Monday, October 27, 2008

Broadway, books, & ballet




sounds like a sermon, huh?




One of my dear friends treated several of us to an evening at Wicked!!

What an amazing story, what amazing voices, what amazing everything!

I loved the storyline. I love the relationship between glinda ( the good witch) & her friend elpheba ( the misunderstood wicked witch). Despite their opposing views & very different personalities ,they built an amazing lifelong loyalty to each other. Oh my~

I laughed & I cried.

I want to see it again & absorb it all over again.

Turns out she wasn't such a wicked witch after all....who knew?

( just a little ps-if you click on the wicked link , go to the home icon on the left, you can scroll to music & enjoy several of the pieces).




Some of the books we read this weekend


Sophie's Masterpiece~ a precious story about a truly kind gentle soul. I swear I tear up everytime I read it with Caroline.
The Wednesday Letters. A tender story about the power of forgiveness & redemption. Cried in that one too.


Twilight. I'm sorry but I must confess I too have jumped on the bandwagon. Feeling a little guilty reading a book about vampires. I mean I've already confessed our complete infatuation with Harry Potter & now this. My two girls have read the entire series & loved them. Figured I've give it a try. I'm really not a dark gothic person, but truth be told, this is a great story. Haven't cried yet, though.
The Comfort Table....an excellent cookbook. my current favorite. I've tried several recipes & they are all wonderful.

Ballet....Madison loves ballet. She would live at the studio if she could. Honestly, its a struggle for me. She dances 6 days a week. It is an all encompassing, year round commitment. While I truly want each of my girls to find the one thing they love & pour their heart into it....I also worry that she will one day feel like she missed out on other things while she was dancing --dancing every day. I wonder if all this time, energy, ( & dare i mention money) will pay off for her. Will she find herself in dance as she continues to grow & mature. We'll see...

For now I am so proud of her passion for dance, her commitment, & her desire to do her best.




















20 comments:

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! said...

Hi Paige,

I have really want to go see Wicked on Broadway in NYC....my boss went last year and also said that it was fantastic.

The cookbook looks good too....you know I love to cook and PD is one of my favs!

Now, onto Miss Madison....I know what a big committment it is for her and for you, but she seems very driven, not to mention, beautiful and talented...and the girls that make it are the ones with the passion and determination. I can honestly tell you that although my career was only a whopping 2 years...I would not be the person I am today without the training and life lessons that were acquired while "living" my life in the studio.....

Looking back I don't have any regrets....

Well maybe one....I wish I could have danced a little longer!!

Hope all is well with you and your beautiful family...sorry to have written you a book!

Lisa

Clare said...

Hi Paige,

sounds like a wonderful show and a great weekend, lucky girl!! i haven't been up to see a show in a while, must do that soon!

i was a dancer for a majority of my life, until high school when I started cheering. i had to give up dance to cheer since that was such a big commitment too. i don't regret any of it, and even during and after college i still take some ballet classes every now and then just for something to do other than working out at the gym. it is such a wonderful passion, and she looks beautiful doing it!

Jason Wright said...

Wow, that's a lot of books! Wish I read that fast :) Glad you enjoyed The Wednesday Letters!

Jboo said...

Will definitely be checking out those books!

Oh my -- your Madison is so lovely and looks so talented (ouch -- doesn't that hurt?).

Sending best wishes to your family! Enjoy your week.

Janet

Kasey said...

i get to go see that show in 2 weeks for my bday. yippee..
also, love that cookbook, and isn't she just a doll!
k-

Misty said...

Thanks for the book recommendations.

As long as you encourage and support your daughter, she will be just fine. Ballet takes great focus and dedication and those attributes will do well in any field! If this truly becomes what she wants to do FOREVER just make sure she understands that she will need to learn how to SUPPORT her life-long passion. (you already know this)

I only say these things because it wasn't too long ago when all i did was live/eat/breathe theatre... in fact, when i got out of college I was clueless about how to support my passion. I didn't understand that all my hard work and commitment to my craft was great but that I needed a skill (besides acting) to support myself (at least in the beginning). I don't know how old your daughter is, but it is true what lisa said in her post about passion/determination. I think determination is what I thought I had...but when reality hit in, I wasn't prepared. (I never had a "day" job until I was 22!) It was hard for me to recover from that (I was a terrible waitress) and to not be so hard on myself for not being successful by the ripe ol' age of 24.

Day jobs are good. Especially ones that you like. They support you and keep you alive while you dance or act or sing or paint or whatever your heart desires!

This, of course, is my little opinion from my little experience. All these roads are different but they all have one thing in common: artists finding their way! :)

Thanks for sharing all your thoughts & concerns. I enjoy reading your blog.

Unknown said...

Sounds like so much fun! You look awesome too!
♥Jen

Heather said...

i have read the twilight series! i loved it.

love the pics ... sounds like you had so much fun at Wicked.

have a great week!
xo
HH

Cottage At Dove Canyon said...

Wicked is amazing - I would see it over and over if I could - just fabulous! I highly recommend purchasing the soundtrack - I have it in my car and listen to it all the time!

Bristol said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful time at the show. Your daughter is amazing~
Bristol

Jeanne Oliver said...

I tried to see Wicked last time I was in NYC and it was sold out. I have only heard amazing things about the play. Your daughter is lovely. Even though it takes so much of her time...it is pretty amazing that at her age she is that disciplined and focused..who knows where that will take her.

RobinfromCA said...

Your weekend sounds great! Wicked comes out here in January and I'm looking forward to seeing it then!

Love all the book suggestions. I've not had the courage to start the Twilight series because I know I won't put them down until I'm done - just like Harry Potter. Everyone I know loves those books. Maybe this winter . . .

Madison looks like she's a lovely dancer. Such beautiful lines. I don't think she will have any regrets because she is doing what she loves. The discipline she's learning now will serve her well in whatever she does the rest of her life.

CJ, The Purple Diva said...

I loved The Wednesday Letters! AWESOME BOOK!
Haven't gotten into the Vampire series yet. Although ALL Of my family is reading them!
Haven't seen Wicked yet...want to!
NoW, for the pictures! You are just too cute for words!
And your daughter, breath taking...just so beautiful.

Pixel Fairy Princess said...

I am so glad that you enjoyed the show! it is awesome :D

I love them images of Madison - and I like you have mixed feeling on that. She loves it so encourager her, but what about everythign else? Isn't parenting so hard!

I feel like it has been forever since we talked! I am going to be at Perimeter tomorrow - PIT has doctor's appointment in the afternoon and i am driving in early to do a little shopping and go to Restoration Hardware :D Call me if you are free!

Ladybug hugs,
;D

The Golf Widow said...

I agree Wicked was a wonderful surprise!Love the music!

Anonymous said...

I LOVED Wicked...went once with my girlfriend and it was so good I had to get tickets to see it again with my mom and daughter...it leaves Chicago in January....Madison looks fantastic...great determination! Just wanted to pop by and say hi! Congrats on the new jeans too :)
Janae

Anonymous said...

It's been so long since I've commented on here!

Wanted to share about one of my dearest friends from elementary school. She was extremely involved in ballet - by high school she was dancing 6 days a week - like your daughter. When she graduated from high school she was accepted at Brown but deferred for a year so that she could try dancing professionally in New York...

It was a long and difficult year, but at the end she came to the conclusion that she wasn't cut out to be a professional dancer. She went to Brown, graduated and headed off to med school. She just completed her residency. At one point when she was still at Brown, I asked her if she regretted spending all the time she had on ballet when she ended up following another path in her life - she said no. She looked on that time dancing as a blessed time in her life, and even said that the focus and dedication she learned in ballet carried over into college and med school.

In other words - don't worry. Continue to encourage your daughter's passion.

Sarah said...

lovely post about your daughters ballet commitment.
Sarah
Vintage Lily
www.vintagelily.typepad.com

Anonymous said...

Speaking of The Wednesday Letters, I work with Jason and thought you’d like knowing he has a new contest on his web site where you can win a free trip-for-two to his hometown in VA, the Shenandoah Valley. All you have to do is mail him a Christmas card! All the details are here:

http://www.jasonfwright.com/triptosvalley.php

Anonymous said...

gorgeous ballet pics!

I accidentally read "twilight" too. I bought on the kindle because it was set in my neck of the woods..I didn't realize it was a vampire book until too late..hehe.