Rachel and Craig

My youngest sister, Rachel came to visit me over Memorial Day weekend. She brought with her a handsome young man she has been dating since the middle of January. I was very happy to finally meet Craig and get to know him better. Their relationship has been growing serious as the months have flown by, and I know they are considering matrimony in the near future. I enjoyed having them here and spending time with them.

I loved seeing Rachel again. I’ve missed her tremendously since I moved here to Utah, and it was great listening to her never-ending conversations and being surrounded by her good humor and laughter in my home. Rachel has an extremely extroverted personality, which balances my introvert traits very nicely. She’s a sanguine at heart, and thrives on constant attention, which I have always been willing to give. Craig is perfect for her in the sense that he’s like me personality-wise: an easy-going phlegmatic, always willing to let Rachel have the spotlight. I liked watching him interact with her and always making her feel wanted and appreciated. That’s exactly what Rachel needs.

Craig comes from a fairly large family-- the youngest of six siblings. Craig is very active and loves playing and watching sports, especially soccer. He also likes snowboarding and going on cruises with his family. Rachel loves playing soccer with him every Wednesday night, and even has battle wounds to prove it. I look forward to watching them play soccer together when I go visit them in July, but I definitely won’t be joining in the game. I am not much of a sports girl. Psychologically speaking, I am convinced that balls of all shapes and sizes have agreed not to get along with me. They are my sworn enemies. I try to avoid contact with them as much as possible.

Well, perhaps I'm being a little over-dramatic. I can’t say I don’t get along with all balls, because I do play croquet fairly well, and I like ping pong, pool, miniature golf, and tennis. I enjoyed playing croquet with Rachel and Craig when they came to visit. Craig by far was the best croquet player out of me, Rachel, Brad, Scott, and Emma, but I somehow managed to pull through when Brad “poisoned” Craig’s ball. I think Craig could have killed me earlier, but he did not. So I won my second game of croquet, poisoning Rachel’s ball at the very end.

We also played Jarts (which are large lawn darts) and Apples to Apples while Rachel and Craig visited. We had a battle of the sexes with the Jarts, but the boys clobbered Rachel and me by a huge margin, so we let them win the game. I won Apples to Apples.

Scott and Emma enjoyed meeting Craig and spending time with their Aunt Rachel. I am glad they were able to have some quality time with them even if it was only for a short time. Emma, in particular, has a great admiration toward my sisters, Rachel and Susie. I want Emma to have good role models in her life, and my two sisters are great women to look up to. I’m pleased Emma likes them so much.

I’m excited for Craig and Rachel. I think they make a good couple and balance each other out very well. It will be neat watching their relationship grow over time and see what their futures hold for them.

Summer Movies 2008

It's that time of year again! Brad and I are excited about new movies coming out this summer and we're making plans to see many of them in the theater. Here's a list of all the movies we DEFINITELY plan on seeing in the theaters:

IRON MAN
Release Date: May 2, 2008
Rated: PG-13

Technically we've already seen this movie, but I thought we'd add it to the list anyway. Brad enjoyed it more than I did, but overall I give it 3.5 stars out of 5. I felt it was too much of a "boy's" movie, and it was a little too violent for me at times. I did enjoy it, though. It had a decent plot and storyline, and they did an excellent job developing the characters.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN

Release Date: May 16, 2008

Rated: PG

Brad and I watched this movie on May 17th. I personally enjoyed it very much and give it 4 stars out of 5. The story was well done, but I felt it lacked the character development and "magic" the first movie had. It was not as good as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (which I give a full 5 stars), but it was nevertheless enjoyable and uplifting. I recommend watching it in the movie theaters.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
Release Date: May 22nd
Rated: PG-13

Scott has been looking forward to this movie more than anyone else in our family. Right now he's a really big Indiana Jones fan. He has been collecting Lego Indiana Jones toys, as well as watching all three movies plus the special features. Brad and I plan on taking him during Memorial Day weekend.

WALL-E

Release Date: June 27th

Rated: G

It's this summer's Pixar movie! Our family is a huge Pixar fan, and we've been waiting to see Wall-e since June of last year. This is a DEFINITE family outing movie, and we'll be seeing it on June 29th.

THE DARK KNIGHT
Release Date: July 18th
Rated: PG-13

This is the movie Brad has been waiting for! The new Batman movie has been on Brad's mind every since he heard about it being filmed. He loved the first movie, Batman Begins (which I give 3.75 out of 5 stars). Brad has a high respect for the director of the film, Christopher Nolan. I'm looking forward to seeing Heath Ledger playing The Joker.

Lessons of Motherhood

Since the time I was a small child I had always wanted to be a mother. Being a mother meant unconditional, nurturing love, and those were virtues I longed to have. My own mother was a fine example of what I thought motherhood should be like. She was a hard worker, unselfish, and always loveable and nurturing to me and my sisters. I remember her taking time out of her busy life to spend time with me and to help me feel loved and appreciated. Her teachings had a powerful impact on my life. I’m grateful for the lessons she taught me.

Now that I’m a stepmother, I find myself mimicking my mother in so many ways. Some things are completely by accident and make me smile whenever I think about them. Other things make me cringe a little and I have to stop myself and say, “Slow down. I don’t want to be my mother in every way.” But overall, I think I’ve passed on to my stepchildren the same love and security my mother passed down to me, and for that I am grateful for.

It has almost been two years since I became Scott and Emma’s stepmother. In that time frame, my love for these children have grown and developed into something far more powerful and lasting than I could have ever imagined. These children have become a major focus in my life, and even though I have yet to experience the joys of childbirth, I feel bonded to Scott and Emma as if they were my own. I value my relationship with them the same way my mother valued mine. I hope to share the same lessons with them as well.

A poem Scott wrote for me:

You help me in my life
I wish I had a wife
Like you
And a friend like Daddy, too.
I love you Daddy and Becky.
You are my family.