Congratulations Sister!

My darling friend Elisha married her man, Bryant, yesterday, and I am thrilled for them both. Elisha played my sister Meg when I did Little Women last year. I have adored her ever since and am always glad to see her at our various haunts. I am so glad I could swing past her reception on my way to rehearsal. It was totally worth wearing torturous heels all day so I could go straight to the reception from work. Elisha and Bryant looked gorgeous and happy -- what more could I ask for on behalf of my friend?

BTW, I loved your colors, and that slushy drink was AWESOME... I may ask for the recipe sometime.

Congratulations, sister! Have a great honeymoon -- all 50+ years of it!

above: Elisha and Bryant chat with a friend (sadly, this was the best photo I took)
below: Elisha, Craig (who played Laurie), and I during Little Women rehearsal February 2008

A Good Week

Last week was a really good one. Of course, it was riding on the coattails of the week after I had surgery and was knocked out with drugs, so there was plenty to improve on!

First off, I called my periodontist office Tuesday and they told me I could ease into smiling again. I admit I didn't ease -- I started smiling again outright, at least for the first couple of days. After that I could feel my gums pulling on the stitches, so I reached what I feel is a happy medium, although when I practice in the mirror I realize it looks a little odd. My mouth is already crooked, so the crooked smile makes it super-crooked, and the side I'm smiling with doesn't turn up as much as the side I leave stationary. Oh well... I'm smiling with my eyes and feel happy!

Wednesday I got to see my friends in Seussical the Musical at Midvale Park. It was so fun! I sat with Stephanie M and her husband Troy, and they were sweet to let me hold their baby for a good half hour. Such a cute baby and cute parents! The play was awesome -- I've had the songs in my head ever since. Elisha and Candice and everyone were fantastic in their roles, and it was easy to tell everybody was having a ton of fun, including the audience. I am very proud of my friends on the pro team and onstage. I wanted to see the show again Saturday night, but circumstances got away from me!

Troy and Peanut

Thursday I took my friend Michelle B and her daughter, Abbie to see Beauty and the Beast at the Murray Park Ampitheatre. Michelle loves the music but had never seen the show, and she was thrilled to take her daughter. Abbie was tired and grumpy at the start -- 8pm is her bedtime -- but by the end she was standing up and her eyes were wide. The play was wonderful! Each scene just got better and better, and I cried during "If I Can't Love Her". I never realized just how lonely the Beast is, and how I can relate sometimes. After the play I found the Black family (friends from Bye Bye Birdie who were in Beauty and the Beast) to tell them how much I enjoyed the play. Another one I would have seen twice if I had the time!

Friday Michelle and her boyfriend tried to get a group together to see the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti. Since it was last minute, only they and I ended up going. I adore Michelle and Ryan, though, and the three of us had a lot of fun. Michelle and I drove to Provo where Ryan had dinner waiting, then we all drove down to Manti just as the show started. I'd never been before and was surprised at how long it was, and how much it affected me spiritually. I enjoyed the message and was reminded of a few things that I needed to hear. When the show was over, we waited around at the temple grounds, then ate some ice cream in an attempt to avoid the traffic. Ryan has been introducing Michelle to the music from Wicked, and we're all hoping to take a trip somewhere so Michelle can see the play (and us, too, of course), so we sang and talked and laughed all the way home. I didn't get home until 2am, but I loved it!

I had about six things I wanted to do Saturday, but ended up only getting to three: laundry, cleaning my apartment, and going to the temple. It was a lovely, relaxing day. Something I very much needed. I even took the time to straighten my hair for the first time since the Experiment in January. I love my curly hair, but sometimes it's nice to just brush and brush as much as I want and still have it look good. Oddly, I don't really like people making a big deal about the change. I don't know why that is.

The meetings at church on Sunday were great for me. I'm having a hard time getting aquainted with people -- many are nice, but I haven't really clicked with anyone although I've been there a good eight months. Most of the time I make an effort to sit next to someone so I don't feel so solitary, especially if that person is also sitting by themselves. In Relief Society, the lesson was on provident living (or living on a budget within your means), and the teacher had a bunch of us admit to things we'd purchased lately we probably don't really need. I said stickers for my pedicures, because I was too embarassed to admit I saw the Star Trek movie four times in the last month; it's a good movie! In Sunday School, the lesson was on the signs of the last days. I even had a few comments to make. Unfortunately, that teacher didn't see me on the right side of the room, so after about three minutes of raising my hand without him noticing me, I interrupted him. It's rare that I actually have something I want to say out loud, and I was grateful that I had insight into the topic. It meant I learned more than I normally would have. The talks in Sacrament Meeting were about temple attendence. Although I'd been the day before, I was also grateful for their words. I should go to the temple more often than I do. I'm pretty busy, but I'm not quite that busy.

Today was my brother Peter's birthday, but we celebrated yesterday with a big Sunday dinner as is our custom. Peter's girlfriend's family came, too, so I got to meet them for the first time. I can't describe how tasty the meal Mom prepared was (teriyaki chicken, rice, salad, french bread with butter, and squash cooked in italian dressing, and yellow cake with chocolate frosting and vanilla ice cream), or how nice Jordyn's family is. We had a great time chatting, getting to know each other, and watching Peter open presents. He is such a good guy -- truly a reason to celebrate. I'm going to miss him when he goes away to school in the fall!

Peter and Jordyn

This week has all the potential of being another good one, in spite of evening meetings for work tomorrow. Tonight I went to family home evening, enjoyed the speaker, met some new people, and talked with some I already know. I'd call that a success! I'm looking forward to the holiday weekend! Hooray for three days off from work!

A "Popular" Play

I got to see Wicked last night and it was wonderful! I decided to drive downtown a bit early so I could find a somewhat nearby parking space and grab some dinner before the play. Of course, everyone else had the same idea, so the wait at the Olive Garden was ridiculous. I ended up grabbing some minestrone salad and soup to go and just eating it outside the restaurant. It was such a lovely, warm, breezy day I was grateful to spend a few minutes in it! I ended up not eating the salad which meant I had to walk it back to my car. That's okay; it was another excuse to stay outside as long as possible.

Since I didn't want to have to stop at home between work and the play, I wore my dress and pretty new peep-toe shoes all day. This meant that walking back to the car with my leftovers was a bit torturous as I was starting to get blisters from the new shoes, but it was worth it for the leftovers. Besides, the shoes make me strut a little, and I love feeling all dressed up and classy! I just don't understand why someone would pay $90 for a ticket to a play, and then wear ratty jeans and flip-flops. I guess I'm a bit of a snob. Nice pants and flip-flops maybe, but jeans and a t-shirt? Really? We're not tourists in New York and seeing a show at the end of a long day of travel (though if I have the option I personally like to go back to the hotel and change for the show anyway). If you're not going to dress up for an anticipated event like this, what in the world would you dress up for?


As luck would have it, Elisha and her parents were there, too. Their seats were a couple of rows behind mine, but Elisha came over and chatted with me until the patrons with the tickets next to me showed up. It was nice to have the illusion of sharing the play with someone I know! I hope you enjoyed it, too, Sister!

As soon as the house lights dimmed -- even before the orchestra started -- everyone started cheering. This is a show where I really believe all of the elements -- spectacle, music, and story -- all blend together. No one aspect is more important than any other (as opposed to, say, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, which is another show I love and has gorgeous music and spectacle but is weak on character development). I admit, my eyes teared up every time anyone started singing! The costumes were gorgeous, the dancing was effortless, the stagehands and lighting crew were fantastic -- the whole production was just flawless. Elphaba's voice was powerful and her chemistry with Fiyero palpable -- man, was he handsome! My favorite was Galinda -- she was hysterical! I saw the actress, Katie Rose Clarke, in The Light in the Piazza on Broadway a few years ago and she was great there too. Her antics during the song "Popular" and the scene surrounding it were my favorite part of the show. I want to be like her! I wished I had been able to get tickets for all of my loved ones so they could share the experience. I almost wished I hadn't seen it before so the ending could be a surprise once again -- I am always delighted to see how it all comes together. I am pretty stingy with standing ovations, but I was happy to give one to this touring production of Wicked. Oh, how I love this play!

Now that the experience is over, I'm disappointed that I don't have it to look forward to anymore! The result was totally worth the aggravation I suffered on Halloween. It was a lovely, long six months of anticipation.

I need to plan something else to agonize over and look forward to...

The Summer Ahead

The Seussical callback was really fun. I was thrilled when after my dance audition Stephanie M said "I didn't know you could dance like that! I should have given you harder choreography last year!" Normally, my dancing is the part I'm least confident in, but in spite of sort of crashing into a wall I felt really good about it! (They let me try the dance again...far away from any walls...)

I had written down I'd only take one of two parts -- Gertrude or Mayzie. There were a LOT of wonderfully talented women there, so I wasn't surprised when I wasn't cast in either. I am super-excited for Candice (the Cat in the Hat) and Elisha (Pamela Anderson... I mean Mayzie), and Stephanie M's kids! They are going to have a blast working with our adorable Stephanie J and her pro team. How I love them!

Elisha told me about her part Saturday night, and Kate mentioned later that evening that she'd talked to Stephanie J and someone else was Gertrude. I figured that was that, so I was surprised on Sunday when Steph called and asked if I'd be willing to accept a part as a Bird Girl. I asked for a day to think about it. After debating it with myself all day, Steph and I talked about it, and ultimately I decided it doesn't feel right. It was a really hard choice. Thanks Stephanie for being so understanding. I do look forward to doing another show with you in the future, and more than that I think we need to goof off together sometime! We need to plan another Girl's Night in the near future, I think.

There are a few other plays I might audition for, but I admit I'm sort of drawn to the idea of not doing a play this summer. I don't know what else I'd do, because I haven't not done a show in the summer in at least 10 years. It's oddly freeing. Take a dance class? Start relearning to play the violin? Live at the movie theatre? Sign up to be an extra on evenings and weekends? Hang out at the Gateway and write in my journal? Start working on my book or an additional blog? Play with my nephew and nieces? Learn to bake, knit, and quilt? Read a lot? All of the above?

Who knows?

2008 was Pretty Great

Last night I got to celebrate New Year's Eve with a bunch of strangers mingled with people I very much adore. It was my friend, Laren's, birthday, and she invited me to a party at her house. Well, with the mixture of people from her ward, family members, friends her roommates invited, a few folks from Bye Bye Birdie, and me, the place was pretty packed by midnight!

I arrived at the party at about 9pm, after having worked a few hours earlier in the day, seeing the movie The Tale of Despereaux (which I loved) and taking an early evening nap. Laren gave me a huge hug and I wished her a happy birthday, and then she reunited me with her sister Sharon, and introduced me to her cousin Hannah, and a bunch a people who were singing a PlayStation 2 karaoke-type game. Would you believe they talked me into singing a couple of songs? The only other time I'd ever tried to do karaoke I dissolved into laughter after about 3 words because I felt so self-conscious; the friend I was supposed to be singing with was pretty annoyed. It helped last night, though, when I realized everyone would be singing along anyway. I sang "Uptown Girl" with Sharon, and "Material Girl" with Laren. SO. MUCH. FUN. Yeah, we rocked.

While checking out the food situation, I ran into a friend from a play I did last year, and while I was telling her about doing Little Women, two Little Women cast members walked in! Talk about freaky. I ended up chatting with Dee Dee and Elisha and the men who collected around them for a good portion of the night. You know, when I wasn't watching people play Guitar Hero or talking with Birdie friends Mandee and Scott.

At one point, we gathered pretty much everyone in the house into the not-terribly-large kitchen and sang "Happy Birthday to Laren". Then she started passing out colored sparklers and herding everyone outside. There must have been 50 of us on that square of patio! We lit the sparklers before the new year, but waited on the noisemakers and bombs until midnight. It was pandemonium and sheer awesome. I had a great time. Thanks for inviting me, Laren! If not for you, I would have spent the new year at the movies by myself and wouldn't have made such good memories. I adore you, dear. Hope it really was the happiest of birthdays!

Today I got up later than I should have, got more dressed up than I should have, and drove over to my parents' house. Mom cooked up a splendid dinner, and then the two of us went out and saw Yes Man while the men stayed home and watched football. The movie was hilarious! Jim Carrey was a little off-the-wall, but not so much so that if it were reality and I had witnessed his antics I would have been put-off. My mom and I laughed a lot -- out loud. Good times. We might go see Australia later tonight, but the only showing at the nearest theatre is at 8:30pm, and I do have to work tomorrow and Saturday. Yay, I'm an adult!

As I reflect on 2008, I realize that 2009 has a LOT to live up to. 2008 was really good to me! Highlights include:

cruise in the Caribbean
Little Women
maintaining my goal weight and earning the accompanying rebate
LASIK
Washington D.C.
Bye Bye Birdie
Girls' Nights
opportunities at work
Las Vegas and the Star Trek Experience
The Utah Shakespearean Festival
my condo
30th Birthday party
announcement of the impending twins for my sister-in-law
Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve at home
Babes in Toyland

That's an impressive list, and so much those events just fell into my lap. I am really grateful for the people who made it happen and who made the year as fun as it was. I've grown a lot, and learned a great deal about who I am and what I want. I do have quite a bit to look forward to this year, and am looking forward to seeing how it all works out. I haven't made any year-long resolutions, but I do have a few things I'd like to accomplish this month. I feel they are realistic goals, which is probably the most important thing.

Good luck 2009! Hope you're better than just "fine". Thank you 2008, you were great! (Please forgive the cheese. I couldn't help it.)

Sashes aren't silly!

Still one of my favorite lines ever; it just makes me giggle anytime I think about it. We sisters all joked all the characters needed to put our favorite lines on the back of our Little Women jackets. DeeDee/Beth's would have been "It might have something to do with your face, sir."

Of course, it may not be funny out of context.

Oh well!

Elisha, Carly, DeeDee and I as the March sisters in Midvale Arts Council's Little Women the Musical