Thanksgiving

This post comes few days late. Oh well. I was simply to lazy to blog, even though I didn't do much over the weekend. This was the first Thanksgiving, where Jared and I aren't dating. Amazing, huh? With my dad in Africa, my mom in Virgina, Jared's folks in MT, it was left up to Nita and I to cook Thanksgiving dinner. Now, I know why people order pre-cooked Thanksgiving dinner. It's soo much easier and you don't have to stand all day in the kitchen. Enjoy the photos. 

Roasted Turkey Breast

Ham

 

Broccoli-Cauliflower gratin

 

 Spinach Salad with apples, cranberries, candied pecans & walnuts. Dressing: Honey Dijon Mustard Vinegrette

Nita's homemade apple pie 

 The Austin Family , who I had invited to celebrate the holidays with us.

 Calvin & Spencer passed out in the Living Room.

I think Marlith and I were the only people awake after our Thanksgiving meal. Jared was passed out as well. Then again, that was to be expected, as he had worked the night before. And know surprise here, of course, Nita and & Nat were passed out upstairs. Other dishes incl.: Sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, string beans with mushrooms & bacon, bruchetta, chocolate chip pie, baked macaroni casserole, platter of fresh fruits. If I'm not mistaken that was it.

Holiday Cards: The Austin Family

I created some holiday cards, for my best friend Marlith and her family. You can read more about the details of their photo shoot and cards on my photography blog here and here.

Spring Awakening Review

I'm back with my review of Spring Awakening. Here is my quick review: Very good. Cast and music was great. Kept to the script of the play. My recommendation is to see the musical for yourself, but read the play as well to familiarize yourself with the story and the culture/society of the time. Also don't be cheap, like us. We purchased the nosebleeds seats. Here's also an excerpt review from www.broadwayworld.com:

....Interweaving modern rock concert performances in between its 19th Century text (complete with wireless microphones being magically pulled from vest pockets) is a masterstroke of theatrical inventiveness. The songs don't at all feel as if they interrupt the story; in fact, they actually punctuate it. As stand-alone songs, Duncan Shiek and Steven Sater have crafted such impressive cocktails of eloquent poetry and infectious pop-rock hooks. As part of the musical as a whole, the score—to steal lyrics from one of the show's songs—is nothing less than "harmony and wisdom." When the full cast sing together, they produce some really beautiful, melodic harmonies that are surprisingly mature-sounding....

To read the entire article click here.Well, typically I try to blog each post with photo to make it more interesting. Who doesn't love looking at pictures?! But unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take any, while we were there. So therefore, I leave you with a youtube clip from the musical Spring Awakening. The actors in this clip are also the ones, we saw at the OPAC.

Spring Awakening

Tomorrow, Jared and I will be seeing the musical Spring Awakening at the Orange County Preforming Arts Center. When I heard that this particular musical was coming to the OC Preforming Arts Center ~ it was a must see, especially since I've read the play in one of my German Graduate classes. Not to mention that it was such a controversial play during it's time. And if memory serves me correctly, I actually had to write a paper about the play as well.

Spring Awakening was written by a German playwright Frank Wedekind. You can read about him, if you click here. Here's also a short synopsis of the actual play, not the 2006 adapted muscial. It will be interesting to see how they adapted the play into a muscial, and if they modernized it.  Please check back tomorrow, as I will give a brief review of what I thought about the muscial itself.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Wow, it's been a month since I've actually blogged. We've been really busy and with Jared working nights, I'm the one who typically blogs. And their is simply isn't enough time in the day. With my commute, work out, study time, & my search for a new employment...something has to take a back seat. Unfortunately, it's been my beloved blog. With that said, I'll try to recap in bullet points on what we have been up too:

• Jared and I saw the musical Rent
• Two weekends ago, we had a weekend get-away with my best friend, Marlith and her family up in Big Bear. Planning another trip with them in the new year. Hopefully, there will be some snow up in the mountains, so the boys can hit up the slopes.
  
• With some encouragement from Jared, I signed up for my 1st mini Triathlon. It will take place in February 2010. Excited, since I'm able to cross off another item of my 2009 goal list.
• This coming week, we will see another musical called Spring Awakening with some friends. Jared had to rearrange his schedule so he could go with us. This means he'll be working six days straight. It's unfortunate, since we will basically see each other for 15 min in the morning before I head out the door for work. On the bright side, he has 5 days off coming up soon, but has to entertain himself, since I'll be at work. Simply can't win. =/
  
• Other than that, we're simply busy with life, and other projects that I will reveal soon.
  

Now on to the important stuff. Photos!!! As usual hanging out with Austin Family consisted of Fun.Food.Laughter & Relaxation. Not to mention a fun Family Photo Shoot.


And here's a sneak peak of the family photo shoot. I will write more about them in the next few days in my photography blog.