Date Nights - October

It's finally baby month!! We managed to squeeze in two final date nights before our daughter arrived on October 17. Neither quite lived up to what we imagined them to be in our mind, but it was fun to spend a little more time together as a twosome before becoming a family of three!

I suggested we check out a book sale at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. We found a couple books that we took home, but overall there weren't too many great options for us. We were happy to support the library though.

Chris planned one final trip to the movies - we saw Monsters & Men. It starred my old NFL Europa pal, John David Washington. The premise was interesting, but we both agreed that it kind of played out in a weird manner. I won't say too much more in case you check it out.

What is your favorite movie genre?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - September

With September being the final month before the birth of our baby, I was feeling quite large. I still wanted to take part in all the fall fun so I planned an apple picking trip. Chris preferred to enjoy a quiet game night at home before the chaos of having a newborn became a reality.

This year, we decided to try Lynd Fruit Farm for apple picking. They also have pumpkin patches and a large country store there. We didn't spend a lot of time picking apples because we only wanted to get what we knew we'd be able to use in the next couple of weeks. We gave the pumpkin patch a shot, but it had already been really picked over so we decided to just find some pumpkins at the store. We enjoyed some hot cider and cider donuts while we looked around the store. We discovered the deliciousness of pumpkin bars as we looked around for tasty treats to take home with us. We brought back one big pumpkin for our front porch and two little ones that I planned to paint and use as a way to reveal the gender of our baby at the hospital. I was persistent that we try the corn maze before we left. Oh, boy! It was quite an adventure in there. I am surprised I didn't give birth halfway through it. Definitely not the smartest choice to do ALL that walking, but I refused to give up before we completed it. Chris had no option - he was forced to go along with his stubborn pregnant wife on this one! We had a lot of fun. I can't wait to take our little one next year!

Game night proved to be a huge hit! We had a blast. I literally peed my pants laughing so hard at one point. Not a super difficult feat for a nearly nine month pregnant lady, but playing the Ellen DeGeneres Heads Up game was THE best decision of the night. We had SO much fun...and it didn't cost a penny! Don't you just love nights like that?

What is your favorite date night in activity?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - August

In August, we did a good deal of traveling as we spent time in both Kentucky and New York for baby showers. When we weren't traveling, we were attempting to organize baby gifts and set up the nursery for our little one. We still found time for a couple of fun date nights though.

While we were in New York, we managed to catch my former improv teachers in a show. We also made time for a true NYC dinner - chicken and rice from the Halal Guys. I used to live just a couple blocks away from their midtown Manhattan carts so it was a super tasty inexpensive dinner that we enjoyed regularly. It was a lot of fun to enjoy a couple of our favorite things about the city while we were visiting!

For my date night, I suggested COSI After Dark. COSI is a science and industry museum that has fun things for both children and adults. On these COSI After Dark evenings, no children are allowed. There is often a theme and it is a really neat way to spend the evening. We hadn't ever been free for one until now. We had a blast running around and playing at all the stations. Definitely recommend taking part in one of these in you live in the Columbus area. It is an entirely different experience when there aren't hundreds of kids running around in there!

What types of museums do you enjoy visiting?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - July

July is easily the best month of the year. It's possible that I would think that even if it didn't play host to my birthday. Haha! Whether you love it or not, we sure did make the most of it this year.

Chris loves music - especially those old school smooth grooves! When he saw that the Commodores were coming to the Ohio State Fair, it was a no brainer that we'd go. We had great seats so close to the stage I could see the sweat pouring off their faces. From Easy to Brick House, it was a night full of fun and laughter. They definitely still have it going on after all these years. I was surprised how much I got into it! Chris also indulged me in trekking over to the infamous butter sculpture. It featured scenes from A Christmas Story this year. It was incredible - over 2,000 pounds of butter was used to make the creation. It was certainly a night to remember!

For my date night, we headed to a night of improv and trivia at the Nest before enjoying the Red, White, and Boom fireworks show from their patio area. It was a fun night all around! The view was perfect from their patio, and I'm so glad we had a chance to see the big firework display without having to deal with the annoying crowds.

What are your favorite summer date nights?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - June

It's hard to believe that we've been in Columbus for nearly a year now. We really started focusing on making it our new city about this time last year. It has been fun finding new places to explore. Chris selected a movie while I found a strawberry festival for us to enjoy.

It was the 25th anniversary of the movie Scarface this year. I'd never seen the classic film so we made our way to Marcus Crosswoods Theater for the event. We were excited to see it together. There was also supposed to be a recorded Q&A with various cast members played after the show, but for some reason that never happened. It was fun to watch it together despite a milk dud pulling out a crown on one of my molars during the previews. Fortunately (or maybe rather unfortunately), it isn't the first time this has happened so I took it in stride...at least until the movie ended!

To be honest, the strawberry festival was a last minute find via facebook. It was a fairly small festival, but packed a big punch with its desserts. They were so tasty that's really all it took to call the day a win. Sometimes the most fun things are the spontaneous ones!

Do you enjoy the traditional dinner and a movie date night? Why or why not?

Andrea :)

2017-2018 Broadway in Columbus - Part 2

If you missed part 1, check it out here.

After we got settled into the new year, we had our next show on the docket - Chicago. Ironically, Chicago was one of the first Broadway shows I saw after moving to NYC. On Broadway, I didn't like the way it was set, but the music never disappoints. The same applied to the Columbus performance. In fact, this particular performance was extra special because Ohio State's own Eddie George played Mr. Razzle Dazzle himself. The crowd was really loving that!

An American in Paris was next for us. I went into this one with no expectations at all because I'd never seen it. I didn't know too much about the story either. We really liked this show. The story was a bit predictable, but I loved how ballet was incorporated throughout. It was truly beautiful to watch. I enjoyed the bits of comedic relief throughout as well. Definitely an enjoyable show!

Our last show for the season was The King & I. We really enjoyed it. The bits of humor in a mostly serious performance were golden. I loved the performance of Uncle Thomas' Cabin in the second act. The cast was quite talented and the story was fantastic. A love story, but also a story of strength and oppression. A hopeful story about overcoming odds and being brave with overtones of sexism and domination that create a perfect dichotomy.

Have you seen any of these Broadway shows?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - May

We only managed to stay local for one of our date nights this month, but part of the reason is that we spent a good chuck of the month out of town. Chris found a documentary festival at Gateway, a local independent theater. I had my eye on the RACE exhibit at the Chicago History Museum.

We watched two very different, but equally interesting documentaries at the Gateway festival. Our first was Big Sonia. Wow! What a lady...and what a story! She is a Holocaust survivor that owned a shop in what had over time become a dilapidated mall complex. Due to the building being destroyed, she was forced to relocate her business. All the while, she tells her story sharing with local students and national media sources alike. The second documentary was in regard to standardized testing and its essentially purposeless existence. It was interesting, but didn't quite ever come to a conclusion or final outcome. The information provided was valuable to know, but it didn't really seem to matter or make a difference. Both were interesting topics, but Big Sonia was by far most compelling.

The main purpose of our little Chicago road trip was to visit our friends, Tarra and Evan. It is always great to spend some time with them! Our secondary goal was to catch the RACE exhibit while it was still at the Chicago History Museum. The exhibit was extremely thorough and covered so many different aspects of race. It was particularly interesting because it offered a number of interactive elements throughout the space. There was a plethora of information - we spent several hours combing through each room. The exhibit was well done - and the rest of the museum was pretty neat, too. Lots of Chicago history to be seen!

Do you enjoy checking out museum exhibits or watching documentaries?

Andrea :)

Book Reviews: Read the Rainbow (Blue)

This year, I decided to link up with Mia to Read the Rainbow. I only managed to read one blue cover this month despite by best intentions to get through a second one.

I really enjoyed Hillary's book, What Happened. It covered what happened that led to the bizarre outcome of our most recent election, but also went further than that to discuss some of Hillary's policies and ideas. It was really neat to listen to her read the book, too. Audiobooks read by their authors are my favorite these days. If you have interest in the media's role in our political process and how a campaign works from beginning to end, I highly suggesting checking out this book.

Andrea :)

Date Nights - April

We continued to find fun events in the Columbus area this month for date night. I spotted a sign advertising a Professional Bull Riding event at the Schottenstein Center. Chris found an event at the Newark OSU campus featuring Tim Wise, one of our favorite podcasters.

The PBR event was exactly like we expected yet also nothing at all like we expected. It was a really fun afternoon of watching the riders and listening to the head rodeo clown say one crazy thing after another. Riders each attempted to ride bulls before having a playoff of sorts to determine a winner for the event. We never were too clear on exactly how the scoring worked at the event nor overall, but that didn't make it any less exciting to watch. We were both surprised by how much we enjoyed the experience. Definitely recommend it if you ever have a chance to catch the PBR tour.

We had been listening to Tim Wise for a few months when Chris discovered he was going to be the keynote speaker at a conference in the greater Columbus area. We initially thought we missed our chance as registration was closed, but I reached out to the director and we were able to get in at the last minute. It was a really neat conference altogether and listening to Tim speak in person was as powerful as we imagined. If you haven't heard of Tim Wise, I'd highly recommend checking him out here. He always has insightful podcasts with a wide range of guests.

Have you ever seen professional bull riding?

What types of conferences interest you?

Andrea :)

Book Reviews: Read the Rainbow (Green)

This year, I decided to link up with Mia to Read the Rainbow. I only managed to get through one green book this month, but I did start a second one that I hope to finish soon.

I was intrigued by the previews for this movie when it was released a few years ago, but never got around to checking it out. I honestly can't decide if I'm more interested or less interested in the movie after reading the book. The story is fairly predictable (and somewhat unbelievable), but it was a quick read and kept my interest as there was significant build out of the characters. The book was just ok, but the story itself is interesting from a psychological perspective. Now I just need to figure out if I want to make time for the movie version of the tale.

Did you read anything interesting this month?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - March

We've been enjoying exploring our new city through our monthly date nights so far this year. This month was no different. I found a massive bookstore in German Village that was quite impressive. Chris got us tickets to see Ohio's own Gary Owen at the Funny Bone.

The Book Loft in German Village is a book lover's dream! There are SO many rooms. It is a really neat place that has a mix of old and new books to buy. We spent a couple hours there, but you could spend all day browsing around. We hope to go back and spend more time exploring in the future. Definitely a great local place to get a gift!

Chris has been a fan of Gary Owen for quite a few years. We watched his reality type TV show together a couple years ago. The man is just plain funny. We had a fun time at the show. The best part about the Funny Bone is there isn't a two drink minimum for the comedy shows. We ended up eating dinner at the show, but it was refreshing to know that we didn't have to meet a minimum amount. I hate when comedy shows have that requirement. Gary Owen is worth the price of admission if you ever have the chance to check him out. We had a fun night!

Have you ever seen any great comedians?

Andrea :)

Book Reviews: Read the Rainbow (Yellow)

This year, I decided to link up with Mia to Read the Rainbow. I managed to fit in a couple of yellow books this month. I am working to finish up another reading challenge as well and that took up a bit of my time this month.

I really enjoyed reading these stories. Many of them highlight a feeling that I can't really imagine. It was great to read the perspective of the various individuals that contributed. From an Indian girl experiencing puppy love before her parents arrange a marriage for her to the opposite of your stereotypical Asian boy pretending to be all the stereotypes to garner favor with the white kids at his school, I found each story to be insightful. These are the types of stories I wish more people would read so that we could begin to fix so much of the racist behavior that occurs in our schools and communities daily. I truly believe that exposure to those that aren't in our own race group is one of the keys to real change. I would definitely recommend this quick read to everyone.

This book has been on my to-read list for quite some time. I am glad that I finally had a chance to start it. The story follows the family line of two sisters that haven't ever met. They live completely different lives as they were born in completely different circumstances. The family lines are quite interesting to follow (even if it was a little tricky to get all the names sorted out at the beginning). I thought it was interesting to learn how each generation impacted the next. Definitely an intriguing story.

Have you read any good books this month?

Andrea :)

My 2018 Oscar Predictions

It's finally Oscar Night!! I always love tuning in to see the show and hear the speeches. Below, I indicated my choice for winner in italics for each of the categories where I saw all of the nominees. You can see my reviews here, here, and here. I'm expecting it to be a fun night of celebration for these fantastic actors and actresses. Enjoy!

Best Picture

Call Me by Your Name

Darkest Hour

Dunkirk

Get Out

Lady Bird

Phantom Thread

The Post

The Shape of Water

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Lead Actor

Timothee Chalamet in Call Me by Your Name

Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread

Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out

Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour

Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Lead Actress

Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water

Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Margot Robbie in I, Tonya

Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird

Meryl Streep in The Post

Supporting Actor

Willem Dafoe in The Florida Project

Woody Harrelson in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Richard Jenkins in The Shape of Water

Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World

Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Supporting Actress

Mary J. Blige in Mudbound

Allison Janney in I, Tonya

Lesley Manville in Phantom Thread

Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird

Octavia Spencer in The Shape of Water

Director

Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk

Jordan Peele for Get Out

Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird

Paul Thomas Anderson for Phantom Thread

Guillermo del Toro for The Shape of Water

Original Screenplay

The Big Sick

Get Out

Lady Bird

The Shape of Water

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Animated Short

Dear Basketball

Garden Party

Lou

Negative Space

Revolting Rhymes



Live Action Short

DeKalb Elementary

The Eleven O'clock

My Nephew Emmett

The Silent Child

Watu Wote/All of Us

Documentary Short

Edith+Eddie

Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405

Heroin(e)

Knife Skills

Traffic Stop

Have you seen any of the nominated films?

Which are your favorites?

Andrea :)

Other Oscar Nominated Movie Reviews...

I was able to see a number of movies nominated in other categories this year. Some of them I liked quite a bit more than a handful of the Best Picture nominations (Part 1 and Part 2). I'll share a quick review of each I saw in case you are looking for a good recommendation.

Lead and/or Supporting Actor and/or Actress Categories

 

I, Tonya - If you remember living through the whole Harding/Kerrigan Olympics ordeal, watch this one. It was a really interesting look at Harding's life in a faux documentary style. If Janning doesn't win the Oscar for supporting actress, it will be a crying shame. She was fantastic!

The Florida Project - I had high hopes for this one, but it didn't quite live up to them. It was an interesting exposition on child welfare in extremely low-income single-parent families that permanently reside in barely livable motels in Florida. If you have an interest in taking a closer look at our broken child welfare system then I highly recommend watching this insightful movie. It is also filmed in a bit of a documentary style.

Mudbound - This one started a little slow, but then really picked up in the last half. In the end, I really enjoyed it. It takes place in the time frame around World War II following both a black and white family in rural Mississippi farming country. The story takes some twists and turns with the two families continually intertwining. This one is available on Netflix and worth checking out.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. - As a true Denzel fan, I saw this one in theaters. I was surprised by how much I liked it overall. Colin Ferrell was great in it. Colin's performance ranked right up there with Denzel's in this film. The movie is a bit slow to get started, but worth a watch if you like Denzel.

All the Money in the World - I didn't have much interest in this one until I heard some rumblings about it being pretty good. It certainly didn't disappoint. I was engaged the entire movie and really found the premise fascinating. I can't even fathom being a little bit rich so to have unlimited resources (and not be willing to use them to save your grandson!!) was really beyond the realm of my brain to comprehend. As I've mentioned in the past, based on a true story movies are my cup of tea. They always speak to me and this one was no different.

Screenplay

 

Molly's Game - I loved this movie from beginning to end. It was uniquely told and exciting to watch. I am really disappointed it didn't get some recognition for Best Picture. I would definitely put it ahead of at least four (maybe five) of the films nominated in that category. I thought Jessica Chastain was phenomenal. And Idris Elba was awesome, too. If you don't watch any others I mention, watch this one. You won't be disappointed.

The Big Sick - We saw this one in the theater this past summer. I remember being pleasantly surprised by how well it integrated comedy into a generally sad story. Ray Romano played a fantastic character in this movie. His role was perfect and much needed. This one is worth watching even if it isn't quite your typical romantic comedy.

Animated

 

Boss Baby - I laughed out loud at the previews every single time I saw them for this movie. Unfortunately, most of the best moments were in those previews. It is a really cute movie, but not my favorite of the season.

Coco - Since my high school Spanish class, I've been intrigued by the idea of the Dia de la Muerta (Day of the Dead) tradition. Coco fully explores that tradition in a unique story. I'm not certain it would be my first choice for children (particularly those unfamiliar with the tradition or really even the idea of death), but as an adult I enjoyed it. The vibrant colors and lovely music really give the movie an edge.

Ferdinand - I watched this one with my parents and niece and nephew over Christmas. I really liked some of the characters, but the story wasn't anything that completely blew me away. Seemed to be your pretty standard animated flick. It's worth noting that my 4 1/2 year old nephew commented that it was a little long at the conclusion. My 5 1/2 year old niece requested a potty break midway through so I don't think it was entirely holding her full attention either.

Oscar Shorts: Animated, Live Action, Documentary

All of the animated films were good. Each was unique and entertaining in its own way. If you like animation, I would definitely see this set. Lou was my favorite, but it was tough to decide.

I really enjoyed all of the live action shorts. I would highly recommend checking them out if they are showing anywhere near you. My top three were The Silent Child, My nephew, Emmitt, and The Eleven O'Clock. All were really good though.

Chris and I went to see the documentaries together. They were all interesting, but I liked Knife Skills, Edith+Eddie, and Herion(e) the most. All were worth watching and touched on very relevant topics.

Have you seen any great movies in the past year?

What is your favorite genre to watch?

Andrea :)

Best Picture Nominees - Part 2

If you missed Part 1 of my Best Picture nominees post yesterday, click here. Otherwise, please proceed...

#6 - Lady Bird

I had really high hopes for this one, but I was let down. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf are both fantastic actresses. They both did a wonderful job in this film (particularly Metcalf), but the story simply wasn't anything new or really all that strong. It was a simple coming of age story. Ronan's character does all the typical things - fights with mom, ditched best friend for cooler crowd, finds a popular boyfriend by acting out. It's all been done before. I was bored by the story even though I enjoyed the performances from the actresses.

#7 - Phantom Thread

Phantom Thread surprised me in a good way with its storyline, but it took FAR too long to get there. I had a hard time finding common ground with any of the characters. Everyone seemed annoying in their own way. I was bored for the first half of the movie before any substantial action really occurred. There were some twists and turns in the second half that had me intrigued, just don't expect much action until about midway through.

#8 - Darkest Hour

Gary Oldman plays a great Churchill, but this movie completely bored me. I couldn't understand parts of the dialogue and the most entertaining part was when Churchill ventured out via public transportation. Darkest Hour had a stellar character, but it just need a little more umph. It was easily the least interesting to watch for me.

#9 - Call Me By Your Name

From the previews, I could tell this movie was going to bother me. It was billed as a romance movie, but that romance takes place between a teenager and an adult. I really can't get behind that idea. I was really bothered by the fact that the movie never really addresses the age factor head on. It does take place in Italy so perhaps there are some cultural norms that I am unaware of that would permit this type of relationship. However, the adult is an American. I just didn't feel comfortable about the idea of a child being romantically involved with an adult (even if it did take a bit of time for him to "give in"). It really rubbed me the wrong way. Outside of that fact, similar to Lady Bird, this one was a coming of age story. It really wasn't anything spectacular. Just a story of the teen falling in love with this visiting scholar. I mean, I've been there. I get it. There is something attractive about that substitute teacher type, but as a teenager you have to realize it ends at fantasy.

Have you seen any of the Best Picture nominees this year?

Andrea :)

Best Picture Nominees - Part 1

For the past few years, I have made it a point to watch all the Best Picture nominees. The past couple years, I have really enjoyed most of them. This year, I wasn't a big fan of about half the selections. Not that the movies themselves were bad necessarily. I just didn't think ALL nine movies were unique or different in a way that set them apart as a Best Picture nominee. It really made me wish they would just go back to the old system with five solid nominees. At any rate, I've provided my thoughts on each movie in order of how much I enjoyed them starting with my favorite.

#1 - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

I was blown away by both the acting and the story. What a fascinating look at a little town in the middle of nowhere. There were so many things happening, but also nothing happening at the same time. I loved it. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is easily my hands down favorite of the bunch this year. Frances McDormand was phenomenal...and Sam Rockwell wasn't too far behind her. Flawless acting. Outstanding movie that left me with lots to think about.

#2 - The Shape of Water

The Shape of Water was also a really great movie. I loved the two main characters, but overall it was a tad too predictable (and sci-fi) for my tastes. I enjoyed watching it, but toward the end the story took a turn that made it difficult for me to logically connect with reality. It kept my full attention and I can't imagine how difficult the role must have been for Sally Hawkins, but I needed it to be a little more plausible in the end to totally win me over.

#3 (tie) - Get Out

Chris and I saw this one in the theater back when it was released last spring. It is thought provoking and quite spooky at times. Not your typical Oscar nominee, but the acting is great and it certainly makes a point. We re-watched it recently, and I liked it even better the second time. Knowing the twists and turns and watching how fantastic the actors truly were throughout made me realize the true brilliance of the film.

#3 (tie) - The Post

Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. Do you really need much more? Seriously though, I enjoyed this story in a way that I didn't anticipate. It's a story about Streep's character coming into her own as much as it was about The Post breaking a story. I really enjoyed following Streep's journey. Not to mention so much of the movie could have been set in the present day because the media and our current administration seem to be having a similar go round with facts and the duty to report them.

#5 - Dunkirk

Of all the nominees, Dunkirk surprised me the most. I was dreading watching this one. War movies just aren't my thing. I put it off even though I had been told that I might find it more interesting than I imagined. From the beginning, I was hooked into the idea that the story would be told from three different perspectives (land, air, sea) as well as three different time frames (a week, a day, within hours). It was exciting to see how these stories collided and built on one another. In the end, some of the gunfire and general war movie setting wore on me, but I did like the unique perspectives this movie shared with its audience.

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow.

Have you seen any of the Best Picture nominees this year?

Andrea :)

Date Nights - February

We picked two very different, but equally fun date nights for February. I happened to see an advertisement for a couples' cupcake decorating event on Valentine's Day when I stopped in a local cupcake shop to get a couple treats to celebrate our engagement anniversary at the end of last year. Chris opted for a fun night out at an arcade in the heart of downtown Columbus.

Our Cupcakery is a cute little shop in Dublin. They have lots of neat classes and their products are quite tasty! For our Valentine's Day event, we spent most of the time working on various fondant designs at three different stations. We laughed our way through the sticky fondant fun. The second room is where we rolled out tiny roses - my favorite one! Finally, we added some shimmery dust to a couple of fondant hearts. After all our designs were created, we received some instruction on how to fill the cupcakes and then ice them. Chris and I decided to put strawberry filling in our chocolate cupcake, lemon filling in our vanilla cupcake, and stick with buttercream icing to fill our red velvet. I really enjoyed this part of the night, but Chris thought it was a mess. I think he preferred rolling and cutting the fondant. Either way, we did pretty good for a couple of fondant novices! Tasted amazing, too.

Chris found a unique spot for date night - Old North Arcade. The place has every arcade game you can imagine as well as a number of stations set up with Nintendo, Xbox, Sega, etc game consoles. We got there a little on the early side of the night which was a great idea because we had our pick of games. By the time we left a couple hours later, the place was pretty crowded. I enjoyed playing Ms. Pac Man and a new game I found called X-Bert. Chris liked the NBA and NFL games. I played those with him, but I wasn't much competition. We also found an old school Nintendo Mario Bros game open and played that for awhile. We wanted to try Mario Kart, but never could catch it when no one else was playing. It was definitely a fun night full of nostalgia and lots of laughs.

What are your favorite local date night spots?

Andrea :)