I Wonder...

I wonder if Liberace ever had a sister. I wonder if her name was Mary. If so, I wonder if she prefered Marriache music instead of opera. Something to think about.

Katie Clarke to play Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza

So I can't say I ever knew this girl very well, but I did go to college with her and she was in one of the last shows I stage managed before graduating. I think she was a sophomore when I was a senior. Anyways, she's now taking over the lead in a major Broadway play just seconds after graduating herself! Way to go Katie! Someone from college said when she auditioned, she already had the entire play memorized. Talk about preparation. And for all of you non theatre nerds and non drama queens, The Light in the Piazza was one of the major Broadway powerhouses last season (2005). It won 6 Tony awards (Best Leading Actress, Best Original Score, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Orchestration), the most out of any other musical or show that season. It also won 5 Drama Desk awards and 2 Outer Critics Circle Awards. You don't have to pretend to know what those are. This is supposed to be a beautiful show, although I haven't seen it myself (gimme a break...it was hard enough just to get Jason and Michael to go see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels when we were in NYC...!) So here's the article about Broadway's new leading lady!!

Katie Clarke to play Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza
Katie Clarke will assume the role of Clara Johnson in the The Light In The Piazza from the 16 Dec 2005.
Kelli O'Hara, who originated the role of Clara will play her final performance on the 4 Dec 2005. Jennifer Hughes, who understudies the role, will perform the role of Clara the 6 - 15 Dec 2005.
Katie Clarke, who will be making her New York stage debut in The Light In The Piazza, has appeared in her native Texas in Anything Goes at Houston's Theater Under The Stars and in The Exonerated, Ragtime, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Anything Goes and The Sound of Music at Sam Houston State University, where she'll graduate with a BFA in Musical Theatre next month. In 2004 she was a featured soloist in Tony Award winning choreographer Ann Reinking's Broadway Theatre Project.
The Light In The Piazza is currently booking to the 26 Mar 2006 at the Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre. The show opened on the 18 Apr 2005, following previews from the 17 Mar2005.
The Light In The Piazza has music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, with book by Craig Lucas.
The Light In The Piazza based on the novella by Elizabeth Spencer, is set in the summer of 1953 and tells the story of a mother and daughter traveling through Italy, and the daughter's romance with a handsome, high-spirited Florentine. They fall in love. As their relationship develops, the girl's mother must reveal the truth that will surely test that love.
The cast, directed by Bartlett Sher, includes Glenn Seven Allen, Michael Berresse, Sarah Uriarte Berry, David Bonanno, David Burnham, Victoria Clark, Patti Cohenour, Beau Gravitte, Laura Griffith, Chris Sarandon, Prudence Wright Holmes, Jennifer Hughes, Felicity LaFortune, Catherine LaValle, Michel Moinot, Aaron Lazar, Peter Samuel, Joseph Siravo, Diane Sutherland.
The Light In The Piazza has set design by Michael Yeargan, costumes by Catherine Zuber, lighting by Christopher Akerlind and sund by ACME Sound Partners.
The show opened to average notices from the popular press, Michael Kuchwara of the Assoiciated Press said "A show of considerable beauty — more melodically, emotionally and visually satisfying than any other musical this," while Ben Brentley of the New York Times wrote "Encouragingly ambitious and discouragingly unfulfilled new show."
newyorktheatreguide.com's reviewer, Polly Wittenberg, wrote of Victoria Clark's performance as being "exceptionally warm, subtle and powerful... She clearly deserves billing above the title." and went on to say "I can’t say enough good things about the lovely set by Michael Yeargan, the handsome costumes by Catherine Zuber, and the mystical lighting by Christopher Akerlind except that they made me want to go and book a room overlooking the Arno immediately."

Worst Blogger Ever

So I haven’t updated my blog in a month. I am officially the worst blogger ever. And I don’t even have a good excuse…I’m unemployed! You would think I would have a new post every day in order to fill my uneventful, unemployed days. But no, I am a lazy bum of a blogger. Just call me the blogger bum. In fact, I think I feel a limerick coming on expressing my bum-ness…
There once was a big fat blogger bum
Who no longer blogged and was no longer fun
She sat like a blob and looked for a job
And asked everyone if they had any gum.

But rest assured, the random thoughts that assail my brain daily have not ceased their haphazard barrage, and while you think you have escaped the cheesy humor that is mine, you have thought wrong my dear friend. You cannot escape the cheese that is the Crys McDonald Show. Mua-ha-ha.
And because I know how much you’ve missed my cheesiness, here are some exceptionally random thoughts to make up for it. Some of these I have shared with my hometeam members in the “thought for the week” section of our weekly hometeam email. Poor things. They had no idea their hometeam leader was such a nerd. And now they must be taunted a second time!! (name that movie quote….I know you can do it….Erick, don't fail me now…)
Well enough ramblings for now. Enjoy the cheese!

After they make styrofoam, what do they ship it in?
Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?
How do 'Do Not Walk On Grass' signs get there?
If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?
If it's called a boxing RING, then why are they square?
If knees were backward, what would chairs look like?
If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?
If nothing ever sticks to TEFLON, how do they make TEFLON stick to the pan?
If the only thing to survive a plane crash is the black box, why don't they make the whole plane out of the black box?
If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn?
What does Geronimo say when he jumps out of a plane?
What does the hotcake seller say when his hotcakes are selling quickly?
When it rains, why don't sheep shrink?
When your pet bird sees you reading the newspaper, does he wonder why you're just sitting there, staring at carpeting?
Where in the nursery rhyme does it say Humpty Dumpty is an egg?
Why is it considered necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin?
Did Adam and Eve have navels?
Isn't Disney World just a people trap operated by a mouse?
Did the early settlers ever go on a camping trip?
Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?
How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings?
If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?
If the Energizer Bunny attacks someone, is it charged with battery?
What did we do before the Law of Gravity was passed?
Why are there flotation devices under plane seats instead of parachutes?
Why is Mickey Mouse bigger than his dog Pluto?
Why are there 5 syllables in the word 'monosyllabic'?
Why is the word "abbreviate" so long?
Why doesn't "onomatopoeia" sound like what it is?
Why isn't "palindrome" spelled the same way backwards?
Have ex-bankers become disinterested? Have ex-civil lawyers been distorted? Have ex-locomotive engineers been derailed? Have ex-mathematicians become dysfunctional? Have ex-punsters been expunged? Ex-cowboys deranged? If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked and dry cleaners depressed?
Can you be a closet claustrophobic?
What's another word for synonym? What's another word for thesaurus?
If your driving in the car and you throw a cat out the window, does it become kitty litter?

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my world.

Why I love...Kara!

My very good friend and fellow blogger Sara Shields one day had the wonderful idea of telling everyone who reads her blog how great her friends are. And because I am currently out of creative blogging ideas, I shall shamelessly steal hers. So here is installment #1 of Why I Love…

Why I Love Kara…first of all she’s stinkin’ gorgeous, how can you not love her? Just being around her makes you more attractive because of all the hot-ness vibes radiating off of her! Strangers have actually walked up to her to ask if she is a model. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. But even more beautiful is her personality on the inside. She has one of the biggest, most giving hearts of anyone I have ever met. Serving others before herself is never a question for her. She is sensitive and vulnerable and embodies femininity without losing her strength and independence…something I have yet to master! She is passionate and will not hesitate to give you her love and encouragement. And above all, everything about her and her life are all about God and following in His footsteps as closely as possible.
I also love how she’s one of the few people who GET me! This is because we share the same brain. She is just as dorky and goofy as I am and when other people roll their eyes and tell me how cheesy I am, she just giggles and laughs along with me, usually heaping more cheesiness on top! I never have to worry about looking or acting like a complete nerd around her because she doesn’t care. I love that we can totally kick butt at pictionary and can look at each other across the room and know exactly what the other is thinking! I love that she teaches me that it’s ok to be a little girly, but still calls me to come over and squish the bugs or catch the lizards! I love that she spends most of the day on the computer like me so I get to talk to her every now and then during the workday to make my day a little brighter! I love that she decorates her apartment way better than mine and knows every word to every *Nsync, Backstreet Boys, NKOTB, and every other miscellaneous boy band song ever created. And I love that any line from Friends I quote, no matter how random or obscure, she instantly recognizes. The same goes for any Kidd Kraddick/Kiss FM reference.
Kara is the greatest and everyone who reads this should comment on how much they love Kara too, because I know you do! And that is why I love Kara!!

Welcome to the Crys McDonald Show!

You may have noticed that I changed the name of my blog. While it is still my stinking cool blog, I decided perhaps people should not get the idea that I do not shower. So welcome to the Crys McDonald Show, because at least in this tiny little corner of the world, it's all about me. So there.
And in celebration of...well, me...Kara once sent me one of those fabulous and not at all time wasting surveys asking all kinds of random questions, and since I know these are very important things you all want to know about me, well consider yourself enlightened!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30 am
2. Diamonds or pearls? Whichever one I can pawn for the most gas money.
3. What was the last film you saw? The Brother's Grimm
4. What are your favorite TV shows? Friends!!
5. What did you have for breakfast? Smart Start Cereal
6. What is your middle name? Lee
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Italian
8. What foods do you dislike? Not a big seafood fan.
9. What is your favorite crisp flavor? Not sure what this question is, but the best flavors are always chocolate!
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? all of them since they're in my brand new iPod!
11. What kind of car do you drive? the big green machine, a Ford F150
12. Favorite sandwich? as long as it's not ramen noodles I'm happy
13. What characteristic do you despise? lying
14. Favorite item of clothing? jeans and a tshirt
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? road trip across America! and then a road trip across Europe! And then...you get the idea...
16 What color is your bathroom? just white...no painting in apartments!
17. What is your favorite brand of toilet paper? whatever's the cheapest...does anyone really have a favorite brand of toilet paper?
18. Where would you like to retire to? never thought about it before.
19. Favorite time of the day? sunrise or sunset
20. What was your most memorable birthday? This last one was pretty cool, Kara took me to Medieval Times! The black knight was hot.
21. Where were you born? Weymouth, Massachusetts.
22 Favorite sport to watch? I'd rather play.
24. Coke or Pepsi? Dr Pepper dude, this is Texas.
25. Are you a morning person or a night owl? night owl...like I could be anything else in theatre!
26. What is your shoe size? 9
27. Do you have any pets? Only the best pet a gal could have, my cat Duncan!
28. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your family & friends? I'm getting married!!.....well, someday.
29. What did you want to be when you were little? an actress, until I realized I can't act my way out of a paper bag so I decided to be a stage manager, so I could boss all the paper bags around
30. What are you doing today? duh, posting my blog...
31. What is your favorite color? black or green
32. What is your favorite flower? daffodils. Roses are great but run the cliche risk.
33. What do you honor most? The God-Meister

Just to Prove My Nerdiness...

So yesterday I got the crazy idea that I should audition for the praise team at Fellowship Church...yes, the same Fellowship Church that has about 18,000 people every weekend!
I had a blast. I am already a part of the choir and had to audition for that, so I knew a little of what to expect.
So I walk onstage...yes, onstage, with a spotlight and everything...to audition. "Hi Crys" I hear Yanci's voice say, although I can't really see her in the audience. "What are you singing for us?" "I'll be singing How Great is Our God by Chris Tomlin...because he has a really cool name" (NERD!!!) They chuckle at my nerdiness...phew. "And also Angel by Sarah McLaughlin"

It was so much fun. And by fun, I mean scary beyond all reason and I was going to throw up....but fun! But let me tell you what a cool experience it was to hear my voice filling up that huge worship center. Even if I never get to sing again on that stage, that's ok with me because that was cool enough right there! I'm so glad I got to do it!! I was never really convinced that I would actually make it, I mean with people like Rob Johnson and Eric and Yanci and Vanessa and Michael on the praise team, their standards are pretty high! I just wanted to do the best job I could do and enjoy the experience. I was a little dissapointed because I was sooo nervous that I don't feel like I did my very best, but I guess that's ok. Whatever happens, happens.

So I enjoyed each moment as it was happening, not taking for granted a single second because I might never get the chance to do that again...and it was awesome. Afterwards, I went into the audience so they could tell me how I did...and here's where my true nerd-dom shone thru. Let me preface by saying that the last time I auditioned, it was for Yanci and Vanessa, so for some reason in my head I just expected them to be there again. But instead it was Yanci and Michael Higdon...yes, Michael Higdon who is the coolest worship leader ever and I wish I could play guitar like him! So what do I do? Do I conduct myself in a calm and professional manner, impressing them with how blasse I think it is to audition because I'm so experienced and I've done this so many times before? Nooooooo. Instead, before I realize what's coming out of my mouth, I say "!! It's Michael Higdon! I want to be you!!"

NERD NERD NERD NERD NERD!!! He laughed and joked "you're in!", meanwhile I'm sure he was thinking "I've never met a bigger nerd in my life". But they said I did a great job and they love Sarah McLaughlin. They didn't ask me to be on the praise team, but they didn't kick me out of the choir either so I figure that's probably pretty good. :)
But what was even cooler was since I noted that I play the piano and guitar on my audition form, and my music track to How Great is Our God was actually me playing the guitar, Michael asked if I would come to the band auditions in a few months b/c they always need girl players! I thought that was way cool. Of course that is no indication of what they'll say when I actually audition, but it was still cool. Honestly, if I had to choose, I'd have much more fun playing guitar than singing anyways....plus people stare at you less if you're not the lead singer, and that's always a plus in my book. ;) So I guess now it's time to start practicing for band auditions!!

Well that was my praise team audition experience and the latest in the Adventures of Nerd Girl. At least I was wearing my Napolean Dynamite t-shirt so there was no mistaking my nerdiness.

Crystal Cathey

This Wednesday October 5th marked the 2-year anniversary of when one of my best friends from high school, Crystal Cathey, passed away in a car accident. I can't beleive it's been two whole years already...it seems like only yesterday that I was graduating college. Then again, I can't believe two years is all it's been, it seems like so long ago. Funny how the brain works like that.
I went to visit her grave yesterday (and let me tell you how surreal it is to see your own name on a gravestone...). I can still remember what it looked like on this day two years ago...the cars that lined the street, the tent over her coffin with all the flowers. I could look at different places in the ground that now are nothing but tufts of grass, and say "that's where Blake was standing....that's where her parents were sitting..."

But on the other hand, it was only a few weeks later that I attended my very first hometeam at Fellowship church. Interesting how a memory with so much sorrow can be attached to one with so much joy! I really can't believe it's been two years at Fellowship. The friends and relationships I have made here haven't been like anything else in my life. I treasure those people and those relationships so much and I would surely give anything for any one of them! I can't even put into words how meaningful they are to me. So to all my brothers and sisters in Christ who are also my very best friends in the whole wide world...I love you so much! Thank you so much for everything you've done in my life over the past two years that I have known you...and drive safely.

20 Things I Learned from my Cat

20. Always be ready to play.
19. Take time to stop and eat the flowers.
18. Don’t you dare say you have a treat unless you do.
17. Climb your way to the top…that’s why the curtains are there.
16. Trust in earned.
15. Sometimes it’s just more fun to drink from the faucet.
14. Just say no. No, I don’t want to play fetch and no, you cannot sit where I am lying.
13. Display your butt proudly and often.
12. No matter how old you are, if you cope an attitude with mom, you need a time-out.
11. Curiosity never killed anything except a few hours.
10. Never sleep alone when you can sleep on someone’s face.
9. When in doubt, nap.
8. When it’s hot, find cool places to sleep, like the bathroom sink.
7. Being placed on a pedestal is a right, not a privilege.
6. If someone says ‘no’, ask someone else. Then someone else. And then someone else. Eventually some human being will say yes.
5. When you are happy to see someone, stretch up your arms and ask to be picked up. If that fails, falling down and looking cute works too.
4. Love is unconditional.
3. If you can’t get your way, lay across the keyboard until you do.
2. If you miss the sandbox, cover it up. Dragging a sock over it will work.
1. Being cute and fuzzy will get you far, but not quite as far as a giant vomit powered space ship.

I am Outraged!!

So I turn on the tv last night at precisely 9:45, all ready to watch my all time favorite tv show Friends, after missing it all week while on vacation (which is also why I haven’t updated the blog in a while). As I finally get to sit down and relax for the first time all day, I wait patiently for the only half hour of television that has the capacity to bring joy to my dreary life. 10:00 rolls around and just as I’m about to start humming to the “I’ll be there for you” theme song…something awful happens!!! I am not met with the delightful tunes of the Rembrandts, but rather some other plunky jingle starts playing instead, and the words “Sex in the City” flash across the screen. What is this!?!?! What has happened to my dear Friends?!?!?! Surely I have the wrong channel. I pick up my remote and flip a few channels just to be sure. NOPE!! My Friends have been replaced by some girly-let’s-talk-about-sex-and-wear-pink tv show. This is not acceptable!!
I immediately pick up the phone and call my actual best friend, Kara. Who, by the way, I love because when she picks up the phone and all I say is “What is this crap?” and she knows exactly what I’m talking about because she too, was met by the same plinky-plunky theme song. She has no answers for our tragic loss.
So we hope that perhaps it was just bumped to the next time slot. So I boycott this Sex-in-the-Silliness and turn back at 10:30. Alas, Everybody Loves Raymond. Oh the despair. I must wait until 11:00 before my Friends meet me again. Oh, the anguish, misery, and gloom!!! 11:00pm??? What has happened to this world that a person can’t watch Friends until 11:00pm!!! The universe is misaligned!! The stars are askew!! My life is reduced to a Friend-less rubble.
I am outraged (along with great gnashing of teeth) that the WB could expect its devotees to completely rearrange their lives around what can only be described as a misguided programming schedule. Isn’t it enough that the show has been cancelled? Can’t you grant us the reruns at a reasonable hour?! Someone’s getting a letter, that’s all I have to say about that.

(Disclaimer …I would never exaggerate the seriousness of this situation, nor the dreariness of my actually fabulous life just for the sake of humor and comedic timing…and I have no actual aversion to Sex in the City, I’m sure it’s a very good show…I’ve never actually seen it…it’s just unfortunate enough to take the slot of my beloved Friends and therefore shall take the brunt of my wrath…)

How I Saved Kara's Life

You may or may not know that I am actually a superhero. My latest adventure occurred this weekend. It was a Sunday night, though not particularly dark or stormy. I was headed home from seeing the movie “Brothers Grimm”, so naturally I was in a vanquish-all-evil, protect-the-innocent kind of mood. I got a call from a damsel in distress. It was Kara, and she was being held hostage in her own apartment by a menacing pink gecko. I had heard of the viciousness these geckos can behold, but never experienced their wickedness myself. Underneath their transparent scales lie sharp, poisonous fangs and large talons. Never take these tiny geckos lightly. Hang on Kara, I’m on my way!
I immediately made a sharp u-turn and headed to the nearest red phone booth where I could dispose of my glasses and change into my Supergirl tights. I leapt back into my car and hit the panic button, where it immediately morphed from normal, everyday car to a suped-up fighting machine, and sped to Euless, a known hotbed for sinister geckos.
Fearing I may be too late, I dashed up the stairs to her apartment…never fear, Supergirl is here! Fortunately she was able to dodge the infamous fangs and talons until I had arrived. She handed me a Tupperware container and some newspaper to fight the evil that is gecko. One might think those are not very superhero-like weapons, but not for Supergirl. Supergirl is resourceful and needs not the fancy gadgets or powers those other Hollywood-heros need. Supergirl relies on her strength, speed, and ingenuity to fight provocative pests. (And of course a little help from the boss man up in Heaven HQ, every superhero needs a little supernatural power!)
I scaled Kara’s dangerous coffee table and couch, neither of which doing much for my element of surprise, and skillfully made a pass at the dexterous reptile, but he evaded my brawny Tupperware. I skirted his treacherous talons by grace alone, and Kara feared for my life. I strategically shifted positions and tried again. The Tupperware slowly floated over him, getting closer and closer to ensnaring the gecko….when…ah ha! The gecko was suddenly surrounded by the plastic prison of justice. I slid the newspaper underneath and he knew he must surrender.
He was tried for breaking and entering with intent to kill with treacherous fangs and talons, and he was found guilty. However, since this was his first offense, his life was spared, and he was instead released to fend for himself against the cats and raccoons of the wilderness.
I tipped my hat to Kara who was still in awe of my superhero prowess, and drove off into the sunset as I put my glasses back on and changed back into my civilian t-shirt and jeans, ready to face another day, the world free of one more dangerous gecko. My work here is done.

Cell Phones...Life Savers or Lessons in Stupidity?

I wrote about the pros and cons of email yesterday...and come to think of it, cell phones ain't so great either! On one hand, they are cool, especially in emergencies. You can call anyone from anywhere...unless your roaming or out of your network or noon on Sunday and it's not 2:13am during the harvest moon... And how many times have you asked yourself, "what did we do without cell phones?"

Lived in peace and harmony, that's what we did! We could go somewhere and NOT be reached for once. And we would be ok with that. Today, if we forget our cell phone at home or elsewhere, our lives are over. It's as if we cut off our hand. OMG, what if someone is trying to call me?! we ask ourselves, as if the world will implode if we don't answer the phone when it rings. Or if the caller id says 'unknown' and they don't leave a message, it drives us nuts....we must know who called!! Or if we go to the movies or someplace where we turn it on silent, what's the first thing we do when we get out? Check our messages!! And speaking of messages...what's with the 10 minute greeting? First, we have to let the phone ring 4 times or more. Then voicemail picks up and there's your friend saying "hi, you've reached....please leave a message". But then, there's the recording that says "to leave a message, press one. To page the person or leave your number, press 5. When you are finished, press pound or simply hang up, or shove the phone thru your ear b/c this is the longest greeting ever and that's the only way to make it stop" (although you might experience a slight ringing in your ears...HA!)
But really folks, since when do we need instructions for how to leave a message? Whatever happened to...beeeeep? And on top of that, we need instructions for how to hang up once we are finished? Seriously unnecessary. And talk about a boring job...that poor woman who has to say the same thing over and over again every day...to leave a message, please press one...to leave a message, please press one... ;)

I love email / I hate email.

I love email. It’s such a great way to get information quickly. And if there’s a he said/she said discrepancy, you can always go back and check the ‘trail’ and the conversation is always documented. And I love sending people encouraging notes and e-cards out of the blue just because to brighten their day. And I love getting email from my friends saying hello when I’m stressed at work…it always brightens my day just to hear from them! Email is like passing notes in class…except you can pass a note to anyone in the world! Greatness. And now we’ve got text messaging too, which is equally cool…although more expensive. I mean, it has it’s own language for goodness sake. Technology never ceases to amaze me.

But I hate email. Yep, I’m using the word hate. I hate it when people try to have a personal conversation thru email. It’s always so hard to interpret exactly what they are saying or what they mean, and more often than not, I mis-interpret. It also bothers me because I’m at work. No one wants to interpret what you are saying and worry about dealing with email drama while at work. (I have little patience for any kind of drama…but email drama can be the worst!) Don’t get me wrong, I am always open and available to anyone who wants to talk, but not thru email. In fact, even talking on the phone bothers me a little. You still can’t get the eye contact and see the facial expressions and the body language that says so much more than what your mouth does. And as much as I might try to fight it, :) I’m a woman (I know, shocker) and what I want is a personal connection with you when I talk to you. Having a conversation in an email is basically you having the conversation without me. And in all honesty, I’ve found that if you’re having a personal conversation thru email, it probably means you don’t have the courage to have that conversation in person…have the courage to have a real conversation, don’t take the easy way out! (And a sidenote to the guys…never, EVER ask a girl out thru an email. Just don’t do it. Trust me on this one. ;) )

Technology is a beautiful thing. I couldn’t have this blog without it! But I think sometimes we lean on it just a little too hard. I don’t want to have conversations with computers, I want conversations with people. Especially the important ones. Don’t take advantage of the gift of technology and let the real relationships go by the wayside. After all, Hebrews 10:25 doesn’t say “Let us email each other, as all are in the habit of doing, and they will be encouraged when they hear ‘you have mail’ and that’s enough encouragement for one day…” but rather it says “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—all the more as you see the Day approaching”!

The World's 2nd Cutest Kitten!

Meet Zachary, my parent's new addition to their family! He's about 10 weeks old and just about the cutest thing you have ever seen since that cartoon cat in Shrek 2 made those googley-eyes. This little ball of fearless fluff has free reign over my parent's ginormous house, where he skids all over the hardwood floors, runs down the stairs so fast that he falls flat on the face when he gets to the bottom, and thinks their computer keyboard is a catwalk where he can strut his stuff. He's already terrorizing their other cat, Rocky, and even the dog Bandit, who doesn't realize he outweighs the poofball by like 50 pounds.
Zach is a purebred mainecoon, so we're hoping he's gonna grow good and big! So say hello to the world's 2nd cutest kitten (out-cuted only by Duncan of course...and let's face it no one could possibly be cuter than him... ;)

A Real Man!

It's official, Ross is a rootin', tootin', fresh and fruitin' cowboy! Wait...that didn't come out right...
Me and Bobby got to see Ross in his element last Friday in Weatherford at a Rodeo!! Even though he claims he sucked, I was stinking impressed! I mean, how many other people do I know that would walk up to a giant pissed off animal with big mean horns, and then just piss it off more by tying a rope around it's happy place and climbing on his back, just to see how long he can hang on!!! And let me tell you, the particular bull that Ross rode was particularly pissed off. It was pretty darn cool though, and let me tell you I have a whole new respect for the guys who do that. And by respect I mean they're downright nutzo. With a capital N.I didn't get any good pictures, but the one here is of Ross after he rode...he and everyone else are hanging on to the bars on the sides. That's because just before this picture was taken, the bull Ross just jumped off ran by and tried to gore them on his horns like a cowboy sish-ka-bob. Fortunately he missed.
In conclusion: Ross is the coolest.

Breaking News

This just in...the deliberations are over and the votes have been counted. The Grand Poo-bah of American Footracing has just informed me that the race between Jason and Michael up the Lincoln Memorial stairs in Washington DC was not won by Michael, but in fact a tie. I stand corrected...my apologies to the participants, and congratulations to both. We'll be back with the winners' acceptance speeches, until then we return to your regularly scheduled doldrums.
;)

Traveling Light

I'm starting a new quiet time study with a book called "Traveling Light; releasing the burdens you were never intended to bear" by Max Lucado. I'm really excited about it because I have such a tendency to hold on to the very things I need to let go of and let God worry about!

When I travel, I usually pack pretty light, and the same went for our New York trip. (In fact...the boys packed more than I did...hehehe). My packing philosophy has always been "never pack more than you can carry". All I had was one duffle bag, a backpack and a pillow. I used the backpack to carry all our tourist things in the city like water bottles, cameras, maps, etc. (Although you leave Jason in charge of the backpack for one day and he loses the map...hehehe). But after just a few days being out of town, my back was already killing me from sitting in the car all day or else walking all over town and sleeping in a strange bed every night. But still every day i picked up my backpack and insisted on carrying it when we were out rather than accept help. I stubbornly refused when Michael or Jason offered to carry it for me. At the beginning of the trip they had to pry it out of my white knuckle grip each day! (in a very gentlemanly, chivalrous way, of course) But by the end of the trip, I was so tired and my back was aching so much that it only took one inquiring look from Jason for me to submit and gratefully hand it over.

That makes me wonder...what other backpacks am I hanging on to in my life? How many things am I holding on to that God is desperately wanting to carry for me? Why does it take until the very end of the trip when I am so worn out and tired and hurting to finally let go because I just plain don't have the strength to be stubborn about it anymore? Do I think I can out-stubborn God? How many times does it take to realize that I will always run out of strength before He does?

If a father and his family are at the airport, and his 5 year old son tries to take the biggest, heaviest piece of family luggage off the baggage claim, the father doesn't let him sit there and strain. He walks over and says "Here son, let me get that one for you".
And yet here I am trying to wrestle away the biggest and heaviest peices of luggage from my much bigger, much stronger, and much more capable father. Silly me.

NYC Wrap Up!

Famous People we saw: David Letterman, Lance Armstrong, and Michael Ian Black all on the Letterman Show, John Lithgow, Joanna Gleason and Norbert Leo Butz in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the Naked Cowboy (he wasn't really naked...he had some tighty whities that said 'naked cowboy' on the back...just in case anyone was confused), The Queer Eye Guys, and Jami spied Jessica Simpson in the MTV studios!
*****
Some of my Favorite Quotes (Michael had a lot more, but I can't remember them now):
While at a gas station behind a truck with an anti-Bush bumper sticker, a redneck-ish man gets out and Michael says "Hmm. Seems like that guy would like Bush". We ask why? "Well it looks like he likes guns". Then the "woman" next to him gets out. Jason says "Yeah, but it looks like she likes girls".

"Every nerve in my mouth is alive!" -Jason, while eating a super spicy beef jerky

"Guys, I'm really sorry...." -Crys "Crys, how sorry are you? Because my feet really hurt and they sure could use a footrub..." -Michael in response.
*****
States we drove through: Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Washington DC (ok it's not a state, it's a district blah blah), Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana!
*****
Total hours in the car: 56.5
*****
Total miles driven: 3,393
*****
Some might say that we're crazy for driving all the way to New York. Michael would probably agree ;). But I say that life is all about the journey, not the destination. So often people fly to where they are going, and mentally, their vacation doesn't start until they arrive, and it ends once they step on the airplane to go home. But my vacation includes the journey as well! How often do you get to say that you've been in 6 states in one day? How often do you get to relax and just enjoy the countryside? How often do you even notice the countryside? How often do you get 10 hours of uninterrupted time to spend with some of your best friends and get to know them better? How often do you get to hear them sing at the top of their lungs to Queen and the Hamster Dance or see them lean out the window to yell at a cow just minding his own business? Not very often I bet!!

NYC Rules...Part 3

To wrap up our awesome week, Thursday we did a little shopping in the morning and then it was back on the road again! We drove to Washington DC and it was my 4th time there so I got to show them all around so that was pretty cool. Plus, they finished the World War II monument, which they were building last time I was there, so that was new for me and very cool. We saw the Washington Monument and the Captial building and the Veitnam memorial before getting to Lincoln, my 2nd favorite memorial in DC. Jason and Michael decided they needed to race up the stairs to the top. Let me say that these are not your everyday handful of stairs. There were TONS of stairs, lots of them pretty steep, and it was like 95 and way humid outside. I barely felt like walking as it was. But these guys raced full speed to the top of the monument. I so would have puked. But it was pretty funny to see them hurtle over stairs and dodge other tourists. It was a photo finish, but Michael won!

Then we saw the Korean memorial which is my personal favorite. I can't describe it, you have to go. But it has sculptures of soldiers walking thru a rice paddy and their faces are just so real it seems like they are looking right at you. I love that one. We drove past Arlington Cemetary and the Thomas Jefferson memorial and the White House as well before continuing on to Virginia to crash for the night!

On Friday we drove thru beautiful 85 degree North Carolina along the Blue Ridge Parkway for some absolutely gorgeous scenic mountain views. I took them to Blowing Rock which has an indian legend surrounding it that because of the strength of the winds blowing up the rock, it actually pushed an indian brave back up onto the rock after he jumped off. It was kinda rainy, but still beautiful and a definate change from the hot city we'd been in all week! Then we drove to Atlanta and before crashing for the night, we got to meet one of Jason's good friends and his wife and hang out with them for a bit. They used to live here and go to Fellowship and they were way cool. Then on Saturday it was 12 hours of driving to make it home!!

Whew! What an awesome trip. As soon as I get my pictures developed (because no, I have not yet bought a digital camera. Gimme a break, I just got a DVD player like a year ago) and figure out how to post them on this thing, you'll get to enjoy them too! NYC Rules!!!

NYC Rules...Part 2

SO on with the rest of the trip...after our exciting night of stoned llamas, ear splitting singing, and constipation impressions, we still had two full days in New York left! On Tuesday we took the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty and saw the girl in green herself as well as the Brooklyn Bridge. Very cool. That took most of the afternoon. On the way back we stopped to see Ground Zero. Very big hole. Kinda crazy though when you think those towers were twice as tall as any building anywhere...and there were some really tall buildings! Absolutely incredible. By that time, we all had to surgically reattach our feet to our legs! There was a man with 911 pictures telling people stories about that day and he said that every piece of glass within 8 blocks was completely shattered just from the force of the explosion...every window, ceiling, car windshield, everything. Wow.

That night Michael and Jami caught "Phantom of the Opera" which Jami thought was amazing, but Michael was not very fond of all the singing. hehehe. News flash....phantom of the OPERA...nevermind. He did admit to enjoying it though. Wednesday morning consisted of Little Italy and Chinatown, and Wednesday afternoon we went to Central Park and met back up with Lloyd Floyd who showed us around the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That guy knows everything about everything.

Wednesday night we got to see "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", my first Broadway show!!! (I know I know, I've been working in theatre my whole life and never actually seen a real Broadway show...pathetic.) IT WAS SOOOO GOOD!!! Absolutely hilarious. It starred John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun), Joanna Gleason (She occasionally guest appearances on Friend's as Rachel's boss) and Norbert Leo Butz who none of you know but he won the Tony for Best Actor this year for this show and he's officially my new favorite actor! He was just SO GOOD! I could go one for about 6 more paragraphs about how good it was but chances are, very few people who read this are going to read 6 paragraphs about theatre so I'll restrain myself. After the show, we waited by the stage door to get their autographs and pictures!! Me and Jami were in heaven. Jason and Michael thought it was cool. They really like the show too, even though they might not admit it ;)

Wednesday was definately my favorite day. I love Norbert. I love Broadway. I'm so moving. ;)
Ok that's all for now, stay tuned to Crys's stinkin' cool blog to hear about the rest in the next episode of NYC RULES!

NYC Rules...Part 1

Whew! I have traveled the world and seen the wonders of the north and have returned to regale you with my tales! New York City was so totally awesome. Here's what we did!

Friday thru Sunday...drive to NYC with Buffy the Big Apple Slayer (Jami), the Cruise Control Crusader otherwise known as Packer Acker (Jason), and Captain Cynical (Michael).
Sunday thru Thursday...see NYC! We went to the Empire State Building at Midnight on Sunday, saw Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, NBC Studios, Trump Tower, Carnegie Hall, Macy's, Bloomingdales and St. Patrick's Cathedral on Monday. Wheew! Then we got to watch a taping of the Letterman Show which was way cool, and a much needed break for the poor feet from walking to all those cool places! That night we met up with one of my actor friends, Lloyd Floyd, man of 1032 different voices and impressions. If you're wondering what he's like, we'll just say he certainly lives up to his name! He took us to this Thai restaurant that was soooo yummy! Then he took us to the Lower East Side to an open mic poetry bar that was...well...unique in so many ways. Each person had 7 minutes to do their schtick, which was a myriad of "music"...guitars, singing, banjos, one guy strapped a tamborine to his foot while he played, and some did stand up comedy which was less than amusing. (Except for Lloyd's, of course!).

The night began with the...emcees...introducing the "acts", which were two women who were...we'll say...feeling pretty darn good. They explained how tonight, we are celebrating the 'festival of the llamas', (I so wished Kara and Amy were there to hear that!) which was very 'vegan' and 'tribal' and 'amaaaaayyyyzing'. After each "act", they told us how it reminded them of a very special time in their feeling good lives, like the time when they annointed a talisman for the gatekeeper or something equally weirdo. Let me emphasize the fact that all this was "amaaaaayyyyzing". They certainly did. Every 4.2 seconds.

Only about 1 in every 8 performances had any wink of talent to it...which made the evening that ended at 3am pretty interesting. The very first woman that got onstage and proceeded to shout at us about how she had nothing at all prepared, so we should ask her questions. (Dude, don't yell at me, not my fault you're a procrastinator!) Then she proceeded to scream about how horrible and disgusting men were. She used a lot more expletives than that, though. I kinda felt bad for Jason and Michael. So the night began.

One guy sang a song about liposuction which was actually pretty funny, another angry Russian guy (I can say that...he said "I'm Russian and I hate you all b/c you don't speak Russian) sang a song about how everything in this world sucks, and one woman sang a pretty entertaining song, but then also told us the details of her STD...after introducing her dad in the audience. Oogy. But the highlight of the night was a performance by a girl which could only be described as constipation in motion. Think Dory on Finding Nemo when she's talking to the whales...only she's stuck on one note for 7 minutes straight...not forming words or having any point whatsoever, just looking and sounding like she should really be in a bathroom. She was booed off stage. At first, I just wanted to rip off my ears and eat them so maybe the agony would end...then me and Jami got the giggles. It was all downhill from there. We should SO not have been laughing, which made it even harder to stop. We just couldn't do it. Jason and Michael, however, didn't find the humor.

But at the end of the night, we could definately say we experienced the true, raw New York arts environment, and we've got lots of stories!!! In fact, Lloyd even said "I didn't bring you because I thought you would enjoy it, I brought you because I wanted you to experience it!" It really was kinda cool though and the more thought about it, the more we realized we really did have fun. And that was only Monday night! Stay tuned for the rest of the trip with more fun stories!

NYC Baby!

Today I am off to New York City! I'm going with some of my best friends Jason, Jami, and Michael! We are going to rule the town. We leave at 5:00 today and if I'm computer saavy enough, I'll even be able to post a few things while we're on the road! So say a few prayers that we don't break down or get lost on the way, and I'll see ya next week! New York City, Baby!!! (By the way, anyone who reads this blog is going to need to brush up on their Friends trivia...that was a reference to Joey's "London, Baby!!")

I have a BLOG!

Wow! I have a blog! I'm so cool! Now the whole world wide web can know all about my totally gnarly life.
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Hmm.
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Turns out I'm too excited about the fact that I actually HAVE a blog to have anything cool to write in it. So...here's my blog! YAY! It will be cooler soon. And I'm a funny person so it will probably be pretty entertaining too. Well, I'll think it's funny. No one else has to.
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Yay for blogs!