Savannah Harmon

She looks like Amanda.

Shelby Harmon

She looks like Brad and has a TON of hair!

Brad and Amanda's Twins


This is the picture my dad took for their announcements. Amanda wanted it to look like an Anne Geddes picture.

-Britten

If You're Having a Bad Day...

Awww!

This picture makes me smile! :)

-Britten

My Review of ROTS

George, Natalie(minus the hair for her role in V for Vendetta), Hayden and Sam at the Cannes Premiere for Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

(This is from my review I posted on theforce.net message boards)


I’m going to start with my only disappointments so that I can end on a good note...

First of all, I expected a lot more kissage between Anakin and Padme. We all saw, and even had as our icons, the pic of them kissing that came out in the Insider . You know, the one where they are standing near her apartment window and she is in the black dress and he has his hand on her jaw . Anyway, HELLO!! The scene was there but no kiss!! Secondly, the number one scene I had been so excited about and been waiting for was cut as well!! For those of you who were not spoiled it went a little something like this:

Padme says to Anakin, “Do you want to feel him kick?” Anakin placing his hand on her tummy says, “What makes you so sure it’s going to be a boy?” “Motherly intuition”, Padme teases. Then Anakin says, “Well, with a kick like that, it’s got to be a girl!”

I was so looking forward to Anakin with his hand on her tummy, his future offspring, and talking about them with her!! And, for the love of the Force, we could have used another quiet, happy scene in that movie! And I just love how they are both right! I’m almost pretty sure that this scene was filmed though, because one, it was in the script, and two, you can see the very end of it at the beginning of the scene on Padme’s veranda at sunset where she has the purple and red dress on. It will most likely be a deleted scene. And I sure hope that the other kiss that was taken out is actually part of a longer scene that we will see on the DVD as well.

Another thing that I was looking forward to seeing was the young Mon Mothma, but I guess since they took out all the forming-of-the-Rebellion scenes, that she would be out too. I just didn’t put two and two together. Oh, well. I hope we get to see these scenes on the DVD too.

So it seems for the sake of pacing and time they had to cut some really good stuff out just like in AOTC. I don’t really blame them a whole lot, though, since this movie was so jam-packed with stuff!

Okay, now on the good stuff…

The opening space battle was plain awesome and I know it will be even better on a digital screen since I was able to see a portion of it on a digital screen at C3. Can’t wait for that! I loved to watch Obi-Wan and Anakin’s starfighters spin, tilt and turn exactly the same!! Just shows how much they are in tune with each other now. R2 was hilarious, of course, and I was cracking up when he was trying to hide the comlink from the super battle droids. The fight with Dooku was over quickly, but that just shows us what a strong Jedi Anakin has really become. The look on Dooku’s face was priceless, especially after reading all the novels in between AOTC and ROTS that featured him and his relationship with Palpatine and how he had a feeling he might be replaced. I loved it when Obi-Wan said “Another happy landing” when Anakin crash-landed the ship. Seemed like OT sarcasm.

That first scene with A&P was wonderful!!! The way he ran to her and then picked her up and twirled her was just ,”Awwww!” And his reaction to the pregnancy was priceless, and another part I was really looking forward to seeing. Plus, that scene was hot! The balcony scene was perfect as well and a real nod to us Defenders, I believe! You can really see how much Anakin is so madly (yes, quite!) and deeply in love with her. The end of that scene was supposed to end with them both laughing and saying that they hadn’t laughed in so long, but the way they ended it in the movie led into the dream nicely. Bare-chested Anakin is so gorgeous!! Gosh, that man is beauty defined!! Even whilst going totally evil!! I loved how he talked about giving Padme the snippet when he was young…makes her funeral scene even more poignant. And oh, so sad!!

I loved the next scene when Anakin was confiding in Yoda. Other than looking really hot with the sunlight and shadows on his face (Oh! Symbolic!) you could really feel Anakin’s anguish and frustration. I love the advice Yoda gives him, because it’s good advice for us all. Some say they didn’t like it though. To me, Anakin was just too far gone at this point to take the advice and Yoda had no real idea to whom he was referring…for all he knew, Anakin could have been talking about Obi-Wan.

I loved the goodbye scene between Obi-Wan and Anakin. Obi-Wan finally tells Anakin what he needed and wanted to hear his whole training, but like so many have already said, it came too late. I can’t blame Obi-Wan too much because as a parent it is hard to train a child to walk in righteous paths, especially one who is a little rebellious in nature. You know they need to know if they have done something wrong and parents sometimes have a tendency to be a bit too controlling at times and stingy with the praise. Sometimes we don’t know the best way to handle situations and are trying to only do what’s best for the child/young adult. Sometimes we are also afraid of giving them too much praise, which I know sounds silly, but really, sometimes you fear they will become arrogant and no longer try hard. But all the while you still love them with all your heart. I think this was the case with Obi-Wan. We all know that he loved Anakin, but I think he let his fear control his training of Anakin too much. He was afraid too much praise would go to Anakin’s head so he would constantly scold him and lecture him, which he did also because he wanted Anakin to be the best Jedi he could be. Obi-Wan just went about it all wrong with Anakin’s training much like a parent does….out of love, but mixed with fear and weakness. Let this be a lesson to us all as parents. We need to praise and outwardly love our children more than scold and lecture.

The next scenes between the Jedi and Anakin, and Palpatine and Anakin were brilliantly done. We as the audience see how, in Anakin’s eyes, the Jedi are not living up to the things they should be, i.e. putting Anakin on the Council and not making him a master, asking Anakin to spy on the Chancellor, Anakin seeing their mistrust in him, their “Chosen One”, as well as their fear controlling their actions. And then we see how Palpatine IS doing what we know Anakin wants and longs for. He strokes his ego and appoints him as his personal rep. on the council, thus furthering his career as a Jedi, he tells Anakin that the Jedi need him and that he suspects the Jedi have asked things of him they shouldn’t, further proving to Anakin that the Jedi are going against the code because of fear. The scene during the opera was very intriguing and ended up, upon second viewing, to be a much needed slow scene even though it was still intense. Palpatine is a snake! He lures Anakin in with the greatest of ease and sadly, Anakin falls for it, though if I were in his situation, so desperate and confused, I can honestly say I probably would have fallen for it all too.

Some say that Anakin’s turn is very quick and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. One minute he’s turning Palpatine over to Mace and posse, the next he’s saving Palpatine and pledging himself to the darkside. What the? But I was TOTALLY sold on this scene. Anakin’s turn has been happening for 2 movies now, not just in this scene. When he and Padme have the Force connection across the city skyline, that seals the deal for him. Plus, when he walks in and sees Mace trying to kill Palpatine this is just one more way the Jedi are again going against the code... it’s the icing on the cake. Yet he still can’t believe he’s killed his first Jedi, which I don’t blame him for. It would be weird at first. The way he says, “What have I done?” is Oscar-worthy, IMHO! Think about when you were a kid and did something bad you knew would be an atrocity to your parents…you freak out and think, “How can I cover this up? What am I going to do now?” And for me at least, I would think, “Well, if I just become evil now I won’t feel so guilty!” Anakin knew that this was it for him. Killing Mace was not something he could live with himself for and now there was no turning back. Plus agreeing to go and kill the rest of the Jedi…well, heck! Now there will be no good side, only my side! No one to answer to? Yee-Haw! Plus I get to save Padme…a nice little deal there.

For the rest of the movie I was a basket case! I was even as spoiled as they come too! The carrying out of Order 66 was one of the saddest montages in all of film! The music there cuts your heart out! And then to top it all off with Anakin killing the younglings when it first appears to them that he is there to rescue them was, for me, the hardest thing to watch. You can even see that the youngling talking to him actually smiles at first when Anakin ignites his lightsaber probably thinking, “Oh, goody! Master Anakin is going to kick some Clone butt for us!” But then you see him suddenly realize what is about to happen and this just kills me! Anakin, you idiot! You are about to have children of your own!!! But remember, those kids, like the Tusken children are now the enemy in Anakin’s eyes and nothing more…..it’s so sad. Watching Bail watch the other youngling gunned down was horrifying as well! I’m sure this was probably what the Holocaust was like.

I just wanted to reach out and give Yoda a great big hug when he was so sad over all the deaths he felt. Seeing him that way really topped this scene off for me. He was also so cute on the gunship when he rubbed his hands in his hair and so real! Gollum real! I loved it when he climbed onto Chewbacca’s back….brought warm feelings to my heart!

I loved A&P’s last love scene together on her veranda! This was the first shot I ever saw of the two of them on the webcam and what made me venture over to TFN and start posting in the first place. Little did I know that he was actually Vader in this scene which makes it even more tender, significant and precious, IMO . Notice how Anakin is concerned for the life of his own baby, which I loved, but not that of the ones he just killed! Twisted by the darkside, indeed!

So by now I’m a mess but not to the point of shaking yet. As everyone in the movie was loosing it, so was I…..I was sobbing with Padme and crying with Anakin. The part where he is on Mustafar after he has just wiped out the Separatist leaders and he is standing on the railing looking out at the sun was so sad, and Hayden completely pulled me into Anakin’s anguish and despair here. He has just delved deeper into the darkside than ever before and it hurts! He’s just a kid and this is way too much to have to go through at such a young age, be ye Chosen One or not! You can tell he doesn’t like what he is doing, but he wants to save Padme so badly these are the lengths he will go to. This part really touched me and will be one of those deep moments of pity for Anakin for me, as I’m sure it will be for lots of people.

When Padme comes to Anakin on Mustafar we see for a brief second the Anakin we all know and love. We see him surprised but excited to see his wife. We see him holding her and looking into her eyes. But the moment she even speaks of Obi-Wan and starts accusing Anakin of terrible things that’s when we know that in the wise words of Yoda, “The boy you trained, gone he is. Consumed by Darth Vader.” Anakin is sadly, no more. Not even love can pull him back now (well, at least not until 20 years from now after all the suffering…duh!) He has totally lost it, thinking that he can overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy with Padme and “make things the way we want them to be”. I was right there with Padme thinking, “Who the heck is this guy?” You can see the change right before your eyes and that is why, as I knew before, the choke was understandable. When he sees Obi-Wan he snaps even further and when he screams “Liar!” at Padme I nearly wet myself! Yikes! Man, can that Hayden ever go to some dark places!! He was freaking me out! He was much more dark and scary here than Vader in the suit ever was for me as a kid.

No matter what, every time Yoda knocks those two royal guards out the audience will cheer, mostly because it comes right after one of the most intense scenes in the film and is a nice little break. I, like most of you have stated already, got goose bumps when Yoda and Palps were fighting on the rising platform in the middle of the Senate auditorium. It really makes you realize that they are fighting for the fate of the entire galaxy, as Anakin and Obi-Wan are fighting over the fate of the galaxy’s Chosen One. Great Saga moment there! I had seen them practicing the duel so many times that I noticed there were several moves that were cut, which was disappointing....like when they both punch each other one after the other, and also there was one sequence when Anakin looked as if he was trying to hurl things at Obi-Wan as they were swinging their sabers at each other or else they were both hurling things, I’m not sure. Anyway, I’m hoping I might notice these moves in the digital version which I have yet to see, but it was still amazing and I could read the fast fighting better when I watched it the second time.

When Obi-Wan admits to Anakin during the duel that he has failed him, it made me realize that even though Anakin was ultimately responsible for his choices, everyone in his life had weaknesses that affected him. Even Yoda admits that he too has failed as leader of the Jedi Order. Almost everyone in the prequels failed in some way or another. At least the two Jedi that will stick around to train Luke can admit that they failed….after all, this is the first step in the healing process.

My heart broke for Anakin/Vader (yes, even after he killed younglings and tried to kill his wife) when his remaining limbs were chopped off and he was moaning and grunting in pain and trying not to slide further down the bank of black sand. All I kept thinking was “This is that beautiful Jedi we all know and love, now in pain and agony and burning before our eyes!!” It was gut-wrenching! It shouldn’t be like this!! Beyond Shakespearean tragedy…. And then to top it all off with Obi-Wan saying he loved Anakin as Anakin says that he hates him was just, well, I felt Obi-Wan’s pain there as well. I still don’t know what to think of him leaving Anakin there to die and not trying to save him….maybe he didn’t think Anakin was going to make it anyway now with no limbs and no skin! I mean, Anakin was trying to kill him just a few seconds earlier too, so you know…I guess it can do things to a guy. I’m gunna have to think about this one further….

Vader’s mechanical hand slowly pulling his body up the bank after you think he’s got to be dead was a little "Tales from the Cript-ish" ….me likey! And just why don’t you go and tear my heart out a little bit more and have it raining on Coruscant when they bring Vader’s charred body back. It’s like the skies of the galaxy are weeping for the fall of their Chosen One! Wah! I was surprised to see that they would get as graphic as peeling off the burnt-on clothes from his body and the way he buckled in pain and threw his arm back to knock one of the droids away was so real and creepy….it was very hard to watch.

And of course, showing the supposed death of Anakin and birth of Vader while watching the death of Padme and the birth of the twins was superb film-making! Brilliant! Natalie did a very good job here in the birth scene. Some were saying that she shouldn’t be screaming like that cuz she is supposed to be having a C-section. Well, I’ve given birth naturally and was screaming and making noises I didn’t even know my body could make! It was the most painful thing ever!! And I know that one is numb during a C-section but I’ve heard from friends that you can still feel the pressure of the baby(s) being pulled out and that can freak you out, even though it’s not painful. Plus she isn’t with her husband like she thought she would be, so she is scared, and mostly because she doesn’t know what has really happened to him. I would be crying too!

And then some others can’t understand why she gave up so easily. According to Lucas, she dies of a broken heart which is a medical condition in real life. It’s called Broken Heart Syndrome and it is brought on by extreme amounts of stress and depression. You can have a heart attack from it if it gets really serious. I know Padme should be the kind of women that would find the will to live somewhere inside her for her twins, but you have to remember that this is not the same, strong leader that was introduced to us in TPM. She has changed alongside Anakin as we have all talked about before. She is more emotional now and she may have figured that her life would be filled with so much sadness now that her husband had turned to the darkside that she would not be able to be the mother her children needed.

I was a little confused why they didn’t at least have Leia open her eyes and look at her mother so that the moment she talks about her in ROTJ would make more sense, but I’m sure that she learns of her from Bail so it didn’t bother me that much. The moment that was most poignant for me and made me breakdown like a baby was the moment when Obi-Wan is still holding Luke and Padme tells him that there is still good in Anakin. No amount of spoiling could prepare me for that moment because in the book and script she hands the snippet to Obi-Wan when she says this and it never mentions Luke is still there hearing his mother say that. I was completely overcome with emotion and knew right then and there that was the reason Luke always believed in his father…because his mother did! Awe! I felt like it was my own family I was watching!! (So yeah, PLJ , you are not the only one who noticed this - I’m right there with ya! )

The ending montage made me very nostalgic for the original trilogy. I had finally seen the missing piece to the puzzle I knew was there all along! It was one of those moments I will never forget! Most everyone I have talked to absolutely loved the film and I make sure that when they tell me it was way better than the first two, I tell them that ROTS would mean NOTHING if not for those two films…this film was their climax and it wouldn’t have the impact it does on everyone without the first two to set it up. I can’t wait to have some time to watch the first two and see what might seem a little more dark and mysterious now that we know what is to come. I wasn’t crying as much the second time as I did for the first, but I can honestly say that it will take many, many more times for me to be able to get through it and not shed a tear….I may never be able to. It’s one of those films that touches you so deeply you feel you are forever changed and affected by it.

-AnakinsLuv

The Jappor Snippet

"There is still good in him."

The carved piece of Jappor that Anakin gave to Padme when he was nine years old. It is a symbol of the innocence, the "good" Padme so faithfully feels is still inside him, even as the evil Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith. Over 20 years later, the good in Vader that's been buried so deep will be found again by a boy who posses the determined faith and hope of his mother, Anakin's son, Luke Skywalker.

-Britten

The Dark Lord of Them All

"No, this is how you do it"

Apparently, Hayden is now the expert on Force chokes and needs to show the "lesser" Vaders how it's done.

-Britten

In His Image

Hayden and his "Mini-Me"

You know you have truly made it big time when you have your own action figure/Ken-like doll made in your image.

Of course, I am also the proud owner of this doll, in which you can transform from handsome, brooding Jedi Knight to grotesque, burned Anakin to full-fledged masked man in black. This could equal hours of fun but the boots are really hard to take on and off, so I decided to just display him as his Jedi self....it's prettier anyway.

-Britten

Infinite Sadness

Obi-Wan with baby Luke

From the lead-in novel to Revenge of the Sith called Labryrinth of Evil by James Luceno:

Anakin's brows beetled in anger. "I never claimed to be the Chosen One. That was Qui-Gon. Even the Council doesn't believe it anymore, so why should you?"

"Because I think you believe it," Obi-Wan said calmlly. "I think you know in your heart that you're meant for something extraordinary."

"And you, Master. What does your heart tell you you're meant for?"

"Infinite sadness," Obi-Wan said, even while smiling.


This movie's gunna rip my heart to shreds! *bawls*

-Britten

The Mystical Marriage

The Kiss

Just look at the way he is holding her face...Gosh, this is so sweet!


One part of my new book talks about the "Mystical Marriage"....when the hero of the tale falls in love with the heroine:

"Twelfth-century troubadours, telling stories of the likes of Tristan and Iseult, transformed the Western concept of romantic love, exalting the love between two people to the level of a sacrament. In myths and fairy tales dating from the medival period and before, the life-enhancing treasures and vital forces held hostage by the dragon are symbolized by Woman, the complement to the male hero. Mystically she represents the sum total of all that can be known, and since this is a journey of discovery, it is thus the hero's job to come to know her. Joseph Campbell puts it this way:

'As [the hero] progresses in the slow initiation which is life, the form of the goddess undergoes for him a series of transfigurations: she can never be greater than himself, though she can always promise more than he is yet capable of comprehending. She lures, she guides, she bids him burst his fetters. And if he can match her import, the two, the knower and the known, will be released from every limitation. Woman is the sublime acme of sensuous adventure.'"

Let's say it again....."Woman is the sublime acme of sensuous adventure".

I like that!

-Britten

A Tender Moment

Anakin and Padme in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith


This is one of the new Anakin and Padme pictures from the upcoming EpIII. I love it and I think it speaks volumes about the nature of their relationship in EpIII in just this one beautiful picture:
She fully embracing Anakin and all his faults, unconditionally loving him to his very core and with her eyes closed which forshadows her impending death - the death that haunts her Jedi husband's dreams. He looking out on the horizon searching his future with a grim look on his face as if that future holds a grave outcome. He also is a little angered with himself, frustrated that he is not all-powerful....or at least not powerful enough to stop someone from dying. And then of course, there is the firey sun in the backround telling of a burning end to come as it sets on this couple's reverie and their time together.


Whhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaa!

Man, George Lucas ( the Great Flannelled One) is such a wonderful visual storyteller!

Ah, the tragedy of it all! I am such a sucker for those tragedies!!

-Britten, who also picked this for her profile pic since she realized she has no good pictures of herself without someone else in the picture :p!

Ahhhh....Love in Cartoon Land!

Anakin and Padme in Clone Wars 2

Coming to your television at the end of March on Cartoon Network!!!

Aren't they cute?

-Britten

Sweet Dreams Are Made of These

One Fine Tragic Hero

Sorry....as soon as I'm through gawking I'll be able to make a comment...










Okay....in this part of the movie Anakin has just awakened from a nightmare about his pregnant wife, Padme.

Every SW fangirl in America would agree with me when I say that "sweat has never been so sexy!" He also bears an uncanny resemblance to Luke in this picture (think sweaty Luke training with Yoda on Dagobah).

-Britten

Father and Son

Anakin and Luke Skywalker by Dali Norvell

Here is another excerpt from Star Wars: The Magic of Myth regarding our famous heroes:

" Cloud City [in The Empire Strikes Back] marks the turning point in the trilogy; all the forces of destiny seem to meet here. Luke once again finds himself in a mazelike enclosure, but this time he is going toward Vader, not away from him. And he too descends into the underworld- the dark underside of the city, full of fumes and pits, tunnels and bottomless voids. Here he will have a revelation that will shake the foundations of his spirit. The monster at the heart of this maze is no stranger but a part of himself. Names often hold symbolic power in the Star Wars tales, as in many myths, so now we find that Vader is really Anakin, Luke's father "and akin" to him. As Joseph Campbell states:

'The hero....discovers and assimilates his opposite (his own unsuspected self) ...One by one the resistances are broken. He must put aside his pride, his virtue, beauty, and life, and bow or submit to the absolutely intolerable. Then he finds that he and his opposite are not of differing species, but one flesh.' "


In Return of the Jedi Luke does what his father could not so many years ago and casts aside his weapon after he realizes that he too could become the next "Vader" if he completes his turn to the darkside. He refuses to fight and unleash his anger on his father, causing the Emperor to fail in his attempt to turn the son on the father. In these last moments of the movie we see what Joseph Campbell calls "The Atonement with the Father", Vader's redemption.

"This process of becoming one with the father is one of the great archetypal themes found in myths from many cultures. Vader acknowledged that Luke is his son at the end of The Empire Strikes Back; now he must act on that knowledge for atonement to occur.

Vader's true nature has been imprisoned by the system, but within him still reside all the 'life-potentialities' (to use Joseph Campbell's term) that once belonged to Anakin Skywalker. Now he has the chance to fulfill one of those potentialities: that of hero and savior.

Luke too must find a new life-potentiality within himself - that of the child who can not perform the task on his own.... In his confrontation with Vader and the Emperor, Luke does not use his warrior skills but rather an appeal to the heart: 'Father, please. Help me,' he cries as the Emperor is about to destroy him. And at last Vader seizes his master in order to save his son....Vader has detached himself from his evil master and has been transformed through his son....Vader is, in a sense, a fallen angel who reveals his true essence at last."


Gosh, I just love this!

-Britten

Master and Apprentice

The Duel

Here is a picture of Anakin and Obi-Wan fighting to the death at the end of Revenge of the Sith. It's just going to be so heart-wrenching to see them fight like this. In Labyrinth of Evil (the lead-in novel to Revenge of the Sith) the two of them have become such close friends. They still have the "father and son" relationship they had whilst Anakin was coming-of-age, but this is more of a brotherly love they have now.

In this picture, they both have a hold of one another's saber hands.....EEK! The horror!!

Even though it will be hard to watch, I will also love all 12 spectacular minutes of this infamous duel! I can not wait to see the sheer brute power and cunning saber skills of Obi-Wan and Anakin in their prime! We are supposed to witness the fastest lightsaber moves in history here!!! *gets up and does a fangirl dance*

Plus, you know, two gorgeous fellas displaying all their power and strength.....I am so gunna be drooling all over my threatre seat!!

-Britten

The Chosen One

"The Hero With No Fear"

Anakin's Heroics in the Clone Wars have dubbed him with a famous title throughout the galaxy: "The Hero With No Fear".

I have a thing for men in capes with swords....

*swoon*

-Britten

You May Have Seen Him Hanging Around in a Theater Near You...

Episode III Teaser Poster

Here is an excerpt from a post I did on theforce.net about my first time seeing this...

Small vignette, non-fiction entitled:

AnakinsLuv (my user name over there) Goes to the Movies

So we took the whole family to go see The Incredibles last night (Yes, I know, it's about time). You know what that means ...

First of all, we walk into Edwards Theater and guess what is hanging from the second floor balcony in the foyer for all to see, front and center like it should be, right there before us with piercing eyes looking back at me? THE TEASER BANNER!!!!

one word: GLORIOUS!!!! I could hear the angles singing the "Halleluiah" chorus ringing in my head!!

I didn't know it would be so HUGE!!! I think it's bigger than the Ep II banner. Staring up at it....I just felt so proud! So proud to be a fan, and a Defender at that! Somehow, I felt that I was a part of it, like part of it belonged to me, almost as if Anakin was looking at me as if I know a great secret most of the world does not... As fans of the saga, this is our moment to shine!!!

So then we are sitting there waiting for the teaser trailer and I'm hoping and praying that it will still be playing with this particular showing. I was getting all giddy and nervous...the butterflies were a'fluttering! I really didn't think that I would get all worked up like that, I mean, if I was like this for just the teaser trailer, I'm going to be a FREAK OF NATURE before the actual movie starts!!

Then it appeared in the darkness of the theater...

WOW!!! I've probably seen it, oh, I've lost count - something like 50 times now, but watching it on a big screen with high-definition is like seeing it for the first time again!! I couldn't believe it!! It just came to life and jumped off the screen!! And there were things I noticed that I hadn't before - not even after watching it frame by frame. Some of the little clips of scenes seemed to last just a bit longer...it was weird!! I noticed a lot more sound effects too, like Obi-Wan gagging when Anakin is choking him and then there might have been a little grunt from Anakin too, I'm not sure.

Anyway....whole new experience!! I really felt it was like watching the movie itself in the theater (only a little bit shorter )...it was just so big and life-like and detailed!! If you haven't seen it on the big screen yet, ya gotta try it!! Believe me, it's worth the 8-9 bucks, cuz hey, The Incredibles is really a great movie! My whole family loved it...my daughter wants to be Violet and my son, who loves to run and run and run, wants to be Dash...so cute !

By the reaction of the audience, you could tell most people had seen the trailer by now, but there WAS still a definite "buzz" after it was over and then there was this one girl who was cheering loudly...oh, wait, that was me .

So then we're walking out of the theater and my kids want to stop and "pretend" they are playing video games (they are still too young) so my hubby stays with them and I wander over to the teaser poster again and stand beneath it, so that I'm right in the middle...

so there's lil' ol' me down on the floor looking up at HUGE Anakin in this GIGANTIC theater foyer...there's not a whole lotta people around since it's getting late...and I'm entranced...

I just stood, and stood, and stood for what seemed like forever, gazing up at "Darth Anakin"...the banner is just so much better in real life!! One might have thought I was looking up at the Statue of Liberty or something!! I DID almost feel like saluting!! But I just stood there and breathed and soaked it all in....AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! God Bless America!!!

Finally, I felt the call of duty, so I tore myself away to return to my kids and a husband who was just smiling and shaking his head...he understands my indulgence, but also thinks I'm a little coo-coo !

Then as we walked across the foyer to exit the theater on the other side, I keep looking back at Anakin and I notice something...his eyes are moving with me!!! It's so cool, you gotta try this!! I mean, I know this is just true for many big posters/banners with a huge face on the front, it's just the illusion they create, but it just caught me off guard cuz I hadn't noticed it from just looking at it on the computer screen.

Yep. Followed me all the way out the door. It was creepy!! It was like Anakin was saying in a hushed, haunting voice, "Come ba-ack...don't forget to bring your 'Death Certificate'!" (You know, just like that creepy little woman at the end of the Haunted House ride at Disneyland) I can still feel his stare...still hear that voice in my head...

The End.

Just thought I would share that little experience....

In this EpIII teaser poster you can actually see not one, but 3 different images of the Darth Vader helmet...can you see them?

Lots of SW fans think this poster is very symbolic. The darkness of the cape is overwhelming the picture and Anakin is only in the corner, part of his face even cut out. This hints at the inevitable doom that awaits Anakin...the darkness is taking over everything - his mind, his life, his future, the galaxy.

-Britten

The Tragic Hero

Sith Eyes



"Many a hero has given in to the desire to use his powers to make things right in the world - and has ended up a tyrant."

-Mary Henderson. Star Wars: The Magic of Myth

For Valentine's Day, Andy gave me a great book called Star Wars: The Magic of Myth by Mary Henderson. It has tons of breathtaking pictures and artwork from the SW movies, as well as famous artists, depicting scenes from ancient myths and folklore. The book takes an in-depth look at Star Wars and how it relates to and assimilates certain aspects of ancient myths. It quotes Joseph Campbell often who is an expert on mythology and wrote the widely known book The Hero with a Thousand Faces from which George Lucas relied on to build his own timeless myth.

"Throughout the inhabited world, in all times and under every circumstance, the myths of man have flourished; and they have been the living inspiration of whatever else may have appeared out of the activities of the human body and mind.""It has always been the prime function of mythology...to supply the symbols that carry the human spirit forward, in counteraction to those other constant human fantasies that tend to tie it back."

-Joseph Campbell. The Hero with a Thousand Faces

And then Henderson goes on to say:

"A myth shows us what we're up against; it identifies the "bad guys" - who often turn out to be within us, the part of ourselves that would hold us back - and it helps us find a way to defeat them. And that, finally, is part of the myth's magic too: it offers hope."

And I say, "Anakin! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

-Britten

Kaiya's hair

Color contrast


This picture is just to show the color contrast from the top of her hair to the bottom

-Britten

Rapunzel, Rapunzel.....

Kaiya's freakishly long hair

We call it "freakishly long" because we have no idea where it came from! Neither Andy's side of the family nor mine has ever had any kids that could grow their hair this long this young! Course, Andy's side has mostly boys so you know....

We've never cut it, just trimmed it occasionally. It's actually longer now than in this picture and it goes from dark brown at the top to blonde on the bottoom. It's gorgeous, darling!

Kaiya has to put it over her shoulder when she sits on the toilet and when people make a comment in public about it she will start to swing it as she walks and run her hands through it....Andy and I die laughing every time!!


-Britten

Just a splinter, my foot!!!

Okay....so this has been the week from hell. My whole family has been sick, including me which doesn't make waiting on the other sick ones any fun. This new blogging has been the ONLY fun thing!

On top of all that, on Friday my husband, Andy, stepped on a toothpick and it broke off inside his foot. I tried to play surgeon (which I love to do, actually) and get it out but it just kept going further inside. So he went to the emergency room on Sat. and they cut his foot open a little bit to try and get the rest out but weren't certain of they got it all. Wood is hard to find in human flesh...it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack because it absorbs the blood and such. Yuck....

So today he went to the foot doctor to get x-rays and they think he still has some in there. So now he is scheduled for foot surgery on Wednesday. Poor guy....he is a walking accident!

I am finding out that I make a better surgeon than nurse though. He has been on crutches since Sat. He is not supposed to put any pressure on his foot so I have had to get and do everything for him. I didn't realize how much that man requires to have with him at all times!!! Sheesh!! It's now to this point.....Andy: "Britten?" Me: (shouting) WWWWWHHHHHHAAAAATTTTT???

Terrible nurse.

After giving birth without pain killers, I am a cold-hearted snake when it comes to having sympathy for another person's physical pain. Being married to someone who battles with pain everyday has made me try very hard to be more sympathetic. Needless to say, there is much room for improvement.

Being sick for a week has taken it's toll on me and everything around me. I've totally let the house go, the children have been living off candy and running around like banshees, there is a mountain of laundry and dishes to do, and I'm depressed....mainly because it's nice and sunny outside yet we are all sick and stuck in a stuffy house. And now with Andy's foot thing...well, let's just say we are all about ready to kill each other!!!!!!

Tomorrow is going to be better!!!!

-Britten

Sorry Jared!

So sorry for anyone who is getting sick of this song. Wish I could change it from time to time, but I can't.....I don't know how. It's just a thing that I copied and pasted from ToriAmos.com to promote her new song. If anyone does know how, please enlighten me.

If you don't like it, then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the pause/stop button...or you could turn down your speakers. I could just get rid of it, but I like it and I don't want to....so there!

And, BTW, there will be no complaints on this blog except by me ;) LOL!!

*Waves "Hi" to Jared, grinning widely*

See Rachel! I knew somebody over in your direction would be sick of Tori by now :-P! Reminds me of college....LOL!

-Britten

My Elvish Name.....

Galadriel the wise and Frodo the humble

So by now most of you are probably wondering what my name "FeyaVanya" means. Well, my hubby picked up a copy of The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth and decided that he was going to bestow upon me something truly wonderful, mystic, and endearing-- an elf name. It's one of the most romantic things he's ever done for me and on days when I am feeling like a pretty bad human-being, if I can think of my elf name it makes me suddenly feel once again like "a spiritual being having a human experience"....the way one's perspective about life should really be.

If I were to be a character in any movie, aside from Padme of course, it would have to be Galadriel. She is so wise and noble and loving, not to mention mysterious, beautiful and powerful. She can also really "see" people, to their very core and therefore knows exactly how to help them. I wish to be like this. I'm hoping that I kind-of give this impression....I mean, a new friend of mine on theforce.net says that they thought of me as some kind of "wizardly angel" when they were getting to know me better. *blushes*

That should count for something, don't you think??? And aside from the fact that I love the LotR trilogy, I also once gave a lesson on the Holy Ghost in R.S. (church) and talked about how having the Gift of the Holy Ghost is like being an elf!! Visions, light, understanding....all a "sixth sense". :) In tune with the Force, if you will.....okay, yeah, I also used a Jedi to compare it to......Total geek-a-saurus, I know! (BUT!!! Everyone was paying attention and liked my "visual aides"...I brought my dolls along :-p Hear that????? EVERYONE WAS PAYING ATTENTION AND SOME WERE EVEN LAUGHING, which was fine by me....it was meant to be a little humorous. Heck, it was an effective learning tool!! There's no doubt that they don't remember that lesson!! And if any of you ever need to know how to "jazz up" those can-be boring church lessons, talk to me!;) )

Anyway, if you are wondering what exactly FeyaVanya translates to in English well, "FeyaVanya" is actually not the correct spelling, it's just the way my husband pronounces it. The correct spelling would be "FeaVana". And if you are wondering what that means then you will just have to familiarize yourself with the Quenya form of Elvish ;). *hee hee*

Have fun!!

-Britten

Visions

Arwen on Asfaloth having a most tender vision

Of course, many of you know that this is the scene in RotK when Arwen has the vision of her future son with Aragorn. which I have posted for your viewing pleasure here:
http://www.theargonath.cc/characters/eldarion/eldarion1.gif
http://www.theargonath.cc/characters/eldarion/eldarion4.gif

Gosh, I think that is so sweet!!! Well, I've been known to have visions from time to time. I even had one of Kaiya before she was born!!

One day, I would love to raise horses like the one she is riding, "Andalusians" as they are called. They are the most beautiful horses I've ever seen and come from Spain. If I did raise them, I would only give them commands in Elvish. No, really!!! This would be the ultimate!!! And I would ride them everyday over lush green fields......ahhhh!

-Britten

Elvin Royalty

Legolas and his elf posse

The most gorgeous elf of all!! Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood!!! Shot his arrow straight into my heart!!

You know, Orlando Bloom just doesn't do a whole lot for me in real life. I mean, he was definitely hot in PotC, don't get me wrong, but anywhere else just didn't light my fire as much as in LotR!! It's odd....usely I can't stand the looks of guys with extra-long girly hair, but there is just something magical that happens with this combo here--the long blonde hair, the bright blue eyes, and that bow and arrows across his back! Not to mention the large amount of butt-kicking he does all over Middle Earth! *swoon*

Before I ever saw him in this shot in RotK, I had a dream one night that I was a high elf in the courts of Lothlorien and I was betrothed to Legolas. On our wedding day he was waiting for me at the top of a white staircase looking much like he does here. It was a good dream.....*looks dreamily off into the distance*

Did I mention before that I have visions like this in dreams all the time???? Visions of a picture that I would see in the future.....and here it is, only I am not the one he is looking at. Poor me :(

Btw, don't you think that Malfoy's father in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban should play King Thranduil (Legolas's father) in the forthcoming The Hobbit?? He's got the long, blonde hair going for him and King Thranduil is supposed to be a little "dark".


-Britten

Breena and Mitch

My sister Breena and her husband Mitch

Ha! I laugh at this picture!! It was taken in Washington D.C. last summer (funnest trip ever!!) in a little mexican restaurant not too far from the Capitol, which we had just seen the inside of. One word= Amazing!!! (The Capitol, I mean, but the food wasn't too shabby either!)

Just so you know....they are eating fresh tortilla chips with lime juice squeezed on top!! Yum, yum!! If you haven't yet, you should try it sometime!!

I love Breena and Mitch! Funnest and funniest people to hang with!! Mitch has mine and Breena's sense of humor so you can imagine :p!!! Lot's of "muppet mayhem" ! He's a total muppet!!

-Britten

Brad and Amanda

My brother Brad and his new wife Amanda

Here they are after just getting hitched in the San Diego Temple....they are so cute and happy!! :)

[said like Butthead from Beavis and Butthead] "Whoa! Huh, huh... Brad, is like, all smart and responsible and stuff now....it's cool."

[Beavis] "Yeah, heh heh....it's like cool and stuff...heh.."

He was balancing the check book the other day and Justin (his life-long partner in crime) was freaking out saying, "Brad....stop it! You're scaring me!!"

Too funny....

Love you, Brad! ;) *hugs*

I really like Amanda....she is so sweet and cute and funny. I can't wait to get to know her better which hopefully won't be hard since they will be living closer now!! Yay!!!

-Britten

Our little Vader

Vader and the kids

We got a dog right around Halloween. We got him from ARF (Animal Rescue of Fresno). He is part Dockson, part Chawuawua (sp?)....a little guy. He actually looks like a miniature, stumpy lab, with the face of a pacific flying fox bat: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/Grzimek_mammals/Pteropus/Pteropus_tonganus.jpg/view.html
Anyway, I have wanted a black dog to bestow the name "Vader" on for some time now, seeing as most of you know about my obsessesion with Star Wars (to be more frank, I'm really "possesed"! :p) Never did I realize though just how much he would live up to his name-sake!!

This is a copy from one of my posts in the Jedi Council Forums on TFN:

So by now, you probably all know my new dog's name is "Vader"- but that's not the freaky part....We've been noticing over the last couple of days that he has a "breathing problem". No, really....I'm not sure if dogs can have asthma or what (is there such a thing as a doggy hairball?), but from time to time he will just wheeze - about 10 of them in a row! And it really does sound like Darth, but in fast motion. Creepy! *plays "The Twilight Zone" theme*

Hope this name isn't jinxing him...

And that's not the only thing about this dog... Since we got him from an animal rescue place we know he probably wasn't in the best of circumstances before he was rescued. He was "found" they said, a "lost" dog and they had no idea of where he came from. At first, he was really shy and it took a while for him to warm up to us. It was as if he had forgotten what it was like to be loved, but once he did warm up to us, even now, he still backs away from us when we approach him and quickly steers clear of our feet whenever we are walking around him as if he's used to getting kicked or something! So we think he must have been "beaten" by his previous master(s) Hmmmmm..."beaten" then "lost then "found"...I wonder who this reminds me of!

And so we are teaching him how to "love" again just like Luke does for his father! Hee hee!!

But man, does he ever have a mean streak! Not towards us of course, no...towards sweet, beautiful, innocent decorations and plastic toys! I had decorated my sofa table with fall decor (I'm a decorator ), it was all beautiful with red, orange, and yellow leaves, candlesticks, flowers, pumpkins and a Thanksgiving cornucopia gushing with fruit and gourds. And then I had a rooster made to look like it was a real stuffed one, with real beautiful feathers sitting all amoungst this other decor on the table...it was just the right touch!!

Then we got home from the movie the other night and walk in the door to be graced with TOTAL ANIALATION AND DESTRUCTION!!!!!!! Chicken feathers EVERYWHERE!!

Little Vader had hopped up onto the couch and had easy access to the rooster. Yeah, he had some major fun while we were gone! The poor bird was unrecognizable when we finally found it, so R.I.P. beloved, fake rooster !

"Commander, tear this ship apart!" (Maybe he actually ordered the cat to do it!)

I don't know...first the breathing, the whole rescue bit and now with the killings.... this dog is certainly living up to his namesake a little too much!

Okay...I'm just getting started... We have more than one SW dog in the family. My grandma got a dog about 5 years ago which I encouraged her to name "Wicket". His face and coloring are a total match to the actual Ewok and he IS "a jittery little thing"...even does that same curious, inquisitive head tilt! Eerie.....

Then there's my son's name which is "Trooper". We named him that not because of SW, but actually because my husband always wanted to be a paratrooper in the military (he's had 3 back surgeries, long story). But I CAN say that my son's a little "clone" of me when I was little, looks and everything (no, he doesn't look like a girl...I looked like a boy when I was 3 , but I'm very girly now Let's hope his looks stay masculine! )

Then there's my brother-in-law's girlfriend whose name is "Anaka". Yes, my friends, it's pronounced like "Anakin" but with an "a" at the end like in the name "Christa". It's pretty, of course, but I do get weirded out every time I say her name! And yes, she has to tell EVERYONE she ever comes in contact with that no, her parents didn't get her name from SW! Poor girl...

Then there's (okay, I know I need to stop but I can't help it ) my daughter's name. It's "Kaiya" pronounced K-eye-ya...a name that I just found out DarthIshtar used in one of her SW fics over in that forum. Now Kaiya's name we DID get from something Lucas related. We got it from the movie "Willow". It's Willow's wife's name, if you remember...

More... My hubby just defeated a Sith and won playing on the lightside of the force in the PC game "Jedi Academy"...my hero ! Now he's decided to try the game on the darkside and become a Sith . AND his name starts with "An" !

And HERE'S THE ULTIMATE!!! Come May I might have the perfect EpIII Padme costume for the midnight showing... Yep...We've been thinking about getting pregnant again, not at the moment, but sometime soon. So I probably won't be too far along to make a huge statement, but it might "look" right. Can't start trying too far from now though - I want to be over the puking stadge before C3 ...kind of running out of time....

HOWEVER..... my father isn't my mortal enemy, my mother didn't die when I was very young, I didn't just find out I have a long, lost twin brother and I don't live in another galaxy. Give me a break here people, I have to reach!!

But there are times of the day I DO think I live in a Galaxy Far, Far Away!!

-Britten

My Kids are Photographers!!

Trooper took this picture

Not bad pics for a 3 and 5 year old, eh? These were taken outside the Salt Lake Temple the day my sister Breena was married. We are all so happy!!

Gosh...I gotta find some pics of Kaiya without her eyes closed....

-Britten

My Kids are Photographers!!

Kaiya took this picture

Okay....I really feel the need to get on a soapbox here about a particular thing that was brought to my attention today. A woman named Martha Nibley Beck who is also the estranged daughter of an LDS church scholar by the name of Hugh Nibley is planning on publishing a book she has written called "Leaving the Saints". Apparently the book makes many false accusations towards the church, including her temple experience, and is also a chance for her to vent about her so-called "horrible family life". Oh, please....like we haven't heard *this* before. (rolls eyes)

What's more appauling about it is that she plans on promoting the book on Oprah since she has been featured as a guest on the show as well as in the O magazine before. And what's even more ghastly is that her book is scheduled to be published in March to coincide with her father, Hugh's 95th birthday!!!! It's like, "Oh, dad. I wanted to thank you for screwing up my life so I wrote a book about it...Happy Birthday!" (rolls eyes again)

First of all, I am all for freedom of speech. I realize that we live in a nation where this is a right whether we agree with what's being said or not. Second of all, I know that some people's accounts of their horrbile childhoods have helped others cope with their own similar issues, but I think there is a very specific time and a place for this. This seems to be a growing epidemic in society...to write about your private family life and expose the faults and sins therein to get gain...to have a "Best Seller". Basically, to get paid to gossip! Hollywood seems to have hopped on this banwagon a lot lately....

Now don't get me wrong. I have a friend that is writing a book about her father's unsolved murder. And of course, she has had to relate her childhood memories and probably had to dig into her family's past to complete her story. But that is a totally different situation and subject and I'm sure that she will present it in a classy and respectable way. (So please don't think I am even remotely implying anything about you, Rachel H.) *hugs* :)

Secondly, clearly this woman has no class. You can't tell me that Martha Nibley didn't realize this would be published around her father's birthday. Now, I don't know the real truth about their relationship, but even if my own father had abused, betrayed, hurt or wronged me in any way I would at least have the decency to not publish my book about him around his own birthday! The poor man is turning 95 for goodness sake! But then again, I just don't have a vengeful bone in my body so I have no idea what it is like for someone who does.

The other problem I have with this is that it is being associated with the Oprah Winfrey show. Oprah, to me, has, most of the time, been an inspiring, uplifting show. There has always been a warm and good spirit that fills the different episodes...I'm always so touched, I cry at the end of almost every episode!!! I was even inspired to start a successful Mom's group because of one viewing. If Oprah were to talk about this book on her show, it would be such a negative perspective on a Church that has done so much good throughout the world. Why not focus on the humanitarian relief the Church provides to millions of disaster victims? Why not focus on the success of the missionaries promoting the gospel all over creation? Why not focus on the Church welfare program or the Relief Society as the largest women's organization in the world? Why not focus on the Truth, rather than one angry woman's lies?? These kinds of topics would seem more typical of the Oprah show. I really don't care to watch any show or read any book that focuses on the atrocities, false beliefs and rumors of one religion or another. I am not interested in the recent scandolous stories associated with the Catholic church. What good is that information going to do me, really? Why not learn truths from the good members of the Church themselves who have a testimony of the truth, who understand the correct interpretation of the doctrine and who have felt the power of the the love of the Savior in their lives? Never seek knowledge about a certain subject and/or faith from someone who has tried it and failed, like Martha Nibley Beck.

But as always with the LDS Church, where there is much good, there is much opposition. ;)

And hello, this woman is estranged from her family....obviously there isn't going to be anything good she has to say about them or the Church they are devoted to. Has most of this world abandoned the concept "forgive and forget"?

Anyway, I for one, will be emailing Oprah this week. I think it important for anyone who disagrees with her show promoting this book to do so also.

*steps down from soapbox*

-Britten

Here I Am

Kaiya and me playing in the leaves

Okay....so I've been thinking about starting a Live Journal for quite some time now, but my friend Rachel started a new blog for herself a bit ago and I liked it so much that I thought maybe this would be the thing for me too. So here I am! I hope you all can learn a little more about me and share your thoughts as well.

I'm really just going to post whatever is on my mind at the moment and hopefully I can do this everyday....so I hope this is fun and interesting for the rest of you!!

The picture above was taken by myself about a year ago. I promised Kaiya that we would rake all the leaves into a pile and play in it one afternoon. She was so excited when we finally got to do it outside our apartment... she had had a really hard day at preschool that day so it was so fun to see how happy this made her!

-Britten, who loves Tori Amos and "Yay!" her new album comes out soon! Check it out below....do you like this song? You should be able to hear it playing as you read this, if you can't then turn up your speakers!