Life Quote #5

 "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persucutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Grading the 2011 NFL Season

Well, the 2011/2012 NFL football season is over. All in all, actual football was pretty dull throughout. Fantasy football on the other hand was awesome! I won two leagues!

But, the Redskins still suck, the Titans were almost playoff contenders and the Ravens were one game away from the Super Bowl.

Sound familiar?

Then, add that Eli Manning and his Giants beat Tom Brady and the Bradettes and everything sounds so 2007. I was rooting for the Giants in the SB, but honestly that’s not saying much. I haven’t been a fan of the Patriots since they won their three super bowls in the 2000s. Tom Brady is a bit into himself and his wife is a bit too outspoken about Brady’s teammates.

The Giants on the other hand are one of my team’s biggest rivals. Eli is as interesting as a dust bunny blowing in the wind. But, I was going for the baby Manning to receive more rings than Peyton, especially in Peyton’s house.

But overall, the season was pretty dull for a hopeless Redskins fan...though this was pretty awesome:


This guy is always good as always:


And this was just straight cool:

Let’s look at my favorite teams and how they did this year:

Redskins

Rex Grossman and John Beck are making Donovan McNabb look like superman. Really, what was Shanahan thinking going with Grossman and Beck this year? We need a QB and we need it bad. I only see two options that I’d be happy with: 1. They pursue Peyton hard and get him here, then spend their draft picks and a little more moola to get him weapons on offense. 2. They trade up and get Robert Griffin III and use free agency to bring in some weapons for him. They need a QB, and need it bad, I’m tired of being in the NFC East cellar and I know Daniel Snyder is too.

Titans

Well, Chris Johnson really screwed up his season this year eh? Where did he go? Did he finally get his payday or was he just out of shape all season? Jake Locker was brilliant when he was in, but looks like Hasselbeck will continue to drive the offense. Kenny Britt got hurt, yet again, but was a shining star before the injury. He needs to stay healthy this year if the Titans have any hopes on building on this season. I think they will contend for the playoffs again – but will fall short due to inconsistency with Hasselbeck.

Ravens

They are aging and aging fast. Ray Rice can only carry the team so far. Other people have to step up and turn their game face on in the playoffs. I don’t think this squad will ever make it to the big game. They do continue to pop out great seasons consistently and as long as Ray Lewis breaths purple and black, the Ravens will have a least an opportunity to make it to the super bowl. Ray Rice is the reason for the success though, without him this team would be trembling in the AFC North.

Predictions for the Redskins in the 2012/2013 season:

Redskins will pursue Peyton Manning hard, but will come up short and he will land in Miami. This will lead the Redskins to consider Kyle Orton (ew) or trading a lot to get RG3. They will do the latter and grab the likes of Pierre Garcon or Vincent Jackson to help the young rookie out. Leonard Hankerson will develop as the WR2 and Santana Moss will find consistency as a WR3. The defense will continue to progress and Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo will dominate the league in sacks. They will fall short of the playoffs however. 2013 will be their playoff return.

What Everyone is Talking About: Skylanders

Wow. These things are so freaking cool. I'm not going to lie...I think I'm a little more addicted to these things than Micah is.

I found myself playing this game long after Micah went to sleep last night. By myself, at 9pm, while Brittany was reading a book (a much more adult-like thing to do than playing a kid's video game).

BUT, don't let her fool you. Brittany is also into this game. She has her own Skylander and has already picked out two more that she wants to buy. Sorry babe, had to sell you out so I didn't  look like the only crazy parent.

So...what is this little action figure statue thing that you are looking at as you are reading this post? Well, it just happens to be the coolest invention in video games to have ever been released.

Yes, I went that far.

That action figure is Prism Break. One of the 30+ figures you can buy, ranging from ninja elves, dragons, robots and tiki-men. Now, just look at that picture. That figure is pretty awesome isn't it? Well, wait and wrap your brain around this. Skylanders isn't just an action figure game...it is a video game...involving said action figures. What?

So, you buy the game, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (that's right 90s game nerds, Spyro is back!) and you get three action figures and an add-on to your gaming system called a portal. You hook this portal onto your gaming system and you now have access to the Skylanders world. All you do is pick up Prism Break, place him on the portal and BOOOOOM. He appears in the video game. NO I'M NOT KIDDING! (Video below shows how it works if you are confused.)

In the game you level up Prism Break (or one of the other many heroes) as he goes through this epic journey to get back what the Skylanders once called home from an evil villain named Kaos. Oh, hey Little Timmy just called and wants you to come over his house and play Skylanders...but...I was leveling up my Prism Break. NO NEED TO WORRY LITTLE FELLA! All you do is take your Prism Break action figure over to Little Timmy's house, place it on HIS portal and YOUR Prism Break comes into HIS game with all the gear, powers and level he was at your house.

That's right, all game data involving each action figure gets saved into the physical action figure. So you can bring it anywhere, anytime. This is literally Pokemon on a whole different level, a really fun and family building level. The only negative to these bad boys is there are over 30 of them...so between Micah, Brittany and I we want about all of them...and at $7.99 each...the Burkey family might be broke for quite a while.

Check out this video that demonstrates how awesome this game is. Parents, if your kids don't have this game yet (it's available for every system and the PC) you need to purchase ASAP or your kids will be eating lunch all by themselves at school today.

...just kidding about that last part...you kid will just be jealous of the coolness that is SKYLANDERS!

Hello There 2012: Hiccups

Well, it's 2012.

Where the heck did 2011 go?

I can't believe how fast this past year went. I know everyone says that...but literally 2011 felt like a BLINK of an eye. Penny is a year and half now, looking bigger and bigger to me each day. She is clearly saying various words and understanding everything and anything I tell her it seems.

Micah is just huge. Sometimes to big for my own good, often I end up hurt in our wrestling matches now and it isn't because of the wedgies. He is super smart, nothing gets by him anymore. He is doing so well in school...he is just so grown up now, totally different than 2010.

2011 was a great year but went by way to fast. I realized this when I made the Christmas video (which is in the below post) and saw how big the kids are. How much I missed by not absorbing everything that goes on each day. I think we all get in too much of a routine to appreciate the daily struggles that take us away from that routine. In the moment those struggles are just an obstacle but when you look back on it they were moments that were unique and trying to break free of the daily muttle. (Is that a word?)

Most resolutions involve loosing weight or saving up money (both are things that I would love to do). But this year I'm going to go against the norm. This year I'm going to appreciate those little hiccups in the daily routine. So what if that puts me behind the schedule that I've written in my head that nobody else knows about. I'm going to accept those hiccups, flick off the daily routine and make them the best possible hiccups anyone could ask for.

I need to appreciate what I have sitting in front of me more than dreaming about what I could have or where I could be. 2012 is going to be about appreciation more than saving or loosing things. Hopefully we can all learn to appreciate hiccups in our daily schedule, it makes life interesting and worth living for.

Christmas 2011 at the Burkey's

The Dark Knight Rises Official Trailer

Finally the new Batman movie has a full length trailer, and I'm more than excited about this! And yes, that is Hines Ward out running the exploding football field! Haha, it looks so great. Check out The Dark Knight Rises first full length trailer!

2011 Holiday Christmas List for Geeky Dads

Are you wondering what to get me for Christmas or my birthday? Yeah, that’s right, you’ve probably forgotten that my birthday is coming up as well since it is between Xmas and New Years, it’s ok I’m used to it ;). Or are you just wondering what to get your husband, son, boy friend? This is the best gifts to get a man like me on that special day in December.

Get ready to get your mind blown with great ideas.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire - $199.99

Tablets are like the new black aren’t they? Well, this one is the real deal for an amazing price. Especially if your dude uses Amazon services already for music and movies, this will allow him to access all his files already on his Amazon account, plus FREE CLOUD STORAGE. If you don’t know what cloud storage is, just know that it is AWESOME and your man probably knows what it is. For the price (less than half the price of an iPad), this thing will be a REALLY popular gift this year. Especially paired with some Amazon Gift Cards.

Flat Screen HD TV - $300-$4,000

Quite a large price difference here eh? Well, it all depends how big of a TV your man is wanting to watch football on. An acceptable size around 32" could be around $300 while the new 80" can be in your living room for a whooping $4,000. Actually the 80" would be more like your living room is in your TV. Any who, there can never be too many televisions in the house, right guys?

Video Games - $30-$60

You know you hate Video Games, but men love them. There are TONS of games out right now that I’m sure you can find something just right. Games from Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Elder Scrolls Skyrim, Madden 2012, Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword, Uncharted 3…I can go on and on here. If you aren’t sure what game to get him, just grab a gift card to Gamestop or Best Buy and let him go nuts!

Manly Movies - Die Hard or Rambo - $10-$20 each

What guy doesn't love the classic action flicks where things blow up and guys rule all? The Die Hard series is amazing, the first one being the best and should be in every guy's collection. Sylvester Stallone takes everyone to guy heaven in the Rambo movies. Either one of these series is a given for every guy to own or to have at least seen.


Manly Shows - The Walking Dead or The Game of Thrones - $35-$50 each

The Walking Dead and The Game of Thrones cater to two different types of guys, or the same guy in my case ;). A zombie Apocalypse or a medieval political war drama? Both filled with amazing characters and storylines, both filled with tons of blood, sex and survival. What more could a guy ask for? If your dude owns these the Game of Thrones book series or the Walking Dead graphic novel might be a great addition!

Star Wars Ultimate FX Lightsaber - $30

Ignore the kids in this video. Raleigh and I are buying each other these for Christmas so we can flip around like a Jedi. These have to be the coolest toy lightsabers made and at a wonderful price. Don’t  lie, your dude is a kid at heart and when he picks this up he will feel the force coursing through his veins.

Most Anticipated Movies of 2012

The following are trailers for some movies that I’m looking forward to. Even though I’ve become more of a TV show watcher, I’m excited to see what 2012 brings to the big screen.

February

The Woman in Black

This movie looks so creepy! You know me and my family are all really into creepy ghost stories. Not to mention Daniel Ratcliffe starring in it (Britt, Raleigh and Brooke are HUGE HP fans).

Anticipation Level: Pretty excited

March

The Hunger Games

Probably one of my favorite book series I’ve ever read. The movie looks to be following the book very closely and the casting has been mostly spot on! This will probably be the most anticipated movie for me in 2012, because I’m such a huge fan of the books.

Anticipation Level: SKY HIGH!!

May

The Avengers

Come on, I have to see this even if I’m not sure how well it will be handled. I have a bad feeling that having so many superheroes in one movie might make it a little cramped. But Robert Downing Jr.’s Iron Man is still great, even with Captain America and Thor stealing some screen time.

Anticipation Level: Looking forward to it

Men in Black 3

Another movie I have to see just based on the title! Come on, Men in Black! I loved the original as a kid and can’t wait to see how they handle the third. Will Smith is the man and to me, will never be overused. WHAT’S THAT STAND FOR MEN IN BLACK!

Anticipation Level: Excited!

June

Snow White and the Huntsman

I’m actually very excited about this version of the Snow White story. Coming off the heels of ABC’s Once Upon a Time, this fairy tale story seems to be getting re-done in a number of different ways. This one looks like the most promising. (Twilight fans will go nuts for Kristen Stewart.)

Anticipation Level: Very Intrigued!

July

The Amazing Spider-Man

Rebooting the Spider-man series so soon? Usually I’d be irritated by such a quick reboot, but I saw the trailer and honestly I’m more excited about this movie than the original Spider-man with Tobey McGuire. They seem to be sticking to the very cool storyline to the new animated show. Hopefully they do this right.

Anticipation Level: If they do it right, I’m really excited!

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

Ok, now…I’m going to try and contain my excited for this as much as possible. AHHHH! I can not wait for this movie to come out. The Dark Knight has to be one of my favorite movies behind The Lord of the Rings. This would be the only other movie that would compete with The Hunger Games for most anticipated movie.

Anticipation Level: FREAKIN’ STOKED!

Not much going on between July and December (as of yet).

December

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

A prequel to my favorite movie series ever release? Oh yes please. I believe this takes on a more family friendly environment than that of Two Towers or Return of the King, but I can’t wait. Legolas cameo in the works as well? Uh, no brainer.

Anticipation Level: VERY EXCITED!

No Official Trailer out yet for the Hobbit!

Order of Excitement:

1. The Hunger Games

2. Batman: The Dark Knight Rises
3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

4. Men in Black 3

5. The Amazing Spider-Man

6. Snow White and the Huntsman

7. The Woman in Black

8. The Avengers