Happy Birthday Gary!

It's my honey's Birthday today!

We always come up with some kind of adventure to celebrate the day....that is what is nice about summer; stuff to do.  This year like so my other years we are off to the Northern Utah Parade of Homes.  No we won't do all the homes in one day but we will start today.
 Tonight we are off to dinner then to see Spamalot at the Ziegfeld in Ogden; bonus is that our nephew Aaron is Lancelot in the show.

Love you Gary! You are my hero, my calming hand, my reason, my hope and joy.
I am planning on many, many more birthday celebrations with you!

MCC

A Rocket ship for Ryan

Captain Awesome or Ry guy, or Rhino, now he is three, is rocket crazy!  He is all about rockets and going to the moon and space.  For Christmas that is all he wanted was a bigger rocket.  He got a rocket or two for the big Holiday and when we asked if it was a big rocket he just looked at us and said no it's a medium rocket.   So for his birthday I thought will get him a rocket maybe something like a playhouse of tent.  I had seen a few rocket ship tents on line from very pricey children's store.  When I say pricey I mean pricey. They were not only expensive but unfortunately out of stock. Other play houses were out of the question. After looking at the only tent that I could actually purchase I thought I can make that for probably 1/3 of the cost.....and I did for about 1/2 the cost and lots of time and grandma love. It was worth it in the end since he loves it so much.

Captain is Two

The Captain is two.....wow, wow, wow!

We had fun last Sunday celebrating his birthday. The best moments were his reactions to the gifts given by Megan, Nelson and Hayden....Megs was a play hut and ball pit with a Thomas the Train motif. The reaction to this was a wow, and  all he wanted to do was open it, but dad said no, not until we get home...so he hugged it and stroked it and stared at it for a long time. Nelson and Hayden gave him more Cars 2 shake and go cars and a track.......this elicited a shrieking scream....he was so happy and just kept  shrieking.  Grandma and Grandpa gave him a  red wagon plus other stuff. I would have to say home runs all the way around.

MCC

New York Week

To finish off my Birthday month Gary and I took off for NYC to see the shows. We had a lot of fun even on the soggy days. Below is what we saw.  

The biggest question asked to us was "Did you see/are you going to see The Book of Mormon musical?" NO! First:  Just because we are Mormon doesn't mean we want to see the musical. Second: I don't enjoy South Park so why would I enjoy something written by the South Park creators? Now I am not judging those who have or want to see it, but it just isn't something that has any interest for me.....there are all kinds of things I choose to and not to see, read and do that most people don't care about so why should this be any different?  Enough of my rant.

Over all we had a great time and saw some really great shows.....that was the point of my trip to see a few good shows.

 We Started off with the 2010 Tony winner. It still had the original cast and was very good. Boy can they sing and dance. It is always sad to see the racism that has exited as part of our history, and this was based on several stories. The Costumes were beautiful. The set very creative. The thing I noticed is becoming more and more of a trend is video projection as part of the show. They used live for the TV show segments and also real news photos and stories.

 So why did we see this...Gary's choice, but I am glad I went. It is a spectacle. It was a 3 hour Cirque de Soli...as long as you understand that the story is one you know, and the music is not really hummable, but a U2 sounding concert, which was enjoyable, you should be okay with it. The little boys in the audiance seemed to like it. Patrick Paige as the Green Goblin was fantastic, but then he is a fantastic actor. The Set was done in comic book style as were the costumes....they literally had the "inked" shadows on them. The flying and acrobatics were awesome. The did a great job combining the low tech old school ways of doing things with the new tech advance stuff.

 Loved, loved, loved this show. It was done as a 1960's style musical TV show that would have been done by Frank or Dean. Big band in a bandstand on stage, costumes and dance stylized 1960's. Even the music was in that cool Frank and dean style. Aaron Tivit who plays Frank Abignal Jr. is fabulous and runs through the whole show. Tom Whopat plays his dad and his tale is heart breaking. Mr. Hanratty the FBI agent is Norbert Leo Butz. (I think it could be the best musical for this year as long as everyone doesn't get overcome by the BoM musical). Over all the music was wonderful and hummable, there are several tunes that are still coming to my mind. It was a visual treat; the dancing, lighting, costumes and limited set. And the TALENT was OUTSTANDING!

 So fun to see an old dog do new tricks. We were in the new Neil Simon theater. Sutton Foster - Reno Sweeny and Joel Gray- Moonface Martin were the stars along with Jessica Walters and John McMartin (Into the Woods story teller).  Sutton seemed to have such a fun time in this roll....more character and less ingenue. And Joel Grays comic timing was superb.
Kathleen Marshall always does such a great job with theses old classics. Of course the dancing was unbelievable. the tapping of Anything Goes was 7 minutes of wonderful. And Blow Gabriel, while not a favorite of mine was very well done. Both numbers involved the entire cast singing and dancing. The costumes were beautiful and elegant. The set very simple but perfect for the show. In fact it is a set design that is usable by most theater companies.

We finished off Monday night by seeing this campy disco, drag queen/gay romp across Australia. (Not a lot available on Monday night, but it was something we knew would be fun to see). This show is loosely based on the movie and has been playing in Australia for 45 years. Tony Sheldon the original Bernadette in Australia is playing the role here as well. We had fab seats that were front row on almost on the stage. Because of this we had an up close and personal view of the costumes and theater magic. The quick change on stage into drag make-up was so fun to see. If we had sat any where else we would not have seen how it was done. You have to be comfortable with men in drag, and the gay references in this show and sitter where we sate you could see those who were and those who weren't squirming in their seats. The leading player was Will Swenson; he did a great job. It is always fun to see a local boy making a name for himself. the third member of the traveling gang was Nick Williams, wow what a little firecracker. He is a great dancer. The songs are well known disco tunes. The LED curtain and LED bus/motor home/caravan was so much fun.

So the trip was/is a fun tradition....we have gone at least three times now in the first part of April....I guess we always do it now.  It is so much fun to see the shows and get ready for the Tony awards. I love my musical theatre.

Thanks Gary, Love Ya!

MCC

You've Got To See It!

I had a great Birthday Month.....

My trip to NYC! Times Sq. NYC

Ferrara's Patisserie & Gelateria - off Mulberry & Grand

Square filled Doughnuts

mmm- cupcakes.

Time with the Family- Dinner and Shopping. They were great sports to indulge me.

awesome

The Benefactor

Miss Pink

Super Mum

da Boys

Captain Awesome!

The Gifts! I am so Lucky.

as always a Coach handbag - Love from Gary

Great Dress... I never would have tried on this style, but the Color caught my eye.

Shoes,

Shoes,

shoes,

and more shoes - thanks M & H

great skirt - thanks Mom and Dad

fun cropped sweater - Thanks J L R

This is what 49 looks like on me. Not bad really......

This year of finding 50 should be interesting!?!?!?!

MCC

YUMMMMM!

Coconut Birthday Cake with 7 minute frosting....made by my sweet Megan...the baker.

I love coconut and my family knows it. I can't wait for Thanksgiving and my mom's coconut cream pie. So, a coconut cake for my birthday was a real treat....and it was a made from scratch....just like my mom used to make...a scratch cake with 7 minute frosting......what a flash back. Megan told me that she needed unsweetened coconut milk for the cake recipe and couldn't find any in the store....so she made it herself. She was so ingenious she went to the Internet and Alton Brown from Food Network told how to make coconut milk at home......it must have been right, the cake was delicious! She also said the making 7 minute frosting for the first time was a real experience....it made her nervous, but when I told her it was the frosting we would use for our graham cracker villages she was calmer, and knew that she was making it right.

YUMMMMM! Just thinking about it I want another piece!

I have set a goal of eating at new restaurants when we go out....not the same old boring. Last week we went to 'Em's' in SLC. It is behind the conference center....It was very good.

Tonight I am looking for something fun for the whole family to enjoy. We are still celebrating my Birthday......a year ago for my birthday was the first time Laurie went out with us as a family..... I am so glad that she is a part of us now.....any way where to eat tonight....we need fast and fun because they also want to go to a movie. I will have to check out the reviews to decide. I love discovering new to me.....I hope it turns out to be a yum!

MCC

Happy Birthday To ME!

This is what my 48 years looks like....not bad, but I am working on the improvement.
I am a wife, a mother, a mother-in-law, a sister a daughter, a grand daughter, a cousin, a niece, an aunt, a friend. I book movies and manage a movie theatre. I don't know if this is defining but it is an influence of who I am. I have always laughed when people define themselves as their occupation...."I'm a Doctor." or "I'm a Teacher." is one better than the other does the occupation really define who you are? To define better who I am I would have to ask other people but here are a few words I hope they would use to define me.....kind, helpful, happy, inquisitive, nurturing, good cook, artistic, fun, optimistic, peaceful...............

To help better define who I am, I have decided to do '50 by 50'....I am making a list of 50 things I want to do by 50. 2 years will come and go, so I feel I have to do something worth while.
Gary has cautioned me not to dream to big for my 2 years.....I say if you don't dream you don't live......and if you don't write it down and plan on it, it won't ever happen.
I know that there are travel things I want to do, and education things....but what about the adventure, daring, risk taking? Am I up to including them on my list?

I have been reading Phil Keoghan's book NOW - No Opportunity Wasted 8 Ways to Create a List For The Life You Want. He says the reason we don't do things is because of the 10 great excuses: 1. I don't have the money. 2. I don't have the time. 3. My job is my life. 4. My family must always come first. 5. In my spare time I need to relax. 6. Not interested in dying right now. 7. My spouse would think I am crazy if I did that. 8. I am too old for this. 9. I am too out of shape and have a bum_____. 10. I just don't think I can do it. After he debunks your excuses he shares 8 themes to help you crate the life you want. 1. Face your fears
2. Get lost. 3. Test you limits. 4. Take a leap of faith. 5. Rediscover your childhood. 6. Shed your inhibitions/express yourself 7. Break new ground. 8. Aim for the heart. All of this is good stuff that I will use to help make my list of '50 by 50.'

On this day I would like to thank my Mom and Dad for my life. They are the best...they started me out right. It has been a great 48 years. I am glad that there have been so many wonderful people around to influence and guide me. I hope that these folks will help me and join with me in my '50 by 50'. Today I will begin again, another year of life, another year of growth, learning and adventure.
Happy Birthday To ME!
MCC