Happy Rey/Padmé/IG-88/Logray Day

If you recognized those 4 names*, then you probably already know what day today is.

It's May the 4th! aka Star Wars Day!

Here are a couple day-appropriate memes I found:

Classic Simpsons episode.

Deep thought, although I don't understand why a raptor is saying this...

Hopefully you're doing something fun to celebrate, maybe having a party with a Jar Jar Binks piñata and cutting cake with a lightsaber. At the least, have a moment of silence for Han Solo (RIP).
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*Here are linkable explanations of the 4 names, for those of you who didn't recognize them:
Rey = Jakku scavenger, joined the Resistance in The Force Awakens (Episode 7)
Padmé = Naboo politician, married Anakin Skywalker, mother of Luke & Leia Skywalker
IG-88 = bounty hunter robot, tasked by Darth Vader to find the Millenium Falcon
Logray = chief shaman in the Ewok tribe, helped fight in the Battle of Endor

Star Wars Geeks Rejoice: We Have The "Rogue One" Teaser

For all of a couple months since "The Force Awakens" was released, we Star Wars geeks have salivated at the thought of "Rogue One" coming at the end of this year.

And now we have the teaser trailer:

I'm giddy as a school boy.

While these non-linear movies (in terms of the Star Wars movie timelines) might confuse some, I am stoked to see the styles and stories of these characters, and to have a behind-the-scenes of what was touched on briefly way back when "A New Hope" debuted in 1977.

The footage/style looks gritty and wild, which I love.

It feels just right for what the Rebellion was at that point, and in line with the world that Luke and Han accidentally stepped into back on the remote planet of Tatooine.

The crew looks great, and I love that elements of the Force don't seem to be pervasive. That's a pretty cool departure from all the previous films.

What do you think of the teaser trailer? Are you excited? Dismayed for some reason?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Now hurry up and get here, December 16th!

Delightful Disneyland and Dodger Days

Disneyland. It's the happiest place on earth.

So we took our family vacation on the road to Anaheim, CA, for a couple days of fun.

Once again, this post will be mostly pictures. Hope you're ok with that.

Day 1: Disneyland

Breezy's first roller coaster ride. Like a champ!

Zonks' first roller coaster ride. Like a boss!

Meeting the big cheese.

With the first lady.

G-unit is an official Jedi padawan. Even defeated Darth Maul.

So excited to meet their favorite!

They tried so hard. Guess they're princesses, not kings.

Day 2: (Mostly) California Adventure

My #carouselfie shot. Yep, that's a thing now.

Day 3: Both parks

A Mickey beignet? Yes, please!

My sister's friend Jillian was super cool, and doesn't she look like Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones?

Cruella de Vil was a total crack-up.

Caught up with some friends in Downtown Disney.

Day 4: Huntington Beach and the Dodgers game

Our hardcore surfer dudes.

Great game! Dodgers beat the Giants in extra innings.

After such an action-packed adventure, I only have one question:
Is it too early to start planning our next family trip?

Geeking Out: My Salt Lake Comic Con Experience

If you've never been to a Comic Con, you need to.

They are an amazing spectacle to behold.

I had my first experience at the Salt Lake Comic Con a few Saturdays ago.

And since it was my sister's birthday, we both dressed up for the event.

She went as Princess Bubblegum, and I went as a soldier.

I knew it'd be an action-packed, fun day, but it was even better than I'd expected.

Hoards of people, most of them wearing costumes.

Tons of booths for comic books, animators, and companies.

A whole lot of short films, celebrity panels, and movie star meet-and-greets. 

There was so much to see that we actually had to make the conscious decision to eat lunch.

And we didn't eat until mid-afternoon (because we forgot until then).

I could write quite a long post, but I think I'll let my pictures and quick captions do most of the talking.

Had to get a pic with Star Wars peeps

We totally thought this was the real actress from DS9

Hey, look! It's the Fonz!

An expert photo-bomb by the Doctor

The 501st Legion had some pretty impressive costumes and a great booth

Ah, good ol' Evil Dead the Musical

Dean Cain is such a good guy
He even gave my sis two birthday hugs!

Fun finding my friend Deena Marie in the main hall

And my talented artist friend Brandon Dayton was there, too

I'm so glad Megan's friend Carrie (dressed as Apple Jack from My Little Pony) joined up with us

It really was an incredible day, and I am already looking forward to next year.
Maybe I'll even put in more than a week's thought/work on my costume next time.

Did you go? What was your experience?
If you've been to multiple Comic Cons, I'd love to hear how they differed and which you liked most.

Happy Presidents Day!

Happy Presidents Day, everyone!

And because everything is better with Star Wars...

There's pretty much no way our day could get better after that video, but I hope we all have fun anyway!

Angry Birds + Star Wars? I Blame Disney

I read this CNN article today, and I'm a bit dismayed by it.

Really?! A Star Wars version of Angry Birds?

Has Disney already started bastardizing the Star Wars brand, barely over a week into its ownership?

Or maybe I just don't like Angry Birds, and I'd rather they made a Star Wars version of Carcassonne and/or Settlers of Cataan instead...

Aw, who am I kidding?
It's got Star Wars in the title, so I'll at least give it a shot.

You win another round, Disney.
But some day I'll have will power... some day.

Star Wars Lesson: Genealogy is Important

Just about anything having to do with Star Wars will catch my eye.
What can I say, I'm a big nerd.

Well, I saw this yesterday, and I couldn't help but laugh and then share it.

If you don't know why that's funny, you need to watch the original Star Wars trilogy.

But this clip that might give you enough to piece together the importance of genealogy.

Awkward.

Happy Star Wars Day, Nerfherders!

It's May 4th, and that means it's Star Wars Day again.

Why? Because "May the 4th be with you" is too great a pun for us nerds to pass up.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the interwebs that celebrate this occasion:

Good reminder of the appropriate Twitter hash tag today

Digging the art design

Sad but clever, and I like the drawing style

Yoda likes to party more than you'd think

Probably the most applicable to me, being the huge nerd that I am

Have a good one! Anybody actually doing a special celebration?
I'm going to the Nats v Phillies baseball game, which has no correlation at all, but I just thought I'd share.