Little Mermaid on Broadway

Saturday morning while I watched Janice, Ian, Kate, and Emma I brought over the Little Mermaid Broadway soundtrack and the picture book I bought from the musical in New York. Two of the girls are starting dance class so I thought it would be fun for them to dance to. Ian however loved dancing to it as well. Anyway it was a hit, they loved it. And it reminded me I never did a post about the musical, though I wanted too.

As many of my friends and family know The Little Mermaid is one of my all time favorite Disney movies! She and I were even born the same year ;). (Hercules, and Mulan are my favs too). So as one might imagine I was ecstatic when I heard we were going to go see it on Broadway in New York! We were lucky enough to see all of the original cast, many of whom have received Tony Awards. The woman who played Ariel received a Tony Award for her performance in this musical. Everything was incredible...I know this may seem odd, but I thought the Stage set was spectacular! Ursula's dress had to have been at least 25grand to make.

I loved the play and the music, but I will agree with some of the critics who say it was a little theme parkish. However keep in mind this is Disney we are dealing with... And I wish they had added a few more creative touches to the musical. I found that though it truly was wonderful it felt like I was just watching the movie with extended songs. What was the name of the woman who did the Lion King on Broadway? They should have hired someone like her.

Although I do have some criticisms for the most part I loved it! My favorite songs were, Part of Your World, I Want the Good Times Back, and One Step Closer. If you are a Disney fan, and are ever in New York City I would definetly recommend it. I hope when and if I have a daughter that it is still playing on Broadway!

Sorry to Drag-On On the Same Topic...

Sorry if you have been keeping up on my posts. (which I doubt, other than my family no one else really reads my blog...but that is for the best I started this blog for three reasons, to keep my family and friends posted on my life, as a means to practice my writing, and to keep a sorta journal, so the less people who read it is probably for the better) I know that as of late I have been really only writing about one thing: the rain. But I can't help it lately I have been absolutely itching to be caught in a 95 degree, smell-the pavement-rain!

Finally the earth granted me my wish last Saturday night. For about an hour and a half, minus the lightning the storm almost competed with the summer monsoon in Arizona. However, as luck would have it I happened to be working for the majority of it.:( The good news is that business at Orange Julius happened to be slower than usual that day and the two girls I was working with wanted to see the storm nearly as bad as I did. So we each took turns running out side to see it and play in it. Perhaps it was unprofessional, but it was worth it! It must have been a funny sight seeing all three Orange Julius girls completely soaked when people ordered their drinks...I can only imagine what they were thinking.

I love rain storms, I'll admit I wouldn't want it everyday, but there is something about them. I am not sure if I can even do my feelings justice with words. I love everything about a good storm. The earth right before the storm hits and the rain begins to fall, The "edge" of it. The way the leaves blow and twist in the wind, wild. The atmosphere feels different....almost unsure... It is impossible to feel tired, sad, or anything but aware, aware of the fact that you are alive. There is an energy at the edge of the storm, an energy that makes my spirit soar...I love it! And then when the rain begins to fall, I feel childish almost, free, wanting to run, dance, and splash around. Yet at the same time I feel contemplative, mediative, and even contradicting as it may sound to what I have stated, sober. I love the rain, the way it floods swirls, and creates musical rhythms on rooftops, pavements, or any surface it hits. The way it washes and leaves the earth fresh when it is through. The thunder and the lighting both intimidate and enchant me. Something about storms make me feel small a little at times too.

Speaking of small it at times makes me feel a little primal. It takes me back to the fact that I am human. Mankind, no matter how technology and advancements separate us from nature, can never separate ourselves from the need of rain. We cannot survive without it. Life began with and in water. Maybe it is this basic instinct that creates the love and welcome of a good rain storm inside me.

Anyway here are some pictures of the Monsoon in Arizona I found. Sorry I promise this will be my last post on rain for awhile....I have other things to post on, like the arrival of my new cousin Penny, oh and I probably should do another update on my duck Henry, who by the way is a GIRL!!!! Crazy huh?

Little Penny Grace-----The newest member of our family!

My cousin Chelsey just had her baby girl! I am so excited she is the first girl to be born from our generation of cousins! She looks adorable! She is so light in skin color and in hair color compared to her two brothers! I can't wait to see her.

Follow up on the Monsoon!

Oh my gosh speaking of the Monsoon I was looking at Colby and Malea's blog and I found a picture of my uncle's backyard a day after it had rained!

Rain Dances and Such

Its funny today was a beautiful sunny 95 degree day, and I found myself a little sad, missing the rain I am so accustomed to at this time of year. In Arizona where I used to live, the end of July to the the beginning of August was known as the "monsoon" season.

It was the only time in my desert home when it truly rained. "Rained" is a pathetic understatement, it poured. We are talking streets flooding, moats in front of your house, for a couple of weeks you almost feel like you live in Venice Italy.

I loved the warm summer rain the monsoon brought for many reasons. It allowed for exceptional puddle jumping. It made the earth smell wonderful afterwards! To this day one of my favorite scents is the smell after it rains, especially when rain has found fresh soil. Some years the monsoon would arrive later and when school began there were many times when we were allowed "late days". Another thing that I loved about the monsoon was that it always awakened life in the desert. One example that I remember very vividly from my childhood were the (as Iyan the little boy I watch would put it) humongous Sonoran Desert Toads that would only really appear during the rainy season. These toads were enormous! To prove it I even looked them up, at average they are 7 inches long and often are bigger! They are the biggest toads in North America! I remember when I was little I would used to chase them and try and catch them believing that some were actually princes trapped in toad bodies. The monsoon also brought many wild flowers after.

However the number one reason why I loved and love the monsoon were the incredible thunderstorms it brought every year. Days of lighting dancing through the sky! I remember when I was little I would take out all of my stuffed animals, beanie babies, and other toys, pull out a chair on our back porch and watch the storms.

Well it is late, I believe I have rambled long enough for tonight. I wonder how the Monsoon is this year, I hope it is as wonderful as I remember it being. Maybe some other little kid is taking their stuffed animals out and watching it right now. It is the season. In any case if some one is I envy them.

I Heart Old Movies

Funny Face is one of my favorite movies of all time. Audrey Hepburn was genius in it. Perhaps I am hopelessly cheesy deep down inside but this is one of my favorite scenes in the movie.

Finally!

Hello everyone, I know graduation for my class of '08 is way past gone. However, I have finally received all of my graduation pictures so...with out further ado here they are.

But I would like to take a moment to say thank you to Brenna, who bent over backwards to give all of us the best graduation ever! Brenna is the reason behind the great barbecue, slide show that puts my little blog slide to shame, and the reason we even took these senior pictures. I know that you were really stressed out at the time Bundy but everything turned out great! I hope it was worth it to you in the end because it sure was to all of us!

Chic/Punk

I found a cool site that lets you mix and match things. It is called Polyvore. Its pretty fun, here is a collage I created on it. It tells you on the site what all the outfits/accessories are and how to find them.

Connor's Baby Blessing

Bunny Letter Opener

convenience in a bunny.

Today I am craving....

A New York City strawberry tart! In New York there are bakeries everywhere you go. At night when my friends and I were settling down after an eventful day we would stop in one close to our hotel and we would try something new every night. All of their sweets were to die for, however the reason I am craving a strawberry tart today is: I went to a bakery with my mom the other day and I saw a row of strawberry tarts and when I took a bite it just wasn't the same...:(

Spotlights!

I know I have been poor at doing my weekly spotlights...maybe I'll change it to "monthly spotlights", or "whenever the hell I feel like it spotlights." But nevertheless here it is! I have two this week, I couldn't choose one over the other.

Spotlight Número Uno:



Ever feel that to be environmentally safe you have to sacrifice your dominant arm? I picked up a book that if you are a girl is actually pretty useful, if you are however,a boy, about half of the book would be useful...stereotypically speaking... Don't let my opinion offend you. It tells you tons of minor changes you can make in your life that will help you to become more environmentally savvy. Not only does it help you do more for the environment it helps you become more healthy. There is a great section on meditation, and great workout tips. I haven't read all of the book, but so far I have been pretty impressed with it.

Best For Last:



I actually give this four stars! **** Being a freshman in college now, I am taking a writing class and need desperate help with my grammar. That is how I stumbled across this. Here are the reasons why I am spotlighting Grammar Girl:

A. It is Free (Go to iTunes and search grammar girl)
B. She makes a tedious subject fun to listen to.
C. The longest lecture is seven minutes; it is short, witty, and too the point.
D. Its very convenient, you can plug it into your Ipod and listen to it while you work, and whatever else.
E. You learn a lot from it.

Random thought...

Its funny how sometimes no matter how hard you plan things they always turn out different. And more often than not, it isn't bad...it is just different. I am reminded of an old dutch saying which roughly translated means: "Don't fret it will happen differently anyhow."

I think its important that we remain open, ready to work with the changes, because if you are grounded you can never move from that spot, it is harder to grow, and too learn some of life's most valuable experiences. Sometimes I feel that I need to act more like water, when water is trapped it finds a new path.

I had another random thought while thinking of life and plans... let's face it many of us fret over our "life plans." I think that it is important to keep this in mind when dealing with important plans...Plan to be surprised.