Get thee to a theater and see this movie posthaste! It is AWESOME! I think it may be one of my favorite movies…ever. If you like musicals, if you like Abba, if you are a mother or a daughter, you will love this movie.

Meryl Streep was amazing. Who knew she could sing like that? I loved the production number they did to “Dancing Queen”. I just kept thinking how much I wanted to be singing and dancing with them. So much fun! There was another number later in the film that made the three moms in our group cry. This is a great mother/daughter film, by the way. There were a few moments that were a little bit too suggestive for the two young teens in our group, but they were mature enough to handle it well.

We (me, Marlene and SB, Rochelle and her mom and two of her sisters) went to dinner first and then to the movie and had a great time. We need to do it again sometime soon! I think the best thing about the movie, though, was that we all walked out the theater with a smile on our faces. It was a feel-good happy movie - that’s the kind I like the best!

I would definitely see this again, and I’ll be buying the DVD when it comes out. So, what are you waiting for? Go see it!

Mike and I went to see Enchanted tonight. And I highly recommend seeing it. Young, old, male, female, it’s a movie for the whole family. It’s full of sweet corniness and homages to Disney fairy tales. Amy Adams was amazing. This may be my favorite Disney movie ever.

1. I have never enjoyed working with a group of people more than I do the Sunday night choir at our church. Yes, we have our moments when we get frustrated with each other, but most of the time we laugh. I am blessed.

2. If you haven’t seen The Holiday yet, I highly recommend it. I bought it on a whim a few weeks ago at Target and finally got around to watching it last night and I loved it! I finally understand what people see in Jude Law. Very sweet romantic comedy with a holiday theme running through it.

So, Mike and I were discussing all the shows I have sitting on my dvr that he needs to watch so I can get. them. off. And I kind of joked that we needed another dvr so I could record his stuff in the living room and my stuff in the bedroom since he tends to keep later hours than I do most of the time.

He asked how much it would cost and so I did some checking and found out that it would be $11 a month more than what we are paying now. He said if we get rid of our Netflix subscription (which we never use because I always have too much stuff to watch on the dvr - surprise!), we could get another one.

So I will be getting another dvr this week. And what that means is that, theoretically, I can record four different shows at the same time.

Awesome.

Mike and I actually managed to get out and see a movie tonight - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. My short review follows. There are spoilers. (Read on …)

Note to self: Do not buy tickets in the upper deck to concerts and/or any other events when you are taking a squirmy 2 1/2 year old with you.

The squirming…oh the squirming…

This was our view…

Mike and I took LG to the American Idol concert tonight, but we ended up leaving at the intermission. Why? For one thing, LG was making me a nervous wreck because she would not sit still and the upper deck is very very steep at Jobing.com Arena (stupidest name ever isn’t it?) and I was terrified she was going to go tumbling. Mike wasn’t all that comfortable with her acrobatics either, and he’s not nearly as paranoid as I am. But honestly, if that was all we were dealing with, it would have been one thing. The other reason was that the mix was so horribly horribly bad (at least where we were sitting), that I couldn’t understand a word they said when they talked and I could barely figure out what songs they were singing. I couldn’t hear the harmonies or the nuances of the voices and it was very very disappointing. And I will be writing to the venue and the sponsor tomorrow to voice my displeasure. To me there is absolutely no excuse for crappy sound. I’ve been to several concerts in my life, and sat in many different parts of the many arenas my town has to offer and I have never EVER experienced sound as bad as the sound was tonight. Yes, I’ve heard bad mixes before, but at least I could understand what the artist was saying or singing. It was really very disappointing. Marlene and her daughter were sitting in the lower part of the arena, and I really hope the sound was better there. When the sound is so bad it destroys your enjoyment of an event, well, that’s bad. Loud is one thing, unintelligible is another.

Blake ended the first half with a three song set of his own including “Time of the Season” and his own wonderful rendition of “You Give Love a Bad Name”. LG stopped squirming when Blake was on stage and wanted Blake to “picka up!” (pick her up). But the best part was when he was talking between songs and she was saying “Hi Blake!” over and over again. All the people around us were cracking up. It was totally cute. She was ready to go flying down there and onstage with him, I’m telling you.

I will say, though, that when Blake was doing “You Give Love a Bad Name”, I really loved it. He is an amazing entertainer, and he actually made me forget that the sound was making me irritated for a few minutes. It was awesome.

I’m sad that it was disappointing - I was really looking forward to the show and hearing them showcase their talents. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that it was their fault in any way, shape or form, because it wasn’t. The fault here lies totally with whoever did the sound (probably a local company). And that’s a shame. At least we didn’t have to pay for parking (which, considering how far we had to walk to get to the arena from the parking lot, is a darn good thing).

At least she enjoyed the fountains outside the arena when we were leaving…

Wow, I’ve been pretty long-winded today haven’t I? Anyway, that was our night. How was yours?

To those of you who are planning to read Harry Potter this weekend, please oh please don’t post spoilers in your blog entry titles, and if you put them in your posts, please oh please warn people so they don’t read them accidentally.

Please be kind. I will set up a separate page that does not show up on the RSS feeds when I’m done and comments will be open there for those of you who want to discuss.

But until I’m done reading, don’t even drop hints. I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW!!!!

And trust me, I’m not the only one!

Be kind. Don’t spoil it for other people!

Today, we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of this album:

by listening to it all the way through. That’s my kinda celebratin’. ;)

Songs on The Grand Illusion:

1. The Grand Illusion
2. Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
3. Superstars
4. Come Sail Away
5. Miss America
6. Man in the Wilderness
7. Castle Walls
8. The Grand Finale

Also across the United States today there are rallies to support our troops. If you’re interested in making a difference to them, check out Operation America Rising.

This morning Mike’s phone rang. It was a friend from church who had three extra tickets to the circus that she didn’t want to go to waste (she had made a mistake on her online order and you know how THAT goes).

Anyway, even though I really didn’t feel like it, I figured it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so we took Little Girl to see her very first circus today! There was no way I was going to miss that momentous occasion. :)

When I was a kid, my dad took me to lots of things, but my mom rarely if ever came along. I’m not really sure about the reasons for that, but I wish that she was included in my memories of things like going to the circus, so I want to make sure that LG remembers me when she thinks of those things.

The circus really hasn’t changed much since I was a kid. It’s still a cacophany of light and sound and color and organized chaos. There are still animal acts and acrobats and trapeze artists and beautiful girls and clowns and the handsome ringmaster with the deep booming voice. The only thing different is the technology that’s been added to the show. But really, it’s all about the daredevils and the clowns. Always has been, always will be. Oh, and the kids. It’s definitely about the kids.

Little Girl had a great time and I’m really glad I was there to witness it. :)

Take an instrument (the flute in this case) that’s been around in some form for well over 30,000 years, add a beatboxing flutist, and you get this…

Why do I love music? Because it’s not static. You can take a centuries old instrument and still make it sound modern and fresh and new just by experimenting a little. Music is not static - it’s alive. Oh how I love music. :)

The flutist is Greg Pattillo. Thanks Rochelle!

We used to go to the movies on Sunday nights after church quite frequently. But then we had a munchkin and things changed, so it was nice to be able to resurrect that tradition for a week (and we’ll be seeing Harry Potter later in the summer, too!).

Last night we saw Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and it was awe.some. I can’t wait until it comes out on dvd to see the deleted scenes. This movie was over 2 1/2 hours long and it went by sooo fast - there was just so much action and it was definitely a roller coaster ride. The special effects were amazing, and the storyline kept me guessing. Great film. Highly recommended, especially if you’ve seen the first 2 movies.

I won’t spoil anything for you, but let’s just say I got teary-eyed in a few places. Good stuff.

Yes, I actually went to a movie tonight. I can hardly believe it myself since I don’t even remember the last movie I saw in a theater. It might have been last year’s Harry Potter. How sad is that? I think Mike and I might have to hit some movies this summer, though.

Tonight I went with Marlene and two of her friends to dinner and then to see Waitress.

Waitress is a chick flick. But, I know my hubby would like it. (He doesn’t just watch chick flicks to make me happy, he actually likes them…lol!) I liked this movie so much that I plan to buy the dvd when it comes out.

So much to say. Where do I begin? I don’t want to give away too much of the plot because I think this is a movie that needs to lay out its ingredients and mix them together in front of your eyes.

The acting is top-notch. The direction was superb. The way the movie was filmed was beautiful. It was touching and very very funny. The ending was perfect. And it’s a lot for me to say that, because it wasn’t the type of ending I usually like, but in this film? It worked. And it really shouldn’t have ended any other way.

But I think what makes this movie even more poignant is the story of the filmmaker, Adrienne Shelly, who was murdered before she found out her gem of a film was accepted to the Sundance Film Festival. Read her story. See the movie.

And one more thing. You might want to plan a stop for pie on your way home.

Have you ever heard of Vienna Teng? If you haven’t, you are missing out on a very talented artist.

I “met” Vienna through her blog via Mr. Syndromes a few years ago, and the last time she was here on tour (when I was very very pregnant and couldn’t get out to see her), she came to this very house and visited with me. So, I can say from personal experience what a genuinely nice person she is. I can also say from having listened to her cds, that she is an extremely talented musician. I have yet to see her live (although she’s got Scottsdale on her tour schedule next month, and I’m going to do everything I can to get out to see her this time), but every review I have ever heard or read about her shows has been glowing.

All of that makes it very exciting for me to tell you about her Green Caravan Tour which starts this very night at the Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia (fitting huh?).

The Green Caravan Tour is not just about music. It’s about helping the environment by working with Habitat for Humanity, selling eco-friendly merchandise, and getting others involved in volunteering.

So, please, check out the website, see if there’s a show near you, and go see Vienna. I am positive you won’t regret it. (And if you can’t make it to a concert, buy some of her music and immerse yourself in her hypnotic tunes.)

As many in our generation did, my husband and I grew up on Sesame Street. It premiered when I was 3 and it’s still going strong. The other day my husband posited that we should let Little Girl watch Sesame Street. I informed him that it came on at 8 a.m. and since we usually manage to drag all of our rear ends out of bed somewhere between 8 and 9, it just doesn’t usually happen. Well, today, Little Girl was awake at a few minutes after 8, so we all congregated on the living room sofa and turned on the television which is something that RARELY happens in this house before 6 p.m. (Except for those couple of hours when she’s napping and I sneak into the bedroom and watch stuff on the dvr…lol!) Little Girl was enthralled. She pointed out the ducks and the woofs and the books and the babies and the bears and so on. There’s a lot of music on Sesame Street and music usually captures her attention.

Now I know Sesame Street has a lot of detractors, but I’m not going to sit her in front of the television and walk away. If she watches television, it’s because we are watching it together, not because it’s babysitting her. I rarely turn on the television for her during the day to distract her so I can get something done, but there have been a few days here and there in her life that I’ve turned on the Doodlebops or whatever is on Disney or Nickelodeon at the moment so that I don’t go insane, but usually she plays with her toys or we read books or we “talk” or she entertains me and the TV stays off. (By the way, if you let your kids watch tv, I’m not criticizing you. I’ve just made the decision that I’m not letting her watch as much TV as I did when I was a kid because I don’t want her to become the addict that I am…lol!)

I really don’t see anything wrong with Sesame Street as long as you don’t expect it to teach your child in lieu of parental interaction. It’s bright and colorful and funny and the music is fun and entertaining for toddlers and preschoolers and it’s safe for little eyes and ears. And if along the way she learns something, more power to her. It’s not going to replace my interactions with her and the learning she gets from things in every day life and experiences. But, if it gives us some family bonding time, then it’s not a bad thing. Mike and I watched it when we were kids and we came out (mostly) okay.

Did you watch Sesame Street growing up? Do you have fond memories? Or do you think it’s just a bunch of eye candy? And do your kids watch it now? I’m curious!