But I'll be back come around the way.

You disappeared.

Indeed, I did. I flew to Oregon this past week for Thanksgiving and it was really awesome. The trip was amazing and you'll hear all about it soon. Or at least, I'll record it for myself soon and you can decide if you're interested in reading it. :)

Why not tonight?

Mm... I think I'm still recovering from the trip, honestly. Also, while we were semi-slow at work today, we are stacked with orders for tomorrow. And I'm towards the end of reading Ender's Game for the first time and I'm pretty consumed. So nothing tonight.

But at least now you know I'm baaaaack. :)

Smock, smock, smock, smock, smock...

It was yesterday. And I missed it. But here it is anyway:

HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY CALVIN & HOBBES!!

C&H is my all-time favorite comic strip. There is no doubt. The great thing about it is that it can make you laugh when you're seven and it can still make you laugh - sometimes even for the same reason - much later. It's universal. It's ageless. The topics are always handled with care. The characters are all beautifully written. Did I mention it's hysterical? I love it. Everyone needs a Hobbes.

Bill Watterson, you are wonderful. You still make me smile.

Speaking of Bill Watterson, here's a rare interview he gave just this past February - believed to be his first interview since 1989.

Love. Love these two.



Psst... While you're here, you need to see this:
National Geographic Pictures of the Year

Absolutely breathtaking shots. You won't regret taking a few minutes to at least scroll through them. Personal favorites: 2, 12, 22, 15, 33, 34. And really, there's no way to pull any real favorite. They're incredible.

Back from the grave. (Angel, do not shun me!)

(I'm posting twice tonight! Please don't miss Tate's homecoming post underneath!)

...
I knoooooow. I knoooow it's been much longer than "a few days." But we're here now, right? Riiight? Okay, okay, here we go! Let's finish this up.

Note: This are all specifically from shows I've viewed, not counting shows I've participated in.

Top 5 Theatrical Moments

5) Snocones at HONK (Outdoor Rose Garden Theatre in Oregon, 2003)
This is right up there with eating ice cream in the theatres of London. The novelty, the fun, how laid back the whole experience was compared to sometimes the stiffness of watching a show. Sitting outside with my cousins in Oregon on a beautiful summer day watching a local production of Honk! and eating snocones.



4) Snow at KA (Vegas, 2009)
I love Cirque. Everyone loves Cirque. They're amazing. And while KA isn't actually my favorite (currently that falls to Mystere) it was at the time their most technically advanced show and incredible to watch. (Seriously, total knock down drag out did-they-really-just-make-the-whole-stage-go-vertical?! show.) Also, it's the only Cirque show where I've sat so closely (5th row?).
So while sitting that close cut out a lot of the big-picture stuff which is so beautiful in Cirque, this was the first time I got to experience the benefits of sitting up close. Such as theatrical snow. And as the performers flew right over my head and the snow fell thick and cold on my own body as they fought through a snowstorm, I now see why sitting up front has its advantages. The overall effect was worth it.



3) Christmas Eve Sarajevo by TSO (OKC, 2007)
Travis & I were at my first Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert. I had loved the song Christmas Eve Sarajevo 24/7 since middle school. It's still my favorite version of my favorite Christmas song (Carol of the Bells). I was already way excited to see TSO in concert and very curious as to how they would handle this song, which was easily their biggest hit. I figured they would just rock it out and let everyone go crazy.
But if you've ever seen TSO's Christmas show you know their first "act" is a poem set to the music. And the poem is really long, and eventually you start waiting for it to finish, but in the middle the angel is sweeping over the earth looking for a gift to bring to his Lord. And the angel's eyes fall onto "the fires of Sarajevo as a lone cello starts to play" (which, of course, is how the song starts)

"And when he flew over Sarajevo there were scars upon the land,
their were scars upon the people and it was hard to understand.
And the deepest scars of all (which to humans are unseen
but the angel saw clearly) are the scars upon the dreams of
Belfast, Rwanada, Palestine, Sudan.
The only decorations here had been a war from their crimes.
And in the gardens where the children played, now the soldiers trod.
And stranger still he heard some say that they were killing for their God.
Now the angel had heard God speak many times and had always paid attention,
but this killing of one's neighbor was something the Lord had never mentioned.
But as he neared the earth of a recent battleground
from among the ruins he heard the sound of a simple cello
playing a forgotten Christmas song.
And even on that battlefield the song somehow belonged.
And as he flew the angel did take note that whenever he found this music playing
one always could find hope."

And then the opening cello starts up. Giving the song that much meaning on top of its passionate sound really made the whole thing stand out. I had chills.

(And in part two they end the show by completely rocking out to it. You got the best of both worlds.)

2) Rafiki's Intro in LK (London, 2006)
It was my first opportunity to see Lion King and I was very excited after hearing so much about it for years. I had just returned from Swaziland the summer before and I was still on cloud nine from the trip. So imagine my surprise when Rafiki came out and suddenly broke the fourth wall with "Sanibonani!" And as she continued to chatter away in Afrikaan (or whatever language she was in) I sat there in shock as I had just understood the word. Just one word! But instead of feeling hit with a language barrier I felt like a piece of the show, a part of something special. I felt assured they had really worked hard to incorporate the African influence.

1) "Wandering Child" Trio (London, 2006)

Holly & I were off to see Phantom of the Opera in its original home of Her Majesty's Theatre in London. Upon entering the lobby we saw Earl Carpenter's name up for the Phantom that night, someone I had heard such lovely things about but never even considered I would have an opportunity to see. Oh, and we had perfect seats. The theatre is built to accommodate all aspects of the house, which is really nice.
There's a part of me that really hopes they never update this particular production, at least until after it finally closes. I feel like it needs to be seen in this original incarnation, even if that includes now cheesy 80's lightning effects in the opening and other outdated technical elements. The original lyrics were still in place (some minor changes have been made in all US productions since then, and probably worldwide as well).
The saddest change for me, however, was to "Wandering Child" which is a beautiful song, but minor compared to all the other big numbers. On the Original London Cast recording you can hear it in its trio form with the Phantom, Christine & Raoul, but all US productions (and again, probably all the others) have since changed it to mostly a duet between the Phantom and Christine. But the trio is really gorgeous and I've never understood why they would lessen it.
I had seen Phantom before in the US and was always disappointed at this point. And I was preparing myself to be disappointed again. And then suddenly Raoul ran out early and I thought Could it be? Seriously? Don't tease me... And there they were, my (now) favorite Phantom, Christine and Raoul singing my favorite piece of music in the score, live onstage. Beautiful. I loved every minute of it.

The trio in its original form:
Once again she is his....once again she returns.

Meet Tate! :)

Note: I did not take all these photos. A very nice man from their church comes and takes photos at major life events for families as his ministry which is really awesome. Props to him! If need be though, I can immediately switch the photos out if it's outside his wishes.

Mostly a photo post, because I think the photos speak louder than words here. :)

Yesterday was a blur! After drama at 4 I flew to Amy's house where the Pucketts and I drove to Texas Roadhouse for a family dinner before going to the main attraction... watching my cousins walk in at the airport with our newest kiddo!

All six kiddos ready for their new cousin...


I love this pic of Ashlyn. ;) Can you tell we arrived at the airport an hour and a half early? With six kids? Ahahaha.... No, they were actually great. And we had that section of the airport completely to ourselves, which was awesome. They ran around to their hearts content.


Flight from Detroit, on time...


We were all wearing the shirts Brian & Shannon designed...


The plane has landed! Everyone get ready!


And then everything became very happy and very chaotic. We set the security check point alarm off twice. :)




















You may not can tell in the photos, but the front of his shirt reads "I'm finally home!" Indeed, Tate. And we're thrilled you're all finally home safe and sound. :)

Stand-in Post 2

*crickets chirping*

We see no top five post.

....
Indeed.
Actually, what was salvaged is still saved in my drafts. So you will see it eventually.

Partial Truth: I haven't had time to sit down and rewrite it these past few days.
Full Truth: After losing all that information to random happenstance, I haven't been willing to sit down and rewrite it.

But it hasn't flown off my radar. I do remember. I just also know there's a lot in store at work this week (open house/finishing Christmas/daily work) and I need sleep. So it won't be tonight. I'm sure you're brokenhearted over it. But don't worry, we'll get through this together.

In the meantime, sweet dreams. ;)

Stand-in Post

Gaaaaaaaaaah!

I really did write a top five tonight. And then blogger logged me out automatically and lost two and a half of my top five in the process (the auto save had not been updating).

I am too tired to finish it back up. Therefore, it'll be posted tomorrow. :)

Sweet dreams.

I got a brand new pair of rollar skates.

I'm stealing this from Will who stole it from someone else. Bwahaha.

Top 5 Movie Theater Experiences

5) Alvin & the Chipmunks 2
Ha! Did you expect this one? :) If I remember right it was very last minute. My family had discussed possibly seeing Alvin the next week. The girls had wanted to see it. And suddenly one day I received a call. We were going at 4:00. Could I make it?
I was off that day, and I have no idea why now. I remember being really excited that it worked out. And I think almost the entire Plumb/Puckett side of my family went. Spread out all across a row, my cousins, their kiddos, aunt and uncle... It was pretty awesome. :) The movie theater was filled with kids. Our kids loved it. It was great.
Hey guys, we should do that again. ;)

4) Phantom of the Opera
Oh, my masked men. Three of the movies on my top five contain you. Will, Holly, Brad & I drove to Wichita's Warren Theater to see this one in style. :) Lovell joined us along the way and we decided to stop off at the Wichita Zoo first. The reason we stopped at the Zoo first was because it was winter and since it was so cold out it was $1 for all visitors.
It. was. winter. It was around 30 degrees. We were beyond shivering. We were losing feeling in body parts. The indoor Rainforest exhibit saved us.
And then we saw the movie that was directed by a director I had a, um, distaste for because he had previously destroyed the Batman (and superhero) franchise with Batman & Robin. Oy.
But running around like crazy people at the Zoo with friends and topping it off with one of my favorite musicals makes the list. :)

3) Batman Returns
I was seven when this came out and my dad actually took me to see it in theaters. I watch the movie now and wonder if mom knew he was going to take me. ;) But all I really remember from being seven was that Catwoman knocked out her "Hello There" sign to read something entirely different and that Penguin ate a raw fish. And I was really disgusted by the eating of the raw fish at seven.
But my dad took me and he loved Batman. We had Batman posters up all over the garage (he even had one for the Animated Series). I loved Batman. I had all the toys. They were my favorites. In fact, in my room today, all my Batman Returns toys remain out on a shelf. His Batman & Joker from the 1989 movie sit on a shelf opposite of them. Brad & Regina last year bought the Joker from Dark Knight for my Christmas gift that hangs out with them.
So while I may not remember much about the actual viewing itself Batman Returns is on my list because I'll never forget how cool it was to go see it with him.

2) Chicago
I want to say it was May, but now that I see the release date was January, I'm not sure that's right. But whenever it was, I was really struggling. It was my first year of college, nothing was going right and I was nearing some major tests and had a paper to write. Stress. And then out of the blue Will & Holly kidnapped me. I had no idea where we were going.
They were kidnapping me to go see Chicago which at that point I still hadn't seen and was out of almost all the theatres. But they found it still playing a late showing at Quail Springs Mall. When we arrived, however, the showing time had been wrong. It wasn't starting for another 45 minutes. I still had a paper to write. Could we wait that long?
Absolutely. I was so overwhelmed with their kindness and so happy that they even considered this (plus, I had really been wanting to see the movie) that we stayed. We ate Sonic and listened to FIF while we waited. We got home late. It didn't matter- my paper was suddenly no big deal. Because my friends are awesome.


1) The Dark Knight
"And here we...go."
I know. You're shocked. But there's a reason it's so obvious, because this one takes the cake.

I have never, ever in my life been so excited about a movie or even a show. It was July 18th, 2008. I was useless at work. The hype had been building for months. Batman Begins had been awesome. The potential of having a wonderful Batman trilogy was within reach. But I knew it would all depend on the second one, because the second movie in a trilogy is usually the weakest. If this one could be good, then I knew we could make it.
Then there was Heath Ledger. Oscar talk had been rumored since even before his death and after his death things just exploded. No one knocked his performance an ounce. It was brilliance they said. And I was getting really worried that the hype had gotten so out of hand that he would never be able live up to it. I expected his performance to be good, but the expectation was now so huge, his performance would have to be mind blowing.
It was a constant topic among my friends. The lines from the trailer and viral marketing constantly ran through my head. Why so serious? Where is she? Here's my card.

And then finally the day came. And I was a basketcase at work. And five minutes till Bobby closed up early so I could take off. And I did too, because prior to going to the movie, I also needed to make Kelly's bridesmaid dinner at Zios.
And this is how awesome Kelly is: This was days before her wedding and I'm at her dinner for all her bridesmaids checking my watch. And she still loves me. :)The dinner was delicious, the company was wonderful and then I was on my way again to rest of the way to Quail Springs Mall. Shaking. And then suddenly it hit me: What if I don't like this? I actually hadn't considered that possibility before. What if I don't like this? What if this isn't that good? What if this fails miserably? I know it sounds overdramatic to describe "terror swept over me" about a movie, but really, I was almost sick.

I should insert here: Will had already seen the movie hours earlier at Disneyland. And what message does he send me?
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
Twitch. "What does that mean?! Good, bad?!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
....
So not only was I waiting but now I had that in my head and I had no idea what it meant.

Quail Springs Mall parking was packed. I had to park way out in the middle of nowhere. All I could remember was it was near Sears, but it didn't matter, because the goal was just to get inside. Most of my friends in the area were there. I saw the same sick worry I had mirrored on Eric's face. Jesse let me play on his iPhone until the previews started.
And then...it began. And of course, if you've seen the movie, you know it never really stops until the end. Suddenly I realized why Will just sent me a screaming text message. Because your brain is constantly trying to work to process everything going on the first time you watch it.
One particular favorite memory is when Gordon goes into Dent's office for the first time and Dent asks him what the cops call him behind his back. And Eric & I suddenly jolted at the same time, realizing what was coming.
And then there's Ledger. Who is indeed truly mindblowing and probably the only performance I have seen that I can say has ever lived up to the massive hype.

The show finished and we sat frozen in our seats. Then I couldn't find my car. Jesse had to drive me around until we found it because it was late and I was tired and had no idea where my car was. And then I drove home, drained from the excitement and crashed. And I still get jittery when I talk about it because I know how incredibly hard it will be for anything to top it. It was such a wild ride from the beginning rumors to the final credits.

And now I'm just waiting until July 20th, 2012 for The Dark Knight Rises. ;)

Salvation full & free.

Today is special. It's my birthday!

You're crazy. Your birthday is in August.

True. But today is my second birthday. :) The day Will & I sat on the bench between Raley & the cross and I accepted Christ. The day that suddenly and unexpectedly changed everything. It all feels so far away and at the same time so short. Seven years.

Therefore I see this as a perfect day to list my top 5 hymns. :) I had been mentally trying to track my favorite hymns for awhile, but with the exception of a few, it was a lot harder to nail down than I anticipated it to be. Nonetheless...

Top 5 Traditional Hymns
5) Day by Day
He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

I admit, the fifth slot could be filled with several songs. My Lord is Near Me All the Time sometimes knocks it out of place. I still find Just As I Am absolutely beautiful. But the concept of Day by Day and its lyrics continually reminding you of God's hour-by-hour protection and guidance and care and the simplicity of the melody usually makes it an unexpected favorite of mine. The lyric "The protection of His child and treasure is a charge that on Himself He laid" originally warmed up my heart to the song and the rest has just followed suit.

4) When I Survey The Wonderous Cross
See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown.

I don't know anyone that doesn't love this song, actually... (if I'm wrong, let me know.) It's a knockout. I'm actually at a loss as to why I should explain why because it seems so self explanatory. It's just a gorgeous song, lyrically, musically and spiritually. It encompasses so much of the worth of Christ versus the rags we can offer.

3) This is My Father's World
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.


Hilltop is probably convinced this is my favorite (its often very close). We don't sing it enough for my satisfaction so whenever Carolyn takes requests and I haven't spoken up in awhile I always suggest it. :) I had to pull two verses to show you why - it really sums up so much of my favorite aspects of God. His creation, His sovereignty, His justice & goodness & His presence. All wrapped up in three verses.
And in particular, I think it lyrically paints perfect images of His creation. ("All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres" never fails to win me over.) I love this because I've had more theological conversations while watching Animal Planet or Planet Earth or Blue Planet or visiting the zoo or.... My friends and I are often overwhelmed by God's abilities to design and sustain this world. That's just what really brings it out in us. And I love that. His world is beautiful.

2) Because He Lives
Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
because He lives all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future
and life is worth the living just because He lives.

I just raved on Fathers World and somehow it sits at #3? That's because I actually lean on this song more. I've struggled a lot with fear over the years and this song can totally destroy that hold over me. All the reminders of His control in this song settle me.
And while in the middle of struggling with depression so long ago and wondering if things would ever get better, I can assure you that realizing the truth of the line "and life is worth the living just because He lives" takes on a much more profound meaning. If there is absolutely no other reason, if everything has shattered, somehow life is still worth living...just because He lives.

1) Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
I could post this whole song. In fact, I think I will. There's nothing in this song I can exempt. Lyrically & musically alone, it's lovely. Its imagery is beautiful. Its overwhelmingly honest ("prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love"), reminds us of how far we continually fall ("O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be") and yet speaks volumes of Christ's love for us ("Jesus sought me when I stranger wandering from the fold of God...").
No. While others often come close, there is no doubt this one remains top of my list. :)

Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, Lord take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.

Sunny, thank you for that smile upon your face.

Let's try something this week. Let's try Top 5's.

I know I don't read a lot now but up through high school I was rarely seen without a book in hand. Dinner table, shopping, it mattered not. I could read. And then senior year it just came to a grinding halt and with the exception of a few books I've never really picked it back up since. Currently, I simply don't devote the time to it. While I enjoy it- if I'm not in a situation where I'm free from everything else- I feel guilty. There is always something else to do.
As I looked back on this list I suddenly thought to myself Oy, I need to get out more... There is a definite pattern. Fantasy, or at least the fantastical, is in the world of each book. And I do enjoy other genres. But as to my favorites, well, there is no doubt. :)

Also, any of my top 5's are always subject to change. Which is why half the time I hate playing that game. Ahem. :)

That being said, here are my top five books:

5) Till We Have Faces by C.S Lewis
"And if it was a dream, Sister, how do you think I came here? It's more likely everything that I knew before was a dream."

It's entirely possibly this book isn't higher on my list simply because I've only read it once. It's quite a beautiful reinterpretation of the Pysche/Cupid myth in Lewis fashion. The characters are so well-handled, the language is so beautiful and the story is so well developed, I can't imagine how many times he had to rewrite it to perfect it. Thanks Kelly! :)

4) Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
"It is not your world, Piebald," she replied.

This is actually the second book in Lewis' Space Trilogy. Why not the first or third? I have no idea, except the third book is such a complete roller coaster ride that I doubt I've ever really processed half of what occurs in that book. But I love the theological discussions in Perelandra and I love the Green Lady. Their world, unhindered by sin and yet still facing the temptation of it. Again, C.S. Lewis never fails to fascinate.

3) The Giver by Lois Lowry
"Who wants to be the first tonight, for feelings?"
This book hasn't left my top 5 list since I first read it in...middle school? High school? Does not matter. Since the first time I read it. It explores a world where color, feelings, weather, memories, people...everything is sterilized. Everything is the same. Memories of war, pain, love, holidays, etc. are all held by only one member of the community, the Receiver. And through this book you discover their life through Jonas who becomes selected to become the next Receiver of Memory.

2) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
It was a dark and stormy night.

I had owned this book for months before actually reading it. Again. Guilt monkeys. No time. And I was struggling with falling back into a lot of depressing thoughts at the time. Does art matter? Not really. Does imagination matter? No. Kids should face reality. No unicorns. Bah.
Wow, so unlike me, it was kind of scary.
And in the midst of that I finally decided to read Wrinkle. I was so completely blown away by how it was so entwined with Christianity, and how the characters use language, art, math, all these different aspects to fight off the Thing, well... It not only pulled me out of my struggling thoughts but it threw me in the total opposite direction back to where I was before, but more solidified. Of course it matters.

1) Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
"You see, Wendy, when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies."

My favorite part about this book is simply how it's written. Barrie has such a lovely way of portraying the story and its characters. I love its whimsiness. I love that there are mermaids and pirates. I love the scene with Wendy & Peter's shadow. I love the imagery (Mrs. Darling first heard of Peter when she was tidying up her children's minds. It is the nightly custom of every good mother after her children are asleep to rummage in their minds and put things straight for the next morning...). It's simply perfect.

And I do believe in fairies. I do, do. :)