Observations about the royal wedding

My cute friend Chantryce knows I have a fascination with the royal family, and asked my opinion on the wedding. Then I decided that I just wanted to write everything down before I forgot it all...

I did not stay up to watch the ceremony live at 3 a.m. MST on April 29, 2011 and I don't regret it. I was still trying to recover from illness and I didn't want to take a day off so close to my NYC vacation. I did, however, record 6 1/2 hours worth of wedding coverage from Good Morning America on my mom's DVR. I avoided Facebook and several other sites I frequent because I didn't want to ruin the surprises for myself. Instead, I rushed to my mom's house to watch the event with her. I'm glad I did it this way, because that way I could fast-forward through most of the before and after commentary and long-stretches of time where nothing was happening.

Anyway, on with the e-mail I sent to Chantryce:

Hello darling Chantryce!

I miss you! What's going on? I hope this Facebook fast has been soothing to your soul -- I know I'm planning to take one myself very, very shortly. For me, sometimes it's just too overwhelming and depressing to see all those statuses, and photos, and invitations to things I don't want to go to but feel guilty saying no to...

Which reminds me, I need to shoot that e-mail out for the Seven Brides auditions. I had thought of auditioning for Midsummer Night's Dream up in Layton, which would have conflicted with Seven Brides auditions, but I don't think I will.

Aaaand, I'm rambling just a bit, so I'll get on with my (admittedly rambly) opinions about the royal wedding.

IT WAS GORGEOUS!

Seriously, how could one say otherwise? Westminster Abbey was a little ostentatious (says the girl who wants to marry in either the Salt Lake Temple or the Bountiful Temple), but it worked for this particular event, you know? I couldn't believe how many people they crammed into that place -- how fun would it be to say you were there? I loved the trees going down the aisle, and that red carpet was a stunning backdrop for everyone who walked down. And those little kids in their stiff dresses and slightly-too-large uniforms were pretty much the cutest things in the history of the royal family (even though none are IN the royal family).

And then there were cutie William and Harry, as happy, nervous, and handsome as could be! I loved watching them, wished they'd kept their hands at their sides more and their uniforms matched (but of course they have different ranks in the army, so that wasn't likely), and wondered why Harry's uniform was just a smidgen more decorative than William's. I think it's adorable how well those brothers get along, and I was glad that Harry was the best man. As an outsider to the royal family, I think it would have been weird to me if the best man had been someone I wasn't familiar with, although since it's William's wedding he had every right to choose another close friend if he wanted to, of course.

A couple of times while watching I had to remind myself that even though this wedding was a cultural big deal, it was still just about two people who want to get married, and they should be allowed to do what they want, right?

I liked Pippa's bridesmaid dress, but I was sad that the front was wrinkled 'cause it made the dress look tighter on her than it really was. Also, I've heard it's tradition in Britain for the bridesmaids to wear white, but I think I would have liked the dress more if it had been a different color, like that green one she wore later, which I LOVED! Maybe there was a fear of detracting from the bride, but at this wedding was that even possible? All eyes were on Catherine.

Which brings me to the beautiful bride. She looked lovely, just as she should have. She was something out of a fairy tale, and I liked the individual pieces (the tiara, the hairstyle, the veil, the dress). But somehow, it didn't come together for me. [I will acknowledge that everything I'm about to say is unfair, because if this had been a non-royal wedding I wouldn't be so critical.] I was disappointed in the dress. It was classic and appropriate for the venue and pretty and... has been done before. This is the dress that will be copied and emulated by thousands of other brides for the next twenty years? It's ALREADY the style. It was the style 60 years ago when Grace Kelly wore it at her wedding. I'm sad for Kate's sake that I saw her dress and thought of Grace --or perhaps Kimberly Williams in Father of the Bride -- instead of Kate. Maybe I would have liked it more without the high collar. Imagine if the collar was gone, and neckline a bit wider, showing off more of her long neck and collarbone. Then it wouldn't have seemed like the collar was competing with her long hairstyle. Plus, I'm just not a fan of the see-through thing on the bodice, though I was very, VERY glad it wasn't strapless -- don't get me started on those. I also felt that the skirt should have been more simple in the front - it either didn't need so much paneling, or it needed a puffier petticoat underneath. And much as I loved the veil, it was hiding the bustle in the back - the only part of the dress that looked like it might be interesting.

It's funny that everyone had an opinion before we saw the dress of what it should be (this link was sent to me by a designer friend of mine who came up with the two sketches at the top), and now that the wedding's over, we still have opinions!

However, Kate obviously loved the dress, and William couldn't take his eyes off her, and that's all that really matters.

I adored Kate and William's interaction during the ceremony and vows. I hope that my fiance/husband looks at me with such love and tenderness on our wedding day. They were just so shy of any media attention that they didn't hold hands or anything and that's a foreign concept to me. The ceremony was a bit long for my taste, but since it's all the public got I was grateful! I teared up more than once, especially when William and Kate acknowledged/bowed/curtsied to the Queen before walking back up the aisle. I did think it odd there was no "You may now kiss the bride." Maybe that's only something Americans do? Or was it a royal family/modesty thing? I don't know, but I was disappointed.

Weren't the hats the guests wore a scream? Sometimes I wish hats were fashionable here in the States. I think my personal favorite was the Queen's. My mom saw it and said, "It looks like a cake! It's cute!" Just a simple, cheery, yellow hat.

I enjoyed watching the carriage ride and the balcony, but my favorite was William and Kate speeding around in the Aston-Martin. Awesome! They really are just a cute little couple, thrilled to finally be married after years of wishing. They are so fun together. It was nice to see a bit of their personalities shine through, since everything else had been so traditional and formal up to then.

I think that about wraps it up. What did you think? Feel free to disagree about the dress -- plenty have!

Have a happy Thursday, Chantryce. I hope you have some fun things planned, and you know how loved you are.

xox, Meg

A cupcake story

Monday, on the last morning of our epically awesome vacation to New York City, my friends and I decided to stop into a bakery called Crumbs. Larissa had been talking about it the entire trip, but for some reason, I didn't remember until after we'd made our purchases that she'd been saying her sister said they were awful... whoops!

Well, I bought a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter cream cheese frosting for me, and a carrot cake cupcake for my mom. Don't they look amazing?!! For $7.50 total, they'd better be!

Those things were HUGE! About twice the size of a normal cupcake, and with twice as much frosting. I had tried a cupcake from Magnolia bakery that morning, and it was much better than I'd expected, even being a day old (mmm, cupcakes for breakfast!) I'm used to the good ole box-batter variety, but this was in a class by itself!

I bet you're super-jealous of my cupcakes. Can you even imagine how good they were? Haha! You have no choice but to just imagine.

And so do I. Because I dropped those Crumbs cupcakes.

On the floor.

Of the bathroom.

At the JFK airport.

Frosting. Side. Down.

All I know is they were perched fairly safely between the straps of my purse inside their protective plastic box, and I didn't even notice I hit it with the stall door until I heard a plastic sort of THUD, turned around, and saw the frosting kissing the wet floor.

I didn't even consider still eating them.

The peanut butter cupcake was just a wee bit smooshed, but when I picked up the carrot cake ALL of the frosting remained on the floor. It was so depressing! I threw them both away, of course. At least they didn't fall in the toilet - that would have been more difficult to clean up. Ewwwwwwwwwww!

I didn't take a photo. I didn't think of it in time and there were too many people in line.

I walked back to our terminal and said to Larissa, "Guess who just dropped her cupcakes on the ground?" I was trying really hard to be jovial about it, but the fact was I thought it was a rotten way to end the trip. Just felt like bad karma (karma and I aren't the best of friends) and I was sad that I had no thank you gift for my mom for driving me to and from the airport.

I had to laugh, though, when Larissa said what I'd been thinking: "I'm sorry, but if this was going to happen to someone, it would be you!" It's so true! I'm the girl who falls in the fire at Girls' Camp, gets hit in the face with a softball during the company game, and is afraid will fall into my own cake at my wedding! Blergh. No one can tell me I'm not clumsy!

Keri had bought the peanut butter chocolate cupcake, too, and let me try some of the frosting. It was pretty good! She offered to let me have more, but my heart wasn't in it. I hope she liked it, though :-)

Maybe it's just as well I didn't get them all the way home. I don't really need the calories.

And I must admit, it makes for a pretty decent story!

Cleeeeeeeeean!

Back in November, I was rehearsing for a play and furiously working to get a huge project done at work in time for my Christmas vacation. I was really busy and really stressed, and my house suffered. It was a total mess!

As I was driving to work one morning, I thought, "I wish I had a wife to clean my house for me!" Well, what I really wanted was to BE the wife and get to stay home and take care of my house and family while the husband took care of bringing home the bacon. I don't care if it's an old-fashioned idea -- it's the dream.

Well, wouldn't you know it? When I got to work, I found an e-mail in my inbox from Groupon, and the deal of the day was 3 hours of house cleaning for $45. I didn't need to be asked twice -- I immediately signed up! It was the answer to my quasi-prayers!

Of course, I didn't use it right away.

To be specific, I finally used it this morning. *embarrassed face*

Did I mention the Groupon expired tomorrow? Yeah, way to cut it close, but I'm glad I finally used it!

I took today off work to relax after the vacation, have the cleaning people come by. I even went to a movie this afternoon! Yay! My internal clock canNOT figure out what day it is, but my mental health wasn't ready to go back to work quite yet ;-)

The three ladies came 45 minutes earlier than scheduled, and I wasn't ready. I wasn't even dressed for the day. It's a big cliche to clean the house before the cleaning ladies come, but in the description for the deal there was a note that 3 hours includes the time it might take to move stuff off the counter before they could actually clean anything. I didn't want them to have to deal with piles of stuff. I just wanted them to deep-clean as much as they could. I also wanted to move a bunch of boxes into closets so they could vacuum more of the floor. Oh, well.

I let the ladies in, and they told me to sit on the couch and relax, so I did. I spent the time writing in my journal and pretending I wasn't embarrassed to still be in my p.j's. They were fast! They only stayed about 40 minutes (or two man hours, since there were three women there), but they seemed to get everything. Seriously, the shower hasn't been that clean since before I moved in -- I'm thrilled! My house looks so good!

I want to keep it this way at LEAST until after a little get-together I'm hosting on Friday. It'll be the first time most of those friends see my place and I am very proud of my little home. I like that it will be well-represented.

Honestly, except for the shower and the oven, I feel I could have cleaned as well as the professional service, but knowing that I didn't have to clean this time sure feels good!

I may try it again sometime.

Three cheers for a clean home! Having a clean and tidy space really does make all the difference in the world.

Gettin' outta town!

I'm grabbing my hat and coat 

I'm leaving the cat a note

Quick, call me a ferry boat (You're a ferry boat!)

Gettin' outta town!

Cares fly by

They're going bye-bye

and we're shoutin' HURRAH!

Wings spreadin' 'cause we're heading to ha-cha!

Ha-cha-cha-cha! Ha-cha-cha-cha!!

(I've never understood that last line, unless it's supposed to be a Jimmy Durante reference. But I don't remember Jimmy Durante anywhere else during 42nd Street....)

Here is a photo of the marquis from the last time I saw How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying on Broadway (in 1996). I'll be seeing it -- and other fantastic plays -- again very shortly. I can't wait! I haven't been to New York City in years and years and I can really use a vacation!! Better yet, I'm going with one of my besties, and one of my brothers is meeting us there. Yaaay!

Let's get this vacation started!!

Ungraceful

Does anyone else have huge fears of falling on his/her face in front of a huge group of people?

Well, if you need some pointers on falling in public, ask me. I do it often. On stage, walking to class, trying to dance, down the stairs in a hoop skirt (I rolled down, actually), into the fire at girl's camp (you read that right)... everywhere really. If I had followed through with my dance training I might not be so clumsy, but it's possible that wouldn't have saved me. The upside is that I'm pretty practiced at not injuring myself when I do fall.

Can you see the bruises and scab on my arm in this photo? That's from when I tripped and fell flat on my face and gravel-burned my arm opening night of Oklahoma in 1995. How many people can say they got a concussion after the Oklahoma Hello? Earlier that night, I almost fell in the pit during "The Farmer and the Cowman." T'was a fun, but risky show! After that performance, real-life EMT Will started carrying me off-stage. He was so good to take care of me!

The latest accident happened on Saturday at the "Parleys' Got Talent" talent show/activity. I am on the Activities committee and was helping with refreshments. I chose not to put a talent together (I know, I know, stop hiding under a bushel -- I love to be onstage but much prefer to be a character than myself. Plus, I was sick all month and didn't feel like getting anything ready) but was glad for a chance to help and support those who WERE brave enough to share!

However, the emcee had the great idea to acknowledge the Activities committee. She wanted us all to gather in front of the stage and take a bow. Of course, most of the committee hid (our leader said she was in the bathroom -- lucky duck), but I decided to be gracious and make my way around the tables to the stage.

Unfortunately, I'd forgotten about the candy on the floor, courtesy of a lip sync to "I Want Candy" where some of the ladies threw candy out to the audience. I jogged up to the other girls on the committee, intending to give double high fives and then raise the roof to the audience.

Instead, two feet away from the stage I slipped on a piece of candy, fell to my knees, and just kept going down. I rolled, jumped up, did the superstar pose, and said, "I'm okay!" I got a huge round of applause.

So much for flying under the radar at the talent show!!

The next day the committee started planning a summer camping trip, and when I mentioned that I back in the day I fell in the fire at girl's camp, they had a good laugh... guess I've established myself as a klutz. At least I'm a lovable one, right? Right!??

I can walk and read, I can walk and talk, and I can walk and chew gum, but just plain walking is an adventure, especially when I'm trying not to make a fool of myself. I should embrace the fact that I am an uncool goofball. Yet, I keep trying to prove otherwise.

Given this mishap, is it any wonder that I fear randomly rolling my ankle, falling off the sidewalk, landing in the street, and getting hit by a car? If you were as accident prone as I, you'd understand.

Gracious, maybe, but graceful? Not so much.

Oh well, at least I can laugh at myself!

Facebook observations

Facebook is a funny thing. 

I avoided using it for as long as I could, because I'm the type of person who will obsessively watch every video, look at every photo, and read every status update posted on my feed. I wasn't online at all yesterday, so today at lunch I had to read through the last two days worth of feeds. One might say that's not necessary, but I ended up putting together two people (one looking for a roommate and one looking for a place to live), so I like to think my obsessive FB stalking was not as pathetic as it probably really was...

Anyway, there are several things I think about when checking Facebook, and rules that I follow for my sanity's sake. I thought I'd write them down, 'cause why not? Hope you find them moderately interesting:

• I may not sever our Facebook friendship, but I will remove you from my Homepage feed if one of my friends uses the F-word. I will also remove you from the feed if you are consistently negative or too repetive (ex: posting how great Zumba is four times a day. I have friends who do this. It's annoying.)
• I will unFriend you if you do something on Facebook to seriously offend me, if I have learned to seriously dislike you in real life, or if I don't have a huge connection to you (on or off Facebook). I will make exceptions for some theatre friends -- if we don't really keep in touch but were really close during the show and/or are likely to do another show together I'll leave you there.
• I will also Friend people non-theatre people I don't know well if they are entertaining or, again, we had a good connection back in the day.
• I do NOT Friend people I haven't met. (I have broken this rule maybe twice, and that was because they were referred by some really good friends of mine.) I'm not so concerned with my numbers that I need to be Friends with strangers.
• I don't like it when people I barely know or have met once send me Friend requests but don't have any photos of themselves available to non-Friends and they don't send me a message regarding how I know them. For example, I don't know the last name of many people at church. I wouldn't mind being Friends, but if you don't give me a clue who you are I'll probably click "Ignore", and then "I don't know this person." Sometimes I'll do some detective work and figure it out. Sometimes I'll send a note back saying "How do I know you?" Others (especially if we don't seem to have mutual friends) are immediately ignored.
• I am blocked by at least one person and have blocked one other. This means that I cannot see anything they post, I can't see whether they're invited to events sponsored by mutual friends, and they can't see me. I CAN however, see responses from other friends and deduce what those blocked people are saying. It's creepy and weird.
• I don't like emotional ambiguous posts, such as "Kill me now" or "Well that was weird." What the heck is going on?! Give me some context!! Admittedly, my desire to do this from time to time (re: often) is one of the reasons I don't update my status very often. If I had a quarter for every time I wanted to post "I'm a terrible friend", "I'm jealous" or "I give up" I could have afforded to go to Scotland this summer...
• I am a huge fan of the "Like" button. It's nice to have that visual thumbs up, you know? If I don't know what to say but I support the post, I can just click "Like." I wish there were a "Like" button for blog posts.
• Just like in my blog, the people that respond to my comments are never the people I expect to comment.
• Posts complaining about the weather and illness are one of the reasons I don't subscribe to twitter.

That's all for now. Happy-almost-Tuesday!