Old-school, Cartoony Shenanigans

The title for this blog is my new favorite phrase. The images it conjurs make me want to bust a gut. I heard it on one of my kid's modern-day cartoons, on Nick or something. It was coined by a character who was an older sister trying to coach a football team consisting of her younger brother and his band of misfit friends who were loosing against the unbeatable team. It was down to the last quater and she said, "Well, I guess in order to beat them we'll just have to resort to old-school, cartoony shenanigans!" Oh, my word! I was rolling with images of Wile E. Coyote dancing through my head!

I love that canine...thank heavens for Boom and Cartoon Network.
R.I.P. Chuck Jones

Ya'll gotta check this out. My sis Breena showed me these little cartoonies a few years ago and I've been following them ever since. They are from the site "Home Star Runner" and it would be well worth a few giggles to familiarize yourself with this site. So far, there's a series of 11 issues of this totally wacky and random parody of teen girls. Teen Girl Squad . Enjoy!

-Britten

If These Walls Could Talk

So I've been trying to decide on some phrases/quotes to go on my walls. My sister-in-law knows this lady that has a machine that prints out things you can stick on your wall that make it look like someone painted them on there. My mom is trying to get all our Indian names done for the living room at the cabin and needs to place an order. I wanted to place mine with hers, thus I've been trying to find the perfect quote for me - one that reflects the very "essence of Britten", and at the same time portrays who my family is, what we've been through, what we like and cherish, but I also wanted it to be something no one else would have on their walls, be it in a framed quote from Far West or on a wooden board painted and sold to every Joe Smoe out there.

I went looking for it on the net and found it within seconds. It was waiting for me....meant to be.

Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

I thought this perfect because 1) My family's love of the epic, fairytale adventures like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc. 2) The main reason why I love these stories is because of the message and life lessons they teach us. Whether it be a historical account of ancient peoples in the Book of Mormon or the Bible, or a fictional adventure of one small boy, they all teach us how to overcome this mortal plight and look to the future with bright hope. I love using examples from these parables in my class at church. And 3) Andy and I have had to beat a few "dragons" in the past...

So...this will be going high on my living room wall for all to see. In black, of course.


-Britten

Kaiya Laughing

 

Ari Laughing

I'm also putting a quote in Kaiya and Ari's room. One of my favorites from Peter Pan:

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.”
-J.M. Barrie

Shelbi, Brad, and Mustangs

So Brad and Amanda moved this week. I was sad but happy for their new little adventure. Mom and I agreed that their move didn't really hit us until we saw Brad's 69' Shelby Mustang covered and safely resting atop a trailer hooked to their moving van.

You see, no matter where Brad has gone and set up camp, whether it be his mission in Kentucky, Utah to be with Breena, back to Fresno, then to Utah again after he was married, then down to Victorville to have the twins, then up here to live for awhile, his beloved mustang has continued to live at my parent's house. A symbol of Brad's inevitable return one day or another - his anchor to us.

We have fond memories of Brad and that mustang or any of his cars for that matter. On those nights when we'd wonder "Oh Brother, where art thou?" we'd finally be able to rest well when we could hear the loud rumble of his car a mile away driving home at 3 am. And of course, there are the many wrecks he's been in. Whenever I can sense a crazy driver around me it's usually a teenage boy in a truck. I will never trust one again. I can gladly tell you that Brad's crazy driving days are over with his new little family in tow. The boy has become the man.

And now with the mustang finally leaving with him, his wings have been unclipped. Here's to a happy flight, Brad! I love you!


-Britten

3 Drunkards

Shelbi, Ari, and Savannah on the 4th.

Ahhh, So Melancholy!

Great scene! So beautiful and tragic...they could have lingered here a little more.

Triple Sword Fight

Loved this part!

Nice!

Orlando has grown into his Will character since the last Pirates. It's very nice to behold!! (Wish I could put the "batting-eyes" smiley in here)

My Second Favorite Character of All-Time

His performance = perfection...again....and this time he better be winning that Academy Award or there'll be hell to pay!