Wizard of Oz

 Wizard of Oz at Hale Center Theatre was filled with heart and spectacle.  Everything that happens in the movie, happens on stage even better.  So many  flying effects..the house,  Dorothy and the bicycling witch all flying up in a tornado..then Dorothy landing in OZ and the witch flying on a broom stick.  Throwing apple trees, mocking birds, flying monkeys, wild Emerald city people, Galinda in a bubble that floats above the stage, the great and powerful OZ projections  and shocking jitterbugs... and the melting witch...and the hot air balloon going up ...just all the things.  They changed Toto from a real dog into a puppet dog while in Oz and it was enchanting.  The little boy puppeteer who managed Toto was amazing.   It was so good and Addison was a tender, heartfelt, most perfect Tinman.  I just can't get over it.  Addison said, that if he was ever going to be in Wiz Of Oz he would do it at Hale center because they can do all of the special effects that make this show magical.  It really did not disappoint.  I also loved sitting next to Alfie and Tayla and watch them watch the show.  It was magical!!

Julie Briggs, Wanee Welch, cousin Jessie, Tayla, Lexi, Wayne.... Addison as Tinman, Melinda, Alfie, Bre

Cookies for the Road Home

Si and I held our 7th annual cookie party.  The last two years, we have stopped exchanging and taking cookies home and started packaging them up and sharing them with the homeless instead.  We take the cookies to the Road Home for families.  The staff is thrilled and said the residents and people served at this facility really appreciate home made goodies.  They get a lot of packaged, Costco type stuff so our homemade cookies with love are extra special.  It's so sweet to combine cookies, gathering and service all in one.  We got 100 boxes donated from Gygi's this year to facilitate the cookie packaging, stacking and delivering part.  

Peggy Rinehart, Kristen Fowers, Mel Evans and Misty Mayfield

Tibby, Cindy Brown, Becca, Christ Briggs circle the table to fill the boxes.

Nana Bruske, Tibby, Kathleen, Mel and Si. 

The boxes were piling up.  Mel keeps them from falling. 

So many gorgeous baked goods!

Off to the Road Home

Christmas Choir concert

 Laila's Concert Choir, which is the Jr. choir sang beautifully.  THen all of the choirs joined together with the BHS orchestra and really blew the roof off the auditorium.  The First Noel and Oh Come all Ye Faithful, just soooo glorious.  I had tears in my eyes and the spirit in my heart.

One of Laila's choir friends,Dusty Moulder and Laila

Grandma Welch and Holly came to support.  

Consuming

My consuming brain is on fire.  I've consumed Netflix series  and Hallmark Christmas movies; every sugary morsel that a kind neighbor has dropped off for a Christmas  treat ---Wayne refuses because he is on a" keto I'm going to lose 20 pounds by our cruise" crusade-- but I have my own set of goals. One is to make sure the neighbors and their gifts are thanked.   I've consumed so many hours of Life coach school training, one podcast after another, one webinar and online class after another.    I've eaten and watched and listened til my mouth eyes and ears are numb.  But I'm not a quitter.

Now I need to move into creation mode...
Paint more
Write more
Act more
Dance more
but
consuming is easier.  It's passive.

I know I need to move into Massive action..but....

Movement will change my mood... I know this to be true . More walks, more talks, more zumba and yoga.

Kaitlyn's wedding in Michigan

This was on the wall in our hotel...

Just flew in from Michigan and boy are my arms tired!  

Wayne and I had a great time with Lexi, Monson and the grandkids along with Lexi’s lovely people.  Her sister Kaitlyn got married to Zach Redman and we all participated.  Wayne and I stayed in the nicest hotel..The Inn on Bay Harbor.  It was “Somewhere in time”  fancy with a view of Lake Michigan off our patio.  It was beautiful but frigid.  This   was where the wedding party stayed as well...so Kaitlyn, her mom and bridesmaids along with Lexi, Tayla and Lady occupied a suite.  Monson was with the groomsmen at Rebecca’s home ( Lexi’s mom) 45 minutes away.   Wayne and I helped with the rehearsal dinner and set up the hall.  We ironed  tablecloths for 2 and 1/2 hours.  Wayne is an excellent ironer.  I just kept asking if the lights would be bright or dim?  The dimmer the better for the wrinkly cloths. 

 Actually it all looked great...and Kaitlyn had some good wedding coordinator friends manage it all.  

View out of our bedroom.  It was really gorgeous.

Our Lady in the Bride's maid suite

Monson tied all of the groomsmen ties and told them what shoes and watches to wear etc…. They all love Monson and really think he’s a “stand up guy.”  They have nothing bad to say about him. I don’t either.   He did however forget Lexi’s suitcase for the hotel so Wayne and I had to run to Rebecca’s house to get it.  We went on a snowy, hilly road that turned into an unpaved snowy road before finally meeting up with a plowed one.  We laughed about it as we tried to maneuver in our little rental car with no snow tires and prayed we wouldn't get stuck.   Upstate Michigan has homes few and far between with a lot of woods and reminds me of driving around Bear Lake. 

  With Monson’s girls all at the hotel he had the best night’s sleep.  Lexi on the other hand has had a bad cold all weekend and is just trying to stay positive so sister Kait’s Bridezilla wouldn’t  surface.   She did not sleep good at all with her mom, Tayla and Lady all sharing a bed.  Because we were at the hotel we got the girls all  bathed and dressed and looking sweet for the wedding.  

We got to the ceremony and felt like visiting royalty with all of Lexi’s family so happy to see us.  It's always great to be with Lexi's mom, Rebecca.  She is so warm and welcoming.   The ceremony was short and sweet. The mayor of Lake City married them.  He’s not LDS, but has great respect for the mormons.  ( His words)  He says he has the elders and sisters over for dinner and they have power.  He said he had friends, who couldn’t get pregnant and had them over with the Elders and they prayed for this couple and 3 days later they were pregnant.  He said it was a miracle that he attributes to the Mormons.  

 I teased Kaitlyn that her wedding dress was obviously picked out in the summer when she was hot.  She loved it , and that’s what counts.  This was a freezing cold Winter wedding. 

  Right after the ceremony there was an open bar starting at 4:30 and going to midnight, so there was a lot of drinking.  This is why weddings are so well attended…alcohol.   

With Monson and Lexi in the wedding party, we knew they would all  be whisked away for an hour in a limo with the photographer and then make a grand entrance into the dinner and reception at 6:00...so what would they do with their girls and all of the strangers?  That’s where we came in.  Tayla climbed into Papa’s lap and fell asleep and Lady was passed around and finally fell asleep in my arms.  

We had a nice dinner and  we were so proud of Lexi and her keeping it all together when giving a very touching tribute speech to her sister as the Maid of Honor.

When Kaitlynn and Zach got engaged they gave up donuts and soda and weren’t going to have it until their wedding day.  So…There was a big donut display and plenty of soda at the reception.   They have been living together for 2 years and they had to have something to look forward to on the wedding night.  (They didn’t want to give up sex.) 

Dancing followed then we ditched out to head back down state two hours so we could catch a plane at 6 am on Sunday morn.  

Finding Neverland

I got to go see Finding Neverland with Bre last night for her belated birthday present.  I love spending time with this beautiful girl.  She is insightful and kind. She shares my passion for musical theatre and gets all of the things that I get.  She wants to talk about all of the personal growth and life awareness and finding your WHY stuff that I love to talk about.    Bre is a wonderful mother and a huge supporter of my Addison.   It was great to be with her and catch up on her life  and have some one on one time. 

I really like this Show.  It's very creative with the direction and the choreography.   The problem with the show last night was all about the Sound....and this is the Eccles theatre issue, not the show.  It was distracting.
The other distracting thing was the lady in front of me who couldn't sit still.  She kept changing positions and moving her head.  She would sit up straight and then sit to the right, sit to the left, cuddle her daughter, reach down for a drink, put her coat on and off...just all of the things.  Because she has moving, I had to keep moving (which was not great for the people behind me) and it was hard for me to see the whole stage, I was always looking around her head.   Going into intermission I was totally bugged.  I was searching for a new place to sit but had no luck.  Going into the second act I tried on a conscious thought shift about it.  Instead of being irritated I moved to compassion.  Maybe she has a back problem and sitting still is painful for her.  Maybe she is sacrificing to be here with her daughter even though it's painful for her.   I don't know if any of this is true...and that's okay.    It really helped the second half of the show be so much better for me just by changing my thoughts about her.   When she moved, I had compassion instead of judgment.   It's really amazing how our thoughts are our experience.     She didn't change anything... only I did. 

Christmas Dance...

Laila had a fun Christmas Dance with most of the BHS Officer girls and their dates.  She went with her new  BFF Addy Fox and her date- Sam Stredback.     Cousin Jenna Cole came through once again with makeup and hair help.

________________________
This is the first year in 6 years I'm not doing 5 Carols for Christmas one way or another.  I'm okay and a bit sad about it.  We just aged out of the roles.  Maybe if we were putting on a PTA show for our grandkids instead of our kids it would still work....just saying. 
Jim Christian wrote an extended version this year with 4 more songs and plot development. It's a stand alone 2 act show now and doesn't have to be done with Jingle Jacks.
It was great to go with my Carols (Maurie, Julie and Jan) to see the new Carols at Centerpoint theatre.  Actually 3 of them were in the original production at Weber State  with my Bre in it as well.