What I Did
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“Something Rotten” Happened this Summer on Stage!
Now that it has been three summers in a row (check out these links to read about summers one and two), I am officially saying that community musical theater is my summer “thing.” Earlier in the year, the plan was to audition for whatever show was going to be produced. When it was announced that it was “Something Rotten,” I was thrilled! For me, the main things I hope for in a show are lots of dancing and ensemble opportunities. This show is it! (If you have never seen it before, I recommend you look on-line. You can find a recording of entire performances.) In the past I had gone…
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Joining a Book Club–A Great Decision for So Many Reasons!
Several years ago, a good friend of mine invited me to do something I had never considered doing. She invited me to join her book club. I have always enjoyed a good book but was never a voracious reader. What exactly I was thinking at the time I don’t remember, but I took her up on her offer and haven’t looked back! Why I am discussing this here and now? This isn’t some bizarre, esoteric activity. It does, however, tie in to my current goals and themes of making life better. The purpose of this blog has morphed into a “things I do to help create a full, healthy life.”…
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My First Live SEC Football Experience–GO VOLS!
Disclaimer: I did get a discount on the hotel room in exchange for mentioning it in this post. All comments about the hotel are my honest opinions. I am not proud to state it, but it took WAY too long for me to finally go down to Knoxville to watch some UTK Volunteer football. Better late than never, though! My family is nearing the end of a stage. My son is currently a senior at University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I previously shared our story of the initial college visit while he was in high school. Less than two years later, I shared the story of move-in day for my…
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Summer Community Theater–Excited to be Back on Stage!
Perform, rinse, repeat After last summer’s experience performing in my community theater’s production of “Footloose,” I knew that I would plan to audition again for the summer of 2023. I anxiously waited for the announcement of the summer show. Not that it would change whether or not I auditioned, but I still wanted to know. The musical for the summer of 2023 was going to be Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.” Honestly, I didn’t have much of a reaction to that. I was familiar with some of the music and aspects of the story but had never actually seen a production of it, either on stage or screen (not even the…
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Graduation Party DIY Style!
My daughter just graduated from high school (CONGRATULATIONS to my girl!), and I had asked her a few months prior if she wanted a graduation party. No surprise, she did. I am a big fan of open house style parties when there is a large crowd involved. (I am also a fan of pot luck parties when there is a large crowd, but that did not seem appropriate in this situation.) I really wanted to host a party that she would enjoy, and I wanted her to be able to invite whomever she wanted, but I didn’t want this to break the bank. I am sharing this information because it…
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Dear Gen-Xers:
Dear Gen-Xers: You are my target audience because we have something important in common. I would love for everyone to read and enjoy this blog, but, over the past few years, my personal goals and reasons for having this blog have been tweaked. My goals and reasons have not changed completely. They have just morphed and shifted a bit as life has progressed. Undoubtedly I want readers, but the primary reason I am doing the activities I write about is to help myself. By writing and sharing my “adventures” and experiences, I can hopefully help my fellow Gen-Xers along the way as well while giving much deserved credit to those…
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My Return to Community Theater After a Two Decade Hiatus
This summer I did something which I had not done in 21 years: I auditioned for a community theater musical! The last show I did was, as mentioned, 21 years ago. My husband was in the cast with me back then (we were already married), and we did not have any kids. Fast forward—my husband auditioned with me again. Although I had not performed in a few decades, my daughter is a “theater kid,” so I have been a proud, strong theater mom for nine years. I always loved watching her perform and I loved seeing the relationships she developed with others in the cast. This summer it was time…
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The Breathing Festival 2021–The Power of Our Breath
I have always been interested in health and wellness. Recently I completed some additional Gale courses on brain health and mindfulness. (I previously did a Gale course to learn some sign language.) Participating in The Breathing Festival and learning about breathwork seem like a great next step. I learned about this festival from a wonderful person, Nicole Price. (I am biased. She is my cousin, but that does not at all change the fact that she is absolutely fabulous!) Rather than just sharing my Festival experience after the fact, I want to let you know about it now so that you can check it out and hopefully share your experiences,…
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Reverse Tie-Dye–Family Fun Creating Coordinated Sweats!
Each year for Hanukkah, I try to plan family activities on some of the eight nights. When the activity involves making something, you get an added bonus at the end! This year, I decided that my family would do a reverse tie-dye project. Instead of having Christmas jammies, we would create Hanukkah sweats! Between winter in Chicagoland and the fact that we are all spending more time at home, sweats seemed like a perfect option. After looking at multiple posts, I honestly just decided to pick the parts that seemed easiest and most doable and went from there. I could watch videos and find posts about using bleach for reverse…
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Want to Try a New (to you) Fruit? I Present…THE RAMBUTAN!
My husband recently picked up a box of fruit when shopping at our local Costco. He (correctly) thought that the fruits looked interesting, and, having been inspired by my desire to keep trying new things (I am working with the assumption that he is so inspired), he picked up a box. It wasn’t until I actually looked at the label before I knew what they were–he picked up a box of rambutans. At that point, that clarified nothing. I had never seen nor heard of this fruit. We were going to change that! As I shared some initial information on Facebook, I learned that I am not the only one…
