Drive-In Movie

Another summer tradition that I have with Sean is to see a drive-in movie.  We always go to the store and stock up on movie theatre candy and then pick a movie to see at the Redwood Drive-In.  This year I convinced Sean that we should see Jurassic World (with his parents' permission) and he was really excited about it but, as the movie progressed, he got a bit scared of the dinosaurs.  He even climbed to the back seat and hid his head during some of the battle scenes.  He spent the night at my house and it was a bit fun getting him to go to sleep!

Despite the scary dinosaurs and a major M&M spill in the back seat (I'm a little bit OCD), we had a lot of fun.  Drive-in movies always remind me of my childhood and I'm glad that the Redwood (one of the few remaining drive-ins still in operation) is available so Sean and Tashena can enjoy this summer ritual.

Summer Ritual

It seems like summer doesn't officially start for me until I spend a day at the pool.  It is a summer tradition that started with Tashena and now continues with Sean.  Yesterday Sean and I spent five hours at our favorite pool at the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center and we both had so much fun (even though Sean had a bloody nose and I am now sunburned)!

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Note:  Go here for the tutorial I used to make the cute swim bags out of beach towels (pictured above).

Jurassic World

Late last night (early this morning?) I went to the first screening of Jurassic World.  I loved Jurassic Park but I hated The Lost World so much that I didn't even see the third installment.  This latest addition to the franchise had me intrigued and you know how much I enjoy late night screenings (especially during the summer when I don't have to get up several hours later to go to school).  Twenty years after the incident on Isla Nublar, the dinosaur theme park is a success but profits are slowing down because the public is no longer awe-struck by the dinosaurs.  The owner of the park (Irrfan Khan) wants a dinosaur that is bigger, faster, and scarier to impress the public so Dr. Wu (B.D. Wong) genetically engineers the Indominus Rex.  Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), the director of operations at the park, invites her nephews Zach and Gray (Nick Robinson and Ty Simkins, respectively) for a weekend at the park but doesn't have time for them and they eventually take off on their own.  The owner of the park is concerned about the safety of the Indominus Rex's enclosure and asks Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), a Velociraptor expert, to inspect it.  Grady is horrified because the genetically modified dinosaur is an unknown factor and its behavior can't be predicted.  As expected, the Indominus Rex escapes and goes after Zach and Gray.  Eventually, the head of security (Vincent D'Onofrio), who wants to militarize the dinosaurs, sends the Velociraptors to attack and an epic battle ensues!  This movie is pretty good, definitely much better than its two predecessors if not as magical as the first one.  The special effects involving the dinosaurs are incredible and the chase scenes are foreboding and menacing.  There were times when the crowd in the theater gasped in unison and that was a lot of fun.  This movie explores quite a few interesting themes such as corporate greed, the ethics of science (just because we can do somethings doesn't mean we should), and the humane treatment of animals.  There is a particularly touching scene where Claire, who thinks of the dinosaurs as "assets," watches one of them die.  Pratt and Howard give good performances, but I felt that their romance was a little bit contrived and I thought it was beyond ridiculous that Claire runs through the jungle in high heels (Grady refers to her shoes as "ridiculous").  The real stars of the show are the dinosaurs and they make this movie worth seeing.

The Little Mermaid at HCT

Last year I had the opportunity to see the stage musical The Little Mermaid at Tuacahn Amphitheatre with my student body officers.  It was absolutely magical and I loved experiencing it with my students, who loved it as well.  When Hale Theatre announced their 2015 season, I couldn't imagine that their production would be as good as Tuacahn's.  However, I saw the HCT version last night and let me tell you that it is amazing!  It just might be the best thing HCT has done in years!  I was completely enchanted by everything!  In fact, if you have children, stop reading right now and go here for tickets because they are going quickly, with good reason!  The musical tells the well-known story of Ariel, a mermaid who just wants to be where the people are.  Everyone in the cast is phenomenal!  Bre Welch is absolutely perfect as Ariel.  In my opinion, this particular role is much better suited to her voice than some of the other roles she's played at Hale (see here and here).  She has a look of wide-eyed wonder that makes the songs "Part of Your World" and "Beyond My Wildest Dreams" so much fun to watch.  Jon Rose is endearing as Prince Eric, especially in the "Kiss the Girl" scene.  Brooklynn Pulver Kohler is a lot of fun as Ursula and I loved watching the antics of Flotsam (Jeremy David Egan) and Jetsam (Ben Buttars) as they slithered around the stage on roller blades, especially when they high-fived each other!  The costumes in this show are a dazzling array of color and texture and I particularly loved all of the sea creatures in the "Under the Sea" number and I loved the sizzling lights on Flotsam and Jetsam's costumes.  Ursula's costume is so much fun (those tentacles) and all of the mermaids are covered from head to fin in sparkles!  Geoffrey Reynolds, who is new to HCT as a choreographer, certainly outdid himself with the staging of the big production numbers! There are incredible aerialists in "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" and I laughed and laughed during the absolute chaos of "Les Poissons."  Kacey Udy, once again, worked his magic with the set.  There are clear glass bulbs suspended from the ceiling which give the effect of bubbles in the ocean and I loved Prince Eric's ship.  The entire theatre has the appearance of being under the sea with layers of seaweed and strings of pearls covering every surface.  The whole production is simply wonderful and I highly recommend getting tickets, especially if you have children!  You definitely don't want to miss this delightful show!

Colorado Rockies

I am not a huge baseball fan (I don't even follow my hometown team, the Toronto Blue Jays, that much) but whenever I am in an MLB city I like to catch a game and cheer for the home team.  Since I was in Denver for the weekend, I decided to see a Rockies game against the Miami Marlins and it was so much fun.  I really like Coors Field and I had great seats near home plate!  The game was really slow at the beginning but then it got really exciting in the bottom of the fourth inning.  All of the bases were loaded and then Arenado came up to bat.  The crowd went absolutely crazy!  He was able to bring Blackmon home for our first run of the game!  So exciting!  Things got really loud again in the bottom of the seventh when Gonzalez scored a home run to tie the game.  It went to extra innings but the Rockies ended up losing 3-2.

Note: Apparently I really like wearing my Beatles shirt to baseball games.  Here I am at a Rockies game in 2012!