I Blame John Hughes!

Kristen's post got me thinking about things I've learned from movies. I partially blame the moviemaker, John Hughes, for the reason why I am still single. He created such 80's classics as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club and of course . . . Sixteen Candles. I LOVED Jake in that movie. I'm still waiting for that dreamy guy in the red sports car to just be waiting for me - to whisk me away. Needless to say . . . it hasn't happened yet . . . but I keep waiting.
Other things I've learned . . . that nobody can put baby in a corner (Dirty Dancing), that toe picks are important (Cutting Edge), that there is a time to dance! (Footloose), that fast cars can corner like they are on rails (Pretty Woman) and that holding a boom box over your head will definitely get my attention (Say Anything). Also, when we were planning a family cruise a year or so ago to Mexico - we decided to extend our stay another day so that we could add Zihuatanejo (had to look that one up!) to our itinerary. Love the Shawshank Redemption and if that was a place that inspired a man to get out of prison . . . then I definitely wanted to visit there. We love and learn from great movies!! --Julie

Everything I Need to Know in Life I Learned from the Movies

On the way back from St. George, we passed all the burned trees from the Cedar Fort fire last year, which (of course) made me think about “A Walk in the Clouds.” Had the fire reached the inside, or were they still salvageable? That sparked my curiosity. What other invaluable knowledge do I owe to the movies??

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The meaning of the word penitent. Remember that part where Indy repeats “Only the penitent man will pass...” then rolls out of danger? Now whenever I see that word in the scriptures, I think of Harrison Ford. In fact, this little clip was even shown in a Sunday School lesson I was in during college (this was in the same ward where one of the speakers in Sacrament meeting quoted Tupac Shakur and Michael Jordan in his talk).

Serendipity
Thanks to this movie we visited the real Serendipity and had a lovely ice cream concoction – after waiting a ghastly amount of time in line, of course. I think if you're John Cusack you get to move ahead of the line.

To Catch a Thief
How to make a man like Cary Grant fall in love with you (make him a picnic lunch and whisk him away in your car to a scenic overlook. Ask him if he wants a leg or a breast - of chicken. Oh, and look like Grace Kelly).

While You Were Sleeping/Sliding Doors
Not-so-attractive men suddenly become irresistible with a cute personality

Oceans 11/The Italian Job/The Mask
Attractive men who steal for a living are the good guys. Unattractive men who rob banks are felons and will also probably try to kill people along the way.

A Walk to Remember
How to be in two places at once


What's Up, Doc?
The meaning of propriety

Hitch/Can't Buy Me Love/13 Going on 30/Napoleon Dynamite
Just put your heart on the floor and dance, man. SOMEONE will find it endearing.


Notting Hill/Girls Just Want to Have Fun/Crocodile Dundee
When you're in a hurry, there will always be a traffic jam. It is always faster to get out and run. Preferably, actually climb over people to do it. If you do this you'll make it just in time.

Grease
How to put out a cigarette

Crocodile Dundee
What a knife is


Grease/Princess Diaries
If you've got a great personality, just get a sassy makeover and your dream guy will finally notice you!

School of Rock
Give everyone a job to do so they feel important. Also how to raise the goblet of rock.

Movies starring Nicolas Cage and Bruce Willis
Bald? No worries – just hide it with an “natural” looking hairpiece.

13 Going on 30
When no one's dancing, go into the middle of the floor and start a well-known dance number by yourself. It may require persistence and gumption, but stick with it. Eventually the whole room will be doing the dance. Incidentally, I had a friend who had this actually happen in a dance she was at. That's the dream!!!


Bourne Identity/Alias (not a movie but we're counting it)/James Bond movies
If you are a spy you will be able to speak all languages fluently without a trace of an accent.

A Walk in the Clouds
When harvesting grapes and there's a frost, put on butterfly wings to bring the heat back down on the grapes. This will save them. It will also make you irresistible to the man who's pretending to be your husband, Keanu Reeves.

Stayin' Alive
Sometimes all you want to do is strut.

Women Say the Darndest Things

I was talking to a friend at work yesterday that I hadn't seen in a while. He got married a few months ago - he and his wife for the second time each - and I was asking how married life was going. He and his new wife are having a great time, but he was perplexed by a few things. They had just gotten back from a long trip and he was explaining her packing techniques that boggled him. Before they came home, she wanted to re-pack everything. There were bags to sort the clothes by color for easy washing when they returned home, bags for shoes, make-up, etc. He didn't understand why it couldn't all be stuffed in the bags and dealt with when you came home. I completely identified with his wife, I like to make things as easy as possible so when I come home I know what goes straight to the laundry room and what gets put away immediately, etc. He said that his wife didn't want him to help her do this because she had a system - but he also couldn't sit and watch TV while she did the re-packing because then he was lazy and wasn't helping her. He said that it was an odd position to be in - to just stand by in case she needed help, which she didn't, but he just had to be quiet and be available to take the bags when they were ready. Seems reasonable to me. :) Along those lines, here is a fun e-mail that I got which should help explain things to the guys.

9 WORDS WOMEN USE

1. Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
2. Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
3. Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
4. Go ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!
5. Loud sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)
6. That's Okay. This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
7. Thanks. A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true unless she says, "Thanks a lot". That is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say, "you're welcome" . . . that will bring on a "whatever").
8. Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying, "Kiss my butt"!
9. Don't worry about it, I got it. Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing herself. This will later result in a man asking, "What's wrong?" For the woman's response refer to #3. - Julie

Tag Team Back Again...

Sheesh you ladies are quick to post! I am still recovering from sitting in the Charger for 4.5 hours. So it looks like it's my turn to respond to the aforementioned "tags," so here goes:

1. BEST MEAL: I hate to sound like a broken record, but that crab at the Eureka Casino AND hotel, was really fantastic. What was not fantastic you ask? Waiting in a 10 minute line with all of the blue hairs to get it!

2. 2ND BEST MEAL : Good food at the Cheesecake Factory is implied, so I'm going to go with my pizza from the Pizza Factory. In the words of Julie, the crusts were so doughy, and they have the crushed ice, which I love.

3. FAVORITE ACTIVITY: So many to pick from...I loved being in the sunshine after 6 months of winter. I love the "over 21" pool at the condo--it's not a bikini top optional pool or anything; but we were the only ones there, and it was lovely. But my favorite activity of the entire time was the salsa lesson from Julie. She is really quite good, so ask her for a demo sometime. Would you like to know my least favorite activity? That would be driving in the car for hours on end! Granted, I would likely be sitting at work for the same period of time had I not been in the car, but I don't like it. Kristen and Julie had a nice time though, as evidenced by these pictures:

However, Kristen was not this perky the entire time on the road. Since I was driving and was not able to snap a picture of her snoozing, here is my interpretation of it:

4. BEST QUOTE From Julie: I have to preface this by stating that Julie was sort of giddy this trip, and so everything she said was funny. It's not going to sound funny to anyone else, but it made me giggle. So Kristen does not like cinnamon, and inadvertently got a spice cake for dessert at the buffet. Upon finding this out, Julie asked, "Is that a spicy cake? Like a spicy meatball?"

5. FAVORITE ROAD TRIP MUSIC JAM: I'm sorry, but nothing beats Tenderoni by Bobby Brown. I don 't even know what a Tenderoni is, but I imagine it being a cross between Rice-A-Roni and a pork tenderloin.

6. FAVORITE CITY OR ROAD SIGN WE DROVE BY: My motto: Dangerous Curves Ahead!!

50 States Game

So Julie started playing the license plate game on the way to Vegas and over the course of the next day and a half identified license plates from 30 states (and almost all the Canadian provinces, we think). However, it took all four of us a long time to come up with all 50 states.
It reminded me of a Friends episode long ago where Ross can't name all 50 states after making fun of the game.
Try it! I bet there's some you leave out (darn you, New Jersey and Arkansas!).

Kristen's St. George Report

Mounds of crab at the Eureka Casino in Mesquite.

1. BEST MEAL: Mine was the Sante Fe Salad I got at the Cheesecake Factory. It had a zingy thai-ish dressing that was unexpected...but welcome :)

2. 2ND BEST MEAL The buffet at the Eureka was good - even though I don't love crab. We had to arrive early (3:45 pm) and wait in line with all the senior citizens for the buffet to open at four. Seriously, I think we were the only ones in line who weren't 80! They all had their cards from all the local casinos on their belts for easier access to the slots. It's quite the scene.

3. FAVORITE ACTIVITY This time, it was laying out by the pool - mostly because it's been a hard winter and this is the first time I've truly been able to soak up some warm sunshine in months! I soaked up a little too much by obtaining the season's first sunburn.

4. BEST QUOTE From Julie: "Why would you want to be one of those body builders? You have to do those weird poses and wear those skimpy trunks!" Runner-up: her running dialogue on the cows on the side of the road the entire way back. She wanted to know why they were so spread out, who owned them, who corralled them, why one cow was standing off to himself, what it would be like to be a cow, and much more.

5. FAVORITE ROAD TRIP MUSIC JAM: Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" is ALWAYS enough to put me in a good mood.

6. FAVORITE CITY OR ROAD SIGN WE DROVE BY: I always like passing the town of Mona because it makes me think of Katherine Helmond on "Who's the Boss" - aka the only person I know named Mona.

Melinda, Kristen and Dad by our sweet Dodge Charger.

Viva Las Vegas (and St. George too)

We just got back from a fun little jaunt in Southern Utah for some much needed sun and fun. Kristen and Melinda are going to post some fun pictures from each day. We are tagging each other to see what was each other's favorite part of the trip . . . below are mine. - Julie . . . tag you're it Melinda and Kristen . . .

1. BEST MEAL:
Mound of crab at the Eureka Hotel and Casino . . . a little gem in the desert that we discovered the last time we stayed in Mesquite. It's only on Friday night and we came prepared this time with our own crab crackers so we could literally rip right through the yummy snowcrab!

2. 2ND BEST MEAL (Because we love to eat on trips!)
Cheesecake Factory in Henderson . . . we haven't had to wait in a line yet! My all-time favorite meal there is Miso Salmon and I change out the rice for the yummy mashed potatoes and the snow peas for the asparagus . . . yum! Our waiter, Marty, also recommended some new desserts for us to try - not even a cheesecake - but the Lemoncello Cake was fabulous!

3. FAVORITE ACTIVITY
Of course, mine is always shopping in Las Vegas. Even if it is stressful trying to find all of the locations from the minimal directions we prepared ahead of time.

4. BEST QUOTE
Melinda says the best quotes came from me . . . although I don't quite believe that. I'll have to come back to this one.

5. FAVORITE ROAD TRIP MUSIC JAM:
The theme song from Xanada and Samantha Mumba . . . Kristen had some classics for the drive. And I especially liked the mash up songs as well. I've got to figure out how to do that.

6. FAVORITE CITY OR ROAD SIGN WE DROVE BY:
"Drowsy Drivers Exit Here" on a fluorescent sign. If the drivers are drowsy, how are they going to know to exit?