In the early morning dark, when you shouldn’t really be awake, I reach over and feel Dave’s temporarily-bald head.
“You feel like GI Joe,” I tell him, referring to those really great GI Joe dolls of the 1960s that looked like Rock Hudson and had this short, fuzzy hair. Dave has 2 days’ growth.
“You can be my Barbie,” he replies, referencing the fact that when I played Barbies with my friends as a young girl, I let the others have Ken and opted to use my bothers’ GI Joe as my particular love interest.
In totally unrelated news: And, by the way, I got to see the colorful, bright and delightful Carol Channing star in “Hello, Dolly” in the 90’s. It was soooooo cool!
Dave with hair, in the kitchen; Dave without hair for his performance in Annie, onstage.
NOTE: He is rumored to have been advised to start growing his hair long, really long – which he is able to do easily, for a possible starring-pirate kind of role next year. People, I implore you! Did Carol Channing ever have to change her hair this much?
Longmont is a beautiful city with an amazing view of the Rocky Mountains. We have been in a most incredible location and it has been “home” (on the Northern Hills Church property www.northernhills.cc). What a blessing that has been. The drawback has been the 2-lane highway which makes for crazy long car lanes in every direction. Traffic flowed very smoothly…just very slowly this past year when we had 22,800 people there all at once!
This new property is a beautiful park and reservoir with lots of farmland, which is going to allow for “raw” camping. It is just west of I-25 on the north side of the 4-lane highway 119. 70+ bands on 7 stages, interactive worship, a Petra reunion…come on. Start making plans! WE GOT OUR PERMIT TODAY!
A partial look at what you’ll see.
Remember 2008 – our first year? We did this the day we got our Adams County Permit LESS THAN A MONTH out from the festival!
We’re still together. Still going strong and doing the happy dance. Still love each other! The GREATEST miracle of all!
“It’s a cake day” definitely does NOT have the same meaning for me as it does for most people. “Cake day” for me means I am doing a special-events-celebratory-by-request-decorated cake. Each one of these has the potential for great disaster. Never more than this one I will be attempting today and tomorrow. I have researched similiar cakes to this (diaper-cake) design, requested by my beautiful Jovan. I have found 57 photos. 3 are cute. ONLY THREE! The rest are hilarious disasters. {shaking my head} We shall see…But for Jovanie (who once talked me into a Barbie cake!!??…see below)? Anything!
I am playing my Three Dog Night’s Greatest Hits on the turntable – yes! NOT an MP3, an actual old-fashioned LP record – VINYL, people! Good times! The slight scratchiness adds to the experience.
Did Paul Williams (who had sort of a froggy-puppet look) write good lyrics or what?
Just an old-fashioned love song playin’ on the radio
And wrapped around the music is the sound
Of someone promising they’ll never go
You swear you’ve heard it before
As it slowly rambles on and on
No need in bringin’ `em back,
`Cause they’re never really gone
Just an old-fashioned love song
One I’m sure they wrote for you and me
Just an old-fashioned love song
Comin’ down in 3-part harmony
To weave our dreams upon and listen to each evening
When the lights are low
To underscore our love affair
With tenderness and feeling that we’ve come to know
You swear you’ve heard it before
As it slowly rambles on and on and
No need in bringin’ `em back,
`Cause they’re never really gone
It is a brilliantly sunny day and just as I was about to toss some onions from the produce drawer (the last of 2009’s onion bounty from my own garden) because they are starting to sprout, I realized it is not too early to go push them into the garden soil where they will grow for this year! Happy! Happy! Happy! Almost made me forget I can’t breathe and my throat hurts and (after 2 weeks of this) I have to go to the doctor’s office later.
Brighton’s own Broadway {off, off, off, off, off, off Broadway, anyway…}
It starts tonight! 10 performances over the next month where Dave will play Daddy Warbucks and Sandy-the-family-dog will play her actual Annie-inspired namesake, Sandy-the-dog, onstage. Dave auditioned in October for this role and it has finally arrived. It is going to be so cool! I can’t wait! Besdies my husband and my dog, my antique desk and chair will be onstage, my Christmas tree, a certain piece of illegal weaponry and various other props will make an appearance, compliments of our house. Yet, I still have to pay to get in. {shaking my head} I mean, who do you have to sleep with to get a free ticket around here???
Rhoades Family Trivia~
Q: How many times did the Rhoades kids watch the “Annie” movie during their growing up years?
A: 8362 times. Minimum. Every cassette or videotaped recording of our kids at anytime between 1984 and 2007 include, at some point, some rendition of some song or another from the musical “Annie.” True story.
Note to the Rhoades-kids originals:
Watch the first scene with little orphan Annie. Hear her words and feel her heart and you will understand a little something more about your own dad’s story as a kid who was adopted.
Valentine’s Day is Sunday! As you prepare to EXPRESS your love, I submit these tidbits for inspiration:
Tweet Me!
Conversation hearts, they are a-changing. For all my growing up years they just said things like, “Be mine,” “Kiss me,” and “Sweet talk.” But as of this year, 1 in 80 hearts will say, “Tweet me.”
You’ll still find the traditional, “Be true,” but also the ones added in the late 90s like “Call me,” or “Email me.” Last spring they even produced special Twilght-themed hearts, which my little grandbebes seem to adore, that said things like “I {heart} EC,” “Lion and Lamb,” and “Dazzle.” “Bite me,” is also an interesting addition, now interpreted romantically (Thank-you, Edward) rather than as a vulgar insult. Times have changed.
Your Kiss is on my List!
I posted a whole list of KISSING-QUOTES previously. You may read them here. But please BE SURE to read the comments from others because they added some wonderful KISSING sentiment, too! That Tredessa knows her kissable literature and movies! AND SHARE YOURS!
“How did it happen that their lips came together?
How does it happen that birds sing, that snow melts,
that the rose unfolds,
that the dawn whitens behind the stark shapes of trees on the quivering summit of the hill?
A kiss, and all was said.”
~Victor Hugo
Music and passion were always the fashion…
Remember “mixed tapes?” People would create their own, personalized playlist of love songs for their true amour on something called a “cassette.” Back in the day…{sigh} Now you can can just do it online, no-muss, no-fuss: FREE playlists. www.playlist.comThey are playing our song…
Tristan made a video for Stephanie’s birthday a couple of years ago, a re-enactment of a scene from “The Office,” where Jim is “conducting an experiement” in controlling Dwight. Gavin was “Jim” and Guini was “Dwight.” The only problem was that Dwight is an annoying jerk and Guini kept being so sweetly polite (like her Nonna).
Sometime after 11 pm last night, the views on this video went over 20,000! Isn’t that cool? My little grandbebes have brought joy to many Office viewers! If you watch it, go RATE it (no less than 5 stars, s’il te plait!).
You may as well enjoy the video my kids made me for Mother’s Day that year, too. It is my favorite Partridge family song ever.
GUIDELINES: Cornball, silly, lighthearted, endearing, or incredibly tragic or odd songs that I actually, truly love. In no particular order.
I hesitate to share this “playlist” because it is such a weird and odd assortment. But I guess that is also self-descriptive. These are all just silly, silly songs. I love.
THE LIST
Love Will Keep Us by The Captain and Tenille
I know. It isn’t as silly as “Muskrat Love,” but I like this one better. Very happy.
Can’t Smile Without You by Barry Manilow
I love Barry. What can I say?
Knock Three Times by Tony Orlando and Dawn
I have loved this one since I was a little girl! I loved how concerned he was about his neighbor and the “code” he gave her. Now, it strikes me as a little creepy, but Tony Orlando was just soooooo cute!
Having My Baby by Paul Anka
This seemed REALLY romantic to me when I was 14 or so. And it did again when they sang it on the TV show, “Glee,” this season (remember the poor, sweet innocent boy who hadn’t even done anything to get the girl pregnant, but thought he had and wanted to take responsibility?). Very cool song, I must say!
September by Earth, Wind and Fire
The version we all like is actually by the Youtube stars, Pomplamoose. GemGem runs around singing, “Ba-de-ah, say that you remember! Ba-de-ah, say that you remember!” Upbeat and energizing.
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes
The epitome of corny, but maybe even more hilarious in this day and age. A guy gets bored with his “lady,” places a personal ad (when they used to be printed! In newspapers!). Some woman answers it and it turns out to be his lady and they find out they really still have a lot in common. Amazingly, no – she doesn’t take a baseball bat to his head. I don’t understand that?
I Got You, Babe by Sonny and Cher
I never got over their divorce. I believed that simple love song.
Old Pair of Shoes by Randy Travis
I make my brother Joe get his guitar and sing this everytime I see him. He also does that horrible “Yard Sale” song (which is a gut-wrenching look at divorce) and it is pretty awful, but I secretly love it, too. Our family gatherings also always have to include a full-family sing-a-long of ”(Wastin’ Away Again in) Margaritaville,” which is hilarious since none of us drink, and that crazy old Hee Haw song, “Put Another Log on the Fire.” This Randy Travis song wasn’t available on playlist.com or on Youtube, but you can go there to watch and listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHBH6fLu_ls
La Vie en Rose by Edith Pfaff
Just love French music. I took French from the 7th-11th grades and still stink at interpreting, but I love to sing like this!
Sometimes When We Touch by Dan Hill
OK-there was a time, when I was a teen-age girl trying to assert her liberated self that I was apparently offended by some man singing that he wanted to “break” his lover and “bring her to her knees.” On principle, I was truly appalled then. Now I not only find his overwhelming angst hilarious and pathetic, I get him, too. Which is probably hilarious and pathetic of me, too.
Always by Atlantic Starr
Dave and I have done this at dozens of weddings. Very cutesy pop and I still like it.
Lovin’ You by Minnie Ripperton
Do I TRY to hit those notes? Why, yes. I do. Other than the few potentially glass-shattering notes, this actually fits me. As far as you know.
Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band
They were in a boat floating down a river in pretty white dresses on a beautiful sunny day. I can honestly say I did not know what they were talking about. Well, if I am being honest I knew they were talking about something I didn’t know about and that in and of itself was titillating.
Betcha By Golly Wow by the Stylistics
I am a sucker for the soulful 70s sound of the Stylistics.
Honey, Honey by Abba
Happy. Crushes. Teeny-bopper love. Junior High.
I Love by Tom T. Hall
Also Junior High. Something sweet and gentle and lasting. This song gives me the warm fuzzies.
I Think I Love You by The Partridge Family
Really, truly one of the greatest songs of all time. I could not be more serious.
I Love You Always Forever by Donna Lewis
A song from the 1990s! A miracle. So bubbegum-pop. I happen to like bubblegum.
Passionate Kisses by Mary Chapin Carpenter ~ {my theme song}
Because I really, truly have always believed and continue to believe that I SHOULD have every single thing in this song: a comfortable bed, food to fill me up, a full house and a rock and roll band, pens that won’t run out of ink, cool quiet and time to think, shouldn’t I have all of AND passionate kisses from you? I mean seriously.
Keep On Rocking Me, Baby – The Steve Miller Band
It’s got a good beat and it’s easy to dance to. Just kidding. I can’t dance. I was not allowed (Pentecostal preacher’s daughter). There is someting fun about singing this and it was the naughty “hard rock” I was not allowed to listen to, either. ; ) So I snuck.
Music is wonderful. And Valentine’s Day is Sunday.
