So Much in so Little Time...

This has been the busiest two weeks in quite a long time.  I had my ultrasound and found out the gender of my baby, went to see the Hobbit, threw a Christmas Party, and celebrated my stepdad's birthday as well.

First of all, the ultrasound went very well.  So far the baby is developing perfectly and seems very healthy.  It's a girl!  I didn't have a preference in gender, but for some reason I was surprised.  I thought it would be a boy.  Still, it's nice to know and now I can start narrowing down the names.  I think that we're probably going to make the middle name "Melissa" but nothing is written in stone yet.  I have a feeling it's going to be hard to pick the first name.

I went to the RPX showing of the Hobbit on opening night, and as difficult as this is for me to admit, it was worth the extra money.  The seats of the theater were very comfortable and leather like those of an expensive sports car.  Even though I'm not a huge fan of 3-D usually, the 3-D was so smooth that it felt natural.  The action scenes were easier to see for the effect, instead of blurry like I was expecting.  Also, the increased frame rate made everything seem smoother.

Normally, I would write a long review for any new movie that I went to see, but I really can't find anything wrong with this movie.  It stuck close enough to the plot while adding scenes from notes within Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion, etc., that I feel it did Tolkien's work justice.  There is a little more comedy within this movie than in Lord of the Rings, but there's also some dark themes and even some fairly scary scenes that set off the comic relief nicely.  (Also, keep in mind while watching this film that the Hobbit was written as a children's book.)  The acting was great, the effects were beautiful, and if you haven't gone to see it yet, then you should go.  

I'm also pleased to say that the annual pot luck Christmas Party went very well.  The food was great, there was plenty of it, and we had a pretty good turnout of about twenty people in all.  I got to see some of my old friends that I don't get to see often enough, and spend some time with a few of my new friends from the writing group.  I think it was the best one yet.  We played Rock Band, watched and heckled old Christmas films, and talked until 4:00am.  (I also learned a valuable lesson; I can't stay up that late anymore if I don't want to be a zombie until about 9:00pm of the next day.  At least, the rest of my family was exhausted for various reasons as well, so Joe's party was mostly relaxing and quiet and I didn't feel too bad for my sleepiness.)

I'm looking forward to another busy weekend coming up.  I have a steak night this week, a romantic Christmas date with my husband on the weekend, a family Christmas Party on Sunday, Christmas Eve with my parents, and then Christmas Day with Joel's parents.  I'm looking very forward to spending more time with my whole family.

I haven't been writing or reading as much as I usually do.  I think sometimes it's important to slow down and enjoy the holidays.  After all (though I know I've said this before, I will say it again), living life, making memories, and having new experiences is how you become a well rounded person, which will benefit your writing in the long run anyway.  Plus, I haven't made it any secret that other than Jesus (and to me Christmas is a religious holiday), my family and friends are most important.

Still, I'm hoping this week to make a few notes on "Blood God," book three of the Blood Rain series, and the urban fantasy changeling story that I mentioned a while ago.  I'm actually getting pretty excited about the changeling project because I have some new ideas that I think will make it a better book.  I've fleshed out the main character, come up with some interesting ideas about Arcadia, and have an idea for a unique twist for the ending.  Still, I have a long way to go before I can start actually writing it.  Wish me luck, and the ability to somehow manage my time well enough to write at all.  (After all, I'm having a baby in April.  There's quite a bit on my mind...)   

In the meantime, I'll try to do better about keeping up this blog.  Keep reading and writing!