peace out

Ahhh, my annual summer vacay to So. Cal has arrived. On the agenda for the week:

* spend lots of time with the BFF Elissa (and her hubby Mike) and Melanie, my roomie from college (who is flying out from Texas)

* see my favorite musical, Les Miserables (it's touring for its 25th anniversary and currently in LA)

* celebrate E's 34th birthday

* read by the pool

* get massages and/or facials

* sleep. a lot.

* go to San Diego and go fishing with E's dad

* Disneyland to go on the new Star Tours ride AND finally see World of Color

Be back August 2nd. Peace out.

play ball!

This will be my last blog about softball. Because I realized this week that Tuesday was my last game! *sob* I am going on vacation next week and will miss the next 4 games and then our team is not scheduled to play the last week of the league. So I REALLY wanted to play well on Tuesday's game so I could go out on a high note.

Unfortunately, one of the girls on our team was not there, so Coach Doug had to rearrange our line-up. And he sent me to center field. Noooo. Please no. Put me in right field because people don't usually hit there. Or put me as catcher, which I love. No dice. So center field I went.

We did not play very well. The other team was really good. The first two times I was up at bat, I hit right to the pitcher who threw it to first and got me out. Boo. My third time up at bat, I got on base but the person after me struck out and that was the end of our inning.

Outfield was scary. I was freaking that any minute a ball would come hurtling toward me. Thankfully I had two great people on either side of me that told me where to stand and what to do. In the third inning, someone hit a ball that bounced my way. I thought I had it but missed and it went right past me to the fence. The guy playing left field had to grab it and throw it in. I was a bit embarrassed.

Our whole team seemed to struggle. People were dropping balls, not hitting well, getting injured, etc. We ended up losing 15-6. As we went back to our bench area, I overheard some of the older guys asking each other what they were doing that night. One guy named Tom said in a sing-song voice, "I smell ibuprofen..." That gave a me a good laugh. It's true. We all seemed to hobble to our cars after this hard game.

So anyway, I wish I could have finished out on a high note, but oh well. I hope my team wins the next (and last) 4 games they play! I'm sad I won't be there. As nervous as I was to join a softball league, I'm really glad I did. I learned a lot, made some new friends, and have some good stories to share with people. I'll definitely do this again next summer.

P.S. One more thing. I forgot to mention one of my favorite people. Dale was the referee at all our games. He is probably in his late 70's/early 80's and one of the sweetest people I've ever met. He always called me "Sarah Jane" (even though that's not my middle name) and encouraged me when I was at bat. It was like having a kind grandpa on your side. He loved to share stories of previous games he's reffed where he threw players out for talking back to him or horror stories of players getting hit by the ball. My favorite Dale quote came on Tuesday. I asked him how he was doing. He looked me, smiled, and said, "Well, just as Lucille Ball used to say, 'Any day I'm above ground is a good day'."

My second baseball event of the week was a Giants game! Wooohoo!


On Wednesday, our whole church staff went up to SF to watch the Giants play the Dodgers at AT&T Park. We had a ball (pun intended). It was a beautiful day, Timmy Lincecum (my fav) was pitching, and I ate garlic fries. We sadly lost 1-0 because the Dodgers got a homerun, but it was still fun to be there. I wish I lived closer to the city. I would go to so many more games!!

Anyway, if you've been bored with baseball/softball stuff in the blog, no worries! It's done for now. I'll be blogging on other fun stuff in the future like a trivia night I went to, how much I am loving the Glee Project, and how weird it was to go to a wedding for two of my 20 year college students.

Love you all!

Harry Potter

I went to the midnight showing of the LAST Harry Potter movie.

Thursday July 14, 2011. Twelve college students, Intern Scott, and myself drove to a theater 45 minutes away that had a 3D IMAX screen. We plopped ourselves in (the already long) line at 6:30 pm. 5 and a half hours till the final movie of the Harry Potter world.


Waiting in lines for stuff like this is always fun. So many people were dressed up. We saw Rita Skeeter, patronuses, Hedwig, a golden snitch, Dobby, lots of Hogwarts students (wearing their colored ties or scarves, depending on what house they were representing), lots of people with wands, robes, lightning scars, Harry glasses, etc.

As we waited in line, you could feel the energy. Everyone was so excited! People brought chairs, blankets, pillows, books, cards, laptops, games. It was a party. We went and got In-N-Out and brought it back in line with us.






Around 10 pm, they let us into the theater. Wheeeee! We found seats and settled down for some more waiting.


I had brought a bunch of glow bracelets for our group. As I was passing them out, I was struck with an idea. "Hey guys. Let's go down there and do some Harry Potter trivia with everyone!" Two girls jumped on that. "YEAH! And let's give the glow sticks as prizes!"

The next thing I knew I was in front of the movie theater, shouting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please!! Welcome to the midnight showing of Harry Potter 7 part two! We thought it would be fun to do some Harry Potter trivia before the movie begins. We will ask questions and if you think you know the answer, raise your hand and yell 'EXPECTO PATRONUM!' If you are correct, we have these glow sticks as prizes!"




People went nuts. They were SO into it. And everyone thought we worked at the movie theater. Like this was planned. haha!

Here are some questions we asked:

* Name all 7 Weasley children.
* List at least 4 ways wizards and witches can travel.
* What is Dumbledore's full name?
* What is written on top of the Mirror or Erised?
* List at least 4 animals that have been under Hagrid's care.
* Name all 7 horcruxes.

(Can you answer these? If so, congratulations! You're a Harry Potter fan!)

Anyway, we asked questions until all the glow bracelets had been given away. Then we thanked everyone for their time and told them to enjoy the movie.

As for the movie itself? What can I say. I loved it. It was wonderful. Full of action but also heart. The audience was awesome. We all laughed together, cheered and clapped together, and we even all cried together. There were two spots in the movie where myself and everyone around me was sniffling. Awwwww...

After the movie, I was sad. I can't believe there are no more. The books are done. And now the movies are done.

I do have something to look forward to, though. I'm going to the Harry Potter theme park (in Orlando, FL) in October. My love for this little wizard will never die.

J.K. Rowling, I love you.

Ball-cap #3

Double-header Tuesday!

I am exhausted but it was such a great evening. You guys, I feel like I'm getting better! I am feeling a bit more confident. I am catching, hitting, and talking like I know what I'm saying.

Ok, first game. This team was GOOD. We were neck-and-neck most of the time. My two highlights of the game were:

1) I hit a line-drive (see, don't I sound official?) down center field and got to first base. Can I just say I am absolutely addicted to the feeling I get when my bat makes contact with the ball?! It is electrifying. It feels so amazing. And then other teammates hit really well and brought me home so I got to score for my team. Another great feeling. To score for your team as they cheer you on.

2) I was catching in our last inning, we were tied, and we couldn't let them score (or they'd win) and someone in the outfield threw the ball right to my glove JUST as someone tried to run home. I caught it! Whoosh! I was so happy and shocked that I caught it, I did a little dance of joy. What I didn't realize is that the game doesn't stop just because the catcher caught the ball. So during my spastic dance number, two other runners got to their next base. Whoops. But let's just focus on the fact that my glove caught the ball. Yeah.

We were tied after 7 innings (that's all you play in softball) so we went to an extra inning and sadly we lost 11-13. It was a good, close game.

And then the next team was there so we just jumped right into our second game. Oh man, that team was baaaaaad. Like, really bad. For the first 5 innings we were winning 19-0. I think it helped that we were all warmed up and on fire from already playing a game, but still.

A couple things to note from this game.

* I pretended to be Peter (Banning) Pan from the movie "Hook". The scene where he's pretending to be a pirate so he can watch his son Jack play baseball near Captain Hook. Whenever someone on my team swung and missed, I'd close one eye and out of the corner of my mouth say, "Wait for the good pitches!" in a pirate voice. (Sometimes followed by "Run Home Jack!")

* A girl from the other team got hit (hard!) in the side by a ball as she ran to her next base. I don't remember much of internal organs, but it probably hit her in the kidney. It looked painful. Suddenly my left calf bruise didn't seem like such a big deal. This sport is dangerous.

* In one inning while catching, the pitcher threw a great strike at me. I picked it up and yelled "Hey, Jeff! Good serve!" Um, I forget. What sport are we playing? Not tennis?

We won our second game 24-5.

P.S. - This has nothing to do with softball, but it's worth noting: Afterwards we went to Chili's for celebratory chocolate milkshakes. You know which ones I'm talking about, right? So thick you can't even drink them with a straw? And covered with chocolate sprinkles? That sounded so ridiculously good after playing softball for 2 and a half hours. To say I was looking forward to it was an understatement.

We got there and the waiter informed me that Chili's does not serve milkshakes anymore. I looked at him and said, "You're kidding, right?" He assured me he wasn't. They stopped serving them three months ago.

I didn't know how to respond.

I had my heart set on one.

When I realized I wouldn't be drinking one that night, I started getting teary.

Something is seriously wrong with me.

R.I.P.

Great Mer-ca

There is an amusement park about an hour away called "Great America". There's only 4 or 5 roller coasters and the rest is kiddie rides and boardwalk-type games. Even though it's on the smaller side, I thought it would be fun to take some students. So a group of us went yesterday and had a good time.

One of my favorite parts of the day was getting drenched on Rip Roaring Rapids. There's a section where people can pay 25 cents and splash the riders as they go by. I thought if I had my camera out, the people would see that and not get us (ie. "Don't get her camera wet!")

I was wrong.

softball game #2

My sister said my last softball re-cap was like my GLEE-caps during the school year. And if I can entertain you all with softball stories, I'll do it! So, without further ado, here's this week's "Ball-cap" (that's what I'll call them - short for "softball re-cap")

It was definitely not as eventful as my first game. As in, I didn't have any injuries or snot issues.

I DID hit the worst traffic on the way to the game. Let's talk about THAT for a moment. It normally takes me 15 minutes to get from my house to the field. It took me an HOUR. It was ridic. I don't get angry very often, but I was pissed. I'm trying to make a good impression on my teammates and after showing up late last week (by going to the wrong park) I wanted to be early this week.

I sat in my car, fuming. I cussed several times. (At first in my head. Then under my breath. Then out loud.) I got to the game 20 minutes late and apologized profusely. But here's the thing - it might have actually helped me. My first time up at bat, I will still so mad about the traffic, I swung all my anger into the ball and HIT IT. And got on base! And the other runners at base got to their next base. No outs! From then on, I started feeling much better.

Not much happened to write about. We played a LOT better than last week. Or maybe the other team was bad. I'm not sure.

The only fun thing that happened was my second time up at bat. The pitcher was reeeeally bad so I got to walk to first base. One of my teammates, Mike, was there to coach runners. I said, "Okay Mike, just tell me what to do. I'm sort of new to all this."

Well he took that and RAN with it. Suddenly he's telling me all the rules of softball and I'm realizing I can't listen to him talk AND focus on the game at the same time. So I keep my eyes on the next hitter while smiling and nodding so he thinks I'm listening.

The next guy hits the ball so I book it to second base. However, Mike decides he STILL needs to be telling me what to do. So he's literally shouting at me while I'm at second base.

"SARAH! OKAY NOW LISTEN. HERE'S WHAT YOU DO. WE'VE GOT ONE PERSON ON FIRST AND ONE PERSON ON SECOND. IF THE NEXT HITTER GROUNDS IT, RUN. IF THE BALL FLIES UP, WAIT TO SEE IF SOMEONE CATCHES IT OR DROPS IT BEFORE YOU GO."

I see everyone on the other team looking at me and I was so embarrassed. Mike is basically announcing my rookie status to the whole field, when I'm trying so hard to seem like I know exactly what I'm doing.

I forced a fake smile and gave Mike a thumbs-up to shut him up. But he kept shouting.

"SEE, SARAH? THAT WAS A FOUL. IF THE CATCHER HAD CAUGHT IT, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN OUT. OK GET READY SARAH. REMEMBER, IF IT HITS THE GROUND, RUN! FLY BALL, WAIT TO SEE. HERE'S THE PITCH....NOPE, THAT WAS A STRIKE! STAY THERE!!"

Good lord.

Not much else to report. I struck out my third time at bat. I switched off playing catcher with another girl and found out I really like that position. I slapped a girl's butt on my team when she gave us a run, just like the Giants do. We won 17-7. All in all, it was a MUCH better experience than last week's.

Stay tuned for next week's "ball-cap". We have a double-header on Tuesday. Which Mike told me means we'll be playing 2 games back-to-back. Thanks, Mike.

Mer-ca!!

Ok, this is my new favorite thing. Instead of saying "America", Imma say it shortened and with a bit of a southern twang. "Mer-ca!!"

I invited the college students over to my house yesterday for a 4th of July BBQ and we said it as much as we could.

We hung up patriotic decorations.

Mer-ca!!

Intern Scott grilled tons o' meat.

Mer-ca!!

We ate until we were stuffed. And then we ate some more.

Mer-ca!!

We watched the sun set.

Mer-ca!!

We played games, talked, laughed, and broke a bench in my backyard.

Mer-ca!!

When it got dark, we could see the city's fireworks from our front porch. They lasted a good 25 minutes. At the finale, guess what we all yelled?

MER-CA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh yeahhhh

Look at that beautiful softball-shaped bruise.

first softball game

Today was my first game in the summer softball league I joined. I thought I'd share with you how it went.

First off, I went to the wrong place. I parked and walked around, not seeing anyone on the field. I called my coach and he told me they were at a different location. And that they were all waiting for me so they could start the game. Eek! I jumped back in my car and flew there.

When I got there, there was a frantic 5 minutes of trying to meet the people on my team, put my new jersey on, learn the rules, and realize I forgot to pack a baseball cap (ie. the sun will be in my eyes).

The game began! We had 14 people on our team and only needed 9 or 10 in the field. I was SO okay not playing defense my first game. But our team only had 3 girls and that is the minimum required for co-ed leagues...so the 3 of us HAD to play. They put me as catcher. No big deal, right? I'll catch and throw.

I did okay. In the 2nd inning, my teammate at third base threw the ball to someone near me, but missed and it hit me in the left calf. Owwww. I had turned around to go back behind the plate so I totally didn't see it coming. I am currently typing this on my stomach (on my bed) with an ice pack on my calf. Big ol' bruise. But hey, no pain no gain.

When it came for me to bat for the first time, I was freaking out. I went up to my coach and said, "Ok Coach Doug. What do you want me to do?" He told me to "swing away" and I have no idea what that means. I nodded though as if I totally knew and walked to the plate. I swung and missed on the first pitch.

The second one came at me and I hit it. Not far but I hit it. But at the moment my arms extended with the bat's movement, my left shoulder popped out of place! Owww. It hurt so bad. I stood there for a millisecond, focusing on the pain. Then I realized everyone was screaming at me to run. RUN!!!

My shoulder was making my whole arm crooked in a weird angle. My arm and hand were twisted up toward my face. But I had to run! So I did. My right arm went back and forth while I ran (like normal). But my other arm just stayed in that awkward position. I looked like a cripple.

At first base, I popped my shoulder back into place. I felt pretty BA.

After a couple innings, they switched me to right field. Finally! No one hits to right field, so I would be safe. However, as the game went on, we realized the other team had a lot of lefties. So a ton of balls were coming my way and I was not doing well.

So they switched me to center field.

My second time up at bat, I again swung and missed the first pitch. The second one I hit as a foul. The third I swung and the ball flew...one foot. Seriously. It barely tapped my bat and went one foot in front of home plate. Oh well, gotta run. I ran like heck to first base.

But then the most embarrassing thing happened.

As you know, I was sick all last week. I was well enough to go to work this week, but I'm still dealing with my nose. As in needing to blow it all the time.

So I'm running to first base and Coach Doug was there, holding out a hand to give me a high five. As soon as my foot hit base, I was so relieved I made it on a one-foot-hit ball, I meant to laugh and slap his hand. But my nose decided at that moment to shoot a HUGE gob of snot from my right nostril onto my face. GROSS! Ahhhh!

We lost 13-6.

Things I need for next week: cleats (everyone wore them except me), a glove (I had to borrow Coach Doug's), baseball cap, tissues in a pocket in case something embarrassing happens again, and some confidence.

Sherlock

I don't know about you, but when I'm sick I tend to do 3 things:

- complain
- blow my nose constantly
- watch movies

I was asking for suggestions of fun things to watch and a couple people suggested "Sherlock". Not Sherlock Holmes, the Robert Downey Jr/Jude Law movie that came out a year and a half ago. But "Sherlock", the BBC Masterpiece Mystery series. It consists of 3 ninety-minute episodes that aired in England last year. Then PBS broadcast them in the U.S. last fall. And now....they're all on Netflix instant watch!

I LOVED them.

I don't recognize the guy who plays Sherlock Holmes (his name is Benedict Cumberbatch) but I love the guy who plays Dr. Watson - Martin Freeman. He is going to play Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming Hobbit movies. Sweet!

These stories take place in modern day London, not Victorian-time London. So Sherlock uses texting and GPS to help solve crimes, he has forgone the iconic pipe and wears nicotine patches instead, and when you first meet Watson, you find out he was a war doctor in Afghanistan and just returned home from duty.

If you get the chance, you should definitely check these 3 episodes out. The first one was my favorite, because it introduced the characters and had a really great plot. There were a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, which were pleasantly surprising. The writing is so well done and the actors are perfect in their roles. Sherlock is brilliant. It will blow your mind to see how fast he can observe and share exactly what happened.

Have I mentioned lately that I wish I was British?

Obama

You've heard of horse whisperers.

Did you know our president is a baby whisperer?



I LOVE the look he gives Michelle at the end.

sicky

Hi friends, I was rearing up to do my long New York blog...and then I got sick. So I've posted all my pictures on facebook and put all the stories as captions. I'll have to let that be my sharing.

So yes I started feeling sick on Monday. Yesterday (Tuesday) I woke up with the worst body aches I've had in a long time. I could barely get out of bed. Today I was supposed to speak at college group, but knew I couldn't, so I rolled myself into my car and then into my office so I could finish my talk (we're studying the book of Philippians) and print it out for Intern Scott.

Hopefully I'll feel better soon.

baby!

Oh my goodness, the new york blog is going to have to wait.

BECAUSE MY OLDER SISTER HAD HER BABY!!

Introducing her beautiful son: Samuel Asher Nyquist!


Born June 16, 2011 at 7:26pm
8lbs 5oz, 20.5 inches
Mom and baby are doing great.

And here is why my sister wins "Stud of the Year" award - she did it all without drugs! WHAT!?!? Who does natural births anymore? No one. And she did it both with Judah (her first son) and Samuel. I am speechless and in awe. She is a complete and total rockstar.

My dad and I got to spend Thursday and Friday with Judah while Amy was in labor at the hospital for 18 hours with her husband and our mom. We got to visit them at the hospital Friday morning and spend some time with baby Samuel.


HE IS SO CUTE!

Dark hair, blue eyes, gorgeous. We even saw a little smile and a dimple.

I...just...can't...


Seriously, sister, you and your husband make great babies. Well done.

It has become tradition that my dad buys a birthday cake and we sing to the new baby. My favorite part of this video is when I zoom in on Samuel's face while we're singing and he is like, "Seriously guys? I just want to sleep."



Welcome to the world, baby Samuel! We love you!

where are all the buildings?

I'm home from New York and my first thought was, "What is all this green stuff?"

As in trees.

For seven days I was surrounded by tall silver skyscrapers. After awhile you just get used to it. Cement sidewalks, huge buildings, bright lights, taxis, people walking everywhere...that is your life.

And then I got home and was startled. Where are all the skyscrapers? It sounds weird but I miss them. But it's because I love New York and that city gets in my blood.

We had a wonderful trip. I can't wait to share details, pictures, and a video or two but right now I am exhausted. Fun blog coming soon.

New York or BUST...again

New York City was a place I had always wanted to visit. And two years ago in June 2009, my friend Amy and I embarked on a New York adventure that I will never forget. It was filled with fun, laughter, memories, stories we still tell people, and 1 million pictures (Amy and I are crazy with the camera).

As soon as we returned to California, we looked at each other and said, "When are we going back?"

That day is today.

Amy and I are heading back to the Big Apple. And this time we are joined by our awesome friend Jenn. Jenn hasn't been to NYC since she was little so she doesn't remember much of it. Girls Trip!!

What are we going to do?

What aren't we going to do!

We plan to do lots while we're there. We already have tickets to a Broadway show, Central Park, 30 Rock, Times Square, meeting up with friends that live in or near the city, go to Redeemer Church, Ground Zero, Serendipity's, perhaps some Statue of Liberty , and SoHo, Greenwich, and of course, we plan on eating our way through the city. Oooooo, the food is one of the best parts of New York!

I cannot believe I get to go back. That city and I were made for each other. It's magical. You can feel the electricity in the air the minute you step out your door. I can't wait to see what's in store for us!

Be back next week.

there's no crying in softball

I just signed up for a summer softball league.

Do I play softball?

No.

Have I ever been on a softball team?

No.

Do I own any softball equipment?

No.

I don't know what possessed me. I just saw an advertisement for it and I signed up.

I am secretly terrified that I will be like Evelyn in the movie "A League of Their Own". I'm going to mess up and my coach is going to call me over and say, "Uh Sarah, what team do you play for? Ours? Well I was just wondering why you would throw home when we got a two-run lead?! You let the tying run get on second base and we lost the lead because of you! Start using your head! That's the lump that's three feet above your ass!!"
And then I'll start crying and he'll yell that there's no crying in softball and I will be benched for the season.

weather forecast

Today - rain

Tomorrow - rain

Sunday - rain

Monday - rain

Did the weather not get the memo that it's June?

computerless for 4 days

I've been having some computer issues. And because of it, I have been without a computer for 4 days. It was a strange experience, being without my laptop. It made me stop and realize how much time I spend on this thing (I got it back today so I'm typing on it right now). Except for email and facebook to connect with friends, it's a pretty big time waster.

So without a screen to look at, I spent much of these past 4 days doing other things. I went for a walk around a nearby park and saw families of quail and a wild baby bunny. I read more of my book. I met a friend for coffee and laughter. I zumba'ed it up. I called a friend I haven't spoken to in months and caught up on life. I cleaned my shower (it needed it). I played with my neighbor's golden retrievers. I went to a bridal shower. I journaled. I went to a Mary Poppins sing-along and dressed up as chimney sweeps with some friends. I slept a lot. I read the paper. I drove by the ocean.

It did feel weird not having a computer available, but it was also a very nice break.

Isn't is weird how dependent we are on computers/smartphones? Could you go 4 days without them?

Glee concert

On Tuesday night I got to see the Glee kids live in concert. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you'll remember last year I did a road trip to LA just to see the Glee kids on tour. They only did a 4 city tour (LA, Phoenix, Chicago, and NY). Probably just to see if people would be into seeing them live. The response was overwhelming - tickets were sold out in 15 seconds, they had to add days and times to each city. They got smart and made this year's tour a 40 city one. Nice!

While we waited in line to go in, I saw tons of fun T-shirts and signs. Here are a few:


The show was opened by the LXD (Legion of Extraordinary Dancers). They opened the show last year too and they are amazing. They can do things with their bodies that blow your mind. After they finished, the lights went down, everyone started screaming...and the show started with "Don't Stop Believing"!


Here was the set list of the concert:

•Don't Stop Believing (whole cast)
•Dog Days are Over (whole cast)
•Sing (whole cast)
•Slave 4 U (Brittany)
•Fat Bottomed Girls (Puck)
•I Want to Hold your Hand (Kurt)
•Ain't no Way (Mercedes)
•PYT (Artie with Mike Chang dancing behind him)
•Born This Way (whole cast)
•Firework (Rachel)
•Teenage Dream (Blaine and the Warblers)
•Silly Love Songs (Blaine and the Warblers)
•Raise Your Glass (Blaine and the Warblers)
•Happy Days/Get Happy (Rachel and Kurt)
•Lucky (Sam and Quinn)
•River Deep, Mountain High (Santana and Mercedes)
•Don't Rain on My Parade (Rachel)
•Jessie's Girl (Finn)
•Valerie (Santana)
•Loser Like Me (whole cast)
•Single Ladies (Kurt and the ladies)
•Friday (Puck, Artie, Sam, Mike, Blaine)
•Safety Dance (Artie)
•Empire State of Mind (whole cast)
•Somebody to Love (whole cast)

Ok, so I have to admit something to you all. After Rachel sang "Firework", the lights went out on the big stage up front and a spotlight shone at a tiny stage RIGHT BELOW US where Blaine and the Warblers began singing "Teenage Dream".



I LOST it.

Suddenly I was no longer a 33 year old grown woman. I was a 12 year old little girl screaming my lungs out. Oh frick Darren Criss, you need to marry me now. What? I'm taller than him you say? He's only 24 you say? We don't know if he loves Jesus you say? Details, details. Please enjoy the video below and I apologize profusely for my loud screaming. Especially at the end. Use your computer's mute button.



That was obviously my biggest highlight. Other highlights include:

* Rachel's voice. She gave me and my friend Jenn goosebumps. Such a beautiful voice.

* Artie was alone on stage in his wheelchair. He looked at the audience and asked, "Have any of you ever had a dream?" Then he stood up and started doing the Safety Dance, joined by others. He is SUCH a good dancer. Why is he in a wheelchair?


* "Born This Way" with all the kids wearing their personalized T-shirts (Trouty Mouth!)


* At one point the boys were on stage playing guitar all slowly and solemnly...and then they burst into "Friday" by Rebecca Black. Everyone laughed and sang along. (Is it sad that everyone knows the lyrics to that terrible song?)


* They set up the stage to look like the choir room. Everyone did their duets from that episode. Mercedes and Santana rocked "River Deep Mountain High"!!


* For their encore, Kurt and a bunch o' ladies went up on the little stage below us and did the "Single Ladies" dance. So fun!


I realized why this concert is so fun. On the show, I get tired of the preaching, the one-sided views on issues, and the un-needed drama. But I keep watching because I love the songs. With the concert, that's all we get! Nothing else, just pure entertainment from super talented guys and girls. I'm so glad we went and I will definitely go again next year.

nooks

It's official. I would like a nook.

Not one of those e-book "Nook"s you can buy at Barnes and Noble.

A nook, like a corner spot in a room that you can hide away in and read, listen to music, or just be.

On yahoo, they posted 7 pictures of bedroom nooks and I was enchanted.

Look how cool they are.

My absolute favorite one is the Narnia-style wardrobe nook.


If I had this as a kid, I would never come out. I mean, how awesome is that!