayed up and watched the UK basketball game that we had taped. UK won against Texas Southern in a lights out shooting exhibition.

Monday- Work, rest, Ellice was beginning to feel a little better, and so was I. We tried to go walking, but the track was being worked on, so no dice. We did pick up our "100-mile" shirts though.

Tuesday- We won our volleyball match in the first round of our tournament. It was close, as we lost one game. We just weren't making good plays, but we eked out a win. UK (Football is over except for the big bowl game, so any further reference is basketball) played an ugly game, barely winning against a week Stony Brook team. Freshman Patterson is our only bright spot this year.

Wednesday- As usual, Wednesdays are chock full. After work we went to Church for dinner, then Ellice went to her Women's study and I went to class.

Thursday- We are exhausted. I hung out with a friend while Ellice went to Bunco.

Friday- Payday. Budgeting day for the rest of the year was difficult. Our jobs aren't paying a whole lot, so we're tightening our belts quite a bit. We've made some hard decisions and there are more to come, but we do feel blessed with a baby on the way. We are trusting our finances to God, as he knows what we need and will provide.

Saturday- Probably the most trying day for me emotionally. After a tense Friday, I was looking forward to some gaming with friends. This didn't turn out so good. There was an incident that left tensions high and to calm things, we had to end early. Ellice has been great through it, but I haven't handled it all that well. While I am in the right in the situation, how to deal with it in the future remains to be seen. I've been praying about it, but I'm having difficulty letting go. Anyway, after that, I planned to watch the UK-North Carolina game. Unfortunately, the video went out while we taped it, and all we had was Dick Vitale talking on a black screen. Now, Dicky V talks about everything under the sun except what is happening on the court, so I had trouble keeping up. It was a rather disappointing day. Ellice tried her best to find an online version of the game, to no avail. She's a real trooper though, and I love her for trying. I did see about 5 minutes of the game, so my viewing streak should still be alive (besides, listening to Dick Vitale blather for an hour or two should count).

Sunday- Church, Ellice's mentee Andi came over to learn to cook--apparently we aren't the only ones who are exhausted. She fell asleep on our couch. I find it a compliment that she could relax enough to actually take a nap in our apartment. So they had some mentor-mentee bonding and I got to play a few video games. The games helped restore me. I guess everyone is different in what rejuvenates them. Ellice later decorated the apartment (she's great at that) I did some homework, laundry, dishes, watched Amazing Race and Stargate Atlantis (from Friday). After this blog, I plan on reading, writing, preparing for work tomorrow, doing some more housework, more homework and collapsing in an exhausted heap.

Enchanted
Liked it a lot. Disney scores on this one. Predictable, but in a good way. The music is staying with me a week later, and that's a sign of an enduring film. Good family fun. (Still, it's no Aladdin). **1/2

White Christmas
I saw this for the first time and it was cool. I'm a big Danny Kaye fan and had never actually watched Bing Crosby. He's not on screen for being photogenic--its obviously for his voice. This isn't the laugh riot I would expect from Kaye, but there's a lot of singing. The moral of the story is typically sweet and while the acting is typically "stagey" for the period, what stands out the most is the spectacular writing. The dialogue is crisp and engaging, as well as cleverly humorous. **1/2

Last Holiday (DVD)
I missed this one when it came out and didn't rush to rent it. The Mrs. told me it was good, but I had no idea how good it was. While the moral is predictable, the delivery is exceptional. I am officially a Latifah fan--even in a comedy such as this, she brings an old school glamour to the screen. This film's theme struck a chord with me, and I'll not soon forget it. A very high recommend. ***