Movie Review: Something Borrowed

I have been soooo excited for this movie to come out. As many of you know, Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors and Something Borrowed is definitely my favorite of her books! I was so happy that one of my best girlfriends, Shannon, was in town and we could go see the movie together. I really really enjoyed the movie. It had everything I love in a romantic comedy - tear at your heart string love story, laugh out loud moments and stories of great friendships. I'm sure I'm biased because I love the book so much but this really was a great movie. It's not going to win an Academy Award but it's the perfect movie to watch with girlfriends. I will definitely buy it when it comes out on DVD.

They did an amazing job casting the movie. Ginnifer Goodwin was super cute and very relatable. Kate Hudson was the perfect choice to play Darcy, so over the top and self-absorbed but yet you still love her! Dex was played by Colin Egglesfield...there wasn't much to his character but he was very nice to look at. And finally the character that stole the show (and I think will convince my husband to watch it with me), John Krasinski! He was hysterical, witty and had me laughing out loud!

The movie was pretty close to the book but as with any book that's been adapted to the big screen there were changes. I think the changes worked to help move the story along...its been so long since I read the book I want to read it again so I can pick out all the changes.

I definitely recommend seeing this in the theater and if you do, make sure you stay till the very end for a clip from Something Blue. Can't wait for that one to come out!

Book Review - Dear John

While I was home for Thanksgiving I borrowed Dear John by Nicholas Sparks from my sister. This book was sooooo good. I read it two days! I'm a sucker for an intense love story and this book definitely fit the bill. I don't want to give anything away in the book so I will share two editorial reviews I found on Amazon.

From Publishers Weekly

Hot on the heels of True Believer and sequel At First Sight, Sparks returns with the story of ne'er-do-well-turned-army-enlistee John Tyree, 23, and well-to-do University of North Carolina special education major Savannah Lynn Curtis. John, who narrates, has been raised by a socially backward single postal-worker dad obsessed with coin collecting (he has Asperger's syndrome). John bypasses college for the overseas infantry; Savannah spends her college summers volunteering. When they meet, he's on leave, and she's working with Habitat for Humanity (he rescues her sinking purse at the beach). John has a history of one-night stands; Savannah's a virgin. He's an on-and-off drinker; she's a teetotaler. Attraction and values conflict the rest of the summer, but the deal does not close. Savannah longs for John to come home; her friend Tim longs to have a relationship with her. On the brink of John and Savannah's finally getting together, 9/11 happens, and John re-ups. Savannah's letters come less and less frequently, and before you know it, he receives the expected "Dear John" letter.

From The Washington Post
In the days following Sept. 11, 2001, hardly anyone, not even the late night comedians, knew what to say. Now, more than five years later, the roster of books and films addressing 9/11 and its consequences has grown long. There are explorations of religion and foreign policy, memoirs of life on the 21st-century battlefield, depictions of global culture, investigations, predictions and elegies. With Nicholas Sparks's contribution to the list, Dear John, we see our political climate in yet another light: candlelight, maybe. Or moonlight.

Narrator John Tyree is a wayward son of Wilmington, N.C., reformed first by the service (he seems to shed most of his rebelliousness at boot camp) and later by love. John meets Savannah Lynn Curtis while home on leave, in June of 2000. Savannah, a rising senior at UNC, is spending her summer building houses for those without. The couple share two fleeting weeks -- including an innocent scene under a half-built roof that's as big-screen-ready as they come -- before John must return to his post in Germany. For more than a year, he pines and she endures, counting the days until he will be honorably discharged.

Then the Twin Towers fall. Rather than returning to his love, John reenlists. In January 2003, his unit is sent into Turkey, then transferred to Kuwait. In March, he takes part in the invasion of Iraq. While John's days play out in the desert (when asked about his time there, all he mentions is the sand), Savannah must face her own unlucky destiny. Finally, with the death of John's father, whose somewhat unbelievable tale provides the main subplot of the book, the two are reunited and left to sort things out amid their tears and ours.

It isn't hard to picture John Tyree. We can simply imagine his predecessors, men in uniform staring pensively from earlier wartime romances. Apart from the occasional detail -- e-mail, cellphone, Outback Steakhouse -- Dear John could take place in any modern American era. For Sparks, weighty matters of the day remain set pieces, furniture upon which to hang timeless tales of chaste longing and harsh fate. Only in a novel such as this could we find our political buzzwords -- peacekeeping, IEDs, hurricane relief -- interspersed with these sentiments: "And when her lips met mine, I knew that I could live to be a hundred and visit every country in the world, but nothing would ever compare to that single moment when I first kissed the girl of my dreams and knew that my love would last forever."

This book has been made into a movie which will be in theaters in February. The movie stars Channing Tatum (soo cute) and Amanda Seyfried (she's from my hometown and also starred in Mama Mia). I'm so excited for this movie to come out! Check out the trailer (I love the song they use in the background).

Favorite Thing #141 - P90X

P90X is my favorite lunchtime workout. One of my colleagues purchased this DVD set a few weeks ago and ever since then we have been doing the work outs twice a week. The set includes 12 very intense workouts (some cardio, some weight training) most of them are about 50 minutes long. Included in the set are the following work outs-

1. Chest and Back - This superset chest-and-back-blasting workout emphasizes two classic upper-body exercises, push-ups and pull-ups, to build strength and develop shape. The combination of these two push and pull movements will help you burn loads of calories while simultaneously attacking, strengthening, and developing multiple muscle groups.

2. Plyometrics - Get ready to go airborne. With over 30 explosive jumping moves, you won't be spending much time on the ground during this highly intense cardio routine. Plyometrics, also known as jump training, has been proven to dramatically improve athletic performance. If your sport involves a ring, rink, field, court, or track, then this training will give you the edge. Just be prepared to "Bring It" for a full hour when you leap into this workout, because there is no letting up.

3. Shoulders and Arms - Nothing rounds out the perfect physique like a pair of well-defined arms and shoulders, and with its potent combination of pressing, curling, and fly movements, this routine will leave you feeling stronger and looking sexier. Whether you want to build muscle mass or just slim and tighten what you've already got, these targeted shoulder and arm exercises will get you the results you want.

4. Yoga X - Yoga is a vital part of any fitness regimen, and is an absolute must for an extreme program like P90X. This routine combines strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, and breath work to enhance your physique and calm your mind. Yoga X will leave you feeling energized, invigorated, and maybe even a little enlightened.

5. Legs and Back - Get ready to squat, lunge, and pull for a total-body workout like no other. While the main focus of this workout lies in strengthening and developing the leg muscles (quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves), there's also a handful of great pull-up exercises to give your legs a quick breather while you work the upper body.

6. Kenpo X - Kenpo X was created to give P90X users a high-intensity cardiovascular workout packed with lots of punching and kicking combinations to improve balance, endurance, flexibility, and coordination. During this workout you'll learn some of the most effective ways to defend yourself, while at the same time getting your body in peak condition.

7. X Stretch - Stretching is the one thing that will help you achieve a higher level of athleticism over a longer period of time. The X Stretch routine is an integral part of the program that will help prevent injuries and avoid plateaus. The extensive full-body stretches that make up this routine use disciplines from Kenpo karate, hatha yoga, and various sports to ensure that your body is fully prepared to meet all P90X challenges head-on.

8. Core Synergistics - Each and every exercise in the Core Synergistics workout recruits multiple muscle groups to build and support the core (lumbar spine and trunk muscles), while at the same time conditioning your body from head to toe. Loaded with a variety of fun, unique, and challenging exercises, this routine will get you moving in all directions to maximize your P90X results.

9. Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps - Packed with an array of moves that target both large and small muscles, this workout will do wonders for your upper body. In just one full sequence you'll get a healthy dose of presses, flys, and extensions to push you to the brink. The results will be a stronger, leaner, and highly defined upper torso that will leave you looking awesome, with or without a shirt.

10. Backs and Biceps - With a host of curls and pull-ups, this routine will make it fun to flex those powerful biceps. But don't worry, ladies—by using lighter weight, you can focus on toning and tightening these showcase arm muscles without adding the size that most guys covet. Additionally, this workout will also provide some great back definition that everyone can appreciate. No matter what your goals, you will achieve them in dramatic fashion if you dig in and max out your reps.

11. Cardio X - This low-impact cardio routine can be used in a variety of ways to meet your P90X goals. Use it in addition to your standard P90X workload when you want to burn some extra calories, or as a substitute if your body needs a break from the program's high-impact workouts. Whatever your reason for using Cardio X, you'll find it to be a fun, full-throttle, fat burning workout that will leave you feeling lean and mean.

12. Ab Ripper X - The combination and sequence of movements in this unique workout taps into not only abdominal strength, but true core strength as well. Master these 11 highly effective exercises and you will achieve vital abdominal muscle strength to benefit your overall health and physical performance. You'll also develop that highly coveted 6-pack as you take Ab Ripper X to full throttle. It's extreme work that's better than any machine in any club.

Here's a review of the ones that I have done -

Chest and Back - This was the first one we did. This workout was A LOT of push ups of all different kinds. It was hard to do most of the "back" exercises because we needed to do pull ups and that's impossible to do in our large staff conference room. I used weights but you can also use resistance bands.

Plyometrics - This is a great cardio workout. It is a jumping workout and pretty high impact. I definitely felt it in my legs the next day.

Legs and Back - It a great way to tone your legs (especially thighs). Lots of lunges and squats. I used resistance bands but wished I would have used weights. You can use either but I think it is more effective to use free weights.

Kenpo X - Another great cardio workout. It is very similar to the Billy Blanks Taebo workout. Lots of punching and kicking. I was super sore after this workout...but it was a good sore.

Ab Ripper X - This is an INTENSE 20 minute ab workout. I wish I owned this DVD because I would do this every day. It is amazing.




Still love Favorite Thing #41 and it tops my favorite movies of all time. If you haven't seen it I definitely recommend you rent it. The soundtrack is amazing too.

Favorite Thing #41 - August Rush

I saw August Rush in theaters with my two friends Lisa and Shannon and we absolutely LOVED the movie!!!! In fact, after the movie was over we sat in our seats for a good 10 minutes and just talked about how great it was. It was recently released on DVD and went out and bought it. The movie is a love story with some amazing music throughout. The one thing that my friends and I commented on is the way the music just seamlessly flowed with the storyline. The movie stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers (who actually sings in the movie), Keri Russell (who learned how to play the cello for the role), Robin Williams (who didn't play his usual comedic role), and Freddie Highmore. The movie is absolutely amazing you just have to watch it. Right now its on sale for $19.99 at Amazon.

Below is a review of the movie from Amazon:

Music has long been considered a universal language with the power to bring people together, but can the simple act of playing music possibly unite a child with a mother and father who live in two different cities and don't even know of the child's existence? Having shared one extraordinary night, classical cellist Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell) and Irish singer and songwriter Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) were a union meant to be that was torn apart by circumstances and a protective father (William Sadler). After eleven years, both Lyla and Louis have given up performing only to find that they are unhappy and searching for a sense of fulfillment that will ultimately lead both artists back to music and performing. Evan (Freddie Highmore) is an 11-year old orphan who's grown up hearing music in everything around him and is convinced that his real parents want him and will find him with the help of music. Driven by his innate musical genius and a powerful compulsion to perform before the world, Evan runs away from the orphanage and is initially taken in by a street man known as Wizard (Robin Williams) who encourages his musical talent and renames him August Rush and, later, by a local priest who arranges for August to receive a Julliard education. August is a child prodigy who excels beyond even the wildest expectations and earns the opportunity of a lifetime--a chance to perform in front of an enormous audience in New York's Central Park. The question is; can his performance possibly reach the audience August really craves? While elements of this film are completely unbelievable (take August's instant prowess on the guitar or his immediate and sophisticated grasp of musical notation and musical theory), the message of the universality of music and the notion that "the music is all around us, all you have to do is listen" is both compelling and powerful. --Tami Horiuchi

The music is so amazing that I bought the soundtrack on iTunes. It's definitely worth getting at least a few songs.