Bennett Roy

After a trying 14 hour labor and a not-so-fun birth, Bennett Roy Chiappini was born to my beautiful sister and her husband. He is the most precious thing I have ever seen and I have never loved a child more. He was born January 26th at 3:45pm, at 8.3 lbs. and 21" long. He was perfect in every way (minus the scary but fast healing suction injury on his head and some swelling). It's easy to just stare at him all day, he's such a sweet little man. I am hoping to take some of my own pictures of him this weekend, but until then, here are some I swiped from family.

Out With The Old - In With The New

Early on in January, my poor little Camry decided to go and get a few oil leaks. I took her in and the estimate given to me made my jaw drop. I thought about it for a day and decided that it was time. Time to trade her in. I got "Camie" in 2000 or so while in college and she really held out well. Being a 94' with over 167,000 miles made her a bit elderly as far as cars go and I had to look for a new, younger car.

After days of research and test drives, I came across a 2006 Subaru Forester with my name on it. I figured it was better to go a few years old and with a few more miles on it to guarantee the value. Because I bought used, I was able to get a "sooped-up" version of this Forester. Heated seats, a panoramic sun roof, roof racks, alloy wheels, fog lights, a six-disk changer, and leather accents.

All in all, I am really happy with my purchase! I love the extra features and the all-wheel drive. The only down sides? It's not great on gas and the back seat could be a bit roomier. I will miss my Camry. She treated me well and I was sorta attached, but it was time and I am now a proud owner of a Subie!

Avatar 3D

So this month, I was lucky enough to go see Avatar in the theaters twice! I was a bit wary because of the hype, but I am so glad I went! This new film will really win out at the Oscars. The plot was done before in other formats (Think: Fern Gully, Atlantis, or Dances with Wolves), but the thing that makes the difference is the computer graphics. I don't know much about CIG and such, but I can tell that this was a huge leap in what we are able to do. The shift and mix of human acting and computer generated images was flawless. It was completely believable that these humans were in this other world and the facial expressions on these other beings was spot on. Seeing it in 3D may have spoiled me a bit however. How am I supposed to watch it in plain old 2D when it comes out on DVD?
Anyhow, I highly recommend this movie if you can sit through it! It has a good message and the effects are spectacular.

New Years 2010!

Happy New Year!
Mike and I decided to stay in this New Years. We met up with Lindsay and Reid about 5pm at the Noodle Boat, our favorite Thai place here in Issaquah. We had a yummy meal, then went back to Reid and Lindsay's for a little Apples to Apples and music. We ate some Apple-Candybar desert and played with their cat, Rainey. It's always good to spend time with friends and we had a nice N.Y. eve! Lindsay had to go to bed after her cold kicked it up a notch and with the threat of work the next day, so Mike and I said our goodbyes and headed home to dance it up with Charlie and watch the fireworks on TV at the Space Needle. It was good to be home with my hubby and puppy as the clock struck 12am. No driving on the scary drunken freeways and our very own bed just a few feet away. Here's to an awesome 2010!