Summer Stories {Part 2}

One of the highlights of my summer has been the constant stream of Outlander news, in anticipation of the new book release as well as the TV series on Starz! In June, a friend and I drove to Philly for the Diana Gabaldon book signing. Next up on our tour de force was the premier of Outlander, since going to any big premier showing was simply out of the question, we did our own.

My friend Jill invited everyone to her house for a premier party…complete with Outlander book displays!

We all piled into the living room to take our pictures and get ready for the showing {l to r: my sister, my mom, Jill, and our friends Beth and Rachel}.

Then it started! Complete with FanGirling…

It was awesome! The show was pretty good too…now a bunch of us descend on Jill’s house every Saturday to chill out and watch the latest episode together.

I even was so over the top as to make bridie pies and shortbread. A bridie pie is a delicious meat pie…the recipe for which I will share this fall, after I’ve worked out a few kinks.

What have been some of the fun things you’ve done this summer?

8 Great Sport Movies for Dad: Just in time for Father’s Day!

I love sports…playing them that is. I really can’t handle sitting watching a game of some sort, especially if it’s on TV. Thankfully Matt is not a big time watcher of sports, but he does like the occasional sport-themed movie; there are definitely some that are more to my liking than others. With Father’s Day right around the corner, I figured I’d share some of our favorites.

Baseball

I’ve tried to watch baseball, have even been to a semi-pro game, but after the first 30 minutes I’m just bored. Maybe if it was my kids playing it would be different, I don’t know. I do know that I absolutely LOVE playing baseball, but that’s about where my adoration ends. Being that I don’t care for watching Baseball, a movie has to be really intriguing for me to watch it; there needs to be more than just a game in a movie. All of these movies fulfill the requirements for a baseball movie that both me and my husband like.

42—The movie about Jackie Robinson's beginnings in Baseball. Great movie! A bit intense for younger kids, as it does deal quite a bit with the racism that he dealt with. But, all around an incredible movie with a great story!

League of their Own— Yes, I’m aware that this is more of a chick-flick than one for the guys, but is one of my favorite movies. So little is ever discussed about the women’s baseball league in America, and it was a truly incredible time for women. I think this movie does a great job of  showing the highs and lows of that time.

The Babe—Obviously Babe Ruth. I haven’t watched this movie in probably 20 years, but I always remember how much I loved it. I don’t know if it’s just that John Goodman reminds me of my dad {just full of laughter and love} or what, but I so enjoy almost every film I see him in. That and there are so many little details in the movie that I still distinctly remember….extra stripes on his uniform so he looked slimmer.

Football

We grew up in a football town…no doubt about it. While I did go to the occasional football games in high school, it was more because of whomever I was crushing on than because I loved watching the game. I do have to admit, I enjoy watching football slightly more than I do baseball. I can actually watch a game, in person, particularly if I know someone playing {I’d much rather watch a high school game than a professional one}. Now playing football…I love playing football, and yes, I was one of the rougher tacklers {I grew up with boys…sorry}.

Remember the Titans—One of my favorite things from this movie is the music. I absolutely love the old 50s music! Again it is a movie that strongly deals with racism, but it’s such a great story. It is another movie that is a bit too intense for younger kids. I might, might let an 8-10 year old watch it.

We are Marshall—Another good one. The story of a college pulling together after 37 of their team members died in a plane crash, and how the remaining members and the new coach pulled together to save the football program.

The Replacements—This is definitely one for the adults, but it’s really fun. There’s depth to the story, while also providing a hefty dose of humor.

Golf

I’ve been wanting to learn golf since high school; the thing is I love taking crazy shots. I’d probably get thrown off any courses that I tried to play. Matt and I keep saying that we’re going to have my father in law take us, but it hasn’t happened yet. The thing about golf movies is that very often, they’re very stuffy, unless it’s Happy Gilmore…which is just plain ridiculousness.

The Greatest Game Ever Played—Hands down one of my most favorite movies! First off I love period movies, the costumes are awesome in this movie, but more incredible is the story of Francis Ouimet. The golf is high tension and you can’t help but love the characters, especially his caddy, Eddie Lowery {who so reminds me of Henry}.

The Legend of Bagger Vance—One of my favorite Will Smith movies, without a doubt. I’ve long liked Will Smith and Matt Damon, but they’re both awesome in this movie, and I love the sub-story line of a little boy and his dad. Again, it’s another period film and another winner in our house!

And for a few bonuses:

Glory Road is a great basketball movie {my family is a basketball family…my brother was, and still is, a fantastic player}. If you’re more into hockey, then check out Mystery, Alaska or Miracle, my personal favorite is The Mighty Ducks.

Of course there are others, but these are some of my husband’s favorites, that I also happen to love. The best thing about almost all of these movies is that you can pick them up for $10 or less on Amazon.com, so they make a great Father’s Day Gift.

Linking up with RealLifeatHome.com and WeirdUnsocializedHomeschoolers.com for List It Tuesday

Train Wreck?

(spoiler) Does anyone here watch TrueBlood? It's based on the Sookie Stackhouse series of books by Charlaine Harris. The books were good...not good in the way the classics are or Outlander is, but a decent, mindless read.

I can't make up my mind about the TV show though. We've been watching the episodes on Netflix (don't have cable/satellite) since last fall. The first few episodes of season 1 were pretty close to the book, but then BAM! the show is now NOTHING like the books.

Now Matt and I sit here with our mouths open for the majority of each episode: I'm in complete shock. Between the gore, s.ex, and the complete deviation from the books I'm not sure why we still watch it. The only reason I can think of is the Train Wreck factor. Just to be shocked by what is going to happen next.

Does anyone else feel this way about it?