jack @ usana

Lastnight the fab four (ie. Curt, Paul, Alison, Me) ventured to the magnificant city of West Valley to attend Jack Johnson. A-mazing! We have been to two previous concerts of Jacks' but this was, by far, his best that we've seen! He could have played all night and we wouldn't have even noticed. Not only is he an incredible musician, but he has all his buddies (some of which are under his record label, Brushfire Records) that are also incredible musicians. Lastnight he had with him Rogue Wave, Neil Halstead, and Zach Gill, the lead singer of ALO. Needless to say it was an amazing show!

Usana Amphitheater while Rogue Wave played.

Paulison.

Curt and I after the show.

BFFs.

Meg & Ali.

the best in beijing

The greatest Olympic moment in the Beijing games. The kind that is played time and time again and goes down in history.

Congratulations Michael Phelps. For becoming the greatest Olympian the world has even known.

olympic spirit

That time is upon us again. The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. I have always loved watching the olympics, I think it's my competitive spirit. When I watch I often feel an adrenaline surge. The Olympics is one of those thing that I think, "In a different life I could've been in the Olympics." Of course, I would have had to have a much more obsessive mother and completely given up my childhood and teenage years in pursuit of a gold medal. And then if I didn't win a gold... can you imagine? It would haunt me the rest of my life. (but of course I would've won a gold) Hmmm, maybe I couldn't have been in the Olympics. Regardless, I still love to watch. So in the Olympic spirit, I have gathered some terrific trivia.

-In ancient Olympic Games the winners were awarded a crown of wild olives.  However, they were richly rewarded by their cities or states, including being given a lifetime pension to great monetary rewards.

-In the ancient Olympic Games Greeks were the only ethnic race allowed to enter in the competition.

-At the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, silver medals were awarded to the winners and bronze to the second place getters.

-The first recorded Olympic Games was 776 BC. It consisted of only one event, the "stade" race (about 220 yards), and the first winner was Coroibis of Elis.

-All athletes competed nude at the ancient Olympics. (glad they changed that!)

-More athletes than spectators attended the 1900 Paris Olympic Games.

-Pigeon shooting was one of the sports on the program in Paris in 1900. Fortunately this shooting event was short lived. It was the only time animals were killed on purpose during an Olympic event.

-These are some of the discontinued Olympic events from the past:

•     croquet
  
•     motor boating
  
•     polo
  
•     tug-of-war
  
•     plunge for distance
  
•     underwater swimming
  
•     obstacle race for swimming
  
•     cricket
  
•     golf
  
•     lacrosse
  
•     racquets

-The first Games to be televised were Berlin in 1936. The events were shown on large screens around Berlin. The first Olympic Games to be covered by television worldwide was the Rome Olympics in 1960.

-The first athlete to win gold medals in five consecutive Olympics was British rower Steven Redgrave in 2000.

-The youngest ever Olympian is Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who competed in the 1896 Athens Olympics. He was 10 years old.

-The oldest ever Olympian is Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn, who won his sixth Olympic medal at the 1920 Antwerp Games at the age of 72 years and 280 days old.

-American Mildred "Babe" Didriksen won medals in high-jumping, hurdling, and the javelin in 1932 Los Angeles Games. She is the only athlete to ever medal in all three events.

-The Olympic Rings were adopted by Baron Pierre de Coubertin (founder of the modern Olympic Movement) in 1913 after he saw a similar design on an artifact from ancient Greece. The five rings represent the five major regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Every national flag in the world includes at least one of the five colors.

-The Olympic Flag made its debut at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. At the end of each Olympic Games, the mayor of that host-city presents the flag to the mayor of the next host-city. It then rests at the town hall of the next host-city for four years until the Opening Ceremony of their Olympic Games.

-Emil Zatopek of Chechoslovakia is the only man to win gold metals in the 5000 meters, the 10,000 meters, and the marathon in the same Olympiad. 

-Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci scored perfect 10's seven times at the 1976 Montreal Games.

-The Olympic Torch Relay symbolizes the passing of the Olympic traditions from one generation to the next. The Olympic Flame symbolizes 'purity, the endeavor for perfection and the struggle for victory', as well as representing peace and friendship.

-The Olympic Motto is  'Citius, Altius, Fortius', Which means 'Swifter, Higher, Stronger'. 

-The Olympic Creed - "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well."

-Greece is always the first country during the Opening Ceremony's Parade of Nations. The host city is last, and the others are in alphabetical order.

-During the Opening Ceremony, doves are released to symbolize peace.

-In the Closing Ceremony Parade, the athletes are not separated into national teams as they enter the stadium. This is to symbolize the unity and friendship of the Games. It is a tradition which started at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

-Countries to have won the most Olympic Medals:
1.  United States----2,112
2.  USSR----1,234
3.  United Kingdom----665
4.  France----601
5.  Germany----573
6.  Italy----478
7.  Sweden----471
8.  Hungary----442
9.  East Germany----410
10.  Australia----352

an armstrong production...

The Armstrong's are known for many things. Among the smattering of talents and skills, none are more highly acclaimed as our dancing. Here are just a few of the many many numbers that were performed at our last get together. 

Curtis and I worked a long time on this, it took quite awhile to get it just right.

Craig and Carol really know the meaning of showmanship, as evident on this next number. They wrote and choreographed this entire piece.

Brian and Quinette love country music, so naturally they went with that theme. Here they are, along with Cam and Jess, showing us what they do best.

Now, the amazing brother sister duo of Staci and Nathan!

Up next is Jeff and Stephanie with a little ditty that really takes you back to the malt shoppe.

And last, but certainly not least we have Brad and Grandma Eva performing a number that is very close to their hearts.

mamma mia!

Mamma Mia! Here I go again! With another movie review. I'm sure you can all guess what movie I saw. Yep, Mamma Mia! Such a fun movie! Being a longtime listener and lover of ABBA, I had to make a conscious effort to not sing out loud during the movie. And I have a sneaky suspicion that most other viewers were struggling with the same impulses. I absolutely loved it! Definitely one for the personal collection. Here are some great ABBA songs that made the cut.

I know that many of you are big fans of Curtis's dancing. He's practically a celebrity on my blog. Well, of course, I like to give people what they want and keep them coming back for more. Here's my "Honey Honey" dancing to a great number from the Mamma Mia! soundtrack. Thanks Curt, you're the greatest!

gotham knight=amazing

As per request by one of my fans, Nikki, aka "Hairdresser To The Stars", I am doing a review of my recent film voyage. The Dark Knight was unbelievable! It easily made it into my top 10 favorite movies. I loved Batman Begins, but this blew it out of the water. It was more than just good vs. evil. The deep plot sucked you into the movie intellectually and emotionally. The actors couldn't have been any better. I think they all had to reach to a new level for what was required of them in this film. Thankfully they finally got rid of Katie Holmes, she was terrible and there is no way she could've played the part in this movie. Maggie Gyllenhaal did an amazing job. Heath Ledger, alive or dead, deserves an award for his disturbing role as The Joker. He was realistically terrifying. Of course Christian Bale was incredible, probably the best Batman ever. And Aaron Eckhart. Wow. I think he's a very underrated actor. What an amazing Harvey Dent and Two Face! As you can tell I loved this movie. Both Curt and I did. So much, in fact, that we're going again this week with a couple friends that haven't seen it yet. I do have to give one word of caution in my review. This film is rated PG-13 and for good reason. I know there are some PG-13 movies that aren't really, but in this case it absolutely is. Just a little disclaimer for any of you who have kids in that "almost" age. 

the dark knight

Listen while you read, it makes for a much better experience.

It's here! Finally! The most anticipated movie of the year! I think the only person more excited to see The Dark Knight than me is Curtis. Some of you may know, but those who don't, Curt is a major major fan of Batman. Hoodies, decals, t-shirts, a lava lamp, you name it. We even have an alarm clock that projects the Bat symbol on the ceiling along with the time, pretty convenient eh? So thursday, at midnight, we'll be watching as our Dark Knight fights off the mayhem brought to Gotham by The Joker. It certainly looks to be the best Batman yet. 

"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

                                   -Harvey Dent, DA of Gotham City

The Ultimate Battle of Good vs. Evil!

the surprise

So Staci has been studying music in Austria for the past year. She did come home for a few weeks at christmas, but that has been it. Carol was told that she'd be coming home this week and had planned on picking her up on tuesday. Little did she know that we had a little plan of surprise. Curt and I picked Staci up from the airport saturday night. We had invited everyone over on sunday for a BBQ, despite Carol's best efforts to convince us to "do it after Staci gets home". So we anxiously waited for Carol to arrive. (everyone else in the family knew about it) The following video is what took place. 

It just made you smile, didn't it?

4th of july festivities

You know it's summer when you're going to drive-in movies in the jeep. For the 4th of July, Curtis, Paul, Alison and myself went to the Motor Vu drive-in theater in Ogden. And, as always, good times were had. 

if you need a chuckle...

Question. Why is it so funny to watch other people dance? It almost rivals watching people fall down. I think this little clip from the Pink Panther is in the top 10 of funny dancing. Check it out.

Among other funny dancing is this part from Dan In Real Life. Steve Carell is the reason it's so funny. Watching this brings back a little memory of The Booze Cruise dancing from The Office.  Maybe it has something to do with being a "Steve".

And let's not forget this little beauty. Quite possibly the funniest of all time.