Remember these Guys?

Alright...for you "older" people out there, what I'm about to say will probably be funny...for you "younger" people out there, don't laugh, because soon you'll be saying the same thing.

It's official...I'm old. I recently found out that there is a movie coming out this December...Christmas time to be exact that features and unbelievable trio of boys that can sing like no-one you've ever heard.

Who is it? Take a look.



Yeah...I'm old. I remember watching these guys on t.v., I remember that it wasn't Christmas time until I heard those guys sing my favorite Christmas songs, I remember watching the animated movies.

Now...a live action movie is coming out featuring Jason Lee...(Earl, from "My name is Earl") as Dave Seville.

I caught the trailer and wanted to share.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER!

Ah...the 80's/early 90's...welcome back.

~jeremy

Evan Almighty Review

Alright...I know...I know...this is probably way later than it should be, however...time is very hard to come by, these days before the wedding.

I caught "Evan Almighty" in the theaters this week and I have to share my opinion, because it's a great movie and there have been many people out there that are skeptical, concerned, maybe even closed-minded about this movie. Their reasoning stems from many different views, ie. "God promised to never flood the earth again and this movie clearly goes against the Bible on this." or, "It has so-and-so in it and they were in some Non-Positive/Non-Christian movie and that's wrong!", or, as horrible as it sounds..."God isn't black/African-American."

(By the way...these are quotes from individuals that I have read first-hand and if anyone can tell me of a program on mainstream television that DOESN'T have someone who can be tied to a less than positive/Christian movie or television show, I'd like to know, as well as if whoever feels they know the color of God's skin...if He even has skin, would share with the rest of us, that'd be great too!)

Take or leave this review...but know that the opinions of this column are that of me...the individual...and do NOT reflect the views of anyone else. Also...I did used to work for a video store...for 5 years and watched lots of movies...took video production classes in college...therefore I feel I have a little bit of "street cred."

So...without further ado...here's my review on "Evan Almighty."This movie picks up "some time" after the 1st one..."Bruce Almighty." Evan who, in the first movie was successful in becoming a head anchor...now in the 2nd film successfully becomes a congressman.

He and his family pick up and move to a fancy house in a ritzy housing development. Although the fanciness of the house and the new lifestyle don't seem to be enough for the wife, Joan, and kids to forget what they left behind...friends, etc. Something that is reinforced throughout most of the movie.

The successful Congressman Evan Baxter quickly makes connections and is ask to co-sponsor a bill, thus creating lots of work, inevitably causing Evan to pick work over family.

One night after most of the family prays...it is clear the wife picks up on this and prays that the family will be able to grow closer. This along with Evan's positioning statement while running to be a congressmen, "Change the World" gives God His in, into the Baxter family.

Without giving away the what's and how's...let's just say that, much like the first movie, God...after much persuasion is able to get Evan's attention and even his service into building him an Ark.

At first Evan tries to build the Ark while still doing the congressman thing...but that eventually falls apart and he then decides to focus full-time on the Ark...which then sends the wife and kids headed to her mother's house.

As Evan continues the Ark with the aid of many...MANY animals. Evan's wife and kids are at lunch and Joan, without knowing who she's talking to, has a GREAT conversation with God. This to me is a very strong part of the movie and ultimately where the message of the movie lies.

After her conversation with God, Joan and the kids go back home to Evan and help in his efforts to finish the Ark before the deadline of the "flood."

Eventually the Ark is finished and it's the day that Evan was told the flood would come and there are news reporters, neighbors, and the like, surrounding the Ark, only to make fun and be skeptical. Not to mention that John Goodman's character shows up to destroy the Ark.

Now...I'm not going to share what happens next because you'll just have to have faith that this movie DOES uphold God's promise that he will NOT flood the earth again.

Throughout the movie there is another storyline tying in John Goodman's character and the bill which does get resolved in the end and everyone lives happily ever after.

Now that I've given you the basic storyline of the movie let me say that this movie has a GREAT message. It also had many...MANY opportunities to stray from the positive...but doesn't! This movie is...in my opinion acceptable for any age. The movie does an amazing job of walking the line between entertainment and Faith and is NOT blasphemous. Lastly...this movie is very funny!

The one thing I will reveal is something that I know most of us already know and believe that if it were to catch on...that the world would be a better place.

One of the many good morals of the story is that, God tells Evan that, "Changing the world starts with one Act of Random Kindness." Much like the theory of "Pay it Forward", "Evan Almighty" gets the message across that with one Act of Random Kindness you can change the world. Think about what the world would be like if every single person did one Act of Random Kindness...pretty awesome huh?

There you go...my review and thoughts. If you're one of those people who like the thumbs up/thumbs down, or star scale. I give "Evan Almighty" - Thumbs Up and 4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks!

An Educational Time Waster!

So as much as we would all probably NOT admit that we do it...we all waste time. At home...at work...wherever. Well...I've run across I time waster that is very educational! That way you don't have to feel so bad when you're wasting time!

It's called:

"Click on the above image to be taken to the game."

Yes..."StateTris". It is a combination of the United States and Tetris. Pretty simple concept. The pieces...or States...float down from the top of the screen and you put them where they need to go...thus building the U.S. from the bottom to the top.

There are difficulties...

Easy - State shapes have names attached to them and pieces DON'T need to be rotated.

Medium - State shapes have names attached to them and pieces DO need to be rotated.

Hard - State shapes have NO names attached to them and NEED to be rotated.

I issue you a challenge today...see what your fastest time can be on HARD. Mine is 2:55.2

Good luck...leave a comment with your score!

It's Coming...

So...yeah...

Sorry. That's really all I have to say at this point. It's been almost 3 weeks since my last post. I very much apologize and I hope...that you can forgive me.

However...in my defense...life has been CRAZY!

Crazy in a good way though. Which brings me to my next post.

Coming up on Wednesday, July 25th, not only are we 6 months from Christmas...yes I said Christmas, but I am 1 month from "W-day"...or Wedding Day!



It's no lie that it feels like time has flown by. It really seems like only a few months ago, Annie and I were even talking about getting married. Yet here we are...a month and 2 days away!

A month and 2 days away...
from the wedding.
from marrying my best friend.
from starting the next stage in life.
from starting a family.

All the months leading to our special day has been filled with excitement and lots and lots of advice from EVERYONE! Which is great...but...wow...everyone has different advice. One thing I do with advice is listen to it all then form my own way.

So...since our special day is nearing, I'd like to invite anyone who has advice to please, feel free to share it. Leave a comment and leave some words of wisdom.

Thanks!

~jeremy

Could You Be a Citizen?

Alright...so today is the 4th of July. A very special day for the U.S. It's even a special day for some "out-of-town" folk who have studied their hearts out and would like to become a citizen of the United States of America.

I was thinking...I'm a citizen...but only because I was born here. I wonder how many of the questions I could answer.

Well, I ran across some of the questions (with answers available)...and the results put me in the C/B+ range...so not bad.

Why don't you give it a shot and see if you can stay in the country. :)

Click here for 100 questions to prove your citizenship!

Back from Biloxi

Well...I'm back from Biloxi and boy am I tired. Seriously...

Anyway...time for some facial hair fun!

During the week I was down there leading the Youth in their Summer Mission Trip, I didn't shave...take a look at what 1 week did for me.



Some might say, "Teen Wolf"...others..."Abe Lincoln"...I say, "Wait until tomorrow!" That's right. I've been challenged to shave just enough to leave me with some large sideburns, you know...Wolverine style.

We'll have to see if I can leave the house like that or not.

Now that I'm back...I'll have more time to post, so check back!

~jeremy

Cicada Nastiness!!

Alright...so I'm not usually someone who needs to "see it, before I believe it". But in the case of the Cicadas, I needed to.

See...apparently ever 17 years, in certain areas where the climate is right and the trees are old, the Cicadas hatch. And boy do they!

My fiancee, Annie, told me that her mom lives in an area where they are really bad. And by really bad, she means quantity and annoyance. We here in Michigan have at least heard their annoying buzzing, but we have been fortunate to never experience what my future Mother-in-Law has experienced.

To give you a quick overview, during this month that they're out and about, the make tons of noise, due to the sheer number of them. The crawl all over everything. They're in the grass, in the trees, on your house, all over your sidewalk (leaving some people to shovel them, like on might shovel SNOW!) Above all...the worst sounding part is the fact that they...FLY! Umbrellas become a much needed asset during this event.

Now...since I've lived in the West Michigan area my whole entire life, I've never heard of (until a few weeks ago) or experienced this horrific event. So...this past weekend, Annie had to go home for a friends Baby shower and I sent her with my camera...take a look. Photos not recommended for the squeemish.

*(These pictures were taken the weekend of June 9 & 10, so these were NOT taken during the peak of their lovely appearance)*

(Click to enlarge - If you want to)

(Click to enlarge - If you want to)

(Click to enlarge - If you want to)

And finally one more. I really liked the composition of this one. My fiancee did a very nice job snapping pics for me! This next one, doesn't make them look as nasty as they are.

(Click to enlarge - If you want to)

There you have it! Have a good day...and Thank GOD if you don't live in an area that has this going on!

~jeremy

Talk about a "Free Ride"!

Alright...so amongst me trying to find some cool things to talk about this afternoon on the show, I found a story that's really...well...hard to believe. And by the way, for those of you who may be feel like God doesn't help us in times of need, read on. This situation had God all over it!

Here is the news article: (Continue down for pictures)

Man in wheelchair takes ride on semi's grill

PAW PAW -- The Michigan State Police Paw Paw Post and Van Buren County Central Dispatch began receiving strange reports of a man in a wheelchair being pushed by a semi truck on Wednesday afternoon.

As the truck was leaving a gas station, the 21-year-old man wheeled his chair in front the vehicle and the wheelchair became lodged by its handles in the front grill of the truck. The unwitting truck driver then proceeded to travel west on Red Arrow Highway at speeds of approximately 50 mph.

Police initially thought the report might have been a prank until they started receiving more reports of the situation.

The truck traveled for an estimated four miles unknowingly pushing the man in the wheelchair. The driver then pulled into the Ralph Moyle Trucking Company with wheelchair and occupant still attached. When troopers arrived, they discovered the man was unharmed and unfazed by the incident.

Police approached the driver and advised him of the man in the wheelchair. The driver did not believe them until he stepped out of the truck and saw the man still sitting in the chair.

The young man said it was quite a ride.

One trooper on the scene said it would be possible to work another 90 years in law enforcement and never see an incident such as this one.

Everybody said they are just glad no one was injured.

This is eye opening...

I don't eat fast food on a regular basis, and to be honest, I really only go "out" to eat once a week, maybe twice if the occasion arises. After what I'm about to share with you, you may be cutting that fast food intake back a little.

Imagine your sitting at home on your couch...catching the latest episode of your favorite television program when it's time for the commercials. You think about getting up to grab a snack and then you hear it...the ever popular McDonald's music, or the karaoke version of "Sweet Home Alabama" and realize a KFC advertisement is on. So...you watch.

You watch as the fast food scrolls across the screen tempting you with it's crispy glow and delicious allure. You cave. Eventually.

Later on you find yourself at Burger King, McDonald's, Arby's, Taco Bell, whatever you've been craving since the fast food graced your television screen. You receive your food, make sure it's all there, then being eating it as you drive away. Now, occasionally some of us tend to notice our food.

What do we notice? Well some of us notice that the order is wrong, but a select few actually notice that the once deliciously looking meal that was displayed on your television set, no longer looks delicious, in fact it looks like someone sat on it, or worse.

Don't believe this is true. Take a look. I ran across a website that shows a side-by-side comparison of food in ads to reality. Prepare to be frightened. Here's a sample just in case it'd be too much for you.



*(Disclaimer) Sorry if anything on this site offends you, it's intention is to entertain and make you aware of a scary situation. Without further ado...

CLICK HERE!!

Thanks for looking!

Jeremy

Sheldon!

Well my birthday isn't until early September, however my lovely fiancee decided she knew exactly what I would like...a turtle!

She grew up with box turtles and decided that she would like to get one for me. The only thing is they aren't available at the pet store until spring and early summer!

Well...over the weekend we headed out and got one. His name...(although I think he's actually a girl) is "Sheldon". It was the first name that came to me. Take a look what do you think?



I haven't had my own pet since I was in middle school. I hope I remember how to take care of him. :)

He's doing great so far and spends a lot of time with his head out of his shell which is nice. It means he doesn't spend all his time in his shell. He even lets me pet the top of his head!

Just thought I would share a picture of my exciting friend. Thanks for looking!

Jeremy