Tulip Festival 2019

Yesterday when I woke up there was snow on the ground but the sun came out eventually and it turned into a really nice day.  I decided to spend the afternoon visiting the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point.  It was absolutely perfect because the temperature was cool and it wasn't crowded.  There are fifteen different themed gardens featuring 280,000 tulips in hundreds of varieties imported from Holland.  I loved wandering through all of the blooms.

The Creek Garden

The Italian Garden

The Fragrance Garden

The Secret Garden (my favorite)

The Tulip Festival has been extended through May 11 at Thanksgiving Point.  It is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm.  Tickets are $20 in advance for adults and $15 in advance for children ($25 at the door for adults and $20 at the door for children).  The tickets this year are time specific.  When you buy an advance ticket you will be asked to pick a time to visit.  This is so they can control how many guests are in the garden at any one time and I really appreciated that as it does sometimes get very crowded.  Go here for more information and to purchase tickets.

ZNP With Tashena

During our recent road trip to Southern Utah, Tashena and I made a little detour to Zion National Park.  It was a really quick visit but I loved being among the red rocks!

The weather was absolutely perfect and the park wasn't very crowded!  It was a wonderful afternoon!

Avengers: Endgame

Last night I saw Avengers: Endgame and I think it is an incredibly satisfying conclusion to a saga that has been eleven years in the making.  I loved it!  I laughed, I cried, and I cheered out loud multiple times!  After the catastrophic snap that destroyed half the population of the universe, the remaining Avengers, Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), War Machine/James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle), Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), are left reeling in the aftermath (some more than others).  They want to punish Thanos (Josh Brolin) but, more than that, they want to reverse the effects of the snap.  They eventually devise a plan but will they be able to do whatever it takes?  This movie brilliantly weaves together multiple storylines which reference many events from the previous entries in the MCU (I definitely need to see this again because I am sure that I missed a few).  Each character has a rewarding emotional arc with moments of great poignancy and all of the actors, but especially Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson, give highly nuanced performances.  To be sure, there are epic battles but I absolutely loved all of the intimate moments with characters I've grown to love over the years.  This movie does justice to all of them.  I enjoyed every minute and I highly recommend that you see it as soon as you can!

Note:  I don't know if this is a spoiler or not but there is no post-credits scene.  Almost everyone in my screening stayed until the very end and we felt a bit foolish!

Aladdin at the Eccles

When I went to New York on a theatre trip a few years ago, my roommate went to see Aladdin on a night that I saw a different show.  When we both got back to the hotel she raved and raved about it so, of course, I immediately wanted to see it.  It seems like I have been waiting forever but I finally had the chance to see this entertaining show last night!  It definitely did not disappoint!  In fact, I think I giggled throughout the whole run time and I may or may not have sung along to "Prince Ali" which is my favorite song from the movie.  The stage musical basically tells the same story as the movie with all of the amazing songs you remember (and a few new ones thrown in for good measure).  Aladdin (Clinton Greenspan) is a street urchin in the city of Agrabah where he ekes out a living as a pickpocket with his friends Babkak (Zach Bencal), Omar (Ben Chavez), and Kassim (Colt Prattes).  While in the marketplace he meets Princess Jasmine (Kaenaonalani Kekoa), who has run away from the palace because her father the Sultan (Jerald Vincent) wants her to marry a prince, and he falls in love with her.  Jafar (Jonathan Weir), the Grand Vizier, wants the throne for himself and learns that there is a magic lamp hidden in the Cave of Wonders that could help him but only a diamond in the rough can enter.  He enlists Aladdin's help but his plan backfires when Aladdin releases the Genie (Major Attaway) from the lamp and is given three wishes.  Wanting to impress Jasmine, Aladdin wishes to be a prince but he soon realizes that he must be himself if he wants to win the princess.  I really loved all of the colorful and sparkly costumes, the dazzling choreography, especially in "Arabian Nights," "Friend Like Me," "Prince Ali," and "High Adventure," and the incredible sets, particularly the Palace and the Cave of Wonders!  The special effects are so much fun and the magic carpet ride in "A Whole New World" is everything I hoped it would be!  Both Greenspan and Kekoa have wonderful voices but Attaway steals the show with all of his hilarious pop culture references.  It is a glitzy production worthy of Disney that is just so much fun to watch from start to finish and I highly recommend it, especially for children!  It runs at the Eccles Theatre through May 12 (tickets my be purchased here).

Matilda at HCT

Two years ago I had the opportunity to see the Broadway touring production of Matilda and, unfortunately, I didn't like it very much. I found it to be really dark and sinister and, frankly, I wondered why it was marketed as a show for children. When HCT announced their 2019 season, I was not especially thrilled that this show was part of the lineup but I went to see it last night. HCT's production turned me into a fan because I absolutely loved what they did with it! Matilda Wormwood (Lucy White) is a precocious five year old with a penchant for reading and telling stories and, sometimes, being just a little bit naughty. She is ignored by her mother (Amelia Rose Moore), an amateur Latin ballroom dancer, and father (Ryan Simmons), an unscrupulous used car salesman, and is terrorized by Miss Agatha Trunchbull (Aaron Ford), the tyrannical headmistress of her school and the former Olympic champion in hammer throwing. With the help of a sympathetic teacher named Miss Honey (Bre Welch) and a little bit of magic, Matilda triumphs over the neglectful adults in her life! What I loved about this production is that the tone is much more lighthearted than the Broadway original and the adults are portrayed more like over-the-top caricatures rather than villains, especially Miss Trunchbull. Even the sets and costumes have a lighter color palette and I especially loved all of the colorful balloons used throughout. One of the things I really enjoyed about the Broadway production was the use of typography and the HCT version incorporates this through very clever projections. The library and the school yard sets, which come down from the ceiling, are fantastic. The big song and dance numbers, particularly "School Song" performed in a chain-link cage in the school yard, "Loud" performed by Matilda's mother and her Latin ballroom dance partner Rudolpho (Jeremy Egan), "Smell of Rebellion" performed by the children during a physical education class, and "Revolting Children" performed by the children in the classroom, are a lot of fun and feature innovative choreography. My favorite number was "When I Grow Up" which featured the children on swings that seemed to be held aloft by bouquets of balloons. This song is so poignant and it brought a tear to my eye. White is absolutely enchanting in the lead role and all of the children are incredible performers but, in my opinion, Bridget Maxwell steals the show as Lavender! Welch has a beautiful voice but I sometimes think that she is miscast. However, she is perfect in the role of Miss Honey and gives one of the best performances I have seen from her. The scenes with White (who is her niece) are so tender. I was very pleasantly surprised by my reaction to this show and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets and information).  It runs on HCT's main stage through June 15.

Note:  Don't forget about the lovely production of Steel Magnolias which is currently being performed in HCT's Jewel Box Theatre through June 1.

Easter Eggs

It has been quite a while since we have colored Easter eggs but Sean was really looking forward to doing it this year (he called me twice because I was three minutes late).  It was actually a lot of fun!

After coloring eggs we tried to have a BBQ but it rained almost all day!  Eventually my brother in law went outside and cooked the hamburgers and hotdogs and we ate everything inside.  It still tasted delicious!  In the evening we played Shanghai rummy which was really fun, as always!  I hope you had a lovely Easter filled with family and traditions!

Prom 2019

Last night Tashena went to her last high school dance!  I can't believe that she will be graduating from high school in just a few weeks!

I have really enjoyed taking pictures of all her high school dances and I think she has always chosen such beautiful dresses.

Homecoming 2016

Winter Ball 2016

Prom 2017

Homecoming 2017

Winter Ball 2017

Prom 2018

Winter Ball 2018

Penguins

Is there anything cuter than a waddling penguin?  I submit that there is not so I have been eagerly anticipating Disneynature's newest documentary, Penguins, for quite some time.  I was able to see it last night and I absolutely loved it!  This time the focus is on a goofy Adelie penguin named Steve.  He couldn't be more endearing or entertaining as he travels with the rest of the males in his colony from the open ocean to a breeding ground in Antarctica during the spring thaw to build a nest, find a mate, and raise a family for the first time.  Steve has a penchant for getting lost which causes him to mistakenly join a group of Emperor penguins and attract the unwanted amorous attentions of an elephant seal!  He also must contend with the harsh Antarctic environment, the necessity of constantly feeding and supervising his chicks, and predators such as killer whales and leopard seals.  Steve's story is both humorous and compelling.  As with many Disneynature documentaries, it is very anthropomorphic with hilarious narration from Ed Helms and I especially enjoyed the commentary when Steve is courting his mate Adeline.  Antarctica is one of the most inhospitable places on Earth but it has a stark beauty (I want to go there someday) that is heroically captured by a team of filmmakers over a period of three years and the cinematography is simply stunning, particularly the underwater sequences.  Definitely stay though the credits to see how the filmmakers are able to get some of the more spectacular shots (and for more amusing narration depicting Steve as an actor trying to hit his marks).  I also really enjoyed the classic rock needle drops including Patti LaBelle's "Stir It Up" as Steve struts across the ice, REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling" when he courts Adeline, Average White Band's "Work to Do" as he makes a 100 mile trek to get food for his chicks, and Whitesnakes's "Here I Go Again" when he returns to the open ocean in the winter.  I highly recommend this enchanting documentary, especially if you love penguins as much as I do!

Note:  If you see Penguins during its opening week (April 17-23), Disneynature will make a donation to the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) to help protect penguins around the world.

An Outing

Every month I have an outing with Sean where I pick him up from school and we go to Barnes & Noble to pick out a book and then go to Crumbl for cookies.  We went yesterday and we had so much fun (it took him over 45 minutes to choose a book).  I think I look forward to it just as much as Sean does!  We started this tradition at the end of last summer after we went to the move The Darkest Minds.  Sean absolutely loved this movie and when I mentioned that it was based on a series of books he immediately wanted to read them.  I took him to Barnes & Noble the next day so he could get the first book.  I told him that I would buy him any book that he wanted because I love the fact that he likes to read.  He took me at my word and, eventually, I had to limit it to once a month!  After one of our trips to the book store we drove past the the Crumbl store and, after Sean mentioned how good the cookies were, we decided to stop in.  I love the cookies so now that is a part of the tradition.  Sean usually gets a chocolate chip cookie and I get a sugar cookie or a snickerdoodle (when they are available).  I sure do love this kid and I love that he wants to spend time with me!

The Wind

I frequently find the wind to be a bit unnerving, especially when I am trying to fall asleep, so when I saw the trailer for an atmospheric thriller called The Wind I immediately wanted to see it (because I like to torture myself) and I did so last night.  Lizzy Macklin (Caitlin Gerard) and her husband Isaac (Ashley Zuckerman) have settled on a remote and desolate piece of land in the American frontier during the late 1800s.  She is initially very hard working, resourceful, and capable but soon the isolation starts to take a toll on her and she begins to sense a malevolent presence.  Her husband dismisses her fears (he thinks that she is simply being hysterical) but they become overwhelming when another couple, Emma (Julia Goldani Telles) and Gideon Harper (Dylan McTee), move nearby resulting in tragedy.  The story is very nonlinear, beginning with the mysterious death of Emma with flashbacks to when Lizzy and Isaac first move to their homestead and when Emma and Gideon arrive, and this serves to keep you guessing as to the cause of Lizzy's madness.  The tension builds and builds, although it does start to lose steam in the third act, with brilliant sound design where every creak in the floor, every rattle of the shutters, and every howl of the relentless wind is amplified to the point where you want to jump out of your seat!  Gerard is great in the role of a woman slowly being driven mad and her physical transformation is the best part of this film.  While not as frightening as The Witch or Hereditary, this is a disturbing psychological thriller that explores some interesting feminist themes and I recommend it.

Note:  In order to occupy her mind, Isaac reads Lizzy a passage from Frankenstein (which my seniors are currently reading).  I found the passage about the isolation felt by the creature to be particularly apt and I wonder how many members of the audience got the allusion!

Transit

I am not very keen on the new releases this week so I have decided to check out a few independent films instead.  I started last night with Transit because the trailer was so haunting and I couldn't stop thinking about it.  Unnamed fascists have come to power in Europe and the city of Paris has been occupied.  Soldiers begin rounding up people for ethnic cleansing so Georg (Franz Rogowski) must flee the city as soon as possible.  He is asked by a friend to deliver two letters to a writer named Weidel but when he goes to his hotel room he discovers that Weidel has committed suicide.  One of the letters is from his estranged wife Marie (Paula Beer) and one is is from the Mexican Consulate giving Weidel and his wife exit visas, a wire transfer of money, and passage for both of them on a ship leaving from the port city of Marseilles.  Georg travels to Marseilles and impersonates Weidel to get the exit visa.  He is extremely affected by the refugees he meets in his hotel, at the consulate, and in the bar he frequents as he waits for the ship to depart and he feels tremendous guilt, especially about leaving behind a young boy he has befriended.  Soon he encounters Marie, who is in Marseilles with her lover (who has an exit visit and will soon leave her behind) and is desperate to find her husband to get the visa he has for her.  She doesn't know that her husband is dead or that Georg is impersonating him but keeps encountering him in her search.  Eventually Georg falls in love with her and offers to get her a visa without telling her how or what he has done which complicates the situation with her lover.  What makes this film so powerful is that, while it references many of the events of World War II, it is set in an indefinite time period without the Nazi iconography and I found that to be incredibly menacing because it could be happening now.  The soldiers are wearing riot gear instead of jackboots and there is a terrifying scene where a woman is dragged out of a hotel while the other refugees watch with relief that it isn't them being arrested.  The scenes in the consulate are filled with a desperation that is palpable and the tension is almost unbearable as the characters try to outrun the invading army.  All of the characters have multi-layered relationships with others but they are ultimately alone in their quest for survival and there are many existential themes explored.  Both Rogowski and Beers give compelling and sympathetic performances which will haunt you long after you leave the theater.  This film reminded me of Casablanca but with much higher stakes and I highly recommend it!