It's mine!!!

Remember last month when I posted about wanting a pretty blue dress from Anthropologie? Well, it's mine now! And thanks to the generosity of a very, very kind friend of a friend, it was gifted to me for free. When Larissa surprised me with the package, I squealed with delight. I wanted to scream and really freak out -- seriously, SO excited! -- but I was in a room full of strangers and didn't want to embarrass myself, Larissa, or her friend, who didn't want to take any credit since he doesn't know me at all.

I wore my new dress to church yesterday and felt beautiful. I'm not ashamed to admit, I kind of wish I could wear it every day. Just give me an excuse!

 I really didn't expect to ever own this dress, let alone not have to pay for it. I am more grateful to Larissa and her friend than I can say. Such a thoughtful, sweet thing to do. No, I will not be abusing this magical Anthropologie connection. I'm just happy to have this one pretty, unexpected token of affection.

I feel so lucky!

It's raining men in Austenland

This just makes me laugh... and then swoon... and laugh again.

And now I need to watch Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility or Persuasion again...



Happy Friday!

People still get married?

Newlyweds David and Michelle
My best friend from high school, married May 28, 2011

At church this weekend, I was talking with a small group of fellow single people (unsurprising, since my entire ward is made up of unmarried people). I forget exactly what we were talking about, but one of the men mentioned that one of his friends had just become engaged. Then he joked:

"When he told me, I thought, 'Whoa, people still get married?'"

At first, I felt annoyed because I thought this was the problem with the young single men in my circles -- marriage isn't even on their radar! (Forgive me, I know it was unfair to mentally accuse the wide world of men of being the problem.) Then I realized that his statement highlights something I knew to be true about myself but didn't want to admit:

I am used to being single.

Gone are the days in college when I had a friend or two or three getting married every couple of months. Back then, it seemed totally commonplace and was always on every body's minds. Now, whenever one of my friends gets married, it's a big deal because, let's face it, we're older and not only do good mates seem harder to come by, but we're more set in our ways, and sometimes have difficulty finding time to date, let alone giving an interested guy a chance.

The two "single" friends at Michelle's wedding.
Thankfully, nobody called us that to our faces.

I don't kid myself that I have some kind of glamorous life like the ladies on Sex and the City or something (I hope anyone living vicariously through me isn't too disappointed). I go to work, I go to church, I see my friends and family, I go on dates, I sometimes do a play. My life is a good one, but except for the occasional vacation or random, random adventure, it's pretty ordinary. It's my own, personal form of ordinary.

I realized on Sunday that I'm no longer expecting to find love at any moment, like I was in college or even a few years ago. I still think about it all the time, and I want to share my life with someone. But, I've come to think of marriage in a nebulous "somehow, someday" way. The constant struggle to compete with other women for the "few" good men out there, not let the stress of my ticking biological clock overwhelm me, and accept that no matter how fun, smart, pretty, spiritual, active, etc I may be I still might not be my date's ideal woman  became too much somewhere along the line, and I backed off. I stopped actively pursuing love. It's still a dream, but it stopped being a goal.

To be fair, it took me a long time to accept my "singleness." I put off many life choices because I didn't want to have to face them alone. For example, buying my condo was tough. It was hard to accept that I would not be buying my first home with my husband like I always thought I would. However, taking that step was amazing for my confidence. Making that step made me feel like I was in control of my fate. I am independent. I can support myself. I am stronger and more capable than I ever would have believed.

It's hard to imagine fitting another person, let alone children, into my current reality. The idea of a family in my house feels incredibly foreign. Obviously things will change -- I will change -- between now and then and I'll have to make sacrifices. Hopefully, my experiences will prepare me and make me more willing to accept them! After all, people get married every day. What could be more ordinary then that?

How does one make plans for a such an unstable future? When my ideal life has always centered around a family of my own, how do I decide what to do if I don't have one? My life as a single woman has had meaning thus far. Would that continue? Will I accomplish all the things I need to in order to help the world be a better place, or even just be happy? These questions haunt me.

But when I consider a possible future as an always-single woman, it becomes painful to hold onto the marriage dream, too. I am tempted to embrace my singlehood and reject the heartache that comes with the search for a mate. Yet, the idea of living my entire life alone is terrifying. Much as I enjoy my life as it is, I don't want it to stay the same forever!

I have no idea what will happen two days, two years, or two decades from now. Nobody does.

Friends tell me they don't worry about whether I'll get married. "Of course you will," according to them. I wish I had the confidence in myself they seem to have in me! Sometimes I wish they would worry about me just a bit more. Worrying all by myself can be exhausting ;-)

As I watched my friend Michelle marry her sweetheart two weeks ago, I was inspired by the hope in her eyes. She had no idea what lay in store for her, but she chose to spend it with David and she knew that as they worked together they would figure it out. I cried and wished that I felt that hope, too. I don't want to be pessimistic and afraid! I want to believe that good things are in my future!

So, I keep plugging along, doing what I know how to do and finding ways to be proactive -- not just with dating, but with everything. I continue to learn about myself and the world, look for opportunities to meet and encourage prospective friendships and dates, maintain the friendships I cherish, and try to keep myself open to the changes that will inevitably come. I fight the fear that my life will remain stagnant -- impossible because nothing does. I dare to hope that through my actions and God's will my dream of a husband and family will come true.

And then, of course, I'll discover a whole new world of possibilities and unforeseen problems, and my life will adopt a new form of "ordinary."

All of a sudden, I'm excited about this unstable, unknowable future! I have no idea what's going to happen! And predictably, ridiculously, I want to know what it's going to be. I want to know RIGHT NOW.

Since that's impossible, I'll just enjoy my current brand of normal and ordinary for as long as it lasts, because as I understand it, when things change they change a lot and faster than I could ever expect!

What have I been up to?

*Updated at 10:45pm*

Whenever people ask me what I've been up to, I feel a little embarrassed. I'm busy all the time, but not with many things most would consider exciting. My post-vacation letdown has given way to auditions, time with friends and family, work, work, and work... I'm just happily plugging away at life and looking forward to the glorious summer months.

Still, I thought it might be time to catch all y'all up a bit. So here's the scoop:

• Last month, I auditioned for three plays. I felt great about my auditions and the callbacks were AWESOME! Seriously, my performance self-esteem is through the roof right now. I was surprised to read for the lead at two of the callbacks and although I didn't get the part in either, I had a marvelous time and am really excited about those who are playing them. There are several more auditions this and next month that I'm looking forward to. I'll keep you posted.
• My friend Michelle got married a few weeks ago. I hadn't been to a wedding in ages, and definitely not one where I was invited to the temple ceremony and lunch in addition to the reception. The all-day event made for a fun day and I am happy for her.

• I was sick most of last week, possibly due to allergies, and possibly because of something else. All I know is I was really dizzy and tired and it was right after I'd spent a lot of time in the pollen-filled wind and hanging out at a house with a dog. Of course, I'd been wheezing several days before the symptoms really kicked in... I don't know. I feel better now and that's what's important.
• Memorial Day happened to be the day I felt the most sick. Luckily, my friends are pure awesome, and Larissa didn't mind changing plans from seeing Pirates and shopping to bringing me baked potatoes and ice cream (to be eaten separately) and hanging out at my house for several hours. Truthfully, it turned into a pretty awesome day. Thanks again for taking care of me, and not letting me feel guilty, Larissa!
• Last Friday, when I was luckily feeling better, my Seven Brides cast from last year had a mini-reunion and chatted, ate s'mores, and delighted in watching a video of the show. Seven Brides was my favorite show ever, and I was thrilled to see everyone again. I can't believe it's been a year already since we were all together; we need to see each other more! I'm sad that I'll be out of town for the wedding of two cast members who met during our show. With this group, it's bound to be a great party!

"Good morning, my brothers!"

"Oh, girls! I'm so very happy to see you all!"

• I am super-excited about my summer wardrobe (do I say this every time the weather changes? If I do, I'm sorry). I love my skirts and dresses and sandals. I'm wearing a skirt right now. And it's always fun to throw new outfits together, or what feels like a new outfit because I haven't been able to show them off for nearly a year!

• On Sunday, we celebrated my older brother Adam's birthday. My dad gave him remote control cars which were a huge hit as far as my nephew and I are concerned. We had a blast zooming them under and around the three cars parked in the driveway and watching the girls run after them. Actually, I'm not sure that Adam got to play with that particular gift at all. We also gorged ourselves on terrific food: grilled steak, potatoes, chocolate-covered strawberries, Caesar salad, rolls, shrimp scampi (which I skipped), and cherry pie. That Adam has great taste in food, family, and entertainment. Glad I could share in the celebration! Happy birthday month, Adam!
• I went mini-golfing last night with my ward. This is significant because 1) I got to spend more time with my friend Wendy and 2) ward activities really haven't been on my radar lately. It's not as though I get to Monday, skip Family Home Evening and feel guilty. I honestly haven't even remembered that FHE was an option. I listen to the announcements on Sunday and immediately forget them. But Wendy reminded me that with the influx of new members there are several cute new guys and it's always good to broaden my horizons (especially when mini-golfing requires small groups). So I went, and I had a lot of fun! Hooray for spending time outside now that it's finally warm (for now)!

With a score of 56, I won third place within our group of seven; I was shocked by my good fortune. It certainly wasn't skill!

The lovely Miss Wendy

• I've seen the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie twice, Thor, Something Borrowed, and X-Men: First Class. Next on my list are 17 Miracles, Kung Fu Panda 2, and Jane Eyre and Rango if they're still in theaters.
• I'm rewatching Grey's Anatomy. Just for fun. And I'm part of a group that gets together on Sundays to catch up on Mad Men. I've seen it all before, but it's so wonderful! I love great characters and great storytelling.
• Oh, and I'm part of another group that gets together once a month to watch the animated Disney movies in order. Once we've finished, we plan to take an epic -- yes, EPIC -- trip to Disney World!

"Don't listen to that guy. He's trying to lead you down the path of righteousness. I'm gonna lead you down the path that rocks"! - The Emperor's New Groove (which we'll watch sometime next year)

Image borrowed from the Disney fan page on Facebook. They have some great artwork on there.

• I finally published a post about finally seeing Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying on Broadway. I hyped it so much beforehand, I want to make sure you don't miss my recap. The show was fantastic!

That's about it. I have quite a few friends in quite a few plays coming up, movies to see, plays to audition for, swimming to do, juggling to learn (actual, not metaphorical), books to read, friends to visit... just plugging along. It does manage to fill my time in an entertaining and satisfying way!

The Friday song

**Warning: The song I'm talking about in this post really does get stuck in your head. Listen at your own risk! If you do, I hope you love it!**

So, a couple of months ago, my friends on Facebook started ranting about Rebecca Black's "Friday" song. Since it was apparently really awful and super-annoying, I avoided it like the plague. I kind of liked being able to say I'd never heard it, and not having it run through my head every Friday...

...Until I saw that Chelsey Kane and Romeo had riffed their own version during a Dancing With the Stars rehearsal. So, I watched a clip of their riff.

After that it was only sort of stuck in my head, because I hadn't heard the real version and I still didn't know any of the words.

Then someone else pointed me to a spoof that inserted Star Wars characters, so I watched it. What was the harm, right? I watched the spoof and for the first time went, "Wait, what the heck is this song about?" Still, since the original was apparently so bad, I didn't look it up to find out.

During the prom episode of Glee, it took me a few minutes to recognize the very first song they sang at the prom. It was the Friday song. And I LOVED it! Perhaps I loved it because it seemed like such a great party song ("Yeah!"), or because Puck and Sam were singing and I always wish they had more opportunities to sing (I am SO OVER Rachel and Finn). But after that, I was hooked. I bought the Glee cover on iTunes and listened to it over and over again. Last Thursday you might have been able to spot me rocking out to it at the grocery store... then again, I probably wasn't really crazy enough to end up on youtube. I felt crazy though. It's a fun song! It may even be my favorite song.

Or at least it was until this week when I finally saw Rebecca Black's original version. That has to be the worst music video I've seen in a long time. It somehow managed to make the words of the song sound even more inane than they really are. Rebecca's voice is NOT as enjoyable as the guys' voices on Glee. Nobody in the music video seemed to be having a good time, in spite of the fact that half the chorus is "Partying, partying --yeah! Fun, fun, fun, fun!" Nope. Everyone looks bored. They look like the rest of the week wore them out and they have no energy left to think about anything more important than which seat they'll choose to sit in when they get in the car. I'd never realized just how stupid the words are. The music video kind of just made me sad, probably the opposite of what they had hoped.

So, I choose to reject Rebecca's version (sorry, babe!) and stick to the Glee guys. I'm still a fan of the song, even if the words are pretty lame. Here it is for your enjoyment:





Happy Friday, folks! And happy third blogging anniversary to me! Thanks for reading :-D

On Broadway #5: I think they succeeded

And now, for the posts you've really been interested in: my recap of the Broadway shows I saw in New York. Here is the last of the five musicals, and the one you all are probably the most excited to hear about. I'm sorry it took me so long!

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

The fifth play that I saw in New York City last month was also the one I was the most excited to see. Actually, it was also the only show I'd ever seen before. I saw it in NYC in 1996 with Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, and at Rodgers Memorial Theatre (before it became Centerpoint Legacy). I even performed in this play at the Grand in 1999. I was a secretary, a cleaning woman, and a ditzy pirate girl, complete with spandex pants. And I would very much like to perform in it again sometime. I love this play!

A Secretary is NOT a Toy!

Paris Original 

Pirate Girl

So, this revival already had quite a bit to live up to in terms of my own personal expectations. 

I'm going to be honest: It was my FAVORITE play of the trip! Holy granola! I had to pay full price to sit in the 7th row, and don't regret it at all. SO GOOD!! I was very afraid someone tall would sit in front of me and block my view - fortunately Keri sat there and the view wasn't compromised at all. I had a perfect seat!

How to Succeed... is about a young man (played by Daniel Radcliffe) who reads a book called How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and works his way up the corporate ladder. Along the way, he develops a romance with the lovely Rosemary (Rose Hemingway), has to dodge the advances of bombshell Heddy (Tammy Blanchard), impress the big boss (John Larroquette),  and keep his weasely rival (Christopher J. Hanke) from beating him to the top.

John Larroquette was brilliant. I really didn't know what to expect from him, but he probably made me laugh more than anyone else. There's just something about a guy who starts out gruff and grim and ends up talking about knitting and singing the "Groundhog" fight song. I keep replaying some of his reactions over and over in my head. He totally deserves his "Best Featured Actor in a Musical" nomination, and I am going to CHEER if he wins!

Rose Hemingway was completely darling! She's my personal link to the show -- I did several plays with her husband about 10 years ago -- but even if I hadn't heard of her before opening night, I would have been impressed. That girl can SING! I must agree with Aaron's review, where he said that Rose and John stole the show during the first act. She filled the stage with her voice and sweetness. Even watching her dress while hidden behind a box during "Paris Original" was riveting. I hope to see her in more plays in the future.

I must admit, I completely HATED Tammy Blanchard as Heddy LaRue. Maybe it's because she's a part I would love the play someday. Maybe it's because she seemed really crass and unappealing to me. A little too self-aware. There was something about the expression on her face that kept taking me out of the play and made me want to punch her in the face. Hmmm... maybe I was supposed to feel that way. After all, I am a woman. I never did ask Aaron what he thought of her character -- maybe her version of attractiveness was a guy thing. However, I have to admit she was hilarious. There was a great visual gag with her in skin-tight, horizontally-striped pants where she kept shifting her weight and rocking her ample hips back and forth. John was so mesmerized by her ever-moving hips he was rocking right along with her. It was subtle, but effective.

I had a little crush on Christopher J. Hanke as Bud Frump. He perfectly played up the smarmy, lazy antithesis of Radcliffe's likable over-achiever. He didn't pull any punches and was perfectly snotty the whole time. It was just fun to watch him anytime he was on stage.

And then there was the star: Daniel Radcliffe. The first act, I was a little disappointed; it was pretty evident that that Daniel has been trained as a movie actor. I wished he had played the part a little broader, performing in a musical is different than an intimate movie or even just a regular play. He wasn't larger-than-life and didn't quite sing to the balcony (I will remind you that I saw Matthew Broderick in this role and if anyone can fill the stage with charisma and glee, it's Matthew). But during the second act, Daniel came into his own. He was even better in person than in the advertising numbers on t.v. He is a darn good little singer, and his dancing was spot-on at least as good as the rest of the ensemble. He was really charming, too. I loved his little "ah ha!" smiles when circumstances went his way. You could definitely tell he was having a good time and gave it all he had. I'm often jealous of movie stars who get to work on Broadway, but if they work as hard at it and do as well as Daniel, I'll get over it.

The costumes, sets and choreography were gorgeous. I am always a sucker for a man in a suit -- it's almost as good as a uniform -- and those guys were attractive. And as a fan of vintage dresses, I would have been happy to take any one of the women's costumes home with me.

Remember how I was so annoyed by the audience members who came in late for Wonderland? Yeah, I was late after intermission. This leads me to my final Broadway rant:  It's okay with me if intermission runs a bit late. The lobby in this theatre was TINY. It was so small that it took me 5 minutes just to get TO the lobby from my seat in the orchestra. Then the lobby was so packed it took another several minutes to get to the bathroom where I discovered they didn't even bother to use the dividers they'd set up in the ladies room lounge that would have gotten us in the line out of the way of everyone else in the lobby! They dimmed the lights while I was in line, but there were still so many women in line behind me I thought, "There's no way they'll start the show with so many people still away from their seats."

I was wrong.

When I finally arrived back in the theatre, I was surprised they'd started the show! I had only missed the entr'acte and maybe a minute of dialogue, but I was peeved! Really? Is punctuality more important in this case than the experience? I apologized so many times while I crawled over the rest of the people in the seventh row so I could get to my seat located exactly in the middle. The people around me were all very, very nice. At least I sat down before the first song started. I hate being that inconsiderate person, and I hate that I was forced into it. Not using the bathroom was not an option (yes, I did go before the first act started). What bugged me was when I finally made it to the lobby, the usher had chuckled at my remark that I hoped intermission was more than 10 minutes, then chuckled again when I was late getting back in. Cheerful jerk.

And yet, I wish I had his job. How does one get to be an usher on Broadway? I suppose I'd have to move there... nah.

I will say that in spite of my rants about the behavior of people at Broadway shows (lateness in general, too appreciative, etc) I didn't see a single cell phone on, or have to worry about people talking through the whole thing. Once people were in their seats they didn't distract me from the show (except that guy in Catch Me and that was just during applause). Even the lady who could have blocked me at Billy Elliot (who I never needed to say anything to) sat back and quietly enjoyed the whole time. That was pretty awesome. Home audiences could learn a thing or two from the patrons of professional theatre!

After the play, we wanted to wait for Daniel and John at the stage door. Unfortunately, so did practically every other person in the audience. The crowd was HUGE. I couldn't even see the stage door, let along anyone who might have come out of it. So, we decided not to wait around. We took photos at the posters and called it good. We had other places to go, anyway.

How to Succeed and Anything Goes are the only plays nominated for the Best Revival of a Musical this year. I enjoyed Anything Goes, but if How to Succeed doesn't win I will be very, very annoyed. It was so well put together and fun -- I want to go AGAIN!

If you want to see Keri's review and Larissa's review, click on their links.

So, there you have it: my reviews of the plays that I saw in NYC. They were so good! Thanks again, Larissa for inviting me on your trip and for choosing such magnificent plays. I had a marvelous time and I can't wait to go again!