What is your Greatest Show on Earth?

I took Lilian to the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus on Saturday morning. Lilian found everything so very "impressing" but her favorite act was the motorcycles racing around inside the round, steel cage. For me, it was the elephants. Always the elephants. Because well...elephants, right? Who doesn't love them?

The circus bills itself as The Greatest Show on Earth. But I want to know is who came up with this distinction? I mean, the circus is indeed a pretty great show. It's got many and varied acts. Cool and amazing, all of them. Heck, even the clowns have mad skills. But the Greatest?

Because I'm thinking that to some, The Greatest Show on Earth may not be the circus at all. For some it may be the Superbowl. For another it may be U2's 360 tour concert. Maybe it's dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Las Vegas. Or perhaps listening to Yo Yo Ma perform at Carnegie Hall in NYC. It could've been watching Star Wars in the theater with your Dad back when you were just a kid in 1977. Maybe The Greatest Show on Earth is participating in the Rise Lantern Festival in the Mojave Desert. Maybe it's as simple as watching the sun set over the ocean in San Diego or Hawaii.

I think it depends on each individual person as to what the definition of The Greatest Show on Earth truly is. For me? It's a Broadway musical. And though I've seen four shows in NYC on Broadway (one of them twice), if pressed I'd probably call "Anything Goes" my Greatest Show on Earth. Probably because not only was it an old time classic broadway musical starring Sutton Foster as Reno Sweeney and have phenomenal music and tap dancing (!!!)....but it was the very first Broadway show I ever saw. And I was blown away by the caliber and quality, yes...but also by the very fact that I was watching a show on Broadway!

The circus is great. I hugely enjoyed it. But it's not The Greatest Show on Earth to me. Maybe it is to you? If not, what's YOUR Greatest Show on Earth?

Pick a seat, any seat...

"Just pick whatever seat you want when you get into the theater," the girl at the ticket counter told me. "This showing is just general admission."

Thankful for previews seeing as I was running just a tad bit late for the 2:05 starting time of "Magic in the Moonlight," Woody Allen's newest flick, I stepped inside theater 2 and waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness....
....and then realized there wasn't another soul inside. I had the entire theater to myself. General admission indeed!

If you can dismiss the somewhat creepy feeling about being all alone in a big, dark theater and not give way to your overactive imagination that makes you wonder if you really are actually alone....well, then...there are some definite advantages to owning that theater. At least for that showing anyhow.


1. You can sit anywhere you want. Heck, you can change seats in the middle of the show. You can try out every seat in the theater and run your own personal experiments as to which seats are best for sound, visual acuity, closest to the exit if you have to make a mad dash to the bathroom because you drank too much soda, etc.

2. You can put your feet up on the chair in front of you and not have to worry about kicking someone in the head. Having your own theater viewing experience is all about comfort.

3. You can talk out loud to the characters on the screen (or to yourself) and no one will "shhhhh!" you. (Should I admit that I do this?)

4. You can stand up and take a selfie of yourself with the movie as backdrop and post it to instagram with a #theatertomyself #magicinthemoolight #afternoonatthemovieswithnokids

5. You don't have to turn the ringer off on your iPhone and can actually take a call right then and there if someone rings through.

6. You can answer a text message and not worry that the light from your iPhone screen is super obvious to others around in the darkened theater.

7. You can drool all you want over Colin Firth (aka Mr. Darcy) and no one will notice and mock you for it.

This afternoon I was guilty of numbers 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7.

Once a blonde, always a blonde

I've begun the process of lightning my hair color. It's been a dark brown, nearly black, for about ten years now. A stark contrast to the dirty dishwater blonde I was previously. But my grey hairs are now coming in fast and furious. And those grey hairs look pretty dramatically light against my dark hair. So I decided that it was time to go lighter so as to lessen the contrast. Not that I plan to go completely blonde again. And not that my grey hairs won't still be noticeable...just maybe not as holy-wow-that-girl-really-needs-to-get-her-hair-done-stat sort of obvious. But it's been so dark for so long that it's going to be and already has been a lengthy process. This most recent trip to salon brought my hair color to a point where it is now noticeably lighter.

Bryan is thrilled. And my Dad actually thanked me when he noticed. I started wondering if they had actually hated my hair for the past ten years...
(They both assure me that this is not the case.)

I was reading a blog post this morning. About a lady who was having a frazzled sort of morning. It involved getting her kids to school on the first day and smashing her finger in the door, blood spurting everywhere...all while promising to help a friend jump his car because of a dead battery so he could get to the airport. So, after getting the kids off and trying to staunch the blood from her finger...she opened her trunk, nodded to the jumper cables sitting there and told her friend to go get his car so they could get started.
To which he stared at her and said, could you be any more blonde? She felt dumb and made excuses about her injured finger and frazzled state of mind.
And I sat there trying to figure out what the problem was.
Was there some double entendre that I was catching onto? What was she apologizing for? What was she feeling blonde about? I just wasn't seeing it.

I read the passage a couple more times and then continued to skim down the post a ways before I finally figured it out. Oh! Duh. Of course the guy can't bring his car to hers...his battery is dead. That's the whole point of needing jumper cables.
And then I laughed at myself and felt rather dumb.

Because apparently it doesn't matter if you have been a brunette for ten years....underneath it all, the blonde lives on.

Back to school

The first day of school was a little bit different this year. Perhaps because though Rebekah was also experiencing her first day of school at Utah State University, it was in an entirely different town and I wasn't able to get pictures. I should've insisted she send me a first day of school selfie. Hmm.
The three others, however...Julianne, Brandon and Lilian...were not able to escape the traditional doorstep photo-op.

Truth be told, I almost forgot to get a picture Julianne. I said goodbye at the door, my mind already moving onto the next order of business (waking Brandon) when I realized that I hadn't taken a picture! I made a mad dash out to the driveway, my arms waving to get her attention, and then literally made her climb out of her already running car so I could take a quick picture. And maybe its appropriate after all, that her picture is in front of her car rather than the front door seeing as this was her first day driving herself to school.

 
A junior at the local high school, her schedule goes something like this. (Well, exactly like this if you want to get technical. No something about it....)

1. Math Honors
2. English Honors
3. U.S. History
4. Psychology
5. Seminary
6. Social Dance
7. Chemistry
8. Ce Intro to Education

*The Ce class is a college course through Weber State University.

*Julianne was selected by her Seminary teacher to be the class president. Which apparently carries with it multiple responsibilities.












*She was also chosen to be on the Junior Committee this year which means she's involved in helping put together a lot of various school activities and spreading school spirit and that kind of stuff.

By the time Brandon left for school I had the whole photography thing under control. Traditional doorstep shot, check.

This kid is in 8th grade this year so he knows what's what over at the junior high, all the ins and outs of handling multiple classes and teachers. His schedule this year...

1. English
2. Exploring Technology
3. U.S. History
4. Science
5. 2-D Art (drawing)
6. Math
7. Science Exploration

*He likes science...can you tell?

*We're hoping to get him out of P.E. next semester. Because really, when you are at the gym 6 days each week for a total of 26 hours, isn't P.E. kind of waste of time? We have to take it up with the district, apparently. I hope we can get them agree, because I think his time would be better spent taking a different class he would enjoy more, or having a study hour.

 

Lilian is in 2nd grade this year. She has decided that black is to be her color this year. With pops of hot pink, she says. And that leather skirts make her look "popular." Oh my....

She also insisted that I take a picture of her backpack. She is picky about and has very clear ideas of what backpack she will deign to carry. In Kindergarten, it was Angry Birds. 1st grade was all about Monster High. This year it had to be a cross body-one strap deal. And the fact that it was black and hot pink plaid...well, done deal.

















*She really likes her new teacher.

*Along with school, she also started up piano lessons. Officially she started lessons in the summer but what with various vacations and other such things, it was sporadic to say the least.

*Also she finally hit the magical time where she is allowed to join CentreStage Theatre (Julianne's studio) with the beginner class. She's beyond thrilled. She was cast for her first little play, as a cat. She was concerned about this, until I informed her that Julianne debuted as a rat in her first show, Rebekah as a poodle. She felt better after that.

 *And finally...hallelujah for the bus! With the addition of a new sidewalk leading to the school, all buses but 3 were done away with this year. And those 3 pick up kids in our neighborhood after it was deemed that not only are we on the verge of being on the school district's too-far-to-walk rule, but also, the sidewalk is not on our side of the street and there is no crosswalk or crossing guard to get our kids to said sidewalk so it is unsafe. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we are forced to walk as well. (Or more realistically, form a carpool.) But for now, thank heavens for no sidewalks, crosswalks or crossing guards!

Swimming, hiking and kayaking...Kauai style

Beaches, beaches and more beaches. We wanted to experience as many of them as we could while in Kauai. Some were calm and therefore easier for Lilian to play. Others had bigger waves that appealed to our teenagers in their quest for awesome bodyboarding. Beaches with coral reefs for snorkeling, beaches with grassy areas and shade for relaxing and reading, beaches with better shell collecting opportunities...we searched for and played at them all. Every day a different beach, sometimes two or three, with the nearby Hanalei Bay beach being our home base.

One of our days there we skipped the beach and rented some kayaks. Up the Wailua River we paddled. We had a nice tail wind and the view was remarkably lovely. Paddling was a little harder, I think than the kids thought it would be...especially those in single kayaks. (We rented two doubles and two singles to outfit us all.) We traded around a bit when arms got tired. But it was good exercise, yes?

When we got to a certain spot in the river, we beached our kayaks and began our hike. It was equally beautiful traipsing through the rainforest.

And at the end of the trail we found ourselves at Secret Falls. We had packed some sandwiches and had a little picnic lunch...and then the girls and I climbed down into the pool at the base of the waterfall. It was COLD! But regardless, Rebekah and I even swam underneath the waterfall just for the adventure of it all.

And not that you can see very well because Bryan took these pictures with my iPhone from way far up on the rocks, but...the top picture is Julianne, me and Rebekah in the middle of the pool. And see those two tiny little people over by the waterfall with their hands in the air in the second picture? Yeah, that would be Rebekah and me.

One afternoon we wandered around Kapa'a and a farmers market there. Rebekah is already a fan of coconut so to get a fresh one cut open right in front of her with a straw for sipping out the milk...she was in heaven.

Taco stands and fruit stands and shaved ice stands, everywhere. And apparently in Kauai, no shoes or shirt...no worry.

More beach pictures....because, well I have a lot of them.

We all read a lot of books on our trip. Because a vacation is not a vacation if there is not reading involved. And reading at the beach? Heaven.

I hope we can go back again some day.

Kauai is paradise...even during a tropical storm

A couple of years ago Bryan and I had a discussion about family vacations. He wanted to go on a big one, an exotic one. Something along the lines of China or New Zealand or a Mediterranean cruise. We don't do many family vacations. Oh, we travel a lot. But not the whole family together. Other than mini-family vacays wrapped around a gymnastics meet or an extended family campout, we hadn't been on a big vacation since before Lilian was born. It would take some saving. And waiting for the right time. We decided that ideally a big vacation the summer after Rebekah graduated would be a perfect way to kind of have one last hurrah before she left for college and our family changed a bit.

When the aforementioned time started coming near, we did a lot of research. Where did we want to go, and what realistically could we swing...after all, we are a family of six and this year had already seen quite a bit of travel (gymnastics, choirs, theatre) taking bucks out of what could've been added to our family vacation budget. Not to mention that we were pretty much tied to one specific time in the summer that would really work with everyone's schedules....and it was a time when New Zealand was smack in the middle of winter and airfare to Europe was astronomical. And on a more personal level, darn it all if I wasn't yearning for something beachy after spending so much travel time in cities this year. So, Hawaii. But specifically not Oahu or Maui. As lovely as those islands are, we decided we wanted something a little less touristy. We chose Kauai, and settled on a condo in Princeville atop a cliff overlooking the ocean on the more rugged north shore.

A steep little path near our condo twisted around switchback style and led us down to the small beach at the bottom of the cliff. Strangely, we only went down there one time. I kind of wish I'd made it a daily thing. If nothing else, the steep path would've made for a great morning workout.

We arrived just in time to discover that we were in the direct path of Hurrianes Iselle and Julio. Hawaii hadn't really had a big hurricane since 1992 (Hurricane Iniki), and to have TWO just a few days apart from each other was absolutely unprecedented. That 1992 hurricane had decimated much of the island of Kauai so the locals were understandably nervous, despite the fact that Iselle coming in from the south would have to barrel its way through the big island (where it did the most damage), Oahu and Maui before it could even get to us on Kauai, the northern most island. All the same, we stood in long lines at the grocery store to stock up on bottled water and other groceries just to be on the safe side. The lines were long at the gas station as well. And we had numerous storm notices taped to our door keeping us informed as to hurricane procedure, etc. I even got hurricane emergency notices and flood warnings sent to my phone. But somehow I wasn't nervous. And maybe that was pure naivety...but though I did want to be prepared to have to hunker down in our condo, I was rather excited about the adventure.

Iselle, when she arrived, was a great big tropical storm. But nowhere near what she could've been. The morning of, we went to Hanalei Bay and bobbed around in the slightly larger waves and raindrops. We had lunch at Bubba Burgers. But it was only when the locals started closing up early so as to get home before the river rose and the bridge had to close due to the expected flooding, we decided we better go. As lovely as the little village of Hanalei is, we didn't want to be stranded there. We spent the late afternoon/evening of the storm in a grand Harry Potter movie marathon in our condo. And though it was hard to sleep through all the noise of the storm once night hit, Iselle passed fairly uneventfully.

Although our condo was in Princeville, the neighboring little town of Hanalei became our home away from home while we were in Kauai. We spent more time at Hanalei Bay beach than any other, went to church on Sunday in the Hanalei Branch, and ate many meals in Hanalei. And I absolutely loved all the houses up on stilts!

The next morning the weather was beautiful. We decided we might like to try some hiking on the Na'apali coast line. But on our way further north west, we discovered evidence of flooding and storm damage. We were disappointed but not too surprised to find the trail closed. The rivers we'd have to cross while hiking were running way too high because of the storm. In fact, we found out later that a girl and her boyfriend had snuck onto the trail regardless of the warnings, and had actually been swept away and drowned later that day.

I've never seen anything as beautiful as Kauai's rugged north shore. Just awe inspiring.

There were huge trees up at Ke'e Beach...the entrance to the Na'apali coast line. Since we were denied entrance to the hiking trail we decided to explore the beach instead. And ended up having a delightful time climbing the branches and playing among the roots, the waves from high tide having eroded the sand and soil around them. Wild chickens were everywhere on the island, not just the north shore. We heard them clucking and cockadoodledo-ing throughout the day and night. Rumor has it that during Hurricane Iniki in 1992 all the chicken coops and farms were destroyed and chickens were scattered all over the island where they've continued to reproduce and thrive on their own. They really are absolutely everywhere.

After spending some time there we drove a mile back to Ha'ena Beach Park and played there for a little while. Maniholo Dry Cave was right across the little street so we explored that as well.

As for Julio? We thought he might give us some grief as he was due to arrive right around our departure. But he changed course at the last minute and passed to the north of us. The only impact being the loss of the normal trade winds that keep the island cool and the humidity bearable. It was horribly muggy that last day and a half.

So other than the fact that we were unable to hike as much as we had planned and would've liked, our stay in Kauai was incredibly relaxing and lovely. We hit a different beach every day and on some days, two.

Kilauea Lighthouse

Stay tuned for more beachy pics and adventures and also our kayak/hike up the Wailua River to Secret Falls....