Movie Review: Hulk

What can I say... it was INCREDIBLE!!!


I loved every minute of it! I was on the edge of my seat most of the movie. Parents be warned, it is a little violent, even brutal, in a couple scenes... I don't think I'll be letting my girls watch it for a while.

I've always liked Liv Tyler for some reason. She was great in this movie. The plot was SO much better than the last remake of Hulk a few years back. It was left wide open for a sequel or two.

Some fantastic cameos... of course Stan Lee makes his traditional appearance and it was funny how he fit in... and the original Hulk series actor had an appearance (I was so little then, but I remembered!)... and then the best cameo at the end was... (caution: SPOILER ALERT) ...Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.)!!! Oh, I would just love to see Iron Man & Hulk team up in the next flick!!


Oh, and one last thought... here's an image of the 2003 remake of Hulk vs. this year's remake... it is remarkable how far CGI (computer generated image) technology has come!

I'm a loser!

That's right, I'm a loser and proud of it! I had my follow-up appointment with my dietician today and I've lost 13 pounds after only 5 1/2 weeks of this new lifestyle of crappy low-carb eating. Yes, it's been a very difficult 5.5 weeks, but I can see that it is worth it and I'm getting results.

I'll admit that I had hoped the weight would come off faster... I guess I thought I was taking some magic drugs or something... but the nurse assured me that I am right on target, that I've in fact lost a little more than expected. So, I'm very pleased. She looked through my food journals and told me I've done very well. It felt very good to get a "pat on the back" after so much hard work. Now I just have to keep it up.

It's too early to post a before and after photo, but maybe in a few months...

My new food friends

I know readers will think this is weird or nerdy or whatever... but finding foods that work with my restrictions has been a total depressing pain in the rear.

So, when I found a snack and a yummy cereal that were loaded with protein without being loaded in carbs and they're YUMMY, it is a bit of a personal victory.

My new friend in cereal is Kashi "go lean crunch". It has a whopping 8 grams of protein in the cereal alone, so add 4 oz of milk, and I've met my required 10 grams in one bowl! You just don't understand what a triumph that is unless you're living this. AND, not only does it taste good, but the serving size is a whole cup as opposed to the 3/4 cup of Cinnamon Life I'd been eating for breakfast so often. I know, big deal, a whole cup of cereal and 1/2 cup of milk--but it IS a big deal to me when I have to measure out everything and most of the time portion sizes are so tiny.

Let me introduce you to my cereal friend:

Honey Almond Flax
Kashi® GOLEAN Crunch!™ Honey Almond Flax cereal is a delicious combination of crunchy honey-sweetened 7-grain clusters, sliced almonds, and whole flax seeds.
500mg Omega-3
9g protein
8g fiber
15g of whole grains

And then there's the snack trial... I have to get 10 grams of protein without going over 15 grams of carbs. I challenge any of you who take this lightly to give it a shot. Then try repeating it twice a day, every day. This diet is not for sissies!

It's been a huge trial and error. I'd heard almonds were loaded with protein and curb appetite. So, I bought a bag of whole almonds from the bakery isle. Don't do that. YUCK! I wanted to gag!

So, then I found this line of nut products called "True North". It's a division of Frito-Lay. The Almond Clusters are delicious and they're packed with 5 grahams of protein and only 10 grams of carbs. So, couple that with a stick of string cheese, and I've managed to get more than my required protein without going over 10 carbs!

Here's my friend "True North" Almond Clusters:

TrueNorth™ is a contemporary new brand of 100% natural, great tasting nut snacks. TrueNorth™ snacks are available today in three distinctly different snacking varieties–nut clusters, nut crunches and whole nuts.

So, there you have it, my little victories in taste and protein vs. carbs!

Brian Regan on foods and labels

This is hilarious!
It totally displays how I have felt as I've spent the last 4 weeks reading food labels for my lovely new diet... ahem, I mean lifestyle...
(parents, be aware he does say "hell" a couple times--cover sensitive ears before playing)

Flash Flooding

All I knew was that I was tired because the non-stop pounding rain and thunderstorm kept us awake from about 4 am through the late morning on Saturday. I just wanted to get some sleep, but the phone kept ringing... why wouldn't the answering machine pick up? One of the many phone calls was some friends who live across Southport Road from us--they were out of town, but had heard on the news that people in Indianapolis were having to travel by boat. What?? I looked out the window and told him the news was wrong. Our house is fine. Sure, some puddles were collecting, but the streets are still drivable and our house is not under water. That's crazy!

But, I soon found out that just a few miles away from us, people were having to leave their homes because the water was creeping in. Dan & Tricia were among them--no water actually got into their house, but their entire yard was flooded and the water was only a few feet from their house. They came and stayed with us until late in the evening when it finally appeared there would not be another storm as earlier predicted. Our church building was temporarily used as a Red Cross station to help those who had to leave their homes. Aaron left with food to help at the church. My poor mom was trying to get home from work (she lives in Bargersville) and so many streets were closed, it took her a couple hours to get home. She was getting scared--she was lost, hungry and running out of gas. My grandpa came out with his GPS and helped her get home.
Absolutely amazing what water can do.

Later I found out that areas outside of Indianapolis had been hit extremely hard. I'll post two photos below of US 31 in the Edinburg area.

The answering machine and our microwave just needed to be reset. But, the kids' computer got fried with one of the lightening strikes. Aaron was able to set up another computer for them from spare parts, but he has it running on Linux, so none of their games will work on it. But, at least they can play their online games. What spoiled kids we have. They take after their dad when it comes to computers. =)

The forecast is predicting more rain today and tomorrow...

Sherrie, Megan & Jannah

I love my girls... my young women I serve in church.

Last week we had our quarterly recognition night and three of the young women were recognized for earning their Young Womanhood Recognition award, which is often said to be the female equivalent to an Eagle Scout award (they are very different kinds of awards, but the status and work load are comparable).

Although I've only been their YW president for about half a year, and I wasn't really involved in helping them earn their recognition, my heart was filled with pride as I watched them give their talks and looked at their amazing collections of accomplishments. I just love these girls! Tribute was briefly paid to their three previous YW presidents: Chelsea, Mary and Emily. These young women are just amazing and I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to work with them.

Here is the short talk I gave at the beginning of the program:

Young Womanhood Recognition, May 27th, 2008

In the fall Conference of 1986, President Ezra Taft Benson said the following: "Yes, give me a young woman who loves home and family, who reads and ponders the scriptures daily, 
who has a burning testimony of the Book of Mormon. Give me a young woman who faithfully attends her church meetings, who is a seminary graduate, who has earned her Young Womanhood Recognition Award 
and wears it with pride! Give me a young woman who is virtuous and who has maintained her personal 
purity, who will not settle for less than a temple marriage, and I will give you a young woman who will 
perform miracles for the Lord now and throughout eternity."

I’d like to quote page 63 of the Personal Progress book:
As a recipient of the [Young Womanhood Recognition award], you show that you have established a pattern of progress in your life. You are prepared to make and keep sacred temple covenants. You are committed to keeping the commandments, serving others, and developing and sharing your gifts and talents. You will strive to strengthen the home and family.

This is a noble honor, a very worthy endeavor. I am so proud of these girls… they have done a minimum of 42 value experiences (many of which involve two-three weeks of study and personal reflection) and completed a minimum of 70 hours of value projects. These young women are our future and they make that future look promising. They have developed leadership skills. They have become teachers. They hold things of sacred nature in high regard. They know who they are, where they came from and where they are going. I know their Father in Heaven is so proud of them.

To you girls… this is just the beginning, really. You have established a pattern of personal progression. Don’t let it end with this medallion. Continue setting goals to strengthen your spiritual muscles and stretch yourselves and discover even more talents that remain hidden at this time, talents that will reveal themselves through your service and striving for excellence. Continue living the standards you’ve been taught… because now more than ever, you have a responsibility to be an example to everyone around you. It is an honor and a privilege to wear this medallion—it is indicative of your testimony that you are a daughter of God and you are a representative for our Savior Jesus Christ. I have complete confidence in each of you. I’m grateful to know you and I see great things coming from your lives—just like President Benson said; you young women “will perform miracles for the Lord now and throughout eternity”.