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!
