Auckland

Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand and I had less than a day to explore it!

On our drive into the city, we stopped at the Michael Joseph Savage monument.  Savage was the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand and he is known as one of the best and most revered Prime Ministers in the country.  It was a lovely park.  Then we headed to our hotel, which was in a prime location.  The locals say that if you want to play, you turn right and head to the Sky Tower and the casino, and if you want to pray, you turn left and head to St. Patrick's Cathedral.  I did both during my short time in Auckland.

I decided to play first and headed to the Sky Tower.  I went up to the observation deck for some spectacular views of the city and the harbour and to watch people base jumping from the top!

After playing, I decided that I had better pray so I made a stop at St. Patrick's Cathedral and got there just in time to hear mass.  I hadn't been to a mass since I was in Lithuania a few years ago and it was lovely.  The priest thanked God for allowing Wellington to beat South Africa in rugby the night before!

Cathedral Square was a great place for people watching.  You can see the Sky Tower behind the cathedral.

I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon down by the waterfront and imagine my delight when I found the iconic "Red Fence" along Captain Cook Wharf on Quay Street!  Look at those amazing lamp posts!

I found this lovely lamp post near the Ferry Building.

I decided to walk up Queen Street, the main shopping area of Auckland, to look at the beautiful Victorian buildings and found some more amazing lamp posts!

After wandering around Queen Street, I went back to the hotel for our farewell dinner and just like that my adventure Down Under was over! I got on a plane to come back to the United States (and start school shortly thereafter) the next morning!  You can read all about my adventures:  Melbourne, Alice Springs, The Kangaroo Sanctuary, Sunrise Ballooning in the Outback, Uluru, The Great Barrier Reef, Kuranda Rainforest, Sydney Harbour Cruise, Sydney, Whale Watching, The Beautiful South Island of New Zealand, Milford Sound,  and Hobbiton.

Make A Wish 2016

Last year my officers had the amazing opportunity to work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah to sponsor Carson, a seven year old boy with a brain tumor.  His wish was to go to Disney World and, with the help of the generous student body of HHS, we were able to make his wish come true!  When the 2016-2017 officers were planning for this school year, they immediately wanted to sponsor another child.  In fact, one of the new officers told me that she specifically ran for office so she could participate in this campaign.  It is pretty magical!

This year we were able to sponsor McKelle, a girl who has cerebral palsy and hearing loss.  She loves the Disney princesses so we based our "Wish Week" around the princess theme.  One of the officers designed a special shirt for the week with Cinderella as the logo and we sold the shirts as a fundraiser.  We also ordered Make-A-Wish wristbands (we sold out of them in two days) and sold stars that students could write their names on to hang in the commons.  In addition, we held our 2nd Annual Dodgeball Tournament which raised quite a bit of money.  Like last year, we created a huge thermometer with challenges that the officers would complete in our Wish Assembly if certain monetary goals were achieved.

We introduced McKelle to the student body at the beginning of the assembly and she certainly charmed everyone in the gym.  My friend made her a princess shirt and she was so excited!

We had her Mom and several of her siblings speak to the crowd about the difficulties McKelle goes through on a daily basis.  They also spoke about her love of the Disney princesses.  She wants to go to Disney World so much that she has a bag packed by her bed ready to go!

Then we had a "Miracle Minute" where the officers went into the crowd to collect money.  HHS donated almost $1,000 in that minute!

Then the officers completed the challenges.  One of them was "Egg Roulette."  We had hard boiled and raw eggs and each officer had to pick one to smash against their forehead.  The raw egg was a little bit messy!

Another challenge was "Mystery Baby Food."  The officers were blindfolded and we fed them such delicacies as carrots, beets, squash, and peas.  Apparently, the peas are pretty gross!

Several officers had to eat a raw onion.  I didn't think this would be too bad but, apparently, it was disgusting!  We also had the boys wax their legs (like last year) and one of the officers cut her long hair!

When we were brainstorming different challenges, the officers wanted to have a tarantula walk on the officers who were afraid of spiders.  I didn't think that the administration would approve this challenge but they did with the proviso that we not harm the tarantula.  I thought that was hilarious!  It turns out that tarantulas are very fragile and, when I picked it up from the pet store, I was given lots of instructions.  When I was in college getting my teaching certificate, no one ever said that I would have to be a tarantula wrangler!

Throughout the week, we sold raffle tickets to students for the chance to throw a pie at their favorite teacher, coach, or administrator.  We drew twelve names and this was the highlight of the assembly!  I can't imagine why but we made lots of money with this challenge!  (The teachers, coaches, and administrators were very good sports!).  We were able to present a check to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah in the amount of $4,021.25!

Several of the officers dressed up as princesses to give McKelle a tiara and a trip to Disney World!  This week was so much work but it was worth it just to see McKelle's face when her wish was granted!  She programmed her iPad to thank the crowd and they gave her a standing ovation.  Such an amazing experience!

Note:  Go here to see the news story on KTVX and go here to find out more about Make-A-Wish Utah.

Arrival

Last night I went to see the new sci-fi thriller Arrival and, upon reflection, I think it is absolutely brilliant.  The movie begins with flashbacks to a woman and the birth, life, and early death of her daughter.  We learn that this woman is Louise Banks (Amy Adams), an eminent professor of linguistics, and we learn that twelve unidentified flying objects have landed in various parts of the world (the depiction of the world's response to the alien invasion seemed more realistic to me than any other alien movie I've seen).  Banks is eventually recruited, along with a theoretical physicist (Jeremy Renner), by a military officer (Forest Whittaker, using a bizarre accent) to find a way to communicate with the beings inside the pod that landed in Montana.  The scenes in which they make first contact are incredibly intense, with just a hint of menace, and the unsettling atmospheric musical cues had me on the edge of my seat.  As Banks begins the slow process of learning the language of the Heptapods, as the aliens are known, she continues to have perplexing flashbacks to scenes with her daughter.  When the governments of China and Russia deem the aliens to be hostile, Banks learns why the aliens have come, what they want from Earth, and why.  It is an interesting premise but it involves a huge plot twist which still has me shaking my head.  I really enjoyed Adams' performance and the scenes where she interacts with the Heptapods are actually quite magical.  I also found the philosophical exploration of the complexities of language to be fascinating.  However, I am still trying to wrap my brain around the ending.  I am sure that I will be thinking about it and questions of time, predestination, language, and global cooperation for quite a while.  You should definitely go see Arrival because movies that make you think are always the best kind.

Brahms & Tchaikovsky

It has been a tumultuous week, to say the least.  With a surprising (and disappointing) result in the national election and a massive project with my student body officers (more about that later), by the end of the day on Friday I was physically and emotionally exhausted.  I decided that a performance of Tchaikovsky's amazing Piano Concerto No.1 by the Utah Symphony was just the thing to soothe my troubled soul.  Just like last week, I went to this concert expecting to love one of the pieces and ended up really enjoying the other pieces, as well.  The orchestra began with Symphony No. 3 (also known as The Camp Meeting) by Charles Ives.  It evokes memories of the composer's childhood spent in fields listening to preachers and singing hymns and includes snippets of nineteenth century hymns, war songs, and children's games.  I loved it, especially the chimes at the end which are meant to mimic church bells.  Next, the orchestra played Symphony No. 3 by Johannes Brahms.  To be honest, this piece seemed rather bland and my mind started wandering until I was completely blown away by the third movement.  I thought the recurring melody played by the strings was incredibly romantic and I also loved when this theme was played by the horn and then echoed by the clarinet.  All through the intermission I was eagerly anticipating Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 and I was thrilled to hear those instantly recognizable opening notes played by the brass!  It is an explosive burst of energy to begin an incredibly passionate piece!  Soloist Alexander Gavrylyuk played it brilliantly with such feeling and expression!  I absolutely loved watching his fingers fly up and down the keyboard!  He received an instantaneous standing ovation which prompted an encore featuring a rather theatrical version of Mendelssohn's Wedding March!  As I was leaving Abravanel Hall, two adorable little old ladies walking near me commented on what a wonderful evening it had been.  I wholeheartedly agree!  If you need a wonderful evening after a difficult week, go here for ticket's to tonight's performance of the same program.

Doctor Strange

I find Benedict Cumberbatch to be strangely appealing so when I heard that he had been cast in the title role of the forthcoming adaptation of Doctor Strange I couldn't wait to see it.  Ironically, I didn't have a chance to see it until last night but it was worth the wait.  Dr. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) is a gifted but arrogant neurosurgeon.  The nerves in his hands are damaged beyond repair after he is involved in a horrific car crash and, when Western medicine fails him, he turns to Eastern mysticism to heal himself.  He begins training with the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and learns how to manipulate the astral plane.  He must eventually set aside his desire to heal himself in order to battle a former disciple, Keacillus (Mads Mikkelsen), who has stolen a forbidden ritual for immortality.  I loved this movie!  The special effects are incredible because manipulating the astral plane involves some trippy visuals but the story is also very compelling because it involves Dr. Strange's journey to self-discovery not just to power.  Cumberbatch is a brilliant actor and he is perfect as the thinking man's superhero (his portrayal reminded me a bit of Sherlock, which I love).  I also loved Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, a disciple who becomes disillusioned with Strange's use of power as the movie progresses (stay for an end-of-credits scene setting him up as the villian in the next movie), and Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer, Strange's colleague and former lover.  I think this movie is thoroughly entertaining and those who are experiencing superhero fatigue may find this entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be refreshingly different.  I highly recommend it!

Note:  This movie is quite funny and two scenes made me laugh out loud.  The first is when Mordo shows Strange to his quarters at Kamar-Taj and hands him a slip of paper.  Strange asks if it is his mantra and Mordo says it is the wi-fi password.  The second is when Strange refers to Wong (Benedict Wong) as Beyonce because he only has one name and then we hear Wong listening to "Single Ladies."

State Champions

My niece Tashena has been on the Bountiful High School volleyball team this year.  She has played on the sophomore team and they had an undefeated season, dominating every opponent.  The varsity team had an amazing season as well and this weekend they made made a run for the state championship at Utah Valley University.  Throughout the tournament they defeated every opponent in three straight sets to make it to the championship game against Corner Canyon on Saturday night and my family was there for this game.  Tashena didn't get to play but she was introduced on the court with the team and it was so exciting.  The Braves came out strong and easily defeated the Chargers in the first two sets but the Chargers refused to go down without a fight and gave them some competition in the third set.  They had a sizable lead until the Braves powered through to tie it up.  It was really exciting to watch as the score went back and forth (I no longer have any fingernails) and just when it seemed that Bountiful had the win with 24 points, Corner Canyon scored twice to bring the score to 24-22.  I was a little bit tense at that point but an amazing block by Bountiful won the set to give them the 4A state championship!  It was so much fun to watch the team celebrate and I love that Tashena got to be a part of it!  Great job Braves!

Go here to read about the game in the Deseret News.

Dvorak's New World Symphony

I spent a lovely evening at Abravanel Hall last night listening to the Utah Symphony.  I selected this particular concert for Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 because I really love it but, as is often the case, I also enjoyed the other selections on the program immensely.  The orchestra began with Haydn's Symphony No. 9 and I thought it was incredibly beautiful and stirring.  I especially loved the theme played by the solo oboe and I also loved the theme played by a solo violin and solo cello.  Next the orchestra played Symphony No. 1 by Charles Ives.  I was particularly struck by the opening notes, which were almost unobtrusive.  I found this piece to be very moving and there were several times when I closed my eyes and let the music wash over me.  After the intermission the orchestra played Dvorak's New World Symphony (as it is known).  There are a handful of pieces that I recognize by name and always try to see when performed (Mozart's Requiem, Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky,  Symphonie fantastique by Berlioz, and Bolero by Ravel, to name a few) and this is near the top of that list.  I have been looking forward to this performance for weeks and I was not disappointed.  There are many things that I love about this piece, but the themes played and then echoed between the various sections of the orchestra are so dramatic!  It was performed brilliantly with an enthusiastic standing ovation at its conclusion.  The same concert will be performed tonight (tickets may be purchased here) and I recommend it highly!

Note:  I have always been a fan of Thierry Fischer (especially after I saw him at a Jazz game with his two sons).  Last night I sat a little closer to the stage than I usually do and it was fun to watch him in action!

The Glass Menagerie at PTC

PTC's production of The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams' classic play about nostalgia, is closing very soon and, as I have been very busy the past few weeks, I thought about skipping it.  I have read and seen this play performed countless times and, frankly, I sometimes find it to be very grim so I didn't feel any urgency.  However, I decided at the last minute to see it last night and I am very glad that I did because I was quite impressed.  The play is narrated by Tom Wingfield (Zachary Prince), a writer reminiscing about his memories of his mother and sister and their dreary existence in St. Louis during the 1930s.   He longs to escape their suffocating apartment and substitutes movies for the adventure he craves.  Amanda Wingfield (Nance Williamson) lives in the past, regaling her children with stories of the southern gentility she experienced growing up on a plantation and of her many "Gentlemen Callers."  Laura Wingfield (Hanley Smith) is crippled and is so shy that she prefers to retreat into the world of her glass animals.  None of them can face the harsh reality of their lives, which is momentarily brightened by the prospect of a "Gentleman Caller" for Laura (Logan James Hall).  This play is very character driven and a good production relies on its cast to give engaging performances.  Prince, Williamson, Smith, and Hall do that and more.  Williamson, especially, commands attention as the overbearing Amanda and I found her interpretation to be quite humorous at times (I don't remember ever laughing at any of the other productions I've seen).  I really liked the set, particularly the the portrait of Amanda's husband which dominates the space.  I also really liked the use of light, which I found to be highly effective at conveying different moods throughout the play.  I definitely recommend this production but, unfortunately, it it closing tomorrow;  however, there are still a few performances left so act quickly and go here for tickets.

Halloween 2016

Halloween was a little bit quiet this year.  I went over to my parents' house for chili (which we have had on Halloween ever since I was a little girl) and passed out candy to the trick-or-treaters, including the cutest creeper (from the minecraft game) ever.  We didn't carve pumpkins this year because Marilyn and I didn't get our act together in time to buy them and we decided not to go to a movie (which we have done on Halloween for the past three years) because we were both too tired!  It was still a nice evening with my family and Sean got over not carving pumpkins when he was able to go out trick-or-treating with his friends "unsupervised."  He had the time of his life!

Sweet Sixteen!

Tashena turned sixteen last Friday and we had our family celebration on Sunday.  The birthday boy or girl gets to pick the dinner menu and Tashena opted for Cafe Rio.  We all thought that was a great choice!  Then she opened her presents.

Her Grandma and Grandpa gave her lots of clothes (which is what she always asks for).  My Mom was so excited to give Tashena her present that she wanted to go first!

She wanted dresses!

Sean was just as excited as my Mom to give Tashena her present!

He picked out the nail polish, remover, and emery board all by himself (one of the polish colors is camo glitter).  It was kind of adorable!

Tashena always wants clothes but I am really nervous about picking things out for her so I got her a big gift card to Old Navy.

I put the gift card in this giant bag with ten sheets of tissue paper.  When she removed all of the tissue paper, she couldn't see it.  She legitimately thought that I didn't give her anything and said, "It's the thought that counts."  We laughed and laughed and I had her look a little harder!

Marilyn gave her a really cute outfit and more nail polish.

Then we had the traditional Baskin Robbins ice cream cake.  I hope you had a great birthday Tashena!

A Great Season

The Bountiful Braves made it to the playoffs but they had to face a really tough team from Grantsville.  The Cowboys scored four times in the first half and the Braves were feeling really dejected but they regrouped after halftime to score and ruin the shutout that Granstville was hoping for!  Even though they lost this game, I am so proud of Sean and the rest of the team.  It has been so much fun to watch them every week.  It will be weird to sleep in on Saturday mornings again!

Sean with one of the coaches.  He told us how much he loved Sean and how much he has improved over the season.

Sean with the head coach.

I'm so proud of this kid!

Note:  Sean told us that he will miss football but he's looking forward to staying up later on Friday nights!

Inferno

I loved Dan Brown's bestselling books The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons and I also enjoyed the movies adapted from them.  For some reason I haven't read Inferno but I've been looking forward to the movie for quite a while.  It was a long week at school with the end of the term and lots of tests, essays, and book reviews to grade so I decided to reward myself by seeing it last night.  Symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks, playing the role for the third time) wakes up in a Florence hospital with a gunshot wound and no memory of how he came to be there.  When someone tries to shoot him again, he escapes with the help of Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), the doctor treating him.  The mystery begins with a reference to Dante's poem The Divine Comedy and takes Langdon and Brooks to the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, and the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to solve a puzzle left by a billionaire geneticist (Ben Foster) who wants to reduce the population with a plague which will be released if they fail.  Of course they are pursued by several nefarious individuals with questionable motives such as the aforementioned assassin (Ana Ularu), the head of a shadowy private security company (a hilarious Irrfan Khan), and the head of the WHO (Sidse Babett Knudsen).  As with the other movies, I really enjoyed the use of Renaissance literature, art, and architecture as clues to solve a puzzle and I loved all of the incredible locations but I found the story to be confusing (maybe because I haven't read the book) and I had a hard time keeping track of who was who.  I enjoyed watching this movie for the escapism (especially after such a hard week) but I definitely think it is the weakest of the three.