Thursday, June 28, 2012

In Tribute

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” 

It's not often that I am seriously affected by the death of someone famous.
(though I will always remember the moment I heard Heath Ledger had died)
But then Tuesday night I saw on the Twitter that Nora Ephron has passed away.

My love of Nora Ephron movies is no secret
(see?) (and this?)
The woman was incredible.

Nora wrote about strong women, being strong women.
Her characters were still soft and feminine
They were women who were strong, but weren't afraid to be female.

Her writing was quick and witty and smart.
Her characters were not your stereotypical damsel in distress.
They were there to fight and do their thing, and if they found love while doing it, then great.

“Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I've
accomplished something, learned something, become a better person.”
 

Nora is a woman I would have wanted to be friends with.
She created women I want to be friends with.
I am going to watch as many of her movies as I can this weekend.
Her book (this one!) is in the mail.

She was a journalist and a writer.
A role model.
And she will be missed.

Thank your, Nora Ephron, thank your.


“My mother wanted us to understand that the tragedies of your life one day have to potential to be the comic stories the next.” 

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

These past few weeks, we have discovered the best form of entertainment around.
You ready for this?

Coach-pitch baseball.

No but really.


This is Chase.
He is my boss' kid, and one of the greatest kids you'll ever meet.
He knows more about sports/Utah State/every other school than the rest of us combined.
He's not afraid to tell Stew and Gary like it is. 
And he's a baseball champ.

He plays twice a week. 
His dad is the coach.
And it's an excuse for the rest of us to leave work early and watch his games.
We know the names of all the kids on the team. 
We get endless high-fives and autographs. 


Chase has a 4-year-old brother named Davis. 
There are very few things that bring me as much joy as these boys do. 
Davis and I are basically best friends.
We sit together at games while we share a bag of chips, talk about his day (today he rode horses and watched a dog eat a snake), and play catch. 

Today he decided he needed to try and hit the ball, not just catch it. 
I was actually really impressed! He hit the majority of balls I pitched to him, enjoying every second of it. 
He nailed one pitch that hit me in the thigh.
I gave him a hard time about it,
"Davis, you're not supposed to hit me, just the ball!"
His response?
"Well, you're supposed to move!!"
Valid point, sir. 


These boys have the sweetest relationship.
They make life that much sweeter. 
We only have one more week of Cardinal baseball. 
Then come fall, it's time for soccer with Davis!!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

You Spin My Head 'Round, Baby Right 'Round

Here's the thing, peeps.
I'm kind of over this whole "be a grown up" business.
After an hour-long conversation with my dad, my head is spinning and I'm ready to just quit and go back to childhood.
Oh wait, that's not a choice?
So now my head is spinning. This is all new territory and I'm not sure what I'm doing.

It all started with my parents informing me that I have until August to find and set up my own car insurance.
After an hour of attempting to look up stuff online, I realized I had no idea what I was doing or looking for.
(if any of you have suggestions on who to go with, talk to me!)

All of that car talk got me really thinking about seriously looking into getting a "new" car.
Mine has all sorts of problems and is just a pain.
Maintenance is expensive, and I feel like it's going to explode on me at any minute on long drives.
Not cool.

After a little bit of research, I realized a monthly payment really isn't THAT expensive, and is probably with it at this point.

Here's the thing about me.
I am terrible at the whole "saving money" concept.
If the money is there, I want to spend it.
And I do. On stupid stuff.
(You know like clothes, eating out, all that kind of stuff.)So my logic is saying, I have the money, I can just spend it on something more productive.
Plus, with as much as I spend on the constantly depleting oil that goes in my car, along with the gas for the awful gas mileage I get, I could almost make a payment out of that alone.

SO.
I'm officially in the market for a car.
Something under 100,000 miles.
For sure less than $10,000, but I'm really aiming for like $6-7 thousand tops.
Oh, and let's say anything 2005 and later.

My dream car is a Mazda3.
I think they're darling, for one, but people also love them.
I've really never heard anything bad about them.

Next choices would be an Altima or an Elantra.
I'm scouring KSL, and just starting the whole process, but if you have any suggestions or tips, PLEASE let me know. I have no idea what I'm doing.

And now, I'm going to try and stop thinking and go to sleep.
Because that's the kind of grown-up I am, putting the stress off while I can.

Unrelated completely: I ran outside for the first time in like a year and a half today. And I didn't die. And my knee isn't screaming in pain.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Oh Hey.

So clearly it's been awhile.

And this morning, I happened upon a post that got the wheels turning. Favorite musicals? Oh, so so many. So let's talk about them. And watch some. And sing along.

First of all. We have to talk about this.


You GUYS!
Don't worry, I've only watched it like 30 times. At least. 
I mean, really. I can't get enough of it. 
Maybe I tear up a little bit each time I watch it... It's fine.
Christmas can't come soon enough. 

Clearly, this is one of my favorites. 

And now, in no particular order (because that is FAR too hard), here are some others that I adore. 

Into the Woods

I couldn't choose a favorite song, so luckily I found a medley from the Tony Awards. 
Mostly, I LOVE Stephen Sondheim. Everything he writes. 
I love the fairy tales that are incorporated into the show. 
It's funny, romantic, but then sad and dramatic. 
The first time I saw this show, I apparently saw the children's version, which is just the first act. Then when I saw the full thing, I was in shock and horrified.
And now, I can't get enough of it. 

Sweeney Todd

Again, with the Sondheim.
The man's brilliant I tell you. 
The first time I saw this show was live in LA on a choir trip. 
I'll admit that I fell asleep for a few minutes, but that was because we'd been at Disneyland since 7:30 that morning. 
Dark room, comfy chairs, and teenagers after that is not the best combination. 
But now, I've seen it live again and the movie countless times (shh...) and I can't get over it. 
Brilliant.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Quite the change, yes?
This one is the epitome of cheesy musicals, and I love it. 
Who can resist seven rugged mountain men? 
This is one of the shows I always wanted to be in. 

Aida

First of all, let's just talk about Adam Pascal.
And how much I love him. (he'll make another appearance in a minute)
And the show. I mean, come on. 
Tim Rice and Elton John are a perfect duo. 
I love the story, the music, everything.

Phantom of the Opera

It's cliche, I know. But I don't care. 
I saw this live in Vegas this last March and my love was confirmed.
If you ever get to see it live, don't hesitate. 

Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Cheesy and cliche, again, but whatever.
This was the first show I was ever in, and it sparked my love of theatre. 
And yes, I still have all the colors memorized. 

Rent

No show makes me cry quite like this one. 
And Adam Pascal.
Amen.

Newsies

Do we need to elaborate on this one?
If I were to go to New York right now, this is the show I'd see. 

Let's be real. I could on with these forever. 
So I'll stop now. 
You're welcome?
What are your favorites??