Lately our Home Group has been talking alot about being "real" and open with each other. We've been discussing how we can't connect on a deep, spiritual level if people aren't willing to open up and SHARE their hearts. Our unwillingness to be vulnerable and transparent become the most apparent during payer. How many of you have been involved with a small group where the prayer requests fall under one of two categories: 1)They are requests for prayer for people who aren't even in the group. "My great Aunt Augusta in Maryland is having knee surgery tomorrow OR 2)The individual asks for prayer to either read their Bible more or Pray more? Now, there is nothing wrong with either of those prayers. And we need to be praying them. Obviously, God puts people in our life so we will lift them up, and it is of the utmost importance that we're in the Word and in daily Prayer.

BUT how easy are these request? When you ask for prayer to read your Bible more are you really being vulnerable? Or is it just an easy answer b/c everyone else feels the same way? In my opinion we get so much more out of our relationships when we share WHY. I need to spend more time in Prayer with the Lord b/c I'm really struggling with ________. I wish as Christian brothers and sisters we would be more open to sharing our hearts and our struggles with one another. I've found that when I take those leaps of faith and share my heart I get so much more back. I know my friend are praying specific prayers for me AND they can come along side me with encouragement.

Whew, I really didn't mean to go there with my post. All I really wanted to write about was to tell everyone that it is my hearts desire to go deeper with this blog. I love sharing the little pieces of my life, but I also want to go Deeper. I want More...because it is my hope that as I share myself I will grow. When we keep a seedling hidden in the dark nothing happens, but when we force it out into the sunlight it blooms.

Quick Reviews

The Secret Life of Bees
Good book. Not great, but good.

The Other Boleyn Girl
Fantastic book! One of the best reads even. Definitely my favorite read since the last Harry Potter book. I can't wait for the movie...but I am going to wait one day b/c the comes out the same night at Penelope and I have been dying to see that for months!

Surf's Up
Cute. Better if you're a surfer and can pick up on all the little jokes from surf culture. Love Chicken Joe!

Once
RJ loved it. I thought the movie was a bit slow. But the music was good. (Just won an Oscar for Best Song)

I am Legend
BEST MOVIE RJ AND I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME! It was interesting, action packed, great acting. Clean and GODLY! This movie was either written or produced by Christians. I highly recommend it.

Forgiven
Another Karen Kingsbury. Too mushy and feely but a good storyline. Even if the plot is a bit predictable.

Disneyland

So fun!

So bad at shooting my laser gun!

Proud

I went to High School with Sean (a smallish school, 250 in our graduating class). We weren't close friends but we knew each other and talked in class. He is the first soldier my class has lost and we're proud of him.

From the San Diego Union Tribune...

Pendleton Marine posthumously awarded Silver Star
by: Alex Roth

Marine Cpl. Sean Stokes was almost pathologically reluctant to accept praise, even though his courage on the battlefield saved fellow Marines' lives and was chronicled in a book.

He might have been embarrassed, then, by a ceremony at Camp Pendleton Wednesday awarding him the third-highest award for combat valor.
But Stokes wasn't there to receive his Silver Star, awarded for his actions during the battle of Fallujah in 2004. The Northern California native was killed last summer during his third tour of duty in Iraq, two weeks after learning he would receive the medal.

Stokes, who died at age 23, appears to be the lowest-ranking Marine since the Vietnam War to receive such a military honor, according to Camp Pendleton officials. He was a private when he helped save the lives of several Marines during the November 2004 battle.

His Silver Star citation credits him with “extraordinary heroism in the face of extreme danger.” He dodged automatic gunfire to kill several insurgents and rushed to the aid of several platoon mates, even though he'd been severely wounded by a hand grenade, according to the citation.

During Wednesday's ceremony, his family and fellow Marines described Stokes as a modest guy who was uncomfortable in the spotlight. “He was never a man who easily accepted public recognition,” said Lt. Col. Benjamin Watson, the commander of the Third Battalion, First Marines.

Virginia-based military historian Patrick O'Donnell was embedded with Stokes' unit during the battle of Fallujah and wrote a book titled “We Were One,” which chronicled the exploits of Stokes and other members of his platoon. “The more that I dug into the story, the more that I knew that Sean needed to be recognized for what he did,” O'Donnell told the crowd. O'Donnell said he was “absolutely devastated” when he learned Stokes had been killed July 30, 2007, after stepping on a roadside bomb.

“It was like an ice pick through the heart,” O'Donnell said.
Stokes, whose fiancee was a Marine staff sergeant, was supposed to leave the Marines after his second tour but extended his commitment so he could deploy with his battalion a third time.

Stokes' father, Gary, a real-estate developer who lives near Sacramento, said his son “felt a calling” to remain in the military. To make sure his parents didn't worry about him, he lied and told them he was going overseas but wasn't headed to the war zone.

“The first time we knew he was in Iraq was when the Marines knocked on Gary's door and told him Sean was gone,” said his aunt, Laura Leupp of Spring Valley.
Stokes joined the Marines in 2002 after graduating from Bear River High School near Sacramento, where he played football and baseball.

Stokes' family said he never really worried about dying, even though he'd had so many close calls. “He'd been through so much,” said his stepmother, Sue Stokes. “He figured he could handle himself.”

Poor Baby

RJ was injured riding his surfboard this morning before work. He wanted my sympathy so he emailed me this photo during work hours. How cute is he?! (Except his modeling career may be over.)

Media Mayhem

The last ten days have been media crazy! Since my workplace is a sponsor of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival I've been able to attend a fun selection of movies and events.

Over a week ago, Thursday, January 24th, I was able to attend the opening gala for the festival. The event kicked-off with the premier of the upcomming movie Definately, Maybe. Abigail Breslin and Ryan Reynolds walked the red carpet; Ryan is just as good looking in person as he is in the film and Abigail is cute but definately approaching that akward tween stage (a terrible stage for anyone). The movie comes on on February 14th and while I thought it was sweet I wouldn't pay $20 to see it in the theater. Throughout the file I enjoyed looking for Isla Fisher's pregnant belly, which the crew was cleverly trying to hide but you could see it if you really looked, and watching Ryan.



I took a film festival break after the kick-off (opening night is a crazy with too much humanity in one place) and headed to SLO for Debra's bridal show and some college reunion time with girlfriends.

While in SLO I did some reading and watched the movie classic Beaches for the first time. It was sad and sweet, but I had read the book and therefore found the movie lacking.



Not only did I get to premier a movie that week but while in SlO I started reading the book Remember Me by Sophia Kinsella. I recieved the book from my favorite book trading website www.bookins.com, not realizing that it was a pre-publication version (there were still grammatical errors in the text); the book won't actually be avaliable to the public until February 26th. I love Kinsella's work (she wrote the Shopoholic series) her books are light and silly but the characters are intersting and have personal depth. I would recommend it for a light, relaxing read.



I also finished two Karen Kingsbury books last week: Fame and Even Now. Kinsbury is a christian writer who writes Life Changing Fiction. I like her books for the characters but they are all really perdictable and the plots lines can be somewhat ridiculous. But they're great for simple, fun, easy reads.

Last Wednesday was a real treat. Through work I got to go to the SBIFF Virtuoso Awards ceremony. This award aknowledged five up-and-comming actors and actresses. The honorees were: Casey Affleck (The Assination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Gone Baby Gone) Marion Cotillard (Vie En Rose), James McAvoy (Atonement), Ellen Page (Juno) and Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone). One-by-one they all sat on stage and answered questions about their careers and recent movie roles. It was so interesting to see these young stars our from behind the camera in being themselves. I was really impressed with James McAvoy (such a cute Scotish accent) and Marion Cotillard. Ellen Page was cute, but seemed young and Casey Affleck was, truthfully, somewhat idiotic. He kept stumbing over his words and forgetting to answer the actual question.


Friday night RJ and I watched the film Superbad. It is ridiculous and serisouly Super Bad. Not recommended. I won't even honor it with a movie poster image.

Saturday night was awesome. I know as a logical person, and particularly as one who loves Christ, I shouldn't get carried away and awe struck by celebrities. But come-on who isn't a bit star-struck by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie! The SBIFF honored Angelina with the Performance of the Year Award for her work in A Might Heart. RJ and I got tickets to see her awards ceremony and it was one of the more interesting evenings I've experienced. We arrived at the Arlington Theater about 30 mintues before showtime on Saturday and 15 minutes later a black SUV pulled up in front of the red carpet. The moment the door opened and Angelina and Brad stepped out of the car the crowd exploded. I've never seen anything like it: there was running, screaming, waving, flash blubs exploding, posters. Controlled mayhem. To their credit Brad and Angelina ignored the red carpet for nearly 15 minutes and just walked around greeting fans, signing autographs for kids, and giving people high-five and handshakes.

Angelina was really interesting onstage. She seemed nervous (and later acknowledged that she was). Throughout the questions and answer session (nearly an hour and a half) she played with the rings on her hands and smiled a neverous smile. She was well spoken and charming. Brad was in the audience and she talked about how wonderful he was quite often. She also spoke a lot about her mom and her family. She grew on me. I know she has a wierd past and is a strange person, but after listening to her for more than an hour I really started to like her. I just wish she knew the Lord. When someone has that much influence, and that strong a voice in society, how awesome would it be if they used it all for the glory of God!! This last week I have been really burdened for Hollywood. Sometimes the Hollywood crowd seems so far gone that it is hopeless, but we must remember that God can work a miracle even in LaLa Land.

Oh, and Clint Eastwood was there to present the award. Pretty cool.


(RJ took some photos of us at the event. I will post them soon!)