October memories

October began with Is He Dead? rehearsals and performances, ended with Halloween  and was filled in the middle with a lot of odds and ends while I tried to catch up with many of the friends I'd been neglecting. I was busy and happy. Good month.

Silliness

One of my friends posted this meme on Facebook:

It made me laugh so hard that I determined to copy it. Then I posted it to that friend's page. She'd been having a rough couple of weeks, and she said it made her laugh. Hooray!

General Conference

Because of rehearsals, I missed listening to both of the Saturday sessions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints General Conference. Thanks to brunch and Mom and Dad's house, I heard some of the morning session (I spent a lot of it keeping the twins busy), and most of the afternoon session. I am always eager to hear what the General Authorities have to say about the state of the world and how best to keep close to my Heavenly Father. I've gotten into the habit of listening to the talks while I get ready for the day or drive to work. I love it. I need that spiritual renewal and check-in more than twice a year.

Lunchtime walk with PJ, Breezy, and Papa

This is PJ's new favorite game

President Russell M. Nelson is one of my favorites. I love his talks and was thrilled that his latest centered around the importance of the female members of the church.
I pointed out to the G-unit that when President Monson dies, then President Nelson will be the new prophet (unless President Nelson dies first, which seems unlikely). It will be a big change. I think he's up to it. I know the Lord will help him just as he did President Hinckley and does President Monson. 

Mom would be annoyed if she knew I took this photo.
I have a lot of memories of her sitting at a sewing table, sewing, painting, reading, or watching t.v.

G-unit's ball game

Managed to see the G-unit's last football game of the Fall season. Mom, Dad, Peter, Jordyn, PJ, Lindsey, Breezy, and Zonks were all there to cheer our star player on. It's great seeing him so passionate about something. He certainly knows what he's doing, and he's rather good, if I do say so myself.

PJ and Papa

Cornbelly's and the Leonardo

Had some notable dates with some good guys. Robert took me to Cornbelly's and we managed to get through the maze without getting lost. We almost finished before the clouds opened up and dumped on us. Whoops! Good thing we had jackets!

We reached the bridge in the maze just as the fireworks started. I don't know about fireworks in October, but they were pretty and festive. What more could you want?

Another man took me on an Art Walk and we wandered around the Salt Lake County Library and played at The Leonardo. I sketched in the right half of this picture to try to match the left. Not terrible. I'm pretty proud of it. It was a fun night with a funny guy. Hope he asks me out again.

Hamlet

The National Theatre in London was kind enough to broadcast a recorded version of their latest mounting of Hamlet, starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role. It was a master class in acting. The entire cast was amazing. I didn't care for Ophelia's interpretation, but I understood why she made the choices she made and I couldn't take my eyes off her. So many wonderful moments and performances. Benedict was brilliant. I loved that he had a ton of iconic lines, but he didn't give them extra weight -- he just said them in conversation because that's what Hamlet would do. That man knows what he's doing.

Kate introduced me to the combination of hot tamales and popcorn, so I took some with me to watch with her. I then proceeded to spill half the large popcorn she bought almost as I sat down. I was mortified and immediately ran to get a refill. Later on, she spilled the hot tamales. I laughed and thanked her for making me feel less of a dunce. She's thoughtful like that. And talking about live theater with her is always fantastic. She's so insightful. Thank you for coming with me, Kate!

Working out again

Ugh. I took a month break from working out while rehearing and performing my play (and getting sick) because "I didn't have time." I still don't have time, so even though I'm not a morning person I am forcing myself to get up an hour early to work out. Two weeks in, my body is still pretty sore and I'm tired, but I also feel accomplished and strong. I can do this.

Witchapalooza

I've wanted to see the Witchapalooza dinner theater show at Gardner Village for years, and actively made it happen this year. I think it's the first time I ever used the phrase "I can't even." It was funny, clever, and definitely entertaining. Jenni (the script writer and one of the stars) told me later that they revisit a lot of the numbers every year. I'm glad, because I need to see the Heebie-Beegees, Superhero, and Boyband numbers again. This may have to be a new tradition. I'm glad Brandon was in it so I had an excuse to go.  That guy can sing and he can dance better than I knew. I've never seen him let loose like that -- most directors don't know what to do with him and he is FAR more talented than he is usually allowed to be. I'm thrilled that Nichole came with me. She is an excellent date.

"Holding Out for a Hero"
He-Man, Robin, and Aquaman

Jenni, David, Nichole, Brandon, me, Amy, Brian

Halloween Party

Kenn and Jolene throw a Halloween party every year. It's fun getting together with these awesome people and getting our "theatre weirdo" vibe on with similar-minded folk. We mostly stand around and gawk at costumes and talk and eat, though Ghostbusters was playing in the living room. I had to leave a little early, but I had a good time!

Adam and Mandie

Kristina and her husband, and Mandie

Kent's youngest daughter, the Wicked Witch to my Glinda

Mandie and Liz - I adore these women!

Hosts Kenn and Jolene as Bruce and Caitlin Jenner

Temples

I visited the Bountiful and Jordan River LDS Temples in October. I hadn't been to either in quite a while, and I have a lot of memories associated with each. It felt like coming home.

The Bountiful Temple

The Jordan River Temple

Sadness

This dent in my window is about as big as the nail on my ring finger. Blergh.

Shakespeare Festival in Autumn

Allison and I weren't able to sync our schedules for another summer trip to the Utah Shakespeare Festival (though we both went separately), so I am glad she could come with me for a quick trip too see two of their Fall shows.

We saw Dracula and Two Gentlemen of Verona. The reviews were mixed for Dracula, we were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed it. We'd read the book and weren't sure how they were going to fix the ending (the book is anti-climactic), and the script went a cool route. Plus, the casting was wonderful. Neither of us was familiar with Two Gentlemen, so we were glad when Fred Adams warned us at the pre-show orientation that it ends weirdly. We thought it would be funnier than it was - moments were hilarious - and, yeah, the ending was troublesome. We debated about it for a little while afterwards. Worth seeing, for sure.

Allison and I 

Allison's friend Wendy lives in town and joined us for the plays and for dinner. She was kind of quiet, and we delighted in introducing her to such Halloween classics as The Worst Witch. I need to watch that movie again sometime, just for the nostalgia factor. Or maybe I don't, because it's terrible (in a good way? I don't remember!)

We ate dinner at one of our favorite places, Centro Pizzeria. Their gourmet pizza is awesome. I had one with grapes and bacon. I recommend it!

This bottle is the leftover rootbeer from my float ;) Yummm.

Allison is "friends with" a lot of Disney characters (or was when she worked at Disney World several years ago). She amused us by practicing their signatures on her to-go box. I think they're adorable, and so suitable for each character.

The playbill is Dracula, and the backdrop is Two Gentlemen

Bonus

I don't remember when Aaron took this photo of us girls but I love it, right down to the twins' matching pink shirts and missing front teeth. How funny that Lindsey and I are both in black and white, too. Couldn't have planned it better if we'd tried!

Now that October is over, it feels like Autumn has almost passed, too! It's definitely colder outside, and the holidays are coming. Hooray! I have a lot of vacations and holidays to look forward to in the next couple of months!

Count not the minutes but the moments

I think I've mentioned before that my mother is an artistic genius. She's legendary among our extended family for her painting, sewing, and quilting prowess. I'm certain there is nothing she cannot create with her hands.

I... choose to spend my time in other ways, most of the time.

This year, since I missed spending Mother's Day with her, I took a day off from work to paint a clock with her, her sisters, my sisters-in-law, and several of my cousins. I managed to get a lot done that day, and was happy to learn that my painting skills might not completely embarrass Mom.

After three more extended painting sessions, I finally finished painting my clock in early September. Mom insisted I do all of the painting myself because "our styles are so different." Three cheers for my her, who shared endless patience and guidance, glazed and put the pieces together, and asked my dad to install the clock mechanism. It turned out pretty cute!

I'm glad I took the time to do it. I'm grateful that she is so proud of me :) I adore my mom.

Sizzling July

July was busy, busy, busy! I opened and closed 1776, celebrated two holidays, attended quite a few plays, and still had time to spare for friends and family.

In case you have ever wondered what it looks like when I brush my hair.
This is what I imagine J.K. Rowling means when she talks about Hermione's "bushy, brown hair."

Independence Day

The celebration of America coincides with my grandmother's birthday, and we had extended family over to my parents' house for a party. I think my favorite part was having a lot of little kids and a few teenagers running around. Our family is growing and it's wonderful. I love hanging out with these people.

Gram says she doesn't feel "a day over 93." ;)
I hope, if I live that long, that I'm as sassy and spry as she!

My family knows how to cook and eat

For years to come, my 1776 show shirt will likely be my go-to for 4th of July festivities

My dad is adorable

Cookies by Mom.
I have yet to find a better sugar cookie.

Mom's eyes are closed, as usual. I'm starting to think that she does it on purpose to keep from posting photos of her.

Propelling a bottle in the air with water and air pressure -- entertaining for hours!

Cousins make the best friends

Credit for this photo goes to my niece Zonks.
She delights in photography and has a pretty good eye!

Show-going

I found some time to support a lot of my friends in their shows this summer. It's a daunting feat, especially since 1) my own show ate up so much time, and 2) a lot of the runs overlapped.

The Little Mermaid - Hale Centre Theatre

Ursala and the eels were my favorite. The roller-skating was just so cool!
Shout-out to Jeremy on the left who remembers me even though it's been 5 years!

Ames was brilliant as Chef Louis. He was definitely a show highlight!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Taylorsville

Every time I go to see Joseph I think, "Ugh, Joseph again?" But this production surprised and delighted me. I loved the modern costumes and characters, Larissa's choreography and that of her assistants was awesome and well-executed (particularly the Pharoah's "Uptown Funk"-inspired number), and there were a lot of just plain fun moments. I missed most of "Go, Go, Go Joseph" because I could not take my eyes off the Baker eating her cupcake in despair (she was sentenced to death, after all). I'm a little sad that I went closing night, because it meant I couldn't tell the wide world they needed to go.

Jamie and the cupcake - hilarious!

Beauty and the Beast in Herriman

I've never really cared to play a role in this play, but after this production, I really want to! It was visually gorgeous -- Herriman spared no expense -- and I loved a lot of the characters, particularly Gaston, the Silly Girls, and the enchanted objects in the castle. The Beast was hindered by his bulky costume, but his acting was darling and sincere nevertheless. I'm glad that I could support Theresa in her biggest role yet -- Silly Girl #1. She keeps growing in confidence and skill, and she's so fun to watch!

Dad's birthday

My dad is adorable. He and I went out to eat earlier in the month to celebrate one-on-one, and it was great to see him in his element as patriarch of the family. I get much of my work ethic and sense of humor from him. I'm grateful his is my dad and I'm excited to see what adventures he creates for himself and the rest of us this year.

Changes at work

We're implementing a new method of tracking and releasing our software this year. This month, my development team started the new program. It means we have a LOT more meetings (and the meetings we had already have been significantly shortened). While getting used to all the team time, I doodled just a little. Change is hard, but I think it will be worth it. I'm already seeing pluses with the way we work together - hooray!

Martha Jefferson and Abigail Adams

Captain America and River Song

Ant-Man

I enjoyed this movie so much that I saw it twice! It had a different vibe from the other Marvel movies, and was silly, and funny, and fun. The first time I saw it, I went on a Tuesday and got a recliner seat for only $5. I decided my mom needed to see it, so Aaron and I took her a week later, and they liked it, too (though, having missed the last couple of films, Mom didn't know who Falcon was).

Can you see my feel propped up at the bottom of this photo? Obviously I didn't want to use a flash :P

A few days later, a couple told me they hadn't caught up on the Marvel movies, so I sketched them out, in order, from memory. Because I am that nerdy and awesome.

Random merriment

While at Ant-Man, my mom mentioned that she'd seen something about the Share a Coke campaign, but had never actually seen names. She'd only seen things like "Superstar", "Mom", and the like. The next day I found some displays at my local grocery store and a lot of our family member's names were there. I enjoyed putting together this Brady Bunch-inspired collage, and putting myself as Alice :D

My Instagram caption:
"Pretty excited to #shareacoke with my parents and siblings. Too bad they spelled Dad's, Lindsey's, Aaron's, and Jordyn's names wrong :P Sorry, guys!"
(FYI, Dad is "Reginald", and Aaron is "Edward.")

While viewing the photos taken during 1776, I found the one on the bottom right. I proceeded to post this picture with the following caption:

"I see this face in photos and always wonder, "When the heck do I do THAT?!" I've finally figured it out: This is my "I'm singing and acting and my character is having a great time" face. Consequently, I'll only be playing sad people or non-singing roles from now on." #whytheface #scrunchednose

Looking at my plethora of books and bookshelves, I pulled a bunch that I'd like to read ASAP (you know, 'cause I have so much free time). It's an impressive stack, especially when you take in to account that most of them are part of series and I only included a few books, and that I have at least 15 more on my Kindle.

I was stuck for a while on how to choose, and then the decision was made for me when Harry Potter's birthday came up on the 31st. I'd wanted to read the actual novels instead of listening to them on tape as I do every year, but after the first I devolved onto the tapes so I could start Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, too.

And now it's August. Looks like I'll get a little bit of a breather schedule-wise, so I hope I make the most of it and spend boatloads of time with the people I like best. I have the most terrific family and friends in the world. I'd also like to spend some time outside, and see some more plays, and go to the Shakespeare Festival. And if another show opportunity comes up for me, I won't slap it away. Just want to enjoy summer as much as I can before autumn comes and my allergies ruin everything!