White Christmas (1954)- Sisters

Get up and Dance!

Get Up and Dance!


I love movies! I know I have said this before, but seriously I love them. I now know where my 6 year old gets her addiction. It must be hereditary. In fact, I think I recently read about the Cinematic gene which is passed down from generation to generation. The symptoms of the disease include sitting opened mouth and googled eyed staring at the television, a.k.a. movie screen, and the inability to focus on anyone or anything else whilst entranced by whatever movie is serving as the enchantress of the night.


Tonight our movie choice is the holiday classic, White Christmas. I remember my sister and I being almost the exact same ages as my girls and watching this movie. We would curl up on the couch with a blanket and hot chocolate (much like tonight) and immerse ourselves in the dancing and singing and romance of it all. In fact, we even had a routine imitating Rosemary Clooney and Ava Lee's "Sisters". We would clear out the living room and use big pillows for our feather fans and put on a performance complete with lyrics and dance moves (maybe this could be the performance at this year's Pinkston Christmas!).


My point is that movies take us to a different place, time, and life. Not that I ever want to leave mine, but what I wouldn't give to live one of these lives in a movie for just a couple of hours. Dancing and singing across the stage while falling in  love in a musical. There are so many great ones Singing in the Rain, The Sound of Music, Grease, Mamma Mia, Wicked, Hairspray, West Side Story, Annie, Chicago, Moulin Rouge, every Disney musical ever made, and most recently Burlesque. Each one leaves me wistful, romantic, happy, and longing to just get up and dance! 

Potter Lover and Not Afraid to Admit It

Potter Lover and Not Afraid to Admit It 

So Thursday night, I slipped into a mild form of depression. My sister, my cousins, my aunt, my brother-in-law, and countless others were all attending the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. I, alas, was at home because my husband smartly pointed out that missing one day for Potter could cost us money down the road if I ended up using all of my days for maternity leave. 


Now, anyone who has never read the series is going "Seriously???". Yes, seriously. First of all, if you have never read the books then let's not, as they say, Judge a Book By Its Cover. It is by far the best, most imaginative, most thought out, and thought provoking series of books that has ever existed. For those of you who think it is "evil" because it has magic and because you have never read it so you really don't know what it is about, I have this to say: Do you watch Disney movies? Because almost every Disney movie there is has fairy god mothers, evil sorcerers, sea witches, tooth fairies, Santa Claus, wicked queens, good fairies, and countless other forms of magic a.k.a fantasy. That is just what Harry Potter is: FANTASY. And Bloody phenomenal fantasy at that!! 


When I expressed to one of my friends my depression, she could not believe it and looked at me with eyes that read "you are a little bit silly and perhaps crazy". Now that is probably very much true, but I think that not having something silly to be excited about is even sillier. 


Life is too short. We are here to enjoy this amazing place that God has given us and allowed us the privilege to be apart of. This includes books or movies or exercise (blah) or painting or sewing or trivia games or scrap booking or hanging out with friends or blogging....whatever it is that helps you enjoy life. 


Of course the first thing we think about is family and it goes without saying that should be the most important and give the most enjoyment, but I am talking about things that are just for you. Many of us, especially moms, don't take time for ourselves. We don't find something to love and be passionate about that expresses who we are and allows us to be someone other than a mom and a wife. 


People always ask me how I make time for reading, watching movies, blogging, playing Bunko, working on a Christmas parade float...My answer is always the same: you make time for things that are important to you and things that you enjoy. If you don't, your life could end up feeling empty and you might end up depressed about worse things than missing the premiere of a movie. 


As for me, I love anything that allows me to experience things  I could not in the real world. I love to be taken out of the reality of my life and escape into the world of make believe. It makes me happy, and sometimes we need to find simple things that bring happiness and contentment into our lives and allow us to escape, if even for just a few pages. 


 Therefore I make the following proclamation: I am a Potter lover and not afraid to admit it! And hopefully soon, I will be able to escape reality for a few hours when I immerse myself into the work of the young wizard and come out happy and relax, ready to enjoy and appreciate all aspects of my life.