The Reason for the Season

I also want to take a moment to say how grateful I am that a little over 2 millennia ago a baby was born that would bless the lives of all mankind. I am grateful for the sacrifices of his earthly parents in watching over him and protecting him so that he could grow to fulfill his purpose here on earth. Lastly I am thankful for a loving father in heaven who would allow his only begotten son to endure the sins for all mankind and lay down his life so that we can receive forgiveness for our sins and return to live with God again one day.

So Thank You Jesus and Happy Birthday!

I would like to wish a very Merry Christmas to all of my friends and family that read this. I love you and hope that you are all happy and healthy and I hope the new year will bring you all that you desire.

Love ya,
Tracy

Merry Birthday!?

So My 27th birthday was Saturday (Sorry if that makes anyone feel old). Sara and I decided to go to the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers that was playing in Seattle at the 5th Avenue theater. Since we are in the middle of a severe snow storm the likes of which has not been seen around these parts for several decades we decided it would not be a good idea to drive over. Shawn dropped us off at the ferry and we walked from the ferry terminal to a hotel (we decided to stay the night rather than making Shawn pick us up with the kids at 2 am). We went to diner at a restaurant right across from the theater and our table overlooked the marquee and trees covered in Christmas lights lining the street. The best part was we they gave me a birthday desert without having to sing to me first and the desert was delicious.

The show was delicious too. Sometime in my childhood our older sister barrowed a copy of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers from a friend. I am pretty sure she did not return it for at least six months. During which time Sara and I watched the movie so many times we could sing the songs and quote many of the lines.

The stage production was very well done it stayed true to the original and even had a couple of new songs thrown in. I would say it's only downside was the fact that I know the characters lines almost as well as the actors so I noticed any deviations from the original production.

Here are some pictures of the adventure...

Fist up Sara getting ready in the hotel before we head out to diner.



The view from our table at the restaurant...



My birthday "cake"...trust me it wasn't cake and it was Delicious!




The show was at the historic 5th avenue theater...



Sara and I with the stage at our backs waiting for the show to start...



I had a wonderful time. With a birthday this close to Christmas it can sometimes get lost in the holiday hustle and bustle. Thank you to Sara for a birthday that I will never forget. Also a BIG thank you to Shawn who taxied us to and from the ferry in the snow both ways and who watched the kiddos while snow bound in the house. Love you guys tons!!

So there you are...I missed you!

Hey there everybody. I know it has been awhile. But I have been a little busy..for real...and for good reason...well, not really but it was fun! You see unless you have been living under a rock for awhile you might have heard about this book/movie...about vampires...set in Forks, WA...thats right I have been lost in the Twilight series, and you know what I am not going to apologize...because I liked it...You see, for me movies/books primary function is to escape the never dull but most the time ordinary pathways of life. Twilight delivers on this in spades.

I know the book is much derided as being cheesy, immoral, stupid, badly written, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera as Yul Brynner would say. I will say I agree that I would probably not let a child of mine read the books till they were about 15 or 16 but by then I figure they should know enough about right and wrong to not be swayed by a fictional examples. Plus the books do give good examples and teach that sometimes it is better to control our natural urges by living with some moral fiber. Anyway if you don't take yourself or it too seriously you will love these books just as I did.

I also had the opportunity to visit Forks, WA a couple of weeks ago for work. Here are the picks I came back with:



First off the Welcome to Forks sign you can not see it because it was a beautiful clear crisp fall day and the sun was out. Kind of ironic considering almost everyday in the books its raining.



Next, one of the new gift shops and the only one I went into. I bought the sound track (it was that or the radio on the way home) and some earrings with red Delicious apples on them. They were super cute and having grown up working at Grandmas fruit stand I thought them appropriate. The books have been a great help to the local economy since Forks actually has tourism dollars now.



Lastly the Forks High where Bella and Edward attend school. I have to say before I read them I heard there was controversy over the love triangle that develops in the books but when I was reading them I never could figure it out. I never had any doubt who Bella would end up with. I guess I have read to much Jane Austen. I will admit that throughout the books I was a member of team Edward, as they say, and actually ended up detesting Jacob (and Bella to a point) at the end of the third book. (He becomes likable again toward the end of the 4th book).

As for the movie it is cheestasic like the book but, and this is the best part it was filmed in the most beautiful place on earth: the Columbia Gorge and I would highly recommend it for that reason alone. Anyway happy reading!

And if you suffered through all of that here are some of the pictures I took on the way back from Forks as I was driving through the Olympic National Forest:






This is Lake Crescent, isn't it beautiful? You have to drive right along the shoreline of the lake for a good half hour. It is so windy you have to keep it at about 35 mph most of the way. (for those who have read Twilight it would be impossible to go 80+ mph on this stretch of the road with out ending up in the lake or in a fiery car crash no matter how super human you senses, it's called physics and getting form Port Angeles to Forks in 20 minutes? Yeah right! but when you go through at Human speed the view just takes your breath away).