Trina Boice's Blog: The Boice Box, page 11

R.I.P.D falls short this summer

Think Men in Black,
Ghostbusters, and Ghost all mixed
together.  Add in Jeff Bridges as a
crusty old law man from the 1800’s (Roy), Ryan Reynolds as a rookie cop who is
killed before he can right a wrong, and a go-go boot wearing Proctor (Mary-Louise
Parker) somewhere in limbo and you’ve got R.I.P.D.   Oh yeah, and Kevin Bacon.  We’re always only 6 degrees away from Kevin
Bacon.







 



R.I.P.D duals the
“Rest In Peace Department” against the “dead-os” in this CGI-filled comedy
action film that takes place in modern-day Boston. 
The dead-os have a cartoony feel to them and the film falls short of the
magic found in other movies where earthlings are oblivious to the supernatural
threats around them.



 



Kind of a “universe protection program”, the R.I.P.D mission is to capture dead-os
and send them where they belong.  Nick
(the corrupt cop who dies) is taken to a sterile afterlife police department
where Steely Dan is always playing because “it relaxes people.”  From there he is sent back to earth to bag
dead-os.  These undead hardly compete
with their counterparts in this summer’s blockbuster World War Z. 



 



Jeff Bridges’ old coot character has some fun lines like
“She billy-goated me” when Mary-Louise Parker bites his gruffy beard, calling
his Asian helper “Panda Express”, and “Boody Hoo” when he’s trying to get his
young partner to man up, but his mouth sounded like it was full of chewing
tobacco the entire time and I wished he would just spit and get it over
with. 



 



Fenway Park, the Boston Commonwealth, and Boston’s Finest in
uniform were proudly shown off, as well as cannolis from Mike’s Pastry shop, a
popular bakery I visited a couple of years ago when I was in town.  I absolutely love Boston. 
How does that merchandising work anyway? 
A bottle of Fresca almost overshadowed Mary-Louise Parker in her
introductory scene.  And what about all
that cumin?  It was Indian food and
spices which transformed the dead-o’s from regular-looking citizens into
Saturday morning monsters.







 



One of the running gags in the film is that living humans
perceive Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds to be a gorgeous blonde and an old
Asian man.  The audience laughed every
time at the ridiculous duo, but they were also looking at their cell phones and
watches as the movie slugged along for 96 minutes.  Mary-Louise Parker's Botox is still full strength in Red 2, but she steals some scenes in that fun flick.







 



This supernatural movie is rated PG-13 for violence (mostly
bloodless) and a heck of a lot of potty-mouths, mostly Jeff Bridges’.   The
movie had its amusing moments, but my mind often wandered and thought my long
laundry list of things I needed to get done as soon as the movie was over.  May this movie R.I.P.



 



 



Grade = C+

Red 2 provides action and laughts at the movies

The last time we saw John Malkovich in Red, he was wearing blonde braids and being pushed in a wooden cart
through a field in Maldova with bombs going off all around him, while being
chased by dozens of armed soldiers. 



 



Red 2 reunites
John Malkovich’s paranoid and retired CIA-Agent (Marvin) with his old partner,
Frank Moses, played by Bruce Willis.  You
have to love a Hollywood movie where all of
the stars are over 50.  I watched the
first installment of the 2010 sleeper hit Red
this week to refresh my memory of the fun story and quirky characters in
preparation for the sequel, and enjoyed it as much as I did the first time, but
you don’t have to see it to still get a kick out of Red 2.  You’ll miss a few
inside jokes and some relationship background, but you’ll catch on quickly
enough to enjoy the goofy action.







 



Although the original poster to advertise Red was actually red, it’s actually an acronym
which stands for “Retired Extremely Dangerous”, a label some “thumb sucker”
used on a file when Frank and Marvin retired from the CIA.  The color red is actually highlighted more in
this second film, as well as a more comic-book feel.  The campy 70’s music from the original is
replaced with a more current twist, often using popular musical snippets to
underscore comedic moments.



 



Red 2 opens in
Costco, where Marvin and his girlfriend (Mary-Louise Parker) are shopping for
giant bags of shrimp to take home to their quiet, boring life in the
‘burbs.  It doesn’t take long for bullets
to start flying and a mysterious crime to call them into action. 



 



The film is rated PG-13 for lots and lots of violence
(mostly bloodless).  It has it all:
awesome explosions, car crashes in impressive chase scenes in Paris, tons of shooting with various weapons,
hand-to-hand combat, and even a guy getting killed with a lethal origami bird.  You’ll hear some profanity in the heat of the
moment, but no F-bombs.  Oh, and lots and
lots of kissing.  Frank’s girlfriend
often resorts to kissing the bad guys when she can’t think of anything else to
do.  She’s an enthusiastic accomplice, successfully
donning short skirts during most of the movie, eagerly taking tactical tips
from Marvin when Frank isn’t looking. 
It’s important to have fun activities to do together as a couple.



 



Speaking of Frank’s girlfriend (Sarah Ross) played by
Mary-Louise Parker, I wish Hollywood actresses
would stop messing with their faces and just age gracefully.  I always admired Mary-Louise Parker for her
feminine beauty before she had “work” done, including Botox which leaves her
acting more reliant upon voice inflection than facial expression.  She’s a terrific actress, also starring in
this weekend’s arrival of R.I.P.D.
directed by Robert Schwentke, who directed the first Red, but not the sequel. 
Marvin comments that she has something that neither he nor Frank have:
people like her.  And they do…in both Red 2 and R.I.P.D.







 



Frank’s romantic kryptonite is revealed in the “dusky femme
fatale”, Russian Katja (Catherine Zeta-Jones).  
What happens in the Kremlin, stays in the Kremlin.  I’ll bet you didn’t know there was a Papa
John’s right next door to Soviet headquarters, did you?  The beloved Anthony Hopkins graces the screen
as a brilliant scientist who can unlock the secrets to the “Project Nightshade”
dilemma, but alas, he has been put under I.C.E. (Incarcerated Can’t
Execute). 



 



Helen Mirren’s character, MI6 agent Victor, offers
relationship advice to Sarah and skillfully takes out enemies while looking
fabulous the entire time.  Marvin
encourages Frank to run to emotional safety, explaining “I know one thing:
women and covert ops.”  Frank protests
“But that’s two things.”  Marvin, in his
great wisdom, opines “No Grasshopper.  It
is not.”



 



As our favorite cool, yet deadly, retired agents all come
together again, Han (Byung-hun Lee) appears in the least convenient times to
put a hit on Frank.  Their fights are
pretty impressive, especially considering the age difference between the two.



 



My husband has a hard time enjoying movies that are
completely implausible, and there are quite a few critics out there who are
also annoyed by the film’s holes, but imagine the actors and director with
their tongue firmly planted in their cheeks and you’ll be entertained.  By the way, Maldova gets a shout-out in the
movie, and John Malkovich ends the movie wearing fruit on his head, dressed as
a dancer in their next adventure in Caracas.  Red 3?



 



 



Grade = A-

Christmas Savings in July

What? We’re counting down how many shopping days are left until Christmas already?! Nooooo! Actually, this is all about what you can do now to prepare for Christmas so that you DON’T have to go shopping, scramble for gifts at the last-minute and spend a fortune on impulse purchases during the holidays.



A bit of gift preparation and planning ahead now will allow you to relax and enjoy your family and loved ones during the festivities. Imagine having time to actually reflect on the reason for the season, rather than being rushed and stressed as you frantically watch the clock tick toward your gift deadline. Santa has to make a list and check it twice, so starting now will allow you to really enjoy the spirit of giving, take advantage of sales and be more organized than ever.



Plan ahead

Begin by creating a Christmas to-do list and a budget. Need a little more direction? Check out the following guide at lifeasmom. 



Shop the sales

Christmas doesn’t have to be stressful or expensive. Some stores, such as Sears, Kmart, Old Navy, Target, JC Penney and Toys R Us offer Christmas Lane sections on their websites in July to reduce some of their stock and attract summer shoppers. You can find even more Christmas in July sales at:


QVC
Bonanza
Artfire

Free samples

Start stocking up now on free samples for stocking stuffers.



Earn points for rewards

You can also start stocking up on points that can be redeemed for gift cards when you do searches at Swagbucks or Mypoints. It’s amazing how fast the points and gift cards can add up.

You’ll earn cash back when you make purchases at Ebates or ShopAtHome.



Watch for deals

If you want to purchase something specific for someone, start saving those pretty pennies in a special jar and don’t be tempted to spend them on something else. Watch for the item you want to go on sale by registering for price drop alerts and following deal trackers such as:


dodtracker
cleansnipe
gearattack

Make it yourself

You’ve got plenty of time to make homemade gifts if you start now. People recognize the time and love you’ve invested in them when your gift comes from your heart and your hands. Here are some great homemade gift ideas to get your creative juices started:


craftbits
familycrafts
notmadeofmoney
familyfun
craftynest
homemade gifts made easy

If you don’t have a green thumb or a crafty finger, but appreciate those who do, you might get a kick out of attending a Christmas in July festival where artisans focus on gifts for the holidays. Do an Internet search for one in your area.



Throw a party

Throw a Christmas in July party. You can find all kinds of tips and fun ideas for your shindig at theholidayspot. One Christmas in July party I love is a swap where people bring new or gently used items they have sitting around their house and exchange with other people. I call it a New to You event that makes for perfect, FREE gifts. You could also have a Busy Hands party where everyone brings crafting supplies, extra fabric and cute ideas that everyone can use to make gifts.

There is actually a movie called “Christmas in July." You can watch it with your family to get into the spirit of things.



Evaluate your to do list

Finally, take some time to reconsider what you spend your time and money on during the holidays. For example, most people stress out over Christmas cards, the family photo that goes on them, as well as the stamps that rack up your Christmas expense. Would the world end if you sent a FREE Christmas letter email with photos?



Suggest a neighborhood celebration

What if, instead of buying gifts for every single person in your extended family, you bought one gift for each family like a favorite DVD and snack pack for them to enjoy? How about having a neighborhood potluck dinner where you can spend time together, rather than dropping off purchased gifts for everyone on your street?



Give an experience

The truth is, we all have more than enough stuff in our homes . . . we really don’t need more gifts. What we DO want is more time with our families, so think about what kinds of experiences you can give at Christmas. For example, you could give an invitation to a special dinner in your home, a specially-wrapped fingernail polish with a card that explains you’ll join the receiver on a Girls Day Out to get a pedicure, a season membership pass to a local museum or a box of Frisbee golf discs with maps to all of the local parks where you could play together.



Christmas should be a magical time, but if you’re racing around like a stressed out crazy person the entire month of December, it won’t be. Take a breath and make a plan now to create marvelous memories for your family.

Pacific Rim splashes big at the box office

Transformers meet Godzilla with an inspiring speech worthy
of Independence Day.  There, now you know the whole plot of Pacific Rim, the summer’s latest popcorn
blockbuster.  My movie buff son
absolutely loved it and said “I’d give it a TEN and see it AGAIN!”  This is one that movie goers will line up for
again and again.



 



My son who is currently an animation student in college said
it included all of his favorite things: giant robots kicking alien butt in the
Lovecraft genre style of fighting, complete with lots of explosions, a cute
Asian girl, a Japanese references, Director Guillermo del Toro, and amazing
CGI.  He even got a kick out of hearing
the same actress who voices the popular video game “Portal.”  He said the only thing he thought the movie
lacked was Liam Neeson.  Ha ha



 







You probably won’t recognize a lot of the actors, such as
big screen newbies Charlie Hunnam and Diego Klattenhoff, who play brothers
whose minds become linked when fighting inside a giant robot called a Jaeger,
designed to fight cool alien creatures from the sea.  The actors actually look alike, as does Burn
Gorman, another Jaeger fighter who tries to save the world from threatening
monsters.  You will, however, get a kick
out of seeing Hellboy’s Ron Perlman,
who plays Hannibal Chau, named after one of his favorite villains and food.  Director Guillermo del Toro admitted that if
he could ever form a neural handshake with anyone that it would be Ron
Perlman.  Yeah.  Ron Perlman has been in every single one of
Guillermo del Toro’s movies.







 



The movie has that “Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots” feel to it and
is even a little comic book clichéd, but it has enough incredible CGI special
effects to fill the Pacific Ocean.   Watching it in 3D will keep you right inside
the action, but if you’re sitting too close to an IMAX screen you will get
swallowed up by it. 







 



Unlike some alien movies, you get to see a LOT
of these creatures up close.  They’re
super cool-looking, scary, and even have some pretty Avatar blue streaks and ooze. 
Director Guillermo del Toro includes a whirling mixture of digital,
analog, complicated mechanisms, iconic big Russians, funky science with alien
body parts, Iron Man mobility, and
Steam Punk.  The sound effects are beyond
big and cool.  Rinko Kikuchi as a little
girl is the cutest thing ever.



 



Idris Elba’s delightful accent underscores the movies theme
that it takes the whole world’s efforts to save itself.   The “drift” introduces the idea of two
people’s minds united in a common cause. 
Who would YOU want to join with in the “drift”?  No spoiler alert here: the world is saved and you’ll
leave the theater with a silly grin on your face.



 



Two fun quotes from the flick that show how it doesn’t take
itself too seriously:



 



“We can either sit here a nothing or we can grab those flare
guns and go out there and do something really stupid.”  (Herc Hansen)



 



“Today, at the edge of our hope, at the end of our time, we
have chosen not only to believe in ourselves, but in each other.  Today we face the monsters that are at our
door.  Today we are canceling the
apocalypse!”   (Stacker Pentecost)



You can read more movie reviews by Trina at www.MovieReviewMaven.blogspot.com

Monster's University takes Mike and Sully back to college fun

 

I imagined the director and producers of Monster’s Inc sitting around a board
room table, trying to come up with a plot for the next installment of the Pixar’s
lovable monster flick.  During the
brainstorm, someone in the room must have said “Monsters scare you….Scare U”
and suddenly the college template was framed for the newly released prequel.



 



How the one-eyed Mike Guzowski and furry “kitty” giant,
James Sullivan (Sully), first met in college is a ragtag underdog story that
includes party monsters in frat houses, a rousing alma mater fight song with
spunky cheerleaders, jocks, boring Ferris Bueller-esque professors, and inspiring
competition between students who want to win the annual Scare Games.  The campus is full of all the clichéd groups
you ever saw during your undergrad years, complete with an emo Goth goul and dragon-winged,
centipede-bodied dean who is easily the scariest monster in the entire school.  You know you had a dean like that.







 

Randy Newman’s theme song gets you in the mood for some
magical monster animation from beginning to end.  And by the way, be sure to stick around at the
end of the rolling credits for the final touch.  I love it when movies reward their diehard
fans who want just a little bit more and are willing to stay in their seats until the bitter end.  



 

The cast includes the exceptional voice talents of Billy
Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, Sean Hayes, Bonnie Hunt, and
Jennifer Tilly.  Mike and Sully are
fleshed out with back-story details that leave us loving them even more.  Can you say “Merchandising Jackpot!”?



 

One of my sons is currently an animation student in college,
so I always love to hear his opinion on the artistry and CGI in films.  He gave Monster’s
University two big thumbs up and bows to Pixar’s talent and creativity.  Fingers crossed my son can get a job with Pixar when he graduates next spring!

 

The film doesn’t rely on the fans’ love of
the first movie; it introduces new characters you’ll fall in love with, as well
as new dimensions to the Monsters’ world that are sure to create new areas in
theme parks.



 

It’s an adorable movie that the entire family will enjoy.







 

Richard Gere's "Double" review

Which way now? That’s the question you’ll ask at the end of the movie Double, starring the aging-well Richard Gere. This fun spy thriller has some clever twists and turns, which I love. Even though I love a solid ending, I also love the conversation-starting rush that leaves you wondering what happens next. You think you know, but you might be wrong. Sure, it opens the movie up for a possible sequel or it could just be a fun way to leave you hanging.




My husband and I just discovered Double on Netflix last night. Directed by Michael Brandt and released late in 2011, the movie received mixed reviews. Richard Gere fans will be impressed that he runs and keeps up with the young FBI agent played by Topher Grace. Martin Sheen fans will get a kick out of his authoritative performance as the head of the CIA. (I miss The West Wing.)








Gere plays a retired CIA agent who is called back to help find a Soviet assassin claimed to have killed a U.S. senator. The Cold War is alive and well. One of my sons decided to start learning Russian lately, so it was fun to recognize some of the words he taught me. Thankfully, there are subtitles during the few moments the Slavic language is spoken in the movie. The plot solves a mystery early in the movie, to some movie-goers’ chagrin, but there are more crimes to solve as the movie rolls along the streets of Washington D.C. The director likes to zoom in on waving American flags, but the plot will make you wonder if our country’s intelligence has Sputnik-sized holes in it.









You’ll watch a bad guy swallow two batteries and see lots of bullets fly, but otherwise, there are no F-bombs, sex, or nudity, earning a solid PG-13 rating. No, it didn’t win any awards, but it passes for 1 ½ hours of interesting entertainment.

The White House is Under Attack...again

                                       




The White House
is under attack….again.  If you saw “Olympus Has Fallen” a few months ago, then you’ve “been
there, done that” minus the wonder that is Morgan Freeman.  (My kids swear he’s in every movie they’ve
ever seen.) 



 



Isn’t it weird
when similar movies are released around the same time?  Remember last summer’s “Snow White and the
Huntsman” and “Mirror, Mirror”?  Granted,
they were completely different movies, but I guess it’s a matter of studios
spying on each other for movie themes and wanting to “one-up” each other.  Like “Olympus Has Fallen”, “White House Down”
has received mixed reviews.



 



Including a funny
reference to the blockbuster “Independence Day” this action thriller was directed
by Roland Emmerich who also directed “Independence Day”, “2012” and “The Day
After Tomorrow.”  He obviously loves
disasters and making messes, although this is the first time that the chaos is
confined to one specific location.   Written
by James Vanderbilt, who also wrote “The Amazing Spider-Man”, this Sony release
doesn’t hit as hard or as funny as you might like, but is still enjoyable for
those who love explosions and lots and lots of gun fire.  Lots.



 



Of course, if all
you care about is watching sexy actor-turned-action hero, Channing Tatum, then
you’re good to go.  Tatum plays John Cale,
an ex-soldier underdog who visits the White House in hopes of securing a job
with the Secret Service. Jamie Foxx plays President Sawyer, an Obama-esque
leader who drops the only F-bomb in the flick.  Touting a left-wing agenda of anti-military,
President Sawyer is ironically saved by the troops.  



 



I noticed that
the summer popcorn movie scored fairly average on Rotten Tomatoes with many viewers
citing the “cheese factor”, as well as comparisons to the one-man-against-all-the-bad
guys style of all the “Die Hard” films.  Tatum
even wears the classic dirty “wife-beater” t-shirt styled by Bruce Willis in
the franchise films.  The “Die Hard”
formula has been a hit with many movie-goers for years, and this one will be
too.  Unfortunately, it has some clichés
that make it a bit tired, such as the disgruntled teen who calls her father by
his first name until she sees what a true hero he really is, bad guys who have
superior fire power, yet can’t seem to ever hit their target, and characters
who walk away from a grenade that explodes only inches away from them.



 



It’s still a lot
of fun and reminds us that family is most important.  Interestingly, both the evil mastermind and the
hero fight for family in “White House Down.”  Take a tub of buttery popcorn and your teenage
boys.



 

World War Z movie will quicken your pulse

Brad Pitt.  Need I say
more?  Well ok, if you're a guy, you're
going to want more out of this June thrill ride than just staring at the aging,
yet still handsome half of Brangelina.




World War Z is a fun summer blockbuster about a zombie
apocalypse, loosely based on the popular book that my sons devoured back in
2006 entitled "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War" by Max
Brooks. I wonder if Brad Pitt's kids also read the book when it came out and
clamored for pop to film it. His production company, Plan B Entertainment,
quickly secured the screen rights for it in 2007. 










Rumor has it that the budget for this flick chewed up over
$400 million with some post-production re-writes that caused its later release.
In fact, the last 40 minutes of the movie were completely remade. Some critics
claim the post-production troubles make the movie a bit choppy, but as long as
you have popcorn in your mouth, you're going to be entertained. The zombie
craze still seems to be alive and well, so ticket sales look promising.




Brad Pitt is confident it's going to do well and told US
Today, "Listen, I'm pretty proud of this film.  It's just big and fun and this is the most
intense thing you're going to see all year." He said it was the most
intense thing he's done, and he certainly has skin in the game on this one...so
to speak.




Brad Pitt plays Gerry
Lane, a retired UN employee who gets called in to
help find the origins of the undeadly strain that is turning humans into rabid
zombies.  Gerry Lane is properly motivated to
search the globe for a cure in return for his family's safety and protection on
one of the few floating ships turned safe zones in the ocean.




Combine Gerry
Lane's effective survival skills with Brad Pitt's
golden locks and you get some action scenes that even hard-core preppers will
admire. It's challenging enough to survive the slow-moving zombies in "The
Walking Dead", but these creepy corpses "turn" in only 12
seconds, race after you at very quick speeds, jump onto the high walls
surrounding Jerusalem,
and even pull down a helicopter. Your heart will pound in suspense and you'll
try to quiet your breath when you learn that loud sounds attract the rabid
humans.




Gerry Lane
counsels a family locked up in a New
Jersey apartment after the chaotic outbreak that
"movement is life." His former experience getting in and out of hot
zones helps him come up with resourceful survival ideas, saving himself and
others along the way, including a female soldier in the Israeli army.




If you loved the popular TV show "Lost", you'll
get a kick out of seeing Matthew Fox as one of the parajumpers that fights to
protect those seeking a cure.  Audiences
will be introduced to Mireille Enos, who plays Brad Pitt's frightened and dutiful
wife. 




The special effects are amazing and pretty believable.  As my kids say, "It could happen."




The movie is being released in 2D, RealID 3D, and IMAX 3D.
While I love a good 3D experience, this particular film doesn't work well in 3D
because of the camera's shakiness, so see it in 2D and you won't get dizzy.

FREE copy of Trina's newest release!

In honor of Memorial Day and the memories we share of our families, get a FREE copy of my newly released book today and tomorrow at:  http://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Family-Trees-ebook/dp/B00CUTES2U/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369153319&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=climbing+family+trees+trina

Twitter party to launch new book Climbing Family Trees for genealogy lovers!

Yesterday my publisher, Big World Network, hosted a fun Twitter party to launch my new book "Climbing Family Trees."  














Below is the dialogue that trended all morning long:



Trina Boice has been with BigWorldNetwork.com since the
beginning of the site in late fall of 2011, and has since published several
series and books with us. How to Stay UP in a DOWN Economy, a nonfiction book
about earning and saving money from home, is available now in paperback, eBook,
and audiobook.




Trina’s newest novel, originally published in 2005, and then
as a series on BWN, is a joint effort with her twin sister, Tracey Long –
Climbing Family Trees: Whispers in the Leaves.




Climbing Family Trees is a nonfiction/inspirational book
about genealogy, with advice as well as personal stories from the twins and
others. The book released this past weekend, starting with a Twitter Release
Party in which BWN asked the sisters to join us and answer some questions about
the book.




BWN: Welcome to BWN’s second ever Twitter Release Party!
Featuring new book release Climbing Family Trees: Whispers in the Leaves. This
is the 2nd edition of Climbing Family Trees. What originally inspired you and
Tracey to take on this book?




Trina: Our own family inspired us to write Climbing Family
Trees several years ago. We had been bit by the genealogy bug and loved
inspiring stories. It was such a fun book to write! Any time you want to have a
spiritual experience, just do genealogy!




Tracey: It was such a fun project to do together. Because
we're twins, we think alike so we're already "on the same page."




BWN: How did you go about gathering so many inspiring
personal stories about genealogy?




Tracey: We sent query letters to genealogical societies and
got great stories.




Trina: Genealogists are VERY giving. Sharing is what they do
all day long, so they were eager to contribute. We put a call out for
inspirational stories of people who felt help from heaven with their family
tree. We received so many heartwarming stories. Heaven truly helps those who
want to unite families! So sweet!




BWN: Further proof that writing can be communal! What was
the most difficult hurdle while working on Climbing Family Trees?




Trina: We wrote the book before cloud computing and had to
email the manuscript back and forth. Our computers crashed TWICE while writing
it. Luckily, we each had manuscript versions to email to each other. The two of
us are in the process of writing another fun book together. We love the
collaboration.




BWN: What new title are you working on? Can you give us a
sneak peek on the topic?




Tracey: Because our focus is "families" &
"fun" we're writing a book of party games. People often rely too much
on watching videos for group entertaining because they don't know what else to
do!




Trina: We're usually working on several things at a time!
We’re working on a kind of Whose Line Is It Anyway party game book. Our nephew
was in a comedy improv group in college and shared some of his group's warm-up
games to add! We've tried many of them at parties. Soooo much fun! We'll post
videos when the book comes out.




BWN: That sounds fantastic! I know my family get togethers
could use some fun ideas for activities.




Trina: Every family has natural hams, so interactive party
games at family reunions are always a hit. We have a whole chapter in Climbing
Family Trees with fun family reunion party games too!




BWN: Was Climbing Family Trees your first time writing
something together?




Trina: Yep, the first official published work. We had
collaborated on other projects together and still do.




Tracey: We competed in a National Speech/Debate event
together as twins.




Trina: Can you believe Tracey was my live prop once in
college for an expository speech about twins? We won 1st! Another project could
be to gather fun stories about twins. People love stories about twins tricking
people.




BWN: Have you and Tracey ever tricked anyone as twins?




Trina: Of course! We switched classes, and tricked dates.
Tracey's husband almost kissed me on her wedding day!




Tracey: The question is how many times have we tricked
people! That's a great book idea!




BWN: Agreed! Thank you both for joining us today! Genealogy
is something anyone can get involved in, and often engrossed in before they even
realize it.




Trina: Absolutely! It's not just for "old" folks.
We all have a hunger to know where we came from. Genealogy isn't just finding
your ancestors, but connecting with your living relatives and celebrating
family.




Tracey: Alex Haley, the author of Roots stated everyone has a deep thirst to know more about their
family. Our book helps you start learning how. Many people believe in a
guardian angel, and who best but an ancestor of yours to help guide you in
climbing your own family tree.




Trina: Climbing Family Trees includes TONS of ideas to honor
your heritage and celebrate family every day. It also includes touching stories
of adopted children finding their blood relatives. Very tender.




Tracey: We even have a chapter on animals involved in
genealogy. And we'd love to know how the book helps readers and listeners find
and connect with their own family trees!




To let Trina and Tracey know your thoughts on the book, feel
free to respond to this blog post, on their series page, on any episode pages
for Climbing Family Trees, or leave a review on Amazon.




Purchase your copy of Climbing Family Trees: Whispers in the
Leaves now at: https://bigworldnetwork.com/site/store/climbingfamilytrees/ …
and receive a FREE audiobook with purchase of the paperback




Watch for FREE eBook days on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Climbing-Family-Trees-ebook/dp/B00CUTES2U/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369001924&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=climbing+family+trees+trina




Check out the video promo here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNSX_yW5f_s …




You can also download and print a FREE bookmark at the
Climbing Family Trees series page: https://bigworldnetwork.com/site/series/climbingfamilytrees/ …