Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Last Friday was our formal Valentines Dinner for our ward. I'm on the activities committee and this event was huge. We wanted a classy, glam, retro-y feel to the evening and we even got the Voo Doo Orchestra to come and play for us! The evening was all about romance, but it was also a fundraiser for the YW in our ward. I designed the posters for the event and our turn out was beyond what we expected.

We spent most of the morning on Friday decorating the Church to make it look fancy. I think we succeeded! People lent their China and silverware and goblets...it looked really pretty. My favorite part? The lights draped across the ceiling. Brilliant!

They asked me to sing 'At Last' with the orchestra, who turns down an opportunity like that? I got to wear my red 40's dress and Mindi did my hair - how dreamy are those flowers? The orchestra sounded amazing. It's made up of kids 18 and younger and they sound like seasoned professionals. It was a blast singing with a big band behind me! I must do that again...

It was a smash hit! It was a lot of work but we totally pulled it off. Luckily we don't have another event to plan until July, I'm going to need that much time to recover. Wink!

And Blog Makes Three

Happy Anniversary to my blog! It's been three glorious years of bringing you trivial nonsense and breakdowns, fashion wants and personal triumphs. Thank you for stopping by with your wonderful comments! I adore my BC fans. Happy Anniversary, dear Blonde Canary Blog!

Lack of Depth

If you didn't know this already, I'm a pretty simple girl. I might even say shallow. I don't mean the 'you're as deep as a bean' shallow, but more the 'I'll just coast the lazy river and take things as they come' shallow. I don't feel like I'm a deep, interesting person. I've never intrigued anyone, no one has been blown away by the inner workings of my mind or ever looked at me in wonder and said, "Talk to me, you blonde mystery..."

One night after a Thrills show I went out to dessert with the cast. While I was just pleased as punch to be enjoying a slice of pie, the rest of my party began talking movies. And not just general movie chat, I mean the thick, gritty movie chat. Movies that I've never seen or even heard of. They argued and gushed over cinematic angles and the script and the brilliant themes that touched their soul. I sat quietly with pie-remnant sticking to the side of my mouth while my eyes darted back and forth from comment to comment. It's not that I didn't want to join in the conversation, I just had nothing to add.

I looked at my friend Brett's blog and he listed some of his favorite movies of all time. I read through his brief descriptions, glazed over the movies I didn't know and perked right up when I saw a film I recognized: "The Incredibles! Oooh, I loved that, too!" "Star Trek was so great" "Casino Royale...so true, so true". As I'm looking at this list I think for a moment, "Hey, I should do this - I should make a Top 30 list of movies that I love." and I still might. But it won't be as impressive as his. Rest-assured that the majority of my movies would involve a dance number, loads of romance and witty comedy. Not one is foreign, I doubt any of them were independent films and a great deal of them would be animated (or have an animated segment). But what are you gonna do, I'm shallow.

Movies aside, I'm also basic when it comes to music. I heart music more than I can express, but the style of my music is not too varied. My sister and younger brother are music twins - they find the coolest, most distinct bands and songs out there. They sing along and dance to the pure tunage, and they also hear fine melodies in the background that no one else picks out. Andrea used to ask me if I had heard of some new band she discovered, but she apparently got tired of me saying, 'no' because she doesn't ask me anymore. I usually love everything she suggests, but lets be honest - if she didn't bring it to my attention, I would never have found it for myself.

If a song is catchy and makes me grin, that's really all it takes. If said song is by a Disney star (not Miley, fear not) or a trendy punk band, so be it. My iPod is full of 80's metal, Opera, movie soundtracks and jazz standards. It might not be interesting and deep, but I like it.

I will spare you further comparisons of my vanilla style to my fashionably flashy friends, you get the idea. Lest you think this is a pity-post of me selling myself short, let me assure you that that's not the case. I revel in the fact that I'm simple. I love that I'm easily amused. I have shining moments of genius and creativity. I love that I am amazed by so many things.

Is it bad to be an intricate labyrinth of depth? Of course not, you people fascinate me. And as you express your thoughts, I'll sit back and listen in wonder while I enjoy my piece of pie.

Cache Quotes:

"Mom, Cole and I were just playing a new game."

"Oh?"

"Want to know what it's called?"

"What?"

"Jump off the ledge."

"...."

Home On The Range

I don't know what it is about farm life, but sometimes it romances the dickens out of me. It could be because the only farm life I'm ever exposed to is through movies or visiting Grandma Doreen or getting fresh vegetables from our old neighbor, George (haven't you noticed that farmers are some of the most generous people?). Something about it makes me long to plant a big garden, wear and apron, make big breakfasts and have a big porch with a swing. You will note that not once did I say it makes me long to feed the horses and milk the cows...all the work that actually goes into making a farm run.

I've always had a soft spot for farm houses and lots of land. Maybe it's the simple way of life that is so appealing. Working the land, reaping what you sow. The satisfaction of working alongside your family. My sister was toying with the idea of raising chickens last year and while I initially thought she was crazy, I find myself thinking the same thing. How cool would it be to have your own fresh eggs? I can already picture a little coop in the corner of our yard...

I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I want that feel to this house. Enough with the longing! I want a squeaky screen door and I want to leave the windows open during the day. We have plans to plant a big garden this year (gardening tips? anyone?). My Granddad used to have tons of apple trees in his back yard and I may want to plant a few of those, too. Besides, they're great for climbing. I want a big farm table and a swing on my front porch. Not sure I'll ever get my farm house, but I can certainly improvise!

Final Curtain

I have been performing with the Thrillionaires for about two years and have LOVED every minute of it. I have learned so much and have met some of the greatest people on this planet. I always looked forward to every show, always amazed at the genius that was created on stage. If you've ever been to one of our performances, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

At a meeting last week, the founders told us that we would no longer be performing weekly shows. They needed to put things on hold for a while to get some business things in order and sort of re-assess what they want the Thrillionaires to be. I had mixed feelings about their decision - I was sad to see the weekly shows go. Sad that we wouldn't get to perform together as often.

From my understanding, what they've envisioned for the Thrillionaires is true improvised theater - an actual play or musical that is made up on a whim. A big show every few months that runs 3 or 4 nights. A big show that has an amazing set, costumes, props. We would have weeks to really study and sink our teeth into a genre so we can put on a fantastic show. If the weekly shows were that successful and that brilliant, can you imagine what will happen when we can really work and polish and put on a grand show that will blow the roof off?

After all, the most important aspect is more than taken care of - the cast. The group that makes up the Thrillionaires is second to none. The actors that create these stories and songs out of thin air are the best in the business! They never, ever cease to amaze me.

So tonight is my final weekly show with Thrillionaires. It's bittersweet! Thank you to everyone who supported me and my fellow players by coming to our shows and spreading the word. I feel so fortunate to be included in this amazing group. Bigger and better shows (is that possible? Is that physically possible?) are on the horizon, so keep your eyes open for upcoming Thrillionaires theater! And if I'm lucky enough to perform with these golden peeps, I have nothing to worry about. Encore!

Sister, Sister

TODAY! Today is my sister's Birthday. Ahhh, Andrea - the best sister ever. We were chatting and giggling on the phone the other day, one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon. I love when she comes up to visit or when I get so spend time with her down in Vegas. We always have so much fun together and usually end up laughing until we cry.

She can also talk me into just about anything, like running myself into the ground (literally) by joining her Ragnar team last Summer. Not an easy fete.

She is my inspiration, my sounding board, my creative idol and fashion icon. She is my BEST friend and I love her so, so much!

Happy Birthday, Sis!