A Journal of Sorts

I’ve never been able to keep much of a journal. Once I had a good stretch going for about 6-7 months. I have realized lately that I’ve had this blog for about 17 months. This is quite an accomplishment for me. At first it was just going to be a wedding blog, but now it is much more. I have been thinking lately that I need to inquire of some of my techie relatives (read: Uncle Lance) how I can go about backing up the blog every so often onto a disk or hard drive to provide a digital journal of sorts. I figure this might be as good as it gets. Plus, I’m sure one day our kids will enjoy reading some of the posts and mocking us for things we did, said, or how we looked.

Having said all of that, some posts going forward might be a little nostalgic. I need to start writing down some of the more memorable moments of my life. My friend Elise and her recent post got me thinking about some great vacations I’ve been so fortunate to take. Here are just a few in no particular order.

Lindsay, Kristen and me in Mazatlan—December 2004. I will never forget parasailing and the “Mexican Delight” showing Kristen his tan lines. Plus there was a very memorable meal of lobster and shrimp wrapped with bacon that I can still almost taste not to mention the deliciousness of Mexican Coca-Cola.

Christmas in Florence—December 2001. My Dad was nice enough to let me plan this trip. Highlights include consuming mass quantities of gelato and all the tourists ignoring the lady shouting over the speaker to please not take pictures of Michelangelo’s “David”. Although, to be fair, Cameron managed to get a few pictures off as well although he did not use the flash like everyone else was doing. Another highlight was ordering what we thought would be a pepperoni pizza in a little restaurant in Pisa. However, pepperoni in Italian means peppers. We were very disappointed.

Lindsay and me on our Mexican Riviera cruise. November 2005. What I loved about this cruise is that it was the ultimate relaxation. We barely stayed up past 10 the entire cruise which enabled us to take full advantage of the ports like Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo. Oh, and the fact that I think I only spent maybe $100 for the entire experience.

All of the Mortensen family vacations. Yellowstone and the petrified tree. Brian Head. Cruise to Catalina & Mexico. Alaskan cruise with the helicopter ride to the glacier. Caribbean cruise with stops in Roatan, Hondurus, Cozumel, Mexico, Belize and Grand Cayman. One particular memory that comes to mind was the chocolate buffet on the Alaskan cruise. I laughed to myself when I got down to the line and almost the entire Mortensen clan was first in line. Classic. Unfortunately, with Quinn in school we are missing out on this year’s cruise to Hawaii, but I’m sure they will all have as much fun as ever.

Our family trip to Nauvoo and other church sites. Summer ’93 (I think, could be wrong on the year). I loved Far West, Missouri. There was such a sweet spirit there. Another highlight was Independence and the crazy RLDS temple. Who doesn’t love a building shaped like a snail?

Family trip to Vernal. Summer ’97. Highlights include eating at the “Cracked Pot” and use of the phrase “Maybe the dingo ate your baby.” Oh, and the window in the van getting shattered while driving when a car came flying past us and kicked up a rock that hit the driver side window.

There have been so many more. Just writing all of this down has made me realized how fortunate I’ve been to be able to travel to some great places and share some amazing experiences with family and friends.

A Potter Post

This article is a must read for any Harry Potter fan.

However, a little warning is in order. The article is Keith Olberman's prediction for how the book will end. And, I have to say, it is a little bit of genius and I'm now mad at myself for not figuring it out in the first place.

Let's discuss in the comments section.

Age of Love

Last night Quinn sat on the couch last night and marveled at how odd it felt to be home in the evening and how strange it felt to be able to watch TV. He asked me if there was anything good to watch on Monday's. I told him that I haven't really found anything that amazing to watch this summer. So we did a little channel surfing and ended up on Age of Love hosted by Kelly Ripa's husband Mark Consuelos.

For those of you who haven't heard of this show (I suspect most of you) let me set up the premise. Mark Philippoussis (an Australian tennis player) is searching for love. Apparently, he has forsaken his international playboy ways and is ready to settle down. Unbeknownst to him, they have lined up 7 40+ year olds for him to date. Let's just say the look on his face as one by one the women reveal their ages to him is priceless. One whole episode was dedicated to him spending time with the ladies and getting over the shock of dating an older woman. Just when he is getting comfortable they dump the twist on him.

The show then introduce 6 20 somethings into the mix. But the 40's (as they are referred to) are at first unaware that they are competing against the 20's. This is going to get good. The kittens vs. the cougars.

But I will say this. There is only one 20 that has any real beauty. The rest are very fake looking and surprisingly not all that beautiful. However, there were several beautiful 40's. I know I would be happy to look half as good as they did at their age right now let alone when I'm in my 40's. In my expert reality dating show analysis this show comes down to three people: Adelaide (25), Jenn (48) and Jayanna (40).

After watching all two hours of Age of Love the one definitive conclusion that Quinn and I came to is that Mark Consuelos is ridiculously good looking.

Change

I hate change. But yet, I am a cash person. Quinn and I even once got into an argument because as we were walking through the mall one afternoon I threw away a dime that I had because I didn't want to carry it around any more.

This morning Quinn needed some quarters. So I told him I thought I had some in my purse. The next thing I know, I can hear him from the next room going crazy over how much change I had in my purse. Obviously he had to take it all out and count it.

So here are the results:

$21.95 and 41 pesos

Needless to say, my purse is MUCH lighter now.

What Do These Two Things Have in Common?

Symphony and Video Games?

Some might think they are an unlikely pair, but last night they were brought together by the touring Video Games Live. This, first of its kind tour, pairs some of the best and most memorable game music with top orchestras and choirs. It is all synchronized with lighting and video montages.

Luckily, Quinn was able to score discount tickets through the school, so last night we went to our first symphony together.

The music was truly fantastic. Really it was. Some of the games I had never heard of, but their musical scores alone made me want to go out and buy them.

The highlight of the evening for me was the piece featuring the music from the world of Super Mario. Who knew that little tune could sound so great? All it needed was the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Choir to make it a true masterpiece.

Another highlight was the featured performer Martin Leung, otherwise known as the "Video Game Pianist." He played a medley featuring the music of Final Fantasy and then a few other pieces from Super Mario. The furor and speed with which his hands moved up and down the piano was astonishing. Check it out here for yourself.

Clay Nation

This story is for all you Clay-mates out there. You know who you are. Trip to NYC anyone?

In other Clay Aiken news, he will be headlining the Frisco Freedom Fest (think Stadium of Fire) this July 4th. I know I, for one, am excited. Now I just have to convince my darling husband to go with me. To his credit, when I mentioned it in passing a week or so ago he didn't seem appalled at the thought of attending.

Bathroom Break

After lunch today, I took a trip to the bathroom. One of the stalls doors was closed with a sign taped to it.

The sign read:

Bathroom needs cleaning. Someone is acting like a man!

I had to chuckle to myself.

My First Movie Review

Quinn and some of his fellow students decided they needed a break from their grueling work load. So they took some time out of their busy studying schedules and we headed off to see Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. I know I should leave movie reviewing to the pro, Justin, but I thought I would take a stab at it today.

So, here is my review of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer:

This movie is not good.

Click on the pic to see the detail

Click to enlarge and see the detail

Re-do--Trying to make it so you can click on the pic and make it bigger

Fruits of Labor

I thought I would post some pics of all the stuff Quinn has been working on lately. This first picture is of the level he designed with a Star Trek theme. He spent a lot of time on this as he modeled the ship and space dock himself in 3DS Max. It looks fantastic.

These next two pics are from a team project. They had to create a Mummy Freeze-Tag game. Quinn's level of a Palace Courtyard and a Secret Garden received high praise from his professor.

Also, this last week they had to make a game pitch to the team to decide on the game that they will work on all next term. Of course the pitch that Quinn and his friend Chetan did was the pitch that won. It's going to be very exciting seeing that game come to life.

A Follow Up

Um, hello? He is amazing. I wish America Got Talent was as good as this, then I might actually watch. But seriously, I would buy this guys CD.

Check This Out

My FIL sent this video to me yesterday. It is fantastic. I thought I would share it with all the non-DelHoyo's out there. Enjoy.

My Mom

Happy Birthday to my dearest Mama! I just wish I was there to celebrate it with you. I hope you have a great day.

Out With the Old, In With the New

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are out. Say goodbye to:

The Pyramids of Giza
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Mausoleum at Halicarnassuss
Colossus of Rhodes
Lighthouse at Alexandria.

There is a worldwide vote going on now for the new Seven Wonders of the World. Perhaps, this is just in time since only one of the original 7 wonders is still in existence. And on that note, the Pyramids of Giza have an automatic bid for the new Seven Wonders. Apparently, the Egyptians were slight insulted that they would be put up for a vote. I have to say, I see their point. Take a minute and check out the contenders and vote.

I voted for the following and most of them were for purely selfish reasons:

• Angkor at Cambodia--someday I plan on seeing this for myself. If it is the last thing I do before I die I will get to Southeast Asia and tour Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
• The Colosseum at Rome--again, another place I must go before I die.
• The Great Wall--come on, you can see this from space, it was a no brainer for me.
• St. Basil/Kremlin--purely selfish, I've already been there done that so if it makes it I'll be able to say I've seen one of the 7 wonders.
• Petra at Jordan--always loved this from the Indiana Jones movie.
• Taj Mahal--not sure why, it just looks cool.
• Statue of Liberty--I have to admit this was again the been there done that in me coming out, also a bit of American pride I suppose, but I realize it has probably zero chance and deservedly so. It's not quite on par with the rest.

Addicted

I think I am officially and ESPN Radio junkie.

The seed was planted a little over a year ago with a power struggle between Quinn and me for early morning TV viewing. Ever since high school, I have always woken up to the Today show. I love me some Matt Lauer, what can I say? I remember being severely depressed when he got married many years ago. Him and Conan O’Brien. But that is another blog in itself.

The point is, soon after we were married I figured out that Quinn prefers Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN2 as his choice for early morning TV viewing. At first we compromised. We would flip back and forth during commercials and so on and so forth. But soon, I found myself not wanting to flip back to Today and even turning it directly to Mike and Mike myself. I became a fan. And it hasn’t stopped there. Not only is it on the TV in the mornings while I get ready for work, I can continue to bask in Mike and Mike on my ridiculously long commute downtown. And to top it all off, I now pretty much listen to ESPN radio all day long. Mike and Mike on the drive in, The Dan Patrick show if I happen to be in my car at lunch and the local boys Galloway and Company top off the evening commute home.

Anyway, the point is: I’m now a dedicated sports talk radio listener.

Sick

About 3 days ago Quinn got sick with a cold. He had been working very hard and pretty much getting no sleep at all, so I knew it was only a matter of time before he got sick. I tried my hardest to steer clear of him whilst ill, but alas it didn't work. Last night, I started to get sick. And of course, as luck would have it, I'm sicker than Quinn is. I'm running a lovely little fever and haven't been able to breathe out of my nose in 24 hours. Quinn has been great. I asked him to go ask the pharmacist what he recommends for severe congestion because Advil Cold and Sinus was doing nothing for me. Quinn came home with some Sudafed and I'm hoping this will help. He also just went out to go get some sorbet for me to help my throat. Isn't he the best? I just hope I took care of him as well as he is taking care of me.