This last Saturday, Karen's Dad and I sat down for our first annual movie marathon day. I have always wanted to watch all 6 Star Wars movies in episodic order. It had been forever since I had seen the original ones so I was in for a treat. I figured if we started at about 8am we would be done around 11pm with a few breaks for exercise and food. We started Episode I at 7:45 am and then rolled right into Episode II. After that we needed a little break and went outside and finally took down the Christmas lights off of the house. It was really nice taking them off this year with out having snow on the ground or roof. The lights popped right off and we were back inside with lunch and starting Episode III before we knew it. Watching these movies I really enjoyed Episode I, II was ok and III is still a disappointment. But then we jumped back almost 22 years in technology and movie making to Episode IV "A New Hope" and was completely amazed at the difference. You don't realize how realistic newer movies are until you watch something that old. Episode IV is still very entertaining and a great movie, it just took me a little while to stop laughing at the "special effects." HA! We cruised right into Episode V "The Empire Strikes Back" and made it half way through until it was time for a pizza break! Heading upstairs I was blinded with light. Being in a very dark basement all day and then being exposed to all the lights on upstairs was quite surprising. We ate quick and picked up where we left off. Finishing Episode V, I felt like I was left hanging. Not the best movie by itself but it keeps the story going. We took another break to help the ladies with a few things and then we were back for Episode VI. By this time it was around 8:50. Remembering back to when I was a kid Episode VI was always my favorite with the Planet Hoth, Jabba's Palace, Planet Endor & the Ewoks! I was not disappointed, the special effects were MUCH better than the previous two movies and it was just more entertaining. We finished the marathon right at 11. Perfect timing! Looking back it is hard for me to decide my favorite movie of this series. So I will say I have two favorites, Episode I for pure excitement and graphics & Episode VI for all of the reasons I said above.
It was great to be able to take a day and be a bum. I am already looking forward to next year. Maybe we will watch Lord of the Rings, or Indiana Jones (but I just read that there is a 4th coming out May 2008 so maybe we will wait for that to come out), or Harry Potter, or Rocky, or The Godfather. What do you suggest?
On Wednesday night we got the call from our Dr. for us to head to the Hospital so Karen could be induced. Karen went into labor Thursday morning at 1am and we finally had Elijah at 8:12pm that night. What a day! Lots of work and emotion. We were lucky to have a great support system there for us in the room: Karen's Mom, My Mom, Lauren, Andrea, Jordan, Karen's Grandma and of course a whole handful of nurses. Also at the Hospital the whole day were Karen's Dad and Grandpa. It sure feels good to be a Dad! God is definitely AWESOME to have blessed us with such an amazing thing. Here are some pictures of us all.
