2011 Year-In-Review: Part 1

I wrapped up my 2010 year-in-review with this very truthful comment: I feel like a lot of 2010 was spent running in place.

Praise God, that is not the case for 2011. While 2010 was the breaking of old ground - and it took an entire year - I feel like 2011 was the year that things were finally able to grow again in that soil.

This was a great year for me.  At the end of 2011, I feel healthy & strong (which, as I half-joked to my aunt the other day, probably means I have cancer) and I'm just left a little taken aback by the focus and (mostly) normalcy that occurred this year. I know it's a total blessing.

But its the end of the year! And that means.... lists! (Ooo, I love end of the year lists!)

We're breaking this down into two segments since I want to get some sleep tonight. 

12) Work: Weddings, Weddings, Weddings
Seriously, wedding work completely exploded at work this year. We even had three awesome large ones that were just beautiful, gave us lots of great pictures and gave me a couple opportunities to go onsite and help set up. In terms of design, I really solidified a lot of the basic technique (I hope), feel confident on casket pieces and am finding myself wanting to stretch my design skills this upcoming year in sympathy work and strengthen my weaker points (mrr, corsages....). I guess you could say that should be your goal every year, but I feel more focused on not only what particular areas of design I want to grow and develop, but also how.

11) Weather to the Extreme
This was an insane year for weather. And indeed, that goes for all around the world, but what a crazy year for the Midwest! I mean, we started out with a historic blizzard, our state saw a 100 degree temperature difference in one day in February, then we had a huge tornado outbreak in May, and then a complete drought and heatwave through the entire summer. Now, for the moment at least, we appear to be in a mild winter. It'll be 70 tomorrow. If its too windy to rake leaves, I am seriously considering going to the Zoo. In December.

10) Secret Church
In October of this year, my church hosted a simulcast of Secret Church: Family, Marriage, Sex & The Gospel. (Though the session covered practically every form of relationships.) The session was seven hours long, but honestly, a lot of what I had been looking for. I've been wanting an in-depth study, but not necessarily a six or nine week course. Just a lot of time spent in the Word. If you're interested, all their videos are at the link above, broken up into (about) two hour segments. The only other one I've started was Who is God? in which the segments I watched went over the names of God. The next simulcast will be Easter weekend over the Cross & Suffering.

9) The Return of the Elephants!
SO HAPPY.
Not only did this even herald the return of the Zoo's fantastic elephants, but this time they also brought back a baby, Malee, and a beautiful new exhibit. Seriously, I can't rave over the new elephant habitat enough - its large enough to house several elephants, has already been the reason for their newest bull elephant Rex (from Canada!), has a breeding center and auditorium. The Zoo is also starting work on their new Asia exhibit which will also feature a breeding center for red pandas. I'm so impressed with the steps the Zoo has been taking to improve and grow and I absolutely cannot wait for 2019 when they break ground on a new Aquaticus. In the meantime, they've released their Master Plan so we can keep up with their latest ventures. (New Giraffe Habitat! Since they're in the oldest part of the Zoo, I'm excited they're on the list.)

8) Sudan Becomes a New Country
"South Sudan took a seat at the world's table early Saturday as citizens of the new country took to the streets to celebrate."
That sentence still blows my mind as much now as it did then. The fact that South Sudan was allowed to even vote on a potential separation, much less for it to actually be honored, is just never something I thought I would see. Sudan has managed since then to stay out of the news for the most part - or at least I haven't caught anything - so I definitely need to go back and do some follow up research to see how things have continued to go.

7) The Movie List
Favorite Movie: Hmm.... probably Thor, although Muppets & First Class are close behind it.

Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Harry Potter Deathly Hallows: Part 1
True Grit
Unstoppable
Tangled
Suckerpunch
Thor
X-Men: First Class
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Larry Crowne
Harry Potter Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Captain America: First Avenger
Cowboys & Aliens
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Muppets
Arthur Christmas
Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

Whew! Six more to go!

A Fresh Breath of Christmas

There's a reason I've only posted three times this month so far. Honestly, I've just been enjoying the season so much. I haven't given hardly any thought to blogging - or even checking blogger since so many have been out - or most other types of social media. I've been pretty consumed with the entirety of Christmas and that's been awesome since it's the first time in over a decade I've been so wonderfully wrapped up in all the cheer.

I've wanted to see Christmas lights, watch Christmas specials, hang decorations everywhere, send Christmas cards, wrap gifts...  And while there have been times in the past I've wanted to do those things as well this is the first season there has been no doubt, no dark cloud of grief, nothing that usually at least tempers my holiday spirit. It is purely incredible to me and incredibly lovely as well. I'm fully aware this could only be a gift from God's own hand and I'm left speechless by it. And this is a very precious gift as I've been praying and praying for complete healing and restoration and love and not just the feeling of getting by. I've been praying for wholeness and while I'm certain this isn't the end of it it's a beautiful breath of fresh air in between.

However! I do certainly plan on wrapping the year up in review within the next few days. My family has headed back home, and things are settling down post-holiday, so it looks like a return to normal. Nevertheless, this is a Christmas season I pray I never forget.

I hope yours was as beautiful as mine and that your Christmas spirit continues well into the new year. Love to all.

We built this city....aw, now I have it stuck in my head.

Sporadic thoughts:

I am incredibly excited for Christmas this year. Incredibly.

The shop is doing well, we're just about perfect on our poinsettia count which is phenomenal considering we always have to throw out quite a few. We've also sold out of grave blankets, which is also unusual. While its true we have cut back on both, we've also just been selling well too so we're pretty happy.


I'm finally on the final season of LOST and.... oy. First episode, you were rough. I'm just really confused and I'm not sure how you're gonna drag it out a whole season, because right now you really only have one thing going for you anymore. Though Sawyer's line "Did we get captured by the Others again?" made me laugh a lot.

So.... the Rock of Ages trailer came out tonight.
What? There's a movie?
Yeah. Don't worry, I forgot too. Someone else needs to watch that though and tell me what they think. The musical has always sounded completely preposterous to me and I think its ridiculous to be chosen for a movie. And after reading the full synopsis of the musical, it sounds even more...ridiculous. (I do realize most of the silliness is intentional and all in fun and that's a good thing. I'm not knocking that.)
I actually can't decide if it looks awful or like a lot of fun. I don't really like aspects of it. And I suspect this may be one where the trailer is better than the movie, due to some of the scenes they flip through. (Catherine Zeta Jones leading a dance charge down the church aisle to We're Not Gonna Take It made me laugh, and I can't decide if I was supposed to.) I do like the smash up of We're Not Gonna Take It with We Built this City, but honestly I don't really care for the arrangement snippets we hear of the other classic songs.
 Anyway, it comes out summer 2012 if anyone's interested. The trailer bizarrely fails to mention that (or I just kept missing it?)

I haven't really had a lot to blog about recently, truthfully. Did I ever tell you I saw the Muppets? I saw the Muppets and it was really well done. You should go see it. But if you're planning to you might want to avoid spoilers! Just go and have a good time. It's very fun. :)

Eh, I need to talk about something besides movie junk....

I plan on doing a countdown to New Years with my end of the year list. I love end of the year lists! I wanted to wrap up 2011 with a one. So we'll see if that happens.

Dark Knight Rises Poster Reveal & Progression

 

 Seriously.... my breath caught tonight when I saw the DKR poster for the first time. Epic.

Hit me with a hot note....

I am rocking Christmas shopping. Yes, I am.

And I am covered in glitter from the shop. I feel like the Christmas fairy!

Hey, my tree is decorated! (Mmf, these pictures are pretty rough. My camera and I.... not friends.)

 

Oooo....aaaaahh....

Ta-da! Please note the awesome penguin statue in the background as well.

Hm. I promise it doesn't look quite that naked without a tree topper in real life. I haven't had any inspiration for what to use up there.

Also, it leans. But that's okay. I think all leaning Christmas trees always look like a swamp monster, so somehow it fits.

I've found I really, really like hiding in my room with all the lights off except the tree lights. Tree, you're very soothing. Good work. 

Quite by accident, I ended up with more of a rich fuschia/burgandy shade of bulbs rather than the hot pink I originally intended. In the store they looked so different. However, I think I'm much more pleased with this - it still provides a lot of color (and breaks up the blue & silver), but doesn't scream HI.I'MCOLORANDILOVEYOU.



This is my favorite ornament on the tree. It's also one of the oldest. It was originally on our tree when I was kid - in fact, I can't remember not having it and it has always been my favorite.  The one I always wanted to be sure and place. At least that's how I remember it.

I love the sand dollar and I love the way the Nativity scene is drawn. Also, it used to play Silent Night whenever you pressed the button on the back. Now, so many years later, it doesn't play but its still in great shape and makes me smile. It stands front & center on the tree.

I actually watched this movie for the first time in years the other day. It's still pretty cute. I still have to catch Charlie Brown Christmas sometime soon.

Good night, folks. That's all I have for tonight. 

Because the status is NOT quo.

Poinsettias? Check.
Grave blankets? Check.
Christmas shopping started? Check.

YAY! Christmas, Christmas time is here....

But first! Thanksgiving!

That's actually a pretty good sample of what my Thanksgiving looked like. :) It was full of kids, and that was awesome. I snagged a few pictures with some of them because I hate my camera and have very few new ones. So here's a flurry of Thanksgiving shots with the McBrides:

Seriously, can you believe that's Kylie? She's so grown up! What a beauty. 

Khloe loves to play with the iPad, so we got several shots in a row similar to these. Look at that smile. 
 

Awww....my boy!! So handsome. So sweet. I love this guy.

So we were sitting down to eat Thanksgiving lunch with the McBrides & Kimes, when suddenly I realized I was not at the kids table and that was sad. I don't think I've ever NOT eaten at the kids table (which, this year, was a picnic on the floor.) And then I realized there wasn't enough chairs for the adults so YAY! KIDS TABLE! 

While we were eating suddenly Kaden asked me if I could rap. And I said no. But would he rap for me?

I really wished I had filmed what happened next.
Not only did he rap, and pretty darn well I might add, but when he finished Khloe decided to join in. With a rap about zombies. And THEN two-year-old Lexie purposely stood up, grinned, and and made beat boxing noises while dancing. TWO YEARS OLD.

This is why you sit at the kids table. To help prevent duels to the death over deviled eggs and listen to impromptu rap sessions.

Sadly, I don't have Lexie & Brighton pictures this time around. But wait! I have to share their cuteness somehow!

Oooooooh! Those eyes! That baby face! They're so freaking cute! (Seriously, aren't those gorgeous pictures?) Lexie is so full of spunk & happiness. Love it.

Okay, one parting shot:

My cousin Sam, Kylie, & Khloe bug

And bedtime for me. I hope your Thanksgiving was full of family, friends and food and all the lovely laughter you could hope for. Mine sure was. :)

She thanks her Jesus for the daisies and the roses.

The perk of working in a flower shop: sometimes the beauty gets to follow you home. :)

Aren't these gorgeous? My boss said I should bring some home to grandma for Thanksgiving. :) This particular variety (High & Magic) has been incredibly lovely and have been very long lasting considering how open they are. The ones in the center are called Cinnamon and are a pretty peach on their own, but here the ones in front simply steal the show. We've really been enjoying them and I wanted to show them off.


God did pretty stellar with these, didn't He?

And hope still flies.

Shh.... I'm supposed to be sleeping.

Do you realize how much exciting entertainment news has occurred this week? (Okay, only two pieces, but they're extremely exciting to ME.)

First off, Dark Knight Rises announced a few amazing spoilers that I'm extremely excited about. (They're minor spoilers really, but since I've already spoiled it for one person, you're going to have to click on the link to see if you want to. Ha! :) Also, new photos on that link.) 

That first paragraph? That's what I'm excited about. I think its unexpected and brilliant. (Oh, it makes that trailer make SO much more sense now! How heartbreaking!) I have to admit: I was getting nervous and skeptical seeing some of the recently released pics and confused by the trailer. But this one piece of news has excited me so much I have to say: BRING ON THE GOGGLES, BABY.

Rumor has it an updated trailer will be released with Sherlock Holmes 2.

And then, my favorite dead band Five Iron Frenzy has been making noise for months now that they'll release huge news on the day of their break-up anniversary. And it's just been building and building hype and so tonight they finally announced it: they're not only getting back together, but they've already been working on a new album and have released one of the songs. (Hear it here.)

They were trying to raise $30,000 by January 21st, 2012 since they're doing all the releasing and recording themselves and avoiding a record label.

They reached their goal in 55 minutes total.

And as of now, four hours after the announcement? They're at $66,744.

I'm so excited for this, their new song sounds wonderful and those instruments are oh so crisp.

I'm supposed to sleep tonight, but that would mean I'd have to stop playing the new song and Batman trailer first.

FIF Freak Out!

Just a few more days and all will be revealed....

So much anticipation you're building! Please, FIF, let all this hype lead up to something awesome. I'm trusting you!

Tis the Season!

I'M SO EXCITED.

Christmas, Christmas time is here....

Why yes, that is my Christmas tree. Already up. In my room. Bwahahahaha, SO HAPPY.

That is also where my desk used to be. So that's obviously gone now too. Which was a process in itself, ha. Anytime grandma and I say something like "Yeah, I'll go get the hammer!," you can already know hijinks are going to ensue.

But my tree is up and I'm super pleased with it. I recently remembered that we have a massive amount of bright blue ornaments that we no longer use, so I think I'll pair those with some other bright colors  and just go for whimsy fun. I'm excited.
 
Also, a word to the wise: toothpaste in the eye HURTS. Don't do it.

Oh Cecilla, you're breaking my heart...

In the middle of running out the door this morning I suddenly realized this song was playing on repeat in the back of my mind. Not that I mind since it's certainly catchy but what a random choice, brain. Also, did not know it was written by Simon & Garfunkel until just now. The more you know.

Yesterday we wrapped up another open house at the shop. These past few weeks at the shop have just been a little stressful at times, so we struggled to get this one up on its feet. (Though admittedly, that's pretty typical.)  In fact, to give you some idea of how our mindset has been, I can tell you that for this very open house we almost sent out flyers to businesses without our name on them anywhere. No name, no address, no phone number, ha. Just a flyer proclaiming an open house somewhere! Good luck! Special prizes for those who find it!

Four of us proofread it and didn't catch it until the very last minute. Ha.

Then I sent out a rushed mass email Thursday night with all the information, sales, prizes, blah blah blah. Only to receive several replies the next morning reading "Sounds great! But when is it?" and "Did I miss the date & time?"

.... oh yes, my friends. I had sent out this mass email without the date or time mentioned anywhere. I laughed a little hysterically, responded to the individuals, and somehow despite all of our apparent attempts to fail our own open house it went off, I think, pretty successfully. Plus, they did very little advertising this time. So yay! Done!

It's certainly not a huge event, but it is something we start considering and developing in August. So while its a nice kickoff to the holidays it's always a small relief when its over too. Now onto poinsettias, grave blankets and Thanksgiving.

As for life outside of work, well... that's pretty much what I've been wrapped up with lately. I'm on disc 3 of season 5 of LOST, putting me about halfway through the season and almost finished with the series. (There's six seasons total.) It's currently getting pretty convoluted. I will certainly finish it out - I mean, I'm so close - but I can certainly see why the fans started calling foul at this point.

I did see Brigadoon recently for the first time. Man, that's a dumb show! How did that ever become a classic? (Apologies to all fans of the miracle island.)

A little Q&A.

Why you no blog as much?
Work has been very...challenging lately. That's a good word for it. Stressful isn't the right word and neither is bad (although there have been days). Challenging is about right. And so I've pretty much been coming home humdrum and going to bed early in order to survive the next day intact.
In fact, I should be in bed right now.
We have, however, hired a new girl! And I'm very excited about this. I think this will work out well. And if it does, it will help a lot. She began training with us today.

So what's been going on?
EARTHQUAKES. Crazy EARTHQUAKES. We had one Friday night at 2:00 AM that legitimately scared me - it was the largest one I had ever felt, and it was late at night and suddenly the whole house was shaking. However, the next night was when we had the record setting one for the state (5.6) and since we were in the city I guess we didn't feel it at all. Bizarre. Another 4.7 one happened tonight and wasn't that bad, but the phenomena still feels strange.
Oh, and there were tornadoes everywhere in the southwest part of the state, and we're in a tornado watch until 4:00 am. Welcome to Oklahoma!

Also, I would like to know the power of that wind gust that just passed by my window, because it sounded like a train was trying to come through. 

How was Halloween?
When I celebrated the actual holiday itself, it was good. I saw most of my kiddos the Saturday night before and enjoyed dinner with them as well, so that was wonderful. Actual Halloween night however was...bad. We were slammed at work, I actually had to go back in and finish something up and I loathe driving on Halloween night due to all the kids running around. And I was exhausted. So... I was glad when that was over.

Wait! Speaking of holidays! I bought my first Christmas tree!
I had mentioned to grandma that I would like a tree in my room this year, but they're always so expensive it just didn't seem like a good idea. But she kept an eye out and this past weekend Big Lots had a 7 foot tree, pre-lit on sale for $50, which was too good a deal to pass up, so I splurged and I'm very excited about this. Now the decision of how to decorate it arises. Since we do the front tree in traditional greens, reds & golds I'm looking for something different. Usually my room is decorated in brighter colors with lots of penguins at Christmas, so that may be a guiding factor.
My grandma is awesome.

Now it is certainly bedtime. You should pray no trains come through my window.

Eight Years Gone

Eight years ago last night - sometime around midnight - I sat on the bench between Raley Chapel & the cross and agreed to pray with no strings attached.
Just pray. Just talk.

And somewhere in the midst of that everything changed. I opened the door and Christ came swiftly running in, the blood immediately covering my sins, the relationship immediately beginning to take root.

I forget often, even now, that Christ was waiting on me. I forget that truly, He was right there, waiting, knowing, for the moment He could sweep in. Not a pause. Not a meander. Done. Finished. You're Mine. Not Satan's. Not the world's. You're Mine and as soon as you will hear My knocking, as soon as you will open the door I will be there. No waiting. No second guessing. 

Indeed, this is my favorite birthday. For this is the day I was brought back to life.

 

I came across this passage tonight in my reading and it wraps everything up.

"But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." 

- Hebrews 12:22-24

Amen. He is good.

Love to all and sweet dreams. 

"This is why we don't attack people with guns."

Tonight I was keeping Brad company when he offered me the chance to play Arkham City for the first time. Yay!

Also: Ahahaha! Oh dear. 

Listen, I'm just terrible at these games. I grew up on all the Nintendo sidescrollers. I never played Final Fantasy or, well, anything else. I did play Link to the Past. That's the only one I can currently think of where you actually go out and explore. Oh, and SMRPG. But Players Guides were my best friends. So the first time someone tried to teach me Kingdom Hearts it was a disaster. I didn't make it OFF THE BEACH. Y'know, that intro section?

"You have to find eggs. Where would eggs be?"
"I have no idea! I'm on a beach!"
"....how about a tree?"
"...."

That's pretty much how it goes most of the time. It's kind of sad.

This is my method for these types of games: Wander around. Eventually something will trigger the new scenario.

And it's not that I don't like those games! You just have to be very patient with me. Which Brad is. And so, even medicated, we sat there and he would calmly say "Sherri, didn't you just come from that direction?" And I would affirm that and he would reply "Then that's probably not the direction you should be going."

Also, I was learning the controls. So when I would go to "silent takedown" someone, I would actually leap up and attack them causing gunfire to come from everywhere. Batman died. A lot. Because I did that exact same button confusion. A lot. AT THE SAME FIGHT. It was awesome.

(I did, for the record, eventually manage to get past it, but it certainly wasn't because I completed any silent takedowns there.)

That being said, it's a really, really incredible game. (Even if you're lost and just grappling from platform to platform for awhile for fun.) The design elements are perfect, the storyline looks like an absolutely fantastic setup, and I feel like once I got used to the controller the controls would be a lot more intuitive. And gliding?! Gliding is the best.

Hm...maybe if I got an X Box....

Some Movie News (& Then Bedtime)

Some quick links worthy of noting:

Anne Hathaway Joins Les Mis (And Writer Announced)
"After months of speculation, Anne Hathaway has officially joined Tom Hooper's adaptation of the musical, Les Miserables. Her spokesperson confirms a Deadline report that she’ll play Fantine, the tragically abused mother of young Cosette. Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe have already been cast as the noble Jean Valjean and the heartless Inspector Javert, respectively. ... 
William Nicholson, who co-wrote Gladiator, is writing the script, with the film being targeted for a Dec. 7, 2012 release."

 Okay, maybe the writer was announced before, but I just now caught it.


I did see Nathan Fillion's tweet on this earlier, but I was a little confused since it came out of nowhere. Now I see I was supposed to be surprised! Cool! Anyway, interesting interview included here, as well as the notation that Avengers has finished production.
Joss Whedon Wraps up Secret 'Much Ado'

"After wrapping production on Marvel Studios’ gargantuan summer tent-pole The Avengers, writer-director Joss Whedon was supposed to go on a monthlong vacation with his wife, Kai Cole. Instead, Whedon tells EW exclusively that his wife suggested he finally make the feature film version of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing he’d been ruminating over for years.
And so he did— adapting the script, casting the film with Whedonverse alums like Nathan Fillion, Amy Acker (Angel), Alexis Denisof (Buffy, Angel), and Sean Maher (Firefly), and shooting the self-funded, black-and-white indie in secret over 12 days at his Santa Monica, Calif., home."

Of course, what is movie news without some Batman?
Dark Knight Rises Will Release Prologue
Y'know, I didn't see the prologue released for Dark Knight and truthfully... I'm not interested in seeing this one either. Sure, it would be cool, and I would love to hear a general consensus on it, but I just don't really want to see it out of context. This is the last Batman film, at least of this saga. And I'm trying to savor the wait. I look back on it and realize that if I had seen that DK prologue, while it certainly wouldn't have spoiled the film at all, I just... I just think I'd rather see the whole effect in theatres. If I had an interest in Mission: Impossible I might change my mind, but I don't.
(Despite that, it really will kill me when it releases to try not to go watch it. Self-restraint! Self-restraint!)

Lots of Woman in Black information coming out, including this new poster. I was sufficiently creeped out by the photo and then Will had to come along and point out that it is also animated (shudder.)  There is also a pretty cool trailer roaming around somewhere, but I can't seem to find it again. (Okay, there's several trailers roaming around, but I'm looking for a very specific one.) When I first heard they were adapting this I was a little concerned, simply because the play relies so much on atmosphere. But I'm pretty intrigued! What do you guys think?
(Intrigued meaning merely that: I'm intrigued, I hope it does well. Do I actually want to see something that may give me nightmares? Not particularly, and certainly not right anytime around Valentine's. That mashup doesn't bode well. We'll see how it goes.)

 Any thoughts on any of these projects? Nathan Fillion!

Quick Catchup

I'm trying to blog and watch LOST at the same time, and it's just not working.


So Tuesday night I made a trip up to Kansas to see my Newberry family! Yay! I was able to see all the family and hang out playing cards with them. It was a fast trip up & back, but it was lovely and fun and there was also Dairy Queen involved.


This week we were able to get in some birds of paradise at a great price, which is a little unusual for us. And then when our plants arrived, he accidentally broke one of the tops off of a dracena and gave it to us to use in an arrangement. I was actually really pleased with the way it turned out. 

I haven't solved my desk conundrum yet, but I believe I will be moving it out tomorrow so that I can see what room I will have opened up. Plus, now that I've decided it needs to go, it's sort of driving me crazy that it's still here.


Slowly but surely, the cold is beginning to drift in. Mrrr.


Will found this link today and it's pretty spectacular:
"Killer Sharks Invade Golf Course"

"...The sharks, which are between 8ft and 10ft long, have proved quite a hit at corporate events and their fins have even been spotted during wedding ceremonies held on the course."

Bwahaha! Now THAT'S a ceremony. 

Laptop Question: Desk? No Desk? Small Desk?

So I've recently been staring at my computer desk and realizing that my small laptop looks distinctly out of proportion. Yesterday afternoon it dawned on me that I no longer needed that extra space and that I potentially could get rid of my desk for a much smaller one and open up quite a chunk of space in my room.

Mind you, I'm aware my room is large. It's not that I necessarily need to open up a lot of extra space, but it certainly wouldn't hurt either. And the idea alone that I could rearrange something more than picture frames is exciting, because the way my room is set is pretty much set in stone. 

But I do still use my desk for it and that actually occurs probably 95% of the time. I could narrow it down easily to just my printer (that I don't use much now, since I haven't bought ink) and the laptop.  And I think I could easily adapt to anything. I just use the desk now out of habit or convenience.

And my desk is already...sad. Any good bump (which happens often) is likely to finally cause it to come crashing down.

So, my long-time laptop user friends, what do you suggest? Maybe a smaller desk/ larger end table? Any desk at all? How do you end up using yours the most?

A trailer full of awesome.

Cannot. Wait. 




(But I do still miss Edward Norton.)

(Another) Wedding Gallery

This wedding was just fun to work. I enjoyed every minute of it. I'll just say up front, I loved the way all the colors (burgandys, plums & golds) & style worked out from this one. Everything turned out just gorgeous. And the lanterns were beautiful. 

Gallery!

Do you remember when I was discussing the reception pieces that averaged 40 minutes each because there were not only so many different varieties of flowers involved, but so many different colors?

Reception Centerpieces

That would be one of them.

Okay, so the breakdown for those pieces alone: dahlias (gold, red, purple), amaranthus (purple, green), candlelight roses (gold), stock (purple), hypericum (red, green), callas (purple, gold,) and freesia (purple, gold). And seeded euc.

Reception Centerpieces - Gratuitous 'I-think-this-is-pretty' photo.

And while we're still at the reception:

Bride's Table

Pam designed the bride's table, and the bride happened to be her niece. So it was extra nice that everything turned out so well.

Cake Table

Hm. So the cake table was my piece.

Of course you're most critical of your own work (and since I designed it and took the picture it's a double slam), but this picture just looks incredibly messy to me. I think its the burgundy amaranthus (hanging stuff) smack down the center. In my defense it did not look like that in real life. I was actually really pleased with how it turned out. So. There you go.

Also, on the point of tinting: we did so much spray painting for this wedding. (But honestly, I could say that about most weddings. Or often work days in general.) Those gold dahlias are actually incredibly neon yellow. We tinted their tips with black cherry paint to dull their brightness. The amaranthus came in too pink - we dulled it with black cherry. The purple dahlias weren't dark enough. The red dahlias weren't dark enough. So. Much. Paint.

Back to reception.

Top of Staircase

The bride & groom were presented at the top of a stairwell, so these pieces were for that. The birdcage was at the top and several mixed pieces were placed down the steps with candle holders containing electric votives. Apparently the guests were very consumed with worry that they were real candles.


I love the look of the top. So pretty. That green hanging amaranthus is one of my favorite flowers.

 Okay, three left and then we're done. Wedding party!


Bridesmaids:

Funny story:  So while the pictures above are of the same arrangement, each one of the six bridesmaids bouquets were to be slightly individualized.  However, since I was getting back into the swing of handhelds and it was my first one I had to rework it several times. And then when I finally finished, after glancing at my bosses once, I turned around to find that we had created practically the exact same bouquet, minus one flower. Heh.

And at last, of course, the beauty:

Bridal Bouquet

I've made comments to my boss before about how I never seem to like the bridal bouquet as much as the bridesmaids, simply because they're often given more texture or color or overall interest to their bouquets. But that is not the case here. 

I really love the look of this bouquet. I love the colors, I love the touches of sparkle, I love the way the ribbon curls on the handheld. You can't really see it without a close up, but she frosted the tips of the purple dahlias white just a touch to pick up the white of her dress. Gorgeous. This is simply one of my favorites.

C&H Love: The Leaf Pile.

Grandma and I spent part of yesterday evening raking leaves. As I was walking around with the large clawed leaf-gripper things, all I could think of was this:

(Ha, and check out that date of publishing! Totally unintentional. It was meant to be.)

It's all about the Owls.

Little Lexie Lou's second birthday party was today! It was super cute. I mean, look at this face:

 
She instantly makes any party rock.

And because I can't resist this photo:

BAWWWWOOOOONS!

D'aaaaw.... my kids.

Grandma and I were at Cracker Barrel last week and happened upon an owl hat that we instantly knew Lexie would love because the girl LOVES OWLS. And this hat was awesome, so I kept searching through the rack for one myself. But what gives? It only came in toddler size! What's with that? Only toddlers can have owl hats? That's so sad!

Anyway, I've been mildly searching on and off for owl hats on etsy. I've looked for these before, without success of finding one I really liked, but I stumbled on this tonight:

Happiness.

Okay, so I'm not actually buying it (yet). I've discovered how great hats are for keeping a little extra warmth in, so at some point I'll probably pick up an extra one for this year,but this one is a little pricier than I was hoping for. Nonetheless, I still think this one is awesome. Maybe it'll go on sale.

As for Lexie, she loooooved hers. They were having trouble getting her to sit down and open gifts, and when the hat was the second gift in she was pretty much done. She jumped up, threw it on sideways and went parading around. She knows what it's about.

'Crazy Love' Excerpt

Recently, I finished reading a book entitled Crazy Love that I had received for Christmas and have been reading on and off throughout the year. It's a great book and very challenging for me if I'll keep taking it to heart. While there are certainly stories strewn all throughout the book, there is one chapter specifically dedicated to others personal accounts of Christ in their lives. They were all fascinating, but this one was my favorite and I wanted to share it.


Jamie Lang
When Jamie was twenty-three years old, she flew from the United States to Tanzania with $2,000 from her savings account. She planned to stay until she ran out of money, at which point she would come home.

Jamie was overwhelmed by all of the need that she encountered, so she started praying that God would allow her to make a radical difference in one person's life. After about six months, she met an eight-year-old girl at church who was carrying a baby on her back. Jamie learned that the baby's mother was dying from AIDS and that she was too weak to care for him. Jamie begin to buy formula for the little boy, Junio, to provide him with the nutrition he desperately needed. At the time, he was half the size of a healthy baby.

Jamie fell in love with baby Junio. She wondered if she was being foolish - a barely twenty-four-year old, single, white American entertaining thoughts of adopting a baby. Besides, she didn't even know if Tanzania allowed international adoptions. Eventually, she discovered that the country didn't allow international adoptions; however, because she had lived there for over six months, she could establish residency.

Before Junio's mom died from AIDS, she came to Junio and said, "I have heard how you are taking care of my son, and I have never known such a love. I want to be saved." Just before she died, she said, "I know that my son is taken care of, and I will see him in heaven someday."
Jamie spent six months going through the adoption process and then five more months working with the American embassy to get Junio a visa. When she finally came home, she had been gone for a year and a half.

Junio is now five years old, totally healthy and HIV negative. When Junio's mom was pregnant with him, she took a "morning-after pill" late in her pregnancy in order to abort him. But instead it induced premature labor, and because Junio was so small, no bleeding occurred during his birth. Thus, he did not contract HIV from his mother. What was intended to end his life, God used to save it. Since adopting Junio, Jamie has gotten married, had a little girl, and is moving back to Tanzania with her family to work with Wycliffe to translate the Bible for a group that has never heard it before.

          - from the chapter "Who Really Lives That Way?" (p 152-153)


Speaking of crazy love, I know of a teenage girl that's been really struggling with her health - she has very recently undergone very major heart surgery and her & her family are still having to take it very carefully day by day. All my information is third or fourth hand, but could you send up a short prayer for her & her family? She's only 14 and was very frightened. I know any would be greatly appreciated.

Only Three More Months....

Do you know what three months from today is?

Think about it.... thiiiink about iiiiit....

Christmas!

Actually, I hadn't put that together at all. Grandma was the one who pointed it out to me earlier.

That's going to go by so quick.

So I've decided to officially begin Christmas shopping October 1st. After last year's debacle of starting too late (halfway through November) I'm not repeating that again. And sure, I should have gone ahead and started in September, but for some reason that just seems so early... That's barely even fall. And then half the time I worry I'll forget where I've put them that early on anyway. October, however, that's kind of the kickoff to the holiday season: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas... I can do that.

Has anyone else started yet? Or do you work better at the last minute?

And it goes like this.

So this past Thursday night Regina & I trekked up to the OKC Zoo Amphitheater for the Train & Maroon 5 concert. Originally there were five of us, but Brad, Holly & Sam weren't able to make it for varying reasons. :/ Sad day. Although the concert wasn't until 7:00, we headed up there right after I got off work. Since we walked into the venue right on the dot I was really glad we left when we did.

I've only been to three other concerts at the Zoo Amp, but that's enough to know with the thousands of people in the first-come-first-served outdoor venue you're never going to be able to push your way down to the front that late, and especially not be able to see even if you do. I've spent the other three concerts way off to the side or far in the back. But somehow, we made it closer than I've ever been before and had a fantastic viewing point AND managed not to block anyone else's view. Seriously. It was awesome. I was so excited. 

This concert was so FUN. Giddy. Giddy is a good word for it, because Regina & I were pretty ridiculously giddy the whole time. Partially because they were both bands we were really anticipating, but also because of how nice the crowds were and our clear line of sight to the stage. (Okay, okay, and because both bands have front men with these gorgeous tenor voices.)

Regina's Pic of Train.

Train was up first, opening with the the sounds of a train revving up (I was so stupidly happy, I didn't even get that reference until AFTER THEIR SET, ahaha. We'll blame it on the happiness. And not the obliviousness.) and launching into "Parachute." Which I thought was a strange opening song, but I was still glad to hear it. And after that I have no idea of what order the songs came in. They teased with bits and pieces of "Soul Sister" throughout the concert and finally concluded with it. They did come out for a short encore where they finally played "Drops of Jupiter" and finished out with "This Ain't Goodbye."
Also - and this works really well with all their music homages on Francisco - they did a set of cover songs for about twenty minutes as well. That included a mashup between "Heart of Glass" and "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" that was brilliant and ended with the entirety of "Dream On" that was pretty fantastic.
(Other songs included: Save Me San Francisco, She's On Fire, Meet Virgina(!), Calling All Angels, If It's Love, Words, Marry Me.)

Maroon 5 threw the gates open from the get go opening with none other than "Moves Like Jagger" and that energy maintained itself throughout the rest of the show by the crowd as well as the band. They were great, with such high energy, excellent instrumentals and very entertaining to watch even though I only knew about three songs. They, of course, also came out for an encore and concluded their whole set with (I have to admit) a beautiful rendition of "She Will Be Loved." I guess enough time has passed now that I apparently am no longer sick of the song. It just had waaay too much airtime when it first came out.
(Other songs included: Stutter, Misery, How, Wake Up Call, Hands All Over, Harder to Breathe, She Said Goodbye, Sunday Morning, Without You, Never Gonna Leave This Bed aaand a lot of others.)

And, as Regina pointed out, the bands were great compliments to each other in concert. Train was a much more relaxed band onstage - not necessarily peppy or trying to overblow their songs, but just enjoying being there and focusing on interacting a lot with the crowd. Maroon 5, on the other hand, were the showmen who talked very little, paced their show very well and blasted through a ton of songs and great instrumentals.  So we enjoyed the different tempos of the two together.

Yeah, it was great. Due to city ordinances, the concert had to end by 10:30 and they landed on that number exactly, but each band still had about an hour and fifteen minutes to play. So still lots of time with both. I'm excited to hear Train's in the middle of working on their next album, and I really hope its as strong as the last one was.

Good times, good times.

With drops of jupiter in her hair.

We're currently in the middle of a wedding at work. It's turning out really nice - all burgandys, purples and golds. Very rich, lush colors. And while we've still got a ways to go, we did manage to finish one of the biggest time consuming aspects of it today - the reception pieces which I believe averaged a design time of 40 minutes each.  What should that tell you? That's essentially the same amount of time we average on casket pieces (and sometimes even those are shorter).  Blah. I felt like I was running in slow motion. But at least they're super pretty.
Part of the reason they required so much time is simply some of them came in the wrong color (this happens frequently). Which means we have to spend time playing with the floral paint to determine the right match and then go back through and individually paint each flower.
Part of the other reason is there were so many different flowers going in the piece (roses, thistles, dahlias, freesia, euc, amanrathus, hypericum berries....) and there were often colors for each flower. So not only were we constantly trying to ensure we had all those flowers in, we had to ensure we had each color of each flower in. And roses and thistles were the only ones in one color.

Are you actually interested in that? I never know. Oh well. I am.

In exciting news: this Thursday is the Train/Maroon 5 concert! I've wanted to see Train ever since I first heard "Drops of Jupiter" in 2001. (That was ten years ago?) Subsequently, I fell in love with the earlier released "Meet Virginia" and then the band dropped entirely off the map after their lesser acclaimed Private Nation album. (According to Wikipedia, they released another album in 2006 and then went off the map. Who knew?) I was really sad about this. I felt like they had such great potential and just hadn't quite completely found their sound yet.

Fact: "Drops of Jupiter" has actually never left my Top 5 Favorite Songs list since that first listen. I love the imagery, I love the whimsiness of the lyrics, I love the melody.

Then one day at work the radio was actually on a pop station (a rarity) and this chorus was so incredibly catchy and happy I immediately starting looking up the song.
And, as you may guess, it was "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train.
I do believe I jumped out of the chair and chanted "They're back! They're back!" but its all a blur now.

While I immediately downloaded this incredibly happy song (that I still love two years later), I was still on the fence about whether to download their whole album. I mean - they've had some successes with radio hits, but not necessarily entire albums. But I risked it and Save Me, San Francisco is certainly one of my best purchases. They do an excellent job of carrying touches of a theme throughout the entire listen, but each song stands on its own. They're back with great melodies, fun lyrics and lots of homages other pieces of music that make me smile. True, I skip "Breakfast in Bed" almost every time (what a bizarre song), but that's the only one.

As for Maroon 5, well, I know I've heard their songs but I couldn't tell you what exact ones they were except for their most recent. Nonetheless, they'll probably be great showmen and I'm glad to see them.

Bedtime. Bedtime, bedtime, bedtime.

Theatre News: Movie Musicals

WAIT. WAIT. WAIT.
This post was totally going to be about Les Miserables. And it will be eventually. I promise.

BUT I HAVE BIGGER NEWS.

For its 25th anniversary, Phantom of the Opera is going to be released fully staged on the big screen and DVD with Ramin Karmiloo as the Phantom.

Ramin is only underneath Anthony Warlow in my Phantom dreamworld. Sure, he equally shares that title with Earl Carpenter, but that's it.

I mean, just listen:




 That, my friends, is what the Angel of Music should sound like.

He is also currently playing the Phantom in Love Never Dies and yes, he's entirely too young. But if they're going to go for young anyway, pick this guy.

 Oh wait - a FULLY STAGED version?! With 200 cast & orchestra?!

Seriously, I have no words for this. I've waited for this for SO. LONG. In fact, after the movie was made, I just gave up that a staged version would ever be filmed. I figured that was it.

BWAHAHAHA! SO HAPPY!

But, wait! That's not all!

Have you heard? It's official, via Cameron Mackintosh: Les Miserables will be coming to the big screen December 2012.

Um...didn't you just say that was a rumor, all of two days ago?
Yes.

Look, I've been hearing about a Les Mis movie for over 10 years. And I know there was talk of making one after it became big in the 80's. So I had reached the point where I treated all movie talk of it as rumors. But it's official! So let's take a look.

Apparently its being produced by Working Title, directed by Tom Hooper (King's Speech) and the two leads are already cast: Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean and Russell Crowe as Javert. Of course, acting wise, that's pretty awesome casting. And it's already well established Jackman can sing.

So the big question is: can Russell Crowe sing this role?

Yes, I know he has a band.You can imagine since I first heard the casting I've pretty much just been going back and forth between finding clips of him singing and reminding myself of Javert's role.

Here's a clip:


Russell Crowe has a solid dusky, low voice. But I'm really concerned about that voice with songs like "Stars" and "Javert's Suicide." You can't talk-sing those songs. You just can't. It doesn't work. Will mentioned tonight that you have to have solid singers for this piece "because, really, nothing about this story ought to be glamorous. the only things that are beautiful are the music and the character journeys." And that's dead on.
However, it sounds like he has a good framework for singing, so there's a good chance they can keep developing that and work with him.

Anyway here's "Stars," for reference:


So lots of excitement tonight and things to keep an eye on! Now here's hoping I can sleep tonight.

D'awww.... Red Panda Cuteness.

Aww.... red pandas have been born at the Zoo!

Curious. I remember the red pandas being born last year, but I don't remember seeing them. Does anyone else remember them? I just remember the two adults. But it also sounds like they moved them pretty quickly. Sadly, the article doesn't mention whether we get to keep these or not and I guess its doubtful since we didn't keep the others. But with the new Asia exhibit next up to bat maybe someday we'll get to see the baby red pandas. 

Either Celeste or Yoda! OKC Zoo

Then I became curious what baby red pandas looked like.

Pic by the Edmonton Zoo

D'awww....! Too cute.

Awww......!!

Love the tail curl. 

Seriously, this last little one has such an awesome expression on his face. Okay, that's a good note to end on. Sweet dreams, everyone!

Goggles & All

So let's talk Catwoman.

Since I first heard they were bringing Selina Kyle into the Nolan verse, I was a little nervous. Of course, if anyone can pull her off in a solid way its Nolan and his team. But since Catwoman is always done, I was just hoping they would pull another character in.

But! It was still okay.

And then they cast Anne Hathaway, and it was still okay. I thought it was weird, but hey! I trust them. They've done excellent so far.

And then came the goggles. Oh, the goggles.

I was sad. Just...sad. The rest of it was fine...but the goggles. Eh.

But truth is, I have no context for the goggles. How does she even get them? Does she steal them? That would work. Does someone give them to her? Does Batman give them to her?
As long as she doesn't make the goggles, it works.

Yay! We're okay again!

And here's the deal: I LOVE her look as Selina Kyle. And this latest pic? Wow. Wow, wow, wow. She looks awesome.

Less than a year to go.

I have these amazing friends.

Alright, blogger,  first post in the new interface! Let's see how this goes. 

This Labor Day weekend consisted of an AWESOME trip to the OKC Zoo with AMAZING friends. (Worthy of the caps.) We're talking weather in the 70's, people. It was wonderful.

This, of course, added to the fun:

I think this was greedy giraffe.

I got to feed the giraffes again! Thanks to Eric, who had cash.

How much do my friends love me?  I mean, seriously, that's twice now someone's paid for me to feed giraffes.  Because they knew it would make my day (and it did).

I even got a "I fed the giraffes at the Zoo" button.

You guys rock.

Though I promise I'll bring my own money next time! I just didn't know OKC had this yet.

I'll probably post more about the Zoo later. But I'm going to bed early tonight and YOU CAN'T STOP ME. Bwahahaha.

(Okay, fine, if I can't sleep, I'll detail it out tonight. Rar.)

The Theatre Round-Up

We haven't talked theatre in awhile and I did do some catching up tonight.

Apparently, Newsies is on its way to becoming a stage musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse, with Menken back at the musical helm and Harvey Fierstein with a new script. The newest additions/changes to the familiar story are the addition of a reporter love interest and "Santa Fe" now being at the top of the show. Take a look at the video and tell me what you think.
Also, you should note Andrew Keenan-Bolger's name in the lineup as Crutchie - you may remember his sister Celia Keenan-Bolger as Olive in the Broadway version of 25th Putnam County Spelling Bee.



Check this out: George Lee Andrews has played in Phantom of the Opera ever since it opened on Broadway in 1988 and will be performing his final show tomorrow night. This will be his 9,382nd performance. That's nine-thousand. He currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest run in the same show (I would certainly hope so!) He played Firmin for years, but to give some fresh life to his performance, they switched him over to Andre in 2000. I've never seen Phantom on Broadway, but now I wished at some point I had to possibly catch his performance. Sure, I wouldn't have known it at the time, but I would've loved to have gone back to that playbill now to see.
I'm so sad I had never heard of this guy until now! Bravo to an insanely long run, Mr. Andrews!

Eh. This is totally rumor mill, but here you go anyway. Supposedly, they're back to making a movie musical rendition of Les Miserables. This is nothing new. This has been on again, off again for years. According to the article, its being currently developed by Working Title & Universal and will be directed by Tom Hooper of Kings Speech. And, of course, the rumors are the stars involved and the most recent one is Anne Hathaway as Fantine.
While we're discussing rumors, here's other names being bandied about:
"According to www.itsonthegrid.com, additional actors being courted for the film have included Russell Crowe for Javert, Geoffrey Rush for Thenardier, Helena Bonaham Carter for Madame Thenardier, Hayden Panettiere, Miranda Cosgrove, Lucy Hale and Emma Watson for the roles of Eponine and Cosette, and Amy Adams and Rebecca Hall for Fantine."

While in the midst of looking up some of those names, I learned Rebecca Hall is actually the daughter of director Peter Hall! Interesting. And though not in that particular listing, Hugh Jackman is supposed to be set for Javert and one of the ones pushing the project.
After Phantom, I'm not really crazy about this. The idea of a star-studded cast trying to sing its way through this score doesn't really thrill me. Blah blah blah, they only have to get it right once, blah blah blah.
Buuut who knows, maybe they will be able to sing this time. Sacha Baron Cohen rocked Sweeney. Ewan McGregor caught everyone totally off guard. I'm totally willing to go with it if they can find singers. And who knows if it will ever actually be made anyway.

Frank Wildhorn's new show will be arriving soon on Broadway: Bonnie & Clyde will be in previews November 4th with opening set for December 1st. Lyrics by Don Black of Andrew Lloyd Webber fame: Sunset Boulevard, Aspects of Love and Tell me On a Sunday. (Also, apparently his first big hit was writing the lyrics for Bond's Thunderball theme. Thank you, Wikipedia!)

And I kept trying to find one more piece of news, but nothing else has really caught my attention. Anything interest anyone else?

Update on Cirque: Zarkana

I actually wrote this post weeks ago when Zarkana was first getting notice, but unfortunately it got shoved in my draft drawer and has lived there since. Anyway, for what its worth....

Cirque, to me, is often art for arts sake. Bizarre for the sake of being bizarre. Beauty for the sake of creating something beautiful. I love that about their work. I think that's partially why I was disappointed in KA even though it was one of their greatest technical works at that time (and potentially, still is.) In KA they built it around a fully realized story. Which was fine. But it lost some of its wonder to me. Mystere, which is by far my favorite, has no real story and is one of their oldest productions. It is thinly tied together by recurring images. And I was in awe the whole time.

(Of course, the beautiful artwork on the ceiling of that particular theatre helped.)

If you ever go to Vegas, see Mystere.

Now, Zarkana!

"Zarkana, according to Cirque notes, “is a fantastically bizarre world where we follow the adventures of Zark, a magician who has lost his love and, with her, his powers. As he cries and begs for her return he is plunged into a world inhabited by surreal creatures. The diverse cast of 71 international artists transports the audience into a fantastical and suspenseful world, blurring the boundaries between the real and imaginary.”

It looks like this is a return to loose stories. Yes, there is a tie between images, but the focus is not in fleshing out the story but in the creations that come from it. I wouldn't like that in all mediums, but for Cirque it works. At least for me.
It also looks like this show includes sand painting, which I would love to see how they handle. The shadow puppetry in KA is one of my favorite moments in theatre and was incredibly beautiful.

(If you have not seen this video of sand painting from Britain's Got Talent you really have to stop and watch it. It just blows my mind every time.)


Distracted. Back to Cirque.

All that to say: their latest video really excites me. I'm a huge Cirque fan. And even though its at Radio City Music Hall and will probably never tour (since it was built specifically for that space), I still want to make sure you at least see the clip.

Video of Zarkana! Cirque's newest addition to their already amazing lineup: