Movie Review: Harry Potter

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part II

This movie is definitely a step up from the previous. I could barely sit through the whole movie because it was too dark. Usually Harry Potter movies have an excellent mix of character development, conflict, adventure, and light-heartedness. Part I was completely dark. Nothing to laugh or even smile about. So maybe they had a lot of ground to cover in terms of plot, but they could have definitely added some humorous moments in. Part II resolved this issue. The part where Hermione and Ron kiss, the ending, and the scene with Nevil and the bridge lightened up the mood, in addition to other moments throughout the movie, making it much more enjoyable to watch than the previous.

Unfortunately, the final movie didn't live up to the standard set by previous HP movies. Normally HP movies are high quality - lots of character development, twisting plot that keeps moving and even changing, highly thematic, and a good mixture of action and light-heartedness. This movie had all of those things but wasn't quite pulled together properly. The dialog was too fast/short on occasion, leaving the audience to wonder what was said and never figuring it out. There were also a few scenes that lacked quality transitions. I also wasn't a huge fan of the ending. There was no celebration/acknowledgement of what had happened, and we could have definitely done without the fast forward, unless more was shown of Hogwarts and what the main characters were doing with their lives.

I would give this movie a B. It was good, but not the best. Of course, if you're a fan, you need to watch this movie in order to complete your Harry Potter experience. It's definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

Carnival!

 I mentioned the carnival a few days ago. To kick off the National Staff Conference, Campus Crusade brought in carnival rides and food for a "county fair." It was so fun to ride rides for free, eat delicious bbq, eat as many snow cones as you wanted, and run into other staff members that you know. (On another note, I just upgraded to the new blogging post thing and it is giving me so much trouble trying to move pictures around! Anyone know how to navigate this thing??)

Cru

Last night Steve Sellers announced that Campus Crusade will be changing their name to cru. It was a moment I will never forget. I was so nervous in anticipation, and I was preparing myself for the worst - "Power to Change." We knew that they had chosen one of five names, all of which I pretty much hated the first time I heard them except for Cru (obviously). But in the months of wondering what name was chosen, we constantly joked about the names we didn't like, and I actually began to like a couple of them. We were wondering how he was going to announce it. Would he pause for a few moments and then just say it? Would it yell it loudly? Would he not speak it at all and just put it up on the video screens? That's another thing that worried me - in moments the name would be HUGE all across the video screens. I was not prepared to see some foreign word up there and have all the breath taken out of the staff. I was bracing myself for it to be Power to Change (my least favorite) and spend months trying to make myself not hate it. I really thought that it was going to be one of the other three, and it would take awhile to get used to it because it was a fresh, new name. And then out of nowhere Steve quickly spoke "Campus Crusade for Christ will be changing its name to Cru." And cru with the new logo immediately appeared on the big screens. And I was so. relieved. I clapped! I was SO SO happy it wasn't one of my least favorite names! 


Now after many emails and videos of hearing Steve say he's excited about the name change, I am too. I believe that God is very behind this. Cru is fresh and modern, distinctive, undefined, and yet familiar. I am very impressed with the staff and teams planning this. I think the new name and logo will fit into our time and culture very well. I don't know how "timeless" it will be, but what is? I like that Cru is familiar for a lot of people already, but people who haven't heard of Campus Crusade will be excited to learn more about cru. Just like "Starbucks" it doesn't mean anything, but that's what a lot of popular company names are like. It's not called "Trendy Coffee Shop" but we all know that's what it is. It will take time, but eventually people will know what cru is. And hopefully, they'll be interested in talking to us more about it. 


One more thought. It's all about Jesus. It's not so much that CCC cares about having a new name as much as they care about Jesus, and people knowing Him. The new name is necessary now, so they had to pick something. But it's not the name of cru that's important. One day, at the Name of Jesus, the Name above every other Name, every knee will bow.

Chased by Thunderstorms

...would be my Indian name if I was named after yesterday's hike. (By the way, the carnival was great! I'll be posting about it/uploading fb pics after I get a chance to sort through all the pics I took. Unfortunately I accidentally shot Whit flipping on the trampoline in 7fps in RAW instead of jpeg. Dumb. Anyways back to the hike...)Our plan was to hike to Chasm Lake, 4.2 miles, along the same trail as Long's Peak, a popular 14-er. We chose a hike that looked different than the previous ones, and it was. It was in a different area of the park (further south), which ended up being quite nice because we didn't have to pay $20 to get in the park, AND we got to park right at the trailhead instead of having to take a shuttle. This hike was much more woodsy (less views) the first half, and then the second half was all out in the open above the treeline with views in every direction. It was very steep - we were going up the entire way. It's cool the way all the hikes we did were so different. The first had a moderate number of people, winded through the woods, had views of the mountains at various times, and then the end was through a glacier. The second hike was packed with people, wasn't as steep, had views all along the way, and was basically on a glacier the whole way.I kind of wished we had switched this hike with the last one we did because before that one I had been swimming a lot and was in better shape (and it was really easy). We were thinking it would be our last one this summer though so we wanted it to be a little harder than our others. It was rated "moderate" online whereas the others were "easy," and it certainly lived up to its name. We were being pushed a lot, which was great, until later. (We did stop a few times to rest and take pictures.)
After this waterfall with a great view,we saw this sign that we were entering the area above the treeline. If a lightning storm comes, you are to head back immediately. Afternoon thunderstorms are quite common in Rocky Mountain National Park, and most people start their hikes earlier in the day to avoid them. We were lazy though and slept in a little bit and didn't choose our hike until after waking up, so we didn't make it to the trailhead until 1:30. We never saw anyone else going up the trail with us, we only passed people coming back down. We figured that was because they were hiking Long's Peak, which is longer than the one we were doing.

So, we were above the treeline. We popped out of the forest and out of nowhere VIEWS everywhere!! Mountains on every side and we could see the city down below! I wanted SO badly to take pictures, but once we emerged from the forest we could see dark clouds looming. We decided to push ourselves harder so we could make it to the lake before the rain/storms. We figured we were pretty close. We continued hiking and the trail got more difficult...and we started to feel raindrops and hear some thunder way in the distance. We tried harder to go fast and not take as many breaks. It was tough though because we had to walk up steps instead of a smooth upward-sloping trail. The rocks separating the steps were probably a foot and a half tall each, so each step was difficult. We realized we had only been about 2.5 miles! The weather was starting to get worse, and we kept seeing a lot of people come back down the mountain.Once we got to the top, we saw one last person - an old man who told us the view was just ahead. We could finally see the lake! The only problem was - we were on top of the mountain and the thunderstorms were imminent. I don't even know why we were on top of the mountain - we thought our hike would be low because it was supposed to end next to a lake. At the top we still had .7 miles to go to make it down to the edge of the lake. We rested a little, but not much because we were taking pictures and feeding chipmunks. We decided we needed to hurry up and decide whether we would try to go all the way to the lake or just go back because the storms were definitely headed our way, and no one else was up there with us.

We decided to forget the lake and head back down because that was the safer option. Whit was still putting stuff in his bag when we heard the loudest clap of thunder I've probably ever heard! I mean, we were on top of a mountain with nothing (no trees) around us - the thunder filled the entire sky, 360 degrees around us and from the sky to the ground. So loud and scary. If we hadn't decided we were heading back, we definitely were now!! We started running as fast as we could to try to make it below the treeline before we got struck by lightning. It was TOUGH! Those steps I mentioned earlier we were now JUMPING down, trying to avoid smaller and bigger rocks in the process. I tried to stay under control because it would be worse to fall and crack my head open or break my ankle than maybe get hit by lightning, but Whit realized the urgency of the situation and was going pretty fast.

After half a mile or so, I started feeling so sick. I had just hurried up a mountain (changing 2400 ft in elevation - that's a lot!), eaten a whole bag of trail mix, and not really rested because I was walking around taking pictures. Then it started to rain. By rain I mean it was starting to pour. I quickly took out a poncho and wrapped my camera in it. Whit was already wearing my rain jacket (hah) so I wore the other poncho we had brought. Then as we were running again I got the hiccups. Ohhh how I hate the hiccups. I get them all the time and I normally hate them, but this time was so. much. worse. I couldn't stop to hold my breath because we had to run down to the treeline before the lightning caught up to us! I felt so sick, but Whit made me keep going.

We finally made it back to the waterfall, but we still had 1.5 or 2 miles to go, still going downhill avoiding rocks but trying to run anyway - even though we were both exhausted. By the time we got to the bottom we were both so tired. I almost blacked out a couple of times and probably would have passed out once if I didn't find a rock to sit on just in time. The lightning kept getting closer and closer! You know how you can count between the lightning and thunder to see how far it is? The interval in-between was getting shorter and shorter! I really wished a park ranger was hanging out with us to tell us if it was a better idea to run TOWARDS the storm or just try to make it to our cars as fast as possible. Fortunately as we got lower we got further from the storm. Oh did I mention it was hailing, too?? When we got back to the parking lot we realized how hard it was raining. We were cold too so we just relaxed in the car and blasted the heat for a few minutes. It was a fun adventure but also a scary and exhausting one!

Just a Little Update

Since I haven't shared that much from our time out here in Colorado, I figured I'd update a little bit to share a few of the details. This post will probably be extremely random.

-I hated our room/dorm the night we moved. I mean, I hated EVERYTHING. The next day (and since then) I have been fine and enjoyed some things, but there are still a few things that are annoying:

1) I have to push a button (to release the magnet) to open a door, show a card (like a key but you don't have to swipe it) to open another door, and then enter a code on another door JUST to get to the bathroom. I drink a lot of water and have to go to the bathroom a lot so obviously that's a hassle. 2) There is one paper towel thing in the bathroom and it's across the room from the sinks. I don't like dripping wet hands across the room! 3) Even though sometimes it's only 60 or so degrees in the morning, it's ALWAYS 90+ degrees in our room because even though we close the curtains as far as they'll go, a few streaks of sunlight pass through which heat up the entire room. Not cool. 4) We didn't feel like buying king sized sheets (we have 2 twin beds pushed together) and the sheets they gave us were all flat (no fitted sheets). I don't understand why places like this NEVER have fitted sheets. Is that so hard? 5) Breakfast is only open from 6-8:30 and dinner is only open from 5-6:30 (I usually eat those meals 2 hours later).

The things I do like:

1) We have TONS of storage! It's always when I don't have that much stuff that I have an abundance of storage. 2) We each have our own desk, and they are pretty spacious. 3) We figured out how to open the curtains so we can see out of the windows (necessity). 4) Even though we're not on the mountain side, we have a pretty good view of the campus. 5) There are a lot of cool people on our hall! 6) We're right next to the water fountain. 7) There is a really loud train that goes by and makes clanging/chiming noises for probably 5 minutes straight.

-There are more restaurants in Ft. Collins per capita than most US cities. We had to pay for an on-campus dining plan along with living in the dorms, but I wish that we had more time to explore all the restuarants! We have only eaten at a few local places, which were amazing, but we also go to Noodles & Co. every chance we get because it's one of our favorite restaurants and right down the road! A few of our other local faves are Raising Cane's (similar to Zaxby's...though we can't figure out how they stay in business because they only sell chicken tenders or chicken tenders on a sandwich, haha), Old Chicago (delicious Chicago-style pizza), and the Beach House Grill (awesome fish tacos!!). Ft. Collins also has a TON of micro-breweries. It's been fun to try some of them! Also, you can tour New Belgium brewery (which makes Fat Tire) as well as one of the Anheusuer-Busch factories.

-There's a bunch of fun stuff within walking distance of our dorm. Like I mentioned earlier, there are two great fro-yo places, but there's also a Sonic that we've been to, a Shell (mountain dew), and a ton of places we haven't had time for.

-I started swimming again. I have been wanting to swim all year that I've been at Tech and had a free pool, but it was too much of a hassle to drive, figure out the pool hours, and just figure out how to go. There is an indoor pool pretty close to us here, so I started working out again (though haven't been in a couple of weeks). It is SO HARD. I hadn't swum since freshman year of college (well, haven't done a full workout). That combined with the elevation makes it majorly challenging. My goal was to get back into shape here so that when I go home I can swim again and will be great (since it won't be as difficult with the elevation change). Though as I mentioned we have been too busy the past two weeks...hopefully I'll have more time this week!

-We love Fort Collins. and Colorado. Ft Collins is great though because 1. It is close to so many things! Denver, the Rockies, and Cheyenne are all only an hour away. 2. There is tons of shopping and restaurants! I love places where there's lots to do! 3. The city has a small-town feel (feels like a college town) but is actually quite large. (Downside to this is tons of traffic, added to the fact that no one here knows how to drive - everyone drives 5-10 mph under the speed limit. Umm, whaaat???) 4. It's kind of a hippie town, it's very environmentally-friendly, and all people bring their dogs everywhere! 5. We found a church that we love. That has cook-outs every other week in the summer!

-Tonight is the carnival!!! Campus Crusade is having a "county fair" just for the staff members! I am WAY excited!! I seriously can't wait. I'm looking forward to fun rides (that are hopefully free!!), delicious food, seeing lots of people we know, and taking pictures of the lights at night!! It starts in an hour...!! :)

That's all I can think of for now. Hope you get a better feel for our summer!

Best Friend Bible

Meet my new best friend! As a gift for completing our Bible Study Methods Course, they said that they would give everyone an ESV Study Bible Personal Edition. I thought we might get an ESV Study Bible based on friends who had previously gone through the course, and I planned on just selling it because I already have one. However, for some reason they decided to go with the personal size, and I couldn't be more thrilled!!

The problem was that they hadn't ordered enough Bibles, so we had to wait two weeks to get them. And then when they came in, we had to go pick them up from this office - of which the hours were the whole time we were at MPD training!! We ran to get to it the first day it was opened, and would have made it, but went to the wrong location. The next day they told us they moved them (but we never found them). Then after that we went to the original room - and they weren't there. When I finally got my Bible I held it up to my chest and couldn't stop smiling. Sooo cheesy but I seriously am in love with it!!

I looked it up online to see what it would look like and saw that it was smaller but couldn't tell the size difference because it really looked the same. Before I went to Venezuela I decided to get a new Bible to challenge myself to read more carefully since I used the same version (NLT) all through college. A huge requirement was that it was stitched - all my old Bibles have had pages fallen out and I want one that will last (the ESV binding is stitched has a lifetime guarantee). I had heard great things about the new ESV Study Bible and it was the perfect match. I also bought the compact size to take with me to Bible study, church, and on vacation so I wouldn't wear out the other one (and because it is HUGE). However, I haven't been completely satisfied because when I go on vacation I don't want to lug my huge Bible around, but I don't like studying the small one because it's just too small (I have to hold it up which is annoying). So this personal sized one is PERFECT!! It's just the right size to take with you (but still be able to read) and it still has ALL the notes, maps, concordance, and extras from the original! I can't wait to travel somewhere else so I can use it! :) One caveat is it's hardback, and I hate hardbacks. But reading it so far it hasn't bothered me. So if you're looking for a new Bible, I would recommend any of these! Here is a size comparison for those like me who want to see the difference:
Also, this really motivates me to be passionate about the people around the world who DON'T have access to a Bible. If I get so excited about a new version of a Bible, how much more excited would I get if I got my very own Bible for the first time?! If you feel compelled, you can click here to send a Bible to the Middle East for just $3!

Frozen Yogurt

So I said I would be doing more updates but I haven't really felt like it. This past week was so tough! We were learning about MPD which is great but it was very exhausting. Anyways, I wanted to post about one of my favorite things about Colorado - frozen yogurt shops! We went with our life group one night and I ooh'ed and awe'ed about how cool it is that it's self-serve and how I had never been to a frozen yogurt shop until coming out here this summer. A couple of the girls' jaws dropped - you've NEEEVER been to a frozen yogurt shop?? Apparently it's a west-coast thing (they're from California and said they're on practically every block!) And after talking to a few others, even people on the east coast have at least seen or heard of a frozen yogurt shop before, but I honestly never had. The only experience I'd ever had with frozen yogurt is machines where you can get a cone with chocolate, vanilla, or twist. It's also fun because it reminds me of that Mary Kate and Ashley movie (where they went to Australia) and the boys were like "wanna go get some fro-yo?" I thought it was funny that they called it fro yo (and cool, obviously, because MK and A were trendsetters), but thought it was weird because I thought they were just going to get the standard choco/vanilla/twist nastiness (I never liked that stuff). I wonder if I am the ONLY person who has never seen one of these!!

I think it's the coolest thing. I've been to two, and they are within a block from each other! Crazy! The Golden Spoon is delicious - the yogurt is thick, like ice cream, and they have about 10 flavors, which rotate every time you come (good and bad). They have a bunch of toppings but they're 50 cents each. I got a "mini" which was larger than I needed, and I got to pick two flavors (I've tried three - graham cracker, peanut butter, and peppermint). It was about $2 which is not bad.

THEN I discovered Mahalo - a Hawaiian themed restaurant that isn't as nice inside but is a WAY better value. They only have 8 flavors and they are always the same (as far as I know) but you can get as many flavors as you want, and since you get it yourself you can decide how much you want (could be bad if you go overboard). Then (this is the best part) - you can put ANY and ALL toppings you want!! They probably have 40 different toppings. At the end, you just pay per ounce. Sooo if you want lots of lightweight toppings, it doesn't cost very much!! I've been twice and gotten the same thing both times - cake batter and peanut butter frozen yogurt with reeses pieces, oreos, graham crackers, and butterfingers. (It ended up being a little less than $3 both times.) YUMMM!!

This place is perfect because it's only a block from our dorm so we can walk over to hang out with people, go on a date, or take a break from the daily routine (which normally includes free frozen yogurt in the dining hall! Though they only have the standard flavors). I will sad to not have this great hangout option when we go home!