October tybbling

Oh, October. You were filled with performances and other events surrounding Jekyll and Hyde. Turns out, the cast liked to party, and we liked to party together! But I'll talk about that another time (or will I?).

A few other things:

Fall is no longer kidding around

For some reason, the trees and leaves in this part of my condo's parking lot scream AUTUMN at me.

(Not literally, of course. Aaaaaah!)

"Every Autumn, I look forward to the day the leaves seem to leap from the trees and create a carpet of color. Tomorrow, the carpet will be pulverized by cars, but today all felt right with the world."

General Conference with my family

My brother David created this masterpiece with drafting help and suggestions from our nieces.
I love it. I should have stolen it so I could frame it. 

Breezy suddenly panicked that her mom's birthday was only a few weeks away and we needed to create birthday cards. This is my drawing of Lindsey crossing the finish line at the end of a race (the red things are the ribbon she is breaking through).

Cousins bonding while watching a video during the lunch break.

Day trip to the Utah Shakespeare Festival

I missed Twelfth Night during my trip in the summer. I'd never seen a live performance of the play but I adore the script, so I drove down for a Wednesday matinee, stayed for the talk-back afterwards, and then drove home.

The production wasn't perfect, but the music was delightful and I laughed a LOT for all the right reasons. I'm glad that I made the effort.

I started the day right, with a pumpkin bagel and honey-almond schmear from Einstein Bagels, and a frozen butterbeer* from Starbucks. I highly recommend both.
For the butterbeer, you have to give the barrista the recipe:
Cold Butterbeer:
cream frappucchino of whole milk
3 pumps caramel syrup
3 pumps toffee nut syrup
top with caramel drizzle

Hot Butterbeer:
(2 pumps tall, 3 granda, 4 venti)
Whole milk steamer w/caramel syrup
toffee nut syrup
cinnamon dolce syrup
top with whipped cream and salted caramel bits

*I have never been to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, so I have no idea how these compare to "real" butterbeer

During the drive home, I hit the 50000 mile milestone in my new car.
Not so new anymore, it seems!

Sent stuff to the dry cleaner

I know, this is kind of a lame entry, but I'd never taken my own stuff to a dry cleaner before, so it felt kind of momentous. Sadly, they wrecked the buckles on my trench coat; now I'm looking for new buckles so I can replace them...

Some of my siblings came to my play!

My siblings don't come to all of my many shows -- and I don't often make them come -- especially when my role is small and tickets are as expensive as they are at CenterPoint. I was awfully proud of the quality of Jekyll and Hyde, however, and I cannot express how special it felt that these fun-loving, discerning, and thoughtful people took the time out of their schedules to come. Their support and their love is very precious to me.

David and Aaron

Jordyn and Lindsey

Read Pride and Prejudice (adapted as a play) with Next Stage Productions friends

The friends I did Robin Hood with have formed their own theatre company, called Next Stage Productions. In addition to producing plays, about once a month someone from the group hosts different activities, most often reading a play. In October, we read Pride and Prejudice, and I have to say that the casting choices were spot-on, and a lot of the reads were just brilliant. I got to play Lydia and had a marvelous time!
Let me know if you want to join in the fun. This month they're reading The Crucible, and next month is Arabian Nights (the show they plan to produce next year). The more the merrier!

Liz, as Elizabeth Bennet, reacts to Mr. Collin's proposal (read hilariously by Anthony Buck).

It wasn't a costume party, but I dressed up as Sleeping Beauty anyway, because this was only my first party of the evening...

My one-and-only Halloween party

The second party was at Johnson Party Central, and comprised mainly of cast members from Jekyll and Hyde. I was there late enough that the Friday cast had completed their performance and were arriving as well. It's a crime that nobody got a clear photo of the two actors who played Jekyll wearing pink unicorn costumes -- they galloped into the house, through the kitchen, and back out the front door so quickly that those of us in the living room didn't even see them! Boo!

Chantryce and Amanda

Natalie, Silas, and Kristina

Baby-sat one of the world's cutest and most charming babies

Bamy got to baby-sit her Monster while his parents had rehearsal. Poor kid had a rough day that carried into our time together, so I think we both appreciated the short nap he took in the middle of the evening. He's such a perfect, squishable boy! Chip off the old block, for sure!

Gifted myself something nerdy

I've been waiting for months for the "Come Away with Me" design to come available on Companion Tees or TeeFury. I love it so much. It's kind of a shame I can't wear it every day! (Well, I could, but that would be weirder than a 36 year-old career woman buying this t-shirt in the first place.)

Halloween

My co-workers were disappointed that I didn't dress up this year. This was a little hypocritical because they didn't either! I DID consider wearing a costume to the movies that night, and then forgot about it and put on regular clothes after my workout. I rescued my mom and my grandma from having to answer their doors to trick-or-treaters and took them to see The Maze Runner. It was an entertaining movie and I like the child actors, and it was creepy enough to be a decent Halloween choice. I hadn't been to a movie in ages -- I've missed them!

I straightened my hair, so at least I didn't look quite like myself!
Bonus points for the scarf with the skulls printed on it :)

My show closed on the 28th. I auditioned for another on the 25th, but it didn't work out. I have an audition or two tentatively planned for this month.

Next stop, November. The holidays are upon us!

Brought to you by the letter "M": what I wore today

Yesterday, I threw together an outfit last minute. As luck would have it, I LOVED it! Hot Pink, black and white? Yes, please!

With the jacket

Without the jacket

Do you see the little squiggle on my left shoulder? Close up, it looks like this:

Yes, I own a sweater with an "M" sewn into the pattern. I bought it years ago and adore the thing. Sadly, it's an awkward length and made of grabby, itchy yarn, so I don't wear it often. However, when I realized the "M" is the same color as the dress I'd thrown on (as a third desperate attempt to find something somewhat flattering to wear to church), I almost skipped for joy! Better yet, it perfectly covered the busy bodice on the dress!

I received multiple compliments on this sweater from women in my ward, many of whom mentioned that it reminded them of the way Laverne in Laverne & Shirley always had an "L" on the front of her blouse/dress/uniform. I admit, that's exactly why I bought it in the first place. Knowing that other people like it for the same reason makes me feel oddly validated, and giddier than I should be -- I love to be frivolous sometimes!

Now, because it cheers me up and makes me smile broadly every time I watch it, here is the theme song sequence for Laverne & Shirley -- notice the "L" on all of Laverne's (Penny Marshall's) clothing:

Happy Monday, all!

Make all YOUR dreams come true!!

What I wore today: going retro for church

So... I've been feeling fat and uninspired with the clothing options in my closet lately. I don't want to go shopping; instead I've been playing around with outfits. This is what I came up with for church today:

Maybe it was silly to wear the crinoline petticoat under my sparkly skirt, but I felt pretty. I even had a bunch of compliments!

Does anyone else wish we wore dresses like this more? Sometimes I grow very tired of my sweaters, jeans and t-shirts. Wouldn't it be lovely to wear dresses like Zooey Deschanel's in (500) Days of Summer, or Diane Kruger's at the beginning of National Treasure: Book of Secrets? Going retro suits me better than the current styles.

I am considering dressing silly like this more often...