Friday, July 31, 2009

"Oh Sweet Spirit you're so... nice..."

If you guys weren't at my FHE on Monday, then you missed out. A group of us performed a musical that was awesome! It was called The Sweet Spirit Bride and was basically a Mormon/musical version of The Princess Bride. We had so much fun putting it together and performing it, even though it was kind of a rush because we only did it in a week, and in fact, I only learned it the day before. Everyone did such an amazing job though. But, I gotta say, the music was the best part, and most especially Adam W. singing "Unchained Melody"... *sigh*... okay moment over. We also used the "Sweet Spirit" song from Sons of Provo and a different version of "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid called "I Need a Man". The best line from that one was "Why don't they think, and see me now? I am a woman worth more than eight cows! I'm really great, I need a date, I need a man" and then immediately after that line a guy from the audience yelled, "Tomorrow at 7!"


The Single Ladies (we sang the "I Need a Man" song)


It was so much fun to perform, a heart's desire moment definitely, but it may have been even better watching it afterward with the cast because we knew all the little quirky things that happened on stage. We're thinking of putting it on YouTube, so I'll keep you updated on that.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Oh my beloved Tucson...

For those of you who don't know, which I think is none of you but whatever, I love Tucson. My brother Ben calls it a "love-affair" and most of my family makes fun of me for it, but I do not care. Tucson has been very good to me for the last four years. I came down here thinking that I was going to a trash/practically Mexico dump, but I am leaving it with much regret. Sure, at first all I could see were the couches/actual trash that people left on their front lawns, the awful conditions of the roads, and even the non-existant drainage plan when it rains. But since I've lived here I've learned that when people leave their furniture out it not only gets picked up by the city, but it also makes for excellent "dumpster-diving" items. I've also learned that when driving a truck, a raging river down your street is the coolest thing since sliced-bread!

Tucson feels like a small town even though it is huge. I still have not seen all of it, not that I've really tried. I love that the people on the west side of the freeway rarely interact with people on the east side, and the same goes for north and south Tucson. I love that while my neighbor is creepy because he's a trench-coat wearing weirdo who's constantly on the phone outside and makes it awkward to walk to and from my car I can still feel comfortable having his parents tease us about our very loud sing-along/dance parties. I also love that I can feel comfortable walking down the street with my roommates dispite the fact that we've actually called the police on our neighbors and had a stake-out waiting for some "Cops"-type action (which was a complete let down). I also love that in my little neck of the town I know exactly where I am or where I'm going based on street address alone. And the fact that the streets change names frequently makes that accomplishment worth-while.

On a list of my favorite places in Tucson The Big Bump out west on Grant where I have driven my truck over with screaming people in the car is definitely at the top, followed closely by the north end of Campbell where you can sit and watch the city lights and then the drive back that twists and turns. I love the view from Mt. Lemon where you can see exactly how much you have misjudged the size of the city. I also love the University of Arizona with its charming brick buildings, and especially the musical rocks by Old Main.

Yep, Tucson is great. I know that it is ghetto and kinda scary, but it's also original. There are few cookie-cutter developments and even less cookie-cutter people. You are allowed to be eccentric and quirky here and believe me, I've met plenty of people who are. This place has made for great stories and great friends who I hope never to forget!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Book of Possibilities

I just watched "Last Holiday" with Queen Latifah, which I loved! It is really one of her best films, and it made me feel so good inside! Anyway, this movie is all about living your life fully every day, and in it Q.Lat. has a book of possibilities in which she has made cut outs or stored brochures, or even pictures about things she wants to do with her life. I love that idea, but I love more the fact that Sasha has made her own book because of this movie. So I decided that, at least for this post but maybe more in the future, I'm going to describe the possibilities I want to happen in my life. Starting with a few of the places I'm dying to travel to:


Palace of Versailles, France


Palace of Knossos, Crete


Notre Dame, Paris

Temple of Apollo at Delphi, Greece


Castier Castle, Britain

Angkor Wat, Cambodia


As you can tell, they mostly have to do with buildings. I love architecture. I don't want to have to design anything myself, but I love the amazing structures that people have built over time. Don't get me wrong, I love most of the other forms of art too, but there is something so majestic and magical about walking into a great building that is either beautiful just by its construction or the ornate decorations which someone has imagined and put on display for everyone to walk through. I think what I love most about seeing architectural things in person is the fact that you never really can get an accurate picture of the thing in your head before you experience it live. I mean, with paintings it is pretty much what it looks like in the print, but with a building it's either grander or smaller or just a different dimension than you thought, so it still has the ability to surprise and amaze you. I want to see so many buildings, I hope someday I can!