I can’t wait! I can’t wait! Here is an official movie trailer for Les Miserables which opens in theatres this Christmas. I’m so excited to see this amazing cast. Les Miserables is my favorite musical of all time and I just saw it in again in Jacksonville a few weeks ago. I will be bringing an entire box of tissues to the movie theatre.
Since both kiddies had their last day of school on Friday of Memorial Weekend, we decided to head out on a family adventure and visit SeaWorld Orlando. It was our first family visit. We arrived in Orlando on Friday evening and spent some time in Downtown Disney before crashing at the hotel. Then we were up bright and early on Saturday so we could get in line before the SeaWorld gates even opened. I definitely recommend the priority parking because we were directed to the very front and it was perfect when we wanted to leave after a fun and exhausting day.
Our first stop was Dolphin Cove. I’ve been in love with dolphins ever since Hubbie and I swam with the beautiful animals during our honeymoon trip to Jamaica. We decided to forego the dolphin encounter and feedings since it was our very first visit, but we will DEFINITELY be doing that next time. We were able to see the dolphins being fed by some other folks and we watched them swim together and jump around. It was awesome. But we really enjoyed the smaller Dolphin Nursery where the baby dolphins had a large pool area all to themselves. One dolphin came right up to Annabel and smiled and waved. And then did it again! Heaven! (I just wish I had a picture of that moment but I was too mesmerized by the dolphins to think about bringing a camera up to my face.)
Right next door to the dolphins was the Stingray Lagoon. The kids loved to try and touch the stingrays as they circled around. There were so many of them and some even tried to interact by splashing around and raising their heads. (Heads? Is that right?)
There are a few aquariums throughout the park and you have to be careful not to walk right by them. They are the perfect break from the heat. The kids loved to see all the exotic fish and sea creatures. One of the neatest aquariums was the one right before the brand new TurtleTrek experience where we saw a Manatee and a giant sea turtle family.
We stopped for a snack in Shamu’s Happy Harbor and then went on some fun kid-friendly rides. They were perfect for the 5-and-under crowd. Both kids loved the Shamu Express roller coaster and the Jazzy Jellies teacup ride.
We were right next to Shamu Stadium where we saw our first SeaWorld show, One World. It features Shamu and all his Killer Whale friends. They were amazing. The entire show, including the music and the informational video screens, was fantastic and I loved that the trainers recognized all the service men and women in the audience before the performance. We decided to stay away from the splash zone. If you sit there, you will get soaked! (Although it was a bit tempting on a 90 degree day!)
After a quick lunch at a pizza and pasta buffet, we changed the kids into their swim suits so they could cool off at the mini water park in Shamu’s Happy Harbor. That was definitely a highlight. The kids had the best time. Then it was time to go. We now have our list of shows and exhibits to visit during our next trip. There just wasn’t enough time to fit it all in. And I need to get my dolphin fix again very, VERY soon.
*NOTE: My family was provided with four complimentary tickets to SeaWorld Orlando. All thoughts and opinions are always 100% my own and I was in no way compensated monetarily for this post.
Daniel and Annabel ended their school years on Friday. Their final weeks were filled with recitals, fun activities, and final evaluations. It is bittersweet. Annabel will be joining Daniel at his “big kid” school this Fall when she starts Pre-K and my little man will enter Kindergarten. Whoa. But, for now, we will put that all aside and enjoy a fun, lazy summer. I’m so excited to have them home with me. (I say that knowing that summer camp is only 3 weeks away. )
Let’s move on from all the midlife craziness and talk about SMASH!
NBC’s Smash is one of my favorite new TV shows and I just realized I’ve never posted about it. And the season is already over! I really enjoyed every episode and I even got the hubbie addicted to all the campy fun. We’d DVR it each week and then watch it with Grey’s every Friday night.
Sure, it’s a bit melodramatic and over-the-top, but Smash is an addicting soap opera with some amazing musical numbers. Most of them performed by Broadway star Megan Hilty as “seasoned” Ivy (the one you equally love and hate) and American Idol runner-up and sweetheart Katharine McPhee as “naive” Karen. Katharine can sing her butt off (she sounds even better than she did on Idol) and I’m truly obsessed with her flawless skin. (Those close ups can be killer, but not for her! Her face was made for TV.) Smash also stars Will and Grace‘s Debra Messing and Broadway vet Christian Borle as writing partners Julia and Tom. They are fantastic. Their chemistry is wonderful and I seriously want all of Julia’s New York Boho chic outfits.
The show follows Karen and Ivy as they compete for the coveted lead role of Marilyn Monroe in the new Broadway musical, Bombshell. There are a LOT of Marilyn references in Smash. So if you love the icon, this show is definitely for you. And, unlike the cult hit Glee, Smash features all ORIGINAL musical numbers. I think they MUST be planning a Bombshell musical in real life? I sure hope so.
And coming from someone who lived in New York City right after college, it’s so fun to watch a show actually set in New York City. I love the scenes on the streets, the downtown bars, and seeing the small, decorated first apartments.
Smash is just the perfect mix of drama, surprises, and entertaining musical numbers that will be stuck in your head for days. (“I never met a wolf who didn’t love to howl…Ah-Woooo!.”) If you haven’t yet seen Smash, you can find it HERE. It has been renewed for a second season, but there is not a final word on when it will air. I just read that it might be a mid-season Fall replacement. CROSSING FINGERS.
BLAH. That pretty much sums up how I’ve been feeling lately.
I don’t want to be overly dramatic and say I’ve been “depressed” because that’s so not my style. But, yeah, there’s been a little of that too. And when I feel that way, I don’t want to write. Or read. Or do much of anything other than the basic daily obligations of carting kids to school and activities and keeping the house in some type of order.
I think it’s the age thing. I’ve been reflecting too much about what I’ve accomplished, what I still WANT to accomplish, and basically what the heck is my purpose. I love being a Mom, but the “Mom” thing becomes an identity that I still wear like an itchy sweater. It warms me and makes me uncomfortable at the same time.
It’s also hard when I see the pop icons of my youth passing away: Michael, Whitney, Swayze, etc. It just reminds me that time moves so quickly. Wasn’t I just dancing around my basement to pop records and watching Dirty Dancing in the front row of the movie theatre? Why does it all feel so close yet so far away at the same time?
It’s the same with the kids. I sometimes get so sad looking at their baby photos. Where did the time go? When we moved to Florida, Daniel was only 6 months old and now he’ll be 6 YEARS old in August. Annabel is finishing preschool this week. I sometimes can’t remember what it was like when they were so immobile and dependent. I forget all the bottles and diaper changes and sleepless nights. Now they have opinions about everything and sometimes they don’t want to cuddle or hold my hand. So if “Mom” is my identity, I definitely feel like some of the heavy lifting part is behind me. Like I graduated from baby college, so what should I do now?
It also sometimes just plain stinks being 40. (I mean 41. Ugh.) I remember when my Dad came to visit us after he had just turned 70. He was happy and healthy but he said, “Getting old sucks.” And that’s the best way for me to describe it too. I KNOW I have a ton of years ahead of me and I KNOW I can still do so many things, but it’s hard not to look over my shoulder and see the things that are behind me too. And to notice the things I didn’t do. Or maybe now I can’t do. There are the physical things that give me aches and pains and then there is the realization that I’ve crossed the finish line on so many milestones and a big part of my joy was the anticipation of all those milestones.
I love this piece that Rebecca wrote about “firsts.” It’s sad to realize that a lot of my firsts are behind me. Graduating from high school and college. My first job. My first apartment. Getting engaged and getting married. Having babies. I told my husband that I remember going to a thousand weddings and then a thousand baby showers. And there’s been none of that lately. We’ve moved on to aging parents and mortgages. But I do have my kids’ “firsts.” And that is so thrilling and exciting and makes me happy. It makes me feel so blessed.. so shouldn’t that be enough?
I think I’m stuck in this place of deeply wanting to just coast it out and be happy with who I am versus wondering what I can still do to make my mark in the world.
It’s called midlife. And, crisis or not, it kinda sucks sometimes.
Annabel dropped out of her Fall dance class because…well, I don’t really know why. And when I say she dropped out, I really mean I ended it after four weeks of listening to her whine and cry and complain the minute we walked into the room and I put on her ballet slippers.
It was really strange because she LOVED ballet just 6 months earlier. She loved the leotard and the pink tights and putting her hair up in a bun. She loved the music and the new friends and learning to pirouette. But that passion was gone. I think it was the combination of a brand new ballet studio and that she had just started preschool. There was a lot of change. It was so sad because she told me she didn’t like dancing anymore. That broke my heart. I know she loves to dance because she is constantly singing and twirling around our house 24/7. I guess she didn’t like dancing in a class setting. And I didn’t want her to stay in a dance class just because I wanted her to. I did hate the idea of quitting, but it was costing me money to have her sit in the corner with a pout and just watch the other girls have fun. SHE was supposed to be having fun! And she wasn’t.
Fast forward to January and I thought I would try dance again. I signed her up for a class at the first ballet studio she attended. She was hesitant the first few weeks and wanted me to sit in the corner of the room while they practiced. Luckily this studio was super laid back so they were fine with that. And, eventually, she was comfortable again and went it alone while I stayed in the waiting area.
It’s so funny how little moments with kids become HUGE accomplishments. After stressing for weeks over why she didn’t like dance anymore, suddenly I was back at a place where she was dancing again and was 100% fine. Last week was the final dance recital and she did awesome. Not only because she remembered most of the steps, but because she was HAPPY.
And that’s what it’s always all about.
