So I Think I Can Quit?

With the conclusion of American Idol last week, I had sworn off T.V. for the summer. We watch way too much television, and I’m trying hard to wean myself from shows that I can do without. Exceptions to the rule: The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and American Idol. I figured a summer without television would give me the free time I need to do other things like going to the gym, getting some scrapbooking done, reading the stack of magazines piled up, and enjoying being outdoors during the warm weather. Sounds good, right?

Well, here I am a week later. Haven’t been to the gym yet. No layouts done on my desk. Magazines still collecting dust. And it’s been raining every afternoon this past week. To top it all off, So You Think You Can Dance has been showing their auditions. I told Jeremy last week that I would absolutely *NOT* get caught up in it this year. But I watched last night, and now of course I’m partial to a few people and want to see if they make it to the competition.

Argh, I feel I’m pulling myself in two different directions. I really, really, *REALLY* don’t want to get caught up in any T.V. this summer. Right now, I feel like I can do it. Cut myself off now before it’s too late. But I know that temptation will pull at me tonight.

How Wicked!

We went to see Wicked yesterday for our anniversary. It was a fun musical, and such an interesting take on the witches of Oz!
I purchased our tickets over a year ago when I found out that Wicked would be returning to Denver. We missed out on the first tour because we waited too long to buy tickets, not knowing what the musical was about or if it was even good. Our tickets were for the afternoon matinee. They were of course cheaper than going to a Saturday evening show. At first, I was disappointed with myself for buying the matinee, but in the end I was very pleased.

Jeremy had to help a friend strip and reseal his concrete patio in the morning. Don’t ask me why he promised he’d do it on our anniversary. I got to do some scrapbooking in the morning, so all in all, it wasn’t a bad deal. I was bound and determined not to let it ruin the day, as long as Jeremy was home in time to take a shower and get ready so we could be there about an hour ahead of showtime. He was actually home about 15 minutes before I expected him, wow!

I’ve been wearing my hair au natural recently taking advantage of the wave (and the short amount of time it takes to do it!). Jeremy made it clear that he wanted me to wear my hair like that, so who was I to argue? I wore a cute cotton skirt and tank that I had gotten at Sears just for the day, and wore my denim jacket over top. It was a bit warm, but when the jacket is part of the fashion, you suck it up just to look cute.

Our tickets were pretty decent. Exactly center stage and a few rows from the back in the orchestra level. We didn’t even think to take binoculars, and I can’t justify the cost to rent them at the theater. We didn’t really need them though.

The first act was spectacular! Galinda (as she calls herself in the first act) was very funny, and the whole act was very light-hearted. The songs were sing-songy (is that a word?), and I loved “Popular”. The second act wasn’t as good, a little darker, but all in all it was a fantastic story line. It lined up very well with the movie, with characters like the Wicked Witch of the East, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow making appearances. It really downplayed Dorothy’s involvement in the whole story, but did have a bit about the ruby red slippers on her feet. The actress who played Elpheba, the Wicked Witch of the West, nailed the cameo cackle, and the audience loved it!

After the show, we walked up and down the 16th Street Mall deciding where to eat dinner. After 30 minutes, 16 blocks (round-trip), we decided to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. It was prom night in the city, so the wait was crazy, and there were groups of teenagers taking up tables all over the place. We waited at the bar, and ordered chips and guacamole, but before they could even serve us, our table was ready. By good fortune, we got to sit out on the patio on a warm spring evening. The guacamole was delivered and we could have just eaten that, but you can’t go to the Cheesecake Factory and not eat one of their delicious entrees. I had a chicken dish with mozzarella, mushrooms, and mashed potatoes, and Jeremy had a steak dish with mashed potatoes. (We also got a piece of cheesecake to go!)

We sat on the patio enjoying each other’s company and giggling at each other, while watching the prom dresses and tuxes come and go as we reminisced about our own prom and high school experiences.
We went home and popped in “The Holiday” in the DVD player and enjoyed our cheesecake curled up on the couch together. It was a perfect day!!!

I'm It

Lisa has tagged me, so here goes nothin':

The rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I can't stand wet socks. Even if I step in just a little bit of something, I have to tear the socks off my feet and get new ones.

2. I hate doing the dishes. We eat off of paper plates with plastic silver, and use plastic cups to keep the kitchen from getting out of hand.

3. I'm a big fan of Cheetos. Recently, I've been devouring the new Natural white cheese Cheetos puffs.

4. I lied about my age in order to pierce my ears a second time without parental consent. My mom found out about four weeks later when I finally wore my hair back for my junior prom. Not a pretty scene (although my date's hair was the same color as my royal blue dress).

5. I first saw Bon Jovi at Red Rocks Amphitheater the summer after I graduated from high school.

6. My first concert ever was New Kids on the Block when I was in 7th grade.

7. I'm fascinated by detail architecture. Most people take pictures of people standing in front of stuff; I take pictures of details of a building.

Okay, I tag Celia, Dana, Jaime, Jana, Kimberly, Meredith, and Sandy. Dang it, some of you have already been tagged!

My American Idol...

...is Jon Bon Jovi, duh! The show was twice as awesome this week. You combine my obsession with AI and my obsession with JBJ and I'm in heaven!

I was convinced I would hate them all. It's so difficult to be such a giant fan and hear someone else sing his songs. But I was surprisingly pleased with most of them.

Phil was AWESOME! Now that we've learned that his genre is country, he picked the perfect song, and threw in a little twang every now and again. And he was the only one who truly new all the words to the song before he stepped foot into rehearsal. Loved his jacket!

Jordin was absolutely MISERABLE. [<----pukey green color] The look was totally wrong for her, and she spent more time trying to nail the rocker act than actually nail the song. I got a headache just watching her try to head bang to the beat. The key and tone were sooooo bad. I agree she has amazing talent, but based on her performance last night, she should be sent home.

Blake. I have to say I was most dreading his performance. Not because I don't like him (he's my fave), but again, you go messing with a song that is such a key to this band's success, and it could get ugly. But he totally *NAILED IT* and brought it out of the '80's and into a new millenium. I think JBJ was so concerned because when the band released their acoustic album "This Left Feels Right", it bombed because the band messed with songs we all loved. WTG Blake! Not sure I like the dark hair tho.

LaKisha was actually pretty decent. I thought there was no way she could pull it off, but I didn't hate it. Now, her shirt? Hated it!

Chris, IMHO, was just as bad as Jordin. Especially since Chris Daughtry performed that song last season and rocked it. Chris' voice didn't suit the song at all and he was totally unbelievable. JBJ told them that every song is a story and you have to tell the story to draw us in. Chris didn't get it done...who's going to believe that he travels around on a motorcycle, drinking booze in a different bar every day with a Justin Timerlake girly voice? Go home already!

Melinda was amazing as always. I actually was pleased she chose a more recent song. Chris and Jordin should have thought of that. Even though she's not a rocker, she nailed the rock act without looking strange and over the top like Jordin. She's not my choice to win it, but she's a tough act to beat. And Simon said he's not familiar with the song? What the h? Has he been under a rock for the past two years? He's in the music business for crying out loud!

But the results show only appeased 1/2 of me. I've been waiting for Chris to go home, but poor Phil! He was just starting to get comfortable in his own skin out there and he's rocked the past three weeks. Plus, he's just a dang nice guy...so humble and so gracious. I loved that he kissed his wife during his performance last night, and how appropriate that his finale song was "Blaze of Glory"? I'm so over Jordin and LaKisha, and with Jordin's performance this week, it should have been her. Anbody else think she looks like a younger Kimberly Locke?

I'm rooting for Blake all the way! He's so original and different. Who wouldn't love the way he simulated putting a record on a turntable? We don't need another winner that sounds just like Fantasia Barrino.

In other news, I couldn't take it anymore, so I finally ripped the carpet and pad out of the hallway! I was so sick of how nasty the carpet was being the first place we walked through having come from the garage and it being the most walked on surface in our house between the bedroom and the rest of the house. It was filthy and disgusting! So we're down to bare concrete for another week or so until our tile comes in at the H-Depot. Mom and Dad are planning on coming down for the weekend to help us put it in. What a great Mom's Day gift, huh?

I weighed myself yesterday morning and I'm up 6 freakin' pounds since the beginning of the year. I was so despondent yesterday. That coupled with the fact I woke up on the wrong side of the bed anyway made yesterday pretty much suck. I was over-tired, had a splitting headache, and felt sick to my stomach most of the morning. The nice thing was I got to go home early from work, since my afternoon site visit ended early, and got in a good, hard workout at the gym. Worked out my frustration and anger a little bit, but by the time I got home, I was really super tired.

I've been tanning at the gym too. Not overboard, but I've got to do something so that I don't burn as easily this summer. Especially when we go to Greece in September. I've been doing short stints, taking lots of precautions with lotions and eye goggles. I can tell it's working because I'm starting to see a little color on my legs and arms, and Jer swears my face is looking darker. It's probably just more freckles!

We are utterly disappointed in the Nuggets again this year, giving us so much hope with a strong win over the Spurs in Game 1 and dropping the next four just like they have the past three years. You could literally see the exact moment they gave up last night. *Sigh* We'll have to take advantage of baseball season now until football starts in the fall . The Rockies haven't given us anything to cheer for since 1995, and I gave up defending them several years ago.

Sorry for the long post, I guess I feel like I need to make up for being absent the past four weeks.