Avalanche Adventure

I thought that my trip to Los Angeles to see Hamilton would be my last road trip of the year (it was a long drive) but my Dad suggested an Avalanche trip over the Thanksgiving break and I was in!  We drove to Denver on Saturday for the game that night and drove home on Sunday.  I always drive from Little America to Cheyenne (I think I drew the short stick because Wyoming is very boring).  For this trip we took my Dad's truck which is very powerful.  I have a tendency to speed any way (especially in Wyoming) but I found it especially hard not to let the beast off the chain.  I had only been driving for about ten minutes when I got pulled over by the Wyoming Highway Patrol for doing 85 in a 75 mph zone.  My Dad thought it was hilarious!  I like to get to the Pepsi Center really early so I can watch the practice skate and I was really blown away by all of the images that they project on the ice when the Avalanche first come out on the ice.  I loved the player introductions with their names and pictures projected on the ice.  It was so cool!  I had never seen that before because this was my first game of the season.  The Avalanche played the Calgary Flames and it was a pretty good game.  The Flames scored first at the end of the first period.  During the second period the Flames had three penalties and Mikka Rantanen scored a pretty shorthanded goal in the third one.  Then the Flames got two quick goals at the end of the period.  The Avalanche are known for coming back during the third period and the Pepsi Center was incredibly loud cheering them on.  Late in the third Nikita Zadorov got a goal and it looked like the Avalanche could pull it off.  They pulled the goalie and it got pretty exciting during the last few minutes but they couldn't quite put the puck in the net.  They ended up losing 3-2.  Even though they lost it was still a really fun game to watch and, as always, I had so much fun with my Dad.  I have been watching hockey with him my whole life!

Note:  The Avalanche had a six game winning streak at home until this game so...

Christmas Traditions

Even though I live alone I have a lot of holiday traditions.  I always like to put my Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving because I like to celebrate the season for as long as I can.  I have a tradition of watching It's a Wonderful Life while I put it up (I've done this ever since I moved out on my own).  Putting up my tree is a lot of fun because all of my ornaments have special memories.  My Mom gave me all of the Hallmark limited edition hockey player ornaments (Wayne Gretzky is always the first ornament on the tree and Eric Lindros always goes on the back of the tree).  I also have lots of ornaments from around the world purchased on my trips (my favorites are some hand carved ones from Germany).  All through December I love spending the evening with only the light of the Christmas tree while watching my favorite Christmas movies.  I always add a movie to my collection every year.  This time of year I especially love listening to Christmas music performed live.  On Temple Square just about every high school choir from Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming performs at the Assembly Hall every night and these concerts are free.  I sometimes find myself listening for hours (go here for a schedule).  I also started the tradition of seeing the Lower Lights perform a couple of years ago and I am excited to see them again (go here for tickets).  There are also two performances that I always try to see.  It just wouldn't be Christmas without HCT's production of A Christmas Carol (go here for tickets) or Ballet West's production of The Nutcracker (go here for tickets).  Finally, I have a few traditions with my niece and nephew such as making gingerbread houses and opening Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve.

I am so happy that the Christmas season is upon us and I am really looking forward to all of my traditions.  Do you have any fun Christmas traditions?

Thanksgiving 2017

Yesterday my family celebrated Thanksgiving and it was so wonderful!  Basically both of my sisters cooked the entire dinner (I brought rolls) which included both turkey and ham, cheesy potatoes, stuffing, yams, relish tray, and pomegranate salad (a tradition).  Everything tasted so good and we spent most of the time laughing.  After dinner we all took a nap and reconvened for our traditional game of Shanghai Rummy and pie.  This game was absolutely brutal (my brother-in-law Trent won) but the pie was amazing!  I am really thankful for this crazy family of mine and I am so glad we get to spend so much time with each other.  I hope that you had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday as well!

Note:  Nobody in my family would cooperate for a photo!  The one above is literally the best one I could get!

Coco

I have been anticipating the movie Coco for a very long time because the trailers looked so magical.  I wanted to take my niece and nephew (we have a tradition of seeing a movie together over the Thanksgiving break) but Sean goes to a charter school and he had classes yesterday so, even though I extremely anxious to see it, we waited for him (which was really hard) and saw it in the evening.  I was really surprised that the theater was practically empty which is such a shame because this movie is an absolute treat!  All three of us loved it so much!  It is a heartwarming story about the importance of family as a twelve year old boy named Miguel travels to the Land of the Dead on Dia de Meurtos to uncover a mystery about his ancestors.  I found the story to be incredibly moving and I was reduced to a puddle of tears when Mama Coco sang "Remember Me" with Miguel near the end of the movie.  I really loved the way that death is portrayed and how the importance of remembering those who are gone is emphasized.  Such a great message!  Miguel is an endearing character and the ancestors he encounters in the Land of the Dead made me laugh out loud as did the border guards on the way in and out.  The animation is visually stunning with all of the vibrant colors in the Land of the Dead.  I loved all of the scenes involving marigold petals and it was interesting to learn that the petals are what guide the dead back to their family members.  The bridges of marigold petals took my breath away.  I also really loved the use of the beautiful papel picado as exposition at the beginning of the movie.  This movie is absolutely wonderful and both Sean and Tashena loved it just as much as I did!  This is the perfect movie to see with your family over the Thanksgiving holiday!

Note:  I had so much fun with Sean and Tashena!  I am glad that I get to spend so much time with them!

Aida at HCT

Last night I had the opportunity to see Aida, HCT's first production at the beautiful new Mountain America Performing Arts Centre. It is an absolutely incredible building and I was so impressed. The main stage is much bigger than the one in West Valley and the seats have a lot more leg room! The stage is also state-of-the-art with hydraulic lifts capable of moving various areas of the stage up and down. There are super cool LED screens that line the walls of the theatre which featured images integrated into the story, such as Egyptian hieroglyphics and the banks of the Nile. At first I thought they were really distracting but then I got used to them. All of the technology is really mind-blowing and I look forward to seeing how the production designers use all of it in upcoming shows. Aida, the story of a Nubian princess who is brought to Egypt as a slave and then falls in love with a Captain betrothed to the Pharaoh's daughter, is one of my very favorite musicals and, after being disappointed with the last few shows at Hale (go here and here), I am happy to report that this production is amazing and I really loved everything about it.  The cast is phenomenal, especially the three lead actors. Casey Elliott has played Radames before in the Broadway touring production and it is evident because I felt like he really understood his character's motivation.  He has an amazing voice, very well-suited to the rock and roll score. Kandyce Marie is an incredibly powerful Aida and she just about blew the roof off the building in "The Dance of the Robe," my favorite song in the show, and "Easy As A Life." Elliott and Marie have great chemistry and I loved their renditions of "Elaborate Lives" and "Written in the Stars." Amy Shreeve Keeler (Amneris) is a lot of fun to watch in "My Strongest Suit" but she also has a really powerful moment in "I Know the Truth."  The three of them gave me goosebumps when they harmonized together in "Not Me" and "A Step Too Far."  The staging is quite innovative and I especially loved the pool in "Elaborate Lives" and the tomb at the end of the show. The costumes, particularly the elaborate gowns and headpieces worn by Amneris, are spectacular. I had so much fun watching this show with some good friends and I highly recommend it (tickets may be purchased here).